Lady's Love - London

To be bitten by a travel bug is an amazing feeling. It only increases the urge to visit places endlessly without a break. But as this seems to be an unrealistic ask, I managed to go on a budget vacation to one of my favorite destinations - London. Travelling thousand miles and landing in this beautiful city instantly brings an energetic feeling.

View of the London City as I prepare to land in Heathrow

Landed early morning in Heathrow and deciding to take a tube to my place of stay is a brave move for a first time visitor. But the whole experience right from time go was exciting. I boarded a train from the Heathrow underground station to Gloucester Road station from where my hotel Kensington Rooms was just a 5min walk.

Kensington Street

Taken as a whole, London is pretty noisy and fast paced. People are very active. Every area, every street has a story to tell. From the most ancient first of its kind naked statue in London, to the most expensive London Hilton hotel, to the numerous gates to enter Hyde Park, there is nothing you cannot not love about London. The oh-so-chic people and the expensive city that it is, it's a good blend.

One of the many Hyde Park entrances

There's an influx of immigrants from around the world. It's this mish-mash of diverse culture of people which makes London vibrant and wonderful to explore. Walking the streets in the evening as the cold breeze brushes through your face, is an experience that cannot be described in words.

One of the best brownie's I had

The major attractions in London that you cannot miss are the London Eye. The mesmerizing view that is visible from the Barracuda from the massive London Eye leaves you spell bound. You witness the entire city from that height, the Thames river, the sky high buildings - you just cannot afford to miss.

The London Eye

The Big Ben and the Westminster Abbey are two destinations which showcase the ancient architecture in the best form. There's no doubt why the Westminster Abbey is such a lavish location for all the high profile weddings. The Big Ben - although you cannot go inside but hear the bells toll every 15 minutes and witness the tower to its best advantage.

The Big Ben

The next stop was at The Buckingham Palace. What I liked about the two hour long tour of the entire palace was that the palace is opened for 7 days to the public to see the lavish rooms and experience the royalty and get a peek into the life of her Highness. There is no photography allowed inside the palace but after taking a tour, the entire place and its royalty gets etched in your mind forever and doesn't need to be snapped.

I also visited the Madame Tussauds. Although I had extremely high expectations of this place, it did not live upto my expectations with respect to the Bollywood Celebrities. They seemed unreal unlike the Hollywood Celebrities which were so human in their looks. Taking snap with Gorge Clooney, Tom Cruise, my favorite football player Christiano Ronaldo and not to forget MJ was the best.

Sitting on the roadside like a typical Londoner and picking a pancake on the go from one of the food trucks and enjoying it as I see innumerable people walk, walk and walk some more makes you wonder about the immense strength they all posses.

Spotting the Red Telephone Booth, walking across the very famous Trafalgar Square is the real London for me.

The famous Trafalgar Square

For people who love dressing up and looking great no matter what time of the day, it's a delight to shop at London. Camden Market, Oxford Street are the main shopping destinations in London. Those who can afford splurging on some of the high end brands, Harrods is the place to be.

A great way for everyone to tour London is by walk or the tubes or the Hop-on-Hop-off buses. Buy an Oyster Pass and you're all set to explore London at your convenient best.

The only thing I missed in London is the snow. But as they say, whatever happens, happens for the best. Maybe not witnessing London snowfall this time is a hint for me to visit London yet again. Until then, I will enjoy the moment by singing the very famous rhyme standing on the London Bridge.

Free Spirited in Bulgaria

After a lot of Yes and No on the visit to Bulgaria, time flew and the day finally arrived when I would set my feet on the Bulgarian Ground in its capital city Sofia. The winter preparation had already kicked in. The city has a unique atmosphere with the feel of many different cultures in one place. It is vibrant and beautiful.

As I was picked from the Airport to check-in my beautiful Hotel room, the greenery of the place left me spell bound. If this is how the main city looked, I could only let my imagination run free spirited to see how the Bulgarian country side looked. The staff at the Hotel Vega Sofia were extremely warm and welcoming. Set at the foot of the Vitosha Mountain, the view from the hotel opening to this backdrop and seeing the sun rise every morning was a treat to the eyes.

Sunrise from my hotel room

The food of Bulgaria is extremely subtle on the Indian palate and pretty cheap on your wallet. You are served with a whole Bulgarian meal for just about 20 Bulgarian Lev. For a person like me who lives to eat, every cuisine is embraced with the same level of hunger. I tried a lot of chicken dishes in combination with potatoes, cheese, quinoa rice, basil. It was a feast. To all those who enjoy some beverages, the old in-house Bulgarian drink - Arakia (a man's drink) as it is famously called, is a must try. Don't forget to say Nazdravez as you clink your glasses.

Chicken and potatoes served with a lot of cheese

The Vitosha Street is the most vibrant street of Bulgaria. To have this street dedicate to a close friend of mine was the least I could do to make the memory of this place immortal. Young and old, pet's and street performers, open restaurants and local shopping stores - this place has it all. Almost 4 hours of my time was spent at the Vitosha street and I could still stay here all night.

Open Restaurant's on Vitosha Street

One of the world's most beautiful and famous cathedral the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia adds to the beauty of the city. The Gold and Green tombs of the Cathedral over the off-white body of the building surrounded by white roads was blending so well with the quiet surrounding atmosphere.

