Let's go home

"I forgot to bring my red slippers. You know, those are my favorites. Let's go home."

"You left them behind so I packed them in your bag. Here, you go."

"Oh!....... My medicines aren’t here. You know, I can't go anywhere without it. Let's go home."

"Checked your room before we left and I packed it for you."

"Oh, ok....... I think I forgot..... "

"Mom! You'll love this place, I promise. New friends, nice place, fun evenings. It does feel like home, doesn't it?"

"No matter what this old age home provides, it can't give me a son’s love."

**Written for Write Tribe's Saturday Prompt**

Yours' truly,

                    **Linking to the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and BlogHer - NaBloPoMo**

Dancing my dream

This post was picked as a WOW post by BlogAdda in the Write-Over-the-Weekend initiative ! :-)

“Dance is the hidden language of the soul.”

– Martha Graham

Source : Google Images

She craned her neck to take a better look. The hall was bustling with people. Mainly children. As she carefully descended the side stairs, one step at a time, she noticed how the stage gleamed in front of her. Everything was huge and grand.

From the flower decorations adorning the walls of the stage to the hanging banners of the institute’s name. From the never-ending list of sponsors to the countless trophies neatly arranged at the base of the auditorium.

The lights were soft and dim but the crowd was overwhelming. So many kids – girls in particular, from all ages and all walks of life. It took her several moments to accept the fact she was part of this grand event. That she had lived to witness this day. She draped the red silk sari around her shoulder and reached the foot of the long stairway.

“Hello Teacher!” Someone called out from her left. It was Anju, one of her senior students. “You are early. Didn't anyone escort you from the entrance?”

“No, that’s fine. Don’t bother. I am here to help you all with the preparations.” The teacher said with a caring smile.

“Absolutely not !” Anju reprimanded the teacher. “You have taken care of us enough all these years. Now it’s our turn. Have a seat here and just enjoy the function. I’ll send some refreshments right away.”

The teacher was seated in the front row, right at the centre so she could watch the event peacefully with no peaking photographers or videographers.

Source : Google Images

Meanwhile, junior girls flocked around her showing off their classical dance attires and jewels. “Teacher, see my new dress. Teacher, is my hair ok? Teacher, we need your blessings.” The teacher carefully attended to each one of them with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.

Thirty minutes later, sharp at 6PM, the function commenced. The hostess of the evening started speaking.

“Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen and a very warm welcome to you all. We are present here this evening to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of our classical dance institute – The Little Steps. But before we go any further, I would like to call upon our chief guest for this evening. In fact, the word ‘chief guest’ would seem so small when we talk about this individual’s contributions and achievements. This person has been the reason we all are gathered here. If it wasn’t for her guidance, we would have never seen this day. Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in welcoming onto the podium, our very own, loving and caring – Teacher.”

The teacher got up from her seat and turned to the audience with folded hands. She bowed slightly to thank everyone for all the love being showered on her. Standing in an ovation, the entire audience filled the auditorium with their clapping. The glow on all of their faces seemed to increase by the second.

As she made her way slowly and steadily towards the stage, her senior students escorted her. They helped her climb the stairs leading the stage.

The clapping increased as she walked her way to the centre of the podium and smiled. The hostess said – “On all our behalf, I would like to profoundly thank you Teacher for coming here today and blessing us with your presence. Please, please we want to hear so much from you today.” The hostess made way for the teacher to come over to the mike.

The teacher walked over to the mike and spoke slowly in a soft voice.

“Thank you everyone. I am truly humbled by this love and affection. Today is indeed a special day. But this day is more special for me than you all…… Do you know why? Because today’s the day I met you all. I thank God that He made me fortunate enough to celebrate this day with you – my students.

“50 years ago, I had a vision in my mind of how I want to open a dance institute, how I want to preserve this art and teach it to my younger generations, how I want to help students connect with their souls – both musically and spiritually. If it weren’t for the numerous people who helped me in this journey all these years, this vision would have remained unfulfilled and this 80-year-old woman would have died much earlier.

