Candle

Soothing, Calming, Glowing.....

https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800/2019/death.jpg

I love this image. It's so simple and real, yet so surreal.

I can gaze at it for hours together. It emanates a meditative feeling.

Beautiful photography, I must say. Whoever took it, has made my day.

As usual, I sourced this image from one of the news stories I was reading.

Happy Viewing :-)

Cheers
Aparna

Covid

Covid
Widows

Covid
Orphans

We've seen
Them all in
This year.

Is that
Reason
Enough
To celebrate
Life or to
Celebrate
Death in the
Coming new
Year?

© Aparna Chatterjee

Have you heard of him?

He is Philip Galanes

Usually in many newspapers and magazines, we come across agony-aunt columns wherein people ask questions relating to their personal problems and there's a lady (agony aunt) who gives suggestions and advice regarding how to resolve those problems and issues.

But here is a man, rather an agony uncle, and he's really good at giving advice.

I follow his columns, his series of Q&As with the various readers of The New York Times and how intelligently and sometimes very humorously, he tells them what to do to get out of the mess they are in.

His way of responding to them is very interesting and I love the way he counsels them with his unique way of thinking.

He's marvellous in expressing himself and getting his thoughts across to his readers and has a really superb vocabulary.

Here are some of his erudite writings.

https://www.nytimes.com/by/philip-galanes

https://muckrack.com/philip-galanes/articles

Have a read when you can.

Cheers

Aparna

Have you tried this?

Head & Shoulders Sensitive Scalp Shampoo

http://kenajaye.blogspot.com/2020/11/head-shoulders-sensitive-scalp-shampoo.html

It's really worth a try :-)

As UK has been in and out of various kinds of lockdowns because of Coronavirus, many of our regular items have been out of stock in the supermarkets because of irregular deliveries of their supplies.

We've gone through months of rationing as supermarkets allow us to make limited number of purchases.

During one such lockdown, I couldn't get the shampoo that I usually use

Head & Shoulders Sensitive Scalp Shampoo

I had to use some other shampoo of some other brand that was also a sensitive shampoo but nowhere near to the H&S shampoo that I use.

I realised that the shampoo was very watery, not much foam, it kept sliding down my head as it was slippery like a thin liquid and if by chance any of that liquid got into my eyes, it left a stinging sensation (as compared to the H&S sensitive scalp shampoo which didn't give me any such reaction).

Moreover, that other shampoo left tangles in my hair and my hair was so sticky, rough and gluey whenever I combed it for quite a few days of having used that shampoo.

It was so uncomfortable combing my hair and I was really waiting for my regular shampoo to come back in stock and I was so glad it did :-)

This Head & Shoulders Sensitive Scalp Shampoo leaves my hair feeling so soft, silky and shiny and when I use it, it's so lathery, gives a good foam and most importantly doesn't keep slipping and sliding through my visage because it's a thick foam.

It stays in place till I wash it all off, sparing me the uncomfortable action of frequently washing my face and eyes to clean off the shampoo that I endured with that other runny liquid that the supermarket was selling as a sensitive shampoo.

The H&S shampoo left my hair tangle-free and chemically, it doesn't have any parabens, phosphates and colourants.

It's my favourite shampoo and whenever I get a deal / discount, I buy it in bulk just in case it again vanishes during future lockdowns.

That's why I recommend this product to you and I hope you like it as much as I do :-)

Happy washing :-)

Cheers

Aparna

Pets

I've grown up with cats and dogs. There was a cat and a dog in our home that were so friendly and peace-loving that they used to sleep together on the same mat.

There was another cat who used to accompany my mother on her daily evening walks and used to always walk behind her and come back home with her when she finished her walks.

My dog used to sit under my study table and I used to stroke its fur while studying.

I've seen my pets birthing in my home and the cats used to have kittens and the dogs (bitches) used to have puppies.

All these are cherished memories of my parental home.

So I was really surprised to find this article and I thought of sharing it with you so that you are also well-informed.

These are extracts from an Article that was News for me, informing me that keeping pets can cause cancer.

The marketing departments of the $70-billion-a-year pet products industry are working overtime these days to convince you that pet ownership is the key to human health and happiness. But the corporate PR departments and the media conveniently ignore studies that report pet-owners are more susceptible to a host of maladies. These include hypertension, anxiety, depression, insomnia, gastric ulcers, migraine headaches, and obesity. And I suspect the pet food industry is not going to send out press releases on three recent studies that link pet ownership to cancer death rates.

The pet owners were more likely to be heavy smokers than non-pet owners, and more of them had been diagnosed with asthma. And while pet owners were more physically active than non-owners, this did not translate into better health. Indeed, the pet owners were just as likely to be overweight as people who did not live with pets.

After adjusting for socioeconomic and demographic factors (“covariates”) such as age, smoking and drinking, exercise, race, and income, the researchers found pet owners were almost 3 times as likely as non-pet owners to have died of colorectal cancer (hazard ratio = 2.83). Surprisingly, this dramatic difference in colorectal cancer deaths was mostly attributable to living with a cat (hazard ratio = 2.67).

