The Call

Almost a year from my last post. Wondering why I did not do something what I once so loved to do. I'm not a writer, but I always enjoyed scribbling. So now I shut myself off from everything else and try and share what is going on in my mind.

I got a call from within. It is like a call that will shook you in the head and tell you, ...is this all you want from yourself...is this how you wanted things to be. 

We tend to absorb ourselves in the daily glitches of life and loose ourselves somewhere there. Mundane routines become our way of life and we give our best to better the routine every second. For some work becomes the priority while some merge themselves in the households. Our lives start and ends with either presentations, meetings, and appraisals or breakfast, maid, and laundry. Life becomes a checklist. But is this what we really want it to be. 

While we are too busy doing our routine tasks, we miss out on the smaller events of life. If we ever carefully look at life, the insignificant events and unnoticeable incidents have tons of happiness stored in them. We look for happiness outside when life gives us enough opportunities to create happiness. There is one thing I particularly do not like about us, and that is our disobliging habit of complicating everything around us, be it a situation or a relationship. Is it really that difficult to be simple. I fail to understand why we form opinions about people. I really think by being simple and honest in our ways and thoughts, we can make our lives and  of our near ones much better and happier. It is a good idea to break routine and do things that you really want to. And also at times do the 'do-nots', of course with a bit of caution. 

This day was rather dull and boring, but I'm feeling good after blogging for a while. I should come again to do some scribbling. It is a good therapy after shopping. :)

Change Is The Only Constant (Part II)

STAY ALERT

In the journey of life, even when you are not certain of your destination, how much you've already traveled, at what speed you're moving, one thing you can be sure of is, the next milestone reads 'change ahead'. Time and again life teaches us that 'change is really the only constant'. The moment we sit relax and think life is under our absolute control, there is a jolt and we sit erect only to quickly adapt ourselves to the changes around us.

...

Happy to come back home, back to the comfort of my own city, in the proximity of my loving parents, oh and with a decent job. What more could I have asked for from dear life! Life was good. Home made delicious lunch, nice colleagues and a level headed boss at work, mom waiting eagerly at home in the evening, and a doting bf in another city ;) simple and easy life. I was in my comfort zone, living days as they came. Having fun was about spending time with mom, dad and cousins on weekends, to shop after office and eat out with friends. Thus went past 2 whole years of my life and suddenly I found myself standing at the threshold of maidenhood. Marriage was the word buzzing around. On one hand it was excitement and on the other, the terrible feeling of again leaving home.

Days seemed to roll by fast with riots of emotions raging inside my heart every moment, an unending list of pending tasks at work and the so obvious 'bridal mania' in my head. In the snap of a finger and blink of an eye, the wedding day came and went by; and today I'm almost 2 months married, working and managing household in an altogether new city. This is a new lease of life, different, with a lot of responsibility, expectation and happiness of course; someone to share everything with and a city to live new things. This one change is the most sweetest one till date; the only pang that I feel is of staying away from parents.

I'm sure there is a change ready to knock on my door again. Umm... I wonder if Life was a flesh and blood man, how would he manage with this ever changing identity.  

Have a nice day ~~

The day we badly wait for, the day we plan to do almost all the things in the world, the day which starts really late and ends with a sigh and a pang in the heart...the shortest day of the week!!

I wait for you patiently every Monday, every Tuesday, every day of the week...come again and this time last a little longer please ^_^

Keep It Clean, Go Green ...

Does it really feel weird to take a broom and clean sweep your room! If the answer is yes, please don't consider reading this further coz I've nothing great to offer you. But one piece of advice, shake that ego off your shoulder and get down to the basics. And hang on, if your answer is a no. I can share my dream with you though a little far-fetched. 

