Fortune teller Ketki

Fortune telling is an exciting profession and Ketki has been in it for long. It has been 10 years now since she started telling people their fortune by gazing at her divine crystal ball.

She started at the age of 18 after much struggle because no one believed that a person so young could predict future. But Ketki was good even when she was just 12! She has trained in the art of crystal gazing under her master, a famous fortune teller in her village. He had seen her interest and identified her quality long before when she was a small child, one of the youngest students in his small yoga and meditation school. Her concentration was amazing and her grasping power, simply superb.

It’s been 4 years now since Ketki left her village. She enjoyed fortune telling but the village was too small for her. Now she wanders from place to place, setting up her small fortune telling camp at fairs.

It is one such colorful day today and Ketki’s fortune telling camp is at the extreme end of the fair ground. Today is the fourth day of the week long fair and business is in full swing. The first day was not very busy for Ketki. There were very few customers who visited her and were somewhat skeptical about what she said.

The young boy Rakesh who visited her on the first day came more out of curiosity. It is always so. A lot many of the people visit out of curiosity because crystal gazing is not really a very popular way of fortune telling and is new to most of them. They are curious to know what Ketki sees in the crystal – images of the future, some symbol that depicts future or some voice that foretells what is to come?

Rakesh walked in a little excited, his eyes moving all over the dimly lit place. He sat on the seat that Ketki’s assistant, Jeena told him to and waited. It was not till Ketki called him to ask questions that he started feeling a bit nervous. He asked frivolous questions about his past, checking Ketki’s abilities and when she gave him the right answers he became more and more uncomfortable; and finally left after paying the charges.

Jeena was a bit annoyed at the way the boy doubted Ketki’s abilities but Ketki is used to it. She knows a descent part of her earnings come from these people who doubt her skills and eventually many of them believe and come back for a solution to their problems.

The next day of the fair was bright and colorful. The fair had started in full swing and there were so many people around. Ketki’s camp was still not the most visited though there were a lot of discussions among people who saw it. And as evening came, more and more people started coming in. A huge number of them were students, girls and boys curious to know about their life partner, exam results, careers and some others like ‘will the strict Maths teacher be absent tomorrow’, ‘will I pass in my exams’, ‘will I have long hair’, ‘will mother give me more money to spend in the fair tomorrow’, etc; the usual stuff that all college students worry about.

And the next day, there were serious discussions. All people of the area had heard about Ketki and how she was so true about the past life of people. It is day four today and unlike other days, the afternoon is a lot busy. Women, after finishing their household chores, come to Ketki the fortune teller to know about the future of their children, husband, family...

And late in the evening, again when there is not much crowd, the men come in. Those that live in the village and have fields want to know if the crops will be good this year. And again questions about children, family...

This is what excites Ketki. Serious fortune telling. She listens to questions and gazes at her crystal searching for answers. It is a passion for her, to help people out. Often she sees brightness and encourages people to work for the better. Often she sees darkness and guides people to find a way out of difficult times.

Two more days left for the fair to be over and Ketki foresees more and more people coming to her. Her assistant Jeena can also predict this; it does not need occult art. In fact, it has always been so. People start with light enquiring questions that finally end in desperate emotional queries - it is the transition that takes time. Some people open up on the first visit and others take more frequent visits to pacify their questioning minds.

Once the fair is over, the shops will move but for Ketki, it will be another day or two. She always does so - giving people another chance to believe in her and themselves. That’s what fortune telling is all about...for Ketki.

Radha’s Chotu

Winters in Delhi are terribly cold! Radha’s short experience of 12 years has made her aware of the difficult winters.

It was here, in a congested street in Delhi, where Radha was born. Ever since she has been accompanying her mother to work, her mother who begs on the streets to earn a living.

Today is a special day for Radha. It is her little brother’s birthday. Radha has three younger siblings but she is particularly close to Chotu, the youngest, probably because she has taken care of him like a mother. Radha was seven years old when Chotu was born. Her mother used to leave him in her care while going out to beg on the streets with her other children.

