Faith

 She kept going no matter how tough the days

Failures kept coming her way
Faith in herself or self - belief call what you may
'I will  make it ' was her say


It is almost impossible to walk now, the doctors said
With constant physiothrapy , he stay put instead
Years went by on a wheelchair
But finally he was able to walk one day

"I am trying to so hard, but still don't win", a student said
"Have faith in the process, you do you work always"

-Dhanashree Joglekar

Delete

 Delete the 'overs'

Overthinking
Overeating
Over-exerting
Overspending

Delete extremity
Embrace moderation

-Dhanashree Joglekar

Of Summer Holidays and Mangoes

 When the exams came to an end

Mangoes my granny used to send

Sweet, juicy , delicious they were all

We devoured them all day long

Summers meant going to grannys

Summer meant meeting cousins

Summer meant eating mangoes and icecream

Summer meant fun

Time passed by fast

Now there are no exams to pass

There is summer 

There are mangoes 

Without my granny, they don't taste the same anymore

Crowd

 In the morning it was all empty

Then the numbers increased

One by one taking up the space

As more people were wanting to get in

I looked at it and thought to control the numbers then

But work took priority

Let the crowd increase

I will look later I said

Finally as I wrapped up my work

I unloaded the crowd one by one

And soon there was no one

Because nothing gives more peaceful sleep

Than a clean kitchen sink

.-Dhanashree

My Tribe

She knew I was just a kid aged 5
Knowing not more than playing and doing hi-fi
She ensured I read and write
And gave me the precious gift of time

He knew I was worried about exams
Whether I would do well or screw them
He ensured he gave me his time
And guided me in that phase then

She knew I loved delicious food
She kept it ready and it tasted too good
I couldn't cook then or swiggy it
But she made sure I was fed well atleast

She knew I had no help
And 2 babies to look
Without asking "Should I help"
She got me cooked food

He knew I had a meeting
And no time to do grocery shoppy
Without any ado, he asked me what should I buy for you

In my times of need
Am blessed to find these wonderful people indeed
The gift of god
What more could I ask for
These people are my tribe
And may it grow further in this lifetime

 -Dhanashree

Beyond the 'I'

 Corona has changed our lives in ways unimaginable. The effects are felt by everyone. One of the things is the social lessons of Covid . Sharing a poem reflecting some similar thoughts ...

I will travel

No one can stop me , she said
Then corona came and she had to wait

I cannot sit at home
No one can stop me , she said
Then corona came and she had to be home bound instead

I won't cook
I have a cook she said
Then corona came, her cook left , she had to cook herself

I cannot live in a small house
I need a big house she said
Then corona came- with job cuts forcing her to shift to smaller rentals instead

I will do this
No one can stop me she said
Then corona came forcing her to acknowledge a greater force instead

We do not know what the post corona world looks like
What is the new normal like?
All I know is
Covid , temporarily atleast , reminded people that there is something beyond the 'I'
And if they are wise enough, reminded them it's not too late to drop senseless egos.

-Dhanashree

There is no right Mama

And so April is finally here..The national poetry writing month #NaPoWriMo. I managed to write poems daily in April 2018 and hope to write even a few this time. The first one for today is taking cue from Today's prompt and discussing about being a "Mama". Society wants moms to fit a certain image. A mom wonders whether she is the right mama. I myself don't know if I am the right mama. But my experience of being a mom to my almost 4 year old makes me write this. To all moms out there, I wish to say- Don't be to harsh on yourselves. Be kind , your child understands you and loves you..

There is no right mama
There is no wrong mama
But there is a loving mama
And a mama with the right intent

How can be the best mama, I wonder
Has my baby been fed well, I ponder
Take each day as it comes, I say
Plan well while expecting some of it to fail
Some days are excellent
Some days are worse
But you know what—
Your baby needs and loves you despite the day’s outcome

Be kind to yourself, Slow down a bit
Never allow sarcasms to pull you down even a slight bit
Create your own village to help raise your child
Do not expect help from selfish people at any mile
Some people will go the extra mile to help
Some people purposely won’t
A child grows up nonetheless, a mother has enough power

Be your own true self , your child needs you
Do not be a “should be mama” that people want you to
There is no right mama
There is no wrong mama
But there is a loving mama
And a mama with the right intent

-Dhanashree
#mydaughtermyteacher #mdmt #parenting #mommyblogger#NaPoWriMo2019
My last year's NaPoWriMo Poems-http://dsaidso.blogspot.com/search/label/NaPoWriMo2018

We will sail through!

