Twenty- five Seven

Open Air Hair Saloon #WordlessWednesday

November 29, 2017

Despite the many air conditioned hair salons there are several who enjoy the fresh air like this red haired gentleman getting a clean shave.

Incidentally, did you know that many an Indian man doesn’t shave himself, preferring to get it done by the village barber ?

It was no wonder then that the village barber also doubled up as a matchmaker. Yes, this was one of his side businesses- scoping out potential grooms and brides as he went from home to home cutting hair and collecting information.

And it is not surprising either that despite its modernity, Mumbai still has a village barber !

Sharing this post with Esha on #WordlessWednesday
Brain Freeze & Smells #MondayMusings

November 27, 2017

Brain freeze.

Can it happen?

RyanMcGuire / Pixabay

Yes , it can.

Even though temperatures in Mumbai are far from cold , my brain is actually freezing .

What I’m suffering from is a brain freeze or another term for writer’s block.

It actually all began this morning when I returned home from my walk down a pleasant, tree-lined, hilly road.All was going well till a whiff of doggy poo came my way. Suddenly I found that the road was littered with poop:some soggy, some not but all distinctly doggy.

Yuck!

And smells

It seems strange but ever since the launch of the Swacch Bharat campaign, I’ve been seeing more and more poop. Or perhaps my hitherto dormant sense of smell is suddenly awake.

Yes, I know it sounds weird but ever since my babies were born , my acute sense of smell just vanished. Perhaps it was just as well because I could happily discharge my motherly duties without the slightest twinge as I couldn’t smell a thing.

But with my babies well into their thirties , it’s time for my nose to awaken to the sweet smells around . Like the heady fragrance of my favourite perfume Coco by Chanel or the aroma of vanilla as my neighbour bakes her cake.

How I missed the smell of ink on a newspaper slipped under the door. For many years I couldn’t enjoy the first drops of rain and the smell of fresh earth.

And what about scent of a rose and sweet jasmine. Or the sharp smell of petrol as it tickled my nose.

Now that my nose has awakened from its slumber, I think it’s time for my brain to freeze.

I only hope this lasts for thirty hours and doesn’t stretch into days.

Sharing my thoughts with Corinne at #MondayMusings.
Giving hope to scarred lives #WATWB

November 25, 2017

I don’t always read the newspaper but when I do, I try to look for the good news first. When I read about Ria Sharma , I was attracted by her pretty face. I was even more fascinated by her story and just had to share it with the rest of the world .

Ria Sharma is a one time fashion student who was struck by the emptiness of her field and chose to make films instead. And the first film that she made changed her life for ever .

It also changed the lives of many victims whose own lives had changed forever. Make Love Not Scars is a Delhi based organisation set up by the then 23 year old girl with the intention of rehabilitating women whose lives were scarred by acid attacks.

Can you imagine walking down a street or a staircase and find yourself doused with liquid that is soon eating up your face? How painful and agonising must that be !

Often targeted by spurned lovers or disapproving elders, many a young girl has had acid thrown on her face.

This cruel ‘punishment ‘ not only results in disfigurement and sometimes disability , it severely scars the person emotionally as well.

Make Love Not Scars helps in getting back some semblance of normalcy in a life scarred by acid.

I think Ria is courageous to tackle a problem that is inherently societal.

Addressing social ills in our country is an uphill battle and if you are a young crusader, it is even more difficult. But Ria has proved that she is made of sterner stuff and I salute this brave girl.

You can read more about her story here

Don’t we need more Rias in this world to help make it a better place ?

I’m participating in We are the World Blogfest where bloggers share positive acts of humanity in life, in the news, or social media on the last FRIDAY of each month.

Thanks to the cohosts for this month

Shilpa Garg, Inderpreet Uppal, Sylvia Stein, Susan Scott, Andrea Michaels and Damyanti Biswas .