The road that I had never taken

      It has been a week since I have been regularly going to the gym. Yes I got bitten by that bug too. I had never been to a gym except for that one time when I had to research for my college project to design Gym wear, hence I was very skeptical about joining it. The more my husband egged me on, the more skeptical I became. But since last month I had become very determined on joining the gym. My increasing waistline and almost literally bursting out of seams has made me aware of the very little activity I put my body through. My clothing size is slowly moving to the 'L' racks which never was the case. One of the perks of getting married is your husband treating you like a queen at least for the first few years, but mind you if you aren't careful laziness is sure to creep in as it did with me and it plagues you down completely before you can even take notice. More than the the increasing figure on the scales, it was the aspect of not getting enough activity was what that bothered me the most, since I had always been very energetic and agile. That's when I decided I needed to push myself harder than just getting through a days bare minimum activity. It took a lot of courage to accept what I had become from what I was, however that made the process easier and made me all the more determined. The more one accepts that their body is unique, acts in a certain way and in no way comparable to their skinny peers or vice versa, the easier it becomes to love oneself. 

     Loving your body for what it is is one thing though keeping yourself fit and looking after it is another. I have never believed in starving oneself, nothing good comes out of it. On the contrary I have always believed in sweating it out one way or another which is a much healthier alternative and a long lasting one too. I have never been skinny nor do I ever dream of becoming one, however I had always been curvaceously fit and hope to continue being like that. This was more of a lack of activity concern rather than a beauty concern for me. Hence I took the road that I had never taken before, to only discover to my delight that it keeps me going through the day, doesn't let me lay with laziness and yes I see myself transforming to that curvaceously fit girl that I have always been. 

Travel! You will find yourself!

       My earliest memory of travelling was to my hometown Mangalore by train for 16 hours from Tamilnadu as a child, though it became a routine every summer vacation. It reminds me of the numerous conversations with people in the compartment, staring at the skies, gazing at the coconut lined Malabar Coast and welcoming the adventure that comes along with it. As Mark Twain had put it across, 'Travel.. nothing so liberalises a man and expands the kindly instincts the nature put in him as travel and contact with many kinds of people'. Travelling to a new place has always been about getting to meet new people, knowing different cultures, being connected back to nature and getting to enjoy the complete experience thoroughly. A person from India that way is very lucky to be surrounded by melting pot of cultures at every step and not to mention the rich biodiversity. One doesn’t have to stray very far to experience breathtaking beauty around. 

Travel can definitely become a path to self-discovery. This can also turn out to be the best opportunity, if you choose to, to cut yourself off from the virtual social world and indulge in the real world. Of course if one is travelling on work that’s a far-fetched notion, but that cannot still stop them from experiencing a whole new facet. I see travelling as a window to explore new territories and get away when the routine gets mundane. A two time sabbatical from the routine a year seems befitting to everyone. Though travel does take a bit of planning, the process in itself is exciting. However sometimes it can also become a little exhausting. I have observed that too much of planning never does any good and if you want to travel, it is you who got to take the initiative to plan.

I have realised travelling makes me very flexible, well not that I can somersault but yes mentally. Some might think travelling every now and then is superfluous but it is a complete rejuvenation. Not only does the body relax and repair, but the mind as well becomes very receptive. Travelling today is much easier, comfortable and doesn’t necessary have to be a luxury. Budget travels are also equally pleasurable; it lies in how you can exploit the situation to your advantage (this is where flexibility plays a role), You can always begin by visiting places close to where you live and then move further away and while you are at it make sure you let go of all inhibitions and savour each and every moment of the entire journey as that is what builds up into those amazing globetrotting memories. 

Bon Voyage!

Evolved to kill?

What makes us Homo-Sapiens, human? How are we different from the rest of the animal kingdom? Universally, it’s when and how we draw the line between our animal instincts and being compassionate is what sets us apart. So says the books, but are we actually humane?

Of late, the Yulin lychee and dog meat festival held in the Guangxi province, China has been making news for all the wrong reasons. Over 10000 dogs are brutally killed to satiate the Chinese in this festival annually for their meat which is believed to ward off heat during the summer solstice. Though traditionally eating dog meat has existed for thousands of years in china, this festival started around 2009 in June when the dog meats are relished & washed down with copious amount of liquor for 10 days. Such is the atrocity of the trade that even pet dogs aren’t spared; they are abducted and then killed along with the others without a hint of mercy. Many videos shot in the market show the dogs crammed in tiny cages which are then barbarically beaten, prodded with rods, torched, skinned alive and slaughtered. The videos are unbelievably haunting and disturbing. Though many animal activists have been continuously opposing the killings, there has been no end to it. The Chinese meat lovers fail to be reasoned with and continue to shower the blows on those wonderful creatures.

So then do we actually deserve to be called humans after the many inhumane acts imposed on the fellow occupants of this planet? Why do we fail every day to harmoniously co-exist with our own species as well as the other species? Despite our IQ being much higher than the other animals we are at crossroads when being at peace. This Chinese festival adds a whole new dimension of human beings not only being callous but also barbaric. Different parts of the world witnesses various such similar acts and yet the rest of the world doesn’t get together to stop those slaughters. This questions the entire evolution. As much as we have rights to live freely, so do the animals even if the case is them not being on par with us in terms of intelligence. They deserve to live on their own terms and this planet is much as theirs as it is ours. We sure are capable of loving one another and helping each other, then why not extend the same courtesy to the animals? The Yulin festival which is downright sickening needs to stop, so do the many other festivals and occasions for which animals are ruthlessly killed in large numbers. It is up to us to stick together to protect and fight for the gentle beings. Just being called ‘Human’ doesn’t make us any different from the animals, being one in and out is what would make a difference for the better.