The famous Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Walking down a little, you witness the Life of Fire where there is always a fire light up in the memory of all the people who sacrificed their life for Bulgaria.

Life of Fire in the memory of Bulgarian

One of the most fascinating part in Bulgaria is the Yellow City Center. No it's not a mall. It's a way to identify that you are in the center of the city. I felt that was a very intelligent concept. For all those who are globe trotting, this surely helps you from being lost.

Yellow Lane street indicating the center of the city

Many asked me if Bulgaria is safe. Yes, for a single woman or a man, Bulgaria is safe. If you are afraid of visiting Bulgaria due to the reputation it once had for corruption and organised crime, then you surely need to know that it is now a thing of past. Bulgarians are extremely warm and friendly. I can vouch on this because every Bulgarian I met very politely agreed to make a picture for me. *blush*

Le Panga - Pro Kabaddi

When this season of Pro Kabaddi kicked off, little was I aware that one day I would be sitting in a live stadium and cheering the teams. All that LIVE. Well as they say Never say never, that day did come into my life and how.

I am not a great fan of the game Kabaddi, but I dint want to loose out on the opportunity that was knocking at my doors to sense the vibe of the entire Live stadium and get a feel of the whole match played Live.

The match venue in Bangalore was at Kanteerva Indoor Stadium. After a long Friday work, getting to the venue was not difficult. Getting to the actual gate and the seating however, was like a treasure hunt game. I had a free seating ticket on the Yellow Upper stand and made it to the uppermost row.

As I got seated, the stadium or shall I say the Pro Kabaddi show had it all - disco lights, enthusiastic presenters, awesome Live TV coverage by the Star Sports Channel. At the corner of the play-field, I spotted my favorite RJ Danish Sait at his wittiest best. He looked dapper in his Brown Blazer and Beige Chinos. That man is really smart. After the initial small talks with the presenters and the sponsors, it was now time to call the two teams on the play-field.

My favorite RJ - Danish Sait

The two teams pitted against one another were the Bengal Warriors and the Patna Pirates. I was definitely rooting for the Bengal Warriors. They were supremely tall and very handsome. *wink* .

As the hooters blew and the match started, the crowd went crazy. The chanting of the tag line Le Panga followed by the Bangaloreans Full Charge Madi scream was so high in energy. It was a great start to the game.

Men in Blue - Bengal Warriors and Men in Yellow - Patna Pirates

I must confess that I had no idea on the scoring and the game rules. But thanks to my friend for helping me understand. If not all, but I for sure now can relate to the game much better.

The players are so agile. Their swiftness, tackling intelligence and physical power is commendable. Another interesting thing about Kabaddi is - absolutely no equipment is required to play this game. All you need is a small piece of ground, lines drawn and you are all set.

A game of Kabaddi is so native and represents the soul of India. A country where Cricket is religiously worshiped as a sport, Kabaddi definitely needs the support from the government to raise the bar of the sport if not better but at least get its due credibility.

And finally.. 10-Kabaddi, 9-Kabaddi, 8-Kabaddi, 7-Kabaddi, 6-Kabaddi, 5-Kabaddi, 4-Kabaddi, 3-Kabaddi, 2-Kabaddi, 1-Kabaddi ------- Le Panga!!    

Corporate Dress Code

If this sounds like an extremely serious topic, well I completely beg to differ. Not because I don't respect the policies of a corporate organization that has a well defined dress code in place for all its employee's but because, the more I try to think of it, the hilarious it gets.

I was given this responsibility by my boss to put up a dress-code presentation together with an intention that everyone at work looks presentable. I am not saying people in my office come in their pyjama's, but some of them quite seriously need a reality check. Because I am not a person who heavily policed for a dress-code due to the organization I worked for previously,  I took over a week's time understanding what should be the bare minimum clothing attire that fits "my organization" and finally had a draft version. What I wasn't aware of was the laugh riot that it would bring along while I got it reviewed by my boss.

People who type-cast dress-code for women, think again. dress-code just doesn't end with dressing well, it also brings along the grooming part which most of us tend to forget and is not gender specific. If the intent is to foster an environment conducive to working, then being appropriately dressed to let everyone focus on WORK than anything else when in business is of prime importance.

It's important to understand and respect the foray of colors that you wear to work. If you don't like someone at workplace, deal with it at a personal level, do not blind everyone else with a fearful reign of colors.

Dressing to work is not mood-dressing. You just cannot come to work with baby-you-look-gorgeous-when-you-wake-up look. That's a moment to save for your partner or spouse in the bedroom. You don't have to think too much to wear to work, a simple thumb rule, just don't look dumb.

The next thing to keep in mind is your body odour. Deo/perfume is not an option for heaven's sake. Now when I say it's an absolute necessity to have a good pleasant body odour, some people take this advice too seriously and bathe in perfumes. You don't want causalities at workplace. Just give a whiff of the perfume in a laid back manner.

Most of the corporate companies these day's are quite lenient when it comes to dress code. They have moved from the 100% formal dressing to business casuals which is pretty easy going and at the same time gives the employees a benefit of  doubt which will enable and help them to dress and behave like adults.