“Today, I want to speak to you and tell you certain chapters of my life; I want to introduce you to certain people who helped me in the birth of this small institute…..”

**This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.**

**This is a story which evolved as result of my dreams for this week's BlogAdda prompt. I dream of opening my own classical dance institute and take it to soaring heights. Thank you BlogAdda for making me think and realize my dream.**

Yours' truly,

                **Linking to the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and BlogHer - NaBloPoMo**

What are the 'pebbles' in your shoe?

Write Tribe has come up with an interesting prompt to blog about today. The prompt is based on a book called - The Pebble in the Shoe. 

Source : www.vidyasury.com

Basically each one of us carries pebbles in our shoes. The pebbles here signify certain thoughts and emotions. From time to time, these pebbles get instilled into our mind and we begin exhibiting these emotions as part of our normal behavior. The key is to help identify which pebbles reside in your shoe right now and how do you overcome them.

An excerpt of the book has been provided by Vidya Sury on her blog - Going-A-Musing. Go on - check it out. I am sure you will find it interesting.

The basic pebbles are identified as follows - 

Source : www.vidyasury.com

So this week, Write Tribe encourages us to retrospect and find out for ourselves – What are the pebbles in our shoe? What obstacles are we trying to overcome right now?

After looking at the chart, I realize there are 4 pebbles stuck in my shoe.

1. Fear – I fear the unknown. Would I be wrong in guessing that most of us would find this pebble in our shoes? We don’t consciously let this pebble into our lives. I believe situations make us vulnerable to allow the pebble in. When life takes me down unexpected twists and turns, I fear the path up ahead. I fear the destination. I don’t like to state this but sometimes life does make me a pessimist. And that’s when I need my family and friends to be by my side and tell me – ‘It’s going to be ok.’ To overcome this pebble, in the recent years I have tried to change my outlook towards events so as to remove the occasional pessimism from my life.
2. Anger – For those of you who read this space will know that overcoming this pebble is one of my goals in 2014. Anger – don’t we all exhibit it? I have come across very few people who don’t show anger in their lives. Even if it isn’t anger, we do express disappointment when things don’t work out the way we think them to be. Some possess suppressive anger while others possess expressive anger. Mine has been a combination of both. There are occasions when I let people and situations get the better of me and the result has been my anger. Well not any more. If the reason and person matters, then anger is inevitable. But if both reason and person don’t matter in my life then I have decided to slowly and steadily put away this pebble for good.
3. Frustration – This has been an occasional visitor in my shoe. While people crib about bad places, roads, customer service or even bad people behavior, they tend to get frustrated. I, on the other hand, don’t get frustrated by these reasons. I get frustrated on my own action. Many a times in life, I have trusted the wrong people in life. The outcome has been a deep back-stab for me. I realize I need to prioritize such people in my life. Although I feel frustration is not bad always. I believe that getting the frustration out helps me to remove it from my system. That way, I don’t suppress my feelings or bottle it up.
4. Worry – Isn’t this an interesting pebble because accept it or not, we all learn to live with this one. Don’t we worry about our families, friends, jobs, government decisions even our health. At every point in life, we worry. In my case, as meticulous and organized as I am, when things go haywire, I get worried. Life challenges us at every step and as inevitable as it seems, the ‘worry’ pebble gets into our lives.

Writing about this week’s prompt gave me an opportunity to assess myself and made me realize that I need to constantly work on my pebbles in order to improve as an individual.

Tell me, what are the pebbles in your shoe? Do share your thoughts and views.

Yours' truly,


                 **Linking to the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and BlogHer - NaBloPoMo**

One Journey... Many destinations...

My eyes scour the place for a seat. But let’s face it – it’s rush hour. Millions of people take up this journey in this city, with the hope of earning their bread. It doesn’t matter who hails from where. It doesn’t matter what the profession is. Here, all were alike. Pensive passengers lost in translation. There’s no difference once you board this train - the train of hopes and possibilities.

