Independence Day

Over the years, the meaning of Independence Day has changed for me.

In school, it was a day to go to school despite it being a holiday, one of the few days of the year, when we sang the national anthem and one of the two days of the year, when the national flag was unfurled. But it was still something I could relate to remotely.

During college, I-Day was associated with Malhar elims, and except for the morning flag ceremony, it was just another day of college festivals. Independence day still had some value.

Today, it was a day I caught up on some long pending sleep, and rest and went for a movie.

It's not that I am not patriotic.

I still sing the national anthem aloud before every movie, despite people staring at me as if I have lost it, India is the only country I want to live forever, even as far as travelling is concerned, India is the first geographic region I want to explore, and all my dream destinations of travel are in India. Hindi is still on top of my list as a favourite language and the dream languages I want to learn are all India: Bangla, Punjabi et al.

I truly believe in the potential of India, if I didn't why would I love every bit of it? Why would I want to stay here and help build it?

I really respect what our leaders and forefathers must have gone through to get us the freedom, we sometimes take for granted. My only point of contention about this day is that as a newer generation, living with new experiences, struggling with the concerns of our time, as a generation struggling to find leaders we can look up to, we find it difficult to relate to this day.

It's not that we aren't patriotic; any one would just have to say one word against India to see how passionately we love it and defend it.

I love my country! And respect it!

Fairy Tales

There is a question I have often asked a lot of my friends and colleagues often: "Do you believe in Fairy tales?" Don't get me wrong: It's not about whether they believe in magic or something...that's what people have a choice to believe in and I don't argue or question that. My question actually means as to whether people believe in happy endings? Whether they believe that good things are up for them.

Knowing how tough the world can be and how tough it can make people, I have always expected the answer to be a cynical no......And people have managed to again wonderfully surprise me......YES they do! In all their varied ways of accepting such stuff....declining in the most unbelieving way, shrugging, to smiling and saying nothing but accepting it, to an outright unembarassed yes, to a squeal of "YES!"

People still believe in fairy tales! And no! Don't be cynical: My sample consists of both MALES and FEMALES...and all of us do believe in happy endings...whatever may be the trials we go through....ah! the strength of hope! That's why we fight the bad times.

And that's why Bollywood is such a money spinner! It's all our fairytales acted out for us! And there is always a happy ending! I HEART BOLLYWOOD!!! And I HEART FAIRYTALES!!!

For those who say they don't believe in fairytales, just a question: Why do they read them out to their children? Why give them false hope?

So let me quote a few of my favourite lines about hope:

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

To the power of hope!

Surprising Friends Week (1)

Ok,

So I needed something to do which would make me happy...really happy...apart from the work I have been doing so I intend to make this week a surprise-my-friends week. The first of this goes out to the two people whom I call my best friends..and who are otherwise known as the "Celestial Godesses", "Sun-moon-and-Star", the "Colgate-Pepsodent-Close-Up trio" etc.etc....

You guys make my life special. There aren't words special enough to express what the both of you mean to me...so here are some words, Vidhu would definitely recognise:

"To the "US" we've created! To morning coffees, veg lunches and hakka noodle dinners. To always having a shoulder to cry on, an ear to be heard and arms when needing hugs. To farewells and reunions, books to discuss, to horse riding (throughout the nights). To friendship that saw a lot of good times and defeated a lot more bad ones!"

I love you guys!!!

The Wedding Carnival

My daughter is the BIG 2-1....On your marks! Get set! Go! And its started! The race to my father's and mother's sure-shot step to Heaven (read: my kanyadaan) has started. A girl barely turns 21-22 of age and the "all the grooms' moms and groomsmen" start looking at her as a chunk of prime meat to be fought over.

Joining my parents in the Great Indian Wedding Carnival to find me a "good" (read: same caste, well-educated, same caste, earning well, same caste, decent-looking...did I mention same caste?) groom is my Great Indian family...which would include: my well-meaning aunts (but with serious issues) who have tucked in the pallus of their bandhanis and sallas and turned into the best of the salesmen as far as their "chosen boys" are concerned. There is cut-throat competition among them and I guess I should just get out of their way and let it be amongst them...

