The Girl in Black & Maroon - An October Night in Ahmedabad during Navratri

Its Navratri* season, and Garba* is in the air. The night is abuzz with the excitement of people going out for dancing and having fun with friends and family. And its result - this post right in the middle of my exam season! Its based on a fictional setting describing something that happens a LOT all through the nine nights. A guy and a girl meeting while dancing, sometimes talking to each other, and most of the times, just looking at each other and then moving on. Read on..

Part 1 - Karnavati Club, Ahmedabad. (A famous garba location in Ahmedabad)

He had gone to the Club to soak in the Navratri spirit with friends and get a respite from his busy schedule. They were dancing and enjoying themselves, and he too was trying to dance despite having two left feet. He was also trying his hand, actually feet, at the difficult steps that the others were doing, and having fun till...... Wham! He saw her.. The girl in Black & Maroon!! (She was dressed in an outfit that had those colors and since he did not know her name, he decided to call her that.) He had taken a break and was standing with his friends. A few had gone to get something from the refreshments stall. And she walked by from between the circle that they had formed for dancing. She was leading her grandpa to some other part of the ground. At first he didn't realize how beautiful she was until she walked by, and then it started sinking in.. and he was flattened! She was so pretty!! The way she was dressed.. the way she had eye lined her eyes with kohl.. her flawless skin.. without much make up.. and the way she was taking care of her grandpa!!

He told about her to his friend and they headed in the general direction where she had gone without much hope of seeing her again, since the ground was filled with hundreds of people. But, then they reached this part of the ground where a trained group of dancers was dancing amazingly well and doing stunts. They were surrounded by a lot of amazed onlookers, and to his amazement, one of the onlooker was...the Girl in Black & Maroon! She was standing there with her grandpa, and later he noticed that she was joined by her mother. He and his friend watched the dancers for a while, and when it ended, they all headed for the refreshments stalls, including she and her family.

Part 2 - His home.

Later in the night, he lay on his bed thinking about her. He was fast forgetting the way she looked, because he had seen her for only a few times and that was from a substantial distance, except two times, once when he saw her for the first time when she had passed by him, and the second time when their gazes met while they were looking at the trained garba dancers. He didn't want to forget the way she looked, because this incident was playing over and over in his head... because this was the first time that he, Mr. Shy Guy, had seen a girl he had never seen before, and was actually not scared to try and approach her to talk. But sadly, she was with her parents and he couldn't talk to her.

Their gazes met quite a few times.. when he first saw her, later when they were seeing the dancers, and also during the break near the stalls. But then, he saw that her father looked in his general direction, and he freaked out and left. Later as he sat down with his friends, he noticed that she was gone. And then, he saw her again! She was going back to the part of the ground that was meant to be used for dancing.. but it was only a small fleeting glance........

He kept thinking about her and wishing that he should have talked to her somehow... anyhow... He could have tried...

And all he could do was think, and hope that destiny would make them meet again, like it did that day... someday, somewhere.. The Girl in Black and Maroon might pop out of nowhere.. and dazzle him with her smile!

* Navratri is a nine nights' festival, celebrated in India to thank Goddess Shakti (Hindu Mother Goddess) and her various forms, for her blessings. And Garba is a traditional dance form performed during this festival by the revelers.

Happpppppppy Birthdaaaaaaaay!! :) :)

Some gulab jamuns and rasgullas.. :D

Some motichur ke laddoos.. :P

Some assorted chocolates and cakes.. ;)

And last but not the least.. The cake! :D

Okay, now that we're done with the mouth watering part, i'll come

to the main part of this post.. :P

This post is for one of my bestest buddies.. one who has been

always there for me.. during the smiles and the tears..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Ms. Isha Chawla.. May you have a great

year ahead with ALL your wishes coming true.. :) :)

May you not have to deal with any more 'paidal' stuff!! ;)

Keep flashing that trademark smile.. :) .. alwaysss.. :) :) Forget

the calories for a day and enjoy! :D

Appppieee Budddaaae!! Janamdin ki baut bahut badhai!!

