The Yin Yang of daily life...Dillema

Small things...silly questions...false hopes...a little bitterness...some dreams...

But trying to be happy no matter what...Life!

I don’t know why Bhai didn’t tell me that he’s coming to India in May

But I am glad that he and Puru are coming

I’m a little hurt because Priya didn’t invite me to her sister’s wedding

But I think I wouldn’t have been in town anyway

I don’t like not being a great cook

But I know that I can cook well enough to survive

I am very sad that Chikoo left us all forever

But I am glad she lived most of her life sharing joy and cheer

I totally hate having pimples on my face

But am elated when they dissapear

I hated it when Rohan shouted at me in the staff room

But am glad my co-faculty wasn’t aroound

I hate myself for not waking up even when the alarm rings

But I am glad I have someone around to do the waking up

I don’t know whether to look for a job or keep doing what I am doing

But I know that I have to have an income

I dislike the fact that I don’t have a toned, leaner body

But I love the fact that I have a healthy one

I hate not having the confidence to drive after having driven 4 years back

But am glad I at least learnt it

I hate not being as active in Rotaract these days

But I know that I have certain more important things to do

I’m jealous because we meet Rohit’s old friends more often

But I have started making them my friends as well

I am unhappy at times because Rohit earns much more than me

But I am glad that I am not dependent on him for money

I have always hated being the single child

But I know that my parents have tried to give me all they could

I am clueless as to why I am writing this blog...perhaps I can’t always have someone who can listen to my cribbing and give me a pep talk...so I better find out ways to pep up myself from gloomy stuff!!

Huh...madness and me!

Andaman - Paradise of Blue

The first glimpse... vast blue, dotted with green
Refreshing
Journeys... pleasant filled with the aroma of non-pollution
Pure
People... hospitable, eager to help
Friendly

History...one that should make any Indian proud
Its not just an island that reminds one of 'Sazaa-e-KaalaPaani'
Its not 'just a jail' where people were deported to
Its a place that transports you to an environment that
makes you think of, if not realise what went into us being ' Swadheen' on our land
Intriguing

Sights... vast, endless expanse of blue...sometimes green...
Nature... as nature should be
As we once would sketch in our 'drawing books'
Enchanting

Blue... it had always been my favourite colour
I fell in love with it like never before

One... fresh from the laundry
(read Enid Blyton's to know this! Anne couldn't have agreed more)
Dotted with soft white candy floss
The other... seemingly calm, portraying four shades in one span, one glance
Tiny ripples, don't bother her... waves lead her to the static land awaiting her touch
Within her she lets immense life thrive... in a world of their own
Hidden from our usual view... a world that is rich, colourful, vibrant
Mesmerizing

We didn't go to an international vacation to Mauritius, Bali or Singapore
We just experienced the Andaman Islands...
Could paradise offer us more?

(Do check the slideshow if you want to see a few glimpses)

Wedding Preps

Indian weddings are elaborate, no matter how hell bent you are to keep it to the point.
Our wedding was barely any different. With a modest function held at Rohit's gandfather's building's terrace the engagement was taken care of on 15th Feb '09. Soon after began the process of hunting for dates and venues for the wedding.

One thing that me and Rohit had made simple for our people was that, we were sure that we wanted the wedding to take place outdoors, preferably in a lawn. It was to happen either in the end of November or early December.
So two daunting tasks started... hunting for a venue that appealed and suited our pockets and fixing the Shubh Muhurta ...so every weekend meant visits to all possible wedding venues with lawns at Thane, finding out 'contacts' that would help us reduce the rates and so on...after quite a few weeks having passed in this manner we were set with "the date and place". The grand occasion was to be celebrated at The Shelter Farms at Ghodbunder road on the 9th of December '09!!!
Hmnn... Then began my intricate task that I took upon myself, to create a detailed Excel sheet that included
1) Guest lists according to various categories
2) Accordingly the number of people from each family expected to attend the function
3) The number of cards to be printed
4) A detailed list of things to be bought, bills to be paid and their budget and expenditure
5) A table to compare the rates quoted by various Beauty Parlors!!
And this sheet was to be updated according to each and every activity that took place.... gosh this experience made me quite a professional (and efficient) wedding planner!

