Like there is no Tomorrow

Sometime in 2004 A movie titled ''Hum Tum" was released, nothing special about the movie but the hairdo the actress had left me with an urge to have it 1 day. 10 years , yes after 10 years I finally did it!! The thought came a zillion times and every time when I went for a haircut but who had the guts. The sweet habit of listening to everyone , weighing the risk of looking like a disaster along with no confidence to carry the look made me wait forever which was precisely 10 years!

I wonder what got into me this one fine day and I just wanted it, people suggested me not go this short all of a sudden but to experiment intelligently but I tried to  turn a  deaf ear to all the suggestions.  Booked an appointment, downloaded few pictures and headed straight to the salon. Look at my guts or stupidity , I didn't even go to the regular salon, rather the one I never visited but just heard.

The hairstylist was a cool woman in her 30s,I showed her the pics and asked for suggestion( couldn't resist) and to my amazement she said@ Lets do it. I asked her same question million times even when I knew I wanted it bad .As I begun to get cold feet she made the first cut and my heart skipped a beat , I thought its a heart attack but clearly it was not( pun intended)!!

She asked " Are you gonna cry "? I Replied " Not here, maybe at home", she laughed out loud, 2 more cuts and it was all gone ( maybe for good), only a lady would understand what I am talking here. You take years to grow those 3 inches of hair and in seconds they are reduced by more then 6 inches! That day I realized what is the fear of unknown, the uncertainty and how much can it affect one.


You see, its no big deal cutting your hair short, it would grow back in few months or years maybe, but the fear associated , the fear of unknown, the fear of looking like a mess , the fear of  getting your confidence crushed and fear of being mocked , the fear of not doing the right thing, it all stops us from doing a lot of things which might fall under the the category " Un-Do-able" . But frankly speaking there is no such thing.  No, I did not get enlightened by getting a hair cut done, I just realized a fact I should have realized long back.

And I do not want anyone to wait for a decade for such a thing.

Consequences - Don't bother about them, they are better then unfulfilled desires.

You want to get a tattoo, get it done, what to shave your hair , who is stopping you?? travel alone ,why not??? want to quit your job, do it today. Go on a trip with unknown people, pick up a hobby you feel you are too old for, go learn a dance form with a bunch of teenagers.
A very wise friend once told me " There is no Right and No Wrong". The path/ thing you choose is Right.

Stop waiting for tomorrow , or the right time for the right thing.

Cant resist sharing this quote:

“Tomorrow is promised to no one.” ― Clint Eastwood

"Just to Motivate you"

Share your story in the comments!!

LITER of LIGHT

I remember seeing a fb invite for  a workshop on installing solar Bottle Bulb in houses, and now I can’t figure out the reason for missing it.
NO regrets as a friend of mine ( Tripti Raj & Pankaj Dixit)  started the same Initiative also known as LITER OF LIGHT in Bangalore .

 Their 3^rd installation in Bangalore and I was part of it. Something about L.O.L as we call it. Liter of light is a global initiative which aims at providing economically sustainable source of light to underprivileged household’s .It involves filling up a 1.5L PET bottle with purified water and bleach and installing it onto the roof of a house. The water inside the bottle refracts the sunlight during the daytime and creates the same intensity as a 55 watt light bulb. With the correct installation and materials a solar bottle can last up to 5 year .The idea of using plastic bottles for daylight was first pioneered by Alfredo Moser from Brazil in 2002.

Sunday early Morning:

My alarm was set for 4.15 am but I was wide awake at 4am, excited to see how this thing works, have only seen in videos and Photos. A team of 10 volunteers, 4 experienced and 6 new headed to an underprivileged area in Benson Town to spread some light. We were welcomed by Muriyamma and crowning roosters. The settlement had Pakka houses with temporary roof-tops,  drowsy kids and adults who came out to see bunch of intruders clad in blue uniform carrying bright color equipment boxes.