How about taking it on us to sweep the lanes and by-lanes around our house once a week. Big deal is it! Would it hurt your ego! Imagine every household getting busy with the brooms and mops once week to clean their surrounding. When you know you are the one to clean it, you'll surely put efforts to keep it clean as well. And it's not just about cleanliness, the mutual love for one another, the feeling of brotherhood, naturally would get evoked. Will it not make our world a better place to live in. Sure it would.

Is this like asking for much! Cleaner surroundings, healthy living, smiling faces and a glowing future for all...

Being a Girl ...

No it doesn't take anything to be a girl. Just a little bit of patience to bear the world and keep it going despite all the odds. Trust me girls are the blessed gender. We can look good, we can talk good, we can heal you, we can kill you, you name it and we can do it.

I cherish every moment of growing up as a girl. The toddler days when I would nonchalantly bring out all the stuff from my mom's kitty and paint my face to glory, wear my sister's clothes in an attempt to look older, would wear those frilly frocks and sit pretty on my dad's lap, would be beaten up by my cousin brother and yet not utter a word for we loved each other a lot (and we still do), would be mad enough to consider marrying the milkman for the unfailing love I had for milk, and bathing my dolls and soft toys with shampoo water and the zillion other stupid things I would indulge in.

Little older yet a kiddo, with the dream of growing old and being in college. Those days were of making dad buy all kinds of gawdy accessories for me, fighting with mom over the silliest of things, and sharing gossips and also creating enough of them with my sister. From pre-nursery to school to college to grad school, the journey has been so special and growing up a girl I believe made all the difference.

We surely make a difference to the lives we brush through everyday. And why not we are the special ones. We can smile and get away with almost anything, can't we? So why not celebrate the joys of being a girl and take a pledge to make every girl feel special. Today and forever save me, save your sister, save your friend, save the girl child. She needs you, as much as you need her.

La la laa laaaaa...

 

Feeling blue, bored, babbled!!! The age old therapy still continues to do wonders!

Soak yourself in music for hours till you're completely drenched in it. Music does wonders to me! It makes me feel good, loved, happy and much more. I am sure it does similar wonders to many. It lifts up the spirit making you feel perked up and years younger.

Good music can release one from the tyranny of conscious thoughts. It speaks a thousand words. But it makes the ultimate powerful combination when combined with meaningful lyrics.

Lyrics reminds me of a hundred songs I've grown up listening to. The ones from 'Sound of Music' are the undisputed winners. 'These are a few of my favourite things', 'So long farewell', 'Do-Re-Mi', or be it 'I am 16 going on 17, I know that i'm naive', are few of those songs that bring back fond and happy memories of school.

Music also reminds me of the christmas songs and the ones learnt in school. Then came the high school years of Backstreet Boys, Boyzone, Spice Girls and Bollywood freaky numbers. From here on, bollywood chartbusters remained a constant favourite. In college, I discovered my love for a greater variety of music. I started listening to more of Evanescence, Ronan Keating, Air Supply and the like. I also always loved to listen to Indian classical and ghazals. In post-grads, I developed liking for the typical Punjabi numbers, not much for lyrics but certainly for the tempo and enthusiam that the songs exude.

Oh did I forget to mention about my everlasting love for one lady called Celine Dion!! I completely admire her and I wish I could sing even a bit like her.

I wish...

Not Fair...

 

“The responsibility lies with us, whether we are okay with being taken for a ride or can we be a bit smart about it?” This is an extract from a friend’s blog that got me thinking. 

We have been seasoned to think that fair is good and dark…no way. As a result every Indian girl aspires to get a tone lighter every day. We use a sunscreen not to protect ourselves from skin cancer but to avoid tanning. We are more bothered about getting a fair skin than a healthy skin. Now what I’m wondering is whether the various fairness cream and lotion advertisements are a result of this Indian psyche or they are actually molding it in a way to make people aspire for fairer skin. Relating fairness with success in career and love is a complete bullshit, but there are certainly takers for these kinds of promotion as well. 