Come August, one of the most sought after activity started...one that brings a sudden glow on most female faces I have seen...Shopping!
It almost seemed like a picnic when Rohit's father hired an Innova and six of us ( Rohit, his father, Rohit's three 'aatya's and me) had a 2 day trip to Nasik to buy Yeola (Soni's) Sarees. I was told to select 5 sarees for myself... (Meena aatya, Rohit's eldest paternal aunt had invited me to her place a couple of days before to educate me with reference of her wadrobe as to which is what saree, which region of the nation it is manufactured in...etc!!! Believe me, I never ever thought I would undergo such courses! And try and imagine how many sarees she owns......)
Aah, I can't even have a wild guess at that... so moving on...I did select 5 sarees:
1) A rich dark green silk saree with golden yellow border
2) A red simple crepe saree with a thin golden border
3) A beautiful purple "Paithani" a speciality of Maharshtra (I consumed a lot of time, just for selecting this one)
4) A yellow cotton Nawwari saree - the Nine yard sree I am eager to flaunt during this Ganesh Chaturthi
5) And a embellished blue 'Shaalu' or Benarasi silk saree

And as we were all selecting these sarees our dear aatya's were as busy selecting the sarees they would drape for my wedding...even after all my selections were done, their's weren't. So eventually the shopping spree that began at 10:30 AM on a Sunday morning, lasted till about 4:30 PM...Non-Stop. Over 20 sarees bought, 6 hours spent, no food consumed, a hell of an experience...by the end of which me and Rohit were ready to dose off in the shop!

A sharp contrast to this was the shopping experience at Kolkata, which involved me and my mom. On a fleeting visit for about 4 days, we had to (and did) fix up the reception venue, caterer, decorator, photographer etc.
The Shopping part for us (which is never a laborious process) was short and to the point. One and a half hours in one shop, 3 sarees for me ( The Maroon Benarasi Silk saree I wore for the wedding, the yellow 'Taant' saree I wore for the Haldi and a black kantha stich saree), 1 saree for Maa (A Maroon Kantha stich saree I forced her to get for herself) and about 8 more sarees we had to get to be gifted to relatives.

The months of October and November was spent searching for Wedding cards at Thane and Chirabazaar (Girgaon),making drafts of the data to be printed on the card, getting other accessiories to the apparels and getting a couple of other clothes stitched, finding rates of make-up artists and Mehendi-waalis etc. Anyone who has gone through this knows exactly how much time consuming it is. And that is why Shalini and Reema quite often were my aides and would help me out in all these odd jobs!

Being an Archietct and a Designer, I was sure (so were my friends, Maa and Rohit who were driven mad by me) that I had to have a personal touch in the wedding card I select or the 'Tattva' - the wedding gifts that we decorate. So after immense hunts, a off-beat, simple yet elegant card was selected from a shop at Chirabazaar. For friends a special personalised e-version was made. And loads of gift wraps, batwas, tapes and satin ribbons bought from Sutar galli at Abdul Rehman street.

Another interesting thing that me and Ro were doing meanwhile is making and updating our wish-list!! :D Most of our kind and considerate friends and a few relatives had asked us what we wished to recieve as our wedding gift from them, so we made a wedding list fitting into all budgets, that was fun...specially the thought of getting gifts we wanted!

So, eventually it was time...after all the efforts...bookings made, cards given out, trousseau in place, almost all knickknacks assembled... what was pending is a celebration for Mehendi, a Aayi-buro Bhaat (Kelwan in Marathi - notionally the last meal at home), packing the 'Totto' the Gaaye Holud (Haldi) and then... make-up, drape, gold, chondon...getting lifted up by uncles, exchange of garlands, chanting of mantras, a mangalsutra, sindoor, saat feras....
and I am no more a bachelorette!!

Updates

It has been a long, long time since I have last blogged. And during all this while I have planned to do so several times, but didn't quite end up doing so.

Perhaps this was because there were too many things going on...
wedding preparations, an interior designing and execution project, my beloved pet Chikoo's ill health and sudden demise, my wedding, a nice trip to the Islands of Andaman, a short but very enjoyable visit to Kolkata, new year celebrations at Talegaon and well experiencing married life and a new home and family...

So now I can spend some time now and then elaborating on each of these mixed experiences...
Right now I shall think from where to begin.

My dearest Bappa….and the 21 ‘darshans’

It was that time of the year again when I run around visiting many homes, wearing new clothes, devouring lovely sweets, clicking a couple of photos and above all seeking blessings of my beloved Ganu Bappa. The festivities of Ganesh Chaturthi in various households last for anything between one and a half days to 10 days, and I made the best of the celebrations this year.

As usual the first one and a half days were hectic, owing to all the ‘didh diwsache bappas’. 

Darshan started in the morning at Prasanna’s home at Kalyan, followed by the Korgaonkar’s Ganpati at Aditi’s place this year, where I had a traditional marathi lunch with a huge extended family, whom I shall call mine in a couple of months. Then I went over to Bhai’s home (luckily this year Amod and Paulomi landed there at the same time) and after a lot of serious talks with uncle, senseless chatter with both of them followed. From here, me and Yashashree proceeded to Maggie’s place, where the Bappa couldn’t have got cuter and eco-friendlier!! How I loved the hand-crafted personalized Lord that RT n her friends had carved. It was also nice to be meeting Chandru uncle after a very long time. 

