Monday, August 30, 2021

Dignity Marketplace Catalog - 2021


I am happy to share a link to a colorful well illustrated catalog of products / services  meant for senior citizens. It is a 32  page booklet where you might find sellers of books, jewelry, home decorations, food items / snacks, travel, art & crafts, sarees, paintings, photographs, clothing, wellness products, covid kits, clay items etc. What specially attracted me were learning opportunities for songs, slokas, yoga, discourses, spoken English and the like. . See the full catalog here:



Coming from the prestigious Dignity Foundation, one might hope that the vendors included are trustworthy and reliable. Besides buying things for personal use, you may refer to this as an excellent tool for sourcing gifts.

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Where to make donations in kind?


Donateinkind.in is a highly useful site listing a good number organizations accept donation in kind. They are well known parties doing yeoman service to mankind in different sectors. The site bridges the giver and the recipients gracefully. The type of goods that can be donated are listed below:

  • Leftover Food Donation
  • Food Donation to Community Fridges
  • Donation of Regular Food Meals
  • Clothes Donation
  • Donation of Multiple Items
  • Computer and Laptop Donation
  • Bicycle Donation
  • Donation of New and Used Books
  • Textbook Donation
  • Toy Donation
  • Donation of Sanitary Pads
  • Donation of Items for Upcycling
  • Blood Donation
  • Hair Donation
  • Breast Milk Donation
  • Donation of Human Organs
I have prepared small subsets of the listings here for used books, used clothes, old newspaper etc and shared the info with my friends who wanted them. 

Sunday, August 22, 2021

Shadow

Shadow


‘He followed me like a shadow’, I read somewhere in a crime thriller. That set me thinking. A shadow requires, at the minimum, a source of light, an object and a screen / surface to ‘catch’ the shadow. If you are observing a shadow, at any point of time, you are aware of one of these three and looking at all the three is very nearly impossible. If you are not a part, even as an observer, still shadows could be there, say for example, the occurrence of Eclipses.

 

What do you say about a shadow of someone, where there is no object? Can you call that a ghost? Are ghosts real or are shadows real? Both have no ‘body’. They are fleeting, moving, changing? If you are not aware of a shadow, does it still exist?  Are shadows always black? Can’t they be colourful, as in dreams?

 

In the first sentence, if you substitute, He with Death, scenario changes at once. Death is ALWAYS following everyone who is alive. It is behind you, chasing. When he would overtake and turn you into a ghost, nobody knows. Isn’t that intriguing? The source of light consumes you, vaporises you into nothing and DEATH alone remains!

 

Shadow is a negative word containing ‘sad’ in it. To get rid of your own shadow, either you must be in total darkness or be totally immersed in very bright light, so bright that even if a shadow is formed it gets overwritten by the light!

 



Saturday, August 21, 2021

Dhobbi - our neighborhood Street Dog

 

Dhobbi - our neighborhood Street Dog


This is Dhobbi, our neighborhood street dog. His sibling is called Thukda. The dog is sleeping away precariously positioned, just on card board sheets covered with plastic.  He seems to say: I am only taking a light nap. He may be avoiding being run over or trying to evade dog catching squad. Isn't it time to get up, already 7:30 am?

Anyhow the "istriwalah"  who works in that garage - will arrive in another half an hour and the dog may be forced to get up / wake up. Until then, bye!




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