Juhu beach,one the most famous and visited beaches.

Famous for local delicacies and street food. The food stalls set up here offer excellent cuisines and mouth watering snacks.Place to relax and enjoy after a long, tedious day.

Watching the sunset there is a dream like vision.A great place to be with friends and family,it’s easy on your wallet and all in all fun.Not a place for swimming and surely not for sun bathing.

Mumbaikars lead a fast pace life and the beach is a complete contrast to it,when you face the beach and stand you feel everything around has come to a standstill.

It is a crowded place and each one has his\her own reason to be there.Mornings you would find joggers, many celebrities are regular there.The magic about the beach is even when you walk alone on the beach it will not bore you.

Afternoons are mostly love birds there,teenagers.

Evenings,the real carnival time – Beach cricket, making sand castles,many would have made castles with a cave down and shook hands with friends\parents.

Not to forget the balloons,multicolored paper fans,toy sellers,tattoo artists and the best of all the guys who predict the future.We also have the mobile hawkers selling chana jor garam.The pestering hawkers and beggars…

I am going to leave alone the cleanliness and parking issues else that will become the discussion and the sweet memories will vanish.

Food we look for –

Pav bhaji,masal pav,kala katta and milkmaid golas,faloodas,juices,chaats etc….drooling already.

Rides we look for – horse rides,giant wheels,merry go rounds etc..

Most of us have seen better and serene beaches in other parts of India and abroad.Waters where you can see your reflection clearly.

Despite the negatives,it still brings back a lot of memories.Now we have various options to take our kids but once upon time for most of us juhu beach was the only option,a weekend getaway.We would go in large groups – family,building friends ……So much of packing – spare clothes,bed sheets,mats,packed food,frootis’….

How far things have changed today-

Friends go to the beach,they are seated and munching some food from the stalls.After sometime they see some poor kids walking towards them asking for money,which is a normal feature there.The friends decide to buy them food instead of giving them money – very noble.

After giving them the food one of them decides to go and sit besides them and says let’s eat together, wow again what a thought.

He calls out to his other friend and tells him , ” ek photo khich de yaar” ,one of the kid spontaneously ,”Bhaiya Facebook pe da loge” the guy suddenly goes speechless and ashamed.He asks the kid tumhe kaise pata – kid says aaj kal yeh hi

tho hota hai- sab kuch Facebook ke liye hota hai.

Heard my old weighing scale talk to the new one – All the best to you!

I have been serving them for the last few years.Keep this in mind you can never make this family happy.They are way too demanding,you would be expected to give higher numbers for their children but they less for them.They will always have a grumpy face and will never trust you.Pray they move you to the kitchen, may be then your presence would have some control over them and give them a reason to smile 😦 :-p.

Life is a book with chapters displaying the different phases.

Some happy moments,some sad,joys,failures,lessons,

achievements,pride.Each chapter taking you towards the end of your journey.You have been the author throughout but then the end, the highlight of your journey is captured by somebody else.

Do we talk or make backup plans for our children if they fail in their exams? Do we talk to them about options (fall back)?

We normally discuss ,what subjects to take,which college to apply?

It’s good to be positive at the same time practical.

We don’t always fail because we don’t work hard.

Sometimes it’s just a bad day.One bad day can’t cost our life.

This beautiful life has a purpose and we live in an era where there are umpteen options.

Why are exams (boards) so overrated?

Don’t people fail professionally,in relations…We fail many times.We should discuss failure it’s not a shame.

Don’t buckle your kids under your pressure.

When you plan their future also consider planning what if it doesn’t happen this way and make a list of options.

Relieve them from the burden\stress.

Let them know you are always there with them good or bad.

Reassurance reduces anxiety.

School kids leaving their houses and running away or ending their lives – why?

Discuss with them about their exams ,how they performed – Don’t make it a closed ended conversation good or bad?

Let them talk.

We all want somebody to hear us 👍🙏

Kapil was back from his annual leave and was resting in his room.

He looked exhausted. His body was aching, and he seemed a little unwell after the hectic travel.

(Knock at the door.)

“Hey, Kapil!”

It was Kartik, his younger brother.

“Got to know you’re back, so I came to see you,” said Kartik. “How was your holiday? Hope you had a great birthday.”

He smiled.

“But I keep thinking… how do you enjoy going to the same place every year?”

“It was good,” said Kapil.

His voice was unusually low.

Kartik looked at him closely.

“You don’t look so well. What happened?”

Kapil took a deep breath.

“Well… nothing new. It’s the same old thing.”

He tried to smile.

“It started off well. A warm welcome… music… great food.”

His eyes lit up for a moment.

“They took care of me royally.”

A pause.

“And my diet too.”

“Ten days of royal treatment!” said Kartik with a smile.

Kapil nodded.

“Ten days…”

Then his smile disappeared.

“…and one day I dread.”

Kartik looked at him.

“The last day.”

Kapil lowered his eyes.

“Or should I say…”

His voice became softer.

“…I have been dreading it for years now.”

“Every year, I go with a hope that this time things will be different.”

He swallowed hard.

“But every year…”

A long pause.

