Tera hissa hu main.......

जो पूरा न हो सका.. वो किस्सा हुँ मै.. !
छूटा हुआ ही सही.. तेरा हिस्सा हुँ मै.. !!

तुम्हे लिक्खे खत का.. एक हिस्सा.. !!

और फिर मै मिलुंगा तुम्हे.. एक उम्र के आखिर मे.. ! ये बात और है.. के मेरे चेहरे पर एक उम्र का बिखराव होगा.. और तुम्हारे चेहरे पर एक उम्र का ठहराव होगा.. ! तुम उदास हो जाओगी मुझे देखकर.. मै जानता हुँ.. ! मै उदास सा मुस्कुरा दुंगा तुम्हे देखकर.. तुम्हे अहसास नही.. !!

और फिर हम चल पङेंगे.. उस उदास आखिरी रास्ते पर.. बिखर जाने के लिये.. ! ये और बात है के तुम्हारे चेहरे पर सुकून होगा.. एक उम्र जितना.. ! ये और बात है के मेरे चेहरे पर बेचैनी होगी.. एक उम्र जितनी.. !!

देखो कितना फर्क है.. ! तुम एक उम्र.. गुजार आयी.. ! और मेरी एक उम्र.. बस गुजर गयी ऐसे.. जैसे नही गुजरी.. ! अफसोस नही है.. कुछ कहानियाँ ऐसे भी पूरी होती है.. !!

जो पूरा न हो सका.. वो किस्सा हुँ मै.. !
छूटा हुआ ही सही.. तेरा हिस्सा हुँ मै.. !!

People All Over The World !

Right now, there are people all over the world who are just like you.  They’re either lonely or they're missing somebody. Also there are people who are in company with their loved ones and looking forward to another evening with their sweethearts !

People who question themselves if they are the only ones who are lonely amidst the maddening crowd. They are in love with someone they probably shouldn't be in love with. They have secrets you wouldn't dare believe. They wish, they dream and they hope...They look out the window whenever they’re in the car or on a bus or a train and they watch people on the streets and wonder what they've been through. They look at friends loitering in malls and families going for movies and wonder what their lives are about.

They ponder if there are people out there like them. They’re like you, and you could tell them everything and they would understand. 

People who feel are no where and the ones who think have achieved all... People who face similar predicaments, issues.. People who feel happy in similar ways... People who love alike....

Some who stick to their past and others for who let the bygones be bygones.... 

And right now, they’re all sitting here reading these words, and I’m writing this for you so you don’t feel lonely anymore !

Memories.....

Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart…..

Memories. A single word, which can evoke a melange of emotions. From happy memories of crazy fun ,laughter and warm sunny days to the painful ones of separation and loss, we've all had our share of them.

Memories, being one of the few things which are unintentionally created, literally creep up on us on the most unexpected of occasions and establish themselves firmly in our mind, when we least expect them to.

Being the mischievous little beings that they are, they attach themselves to the simplest of things. It could be anything; a simple song you heard over the radio, a song you danced on like crazy, a certain dress you wore, a particular dish you tried, a place you visited...and the list is endless. Memories reside in just about everything.

Songs and smells will bring you back to a moment in time more than anything else. It's amazing how much can be conjured with a few notes of a song or a solitary whiff of a room. A song you didn't even pay attention to at the time, a place that you didn't even know had a particular smell.

They are ultimately one of the only things which will remain with us long after the times have passed and the people have gone....

The only real treasure is in your head. Memories are better than diamonds and nobody can steal them from you…

They can be a source of strength, a source of inspiration, a reminder of mistakes, a reminder of loss and so on... Memories can fill in a lot of voids as well as take a variety of forms....You can create them, but you certainly can’t destroy them...

The Doomsday Conspiracy!

December 2012 is here. The doomsday is near or so the Mayans say! 21^st Dec 2012, the day life will come to an end. Standstill, Over, Finish, The End!

For most of us life simply seems to be passing us by through a routine of mundane affairs. There always seems to be enough time for other things…till you realize there is not. Even the Buddha had said, "The trouble is, you think you have time."

Think about it, what is the one thing you must do, why are you holding on, and what are you waiting for? There is no right time and things will never be perfect. Too much time is spent hoping that life will create opportunities for us, that one fine day we will wake up to find that there are numerous options to fulfill an impossible dream. We compromise on our happiness every day and hope that someday it will all fall into place.

The problem, my dear friends is the particular fateful day would never arrive.

There might not be any truth in the Mayans prediction but if there's something you must do, I suggest you go ahead and do it anyway. Chances are you will not regret it, like they say, in life we usually regret the things that we haven't done more than the things we have. Life is too short, even if the world doesn't end, this is another year gone by. Let it not be a year where you have a list of things that you haven't done, instead let it be one in which you have given your best to the things that matter, a year where you have tried to be the happiest you can be. It's your life, make it count!

Happy New Year in Advance ! KAL HO NA HO !

Come With Me....

This one is by "Vidushi", the romanticist.............

Come away with me for some time

Just cross the mundane and touch the sublime

Can’t we just be beneath the starry skies

Away from all the world's eyes

Sitting beneath the heavenly gaze

With the soft light caressing your face

With the smoky fog all around

Casting beautiful shadows on the ground

The unkempt hair which falls on your face

Looks just perfect in its place

The softness of your innocent eyes

Is like melting butter in disguise

Your natural,honest,cheerful smile

Leaves me completely mesmerised

I could just sit beside you forever

Wishing time would stand still and not play clever..

