company

he is coming with me to Om Shanti center, library, parlor, singing class, chai tapri, idli tapri, temples and all! he is good company. sometimes he sleeps off at anyplace in my lap or on the floor, if he is bored or tired, but he never troubles or irritates. he doesnt like me changing to outdoor clothes unless im taking him along! 

A good story after a time

This is what I told my friends on chat today: 

hey
kaal mi first time arya la addition shikavla
it was so cute. 2+5=? etc.
he was counting on fingers
ill click fotos and show u of his worksheet
if it was 3 + 4 it was easy. i.e. <5 each="" easy="" hand="" i="" number="" on="" was="">
if it was 8 + 2 he got confused. one hand made 8 nahi na. i taught him to count ahead of 8 pan tyala nahi ala.
mag i taught him the line method. to draw 8 lines on paper. mag 2 lines below mag cross each line and count. he did all that way
ani his fingers are so tiny ki sometimes while counting he closes and opens any finger and gets the count wrong

it started with a workbook with big objects to count with. 1 peacock + 5 peacocks... is 6 peacocks etc.
then i moved to teach him this just with numbers, using hands for counting and adding.
At first it was easy if the count was less than 5 on each hand. Later i taught him to continue till next hand i.e 8 + 2. so he did it too.
But the problem came with 9+3!!!! now what!

So i taught him to use vertical lines on paper. Draw 9 standing lines in one row and 3 standing lines on other row and now start crossing each line while counting. He loved doing it and caught on the concept so nicely! Time well spent.

तुतारी - Keshavsut

Found this poem on another blog Nishadkulkarni's 
It is written by Keshavsut. It is a very inspiring poem, so posting it here. Will write the meaning of it soon.

तुतारी

एक तुतारी द्या मज आणुनी
फुंकीन जी मी स्वप्राणाने
भेदुनी टाकीन सारी गगने
दीर्घ तिच्या त्या किंकाळीने,

अशी तुतारी द्या मजलागुनि
जुने जाऊ द्या मरणालागुनि
जाळूनी किंवा पुरुनी टाका
सडत न एका ठायी ठाका
सावध ऐका पुढल्या हाका

खांद्यास चला खांदा भिडवूनी
एक तुतारी द्या मज आणुनी
प्राप्तकाल हा विशाल भूधर
सुंदर लेणी तयात खोदा
निजनामे त्या वरती नोंदा
बसुनी का वाढविता मेदा

विक्रम काही करा चला तर
हल्ला करण्या ह्या दंभावर,ह्या बंडावर
शुरांनो या त्वरा करा रे
समते चा ध्वज उंच धारा रे
नीती ची द्वाही फिरवा रे
तुतारीच्या या सुरा बरोबर

New school for my baby

Arya is going to the new school for about 2 months now. He is liking it there. Teachers are friendly and nice. I was a bit afraid to send him by bus initially and somewhat now too, but I guess I will have to get over it. He loves the bus. They call the bus driver - Driver Kaka Sir and the lady in the bus - Maushi. 

I wake him up, make his breakfast and feed him. Yogesh takes him for a bath. I have to get him ready to go. My maushi gives him milk. We hug and say "Bye bye. Have a nice day. See you in the evening."

School might be pleasant for him. Activities they make them do are Taekwondo, garden play, sports, sand play, singing rhymes, and all. They show some cartoon video everyday on LCD projector. No wonder he loves it. They are teaching him writing & reading English letters and songs on phonics. 

Arya talks many sentences in English. He can be seen composing them in mind before he speaks them out aloud. I encourage him to do this by waiting while he is fetching a word. I make sure I tell him new concepts and logic behind things. I talk with him in English and Marathi both, so he will grasp languages faster. His teacher wants us to talk in English with him. 

The school is giving lot of work for parents to do under the pretext of making us more involved in their learning. So one day it could be ‘Send 2 pictures of objects starting with Y and K each’, or ‘Send pictures of living/non-living things’, or ‘Send a Rakhi’, etc. Few days ago, it was a ‘Blue object show and tell day’. Arya picked up many objects in the house and spoke about them in English. He showed his Thomas engine toy in class and said - "This is my blue Thomas". (*sigh* *sigh* *sigh* he just said 1 line out of so many he could have!). There was a ‘Dress up as a community helper day’. We made him an ‘Indian Farmer’, and I made a Spade out of a cricket stump and some craft papers. Teachers told me that he spoke well about a Farmer that day.  They have ‘Color days’, where we have to dress him in specified color, and ‘XYZ Food day’, where we have to give him food starting with W, Y and Z!!!! Go figure!


