Kurumba - Tamil Movie Song| Father's day special

Dedicated to all the loving and wonderful Fathers out there! Often a father's love and sacrifices for a child goes unnoticed. Let us appreciate all the dedicated fathers who love their children and are there always to support them through their journey of life.

Why this Aloe-Vera, Aloe-vera, Aloe-vera Di?

I am sure no one needs an introduction to the name 'Aloe-Vera'. But how many of you actually knows what is Aloe-Vera, What are its uses, How does it look etc etc. Before I get into that, you know what? Aloe-Vera reminds me of a famous movie dialogue from a Hindi movie 'Dil Toh Pagal Hai'! The dialogue goes like this - "Rahul...naam toh suna hi hoga!" (in full style). I am sure movie buffs, like me, must surely have heard and knows this dialogue. I can also assure that, the rest of the readers who are not hindi movie buffs would have also heard at least 20% of the dialogue! How?? I bet all have heard the name Rahul! (20% of the dialogue :) ) And for those who are paralyzed by a week memory..here goes the pic where Shahrukh Khan says this dialogue to Madhuri Dixit in the movie.

Rahul...Naam toh suna hoga!

So, yes I was telling Aloe-Vera reminds me of this scene and dialogue because just like the name 'Rahul', the term 'Aloe Vera' is also so popular and over used these days! So, I strongly feel that if Aloe-Vera could speak, this would have been the best intro line or pick-up line for it... "Aloe-Vera! naam toh suna hi hoga!!" (picture Aloe-Vera plant with a sarcastic smile in place of Shahrukh khan in the pic above).  Yea perfect isn't it! :)

No this post is not about a comparison of Aloe-Vera with a movie hero! The post is about how I realized what Aloe-Vera is!

Thanks to all the cosmetic cream, shampoo, medicines and oil companies, that today, everyone from just born babies to people in the grave knows the word 'Aloe-Vera'. We get to see so many commercials saying the product contains Aloe-Vera extracts in it which makes the product special. Also the packages of the products boasts loud and clear that the product has Aloe-Vera in it. The marketeers have used Aloe-Vera so much so that, now whenever we read 'Aloe-Vera' written on the package of any product, we give an expression as if 'Aloe-Vera' were a close relative of us!  That is the impact! We have been made so familiar with the name Aloe-Vera that we tend to assume that we know what Aloe-Vera is!. I will take you through a small story when I realized that I didn't know anything about Aloe-Vera!

In 2011, when I had been to my parents' place in Gujarat for a mini vacation stay sorts...I had found that there was a new cactus like plant in my m's mini garden.  I asked her what this plant was and why she had included this cactus like plant in her garden..where she mostly kept only beautiful and good looking plants. She told me "Arrree beta you don't know this plant? It is apna...woh...Aloe-Vera!". I was like, "Ohh!! This is Aloe Veraa !?!?!"

I was super-excited that my mom owned 'THE' Aloe Vera plant. Well I don't have any knowledge about plants etc. and I use to think that Aloe-Vera was some rarely found herbal plant, the types which you get to see only in may be some part of Africa (thanks to the high priced cosmetics which boasts of having Aloe-Vera gel in them)

But my mom then told me that Aloe-Vera actually is not a newly discovered herb or it is not even rare like we would think because of the sudden outburst of products based on Aloe-Vera. It is in-fact widely used by several societies since ages and is a commonly found plant. Though Aloe-Vera originated from north Africa ( as i had assumed), it is found in abundance in several parts of India also. She told me she had seen this plant many times here and there, but didn't know then, that this was called Aloe-Vera. Then she took me to a brief flashback of how she got introduced to different uses of Aloe-Vera, the term Aloe-Vera and then the plant Aloe-Vera itself (in that order)

Flashback

Long back, when i was in school, the society in which we use to live there was this old couple in the neighborhood. My mom says, the old man used to bring a plant leaf from somewhere every morning and once when my mom asked him what it was..he very fondly said..it was a herb called 'Kunvaar Paatthu' (in Gujarati). According to him, the gel like paste of that plant was very good for the leg pain and people having symptoms of arthritis. As both the old man and the lady had joint pains..they used to regularly consume the gel of that plant. My mom was amazed to know of such plant.

