Nani...one of the most cherished chapters of my life

Since childhood, I have been pretty close to my Nani. I almost couldn't let the fact sink in when she left us for heavenly abode. But then, as it happens with all of us, I got busy with life. I was just about to start the major phases of my life - Marriage and Work. And then I never could look back and think about those beautiful days I had spent with her.


But today I want to take a pause and tell her, if she is there somewhere looking at me, that she has been one of those people in my life I have been closest to and loved her deeply. I remember her being ill once and she was staying with us for her medication. When Mom used to give her fruits to eat, she would keep passing them one by ine to me while I was studying next to her. Her wrinkled arms were so soft that me and my sister used to keep holding on to her arms all the time. She used to call me Bubly (the Nani and Bubly combo from a famous TV serial then, Swabhimaan).

She was the only one in my family who used to ask me what kind of guy you want for yourself, do you like someone :). When it was time for her to meet the one, she passed away just before that. But I know she was up there, blessing us, when we tied the knot.

I loved Nani, for her simplicity, her courage, her very advanced thoughts for her generation, her beauty, her unconditional love for all her family members, her naughtiness, her decision making power...she was a fantastic soul, a great human being.

I dont want to recall the time when she left us as that would make me sad and I know she wouldn't want me to be sad. But I do want to recall all those moments I have spent with her, all her radiance, the impact she had on me as a human being, the bond we shared. Love you Nani..

The Romantic Comedies!!

I am a die hard romantic comedies buff when it comes to movies. I dig them up from the movie libraries when I start running out on them. There is something about romantic comedies which makes you feel light and happy. A fantasy world within the realms of practicality. You can relate to the plot though knowing it is too good to be true. The sub plots of the cities, workplace, friends, home, travel are things you see in your day to day life yet the story which ravels around it is a mushy, cozy fantasy which you enjoy living for those 2 hours while you watch.

I simply loved P.S.I love you. It took my understanding for love to a different level all together. It helped me value the fact that am blessed to have my loved ones around.

Kate and Leopold is another favorite. No one does it like Meg Ryan. She is amazingly natural. And the idea of meeeting a duke from the 18th C was super cool. I can watch this one umpteenth times.

Can't miss 50 First dates here. Though its a bit too mushy and over the top, I like it for Adam Sandler. I like it for show casing that how ever much effort it takes to make life beautigul for th eone you love, its worth it in the end....

Bridget Jones needs a mention. There are thousands of women who can relate to Renee, her efforts and her after efforts to cover up the mess. It has happened for almost all of us at certain point of time.

These movies always leave a positive and nice after effect. At times they are pretty helpful to resolve a fight with my husband as they mellow me down and him too (if he watched them too) and make us feel lets patch up ya, we are being so stupid :)

My idea of a perfect Friday evening is watching a nice romantic comedy with my husband and a glass of wine...good food follows :D

Take a Pause!!

Today...

Take a pause...

Before you begin the day yet again with the same old cereals for breakfast, same boring newspaper, wearing the same old formal clothes, same road full of traffic to office, same lift pulling you up to your same old cube facing the same old, hackenyed, boring Outlook blinking with mails and calendar full of meeting invites....

Look at the bright sun, the humming bird, the swaying trees, the playing kids, the cool breeze, life as we know it...

Call up your loved ones, mom dad, siblings, friends, spouse (if they are not with you), and say you love them a lot and glad they are there in your life, the difference they make...the happiness you feel when you get to see them...

Wear something nice and different, have something good to eat, pamper yourself, smile as you start your day, wave at your collegues before they do....praise the suboordinate

Don't wait for enjoyment to knock your door...enjoy the moment as you live it as this can be the end of life as we know it...

Living The American Dream

Its been 5 months now since I am in the US. 5 very wierd months of my life. The American dream which was there in my mind came to reality in a very strange way. And more so after meeting the ASCDs of life here (the American Staying Confused Desis). I met so many folks of my country who are living here with or without their family and what struck me the most was that they have lost that zing which you would see in any Indian if you meet them in India. They are unsure about the right code of conduct, the right rules and the right behavior in American standards. America is a country driven by rules. You even are told to turn left if there is only a left turn possible on a road. Nothing is implicit. So you are expected to do so many things in a way which is totally different that how you would do in India. You do not have the luxury of spilling even a drop of water in your house as you cant dry it unlike the India houses where the day starts with cleaning the house with buckets full of water. You cannot do lot of pooja in the house as fire alarm can catch the smell of the incense sticks.

What I now am able to understand is why our older generation declines the offer of settling down with thier children who are working or staying in US. I really used to wonder why dont they move and adapt to the change. But now I know why. I can relate to the emptiness you develop once you are living in a country which is not your own. The race for earning as many dollars possible takes away the charm of living and enjoying the Indian lifestyle from us, the yonger generation. Even if we would not have touched the western clothes in our country and grew up wearing salwar suits and sarees, we would wear the western clothes however much uncomfortable we are in them. I cant understand why. Why can we not showcase our culture along with our talents.

I met the kids of many Indians here. Kids who cannot speak in their mother tongue, who didnot even say Hi when i met them probably because they didn't consider me cool enough. I asked them to play with me and pat came the reply, "No way, bye bye you Funny thing". I didn't know whom to blame. I felt sorry for the kids and the parents, that’ s all I could do.

