Remembering mom on mother's day

“The woman who creates and sustains a home and under whose hands children grow up to be strong and pure men and women is a creator second only to God.” — Helen_Hunt_Jackson. It’s been ten years since she died of heart failure. She was 78 years old and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her, but I suspect that when it comes to our mothers we are never ready to give them up. …….

MOM & DAD

Their knowledge about the world was up to date and both of them had/have the interest in all walks of life. Their words were so mystic that I never dared to draw their pictures on Dinning. My father had Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana and many more books on his table. Then his disciplined style of life from following his regular diet upto his night prayers. “ Early to bed and early to rise Makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise”. My father was a very good example for this saying.

Shradha of my MOM

I was reading back through my very early blog post the other day, the ones that I wrote in MAY 13,2017 , only 5 year,s ago on mother,s day. It reads ….. “The woman who creates and sustains a home and under whose hands children grow up to be strong and pure men and women is a creator second only to God.” — Helen Hunt Jackson It’s been three years since she died of heart failure. She was 78 years old and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her, but I suspect that when it comes to our mothers we are never ready to give them up. There are many things I miss about mom, but what I miss the most is sharing my children with her.

Mom at 76 years of age Some of my best memories of her are of watching her become a grandmother. She absolutely loved my children beyond measure. She spoiled them with trips to her father’s garden(in village Paposa, near Jamalpur, Bhiwani ) on horse and she loved to take them to our farms. Still my children are very fond of visiting farms whenever they find any opportunity. My mom lost her own mom (Rampyari of village Dangra near Tohana) at the age of 11, she always remembers her mom and told us about her lifestyle and habits that were excellent. There are a thousand things about my mom to remember. My mother was very fond of working in farms. She often used to remember to her trip to her father’s farm( in village KUTUBPUR KI DHANI)on a horse when she was only 11. On that day she was going to fields to give food to the laborers working on their farm. When she was riding on the back of the horse he became a tyranny and rushed fast dropping my mother on the ground. She became unconscious but luckily there was not any injury to her body. After that day my mother hated to ride on horse’s back. I love my mom and feel sorry for her when sometimes I used to tell her harsh words. Mom, please pardon me for my words that may heart you. Although my mom passed away 4 years ago I still think about her almost every day. I loved my mom and appreciate her complete commitment to mothering. The things we shared in common were teaching our children to be inquisitive learners, to be resilient and to love our children unconditionally. Thanks, Mom, for everything!

mom at 22 years of age xoxo and then …. Nostalgic moments I like to start with JAMNAGAR,GUJRAT Hindi High school when we used to wait for the school lunch bell to ring and then rush to our lunch boxes for the food from home prepared by mom. We used to play games with our buddies to find out what was packed in those beautiful boxes with just a tantalizing hint of the scent wafting through them. Opening the lids and finishing not just our lunch but the food of our classmates was a different kind of joy altogether. I often remember the tiffin of my friend Khalida. Her mother was a great cook, she always put a variety of food stuff in her, daughter’s box, although her house was just stone’s through from school but Khalida used to sit and eat with her friends and class mates.

Then came those days when we used to go home once in a while during our vacations from college and not just ask, but demand the dishes that we wanted and our mom used to lovingly cook them, indeed going that extra mile and cooking for us those favorites that even we had forgotten. Burgers, pizzas, gourmet food from up class restaurants and the bland tasteless food of messes and canteens were forgotten as soon as hot, missi rotties, bajra rotties , fluffy phulkas, parathas, dal and sabzi warmed our bellies. Not to forget that we used to shamelessly and even gleefully ask our mom to feed us and she used to do it, despite having toiled for hours in the kitchen and in the agricultural field. And then came the service era, we sit in our offices, our cubicles hunched in front of our laptops, files and portfolios wondering which new restaurant or cafe we are going to try out today we can’t help but feel a nostalgia tinged with a sadness, missing our mom and wishing that she were with us to calm us, pace us and always be there with her love, solidarity and rock-hard strength. When I retired the time came my mom accompany to live with me till she went off to my father in heaven, but don’t know why she never cooked even once , instead she used to chop vegetables and peel lahsuns etc.etc…… There are some things in life which we express easily and there are some which we never speak out like your love towards your mom. It feels very awkward to say ‘Thank you, mom for everything’. But once in a while you have to do it, because deep down we know that these five words barely skim the tip of the iceberg that is the respect, awe, gratitude and love we feel for our mom. I love you mom. …… https://haqeeqat-e-bayan.blogspot.com/2015/05/love-you-mom.html Then I went back to find Sturdy Rug I ever wrote about, and once I was re-living my memories I carried on reading through a whole chunk of my early all India, and arid-zone living that I shared in my Blogland.