He loves the tiffin I give him and finishes it, thanks to his teachers. Teachers tell children to finish food before the recess is over. I give bhaji-chapati, aloo / methi parathas, mix veg parathas, vermicelli, upma, pohe, sometimes rice, puri bhaji, pav bhaji, veg rolls, etc. I had given him a doughnut once which he didn’t like. He likes chapati bhaji the best.


At the end of the day I ask him what he learnt, and he tells me everything. He waits till I come home from office to tell me.  We talk about things like – Who sat next to him today, who cried for parents, who was punished in class, who was sent to toilet, if he went to toilet, why was the didi not present in washroom, what did teacher say about his writing, what did the teacher sing today, sing a rhyme, how was taekwondo - teach us, what did you play in the garden, etc. He keeps talking.

He cooks up stories and tells me in English nowadays. E.g.

It was night. Moon was in sky. Watchman was sitting at gate. There was a rat in parking. Rat runs watchman legs nearby. Watchman don’t know it. Rat goes on road to Mahalaxmi shop. Rat has baby rats (almost all characters have babies).... 

You got it right? Story changes direction suddenly without warning. E.g.

Babies are going in fighter jet. Fighter jet is very powerful jet. Big horse power. Very fast. I like fast planes. I like horsepower engine!

A poem he sings is: 
I like Flowers
I like Daffodils
I like the mountains
And the rolling hills
I like the fire side when the light are low
Bom bi yaara bom bi yaara bom bi yaara bom bi yara.....

More on school stuff later...

Do I need to be happy?

Why do I need to be happy? Happiness is a human term, and I don't think I should struggle so much to be happy.

I don't want to spend my life in a lengthy pursuit of happiness, when I know it is not worth it. Reasons? One, it doesn't last. Two, it is already too late when you find some. Three, it requires too much of an effort. Four, it is too little if you even find it.

Can't living suffice? I mean I am alive today and breathing. I will live this day and if I am lucky the next one too.  Isn't that enough?

There are so many books written on How to be Happy. So many blogs, so many training sessions, so many do gooders telling you how to be happy. I wonder why?

But what if just living monotonous isn't enough? What if at the age of 70 (if that is in my cards) I find that 'How I lived my life was very important' and then it would be truly late. Regret again is a concept created by humans.

I think "Living my life without regrets" - should be the motto. To live by this motto, I will need to make so many changes.

Again, are all the changes worth it?

Why are some people always happy?

Today on the reader’s-corner notice board, I read a review on the book - 

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience

by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi

I have not read the book above, but I was interested. I mean what is it that makes me feel happy? Sometimes I am happy merely by looking at the rains out of my window. Other times I get am melancholy even though everything is going super great.

Some people are always happy no matter what (of course with basics like food, clothing, shelter, health and education fulfilled). And some people feel miserable no matter how good their stars are! 

I personally know people of both the kind.

Happiness break-up:

• When I was reading today I found this article (http://thehappinesscoach.biz/do-you-know-what-determines-your-happiness/) saying that our ability to feel happy is 50% derived from our genetic makeup! So if my parents always saw sunshine, I would inherit it too! I really know happy couples, whose kids are smiling all the time! Yeah, we can't change our genes, but we can surely change ourselves.

• 10% of our happiness depends on external factors like finances, clothes, makeup, attractiveness, respect, fame, etc.

• 40% depends on how we think, apply good principles to use in our life, achieve goals, be kind, not to get dejected with our setbacks. Still a huge percentage there.

A suggestion to be happy was (http://thehappinesscoach.biz/happiness-habit-4-conscious-acts-of-kindness/) that for 21 days you should write a quick 2 liner mail to a person thanking them for the good work they do, or for the help they are to you. I will try to do this.

Another point was to recollect one perfect moment in the past 24 hours, where you were so happy. Think of it in as many details as you can. I am going to write about such moments as often as I can on this blog. This will help me notice the no. of happy moments I miss.

More coming soon…

I like this poem

A piece from "FATHER FORGETS" - W. Livingston Larned

 

 

Listen, son: I am saying this as you lie asleep, one little

paw crumpled under your cheek and the blond curls stickily

wet on your damp forehead. I have stolen into your room

alone. Just a few minutes ago, as I sat reading my paper

in the library, a stifling wave of remorse swept over me.

Guiltily I came to your bedside.

There are the things I was thinking, son: I had been cross

to you. I scolded you as you were dressing for school because

you gave your face merely a dab with a towel. I took

you to task for not cleaning your shoes. I called out angrily

when you threw some of your things on the floor.

