Mama Flower says “Err..Son..The crazy things I have done
when I was a bud, I am happy that you aren’t multi-colored" This post is written for Friday Fictioneers - 13th Feb 16
Ours is a typical arranged marriage. Our parents surfed and scouted matrimony sites, found us suitable and contacted each other. Then our horoscopes were matched, they matched very well it seems. Our email id's were exchanged. And that's how it started
My version: I initiated the email, yesI was rude and to the point, in fact I sent my first email with pointers (ridiculous ain't it), and his reply was "I feel I am clicking the "I Agree" button on a website. That made me grin & I was at work in Mumbai with a stupid grin pasted on my face. I started liking him on his reply itself. We started chatting, then exchanged numbers. We met. He proposed on his birthday & the morning of the day we were to be engaged He loves to talk, and has a superb sense of humor, (that is some quality I totally love in a man) We are total opposites,
He says:
Mine is a short story because she stole what I wrote and made it her story. I am now left with very little original story to write! Would strongly recommend reading her version first and if you are still jobless continuing with this :) Given that Laziness is a quality in me that I am really proud of, choosing the arranged marriage route and outsourcing the work of finding a girl to my parents was a natural choice. But I had severely underestimated the amount of work required to get a Yes out of a girl (actually it's infinitely more difficult to get a Yes out of her astrologer in the first place). Dee played the role of “hard to get” girl to the T. Can't forget her first mail which had a long list of confusing terms and conditions and an "I agree" button at the end. But my friends, most of whom are married, by now have taught me well - scrolled down directly and hit the "I agree" button and from then started an eventful journey of long distance courtship, Mumbai visits and endless saree shopping (Should have read the terms more carefully)
It's been a fun time discovering each other. We make an odd pair - She is an eternal optimist who is as romantic as a princess out of a Disney movie - breaking in to song and dance sequences just like one of their musicals (albeit the songs are more localized to cater to her Mumbaikar tastes) while me an eternal pessimist having a very dim view about all these things. Should really credit Dee for being understanding and working around my sarcasm and dumb jokes and still managing to love me the way she does! Jokes aside, it’s been one awesome journey yet, one filled with fun, fights, flights and silliness! Over this period, I have had my opinion about Dee change from one with whom I have to grudgingly share my Internet Connection To someone, at the cost of sounding cliched, who I know is a great partner in this journey of life, having fun and growing old together!
Will take a moment now to thank the proud sponsors of our Long Distance Relationship: Whatsapp, Vodafone, Go Air, Various Matrimony websites and the two astrologers who finally agreed on the horoscopes matching! Even this, his version of our relationship made me smile, he still has that effect on me after more than a year “This post is a part of #LoveAndLaughter activity at BlogAdda in association with Caratlane.”
The Elephant God also known as Lord Ganesha or Ganpati in India. He has a very interesting story of how he got an elephant head. His Birth
One day Goddess Parvati was at home
on Mt.Kailash preparing for a bath. As she didn’t want to be disturbed, she
told Nandi, her husband Lord Shiva’s Bull, to guard the door and let no one pass.
Nandi faithfully took his post, intending to carry out Parvati’s wishes. But,
when Shiva came home and naturally wanted to come inside, Nandi had to let him
pass, being loyal first to Shiva. Parvati was annoyed that no one was that fiercly loyal to her. So she made a little baby structure with the turmeric paste that she used for bathing and put life into it and made it her son and named him Ganesh
The next time Parvati went for her bath, she posted Ganesha on guard duty at the door while Shiva was out. On Lord Shiva's return he saw this strange boy sitting at the door and not allowing him to go inside his own house.They little boy showed extreme strength & intelligence to not allow Lord Shiva inside.
Lord Shiva the lost his cool and in his divine fury severed Ganesha’s
head, killing him instantly. When Parvati learned of this, she was inconsolable to have lost her son. Soon her grief turned into anger and she decided to destroy the entire Creation!
Lord Brahma,
being the Creator, naturally had his issues with this, and pleaded that she
reconsider her drastic plan. She said she would, but only if two conditions
were met: one, that Ganesha be brought back to life, and two, that he be
forever worshiped before all the other gods.
Shiva, having cooled down by this time, and realizing his mistake,
agreed to Parvati’s conditions. He sent Brahma out with orders to bring back
the head of the first creature he crosses that is laying with its head facing
North. Brahma soon returned with the head of a strong and powerful elephant,
which Shiva placed onto Ganesha’s body. Breathing new life into him, he
declared Ganesha to be his own son as well, and gave him the status of being
foremost among the gods, and leader of all the ganas (classes of beings),
Ganapati.