Life without make-up

I met a make-up artist at one of the most visited malls in Bangalore showing off his make-up skills with strokes from different brushes moving seamlessly from one palate of colors to another. I asked him, what do you think is the latest or the evolving trend in make-up today? Without even a blink, comes the reply "Less is more".

This might be a bit of an understatement for a make-up artiste, but the indication it gives to life is larger than that three words. Look closely and you will realize, Life - is without make-up. It gets more vivid and more impactful as one grows over the years. Sometimes you put it to test and many other times it tests you. Whatever the case, its like a white light in a prism that comes out with colors exuding a different personality of you at every single second.

Style is your ticket to expression, make-up is the quirkiness on a dreary day. Take-off all this, its just the real you -  as free, or as discreet, as subdued or as flamboyant you want to be.

The technology available today allows us to integrate life and its many facets, but remember to integrate yourself with life and create a balance. Keep life moving and it will allow you to flow and let you count on the comfort it brings along the way. Don't always focus on the goal, instead take stock of how far you've come and cherish.

As much success allows you to celebrate in open, failure shapes you that much more and teaches you to be humble. It makes you realize you're very much human and connected to your emotions. Don't dread failure. It is as real as your success.

Colors make you chirpy, but be the monochromatic natural human as well.

Bas 2 minute - Maggi

From the time Maggi has grabbed the limelight and is on the front-page of all the leading newspapers in India, I was thinking how Maggi has helped me survive through all my growing up years. Still continues to do so. I am not a nutrition expert, so I am not here to judge the righteous nutrition or health hazard Maggi is causing. I leave the job to the experts. I am here only to bring back my good old days with Maggi. I am sure most of us who would read this blog will vouch on that.

To begin with, during my school days, I rarely packed Maggi in my dabba. Every time we had our lunch breaks, I would ponder curiously to see which of my classmates' got Maggi in their dabba's. All my classmates who got Maggi, I always segregated them as a class apart people. Yeah the naive school girl I was, I always thought Maggi belonged to the richie rich. I went back home and cried endlessly complaining how I looked forward to have Maggi in my lunch box as a surprise one day. I completed my schooling, but having Maggi in my lunch box remained a wish for ever!

When I thought it was safe for me to go near the stove and make Maggi myself, I knew for a fact that this would be my companion for those hungry days back from college. I ensured there was a Maggi packet available in the kitchen for my groaning stomach. On many occasions, when there wasn't any good food, Maggi came to my rescue as a substitute for "good and healthy" food. I savored till my hearts content, slurping and laughing all by myself.

The after-school or after-college Maggi did more than just suppressing my hunger. It still continues to be my one-stop solution when I have fights at home with my parents.

Having said all that and more, what I fail to understand is why Maggi has this tag line - "bas 2 minute". In no way have I been able to prepare Maggi in 2 minutes. It takes at least 150 seconds for the water to boil. And then cooking Maggi with the veggie's and the taste-maker takes easily 6-8 minutes.

I am sure Nestle, the brand that is, they'll have some stringent tests to pass Maggi as a safe product. I don't want to sound like I am writing a eulogy for Maggi, but one thing is for sure Maggi definitely holds a special place in every Indian's home. The only change I would like to see obviously is to change the "Bas 2 Minute mein Maggi ready!" tagline. It's so not true. :)

Welcome to The Sin City

When you talk of Las Vegas, the first image of the city that runs through your mind is the lights, exuberance and a lot of Sin. No doubt it's famously called The Sin City. I had a chat with a friend who had been to Las Vegas recently and back. I usually don't blog unless I visit the place and experience it myself first hand. But this time I had to make an exception. Come on its Las Vegas. I have no idea how soon will I be able to visit the place myself and I really can't wait until then.

As you land in Vegas, the first thing you notice is the vibrant airport. True to the city's definition. It instantly charges you up for the anticipated gala trip.

Welcome to Las Vegas

From the pictures I got from my friend, I was not sure to decide on what Vegas is trying to communicate with me. Do I see her as a wide-open book or a mysterious lady who wants to be explored?

What best place to have your work bring you there for some serious discussion with the who's who of the organization. Having said that, you still squeeze in time to take a stroll on the gorgeously lit streets, you still manage to do what you want to do in the Sin City on a budget.

Lovely streets

Spotting a Harley Davidson showroom on the high street makes the trip all the more memorable for a die-hard Harley Davidson biker.

For the biker in you - Harley Davidson

You can spot the Paris Las Vegas Eiffel Tower at the center of the city which is one of the city views.

Paris Las Vegas' Eiffel Tower

Casino is almost synonymous to Las Vegas. If you don't blow money in a casino at Vegas, you surely have missed the fun. Of course you don't win., but you get free drinks on the casino floor if you're gambling. I am sure it will be worth the money gambled.

The Sin City - Las Vegas is everything from entertainment to transport to food and an unforgettable night life. As they famously quote "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". Ahem ahem!

P.S: The blog will be revisited soon.

Finding my heart and my voice

Like many girls who dreamed to be grown up into a strong-minded woman, I felt the same urge from when I realized the physical, emotional and psychological changes in me started to seep in. I couldn't do much about it back then. Cut to present time, well, not that I am able to do much about it now either, but certainly there seems to be a good start for sure.

