Few days ago, we went to our so called auntie’s house … it was her daughter’s daughter’s b’day. She (Disha) is 3years old and is very fond of our dogy “Beelu n Peelu”. Whenever she wants to visit us she would say “i want to go to Beelu n Peelu’s house”. Even that day she was saying … “when will Beelu n Peelu come to our house ?” So as a gift i gave her a soft toy (dogy) - she was very happy told everyone “Mani mashi gave me Beelu n Peelu” !!

After all this rain …. my plants are very much alive and happy. My mint herbs were dying but now they are spreading nearly all over the pot.  White “Butterfly pea” flower plant is creeping beautifully …. will have to change it’s pot - right now it’s in a comparatively small pot. Let’s see when i get time to do that.

Quite busy with my boutique as  i will be going to Kolkata on 15 sept. So has to finish some work before i leave. My mom brought a Vaio (sony) laptop for me n nokia cellphone  …. so i m writing this post on my new laptop Have a relaxing Sunday n a great sunny week !! … p.s. i won’t mind a wet week as i still love rain but i’m sure others are fadup of traffic jams n those long hours waiting to get to the office n back home  …. so a sunny week won’t be a bad idea !!

Ek mood, ek kaifiyat geet ka chehra hota hai..
Kuch sahi se lafz jad do, maujoon se dhun ki lakeerein kheench do..
To nagma sans lene lagta hai, jinda ho jata hai..
Itni si jaan hoti hai gane ki ek lamhe ki jitni..
Haan kuch lamhe barson jinda rehte hain..
Geet boodhe nahin hote unke chehre pe jhurriyan nahin girti..
Wo palte rehte hain chalte rehte hain..
Sune wale boodhe hojate hai to kehete hai -
“Hain … woh oos pahar ka tila jab badal se dhak jata hai to ek avaj sunai deti hai”

….. by Gulzar

In the above pic. can see the black cloudy sky ….

n so … this year too we’ll have guest. Last year - we went to Kolkata after “Kali puja” (Diwali), but this year we’ll be going before Durga puja n this time it will be a 2 weeks long holiday. I am very much looking forward to it … visit lots n lots of places where i have not been to.

It’s a “Mexican Oleander” bud … soak in water droplets … they too enjoy rain - like i do !!

Would love to visit the “Botanical Garden” again n spend the whole day clicking nature.  Well even when i go to my maternal uncle’s house at  Andharmanik …. i’m  sourrounded by nature too. But in the past it used to be more beautiful …. it still is beautiful but not the same.

These are “Brahmi”  plants (…. or herbs whatever u call it )  soaked in rain ….

they taste little bitter - but have heard it’s good for brain !

It’s would be rainny season in Kolkata by the end of september …. (well that’s what i m guessing as it always rain around Durga puja). If it rains we may not be able to visit all the places that we have planned … but i love rain n i love taking rainy pics too.  So hoping to have fun n click tons of photos.

Rain water dripping from “bouganvilla” leaves …

those droplets look so nice !!

I sometime wonder that i nearly visit the same places whenever i go to kolkata …. and so take photos of the same places n post them on my blog  … seeing the same place over n over again may get boring. So i always try to shot things differently … so that it might look interesting … hope to visit different places too

I never thought … simple bugs can look to stunning !

at my hometown - i had seen so many different types n colorful … n those glossy ones too.

if i can … will click as many as i can.

seems like i m fascinated by them !!

Taken at my auntie’s house in Barasat (west bengal) …  a species of ferns. i guess they like wet humid places as i have seen these in west bengal  mostly grown every where …. even on trees.

In Delhi n surrounding area - in olden days - people use to plant neem trees in their courtyard as its breeze  (thought to be n i guess that was right too !) would keep away diseases. It also provided shade from the burning sun. Now a days people do not have enough space to live in … unthinkable to plant such a huge tree. But anyway … there’re still many huge neem trees around the main city area (i actually don’t know the name of the roads). They’re around  “Trimurti Bhavan” n where “Indira Gandhi Memorial Hall” is  …. n  near Patiala House too and many of the interconnected roads around these places !!!