I finally spot a place to sit. Once I land on the seat, all the other eyes focus on me and scan me from head to toe. Just like how a new animal entering an old territory is examined. I ignore the gazes and adjust myself in my seat. Even though it’s a short journey, every passing minute seems precious.

The stranger eyes return to whatever it is that they were doing prior to my entry. I feel relaxed as the spotlight is now off me. But my gaze starts its search among the crowd looking for answers behind every face.

She holds close to herself and looks out of the train. She finds the passing scenery cool and relaxing and hence decides to snooze a little. The book on her lap lies open and dog-eared on a page. She seems to be a student studying hard to accomplish in her exam. Maybe these few moments of siesta will help her focus better. I wish her an ‘All the best’ in my heart and look on for another story.

She seems rock hard on the surface what with the stern face and carefree look. She opens her bag and takes out a paper. Once she is done reading it, she folds it half way through. The upside down words read out – ‘Time Table for Half Yearly Examinations’ and I quickly figure out her profession. She snorts a breath and packs the sheet. As the train approaches the next station, she grabs her bags and vacates the seat.

My eyes fall on a married woman next who seems petite and scared. She twitches the handkerchief between her fingers as she looks out of the window. The cool breeze and the rain drops from outside seem to keep her amused but her eyes recite a different story. She wells up and swallows a lump in her throat. But neither I nor the others in the train are capable of unraveling the mystery in her life or the tears in her eyes.

The last woman I notice is a lot older than the others. She rotates the rosary beads in her hands and I quickly glance at her face. Her poise and tranquility make me envious. How can a person seem so happy? And then my eyes fall on her lap which holds a brochure for an old age home. Happiness does rely on the perspective of the beholder. She happily alights from the train and walks to her destination – either to help others or to help herself from her entire family.

As for me, my station arrives and I am ready to leave this small mobile world where everyone has a different story to recite and a different day to live through.

**This is just a recount of my experience while traveling by train. The above is a streak of my imagination.**

Yours' truly,

            **Linking to the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and BlogHer - NaBloPoMo**

Adding a creative touch to my life...

After a long day of work, how do you prefer to unwind ? 

Do you read books or listen to music or do you enjoy a peaceful evening by doing nothing ?

Whatever maybe the profession, we all need to destress from time-to-time. The stress that comes with every job today demands all of us to take a break and spend some quiet time. 

I have come across few workaholic people in my life who prefer to only work. No destressing, no relaxation just achieve corporate milestones and look forward to more of such accomplishments. It makes me wonder how work can be the only activity in their life. But I am sure there may be reasons best known to them for such choices in life.

If I was a given a chance to choose an alternate profession, I would love to explore my creative side and nurture it for life. Until a year ago, I used to work as a software professional. No doubt I enjoyed my work. It gave me independence, financial stability and obviously a sense of satisfaction. But I still yearned for something more. 

At times, work used to get so crazy that I would look forward to a destressing weekend. Back then, my options would be either to watch a TV show/movie, go to dance classes and workout vigorously or read a book.

When we were kids, my baby bro and I were enrolled into countless competitions - poetry writing, recitations, general knowledge quizzes, essay writing, dance, music, painting and what not. These helped pave our paths, find our passion and inspired us to excel in it. But somewhere down the line we lost ourselves in huge stacks of books and exams to never write a poem or paint a picture.

For over a year now, I have been fortunate enough to indulge myself in various creative ventures. These activities have kept me busy before and after baby girl's arrival. So much so that I am considering taking a break from the corporate world to discover newer pastures, to move out of my comfort zone and explore the opportunities.