This takes me back to ‘consumer behaviour’ lessons learnt during MBA. Those who have read about means-ends chain model in consumer motivation would know what I’m trying to point at. This model provides a framework to the marketers through which they use a feedback loop to understand consumer motivation, build brand/product strategy and create marketing techniques. Let me try and build the ladder for a fairness cream.

Fairness Cream -> Fair Skin -> Look Good -> Self Confidence -> Perform Better -> Social Acceptance -> Success/Happiness

Almost every product or service created so far and which has a market is because people derive some value from it. But fairness cream advertisers need to be a little bit more sensible in designing their ads. Creativity should be smart, subtle and not dumb or straight on the face. 

A couple of years ago, the GoI tried to stop airing of such ads that promote fairness creams on the premise that these are demeaning to women and promote complexion prejudices, but that didn’t bear fruits. Below is a snapshot of ad-spend of companies like HUL and Emami on such skin whitening creams.

Ad-Spend

It is for sure that this trend is here to stay; the only concern is why are these ads not made in a dignified way. People who have seen the 9X fairness cream ad would know how demeaning and insensible an ad can be! I’m putting up the 9X ad for my readers. Have fun and pity us while watching. Now going back to where I started, it is time we get a little smarter and be proud of what we are, be it anything, the skin tone, the language, the food or the culture.  

Food for Thought...

They did it in style, created history and made every Indian proud of himself. The spectacular win has left all spellbound and made it impossible to praise the team enough. A win at home, chasing the highest ever total of a world cup final, recovering after the loss of the two biggies, and a stunning six as the victory shot, they did it all to make it a big event and a moment in the history India. But hold on, is the World Cup win big enough for the men of authority in the nation to go irrational. ‘Netas’ of our country within seconds decided to reward the cricketers with cash and plots of land. Was the prize money not enough for the players that the Government decided to part with the taxpayer’s money at its own fancy?

While Sheila Dixit announced a crore rupees for the Delhi players, Maharashtra government promised the same for their men, and the Karnataka Government assured a plot to each team member. This act of the Government officials provokes only one question in my mind, ‘Are you paying it from your own pocket?’ The answer is an obvious no! If they had to draw cheques on their Swiss accounts, I’m sure they would have spared a moment to do up their finances. It doesn’t hurt to spend or squander someone else’s hard earned money.

It’s a shame on the Indian Government. A country where around 37% of the population is below the poverty line, farmers in and around AP and various other states in the country are committing suicide for land issues, millions of people in West Bengal have turned the footpaths into their abode, pre-natal deaths still occur due to medical negligence in states of Bihar and UP, do we have surplus wealth to shower on people. If yes why not take up these challenges, utilize the money rationally and make India a little bit cleaner and healthier. The Indian democracy was created with a vision to bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots but on the contrary it has played a big role in actually widening the gap. I wish the GoI was a wee bit more responsible and foresighted. I believe running a Government is not the job of an emotionally weak person and our ‘netas’ have proved themselves to excel in that. They have failed miserable at the test of integrity and faith.

What came as even more surprising is the fact that much of the money promised by the ‘netas’ is going to come from the state education budget. I’m lost for words! Aren’t you! The people who shoulder the responsibility to make a brighter future and a better nation are playing with the money allotted for something as pious as education. Are these ‘netas’ thick skinned or dumb-head! With the election nearing, I wish the All Mighty inculcates in them value and integrity. At this point in time if the Indian cricketers deny the loving gifts of the ‘netas’, it will be a bigger victory for India and the youth.

A Visual Tour of My City

The city of joy, the erstwhile capital of British India, Calcutta, a mix of many cultures and coloured in many hues. The city holds up for its visitors and residents a smooth blend of the old and the new.

Here's a visual tour of my city, hope you'll enjoy it~~

The Then Calcutta:

The Howrah Bridge connects the corners of the city across the river Hoogly. If you happen to take the train to this city, the bustle of Howrah station is sure to raise your spirit.

