Marriages made in heaven ....

Meri Jaan! Mujhe Jaan na kaho Meri Jaan!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhVt6wc6DF8

Maa loved this song which she kept humming very often .... a tune which stilled itself in my nascent mind forever and I love to sing it myself .... for it reminds me of very deep felt emotions! The song is from the black and white movie "Anubhav" directed by the very talented Basu Bhattacharya, fondly known as Basu da. After many years of obsession with this song, I decided to search it's roots which led to the discovery of the plot of this movie - Marital Discord. I read further and discovered that Basu da had infact created a trilogy of films on the same subject with three of his immortal films Anubhav(1971), Aavishkaar(1973) and Griha Pravesh(1979). Although, much has been said and written formally about these films, easily available all over the internet in the form of Synopsis, Critique and Reviews, I would still like to pen down my very own personal thoughts after having watched all three films .... This is MY blog which gives me immense freedom to express my own thoughts without the fear of getting subjected to any form of ceremonial Public Assessment.

Man and Woman ......

They are drawn towards each other, with a feeble attraction to begin with which grows in leaps and bounds, intensifying the urge to complement each other mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Days and nights pass like a wink of the eye, when they are obsessed with each other's thoughts and actions, emotions and decisions become life-mate bound. They formalise this symbiosis and companionship .... exchange vows and are wed together declaring their ownership on each other to the entire world anticipating that life shall always be as delightful as this moment, emotions shall always ride high and life will remain unabbreviated forever.

Years pass by ....

They struggle together with true dedication and aid for each other. Each morning brings a new ray of hope and every evening becomes a celebration of success ending with nights of passion. Glorious milestones are achieved both personally and professionally. Now, they either plan to make a family to escalate this joy and complete their life as Man and Wife or immerse themselves further in fresh ambition of higher self-esteem bordering materialism leaving very little time and space to continue with the expressions of love and aegis for each other.

Life seems fine .... complete and happy yet hit with subtle waves of alienation and desolation for each other! They discover they have lost out on the warmth and zest in their relationship.

Basu da has depicted this inevitable sequence of events very realistically in all the three films which I would like to summarize below:

Anubhav revolves around Meeta, played by Tanuja with such conviction that every married woman is likely to have a few deja vu moments. It traces the emotional struggle of Meeta to re-establish her lost love and affection for Amar, her husband for six years after going through tumultous phases of being lonely at home complicated with the reappearance of her ex-lover Shashi.

Aavishkaar depicts the domestic fights and differences between Amar and Mansi after being married for eight years with a baby. The story runs through one night with flashback scenes of their better past painted with romance and dating.

Grihapravesh plays the story of Amar and Mansi (Basu da had a fetish for these names I guess)who lead a frugal life in the hope of buying luxuries and flat with their savings soon, making their lives dull and mundane. Mansi turns unattractive and unkept after motherhood and Amar is attracted to Sapna, a young and effervescent modern office woman. Sapna insists Amar on getting married to her which he finally agrees upon believing that a fresh and exciting married life with Sapna outweighs his dull duties towards his family. Mansi buys a day's time from Amar and morphs herself into the sensuous, beautiful woman along with redoing the interiors of their rented home by getting it white washed and new furniture put in place.

All these plots bear resemblance with the present world around us. If one was to debate, there is no novelty in any of the stories above but what makes these simple films stand apart is the treatment given by the much talented director.

If I was to describe the essence of all these three films, a factor running common in all the three films in one single word, it would be HOPE. Yes! All these films generate hope and happiness in the end.

Be it a Meeta in Anubhav who literally baby sits her husband in his illness, has been completely dedicated to her husband fulfilling all his wishes and finally, crying her heart out while desperately trying to convince him to steer control of her disturbed present life with her past haunting her. Finally, she manages to revive the lost intimacy in her precariously placed marriage.

Or the Amar and Mansi in Aavishkaar who converse the entire night recalling their beautiful courtship .... and pondering together about their present state of affairs and finally vowing to make sincere efforts to revamp each other's lives.

Or the shy and introvert Mansi in Griha Pravesh who wins back her husband by reviving her physical beauty and her abilities to keep the home speckless, convincing him that she can indeed beat any modern day Sapna when it comes to provide true happiness and satisfaction because her beauty is not just skin deep and that her sexiness is divine .... ethereal and can still ignite the same passion in him like years ago!

