Befuddled?

 

What a week and what a day!And there’s still one more day to go before it’s weekend at my end.

I still cannot decide if I should be mulling over all the things that needed to be done in the past week but are nowhere near being even started or just be glad of that one thing that I got done that really really needed doing for the last couple of weeks. Be mourning the ‘death of humanity’ as I experienced it, should lose my sleep over someone so obviously obnoxious or be proud I ‘successfully tolerated him’ for a friend’s sake. Be anxious about my long ‘to do list’ for tomorrow or just appreciate the little joys I found along the way….

And if I have managed to sound ever so confused and befuddled, it would be because my brain says it’s ‘Out Cold’ and my heart wouldn’t let me sleep in peace till I have vented it out.

Well, come hale or hell-fire, I know one thing for sure…..I can never be thankful enough for the three wet noses and the three eagerly wagging tails that invariably are at the door every single time I return home, making light every burden that I might have brought back-packing!!

 

 

‘Touch Wood’

 

 

Technorati Tags: Photography,Joy of living,Dogs,Man's best friend

A lovely bit of theater…

 

 



 

 



 

 

Finally, last weekend we made it to this magnificent play ‘Lal Quile ki Aakhri Mushaira’.

 

( Lal Quila – Red Fort in Old Delhi.

Aakhri – last

Mushaiera - Pronunciation: /mʊˈʃʌɪərə/

noun. An evening social gathering at which Urdu poetry is read, typically taking the form of a contest.)

 



 

 

I say magnificent because the first thing that strikes you, right from scene one, is the simple yet regal costumes. The set and aura of the performers added to the beauty.

’Lal Quile ki Aakhri Mushaira’ is a beautifully witty depiction on stage of the last ‘mushaiera in the last Moghul emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar’s court before the Sepoy Mutiny of 1847 happened.

(Sepoy Mutiny, also considered the first fight in the long struggle for India’s independence saw over 300 soldiers marching down to the Red Fort from Meerut to declare independence from the British East India Company- the small trading company that had managed to colonize India taking advantage of the constant internal rifts between numerous small kingdoms that the vast sub-continent was by now divided into.

The Sepoys (soldiers) declared Bahadur Shah Zafar the Sovereign of India and rallied under his banner. This was also accompanied by uprisings at many other places all over India.

The East India company however managed to squash the uprising, exiled the 82 year old emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar to Burma and thus brought the illustrious Moghul rule in India to an end. His sons were ruthlessly killed at a gate now a monument of tourist attraction in old Delhi called ‘Khuni Darwaja’ or the Bloodied gate. The administration of India was thereafter directly transferred to the throne of England. 

 

The illustrious Moghul empire in India was already weakened by a series of incompetent rulers by the time Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar inherited it. The British East India Company had taken over substantial administration of Delhi and allowed Bahadur Shah Zafar to maintain a small army within the confines of the Red Fort. His rule did not extend much beyond the ramparts of the fort.

 



An ardent Urdu poet, the emperor wrote under the Nom-de-plume ‘Zafar’. His court offered every encouragement necessary to nourish Urdu poetry and often hosted poetic congregations comprising of some of the most treasured names in Urdu poetry – Zauq, Daagh, Mirza Ghalib, Momin and Munshi Tishna.

This play was a delight to watch as it brought to life the witty interactions and inter-personal relationships of these great poets in addition to presenting some beautiful poetry. Even for someone like me who is not fluently proficient in Urdu, the play proved mesmerizing  due to the wit and aura (that kept kept effortlessly changing from funny to witty to soulful to melancholy) on stage.

 



 

( Delhi based Pierrot’s Troupe is often termed the least pronounceable yet most pronounced theatre group in Delhi! Tom Alter, who plays Bahadur Shah Zafar is the star performer and chief attraction along with the witty and charming playwright and director Dr. M. Sayeed Alam )

 

 

Technorati Tags: Lal Quile ki Aakhri Mushaiera,Tom Alter,Pierrot's troupe,Theatre,Delhi,Epicentre,Gurgaon,Momin,Daagh,Mirza Ghalib,Urdu poetry,Sepoy Mutiny,Bahadur Shah Zafar,East india Company

Sort of Philosophizing….

Post Independence day blues…
It was all very nice to feel glorious on D day, flaunt the flag, eat, sing, be merry, shop, dance and generally be joyous but when you read the monochrome newsprint in between the vibrant greetings in national colours and the huge bold print advertisements of tempting sales in a myriad stores, you are once again reminded of how much India still has to achieve after 66 years of independence…
Scams in both politics and sports, unbelievable news of racial discrimination in a secular republic ( a shopping mall in Ahmedabad apparently collected entry fees from Muslim patrons on Eid!) , gender discrimination that even an IAS officer can’t seem to escape, almost non-existent animal protection law, relentless border tensions with Pakistan,  and even as we celebrated our freedom yesterday 18 Navy men remained missing while rescue personnel failed to enter the sunken submarine in Colaba naval dock.
Generally speaking, I am politically aware but not politically inclined. I take the effort to read the papers but choose to linger and think more about the life-style and living supplements. Somehow, I believe there is nothing that can be resolved by positive thinking. An outright ‘half full glass’ person!
Which is why I am assuming it is the weather that is getting to me. I’m at home today and normally this would be reason enough for me to be happy! But the world outside has been a gloomy shade of grey since morning like those end of the world movies and the newspaper seemed to make it all the more ominous!
Must go do something to get a hang of things. There’s this painting I‘d stopped working on a long time ago. If I could get myself to get the paint and brushes out and sorted, I’d like to work on it again. But since I do not have a magic wand like everyone in Harry Potter’s world, I will need to get the things out myself, dust and set them and it just seems too much of an effort right now. Then again, there’s this cushion cover I was stitching which remains half done. But the same magic wand theory applies here!!
Somehow picking up a book and drifting off to sleep seems much more appealing!!! After all I will need to do justice to all those marvelous books I picked up last week in yet another season clearance sale. Besides the fact that if you want to snap out of the gloom engulfing you, you need to follow your therapist’s advice and right now my three therapists are…errr…recharging!!

