A Gold, A Bronze, what next??

“You have a message!” beeped my phone. On reading the text from IBN Live a grin split my face and I looked up and exclaimed - India won a bronze in wrestling! The remote in my hand guided the channels to IBN Live. The headlines were filled with India at the Olympics. It was great to see the way our wrestler Sushil Kumar had won his 3 consecutive rounds to get the first bronze in wrestling at the Olympics since 1952! The headlines went on to mention our definite medal either a bronze or a silver in boxing by Vijender Kumar, a young 22 year old from a small city in India. As the TV camera spanned the boxer's home town one could see young boys and men sparring in front of the camera with huge grins across their faces.

Yes, we Indians had done something more than cricket! Don't get me wrong - I love the game but think that it is time that our other athletes get a chance at the headlines too! And as Rajdeep Sardesai from IBN live said "Today even though India defeated Sri Lanka in the ODI today to level the series, it has not made it to the headlines in tonight’s news!" He went on to remind us of our first gold winner Abhinav Bindra.

Our simple down to earth Indian men were doing us proud.. Well done guys, I salute you!

Chaiya Hame Bawaji . . .

The word 'Parsi' is derived from the word Pars or Persia. Hence, Parsi literally means 'people who have come from Persia'. And what progress we have made since then! From coming as humble refugees from Iran, to building great empires like Tatas and Wadias; from being persecuted in our own motherland, to carving a niche for ourselves in other's hearts in a completely foreign country, Parsis have truly come a very long way.

Today, Parsis are one of the most loved communities in the world. Every Hindu, Muslim or Christian is bound to have at least one Parsi friend. And boy! Do the good times roll when Parsis are around! Right from their long noses and fair complexion, to their unique Hindi and witty wisecracks, Parsis are a pleasure to have around you, and are the life of any party. And oh! Do we have our own unique identity! A Parsi can be easily spotted even in a crowded place. All you have to do is find someone whose petticoat is longer than the dress, who has a scarf on her head and a smile on her face. And trust me, it is so heartening to bump into one of them and hear them ask 'Arre dikra, kem che? Baccha kem che?' And while others may turn a deaf ear, the Parsi 'maaiji' is ever ready to dole out advice on the common cold, cough and backache, and hand you generations-passed-down, home-made recipes to cure them, which,though awful smelling and tasting, are twice as effective as any medicine in the market. On the other hand, her Parsi husband will come and declare all the 'drama' is unnecessary; stating that 'ek peg Brandy' will cure all your illnesses!

Parsis by nature are very inquisitive. Visit any Parsi 'baug' and you will know what I mean. Scores of Parsi 'maaijis' will be sitting in the garden, gossiping about how 'Framroze ni dikri pela Jehangir na dikra saathe fari raheech.' or 'Mare, aaje Veera ne toh moti toran che.. Kai lagan che su?' And who can ignore the early morning bargaining with the 'goshwallo' and 'macchiwalli', old Parsi 'maaijis' in their nightgowns and 'bawajis' in their 'Sudreh-Legha', arguing in their half-broken Hindi, loud enough to wake up the entire colony - 'Arre kaiko itna bhav bolech, jara kami kar. Lootva bethach.' or 'Surmai taazi che ke? Jara barabar dev. Chori mat kar.'

Another distinguishing feature of Parsis is a clean, well-kept house.. Because for Parsis, Cleanliness is not next to Godliness. It is as important as Godliness itself. And the doorstep will always have 'chalk' and 'toran'. The bigger and more colourful the 'chalk' and heavier the 'toran', the bigger the occasion.

And speaking of occasions, no one can celebrate weddings and Navjotes with more fervour and gusto than Parsis, who believe in making merry and living life King-Size! Attend a Parsi wedding, and I am sure you will not leave until you have eaten to your heart's content, had the traditional 'chaato paani', danced like there is no tomorrow, and made friends with every invitee – be it women resplendent in 'garas' or men in spotless 'daglis'. A common sight at these functions are ladies trying to put their match-making abilities to the test by finding out if there is any 'kuwari chokri' in the family who cannot find a better boy than 'aapro Jamsheed'!

