bazm e gossip

-watching  bond  movies  is  a  quality  time  passed  , i  used  to  be  voracious  ian fleming  reader,  some  years  ago  shifted  to  this  township with  not  much  of  social  mingling  i  got  a  cable  connection  when  our  giant  dish  on the  roof  top failed  to  catch  signals  after  the  box  was  imposed, the  cable  television gave  me  so  many  options  some  of  my  choice  others  not  , bbc  is  standard   tuning  among  all  nations  , now  new  channels  like  al  jazeera  also  have  established  themselves  with  a  lot  of  fan  following, so  with  my  cable  some  twenty  plus  years  ago  i  got  to  see charles  brosnon  in remington  steel  my  favourite  show  , he  became  james  bond  and  then  the  movies  were  shown on channels, with  just  three  picture  halls  and  those  also shut  down  locals  had  other  choices  to  watch  their  favourite  films  , but  i  liked  bond  , bond  was  my  one  of  the  favourite  spies  who  inspired  me

-cliff  richard  sings  evergreen tree  and  many  a  romantic  hearts melt  with  smoldering  desire,  evergreen tree  is  one  of  my  growing  up  song  i  loved  listening  specially  when i  was  alone  and  radio  was  my  only  source  of  music  during  the  day  after  school  and  during  the  sizzling  mid  day  summer  when others  napped  and  during  late  evenings  when we  slept  out in the  yard  under  the  starry  skies  and  all india  radio  had  some  beautiful  presentations  from western  classical  to  youth  programs -evergreen  is  to  me  that  remains  youthful  forever  and  for  that  one  needs  either  a  sip  from the  fountain of  youth  or  a  magic  box -i  have  a  magic  box  and  i  found  this  magic  box  some  twenty  years  ago, in this  magic  box  i  can not  see  my  freflection of  forever  young  but  i  can  get  things  out  of  it  like  alladin  did  from his  magic  lamp  by  rubbing   -all  that  i  have  to  do  is  click  c

-the  movie  was made  in sixties  and  i  watched  it  recently  on television when i  had  nothing  better  to  do  and  this  one  sounded  the  best  choice  of  all  channels one  night -the  title  made   me  want  to  know  more  of  what  is  described  as  good  , bad  and  ugly -there  are  three  of  a  kind  professionally  but  their  nature  is  totally  different  , the  good  is  helpful  and  kind  , the  bad  is  cruel  and  too harsh  and  rough, the  ugly  is  a  cheat  and  weak  and  takes  revenge  and  seeks  reward   -the  three  sides  are  reflected  in us  all  somewhat  in  various proportions , ratio  of  the  qualities  keeps us  one  of  them , we  judge  good  in others  only  when we  have  experienced  it  ourselves  in us -the  bad  is  emphasised emphatically when we  are  also  bad  or  how  can  we  know  of  it -the  ugly  is always  an  attitude that makes  us  so  repellent -the  three  musketeers  were  good  because  they  had  integ

-weekends  at  home  in the  evenings  is  spent  as  a  routine  religiously  followed  regimen  watch  television, sa  re  ga  is  a  reality  show, this  season  stretched  miles  longer  and  amazing  singers  in the  age  group  from five  to  fourteen are  participating  , what  awesome  inspiring  dedicated  singing, their  training  if  is  given  credit  then  all  trained  singers  are  not  equal  to  them, so  it  is  felt  it  must  be  their  previous  life  karma  added  to  this  as  extra  balance  turn over, -rejection  is  a  way  to  selection, top  eight  remain on the  stage  holding  on, new  challengers  were  added  to  give  them  competition , the  fights  were  so  musically  thrilling  and  enthralling  that  the  world  of  music  and  fantasy  was  spun around   -sound  of  music  was  a  movie  every  old  fashioned  child  from old  fashioned  background  is  grown up  on, the  nutrients  are the  truthfulness, sincerity , patriotism, courage  and

