To DOVE with LOVE

My cell phone played  ---- the tin can tune----and an unfamiliar  number flashed ----"-Hello who is this ?" said I

 "Hi guess who?
said a voice on the other end  and jolted me  back on to the pillow that  I had just risen from .

"hello! hello  Rajs can you hear me ?"
"a..a... yes"  I replied ,  my voice sounded feebler than what the attack of viral fever had made it .

"Hi sweetie I am in town and am coming over to your place keep lunch ready and don't forget my favourite masalabhindi and boondi raita --no one can make them  like  aunty does -...and blah blah blah....and blah blah blah ...."she went on  I was hardly listening to her and then the connection snapped .What was it? had she disconnected or had my phone played truant ?

I rang her back and asked what had she said before the conversation had ended  " I said I am coming over to your place for lunch and I also said save this number its my new connection only for very close friends---got it ?" 

"Maa Anita is coming over for lunch " and I sank into the chair 

"Good she's your best friend and she will cheer you up --you look so drab and down after this fever it was a little bit too nasty" 

"yes mom and that is what I am worried about you do know !! how particular she is about her skin and hair and looks and all that , what will she say when she looks at this  dead skin of mine ?uff I am sacred of her reaction she can be bitchy and catty both ,"and I looked at my mom with desperation .

" Rajni  I think its you who is more bitchy and catty, talking about your best friend like that ---she has always been a good influence on you, had you not become friends with her you would have remained the tom boy you were it was her friendship that taught you how to take care of yourself and look more lady like ---my  Asha parekh ( that was my mom's compliment for me because Asha Parekh  the  actress of yester years in most of her movies used to be a tomboy in the begining of her role and then would become absolutely coy and ladylike and pretty )

Well if she was coming she was coming and I had to prepare  myself for her onslaught .

My fears were not unfounded the deluge of her inquiries and reactions came in torrents .Mom said "don't Anita don't harass her she has just recovered from viral fever and hence this state give her a weeks time and she will be okay "this calmed her  down like the day after the tsunami i.e. after having caused all the emotional damage ,madam began to apologize . 

But her buoyancy returned and she said "don't worry honey ab mai aa gayee hun na sab theek kar ke jaoongi --but lets have lunch first hope the boondi raita and bhindi are  ready ?...."and she began to sweet talk my mom "aunty aapke jaisa khana koyee nahi banata" etc etc No doubt she is my mom's favourite .

After lunch as we sat in my room with our favourite dessert 'caramel custard  with cream' she told me that she had come to invite me for a get together that she was planning the coming Sunday. I said I would have loved to but was in no mood to join a group of known and unknown people with this kind of scaly skin. As it is I was no beauty queen and with this frightening look I didn't want to be the target of curiosity , ridicule and sympathy .

Anita looked at me menacingly" how dare you refuse ----and what have you to worry, mai hun na ? your fairy Godmother my CINDERELLA "

"But what can you do?"

"Why? don't you remember how I worked at your skin with besan and cream and neem and tulsi to get you ready for the college annual function after you had ruined your skin playing holi with the worst of colours and varnish,   you wild cat !!!!!"

And we burst out laughing .

She had been a big source of help whenever it came to my looks --and she and me together had played pranks , harassed our teachers ,bunked classes to see cricket matches and movies ---in fact did all that which gave our teachers cause to worry .Once it so happened that just as  we came out of the movie hall it started to rain and we couldn't get any transport so by the time we reached home it had become very late and we were  completely drenched , my mother was at the door worried and anxious but the only thing she said was ---" in future please let me know of your escapades so that I will be able to tackle any  situation arising --there is n't any harm in bunking classes etc we have all done that but don't make it a habit " and this reaction of her's had both of us floored" 

"What a sweet mother you have  "  Anita had said  with moist eyes  ,she had lost her mother when she was about four years old .

""But there's very little time between Sunday and today Anu!!! and no amount of your LOVE will bring back the shine on my face "

"Come on shut your eyes and sit still as I work on your face and she brought out  a white pouch with a pink ribbon and two soap cakes of DOVE 

She applied dove soap on one of my cheeks   and after  gently massaging it for some time she washed it and and asked me  to see and feel the difference between the two cheeks   ---and GOD !! I just couldn't believe what a lot of difference !!!! this cheek which had received the DOVE treatment  was smoother  and softer  and glowing 

"So Madam !! how does it feel ? .