To have been born and raised in a family of strict disciplinary parents, where perfection was the prime factor of my upbringing, puts a perpetual pressure and challenge of living up to it. Mind you, I did (well at least I can get a few genuine people who will vouch on this for me). But as time passed by, I realized being drawn into a shell.

A lot of instances in my life, which I would not like to share on a public platform, have drained me so much that I was emotional and mentally exhausted. There were days I woke up only to go back to sleep unconsciously with a wish to never be woken up the following day. Things were disoriented and there was always a feeling of isolation even when surrounded by people I know have the best in class humor. My mind would always veer towards losing out on people who I thought were my emotional anchors. Sometimes in the process, I did lose out on them. If not completely, but partially for sure.

The concept of "honor" seemed to be gripping through the gaps of my hand like sand. Does it constitute to the most terrible experiences I have had till date or does it mean how I surpassed this experiences and still stand strong with very little or sometimes no hope or help?

I have had this feeling many a times to be the odd one out, ridiculed for speaking my mind, banished for having shed my inhibitions to not accept any form of idol worship yet have full faith in the supreme ( yes I still call myself his favorite child), to have been called a rebel for not having accepted the norms of the otherwise normal doing in the society, for the faults in my past. I'm sure I am not the first and the only one. But this has not made me wistful of my past. It has only exposed me to people who would stick around me even if I dint agree with what they said.

No matter how painful my experiences have been in the past, those innumerable sleepless nights, those tears I have shed hidden behind the noise of a running water tap in my bathroom - they've shaped me being the person I'm today and will continue to do so in the days to come.

As I start to talk to myself more, I find time to listen to my heart...

Parenting

Parenting - a topic I choose to write over the years of watching many parents (mine included) in my inner circle bring their kids up. I ain't a parent. Then how can I write a blog on something in which I have zero experience? Well, sometimes you learn and inculcate the do's and dont's just by watching and you don't really have to have a first hand experience. Do you?

To all those who are about to step-in to the world of parenthood this might just be the right time to have some "advice" so to say to help you out through the staggering challenge you are about to experience. For those who call themselves "the proud parents", maybe its about time to retrospect and make changes if any.

No offense meant here, but most of the parents even fail to reach "good enough" benchmark for their kids to trust them. As a result, kids grow-up lacking the ability to trust their own decisions. A few trends I found which I would like to highlight.

Walk-in-front parents: These parents usually love to the lead way for their kids. Although, this is good in the initial stages, but over the years this doesn't go down well as kids begin to grow up. This guarded way of bring-up the kids fail to build the ability to make the right judgments in them. The parents feel they maybe leading, but one day comes a shocker when they realize that the kids din't follow them!

Respect your children:  As much as you feel the need to be respected, so does your child. To demand respect as a parent from your kid by instilling fear is not the right approach.  Build self-respect in your children by letting them make their decisions even if they are wrong. That would help them gain experiences in life and take on the challenges early on. This is the most important aspect if you genuinely wish to transition to a positive parent.

Accept anger in children: Just as you seem to be angry and feel its normal, so is the anger in your child. Don't shun the angry child away saying "they don't have the right to be angry when they are young because they don't have responsibilities". As much as you feel you have a huge load of responsibility as a parent that you are shouldering, so does your child. Only difference being the gravity of responsibilities differ as different levels. Don't dismiss the feelings of your child as unimportant and send them of to their rooms. This will only make them feel unworthy as they grow up to be adults.

Be considerate and open to changes: This is another aspect which I have observed in parents who don't embrace a change a child wants to bring in. Parent's are so rigid about their wants and needs because a neighbor's daughter or son achieves, they try and impose the same on their kids. Be a little considerate and stop comparing your kids with others. Well, if you can't, then be prepared to be compared with the same neighbor's parents or a far off relatives parents by your kids!

Respect their friends: If you want your child to behave as a well mannered kid and greet your friends and colleagues, then its fair and square for your child to expect the same from you for their friends. Teach them to befriend everyone, irrespective of caste, creed, sex and religion and shower the same adulation on their friends. This will help you as well as your child be aware of the ground reality and hold humanity in high regards than anything else.

Set an example: How you behave and treat others impacts your child and speaks volumes about you to them. If you're a hypocrite and practice double-standards, not only will your child not respect you but they will also get confused about the real you and their innate sense of trust begins to suffer. Don't loose the privilege as a parent that you have. Resist the urge to punish your child when he/she points out your mistake about your preaching and your actions. Instead, take a step back and analysis and talk it out. Open conversation with your children goes a long way.

Of course, as a parent you have the power to decide for the betterment of your child, but what is also important is to empower your child to live the life they always want to, as they grow up. Give your child the opportunity to work through the feeling. It's okay to take advice from your kids, sometimes they show you the perspective that as an adult you wouldn't have thought through.

Comic Con Bangalore

It was the first time for me to visit Comic Con India, Bangalore that was held across three days. Yes it was one of the treats you could get on the Easter weekend in Bangalore.

It would be unfair if I dint thank my friend here.

Comic Con celebrates the spirit of creativity across all age groups. The hot sunny day did not deter the people of Bangalore to showcase their love for comics, pop-culture, gaming, movies and more. The venue, White Orchid Hall, Manyata Embassy Business Park, Bangalore was filled with vibrant colors, humor and energy. As I entered, the whole system was organized with sign boards where people could buy tickets at the venue, register themselves and were greeted by young comic con organizers with a high-five. It felt like the entire India comic industry had come together under one roof.