The book that I’ve chosen? ‘BUDDHISM for SHEEP’ by Chris Riddell.This one is seriously set to make you ponder.....

P.S.: It was lying on my bed-stand so I could manage without the wand!

Technorati Tags: 15 August 2013,India,Buddhism for Sheep,Books,Hobbies,Life

Happy Barkday, daddy!

 

Today was Daddy’s birthday and much as we would have loved for him to stay at home, he couldn’t get an off from work.

But guess what’s the best thing about daddy’s birthday? Even if he can’t get an off from work, the whole country gears up to celebrate it the next day! And we even get a National Holiday to go celebrate as we wish to!

Tomorrow is Independence day! And though Daddy spent his birthday at work today we are planning to do some of his favorite things tomorrow.

We are glad that he enjoyed whatever we arranged for him today so he would have something special on his special day….a basket full of flowers that we could all eat ( he is like the HUGEST foodie we know!), a special dinner from his favorite restaurant and two designer ties.

And no, the ties aren’t edible!!! But he liked them anyway!

 

 

 

 

HAPPY BARKDAY, Daddy.

One last Barkday wag n lick from each of us once again before we sign off for the night,

We LOVE you heaps,

 

Ginger, Buddy and Shadow

 

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Daddy's birthday,Cake,Slice of Italy,Designer cakes,Delhi

‘Smiley Smile’ with Joy…

 

“Joy is to fun what the deep sea is to a puddle. It’s a feeling inside that can hardly be contained.”

― Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky

 

 

 

Another picture from the time Ricky had come visiting. We especially like how Ricky smiles a pawfect  ‘Smiley smile ‘ !!!

Hope you all have a great start to the week ahead. Loads of excitement is in store for us this week with Daddy’s birthday and Independence day coming up. Shall try and keep you posted.

Gotta go now. It’s past midnight and if we want to see off Mum n Dad to work on time tomorrow morning, we need to go sleep.

 

 

Goody nite,

Ginger, Buddy and Shadow

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Ricky,Delhi,Friends,Family,Photography,Smiley smile

 

Taking a leaf out of….

 

…..Mooch’s book.

 

 

For all intents and purposes, felines are simply not our type. But in Mooch’s case, we make an exception. He seems like a good kid  - silly sometimes but good.  ( If u don’t know Mooch you can read about him and his friend Earl – a dog!!- at Mutt Comics)

And today he was really bang on!

Looking up at the sky you would think we lived in the Scottish highlands, the way it has been persistently raining for the last three days!! However, the scenery around here isn’t as appealing….there are far too many buildings and noisy cars and busy people here in Delhi instead of the lovely Scottish castles and hills and greenery.

Only the rain pours down as heavily and persistently, and the skies are dark and overcast!!

 

Ginger went off to sleep even while she was waiting to be dried after her bath (of course she had to get up and re-sleep later)  and Buddy immediately after breakfast, even before we saw Mummy and Daddy off to work!!

 

 

 

It was entirely upon me to make sure the perimeter was secure - the pigeons cooing outside shooed away, the noisy maid at the next door neighbor’s scared away with a sharp rebuke, the fluttering curtains and the open windows checked, just in case.

Once satisfied, I settled down for yet another conversation with Mr. Lizard who likes to hang out high up on the ceiling. His half hearted attempts at getting down to the floor doesn’t amuse me at all. I wish he would muster up the courage and come play with me. I mean, I am not some lizard slayer or something.

But like always, he persisted in his antics tirelessly. Sometimes I suspect he likes teasing me.

Anyway, enough was enough!

It was too good a day to waste. So I thought of Mooch and finally fell asleep.

 

 

 

ZZZZZzzzz,

Shadow

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Shadow,Mutt Comics,Mooch,Cartoon strip,Rains,Delhi,Monsoon

Left to imagination…..

 

 

‘But unlike the passivity of dreams it demands the active participation of the individual. The images which arise may be elaborated  through artistic and self expressive mediums such as painting….’

Or photography…my preferred medium these days.

 

Ginger is a particularly difficult subject to photograph!!

She had decided very early on in life that she hates the camera. There she’d be all animated and happy and sprightly, and the moment the camera is out, she’d clamp up and withdraw. She knows exactly where I keep my camera and irrespective of why I happen to open that particular drawer, she’d immediately start sulking!

 

My precious girl - so beautiful, so expressive with her speaking eyes, wrinkles on her face changing from perpendicular to horizontal with changing emotions I’ve long learned to recognize, the significant tilts of her head…I always struggle to capture these without much success. Thousands of Ginger’s pictures that I have on my computer are those of a sad, sulking pup shying away from the lenses.

But I’m learning! Learning to trick her out of her shyness and get a shot of her lovely adorable expressions!

I had tricked her into posing for this shot too! We had only just come back from a long walk in the park. There she was – bathed, brushed and dried- just settling in for dinner and I subtly focused the camera, all the time telling her we were going for a drive. She immediately sat up intrigued forgetting all about the camera pointing at her, unsure she’d heard right, trying to judge if I was actually seriously contemplating going for a drive once again!!

And I got my shot! HA!!

I know for sure this same trick isn’t going to work again so I might as well think start of something equally intriguing (for Ginger) next time!

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: Photography,Ginger,India,Animal photography