New Age Mantra!
The new age mantra -A family that surfs together stays together!!
Devanshi with her Barbie Laptop.It sure keeps her occupied throughout the day!
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Monday, March 27, 2006
My Pride-Uttaranchal
People often ask me-"Which state are you from"?
My answer offcourse with a twinkle in my eyes and a broad grin is -Uttaranchal!and then i go on...My part of the country is amazing....nothing compares....wonderful schools,amazing holiday spots...forward looking society etc..etc.I agree at times i go overboard!
Rajiv ofthen complains -"Each time u talk about Uttaranchal u say -"my part of the country" a million times....as if rest of the country is muck and filth and u are from a paradise "!
Yes ,i have lived in different parts of the country and nothing compares to Uttaranchal,our people,our weddings,oue festivals,our food,our schools and our temples!I can go on and on...
I am a very proud Uttaranchali and am ready to sound like a real snob when i describe to people my identity-Uttaranchal!
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Two Circles
I have a very small friends circle which already has no room for more members and a bigger social circle which seems to be expanding.These two circles are a part of my life yet are miles apart .
For me, my circle of friends consist of people who were in school and college with me.People i grew up with ,went to school with ,shared my lunch box or ate up theirs, bunked classes in college with them ,killed time in college cafeteria with them,people who shouted "Yes Maam "for me when my name was called out (proxy attendence)while i was away sleeping in my hostel room ,people who taught me to hitch free rides and people who taught me to party hard.These are the people i cherish each day! i have not met many of them since years... Yet the bond is still strong !
My ever increasing social circle consists of people i have met just by chance and not so much by choice -mostly people working with my husband and their families.Its a formal relationship which is about lunches and parties,formal get togethers and usual weekend getaways!
I have a very small friends circle which already has no room for more members and a bigger social circle which seems to be expanding.These two circles are a part of my life yet are miles apart .
For me, my circle of friends consist of people who were in school and college with me.People i grew up with ,went to school with ,shared my lunch box or ate up theirs, bunked classes in college with them ,killed time in college cafeteria with them,people who shouted "Yes Maam "for me when my name was called out (proxy attendence)while i was away sleeping in my hostel room ,people who taught me to hitch free rides and people who taught me to party hard.These are the people i cherish each day! i have not met many of them since years... Yet the bond is still strong !
My ever increasing social circle consists of people i have met just by chance and not so much by choice -mostly people working with my husband and their families.Its a formal relationship which is about lunches and parties,formal get togethers and usual weekend getaways!
I miss my circle of freinds and cherish the times i spend with threm !
Hope to meet them very soon!
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Education -The real Mantra for India
India is the fastest growing economy,competing with the world powers etc etc ...yeah i am impressed but not very proud yet.
Each time i read reports of women being battered ,abused,burned,killed ...it outrages me.Which India do i relate to?
The one which is represented by fast growing hubs like Bangalore where women have been equal partners in building the economy .
Or is real India in small towns of UP and Bihar where women are treated like muck.
I think India can become the great nation it aspires to only if women throughout are treated with respect and equality.
This equality can stem only through eduacting masses across the nation.Yes,education is the real mantra for a brand new India which we all can be proud of!!
Monday, March 20, 2006
Office going Moms
After 18 months of not being one, i am sure- "office going moms" are words which cant exist together for me.
Having worked for nearly 4 years i took a break after my daughter Devanshi was born and i am glad i did. Its been wonderful 18 months and i look forward to many more kodak moments!
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Value Education Class
In St Mary's Convent Nainital, each day the first class was on value education or moral science. The classes dealt with values like punctuality,honesty etcfdref. Frankly while in school , i never realised the worth of that class.I was'nt sure if i was gaining anything valuable .
But after so many years when i look back i feel every minute spend in that class was worth it.
The other day we were to meet up some friends to go to a surprise party and some of the friends turned up an hour late leaving me with nothing but surprise!
I just couldnt digest the fact that people can be so casual about appointments!an hour late is just fine and the best part u can go on without an apology as if nothing wrong happened!
Events like these make me feel proud of the fact that lessons learned in moral science class have stayed with me till now.Sister Christina in the moral science classes always said-"Respect time-yours and others.Never keep anyone waiting!It shows lack of interest and respect to others".
And till today this is the way i feel- disrespected ,when people fail to keep up with the time of their appointments.I am very proud of the fact that i practice till date what i learned in my moral science classes.
Disrespect for time-mine and others is what i have never exhibited!
In St Mary's Convent Nainital, each day the first class was on value education or moral science. The classes dealt with values like punctuality,honesty etcfdref. Frankly while in school , i never realised the worth of that class.I was'nt sure if i was gaining anything valuable .