Beneath the starry crystal skies

Can’t we just be us away from everyone’s eyes

Being together for just some time

Crossing the mundane and touching the sublime..

7 Phere......

Aaj dulhan ke laal jode mein use uski sakhiyon ne sajaya hoga, Meri Jaan ke gore haathon pe mehndi ko lagaya hoga. Bahot gehra chadha hoga mehndi ka rang, Us mehndi mein usne mera naam chupaya hoga. Reh-reh ke ro padi hogi, jab usko mera khayaal aaya hoga. Khud ko dekha hoga jab aaine mein, to aqs mera bhi nazar aaya hoga. Bahut pyari lag rahi hogi vo, Aaj dekh kar usko chand bi sharmaya hoga. Aaj meri jaan ne apne Maa Baap ki izzat ko bachaya hoga, Usne Beti hone ka har farz nibhaya hoga.. Majbur hogi wo sabse zyada, Sochta hun kis tarah usne khud ko samjhaya hoga. Apne haathon se hamare khaton ko jalaya hoga, Khud ko mazbut bana kar meri yaadon ko mitaya hoga. Bhukhi hogi wo jaanta hun main, Mere bina usne kuch na khaya hoga. Kaise sambhala hoga khud ko, Jab usne feron mein khud ko jalaya hoga...

Naadi Shastra Experience !!

In today’s world of science, if just from the impression of your thumb somebody accurately tells you, your name, the names of your mother, father, your birth-date, your educational profile, career path, the number of jumps you have made, the most personal details of your life known probably only to handful of 3-4 ppl in this world, etc. what would you call such prediction? Would you regard it as an amazing divination or as black magic?

No, it is neither black magic nor a hand trick. Such prediction, which defies all logic and boggles one’s mind, forms the subject-matter of the Agastya Naadi. Those predictions were visualized at different places by various ancient Sages, with their divine insight and factually noted by their chosen disciples, thousands of years ago, to be handed down from generation to generation. This great work makes us realize the limitations of human sciences. That outstanding compilation predicting the future of all human beings born or yet to be born, eclipses the achievements of all other sciences put together.

Recently, I had the good luck to go through The Naadi Shastra experience. I went to one of the centers in Delhi and gave my thumb impression. I was amongst the lucky ones and the bundle containing leaves similar to my thumb impression was found. It is not all necessary that your bundle and then the leaf are found. It is random luck. In-fact in the duration of my stay there of 5 hours, I was the only one whose palm leaf was found. I was asked certain questions, to which I had to reply either a yes or no. unfortunately, my leaf was not found in the bundle. Again they brought another bundle and the same process began again.

Then, bingo! A leaf containing the exact name of my parents, my date of birth and all other personal details was found. I was shell shocked. I had not given these guys any information except my name and thumb impression. One could say that they have a data base or something. But then, how would any database in the world contain most personal information of a person’s life?

Once it was sure that the leaf was definitely mine, written by some sage around 2000 years back, in a Tamil Script, I was told to wait for a couple of hours. In the meantime, the Naadi Astrologer would write the inscriptions on the leaf on paper and then sit down with me for translations.

Mind it my dear friends, Naadi Shastra is not about random predictions based on knowledge or expertise of the astrologer, it is very simple translation from the Tamil script to Hindi. It is very unbelievable to digest that your life was seen 2000 years back by some most learned, wise men. I felt very very excited, apprehensive, scared, that in sometime I would be listening to my future and more than that I was numb with the knowledge that the most intimate, intricate details of my life which started in 1987 were already written 2000 years ago. I was only living my life and playing my part according to the script written on the fateful palm leaf.

I was called in again after 2 hours and I sat with the astrologer. He had a tape recorder in which he would record the whole conversation and hand it over to me after the reading was over. The leaf had details about my whole life, my education, my profile, current organization, my professional troubles, personal life. Name anything and it was there. It had even the details of my sister’s professional plans. This plan was just in her mind and probably only some of the family members know about it as of now. But it was all there in black and white on the leaf!

I was told about my future. Good and bad. Also, I gained knowledge about my past life and how deeds done by you in your past life affect your current existence. At the end of it, I felt absolutely drained and exhausted. I guess, it becomes too much for anyone to handle such heavy stuff.

One should most definitely try it, if interested, but be ready to listen to bad along with the good. And it is your sheer luck if your leaf is found or not after waiting for 4-5 hours.

http://www.tamilnadutourism.org/astrology/TNAstrologies/Nadi.aspx?catid=1001P01
http://www.astroguru-india.com/nadi_astrology.html

I felt this process was one of those experiences which cannot be explained by any logic and one can believe in it only after experiencing it!!! My leaf had everything written on it till now, let’s see if the future is the same as I have been told!!!!! Que Sera Sera

Innocent times...

Ye Daulat Bhii Le Lo, Ye Shoharat Bhii Le Lo

Bhale Chhiin Lo Mujhase Merii Javaanii

Magar Mujhako Lautaa Do Bachapan Kaa Saavan

Vo Kaagaz Kii Kashtii, Vo Baarish Kaa Paanii…..

