काश

मेरे  हर पल का हिसाब रखने वाले,
काश तुमने मेरा भी ख़याल रखा होता 

आईने के सामने के मेरे वक़्त को गिनने वाले,
मर्दो से भरे इस जहान में हर रोज जो लड़ाईया मैं  लड़ती हूँ उनको भी गिना होता 

मेरी आँखो में जो काजल मैं भरती हूँ 
उसकी जग़ह जो ग़म मैं उनमे छुपाती हूँ उसे देखा होता  

मेरी परेशानियों और थकान को भूलकर एक पल भी बैठे बीना 
घऱ में घुसते ही जो काम पे लग जाती हूँ उसे भी देखा होता 

तुमसे ज्यादा करने के बाद भी तुमसे बराबर होने के लिए 
जो मैं रोज घर के बाहर जाती हूँ  उसे भी देखा होता 

मेरी चुप्पी को गुरुर समझने के पहले 
उसके पीछे जो निराशा हैं उसे देखा होता 

औरत को नर्म होना है  बचपन से ये सीखा तुमने 
पर उसके सख्त होने की वज़ह  को अगर जाना होता 

जानती हूँ करली उम्मीद मैंने ज्यादा की 
काश मेरे जिस्म की जग़ह रूह को छू पते तुम 

मेरी खूबियों को बेशक न देखना तुम कभी,
कमियों के आगे बढ़ कर काश मुझे देख पाते तुम 

Life Happens

In the summers of late 1980’s the first born boy of a well know north Indian Brahmin family got hitched to a beautiful first born girl of another well-known Brahmin Family. Summer was on its peak and so was their love and then after 9 months Life Happened and yours truly came into this world J

From childhood, I have been trained that I need to take the legacy of the first born to next level and show all the younger ones how to lead life. Not just my own siblings, my first cousins, my second, third, fourth cousins, my neighborhood kids, I was supposed to be the role model for everyone. 4 year old kid and so much pressure to perform, I became a perfect obedient child any parent would want. But that also made me an introvert. Or should I say I had split personality disorder, because I was a super fun child in school but very serious and studious kid at home. I was doing good in studies and well in co-curricular activities, teacher’s pet and a perfect role model, life was going fine for everyone until my parents decide to add some spice in my life.

They made me, the not so sporty girl to go in NCC (National Cadet Core), and like the obedient girl I was, I joined it for them. First time I stayed away from home for a week. Homesick and socked as we used to sleep on floor and bath inside a tent in a jungle, I was counting days to go back home. And on the final day, I came to know that this camp was the selection camp for basic leadership camp and I am selected for next camp which means I must live here for 10 more days.  My uncle who used to live in that same city was there to meet me, I was crying to go back home and hence he called my mom. She heard me out and asked me to give the phone to my uncle and told him, make sure she stays there and does not run back home. I was stunned, did my parents disowned me? Will I always live in this jungle?

Now I had only one way to survive, I must like what is there in front of me, accept it and move on. Therefore, I gave my 100% in those 10 days in all the assignments and activities we got to do. I tried to make friends so that my stay becomes comfortable. Soon I stared to like this whole thing and an introvert started to open-up. Next year I took part in republic day camp and represented my state in national. Won the nationals in rifle shooting and 1^st runner up in best cadet nationwide. It was indeed a very proud moment for me and my family when I got to shake hands with our then prime minister Mr. Atal Bihari Bajpai. I returned home after 2 months as a very confident teenager, and that’s where life happened.

However, soon after that I had my boards and being the first born I had to do very well there, you see role model. And as an obedient kid from middle class Indian family, I went for engineering and became one J

Years flew, campus was done, I had a job offer in my hand, but patents decided to give a new twist in the tale. They wanted me to stay back home and look for some opportunity in my hometown, as they were worried how I will live alone in a big city. And I was shocked, are they not the same people who made sure I don’t come back home from that jungle. But I decided to do things my way this time and came to Bangalore. And life happened when parents saw me not just surviving in a new city alone but also living happily and doing well at work.

Years passed and now parents had an-other thing in their “TO DO list” which they were eager to tick out and hence started looking for alliance for me. In the search of same I met this snooty guy whom I hated in beginning and later fell for. Yes, life happened again to me in the most unexpected way and time.

