In Search of Inner Peace...... Part 2

"Mandi" as popularly know as 'choti kaashi' is just the kind of place I was looking for after being in the maddening crowd of Mumbai and Pune. A wonderful place to live, with beauty and simplicity of its own. There is something about hills that has always drawn me closer to them.I love its beauty,mystery, simplicity, and friendliness. It is definitely because I am a kashmiri, even if I haven't spend more than 10 years of my childhood there. But I love going to the hills, staying there and loving the nature and culture of the hills. I don't know what is the most beautiful attribute here, the nature, surroundings, architecture, temples, people, or food.

My trip to Mandi was the best trip I have had in a long time, travelling alone to a new place always adds to the mystery and "need to be explored' feeling. After working non-stop for a couple of years I needed a break not just from work but from my regular routine as well. I wanted to feel all my senses once again, to breathe fresh air, to eat what I haven't tasted for a while, to laugh so hard that my stomach hurts, to see something so beautiful that I am mesmerised by it, to hear the birds chirping their wonderful songs in the morning and to get in touch with myself........  To sleep as if who cares what happens tomorrow, to wake up in the morning at your own ease no time to get up and run as the day is yours so is the night. I know we are keep dreaming to do this but believe is its awesome when you actually do it.

There are so many things I  can write about -  its culture, food, nature, people, temples, rituals, beliefs and and others. And I don't know what all to include and what to exclude. The culture, beliefs, fears look the the same in all hilly areas. They are god-fearing people who believe in good as well as evil forces. These simple people believe there is a supreme power that is protecting them against the evil forces whether it's natural calamities or evil doings of human beings. I am in love with the simplicity and innocence of these people. They believe in superstitions and other related things, but not because they are ignorant. I was discussing these rituals   and their superstitions with my dad and he gave me a wonderful explanation about the same. He said "people are the way they see nature and their surroundings so people living in valleys are narrow minded because they cannot see anything beyond the mighty mountains surrounding them". So true....

Cheerful people with rosy cheeks all around, all decked up and ready to do their daily chores..... But I see no rush and no anxiety in getting their chores done. Everyone looks at ease as they chat with fellows walking or a random shopkeeper. They will just sit down for a cup of tea or  sit out in the sun enjoying the nature's warm blanket. People here are happy in small things of life, whether it's chatting with your neighbour, or going to the market and meeting a long lost friend or people enjoying the local street food. I am not a big fan of street food but when I got here and saw a group of girls giggling as they ate those yummy hot and round 'Jalebis', or 'Bun tikki' or 'Chole-kulche'. I was looking at them as it reminded me of those carefree childhood days. How relaxed and happy we were?

Women From the hills seem to be more educated and liberated than their Punjabi and Haryanavi counterparts. Women study well here and believe in working and earring their bread. Women seem to take the lead here as they are financially independent where as the women from UP, Punjab and Haryana are confined to the 4-walls of the house. You should see the confidence with which women work here, I was pretty impressed. They can be sweet, friendly, firm, cold and entrepreneurial. They have a close knit community so everyone knows everyone, they help and support each other.

Culture of a community represents the overall essence of the inherited ideas, beliefs, values, and knowledge. Traditional embroidery patterns here are more geometric. May be because of  the surrounding hills they see day in and day out. The colours they use are generally bright as the flowers.Unlike its neighbour "Kashmir", our embroideries are focused on the flora and fauna of Kashmir. Kashmiri embroideries are know for the flowers, chinar leaves, paisley patterns and subtle colours.

Interestingly, most of embroidery/handwork is done by 'men' in the hills because women can take care of most of the stuff outside the house. But in areas like Punjab and Haryana the men go out to work to earn their bread and women take care of the house. So most of the embroidery/handwork is done by groups of women sitting at home. It seems like what started as just beautifying their own clothes for weddings and other functions finally becoming a trademark of Punjabi households popularly know as 'phulkaris'.

It was freezing cold in Mandi and all the snowfall added to my worst nightmares. I was so close to freezing to death, thank god I could use some warm clothes. I would pray for the sun to come out the next day so that at least the days are warm....... One thing worth mentioning is that people here use technology to check the weather and then plan their days accordingly. I did the same, sunny meaning going out for a trek or a long walk and rains would mean shopping and eating. Shopping is the best thing to do if you want feel happy instantly, at least for me it works perfect. I can shop, shop for almost anything, and believe me I don't even get tired of it.

