The bitter sweet love story

The story of our prime minister and Jashodaben has all the elements of a bollywood blockbuster.

A marriage at a young age under family pressure. The guy, a rebel leaves shortly after marriage to pursue his life's ambition..The girl, nurses  a broken heart but is still loyal to her husband and his aspirations for her.

As he passionately follows his dream of becoming a politician and achieves much success in his field of work, his wife dutifully follows the path of becoming a school teacher as per the desire expressed by her husband at some point of time.

As he rises up the echelons,  she religiously prays for his success. She fasts, gives up rice and even her footwear as a sacrifice to appease gods so that good fortune surrounds him.

But he does not acknowledge her.. as he becomes a popular figure, the CM of a state, nobody is aware of his marital status or the wife who is tucked away in a village.

But then as one day when he is close to becoming the next prime minister... he reveals his long with held secret.. he reveals to the world that he has a wife. The whole nation is left bewidered. The media hog the lady to get somemore information, only to realise that the two have been living separately ever since a few months after marriage.

Over night , Jashodaben becomes a public figure but she shuns the limelight. After her husband becomes the prime minister following a resounding victory she sends him her best wishes and also a request to visit a holy shrine along with him.

Image by google

The desire to visit the holy shrine may not have been fulfilled yet but she did get the z-security cover rightfully deserved by a prime minister s wife. Finally there is acknowledgement and acceptance.

A Bitter complex story... yet has it shades of sweetness 

Quotes by Maya Angelou

Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.

If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

I do not trust people who don't love themselves and yet tell me, 'I love you.' There is an African saying which is: Be careful when a naked person offers you a shirt.

We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.

Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. You've got to go out and kick ass.

The love of the family, the love of the person can heal. It heals the scars left by a larger society. A massive, powerful society.

Courage is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can't practice any other virtue consistently.

Nothing will work unless you do.

It's one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself, to forgive. Forgive everybody.

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way (s)he handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights.

Image by google

Image by google

Power play: Indian democracy is alive and well

The pomp and show with which the  cabinet of India's new government was sworn in was indeed fun to watch and  filled me with pride and much expectation about good change to come. It was the most appropriate ending to a fiercely fought campaign for elections as the melodrama surrounding the election continued and kept everyone hooked.

It was interesting to see that a concerted effort has been made to increase women representation in the cabinet with some stalwarts and some rookies being included to make up to 25% of the strength.

Also, it was amusing to see India's first political family being so divided between two most important parties.Wives and children of the two sons of the Gandhi family battling out against each other to gain political hold. The political dynastic drama unfolding on the Rashtrapati Bhawan stage was entertaining indeed.

The melodrama, controversies, promises continue and keep me enthralled...waiting for more

Walking the streets of India's French Riviera: Pondicherry

Pondicherry, India's small little seaside  town, was a French occupied colony right from the 1670's to 1990's. The French might have left Pondicherry but the streets, the architecture, the cusine still are very reminiscent of the historical era.

Walking around the white town area, which has narrow streets lined with French styled bungalows, is a delight. Most of the houses were built during french occupation and  have a bright yellow to white paint and boast of french styled windows, gates,  lights etc.

A number of these houses have accomodation facilities and run restaurants or cafes.  It is indeed a 'worth it' experience to spend a few days in one of these bungalows to get the old world feel and taste some awesome french cusine.

Another great aspect about choosing White Town as a place to stay in Pondicherry is that the beach is only a stone throw away. Just a few minutes of walk through the pretty streets can take you right up to the rocky beach and a host of cafes and restaurants which line the street facing the sea.

Le Cafe is a must for tourists who enjoy bakery delicacies and a good ambience. The seaside location of the cafe and the good food it offers makes it a wonderful experience and gives it a 'money well spent' tag.

Another fascinating locale of Pondicherry requires a bit of a drive away from the center of the city. Auroville township located on the outskirts of the city has been set up on the premise that all men and women from different countries should live in peace and progressive harmony. The township has residents from all over the world and the famous Matri Mandir has been built here.

Matri mandir

One of the best beaches of pondicherry is the 'Paradise' beach and a number of seaside resorts located on this beach make for a delightful stay. 

Paradise beach

Arikemedu ruins

Aurobindo ashram

Pondicherry is a delightful small little seaside town which is rich in culture and history and a wonderful holiday destinition.