First house that we were assigned was a small room with an attached small kitchen area, I noticed a single bed, few utensils, a sewing machine and a very happy lady in her 40s.The room had no light  if the door was shut. So our experienced Volunteers Tripti, Pankaj Sir and Hardik got to work while rest of us watched. One installation takes anywhere between 1.5- 2 hours minimum.  An initial assessment is done to see if the  Solar Bottle bulb would do any good or not followed by a quick inspection of the roof.

Men/Women at work finished the installation by 9 ish and the aunty treated us with hot tea in yellow colored mugs. I noticed her grinning from ear to ear as she entered her house. She loved it :)  And so did we :) I was amazed to see how  people managed to  lived with limited resources and still be happy. Met a family that had 9 members and stayed in 2 small rooms, their latest addition was a 5 day old baby who slept peacefully in a swing made out of an old sari. 
As we explained few curious onlookers it was time for the 2^nd installation.

With it came an opportunity to finally try my hand. It was a humble house where a family of 4 lived, what amused me was the no. of utensils they had. The walls were adorned with couple’s marriage photographs, bunch of colorful glass bangles and lots of teddy bears .And guess what, they had an induction stove!!

We assessed the house and decided to install the bulb in the small kitchen area that had no light at all. At 9.40 am, we got on to the roof, arranged our equipment and cleaned that area. While my 2 beloved friends cracked some jokes on ME, Hardik drilled the roof for us. After the drilling was done, we used BTI pliers, a filer to enlarge the hole that could accommodate the Bottle. The hole has to be precise so the bottle fits in perfectly and there is no gap. The Bottle is prepared few days in advance and is glued to a piece of fiber sheet .As we sweated profusely trying our best to make that perfect hole in the roof we could hear Bollywood songs playing in distance ,it was a good substitute for otherwise annoying jokes.

''Shining Bright like a Diamond''

The next step was to place distilled water and chlorine filled bottle in the hole, fill the gaps with SIKa glue, gloves and our love:) It was done!! We were too excited to come down and see how it looked (I have seen the bottle bulb already but this was my-our very first installation) And there it was, shining bright, filling the small room with bright light and at the same time  filling  our hearts with happiness and content. We got ourselves clicked with the beautiful Solar Bottle Bulb and relaxed for a while. I was awestruck by the hospitality we recieved. They left the door open so that we could sit in and relax, while they sat outside, served us with cold drink as we finished the task .How many times have we opened the doors for complete strangers???

 As the other team was busy installing the 3^rd Solar bulb I roamed in the narrow lanes of the establishment, got to peep into few houses as their doors were always open and couldn’t help but notice the following things. Few of the houses had Tile Flooring, most of them had at least 1 TV, Steel Utensils looked like their prized possessions, cats were preferred over dogs as pets , floor of the houses were spic-and-span and  every family had at least 2 kids.

Hungry and tired, 3 Installation  and 6 hours later  we called it a  day by rubbing petrol on our hand( just to get rid of SIKA glue) and by filling our stomachs with super delicious food at  IMLI humming few of our favorite old Hindi songs.

Join us Next time and this experience can be yours!

Be part of L.O.L( Liter of Light) @ Liter Of Light Bangalore

On my Longest Train Journey

I started series of travel for the year 2013 with a train journey and ended  it on the same note. Train tourneys are fun and now have become more comfortable compared to the times when we were kids. But they are fun if you have company, in-case you are travelling long distance and you are alone , you just committed a big mistake that you going to regret till the time you don’t board the train again.

Here's something I penned down during the 36 hour long Journey:

Night 1:

I rushed to the station scared of missing the train.My mom did. Last time.Thanks to Bangalore rains and traffic.Even if you leave your home 2 hours in advance there are high chances of you missing the train!!!

But as I kept 2.5 hours margin I was right on time , yes, right on time.

The 2^nd thing people of our age pray and hope for is interesting people on the next seat after all you have to bear them throughout. There is nothing more disappointing then irritating company 

So I entered the bogie mentioned on my ticket, the chart wasn't put up yet so I was all apprehensive . I prayed hard for no families with babies (for they cry endlessly), no newly married couple ( for they make you feel you are incapable of this feeling called love!! yes they do) , no old people ( anyone beyond 60 , they share their experiences too much ) and no noisy bunch of guys.