Bangalore Comic Con or the BCC, as it is called witnessed some high profile guests from the very famous and much awaited TV series, Game of Thrones. The show stealer was definitely the once in a lifetime opportunity to sit on the coveted throne from the Game of Thrones and get snapped. There was huge line up for the Throne.

 One of the stalls I stopped by was at the very famous Sirji Comic which was put up by a bunch of engineering students who claimed, Sirji was a visionary in himself.

 The Curiosity Kills the Cat stall had some cool paintings put up. I managed to take a click with all time favorite Chota Bheem.

There was something for every age group. The stalls and booths were packed with T-shirts, 3D-printers, bags, party gear. The stall Pavitra Paapi had some cool phrases from the very own Bollywood tweaked with sleazy humor and it definitely was a hit.

I also managed to spot Harry Potter, Jack Sparrow from the pirates of the Caribbean, Characters from the ElsWorld.

How can I miss, the live Skype chat with one of the NASA astronaut who shared her experience about the trips she made to Mars.

Although the 4-wheeler parking was much ahead from the main event venue, there were buses arranged to pick and drop from the parking to the main gate. Kudos to Bangalore traffic police who managed the traffic effortlessly.

I loved my first ever Comic Con experience. Did you?

Bhavani - To The Rescue

It’s been over 2 years since the gruesome Nirbhaya’s gang rape case is seeking justice at the Indian Court of law. While the family and the whole nation awaits for the verdict, amidst all this, technology gives birth to Bhavani – a portable self-defense device for women. Bhavani is an end result of the collaboration of best engineering minds from India, Japan, Germany and United Kingdom joining hands with the leadership of Indian Martial Arts experts and sports medicine doctors.

Dr-Pavan Kohli, an orthopaedic doctor from Pune is the brain behind Bhavani. He proudly describes this as a “first fully-legal and complete self-defense device for women.” He refrains from using the word weapon as he feels that it defeats the purpose of why the device came into existence and that people don’t like to be associated as someone carrying a weapon in their bag.

The device which looks like a baton, weighs about 1.5kilograms and in its full range is two feet three inches long. The device when contracted, measures nine inches in length and can be easily slipped in a handbag.

The device boasts of combining five engineering technologies – electrical, electronics, chemical, telecommunications and mechanical. In layman terms, the design of Bhavani in its full length resembles a Samurai sword with a stun gun, pepper spray, panic button, pen knife and a sewing kit and mirror. The inbuilt GPS helps in tracing the exact location of the victim and sends five SMS to 5 pre-fed members/numbers. The stun gun sends a high-intensity non-lethal electric shock to the attacker, just enough to throw the attacker one-two feet away. The panic button when pressed sends out a loud buzzer to call for help from passer-by. The baton also has pepper spray to throw the miscreant about 5-6 feet away. The Samurai baton and the pen knife come in handy in protecting the women during physical assault.

Bhavani was unveiled on 9th of March by Nirbhaya’s parents. That being the biggest irony!

The device will be available with all government and private agencies in the next 30days and can be picked for an amount of Rs5000. I urge all the women to invest in the device to be self-protected. To all the men, I would say, this is the best gift of safety to the woman you love in your life.

I hope that justice to the case is giving as swiftly as Bhavani promises to rescue the women in India and worldwide.

Go Girl Go

It's the International Women's Day today. I love everything about this day. Special discounts, lots of wishes from friend's and family. This really makes me feel special. I am sure many echo on these aspects with me.

There's always this pressure on a woman to be able to manage work and life flawlessly. To be able to multitask. But this women's day let's take a moment and ask the men we know, how they would balance work and family? How often they give the woman of the house the most needed break?

To see a woman multitask, balance, be patient with her family and yet dare to be unapologetic is what I feel is a complete phenomenal woman. Being a woman, I feel the need of the hour is not to be resentful, but to be calm and and be multidimensional.

I believe anything in excess gets stressful to cope with. Hence, it's extremely important to be able to set your priorities in place (Ladies, this was the most valuable piece of advice that I have got till date from a very close male friend of mine). With that, the only thing that comes to mind is there is only one person in your life who's of utmost importance - YOURSELF.

Let's for once, stop getting this age old sexist divide in the forefront of what a woman can or has to do versus what a man is meant to do. Rather, focus on understanding that both men and women are equal and deserve to be respected that way. Women have to flaunt their feminism with lot more confidence. It's necessary to retain the feminine sensitivities. Nurturing the masculine side, will only do more harm than any good. Ladies, we are not here to win the battle of the hour with men and indulge ourselves in male bashing. The focus needs to be more on making ourselves better rather than letting the male counterpart do that for us.

Ladies, stop being so hard on yourself. Splurge. Love yourself.

Pinkathon - An Awareness to spread

In the wee hours of a Sunday morning, I witness an ocean of young girls, middle aged women and women in their 70's assembling on the roads of Bangalore city to spread the awareness of Breast Cancer and to lend their support in motivating each other and many more about the importance of fitness in their life. They all joined hands with Pinkathon - 3km, 5km and 10km Marathon run organised by SBI.

