आमची बाबा दिवाळी अशीच असते

नमस्कार मंडळी,
झाली का पहिली अंघोळ? मित्रांनो, काल बाजारात भलतीच रोषणाई होती, कमालीचा उत्साह होता. सगळं पाहून जुन्या आठवणी जाग्या झाल्या.

वर्षभर ना घरका ना घाटका असणारे आम्ही 'मध्यम वर्गीय' या आठवड्यात राजेशाही थाटात जगण्याचा प्रयन्त करतो. होय फक्त प्रयत्नच. दिवाळी जवळ आली कि सगळ्यात पहिली खरेदी होते ती कपड्यांची. 'माझ्या बहिणीनी दिलेल्या साडीची घडी मोड, आणि तुला कशालारे लागतात नवीन जीन्स दर वर्षी. एक टी-शर्ट घेऊ' हे माझ्या बाबांचे दिवाळी ब्रीदवाक्य. मात्र खरेदीला गेलो की टी-शर्ट, जीन्स  आणि साडी तिन्ही घरात यायचं. त्यांनी घरचा शर्ट ड्राय - क्लीनिंग करून घातला हे आता उमगते. चुकून मी सायकल किंवा आईने दागिना मागितलाच, तर प्राइव्हेट कंपनी मध्ये #Bonus नसल्याचं रडगाणं बाबा का गायचे हे आज मला कळतं.

फराळाची रेल-चेल असायची. चकल्या पाडायला बाबा मदत करायचे तर पोहे वाळवणं माझं काम. चकली चिवडा, भस्मासुर लाजेल असं हाणायचो. आमची मजल मात्र बेसन लाडूं पर्यंतच. काजू-कतली दिसली कि शेजारच्या गुजराथी काकू अथवा बाबांची कंपनी प्रसन्न झाली हे आम्ही समजून चुकायचो.
'मराठा तितुका मेळवावा म्हटलं, तो हा दिवस पहायला का?' आमचा किल्ला पाहून  शिवाजी महाराजांनी  नक्कीच आम्हाला ठणकावून जाब विचारला असता.

सुतळी बॉम्ब कधी मला मिळालाच नाही. लहान आहेस असं सांगून, नंतर घोडा झालास असं सांगून. मी मित्रांचे ढापायचो म्हणा. माळ लावणे हि संकल्पनाच आम्हाला मंजूर नाही . लावायच्या त्या सुट्ट्या केलेल्या लवंगीच. दिवस यायचा नरकचतुर्दशीचा. पहिला फटाका आपला असावा या जिद्दीने ४ वाजता सगळेच उठायचो. लाइफबॉयने रागडलेल्या अंगाला अचानक मोती अथवा मैसूर-सॅंडल रुपी सुखद धक्का मिळायचा. नारळ तेलाची जागा बदाम तेल व उठणं घ्यायचं. तुकडा बासमती अख्खा व्हायचा.

आज काळ बदलला, चार अतिरिक्त पैसे घरात आले. पण खरं सांगायचं तर आपण 'मध्यम वर्गीयांची' दिवाळी काही औरच असते. दिवाळी म्हणजे नुसता एक सण  नसून, दिवाळी म्हणजे आनंद, दिवाळी म्हणजे अनुभव हे बहुधा फक्त आपल्यालाच कळलं. या निमित्ताने आणखी एक कबूल करावंसं  वाटतं. मध्यम  वर्गीय असल्याची लाज वाटता काम नये. किंबहूना त्याचा अभिमान वाटायला हवा. 'होय आम्ही मध्यम वर्गीय आहोत, आणि आमच्या सारखे सुखी आम्हीच'.

आपणा सर्वांना दिवाळी सुख-समृद्धीची व भरभराटीची जावो  हीच सदिच्छा. म्हणून काय लगेच काजू-कतलीची अपेक्षा करू नका 😃

आपली मूर्ती आपणच बनवा

श्रावण महिन्याचा उत्तरार्ध येताच मनाला वेध लागतात ते बाप्पाच्या आगमनाचे. यंदाही काहीतरी 'हटके' मखर करायचा ठरवलं. थर्मोकॉल चा वापर टाळणार व मूर्ती देखील घेणार ती शाडू मातीची हे निशचित केलं. इतक्यात सहयोगाने माझी नजर पडली एका पाटीवर, 'आपली मूर्ती आपणच बनवा'. गणेश मंदिर संस्थान, डोंबिवली व पर्यावरण दक्षता मंडळ, डोंबिवली यांच्या संयुक्त विद्दमाने हि कार्यशाळा आयोजित करण्यात आली होती. क्षणाचाही विलंब ना करता मी नाव नोंदविले. मला हि अनोखी संधी दवडायची नव्हती. पहिला दिवस होता, मूर्ती घडविण्याचा. सृष्टीच्या निर्मात्याला साचेबदध करण्याचा, निराकाराकाला आकार देण्याचा. हा टप्पा सोपा नव्हता. अत्यंत बारकाई माती मळत, मोडत, तोडत, जोडत हे कार्य संपन्न झाले. दिवसाखेरीस आपला बाप्पा पाहून मला आनंदाश्रू आवरेना. निर्मितीचा आनंद काही औरच असतो.