When Chotu grew old, Radha used to take him with her to the streets. While Radha begged for alms, Chotu used to cling to his sister all day. He still accompanies her to the streets, tightly holding her hand.

Radha got up quickly. It is a cold day but Radha has to hurry. She has to find a nice gift for his little brother before he is awake. She walked to the street, searching on the road side and the bins for something that he would like. She has no money to spend but still, she wants to find him something good.

There is a florist on the other side of the road but will Chotu like flowers? Maybe not…he is too small for it. As Radha wandered on the streets, she noticed a bike speed by. There was a girl sitting on the back seat and hardly had they gone a few meters that the girls scarf flew in the air. Radha shouted back trying to tell her she had dropped something but they were gone.

Radha walked carefully to the middle of the road to pick up the scarf. It was a beautiful pink, and Radha thought Chotu would love it! She wanted to run away with it before its owner realized that it was gone and came back searching. But, her conscience did not allow. So, she sat by the side of the street with the scarf in her hand, waiting for them to return. And at the same time, she wished that they do not return. The scarf was a perfect gift for her little brother and she did not want to loose it. She would tie it around his head like a turban, and she could imagine how sweet he would look!

Luckily for Radha, quite some time had passed and no one returned. She was happy she would not have to part with the scarf and off she went to wake her little brother.

She leaned over Chotu calling his name and the little boy opened his eyes wide to look at her. ‘Chotu aaj tera janm din hai! Today is your birthday!’ she told him and he was excited! He doesn’t know when his birthday falls but he knows it is a special day when he gets something good to eat. And Radha gives him something special – last year she gave him a toy car! One wheel was broken but mother had attached a bottle cap to it and fixed it well.

Chotu got up quickly and smiled cheekily expecting something and there it was! A beautiful pink cloth that Radha asked mother to tie around Chotu’s head; and he danced and shouted in joy waking his other two siblings.

And soon, it was time again for all of them to go to work. Chotu clinged to Radha as he always does, his pink turban tilting to one side, and beamed. He was happy with all the attention! Mother promised to cook something special and his other brother and sister brought him a kite!

Chotu looked at Radha with the kite in his hand and Radha smiled back to him. He knew Radha would teach him, as always. And together they would fly the kite... high up in the sky!

Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening - by Robert Frost

Another beautiful poem... Reminds me of the poetry tests in school where we had to recite the poems with full expression!!



Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

La Bella Dame Sans Merci by John Keats

La Bella Dame Sans Merci (The beautiful lady without mercy), one of my favourite poems! I remember my english teacher Mr. Agnihotri's explanation of the poem "there is nothing better than a good woman and anything worse than a bad woman is yet to be created". LOL!!!




La Bella Dame Sans Merci

Oh what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.

Oh what can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel's granary is full,
And the harvest's done.

I see a lily on thy brow,
With anguish moist and fever-dew,
And on thy cheeks a fading rose
Fast withereth too.

I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful - a faery's child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.

I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She looked at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan.

I set her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sidelong would she bend, and sing
A faery's song.

She found me roots of relish sweet,
And honey wild, and manna-dew,
And sure in language strange she said -
'I love thee true'.

She took me to her elfin grot,
And there she wept and sighed full sore,
And there I shut her wild wild eyes
With kisses four.

And there she lulled me asleep
And there I dreamed - Ah! woe betide! -
The latest dream I ever dreamt
On the cold hill side.

I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried - 'La Belle Dame sans Merci
Hath thee in thrall!'

I saw their starved lips in the gloam,
With horrid warning gaped wide,
And I awoke and found me here,
On the cold hill's side.

And this is why I sojourn here
Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is withered from the lake,
And no birds sing.

Delicious, juicy barbecued chicken!

Barbecue is a great hit during outdoor family gatherings. I still remember the fun and activity of the barbecue parties I attended during my childhood.

Gone are the days of huge, expensive equipment that would only match the needs of a restaurant owner. With an incease in interested barbecuers, the barbecue equipment have also undergone a change. There are small, easy to use units available for barbecuing at home. Walk into a shop selling barbecue equipment and see for yourself the huge range available. This is exactly what I did last week. The range of Stainless Steel BBQ impressed me to no end! Elegant looking Stainless Steel Barbecues of all types were at display – be it trolley, kettle or hibachi. But buying one was still out of question.

