Love ,Light and the Colours of Fall

This Diwali we moved into our new apartment. After almost a week, or perhaps longer, of house hunting we finalized a house. Each apartment we saw had it’s own draw. Take the ‘masala’ apartments for instance – As son as we entered the building we were hit by a strong smell of Indian spices, leading to the Husband christening it the ‘masala building’. I’m sure, if we put in a little effort we stand a chance of being invited for chole-puri lunches on Sunday. At another apartment complex, the leasing office recommended that we take a walk along the back. We went around, and there it was, straight out of the movies, the riverfront, complete with private boats docked along a boardwalk. There was even a small beach a little further down. If we had had our cheque books with us at that moment, we would have gone straight back in and closed the deal. Luckily, we didn’t. It turned out the locality had a poor reputation.The final call was a tough one between an apartment located closer to the Husband’s workplace, in a high rise with a contemporary look and feel, overlooking a busy street and one in a bylane, with a balcony, with a tree right outside the balcony, in all it’s fall beauty.
No prizes for guessing which one we celebrated Diwali in.

Longwood Gardens

hmmmnnnhmmnnnhmnnnhmnn

If you are around Philadelphia, the Longwood gardens is great place to spend the day. We went in summer. It was way past tulip season, but the roses and other flowers were still in bloom. Well marked, naturally shaded paths made walking around easy. The hot sun added to the charm of the fountains and water gardens. I am also impressed with the sustainability initiatives.

For the holiday season, they have 2 special attractions – A Longwood Christmas and the Garden Railway.

Prague

I just finished Milan Kundera’s ‘The Unbearable Lightness of Being’. My heart ache’s for Prague.

Prague, the beautiful Prague. Sabina’s Prague where the cemeteries are like gardens.The graves covered with grass and colourful flowers. When the sun goes down the cemetery sparkles with tiny candles. The graves are not weighed down with heavy stone to prevent the dead from getting out. Roots and flowers offered the corpses a path out of the grave and the living a chance to communicate with them. I am filled with a strong desire to walk through the cemeteries of Prague.

I want to climb Petrin Hill, pausing to see as Tereza saw: below her she saw the towers and bridges; the saints were shaking their fists and lifting their stone eyes to the clouds. It was the most beautiful city in the world.

I want to visit Tomas’ Prague. If only for a day.

I want to go to Prague.

Who am I ?

Hum Mein Hain Dil-E-Betaab Nihan
Yah Aap Dil-E-Betaab Hain Hum

-Shaad Azzemabadi

Roughly translated –

Is the restless heart hiding inside me,

or has it taken over so completely, that  I have become the restless heart?

Leaps of Faith

Skateboarders do their thing in Philly

Columbia – First Look

New York is so much like Bombay. On a wet cold afternoon, people were milling about, taking trains and going about their business as usual. No one seemed perturbed about the weather.

I was at Columbia University. The place was nothing like I had imagined. Firstly, it was located very conveniently, 10 steps from a subway entrance. Even inside the subway station, there was a mosaic saying COLUMBIA. I was expecting a sprawling campus, where one could easily get lost and was surprised at how small the place really was. It is my fault really, for expecting  something like that  in the middle(ok!! maybe not middle!!) of NYC. The students seemed to have none of the brash intellectual arrogance I thought they would. Their faces were not aglow with, what  we call in India,’tejas’; that inner fire that burns in the eyes, and radiates its aura in all directions. Their walk was not brisk purposeful strides. Isn’t this supposed to be one of the best schools in the country? Aren’t these supposed to be some of the brightest minds?  They looked so, ordinary.

Then it struck me, maybe that is what the University does. It grinds and polishes the students so that they sparkle like diamonds. It puts them through the fires, and when they come out the shine like gold.

edited – I have now realized, they have quite a huge campus and about the students, I think that was just the Holidays. 

Graveyard Walk

All dressed up as Kiki and Jiji we took the train from Stamford to Grand Central. The Husband’s initial mortification of having to travel by public transport dressed like a cat was soon assuaged by the sight of other people taking the train dressed like dragons, devils and what-nots! Clearly misery is not the only one who loves company.

 Grand Central had transformed into a land of magical beings and mythical beasts. On stepping out we found, it was not just the terminal, there were fantastic looking creatures wandering everywhere. Following some, and getting directions from helpful policemen we reached our destination-The Parade entry!

Hordes  fantastic, waiting to enter the Parade

Twenty mins later we were in. From cute to macabre; slinky, sexy, funny, creepy, kinky, crazy and simply outrageous. They were all there.

Sinister, grotesque,glamorous,sexy,outrageous cute, fun..

At the beginning, I was quite shy of asking people to pose for me. But seeing how  willingly strangers obliged photo requests, I got bolder.

Neo-Exotica

Nothing screams couple like co-ordinated costumes.

