My World....

We love to chat! Why not WeChat?

2013-06-15T10:53:00.001-07:00

We Indians love our chats and chaats with equal fervor. We like our gossips to be as spicy and tangy as the golgappe waala's teekhe waala paani. So what if your motto in life is just "live and let live"? The neighbor waali Mrs. Sharma doesn't think so. To check what time you reach home at night, what clothes you wear and how many guy friends you have is all her prerogative too. After all, who's going to take care of the declining ethos of the society, eh?

And so, when I was given the opportunity to be able to connect with any 5 people of my choice, I decided to run a few ticks in my check list. After all, I would be talking/chatting/video calling some of my real favorite people in the world. I decide to send WeChat invites to my favorite 5 people and this is the bhelpuri of a conversation that we had (recreated as honestly as possible ;-))

(Phone beeps)
Apparently THE ShahRukh Khan has accepted my invite and sends me a hello...

SRK: Hello there, young lady!
Moi: H..h..h...h..h hello Sir. It's such an honour to be chatting with you.
SRK: ha ha ha. Call me SRK. Naam to suna hi hoga

(And I imagine my first true love going all SRKish, opening his arms just for me )

Mrs. Sharma: Hello Sir, I also feel the honour ji. Thank you beta for inviting me into this conversation too.

Moi: No trouble Aunty. (we need someone for entertainment,no?)

SRK: Ghata, you have such a beautiful name. Bollywood has romanticized your name so much. Never thought I would meet someone with the name.

Moi : (blushing) Thanks SRK. I can't believe you are flirting with me ;-)

Mrs. Sharma : (obviously not liking the lack of attention on her): SRK, I heard you are planning another baby. What's with you and Aamir and Sanju wanting to be dads at 50?

SRK: ha ha ha...pyaar, shaadi aur bacche karne ki koi umar nahi hoti...lekin ye tum kya jaano Mrs. Sharma....ha ha ha!!

(Moi silently enjoying the saucy convo)

phone beeps
(The famous Margaret Mitchell has accepted my invitation too)

MM: Hello there, lady!
Moi: Hello Ma'm. I can't believe what I am chatting with you right now. I never thought this was possible.
MM : Thank you Ghata!
Mrs. Sharma: But beta, tell me, who is this firangi girl you are talking to?
Moi: Aunty, she's the author of a bestselling author "Gone with the Wind". It's my favorite book. When I first read it, I wanted to kiss the hands and the mind that created it.
MM : Thank you dear. You are very kind.
Mrs. Sharma (obviously not very impressed) : ok, your english books vooks. What do I know? She wrote a tragic love story?
Moi: No aunty, she wrote about how a girl discovered what true love actually meant in between wars and adversities.
Mrs. Sharma : (unimpressed) Ok Ok! Whatever that means..
SRK: MM, Loved your book. By the way, I am SRK. Naam to suna hi hoga....ha ha ha...
MM : Thank you Sir. Pray forgive me for I have never heard of you.
SRK : !!!
Moi : :-P

phone beeps

(Sarah jessica parker has accepted my invitation too)
I let out a whoop of joy!

Moi : Hi Sarah! So excited to be talking to you.
SJP : Thanks honey.
Mrs. Sharma : now who is she? Why couldn't you invite Anandi from Balika vadhu? Always talking to these foreign girls!!
Moi : Aunty, she is a famous Hollywood actress. She played Carrie Bradshaw in the famous TV series Sex and the City.
mrs. Sharma: What? Sex and what? Your generation and all this talk about s** before marriage and all?

Aunty goes off on another tangent and talks about our unmoral-ness while ...

Moi: So, Sarah, how does it feel to be still remembered as Carrie? Was it difficult playing the part?
SJP: It feels great to be still known as Carrie. People loved the show. Playing the part wasn't so difficult because it is a little like all the New York girls drifting in and out of relationships.
Moi: But what about being in an affair with Mr. Big knowing that he was married?
SJP: Well, that was Carrie Bradshaw for you and not Sarah. :-)

Aunty is still mumbling about sex and extra marital affairs...

Moi: You sensationalized the stilettos and high street fashion.
SJP: Thanks a lot girl. I loved being on the show as much as you loved watching it.

phone beeps and Mr. Arvind Kejriwal is on the chat

Moi: hello Sir, an honour to be talking to you.
Mrs. Sharma : Hello Arvind ji. Only you can save the country now. You are doing a great job.
AK: Thank you ladies. But the aam aadmi party needs your support both morally and financially to succeed.
Moi: Absolutely Sir. We will support as much as we can. I am a huge fan. The way you left your high profile cushioned job for the sake of the country is really exemplary.
AK: Thank you. It's just something I had to do.
Moi: But I am sure it was not easy. Family pressures must have held you back.
AK: Let's not go there. What's important is that the youth wants a change and we are trying to bring it. We just need your support.
Mrs. Sharma: Arvind ji, please lead us. We will follow you. Perhaps, after this chat, you could come over to our area to check our heightening electricity bills.
Moi: !!!!!!!

And finally, Sir Ravindra Jadeja decides to accept my invite and join the conversation

Moi: Sir Jadeja, what a performance you have been giving in the Champions Trophy.
SRK: O look, sir Ravindra Jadeja! sir, bahut naam suna hai aapka....its lovely meeting you.
MM: So, you are the Sir Ravindra Jadeja everyone's been talking about? You must be doing something right! Congratulations..
SJP: O yeah, I heard a lot about you from the Indian media, facebook and twitter. Going great guns dude. Keep it up!
AK : Sir, saare politicians aapki tarah perform karne lage, to everyone can live in peace
Mrs. Sharma: He must be a cricketer. Everyone seems to know him? Was he also involved in match fixing?
Moi: No aunty. But yes, he is a cricketer and is in great form. So Sir RJ, how does it feel to be appreciated by legends all over the world?
Sir RJ : (blushing) well, you know...its nice. I like it. But I just try to play my game. Bowl straight. field well.. Rest all follows.
Moi: I am sure Sir RJ. But don't you feel offended people make jokes on you?

Sir RJ:I try to keep away from them.People do what they are good at. I try do my act well.

Moi: Looking forward to a great performance from you in the upcoming matches as well.

Sir RJ : I will try my best ... (honest smile) :-)

Mrs. Sharma and I had such an awesome time talking to these great personalities!!All thanks to WeChat for launching this awesome application especially in our country where gossips spread faster than wildfires. If you want to know more about this app(downloadable on your phone), you can read my review here. And if you had fun reading about this saucy, tangy and spicy conversation, you should give WeChat a try too!

This post has been written for the "WeChat with Anyone, Anywhere!" on Indiblogger.

A comeback (of sorts) !

2013-06-14T04:00:00.001-07:00

I have been away from this space for far too long this time. But, for a change, I didn't miss it all that much. The horrors! But you guys have been kind enough to visit the blog every now and then and even make do with the older posts.

I haven't really been in good health over the last couple of months and hence, the dry phase. For nothing do they say, "Health is Wealth". My health was not good and I was in no mood to write. The earth was still revolving at the same speed, people were still being a****es around me and there was s**t flying all over. In short, everything was just the way it was, but it was I who was not comprehending it and the mind wasn't processing it. Not making an opinion about it. Even if it did, I didn't have words and thoughts tumbling out of my fingers and keyboard like the way it is. Always. Like right now. I often tell this to H and he doesn't quite believe it. I don't write write, if you know what I mean. I have to write because the haywire thoughts shooting across my brain at supersonic speeds have to be put on paper and let out. Otherwise they would just coagulate and I would start talking to myself. Weird?

It rained today and as always, I just had to write. It makes me so cheerful, so happy. And then the thoughts begin to flow again. The words begin to tumble again. I started missing this space. I knew I had to write :-)

Leaving you with two of my older "rainy day" posts to enjoy!
When the rain was raining!
Weather greens and blues!

Expect me back sooner this time!

PS: While I was away and recovering, the dear blog was listed in the Directory of Best Indian Blogs. You can see the proud little icon on the right hand side bar. Yayy to that!

Shoes of the Dead - Book Review

2013-06-06T06:04:00.003-07:00

Book: Shoes of the Dead
Author: Kota Neelima
Publisher: Rupa Publication
Language: English
Pages: 274
Price: Rs 495

This book is serious business. Coming from someone who is an editor at the Sunday Guardian, I wouldn't expect any less. With this book, Kota Neelima takes you on a tour of the real world the farmers in our country occupy. Farmer suicides happen in abundance, many because of debts. Others because of successive crop failures. Either case, the farmers' families want the compensation by claiming it to be a debt related death. The government on the other hand, keeps rejecting claims after claims of debt related deaths, real or not.

Crushed by successive crop failures and the burden of debt, Sudhakar Bhadra kills himself. The powerful district committee of Mityala routinely dismisses the suicide and refuses compensation to his widow. Gangiri, his brother, makes it his life’s mission to bring justice to the dead by influencing the committee to validate similar farmer suicides. Keyur Kashinath of the Democratic Party - first-time member of Parliament from Mityala, and son of Vaishnav Kashinath, the party’s general secretary - is the heir to his father’s power in Delhi politics. He faces his first crisis every suicide in his constituency certified by the committee as debt-related is a blot on the party’s image, and his competence. The brilliant farmer battles his inheritance of despair, the arrogant politician fights for the power he has received as legacy. Their two worlds collide in a conflict that pushes both to the limits of morality from where there is no turning back. At stake is the truth about ‘inherited’ democratic power. And at the end, there can only be one winner. Passionate and startlingly insightful, Shoes of the Dead is a chilling parable of modern-day India.

Not that you should judge a book by it's cover, but I really liked the simple yet compelling cover of Shoes of the Dead. A barren drought affected land at one end, and Rashtrapti Bhawan, the corridors of power at the other.Separated by "Shoes of the Dead" (Not literally though!)

The book deals with the farmers' suicides in the much publicized Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. The book is gripping because as you read, you realize you are reading something that is true, even though you wish it weren't. It gives you deep insights into the so-called democratic system of the country where the only driving factor for the political babus is public votes. Pursuing the chair and sticking to it is the only thing that matters. An account of how dynasty politics still runs in the system. The book will scare you as you realize the ministers care a hoot about the farmers. And if this trend of suicides continue, who's going to produce grains and food for a country of 1.25 billion?

