About me posted by Ranu

This morning I waited for the daily prompt, there was none.

I thought my blogger friend Leslie wanted to see my photograph taken by my friend Evie when I was in college.Here it is Leslie.

Evie had a camera, she liked taking pictures, she did not spend too much time, she was always busy doing something.

The day she took the picture we all had an autograph book to get everyone to sign in and write something. Evie wrote a few lines in my autograph book and then wanted to take a picture of me.

It is our college campus where we were residing at that time. I am wearing a sari, as far as I recall I did not own one, this one belongs to someone in the residence.

In those days I always wore Shalwar(pants) kameez(shirt) and Dupatta( a long scarf).

My Dad told my Mom one day.

Why doesn’t your daughter

put cream on her face

Or comb her hair like other

Little girls do?

She never saw a village

Yet I think

She is worse than

A girl in a village.

Even  those girls

Know how to dress up

Do you think

She will ever change?

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DP Daily Prompt: Express Yourself Post by Ranu

English: WORD URDU, WRITTEN IN URDU SCRIPT IN NASTALEEQ FONTS (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I bought some material for a set of outfit to be stitched by a tailor.I was in Chicago,I didn’t know anyone who could do a perfect job. feeling totally flustered I  asked the sales girl.She gave me the address of a new seamstress,she had arrived from Karachi,looking for work. My brother-in-law and I found the address.I was delighted thinking,finally there is someone who could do the job for me.

With that thought I rang the doorbell,a very young girl opened the door.Her size,looks, completely confused me. I thought,’she is too young to sew the outfit I want’.I couldn’t just stand at the doorstep,an explanation why I was there seemed necessary at that point. Instantly I found out she didn’t speak English,what could be her mother tongue?

She spoke Urdu,I knew the language but did not have an occasion to speak it. So the obvious happened,I mixed both English and Urdu to communicate, I desperately wanted her to understand. I was lucky she figured it out. I used hand signals,a bit of Urdu and a whole lot of English words to tell her what I wanted and how long it will take. I came home happy to find a seamstress,who will make an outfit for me.

My brother-in-law with whom I didn’t get along made fun of me for forgetting a language I learned in my childhood. They say,’Practice makes one Perfect’,I truly believe in it!

DP Daily Prompt: Sad but True Post by Ranu

A good deed never gets rewarded,

if family is the beneficiary.

Which one will I bring to the forefront?

They are all sad but true!

My siblings,they expect,

did not learn to appreciate.

It’s their birthright they think,

Why do we have to admit.

They love to criticize,

You made Minu do maid’s work,

Starved her while she was with you.

You are a terrible person they say,

I was not given the chance

to defend myself,

It was all done behind my back.

It’s an ongoing problem,

Sadly there is nothing I can do!

DP Daily Prompt: Clothes (May) Make the (WO) Man Post by Ranu

I feel clothes are very important to me or anyone. My first important priority is a) it should be age appropriate,b) it should be presentable. It’s particularly important in the case of a woman.

I don’t have a particular style,but I make sure it complements me. I settle for mild colors. Garish colors are not suitable for me. When I am in a public place, I make sure I am presentable. It makes me feel good about myself.

A few years ago, my second daughter went to a store, she was dressed casually,the sales woman completely ignored her. She complained to her friend about it.Her friend asked her how was she dressed. She was surprised she didn’t think it mattered what she wore. It did. Now she knows because she experienced it.

DP Daily Prompt: Practice Makes Perfect Post by Ranu

I’d love to be able to skate.I know it requires talent. I won’t be able to tell whether I have talent for skating. I was born in a temperate climate, that fact in itself gives me a large X,next when I came to a place where the temperatures dip down to minus 20,learning to skate would be a futile effort on my part. It is too cold .I am not used to it. It will be STRIKE 2.  Then somehow  if I get acclimatized,the age when youngsters learn to skate,I unfortunately passed it which is STRIKE 3   ,in  Baseball if it is strike 3 it means ,pack up your bag and leave. I  am happy to just watch Yamaguchi,Kwan,Ekaterina Gordieva and others and dream I will be reborn  one day    in a cold climate,where I’d learn to skate and practice hard to become perfect like the ones I’ve mentioned.

For now I’m happy to watch their double and triple jumps!

DP Daily Prompt: We Can Be Taught Post By Ranu

English: A special education teacher assists one of her students. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Some people are born good teachers ,some learn as they go along. To be a great teacher,it is important to be dedicated to the task at hand. It can come naturally,  to some ,others need to learn the art of teaching from following colleagues and reading  articles by successful teachers.It is not easy but it can be accomplished.

