It was November of 2009. We were enjoying our time off because we did not have any workload. Our clients were on Thanksgiving leave, hence we did not have much work. All of us had been chatting with each other on general topics. Suddenly our team lead Amit made an announcement, "guys please gather in the training room. Our project manager is here to address all of you. The meeting would begin exactly in 10 minutes".
We all rolled our eyes in unison. We knew what this meeting was going to be about. I really disliked attending meetings where management would tell us to spend more time in doing something productive. I completely hated when they said that instead of speaking with friends it is better to spend more time in training. I was generally their target because I would chat with everyo…
A few years ago I had voluntered at an event arranged by a charitable organisation. For that charitable event I was required to travel 100 KM to a remote village. This village was not far away from my city however it was still underdeveloped. The charitable event was to distribute school essentials to the students of that village.
When I reached the place of the event I saw that the distribution of the stationary was going to take place at a temple. The temple was of Lord Shiva. It was a specious temple. The temple was surrounded by scenic mountains. Being away from city the temple was peaceful. I felt tranquil at that place.
Before entering the temple we were asked to wash our hand and feet. While we were about to enter the temple my friend Asha called me, "come here quickly. You need …
It was a week before Diwali. I had gone to the market to buy paper lantern for Diwali. It was towards the end of October but the rains had not stopped. I went to various shops but all shopkeepers had been telling that the lanterns got destroyed in the rain. The lanterns they had with them were either stained or spoiled because of the rain. I took a good look at them and decided that I was not going to spend my money on spoiled products.
I came home empty handed without any lanterns. But I had decided something. If I did not get the paper lanterns then I would make them myself. It was not a challenge for me because I used to make paper lanterns ever since my childhood days. I went to the nearby stationery shop to buy the material required to make the paper lanterns.
Making the paper Lan…
I was six years old. We were watching television. I don't remember what we had been watching but while watching it there was a commercial break. During that break there was a colourful, energetic, and vibrant advertisement. That advertisement showed that two children a boy and a girl younger than 10 years of age were sitting in the kitchen. They told their mother that they were hungry. Their mother prepared something tasty and served them. The children happily indulge in it. The advertisement ended with "Maggi, Maggi, Maggi".
I was completely hooked. As a young child I was curious about what it was. My elder sister too had been watching that advertisement. She also was curious. Both of us told our mother that we wanted to try it. My mom said what every Indian mother says. It would not ta…
One of the first wedding from my memory was of one of my elder cousins. At that time I was 6 years old. I remember entering the wedding venue. The venue was vibrant. The decor was of bright coloured lights and flowy backdrops. It was simple but elegant.
I remember entering the venue and I smelt a unique fragrance. It was mild but pleasant. It felt as if the entire venue had been showered in that ethereal fragrance. I was curious to find out where it was coming from. I looked around and I did not see anybody spraying a perfume. My curiosity and confusion was quickly noted by my mother, "look there. Do you see a fan like instrument? It is that instrument which is spraying a mist of perfume. It is one of the kind gestures towards the guest. The guests get covered in the perfume and the ent…
How unbelievable it is that our sensory memory is stronger than our own grey matter!
A few days ago my friend was dining with me in the cafeteria. She had bought homemade pickle in her tiffin. She asked me to take little pickle from her tiffin knowing very well that I am a pickle lover. I took the first bite of pickle and it transported me to my childhood days.
I rememberd hot and humid days of summer in the month of May. I, a 10 year old girl, entered my home. I saw that my mother was in the kitchen. In her hands were green raw mangoes (kairy). I asked my mother what was she planning to make with those raw mangoes. Mum told me that we were going to make mango pickle.
I sat with my mother while she was preparing the pickle. My mother was peeling the mangoes. I rememberd how the smell…
Does anyone remember Orkut?
I was in college. At that time we had phones which were not smartphones. Our phones did not have an access to internet on them. One day we were in the classroom speaking about one of the upcoming exams. My friend Rakesh told all of us that once he received any clue about the exams he would post them on Orkut. I did not know what Orkut was. Rakesh had written down the website on my notebook. He told me to go home and create an account.
I did exactly what he had told me to do. I accessed Orkut from my home computer and created an account. I called up Rakesh to tell him that I had created my ID. He guided me to add him as a friend. Once we were friends on Orkut, he had shared important tips for the exam with me on the platform. I really liked that how easy it wa…
I had completed my 12th. The admission procedure was a mess for the graduation because the administration had not thought of what to do with us. They had not decided whether give us more tests for pursuing the studies ahead or consider the tests already taken. The time after 12th felt like a chewing gum that had no taste but continued to stretch till infinity. While waiting for what to do next, I had opted for admission to a BSc course. But ever since starting the college my instincts were telling me that this college and course were not for me.
