"Koi lauta de mere Beete Hue Din"

  "Koi lauta de mere Beete Hue Din"      ("कोई लौटा दे मेरे बीते हुए दिन ")

To the best of my memories and the anecdotes told to me by my parents about my childhood all I can gather is that when I was a kid, I always wanted to grow up as early as possible. I wanted to grow up, so that I can be myself. I can make my own choices. I can go independently where ever I wish to. In my view the biggest difference between children and grown up young is the fact that children do not give themselves options and get stuck on their demands like said in a famous Gazal “ दिल भी एक ज़िद पे अड़ा है किसी बच्चे की तरह, या तो इसे तू ही चाहिए या कुछ भी नहीं ”. Whereas, as we grow old we start to give ourselves more choices and alternatives.

Now when I see kids, I want to revisit my childhood. Suddenly I do not want myself to give too many choices and alternatives. I do not want to plan too much about what to do and what not to do. I want to paint on the walls without caring about the beating to be followed up after it. I want to start giving more importance to myself rather than my clothes and appearance. I could remember those dry knees of mine with striking bold marks of dirt and lime powder of walls on it earned by getting the knees rubbed against the walls while playing one game or another. I never ever thought of cleaning them. For me the best appearance of mine was my happiness reflecting through a chuckle in my cheek. I could remember falling in a big nullah once near my home while trying to just take a walk on the wall of nullah. There was no end objective or goal attached to that walk around that nullah, but still it was done. I want that in-objectivity back. 

 

I could remember that being in lap of Ma, Papa could take away all my fears and anxieties. Lap of my parents was home to all the assurances and place filled with so much comfort in it that no luxury hotel in this world could even think of giving it competition.

I wish could go back to my childhood where the only punishment to my deeds (mis-deeds) was a simple touch of my ears to by my hands and that’s it all that’s it, the incident was over. 

I wish I could turn back the time to a kid once more. When for anything or work was only a master stroke when I was made a part of it to do it. Even a wild stroke of Nail paint going haywire to the finger would appear to be a perfect stroke….

I miss my childhood….

“Koi lauta de mere beete hue din”

Konkan Calling

Konkan Calling

If we feel that life getting unrealistically fast and furious, here is a good place away. A place so far away that it even makes one forget the meaning of fast life, targets, deadlines, appraisals and so many more words and phrases which take away the blissful happiness from mankind. A place which is so laid back that people yawn before giving you directions.

 Konkan is “Gods own country” in all senses. In terms of geography it has two natural boundaries, the Western Ghats on the east side and the Arabian Sea on the west side.  In terms of natural bounty the region has some of the most precious natural offerings like Beatle nuts, Coconuts, Kokum, Cashews, Sea food, the famous Alphonso or locally called “ hafuz” mangoes. In the early summers some trees are laden more with mangoes than the leaves. 

Konkan has Lavish, Pristine beauty. The beauty comes from It’s a thick green stretch, with number of untouched clean beaches coupled along with White sand, blue seas, green mountains, paddy fields, rivulets and Back waters. Apart from natures Marvels the Konkan region is also home to some of amazing forts built on sea shores and in the Sea. 

 The Anjanvel Light House

  Vijaydurg Fort

Vijaydurg Fort

I just love driving around in narrow yet conditioned roads in Konkan. There are countless sleepy little Konkani villages with thatch houses and lush green fields all the way till the horizon and every village having a Famous Ganpati Temple inside it. 

Most of the houses have typical Konkani ‘vaadi’, full of coconut trees in there back yards.  

If one is connoisseur of good food then Konkani food is not to be missed. The food is made with coconut grating forming the base of gravy with a good does of coriander powder. The Konkani food is Spicy, when I use word spicy I do not mean that food is hot and filled with Chilies. The word “Spicy” here means that one can actually gauge flavours of all the spices used in the gravy disticnly, yet making the gravy as smooth as Singing by Pandit Kumar Gandharv.