By nature, Indians are very caring people. We care about what’s happening in other’s life more than what’s going on in our own. Hence now it was time for me to prove to the society that my reproductive system is working fine. On first day of my maternity break I was feeling so bored, I though let me go to a parlor and waste my hared earned money. Due date was still 15 days away but as expected, life happens to me when I expect it the least. I was rushed from a massage room to the labor room. And the most beautiful part of my life I lived that day amid all the madness which was going around.

Even now after all these years, the pressure of being the role model and perfect first born is still there. But the intensity has reduced over time. Now whenever I get to talk to my younger cousins, or colleagues and friends. I tell them that don’t be like anyone else, just be what you are. because you cannot control life you can only live life. And the most magical moments of your life will happen when you expect it the least. Moments which will change your perspective and thinking and make you a better and happier version of yourself. So you just keep living and let the life happen!

PS: This write-up was my Ice breaker speech in Toastmasters 

5 Things I learned the Hardway

Life is not a bed of roses, not even for the most blessed people, they have their own set of challenges. And especially when you want to improve yourself and your life with every passing day, it’s not a cakewalk. Everyday bring us different experiences, it’s up to us if we want to learn from those or let it go. Every person who crosses our life and every incident which takes place is an opportunity to absorb and improve ourselves. And in my existence on this planet, in the process of becoming better and happier I have learned few things the hard way

1    1. You can’t make everyone happy

How much ever you like this to happen, it’s very difficult to make everyone around you happy. Each one can have different requirements and at times they can be contradictory to one another. You cannot make the points meet in such case. So, stop taxing yourself for pleasing everyone. I used to be a people-pleaser, will always put everyone before me, but I never got such gesture back from them. I kept burning myself and slowly there was lot of frustration buildup. Hence, I decided to stop pleasing everyone around me. I do things which are important, I try not to hurt anyone knowingly, but I don’t go extra miles to satisfy all of them in all possible ways.

2    2.  Your happiness is the key

Now that you are not busy pleasing other, concentrate on yourself. An empty glass can’t fill another one, until you are happy you can’t spread positivity. I have seen this personally, when I am happy I am more productive. My positive feeling radiates to people around me. When I sulk, I can’t be my best, and my happiness is my responsibility. So, work on your own happiness, create it, don’t expect other to do it for you.

3    3.  Be what you are

Never ever pretend to be what you are not. We pretend mostly to mingle with few or please few others. But that is not healthy for you. You can’t be what you are not for long and it will be disappointing for others also to know that they never knew the real your, comes across as a negative trait. Mostly people pretend to please others and as said earlier, you can’t please all and be happy. Be yourself, you will be comfortable, and you will find people around your who really value YOU. At the same time, be clear that pretending and improving are two different things 😊

4    4.  Physical and mental health are one

I learned this when I was going through a very low phase in my life (sometimes we tend to miss on our blessing and start counting only issues). Work stress was at its peak and I was still a new mother, I was trying hard to make ends meet and that somewhere was taking toll on me. When I talked about this to an expert, first thing she asked me was, do you drink enough water, do you do any physical activity/exercise, do you sleep enough. And as soon as I tried taking care of these things for a week, I saw significant improvement in my mood and behavior. I was amazed to see this and from then I am a true believer that mental and physical health are interrelated. So be whatever, do take time out to take care of yourself. Keep yourself hydrated, try to sleep for 6 hours at least, and do some exercise be it yoga/gym/ or just some walk. You will see the changes in you yourself.

1    5.  You have time

And after reading all the above points if your response is that I don’t have time to do any of this, then my friend you are wrong. You have time, you have good amount of time to do everything you want to do. All you need to do is, prioritize what you want to do and why. Cut on your screen time or time on internet and you will have time to exercise, read a book, meet a friend or have a hobby. It’s all about prioritizing and willingness to do. Trust me when I say this I am a mother of 4 after all 😊

Resolutions

A year with no post... but does that mean I had a year which was not eventful or worth sharing? No, not at all. This year was as much eventful as any other year have been so far.

