Begin Again

Its been ages since I have written -- anything good  or bad. I am completely out of touch from my writer's club and I am missing it immensely. Not that I was a star there -- far from that actually -- but it was a good meet up activity once a week to be in the company of some amazingly awesomely creative people.
      For the record, this is my first blog after marriage and somehow saying this makes me love this blog even more. This is the only alibi to my various changing moods and life phases. Now to the most obvious question -- "how is life after marriage?" In one word -- chaotic. Mostly because I have been thrown off from my beautifully cocooned comfort zone where I would come back, lie lazily, surf the net, WATCH VAMPIRE DIARIES  go to sleep, hop 2 steps from my house to reach my bus stop the next day and get into my office routine. Now my entire wardrobe is in bags, I have no access to download my favorite serials and I am having a little trouble sleeping in a new place. But honestly, its not that bad also. I have been married to someone I wished to get married to and it is (touchwood) lots of fun. There is a lot of chit chatting, teasing around, serious discussions (steve jobs kicked out of Apple, Being Human donating 200 crore a year and Katrina Kaif being painfully beautiful), song parodies (which the husband is annoyingly good at) and ofcourse minor bickering.  It, of course, will take time to completely settle down and shake off this alien feeling of standing in a dusty bus stop with no chai ki gumti nearby to pass the time waiting for the cab.
   There is still a long way to go.  This is a new phase of life and although it still has not sunk in yet, it is going to grow huge. As usual, I will be recording it all here. 

The D Day!!!!!

Na na karte I am finally taking the plunge TODAY!!! I am getting married ...today ...in a few hours ...which are soon going to fly away, like all the other days have been. So why am I at home writing a blog, while I should be away getting married? This is the deal --  I am not supposed to go out today the whole day except when the reception starts! All the cousins are busy with their really little kids and I do not have major reasons to stay with them. So I opted for a quiet time for myself. This just might be the calmness before the storm as they say.My lifestyle is going to undergo a change, the degree of which I am totally unaware about. My dressing sense, is going to go through an entire revolution atleast for the days when I will be in my sasural, which happens to be Ahmadabad. I will be a mellowed down agyakari bahu , which is opposite to the bindass tomboyish image I have been carrying along all this while. But right now I am focused on today. I want things to go smoothly which is seeming a bit difficult. There are, as I mentioned earlier, cousin sisters with  kids whom I am seeing after so long that its almost awkward. There is my aunt who hates the very sight of me and I am left wondering why is she even attending my wedding. So the relatives are bang on doing their job of criticizing and showing their displeasure for every little thing. Thank God of course for a few understanding ones who are helping with the unending arrangements. 

So You see, I am not at all in the "bridal" avtaar as yet although I have my hands and legs orange with henna and face yellow with haldi. I am hoping when I don my lehenga and stand up on the podium, I might start feeling bride-y. Right now, as I write this, my few moments of peace have gone for a toss with my mausi sitting at home with me who is hard of hearing and is watching TV at the loudest volume. So much for the little joys of  life!!

Anyway, the barat has arrived and they must have been welcomed by now, hopefully , without any glitches. I will sign off here now because a) I am too blocked to write anything else and b) I have packing and bathing to do. Hopefully there will be a next blog which I will write with a much calmer mind.

Shahrukh Khan -- You are a bad bad person!!!

I was watching this video and realised that almost every guy I know, hates SRK and almost every girl I know, loves him. Well!! If I were a guy, I would hate him too. Why You ask? Because he made it very difficult for the guys to be a lover boy. SRK (in his earlier movies) was this ordinary looking guy who would fall in love and give his best to woo her. Actually even the girls should hate SRK. You know why? Because you made us believe SRK!! You made us believe that there was a prince charming! That he need not be the best looking guy around, but he can be the most loving person! You made us believe in candy floss! You bad bad person, you made us dream, that there will that one special person, who will look in our eyes and the world around us will melt away ..leaving just the two of us, completely and foolishly in love.
Don't even ask about the plight of the poor guys. They can never be the Raj or the Rahul you portrayed and whatever they do is less. Because they dont cross 7 seas just to patao-fy bauji or they dont lie to their best friends to achieve their dream girl. They dont even confide in their little sisters and tell them "Jitna Pyaar main (Anna) se karta hoon, utna pyaar sau Chris bhi nahi kar sakte" No one can do that like You SRK!
Yes! I blame you. I blame you for converting me into this stupid expecting, dreamy eyed romantic nincompoop that I am! I blame you for making me search my Raj. There is a real world out there you know! Where issues are way way beyond just Love! There are finances and house hunting and ego clashes,there is time management and several others things I cant think of at this moment which do not let us live our fairy tales that you so charmingly sell us!
But then again, Thank You SRK! Thank You for the make believe. Thank You for letting us escape. Thank You for giving us a chance to see how a perfect love story looks like and how perfectly beautiful is life with an imperfect guy like a Raj or a Rahul. Thank you for DDLJ, which gives us the chance to curl up in bed and imagine and sigh and smile and as you say "Fall in Love". Ending this stupid piece with a lovely song, which by the way, I was sleep singing and I am still teased by Dad for!!

Stories

They say eyes speak volumes. True.
Eyes shriek about secret locked deep in a heart.
They glow , They wonder.
They question, they answer.
They smile the truth and they cry the truth.
They close in calmness and in fear.
It’s difficult to stop your eyes from talking.
It’s even difficult to stop them from revealing your story.

There seems to be a long walk ahead

There seems to be a long walk ahead
And somehow it feels all alone,
There are many people walking on the same road
But these are not my known.

There seems to be a long walk ahead
And suddenly I am scared
Its getting dark , But there is no one to hold my hand
and make me feel cared

There seems to be a long walk ahead
And I am falling down
I look for a support and find none
But I hear laughter making my shouts drown

There seems to be a long walk ahead
And I am left behind
Even people who promised to be by my side
Are walking too fast, their promises echoing in my mind

It is a long walk ahead
And I meet many people on the way
Some smile, some hug, some shy away, some shrug
But eventually everyone just walks away

Why I would prefer to live in a movie than in the real world

1) Because in between a difficult situation, the scene suddenly cuts to another scene.
2) Because the preparation of exams or a hard exercise or any sort of hard work pass away in 10 mins in montages with a motivating background music.
3) Because even if I have just 2 lacs in my bank, I am rich enough to run around the world (refer Ek tha Tiger)
4) Because even if I am really poor, I will still have designer clothes to wear everyday.
5) Because, I will always know how to dance and sing, even if originally my voice is super bad!
6) Because, every problem will have a convenient solution -- a) if i am sitting alone on a bench in Shimla, rejected and dejected by a guy, I will be taken to convent by a sweet nun (Jab we met)

b) If I will be sacrificing my "love" for family, i will have a very intelligent dog who will play the matchmaker at the right time (HAHK)

7) I will always have a beautiful apartment, preferably sea facing, in a city like mumbai, even if I am still searching for a job and even if i land up with a shitty assistant job in a cool magazine office (Wake up sid)

8) I will never have to study again and my school days will pass away singing "disco deewane" and "ishk wala love" between two hot guys.

