When will we have such posters in India?

A country that still struggles in providing roofs to humans, a country where we still witness "Aadarsh Society" scams, I am not sure how long will it take for us to reach to a stage where we will be able to help the homeless dogs and cats...

Claypot on fourth day of the full moon....

Don't get confused by the title of this post...The word Karwa (Karva) means a clay pot and chauth means fourth, as the festival is commemorated on the fourth day after the full moon in Kartik month of Hindu calendar.

As I observed Karwa Chauth this year, I was curious to trace the origin & importance of this Indian festival celebrated by women in India. The women (particularly in North India) observe a fast on this day to ensure prosperity, longevity and well-being of their husbands. In the evening, they gather together to listen to the story of Queen Veerawati who brought her husband back to life after an year. The women then break their fast after the moon has risen by consuming the first morsel from the hands of their husbands.

While women wait for the moon to show up, they engage themselves as a group to play various games to keep their minds occupied and away from the noises of a growling stomach. In order to follow the tradition, I engaged myself in playing badminton for 2 hours and the only thing I would say after putting myself through that is - DO NOT ATTEMPT IT!

Mehendi on my first after-wedding Karva Chauth

Although, many others like me have grown up with the belief that this fast is observed by the wives for their husbands, I was surprised to learn that there was an even nobler idea behind this festival. In ancient times when the girls in India were married in far off villages, when there were no buses, telephones and trains,  it was difficult for her to share any problems (that she faced with her in-laws or husband) with her own parents and relatives. Thus the custom started that, at the time of marriage, when bride would reach her in-laws, she would befriend another woman there who would be her friend or sister for life. It would be like god-friends or god-sisters. Their friendship would be sanctified through a small Hindu ceremony right during the marriage. Once the bride and this woman had become god-friends or god-sisters, they would remain so all their lives and recognize the relation as such. Later in life, if she faces any difficulty related to her husband or in-laws, she would be able to confidently talk or seek help from each other. Thus, Karwa Chauth was started as a festival to celebrate this relationship between the once-brides and their god-friends (god-sisters).

I learn new things each day.... 

I do it all the time!

I was driving to work this morning and was stuck in traffic for 40 minutes. On one of the signals, I saw this gentleman digging into a pile of clothes in the trunk of his car. I laughed out loud to see the technique he was using to separate the clean clothes from the ones that had to be given for laundry. He sniffed the clothes and piled them on one side. Now I can tell my mom - See, I am not the only one who does this...!

Why people nag?

I am at Chicago's O'hare airport. My flight has been delayed by a couple of hours or so. I am sitting with my starbucks mocha frappuccino and I am doing what I am best at - observing people and thinking!

At the moment, my eyes are fixed at this couple sitting right across me. The guy is reading something on his Amazon Kindle and the girl is continuously talking. She obviously is talking to him, because there is no one else around them. The guy however, has not made any eye contact so far. If you have ever been in a relationship, it should not take you more than a second to read this guy's mind. I am just waiting for him to turn around and say  - "Stop Nagging woman...Let me read!"

As I look at this couple and many others around me, I wonder, why do people nag? Unfortunately, only the fairer sex is associated with the term nagging. But I would like to think otherwise. I think it is one of the most natural phenomena experienced by both men and women. It has all to do with one's upbringing. It's about what one has seen around him as a child and what he has learned during his formative years. A child perceives the world and the relationships through his parents eyes, so for him, that's the only yardstick of how things should be. So if the child sees any deviation from the set of fixed notions that he has, it leads him to question or as we may call it - nag the other person.

As I end this post, with one half of my brain counting the number of times I  must have nagged at him, the other half makes a list of things that I need to pester him for :)

On the road...