Very very true and heartfelt wish… Wish I could go back in time…

Blissful time.. Childhood.. I particularly remember an incident of childhood.. The innocence and carefree attitude attached with it. My parents, me and my sister had once gone out of town to Kanpur. We used to stay in Orai, U.P at that time. When we returned, we figured that had had an un-invited guest at our home in our absence, in the name of a thief and he had thoroughly investigated and taken away things he had liked.

Needless to say my parents were in tension. 

I felt it was an exciting event. Something different from everyday life, my sister was probably too small to make any sense out of it. The only thing we both were concerned about was that we had brought some special potato chips from Kanpur and we wanted to eat them!!! We wanted for some-one to unpack the bag and give us chips !!!! In-fact I clearly remember eating them in the messed up home ! That means my parents had actually given us the pack even amidst all that confusion, tension and mayhem…

Mom and dad were busy looking for important stuff, contacting people & police and asking landlords if they knew who could have done this and blah blah ! We both were just happy looking at all excitement around.. ;)

And the icing on the cake was when I got to know that there would be news in the newspaper about the theft. My excitement knew no limit thinking our home’s news would be a matter of public importance… Such is childhood…

Sometimes I wish I could just be a little kid again. So when life gets tough you can just play pretend. I wanna go back to when Santa did exist. When your daddy was the only boy you ever kissed… When your biggest problem was learning to write your name and people didn't change.. And every time you were sad or you had a bad day, You could just run to mommy and it would all be okay..I wanna feel dat way again- loved, secured & innocent…. When everyone always lives happily ever after.

Kabhii Ret Ke Unche Tiilon Pe Jaanaa

Gharaunde Banaanaa Banaake Mitaanaa

Vo Maasuum Chahat Kii Tasviir Apanii

Vo Kvaabon Khilaunon Kii Jaagiir Apanii…….

Na Duniyaa Kaa Gam Thaa Na Rishton Ke Bandhan

Badii Khuubasuurat Thii Vo Zindagaanii…

Madam Bagwati Ji !

In a recent flick, Zindagi na Miligi Dobara, A Hermes bag was named BAGWATI by Farhan Akhtar, deifying the exorbitantly priced bag. The bagwati joke was a good one and the movie was excellent entertainment. The “character” of Bagwati was just priceless! Bagwati had a charming personality of her own and wore sunglasses and fancy stoles….

Being a girl, I always wonder how guys manage without a hand bag… For us, our handbags are indeed priceless and we hardly ever move around without one. A girl’s handbag is indeed a pandora’s box and is priceless for the owner…. Bagwati is our close friend who stands by us in all good & bad times. 

I don’t understand how a guy can roam around with just a wallet in one trouser pocket and a hanky, cell phone and maybe car/bike keys in another…And yeah at times a small comb peeping from the back pocket ! And… that’s it! 

For females, wallet, comb and hanky occupy just a little bit of space in the otherwise larger scheme of things. I personally have a deo, compact mirror, kajal, lip gloss, tissues, hand sanitizer, cell phone, face talc, specs case, keys, migraine pills, pudin hara, safety pins, some or other toffee/ chewing gum, band aid, ear phones, pen, pencil, extra rubber band/ clutch etc in my hand bag… I have never felt weird carrying all this stuff with me because as you see these are all essential items. 

But yes, I have come across a lot of times when I have witnessed un-usual stuff being carried in Bagwati . I will list some here:

• Pepper spray : Meant to be sprayed in eyes of stalkers ( I personally feel deo would do the same so never bothered to carry pepper spray)
• Folding Knife again for the same purpose
• Glass bottle of perfume ( Is it not a bit dangerous to carry glass bottle? In case it breaks and glass hurts you when you are trying to find something, why not stick to simple deo sprays ?)
• Extra pair of slippers ( That’s more like being paranoid)
• Hair straightner ( Too much) Another small purse inside (that’s heights !)
• Tweezers (What the fuck, tweeze the unwanted hair at home.. why outsides ?)
• And the list is endless….

A friend of mine calls a girl’s hand bag, “Almirah” and I cant imagine carrying lesser stuff with me ! And yes, there are times when you are out with male friends and they buy some small stuff, then the handbag gives the stuff a place to stay and keep the friend handsfree ! Hats off to you Bagwati for being a great friend indeed… Keep rocking… And as for men, well we all know that Men are from Mars & Women are from Venus.. Don't we ???? ;)

Gargi !

Today I got a call from a person trying to sell some stuff over the phone, He asked me to repeat my name around 3-4 times as he was unable to get it. So, this prompted to write this post on my name.

I love my name.. It is unique and nice..But, as a child, my view was different. Gargi is essentially a name which is more popular in eastern part of India. Being brought up in North India there were literally no Gargi’s around. I used to think why my parents could not give me a simpler (read more commonly found ) name like Neha, Pooja, Priyanka, Arti etc. Why didn’t any other kids have my name. When anyone used to ask for my name, I used to be damn sure that the other person won’t get my name in the first go and I would have to repeat it. Even today that’s the case and I am ever ready to spell my name!

I didn’t like my name as a kid… Such is the psychology of kids.. I guess anything different is not really welcome. It makes the child feel weird and left out.