At first, I remembered the first lecture into the course. I sat in the classroom. The professor started the lecture. 10 minutes in and the professor announced that she had been feeling uneasy and she could not continue the lecture. She left the cl…
I clearly remember the day when I found the joy. I was 5 years old and the joy did not come in form of chocolates or candies. It did not also come in form of gifts. The joy that I saw was in form of papers - colourful, glossy papers that smelled like perfumes. My yoy came to me in the form of fashion magazines.
I was a young 5 year old girl who had returned home from school. As I entered my home I saw a stack of books (at that age I did not know they were called magazines). I asked my mother what these books were. My mother told me they were from my dad work and I should stay away from them. I did as my mother instructed but my eyes kept drifting back to them. Because they did not look like regular books. They were shiny and colourful. They had a mild fragrance which I was able to smell …
My relationship with animals is complicated. I consider myself to be an animal lover. I love most of the animals yet I do have problems with some of the animals. One of such animals with whom I have a problem with is lizard. I do not necessarily hate lizards, but I do not love them too. I am also not scared of the lizards. But I do not like them particularly. Surprising fact is that lizards like me or lot.
The first time when I realised that probably lizards like me was when I was in school. I had gone to get some groceries from a shop near my home. At this shop I was waiting for the shopkeeper to pack the groceries for me. While waiting I suddenly felt a very cold sensation on my leg, as if someone had suddenly applied ice on my leg. I promptly looked down only to find that a lizard had…
A simple brown mouth that came in my house. That moth gave me interesting stories.
Once I was speaking with my colleagues that the brown moths appear around the beginning of the winter. While mentioning it I had happened to mention that they appear somewhere between Dussehra and Diwali. One of my friends had something sweet to add to this fact, "in my village they say that these moth are our ancestors. They come to our house to see if everything is going on well. We do not see when they enter our homes and when they exit our homes. They arrive and depart mysteriously. In my village we do not shoo them away or kill them. We let them sit whenever they want without disturbing them. After all who wants the wrath of the ancestors?" This was an interesting perspective from my friend. I felt th…
This shouldn't be a laughing matter but whenever I think about the time I fainted over a silly cause, I'm flooded with embarrassment and laughter.
I'm not really a stranger to fainting. It sounds concerning and it honestly is, but I assure you i'm perfectly healthy. After a checkup I found that I have really low blood pressure, but im working on it.
The first time was at a hospital. It was really crowded and we had to wait just to speak to the doctor. So the standing and the crowd made me feel faint. Next thing I remember is my bum plonking on the floor and the nurses rushing me to check my vitals. At least we got to skip the line after and go speak to the doctor.
It's genetic too. My father, aunt, and grandmother all have a history of fainting. My grandmothers siblings too. Which is …
When I was in college, we had a biochemistry experiment called osazone formation. This was used for identification of type of sugars. It was a fun experiment for a few sugars. But for some sugars it was an experiment that would test the patience. My case was the later one.
We had covered the theory of osazone formation in our lectures. The professor did inform us that it is an important lesson because as per the university rules, osazone formation is the mandatory experiment in the practical exams.
When it was the time for practicals, the instructor had already created the osazone specimens for showing us how the crystals would look like based on the type of sugars. While showing the osazone, I remember the instructor said, "if you get fructose, you are the blessed ones. If you get gluc…
"Hi. I am calling to tell you that today we have to submit our examination fee. Carry the exact amount. Those clerks in the college never have change with them", my friend Sneha had called to remind me.
Of course I remembered and had already kept the exact amount in my wallet. I had placed it inside an envelope, so I do not use that money. I was well prepared to go to the college and pay the fees.
At 11:30 I reached my colleague. I went to the office to find out that they were going to start accepting the fees from 12 PM. But the students have already started queueing, so I joined them too. I waited for my friends to join. A few minutes later, Sneha arrived. She confirmed with me if I was carrying the cash. Then we stood in the queue waiting for the office to start accepting the fees.
…
When I was a child I simply love Ganesh Utsav. Somehow I had close attachment with this festival. What I loved the most was the Ganesh pooja that used to happen in my society complex.
We in our society Complex used to have a five day Ganesh puja. During these 5 days I would be near the pandal of Ganpati Bappa. All of the kids would be near the idol. I used to feel a very positive energy during those days. I would spend all my days there and would come home only for lunch and dinner. I would attend all the Aarti that used to happen.
