In a kids book it reads “A for Apple, B for Ball”...
No, no, no, no, today for me B reads “B for Break”...for now and for some more days to come.
I’ve fallen in love with this word Break.
Why?
It’s going to bring a lot of difference in my life as long as I’m going to stay with it.
Living with my Break...already I can see Relaxation inviting me.
Once I meet Relaxation I know I will have Peace knocking at my door.
Peace, because there’ll be so much Leisure time for me.
And in company of Leisure I’ll have my own Freedom and, Choice will be my own.
With Freedom and Choice I’ll be my own Sovereign.
All this is with me as I’m enjoying a BREAK...yes for some days the Computer and the Internet will leave my company.
In all this I’ll be away from my very own Blogging World...will very much miss my friends who read and give their views. And I’ll miss reading blogs of my other blogger friends.
It is only for a short period...this is a much awaited time I’d been looking forward to...at last it has happened.
The first week of the July will see me again getting busy and my life falling into place with the busy schedule I live in.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Summer and...some Thoughts...and Rants...
How much I talk about summer days I can still go on and on and on with my Summer rants. With big words like Global Warming, really it is a thoughtful worry. Summer has stretched much longer now than those hot days which I have enjoyed many years back.
Enjoyed!
Yes enjoyed!!!
Enjoyed for...I remember my schooldays, and the summer holidays...tucked away by Ma in the dark room in the afternoon, not for the sake of punishment, but with windows closed and thick summer curtains drawn across...no way for even a small streak of light to come in. The ceiling fan going round and round...the merry-go-round memory comes rewinding back to my mind again.
Merry-go round...
Yes. There used to be melas with merry-go-rounds, and how great it was to choose the animal back to sit on with men making it possible for the merry-go-round to go round and round, so many laughter’s so many cries spilling out from some riders...all manual handiwork then and now it’s all mechanical. Is the motorized process helping the global warming?
And.
Mango achar (pickle), so many varieties (as I write my mouth is watering at the thought of it) bottled and making way to a safe place for this stock had to last till the arrival of the next annual yield.
...the ice-cream wallah calling out at the top of his voice...drawing attention mostly of the children. With a single coin in hand it was great peeping inside the ice-cream seller’s wooden pushcart where there was his stock...ice candies in red, yellow, white and orange. His pushcart layered with lots of ice so that the ice candies did not melt. Handing him the coin what a pleasure it was to take the candy in hand and suck and bite into it till it was fully finished.
And then the Kalboishakhi-r Jho-ard (the summer rains accompanied with strong winds), the short spell of hail storms occasionally, and lots of games to play at home. Indoor when the sun was hurting and, outdoor once the western sky began to dab the red-tinged-gold colour from the setting sun.
It was the hide-and-seek game, the crocodile and the land game, and the effort of carrying water to the terrace top to wash the terrace floor so that we could sleep there under the dark star studded skies. The moon played with the clouds...the hero of the night sky...and the breeze caressing the sleeping bodies out there. So much fun it was to sleep in the open...
A bath in the river and the splash, the jump into the water body, the swim, hah! At times went for a boat ride in the evening.
It was great to have our near and dear ones during the holidays...what a great time it was.
Now one houses sit one on top of another to rise higher and higher. Living space reducing as the price of each building is climbing with time. Urbanisation has brought down the size of the living homes...some elders call them Match Box Homes or a Pigeons Home.
As I sit and write these words I am happy for then and also for now...for I live in the present world and have to live in it.
Enjoyed!
Yes enjoyed!!!
Enjoyed for...I remember my schooldays, and the summer holidays...tucked away by Ma in the dark room in the afternoon, not for the sake of punishment, but with windows closed and thick summer curtains drawn across...no way for even a small streak of light to come in. The ceiling fan going round and round...the merry-go-round memory comes rewinding back to my mind again.
Merry-go round...
Yes. There used to be melas with merry-go-rounds, and how great it was to choose the animal back to sit on with men making it possible for the merry-go-round to go round and round, so many laughter’s so many cries spilling out from some riders...all manual handiwork then and now it’s all mechanical. Is the motorized process helping the global warming?
And.
Mango achar (pickle), so many varieties (as I write my mouth is watering at the thought of it) bottled and making way to a safe place for this stock had to last till the arrival of the next annual yield.
...the ice-cream wallah calling out at the top of his voice...drawing attention mostly of the children. With a single coin in hand it was great peeping inside the ice-cream seller’s wooden pushcart where there was his stock...ice candies in red, yellow, white and orange. His pushcart layered with lots of ice so that the ice candies did not melt. Handing him the coin what a pleasure it was to take the candy in hand and suck and bite into it till it was fully finished.
