Talking of similarities...

I never put hello tunes in my phone. This week, I thought of adding one. And strangely enough I found them very similar to weddings! How? Here are a few observations:

1. You try really hard to decide the best hello tune for your listener. Just like you decide the best venue, card, food, etc.

2.You spend moolah. But all for the entertainment of the caller. Similarly, you spend lakhs for the whole wide world who get entertained at your expense.

3.You, however, never dial your number to enjoy your tune. At the wedding, you are decked up, handling heavy clothes with a fake toothy smile touching everyone and anyone's feet. Nah, you don't really enjoy your own wedding.

4. Like the song selected, everything about your wedding says a lot about you.

5.If you want to spend more money, you can customize tunes for different callers. Likewise, you organize different functions for different people. You know sangeet for aunty ji's, cocktails for uncles and bachelor party for friends...

6. It doesnt matter if the caller likes your tune, he has to bear it. Weddings can be a social nuisance for some.

7.There are some who would call you just because they like your song. Like the ones who will come to your wedding just because you've laid some yummy grub.

8. It becomes boring after a while and you feel like changing it...hmmm...that's a similarity that I still have to experience...

Ah, weddings are all I can think of :)

Changes

As time goes by and life meanders into a new era altogether, I think of the numerous emotions a girl goes through when she is getting married. She blushes when her fiance's name comes up, her eyes are filled with tears when they discuss that she'll soon go away, she has a sinking feeling whenever she attends a wedding, she's joyous when she thinks of all the new things that are going to happen to her, she gets upset when she thinks of all the sacrifices the parents have to make for her, she is proud when they talk about everything that is perfect....

These and a lot of emotions fill a girl's heart. And when they get mixed up, the feeling is absolutely blank. Really, it is Blank.

I wonder if it's that big a deal. Everyone gets married. Then why do I feel so 'out-of-the-world'? I'm sure I'll be laughing at myself a few days later when I think of the past. But right now, I feel Blank.

And when I think of the era that was, I wonder if the next step would be as beautiful. I remember changing schools, houses,colleges, friends, love interests. I remember I was afraid to embark on a new journey everytime. I remember being nervous about the future. But then...I also remember settling down, cherishing and living every moment there on. I never ever thought that yesterday was better than the present.

God has been kind. And changes have been always for the best. I'll be alright! Moreover, I have my Mr.Right with me to take care of that :)


p.s.This is more of a 'Dear Diary' kind of a post, nevertheless...

I miss...

blogging...
writing...
sharing...
reading...
commenting...
replying...
...and everything to do with this virtual world.

I have nothing much to say for I feel blank these days. Life has only one aim - getting married. Scary yet exciting. Sad yet happy. Real yet a dream.

I will be back soon. And then I'll share everything! Everything? You wish! :)

The Ring Ceremony

I've been living a very busy life in the last few days...thanks to the wedding to be. On Sunday, me and the Boy exchanged rings to live happily ever after! here are a few interesting things about the day:

1. I dont know if I was nervous or happy, but I just laughed all through it!! I was on this stage with some 350 people looking at me and I couldnt help giggling. Someone adviced me to behave like a bride...but did i care...NAH!!! I hope I wasnt looking like a joker!hehe

2.The ring didnt fit him!!Although I had taken proper measurement, something went wrong. I tried hard to fit it in, but left it in between for people were watching. Anyway, he's ready to gift it to me since he doesnt like any jewels!

3.My 50 year old uncle danced on Pappu cant dance with my 7 year old cousin. It's the best dance I've seen till today! All my cousins, brother & bhabhi and friends put in a lot of effort to prepare a veryyyyyyyyyyyy nice skit...It made me feel so special!

4.The theme was purple. It made all the pics look sooooo pretty.

There are loads of pointers, lots of funny moments and loads of sweetness attached to this day. You really wont be interested so I'll leave it at that. Life has changed in some way. I cant help looking at my ring 50 times a day! I dont want to leave my home, my city and my family, yet I cant wait to start a new life.

Ah, its a beautiful feeling. And I've promised myself to enjoy every bit of it. It helps me not to be nervous about the new family, new city and a new life. I hope I'm giggling on my wedding day too! :)

Phases in love

Let me begin in the most common way ever. Dictionary defines courtship as the wooing of one person by another. However, generally, when we say courtship, we mean the period between engagement and marriage, with or without wooing!

