India rising!!

Its result day!!! The results are clear by now and Indians have chosen their Pradhan Sevak yet again.

I am watching live telecast from BJP head office and just as I see this man walking amidst people, humble body language, victory on his face, I have goosebumps!!! I feel I have won!!

I was never interested in politics honestly. The day I got my election card, I felt a sense of responsibility but the first time I voted, I felt real freedom. Free to press the button and take part in nation's most important choice.

This time around, saffron was in the air since the beginning. Month long election process, so many campaigns, innumerable speeches, talks and rallies.. any of which I did not follow!

Since the time we had our new Prime Minister in 2014, I was only observant of and admired the small things that happened.

Swachh Bharat (Clean India) all of us wanted it but it was never supported on such a huge scale.. Today we see cleaner stations and roads.

Voluntary giving up subsidy was welcome and then bank accounts assured that subsidy goes to the ones who deserved it. This made LPG a possibility for rural women.. To those who have burnt wood all their lives..

Electricity to lakhs of villages drowned in darkness for so many years after independence.

Homes to all was made reality to the people who lived in sheds. Education, Loans, empowerment to women, availability of toilets, medication and cure to the needy.

The basic bricks that lay foundation to the country's future were not only addressed but seriously taken and appropriate and strict measures implemented to make it happen.

10% Resevation for the financially weak, use of taxes rightfully, economic growth, skill development, Make In India.. These things actually happened!

Indians have been used to playing golmaal when it comes to taxes. We were first asked to voluntarily disclose unaccounted income and pay due taxes. That was a smart move to not only catch the thief red handed but also make him repay!

So many financial goofups! Such cowardly acts of looting people of our country and fleeing also took place. But there was also a law enforced that gave other countries the power to nab those special celebrities.

We definitely have had national security breaches and this year witnessed the most brutal attacks of them all. The answer to such criminal heads was given in their faces under the leadership of this man with a real Jigra.

I had said earlier that no matter how loud lies are shouted out, a subtle and quiet truth is more powerful than hundreds of such lies.

This man sitting in front of me (on Tv) today, addressing the country brings an altogether different aura. It is the commonness of his face, the genuinity of his smile, the confidence in his courage, strength of his character, dedication to his work, commitment towards his country and after all of that, the simplicity of his life that not only inspires youth but infuses a new zeal and makes us believe that we will have a better future.

I wish our Prime Minister good health and a long life to give our country a new life. I hope our children will not have to worry about corruption and insecurity when they grow up.

He says "Desh ki janata ne is fakeer ki jholi bhar di" I want to say, we are with you Sir, in waking up our country and watch a Rising India...

Bharat Maata ki Jai!!
Cheers!!
God bless!!

CHS

The Second one...

Cherith is 3 and a half now and many including my mom keep reminding me that it's time for the second one!!

I have told her and everyone else talking to me about this that I am more than happy with cherith and I do not think there is any reason for me to have a second kid.

There have been a lot of long talks with many regarding having more than one child. These are a few questions posed along with answers I have got in my head. However, these answers refuse to be deposited in the heads of my opponents (in beliefs).

When are you planning another kid?
I am not! I think raising one kid with good values and a strong character is very fulfilling than having children to fill the house..

You too have siblings.. He needs a sister or brother.
I dont think so.. Besides he has brothers and sisters. I never tell them they are his cousins..

Who will he have when he grows up?
He will have his extended family and the friends that he would choose for himself.

It goes on.. The point is, having children and number of them is perfectly one's personal choice.

At many instances I crave to be the mother of a baby girl. I want to raise a girl, make her a strong headed one, capable of giving tough competition, able to take desicions and stand by what her heart feels is right. But while these thoughts keep crossing my mind, I am very sure that I need not give birth to another.

For one, I am not sure if it will definitely be a girl. I dont want another boy. Second, just because I am proficient in bringing up two children doesn't mean I have to give birth. I can adopt a child, give her and myself a new life and ambition..

Own is own and adopted I adopted - this is what my wish is always welcomed with. With due respect to all elderly having huge families, how many are such where elderly are taken care of with sensitivity?

How many parents are sure that their sons wont drift apart as the journey of life advances. How many brothers have been loyal to each other with regard to money matters? So it's not about the blood, but the bond that we have..

Also what about my life? A girl marries and has to keep up with everything just instantly.. After a baby there are lot more mental and physical challenges than men can imagine.. So when we are finally on track with our usual selves when the kid is about 3 or 4, the topic pops up again.

We want to go out, catch up with watsup, be free to talk to people, take care of ourselves, spend time with our partners.. I am of the view that a good 5 years is taken away in getting a baby into world and getting them to be on their own.. so nothing of the above is possible while we are at it..

