Kalnirnay

A lot has changed in the last 30 years
But some things are constant year on year
Be it a festival or a wedding
We look at it to find an appropriate date and timing

In the world of everything digital
We still prefer it physical
It's place is in the kitchen by the fridge
We look at it to confirm the 'tith'

Year on year they accumulate in the house
We never give them away, precious knowledge they espouse
In case you haven't guessed it already, it's our very own Kalnirnay
Kalnirnay ghya na, Kalnirnay dya na!

Remember to Forget

Remember to forget the bad 

And keep only the good

Is it as easy as it looks

Or have I misunderstood?

How can I forget the pain and the trouble 

And show my face as if nothing happened

How can I forget their indifference

And carry on my day with non-chalance

How can I forget every single time I was belittled

And now meet them just assuming everything is settled

A wise man then told me-

Remember to forget the bad

Keeping the lessons in your head 

Remember to forget for your own good

And move on with your life as you should

Between

A leaking roof over her head

But her determination unfazed

A single mother of two

She fought her destiny alone

Odd jobs she did

To fund her kids education atleast

Her kids were bright

They won prizes all the time

One fine day , an NGO came to help

Looking at the kids talent, funded their higher education in a big school 

A few years later as the kids did really well

There was no leaking roof over her head

A pucca house was built

Between a leaky roof and a pucca one

Stood years of sweat, hardwork and patience

The second home

I don't know if it's the beautiful weather 

Or is it the yummy Mangalore buns either

Was it the warmth of my hostel staff

That made my two years there memorable after all

Was it to do with two of the best years of my life

With friendships from there lasting for a lifetime

Was it the lovely time spent during my daughter's infant age

While making memories at every stage

Whatever that is

Bangalore you are very very special

Holding a special place in my heart forever

You were my home when I was away from my home

And now I miss you so much 

Stop Dreaming Start Doing

The best time to start is today

Do not wait at all, Go seize the day

It may seem one small step

But over the years they aggregate

From atoms to galaxies it all falls in place

If you can't exercise for an hour

Start with 15 mins a day

Slowly your body adjusts

And results show themselves

If you want to write a book

But don't know where to start

Start with a page daily

That itself leads to 365 pages a year at last

Start today, start you must

One step at a time, go forward you must

Every day please ask yourself, what is the one thing to do to move  closer to your goal

You will move from an atom to galaxy in due course

This is not a love poem

Two men sitting next to each other Holding their hands

Celebrating valentine's day and dancing to the bands

Hoping to get married when their country says they can

But yet This is not a love poem

Two women something much more than friends

From different backgrounds and ages vast apart

time together they spend

Legally not allowed to be a couple ,the law says

But yet This is not a love poem

A man and a woman meet in a park

Like each other and and decide to tie the knot

Does this sound like a love poem at last?

Who decides what's love

Who decides what kind of love is legal

Points to think about

This is not a love poem

This is a poem to think about what is love

- Dhanashree Joglekar

Your Perfume

The aroma of a freshly baked bread

The khamang thalipeeth that spreads its smell

The fragrance of the kesari bhat made

The whiff of fresh parathas that fills in the air

Which is your perfume, can you tell?

The fragrance of Jasmine that spreads far and wide

My sandalwood soap that smells so nice

Old shops remind me of peculiar smells

Newer malls have air fresheners everywhere

Which is your perfume, can you tell?

Perfume or attar what do you prefer

The jasmine gajra is fragrant, oh so natural

Tata Skinn or Dolce&Gabbana , their fragrance stays

Which is your perfume, can you tell?

The Broken Glass

 Just have one glass, nothing will happen

She took just one and it left her hooked

Soon the one became two , two become three

Unsure when to stop, she drank all of them in glee

It became a daily affair

Till..