Howrah Bridge over the Hoogly River

The basic modes of transport in Calcutta have always been the yellow coloured ambassador 'taxis', the buses, the rickshaws, metro and the 'tram'.

Taxi

Hand-pulled Rickshaw

Tram

Calcutta Metro (the first in India - 1986)

Places in the South and Central Kolkata will self narrate the history of the city and also that of India. The colonial relic is still intact in the form of architecture of buildings in these areas and the names of the street.

Victoria Memorial Palace (Maidan)

Birla Planetarium (Theatre Road)

Calcutta High Court (Dalhousie Square)

Raj Bhavan (Dalhousie Square)

Writers' Building (Dalhousie Square)

The different places that you just saw above give the city its identity. The Shahid Minar, the horse-drawn carriages outside the Victoria Memorial, a view of the Raj Bhawan, a visit to the Indian Museum (the largest Museum in the country), the National Library (largest library in the country) are a must for anyone who comes to this city.

Kolkata is a city that truly cares. The St. Paul’s Cathedral, the Birla temple, the Kalighat temple, Dakshineshwar temple, Belur Math, Nakhoda Mosque or the Golmandir Gurudwara, each of these places speak for the strong religious sentiments of the city. Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity or Nirmal Hriday are places that add extra warmth and care.

St. Pauls Cathedral (Cathedral Road)

Dakshineshwar Temple

Belur Math

Esplanade used to be the shopping hub for decades till the concept of posh malls and departmental stores arrived. This place is at the heart of the city and you'll get to see occasional visitors from different countries shopping from the Grand arcade stalls and trying 'gola' and 'phuchka'. You name a thing and you'll surely get it over here. The 'New Market' is as old as the city is, so don't get misled by the name. Other shopping malls would include 'Treasure Island' and 'Shree Ram Arcade'.

Esplanade Star Theatre

Among the oldest and five star hotels in the city are 'Oberoi Grand', 'Taj Bengal' and 'Great Eastern'.

Oberoi Grand Hotel

Taj Bengal Hotel

In this city it's not just about people with a big heart but also big appetite. There's tremendous love for good food among the Calcuttans. There's possibly no cuisine that you'll not get here. Park Street in the southern Kolkata has some of the finest and oldest restaurants of the city.

Kwality (Park Street)

Moulin Rouge (Park Street)

Today's Kolkata:

Gone are the days of shopping from standalone shops of Esplanade and Gariahat. Today in every nook and corner you'll find an exquisite shopping mall. And moreover it's no more just about shopping, it's about meeting up with friends and hanging around as well.

City Centre 2 (Rajarhat)

South City Mall (Prince Anwar Shah Road)

International Airport

With rise in trade and commerce, almost all aspects of the city has undergone major changes. Hoteliers have also come up with luxury hotel chains for business and leisure stay.

Hyatt Residency

ITC Sonar Bangla Ganga Kutir (Raichak)

Kolkata is also one of the many Indian cities touched by the IT revolution. The small, medium, big, huge IT firms have changed the face of the city to a large extent. The high rise buildings are symbolic of the urban youth.

IT Park (Salt lake, Sec V)

This was more of how the city looks like but trust me it's more than what meets the eye. One needs to come and stay here to know the real Calcutta. This city has a much longer history compared to other large Indian cities. Calcutta along with Bombay reached a million population by 1910 and developed at a similar time as New York, London and Berlin.

It is a herculean task to capture the true essence of the city so old and dynamic in a few words. It also has its share of things that are harassing, annoying, exasperating, irritating, and can literally make u mad, but at the end of it, it's my city and no matter where I go, I'll always long to be back in Kolkata for what it is and much more.

