Mumbai has many things to offer from street food to expensive international cuisine, cheap imitation to brand items and what not. Among many attractions is Marine Drive. Evenings find people from all walks of life strolling hand in hand in the company of swaying palm trees, drinking the coconut water and  enjoying the fresh air and view of the setting sun.

Marine Drive or Queen’s Necklace is a 3-kilometre-long boulevard in Southern Mumbai. It is over reclaimed land facing west-south-west along the natural bay of the Arabian Sea. Marine Drive is a ‘C’ shaped concrete road along the coast. At night looking down from some elevated place the street lights look like shining pearls of a necklace and hence the name Queen’s Necklace. Post British era the official name was changed to Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Road which however is rarely used.

The city has always fascinated me with the never-say-die attitude of its populace. Looking down from an aircraft window its size overwhelms me……

And the night view( this Photo courtesy Google images):

Most of the times a picture is clicked of the things which give joy and pleasure to us. We do not take pictures of things which cause pain and become reminders of regret later. However while clicking many shots of my daughter in this attire, three years back we accidentally clicked this photograph too.

It so happened that after dressing her up in  a traditional attire we wanted to keep her innocent looks through photographs. She however had other plans and was not ready to pose and bent upon taking out the dress. I got little annoyed and scolded her for not listening to us. Poor little one stood there then and we started taking her pics but this first photograph made us stop in tracks……We wanted her laughing and smiling and not like this. I regret spoiling the moment for her.

However after some time we both cheered her up and did all the fooling around which she wanted us to do and finally the day ended with some really nice photographs of her.

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That was our conversation two days back.  And since last few years the conversation has almost been same, the only difference being the number of years in the last dialogue!

“You know I love you”…..I kept thinking about this and realized that over the last few years both of us have not said the three most important words very often! Both of us just know that love hasn’t vanished……it is there!

Many relationship gurus have emphasized on professing one’s love for the partner for a stronger bond. I do not completely agree with that though. I believe that actions speak louder than words. May be both of us do not actually say the three magic words aloud but the little things we do for each other are proof enough.

The other night I got stung by a scorpion and my right hand was burning with pain. After dropping our sleepy daughter at a friend’s place, he sat there all night by my side in clinic rubbing my itching palm. He had his work the next day but he kept awake chatting and stroking my head. By the time my pain and itching subsided it was well past midnight. Is this love or what?

He is fond of various cakes, pizzas and pastas that I bake. He even boasts of my skills among his friends (now that’s a different story altogether when couple of his friends decide to turn up unannounced to taste my baked stuff and I have to slog in the kitchen). But its him who swells up in pride when his friends compliment me on my cooking. That too is love…

He knows I love flowers but he always forgets to buy flowers for the vase in bedroom but lands up at my workplace with a red rose. He at times cooks food so that I could rest…He feels bad if I cry…. Isn’t this love?

He doesn’t read my blog posts but he brags to his friends about my writing abilities….He even tried his hand at this montage for the blog post. Of course this is love!! (Another previous post; a poem that I wrote is  my take on our love http://shomabhagwat.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/love-is/)

So do we need one day for saying ” I love you” ? I guess not, because everyday is a day to love……Its only one life that God has given us, why waste it in ego tantrums, scathing words or silly squabbles? Why say “I love you” on Valentine’s Day …Why not make each day mean it?

Oh! Yeah! Maybe its good way to make him buy some really nice gift for me…. So cheers to St. Valentine and a Happy Valentine’s Day to all….May there be love and peace in whole world!

 Forget your worries …..come play with me!!

If only humans were as emotionally secure as animals then they would also have been always as ready to enjoy as him. Our dog is always ready to play irrespective of hunger, cold weather, torrential rains …..anything, ‘coz he wants only love and love and love.

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I too am imagining myself on a blog award ceremony blowing away kisses and wiping the tears of joy just like the beauty pageantry girls “oohing and aahing” and thanking away the whole world!

As other blog awards have some rules so does this one. The rules of this award are:

• If you are nominated, you’ve been awarded the Versatile Blogger award.
•  Thank the person who gave you this award. That’s common courtesy.
•  Include a link to their blog.
• Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly and nominate them.
• Finally, tell the person who nominated you 7 things about yourself.

So now it is my turn to tell 7 things about me. Umm…. I guess now I can take this opportunity to list those things about me which are generally not entertained if mentioned in a resume’!! Here goes:

1. I tend to trust anybody and everybody….
2. And because I do that….I get hurt emotionally too often.
3. I am bad at sugar-coating my words!
4. Yep! I am too honest (I don’t regret that) but it sometimes turns people against me..
5. I am a dreamer and I dream of a pure and ideal world with malice towards none.
6. I am hopelessly in love with my husband who is the only guy I ever dated !
7. I secretly wish to be a famous published author some day.

There I have let out all my weaknesses and there is no turning back now….. And now I have to pass on this award to all those blogs that I recently come across and the ones I have been a regular visitor to. There are many others but they have already been awarded this award. Here are some of my favorites:

http://eof737.wordpress.com/

http://rutheh.wordpress.com/

http://yobynos.wordpress.com/

anidealistthinker.wordpress.com

sonalidalal.wordpress.com

http://ceceliafutch.wordpress.com

http://directionallyimpaired.wordpress.com/

http://nilaewhite.wordpress.com/

http://cardinalguzman.wordpress.com/

http://lucidgypsy.wordpress.com/

http://northernnarratives.wordpress.com

http://radicalamazement.wordpress.com

http://passion2read.wordpress.com/

http://bluegrassnotes.wordpress.com/

http://aditimitra.wordpress.com

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Hopeful of finding enough food to take back home and feed the hungry mouths..

