Marigold

Summery and soothing

Fragrance of an Indian wedding

Petals on Petals

Dancing together

Green submerged like a child in a womb

Filling the cavity, growing with a bloom

Layered like a sea wave

Each layer majestic 

Each wave poetic

Conjoined but separate

Woven in a sonnet

Growing out of brown

Stemming from a cave

 

Tiny green hands

Holding on to petals

Like a child attached to roots

Inspite of being a rebel

Orange like a sunset

All ready to wave goodbye

All set to drown

But followed by a rise

Promising like a dawn

Of a better tomorrow

Million flowers growing and blooming

Swaying through the wind

Dancing to the music

Tall and soaring

Proud and enthralling

Usual yet precious

Gold in a pot

Flaming and hot

My marigolds   

Shared with Poets United Verse first "Right under your nose"

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Ballet (Haiku)

unjust unreasonable

questioned never answered

ballet of death

 

Written for Haiku heights/Sep height day 5 Ballet

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7 Things That My Job Taught Me

I worked as a consumer researcher for 8 years before retiring 2 years back. These 8 years taught me a lot of things. I will shamelessly confess that they liberated me and my thought process a lot; may be more because I had never seen any other female work in my family before. I learned a lot from my job and from my professional life.  Following are my eight years encapsulated in few points:

1) Planning: I am a big big planner. I plan everything in advance and mostly this trait comes in handy even in my daily life [There are times when it harasses people around me also] . The credit for imbibing this in me goes to my profession. As a researcher there are atleast 1000 things at any point of time on your plate and you have to juggle all of them. There is a strict time schedule, so if you don’t plan, you can’t finish in time. I will always be thankful to research for all the excel sheets I have at home dedicated to planning different activities.

2) Punctuality: I was always punctual though I never paid too much importance to it. But soon after I started working I realised ; a lot of people’s schedule would depend on my schedule and hence it became a very important that I am on time and vice versa. I still follow it personally [Though my other half is not very happy with this trait J ]

3) Streamlining my thought process: I tend to get vague even now. I have a free mind and it keeps wondering and going off track quite a lot. But when you are working for others; you can’t afford that; so I learned to concentrate better. My mind still wanders a lot and I can somewhat afford to do it now however my concentration and focus is much better as compared to before.

4) Microsoft: I was scared of computers and its programs. Only thing I knew well was to play games. Now I am an expert in excel and power point, you name it, I know it. Even now I use them extensively and I am thankful to my job for it. [I was and I am still wary of MS Word. I just don’t get it]

5) Delegation: I was and I am a keen worker. You can even call me a labourer. I like working and I would rather work myself than spend time explaining others to do it. But again I learnt we cannot do everything on our own, delegating was an important part of my job and it is helping me even now. Else I would have ended up doing everything on my own.

6) Analytics: Analysis is a very important part of being a consumer researcher. It sharpened my analytical bent of mind and I still tend to analyse things more than others.

7) Negotiation skills: Again a very important part of my job and now I am not ashamed to say that I look at every price with a doubt and question it.This saves a lot of chillar for me 

These were a few things that my job taught me. What about you? Where do you work? What did you learn from your job?

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Festival of Words 1st - 7th September 2013. This is my third post written for it..

Shepherd (Haiku)

Guide me to light

Bring me peace

Shepherd of my soul

Shared with Haiku Heights /Sep Height Day 4 Shepherd

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7 Things Mumbai taught me

When I stepped in this magical and glamorous city called Mumbai I was a naive small town girl chasing after her dreams of a bright future. I landed here with my bags and dreams. Like many other I struggled through a lot of things, more than that I was scandalized with the change in culture, I would literally stand on road wide eyed and gape at people. But thankfully professionally my struggle ended quite quickly and gradually I learned to look beyond the veils of lights and glamour. Almost 10 years here and I can proudly say I am a Mumbaikar by heart now. This is my home and I owe it a lot. It did change me but I would like to believe, it changed me for better and taught me things that I still carry with me.

Below is a list of few things that I learnt in Mumbai. Some are quite obvious and some are quite unique, part of an experience that only Mumbai can give you.

