Evolution

So yday was when my mum turned a grand 50...now she doesnt look 50 from any angle...even though it may SEEM like im being biased, am really not...thanks to 10 km walks+yoga+eating right (most of the time) and the above regime for the past 5 years..she looks closer to a radiant 40! (for real!)...but the best part? she hasnt lost her spirit...when i was 10 years old and had to describe my mum in class (eng class), i vividly remember using the word "jolly".... shes got that whole free spirit..awesomely happy...red cheeks glow thing about her. You cannot...cannot help being enveloped in this aura of love when you're around her. you simply have to love her...even if you arent her biological kid!..... A lot of my friends have called her 'beautiful' but im not really talking about external beauty here...its more about the person that she is and what she stands for....deeply spiritual...extremely loving...and just plain old trusting. Basically, mum is 'rocking' (and S is sure to cringe NOW) :)

Dad ended up surprising her at Taj during dinner...she thought we're out for our average close-4 family dinner thing...but he secretly invited some relative+assorted friends too!... But what i really ended up doing was listening. I lent both my ears to the conversations that surged up around me. For starters theres this clear demarcation of men from women (even in a round table for 10)...the women discuss jewellery (mums a designer)....sister talks to old relative aunt bout 'Voice of India' (i assume she was humouring the elderly lady) while dad's conversation was what i was totally fascinated with... They discussed everything from astrology (wrt recent lunar eclipse) politics (through the perspective of bureaucrats) oil prices, land prices and chinese jasmine tea in clearing ones palate.. (we were in the 'House of Ming'... no fortune cookies though :(..) ..what really aroused my curiosity however was when one uncle lowered his voice to talk about political pressure on bla bla... (later i even made papa repeat the conversation!...childish but i wanted to make sure i got my facts straight)... Point being that women are not frivolous... aunty 1 is the editor of a well known paper... aunty 2, well i dont know what she does...and mum is fantastically hard working, articulate and reasonably well-informed... So how do 3 women end up discussing ornaments of luxury while their male counterparts adopt the more traditional role of 'men of business'? Is this role-play so deeply embedded in our psyche that we drift to it unconsciously? ....Maybe dissection of social events is kinda cool...opens up your mind to hidden things!

Anyway, so what else did I do?.. Oh i had fun! Finally took dads advice (which he recommends to everyone) to heart... 'Its always good to talk less' ....and wrapped it round my head... i ended up noticing a lotta stuff... like how nearly all the other patrons of the hotel seemed to be exquisitely groomed and irrevocable unattractive (weird right?) .Their look?..with polished nails...shiny hair (the kind only permanent straightening will lead to)... beautiful clothes...better bags... higher heels... and delicious cars...they symbolised the crème de la crème of Delhi... But in the most typical fashion... it all seemed kind of hollow. The majorily of them looked dissatisfied and grumpy while the rest looked enviously on at others who were better turned out. So when is good enough..enough? Apparently only when you're happy within. Why else do i dip my toes (fingers, nose...self) in spiritualism? Cuz, frrrrrankly... its the only way (for me) to be really happy and detached enough to notice the fantastic material things (like gleaming Gucci bags) and not feel at all deprived when they're not in my own closet! Fashion is wonderful too but only as long as it doesnt make you feel terrible!
Cheers!