9) People will leave me letters and when I read those letters, there face will appear on the paper and it will read it for me!!

10) I will go to all the heart patients in hospitals and play "kadam kadam badhaye jaa" and motivate them so much that they will start marching immediately! (So much money, time and energy saved)

11) When I will walk on an empty road and somebody will try to irritate me (ahem!) , I will ALWAYS have my hero who will save me from all the gundas!!

12) and my favorite!!! I will have background music in real life!!

Its a fun world! It unreal, its imaginative but living in a movie is a far happier thought than facing everyday in real life!

Raaz 3???

Why? Dont ask! I just went to watch this movie. I will not put the answer in record here. Ask me personally if you want to. How was the experience? So, let me think! Slutty Bipasha Basu --Not interested! Some unknown Esha Gupta -- Not interested. Imran Hashmi --- WHY!!!!! Who looked at him and told him ... "Sir!!! Aap to bilkul hero jaise lagte ho! Filmo main kyun nahi try karte!" Whoever he is, he is a bigger culprit than Imran Hashmi himself! A movie claiming to be scary -- Does NOT solve the purpose.
Anyway, as far the story goes, it’s a truck load of ghost crap. Bipasaha Basu is an ex-successful, now failing actress (This movie has to belong to the other realm, because it is only in some weirdo, slutty world that slutty Bipasha can be successful!) , who is de-throned by Esha Gupta. Bipasaha does not like it when she again loses some idiotic award to Esha , she walks off the award function. That's when her wafadar ex-naukar walks up to her and says, "Ye aapki nahi Bhagwaan ki haar hai" and hence takes her to Tara Dutt, the shaitan (And they just added dark circles to the guy's under eyes to show he is a shaitan! I TAKE MAJOR OFFENCE IN THIS ... Mr.BHATT!!! MAJOR OFFENCE!!!! ) Anyway, what follows is the only ... "Oh Shucks" moment of the entire movie when he goes inside a room and then comes again from behind Slutty Bipasha's back. And oh by the way, the real Shaitan Tara Dutt (why does he have such a gay-ey name!) is a red coloured super duper ultra yucky monster with insects crawling over him. Gross! NOT SCARY!! So he blows into some unhygenic water and makes it all the more un-hygenic and gives it SB (Slutty Bipasha Ofcourse!) to give it to her rival Esha who, on drinking the water will start seeing ghosts and whatever and whatever So SB seduces Mr.Long tongue Imran Hashmi and convinces him to give it to Esha Gupta.
So, Mr.Long Tongue makes friends with Esha and keeps giving her the shaitan spit (actually blown ...but who knows, there can be spit ...yakk!!) water and that's when the "so-called" scare game begins. She starts getting weird, scary dreams, cannot concentrate on her work and shit like that. Now when things go out of hand, enters some so called Pandit who says that let's have an adventurous night out at a kabristan and we will try to help Esha out. So, off they go for the picnic in the cemetery. Now the resolution to the issue is that Esha's soul is captured in "aatmaon ki duniya" and Pandit ji will go there and bail her out! So ...Mr.Bhatt here needs to know that the soul resides within us and if the soul has gone to another realm, then the physical body ceases to exist. Fundey hile hue hain I tell you!! So now Pandit Ji ties his hands to Esha's and off he goes to the land of souls. *drum rolls please* because now comes the idiotic-est part of the story! There in the land of souls, Esha becahri ki aatma is literally chained and when Pandit ji tries to free her, Keede wala Shaitan Tara Dutt, chops off his head.
Oh and while all this is happening, SB is playing the piano. Arey jab aata hai Piano bajana and you are a flop heroine then why not become a music director? Why so much nautanki!! Anyway, so after this head chopping session, becahri Esha is all hysterical and *drum rolls please*, because here comes another stupid part of the movie when Mr.Long Tounge Hashmi, shoves his toung down Becahri Esha's throat to calm her down. Chiii! Bad boy!! I mean really, you have just seen the grosiest thing in your life and you can still make love that passionately? Well!! I don’t know!
So now SB is becoming bad day by day and she puts up these hysterics and ROFLs on her white carpet and in the end becomes lady Rajnikanth by opening a locked door with one kick and another with one push of the hand. Although you think that the film cannot get any stupider, here are two awesome examples.
1) The ghost in all his keeda makauda yucky slimy avtaar asks SB to make love to him and how does he puts forth the proposal? "ek zinda aurat jo ek zinda mard ke sath karti hai, woh karegi tu mere sath" How decent na!!! It makes you go awwwwww! *BIG SMIRK* IDIOTS!!!!

2) The much talked about cockroach scene. What does a normal girl do in the following circumstances?

A) When you are already being haunted and you are alone in a huge wash room and you hear weird noises, will you run or will you shove your head inside the source of the noise?

B) When you have cockroaches all over you, will you cover up and run or will you shout, with mouth wide open and take off your clothes to expose more skin for them to sit on?

Seriously! Who asks the entire Bhatt clan to make movies? Why can’t they just go to the porn industry and make bad movies there?

I know this is one heck of a long post ... thanks for the patience!

PS: I will not put a poster here because I don’t want slutty Bipasha's pics on my blog anywhere!

Safedi ki chamkaar?

I did not want to write about this. It is too cliched a topic and has been written and discussed about so many times that many people are tired of it. But yet , it continues to dominate the Indian society -- The obsession of Indians with a fair skin. Majorly fair skinned girls.It was a telemarketing ad which provoked me to write this. I have seen so many examples in my real life that I don't even have to start with the atrocious advertisements on the telly. However, I will get to them later. I am immediately reminded of my neighbor family in Bhopal,who were welcoming a newly born baby girl in their family. There happiness was "unfortunately" marred by the fact that the baby was a little dark in complexion. So the grand mother used to give her some oil massages which were believed to lighten the skin. I remember going to see the baby girl and the grand mother very happily exclaimed, "Her skin has become lighter thanks to my massages. She was darker when she was born." I didn't even want to give the dignity of acknowledgment to her stupid remark. This was just one of the many incidents I have seen.
Talking about the advertisements on Tv, they are nothing but derogatory to the female population. Yes I am a feminist. So, a girl has to be fair to land up a job and get the required confidence? Ugly guys can still get them ...right? The ad of Genelia Dsouza becoming a cricket commentator after applying a fairness cream, or another female becoming the "son" of the house by using the same cream and becoming the earning member of the family is so downright idiotic, I wonder why were they never sued by the entire female population together! Also, only the wife has to work on her to hold the attention of her man, lest he does not get bored and stray away? So much so that she is not even allowed to age gracefully! Thanks to all the "anti-aging" cremes! On the contrary a man can grow old, develop a pot-belly and still not worry about whether his wife may crave for good looks as well! Cherry on the cake are the vaginal fairness creams! They probably were in a competition of who can have the most ridiculous idea and this idea was the winner, hands down! This person took the meaning of the sentence "Its what inside that counts" too literally!
Where is the emphasis on a better personality, a way of carrying one's self, speaking well, confidence and a good sense of dressing and most importantly the emphasis on being a good human being? No wonder girls succumb to such pressure. Yes all human beings dig for everything that is beautiful. But unfortunately, beauty still is skin deep. It is going to take a long long time for everyone to change their thinking in India.

