To my dear girls...

To my best friends, my favorite girls from school, hostel, college and office...

I miss sitting next to you in class and scribbling notes to you in your rough book. I miss complaining about P.E. classes in the hot sun and coming last in the race with you. I miss hoping that you would answer the questions correctly in Physics class so that the teacher wouldn't pick on me next. I miss sharing my food with you in the lunch break and then cleaning up my desk as you laughed. I miss imitating the teachers and their wonderful accents. I miss cracking the lame jokes that only you and I understood and laughed at. I miss waiting for the dreaded Chemistry exam marks. I miss making elaborate plans for the weekend. I miss the class parties with pizzas, coke, games and the fight between Bollywood and International music. I miss staying back with you in school to practise for the cultural programs.

I miss complaining about the hostel food. I miss skipping dinner, only to have Maggi noodles at night. I miss sitting in the dark and trying to study in candle light. I miss sitting together and watching bad movies. I miss sitting in class and discussing our future plans. I miss complaining about how much we hated VTU and the nerds of our class. I miss the nick names we gave to those around us. I miss rehearsing at night for our dance performances. I miss posing for and clicking crazy photos. I miss sitting and chatting over cups of sweet and milky tea. I miss coming to your room just to borrow something but instead standing at the door and talking to you for hours. I miss going to the grocery with you to buy chips, biscuits and chocolates. I miss going to the "chaat shop" with you and having Dahi Puri after college. I miss waking you up when it was time for college. I miss panicking over ants, lizards and rats.

I miss taking long walks around our office campus at night. I miss saying that I'm not hungry, yet ordering pizzas to your room. I miss sitting at the cafe and taking ages to decide which food court we should have lunch in.

You chose a new path for yourself. You got a new job. You found your Mr Right and you got married. You moved to another city. You went to a new land to pursue your dreams. Your priorities changed. You made new friends. For all your achievements, I'm incredibly proud of you. I always had faith in you and your talent. I knew you had the potential to achieve something big.

I know that ten years from now, some things will certainly be different. But some things will be just the same. We will still laugh at the same corny jokes that no one else gets. We vegetarians will still point at the non vegetarians. We will still tease each other about the same things. We will still discuss episodes of Friends. We will still swoon over Prince William.  We will still gossip about the same people. We will still remember our teachers. We will still love chocolate and cheese. We will still make plans to lose weight. We will still complain about bad hair. We will still have weird nick names. We will still be able to talk all night long. We will still want to change the world. We will still be as wacky and weird as we are.

We will still be friends :)

Troubled Tresses

A girl walks into college, a group of friends give her dirty looks and whisper among themselves, “why doesn’t anyone tell her?”. She walks into her classroom and her professor suddenly stops what he’s doing, looks at her, crinkles his nose and thinks to himself, “why doesn’t anyone tell her?”. The girl sits alone and dejected at the foot of a staircase and wonders about everyone’s reactions when suddenly, a voice above says, “Do you know what everyone wants to tell you? Your hair stinks! Use XYZ Perfume for Hair and see the difference!”.  “Guaranteed to leave your hair smelling like fresh daisies, XYZ hair perfume will ensure that the next time you step into college, the college stud will be hanging on your arm.”

This is an advertisement I saw on TV last night. Yes, perfume for hair. Whoever thought of that! Like there weren’t enough products for hair already, some genius now invented hair perfume!

In the earlier days, people used just two things- coconut oil and shikakai.  But in the present world, it’s just impossible to keep track of the number of products available which all promise to leave your hair shiny, silky, long, black, dandruff-free, voluminous, frizz-free and what not.

Let’s start with hair oil. It’s “obviously” not enough to use just plain old Parachute Coconut oil anymore. The rage these days are herbal oils, jasmine-scented oil, amla-infused oil, almond oil and even olive hair oil! And then there’s the “thanda thanda” range of oils too, which leave you feeling calm and cool-headed.

Next is the whole wide world of shampoos. When I was a kid, there was just one shampoo bottle at home that everyone would use. But as I started growing up, the TV and magazines convinced me that everyone’s hair is different and different hair needs different shampoo! From getting rid of dandruff (disclaimer: visible flakes only), to reducing hair fall (disclaimer: hair fall due to breakage only), shampoos can now seemingly do anything! Aishwarya Rai said L’Oreal Total Repair would solve five problems and would make your hair stronger and silkier. Since I like Mrs Rai, I actually spent Rs150 on the said shampoo and used it religiously for a few months. Result? No result. My hair was the same, absolutely the same.

