Winters in Indore

Christmas Decorations outside Central Mall

I have always loved winters just like any other season. Never found it cruel like many say, that’s may be because I had always been in the warmth of my home, cuddled up by my mom. Both my parents were born during winters, and the got married in the same season. But, I never realized how deep my love was until I came here to Goa!! It’s December and I felt cold only once yet!!

Ummmm.. Garadu

These days when I get calls from my friends.. narrating the accounts of their long drives which they ended by devouring garadu, bhutte ka kees and malpua near Sanjay Sethu.. I can’t help but envy them… All I can do is.. sit here, at the amphitheater wishing that the cool breeze messes up my hair.. hoping that the sun stops frying my brain… But its far from happening!! I love being here at GIM in Goa.. but I really miss my Indori winters!!

A day before exams @Celebrations, one of my favorite hangout places!

I usually started wearing my dusky fine woolens from mid-November. It used to get a little chilly in the wee hours while I would be fast asleep in the comfort of my frayed blue quilt. I simply loved the four months of winters.. when I would get goosebumps while riding my poor old Activa @ 75kmph at 9am on my way to college. The streets wouldn’t crowd up like the other seasons as most Indorians would be reluctant to come out of their cozy warm houses, so early on a typical winter morning. The aroma of garma-garam Poha-Jalebi from the small restaurants at Rajwada, 56 shops and JMB (a popular Indori sweet and namkeen shop) easily slowed us down, while the chuski of chai would give us the energy for sailing through the day.

Sirpur Lake

Oh how I miss my slow paced yet fulfilling Indori life! My winter hangout places included a small lake near NH3, MHOW camp area, Khajrana temple, MR10 bridge, pavements of the airport road, parking of my coaching class at MG road (just because most good looking guys would pass through as most gyms were located nearby). CCD, Barista Lavazza, Subway, Pizza Hut, McDonalds and Domino’s, the local bakeries and juice shops were appealing all year round. But these other places grow really beautiful to give a warm welcome to the shivery November with the Rose Ringed Parakeets on the Peepal trees. On one such days, oldies could be seen sitting in the colony parks while their grand children would be playing in the sun! You could find a bunch of school students fighting the cold by luxuriating in the sheesha lounges in Vijay Nagar, and spot couples relishing ice-cream candies under the Krishnapura chatriyaan, early in the evening. While the newly weds will be found in sarafa, where the jewelry showrooms would turn into chat shops during the dry windy nights.

NH3

Indore has a relatively more cosmopolitan culture compared to other cities in Madhya Pradesh. People here, are fond of everything.. arts, business, cricket, fashion, festivals, financial markets, food, gossip, malls, news, people, politics, technology, TV serials and most importantly, gossip over food!! Yeah, we are obsessed with our eating habits which includes talking necessarily while eating. Their food preferences are derived from the potpourri of Bengali, Marathi, Muslim, Mughlai, Gujarati, Rajasthani, Punjabi, South Indian, continental and Malwi cuisines. As all these people came down to Indore, so did their festivals.. Christmas, Lohri, Makar Sakranti (Pongal), Vasant Panchmi, Maha Shivratri which are celebrated with such zeal that it continues over weeks.

Poha

Jalebi

Soon I’ll be going back home.. just for 6 days, I will be able to put my woolens on, go on the long drives and freeze, and chomp on the crazy Indori food!!

PS: Some pics are not my clicks.

Vague Dreams

My dreams are always the weirdest amongst my friends… They are funny and vivid and senseless and amazing.. Things change shape in less than a millionth fraction of a second and a series of inter-connected scenes are created that have no link with each other and yet they are all connected to me!!! I’m sharing them today because Kritika had a horrible one yesterday and I need to make her feel better about it.. By narrating mine, I’ll make her realize that such dreams are stupid and they won’t come true!