One day when the glass broke , Not literally but figuratively 

Her body replied to the glass and she rushed to the doc

"Your liver is damaged and it needs to be replaced" he said 

Her world came crashing down in a second

A good lady's liver saved her life

And she never ever took to the glass again in her lifetome

#drink_responsibly

- Dhanashree Joglekar 

Of Moons and Stars

 There is darkness all around

There is absolutely no sound

I am all alone in a faraway land

Longing for a hug from my gran

Looking up above in the sky

The stars and the moon look just the same

Reminding me of my home miles away

It's almost like I am sitting the balcony on my granny's lap

And chatting with her just like times gone by

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

Happy birthday Aai

 पुढे पुढे ती कधीच करत नाही - अशी माझी आई

शर्मिला ताई आणि नीलिमा ताई म्हणतात 'आम्ही तेव्हा महिना- महिना दादरला राहायला असायचो आणि नीमा आणि वीणा आमच्यासाठी रोज चपात्या बनवायच्या . त्यांची सकाळी नोकरीची घाई असताना त्या रोज आमच्यासाठी करायच्या. आणि हो तेव्हा चपात्या stove वर बनवायच्या ' . नीमा म्हणजे माझी आई आणि वीणा म्हणजे माझी मावशी. शर्मिला ताई आणि नीलिमा ताई माझ्या सर्वात मोठ्या चुलत मावस बहीणी. 

त्या बोलल्या म्हणून मला आईने हे केलं ते समजलं नाहीतरी मला कळलंच नसतं. घरी कामवाल्या मावशी आल्या नाहीत म्हणून जरी चार चपात्या कराव्या लागल्या तरी लोक इतका इश्यू करतात, आणि येवढं काही  करून माझ्या आईने मला कधीच हे सांगितलं नव्हतं.

तर हे लिहिण्याचे कारण म्हणजे आज माझ्या आईचा वाढदिवस आहे. तिची स्तुती केली तरी ती - त्यात काय येवढं ?  असंच नेहेमी म्हणते.

माझी आई एअर इंडिया मध्ये manager म्हणून रिटायर झाली. जेव्हा लोक भारतात सुद्धा विमान प्रवास करत नव्हते तेव्हा म्हणजे १९७८ साला पासून आईने सिंगापूर , स्वित्झर्लंड, मॉरिशस असे अनेक परदेश प्रवास केले. तेव्हा इंटरनेट नव्हतं तरी आईने सगळे एकटीने केले. पण एकदाही कधी मी येवढं फिरून आले आहे असं मिरवल तर नाही, साधा उल्लेख सुद्धा ती करत नाही. 

तर माझ्या आईच्या वाढदिवसा निमित्त मी एक तिच्यासाठी कविता केली आहे. माझी आई एकदम साधी आहे. कधी ती स्वतः हे केलं ते केलं सांगणार नाही. मार्केटिंग अजिबात नाही. म्हणून या कवितेचे नाव आहे ' पुढे पुढे ती कधीच करत नाही '

एअर इंडिया मध्ये manager, घरी आमची आई

पुढे पुढे ती कधीच करत नाही 

रोज स्वयंपाक करून खायला आम्हाला देई

शाळेचा अभ्यास रोज आमचा घेई

मी हे करते मी ते करते कधी म्हणत नाही

पुढे पुढे ती कधीच करत नाही

आस्तिक माझी आई देवाच्या पाया पडे

माणसाची सेवा हीच देवाची सेवा हे सदैव ती म्हणे

आजीची सेवा तिने मुलीप्रमाणे केली

नातीचाही सांभाळ तिने दिवसभर केला

मी हे करते मी ते करते कधी म्हणत नाही

पुढे पुढे ती कधीच करत नाही

 प्रेमळ आहे ती खूप , गरजेला नेहेमी धावून येई 

स्वयंपाक पूर्ण करेल, पण त्याचा गवगवा नाही

पुढे पुढे ती कधीच करत नाही

माणसाची आर्थिक परिस्थिती बघून तिची वागणूक बदलत नाही

श्रीमंत माणसाकडे गोड गोड आणि गरिबाकडे दुर्लक्ष

असं ती कधीच करत नाही

जगभर फिरून तिचा साधेपणा हरवला नाही

पुढे पुढे ती कधीच करत नाही

अशी माझी आई, हुशार आणि कर्तबगारी

पुढे पुढे ती कधीच करत नाही