To My Friends

'Friendship is a golden knot that ties two hearts together and if you do not break the knot, you're friends forever'. This is just one of those innumerable quotes I used to scribble on the greeting cards for my friends decades ago. Today when I look back, I realise the knot that I used to so casually and confidently boast about as a child, is really a fragile one. I made many friends, in every phase of life, but not many could I hold onto. At times I lost friends for some reason I guess unknown to both of us, and then I lost friends for my own negligence.

In school I had an amazing gang of girls, we used to hang around, party and play together. Three of us actually formed a formal gang and called it TSG girls team. We did all sorts of crazy stuff like enacting poems, making sanctuary passes, and much more. Not that I've lost them but life has put miles between us. Miss you T & S and those crazy days of fun. I also got my bestest friend in school. Surprisingly we also happened to look similar. I did wrong to her, but it's never too late to accept it and make up. I love you D.

In high school, I got S as my closest buddy. We used to go to the gym together, hog together, and have mad fun in whatever way possible. Today I want to rewind and live those days again with S. Another S, a lawyer by profession, a very docile, innocent, and beautiful looking girl. Even today I know I can just pick up the phone, key in her number and go on talking endlessly. That's what makes our friendship stand out, ain't it.

Three years of college was more of anything but college. My close friends happened to be a new S and a new T. This phase of life today seems to be the fastest of all and today I have no communication with my the then best pals of college. How I wish I could have everyone forever with me.

Moving on, post-grad again offered me a bundle of new friends. I always believe in having few but the best. My friends defined life for me. We proudly called ourselves family, a bunch of good 10-12 people. Over the years, the family got restructured, some always remained, while some made quick others made slow exit, and some joined afresh. At the end of 2years, it seems it was the best that could have happened. I have friends who are selflessly mine. I know they are just a call away. We might not talk for days, but when we do, we connect.

Life has changed beyond the campus and it will never be the same again. The one thing I want to remain constant in my life, is my friends. I hope I'll never lose you guys. I might not be right always, I might falter, but that shouldn't weaken the bond between us. I love you all!

Happy Holi...

Holi when I was a kid used to be a much awaited festival. Filling those baloons with coloured water and splashing them at each other was so much fun. My cousin brother without fail would turn up at our place every year with all the goodies. The three of us then, my sister, brother and I would go all mad with colours.

I miss those days of fun. I miss the sudden splash of colours on my head, the forceful hands of my brothers and sister smearing colour on my face, throwing baloons at strangers, the joyful banter echoing through the corridors, the post holi photo sessions and much more. I wish I could reverse time and get back to those days of childhood. I wish...

Here's wishing everyone a very happy and colourful holi. Play, eat, drink and have fun!! O_o

Ultimate Cake Off

Lately I find myself hooked on to TLC (the TV channel), I kind of like all the shows, be it 'Travel India with Harsha Bhogle', 'Man vs. Wild', 'Family Food Fight', 'Sarah Pahlin's Alaska' or 'Hell's Kitchen'. The one that has caught my fancy is 'Ultimate Cake Off' show. In this show, cake artists take on the challenge to make one ultimate cake each. These cakes are over 5ft in height and weighs a few hundreds of pounds. Every week they have different themes to fit a marquee event where the cake that wins is showcased. Today I happened to watch two episodes, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon. In the first one, the theme was the 'Ringley Bros. & Barnum Bailey's Zing Zang Zoom Circus' and in the later it was a fairytale themed american wedding.

I was thrilled and amazed to the core to watch the different teams make and bake cakes of unimaginable shapes and sizes. It is more about building cakes than making one. I also loved the concept of cake artists and they indeed displayed some artistic skills. Giants forms with carousel, edible flowers, ribbons, photos, moving wheels, and many more, it is sure a treat for the eyes. Though these cakes look magnificent and larger than life, they also happen to please the taste buds.

And now that I've seen something like that, I wonder why I cannot take up a profession that is rare yet exciting. A profession that wouldn't require you to dress up formally, speak like you are the most intelligent girl around, read up pages of reports and understand junk of data and analytics. Wonder how would it be like doing post-grads in cake artistry, or beer brewing, or florist consulting. I'm sure the experience would be one of a kind, but not everyone can dare.