Last Night… I slept after telling an old friend.. the story of a girl who ran away with her boyfriend, struggled for saving her life and later, with the help of her family started a whole new episode. So the dream began with her face hovering over my motionless body (oh no I was not dead, I was asleep)… She was mumbling something in a language unknown to me and a tear dropped from her eyes and the next moment I saw a clear water river.. I could see small white stones and grey rock inside the water that were causing disruption in the motion of water.. Yes, no fishes or sea horses in my dream! I know it’s disappointing. Anyways, the small waves turned into a white wedding gown, the lower end of which was caressing the grass as the bride walked down the aisle .. there was no one in the entire area except her… but she did not care, I guess.. she moved towards a mirror and looked straight into my eyes.. oh my, it wass me looking at me.. and all of a sudden.. I relax my raised eye-brow and my lips twirled into a ok-now-I-understand kind of smile and I murmured with a promising simper.. I do!!! And then I heard my sister shouting at me, her irritating words – ‘I don’t care if you die of hunger but you will not get anything to eat until you find my lost lipstick.. How could you give it to Aashi for playing?? You are such an irresponsible shameless irksome fool…..’ That was it.. I picked up a knife and cut the gas-pipe and picked up a match-box from pooja-ghar, opened it and took out a match-stick and almost rubbed it against the box.. But, may be she was quicker than I was.. She jumped over me and I fell on floor bearing the weight of both our bodies and my head hit the sharp edge of her granite kitchen slab and I felt something hot… May be I succeeded in lighting a fire but then I felt a warm fluid in my eyes and the next second, I was sobbing with the same girl who was crying over someone’s dead body.. I’m sure a lot more happened in the dream but I remember only this much!!

PS: If you have a clue why my dreams are so crazy, or if you think they are not because this is what you call a normal dream, or you have a dream to share.. go ahead and tell me!!
Have a happy Sunday!!

Priyanka

Grandpa!!!

He would have been as tall as Akshay Kumar.. And, his built, similar to Late Mr. Sunil Dutt (as I have estimated after looking at the old snapshots). By now, he would have turned 90 (My grandma is 82.. so, another guess).. Even at the this age, I believe, he would still have been muscular!

 All that I know about my grand father is through my grandma’s narrations, old video CDs of his children’s wedding and my own imagination! My parents don’t like to talk about him because it makes them emotionally weak, they feel miserable.. They still don’t want to believe that he is no more. As for me, it was not hard to accept because he passed away in 1989 and I was born 2 years later!

Late Shri Sitaram Sabu, was born in Udaipurwati when India was under British rule.. Maa (Grandma) does not remember his birthdate (I wanna know his sun-sign). They got married when Maa was 12 years old (this she remembers, huh!) and he would have been 20 (this she assumed).

He had lived in Rajasthan, Kolkata, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh (Indore). He was a part of the Indian struggle for independence. They had 8 children.. 5 boys (2 of whom met their end in childhood) and 2 girls. He was a wonderful, a dependable father to all his children alike and the cutest grandfather to my siblings. I’m the only child in my generation who was unable to meet him, see him.. who was neither pampered nor blessed by him..

This does not make me sad, but deep inside I have this longing.. that if only.. he was there to teach me to speak, to walk, to eat with my own hands.. to scold me if I did something wrong and later, try to convince me to talk to him.. to buy me new clothes every now and then and tell my mom off, if she complained.. to bring me chocolates without any occasions, to give me his collection of stamps as a keepsake (which I have already obtained from my father).. to tell his tale and basically love his smallest, cutest, and most adorable grand-daughter.. I just feel that I was deprived of such a lovely relationship, every time I come across a grand-dad and his little angel in his arms, or find someone who looks like a grand-father!

He was gone before I came, yet I never complain.. I don’t know why!! Knowing about him brings tears in my eyes, but it never makes me unhappy.. I don’t know why!! I never met him, yet I miss him.. I don’t know why!! I dunno him, yet I love him.. .. I don’t know why!! (Please tell me if you have the answers). My closest guess is that there’s a part of him in me which does not like to see me upset..

