When I was unmarried, I rather loved my surname! And when it was time to get married and take a new name, I was quite upset! Why should I have to change everything? Change the way I dressed, shift my loyalties from my parents to my new family and to top it all, change my name too! I protested, and Praneet being the sweet gentle soul he is, did not insist. My dad kept asking me to change my name, because it would make life easier for me – for passport and other documents.
But how would I include my maternal surname? Preeti Singh Bakshi meant that Praneet’s surname came in the middle and Preeti Bakshi Singh did not sound right! Anyway, since I was still working, I went with Preeti Bakshi most of the places, until I started feeling a little sorry for Praneet. Every time I was travelling and he would call me in the hotel, they would connect him saying, ‘Mr Bakshi is calling!’ So eventually, I gave it up after some months and settled down to being Preeti Singh.
Preeti Bakshi, for me is a time, when I was footloose and fancy free, the beloved daughter of my parents whose needs always came first. Preeti Singh is an adult (??), a wife and a mom (a crazy one), a home-maker (not very good, but still responsible for her family’s well being, first and foremost!).
And then, the other day, I received a courier from my parents – and they had addressed it to Preeti Bakshi. And I realized that my email ID is also saved as Preeti Bakshi in their address books.
This one act pleased me like no one’s business – While I love being Preeti Singh, I am still the same old Preeti Bakshi!! And that too for my Dad, who was most insistent that I change my surname! Love you Dad for keeping me alive!!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
On the Tulsi Pipe Road
With the coming of the Worli sea link, I stopped taking the TP to office. Until yesterday when I had to. I was amazed to see the art on the walls along the rail track – all kinds of colour and themes…check it out. It is quite cool and brightens up the whole space.
And I also realized that even if the sea link has opened and the traffic on the TP declined, as has business for the tea and pao and kiryana guys, there is one class of people that is in business.
That’s our dear Mumbai Police.
So that you don’t get nostalgic about the traffic on the TP and think about the good old days of pre-sealink time, the Mumbai Police has graciously set up nakabandhi all along the TP road. So, you still sit in the car, watch the familiar exciting sights from the window, worry about getting late for the important performance meeting , wonder why there is so much traffic and this massive jam, and then come to the nakabandhi. Nobody is watching your car, nobody is watching any car! The police are either sprawled in their van or lounging along the other cars parked there. Some are on the phone, some with the glass of tea in their hands and some are busy chatting. At the most, there is a scooter or bike that has been stopped and the guys are wheedling with the police with a silly smile on their faces.
That’s it! That is the reason you just wasted expensive fossil fuel, got late for the important meeting that could decide your next promotion and incentive and fretted so much.
But, like all good things, status quo should be maintained!!! So aamchi Mumbai Police – Jai Ho!
And I also realized that even if the sea link has opened and the traffic on the TP declined, as has business for the tea and pao and kiryana guys, there is one class of people that is in business.
That’s our dear Mumbai Police.
So that you don’t get nostalgic about the traffic on the TP and think about the good old days of pre-sealink time, the Mumbai Police has graciously set up nakabandhi all along the TP road. So, you still sit in the car, watch the familiar exciting sights from the window, worry about getting late for the important performance meeting , wonder why there is so much traffic and this massive jam, and then come to the nakabandhi. Nobody is watching your car, nobody is watching any car! The police are either sprawled in their van or lounging along the other cars parked there. Some are on the phone, some with the glass of tea in their hands and some are busy chatting. At the most, there is a scooter or bike that has been stopped and the guys are wheedling with the police with a silly smile on their faces.
That’s it! That is the reason you just wasted expensive fossil fuel, got late for the important meeting that could decide your next promotion and incentive and fretted so much.
But, like all good things, status quo should be maintained!!! So aamchi Mumbai Police – Jai Ho!
Just a little bit…..
It takes so little to please us! We travel abroad and when we see the infrastructure,we are often overwhelmed by it! And crib and whine that this bloody Indian government should invest in infrastructure and all bloody Indians should have civic sense!
But the Worli sea link arouses a kid’s delight in me! It feels so awesome to get onto the bridge and feel that you are on the sea. As Udai puts it ‘You are out there with nothing on either side of you, held only by strong steel ropes’! It is lovely to watch the waves lash the columns and I have even dreamt of being on the bridge in high tide and waves washing over my car! The Mumbai skyline looks gorgeous and you can discover places that were hitherto hidden from view. Is that big structure near the sea in Worli, a remnant of an old fort? The fishing boats bobbing up and down look so nice as do the clothes that are drying out on the rocks near the Worli end.
And then I feel – Life is about these things – the first Maruti car hitting the Indian Roads, the first colour program on the colour TV , the first war coverage on CNN that we saw, the first soap operas, the first metro in Delhi, the first time a MCD opened and the first multiplexes. We still have the capacity of being overawed by these things. And that keeps us grounded!!