Another thing Parsis are known for is their cuisine.. Ask any non-Parsi what the first thing is that comes their mind when they hear the word Parsi, and pat comes the reply 'Dhansak and Patra ni Macchi'.. 'Akuri' is a favourite among many of my non-Parsi friends, and the 'Lagan nu Custard' is a delicious end to any sumptuous meal. Parsis are the only community who are traditional, as well as modern. Only in Parsi households will you know who Elvis Presley is, and also hear old 'monajats' and 'garbas'. Only in a Parsi household will you know that Tulsi was thrown out of the house in 'Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi', at the same time knowing about Adi Marazban's Gujrati 'nataks'.

Yes, we do have our share of problems and controversies (more than enough actually!) but at the end of the day, we all belong to one religion. We all believe in Zarathushtra, Ahura Mazda and SaroshYazad. We all believe in the power of Ashem Vohu and Yatha Ahu Vairyo. And that's what finally matters. Being proud of our glorious past, living in the difficult present times, and believing in the bright future awaiting our community.

On a lighter note - yes, we are eccentric, yes, we are loud and yes, we will voice our opinion on everything under the sun (whether it concerns us or not, just like the Bengalis do). But finally, it's the warm, loving nature that we all have that sets us apart.

Love them, or hate them , you just CAN'T ignore them!!!!!

Navroze Mubarakh!

Having Parsi blood flow through half of my system (mum’s a Parsi) I get to enjoy the quirkiness of being a bawi! Today is the second New Year of the year – confused? Don’t worry a lot of people I have known share the same confused look that you now have. Yes, Parsis celebrate Parsi New Year twice.

The first being Jamshedji Navroze which falls on 21st March of each year – the equinox. This is the start of the Persian calendar and is celebrated the world over. The second New Year (today) marks the start of the calendar that the Parsis started following after coming to India. This date keeps on changing every leap year and the date jumps one day forward. So don’t be confused if after another 3 years Navroze doesn’t come on the 19th of August!!

Having two New Year celebrations to enjoy, the fun is double, right from putting chalk (rangoli) outside the house, to eating yummy food and yummier sweetmeats!! :-) So to one and all Navroze Mubarakh and all the best for the new year!!

GOAL!!!

As the fairer sex we often wonder what is it about wet mud, rain and a football that makes the opposite sex get up early on a holiday and go play football with the guys! Well, I don’t know if I have got the answer to that or not but I did venture out today on a Sunday (yes.. on a holiday!!) to take part in my company’s ever first Football League!

I approached the ground to find that the matches had already started and that my team was waiting for me. As I neared the group and exchanged hellos, the guys started saying that I would now know what it was like to become dirty and mucky!! My shoes suddenly began sinking in the wet ground as if there was a mud monster sucking in my shoes!! I looked down at my feet with a look of dismay and disbelief as my white sports shoes started turning brown!! The guys around me caught my expression and peals of laughter rang out as they convinced me that there was no way those shoes were going to return to their original colour till I reached home! So that the rest of my body (read legs) should not feel left out a couple of my colleagues “painted” my legs with mud as if it was a ritual to now say that I was approved for the football field..

As I watched the matches being played I wondered in amazement at the fun that the guys had sliding in the mud while trying to tackle the opposition for the ball, or slipping in the mud while kicking a penalty. After a while I became so involved in the game that the muckiness and the mud did not make a difference! :-) As I stood guarding the goal for my team in my first game of the day, my feet sank deeper into the muddy field and as the ball came sailing through the air to me I suddenly realised my foot couldn’t move! With a last desperate effort, I pulled out my foot and moved to the right to save the goal!!

The day went on and players slid and skid and some also got badly hurt so at times I found myself helping with Band-Aids, cotton and bandages, while cleaning the wounds and scratches with antiseptic – but as I did all this I realised that this was all part and parcel of the game. We took breaks out to drink glucose laced water and hot chai from a roadside “tapri” and teamed it up with sandwiches and idlis. We played till we were too tired to move any part of our bodies, but at the end of the day it was with huge smiles and grins that we bade farewell to each other and headed home.