The Caravan with 5 trucks

The main truck spraying and drying the paint

The operator on the main truck

Newly painted divider on the road

I was impressed to see the advanced technique used for painting the dividers and zebra crossings in US. The caravan (depicted in 1st picture) consists of 5 big trucks with the main operator truck in the middle. There were 2 companion trucks on each side of the main truck carrying the warning signs of "Work In Progress" for the commuters on the road. The main truck (depicted in picture 2 and 3) had two spray nozzles, one for spraying the paint and the other one for drying the sprayed paint.

I was nothing less than fascinated to see this!

Concept Food...

This is a sushi place in Tysons Corner Mall. The conveyor belt carries the boxed sushi, boiled vegetables and fresh fruits. The diners pick up what they would like to eat. The final bill is based on the number and type of plates of the consumed sushi.

There are some things that money can't buy....

...for everything else there is master card...!"

Ok. FINE. I have a VISA. But what the heck! It serves the same purpose. I don't know why, but this line suddenly struck me as I finished talking to my 11th grade maths teacher just a few minutes back.

There are some things, that money really can't buy....

Madaan Sir was my first ever mentor. He was the one who gave me the confidence that I could become an engineer. And I made him proud. I think the last I saw him was in 2001. After that, my destiny took me to Mumbai and then to the US. But during all these years, I have never failed to wish him on his birthday's. Well, he shares the same birthday as my mum's. So, that makes it easy to remember too...

I may hear his voice only once a year, but the mere thought of him 'being' just a call away, gives me confidence in everything I do. He might not be there to pat my back on my accomplishments, but I know that he plays a part in each one of them.

He still lives in bikaner and is busy shaping lives of many like me...

Happy Teachers Day and Happy Birthday Sir! :)

Facebook Suggests....

Do I laugh or Do I laugh? Stupid facebook...

Funny acronyms...

How Accurate are TOI horoscopes?!

 

I have been wanting to get one...nothing has come my way so far!

Life's a mirror...

The lady on the right will someday be like lady on the left.

Temptations that should be curbed...

I was at the Newark Airport last evening, waiting for my flight to Washington DC. As I waited for my flight, I was reminded of my first day in United States of America. I was at the Dulles Airport on August 7th, 2007 when I had come across the real coke-drinkers, the french fries connoisseurs and the cheese burger lovers.

How difficult is it to watch out for what you put through your system ?

She is a Keeper...

I was in NY this weekend. I had been there to attend a job fair. Until 1 week back, I was the recruiter. In a week's time, I was the applicant. Suddenly the feeling of being on the other side of the fence crept in. But, this post is not about how I delivered my elevator pitch or how I sucked up to the recruiters. This is about something funny!

On Saturday evening, Deep, Govind and I boarded a PATH train from Newport station to 33rd street. We were meeting a few of our EY-Kelley buddies to celebrate Govind's birthday. As the threesome got busy chit chatting, an old lady entered our Bogie. She traversed the entire length of the compartment, twice, in a hope to find a place to sit. I watched her jostle her way through the insensitive and un-noticing eyes. She was on the far end of the compartment. I sat between Deep and Govind, moving my head in acknowledgment to their banter, with my eyes closely following her movement. In a few seconds, she was at a feet's distance from me.

Mrids - Ma'am, would you like to take my seat?

Old Lady - Well, I would love to. Thank you so much. God Bless you.

Mrids - Oh, don't worry about it. That's fine.

I got up and the old lady gladly sat between Deep and Govind. It took the 2 guys 2 minutes to realize that I was standing in front of them and not sitting between them. I laughed at their funny expression. So after a split second, both the gentlemen got up too, each offering me a place to sit. I smiled and took one of the seats besides the old lady. She whispered in my ears - "I think you put them to shame". I smiled and continued my conversation with the guys. Old lady got busy with her newspaper too.

After a few minutes, as the train halted at 14th street station, she panicked.

Old Lady - Are we in Jersey City again?

Mrids - Oh no ma'am. This train is New York bound. We are a couple of stops away from 33rd street station.

Old Lady - Thank goodness!

