Why this blog is called "Gallimaufry".

gal-uh-MAW-free\, noun.

Originally meaning "a hash of various kinds of meats," "gallimaufry" comes from French galimafrée; in Old French, from the word galer, "to rejoice, to make merry"; in old English: gala + mafrer: "to eat much," and from Medieval Dutch maffelen: "to open one's mouth wide."

It's also a dish made by hashing up odds and ends of food; a heterogeneous mixture; a hodge-podge; a ragout; a confused jumble; a ridiculous medley; a promiscuous (!) assemblage of persons.

Those of you who know me, will, I’m sure, understand how well some of these phrases (barring the "promiscuous" bit!) fit me.

More importantly, this blog is an ode to my love for Shimla. I hope to show you this little town through my eyes. If you don't see too many people in it, forgive me, because I'm a little chary of turning this into a human zoo.

Stop by for a spell, look at my pictures, ask me questions about Shimla, if you wish. I shall try and answer them as best as I can. Let's be friends for a while....

19 November 2009

A vote of thanks

Greenhorns in my workplace learn one thing very quickly. It is called "Proposing A Vote Of Thanks". We are taught, early in life, how to stand up in public and express gratitude, not necessarily heartfelt, even if so stated. But this is an admirable practice, a throwback to older, more gracious times and one which, no matter how much I may joke, I respect and do my bit to continue. It enables us to articulate our feelings of indebtedness to those who even momentarily graced and improved our life.
I would therefore like to propose a vote of thanks to the following bloggers who make me smile, enrich my life with their insights and ideas, their words and/or photographs, give me a pause to think, who provoke and delight the mind.

Varsha says "Fitness is not about the way you look but the way you live". Talking to her and reading her posts teaches me more about wellness in an hour than many gurus could in weeks, or even months. To me, the best thing about Varsha and her blog is her no-nonsense approach.

Imran loves climbing and trekking, and has the most breath-taking collection of photographs of the northern regions of Pakistan. Seeing his almost poetic photographs has an instantly calming, and mood-elevating effect.

Shankari's writing defies compartments. To slot her into any category would be unfair to her silvery, sweet-as-jalebi and deeply joyous writing.

Nityin is passionate about all things related to Himachal Pradesh, and a lot of others that aren't! He has, on the last count, three blogs, all of which are extremely readable.

Vinayak has a blog that I visit when my mind's feeling stale and dull.- which happens about once a day! Hence, discovering his writing was serendipitous, really. His ideas are delightful, entertaining and enriching beyond compare. Having had the good fortune of growing up in Kashmir in days more peaceful than the present, I visit also go to his blog on Kashmir for my nostalgia fix!

Beth and I met online many many years ago. I'm yet to "meet" her, but count on her sagacity , keen intellect and gentle sense of humour to give me another "take" on life. (Beth, did you notice the apposite use of take vis a vis your line of work?)

Autar Mota writes a blog on Kashmir. His blog allows me to wallow in reminiscence and at the same time keeps me up to date on the state of affairs in that wonderful region.

Cookie feeds my soul with her really fantastic recipes. She has that rare talent of making tough cooking look simple and this does wonders for one's self-esteem! Her philosophy is summed up best in the title of latest post: "If life hands you lemons, make lemon-pie".

Thank you, each one of you for the joy and the learning you bring. May your blogging bloom and grow!

13 comments:

varsha said...

Geetali you are a maven,connector and a seller of ideas all rolled in one.
I am fascinated(being more of a loner), by your amazing and rich variety of friends,your eye for detail and beauty,your ability to convey your love for life through photography,crisp prose and apt poetry.
Thanks for inspiring me to blog and for liking it.

Geetali said...

Varsha: the pleasure's all mine. I'll never forget the talk you gave at IIM - it was so succinct and full of practical good sense. You made me believe that wellness is not some remote, unachievable concept, but something that can be incorporated in daily life. THanks for that.

imranthetrekker said...

Great ideas and definition of things, I'm very impressed.

Geetali said...

Thank you, Imran!! Reciprocity and all that.

Vinayak Razdan said...

Serendipitous indeed. I was surprised when to read about your Kashmir days.

A double thanks from me :)

Anonymous said...

You rock, hon! Thanks for the shout out. :-) (and yes, I got the joke)

Geetali said...

Vinayak, reading "Search Kashmir" has been a mixed affair. Makes me nostalgic and sad at the same time. "Guzraa hua zamana, aata nahin dobara"! As for "At The Edge", what is it that you do? Stay up nights, thinking up all these things???

Beth, hon, feeling's entirely mutual. Love the other blog too - you have an amazing group of friends, particualrly Jill!

NITYIN said...

Your blog should be in text books for all Shimlaites. Thank you for bringing out such a lovely blog!!

Geetali said...

Heyyy Nityin, thanks for dropping by and for your kind words. This is my ode to my adopted hometown :)

varsha said...

eeks!that one makes me red-faced.I would love to be able to speak the way you do.

CHINAR SHADE said...

Thanx Thanx and thanx . what an idea.

Geetali said...

You're welcome, Autar-ji. Your blog has given me hours of nastalgic pleasure :)

Anonymous said...

Der aaye, durust aaye.
Sorry for the delayed response to this post but here goes:

Similarly trained as I am and in fact one year earlier than you Geetali, heres my VoT to you -
Thank you for giving us the posts, the pictures, the music, the words, the translations, the germs of ideas, the immense beauty of all these, thank you for this blog!

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