God wasn't  in a mood to listen to me this day and I had all the people from the above mentioned category, a lady with a 4 year old kid ( replaced the baby but still a a mini human ,that too one who can talk!!!) , and gang of 8 guys!!! I felt like jumping off the train but it had started already………..

The train  starts and people struggle hard to adjust their luggage, figure out the final destination of each other and Exchange berths!!

Its 9.30 pm , the food has been served and the entire place smells of  sambhar and chicken and later on ice-cream.Finally, sheets are spread , births open and I can hear lot of snores.. What a relief..No noise, no food smell ..Finally a moment of peace in the train. Well not really , I have company of 3 different snore sounds!!

Day 1:

My Morning was an early one as  the mini human got up at freaking 6 am and started a conversation full of questions with his sleepy mom . I put some cotton in my ears and doze off again  to be woken up by the attendant  only to realize all other 7 people have eaten and staring at me!

So Breakfast is done.

I feel like hours have passed , I look at the watch and its just 10!! Just 10 am… The same bunch of noisy guys start playing cards,they have occupied most of  my lower  berth, it looks like they have given me the space out of courtesy while it is actually my seat!! Now you know why I dislike them???

I take my bag and move to an unoccupied upper birth to drown in the world of music and to pen down my chronicles of train-nia.

Its again time to eat something.There is never shortage of food as its served 4 times a day, more then I eat at my home.The place has become a mini theater as the boys have played R- Rajkumar and put up speakers. Around 15  people are  watching the movie including me!!

Finally the train stops at Bhopal which reminds of the time I am left with , just 12 hours and I will be In my darling city( Delhi).

I join the noisy bunch of guys for UNO to utilize some time and by the time we get tired its meal time yet again, My nose has got used to the same smell and taste already! Dinner is over, we are exhausted playing UNO and its time to hit the bed/birth the last time for this journey.

As I have spent my afternoon sleeping it’s a big struggle to get some now , the Mini walkie talkie has gone , I actually talked to him and became friends , he kissed me goodbye.. I am not that bad either!!

Lights have been switched off , sheets spread once again  , Snores remain the same.

Morning 3:

Reached my beloved City and very much on time!!

Well the journey wasn't that bad , just got a good stomachache , got bored like crazy, befriended a Mini Human and watched R Rajkumar ( YES I did).

So u see, they aren't that bad…but I  hope its my last long train journey… ALONE

Hows your experience been???

Adieu 2013

Recently something new popped up on my fb page , I am sure  same happened to all of us who make sure to check fb at-least Once in a day( hour) and Never miss on such features . On the left hand side of the profile page a small tab was displayed that highlighted 2013 in BOLD and Read ''See your 2013 year in Review'' . Now I was curious and Damn I wanted to see my 2013 year in Review! A click and  there it was!! All the 12 months ,each with a photo or a status update ,it did get back the memories of all those events and a glimpse of kind of thoughts I had this entire year.

Funny isn't it, I remember myself cribbing how a certain month is not getting over and other times Cribbing as to how fast a month got over ,the only constant thing was Cribbing/complaining!!! And its Mid December already ,15 more days for another year to get over and another one to start. The funny thing is no matter how bad the year was we always wish for another good year , obviously we should do that, after all its HOPE we all live on.

I clearly remember 31st eve of 2012, the dress I wore to the party I attended , the dessert I relished my taste-buds with, the music to which I danced or the HOPEs I had from 2013, I even remember the resolution I made on 1st January 2013 while driving down with my flatmates!! And while I was trying to fulfill the resolution with utmost honesty  its already time to analyze if I did some justice and strain my brain for a new one!!

12 months or 365 days and now when I look back I cant even recall one complete hour forget a day or month. But the Moments. The people. The emotions . I clearly recall these.
Ever wonder how fast the time flies by??At-least the good time.I hope 2013 was eventful for most of us. Few might have got  a new job, few got their dream girl,  lots got married or engaged,  few had their first baby , traveled the place they wanted,  got their first job, lost someone, fell in love, had a breakup, won a lottery, started a hobby , lost 10 kgs or as simple made someone smile.  All of us had share of happy moments and  the sad ones, lots of ups and downs and memories to cherish .

