Mothers' anthem

Hmmmm. .... now where have I heard this before? Take a look and listen close, maybe you can tell me why it sounds so familiar?

In a Moonshadow mood

I'm in a Cat Stevens mood right now. Okay, call him Yusuf Islam if you want but his music is still the same.
Soulful, soothing, beautiful and sheer poetry!
Bitter-sweet at times with a tinge of pain, but his songs all reach in and tug at the right heart-strings. Songs from decades ago, but I love the sound and the poetry of the lyrics!

The pure, fresh sounds of 'Morning has broken' makes me tingle right down to my toe-tips.

And I love the quirky logic of Moonshadow and the very mind-picture of someone "leaping and hopping on a Moonshadow" . I love the optimism ringing through the lyrics.

I found this very Dr. Seuss-y video of 'Where do the children play?' on YouTube but the childrens-book treatment doesn't take away the sensitivity of the song. It just adds to it.

I spent a good hour or 2 browsing through YouTube, listening to 'Peace Train', 'Wind', 'Maybe you're right, maybe you're wrong' and more. (Thank you, YouTube!)
But right through my YouTube searches for Cat Stevens' music today, I was disturbed to find a lot of slash-and-burn comments on his videos, based not on his music but on his choice of religion.
Whaaat?!
It's such a wild world!

Must go! Must have!

Time to break those piggy banks and dig out the emergency cash, ladies! There's a lot happening in Mumbai these days.

First, there's Sanjay Garg's delectable, super-delicious collection of sarees, stoles and dupattas starring at Good Earth (March 15 - 24, '10).
I took one look at that fabric in the photo and fell in love! Just look at it ... light as a whisper, cool as a monsoon breeze, watermelon-fresh ... doesn't it make you yearn to slide it over your shoulder?

And, don't miss the BLISS flea market coming up next weekend (March 27 - 28, '10). If the regular stuff at BLISS is anything to go by, the bric à brac here has to be the most enticing ever!
And I'm intrigued by the organic products mentioned. I'm always on the lookout for those.
Oh! And did you notice that they have wine tasting planned too? Now what're the odds that the guys are not going to reach there before you?

Heaven while you wait

The street hawker of Mumbai is an absolute genius at getting you anything you want. So how about a slice of heaven? No problem, you don't even have to get out of your car .
If you've driven down the roads of Mumbai, chock-a-block with cheek-to-cheek traffic at peaktime, you'll know how it can be the stuff of nightmares.
Pesky autos cutting lanes, suicidal jaywalkers , irritable drivers, back-breaking roads that follow no known level, all-enveloping dust .... do I really need to go on?
Each signal inches you closer to your destination and to your hypertension pills.
And then just as you drum your fingers waiting for the signal to change colour, they magically appear ...

... the street florists of Mumbai!
Cradling armsful of mood-lifters to brighten the glummest soul, they weave through narrow gaps in the waiting traffic.

A flourish of the hands and they offer up bunches of sheer happiness.
Take a deep breath .
Drink in the beauty of soft petals and eye-widening colours that paint brilliant mind-pictures of unseen verdant gardens spilling over with colourful blooms that make you sigh with contentment ... paradise on the go.
Heaven while you wait.

I think these guys deserve an award for making the world a brighter place for so many commuters, don't you?