Oh! Darling.. #SayYesToTheWorld

Me: Mum, he doesn't buy me any presents.
Mum: He is showing you the world, what else can you ask for?
Me: Hmm! Indian mother-in-law.

Did she read Alice in Wonderland though?

To be frank, I did not love the world. I was afraid of unknown places, people from different races, losing my belongings, getting robbed, feeling extremely anxious before taking flights,  - yes, paranoid to be exact. I lived in one city for 26 years of my life, travelled only to the hill station next door and went to nani's house once every couple of years. Living out of a suitcase? - never did, never thought I ever would.

And then I married him. When I said 'I do', I didn't realise I was saying yes to a life full of adventures. He did not promise me the world, yet he took me everywhere. Without even realising I fell in love again, only this time it was with the world and the man who was my partner in all my journeys.

Our first trip outside Asia was into Switzerland. Apart from breath-taking Alps, I witnessed a life changing phenomenon. A couple in their seventies lived in the room next to ours. One look at them and I thought how cool is their retired life. They have come here to sit back, relax and soak in the nature.

The next day we met them on a hiking trail in their crisp white pants walking briskly past us. The lady climbed the hills like a swift animal and had the brightest radiance on her skin. Sit back and relax? - the Gen X oldies were fitter than their younger counterparts!

After I came back, I made sure I exercised every single day. I had found my deepest travel inspiration – I wanted to be strong and fit even when I was seventy so that I could be like them. 

Every year when we took that annual holiday, I saw more of them. I saw them walk past me because they were sturdier. In Greece, I saw a bunch of women in their seventies riding the toy train and laughing uncontrollably – I sent the 2050 plan to my gal pals. I saw them relishing the beauty of nature much more than me because they were wiser. Frankly, each one of them influenced me. I came back after every holiday stronger in my resolute to stay fit and travel the world as I grew older.

But that is not all that the last 25 countries have taught me.

I was on a train once, crossing a city in central Europe. We were late to board and there were hardly any seats available. I walked from cabin to cabin only to find one vacant seat next to a girl who was probably twenty years old. I asked her if I could sit - she refused rather rudely.

I felt racially discriminated. If that was not enough, she gave the seat to another white girl just fifteen minutes later in the ride! On deeper thought I remembered how we differentiate between fair and dark-skinned people in our own country. We have always been critical of racism towards us even though we are inherently racist ourselves.

Honestly, I was one of them. I liked anyone with a fair skin (except that girl on the train!) and was vary of those who were not of my favourite colour. I was shallow and I knew it. I blamed it on my upbringing, but I realised that after a certain age, it was up to me to change my views. I felt ashamed that even though I was well-read, wise for my age, and more sensitive than most of the people around me, I treated people differently – at least in my head.

All that changed after my trip to the Caribbean islands. On my visit to Jamaica I felt that African-American community was the sweetest in the world. I have never felt so welcomed in any country like how I did in the land of Bob Marley. They were kind, sweet and so helpful. I loved their enthusiasm in life and how they talked. I tried to imitate them, walk like them, basically be cool like them! If you want to learn how to live your life – those are the people you should look up to.

Honest confession – I even had a tiny crush on a guide for like an hour! I was surprised at myself for feeling that way. I was even relieved that now I was where I wanted to be. I wish that girl on the train travelled the world so she could see the beauty in its people. I love the world for making me the person I have become. I owe it big time!

I also owe my confidence to this sweet world. One day I was Googl'ing my way into the world when I got a ping. It was from a person I barely spoke to but was connected on social media. To my surprise she asked me details about a destination I had been to a few months back.

I asked her about her preferences and helped her make a detailed itinerary for the same country. She was the first of many more who got in touch with me later...

You see, I am a housewife. People of the world look down upon the likes of me. Having no kids doesn't make the picture look any prettier. Travelling changed that for me. Since the husband's only contribution to our travels is his awesome wit and a half-loaded credit card, I know my places to the T. I choose our destinations, book our tickets, reserve hotels, make itineraries, pack our bags, be a pain in the back-side when we are on a vacation, etc.

That gives me an edge over other women who book through travel agents or leave everything to the man of the house. I don't know why I started it, but I post detailed albums on social networking sites. I do it as a hobby, but you won't believe the kind of confidence people around me have shown in my abilities as a pseudo travel agent.

