Butterfly Effects

LOVE UNLIMITED

2011-09-04T14:01:00.004+05:30

A romantic once fell in love with a cynic,

Sparks flew left, right and centre.

He longingly stared at the shining moon,

She could only see the ugly, dark patch.

He had already imagined the rosy life ahead,

She was bothered by the thorns of the past.

He knew sky was the limit for both,

She feared that her sky might get limited.

He found romance in the wafting clouds,

She feared the thunderstorm and torrential rains.

He envisioned his dreams come true in Technicolour,

She found comfort in boring, mundane colours.

He wanted to roam around the whole world,

She was afraid of getting lost in the vastness.

He wanted to shower her with promises galore,

She believed promises were meant to be broken.

He found music in her laughter,

She resisted being swayed by his rhythm.

He waited,

She pondered.

And finally love struck,

Together they saw the world as never before.

TEN DAY YOU CHALLENGE. POST10: ONE PICTURE

2011-07-24T02:13:00.006+05:30

Finally, this blog experiment comes to an end with the last and final post. This was great fun and though somewhere in the middle I felt this was a narcissist challenge where I have given away too much to too many people. Nevertheless it was a good nostalgic journey. Made me ponder over a lot of aspects of my own life and reminded me of a lot of forgotten items. Glad I could finish this one.

Below is one of my favourite pictures. This was taken almost 4 years back in Goa at my first company offsite to Taj Fort Aguada. This pic has an innocently happy feel to it - the happiness of heading to Goa straight after joining your first job from college. Evident, isn’t it? ;) And of course I love the setting.

TEN DAY YOU CHALLENGE. POST9: TWO SONGS

2011-07-23T02:10:00.005+05:30

I truly believe in the saying - Music is what feelings sound like. Music makes it so easy to express the most complex of situations. Music is an integral part of my life. Most of the days, I wake up with a song playing in my mind on loop and that sets the pace of my day. On grumpy days, it is just Altaf Raja playing in my auto :P People categorise music into genres - be it classical, pop, rock, jazz etc and a lot of other jargon but to be honest I do not care for quoting the 'correct' group or genre…for me the criteria is simple - I like music that I can hum and stays with me elevating my mood :) as simple as that. But I must confess that I am greatly inclined towards soppy, emotional, heavy worded songs.

So, here go two of my most hummable songs:

Ajeeb dastan hai ye – I have been listening to this song since childhood and love the music, the pain, the singer and the setting. It has a soothing and calming effect on me. This song is a strange concoction of serenity, pain, happiness and celebration. Having heard the song a zillion times I should have memorized the lyrics but while my heart knows it, the brain just does not transmit the signals properly :P
Iktara – This song from Wake Up Sid is an all time favourite. I love the lyrics and just like several other songs it makes me feel that the lyricist has penned down the words just for me. This song has mood uplifting qualities for me and just makes me happy at any point of time. I like the male version of the song as well. Packs in slightly more emotions and feelings. Check out in case you have not heard.

TEN DAY YOU CHALLENGE. POST8: THREE MOVIES

2011-07-21T03:49:00.007+05:30

Movies – my perfect getaway from mundane reality and entry to the fantasy land. My love for cinema has given me sleepless nights, endless conversation points, fabulous ideas, memorable dialogues, lingering music and at times just a 2-3 hour break into oblivion. I am greatly influenced by movies...case point just before penning this post down I was thinking ‘Itni movies aur bas 3 option, bahaut na-insaafi hai re..' :P So, you now must get my obsession levels. I like to watch all kinds of movies irrespective of the genre, language, actors, country, director etc etc. I am grateful to my laptop and many of my friends for sharing their great collection and recommendations. My obsession owes each one of you and the great internet movie friend (who shall not be named here) a GREAT BIG FAT THANK YOU!

So here go the chosen three and in no way do these represent my favourites, they will act more like recommendations of sorts as they may not be that popular....

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas – One of the most underrated war movies. This movie is among the rare ones where the brutalities of war are portrayed in the most subtle and figurative manner. The story unfolds through the innocent eyes of an eight year old German boy who is oblivious of his father’s role, the adjacent Nazi concentration camp or the holocaust that awaits him. Brilliant acting, plot and the setting makes this a must watch movie. The ending is absolutely remarkable and comes packed with a punch. Caution: Can leave you with a lump in the throat or a few tears trickling down.
In the Mood for Love – Recommended by my dear friend, this can easily top my favourite romantic movie list. Highly impressed by the cinematography, story-line and subtle expressions. Post this movie, I became a great fan of the Chinese director Wong Kar-Wai and have watched many of his other movies like My Blueberry Nights and Chunking Express but In the Mood for Love remains my favorite. The movie is a lesson in love, infidelity and doing the wrong for the right reasons or vice-versa. Loved the ending – unexpected, sad and moving. Also, the soundtrack of the movie along with the visualization is absolutely brilliant.
Children of Heaven – This simple story of two siblings and a pair of lost shoes leaves you with such a warm and happy feeling. One of the simplest tales told with a sweet message of love and faith is a must watch and does not require much critical analysis. Watch it just to remind yourself that life is all about the simple joys and how underrated they are!

Shawshank Redemption, The Prestige, Memento, Forrest Gump, Inception, The Departed, Amelie, Revolutionary Road, Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, Rashomon, 12 Angry Men, An Education, Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, 500 Days of Summer, August Rush are some of my other favourite movies which I would really like to recommend others to watch. Phewww! The list is just endless and I am sure I have missed many of the good ones that I cannot recollect at the moment :-/

PS: This post does not mention any Indian or animated movies since these will require another post altogether as I am a complete Bollywood and fantasy movie freak

TEN DAY YOU CHALLENGE. POST7: FOUR BOOKS

2011-07-19T11:17:00.005+05:30

What would I do without books? I’m so glad that I was such a bookworm growing up and equally unhappy about the fact that I have turned into such a snail speed reader off late. There was a time when I used to read comics and then novels hidden inside textbooks and I have never regretted doing that. I am utterly and totally grateful to Enid Blyton, Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie, Nancy Drew, Rabindranath Tagore, O Henry, Roald Dahl and many other great authors for making my childhood and growing up years so wonderfully colourful. I have enjoyed every bit of those summer vacations spent in a fantasy world of some silly but a fantastic European make-believe world where I could be a spy, a hostel boarder, a detective...whatever I wished to be. The best part was that it opened gates of my imagination!! I used to look forward to my bi-annual trips to Calcutta and the high point of the train journey used to be the stopover at the railway Wheeler bookstore. I would religiously buy books on every trip and also finish them in decent readable time window. Sigh! Those were the days. And I always used to think when I start earning I will invest loads and loads of money and buy all the books my heart desires. But, the sad part is, that now when I can afford to buy as many books as I want, I hardly have any time to read them. I do blame the internet and my diminishing concentration levels for the same. There is always so much to do!!!

There are so many books I would like to list down but cutting them down to four for the sake of this post. The ones listed here are for sheer nostalgia and the fact that these books made a big impact on me, they gave me perspective, helped me grow up and well taught me a lot. So here they are:

To Sir With Love – This book was given to me by one of my favourite English teachers and almost like a challenge to finish it in a week. I loved the book and finished it in much less than a week. The smooth and simple portrayal of the complex social and racial issues in a school by E R Braithwaite left a deep impression on the school going teenager that I was.

