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 

Our Ideal Yatra

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page"

I am a true believer of this line. There are many trips I have taken till date, few were with friends, few with family, and few alone. But there is this one trip which is very close to my heart, which I and my husband took 2 years ago.

I was in the USA for a work assignment for 4 months, and our plan was to visit Dubai by end of my trip. However due to some last minute changes in my assignment our Dubai plans did not workout. I was very upset about it as I was really looking forward to my first international trip with my better half. Though when our plan failed, my husband came up with a new trip plan. He decided to come to the USA towards end of my assignment and have a road trip here.

Then began our search for cheap International Flights from India to San Francisco with shortest travel time. And finally on 13^th July he was there in the USA, I had lots of work on my plate but his presence gave me strength. As I had to go to office too, first few days we explored the down town and nearby food joints only, and decided to go to Las-Vegas on coming long weekend.

We drove a rented car from San Jose to Las Vegas. We did night drive, and reached Vegas after 6 to 7 hours of drive. We had booked our stay in casino Circus-Circus, but we reached earlier than the check-in time so we tried our luck in roulette. Lady luck was on our side that day and we ended the game after doubling our money. It was a nice start to our trip. At 11’o clock when we finally got our room we took some rest. After a good sleep we both got ready and went out to explore the Las Vegas strip.

The energy outside was amazing. There were many street artists out there and there were different shows happening from different casinos. We watched all the must watch shows and explored almost all the casinos on the Las Vegas strip. Around mid-night only we came back to our room, as next morning we had to drive to Arizona to see the Grand Canyon.

We started at 7 in the morning from Vegas to Grand Canyon and stopped by to see the Hoover Dam. Around 2 in afternoon we reached the Grand Canyon. We were mesmerized by the beauty and grandness of this place. By evening 6 we headed back from there to Las Vegas. Around 1 at night we reached back to our room in Circus-Circus and rested.

Next day again we explored the remaining casinos on the Las Vegas Strip and in evening we went to the famous Fremont street. That street has a digital ceiling with vibrant video playing on it with awesome music. It was one of its kind we have seen so far. We explored the city till late night and slept for some time so that we can drive back to San Jose the next day. In 3 days we drove around 3 states of the USA and created memories for life time.

After coming back to San Jose we visited Napa Valley and San Francisco too. Finally I was able to wrap up my assignment with a vacation which was so much fun. This vacation is very dear to me and my husband till date.

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 !!

Drink for your eyes!!

Its summer time and to keep our self hydrated its must to have lots of fluid intake. I have been very reluctant to drinking water from childhood itself. I hardly drink 2 glass of water in one full day. As a child I drink only 1/4^th glass of water with every meal, my concerned mom used to tell me the impotence of drinking adequate amount of water for human body. But for me the water always tasted so plan and boring I never felt like drinking it. So my mom came up with an idea, she stayed giving me all sort of fruit juices and flavored water to increase my fluid intake. This worked for sometime but once I got used to, I stopped drinking that too.

 Then My dad came up with a brilliant idea or getting me a nice bottle which was in shape of a bear, I stared drinking juices and water again because I was in love with my bottle. Any juice or drink filled in the transparent bottle used to look very lovely and appealing. There on I am a big fan of fancy looking glasses, bottles and tumblers. They actually make the drink look beautiful, just by looking at it you feel like drinking it.  

Just imagine your favorite mint lemonade is served to you in a steel glass, will you enjoy it as much as when its served in a crystal see-through glass? Seeing the pieces of mint leaves and ice in the glass with a ring on lemon on the glass rim improves your desire to have that lemonade and hence the same lemonade tastes better than the one in steel glass. Then it becomes not just a drink to quiche your thrust for you but beautiful feast for your eyes as well.

Tasty food is not always beautiful food, but beautiful food is mostly the tastiest food!!

P.S. - This post is written for the My Beautiful Food contest organized by Indiblogger andBorosil.

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

 

 

 

 

Our Platinum Day of Love

“Marriages are made in heaven but love happens on earth”. I have always been a very romantic person right from my teenage days, but I never expressed that to anyone. I used to read romantic novels, watch romantic movies and imagine myself as the protagonist in them, but whenever someone asked about my views on love my answer was always same “it’s waste of time”. In school I always left the “my views on Love section”  in slam books empty, or wrote that Loving my parents is love for me. In college I was busy shooing away the guys who proposed me because I was more conscious about retaining my “Love is waste of time” image than falling in love.  And then when I celebrated the silver jubilee of my existence in this world, my parents got a panic attack. They wanted me to get married. In spite of being from a conservative Brahmin family they allowed me to have a say in selecting my life partner.  I never knew what I want in my life partner but I exactly knew what I don’t want in him.