A few chats with my free-loader clients a.k.a friends/cousins

After posting a few albums, I started getting messages from people I barely spoke to for help regarding their travel plans. I helped a cousin plan his entire Europe trip, I assisted a new mom in deciding a relaxed vacation with her three children, I managed to find a fun birthday celebrations venue for a group of friends... the list is endless. 

Imagine my happiness when someone told me that before planning a vacation they look at my albums for help. There are times when I have to turn down requests because I have not been to a particular location! I tell them I haven't been everywhere, but it is on my list!

Do I love the world now? YESSSSS!!! It has given me everything I never thought I wanted yet it was everything I ever needed. Life is all about happiness, oozing with confidence, being loving towards one another, staying healthy - travel has given me all that and so much more.

Travel has given me dreams. I stay healthy for those dreams. I save every penny I can to fulfill those dreams. I tell everyone around me - divide your earnings in three parts - one, for necessities; two, save as much as you can for old age; then use the rest to travel beyond your city. There is no better gift you can give yourself.

Needless to say, I can't believe I agree with my mom. He did give me the best gift. And the adventure continues..

Of Flying, Finding Beautiful people and Saying Yes to the World

Most people I know love to travel but hate long flights. Then there are those who refuse to travel just because the plane journey is tiring. It is arduous no doubt – sitting in one place for hours, waking up fellow passengers when you need to get past them to use the loo, difficulty in falling asleep, border controls, the works. I cribbed about all this too until one day when I realised that a difficult journey can turn into one of the most beautiful experiences of one’s life – let me tell you a little bit about it.

This is a story of one New Year’s Eve – a joyful gift from my travelling experiences.

I had travelled to Mumbai for my cousin’s wedding. Even though my schedule had been tight, I made sure I was there for her big day. I was selfish as well – I wanted to meet my entire family and also explore how the city had changed over the last few years since my last visit in 2009.

I had to go without the husband for this one because he had no leaves from his office. The wedding ceremony was to be held on 30^th December leaving no choice but for me to come back to my guy on 31^st to celebrate New Year’s eve. I had a gala time during the wedding festivities and all my cousins in Mumbai coaxed me to stay for the party on 31^st, but I politely declined.

You see, kissing the husband at midnight is a tradition for us and I didn’t want to miss it for the world!

My flight was to leave at 18:30 hours; considering the time difference and short flight, I would have landed in Bahrain at 20:30, giving me enough time to get ready and hit a club. I had thought of the dress that I was going to wear, our friends were first going to come home so I had even discussed our food menu that we were going to order, we had tickets for the venue …the night was well-planned.

In Mumbai, Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport was a breeze. I bought a neck pillow to get some sleep because I hadn’t got any in the last few days. At the boarding gate I saw a family that I had earlier seen on my way to Mumbai as well – same dates, I thought to myself.

There was a talk going on between a group of friends that I overheard. They were planning their New Year’s eve in Dubai if the plane diverted. I laughed to myself - with Dubai traffic, there was no way they would be able to reach any party venue after landing even if the plane diverted. And WHY would it divert?

And then I understood why. There were a number of people at the gate who were in distress. The morning flight from Mumbai to Bahrain had been canceled due to unexpected fog and a lot of the stranded passengers were being accommodated in this much bigger plane. Some had missed connections, few had left home some 20 hours before for the morning flight but were stuck here, a couple were fighting to get each other a seat, kids were uncomfortable, the stories of miseries were endless.  

Looking at how chatty the whole area was, it seemed to me that there were no strangers around here – isn’t it is amazing how people come together in times like these?

We finally boarded thirty minutes later. I opened my phone and saw an episode of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’. After my meal, I slept like a log.

When I woke up, we were only forty-five minutes away from Bahrain. I opened the sky map and smiled to myself. I love reuniting with the husband like this – feels like I am in a movie!

Suddenly I saw the plane take a U-turn. My worst fears had come true. We were being diverted to Abu Dhabi airport for the night since Bahrain airport had decided to shut down at 19.45 till further notice due to extreme fog and very poor visibility.

