Episode 3 - Hyderabad

I have completed almost 9 months in Hyderabad and the time has passed like waves of the ocean. I still remember the exact moment when I and AH came together at our new house and transformed it into "our home".

How my jaw dropped when i just glanced at the lovely terrace!!so many dreams and so many aspirations. Can not forget the surprise element added by AH's friends for my welcome...And shall always remember the very first day of living together with AH, now my husband!
blush blush :)
Utterly romantic and just splendid...

The city of Hyderabad has given me so much in terms of warmth and happiness. The new friends that I have made, new places I have been to, new experiences I have had.....are too good to be true.

Amazing rains this season have fulfilled my long desire of going crazy under the sky, awesome food right from Biryani to Khubani ka meetha has given a strong competition to my very own Dhoklas/dabelis of Gujju land ..phew! If diamonds are a girl's best friend, then shine of Hyderabadi pearls belong to a lady :) just kidding...i love them both!

Traditionally, the city is rich and with the mind blowing tech revolution, one can easily make out the modern and cosmopolitan culture.

I and AH have travelled extensively in Maharashtra for couple of months, hence am eagerly awaiting for winters to come so that we delve deep into South India.

And yeah the proximity to Crossword has added glory to my book shelf :) just had some really nice books recently.....

With all this and more, I feel good about where I live :) And I know that there's lot more left to explore :)

Rang Barse...

We had a great time yesterday...not only did i and AH celebrate our first Holi together, also had lots of fun with his friends around...played like school kids after so many years...

there were colors, pichkaris and water balloons splashing everywhere..it was maddening to see everyone going crazy:)

and then there were sessions of mad talks, leg pulling, drinks!!

though, it took hours to clean up the terrace, but it was worth it. missed my family a lot :(

festivals like these brings back the spirit of enjoyment :) coming together and playing without any inhibition is actually the essence...just splendid!

Happy Holi to all :)

The mania has just begun!

awesome indeed....that Ireland won against England, yesterday in WC 2011 :)

and the captain of Irish team has got a funky hairdo!

Lankan bowler Malinga, got his 2nd hat-trick in WCs '07 and '11..no kidding!

Hope to see more from Men in Blue in coming days.....whooooooopieeeee!

What about the other Jessicas?

No one killed Jessica: this movie is special for many reasons.

First, I was watching it with Nix after a long gap...the first movie (with her) post my marriage and at our favorite multiplex. We have a long association with PVR, catching up after office hours and all the way gossiping about our respective bosses and clients...it was fun!! It brought up many old memories. Couldn’t help lmao thinking about that horrid day when all our “kewl” stuff was taken by that PVR lady at security!

Second, on a more serious note, it was a movie on the high- profile Jessica murder case. I watched it yesterday much after its actual release date. It was a beautiful film. One cannot relate “beautiful” with this case. But it turned out to be one because the actors essayed their roles superbly. Also, it was nice to see Rani Mukherjee in her determined avatar instead of watching her dance in chiffon saris around SRK! Sabrina’s character was neatly performed by Vidya. Although I presumed that the former was more resolute…I especially liked the police officer, the one person who did “the right thing”.

In the biggest democracy of the world, isn’t it ironical that justice is denied and hopes are demoralized. It happens very rare when media causes this much furor in the masses and masses turn up as a strong force. Justice was delayed but eventually the guilty was punished.

Throughout the movie, one could possibly feel the pain for the loss of a daughter, a sister and an innocent human being. It makes me wonder is there a price tag for a human being’s life? Unfortunately it has and will always be….Money corrupts. Power corrupts mores.

No one killed Jessica is not just a documentary or a movie, it highlights the alarming issue of women safety in our society. How media can intervene and do the just…how youth can actually contribute and actively participate in bringing about the change! This movie is not only an eye opener but also leaves behind many questions…

For instance,

What happens to those rural women who are brutally assaulted within their family?

Who comes ahead and seeks justice for the girl child still killed in many villages?

Why is our judiciary so rigid and slow that verdicts come after decades?

How does a criminal gets away with crime?

The answer lies in the bitter truth: money and muscle power are mightier in this age.

2011 - No resolutions this time...been there, done that :)

My first post in 2011....

too much of idle time and yet so late :) :)

A very happy new year to all my friends!

There is so much that I expect from this year and from myself.