Wuthering Heights – And this was my introduction to romance in teenage. I loved the plot and can still vividly recall the description of the hero Heathcliff. Thanks a lot for the lovely introduction to romance Ms. Bronte. A confession here is that I have hardly read any Mills and Boon. My introduction to this trash romantic literature was during my PG days and that too one book and I was done with it. I feel proud of the fact that I never grew up on those lofty novels in the name of romance. (Apologies to all the M&B fans)

The Shadow Lines – I fell in love with Mr. Ghosh with this book. One of my favourite novels and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it from first to last page. I clearly remember the night I finished this book, I sat in my room pondering over the fact that what a genius of an author to pen down such complex issues of partition, belonging and home in such a simple lucid manner. Post this book I have read many other Amitav Ghosh novels and the love/respect for the author has just grown. Have often thought about writing to the author but recently when I met him in person, awestruck I did not know what to ask him :-/

Only one slot left and I have so many more books to list. But I think I will list the writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez with two exceptionally great books 'One Hundred Years of Solitude' and 'Love in the Time of Cholera'. Love in the time of Cholera scores slightly more over the other, I loved the narrative and the plot. The book left me with an entirely new meaning of love, infatuation, patience and passion.

TEN DAY YOU CHALLENGE. POST6: FIVE FOODS

2011-07-17T11:40:00.005+05:30

Food – I live, breathe and dream about good food besides eating of course :P Foodie to the core, I feel there are few joys that match up to the joy of having a delicious meal with good company. People bond over smoke, drinks or other weird things but I feel the bonding over good food is unparalleled. Also, it is an absolute pleasure to prepare a meal that is enjoyed by the people cooked for.

Extremely difficult to shrink and limit my favourite food items into a list of just five, here go the lucky panch tatva:

Hardcore non-vegetarian, I enjoy my meat and as a policy do not prefer eating vegetarian food outside home. Ghar ka khana is mostly simple vegetarian food. My favourite non-veg food item is Mutton Kosha (Bengali dish where the mutton is cooked in thick gravy). I like it with pulao, parantha, luchi, roti and just like that. This dish conjures up memories of many Sundays where as a child I would just wait this dish to be cooked by Ma. The funny or out of character part is the potato used in this dish - but please don't think I do not like my veggies, this aloo(potato) happens to be my favourite as well.
I love Thai curry both green and red. Green Thai curry with steamed rice is absolutely drool-worthy. I can never have enough of it and the discovery of the Thai cuisine has been a delight for the foodie in me. Sadly, there are only select few places in Delhi which serve decent Thai food. Among the Asian cuisine, I’m also very fond of the Burmese Khao Suey.
Another very popular and staple Bengali food – Luchi (puffed, fried maida mini rotis) Alur Dom (Potato cooked Dum style) or Chholar Dal (Chick Pea Lentil) is very close to my heart and stomach. This again is the perfect Saturday/Sunday breakfast item. I crave for this food item staying away from home since I have not yet mastered the art of cooking luchi or alu dum or chholar dal.
I love desserts and all kinds but my most favourite dessert is the Mississippi Mudpie. This dessert’s deliciousness is directly proportional to its exotic name. In case you are a chocolate fanatic like me, do give this dessert a try at Big Chill. It is a huge brick of frozen chocolate and I can finish it in one go after a full meal :)
Also, I am fonder of Indian sweets than the foreign desserts. Coming from the land of sweets, it comes as no big surprise. The list of my favourite sweets can fill up the entire post :P Rasgulla, gulab jamun, rabri, kheer, gajjar halwa, cham cham, sohan halwa, kaju barfi, moong dal halwa, jalebi, kalakand, malpua – I love them all besides many more. But my ultimate favourite sweet dish is mishit doi (sweetened curd) that you get in any roadside shop in Bengal in earthen pots. Recently, Mother Dairy has introduced a variant of Mishti Doi which comes very close to the original. Do try the same in case you are fond of Indian sweets.

Ok finally I’m done and now hungry after writing this post. Let me food lust for the time being since I am not getting any of the mentioned items right now :-/

TEN DAY YOU CHALLENGE. POST5: SIX PLACES

2011-07-16T12:12:00.007+05:30

Places have peculiar associations for most of us. A place becomes live-able, tolerable, loveable, adorable - all courtesy the company, incidents and various other factors. I connect places with people, events and memories. Else, just like a name, a place is nothing but a place.

Calcutta – Yes, that is how I still like to call the city and will always remain so. I was born here, it means family and friends to me, and hence have a special connection with it. Though I have never really lived here, I just adore the aura of the city. The beautiful blend of old world charm and new age thoughts makes the city stand apart. I owe all fun filled vacations and three glorious years of forging lifelong friends and coming of age to this city. This is to me truly 'the city of joy' and every time I land up here, it lights up my soul. Some of my favourite places in the city are – Nandan, Victoria Memorial, College Street, Shyambazar, Rabindra Sadan, Park Street, Esplanade and the numerous affordable, delectable eating joints. What I dislike, is the new mall culture - they are shadowing the charm and also the laidback work attitude - which does not paint a good picture in eyes of rest of the world. Everything else I love – the talkative & happy people, the finger licking food, the culture, the austerity and so many, many, many more things. Calcutta, you mean home to me and will always be so!
Delhi – I love you! And that’s a confession. After almost half a decade of dillagi with Dilli that is what I feel. From a point where I arrived in the city with a bagful of prejudices and weird notions to a point now where I shudder at the thought of shifting base, our love story has come a long way. Yes, it was not love at first sight but a slow and gradual one. Thank you for all the great lessons, good times and awesome people. Five years back when I came here, I was fascinated by the look of India Gate and the AIIMS flyover. Nothing much has changed now, I am still amazed at the beautiful juxtaposition of the city with history and how people living here have scant regard for the same. I love the infrastructure, the right pace of life (neither as fast as Mumbai nor as slow as Kolkata), the wide roads, the greenery (at least in South & Central Delhi), and the historical monuments around the city. Some of my favourite places – Raja Agrasen Ki Baawdi, Humayun’s Tomb, Chandni Chowk, Hauz Khas Village, Dilli Haat, CP, JNU, IHC...alas! The list is endless.
Ok this place may not even feature in the map of India but means a lot to me. I grew up in this small quaint steel township called Ghatotand aka West Bokaro in Jharkhand. I have fond memories of the place and even the mention of this place transports me to a different world. There is nothing in this place worth mentioning about other than the people and my school. Every other person knew everyone else and all communities lived happily together. It was a large scale mohalla and I loved growing up in that protective, cozy and nosy environment.
Delhi has given me the opportunity to explore the hillsides. My favourite place among hills is this small town called Mukteshwar (50 km above Nainital). I had a serene experience just lazing around on the Chaulli ki Jaali, this is where rocks jut out from the hill face at a bizarre angle. What a spectacular view! I could just sit here and day dream for hours.
Goa and Gokarna - both have to feature in this list. Among all the beaches that I have been to till date, these two are special. Goa was my first office offsite and though I did not travel much outside the Taj Fort Aguada resort but I loved whatever little I saw of the place. Gokarna was a recent trip and I loved the less populated, clean beaches. One of my most memorable moments of life would be swimming in the Arabian Sea upside down. The pleasure of watching the clear blue sky while floating in the sea cannot be described in words.
Ok the last and most special place is somewhere I have never been in reality but have visited often while day-dreaming. The place is Capri in Italy and there is a slightly long-ish short story by W Somerset Maugham called ‘The Lotus Eater’ that has etched the beauty of this place so impeccably in my mind that I do not need to Google the images for a view. I fell in love with this place while reading this story and the affair continues. Do read it, if you are remotely interested in knowing about this place. Hope I get to visit Capri sometime soon else there may not be any salvation for my soul J