The Ganesh festival known as Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated beautifully in Maharashtra, where people bring idols and offer prayers for 10 days, and on the 10th day then do a "visarjan" in running waters.
People chant "Ganpati Bappa Morya" and sing a special "aarti" (welcome song) and dance to dhols on the streets to welcome him
The orange dhol video is Ganpati Visarjan in Pune
The video below it is called the "Ganpati dance" famous in Mumbai
For me Lord Ganesha's story has always been intruding & Ganesh Chaturthi by far is my favorite festival.
There is a good side & a bad side of everyone. People out there have seen a stupid, silly, dumb, mean me. Not many people know that there is a side of me which sympathizes with people who feel like committing suicide.
Because I have been through the feeling of being alone, having no hope, losing all what you had, all what you have worked for in the matter of seconds.
The feeling when you just want to end life, thinking that is what is the answer for all the problems.
Then, I started a blog and had something to pour out my feelings to.
Now, Im successful, happy, loved by everyone.
Not all are as lucky as I am.
People try to kill themselves for gravest reasons to reasons as silly as "not able to see their favorite TV channel"
Nobody knows that I am a volunteer at the anti-suicide helpline & I work in a different identity.
It feels good when after months or years you get an email from someone whom you spoke to, thanking you for stopping them from killing themselves.
Its been more than 3 years, that I have stopped my "helpline" work. But, when I did, it gave me an immese satisfaction.
The feeling you get, to bring smile to a stranger who doesn't know who you are is priceless
So, there is this new kid at work. She is around 21, fresh out of college but is still in college in her head.
She apparently doesn't know that I am a Mrs for more than a year now, so during lunch she asks me "What are you doing for the Valentine week? Am sure you must be dating someone"
With mouthful of food and in no position to reply, I just nod
And she goes on "First its is Rose day, I have to buy a pink rose, I don't want to be too obvious. I hope I get a red Then its Propose day, I hope he knows that, I am so excited Then I expect him to buy me a Ferrero Rocher on Chocolate Day And I have seen this but brown teddy in the mall, I will take him there on Teddy Day Then I will promise to never ever ever leave him on Promise Day Oh my God & I will properly hug him on Hug Day Then na, eeeeeee, we will kiss on Kiss day yaay Then its Valentines Day. I have got a new red dress. I am sure he will love it."
I am like What? Do people even follow this crap so seriously?
Then I interpret in the crudest manner possible
1st he gives you rose & pataos you
Then he proposes you
Then he feeds you chocolates & gives you teddies gifts to pamper yo
Then he fakes a "I will never leave you baby, plomish"
Then he gets his chance, he kisses you
Then kiss turns into something and you guys get laid on Valentine's Day.
I think I interpreted it well. I am not sure why she had that pissed off look on her all day after lunch?
When he is sad, he gets drunk
When he is drunk, he gets tearful
When he gets tearful, he rants his heart out
After he rants his heart out, he wants to walk
When he wants to walk, his steps are unsteady
When his steps are unsteady, he invariably falls on the abrasive side road and hurts himself
D this alphabet is special to me.
Why?
Because my name starts with D
My pseudo name is DeeDee & my real name is Deepa.
Its an Indian name. It means light, or a lit up earthen lamp that lightens up a place in Sanskrit
Indian festival of lights Diwali is also called as Deepawali.
Apparently, this is how my name "Deepa" is written in the sign language
PC: locatemyname.com
दीपा in Hindi ディーパ in Japanese This post is written for ABCW - D
I was rude and to the point, in fact I sent my first email with pointers (ridiculous ain't it), and his reply was "I feel I am clicking the "I Agree" button on a website. That made me grin & I was at work in Mumbai with a stupid grin pasted on my face. I started liking him on his reply itself.
Will take a moment now to thank the proud sponsors of our Long Distance Relationship: Whatsapp, Vodafone, Go Air, Various Matrimony websites and the two astrologers who finally agreed on the horoscopes matching!
Shiva, having cooled down by this time, and realizing his mistake,
agreed to Parvati’s conditions. He sent Brahma out with orders to bring back
the head of the first creature he crosses that is laying with its head facing
North. Brahma soon returned with the head of a strong and powerful elephant,
which Shiva placed onto Ganesha’s body. Breathing new life into him, he
declared Ganesha to be his own son as well, and gave him the status of being
foremost among the gods, and leader of all the ganas (classes of beings),
Ganapati.