The next visit was to my dearest best friend, Reema’s home, I have gradually lost count of how many years it has been since the first time I visited her home, and that visit was also on this beautiful occasion. I suppose it was way back when we were in the 9th standard of school. After Raj uncle generously offered me various fruits and we performed the ‘Sandhya-Aarti’, I rushed to Chintu’s home. It was a super happy occasion at his place this year, firstly Chintan and Nishit bhaiyya are back from UK, once and for all. On top of that Nishit bhaiiya had just got engaged, and happiness was sparkling on aunty’s pretty face! I was glad this time, since I was there last year, and could sense the emptiness in the home as well as the hearts. As each year aunty couldn’t have left me depart without offering me a sumptuous meal!

That was the end of day one. And the next morning, darshan began with Swati’s home, where little Anika greeted us with a cutie smile. The heavy rain outdoors could dampen anyone’s spirit, but hers. She was just so elated at the view of raindrops lashing at her windowpane! After a joyful chat with Sulu kaku and Vivek kaka we proceeded to Meena aatya’s place, where another part (the sweetest and dearest ones ) of the Korgaonkar clan awaited us. More fun followed, and then followed more mouthwatering food…hot ‘ukadiche modak’s ', ‘alu -wadi’s'….simply wow stuff!

From here I accompanied Ro to Eesha’s place, from where the chirpy lady and her parents accompanied us to Vikram Mama’s home. Here was my second day of remembering names and relations…a daunting task indeed; specially considering that Ro himself is confused most of the time! After this I did have some time to rest at home after a quick visit to Paul uncle’s place where I reached in the nick of time before they left for visarjan, and after a few hours I decked myself up again.Hoping to meet Anu ( and of course Bappa at the Bhosekar’s residence) Ro and me went to her place. But then she had left for Vile Parle, so we met aunty, offered our prayers to Bappa and went back to Aditi’s home, for the ‘maha aarti’ before visarjan.

Now this is a super-specialty of the Korgaonkar’s. The whole family, which consist of about (hmn.. now let me count… 3+7+3+10+…..let it be..)...say, twenty five people or more get together to perform the aarti well equipped with various music instruments! Various prayers are offered, and so many Ganesh vandana’s sung with brimming enthusiasm and tremendous joy is bound to please our kind ‘vighna-harta’.

After such a ceremonial end to the first two days of Ganpati, visits to a few more homes were pending. So we made it a point to visit Bappas at Purva’s, Uttam’s, Kaushik’s, Prachi’s homes. And the next day after my visit to Sanket’s place (he was super sweet to have picked me up and dropped me back home!!) me and Maa went over to Pansare uncle’s and Rashmi aatya’s homes were Gauri-Ganpati beckoned us.
After this I suddenly realized that I had already visited 19 Bappas and suddenly had the urge to complete 21 darshans this year. 

And I did so by Friday. After our routine Rotaract meeting a bunch of us went over to Akshay’s home. I just love the very adorable little Idol of Bappa at his place, neatly seated in-between sparkling lights, flowers and several tiny-miny beautiful show-pieces. From here we went over to Aditya’s (Belpathak’s) home. My twenty first Bappa’s visit was here where the Lord was seated in an unconventional ‘mhakar’ shaped like a modak itself.......nice, very nice.

Ganpati Bappa...Morya!!

Rotaract

Rotaract. A word. A movement. A passion. A challenge .

Yes. It is so. If you feel it, enjoy it and have a dream. 

To me it was a youth group, that a couple of my friends were a part of, which did some meaningful stuff to contribute to the society, which made me come to attend the meetings. During the course of attending a couple of meetings I realised that it had a bunch of very friendly kids (yes I realised that most were at least 3 years younger to me) who were super enthusiastic to try new things and meet new people, who spoke smoothly and stood firmly. Impressive.

Hence, gradually Friday evenings started being equal to Rotaract meetings. Gradually Chinmay, Ameya, Gauravi and Abhishek got me updated and did their best to keep me roped in every little activity. Then came words and abbreviations like ‘taking the agenda’ and being the ‘PCP’…gradually I was made the joint Community Service Director considering Aditya’s absence due to his exams. Then I initiated collection of old clothes for the Cancer Society. That was my first project as a Director in the club. Got a couple of appreciations…felt good.
Then completely unaware that the Rotaract year changes in June-July, I understood that my club, the Rotaract Club of Thane Central and its pillars were upto some serious discussions.. that of finding a new President for the year to come. Little did I know, that I would end up being the one! The day they brought upon this idea to me, I actually thought they were joking…I mean I was barely 3months old as a member…barely understood the bylaws and stuff…and PRESIDENT? Huh..’kuch bhi kya’!!! 
But then.. my Past Presidents knew what they had to do (smart they are I must admit!!) Loads of convincing and educative sessions started…after GBMs…after office..at Ram Maruti Road, New English School, Open House, CCD, Meadows..over the phone..gosh.madness.
But then while withstanding this madness I realised that I was enjoying it. It was now or never. It was a challenge. Someone believed in me. Some people thought I could. I had an opportunity knocking at my doorstep. I had a chance to dream with eyes open...to make it real. Could I? Should I? 
And then the most important question struck me… WHY NOT!!!