1) Spirit of Mumbai: I am a part of this spirit. I walk, work and progress. I have learnt to never break down, never give up even in the face of the most difficult situation always carry on. Always move forward, always progress. I swam through floods, have hung on local trains, have traveled through riots and shoot outs and have survived, worked and progressed. It was not easy, there were times when I was ready to give up like after the bomb blasts [I was trapped in a riot and I survived by begging with folded hands to let me go] I saw people going back to work the next day and I really felt that they were heartless running after their careers and money. When I shared this sentiment with some of them, they told me that if you stay at home, you are giving more power to terrorists; you are telling them we are hurt and unable to move on. Ofcourse we are hurt but each hurt, each attack, each dent gives us more strength, makes us more powerful, makes us realise the value of life and how much we love the city. Isn’t it true? Yes it is. If we continue to live in the moment of our sorrow, we give more power to the person who has hurt us. Giving up and breaking down is more easy but moving on is more difficult and I learnt to do the more difficult thing.

2) No personal space: If you live here you know what I am talking about. Everyone is at everyone’s face. There is no personal space; every free space is free for everyone. Like a true Mumbaikar I have picked up the trait inspite of being claustrophobic I don't mind sitting within centimeters of a complete stranger.

3) Privacy: There is no personal space but there is enough privacy. Even if you are sharing the same sq.meter space; the other person gives a dam about your personal life. You can easily go on about your personal life, fight, cry, laugh...no one will interfere.

4) Lend a hand: If you ask, everyone is willing to lend a hand. They may not have the warmest face but they do have their hearts at the correct place. But you need to ask.

5) Never say no: Really no one says no here. If you ask for help especially directions people will always help, even if they don’t know. They will never say no. And neither do I but I try and not lead them to incorrect information.

6) Measure distance in time and not in Kms: We talk time and we walk time. Distance is never measured in kilometres. It is always measured in how much time you will take to reach a place. So Thane to VT is not 60-70 kms, it is about hour and a half.

7) Walk: We walk a lot. Most of us do and we walk fast. Walking is like second nature. Anyone who uses public transport here would easily walk around 4-5 kms daily and would walk fast. Sometimes it does get to me and I really feel if just for few minutes all of them could stop, and breath.

These were some of the things that Mumbai taught me. What about you..where do you live? What has your city taught you?

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Festival of Words 1st - 7th September 2013. This is my third post written for it..

Silver

lines of wisdom

stories of growing up

silver and grey strands

Shared with Haiku Height/Sep Height Day 3 Silver 

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7 Things My Parents Taught Me

Growing up like any other child I was taught a lot of things, some were taught forcibly and some I picked up consciously and unconsciously. A lot of these things are a part of who I am today. These lessons shaped me, made be better, made me wiser and may be miser but I am grateful to each and everything that they taught me. So many lessons from so many chapters of my childhood, each different but each paved a new way for me. I have tried to summarize a few that I think are the most important things my parents have taught me.

1) Independence: Since as long as I can remember, I remember being independent. I don’t remember anyone telling us to be independent, we were independent. Even during my early childhood I remember doing all my chores on my own. There were times when I hated doing it but for some reason I never thought there was anyone else who would do it for me. And not only physical or financial independence, my parents taught me to be emotionally free. To not be dependent on anyone for any kind of support even in my toughest days. I will confess that I am not as independent emotionally as I was earlier; I tend to depend a lot on my better half but that is only because I can.

2) Hard work: There was never a short cut for hard work for me growing up. Any short cuts were noticed and we were made to do things again. So I learned hard work and I soon enough realised I was the type who needed hard work.  However I do think now that hard work has to be clubbed with smart work but every time I take a short cut even now I could sense my mom looking at me with a not so happy look.

3) Fun: We were a house full of non sense. In our daily life there was so much fun and drama that we never needed television. There were numerous hours of fun and games. No restrictions and no forced timetable.

4) Accountability: We were accountable for our own actions. I remember my mother checking my bag and asking me to do the homework but that’s about it. I do not remember her running after me for anything. We were responsible for our things. I do remember a lot of times not doing the homework  and then getting wacked in school but that taught me to be accountable for my own actions.