Even though this is not fiction, names have been suitable changed and the author has done justice to character building in the book. The language is simple and the book is a clear winner as it stands on a strong foundation of good content, etched out beautifully.

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Salvation of a Saint - Book Review

2013-05-03T01:24:00.001-07:00

Book: Salvation Of A Saint
Author: Keigo Higashino
Publisher: Abacus
Pages: 384
Price: Rs 350

I read a crime thriller after ages. And I desperately wanted this to be a good one. I keep trying to put 2 and 2 together after every clue to figure out the mystery before the truth emerges from the author. And the habit's so bad that sometimes I do figure it out and then the book fizzles out and suddenly I don't seem to have enjoyed it all that much! But but. Salvation of a Saint is about a perfect murder (much like the (in)famous Aarushi Talwar murder case) and I bet you can't figure out what's happening until the author decides to spill the beans.

When a man is discovered dead by poisoning in his empty home his beautiful wife, Ayane, immediately falls under suspicion. All clues point to Ayane being the logical suspect, but how could she have committed the crime when she was hundreds of miles away? As Tokyo police detective Kusanagi tries to unpick a seemingly unrelated sequence of events he finds himself falling for Ayane. When his judgement becomes dangerously clouded his assistant must call on an old friend for help; it will take a genius to unravel the most spectacular web of deceit they have ever faced…

The book is quite simple in its approach in the beginning that you know by the end of the first chapter who's going to die and who's going to kill. But then it sounds too simple to be true. The author of a crime thriller won't give it away in the first chapter, you'd think. But that's Keigo Higashino for you. But even though you know the basics, one would want to know how the killer did what he/she did and most importantly, Why? That's what the book is about. Detective Kusanagi and his assistant Utsumi with the help of a professor friend try to unravel the mystery for you. It's quite interesting to read in detail how the investigators use each and every minor detail at a crime scene to their advantage. Utsumi's female intuition has been shown in a quaint yet effective way. The whole camaraderie between the characters is quite affable and yet not over the top.

The book gets unputdownable when the prime suspect has an ironclad alibi, and the investigators discover the victim had another woman in his life. To make matters worse, the "other woman" is carrying his child and is the wife's close associate. The author dabbles in confusing human emotions and high-end investigation effortlessly and keeps you hooked.

Towards the end, however, I felt the book was a little stretched and I was reading the same things over and over because, probably, the author wanted to delay the climax.

This was my first book by the author Keigo Higashino and I was not disappointed. Rather, I was quite impressed and when I googled him up, I found that his book "The Devotion of Suspect X" is his best work so far. I am definitely picking it up the next time I want to read a real good crime thriller and feel good about it :-)

My rating 4/5

This review is a part of the biggest Book Review Program for Indian Bloggers. Participate now to get free books!

Soldiers wanted - Men who can let women be !!

2013-04-06T11:44:00.003-07:00

I am sure all of us have seen and loved the Gillette adverts which promote the "Soldier for Women" campaign. Although its a sad thing that it has come down to this. That the whole of mankind and the womankind is sweating it out to save women all over the country from certain animal like men.
And so when I had to write about the special man in my life, I knew it had to be H.

For all the years that I have known him, I always liked the fact that he respected all women in general, and would not make any disparaging comments about any women in a way of objectification, something that I have heard most male friends/colleagues/acquaintances do. They may say that its all harmless fun but excuse me, I beg to disagree. I find it quite down market and cheap.

But there was always one area of this whole issue about women safety and eve teasing that H and I never agreed on. He always said that women should make a hue and cry about if anyone acts fresh with them. I said it was no use, since nobody comes forward even if you shout (not true now that the whole country is in a state of high alert about women safety). He said most eve teasers would get scared/feel embarrassed if shouted at in public, and might not repeat the act in future. I thought they might develop a silent grudge in their heart and become a stalker or one one of those acid-throwers. He said there was no point in being insulted and getting used to it, and then cry about it later. I always said that it was easier said than done. He probably didn't understand a girls' apprehension of drawing unnecessary attention towards her. And so we had our differences.

After the recent gang-rape and murder stories doing the rounds, I was asked to be at high alert at all times. I drive with my car windows all rolled up and locked, carry a pepper spray in my bag at all times, and majorly try to avoid any desolate places all by myself. And the old debate also resumed, since many a times, strange men pass some lewd comments on the road, and if I tell H about it, he doesn't take very kindly too it. A couple of weeks back, we both were in Connaught place (C.P., New Delhi) for some work. After finishing work, we were just taking a stroll through the inner circle when a harmless looking guy crossed us. Before I could even realize what was happening, I felt a sharp pain and a moment later I realized that I had been groped. I turned back, and he was walking down the road as nonchalantly as ever. As expected of me, I just cursed and ,mouthed some expletives under my breath. H sensing something amiss questioned me and I told him what had just happened.

And the next thing was straight out a movie scene from Bollywood. H ran after that guy and pushed him on the road. He cursed him with all his expletive strength acquired in 28 years, kicked him with all his might, landed blows on his back and even slapped him. I was shivering meanwhile (And this was kind of pay back time for all the time I have been mean to the ladies who have played the damsel in distress :-P )
Anyway, during all this chaos, some 10-15 people had gathered and everybody started cursing the guy and somebody suggested he be handed over to the police. The accused guy by now had started crying and his statement had meanwhile changed from "galti se ho gya (happened by mistake)" to "sorry, aage se nahi karoonga" (sorry, will not repeat this in future)

And that day I realized that my hero did walk the talk. Someone who believes in doing the right thing. And standing up for it. I even joked about it saying that if he had done this before we were married, I might have thought he was doing this to pataao me :-P ;-) (Ain't I mean?)

I, for worse, cringed at the blatancy of it all. That a girl, in a crowded area, at 7 in the evening, walking alongside a 6 ft tall guy, and still some guy has the b***s to feel that he can get away with his monkey business. But, for the better of it, I learnt a lesson for life. Silence might be golden, but sometimes golden is not the need of the hour. Speaking out is essential. Speak up ladies. Meanwhile, let the men be the soldiers of the country who can stand up for the women with courage and integrity.

Time for a holy Holi !

2013-03-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

Holi is like Love. Either you believe in the whole concept of getting down on your knees, douse yourself and others in its' different hues, shades and colors, the good and the bad, the chase and the foreplay and the whole act of enjoying the passion it involves. Or you (like the Love cynical people) can just hate it and call it a huge wastage of time, energy and water :-P You just can't have a middle standing in the matters of Love and Holi. And if you do, you should know that you are getting screwed and you are not even enjoying it! :-p ;-) Such a pity, no?

Anyway, I have no middle standing on the matter. Howsoever strongly I believe in the concept of Love and all the jazz, I don't like Holi. I mean, I like the spirit of the festival where everything should be colorful, and you meet your next door neighbors for the first time in the year (the second time being Diwali ;-)) and have sweets and thandai and a general bonhomie pervades. But. Only if Life were that simple. Over the years, it has turned into this unrequited kind of love. You know the kinds where you tell people that you are not interested in playing along. But they just talk, tag and stalk and bully you into playing along.

I might be wrong when I say this, but I feel that the spirit of the festival has been lost somewhere over the years. The idea of the whole festival is to have a good time with all and sundry, while in actuality, people have just taken it up as an excuse to inconvenience other people by flinging water balloons on unsuspecting people/cars/bikes on the roads. Plus they do this week long and not only on the festival day. And to round off the brutality of the festival, everyone must get pakka colors so that the others have a hard time getting it off. I mean, people, when did the entire agenda of the festival shift from masti and pleasure to hurt others. Yes, I just said Hurt. Because of all these artificial color sprays and pakka colors contain harmful chemicals that harm our skin and hair. Call me cynical or paranoid but that's true.

I mean, isn't the polluted air and water bad enough for you that you want to rub in these chemicals on to your friends? And I am not even talking about the kind of water wastage that happens during Holi and even after when scores of people all over the country try and remove these pakka colors from their skin. And then, if this was not enough, should you really be harassing people to join you in this mayhem?

I can understand if some of us like the festival in all it's fervor. But guys. Seriously, one request. If somebody doesn't want to play, just let them be. For all you know, they may be allergic or have some medical condition that could worsen. Just respect a person's decision to disassociate. I know the tagline says, "Bura na mano, Holi hai" (roughly translates to Don't mind, It's Holi!!). But I guess with the changing times, or let me put it more appropriately, in the times of declining morality, where our women don't feel safe anywhere, we certainly don't want strange men smearing us with chemicals and getting fun out of it. We'd rather not play.

If this post sounds depressing, that wasn't my intention at all. All I wanted was to wish you all a very Happy Holi. May you be doused in all the colors of Holi (and Love too) and be surrounded with a lot of friends and family and sweets. Thank your stars that you have enough safe water to drink and a little extra to throw around. Count your blessings and spare a thought for somebody who probably isn't as lucky as you.

PS: Wouldn't it be great if we could celebrate a Holi with ubtan, curd, honey, olive oil, rose water, lemon and other such things that are good or the skin and hair. I can't imagine how cool that would be! Isn't it?

*Images courtesy Google

F?@K KNOWS - Book Review

2013-03-15T10:14:00.000-07:00

Title: F?@K KNOWS
Language: English
Author: Shailendra Singh
Genre: Non fiction/Self help
Publisher: Rupa Publications
Price: Rs. 195
Pages: 256

It's not really a self-help book. And yet it is. That depends on whether you require one or not. This book is author's Shailendra Singh's one of many dreams which he wanted to realise but never had the time. And this dawns upon him when his father loses a long battle with cancer, and he himself has a near fatal heart attack.

An excerpt from the book:

What do you want from life?

Are you on the right track?

Are you truly happy?

Find the answers to life's most important questions with the help of uber-successful entrepreneur, Shailendra Singh, co-founder of Percept and Inceptor of Sunburn, told with sparkling, flavorful and in-your-face humor, the book will advise you on how to:

Find yourself (because you're probably lost, admit it)

Follow youe heart (because if you don't, then you'll be unhappy, you stupid f?#kr)

Achieve your goals (you know you want to)

Live life like you give a f?#k(because why not)

The author is a super successful businessman and entrepreneur and has literally BTDT (Been there, Done That!). He did a lot of things that he was told to do, and not because he wanted to do them. He listened to his gut and yet ignored it. That is, until, everything that he did it for, his father passed away leaving him to question his existence, his goals and his aim in life.