TEN DAY YOU CHALLENGE. POST4: SEVEN WANTS

2011-07-15T02:18:00.007+05:30

Wants, wishes, desires - can they be limited to seven? Nahhh. This is a very difficult task. The list of my wants and desires is updated constantly on a daily or hourly basis. I like to dream, imagine and make silly, random wishes relentlessly. Staunch believer in air castles, wish horses, fairy tales and genie here goes my edited list of seven wants:

DREAM JOB!!! A job that requires me to travel around the world and document or talk about the same . The thought of visiting new locations, experiencing local cuisine , culture and landscape and getting paid for it is the ultimate desire.
And another of my top wants will be to eat my favourite food items in unlimited quantity without thinking about the repercussions or after-effects. Well to be honest I actually practice this. With food I really do not care about the consequences and eat to my heart’s content. But unlimited quantity may need a scientific/biological/genealogical intervention therefore I call on all mad scientists to experiment and help me get this done :D
One of my secret desires is to become a movie critic. With my limited knowledge of cinema, I am far from even being a commentator on the subject but the world of movies excites me immensely and the greatest joy would be to share my views and experience with a larger audience. There’s a long way to go for that. Taking up a film course to begin with may not be a bad idea.
A road trip to Leh Ladakh is part of the bucket list as well. This has been on my mind for quite some time now. Hope the plan materializes soon.
I want to learn a foreign language. This again has been a long pending plan. I am greatly fascinated by languages and feel they are the gateway to a particular culture and region. I want to begin with Spanish. I love the accent and may be Penelope Cruz has a great role in making the language sound so sensual.
A date with ALL of these three men – Amitav Ghosh, Aamir Khan AND George Clooney. Random options but these are three men I would give anything to meet in a lifetime. I met Amitav Ghosh recently and it was an amazing experience. Such a humble and friendly author. Would love to just sit and hear them talk. For a change I promise to keep quiet :P
The last and final would be a month long trip to Europe. Would love to roam around the places I have till date read about and fantasized often via novels, stories and movies. A long Euro trip without the hassles of work and deadlines will be the grand gift that I look forward to.

PS: In case any of you find my Genie roaming around aimlessly, just send him back. His bottle awaits him.

TEN DAY YOU CHALLENGE. POST3: EIGHT FEARS

2011-07-04T03:09:00.007+05:30

Fear is a term I do not relate to. At the first instant, it seemed that I may not have anything substantial to share but when I started jotting down, it did not seem that difficult. We all have fears and it is just about coming to terms with them and accepting them.

My biggest fear would be losing a near and dear one. Well, this is the most common fear most human beings possess. I have lost quite a few close ones in the cruel hands of the inevitable and hope against hope not to go through the same anytime soon. Also, I dislike saying goodbye to friends, family and loved ones. That denotes loss in some way as well. I cry as easily as I laugh. Most goodbyes are met with tears and I just dislike them.
Off late I have developed a very strange fear – the fear of losing my child like excitement or curiosity with time and age. It might sound weird to most but yes with ageing that is one of my greatest concern areas. My hyper active soul loves to question, explore, giggle and indulge in impromptu plans. I just hope I stay the same even with the passage of time, age and senility. Hope my love for travelling, talking, laughing, books, movies, music and the small joys of life only multiply and not diminish.
Failure – That is a fear of the typical middle class mind. Though I have never been even close to failure academically but the entire thought of failing in a project, work or any aspect of life scares me. This I feel is a potent cause of my inability to learn cycling. I always feared falling down and hurting myself. Recently, I have realised that great success is only accompanied by grand failures in life. This realization has me slightly sad. There goes my chance to be rich, famous and successful. Though I have been looking out for opportunities to fail but I know it is difficult for a safe player like me.
I fear boredom. Yes that can be a fear as well. Loneliness does not scare me much but the thought of not having anything to do or a blank mind scares me. I enjoy hyper activity and also inactivity at times but a blank mind or the nothing to do feeling I feel is the worst. Well, I hardly face such moments, hence the fear.
Crossing a busy road frightens me like no one’s business. I stand, I wait, I look right & then left, I ponder, I evaluate the speed and the vehicle size and then make my move. Phewww! The process gets easier if someone just pulls me along. This has to do with the fact that I grew up in a quaint little town where there were not much traffic issues. Also, I do not fear travelling alone in a public vehicle in a city like Delhi but what I fear is using an empty underground passage at night. The few times I have had to do this, the phone has been of great support.
Another important fear is the fear of not living up to the expectations of my family, friends and most importantly me. In school, college it used to be teachers. Now in work life it is my bosses and client. I shudder at the thought of my family or friends telling me that I failed them in any aspect. Also, the biggest fear is the day I fail my own expectations. Yes, I have high expectations from myself.
Ok this has been my most recurrent fear since childhood. I hate, loathe, despise lizards or for that matter most reptiles. I can’t describe in words how much those dirty little creatures skating across the walls freak me out. I have had nightmares of being surrounded by those ugly creatures. Till a few years back I wouldn't enter the bathroom without doing a Lizard proof check. I have become slightly tolerant to them but it is still difficult for me to concentrate if they are visible anywhere close to my vicinity. One of the grossest sights possible for me is watching a lizard attack and then devour a cockroach. Absolute horror scene material for my eyes.
My latest developed fear is the fear of losing wallets & ATM cards. With a great track record of losing four ATM cards and one wallet, this is my most materialistic fear. The whole process of ‘losing, tracking, slapping myself mentally, frantic calls, listening to the automated bank customer care messages, repeating the same message to multiple CC executives due to call drops and waiting patiently for the card to arrive in a week’s time’ is too much for me to handle now. Also, informing the rest about the development especially my mother is a herculean task. The fallout is that off late I have been double or triple checking my wallet & card. Can this be called an OCD? Sigh!

TEN DAY YOU CHALLENGE. POST2: NINE LOVES

2011-07-02T01:48:00.005+05:30

Love is one of my frequently abused words. I use it a lot regarding any possible topic, person, object I am very excited, happy or passionate about. I love to love and I love to hate.

1. Ah! This is easy – Ma. I love, respect and dote on my mother, and I simply adore my grannies. These three ladies are my topmost loved people and I know for a fact I mean the world to them. Ma and I share a 19 year old gap (yes she was married early and I was born in time) and I often get to hear from people ‘Is she your elder sister?’ I hate it and love it both. More than mother she is a friend and there are hardly any bits of my life that I do not share with her - right from my daily meals to my friends to my outings. Yes, everyday despite the 1500km distance. Aamma (my paternal granny) is one fun lady and she is one person who has more faith on me than myself. Dida (maternal granny) does not stay with us but is close family and the most magnanimous person I have ever known.

2. I hate to admit it but I love my kid brother. He is everything that I am not, and that may be something that makes me love him even more. Introvert, geeky, hates to interact with people at large and specializes in wisecracks. He is not the regular epitome of the young generation, he is different and I cherish that about him. And then of course my dear cousins who have donned various roles of siblings, friends, and partners in crime are again top on my love circle.

3. *F.r.i.e.n.d.s *….YUP, where would I be without them. I had once read - if count of your friends exceeds your fingers or toes, you are lucky. Oops in that case, I need additional 10 hands and legs!! Well and I love them ALL. They do define me and have made the journey called life so much more fun, and did I mention they help me keep sane? So, school friends, college friends, Post Grad friends, work friends and friends across my stay in three cities have been the love of my life. Wish I could put one collage of my group of friends but there are way too many loved, valued friends and I just fear missing out on any one of them. Even if you have spent a moment of happiness or sorrow or misery with me, trust me it has meant a lot and you are a friend for life.

4. My lifeline - movies, books and music…they make an addict! I think and breathe them 365*24*7. I watch A LOT of movies, there is always a book by my bedside (just don’t ask me about my reading speed) and music is a constant companion.