All the passengers were taken to the waiting lounge. The first thing I did was to call the husband and tell him that the New Year’s Eve was ruined. There was no way I could come. I borrowed a charger from someone and charged my phone for the rest of the ordeal. They gave us food coupons and advised us to rest.

I looked around – most people were with their spouses. There were a group of people sitting and chatting. I went up to them and discussed everything that was happening. In the end all I could say to them was that atleast they had each other to which one replied, ‘You also have us.’ That got me all teary eyed and I called the husband again to mourn!

There was a school teacher with her husband who wanted to send flight status to her children waiting for them in Bahrain. Their phone could not catch the free wi-fi. I noted the number of the children and messaged them from my phone on her behalf. She was so grateful and joyous that she repeatedly called me an angel. I felt like my mother was with me.

Amongst all these people there was one lady walking around frantically. Since she was also alone like me, I thought I’ll check with her if she wanted to take the airport hotel room and sleep in there. She readily agreed. On our way, we, along with five other people first checked into the airport lounge.

The television was on where they were showing New Year eve’s fireworks across the world. We were stuck in three time zones – India, U.A.E and Bahrain and had lost track of time. It was 12 a.m. and a fellow passenger got a message from her husband to atleast take a glass of wine and celebrate.

We all got a glass from the bar and became a close-knit family at that moment. We cheered to 2018 and thought of this unique experience as one that we would remember for life. None of us were finding faults with anyone or anything. This was nature’s doing and nothing could be done about it. At that moment we formed a Whatsapp group so that even if we lose each other at the airport, we can keep track of the latest information and tell each other about it.

There was no room available in the hotel and so we found a few sofas in the lounge. I usually travel with just my sling bag and so I had nothing to cover myself. My fellow single passenger who was always with me that night gave me her sweater from her trolley bag. After that, I slept comfortably for a few hours.

We woke up at 6 a.m. and chatted with so many in the lounge. There was not a soul who was fretting or finding faults. Everyone was very patient and was waiting for 8 a.m. to look for the announcements regarding the flight’s departure to Bahrain.

We took a nice shower, ate our breakfast and chatted some more. At 11 a.m. we boarded our plane. I was so tired from all this that I fell asleep. I woke up after one hour and the plane was still where it was when I had fallen asleep! I could now hear people losing their patience.

It was then I realised how hard it would have been for the airline staff. From answering our queries all night, to being extremely calm when people were losing their patience, they were the stars of the night. All of them had been away from their family as well on this occasion, and unlike the passengers, they were on duty. The air-hostess told me how she was surprised at the positive attitude of the travellers – she was prepared for some serious bashing! I felt proud of us.

We landed in Bahrain at 2 p.m. and said our goodbyes. A 4-hour journey took us 18 hours yet all of us were surprisingly calm. I was finally reunited with my husband for our new-year eve kiss!

Needless to say, I did not see a single picture from the bash he went to without me. And I believed every bit when he said he missed me! My concern was that I didn’t miss anything and relished each moment of this experience. 

I love the world for this. Exploration has made me see how beautiful people are – inside and out. The lady who called me an angel, the girl who told me I had their company for the new year’s eve celebration, the lady who gave me her expensive cashmere for the night, the three people who gave me their phone chargers, the woman who waited for me at the bottom of the plane’s stairs to help me climb because she knew I had a problem, the man who got us all chocolates in the morning, the air-hostess who handled it all with a smile… I will remember them all.

Like they say – journey is more important than the destination and the people you meet along the way make it all worthwhile. Small problems like lack of leg room for a few hours is nothing in front of the beautiful experience you can have in being a world traveller. Say yes to the world and you would also vouch for the same.

Cricket Crazy Creatures!

Stuck in sticky situations many-a-time,
Banned to watch the IPL, like it was a crime.
Friends won’t leave us alone. Work, uh, it tries to come first.
In conditions like this, certain excuses I trust!

Once we promised a friend we would be at her place by 8,

The match was on, we were definitely going to be late.
We had to cook up a story that did not sound strange,
So I told her how a bird crapped on me and how I had to come back home to change!

Yes, yes, yes! It did sound genuine.

Want another justification? This could fool anyone:
One Semi-final night we had to deceive a friend who was rather cute,
We told her how we were being followed and how we had to re-route!