Meditation

It’s so much easier said than done. Technically, one has to concentrate on the inhale and exhale his/her breathe and think nothing. The last part is the toughest. Now our brain, they say, is divided into conscious and subconscious. The subconscious brain is a like a genie to us. It’ll do what we command it to do without asking anything back. Now I am sure when God came up with this concept, he must have furrowed his brow, scratched his chin and said, “That’s way too easy”. So he gave us a conscious mind and would have told it, “NEVER STOP chattering inside the human’s head. Not until he has really really really done his best to shut you up.” God must have been in some real fun mood that day. Because he added way too much impatience in all of us. So even when we try to sit cross legged, start to inhale the positives and exhales the negatives and search for the coveted subconscious, impatience starts to play its role, of course along with the chit chatting conscious.

So, even when we know meditating is probably as important as finishing 6 hours minimums of sleep cycle, you still feel as if you are taking up a challenge. Another problem is that we expect results in some 10 miraculous days. Even when we know we are not doing it right. It will probably take a year to start scratching the surface of our infinite wisdom once we start meditating. But the good news is that we will be able to explore the unexplored hidden within ourselves. Even if it takes a year or two. It’s better to be thirsty for knowledge than sit in complacency and do nothing about it.

As of now, I take more than 10 minutes to settle down. I lose my patience and feel like giving up every day. As of now I haven’t even started walking towards my true self. I have just resolved to stand up and start walking. But I am sure its good enough. At least as of now.

Shambles

Life lies in shambles,
And it’s been quite sometime since I gathered the pieces
Tonight I come home, tired like always
As I kneel down on the floor to gather the mess.
Those big pieces of expectations – I pick up with some sadness,
This one is by my parents , and the other one is by my beloved.
I don’t know what to do with them … but I keep them still.
Oh here is my dream .. lying around neglected.
I can brush it under the carpet …Its no more required.
I carefully pile up my responsibilities …of a daughter, a wife, a sister, a friend
Hoping I don’t knock them off clumsily like I always do.
And here’s the block or two of my hobbies .. I should keep them carefully.
While shoving away the debris of regret,
I find the pieces of broken promises to myself ,
And some which others handed me
Wondering how important they were a few years back
Now they seem completely useless.
It’s almost beyond midnight
And I am still busy cleaning up the mess that I have been calling life
It sits now …like uneven stones perched above each other
Delicate ..as if ready to fall
But I am a little satisfied.
Maybe, I can start living again.

Coffee Stains

Saroj looked towards the old red building as she stepped out of the taxi. She did not have lots of luggage. Just a small bag with a few belongings to suffice her for a few days. Until she is here -- in her home town. Calcutta. It might have become Kolkatta now. But for her it will always be Calcutta. The city she grew up in. Today after 33 years she was back. Has it been 33 years already? She asked herself. Was it not just yesterday when she was the darling of her dad and 2 elder brothers? When she was the little princess of her mother?

She was so caught up in life that 33 years ..just went by. She got married to Ravi, the man her parents chose for her, who sometimes, she feels, is still a stranger to her. She was a dutiful wife and the best mother to her two daughters. Now, that her daughters are married and Ravi was out for business for a week, she could leave all of them behind. Atleast for a few days. She had spent the last 33 years living for everyone but herself. She had earned a short break for herself.

She started climbing up the stairs of the red building she used to call home. Her house was on the second floor. Age had started to take a toll on her. She could feel her knees straining while she climbed up, smiling at the memory of the time when she used to run down the same stairs to catch her tram to school. She opened the lock, and pushed away the crash gate. The view of her home, which now stood, covered in dust, was painful. A house full of sounds of the her brothers quarreling, her mother's instructions to Nathu -- the house help, Her Father's serious discussions with his friends was overshadowed by the silence which ruled the house in their absence. She remembered how annoyed she would be by all those noises, when she would try to study or read. She loved reading. Never the one with lots of friends, she found solace in the company of her books.

Today, for just that moment, she wanted those annoying noises back. She wanted her mother, whom she lost to cancer, nag her, "Why dont you go out like other girls! Saroj?" She wanted her two brothers, Pramod and Prabhat, to irritate her. She wanted her father to come to her like always and say, "Baby ji (That is what he would call her) What are you reading today?" For just today, she wanted her home to spring back to life. Only if.

Towards the right was her room. It was used by her nephew after her. There were torn posters of rock bands she didn't recognize. But the room still held her. She felt the same comfort she would feel years ago surrounded by the same four walls. She walked near her study table. The 3 children had carved out their names on the table. She could see Prabhat struck out and Saroj written below it. Aaah!! and there are those endless coffee stains, left by her after she would pull all nighters before her exams. They haven't faded. She noticed.

She went to all the rooms and felt the same gush of emotions coming in. Her Parents' room, her Brothers' room and the kitchen. The place where her mother, the best cook in the world, would make her best dishes. She remembered the sundays where all the family would sit together for a heavy breakfast,usually Poori Sabzi, and how all the three children would fight to take place besides their dad. The kitchen was also the place where her mother trained her to be the fine cook that she is today. "Although, I am not even half of her." She thought fondly remembering her mother. She was the most beautiful lady she knew.

Passing through the hallway, she remembers the last day in this house. She was just nineteen. But like most of the parents, her parents decided to marry her to the simple engineer boy from Raipur -- to a strange city and a stranger family. She never knew how to rebel. She never ever knew that she could say a "No". Her last minute packing was in process. There were suitcases all over. Was she really leaving? She was not focusing on her packing. Too much always overwhelmed Saroj. Even today. Weddings are happy times. They are equally sad. "Wasn't chachi ji (that's what she called her mom) crying non stop? And so was I." She reminisced. Even Chachaji could not control his tears. His favorite daughter was to leave the house tomorrow.

"There's never a day when I don't remember you." She said out loud in the empty house, hoping ... knowing that wherever her Parents are, they would be listening to her. Her voice was shaky but she tried to control the tears. Her girls would always make fun of how her tears are "ever ready" to fall. But today they had to come out. In the memory of Chachi ji, the silent loving mother, In the memory of Chacha ji, the most wonderful Dad a girl could have asked for and in the memory of Pramod --- her favourite elder brother, whom she lost in an accident. She instinctively walked towards her room, her sanctuary since forever, and cried, taking the support of her study table, fondly touching the name carvings and the coffee stains, which just like memories, never fade away.

And then it rained (Book review)

Despite repeated warnings to myself, I commit the same mistake again and again. I pick up books by amateur Indian authors and repent over my purchase later. A cancelled class and a messed up plan led me to buy a book by a first time author Gaurav Dashputra to kill time. Name of the book? "And then it rained". Now titles with "rains" in them resonates with me. Somehow, I love to write about rains. And that was the only reason I hastily picked up this book, hoping that atleast it would be decent, if not good. I was in for a huge disappointment. So although I will try to give a fair review of the book, I might get a little harsh and pardon me for that.