5. I love to travel and the mere thought of exploring a new place makes me ecstatic. I’m struck with this constant wanderlust and often browse through travel portals and magazines to be transported to a wonder land. I try to plan as many trips as possible in the limited means of resources and most importantly availability of holidays.

6. SEA. I never realized how much I liked and then loved it. Took me quite a few trips to realize how much I love listening to the waves crashing on the shore, witnessing the sunrise and sunset by the waterside, swimming in the sea and just taking a stroll on the beach. My favorite activity remains picking sea shells on the sea shore.

7. Loquacious. Babbler. Talkative. (etc*)…yup that is me. AND I love it. Did I mention I love laughing too?! In my happy or normal mood and with my set of friends, I can go on and on any given topic. And about my laughter, I would rather not say much. In my office, there is a recorded laughter of mine which can pass of as a non-stop 5 minute laughter track. One of my colleagues recently told me he uses it to scare his daughter. :-/

8. This one might sound silly but I love my profession and you know what? It is a perfect blend of my loves 3, 4, 5, 7 :D (yeah that is a smug smile) and given an option to reconsider my career choice, would any day choose Public Relations as a profession. I love my job and my office and they mean a lot to me.

9. Last and kindly note in NO WAY the LEAST...this clearly defines me…my love for food and anything sweet! I am a complete foodie at heart and even the mere mention of good food is enough to give me the kicks. Many people have told me that it is a pleasure to eat with me as there are very few people who enjoy food the way I do. The item that accelerates my excitement levels to manifold times would be sweets. Friends have given me interesting names on this: Chinti (ant), Cake annihilator and the latest being Sweeto (on the lines of Magneto in X-men)

To sum it up: I love life and believe in enjoying every moment of it.

TEN DAY YOU CHALLENGE. POST1: TEN SECRETS

2011-06-30T02:34:00.008+05:30

It has been a long time since I visited my blog and was extremely guilty about this. So, when I recently saw an update from @s4sukhdeep about an interesting ‘10 Day You Challenge’ (started by Preeti), I thought this might be the right opportunity to get back to posting on my neglected blog. So, challenge accepted and there go ten of my secrets as part of this challenge. Shhh do not share it with the rest :)

The breaking news worthy ‘Ten Secrets’

1. I love food and have a set of 32 sweet teeth (yes all of them have a sweet liking) – now this may not be a secret to most people who know me but the secret is that as a kid I had polished off an entire plate of sweets served to me and my parents. Imagine the expression of pure horror on my parents’ face when they saw me happily gobbling down the entire plate of sweetmeats at their friends place. My mother was so embarrassed after seeing me gorge on all *mithai* served to my parents and me that she informed the hostess that they were not hungry any more :P (I can’t imagine what I would do if my child was to do the same)

2. And for the record, the name is LIZA and NOT LISA! I hate it when anyone refers to me as Lisa, it is just a 4 lettered name and yet some people insist on swapping my beloved “Z” for a ‘’S” despite repeated reminders. Just to prove a point and take on MS Word on the same issue, I prefer using “S” instead of “Z” for words like organisations (British style). Also, it is just rude not to notice someone’s name’s spelling beyond the first time. The name bit has given me so much grief that it resulted in an elaborate post!

3. I categorize sleep as an activity required to keep the human body functioning. If I could get away by not sleeping at all, I would happily do so. I am perfectly fine with 4-5 hours of sleep everyday and there have been days where I have slept even lesser and woken up perfectly fresh and energetic. I feel rather guilty if I ever manage to sleep during the day time.

4. Till about four years back I did not even know how to cook rice or how the lentils took the shape of liquid. And now I can proudly say I can cook most dishes without much help from phone-o-mommy. I have enjoyed my evolution in the kitchen and it has been a journey of self discovery of sorts for a foodie. From a point where I would measure the amount of spices before putting it in a dish to the amount of water in the cooker to hosting lunch/dinner at home for friends, cook Liza has come a long way all thanks to friends and the phone. MIND YOU I still prefer someone else cook for me.

5. As a kid, I actually believed that people in the TV could see us as well and hence, I would never change in front of the TV set :P I was a complete TV addict as a kid and teenager. In the growing phase, I hate to admit but I was also addicted to the K serials and all the soap operas thanks to my granny and mommy. I had become so good at predicting the plots and twists that once when there was an advertisement in a leading daily of Kolkata about Balaji Telefilms’ talent hunt in the city for some scriptwriters, actors etc, my mother actually suggested I should go ahead and participate. Well, Balaji’s loss is PR’s gain :P

6. I cannot ride the bicycle. There…I said it. It isn’t that I did not try…I mean how do you think I discovered gravity? This is one of my major regrets till date and someday I will learn and ride the bicycle on my own.

7. I was one of those rare breed of kids who would cry to go to school even on a rainy day. Yes, I totally enjoyed school and nothing much changed in college. I hardly bunked college without any good reason. Movies, parties all were planned post or prior to classes. Nothing much has changed at work, all my leaves are planned. Have hardly taken any leave in my 4 year career span without a plan or illness.

8. I am a person of small things. I totally love the small gestures and activities by known and unknown people. I might forget about an expensive gift but I will never forget a small gesture of love or kindness. I still carry a poem written by one of my teachers on the occasion of my 13th birthday. For that matter, I also have a box full of old letters, cards and gifts – priceless treasure of childhood.

9. Well this may not be a secret just a fact but I find it very amusing. The fact is that my brother and I were very strategically born. I was born when Indira Gandhi died and my brother was born when Rajiv Gandhi died. *My lord, both of us have no role in the conspiracy*

10. I absolutely adore kids of all shapes and sizes and they adore me right back too. But I completely amazed myself when recently at a camping outing, a 9-10 year old girl came up to me for relaying a message sent by her mother AND called me ‘Aunty’. My immediate shocking response was Aunty hogi teri Maa!!! :)

WHAT'S IN A NAME? By Liza Saha

2011-03-22T22:06:00.012+05:30

Think about this and think beyond Shakespeare. A lot - our identity, our existence and our entire lifetime revolves around this one aspect on which we hardly give much thought due to our limited control in the matter. Something so personal and intrinsic to our personalities and we have no say in the choice. What to do such is life!

It is strange, how unconsciously we (ok not all but most) associate images and personalities with names. In my profession where I speak or interact with unknown names and faces all the time, it is fun to put faces to the names and contacts. There are even names whom I have often interacted with, have become friends but never met. For me, those names are my friends, acquaintances and a treasure trove of information.

Now ask me the importance of a name! I have lived all these years answering people whether I am a Christian, Bengali Hindu or a mixed breed with a name like that. I completely appreciate the curiosity but it is slightly weird answering queries on one’s religion. So, on an average 5-10 minutes of any informal introduction of mine revolves around the name. At times it is plain annoying and makes me wonder ‘Why should I answer about something which I did not choose in the first place?’ Easy escape but I like the difficult route.

Not to forget, the pain of always getting my name confused with Lisa. Well, that may be the popular one, but I aint the popular variety. I am tired of correcting people who do not even manage to get a four letter name right despite polite reminders and corrections. Hence, I have just given up on me, my name and the spell check. School was spent hounding guys who would call me Lizard, Chhipkili, Chhips (as well by the wannabe cool sorts) and the list is endless. Imagine being associated with a creature that you loathe and are scared of! It is scary to live with a nick name like that.