Happy Independence Day!

“Independence” – a simple word with a lot of meaning and depth.. A word that makes the difference between being another's servant and being one's own boss.. A word that lets you breathe to your lung's full capacity, lets you follow that dream in your heart, lets that twinkle in your eye sparkle, lets you LIVE!

Yes independence is all this and more.. Today's generation takes it for granted but not yesterday's generation. They lost so that we gained..

Independence Day brings out the hidden patriotism in my heart, it gives new meaning to the life we take for granted today. I get a lump in my throat every time I hear the national anthem being played over the TV, the radio, everywhere... My heart swells with pride when I see the Tricolour fluttering against the clear blue sky. I show my love in different ways not only on this day but all through the year - whether it is cheering for India in a cricket match, or singing the national anthem out loud before a movie! One particular memory when my heart overflowed with patriotism and pride was when I ran with the Indian flag at the Wagah border.

There have been times when my patriotism has bubbled over into aggression when I hear that things are not too good at the Kashmir border or that the world has not taken us seriously... And I wonder why? Is it that somewhere down the line we are abusing this freedom? Are we using our independence in the correct way? Can we not fight back and demand our place at the world table? Maybe I will get the answers to these questions soon enough.. But for now I bask in the rays of freedom, hoping that I never misuse this feeling of flying free.

Yes, I love this country, I love INDIA. Happy Independence Day! :-)

Its Black, Its White...

After much cajoling and feedback from you guys about how dificult it was to read my posts on a black background, I have bowed down to the masses and have changed the background to White!!

Though I must say that with this background, I get to play with more colours for my posts! :-) So, heres to the next innings of My Mystical Musings in White - Cheers! ;-)

The Celestial Experience...

Would we be able to see it? Can it be viewed from Mumbai? These and other questions related to them were the highlight of our lunch conversation last Friday afternoon... It was 1st August, the day of the Solar Eclipse. I really wanted to see this as it was something that I had dreamed of time and again...

So, I googled "solar eclipse 1 august" and received a list of results. I opted for the wikipedia link and gave a brief exclamation of joy as I learnt that it would be visible in India starting from 4.02 p.m. for a couple of hours. After proclaming my interest in viewing I got others around me interested too and as the time came nearer we waited in anticipation...

The time had finally come and so had the rains!! Cursing the dark clouds I waited impatiently till they emptied their gallons and went on their way. At around 5.20 p.m., we were rewarded with a clear enough sky and I went across to my colleague's desk wherein he passed me a cd film through which to look at the sun.

I glanced through the film and my breath left me as my eyes took in the pale, yellow, round shape of the sun and the dark shadow of the moon that covered a partial part of the sun!! It was beautiful!! One of nature's most mesmerising performances!! I pulled my eyes away from the sight as a big grin splashed across my face, a grin of satisfaction, of joy at being able to witness the event!

This unforgettable glimpse went on to become THE highlight of my evening while I mentally bookmarked the day in my mind's diary :-)

Don't We All...

This was sent to me via email and after reading it wanted to share it with everyone because I truly feel, Don't We All...?

I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car.

I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work.

Coming my way from across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum.

From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money.

There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered.

This was one of those "don't want to be bothered times."
"I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought.
He didn't.

He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus.

After a few minutes he spoke.
"That's a very pretty car," he said.

He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard kept more than his face warm.

I said, "Thanks," and continued wiping off my car.

He sat there quietly as I worked.

The expected plea for money never came.

As the silence between us widened something inside said, "ask him if he needs any help."

I was sure that he would say "yes" but I held true to the inner voice. "Do you need any help?" I asked.

I expected nothing but a stretched out grimy hand.

He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget.

"Don't we all?" he said.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important,

above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun.

Don't we all?

I needed help. Maybe not for bus fare or a place to sleep,

but I needed help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare,

but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day.

Those three little words still ring true.

No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too.

No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help.

Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that.
You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have.

A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos that only you through a torn world can see.

Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets.

Maybe he was more than that
Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.

Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said, "go to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help."

Don't we all?

Author Unknown