Four generations in one photograph...priceless

We'd recently gone on a family trip for the mundan ceremony of my nephew...and the best part was that my grandparents (naana naani, from the earlier marriage post :-)) coincidentally decided to visit us ard the same time. And were with us for the trip.

There's something that only the elders can bring. Stories from a long time back, reasons behind our quaint-seeming rituals, news of far flung relatives, family histories...and of course their own brand of impatience with our new fangled concepts :).

But what was most special was being able to hear my naana recite the Guru Granth Saheb. Naana is blessed with a spectacular voice - and he is apparently a much cherished reader in their small community. Mom tells us that in the annual festival of the family saint (that happens in december) hundreds would gather to hear the sacred verses, and he would manage to read out to all of them without a mike! Had so far never managed to hear him because we'd never go visiting in December. This trip, after the mundan, we took my nephew to the tikaana for blessings. After that was done, naana asked us to sit around the sacred book, and he recited some verses for us. I was all agog...and I must confess I was savouring the moment more than the verses. Am unfortunately old enough to realise how valuable this moment was...I just let his voice wash over me. Am sure I will always be able to summon it...

And this, is why I so strongly believe that the best things in life are free. You just have to know when to open your arms and grab them!

The next time someone tells me I look tired...

People probably do it with a good intention, but there's only so many times you can take someone telling you "Gosh, babe, you look washed out" or ""What happened to your voice!! You sound so dull" or worse "You must be the busiest person here - you look like hell". Thanks. But no thanks, really.

Of course, the best is when I get told this on days when I feel fresh and relaxed!!! Predictably all this has driven me to the mirror...but the kohl in my eyes only seems to make the dark circles more prominent :-(. Looks like I've frozen on a default interface.

So here's what I'm going to do the next time someone remarks on the deep pits around my eyes. This is a gag I saw in the trailer for one of the new Start World shows. Two men sitting at a bar, and one of them has *really* prominent dark circles. The other asks him, hey, are you having sleepless nights or something? And the guy responds "Oh no, my dad is a panda."

:-). Don't know if his context was the same, but I sure think this is my last resort. Sorry Dad, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!!