But the best Aarti used to be maha aarti on the day of immersion (visarjan). The last Aarti before immersion used to be the maha aarti and as the name indicates it used to be the biggest Aarti of the festival. During this maha aarti we would sing all the aa…
At office I opened my notepad. I made list of activities which I was required to do today. The list was as follows:
1. Send reminder to the stakeholders
2. Request the line listing
3. Place a request for region specific data
4. Send the meeting schedule to the program manager
5. Review the data from the previous report
6. Conduct a meeting with internal reviewers to establish the expectations and timelines
Then I wrote on a white board in front of me in bold letters "DO NOT FALL ILL FOR THE NEXT TWO MONTHS". I read the message that I had written for myself on the board. I need it to manifest that. I needed to stay healthy for the next 2 months. At least till the time the report get submitted to the health authorities.
If you ask me why all this jazz? It was because the day was 26th S…
I was born in 1980s. I grrw up in 1990s ( yes I am an elder millennial). My childhood had been different from the people who had their childhood in 2000s or later.
When I was a child chocolate was also considered as a luxury. Not many types of chocolates were available. Mostly we would get chocolates on birthdays. When we would go for a birthday parties, most of the times we would receive melody, mango bite, mango mood, or Rawalgaon candy. If the child was from a wealthy family then they would distribute eclair chocolates. That was the situation of chocolates in my childhood in a nutshell. Dairy milk was a far reach.
I believe that time I was in grade 7. A wealthy girl had joined my class. When it was her birthday she had brought Cadbury Dairy Milk to the school. She had distributed on…
When did growing up happen so quickly?
Last year was my last teenage year and honestly i don't think i realised it properly while it was happening
19 sounded like such a normal age when i was younger. I used to think 19 was still young obviously but somehow it always felt like a veryy far away age like something i had so much time before reaching.
And then suddenly i was there
I still remember being excited about turning 13 and officially entering my teenage years. I thought being a teenager would feel so different. I thought by 16 or 17 i would love everything figured out somehow 😭
Career? Sorted
Future? Sorted
Life? Obviously sorted
Welll.... none of that happened
Did anyone else reach the end of their teenage years and think, wait, that's it? I was expecting some kind of big realis…
Picture a place from your past that still feels like yesterday...
Everyone has a memory that takes you back to the moment it happened, maybe an incident, an experience or simply a place that has been connected to you. That has been constantly with you over the years, that has witnessed you develop into the person you are now.
For me it was for a very longtime my hostel room, like it might have been for many. Anyways room number 218 in the New Block of our hostel is where I spent most of my college life, 3 years to be exact. You might call it an home away from home especially when you start living thousands of kilometres away from your actual home, but for those 3 years it was like my own place. So having a place to vent out, to make new bonds and meet people who might just stay with you for your whole life was this room.
Let me start with the first d…
It was a regular Tuesday evening for me. I had returned from my school. I had my cup of milk. I was relaxing and planning how to proceed with the homework that day. Sometime later I took out the notebook from my school bag and started working on that day's homework. It was around 7 O'clock by that time.
My mother had gone out to buy grocery and vegetables. She returned by 7:10 PM. My dad also had returned from his office around 7:30 PM. Nothing was unusual for my family. Around 7:35 PM the upstairs neighbour Mrs Khare had stopped by and informed us that she watched some news on the TV, "a plane had crashed on a tall building". She had provided just this much of information. She did not know where it happened or any further details.
My dad switched on the television while I was still fi…
According to me cinema hall is a magical place. A place where I enter with certain expectations. I keep my mind blank as the Canvas. I absorb everything from the film that I watch. I leave the cinema hall with a feeling, thought, or mixed emotions.
In 2012 I entered the cinema hall to watch the film Life of Pi. The expectation from the film that I had was that I would get to view the visuals of tiger. I love all types of wild cats and hands I was very excited to see the film. I loved that film. When I left the cinema hall I was thinking not only about the tiger but overall the struggles for survival. I gave a thought that what if I get stranded with a tiger what would I do. I came up with many alternatives.
In 2018 I walked into the theatre to watch Andhadhun. When I had purchased the…
It was Friday. My regular blog went live at 6 pm. This blog was about a hone remedy for insect bite. According to me it was really easy, quick, and effective.
As soon as it got live, I shared the link of the blog with my friend and family groups. I felt that everyone will get benefitted from this information. Within next 30 minutes I started receiving reactions.
"Good content. Keep it up" wrote Vidya, my cousin.
"Awesome remedy buddy. This will be useful," wrote Sahil, my cousin.
"Great stuff coming from a healthcare professional. Keepit up," Nisha, my friend texted me.
I had been receiving amazing reactions from all groups. Ibwas getting congratulated on putting a scientific content in easy terms for the benefit of masses. While receiving praise, I received one text on the group chat.
"…
I was 5 years old. We had a holiday that day for Dahi Handi. I was simply happy because I did not have to go to the school. It was a holiday for my elder sister as well. My friends to did not have school that day because of Dahi Handi. I had no idea what was going to happen that day but I was delighted because all my friends had holiday and together we were going to spend time.