Being in this period is loads of fun. I'll tell you how. But before that, let me briefly explain the periods before that.

Period One: The beginning of Love: In this phase, the girl is shy, actually, not her real self! The guy is generous with his compliments(hmm, not his real self either!). He comes up with new sweet-nothings every single day. No one is better in the whole wide world than him when it comes to love, understanding, caring, calling up, showering gifts, etc etc etc.

Period Two: After a few months: The girl begins to open up. She writes letters filled with affection and her perfume! She dedicates songs, writes poetry, starts to plan the future, and reciprocate the love, understanding, caring, calling up, showering gifts, etc etc etc.

Period Three: After more-than-few months: The guy starts to become uncomfortable with the thoughts of the future. The sweet-nothings phase out. There are kiss-and-make-up moments, but that's it. The mushy-mushy times seem distant and there are more fight because of that.

Period Four: Coming out in the open: If the bond is good, if the love and friendship is strong, the couple soon comes out of the third phase and start thinking about the future - together. This is the scariest phase. When you declare your love to the world, it's sometimes met with anger and doubt. It is then your love faces the real test. And trust me, even if you know the other person inside out, it is this phase that makes your bond the strongest and you get to know the hidden qualities of your partner. And you fall in love all over again.

Period Five: The courtship: It's like the first and second phase for you fall in love all over again! Only, your relationship is more mature. There is more understanding. Instead of thinking where your next dinner/lunch date's gonna be, you discuss your honeymoon! The incessant talk about the trousseau bores the guy, but he learns, for he knows that he has to live with a woman and her shopping for the rest of his life! You learn to accept each others family. And when your father sends an sms to the guy, and that too a forward, you know he's fit well!
It's no more the teenage kinda love. You miss it. But you can live without it. This has more meaning, more depth and more commitment.

Sadly, this period ends too soon. We usually think about the future more than the present. Getting married is such a BIG thing and we tend to worry more and relish less.
I'm trying to balance it out. And I'm also hoping, that the end of this period will be exactly like the beginning of it - when we fall in love all over again.

Nah, I'm not hoping, I'm sure it will be :)

Thinking about you and me...

Thinking about you and me
It’s as crazy as it can be
Looking into the future and making plans
Little fights and lots of romance
Right now that’s all I want to do
Oh, baby, I love you!

Thinking about you and me
It’s like painting pretty scenery
Making a home for the two of us
Lots of happiness in our love bus
It’s full of pinks and has no blue
Oh, baby, I love you!

Thinking about you and me
It’s as naughty as it can be
Holding hands sealed with a kiss
It’s really meant to go like this
Dancing together and hugs too
Oh, baby, I love you!

Thinking about you and me
It’s like solving a sweet mystery
What’s coming next, we don’t know
It’s just beautiful to go with the flow
Creating our own music and lyrics too
Oh, baby, I love you!

What's in a name?

Yeah, right. I guess when Shakespeare wrote this he wasn't thinking straight.

I am in a BIG dilemma. And it's because of my name! From the past 25 years, the name Nisha Punjabi has lived with me. Yes, its a unique name. And, to some, amusing as well.

Over the years it has raised eyebrows (So you're a Punjabi, huh? Nah, I'm a Sindhi. Long story. Just that a few families in my community have kept that surname. Really, why? No reason. Seriously, its a real surname.).
Over the years it has generated quite a few laughs(Punjabi, hmm? Ok, I'm Ali lucknawi then. Haha, very funny.)
Over the years it has been an amusing topic of discussion between my classmates, friends and the whole wide world.(Punjab ka tempo - this was posted by a few notorious guys on my school van when I was 15!)
Over the years, people have sung songs while calling out my name (You just have to remember a few Sunny Deol numbers to call out to me)

Anyway, it might be amusing to some, but it's very dear to me. It's my identity. A lot of people know me by this. There was a time when I was writing for a local newspaper. I would like to assume some people remember me by this!Now here's the dilemma. After my wedding, I'll have to take the BOY's surname. It's not that I have to, I want to do that too. But if i keep my present name intact and add his name to mine, it would sound something like this:
Nisha Punjabi Takkar

After you finish laughing, you can read ahead! The BOY even translated it - since nisha = night - this name translates to The collision of Punjab(i) in the Night.
The only name that I have heard which is funnier is Ghamandi Lal Meena(It's a real name of a guy whose parents hated him or something!!)I really want people to remember my name. I don't mind them laughing at my face after hearing it.If I'm at a desk with a clerk with a bowed head, he would surely look up to see me! I would be smiling for sure. After all, what's a name that doesn't generate any curiosity! But sadly, everyone doesn't think like me. And so, I might have to depart with Punjabi.