After marriage my life changed in many ways, as happens with every Indian girl. I was still getting adjusted to my new lifestyle when I got chance to travel abroad for work. I was supposed to travel just after 2 month of my wedding and the trip was for 3 months. People around me including some of my close friends were against my decision of accepting the travel opportunity. They felt that this is the most important period of my relationship and I should give it more preference than anything else. On the other hand my husband was always very supportive, he was happy for me. In spite of me asking him again and again about his opinion on my travel his answer remained same. He said it’s a great opportunity and I should not let it go. I was very excited about going to the USA, and was counting days. Finally the day came and I was all set to fly with 2 bulging suitcases.

My husband came with me to the airport, he was busy instructing me to take care of all important documents and other things and I busy telling him to go back home, as next day being a working day not sleeping full-night will take a toll on his health. Finally the check in started and it was time for us to say adieu. We hugged each other and at that point of time I felt very different. I felt as if I have so much to say to him but have no words to express. All this while I was checking time to go in but now I wanted some more time to be with him. I felt heavy but he kept a calm face, I was able to see care, concern and lots of love in his eyes. He smiled and asked me to leave as it was time. I slowly moved my trolley and went inside. All through the time I was standing in the baggage check in queue, my husband stood outside and we were able to see each other.  

After that for next round of formalities I was supposed to go to the next floor, I took the escalator and as I was moving up I just realized that this is the last time I am getting to see my husband in person. After this I will only meet him after 3 long months. I immediately took the escalator down and I found him still standing at the same place, he was looking straight at me. That was an amazing feeling, I was sad yet happy, I wanted to cry at the same time I wanted to shout and let him know what I feel for him. I called on his mobile phone, as we were on different sides of the glass wall. He gestured why after seeing my name flashing on his phone and I gestured him to pickup my call. As he picked up I said those three magical words to him and he repeated them for me too. It was not the first time that we said “I love you” to each other, but it was very deep this time. I gave him a flying kiss and he catched it in the most filmy way I ever imagined him doing.  I blushed and felt like some heroine in some romantic Bollywood movie. I was smiling but had tears in my eyes. That day we were far from each other still felt very close. That was our platinum day of love, the day when we knew that this love is going to last us forever and will never ever fade, just like the platinum.

After reaching the USA, there was not a single day when I did not miss him. He has been very supportive and caring throughout. He never complained about me being away and always kept my moral high too. That was the period we came to know each other even better than before.  That was the time I wrote love letters for the first time in my life, My husband used to laugh at me for doing all this but he preserved all those letters and cards I sent to him. And finally when I came back to India, he was already there to receive me at the airport. When I saw him there, I just left my luggage and ran to him like a child. He gave me a tight hug and said welcome back while taking out a rose from his jacket. I took the rose and held his hand very tight, as if I don't want to leave it ever. I felt very content, because I knew that this love will last forever and ever. And that made me believe that “Marriages are made in heaven but love always happens on earth”. ;)

Fun Memories of Cow dung

You ask someone from our generation to pick cow dung and you will see weird faces and many excuses and I must confess that I am one of them too. I am not at all found of this smell but somehow I have some good childhood memories associated with this smell.

Hindus worship cow and they consider all her by-product holy.  I have seen the cow dung coming inside my home and all the way to our Puja room during all Pujas and hawans. However I never used to take the responsibility of bring cow dung home but the place from where we used to buy cow milk had plenty of this. My parents believe that fresh cow milk is healthier then packet milk or carton milk so they found out a milk man near my house who had 8 to 10 cows and buffaloes and used to sell fresh cow milk.

This place was just ten minutes walk from my home, and we used to get milk from him in evenings. Days when my dad used to be busy with other things I used to walk with my mom to this place for getting milk. That place had a mixed small of milk, cows, cow dung and the grass. It was not pleasant smell but I use to enjoy going there as there I used to get lots of time to chit-chat with my mom, and my siblings were never there to disturb us :) . Later My Nani (Maternal grandmother) also started buying milk from same place on my mom’s recommendation.  And I started enjoying my time at the milk man’s place even more because I used to meet my Nani there. Milk man used to start taking out milk only when all the customers who buy milk from that particular cow are present there, so that they get fresh milk. As a result we had to wait there for 20 minutes every day. There were few more kids who used to come there with their parents, and some of us became friends. Because of all this the not so good smelling place became a fun place for me.