The funniest incident happened sometime back when I had to travel a short distance in Delhi in a shared auto (due to the lack of availability) with a random guy. Dressed in traditional attire for a pre-wedding function, I was impatiently waiting for the 5 minute ride to get over. The random guy insisted on initiating a conversation and as it is with unknown people, started with asking my name. I pondered for a while and after a quick mental analysis of the pros and cons of telling my name to a stranger, told him my real name. His million dollar reaction on being told my first name,, “Naam nahi batana tha to nahi batate, jhooth bolne ki kya zarurat thi.” Now, I have never been more amused with that kind of reaction on telling someone my real name.

It has got to do something with my weird name in the Indian context or the torment of the entire name issue; I have been obsessed with names and the process of naming. Reading new names, remembering names of any and everyone I have met or heard of, nick naming people and inanimate objects have been my favourite activities since I do not recall when. Some of the nick names coined by me have become more popular than the name, now that’s my way to avenge the name atrocities hurled on me by the world. For the sake of the honour of all the great nick names coined by me, I shall not reveal them. But another hilarious incident happened when a batch mate from college days whom I had named on some occasion due to some incident - Lola (this was a guy), suddenly sent me a message after almost 4 years of passing out of college saying, “Hey, you remember me? Long time. I am Lola from XYZ college.” The message made me burst into laughter after a long strenuous day at work.

My latest hobby has been naming my gadgets. Considered lame and very lame by most people, I totally love this activity. So, my dearest laptop is called Pappu, my pink digital camera is called Pinky and my latest Android phone is called Andrew. Oops just remembered yet to name my dear abandoned MP3 player. Till the time I figure out, suggestions are welcome.

Long live thy name!

LOVECHILD

2011-03-10T17:58:00.024+05:30

The overcast sky

Swelled with love

Unaware of any other form

To express happiness

She shed all her tears.

The forgotten earth

Dry, parched and ignored

Suddenly filled with passion

Twisted, Turned and Splattered

Gave birth to a new life.

The tiny hapless sapling

Bloomed in the love of the sun

Fed with the care of the earth

Never knew about the sky

Merrily grew to be the tall tree.

A SPECIAL TRIBUTE

2010-06-20T19:22:00.002+05:30

Light and shade play a beautiful game of hide & seek,

In the courtyard of memory lanes a strange match is being played,

Your warmth lights up all my memories,

And your absence leads me to the darkest alleys.

You are gone but the memories linger,

The touch is missing but the magic continues,

The distance is unfathomable but the closeness continues,

The footsteps go untraceable but the marks remain.

LOST IN TRANSITION

2010-04-28T17:39:00.006+05:30

Thoughts tend to get lost in the mélange of routine,

Ideas meander away before firming up,

Words have ceased to be coherent and sane,

Promises have lost their relevance,

Feelings have become rationalised,

Restlessness has become an accepted facet,

Wonder is it age or the times we are living in?

TWESTIVAL – THE FESTIVAL WITH A TWIST

2010-04-13T16:55:00.005+05:30

Less than a year ago, when I was coaxed rather forced to join Twitter by a friend on the lookout for an additional follower, little did I know I will get addicted to the platform to this extent. Twitter has brought about an interesting change in the way I spend my time online. My source of breaking news, a personal touch point to reach out to celebs (not SRK, Shashi Tharoor is more my kind of Twitter celeb), instant help online on any subject under the sun (from dance number suggestions to survey responses, you get it all on Twitter), participating in interesting conversations, tracking important movements in media and corporate world - Twitter has assimilated itself seamlessly well into my lifestyle. (Oops did I miss mentioning contests & quizzes). No doubt, that this medium has become an addiction and there is a twitching in the mind if I am away from it long! Recent point in case being my outstation vacation, could not stop myself from updating Twitter via phone.

For such a Twitter addict, it was a great pleasure to be associated with the #DelTwestival – The Delhi chapter of the Twestival held on March 25, 2010 @ Café Morrison, South Ex. Twestival was held across more than 175 cities simultaneously around the world wherein thousands of people around the globe leveraged the power of Web 2.0 for social good. The global event is a worldwide fundraising initiative that uses social media, particularly Twitter, to focus participants’ talent and resources to benefit one cause for one day. All proceeds generated from the 2010 Twestival will support education and will be donated to Concern Worldwide, a non-governmental, international, humanitarian organization that since 1968 has dedicated itself to reducing suffering and eliminating poverty.

Post innumerable online interactions, befriending a lot of Tweeples and dodging various Tweetups, finally I was very excited to learn that I could actively participate in the Delhi chapter and handle the PR for the same. It was fun to witness a scenario where people online known to each other were scouting for recognition via their Twitter handles. Funny how complex identities have become in the web 2.0 era. Overheard throughout the evening “Hi I’m @xyz and I follow you. Great to meet you offline.” Fervently live-tweeting via phones, the enthusiastic bunch of Tweeple straight from office (mostly) showed that it isn’t only the Backstreet Boys that can pull crowds in Delhi. An evening dedicated to a noble cause witnessed Twitter users from various walks of life assemble together amidst myriad conversations, peppy music & of course Tweeting.

After exchanging pleasantries aka Twitter handle hellos, the session kickstarted with a discussion on education. As is the case with Twitter, conversations veered in all kinds of directions and perspectives. Tweeple jumped in with suggestions and anecdotes when a Std 12th student present asked how he could use Twitter in his free time. With endless chatter, hearty laughter, enjoyable music by the talented band of Five8 and most importantly exchange of handles, the evening came to an end. Twitter may have a character limit of 140 but the Twestival did not have any time or people limit. Tweeple were seen enjoying the one-of-its kind meet way beyond the stipulated time of the event.

With the event raising more than 1000 US $ for a noble cause of education along with the topping of being a meeting ground for several online Twitter handles in real life, the second Delhi Twestival was quite a hit. Looking forward to the next one already.

PS: Those who find the language used weird aka excess use of @ # and handles, all I can say is this is the Twitter effect. Interested in exploring a new world of networking get on to Twitter asap & join in the spirit of Tweet, Meet & Give.

BEING A WOMAN

2010-03-08T20:04:00.000+05:30

Deprived for ages,
Now we doubt our own potential.

Abused for aeons,
Now we are ashamed of our own self.

Captivated in four walls,
Now we are afraid of soaring high.

Trodden on the known,
Now we are scared of the new & unknown.

Kept in the dark,
Now our eyes are dazzled by the light.

Time may heal the wounds,
But will the scars vanish?

REGAINED

2010-02-09T00:37:00.002+05:30

Feel unshackled today,
Let out to roam in the wilds again,
To experience the fresh whip of air,
Free from the invisible ties to thyself,

Feel elevated once again,
Seems my spring has arrived,
After the dry spell of winter,
Happy to be myself.

THE SCAR

2010-02-09T00:33:00.001+05:30

Found a few days back,
The scar refuses to vanish,
It’s here, it’s there,
Feels scarred for life.

Tried to wash it away,
But water seems to have no effect,
Rubbing it does not help,
Ever seen such a bizarre ugly pitch black patch?

Ogling constantly with the might of its malice,
Challenging me to remove it or forget it for life,
Can I either is the question?
For the time being have hidden it under wraps,
How long? How long?

LOST & FOUND

2010-02-03T22:43:00.000+05:30

Traded off innocence for wisdom,
Grabbed unrest over serenity,
Dreamland exchanged for insomnia,
Replaced the music within with cacophony,
Sold dreams for reality,
Killed thyself for norms of sanity,

And all this for what?
Life gave choices galore,
Have opted for all the dictated ones,
Lost the rhythm to gain the momentum,
Now the poisoned self smiles with pain.