Ok, so it’s not enough to shampoo your hair. You HAVE to condition it. Each shampoo comes along with its specific type of conditioner. To go a step further, the beauticians at the hair salon will tell you that your hair requires deep-conditioning. “See madam, it is so rough and dry. I think you should go for the hair spa. We will do head massage and then give deep conditioning treatment. It’s only 800Rs madam. You do it every week and see the difference!” Hmmm... 800 rupees every week? I don’t think so. Not even if I win a lottery.

Your hair, regardless of what condition it is in, also requires a leave-in conditioner. You can pay exorbitant prices for 100ml of a magical potion (which I think is just pure H2O in a fancy bottle) that claim to leave your hair strands as soft as a newborn’s.

While previously coloring or dyeing of hair was only for those at the onset of middle age, now everyone has to color their hair. There are loads of shades available with names like “Cherry Mahogany”, “Electric Blue”, “Flaming Red” and “Ebony Black”, among others. When my dad’s hair started graying, my sister told him very strictly not to use Godrej Hair Powder; “Daddy, even Ajji and Ajja don’t use Godrej, how can you? You have to use Garnier!”. Dad blissfully ignored her and simply let his hair go gray.

There’s yet another territory filled with hair mousses and hair gels. Hair mousse for the ladies, gel for the men. Many guy friends spend ages in front of a mirror, gel in one hand, and comb in another. And mousse? I thought it was something only ramp models used, until I went for a friend’s wedding recently and saw her beautician apply copious amounts of it onto my friend’s unsuspecting head.

There is also a whole planet out there of devices for hair care such as curlers, straighteners, irons, tongs, ordinary dryers, blow dryers, two-in-ones and multi purpose stylers. And then there are devices for daily use, like wide-toothed comb, fine-toothed comb and brush. 

With all this and more, poor hair! After years and years of continuous product overuse, it’s no wonder that your hair refuses to cooperate with you. You end of losing hair strands in hundreds and then a doctor will advise you to get yet another product, hair growth serum! They tell you to apply this two times a day for the rest of your life and all your hair worries will stop! Yeah, right.

Sigh. One head, so many products, such a HUGE business. Where does one draw the line?

Driving On

Consider the following math problem:

SRK left office at 7:15 pm by bus. She reached her house at 10:05 pm. If her house is 26
km away from her office, what is the rate at which her bus was travelling?

I don’t really want to know the answer to that question, but that is exactly what happened to me on Thursday evening. A journey that usually takes me 1.5 hours, took me almost 3 hours! We were stuck in one area, in fact on one road, for one whole hour. I can crib about the rain playing havoc, the water logging all over the city, the inefficiency of the traffic police, the lack of proper drainage and the fact that the city hasn’t been planned well enough to face such a situation. But this post is not about that. This one is to appreciate.

While the 40 odd people in the bus complained over the phone to family and friends and eventually dozed off, there was one person on that bus who had to remain alert for the entire three hours. He couldn’t chat on his phone, nor look outside the window and dream, nor close his eyes and take a nap. He had to constantly shift his foot from the accelerator to the brake, keep changing gears, keep a steady eye on the vehicles around him and inattentiveness was not an option for him. I’m talking about the bus driver.

We all can complain about having to work for nine hours and about how stressful our jobs are. But what about him? He has to be on the roads of this city all day, and even till night there is absolutely no respite for him. Imagine the stress on the man! He has to handle such a huge bus, on that uncomfortable seat and manage all the controls. He has to keep an eye on the trees that could get uprooted, the other vehicles that are honking away to glory and the pedestrians (and cows) on the road. He has to take the bus as close as possible to the footpath and stop whenever a passenger wants to alight. He has to fight the auto rickshaw drivers who try to overtake the bus and with the policemen who stop him. He has to be wary of the bikers trying to crawl through around him. Even one second of being neglectful on his part could lead to an accident. He is responsible for all the people who are seated in his bus. He also has a family and a home waiting for him. And not to forget, he only earns a fraction of most of us do.

I definitely think he deserves a holiday today. When I thanked him before getting down at my stop, there wasn’t a bit of fatigue on his face. He was still as chirpy as he was when we started off from office. To all the drivers who face such situations every day, hats off to you! Keep up the wonderful work. These heroes truly ought to be commended!

The Times of Today

It is 6:00 in the morning, your alarm rings and you’re up. You open the main door and probably bring in the packets of milk and then pick up the paper and glance at the headlines. Do they make you smile or leave you worried?