Lost & Found!!

It has been ages since I have been active on my blog. I didn't have time to update, wouldn't be the right statement to make, it's just that my writing took a backseat or rather I pushed it to the back letting some insignificant things become an integral part of my life. I had forgotten or rather ignored how happy & contented it makes me to write, play the Veena, dance.. Sometimes I secretly wish I dint have a smartphone at all, though I feel connected to many people I think I have lost the connection to myself or for that matter encroachment of any technology into our lives does the same. But then it has also become indispensable.

My mother is someone who has always pushed me to do creative things be it performing arts or any form of art. She has always been a very artistic personality. There have been days as a kid where I have cribbed about going to my singing classes and discontinued them after a point(though that was after a long struggle with my mother) but now when I think about it I do regret not having heeded to what my mother said, coz I have realised over time that I am drawn to music and if I had pursued it maybe I would have been good at it. But am glad I dint discontinue dancing, That's one thing that I enjoy doing all the time and any time, gives me a whole new perspective. Sometimes I have just let it slip it through my hands, it would have been a terrible mistake if that had been the case. 

So is writing, the joy I get out of writing about something whether it's great or not, gives a sense of satisfaction and takes my mind off insignificant things. I often secretly wish I had half as much a vivid imagination as Ms. Rowling and could write some decent stories. It's still a struggle for me to come up with an interesting bed time story and my mother could do it with élan when I was a kid. And writing this post after almost an year is like learning to write from scratch, I could only imagine what would have happened if I had forsaken it. Nevertheless I have tried making this post sound as meaningful as possible to me as well as the others and in the process I guess I have found back whatever I lost. 

Take over!! Boom Boom Pow!

     I had mentioned in my previous post that I would try out cakes yet again to justify my assertion on the faulty old All-purpose flour/Maida for my cake failures.  So I dared to go for it again. This time I made a mix of jowar/sorghum flour with wheat flour for the orange cake batter. Jowar is from the grass species raised mainly for grains but is also used as fodder for animals and is grown in dry and warm regions around Asia, Africa & Mexico. It is widely cultivated in northern Karnataka and other dry regions in India. It requires very little water and is an excellent source of nutrition too. It is a staple food eaten in the form of Jolada Rotti (jowar roti) in northern Karnataka along with aubergine curry, chutney powders, curd and other spicy delicious accompaniments. Since it’s very good for the health I used organic jowar flour with the wheat flour to get a healthier cake. My favourite fruit ever since childhood has been orange, I love everything about the fruit, its tangerine colour, citrus smell and the tickling acidic juiciness and since it is orange season in full swing I went for fresh orange juice and the marmalade which gave the cake its signature titillating citrus smell and a tinge of tanginess. And who doesn’t love chocolate flavour especially when it makes an excellent combination with orange so cocoa powder went in to give its contribution to the cake with its flavour and colour. The rich aroma of the cake wafted through the kitchen and it definitely looked like I was on the winning side but one never knows what one might end up with. I baked it at 150 degree centigrade for 35 to 40 mins to avoid cracks on the surface and voila it definitely came out whole and pretty. I had also had banana puree instead of eggs to hold the cake together but the best thing was that it added an extra sheen to the browned beauty.

The wondrous healthy choco orange cake

 I waited anxiously for the moment of truth, for the moment that would prove that it was all along the Maida’s fault and not the recipe nor me who followed the recipe. The small piece that I cut out looked very porous and felt extremely light in the hand. As soon as I popped it into my mouth I was glad that I took up this challenge and didn’t just throw away my baking skills. Though grainy (jowar is grainy) it tasted perfect with the right amount of sweet & sour and fluffiness. I just felt I had crossed the finishing line leaving my opponent far behind at the starting line itself. So there was an admirable testimony for my latest acquired baking skills as well as my undaunted spirit to keep going on. I couldn’t have been more satisfied about the perfect timing, gave me the much needed boost just before joining my new workplace as designer. Everything happens for a reason….

Fluffy & utterly delicious!

The sunny side up!

            After a disastrous baking day in the kitchen a few days ago, trying to get a citrus cake done (wasted some yummy fresh orange juice), I was quite let down that I had not turned out as good at baking as I had thought I would. I had wanted to indulge in some sinful citrus calories for the hot summer for quite sometime, so I baked a cake with all purpose flour/Maida moving away from my healthier version of wheat cake just so that I could get a spongier cake. Alas I was hugely disappointed. Though it looked pretty for the camera, it didn't go down so well with the tasting buds. It had a rubbery feel, was dense and definitely didn't taste like cake. Though I slept through the night, this mess up was biting my head off the next day to find out what had actually gone wrong with the recipe (remember, one needs to be precise to bake a perfect cake). So I went for it again but this time with smaller batches for citrus cupcakes instead of a cake. It was a good start with the batter tasting  just fine, I went ahead without any change in the recipe and put it to bake. I expected a super fluffy, honeycomb structured cupcake but out came an extremely white set of cupcakes with glazed brown surface. I have seen my mom and aunts bake cake with only Maida and I swear I have never seen a whiter cake as this one. though it tasted good, it still retained that rubbery feel to it. Now this drove me up the wall as the same recipe previously with the whole wheat flour had turned out perfectly well and much fluffier. There I went again racking my brains for where I could have possibly gone wrong. For some strange reason I turned over the All purpose flour's packet to check the date of manufacture, thankfully I hadn't used expired flour (now that would have become an actual disaster) but it was pretty old flour (Maida is rarely used in my kitchens) and old flours result in bad cakes. I heaved a sigh of relief and I am pinning my hopes on the old flour for my cake failure and not myself.
So I am yet again going to try the citrus recipe with wheat flour to assure myself that I was not the wrong one but the old flour indeed. Failure does strange things, well sometimes it just gets the better out of you and I have definitely learnt to take failures in a positive stride. :)

