Rosewood Table Memories...Vidya Niwas, Dharamsala !

 In all the furniture in the house, there is a certain feeling of ' lived in ', they all have played center stage in our daily life. Most important I have seen my pets almost all of them, develop their own rapport and bond with them...my favorite rosewood table has seen many journeys made by them..as it tells you..

" A birthday celebration was always something to look forward to, on any day. It was special not just for the person for whom the cake was decorated, but also for me as I was stocked with gifts, food, wine and laughter. 

It was on one such occasion, when along with all the gifts my Mistress received a beautiful gift of  life in a sparkling bag..a dancing gold fish Mandaline, who peered at us from her water screen. The immediate task of getting an aquarium took some time, but she soon had her own home which I think gave her more space to antic around than a water jar. Soon there were many others of her own species who joined her company.

The coming spring was like a rush of adrenaline, with "Handsome', a beautiful gold fish, to romance around with Mandaline. They were like a whirlpool in the aquarium..running around the corners, hiding in the bush plant, riding atop a bubble and racing for food..!

Alas ! the good days did not last, Handsome tragically passed away and left a void in Mandaline's life. Everyone tried to cheer her up but she griefed in her sorrow by hiding under the stone. Other gold fishes were brought along with  the best  of  aquarium toys which she loved, but even the best worms did not appeal her or bring her happiness in her solitude. We gave up and I could see the Mistress was worried. 

One fine day, the little master brought the Black Moore called the Black Prince. No one accepeted him in the aquarium. He was a different hue altogether, till this happened..in her solitude and with the passing of time, Mandaline was slowly loosing her say inside the water politics...she was often brushed aside by the other younger gold fishes, but come this day, the Black Prince came to her rescue and shooed them away..from then on they becoame the best of friends..a companionship which only comes in the muted sunset of our life... Mandaline once again had found joy in her soulmate...!

Like the many seasons of our life, every association has its own flavor n joy..!!

Memoirs of a Rose Table..Tea with the Gods !

" The best part of my Mistress was, that she lifted the mundane to the spiritual...I , a rosewood table  was never just a piece of simple furniture lying in the house.  I was nurtured, polished with loving hands and always repaired on time as the years crept by..the children grew but, till today I remember the High Tea of the Gods and the little girl who, with the genius of the Divine, created a new perception of the Almighty.

I often with envy, wished myself to be with the children of the house, in a garden tea party. The mindless chattering and playing of the kids, made me leave behind my gathering years..and so one mystical afternoon when the sun was low and there was the sound of thunder in the yonder hills, I found myself in the midst of a chidlren high tea party.  There were small baby sandwiches, french pastries straight from the Barbie oven, little tea cups n tea pot..teddy bears, dolls and glow worms as guests, along with our pet dogs..! There was so much preparation and excitement, that my Mistress with her kind humor told the children that she was expecting the Gods for tea today.

As the evening crept by, much was forgotten..a half cleared table and spilled food crumbs..the children had gone and everyone was busy with their evening chores. As can happen a sudden crash of thunder and the rain poured in !  With a loud rumbling of the clouds, the power crashed in too and for some  miraculous moments there was darkness..till the little girl in the house suddenly chirped " Oh Mom ! look the Gods have come for tea and sure enough almost like magic,  there I was glowing with the glow worm toys, beautifully lighted and comforting in the dark..! "

..Very often, the perception of God for children is innocent of all image..anything or anyone that can give comfort n laughter can warranty patronage from them..!

                                                    For a Himalayan Tea Buzz...Click Here !

Memoirs of Rosewood Table..Of Food & Pets, 2012 !

There is so much which centers around the dining table which, has seen many hungry and happy faces reach a state of fulfillment, pleasure and happiness..

" While there are many moments which I will never forget with the Gurung family, I cannot but help remember the old chief of the Vidya Niwas pet family..Tabu !