To begin with, the "author" is a final year medical student in Mumbai and he has written the story of a medical student in Mumbai. So far, so good. It always helps to write about the environment you have been in , because you can easily describe the intricate details in your story. The protagonist of the book is a guy called Akash Sarin (Or is it aman Sarin?) who shifts base from Nagpur to Mumbai, lives a "fairy tale" life and is struck by tragedy. That is the story for you in a nutshell. I will not go into the details for 2 very fair reasons. One , I don't want this blog to be a spoiler and two, there is nothing much to tell about the story. Its filmy, melodramatic and (in my language) tacky. You might as well go and watch an 80's or early 90's drama hindi movie. At the very least you will be spared with the childish language used in the book. I should have understood the very moment I read the tagline of the book as "COZ life is not always a fairytale." Coz?? Really Mr.Dashputra? Although, the sentences were grammatically alright (atleast they were not down right ultra pathetic like "The thing between u and me" ) but , it was still childish. You do not use phrases like, "I guess" , "Nothing re", "I wanna" in a proper book. You also do not say "I and Krish" or "I and Riya". Its always "Krish and I" and "Riya and I" (Atleast till I checked last). I do not want to be an English teacher here. My command over the language is far from perfect or even strong. But, it is disappointing to read such amateur use of the language when you can make it pretty readable. Also,I did not understand the connection of the hero worship of SRK in the book.

On the plus side, however, the end, WAS unpredictable. It did come as an "Oh" moment, but thats really about it. I did not find the book funny or entertaining or even minutely "touching". Probably I was reading it with a really closed mind or well ...

So yes, I am not a published writer. Maybe, I will never write a book (Not much of an ambition anyway) Maybe, its not such a bad book, just probably not my taste. But I am keeping my distance from the so called "metro" reads.

I'll close here by wishing all the luck to Mr.Dashputra the doctor/author. Hope you become a good doctor and hope you write an amazingly well second book.

Out in the rains ...

Its raining here. I hope its raining where ever you are. So that we can share the same shower of nature.So that we can share the same feelings.It has been ages we have done that. It has been ages we have shared anything. Except for the bitterness and the occasional silences ofcourse. We decided to go on our seperate ways. But, I could never undertstand,why do two people come together when they ultimately have to part ways?
We could never settle our disagreements. Could we? Probably we were both equally strong headed. We were too much alike to have stayed together. But we were also alike in our choices.
Remember our long discussions over those books we used to read? Or our appreciation over Pablo Neruda's Love Sonnets? "Tonight I can write the saddest lines". How we used to love eating out and experimenting new cuisines! I still remember the look on our faces when we ordered "the sizzling rice in tomato sauce" just for the kicks and vowed never to experiment again. How we ran like 2 naughty school kids after that. It was raining that day also. Just like today. And that day we did not share just the rain and sweet smell of the earth. We shared the same love in our hearts and the same look in our eyes. The same promises on our lips.
They say, promises are meant to be broken. Do they say it right? Well!! Atleast we didnt mean to break our promises. Mine is still intact.
I don't know in which part of the world are you. But I know that you have, with you, a small piece of me. I gave it to you on that rainy day.I hope you have thrown it away leaving it to die some where in the lashing rains. Because thats how it feels. I feel dead without you.


Addendum : This is just a piece of writing. All Fiction :)

My best 5 senses

My latest read is called "How to think like Leonardo Da Vinci". Honestly, it is not a really great book and I dont think I will start thinking like Da Vince once I am done reading it. But there was one interesting thing this book asked me to do and I thought I can make it my next blog topic since anyway I am totally out of topics to write these days. The author asks to list the best 5 senses experience you have had in your past. So hear goes my list :

Best Sight : I am sure this is yet to come when I go on my dream "world tour" trip. But till then, it will be watching snow fall on a mountain from a distance while standing at Pangyong lake in Laddakh. Pangyong lake is probably the most beautiful place I have ever visited and the snow fall looked like melting clouds. It was just ..."dreamy". Until I go to Europe and see the wonderful sights I only see in pictures, this is going to my best "sight" experience.

Best Taste : I am not really fussy about food. I eat almost anything veg kept in front of me. So the "Best taste" might have eluded me. But one experience does come to my mind. Ritu (Thats my elder sister for the uninitiated) had once brought freshly baked just-out-of-oven chocolate pastries from a near by bakery. They literally melted in the mouth. I have never had tastier pastries than them. This story is probably 10 years old now and I still remember the texture ,smell and taste of those amazing ABH pasteries!!

Best Touch : Undoubtedly when Lona (Thats Ritu's daughter) ran to hug me ... not because she adores me but because she had switched off the main circuit leaving the entire house in darkness and she was afraid that her mother is going to spank her little butts till they turn blue. Since I am the "santa Claus" mausi who meets them probably only once in a year, I always save her from her mother's fury. The little one ran to me and hugged me calling out the whole time "Mausi maine kuch nahi kiya". That was the moment I realized why parents love their children so much even when they are nothing but soul sucking little demons. It was the sweetest touch ever for me and although I knew she had switched off the mains, I just didn't have the heart to turn the little criminal to the "authorities" :)

Best Sound : I will again have to go back Laddakh . We were lingering outside of Shanti Stupa enjoying the beautiful scenery, clouds and mountains of Laddakh. There was one angrez nomad , with long hair and all the works, playing the flute, wonderfully. I think it was the beauty of the place which added to the beauty of the sound or vice versa. But unknowingly, this counts in as my most beautiful sound experience ever.

Best Smell : This might be a very common answer and the most agreeable one as well. The smell of the earth after the first rains. That smell is sort of magical. It takes you back to your childhood, it brings out the writer in you, it brings out the cook in you (inspiring you to make hot pakoras and chai :) )It just fills in you and makes you smile. As I always say, nature never stops to surprise you. Rains has the quality of making you happy, sad and even irritable. One may associate lots of emotions with the rains. But the emotions attached to the first rain of the season is ALWAYS happiness and a sense of relief and ofcourse the earth rejoices along with us --its happiness surrounds us in the form of the wonderful smell!!

So these are my best 5 senses experience. I dont know how much this exercise will make me think like Leonardo, but it surely was fun to actually realize it. What are your best 5 senses experience?

Murder In Amaravati - A Review

You pick up some books because they have an interesting summary at the back page. Some, because you have heard a lot about them. I picked up "Murder in Amaravati" for a totally new reason. I knew the author -- personally! Hence, the first few pages were read with a "judgement" of "lets see hows the writing like".
But after a few pages, I forgot I knew Sharath and was completely involved in the story and characters. Here is , thus, an unbiased review of Murder in Amravati.

Sharath has done a brilliant job in setting up the village Amravati and its characters in the reader's mind. He goes about slowly describing first Amravati and then its residents with minute details. The plot begins from the second chapter and thankfully not much time is wasted here. Like a typical murder mystery, every character has the opportunity and motive to kill Padmavati , the village hostess. The night when she is killed, all suspects meet her in unusual circumstances making the story rich in twists and turns.