Anyways, slowly I learnt that Gargi was indeed a very thoughtful name, chosen after much research by my parents. And then the same name made me feel proud and different from the everyday crowd of Neha’s and Priyanka’s !

Gargi is mentioned in the Sixth and the Eighth Brahmana of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Gargi was the daughter of sage Vachaknu and her inclination towards academics was very conspicuous from an early age. In brahmayajna, a philosophic congress organized by King Janaka of Videha , she challenged the sage Yajnavalkya with perturbing questions on the atman (soul). 

In Vedic literature, she is honored as one of the great natural philosophers Gargi composed several hymns that questioned the origin of all existence. Yogayajnavalkya Samhita, a classical text on Yoga is a dialogue between sage Yajnavalkya and Gargi^. Gargi was one of the Navaratnas in the court of King Janaka of Mithila. She has composed several hymns and is an author of Gargi Samhita.

Gargi denotes a Wise, learned Woman!

I don’t know if I justify the name or not… Maybe the real owner of this name turns in her grave when she hears of my activities.. Or gets a fit up there in the heaven while witnessing my life on her CCTV installed in heaven. Who knows and who exactly cares!!

Anyways, as Shakespeare would say…. What’s there in a name…. !!! ;)

I write today........

Today, I write because I owe myself a few, last words that I shall dedicate to the past few months of my life, the person I had become, the person that I am now, the person I will always be, and the person I will sought to be.

I've changed. For the better I'd like to believe. Things that didn't matter before, have now found their place in my life.. a place I now respect. Emotions that didn't make sense a little less than a year back, are the very same ones that I now accept as a part of the many things I had to learn.
I've grown as a person. Or so I tell myself. I've learned to forgive if not forget.

Conscience always comes in way of things you want to go ahead with. I have learnt to deal with my conscience, to fight it off and switch it off ! Ultimately, what we do today is what we most want today, and thus it becomes most desirable for one. It is indeed a very small life and you never get a second chance to fulfill your desires. I have learnt to stand against people and their opinions... I have learnt how to remain silent and let things take their natural course.... I have learnt how to take every day as it comes.....

I've learnt how to make sorrows worthy of that pain that they bring along with themselves. I've learnt that there's no turning back.. even if you're not too far ahead. I've learned how to stand by the decisions I've made... even if they hurt too much. I've learnt how to never stop myself from taking the risk.

I've learnt how to give myself a chance. I've learnt how to give myself reasons that make sense and hear others out even when it's the last thing I want to do.

A part of me will never change. I won't let it. Because that part of me will always define the essence of the person I will always be. I know what it feels like to lose the upper hand over people. I know what it feels like to be overwhelmed.

I know how it feels to finally be able to breathe again. I know how it feels to never regret decisions you've made... and to stick by that even when everything turns against you.

As I try to fight the exhaustion which is persuading my mind to fall asleep whilst it is trying to finish what it wants me to pen down, I realize that at the end of the day, we all make the same mistakes, we all learn the same lessons in different ways...And life goes on..... Teaching us, tempting us, making us grow, taking us higher, going on and on.......

Curiosity !!!

I have no clue why after a long long time todayI missed you a bit!
Not really missing
Rather, technically, a plain, simple curiosity
About your life now
I wonder where you are
How you are
What you are up to
If you still are the same
If you still smile the same way

If you have put up some weight or lost some
Or maybe you look the same
Probably age has caught up a bit with you
And you look more mature
Chances are less that even today you have that sweet, innocent look on your face

Do you still chat and laugh non stop on the most useless topics around ?
Or speak only on intelligent matters that matter to the world
If you still proudly show your new shoes five times to near and dear ones
Or simply take off the new tag and wear them
If your new friends know the stories of your favorite clothes
Or they simply recognize them as your stuff

Maybe you still keep record of every penny you spend
Or perhaps you now have a more casual, relaxed attitude.
I remember the way your eyes use to sparkle while having good coffee
Do you still love and enjoy coffee so much?

I hope you still get elated when a good friend calls
And you spend hours talking about here and there
And not that the phone calls that you receive are mostly official.

I wish you still show your anger and irritation to close ones and share your troubles
You know pouring your heart out at times works wonders for everyone
And do not dump troublesome matters for long time in your system for long.

I have no clue how things have been with you
And it has been a long time
But today out of the blue
Simply popping out of the thin air
For no real, good reason
I missed you a bit!!!!

KEEP SMILING !!!

Smile.....

At times they mean and portray our real emotions, sometimes just a fake one, and yeahhh... The sarcastic ones exist too !!

It is said that you can find out the real nature of a smile in an individual's eyes.. When we really feel the moment and and genuinely mean it, then there is a soft glow or shine that comes in our eyes.

Smiles can overcome a lot of problems and prevent relationships from hardening or simply make matters flow...

But one particular smile that i am personally intrigued by is the one that we give when no one is around.. It is not for any one's benefit or to showcase anyhing. It just comes and lightens things around.

You are listening to the radio and suddenly a song starts playing which you liked a lot when you were a kid and there you go.. SMILESSS !!! Another one plays and you know it is the one which used to be the chartbusters at the time you were going around with that special some one and it used to warm your heart at that time and yess.. It creats the same magic even today and you smile remembering those moments and thinking how life goes on and ahead...