What I liked about the book :

The book is a very heart felt epilouge from the author. He puts forth his ideals, thoughts and ideas from I, me, myself to life's philosophies, from taking care of your body to the idiosyncrasies of love and sex, on why greed is good to making your bucket list. The man covers it all, and more under this book. Which should give you a fair idea that the book is written in very simple language and does not use any hi-fi fundas. It moves quite fast and dwells on a topic just enough to give you a clear picture about it. But what you do in your life still depends on your own actions/decisions. And on top of all that, he does make a lot of sense.

What I didn't like about the book:

It's very preachy in tone, although, as I said before, the contents and style of writing is easy to read and understand and makes a lot of sense.You can count on the latter, because how much ever I tried, I couldn't/didn't put the book down of the fear of missing some important anecdote from the book. Plus the fact that the writer has so much going for him, made me pay attention to his words :-P

Overall, I'd say its a good book. Not in the literary sense. But content wise, the book is a winner. It gives you (almost) all of life's fundas in a nutshell. And if you are confused (as most of us are) you will definitely find a lot of answers in here. And a direction in which to head if you are completely clueless.

My rating 2.5/5

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at Blogadda.com. Participate now to get free books!

A Women's Day with a difference!

2013-03-10T09:38:00.004-07:00

Trust Indiblogger to come up with something unique and spectacular every time I wonder, what next? or what can be better than this? On Women's Day this year, Indiblogger and Breakthrough came together to launch the award winning campaign "Ring the Bell" in India. It's a call to men and boys to come forward and take action to stop violence on women.

The evening started with the special guests of the evening Sir James Bevan, KCMG, British High Commissioner, Rajan Anandan, CEO, Google India, Rahul Bose, actor and activist, Bollywood ringing the bell. There was a small talk between these corporate biggies and two rural women leaders who came forth with some real issues that they face while rehabilitating women.

Rahul Bose ringing the bell!

Sir James Bevan ringing the bell!

The panel discussing women reforms and issues

That's Rajan Anandan, CEO, Google India :-)

And then came the first high point of the show, a performance by Mahabano-Mody Kotwal. It was raw and electrifying, and so much that I know that I am definitely reading the Vagina Monolouges next.;-)

It was now time for a performance of the band "Swarathma". Hardly anyone in the audience had heard them before. But by the end of the performance they had a fan in each of us. That the performance was rocking, hip, classy and etc. etc., is to put it subtly ;-) H bought a CD of their album, and we have been listening to them in the car since. Trust me, they were GOOD!

Members of Swarathma band performing

That's the whole band together, taking a bow.

The second high point of the day was a conversation between Rahul Bose, Anoop Johnson, co-founder, Indiblogger, Ryan Mendonca, advertising professional, and Advaita Kala, author and award winning script writer. The theme was "Portrayal of women in film, TV and Advertising". It was all great, except that it was too short. With a topic like that, I had expected some disagreements between the highly opinionated participants, some fireworks, but sadly enough, that didn't happen owing to time constraints. But it was an experience listening to these stalwarts nonetheless. (Although, ever since that evening, there is strong brouhaha over one of Rahul's statements, and you can even check that out on the front page of today's Delhi Times).

That's Rahul Bose, in one of the candid moments, explaining his point!

The stunning Advaita Kala

The panel discussing "the objectfication of women"!

My day also got luckier as I got clicked with Rahul and Advaita. I even got the chance to have a little talk with her and tell her that I just loved her book. She was such a sweetheart and indulged us gracefully :-)

And just how a fitting climax should be to such a fantastic night, it was time for another international star Anushka Shankar's performance. Although truthfully speaking, I ain't no expert in music, and neither did I understand what ragas she was playing. But even to a novice like me, the music was enthralling and divine. Not only did she look stunningly beautiful, she played even better. You just had to see her playing the sitar, and the way her fingers coursed over the instrument. It was an experience. To cherish. Forever.

I am not really sure how much of it all really made sense, or if it will actually bring about any change in the whole drive for women. But nevertheless, I have to thank Indiblogger profusely who always give bloggers like us these amazing opportunities to meet our stars, engage with them, and get enough food for thought to form our opinions!

Of heartbreaks and Mango!

2013-03-06T03:57:00.000-08:00

And so, what if I was gifted a pepper spray by H on V-day? S (my bestie from college) made up for it by gifting me an absolutely gorgeous dress from Mango. And that's the reason God made friends. They never fail to take you out of the dumps...don't they? Thank you S for the awesome gift. And yeah, I will keep my promise. When you are here in Delhi, we are both going to wear our dresses, get clicked crazy and the photos will land on the blog. Pinky promise! ;-)

On a totally unrelated note, a very close friend went through a break up recently. Until now, I thought that break ups were ugly and traumatizing and a trip to the hell. Only this time, I realized, they are even worse. Not necessarily in that order though.

Having never gone through that feeling (God forbid!), I can only take an estimated guess at how that must feel like. I just remember, how once, H left for a team event for 2 days, and I shed copious tears of bereavement. So there. I can only guess.

How hard it must be for a person to let go of another, who you have loved with all your heart, pinned all your hopes on him/her, probably even woven dreams of a happily ever after? You'd wonder when did it all come crumbling down? You never even noticed when things started going downhill.. It must be worse thinking about it in your head again and again and not getting any answers. Even if there were any clear answers, there would still be the hapless questions of why it all happened? Why didn't he/she understand enough? Why didn't they do what was right, instead make everything worse for both?

And then there's the whole "news" about your break up that spreads like wildfire, and you actually have to tell everyone that, however, unfortunate that might be, it's true. Heart breaking stuff. Every single time. And then the old memorabilia to deal with. The gifts, the roses kept in old books, your favorite songs, your favorite restaurant, your favorite hang out place.

Then the chicken-egg question of all times - to be friends with your ex or not?. And that depends on how the break up went. Most of them, I am sure, are ugly. I mean, really ugly where you would want to ground the other person on a bed of shit and pound them until...well...let me leave it at that! :-P

I am sure that to get yourself out of a heartbreak is an immense task. Almost a miracle. It changes a person. When you move on, I am sure it's not at all easy.There must be a whole lot of data backup in your mind, you'd wish would just crash without any recovery possible. Since that doesn't happen, you hide the pain, put on a smile and move forward. Until one day, you find a person who fits in just perfectly in your life, like the last piece in a jigsaw puzzle completes the picture. And that day you realize that it all happened for a reason. The heart break, the pain, the anger, the remorse. Those were God's ways of turning you in the right direction, to the right person.

This post is dedicated to her who is doing all this and much more. Still rocking it where it matters. Still twisting life by its' horns. Still retaining the zeal and passion for love.
This post is also dedicated all those who have ever gone through a break up and triumphed over it. To all those who have moved on in life and connected the dots backwards. To all those who have never had to go through a breakup, and are thankful for it.

Another milestone! Or is it?

2013-02-18T04:01:00.000-08:00

It's our second Wedding anniversary. What's wrong with time? Forget the "Time flies" adage, I think time is travelling in one of those Japanese bullet trains. Before you know it, you hear a "Whooshh" and that's another milestone passing by. It feels like, before I know it, I'll be a dadi/nani, recounting stories of of romance, love and commitment hamare zamaane ke, you know.

But, on a serious note, it's been a fabulous journey so far. I have been so happy at times, that I wanted to pinch myself to believe if it was true! And then there were times, when we have fought like there was no tomorrow. But we always make up. Not because we have to, but because we really want to. After a full fledged screaming match and calling each other names, we do get the feeling that the issue wasn't really worth a fight. But then, a good scream and fight here and there, doesn't hurt anyone right? In fact I feel, doing that sometimes is almost therapeutic. But yeah, you gotta underline that "sometimes", ok? And whoever says and believes that "I love you for what you are" is completely bullshit and you should know that. Spouses keep trying (mostly unsuccessfully and therapeutically ;-)) to change each other and do succeed a little. Only to be faced with a "tum badal gaye ho" a little later. Married life is full of such and many other clichés. And yet, each journey is so different from the other.

H and I started ours on this day, two years ago. By far, it has been the most important, the most special and the most romantic day of my life. I had waited for it, yearned for it and was lucky enough, to get to live it.
Just like time, our equation too is changing everyday. At 2 years, I have learnt to cook, as much as a survival meal for two. Now that's an achievement if you know my disapproval for cooking. And H has learnt that to get me to cook, he has to say this in the most pleasing way, "Don't worry babes, we'll order from outside". Likewise, H hates to oil my hair (an activity which I emphasize must be carried out religiously 4 times a week). And so, I have learnt that I can almost (ALWAYS!) get it done if I top with a hot chocolate. So, there.

We both have our quirks. We love some of it. We try and change the rest. But as long as I can fit my head snugly in the nook of his arm at the end of a long day, I am not worried. I know we are moving in the right direction. Growing up. Having fun. Fighting it out. Most importantly, together.
Babes, I know you will agree to whatever I said above. If you don't, well, we can always talk it out over a cup of hot chocolate, can't we?

Hail the Bond couple! ;-)

Indica Vista D90 - Gone in 90 seconds!

2013-02-15T03:25:00.002-08:00

And so, BlogAdda has taken product reviewing to another level altogether. And hence, I graduated from reviewing books to android apps to restaurants, to *hold your breath* reviewing a brand new car. *collars up* This was a fun filled, 350 km long vroom vroom review, done by yours truly in collaboration with BlogAdda and Tata Motors.

Once the euphoria of knowing that I was one of the few bloggers selected for this review, and that I would have the car at my disposal for 3 days, I began to think about the car (yeah, till then I was only thanking God and thinking where all I drive take the car). The first thought that crossed my mind was the taxi-car that the last Indica had been reduced to. But those thoughts were soon thwarted as soon as I lay my eyes on the All new Indica Vista D90. I drove the car almost 350 kms in 3 days and this is what I have to say about it :-)

Exteriors:

The car's looks have been dramatically improved from the last version of Indica Vista. It's longer in the front and the back has been restyled too. It looks taller and wider, more on the lines of the bigger hatchbacks available in the market like Fiat Punto or Volkswagen Polo as compared to a Swift. Even the boot packs in more space than your regular hatchback. Thrown in is a contrasting top roof, which a novice might actually mistake for a sun roof, which it is not, but undoubtedly gives a smarter look to the car. The dual tone alloy wheels are chic and add to the style statement of the car.

