Good Morning Everybody!

Its the last day of the week before the weekend and I bet you’re looking forward to it. Who doesn’t? O.k. maybe there are some workaholics out there who aren’t, but I’m sure none of them have the time to read my blog. So they don’t count.

With the cool clime still on in Mumbai, I’m grateful for each moment. While those on the other side of the world are awaiting warm summers, we here are definitely not. Winter here is like Spring on the other side. Clear skies and salubrious sun-shine. Nobody’s shedding a tear…not even the trees. The fallen leaves that lie on the pavement are those that have aged. One look at the street dogs and you know the sunniest corner. They basking in the warm rays and I cannot help but think, whoever coined the term, ‘It’s a dog’s life’ to mean being miserable and hungry must see the dogs in this area. The community is filled with canine lovers who come around with treats everyday for them. And if for any reason, they don’t, the nearby restaurants are only happy to throw in some left-overs; so everybody’s happy before the day is done and the lights are shut. In fact, one thing that has changed for me and the kids over the last 6 months, is that we’ve lost our fear of street dogs. Not because we had to, to survive but because dogs here mind their own business. Something about the city… that allows everybody to be.

As I sit at my table writing today, I feel a little more settled…just like I felt 6 months ago before I moved to this city.

I have moved around with my lap-top during the last 180 days in search of the right place, somehow never feeling completely satisfied. At times it was the internet that was the problem and at times it was the sun- so hot making me feel like I was in the sauna and at times the place just didn’t feel right. Remember Goldilocks and the 3 bears story? Well, I was Goldilocks and I was in search of a writing place.

180 days later I’ve finally found ‘The spot’, where I hope my creative juices shall spill over. : not too sunny, not too cold, with a great view. ‘The spot’ as I’d like to call it, is none other than my daughter’s study table which I am free to use while she’s at school; as long as I take my stuff out before she gets home (that is the T&C) . This has not happened on the last 2 occasions that I used the desk and is the cause of a spell of ranting in the evening. If I am careful enough to clear the table by the time my little one gets home, we should be able to live together in harmony without ‘The Spot’ becoming the bone of contention.

You may wonder what’s so special about the writing area that has ended the 6 month writing crisis I had. Well, the table rests alongside a window which in itself played a huge role in selecting ‘The Spot,’ for the claustrophobic in me likes open spaces. From this half-French window (takes up the enter wall width-wise and half the wall length-wise), one can see a grove of trees on the left, a glimpse of the sparkling lake and the dull outline of the mountains beyond. On the right, one can see the top of the buildings built in Greek style, with pillars on the top floors and a dome on the roof-top. While these high-rise buildings exist, they don’t encroach, allowing me a clear view of the vast sky from where I sit. And this gives me peace.

So, while the grey clouds of 2018 continue to weigh heavily on our sky, we have learnt to find a way to live with them without being sucked into their vortex. I am not saying I’ve learnt the art of remaining unaffected. I haven’t. I am not a yogi. But life’s teaching me and I know it will continue doing so, until I learn. It feels like I returned to Mumbai to learn what somehow all these years and all the world could not teach me. After-all it is my home-land, the place where I took my first breath!

In the meantime, I have completed 2 Phad paintings as part of my art journey. Phad paintings are a form of folk art from Rajasthan, India. The paintings tell a story. The paintings would be made on a scroll and unrolled after sunset when all the village folk would gather for the performance or telling of the story using the painting. ‘Phad’ means ‘fold’ in the local dialect of Rajasthan.

For any more information on Phad paintings, you can check out Phad Art

And with this, I am signing off for today.

Have a wonderful weekend readers:)

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