One fine and sunny day we decided to go to a 'Kangani mata' temple..... A long trek up the mountain was definitely a tough one but The view from the top was just splendid. It was a funny trek.... Half of the trek the blazing sun almost burned our skin and we were freezing with the cold wind blowing in the shady areas around the hill. It felt like a regular day and night cycle or a happy-sad cycle. Beautiful pine trees all around and what is called some snake climber trees were just phenomenal. They were so up and high in the sky standing so tall and proud as if mocking the mountain as they are higher.

Festivals are the heart and soul of every community and culture in India. "Shivratri" is the main festival of Mandi like we have in Kashmir. It literally means 'the great night of Lord Shiva'. Every second temple in Mandi belongs to Lord Shiva. It is more than a week long preparation and celebration here. The local people go around and invite all the local deities for the big night. Everyone is invited from nearby places to come and celebrate Maha Shivratri - the marriage of Shiva and Parvati. The union of man and nature.Sadly, I missed the celebration part here because I went home to celebrate it with my parents.

Time really flies when you are having fun. I can't believe I was off the Mumbai-Pune for almost 2 weeks. But I wanted to stay a little longer, I know I'm getting greedy. I was having so much fun here in Mandi and then back home after a long time with mom and dad. I could talk to them and do nothing....wake up when I wanted, eat what I feel like, sleep when I feel like, talk to them non-stop, go to the market with them. There is definitely something about home that relaxes you instantly and you feel so protected as if nothing can harm you. Nothing is as  reassuring as your dad's smile and nothing is as encouraging as your mom's smile..........

Thank you Su-per-Man for making my trip wonderful, and I'm so glad I did this. I so plan to make Mandi my chilling out place from now on. 

In Search of Inner Peace - Part 1

It is an awesome feeling to turn off all the alarms on your phone and go to the bed without thinking of the next day being a Monday. Yessss, I have finally overcome my Monday blues obviously because I don't have to go to work. So as soon as I hit the bed, I was asleep like a baby with no worries. Next day morning, I finished with my last minute packing and felt no anxiety to travel. Weird right? May be I already found my inner peace. ;p

Finally got into a taxi and left for the airport. The drive from my place to the airport takes almost the same time I will take to get to Delhi or Chandigarh from Mumbai. It is a long drive with crazy Mumbai traffic but thankfully people don't honk that often so it is a peaceful ride. Life in Mumbai is fast, everyone is running either to work or to get their chores going. Looking at all these people, I was thinking thank God I am off for a while. I really need a break to feel what it is like to breath, to do nothing and live for a while. I feel fresh as the morning dew, as energetic as a young cub who plans to go hunting all by himself. I want to explore a new place, a new culture, do some random things, and obviously shoppppp. So I decided to go and visit my BFF staying in Mandi (Himachal) to bask in nature's glory.

The excitement and the delight of meeting old friends is beyond description. The funny thing is you might be meeting them after a year or so but the discussion starts from where you had left it last time. Same feelings, same tempo, same energy and that same carefree attitude, as if you are young again. It's like you are time travelling in a time machine and we are back in 2007. It's funny how we cherish small things in life and laugh and joke over them for the rest of our lives. I guess that's what friendship is about. 

A 12 hours long journey to reach Mandi was tiring for sure but the company made it easy. The journey was smooth till Chandigarh and then the adventure of the ghats started. Scary turns, traffic from both the sides was crazy, but fun. Thankfully our bus had proper heating so it was warm and we could almost sleep through the whole night. Finally, early morning we reached Mandi and I could smell the freshness in the air. Everything was dark and cold, very cold........ And I was shivering. We took an auto to get home and the ride was chilling and freezing. There was nothing more than a hot cup of tea and a warm bed to recover from the cold wave...............

To be continued......

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag!!!!!

Finally, I went to watch movie “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag” and I was speechless. Bollywood has surely grown over the years and the improvement in creativity is just phenomenal. I am very impressed with the way the director has used simple ingredients like color, water, nature and people to make his story impactful. The art of revealing the critical details of the story only when it is needed and when it is just right, is just marvelous. The monochromatic effect to portray the past, a past that has not buried itself peacefully but is still with him and those memories still haunt him….....

