All those Little things

A trip to kids section in one of the departmental stores brought back the childhood memories and world of colorful pencil box,  scented rubbers, sparkling colors, all kinds of pens and off-course the toys!!
When we were kids there were hardly any supermarkets , the shopping for all the necessary stationery was done from the small retail shops , the ones in the locality or the ones in dedicated market for books and stationery. There were routine visits to these shops as the stuff dad-mom got was never enough, we either lost the pens ,rubber etc or never got them back when they were borrowed.

Few times I got lucky and was handed over some money to make solo visits to these temple look alike and even with 70 rs or so I would feel I have acquired massive wealth and its time to splurge!!
It was such an effort and tough choice seeing all those interesting pen, pencil kept neatly n the shelf lurking me to buy as many as possible. 
Pens fascinated me the most and with all the new ones being introduced I sometimes spent more then half an hour choosing a Pen! Choosing between a writo-meter and ones with colorful covers was TOUGH!
 I made sure to have all of them even if I didn't use them. Did you do that?? Parker was a luxury then!!

Remember this?

I remember the most famous thing use to be one kind of Pencil Box , it had quite a few separate sections for different things like eraser, paper clip, sharpener  etc and respective button for these sections. We would derive joy pressing those button and seeing those sections pop-up with the desired item, the innocence amuses me.
The double Decker Lunch box with all the attractive colors  and the super delicious food cooked by a friends mom is still desired compared to cheese filled pizza.

The time after Summer break/ New session would be most crucial for all of us, we would flaunt whatever new we might have bought, be it a bag, a transparent water bottle( we didn't have Pokemon and Doremon , thank god for that) , new wooden pencil box or even a new handkerchief that had name of the day crocheted on it.
The first thing in morning even before the assembly was to share the new stuff that our foreign returned Uncles/Aunts might have got us and such was the innocence that even if  it  didn't belong to us it didn't kill the enthusiasm.

And though there were no efforts to hide the enthusiasm seeing a new kid getting all the new spunky stuff, there were constant harmless efforts to become friends with him/her!!
Lead pencil, clowned faced pencil covers, scented erasers , scented multicolor  refill pen, were the newly introduced items and we would make sure to have at least one of those in our collection.
Brands were unknown to us ( at least most of us) , was only in 11-12th I believe we were exposed to few brands.

Kismi bar, Parle- G orange round candy, boomer bubblegum,Eclairs were top in the list of things our taste bud relished and we wouldn't leave a chance to spare 1 rupee change and give some comfort to the senses, birthdays would bring the joy of getting these eateries for free and we would wish and cross fingers hoping  the birthday girl/boy choose us to go on a round of school and be the privileged one to get 1 more chocolate.

Its been more then 12 years since we stopped engaging in this kind of activity but I wonder the impression it made, I still seem to remember those times if not anything else.
I don't know how it is for the current generation , they probably cant cherish those little things neither can they relish the importance of one extra chocolate, scented paper , and colorful pencils as its been replaced by computer games and I don't know.!!

The time has gone , left us with loads of memories which seem to fade, even if we don't remember all this in few years time they will be with us for the lifetime making us smile now and then.
That was the age of innocence , purity and the first stage of becoming what we are NOW.

The 15 KM Run - SIMPLIRUN

                   “The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.

On 1 fine Saturday few running enthusiast got up at 3.30 am in the morning to get ready for their longest ever run , while they still struggled with the droopy eyes ,lack of sleep and way too early start for a SATURDAY they all shared the same passion that of Running.
4 cars  full of people started from Bangalore at 5ish with loud music and some catching up to do so as to keep us awake until we reached base of the very famous NANDI hills , the drive was fun as the company was good and so the  intention.
SIMPLIRUN is a group of  wonderful running enthusiast  who run together on weekdays and weekends and currently training for KTM and Bangalore Ultra under the guidance of Jai. O let me introduce you to him ,without him we wouldn't have done this-NO Never , Jai or Jaikant Kumaran,A truly awesome Person, A born Runner, A Coach to  all of us and  the founder of this Group SIMPLIRUN .

So as we waited for the other cars to join us at the starting point we wondered if we will actually complete the run, the distance being 15 kms, 7.5 UPHILL-7.5 DOWNHILL and for most of us this being  the longest run and the first run on a HILL , we joked around how we might end up just doing the UPhill or probably return half way. It was time  to do some stretches , take few key instruction from Jai and start.

We( Read me and 2-3 people) started with lots of enthusiasm but little hope of actually making it back and finishing the 15 kms mark, while we started slow ( which is  our Pace!) few others who were few meters ahead paced up so fast that we actually couldn't see them, ( you can expect this out of them, they are good!

 4 of us were running together,Jayanthi, Harish, Ravi and Me and as we encouraged each other we also kept on looking for the milestones, it felt like we have already run half the distance but  to our dismay we have completed only 2.5 kms !!  The view was beautiful, as we ascended the visibility decreased because of heavy fog ,cold breeze seem to welcome us ,motor bikes and cars zipped up fast and lots of people stared at us in awe and pity both!