A TOP (class) look !!

Interiors:

The interiors are pretty decent with contrasting beige and black thrown in across the seats and the dashboard. The music system is not really top notch, but you have ample variants in the market to suit your needs. The AC is pretty strong though. You have all four power windows, electronically adjustable side view mirrors and ample leg space for all passengers.

The driver's seat has a special lumbar support (a jutting out cushion for the lower back) which is a huge relief for long drives, and even otherwise. I drove the car for 2 hours at a stretch (add a massive traffic jam to that!)and seriously, I felt less tired than I would have normally.

The steering wheel is adjustable too, and comes in quite handy as my 6-ft tall husband and I, a modest 5-ft., drove the car in turns. You have steering mounted controls (with Bluetooth streaming available) using which you can easily pick up and disconnect calls while driving. Although I seriously discourage talking on the phone while driving, but this is quite a handy feature if it's really urgent and you need to take that call right away. You can also adjust the song sequence and volume from the steering controls without having to wean your concentration away from the wheel even for a second.

I found the front display showing the fuel available and the "distance you can drive till the nearest petrol pump" quite innovative. It also instantaneously shows you the mileage. We discovered how our mileage went up and down as we drove from highway to the city.

Performance:

The car packs a powerful 90 PS Quadrajet engine with VGT, which basically gives you a good throttle even at lower RPMs. In layman terms, it means that the engine does not take a toll even when you are driving on a lower gear, and once you pick up speed, you have a car that's stable and eats the miles away. The manual says the maximum speed of the car is 158 kmph. I drove at 140 kmph myself and definitely felt the power of the engine, as the car just smoothly glided on the highway.

The ground clearance is good, making the car favorable for long road journeys as well as in-city driving wherein often there are some real bad stretches. The mileage is around 20 kmpl which I think is again quite decent. The driving experience was quite a breeze, as the steering is light and stable, and the engine quite powerful.

Some high points for me:

1) For the size of the car, the turning radius is smaller, and that is so welcome on our "traffic"ed roads.

2) The car has an intelligent rear wiper that starts automatically if it's raining and you put the car in reverse gear.

3) The steering mounted controls that let you take calls (via Bluetooth streaming), as well as change your playlist and adjust the volume.

4) The 90 PS engine does full justice to the car providing good power and throttle.

A few let downs':

1) There's engine noise associated with a diesel engine, although quite reduced as compared to the previous Vista. The cabin is quite immune to the outside noise though.

2) While the AC is on, you can actually smell diesel fumes which are not so welcome.

The car is priced at a decent 6 lakhs and I think it's good value for money. What tilts the odds in favor of the car are some of its features that are so practical and user friendly like the rear wiper, steering mounted controls, airbags but also the fact that you won't find these features in your regular hatchbacks. With the Vista D90, Tata has really taken the competition in the automobile market to another level with a car that's loaded with a slew of new features, an impressive body and design, without compromising on the power, performance and technology.

The car is definitely getting BIG thumbs up from me.

A few pictures as I leave you to ponder:

This review has been written as a part of BlogAdda's Sponsored Reviews.

A Valentine's Day gift!

2013-02-09T23:40:00.004-08:00

It's Valentine's week. Even though H and I are not too big on celebrating these "days", we aren't immune to them either. So, while we 'go out celebrating it in a big way, we do give each other a small-little something as a V-day gift. This time, I got mine a little earlier. A good thing, you'd say. I thought so too. And so this happened on a fine evening.

H: I got you a surprise gift.

Me: (suitably surprised) really? What's it?

H: It's a little different. You have to take a guess.

Me: uhmm..Ok. (How difficult can that be, I thought)

H: So, what do you think it is?

Me: uhmm....Chocolates?

H: No

Me: A book? (or even better, books :-))?

H: nopes.

Me: Flowers? cards? A dress?

H: No, no and NO!

Me: Ok, give me a hint..

H: It’s good to keep it with you, but bad to use it!!

Me: (confused) What kind of a show piece is that? That I can only keep it? and NOT use it!
Ok, Can I give it to a friend? And can she use it?

H: No, it's kinda harmful for everyone.

Me: What kind of a gift is that? (By this time, I was thoroughly miffed)

H: Ok, I ll give you one more hint.

Me: Sure. Go ahead

H: You will need to carry it with you all the time

Me: (Aghast)A pepper spray?

H: U got it babes!

And with that, H fished out a can of pepper spray from his bag and explained to me in detail, how it was to be used in a "situation".

I didn't know whether to be happy or sad. I mean, it’s a good thing when your husband/boyfriend/friend/parents worry about your safety, but really? A pepper spray? Cynics would say that is a bad gift to give a woman on V-day. It kind of gives you a sinking feeling about your own well being But now, are we still living in that age when we actually celebrate anything/any day, or for that matter, even go out of our houses feeling safe about it?

Not only the incidence of rape cases is going higher by the day, their brutality too is lurking around a dangerous bend. The brutal rape of the Delhi medico student Nirbhaya jolted everyone out of their wits, but so what? The Govt. says the "juvenile" cannot be punished. I do not understand the logic behind this. If he was adult enough to plan and execute a rape in the most grotesque manner, how come he is not adult enough to be punished? And even if the entire nation showed their anger, and disapproval against this by coming out on the streets in full strength for almost a week and demanding a strong anti-rape law, things have hardly changed in our country. And in fact, if you have been reading the newspapers, the rapists have taken the December case as a benchmark, and brutalizing a woman while raping her is becoming a trend now.

A 19-year old girl was recently raped in the Lajpat Nagar area of New Delhi, and the rapist inserted an iron rod in her mouth. You can read about it here
Another minor gang raped in Jalandhar (details)
This trend seems to be catching on worldwide. Recently, there was a brutal rape case reported in South Africa. You may want to read the details at your own risk.

Gifting a pepper spray to your woman on V-day might not be the most romantic idea ever, but it does show that our men are as scared of our safety as we are. He might tell me sometimes that I act paranoid, but deep down I guess, he understands. He knows he cannot be with me 24*7. There will be so many times in a single day that I will be alone in the house, or alone on the streets. Words of caution and advice are no longer a woman's shield. It's sad that humanity has stooped down to such a level. Women ventured out of the house to become independent, and take the society and nation forward in terms of development. Little did she know, certain men looked at it in a completely opportunistic way.

As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures. I think we are living in those desperate times. Where women, apart from looking after a household, working alongside men in MNCs, bearing children for them, will also have to learn self-defense to be able to defend her honor. Until then, maybe the gifting trends on Valentine's day will change. The next thing you know, your luxurious spa voucher will be replaced by a form enrolling you in martial arts. But so what, isn't it all, still about Love?

*All images sourced from Google

Love and marriage!

2013-02-05T05:17:00.001-08:00

Quote: “Match for 6”-31 yrs(luks 29), H’som PB Kh Boy,xtrmly well stld in M.Navy. Lkng 4 B’Ful Shrt Educated, frm High Status,Cltd Fly. Pls cntct with fl lnght foto only.” Unquote.

Greek? No, that, in fact, is English. This is a recent ad published in a matrimonial column. Decoded it says that a six foot tall, 31 year old Punjabi (Khatri) man, who is extremely well settled in the Merchant Navy is looking for a beautiful, short, educated girl, who belongs to a cultured family with a high status. Interested candidates are to contact him with a full length photo only.

Note how he is looking for a “short” girl.

Love and marriage – how well do they go together? Do they at all? Do you think someone like this man, who is looking for a short girl to marry has love on his mind as furthermost in a marriage? Doubtful.

Consider this song….Love and marriage by Frank Sinatra. He sings about how love and marriage - they go together like a horse and carriage. And according to him, you can’t have one without the other. Sinatra is outdated, as are his views –in present day society. We are all about “instant make-out, instant break ups” as quoted by Anushka Sharma’s character in Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

I am the brunt of many a caustic remark when I sit down on a Sunday to peruse the matrimonials. No I am not looking for an H’some Boy who is “extremely well settled” with a large income. I read them because of the sheer incredulity that overwhelms me when I come across ads that I have quoted above. I have even come across ads that ask for women who are educated up to the 12th standard only. They do get specific don’t they?

Relationships are a farce now. Everyone wants tailor made people for a specific purpose. No one is willing to compromise and adjust to another person. Thus the instant breakups happening all over town.

People are evidently getting married for the wrong reasons – if they insist they want a person who is less educated than them then something is horrifyingly wrong about the mindset of today’s youth.

I do believe that the days of yore had more integrity, yet I am equally sure that the seeds of the present situation of society were sowed then. Was there more love? Maybe. Those were the days of arranged marriages that worked out because they were arranged for one specific purpose. A girl/guy was needed in order to produce an heir, obviously male, to carry on the family name/tradition.

After this necessary duty had been fulfilled, the couples carried on with their lives, with a feeling of affection for each other. They might have even fallen in love sometimes. At least they were honest about the reasons behind marriage. Love might have been secondary, but when it did bless the couple, it stayed.

But now all that has changed. The horse has struggled out of its shackles and taken off for the horizon, leaving the carriage to teeter into a ditch. Relationships have become as disposable as contact lenses. They even have the same shelf life – for most people, yes, not all. Now it seems that marriage has been reduced to corny sms lingo ads in papers, and bimonthly relationships based on desires.

But we don’t want that to happen. Unfortunately, no one seems to be listening. All you hear these days are feminist rants about how men are not required and men wishing for multiple partners. Again, the disclaimer – mostly.

Have you heard the songs that abound these days? “Main zandu balm hui, darling tere liye?” “Wanna be my chammak challo?” Excuse me? This, ladies and gentlemen, is the yardstick for romance then. You go up to a girl and ask her to be your village belle. Or ladies, proclaim yourself as pain relief ointment. Songs these days make absolutely no sense, and very few romantic songs are actually full of romantic sentiment. We have to listen to most songs carefully and thrice over, to try and make head or tail of what they mean. So notions of romance are evidently very different – and indicative of prevalent mindset.

Very few people listen to Elvis anymore.