QUESTIONS OF, BY & FOR INDIAN DEMOCRACY

2010-01-26T00:38:00.000+05:30

The agony and pain of an entire generation,
Partaken to unshackle the chains of a nation.
Golden dreams woven for a bumper future
Bloodshed and sacrifice all embraced with great pride.

Now decades later questions arise,
Will somebody gather the courage to apprise?
Ask the happy faces that were hanged,
Ask the women who were widowed,

Ask the men who spent their youth jailed,
Ask the girls who were brutally raped,
Ask the kids who were snatched off their childhood,
Ask the families uprooted from their livelihood.

This is not the India we had left for you to shape
This is not your property to abuse and rape
Was it not enough to go through one partition?
That every other day there are demands of more abrasions

Slice it, divide it and pounce on whatever is left,
Arm yourselves with the ammunition of hatred.
Let there not be any scope for love and mankind.
With such well wishers inside, is there any need for enemies outside?

Here comes another opportunity of power play,
Leave not a stone unturned to make hay.
Fool the fooled, bribe the rich and rip apart the poor,
For here adds in our history books another golden chapter.

PROMISES TO KEEP & MILES TO GO IN 2010

2010-01-08T02:23:00.000+05:30

Another New Year has crept in silently and before even realizing a week has already gone past in 2010. It is a little scary at times; pondering over the fact that almost 1/3rd of life has been spent on this planet. But I have miles to go before I sleep :)

Although promises are hardly kept but I will strive to at least fulfill the ones made to myself ;) So here goes a quick wish list for my 2010. This post is more of a note to myself and hopefully after putting this on my blog, I would work on achieving the same with utmost diligence.

Will take up a cause - yes something beyond the cause of hunger, dwindling profits of multiplex owners and sweet-shop owners :P Would focus on the cause of education of the underprivileged kids. Have already started on this one as a volunteer of an NGO, Udayan Care. Hope to live up to this commitment and take it to greater heights
I hereby pledge to lead a healthier lifestyle - Eat, drink, splurge in moderation & exercise more. Thus, help the Indian economy grow leaps & bounds with my contribution by devouring less and paying the gym owners more :P
Will try to go as green as possible. That means besides wearing more green :P will be more careful in my carbon footprint. However, that will not mean that I shun books and shift to e-reader, Kindle. Will catch up on my reading of real books and finish the long list awaiting me.
Will not leave any opportunity to travel around and explore new places despite chiding from mom and inch closer towards my dream to travel around the world :)
Also, plan to pick up a new hobby or a new activity this year
Will not lose my temper unnecessarily - Will stay calm and try practice Yoga as advised by many :P Will try to be more open to people, situations & life in general - Ponder before making prejudices and will maintain my usual enthusiastic approach to life :)
Also last but not the least will pay more attention to my blog & keep the posts flowing regularly

Hope it is a Happy 2010 in true sense :)

CONNECTED TO BE DISTANCED

2009-03-17T02:27:00.000+05:30

The proliferation of social networking sites and its increasing popularity have really enthralled and appalled the entire world. Till a few years back when computers meant those B&W boxes which had to be fed with intelligent codes by the human species to perform tasks taught in schools & colleges in the confines of the classrooms amidst boring lectures. Zoom to the present, class 8^th and 9^th students have presence on most of these social networking sites, they are there scrapping, poking, sharing pics, commenting in full swing. Way to go Gen Y & X, living in a hyper-connected world, thriving in the web 2.0 world and announcing to the world that they have arrived.

Having discovered Orkut & Gtalk a few years back in my college days, I felt I had unleashed a genie in my life in the form of my online presence. Little did I know then, that in a few years time these would become a part of my social existence and identity. Little did I realize then, that the handwritten letters will be replaced by scraps, the meetings will be replaced by greetings of ‘hi….what’s up?’, that get together of friends could be replaced by online forums, that physical albums would be replaced with digital ones with options of comments & like/dislike, that emoticons will replace the real emotions and words. Just like a nameplate and a house address, social networking sites have become the proof points of an individual’s existence. The world knows it all whether you are ecstatic, gloomy, sneezed, irritated, had a great day, the last movie you saw, the party you last attended etc etc. Wohooo what a revolution this one is!!!

Recently some interesting developments on the social networking sites compelled me to ponder over this great viral revolution eclipsing the entire mankind. A few months back read a news article of how a man divorced his wife on Facebook by writing Talaq Talaq Talaq on her wall. So, after marriages on the web, the new trend is separation on the web. What a convenient way to wash your dirty linen in the public without having to face the person. Way to go technology!!! My cousin studying in class 8^th has a super hectic online life with Orkut, Facebook accounts and would much rather prefer catching up with random people virtually than with family and friends in reality. He prefers to ping his cousin staying on a floor above than just hopping over to the first floor. In his friend circle, the social status of a guy or girl is basis the number of scraps and the number of friends on these sites. Connectivity in the true sense!!! This friend of mine, who has recently purchased this snazzy handset with a xyz megapixel camera, makes sure that no gathering or moment passes without a click of the shutterbugs, capturing every grin and movement. Makes me wonder at times, whether her sole aim of attending gatherings or catching up sessions is to add to her album on FB & Orkut. Nasty thought!!! But with all the click clicks around, at times I really ponder whether in the whole exercise of capturing the beautiful moments; we forget to live those cherished moments.

With more and more involvement online and presence on these social networking sites, I have begun missing those good old letters, cards, physical reunions and a lot of emotions (not emoticons :P). Nothing can replace the excitement of opening a letter sent by someone, reading and re-reading them till you can recollect each and every word, the smell of the paper brings back strange feelings. Miss those colorful cards for every occasion and the scribbles in it. The nostalgia of flipping through old albums and laughing over the expressions and incidents can never be replaced by commenting on the digital photographs. Yeah may sound archaic in the era of web 2.0….but I guess I’m a little worried with the fast pace of our online existence and the slow pace of our real existence.

Last to last week, in order to do something in this direction and reduce my online presence during the weekend, I decided to attend a few concerts and functions. Had an amazing weekend with outings, get together and cultural functions. Felt that I was living after a long time instead of pinging, orkutting, facebooking or tweeting. One of the concerts I attended was by the sitar maestro Pt. Ravi Shankar & daughter Anoushka Shankar. Was a divine experience under the open sky, but guess what after the concert ended, my first urge was to go back home and put my status ‘Yayyyy what a weekend’, not to miss that I also managed to click pics of the concert on my new handset with a 3.2 megapixel camera. Way to go online socializing :)

PINK vs SAFFRON: THE NEW INDIAN NATIONAL MOVEMENT

2009-02-24T02:51:00.000+05:30

Just another day in the numerous days we celebrate in the 365 days cycle. I have often wondered and debated how relevant is it to celebrate these days, as in why only a special day to say somebody I care, I love, best wishes. But then probably, yes it just requires that special day to tell we care and we are there, be it birthdays, anniversary, mother’s day, father’s day, environment day, friendship day or Valentine’s Day.

The earliest recollection that I have of 14^th Feb dates back to school days. Suddenly in class 7^th or 8^th this particular date in the month of February became a one to look forward to, with all the hype created courtesy all the music videos, merchandise and the card companies. So, there we had all the shy geeks, the roadside romeos, the lovelorn kids discovering their feelings for a certain somebody and expressing the same packaged in flowers, cards, teddies, gifts. The innocent feelings, the don’t know how to react situations, the hidden messages, the wasted hours trying to catch a glimpse all seemed so perfect, straight out of a Bollywood romance. But I think after those initial years, this date has never meant anything much to me.