How can anyone use a simple ingredient like water and use it to show all the emotions of your life? That swaying water in a bucket representing freedom, innocence and curiosity as we are growing up, droplets of water bringing sweet memories of your first love, a bucket of sweat that reminds you of your hard work and success, that smell of wet soil that brings in all your best of memories....... But at the same time, the same water can be a disaster. It can also remind you of your pain, suffering, fear, agony and loss. How well has it been used? It is just commendable, and I have no words to describe it. All I have is applause and respect for the magician who could mesmerize me and left me craving for more.

I love the way Milkha Singh goes back and forth in his past. His anger and anguish taking him to achieve whatever he wanted, just to prove to himself, his father, his lady love and his beloved sister. Every relationship in the movie seems so real, whether it’s his relationship with his father, mother, sister, friend or his lady love.

A beautiful relationship between a brother and a sister, I being a sister know how it feels to have a younger brother. How you want to love him, pamper him, scold him but never find enough words to express your love. How you want him to do well in life, and do everything possible to help him when he is in trouble..... Because whenever he is in trouble, he looks up to you with that innocent smile and those eyes saying “please help, I think I'm in trouble.” The way a sister always knows what is his brother up to, and when caught red-handed he would shy and smile. The way your brother cannot see you cry, he will do anything to make you smile. He will be your clown, your friend and your mentor…..

The plight of his sister who is torn between the responsibility of being a wife and a sister is so well directed. She is just a wife for her husband but everything for her dear brother. Sadly, it’s the plight of almost every woman in our society except few lucky ones.

The pain of partition is so well captured, people being slaughtered and their hopeless eyes wandering for a loaf of bread. Milkha being unfortunate enough to witness his parent’s man slaughter, the turmoil within about what is right or wrong and betrayal from his own people, lying in a pool of blood of his family and holding on to their dead bodies......... as if they will wake up…… What a wonderful portrayal! Same effect as if you are watching the movie “300”. Those blood stained knifes somehow look less gross but are powerfully impactful.

His journey to fame, his glorious years and he becoming “the flying sikh” was just splendid. I was awed that they could pull out all those old footages for most of the events that Milkha had succeeded. Even his fling with the Australian girl is beautifully shot and nowhere does it look cheap. The intimacy is dignified, an attraction we would have felt sometime in our lives.

His facing his demons was just awesome, because no matter how much we try and bury our past...... It doesn't leave us... It haunts us till we decide to face it head on and fear no more. Once you look straight into the eyes of your fear, somehow it disappears.

I was just speechless when we came out of the movie, just didn't know what to say. All we came out was what a movie and more and more respect for Farhan Akthar. For not even once I felt he wasn't a sardar or he wasn't Milkha Singh. That dimpled smile, humility, and that sportsmanship is just beyond words to describe.

All I have is respect and more respect for Farhan and Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra, they understand the impact of media and they know how well to use it for waking up today's youth. Rang de bansanti was a phenomenal movie...... everything in that movie was awesome. The characters, the dialogues, the portrayal, and direction everything was perfect. The parallel stories of freedom struggle on one hand and struggle for justice on the other hand. The stories you wouldn’t imagine to have any interaction but both the stories share the same sentiment.

Such people have definitely taken Indian cinema to the next level, and forced people like me to appreciate the talent we have here and that Bollywood is not only about stupid movies and item numbers. I am hardcore Hollywood fan, because I watch a movie for everything, story, characters, background scores, and direction. A movie that stays with me, and I can just close my eyes and play it in my head any number of times. Such movies inspire and amaze me at the same time. It amazes me as to what a human brain can do? How can it baffle you? How it teases you? I love movies that give me a food for thought, something that makes me think why so? Whether its people, society, cultures, religion, politics, and I try and look for answers. Obviously, such over analysis leaves me sometimes with some negative thoughts, some upsetting moments and I have troubled Vivek enough number of times with this. 

Anyways, I wish good luck to this new generation of movie-makers, who have beautifully excelled in the art of storytelling. I am sure they will take Indian cinema to new heights. And people like me (Hollywood fans) will have no choice but to applaud and say “Bhaag Milkha Bhaag”…….

Go Bollywood…... Hat’s off to this one.

Weekend Get-Away to Matheran!!!

Finally, a pending post:)

We as the slaves of time, always look forward to take a break and feel free for once. I mean free to do what we like rather than being enclosed in the 4 walls of office or home. All we do is start with a sloppy Monday and all through the week wait for Friday. Interestingly, we all are so used to this Monday-Friday and Friday-Sunday cycle that our lives are just around these days.