The registered women, oops sorry, they now are The Pink Sister's as they would fondly like to be addressed, assembled for the warm up session from Sameer and his team who flew down all the way from Delhi to be a part of this noble cause. The vibe and energy in the stadium was magnificent. The joy of feeling good and feeling empowered was clearly the aura. Zumba fitness on peppy music saw all the Pink Sister's sway.

The show steal-er was definitely the hot and a true gentleman Milind Soman. He strongly supports and cheers for the good health of all the women. He's takes utmost interest and promotes awareness on women's health on a large scale. He addressed all the women and flagged off the Pinkathon Bangalore. The man is so fit that it was enough to motivate women to stand at the start line for the run.

Milind Soman

To hear to some of the heart clenching cancer survived women talk about their battles with such a life threatening disease and coming out of it and how, leading a healthy and normal life as any of us today makes us realize how important it is to keep ourselves fit, to be familiar with our own bodies and be alert to even the slightest deviation from it's otherwise normal functions and anatomy. Sending out the message loud and clear by one of the cancer survivor - "Its important to stay abreast about your breasts" was the need of the hour. There definitely was no shying away or even a single moment of awkwardness from the talks and phrases involving a woman's anatomy.

I urge all the women today to be self aware about your health and motivate all your female associations in friends and family to inculcate a healthy lifestyle.

Run for awareness, run for pride and fly with the wind!! Join hands to completely eradicate Breast Cancer.

Stay healthy. Stay fit and love yourself.

An endless, enjoyable drive - My Honda Mobilio

As I walked past the busy street of Lavelle Road in Bangalore on a sunny Saturday afternoon, I couldn't stop myself from giving a second look. Giving a second look to a guy is so passé. I saw this magnificently build white car - Honda Mobilio parked at a bistro. The gleaming sun rays made it look all the more desirable. It instantly hit the right chords in my heart and I decided to go in for a test-drive.

There's absolutely no second thought that a premium brand like Honda would let me down. I had sky-high expectations from this car with the looks it possessed. Let me start with the external features. This is not the first of it's kind in the MPV category, but is comes across as a less boxy design. Personally, I like the Honda logo which is bigger in size and placed at the center of the superior quality steel chrome bar. The ground clearance of this vehicle is class-leading. The bumper is sleeker and the chiselled look on the sides make it a proud Honda prodigy. It has broad and extended wheelbase and a tapering end which satisfies the ask for both people's carrier as well as the sporty look. It has the best in class, stylish hatch which instantly gives it a sophisticated rear.

The first thing you notice as you step inside is the space. There is enough leg room. The dashboard of Mobilio is on the same platform as Honda Brio and Honda Amaze. The seat behind the wheels is adjustable top-down and front back which is a plus point for people belonging to different tallness. The seats are slimmer and can be folded into various combinations making it very flexible. It definitely provides an option to those who are planning to live out of a car. The higher versions of Mobilio have more added features. I really wished the plastic quality on the dashboard was on par with the exteriors. For the brand that Honda claims to be, the finish could have been much better.

The interiors

However, that did not deter me from test driving the car. I am not an expert who specializes on technicalities, but for all the women out there aspiring to drive an SUV/MPV, I certainly have some inputs. I drive a petrol version, i-Vtec (S) precisely, which is 1497CC. At idle, you can hardly hear it and at revs, it's pretty smooth. The clutch to gear shift is extremely effortless. I don't really fancy driving an automated gear shift car. Mobilio has a 5-shift gear box which I thought could have had 6-gears considering the top speed it touches.The certified fuel efficiency for Mobilio is around 17.3kmpl, unless I drive in bumper-to-bumper traffic. I really feel quite secure as I drive through the Bangalore traffic in Mobilio. Although, quick lane changes are not greeted by an MPV car, you still experience the pleasure of driving it. Being, a Honda class car, Mobilio is reasonbaly powerful and for all the top speed lover's, you will not have a problem cruising at a three-digit speed.

I don't measure my driving pleasure only on speed. For me, it's more of comfort and safety along with speed. Mobilio fits the bill completely and I enjoy my endless drive every single day.

Cupid - Confused and Uncommitted

On Valentine's Day, if there's one being who is ultra-busy is our own Mr.Cupid with the halo on head and bow and arrow waiting to strike at the mushy lovers all over the world. Awww.. how cute!! The demand for him to be available is sky high. To how many can he reach out? How many couplings can he actually succeed in making? That surely is a million dollar question.

The great Indian lover, or might I as well say the global match maker is confused. Ask Why? Because his existence is diminishing with the ever growing technology taking his special place. How often do we say like in our very desi Hindi movies the kabootars (pigeons) carrying the message of love? How likely is it that people today write love notes and surprise their loved ones today?

Gone are the days where songs like "Kya yahi pyaar hai" was on top of every lovers playlist. Today it is substituted with "Baby Doll mein sone di". Where is the essence of love? I know, it's replaced with lust. Love is more like having the hottest chick in town as your arm candy. But with this chick, do you really plan to paint the town red? Not Really. Has the cupid changed his definition or is he confused and uncommitted?