She got back to reading her newspaper and we got busy being nostalgic about our school lives (read cursing the busy-ness of our current life). In a few minutes when the train approached 33rd street station, I told the old lady that we were in NY.

Old Lady - Thank you. You are old school. I have not seen girls like you in a long time.

I smiled and stepped out. As Deep and Govind passed her, almost getting out of the compartment, she shouted from the far end...

Old Lady - Guys.....She is a Keeper!

Hearing that, both Govind and Deep almost tripped....They laughed uncontrollably...I wondered, what happened to them suddenly... 

Govind shouted back - It's too late Ma'am, she is already taken! But we will let her husband know...

All three of us laughed loudly as we walked out of the smelly station!

Simple things, Simple smiles

Mr. Mathur has recently shifted his career focus from IT to Consulting. He has started with KPMG, Pune. He shares his experiences with Mrs. Mathur everyday. He gets excited with things like being able to work on power point presentations and creating slides. Mrs. Mathur smiles and listens to his everyday banter with all the interest and enthusiasm that she can muster at 1 AM in the night after a long day at work! She understands that how liberating it might be for him to not look at the black and green screen for a change. There have been times when super excited Mr. Mathur has woken her up in the middle of the night to ask questions about editing graphs and fonts on a slide.

Now, Mrs. Mathur has been working with powerpoint presentations for a little over 3 years and her comfort with the application is to an extent that most of the times she is able to solve his midnight questions without even looking at her computer. Mr. Mathur is more than awed about these simple skills that he thinks his wife is blessed with. She smiles to herself and goes back to sleep.

Another birthday away from home...

Just when I think I would not have any more topics to rant about, things happen...

... and I write!

Another year, another birthday away from home is not a new experience for me. I write this literally sitting half way around the world thanking all those who wished me and all those who thought of wishing me. After all it is the "thought" that counts! 

Owing to the time-zone confusion (between India and US) that I have put my loved ones through, for the past 3 years, my birthdays have begun on August 8th and have continued until wee hours of August 11th. This year was no different. But this year, everyone (and "everyone" primarily includes my facebook friends) had predicted that my birthday would be somewhat different. Their prophecy stemmed from the fact that it was my first one after our wedding. Neither he nor I have had a chance to comprehend the difference yet, but I guess, if so many people thought that way, it was supposed to be different.

So Mrs. Mathur started her day on a casual note chit chatting her way to glory with friends and family members while she drove to work. Once at work, she was overwhelmed with the face book messages. One of the facebookers wrote something like -

FB friend - So what's the plan for the day Mrs Mathur?

Mrs. Mathur "wanted" to write - Duh, the only plan I see in front of my computer screen is  the MS Project plan that I am supposed to be working on. But instead of that, I am responding to the facebook wishes. And unless Mr. Mathur plans to fly down to spend the evening with me, there is possibly nothing else that could put a smile on my face. 

But instead she wrote - No special plans, at work today. Thanks for your wishes FB friend.

Just when Mrs. Mathur was getting ready to leave from work, thinking of the laundry that awaited her at home, and debating whether to eat Maggie or sandwich for dinner, two of her school friends (who are now EY colleagues too) stopped by her desk and insisted that she has dinner with them. She wanted to excuse herself, but one of the friends, who she has known for almost 10 years was very adamant. So Mrs. Mathur spent her evening having dinner with 2 of her school friends. It was good to catch up with them after a long time! As she called for the check, bang came the waiter with a plate of mango Kulfi and a candle on its side.

Mango Kulfi with the birthday candle - 1st bday cake

Mrs. Mathur looked at her friend with inquiring eyes - Ab yeh kya hai boss?

Jatz - I tried getting a cake, but could not find one. This restaurant serves only Mango Kulfi and Kheer for desserts. I thought that of the two options at hand, Kulfi would be better for you to cut with the plastic knife, unless of course you want to try your hand at cutting through a Kheer bowl?