Like all barbecue lovers, I too relish barbecued chicken but I'm a bit skeptical about trying anything other than my elaborate Charcoal BBQ. Not to say that I'm a great cook but these are what I've always seen since childhood. The occasional barbecue parties in the backyard, and mom and dad running around to get the preparation right! That's what barbecue is all about, isn't it? A whole day devoted to cooking and enjoying elaborate barbecue preparations! Of course, these were the very occasionally held parties that I can actually count on my fingertips. After all, there was much more in store for us once the party was over! A backyard to clean, washing barbecue accessories etc.

But let me tell you of this recent party I attended – a barbecue part on a week day! It was my colleague's first marriage anniversary and she had made the tasty barbecued chicken herself. To add to my amazement, I saw this lovely Stainless Steel Gas Barbecue in her backyard. Delicious, juicy chicken, that too on a gas barbecue! I found it hard to believe that gas barbecues could taste so good. I know many of you would disagree to my under-estimating a gas barbecue but how do I judge the worth of something I've never used?

Coming back to this stainless steel unit, it was an elegant piece with four Stainless Steel Burners and a stainless steel trolley. This eye catching trolley design featured Stainless Steel Barbecue Grills, multiple burners, hot-plate, baking dish and a hood. In other words, a complete outdoor kitchen.

Fascinated by the Stainless Steel BBQ unit, I could not resist my temptation and went on to ask my colleague about how she managed to cook such great variety of delicious food. She briefed me about her multi-functional BBQ. I was amazed to know that it could not only cook the regular barbecue meal but also some quick stuff like burgers, etc. And not to forget its stainless steel baking dish that made cooking marinated food all the more easy.

The next thing I did was to search the net for a perfect Stainless Steel BBQ and I came across my next purchase – a Stainless Steel Barbecue with a stainless steel hood and an in-built temperature gauge. What more an occasional cook like me can ask for! A temperature gauge would relieve me from worrying about the progress of the meat while being cooked. Just set the temperature and monitor the process!

Stainless Steel Barbecue is definitely the next purchase on my list! And yes, the first thing I'll do once I get it is call my parents for a barbecue treat. I'm sure there will be lots for them to enjoy!

Miss XYZ 0000

XYZ 0000! That’s me, for sure! You can call me simply Miss X for I’m still waiting for a name...my number plate. Till then, this is my identity...Miss X!

It’s been two weeks since I came to this showroom. It was a long journey, packed in a dark room with a few other cars till finally we reach our destination. In my case, this huge car showroom! When I reached the place, there were already a few more cars around flaunting their looks. But it didn’t matter; none was as good as me! And this is not what I say; it’s what the people around started saying from day one when I was experience the crowd in the showroom.

Speed, suave and style! That’s how they define me! I think I’m the best in the showroom. But some people around just don’t seem to realize my worth. How do I tell them to treat me with more sophistication? They come and open the doors, sit inside and jump on the seat, close the doors with a bang and fidget with my switches. I know it is part of daily routine and like all others I have to follow it too but what benefit do these people get by playing with my wipers! Don’t they know they move automatically when turned on and not by moving them manually!

Anyways, I know I’m the best. The others here are jealous of me! They are jealous because I attract the maximum crowd. No person walks by me without stopping to admire my oomph and shine!

But you know, the people in this place have started talking that I’ve been around here for quite some time. I hear there is a newcomer coming to take my place!

My place! I’m the queen here and somebody else is going to take my place! Some newcomer who hasn’t even stepped on the road before is going to push me back to the inside of this showroom! It’s a horrible feeling and it makes me hate this new chick even before she is here!

I don’t express my unhappiness but sometimes, when the showroom lights are all off, I think of how the others here must have felt when I entered this place two weeks ago. Jealous? Yes, exactly the same that I feel for this new, yet to arrive guest.

But you think I can live in this depression and complex? Definitely not! I am Miss X, the star of the showroom and I will be!