Pet-owning women were more than twice as likely to die of lung cancer as women who did not live with pets (hazard ratio = 2.67). Female cat owners were nearly 3 times as likely to have died of lung cancer as women without cats. Pet-owning women, however, were 40% more likely to have died from cancer (hazard ratio = 1.40).  And the effect was largest among women who owned birds (hazard ratio = 2.41) and cats (hazard ratio = 1.48).

Women who owned cats or birds had considerably higher rates of lung cancer deaths and deaths from all forms of cancers than women without pets.

The researchers concluded, “Using data from a nationally representative cohort, we found that keeping a pet in the household was associated with an increased risk of dying of cancer, mainly among women.”

The researchers suggest that the cat and bird owners might come into contact with carcinogenic chemicals called Aflatoxins through exposure to contaminated pet foods or animal feces. They also point out that some studies have found women are more susceptible to the effects of cancer-causing chemicals than men.

Other studies have also reported that pet owners are at more risk than non-pet owners of contracting lymphoma, breast cancer, leukemia, and lung cancer.

I don’t have a clue why there would be a link between cancer and pet ownership. I am, however, pretty sure the suits in the marketing departments of the pet food companies are not going to be churning out press releases announcing, “Women Who Own Cats and Birds Have Higher Death Rates from Cancer."

You can read the rest of the article here

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/animals-and-us/201908/the-strange-link-between-pet-ownership-and-cancer-in-women

The author of this article is Hal Herzog. He is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at Western Carolina University.

He's an award-winning teacher and researcher who has published more than 100 research articles and book chapters. 

If you find this article useful, please share it with your near 'n' dear ones.

Well, I didn't know this

Did you?

I always thought that Smoking can cause Lung Cancer

But here it says that Smoking can also cause Bladder Cancer

In this article Dr. Srinivas Vourganti informs us that

Smoking causes more than half of all cases of bladder cancer, and smokers are three times more likely to get bladder cancer than non-smokers.

Dr. Vourganti who's a urologist at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago says: "The same harmful chemicals you inhale when you smoke accumulate in your urine, and as the bladder holds urine, it is exposed to these toxins at a higher rate than other parts of the body."

Bladder cancer is the 6th most common form of cancer in the USA.

It's over three times more common in men than in women, and the risk increases with age.

9 in 10 bladder cancer patients are older than 55.

You can read rest of the details by clicking here

Quit smoking, your bladder will thank you

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-11-bladder.html

Please pass on this news to the smokers around you so that it makes them quit smoking and live a healthy life.

Four Types of Marriages

 I've come across this very interesting article on Four Types of Marriages:

1. Supportive - high in support, low in strain

2. Ambivalent - high in support, high in strain

3. Indifferent - low in support, low in strain

4. Aversive - low in support, high in strain

Which one is yours?!  ;-)


The author of this article David Ludden defines Support as "any interaction in the marriage that boosts physical or psychological well-being" and Strain includes those "interactions that damage physical or psychological well-being."

Supportive marriages seem to be the Happiest and yield the Best health outcomes for both Men and Women whereas Couples in Aversive marriages tend to be the Unhappiest.

Ludden's informative article begins with these insightful lines:

Plenty of research shows that being married is generally good for your physical and psychological health. Spouses aren’t just companions and intimate partners; they also help each other maintain healthy habits, and they provide emotional support in times of need. However, there’s also plenty of research showing that bad marriages are far worse for people’s health than not being married at all. Even when there’s no physical or psychological abuse, the frequent tensions that arise from conflicts and complaints can lead to considerable physical and psychological harm. As people enter their senior years, marriage becomes even more important in their lives. When they retire, they tend to lose the network of relationships that can help offset some of the tensions at home. Likewise, grown children leave home and often move far away, while friendships shrink in number due to loss of mutual interests, health problems, or death.

To read the rest of this article and its relevant research findings, you can click here

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/talking-apes/202012/how-marriage-affects-health-in-older-adults

Happy Reading,

Cheers
Aparna

It

It's not only

For the

Who's who

It's also

For

Commoners

Like me and

You

If you taste it

You'll like it

What is it?

It's

Haldiram's

Motichoor

Laddoo :-)

(wrote this after having some delicious laddoos from this brand - the taste was grand)

Lots of Quotes :-)

The greatest gifts you can give someone are your time, your love, and your attention. - Anon

We can't help everyone, but everyone can help someone. - Ronald Reagan

Love and a cough cannot be hid. - George Herbert

Tell me then, does love make one a fool or do only fools fall in love? - Orhan Pamuk

A spark neglected makes a mighty fire. - Robert Herrick

Trust dies but mistrust blossoms. - Sophocles

There's a world of difference between truth and facts. Facts can obscure the truth. - Maya Angelou

Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom one can neither resist nor understand. - George Orwell

The whole point of getting things done is knowing what to leave undone. - Oswald Chambers

The world will give you that once in awhile, a brief timeout; the boxing bell rings and you go to your corner, where somebody dabs mercy on your beat-up life. - Sue Monk Kidd