Now

Its time to retrospect the year 2013 , learn from the mistakes , feel content of our achievements , relish the new friendships, remember the people who walked away and finally Bid adieu!!

Its also time to foster new hobbies ,make a new TO DO THINGS LIST , meet new people, Be happy , spread some happiness and Welcome 2014 with HOPE ,warm hugs and a Sonreír.

                                                         '' Hope Smiles from the threshold of the year to come,
                                                                   Whispering 'it will be happier'...''

GO GREEN GO CYCLE

Few months ago I went on my first cycling expedition, read it here 40 Something Cycling Trip and after a few months wait  GO GREEN GO CYCLE Vol 4 happened to mark Children's Day . This time in association with Buzzintown , Magnifique public school to support "One Tree by One Person" and
OM ASHRAM to promote Mehfil- E- Yaaran. Lots of associations I know!!!

The starting point was Madhavan Park  in Jayangar and destination was Magnifique Public school on Kanakpura road distanced at 18 kms which didn't look unrealistic this time! The cycling enthusiasts assembled almost on time , hopped on their rented , borrowed and owned( exceptions are everywhere) cycles and started off . Unlike last time I knew everyone , almost everyone , from good friends to volunteer friends to acquaintances . I actually did know most of them.

The journey to the destination was more or less same as we took the same route starting from Jayanagar via Kanakpura road , the difference this time was the company. With most of the people cycling after an average of 15 years ( last time when most of them have cycled was in 10th standard) we reached fairly on time without any casualties( Ameen!). Magnifique school is nestled on the Kanakpura road amid lots of greenery and lots of open space. We were welcomed by Mr. Moiunddin , loud music, drinks( Non- alcoholic) and light snacks .
As people in their late 20's and 30's and 40's were celebrating Children's day it was time to actually get back to school. The classes started with Nursery Rhymes and well ended with Nursery Rhymes, you see its not easy to deal with such people in such critical Age Group. We did have a class on JOKES , yes you read it right but kids our age hardly know good jokes so the reference was Wtsaap .
As the  kids started to get restless , the easiest way to keep a hold of them was to let them dance. And oh yes hell broke loose . Indians can dance anywhere  and on any kind of music till the time it is loud and got some random beats , lyrics don't matter , NO not for us.
Well all of us thoroughly enjoyed . Few enjoyed shaking the leg ,the rest enjoyed watching those legs and arse move .

It was time for drawing session. Most of them picked up their favorite crayon colors, pencils and white sheets and got down to real work to produce a master piece of art.The outcome was not at all bad and our own Pablo Picasso and Paul Czeanne did pretty well. Here is a glimpse!

 As part of One Tree by One Person initiative we planted lots of saplings and the major attraction for me was dirtying my hands in mud ( it always feels good, doesn't it??)

As we eagerly waited for lunch we discovered an old deflated football , what else do we need??? 2 teams of 8 each was formed , goal post was set and positions decided . We  ran all across shouting goal goal even when the ball was kicked some 10 meters away from the goal post, hardly followed the rules and left no chance to increase the score by multiples digits!! Though our team won by 3-1 ..just a fact!!

The game was called off as the lunch arrived , the hungry  exhausted kids were served with some delicious Indian food packed by Brown Bag.
 It was time to pose for some group photos , say our goodbyes and leave for few more arduous kms of cycling.

While coming it was downhill and we just sat and cruise through the roads. the real tough time started now. With sun at its peak, our stomachs full and to add Uphill ,within few minutes we were sweating  , puffing and stopping every 2 kms.
After 3 breaks ,  few tender coconut down we decided to load the cycles and ourselves in the truck. Total distance covered was 25 kms , we were satisfied. 7 of us squeezed in the truck with the cycles and ended the trip at CCD with coffee mugs in our hand over a round table discussion.

It was just another Awesome Weekend with Awesome People for an  Inspiring  Cause.