We were sweating profusely and the legs started to tremble , we were running at a height of approx. 1300 m above Sea level, by the time we realized its last 3 kms the motivation increased and so did the Uphill, it was soo steep that we couldn't help but walk it up .Last 2 kms were more of a walk then a run and while we still had more then a km to complete our fellow runners were already running back, told you they are fast runners! Me and Jayanthi couldn't control the happiness when we saw the Arch at the entry of Nandi Hills, you should have been there to see that, touched it to actually believe we have Done it and started our journey back!!

We were pumped up , it was downhill and the tough part was over , as me and Jayanthi shared our reasons for taking running as a hobby we also  admired the fact that we are the only 2 girls in a group of 21 people and  felt good ,really good!!! Both of us were exhilarated when we saw Jai after all he was the driving force for the entire group, downhill was comparatively easy ,fun and we seem to ignore the milestones.

In no time we reached where we started , 120 mins to complete 15 kms, I wont say its good but its neither bad for people who started running 3 months ago. We were welcomed by Chenthill, Pulak and Prabhakaran, these guys  completed within 90 minutes , they clapped and cheered us, what a moment it was . We all took some time to actually believe that we have done it, what  looked like unthinkable few hours ago has been accomplished  with no Casualties!!!

 15 kms was DONE, our longest RUN till date , we laughed about it, cracked jokes on each other and , re-hydrated our body with water and some healthy snacks. The SIMPLIRUN group achieved yet another Milestone ,following the breakfast it was Photo session time, we click to treasure all such moments to remind us what we are capable of.

By 9'o clock we have finished  the run, breakfast and a photo session , till the end we were congratulating each other for doing it. It was a major accomplishment for all of US. It was time to disperse and go back to our regular lives and start a Memorable weekend. 6 of us continued the trip and headed towards Nandi to have a gala time , enjoyed  the pleasant morning and laughed
our stomachs out , it was a perfect end to the perfect TRIP.

The Group

This wouldn't have been possible if I didn't stumble upon this group on FB , we started with 5 kms and we  have just completed 15 kms, the next target is Half Marathon!!

The experience has been marvelous , I never ever thought I can run more then a km and I have amazed myself , there have been times when the body wont comply but how long it can stay away from something like this.
Running is pure fun, it clears your mind, Boost up your confidence ,have lots of health benefits and if you are lucky enough you get the chance to meet beautiful people who will inspire you.

So what are you waiting for?? Join us now at https://www.facebook.com/simplirun

Dare to watch a movie alone???

The question for all of you today is have you ever watched a movie alone?? Let me make a guess , for most of you it would be a NO , I know quite a few people who have done this or like watching movies all by themselves and count me one among them. Now most of you would pity me and people like me and talk in hush voices " poor girl didn't have anyone to go with or something like this" how can she go alone, that's not how its done" .Well please don't pity , because such things don't deserve pity , I am for matter of fact proud that I can watch a movie alone , how many of you can do that???
 I don't do that or I ll speak for the people like me, we don't do that because we don't have company , this might be the case when genre is animation or horror for few but otherwise its a choice that we make.
It starts with that urge to experience how it feels like to sit in the Hall alone while everyone else  has come with someone or bunch of them.
SO this journey of watching a movie alone begins with this thought backed up by the circumstance or the choice ,few book online but you would always always get a seat, there is  always one seat somewhere in the middle or the corner of the hall waiting for people like US even when the movie is going houseful.
The person at ticket  counter will confirm twice " Madam, one ticket ? followed by a dieing ONLY, the people standing next to you raise their eyebrows trying to figure out if they heard it right , if you are able to ignore their expression and still feel good you have crossed the most dreaded part of doing this UNTHINKABLE thing.
The waiting Area is the 2nd battle ground which can be won by playing temple run on your phone or checking out - people,  arguing couples, irritated mums.  As soon you see the food counter  buy a big tub of Pup-corn or Nachos and its a bliss as no-one is there to dig their hands, spill it and disturb you , its always advisable to buy it in the beginning as you tend to get too comfortable and would feel lazy to get up during the interval and wait in the never ending  line.


If you are  late and if most of the people have settled in their seats , you ll  have a tough tough time , specially for a girl, yes even in a Movie hall ( Well its a tough world for us and people say its always easy for women without thinking twice ), Uncle and Aunties will look at you and whisper among themselves, couples generally ignore as they are too busy playing with each others hand , the guys hope that the vacant seat next to them and the no. on  your ticket match and you will hope for no baby on the Next seat!! Imagine so much happening in a movie hall !!