Its true that after becoming a mother my priorities have changed a bit and now I need to make time for my hobbies in places of enjoying my ideal time in hobbies. I can see many mom's heads nodding here☺

in March 2015 our bundle of joy came to us wrapped in blue. 9 months of wait and a painful labor ( which needs a different post to describe our funny stories ) later I get to meet our little Vivaan. And from that moment my life has changed a lot, like it happens to any new mother. Days were long and nights were sleepless. When Vivaan turned 4 months I joined back at work full time, which added to my already busy life. So prioritizes changed and some things took back seat, this blog being one of them. I still tried writing sometimes for some campaigns, as that defined topic and restricted word count was helping me keep my blog alive.

However, when Vivaan turned a preschooler and I tried to take-up more responsibilities at work, "sugerfree" ended up with no posts at all for the whole 1.5 years. But I had hopes that some day I will start writing again, and hence I kept on paying fee for my domain name every single year.

first week of a New Year is usually the time when people make and break resolutions. Like many of you I also took few resolutions and decided to act upon each one of them before I end-up breaking them 😜

I feel the best way to be able to act upon your resolutions is by writing them down somewhere visible, or sharing it with your friends and family. They will miss no opportunity to remind you that how bad it is of you to break your resolution 😂

I wish and will try my level best to stick to a plan and be active on this space as much as I can. And before I press the submit button in excitement let me Wish you all a very - very Happy and prosperous New Year, may this year be more meaningful, eventful, joyful and exciting than last one.... Cheers!! 

Your Life Your Responsibility Your Decision

My Dad is a salaried employee and unlike few of my close relatives

who did very well in their business and have a good cash flow all the time he only
has a fix income every month. Still If I compare the lifestyle he has
provided to me and my siblings is nothing less than my well off cousins.Dad
and my mom together provided us the best things in life, be it cloths, food,
education, vacations or values. They have always encouraged us to do the right things,
and plan for things we want to do in long run.

The art of saving was taught to us in very young age by mom.
We used to have our own piggy banks and as teenagers we had our own savings
account in bank too. In my case I had my first bank account at the age of 13,
which I owned jointly with my mom, but I was the one supposed to maintain the
account. Whenever I saved 500 or 1000 rupees from my pocket money I used to
deposit that to my bank account. This way I not only learnt the bank related
work but also became confident about myself.

We are two sisters and one brother and we have just 2 to 3
years of age gap between us. During our school and college days there were
times when my parents had to pay 3 equally big tuition fees at one go and they
did it all quite smoothly. None of us had to go for education loan or anything
of that sort. For mine and my sister’s weddings the kind of arrangements my
parents did left many of our relatives surprised. They were not expecting my parents
to organize such lavish weddings one after another, but my parents did it as
that was their dream and they have planned for it in advance. They did not take
financial help from anyone and were able to do it all on their own. They were always
able to give the best to their children and it was the result their good financial planning.

By seeing them and with my mom’s motivation I also started
with financial planning and investment quite early in my career.  And luckily I am married to a man who too comes from quite similar background as mine and believes in planning and being
independent. We are working together towards our financial and personal goals
and I am sure we will also be able to give the best of best to our future kids :)

Being independent financially not only gives one confidence
to face the future but also makes the present more peaceful. You can live in
today completely only when your future worries are all taken care of. In today’s
fast lifestyle we cannot guaranty that everything will be good in future but
with planned finances we can be sure of a financially secured future, which for
sure will be better than an unplanned one.

Live The Life You Have Always Dreamed Of!

Life is a gift which god has given us, now what we do with it is up to us. From the time we are born our parents start dreaming about our bright future. As we grow up we see many dreams for our life. We set goals, aspirations, things we want to achieve in life and start working towards them. But as life progresses many of our dreams take the back seat. The daily grinding of life, responsibilities and liabilities start hold us back from running behind our dreams. We start following the regular path of life, the safe path which leaves us with no time to do things which we really want to do. And slowly things which we want to do but not able to do at that moment start going to our bucket list. Bucket list is a list which can have all the desires, aspirations, dreams of an individual which he/ she wants to achieve.

I too have a bucket list, but my responsibilities holds me back from ticking out things from that list. If given a chance to live a life with no responsibilities or constrain to hold me back, the top few things which I would like to empty from my bucket list first are:

1. Month long Trip to Europe: Europe has so many destinations to offer to tourists, it makes it difficult for me to decide which country to go to and which one to leave. So I want to cover as many places in Europe as I can. But at the same time I don’t want a trip with mad rush to just tick off the places from my list. I want to do a month long trip to Europe where I will get time to admire the beauty of various destinations and understand their culture like local.