So now from a whole world of orthodoxes, and traditionalists, and modern-traditionalists (yeah they exist among Indians; they appreciate western culture and can allow the women to work,but they want her to be of the same caste and accomplished in all household duties), commitment phobics, fat and balding Gujjus and some downright creeps (Oh the stories I can tell from Dida's and my experiences!) a groom will be chosen for me. To hell with checking for compatibility (ummm....thoughtwise..I can't even mention the other types of compatibility for fear of giving my aunts and parents aneurysms)... according to all if he is of the same caste, well-educated, and earning well,....well......he is a good match.

But all this has its side benefits:

1. They are struggling to and will have to struggle a lot to find me a groom who will be as educated as me in my community.

2. The laughs at seeing my aunts snipe at each other trying to "sell their boy" to my mom and dad.

3. Listening to some of the really weird demands people have of their future spouse/ daughter-in-law. What an eye-opener to the study of human nature!!

But trust me: the laughs are worth it!!!

The Bumble bee Story

This is another one of my favourite stories..which I think of when many people tell me I don't have what it takes to do something.

Aerodynamically and by the laws of physics the bumble bee cannot fly. The body-mass to wing length ratio and the shape of the bumble-bee are not designed for flying. So by the laws of science, the bumble-bee cannot fly, should not fly actually.

Yet it does....WHY???

Simple, because the bumble-bee does not know it is not supposed to fly!

In life when people predict failure for you, if you trust you trust yourself enough, DON'T LISTEN TO THEM!!!

People have been known to be wrong, you know!

So go for it! As I always say: Toss a coin!

To My Friends

The mind chow today in the Mumbai Mirror (keeping in mind the season today) read, "The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart."

This is so true as I have realised over the past year. My closest friends, Vidhi, Sanaya, Mukul, Rohan, Radhika moved out of their home (and country too in the case of Vidhu and Sanaya) post graduation to discover themselves, be independent and assert who they can be. We are growing in our own ways now, finding ourselves and yet we have begun to appreciate each other even more (if that were possible!)

I really really miss them, a lot especially when I think of how easy my life was around them. How simple life can be with a great support system around you! And they always were a great one!

Thanks to you guys (and Kirti) for making life so much simpler when I wouldn't even have to think before I could hold my hand out for support, because it was always there. I appreciate it! All the more now!

Brides-to-Be: A Classification

So my sister is getting married soon (apparently mid-December is "soon") and it is quite an experience for me to see someone sensible like her turn into Bride-zilla (term borrowed but apt). So these are my observations of brides and categorising them:

The Crier:

This bride-to-be cries not just at the drop of a hat but at the drop of anything! Really! What is it that makes them cry so much...and then their crying turns into social crying with all those with XX genes joining in....just great! I thought weddings were supposed to be happy occasions!!

The Silent Brides:

The main purpose of these brides is to blush. Their eyes are always downcast, I guess they must be recognising their new family basaed on the toes..."Aunty sharp red toes" or "Uncle Dirty nails"? And they wont talk..at all.......cat got their tongue for sure!!!

The Shopper:

These brides are solely responsible for the retail industry boom! These brides enter stores and shop...just because they have a legitimate reason to. I have also seen some brides making purchases of products they don't need or worse understand...just because they can shop!

The Inquisitive Bride:

I steer clear of these brides.....they are perfectionists and want a perfect wedding.....so they ASK QUESTIONS...to everyone! About the clothes they are wearing, the arrangements, whether clothes match or not? I am afraid someday they might ask me whether my underwear matches!

It's All About.......ME:

"Me, My Clothes, My hair....my wedding"...that's all that is there on the minds of these brides so there is nothing much to write about them. And I was told a wedding is the union of TWO souls? Anyways......