• To be a "good" wife (well, this role is not defined...though I hope will do well)
• Not to lose my temper so often at home :)
• Yeah, have to get a job...quick and get my groove back!
• Cooking isn't rocket science, hence keep experimenting with food!
• To keep on adding novels in my shelf..
• Also, have to check on my weight..major issue to deal with!

well, am in a new city...and i am liking the fact that i don't feel alien here...like the quiet streets, the supermarket where i often go out for groceries ...plus there is so much to explore...

have furnished our home now...and its looking beautiful :) both I and AH have put our hearts in making our home - "sweet home"..yep..can feel us in each corner of the house..romantic to the core :)

living in a penthouse, has its own advantages and one of them is the terrace, just love the evenings :) we had called our friends for bonfire dinner..it was just awesome! had a great time...

AH's friends are good...enjoy spending time along with them....had gone for a party a few days back with them...it was a bowling alley competition and maybe luck was showering that night, i won ..i played that bowling game for the first time and i beat all of them in 10 rounds..happy to share that AH came 2nd and I won..I won ..I won..it was a great feeling :)

Anyway, gotta go now and set the dinner table....

May this new year bring good luck and happiness to all :)

The "I do" moment of my life

The day is coming nearer. My anxiety, happiness and excitement is soaring high.

It's a new phase, a new beginning.

I will miss my parents of course..my office desk, my office PC (for some strange reason, i like making folders within folders and naming them meticulously), my tailor who "understands" my concern for proper fitting , my parlor {yeah..they are so important in my world...how girly:) }

Oh yeah, and I will be moving in with a man i love/admire/fight/can't live without :) hmmm.....pretty interesting!

all those rom-com movies with subtle scenes and dialogues between newlywed couples hover in my mind...the whole "married" thing will be weird coz i very much enjoy my "ms. status" :)

its not so simple choosing bed sheets / curtains / furniture when one has got so many choices around...we will select the best ones... it's going to be a fun ride for me and AH.

I never thought it will be so filmy-types when it will happen to me :)

Anyway, shopping, invitations, menu, decorations blah blah blah...are being placed in order..which is a never ending story! It's all happening so fast and at random...

I will be witnessing my big fat Indian wedding pretty soon.

June at its best!

Last week was good..no...too good!

a. Being with AH in the most wanted way :)

b. Chi-Chi became a couple "officially"

c. I wore my greenish brown Saree and flaunted it like anything

d. Took as many snaps as possible

e. Got 2 novels from AH: The Zoya Factor & My Feudal Lord, A&F's T-shirts & chocolates

f. 106 was a level higher than 511..more meaning added to the nos.

g. Took my ukhana with AH's name in it :)

just superb!

Crisis of Self-Identification

Yes yes. Here it comes. Self-identification. Self-obsessed me. But this time, it's little different.

Yesterday at dinner, my Sci-Fi uncle asked me this very simple question: How are you?

And I replied..I am fine. I usually say the same thing whenever anybody asks me about my well being etc. etc.

And then while I was eating, i just thought for a while...and said ..actually I am not fine. But I am not sad either. So, will that account for being "fine"?

He laughed and asked me...how is your work going on? I said pretty good and am coming back home on time as well. I said on personal level too..everything is calm, nice and there are no complaints.

And then came this big concept of self-identification. My dad as usual was commenting on "live life king size...and living in the present" philosophy and my mom was coming up with new questions related with the big one. I was trying to finish my brinjal curry simultaneously thinking about AH and the episode of Castle which i wanted to see.....

However I asked him, how are you? To this, he said, I am OK. Well see...that's the standard thing people say...no one ever says I am happy...because, it is not a permanent state..there is nothing like absolute happiness for mortals.

Well this discussion led to many perspectives. I have started to believe that we are never satisfied for a long period of time.

Despite living a good life (with a career of my choice, with a life partner of my choice,) something remains lacking....on a spiritual level. On a macro level, there is this universe, world, my country, my state, my city, my society, my home, my family and then I. How small is my existence in physical sense. Of course, I have touched many lives.. :) yet, when it comes to the connection with self..it's not there.

I am a religious person..not much but I believe in Almighty..and pray to God everyday before leaving for office..and before going to sleep I do the same. That is one habit that I follow ever since I was in school. Is it just a habit? no can't be because I earnestly pray...and in my prayers I ask for the well being of my parents and family..and myself. I pray to God to be with me in all situations...to give me strength to do the right thing.

In management classes, we were told to believe in the concept of "we". And I appreciate all that stuff. But it is so superficial. There is so much of "I", "me" and "myself"....everywhere.

I try to justify my mistakes with myself knowing that it's all crap until I accept what I have done was not correct.

Ohh there is some much going on in my mind...

May Blog bless you :)

This is my 100th post. And am so happy today :)

I blogged first in October 2008.

I am so overwhelmed thinking of those moments when my inner most thoughts got a medium to flow. Happy moments when I was on cloud 9. Sad moments when tears just rolled by. It has been a superb journey of self-introspection, making new friends and taking out time for myself.