5) Speak your mind: Three of us [Me, My bro and My sis] were always asked to speak freely, ask questions. Questions were our best friend. We were never scared to speak our mind in front of anyone. This continues even now, I wear my heart on my sleeves and I am not scared to speak my mind. It does back fire sometimes but I can’t mince my words and I don’t see the need also.

6) Listen: As much as speaking your mind is important, it is also important to hear others. There are times when you do have to shut up and let others speak. I have a very patient ear and the credit goes to my parents. We were encouraged to debate a lot and one of the traits of a good debate is to listen to the other point of view; with an open ear and mind.

7) Budgeting: Like every child we also had pocket money; till we grew up.But along with that we were also exposed to prices of different things. I knew the price of everything I wanted and I would save and purchase. It not only gave me immense thrill and pleasure; it also taught me financing and value of money.

These are a few important things that my parents taught me and I hope I am able to pass them on to my children. What are the things that you were taught? Which one affected you most?

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Festival of Words 1st - 7th September 2013. This is my second post written for it..

Custodian

sword in hand

blowing fire and rage

custodian of innocent

Shared with Haiku Heights/Sep Heights Day 2 Guardian

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Frogs (Haiku)

chained to self

lost in itself

frog in a well

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

with a green umbrella

in torrential rain

a toad sings

Written for Haiku Heights September Height Day 1 Frog

7 Things My Kids Taught Me

First day of a new chapter in my blogging journey, a 7 day festival dedicated to writing. During these 7 days I will be sharing my learnings from 7 different roles that I play/have played in my life.

What better way to start than with my children? Being a parent has been a wonderful and blissful journey. It is one of the most difficult yet most easy roles I have ever played. I am learning each day as a parent. There are some things that circumstances have taught me, some things other parents have taught me but my biggest teachers have been my two little cuddle puddle, my kids.

1) Be a kid: One of the biggest lessons my children have taught me is to be a kid. Have fun, enjoy, live each moment, fight and makeup..Be a kid

2) Unconditional love: No amount of punishment, no threats, no mean looks could deter away the lovely kisses and hugs of my kids. It doesn’t matter if I am upset or they are upset. It doesn’t matter whether I did [read bought] what he asked for, at the end of the day, the day is never over without a big sloppy kiss and a big bear family hug.

3) Patience: Being a parent takes a lot from you. Specially traits like personal space and patience. I do lose patience quite a lot but I am also surprised how much I can ignore stained walls, toppled milk glasses, dirty clothes and illogical antics. I never thought I was made for this but here I am smiling and cleaning away to glory.

4) Be kind: My elder one is one of the kindest souls I have ever met. He has taught me this virtue. He doesn’t differentiate; he is kind towards me and towards the household help also. He loves hugging. He hugs everyone he meets, even our building’s sweeper [Not kidding]. Since sweeper knows this, he cleans himself and waits for my son when he goes to school. That one hug brightens his face like a big huge diwali lantern.

5) Smile more: Absence of smile in our house is always taken as a frown. It doesn’t matter if you were absently looking at the wall and thinking but if you don’t smile, it is assumed that you are upset. So we all smile...a lot. And it does brings in a lot of positive energy in our house. We are a loud loud house with lots of giggles and laughs.

6) Let go: I have learnt to forgive, forget and let go. This is a very simple virtue but something very common in all the children. It has simplified my life. I have learnt letting go is one of hardest things to do but once you learn to do it; it gives you wings.

7) Cooking: Last but not the least I have taken up cooking big time now because my elder son is a big foodie and I do not want him to eat out a lot. Hence I am learning almost everything under the sun for him and enjoying it also.

These were a few things that my kids have taught me. I will be glad if you can share with me the things your children have taught you [If you are a parent] and if you are not a parent, then things that you think you have learnt from kids around you.

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Festival of Words 1st - 7th September 2013. This is my first post written for it..

Rachna Says

Who is an entrepreneur?

Someone who can dream, who has the courage to start fresh, to take risks and capability to grow & succeed.

All these words resonate with the person I am going to introduce now. 

(C) Rachna Says

Rachna Parmar [“Sometimes, silence connects in a way words never can!”]