It was fascinating, honestly, to see how my writing style has changed over time- in my head I haven’t changed the way I write at all, but reading back I see that my written voice has definitely altered with age and experience. One thing that really struck me was how massively my word count has increased as the years have passed. In the early years of my blog I pretty much posted daily Monday- Friday but my posts( in my other several other blogs) were often super short with just a couple of photos and a few paragraphs of blurb. It made me ponder on which style makes for better reading- longer, chatty posts published less frequently, or short blog entries posted four or five times a week? Which do you prefer? I think I really like a mixture of the two, and that's because I like to keep my posts spontaneous and true to how I'm feeling at the time. Some pics of my non conventional house

Another view of the new doorway with the final coats of paint and the new marble flooring (Summer 2007).

My island kitchen

Anyhow, that's what's been on my mind of late, in case you were wondering. And in other news, I've got fresh flowers from my front yard potted plants on my table again and they are giving me all the happy, joyous feels, I absolutely adore red Jtropa and pin- wheel white flowers . xoxo

Remembering mom on mother's day

 

“The woman who creates and sustains a home and under whose hands children grow up to be strong and pure men and women is a creator second only to God.” — Helen_Hunt_Jackson.

It’s been eight years since she died of heart failure. She was 78 years old and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her, but I suspect that when it comes to our mothers we are never ready to give them up. There are many things I miss about mom, but what I miss the most is sharing my children with her.

Mom at 76  years of age

Some of my best memories of her are of watching her become a grandmother. She absolutely loved my children beyond measure. She spoiled them with trips to her father’s garden   and she loved to take them to our farms. Still my children are very fond of visiting farms whenever they found any opportunity.

My mother was very fond of working in farms. She often used to remember to her trip to her father’s farm on a horse when she was only 11. On that day she was going to fields to give food to the laborers working on their farm. When she was riding on the back of the horse he became a tyranny and rushed fast dropping my mother on the ground. She became unconscious but luckily there was not any injury to her body. After that day my mother hated to ride on horse’s back.

My mom lost her own mom at the age of 11 she always remembers her mom and told us about her life.Some of my best memories of her are of watching her become a grandmother. She absolutely loved my children beyond measure. She spoiled them with trips to her father’s garden and she loved to take them to our farms. Still, my children are very fond of visiting farms whenever they found any opportunity.

My mother was very fond of working in farms. She often used to remember to her trip to her father’s farm on a horse when she was only 11. On that day she was going to fields to give food to the laborers working on their farm. When she was riding on the back of the horse he became the tyranny and rushed fast dropping my mother on the ground. She became unconscious but luckily there was not any injury to her body. After that day my mother hated to ride on horse’s back.

My mom lost her own mom at the age of 11 she always remembers her mom and told us about her lifestyle and habits that were excellent there are a thousand things about my mom to remember. I love my mom and feel sorry for her when sometimes I used to tell her harsh words. Mom, please pardon me for my words that may heart you. 

Although my mom passed away 4 years ago I still think about her almost every day. 

I loved my mom and appreciate her complete commitment to mothering. The things we shared in common were teaching our children to be inquisitive learners, to be resilient and to love our children unconditionally. Thanks, Mom, for everything!

mom at 22 years of age


xoxo

its me with my sitar, nostalgia.