I know you can’t read this but I hope you do Bauji!

Pranaam

Pinky  

What Keeps Me Going..

A few things I do for Mindless Entertainment..

I sit back, close my eyes, turn some soft music on (usually instrumental) at low volume and concentrate on it.. Aah!! It’s so pacifying!!

I listen to The Arctic Light, and the lullaby from The Twilight Saga a lot!

A leisurely walk with a friend or two.. or a conversation on phone with my closest friends.. chatting about stuff other than college or family or future.. calms me down!

I pray at times with eyes wide open.. watching the idol of Lord Krishna.. it gives me hope and strength besides soothing my brain!

I look at the old pictures of everyone.. or listen to the stories my grandma has to tell.. or play with my 5-year-old niece.. It takes off all the loads from my mind!!

I try to train my birds.. although they are a nasty bunch of disobedient budgies.. but it really makes me happy!

There are many other things that I enjoy doing…. or that help me relax.. but these 5 top the list!

I hope you enjoyed reading.. and if you are free for a minute or two.. Go ahead and tell me what things you do… other than work, which make you feel good!

Cheers!!

Priyanka

Happy Woman’s Day!!

So, it’s woman’s day.. and here I am.. This is me.. Posting about.. One of the strongest (in terms of emotions) women I know.. who inspire me..

On 23rd feb 2011, I posted.. I was the eldest daughter of my parents… I would suggest you read that one first. (The link above will redirect you there!)

All that she went through is nothing compared to the sorrows in my life.. Yet she would always be more than happy to share my problems and try to solve them… Behind her benevolent smile.. you could definitely see a shadow of the dark times she had faced.. But that could happen only if she would let you probe her eyes… and if you had the ability to dig deep.. And she would never allow me to do that!!

‘You are too young to know my reality’, she would say! (HUH!!)

So, what kept her happy 90% of the time? I asked her 2 years back, ‘How, Ma’am how.. What keeps you going through all of this?’

She asked, ‘Why do you bother?’

‘I said, ‘ISN’T IT OBVIOUS? I AM CONCERNED ABOUT YOU BECAUSE I LOVE YOU MA’AM… I CARE FOR YOU!!’ … That was it… My moment of epiphany.. She looked at me, her face flashing the same warm smile.. Reality struck me and somewhere deep inside my heart a something hit so hard, I had never felt so cold before and yet so amazed .. She was happy because even after all these years of mental torture and loss, there were people who really truly loved her.. And one of them, was me!!

She always used to say how great she felt when her children (students) touched her feet, greeted her with affection, approached her in the troubled times, thanked her after the results were out and the never-ending list of such experiences!

She tried to avoid those negative feelings which comprised more than half of her life till now, and used to cherish the love she used to receive from her students! I had never thought about this earlier. I was always like.. I knew parts of her story.. that I overheard while my mother was discussing it with my grandma! I wanted her to speak it out in front of me.. I wanted her to share it with me, like I shared everything with her!

So, one day.. I forced it out of her.. without thinking once that how distressing it might be for her.. that those memories will haunt her insides while recounting them all over again.. Wasn’t it enough that she had suffered once while living through it? Why was I so curious? Why the hell I did not think about it once!!! Well, I was in class 7th when I had asked her.. so I guess, it’s justified.

Her answer as I had mentioned earlier included the following phrases:

I was the eldest daughter of my parents. I raised my younger brothers and sisters after my parents died! I could not get married because I had responsibilities.  Now, they call me up once in a blue moon,  just to check if I am still alive, or not! I met with a major accident at the age of 26 and my face was completely damaged… Before that, I used to be a beautiful woman! I helped my friend (whom I loved) marry his girlfriend after that accident. I financed some acquaintances when they needed money, they are all rich today, but they never bother to return the loans.

It had rattled my cage, when I saw her composed expressions while narrating the miserable episodes of her life back then. But today, I understand the reason behind every single reaction she gave me!