Saal Mubarak!! Janam diyan ji lakh lakh wadhayun!

Joyeux Anniversaire!

(a lesson for your french and a few other language classes! :P) :D :D

PS - In case you're wondering why does the cake have a piece

missing.. ummm.. aaaaa.. what can i say.. it was too irresistable!

lol.. :D

PPS - This post has turned out to seem like less of a birthday wish

and more of a sweet shop advertisement! lol.. :P

THANK YOU from the 'Spring Baby'!! :D

This post goes out to my friend Isha, and all others who made my birthday special. I wanted to write this earlier in this week, but I have my exams coming up soon, and somehow I was not getting the time to write. But, I had to thank Isha for the lovely post she wrote for me on my birthday. Secondly, it is spring, and I did not want to miss this opportunity to write a post on the spring season on a blog called 'Spring Blossoms'. So the motivation to revive my dormant blog was aplenty. :D

So, here goes -

The flowers are blossoming, trees all around are filled with a riot of colors, birds are chirping, and the climate is not as hot as it gets in the peak of summer. In short, its that time of the year which we call 'Spring'!!

The calls of the cuckoo bird (or Koel, as it is known in India), the Gulmohar trees laden with red and yellow flowers, the breeze all through the day, and lots of such 'small' things are making me reminisce. We often ignore all these things all around us as we rush through our lives at break neck speeds. But, I have always had an affinity towards this special time of the year when nature is at its bountiful best. I have been noticing all these small things and smiling all the time, ever since I heard the Cuckoo at 4 am one day, for the first this year. All those memories of my childhood in Ahmedabad are coming back. And, the 'Spring Baby' is happy!

And, all the love and affection shown by my friends and family on my birthday made me even happier. The day ended with me reading that special blog post, and going to bed with a BIG smile on my face. :) :) ... Thank you ALL!! :)

PS - I know I have been away from my blog for a long time, and have not been able to reply to comments out here. I'm extremely apologetic for that, and will be back soon after my exams. :)

The 'Pet' Leopard

The bunch of 10-12 year old kids watched with wide open eyes as the guide put his hand inside the bars of the cage and petted the leopard inside it!! They were scared.... and amazed at the same time. The leopard was behaving as if he was a pet dog!!

The guy (let’s call him Mr. X) turned to the kids and said that it was a wild leopard and none of them should even think of doing what he just did. "He will bite your hand right off!!", he said. The kids gasped!! And Mr. X only smiled. He could see it written in their eyes. They were seeking an explanation, and he was about to tell them one of the biggest truths of life.

“This leopard was badly injured and rejected by his peers when we found him. He was in a bad shape, and everyone thought that he might not live. But, I decided to do something about it. I gave all that I could to the poor animal...medical attention, care, companionship and love. Yes, Love. I gave it to him at a time when he needed it the most. I cared for him when he was down and out, and had lost the desire to live. At first there was not much improvement. But then slowly, he started responding!! He healed and was back to being the ferocious wild animal that he was.” Mr. X said with a smile on his face. “But there was one big difference. He knew who had been there for him in the times when he was down and out. And he remembers that. And that is the reason why he lets me pet him, because he acknowledges the fact that I was there for him when he needed it the most.” His grin grew bigger, and the kids eyes even bigger!!

And one of the kids in that group started a blog called ‘Spring Blossoms’, much later in his life. Me.J

That incident left a life-long impression in my mind, and a lesson I need to remember, but forget repeatedly. The love given by a friend in times of need has the power to tame even a wild animal, leave alone the supposed civilized humans. At times, I forget this while figuring out who my 'friends' are and who are 'the others'.

We might have many ‘friends’, but we fail to realize the difference between friends and acquaintances. The ones, who are there for you when you need them, when you are down and out, are the Friends. The rest, you might want to call them acquaintances or something else, but definitely not friends. I had learnt an important lesson that day – “Be there for your friends, and value those who are there for you when you need them, with your life.”

THANK YOU ALL MY WONDERFUL FRIENDS. YOU ARE MY ANGELS. J (I need not name anyone, because you know it. J)