When I grew up bit more, I started going to that place with by younger brother and sister. We used to play some games on our way and used to talk nonstop about school and friends.  It was so enjoyable that we never said no for going and getting milk from there. Sometimes if mom asked only one of us to go still we all used to go together as it was very entertaining for us.

Now I live away from home, and due to lack of time I prefer buying packet milk only. Still whenever I see places where they sell fresh cow milk the smell of cows, milk, and cow dung makes me feel nostalgic. It takes me back to my fun childhood memories. This not so good small reminds me of very good times I had with my Mom, Nani, friends and siblings at the milk man’s place. I am sure all the people who see me smiling near a heap of cow dung will think I am mad but I don’t smile because I am enjoying the smell, I smile for my good old times which I associate with this smell :D


PS: I wrote this post for "AmbiPur smelly to smiley" on Indiblogger.

 

 

 

100 it is

Yes, finally after 3 years of blogging here come the 100th post of this blog. I know it's terrible compared to other blogger who post 200 post and sometime even more in just 6 months. But I am happy with this achievement too. All the 100 posts here are close to my hear, something which I wrote because I strongly felt for it. Something which I wrote because I really wanted to share it with world. Today when I look back and read my own posts it gives me so much happiness and a feel of satisfaction.

I am very thankful to all the readers and followers of SUGARFREE who constantly supported and motivated me to write more and better. A big hug to all you guys. :)

I believe with every milestone achieved we should not just celebrate for it but should also learn from the mistakes made in past and prepare for next milestone. So here I declare the next target I am setting for this blog, in next one year I should finish 100 more posts on SUGARFREE. I will try my level best to achieve this target, and will need lots of love and support from you all to reach there. Thanks for being with me on this journey of blogging.

 

What it takes to be a Mother

As a child I used to hate it, when my mom used to scold me for anything. I was too young to understand that she is correcting me for my good only. But today when I look back, I see a part of her in everything I did/have in my life.

My mom was married young, but she was passionate towards studies. My dad supported her in each step and she did her graduation, masters and then a B.ED course. Finishing the course with good grads and taking care of three small kids and a big joint family was not an easy task, but she managed them all. When it was time to taste the fruit of her headwork, her in laws went against her working outside. She had no one to look after her kids; she gave up on her career dreams and accepted the position of a full time mom. She always took care of us with smiling face; however the pain of not following her dreams was always there. She used to console herself saying “What if I did not get to make a career, but by taking care of my kids I am shaping three careers for future.” today when her kids are doing well in lives, she feels so proud. Here I learnt that being a mom means keeping her kid’s wishes and dreams before her own.

Many times mom used to get angry for things, but she never allowed her feelings affect the household work; she took care of everyone the same way. That taught me, whatever we feel emotionally, we should fulfill your duties and responsibilities with full heart and commitment.

There are so many big & small things I learnt from my mother. Though I am a different individual, I am a reflection of her.

At times I think, will I be a good mother? Well, I will try to be one. Because I know it very well, that being mother doesn’t mean just giving birth to new life, it means lot more than that. The love, sacrifice and dedication a mom has for her child, no one else can have for anyone. That’s the reason, which gave the mother higher position than god.

PS: Today on “Mother’s day” I wish a very happy mother’s day to my mom and all the mothers out there. It takes a lot to be a mom. J

Real Feeling

If I have to tell the incidents which made me feel close to nature and gave me a real feeling, I will go back to my childhood. I was raised in a town which was like a planned township. There the roads were wide and clean, and trees were planted on both sides of roads. There were plenty of playgrounds and open areas for kids to play. Every house had a garden, full of beautiful plants and trees which gave sweet fruits. That’s the place I grew up, that’s the place I lived the longest part of my life till now.