At breakfast I found fault, too. You spilled things. You

gulped down your food. You put your elbows on the table.

You spread butter too thick on your bread. And as you

started off to play and I made for my train, you turned

and waved a hand and called, “Goodbye, Daddy!” and

I frowned, and said in reply, “Hold your shoulders

back!”

Then it began all over again in the late afternoon. As I

came up the road I spied you, down on your knees, playing

marbles. There were holes in your stockings. I humiliated

you before your boyfriends by marching you ahead of me to

the house. Stockings were expensive - and if you had to

buy them you would be more careful! Imagine that, son,

from a father!

Do you remember, later, when I was reading in the library,

how you came in timidly, with a sort of hurt look in

your eyes? When I glanced up over my paper, impatient at

the interruption, you hesitated at the door. “What is it you

want?” I snapped.

You said nothing, but ran across in one tempestuous

plunge, and threw your arms around my neck and kissed

me, and your small arms tightened with an affection that

God had set blooming in your heart and which even neglect

could not wither. And then you were gone, pattering up the

stairs.

Well, son, it was shortly afterwards that my paper slipped

from my hands and a terrible sickening fear came over me.

What has habit been doing to me? The habit of finding fault,

of reprimanding - this was my reward to you for being a

boy. It was not that I did not love you; it was that I expected

too much of youth. I was measuring you by the yardstick of

my own years.

And there was so much that was good and fine and true in

your character. The little heart of you was as big as the

dawn itself over the wide hills. This was shown by your

spontaneous impulse to rush in and kiss me good night.

Nothing else matters tonight, son. I have come to your bed-side

in the darkness, and I have knelt there, ashamed!

It is a feeble atonement; I know you would not understand

these things if I told them to you during your waking

hours. But tomorrow I will be a real daddy! I will chum

with you, and suffer when you suffer, and laugh when you

laugh. I will bite my tongue when impatient words come. I

will keep saying as if it were a ritual: “He is nothing but a

boy - a little boy!”

I am afraid I have visualized you as a man. Yet as I see

you now, son, crumpled and weary in your cot, I see that

you are still a baby. Yesterday you were in your mother’s

arms, your head on her shoulder. I have asked too much,

too much.

 

Arya's songs

Arya has learnt to sing (this was supposed to be posted 1 yr back! but I saw it in draft today and am posting it now)

Mujhe maaf karna Om Sai ram (he says om salee laam)
Tujse pele lunga mummy daddy ka naam
----He thinks I am both mummy and daddy.




 Raghupati Raghav (laghupati lagav) from a Hritik's film.

We saw his group dance in the annual function on Raghupati Raghav. It was the most beautiful thing to watch!

काही बोलायाचे आहे, पण बोलणार नाही - Meaning of the song

I love the song below, as I love all Kusumagraj songs. I was intrigued by the words and wanted to understand what they mean. Unable to find a suitable translation, I decided to do it myself.
English Translation is in Maroon below the actual poem/song lines.
(This is my understanding and it may / may not be what the poet intended!)

------------------------------------------------------------------------
गायक: श्रीधर फडके
गीत: कुसुमाग्रज
संगीत: यशवंत देव
 
Singer: Shridhar Phadke
Song: Kusumagraj
Music: Yashwant Dev


काही बोलायाचे आहे, पण बोलणार नाही
देवळाच्या दारामध्ये, भक्ती तोलणार नाही || ध्रु ||

I would like to say something, but I will choose to keep silent
I do not want to test my faith at the doorstep of this temple.
(Poet wants to say something to God but will not do so, because he doesn't want God to judge his faith in him.)

माझ्या अंतरात गंध कल्प कुसुमांचा दाटे
पण पाकळी तयांची, कधी खुलणार नाही || १ ||

My heart is filled with the essence of flowers for ages
But these flower will never bloom now
(The essence is Poets faith and belief in God.
He wants to convey to God that for some reason his faith is wavering and will never reach the pinnacle.)

नक्षत्रांच्या गावातले मला गवसले गुज
परि अक्षरांचा संग त्याला मिळणार नाही || २ ||

I have discovered the secret of the village of constellations (Stars and skies)
But I will never lend words to describe this
(Poet has found out how the stars and skies work. OR he knows how the stars can be influenced, thus changing our destiny.
But he will never disclose this secret to anyone/God.)