Here are some of the activities that I have taken up after a break with the perspective to add a creative touch to my life -

• Classical dancing - I have written about this before and here it is again. When I look back now, I see how dancing has evolved from a mere hobby to an interest to a die-hard passion. Pursuing this art has been a constant factor in my life so far irrespective of geography or profession. Thanks to my parents' vision of getting me trained in this art form since the age of six years, today dance is more than a passion. Today I want to move ahead in this field and evolve personally from a dancer to a teacher. I want to help spread this art form to the younger generations and acquire a deeper satisfaction.
• Writing / Blogging - This blog has given me a chance to revive my writing skills and it inspires me everyday to keep improving it. Writing poems has helped me express my words better - something I couldn't have expressed better with long essays. Imagining fictional scenarios had helped me understand myself - how would I react if I was in that situation. Reading all your wonderful blogs has inspired me to keep this space alive and not push it to hibernation.
• Knitting - I don't remember if I ever touched my knitting needles after my home science classes at school. Last year, during the pregnancy I made a pair of baby booties, a blanket and few winter/summer caps. All thanks to my long lost knitting knowledge.
• Painting - When we were expecting the baby girl last year, I would always envision decorating our rooms with colorful cartoons and bright shades. As planned, right before the baby shower, I was able to sketch some cartoons to adorn our boring apartment walls. 
• Reading - My reading had taken a downhill last year so I decided to take the Goodreads Reading Challenge 2014. Out of 25 books for this year's challenge, I have completed 7. I know I know, I am behind schedule but I plan to catch up in the coming months.  
• Singing - Time and again, I started learning from my mom but the lessons never proceeded beyond the basic notes. So this time, I am determined to progress further and take a plunge into singing. God bless those who hear me out !

So tell me, what's your take on exploring your creative side ? 

How are you adding a creative touch to your life ? 

Yours' truly,

                 **Linking to the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and BlogHer - NaBloPoMo**

Travel tips: Infant on board !!!

This post was picked as a featured member post in the Family topic on BlogHer.com

Source : Google Images

Vacation planning for couples or singletons usually means shopping for new attires, packing all essentials, planning trips or outings, and checking off items on their must-do lists at the holiday destination. Travel time during flight journeys or train/bus rides is leisurely spent by watching movies, listening to music or reading books.

Add a baby to the above definition and we have an exponential shift. Vacation planning now means, shopping for only baby stuff, packing essentials, packing essentials and more essentials, weighing bags countless times to ensure you haven’t crossed the allowable airline limits thanks to all the packing and last but not the least, throwing out only your stuff from the baggage to make place for….. yeah, you guessed it right….. for baby’s stuff. Travel time is now dominated by the baby and if you get to sleep, that’s a bonus.

Time to sulk and panic, right? Wrong. Not all vacation-planning or travels with an infant need to be disastrous. Let me share my experience with you.

Earlier this year, the hubby and I discussed how our baby girl needed to meet our families in India. It had been 6 months since the baby’s arrival and our families were getting impatient to see the new member. The hard part of our discussion was not the decision making itself; rather it was the acceptance of the matter that I would have to travel alone by flight along with an infant, thanks to hubby’s prior work commitments.

Panic city struck me big time. So much that I was having nightmares about the 24 hour travel from US to India. But things worked out for the best and it didn’t seem so bad in the end. Sharing my take-away points from this experience –