Are your weekends fun?? Like OURS!!

This Diwali

For the past 7 years I have never missed diwali celebrations at home , the festive spirit up there cannot be missed which comes with the added advantage of spending some time with Family ( which is not much these days!!). But this time  for various reasons it didn't seem viable to go home , thanks to my good friend for getting married few days before this festival and stupid company policy that would force me to take a vacation in December. I was apprehensive as to how it would be, no family, no close friends and no Rajasthan.  But it turned out to be the most memorable Diwali . Here is a little account of the celebrations!!!

27th October -  With Sambhav Kids

Well yeah, for me the celebration started a week in advance.3 organizers , 50+ volunteers and 50+ kids and staff came together to enjoy bunch of activities and share a meal together. My first event as an organizer with 2 more beautiful people took place on this fine day. With the love and support of so  many people the event was a true success and we achieved what we aimed for.The kids thoroughly enjoyed the storytelling , the magic show , the gifts and the delicious food cooked by all the volunteers..And we enjoyed the company of those kids , the energy they spread and the happiness they bestowed us with . Saturday couldn't get better then this.
It was a kick-start to the festive season!!!

Million dollar smile

1st Nov - Need Base India 

An old Government property where 60+ angels live. When I call them that trust me they are nothing less. It was my first visit here, I enter the premise and hear lots of chattering , I look for the room and here they are .
I am welcomed by the sweetest " Hi" from at-least 10 of them , as I approach few of them they blast me with all the innocent questions . I try to remember their names as they improve my broken kannada.
As more volunteers arrived they got hold each one of them and made sure to make them smile with their non stop chattering . We played games, did laxmi pooja , relished the snacks, lighted up the place with diyas, candles and love, burst crackers and got the warmest of hugs. While I put nail-paint on their little fingernails they surrounded me and blew me away with their charm.
These girls loved , hugged me so unconditionally that even for 1 moment I didn't feel I was meeting them for the first time .As i got ready to leave the place they made sure to give me a goodbye hug and in return asked  to come back soon.
You should come with me and meet these girls, they are the most beautiful creation of God.

3rd Nov - OMASHRAM

Well without a doubt I love this place and hence we decided to do our 2nd event here.Volunteers arrived on time and it was worth seeing their enthusiasm, Luru definitely got the most enthusiastic and committed volunteers. My few artist friends got down to work and made beautiful rangoli while I did my job of filling in the color the worst way( I am awful at it).... the rest decorated the room with ribbons , arranged stuff,clicked photographs ,  got the diyas ready and Me?? well , I just monitored and encouraged them :)

With the help of our donor friends we sponsored sweaters for the all elderly's :)
The evening was spent chatting with the ajjis, lighting the place with diyas , hogging on sweets and the most delicious set doasas with chatni , being responsible for the all the noise and sound pollution and having a gala time with the all awesome people . And oh yes, posing for the camera!!!After all we all got dressed in ethnic wear :)

This was definitely the most special Diwali I had till date with amazing people and for the most beautful people.
I learnt the meaning of true festive spirit and that  happiness doubles up if you share . You just need to take out some time and you will be showered with love ,laughter and more lOve.

"Meet the Volunteers"

 I bless the day I decided not to go home.

Mallu LAND - Munnared

3 friends and roommates for 2 years  packed  their bags and left for the much awaited trip to Munnar. The scheduled departure at 11.50pm was delayed by 3 hours to our dismay and the bus arrived only at 3 am leaving us irritated and much delayed .Journey from Bangalore to Cochin takes approximately 10 hours and from there we took a bus to Munnar , these are local buses and you can hop onto one every 30 minutes.
 They will take you through the rickety, broken roads that lead to one heaven on the earth , the ride howsoever bad is worth the potholes and random breaks every 2 minutes.
After approximate travel of 15 hours , damaged legs ,aching backbone we finally reached the destination, it was 5pm in the evening, we were suppose to reach by 2 pm!!