My Baking Blues..... Cracked

                     This would be my first attempt at writing about food in my blog. Food has always been a great part of my life, ever excited to try various cuisines and breaking down its nutrition factor. I was never the eager kid helping my mum around the kitchen but rather the one having it and burning it all playing outside. Being born and brought up in a Havyaka Brahmin household I have always been associated with healthy & nutritious vegetarian food. Havyaka cuisine is one of the few kinds that use healthy fresh produce and almost no oil to make excellent scrumptious food with taste and nutrition never being compromised for. There was never dearth for nourishing food and the knowledge of what it does to one’s body. Hence I have always looked up at the bigger picture of having wholesome food with occasional indulgence to satisfy my taste buds. As an outdoor person, always away playing in the grounds, my kitchen visits were very limited except for those rare Maggi cooking sessions and helping mother in baking cakes (I guess, No pain no gain & the only kitchen activity that excited me). Contrary to all this I enjoyed watching cookery shows & contests. It was during my stay in the hostel that I realised my folly of never having tried my hands in the kitchen. Nevertheless being a foodie has its own perks, as it goes ‘necessity is the mother of all inventions’, I began trying to cook up with a few resources I had back then and lo & behold there I was putting together a decent edible meal. However it never held my interest for long nor did I have the patience to slog in the sweltering kitchen. 

I have always had a big sweet tooth (well it runs in the family), treating myself with all kind confectioneries, Indian sweets et al, though I knew that these ephemeral joys from the loads of sugar could do me more harm in the long run. Consequently I have always striven to find healthier supplements for my sugar cravings. Incidentally I loved watching people present dainty & tempting three hat restaurant standard desserts & confectioneries in cooking contests. Julia Taylor, the ‘dessert queen’ of MasterChef Australia 4 whose delicious desserts enthused me to experiment with my culinary skills, but with an entirely different emphasis on finding a healthy alternative to the sugar loaded delicacies. My mother and her sisters have always eliminated egg from their cake recipes replacing it with curd & butter so my first step to making vegetarian confectionery was quite easy. However I still wanted to get rid of the superfluous calories from the butter and nutrition less all-purpose flour. So I started replacing it with whole wheat flour and oat flour as the nutritious replacement, but I couldn't think of or find healthy substitutes for curd and butter (though ready-made egg replacer are available in the market it’s not a very feasible replacement) until I came across flax seed meal in the internet which is not only highly fibrous and beneficial but also makes the cakes puffy and fluffy. This not only manages to satisfy everyone’s palate but also nutrition wise is much better than cakes loaded with calories. Though I used olive oil initially I eventually substituted it with water and got an equally good cake. So finally I have the perfect basic recipe which can be implemented to almost any confectionery recipe which is equally nutritious, delicious and Vegan, so you don’t have to count in the calories when you have your sweet cravings. So here I go with my healthy tasty recipe for vanilla cupcakes.

Ingredients:

3/4^th cup whole wheat flour

3/4^th cup oat flour

2 tbsps. Flax seed powder + 6 tbsps. water

3/4^th cup of powdered jaggery/unrefined cane sugar/white sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 cup water

1 tsp. vanilla essence

 Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius. Mix the flax seed powder with water and keep it aside. If you are okay with dairy products take a cup of warm milk and add a tsp. of apple cider vinegar and allow it to curdle instead of the flaxseed meal and water.

Mix all the dry ingredients. You can dry roast ready to eat oats, powder it and use it. Mix the wet ingredients together and slowly add it to the dry ingredients and mix it well together until completely incorporated. 

batter in the cupcake mould.
I got in funky moulds to make the
process all the more fun. 

Line the cupcake tray and pour the mixture into it and bake it for 30 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean. Cool them completely on a rack and voila it’s all set to be devoured.  

Butterflies all set to fly ;)

Perfect with tea or coffee

PS: Tastes best as an evening snack with your beverages, you can top it with nuts or cream (if you are extremely skinny) :P

PPS: Hope you loved it & hope to come back with more.. :)

Life... As I know it.

      It has been a while since I held a pen to write about someone who really inspired me and moved me to tears at the same time. The reason I am back to writing after such a long hiatus is because I thought that the story of this particular person must reach everyone of his times and after his times. I was desperately in need for a push to come back here and start all over. An artist/writer goes around looking for inspiration that makes him bring out the best in him, but what he accidentally stumbles upon is what brings out the best work. That is what I hope has happened to me now. To me, more than just writing an impeccable piece, it’s about reaching out to everyone with Mr. V.Chandrasekhar’s story. How many of us know about Mr. V.Chandrasekhar other than people of his times who also have sadly forgotten him?

I didn't know of his existence until I came across a special episode of ‘Kannadada Kotiyadipathi’ (kannada version of KBC) where Indian cricketer Anil Kumble mentioned about raising funds for Mr Chandrasekhar’s Table Tennis Academy in Chennai. But until they showed him in person thanking Mr. Kumble and wishing him good luck for the game show, I thought him to be a normal sportsperson (of which I had no clue of either) who was trying to get recognition and aid for his game, in this cricket obsessed country. 