2. Owning my dream Home: Owning a house is a social security and responsibility and by buying a good apartment at posh location in my city I have fulfilled that responsibility of mine.  This being my first home is very close to my heart, but I am still waiting to own my dream home. My dream home will not be an apartments, it will be an independent house with a big garden. A house with plenty of space for my family, friends and my passion. I want to make a home which has a big library in it with a very comfortable couch, where I can spend all my lazy afternoons. A big movie room with lots of recliners and a big screen where I can watch all the classic movies with my loved ones. A terrace garden where I can sip my morning coffee and a big specious kitchen where I can experiment with food I love.

3. Scuba Diving: I am ashamed to tell this but I must admit that I am one of the few people who don’t know swimming. But I have this fancy of doing scuba diving and experiencing the marine life closely.

4. Seeing the sunrise in Hot Air balloon: I have always had a fancy for hot air balloons, seeing them on TV or photos makes me want to be there myself. Recently when I went to the USA, I got chance to experience hot air balloon ride. But that time I left that chance as I wanted to experience this lovely thing with my husband. And then later we did not do it due to lack of time. So next whenever I get chance I would like to go up in the air and watch the sunrise, while being in my husband’s arm.  

5. Mystery of Egyptian Pyramid: The mystery Egyptian pyramids have always fascinated me. The concept of life after death which Egyptians believed on is exciting and scary at the same time. Getting to visit the pyramids and seeing it in person will give me chance to know and experience their mysterious culture more closely.

These are my top five items from my bucket list which I want to do as soon as I can. But to get such tension free life I will have to take some wise decisions now which can secure my future. And give me the freedom to live my life my way #BefikarUmarBhar.

Life is so Simple without Pimple

We all go through different phases in life and every phase has its own importance, fun and memories. Childhood is always considered the most carefree and memorable phase in everyone’s life. But I feel even teenage has as much importance in our life as childhood. This is the time we see lots of changes in us physically and mentally, which stays with us forever.  Like my childhood I have very fond memories of my teenage days too. We used to go for educational tours, NCC Camps, sports meets and life was so much fun with friends back then. But with all these good memories there are some bad ones too and the constant struggle with pimples was one of them for me.

I have oily skin, which used to be super oily in my teenage days. Especially the area around my nose was something which used to feel as greasy as mom’s made aalu ka paratha with extra ghee. I used to have at least two pimples always on my face and one of them will always be on my nose. I am not blessed with cute, small nose and these red bumps used to make my fat nose even bigger. I used to envy the girls with clear skin; I used to feel super happy on days when I used to wake up with no new pimple on my face. Somewhere deep down I got this feeling that I can be good in academics and extracurricular activities, or be favorite student for my teachers but I am not going to be the best looking girl in school and I will never ever be the most attractive girl for any boy . I started hating my face and specially my nose. All this was actually taking a toll on my self-esteem and confidence.

One day for some pity reason I had a fight with my younger sister. Being the elder one I won the fight and was happy about my victory until I found this note which she left on my mirror. It had a fat nose drawn on it with lots of big red dots on it and a message that read “Didi, this is how your nose looks like. Fat & Ugly!!”. I was deeply hurt, not because of my sister’s rude words but I was hurt because I knew that it is all true. I cried and went to my mom with that note. As a mother would do, she scolded my sister and tried hard to convince me that I am not ugly. These pimples are just part of the physical changes my body is going through and it will go off soon. However, I was not convinced and that was when mom decided to take me to a Dermatologist. The Doctor gave me some lotion, and wash. She asked me to keep my face clean, avoid oily food and apply the lotion daily. I started following this regime. On weekends my mom used to make Neem and turmeric face pack for me, which helped in pimple reduction. She used to boil Neem levees and I used to wash my face with that water as the antiseptic properties of Neem kills the pimple producing bacteria.  All this hard work by mom and my dedication paid off and soon the pimples reduced and my skin became clearer. But as you know all good things in life are never permanent.