मेघ जांभळा एकला राहे नभाच्या कडेला
त्याचे रहस्य कोणाला कधी कळणार नाही || ३ ||

There is a purple cloud floating at the corner of the skies
No one will be able to guess the secret behind this cloud
(He wants to point out that there is a dark cloud floating in the skies.
It is indeed strange that on a clear sky there is a single dark cloud. Who knows the mystery behind this?)

दूर बंदरात उभे एक गलबत रुपेरी
त्याचा कोष किनार्‍यास कधी दिसणार नाही || ४ ||

Far off the port stands a ship in the seas
But the shore will never the mast of the ship
(Again the Poet has some secret that he will never bring out in the open for the world to see.)

तुझ्या कृपाकटाक्षाने झालो वणव्याचा धनी
त्याच्या निखार्‍यात कधी तुला जाळणार नाही || ५ ||

I have become an owner of forest fire, thanks to your kind glance.
But I will never burn you in it's embers.
(Poet is being sarcastic here and says God has not heeded to his pleas. Now he has lost everything but he will never point at Him for this.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Shaurya and Arya

Mani was visiting my house over the weekend. Here's how the 2 kids played! They are starting to like each others company.
Arya is already used to my hugs and kisses, but I didn't let a single opportunity of squeezing and cuddling Shaurya too pass! Even though he would cry and scream!
Yogesh also didn't leave him alone. Arya allowed him to play with all his toys and even made him squeeze as a pillion rider on his baby-scooter. It was funny to watch.

Romantic songs? Anytime!

Today I was coming to office in Yogesh's colleagues car. There were romantic songs being played in the car player. Not just any romantic songs, they were my favorites, of none other than Shah Rukh Khan. And not the older SRK, but the one that I used to love in my school/college days.
 
Humko humein se chura lo
Tujhe dekha to yeh jana sanam
Chalte chalte yuhin ruk jata hun main
 
I told Yogesh and S-madam that these were the songs that made me believe in love, and filmy romances for a long time! I used to believe that filmy love happens to everyone, given enough time.
 
Yesterday DDLJ was playing on some TV channel. I was reading Septimus Heap in  my room. When 'Tujhe dekha to ye jana sanam' began, Arya came running to me saying, "Mumma that's our favorite song, come soon, or it will get over!"
 
Feeling happy, and mushy and yea, happy today! Touchwood!
 

What is Republic Day in India? Why is it celebrated? Kiddie version.

मी आर्य ला: सोनू, तू मोठा होऊन डॉक्टर बन. आणि मग माझा मायग्रेन बरा कर. ओके?

आर्य (एकदम गंभीर होऊन): हे बघ मम्मा. मी तुला एकदाच सांगतो. मला मोठा होऊन शोल्डर बनायचं आहे (त्याला सोल्जर म्हणायचं होत)

मी: का रे सोनू?

आर्य: आगं, मला लिपब्लीप डे ला बॉम्ब च्या गाडीत बसून salute करायचा
आहे. (त्याला रिपब्लिक दे ला राजपथ वरून मार्च करायचा आहे. ते पण tank किंवा मिसाईल लौन्चर मध्ये उभे राहून!)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Translation:

Me to Arya: Sonu, you should become a doctor when you grow up. And then you can cure my migraine. Ok?
Arya (with seriousness): Look mom. Let me tell you this. I am going to become a Shoulder (He wanted to say Soldier)
Me: But why?
Arya: So that I can sit in a Bomber car and salute during Lipublip Day. (He wanted to say Republic Day. He wants to stand in a Tank or a Missile Launcher and salute to the President!)

------------------------------------------------------------------

High aspirations indeed.

Every year we watch the Republic Day parade on TV. I take Arya for flag hoistings on Independence Day / Republic Day at nearby places. He has a certain fascination for the flag and Jana Gana Mana). He had learnt to sing the complete song by the time he was 3 years old! This year he saw that after the flag hoisting, when people sing the national anthem, there is a 21 gun salute. He was impressed! He thinks that bomber cars/tanks hurriedly go in a garden near the flag and start bursting bombs in the sky)!

So after the Republic Day in 2015, at his usual bed time story, I told him in an extra simplified manner, why we celebrate it. After that, he makes me repeat the story again and again. Nowadays he has started telling me his version of the story.

-------------------------------------------------------------
It goes like this -

एकदा इंडिया असतो. तिथे लोकं छान कपडे घलतात आणि कानातले घालतात, शाळेत जातात आणि खूप हैप्पी असतात. पण ते लोकं एकामेकांशी भांडतात.