I and my friends used to play every evening in the nearby play ground, and once we were tired playing, we used to tell scary stories. I was the listener most of the time as I used to hear only Ramayana and Mahabharata stories from my mom, so I knew no ghost stories to share with my friends. Whenever I was not playing with my friends, I used to read story books or comics in our garden at “my Adda”. Yes I had an Aada in my garden, which I made. We used to have a papaya tree in the garden which was surrounded by many small show plants. There was not much space in-between for an adult to sit, but I placed some bricks there and made a place to sit for me. I was small that time, so when I used to sit in-between those plants it was difficult for others to find me, but I was able to see everythingJ. I used to sit there for hours and read books, play with my doll, sing songs, or simply look at people walking outside on road and used to cook up imaginary stories. I didn't like to share my adda even with my brother; no one else other than me was welcome there. Whenever I sat under that tree I had a very nice feeling, the real feeling.

Similarly, at my maternal grandparents place they had a big garden, and my grandfather had planted many veggies and flowers in the garden. Whenever I was at their place and my granny used to ask me to bring chillies for the curry, I used to run to the garden and pluck fresh green chillies for her. I used to help my grandfather in watering the plants, and used to feel very happy seeing flowers blooming on the plants. I used to chase the colorful butterflies and used to cross my finger and make a wish every time I used to see two myna birds together in the garden. All that used to make me feel very close to nature.

Time passed and I got busy with my studies, going out for playing reduced and then stopped. “My adda” was no more spacious enough to accommodate the grownup me. Now evenings were dedicated to the computer games and chatting with friends online. Still the walk in the garden and sitting in garden in summer nights, used to make me feel close to nature. When I got job and left my hometown, my last connection with the nature also broke down.

In the concrete jungle when people want to get close to nature, they go for a trek or take a trip to some jungle resort. I too did that, but the closeness I felt with nature during my childhood was not felt again.

But this last time when I visited my in-law’s place, this real feeling came back. They too live in a township, and have a huge garden in front of the house. They have many veggies and fruit trees in their garden, which resembles my maternal grandfather’s garden. My husband walked me through the garden and shared his childhood memories associated with those trees and the garden. One day I myself plucked tomatoes, chillies and coriander leaves from the garden and made spicy chutney with that. It tasted yummy and was very fresh. The feeling of growing your own food was amazing.

Whenever I am close to nature I feel very happy, and thankful to the Mother Nature for all her blessings. These are my real experiences, which are always very close to my heart.

This is my entry for The Kissan 100% Real Blogger Contest on indibloggr.

Trip to the USA

We all love to see new places, explore new things, and understand different cultures. I too love all this and somehow till now I got to travel many places. And one common thing in all these trips was this that I did most of them without my family. Sometimes I was with friends, sometimes all alone and that gave me the chance to meet many interesting people around the world.

I have a hobby of observing people (you may not count it one but I do). I see how they talk, what they talk etc etc and make my imaginary story about them. Recently I went on a business trip to the USA. I was very excited at the same time tense about going there. Because last time when I traveled abroad I mostly survived on fruits and chocolates, I am a vegetarian and someone who is sensitive to sea food smell, food options were very limited to me. However this time I was more hopeful as I was booked a hotel room with small kitchen in it so that I can cook whatever I want to eat.

The journey was long and tiring but as soon as I landed at san francisco excitement wiped off all the sleep and tiredness in me. The guy who came to pick me up from the airport was an Indian. I wanted to look outside window to get the first look of Silicon Valley but this guy was more interested in knowing how India is doing without him. When he started discussing about the Anna Hazare’s impact on Indian politics, I asked him when he visited India last. He causally said from last 20 years he has not gone out of USA. That made me believe that whichever part of the world you be, but your own country always remains close to your heart.

Most of my time spent there in the office, but weekends we used to make it a point to go out and see new places. One weekend some colleagues decided to visit Stanford University. The idea of visiting a university did not attract me much although it was better than sitting alone in hotel room so I went with them. The campus was huge and an inter University football match was going on there that day, so it was very crowded too. People were dressed in their favorite team’s jersey to support them. This enthusiastic atmosphere made me remember the enthusiasm people show during cricket matches in India. Guy colleagues decided to watch the match and I along with other girl in team went to walk the campus. We saw a church in the middle of the campus, it was beautiful. A wedding just finished there and the bride and groom were busy posing for the photos outside the church. Seeing them I remembered my wedding day, which happened just 2 months before I left for the US. Seeing the smiling faces of the bride, groom, their family & friends I felt in whichever culture the ceremony is done it always brings happiness and warmth in the family.  