The last time I remember being happy after reading the main headline was the day after India won the cricket world cup. It made me very proud indeed. Do you remember any good news that was published after that?

The front page talks about the haphazard state of politics in the country or which minister made how many crores in the latest scam. If it’s not this, then it is about the latest round of shootings and bombings in yet another unstable city of the world.

The local news talks about rising water shortage, little kids being mauled by stray dogs, old ladies being mugged in broad daylight, young couples succumbing to the mounting pressures of today and the case of another lady being harmed by a taxi driver on her way back from work.

The international section is no better. There are articles about attacks based on racism, students terrorizing their schools with guns and talented youngsters found dead due to drug abuse. Have you seen what else passes of as “news”? There will be some obscure university in some obscure city making statements like “People who drink coffee while standing on their head are able to drive faster than people who do not”. Or some scientists will discover the world’s tiniest elephant or largest housefly and tell us how it is such a wonderful finding.

The finance bit  should surely how some sign of progress, no? No. Sky high debts faced by the world’s superpower countries and the inflation rates that are just spiralling upwards can depress you enough to take a day off from work.

The sports segment is pretty bad too. Great icons are caught red-handed in scandals of varying degrees and upcoming athletes are stuck in doping controversies. Whatever happened to sportsmanship and the spirit of the game?

The most colourful and apparently entertaining part of the newspaper is the tabloid. Every day it is adorned with pictures of a new semi-clad diva proclaiming that she’s still waiting for the right script. The last page has a bunch of celebs declaring that they’re dating one another’s exes and yet are a part of one big happy family!

When young kids start reading, parents let them start with the newspaper. In schools, teachers further encourage reading the papers as a good habit. But what are children learning really? Why should all our days start with so much negativity?

There is a silver lining though. Reading the comics may bring a smile to your face. Once in a while, there will be a well written piece in the editorials which can actually make you think. At times, there will be an article about an auto driver who took pains to return a forgotten bag to his customer. There is news about a teenager who risked his life to save a younger child from a burning vehicle. There will be a middle aged professional who gave up her job to start a school or a shelter for under privileged children. There are educational supplements which discuss new upcoming fields of study. 

If only the papers had more of such heartening news every day, people would start their days happier.

If only people were happier, maybe there wouldn't be such disturbing news.

If only the world was a better place!

Sanskrithi Diaries Part 4 - The End

By our third year at college, our seniors bade us farewell and the responsibility of carrying Sanskrithi’s legacy was in the hands of our batch.  We really missed their guidance, their dedication to the team, their jokes and their presence during our rehearsals. We “wrote” a special song for our seniors, about humaara parivaar Sanskrithi  and gave them a little performance on this!

It was time for us to conduct auditions and we got a brilliant team of juniors. We trained them in our signature Dashavataar, along with other dances like Ramayana, Trimurthi and the Fusion dance.

We, along with the juniors, continued these dances at competitions and the awards kept pouring in. But we realized that we had to do something different.

With our juniors, in the new avataar

Along with our juniors, we hired a professional choreographer in our final year. The first lady we hired didn’t appreciate any of the work we had done so far and taught us her version of Contemporary Dance. I’ve forgotten the steps, but I can remember all of us doing her exercises, which included rolling on the floor and jumping and lifting each other and a lot of acrobatic stuff that we were not used to!

Within a week or so, we had had enough of this and replaced her with another choreographer. That’s when we learnt “Kshatriya Dharma”. We were going to perform that during AtmaTrisha but due to the rain, our performance was cancelled. The team did perform it at a few fests later, but it failed to evoke the kind of magic that Dashavataar did.

Soon our juniors learnt a few more dances and Sanskrithi was again back in form. Kudos to them for keeping it up, continuing the winning streak and for getting wonderful opportunities to perform in India and all over the world! J

I’m sure that all of you have your own memories of our team too... feel free to share them here :)

Sanskrithi Diaries Part 3 - The competitions

I’ve lost count of the number of competitions we went for, but here are a few “special” ones that I remember.

I’m sure that my batch mates remember this one: We got a chance to perform at a college (no names!) in Bangalore, and although we were initially skeptical, we did eventually go there. It had unfortunately rained that evening, and the (carpeted) stage where we had to perform was a MESS. The carpet smelt bad, the stage was slippery and the audience…well, they were the most enthusiastic crowd we had ever performed before! As we went on with our Dashavataar, the people in the audience cheered and hooted crazily. Some guys in the audience even took of their shirts and started copying our steps! After we finished our dance, we didn’t even wait for the results! We just left from there immediately, amidst the cat calls and the comments passed our way! (any one remember the guy singing “Hey Paro”?!)