Caladiums :  taken at Amulia (west bengal) where our ancestral “Kali temple” is …. there were colorful ones too but i like the pure green ones.  i like to call them green hearts !!!

The Flame Nettle/ Coleus:  it’s  from my uncle’s house in Karimganj (assam) …. it was like a vine roaming around green chilly plants and some more plants that were kept near the chilly plants. i tried to figure out in which pot it was planted - then discovered it was planted in a small plastic container. Compare to its size the container was very small … i was amazed !

Near by our house is a “peepal tree” (Sacred fig) … some days when i wake up at 5 am and walk on our rooftop - i see women coming with their worship plates and offering water to the (believe to be) holy plant !!  Surprising thing is that they have their shower before 5 am … for me it’s unthinkable …

But yes … i like seeing people bending infrot of something which they think is more powerful than them … makes them ordinary - innocent human being … but as the day rises and so do their true colors … jealousy - hatred -back biting and so on …. making these beautiful women look ugly and aweful …. but the nature remain the same - soothing n beautiful !!

It’s a “white pumkin” flower n they look beautiful as they hang from its plant and it looks even more beautiful when this plant hangs from another tree. White pumkin (in bengali it’s Chalkumro)  is a creeper which creeps on the ground or climb another tree or plant.

Next to my auntie’s house (in Barasat -  West Bengal) lays our plot with so many different vegetation growing on it. There’s a huge mango tree .. some papaya trees and a big “kul gachh” (can’t get the english name … but in hindi it’s “ber ka per”) and many other weeds.  This white pumkin creeper has acutally creeped on this “Kul Gachh” … good thing about this is that stranger won’t be able to steal the pumkin - not even at day time !!

White pumkin as vegetable is not my favorite but some kind of dried tablets are made … we called it “bori” .  Urad dal paste(split black gram without the skin)  n grated white pumkin are mixed together seasoned with salt. Then this tablets are made by hand on a piece of cloth and are left on it to get dry. When they are completely dried in two to three days … they are ready to use in curry or semi curry dishes …. and i love it this way.

White pumkin tastes delicious when cooked with mustard paste … but reality is - anything cooked in mustard paste automatically tastes delicious … so nothing special about white pumkin !! Just like when it is cooked with prawns it tastes heaven …. but again anything cooked with prawns tastes as divine as white pumkin …

it’s the white pumkin creeper …. wish i had taken pic. of those hanging from the “kul gachh”.

normal pumkin’s flower are edible … but never heard or tasted white pumkin flower.

a grasshopper  feasting on white pumkin’s leaf …  bengalis eat the normal pumkins creeps and flowers but i guess not the white pumkin’s … i remember reading somewhere that in hot summer white pumkin are good for stomach n eventually the body as it’s easy on digestive organs  … keeping them cool. So  i too feast on white pumking in hot summer ….

She is called “Mini”. This isn’t my auntie’s pet but they (3 of them) generally roam around auntie’s house n when they call her by her giving name … these cats gather around auntie’s varanda or backyard - and eat rice n fish.

Few months ago - Mini gave birth to some kitten at auntie’s house. She thought … she will let them stay for few days n then she will “shu” them out ! but that few days became few weeks and later one of the kitten got ticks and uncle didn’t know what to do to remove those ticks … he put “ddt powder” ( insecticide powder) all over him. The kitten got seriously sick … they took him to the hospital. We all thought it won’t survive but prayed for him. Auntie n uncle … they spent many sleepless night - even though it wasn’t their pet … but they began to love them as their family member. That was nice to see !!

Finally … he got well and we all felt good

who tries to understand my feelings and respect them

You will always be my best friend,

I know there will be times

when we’ll fight over small matters

But you know that is what friendship is all about.