नंतर एकदा बोट मध्ये बसून ब्रिटीश लोकं येतात. ते इंग्लंड मधून येतात. ते इंडिया मध्ये जातात आणि सगळ्यांना पकडतात. सगळ्यांना म्हणतात कि आता तुम्ही स्कूल मध्ये नाही जायचं, अभ्यास नाही करायचा, चांगले कपडे नाही घालायचे. चांगलं काम नाही करायचं.
इंडिया चे लोकं Sad  होतात. रडतात.

मग फ्रीडोम फायटर येतत. गांधीजी, नेहरू, टिळक, आणि खूप सारे. ते ब्रिटीश बरोबर फाईट करतात आणी सांगतात कि इंडिया सोडून द्या.

ब्रिटीश लोकं म्हणतात, कंटाळ आला बाबा, नको इंडिया.  घरी जातात.
मग इंडिया कसा चालवायचा? आंबेडकर एक बुक लिहितात. त्याचात असतं hospital कुठे बनवायच, पोलिस स्टेशन कुठे बनवायचं, काय काम करणार.  (कधी कधी काहीतरी विसरतो)

बुक स्टार्ट झालं म्हणून लिपब्लिप डे असतो

आपण flag उघडतो, जन गण मन म्हणतो, बॉम्ब च्या गाड्या येतात आणि लवकर गार्डन मध्ये जातात. बॉम्ब वाजवतात. सगळे salute  करतात.

मग शोल्डर्स येतात आणी चालतात. मग बॉम्ब च्या गाड्या येतात. सगळे Salute  करतात.

झाला लिपब्लिप डे.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Translation of Arya's version of Why we celebrate Republic Day in India?:

There is an India. People in India wear good clothes and nice earrings. They go to school and are very happy. But they also keep fighting with each other.

British people come in boats to India. They come from England. They come and capture Indian people. They say no schools for you, no studies, no good clothes, and no good work for you people.

Indian people become sad and cry.

Then, freedom fighters come. Like Gandhiji, Nehru and more. They fight with Britishers and tell them to go away.

Britishers say we are fed up, take your India, we don't want it.

But how to run India. Ambedkar comes and writes a book. It tells where to build hospital, where to make police station, and what work to do. (He forgets something here). This book is the Constitution of India.

The day this book started, we celebrated Republic Day in India.

We open the flag, stand and sing Jana Gana Mana. Bomb vehicles go to the garden and burst bombs. Everyone salutes.

Soldiers walk on the road (parade) and then bomb vehicles also come. Everyone salutes.

Republic day is done.

Neck of it.

Neck sprain for the past 3 days now. On and off. Feeling lost and sad today morning for no apparent reason except the pain, which I should be used to by now.

Arya kissed me goodbye today morning. A cute and long kiss. Felt like never leaving him to go out. Reached office now (Yogesh dropped me) and thinking of him and my mom-dad.

 

New song that I liked - Call me maybe

Call Me Maybe sung by Carly Rae Jepsen reminded me of a song by Avril L - It's a damn cold night...

Call Me Maybe lyrics

I threw a wish in the well
Don't ask me I'll never tell
I looked at you as it fell
And now you're in my way

I trade my soul for a wish
Pennies and dimes for a kiss
I wasn't looking for this
But now you're in my way

Your stare was holding
Ripped jeans
Skin was showing
 Hot night
Wind was blowing
Where you think you're going baby?

Hey I just met you
And this is crazy
But here's my number
So call me maybe
It's hard to look right at you baby
But here's my number
So call me maybe

Hey I just met you
And this is crazy
But here's my number
So call me maybe
And all the other boys
Try to chase me
But here's my number
So call me maybe

You took your time with the call
I took no time with the fall
You gave me nothing at all
But still you're in my way

I beg and borrow and steal
At first sight and it's real
I didn't know I would feel it
But it's in my way

Your stare was holding
Ripped jeans
Skin was showing
 Hot night
Wind was blowing
Where you think you're going baby?

Hey I just met you
And this is crazy
But here's my number
So call me maybe
It's hard to look right at you baby
But here's my number
So call me maybe

Before you came into my life
I missed you so bad
I missed you so bad
I missed you so so bad
Before you came into my life
I missed you so bad
And you should know that
I missed you so so bad, bad, bad, bad....

It's hard to look right at you baby
But here's my number
 So call me maybe

Hey I just met you
And this is crazy
But here's my number
So call me maybe
And all the other boys
Try to chase me
But here's my number
So call me maybe

Before you came into my life
I missed you so bad
I missed you so bad
I missed you so so bad
Before you came into my life
I missed you so bad
And you should know that
So call me, maybe