My friend Rinky was 2 years elder to me. At 8 o'clock in the morning she came to my house. She asked my mother if she would allow me to go up to the terrace to watch the celebration. Rinky informed that her mother too was going to the terrace so we would be under and adult's supervision. Hearing that my mother allowed me and my sister to go along with Rinky.
I did not know what celebration was going to be but I…
A couple of days ago I was going through and articles that I had found on Facebook. Title said 'Don't search these things on the internet'. Reading the title, curiosity took over me and I clicked on the article to read it further.
I went through the list that was published and was excited to find if there were any topics related haunted places. Most of the things that had been mentioned on the list were the ones that I had already searched for and did not find scary or unsetling. There was one particular item mentioned in that list that made me curious. It was a song called 'I feel fantastic'. The article described the song to be scary mentioning that a robot sings this song. After reading the description I did not find that scary at all. "Why would a singing a robot would look or sound…
My friend Shubha once asked me why I like Miley Cyrus. It was a simple question, but it made me reflect a lot.
I was a teenager then I first watched the show Hannah Montana. When are you started watching it within few minutes I was completely hooked. I like how they had to treat the life of a teenager who is an ordinary girl (Miley Stuart) in her day to day life but when she goes on the stage she is a famous singer and performer (Hannah Montana). I enjoyed how they had shown her day to day life and how she struggles to hide her secret identity as the most famous popstar. The reason that I like the show was because of the protagonist who was none other than Miley Cyrus (now known as Miley).
I liked my lease Disney Channel image. It was age appropriate, squeaky clean, sweet, and relatab…
Date: 19 August 2017, Saturday
Mood: Despaired
12 AM: We are awake, which is not unusual. But we are packing clothes, gadgets, electronics, utensils. Today is the day, we will leave this home and move to a different part of the city to a new home. It is something we had to do so that we can be near my sister and take care of my nephew. We are uprooting ourselves. In my 30s I am realising what real sacrifice is.
2 AM: we are still in process. I packed my bags. My neighbour is helping my mother to pack her bags. I am playing music on Spotify in the background. We are chatting with each other so that the work does not become unbearable. Even if it does become overwhelming we do not have an option. Everything needs to be packed.
2:30 AM: we decide to call it a day. My neighbour just left.…
"Listen up students. Tomorrow you have to come to the school at 6:45 in the morning. The celebration is going to start sharp at 7 o'clock. Before the chief guest arrives we have to be ready," our class teacher Mrs Kulkarni had made the announcement. Of course the next day was 15th August the Independence Day of India.
After hearing the announcement I looked at my left to my friend Mira who was sitting next to me. "Are you going to come tomorrow?" I asked her.
Mira looked irritated and she said, "I have no other option. I have to be here even if I don't want to come. I am a part of the singing group. We have to sing the national anthem. I have to come even if I am unwell. Are you planning to come or you plan to take a leave?"
"It does not matter what I want to do. It will be all up to my…
Place: Banquet hall
Time: Morning, I don't know the exact time because I am not wearing my watch
Vibe: Vibrant
Feeling: Feverish
I am sitting on a chair. It is just a regular chair but since this is a banquet hall, there is a cloth drift around it to make it look fancy. But in reality it is not looking fancy.
I am looking around. I see vibrant Colors everywhere. I see that all my relatives have dressed up really well and in bright colours. In this condition I am feeling little better to look at those bright colours. But nothing is changing the fact that I am not well. My beautiful blue dress, my bangles, my necklace, my earrings, nothing can make me feel better. No it is not an emotional thing I have flu. I am burning with fever.
I see right in front of me my cousin who is the brid…
I was in Grade 3. It was a rainy Saturday. I was really happy that day for specifically two reasons. The first reason was that the school was only half day and the next day was going to be a holiday. The second reason was that my aunty and my cousin were going to visit us for lunch. I was eager to meet my cousin.
My mother picked me from the school. It was around 10:30 AM. I was hungry. I asked my mother, "what do we have for breakfast? I am really hungry".
We stopped at a groceries store. My mother told me, "I have not prepared anything for the breakfast. You can take any biscuit you want from the store and have it with milk". I was delighted withbthat suggestion because I really liked milk and biscuits.
I walked around the grocery store to see which varieties of biscuits are availa…
Sometime an old memories, sudden comes back without any warning. It can happen because of a song, smell, place or even one completely random thought. It is strange how the mind keeps certain moment somewhere in the background, and then bring them back when we least expect them.
A few days ago, I was doing something completely normal when I suddenly remember an old memory from school. I do not even remember what exactly made me think about it. There was no particular reason. One thought simply lied to another, and certainly I was remembering a small event that I had not thought about any years.
It was not even an important memory. Nothing major had happened. It was just one ordinary day with few people I knew, some sili conversation and a lot of laughing over something that probably would …