Who covets more is evermore a slave. - Robert Herrick

We grow small trying to be great. - E. Stanley Jones

Wisdom outweighs any wealth. - Sophocles

I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved. - B. R. Ambedkar

The purpose of life is not to be happy—but to matter, to be productive, to be useful, to have it make some difference that you lived at all. - Leo Rosten

The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions. - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Know when to speak - for many times it brings danger, to give the best advice to kings. - Robert Herrick

A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves and traitors are not victims... but accomplices. - George Orwell

One's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions. -  Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

Are right and wrong convertible terms, dependent upon popular opinion? - William Lloyd Garrison

The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously. - Henry Kissinger

When one teaches, two learn. - Robert Half

If a man doesn't know how to dance he doesn't know how to make love, there I said it! - Craig Ferguson

Women can have it all, but not all at the same time and not without major sacrifices. - Dr Ijeoma Kola

Nine-tenths of wisdom is being wise in time. - Theodore Roosevelt

If it all happens naturalistically, what's the need for a God? Can't I set my own rules? Who owns me? I own myself. - Jeffrey Dahmer

You can never be wise and be in love at the same time. - Bob Dylan

Never reach out your hand unless you're willing to extend an arm. - Pope Paul VI

Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone. - Gertrude Stein

The wise strive to find unknown truth. The wiser realise truth, by its very nature, is unknown. - Sethuramiah Abburi

Pneumonia may well be called the friend of the aged. Taken off by it in an acute, short, not often painful illness, the old man escapes those ‘cold gradations of decay’ so distressing to himself and to his friends. - Sir William Osler

Life is short, but there is always time enough for courtesy. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Happy seeing and Happy sharing :-)

I wish you all a safe and healthy Christmas and New Year.

Take Care

~Aparna~

True

If you are

Looking

For a true

Bengali,

That is

Certainly

Not me.

I'm more of

A Dilliwali

Carrying a

Surname,

that is 

Bengali :)

(Though I was born in a Bengali Brahmin family and I can talk fluently in Bengali but that's about it, I'm more of a Delhiite who's fluent in Hindi and likes North-Indian dishes and abhors bony fishes. I also detest draping myself in sarees. I'm OK with salwar-kameez but I prefer wearing T-shirts and pull-on Pajamas & Trousers as they are quick & easy to wear and convenient to run around for various errands. Though I sometimes listen to Bengali songs but Hindi songs are my all-time Favourites.)

Years

Years

I've spent

With you:

Twenty-two

Still I don't

Hesitate to

Say:

I love you :)

(Dedicated to my Hubby on our 22nd Wedding Anniversary)

Some Blossoms For You :-)

 

I took these photos in Chalkwell Park on 16th July 2020. 

I've uploaded these today for you to see :-)

Happy Viewing!!

I'm Listening To This :-)

Are you?!

If yes, wao! You already know about this :-)

If not, let me share this link with you so that you come to know about this superb radio station

http://www.radioindia.in/bollywood-gaane-purane

Really lovely songs in Bollywood Gaane Purane online

Have a listen when you can :-)

Let me Remember him

With this song of his

It's one of my Fav SPB songs - I love the lyrics, the music and the way it is sung so superbly by SPB

Now, who is SPB?

He is the singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam who recently passed away at the age of 74, known to many of us as SPB.

In this video, we can see Saeed Jaffrey, Dimple Kapadia, Kamal Haasan and Rishi Kapoor (who also left us in April this year)

Lyrics are by Javed Akhtar and Music is by R.D. Burman

Hope you like this song.

Regards
Aparna

Don't Miss This Pic :)

It's a picture of the beautiful River Mawddach Estuary which is near Barmouth in Wales, UK.

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/bea5285416fe97039957b429c58495080b2a44b8/0_0_5787_3473/master/5787.jpg?width=1020&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c8d63d5a3b822412dba6566f1fb3a4a0

Photography is by Nigel Hicks/Alamy. Please click to see.

Also, don't miss these Quotes :-)

Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change. - Confucius

Between saying and doing, many a pair of shoes is worn out. - Iris Murdoch

In the Book of Life, The answers aren't in the back. - Charles M. Schulz

No race can prosper till it learns that there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem. - Booker T. Washington

Face it, I didn't become famous until I took my clothes off. - Jude Law

I'm only wanted by directors for the image I give off, and it makes me angry. I always wanted to be an actor and not a beauty pageant winner. - Jude Law

I've never known any trouble than an hour's reading didn't assuage. - Arthur Schopenhauer

In love, one and one are one. - Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre

Care and diligence bring luck. - Thomas Fuller

All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. - Arthur Schopenhauer

The whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions God's infinite love. That's the message we're brought up with, isn't it? Believe or die! Thank you, forgiving Lord, for all those options. - Bill Hicks

With foxes we must play the fox. - Thomas Fuller

If you take two kids at school, one of them has more innate capability but is a know-it-all. The other person has less innate capability but is a learn-it-all. The learn-it-all does better than the know-it-all. -  Satya Nadella

Health is not valued till sickness comes. - Thomas Fuller

We never know the worth of water till the well is dry. - Thomas Fuller

I began learning long ago that those who are happiest are those who do the most for others. - Booker T. Washington

And this intriguing article, you can give it a miss if you want to :-)

The Silent Treatment: A Tactic of Abuse and Control

https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/invisible-chains/202009/the-silent-treatment-tactic-abuse-and-control

But I found it very interesting and informative and if you find others who are in a similar situation, you can pass this on to them to salvage them from their suffering.