When cupid strikes, how in the world will I know it is you? It's important to have some tricks up your sleeve and not always fall prey to the Red Roses, the Heart shaped lip-smacking dark chocolates. These are just sudden outburst for the day. But will it continue for a lifetime? Our Cupid doesn't have a prepared answer. Sorry.

Not so long ago, cupid explored the parks in search of budding love stories. If the park benches could talk, the love stories that bloomed through a conversations on a bench, they would become epic short stories. It's hard to believe that parks are no more public spaces for love. The paranoia it brings to our lovers by the activists, scares the shit out of people in love. The solution? Parks have been conveniently replaced by Pubs today. You find girls and boys as young as 11 in pubs having a drink and talking with the F-bomb in every statement they  make, like it's their birthright to use the word and impress one another. No surprises here simply because there's no enough commitment. They love the no strings attached. Yeah right! Then why crave for being in love.

For now, I take a leave and let Mr.Cupid clear his head off the confusion and the phobia of commitment.  

Unconditional Love – It’s only an overrated myth

For a restless person like me, to discover love, which vouched by many is the most beautiful feeling in the world – was like finding a souvenir. I saw excitement in the faces of people when they got mushy, cuddled in public places, planted kisses to show the oh-we-are-so-in-love picture. I thought yes there does exist a world where one gives and receives unconditional love.

I wanted to venture into this world and unearth some of the secrets. Slowly as I started, I had this morbid fixation and desperation.

I came across people who said "love is beyond the looks". This is the first big pile of shit. Let’s be honest and ask ourselves, how many of us have approached an ugly duckling for a conversation? How many of us have made the first move to extend a hand shake with a snobbish man? I am sure none of us. Now in situations like these, what is the love that we are talking about? Looks are essential for the conversation to take off between two people. When it comes to getting into a relationship, you for sure want to have the best person as an arm candy. Maybe, after a certain time looks don’t matter. But till you reach that phase, you constantly ask yourself “do we even make a pair?”

In a world of technology where you post your picture on Instagram and then you have hundreds of people hitting the heart button instantly makes your eyelid flutter and blood rushing through your cheeks. In a jiffy, you are friends on Facebook liking even the most bizarre post, follow each other on Twitter out of inquisition. Then one fine day you make arrangements to meet over a cup of chai or coffee. You sense there is an instant connection, violin playing in the background, love the breeze through your hair. And the mood for romance sets in. Waow, what a screenplay! Technology has made romance harder, not easier. Because once the 'rosy phase' is over, reality sets in. My second on love quest comes crashing down.

Thirdly, I try and see if I can get some respite on love from all the married couple's I have known (inclusive of my friends and folks) who have taken wedding vows promising unconditional love all life to one another. Today they are less in love and more with each other out of responsibility. They've forgotten their friends because they were keen on knowing the friends of their spouse (more apt in case of the woman in wedlock). I vaguely remember when was the last time my parents took time off to spend an evening together. For those to-be married, the courtship period is more of planning the dream wedding and not about going to a near-by park for a walk hand-in-hand.

I am sure there are more facets to love and its understanding than the three I have stated. But I feel devastated as I write this blog. Especially on love because it has diminished my expectation from anyone close. I wake up jolted and say to myself "Shit I dint even know this is something I have been in search of. And it's high time I stop!"

After many many days, as I sit to back up all the old memories, both good and bad, in my organ responsible for sensation and intellectual nervous activity, I came to terms with acknowledging that we, humans are not perfect. It is a syndrome that many of us suffer. It is a fact each and every one of us has to embrace - all of us have flaws. Period. There are handful of people whom I have met personally, who embrace the flaws in them and flaunt them as opposed to shying away from it. 

I still fail to understand the concept of being loved unconditionally vs being a doormat. Although I have tried to clear my confusion every time, I have failed miserably. It is a myth.

If you route your happiness to people, you hand them the option of blocking it.

Finally I settled in to believe - The only person who can give you and get unconditional love from is YOU. 

The Sensitive Third World – LGBT

You cannot help but notice them, standing on the pavement, at signals – faces shining with a heavy layer of pancake, statuesque bodies clad in wispy chiffon saris or satiny, tight fitting salwar kameez, bangles on their hairy arms. So difficult is their live's today that people belonging to the third gender find access barred to malls, workplaces, even hospitals.

For some to be born as a female trapped in a male body or vice-versa, the gender of the soul to that of the body did not seem to match. It was like growing up in a confined body that you don’t recognize. For a long time in India, children born as hermaphrodites were handed over to the community of eunuchs. When these kids grew up in a community which demands that a man feels sexually attracted to a woman and a woman gets sexually inclined towards a man, these community people were called as hijda, chakka, sixer, enunchs. That is what it came down to and like all we care!

What I notice in some parts of the society who respect the sensitivities associated with sexual desire and demands that there has been a growing awareness of hermaphrodites and many young parents are contemplating corrective sexual surgery for their children. Though the genitals mark your identity, it is the hormones that decide your behavior. A misconception is when there is a sex change, society feels a person has changed his sex to get into a relationship with the opposite sex. But the fact remains, they do so to get a new identity and to have a relation with their own self, which was somewhere lost and definitely not for others.