‘The’ Miss X...epitome of speed, suave and style! Nothing can compete with Miss X. Just wait till I hit the roads...very soon!

Handicap Seat

Second from the door on bus no. 503; that’s my address. And as for my name, they call me the 'Handicap Seat'. Not that I am in any way less efficient than my counterparts, but because they choose to call me so.

It has been years since I came to live here and ever since, am trying my best to cope up with the environment around. From 7 in the morning to 10 at night, I am constantly on the move.

As my name goes, Handicap Seat, I am primarily here to serve the handicap but not many travel by bus. So, it’s generally other people who enjoy the luxury. Women generally are the ones who come to me, I guess because the seats behind me are all Ladies Seats. But during rush hours you must see the amount of people who flock around me. After all, I happily welcome everyone!

To describe you a typical day at work, it generally starts in a low, lazy pace. Less people on the move and so less pressure on me too. But once the office hours start, there is heavy rush!

Just the other day, there was a huge fight in the morning. There were impossible number of people packed inside the bus and almost four leaning on me, apart from the two fat ladies sitting gracefully on top! It so happened that the fat lady sitting in the corner got pushed a little by the man standing near me. She made a huge ruckus that the man was misbehaving with her! Of course such incidents often happen on the bus but this time, I am the witness, the man was innocent! The bus was at great speed and suddenly when it used its brakes, the man lost balance. Had there been someone thinner I’m sure it wouldn’t have been the case but this woman; she was already half way out of the seat!

Oh! I got so engrossed in the man’s agony that I forgot to describe my own! Did I tell you the amount of pressure I felt on myself because of their weight! But still, they were better than the boisterous people that I sometimes have to face. They run to get on the bus and sit on me with a bang! No wonder I’ve started creaking!

For some people I have become a lover’s wall where they proclaim their love and some treat me as a free marketing site where they write their mobile numbers for anonymous people to call. And then there are the destructive ones who scratch my cover, cut it with blade and stuff the tickets inside.

My life is hectic but I feel it’s worth it! Every time a tired person sits on my seat, it gives me satisfaction that I have helped someone. After a long wait in the scorching sun, when someone gets on the bus and finds me empty, there is a relief on his face and the exhaustion seems to vanish as he sits on my seat.

And above all, it is so rewarding when people, no matter how tired they are, get up from my seat and let a physically challenged person sit. You have seen it too isn’t it and still you feel humanity no longer exists!? I am lucky. I feel it almost every other day!

Balcony se gira CAR pe atka!

It was around 11:30 in the morning. The shops were all open but there was not much crowd, probably because of the hot summer sun.

In one of the residential buildings, there was a party on the 3rd floor and somehow, without getting noticed, a dog managed to enter the house. He easily climbed his way from the street to the house on the 3rd floor. The dog was still wandering around the house amidst guests, trying to find something to eat when someone in the house saw him. He shooed the dog and it ran towards the balcony facing the street market!

On the other hand, down below in the street, people were unaware of all this and as usual, were engaged in their work. Suddenly, they heard a loud noise and rushed outside the shops. They looked in amazement as they saw a dog lying on the bonnet of a car...with all four legs in the air! “Balcony se gira CAR pe atka”!

Anyways, the next reaction of the people around was to look up to see from where the dog had fallen. And they saw some people looking down from the 3rd floor balcony.

Ok, now you know it is the same party dog who managed to sneak its way to the party.

On being shooed by the people in the house, the dog ran towards the balcony and jumped from the wide opening in between the railings!
(Kaun kehta hai aadmi hi superman ho sakta hai!! Here is a Superman. kutta...ummm....Superkutta with a super strong will...I believe I can fly!)

And the real fun was when the owner of the car came to know about all this. He ran out to see the dog lying as it is on the car... YES, with all four legs in the air! (BBQing dog in aadivasi style!)

Next he noticed the huge dent on his car bonnet! And ran out crying whose dog it is (I guess he was sure the dog’s owner would pay him for the damage) and some people had already started listing out the families who had pet dogs!