-the  baba  was  summoned  to  the  court  , fifteen years  took  him to  reach  the  criminal  court    in humiliation of  murder  of  humanity  and  molestation  of  innocence -convoy  of  one  hundred  plus  long  luxury  cars  with  black  cat  comandoes  garnishing  the  topping for  the  rich  creamy  celebrity was  so  impressive  that  my  maid  mopping  the  floor  commented-didi, thousands of  the  baba's  devotees  and  followers  gathered  overnight  to  see  the  baba  , police  is also  present  and  the  meals were  served  by  the  ashram  but  some  still  went  hungry --the  picture  she  saw  relates  to  her  status as  a  blind fold of illiteracy  does  not  allow  her  to  see  the  picture  with  clarity -baba  was  an  accused  of  crimes  against  humanity  and  was  showing  off  his  force  to  intimidate  the  court and  he  was  half  successful  by  letting  thousands  of  crowds  gather  to  burn  public  and  private  properties   -leaders  ha

-till some  years  ago  as  a  stay  home  person and  nothing  much  else  to  do  someone  suggested  why  not  give  tutions  home  , i  had  not  married  and  did  not  speak  much  in the  local  dialect, then  were  the  days  of  black  commandoes  spread  out  with  red  turbans by  early  evening  and  seen  till mid  day  sparsely  here  and  there,  khalistan  was  demanding  separate  status,  -connecting  with  children  from various  backgrounds  was  almost impossible, i  personally  believed  some  foreign hand  was  strongly  cultivating  such  terrorism  but  who  asks  me   -times  began  changing  and  girls  in the  locality  were  seen more  often  going  out, walking  , on foot, in small groups, to  schools, colleges  opened, girls  became  professionals, some  married  out  of  cast  and  learnt  to  take  care  of  themselves  and  were  good  decision makers -small  township  squeezed  and  shrunk  to  breathless  choking  pace  with  shops  not  openin

-i  got  a  new   hand  set  last  year, it  was very  important  and  without  which  i  could  not  manage  my  personal  and  social  affairs  , jio  was  launching  free  data  package  with  their  own handset  some  four  months  later  but  i  was  not  ready  to  wait  for  it  was  a  crucial moment  of  decision and  a  turning  point, i  like  samsung  and  no  matter  what  i  refused  to  accept  chinese  made  versions  on line  available  and  trendy -first  i  took my  cell golden  the  first  one  , then  not  even  arrived  in local  market, i  began  to  download  apps  , facebook, whats app, flikr, yahoo mail -then my  picture  gallery  grew and  i  was  connecting  and  contacting  my  friends  who  have  proved  friends over  a  period  of  time  , on line  orders  , food  packs, from local  groceries  , relatives  long  distance -i  got  some  more  thread   and  began  tatting  and  whats  app  shared  my  pictures  with  my  contact list, a  cousin laughi

-  a  family  friend  rang  me  up  after  ages  it  seemed, he  used  to  visit  my  father  and  for  many  years  they  were  on good  terms,  bittu  ji  is  my  age  group  and  my  father  died  in 2007  september, after  his  death also  bittu  ji  kept  in touch  with  us as  a family,  -recently  i  happened  to  visit  his  home  and  met  his married  sisters  who  were  visiting  him with  their  children on school vacation -after  that  we  lost  touch  for  a  while  and  yesterday  he  called  me  on my  cell, he  had  been busy  with his  local  business  and  his  friends  , every  year  during  august  mostly  he  goes  somewhere  on a  trip, this  time it  was  hyderabad -i  have  been there  too so  he  asked  if  i  had  seen  a  certain place  which  i  could  not  recall, because  i  had  with  my  parents  been to shopping , temples  and  lakes  and  its  twin city  i  think  now  separated  from hyderabad -my  mother  now  mostly  rests  at  home  was  a  t

-every  nation  has  a  heritage  to  be  proud  of  a  culture  , system  and  political  social  structure  that  is  built  by  the  races  who  maintain  the  geo - economic  balance, a  self  employed  home  tutor  like  me  unmarried  single  and  nothing  much  to  dream  about  except  obediently  following  others  dirty  footsteps, never  admired  others  performance  , never  ran  after  actors  and  stars  , i  had  very  simple  thinking  and  equally  simple  life  style,  -routine  and  discipline  instilled  in me  by  my  very  healthy  and  brainy  parents  both  who  complimented  and  completed  each  other, i  took  some  traits  from both sides  and  became  a  new  person  but  very  quickly  in life  i  realised  i  was  nobody  , only  the  powerful  were  worshiped  and  sought  after -swatch  bharat  abhiyan  was  launched  and  new  taxes  were  imposed  on  also  me, i  want  my  india  to  be  clean  and  ready  to  pay  extra  taxes   saw  two  neighbo