These films do not attempt to potray any hollow virtues based on the much misinterpreted religious scriptures perpetuating male superiority over females nor create perfectly black and white characters .... Good and Bad! There is no moral classification of events and actions as Right or Wrong. There is no depiction of an aggrieved and helpless wife who is left in a miserable condition for the rest of her life because her husband deserted her and the son growing up to avenge her sob story against his father. Basu da has indeed created indubitably strong female characters with rightful desires and a will to live life happily being firmly grounded in family values.

What makes these movies set in the 70's so contemporary even today is the real life treatment of the characters - both male and female. The plots were very bold and only seasoned actors like Tanuja, Sharmila Tagore, Sarika, Late Sanjeev Kumar and Rajesh Khanna could have justified them with their subtle yet convincing acting skills.

These films do not promise any quick-fix solutions like a marriage counsellor would do towards ending marital discord but presents such situations in a realistic manner and instills the dying confidence in the minds of present world that each relationship needs time, care and honesty. It forces one to recall the strengths of his/her life partner which was alluring enough to inspire marriage and instills confidence that the same magic and charm can be recreated if sincerely attempted! It reminds each one of us that we all are human with our moments of weakness and they should be utilised to strengthen ourselves further rather than being lead into the darkness of guilt and social stigma.

It enlivens the age old proverb that says - "There is nothing as weak as a virtue that has not been tested in the fire of temptation."

(Sadly, Basu da lived through an unsuccessful marriage himself and was charged with domestic violence and neglect by his own wife. It perhaps explains his obsession with the subject and his creative efforts to find answers for a failed marriage .... a confession .... or catharsis?)

For K~ and her Papa

The clock has struck nine and I wave you goodbye,
only to pick up the breakfast plate that you left by.

The half glass of water that you hurriedly drank,
and collecting the office papers - written and some blank.

That wet towel thrown on the bed everyday,
and one slipper found, the other lost away.

The night cocoa mug and the morning tea cup,
beside the bottles of water that you emptied up.

Crumbs of biscuits with newspapers astray,
the sheets all crushed that I tidy everyday.

Bedtime storybooks and fancy hair clips ,
tiny changed vests and the empty pack of chips.

Cars under the pillow and that puzzle half done,
remind me of the night gone by when we had fun.

The little toothbrush left along the big one,
I arrange it all back after I am done.

Changed clothes - big and small on the towel rack,
still smell the same as they did a decade back.

I wait for you to come back at dusk again,
to make mess and leave it as the same.

For it makes me your anchor in life seeming fine.
and that you both love me with this passing time. 

Hiatus!!

INTERMISSION

For my handful of close family members and friends, who have been regularly visiting my blog in the hope of reading something new, here is an explanation behind this interval .... especially to the faces behind visits from Bangalore, US/Canada and Gurgaon .....

I am about to enter the initial days of a self-imposed exile ..... minimising my social interactions, de-activated from my usual hang-out places of networking websites and chat screens.

There are various reasons behind it, both Personal and Professional:

Starting with the easiest one - Professional

Well, I am planning to immerse myself completely into writing a novel, my first attempt and that requires me to live, eat and breathe the characters to bring out the intensity in my composition. The spade work is almost over and now I am ready to plunge into the waters upfront. It is quite evident that writing is something I have always been wanting to do which gets highlighted each time I accidentally lay my hands on those hand written letters and notes dating as back as 1997 but could not accomplish it owing to various reasons like entering motherhood, following a demanding career and studies. I sincerely pray to the Almighty to help me achieve it this time.

The tough one - Personal

I am re-discovering myself in terms of my strengths, potential to do something "BIG" and to be honest, I have never held too high an opinion about myself on those parameters. I want to prove to myself that apart from being an employee, a mother and wife, a daughter/in-law, sister/in-law....... an "ear'n'shoulder-on-call" for my friends, I can be a ME - living dreams that I always wanted to, doing things that appeal to my deepest self and attain higher levels of self-worth.

The last reason is to find a source of happiness and peace that lasts as long as I want it to. I have forever tried to find true sense of security and everlasting smiles OUTSIDE me ..... by always trying to generate happiness around me to the extent of creating a utopia, looking into relationships, my soulmate, my daughter ......... nothing lasts and even if it appears to be, it shall cease to be ! Actually, I am wrong in my approach of going EXTERNAL each time, true solace is something INTERNAL and the source should be located within oneself .... if someone should have the key controls of my body, mind and soul, it must be ME. I want to make myself strong enough to take up this responsibility of completely taking charge of herself. I couldn't have had a better set of family and friends than I presently do and I can cross my heart and say that they truly love me ..... I want to utilise this opportunity to rebuild my inner self.