The Hotel though had the word Resort in its name was nowhere close to a resort and located in the main city area, the picture on cleartrip and otherwise showed no structure anywhere next to the" RESORT" but there was anything but hotels lined up, i was dejected but my 2 optimist friends liked it and we settled in with hot bhajjis, french fries and innumerable cups of various kinds of Tea.

Morning started with not so good breakfast and search of a Cab with a good driver obviously which lead us to Munanr town which was 10 minutes walk from the Hotel. the Town center is not so big with all the major shops for spices, tea ,chocolates located here, the bus, taxi and auto stand. They were celebrating Ayuda also known as Dushera in most of the parts of the country and to mark the occasion all the vehicles, the taxis and autos were decorated profoundly with leaves ,garlands and lots of loud music which was capable enough to blast off your ears and patience in minutes time.
Our search lead us to Mr. Simon , a very soft spoken ,helpful, generous person which we only discovered during the trip. He would wait for us for hours at few points and wont complain, would click pics , he even suggested us to watch kalari which we would have missed otherwise. A true gentleman in every sense who made us like Mallus( not that we didn't like them beforehand)!!

One  can visit  lots of places around Munnar and everywhere they would handle you a 2 page pamphlet which will give you the 3 alternate routes and options to spend your day . The major attractions and suggested places are Anamudi Peak, Top station ,Echo Point ,Kundala Lake .

There is a point know as  "Elephant arrival Point", Its like any other point but going litlle further we  discovered the most picturesque view . Lakeside amidst the mighty mountains and while we dipped our feet in the water relishing the sun playing hide and seek with the clouds in a no noisy tourist scenario we felt how blessed we are! Mr. Simon obliged and was patient to wait for us without any complains.
The next stop  was at a  street side market that was stretched for more then a km and catered to all the needs starting from food stalls, local wooden and other decorative stuff, coffee stall, local homemade chocolates . We filled our stomachs with plates of maggie, Mirchi bhajjia and hot tea!! What a filling meal it was .

As we moved further on the mountains and the height increased ,little droplets of water welcomed us with a spectacular view of the tea gardens , we have never seen so many shade of green altogether, wherever we looked it was either mountain slopes covered with tea plants or sky rocketing coconut tress, Mr. Simon en-lighted us with the fact that 75% of the estates are owned by Tata Group though not even one billboard of Tata  anywhere. Top Station is located at at 6,170 ft offers offers a panoramic view of the majestic Western Ghats and the valley of Theni district. , you cannot stop but gaze at the beauty , the beauty with which all the mountains are placed , the creator is surely one hell of an artist!! We found out that you can also camp near top station , I am surely returning to this place to camp for few nights. After spending good 45 minutes we still didn't feel like leaving but Elephant ride and Kalari awaited us!!

We bid goodbye to the mountains and hopped on the 15 year old Julie aka elephant who offered us 15 minutes adventurous ride , we treated her with pineapples!!

Next stop was Kalaripayattu show  which was awesome with dagger , aerial fights, jumping through flames , it did leave us in aww of the art and the artists. Kalaripayattu is an Indian martial art from  Kerala and also one of the oldest in existence.  We said goodbye to our Cab driver Mr simon with heartfelt thanks.  Shopping at Krishna stores for homemade chocolates, lots of spices and dry fruits and the that  completed with dinner at Guru's supposingly a famous restaurant which didn't get famous with us!!
Don't waste time going to Hydel park ,just a name and sheer wastage of time !!

Good ,fun-filled 2 days were over and it was time to hop onto one of those Red buses and head to Cochin. With a heavy heart ,packed lunch and a refreshed mind we boarded the bus .  The trip concluded once we boarded the bus back to luru .

Key points to Note if you are planning a trip to Munnar:

1. I will suggest taking a local bus from Cochin - Munnar - Costs just Rs 70 , gives you an amazing view and you wont feel mountain sickness!!
2. If you want to relax, relish the mountains dont stay in the town area!!
3. Atleast plan a 3-4 day trip to Munnar
4. Dont miss Kathakali and kalari
5. Don't book Kallada tours and travels ..:(

Its one Place you shouldn't miss if you are in South India, its definitely Heaven!!