Few crazy days at work, few hectic weekends and that all it takes for you to realize that's it!!! I really need some break to spend some time away from the twin cities and office. After a lot of yes and no sessions, I decided we have to go out.....doesn't matter what the place is like we will just go.

We packed our bags, got into the car and we started our adventure ride to Matheran. Thanks to Google maps for saving our time and energy in figuring out the way. Life has become so easy and dependable at the same time with technology. It was a wonderful drive via NH4. The road was surprisingly good with picturesque but when we hit a rough patch we realized we are still in India. The final 7-8km to the car parking area known as Dasturi was fun and scary at the same time. The dangerously steep slopes were scary; at every curve my heart almost skipped a beat. You just couldn't see the next curve or the road or any vehicle coming ahead which was a scary feeling but thankful we reached safely. Finally we made it to Dasturi, relieved and shocked at the same time; relieved obviously because we reached safely and shocked because we saw a sea of cars parked and being parked there. It's hard to believe that people would just come to Matheran for a day or so…….I guess desperation to go out does that to everyone.

Interestingly, Matheran is a no-automobile zone so after Dasturi other than the slowest train possible the only option left is a “horse”...... Yeah you heard it right. We had booked a place in the Neemrana group's "The Verandha in the forest" popularly known as the Barr House. It is at the extreme end of Matheran just near the lake. We got onto the horses and started our journey to our home stay. We see people, people and more people, felt as if the whole of Mumbai is there. Commercialization has hit this place big time, hotels big and small everything is there in this small place. As soon as we reached Neemrana, we knew we were in good hands; it's so aptly named Verandha in the forest..... Middle of nowhere just us and a window that overlooks a forest, chirping of birds some songs that I had never heard..... Monkeys all over the place and the best of all no phone, no Internet and no tv...... What more can you ask for :)

We were so tired of those 45 mins of horse ride that we just ate and crashed. Got up by the tea time and decided to go to the lake. There is something special about Matheran that worth mentioning.... The red sandy soil....... It will spoil your shoes, your clothes, your hair and your skin for sure. We decided to walk up to the Charlotte Lake and mannnn so many Gujjus, as if the whole of Gujarat was here....but why? Nonetheless all that mattered was we had come to take a break and we weren't very keen to explore the place. All we wanted to do was rest and relax.

Next day, we decided to go to the market in the evening and walk back which wasn't a very good idea in the night. There were lights but the way back was scary. It was just a vast forest with a sandy soil and all we had was a torch and we were walking close to each other as there were a lot of dogs that could come out of nowhere. Man... That walk was a scary but awesome with so much rush of adrenaline. I was amazed at my inherent human senses as I was able to hear even the slightest rustle of the leaves, could see some animal crossing our way even with limited visibility. I felt so alert and alive that I was so ready to attack anything that comes my way. I guess I have never felt such a strong survival instinct before.

I personally love the idea of using a heritage property and converting it to a "non hotel" hotel. The best part is that since the property is expensive, you will surely have a decent crowd and the best of services.We met this interesting Chef Mahesh, a super enthu guy who has been to most of the Neemrana properties and had learned cooking from the best Indian and continental chefs. And believe me this guy was good....his Indian was good but continental was awesome. And the dessert he made “apple pie" was to die for. Yummy is the word.

It felt like a complete British holiday, have breakfast, read a book, have lunch, take a nap, go for a walk, have dinner, read a book and sleep whenever you want and getup whenever you want. This holiday had the best Monday we both have ever had in the last one year. No Sunday blues, no getting up early, no running after the bus, racing to office, whole day running around in office to get work done and finally home....... Exhausted..........

Traveling has always been my passion; I just love to explore new places, culture, what forms the basis of their civilization. Here, in Matheran there is not much to explore if you have travelled. Similar points as that of any hill station...... Sunset point, sunrise point, echo point, a lame lake....... Popular sites in India are surely overrated.

It's an amazing feeling, when even after a decade of knowing each other, you still look forward to spend some time together. And I feel it's very important to take time off work and enjoy life for a while. Otherwise, stress and frustration would drive you crazy.

It is surely a place for a weekend getaway for Mumbai-Punekars as it offers a break from crazy traffic and you feel closer to nature. A short trip to rediscover, refresh and recharge yourself.