Change is for the good

Sometimes change happens when you least expect it and leaves you unsure on how to react or on what to expect. However , the change which India is going through has been long desired and the expectations from what the future holds are high and bright. The new government with an outspoken, strong, confident leader at its helm seems to be a game changer for the country which has seen the worst of policy paralysis, corruption and slowing economy in the past few years.

Modi has lead an extremely well charted out campaign and has a number of success stories as a chief minister of a state under his belt . All of this instills confidence in his capabilities and faith in his leadership.

Here's wishing Modi, a very successful stint as Prime Minister of India.

A little bit of naughtiness!!

So on returning back from office I stopped over at a store and picked up some really great stuff. They say shopping releases your creative subconscious! Probably that's why I couldn't help but play a prank on my unsuspecting mom ;)

Gave her a call on the way and told her that I was bringing two new friends with me home and that she should prepare for them. She was not very happy that such plans had been made at such a short notice and that too two friends! That would mean lots of cooking and preparation on her part.  I could hear the irritation in her voice over the phone.  When I arrived home she was busy setting the furniture right..but even with all her preparations, she still wasn't ready for the 2 new friend I brought along home...

My 2 new friends

The surprise and the smile on her face on realising the prank was totally worth it. ;)

The Three Doggy Musketeers

They might be adopted but they made our family so very proud.
They make each day so much more special with their crazy antics and unconditional affection.

Scooby, a spitz and the eldest of the lot is almost 13 years old now and is slowing down a bit. He was quite a furry ball of energy in his hey days and did not know a thing about anger management. But he has become wise with age.

Scooby

Molly and Bruno , 4 and 2 years respectively are a mother-son duo, who have a never ending appetite  (they eat anything that can be had) and never ending love which just flows and flows out of them.

Bruno

Molly

Can't get enough of Molly ' s soulful eyes, Bruno ' s crazy antics and scooby ' s Nakra! Life would be so incomplete without these angels in my life.

Dragons of Ljubljana

Dragons, the mysterious, enigmatic creatures from mythology represent the soul of Ljubljana, the capital city of Slovenia. As I walked the cobbled stoned streets of ljubljana, I was fascinated by the dragon statues that decorated the city all around.

The symbol of the city is  the Dragon and according to the Slavic myth, the slaying of this beast releases the waters and ensures the fertility of the earth. As per the celebrated Slavic legend ,  the Argonauts  (a band of Greek heroes) on their return home after having taken the Golden Fleece  (a fleece of gold hair which is a symbol of authority and kingship)  found a large lake surrounded by a marsh between the present-day towns of Vrhnika and Ljubljana. It is there that Jason (hero of the tale) struck down a monster. 

The famous dragon bridge of Ljubljana

Dragon statue from the front

This monster has become the dragon that today is present on the city coat of arms and flag.

Out of the many fascinating buildings and structures that define Ljubljana, I was in particular left spell bound by the dragon bridge. And more so with the legend that goes with the bridge. They say that the 4 dragon statues that are on the bridge wag their tails when a virgin crosses the bridge!! :) ain't heard of any better test of virginity!!

Another thing I loved about Ljubljana was the graffiti.. It adorned most of the walls in the city.. making it the city's USP..

This small little city of this small little country left me spell bound by its rich history and unique architectural delights! An awesome holiday destination for travel enthusiasts!

Normcore

NORMCORE ...The new fashion buzzword..It preaches dressing to blend in rather than stand out! It makes the ordinary, extraordinary.

In order to achieve this look you don't have to try hard. Just have to dress functionally so that u don't shock anyone.

So what could fit into normcore? Unbranded , everyday clothes! An outfit which well defines this trend is high waisted denim with turtlenecks or white T shirts. The basis for Normcore dressing is to realise that trying to be different is futile. It is about celebrating similarities rather than what makes you different.


So are you a Normcorer??

Magical Sunrise

And just as I was about to settle down in my seat in office, my colleague made a miserable face and said ' it's just another morning in the same old office'.

That's when I made an effort to brighten up his morning by showing him the magic the early morning sunrise created. I was on my morning walk when I was tempted to go back and bring out my camera to capture the delightful hues in the sky. Totally energised me and made my day so much more lovely. Get up in the morning people...its just the small little things :)