I left home to make my career, and bad lifestyle and carelessness towards my skin brought back these red bumpy monsters in my life. Due to my busy schedule I had no time to take care of my skin as mom used to do at home. I started losing hope and confidence once again. I tried to cover the redness of pimples with makeup but those quick fixes actually worsened my skin. That was when I decided to go back to the goodness of Neem. I started looking for skincare products available in market with Neem in it. And after trying different creams and washes I finally tried my hands on Garnier pure active Neem face wash. Regular usage of that actually helped me get my clear skin back. With this face wash I also controlled my diet and all this actually paid me off very well. Clear, glowing skin was back and back was my self confidence and happiness.

Pimple might look like a small red painful bump to others but to people who get this it is nothing less than a disastrous situation and believe me I am not exaggerating this at all J Negative effects which pimple has on one’s self confidence and social life are really scary. I am happy that I survived this problem twice in my life and the goodness of Neem helped me both the times.  Now I always suggest these tried and tested ways of keeping pimples at bay to everyone. We already have so many problems in life then why add one more to the list. Follow healthy lifestyle, use good skin care products and say bye-bye to pimples. After all life without pimple isreally simple and more fun !!

The Power of Voice to Clean India

How many times you have seen things which you did not like and raised your voice against it? We Indian’s are tough to mind our own business from childhood itself, and that’s the reason we never raise our voice against anything wrong until it directly affects us. But gone are the days when staying quite and ignoring things use to work, the new generation of India need to speak. We have to raise our voice to make our opinion getting hared. There is this campaign #AbMontuBolega which is going viral on social media. This is about raising our voice for right. As responsible citizen of this country it’s our right as well as duty to give our opinion for things which are not happening the right way. Be it about corruption, eve teasing, cleanliness, pollution or anything which need attention from citizens and authorities, we have to talk about it to create awareness.  

Today with #AbMontuBolega campaign I want to draw everyone’s attention towards the clean India of our dreams. I live in Bangalore, the technology hub of India. This is the place where one side of the road we see tall, shiny office spaces and on the other side of road we see these big heaps of garbage. To reach to our clean, air-conditioned offices we have to cross the dirty roads with pills of garbage on sides. The bad smell and mosquitoes which are caused due to this garbage creates many problems and health issue for us. The Authorities somehow have always kept their eyes closed towards this issue in Bangalore. People protest, complain for a day or two but after that they get busy with their daily life and start accepting this garbage crisis as a part of their city. We have to change this, we have to raise our voice against this. We have to stop just covering our nose with scarf while crossing the garbage heaps on road and silently blaming authorities and people. We instead have to educate ourselves and people around us about garbage segregation. We need to follow it strictly and have to make sure that authorities full fill their duties too. They should create proper garbage dumping areas and have to collect garbage every day. Proper waste management system has to be installed in the city.

And this is not the story of Bangalore alone; all the big and small cities in India are suffering with the same issue. We have to understand that it is our responsibility to not just clean our house everyday but also take care of our city’s and nations cleanliness. Clean India will be healthy India, Clean Indian will be beautiful India and Clean India will be the India of our dreams. If we remain silent then our dreams will never come true, we will have to work towards it and we will have to talk about it.

So next time when you see someone throwing garbage on road and not in the dustbin just tell them that what they did is wrong, don’t let it go silently. Next time when the city authorities do not clean the waste on time you complaint about it don’t just watch. Because when we will speak then only our problems will be heard and resolved. To get the clean India of my dream now I will also speak up. Kyuki Bin Bole Ab Nahi Chalega #AbMontuBolega.

PS: this post is written in support of the #AbMontuBolega campaign. You can support them on facebook and Twitter as well.

image courtesy: CNNIBN

Recharge Hair, Recharge Life!!

I am working in office and suddenly a mail comes. Oh, they finalized the day of our office annual party. I know what I am going to wear. Happy in my dreamland thinking about my perfect outfit and doom come the sight of my unruly hair and I get tens. Should I get my hair straighten or blow dry with big curls, Oh god I am so confuse. Yes, this is how I think whenever I hear of any big party or event. I have unruly curly frizzy hair, which never listen to me. Good hair days are very rare for me and on special days my hair being in my control is even rarer. Thank god that we have the ritual of covering head on marriage otherwise I would have ended up looking scary in my wedding pictures with my frizzy mane.