From what I can remenber..Tabu alias Tumba got his name from the children due to his great  fondness and should I say 'greed' for good home food. The rising aroma  of  melted cheese on minced lamb, chicken and mashed potatoes, very often drifted into a home surrounded by guests, children..not to forget the other pet members..Bozo !

I speak of a day with great pride because no one could have received better attention and a guard on duty, like I did. It was a sunday and there was as usual, a spirit of expectation among all children and pets alike, for the good food to come on the table. Alas ! the little white dog,  Bozo could not resist the good appetising smell of a loaded table with  an array of delicious food. He tried to jump on the table even as we waited for everyone to arrive for dinner...What a commotion..the black dog, Tabu guarding the food table like a baby sitter, suddenly sprang into action which such speed and aggression...Till today, it is difficult for all of us here in Vidya Niwas, to get him away from his old guarding habit when there is food on the table...Iam truely honored and treasured, not just by the Gurung family but, also by my beautiful black Himalayan dog..Tabu, truely mountain in his spirit..!!"

*Memoir dedicated to our dear and loving dog..Tabu.

Rose wood Memories of Music, 2012

A Rosewood table has so many things happening on it.....Water as it serinades collected pools of rain, stumbles down running streams of pebble and stone......as the monsoon gathers steam, so does the melody,almost deafening the song of the cuckoo, in its sudden rush of bubble and  fall.....surely the first musical must have been born in the divine lap of nature..

" I,  a Rose Wood Table was born in the wilderness of the Woods, lulled to sleep every night in the silence of the forest with only the high and low notes of the running streams as they did their journey ,calendering different seasons in their musical flow.....Now you can well imagine when one day I heard some of the same sounds come alive all over again....

I must say, it is very creditable for mankind to capture in a room, the essence of nature... Yes, I must tell of a day when, those empty bowls filled with perfumed water spilled forth into the surrounds, with all the notes of my childhood.. as the bearded musician played in harmony..with his magical sticks tapping  in all the water bowls, an orchesthra of symphony n sound,  soothed our ears.

The 'Jal-Tarang' as the instrument is known, is based on the concept of different levels of water, producing a variety of musical notes, as the wooden sticks strike on the bowls ! Such magic can only be the 'song of abandon', a gift of unkempt nature as it passes its seasonal journey, in a gush of eternal youth..!"

Some of the best music, can only be heard when and where the soul is pure and giving, in its compassion..!

Memoirs of a Rosewood Table..Bumble Bee Ramblings, 2012 !

 "I knew one day, there would be problems... This fondness of the children for a beehive in the house garden very near to me and the mistress's passion for trying new dining experiences with her guests! This was a lazy Sunday afternoon which went totally berzerk... Recently the children had introduced a bee box under a hidden twist of heavy spring wines and flowers in a seculaded corner of the garden... Who knew one day the old bumble bee alarm clock could actually be an invitation for a buzzing bee swarm..."

"I was fully enjoying the attention I was getting for a much awaited and noel cuisine afternoon of  honey tasting himalayan recipes... There I was completel y intune with the spirit of the afternoon, all abuzz with expectation of my first guests... "

 "Suddenly the clock announced its time with a buzz and a flutter which was very much like a swarm of honey bees humming in harmony while they worked...

This caught the attention of a bee who decided to investigate on his new found friend... We were suddenly in the company of our garden bees who obviously were not liking so many human beings sharing in the 'honey' of their hardwork... From those laughing sun flowers to smudgy cream and cakes, there was little on the table which was not visited by the bumble bee... A bee carnage on the table and the silence of a quiet afternoon recked by shrieks and screams,

scrambling dogs and spilled food!... We tried to chase our buzzing visitor but with ominous vengeance all it would do, was settle itself on the nearest bush and wait for its next onslot... "

 

  "New experiances can very often be the best learning lessons for each one of us as to how the great big outdoors can suddenly creep into our lives without a warning... "