"Unbelieveable Anu what a difference this soap has made"  I said as I kept on touching and admiring my cheek and comparing it with the other one   

"I had said na ab mai aa gayee hoon sab theek kar ke jaaoongi" she winked and gave me a wicked smile .

My mom came in on hearing my shrieks and giggles ,one look at my face and she immediately noticed the difference ---she touched my cheek and exclaimed at the softness  --she was full of admiration for Anita " thanks Anu you do love her better than any other 'best friend ' you have always helped her ---see Rajni this is what is called LOVE"

"No Aunty this is not called LOVE
It's called DOVE"

She took out  the pouch with the two cakes of sweet smelling beauty bars and when I asked her what was the pink ribbon for she said" it was actually to blindfold you while I played the "guessing game " so that you wouldn't  know which cheek was washed with Dove  but we  didn't need it because I wanted you to see the miracle with open eyes ---you doubting Jane"

( Jane was her female counterpart for doubting Thomas. She had this habit of  changing the gender of all characters in proverbs eg peeping Tom would become  peeping Jane )

If one wash could do this !!! one week  of regular treatment would surely work wonders --and I began looking forward to attending the get together .

I hugged Anita as she handed me the white pouch with the soap cakes and the ribbon "you don't have to blindfold yourself with this ribbon instead use it as a hair band while washing your face hahahah"

As she left us ,I waved at her with GRATITUDE and LOVE and also two beauty bars of DOVE ,eager to face the world  armed with beautiful skin .


And  the miracle did take place my skin was soft and glowing and some old friends complimented on the improvement they said my skin looked better than always .


Thankyou Dove
with lots of Love


this is my entry for the http://www.dove.in/en/Products/Bar-Body-Wash/default.aspx---contest on indiblogger


#DoveFaceTest  --------is the hashtag

An Immune India

Indiblogger has again come up with a blogging contest this time it is titled -----An Immune India ---and is in collaboration with Dabur Chyawanprash -.

First of all I must thank Indiblogger for conducting these contests because they not only provide us bloggers with opportunities to write, but more importantly when people in hundreds  write for the same topic  we  come to know about  many factors  which were hitherto unknown to us .enlightening us about that product .

So I must thank Indiblogger and the many sponsors for holding such contests ---in today's case its DABUR that I am thanking

Thankyou Dabur ,Thankyou Indiblogger...

The topic this time is IMMUNE INDIA and deals with the benefits of increased immunity in children against certain ""diseases which weaken a child and hence make a whole nation weak""Our body has to face attacks by different kinds of virus , dust ,weather changes etc daily and these cause many diseases which can be and are being fought by the ingredients of Chyawanprash an ancient ayurved health tonic . Dabur Chyawanprash has an edge over other brands because ---

• Dabur is the first branded Chyawanprash in the country
• It is the highest selling Chyawanprash with more than 60% market share
• It is scientifically proven to provide 3 times more immunity that helps fight virus, flu and infections
• Dabur Chyawanprash has been consistently voted as the power brand of the country and is a trusted remedy for cough and cold for a majority of Indian household.
• It has been endorsed by celebrities like Sreeram lagoo, Amitabh Bachchan, Vivek oberoi, Virender Sehwag and now MS Dhoni
• Has a sugar free variant for calorie conscious people
• It is also available in 2 new exciting flavours Orange and Mango
• It contains natural Ayurvedic ingredients, which are being consumed safely for ages.