I will not give away anything about the story except for the fact that it is definitely gripping. After learning the story of every villager, your mind goes, "Hmmm, it can be him/her ...but ..." so in a way, you start becoming Venkat Reddy, the "detective" of the story. The details come across slowly and logically. Every little detail mentioned in the story comes up and joins in the end. The characters are pretty real. Venkat Reddy who takes up a case more because of a moral obligation than a duty commits and realizes his mistakes in the course of the case which makes him and also the fact that this is his first case more believable. The story sticks to its rural roots and so does the sensibilities and (the conservative) thinking of the characters.

On the down side, there were a few too many characters and I found myself a little puzzled with questions like ..which one was Laxmi?? (Or maybe it was my fallout). I also thought that Sharath was trying deliberately to make the language a tad bit more sophisticated. Now this can be controversial point. Some may say that it is necessary to keep the level a notch above the rest to cater to the real "appreciating" audience and some may argue that to increase the fanbase, one has to go a little easy on the synonyms and "pretty" words.

My opinion: This book is surely worth a read. Go grab it! And you can always ask Sharath to sign a copy for you. I am sure he will be happy to oblige. :)

The loss

I should have known it before. The world could never see us together! Oh! How happy I was when you came into my life! I could not stop smiling! We were together every waking hour. We captured some beautiful memories together! The trip to Laddakh, Marvanthe beach and the India Pakistan World Cup. We spent such lovely moments together! You accompanied me in the boring long train journeys and in the Cab commutes. Ofcourse the gym! Gym would have been such a boring affair had you not been with me. And then one day, they just took you away from me! Just like that! I know I should have taken care of you. I still curse myself for being so busy that day!

And now I miss you like crazy! I miss you when I hear any song. Because so many songs remind me of you. Because music connected us better than anything else. I miss the feeling of elation I used to feel when I would hear a Mohit Chahuan song with you! Or the way my hand would automatically start dancing on Jal Pari. That day "Bin tere" from I hate love storys was on the radio and it made me sad again. Because we would replay it and keep listening to it. Its been ages I have heard to a song by Jal. Because its not the same without you my dear I Pod touch! Why did you leave me? Since you left me, music has abandoned me. Radio is super irritating with its ads and yak yaking Rjs.

I wish the monster who took you away from me rot in hell! I wish he converts into a good angel and give you back to me. Oh how I wish you would come back my dear I Pod! Pls come back!!!! I miss you :(

Lessons I am Going to teach my Children

1) To begin with, coming first in class is not the goal of your life. More than studying for the exam, study for the knowledge. 15 years down the line, when you will smile at the memories of your school days, you should not regret that you forgot what was taught.

2) Take advantage of opportunities presented in front of you. Join the near by dance classes, summer camp, guitar classes ... At the maximum,you will discover that you suck at it. Begin early, I'll tell them. Atleast,you will not be cluless about life at 26, unlike your mother here.

3) Dont get into fights, but do not be afraid of speaking up when you are right! (Again unlike your mother who scampers like a mouse when presented with a tough situation)Give the person a piece of your mind if required. But do not hold hatred for anyone.

4) Try different cuisines. Eat everywhere. The poshest hotels and tackiest dhabas. You should know to carry yourself in every environment.

5) Read the newspaper. Its a tad bit boring in the beginning. But when you make it a habit, you will be proud of it.

6) Read (Like your mother :)). Just about anything and everything. It helps you broaden your horizons.

7) When in trouble, write it down. You will be amazed how easily you'll get the solutions to a problem when you put it down in clear words on paper.

8) Do not swear. Looks and sounds bad. Smile and be calm when you are angry. Never speak when you are angry.

9) Never refuse good company. Surround yourself with people who will help you grow as a person , even if they are a little critical of you.

10) Work hard and Party harder.

11) Dont give up when you fail. success tastes sweeter when earned.

12) Learn to cook and learn to eat everything. Even Kaddoo. When you go out in that big bad world, everyone might not be ready to serve you your favorite dish.

13) (A)If its a boy : Respect girls. Donot say anything derogartory about them even if you know some dark secrets about her.
(B) If its a girl: All Boys are not bad ...but DONOT trust them. Do not melt at the very first romantic proposal. He may not break your heart ... but then again ...he may!

14) Tell your Mother Everything! Remember! She has seen the world more than you :)

PS: Whats more? What do you plan to tell your children? Answers below pls!! :)

The Writer's Universe

A writer is a no ordinary person and no ordinary person can be a writer. A writer is a creator of thoughts, of words that haunt you, of phrases that makes you think and of stories that live forever. An ordinary person will say, "Its raining outside." A writer will probably say, "The heavens have open up to let down a shower of water droplets that scatter around, play about and then die when they collide with the earth." ( A true writer would probably write it more beautifully.) A writer lives every moment, cherishes every experience, gives words to every thought he has, listens to every one intently. You never know, what words can stay in their minds. A writer observes life very closely. He may just get the right set of words to describe something which an ordinary person cannot think of. He is a choreographer of words. He makes them dance on his tunes. He chooses them carefully, places them wisely and sets them in the perfect environment.
A writer has a hero and a villain living in him. How else could the cruelity of Voldermort and the heroism of Harry Potter be decribed by the same person? He is the ordinary man looking out a busy street from the distance and he is also the man walking on that busy street. He is the surpressed wife and the torturous husband. He is also the child seeing his mother being beaten up everyday.
I was lucky today to meet some 24 odd such extra ordinarily talented writers. I never realised a simple peice of music can open up such huge gamut of emotions. I learnt a lot today in my first ever writers meet up. I learnt that I am NOT, even in my wildest dreams, in a postion to be called a writer. I also learnt that I have a long way to go. So no, I am not discouraged. Infact I loved the meet up so much that I never realised when did time close to 3 hours just flew away! I learnt to listen carefully to people around you. They have so much to offer that you almost feel lucky to have been exposed to another perspective.
I only hope that the next time I would be better. I hope that someday my writing would also be a smooth flow like most of them there. Thank you write club for a wonderful first experience.

Varshvani Gyaan -- Part 1

You win and you loose. But you dont loose until you have kept the pen away, locked the journal so that it can never be seen again and live your life forgetting that you can write. More beautifully than others. You only remember that there is someone else who writes more beautifully than you.
Nurturing a talent is like nurturing a baby. You cannot leave it unattended. You have to take care of it, encourge and let it grow. For some,the baby is naturally smart. You, as a parent, just stand at a distance and look at your child win the race and be proud of them. And then there are those who know that the child needs a little push. They know that if the child practices to runs daily, he might, one day, even outrun the naturally talented. You decide wether or not to let the runner your in child grow. Without your encouragement and support your child might forget about his gifts.
Go out there and face the criticism. Learn and grow. Because somebody out there might always be better than you. But nothing can stop you from trying your best again and again and again. The purpose of life today is to be a better person than you were yesterday.If you dont get such a chance, then make it. But if you stop, then there would be no memories to relive, no stories to narrate and no experiences to share.
I quote Dr.Suess here. "Today you are you. There is no one youer than you."
Give yourself a chance. Prove yourself to yourself first and then to the world. Time can be viled away or utilised. Whats your choice today???

