There are somethings you shouldn't change for even loved ones. Like, your morning tea brand.
*****
I wonder if people pause and wonder what they're doing with their lives. I mean, do these people I see in the canteen and in the hallways, happy doing what they're doing? Or they're just working cause it pays well? Are there people amongst those groups who have different dreams but are chained to their jobs now? Either cause getting out of comfort zone is difficult or then maybe cause going for their dreams is risky. I wonder if they were all given a chance, would they go back, pursue their dreams and then take up responsibilities of family and kids.
Last night on KBC, the lady who won 12lakhs, she hated wearing a saree. But she was married now and belonged to a middle class family. A housewife.While husband told her she looked beautiful in a saree and he'd much prefer her in one, her wish was to wear pants. And it's sad that that defined her. An unfulfilled wish.
I wonder how many of us are stifling our dreams like this. Either by coercion or by choice.
I hope we are not defining our lives by our unfulfilled wishes but by our dreams...
*****
I think it would be wonderful if people along with their names told you about their dreams during introductions.
"Hi, my name is hodophile and my dream is to travel all over the world."
I think it'll be so much fun if people told you about their dreams. Instead of their jobs and families.
Wow. I like the idea!
******
I want to help someone make their dream come true. One of those before-you-die things.
October 27, 2010
October 25, 2010
Butterfly Wings & Bee's Knees...
The more I listen to human beings the more convinced I become that the ability to hold an intelligent conversation is a special gift, to be had by only a few.
And it baffles me to no end that we aren't worshipping writers/authors** instead.
It's woeful. Really.
**Not the likes of Arundathi Roy.
*****
I now know how it feels to be a guy whose girlfriend is jabbering nonsense all the time. And specially after a tiring day when she's blabbering about some random girl/guy you don't give a rat's ass about? I know how you feel. I know how you wish that she'd just shut up. And I know what a difficult predicament you find yourself in when she doesn't. I now know what it means to "zone out".
And dear men, you have my sincere apologies and heartfelt sympathies. And coming from a girl, you don't need to feel guilty about how you feel.
Also, I promise I shall never do the same to you again, ever.
Desk - Music and Sound Design from Aaron Trinder Film:Motion:Music on Vimeo.
And it baffles me to no end that we aren't worshipping writers/authors** instead.
It's woeful. Really.
**Not the likes of Arundathi Roy.
*****
I now know how it feels to be a guy whose girlfriend is jabbering nonsense all the time. And specially after a tiring day when she's blabbering about some random girl/guy you don't give a rat's ass about? I know how you feel. I know how you wish that she'd just shut up. And I know what a difficult predicament you find yourself in when she doesn't. I now know what it means to "zone out".
And dear men, you have my sincere apologies and heartfelt sympathies. And coming from a girl, you don't need to feel guilty about how you feel.
Also, I promise I shall never do the same to you again, ever.
*****
I want to date a writer. Atleast for enough number of days. I am just scared he'll correct my every second word. And that'll be the end of our romance. But still, I think it'll be hot.
Any writers around? I have a wonderful writing desk next to the window.
October 24, 2010
A Believable Cake...
The fact that I don't like chocolate as much always makes me feel less like a woman.
*****
It's actually fun challenging your beliefs, the ones you held close to your heart all along. It's fun when you revisit them and realise how silly you have been so far.
*****
There are people who'll never hurt you. Some are just incapable of hurting others. But some, they know how broken you really are and wouldn't dream of hurting, lest you break further. While the first are good people, the second one, they love you, even if they don't say so.
*****
It's actually fun challenging your beliefs, the ones you held close to your heart all along. It's fun when you revisit them and realise how silly you have been so far.
*****
There are people who'll never hurt you. Some are just incapable of hurting others. But some, they know how broken you really are and wouldn't dream of hurting, lest you break further. While the first are good people, the second one, they love you, even if they don't say so.
*****
And doesn't the word "Succinctly" sound like a come-on?
*****
I miss having Praveen comment on my blog. Pballs, come over and comment sometime and make a little girl happy? Won't you please?
Miss having you around :)
*****
I think I am awesome.
*****
I miss having Praveen comment on my blog. Pballs, come over and comment sometime and make a little girl happy? Won't you please?
Miss having you around :)
*****
I think I am awesome.
You've Seen the Worst...
You wrote down something once and I read it and I fell in love with you. And when the time came, when it happened, I wanted you to say those lines to me. I waited and waited. You never did.
You never did.
You never did.
Woollen Socks...
*Typical cho-chweet girlie alert*
I am positive the only thing that can induce me into having/adopting kids is clothes.