I owe it all to this modern day-technology ... yippee!

We just love watching them!

"If literature is the mirror of society, then television is definitely a kaleidoscope." - modified by me :)

Barney Stinson....the so called sophisticated playboy who thinks he can never go wrong with his ways....

Charlie Harper.......the charmer with a reputation among women

Joey Tribbiani........the master of one night stands...for him women and food are enough for living

As opposed to these men, we have

Carrie Bradshaw......a "big" (with reference to Mr. Big in her life!) city girl in search of true love who keeps on falling for the wrong guy...deals with complexities of love...

Samantha Jones.......her philosophy - "I don't believe in the Democratic party or the Republican party, I just believe in parties." and a self-proclaimed "try-sexual" (meaning she'll try anything at least once).

Hmmm pretty interesting J

Are we happy than our forefathers?

I remember when I was in school...in 7th std., I had written an essay on "Are we happy than our forefathers?”

Being a 12 year kid, my concepts and thoughts were different. I believed in certain things which no longer hold any truth in my life now. But still, I want to figure out this one thing called "happiness”. And hence, I choose to rewrite it again.... in brief.

I believe that the most dynamic element in this universe is human beings. We are a different species all together. God has been really kind in making us the most intelligent amongst all :)

Over the years, civilizations were formed, destroyed and reformed. And the lifestyles have undergone tremendous change. Behavioral patterns and relationships have taken a new shape. Social networking sites keep us updated! People have become more open, they love to experiment, seriousness towards commitment is sadly not so important anymore, Generation x, y, z or whatever has issues of its own!

We are living in uncertain times.

To be continued......

Why "old wine" is better?

There are some things which never die with time.. One such classic is Madhushala....

My favorite verses from

Harivansh Rai Bachchan's Madhushala:

मदिरालय जाने को घर से चलता है पीनेवला,
'किस पथ से जाऊँ?' असमंजस में है वह भोलाभाला,
अलग-अलग पथ बतलाते सब पर मैं यह बतलाता हूँ -
'राह पकड़ तू एक चला चल, पा जाएगा मधुशाला।'।

धर्मग्रन्थ सब जला चुकी है, जिसके अंतर की ज्वाला,
मंदिर, मसजिद, गिरिजे, सब को तोड़ चुका जो मतवाला,
पंडित, मोमिन, पादिरयों के फंदों को जो काट चुका,

कर सकती है आज उसी का स्वागत मेरी मधुशाला।

बने पुजारी प्रेमी साकी, गंगाजल पावन हाला,
रहे फेरता अविरत गति से मधु के प्यालों की माला'
'और लिये जा, और पीये जा', इसी मंत्र का जाप करे'
मैं शिव की प्रतिमा बन बैठूं, मंदिर हो यह मधुशाला।

कुचल हसरतें कितनी अपनी, हाय, बना पाया हाला,
कितने अरमानों को करके ख़ाक बना पाया प्याला!
पी पीनेवाले चल देंगे, हाय, न कोई जानेगा,
कितने मन के महल ढहे तब खड़ी हुई यह मधुशाला!

I always get so touched after reading Madhushala.There is love, happiness, sorrow, frustration, beauty, life and death, search for the self.....everything in this poem.

Aaahhh, every time, it leaves me on a different note!

It envelopes so many concepts. Besides, romanticism, there is this mystic element.

The poet has beautifully expressed bitterness in society with a positivity. There is disappointment and there is hope.

Many say, that it is inspired from Omar Khayyam's Rubaiyat (though I find it different in some ways) this Hindi marvel is a gem in itself.

Human ambitions, aspirations and desires never cease. It is a conscious circle which completes us all. Our desires make us who we are. Our choices decide our future. Madhushala tells us that despite our daily struggles, we have so much to look forward to.We have so much to do.

It is a celebration of human spirit!

Summer of 2010

Another weekend is near.

Memories of last week are still fresh. And some memories are so special that we never want to part with them.

From the sacred lanes of Dwarka to climbing stairs on mountain.

From enchanting beaches to cool summer breeze on boat.

Leaving the corporate world, moving a step closer to nature.

Leaving my work behind me, holding his hand and running on beach.

From coconut water to licking melted chocolates.

Taking snaps, laughing, making faces & singing songs.

Cheers to........ living in the present and enjoying it :)

A for..to Z for..

Here's a to z of my life's ingredients that make it even more sweet and spicy :)

A for Abhijeet

B for Baba

C for Cheese, Chocolates

D for Dancing in the rain

E for Entertaining movies

F for Foreign land

G for Grandparents

H for Humor

I for India...always!