But after so many years when i look back i feel every minute spend in that class was worth it.
The other day we were to meet up some friends to go to a surprise party and some of the friends turned up an hour late leaving me with nothing but surprise!
I just couldnt digest the fact that people can be so casual about appointments!an hour late is just fine and the best part u can go on without an apology as if nothing wrong happened!
Events like these make me feel proud of the fact that lessons learned in moral science class have stayed with me till now.Sister Christina in the moral science classes always said-"Respect time-yours and others.Never keep anyone waiting!It shows lack of interest and respect to others".
And till today this is the way i feel- disrespected ,when people fail to keep up with the time of their appointments.I am very proud of the fact that i practice till date what i learned in my moral science classes.
Disrespect for time-mine and others is what i have never exhibited!
Friday, March 17, 2006
Reality Check.
I am glad i came to the US...this one year has been an eye opener,many lessons relearned and many myths bursted.
Myth 1-Those in US make a lot of money!
Yeah ..it sounds like a lot of money when u go around converting .But here in the states u make in dollars and spend in dollars..not in rupees.So dont even compare to what we make in India.
Myth 2-US is all glitter and glam.No poverty,dirt and muck
Yeah i too was dazzled by the glitter and glam of New-York and Chicago(first two cities of US i stayed in) I thought... god its such a happy and a happening place.
Once i was over this, i looked outside Manhattan and Michigan Avenue.God some areas were worse than Dharavi and Ghatkopar slums.There are many homeless and without food,jobs and medicare.
Myth 3-All Indians once in the US shun their roots to embrace the new culture,food and lifestyle
A friend from South India had a stone grinder mixer(easliy 10 kgs) for making idli and dosa ..most of the families cook only Inidan food and once in a while have a Pizza(the only american food they are familiar with.Atlanta is a popular place ...not bacause of CNN headquarters but because of Balaji Temple where u can do mundan ceremony for your kid!
The list of myths about life here in the US is endless but i am glad with each passing day living here, i discover a new truth.
It has been an interesting and enlightening journey!
I am glad i came to the US...this one year has been an eye opener,many lessons relearned and many myths bursted.
Myth 1-Those in US make a lot of money!
Yeah ..it sounds like a lot of money when u go around converting .But here in the states u make in dollars and spend in dollars..not in rupees.So dont even compare to what we make in India.
Myth 2-US is all glitter and glam.No poverty,dirt and muck
Yeah i too was dazzled by the glitter and glam of New-York and Chicago(first two cities of US i stayed in) I thought... god its such a happy and a happening place.
Once i was over this, i looked outside Manhattan and Michigan Avenue.God some areas were worse than Dharavi and Ghatkopar slums.There are many homeless and without food,jobs and medicare.
Myth 3-All Indians once in the US shun their roots to embrace the new culture,food and lifestyle
A friend from South India had a stone grinder mixer(easliy 10 kgs) for making idli and dosa ..most of the families cook only Inidan food and once in a while have a Pizza(the only american food they are familiar with.Atlanta is a popular place ...not bacause of CNN headquarters but because of Balaji Temple where u can do mundan ceremony for your kid!
The list of myths about life here in the US is endless but i am glad with each passing day living here, i discover a new truth.
It has been an interesting and enlightening journey!
Monday, March 06, 2006
LSR-Delhi University
Came across this interesting piece written by an ex-lsrite.
Officially : LSR [Lady Shri Ram College for Women]
Unofficially : LSR [Low Survival Rate College] b’coz of the attendance chakkar.
Campus : Located right in the heart of south Dilli’s bustling Lajpat Nagar, the campus covers 15 acres which includes our pride ‘n’ joy - the immaculately kept green lawns.
Building : A 3-floor red brick affair filled with 2000 bubbly gals.
Hostel : On-campus, the residence hall accommodates about 300 students and one phone, yep one measly phone for 300 of us. It’s a tuff life.
Most often heard conversation in the hostel:Q. Whose call? A Not yours!!!
How to spot a hosteler - Perpetually sleepy and perpetually demanding their day scholar friends’ tiffins. Other indications - unkempt hair and ghaati bathroom slippers/gliders. OK...OK...not all that bad! Actually the LSR hostel is a pretty good place to be if u exclude the long list of rules one is supposed to mind (Um, weren’t rules meant to be broken???)
Crowd: A multi-cultural, multi- lingual lot. we havethem all- from the desis to the not-so-desis, from thepheku phoren accented ones to the genuinely nice, from the hep ones to the btm’s (behenji turned mod, silly!!!), from the trendsetters to the bores (yawn!)