Another incident that makes me laugh even now is when we performed at some college which was situated very far from the city. But as our luck would have it, it started raining very heavily, and leaving from that college became very difficult! Anyways, so we packed our costumes, props, make-up etc. and thought we would wait for the rain to subside and then leave. But we suddenly remembered that we hadn’t taken permission to return late to hostel, and we had to get back ASAP. Three of the girls had bikes with them that day, so six of us went on the bikes to the main road, thinking we could get autos there. We went on and on but not a single auto driver was willing to take us! It was raining heavily, there were strong cold winds, we had all the big bags, we were sitting on the bikes and it was getting closer to our hostel curfew! Finally, we got an auto and three of us got in, while the biker girls went back to pick up those who were waiting in the college! I think it was Sahana, Arya and me in the auto, along with some of the bags and a laptop. That auto ride was memorable indeed! We were feeling very cold and there was a lot of traffic, trees had fallen onto the roads and vehicles had just stopped moving, and all this while we were worried about getting late to hostel! We somehow managed to reach till the Rajarajeshwari Arch when our auto stopped, due to all the water logging! Then we managed to get another auto and jumped from this one into that. To keep ourselves warm, I think the three of us started singing in the auto :D We managed to reach hostel just in time, and the other girls who were on the bikes also came soon enough. I don’t remember if we won that competition or not, but for me, it was truly unforgettable!

Remember the competition at PESSE? We gave our best and performed quite well, and were happy with our second prize…until we got to know why we didn’t come first! I’m not going disclose the details, but in short, some “transactions” took place and once we realized what had happened, we were shocked!

After the first few competitions, our routine was quite standard. Rashmi would collect costumes and props from Prasiddhi, we would take permission from hostel, go to the fest, get ready in ten minutes, wait in line for Sushma and Sahana to do our make-up, perform Dashavataar, collect the prize and return! :D

 

Okay, we didn't look exactly like this...but we were close!

Sanskrithi Diaries Part 2 - The trips

Sanskrithi gave me the chance to visit new places. Every trip we wanted to go for was preceded by requests to the college faculty, permission from our respective heads of departments and long letters and pleads to our hostel manager!

We were finally taught the longer version of Dashavataar when we had to perform at a fest in Pondicherry. That was one of our best performances till date and I can still recall the way we all screamed in surprise when we realized we came first! J The trip to Pondicherry was great fun! I remember that by the time we removed our make-up and changed out of our costumes, it was very late at night and all the food stalls were closed. We then went out of the campus and got bread and jam from a grocery. Without plates and spoons, we somehow managed to make jam sandwiches and had them at midnight! Our non-theme dance the next day, on a medley of songs from Devdas, was unforgettable too – last minute practices, lack of coordination, mismatched costumes and pure chaos on the stage! :D

The whole group, juniors and seniors, went to perform at PES, Kuppam. Travelling with a huge group, the fun we had during the journey, meeting the senior professors, and performing in front of a huge audience there are some of the things that I remember.

No description of Sanskrithi will be complete without talking about our historic Cultural Exchange program. We worked on this for many months, trying with different universities, finally landing at IUP, US. The team worked on choreography, learning different styles of dance, rigorous practice sessions, photo shoots, and planning the trip. Planning the trip involved working out the finance aspects, the accommodation, the travelling, all the logistics, etc. All this hard work definitely paid off! Every part of our trip was fun-filled and memorable; visiting world –famous places in New York, the video shoot for Asianet Channel, meeting many hospitable families, all the snow, the unlimited pizzas, making new friends, imitating the American accent, playing games, learning Ballet, conducting workshops and of course rehearsing for our performances…the list can go and on. I can surely say that this program is something I shall always remember and I think all of us learnt a lot from these experiences.

The team at IUP

Our last trip as a group was to NITK, Surathkal. We had wanted to go there since our first year and finally got a chance in our final year! Like all the others, this trip was great too!  We had a good time for two days there. After hours of waiting, we were finally given accommodation in a nice place there, and that’s where we slept, ate, practiced and got ready for the show. We enjoyed playing on the beach, meeting old friends there, exploring the large campus and drinking loads and loads of Amul Buttermilk! We had gotten ready quite early and the competition got delayed, so there we were: eight of us in black costumes, faces covered in make-up, with swords in our hands, and the hot sun glaring down at us! We were very exhausted by the heat by the time our chance came to perform. That evening, some of us went for dinner while the others enjoyed the rock concert on campus. A pleasant surprise awaited us there when we realized that the food was so much cheaper than Bangalore! We ate and ate and ate some more and were happy to see the small bill! :D

These trips with my team have been a learning experience, and despite the little obstacles that came our way, we had loads of fun and got a wonderful chance to bond.