I wore my hair short during my childhood and when I grew up and decided to grow them long, they grew in a big curly jungle. People used to see them and say “wow, you have so much hair” but I silently prayed for silky manageable hair, which I can leave open and feel the wind flowing through them, which looks presentable even at the oddest hour of the day. It’s not like I didn’t do anything to bring my hair in the condition I love them to be. Even now also I keep searching the Internet for way to make hair soft and shiny and I have already tried everything from curd to clay and from banana to besan on them. These things give temporary relief but the amount of time and energy I give for using then is not worth the short term effects they have on my locks.

Every morning when I get ready for work, it takes me more time to style my hair then doing everything else. My husband feels that I take too long to get ready for work and no other girl ever takes this long to get ready. This irritates me to the core, as it’s not that I stand in front of the mirror and dream, I stand there struggling with my hair, pleading to them to behave. And husband someone who is blessed with silky shiny obedient hair will never understand my pain.

Whenever I have to go for any function, my work on my hair starts from the morning itself. One can see me roaming at my home with some hair mask on my head, or spending big bucks in some hair salon to make my hair presentable. And with all this hassle by the time I reach to the party I feel so tired that I never get to enjoy it with my full energy. I spend all the time making my hair look perfect and then I spend the time adjusting them or feeling tired.

I love going to theme parks and enjoy doing the rain dance with friends but the effect of that chlorine water on my hair makes me hesitant at times. Last year we went to a beach resort for New Year celebrations. I go crazy whenever I go to the beach. I went in the water and played a lot. At night during bonfire when other girls were flaunting their beach wave locks I had no choice but to tie my mane in a bun. Next day I was not entering the water because I was worried about my hair. I saw people playing in water and cursed my curls.

Recently we went for a jungle safari and while seating in the jeep when I started covering my hair with a scarf to protect them against wind and dust, a friend made fun of me saying "we are not going to the temple babe, why you covering your head?". I felt bad and angry but I had no choice. I too wanted to leave my hair open and go carefree but my hair won’t let me do that.

I am so much tired of my unruly hair and the efforts I have to make to keep them in place, I pray to god to do some miracle for my hair. I want something which is easy to use, and whose effects last long on my hair, something which can recharge my hair to new life. Something which can save my hair from the entire chemical and heat abuse it has to go through to stay presentable. Something which can reduce the time I give for styling my hair. I will save the time I spend on styling and adjusting my hair and will get to do things I love doing. Then I will be able to go to the beaches, theme parks, jungle safaris and enjoy myself to the fullest without worrying about my hair or looking untidy in the pictures. With recharged hair I will also be able to get ready for office in half the time I take now and will be able to make my husband speechless (I love this reason the best) :P With the hair which is recharged with life my life will get recharged with happiness :)

PS: this post is written for Sunsilk’s contest on Indiblogger.

My Immune India

I have been a religious person all my life. Someone who lights a lamp in front of god every morning and asks for “Sadbudhi or Sadmarg pe chalne ki shakti”(English translation “Wisdom to know what is right and power to act right”)  every day. But in recent years I have seen a change in my prayers, now with wisdom and power I also ask for good health for me and my family. In past few years I have met and read about people who are suffering from some health issues, and after seeing how their health problem affected their family emotionally and financially I am petrified. I want no such thing to happen with my loved ones or say with anyone for that matter.

If we go by the different survey reports, in recent years the longevity of human life has increased due to advancements in medical field but the health standards saw a fall. I remember my great grandfather was fitter in his 90’s compare to my dad is in his 50’s. Elders say that this was the effect of pure food and fresh air which they used to get in their time. Now time is different, lifestyles are different, eating habits are different too. If I talk about myself, as a kid I used to be very fit and active. I never bunked school due to poor health, but when I started working and started living on my own, numbers of sick leaves increased. I used to feel tired and lousy, and fell sick many times during the first 2 years of staying away.

Consequently with time I understood that it’s my deteriorated immunity which was resulting in frequent sickness and tiredness. In layman terms, Immunity is the resisting power of the body to different diseases. An individual with stronger immunity is less likely to fall sick in same environment compare to other individual with weaker Immunity. There are many internal and external factors that affect our immunity system, and if we work on these factors we can improve our immunity.

Talking about making India Immune, there are many things which we need to do for ourselves (that is the present of India) and for the younger generation (that is future of India). So based on my own experience (by comparing my lifestyle during childhood and later) here are the things which I feel makes the difference to our immunity system.