She carries a tired child tied on her back hoping to give some rest to the little feet and waits hopefully for a ride home…..

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Each one of us has so many dreams for ourselves and for our kids…..Its hope which gives us strength to face the numerous challenges that life throws at us. World today is divided over religion, color, beliefs, territory, caste, financial status and what not. The only thing that is common in people world over is Hope. Hope to have love, success, fame, happiness and peace. Yes, Hope does unite all of us globally!!

I have hopes to provide a secure and happy future for my daughter, to grow old and walk hand in hand with my beloved husband, to look after the needs of my aging parents and of course to be read and appreciated!!

Thanks to Connie Wayne ( http://ahopefortoday.com) and the Island Traveler( http://thismansjourney.net ) who generously gifted this award to me and made my hopes of being read and appreciated a reality. Such appreciation inspires people to spread love and hope to others too….

So, what exactly is this HUG award?

This award is for all those who desire to spread Hopes for Love, Freedom, Peace, Equality, Unity, Joy, Happiness, Compassion, Mercy, Faith, Wholeness,Wellness, Prosperity and Oneness through their words or actions.

And the rules that go with the nominations:

1.  If you receive a HUG Award©, you may nominate others who also meet the guidelines for the award.

2.  Nominees may only receive the HUG Award© one time.

3.  You may nominate as many people, websites, or blogs as you want to nominate to receive the award.

4. Upon receipt of the award, you nominate at least one other person.  The award is also not time limited, so you can nominate new people or sites you encounter in the future.

5. You contact your nominees and tell them that you have nominated them for the  HUG Award©.  AND…

6.  Please link this page:  When you contact your nominees for the award, please include a link to this page,http://ahopefortoday.com/2012/01/14/hope-unites-globally-hug-award-guidelines/, so they will have the same information you received about the award.  Then, they also can perpetuate the award by nominating others.  AND…

7.  Please post a comment on this page athttp://ahopefortoday.com/2012/01/14/hope-unites-globally-hug-award-guidelines/ 

8.  You may print a copy of the HUG Award© Guidelines for people you nominate, who do not have a website, blog, or social media account to which they can paste award and Guidelines.  If they have email, you may email them a copy of the original HUG Award© and original Hug Award©Guidelines.

Please visit http://ahopefortoday.com/2012/01/14/hope-unites-globally-hug-award-guidelines/ for more details.

And for those who receive this award; keep up the good word! Thanks for making this world a better place and keeping HOPE afloat! My hugs go to:

http://maggiephotgraphy.wordpress.com/

http://insidethemindofisadora.wordpress.com

http://rutheh.wordpress.com

http://lifebydmagdalene.wordpress.com/

http://melonpops.wordpress.com/

and many more but the Island Traveler( http://thismansjourney.net/)has given almost the same list!I would like to agree with him there and give a hug back. Thanks!!

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Simplicity is a way of life and more often our life is not so simple or it is us who make our life complicated and difficult.  Almost all relationships are bit complicated. Family, friends, co-workers all have this veneer which we define as social behavior. If only we were simply truthful in all of our words and actions would the world be a different place? Would there be less hatred and destruction?

The world of kids is much more simple. Kids do fight but they forgive and forget with the same speed and start their play again. They do not hold any long time grudge and do not have ego problems like the adults. They find something cheerful even at hardest times. And it is because of this simple philosophy ” Mommy,he said sorry to me and now we are friends again” that the kids are beautiful…..simply beautiful!!

Simply Shy

Simply cheerful even in extreme cold

As per the biological classification we are animals too…social animals that we like to call ourselves! God gave the humans more brains than any other animal but we forgot to hold on to the most important emotion and let love slip away. If only we were more like the “uneducated animals” we would have simply loved each other without expectations. We would have had fun even with the simplest of thing available without cribbing……

simply loving the pillow

Who wants an expensive toy....simply enjoying!!

Moral of the story? Nature has simple ways of showing its beauty and God made us to love everybody………..So lets be simple and lead a simple fulfilling life!

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On the moonlit beach

the crinkly sandy frowns,

erased……..

by the sneaking silvery ripple,

Now its only me, the ocean

the silence and the moon!!

Oh! So Peaceful………….

I sleep over my troubles,

And as the night crawls,

I like to think…..

I am PEACEFUL!!

The conjurer of all

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In that part of the country the internet connectivity was almost nil and I could not really know about the new challenge till yesterday after returning back to New Delhi. And then I didn’t want to miss this one but I really was stumped as to what to include in this challenge.

I came across this one photo taken on the beaches of Andaman Islands two years back. My daughter along with her father wanted to make a hut of her own from the leaves of palm and the vines lying on the beach. With hardly any know-how of hut making, this simplest wish seemed a herculean task to meet. But they “launched” themselves any way because the holidays are meant for all sorts of adventures…..

Having posted this picture, I thought of sorting the photographs of our latest vacation trip and I sure came across some pictures which could fit the photo challenge of this week. We were excited to begin our early morning jungle safari in search of the one horned rhino and what is better than ride on the great Indian Tusker to launch on this adventure….

The Indian elephant though smaller than its African cousin but it still demands  lot of respect and no animal dares to cross its path. One loud trumpet by the beast makes all animals back off…. This one Rhino was lazing around and did not pay heed to the visitors atop the elephant. The trainer of our elephant coaxed it to trumpet and the rhino launched itself finally to move away from the tusker and our prying eyes …..

The elephants, rhinos and their babies were a treat to the eyes and our trip to the national reserve was a fulfilling and enjoyable experience.

I guess that is what holidays are supposed to be…. enjoyable, adventurous and relaxing!

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