Carpe Diem

Let the sun shine at you and Gods work at you,
Let yourself stop at times,listen to your heart and chimes,
Let a smile cover you
make you glow all along
Let your mind tell you the best of things
make you think all along
Let the world be beautiful
because you decide what glasses you choose to wear
Let it all be good and play it fair
Let your hands outstrech and close your eyes
Let the soul be calm and mind be wise
Let the moments pass by in every special way
Carpe diem your day away!

Vicky Donor -- This one deserved an entire blog!

:)

To begin with, Ayushmaan Khurana is really cute. He has these really cute dimples and boyish charm on his face. And he has done a really good job in the movie. it is a thouroghly enjoyable ride for 3 Hrs. Yes its a 3 hour long movie and that makes it a tad bit strechy out there. There are some portions in the movie which could have been cut down, if for nothing else, then to just make it short. Scenes where Annu Kapoor is convincing Vicky to donate his sperms are repetetive. Even the scenes with Vicky's despo neighbour were ultra unnecsarry. What I loved about the movie was the crude punjabi/Delhi flavour to it. There were typical delhi dialouges like "Lagata hoon kuch jugaad", "Kariyo na tu kuch bhi" and "Kaisi fuddu baatein kar rahe ho yaar" which were dripping with Delhi-ness in them. I loved , loved the dadi in the movie who looks at her gifted I phone and says, "Mainu toh 32 gb wala fone chahida"! ( I might not be bang on with the Punjabi there..Sorry )I loved her drinking scenes with Vicky's mother .. Yes! the saas bahu duo sit together and discuss their past and Vicky's future over some hard drinks ( where the entire hall broke into applause and hootings and rightly so!) As for the female lead, Yaami Gautam, firstly, she is beautiful. She acts pretty well but her charachter behaves really melodramatically at some really unnecessary issues (I am trying my best not to give out spoilers!). She is a "bong" in the movie . There are these typical "convience your parents" scenes (which many of the audiences will identify with (*wink* *wink* :) ) when both convience their respective set of parents to get them married and again I super loved the Punjabi and Bengali culture amalgamation! They get their barat in typical Punjabi style and are welcome in typical Bengali style. One of the funniest moments in the movie was when Vicky's uncle teaches Ashima's aunts to dance the punjabi style .. "Bulb utaro, ithe rakho ....bulb utaro, ithe rakho". Talking about the romantic angle of the movie, turns out that beneath the rowdy typical Delhi boy that Vicky is supposed to be, there is a really really sweet lover boy. I loved it when he says, "Tere ko hasana na , responsibilty si ban gayi hai meri". Sweet. Your heart goes out for Vicky when he is all sad when Ashima leaves him and goes away. Also the movie has a good music, especially "Paani da". Another thing ... Annu Kapoor is the awesomest in the movie. He is hilaroius, irritating, amazing ...all rolled in one. Do watch the movie for him also! All in all, it is a good time pass movie and yes I am unbashedly promoting it becuase it is PRODUCED BY JOHN ABRAHAM!!!!!!! Go watch this movie guys, make him rich! :) PS : Guys and Guys' Girlfrieds/wives/sisters! Do make a note of all Vicky's T shirts and sweaters! They are all amazing!

Poor Rich People!

Trying to study on my laptop is a super bad idea. Its like the days in bhopal when I would "study" in front of the television which really was not studying. Anyway, I was checking some forgotten yet sweet songs on youtube whle studying, when I came across a song picturised on Parmeet Sethi. Now, the first thought that came in my mind was ...he is the definition of handsomeness (John! U know I love you :) ) But seriously, he was this fair handsome and tall guy and I was reminded of his entry in DDLJ. The chalta firta Punjab ka gabroo jawan! Unfortunately, he couldn't make his mark in the film industry. So my reaction was ... Poor Parmeet Sethi. That in turn reminded me of two more people whom I really feel bad for.

The first one is Abhishek Bachchan. Now people might quip that he was born with an entire silver cutlery in his mouth, but he is still fighting for a foothold in the industry. Honestly, I donot find him a bad actor. On the contrary, he is quite decent. Agreed, he might not be a great actor, but then he has proved himself with Guru, Yuva and dostana. Ok, you cannot really count dostana because he was with John in the movie and we all agree that John still has a long way to go to hone his acting skills (I still love you John! :) ) But he is a pretty decent actor. Its just because of the super pressure on him that people dont really acknowledge his efforts. On that note, I truly agree when Ambika says, Sachin Tendulkar's son should never become a cricketer! As if this was not enough, Abhishek now has a mega successful wife. I would really bow down to him since he keeps his male ego aside and goes with Aishwarya to Cannes as a trophy husband (Not that he is much of a trophy but still ... ) Not many men can be proud of their wives' achievements and be open about it.
Somehow, whenever I see Abhishek Bachchan. I really feel bad for him.

The other guy I feel bad for is Vivek Oberoi. I do not know if Salman Khan had really given him 41 odd missed calls. I do not know if he was actually dating Aishwarya Rai...no actually the sentence should be --- I do not know if Aishwarya Rai was actually dating him or using him blah blah but I know that he is a live example of how everyone leaves you struggling in a mess when they find a danger for themselves. Now I consider myself somewhat an expert on the film industry. So this was my observation which is nothing ingenious however, but here goes: Mr.Oberoi was riding high on the success of just 2 movies. Sathiya and D. He took a huge/maha/mega/epic panga with Salman Khan ...who was and is still somehow one of the hugest names. Vivek oberoi did not lock horns with Salman Khan. He unfortunately locked horns with the entire film industry. An industry which thrives on box office collections will definitely support the man who gets them exactly that ---huge collections at the BO. Vivek Oberoi was cornered by everyone and he could never really come back. If you guys watch him in shoot out at lokhandwala, you would realise that he is an awesome actor ...but sadly , today he is an almost forgotten name.

Now reading the blog above, dont you think I have in me a vile film journalist somewhere, waiting to be woken up???I would love to be an inside informer of the film industry. Talking about the inside gossips, here are some of the points I really am curious about :

1) Why did Kareena and Shahid break up?
2) Was Salman Khan really an abusive boy friend?
3) Somehow, I feel Amitabh Bachchan would have been with Rekha , if he did not have the bachchan name to keep up with.


Anyway, I can go on and on about movies and gossips. I'll stop myself here and get back to what I was doing ...pretending to study!!

Have we become too negative?

Hasn't negativity become a very very routine part of our lives? Gossiping, bitching, swearing is as common as saying hello to the next person. And I wonder why. Here's a wonderful passage I came across the other day :

An old Cherokee chief was teaching his grandson about life...

"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy.
"It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

"This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather,
"Which wolf will win?"

The old chief simply replied,
"The one you feed."


