Wednesday, November 01, 2023

'Enne aarkum Venda'

Yesterday a 12 year old said this to me in response to the question, "Hey I dont see you with your friends anymore! What happened?" 

Thats a heart breaking answer to hear from any child. 

There is a sudden vaccuum when you hear it. Awkward. Unsettling. Then a rush. You consciously try to liven up and find out more. 

And what can be done with knowing more? What?

Saturday, June 03, 2023

Translation of the lyrics of 'Abhi na jao chod kar'

Song: Abhi Na Jao Chhod Kar
Movie: Hum Dono (1961)
Singer: Asha Bhosle, Mohammad Rafi
Musician: Jaidev
Lyricist: Sahir Ludhianvi

Video: https://youtu.be/mfEQgoVi7P4

Modified the translation from BollyMeaning 


Hindi

Translation

Abhi na jaao chhod kar

ke dil abhi bhara nahi

Dont Leave as yet,

my heart is yet to be satisfied,

abhi abhi to aayi ho

abhi abhi to

abhi abhi to aayi ho

bahaar ban ke chaayi ho

Hawa zara mahek to le

nazar zara bahek to le

You had just arrived,

Just now,

You have just brought on spring,

Allow the air some time to catch your fragrance,

Allow my gaze some time to be indulged by this irresistable distraction,

Yeh shaam dhal to le zara (2x)

yeh dil sambhal to le zara

main thodi der jee to loon

nashe ke ghoont pi to loon (2x)

abhi to kuch kaha nahi

abhi to kuch suna nahi

Let the evening darken a little bit,

Let my heart catch its beat,

Let me live a little in this moment,

Allow me to be intoxicated by yet another sip ,

We Haven’t said anything as yet,

We Haven’t heard anything yet,


abhi na jaao chhod kar

ke dil abhi bhara nahi

Dont Leave as yet,

this heart is yet to be satisfied,

Sitaare jhilmila uthe

chirag jagmaga uthe

bas ab na mujhko tokna

na badhke raah rokna

Agar main ruk gayi abhi

to jaa na paungi kabhi

yahi kahoge tum sada

ke dil abhi nahi bhara

jo khatam ho kisi jagah

yeh aisa silsila nahi 

Stars are twinkling now,

lamps are flickering, (indicating its become darker)

Now don’t stop me anymore,

Don't get in my way,

If I change my mind now,

I will never be able leave.

This is what you will keep saying,

that your heart is not yet satiated

The desire isnt one to ,

come to an end any time soon.


abhi nahi abhi nahi

nahi nahi nahi nahi.

So, not now

Nope No No No.

Adhoori aas

Adhoori aas chhod ke

adhuri pyaas chhod ke

jo roz yuhi jaaogi

to kis tarah nibhaaogi

ki zindagi ki raah mein

jawaan dilon ki chaah mein

kai makaam aayenge

jo humko aazmayenge

bura na maano baat ka

yeh pyar hai gila nahi

If you abandon my yearning,

If you abandon my thirst,

And go like this everyday,

How will you live out your commitment to us?

'cause along the path of life

in the youthful love between two people,

There will be many challenges

that will test us

Please don’t think otherwise,

Im speaking from a place of love and this isnt a complaint..

haan yehi kahoge tum sada

ke dil abhi bhara nahi

Ah! you will always just say this,

that your heart isnt satisfied as yet

Haan dil abhi bhara nahi

Nahi nahi nahi nahi

Thats right it isnt

No No No No..


 


Friday, July 12, 2019

(Small) Dog Friendly Bangalore Restaurants (Updated)

My Kibo is around 10Kgs.
We carry a bowl, tissues, water and newspapers whenever we go out with him.
He is always on the leash though he loves humans and attention.

  • In restaurants where there isnt seperate seating areas, we dont let Kibo roam around even on a leash. We generally let him sit on the chair with us. If there is a restaurant that allows him to be relatively freer, I will mention it clearly. 
  • Kibo loves greenery and plants. I will mention if it is there at the restaurant, if it interests your doggy too. 
  • If your dog is affected by crowded places - I have mentioned it too (Note: Observations from weekend visits). 

This is regularly updated.

1) Leon Grill Indiranagar
https://goo.gl/maps/yNECswma5RxyLg1t8
Crowded
No separate seating. They will give you the table closest to the door.

2) Leon Grill HSR
https://goo.gl/maps/eC12tyDhEBLkxZ5Q7
Crowded
Back then they had a table set out right outside the door.
Kibo was a lil more free here.

