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The Ganapati story

Ganapati is gone but I need to do this post as a final goodbye till next year. After many many years in Maharashtra this year finally I caught up with Ganapati in as Maharshtrian a way as I could.
If you want to experience the true flavour of a festival, any festival, you should head for the old city area. And so it was to the city we headed when Chaturthi came around. Since the SIL brings home Ganapati we had tons of shopping on the agenda. Yes it’s dreadfully crowded, yes it’s noisy, yes you have to walk and walk, yes it’s hot and sunny and sweaty and utterly chaotic. But amidst the chaos you’ll find some of the best bargains ever. The streets are crammed with merchandise as colourful as the wares of Sarojini Naidu’s bangle sellers. A true treat for the eyes. And you have the added pleasure of haggling shamelessly till you’re blue in the face. Can it get any better?
Take a look…

All things glittery… 

 This is what we started working with.

And this is what Ganapati’s seat finally turned out. We were pretty proud of our handiwork. Check out that toran – done entirely by the SIL out of handmade paper even while nursing a mother of all colds.

And now for the modaks. We saw so many kinds ….

Check out this mega-modak..

Pick your size here!
…and your colour

The hottest favourites ‘ukadiche modaks’ The ones I tried to make a failed pretty convincingly at.
Look at those wads of notes. I do hope they’re put to good use.
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Rainbow in a box

A few years back during the monsoons, Naisha discovered the magic of rainbows on the ground. Even as I struggled withe the science of oil and water and sunlight she was barely listening dancing excitedly around the miraculous sight. Now, two years later, the thrill hasn’t faded. As the kids make their way to the bus stop, jumping over puddles, they just have to linger around those rainbows, oblivious to the arrival (or departure) of the bus.

Then one day I found Naisha in the washroom pouring hair oil in a box full of water. Even as annoyance bubbled up her teary face stopped me. “Mama I’m trying to put a rainbow in this box for you but it just won’t come,” said she.

And then it was time for a hug.

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A hoarder

I was dismantling the Janamashtami jhanki a few days back, yeah.. I know it’s been ages since Janamashtami came and went but I’m slow at dismantling/putting away things.

I was wondering what to do with the decorations. How tough it is to throw away stuff! I’m sure I’ll never use those chart papers, paper leaf trees or the play dough figures and even those gorgeous peacock feathers, yet I just HATE to throw them away. Seems kind of heartless doesn’t it?


In fact throwing away anything is hard, even the seemingly worthless stuff… Used birthday decorations, diwali diyas, sea shells that raise a stink each time I open the packet, pine cones I picked up on a trip to Nainital, gift boxes, pretty bottles, colourful cartons…and tons of books – I can’t bear to part with even one. Sigh! (Yeah I know where Naisha gets her predilection for junk. That is another post  that needs to be done).

Then there are clothes. And I’m not even going to mention the jeans in three different sizes, at least there’s a possibility I might fit into them, however hypothetical. There’s loads more. Then there’s the kids’ stuff.. a ladybug costume I’d made for Naisha when she was three, a tiger’s tail for Hrit, annual day costumes I know they’ll never wear again, the hand knitted hoodies my cousin got for them all the way from Dehradun, Hrit’s first pair of glasses, broken of course, Naisha’s favourite doll, which she has now outgrown but apparently I haven’t….

Each time we move and all my stashed up stuff comes out and is put embarrassingly on display The Husband throws a fit. “Throw it all out,” says he.


But how can I?

How can I throw away the salwar suit my dad carried all the way from Bhuj despite being stuck in that huge earthquake? Or that pullover my grandma squinted over for ages stopping to confer with my friends to make sure it was in keeping with the latest fashion? Or that saffron-maroon sari that got me the sole “best dressed lady” award of my life ever? And there are others, stacks and stacks of saris… gorgeous, colourful silky silks, diaphanous Chanderis, crisp cottons… How do I throw away the first one The Husband ever got me? Or the ones mum lovingly packed, complete with matching accessories, as part of my trousseau with elaborate instructions (“This one is for the reception” and “This one for when you go visiting” “this for evenings at home” Oh my mum is thorough!). Never mind that I never took to wearing them.

How do I throw away all of it? It’s in this ‘junk’ that I store my memories.. memories of happy times, memories of loving and being loved.

And so I’m keeping all of them… we just need a bigger home. Any more hoarders out there looking for bigger homes?

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To Sir with love… Or ma’am, if you please!

I’ve admitted often enough I’m a last minute person and so of course despite reminders from good friends it was last evening when we got down to working on our Teachers Day craft. It had to be something quick and easy – that’s all we had time for, anyway.

At the stationer’s shop as I was picking up some glitter paints I found another hapless mum, a little girl tagging along, asking the shopkeeper for ‘inexpensive gifts’. Apparently the little one wanted gifts for not one or two but ten of her teachers. Couldn’t help smiling at the mum’s predicament as she see-sawed between a host of pens and keychains. As she saw me picking up the 3-D paints she seemed pretty inspired. She managed to convince her daughter to make cards instead and walked away with a bunch of glitter paints! I made a craft convert :-). Yay!

I picked up some sheets of foam, some glittery ribbons and paints and we went to work on our fridge magnet photo frames… Two each for Hrit and Naisha. Thank the good Lord I didn’t have to work on 20.

Hrit always likes to work to his own ideas. Even if he likes mine he will undo it completely because it has to be ‘his’ idea. Naisha on the other hand is often ready to accept my suggestions and will simply add to them… How different are the two of them!

Here’s what we made.

These are Hrit’s, done completely on his own..

And these are Naisha’s with some help from me…

A simple contraption at the back to hold the picture.

And here’s one more idea.. Contributed by the SIL. My niece asked for, hold your breath, 15 handmade roses. Check them out… Paper flowers with toothpick stems and a leaf that says ‘Happy Teacher’s Day’. Isn’t it just perfect to make her smile?

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Waiting for Krishna

A very very Happy Janamashtami everyone.

If you’ve been around here you’ll know that Naisha has a very soft spot for the blue God. If you haven’t, well you can read about it here and here. It was she who made sure we celebrate Janamashtami with great fervour. Not that there’s anything to not like in Krishna. Who wouldn’t love a God who’s as human as one can be?

This year we planned to make a jhanki – one of my favourite traditions from Lucknow where we’d go to see jhankis on Janamashtami night. Some of the professional ones would be gorgeous with real water flowing and idols moving around. It was one of the few nights we would stay up till late. This was also one of the first fasts I ever tried only because it was simple enough to keep – you could eat so many many goodies – yet had the thrill of being ‘really hard’ because you got to eat only after Krishna’s birth at midnight.

This year we’d planned on making a scene from Vrindavan since I wanted to keep it easy. It turned out great fun. The kids launched off with great enthu.. collecting twigs, painting them and sticking on the leaves. They made play dough gopis and enthusiastically offered up their all their toys.

And so here it is.
That’s the backdrop. It is inspired by Shruti’s craft you can check it out here. Thanks Shruti :-).
That’s the bottom half….
The the Yamuna flows bright blue while Krishna plays the flute.
And then we decided to do another one only because my SIL got me this ‘jhula’ and it was too cute to not use. I couldn’t resist putting it up.
A Krishna on the swing, a peacock feather tucked in, a Yashoda put in and we were done.
That’s what he looks like up close
and that’s my Yashoda.

Looking forward  to fun times this evening when Naisha’s gang of girls comes in all dressed up. So how was your Janamashtami folks?

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