Hope they realise what they are going through and can find some sort of respite and rescue.

That's all my sharing for now.

Have a Rang-Birangi Autumn.

Love always,
Yours, AC :-)

Today is my Hubby's B'day :-)

He's turned 49 today.

So I thought of sharing some nice quotes with you to mark the day.

Happy Reading and Happy Reflecting :-)

If you count all your assets you always show a profit. - Wilson Mizner

Love conquers all things except poverty and toothache. - Mae West

The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human can alter his life by altering his attitude. - William James

A great deal of intelligence can be invested in ignorance when the need for illusion is deep. - Saul Bellow

Whoever you are, now I place my hand upon you/ That you may be my poem/ I whisper with my lips close to your ear/ I have loved many women and men, but I love none better than you. - Walt Whitman

Love without understanding will wilt like flowers without water. - Jeffrey Bernstein

It's good to do uncomfortable things. It's weight training for life. - Anne Lamott

Without labor nothing prospers. - Sophocles

He who fears he shall suffer, already suffers what he fears. - Michel de Montaigne

I love my rejection slips. They show me I try. - Sylvia Plath

If you steal from one author it's plagiarism; if you steal from many it's research. - Wilson Mizner

A man in love is incomplete until he has married. Then he's finished. - Zsa Zsa Gabor

The things that will destroy America are prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first and love of soft living and the get-rich-quick theory of life. - Theodore Roosevelt

Life is a disease: sexually transmitted and invariably fatal. - Neil Gaiman

All generalizations are dangerous, even this one. - Alexandre Dumas

At every party there are two kinds of people - those who want to go home and those who don't. The trouble is, they are usually married to each other. - Ann Landers

I'm selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best. - Marilyn Monroe

Love is like war: easy to begin but very hard to stop. - H. L. Mencken

All human wisdom is summed up in two words; wait and hope. - Alexandre Dumas

Lend yourself to others, but give yourself to yourself. - Michel de Montaigne

God doesn’t need to punish us. He just grants us a long enough life to punish ourselves. - Barbara Kingsolver

My Favourite Photo :-)

Amongst all the photos I shared with you in my 'Spring Walks' blog, this is my favourite photo.

It shows glimpses of the sea through the branches of a tree.

It was taken by my son on one of his morning walks.

There is something about this mesmerising, soothing, calming, appealing, appeasing photo.....the picture stayed in my mind long after I had viewed it.

Nature in all its splendour and beauty.....and of course, thanks to my son's beautiful photography, he clicked it well....and made an impression on my mind that lasted for a long, long time.

Hope he brings back many more such nice pics and shares with us and of course, if I like any, I'll share it with you for your viewing pleasure.

Now some quotes for your notes, some serious, some humorous :-)

The next time you have a thought... let it go. - Ron White

A woman's mind is cleaner than a man's: She changes it more often. - Oliver Herford

Men should only believe half of what women say. But which half ? - Jean Giraudoux

First the doctor told me the good news: I was going to have a disease named after me. - Steve Martin

I'm writing a book. I've got the page numbers done. - Steven Wright

You may delay, but time will not. - Benjamin Franklin

Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over. - F. Scott Fitzgerald

If you cannot inspire a woman with love of you, fill her above the brim with love of herself ~ all that runs over will be yours. - Charles Caleb Colton

Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them. - Washington Irving

The world is your oyster. It's up to you to find the pearls. - Chris Gardner

That's all my sharing for now.

Take Care,
~ Aparna ~

15 years with Boloji

Last month, I completed 15 years with Boloji as I had joined as a Poetry Editor in April 2005.

During this period, I've been able to edit and publish over 23,000 poems.

I've always been passionate about poetry and have penned over 2450 poems though not all my poems are on Boloji.

I've archived them all in PoemHunter as it gives me the facility of making an E-Book.

https://www.poemhunter.com/aparna-chatterjee/biography/

Though what I don't like about PH is that I have to submit poems with the same titles in different designs as their software cannot differentiate between poems if the titles are the same and thinks that the poet is duplicating his / her poems.

For e.g. in Boloji, I can submit different poems with the same title - She

But in PH, if I need to submit different poems with the same title - She, I have to keep changing the title designs, for e.g. She ~ She ~ *She* - She - and so on and so forth or it will not let me submit the poem thinking it is a duplication of my previous poem with the same title.

Sometimes, I keep running out of designer titles and I have to spend ages just to see how to design my title so that PH accepts my poem submission. It drives me nuts.

However, unlike on Boloji, I've kept all my poems open to comments on PH and so I interact with my fellow poets there.

