Words

Like many of you, even I have had bad phases in my life. Summer of 2012 was bad, February 2013 was worse and I can’t even begin to talk about April 2014. And you know what happens when you have series of bad phases? Yes, you get sick of it! You want to have a magic wand that just paints everything merry. Sigh, it never happens. So, like one sane soul said - things won’t change unless you do. I did what was needed, I changed myself. One fine October evening last year I decided that whenever things would go bad, I will start doing something productive to shift my focus. Hence, my first 30-day challenge started. I took the challenge to cook 30 different breakfast items. It worked out pretty well. I wanted a distraction, something that kept me busy and happy. It did all that and there was a bonus. After completing the challenge I realized, now I will remember November 2014 for something good, not for the agony I was facing. As the saying goes - life is what you make of it. Before taki...

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Remember the scene from ‘ Jab We Met’ in which Kareena was stranded in a small town Ratlam when she missed her train? She marveled at the narrow lanes and lifestyle of that small town, and points how she always wondered when she passed through it. Being an avid traveller myself, I totally related to the scene. Whenever I travel to a major tourist destination, I love to take a detour to such small towns and get the feel of those quirky lanes, laid-back life and local attractions. I did it when I went to Manali. I stopped at many towns enroute, drank tea at tea-stalls and explored their marketplaces. And, there are certain small towns that have caught my fancy for many years - one, because of its Bollywood reference and others, because my father. Every time he came back from his official trip, he narrated his experiences in detail. As a child whenever I heard, ‘ Jhumka gira re, bareilly ke bazaar mein’ on radio, I sketched Bareilly in my mind, specially its market. I always...

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Who doesn’t like a gorgeous piece of jewelry? A chic pair of earrings for everyday use, a cocktail ring to complete that party look and a traditional necklace to flaunt at a wedding. I love every aspect of jewelry - buying, gifting, shopping, window shopping, browsing the catalogs and my favorite pastime , surfing online jewelry stores. You see, I like to keep myself updated with trends and I am always on the lookout for new stores. New stores - that have fresh designs, better deals and sell authentic jewelry at reasonable prices. In my list of favorite stores the latest addition is Candere. Last weekend, while I was searching for online jewellery shopping in India , I landed on Candere. I must say, they have a large and stunning collection on their site - from jewelry for everyday wear to classics, from gold bars to custom-made and from solitaries to gemstones . I am currently searching and saving for bangles and there are plenty of designs on their websites. Though many of ...

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Look around yourself when you are on a traffic signal. What do you see? Amongst the sea of vehicles, we can find many street children who are devoid of any future - selling knickknacks, begging or wandering on the roads. We all pour oodles of sympathy, but the truth is most of us lack the vision to do something constructive for these children. Children, whose future is bleak and directionless. There are times when I am overwhelmed by such sights. There is an urge within me to do my bit - sponsor a child’s education, contribute to a #scholarship or teach such children for free; and be a part of their magical transformation. Sadly, I am not able to contribute much. Our country has the largest number of illiterate adults in the world, which makes me wonder - we have to do all in our power to change the course of future. We have to educate our children in order to grow as a country. We need to do something ‘out of the box’ to bring education closer to those who can’t afford i...