But to return to the quoted ad and what it represents. Can u even read it at first go? People don’t even bother to write entire sentences to spell out what they are looking for in a girl. Even people who are dating send expressions of love via texts – “I lv u.” Or simply, “M.U.” What is “M.U”? Miss you, of course. I miss you but I cannot be bothered to type out eight letters.

So my advice is – society has changed. Make sure you have the right guy in hand before you get married. And don’t marry until you are sure you absolutely want to. In fact don’t get into a serious relationship until you are, well, serious, about the person. Find yourself a man who sends you full sentences when he is texting his feelings. For if the guy can’t take responsibility of a sentence, how will he take the responsibility of a wife?

Guest article from www.glad2bawoman.com. Glad2bawoman is an online media company for women with a growing community of more than 70,000 members. All about women and for women, it encompasses a variety of topics including empowerment, relationships and health.

Alchemy - Book Review

2013-01-28T09:59:00.002-08:00

Book: Alchemy, The Tranquebar of Erotic Stories -2
Author : Various (edited by Sheba Karim)
Publisher: Westland
Price: Rs. 295

This was a first for me. Even though 50 Shades of Grey climbed up the charts, I didn't have the nerve to pick up that genre and actually read a whole book about it. But when I received "Alchemy, The Tranquebar of Erotic Stories" for review, I had but no option. Like an artist, a reader should be versatile too, right? And with that thought, I sat down to read the book.

As I was done reading the first story of the book, the first thing that struck me was that a book like this cannot be read in a single go. Or may be even two-three stories at a time. It is so overwhelming at times, that I just had to put the book down and get some fresh air. It's too descriptive, and if it's your first time reading erotica, you are going to find it disturbing like I did. But then, I have to add that it's not cheap or vulgar in any which way. Every story is unique, has a strong undercurrent to it and mostly it leaves you thinking. About societal issues, sexual fallacies, human emotions and a writer's unlimited imagination.

Here's a summary of the book:
So many elements of ourselves come together in the act of sex: skin and bodily fluids, desire, fear, greed, joy, stigma, pride, affection, guilt, often in the hopes of creating something more beautiful, our personal elixirs of life, however temporary, however permanent.

In Alchemy, Tranquebar's second anthology of erotic short stories, editor Sheba Karim has brought together thirteen diverse works about the pains and pleasures of sex including an unapologetic account of a postmodern man's attraction to his maid, a futuristic tale of a four gendered orgy, a poignant narrative of a boy's sexual awakening in a cinema bathroom, and a lyrical meditation on a mysterious woman's carnal lessons to an imprisoned monk. The anthology's vivid, well-crafted stories move across genres, orientations, continents and genders, taking the reader on an intimate journey through the complex alchemies of sex, desire and love.

Some of the stories that caught my attention:

Abandon by Shrimoyee Nandini: The story revolves around a couple, in a no-strings-attached relationship, who go around searching for half built unattended construction sites around the city, and make out in them in the dead of the night. And then one night, something strange happens. Its written so well, description so vivid, you can almost feel it playing in front of your eyes.

Mouth by M.Svairini is a story beyond the reaches of my imagination. Its plot, characters and description is again, way more vivid that you would like. I read the story in multiple sittings for my own comfort as I couldn't bring myself to imagine the kind of world that would be, as thought of by the author. But again, you have to give it to the author for the sheer brilliance of it.

The Marrying Kind by Mary Anne Mohanraj is quite the story of today's times. Although Jared is a perfect man, who wants to marry Leilani, she doesn't concede until he breaks down all his barriers to satisfy her.

Close on the heels of the above is Next Year At The Taj by Sheba Karim which is about an estranged couple. The couple parts ways, the man goes on a globe trotting spree and after sleeping with a hooker, he is so guilt stricken that he goes all out to get the love in his marriage back.

There are others too, which were subtle because we have heard and read about men fantasizing about their maids, or little boys discovering their fantasies.

If you keep aside the very vivid sexual descriptions, you can actually appreciate the beauty and art of the book. Sheba Karim has done a very good job picking out these stories and compiling them into this beautiful alchemy of a book. I have said much about the nature and content of the book that it's really up to you to decide if you are ready to go on this journey yet. If you think you are, trust me, you are not! ;-) But you should definitely give it a try!

My rating: 3/5

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at Blogadda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Will the Real Men please stand up?

2012-12-30T11:13:00.002-08:00

Even as I write this, there are thousands like me and you who are out there on the streets of New Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Simla, Mumbai, Patna and various other states in India for they are angered. Nirbhaya or Damini or whatever name you want to call her with, the girl who was brutally gang raped in Delhi in a moving bus last week finally succumbed to her grave injuries today. Her death has instilled a fear in each one of us that we could be the next.

Even as her death is deeply troubling, so are some other issues that have happened since the incident.

I wrote about the gang rape just after it happened, and the article and my subsequent post on FB saw a lot of men taking offence.

They said I was attacking their gender.

Why didn't I write about the cases where women harass men and even kill them?

That women are misusing dowry laws to take advantage of men.

A virtual reader Partha goes on to say that "Whatever has happened in Delhi is barbaric (if true and no media exaggeration)".
Partha also says that "on one hand women always object to objectification and on the other hand they want to look sexy and wear all those revealing clothes to show off how independent they are. If men look at them or call them sexy that becomes harassment for them. If men do not look at them, those become impotent."

I was quite mortified after hearing Abhijeet Mukherjee's comments on young women whom he called hypocrites because they held candle light marches in the day and wore make up and went to discos at night. He also called the women "dented and painted". A few hours (and possibly a kick in the ass) later, an apology was issued by the President's son and the way he said "I want to withdraw my statement. It was not meant to hurt anyone's sentiment" clearly showed how it was just a cover up and he was completely unapologetic about it. But it did give us a fair amount of idea what kind of minds are ruling our country. But then, we have known that for a pretty long time. We are not new to moral diktats from the police or the govt. like "she invited rape by dressing in a certain way", or "by being out of the house after 9 P.M." and so on and so forth.

But what really churned my gut was when some fellow virtual people started attacking me for my blatant article which said that “anatomically having b***s doesn't make you a real man. If you are a real man, learn to protect and respect your women. Otherwise you are just another animal. One that needs to be herded and chained and invariably killed one day.”

I still stand by it. And I also want to address the above questions one by one.

Attack on a gender:

Now, I am really confused here. Are women raped by women? No. Raped by men? Yes. Who am I targeting here? Men. Isn't LHS = RHS? What gender am I attacking? I am just stating the facts.

It’s quite sad that because of a large population of indecent, lewd, uncultured men, a whole gender is being targeted here. BUT. If you are a real man, I expect you to understand that. I didn't expect some of you to have such shallow egos that got hurt at the mere mention of rape. Did you ever think about countless women who have to experience something as horrendous, then face police and system apathy and get on with their lives?

YOU come out of your cozy bedrooms and get real.

2) Why didn't I read write about the cases where women have harassed women?

Tell me, if your house was on fire, would you call up the fire extinguisher first or get your faulty plumbing fixed first?

The point I am driving at is the country and it's women are facing an unprecedented number of sexual exploitation cases in the form of molestation rapes, gang rapes and forced prostitution. In this regard, a lot of laws have been made and maybe a handful of women misused them for their own benefit. But does that take it away from the real issue its brutality? Don't you realize the gravity of the situation, if gangrapes start happening in the heart of the city, inside public transport ? What is the working class women supposed to do? Sit at home, to defend her honor? Not venture out of the house at all?

I did say in my article that we need the strictest punishment for the culprits. So what's wrong with it? I still demand it and I stand by it!

And we HAVE to address and fix this issue; before we go on to amend the existing laws at a human level and not on a gender bias.

3) Mr.Partha or whoever you are:
You don't quite believe in all the cases of women harassment that media has reported because you think that they are possibly dented and painted too like the women of this country.

You seem to be a spurned lover whose advances got a sharp reaction from a girl. Let me tell you something. The way you have the right to look at a girl (to admire or to scorn at her), the same way, the girl has an equal right to either allow your advances or put an end to it. Be man enough. Learn to take it in your stride.

If your ego is the size of a dinosaur, it’s better to turn to men who will understand your signals better. May be you will never have to "prove" your (im)potency to anyone, ever again.

People like these guys have no right to tell us women what we do/don't do right! Even if a women walks naked on the street, NO man has to right to force himself on her. We live in a civilized society, not in a jungle, where you pounce on anything that looks like a prey.

I don't know if capital punishment is a deterrent, or chemical castration is, or efficient policing and fast track courts et al. What I do know for sure is that if all the men around us pledge to protect us, to see us as equals and not as objects of sexual gratification, this country will be a far better place to live in. Where no mother will ever have to loose a bright and brave girl like Nirbhaya at the hands of drunk and perverted men.

Men will be men! But when did they turn into animals?

2012-12-20T01:54:00.002-08:00

The nation is in an uproar over the gang rape of a 23 year old student in Delhi. People are up in arms against the government, carrying out candle light marches and protests, fighting for fast track courts for rape cases and calling for the most stringent and rigorous punishment for supposed "men" who commit such crimes. The common man is blaming the police and so is the government. But why suddenly this hullabaloo? Is this the first time that a woman has been raped? Or is it that we have become so immune to a rape that unless it assumes proportions of a monstrous magnitude like this one, where the girl has not only been raped by 6 animals, but also been tortured physically to an extent that she might not even survive. And even if she does, she will have to undergo various surgeries to fix her vital organs and will possibly have to depend on intravenous fluids all her life. I don't know what to want for her. Should I pray to God for her life, a life where she will always have to depend on others or should I want her to die - a life that was burning bright with dreams of a happy future but maimed, because six animals in our city couldn't control their perversion?

Reacting to news incidents like these feels like a joke now. Because what we are doing is just letting the frustration out of our system. It does not affect anyone. In fact, the people who matter will say that girls invite trouble by their dressing, or by being out on the streets "late" in the night. By that logic, Muslim women who are covered from head to toe should never be raped, or young girls (kids) who stay at home invariably unless otherwise taken out by the parents shouldn't be either. But that doesn't deter people from heaping the blame on a victim. The Khaps in this country have an unmatched sense of humor. They will blame everyone, from mobile phones to chowmein, but never their men for a rape. The problem doesn't lie with a few men, but with a whole society that is hell bent on covering up everything that points a finger at their men. What kind of a democracy is this? Where all the freedom is for the men and all the diktats (on how to dress and behave) for women?

