२२०६: लगबग / लगीनघाई

आज जरा जास्तच पहाटे खूप लगबग सुरु आहे असा भास झाला मला, खूप सगळे, म्हणजे अख्खे कुटुंबीयच गडबडीत दिसले. मला आधी काही उमजेना, समजेना. मी तशी जागेपणी साखर-झोपेतच होते म्हणून असेल. पण त्यांच्या लगीनघाईने मला जाग आलीच. नीट ऐकलं, बघितलं तर जास्त काही लक्षात आले नाही. पण जसजसा मी त्यांच्याशी संवाद साधण्याचा प्रयत्न केला, निरखून बघितले, त्यांची ये-जा नीट लक्ष देऊन बघितली तेव्हा कुठे प्रकाश पडला डोक्यात. एक म्हणजे अहो हा जून महिना नाही का, आणि त्यात तसा दुसरा आठवडा म्हणजे नवीन शाळा, दप्तरं, वह्या, पुस्तके, बुटं ई. हि झाली एक बाजू, पण सर्वात महत्वाची दुसरी बाजू म्हणजे आईची, घरच्यांची. डब्बा करण्याची गडबड, मुलांना उठवण्यापासून ते तय्यार करून शाळेत पाठ्वण्यापर्यंत दमछाक. आणि अर्थात मी विसरलेच होते त्या झुंजूमुंजू पहाटेच्या उत्साही वातावरणात कि आज महत्वाचा दिवस त्यात, योग-दिवस. त्यामुळे प्रत्येक शाळेत काही ना काही कार्यक्रम असणारच. कालची पालखीची सुट्टी दिली होती त्यामुळे आज शाळेचा दिवस होता हो. त्यामुळे दिवस लवकर सुरु झाला होता आणि तो मी दुरूनच पण अतिशय मनापासून उपभोगला, अनेक वर्षांनी पुन्हा एकदा.

तर त्याचं काय झालं, मी गजर लावला होताच लवकर उठायचा आज कारण माझा पण एक पिटुकला कार्यक्रम होता, त्या आधी मस्त तय्यार व्हायचं होतं. पण बघते / ऐकते तर काय सुमधुर आवाजानेच, त्या गंमतीदार लगबगीचा सूर कानावर पडत राहिला आणि मी वेगळ्याच उत्साहाने उठले. आज भारद्वाज कुटुंबीयांची लगबग त्यामुळे ह्याची देही ह्याची डोळा अनुभवता आली हो. क्या बात है. मला वाटत होतं आपल्याच कडे पहाटेची गडबड असते जेव्हा शाळकरी मुलं घरी असतात, पण छे हो, भारद्वाज काही कुठेही कमी नाहीत. मज्जा आली. आता ठरवलंच आहे कि रोज ह्यांची सकाळची कवायत, धावपळ अनुभवायची खिडकीत बसून. अहाहा च.

hashtag#IYD hashtag#YogaDay hashtag#Yog hashtag#SchoolReopning hashtag#BackToSchool hashtag#PerspectiveMatters hashtag#RefreshingStart hashtag#SchoolRoutine hashtag#Observation hashtag#Nature hashtag#NatureBeauty

२२०3: माशी

माझे वडिल नेहेमी म्हणायचे कि झाडासारखं व्हा, देत राहा, कार्यरत राहा आणि फळाच्या / अभिप्रायाची / शाबासकीची वाट न बघता पुढे चालत राहा, मार्गक्रमण करत राहा. मी अनेक वर्ष चारचाकी चालवते आहे, त्यातून चक्कर मारते आहे, अनेक कॅब्स मधून प्रवास केला आहे आणि घरी सुद्धा हे अनुभवलं आहे ते म्हणजे अनेकदा एखादी माशी गाडीत, किंवा खोलीत अडकते. मग ती बाहेर पाडण्यासाठी धडपडते, आवाज करते. इतकास जीव तो पण आपल्यासारख्या माणसाला तिचा आवाज नकोसा करून टाकतो. मग आपण शर्थीचे प्रयत्न करून तिला मोकळे करतो. ती कुठून आत येते आणि का येते  हे अजूनही माझ्यासाठी गूढच आहे बरं का मंडळी. आज मला इतक्या वर्षांनंतर एक प्रश्न पडला कि ती बाहेर पडते घराच्या किंवा गाडीच्या तेव्हा कुठे जाते? तिच्या कुटुंबियांना किंवा आप्तेष्टांना कशी गाठते किंवा ओळखते? कारण हे सर्वांनी अनुभवलं असेलच अनेकदा कि एका पिटुकल्या माशीला चालत्या गाडीतून बाहेर काढणं म्हणजे एक लढाई असते सर्वांसाठीच, आणि नेहेमीच. ती गाडी खूप दूर कुठेतरी गेल्यावर मग जर तिला मार्ग मोकळा मिळाला तर ती बाहेर पडते आणि मग उडत कुठे जात असेल बरे? तिला नेहेमीच तिचा मूळ ठावठिकाणा मिळतं असेल का? कि ती मग मिळतील त्या माश्यांशी दोस्ती करते का एकटीच राहते? 

