19th Jan 2015 – 25th Jan 2015 [ Daily Routine]

 

In short, this week we said good bye to winter, celebrated Bindiya Birthday. Kashyap – Dhwani kept their Mumbai trips restricted to one. But Muskan – Akshay compensated the same with flying visit to Mumbai. Sharat worked over time, which he has recently given up. Rinky has started acting like ‘Dadi Ma’ with Chinky. Who is busy applying for her driving license.

Here is a gem of foto. One of our outing.

Happy times with BLD family in 2006. Check out - Avi - Akshay - Kashyap - Chinky - Rinky - Rachna

Daily Routine circa 2015-01-22

Prakash Dodeja [Age 57 ]:

Sleep gently shrinks away as I judge time after having a glimpse of sky from the bedroom window, is it 6.15 am? My trusty Samsung mobile says, 6.25 am. Close. Time to start the one more day of my life. Without disturbing Bindiya, I close myself in bathroom, hurry with daily routine. My favorite toothpaste is Meshwak. Manufactured by Balsara, with some herbal ingredients. Many years back, I gave up on Colgate because it was manufactured by MNC. I was at that time in ‘Be Indian, buy Indian’ mode, hence this shift, same story is with soap.

Today winter harshness has reduced and I felt the effect of ‘Gulabi Thandi’, a pleasant, enjoyable, comfortable pleasing cold climate. I open balcony door of drawing room to welcome fresh air, then open main door to welcome milk man and paper-wala. I keep it open, so that I do not have to rush and open it for them. Make a refreshing, warm cup of tea for myself and sit down at dinning table, ready with newspaper, magazine, note book and enjoy first sip.

What is agenda of the day?

Nothing extra ordinary or critical. Good. Can relax.

Sipping tea, enjoying climate, I watch morning walkers, read paper as clock says, 7.28 am.

Bindiya takes her place at ‘morning’ sofa. Time for second cup of tea. I add Butter Toast to my second cup of Tea and enjoy Bindiya’s leg pulling routine of morning. Her birthday is round the corner, so I follow Muskan system and tell her ‘Happy Birthday’, which I have being saying for last week. She has become used to all this, she just smiles.

At 8.18 Tata Walky’s loud alarm fill ups our home. Bindiya reminds me to wake up our maid, Namarat, which I dutifully do and get ready for office.

Next one hour is kind of mechanical, Bath - Break fast – Some gossip with Muskan – Hello with Kashyap – Walk down to Office.

Morning time is Banking time for me, with minor meeting thrown in with Lali – Avi – Akshay on various issues, including family points. Due to limited resources, it takes lot of deliberation and thought to manage funds. Distribution - Estate Agency – Property Dealership – Press all take up few minutes of my time and soon it is lunch hour. Lali – Avi leave for home lunch, Akshay – Kashyap if around call for lunch from home, our staff settles down for with lunch 'dabbas', followed by brief nap, office is peaceful and quiet.  During winter, they go out and take sun bath. I also stretch my leg, take snack of ‘Munch’ or ‘Vada Pav’, sometimes share chocolate with Muskan and her group.

Post lunch time is very much fluid. If some meeting is fixed, preparation for same if required. Else it is Shopping or meeting guests at home or planning some project or writing this blog or giving unsolicited input to Kashyap for his wedding video projects or assisting Dhwani or Muskan or playing chess on net etc, lot more options are also open. Time flies and soon it is evening. 

I leave office anytime after 5.00 pm. Today it is 30 minutes past five. I count, yes, 4 stops to make in my short walk to home. First as always is ‘Varsha Bhel’. I enjoy ‘Dhabeli’ today, yesterday it was ‘Pani Puri’, tomorrow I may skip, as it is Bindiya Birthday and special dinner has being planned. Dhwani has started eating fruits, so I make a point to buy apple or grapes. I move ahead to buy fruit, my second stop. But no one is around. Nowadays, PMC is evicting vendors very earnestly and keeping roads clear. My route is today vendor free, new street lamps are being tested, in short area is getting posh. Near Ganesh Mandir at corner, ‘Kela Walla’ is hawking his product. I pay ten rupees for 3 bananas. One for Bindiya, one for me and one will stay in fruit basket, thus completing my third task. My next final stop is today, ‘Just Books’. It is a great library venture, very affordable and stuffed with good books. Wanwadi branch is in Sacred World, bang opposite sacred heart town gate. Currently I am into Indian fiction writer’s, After Amitav Ghosh, one Ravi Sumbramaniam has held my interest. He weaves good stories with Bandra – BKC – Coloba as backdrop, depicting Banking culture with crime thrown in. Finally on impulse, I go into Bakers Basket, buy two cup cakes.

As I open main door with my key, I see Bindiya has taken up the evening sofa. Namrata leaves for her computer classes. I chat a bit with Bindiya, eat some snack, read magazine or book, then watch some TV, till kids start coming back. Our dinner time is fixed between 8.00 and 8.30.

 Today Muskan has made an excellent ‘Gajjar Ka Halwa’, in response to ‘Gulab Jamun’ made by me from Govardhan packet, two days back. My ‘Gulab jhamuns’ were excellent, but fluke (I think). Whereas, Muskan’s ‘Halwa’ is every time like this, excellent. Big Boss 8 one more episode gets over, as we finish savoring full ‘Katora’ of sweet. Today, I had over stuffed myself, so I sit and take up my favorite topic, making shortlist of names for baby.

Dhwani is game so is Kashyap. Akshay & Muskan had gone to Ankit house to wish them happy anniversary. Debate starts and it goes on for some time. Do we want the name of baby to have some meaning, or should it have great sound, or maybe based on some icon. Kashyap suggests, ‘Kabir’. I say, ‘The name should have ‘sh’ in its spelling.’ Dhwani does not have any particular name in mind. But ultimately we get stuck, which alphabet? Is the name for boy or girl? So let’s wait. Meanwhile, my list of nominated names is growing as I add one more name in my dairy.

Finally, after 'Gajjar Ka Hawla' has settled down, at 10.40 pm I say hello to beauty sleep.

Good Night.      

 

by P G Dodeja