This year suddenly a certain Mr. Muthalik has helped the cause of the lovers of India and contributed immensely to the making of the V-Day movement. The attack on the women in a Mangalore pub has suddenly made the Valentine’s Day a movement among the youth. From the Consortium of Loose Pub going women to the Pink Chaddis, the movement spread far and wide across the nation courtesy the social networking sites and the media hype. So, on the D-day the pink chaddis made front page news across all the papers and maximum airtime was allotted to the noble cause. The channels were flooded with reports on how a brother sister duo was beaten by a certain group for roaming together, shots of a woman’s face blackened for roaming around with a guy, a couple forcefully married, a few chased from gardens and other hangouts etc etc.

Amidst all this I happened to be roaming in the streets of Connaught Place on the 14^th. What a sight! It seemed like a festival around, with all nicely decked up guys and girls with flowers and cards in hands. Shops filled with V-Day special goodies, discounts, restaurants offering special couple menu, decorations with neon lights and the red colour all around, made me feel either I live in a different world or probably this is a different world. Getting a place to dine where couples did not indulge in any public display of affection seemed a little bit of a task. Also, a visit to a popular café joint proved to be much more amusing. Finally, after managing to get a seat for a round of conversation over a cup of coffee I was a little taken aback to know that they would only serve the special Valentine’s Day couple menu irrespective of whom you were with and how much you care for the Valentine’s Day. So, forced to choose a mushy cold coffee from the V-Day special menu, I was left with a bitter taste of the whole pink campaign.

What I found amusing in this entire episode was that how a certain incident led to a national movement out of just another day in the list of 365 days. So, in the campaign of pink vs saffron, my vote goes to none. As much as I despise, the Ram Sene for their heinous crime, I also cannot convince myself to be a propagator of the pink campaign. Actually on the hindsight, I was just wondering the attack on the Mangalore pub was so strategically timed (only a few days ago 14^th Feb), that this leads me to smell a different conspiracy. Mr. Muthalik hope you were not funded by the so called card and goodie MNCs to make a movement out of nothing. Just a wild thought!

PLAYING SINGLES

2009-01-29T13:33:00.000+05:30

Born an individual............will die an individual. Isn't it? But in the middle of both these acts we tread a long path, a path strewn with many relationships, some we choose, some we are gifted with and probably some we are loaded with. These bitter sweet relationships make what our life is or is it the other way round? At times we do not even realize while bridging the gap from one to the other.......leaving some unfinished, some open ended, some sealed for a lifetime, some made to be forgotten........that at times in the process of juggling all these we forget the individual within us.

No, no wait now this is not what I had intended to write about and this is not an agony aunt column on relationships. What I do want to write here is about the one constant question that is a package deal of any introduction. 'So are you seeing someone?' At times I really want to reply back: 'Yeah I have two eyes and I am seeing the whole world.' (This is only when I am not in the right frame of my cheerful personality :P) Why such a strong reaction to such an innocent question? With all due respect to the people who question, this is not an innocent question. This question is a vicious circle because this is the cause to the miseries of many people who are happy and absolutely fine with their single status.

Living in a very well connected fast moving world where the relationship status from being single to committed to engaged and back to single is a regular phenomenon, ideally this question should not matter much. But that is not the case, it has a chain reaction to a lot of other issues. Now with the advent and proliferation of social networking sites the relationship status on the profile is the first indication of what is going on your life. Next when you manage to bump into old friends or acquaintances or far off relatives online, the next very obvious question other than ‘wassup’ ‘where r u these days?’ is the most pivotal question ‘So are you seeing someone?’ A ‘no’ to this question is almost unacceptable to most people. ‘So how is it you are not seeing someone?’ ‘Come on out with the truth’ ‘Staying away and with an active social life I’m sure there must be guys in your life’ NO, NO, NO and a bigger NO I do not wish to answer any. I refuse to be glared strangely with the weird query ‘how come you have never been in a relationship?’ I utterly disgust being told in sympathetic terms ‘I’m sure you’ll meet the man of your dreams soon.’ Sorry, I am not waiting for any Prince Charming to come and sweep me off my feet.

At times, I wonder are we part of that so called progressive world or have we successfully managed to wear a garb of modernism to cover the thick layer of hypocrisy surrounding us. Yes, we are modern, now we can openly talk about gays with Bollywood movies being made on this taboo topic, but yes we know it exists but we are not aware of any in our circle. We are aware that safe sex is a campaign driven by the government and NGOs but we cannot avoid flipping the TV channel when an ad of the same campaign shows up. We know that a girl has similar if not better career opportunities yet she is not considered settled in life if she is earning her own livelihood and living life on her own terms. We accept all those celebrated terms of women independence and liberalization but after a certain age a girl has to get married………Yeah absolutely right and we are living in a modern, liberal society……Jai Ho!

HILLS CALLING: wait till we reach

2008-12-30T13:11:00.000+05:30

Born and brought up in the plains, have always been fascinated by hills, mountains and water bodies. The whole idea of going up and down the spiralling pathways, the balancing act superbly executed by the hill drivers, the view of the Himalayas, the clear blue sky above, the lush green vegetation around, the cold breeze lashing the face are enough to set my pulse racing even before planning a trip to the hills. So, this time when a sudden plan of a trip to the hills was being conceptualised to end 2008 with elan, the excitement levels were soaring at the thought itself even before the plan seemed possible to materialise.

Getting the people together, the last minute bookings (the long weekend of 25th Dec holidays made it impossible to get train bookings), the budget and finally zeroing on the destination (with so many weekend getaway spots around Delhi) almost made it as if the trip would not take place. But then such challenges at times act as stimulant and as I firmly believe when you want something badly the entire universe conspires to grant it. Yeah so that's what happened and Mukteshwar was chosen as the destination for our escapade. Mukteshwar is a calm, little paradise tucked away approximately 8,000 ft above in the Kumaon Hills and a two hour uphill drive from Nainital. Some research on the place, word of mouth and one image of the place in particular had played a pivotal role in the selection.

So, after sorting all the chaos and confusion a gang of five set out to Mukteshwar via Nainital on 26th Dec 2008, by the night bus of Uttarakhand Parivahan. It is approximately a 7-8 hour drive from Delhi to Nainital and after settling down in the bus at 10.30 we all were set to wake up the next morning in the City of Lakes, but wait it was not going to be that easy, destiny had some other exciting plans for us. As Nainital is a hotspot for the honeymoon couples as well, we were amused with some nice entertainment in our front seat most of the night and thanks to all the mobile music available these days, was awake till pretty late. Every now and then I could feel that the bus screeched to a halt due to a vehicle in the front and then in the light could see the thick cloud of fog all around. Was a scary sight, but being the optimist I am, I went to sleep and depite a constant feeling of being motionless, was hopeful that will witness the next day's sunrise in Nainital.

The next morning when we woke up and found ourselves in a stationery bus with a serpentine queue of trucks and buses in front of us, that it really dawned on me that we are badly stuck and the itinerary for the day might go a little haywire. So, we waited and waited but then the wait seemed endless and the restless gang decided in a spur of moment that we will walk down the maze of trucks and buses to the nearest bus stop, that was Gajraula, some 6-7 kms away from where our bus was stuck, according to people around. And there was a furry of mixed feelings the planner side of me was extremely upset at the turn of events and the delay, whereas the hidden adventurous side of mine was extremely delighted at such an opportunity.