Faculty: A regular dedicated lot (no, we aren’t complaining)
Highlight: The LSR cafe (the hostelers swear by it).
The cafe even offers happy-hours : Rs 2/- off on everything [wow]. This is the hub of all activity- eating, arguments, chit-chat sessions - u name it. Always remember to go with change, that is unless you don’t mind getting hardboiled sweets in lieu of chhutta paisa.
Fav fads: Sporting dupattas over tees, funky ear/nose accessories, mehndi tattoos and anklets.
Best time of the year: Oct-Dec (time of all the fests) inc Tarang (the annual college fest), NSO sports fest, guest-nite (or hostelers only). Fests are the time for more pronounced accents and for sporting LSR sweatshirts and tees.
Worst part bout LSR: Attendance blacklists, assignments, queues outside the office that moves at a snail’s pace and the lack of men.Warning: Don’t go near the classrooms, the staff room or the library- you’re bound to get lost!!!
LSR Speak: “Big Deal”, “Don’t bug me”, ”Pheku”Motto: Live life QUEEN size
Came across this interesting piece written by an ex-lsrite.
Officially : LSR [Lady Shri Ram College for Women]
Unofficially : LSR [Low Survival Rate College] b’coz of the attendance chakkar.
Campus : Located right in the heart of south Dilli’s bustling Lajpat Nagar, the campus covers 15 acres which includes our pride ‘n’ joy - the immaculately kept green lawns.
Building : A 3-floor red brick affair filled with 2000 bubbly gals.
Hostel : On-campus, the residence hall accommodates about 300 students and one phone, yep one measly phone for 300 of us. It’s a tuff life.
Most often heard conversation in the hostel:Q. Whose call? A Not yours!!!
How to spot a hosteler - Perpetually sleepy and perpetually demanding their day scholar friends’ tiffins. Other indications - unkempt hair and ghaati bathroom slippers/gliders. OK...OK...not all that bad! Actually the LSR hostel is a pretty good place to be if u exclude the long list of rules one is supposed to mind (Um, weren’t rules meant to be broken???)
Crowd: A multi-cultural, multi- lingual lot. we havethem all- from the desis to the not-so-desis, from thepheku phoren accented ones to the genuinely nice, from the hep ones to the btm’s (behenji turned mod, silly!!!), from the trendsetters to the bores (yawn!)
Faculty: A regular dedicated lot (no, we aren’t complaining)
Highlight: The LSR cafe (the hostelers swear by it).
The cafe even offers happy-hours : Rs 2/- off on everything [wow]. This is the hub of all activity- eating, arguments, chit-chat sessions - u name it. Always remember to go with change, that is unless you don’t mind getting hardboiled sweets in lieu of chhutta paisa.
Fav fads: Sporting dupattas over tees, funky ear/nose accessories, mehndi tattoos and anklets.
Best time of the year: Oct-Dec (time of all the fests) inc Tarang (the annual college fest), NSO sports fest, guest-nite (or hostelers only). Fests are the time for more pronounced accents and for sporting LSR sweatshirts and tees.
Worst part bout LSR: Attendance blacklists, assignments, queues outside the office that moves at a snail’s pace and the lack of men.Warning: Don’t go near the classrooms, the staff room or the library- you’re bound to get lost!!!
LSR Speak: “Big Deal”, “Don’t bug me”, ”Pheku”Motto: Live life QUEEN size
Saturday, March 04, 2006
Bells of St Mary's ring out far and wide.....
My daughter Devanshi is soon going to be 18 months and catching on words fast.Its now that i sing out nursery ryhmes and songs to her as she enjoys them.
Suddenly i find myself singing songs like-Row -row ur boat,one little duck went far away .
I am suprised myself as these songs and nursery rhymes were taught to me in St Marys Convent my school in Nainital nearly 18 years ago but its all coming back to me unconciuosly now!!Yes,i do remember the words...with a few hitches here and there.
I am glad as lessons taught years ago in St Mary's were meant to stay with me forever and i hope to pass them down to my daughter.
My daughter Devanshi is soon going to be 18 months and catching on words fast.Its now that i sing out nursery ryhmes and songs to her as she enjoys them.
Suddenly i find myself singing songs like-Row -row ur boat,one little duck went far away .
I am suprised myself as these songs and nursery rhymes were taught to me in St Marys Convent my school in Nainital nearly 18 years ago but its all coming back to me unconciuosly now!!Yes,i do remember the words...with a few hitches here and there.
I am glad as lessons taught years ago in St Mary's were meant to stay with me forever and i hope to pass them down to my daughter.
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