Today is World Poetry Day. Incidentally it also happens to be the day I got engaged 6 years ago.
Hence on this day, dedicating a poem to my husband:

As you held my hand tight
I knew it was you with who I wanted to live all my life
We sailed through the good and bad times
Keeping the promise to stand by each other for a lifetime

You gave me the highs in all my lows
While our little one always kept us on our toes

We didn’t have defined couple goals nor any checklists
All we did is supporting each other always

Our fights and our crazy schedules
With a long distance relationship in between
Nothing could keep our hearts apart

6 years on, a lot has changed
But you still hold my hand tight and say “ We will sail through”

-Dhanashree
#dsaidso #worldpoetryday
https://dsaidso.blogspot.com

Merry X'mas

It's Christmas and the holiday season
The bays are decorated this festive season
Maybe somewhere there's a Secret Santa
Who's there to bless all this junta
You can be one too;
Spread cheer, happiness and positivity too
Sharing and Caring
Thats what Christmas is all about
Collaboration is in our behaviourd without any doubt
Lets get , set , ready and go
To welcome 2019 in our tow

--Dhanashree

The Travelling Dad

My husband travels pretty frequently for work. For a lot of people, travel is glamorous. But what would a person like my husband who travels frequently feel? How is it for him to be away from family? Trying to pen those feeling in my words. Any frequent flyer can relate to this. As I wrote this, I remembered Salil Kulkarni and Sandeep Khare's Marathi composition "Damlelya babachi kahani" . This song had tried to pen down similar emotions in a very very beautiful manner.

Boarding at gate 1C the lady called out
Between arrivals and departures my life moved about
You are upgarded to business, the air hostess said
Should I be happy or sad , my mind wondered instead

"Darling calling", my phone rang
"Dad, tell me the bus story", my little darling sang
" About to take off" I said sadly
"Love you beta, we'll speak tomorrow" I said convincingly

When will this flying end? I thought
My little one is growing too fast , will time wait for my story to begin
Why am I doing this, is it even worth it?
Tired and famished, I fell asleep that moment

In this cycle of life, time passes faster than I can imagine
How many stories should I miss telling I don't even want to imagine
Somewhere I need to slow down,my heart tells
But when opportunities come, head takes over instead
Between head and heart is a tough choice
I only wish my two darlings( read-wife and daughter) are happy with whatever is that choice

-Dhanashree

Happy Diwali

Happy Dasera

The special place

There is something special about this place
What is that is impossible to explain

The place which always treats me like a princess
And understands my emotions even if they are unsaid

The place where I don't get judged
And there is full acceptance of my true self

This is the  place where I grew up
From learning ABC to becoming finally what I am today

The place which is full of people who will always support me
And will stand by me even during my tough times

The place where there is selfless love
And where I am known as my Mum's daughter even now

That place is my Mum's place for me
The place where I am most understood till date

P.S.-
There is no place like mum's place for a girl.  Even the fanciest hotel or holiday doesn't match the feeling of staying in your  'maika'

-Dhanashree

Of Karma and Reflections

Jab I met Shahrukh Khan

"Is it really true?" I thought. "Am I really meeting SRK?" But yes it was true. I got to meet SRK and witness the shoot of BYJUs latest ad thanks to my husband. SRK was literally not even 100 metres away from me during the shooting. But given the rules and the silence that is to be maintained, we were not allowed to meet him during the shooting. We could just watch from a distance. I spent almost 8 hours at the recording studio. Of which watching Shahrukh was hardly for a few hrs. Rest of the time being spent in SRK getting ready and makeup for the various looks. Even in that little time, SRK was a true entertainer. Watching a take and retake of the same ad multiple times was enjoyable only due to Shahrukh.
Finally the moment came.  As Gauri Shinde announced "Pack up", SRK proceeded to move out. The people around (mostly from BYJUs) who were watching him from a distance thronged him. People had got DDLJ posters to get his autograph and all. His bodyguards tried to keep people away as they circled around him. I had a notebook in my hand which contained a collection of my poems in 3 languages written for him. The bodyguards thought I was taking his autograph and wanted to drive me away. I just managed a minute to talk to him and told him this is my gift of multilingual poems for him. He opened the notebook, saw my name there and asked "Dhanashree, can I take this?" I still find this absolutely unbelievable. I didn't tell him my name, he opened the notebook while his bodyguards shooed me away, and thanked me. And just in that moment, my husband managed to click a pic. I did not have the time to buy a fancy greeting card, or a fancy notebook, all I had is good content in my usual notebook. That I could give it to SRK and receive his thanks is something I will remember for a lifetime. The collection of my poems for SRK is as follows -

