Discovering Life

Early last month, I happened to go to a wedding outstation. My brother in law was getting hitched to his longtime girlfriend. There was pressure to bring my best self forward during the wedding being his ‘only bhabhi’ (sister-in-law). Fortunately, after working hard on the attire and makeup and dance rehearsals, I managed to put up a satisfactory presentation. During traditional Indian weddings, it is natural for every woman to have an ambition of presenting their supreme self. The irony is that each one of them is so conscious about their own looks that no one actually has the time to look beyond themselves. I very often ask a question to myself, “Why the hell do I need to devote so much time dressing-up if it’s just for my own satisfaction? Why can’t I just be a plain Jane? If every girl starts thinking in this direction, think of the amount of money and time one would save by not visiting a beauty parlour or a fancy boutique. Marriages in India are a very complicated a...

I decided to step out of the house for New Year celebrations on a chilly evening of 31st December. Although, I must admit that the pleasure of relaxing inside layers of warm blankets at home was an equally good option but we wanted to spend the evening differently. Prateek suggested that we travel to Aerocity near the International Airport which offers a plethora of choices for restaurants. We basically wanted to have a quiet dinner and were not very keen to go for any high voltage new year dance celebrations. When we reached the place, we thought of getting in one of the restaurants. We were very normally dressed, unlike the enthusiastic crowd especially the girls with knee-length dresses and skirts completely unaffected with the extreme cold and chill in the evening air. I was completely packed like an Eskimo with gloves and I could see from the corner of my eyes that a group of girls were giggling and talking to each other. I am not sure if I was a part of their joke but I...

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...