One Sunday I had nothing much to do so I walked to this shop called Michaels. They have all kind of art and craft supplies available with them. I saw many things there which I have not found in India. I went to their painting section and was checking out some painting brushes, when this lady came behind me and said flat brush will be good for oil painting. I turned to her, she pointed to the stencils I had in my basket and asked me “Are you going to make cards?” I shook my head and said “Ya… may be once I am back to India I will make some”. “Wow! That’s nice. You know handmade cards show that you really care, it shows your love” She said to me and I smiled in agreement. And then we roamed the whole shop together, she told me about some other place I can get the art supplies from. She also selected some handmade papers for me and we spent nearly 1 hour talking and roaming in the shop. I was amazed how one hobby made two complete strangers connect that well.

Similar incident happened once we visited an Italian restaurant in San Francisco. We got our table and were going through the menu card when this pretty girl came to us to take our order. My other friends placed their order but I had some questions, as many of the ingredients explained in the menu card were alien to me. I wanted to be sure that I am eating vegetarian meal only, so I asked her help. She patiently replied to all my questions and suggested a dish for me, she said it is spicy and I will like it. When I asked her why she thinks I will like spicy food, she said because when she was in India she saw how much people love eating spicy food. We all were amazed to know that she lived in India (Chennai) for 2 years to learn bharatnatyam. That impressed me a lot and made me feel proud on our tradition and culture which attracts people around the globe.

One afternoon we were coming back after a team lunch and in the car I sat in had only ladies in it (all of different nationality). Don’t know from where it started but they were talking about their relationship with their mother in law. I had seen it a lot on Indian daily soaps but never thought that this love-hate relationship holds good throughout the world. I was curiously listening to all of them without uttering a word, for which they pulled my leg saying “you are just married, you have time to experience all this”. J

Many more such big-small incidents happened throughout that trip. I bumped on many interesting people. Who were interested to know about my country and culture and some were very enthusiastic to talk about theirs. Every incident made me think that whichever part of world it is the basic human nature and needs are same.

Every time I traveled inside or outside India I came back home with lots of memories, some good and some bad, some which were lesson for future. After each trip I felt that I evolved in a new me (especially when I traveled alone). It changed the introvert me to someone who is confident about herself. Traveling not just entertains me it gives me a chance to know myself better and concur my fears.

http://www.expedia.co.in/

This is my entry for “Around the world withExpedia!” contest on indiblogger.  I know how famous Expedia is there in the USA (many friends suggested to use Expedia for booking domestic Air tickets and holidays in USA), I hope it will create happy experiences for people in India too. Looking forward to travel more with Expedia now in India .

Paa

Some days back I was talking to my Papa over phone. We were talking something related to remembering birthdays, for which papa said “I remember only two day, my wedding anniversary and your birthday”. I asked him why it is like that, but he didn’t know the reason behind. Later I thought and concluded that these were the two days which changed his life in the biggest possible manner. Firstly on his wedding day he transformed from a carefree guy to a responsible man. And secondly on my (their 1st child) birth he changed from a responsible man to a FATHER. Being a mother completes a woman, similarly being a father makes a man responsible and serious about life.

Fathers are the first man in a girl’s life. We look at them as our heroes, who can save us from mom’s scolding and can get us ice cream and chocolates whenever they come back home. It is always hard for us to believe that even Papa was a kid once and he had tough time learning to drive.

Being from a working class family, where a fixed amount of money used to come home every month, Papa still fulfilled all our (me, bro, sis) wishes, gave us good education and all the luxury and comfort needed in life. I know Papa, you love all your three children equally but this is also true that you are always biased to your girls :). I love you even more when you say “my daughters won’t live with me throughout their life. So I want to give them everything they want to have”.

How can I forget, because of my painting classes you used to sacrifice your Sunday morning sleep. On every national holiday you used to get up with me early morning for dropping me to the NCC parades. I remember how much you ran behind me to teach me cycling. Similar efforts were there from you while teaching me to ride my Honda Activa. All your evenings used to be busy giving me riding lessons. You were the first one to congratulate me on every success and the last one to scold for my blunders. I still remember when mom was out of town for a week and I (who was cooking for the first time) used to cook, how much ever bad it tasted, you always appreciated my preparations.

I completed my school and college and when it was time for me to make my own identity, I know you faced difficult time convincing some known faces that if your daughter wanted to work in some particular field and for that if she had to live all alone 1834KM away from you, it was alright. You always trusted your children and motivated us to prove your pride right. You gave us whatever we asked for and at the same time protected us from getting spoiled. All the times you welcomed our opinions and motivated us to give our feedback for any important decision taken at home. You taught us how to live and let others live happily too.