Those little clothes! Oh you must see them! They are chooooooooooo c-u-t-e! I swear, I don't like kids, but their clothes? Those little woollen socks, like little ones, they are so darling, I could eat them. And those little lacy tiny frocks! Oh my god...I swear I could just adopt a little girl right now so I could dress her up!
After full 15 years went to the same store (which is now bigger and jazzier) that my parents would take us to for buying our Diwali clothes. Bought Indian wear for the nephew AND did not, dear blog, you have to hear this, did not buy a SINGLE thing for myself! This is a record! Somewhere in an alternate nicer Universe I am being felicitated right now! Like really, I did not buy a single thing for myself! Am I like the best aunt or what?
The bad news however is that I found one reason to have kids. Scary. Like really, dude, I am growing up too fast for my liking. I need to stay away from kiddie clothes! Now!
A Cinderella Dream...
Sometimes I wish I was one of those million girls, simple. Who wanted nothing extraordinary from life. A simple girl who could fall in love with a simple guy, have an ordinary career, get married, have kids and raise them to be good citizens and lead a simple undramatic uncluttered uncomplicated life. Yes, sometimes I wish for mundane. Sometimes I wish that simple, common, ordinary made me happy. Sometimes I wish I didn't expect so much from life, from people, from herself. Cause you see, I fail at times. Miserably. Life does too. People around me disappoint from time to time. But I still continue wishing for more.
Sometimes I wish I wasn't as complicated as I have made myself. I have a habit of complicating even the simplest of things. Sometimes I wish I could settle. That I didn't crave for exrtaordinary. That I didn't want the greatest love, most extraordinary people in my life. That I didn't want to save the world. That I didn't want to make a difference. That I didn't have these high standards for myself that I fail to live upto most of the time. Root of my misery really.
And I have tried. I have tried to be simple. I have tried to blend myself in the sea of common. But the thing is, once you know there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, sunshine just doesn't cut it. Once you peer into the wishing well and see all the wonderful toys out there, you can not go back to wanting plain ordinary from life.
The curse of the know?
Sometimes I wish I wasn't as complicated as I have made myself. I have a habit of complicating even the simplest of things. Sometimes I wish I could settle. That I didn't crave for exrtaordinary. That I didn't want the greatest love, most extraordinary people in my life. That I didn't want to save the world. That I didn't want to make a difference. That I didn't have these high standards for myself that I fail to live upto most of the time. Root of my misery really.
And I have tried. I have tried to be simple. I have tried to blend myself in the sea of common. But the thing is, once you know there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, sunshine just doesn't cut it. Once you peer into the wishing well and see all the wonderful toys out there, you can not go back to wanting plain ordinary from life.
The curse of the know?
October 23, 2010
The Business of Business...
When P told me sometime back that Hyderabad had one of the largest Marwari population, I did not believe him. Call it ignorance, but I thought, Hyderabad? Heck no! What would a Marwari do in a Muslim dominant city?
I was curious, for the Marwari community always fascinated me. You can say I have grown up with Marwaris. From kindergarten to 8th grade, all my friends were Marwaris. Boys and girls alike. My childhood best friend ofcourse was a Marwari. I really learned how to cook under Priyanka's mom's guidance. Aunty was not only beautiful, resourceful but a great cook. Out of 7, I ate at Priyanka's house on atleast 5 days.You can say I literally lived at Priyanka's house. I think I have always admired the Marwari community, cause everyone was always learning something, doing something. I don't remember a single time when I was at Priyanka's house or R's house or any of my Marwari friend's house and the women were sitting idle, gossiping. They would gossip no doubt, which women don't? but they would all the time be doing something simultaneously. Their terraces will always have papads drying, or bottles of pickles. Their kitchens always bustling with activity and their drawing rooms always full of women making something or men discussing business.
I was always eager to learn and Aunty was happy to have one more student. From learning how to make Guava sabji (very yummy trust me!), to learning how to make deity clothes and jewelry(link), to how to use betel nuts to make Rangoli, to the art of cutting fruits, gardening, painting, needle work, to even the art of storing clothes(trust me it is an art!)...I could go on and on and on. Marwari women are like a box of wonderful learning. Learning under Aunty was literally like pursuing a mini homescience course. And these women pass all this wonderful skills from one generation to another by sharing it within the community. If one aunty knows something different, all other women will send their daughters to her to learn. While the boys are sent to work under other successful men from the community, to learn how to do run a business, women are sent to learn how to run a house. It's like an apprenticeship. They have such strong communities, no one is one single family. And everyone shares knowledge freely within the community.
Coming back to the point, I actually should not have been surprised. Marwaris, I found out have a strong presence in Hyderabad and Kolkata, two cities I never thought possible. You have to go back to understand why. Back to pre-independence days when Bombay and Calcutta were two famous trading ports. When Hyderabad had rich Nizams who needed these money-lending Marwari bankers. You have to understand one thing about Marwari's, where there is trade and an opportunity to make money, you'll find a Marwari there.