Come to think of it ...aren't we all feeding the first wolf? Read the newspapers , see the news ...its full of bad news, hatred, mockery, scandals and how "the country is going to the dogs". Just yesterday, I was discussing with a friend about how popular Roadies is with all the swearing and politics... About how important it is for people to prove themselves in front of a man who shot to fame by abusing the youth of entire India! How does saying "fuck you" and "Screw you" makes you look cool? And guys! Do you really think saying words like MC and BC makes you more of a man??? Really? Think again Gentlemen !! Where does all the anger really take us? Does one really become popular by being unrelentingly arrogant?

Its time we really calm ourselves down. Its high time to start looking good things in each one of us and before pointing out to other person and say "What a #$^#@! he/she is" look into your own soul and identify what a douchebag you yourself are and do something about it to improve your own self.

Nobody is perfect and hence nobody has the right to judge anyone else. Lets just judge our own selves and live our own lives ...not a bad idea for a peaceful life ...right???

Dreams gone wrong

This is a post for Blogeshwar : "Ishwar of blogs" as they put it.

They say dream is a wish your heart makes. So how can dreams go wrong? Oh yes! They can. Because nobody said that we get everything what our heart wishes for. That is life for you --- unpredictable and unfair. So when a teenage boy runs away from his unnamed, unknown village, with the dream of making it big in the film industry and ends up being nothing but a spot boy... the dreams go wrong. Or maybe when a young girl with the dream and a passion to dance,is stuck in a cubicle working for an MNC,the dream has definitely gone wrong.

Parents want to complete their dreams through their children, not realizing that the child may have different ambitions. We are often suggested to drop a seemingly impossible dream and get back to life because, really, how many of us actually get what we want? Aren't we all somewhere caught in a whirlwind?

And it hurts. It hurts to see your dreams mingle into oblivion and one day realizing out of the blue, that you haven't given it a single thought, while once, that was all your mind could think of.

But, wait. According to APJ Abdul Kalam , real dreams do not let u sleep in the night. They keep you awake. Burning with passion. For a few lucky ones, they are not merely a wish from their heart. They are the reasons for their life. Because truly people who live their dreams are the people who LIVE and not just exist.

So when we claim that our dreams have gone wrong , while we were busy being consumed by life , they are probably waiting for us. Maybe dreams don't go wrong, they just remain unfulfilled. It needs a little more persuasion, a Little more passion, loads of patience and some more determination to lead a life of your dreams. But dreams are not meant to go wrong. They are meant to be fulfilled, to be fought for ...to be achieved. Because dreams do come true! :)

Tagged!! For the first time!

So this is my first mini step in the blogger community. I know bloggers tag one another, but I have been tagged for the first time by "Me"

Here are the rules :

1.You must post the rules.
2.Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post & then create 11 new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
3.Tag 11 people and link to them on your post.
4.Let them know you’ve tagged them.

As far as tagging 11 other people goes, I might have to go to random people's blogs and tag them because I really dont know many bloggers. But for the answer to the questions.. Here I go!

1) If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Undoubtedly teleportation. I could go back , visit mom in bhopal whenever I feel like or go to Ireland and attend the ongoing St.Patrick's day. I would go to Paris and have an authentic pizza and then finish my day beside a beautiful beach at Miami! How about that!! :)



2) What was your favorite childhood television program?

Like everyone, it was Tom and Jerry. I also have faint memories of "Byomkesh Bakshi". :)



3) Have / had any celebrity crushes ?

John Abraham, John Abraham and John Abraham!!!!!! (Siiiiigggghhhhhhh)



4) If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

Uff!! The toughest of all! My dream is to travel the world. So picking one place is super difficult. But if it has to be just one place then i guess Venice ... With all that I have seen about it in pictures and on TV, I still have to see a more beautiful place than that!



5) Name 1 thing you miss about being a child.

School!!!! Although I was never in love with my school, I miss my school days. Miss those lunch breaks, hanging around the corridors, prayer services, pretending to study and sometimes actually studying!! :)

6) Name the one comic/book character that you loved the most and why?

Pinky!!! I don't know how many of you really know but Pinky, Raman, Chacha Choudhary were some comic characters we small city people have read, loved and grown up with. Pinky was the female version of Dennis the menace. She always had the brightest smiles on her face. I always wanted to be whacky and naughty like her! I totally loved her!



7) What is the one thing that you are dying to try but haven’t had a chance to do so yet ?

I will be repetitive here but I am dying to travel around the world and I hope I'm going to go out there very soon!! :)



8) Do you have a role model – someone you want to emulate? Whom do you admire the most?

Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar - I don't play cricket and I am not really a cricket crazy Indian ... but I have always admired the down to earth nature and cool headedness of these guys.




















9) What do others make of you?

That I am a super duper talkative and that I am a little mad :D :D (Wont say they are totally wrong !! :) )




10) Have you ever gotten into a fight or punched someone ?

I have got into a few verbal altercations ... Punched only my sister :)


11) For Girls – If you woke up tomorrow to find out youif are Brad Pitt, what would be the first thing you’d say upon looking in the mirror?

I am looking so old in moneyball!! :P :P (Sorry!! I am not much of a Brad Pitt fan :D )
















Pheww!!!! I hope that was ok!! :)

And now here are my 11

1) Vibha
2) Isha
3) Pallav
4) Nirjharani
5) Pallavi Barua
6) Gayatri
7) Sue
8) Kowthas
9) Chhavi
10) Punvati
11) Suhel

PS: People who are new to me and I am new to them and have been tagged ... Please don't mind! I really hope you do the tag! :) :)

And someday someone comes along,
holds your hand.
Promises to be with you forever
promises to understand.

And one day he shrugs off your hand,
suddenly you no longer exist.
The days, the moments, the memories look faraway
slipped away through your fist.

And you realize there is no point waiting
So you turn back and start walking
wishing with the core of your heart
that they would stop you
hoping that they would turn back and look at you go.

You spend your days in tears,
not caring about the world
Not caring whats happening around
not listening to other people's words.

you drown yourself in work
hoping to find a refuge
but your mind still wanders back in time,
the pain keeps coming back as grime.

and you cry yourself to sleep everyday
promising that you would not cry anymore
you practice a fake smile in front of the mirror
its okay if you feel fake, feel abhor.

you hope for that one day,
when friends say "One day, it'll all be fine"
you still wait hoping that one day you will get back your smile
when really one day, it'll all will be fine.

Being crazy ...

I am named crazy by my friends ... I dont know why! I am perfectly normal ...as normal can be. But I have always wanted to be super crazy. When I used to go the movies all by myself in Noida, people thought I was crazy. I thought it was perfectly logical. I used to have offs during weekdays when my other friends were in office. So I used to go hang around in malls and then watch movies alone. Why wait or worse, miss a movie just because I have no company! Sounds selfish does it? I dont really know. But it was non-crazy for me.
Here's a secret. I always wanted to backpack and go to the nearby hill stations for a getaway all alone when I was in Delhi. There were numerous times when I would make plans. I wanted to switch off the phone and just take off! I could unfortunately never collect the guts to do so. It still remains a dream ... away from the civilization with no one knowing me and I knowing no-one.
I believe life is not meant to live watching it pass by. We need to LIVE it. Explore, travel, meet people , experience and make memories. Instead we are stuck in little cubicles, working for people across seven seas and typing gibberish on black unix screens.
What I want to really say is that I am not going to remember these codes, issues and defects in my deathbed. I am going to and would want to remember the amazing sunrises and sunsets I have seen in my life. I would want to remember the crazy rides or probably that one time when I missed my train and decided to take a detour. I would want to remember the sights, the smells ,the tastes that made me smile from the heart .... In my deathbed, I would want to remember moments when I experienced life ...and the craziness of it!
May there be lots of love in the world ...