We are not mean, we just like to watch every ball,

If you know how cricket crazy we are, just don’t call!
And if you catch us off-guard, we have an excuse on the list:
‘Match? What match? We have to go to the dentist.’

Charitable event is yet another excuse we have used a couple of times.

We are down with viral? – yes sometimes.
We are mean, crooks you say?
Oh, we’ll be witty to watch the IPL anytime, anyday!

Here is the last crazy idea that has worked quite well:

We call the person and ring a bell.
'You are not home, it seems to me.
Oh, this is your old home, how silly I can be!'

Tch, Tch, Tch... now don’t say you pity our friends,

We are nice to them after May and make amends.
Sometimes these excuses don’t work and we just try to keep calm,
And then watch the Pepsi IPL on Star Sports.com.

You’ve seen the live streaming – have you or have you not?

Or your excuses always work – you’ve never been caught?
I, for one, always have this favorite feature on the website open.
Although I hope my plans always work. To that, let’s just say - Amen!


 

This post is a part of  Cricket just got better! Activity by starsports.com in association with BlogAdda.com.

My favorite feature - Live Video on Starsports.com - is a boon for cricket fanatics! Users are privileged to:

* Live feed and full replays of all matches. IPL is a 5 minute delayed stream. This facility is only available in India.
* Download the application  (which is free) and watch the live video on your phone, desktop, laptop or your tablet.
* If you are on a lower bandwidth, starsports.com uses adaptive streaming to display the best content.
* You can view player statistics, scorecards and social conversations - all while you are viewing the match LIVE
* You can pause & replay the match whenever you want and follow the match at you convenience.
* Read the FAQ's and watch cricket anywhere, anytime!

Kitney Aadmi The?

...Not many - you say, when you go to the theatre to watch an off-beat film.  Barfi!, Taare Zameen Par, Talaash, Lagaan, Chak-de India, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag...are a handful names that come to our minds when we think of big banners achieving success with hatke cinema. But most of the other unconventional ones have come and gone with the blink of an eye because they were not hyped as much.  

However, these are those flicks that take Indian cinema from meaningless gaana bajana to portraying life as it is. For every 100-crore flick that makes you think twice about our talent pool, there are hundreds of extraordinary stories that reaffirm our faith in Bollywood. While some big movies manage to take our breath away, quite a few low key ones make us yearn for more like them.  

So one of these winter weekends, curl up in your blanket and watch one of these precious gems from a huge treasure trove that make Hindi cinema what it is:   

Table No. 21

A couple is on a vacation and needs to answer questions or carry certain tasks to earn 21 crores in prize money. Mind you, this entire if-you-lie-you-die game show is not meaningless for it carries a suspense in the end and a strong message at that. I am exceedingly clever when it comes to guessing the mystery – but even I failed to do so!

This Rajeev Khandelwal – Paresh Rawal thriller will keep you at the edge of your seat. Just watch it, won’t you?

Club 60

This Farooque Sheikh-Sarika starrer was released in the December of 2013. Little did we know that we will lose him in the same month. Although I sat to watch it in his memory, the movie’s simplicity made me fall in love with it.

It is a story of an old couple who lose their only son and learn to live life again. In the process they meet several people who help them. These veteran actors (Raghubir Yadav, Tinu Anand, Satish Shah) add humour to this story of love and loss and in subtle ways make you realise that no problem is big enough to make you lose your life over it.

Club 60 is a must watch to learn the art of growing old; to learn the art of living life to the fullest and; to learn the art of surviving your ordeals.

15 Park Avenue

Konkona Sen Sharma and Rahul Bose have acted in some hauntingly beautiful movies that make their mark and stay in our hearts forever. 15 Park Avenue, directed by Aparna Sen and released in 2005, is one such movie. 

The movie is about 27-year old Meethi who is schizophrenic and believes she has a husband and 5 children who live at 15 Park Avenue in Kolkota. Her character is so endearing that you want to take care of her just like her intellectual elder sister (Shabana Azmi) who herself is dealing with her relationship problems. 