I chose to do this on PH and not on Boloji because I thought that I write so many poems on a daily basis and with so much editing and publishing to do on Boloji poetry and also a lot of mail correspondence to handle, I'll not have the time to keep interacting with people all the time, responding to the reviews and comments on my poems and so I kept one site open and the other site closed so that there is less interaction but when I interact, it should be quality time as I make it a point to respond to almost all the reviews on PH barring a few, because I value people's time in reading and reviewing my poetry and so I acknowledge their responses.

15 years have passed with Boloji and it looks as if it all happened in a jiffy.....time flies.

It's not that I've always enjoyed my work in Boloji. There have been times when monotony has set in and I've not cherished reading and publishing boring poems. But many poets have enthralled me with their creations and their poems have been my favourites and have found a place in my Ed's Choice list.

https://www.boloji.com/ed-choice-list

Also, when I feel that I've read, edited and published a lot, I take some long or short breaks and I wouldn't see poems during that time or else my mind would feel clogged up and wouldn't feel refreshed enough to again focus on quality editing. Quality means a lot to me than quantity. Even if I publish 5-6 poems per day, they should be well-presented rather than just approving poems as and when they come and blindly publishing them with lots of typos and errors, theme mismatch, shoddy formatting, etc.

Some poems come to me. They hardly need any changes. I publish them as they are....But a lot of them come and I feel that they need some slick editing to make them look better so that the end product that gets published makes a good read. I won't take names but I'm sure many of my fellow poets on Boloji have seen such changes in their poems and I hope I've been able to make them happy with the finished product of their write-up.

And of course, as always, I'm not on my own on Boloji when it comes to executing such work. I'm thankful to Rajender Ji who hosts this website and helps us express ourselves and to Kapil and his team who maintain the technicalities of this website.

As for my favourite poets, well I'm not naming any....

But of course, the poets with the maximum poems in my Ed's Choice list are the ones whose creations I look forward to reading.....as they are the ones who make my day by giving me a nice poem every day :-)

Love you all,
Yours, as always,
Aparna Chatterjee

Fearing

He's God-fearing
And death-fearing
And so he prays to
God to avoid death

I'm neither
God-fearing
Nor
Death-fearing
And so it doesn't
Matter to me if
Death comes to
Me....

But what matters
To me, is that
It should be
Quick, painless
And easy, and so
If nothing else
Works, hope
Dignitas works
For me....




Dignitas is a Swiss non-profit organisation helping people with assisted dying so that they can die without prolonged suffering.

https://www.dignityindying.org.uk/why-we-need-change/dignitas/

Air

The smell of
Death in the
Air, everywhere

Death thrives
In Covid's care

Race

In their
Race to be
With me,
Let me see
Who comes
First to me,
Poetry or
Corona?

Or perhaps
Unbeknown
To me,
They may
Already be
Living with
Me -
Poetry and
Corona :-)




Theme could be Coronavirus or Co-existence, wrote this after reading the news that nobody is immune to Coronavirus, anybody can get it and Coronavirus can also be asymptomatic (without any symptoms).

Intriguing Article about Nature

https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/05/01/nature-is-a-bastard/

Patrick West, the author of this article made me think of Nature in a different way.

I may agree or disagree with whatever he says but what I liked is the fact that he made me think in a different way, a different perspective of looking at things....of how they are, of how they are meant to be....

That's why this article seemed unusual to me and hence I chose to share it with you.

Have a read when you can....

L and R,
APARNA

Often

Often
He says
He wants
To marry me
Again in his
Next birth
As he can't
Imagine living
Without me
In any birth

He also
Lives in
The fear
Of losing me
To death
In this birth

As for me,
I don't quite
Believe in
Reincarnation
Or rebirth,
But if there is,
May this be my
Last birth,
Even if my
Next birth
Could be
Nicer, happier,
Richer and
Finer, as they
Say, grass on
The other side
Is always greener

Yet I believe
I've had enough
Of life in this birth
And don't want to
Take a rebirth....

Free from
All the births
And deaths,
I want to
Rest....
RIP to my
Soul forever,
Amen....

I like this song :-)

Do you ?!



Happy singing if you do :-)

Thanks to my children, I get introduced to many new songs and I jive with them whenever I can.

Some of them have also made it to my English playlist.

Have a listen when you can.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAP2Wr4O1Jak3pATcv2X29FhJyprJHfFI

Love,
Aparna

Nawazuddin Siddiqui

I really liked him in this movie.

The film was a bit slow-paced.....but nevertheless it did hold my attention till the very end unlike many movies that fail to impress me and I quit watching them after somehow sitting through them for about half an hour.

It had an unusual theme and I also liked the performances of Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur but Nawazuddin was my favourite. He was superb as a character actor.

Here's a Preview. See if you like it and if you do, then you can buy or rent this movie on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/O0oXzsARlj4

Happy Watching :-)

Cheers
Aparna

Kindness

null

null

I really liked this quote from Tiny Buddha dot Com

The words are holistic, the choice of colours is nice, the intricate design is so appeasing to the eyes.

Everything falls into place to make a nice Picture Quote: well-articulated and well-presented.