J for Juggling at work

K for Kindness

L for Love

M for Mom

N for Nidhi & Novels

O for "Oh my God" most used phrase

P for Phone, Pizza Hut, Perfume

Q for Quiet mood

R for Reading in trains

S for Sai Baba

T for Titanic, Terminator -2

U for Universe and its mysteries

V for Vanya

W for What the hell?

X for Xcitment, adventure

Y for Yippie - most often used word

Z for Zeal for life

Battle of the Sexes

Men do not like to take orders from women. It's so true!

Somewhere deep down, the male ego gets terribly hurt if the female counterpart (with reference to colleagues) is more intelligent, more hardworking and smart.

L'amour est dans l'air :)

How does one evolve in a relationship?

It's a beautiful journey - amazing, unpredictable and every bit adventurous!

The joy of saying the unsaid, feeling the never felt before emotions is too mesmerizing.

The agony, the impatience has its own flavor.

There is joy in waiting too!

19.02.10

I had no idea that 19th February 2010 will be one of the most special days of my life.

All the reasons to be on cloud 9..wowiee!

A Reality Check

I have no sleep in my eyes.

I got back from Mumbai after a long film shoot...tiring and every bit entertaining!

A thought has entered into my mind as I am watching this MTV VJ hunt auditions and I can see the whole "youngistaan" junta going nuts on just sharing a screen with Nikhil & Cyrus(both ones).

Splitsvilla -3 has a new tagline this time "the world war 3 of love" . Cmon, gimme a break... the previous 2 seasons were not world wars of anything, leave love alone!

Anyway, there is this whole segment of reality based shows flooding the idiot box. And they come in all formats -nothing official about it, actually!

There is this show that allows people to go back to their previous lives and lets them identify their past, what connection it holds with their present. So far so good....

Finally Rakhi's sawyamwar is over and so is the mama-papa saga :) wow that one was indeed an icing on the cake (pun intended) seeing rakhi in all shades once again after the mega bigg boss season 1!

And yeah, the channel is promoting heavily on country' so called eligible bachelor ...not Rahul Gandhi, another Rahul.....Rahul Mahajan. His swayamwar. Amazing isn't it that in a nation where almost every day so many girls lose their lives coz of dowry or physical abuse, we have pots and pots of money to showcase how a rich man gets married and how a glam doll finds a suitable boy for herself with no certain future...

so, this is not that weird coz, there is another reality show happening in political circle too. The centerstage is Parliament House, where a very senior politician's scandalous story is getting flashed...

and then there is another situation. India wins the series against Sri Lanka and there is a dent in the Kotla pitch :) Ouch.

Smile when you watch 3 idiots, its a fabulous film, no doubt. Smile even more when you seeV V Chopra screeching at a media person in press conference.

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So, am sleepy now. Feels good to write my first blog in 2010 :)

ciao!

2009 : Year of Pleasant Surprises

2009 had been a year full of pleasant surprises. Primarily because unexpected events took place, new people came into my life and I am so happy that all this happened :)

Looking back, I feel satisfied to a great extent on professional level. Personal level, I am on a high!

No resolutions this year as last year's remain unfinished on the chart. However, I must go to to gym regularly...ummmm let'see what happens!

Wish you all a very happy and prosperous 2010 :) And may my India grow and peace prevail in the world....

In future...

A thought has come to my mind. Am into advertising..my preferred choice of career since 12th std. Speaking of which, I feel am one of those lucky ones who are doing what they really want to do as a part of their job.

Suppose, suppose I get bored out of this in some years and feel like moving to some other industry, where would I like to see myself and doing what?


I want to be a film maker and get into documentary film making...Basically a factual representation with self driven beliefs. So there is a concept, a script, its development, pre-production and post-production, editing ..so many things but it is different every time...yeah it allures me like anything....lemme think for a while about this..as I just had my lunch creative thoughts are bound to come!

Given my background, where i do mostly corporate ad films which are" mostly" commercial and a "few" based on social themes.. hence, it will be a good area to explore!


Freelance film making is lucrative monetarily and also one gets a medium to showcase certain things in a particular way. A well made 10 mts, 30 mts or a 1 hour documentary when reaches appropriate audiences can make a difference.


I want to cover so many aspects. They are endless. Culture in rural areas in India, food habits, dialects, taboos, new wave cinema, fashion, people....capturing the essence of society.

There are different styles in documentaries. And so much to learn...camera handling, angles, light and sound techniques..all needs proper training. Its challenging, innovative and a piece of art.


Just hope that i make sensible use of my time in future :)


p.s. am turning into more of a self-conservationist and self obsessed blogger... whatever that means!