The objectification of women needs to be put an end to. It’s not just rape. Women face eve teasing, molestation, forced prostitution and other such malice just because supposed "men" view women as sex objects. They possibly don't see them as other human beings who have as much right over their body as them. They possibly think that it’s fine to be lecherous, to pass lewd comments or touch them in inappropriate places or even force themselves on her. Who gives them this thinking, this mindset? Their fathers who beat their mothers to establish a patriarchy in the family? Or movies which show that men stalking women to express love is very cool, or how even a policeman doing pelvic moves and dancing around with an item-girl like heroine is "fun"? Or the women leaders who blame a rape victim of being morally unsound or too adventurous for having it brought it upon herself? Who is the real culprit here?

No matter what happens with these 6 men or countless others who are yet to be convicted or even those, who are still roaming freely on the streets, because what's been done is done. But will it really deter other animals before doing or even thinking about it? Attacking this evil at the root is an urgency. Every family needs to teach their sons the correct way to behave with women. The government needs to pull up their socks and make an example out of this case. Had they done this earlier - the Assam molestation case, the Dhaula Kuan rape case, rape of the German diplomat, the Mumbai case, maybe we could have avoided this. The need of the hour is to send out a very strong message, a spine chilling one and it needs to be understood by supposed "men" that anatomically having ba**s is not the only ticket to manhood.

If you are a real man, learn to protect and respect your women. Otherwise you are just another animal. One that needs to be herded and chained and invariably killed one day.

PS: No wonder the Mayans said that HUMANITY will end in 2012.

Wrong Means Right End - Book Review

2012-12-14T03:23:00.012-08:00

Book: Wrong Means Right End
Author: Varsha Dixit
Publisher: Rupa
Price: Rs. 140

If you are a fan of Karan Johar movies, you will love this book. But for someone like me, a hardcore fan of Anurag Kashyap's gory and twisty cinema, this one was wan't up to the mark. BUT. That doesn't mean the book was no good. Its dependent on one's choices and perspectives.

Here's a summary of the book:

"After a failed marriage, Sneha, a single working mom, has no time, or inclination, for love. She resists every matchmaking attempt made by the overzealous Nandini, married to industrialist Aditya. But then the past intrudes in the form of the gorgeous and rich, Nikhil, who brings along Gayatri to break-up her ex-fiance, Aditya’s marriage. Sneha enlists Nikhil' s help to salvage the situation. But how does she even talk to a man who clearly loathes her? As Nikhil and Sneha try to grapple with their egos and combustible chemistry, love blossoms."

Like all novels/movies falling in the chick-lit genre, here too, you will find that the male protagonist is a multimillionaire drop dead gorgeous hunk (and not yet 30) and ALWAYS spurned in love (in the past, of course!). The lady is no less than a Charlie's angel - strong, feisty, making it all alone in a big bad world, and someone who will always be fit and sexy even though she hardly finds time to gym (like most of us office-goers).

The protagonists of the book Sneha and Nikhil are undeniably attracted to each other, and at the same time, they can't stand the sight of each other due to some past liaisons. Nikhil is a divorcee (AND multimillionaire hunk!) and Sneha, a divorcee with a son (AND a super sexy working woman of the world!). As much as Sneha wants to avoid meeting Nikhil, she is forced to, as he is the only one who can help her in saving her best friend's Nandini's (sexy lady!) marriage to Aditya (handsome multimillionaire hunk!). Bright? No?No? May be you should read on..

I did not anything profound or something very interesting in the story. The story moves forward with Sneha and Nikhil's expected and unexpected meetings, and the author goes as far as writing out their wild fascinations for us. Not once. Not twice. Many times over. Our very chaste good girl and good guy even try making out in the car. Eevrytime I read how Nikhil wanted to sweep Sneha off her feet in an Adam-Eve kind of way and do ermm...things to her, I was transported back to the Mills and Boon days. Frankly, I had expected better!

In parts, you do kind of identify with the urban settings and the stress relationships undergo. The characterization of Sneha's and Nandini's friendship is nice, but a little over the top! In parts, it did remind me of the Sex and the City girls. They keep going back and forth, helping each other out in tricky situations and even putting themselves on the spot for the other. In the last few chapters, you will find out how eventually Sneha and Nikhil give the book its name - They did use Wrong Means for their friends, but finally everyone got to a Right End!

The book has some glaring grammatical and editorial errors which are a huge turn off. Many of the situations and characters are so cliched that you get a feeling of deja vu more than once. Like Nikhil's ex-wife (uncovered by Sneha) is a drug addict, Sneha's son suddenly starts calling Nikhil Dad, as opposed to 'Nik' and the likes you know.

PS: This book is a sequel to the "Right Fit Wrong Shoe" by the same author. May be my verdict would have been different had I read that one. Or maybe not! You will have to figure it out for yourself. As I said before, you may like this book if you are a Chick-Lit genre fan. As for me, just a one-time read. Ideal for an overnight train journey or a 2 hour flight.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at Blogadda.com. Participate now to get free books!

An evening worth it's money @The [V] Spot Cafe Bar!!

2012-12-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas guys! No, don't get me wrong. I ain't psyched up yet! But it seems Santa uncle decided to meet me up a little early this season. The Santa in question being BlogAdda ;-) Now you had to guess that! Who else can play Santa to avid bloggers and readers like us?

So this time, apart from giving free books, BlogAdda decided to gift us an evening of fun too! These guys wanted me to do a review of the [V] Spot Cafe Bar. But how can you really review a place without actually being there? Or tasting their food? Or their drinks? ;-) And so BlogAdda indulged us by giving us coupons worth 2000 bucks to visit the place, enjoy their spoils and then give you all an honest opinion about it. Talk about mixing business and pleasure! :-P

Thank you BlogAdda for the coupons!

And so, H and I landed at the [V] Spot cafe+Bar in Saket located very close to the Select City Walk mall. It's one of the last places in a street that's lined up with bars and you can actually go bar hopping here. We found the place cozy, as Delhi is really chilly these days. The seating was comfortable and lighting just appropriate. I don't really like places that are too dim for comfort, and after a couple of drinks, they actually start looking spooky.

The look around!

Anyway. So the first thing that gave me an idea of the "coolness" quotient of the places was this:

Awesomely-freaky napkins at your disposal !!

They also had really interesting table mats that had detailed flowcharts on things like "How to hit on a girl without being too creepy" or "How to survive an evening at the bar without your laptop, if you are a nerd"!! LOLing over them, we called for the menus. Their menus are an interesting lot. It's a pity I don't have too many pictures of the same, but our nerves were duly tickled with drinks' names like "Rum-Balram", "Steve's Job" and "Son of a Peach". And yes, the drinks were as good as their names. If I must suggest one drink, you MUST try "Swarg" - a cocktail with an amazing blend of tequila and desi ingredients like lemongrass! I loved it!

Our drinks (on the house) ;-)

Next we ordered the starters. A (veg) Snack Harem (for me) and a ChickenZilla for H.

Don't these look absolutely delicious?

The presentation was as good as the taste. The veg starter had Arabic sauces and trust me, it was really different from all cuisines that I have had so far. Good music played in the background, and H and I had some really sought-after quality time that day.

And yes, how can I forget to mention their washrooms? They are so interesting, you might end up spending more time there than in the bar. The walls are covered up in potty-licious banter and you'll never feel bored sitting in there for as long as you want. ;-)

We also ordered main course and dessert and were pretty satisfied with the service, the quality and taste of the food. The general ambiance was good too.

Polishing off the great food with the pretty dessert!

However, I found this place quite suitable for clubbing after a long day at office, for unwinding with friends over a drink. This is not really the place to go if you are looking at getting sloshed, meeting hippies or junkies or really loud music that doesn't let you listen to your own voice. In fact, I was kind of intrigued at the really low turnout on a Friday evening. But the manager assured us that they got the maximum crowd on Wednesdays and Saturdays as they were the Karaoke nights or some band was performing.

They also some cool stuff like a video booth where you can use the iPad, click yourself and appear on Channel [V].

A very creative wall with graffiti!

Over all, I really liked the place, where you can actually chill out with friends without burning a hole in your pocket. The menu is quite decently priced. The food is well cooked, the drinks are perfect and the service prompt. You can guess how much we enjoyed from the fact that we overshot our quota of the vouchers and actually ended up paying half a grand extra for the spoils!! Aren't we something!! :-P ;-)

This place definitely gets a thumbs up from me. And I am definitely going back there again.
If you have been to the place, I would love to know your comments on it. And if you haven't, please do and then let me know your views on it :-)

This review has been written as a part of BlogAdda's Sponsored Reviews.

Being a Woman...

2012-11-21T00:22:00.002-08:00

I had done the Being a Man post long ago. And had thought about doing this post soon after. But somehow, it didn't happen. Majorly for the reason that women are too versatile to be taken up completely under a single post. And so I never got around to it. But off late, there have been so many things happening around, things that I have gone through myself, things that my friends are going through and it doesn't make any sense. Or is it only me? And opposed to the funny Man, this Woman is pretty serious.

There are a couple of female friends who have apparently turned a "marriageable age" according to the parents. The girls believe otherwise. They are pretty happy with their single status and no-responsibilities-for-a-while life. Quite visibly, the parents and daughter have a difference of opinion here. But what completely evades my sane mind is why the parents choose to convince the daughter of their own opinion in an almost abhorring way. And no, I am not talking about some remote village in Haryana or Rajasthan, but about parents who always instilled confidence in their daughters that they were no less than a boy, had every right to good education and were brought up to be smart, confident and financially independent girls. And suddenly, these parents wonder about the fate of their girls if they weren't married at a ripe age. What would the society say? They purposefully make her believe that she is indeed a burden on their shoulders until she goes off to her marital home. WHY????? I am not even trying to take any sides here, because 18+ years is a valid age in our country to get married and who am I to question it. But why are the girls always shoved onto someone else as a responsibility when they can clearly be on their own very comfortably? Isn't there a better way to make them understand the point of getting married at an age their parents deem fit? Or do the girls have no choice at all? She can do everything like a boy, and still be a responsibility? I wonder how a stranger is ever going to treat your daughter as an equal when you so visibly don’t.