एक आठवड्या नंतर दिवस आला रंगकामाचा. प्रत्येकाने कल्पकतेने बाप्पाला रंगविले.  शेला, उपरणं व दाग-दागिन्यांनी नटलेले गणराज पाहून मन प्रसन्न  झाले.  सर्वांच्या मूर्ती खूपच सुबक अन सुरेख घडल्या. पहिलेच वर्ष असल्यामुळे काही त्रुटी राहिल्या खऱ्या, पण मला वाटतं अपूर्णता हाच आमच्या मूर्तीची सर्वात सुंदर अंग होता. कलाकार म्हणून काय मेहनत लागते हे आम्हाला एव्हाना चांगलेच उमगले होते.

शेवटी करता-करविता तोच होता. आपण फक्त निमित्तमात्र. सोहम आर्टस् चे गुणेश सर व त्यांच्या सहकाऱ्यांचे मार्गदर्शन आम्हाला लाभले. आता हा नेम मी मोडणार नाही. पर्यावरणस्नेहींची अशी कार्यशाळा  प्रत्येक शहरात राबवावी असं मला मनापासून वाटतं. 

।। गणपती बाप्पा मोरया ।।

।। आपली मूर्ती आपणच बनवूया ।।

मोरया

MS Dhoni, Who?

Hello Lovely People,
It's your homeboy 'Captain Cool' aka Nikhil here.

Friends, like many of us even I have 2 very common weaknesses, Cricket and Bollywood. God of Cricket and Baadshah of Bollywood, the Fanboy inside me ended there until 'This man' took over, literally. Yes, this article is for none other than the 'Birthday Boy' Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

I want to write a lot about him, but there is only one problem, 'I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HIM'.
I bet nobody knows anything about him either. What he thinks, What goes on inside his mind palace, What is his thought process, absolutely no clue. He can be so happy when a new comer scores his maiden century and he can also stay expressionless even after winning the WT20 championship.

What I do know is, the Jersey no. 7 has come a long long way. From being a long-haired flamboyant pinch hitter to a Worlds best finisher. There are so many things about him that you can only adore. From being a master in DRS (DhoniReviewSystem) to a run-out without even looking at the stumps, from smashing a helicopter shot to nudging out a maiden even in death overs. Neither does he get overwhelmed by a victory, nor he gets bogged down by a defeat. Talk about situational awareness, about self-confidence this guy is simply irreplaceable.

We all praise his direct contribution with the bat and his lightening speed behind the stumps, but his indirect contribution in the way he guides his bowlers, in the way he sets unorthodox fields, in the way he preempts the batters next move is astonishing. Its only permissible to him to make such quirky comments behind the stumps.

I am well aware that he has a lot of haters too. You know why? Because he chose to say 'No', he had the guts to say 'You aren't fit' to some senior players and refused to be a bootlicker. Any player who keeps the nation ahead of a players reputation is always criticized in our country, unlike in the western world. The man himself, Sachin Tendulkar saw an able leader in him, who are we to defer?

Ask yourself a simple question, we compare the Amirs and Riaz to be next Wasim & Waqar, the Cooks the Roots and the Kohlis to be next Sachin, can you tell me one player who can be compared with MS Dhoni? Almost 10000 runs as a middle order batsman with an average of more than 50. You gotta be kidding me. I so want my judgement to be proven wrong, but you will see Indian team's downfall in ODI post his retirement. Not because there is lack of talent/ or skills but there is lack of utilization of skills.

For now, let us enjoy seeing him play and also learn from him, the approach he has towards anything he does. Till the time, 'Mahi Maar Raha Hai', i'll cherish his game, once he decides to hang up his boots, 'Dhoni finishes off in style. A magnificent strike into the crowd! India lift the World Cup after 28 years!' would be with us forever.

I would end my article, wishing not just one but two Legends of Indian Cricket a very Happy Birthday with a big 'THANK YOU'.

Janamdin Mubarak Mahi 7th July

Shubho Janmodin Dada 8th July

Join Me

The Jewel Of Vidarbha - TADOBA

Hello Lovely People,
It's your homeboy 'Tiger Zinda Hai' aka Nikhil here.

I had always dreamed of me sitting in an open air gypsy to meet the 'Jungle King'.

My Dream did come true, as me along with my family and in-laws visited The Jewel Of Vidarbha - TADOBA. There are six access gates to the jungle, we had opted for Moharli.