Sanskrithi Diaries Part 1 - The Beginning

Dance is an expression of emotions, a display of drama, a show of splendour, and simply, an extravaganza of colors, lights, music and beauty. For me, dance will always mean one thing, Sanskrithi.

I’ve had some amazing memories with Sanskrithi, its founders – my seniors, my team-mates, my juniors and everyone else who was connected with the team. Here’s an attempt to recollect some of them J

During my first year at PESIT, I was a part of the large crowd in the auditorium, attending the auditions for Sanskrithi. After all the auditions were over, I remember asking the three people on stage, “What is contemporary dance?”.  Little did I know that Contemporary Dance would become such an important part of my life in the years to come!

During our first practice session, I remember all of us were very nervous and scared of not getting the steps right. But Raghu, Chithra and Nisha made us feel like a part of the group and patiently taught us all that they knew. I got to meet other seniors of the group and saw how the team functioned as a family and how each and every one of them made me feel like I was a part of their family too. After our performance at MANage (where we won 2^nd place) , there was a change in the team and our team now consisted of Arya, Harshna, Preethi, Rashmi, Sahana, Sahithya, Sushma and me.

Initially, the eight of us used to perform the “Junior” Dashavataar, and used to watch in awe when our seniors performed the “Senior”/”Kanpur” Dashavataar. Dashavataar – even now, I get goose bumps thinking about it. The beautiful and haunting music, the creativity behind the formations, the way each step fit perfectly with the music, the use of props and the effect that this dance had on the audience… this dance was truly a masterpiece.

Our first stint at choreography was when Raghu told us to work on a part of “Trimurthi”. We worked quite hard in hostel to come up with some steps or the other, but I think we eventually copied a lot of steps from “Junior” Dashavataar!

Slowly, we became better and better at our dances and learnt how to work together as one team. We performed at many fests all over Bangalore and in other places too, winning almost everywhere we went!

Dressed to impress? Not really.

Dear Female Colleagues,

Every morning when I come to office, I cannot help but wonder… why is it that young, educated people do not know how to dress appropriately to a workplace? You don't need to wear expensive clothes, or keep buying new stuff all the time. All I'm saying is, once in six months, have a good look at your wardrobe, see what fits you and what doesn’t, what’s faded and what’s torn, what’s meant for office and what’s not. 

If you prefer wearing Indian clothes, this is for you:

·         Waist-length kurtis DO NOT go well with patialas or leggings. They are ideally meant to be paired with jeans.

·         Skin colored leggings honestly do not look good, regardless of your complexion and your figure.

·         If you honestly feel that leggings don’t suit your body shape, then you don’t have to wear them just because everyone else is.

·         If you’re wearing a sari, please learn to drape it well. The pallu should be pinned up and must not fall off your shoulder or sweep the ground beneath you. Also remember, transparent, sequin-y, shiny chiffons look better at parties than at a meeting.

·         Long, shapeless kameezes or kurtis don’t look good and neither do body clinging ones! Go to a tailor and get your clothes stitched properly. If you lose or gain weight, then make sure you get your clothes altered accordingly.

·         You may like to adorn your hair with flowers and wear lots of jewelry that goes with your outfit. But please keep it to a minimum since your colleagues may not be comfortable with the strong fragrance of the jasmine, or with the jangling of your 24 colorful bangles.

·         I understand that not everyone is at ease wearing high heels and that wearing flats is the “in” thing. But wearing rubber chappals is pushing it way too far. There are so many smart-looking flat sandals available these days in all price ranges. Check them out!

If you wear Western clothes, then know that:

·         Black jeans, faded or plain, boot-cut or skinny, are NOT trousers.

·         Formal trousers or skirts are to be worn with formal shoes, not slippers nor sandals and definitely not with floaters. Could a man get away with wearing hawai chappals with formal wear? No. Then why should we?

·         Sequins, bows, bright colors and canvas material do not constitute formal shoes. They should ideally be black and plain.