Circa 2008, my mother was having a chit-chat with my better half's mom (my mom in law) and were talking about how my mom in law makes hair oil at home. My MIL told the whole recipe of the wonderful hair oil she makes and how good it was (my mom-in-law who is almost 60 still has long and thick hair). My mom-in-law then spoke very fondly of these wonder herb she puts in the hair oil and gave the whole credit to that herb which she called 'Kattaar Vazha'(in Malayalam). My mom was amazed...to hear of the new herb which is so good for the growth and quality of hair.

Somewhere in 2008, the trend of marketers marketing the term Aloe-Vera on anything and everything slowly started. So she got to know about Aloe-Vera. In 2009, My parents had relocated to Nagpur in Maharashtra. There my mother had picked up a hobby of gardening, as she had taken VRS (early retirement) from her government job and was a housewife now. One day as my mom was just a beginner in gardening visited the aunty in the neighborhood who was an expert in gardening. There the aunty was taking my mother along her well maintained big garden..and was giving her gyaan (Hindi word for knowledge) about all the plants..she as well knew the botanical names of those plants. There was this cactus like plant ...which the aunty introduced as 'Aloe Vera'. That's when my mom saw 'The'  Aloe Vera Plant.

Sometime in 2010, in another meeting with my MIL, somehow they again had a talk on the hair oil that my MIL made, and this time my mother wanted write down the recipe. And she asked what this 'Kataar Vazha' was and where could she get it. To which my mother-in-law replied with a smile..you don't know Kataar Vazha!! it is nothing but our...Aloe-Vera! (Now that my MIL was also well versed with the  term Aloe-Vera from the TV Ads).

After which, going back to Gujarat my mother had sourced an Aloe-Vera plant and placed one in her garden. One day, our neighbor aunty had come to just chit-chat with my mom and she glanced upon the new plant in the garden. She exclaimed - "Oh! you have got 'Kunvaar Paathu', I also wanted one for my knee pain". To which my Mom said-"yes I just recently got this Aloe-Vera plant". To which that aunty exclaimed..."Oh! Kunvaar Paathu is called Aloe-Vera! I thought Aloe-Vera was some new foreign plant!"

It was an introduction-in-installment that my mom had with Aloe-vera! And after so many years everything fell in place! I was amazed how I had not known about Aloe-vera for so long and that it was something so wonderful and easy to find as well.

The next day of this discussion, I was looking over the Internet for an English name for an ayurvedic medicine called 'Chenni nayagam' (in Malayalam). I had heard of this medicine a lot from the elders in the family, whenever they used to tell us the stories of how they had successfully weaned their respective babies from breastfeeding. This medicine is known for its bitterness and as a solution to weaning breastfed babies. I was just trying to be prepared before hand, as being in Bengaluru, there was a possibility that the vendors didn't know the medicine by the name of 'Chenni nayagam'. That is when i found the wiki page on chenni nayagam..which said that it was nothing but a processed form of the Aloe-Vera gel. And there I was like.."once again..humara apna Aloe-Vera !"

So friends the bottom line is, We all have heard of Aloe-Vera, we all know that Aloe-vera is a very wonderful herb with some magical properties and wide uses! Aloe-Vera gel does have rich properties which is considered to be good for several things be it beauty, medication to joint pain, leg pain, burns, wounds, diabetes, weight loss etc. you name it! It has been there amongst us since ages, may be all of our grand parents used it more extensively back then as they were more close to nature than we younger generations are these days! What many of us don't know is, (I am assuming) that it is very easy to get an Aloe-Vera plant (may be you will find it in your neighborhood or a nursery nearby), and even easier to grow your own Aloe-Vera plant as it only needs a sunny spot and use its wonder gel customizing to your own requirements!

And guess what I have grown my own Aloe-Vera plant, which basks in glory in my home's balcony! Here's the pic. :)

 

A first day to remember

I was the happiest person in the whole world that day! It was the day I had been waiting for...since my...since my...mmmm birth!! (okay...i know its hard to digest..but at least can I say... since I started to speak and understand!)

I had been preparing myself for this day since several months. It was my dream..and I was about to achieve that dream. I had seen and heard of many people in my family having achieved it... they had been at this cool and wonderful place!

I have been demanding for things to my parents...things, that I would need to be at that place! I have been doing all the planning and arranging of shoes, bags, accessories for hair, and other necessary things like bottles to store water, boxes or tiffins to preserve food...everything that people who go to THAT place owned.