What about couples who have two happy kids but an unhappy marriage? Kids may not resolve issues and resolve differences.. I have a lot more questions when someone asks me about my second kid. But now I refuse to answer because people just dont respect any decision we take.

We are cursed if we dont have a kids. (Ab tak baccha nahi hua?) Pestered to have two as soon as life settles after one. (Ek aur kar le) Critised if we have more than two (aaj ke zamaane mein itne bacche?) Its a lose lose situation..

While you are reading this, please ensure that you do not entertain such conversations.. let's be a little more human to the women in around us...

As for me, i had a very short two day trip after wedding.. The second one that I am looking at is a vacay in Europe!!

Cheers!!
God bless!!

CHS

Saying Goodbye...

"Alvida kehne se phir milne ki ummeed kam ho jaati hai" I love this movie and this dialogue makes me believe that its true to the core. Does saying goodbye lessen the chance of meeting again??

That's not the thing in my mind right now. The question I have today is "Is saying a goodbye necessary at all?"

So many times, I hear instances where two friends have been so inseparable close in college but life took them away to different directions without a chance to meet again.

After the pulwama attack, wives of martyrs saying we had a talk over the phone and he said "I'll come back soon" but then came the news..

A person leaves home for work as usual and is either meets with an accident or death itself and the whole family is only left with questions..

A girl brought up like a darling of the house, is married for a better future and soon kills herself for being tortured mentally and physically without giving the parents even a clue of what she had been through all this while..

We all might have witnessed or experienced the inability to say a happy, memorable goodbye to a our parents, a friend, a companion, or partner..

In all the above situations, the goodbye is more often avoided by nature... Sometimes to keep the good memories alive and sometimes to keep the sad ones at bay.

In my opinion, there is another reason. Our generation is a socially very active and connected. Everyone knows what is going on with someone else's life. So many times I have felt like saying a warm goodbye to once dear friend. I act against the idea because I may not matter to that person anymore..

Also, many occasions are such that a person suddenly tries to know what's happening with you and instantly also wants to bid adieu for life..

That phase of arrival and departure may only add on to the mental chaos. In my opinion the damage already done is more than enough to avoid saying a goodbye.

After all why it should be other person we should care about? It's good to be a little selfish and do what makes your heart happy and leave the other wondering what's on your mind.

So alvida kehne se bhale hi milne ki ummeed kam ho jaati hai, kabhi kabhi bina alvida kahe chale jaana bhi dil ko sukoon de jaata hai...

Cheers!!
God bless!

CHS

Rajasthan...

I'm on cherry's summer vacay at rajasthan. After settling in the dry heat here, we left for a 2 day trip.

5 am in the morning and the roads blessed us with quiet emptiness along with cool morning breeze.. Though I missed hubby immensely, I could not afford to miss the unmatchable serenity..

The cool winds presented me with mixed memories that have collectively contributed to my childhood.. Also some rare instances where I thoroughly enjoyed just being in this place irrespective of the weather and company..

Fun and carefree school vacations. Papa took us to our farm and we would pluck tamarind from the old tree there. Relish freshly ripe chikko, corn whatever was available as per season. The desi milk, butter and curd was the icing on the cake.

Then college made it difficult for those vacations to happen again and after a long time I went to rajasthan again during bachelors for a fest at udaipur. I had an unforgettable trip. Visiting places like ajmer dargah, pushkar fort, samarkand island, I made memories that are mine alone...

Before I was to be wed, papa n mom made sure I got blessings from all gods so I have a great life ahead. All rituals performed with pomp, I sat on a horse and a procession with dhol and people dancing announced that i was the bride to be.. There were shagun ke geet at home later on..

Coming back happened sooner after marriage with hubby this time performing post marriage rituals with him. Our stay at his ancestral home and everyone in the village coming to see the new bhabhiji.. it was interesting hilarious..

Our new home was ready soon and this time we were back for housewarming. Travelling in the train would have been a task but the company of 35 people made it happier and easier than imagined.

After Cherith's birth, came back for some more rituals and was soon called again for papa's last rights and funeral services. The saddest trip of all.

Now while the kids are asleep and I am all by myself looking outside the window listening to rare selection of songs, I am having a memory touch up.

The half dry and half green vegetation accepts the scorching heat as nothing less than a present. The little puddles of water is relished more than a feast. Any scarcity is never cried over and enjoying today is the people's way of living.

From being the place of my birth to being the place where so many important events of life have taken place, rajasthan mysteriously fills me with so much more zeal, joy and new energy that I feel alive again..

Proud to be connected to this land of desert..

Cheers!!
God bless!!

CHS