1. Things will work out for the better – Since the hubby wasn’t traveling along with us, I was at stress forever about how I would manage with the baby. How am I going to take a washroom break? Who is going to help with lugging around of the bags? My questions were answered when a week before my travel, my next-door neighbor from US also decided to fly with her baby girl in the same flight as me to the same destination. It was a relief knowing that I won’t be traveling alone on the baby’s first flight journey.
2. Your hand/cabin baggage should be smartly packed always – Airlines normally allow you to carry an extra cabin bag for your infant. So if you think getting to carry an extra bag will solve all your problems, then you are wrong. Ask me - ‘cause carrying an infant along with 2 cabin bags and a purse is an impossible task. I made the mistake of packing excess stuff into my cabin bags fearing the baby may require this and that. Relax! There was stuff in my baggage which my 6-month baby never demanded during travel. Oh yes, never carry a book. With an infant, did you really think you could read during the long journey?
3. Don’t carry a laptop in your cabin bags – Yes; I made this mistake as well. This being a long vacation for me and baby girl, I wanted to bring the laptop along. So between deciding if I need to pack it in the check-in or cabin bags, I chose the latter and repented it big time. You don’t want the trouble of taking it out and packing it in between security checks at airports.
4. Expect unexpected surprises – Picture this: You have an infant and heavy cabin bags. So you thought bringing along a stroller (car seat included) would ease your pain. You can rest your arms from all the heavy work and your baby can sleep peacefully, right? That’s true…. Unless the airlines decide to break your sole travel mate. That’s what happened to me. After the first leg of the journey, when I received the baby stroller – the cup-holder was broken off. Which meant, I couldn’t place the baby seat on. So imagine my plight – having to deal with an infant, 3 cabin bags and a broken stroller ? My neighbor was my savior who lent me her stroller when her baby wasn’t sleeping in it. And packing a baby carrier for such times always helps.
5. All babies don’t fuss about flight travel – That’s right. When I come to think of it now, I realize how worried I was about how baby girl would deal with all the traveling till we reach home. On the contrary, she was a sweetheart. She only demanded her regular feeds and slept for most of the journey. So don’t worry, your baby wont trouble you as much as you picture it in your head.
6. Lastly, don’t forget to enjoy the experience – Even with all the little mishaps, we were given priority with special care at every place so don’t stress yourself about the travel. If all baby travels went off perfectly, you won’t have a story to tell right ? ;)

Did you or someone in your family travel with an infant? Do you have any take-away points to share ?

Yours' truly,

**Linking to the Ultimate Blog Challenge for July 2014 and BlogHer - NaBloPoMo**

My moment of fame...

This post was picked as a WOW post by BlogAdda in the Write-Over-the-Weekend initiative ! :-)

"Who is she ? A fan or an ex-flame ?

I jumped at the headline. But the colorful picture below it made my day. The first page of my morning newspaper had never felt so heart-warming. It made me feel elated. It transported me back in memory to the earlier day and it's turn of events.

---------------------

Standing outside the elevator of the corporate building, my mind went into a tizzy of thoughts. 

"Yup, it's official ! I am never attending late night parties. Else how would I ever turn up in the same work attire as yesterday for today ? To add to my woes, of all the days in a week, the meeting had to be scheduled for today. Who wants a meeting on a 'Saturday'? IT'S WEEKEND, for Pete's sake. When I get promoted as CEO in........ God-knows-how-long....... I'm declaring a ban on all Saturday meetings."

The elevator arrived at the lobby, putting a stop to my galloping thoughts. I entered and fidgeted through my bag for the sales report. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, a tall man entered in a brown suit. 

We were 2 floors away from our office level when the elevator decided to suddenly jerk and stop in a limbo.

"Oh, c'mon ! We are nearly there." I yelled at the doors at the top of my voice. I am very mellow otherwise, you see. Just as we stood gaping at the floor indicator, the gentleman decided to speak.

"Hello!"

It took me a moment to look at his face clearly and identify him. Was I dreaming ? Or was my hangover from the earlier night so terrible that I had begun to hallucinate ? Either way, my question was answered when I gained my composure. You see, it's not everyday that Dan Brown walks into an elevator and greets you. Yes Dan Brown, the famous author !

While I stood dumb-founded with an open mouth, Dan took a second glance at me and repeated - "Hi!"

I gulped quickly and returned a quick greeting - "Hi ! It's so nice to meet you."

He flashed a smile and looked away at the indicator. And I stood right next to him, looking for words to say. When I finally garnered my tongue (and some guts) I said - "I am so sorry I didn't notice you earlier. You see, I am running late for a meeting." Once I began, there was no stop to my rambling.