I was completely prepared and ready to be at that..coool place...Any guesses about the place?? Its the place that all of you who are reading this post have gone to..been there and done it! ;) Everyone...age no bar, sex no bar.

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Well that happening and cool place is called... 'SCHOOL!!!'. Yes! It was my first day of School!

So going back to that day...that day I jumped off my bed..early in the morning..as soon as my Mom called me. Unlike the other days, when I would go on saying "5 mintsh ...only 5 mintsh more Amma!' for getting up from bed. To my amma's surprise, I had also brushed my teeth and had taken bath...all by myself! For a change, that day I was after my amma to dress me up and get me ready for the 'Shhacool'!

So here I was, ready for the picture that my Achan was about to take, "brand new, shiny, black-coloured buckle-up bata shoes, red coloured socks, red and white check pinaform with a white inner shirt (that was my uniform), hair neatly tucked by a red ribbon... into two small ponytails, round football-like face (I was really plump) and a big bright Colgate smile, showing off a set of neatly brushed teeth.

Yea..That's how happy I was that day..Ohh please!! of course not..i didn't go to my school in that tricycle. But ya i guess some day..someone had told me..i will be going on that tricycle to my school... maybe just to amuse me, but i believed it fully and was pretty serious and thrilled about it :)

Well somehow, my parents convinced me why i could not go to my school in my tricycle and i reached my school for once.

Huge gates...large playground...lots of trees....a big statue of God....a large stage....long corridors behind the grilled windows in a huge building...I felt like I was in some other world!

I saw there were many other kids like me along with their parents in the ground...everyone checking out the surroundings!  Some kids were looking so grumpy and sad...as if somebody forced them to be there...some kids like me were beaming with their colgate smiles..and there were this other strange kids..who had literally gone crazy...and were running..shouting and jumping around the campus like monkeys! I thought to myself - "uff why are these kids behaving like this at a cool and sophisticated place like school...they should look at me and learn how to behave!"

Then a big siren rang..and all of a sudden all the parents panicked and started grabbing their children and creating a line in front of one small door. Even my parents rushed me to join the line. I figured that the siren meant something serious...was frightened for a while. But my achan (father) told me that it was a signal that meant that the school is about to begin and in order to get into the room where we would sit ...the room called class... we had to form a queue...so that everyone could go one by one. Aaaah...i was relaxed...there again with a beaming smile. Then one fat aunty came and told something aloud in a language i didn't understand then...guess it meant now we could go in...as after that, parents started taking their kids inside one after other.

All the parents went inside ...made their respective child sit in the front rows of the benches and kissed their kids goodbye...and went outside...some parents just nodded their heads to their child and went...Some parents were telling some secrets to their children...i was curious to hear what they were telling. My parents made me sit...and they said they will come to pick me once the school is done..and i was totally fine about it..and waved goodbye to them..as many times as they waved goodbye to me...even after going out.

I looked around and observed that some kids were sitting there with a balloon face...some were sobbing....and some crazy ones were trying to run out even here...and the fat lady with another lean young lady were trying to put them back on their seat. After a while..this fat lady..told something to the parents waiting outside and she shut the door with a thud....soon...there was this huge noise of many of these kids crying aloud together.....this made my heart pound faster...and all of a sudden i realized no one looked happy!!

I thought there must be something wrong about the situation...that all were crying except that fat lady! May be she was going to cause some harm to us...beat us up...or never let us go back to our parents...may be i was fooled and tricked...and after the sudden flow of all these thoughts...i too started crying out ALOUD...at the top of my voice and mouth wide open...and tears were gushing out as if a tap had been switched on....i also then remember trying to run and push the door open and save everyone of us....but all in vein :)

I don't remember what happened after that :) ... But that was one memorable day and event in my life...and now I am awaiting one more such memorable day of my life...when it will be my son Vivaan's first day at his play school on the 3rd of this June.

My only qualm he won't find a big playground with lots of trees as we don't find many such schools in a city like Bangalore these days! :(

PS : If you also have a funny or fond memory about your day at school...kindly share it in the comments section :)

Barkha...Baarish...Barsaat!

No excuses for the long break....you can call it.. procrastination...laziness..aaah watever!!!