Mr. Venugopal Chandrasekhar is a former national Table Tennis player & Arjuna award winner from Chennai. He was a flamboyant player back in 1980’s and it is said that tickets for his matches used to be sold in black in TT patronized cities. He was also the first player from the non cricket world to be approached for commercials. He achieved great heights until 1984 when a negligent knee operation in the renowned Apollo hospitals threw every dream and life of his out of the window. A wrong dosage of anaesthesia left him paralysed and his brain damaged. He also lost most of his vision. He was known for his powerful personality, immense talent and also exuded the passion for making TT a forerunner back then. The legal battle went on for 10 years before Apollo hospitals decided to settle for their negligence. His dreams of making it big in TT definitely reached a dead end but his passion for it didn't He went through treatments and today has regained almost 70% vision and most movement of his limbs. He still suffers from a condition called nystagmus because of which his eyeballs cannot focus making it sometime really difficult to walk for him in the dark. As taken from his autobiography "My fight back from Death's door",

"There are times when I stumble on the footpath, and people have thought that I was drunk.
That is when it hurts for it is not my fault. Then I look at the computer in my office and cannot
read the small letters. To be lesser than a normal human being is what pains me the most
But I know I have to carry on. There is no point in looking back."

It is indeed very agonizing to see a legend reduced to almost nothing physically but he hasn't let this get to him instead has started his own TT academy and trains aspiring young ones like him there. He has shown many of us, all that is needed to reach out and make ourselves an identity is determination and the ability to face what may come. He fell down, but raised stronger & even more determined like a phoenix. This is what is for the majority of hale & healthy people with their brain and limbs intact to be learned from people like him who despite all inabilities continue to fight on for their passion and live life on. There are many in this world like Mr. Chandrasekhar whose stories have to come out to teach the many million normal people to live life cheerfully. It is up to us to keep these people alive in our memories and pass on their stories to the future. 

For all the people, you and I alike, not to lose our faith in ourselves when we fail but start fresh with even greater vigour and zeal and leave back the past baggage behind. For all the old and young alike who think of taking drastic steps when they just fall short of their goal; everything is not lost; you still have that moment to live, live it to the fullest coz you cannot relive it again. For everyone alike, be thankful that you are privileged than many on this earth who fight numerous hardships just to see a ray of hope and light everyday. I am thankful that I am one among those fortunate who gets to live each day contentedly without having to put up a struggle. I have always noticed that when I slowly lose the enthusiasm in life, I come across such people or incidents which make me realise I have nothing to complain about. It makes me want to do more for others. 

Man is a greedy animal; time and again it gets proved. Today we have grown intolerably self-centered and crave for more and yet remain unsatisfied. If only we open up a little, we will notice that there are lot of people who don’t even get to live what we do. It most definitely will make you feel very much gifted. It will make you forget for a moment that 'I am most important'. Man may have become everything dark but I still have faith he hasn't lost compassion for mankind at least. We need to keep reminding ourselves that there is more to life and live cheerfully.

image courtesy: www.timescontent.com

The Awakening!

The whole house being pulled down, newly painted, with my mother running berserk hurling abuses at me, lucky for me being an injured soldier she dint keep breathing down my neck. As for my dad, he had to put up with my mother's scowls. All this commotion was for the welcoming of Radhe Jaggi, who is a kalakshetra dancer other than being Sadhguru's daughter, she was coming the down to Neyveli to perform as a part of her offering to the Nataraj temple. After the whole house was revamped we were expecting her from chennai but she dropped in late due to the alarming hike in the petrol rates. The next morning after the late breakfast we headed to the venue & back in the infamous Neyveli heat. Later in the evening, the performance started with the Ganesh stuthi, then she started with the thisra alarippu which was a perfect combination of adavus & grace. This was followed by the extremely brilliant composition called 'tunga tarange gange'  which she did justice to, with amazing poise & perfect amalgamation of abhinaya & adavus. For some strange reason, maybe because of the presence of a higher power, her performance drew a large crowd & was intense with a streak of divinity to it. Her emotions were very soulful which made it difficult for me to take eyes off her. She ended it with a immaculate Thillana. The whole performance left me yearning, asking for more, start over my passion for bharathnatyam & desire to go dance alongside. I just had lost appetite for dance, I needed the push to slip into my dancing shoes or rather into the 'salangai' & Radhe just did it with her scintillating performance. The day was really phenomenal with the new awakening & new urge to do it all over again. 

The Long wait..... Wholesome experience!