I have grown up watching people, specially the old, use chyawan prash as a tonic  .My grandfather used to have chyawanprash with milk every morning, in fact till late in life I used to think that it is actually a tonic for senior citizens only and used to think that I will definitely include it in my diet once I reach that age :) in fact those were the days when people (the generation of my parents ) in their desire to  become modern and more westernized had started going in for tonics etc and had stopped believing in ayurved ---which practice thankfully has started to change now and the age old tried and tested methods of healthy living are again gaining recognition and authenticity. Thankfully indeed  

I have always loved the smell and taste of Chyawanprash and my daughters too used to love their spoonfuls in the morning before leaving for school ---but that time the mixed fruit ,mango and orange flavours were not available so initially I had to bribe them with sweets if they took their chyawanprash  but after a few months chyawanprash became the bribe for getting a lot of things done .and I had to tell them that 2 tsp spoonfulls per day was  the  recommended   dose .

Chyawanprash as we all know has anti-oxidant properties which strengthens our  body's immune system thereby protecting us from day to day infections. It comprises of Amla ( that wonder fruit ) together with some other  herbs which  strengthen the body's natural defence mechanism by increasing the NK cells ( Natural Killer Cells). In an in-vitro study conducted on Dabur Chyawanprash, it was found to have increased the NK sells levels up to 3 folds .

Now of course a very  good news is that we get sugar free chyawanprash which can  be taken by diabetics too and I am happy that I will not have to forego my daily dose of Chyawanprash as and when I get diabetes which I hope I do because after all  it is a lifestyle disease and happens to the rich and affluent and I surely wouldn't want to be left behind in that race would I ?


By the way while still at the topic of "" The  Immune and Immunity""" I have  news to share ---studies have shown that we Indians are fast developing Immunity against diseases like rape .bride burning ,scams ,corrupt politicians and corruption of all kinds in all fields .

You don't believe this ? then here are some facts 

1.we see rape being committed on the roadside and walk away turning our faces or drive away increasing our speed ( its another matter that we come out with  placards shouting slogans and holding candle marches after  the rapists have successfully accomplished their job.)

2. The moment a bride is burnt we start contemplating getting our daughters married to the new widower --another groom in the market and we form a queue in front of his house with the biodata of our unmarried daughters and  the dowry amount  increased .

3.Scams ---the less said the better 

4. corruption --well that is the way of life. You don't want to be looked down upon by your neighbours in the race of affluence .

5. corruption of all kinds in all fields ---what do you think are all these sex scandals and anti national activities ---corruption is not only financial to be corrupt means to be doing something wrong. 

And aren't we immune to all these ??

May be the fact that for a certain period in the  history of our society we had begun to disown our heritage and our ancient methods  of living ( as cited by me in a paragraph above which says that I used to believe that chyawanprash was only for the aged) and may be this gave rise to unhealthy attitudes in life .


Well, then lets hope that the consumption of Chyawanprash by our children will give them a healthy body which will host a healthy mind and help them to differentiate between the good and the bad and our country will become not only healthy physically but morally and mentally too ---a nation which will boast of a people with a healthy outlook towards life and who will bring laurels to the motherland and to themselves .

Jai Hind ----Vande Matram


this is my entry for the "An Immune India" contest on indiblogger and the link is www.daburchyawanprash.com

traditional knowledge ---natural growth

Dabur Lal Tail

"Adam just see what is happening to the baby ?he just wont stop crying ---what do we do? don't just keep snoring  do something..."

"Stop making all that noise  ---and do something he is the result of your labour don't harass me..."

"my labour ?? and what do you ,mean ? as if you didn't have anything to do with it !!!!"

"no you were the one who tempted me to eat the apple its all your fault..."

"and were you a  baby to give in to my temptations you could have refused!but yes you are right ;he is my labour you MCP......" and Eve started sobbing 

"ok ok don't start that all over again  let me see what I can do...."   and Adam got up with a yawn

.



 His hands touched the honeycomb he had been devouring the previous  night and he dipped his fingers in the honey that had trickled out --he then put the finger into the baby's mouth --"if some thing tastes good to my tongue it may taste good to him too" and yes the baby stopped howling in fact he started licking his lips and demanding more ---now this was a miracle and EVE  hugged Adam.  They now started  giving a dash of honey to the baby whenever he cried -----after a few days Eve noticed that  the baby had stopped coughing and his bowel movement too had improved he looked healthier too .
       