मन्नत

एक मन्नत मांगी थी खुदा से मैने
कभी मन्नत में रेहनेवाले बादशाह से मिला हमें

कहा खुदा ने थोडा सब्र करो
परदेस के मॅडम tussads वाले बादशहा से पहले मिलो

एक wax statue को बस हम देख सकते हैं
SRK बनने  का फॉर्म्युला थोडी पूछ सकते हैं

'कभी ख़ुशी कभी गम ' मे वक्त निकल गया
' चलते चलते ' एक 'चमत्कार ' हो  गया

बडे बडे शहरो  मे छोटी छोटी बाते होती हैं
 और कभी छोटे छोटे लोगों की बडी बडी ख्वाईशें पूरी होती हैं
हम एक बार जीते हैं एक बार मरते हैं और एक बार King Khan से मिलने  की तमन्ना रखते  हैं

बॉलीवूड के बादशाह से मिलने का मौका आया
एक दिन हम उनसे मिल पायेंगे
ये मैने  सोचा न था
मैने सोचा न था

Leadership
To imagine, To dream, To believe
To change ways and embrace the new
To be unafraid and not fear failure
To be passionate about goals, far and near

To inspire the team to move ahead
And be welcoming and inclusive of ideas that come ahead
Having the diligence to execute
And striking a balance between delegation and 'know it all' attitude

To have a plan to achieve the team goals
And yet accept the uncertainties that come in due course
Let the goals not be limiting
But be the milestones to achieve higher

This is what Leadership is all about
As per IIMBUEspeech by SRK , " naam toh suna hi Hoga"

[This poem is based on Shahrukh khan's speech at IIMBUE, the IIMB leadership summit]

Life Lessons

If you want to do something, do it really well
Put in your full effort, do with full JOSH, SRK tells

Maybe put in a bit of madness to your efforts
Taking your aberrations along, be a 'Deewana' of reaching your destination

Maybe  you may fail,sometimes life may be bad
Have faith, have hope
Continue your efforts, you will get the 'Chamatkaar' results in due course

Let 'fear' not intimidate you
Let 'failures' not deter you
The real 'Baazigar' wins even after failures
Chooses not to be held back by his 'Darr' here

It's ok to be confused
It's ok to be worried
"Kabhi Haa, Kabhi Na"
Let life move at its own pace

In all this, be kind, try helping others
Do everything 'Dil Se' spread love to others

Take happiness and sadness in its ephemeral spirit
Live in the present, because you know 'Kal Ho Naa Ho'

Everything will eventually be ok in the end
If it's not ok, it's not the end
Because ' Picture abhi baaki hain doston'

[ Above poem based on Shahrukh Khan's speech at University of Edinburgh]



From your 'Fan'

I thought it was a 'Chamatkaar'
Am I really meeting 'King Khan'?

The 'Deewana' we grew up seeing
Or the 'Baazigar' we watched as kids

The epitome of acting excellence
The Badshaah of Bollywood

Who spans across generations
From 'Ye kaali kaali aankhen' to 'Lungi Dance' hereto

Absolutely thrilled to meet you
My name is Dhanashree, and I am your 'Fan,'
Bas Aapne naam Nahi suna Hoga..


कोण आहे शाहरुख?