The story gently explore the thin line between reality and delusion. It is not about a patient or her journey, the movie is about the world that exists and the one we imagine. Mithi’s world is as real as ours, her truth is as correct as ours. She perceives our world as gibberish; we find her’s insane.

Who is right? – The movie doesn’t answer that. It leaves us thinking and that makes it so extraordinary.

Dor

A rural woman loses her husband. Another, from a far off land, has to find her in order to save her own. This story of love, betrayal, friendship, forgiveness and redemption is beautifully directed by Nagesh Kuknoor in the deserts of Rajasthan with Ayesha Takia and Gul Panag as it's leading ladies.

The two songs which remain my all time favourite – Ye Hosla and Imaan ka Asar – form the crux of the story. Watch this movie to learn what courage really means. And how it can turn your life around.

Aamir

How can a list of films be complete if it doesn’t touch a story that revolves around religion and how extremism and fanaticism can create havoc in someone else’s life.

Dr. Aamir Ali is a doctor who arrives in Bombay from London. Bikers hand him a cell phone and he receives a call informing him that his family is being held hostage. These terrorists give Ali five hours to plant a bomb on a bus, or his family will be executed. They show him that their people are suffering with abject poverty and this act will be beneficial to his community.

Aamir’s gripping and gruesome tale makes you rethink about the ruthless discrimination that we consciously or unconsciously do in our everyday life. It doesn’t scream religion or patriotism like we have seen before. However, the underlying message is much stronger.

Just like all other movies that I have mentioned. They are all five starrers!

This post is a part of the Miss Lovely Activity in association with BlogAdda.

Miss Lovely, an off-beat film directed by Ashim Ahluwalia is set in the lower depths of Bombay’s “C” grade film industry. It follows the devastating story of two brothers who produce sex horror films in the mid – 1980s. A sordid tale of betrayal and doomed love, the film dives into the lower depths of the Bollywood underground, an audacious cinema with baroque cinemascope compositions, lurid art direction, wild background soundtracks, and gut-wrenching melodrama. Miss Lovely is scheduled for commercial release on 17 January 2014. (Blogadda)

From Blunt to Bob to Braid - The tale of my Mane!

Disclaimer 

Parents: To avoid indefinite visits to the Salon, parental guidance is advised for your kids when reading the following post.

Kids: Go ahead, keep Fevicol and Gum ready and be naughty :)

Unless you belong to a Punjabi clan, it’s hard to have long lustrous hair as a kid. You know, mums get the pretty tresses trimmed because of various reasons:

• Less hair, less lice, less trauma
• Short hair, quick fixes, late riser
• Shorter hair, lesser hair pulling between siblings

Image 1 - Ah, the ordeal mothers have to go through. No gain, without pain?

For these reasons and more, my adorable mother took me to the Salon every 3 months and kept my hair swinging only till my shoulders -  Blunt cut – as they proudly called it! The Salon girls giggled and gossiped. They spoke about the neighborhood damsels and their boyfriends at length. There was something funny about the whole beauty parlour experience and the camaraderie. My tiny brains couldn’t understand anything and so I just concentrated on the wigs that lay around.

I had read Rapunzel; I had seen how Cinderella was prettier because of her hair; I was sure Little Red Riding Hood had oodles of noodles beneath her little red cap. Then there was ‘I dream of Genie’ -  I hadn’t seen anyone more adorable than the lady with a braid around her ponytail! 

Image 2 - Rapunzel was so fascinating!

Image 3 - My all-time favorite braid :)

At school, Manpreet and Jassi spoke endlessly about their long locks. I felt jealous to hear them tell about the pampering they got from their grand mothers. Jassi's granny gave her a head massage followed by an egg pack. She then shampooed her hair with imported shampoo. Now I didn't had the patience to sit through all that, but I still felt envious! My 2-minute self-shampoo routine seemed like a sad affair.

The fascination with long hair didn’t end there. Mum use to knit sweaters during the winter season. The ladies would sit on the terrace and knit. I loved the chatter and the excess of Vitamin D never bothered us. Tanning was never an issue and we had no clue about the Ultra Violet rays. Ah, simpler times! Anyway, I use to gather left over wool and craft my own braid. I had seen enough shows on DoorDarshan to know how to use the chipkana waala padarth effectively!