"Sir, I just wanted to say that ..... I'm a huge fan of your work and I profoundly admire you. Your book, The Da Vinci Code, changed my perspective of historical fiction. I have read all your books and I must say, each one has been a unique masterpiece."

"Thank you. It's always nice to meet a fan." He said. "I'm sure you will enjoy reading my next novel - Inferno. In fact, you must come for the launch to be held today."

"Wow, I wish I could but I've this meeting that I have to attend." I told him with a sulking face. "If you don't mind, can I take a picture with you ?"

"Oh yes... why not ?" He obliged.

My trembling hands brought out the phone to start the camera. As I held my hands high above our heads, he held me close with his right arm making me go weak in my knees. This was going to be my best selfie ever !

I clicked the snap and right at that moment, the elevator jerked back to life with its door opening.

Dozens of shutterbugs clicking their cameras stood outside the elevator, which blinded me. Dan stepped out, turned around to give me his dimpled smile. I smiled back at him mesmerized by his charm

----------------

I found myself smiling again as my recount ended in my mind and my eyes landed on the picture. The front picture of me and Dan Brown posing for a selfie made me feel proud. Maybe going to the office on a Saturday wasn't so bad after all. When I turn CEO, I am keeping the Saturday meetings. 

Who knows who I'll run into the next time ? ;)

**This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.**

**This is a fictional story which evolved as result of my imagination for this week's BlogAdda prompt. I admire Dan Brown's work and truly wish to run into him one day.**

Yours' truly,

Live like there’s no tomorrow

           It's 6 in the morning. He looked around with innocent eyes.

          

          “Where should I start from?” he must have thought.

Source : Google images

         Only a loose pair of shorts adorned his waist, even then he walked upright with a small broom in his hands. He couldn't have been more than 7 years though his life may have seen well above what a normal 7-year-old would witness in a life time. He had a small build but the twinkle in his eyes shone brightly even from a distance.

          

           After looking on both his sides, he chose the side away from me. A couple of steps ahead and he bent over to start his chore – more like his job.

         

           Sweeping in to-and-fro movements he stopped after a couple of times only to head over to my end and begin sweeping again.

          

          Once he chose to stop sweeping anymore, he walked up to the opposite end and stretched out his hand, this time to a fellow passenger – asking for money.

          

            He earned a few coins from the handful of train travelers and walked up to my end again.

          

          My dad handed him a 2-rupee coin which he graciously accepted before continuing his routine with the co-passengers.

            

           “Give him some more, dad.” I told my father. When dad gave him a 5-rupees in total, my mom called out to the little boy one last time and said – “Good job on the sweeping. The whole place is so spick and span.”

          

            Off he went towards the exit door of the train. He counted  the coins at hand and stepped off the train when the next station arrived.

          

The little boy had gone but he triggered an ocean of questions within me.

          

“Did he get enough money?”

          

“What food would the money buy him?”

          

“Why isn’t he in a school right now?”

          

“Where is his family? Rather does he have a family at all?”

          

“Do all of them ask for money in local trains regularly?”

          

            Seated in a train compartment with a 9-month old baby on my lap, wondering how life seems fair to some and turns into a struggle for others even for everyday survival, I thought about this week’s BlogAdda WOW prompt – “What if today is my last day on this planet? What would I do today if I knew I have no tomorrow left?”

          

The answer was right in front of me. Donate a part of my savings to sponsor an under-privileged child who needs financial support to live, to eat, to survive and most importantly, to learn.

          

                I may not be able to resolve this social issue on my own but if everyone donated to charity (irrespective of how big or small amount), our contribution would be so much higher and bigger.

Even though free education is provided all over the country today, a massive section of the society still choose to send their grown-up kids to ask for money in local trains and on streets, to acquire income for their survival.

After today’s experience, expensive gifts and getaways to foreign destinations don’t entice me as before knowing that I can help bring about change in a child’s life makes me feel proud and gleam with happiness on my last day of survival.