This always reminds me of this story of my local baniya. Prakash and I went to the same tuitions in class 9th and 10th, which was right next door to his father's grocery shop. While I never spoke to him, I always felt bad for Prakash. The rich boys and mini-skirt wearing girls always made fun of him. Soon after 10th he started working at his father's store. And for the first few months, every time I went to buy a pen or notebook, he would feel shy. But by the time I joined engineering, he was already married.By the time I graduated they had already opened another store in the nearby area. They never hired anyone local. If more people were needed, cousins were called from back home to help. Present day, two sons and one cousin now run three shops, each independently. The funny thing, and something I totally admire, is that while this Marwari family came here and flourished in this small residential area, there was another foodmarket store, the likes of Spencer's which opened at the same time right next to their shop. By the time this family was opening their second grocery store, the big foodmarket had to shut down. They were going in loss. What a funny thing isn't it? The big chain store run by the local family couldn't stand competition with a small almost poor baniya family who had migrated to this city from a village somewhere in Rajasthan. That defines the spirit of this community to me. These people will flourish anywhere they go.
And having grown up with these resourceful industrious people, I totally recommend having atleast one marwari friend. Trust me, you'll come out learning so much, so much, you'll be amazed.
I was curious, for the Marwari community always fascinated me. You can say I have grown up with Marwaris. From kindergarten to 8th grade, all my friends were Marwaris. Boys and girls alike. My childhood best friend ofcourse was a Marwari. I really learned how to cook under Priyanka's mom's guidance. Aunty was not only beautiful, resourceful but a great cook. Out of 7, I ate at Priyanka's house on atleast 5 days.You can say I literally lived at Priyanka's house. I think I have always admired the Marwari community, cause everyone was always learning something, doing something. I don't remember a single time when I was at Priyanka's house or R's house or any of my Marwari friend's house and the women were sitting idle, gossiping. They would gossip no doubt, which women don't? but they would all the time be doing something simultaneously. Their terraces will always have papads drying, or bottles of pickles. Their kitchens always bustling with activity and their drawing rooms always full of women making something or men discussing business.
I was always eager to learn and Aunty was happy to have one more student. From learning how to make Guava sabji (very yummy trust me!), to learning how to make deity clothes and jewelry(link), to how to use betel nuts to make Rangoli, to the art of cutting fruits, gardening, painting, needle work, to even the art of storing clothes(trust me it is an art!)...I could go on and on and on. Marwari women are like a box of wonderful learning. Learning under Aunty was literally like pursuing a mini homescience course. And these women pass all this wonderful skills from one generation to another by sharing it within the community. If one aunty knows something different, all other women will send their daughters to her to learn. While the boys are sent to work under other successful men from the community, to learn how to do run a business, women are sent to learn how to run a house. It's like an apprenticeship. They have such strong communities, no one is one single family. And everyone shares knowledge freely within the community.
Coming back to the point, I actually should not have been surprised. Marwaris, I found out have a strong presence in Hyderabad and Kolkata, two cities I never thought possible. You have to go back to understand why. Back to pre-independence days when Bombay and Calcutta were two famous trading ports. When Hyderabad had rich Nizams who needed these money-lending Marwari bankers. You have to understand one thing about Marwari's, where there is trade and an opportunity to make money, you'll find a Marwari there.
This always reminds me of this story of my local baniya. Prakash and I went to the same tuitions in class 9th and 10th, which was right next door to his father's grocery shop. While I never spoke to him, I always felt bad for Prakash. The rich boys and mini-skirt wearing girls always made fun of him. Soon after 10th he started working at his father's store. And for the first few months, every time I went to buy a pen or notebook, he would feel shy. But by the time I joined engineering, he was already married.By the time I graduated they had already opened another store in the nearby area. They never hired anyone local. If more people were needed, cousins were called from back home to help. Present day, two sons and one cousin now run three shops, each independently. The funny thing, and something I totally admire, is that while this Marwari family came here and flourished in this small residential area, there was another foodmarket store, the likes of Spencer's which opened at the same time right next to their shop. By the time this family was opening their second grocery store, the big foodmarket had to shut down. They were going in loss. What a funny thing isn't it? The big chain store run by the local family couldn't stand competition with a small almost poor baniya family who had migrated to this city from a village somewhere in Rajasthan. That defines the spirit of this community to me. These people will flourish anywhere they go.
And having grown up with these resourceful industrious people, I totally recommend having atleast one marwari friend. Trust me, you'll come out learning so much, so much, you'll be amazed.
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