One day I was busy making a very thick braid with wool. Suddenly I concocted an incredible idea. I stuck the braid to my own mane with glue. It was hard, but I knew Fevicol will not give up easily. Finally, I thought, I looked prettier than the Manpreets and Jassis of the world! I twisted and turned and looked at myself in the mirror a million times. I planned to get my Barbie and Ken married the next week so that I can  flaunt my invention in the grand Baraat.

Image 5: How can you resist braiding these?

Image 6: And that's how it's done...

What followed next would have landed me in the ICU if I had a Hitler for a mom. In my attempt to pull out the wool, I tangled my hair further. When I could not release my hair or bury myself in the earth, I went crying to mom. She took me to the Salon and then, and then, I met Bob cut. The ends were awesome, but it was bob, BOB cut!

I hated Blunt and Bob, I desperately wanted a long Braid. After a few months when the whole world forgot about my tryst with the glue, I asked an aunty who lived next-door to lend me a braid with a Parandi. She was a darling who loved kids. She thought I would play with it and return it like it was. 

Some aunties are so naive, I tell you.

I had a brilliant idea of replacing fevicol with chewing gum. If I can stick gum behind the sofa and pluck it out when no one's watching, it could leave my hair scott free as well. I chewed five Chiclets, the ones that came in a yellow pack, and stuck them diligently on my hair. The braid with the parandi fitted like a charm and I was on seventh heaven.

Image 7: Have short hair and miss using these? 

This time, my ordeal introduced me to Mushroom cut! My mom wasn't in the favour of me having long hair, but she sure was experimental with shorter versions of it. But this time she told me that if I didn’t stick anything to my perfect ends, she will let me grow my hair. 

This was the last time I had short hair. After this, there was no looking back :)

And voila, after a year, my hair started growing beyond my shoulders. It was not insanely long like Manpreet, but it was long enough to braid it the way I liked.It was a slow and steady victory, but I had learnt my lesson well: if you want something badly, the whole universe conspires you to have it.

This is Manpreet's braid probably, mine was a tad shorter but had equally sharp ends :)

Since I was so passionate about my hair, I took special care and it went on to become lustrous. It also got the pampering it deserved from both my mother and grandmother. My braids were strong and had beautiful ends.

When I was in college and needed no one’s approval to change my hairstyle, I was introduced to Layers. Long tresses gave me the advantage of giving it any shape without any difficulty. 

Bob and blunt were fine, but braiding gave my hair the strength they needed. And with products like the new Dove rescue system, the ends are always perfect. I’m glad I fought for the future of my hair. Now, I keep changing their length; without the glue, mind you! And guess what - my Mother loves my hair more than me :)

They will pull them, tangle them, cut them,

Your girls will stick their locks together without a clue.

But dear Mother, don’t bother,

It’s part of growing up. Someday, you’ll love the memories too.

Use bobby pins, floral bands and satin ribbons,

Hats, scarfs, and your chiffon dupatta too.

Adorn their Braids, be their aid,

These girls want to grow up just like you!

Beautiful ends is a blessing, so let them nurture their hair,

Put egg packs, give them oil massage, pamper their mane with shampoo too.

The pretty lasses adore their tresses,

When they grow up, don’t worry, they will have Dove to their Rescue!

This post is a part of the Dove Split End Rescue System's Beautiful Ends to Your Beautiful Braids contest in association with Indiblogger.

The Dove Split End Rescue System has ¼ moisturising milk that nourishes your hair and its breakthrough split-end technology corrects hair damage to give you up to 4x less split-ends.For useful tips on hair care, Dove has compiled the following pages:

All's well that ends well

Beautiful ends for beautiful Braids

Care and Repair

Image credits: 1,2, 5, 6, 7

Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander!

Ok, this is a happy post. The kind that wants me to dance without music. Earning monthly income is one thing. I’ve never experienced that though, details on that later. But this is my second contest win in 3 months. Euphoria is inevitable.

I can’t stress enough on how much I love Blogadda! They are presenting me with an iPad today. It’s a different high. And I won because of this poem. Poetry is very close to my heart, this is an awesome feeling.

Those are incoherent words. So is the laughter in my house today. I've already mailed my friends, called my family and told everyone I could about this.Yayy!