But, as the famous line from Om Shanti Om goes ....

Picture abhi baaki hai mere dost .....

So, watch out for the second part of this blog.

Wong's Beauty Parlour ....

Women in Gurgaon, they all look the same .... Straight tresses of hair with golden streaks in an effort to go European, skin freshly waxed making them resemble a dressed chicken, wearing huge sunglasses and impeccable make-up even late in the evening stumbling upon barricades, holding a clutch and a mobile, talking endlessly, conforming to the Gurgaon dress code for women .... capri coupled with a sleeveless, tight top. I find it very amusing ....

I never visit the beauty parlour or buy clothes myself, unless there is a wedding in the family, especially my in-laws' family. I am apprenticed when it comes to matters of beauty and skin care or even wardrobe and I hate exposing myself amidst such veterans of beauty all staring at my unkempt looks. So, I prefer staying safe and secure inside my cocoon, wearing light make up on special occasions and dressing in whatever is gifted to me by my family and friends over the years. But, this is very often challenged by my husband and my best friend, Soni, who really prefer dressed chicken over a bowl of salad ..... Ha!

A couple of days back, my sister-in-law had come over from Canada and she wanted to get some basic beauty stuff done like waxing, facial, eyebrows etc. And, guess what? I was supposed to give her company at the parlour. I could not fight back this time, against my husband, sis-in-law, bro-in-law, pa and ma-in-law and they managed to brain wash me into getting some treatments done myself, after a year without any beauty jobs. I was anxious the whole day and finally it was 5 pm .... "Time to go the parlour .... Hurry Up!", screamed my sis-in-law and I unwillingly sat beside her in the car.

We reached the market and I was as nervous as a patient awaiting a surgery in the OPD. It was a hot day and there it was ....

"Wong's Chinese Beauty Parlour"

"Chinese? .... ", I thought. Why Chinese? Was it meant, for the Chinese or by the Chinese or of the Chinese.

I entered the aircon chilled room and was greeted by a sweet looking girl and I saw a man of Southeast Asian descent, probably the owner, was it Mr. Wong himself (?), staring at me as if I was Mowgli coming right out of the jungle and had to be given a more civilised look. I clutched the hands of my sis-in-law, who appeared to be more confident. We were handed over the rate list and my jaws dropped looking at that exorbitant price list. The cheapest facial was for Rs.450, a Fruit facial followed by Rs.550 for Aroma facial going up to Rs.1050 for some strangely named facial. Waxing for for Rs.400 (full body) ..... I started with some mental mathematics and it ran into thousands for the two of us. I gave a sigh of relief thinking that I would be able to demotivate my husband over the phone by saying I am running out of cash but, alas! he came up with a solution of getting everything done and he would turn up with the balance cash later. (Personally, I feel it is colossal waste, sheer murder of money when one spends over such temporary things ... explains why I hate visiting beauticians even after years of neglect. )

So, my sis-in-law decided we go for Aroma facial, bleaching of face, waxing and eyebrows. We went sent to separate cubicles and Mr. Wong asked us to hurry up as there were other appointments lined up.

The beautician looked at me like a butcher would, sharpening his knives and she smiled at me in a failed effort to make me feel comfortable and here is what that followed ....

I was asked to change into a gown, of sorts .... It appeared to be a free size blue coloured strapped, sleeveless frock, if I may say barely falling into any category of decent clothing which is defined to be covering bodies. I somehow mustered up the courage to wear it and felt sorry for myself just like a model walking down the ramp experiencing a wardrobe malfunction. Yikes! I shuddered at the very thought of wearing that for the next hour or so.

I stood there, frozen like a scare crow before being asked to take position for the waxing. I could see the beautician take out the knife and putting some hot, molten wax all over me. Ouuccch!! It was such a horrible experience. Wonder why females want to go through it every fortnight. My discomfort with the beauty gown was so obvious that my desi beautician sensed it. "Arrey Madam! Why are you so shy? You have no idea of what all gets waxed here. You are getting just your limbs procedured. Your fears are so illogical. Just relax.", she said in pure hindi in an attempt to calm me down. These words set my mind into a tizzy trying to understand her words and more importantly, how am I supposed to appease myself through them. After an excrutiating session, it finally got over. Good Riddance!