     



This was a dream sequence which had appeared on the panorama of my sleep when I thought of writing for this contest on indiblogger about TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE---NATURAL GROWTH  in collaboration with Dabur Lal Tail

I went straight to the computer  as soon as I woke up -and here are a few excerpts from GOOGLE SEARCH about HONEY


""""The health effects of honey have long been noted. The nutritional and medicinal qualities of honey have been documented in Vedic,Greek, Roman, Christian, Islamic and other texts. Physicians of ancient times, such as Aristotle (384–322 BC), Aristoxenus (320 BC)Hippocrates, Porphyry, Cornelius Celsus (early first century AD) and Dioscorides (c. 50 AD), and Arab physicians have referred to the healing qualities of honey.

 Over four thousand years ago, honey was used as a traditional ayurvedic medicine, where it was thought to be effective at treating material imbalances in the body.

In pre-Ancient Egyptian times, honey was used topically to treat wounds.¹.

Egyptian medicinal compounds more than five millennia ago used honey.

The ancient Greeks believed that consuming honey could help make you live longer.

Even the Prophet Mohammed glorified the healing powers of honey.

The Quran also praises honey's healing ability:

Current Eye Research (Vol. 36, No.9) documented that honey has anti-inflammatory properties that can be explored in several corneal inflammatory and infectious conditions. Researchers at the International Bee Research Association also reported that honey is a better natural eye cure for dry eyes than artificial tears. Though the solution used contained only 20% honey, it was found that honey could treat eye infection even when diluted. American Apitherapy Society showed a significant improvement in a corneal ulcer condition with topical honey when antibiotics, antiviral agents and corticosteroids had no effect----

Though scientific arguments have been made for use of honey in modern times, its use is still considered part of alternative medicine.^[1][2]Honey contains powerful antioxidants with antiseptic and antibacterial properties .""""


In the very recent past we were suddenly made aware that honey was not to be consumed and specially by infants  because --

""""The spores of the botulism bacteria are found in dust and soil that may make their way into honey. Infants do not have a developed immune system to defend against infection, says Jatinder Bhatia, MD, a Georgia neonatologist who heads the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Nutrition..Bhatia has never seen a case of infant botulism.""""


But then  neither do infants have a developed immune system against so many other diseases ranging from simple cold to typhoid to etc etc there  are many air borne or water borne diseases  But have we stopped breathing or have we stopped drinking water  ?? NO  BECAUSE we know that  WE CAN NOT DO WITHOUT EITHER OF THESE TWO  so we try and work out other ways ---similarly Honey is not all that dangerous for infants as it has recently been made out to be in fact here is an excerpt from google again


"""" E. Haffejee and A. Moosa reported in the BMJ on a clinical study in which they used honey in oral rehydration solution in children and infants with gastroenteritis. Their aim was twofold:

• Determine whether honey might affect the duration of acute diarrhea
• Evaluate honey as a glucose substitute in oral rehydration

They found that honey shortens the duration of bacterial diarrhea in infants and young children.⁴ They added that honey does not prolong non-bacterial diarrhea duration, and "may safely be used as a substitute for glucose in oral rehydration solution containing electrolytes."""""

Please don't think  I am writing an article on Honey I did all this research just to prove that traditional knowledge is very useful and at times better than modern medicines ( because it has no side effects ) for the natural growth of children .

LETS not forget a very important TRUTH that man came first and then  came discoveries and inventions and science and research .That which was good for our ancestors cannot be bad for us --there may be some irregularities  but we cannot straight away write off  old tried and tested methods of rearing children In fact honey helped me clean by daughters tongues when they were babies I would apply a little honey on a  piece  of cloth wrapped round my fingers and insert into the baby's mouth nicely cleaning her tongue while she would be enjoying the sweet taste :otherwise a dirty tongue could give rise to so many diseases .and we all know how difficult it is to clean a baby's tongue.

Similarly we give a warm mustard oil massage or a bit of Jaifal (nutmeg) in milk and the baby is cured of the severest of colds without any side effects .A spoonful of water in which Ajwain has been boiled is also a good cure for colds and stomach aches .