I don't remember when was the last time I had felt so excited, felt the blood pumping into each vein along with the dreaminess of floating in the air with exhilaration. Well, the selection to the hot seat in Neengallum vellalam oru kodi (NVOK) did all this wonders. For people who are unaware of nvok, it is the Tamil version of kaun banega crorepathi hosted by the dashing surya of ghajini fame. I never knew I could make it this far pretty effortlessly. All this would have been impossible without gods grace and my parents. I would like to take you down this memory lane of mine & document it so that I can cherish it 20 years from now. Well as they say a mother knows her child the best, my mother was the one who coaxed me to enter this competition, she realised I had the potential & the knowledge to get through this & because I was desperately trying for KBC when it was first aired though I wasn't eligible. So I went through this rigmarole. First the SMS, then the call from them confirming my details along with 2 computer generated questions & then being called for the ground auditions in Laity auditorium, Kilpauk. I reached the venue as early as 7:00 am on the 19th of March & to my disappointment I found a painfully long queue for the registrations & I realised I had to bunk the whole day of office. It was a whole new experience for me, I have always watched long meandering queues on TV for reality shows & always thought people were crazy to be standing all through the day, but now, that I was in their shoes it din't sound crazy enough. After the registrations, there was a problem with my DL, it all came crashing down. Maybe it was meant to be short & not sweet. Luckily though, the issue was sorted, I got to face the tedious process of filling up the booklets & a round of quiz where I had to answer 10 questions (I did get them all right), later followed by a video shoot. We wound up at 7:00 pm, 12 hours of portal into a different world. Now was the worst part, waiting eagerly for the final call from them. It was indeed a very long wait, during which i had completely lost hope that I would ever get through. But again there is some super higher power whom I would like to call 'GOD' & Voila I get a call saying I have gotten through & that I am supposed to be present on the 7th of May in AVM studios (Kick ass, I must say). I din't know how to react & I have never been this weird. No sign of over enthusiasm, just silence apart from the buzzing of the butterflies in my stomach. As a forerunner to the show,a small video shoot of my crazy activities, hobbies & work were recorded, I guess this was the irresistible hilarious part of the show. Then on the D day, myself & my parents made it to the grandeur of the AVM studios. The NVOK set was both imposing & intimidating.We had a run through with their instructions, rules & then the changing of clothes, make up & hair & a mock fastest finger first. All this added on to the anxiety, nervousness but the Vijay TV crew did their best to make us all feel at home. Finally I make way to the ever dashing, darling Surya, I hold his hand & I just look at him & drool, well its not surprise here, is it?! For a moment there, thought I would forget my line for Surya but thankfully I make it along with drooling. After the introduction, is the FFF, which is the most toughest part of the game as it requires undue composure. I made it through that also & that's when I could feel the adrenaline rush, I went weak in my legs, I couldn't believe when my name appeared on the screen for the Hot seat, that is when I was on cloud nine. My mom couldn't hold back her tears, she was never happier. After all the racket & basking in the glory & attention from the crew, I was summoned to the hot seat after lunch. With Surya in front of me, God was he handsome, just couldn't take my eyes off him, drooling once agin. Then the game begin, started off pretty well, went on smooth with little tidbits of my life. Surya is a good talker, really sweet & assuring.So I sail from Rs.0 to Rs.12,50,000 question, this is when my overconfidence & the game play took the better of me & I lost, sliding down to Rs.3,20,000 but surprisingly I was not dejected, I was happy because the whole experience was entirely new, enthralling,it was never really about the money, it was just a good side of this whole meeting the star & having my 45 minutes to fame experience. I don't know how to conclude this as it all still seems dreamy & far off to me. Pinch me!!

All you need is Love!!

I have always wondered why long distance relationship takes the mickey out of people. Why does everyone feel, be it any kind of relation, strains the moment the person concerned moves away. Is it lack of love or is it lack of trust or is it lack of sense?!? I would say it is the lack of sensibility & also the current so called hot trend of moving on, dusting off everything as though nothing has happened. I strongly believe that this whole so called can’t manage long distance scenario is outrageous & a myth & people are thick enough to break up terming it practical but I think otherwise, maybe it’s the case of lack of true love that people opt for a breakup. When a person’s near dear one moves far away I bet he is missed immensely & vice versa. As the Beatles say ‘All you need is love’ is so true to its last word. All that a man needs is compassion from another man. I have always felt that distance is no real constrain when it comes to love. I want today to spend all the lost time with my friends who as of today are scattered all over the country & in different countries. There are lots of memories that each character holds in a person’s life. Teeny weenie reminds me of my friends almost every day & I miss them. Trust me, love for them has not gone down the scale, it’s rather ridden up the scale. I did realize all this late when my friend from far away land mentioned he misses being with his friends, with me & in a flash it made sense damn yes I too do miss him very much that is why I end up chatting with him everyday which I dint do so often when we were in the same city. I don’t think anyone’s love for their closed ones ever diminishes with distance. I can never grow apart from people I care about though there might be a tiff sometimes. Isn’t this love? Isn’t it belief I have placed on them that yes they do love me back? How cannot this happen to everyone, though it might have escaped a few unfortunate. When the love for your parents or siblings doesn’t just vanish & then how would it vanish for your partner?!? Isn’t it absurd?!? A few unfortunate who have gone through rough patch & ended in break up doesn’t serve as an example of being ‘practical’ in moving on mate! It just makes me think the concept of ‘move on’ is a golden gateway for young couples who are bored in their lives. I sure do agree distance relationships comes with its own share of complications, but aren’t there complications in everything. It’s up to us as to how we look upon it, accept it as it comes, face it & tackle it. With true love tugging at your heart there’s no way it’s going to snap with whatever the distance be it. ‘All you need is love’ & All you need is love’, so true & in-depth are these words that no one has replaced the Beatles till date. Thanks Guru for making me realise so many things, for being my best bud always. Loads of love & hugs from India.
P.S. Guru this post might sound silly, stop laughing at it, but it’s so true ain’t it?!?

Word Relish!

Today is one of those craziest days when I had nothing to do and my mind started running amok. As they say 'idle mind is a devil's workshop', well mine din't turn exactly into a devil's workshop it rather became loony. I started mouthing all the words that I love pronouncing and find very relishing. This is more of a silly post (thought I would give a glimpse of my silly side) but nevertheless interesting in a way. This list includes few proper nouns as well, which I will be listing separately.

So the list goes on like this...
- Aplomb ('plomb' sounds like a pebble falling into a puddle, though the sound is best described as 'Plop')
- Aristocracy (i just love that 'kraa' sound)
- Bubble
- Butcher
- Chivalry
- Chuckle
- Cuddle
- Doodle
- Dung (this so sounds like the background music i give when something heavy falls)
- Ergonomics (the day i saw this on the poster, i went mental repeating this all the way back home)
- Fulcrum
- Gobble
- Hippogriff (sounds majestic)
- Hopscotch (it definitely sounds juicy, i love going on & on about this)
- Mongrel (sounds great with appropriate prefix and is my favourite cuss word)
- Moron (used exclusively when I get irritated)
- Mumbo Jumbo ( well this is rather a phrase than a word but well this whole post is about my word Mumbo  jumbo)
- Nincompoop
- Poppy
- Poultry
- Puncture
- Scrunchy
- Topple
- Voilà (this definitely has elements of surprise and makes me happy whenever I say that)