-my  weekend routine  is  simple  , going  out, eating  out  or  cooking  something  special  or  pamper  myself not  at  any  extra  cost, today  i  drove  up  to  a  grocers  from where  o  got  some  cheese,  cottage  cheese  and  buns  and  coconut  water  in bottles  and  had  a  nice  time  heating  up  oats  for  lunch  to  mix  with  powder  milk  , lets  see  what  to  do  at  night  because  sa  re  ga  ma  favourite  show  on television  keeps  us  all  glued  to  it  for  more  than  couple  of  hours  late  evening  , with  humidity  and  sudden  showers  its  a  nice  home  entertainment 

.the town telegraph office is an old historic building .telegrams were sent from there and in school we students were proudly taught how telegrams were sent. Modern times faster ways of exchanging messages on cell phones everyone can afford the telegraoh section nation wide is shut down .on that level head post offices will become passport offices. Couriers are convenient and with amazon emerging speedily also globally as a pantry with singapore launch successful because all working and modern and wealthy and busy or lazy can not make shopping trips regularly.neighboyrs like uber are hired for their shopping for a certain payment. My small lazy township remains the same .one can not change  unless their outlook changes.i went to branch office yesterday to send a small parcel containing my thread craft to a facebook friend.a surprise gift only one interested in my skill can be.i akso love tatting and like sharing with admirers of tatting lace.the pist office was empty of staff with j

-i  got  an  auto  a  three  wheeler  and  because  there  was  nobody  to  accompany  me  i  planned  a  small  round  the  town  with  nothing  special  intent, till one  month  ago  i  was  buying  meats  and  sausages  and  home  delivered  packets  were  useful and  convenient, nowhere  to  go  and  all  that  i  like  is  found  in virtual  reality  on internet  i  stay  home  with  my  computer, but  sometimes  an  outing  and a  half  does  wonders, so  out  i  went  and  my chosen  destination was  a  bakery, i  prefer  home cooked  indian  food  , easy  to  cook  and  seasonal  vegetables   and  even  fruits  like  pears  and apples  cooked  and  added  like  pine  apple pieces   and  pomegranate  add  up  so  much  tangy  rich  sweet  sour  taste  , heat  and  humidity  in monsoon this  year  has  doubled  and  drained  our   energy  so  much, i  decided  to  get  something  different  from the  market  and  it  was jumbo  bread, usual bread  is  regular  and  available

-today the two festive moods  overkapped in my mind. Independence day  that has patriotic  hue .the other krishnajanmashtmi  that evokes  janmashtmi cheerful attachment  we as a society grow up with. ...its not just a festival celebrating the birth of lord krishna by one mother and raised by another woman. ...bhagwat geeta was a book given me when i was very small by my father .written by  dr s radha krishnan ..eighteen chapters all dictated as instructions to arjuna in the field of mahabharta war between  kaurav and oandavas introduces every new reader with a perspective different from the worldly practices . ..what i liked about this day was the eating and feasting  for pleasure. Usually all indian festivals are observed with fasting whole day. But this one is similar to christmas .the birth of jesus is celebrated i like it so muchafter reading Christmas carol written by Charles dickens a beautiful short story read as my text lesson. ..charm and magic of reading and everythin

-I  used  to  once  upon a  time  enjoy  having  fun  with  friends  who  loved  cooking  or  eating  , Fun means  enough to  eat  and  eating  is  fun, some  of  my  class mates  were  in  different  times  from other  cultures  , in my  family  we  always  had  enough  to  eat  , all siblings   liked  to  have  different  things  for  meals  and  snacking, we  made  friends  who  had  similar   eating  habits,  i  for  once  had  some  room mates  in school hostel  from north eastern hills  , the  tribal  girls  from various  communities   liked  eating  tomatoes, i  preferred  not  eating  tomatoes  soaked  in water  bucket  and  cit  and  eaten raw, i  liked  cooked  soups  or  yogurts , flavoured  milks  and  shakes  and  lassis  and  ice  creams  with  cold  coffees  and  hot  chocolates  -later  in life  i  learnt  to  have  tea  as  a  social  occasion , visiting  my  friends  in the  hills  , every  tribe  had  a  separate  style  of  making  tea, red  , green, milky  , he