As I jot down these obscure thoughts, I realize it’s time to leave with a goodbye but also knowing the fact that someone, from somewhere will be happy for a better tomorrow.

Yours' truly,

**This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.**

I wish I could...

Source : Google Images

I wish I could soar high into the skies,

Away from reality, into a different humanity.

Treading on soft, white clouds – blithe and naive,

With a fleeting glance of the earth passing by as a stream.

I wish I could see past this fickleness,

To look clearly at life the way it unfolds.

To behold and comprehend, to devour and endure,

Some may call it a mystical journey; I call it an unanticipated jaunt.

I wish I could stroll deep into the wilds,

And remain captivated and enthralled by nature.

Admiring the plush greenery and dancing to the rhythm of the forest, 

Isolating my mind from all careless thoughts.

Source : Google Images

I wish I could live entirely in this moment,

To disappear into solitude – mind, body and all.

To surrender myself and not worry about consequences,

To gaze into the future and await a better tomorrow.

I wish I could gather all my past memories and live in them forever,

Breathing in and breathing out the very essence of my life.

A better cohort I could not ask,

A stronger confidante I would not want.

I wish I could etch this story so true,

This experience of being and feeling alive.

I would inscribe it entirely on my heart,

And leave it thus open for the whole world to see.

I wish I could be a better me,

Go into the past and obliterate those times,

When people were misunderstood or when I was,

When epochs were changing or when I was.

Yours' truly,

My second Liebster Award !

It took me by surprise when Anmol Rawat, a fellow blogger, nominated me for my second Liebster Award. The reason being, I wasn’t expecting it. The blogging world has kept me awestruck and fascinated with the range of articles and its network of talented bloggers worldwide ever since I joined in 2011. Most importantly, it has helped me build my own world of favorite bloggers who have, in the process, turned into friends.

When someone from this amazing world shouts out to you with an award, you feel ecstatic for having been noticed. Thank you Anmol Rawat. I owe you one. J

Rules of the Liebster Award (taken from Anmol’s blog post) –

If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award AND YOU CHOOSE TO ACCEPT IT, write a blog post about the Liebster award in which you:

1.     Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.

2.    Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”. (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post.)

3.    Answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.

4.    Provide 11 random facts about yourself.

5.    Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 1000 followers. (Note that you can always ask the blog owner this since not all blogs display a widget that lets the readers know this information!)

6.    Create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.

7.     List these rules in your post (You can copy and paste from here.) Once you have written and published it, you then have to:

8.    Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster Award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!

My answers  –

Q1. What makes you venerable?

Answer. People say I have a good memory. Telephone numbers and faces are kind of easy for me to remember.

Q2. Paperback or EBooks? Why?

Answer. I would say, both. At home, a paperback is what you’ll find my nose deeply perched into. While on a journey an eBook is always easy to carry in terms of quantity of books and portability.

Q3. If you are given full freedom for 24 hours and you can do anything without any consequences, what will you do?

Answer. Get into a famous bookstore and rob them of all the books that I wish to read.

Q4. Have you ever felt Déjà vu? When?

Answer. I have always experienced déjà vu from time-to-time right from my high school days. Although it was hard to understand or explain it back then, the last time I had a déjà vu was in 2013 before the birth of my daughter.

Q5. Do you think that India should work more towards the growth and development of mindsets rather than technology?

Answer. India has been and continues to be a traditional society. So mindsets have ruled us for so long but now it’s time to give technology a chance. Many of our age old processes need to undergo improvisation and that would only be possible with newer technological findings. In order to flourish as a super power country, our primary investment definitely should be in technology.

Q6. Have you ever felt anything supernatural? A brief explanation would suffice.

Answer. Yes, more than once. I will share a recent experience. Of all the possible meanings that could arise from the word ‘supernatural’, I choose to pick the words – weird, bizarre or mystical to describe this word so that it fits perfectly in my scenario.