 I BOUGHT THIS SITAR WHEN I WAS IN 11TH CLASS IN FC COLLEGE HISAR, MUSIC WAS MY SUBJECT THEN. I BOUGHT IT FROM DELHI, I GOT IT REPAIRED FROM THE VERY SHOP FROM WHERE I BOUGHT IT...

MOM and me 

 I play sitar since I was in class11, now I’m 66 and in the last 3 years I started to study more seriously and became very interested in matter of instrument maintenance.

my niece

  

There are no real hangers for sitars like there are for guitars, mainly because there is no flange on the head-stock for this type of mounting, and little carelessness make it break ..

With a sitar come many technical challenges that must be mastered in order to keep the instrument in good condition. BUT I AM NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO PRACTISE THIS RULE...... Maintenance requires courage and ritualistic commitment—you will bleed, but you will come away a deeper understanding of what your instrument needs to sound its best. It is an important part of the practice, and will lead to a better understanding of how to achieve the best sound from your instrument.

XOXO

holy Bhagwad-Geeta,Macrame, nostelgiaMessy dinning table

भयाद्रणादुपरतं मंस्यन्ते त्वां महारथा: |
येषां च त्वं बहुमतो भूत्वा यास्यसि लाघवम् || 35||
BG 2.35: The great generals who hold you in high esteem will think that you fled from the battlefield out of fear, and thus will lose their respect for you.
Commentary: Arjun was famous as a mighty warrior and a worthy opponent for even the most valiant of the Kauravas warriors, such as Bheeshma, Dronacharya, Karn, etc. He had attained fame by fighting many celestial gods. He had fought and overwhelmed even Lord Shiv, who had come in the disguise of a hunter. Pleased with his valor and skill, Lord Shiv had rewarded him with a celestial weapon, called Pāshupatāstra. His teacher at archery, Dronacharya, had also bestowed his blessings upon him in the form of a special weapon. Just before the start of the battle, if Arjun were to retire from the battlefield, these gallant warriors wouldn’t know that affection for his relatives had inspired him to flee. They would consider him a coward, and assume that he had abstained from the war in dread of their prowess.


Macrame in leisure 
My daughter visited as on 15th august for Raksha Bandhan, when she came she took on some of the household activities of mine and i used to pursue my hobbies, leisure activities. 

and i made this macrame shelve....

messy dinning table,after grocery shopping,  13/12/2013

Mom  16/12/2013,3:36 PM, on the way from Hisar to Jind 

My kitchen window from where i can see my main gate of the house across the store house  living room and front yard
13/12/2013

My niche, 13/12/2013

xoxo

Nostelgic with knitting

My Knitting History With Mommy

“As I get older, I just prefer to knit. ” ― Tracey Ullman

I used to grab my mommy’s knitting needles and unsuccessfully tried to knit.

One day my friend’s elder sis came to me and caught me doing play with mommy’s needles and she asked me to bring new ball of thread which was there for future use in almirah,and two sticks of our broom, she cut short the broom sticks peel off them to make fine for needles, cast on a bunch of stitches and showed me how to create stitch, teaching me how to knit via the method she acquainted with. I loved making the stitches, excited when I saw my favorite color, blue. I used to take those knitting needles in my bag while going to school and knit during my journey to school in air force coach. The conductor in the coach named Kalish stunned watching me knitting, and told to the coach driver, “see this little is knitting like a lady, how strange!!!”

Later on mommy taught me how to knit when I was 7 years old, due to my grabbing her knitting needles from her knitting bag. we were living at Jamnagar, Gujarat and I was in 3rd standard at Hindi High School there. One day  she took me to the Baniya shop at Air force station campus, bought me a ball of cotton thread that was variegated, three colours, and a set of steel needles pointed at both sides.

Mommy cast on a bunch of stitches for me and showed me how to create a knit stitch, 

teaching me how to knit via the English method. "I'll show you how to purl, 

sweetheart, when you make a knitted scarf," she informed me. I loved making the

 stitches, excited when I saw my favorite color, purple. Once my beginner scarf was 

completed, Mommy showed me how to make stockinette stitch by doing a knit row 

and then a purl row.later in life till now knitting and crocheting are my leisure 

activities.