Loaded with bag and baggage we walked around 5-6 kms non-stop the fog and the pleasant weather helped, but then after a while when there was movement in the vehicles, we hopped on a bus headed towards Moradabad. From Moradabad we were asked to take a cab to Kathgodam or a bus to Rudrapur but there were no cabs or buses in sight for our desired destination. Some kind passersby guided us to the new bus stop for buses to Rudrapur. By this time we were famished and tired and the scorching sun did not help at all. Seated in a handpulled rickshaw we headed to the new bus stop and then quickly boarded a rickety rackety bus headed to Rudrapur, our next destination. After finishing all the biscuits, chips, oranges, chocolates, cakes and being dead tired, most of us dozed off in the long drive. The next task in Rudrapur was to find a cab to Nainital. With a missionary zeal we all got onto this task and finally after a lot of negotiation we finally got in the cab but alas it was already 5pm by then. I still couldn't believe it was happening to us. Without food, without freshening up, all plans gone topsy turvy and little patience left we were finally headed to Nainital.

All this while I had been hoping against hope that we will be able to do something else other than travelling the whole day, but then after leaving in the cab all my hopes were diminishing. Now the only hope I had was to reach Nainital somehow. Thankfully, a chance meeting with a friend of one of our gang members had opened doors to stay at her place in Nainital. This was a great respite although the final journey from Rudrapur to Nainital seemed a never ending one. With the growing darkness, around the only thought left in our minds was to just reach someplace. Finally it was 7pm (only 12 hours late) when we FINALLY reached Nainital. The hustle bustle on the Mall Road once again elevated our spirits and an amazing appetizing dinner at the Machan put us back on track and there we were again laughing, making fun of each other, singing and clicking stupid pictures. All energised we hit the market immediately, as there was nothing else to doat that hour of the day and just like other enthusiasts hill station tourists, we armed ourselves with gloves and mufflers. The sight of the Naini lake at night was another cause of relief to all our day's tiredness. The night was spent at that kind friend's guest house with some 4 rooms opened for the 5 of us. The house has a breathtakingly beautiful sight from its rooms on the first floor. A hot water bath and a goodnight's sleep geared us for the next day's excitement.

After a day travelling only to Naintal, we had to make as much use of the next day. So, we all got up early in the morning and were out by 9am as per our plans, headed towards Mukteshwar, Bhimtal and Naukuchiatal. The uphill drive to Mukteshwar was a little nauseating but the scintillating view of the hills pacified and calmed all the senses. We reached Mukteshwar finally, and yes it was worth all the journey we had taken the previous day. Breathtakingly beautiful and a little hideaway this place seems like a shoulder of nature to reach the greater heights. Lying or sitting on the Chauthi Jaali is a memory that can be cherished throughout your life. Atop this cliff hanging in the air, I could feel my soul talking to the nature. Might sound philosophical....hehe.....what I felt here is beyond any description. It is a divine feeling and I just wished I was all alone there for hours reading a book or scribbling something on paper. Our guide for Mukteshwar was a super fit, super enthusiast and an ace phtographer (he claimed he could handle any digital camera thanks to all the foreign tourists he used to cater), 65 year old Mr. Phadke. After our photosession and all our reminiscings on the beauty of nature, we were taken through a forest type area to a small Shiv Mandir in Mukteshwar. The surrounding calmness and the spiritual aura arround the temple was a welcome relief to all the over excitement we felt during the trip. An important place that we missed in our trip to Mukteshwar and which was there on my intinerary was the PWD Bungalow, immortalised by Jim Corbett. No issues, I am sure I will cover it in my next trip :)

Next on our radar was Bhimtal. Now that name was very interesting and the first thing I did after landing up was to ask the locals about the significance of the name. The story is that during the visit of Pandavas at this particular place during their exile, they wanted to attend to nature's call but there was no water around. So, gadadhari Bhim used his gada once to dig this giant lake and relieved all the Pandavas :) ..... A boat ride in this lake is a pleasant experience, especially when you can see nimbus clouds hanging on the montain tops around and the sun playing hide and seek in the clouds. There are no good eating options at this place other than the usual tea, coffee, which we realised after we had a disastrous lunch at one of the locall restaurants here.

After bidding adieu to Bhimtal, we headed towards Naukuchiatal, some 20 mins drive from one tal to the other. Naukuchiatal, as the name suggests is a lake with nine corners. It is a beautiful lake surrounded by hills around and with less crowd. It is said that a view of the nine corners of this lake, all together, isn ominous sight. I tried a lot to look at the nine corners, but in vain. This lake has the option of paddle boating and so, the five of us split into three boats and began an exciting game in the water, something similar on the lines of car racing on the tracks. All set for our paddle boat racing, the objective was to hit each other's boats and race to the first position. The boat fight was soooo much fun and with only our boats ruling the entire lake, we had an amazing time. Playing Antakshari(only tacky Hindi movie boat songs were allowed) and acting like the Pirates of Caribbean, all of us behaved like 6-7 year olds and the child inside us had a field day. Jubilant and satisfied after an awesome boat ride and race and in no mood to return back to sensibilities, the time constraint made us head back to the shore. There is a little coffee shop beside the lake, where you get some nice coffee and snacks to munch on with a view of the lake from the window.

After satisfying both the soul and the stomach at Naukuchiatal, we started on the downhill journey to Nainital. The same night we had a bus to board for Delhi. Our trip to the hills culminated in perfection after a visit to the Naini temple. The Naini temple is aptly named, after Goddess Naini and the position of the temple allows a panoramic view of the entire city. The structure of the Naini temple is quite different from the usual temple structures, it has some features of a monastery, probably that is the hill effect. After paying homage to Naini Devi and soaking in the final calmness of the hills, it was time to start the return journey.

Content with a treasure trove of beautiful memories from the trip and jubilant after answering the call of the hills, here I am back again in the hustle bustle of the city. But my spirits are high and my soul is exhilarated to look forward to my next getaway from the city. As they say, all's well that ends well.......this was one trip that started on all the wrong notes but had a beautiful ending.........Thank you everybody for your participation, key insights and all direct and indirect aid in the accomplishment of this trip and making this one beautiful experience of my life :)

A FISTFUL OF HAPPINESS

2008-12-24T01:17:00.000+05:30

Yes the title does seem wrong in the first go......as in how can happiness be fistful right........but does it mean in that case that due to the the various syntax of grammar happiness can only be unbound. Have often wondered how the meaning of happiness has evolved from one stage to the other stage of life. As a 5 yr old kid happiness meant that 5 Star which was not bought despite repeated demands or that bunch of colourful gas ballooons in the fair which was rubbished off as a fancy item of no purpose. As a teenager happiness meant that pink dress which mom won't agree to buy or that first card that was delivered in some nervous moments. In college happiness meant cribbing about the pocket money which was never sufficient and making fun of all the sane things said in lectures........But now has happiness stagnated to mean only getting that pair of new branded jeans or that wrist watch that is on discount or dining at the new upmarket restaurant which levies more service tax than what you order for.........It is a little strange how the meaning of happiness transforms at different stages of life.........But don't know probably had never intended this to be my definition of happiness in life.........Not that I am against consumerism and capitalism and the likes...........actually I am very much a part of the system and probably most of my happiness is also courtesy this world of consumerism, if not all...........so I am very much a part of the system..........but probably somewhere down the line it seems have lost a part of me in this world of brands and luxuries........So why fistful of happiness? Today the reason is Puja, Aniket, Ayush and Mita.......They are HIV+ and they live in an orphanage........Wait before any thought of sympathy comes to your mind and kindly refrain from any such thoughts wandering in your mind...........as there is absolutely no need........These bundles of joy are capable of giving you a lot more than you can possibly think of providing them.........The fistful of happiness that they uphold cannot be probably described in words.......it can only be experienced.......but I thank them immensely for sharing their fistful of happiness with me today...........so Puja, Aniket, Ayush, Mita and your friends this is for you...........oodles of love and blessings for a wonderful life ahead..........and thanks a ton for returning something precious to me.......Bless you and love you loads :)