We have all seen that home remedies are better substitutes for children as compared to some allopathic medicines simply because they don't  have  any side effects this is because they comprise of those things which are natural  and not chemicals  -eg-ginger which is absolutely harmless is a good cure for cold , coughs and even stomach disorders whereas a simple cough syrup can cause drowsiness in children and in adults too which can be very dangerous .

 In fact we are discovering the importance of old traditional methods and advocating their use too ---clove oil is a component in so many remedies for tooth trouble  the old and simple gargle with warm water and salt is the panacea for all throat infections irrespective of the fact that the patient is taking antibiotics or not 

we find toothpaste companies asking  people ---kya apke toothpaste me namak hai ? nimbu hai ?

now aren't nimbu and namak traditional methods of cleaning teeth  I remember as children we used to clean our teeth with salt and mustard oil , my mom used to rub her teeth with left over lemon peels from her plate after every  meal this to make her teeth shine --and boy did they ? yes they sparkled always .

I need not keep visiting Google to corroborate or prove my points  --we all know that Diabetes and  Cardiac problems are all lifestyle diseases and can be cured by making changes in your food habits and some exercise ---and aren't these traditional methods we used to eat missi roti (roti made of flour which had horse gram added to it ) modern day cardiologists advocate this kind of flour because it has a lot of fibre 

Doctors are prescribing  garlic  to reduce cholesterol  
.
Yoga again comprises of asanas which are a traditional form of exercise and doctors from across the seas are prescribing YOGA for cardiovascular ailments .

We all know that strong medicines affect the liver ----drug induced liver diseases are those that are caused by physician -prescribed medications , over the counter medications , vitamins , hormones etc Thankfully this knowledge has put an end to the trendy practise of popping vitamin pills into your mouth for breakfast A very trendy scenes in all affluent MODERN families used to be the wife asking the hubby and kids " tumne apni vitamins le li ?" before they left home for work or school :)


Coming to simpler things a hair dye has the capacity to whiten even that hair which can be black for another 2 or 3 years whereas henna and amla mixture if applied regularly can make your hair retain its luster and blackness for years and years and it gives a natural shaded look if its regularity is not broken even after your hair has started greying .And the kidney and eyes too remain safe 

Baby soaps are harsher for baby's  skins as compared to besan and haldi combined with milk , "ubtan"--ubtan even rids the baby of unwanted body hair gradually



Oh yes and don't we remember that the Americans wanted to patent the turmeric and the Neem


Google to my rescue again 

By October, 1996 when the prestigious New Scientist magazine wrote under the title, "Pirates in the garden of India", India's sanguine magnanimity was to end. A crisis was brewing. India had to do something.

Abduction of turmeric:

The war began thus: In May, 1995 the US Patent Office granted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center a patent [#5,401,504] for "Use of Turmeric in Wound Healing."

Well, well, well. Some discovery, that. Indians grow up with a constant awareness of turmeric. It permeates their life. It is an easy and generous plant [curcurma longa] that grows throughout the sub-continent. The tuber when dried keeps practically forever. Its decoction is a stubborn dye. It is a condiment that adds character to Indian food and helps digestion. Turmeric powder heals open wounds. Drunk with warm milk, it stems coughs, cures colds and comforts throats.

. Indian physicians had always packed their kits with turmeric. Now West's formal research was confirming many of its virtues. It is now believed to be able to treat dysentery, arthritis, ulcers and even some cancers. It is also found to protect the liver. 

Turmeric's grace is stunning cancer researchers. COX-2 inhibitor drugs have been known to block an enzyme called cyclooxygenase-2 which aggravates arthritis. Dr. Mitch Gaynor at the Strang Cancer Prevention Center, New York uses these drugs in cancer treatment to impede this undesirable enzyme. Turmeric goes one step further: Dr. Chintalapally V. Rao of American Health Foundation, Valhalla, NY believes that while COX-2 inhibitor drugs battle the enzyme, the curcurmin element in turmeric prevents even the formation of the enzyme

The patent was promptly challenged by Dr. R A Mashelkar, an Indian scientist who has done much to awaken India to Intellectual Property Rights issues. After four months of submissions it was established that the use of turmeric as a healing agent was well-known in India. For some centuries, one is tempted to add. The patent was annulled. But there were more battles ahead.

