Archive | April, 2009

Done?

30 Apr

p1000272

Done.

Not quite. We’ve only just begun.

It was particularly exciting for me because this was my first time voting for a Lok Sabha election. I’d always been either out of the country or underage so far. (The polling booth ladies got their laughs when I unthinkingly said, “Mera bhai chaar sau bees hai”, but really, I was just referring to his voter registration number.)

Now to await the results and a government that we may need to flog into appropriate action.

And wait, I’m still not done. Today, I doff my hat to a gentleman who stood under the noonday sun, quietly, patiently, his body drained after 4 hours of being dialysed, just so he could do the very least as a citizen of this country. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: my Daddy strongest.

Time To Get Inked

27 Apr

An excerpt from an email I wrote to my friend Anu about the forthcoming polls:

I will be completely honest: gender was not a consideration for me when I picked my candidate, although I did feel glad to see two well-heeled candidates from corporate India joining the fray. If I do vote for either of them, though, it will be on the basis of what they can do for my constituency, not because they’re women.

I am disappointed that nobody has expressly addressed any gender concerns*, but again, in my South Bombay constituency with relatively high levels of education and income, the focus is on infrastructure and safety from terrorism, so I’m not entirely surprised.

The one party I would absolutely not vote for is the BJP because I believe their Hindutva ideology is regressive to the point of slotting women in historically repressive domestic roles and they’ve taken the country back to the dark ages, with their heinous crimes and divisive rhetoric.

Maybe it’s the community I belong to (Parsi) or the ideology I grew up with (secularism and tolerance for minorities), but I’m usually a Congress loyalist. Not because they’re fabulous, but because they were, until recently, the least evil of the lot. Now with more independent candidates joining the fray, I can’t believe our good fortune that we have, for probably the first time, a choice between 3 halfway-decent non-criminal candidates. Now if only one of them would get elected, I’d die happy.

*It may very well be that South Bombay files the maximum number of rape cases, given overall higher levels of education and awareness. Numbers may be telling only half a story in this case.

Updated to add: In case you were wondering about the liberal sprinkling of ‘I’s above, I was expressly asked to give my perspective on several election-related issues. But now that I’ve noticed, I’m cringing anyway.

Water Bad

22 Apr

What’s supposed to hurt during this one?

~A friend to our aqua aerobics trainer, as we attempted a new workout segment this morning.

One Brother For Sale

15 Apr

OJ: I stepped on a mouse, I stepped on a mouse!

Brother: Did you apologize?

OJ: It screeched and scuttled off and I screeched louder and scuttled off faster.

Brother: Oh, it’s the old story then.

OJ: Which one?

Brother: The Mouse and the Elephant.

Wait, I change my mind. Take him for FREE. I’ll even throw in a pair of Rayban Aviators.

Hurry! Offer open until patience lasts.

Don’t Hate the Ingrate

13 Apr

Perhaps if you called me one sunny Saturday morning, right after I had trotted home from a workout, and said, “Hey OJ old girl, how about brunch?”, I’d quickly reschedule my always-packed weekend and smile “Sure!” into the phone.

Two hours later, over crostini and iced tea, I’d be telling you about how much of a rollercoaster-missing-a-stop-button life has been since the beginning of the year and you’d smile and think I’m cuckoo and wonder why I’m making stuff up.

So I’m not going to tell you. I haven’t, have I, in the past 4 months? But I’m kinda hoping that the above explanation will suffice as an excuse for my shamefully tardy acknowledgement of these kind gestures. Aneela, Nino’s Mum and Nitya, I want you to know they– and you–are much appreciated. Thank you.

From Aneela:

bloggers-for-world-peace-award

The blurb that goes with the badge says:
Some bloggers we agree with a little, some not at all and some wholeheartedly. Some bloggers give us hope. They are bloggers who care, for all citizens of this world. These bloggers can see above the generalizations of caste, community, religion, language, region, race and national boundaries. They are the hope of our unity in diversity.

From Nino’s Mum:

proximidade_blog_awardAbout the award:

This award is given to a blog that invests and believes in PROXIMITY – nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind of bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!

From Nitya:

A medal of bravery, no less, for something I hold very dear to my heart. Humility is a value I strongly believe in (err…don’t go by the number of posts in the “me-me” category) and am very bemused by folks who’re full of themselves, but even I have two things I take great pride in:

1. My perfect, kidney-shaped nostrils. What, they’re my nicest feature, alright?!

2. The fact that children like and trust me easily. And I mean all children. And yes, it’s mutual, thank goodness, because kiddies are my life’s work.

So there we have it: 3 more awards and many thank-yous. And now its back to my not-so-mundane life. Regular programming on its way. Stay tuned, people.

Slur

9 Apr

Wikipedia calls them

cherry angiomas;

But you named them my

twin love spots,

Wine-reddened unmatched eyes

that watch

for the next onslaught

of pain.

And We’re Up!

6 Apr

I haven’t mentioned 26/11 on this page for several months now. Not because the event and its aftermath have faded from memory. Far from it. But because I have intentionally wanted this blog to remain silent so this one could speak on my behalf.

In the months since those unforgettable nights, the India Helps team has been working silently, doggedly and unwaveringly on causes and projects it has adopted. But unless you’re a regular follower of the blog or a marathon reader who prefers to read 4 months’ posts at a go, chances are you’ll prefer our other page.

As an IH team member who does little other than be voluble and stuff her face at every meeting, I am so proud to present our website:

http://www.indiahelps.org

Do pop over and see what we’re about. Acquaint yourself with our causes. Offer support if you will. Or just tell us how drop dead gorgeous we all are. But hop over, dammit. I do the loudspeakering for the team and I’ll be fired if you don’t head there right NOW.

Are you there yet?
Good girl/boy.

What?! One can’t have too many day jobs in these recessionary times.

Good Morning, Sunshine

3 Apr

breakfast

Credits: OJ and her then week-old Panasonic Lumix LS 80 in auto-flash, food mode. No filters.


Did I ever mention breakfast is one of the multiple reasons I adore my Boy?

A Fed OJ = One Happy Camper.