A Look at Life through My Eyes...

Life is about small sacrifices that each one of us make every moment, every day. Sacrifices that initially make us a little unnerved and anxious, but eventually make life just a little bit more worth living. Sacrifice that we otherwise in a more regular way call compromise.

There's one school of thought that preaches, life is just another name for compromise. One has to compromise on different things in different circumstances, and that is the law of nature. While on the other hand, the modern society, the so-called more upbeat and westernised gen-Y loves to believe compromise is a thing of the past and takes pride in living life on their own terms. I'm little torn between the two thoughts for I certainly cannot compromise on everything but when it comes to my dear-ones, I can certainly compromise on anything.

I am sure many of us have faced situations in life which left them puzzled and torn. Umm...say you've a lunch date with your soo beautiful girlfriend, then suddenly you remember it's your granny's birthday. Would you not leave that plan behind and rather spend a lovely afternoon with your granny! Say you've a very prestigious and lucrative job and suddenly your husband gets a better employment in another country, would you not leave your job and be a part of his happiness!! Say, you are enjoying a wonderful life with your wife and kid in another city but your parents who are aging wants you to come back to them, would you not go back even if it means less fun and less money!!

Yes, compromise it is! It comes with a lot of arguments and counter arguments but one thing it surely does is, it leaves a smile on everyone's face. Small little things of ours that we give up for the sake of others, makes life brighter and beautiful.

Let's move away from emotions and look at life from another prism. Where do we stand today in terms of restoring the ecological balance and world peace! World GDP is rising, inflationary trends are more controlled, employment opportunities are on the rise, nations are opening up their economies to the world, enough of macro-economic indicators reflect that world over the last few decades, has become a better place to live in. But the numbers to capture the other side of the story. The story that links up man's quest for power, wealth and refusal to compromise.

The kind of terrorism that lulls over us today was unknown in the primitive world where man was naive and selfless. It also makes me think that the catastrophe of natural calamities the world is facing today is also an outcome of our refusal to compromise.

Life is a blessing, a gift of God. Let's treasure it and make it beautiful for us and for all. Let's not regret, not curse any. Let's love life for what it is. Let's do what it takes to make it worth living, compromise be it!

A New Start!!

I thought I lost it...

It was one of the most prized possessions I thought I could ever have. I had spent sleepless nights working on it, putting up plug-ins, changing the themes and layouts till it reflected my true being. Playing around with my blog used to be my favourite pastime. I let all my emotions (read: mostly anger) flow on the little lifeless piece.

It's not that I was/am a terrific writer, it was more about an expedition to explore something new, do something I never did before. Even before I realised, it became my way of life. Whenever I wanted to think aloud, I blogged. Whenever something surprising or unusual happened to me, I blogged. Whenever I wanted to beat up someone madly, I blogged.

Over time it evolved to be an extremely complicated activity, with the potential to challenge the split-brain theory. And yes I loved it when my friends left behind a few thoughts on my every post, I loved it when arguments would be raised on it, I loved it when the number of unique visitors increased from tens to hundreds to thousands, I just loved it.

Now I have a feeling that I'm going to love all of it, all over again!! No more searching for what is lost, no more trials of fixing what is already damaged. Here it is, once again. May be not a personal domain, but nothing less either. I am going to blog again. Yiipppiiieeee ^_^

Thank You is The Least I Can Say!!

From the smallest of things to the mightiest of it, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything, for I know if YOU would not have been there, nothing would have been possible.

All the happiness and love you have showered on me has made me what I am today. The courage and strength you have instilled in me, has helped me to stand strong and tall in all circumstances of life.

YOU have always been there with me. I've felt your presence, your guidance, your care, your being around me, ALWAYS!

Thank You GOD for making life beautiful.