And to spice up the whole matter, there came a huge revelation... someone from the crowd shouted... “Aree ye to gali ka kutta hai!”

Poor car wala! He had nothing so say...must have gone to get his car repaired!

P.S. This is a true incident that happened in my colony! The dog is fine but missing :D

SOME DAY, I HOPE…

India, like many other countries, has legalized abortion if there is a risk to the life of the mother or the unborn child’s health. Still people do not take the expecting mother to specialized doctors but choose to go to quacks, thus risking her life.

A small poem on the same:-


SOME DAY, I HOPE…

With a heavy heart I approach the place
All eyes I feel stare at my face
“I don’t want a child” is all I say.
“You don’t want 'this' child” is what they say
As if there is always a child in there.

I have made my mind.
I know it’s right.
Even the law I know is on my side.
These are people I know who believe in me
But then there are others who just don’t see.

My honor, my body, my health is my own
Yet they think of someone who is unborn,
Something which is just cells, yet to be grown.
I walk inside, hoping some day,
My rights will be mine and not put at stake.

Someday I hope all people will understand,
Respect me as a person and give my decision a stand.


More on Abortion Rights

Wee Willi Winki !!

Just remembered a poem I learned in school…don’t know whether the words are correct or not :(

Any of you remember the words???

"Wee Willi Winki walking through the town,
Upstairs and downstairs in his night gown.
Looking through the windows, crying through the locks,
Are the children in the bed?
It’s past 8 o’clock!"

Rangoli Efforts!

Rangoil – the one serial on DD1 that my sister and I longed to see but could never manage!

I still remember, DD1 was the only channel on TV (we did not have cable connection) and Rangoli was a one hour song show on DD1 every Sunday morning!

My sister and I would find ways to sneak into the TV room to switch on the TV and see a glimpse of the show. But…in vain!! No one allowed us to start the day sitting in front of the TV and that too listening to movie songs! Still, we would not give up!

The time slot of Rangoli was such that there was a break for 10 minutes for the news bulletin. The last one or two songs of the show were shown after the bulletin. So, this is where we tried our tactics!

We used to sit in front of the TV to have breakfast, just in time to see the last songs.

My sister used to sit with her glass of milk, pretending to drink it (she rarely managed to drink even half the glass!) and I with mine. No one would ask us to leave the room till we finished the breakfast!

The moment the show was over, it was an achievement! We managed to see the last songs…the complete songs! (Rangoli was the only show that showed the complete songs. Chitrahaar used to mostly cut them short)

Similar efforts were made every Sunday but they rarely succeeded! In fact, if I sit down to think, I’m sure I will be able to count on my fingertips the number of times we actually managed to see the songs!

But still…real efforts to see the last bit of Rangoli!!

The Sardhana Church

25th January, 2009 was an unexpectedly cold day. There was a lot of fog and cold wind. We were all ready to visit the Sardhana church near Meerut in Uttar Pradesh. All five of us - my parents, husband, sister and I were ready since 6:00 am in the morning, waiting for the taxi to arrive. We waited for about an hour and even after our repeated calls to the taxi wala, there was no sign of the taxi. We had almost cancelled our plans when the door bell rang. Finally! The taxi had arrived!! So off we went to see the church!

The Sardhana Church is located in Sardhana, about 85 kilometers from Delhi. In 1961, Pope John XXIII raised it to the dignity of Minor Basilica.

The church was built in by Begum Samru, the wife of Walter Reinhardt, a French adventurer. Walter Reinhardt came to India as a soldier in the French East India Company. Pleased by his excellent services, Najub Khan of Bengal awarded him the Jagir of Sardhana. After his death his wife, who was a Muslim, converted to Roman Catholic Faith and built the church. The beautiful church is dedicated to Mother Mary and costed 4 lakhs in 1822!

The life size marble figures and carved marble panels in the church are amazing. These are part of the marble monument that is made over Begum Samru’s tomb. On the top of the monument sits the Begum.

The Jagir of Sardhana was taken care of by the Begum after her husband’s death. She is regarded as the only Catholic ruler in India. The Sardhana church built by her is also known as Begum Samru’s church.