You are searching your laptop for some particular file/ document and you come across a snap of yours taken in college times.. You are enjoying the time, giggling, just doing time pass...a bunch of MBA students and you smile.. Remembering those carefree times when you were not bounded by office timings and you were your own king !

One sees a bunch of students in the metro talking animatedly about CAT entrances, Discussing Coaching institutes, trying to figure out what disciplines to opt for in MBA, placements etc. And there you are. You get a feeling of "Being There And Having Done It All !!" And again, you just smile.. It feels nice somehoe watching others being there where you were at some time time of life and how important it felt then !

You are lying on the bed going through the day in your mind... You remember something nice that one of your collegues said. That time you could not appreciate the beauty of his thoughts but at this time you are free and you smile to yourself in the darkness.

You are looking for the right clothes to wear in your wardrobe. And you spot a nice piece of clothing, a favourite of yours. When you had picked it up a year back, you had gone with a good friend to a mall. You had picked it up 5 times from the rack, kept it back, because you were undecisive, then tried it once, asked your friend 10 times if it was worth the money or looked good at you. Today you know it looks great at you, it has proved it monetary worth and most importantly, you are no more in the same city where it was bought and the friend is distant now, atleast location wise.... Such stuff, accessories bring back a hoard of memorable moments, cities, places ! You just can't help but smile and spend time thinking about the place and people....

Similar is the case with movies, which you had watched first time in theatres with friends, family etc. Some food items which hold special place in our life, particular restaurants, certain dates, incidents... Which are absolutely personal to you and everytime you come across them or remember them or witness anything similar you simply smile !!!

You like walking at night, you are doing the same but alone.... You remember the times when you had amazing company to accompany you. You smile at the remembrance and feel special again...

One is browsing the phone for some particular message to be forwarded to some particular person and there you a hillarious joke .. One reads it and splits into laughter all alone and again !

One particular incident that I particularly smile at whenever i come to think of that friend is how she used to call my Tummy JELLY BELLY !!! I can never fail to smile at this one.... Infact if I am frank then I literally laugh out loud !!

You are cooking something in the kitchen, you have become quite professional at making it. But there was a time when cooking this same particular stuff seemed no less than Rocket Science ! And decoding the secret of cooking it nicely was like cracking some tough computer program ! Can you restrain a good , full on smile at such fond remembrance ?

One day you are arranging your stuff, in an old bag. And you come across a neatly filed, or kept good old birthday cards given to you bt friends when you were just kids... Try not smiling at such a time... I am sure you will fail !

Alone or in a group there are always some secret or personal pointers which make one smile , reasons unknown to others !!!!!

KEEP SMILING !!!!

Looking back and wishing ahead.... :)

Well…. A new year has begun… Brand new year with brand new stuff in terms of our expectations, hopes, aspirations…. We have bid farewell to 2009 and ushered in a new time… If we go by the MAYAN calendar and some predictions then we just have 3 years left to live… Khao Piyo Aish karlo bhai !! Kya pata KAL HO NA HO !! But yeahh… A word of caution- Don’t spend all your money honey… agar duniya khatam nahii hui to problem mein aa jaoge boss !!!! Ok..enough of the world coming to an end…

Let me talk about 2009… It was a real eventful year… There were highs and lows… Surprises and many monotonic activities… The first ten months were lost in trying to find a job and crying over it and the last two went about in a jiffy in actually working and crying under the work pressure… As the saying goes…. The grass is always greener on the other side!!

I shifted three bases this year… Initially from the Bong Land Kolkata to My good old Kanpur , then to Apni Saddi Dilli and finally to Gurgaon, The city of malls … A lot of things happened this year.. We protested n became rebels in ICFAI , A chapter of life called ACADEMICS ended for most of the batchmates, Moved on in life at the personal front, the mind went numb after leaving friends in Kolkata, Came to Kanpur and learnt swimming and did a lot of traveling to Delhi, Bhopal etc for giving various exams… I had given various cities as exam centres just because it was a good free time to visit Nani nani in Bhopal and mama in Delhi!!

I hunted for a job and started working in Gurgaon… There were a lot of news that came my way,,, Friends getting married, Getting jobs, Clearing exams, Going for nice trips, friends pairing up, friends breaking up, and n number of other things that showed up… God Bless ORKUT, FB and Google!!!

I blogged a lot in 2009 and thankuu my blog readers for actually reading the stuff !! As we say, everyday is different and brings in new possibilities and incidents so I am absolutely open to any new ideas in workplace and life…. Jo hoga mast hoga !!! I traveled a lot the last year, explored a lot of random places, wound a snake around my neck to pose for a snap, went back to my alma mater Hansraj to collect the graduation degree, ate my favorite cakes @ SETHIS, went back to nivedita girls hostel watched loads of movies, tried to understand the HARYANAWI accented Hindi , et all…..

And most certainly I did a lot of thinking and SOUL SEARCHING in 2009… Reason being, I had time on my hands… And yeah, the novels and books occupied a major portion of my time.. I read a lot… It was like I went through anything that I laid my hands and eyes on… as a result of spending so much time with books and computer my specs ka power increased !!!