It was turn for the facial now. I was asked to lie down over the facial bench. My face was thoroughly examined and comments were aplenty. "Madame, aapney kitney dino se facial nahi karaya? Kitney black heads hain .... aur itney blemishes .... aapko toh ozone treatment ki zaroorat hai ....", it would have gone endlessly if I hadn't intercepted, politely asking her to shut her stinky mouth up and start with her hands. The aircon was freezing and I was feeling cold to the last bone, in my skimpy, useless beauty gown. What a torture in the name of beauty treatment! I was thankfully given a sheet to make myself comfortable. Barring for the relaxing facial and neck massage everything else was bothersome ..... the bleach which made my eyes runny and my skin itchy, the black head removal with the hopelessly painful screw like tool, the facepack which would just refuse to dry up and when it finally did, I was barely able to talk owing to the stiffness on the skin, left at the mercy of the beautician who went elsewhere for a good 30 minutes until I threatened to leave. I definitely got worked up!

After I was cleaned, I dressed back again hurriedly as there was a queue of ladies waiting to enter the torture chamber after me.

I came out and there we had Mr. Wong again, giving me a pleased look, very similar to the expression on a Dog Trainer's face when he is finally able to tame the pet on toilet manners and other tricks. I had to wait because my sis-in-law hadn't finished yet, prolonging my exposure to the much avoidable Mr. Wong. I glanced at all the awards and certificates he had received from The Blossom Kocchar herself and a few snaps of Mr. Wong with other celebrities.

I felt quite intimidated and very often our eyes met and it was so obvious that he wanted to say something. Finally, he broke his silence and spoke in a reasonably good angrezi - "Madam, I would suggest a smart haircut for you, blunt in front and steps at the back which will bring life and bounce to your oval face. Try it!" I politely got myself out of the conversation saying I had other committments for the evening and asked my sis-in-law to hurry up as it was getting too much for me to handle getting constantly analysed in terms of my face and hair etc.

Finally, it was all over and I brought some cash and paid off the bill.

I stepped out and gave a sigh of relief !

K~ and her Dad were quite appreciative of how I looked making me feel a lot better after all that I had gone through ..... But, still not enough to change my mind against beauty parlours!

I certainly have a new found respect for all the women who prefer going through this horrible ordeal so often just to look good!

K~ and Badi Naani

K~ is very pleased with her new found companion .... her Badi Naani .... she is, her Great Grandma. She has stayed with us on earlier occassions but it is only this time that K~ has connected with her Badi Naani. The week that went by has built a great bonding between the two.

Honestly, I find striking similarities between K~ and BN (Badi Naani).

To start with, both prefer food which is semi-mashed, less spicy and chilly free.

Both take the same time to finish their meals.

Both are dependent on us for their basic needs like hunger, thirst, going out etc.

Both are the same size .... well, almost! (with K~ at five years plus, slightly tallish and BN at eighty two years plus in her petite frame)

Both are extremely expressive .... especially about happiness and joy. It only takes a tight hug and a light peck on the cheeks of Badi Naani to bring about a contended smile on her sagging lips which stays there for a while .... only one suggestion to visit the park in the evening which sets her little eyes on fire with sheer excitement and her shaky hands quickly assembling her Hearing Aid into her blouse .... making her slow paced walk a wee bit faster. It is such a pleasure to witness her response to these small things that one does keeping her in mind.

But, there is one huge difference between K~ and BN. That is, the expression of pain and anguish. I cannot forget how BN sobbed quietly after reading my post "Dida" on this blog which dilated her eyes and she found it difficult to read any more, partially owing to her age. But, she did not want to miss out on reading the blog and asked me to read the rest of my blog posts, relishing every bit of it. Her laughter and smiles that followed those tears made me comfortable and motivated me to read the rest of my blog in a loud yet low voice for her understanding and we spent a lovely, quiet afternoon together. Afterwards, she spoke about her own heart felt moments .... how she lost her own mother at a very young age of twelve .... her marriage to Badey Nana (who is no more with us) at age fifteen, his extremely romantic expressions , especially a beautiful poem that he wrote for her .... her eyes gleamed with joy narrating all this to me.

BN loves to read. She expressed her growing disappointment over her failing eyesight and deteriorating hearing which is slowly affecting her favourite hobbies - Reading and Watching Television. (I put myself into her shoes for a minute .... Isn't it scary to be deprived of the two most valued senses i.e. hearing and seeing, especially when your system does not support much of other activities with growing age?) I really admire her courage and zest for life that she is still able to laugh, talk and relish her days as much as we do or perhaps more. Touchwood!

So, coming back to K~ and similarities with her Badi Naani .....