XOXO.

My Grand Maa,and my Mom

 My mother my aunt at neighbour, my two younger sisters and me with gun in my hand, we all sisters in the 60’s hand sewed frocks, made by my mother and aunt sitting in the picture above..

{Me- with gun in hand – knitting with concentration was my first choice. I learnt to knit first, but I prefer to hook!}

{My Grandmother, the woman instrumental in igniting my passion of the hook!}
With some trepidation, I deliberated on sharing the start of the journey. Within a second of course I knew it had to be shared because not only is it my wish to inspire, but also to encourage. When I was first approached to write Granny Love, last year, you can only imagine my excitement. I was doing a happy dance, and I couldn’t wait to begin. But then, I began to share ‘the news’ with family. My excitement was received by some with just as much enthusiasm, those who believed, but on the flip side some of the initial reactions I received were, it’s a scam (I haven’t heard of any email scams going around about being published), and laughter and sadly some didn’t even care enough to share in the news. So, was I completely crushed, devastated, shocked, absolutely yes! BUT . . .

. . . with absolutely no hesitation, guess what I did the very next day . . . I signed on the dotted line!

XOXO

Sturdy Rug

 Although the rug is made from scraps of fabric tightly spun with spindle and then twisted with two ply and it feels like jute which is known to be a little rough on the feet, these rugs are surprisingly soft and even kinda massage the feet. 

It always sits under my computer table where I used to  sit bare foot. I usually place my feet flat on the rug and stand-up time to time while doing internet.

dropdown spindle

xoxo

Our Hibiscus, china rose

 When we entered this house as the sole owners and trying to collect plants for our front and back yard  I was told( by the plant doctor…yes the gardener in our front park of the locality)  that having a red hibiscus plant growing on your property is considered a sign of   luck in parts of North India and in the Bengal region.  So imagine my disappointment when, these days due to extreme cold near about 3 degree here, our very own red hibiscus plant suffered from a severe attack of this cold and produce very small flowers .

I was   on the hunt for a beautiful bowl, and transformed an olden terracotta bowel embellish it with stones an filled it with water to float the single flower on the plant in it.   Wouldn’t this be fabulous in an entry in our front yard?  

 We people even spent an entire Sunday afternoon painstakingly wiping off each leaf with spraying water   to wash the accumulated dust of the road.  After a month of suspense, our china rose  sprouted its first flower last week – Hooray!

Here is our bathed flower, along with my daughter’s and niece’s favourite dresses – also featuring our beloved flower – a keepsake photo for both of them :

This flower is termed as MANDARA , as is the mythic Mountain Mandara-that was used to to churn the ocean of milk in the Puranic account of Lord Vishnu’s Kurma Avatar.  It is unclear if there is any link between these 2 terms. 

 For my earlier posts on my hibiscus click ..here  ,here  , here    here  ,  and  here             

xxx

Bits from February

...

The utrayana sun of February

my tulsi plant

Despite all the cold and mist and frequent showers , our tulsi is really producing- thanks to the younger branches  now producing  in full force.

My tulsi tea

recently ground multi grain flour

Mom in relaxed mood

Tradition: a birthday cake. My d-in-law turned 25 and I'm not sure how I feel about it.

 I always knew the day would come when I had to get another sofa, our 15-year-old plaid sofa(covers) was showing the wear and tear of two boisterousgirls. And plaid, what on earth was I thinking? Well, I actually bought the sofa all alone without anybodi's inscent in the house, so hadn’t yet experienced the whirlwind of their taste.

Yet, how could I choose another sofa, when my last choice, my Green Velvet Sofa had been so successful, both in my home and for me personally.

Clearly the choice of sofa was always going to be a tough one for me, with the pressure to get it right, to compliment what I already have and yet to look as good in my living room. So, I turned to a sofa choice I'd had before, a Khadi cloth cover, a cotton, but not a traditional one.

I will let you read on to see what you think of my choice....OK

xxoxox