How positive a person can be..?? As positive as she is.. cause I have written it in short but, she suffered through all this for more than 25 years and still she did not lose hope… So there are no limits to optimism.!! She never went into depression because she tried to find beauty in the darkness, and she did.. She tried to enjoy every day like it’s her last.. She began teaching and it was self-satisfying to build futures. What could be better than that? She loved her students like her own children, and they loved her back.. And she knew that their love was for real and forever!! This is how she made it possible and this is how she is still able to survive!!

PS
Once we had a bet.. she said I’ll forget her when I’ll be at the peak of my career.. and I was like that is impossible.. The bet is still on Ma’am.. I’ll never forget you and it’s only you who will be credited with my success in anything that I achieve ever!! I’ll make it sure!

I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART!!

Yours truly.

Pinky

My Reply To Eris

I was a little disturbed a while ago.. But my conviction that every time you enter a crisis.. you step out stronger.. If one door is closed in your face.. There’s no use standing there disappointed.. Either break that door or turn around to find other open ones!! I did not lose hope.. I tried and it worked!! Here’s the story:

Dear Eris,

Your poem blew away my mind.!!

Its amazing how a poetry of mine..

Fetched another one of it’s kind.!!

So I’ll tell you what made me jive..

In the simplest words that I could find.!!

I was sitting with him in the dining hall..

He’s my father.. I’m his doll.!! (:p)

He’s a li’l conservative and I’m off the wall!!

You might not find it interesting at all..

It was a stainless steel glass after-all..

Which contained a yogurt-based..

Popular Punjabi (Indian) beverage..

“Lassi” is what.. it is called!!

It keeps your body cool and brain relaxed!!

This is a harsh piece of information..

But this is what always happens..

To a lot of girls who are Indians..

They get married after graduation..

But, I want to go out for higher eduation..

My family had their own objections!!

All my elder sisters thought…

That there is no hope..

But again as I said…

I convinced my dad..

He told me of his fears..

When you talk, doubt clears..

I tried and it worked..

It worked because I tried..

I know it’s not rhyming too..

But, I’m sure now you see..

I was hiding nothing..

I just could not frame..

My words back then..

But, your lines inspired mine..

And we have another of it’s kind!!

This was the only way..

I could hug you back..

Now to write would be like to play!!

I’m glad to have found a blogging friend.. in you!!

PS

Thanks a lot!!

Cheers!!

I’ll Try..

The only time I feel frustrated and helpless is when people, who are close to me (my family, my friends) do not get my drift. I’m going through the same right now. Every single nerve and muscle of my body, especially my brain.. is shouting at the top of its voice..

“I want you to understand what I am thinking right now..” 

 The only problem is I am not able to explain exactly what I am thinking right now. Now, this should not be a problem with a person who wants to become a famous writer/novelist/lyricist one day. But, it is! And this is because I don’t want to speak my brain out and yet want the listener to understand what it is thinking, on their own. Here, I am assuming that this person has a wonderful observation power and a keen intellect.

Another major reason for this is that my friends understand me so well. They just look into my eyes and get the point. or read my expressions and body language.. and at times the unintelligible words that i mumble impatiently!!

And today, I need the strength to speak it out, explain it to that person, whom I really want to get the picture clearly now. God bless me!!

I’m insane today :P

Had this funny little chat with one of my favorite buddies after a fit of pique.. Felt like sharing!!

me: I’ll start a story, you continue.

abi: Nice

me: It should be a funny one.

abi: Hey! That is cool.

me: Then, I’ll publish it on my blog, if its good enough. Let us see how creative you are!!

abi: Woaah, so it has to be decent.

me: I’m starting now..

Its 3am, and we hear a distant noise.. someone is honking a horn… this late!!