And now for the list of pronouns that pleases my tongue to twist in..
- Constantinople (No more in use, I feel this sounds more cool, majestic than Turkey)
- Djokovic (The hottest stud with even hotter name)
- Dumbeldore (will remain my ever favourite name & person from Harry Potter series)
- Givenchy
- Dolce & Gabbana (Italians do have some hot names) 
- Gorbachev (I have an affiliation to Russian names, I would love to include all the Russian names)
- Massachusetts
- Pochampalli (This tiny sari weaving town in AP definitely has caught my attention)
- Timbaktu (Contrary to the metaphor of some outlandish land, there does exists a trading town in Africa)
- Vladivostok (Once again Russian, doesn't need any better explanation)
- Volkswagen (It sounds Foxy, hence sexy & sophisticated)
- Wimbledon (well with tennis being my favourite sport just cannot seem to neglect this wonderful name & place) 

I could remember only so much of my favourite words.. I bet there is more to it. Hope you guys enjoyed my silly post of my obsession with words.

The Walk of Life

WARNING: This is my true life experience with some deep insights & afraid some may find it boring.. but I assure you it would be great if you could go through it once. 

      Crowded streets covered with red betel spots & scented with the Coovum stench is a very common sight in Chennai but in walking the stretch of the road to reach the destination lays the art of enjoying every moment and thus becomes the walk of life. I walk down the streets of Choolaimedu every day to & fro from office with greying bald men yelling at me to give way for their giant perspiring bodies on wheels to speed by on the tiny footpath, adolescent men ogling, trying to freak me out with their obscene comments, the frustrating auto men always blocking my way when I am in least need of them and the ever chatty flower women have become a part of my wonderful journey. It must be a wonder how I enjoy every moment such as this. This walk has made me think out things with much more clarity; it has also taught me patience to deal things with and that the materialistic world (I have not been able to get over everything materialistic, though I have started with small things as of now) is just an illusion. I am not sure whether everyone would experience something as phenomenal as this by just walking through random streets. I have also heard people can go through such experience at different time at really odd situations. Thankfully mine isn’t odd enough not to make it to my blog. The walk back is so soothing and refreshing, I have never found out why, usually random people running into me always blow the lid off me but surprisingly ever since I have been walking in the infamous choolaimedu street everything seem to have become pleasant. My miscellaneous music collection blaring out of my earphones and the cool wind blowing on my face, going right through my nostrils brings the feeling of being alive and enjoying life every moment..It just made me realise how life has been interesting, surprising and extremely fruitful to me in comparison to the few others walking down the streets of Chennai, living off fly infested unhygienic food and dilapidated houses. All this made me feel very important, that I am not one among them. And when they could be contended and happy with whatever they have, live for that day like there is going to be no tomorrow, I should be feeling like the queen of the world. I no more worry about singing loud in the public with my earphones on because it just makes me elated to listen to it all alone (in my head) and enjoy each and every note of it. I have slowly started accepting each moment like it’s going to be the last, experiencing it with all the zeal & my spirit, doing whatever pleases me the most and trust me it feels just amazing. Life has become a lot gayer, it has brought in lot of clarity, instilled courage and every moment feels new, fresh & surprising. It becomes lot simpler living like this without any confusion because at the end of the day you would have done a series of things that ultimately makes you happy & want to enjoy life no matter what may come. It really did enlighten me, this ‘walk of life’.  

Memoirs of unconditional love

What does unconditional love mean to you? Is it the kind of love you find in your lover, parents & family? Is it something that radiates from your near and dear ones despite your inabilities and negativity?

Well to me it's all the above as well as the kind of love that radiates from a living being no matter in what state of mind you happen to be in or whether you happen to acknowledge it or not. I have experienced it in different forms coming from various walks of life at various points. I have also seen at a point when complete strangers feel that unconditional love for each other and i have wondered if it is forced upon or it just flows out? Everyone must have experienced that sensational moment at some point of life. The unconditional love of the parents, siblings and lovers though doesn't have any boundaries I personally think is bound by their relationship to the person concerned whereas that of friends are not bound by anything, they can choose to leave or come back anytime though we do expect certain things from them. I have been immensely lucky to have friends who have not chosen to leave me behind and instead showered me with boundless love. I ain't any god to deserve such love yet the journey has been wonderful. The love showered by my parents, family has always been of great support, been a strong backbone but what some friends have done for me is unaccountable. They have not done any herculean task (all credit for such tasks goes to the parents) for me to write about it here but the small things that they have done has made some big difference. Be it making me laugh like a lunatic, make me plead on all fours or pissing the hell out of me they as well as me have had our fair share of fun and I have always seen that glimpse of the so called immense unconditional love. It has been two months now past college and I have still not been able to come in terms with the fact that I have been stranded among grim faced, rigorous working men and have completely lost sight of those familiar grinning jobless faces. Last two days made me realize that I had not completely lost sight but had just become short sighted. And again it was love from two amazing individuals who came all the way from a great distance away to see me (which by itself according to me is a herculean task), spent some time and laughed like old times. Had it not been for priya and sadhana I would have lived in an illusion of having lost sight and would not have realized the greatness of that unconditional love which these both individuals showered on me especially the latter for coming all the way down on her birthday to my workplace just to see me (I know you could not contain yourself from seeing me :P), i was just bowled over and brimmed with happiness and tears. I have never been so touched by such an act. It made me realize number of things which I had earlier considered trivial and neglected. All this reminded me of Brett Dennen's 'Blessed', truly 'blessed is this life, I am gonna celebrate being life'. I know its been an overdosage of LOVE but hell yeah!! everyone has that impeccable moment in life and it definitely impacts us more when it comes in small packages and once in a blue moon!! 