But the Worli sea link arouses a kid’s delight in me! It feels so awesome to get onto the bridge and feel that you are on the sea. As Udai puts it ‘You are out there with nothing on either side of you, held only by strong steel ropes’! It is lovely to watch the waves lash the columns and I have even dreamt of being on the bridge in high tide and waves washing over my car! The Mumbai skyline looks gorgeous and you can discover places that were hitherto hidden from view. Is that big structure near the sea in Worli, a remnant of an old fort? The fishing boats bobbing up and down look so nice as do the clothes that are drying out on the rocks near the Worli end.
And then I feel – Life is about these things – the first Maruti car hitting the Indian Roads, the first colour program on the colour TV , the first war coverage on CNN that we saw, the first soap operas, the first metro in Delhi, the first time a MCD opened and the first multiplexes. We still have the capacity of being overawed by these things. And that keeps us grounded!!
Thursday, August 27, 2009
changing the blog name
I had tried to create a blog account sometime last year. I dont remember when, but am assuming it was a time when I must hve been pissed about something. Therefore, Preeticares. It s a testament to my tech unsaviness that I could not find the blog for months thereafter. So, this time round, when I tried to create a blog, up came the preeticares blog. Was really cheesy and in no way reflects my current state of mind, where i want to whine about everything...so have changed the name to Preetiwhines!
Do you know who I am?
Bigger celebrities than SRK are ofcourse our politicians. Kissi ke mazal ki unko kuch kahein? And each one looks like a bigger goon than the other. Look at Mayawati, Narayan Rane and Sharad Pawar and you know what I mean. They may not be concerned about mango people like us, but they have their positions to manage and many psychophanatic (is there a word as this?) to carry out in order to keep their kursis.
On my recent visit to LA, I happened to meet up with a very old friend of mine,HK. She is of Indian origin but been there from her grandparents times. She works as a Federal Agent . I could not understand much of what she does, but she narrated this very interesting ‘celebrity’ episode.
Seems every time there is an Indian political delegation there, HK is also roped in because of her Indian origins. She spoke about the humble natures of Dr Manmohan Singh (who is really good natured and always before time for meetings) and Pranab Mukherji (who is very unassuming and refuses to add on family for security cover and other benefits when he visits the US).
Sonia Gandhi is a ‘rockstar’ and everyone wants to be with her! So there was this Press Conference and Sonia had already gone ahead. HK was escorting Pranab Mukherji up the stairs to the dais when she felt some one rudely trying to push her away. She looked back and there was good old bearded Mr Anand Sharma, desperately trying to get ahead to Sonia. So, this according to HK is the conversation
HK – ‘Please do not bump Sir’
Anand Sharma (AS) –Move off, I need to go ahead.
HK – I am sorry Sir, you need to follow the protocol.
AS – How dare you? Do you know who I am ?
HK – I don’t know who you are Sir, and I don’t care. Mr M is my protectee.
AS – Don’t get cheeky with me and move off.
HK – I am warning you Sir, Please stop bumping my protectee.
But, According to HK, AS did not give up. She was nervous that poor Pranab would fall off the stairs.So she elbowed him hard into his rib-cage. AS backed off then and HK was subjected to angry glares all the time.
And poor Anand Sharma – Sonia was there, but oh so far away! He lost some brownie points that day!
On my recent visit to LA, I happened to meet up with a very old friend of mine,HK. She is of Indian origin but been there from her grandparents times. She works as a Federal Agent . I could not understand much of what she does, but she narrated this very interesting ‘celebrity’ episode.
Seems every time there is an Indian political delegation there, HK is also roped in because of her Indian origins. She spoke about the humble natures of Dr Manmohan Singh (who is really good natured and always before time for meetings) and Pranab Mukherji (who is very unassuming and refuses to add on family for security cover and other benefits when he visits the US).
Sonia Gandhi is a ‘rockstar’ and everyone wants to be with her! So there was this Press Conference and Sonia had already gone ahead. HK was escorting Pranab Mukherji up the stairs to the dais when she felt some one rudely trying to push her away. She looked back and there was good old bearded Mr Anand Sharma, desperately trying to get ahead to Sonia. So, this according to HK is the conversation
HK – ‘Please do not bump Sir’
Anand Sharma (AS) –Move off, I need to go ahead.
HK – I am sorry Sir, you need to follow the protocol.
AS – How dare you? Do you know who I am ?
HK – I don’t know who you are Sir, and I don’t care. Mr M is my protectee.
AS – Don’t get cheeky with me and move off.
HK – I am warning you Sir, Please stop bumping my protectee.
But, According to HK, AS did not give up. She was nervous that poor Pranab would fall off the stairs.So she elbowed him hard into his rib-cage. AS backed off then and HK was subjected to angry glares all the time.
And poor Anand Sharma – Sonia was there, but oh so far away! He lost some brownie points that day!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
I know SRK!
I took Nishna for an ice-cream just after ‘Jab We Met’ had been released . There was Shahid with Sania having icecream. Now Nishna likes Shahid so I kind of whispered to her – ‘Look there is Shahid’. She was casual and when we came out of the shop, I thought she had not seen him. I asked Nishna if she did not see Shahid and she responded that she had seen him. So, I said, ‘You did not react Nishna’ . Nishna turned to me and said – ‘So Mom, it was only Shahid! What’s the big deal!