WE Welcomed the new year in PG..nothing fancy….Just chilling (in cold) in the room inside the quilts and talking talking talking !! Nothing can beat the comfort and coziness of a warm blanket, tea/ coffee , snacks and people whom you are close to and can talk your heart out… at 12 patakhe bajne lage and we wished each other happy new year!!

In a way, 2009 was a real nice year for me.. Because the way I had excess time on my hands would never really be available again…I have started working and hardly get free time.. With time responsibilities would increase at work place and slowly after one gets into family life definitely gets tough and hectic.. This was one year where I was not pursuing anything academic and not working anywhere most of the part !! I was more or less VELLI and enjoyed a lot !!!

Hopefully the New Year will bring a lot of happiness for everyone and God will bless the world in abundance… CHEERS To world happiness!!!

Work Time !!!!

Now that I have already started working and spent a couple of weeks of initial jittery feeling in the workplace, now I guess I can put my experience in words!!! Almost everyone who heard that I was on board said to me , “welcome to the big bad corporate world and within no time you would be hating work “

Ok… Coming to the positive side of working…. Here every1 assumes that money is the biggest motivator , but I would like to inform that it not so in my case because my salary is like peanuts !!! its meager and miserably low on pay scale ! But the motivating factor is that I have managed to get a job with a real reputed firm in the RECESSIONED WORLD and that profile is what I always wanted… In HR its said one can benefit maximum by working in the mfg sector and should close his / her eyes to low salaries so I am doing exactly the same.

And the feeling of being some one important and at a responsible position soothes my ego or u can say boosts me … People call me madam and respect me not because of my family connections but because of my own self…. I get this feel good kinda feeling when I actually help in some small or big way when people get recruited…

I feel nice about the fact that I am independent and can very well take care of my whatever basic needs are.. Nothing fancy though possible!!! And I also get motivated by the fact that I dint have to settle for a Consultancy job… And that I got this job based purely on my merit….

There were 2500 applications for this job..i myself deleted and managed the mail box once I had joined the company and almost 50-60 females had been interviewed for this single vacancy… There were no contacts that I used to get in….

Now working has been a dilemma situation for me in a way… I get real tired at the end of a working day. I get that big time drained and dog tired feeling…morning 6 o clock to evening 7 o clock go off in office..After coming back there is cooking, cleaning untensils, washing clothes and such daily chores that need to be taken care of…. By 10-11pm I m in bed and get up again at 6 am !!! This schedule is on for 6 days a week…. Is this the life I wished for.. What exactly did I want.. because every1 is supposed to work…Right ??? I have the right qualifications and the competency to work so I am working…. !!!

And equally disturbing fact is that with time I am gonna get more and more busy…. This is what life is and probably this is why Elders always told us to enjoy college life…. Till then we had been absolutely carefree….

In work place you function according to the fancies of your seniors , life gets hectic …. But the point is, What would I do if I don’t work… Unfortunately till now I have not found a mid way b/w Absolute free time and 100% tight tiring schedule.

In the workplace can you really trust people and make good friends out of them ? I suppose that generally the answer to this question is no… Ofcourse exceptions can always exist and u can manage to get good pals if u r really lucky….

The best strategy I feel is to take everyday as it comes and not think deeply about anything… Even work pressure needs to be taken up in a way that it doesn’t effect your well being in a negative way… And with time one definitely gets coated with a new upper thick layer which makes us immune to small and big useless issues…..

For now I like walking down to my bus stop in the morning, Doing office work, And trying to cook new things everyday at night…. I really have no clue as to till when I am going to like this hectic life but then…. The attitude is DON’T KNOW, DON’T CARE !!!! When I ll be fed up of this, I will definitely find something better and more appealing to do with my life…. Till Then…. JAI HR PROFILE AND THANKS SONA SOMIC for giving me a wonderful opportunity to start my career !!!!

The other side of the coin... The flip side...

Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up. You build up all ...these defenses, you build up a whole suit of armor, so that nothing can hurt you, then one stupid person, no different from any other stupid person, wanders into your stupid life...You give them a piece of you.

And with that piece goes a lot of your life…memories, movies u went to together , plays you saw, places you ate and then one day once things are all over they come haunting back…every time that song plays , every time that movie shows, every time you pass that place where you used to dine…Cities and places.,..tunes and words….all related to that one person

BTW They didn't ask for that piece of you. They just did something dumb one day, like call you or smile at you, and then your life isn't your own anymore. Love takes hostages. It gets inside you. It eats you out and leaves you crying in the darkness. It hurts. Its not a hurt you feel but more of a void -- a feeling of those times, those hugs gone and that path which you could have been taken left untouched. I don’t hate love. But I sure hate what it tends to do to people…

INVISIBLE PIPER WITH A MYSTERIOUS TUNE…..

Luck, serendipity, destiny… All these concepts didn’t really much to me previously… But The last 2 years definitely made a dramatic change in my attitude and implanted in me a strong faith in Destiny…. I firmly believe, now in the theory of AN INVISIBLE PIPER WITH A MYSTERIOUS TUNE…..Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect, as well as for the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper.

Whatever happens to us is certainly pre destined, whatever happens is for the best and we cant stop anything from happening or make an event happen if its not meant for us… Certainly we all put in our best efforts but ultimately the results are just not there in our hands… I don’t want to sound like a lazy loser but this is what I feel is the truth of life in a nut shell… We are mere puppets or actors dancing to the tunes the mysterious tunes of an invisible piper….