Could not really come up with the english version of my previous post (poem - Something for the hindi loving souls), believe me its difficult! Still will keep trying :). For now...heres one more... written on 26th August 2006. The most charming part of this poem is that...it is a part of the combined project (A very brief one though)...started by me and my lil sis..Kruti. We would on a topic to write on..and we both used to write differently on the same topic.

One day it was a beautiful rainy day....and it didn't take much of an effort for the two of us to decide on the topic that day. The topic was without doubt ... Baarish (Rains). Here's my version of it...

Dt: 26-August-2006

BAARISH

Baarish hai kudrat ka aisa anmol tohfa....
jiski khubsurti ka... haay! kya kehna!!

Sundarta hai bhi uski itni........
ki ek-ek boond uske lage heere moti....

Uske har boond mein hota hai shudhata ka aisa shrot...
jiske chchute hi , Dharti ho jaye oth-proth!!

Dharti ke daaman mein haryali ke rang hai bhar jaate.....
uske badan se hai mitti ki khushboo aane lagti!!!

Baarish se bheegi dharti ki sundarta pe gor koi kare....
toh apne hosh ko woh zaroor kho bethe!!

Par insaan hai aaj apne kaam mein mushroof itna.....
use nahi yeh pata, isi mein hai zindagi ka woh raaz chupa...
jisko hai woh raat-din ek kar dhoondhta.

Something for the 'Hindi' loving souls!

A Small verse in Hindi. Something which was written by me back in 2005 or 2006...
Arz kiya hai :) -

"Kaisi ajeeb uljhan hai is manav jeevan ki,

Samajh na payee mein ye leela apne bhagwan ki!



Kabhi bheed mein bhi hum paate hain tanha khud ko...
Toh kyu tanhayee mein bhi paate hai hum saath kisi ko?

Kabhi achche se samajte hain hum rishton ki gehrayee...

Toh kyu kabhi lagte hain hum khud hi khud se paraye?



Kabhi lagte hain hume hamare apne bhi paraayon se...
Toh kyu kabhi lagte hain koi paraaye hamare apno se?



Kabhi saalo lag jate hai samajhne me logon ko...
Toh kaise kabhi chand lamho mein hi samajh lete hai hum kisiko?



Kaisi ajeeb uljhan hai is jeevan ki...
Samajh na payee mein yeh leela apne bhagwan ki!


PS: Will try to come up with its English version soon :)

"What's in a name ?!?!?!"

It was summers. We were going to my native place ‘Kerala’ as we do it every year. It use to take us two days and one night in a train to reach Kerala from Gujarat. (before Konkan rail route was
constructed).

During one such trip, we were sitting all settled in our compartment. The Journey had begun, I was there seated on the rightmost end of a sleeping berth and listening to some music on my ‘Walkman’. I could see a head of a guy popping out from the next-to-next compartment. After a while, he came to our compartment. He was constantly looking at me and starring at me. ‘What does he think he is doing’ – I wondered.

The guy’s behavior at first irritated me. I began to pretend as if he, looking at me like that, hardly bothered me (typical girl behaviour!). On a second look, I found that the guy was cute. He had a round face and smart haircut. He was wearing a 3/4th trousers and floaters (I guess it was very much IN that time).

He doubtfully approached me and gave me an innocent smile. Wondering what he was upto, I gave an expression of ‘?’ on my face with a mild friendliness (May be coz he was cute!). He then asked me if I would like to play some game with him, if I too was getting bored and wanted to kill time. I said yes to him, as if I was obliging him. He soon went to his compartment and brought some card game.

In the limited space that was available, we started playing game. He explained me the rules of game and we kind of got good friends with each other in short time. One of his family members- an old uncle, came to our compartment looking for him. It was lunch time, the guy said to the old uncle that he would come to their place in few minutes as the game was just on its finish. By the time our game would finish, the old uncle caught up with my family. It appeared that they too were 'mallus' residing in Gujarat. After our game, he went back to his compartment for lunch.

Almost all people had a nap after having their respective lunches. I slept in the uppermost berth after my lunch. In the evening I had just woke up, and I see him again. He had again come to our place to see if I was free to chitchat with. I was still seated in the upper berth. He raised his hands indicating me to be seated and he too came up on the upper birth with me.

I thought it was too unsolicited act from him to come over on the upper berth without asking me. "Why is this guy bothering me out of all in the boogie?? Why can't he go and catch up with some guys in the boogie?" – I thought.