BLIMEY!!

Well, its been quite sometime since I posted any blog. I did come up with some ideas but unfortunately nothing materialized. I have finally decided to take a leaf out of my brief tenure as a visual merchandiser, the umpteen number of observations that I make. It has always amazed me how some Homo sapiens composed of the same DNA like any of us develop to have some extraordinarily brilliant minds and out of which some end up coming up with mind blowing concepts for Ad campaigns; the right pitch to sell any kind of product. Any company will meet with great success if they have such distinguished Homo sapiens. Brands like Diesel, G - star have such incredible men behind the wheel steering the brands to the right direction through their prodigious Ad campaigns, window displays and posters.It is one helluva work to put in so much of innovative thought and executing it effectively which definitely isn't a piece of cake for everyone!! Hence hats off to these crazy innovators. I would like to show the world few of the incredible displays & Ad campaigns from some of the great minds which am sure will make everyone go BLIMEY!! 


The interesting things that can be done with rubber balloons including preventing piling on of population!

This is my personal favourite.. now now don't get me wrong. 
The caption, the cute balloon doggies all are bang on and eye catching and I hope will stop the unwanted increase in our population.

I bet all the guys would love to watch one such Marilyn Monroe effect. This Lanvin window display sure does get everyone's attention.

Anthropologie always tend to have some interesting as well as economical window display such as this dyed fabric spread over a ring. These displays are as a part of recycling theme.

This is the best of theirs, dyed tea bags. How more economical & creative can anyone get.

REEBOK has definitely someone really brilliant behind the wheel to have come up with a simple yet effective window display. Paris based Colette has created this. The display features all of the Reebok Pumps from the collection orbiting around the globe, a reference to the global scope of the project.

G Star Raw definitely knows how to advertise the product which they are an expert at.

Wooden denims with rotating pockets for their new 3Denims 

How can a fashion blog exist without the legend McQueen gracing it?

 This Avant-Garde installation by Zoe Bradley definitely makes head turn so does the one below with a metallic man hanging from the ceiling and giving a futuristic look to the store.

This will remain my all time favourite installation by Hermes. This window display with the scarf blowing shows their area of expertise for years, done up by Tokujin Yoshioka. True master of art. Trust the Japanese when it comes to doing something extraordinarily out of the box. 

If only Indian brands also could learn from them and invest extra on Ad campaigns and displays... they would truly become global.

I am hoping to see more such amazing ad campaigns and installation in the future and some from our Desi brands too!!! 

The Unsung heroes of Chittagong

How many in India know about the Chittagong armoury raid that took place on 18^th April 1930 or the young martyrs of Jalalabad? Little is known about the events that took place in Chittagong. People hardly know where Chittagong is? It is only a handful of people who recall the Chittagong armoury raid. Chittagong or Chattogram is currently located in Bangladesh; earlier a part of India during the British Raj. This was an important trade centre as it was easily accessible by the sea but it also was the birth of the revolutionary warriors who dedicated their lives to overthrow the two hundred year rule of the British Empire over India. 

Chittagong Revolutionaries

I read about this when I was in school in my history books though it is a shame that they had given just a miniscule detail about the famous raids that set the British government’s pulse rising throughout the country. After all these years I came upon it once again with Ashutosh Gowariker’s movie Khelein hum jee jaan se. Inspired by the book ‘Do and Die’ which was the motto of the Chittagong revolutionaries written by Manini Chatterjee, the movie was beautifully shot and was enacted brilliantly by the actors. Though the movie did not do well at the box office it did manage to carve a niche for itself in many a people’s heart. The movie moved me to tears which made me all the more determined to read Manini’s book. She is the daughter in law of Kalpana Dutta, one of the few women at that time who took part in the Chittagong uprising aggressively and who also set a great example for the rest of the women in the country. Manini Chatterjee, a well known political journalist has done a commendable job writing this book and has thrown light upon the forgotten uprising. She has given a riveting account of the dramatic events that unfolded over three years. Surjya Sen or Masterda (as fondly called by his comrades) was the master plan behind the armoury raids. This was carried out with rage as an answer for the Empire’s atrocious acts and for a free India. Though it did have some major flaws yet it sent a chill through the British raj. The raids took place at 4 places in one night and what really shook the British from the root was that teenage boys as young as 13 had taken part in these raids. As many as 40 or more young boys had challenged the might of the British Empire. With armoury raids facing a major setback, Masterda and his young comrades escaped to the Jalalabad hills. On the fateful day of 22 April, 1930 nearly 12 young boys were mercilessly murdered by the British armed forces. Their bodies were dumped together on the hills and burnt and later thrown into the sea. The bodies were not even rightfully sent to their home for a proper farewell but deceitfully thrown away. They were permanently branded as terrorists in all the police records and papers. As Manini puts it together ‘they may have not been the most skilled soldiers but to call them terrorists is a travesty of truth and desecration of their memory’

This is the time for preparation to embrace death as a friend and this is the time 
to recall lights of other days as well. At such a solemn moment what shall I leave behind for you? 

That is my dream, my golden dream – the dream of Free India. How auspicious

a moment it was when I first saw it! Throughout my life, most passionately and

untiringly I pursued it like a lunatic….. Onward my comrades, onward- never fall back.

The day of bondage is disappearing and the dawn of freedom is ushering in.

-          From Surjya Sen’s last message to his comrades.

Such was the courage and spirit of the revolutionaries that they embraced death happily for the sake of their Motherland. 