Teachers are expected to know their students well.By knowing I mean you have to observe them.Some days they may have a bad day,when learning is not possible. It is necessary to show each student that a teacher thinks about them and wants to help them when they need it. It will give them confidence and the desire to learn and co-operate with their teacher.When there is a friendly atmosphere between the teacher and the taught,things will run smoothly. Parents will have faith and discuss with friends and family,how their kid is doing well in school.They will be optimistic about their kid and have good things to say about the school and the teachers in it.

To teach is to take on a huge responsibility,it is not just a 9 to 5 job it is helping to produce great leaders  for the country. Great teachers work for the future of the country,they know that they should take their job seriously.

DP Daily Prompt: No Fair Post by Ranu

Fast_fast_fast (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I am thinking what is it I think is terribly unfair. There are quite a few in my head. One of them is fasting,our fasting month started in the month of July and continued till the first week in August. I have no trouble with it. But at the same time to fast from before sunrise to sunset in the month of July is where it gets kind of difficult. Depending on where you live it is over eighteen solid hours with no food or drink. We get the same credit as those who fast for much less time than us.It is all because of location.

The only way I can rectify is to move to a location where the days and nights are almost the same length. Moving out bag and baggage has its own predicament. It is not easy ,one has to consider the job prospects,housing,the location etc, I guess we have to be happy with our situation and wait for fasting season in December,when you only have to fast for about ten hours. It’s a massive cut!

DP Daily Prompt: Are you being served? Post by Ranu

Once I bought a shoulder bag in a store in London,England.  I took it home and was disappointed when the zipper broke as I tried to open it. I went to a store nearby to get it fixed. The store clerk asked me the date I purchased the bag. I told her yesterday, she seemed puzzled and told me I must take it back to the store. Back in Dhaka if this happens they refuse to admit  they sold me a defective bag, replacing it is out of question.

Reluctantly I went back to the store. I stood in a corner of the luggage department. I hoped I’d see the man who sold the bag, after fifteen minutes I saw a different store clerk approaching me,he asked me did I need help. Quite hesitantly I showed him the bag,he took it from me and was taking quite long to return,I thought he will tell me he cannot take it back.

He apologized ,told me he could not find a similar bag,but he had one which was slightly larger. He was ready to refund my money.I was impressed and agreed to take the larger one and pay the difference. He was so polite, I wished the store clerks in Dhaka would take a refresher course in good manners from someone like him.

Moral Science post by Ranu

Emblem of University of Political and Moral Science (now renamed as Thammasat University), as appeared in the Royal Gazette (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

At age seven,we were given a book,the title was ,’Moral Science’,a subject in our school. As we were too young, we definitely failed to understand what we were supposed to learn. There were questions and answers and every day a period was devoted to this subject. We had exams and it was important to get hundred percent. I memorized the questions along with the answers and scored hundred percent every time.

The song ‘Che serra   serra’ seems to remind me that  somewhere, there is a similarity. Going back to moral Science,there was a question : Can Man Be Perfectly Happy? The answer was, Man Can Be Happy To Some Extent But Cannot Attain Perfect Happiness. We were unaware we were learning a very important fact of life.

Cruel as life is, we cannot ignore this truth. I sometimes sense there is a discrepancy here. The degree of unhappiness differs from person to person.Some are happier than others and why is it so. Who can answer this, perhaps those who are closer to God by their deeds. I certainly fail to qualify.

Is this question debatable,what do you think?

DP Daily Prompt: Naked With Black Socks Post by Ranu

English: Cricket at Clavering: clean bowled Clavering take a wicket against Camden CC (Cambridge) on a perfect August afternoon. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When I read the title of the prompt, I thought  maybe it’s a mistake. You see this is one expression that passed me by. When I continued reading  the question. I felt this time I’m clean bowled . Well now that I was able to shake off my awe, I’m prepared to write about myself.

I am not comfortable in front of people if I am given something to read. Hiding in the bathroom,I wouldn’t go that far,but I look at the wall behind the rows of people and read my piece or answer questions without looking directly at them.

I acted in plays by Shakespeare,but then there was the nun watching me, I had to look or else,she’d think ‘Chaman I’d deal with you later’. I knew whatever it is she’d say it won’t be one on one. That kind of danger can straighten anyone,I am a mere meek mortal,I’d probably faint.

So public speaking is something I avoided,but prepared my child for one in her seventh grade,she came out with flying colors. If I could shake off my nervousness,I’d be half decent.  I am too edgy, I’d therefore admit, I’m not comfortable in front of people.