For this attitude of hers, I only have SRK and family to thank. As luck would have it , SRK’s son is my daughter’s classmate. And the world around her was terribly excited. On a visit to Delhi, one of our friends said to Nishna, ’So Nishna, you are in Aryan’s class?’ That day, I knew I had a rockstar on my hands, coz Nishna turned and disdainfully said, ‘No, Aryan is in MY class!’
For mere mortals like me, being on the fringes of celebrities has its own share of Cheap thrills. It makes for good conversation . All our class mom lunches invariably turn to the discussion on SRK and his family. And everyone around me assumes that I have so much knowledge on them!
Questions I am asked regularly - How are SRK and gang? (As if I meet them for any meals!). Is SRK a good father? (Well on the face of it!). Do Gauri and he look happy? (Well they have not confided in me, but on the face of it, they look happy!). Did he and Juhi have something going on? (Hmmm)
I also strut a bit and knowledgably give out some information – SRK is so involved with his kids -he is there for every PTM and function. He is so unaffected – he does not try to attract attention to himself – someone from the school actually attempts to give him a good seat! SRK behaves so nicely with the kids! Just a regular father! Ha! Howzzat!!
When she was younger, Nishna was terribly upset that SRK died at the end of Kal Ho Na Ho. And she was shocked out of her wits when she saw him at school. She was petrified that she had seen a ghost.
It was a task to help her understand the difference between real and reel life. Why SRK could be a lover boy in one movie and why he can hug and kiss women other than Aryan’s mom on the screen? Why SRK the dad is a different person from SRK the actor! Why they have bodyguards? Why it is not cool for her to ask him for an autograph? Why some teachers suck up to SRK and his kids – to help her understand that they do them more harm than good. Why SRK and his kids may have a life that is not envious!
The upside of being on the fringes of celebrities has been that my kids are completely un-enamoured by the ‘celebrity’ crowd! Tough to be I guess, when you grow up with those kids and they are no different from you. But she has to contend with friends from other cities and schools who all have a crush on AK! Boy! He is already a rockstar!
For this attitude of hers, I only have SRK and family to thank. As luck would have it , SRK’s son is my daughter’s classmate. And the world around her was terribly excited. On a visit to Delhi, one of our friends said to Nishna, ’So Nishna, you are in Aryan’s class?’ That day, I knew I had a rockstar on my hands, coz Nishna turned and disdainfully said, ‘No, Aryan is in MY class!’
For mere mortals like me, being on the fringes of celebrities has its own share of Cheap thrills. It makes for good conversation . All our class mom lunches invariably turn to the discussion on SRK and his family. And everyone around me assumes that I have so much knowledge on them!
Questions I am asked regularly - How are SRK and gang? (As if I meet them for any meals!). Is SRK a good father? (Well on the face of it!). Do Gauri and he look happy? (Well they have not confided in me, but on the face of it, they look happy!). Did he and Juhi have something going on? (Hmmm)
I also strut a bit and knowledgably give out some information – SRK is so involved with his kids -he is there for every PTM and function. He is so unaffected – he does not try to attract attention to himself – someone from the school actually attempts to give him a good seat! SRK behaves so nicely with the kids! Just a regular father! Ha! Howzzat!!
When she was younger, Nishna was terribly upset that SRK died at the end of Kal Ho Na Ho. And she was shocked out of her wits when she saw him at school. She was petrified that she had seen a ghost.
It was a task to help her understand the difference between real and reel life. Why SRK could be a lover boy in one movie and why he can hug and kiss women other than Aryan’s mom on the screen? Why SRK the dad is a different person from SRK the actor! Why they have bodyguards? Why it is not cool for her to ask him for an autograph? Why some teachers suck up to SRK and his kids – to help her understand that they do them more harm than good. Why SRK and his kids may have a life that is not envious!
The upside of being on the fringes of celebrities has been that my kids are completely un-enamoured by the ‘celebrity’ crowd! Tough to be I guess, when you grow up with those kids and they are no different from you. But she has to contend with friends from other cities and schools who all have a crush on AK! Boy! He is already a rockstar!
Monday, August 24, 2009
Sharukh Khan and my travails
First day of school and all the new parents and kids are standing outside, waiting for kids to be taken into the school. Suddenly, there is a hush and then a mother close to me mentions ' Wow, that is Gauri Khan! So SRK's kids are also in this school. ' All eyes on GK and the son. The mom next to me wonders what class the kid will be in! And gasps when she realises that the SRK's kid is in her son's class! You can already see happy dreams in her eyes! My son and Aryan! Gauri and Me! SRK and me!!
Reading all this news about SRK , makes me want to write my own experiences of living on the fringes of celebrity hood.My kids go to the same school as SRKs so there are many episodes that are delightful..embarrassing but funny, and some that raise my hackles too!
So I am going to pen down these episodes..moms who recognise themselves, please do not fret!!
Reading all this news about SRK , makes me want to write my own experiences of living on the fringes of celebrity hood.My kids go to the same school as SRKs so there are many episodes that are delightful..embarrassing but funny, and some that raise my hackles too!
So I am going to pen down these episodes..moms who recognise themselves, please do not fret!!
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