BOB

I have a BOB now.  My own home-grown BOB. 

Lucky me!!
😀 
BOB = Bewust Onbeschonken Bestuurder

What this means is a designated driver (BOB) who will not drink alcohol and will drive his companions back home safely after a party! 

I love this concept in the Netherlands -  a responsible and safe act for self and for others - demonstrating the maturity of a society.

Bob jij of Bob ik?   Are you the Bob today or me?

In principle, this question is sorted out before you leave for a party.

It was a standard question in our household as we went out for a visit to any friend's place. 

For friends who served good single malts, I was the Bob (I nodded yes even before the question was asked)

For good-red-wine-serving friends, A-senior did not have a choice. Bob, he was.

Back to the present,  A-junior is a certified BOB now!

A few days back A-junior got his driver's license. 

Since then, I have been asking him to go out and drive A-senior's car. 

He was a bit hesitant for multiple reasons.

......yesterday I took him out and we did a couple of rounds to get the feel of the car in a parking lot.

Sorted.

 .....and then yesterday evening the proud mom got to experience something that made her super proud, grateful, and happy.

Let me start from the start.

The process of getting a driver's license in the Netherlands is a very rigorous one- both the written and practical exams are very elaborate and strict. 

So the mom knows that the license he has in his hands is something to trust - no doubt about that.

But being the mother in the passenger seat for the first time while the controls were in his hands were...ummm..... I mean....in the beginning a bit......what can I say...

😀

Haha, don't get me wrong. 

I have full confidence in him - especially the way he has grown up in the last 3 years.  

I think it was more the 'disbelief' as a mom. 

How can this guy who was a tiny thing only a few days (read years) back say, 'Mom, I will be the BOB today, let me drive you back home'.

I still remember him crawling on the ground with one knee bent inward...

I still remember him trying to stand up ...

I still remember his first run...

I still remember his shaky cycling when the supporting wheels were removed ....

...and now offering to be the BOB?

Where did the years fly?

We were visiting a friend yesterday, when this offer came.

...in my mind I said ...."Oooooommmmmmm" a couple of times and went for my first glass.

The wine was super.  

The hosts are my comfort zone. 

It was a chill Saturday evening.

The food was awesome.

My dear host was ready to refill.

I had a new-BOB.

He nodded, with confidence.

Ok, once more I did a more focused "Oooooommmmmm" and went for my second glass.

A-junior confidently drove me back home. My own home-grown BOB 💕

As I sat in the passenger seat and saw the lights on the road whiz by,  I reflected on this journey called Life.

...Happiness comes in so many different packages.

The journey continues....

I am sure A-senior is also smiling and raising a toast.

..To the new BOB...........Cheers!!

Let me touch you with my music....

Haribhau made me with a lot of love and affection. He used to live in Bombay- maybe he still does. He was a man of music, eating breathing sleeping music.

We, his creations, had a joke between us. 

 Haribhau snores in G# 😀

(Everyday after his favourite Thepla lunch, he used to fall asleep on his small 'gadda' chair in the workshop. We could not escape his deep melodious snoring)

Today.. we are scattered in different corners of the world. 

I am one of them. 

I am a Tanpura.

One day, I heard him talk over the phone with someone. It felt like a long-distance call. He put the phone down and walked over to me and touched my strings gently.

I played back beautifully but somehow the tune sounded sad, that of goodbyes. I understood that it was time to go. 

With a few more of my friends, I started my journey to a faraway land - the land of Tulips and Windmills.

Holland.

We landed in Rotterdam. From there we went directly to Samsuddin bhai. As I looked out of my van window, I could see the beautiful country outside. I wondered how the people will be. I told myself that whoever they are and whatever our cultural (musical) differences are, I am going to fill the country with my music. Both the Guitar and the Sitar on the other side of the van also looked a bit sad - maybe the same thoughts rushing through their minds too. 

How will our new life be in these new surroundings?

The next morning, Samsuddin bhai put me up in his musical instrument shop. I stood there shining and straight, eagerly waiting for customers to walk in. 

Within a few minutes, two pretty women walked in. They went to Samsuddin bhai and asked something. The language was totally new, it sounded very complicated and I did not understand a word.  

He pointed towards me.

It was almost love at first sight for me. Her eyes were also glistening with joy and excitement as she approached me.

She touched my string so lightly and with so much love.

I said, 'Sa.......'

She called her partner and gestured for her to try too.

She also touched my strings, all of them together this time.................

I said, 'Sa.......Pa......Sa......'

I knew they were in love too, with me.

Feline and Mira. 

They took me home and I became their family and an integral part of their daily Yoga lessons.  There was love, there was romance, there was fun - each day was magical, and blessed with music. Being loved is such a wonderful feeling. With both of them around, I celebrated my life and purpose every moment - filling up their home with music.

10 yrs flew by.

Today Feline is no more. I played my tribute to her during her last journey.

"Sa.............. Pa........... Sa..............." 

I miss her. 

Mira needs to move to a smaller apartment and it is not possible to take all the things. Her arthritic wrist also does not allow her to play me anymore. I heard her call a friend and say, "I don't want to sell our Tanpura but want to give it to someone who will use it to create beautiful music, do you have someone in mind?"

Two days later, her friend 'H' was at her door - apparently, he found someone.

I left for my new home. Sad and uncertain. 

I sat in H's car and looked outside the window again- life felt so unfair.

"D"

I liked her immediately as soon as I saw her at the door. Flushed with excitement and overwhelmed with gratitude, she welcomed me with a big smile. 