Next we hear the gravels are being displaced on the rusty road.. and the sound of a motor..

abi: It’s a van, that is coming closer towards us, as we stare into the blinding headlights, hoping to get a lift at this time on the lonely highway. The van slows down near us but doesn’t stop. We almost got a lift [Yaieee!!! Saviour ]

(me: it’s not a horror story)

abi: hahha

Well, thanks to you for being so ugly, we could not get a lift!

The guy was probably spotting the girl standing next to me. Arghh!!! Irritating :P

me: Yeah… not the guy.. your reaction! It was so immature of you. I’m not even your girlfriend in the story.

Now I thought to myself, why did that guy not kidnap me?

abi: I already told you, YOU ARE UGLY. He got scared!!

me: And then my wish comes true with a truck that came 10 minutes after the van had gone. This guy looks pretty dangerous. He applies the brake as you asked for lift. You jump in and now it’s my turn. But hey!! I was the one who wanted to be kidnapped. Yet, he chooses to drive away without me. He drives for approximately 200m and stops with a sudden jerk. I have a gut feeling, that his intentions are not good. So, I start running towards the truck with all my energy.

abi: God. That is why the road still has potholes!!!

me: Oh sh**… The truck driver is gay!!!!

abi: Nice sh**!!

me: He’s trying to molest you.. OMG!!

abi: Even better

me: I climb into the driver’s area from the other end.

abi: Then you save me?

me: I start searching for something in my bag frantically.

abi: To save me?

me: I take out a pepper spray, look at it in utter disgust (I am allergic to pepper) and throw it away.. Then, I take out my knife, look at it impatiently and throw it away as well.. Aha!! Finally, to my amusement and pleasure, I found what I wanted… my handy cam.. I turn on the camera and request the truck driver for action replay!

hows that?

abi: That was predictable!

Now when that truck guy comes, he doesn’t stop as well. He goes.

Me: Oye, now that is boring!

abi: Then a cyclist comes.. Even he doesn’t stop! He goes.

me: But, we run after him, attack him!!

abi: Aahh!! There u go, again!

me: We tie him to a rope and the other end of the rope with the cycle. Now, I ask u to sit. You try to sit on the cyclist’s seat and I slap you hard in the face and ask you to shift ahead.

abi: ah

me: Yer shocked but, you follow my orders. (I see some sense in you for the first time)

abi: Again, predictable!!!

me: Now m riding d cycle.. Yoohooo.. Now, if that was predictable, Guess the speed?

But, remember.. Yer sitting at the front and we are dragging the cyclist

abi: Yeah! Pretty good story. Must be a 100 miles an hour, looking at you!

me: Your turn.

abi: Well!! I’ll start from scratch.

me: Nooooooooo!!!! Its d same story.

abi: Great then!

me: You are being molested by the truck driver.. Tell me how do you feel?

abi: That is just great.. Its ecstatic!!

me: Ohh really?

abi: Oh! I am feeling great.

me: I’m definitely gonna publish it! Definitely!!

abi: I dunno how I got into it!!

me: And now… The next thing that truck driver realizes is, that he is being physically abused.. by you.

abi: Oh great!!

me: This is fun. We should do this more often!

abi: I didn’t know when that happened as well.

me: I like it!!

abi: Yeah I’m sure.

me: haha

abi: Anyways, its 3:15am in the story.

(My good wait.. My great friend is imagining me getting raped-molested by a truck driver while I am looking for a ride like a non-perverted normal person)

me: What The …

abi: lol

me: You better continue..

abi: That is what u get for imagining sh**

me: But it was funny!

abi: Well now there is this car which finally stops near us. As we look to thank the driver, we see that the car is actually empty!! How was it driving itself? :O

me: It’s not a horror story. Now, reality strikes my mind.. It is Harry Potter in his invisibility cloak in Mr. Weasley‘s car, who is driving the car.

abi: Suddenly it becomes rainy and stormy and we have no other option. We are forced to sit in the car

me: because you were wearing white and we could not stand there as white goes transparent when it rains!