“A professional content writer and an entrepreneur & co-owner of Tranquil Software Solutions. She is also a founder of RachnaSays a personal blog where she shares some part of her life.”

Rachna did Bsc in chemistry, followed by MBA from NMIMS. After which she worked in brand management for few years before taking a sabbatical to be with her kids.

She is a doting mother of 2 boys age 6 and 11. It was during her sabbatical that her blogging journey began.

What is entrepreneurship?

Turning a dream into a clear idea and converting the idea into a successful business.

What was the dream?

The dream was very hazy. It was born on an afternoon dipped in kids’ antics and a need to be free. The dream started as Rachna’s personal blog Rachna Says. A chronicle of her journey, bits and pieces scattered yet saved. Reserved and preserved by her pen. It was a start to a long beautiful journey.

What was the idea?

Pen is mightier than tongue. Words are sharper than knives. Rachna’s pen gave way to her foray in content writing. She was and she is a very successful content writer with many national and international clients. But she did not stop at that. Her penmanship and her marketing experience coupled with her husband’s amazing conviction, confidence and ability gave birth to a unique idea. An idea to break the barriers and to make technology accessible to everyone.

What is the business?

“Tranquil Software Solutions Pvt. Ltd”

Behind every successful man is a strong woman. Lets us relook at this proverb. Success goes hand in hand with strength, especially when chased with your other half.

Around 3 years back in March 2010 “Tranquil” was born as “Smart Solutions” a sole proprietary.  It was later converted into a company. It was formed with a vision to provide affordable internet solutions that would make many lives easier. Rachna is the Director of the company. She handles content writing, Marketing and accounts including all liaisons for the company.

In recognition of Tranquil's long term goals and in its ability to achieve them, it was accepted as a Microsoft BizSpark Member.

It is an organization dedicated in the endeavour of helping technology reach a common person and to help him/her enhance the quality of his/her life. The company mostly works with employees on contract basis. They employ people and give them flexible options to work from home. They encourage stay at home mothers and other professionals who prefer flexibility and work from home option.

It takes a lot of conviction and courage to convert one simple afternoon dream into something this big.

Rachna stands as an inspiration for all of us struggling OR may be not struggling in our mundane lives, content or not content with our mundane lives, BUT with a dream in our hearts. Her story inspires, her words encourage us to follow our dreams, to shed inhibitions and to push our boundaries.

She is one of the reasons I am blogging right now. I continue to dream because of her and I know there are many more, especially women who look up to her.

She may not be the face of any obvious social change but she is one of the women who are leading subtle revolution in women empowerment.

She has many facets and many achievements I would love to talk about all of it. She is one of my inspirations. I have read almost everything she has written and if I could, I would write endless chapters on her. But I can’t hence I delved in some of her facets; some of the things that I think would describe her.

[Written for the Indiblogeshwaris Ladies Independence Special Contest in association with http://womenentrepreneursinindia.com/]

Lanterns

float in orange hues

under the blue and grey sky

eternal rainbow 

Shared with Trifecta weekend writing prompt

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I will wait

I sit at the corner

See you walk by

I see life pass by me

I have been here for eternity

Waiting on you

Waiting for you

You draw closer and closer

And look through me

Your eyes wondering on and around

I wait for them to stop

Stop by me

Halt on me

I want you to look at me

But you move on

One look never enough

One me not enough

The day I saw you,

My eyes were seized

My heart was lost

I was lost in your world

You became my world

My world alone and lonely

With you but without you

You are here

But I am waiting for you

One day you will look at me

Your eyes will see me

Your heart will feel me

My soul will touch yours

I will not bleed or cry

I will not plead or die

Till then

I will wait

On you

I will wait

For you

(C) Juztamom 2013

Shared with dverse poets 

As per the prompt this is an old poem. Have edited, re phrased, revamped it quite a lot.

Obsession

I fall in and out of love

I am born and I die

I travel countries and I fly

I break my heart and I break others’

I live through you, lavish tales in a book

I fall and I get up

I loose and I win

I forgive and I forget

I move and move on

I dance and groove on

I live through you, my little one

You are fiery and you are cool

I cry and I snicker

I am speechless and I talk to you

You shut up and listen

I live through you, my nibbles on a plate

(C) Juztamom 2013

Some of my obsessions for Verse First at Poet's United.

