Ajmer...my home

We reached the motherland when we landed in Delhi airport and continued our onward journey to Ajmer. We finally reached our final destination and it was the most joyous moment was when we reached home to be welcomed by Baby Masi and Nanisab (maternal grandmother). I feel so warm each time I see them; I love them so much. Although we were exhausted from the whole day of travelling, the excitement of being home got to us. Everyone was chatting away; spilling travel tales, bringing out the gifts. The feeling of being home was finally sinking in.

My Nani's home in Ajmer for me is my home in India. For me Ajmer is my city, I know the place and the people; it is always great to be back in Ajmer. Actually Ajmer is my mother's city; she was born and brought up there. She studied there, made her career there and was married off from there. The greatest gift she gave my sister and I was when she decided that her children would be born in this lovely city of Ajmer- Sharif.

Speaking of which, like always my family made a trip to the darga. It is such a spiritual experience going there and even more meaningful as we went there a day before Eid. The crowd and the atmosphere were amazing. We were also lucky to witness the daig being functional. The daig is a massive cooking pot in the darga and is large enough for an adult person to stand in. A kind of porridge is cooked in it to be handed out to the poor. The most amazing thing is that when the cooking is done, the people serving the food jump into the boiling porridge to scoop it out. No one ever burns; power of faith.

Other than the darga, we made our usual visit to Pushkar which is a small holly valley-town 2 hours away from Ajmer. Other than its beautiful temples and ghats, it boosts a vibrant and modern tourist market. The market caters to the tourists due to which you can find spaghetti strap tops, tube tops, ultra miniskirts, Arabian pants, hot pants and the kind being sold in ethnic prints and materials. This is quite a shock as the state of Rajasthan is a conservative state.

Being in Ajmer also means watching movies with Raju Mama and going to Mango Masala. The best part is my sister, Raju Mama and me ride on his motorcycle. Add to the bike ride the winter cold, the fun factor gets upped seriously once we're zipping around town on the bike.

Following the things Ajmer means for me and my family, we celebrated our New Year there. It was a small and simple New Year with family and my mother's best friend and her husband. We played crazy games, had a crazy dance item (by Paru, Chotu Didi and me) and had a delicious pineapple cake.

Our sumptuous New Year pineapple cake

Raju Mama and Paru

With Baby Masi, NaniSab, Geeta Masi, Chotu Didi, Paru and Mummy

Geeta Masi and my NaniSab

The daig being emptied

With Paru, Chotu Didi, Mummy and Geeta Masi in Darga

Chotu Didi, Paru and me at the Phushkar ghat

One of the ghats of Pushkar

2 sticks, me and many partners

Childhood photos

With my paternal grandfather

Yes that is me during my 2nd Holi in Calcutta

My mother loved to dress me up.

3 months old smiling baby

With family on my 2nd birthday in Jodhpur, India

Me on Neptune Altar on my 1st birthday

That is me carrying my stick thin little sister

My Mummy

Since the coming Sunday is mother's day, I want to write a tribute to my mother.

My mother is a wonderful human being and great women. She is the rock in my life who has stood by me since day 1. She inspires me to be like her, to be as strong as her. Since my father is in the merchant navy and used to sail for 6 months at stretch, my mother brought my sister and me effectively alone. The 3 of us used to be by ourselves in a new country with no friends or family. My mother had the strength and confidence to handle this and any other situation.

She instilled very strong values in both of us. She also made us confident and self-dependent. She made sure we had the best education as well as enough play. I can still remember playing at the playground below our block for 1 hour after school daily. She would bring her tea down and watch us play.

My mother is a strict mother. She used to punish when needed but always loved us unconditionally after that. She made sure we were well behaved and mannered. No foul language, proper table manners, properly and smartly dressed. She never spoilt us. If we asked for something she made sure we understood our responsibility for the thing. I used to have a huge Barbie collection and kept each and every doll and all the nick-knacks in proper boxes. I knew my dolls were my responsibility. She used to encourage my sister and me for everything we wanted to do.

In fact she is the one who got me hooked on dancing. he used to dance with me when we used to sail with my father. I practically grew up dancing with her. She is a great dancer and my true dance guru. I first performed publically at 8years of age in the Victoria Concert hall in Singapore. I was very nervous and actually forgot my steps during the performance. I was so terrified that I simply stood frozen on stage. My mother got me going from offstage from where she was watching me. She was cheering me on from the stage side and was in fact crying watching her daughter dancing solo for the first time.

She has touched so many lives, not just mine and my sister's. There is an endless list of people who respect my mother so much. I feel so proud when they say what a great women she is. She is a selfless giver and teacher.

She has always been a proud mother. She has been a friend when I needed her and has always been there whenever I have broken down. She has made many sacrifices to give my sister and me the best upbringing. I have the deepest respect for my mother. My day is never complete until I get my mother's hug.

People say i look like her and for me that is the biggest compliment. No words or gifts can express what I feel for her.

I love you mummy