·         Eating healthy: Some 20 years back when Pizzas and burgers were not very common in India best snacks we used to have been fresh fruits, fruit chats, sprout bhel etc. Home cooked food and a glass of milk morning and night used to keep our tummy full. Now cola has taken over milk and with more junk food than fruits and vegetables in our plates, we are going low on essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Increasing the intake of leafy vegetables, fruits and nuts will help one improve the immunity.

 

 

·         Adequate sleep: Whoever Says sleep is waste of time must not be aware of the importance of sleep. Sleep is like a scheduled servicing for our body and mind. When we sleep our body generates new cells, and heals damaged tissues if any. For kids specially, timely sleep is very impotent for their healthy growth. Nowadays when parents stay glued to their gadgets till mid night kids tend to be awake with them too. Set an example for them; be early to bed and early to rise, and you will be healthier for sure J

 

·         Physical Activity: Now majority of us stay glued to our gadget most of the time and physical activity is almost zero. Even kids love to play video game more than going out and playing. Actually such physical activities are very important for the body. It makes the body fit and active. For better immunity we should try to incorporate some physical activity in our routine and we should encourage kids to play outdoor as well.

·         Personal Hygiene: Imparting habits like washing hands before food, taking bath when come back from outside and using sanitizer when using water for washing is not available is must. Adapting healthy habits like using kerchief while sneezing and coughing will also help us and people around us stay healthier. Personal hygiene should be part of our day to day routine to achieve better immunity.

 

 

·         Clean and Green Environment: “Cleanliness is next to godliness” we all have read this as kids but we often tend to forget this. I was born and brought up in a township, which had plenty of trees (trees on sides of the roads) and was very clean too. Authorities there used to take care of the cleaning of the town very well. But when we see the other big and small cities in India cleanliness is a big concern. Piles of garbage on roads are a frequent sight, which gives shelter to mosquitoes and lots of diseases. Just keeping our home clean is not sufficient; we should extend it outside our home too. There are many communities and NGO which are working in this direction; we should try to help them in places of just cursing government for not taking care of things. Planting more trees is also important for us to have fresh air.

 

·         Go Stress free: Increasing stress level also invites many health problems. In today’s busy and stressful life going for yoga and pranayamas will help a lot in controlling the stress. With increasing competition and pressure to perform today even kids have more stress then we used to have before. Childhood is very precious time of life so we should motivate kids to perform but should not pressurize them to fulfill our dreams.

 

·         Go the Organic way: With all the above things I can’t forget the important part of natural remedies and supplements in my childhood. My mom never used to make me swallow tablets for every problem. Turmeric with milk, honey, ginger etc were some of the common home remedies we used to use for cough and cold. I have seen my grandparents eating a spoonful of Dabar chyawanprash (mixture of herbs and spices, which claims to improve immunity) every morning after the breakfast. Even we were fed the same every day, especially during winters having chyawanprash in morning and night was a must. After my marriage also when my mom visited me first time she got a big jar of Dabur chyawanprash with her. My husband catches cold very easily and giving him chyawanprash was a common suggestion everyone gave me, and it really worked. Now also I believe a lot on the natural remedies and supplements. They do improve our immunity without having any side effects like medicines.

 

With all these small-small lifestyle changes we can make our life healthier. Kids, who are the future of India, will make the future brighter only when they are healthy. And to stay away from diseases having strong immune system is must. I request everyone to impart such healthy habits in kids so that they and the future of India get stronger immunity.

 

PS: This post is written for #ImmuneIndia contest on Indiblogger for Dabar chyawanprash. And I strongly believe that a healthy kid can only give a healthy future to India.

Image Source: Google

 

 

 

 

Mystery of Missing Oil Diffuser

I always wonder if I was a dog in my last birth as some qualities of my previous birth are still there in me, for instance my over sensitive nose. Whenever I feel some different smell in one corner of the house I rush to that spot as a superwoman with Air freshener in my hand. Sometimes my Husband gets so chaotic about how I am able to sense the foul smell which he is not getting at all. Especially during the rainy season one can easily find me roaming throughout my 2 BHK apartment with air freshener in hands. In Bangalore where it rains almost every evening for 6-7 months, the foul smell is something we have to fight with every day. Me and my husband we both go to work and our home stays locked for 10-12 hours daily with no ventilation, in these circumstances to maintain the fresh smell in home is a bit of challenge for me and I keep looking for various ways to tackle this issue.