·         Your low-waist trousers shouldn’t be hanging precariously on your hips. Do that on weekends! For office, use a belt and keep it where it’s meant to be!

·         Ethnic jewelry may not always suit Western wear. Eg: Jhumkis will not do for earrings.

·         Your shirt/blouse should be well fitting. Not loose, not tight, just right. Again, visit a tailor if the store produced ones don’t suit you.
       

Regardless of what you’re wearing:

·         Keep in mind that make-up is also an art. Practice a few times to know what suits your skin tone. Loud colors can look quite ghastly. Make up at work should be subtle and should be used to keep you looking fresh all day.

·         Maintain your hair and your nails. Nothing looks more unprofessional than the just-out-bed hair or dirty nails with peeled off nail polish.

I don’t claim to be a fashionista or perfectly dressed always, but I can see the difference between well dressed and not-so-well dressed. Let’s try and look more professional, isn’t it?

Regards,

A casual observer

Dabbling in Drama

My debut as an actor was when I was in the 2^nd grade in school. My class had enacted the story of  "The Old Lady and the Pumpkin" and I was chosen to play the old lady. So, the 7-year old me dressed up in my mom’s sari, wore talcum powder in my hair, wore spectacles without the glasses and as luck would have it, even managed to lose a tooth. So much for getting into character!

In the years after that, my stage appearances have been restricted to quizzing, singing and dancing. No more acting offers came my way! Until… I started my job. While I was in Mysore undergoing my training at Infosys, there was a lot of emphasis on soft skills (communication, articulation, presentation, etc) and the importance of these skills in today’s world. As a part of our training, we were to have a skit competition. The entire batch was divided into smaller groups and each group was supposed to present a short skit on “The importance of soft skills for a software professional”.

My friend Shabnam and I were in the same group. The others in our group were from different colleges and cities of India. After some brainstorming, we decided to do a remake of Charles Dickens’s classic “A Christmas Carol”. We changed the character of Scrooge into an IT engineer who although was good in her (yes, gender changes too) work, did not know how to interact with people and therefore lost out in life. We then showed the appearance of three ghosts and the transformation in the lead character and how she then lived happily ever after. Guess who was elected to be the rude, arrogant, mean Ms Scrooge? Yours truly.

We practiced and we practiced every day of the week. There was a lot of editing done to bring down our long script to a ten minute skit. We brought in props and costumes and even tried to add background music. On paper, everything looked simple. But to actually get this to work was pretty hard. Some of the people in our group were too loud, others too soft, and some others just unwilling to accept any changes in the script. We even had one person who refused to say the word “ghost” or wear black clothes. I honestly do not know why.

The three ghosts

At long last the day arrived. We were very excited and confident with our respective roles. One look into the audience and all the confidence died. The entire auditorium was filled. There were around 1000 people seated there!

Our problems began when we were told that we would be given only two mics. Our characters came onto the stage, but sharing one mic during a group conversation led to a lot of mess. We lost on time as the actors kept forgetting who to hand the mic to next. Things got worse when they didn’t notice that someone accidently switched off the mic. Nevertheless, the show must go on. I don’t think the audience could hear much, but they certainly had a good laugh as the “ghosts” came onto the stage in their wonderful, colorful costumes. The only mic working was mine. So to the audience, it looked like there was one mad woman shouting on stage, while the others were just moving their lips. The worst part? We were finally done with the skit and had far exceeded the time limit. I was the only person on stage and our narrator concluded and said “Thank you”. No applause. I thought the audience hadn’t realized that we were done, so I said “Thank you” again. Still no applause.  That’s when it hit me. The audience will clap only if the performance deserves it. With my head hung low I walked out of the stage and said “That sucked!” out loud, forgetting that my collar mic was still on. =S It was then that the audience began whispering amongst themselves. Poor Mr Charles Dickens must be shuddering somewhere in the world above.

Needless to say, our group did not win. I wanted to wear a mask for the remaining months at our training centre. This event can definitely qualify as one of the most embarrassing moments ever. For a long time, my friends were kind enough to constantly remind Shabnam and me of our little production.

Not to say I didn’t take anything away from this. I learnt that I should stick to music and dance. Drama? Not really my cup of tea!

Friiiiiday!

Ten signs that today is a Friday:

1.       People in the bus talk to each other – On other days, it seems almost criminal to start a conversation with the person seated next to you. People are either sleeping, or buried in a book or head-banging to music. But on Fridays? People like to interact! I have made more bus friends on Fridays than on any other day of the week!

