We all are searching. I am looking in the cupboard, the drawers, bed, blankets, pillows, bedside shelf. My maid is searching in the living room, sofa, between cushions, magazines, newspapers, above TV, below TV, everywhere. My hubby dear is throwing, no not throwing, displacing things at random accompanied by loud complaints and accusations that ‘How can my bunch of keys disappear? I had kept them right here.’ He said pointing at a vague spot in bedroom.

Somebody has rightly said “Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal”. Unless there is a constant effort towards your goal, success seems to be a distant dream. Success is that fruit that requires the water of hard work, light of positive attitude, and a strong breeze of commitment. And if one gets all this in the right amount, one can relish the long term fruit of success. That’s what Ujwala Gokarn, a 48-year-old side-rhythmist of Vidarbha has been doing over the years. Side-rhythmist or percussionist is the term used to describe an individual who is providing melody of different musical instruments like shakers, chimes, ghungroo, or duggi as the background music. Born in the family of a Kathak dancer mother, she was naturally inclined towards art, but her interest was more for singing. After graduating in BA Music, she joined Smita Joshi’s classes for light music just to nurture her passion for singing. But destiny had something else in store for her. An unknown talent of a percussionist came to fore here and seeing her great sense of rhythm, she was encouraged to take this job seriously. She gave her first performace in 2005, which got a tremendous response. After that there was no looking back. She has performed in various ghazals, bhajans, concerts, Geet Ramayan, and various shows in Vidarbha. “Learning a rhythm is like teaching a child how to speak. This cannot be taught, it is inborn and it develops with time”, says Ujwala with a pleasant smile.

Imagine you are all ready to step out for the day’s work and you home is completely messy, which is giving you much of a headache, and in this situation you receives the shock of the day that the domestic help is not coming today! And the house seem to come crashing down. This is how important these domestic helps are in our lives. But do we ever care to give a thought on how a family could survive on the meager salary which we give them every month.

Somebody has rightly said, “Nothing great is ever achieved without enthusiasm.” Enthusiasm inspires confidence, raises morale, builds loyalty and is priceless. Enthusiasm is a habit that one can acquire and practice. Same is the case of Kunda Raut, a 28-yr-old lady with a contagious enthusiasm. The moment you meet this energetic lady who is bubbling with enthusiasm, her high-voltage smile electrifies the whole atmosphere. Enthusiasm and desire are what change mediocrity into excellence. And Kunda has been trying hard to achieve this excellence in whichever field she goes.

It was morning and the new sun sparkled gold across the ripples of the gentle sea. A mile from shore a fishing boat chummed the water, and the word for Breakfast Flock flashed through the air, till a crowd of a thousand seagulls came to dodge and fight for bits of food. But way off alone, out by himself beyond boat and shore, Jonathan Livingston Seagull was practicing how to fly high. He is an icon for the seagull clan who was not following the crowd, but has opted for the road less traveled. (Jonathan Livingston Seagull, A Story by Richard Bach)

Why a dash of bright blue or a yelling yellow manages to change your mood? Why at times certain colours have a soothing effect on our mind and body? This is because colours have a positive effect on our body, which could ultimately help in healing.

Ever heard of this term THE TEST GUEST, sounds interesting isn’t it? I simply loved when it was designated to me recently when I was staying at one of our friends place at Delhi. Drs Maheshwari were the proud owners of the luxurious flat which they had recently bought in the plush area of South Delhi and it seems I was their first guest who was going to stay at their place for solid two weeks.

We are terribly ashamed of it all. It did not make any sense to me. My friend was enraged with the news item last week on the lady. She was dead and gone several decades ago. She was an icon of sensual beauty and continues to be so.

There is this song in Taare Zameen Par that made me think again about life. The song refers to the child’s dilemma, his eternally confused state

A housewife friend of mine confessed to me at a frank moment. ‘All middle-aged women are depressed at this phase of their life’ she said.