In 1996, Vandana Shiva -- an icon for Third World Knowledge Rights -- began to challenge the patent granted to the firm of W.R.Grace & Co by the European Patent Office, Munich for 'fungicidal uses of neem oil'. Now, it so happens that neem is as much a divine object in India as turmeric is. With far less education than modern scientists the Indian farmer over the ages had integrated neem into his work. It is a part of India's religious life, to sublimate anything of value to divine levels in order to engender an esteem and sensitivity for it. Shiva and Ajay Phadke [who had researched neem for Rhone Poulenc in India] flagged ancient Indian texts for their eminences in Munich to convince them that there was no 'novelty' factor in neem's magical properties that Grace had unveiled-- Indians had known them for long.

 This patent too was vacated.

I am using these excerpts from google just to prove  the authenticity of my views 

What do all these battles prove --that modern and the scientifically aware westerners too have discovered the benefits of  our own desi knowledge .Whereas we are busy immitating and apeing them and providing  them with a dumping yard .

I would request all aware Indians to preach and practise our own traditional methods as far as possible 

I don't say that modern medicine is bad it is also very important but not for every small ailments because all that glitters is not always gold .

Let not history repeat itself let not nimbu and namak come to us as salt and lemon like Yoga and Sitar came to us via the USA .

This post is written for the contest ---traditional knowledge natural growth on indiblogger in collaboration with Dabur Lal Tail

p.s---all pictures and material typed in red have been taken from the net 

children of lesser mortals ---a poem on childrens day

children of lesser mortals

Its childhoodthe happy age.
Its childhood a carefree page
in the book of life
which has volumes
to say
of ups and downs
which will  stray your way
unwanted and un asked for.

Is childhoodthe happy age?
Is childhood the carefree page?
in the book of life
with agonies so rife
that  it discriminates
each one from other
as they walk their way
each hour and everyday..

A child is born and another too,
 the  time is same
and the hour too.
but fate is not
the same for them
its blessings for one
and for the other
mayhem.

One sleeps in the shadow
of  the canopy of the rich
 The other in the shade
 Of palm trees  lives
For one the plate is
always  scrutanized
the other looks at the crumbs
with  hunger in the eyes.

They say the master
wills it all .
HE is the revered God of  all
OUR  FATHER who in heaven stays
what makes him
then to  differentiate
between his children very own ??
why does HE want sadness sown
In the fields of them
who his world adorn .??

wada

Tum chale jaate ho,Tanhaiyaa aa jaati hain;
Dil ke har moad  pe viraniyan  chhaa jaati hain.

Kuch yadien lautti hain,
 Muskurahte aa jati hain.
Par na jaane kyu??
,Khilkhilahate tarsati hain.
tum chale jaate ho
                        

Lauta dete hain muskurahto ko hum.
 Aur,woh poochhti hain  humse,

'Kyon itne sangdil ho gaye ho,?
 Na kabhi bulate ho
Na khud hi aane dete ho.
Rok lo humko.

Rok lo humko,
Khuda bhi toh yahi kahta hai-
''Chalaa jaataa hai waqt phir na laut sakne ko''.
tum chale jaate ho
         

                 
Phir yaad aa jaate hain wade terey
Nek lagte woh irade terey.
Kahgaye thhe tum jaate jaate
''Mai gaya waqt nahi hoon jo kabhi aa na sakoo.

Jab udasi mne tum bulaogi mujhe,
Rok lena muskurahto ko tum
Tum bhi ruk jaanaa Waqt bhi ruk jayega,
Motee palko pe teri Thham jayega;
Phir sametengi ungliya meri unko
Hatheliyon pe apni unhe mai rakh loonga

Yaad rakhna mai gaya waqt nahi.
Wada hai mera milunga mai  yahien.''

lonliness---the bane of life

You  are  lonely  when  you  are  surrounded  by   people ;you are  lonely  when  you  are  smiling ;  you  are  lonely  when  you are  laughing  out  aloud  .  

Its the worst curse that can fall on a person.

   Loneliness inhabits just one small corner of your heart but its tentacles  spread and surround  the whole body and mind.   
                            