ह्या सगळ्या प्रश्नांची उत्तरे शोधण्याचा प्रयत्न मग मी सुरु केला. ते थोडसं सोप्प होतं माझ्यासाठी कारण मी ह्या आधी "जैव-प्रेरित अल्गोरिदम" ह्या वर काम केले आहे.  मी अजूनही वाचतेच आहे, समजावून घेते आहे पण एक ठळक बाब लक्षात आली कि ती इतकीशी पण कधीच थांबत नाही कि "अरे आता मी काय करू? कुठे जाऊ? माझे सगळे लोक कुठे असतील? हि मी कुठे आली अचानक?" ई. हे सगळं मागे सोडून ती नवीन मित्र शोधते, नवीन दोस्ती करण्यावर भर देते, ती तिचे / तिला बहाल झालेले सगळे वापरून नव्याने सुरवात करते प्रत्येक वेळी. मग आपण धडधाकट माणसे हे का नाही करू शकत? आपण का थांबतो? का दुसऱ्यांनीच हे करावं ह्या साठी वाट बघतो, अपशब्द वापरतो, दोष देतो? ह्या छोट्या जिवाकडून कित्ती शिकण्यासारखे आहे. सर्वांनी ते आत्मसात करणे अत्यावश्यक आहे असं माझं मत आहे.  प्रयोग म्हणून एकदा करून बघा कशी मज्जा येते ते. असं म्हणतात ना "sky is all yours, fly high". 

2197: The real reason

I don't know since when, but I've always loved to watch movies set in neat, clean, and modern surroundings, something international, beautiful, gorgeous, high-class, grand, and what not. With due respect, I've always preferred light-hearted stories, laughter, peaceful plots, family-based themes, friendship stories, and the like. I never wanted to pay my hard-earned money to see poverty and ugly things on a larger-than-life screen. Those two or three hours should always be memorable for me, no exceptions.

Initially, I struggled a lot with foreign English accents, but then I got used to it; rather, I started to lovingly enjoy them.

Now, post-retirement, I'm not exaggerating, but I go for at least one movie a day or night, or whenever I find time or feel like it. I literally enjoy this freedom.

I was, and everyone is, aware of the real reason why people love to watch movies. This thought reiterated in my mind again today when I enjoyed the most beautiful piece on my largest TV screen in my cozy living room. It's not because it's a weekend ritual, nor because they have enough money to spend, but because they iteratively build their dreams via movies, especially such a class of movies, the special ones, or those that have that special touch to ignite further dreams in many. Normal people dream of something abnormal, rich, enriching, peaceful, and beautiful to happen, as showcased in movies. And they wait, wish, and when reality strikes, they feel hopeless again. To bring them back to a dreamy land again, such movies play an extravagant role. When they see such movies, their belief is reiterated, and they start living a new subset of dreams once again, filled with huge energies and motivations, and the cycle continues. That's the main reason, according to me, for watching and enjoying such light-hearted, awesome, high-class movies regularly. 