Who wears the pants?

Well this is a rhetorical question right? But we do give a lot of importance to pants..Don’t we? If a person is a professional working in an office he/she has to be in pants and if a person is not in pants/suits but in pajamas or in this case salwar suit playing with a kid, he or in this case specifically she is judged as non-working homely home maker aka housewife. And isn’t it surprising that she has E-MAIL in her mobile??

Oh My Dear Lord!! A salwar suit wearing, playing with her kid type has an E-Mail facility in her mobile. This is shocking!! Yes the advertisement hits a shocking node. This is breaking news...She can afford an E-Mail because it is available only for Rs 1 per day. Oh My Lord..Dear Lord!! What a life saver for homely home maker!

This advertisement gave me goose bumps. Literally I sat up straight and saw it multiple times. Every time it took me to another level of disgust. I normally don’t pay much heed to ads. They are mostly hideous, part of a race, trying to outsell each other. And in the process out-sell every moral and ethic in the book. I have been a part of the process, seen things take shape quite closely and hence I am more disillusioned.

But this ad took being judgmental to a new level. Look at all the elements. The lady who is obviously a working professional gives a skeptical look to the other lady who is homely poor woman with a child, not wearing pants . Literally the look tells us she is already looking down on the other lady for no reason.

Even when the homely lady who doesn’t have anything better to do, offers help; the lady in pants gives an incredulous look and says something that qualifies as a taunt...big time.

And Voila!!

What happens?? The lady in pants is proved wrong because the homely lady [Not in pants] has an e-mail facility in her mobile, which she can easily afford now because it is so cheap. Otherwise how will a homely lady with a child [Not in pants] be able to afford such facility?

Oh My an E Mail!!

This advertisement speaks volumes about the judgements prevalent in our society. We mark people and roles in water tight compartments and refuse to believe otherwise. We follow what is convenient and everything that is different is not convenient. So we pick up stereo types, don’t fight them, rather sell them and sell our products through them.

I know marketers draw their target audience [TG] and define them as a single person. So in this case who was the TG? A 30 something homely home maker playing with her child, who otherwise won’t be able to afford an e mail facility but is now using it because it is cheap. So now she can help an office going professional [in pants]. But my question is what is the basis of this TG definition?

Do they really think there are these two type of women?? And through this ad they are reaching this identified type??

I am not sure how many homely non-pant wearing females would relate to the advertisement but I really really want the marketing brains behind this ad to come and live where I do.

I would love them to see some of us home maker aunties with kids roaming around in hot pants with our i phones/ i pads, checking e mails and FB and speaking in ENGLISH.

Oh My GOD...maybe next they can try and sell some English speaking courses to us. If e mail is so unexpected from us, then English speaking courses are gold mine.

Common teach us English Mr. Marketer!!

Master of puppets

 I am a broken toy without your string

Still dancing without you

Alive but fading each second without you

Master of puppets

You asked me to leverage my best

Let go of my past

Burn like a candle

Eat dark and spread light

Burn little by little

Scald little by little

Die but live

like a cricket’s quiet courting song

Knowing the love is near yet long

Voice weak yet strong

Be the carriage of borrowed glow
Like a moon 
Round still edgy

Dark still beaming
With a belief in goodness

On the edge of precipice

Wanting to fly on fall

But your words keep me grounded

My promise keeps me alive

Away from you,

To be with you,

With my words for you

Master of puppets

I wonder like calypso in Odyssey

Waiting for you to be immortal

Knowing that this is just a bubble

That you are gone

Leaving me alone

Asking me to wait

For the dawn

Master of puppets

Your dreams pepper and infuse
fancy in reality
bite after bite

Of your love
thrust after thrust

Of your lust
cryptic and real

Raged and surreal

Your memories

Your touch

Master of puppets

I rise like soufflé 
rapidly falling in a fizz
drumbeats of your kiss
still banging in an abyss
You climb up in each moments
Moments that are broken

Moments those are empty

Moments that are bare

Because you are not there

But I am there keeping your words

Being alive

(C)Juztamom 2013

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