Both of them love reading books.

Both of them like playing cards for hours together.

Both of them are scared to visit the doctor ... believe me, it is true! Last evening, when we took her to the doctor, her first reaction was to visit the toilet to relieve herself of her anxiety and fear and she barely smiled till the ENT job was over! So cute .......

Both of them enjoy the rains and like the wetness of light drizzle sitting in the balcony ....

It makes me contemplate...

Do we all complete a full circle in our lives, starting off as a baby moving into childhood followed by youth and then, become a child again in our later years? We cherish the little joys and treasure the worry-free smiles exactly the same way, as a five year old kid would do. And probably, we become happy and carefree yet again.

Wonder why does it take an entire lifetime for us to finally realise that real happiness had nothing to do with those high ambitions, lofty plans and colossal desires which we fulfilled all through our life, wasting our heydays. The solace and smiles we were searching always existed in the warmth and care of our soulmate, the dream holiday we kept planning actually could have been celebrated each evening and night within our very home, the appreciation and applause we yearned for amongst witty strangers was really worth one genuine compliment coming from a true friend .... if only we cared!

Thank you K~ and Badi Naani !

I learn so much from both of you.

Of Skin Colour and Stepmothers .......

I feel confused .... each time that I read a story to K~ which perennially potrays Stepmothers as witchy and bitchy and the fairest skin attracting the richest and handsome Prince. I keep thinking about the long term ill effects of these stories and feel a strong urge to graduate K~ to the more sensible desi story books like Jataka Tales, Panchatantra, Adventures of Meena and many more. Alas! These simple and humble books do not take to K~'s fancy as much as their english counterparts which are better packaged with bright colours and glossy pages with attractive pictures and more often encouraged and promoted by her school teacher.

Be it the Stepmother of Snow White or Cinderella or the Hansel and Gretel duo or Beauty ...... she is never at peace with herself and inflicts atrocities on her step kids who are the central characters. In real life, my experience has been contrary where I have met two stepmoms who have proved their ability to love and accept previous kids of their husband with such natural and effortless passion and affection that if undisclosed no mortal could have ever realised the stepness. For the sake of providing an identity let me name them as Mrs. Ghosh and Mrs. Chitaley .... such lovely women. Mrs. Ghosh, a homoeopath practitioner was married in her late thirties to the then widower, Mr.Ghosh with an adorable four year old daughter Lota. She embraced Lota with an effortless ease befriending her at first and then slowly enticing her through her interesting games and culinary skills. I could hear their happy chuckles and rare disagreements from the backyard of my house every morning pleasantly surprised each time as my notions set in childhood regarding stepmoms got smashed. We were not really family friends, therefore losing contact after we shifted our residence elsewhere but every year during Durga Pujo I spotted them in Kali Bari just like any other mom-daughter duo. She would hang around with her mom more than she did with her dad. Mrs. Chitaley had a similar story too. The only difference being that she was a divorcee with a daughter of her own before she remarried Mr. Chitaley, a widower with a two year son. What a complete and happy family they make! Touchwood! She thrashes the naughty son just like her own, a complete brat that he is and spends sleepless afternoons painfully making him do his homework and teaching. And yet, the son comes running to hug his (step)Mom each time she steps out to make her (step)Son empty the glass of milk that he left behind on the dining table.

GOD could not be present everywhere ... so he made MOTHER to let each being experience HIS unconditional and boundless love through her. Each woman has been endowed with immense motherly capabilities which takes precedence over many other important personal desires like her career, her interests, her body so much so that it overpowers all her relationships and she lands up being a mother to her husband, her parents and in-laws taking care of them and feeling responsible towards their needs. Pity that we equate (step)mothers with such hostility and treachery in the young and unassuming minds right in their formitive years.

The other fact that keeps poking my mind is the glorification of the white, beautiful skin. K~ is dusky, just like me, but her sharp features and twinkling eyes make her attractive. When I read such elaborate beauty descriptions where "Snow White has skin as white as snow and lips as red as blood, Cinderella was the fairest amongst all and the Prince would not dance with any other lady" .... K~ would start wondering if she is fine in her looks. She would want to become like them and would want to be married to some handsome and rich prince in future .... What the Hell! How do I convince her that it is the inner beauty which makes any girl more adorable than her skin. And that appearing attractive is not an ambitious goal ... is it? There are better objectives in life .... career, shaping lives of family members etc. She would stare at herself at the mirror and ask "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, Who is fairest of them all?" adjusting her hair and moderating her facial expressions to look beautiful. She wants to apply Fair and Lovely, a skin whitening cream, unfortunately encouraged by some of the family members too. It is sad that stories read to children in the best of intentions can lead to such dangerous obsessions. Why should girls be potrayed as items to be displayed to kings and princes. Why are girls never shown as the ruling and strong characters? Why does Mumma Bear cook, wash and clean when Papa Bear reads and Baby Bear plays in the garden? Why does stepmother make Snow White eat a poisoned apple and Cinderella gets harassed?