And then the Kalboishakhi-r Jho-ard (the summer rains accompanied with strong winds), the short spell of hail storms occasionally, and lots of games to play at home. Indoor when the sun was hurting and, outdoor once the western sky began to dab the red-tinged-gold colour from the setting sun.
It was the hide-and-seek game, the crocodile and the land game, and the effort of carrying water to the terrace top to wash the terrace floor so that we could sleep there under the dark star studded skies. The moon played with the clouds...the hero of the night sky...and the breeze caressing the sleeping bodies out there. So much fun it was to sleep in the open...
A bath in the river and the splash, the jump into the water body, the swim, hah! At times went for a boat ride in the evening.
It was great to have our near and dear ones during the holidays...what a great time it was.
Now one houses sit one on top of another to rise higher and higher. Living space reducing as the price of each building is climbing with time. Urbanisation has brought down the size of the living homes...some elders call them Match Box Homes or a Pigeons Home.
As I sit and write these words I am happy for then and also for now...for I live in the present world and have to live in it.
Labels:
Global warming,
ice-cream,
Mela,
Merry-go-round,
river,
Summer collections,
Summer holidays
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Review of the book Upside Down and the Good Feeling
It was a great experience to be a part of Blogathon 1 which was announced by Tulika Books. And being a part of it Tulika Books gave me the advantage to write the review of a book from their publishing house.
I had a great feeling that day when I received a copy of the book “Upside Down” sent to me by this publishing house which publishes Children’s Books. It was great writing the review of the book “Upside Down”. And believe me I enjoyed writing...a kid’s book and some thoughtful time spent to write about it. Here you’ll find my thoughts about this book. So read on...
Review of the Book “Upside Down”.
Upside Down is a picture book. I think the author T.R. Rajesh made a very thoughtful step in creating this book in the upside down style. As this book is for age 3+ kids, it is the pictures that convey the message. The concept of this book is very good. Sitting with the kid opposite to her and the book in-between them, the mother opens up the pages one by one. Here the upside down idea, the author has used, is found to be useful. The child sees the pictures as they should be while the mother is able to explain to her child about the elephant and temple, boat and river, children and school, cow and street, ducks and mud, women and fields and the owl and trees.
This book comes handy for a mother to put in plain words about nature, animals and common environment we come across in everyday life in small towns and villages.
The illustrations could have been better worked out. But it is a very good picture book for very young children, a good presentation of a new concept by the author.
I had a great feeling that day when I received a copy of the book “Upside Down” sent to me by this publishing house which publishes Children’s Books. It was great writing the review of the book “Upside Down”. And believe me I enjoyed writing...a kid’s book and some thoughtful time spent to write about it. Here you’ll find my thoughts about this book. So read on...
Review of the Book “Upside Down”.
Upside Down is a picture book. I think the author T.R. Rajesh made a very thoughtful step in creating this book in the upside down style. As this book is for age 3+ kids, it is the pictures that convey the message. The concept of this book is very good. Sitting with the kid opposite to her and the book in-between them, the mother opens up the pages one by one. Here the upside down idea, the author has used, is found to be useful. The child sees the pictures as they should be while the mother is able to explain to her child about the elephant and temple, boat and river, children and school, cow and street, ducks and mud, women and fields and the owl and trees.
This book comes handy for a mother to put in plain words about nature, animals and common environment we come across in everyday life in small towns and villages.
The illustrations could have been better worked out. But it is a very good picture book for very young children, a good presentation of a new concept by the author.
Friday, June 11, 2010
More Bangla Rhymes for Tulika's Blogathon 4
I want to share some more Bangla songs and rhymes for Tulika’s Blogathon 4. How can I forget this clapping song? It reads in Bangla as:
Tai, tai, tai,
Mamar badi jai,
Mama diloo dudu bhatu
Boshe boshe khai,
Mami aelo thanga niyae,
Phuroot kore palai.
The translation:
Clap, clap, clap,
Going to my Mama’s (maternal uncle) house,
Mama gave some rice and milk,
I sit and eat,
When Mami (auntie) comes with a stick,
I run away at once.
This is another popular Lullaby which mothers and other elders sing to bring slumber to the little one. I also sang this song when I wanted to put my children to sleep, sometimes in an angry mood and more often with all the love in the patting on the back.
Ghum parani mashi pishi
Moder bari esho,
Khat debo palonk debo
Chouki pete bosho.
Bata bhore paan debo
Gaal bhore kheyo,
Khukur chokhey ghum nai
Ghum diye jeyo
Translated form:
Auntie’s who bring sleep
Visit our home,
Will bring for you the cot along with the bedding
For now sit on the chair.
Will give you the Paan (betel leaf) container filled with paan
To chew and enjoy as you stuff them in your cheek,
For now the Little One has no sleep in her eyes
Give her some sleep before you leave.