“…I come back disappointed.”

(Kartik gets annoyed.)

“Then why do you have to go every year, Kapil?”

“If they can’t keep up the same commitment, why do you keep going back?”

Kapil looked at his brother.

“It’s not like that, Kartik.”

His voice was gentle.

“They wait for me the whole year.”

“They prepare for my visit.”

“They get everything ready.”

He smiled through his sadness.

“They are so happy when I arrive.”

“I cannot disappoint so many people…”

He paused.

“…because of a few.”

“That wouldn’t be fair.”

(Kartik gets furious.)

“Look at your joints!”

“That swelling must hurt.”

“If they love you so much, how could they do this to you?”

Kartik looked at him closely.

“I can even see that you have a fracture!”

Kapil remained silent.

(His eyes slowly fill with tears.)

“You’re right, brother.”

His voice trembled.

“They wait to see me off…”

He paused.

“…but they don’t wait until I’m out of sight.”

His eyes filled completely.

“I just wish…”

His voice broke.

“…they would turn back.”

“Just once.”

“To see…”

He struggled to continue.

“…if I was safe.”

Kartik’s anger disappeared.

He looked at his brother with concern.

Kapil wiped his tears.

“What happened to me may heal in a couple of days.”

He took a deep breath.

“But what I saw…”

His voice became heavier.

“…will remain with me forever.”

A long silence.

“And that…”

He looked down.

“…saddens me.”

Another pause.

“…and angers me the most.”

Kartik moved closer.

“What did you see, Kapil?”

Kapil looked at him.

His eyes were full of pain.

“People consumed liquor at my farewell party.”

Kartik stared at him.

“And some of them…”

Kapil struggled to speak.

“…even misbehaved with the ladies.”

He lowered his head.

“It was shameful for me.”

“I could neither hold my head high…”

His voice cracked.

“…nor could I hide myself.”

Silence.

Kartik looked at his brother, unable to understand.

“What are you talking about?”

Kapil slowly looked up.

And then…

the truth.

Kapil is not just a man returning from a holiday.

Kapil is Ganesha.

Your Bappa.

The one who comes home every year.

The one who is welcomed with love.

The one who is worshipped.

The one who is fed.

The one whose arrival fills homes with happiness.

The remover of all obstacles.

The giver of unlimited happiness.

And yet…

At His farewell…

this is what He sees.

But Kapil has one more thing to say.

His voice is now barely a whisper.

“Also…”

He pauses.

“…the mother water.”

“She has been polluted with POP and toxic substances.”

“She is getting choked with plastic.”

His eyes fill with tears again.

“And they don’t realise…”

A long pause.

“…that they will soon be the reason for their own end.”

(Silence.)

For ten days, we call Him Bappa.

We welcome Him with open arms.

We celebrate His arrival.

We pray to Him.

We ask Him to remove our obstacles.

We ask Him to fill our lives with happiness.

And when it is time to bid Him farewell…

do we stop to think about what He sees?

He sees the liquor.

He sees the misbehaviour.

He sees women being disrespected.

He sees His own body being damaged.

He sees plastic choking the water.

He sees toxic substances being poured into the very Mother who gives us life.

And perhaps the most painful part is this:

Bappa may heal.

His wounds may heal.

His fractures may heal.

But what we do to our Mother Earth cannot always be undone.

So this year, before we say…

“Ganpati Bappa Morya!”

Let’s pause.

Let’s look back.

Let’s ask ourselves:

When Bappa turns around after we bid Him farewell…

will He see that we cared enough to keep Him safe?

Or will He see the damage we left behind?

Because maybe…

Bappa doesn’t need us to prove how much we love Him when He arrives.

Maybe He needs us to prove it when He leaves.

---

There are some people whose existence seldom matters and there are some others who may have left us physically but they live in our hearts and share every moment of our life.
Such is the irony of life…The positive energy emitted from the soul is what matters; be it from a dead or an alive. That’s why they say a soul never dies…

Comments

1. Vijay Kushvaha10 January 2018 at 08:35
   

Prioritize your passion.When you have a hobby you don’t always need people around.It helps you destress and rejuvenate your mind.Hobby can be anything you are passionate about.We all surely have one atleast!

Don’t be very Happy just because you are somebody’s first choice.Happiness is when you are also their last choice.

As friends we started talking
then joking and laughing
for the very silly reasons
I became fond of you
Our hands clashed while we wrote
little did we know that there was so much more
I caught you looking at me
saw that twinkle in your eye
that made me smile
and my heart beats ran a mile
Today I sit and ponder on those days
I really don’t know why I gave away
I had no pictures no postcards
All I was left with was memories in my mind
One day you will remember me
And the love I had for you
You are going to hate yourself
for letting me go
Even today I feel my place is in your arms
If we are soul mates our paths will cross again
Even today your smiles make me weak
and my tears start to leak
That maybe another world but I know
we will meet and this time forever

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgement; more experts, yet more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom and hate too often.

We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life, not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We’ve conquered outer space, but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things. We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; big men, and small character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the show window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete.

Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.

Remember to say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.

Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.

Give time to love, give time to speak, and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.