Ode to a Grandfather

I remember that day when I said, "Aajobaa, tell me about your life?"
And you said, "There's so much, where do I begin?"

I said "I have all time time in the world"
You said, "I hope I do too."

And then it began, I heard so much that day and yet I remember every last detail. How you worked in the Navy, how you struggled to make ends meet, how you heard every political leader that came to Shivaji Park and how you lost your dear ones to the bubonic plague. Yet I remember only one thing more clearer than all this. The day I pulled your long beard and you smiled the most amazing smile. Dad went, "Yashad, aajobaana tras deu nako (Dont trouble your grandpa) and you just went, "Its okay I know he recognizes me, if love hurts like this then he can pull my beard all he wants!"

My grandfather has the most amazing white lustrous beard, all the small kids call him "dadhiwale aajobaa" (The long bearded grandfather). He is an engineer by education and he learnt medicine from reading books. He is very religious and still gets up in the morning at 5 to go pick flowers for morning pooja. You should see his physique. At his age, he still has the strength to hang clothes for drying. I mean he still has more muscles than me, and I work out! Even at his age he still walks like he is in his prime. I have to make an effort to keep up with him sometimes.

He has a hauntingly beautiful bass voice. When he starts talking, you automatically get lost in his words. But more than all this, I love him because he always has time for everyone. You can go visit him any time of the day and he will take an interest in your life. He has a phenomenal memory, and to this date he never forgets my birthday. He is the first one to come to my house and wish me.

He taught me to never give up, to always say true to myself and most importantly to care for everyone. I am blessed to have a Grandfather like him.

By the way, he is 89 yrs old, and yes, he is going to around for a long time.

Happy Birthday Anna Aajobaa! (7th August)

The First Post

Here goes, my first blog post. Its been a while since I have actually had the time and/or the inclination to sit down gather all my "random" thoughts and write. Long time ago a dear friend of mine told me a few lines by Alexander Pope,

"Words are like leaves, and when they are most abound,
Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found"

This makes me think about my first post currently being written and I think that I should write something that people should find interesting enough to keep them coming back to my blog. But then I think that the purpose of a blog is to make the author voice his opinions and mullings to the world, so I shouldn't really care too much about it. So as I think and write I don't have a clue about what to write here, yet I go on typing endlessly. This is something I wrote a while ago,

"I look at a blank page.
No lines, no margins.
And I wonder what I should write.

I set the limits,
No one knows what to write here, but I know
Do I write about life, reality, dreams?

I write about ME."

I do have an active poetry page online, but I don't think many people know about that. Its just that I feel that I should write a blog too. See where it gets me. The title "Random Thoughts" is one I have been meaning to keep for my blog. I always thought that would be the title of my first book of poems.

Many of you must know by now that this post has absolutely no essence about it, but come on, its my first blog post. I hope that you shall follow the lines of Emily Dickinson and,
"Judge tenderly of me!"

PS: More deep posts are in the pipeline. This post is a mere alibi to write a blog, I wanted this post to be an apt rendition to my blog title.