Happy Viewing :-)

Love,
Aparna

Spring Walks

Hope you like these photos taken by me and my children.

They've taken the beach photos and I've taken the park photos.

We are all nature-loving and so we all enjoyed our spring walks.

Hope this spring season also inspires you to go for some nice walks.

Happy Walking
Love, Aparna :)

Sonu singing Rafi's song

Superb rendition of this beautiful song of Mohammed Rafi from Teesri Manzil (1966)

Music by R.D. Burman and the lovely lyrics are by Asrar ul Hassan Khan also known to us as Majrooh Sultanpuri

Sonu Nigam has sung it really well and he's one of my favourite singers.

Enjoy :)
Aparna

Changing

In the
Beginning
Of April,
The sun is
Shining,
The windows
Are open,
The fan is
Running,
Global
Warming
Is really
Happening.


(We've never had such a warm April in Essex, though we are enjoying the sunny weather, but it's also making us believe that climate change is really happening...)

Rooth Na Jaana

Lyrics by Javed Akhtar, Music by R.D. Burman and this is one of my favourite songs of Kedarnath Bhattacharya also known to us as Kumar Sanu.

So here it is for you.

https://youtu.be/N0iX6gZre_E

Happy Romancing :-)

Love,
Aparna

Happy Holi :-)

Wishing you all Happy Holi with this lovely song.

Enjoy...
Aparna

Try this Quiz :-)

https://www.dictionary.com/games/quizzes/learn-the-names-of-13-phobias-in-this-scary-quiz/

It has 13 Questions on Phobias.

I enjoyed it. Hope you do :)

Happy Quizzing !!!

Cheers

Aparna

Try

Don't
Try to
Fit in

Try to
Stand out

Learn from
God

Does He
Try to fit
In?

No, He
Always
Stands
Out :-)

First

First
We
Show off
What we
Do

Then we
Show off
What our
Children
Do

Then we
Show off
What our
Grandchildren
Do

And then
Of course,
If we are
Still alive, we
Then show off
What our
Great-grandchildren
Do....

And this
Show
Seems to
Continue
Across
Generations
As if it's in our
Genes....
As if we've
Inherited it
From our past
Generations to
Pass it on to our
Future generations

And hence
This show
Never ends
In this world
Of grand shows
For the ultimate
Showman (God)
To keep enjoying
These shows....

Take

Take as
Little as
You can
From this
World

Give as
Much as
You can
To this
World

For you
Came with
Nothing in
This world
And you'll
Go with
Nothing
From this
World....



Theme could be Possessions / Accoutrements / Chattels

These

These
Poesies
Keep
Coming
To me

They
Don't
Let me
Sleep

They
Relentlessly
Use me
As if I'm
Their keep

;-)


My mind often overflows with poems and disrupts my sleep.

Win

Writing
And
Singing
Can win
My heart

So if you
Are a good
Writer or a
Good singer
You can
Easily win
My heart :)

But what
If you are
A good
Painter
Or a good
Sculptor?

Yes, I love
Art and I
Also love
Photography

So if you
Are a good
Painter,
Sculptor
Or photographer
I would still
Have space
For you in my
Heart :-)

Hmm...what
About dancing?

Yes, of course
I love dancing.

So if you are
A talented dancer
You would also
Find a place in
My heart :-)

Actually,
Artistes
And aesthetics
Always have a
Place in my heart

What about
Oration?
Well, if you
Are a good
Orator, I would
Certainly listen
To you, but it
Would take me
A long time to
Believe in you
For I wouldn't
Know if you
Walk your talk
Or just talk and
Talk ;-)

Aparna

Just the
Way you
Say my
Name,
Makes
Me feel
So beautiful
About my
Name....

Even though
I know it's
Not an
Unusual
Name, it's
A very common
Indian name,
And then also
As they say:
What's in a
Name...???

But the way
You say it
So beautifully
It makes me
See the beauty
In my name :)




I was given the name Aparna by my great-grandmother (my grandfather's mother).
I've never liked my name as my favourite feminine name has always been Radhika.
But I love the way my husband pronounces my name.

Surya Namaskar

Embed from Getty Images


I think
Britons in
UK should
Start worshipping
The sun
So that
The clouds
And rains
Vanish
The storms
And floods
Recede and
Sunny days
Begin for us
To have fun.


If you like this poem, here are some more poems by Aparna Chatterjee for you to see :-)

Surya Namaskar picture sourced from Getty Images dot Com

Comb

You should
Comb your
Hair and
Go to bed
For they
Should
Find you
Well-groomed
If they find
You dead.

;-)


(wrote this on my regular bedtime routine of combing my hair before going to bed)

Father and Son

Last year, I made a playlist on his son.

This year, I thought of making a playlist on him and so I did....

I really enjoyed making this playlist as some very beautiful songs have been picturised on him and his co-stars.

He's now 67 years old, and has recently come back from USA after a prolonged treatment for cancer.

In fact, even now, he's not so healthy as he's in hospital undergoing therapy for suspected Pneumonia.

