Of PJ Tales....and Crazy Cousins :)

May photo a day challenge

I think of PJs and ......FLASHBACKS!!

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It's past 2:00 AM, all of us cousins, aged between 6-10 years, are jumping up and down the bed, in our colourful PJs, playing pillow fight :) We've just finished our third bowl of choco-chip ice cream and are all pumped up!! Our Moms and Aunts are dreading the mess that'll greet them in the morning but unable to control the excited bunch, have just retired to the other room!!

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We are in our tender teens...wearing the VJ inspired PJs(those days VJs of MTV and Channel V were the talk of the town!!), we are discussing in hushed tones, our new crush in school, the subject we flunked in, cracking silly jokes and laughing insanely till the wee hours of dawn!!

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Yawn!! We are tired but just not ready for the day to end. It's my wedding tomorrow :) and after years, all of us cousins are together again!! Passing on the only DEAR beer bottle around (this was the last bottle in the fridge...soon we would be moving on to some stronger stuff ;)) we are debating on who is going to be the next one to get hitched!! Teasing each other, humming an old tune, grinning  at Life's inevitables....we're still the same excited bunch of cousins....just our PJs have grown in size!!

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Change

Marriage ~ Change

Marriage brings about a change not only in the lives of the two individuals tying the knot; but also for both the families. Change is good only when it comes out of Love & Respect, BUT not out of expectations and assumptions of tradition, culture & society!!

A part of the May photo a day challenge

I Care about a Better Tomorrow

I Care about a Better Tomorrow........one where all individuals can harmoniously coexist!!

A part of the May Photo A Day Challenge

Take a Moment, Life Said...

Take a Moment, Life Said....

Pause & Look, as you gently tread,

From darkness to Light

Just breathe in the sights

Take a Moment, Life Said

Take a Moment to be Happy, Gracious & Kind

Life is too short, to be looking behind

Push away these worries from your pretty head

Just smile & laugh at them instead

Take a Moment & look around

See the beautiful lotus in the muddy pond

Million stars shining brightly in the night sky

Let it hypnotize, Let it give you a High

Take a Moment, Life Said....

Let go, take my hand & enjoy being lead

Dance with me, Sway with me...Don't be uptight

Just believe, even the gloomiest days will turn out bright

Take a moment, Life Said

Light....

Light is the essence of Life!!

A part of the May Photo A Day Challenge

My Favourite View - Sunset!!

SUNSETS are my favourite time of the day!! Enjoying a cup of coffee as the sun goes down, one gets time to reflect on the day that has gone by...

This picture clicked almost a year back on a trip to the quaint and serene hill station Dalhousie (Himachal Pradesh, India) is one of my precious ones!!

A part of the May Photo A Day Challenge

I want to Rise....

18. I WANT to Rise .......Rise above all the pettiness, grudges, ego and hate all around and become a more loving and forgiving person each day!!

A part of the May Photo A Day Challenge

Turning Stones into Gems

Today, as I stood in this quaint and beautiful store at Sab Mall Noida, a haven to a rare collection of gems and crystals, I overheard the gentleman at the counter, speak to a fellow customer, mentioning his hometown as Lucknow, locality as Nirala nagar, and the house no. the next to where I grew up...I stood rooted for a moment. I couldn't believe he was one of those boys, our next door neighbour!! !! I waited until he was free and approached him with a knowing smile, "Hi, I couldn't help but hear you say that you're from Lucknow, are you one of the Maheshwaris?” After a series of excited and animated exchange of notes, of bonding over the old times and fond memories of our locale, a feeling of enormous respect and admiration encompassed me. 

Desh Maheswari, sixth in a family of eight brothers has come a long way from those days of selling malas. I vividly remember how all the eight brothers along with their docile mother, diligently, religiously, strung beads into a thread and sold these in the neighbouring houses. Day in and day out, this was their routine after school, their sole source of income. We sisters, found these boys a little strange. We never saw them outside their homes playing gully cricket or kanchas, like the other boys. Introvert and shy, we had minimal interaction then. So I was surprised when he inquired, “Are you the eldest of the three sisters? I always admired how your parents gave you three the best of education and led an exemplary life themselves.” Even as I responded to all his queries, I realised how he cared and knew quite a bit about our lives, whereas all we knew about them came from hearsay. Looking at him today, I realise Life is a Teacher in itself, providing much more valuable lessons than what textbook/school education can. 

As I look around his shop, which is incidently named after him, I could sense the sweat and the blood that he has shed to get to where he is today. The shop, though small in area, was well organized with an array of alluring gemstones in various shapes, strung out to form beautiful pieces of jewellery, each of which had its own merit and purpose, as explained to me by Desh. Agate, Amethyst, Tiger eye, Citrine, Moonstone – he could count off so many from the top of his head with a detailed explanation of their properties too!

A short while into our conversation, I see Desh, pulling out a file from his drawer, "Did you ever hear about my short acting stint?” he asked with a glint in his eyes. I recalled there was a rumour that one of the boys had gone to Mumbai to try his luck as an actor. Curious and bemused now more than ever, I glanced at the file he had taken out. It contained numerous cuttings from old magazines and newspapers. "I gave my first screen test in 1973" he said boyishly. This day was turning out to be quite thrilling. I resisted the urge to call up my Mom and elder sister to share all this and concentrated on what Desh was telling. He had acted as a child/teen actor in Hindi films Badla, Jagriti, Khoon Pasina and many more.

 

From the movie 'Jagriti'

From the movie 'Jeena Yahan'

From the movie 'Khoon Pasina'

"Wow, so how did this journey from an actor to a jeweller come about?” I asked.

"Sister, one has to come back to one's nest sooner or later. Since when I was a kid I had this fire in me to become something, to become Dhanwaan. That was the reason I was tempted to the’ Celluloid Capital of India’, and although I had bagged a few roles in small time films, yet there was no certainty in that line. So I moved to Delhi, to do what I knew best, threading beads to make simple jewellery, though now the beads had been replaced by precious stones. I gained knowledge about Gemology, healing stones, crystals and the lot. The more I studied about this filed the more it fascinated and intrigued me”.

There is so much positive energy about him. It is all in the stones, Desh points out. "I started this shop in 2002, to introduce people to the power of healing stones and how this can help achieve physical and mental peace". With an experience of about forty years now, Desh has an infallible and unfaltering knowledge about natural healing and the inherent ability within each individual to self-heal themselves using their natural environment. Just being with him for a few hours, listening to his life journey one feels inspired, motivated and empowered to seek ones true God given purpose and not waste away the precious time that one has in hand.

                                                                                                

Over a cup of tea we discussed about our children and families and I picked up a couple of elegant pieces of jewellery. The very next day when I wore one to school, I had no idea that there would be quite a few of my colleagues making a bee line to this

amazing store of gems.

Now, with a clientele which includes the rich and famous, and a business that is fast expanding worldwide, I marvel at how grounded this man still is. Not blinded by success, deep rooted in his culture, humble at heart – this entrepreneur has a long way to go.

(Image source: Google and www.deshmaheshwari.com)

I wish to get my story published in Chicken Soup for the Indian Entrepreneurs Soul in association with BlogAdda.com