कोण आहे शाहरुख, लेकीने मला विचारलं
तो लुंगी डान्स करतो तोच काय गं , तिने खात्री करु घेतलं

 तो  टी . व्ही . वर पिक्चर मध्ये कसा येतो ? हा तिचा पुढचा प्रश्न
त्याचं ऑफिस तेच का , हे तिचं न संपणारं विचारणं

३ वर्षाच्या लेकीला अजून काय सांगावं
' किंग खान ' किंवा 'बादशाह' म्हणजे काय , हे तिला कस उमगाव

शाहरुख म्हणजे खूप अभ्यासू विद्यार्थी
acting आणि   dance यांचा सतत अभ्यास करणारा निश्चयी आणि मेहनती विद्यार्थी

प्रत्येक चित्रपटात त्याचा जोमाने परफॉर्मन्स देणं
प्रेक्षकांना आनंदी करणं हाच त्याचा एकाची धर्म

हसत खेळत जगावे, हाच त्याचा मंत्र
"जिंदगी नफरत के लिये बहुत कम  होती हैं ", हाच त्याचा कानमंत्र

शाहरुख म्हणजे  शाहरुख म्हणजे शाहरुख आहे
त्याच्या कर्तृत्वामुळे तो बॉलीवूडचा सुपरस्टार आहे

-Dhanashree Joglekar
https://dsaidso.blogspot.com

Coffee with 'Sid'

It all started with our mobile talks
Slowly we moved on to gtalk
But when the timing came for the most important thing
It all happened in a coffee shop
"Mujhse Shaadi karogi " he asked
 "A lot can happen over coffee" I thought

We met again, let's talk I thought
Having coffee at the Taj
We spoke about our future plans
We met , we chatted
Coffee was the common factor
Coz "A lot can happen over coffee"

5 years later, as we are parents of a 3 year old
And sleepless nights have become a part of our schedule
A coffee shop is our little quick date escape
Keeping the romance alive in our fast lives instead
"A lot can happen over coffee" , they said
It appears true to me over times now instead

-Dhanashree
https://dsaidso.blogspot.com

To All Those Who..

To all  those who taught me to write
To all those who taught me what to write
To all those who taught me what not to write

To all those who taught the same subjects for years with interest
And never had a tinge on boredom on their faces
To all those who bore my stupid questions
And answered them with full enthusiasm

To all those who pushed me to aim higher
And gave me the courage and guidance to pursue my dreams further
To all those encouraged me in all my endeavours
And shouted at my careless mistakes at that time whenever

To all.those who brought me back up when I failed
And stuck by my side when I needed them as well
To all those who had full faith in my ability
And who erased my self doubts and told me to focus on my capabilities

To all those for whom my success  meant the world
And my failure just an improvement stopover
To all those who knew the difference between teaching and imposing thoughts
And who encouraged freedom in thinking afterall

To all those who held my hand as I learnt a skill
And left it at the right time for it to bloom full
To those who taught with full dedication and affection
If I am somebody worth  today,  it's all coz of you

Thank you!

#HappyTeachersDay #TeachersDay2018 #TeachersDaySpecial
Dhanashree
Https://dsaidso.blogspot.com

The change to "fill"

Read this tweet by Kaushal Inamdar today "As a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, any problem you give to the musician will turn into a song! Art transcends mere entertainment."
I am not a musician but an amateur poet and blogger..sharing my poem inspired by daily life...

The change to "fill"

Every single day I am amazed by your change
The jumps I face as I move ahead

The child in you took water in its arms
The big vehicles made your arms bigger by their charms

You come in all shapes and sizes
Walking quickly in your presence may win me prizes

I hope before bappa comes
He blesses the govt with the wisdom to fill your arms

Till then my heart with worry fills
And jumps with your non-fills *

I am taking about none other than Mumbai's potholes. To see a pic check the first comment

Till then #babuji_dheere_chalna_raste_pe_jara_sambhalna
#ae_bhai_jara_dekh_ke_chalo

*these 2 lines adapted from the poem Daffodils

- Dhanashree

Meeting Sayali, Sayalee and Hope!

Sayali/Sayalee/Sailie is my favourite name. Little did I know, or coincidence as it may be called, I generally get along well with people of that name. Sayali Rajadhyaksha is a food and lifestyle blogger that I follow. Her recipes on "Anna hech purnabrahma" (https://shecooksathome.wordpress.com) are amazing. Her writing styling is conversational. Her lifestyle blog - saree and other stories has a lot of stories about saree, jewellery and travel. Through one of her posts, I came to know about a silver jewellery brand named aadyaa. Aadyaa is a silver jewellery brand by Sayalee Marathe. One of the interesting things I bought on aadyaa.com is a silver hope ring. 