Another couple of friends have that someone special in their lives, but are finding it difficult to convince their parents of the same. Now again, I wouldn't want to start the Arranged marriage v/s Love marriage debate, as different things work for different people. But what I clearly find distasteful is the way parents want to stick to the conventional way of Arranged marriages, wherein they are made to act like the ladkiwaala whose sole job is to appease the ladkewaale's demands. The girls of our generation have been brought up with a mindset of boy-girl equality and no dowry policy. How do the parents even think that these girls can go on and live peacefully with such guys and their parents? Even if the girl doesn't want to get married to such a moron to defend her parents' honor, she is not allowed to do so. After all, appeasing the groom's family is the norm...isn't it? We are confused. If the norm of killing the girl child at birth wasn't followed, then surely this doesn't need to be followed too..isn't it? What's the point of making her aware of her choices and then denying them? Wasn't she better off not knowing them? Isn't ignorance really a bliss? Are you really that desperate to get your girl off your back that you are ready to pay any amount of money and goodies to a complete stranger to make way for her into their homes and lives?

I feel sorry for women who have been relegated to such behavior, spanning generations and across centuries. But I feel worst when I see parents doing it to their love-you-till-death "ghar ki izzat" daughters, who themselves are well read and in tune with the times. I know we have come far from those days when the girls were not allowed to study nor do anything of their own free will. But at that time, at least the people had some logic behind their behavior. They didn't let the girls out of the house, the girls obviously didn't know the kind of opportunities that existed for them outside the four walls of the house and were content with the house work. But it’s really worrying to see parents who have let their daughters let go so far and suddenly want to go all traditional when it comes to marriage and even expect the daughters to do a complete U-turn from their beliefs hitherto, and conform to the whims and fancies of a stranger and his family.

It would be an understatement if I said a woman's life was tough. It was perhaps my naivety that I thought that girls were meted out an equal treatment in today's world. Have you ever imagined what a girl would feel like when she is made to believe that she is only a responsibility on her parents? And when she does get married, she is always the outsider in the husband's family. Is there nobody she can actually call her own? Somebody who will lover her for her person and not just doll her up so that it would be easy to get rid of her, the burden that she is? Will this regressive behavior meted out to girls ever go away? For no reason do they say, "Charity begins at home". Perhaps some "new-age" parents do need to learn from the age old adage.

More than anger, I feel extremely frustrated and saddened. And lonely.

And perhaps, that's the reason why some people feel sad at the birth of a daughter. Because they understand that apart from fighting the demons of female infanticide, eve teasing, molestation and her physical vulnerabilities, she will also have to face the trauma of always being a burden on either her family or her husband, and still feel like she belongs to none in the world.

Quoting a few lines from one of my favorite books "Gone with the Wind" that aptly sum up what I feel about a woman's life:

"Her life was not easy, nor was it happy, but she did not expect life to be easy, and, if it was not happy, that was a woman’s lot. It was a man’s world, and she accepted it as such. The man owned the property, and the woman managed it. The man took the credit for the management, and the woman praised his cleverness. The man roared like a bull when a splinter was in his finger, and the woman muffled the moans of childbirth, lest she disturb him. Men were rough of speech and often drunk. Women ignored the lapses of speech and put the drunkards to bed without bitter words. Men were rude and outspoken, women were always kind, gracious and forgiving."

Happiness ... on land and in water....

2012-11-12T02:16:00.000-08:00

And so, after the fiasco last time, a lot of precautions were taken this time around ( read: the balcony was left for the mommy pigeon to play around) and the pigeon pair is back in our balcony. And not once but twice over. One pair hatched a week ago, and one just yesterday morning. You have just got to see those little pink fluffies to believe how small they can really be. They are yet to open their eyes, and are still being kept warm by their respective mothers, and in the same way before the eggs hatched. I don't know how the kids are eating though, because I haven't seen them eat at all. Even when the mommies go out to eat, the kids just lie still, or poke each other which is the cutest part, because they can't see and just move their heads randomly.

Check these pics out. And please pardon me for the quality of these pics. These have been taken very conspicuously with my phone camera because I didn't want the possessive mommies attacking me for fooling around with their babies!!!

The week old babies

The possessive mother hanging around!

The just born "pink"babies

And on a totally unrelated note, it was my nephew S's birthday two weeks back and we got him this.

S's b'day gift: A fish bowl :-)

It's got 4 beautiful fishes. (4 seems to be our lucky number these days ;-))

S is thrilled to have these. And loves feeding them because they run around the most at that time. They almost come to the surface to grab the food and generally run around a lot inside the bowl. But apparently, S didn't like what we had named the fishes. I don't blame him though. He's too young to understand the humor.

One of the four is black and the most active in the group. So we named him Che Guevara for his revolutionary behavior.
The second one is silver, very pretty and lady like and prances around smoothly like a belly dancer. We call her Simi Garewal.
The third is orange colored with a bold black mark right on the forehead which looks a crop of black hair. He is called baba Ramdev for he matches the saffron robe and black hair seamlessly.
The fourth is completely orange in color and we call him Tango Charlie.

Since S didn't like the names mentioned above, he's decided to give them uncomplicated but rhyming names.
The black and white pair is called Honey & Money, while the orange colored pair is Top & Hop. Simplicity!!!!

We are yet to name our pigeon babies. Would love to hear back from you guys on any name suggestions before our babies fly the coop ;-)

Also, it’s our babies’ first Diwali tomorrow. And like every year, this year too, we won’t be bursting any crackers because we don’t want to scare the poor things. I hope you will do the same for all the new born and old people around who can’t take the loud sound and have difficulty in breathing because of all the smoke and pollution in the air.

Celebrate Diwali in its righteous spirit with lots of sweets, smiles, friends and family. Have fun. Spread the happiness and take care.

The German affair...in Delhi!

2012-10-29T11:12:00.003-07:00

Recently, I got an opportunity to do something new - attend the press preview of a high profile event in Delhi. You'd ask how. Another perks of being a decent enough blogger! Ah, the spoils ;-)

And so, I got this email from the PR team managing the Indo German Urban Mela 2012 in New Delhi. At first, I thought this was just a spam email and was about to delete it, but then something just struck and I decided to give it a read. And Thank God for that. It was an email from the PR team asking me to attend the press preview of this week long affair that was to begin on Oct 27 and carry on till Nov 4. A day prior to the inauguration i.e Oct 26 was the press preview. H was sweet enough to come along and give this a shot!

And so we reached the venue a modest half hour late (thanks to the traffic) and didn't think much of it, since these kind of events hardly start on time. Oh! But it was a face-palm moment. We were ushered in quickly as the event had already started and we quickly joined the rest of the team. But before I tell you what we did or what the agenda was for the day, let me tell you something that was the high point of the day for me (apart from the consideration that I got for being invited to the event exclusively). It was the Press ID card that was issued to us. *Collars up* Call me a show off but it did feel special to be at an event venue a day before it opened for the general public and being briefed about the entire thing.

That's Me flaunting the Press Card! (Click on the photo to view the enlarged version)

The Indo German Urban Mela is being held in Delhi to commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations between India and Germany. Its being held in the Indraprastha Millenium Park, near Sarai Kale Khan. Its a unique blend of technology, science, culture and entertainment. The huge park is divided a into number of pavilions which are basically partitions or areas allotted to each company that are participating there. A lot of big names like Volkswagen, Deutsche Back, BASF, Bosch, Airbus 380 etc are present. What we got to do was something really interesting. Apart from the sneak peek that we got into the cultural events that would happen at the mela, we were given a personalized tour of the mela by the installation artist and designer Markus Heinsdorff himself. There were beautifully designed tents which give a different appearance depending on the time of the day.

That's a night view of two pavilions!

We were then taken inside these pavilions to get an idea of what was to follow in the coming days. The companies had some really great ideas on how to make urban lives easier while safeguarding the environment. BASF has designed a special car which has solar panels on the top and runs on sunlight, while the Deutsche bank is supporting a research that has apparently built an aircraft which runs entirely on solar energy. They have even tested a prototype that could survive 2 hours in the air, from Switzerland to France and are trying to find a break through to make it more viable for long distance flights too. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research had a lot of information on the various German universities that you can apply to and for job opportunities. It has a whole lot of information out there for you to grab, understand and make use of.

A glimpse inside the pavilions!

While I say that, its not all serious stuff. The week long mela has a series of cultural events lined up for you to enjoy like dance and theater workshops and book reading sessions by famous novelists on the last day. We were also invited to participate in the food-tasting ceremony, basically German delicacies that would be available for the general public after the inaugural the next day. And while I am still gloating, let me also state that the food is managed by none other than Vivanta by Taj. We got to meet their Food Manager as well as their Head Chef! A lot of firsts for me :-)

It was great fun to be there and very informative too. If you are in Delhi, you MUST visit this. Its a great place to get a lot of ideas and learn, and if nothing else, enjoy German dishes, the Beer Garden, the Rock events and the dance workshops happening live. You seriously got nothing to loose!

A Successful Failure?

2012-10-27T12:29:00.004-07:00

I have read and heard a lot about how people change once they achieve success in their lives. And the one thought that always came back was Why? Why couldn't people go on working with the same grit and enthusiasm as before? Why did they have to become arrogant and over-confident? Wasn't all the adulation and fame coming their way enough to keep their morale up? Can we really call it Success when it's actually the first step towards a disaster?

I started blogging when I knew nothing about it and wrote just because I loved doing it. In the past one and a half years, a lot of people came back and said they enjoyed my writing. I couldn't have been happier that what I thought was crap or something that was special only to me did ring a bell with other people too. I continued to do this till some time ago. Sorry if I sound like I am gloating, but believe me, right now that's the last thing I am up to. My horizons expanded after I took up blogging - I have met some amazing like minded people, got opportunities to do things that I hadn't ever done before like book reviews, product reviews, going to blogger meets, participating in online contests and actually winning stuff - you know...lots of new things in a short span of time. It kind of became a vicious circle. People liking my work and myself getting opportunities for new stuff, in turn making newer people to contact me for their pleasantries and acknowledgement. I wouldn't say I am not happy with this arrangement. In fact it has instilled a lot of confidence in me to go ahead and follow my dream of being a writer and the best one at that! But you know, success, however small, does go to your head.