Let’s face it, the double-standard mind-set that we have today says, it’s important to accept ourselves, but for a child as he/she grows up, what is fed is, people around you should accept you in the first place so you get self-acceptance. And that builds a lot of pressure. We bring up kids where the ultimatum is to get married. In situations like these, they are left abandoned because many don’t understand the sensitivities of this and they don’t see the family lineage going forward (I include the females because they will not bear kids in their womb to take the family forward). They start to live in denial and trust me there is no slow poison as lethal as living in denial.

First off, recognize and realize that having a certain sexual orientation is not a disease which pronounces a person as terminally ill. It’s a mix of biological, hormonal, genetic and psychological variances. If you ask a heterosexual to become a homosexual or bisexual it is not possible, then why force or give an option to opt out of it for a person who is a homosexual.

Everything in the society is clearly demarcated as male and female, right from how a child is supposed to play, what toys the child chooses to play with is so closely monitored to the responsibilities that he or she takes up at home or in the world outside on becoming an adult. Everything is so clearly outlined as the ‘man’ or the ‘woman’ thing to do. Baffled by the ‘abnormal’ behavior of a child when he/she confesses the liking's or that of a transgender child, many parents punish them – sometimes quite brutally – and unwittingly make them feel like a freak. When the so called “normal” kids play outside, they are warned from befriending the kids who fall under this “LGBT” category out of fear that these “normal” kids might as well develop the same inclination and as a result might ridicule the family. What is important today is to teach them that people who they interact with are as normal as the assembled “Male” and “Female” community.

Not so long ago, I was one among those many people who was always scared of interacting with people who din't belong to the quintessential community. I twitched my face every time I saw them. I ran in the opposite direction the moment I realized they were approaching me for money. I always felt inconvenienced in their presence. But as I “educated” myself about them I understood one important and quality emotion that they all have in common - they are never in search of sympathy. All they want is a life of dignity. This is only possible if we actively include them in the mainstream, so that they can have a dignified life as normal as anyone of us desire to have. What is stopping us from giving them the respect and acceptance they deserve?

Today, as I wait for signal to turn green, or in an auto, or in any public transport and I see a transgender approaching me, I do hand over money with dignity and smile back. It feels nice to be reciprocated with the same warmth. It is thus important to accept them socially and interact with them with equal ease like you and me.

Oh and one more thing, I now call them as my “smiling friends”.

Kintsukuroi – More beautiful being broken

The closer you look the less you see – A dialogue from a very famous English movie "Now You See Me." Taking a cue from this movie while I was reading through a magazine one Sunday morning, I came across Kintsukuroi. For the tongue twisting name it had like all the Japanese names, I decided to read further more to understand what it really is.

Kintsukuroi is the Japanese art of repaired pottery, but it's something more than that. Along with repairing the broken pottery with gold lacquer, it is also about understanding that the piece is more beautiful for having been broken.

These days, would you even consider a broken ceramic bowl worth repairing, let alone consider it more beautiful for having been broken? Probably not. No, of course not. But slow down a minute. Consider the bowl, made by hand with malleable clay and fired to a couple thousand degrees, forever altering its molecular structure.

A handmade object, like a bowl or cup, is revered for the care it took to make it, its beauty, and its purpose. But broken, the object is demoted and loses its honor, so to speak. Repaired, however, can raise the object to a whole new level of appreciation. Often we expect repairs to be seamless and to make the object appear to be ‘new’ again, whereas this art pays homage to the idea that there is a place for ‘better than new’.

Take a step back and think. Sometimes life flows seamlessly from one perfect moment to the next, but often times we face struggles, insecurities, and set-backs that leave us broken. And we wonder what will become of the pieces. That is when I realized that this art form has come to my rescue. I immediately fell in love with the beauty of being broken.

Having been restless with every passing day, I feel liquid grief pulse through my veins. Sometimes the grief reaches its peak and my skin grates with a thought, life is so - insane. To start what I call as the central truth, nothing is right, everyone vexes me and I have a phantom of milestones to dwell on. Now the collective sum of this distressed past and some irretrievable broken instances, a shadow chases you with a placard in hand "You can run away, but you can't hide". While you sit down to gather these pieces, this art form helps you know what your mind, body and soul wants, to understand what it needs and what it doesn't. It teaches you when to be a part mathematician, part engineer, part nurse, part artist and part mystic.

As I try to superimpose my life with this art form and attempt a point-by-point refutation, I have suddenly become characteristically......fragile. I can't seem to endure the thought but it is inescapable. At times I feel, this is the reason why I was put on earth. By the time I bring myself up with every fleeting day, I sense I am slammed with the guilt and I act guilty. But this act of guilt helps me understand my true self, puts my shattered soul at armistice and being as one and pushes me to believe that I might have been bitter but the physics says you are not bitter unless you have been through a bitter experience. This allows me to understand that as long as I am not puffed up by happiness and success, the failures and sorrows will equally not break me from failing to accept rejection and rejecting acceptance. It teaches you to fix what is important, inevitable and not get carried away by the symbolism. 

This practice eventually puts life in perspective. It is a continuous process. Having retrospected the incidents in life I feel a lot more at peace. The art also teaches you never to regret, because at one point that is exactly what you needed in life. Its a strange thing for us humans to be so purposeful, yet irrational; so driven, yet so uncertain. Kinstsukoroi, allows you to be all this and more and be receptive towards the broken self  and look beautiful in your scars.