Tea for two (and a piece of cake) Tuesdays! (Creative Prompt by Preeti Shenoy)

So Preeti asked on her blog,


"If I could invite anybody for 'tea for two' today it would undoubtedly be .................................."

Here I go:
"If I could invite anybody for 'tea for two' today it would undoubtedly be Lance Armstrong" . He is the professional american cyclist who won the tour de france seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. I would want want to know what exactly goes inside the mind of a survivor and a winner. He is one of my biggest inspirations. I wish he would give me a tip or two on how to stand victorious on the face of hardships, however easy or difficult they maybe. I would love to learn how he blocks the pain, the fatigue and just thinks about his goal.

So for me, its going to be Lance Armstrong!! :)

Hitting the gym and other tragedies!

For me, going to the gym is a task, something which I just have to get done with. It’s like going to the office every day. Every single day, when my body refuses to get up from the bed, I tell myself, “Yaar, aaj chutti maar leti hoon” Only when I enter the office and get into the groove do i really feel, “Thank God! Office aa gayi. Ghar pe bore ho jaati.” Similarly, when I am supposed to get down from my cab which stops just in front of the sony signal, I tell myself, “Yaar, aaj nahi jaati ..kal se pakka jaungi. Only when I remind myself that I have given away my hard earned 20k for the Gold Gym people to enjoy, that i collect all the energy that is left in me and drag myself to the gym. But again after I enter the gym I feel, “Acha hua aa gayi.”

So, you might ask why I trouble myself so much even though according to many people, I do not “need” to go to the gym. This is where I say ... everybody needs to exercise. It does not matter if you are fat, thin, in shape, out of shape, young old or anything. Trust me. You NEED to exercise. I know I will NEVER exercise on my own. I may do so for 7 days, 10 days or maximum a month. But I will never fall in a pattern. Gym at least pushes me to work out 4 days a week which is fair enough... and hence the trouble.

I am not a fitness freak, but I have noticed those subtle changes in me after I made gym a regular practice. I fall ill very less (touch wood touch wood!!), I have built up a considerable amount of stamina (which comes under test when we go for those crazy trek trips) and if I exercise regularly, I get that coveted flat tummy (ahaaa! Such a proud moment that is ...which fades away quickly because unfortunately I am not that regular).
Seriously speaking, however traumatising and irritating it is for me to go to the gym, I go there also because when I cross 35, I do not want to turn into a shapeless aunty. Fat becomes extremely difficult to lose after 30. Also, women tend to put on weight very quickly near the tummy and thigh areas and this fat is the real adamant fat which just refuses to part ways. It is always a good idea to keep it away before it comes to stay.

I seriously hail those people who take exercising as a passion, who are extremely regular and end up having really fit bodies. If you are a gym hater-exercise-er like me, here is a useful tip which I came up with when I was totally demotivated and just could not find enough energy to drag my fat bum down to the gym. Even when you don’t feel like gymming, at least go to the gym. Maybe just do cardio. But go. Just watching people, all covered in sweat, working their ass off, would if not motivate you; will embarrass you enough to move atleast a little. I have been doing so since a week and only today after a long time can I really very proudly say, “Watt lag gayi aaj gym main”
Another tip: Avoid junk. Have it once a week. If you are really strong willed then have it just once a month. I am not that strong willed. I once had a voice in my head saying, “Quit eating maida. Consider it non veg”. Very quickly another voice said, “Shut up!!” I liked the second voice better and I let it win. But I still avoid maida as much as I can.
And as dad puts it, “You give your 9 hours to Target ( Thats the name of the company I work for ... just to avoid confusions!  ). I am asking you to give just 1 hour of your day to yourself!” Oh and yes, Dad is one more reason I exercise every day. Out of his 4 staple questions he asks me without fail daily (1) Aaj ka din kaisa tha?, Khana khaye?, aur kuch khaas?) One question ALWAYS is “Kuch exercise kiye?” I exercise also so that i can without any guilt tell him “Yes, I did!” (Although he considers only YOGA as real form of exercise and will take the first flight to Bangalore and kill me personally if he comes to know how much I have spent for a yearlong subscription!!)

I will conclude here, wishing at least one person gets inspired enough to exercise (Why should I suffer alone!! Hee Haa!!) And by quoting some quote I read somewhere “I will exercise today so I can enjoy tomorrow!”
Happy gymming!!!

Ek garam Chai!

It came in with the British Raj and stayed back forever. Although we Indians gave the "tea" own twist and made it into this amazingly,tasty, energetic drink. I dont even remember when I got addicted to it. But while I was in bhopal, every morning started with a cup of 'mom ke hath ki chai' and 2 slices of bread. Things have not changed even now when I visit home. I have realized that unless it is an extremely bad cup of tea, I can savor a cup anytime, any moment of the day or night for that matter. This especially reminds me of Noida when a hot cup of 'chai' was essential to get into your senses which were left numb by the merciless winters. I remember pouncing on to the little "tapri" of a shop for that elusive steaming cup of 'adrak ki chai' so that my nose can take in whatever little cold noida air that it could manage!

I am sure, everyone has more than one memorable "chai" moment. For me, the morning in Jim Corbett with Vibha comes first in my mind. Loveliest of sunrise, a hot cup of tea and an amazing friend/room partner! Life felt blissful.

Another one was the laddakhi chai at Khardung la pass --- the world's highest motor able road. The best part was the maagie which was accompanied with the already amazing tea. Again a beautiful place, super cold. nice friends , maggie and tea! What else can you ask for? Probably an entire hang out tea joint at apna very own Bangalore! That brings us to Chai Patty!

I had discovered this small cosy hang out joint at 100 feet when i was searching for a decent place to live in Bangalore. It maybe a tad bit expensive but I love the ambiance and again its maggie! The best day in Chai Patty was when it was pouring cats and dogs and I was sitting with a friend in one comfortable dry corner of Chai Patty, all sprawled about, listening to coke studio, ordering chai after chai and loving the rains! Then ofcourse, the long gappey session with friends over cups of innumerable tea is something which anyone and everyone can identify with.

I am the conventional one when it comes to tea. No tea bags or milk powder tea for me. No green teas and strictly no machine teas (I gulp some nakli machine tea in office just to remove the drowsiness)! Plain, simple, proper boiled, adrak or masala for added flavors is the best tea in the world. Give me that and give me a good book or a good movie and I have with me happiness wrapped in the daily ordinary life!