There is a prevailing sense of helplessness in me as a parent because these age old stories which are highly promoted actually harms the mindset of our children ..... Each time that K~ effortlessly narrates these stories and appreciates the applause that follows, such notions and bias actually deepen further into her innocent mind.

K~ and Imagination

I read this newpaper article today morning which establishes that children do have a very real imaginary world and that actually facilitates development of various mental and logic faculties. A link of which is below:

http://www.pressdisplay.com/pressdisplay/viewer.aspx

Sure, I was relieved because K~ has always displayed extremely high indulgence in her own imaginary world, infact as early as a one year old toddler. I assume her imagination must have existed even before that but chronologically she was not physically and mentally equipped enough to express that. As a parent, I never bothered most of the times when she would be yapping non-stop into the thin air, but I must admit having eerie feelings when she refused to recognize me if I ever intruded in her world, probably to feed her or change her and would shoo me away locking the door behind her in utter disgust.

The first instances of K~ losing herself to imagination started when she was a year old. She would clutch to the telephone reciever and squeak, grunt and laugh for lack of proper speech .... which would continue for spells lasting alomost 15-20 minutes. I was amused at such behaviour especially when she would stop responding to my real conversation as if she was completely lost into the other person whom she was supposedly speaking with.

She made imaginary friends, mostly girls with whom she would be playing all her favourite games .... doll house, cooking and buying things. Later, she involved imaginary bad characters, mostly boys .... Akshat, the naughty classmate, Shopkeeper, the cheat, Sly and Gobo, the ill characters of Noddy stories ....... and she would win over them each time with the help of her girlfriends. In the best of her moods, I would enact her girlfriends and her father would be forced to enact Akshat, Shopkeeper, Sly and Gobo .... poor Papa to be screamed at, manipulated and in some cases beaten up and sent away ..... remorselessly!!! Ha!

K~ learns and performs better in her imaginary world. I remember her opening three homework copies and distributing it to her imaginary classmates whenever she sits down to do her own. She would be giggling with them and complaning to Me, of course the Bhawna Madam, her teacher about Akshat having soiled his underwear or scribbled all wrong things on her notebook. What fun she derived out of me screaming and punishing those boys! She would quickly finish her homework and whatever I would teach her with rapt attention to beat all her imaginary classmates. I would be surprised at times with her abilities to learn and comply .... it still continues even today for the benefit of her fast grasping and easy teaching style .... and of course FUN !

Enacting stories is another manifestation of her very strong imagination. She would dress up with toy crowns on her head to become Snow White or the well dressed Cinderella, tie torn towels around her waist to become the ill treated Cinderella. She becomes so involved enacting those stories that everything seems real then .... the dressing mirror turns into the magic mirror, the garden twig into a magic wand, her Bata shoes into dainty glass shoes, toy house into the magic carriage to carry her to the palace. She would herself do the bit of ugly characters too like step mothers, Wolf or Rumpelstiltskin. Dialogues would flow out effortlessly in perfect English and she would grasp for breath in between .... she would be falling short of air owing to her playing and changing into characters so quickly. There is some kind of a magic in the air ....

And when its all over .... she would come looking for me and hug around me tightly to come back to the real world, me being her anchor.

All of this has really helped K~ evolve into whatever she is today ....

K~ imagined writing, and she learnt her first alphabets with ease!

K~ imagined skating, and she balanced herself within fifteen minutes at the first go!

K~ imagined speaking, and she speaks with a distinct style of expression, very unlike her age!

K~ imagines reading her by heart story books, and she is learning reading simple words with ease!

What a powerful tool can Imagination be .....

I feel true Imagination has the power to heal, facilitate and bear results if used constructively. It is the door to success and key to all our problems.

For you K~,

I imagine you to be a very Happy person in future, following your true passion and possessing an all round developed persona. I imagine you to be a person, pristine and pure creating happy individuals through your associations and good deeds. I imagine living with you forever and ever and ever......

Amen!!