I am Scared...... Because I am a Woman!!!!

With the most heinous rape incident last year, all papers/news channels were spilling blood and hatred all over the place. It's so difficult to live a normal life as you see, read or hear people talking about it all the time. I didn't want to talk, comment, discuss or even write about it but I am so disturbed and shattered, that mere words can't express. Thinking about it gives me those goosebumps that I can’t hide and my heart cries for the unfortunate girl, her poor friend and family. I am so . I don't know what to hate more “the rapist" or my existence?


I must say this event definitely saw a commendable spirit shown by Delhiites..... Finally. Thank you all for the support you guys showed and didn't let this issue go by. Those processions and questions raised really helped us to prove our point. Even if that girl is not with us anymore, I really don't want this issue to settle down. Even if we all know, even if we claim we have freedom, but the bitter truth is that we are still not safe…. ..Not at home and definitely not outside. I sincerely feel we need to combat such terrorism at home first............


I am sure “Nirbhaya” as people popularly call her, thought it would be safer to get on the bus or something before she is shot (I would rather say hunted) by some goons or a political party workers. She would have thought it would be alright and she is safe as she is with a guy and not alone. But I guess little did she know about her fate that this will be worse. I don't know what to conclude from all this that I am not safe? It’s not safe to step out of my house even when I am accompanied by my parents, my husband, my brother and my friends. Does this incident also imply that I am a threat to them as well? So now when I step out in Delhi, should I be worried about my safety or theirs. It all sounds like I have finally become a burden to my family and friends. Does that also mean we should all say yes to female infanticide, as we refuse to take responsibility? I guess it will be easier for that innocent child to die in a day than die worrying every time she steps out all her life…….


Every daughter is special to her parents as she is their joy and pride. A mentor and a friend to her brother, a companion and a support pillar to her husband, a mother (everything) to her children. Then why is all this happening? Believe me I am going crazy looking for answers but I just can't find any. Even if I think the rapists involved had some psychological issue, were emotionally unstable or mentally derailed, even then how could all the 7 people traveling in that bus think alike? What is it that made them so inhuman that they thought it could be a fun activity? How could they sleep at night, had they turned in to some stone monsters as they couldn’t hear her pleads, her screams, and see her tears……...



How will they ever look into the eyes of their mother who gave them this life, their wives who confided and believed in them, their sons for whom they are the role models, and last but not the least their daughters???? What will they tell them, stay away from me because I can't stop myself or I will kill you because there are many people like me out there? When I think about all these questions, my mind goes insane..... I can't think of one good reason to do what they did.........


It was a jolly time for our dear politicians, religious leaders and everyone who can speak because our dear media with surely pick it up even if its crap. You qualification or degree doesn't matter, as they will talk rubbish anyways. They have to say something just for the sake of commenting or to strike a controversy. Oh yes! It’s only to get back in limelight, because everything is always about limelight.

And obviously there is a blame game and the list is endless, influence of western culture, intolerance levels, no respect for life, Bollywood,........ Oh yeah! I said Bollywood, you might not agree but that is a major source of influence in India. Thanks to Bollywood for the “objectification” of women....... So all men see is a “Munni” or “Sheela” in every woman they see. They have treated women with anything but respect. All the jaw dropping sequences with nothing left to imagination, I am sure men would see every female around them like that. It reminds me of the movie "Madagascar", when Alex sees everyone around as a piece of meat...... Yes that is what we wo-men have become - a piece of meat.

We all talk about equality but still talk about special treatment, why? Why is it that we still have to prove ourselves at every point that we want equality not specialty? What is it that when a female is doing well in her career, we say "must be sleeping with the boss" and when she cannot perform we say "women cannot concentrate because they constantly think about home and family"? Even if we all received the same education, same principles, but we still choose to make such silly comments. Why????



I could pour all my heart out and write endlessly about all the reasons and solutions but there is no point. All I want to do is to make a sincere request to all men out there. Please stop all this if not for me, stop it for your mother, wife and daughters, because it’s only up to you to make this place a better place for your loved ones. So that women like me don't have to be scared just because “I am a woman”. And to all the women out there, please learn to stand up for yourself. Be strong and say no to abuse, whether it is at home, your workplace, out on the road, or anywhere else. I am really looking forward to a rape-free India; I hope it happens in my lifetime, so that I can die peacefully without worrying constantly for future generations to come.