Don’t these young boys deserve immense respect for what they have done as to free India from the British’s clutches just so that the future generation spend a peaceful life? Don’t they even deserve to be remembered for their unwavering spirit and fearlessness to challenge the mighty British Empire? Yet I speak with great shame that people hardly know about this and fail to acknowledge it. It’s a great disgrace to these young martyrs’ memory. 

The history books should include such revolutionary moment’s and revolt’s detail to instil patriotism and pride in the today’s youth. People have long forgotten these vigorous young, zestful heroes filled with love for their mother land and have replaced them with the reel heroes. More people like Manini and Ashutosh ought to come up with forgotten Indian history to keep the patriotism spirit alive and all of us must take pride in remembering and hailing these great revolutionary heroes.  

Vande Mataram!

Bravo!!!

Blaž Kavčič (Slovenia)

On 7/1/2011 I got this marvellous opportunity of watching an outstanding match between the famous Czech republican Tomas Berdych and the lesser known Slovenian Blaž Kavčič at the Aircel Chennai open. Thanks to Arun I could make it to the match without much hassle. I was elated the moment I stepped into the centre court though the stadium was nearly empty, the Indian express (Lee-Hesh) had just finished a practise match and were relaxing along with Tipsarević pacing up and down the court. Gradually people started filling in with their placards for the match at five. Announcements were made and the heroes were welcomes. A towering Kavčič made the entry in a florescent outfit followed by the crowd's favourite Tomas Berdych. Blaz raised the heat in the court, trying his best to overpower Berdych, he did manage to garner in a few points and won a game or two but his numerous double faults added on to Berdych's winning streak. Though Berdych was the much loved one, Kavčič won the spectators heart with his style and technique of playing as well as sent the crowd hoisting up their seats. Berdych was proficient in his tactful aces, exquisite forehands making the match delightful. His planned strategy gave him an astounding straight set win over Kavčič taking him through to the semi finals. Berdych was definitely boosted by the loud Chennai மக்கள், particularly a boisterous middle aged man who just couldn't cease screaming 'easy now tiger, we want more aces Berdych'. Thanks to, I would like to call him 'easy tiger', if not for him the evening wouldn't have been as entertaining as it turned out to be. The court was chock - a -block by the end of the match, waiting eagerly for the next, Indian express show. The players, the umpire, the crowd & easy tiger animated the stadium making it a day that will never be forgotten.

A Game of Badminton?!?!

This winter vacation has been immensely refreshing, starting off with being kicked out of a house party.... Chennai is enjoying a cold, lazy winter which just makes it difficult to propel yourself out of the bed, unless until jabbed into. My maa has always been an amazing energy package, a very dynamic woman herself she keeps me wanting to do the same. She prodded me to do the household chores which I did out of sheer exasperation and to please maa but i always retired back to my good old books. As a kid I was always out on the roads, boisterous & an avid sportsperson. Since moving to Chennai I have been denied the very joy of sweating my heart out at any kind of sport. I have always had the greatest regard for sportsmen, big or small. Sports always keeps a person balanced, generates positivity & helps take life as it comes. Just these thoughts alone bubbled up my energy. I finally ended up asking maa for a game of shuttle badminton for which without any slightest hesitation I got an affirmative yes. Badminton has been really close to her heart during her youthful days. We decided on a game of badminton every evening, it started on a great note. I could feel myself & maa transform into lively kids and directing our whole energy & heart into the game. I was amazed at my maa's liveliness & the focus on the game, badminton for sure made her powerful & hungry for more. We played till we drained. A game after nearly four years refreshed me totally & I had a whole new take on everything. The first day was accompanied with a painful arm but i enjoyed it as well. Badminton shook up the child in me who had been hibernating all this while. The tremendous joy that comes from it cannot be put up in words. My dear friend Arjun doubled up my joy by throwing his soul in putting up a tough match making it all the more exciting. I have seen sports bringing about a whole new dimension into a person's world be it maa or anyone else for that matter. It leaves you yearning for more. Badminton of all will remain the closest to my heart as it was the first sport I learned as a child. I have a lot of memories with this wonderful game that I'll cherish for the rest of my life. Sports must be made an integral part in everyone's life for their own betterment and the Indian government has to take an enormous step towards making it happen.

Monsoonal bliss

The last place anybody would think of is Hubli, but there i was tucked under the blankets, sleeping peacefully.
Its been pouring over a month now, making this place cold n slushy. This is d time of the year when laziness takes the lead. It has taken a toll on me too. With immense effort everyday i make it out of my cozy bed just in time for the breakfast (10:00 am).With my brother out of the house i gladly take his place in front of the computer catching up with friends, checking out new movies, books , listening to dhan te nan from kaminey and staring at my modem which keeps blinking and frustrating me from time to time! So i head out but its monsoons.

Monsoons here in karnataka(most part of it) are so heavy that one cant step out of the house. It is blissful to watch the rain from far but with it lashing out for days, boredom stealthily creeps and takes its toll. Sitting on the compound and gazing at my neighbour's great Dane's soft eyes & jumping about on others compound and almost getting caught once gave me immense joy & pleasure but with the rains i had to huddle up in a corner of my bed reading Naipaul & classics. It is when my brother comes back home from his work that i get to go out and feel the fresh air.

Out there the roads are all slushy and with potholes bound to break backbones. Hubli's traffic is crazy with everyone claiming rights over the road. one can see the cattle, men, vehicles.... but it is the pedestrians who pose a problem for the drivers and the riders. No matter how hard you blow the horn, they move at their own pace. In spite of this we drove along taking in the cold air (it makes my hair sticky though) looking at the endless black clouds which seems like eternity.

We get back home, that is when i get to do the best part of monsoons. It is the eternal bliss of getting myself tucked under my blankets and hoping that something more exciting would be waiting when i open my eyes again.