I wish he recovers well. The latest movie I saw of his was 102 Not Out with Amitabh Bachchan. Both of them acted very well.

His wife Neetu Singh is also a very talented actress and has co-starred with him in many movies.

No wonder, their son Ranbir Kapoor has been so successful as an actor. It's all in the genes....

That's a lot of Blogging for now.

Leaving you with this latest playlist on the romantic songs of Rishi Raj Kapoor, also known to us as Rishi Kapoor.



Happy Romancing and have a lovely 14th February - Valentine's Day.

Cheers

Aparna

Sharing with my 3 R...s

I strongly believe in this Quote because I believe if you cannot share and smile with your loved ones at home, there's no point in masquerading a happy face outside as if all's well.

So whatever I share with you through my Blogs and posts on Twitter and Linked-In, I always make it a point to share those with my family i.e. with my 3 R...s (Raj - my son, Rupa - my daughter, Ratan - my husband).

Be it news, quotes, pix, poems or songs.....

Sometimes I customise it too as per their needs.....because my 3 R...s have some similar tastes and in some cases, their tastes differ.

Hence, some news item might interest my daughter more, so I share it only with her.

Likewise, my son may find some other news item useful for his weekly radio show, so I share that with him.

My hubby may be interested in some other happening or event, and so I share it with him.

But in many cases, all the three get the same email from me, sharing the same news story.

Living with them for so many years, I know what caters to their interest and likewise I share news feeds with them.

It all paves the way for some enriching debates and discussions in our house, be it science, politics, religion, culture, society, history, music, art, literature, education, research, etc.

There is always something to talk about perhaps a nice quote that touches us all....or a topic that holds our attention and motivates us to read, reflect and discuss more....

There are agreements and disagreements because we all are different but we still find a common ground to live with each other's beliefs.

My children don't understand much Hindi, still they listen to the songs I play. Likewise, I'm not much into western music, but I always lend my ear to what they have to play.

Despite not understanding the lyrics, some songs we really enjoy, because the music is very groovy.

Hence, this shared world of ours exists and helps us co-exist in this smallest social unit of the world that we call Family :-)

So next time, you go outside grinning, don't forget to share your smiles with your loved ones at home, for a happy home makes a happy world.

Love and Warmth,
Yours ever, Aparna


Picture Quote sourced from The Famous People dot Com

She

Bathed in
Moonlight
She sleeps

My morning
Beauty, my
Evening rose
She is....

My dearest

Darling daughter
Who sleeps


(wrote this after seeing my Kochi sleeping and the moonlight flooding her room)

Complement

Here's another one by Mohan Chandran

I liked this thought of his and so here it is for you to think through....

Though I think some healthy competition adds to the spice of life :-) provided it remains healthy and doesn't become a case of Abhimaan (self-pride / ego) as shown in the Hindi movie of Jaya and Amitabh Bachchan.

Love,
Aparna

Futile

Life is
Futile
If you
Don't
Know
How to
Smile....

Sorrows
Will be
Plenty
But you
Should
Learn to be
Happy for a
While, even
If it means
Every once
In a while....
By letting go
Of all the
Bile and
Wile....

In the
Miles and
Miles of
Life's arduous
Journey, see
If you can
Traverse every
Single mile without
Using any guile as
A step or a stile....

Then when
You look
Back at life
When you
Are senile
Life will not
Rile you,
Nor will it
Revile you
For being
A puerile
Juvenile
Instead
Smile back
At you and
Share your
Smile....

Cigarettes

Today I read this cigarette news and I thought that I must share it with you and if possible, you can also share this cigarette news with people that you know are smokers and you would like them to give up smoking.

Cigarettes Produce Invisible Chemical Emissions Even After They've Been Extinguished

https://www.sciencealert.com/cigarettes-produce-invisible-chemical-emissions-even-after-they-ve-been-extinguished?perpetual=yes&limitstart=1

Cigarettes aren't just toxic when they're being smoked. Even when the butts are scrunched up and cold, new research has found that they continue to emit harmful compounds in the air.

It's estimated that more than five trillion butts are produced worldwide every year, and many of these don't get fully extinguished or thrown away properly, causing ground pollution as cigarette butts are not biodegradable.

If this news helps even one person to give up smoking, it's really worth sharing.....

Have a healthy 2020.

Best Wishes,
~ Aparna ~

Some

Some people
Just keep
Writing....

Nobody
Reads
Their
Writing

But they
Still keep
Writing for
Their sheer

Love of
Writing....

Programs

Found this one by Mohan Chandran

I liked it and so here it is for you and see if you agree as I do.

Regards
Aparna

Breeze

She's so
Gentle as
The breeze

He's so
Brash as
The storm

Perhaps
That is
How it is
Meant to be

Perhaps
That is
The norm

For how
Can you
Appreciate
The breeze
If you don't
See the storm


(Themed on Opposites)

Garam Hawa - 1973

Have you seen this movie?

The other day, on YouTube, I saw this movie. It was very poignant, showing the post-partition plight of Muslims in India.

It is supposed to be Farooq Sheikh's first movie (his debut role) and Balraj Sahni's last movie (he died before the movie was released).