But the question is where are we heading. No one wants to go back as they think they are making huge money. But is it really true. The rupee dollar parity does not say so. It is not worth what we are missing atleast. Mending a shoe costs 50 dollars here which might be just 5 bucks in India. To save an exorbitant amount, one has to live a real ordinary life here, much less in comfort than what one would back in his home country. And if you are living with your family, I don’t see it worth the effort with the expenses involved.

I want to go back to my country and I will. I believe in India Shining and I know I will have a very comfortable and luxurious life in my country. But my message to all those ASCDs would be to stop and think once, the true colors of life are back there, in your mother country. Go back before she abandons you..

Ear infection for 10 bucks!!

A small tip of the day:
Most of us have seen cotton ear buds being sold on the traffic signals for not more than 10 bucks. Now, never ever think of buying them. Reason being, these ear buds are made from used blood stained or infected cotton from the hospitals which are then bleached and used to make these buds. One can imagine how dangerous it is to use them!
So just remember before you get tempted to buy these ear buds from road side that you are actually buying Herpes Zoster Oticus (a viral infection of the inner, middle, and external ear) of the ear for a mere 10 Rs.

Memories of Dunagiri Temple

It is only March right now and Hyderabad has started heating up already. This is the first time for me in this city at this time of the year though I have spent quite some time here since last May. The sun is hot and big by 8 AM itself and am thinking of ways to beat the heat all day through. It is this moment when I get reminded of the beautiful spring it used to be in Kumaon where I spent 4 years of my life for my Engineering. The whole valley would be covered with long climber roses (infact that’s the only place where I saw roses in climbers) everywhere. The weather would be pleasant enough to go for long walks up and down the terrain in the evenings. Infact, it wouldn’t be a surprise if you find a few cupid struck couples (with the “We are just friends” tag) making the best utilization of their times “studying nature” in those valleys.
But jokes apart, Kumaon was a beautiful place to be in all seasons. The winter also wouldn’t be that harsh because there would be nice sunny bright days to compensate for the chilly nights. And a coffee prepared on the heater at midnight would be the ideal thing to do, especially when you are burning the midnight oil “studying” with the whole group of friends.
Talking of the summers, I remember going frequently to the Dunagiri Temple. It was located 20 km away from Dwarahat, the town nearest to my institute. It used to be one of the most comfortable outings for us especially during any festival to pay homage to Maa Durga (I do have my wishes come true which I made there). The temple was on the top of a mountain from the Himalaya range and it took 500 steps to cover the distance. Reaching up there, one would find a beautiful and serene view of the Dwarahat town down the valley most of the times covered with clouds. Huge trees and beautiful flowers surrounded the temple and the whole place had a calmness to itself. I remember sitting in the grasslands for hours with friends chatting. By the time it was evening, there would be a wonderful wind blowing around and you would feel you are so close to God. Dunagiri temple also had a Bhandara facility and even today am not able to find a reason as to why that curry without any spices or onions used to taste so good.
There were many other places to visit in Kumaon but I felt nothing could beat a trip to Dunagiri. Especially for the trekking freaks, who would somehow find a way through the hills and mountains to reach to the top.
Now am far from that place but still the memories of the wonderful days visiting the Dunagiri temple are as fresh as the morning sun and I do wait for the day when I will go there again.

Bravo Ashutosh Gowariker!!

Imagination knows no boundaries. It can be given wings to fly and there can be no limit to what one can draw in the canvas of his mind. Now that’s fairly simple and easy. I can imagine to be on the top of the Alps with no sweaters, may be in a chiffon sari and singing a beautiful song in my otherwise not –so- melodious-voice. Wow, that sounds so kewl by the way!
But, the real feat comes when you re live something which has already happened in the past in your own way without twisting the actual sequence of facts. That’s what I call the real imagination. And that’s exactly what Ashutosh Gowariker did in Jodhaa Akbar.
I heard and read a lot of criticism about the movie. There wasn’t any character called Jodhaa in the Indian history who married Akbar. The name of that Rajput princess was something else. All the so called activists who think they are “deeply rooted” to the Indian history and culture took no time in coming on to the roads in huge protests. Some kind of defense lawyers Jodhaa herself appointed it seemed??
But in such hue and cry, what they did not see was filmmaking is not writing a history book to be read by children of class V. No one dead or living can come and tell what really happened between Jodhaa and Akbar as a couple, as a husband & wife, as lovers. We have heard so much about Salim Anarkali, Laila Majnu and other famous jodis in the past. If someone is attempting to imagine that love would have blossomed out of a political alliance between the Moughal King and the Rajput princess also, I call it Bravo!! If someone is attempting to think that even Akbar, whose whole life went in running the then India could have fallen in love with the strong and dignified personality of the delicate and beautiful Jodhaa who herself dared to marry a Muslim emperor at that time, I give him a ten on ten for this effort.
Let’s forget whether the name of the princess was Jodhaa Bai or Jodh Bai or something else. Let’s just go back in time and see the beautiful country of ours in those times. Let’s just relive the Moughal days when the country was run by such an efficient king like Akbar whose thoughts were so ahead of time. Let’s just praise the bravery of our women in those days who otherwise were laden with jewellery but had the guts and skill to lift the sword in the battlefield if required. Let’s just loosen our tensed minds when we hear Khwaja Mere Khwaja (how beautifully composed by A R Rahman). Let’s just ourselves also untwine to feel that love, that purity, that bliss.
Let’s just thank Ashutosh Gowariker for this masterpiece.