abi: ..but I’m driving it now, or so I thought!!

abi: Aahh.. well that’s a problem for girls ! not guys :/

me: Its my story as well. Don’t try 2 act bossy

abi: In fact, I have seen guys wear the strangest sh** these days!! Like torn stuff..

me: Are you gay or what? Noticing guys and all?

abi: Well.. girls don’t wear anything these days.. so if I have to see clothes, I look at guys.. lol!

me: If girls don’t wear anything, why do you even bother to have a look at the clothes?

abi: There you go, again!!

me: You are definitely gay.. I’m 100% sure now!

me: Anyways, let us finish the story. You think you are driving herby, but you are not because its Harry!

abi: Yeah easy.. I drop you home!

me: What next?

abi: lol.. The End!!

me: Harry drops me home and you go on with the car, as he gets down with me!

abi: Yeah! I get to keep the car ;)

me: And I get to keep Harry. Now you just don’t need to know what happened next. Happy ending

abi: Yeah really I got a new car

me: And the moral of the story is… beware of truck drivers Abi!

abi: moral of the story is… when Priyanka is in bad mood, she can actually start speaking any sh** :P  ! lol

Xpressions 2012

ABOUT THE EVENT

Xpressions is a 4 day college fest organized by the students of IIPS – DAVV annually. When I joined IIPS, I came to know that it is the only department in DAVV university that runs 7 programs (as mentioned on the website), including MBA, B.Com, MCA and M.Tech. Xpressions is one event in which all the students enrolled for the different courses come together to take part as teams and opponents. Each team is composed of 16 members from UG and PG technical n managerial courses and 5 official supporters (and a few unofficial as well). The team members are from technical and managerial courses so that they can compete efficiently in the fusion of more than 25 techno-management events. Two theme days are conducted before the event starts. The theme could be anything like Gender Switch (guys have to dress up as girls and vice-versa), Animals, Cartoon Characters, Retro Theme, from Stone-age to Modern Age, etc. During these two days, each of the teams introduce themselves to the faculty, organizing committee, other competing teams and the rest of the students. This is the time when the event is launched, when the teams play skit, dance insanely on dhol, promote their teams. They also have to compete in various prelims conducted by the various pavilions of OC. Those teams that clear these rounds, qualify for the final events.

One of the teams

Organizing Committee

There are 5 Pavilions in the OC namely, Finance, Informal, Technical, Bazaar (meaning market) and HR (human resources). These consist of students in a flat structure, where they together create challenges that are to be thrown at the participating teams.

OC also comprises of the Creative Group, the Disciplinary Committee and the Anchors. The creative group completely changes the look of IIPS campus for these 4 days (for the good of course, by decorating our campus). The disciplinary committee is responsible for maintaining the decorum of the event and have the authority top deduct points from any team that does not comply with the rules, regulations and norms. The anchors host the all the final events and I am one of them this year.

A little too excited, nervous and yet confident… because all the people out there are a part of my family.. the IIPS family… and I am gonna rock it!!!

To All The Bird Lovers

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

A free bird leaps on the back
Of the wind and floats downstream
Till the current ends and dips his wing
In the orange suns rays
And dares to claim the sky.

But a BIRD that stalks down his narrow cage
Can seldom see through his bars of rage
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
Of things unknown but longed for still
And his tune is heard on the distant hill for
The caged bird sings of freedom.

The free bird thinks of another breeze
And the trade winds soft through
The sighing trees
And the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright
Lawn and he names the sky his own.

But a caged BIRD stands on the grave of dreams
His shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
His wings are clipped and his feet are tied
So he opens his throat to sing.

The caged bird sings with
A fearful trill of things unknown
But longed for still and his
Tune is heard on the distant hill
For the caged bird sings of freedom.

____By Maya Angelou

A humble request to all the bird lovers out there.

Please.. Train your pet birds, allow them to come out of their cage.. Do not keep them inside their cage always. Love your birds and let them be free!!!