Govt. has availed us with two Safaris everyday, Morning and Evening. We had opted for both.
Needless to say that any visitor who visits national park is keen to sight the Tiger. Before the trip, I had heard of stories that many people had done 10 plus Safaris without Tiger sighting while some were some had Tiger sighting in the first instance itself. It's purely based on your Luck and 'His mood'.

Our day started early at 05.30 am.All of us were up and ready at our MTDC resort for our first Safari. Camouflage cargo, mercury wayfarers and hats gave us the 'Wild' look. Chilling winds started to blow as our Gypsy took speed. Our guides were fantastic as they gave us some unbelievable knowledge. Every tiger has his 'Marked Territory'. Nobody interferes in each others territory and if anybody tries to do so, has to bear the consequences. A tiger hunts only when he is hungry. He never accumulates prey, just because its readily available. How beautiful it would have been if we the, 'Social Animal' would have learnt a thing or two from the 'Wild Animal'.

We were greeted by number of Deers, wandering around, grazing, running. They were a symbol of how harmless a creature could look like. Our guide also informed us that after making Tadoba a 'Tiger Reserve', 80% of the jungle was closed for the visitors as eventually it's 'Their Home'. Tara, Maya, Sonam are the popular tigress while Matkasur is the dominant male. He informed us on how animals caution everyone else by giving a 'Call' when they spot the Big Cat. Just while he was speaking, we heard a Sambar call, and there he was. The Man Himself, The talk of the town, The Man of the hour, The celebrity for whom we had traveled all the way from Mumbai. We were absolutely stunned to see the 20 month cub of Tara. He was at a distance of no more than 50 meters from us. All of us have filled that sight in our eyes forever now. We waited there for about half an hour sighting him, clicking his pictures and guess what, dry grass besides him shook and there stands another cub who walks pass him slowly showing us how exactly a King walks.

We had our Lunch and got ready for our second afternoon Safari. We were still not over our morning experience and we saw two 'dangerous' crocodiles patiently waiting a the side of a lake. Our guide informed that the lake had around 80 of them, can you imagine. Indian bison, Bear, Elephants and some never seen birds were the talking points of our second safari. But when God and the King both are kind, nobody can stop you. We were so lucky that we spotted Maya and her two cubs running one behind the other. Nothing can be as graceful as a running tiger. Our trip concluded with some unforgettable memories. Readers, I request one and all to visit any national park of your choice, mainly for two things: 1. To experience the unending thrill that 'His' yellow eyes are constantly watching you from those dry yellow grass, 2. To remind us on how 'Nothing' are we in front of the mother nature.

ROAR

The Lottery ticket

Hello Lovely People,
It's your homeboy 'Oye Lucky' aka Nikhil here.
After posting a few articles, I thought of writing a Short-Story. Your honest feedback is really appreciated  🙏

Vinod was waiting for his bus at the Bus-Stop which was as usual, late. In his head, he fought with his wife on their month-end crisis and he won too. Head's probably the only place he could have won against her. Sun was in no mood to help his sweaty shirt. Meanwhile, a paperboy insisted him to buy one. He did so to pass the time while waiting for the bus. On the front page itself, Vinod saw a big Advt. of a Man from the same town who had won a lottery worth 4,00,000 ₹.

He blamed his misfortune, as he has been buying lottery ticket every week since ages but had never won a single penny. In fact he was involved in several fights with his wife over the same topic. At that very moment a man came and stood besides him. While removing his handkerchief, a Lottery ticket slipped out of his pocket. Vinod noticed it, and much to his surprise it had the same lucky number printed over it. Vinod double checked it with cross eyes to be 100% sure. His first and immediate reaction was to inform the man and wish him, but he doesn't. He now gets into a 'To be or Not To be' dilemma. Pending Promotion, Home loan EMIs, School donations started to appear in front of his eyes.The greedy mind won indeed. He threw his handkerchief and bends down to act as if he wants to pick it and picks up the Lottery ticket as well.

Vinod who rarely took a Auto, now hired a Cab and rushed to the nearby lottery store. He asked the Cabbie to wait as had planned to return home and share the good news with his family. An overjoyed Vinod reached the store and presented his lottery ticket. However, his joy didn't last long. Lottery store owner rubbished his claim stating that the ticket was a hoax. There was no such winner. He was framed, his mind blasted.

Unsure about what’s going on, he finds another guy reading the same paper which had no such Advt. on the front page. He thinks of calling his police friend, that’s when he gets shell-shocked. He finds, he has been pick pocketed by the duo when he had bend to pick up the ticket. His left pocket was without his mobile phone too. Thunder struck Vinod requested the shopkeeper for his mobile in order to call the bank only to get to know that his Credit Card too got maxed out few mins ago. The bank officials did try calling him to confirm, but his mobile was obviously unavailable.

Vinod had no clue what had happened to him. In the last hour he had lost all his money, his newly bought Mobile phone and his bank was ready with a hefty Credit Card due too. That's when a voice struck him, 'Sir, the Taxi meter is still running.'

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