So when the festive season started, I decided to buy an oil diffuser for our home. I have seen them in spas and hotel and I loved the concept of burning essential oil for freshening up the air. I looked for them online and ordered one after consulting with my husband. (You know how we ladies get confuse while shopping, second opinion is must I tell you ;) ) He was quite happy with the idea of buying oil diffuser assuming that after this I won’t move around the house with air freshener in hand.

 

We ordered the Oil diffuser and happily forgot about it, until one evening when I got a call from that online shopping site. I was sipping my evening coffee with Husband in the living room when my mobile phone rang. Husband dear was watching TV so I went in the other room to talk. That call was from the same shopping site to inform me that due to some reason they won’t be able to deliver the Oil diffuser that I ordered from them. That was when I recalled the shopping I did some 10 days back and hang up the call saying its fine, because actually I felt that the oil diffuser was not required now anyway. I finished the call, came back and sat at the same place to finish my coffee. 

Eyes still glued on TV, Husband asked “Who called?”

“Online shopping site people” I replied while sipping my coffee.

Husband cross-questioned “What for?” eyes still on TV.

I hate it when people talk to me without giving all their attention to me “To inform that they cannot deliver the oil diffuser we ordered from them 2 weeks back” I said fumingly. 

“What? But they have already delivered it right.” he said while looking straight at me. First time in the conversation he looked at me to say something which has not happened at all.

“Really, And when did they deliver?” I was already planning a victory in my head, because I was going to prove him wrong very soon. :P

“I don’t know when.” He shrugged his shoulders.

“Aaha... so when you don’t even know when they delivered it then why are you calming that they delivered it. Have you seen it anywhere in the house?” I was enjoying it now.

“No. But I smelled it. The house smells nice all the time nowadays.” He had a point this time.

“Hmmm.... So we have a mysterious oil diffuser at home.” I rolled my eyes, while trying hard to hide my smile.

“See, I know I do not have a dog nose like you but I have the sense of smell” he said while bending towards me. “Moreover I have not seen you marching with the Air freshener spray from last few days, so I know it is the oil diffuser which is doing the work. Now will you please stop your stupid game and tell me who called you” he said with a grin on his face. 

I started laughing, and he was clueless. 

“Your Highness, will you mind sharing your great PJ (poor jock) with us” here comes his typical satire.  

I controlled my laugh and continued “I don't understand how someone can be so ignorant. It is your home too love look around sometimes.” 

“However, I have to give this to you that your smelling capabilities are improving in my company” I played with his hair while saying this.

It was obvious by now that he is annoyed; he removed my hands from his hair and asked for clarification.

And I pointed my finger to the Ambi Pur Set & Refresh, which was kept on the corner table in the living room. 

 

Then I told him that someday back this sample of Ambi Pur Set & Refresh was sent to me by Procter & Gamble. It has a cartridge full of perfumed oil, which when inserted in the outer cover releases the perfumed oil which is the reason behind this good smell in the living room. This perfumed oil is released all day long, and we can increase or decrease the releasing amount by moving the cartridge up or down. 

By now husband was really impressed with it and went to the corner table and took the Set and Refresh in his hand. “Nice Yaar, It works well. So next time again we have to buy this full thing.” he questioned while exploring the Ambi Pur Set & Refresh.

“No. We just need to buy the cartridge. This one is lavender fragrance, next I want to try the other fragrances from their range.” I took the empty coffee mugs to the kitchen and when I came back Husband said “Write it down in the next month’s grocery list, we are buying one Ambi Pur Set & Refresh for our bedroom too” eyes glued back to the TV again.

I laughed and teased him “Look who is getting fonder of the good smell now”

Without sharing his attention from TV he said “And it will be kept on my side of bed table” 

He was expecting me to get annoyed, I kept calm face and said dramatically “Oh Dear, keep it wherever you want but you can’t stop its smell to come to me” 

We looked at each other and burst out laughing. This is how our smelly home turned into a smiley home. With Ambi Pur we turned our home to a fresh and happy home :D