old things, same little Dodo and some bare necessities...

there's something about not having any access to the modern amenities of life that makes a person more introspective and calm. living in the barest of minimum requirements. four walls of my dad's apartment. my books. the food in the refrigerator. a single mattress spread on the floor. over two dozen of my dad's movie dvd collection and a DVD player. my cat who needs constant scratching of the head and rubbing of the belly. i guess that Balloo the bear would have been proud (humming along to the tune of "bare necessities" in my mind), if only the human jungle permitted such austere living, something that dad prefers to call simple living, but alas, that won't do, would it?

so we have a multitude of different species of inhabitants of the human jungle walk in through our door, bring in the science bestowed gadgets and gizmo's that promise to make our human lives more comfortable, take measurements, make little notes in their respective hand books, assessments and estimates exchanged, the God given tools of human hands and a dozen other equipments brought in, walls taken apart, scrapped, painted, wired laid within walls, the floor unearthed, wood scrapped to build stools and the other things we call furniture and then again begins the process of the walls being scrapped and then again and then some more again and a final layer of paint. a human habitat requires a certain 'living standard'. all must abide by it. that is the law of the human jungle.

the human jungle is very different from the 'other' jungle.

***

the habit of holding on to the tiniest of things and most of everything that i have at some point in time owned or come across is something that i have found to be immensely useful. there is a saying and a story related to it that my Ba used to tell me as a kid that actually managed to encourage the junk hoarder in me (although my mom believes that i have managed to inherit that trait from my dadu). the saying in Gujarati goes something like this...

'saanghrayelo saap paan kaam ma aave" ~ meaning, a stored/hoarded snake can also be of some use.

agreed, the saying doesn't make much sense in English, but the story sure does.

***

once upon a time there was a farmer who happened to have the habit of holding on to the smallest of pebble to the largest of drums that he happened to make use of. despite all the admonishments of his wife, he just couldn't throw things away. each day he found something new to put away carefully.

one day as he stepped out of his house, he happened to see a dead snake lying on the garden path. a closer inspection reveled that it was the same snake that used to live behind the water tank and which used to slither around making a meal of all the rats that plagued his barn. a slave to his habit the farmer just couldn't let himself to get rid of the dead snake. during it's life the snake had guarded the farmer's grain from rodents, and now in it's death the farmer felt it a betrayal to discard off the snake's dead body. so he carefully picked up the snake and tossed him atop the roof of his barn, promising to have a decent burial/death ceremony for his dead friend in the evening once he returned from the fields.

that very morning the queen of the kingdom had been out with her retinue to the temple that stood atop the hill by the lake. as per the ritual she had first bathed in the water of the lake. while she was in the water, a kite had swooped down upon the queen's royal necklace attracted by the dazzling gems and diamonds in it. the kite picked up the necklace in it's talons and flew away much to the chagrin of the queen. the king had immediately sent horsemen after the kite to try and retrieve the precious insignia of the royal family. but then, a man in no match for a horse and a horse is no match for a kite, is it?

as the kite flew on with its prize in its talons, it happened to catch sight of the dead snake on top of the farmer's barn. fueled by hunger, the kite in one sweeping dive, picked up the snake and left behind the precious jewel there on the barn roof.

...to cut a long story short...the farmer came back and retrieved the jewel, returned it to the king, was amply rewarded for his honesty and everyone lived happily ever after. so the moral of the story is: "saanghrayelo saap paan kaam ma aave"...

***

old things when found bring back memories. they arouse emotions that one earlier seemed incapable of harboring withing the depths of one's complex being. joy, pain, laughter, tears and sometimes a simple smile.

found something today while rummaging through boxes in which the junk that has been collected over the course of the years of moving and shifting and living. a little card amidst shreds of paper and dozens and dozens of books. a little something that i had absolutely forgotten about. a birthday card from a dear dear friend. a little card that said how much i meant to someone and how that person wished me a lifetime of happiness and the strength to face and live life on my terms. thoughts of love and care from a person i loved equally if not more that brought a smile to my face. words that were penned down six years ago and words that still meant so much to me.

a smile cause, today that love is leaked out of the relationship through the wound of the hurt that runs so deep. deep enough to ensure that no matter how much rational introspection and practicality of life is implemented, no matter how far i have moved on, the same person still manages to raise the dark emotion of disappointment. you ask, a betrayal of sorts? i say, none whatsoever. but the trust is so hard to find. but harder still to find are words to describe the remnants of the friendship we shared. and that is what made me smile. cause beneath all that has been built and destroyed by us, there still remains a gentle thought of care and concern for the other. and i cannot name that. neither can i deny that.

***

my Dodo is back. apparently didi had a bit of time off from her daily chores in Dubai. so she decided to fly down to Ahmedabad with the little kiddo and give everyone a surprise. well, now then what does that mean?? more time with my little angel teaching her how to be a perfect little devil (not that she really needs any training whatsoever). well here are a few pics from mama and bhanji's (uncle and niece's) little time out.

class in session: today's question: how to pick one's nose in public?

shady dodo chick!

...the kid's at the age where she has begun to mimic everything that one says...so one has to watch out one's tongue while yapping. or else, you all know...

:)