Hello Everybody,
I’ve had a busy last four days which is a good thing since we are still under lockdown and because of the cyclone Tauktae which hit Mumbai on the 17th of May, we have been locked indoors. This time I mean it literally. With a wind speed of 40-55 kmph, we had to close all windows and doors to stop them from rattling and banging shut. The wind howled all day through the spaces in the glass and the window frame which is invisible to naked eyes. We experienced Mumbai’s first severe cyclone since 1948.
Thankfully, the destruction caused by it was much lesser than what could have been- Around 13 people were killed and around 120 people working on a barge that went adrift were rescued. Compound walls collapsed and the sea lashed the Gateway of India. Its a huge loss that a number of trees were uprooted by the wind. I hate it when these life-givers that take years to grow are cut or fall because of the elements. Also, a lot many people living near the sea lost their homes. They had been evacuated so there were no loss of lives but I’m not sure how the government compensates them for their losses.
So while the cyclone has passed from Mumbai to Gujarat, there are many out there whose lives like the trees have been uprooted and yet they must find a way to plant themselves again.
May 17th, the day the cyclone hit Mumbai was my younger daughter’s birthday. The only good thing that came out of the cyclone is that it provided us a respite from the heat. Considering the fact that this May was the hottest May Mumbai had experienced in ten years, we were delighted with the unexpected cool clime.
We celebrated my daughter’s birthday with a chocolate cake with fresh cream- which I got custom-made for her (thankfully there are some things that are still doable despite the pandemic). Other than the fact that her name had a missing letter, the cake was perfect by all standards.
The birthday girl had her last exam for the year in the morning. Her elder sister made breakfast for her- mango, chia pudding and mommy made her favorite food -butter chicken with roti, watermelon juice and mango cream dessert.
After lunch we watched the movie ‘Blind Side.’ I highly recommend it for those who haven’t watched it. Its based on a true story and every character is simply a good human being- its light on the heart. The positivity in the movie is something we need to remind ourselves more of these days to keep our spirits up.
In the evening she had con-calls with her friends where they played online games like ‘Scribble,’ and then she took loads of photographs like a normal teen- her daddy at her beck and call – was her very own personal photographer . All in all it was a good celebration and I’m grateful for it.
With the ongoing pandemic, I’m determined more than ever that we celebrate every moment that life gives us. Last week a classmate of mine passed away in Delhi after being on the ventilator for three weeks. I hadn’t communicated much with her but after she passed away, I checked her Fb page and noticed that she had celebrated every big and small event during the last 12 months. And I thought to myself, ‘I’m glad she was happy and the family did not waste the time they had together.’
Anyway what kept me truly busy though was my attempt at painting flowers. I struggled so much. Those delightful creations that I absolutely love kept me on my toes.
Below, I’ve shared all my attempts at painting them.
The failed attempts-
The practice-
The final – a long way to go before I’m able to depict what I see in my mind’s eye but I’m letting go for now- I get that the practice looks much better than the final. It is a ray of hope.
Coming to Covid (because no discussion these days is complete without a discussion on Covid or the vaccine status)- the cases this week have fallen drastically in Mumbai so that’s good. The credit goes to Iqbal Singh Chahal for his efficient managing of the situation. To read what Mumbai did to tackle the crisis you can click on the link below-
That’s all from my side this week. Do drop in a line on how your week’s been in the comments below or just let me know what you think of the painting. I wish you’ll well. Stay safe!
Cheers
Smitha
P.S. I worked some more on the painting;) Now I am definitely letting it go 🙂
Eúnoia 
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