It's all about MMS and Madness!!

He was sitting right behind me in the cab. I looked at him and smiled. He responded with a larger smile. I can never forget his first look. I can only describe him as a lanky chap with a smile that’s so infectious. He wore lavender (purple according to him) colored T-shirt that had some weird thing scribbled on it, and spectacles that covered his beautiful eyes, completely. He looked like a typical progeny of some engineering college of India. The ones who study all night so that they can fill up the answer sheet with their formulas and derivations the next morning. Yes, he looked like a complete “intellectual nerd”. The only thing that held my attention was a huge violin that covered his frame. “So you play Violin?” I enquired. “Yes, I do” he replied politely. “Great, from when?” I was eager to know. “It’s been some time and I love it”. He finally ended the conversation. We reached our destination and he was soon a face I had once seen.

A few days after our first meeting I met him in the cafeteria. “Hey, how are you?” I was so glad to see him again. His face broke in to his infectious smile. “I am good”, he replied softly. We chatted for some time and moved on with work and this somehow became the trend. Of course the length of the discussions would increase with every meeting and the topics too varied. We became friends, then good friends and finally very good friends.

How does one describe this special friend? I am either falling short of words or maybe, just maybe I am unable to explain his simplicity in the complexity of words. MMS speaks more than required, often. And everything he blabbers makes for a perfect “nonsense”. He can drive you crazy with his “cheeky dialogues”, freshly picked from some flop bollywood movie. Yes, you are so right, he is mad, totally mad. Then why is that I have grown so fond of him?

MMS is not the regular guy you come across. He is different. He is simple in his thoughts and humble in his actions. And he is certainly not the one who would be a forgotten memory ever. He stays in your mind long enough for you to fall in love with him. He has this innate ability of liking everything that life has to offer. He has no pre-requisites for happiness. He is happy. He loves everything around him (including all the lovely girls too). MMS is so funny that he can make can make a dead man laugh and giggle (his smile is seriously infectious). He has a zest for life and that’s pretty infectious too. “I just want all of you to be happy”, this is what MMS told me during one of our never ending non sense conversations. I was so moved with his words. And that was the first and last time this nerd spoke sense.

MMS plays violin so well that each string wrings the strings of your heart. His love for music is visible everytime he holds the violin in his hand. I remember his message on FB after our annual family event. The message said, “Thank you for giving me this opportunity. Violin means the world to me”. Silly sentimentalist, I thought to myself.

Insane, crazy, mad, lovable, adorable, unconventional etc, you can call him anything. He still continues to be the nerd I once met, the nerd I liked and the nerd who has become my closest friend. It is so strange that some people just walk in to your life, ignite a small lamp of joy in your heart and bring with them warmth that stays with you forever. MMS has just done that.

MMS in one of his performances

The Joy Of Our Friendship!!

We have laughed several smiles,

And shared many tears,

We have walked several miles,

Like friends of years.

To each other we taught,

Those lessons of life,

Some that love had brought,

And some of bitter strife.

From the first few silent glances,

We have come a long way,

On the tidal waves of togetherness,

To the love of this day.

There is so much more to give,

There is so much more to share,

There is so much more to live,

And there is so much more to care.

Written for 2 mad friends.... Girija Shetty Deshpande and Khushboo Singh Rana!!

The Wonderful Woman!!

“Happy Woman’s Day” he wished me and gave a tight hug. I thanked him and got back to my morning chores. Tea was ready and as every morning we were having our tea together. “Thank you for being such a wonderful woman”, he complimented me with a sweet smile. I thanked him again; however, the flattering “wonderful woman” part didn’t go quite well with me. I did not want to hurt him yet I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “What is so wonderful about me? I am an ordinary woman who does ordinary things”. He took a deep breath and answered, “You do wonderful things everyday and don’t even realize it”. The conversation was interesting but it was time to leave for office, so the conversation ended with

a last sip of our masala chai.