Mrs. Mathur - This is so very sweet of you Jatz, but you really did not have to do this.

Jatz - So who did it for you? The fun piece is still to come...couldn't have ended the evening w/o embarrassing you! I know how much you detest the cake cutting...

With 10 waiters around our table, and 20 odd strangers staring at us from their tables, these friends of mine continued to sing the "Happy Birthday" anthem, until I stuffed the singing mouths with Kulfi. It was by far the most strangest (read unique) birthday cakes I have ever cut.

After thanking her friends for a lovely evening, Mrs. Mathur bade them good bye. As she drove back from Washington DC to Virginia, she secretly hoped that the highway somehow made its way to Pune. She pined for his company and did not want to go back to the empty house. She managed to drag herself from the parking garage to the apartment to find a notice hanging on the door that read -" Dear Resident, A package awaits you at the reception desk. Please collect it per your convenience"

Mrs Mathur ignored it, threw the piece of paper on the kitchen counter, dumped her laptop bag on the couch and reached out for a glass of water. As she switched between the TV channels, she started talking to herself - Who has left a package for me? No one could possibly have had the address to my new apartment. No one...yeah no one...I have not given the address to anyone....except...except Neha! 

She threw the TV remote somewhere between the couch and the Kitchen counter, grabbed her apartment keys and rushed to the reception desk. As she impatiently waited for the front desk guy to get her package from the mail room, she wondered - But I gave her the address like a few hours ago...barely 24 hours. There is no way Neha could have had anything shipped so quickly! Naah...no chance. It is possibly the Marriott guys who must have left me a welcome kit or something. I could have collected this tomorrow too. Darn! Why did I rush now?

Front Desk Guy got a small brown package and asked Mrs. Mathur to acknowledge the parcel's delivery by signing on some sheet. Mrs. Mathur, had gotten too busy scanning the parcel to see where it had come from. Unable to get any clues and to avoid any more stares from the front desk guy, she quickly signed the delivery papers for him and ran out. She could not wait until she got to the apartment. While still on her way to the apartment, she managed to open the box to find a card and a cake inside. It said - "Dear Mridvika Happy Birthday. Love - Maa, Neha and Saurabh."

Birthday Cake and Card from Neha - 2nd Bday Cake

Mrs. Mathur was pleasantly surprised and was now smiling ear to ear. A much needed smile to end the day and sleep at ease. So her birthday did not go by without cutting the real cake. Knowingly or Unknowingly Neha had saved an hour of her brother's morning time which otherwise was sure to go in pampering Mrs. Mathur's sullen mood. Mr. Mathur was spared of the effort because of his sisters gesture.

I will have fond memories of this one for years to come! It was indeed different....Thanks Jatz! Thanks Neha!

Kabhie Haan, Kabhie Naa....

We love to love them. But we love to hate them more. We can do without them. But we can’t do without them even more. They drive us up the wall. But they send lovely shivers down our spine. They make the walls seem like better companions. But they act as our walls against all the world’s troubles. Yes, we're talking about the male species, who we end up saying yes to when they fall on their knees and pop the question, making full use of the 'puppy-face' syndrome. That’s the man for you. So simple, and yet the biggest complication in every woman’s life. Every lady worth her salt, would, at least once in her life, has wished for a world without men. Though we adore men individually, we agree that as a group they're rather stupid. They are like the milk for our chocolate chip cookies (read, when they are sweet), at the same time, they are the ones who make us want to pull out our hair in frustration (for what other reason were hair-fall shampoo invented?)

So, now we're stuck with them, and have to adjust and sacrifice a lot of things that we never had to during our fun singlehood.

~When one is surer than the surest, and happier than happiest ~

[via Gunj's Blog]

Love this voice....

Humility at its best....

Saina Nehwal's father, Harvir Singh receiving award on her behalf at the NDTV Indian of the Year



The mere simplicity just touches me to the core...

Togetherness...

And in moments like these, I miss you...