It's really not fair. Can you solve this for me, please?

Holi hai!

I have a love-hate relationship with the festival of Holi. Hate because, after you've had your fun, you have to scrub yourself like never before. Even after that struggle with yourself you end up looking like a monkey (just like I'm looking now. This is one of those rare occasions when I just can't look at myself in the mirror!)

Another reason I hate it a bit is that I see a lot of people around me having a lot of fun, and somehow I cant match it! They dance, have beer, eat, go on a drive, ride bikes, and just seem to be having the best time in their lives. Being a girl, I'm not allowed to ride a bike on a Holi! Not that I know how to ride one, I would like to have the permission at least! Any way, I try to mingle with those who are having the best time. Like those aunties in the park outside my house. They had a dhol and they were all singing holi songs. They were cracking non veg jokes and laughing out loud! It's fun to see timid aunties coming out in the open once in a while!!

And then my brother, he danced on rang barse, it was some entertainment! My bhabhi, she danced like Mithun - unbeatble! Also, our fellow blogger D, did some cute girly moves :)

The reasons I hate Holi somehow become the reasons I love it too. It's a day different from all others. I love how we can color anyone and everyone. I love the unpretentious holi hugs. I love the smile on the faces. i love the fights people have - you want your friend to paint you red, blue and green, you know he will do so ultimately, still the struggle is fun to watch.

As a kid I loved the water balloons. I used to sit on my neighbour's bike, with his 4 other family members, and visit their relatives! I use to buy new clothes for the occasion. It was bliss. And so I love this festival.

I hadn't realised this till today morning. I had a little tiff with my bro followed by an emotional pour out. Suddenly I realized this will be my last Holi in my house. Next year I'll be somewhere else, with someone else, doing something else... tears just didn't stop!

My uncle suggested me to live in the moment. Made sense. Makes me realise, if I lived each day like that, my life would be so much happier.

No, I wont get started on that bit! Wish you all a very happy and colorful Holi. If you missed out on it this time, make sure you have a blast next year. Trust me, you wouldn't regret a thing.

Of cheesy lines and falling in love

It was a dull, boring night and I was on my computer with the legendary ICQ showing me online in the system tray.

I got messages from all and sundry and like always I didn't reply.

And suddenly, a guy by the name 'archie' sent me a line that struck me.

archie: hey, will you be my veronica?

rhythm divine: nah, I'm the Betty types.

That was 13th April 2003. I think he found his veronica in me and life has been full of love ever since :)

Coming out of the cocoon

How does it feel to come out of a cocoon?

Like a moth, you build a protective layer around something special. The layer apparently isn't strong enough and requires care that's hard at times. You nurture it, keep it safe and try shielding it from every rough stage. Sometimes you're not strong enough and your something special spills out. It's adventurous yet scary. It's fun yet requires all your energy to make sure it's safe.

That's how love is. At least in small towns in India. Boy meets girl, become friends, fall in love and wish to share a lifetime together. They keep their story a secret. No matter how committed they are, no matter how strong their bond is, for their own respective reasons they're always scared of the world not accepting their bond. And the journey isn't easy either. Keeping it under a hard shell requires patience, understanding and a whole lot of love. It's romantic as hell, its adventurous as nothing else in the world, but like everything else, it has a grey shade as well.

And how does it feel to come out in the open?

Well, at first when you speak about it, you're scared of the consequences. All the reasons why you hid it in the first place are tested. When the new born insect comes out of the cocoon, the mother is apprehensive. But it has to let the baby grow in natural circumstances. Lets face it - a cocoon does no good to something after a certain period of time. If it survives - you're lucky. If it doesn't - you fight for it. Sometimes the fight is unending...

And sometimes everyone accepts it. The feeling is brand new. It's like building a new story altogether - and a love story at that. The smiles don't stop. The heart feels lighter. Something that you built all by yourself and kept away from the world grows into something so beautiful - the feeling is unexplainable.

How do I know? Well, something very special just came out of its cocoon and soon the whole world will celebrate it!