Recently, I had to visit the US consulate in India for a visa thing. I reviewed my forms a million times to avoid any last minute pandemonium or goof-ups on the D-day. But as you would have it, sometimes things are bound to go wrong even if it isn’t your mistake. So right before entering the consulate, the officer checking my documents finds a mistake in my form and asks me to print a new copy with the correction included. Now, since the consulate is located in an upcoming industrial area, the vicinity wasn’t very well developed so you can rest the idea of a cyber café existing there. I was sure that the finding for a cyber café would make me miss my appointment time.

But as mystical as it gets, just as I was walking away from the consulate entrance, a gentleman approaches me and tells me that his cyber café is right up ahead so we need not worry ourselves with the form correction. Since none of the existing crowd seemed to head any way other than consulate, it seemed a little skeptical to trust a complete stranger but as he correctly stated, his cyber café was indeed located some 200 yards away. He promptly helped me correct the form, print a new copy and emailed me the corrected form in case I needed to check it using my phone. As a result I ended up on time for my appointment back at the consulate with no worries or tensions in my mind.

Q7. What is your biggest fear?

Answer. Being alone amongst family. Mind you, family here doesn’t mean your parents or siblings. I’m talking of feeling alone in a big crowd of people who are your cousins, uncles, aunts and the likes. If family isn’t with you always, then that was never your family to begin with.

Q8. What is your biggest obsession?

Answer. I am an OCD freak so cleanliness comes naturally. Not to forget being meticulous and organized about everything in life.

Q9. If you could go in the past, what would you like to change?

Answer. I would like to change some of my statements I made to my near and dear ones in the past due to frustration or anger. Apart from this, I also wish that I hadn’t helped certain friends who just turned out to deceit me in the end. But thanks to the change in their nature, I was able to judge them correctly and stay away from them.

Q10. If you found out that your pet is an alien morphed into the creature, how will you react?

Answer. Then that explains why my dog is having adjustability issues with me since I landed at my parents’ house. She likes to growl and bark at me at every instance. So much so that I remain captivated in a closed bedroom only because my pet wants to wander like a lion in the rest of the house. How would I react ? Let’s just say I am not amused and need my freedom back. (Pssst…. I also want the alien to be sent back to its planet soon…. )

Q11. What is the most beautiful dream you have ever seen and remembered on the following morning?

Answer. There was one particular dream I saw last year. The dream started with me feeling very sad and overwhelmed about the things happening around me. I became restless and couldn’t hold my tears back. That’s when this gentleman appeared from nowhere and whisked me into a comforting hug. His touch seemed to soothe me. His golden words were – “It’s ok dear, everything will be fine.” I remember waking up to this dream feeling hopeful and positive. A sudden rush of optimism surged all over my body and made me want to see that person in my dreams again. In real life too, we need someone like that who can make us stop for a second and give us a warm hug to assure us that in the end, it will all be fine.

Random facts about me – I have posted about this earlier. Click here and here.

My questions for nominees -

Q1. If you had to give up one of your personal favorites forever (like a favorite fruit / food / belongings), what would it be ?

Q2. If you could have one superpower, what would it be ?

Q3. Who has been your biggest inspiration in your life ? Why ?

Q4. If you could choose to view one of the world’s most historical events, which one would you choose ?

Q5. Tell us one goal of your life you are working toward.

Q6. Jewelry or money ? Why ?

Q7. What is one song you cannot get out of your head ?

Q8. If you could bring back one dead person from your life (like a friend or family member), who would it be ? Why ?

Q9. Name the happiest moment of your life so far.

Q10. A day trip to a big bustling city or a walk in the countryside ?

Q11. And last but not the least, how long did it take you to write this post ? ;)

Blogs I nominate

1. Purn!ma Prabhu
2. Absolutely Not Sure
3. Red Handed
4. Rainbow Hues
5. Journal of a Bookworm
6. Bingo
7. Any Excuse to Write
8. Maya

Go on everyone. Let's see your answers come through !

Your's truly,