There’s more to LOVE than flying cherubs and candy hearts

Gruesome floats dotted the parade. Buildings along the way were decorated keeping with the theme.

HELLLPP!!

The crowd was marvelous too. Three or more people deep, some in costume, they cheered and enjoyed.

Mobs

Walking along, I hear a couple of excited voices call out ” Kiki! Kiki!!, You are Kiki, right?” Oh, the thrill of being recognized! We even met another Kiki.

Sharing a Kiki moment

I could see that a lot of thought had gone into each costume. Some were done at home, some were store bought and beautifully personalized. Age, clearly had nothing to do with enthusiasm.

Creativity and Enthusiasm take a bow

Not just age, species was no bar either.

Puss-in-Boots

That night we had dinner surrounded by Batman, Robin, witches and princesses.

At last the night came to an end.

Tales Along the Way/An Immigrant’s Story

When you travel, you meet people, and sometimes you get to hear their stories.

“I’m a strong woman.”, she said. “Oh yaa, I am a strong woman.”  She searches for words to express herself. Her English is not very good. It’s broken and sometimes grammatically wrong, but she is voluble. “I had my first child when I was 14.”, she says. “Ahh haan. I was only fourteen. And only one month after she was born, I was pregnant again. One month after the second child was born, I was pregnant with the next one.  Five!!  I had 5 children like that. One, and then another one, and then another one.”  She  circles with her hand to gesture repetition  and nods for effect. “I have been through a lot in life.” She shakes her head. “I married 3 times.” She nods her head and raises 3 fingers. ” Ohhh yaa, three times!!  My first husband, I was married to him for 7 years. Then I divorced him. I was only 14 when I ran away from home with him. He used to live down the street. He was 21 years old.” More head shaking. ” I was 14 and he was 21. That time all I wanted was to get away from home. To be free. I lived with my step-mother. I wanted to get away. My father, he never showed us any love.He never say, I love you.. no..”, she gestures with a wave. “..nothing. He never say nothing loving to us. My sister left home when she was 14 too.” She paused for a moment. Her face wore a sad look. Then she continued, ” I looked for a job. Getting a job, it’s so hard…so hard”, More head shaking. “Then one day my  friend said, lets go to LA. I said ok! And we came to LA.  I’m from *TJ.” ,she says, by way of explanation. “You know, Tijuana?” she clarifies and I nod . At this point we were briefly interrupted.

“Did you get a job in LA?”, I asked in an attempt to hear the rest of her story. ” Oh yaa!!”, she nodded. ” In LA there were many jobs. I worked in a big company for many years. I got a job, and then I brought my girls to live with me. I left my children with my husband when I went to LA. After I get a job, I bring them. Not the boys, because you know, boys they need their father.” She smiles. “I am a very strong woman. I did it all on my own. Nobody did nothing for me. I learnt everything by myself. That is why I am so strong. It has not been easy, but I did it.” Her face glows with pride, and not unjustly.

I never got to hear the rest of her story. Perhaps, it is not necessary.

*Tijuana – Mexican city across the border from San Diego. I plan to cross the border and go there someday. It may not be Mexico’s best or safest city, but it’s just across the border and easy to access.

Monsterland

Of all the lands I have visited, or will ever visit I think Monsterland is the most exciting. It is inhabited by mean giants and gruffalos. Lorikeets flutter around keeping safe distance from these monsters. Occasionally a fox, or a wolf, or even a coyote maybe spotted here.

*Akash and I would seek safety in a blanket doubling up as our tent. The giants were mean, but we were not nice either. It’s common knowledge that giants don’t like being yelled at. Nobody does. So, we would  tease them by shouting “Baah” and quickly hiding in our tent. It reminds me of those boring studying holidays when Sam and I would yell ” Rajuuu, Raju Chacha!!” at people passing under our window and hide, for kicks!!

When the enraged giants came looking for us, we would drive away or fly off in our airplane.To Los Angeles! To San Francisco! To New York! Bombay! Bangalore! even China!! Sometimes the naughty baby grufallo would run off and be lost. The amma gruffalo would come looking for it and insist on checking if Akash was her baby. The lorikeets very a friendly lot. We loved feeding them and even bringing them into our tent. They would bring us blue berries to buy peace with the Blueberry Giant.

 Fi-Fie-Fo-Fum!! Oh no! Oh no! the Giant has come!!

BuUHuHAHAHA!!!

How I miss Monsterland!

 *Akash – my 3 year old nephew

 

Hopping Bees

*Akash recently went to Australia with his parents and came back with the most amazing stories. Of great big fishes; submarine rides; the ocean going up and down; snakes that didn’t scare him; emus; koalas; kangaroos that shook their heads when offered food; joeys that jumped into their mamma’s bellies!!; and wallabies.

One day when we were all sitting around, sharing stories,he says “Appa, wallabies are not bees. They look like small kangaroos.”

* Akash – My 3 year old nephew