Serendipity. Look for something, find something else, and realize that what you've found is more suited to your needs than what you thought you were looking for.”

There are times when we know we are acting irrationally but just go on with it, as if it’s the best approach of handling a certain situation or acting in a particular manner… Later we might regret is another story altogether… That justifies the saying “VINASH KAALE VIPREET BUDDHHII !!”

I feel the number of smiles and tears are pre determined by an external force. Like we might be really happy in a situation and suddenly things turn around and we are no more smiling and similar can happen in case of rags to riches condition…. We as human beings give our best and try to extract the best out of given set of conditions….

Don’t we ask ourselves and GOD why a certain thing went so wrong when we never had any wrong intentions… It happens a lot of times.. And many of these experiences make us stronger. We emerge as a better person. In the short term definitely such setbacks hurt like hell but if we look at it from a long term perspective then they do help us indirectly by making us wiser, mature….

Like my TCS incident,.. For those who don’t know abt it…. I was given confirmation by TCS in nov 2008 that I was selected as HR MT.. I was happy beyond belief.. That was obvious.. And in an hour only they had given another news that I was not selected…They had had an internal meeting wer they decided to ultimately not take IN the fresher.. This experience made me stronger. Today when I am jobless I have this psychological, what u can say , belief in my own self that I have already faced a worse situation so this cant dissuade me. No one can chuck me out if I have still not made myself a part of their work force… Every man has his own destiny: the only imperative is to follow it, to accept it, no matter where it leads him.

And another fact is that we appreciate good things of life much more when we have been through the bad phase. Otherwise things would have been taken for granted. Now today when I get a job I will mot certainly enjoy the EMPLOYED feeling more than if I had been selected for a job from the campus in an UNRECSSIONED WORLD and had not faced any kind of hassles….

Lets say a person gets romantically involved with some one. Truly loves him/her.. gives his/her best… And then gets dumped for no apparent reason. Not to say the person will feel damn low.. Get high on the dejection quotient and loses confidence n stuff…But look at the positive aspect.. Such an experience makes one more careful, analytical in approach and obviously stronger from within…

I have no regrets in my life. I think that everything happens to you for a reason. The hard times that you go through build character, making you a much stronger person....

Raat lambi sahi,
Phir bhi yeh ek raat hai,
Subah ho jaayegi,
Sau baton ki baat hai,
Phir jaagegi yeh fizaa,
Phir dil ka ek raasta,
Le jaayega wahin tujhe,
Teri tay manzil jahan,
Sach to yeh hai ki hona hai yu,
To in aankhoin mein aansoo hai kyu?
Gum naa kar tu jo murjha gaye,
Phool khil jaayenge phir naye…

Kolkata food - BHALO ACCHE !!!!!

Necessity is the mother of all inventions… Well in my case it was not really an invention on my part, but yeah…Nonetheless it was like voyaging on an un charted territory !!! It is COOKING That I am talking about my dear friends!!!

Till Delhi I had no idea about cooking.. But Kolkata was a different ball game altogether… In my 1st PG The food was horrible…N yess…I mean it.. I remember the maid bringing our food from a different home (where the kitchen was functioning) full of rain water in dal and chawal during monsoons…It was such a disgusting sight…. It made my stomach feel weird and suddenly I could feel the cramps… Just the mere sight of it!

The only option left was to fend for ourself… So I decided to start cooking… The process started with buying a CLIX…It is a chhota potable gas cylinder and u don’t need any kind of connection for it… Then we friends bought all different kinds of masalas and other basic necessities!!!

And bingo … We had our own small kitchenette!!! From zero to what I now know has been quite a progress indeed… I know how to make Tea, coffee, Maggi, Pasta (The readymade ITC Sun feast one only!) , omelets, bread rolls, cheese sandwich, aloo sandwich, chicken sandwich, poha, a quick snack of crumbled bread with masala n veggies, Pizza, Aloo ki sabzi, paneer ki sabzi (with n without the curry), Chhole, Chane, aloo gobhi, khichdi (that’s my specialty) …..

My cooking adventures made me learn a lot through experimenting n all.. There were groceries to b bought, utensils to b cleaned and lot much to do…But then as friends tell me…"u r not at all a bad cook”… U do cook well !! And another friend attributed this success to the virtue of my being a female..Acc to him , "u r a girl.. Females are born with the innate quality to cook and all… Its there in your instinct " … Maybe…he was right in saying this…

Ok lets come to the food that I had in various places in Kolkata… To be true the food that I had bahar was not bad…it was infact good…

First of all I would like to talk about ITC HOTEL THE SONAR. 4 months of my summer internship in the HR deptt there was a GALA time for me as far as food is concerned. The everyday lunch there was a sumptuous affair. And the different kinds of chocolates and pastries that I tasted in the Hotel. The fresh fruits cake and the chocolate cake… During SIP I managed to put up quite a bit…And yaa the SUSHI !!! It was cooked by a chef flown in from Phillipines but unfortunately the HR deptt ppl could not appreciate the kind of raw taste of fish in Sushi…

Then there was some amazing SEA FOOD served By IIM C in the 3 day seminar held there…It had pomphrets and other stuff.