He started talking about his friends and school he studied etc. He, I thought was trying to impress me….or showing off or was he trying to lay hands on my walk-man?? – I again thought.

He had a film magazine with him this time. I remember there was a stardust form asking nominations from the readers for the upcoming stardust film awards. We both filled it up after discussions. We had lots of chit chat about favorite movies, favorite actors, actresses etc. Movies being one of my favorite topics, I had started enjoying his company by now.

Cool breeze was rushing in through train windows. There was something about him, which was making me.. like his presence. He was charming and boyish in his talks. He was wearing a nice perfume which had a pleasant and fresh smell. Well after spending quiet a good time again, it was time for dinner, and he went back to his compartment. He had this something in his eyes, which was reflecting his unwillingness to go back to his compartment. I too was feeling the same.

It was early morning when I opened my eyes. The train had halted at some station. I looked down below from the upper birth, if my parents were awake. They were also awake looking out from window.

I asked what was happening and , “the uncle of adjacent compartment whom we were speaking to yesterday have got down in this station. It is the station they were meant to get down” - my mom said.

I rushed down quickly, with my heart beating very fast, having some sort of fear of loosing something. I looked out of window and could catch just a glimpse of him going out of station with his family. He did look back once in a hope if he could catch a glimpse of me and say bye, I guess.

I was feeling a little sad for he had left. I was feeling frustrated and bored for not being able to catch up with him before he left. That was for few minutes…then I was back to my normal self… and was happy to have a wonderful trip this time to my native, having met such a good company. That was it…I never met him again.

Today after so many years, I still remember having met this guy in train…Even if I have very faded memory about all this…so fade that I hardly can recollect faces…I wonder why is the feel still so fresh in my mind?...

But what is troubling me is…how can both me and that guy be so stupid that non of us bothered to exchange our phone numbers or even names for that matter?… Yes we dint know each other’s names!! How ridiculous and stupid of me...

I din't even ask his name ?!?!? Why???How??? Aah…well...that reminds me of one thing I have been missing out to tell you guys…I was a little girl of about 8 years then and may be he was around 11! :)

And probably, Kids take their great Shakespeare uncle just too seriously! “What’s in a name” huh ?!?! ;)

P.S:
If you too have some fond and sweet memories like this which dint make much sense then, when u were a kid but is still in your mind as a vague memory.. do drop in few lines on such experiences…I would be more than glad to read as I would know I am not the only stupid on this earth :)

Commitment..

The date today...special in its own ways...

neither his nor my b'day...

nor is it our wedding anniversary...

last year..on the same date...

I took the most important and rightest decision of my life!

Unaware I was...about righteousness of my decision...

In the midst of confusion...

On the third day after my decision...

got the message from GOD...

my to-be chose a song to sing for me...

the song he chose was very dear to me...

since my adolescence!

Unaware He was...about dearness of that song for me...

the moment he started...

I knew it all for once...

I knew I had made a right decision...

I knew...there existed a powerful force...

Popularly known as 'GOD'...

I knew... miracles still do happen!

Last year on this very day...

I got myself committed...

to a strange yet familiar man…

familiar... coz I already knew him in my thoughts…

I always knew my man long back in my imaginations!

This year….on this very same day…

my heart reckons to commit once again…

and much more… to now a known yet strange man…

strange...coz there is a lot to discover yet!

Differences…disagreements..disputes…

bound to occur… for if not that…

we would be called no humans…

charm is... to accept some..and change some…

for good…for each other!

The only prayer that I have this year...

may Almighty give us strength...

to forget and forgive...

for there are number of lovely things…

happening around... and between us!

Our every days n nights together…

our social life together..

sharing of thoughts…joys n sorrows…

smallest of appreciations and criticisms…

sharing of responsibilities… and the masti times...

the house we live...the home we make...

the bed we share…the Love we make…

hugs we exchange..kisses we gift…

caring and daring for each other…

even that sweet fights for the good sake of each other!

May God bless us... with the patience...

never ending curiosity to understand each other…

ability to prioritize right things in life…

face and cross all the hurdles together...

I wish to assure him…on this day of our first anniversary...

anniversary of commitment to each other...

I will try... making our journey together...

a pleasurable one…worth to relive..

in our old days...sitting back on a reclining chair!