Hope is all I have.......

2012 - A Year of Wedding!!!!

As we welcome the New Year, it’s time for a recap. The year began with loads and loads of shopping, planning and more shopping for my upcoming wedding in April. I was going crazy with all the shopping. Shopping all week, weekend, in Mumbai, in Pune and everywhere I went. And the to-do list went on and on, actually felt as if the things to buy will never end. I am crazy about sarees, but still how many can you buy. Its so tricky, because you want the right color, a perfect pattern and style. Believe me its very tiresome and getting these things ready is the next ordeal as the innumerous visits to the tailor will make you insane. And if your luck is bad enough then he will for sure ruin the best buy you have. Being a control freak and super-organized, I had picked colors and patterns for all the wedding occasions. I wanted a magenta bandhani (lehariya) for my first pre-wedding function (Devgon as we call it), perfect temple bordered southern silk in green for my mehendi (Menziraat) and obviously that perfect traditional red for my wedding. I know it sounds crazy, but I was so sure about the colors and patterns that I had a tough time looking for all these. And obviously you can imagine what all did the people with whom I shopped went through. Phewwwww!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you everyone for all the help and support during the shopping spree and the pre-wedding jitters I had. Believe me it’s a stressful time for the bride….. There is something about wedding that makes you go crazy and all you want to do is splurge, you want to buy everything that you have always or never wanted to buy; from super-glittery to that perfect red and golden that it’s super obsessive. I am sure guys will not understand, but it is the truth. I spend one whole day looking for a golden sandal and my poor brother was like “it’s just golden???? How many shades of golden exist?” Well, there are many :P

My Big Fat Kashmiri Wedding is an event that i will remember for the rest of my life. So it had to be just perfect and splendid. Mom and dad’s super organizing skills always amaze me. They had taken care of each and everything. It doesn’t matter whether you have finished your shopping a day or moths before the wedding. Everything goes well at the end. Amidst of all the happiness (halla-gulla), there was something that I was missing. A warm smile on that wrinkled face, a touch that makes you feel blessed…. obviously missed my grandmothers. Both of them were so looking forward to see me as a bride. If I could turn back time and do one thing right it would be to bring her back. Even with all the blessings I got from everyone at home I still wanted her blessings. I wanted to look into her eyes and hold on to her tightly and tell her that I will miss my childhood, my home, my parents, crazy days with my brother but I will miss you the most.

With these thoughts I left, didn’t know how things will go from there on. A rush of mixed feelings of being happy and sad at the same time, but that is life and I was ready to begin the next phase of life. Next on the list was obviously “Honeymoon” – our dream destination was set. We so wanted to spend our honeymoon in the most romantic cities of Paris, Venice and Rome, and Vivek did everything possible to get it they way we wanted to. He left no stone unturned to get us the visa (with all the last minute dramas), and I am so thankful to him for not giving up. As it was surely the time of our lives, perfect weather, perfect place and the perfect us.

Beginning of a new relationship has an exquisiteness of its own. Even if you know someone for eternity, marriage definitely brings in a new feeling of love and respect towards each other. It’s a feeling that you belong to each other and the world around you turns perfect. As you take your first steps as a married couple, you want to make this relationship so beautiful as if the world will end tomorrow. It’s those little things that you do for each other, just to see those twinkly eyes and that 100 watt smile, makes this relationship so special. The first’s in everything after marriage like your first birthday, all the festivals, functions and all the trips home. It’s a superb feeling of being complete.

We belong to different cultures and obviously follow different traditions but its fun to spice things up, taking in all the good and fun things from each others traditions. So we have all the functions with our twist of traditions. This was our first Diwali at home as a married couple so it had to be special. It was a new tradition for me, so everything was new and different from what I have been doing. But there is nothing like spending time with your family. If you are among the lucky ones, your new family will make you feel so welcome, that you don’t even feel as if you weren’t a part of this family. I know it sounds strange but thats how exactly how I felt. It’s interesting to see how we adopt new traditions and make a foundation for our future generations that are yet to come.