2.       People like to flaunt their wardrobes – Our office’s rather ambiguous Friday dress code of Business Casuals leads to a lot of fashion statements. You can see middle-aged men in bright, cartoon t-shirts and ripped jeans, and ladies in anything ranging from a sleeveless top with capris and flip-flops (yes yes, they believe our office resembles a beach) to a kurti with an ankle length skirt (Preeti Zinta’s look in Lakshya still seems to be popular out here)

3.       People eat more – Or rather, it seems that way. Lunch breaks can stretch up to hours and the conversations and food keep flowing. Good business for our caterers!

4.       People drink more coffee and tea – The cafes are filled all day long leading to very good profits for our beloved CCD. The coffee vending machines in the buildings work overtime as everyone takes more frequent breaks.

5.       More gossip at the water cooler – My cubicle is very close to the water cooler on my floor, and trust me; people love to talk more on Fridays! There’s more news, more spite and more laughter on a Friday.

6.       Everyone wants to leave early – The earliest bus is the most crowded. Unless you can get to your bus ten minutes before your usual time, be assured, you will have to go home standing! The later buses are sparsely occupied since either everyone finishes their work early, or they postpone it to the next week.

7.       Activity on the office Bulletin Board increases – Somehow there are more things to discuss, and more people to argue with on the BB on Fridays. The creative and not-so-creative, the polite and the not-so-polite, the logical and the not-so-logical…everyone has their say on the BB.

8.       Team outings – Most of our project parties, team lunches or birthday treats happen on Friday. So you can expect a larger crowd anywhere you go.

9.       Things are more expensive – Movie tickets and buffets cost more than they do on other days. For some reason, the price-setters believe that Friday is a part of the weekend and hence, the public is expected to shell out more for the same.

10.   People are happier – Need I elaborate? The joy of waiting for the weekend to begin is visible on everyone’s face. Plans are made, cancelled and made again. Every conversation that takes place all day will have at least one mention of what one will do during the weekend. Everyone is just waiting to run back home and start partying!

  

I think that Fridays are so valuable to us that every Monday morning, all we do is look forward to the coming Friday! =D

Palace of Illusions

I recently read a book called “The Palace of Illusions” written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.  The author beautifully narrates the story of the Mahabharat from the eyes of Draupadi. As I read this book, I realized that there are so many ways in which this mythological story written thousands of years ago can be related to even today. The situations that the characters face and the way they react to them are lessons to learn from.

After being allotted their own kingdom, the Pandavas called on the services of a craftsman called Maya to build their palace in Indraprastha. This palace was said to be very beautiful and the work of the craftsman was very great and unique. Draupadi took great pride in her grand home and called it ‘The Palace of Illusions’. It is here that when Duryodhana stepped into a pool of water, Draupadi mocked him, and thus started a chain of events leading to the battle at Kurukshetra.

All of us have built our own Palace of Illusions some time or the other. Our palace is what we perceive as ideal. And when we start to differentiate between the ideal and the real, that’s when we get our palace of illusions. 

Building the palace of illusions is no easy task. It is built only after you have earned something. When you know you possess something or when you have something that others see as perfect. When what you have with you, is almost faultless. Little problems can come and go, but the big picture is rosy. All the pieces of the puzzle are in their right places and they make a beautiful landscape. However this palace is highly volatile, one small mistake, or one little oversight and you could trigger something you never thought could happen to you.

So what happens when one day you realize that the whole thing is coming apart? What you thought was true, is only a façade. Everything you worked for and everything you dreamed of has been flattened in just one moment. That’s when you realize that maybe you were living a dream.

Walk around your palace and you’ll see. The paintings on the wall now show a different picture, the glass ceiling is actually thin ice, the doors and windows have turned into walls and the flower buds in the garden have withered away. In front of your eyes, your palace has turned into ruins.

So do you wait there, lying in the ruins, hoping that the palace will rebuild itself? Or do you get up and do it yourself? This is the time to get up. The palace must be rebuilt, not with glass and mirrors, but with bricks and mortar on a solid foundation. So that next time around, there is no illusion.

Shopping Woes

My mom says that every purchase made requires at least three trips to the shop. Once, to do a survey of what’s available. Second, to actually buy what you liked. And third, to exchange what you bought and buy something else. In all probability, after your three trips, when you’re finally satisfied with what you have bought, you will see someone else having the same thing, of a better quality and bought at a lesser price! Such are the ways of this evil world we live in!

