Twenty- five Seven

On friends and family

November 5, 2011

Photo by fauxels on Pexels.com

My father always used to say that one can never choose one’s family but one can choose one’s friends: so one should choose well and wisely.

Friends come into our lives in the strangest of ways :

Sometimes we find them at a bus stop,

Sometimes at a bar,

We find them in school,

Or at work,

The Gym.

The doctor’s waiting room,

Sometimes through other friends.

Friends are people whom we like

Whom we feel comfortable with

Share happy times and sad

Who laugh with us and cry with us

People for whom we’d gladly die.

But how do we come upon our families?

How do they come into our lives?

Do we choose them at a cosmic plane?

Or do we get them by a karmic lottery?

Would we choose the same mother?
The same father?
Would we choose the same child?

Sometimes I really wonder.
To Pune, to Pune, to buy some sarees

October 14, 2011

Welcome back!

Mahabaleshwar holds memories of spending summer holidays in the back of beyond Government guest house , the huge stone structure with a hundred steep steps, high ceilings, spooky bathrooms and huge verandahs surrounded by mist. The days were spent walking through thick woods from point to point, making the obligatory trip to the market to buy the daily provisions and of course seeing the monkey show, the magic show , the visit to the strawberry fields, being stranded in the middle of the lake and of course to the temple in Old Mahabaleshwar. So I was quite surprised when I found that several fashionable women of Mumbai and Pune religiously made their way to Pallod a saree shop.

I was in Pune earlier this week where I had gone to buy sarees. Honestly now many people from Mumbai or Delhi or Bangalore or even Chennai will say I’m nuts but honestly, I feel that the best sarees are available in Pune. Perhaps my parents staying there has something to do with it but I truly feel that Pune truly has a wide range of sarees available to suit every customer.

While Mumbai’s sarees are a mixture of the high end couture ones and the absolute low end whole sale ones, Chennai and Bangalore specialise in silk especially the traditional handwoven silks. Delhi concentrates on the Benarasis, chiffons,, block prints and handlooms with the obligatory haute couture bridals.

Which brings me to my original premise that Pune is really the best place to buy sarees. A trip to any shop in Laxmi Road especially Pratibha or Peshwai ( off Kumthekar Chowk) will set you back by a few thousand rupees as it is hardly likely that you will come away without making any purchase. Traditional weaves in cotton and silk mix like Maheshwari and Chanderi in brilliant colours and modern designs, traditional cottons and silks from Andhra Pradesh and Coimbatore, hand woven silks from the south are the perfect gifts for weddings.

But the place where I really struck gold was at Pallod an off shoot of Pallod of Mahabaleshwar. Situated on Bhandarkar Road. this spacious shop has sarees to suit every taste and every budget. At first it is a bit difficult to get exactly what you want but once your salesman has gauged your preferences, he leaves no stone unturned to find what you want.

So if you have any wedding shopping to do – you had best make your way to Pallod.
An Autumn sky in Boston

August 4, 2011

Welcome back!

No I am not anywhere near this tree but my sky is so grey and gloomy that I thought I’d share some pictures from my archives. Two years ago in Boston I found this fat little squirrel perched on a tree outside the window. This was my first experience of a New England Fall and I was captivated by the changing colours of the leaves. I took several pictures of the trees against the sky like this gorgeous orange gold against a clear blue sky.

In my city too, the trees shed leaves during Winter and have pretty pink shoots peeping out in Spring but most of the time the trees are a gorgeous green occasionally becoming red like the Gulmohar in full bloom, purple like the Jacaranda or even golden yellow like the rusty shield bearer or the laburnum.

Alas the trees are slowly getting rare with many of them falling down like the grand old tree that was uprooted this evening. And with the concrete jungle proliferating faster than any natural jungle, I am sure the only trees my grandchildren will recognize will be those in picture books.

For more skies from around the world go visit