-It  is  said  practise  makes  man  perfect  , perfect  what  is  debatable, I  think  only man needs  some  practise  to  polish  his  persona  women  are  naturally  great,  so  am I until  I  had  to  perfect my  thread  work, shuttle  tatting  I  learnt  in simla  from a  medical  doctor"s  wife  , the  couple  was  childless  and  the  lady  of  the  house  chose  to  leave  her  medical  profession and  upgrade  the  living  standards  of  the  indian girls   -Every  time  i  sat  in my  window  and  looked  out  in the  snow clad  landscapes  i  would  see  the  neighbour  going  around  for  a  walk  with  girls  her  students  whom she  taught  skills  , specially  hand  work  they  could  learn  to  make  some  money  and  become  bread  winners  and  feed  their  poverty  stricken families  or  inspire  other  families  in need -Poverty is  not  always  related  to  financial  aspects because  one  can  be  poor  in ideas  and  bankrupt  in concepts  and perceptio

-when i  was  in school  lessons  were  repeated  every  day  to  make  us  memorise  the  theme  and  be  able  to  narrate  it  like  a  parrot  before  the  selected  audience  who  would  praise  not  the  ability  of  students  but  the  perfections  of  teachers   -Rhymes and  the  alphabet   and  introduction to  school mates  and  learning  was  not  new   concept  in my  family  because  we  all  for  several  generations  had  been highly  educated  and  well off   -Petty  meant  when we  did  things  not  regarded  suitable  for  us  in the  higher  position of  society we  held -Petty  was  not  bad  when it  was  expected  naturally  from the  lower  in station to  me   -growing  up  was  a  long  process  slower  than aging  , but  i  realised  understanding  comes  from experience  shared  and  pain comes  from experience  gone  through -Believing  in karmic cycle  was  instilled  from one  sect  that  did  not  religiously  follow, not  haing  computers  with  m

--every sunday is stringed beautifully in a natural rhythm eagerly awaited for specifically by those who have nothing to imagine and no plans for that day except rest.  Going to the church for the faithful  is no less than a family affair and a weekly  fair.  But others  have sunday outings and shoppings in the market .some enjoy eating out.what i like to do on sundays is follow my daily routine. Getting up when my cell alarm wakes me with my favourite tune.going to the kitchen. A round to the washroom. Going up to throw a handful or two of grains to the birds in hiding yet residing around in the poplars and mango trees. Cooking small snacks and pressure cooking quick small dishes.microwaving small portions to quickly heat precooked  refrigerated meals. I read urdu magazines pakeeza anchal and huma . Both are interesting  if one is spicy the other is a sweet dish. Flavours of reading tempt me to read more aggressively.  As a child i read woman and home and readers digest. Now older

-Last  saturday  i  decided to  go  out  for  a  while  of  my  house, mother  had  been not  feeling  so  well , it  means  not  her  real  self , not  cheerful, complaining  and  finding  fault  with  things  in general  she  would  not  do  otherwise,  -i  have  no  car  and the  two  wheeler  that  i  used  to  drive  twenty  years  ago  to  cyber  cafes  is  standing  in the  verada  corner  for  lack  of  repairs, because  the  original  japanese  engine  it  contains  throbs  with  a  different  note  and  tenor  that  duplicate  parts  can  not   make  it  run  properly -i  waited  one  monute  in the  monsoon humid  mid  day , summers  in punjab  are  famous  for  sweetness  of  mangoes  which  my  mother  enjoyed  and  could  not  stop  eating  till she  fell sick -the  three  wheeler  with  a  piece  of  green cloth  waving  like  a  flag  fixed  on  to  its  front  gave  me  the  hope  of  approaching  auto -rhe  driver  was  about  to  take  a  left  turn and  i  wo