There is no need to wait for a special day to say thanks to you for the love you gave me. Still on this Father’s day I don’t want to miss the chance to let you know how much I love you. Papa, you mean the world to me.

As days have turned to years
and you have watched me grow up…..

From that little girl who made you smile
into the woman I am today….

One thing has never changed….
have always wanted nothing more than
to make you proud of me.

With all the love in my heart I wish you…. 


 HAPPY FATHER’S DAY

P.S: This is my 50th post.... I completed half century!! A Dad-Daughter relationship can be like this too.

Getting Married

From last two months I was extremely busy and I didn’t get any chance to update my blog. Regular updates for blog is like fuel for the car, and by not updating it for long two months I must have lost many readers. However if you will know the reason which kept me so busy these days you guys will forgive me for sure. :) I was busy with my marriage, which took place on the 6th of May. Some of my friends asked me to share my experience of getting married with them and so here I am.

The day my wedding date fixed all the family members were busy congratulating each other or discussing when to do which ritual, but I was busy deciding what I would wear and how I would look? From childhood itself, like every other girl I also used to dream about looking gorgeous on my wedding day. I used to have lots of work in office those days, still every evening I went for shopping. (For girls the best part of getting married is shopping, then some more shopping and lots of shopping :D)

But the actual feeling of getting married started when I went to my hometown Jamshedpur and the rituals started at home. There was some or the other puja every day. For some of them I was supposed to keep fast also. However all the nights were fun-filled because of the ladies sangeet. The elder used to sing folk songs and the younger ones used to shake legs on Bollywood beats. It was real fun seeing mom & dad dancing, and there was no excuse for the bride too. :)

Finally the wedding day arrived and I must tell you I was super busy that day. Different rituals, arranging my stuffs, parlor’s appointment, all this kept me so busy that I had no time for a quality talk with my mom and dad. As we do night weddings and there was a reception before that so I went to parlor at 4 itself, with clear instruction of being present in reception hall by 7 in the evening. But what’s the fun if people don’t wait for the bride ;). I was late for the reception by one hour. Then standing and smiling at each and every guest was a real punishment, add to it my wedding lehenga was really very heavy. After reception the actual wedding started somewhere around 1 at night and went on till 5 in the morning. My sister and cousins had good time taking neg (money) from the groom for juta churai and dwaar rokna. By end of the wedding I was very tired and sleepy. But during vidai when I saw my mom & dad crying all my sleep went off and I was also emotional.

Wedding was over but my journey as a married girl started from that moment. Before coming back to Bangalore, for some days I stayed with my in-laws. I was tensed before wedding, what if I didn't fulfill the expectations of my in-laws. But I must say I am very lucky to have such caring and loving in-laws who treated me just like their own daughter and sometimes even better than that.

Currently we are back to namma Bengaluru and back to our jobs. Now I have someone to share my work and care for me. I used to be very scared that I need to change a lot after marriage and I won’t be able to keep up to that. But I got my perfect match, who accepts me the way I am and loves me whole heartedly. So all in all the journey of getting married was wonderful and I hope to have a lovely married life ahead for us. :)

It’s a year

A year before today, I was happy reading blogs of my friends and writing comments on them. I used to love reading them in my spare time, few friends suggested me to create my own blog after seeing my inclination towards reading. However I was always scared to share my views on anything to the whole world on Internet. 

With constant motivation and push from few close friends I decided to start my own blog. I searched for availability and luckily got the URL I wanted. Then the next big question was the name of the blog. I brainstormed few names and was very confused that which one I should keep. To fresh up my mind I thought of grabbing a cup of coffee. And there in cafeteria, It was eureka moment for me. Yes! I found the name “SUGARFREE”.

I have to say, my blog impacted my life in many good ways. It helped me vast my knowledge on many things. My social circle became bigger, met many new friends because of our same hobby of blogging. And it made me get trap more and more in the widest net of the world the Internet. It helped me bring out the story teller in me. Love and motivation from friends and readers made me feel like a star, and the criticism motivated me to come up with something better next time.

Today I want to say thanks to all you lovely people out there for the motivation and love you gave me and to my blog. A big hug to all the readers and people who comment and help me improve. It feels great and I love you all. J