3) Happy Belly Bakes
https://maps.app.goo.gl/2LT14jKFqn5rswZdA
Open air seating or partially covered seating.

4) Amagat Cafe
https://maps.app.goo.gl/2LT14jKFqn5rswZdA
Has greenery
Very tiny - tight seating
Covered seating area

5) Urban Solace
https://goo.gl/maps/mfW9xNHU4MLUjzvz8
This is a venue for performances as well.
They will only allow you to sit on top
Kibo was a lot more free here.

6) Infinitea (Indiranagar)
https://g.co/kgs/C1HiQf
Covered Outdoor seating
Kibo was a lot more free here.

7) Lakeview Milk Bar (MG Rd) 
https://goo.gl/maps/PbTMwW1evSQCfRkS8
Crowded
Outdoor sitting area
Kibo was a lot more free here

8) Claytopia Bistro - Indiranagar
https://goo.gl/maps/zddDYByypcbHJQmR6
Crowded
Outdoor Seating
Kibo was a lot more free here

9) The Fat Chef
https://goo.gl/maps/MSmey4xnJaQydPaKA
Outdoor Seating available
They will allow dogs inside as well

10) Bundar - Koramangala
https://goo.gl/maps/8gLj2gUyXDAZzdDq9
Kiba was a lot more free here

11) Green Theory
https://goo.gl/maps/YJRtXSorCE8UCagi9
Has Greenery
Outdoor Seating
Kibo was a lot more free here

12) The Courtyard cafe
https://maps.app.goo.gl/yjPN9f9rke9cgGPf8
Has live entertainment sometimes
Has small patch of greenery
Covered seating spaces open to the green space
Kibo was a lot more free here

13) Habibi Falafel (Indiranagar)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/sBHFy8SppMsTCRFc9
Small seatings under umbrella

14) Hatti Kappi (Indiranagar)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/VDEn9yyAPCpmQRSr7
Seating in covered open air space

15) Infintea (Indiranagar)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/KcNg1aMYsqCENRrC8
Seating in covered outdoor space

16) The Teal Door Cafe (Indiranagar)
https://maps.app.goo.gl/4qFEKszLLvqxQKvE6
Small seating in covered but open space. They can make some dish for your pet as well.

17) Over Coffee (Lavelle Rd.)
https://g.co/kgs/Qv2wUU

18) Lono Tropical Lounge (Indiranagar)
https://g.co/kgs/kRRQCf
Has lots of plants, out door seating - both covered and exposed to the skies

19) Bohemian (Indiranagar)
https://g.co/kgs/Wr9F9h
Very noisy for my dog. They have indoor and  outdoor seating and allow your dog indoor as well. 



#dogfriendly #dogfriendlyrestaurants  #dogfriendlycafe

Thursday, January 04, 2018

Talking tree catches peoples fancy

I have been trying to pay more attention to my mother's terrace garden in the last few years and I am getting better. My dad has a love for greenery as well, only that he is more whimsical and impulsive when it comes to implementations in our garden. So when you visit, you will see a few trees that would not be seen growing on a terrace example a banyan. Yes... you read that right a banyan tree. My mom's idea of gardening is about having to take what you can nurture and care for while doing your best to allow the plant grow comfortably. This didnt mean anything to me the last few years but since a few weeks I am beginning to see what she meant. And it has been bothering me that these trees that could tower, spread, anchor is stunted by out love to keep them home. So today I thought, lets see if we can find one of them a home where people werent living in apartments and would be able to care and nurture for this tree. I didnt even know what tree it is.

I thought why not let the tree ask around for a new home... and so I posted this in multiple groups on the noon of 3rd Jan 2018. And this is what the tree had to say:

By the next day, it had received over 150 reactions and over 30 conversations sprung from it. Before I knew it- people poured in their love and support for the tree... some addressed it.. few complimented me on my story telling skills (I didnt know I had any left from childhood up till now. I thought I just was in good mood and having fun while planning my garden). What struck me is how this tree's letter captured people's imagination. How the feelings of what we consider an inanimate object touched human beings. Some of them wrote to the tree! I was touched.

