Twenty- five Seven

Personally speaking

Recent Posts

  • A dear friend

    Hello darkness my old friend,

    It’s been a long time since last we met
    When you came knocking at my gate
    To let you in , so desperate
    To see me.

    At one time you were a regular
    soul mate who understood my every mood
    my angst, my grief , my anxiety.
    You were the one who said it was ok to cry all day, all night even
    Every moment of the day
    Till all the sadness in my heart very slowly ebbed away.
    You stayed beside me 
    Close inside me
    Wrapping yourself round every cell
    With a cold chill that strangely  thrilled me
    For that was what I needed then.
    Sometimes I miss you
    Especially when my heart soars high
    With happiness
    A lightness of spirit that lifts me up
    The gurgling laughter that keeps you out
    So firmly from my mind and life.
    I’m glad you’ve found yourself another
    to keep you company in your dark world.
    And yet I know you’re somewhere lurking
    and take comfort in the fact
    You’re around.
    I know that someday you will come back
    Unannounced
    In the middle of my busiest day
    In the middle of my happiest moment
    When it’s most inconvenient to have you there.
    It’s nice to know  you’ll never leave me
    Always there my trusted friend
    And because of you and your shadowy presence
    I appreciate the joy of every day.

    This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

  • Finding the perfect gift for the perfect man

    Finding the perfect gift for any one is always a brain teaser particularly if the person you are buying the gift for is a very simple man. Frankly there is no such thing as a simple man and you’d be the fool for believing him when he tells you he’s a simply guy; but this isn’t about whether a man is simple or not, it is about buying the perfect gift for your perfect man because quite simply a simple man is simply perfect!

    For many years I used to think that a book makes the perfect gift for anyone (simple or otherwise), the kind of book depending on the person you are gifting the book to. With millions of topics and millions of books at various price points and levels of intellectual appeal, buying a book was pretty much a no-brainer till suddenly it became fashionable to read  books online.

    So the next best thing to gift a simple guy is a simple gadget which most men love unless they are technophobes (which obviously your simple guy is not is he??). And with new gadgets coming out by the minute, this too is quite an easy task. All you have to do is make sure that the gadget is made by a reliable manufacturer and will be of interest to your perfect man after all there is no point in buying the best camera if he just hates standing in front or behind a lens.

    If your perfect man is not too fussy about buying his own clothes you could gift him any garment from a classy shirt to a simple handkerchief but if you are doubtful about his reaction to that purple T you think will suit him to a T, it would be best to go for something he needs desperately like a pair of black socks which never really go out of style.

    Today I found the perfect gift for the perfect man  in a shop which is truly the only one of its kind in Mumbai.

    Truefitt & Hill which claims to be the world’s oldest barber shop is a shop catering for a man who has it all – and won’t your simply perfect man be having it all? – is not a mere barber shop, it is a barber shop with a difference.

    A chance visit to this place at the side of Regal cinema in Colaba was like walking through time in a bye gone era when gentlemen dressed like gentlemen albeit of the British variety. Apart from the haircut which is no ordinary haircut, the shop offers a wide range of men’s colognes and after shaves, shaving products and accessories, Barker’s shoes and belts, cufflinks, cigars and doodads like a round ice ball maker (perfect for a single malt that needs to be drunk chilled but not diluted). Needless to say nothing in this shop is even remotely cheap, after all it counts royalty amongst its clients but it is definitely the place to go to if you’re looking for the perfect gift for your perfect man. There is bound to be something that would appeal to him with the variety of things available and don’t fret if he is not into luxurious shaving gear or colognes, you could gift him one of their special grooming services…..if nothing else, a simple hair cut!

  • Hindu men can have two wives????

    One wife or two?

    Many  years ago when my girls were little, they felt sorry for me doing the daily chores which all housewives have to do. In fact they felt specially sorry on days the domestic help used to vanish and I had even less time to spare for them or if I did, was tetchy and always in a rush ” Why don’t you ask Dada to have a second wife? ” they advised me, ” That way you won’t have to do all the work yourself!” That was a thought which never occurred to me and tempting though the idea was to halve my work, that was definitely not the solution I would have wanted!

    The thought of two wives is not only repugnant but also regressive. Traditionally the argument given for two wives was to protect the women from the unwanted advances of other men. Thankfully most women these days are capable of looking after themselves and don’t need to get married to protect themselves. However that doesn’t stop men from talking about having more than one wife – whether in jest or otherwise.

    What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander

    Yesterday evening’s television discussions centred  round the Shankaracharya’s proclamation that Hindu men without children should be allowed to take a second wife – an idea that  is not only insulting to all women but downright distasteful ,showing a complete lack of sensitivity and knowledge, unbecoming to someone who claims to be a religious leader. Science has proven beyond doubt that the ability to have children is not dependent on the woman alone. So if a Hindu man can have a second wife if his first can’t have a child, won’t it make sense for a Hindu woman to have a second husband if her husband can’t have children? I hope the Shankaracharya realises the absurdity of his proposition!

    Missing the wood for the trees

    What is the need of the hour is a rebuilding of national character as demanded by Mr. Modi from the Red Fort on Independence Day. Instead of thinking of nation building by changing people’s attitudes from the dead wood of the past, we seem to be talking of inconsequentialities that will take us no where. Instead of asking for a modification of Hindu law that will legalise polygamy, the Shankaracharya should change people’s attitudes to childless couples and dispel the myths associated with having children.
    Religious leaders should refrain from stirring up peoples’ passions and offer spiritual guidance to their followers in private. What is needed is a rational solution to social problems . As Karl Marx said ” Religion is the opium of the masses” and a responsible religious leader should  maintain social peace and calm rather than create controversies and incite communal disharmony.

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