The entire day went in running around at work, celebrating Woman’s day, felicitating women folks etc etc. While I had completely forgotten about the “wonderful woman tag talk”, this thought ran through his mind all day. After dinner he put forward a question to me. “Do you really think that you are not wonderful? The blank look on his face was amusing. What’s wrong with my husband? I thought to myself.  So I replied with a, “hmmm”. I believe he was prepared for this answer. He promptly said, “I can list at least 100 things that you do so wonderfully”. I laughed at his confidence and said, “Alright, let me hear at least one of them”.

He smiled and walked towards me. He looked in to my eyes and very softly said, “You are a lovely wife, daughter, sister, and a friend. At each of these roles you put your heart and soul. Isn't this selfless love wonderful? Even after a tired hectic day, every evening you welcome me with a smile on your face, isn't this wonderful? You understand every bit of my silence, isn't this wonderful? In the most troubled times you have brought cheer with your giggles and that I say is so wonderful”, he announced with a pride in his voice.

I had no answer to any of this. I just wondered if this tall handsome man holding me was from this world. I am not sure if all that he said was really magical or wonderful. Sometimes it’s the love between two people which makes life magical. May be just may be. But all said and done, for a day at least I want to believe that I am a wonderful woman. And the most wonderful thing about me is this wonderful man who loves me unconditionally.

Sometimes the most ordinary things in life are the most wonderful things in the world.

The "Mom" Phenomena!!

Last night I was chatting with a dear friend. The usual conversation became so special and beautiful that both of us were touched. I wouldn't say more… I have copied the chat for you to read. I am sure you will also find it as beautiful, as we did. So, happy reading!!!

She: hey hi
Me: Hi, Lovely lady…where have you been?
She: I have been to London to see the Queen…hahahaha…
Me: shocked…..
She: Chill… My sense of humor still sucks…
Me: I can see that :P
She: frown frown
Me: Ok you rock; I love your jokes… Happy?
She: very happy.
Me: so when are we meeting?
She: Diwali… I am coming on Diwali.
Me: Super… let’s gang up this time.
She: we will.
Me: When’s diwali, by the way?
She: I don’t know. Let me call up Mom and check.
Me: Ok, let me check with mine too.

Pause for 20 minutes.

Me: are you back?
She: Yes… was talking to Mom.
Me: I understand. Me too
She: Can’t do without her. Man, I need to call her up for everything.
Me: I talk to her twice a day, sometimes thrice too ;)
She: hee hehehe … me too….Damn, she knows everything.
Me: Yeah… That’s why she is “MOM”.
She: who said Google was the only search engine…. Ask Mom anything and she has an answer.
Me: Lolzzzzzz…. I so agree. Sometimes more than that ya.
She: You are so right…. If I need an advice I call up mom.
Me: If I feel down I call her.
She: If I am very happy I call her.
Me: If I make a mistake, I call her.
She: If I need ideas, I call her.
Me: If I am bored I call her.
She: When I am cooking a new recipe I call her.
Me: When I am draping a saree, I call her… Sigh!! (The woes of an Indian woman ;))
She: When I have to bitch, I call her… hahahaha!!
Me: hahahaha… when I receive an appreciation, I call her.
She: When I miss her, I call her.

Pause for 10 seconds.

Me: all ok?
She: Missing her… it’s been so long I have hugged her. Marriages make you do so much.

Pause for 10 seconds

She: all ok?
Me: me too missing her… she is coming in May… Hurray!!
She: lovely… make the most out of it.
Me: I will… I have told her I want to have kheer that she makes… she makes it awesomely awesome.
She: you will seriously make the most out of it.
Me: of course… I love her ya… she is so wonderful.
She: all Mom’s are…right?
Me: So true… all moms are wonderful.
She: Now you know why we are aren’t mothers, yet? Hyuk hyuk
Me: hmmm…. True and I “will never be”. Winks winks!!!
She: Me too me too. Same pinch!!
She: What would the world be without Moms?
Me: Dead …. Moms add life to life.

“I am sure that if the mothers of various nations could meet, there would be no more wars” - E.M. Forster