For typical North Indian fair of Naan, shahi paneer, malai kofta , butter chicken n tandoori chicken I would say Azad Hind, Rupanjali, Sanjha Chulha, Silver Chimney, Eats and treats provided some really nice food.

Now my aunty in the new PG… Her favorite seemed to b ALOO !!! All her special dishes had aloo.. Aloo Bhaja, Aloo Dum, Aloo Paratha, Aloo Sandwich, Aloo Chicken (the Sunday speciality !) n so on…. One aspect of her food worth mentioning here is her fishy activities. I liked just the fish fry … Her another fish was some slim fish cooked in its own shape..u had to take the whole fish on ur plate and eat it simultaneously removing its kaante !! The ORIYA AND BONG girls had amazing skills to do it which I lacked!!! Once aunty made special PRWON FRY…She asked me to go for it… I took a couple of them in my plate. I ate them but the next few days I saw its effect. The next 3-4 mornings I used to get up in the morning and puke.. Such was the effect of prown on my system. After that incident all my sympathies are with the pregnant females who suffer from morning sickness… God bless them all !!!

Special mention of CHAI, SAMOSA, DEEM TOAST (bread omelete), CUTLETS, LOOCHI BHAAJI, JHAL MURI that we had in every possible place... 7 number, 8 number, karunamoyee, near metro plaza, near park street, rajarhat road, near ITC sonar,City centre, the tea junction, wdc, KT..... after every class we had a cup of tea if nothing else !!! and Once we had a staggering unbelievable bill of 95 bucks in a CHAI SHOP near WDC !!!

Once all the friends went to Grub Clubs near Garia Hat… Awesome chicken dishes they served there. By the end of the dinner I felt to CHICKENED !!! Then there was this memorable ENGLISH BREAKFAST @ FLURRYS with Ritu and her XLRI friends group… I would suggest flurry’s breakfast as a must during one’s Kolkata stay… And the lip smacking street food and chats near Vardaan market….

The ARSALAN kebabs have their own specialty and will simply melt in your mouth…The RAHMANIA”s biriyani…. The Malgudi Days perfect DOSAS on CAMAC street…I also explored 4 food courts… In RDB adlabs, City centre , South City Mall and Howrah Rly Station… Good palatable food at reasonable prices…

Near our college we had Fingertips, n number of food stalls, mostly I used to have the Dosa near KT and the chhola paratha at times…Opium we generally went for drinks and their Crispy baby corns and Crispy chicken… After all they had an inviting 10% discount for ICFAI students on all food items n drinks !!! Chicken lollypop, steamed momos and chicken rolls in Karunamoyee were like routine evening snack when I felt too tired to cook after reaching PG after the day..

The other normal stuff that we had was in Dominos, Pizza hut, KFC, Mc Donalds, CCD etc…

One unique quality in Kolkata is that u can get good food even at small establishments n with ok ok hygiene… U don’t have to shell out a fortune for every meal !!

Now how can I not talk about SWEETS in Kolkata… Kolkata offers you some really sweet and nice sweets …Rosogullas, cham cham, malai mithai, sondesh in various varieties… The sweet shops are present almost everywhere and the Cake shops too… In the Bakery market it is MONGINIS with maximum market penetration… The outlets are not very huge but very comfortable and clean with moderately priced items.. One of my friends did his internship with Monginis.. He went to this particular outlet for his questionnaire session or something and noticed some flies/ insects in the glass cabinet having food.. He reported this to management and very prompt action was taken …

Now after talking so much about food I feel hungry and hope that the post had a similar effect on you too… Bon Appétit !!!!!

KOLKATA......

D main reason i of my finally joining d blogging community is probably dat i have got so much to say abt my experiences in kolkata dat i cant hold myself back anymore.....dis wud in all possibilities prove to be d best platform ver i cud pour out my heart n express all my feelings....
guys please dont mind if i say or more correctly write something offensive abt d city.....

i dont even know ver to start 4m;i mean actually i have got so much to share abt my life in kolkata.....

depending on d availability of free time i wud keep updating this blog.....but things may not necessarily be in chronological order as i ll just go on writing stuff as n ven i remember dem....

i dont have any superb opening 4 dis post so let me start 4m d starting!!!!

i came to kolkata on 29th may 2007 along vid my mom n my sister.d 1st thing dat i found unique abt d city was d railway station....d car parking comes till d platforms.u just get out of d train n literally jump in ur car!!!!no troubles at all unlike all other stations.....

den after i had settled n all after 5 10 min i realised dat i was not able to breathe properly...i felt suffocated.....i thought dat it was d effect of coming out an air conditioned environment after 14 hrs.....but more time passed n i still felt d same....den me n my family realised dat our bodies ver not reacting to d temperature change but it was d high humidity level dat was d main culprit of our discomfort.....

now since i have introduced u 2 d climatic conditions here i feel it wud be extremely logical to make u ppl aware of 1 more thing....in kolkata u r always wet...either due to humidity u keep sweating or else it keeps raining!!!! in both circumstances u r always wet n 4 ppl like me 4m north india who r acclamatised to a dry weather n dont carry umbrellas along its a major hastle....be it a sunny or a rainy day.....