                                     
                                                                                 ..
There are strangers all around you 
Strangers all within. 
That touch you need is ne'er to be got , 
ne'er to be got therein. 


You thought you wont regret ????? 
If you ne'er did expect ??? 
That was the loss you  incurred 
When you  thought that you 'Deffered' 

There's time ! still time ! 
cling to them ,to those who matter 
Who matter to you so much 
Tell them that you need them 
Tell them they're missed how much! 


****************** 


If love abounds in them , If passion rules their heart; 
They will all come around you and hold you till depart. 
You will then win the battle ,and will die a happy soul 
When they whom you love so ! 
Tell you ; you were loved much more!... 

******* 

For Life's battles are to be fought by only you and you! 
Its great!! if they accompany And wipe your tears for you... 
.. 




 

sarfarosh

It was nearing 5 am
Ram was taken for his last bath then given a proper breakfast and was now being led out of the cell door.

the usually asleep and noisy (with sounds of snores and coughs and swearings ) prison was awake and silent.

 Ram  was being taken to the gallows .  all the undertrials and all other prisoners had tearful eyes glued on him as they watched this youth of 25 being sent to die for having committed the crime of fighting ,for the freedom of his country from the chains of slavery.
Ramdas was led up the stairs where the black cloth bag was ready to be put on his face .   

He was asked his last wish -----"I want a picture of the British Monarch brought in". everyone was astonished at this demand but it had to be fulfilled and the jailor and other officials got ready to tackle any  trouble that Ram  would create  .

But Ramdas was a freedom fighter he knew that all countries and their rulers were to be respected.

All that  he did was that he  put  the picture close   to his chest and  then he stood on the platform  facing the crowd.The jailor and warden and all other govt servants stood up  anticipating trouble.

 Ram  began singing VANDE MATRAM holding the picture to his chest---- the govt servants kept standing throughout the song alert and attentive so that any trouble could be tackled immediately.

Ram das finished the song and smiled. .
"Officer James do you remember I had once challenged you that I will make you stand up in salutations to my national song I have achieved that today, I have no more wishes I am ready to die for my country,  VANDE MATRAM ---JAI HIND "

The slogan  was echoed all through the closed walls of the prison and a brave son of Mother India was executed but every eye in the crowd was moist every prisoner wept unashamedly even the British eye had a stunned blank look  silently  respecting the dead INDIAN for his love for his motherland .





this story is dedicated to all those people who laid down their lives to set India free from the  shackles of foreign rule.

From smelly to smiley-

Was cleaning the fridge  in the afternoon when I came across some mint leaves, just as I tried to sort out the fresh ones from the ones which were losing their colour , a whiff of fresh mint aroma reached me ---I was suddenly reminded of KOLYNOS toothpaste which we used when I was a kid in the 50s and 60s it had that fresh minty smell and made us feel really fresh ---I drifted into the world of my childhood as I picked up the bunch and put it to my nose ----was just smiling to my self and thinking about those days--- when I was reminded of  this contest on indiblogger ----
 which says Tell us about the nostalgic memories you associate with different smells or fragrances in your home
and I let loose the  memory cards of  my brain I let them run wild and reach all nooks and corners of the past ,specially of my childhood . I could smell flowers .I could smell the early  morning rains and the rain drenched roads which reached  us to school. The aroma of lovely samosas and jalebis being fried  and tea being made in the roadside stalls .I was also reminded of the sweet fragrance of  the champa( beautiful pale yellow ) flowers and also of the rose  and this took me to the days when we used to press flowers between the pages of our books and the rose had the characteristics of retaining its fragrance .

As I picked up a particular brand of talcum powder I was reminded of my hostel days where the girls thought I was using perfume and were amazed when I told them it was the subtle fragrance of the talcum powder they were admiring and not any perfume ---similarly  a particular brand of soap which is our family's favourite and adorns all our bathrooms had fallen out of grace a few years ago because I just couldn't tolerate its smell when I was expecting my elder daughter . Similarly  the smell of rice being cooked was intolerable to my younger daughter before she arrived into this world...and now she survives only on rice ......