A girl can never have enough of anything, isn’t it? Open my wardrobe, it may look like it’s full, but when the need arises, I shall have nothing to wear! With this thought in my head and my wallet in my hand, I decide to head out shopping...but of course, things never happen the way they should when you plan them!

When I want to buy something casual, I can only find the top of the range party-wear or super smart formal stuff. And when I need some office wear, there's a brand new collection of t-shirts in the stores! And sales? Don't even get me started! What I like is never on sale, and what is on sale...I don't like! Does everyone feel this way, or is it just my luck? 

So, the moment I step out of my house to go to a shop, all the salespersons(or is it salespeople?) have been warned. It’s time they get their act together and ensure I leave the shop empty-handed. Yup, you read it right. Salespeople never want me to come back to their shops.

Why are salespersons (I shall not say men or women because both have the same characteristics in this regard) the way they are? Why is it that there’s never a helpful salesperson when you want one? And why are there too many when you don’t need them?

Case 1: I’m actually looking for something to buy.

Me (M): *taps salesperson* Excuse me, I’m looking for something... can you…

Salesperson 1: * walks away*

Salesperson 2 (S): Yes?

M: Hi, I’m looking for a perfume in the range of Rs 1000-1200. What do you have?

S: Madam, we have a special offer on XYZ perfume - 700Rs only!

M: Okay, but I need something in the range of 1000-1200. Can you show me something else?

S: Yes madam, but you try this one! It’s a very good scent, only 700Rs!

M: I’m looking for a gift and I want something between 1000-1200 Rs. I don’t want this one!

S: Okay, you can check this one. It’s 2500Rs. It’s very good Madam!

M: Do you have a smaller size which costs lesser?

S: No.

M: So… which of these cost around 1000Rs? Can you check with someone else?

S: But Madam… Rs700… special offer…

M: *irritated**leaves shop never to return*

So, it’s either the confused people who just don’t get what you want. Or, it’s the over-enthusiastic people who don’t get that you don’t want anything! Read on.

Case 2: I’m window shopping because I have some free time on my hands.

Salesperson (S): Hello ma’am, may I help you?

Me (M): No thanks, I’m just having a look.

S: Would you like to see some tops/jeans/ jewelry / stuffed toys /furniture (depending on which shop I’m in)?

M: No thanks, I’m not looking for anything particular.

S: But we have a special offer on tops/jeans/ jewelry /stuffed toys/furniture (depending on which shop I’m in)

M: Okay, but I don’t really want to buy anything... I’m just looking around.

S: Why don’t you see our latest collection of tops/jeans/ jewelry /stuffed toys/furniture (depending on which shop I’m in)

M: *irritated* *leaves shop never to return*

It’s only once in a blue moon that you walk into a store, your eyes fall on something in the far corner of the room, its love at first sight… and you know that you have to buy those shoes! Then the perfect salesperson comes along, waits patiently and helps you find your size, tells you that your chosen item has a discounted price, and then you buy it and walk out of the store feeling happy. (Of course, this happiness shall only last till the first shoe bite, but let’s not go there now!)

Thoughts...

I’ve always had thoughts in my head, but I felt that turning them into words was not easy. Thanks to my friend Soumya, I’ve finally decided to start writing (rather, typing). Soumya, this one’s for you and for the countless thoughts in my head.

What is a thought? There are multiple definitions available in a dictionary but this is the one I like, “the product of mental activity”. As humans, our minds are constantly active, always thinking, always running, either towards a thought or away from it. Even if we are physically inactive, our minds are alert. We could be doing one thing and thinking of ten others. But what are we thinking of? Happy thoughts or sad ones? Simple thoughts or complex ones? Thoughts about the past or about the future?

A happy thought is something that evokes a smile. Bonding with my family, laughing with my friends, helping someone, receiving praise, achieving something on my own, these make me happy. They give me the strength to face each day. They give me a reason to not give up on myself and to continue working. These small, everyday joys are a constant reminder to me that life is indeed beautiful.

A sad thought, on the other hand, exhausts you. It fills you with negativity and suddenly makes you tired. There even comes a point when you’re so overwhelmed with these sad emotions, that they almost make you forget the happy ones. It’s up to you to let go of those sad thoughts, push them far away and let the happy thoughts take control again.

I believe that happiness is the highest form of energy that one can attain, that’s why it’s so important to never let go of your happy thoughts. So focus on them, remember what created them and treasure them. Now, to avoid getting overly philosophical, I shall leave the next part of my ramblings to another entry J