I have taken up so much work that a procrastinator like me can ever hope to finish. And that’s because I thought I could do everything. Not that I doubt my capabilities, but I did kind of overestimate myself. I also started writing less on the blog, concentrating more on the other opportunities I was getting. I would be too judgmental if I said I was lured by money, but it was just the beginning of what could be something in that direction. But today I was thinking about the umpteen number of things that I have experienced in these past few weeks and that I never wrote on the blog about. Because I never got the time. Or I was too busy pursuing other opportunities. And it was then that I realized why only a few people in this world can keep a sane head and not let their success go to their head or affect their work negatively. Sometimes I really wish I blogged anonymously :-\

I never thought I would ever sideline my love for blogging for anything. But apparently I did. And I feel worse for it. And then it dawned on me that people who do behave weird after getting famous don't really ask for it. Maybe the change comes over so gradually they don't even notice. And by the time they do, it’s really late. So may be all that's required to be successful in life, apart from a little talent and sincerity, is the ability to realize when the change starts coming over and preparing yourself to not let it affect you. And now that I have decided to return to my first love with a vengeance, be ready to be mesmerized all over again! :-) And some days later, if you do find an anonymous blogger who sounds like me, humor me ;-))

*Picture courtesy Google

Do you WeChat ???

2012-10-23T11:06:00.001-07:00

My friend N recently moved to US for higher studies. Initially we tried to make do with WhatsApp but it proved to be too exhausting with so much of texting. We needed something more instantaneous, something that could connect us instantly. Skype did help to an extent, but then again, we had to schedule our timings, sit in front of a laptop and then Skype religiously for an hour or so, because we knew that for the next 24 hours we wouldn't be able to do that! Everyday international calling for gossip, that too on a student budget, was out of the question. And then what happened was a Godsend! I was sent a mail by the BlogAdda guys that I was one among the chosen people to review a chat application called WeChat. I was happy, but I didn't know then that this was a godsend opportunity to not only do a review but also solve my communication trouble with N.

I immediately installed WeChat on my Android phone and started exploring its features. You can also download this application for your iPhone, Windows or Symbian OS from their website http://www.wechatapp.com, absolutely free of cost. As I went on a discovery spree, I discovered the most unique, important and incredible feature i.e. Video/Audio calling, Voice Messaging and group Chat - text & voice. It's like Skype "on the go". Quick, comfortable and great to have. The chat feature is both one on one as well as group and has an extensive range of animated and custom emoticon and emoji art, and customizable backgrounds. Like various others chat and texting applications available in cyber space, WeChat too has provisions for photo, music, video sharing, location sharing and contact information exchange.

Some other new features like "Shake" and "LookAround" are totally cool. You literally have to "Shake" your phone and it will list out various WeChat users you can befriend. LookAround makes use of your geographical location to list out various "friends" and WeChat users in your vicinity. It's completely secure, robust and has a good response time. The Voice Message feature's really cool too. You can record messages any time and send it to the other person. It's like a sweet amalgamation of the texting and calling features - being able to listen to somebody talk at your own discretion :-)Integrated social media connect with the app is again a novel feature to discuss all the gossip happening in real time ;-)

However there were a couple of things that I find better in WhatsApp....like it shows if your message has been read by the recipient or not, or at what time it was "seen" by the other person. It really puts me at ease if I know that N has read my message. Since we are in different time zones, instant replies are a luxury. But the knowledge that your emotions are halfway across the world intact is close enough to luxury that we can afford :-D

Till now, all these chat applications and plug ins have been limited to the Android and Windows market, but WeChat's Blackberry version is going to be launched soon too. And with that, the incompatibility issues of Android and Blackberry will be a thing of the past. Language barriers have also been broken as it currently supports 17 languages with more languages coming soon. What more can I say? It's the next best thing in the chat era with a host of features, just a button click away and absolutely free of cost. No wonder this application already has 200 million users worldwide and it's the No. 1 Social app on iOS across 24 countries. Need I say more? Go check it out for yourself.

This review has been written as a part of BlogAdda's Sponsored Reviews.

What Fun! With Indiblogger and Pantene Nature Fusion!

2012-10-17T02:26:00.000-07:00

After a super successful, and immensely entertaining meet the last time, I would have to be absolutely nuts to not attend the Indiblogger meet organised by Pantene Nature Fusion on Oct 14, 2012 at the ITC Sheraton, New Delhi. The address of the meet itself was tempting enough as I attended the last 2 meets at the much modest Park Hotel, CP. Sheraton was well....Sheraton. I entered the hotel, and there was this huge foyer with a dramatic set of stairs from both sides crawling upwards to the first floor. I was guided very graciously to the ballroom for the meet.

I landed there to find the ballroom decorated in very soothing colors and matching the product theme - White and Green. As always, I registered and proceeded to look around for any known faces. But this time, the registration came with a free hair spa for all the ladies! Can you beat that?! I jumped with joy and sat down at the nearest table. Slowly and steadily the room started filling with people I had never met, people I had seen around on other meets, some people who I had met on the last meet and are now friends. We greeted, we hugged and generally made a lot of noise! ;-)

The white board with the graffiti

We ooh-ed and aah-ed at the amazing choice of the venue and proceeded to fill the white boards with colors and graffiti. And then we settled down to actually start with the event! Ya, we had all that fun even before the event actually started. Anup welcomed us with an explosive activity. Quite literally! Everybody present had a balloon and a tooth-pick. We had to burst others' balloons and safeguard ours simultaneously. You can quite imagine how that room must have looked like with ladies ranging from 13 to 63 years, running around with balloons in hand and poking others, even as the room buzzed with shrieks from the ladies and "phut, phut" as one more balloon would go kaput.

Yours truly was one of the winners in the game and got a surprise gift. *Pats self on the back*

The balloon game winners on the stage

With my gift!

There was another activity that followed wherein every team had to make a "mummy" out of a lady by rolling her in toilet paper and giving a message put for what it stood. I couldn't participate in that one, as I was busy getting my spa done. I heard it was pretty interesting :-)

And finally, it was time for some very interesting Introductions or "30 seconds to fame", as Indiblogger likes to call it. Everybody had to introduce themselves and their blog and what they write and why they write. And that was to be followed by a tangy, spicy tongue twister with an emoticon that you had to say with the right emotions. Some real tongue-in-cheek humor there. ;-) My twister was really catchy and I was overjoyed to find this on the Twitter roll just as I finished saying it.

Yeah! Indi meets are pretty cool this way!

It was already lunch time and we were all hungry after those super energetic games we played. We treated ourselves to a sumptuous lunch and proceeded for the next round of events. And then, it was time for business.

Lais Koelle (a beautiful Brazilian lady) had flown down from Singapore to apprise us of the new Pantene Nature Fusion. She gave us a lot of dough on what the new product was about, its unique element and proceeded to take any number of questions from us. The all-new Pantene Nature Fusion uses Cassia (the state flower of Kerala! I bet you didn't know that!) that protects hair and makes them bouncy and voluminous. Can't wait to try the beautiful hampers Pantene gave us as parting gifts :-))

Dats Lais from Pantene!

The last activity was something related to the product that we were talking about. Each of the 8 teams were given vases of different shapes and sizes, flowers and foliage and a unique element like bubble wrap, green mat, ribbons etc. We had to make out bouquets and use our unique element in an errr....unique way (;-)) and also create a chant using some key words. Of course, the best team won (it wasn't us) and here's our team pic singing the slogan and the bouquet we made. Be nice and tell me that it's good :-)

Ladies at work!

And singing the carol..

Last but not the least, we had Yashodhara Lal (of the Just Married, Please Excuse fame) gave us a low down on how we can see our dreams turn into reality and get ourselves published. She was also sweet enough to sign copies of her book and pose with fame struck bloggers like us.

And like all blogger meets, I happen to recognize some blogger who I follow religiously and this time I found The Cyber Nag (also known as Zephyr or belan waali aunty). She was a very sweet lady and I just babbled something when I met her and I hope she didn't think I really talk like that. :-P ;-)

A fellow blogger Atula Gupta came up and said she was an avid reader and really liked my blog. My my. Now that was a real high to end the day with!
In all, it was a Sunday well spent with lots of energy, fun, masti and goodies. Thank you so much Indiblogger and Pantene for taking care of us and pampering us. Looking forward to the next one already! ;-)

That magical moment...

2012-10-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

It’s a weekend and a perfect excuse to sleep late. Their lazy siesta suddenly starts buzzing with noises. There's an alarm clock ringing somewhere, and perhaps somebody at the door too. They both get up with a start and shoot an alarmed look at the wall clock. It couldn't be 11 already! They quickly get dressed, open the door for the maid and get on with their morning activities.

While the maid is cleaning, they sit out in the balcony, savoring a cup of hot ginger tea in one hand and a newspaper in the other. They are unperturbed by the clutter in the kitchen, silently enjoying a relaxing start to the day after a mad rush to office every morning the past week. They look at each other, smile and exchange the newspapers. They have begun to enjoy each other’s' silence and companionship.

As the sun rises higher, they realize they haven't had anything to eat since they woke up. She asks what he would like for breakfast. He smiles, enters the kitchen and starts gathering the ingredients for her favorite breakfast. Fifteen minutes later, he is sitting on the kitchen counter with a plate of hot and crispy French toast in hand, while she is cooking another batch. He offers her a bite, although he knows she hates to have her breakfast like that - standing in the kitchen and cooking. She likes it relaxed - sitting on the bed, reading a book or watching TV or talking to him. She looks at him with a half twisted face expressing her anger. He winks at her and makes her eat an entire piece.

She mutters a silent "Thank you" to God under her breath. For this man, who has made her life perfect. There’s an easy camaraderie between them, the one she believed she could only have with her best friends. But he made sure he became her best friend. Making her comfortable, pampering her, spoiling her for choices, listening to her, caring for her and most importantly, doing everything only for her. Not for anything in return. His selflessness overwhelms her. She seldom thinks if she can ever love him with such capacity.

Her favorite song is playing on radio, in the background. And there they are, moving about the house, doing their chores. Without any romantic words to fill the silences. Just a crooked naughty smile, winking eyes and an embarrassed anger feigning laugh. It’s their magical moment. The one, she always wants to keep in her heart. The one she always wants to remember whenever she looks back at the life spent with him. The one she wants to tell her kids and grand kids about. The one because of which she knows what Love is, without the drudgeries of lengthy promises, or commitments or words that sometime spoil the unsaid.

*photo cortesy Google