This weekend Sayali and Sayalee organized a saree and jewellery exhibition at Cache Art Gallery, Bandra. I had bought one saree last time and it was amazing. Even if I didn't buy, looking at the collection is a treat to the eyes if you love saree and jewellery. I also had to a Poetry event in the nearby so I could do both these things in one trip.

Aadyaa hope ring inspires me- so why not make a poetry on hope on the day I meet the designer of this hope ring. So this is what hope means , talking from the point of view of a person of who has been rendered on a wheelchair due to a strong viral infection

What hope means to me-

I thought I should give up

Things wouldn't work out they said

Somewhere a force said "Go ahead dear , All will be well"

"You will never be able to walk" the doctor said

I sulked and cried uncontrollably that moment

But no I can't give up so easy,my inner force said

I will continue my physio and do all what it takes to get up on my feet and walk ahead

Every moment that I thought of giving up,the next moment my inner voice said "Don't"

That is hope I think 

The inner voice that tells you to go ahead and walk freely 

That hope is the positive amidst all negatives

When hope is lost all is lost

Don't give up on hope dear

Hold on a bit, hope and work towards a better future

Sharing some pictures with Sayali and Sayalee.. I was so mesmerized looking at the collection that I missed taking pictures of the same.

-Dhanashree

Poetry for a cause

There are two causes that I feel I should do something about. They are about helping and working towards women empowerment and disabled (specially abled ) people. I have been  helping these causes by some direct monetary contributions and indirectly by buying stuff from them. But that is not much in my opinion. In terms of doing on the ground work for them, I am not able to devote much time. Today I performed poetry in Cuckoo Club open mic  hosted by Sonali Kapoor talking about these causes.

The first poem talks from the point of view of a disabled person. A student who was rendered  wheelchair bound post an accident. A moment that changed his life and brought basic mobility to a standstill. How does he feel? How does he gather the courage to move ahead? How does he feel?

I am just "Differently" abled

 I was born to win or so it seemed
Until a car knocked down all my dreams
Trying to save a little boys life
I myself lost all my limbs that time

From a four-wheeler to a wheelchair
Life was cruel, it seemed so unfair
My brain and heart were still the same
Carrying all the same dreams with them
My limbs prevented me from moving forward quickly
My mind went into a train of negative thoughts quickly

Why was I feeling so bad?
Or were people's sympathetic looks making me feel so
I don't know
But someone would have definitely helped me when faced with a small stair or so
A small stair never seemed so big
Until I was wheelchair bound indeed
Was it the obstacle of the stairs
Or was it in my head again
I don't know
I decided to give my best shot to life again

Continuing with my studies as well as treatment
I promised myself to never feel let down again
I received help from a few well wishers
I was just differently abled they concurred

Diversity and Inclusion seem big words
We all can do a bit for such stuff
Today I want to tell you one thing
I am not disabled, I am differently abled
On behalf of all such people, I urge you one thing
Do not show sympathy , just help and show empathy

My next poem is on the topic of women empowerment. Women are taught to be perfect , because of which we overthink before taking any new venture. Women are also judged a lot ; sometimes also let down and judged by other women themselves. What should women do to not get carried away by negative thought? I think they just need to ask themselves " What would I do if I weren't afraid? Just have the right attitude. As Viktor Frankl has said "Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way."

What would you do if you weren't afraid?

What would you do if you weren't afraid
Start  accepting you are not perfect instead

Its ok to take that plunge
When you are 90% sure of success

Some things will work
Some things won't
Let the disappointments not deter you
Or the successes flatter you
Keep working on the next big move
That you would do if you weren't afraid

Someone will be more talented
Someone will have more family support
Someone will be richer
But you are unique because of your attitude

For everything can be take away
But your attitude to respond in a given set of circumstances
Finally determines what you become
It is something that no one can take away from you
Go ahead dear in your fearless path
For what would you do if you were not afraid

-Dhanashree
https://dsaidso.blogspot.com