And one more thing: the kind of movies I've particularly enjoyed in the last 1-1.5 years have showcased plots centered around very good, kind-hearted, awesome, clean, fun, enjoyable, and helpful characters. Watching these films truly reiterates my belief in the good that exists all around us, always. The fear(s) (anyone might carry) simply fades away. Consequently, an individual feels more relaxed, focused, and full of love for their surroundings, including nature, people, relationships, love, friendship, and everything else.

The happy vibes of such a movie mean that the entire crew involved in its creation was happy – they were, in a way, the chosen ones to spread further happiness. Customers or observers like me became happy, and likewise, there must be countless others who helped spread this positive energy since the inception or release of all such movies. Wow, what an incredible ripple effect indeed

2196: Back and front end

Being a technocrat myself, this phrase is very dear to me: "All end-users totally depend on these concepts, with all the systems at their disposal right now." Every system has a visible front-end and giant backend support, without which nothing is visible to the user, nor is the user able to communicate with the system. Data, the true backbone of every system, is generally stored securely at the backend. Upon request, the required data is fetched/retrieved, processed, and the results are displayed to the customer within the blink of an eye. This is undoubtedly a most seamless, user-friendly, and indispensable concept. Of course, such systems are maintained live almost constantly, so errors or issues may pop up rarely.

As I mentioned earlier in my post, frankly speaking, I believe "I" do nothing. It's my vital organs, the intricate nerve network, the firm joints, and other backend supporters in the form of every nano cell that truly play active roles at all times. This system, which we call the body, is the backend engine for every visible aspect of an individual – their name, fame, work, money, designations, and so on. These visible details exist entirely because of all the intangible backend warriors who grew up with your name. They are the actual "you." Without them, it's impossible to take a single step; rather, they are the ones who consistently push everyone to step forward, think, act, and react. You know, in the tech world, there are hidden layers and a complete, proper network of layers. Here too, nature provides those hidden layers that come into play as and when required, or rather, are always active.

To be up and running all the time, responding with "one, two, and blue clicks," make sure to always appreciate all the backend, behind-the-scenes heroes and essential contributors. Work a bit towards enriching nature; it's not only our duty but a necessity. Let's go for it (our super bottoms), dears!

2195: Outlier

This is a tale of a girl, and perhaps a few others. While I am acquainted with this particular girl, I don't know the others, though it's possible to find more examples based on varied circumstances. It's simply an observation from my generation, and prior to that, how middle-class girls often faced multiple challenges of diverse scales. This narration is one such account, making her story, to me, an outlier.

In her own words:

"I was born and brought up in a very modest, middle-class family, surrounded by strict parents and a similarly conservative society. Almost everyone around us, the neighbors, friends, schoolmates, etc.  shared the same level of thinking, earning, and living. Those were the days without AI, tech, or ubiquitous gadgets. We never even had the luxury of a phone box at home. Relatives, friends, and family didn't just casually visit, stay, eat, relax, talk, enjoy, and then leisurely leave.

In all this, when I reached adolescence, I started going to birthday parties, informing my parents and visiting only friends' homes, nowhere else. I'd reach home late, and never once did I think about how my mom must be feeling back home, or how worried my dad must be, not knowing my whereabouts as a growing girl. Today, as I go through the same phase with my college-going daughters, I reflect on that time, but now it's too late. I wouldn't say I misbehaved, but I simply 'went with the flow,' enjoyed parties, and spent very little time with my parents.

After marriage, another phase began with huge, mountainous responsibilities: full-time work, kids, first time and then multiple parenthood experiences, etc. I hardly visited my parents' place, as I wanted to earn money, name, and fame. Or, I must confess, I again never thought much about them. Now, as I foresee my own kids becoming extraordinarily busy with technology and their own lives, jobs, partners, new homes, new cities, I feel the pain, but now it's too late. Due to being a more-than-full-time working mother, I hardly spent time with my kids.

The moral of the story is: I was absent from all three generations, the important parts of my life. I was never truly there for my parents or my kids. In turn, I ran so much that I never even sat with myself. This is not the case with other girls; they balance everything well. I failed, and hence, I call myself an outlier. It's a stage of repayment now; do not expect kids to have time in abundance when I, their mother, want it. Hence, leave the past and enjoy the present, every moment. If not all three, then at least take the best care of yourself, so that your kids will be able to concentrate on their own growth peacefully."