I think people are so correct when they say women have a very strong sense of smell ---we do ----because we can smell food getting burnt ,or we distinguish good food from spoilt ones by smelling them , we can tell whats cooking just by a waft of aroma and we love fragrances ....we associate nearly everything in our life by their smell -----there are such lovely romantic dialogues and songs in movies which say that we can sense the arrival of our boloved by the fragrance which accompanies them .:))

Anyways ....

 I drifted into my past and the smile on my face sent my daughters  wondering  what the reason was --when I told them about this contest they let out a laughter ---"now mom we will have to tolerate this dreamy look in your eyes and the smile on  your face  for as long as you don't finish writing your post   By the way why don't you write about that incident about which we were talking when we bought our first ambipur spray ?? "

Oh yes how stupid of me here was every thing on a platter and I was wasting my time .

It was about 7 years back ---My brothers family was visiting us when we all decided that since everyone was free and hubby too could afford a a few days leave why not visit the Kanha wild life sanctuary --and hey presto we finished our packing ---my sister got busy in the kitchen packing eatables for the road the house became a flury of activity .All done we clamoured into our beds for a few hours sleep --but the excitement of travelling together just wouldn't let sleep come near us and so like always we were up and ready to embark on our journey at 4 am THE SINHA"S USUAL JOURNEY TIME.

Needless to say we had a great time and on our return journey when we  decided to take a turn for Nagpur ( my brothers place ) instead of to Bhilai ( my place) we could stay with them for one day and then proceed to Bhilai .Well we reached Nagpur at about 2.3o p m had lunch in a restaurant and then finally reached home all ready for a post lunch siesta and my sister in law reassured us that the house would not need any cleaning up etc as she had prepared the beds and covered them and the rest of the furniture with sheets just to avoid hard work after coming from from the vacations ---we were all full of admiration for her ---what a perfect housewife !!!!

As we reached home a beautiful sight awaited us --the gardener had looked after the garden well ----then my sis-in-law inserted the  key in the lock and turned back to  welcome us with a smile ----But she was greeted by us with  our  noses covered with handkerchiefs and she herself turned 180 degrees with horror in her eyes -----a horrible stench was coming from inside the house .As she stepped in she screamed and we all rushed in 

 !!!!

----dead mice  were strewn all around about 6 or 7 or may be 10 ---it was a scene from an Alfred Hitchcock movie semi dark room 8 people standing wide eyed full of fear and dead rats were lying all over----actually my sis in law had left a packet of rat poison powder and the mice had eaten it all .

What  a horrible sight and what a horrible stench no one could bear to stand there we shifted to our company rest house for a day accomodated the rest of the family too .My sis-in-law spent the whole day cleaning the house with the help of  servants and some workers from the factory then they got it disinfected but the stench would not leave .My mother suggested they  use "dhoop" which is used in" havans" They spent hundreds of rupees on dhoop, scents, perfumes,air fresheners and what not but it took many many days before the smell left the house and  it took still longer to leave our system --a feeling of nausea  would  grip us  just by the thought of it all .  

A few months back a similar incident took place in our house .It  was just that I had planted rat poison in all nooks and corners of my house to kill a rat which was playing havoc  and will you believe it ? if I said that it only ate synthetic things like plastic and rubber etc in fact it destroyed the cable wire of one our computers and this was enough to infuriate the whole family So I bought some rat poison the --and the mouse  decided to attain" moksha"  by lying  under  our shoe rack I picked it up and threw it and then told my family no more mouse in the house and that they could let their pet mouse( computer wala ) out without the fear of being chewed up.But the  stench  persisted  and started becoming unbearable ---it reminded us of  that  incident in my brothers house .We got scared and the whole family got busy looking for more dead mice ---and yes indeed... there were three more and they had started rotting, hence  the smell. But we had by now been introduced to the Ambipur air fresheners so we went and got two sprays and hey presto our house was free of the smell. In  no time it had turned from  "Smelly To Smiley!

What a relief. 

Now of course Ambipur is a regular on our shopping list and does my house smell sweet ??? it does.

 

note---(both pictures are from the net ) and this is my entry for the www.facebook.com/AmbiPurIndia contest on indiblogger