Some other well-known actors in this movie are Jamal Hashmi (father of the actresses Farah and Tabu), A.K. Hangal, Jalal Agha and Yunus Parvez.

It also has Gita Siddharth Kak (wife of Siddharth Kak, the producer and presenter of the 1990s popular Television show Surabhi). Gita recently passed away on 14th Dec 2019.

Shaukat Kaifi (wife of the noted Urdu poet Kaifi Azmi and mother of the famous actress Shabana Azmi) who left this world on 22nd Nov 2019, also plays a pivotal role in this movie.

This captivating film won 3 Filmfare awards in 1975 for Best Dialogue, Best Screenplay and Best Story.

It's really worth a watch. So if and when you have the time, please see. It runs for 2 hours and 10 mins and there are no Ads in this movie. Because it is on YouTube, you can always watch in parts (with pause and play) if you don't have the time to sit thru the whole two hours.

That's all my sharing for now.

Take Care,
Yours, AC

He was so good in that movie :-)

That I cannot forget him as he did an unforgettable role.

Ashok Kumar, Dharmendra, Sharmila Tagore, David Abraham, Dina Pathak, Asrani, Robi Ghosh - they all played their part well but he was the one who outshone them in this movie.

Not only did he look good, a handsome and dashing young man, but he emoted excellent.

Later on, as the years went by, his acting skills remained strong and impressive, though he kept losing his looks because of his bulkiness and body weight issues.

I've seen quite a few of his movies and he's really a talented actor but in this movie I liked him the most :-)

The movie is Satyakam (1969) and he is none other than the very versatile actor Harihar Jethalal Jariwala known to us as Sanjeev Kumar.

He died at the very young age of 47 on 6th Nov 1985 but in his short life, he had an illustrious career and many memorable roles to give us as lifetime memories.

May his sacred soul rest in eternal peace.

Amen,

Aparna

One

There is
One singer
You miss

He's as
Sweet
As a kiss

His name is
Kishore

You want to
Hear him
More....


(dedicated to my beloved Kishore)

Pix Quotes

These Pix Quotes have been sourced from Famous People  and AZ Quotes 

Very Nice Rose :-)

I came across this photography by Prof Ram Krishna Singh.

He's one of my Linked-In connections and so I saw his post there.

I saw this captivating photo of this yellow rose and I must say, viewing this fabulous flower has been really refreshing :-)

What a beautiful way to start my day :-) Thanks to him.

I've liked many of his poems. Today I encountered the photographer in him.

I wish him success with all his clicks :-) and of course, I hope nature in all its beauty and bounty gives such precious pictures for him to show us.

Best Wishes,
~ Aparna ~

Girls :-)

I came across this superb post on Linked-In and really wanted to share with you.

It's so inspiring and liberating :-)

Some more such nice Quotes for you. Happy Sharing :-)

Where there is great love, there are always miracles. - Willa Cather

Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered - either by themselves or by others. - Mark Twain

The sweetest of all sounds is praise. -  Xenophon

First best is falling in love. Second best is being in love. Least best is falling out of love. But any of it is better than never having been in love. - Maya Angelou

With love one can live even without happiness. - Fyodor Dostoevsky

Never give up on something that you can't go a day without thinking about. - Winston Churchill

Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the Bible says love your enemy. - Frank Sinatra

The person who can bring the spirit of laughter into a room is indeed blessed. - Bennett Cerf

Millions saw the apple fall, but Newton was the one who asked why. - Bernard Baruch

The media only writes about the sinners and the scandals, he said, but that's normal, because a tree that falls makes more noise than a forest that grows. - Pope Francis

Thousands have lived without love, not one without water. - W. H. Auden

The biggest coward of a man is to awaken the love of a woman without the intention of loving her. - Bob Marley

A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog. - Jack London

Ups and downs in life are very important to keep us going, because a straight line even in an E.C.G means we are not alive. - Ratan Tata

Frailty means you’ve probably entered the last season of your life. - Dr. Daniel Hall

There's no reason to be the richest man in the cemetery. You can't do any business from there. - Colonel Sanders

Have an enriching 2020 :-)

Best Wishes,
~ Aparna ~

Sun

The sun
Says:

Don't get
Attached
To me.

Practise
Detachment.

I never
Bothered
About you.

So why
Hanker
For me?

Need

Need a hoover
To whisk away
The clouds
From the
Sky....

It's been
Months
I've seen
A sunny
Sky....

If I have to
Live thru
Another
Such
Severe
Winter
With ceaseless
Gloomy days....
I'll surely die.

Such a
Glum, sordid
Weather
Can even
Make a
Joker cry....
He'll run
Out of
Jokes
As he'll
Stop
Feeling
High....

He'll bid
Farewell
To the world
Saying his
Last goodbye.

Sweet

His melodies
Were as sweet
As Aam
The one
Who yesterday
Passed away
His name was
Khayyam

(wrote this the day after he passed away, Aam implies Mango)

Khayyam died on 19th August - 2019

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammed_Zahur_Khayyam