It reminded me of something I was taught a couple of years ago while i had the fortune of volunteering with for one of their photo exhibitions that raised funds for charities. The wall was adorned with magnificent pictures. There were a handfull that were beautiful pictures indeed but not really extraordinary. Those two days, the picture that sold the most was one such picture - the picture of a sun set. One you would have seen a 1000 times being clicked by so many people around the world or may be yourself. This stunned the rest of us and on the second day, my friend announced the number of prints that picture sold and then he went on to explain the magic behind the phenomenon. The photographer who clicked that picture was a bespectacled scrawny soft-spoken young lad who was doing his degree at the time and had a moustache in the development stages. As visitors came in, he would stand infront of his photo, staring at it contemplatively. And when the potential buyer approaches, they stop to see the photo. In a few seconds, the young photographer softly strikes up a conversation - gentle smiles and nods are exchanged. A conversation of few words crafted to pull a string out of the photograph's weave and tie it to the buyers heart. As the buyer walks away believing that he is in control of the cheque book in his pocket, while he gazes at several other technically superior photos and reaches the billing counter, thinks for a while, but the spell had been cast and that feeble string tugged at his heart and he wrote a cheque to buy that sunset. The photograph didnt make that happen ... that photographers personal story of what caught his attention about that sunset on that very day did it.... The fun bit is - the young gentleman was kind enough to be honest to tell us that not all of that story was true, but his feeling for that picture and the beauty he saw in it was... all he did was sell that feeling to someone else - justify the beauty he saw in it. Call is master salesmanship or whatever - that young guy had such a profound understanding of human nature at that age. This was just a story that lay in the back of my mind till today. Today I accidentally understood the value of the story. I had made a heart connection through this sale post.

It might seem like that young boy was being crafty - but was he? Of course he loved his work! Of course he hoped someone would want to buy his print! So he actively did what he could to make it happen ... he managed to raise a 5 digit amount for the cause... the highest of all the pictures there. Self promotion needs self-worth and courage. It can be mistaken for vanity. Yes as someone gains more confidence it can turn into vanity but that is upto that person to find means to keep it in check. That lesson was taught to me about 5 years ago, but i learnt it only today. There is no shame in doing what you have to do to sell an idea what is important is that do you know why you are selling it? - is it go give your self a sense of grandiose? is it to dupe someone? Is it to give someone joy? is it earn a decent living?

Can i deliberately evoke this skill? That young man definitely could, so Im sure I could too. But at first I will have to overcome the awkwardness that comes with it... a feeling that 'its unnatural' and that I am twisting the turn of events which otherwise would not be in my favour. That young man is an accomplished photographer with several awards to his credit. His persistent and consistent effort can be seen in how technically better his photographs have gotten over the years.

The art of selling shouldnt be morally judged - its an art. And like all arts it can be cultivated, nurtured and perfected - Like this gentleman perfected his photography.


UPDATE: Here is what is happening with the tree. I just posted an update to it now:


UPDATE: Ladies and gentlemen, I and Nita are overwhelmed with the response you all have given. But as she has been trying to get me out of the pot, we are beginning to see the difficulty and its taking her time. We promise we will get back to you in the coming days. But she needs time to gently uproot me from here. She had already spoken to a few of you generous people. She promises to get back to you when im out and safe. No- this hasnt changed my mind. I am certain that my decision is right and we are going all the way. It just needs time.Once again solemn hug and love to each one of you. We promise to reach out.




Friday, January 31, 2014

For the joy of teething puppies (and safety of your toes and fingers)

I have a 2 month old puppy. He arrived home when he had just incisors, so though we got him a teether, he preferred gnawing at our fingers. But as the rest of his teeth started coming, this seemed to be a bad idea. Their first set of teeth start to appear somewhere between 4-6 weeks and they start loosing their first set, depending on the breed, between the 4th and 6th month. By the 7th or 8th month, they will have their adult set of teeth. This will bring an end to their interest in gnawing at you and your furniture. I read up as much as I could - it is natural for them to nip and bite during the teething period, but we have to discourage biting inappropriate things as much as possible. Redirect their need to nip and chew to other things as early as you can, this will ensure they take lesser interest in biting you. Here are some simple things your puppies will love to sink his/her teeth into:
1) Slices of apple
2) Slices of beetroot or carrots
3) Corn cobs after you have taken the kernels off
* Increase the thickness of the slices as their sharp teeth surface

Mine like these too:
1) De-husking coconuts
2) Socks
3) toothbrush
4) Shoe brush
5) Chewing on coriander or curry leaves ( He must have been a pan-chewing oldie in his last life)

To know more about rawhide chews: http://www.whole-dog-journal.com/issues/12_5/features/Best-Rawhide-Chews-For-Your-Dog_16120-1.html

Toys they love at this age:
1) Tennis ball
2) Teether
3) chews made of rawhide
4) Squeaky balls with protrusions


I had made a few toys at home, will share them over the coming days.