Some of the rhymes have little sense in them, maybe all because the song was sung to rhyme and the words were not so much thought about when they were formed. I feel some words have changed as they have come down from one to another. But these will remain a part of our lives...so close to our hearts.
Tai, tai, tai,
Mamar badi jai,
Mama diloo dudu bhatu
Boshe boshe khai,
Mami aelo thanga niyae,
Phuroot kore palai.
The translation:
Clap, clap, clap,
Going to my Mama’s (maternal uncle) house,
Mama gave some rice and milk,
I sit and eat,
When Mami (auntie) comes with a stick,
I run away at once.
This is another popular Lullaby which mothers and other elders sing to bring slumber to the little one. I also sang this song when I wanted to put my children to sleep, sometimes in an angry mood and more often with all the love in the patting on the back.
Ghum parani mashi pishi
Moder bari esho,
Khat debo palonk debo
Chouki pete bosho.
Bata bhore paan debo
Gaal bhore kheyo,
Khukur chokhey ghum nai
Ghum diye jeyo
Translated form:
Auntie’s who bring sleep
Visit our home,
Will bring for you the cot along with the bedding
For now sit on the chair.
Will give you the Paan (betel leaf) container filled with paan
To chew and enjoy as you stuff them in your cheek,
For now the Little One has no sleep in her eyes
Give her some sleep before you leave.
Some of the rhymes have little sense in them, maybe all because the song was sung to rhyme and the words were not so much thought about when they were formed. I feel some words have changed as they have come down from one to another. But these will remain a part of our lives...so close to our hearts.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Bangla Rhyme for Tulika Blogathon 4
I’m really happy to be a part of Tulika’s Blogathon 4. It is interesting, remembering Grandma and Ma’s songs and rhymes for the kid...that too in our mother tongue.
Sharing one of the Bangla rhymes I grew up listening to as a kid. As a mother, the words of these rhymes fell out of my mouth for my children like unforgotten words.
This is more of a lullaby, but can be sung for the little one whenever the mother wants to. The mother sits cross legged on the floor, maybe on the mud washed floor, a hard cement floor or a mat. The baby sleeps on her lap and she sings...
Aaye aaye Chanda Mama teep diye ja,
Mach kutle muro debo,
Dhan bhangle kuro debo,
Kalo goroor doodh debo,
Doodh kete bati debo,
Aaye aaye Chanda Mama teep diye ja.
The mother cradles the child in her lap, makes an up and down movement of the folded leg... the side where the child’s head is placed. The soft swing movement goes on as she sings...
...she sings the first line, places the fingertip of her first finger on the child’s forehead and looks out inviting the Chanda Mama, the Moon, to come and put a tika on the child’s head.
...the meaning of the lullaby, the song, follows...
Come, come Chand mama, put a tika on the forehead,
When I cut the fish into pieces, I’ll give you the head,
I’ll give you the husk when I separate it from the paddy,
When I milch my black cow I’ll give you some milk,
And I’ll give you a bowl to drink the milk from,
Moon Uncle, come and put a tika on my child’s forehead.
The end words of each line rhymes with the next. As this song is repeated again and again, the cradling and the soft swing created by the lap brings sleep to the child.
Till date a Mother and Grandma’s song for the baby holds so much importance in the life of a child. These words become a part of life and bring pleasure and nostalgic memories even by remembering them.
Sharing one of the Bangla rhymes I grew up listening to as a kid. As a mother, the words of these rhymes fell out of my mouth for my children like unforgotten words.
This is more of a lullaby, but can be sung for the little one whenever the mother wants to. The mother sits cross legged on the floor, maybe on the mud washed floor, a hard cement floor or a mat. The baby sleeps on her lap and she sings...
Aaye aaye Chanda Mama teep diye ja,
Mach kutle muro debo,
Dhan bhangle kuro debo,
Kalo goroor doodh debo,
Doodh kete bati debo,
Aaye aaye Chanda Mama teep diye ja.
The mother cradles the child in her lap, makes an up and down movement of the folded leg... the side where the child’s head is placed. The soft swing movement goes on as she sings...
...she sings the first line, places the fingertip of her first finger on the child’s forehead and looks out inviting the Chanda Mama, the Moon, to come and put a tika on the child’s head.
...the meaning of the lullaby, the song, follows...
Come, come Chand mama, put a tika on the forehead,
When I cut the fish into pieces, I’ll give you the head,
I’ll give you the husk when I separate it from the paddy,
When I milch my black cow I’ll give you some milk,
And I’ll give you a bowl to drink the milk from,
Moon Uncle, come and put a tika on my child’s forehead.
The end words of each line rhymes with the next. As this song is repeated again and again, the cradling and the soft swing created by the lap brings sleep to the child.
Till date a Mother and Grandma’s song for the baby holds so much importance in the life of a child. These words become a part of life and bring pleasure and nostalgic memories even by remembering them.
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