Once you have figured out the seat and got comfortable with the popcorn tub and no baby scenario its an END to the otherwise chosen AGONY. The movie starts and you  relish the pop corn and the fact no one is there to ask if she/he missed a dialogue, no one is there to dig hand in the tub, no one is there to pass a comment on some scene , its a total BLISS.
The intervals are irrelevant as people are busy taking turn to the washroom or buying snacks for the wailing kids. The 2 hours or more just fly away as you were engrossed in the movie and its time to leave , no nothing happens now, everyone is too busy talking about how bad or good the movie was and you are lost in your own world.
If you are scared of doing this even if you want to , then don't be, people wont eat you up , and you cant and wont feel lonely as its India , first time might be little awkward as we have the habit of going with some one or other but you will get over it and you ll enter the world of " watching movie alone".

Neither its compulsory to do this, we do it for the joy that comes along with the choice. Its fun , isn't it?? I know few argue that " why would you want to do something like this?" and I answer back there is no reason ,you just try something and you don't see any harm in it and thus you do that again and again. And this not at all mean we watch all movies alone, we enjoy going out with friends and family as much we enjoy doing it alone.
If you can watch a movie alone, you can do anything alone, you get that confidence , we are always in the need of company , hardly we believe that we can do something like this alone,  people fear being alone as its associated with loneliness and loneliness is actually under rated.

The worst that can happen to you is "" UMmm, you would never want to do it" yes, that's the worst and that's not worse then the fact that you always wanted to try it but couldn't.!
So, go out, get out of your comfort Zone and buy just  one ticket for yourself, its all about the experiences we have, ISNT IT??

Till then HAPPY WATCHING!!

Rainbow Home - Where they made Us feel Loved

Geeta Ji With kids

After the cycling trip I did a month ago this last weekend was the next one that would remain fresh in memory forever. As 3 great souls Rohit, Eshwari and Anamika decided to do a Mango tasting festival at Rainbow Home which as name suggest a  Home to 50+ beautiful kids.The invite popped on FB and I knew I have to be there.
Sunday came in no time and  we all were there at The rainbow home, I didn't know what to expect  but what I knew was I am gonna have a tough time talking to those kids ( my Kannada
 hasn't improved a bit and they also speak Tamil/Telugu). So I was welcomed by 50 cheering kids screaming Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii Akka , except the iiiii was more stressed then this.
The atmosphere was lit up  with Geeta Ji in her most active mode doing activities with the girls.
Now let me give you give you a brief introduction about GEETA SHANKAR , when she is in the room there is this energy you cant ignore, she has that charisma , she would just connect to you and make you smile no matter how uninteresting person you are. She is one inspiration for all of us.

The Entire Happy group

So as she used her long acquired skills and kept those girls busy , around 12-13 volunteers got to work , few started to wash the mangoes by dipping them in bucket full of  water and splashing it on the fellow volunteers ( count me the only one doing that) , few were busy chattering with the girls and trying to keep pace with them , few clicking all of us so that all the moments are captured for us to remember.

And now was the time to finally eat mangoes, we would ask  their name in kannada " Neenu haseru yenu" and  tell ours and then give the mango ,few of us cut the rest and the girls served us with a gleaming smile. We celebrated one of the volunteers birthday and what a scene it was.
Once all the eating was done it was time to dance at few nos , quite a few loved it and actually showed me steps which I couldn't do , they were good, the little ones were shy and had to hold their hands and make them move a step or two, they giggled ,chattered among themselves and shied away.
There was quite a lot of dancing which was followed by girls singing few kannada songs ( don't ask me which ones), Mr Pankaj played few soulful songs on the flute and lots of photo clicking sessions. The kids weren't tired yet and nor were we ,then we played a game in which the girls made a circle and all the volunteers were inside and they have to hit us with a ball , whosoever gets hit is out , didn't understand?? let it be. The point is I was the winner!( Irrelevant I know)
After this it was tug of war  which was a flop show as most of us ended up laughing our hearts out instead of helping the respective teams.

With Geeta JI and the Angel

This sums up what we did but I haven't yet explained what we felt. I have probably never ever felt this loved , not even by my own family , the girls would just come and sit next to me and hold my hand, few would just hug me and then there was this  youngest sweetheart who was actually in my arms for an hour or so. I just didn't feel like letting her go ,her embrace put me to ease.
They were trying to explain me something, few chattered in Tamil and tried hard to make me understand , few in Telugu and I tried my best but they were still not disappointed , maybe they felt it doesn't matter if I didn't understand but what matters is I listened to them. All the volunteers felt the same , the girls were so warm, none of us felt that we were meeting them for the first time, they would ask when we''ll come next and I wanted to say wish I have the option not to leave.

It was overwhelming, we were loved thoroughly. We never take out time and do something as small as this, few of us don't know such thing exists, few of us don't have time and many other reasons but what we don't realize is if we go and meet them, talk to them we are not doing them a favor, they are , by making us feel loved and blessed , they ll embrace you in a way no one has ever  and its Unconditional.

Do it sometime. You will realize what you are missing on in life.

Anamika with the girls

P. S -Join this group if you are interested in being part of all the love https://www.facebook.com/groups/khushiyann/?fref=ts