So much love and happiness on her face - contagious !! I smiled back!!

She touched my strings with a feeling of awe and almost disbelief.

I said , ' Sa.............. Pa........... Sa...............'

She hugged me tight just like a long-lost friend.  

Once again, nervously she touched my strings. 

I replied from my heart and I meant every note,  ' Sa.............. Pa........... Sa...............'

From her hesitation, I could sense she was touching a Tanpura after a long time. 

I guess this is what they call 'destiny'. 

How else can Haribhau, Samsuddinbhai, Feline, Mira, D, H, and myself be connected? This was meant to be.

Now, every morning, the first thing that D does after waking up is to give me a nudge ( I go Sa...Pa....Sa...) and then she switches on the kettle to make her first cup of Oolong tea. After that, even though she gets busy with work, I feel her love every moment.  

A loving glance, a light touch, some quick strumming, some sudden unplanned dusting ..... 

We are 'in touch' all the time, our lives gradually entering the world of Yaman, Bhupali. Khamaaj, Kaafi and more........I feel very happy here and I am in love with D.

....I have to tell you what happened next. Just like a dream!!

Suddenly there was this discussion, about Kaushiki Chakraborty coming to perform in the Netherlands in a fundraiser for Cheerful Child Foundation! 

I heard bits and pieces of the conversation- logistics, food, ticket sales, posters, sponsors ---- so many things to arrange and talk about. 

I could not believe my ears!  Really? How on earth can this be done? This is huge.

D cannot be THIS crazy!!

..and then one day I heard her talk to Kaushiki herself on the phone.....

'yes, I have a Tanpura, but it is tuned in G#, will that work for you?'

O My God.... that's when I started to dream as well!

If you want something with passion, the whole universe conspires to make it happen. And it did happen....

30th June, my dream came true. 

She came for the concert. She tuned me with her own hands. She played me on stage as well.....

Someone, please pinch me, did this really happen?

😍

Look at me. Second from left in the photo.😊

 I don't know where life will take me next.

But I would want to stay in tune and stay with D forever...

"Let me touch you with my music,

Even if I cannot see you with my eyes,  let me feel you through my songs..."

🙏

ps: Mostly true, partly imagination

A solo trip, A book and A couple of wines.......

This journey called Life is the most uncertain, unpredictable, and unexplainable thing that I have come across in the last so many years....yet it is also the most beautiful! 

It is a gift, wrapped beautifully and with a card that says 'Best wishes Always, Love'.

So let me begin by saying 'Cheers - to Life'.

Florence was always on the bucket list. 
However, by the time the proper planning started, Covid19 was there. That and more, changed my life so much that the whole bucket vanished for a few years. Told you, how unpredictable it is !!

This year, thankfully the bucket resurfaced and with it the list. 

But there was a twist in the story - my heart wanted to go solo, my mind did not have the faith, and my entire being conspired with different excuses (mostly fair ones) to listen to my mind. 

The vulnerability meter was tipping on the higher side, the fear factor was dominating and the mind was therefore, winning....

I have done many solo trips in the past - but this time, it was different.

 A solo trip is what I need - A solo trip is what I need ..

I kept on saying this to myself and to my close ones, for weeks, and months. But the mind was always ready with an excuse for not doing it.

A- junior came to my rescue. 

"Mom, the last time I checked, in order to make a trip, you need to buy a ticket and book a hotel" 

[I know where he got that from, A-senior must be smiling proudly]

The next moment I was typing 'www.booking.com' - the rest is history of last weekend.

😀

The other thing that really influenced me a lot recently is the speech delivered by Theodore Roosevelt. It became popular as the "Man in the Arena".

A friend motivated me with this speech, a couple of months ago - the more I read it, the better it gets, the more thankful I feel.

The phrase "Daring greatly" resonates every time.

 

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither knows victory nor defeat.”

I dared greatly.

Not easy. I stumbled.... but,  I enjoyed it...and here I am writing the story of my Florence trip while ticking it off proudly on my bucket list.

😊

My love for reading had totally died in the last 3 years- could not focus on more than a page at a time. Quite frustrating but that's how it was.

However, just before leaving the house, I picked up a book for my trip. I knew I would not be able to proceed further than page 8, maybe 9......but still.......

This was a gift from a friend earlier this year. 

As I opened the book at the airport - there it was again. 

"The Man in the Arena" (read 'The (wo)Man at the Airport😊)...I finished 80 pages at the airport itself and the rest in Florence - a sense of achievement! 

Read the book if you can...

Vulnerability is not a weakness. Feel the emotions and do not be afraid to connect when you are vulnerable. This is when you are the most authentic.

😍

......okok, I know.....all this is good, but the title of the post also has 'a couple of wines' in it....

Patience my dear friends! here they come.....

This is Tuscany - home of good wine. A short trip from Florence took me to the Chianti wine region- where the landscape, the Sangiovese grapes, the happy farmers, and their beautiful language served some wines which were totally Mamma Mia - out of the world!!

I definitely 'dared greatly' once again 😀

Life is the most beautiful gift we have - and a couple of good Chianti wines just make it worth living.

The trip came to an end. I was ready to come back home. 

 

Reflections, reflections, and more reflections - not always easy (even with the Chianti wines).

But the bottom line is ...

Dare greatly - Live, Love, and Lead .....if you don't, you will never know!

I am also ready to plan my next solo trip.

ps: I totally forgot to mention that David is really handsome - absolutely stunning!

😊