Discovering Life

Have you ever had this feeling of wanting to say something but unable to say because of certain inhibitions running on your mind? I have been under such situations several times, whether it is listening to a reprimand or having a silent discussion with someone. There are times when my mind asks what should I say or what should I not say or why is the other person trying to indirectly start an accusation when I don’t think I deserve it. Such incidents lead to nothing but stress after stress because before you think of reacting you miss the bus already. Through my life experiences, the solution is well under our control but it is definitely not a cakewalk in reality. One needs to be a braveheart for starters. There would be situations in your life when you would experience it against a person very senior to you but the essence should be to remain fearless in your views and not be disrespectful. Even if in such situations you consider yourself a loser, don’t lose heart and don’...

I was once watching a Hindi movie in a theatre in Faridabad (Haryana) and there were colloquial Haryanvi dialogues which left the audience roaring with laughter. Unfortunately, I could not fathom the joke and looked at my husband for help. He translated it for me and then I could react to it. Of late, there have been several Hindi movies with stories revolving around Haryana or Punjab. To make the content realistic, rustic dialogues are being delivered and if you are not familiar with such language then you may have to find someone to be an interpreter. Another prominent dominance of the Punjabi language is in the Hindi movie songs. If you search for latest Bollywood songs on the internet majority of these would be in the Punjabi language. There is no harm in having such songs in Hindi films, as music is not restricted to any language. Its beauty can be explored even if you do not understand the lyrics but why only Punjabi? Why can’t we have songs from other Indian states? Sin...

When I was just about 18 years of age, I exercised my right to vote during a city Mayor election. It was a great feeling of exercising my power to choose the right candidate. The candidate whom I voted for won the elections and it gave me a sense of triumph. The power to vote is a wonderful right given to the citizens of India. The incidences of booth capturing and riots which used to terrorise and make the citizens aversive to cast their votes have been largely controlled today. Yet even today the voter turnouts are not a complete 100% during elections. One reason has been the blunders made on voter cards. In fact, I had a bad experience in getting a voter’s card generated for myself. I still remember waiting in a long queue for several hours to submit my application for a voter’s card. The person handling this activity was alone in a small office filled with open racks touching the ceiling of the room. All these racks were completely filled with voter card applications col...

How many of us have read about the benefits of regular exercise? Probably all of us. How many of us practice this regularly? This is difficult to answer. For the last one month, I have been trying to exercise at least for about 10-15 mins every morning. My poor treadmill was waiting for three long years for me to put it into regular use. I have developed a soft corner for it now. The struggle of putting myself together for this activity is a challenge but once I start doing it, I do not complain at all. I think it is all a mental challenge. The physical challenge comes much later especially when you overdo on some days challenging your own stamina. Newspapers normally publish articles on good health and fitness, especially in their weekend editions. There are also Sunday magazines covering special sections on a healthy diet or a fitness mantra of a celebrity. How do these celebrities remain consistent with their health routines? Well, one reason that I can think of is their...

There are always debates about ones favourite weather round the year. For some, it may be the monsoon and for some, it may be the chilling winters. What is yours? I love winters but only when I am indoors and well-protected from the freezing temperatures outside. I cannot enjoy the chill outside because no matter how many layers of warm clothes I wear, I can still feel the cold air running over me. What’s the point in shivering all the time and trying to give a fake smile. It would be rather better to be lost inside a thick warm blanket blocking any kind of air getting in. When morning arrives one needs to rise from the cosy bed. This is the most difficult part of the day. This transition is extremely traumatic. Rise in pollution, road accidents on account of heavy fogs, flight and train schedule delays and cancellations and last but not the least airborne diseases like cold and flu cannot be ignored. However, it is not always an unbearable feeling. The winter snow has its un...

Sports in India have been making history on the international map. Our performance at the Jakarta Asian Games this year is one such example. It is commendable to see so many young girls and boys from extremely humble backgrounds achieving such a great feat. However, one sport which interests a majority of Indians both on domestic and international grounds is Cricket. A few weeks ago, the finals of Asia Cup was being telecast on television. I started watching the game from the second innings. India was chasing a target of 223 runs against Bangladesh. Bangladesh had had a commendable first inning with good performance from the opening batsmen. The overall score did not seem to be much of a challenge for India with stalwarts like Rohit Sharma, MS Dhoni and Shikhar Dhawan. Guess the Indian spectators took the opponent’s bowlers for granted. The splendid performance by the fast-paced bowlers giving maiden overs one after another led to the fall of the crucial wickets of Shikha...

It is the auspicious season in India starting with the holy month of Ashvin . It is a feel-good period where you are emotionally charged and feel the divine blessings being showered on you as each day passes by. This period of Durga Puja was very special with my mother being there and carrying out the daily ritual of special puja during the auspicious nine days. With the morning Aarti after the puja, she would hand over the prasad and give us her blessings. On the ninth day, we went to the Community Center in Faridabad to take the blessings of Goddess Durga. The beautiful idol of Goddess Durga putting an end to the evil Mahishasur was installed on a stage. The other idols placed alongside were of Goddess Lakshmi and Saraswati and of Lord Ganesha and Kartikeya. There were a group of four people including both men and women dancing to rhythmic drum beats. All of them held an incense burner on their right palms and performed the ritual arti dance. If you are in Delhi during ...