You fight and then you laugh -

you cry in each others sorrow

you laugh at each others happiness…

and whenever you do something wrong -

you try to correct her.

There is more and many more things that can be told about friendship …

But  !!

Above all of these … you must know your friend,

and i guess we know each other very well …

I’m happy to have you my friend !!

So wish you a very happy “Friendship Day”

Nature can be so mesmerizing …

so devilish yet divine !

i’m not that fond of taking sky shots

but now a days the blue sky changes it’s color every now n then

it forces one to adore it …

p.s.If days back i took this pic.

but it didn’t look exactly the same …

this is the best i could take

my camera isn’t that good to take  panoramic view !!

or perhaps i’m not that good - don’t know …

THE RIGHT ONE : This is a species of  “Taro” (more scientificly  Colocasia  esculenta). The  leaves of this particular plant doesn’t grow more than 1/2 inch.  My uncle was telling me that it’s quite a rare plant n maybe that’s why i haven’t seen this plant at anybodys before.  This taro species doesn’t survive easily … they are pretty fragil - but i guess they like Delhi’s weather.

There was a time when i didn’t like non-flowering plant - but now i love them too …… different shape n size - their colors - creaper or herbs - no matter whether it’s floral or non-floral - i simply love them all !!

Few day’s back i bought a “beel phool” plant (white flowering plant with amazing sweet smell) for Piyal’s mom as she wanted to plant a plant … any plant. Piyal one day asked me - if they can rent a plant from my place.  So i gifted the plant to them … they were happy to have it.

THE LEFT ONE : Little red flowers bunch will blossom on this plant. They’re of many types … with white, yellow, and even pink flower. When i told this to my uncle - he asked to buy that plant with any of those color for him.

Today we’re going to Santwana’s house for lunch … they live in Mahavir Enclave. There is a nursery near their place - have planned to visit the nursery. Let’s see if i find something interesting to bring back home

Enjoy the lazy Sunday !!

In Rome … i got my first n last  BEST  friend.  At that time i never realised how true her friendship was. She used to tell me … when i will lose her then only will i realise -  what i lost !!  And truely it is so … i’m still looking or say searching for her. Didn’t find her on facebook either.

I actually misplaced her address …. then i went to South Africa - got her last letter … she  thought  i didn’t get her letters - so she stopped writing !!

Her name Mao Mao Cheng … she was from China. Her mother worked for the FAO (Food n Agricultural Organisation). Her father was a painter. Don’t know how to contact her … God knows where she is now !

i sometime wonder … is she  looking for me too ?

After  Mao Mao …. i never got a true friend. Do i miss something in life … accept her - nothing much really !!  Now a days most of my “Friends” are either younger to me or older than me. i find it easier to maintain the friendship relation with them only.

I finished my graduation years ago … n have friends (Piyali n Shilpi) who’re in 1st year now … they both are unique (in their own way) n are full of life.  Piyali … even though she is quite young but still have the sense of maturity - but that doesn’t make her sound or look over aged … she is lovely n lively - have good sense of dressing too.

Whereas Shilpi … is totally like a bollywood masala movie … endless entertainment !! Recently  … i went to our second house after a long time - she said “Mani (my pet name) didi - why didn’t you come all these days … you know everyday seems to be so big … so big as an Ostrich” !!  i just couldn’t stop laughing.

I also have a friend who is not of my age yet not so younger than me. She is good too … we have a nice bonding.

One thing that’s common between me n Kamal is that …  we both are confussed n deppressed most of the time. when we go for shopping or for a walk  … we always have a great time  - we more or less have same thoughts and thinkings. Except  … she is a person who can do anything for her friends  and by anything she means absolutely anything.

For me it’s difficult to think it that way … but yes i can always be there when my friends want to pour their heart out. Listen to their problems  the whole day … comfort them !! Suggest them to do this or that … but physically i do that much as it is possible for me …

We have differences n things in common too … over all we’re good friends