What else? hmmm.... yeah, how can I miss writing about work? Work wise, I was crazily busy with one of the biggest projects of my career. So you can imagine, days and nights in the meeting room, unending discussions and late nights in office. Those silly discussions over the choice of words, ego clashes between team members, different perspectives of all the people you work with and so many other things. Working with foreign clients can be difficult, just communicating what exactly we did sometimes makes you go crazy........... as we believe in complicating things and they believe in keeping things simple. Its purely a matter of perception. Those heated arguments within your team when you actually feel like hitting someone but finally agree to disagree and work on everyone’s feedback. Those endless discussions about what is the perfect way to go about the whole project? But whatever it is, on the day of final delivery when all goes well… it gives you a sense of accomplishment and proud that you have done a good job.The good thing about such projects is that you realise 'patience is the key' and you have to let go of certain things. Don't let anybody walk away with your wall of fame and never get upset when idiots who don't do anything are applauded....... Because they are definitely not worth thinking about.

This year has a special place in my heart, not only because I married the one I love but also because it was the year when most of my best friends got married. It seemed like a wild fire of weddings coming through as if I was a holding on to something and once I got married I cleared the way for so many people in my life. Starting with my best friends Saurabh and Amit…… the fire went on to Deepti, Suman and now next year Christeena’s wedding. Can you believe that? Lucky Me ;)

This year we also started a tadition of road trips. Two wonderful road trips with friends. One to Kaas - The Valley of Flowers" with Saurabh and Bhakti and the other one.... back to "Sawantwadi" with Ritu and Yogesh. A wonderful time with friends and I sincerely hope we have more fun times like these this year.

Life is good but its not always rosy. We have our share of worries and challenges all along. Balancing so many things to get that perfect balance of work and family. Questions at every step, decisions that you have never taken before. But with your spouse by your side, no matter how tough life gets, no matter how things go wrong…… you will surely bounce back. Just the way we promise each other in our wedding vows. I am so looking forward to see what lies for us in this year and many more years to come..

Happy New Year 2013!!!!

A Tale of Two Cities............

I am sure the title reminds you of the famous story by Charles Dickens. But it’s not what you are thinking; it is the story of my life. Well, it’s not even a story…. It is actually my life. A life of living across twin cities of Pune and Mumbai……..sounds crazy right???? Surprisingly, I am not the only one. Here is a telltale of a regular Mumbai-Pune traveler.

I wonder about it every Friday when I am on my way to Mumbai and every Monday morning when I have to get up early to take the bus back to Pune. And the same thoughts come to my mind the next Friday and Monday and then the following. I know these are not just my thoughts but the thoughts of every weekend traveler. There are so many familiar faces I see every weekend, travelling from Pune to Mumbai and vice-versa. I know some people who have been doing it for over 3 years now and are still running this mad affair. You must be wondering “why do people do it and how can they do it every weekend?”

Well, we do it not out of choice but circumstances…… “the tragedy of being employed.” It’s ironic to see that you will never get the kind of job you want and there are always options available for things you don’t want. With both the spouses working nowadays and to make matters worse “job” is not the main driving force here. It’s the type of work, future career growth, location and many such parameters that run your life. The matrix of these parameters, their variability and dependence is devastating at times. So the trick is to find a perfect job and location otherwise it’s obvious that you will be struck in the “job-location” matrix. Everyone talks about the work-life balance but I guess this job-location matrix is trickier. It’s beyond a regular human brain to imagine how exactly it feels. But feel free to ask any of the migratory us, and we will tell you how exactly it feels.

I just started this trend and I am already tired of living like this. Believe me, it’s not just tiring, it’s draining…… mentally, emotionally and physically. It’s very difficult to deal with the guilt of staying away from your loved one and live two lives. Two lives that actually make you go crazy. I literally am living out of a suitcase in two places, managing two houses, and dealing with work, responsibilities, career and personal commitments. And most of the time, I keep wondering where did I keep ‘this and that’ of things? Well, if this is called multi tasking then I am the ‘Queen of Multi-tasking’.

I know you guys will think and judge “us” that we all do it because we love our “freedom”. But think about it “is it really freedom?” Well I don’t think so. …………. I don’t think I am going through all this because I want freedom………

Yes, as it seems the easiest and logical solution would be to end this madness…………… Obviously I know that. But even that is not an easy option. I have worked so hard to get where I am. I love the urge to get up in the morning and look forward to a day full of challenges. I know we will survive this temporary phase and start living soon.

This blog is dedicated to all the Pune-Mumbai weekend travelers; I admire your courage and compassion to do all this. And a big ‘Thank you’ to all the spouses for understanding and making our lives wonderful, without your support we won’t have survived.

Cheers!!!