Mom knows the best #Myfirstexpert

It was Mother's Day and I called up my mother to wish her. I have never considered Mother's Day only as a specific day to express anything to my mom. It has always been a day when I never failed to wish her. May be, just to keep up with the trend . I happened to see this video on Woman's Day, which is yet another day that the world celebrates. I feel, that everyone is celebrating it just for the sake of celebrating womanhood. Probably, we should be considering everyday as Woman's day or Mother's day. I was Googling these key words just to know what the world thinks about these special occasions when I came across this video. The video has been beautifully made. A message that a woman gives to her daughter. It made me forget about every question I had in my mind just minutes ago. My eyes moistened even before I could complete watching the video. I was missing home and foremost my mother, whom I call with lots of love- ' Amma or Mummy.' ( It has been the same way from childhood days.)

I am married for almost two years now and I have moved into a different city permanently away from my parents and my hometown into a new family. I am going to start another part of the vicious circle of womanhood, just as my mother. I have been away from home for pursuing my higher education after school. It has been ten years that I been away from home and from my parents. I have hardly stayed continuously with them for more than three months. I feel that once a woman enters into the marital phase she starts relating herself more with her mother. That is because she has seen her mother being that way from childhood.

I missed my parents in hostel and also when I was staying alone while working. But I started missing my mom more when I got married. Whenever I come home after work and sit outside in the verandah sipping a mug of coffee, I retrospect about my life. I enter my house unlocking the door only to look at the empty house. Multiple thoughts run in my mind. I am transported to those times when I used to come home from school only to be received by mom. Even now, post marriage when my parents are home, I am welcomed home with a warm cup of coffee made by my mother.

My school days used to start with a cup of coffee made by mom and it was always that way. No matter how tired she would be or how busy she was I always made sure she gave me a tumbler of coffee( that is how coffee is served in South Indian families). I could do anything to help amma during the day, like cooking, cutting vegetables, running errands for the house or cleaning the house but I wanted my coffee to be made by my mom. I waited for my first morning coffee even if it was given to me at 10 AM. The coffee sometimes was not as warm as I wanted and had less sugar. I complained about less sugar in my coffee still I wanted her to make it for me. Sometimes she got so frustrated with my morning coffee tantrums that  she once told me, " If you want more sugar then make it yourself." Despite all this I forced her to mix even the extra sugar and then give it to me. I would demand all this even when I came home during college breaks. Slowly situations changed. Now , I have to make coffee not only for myself but also for family and I cannot throw tantrums at anyone. I come home in the evening and make coffee for myself and have it alone.

I miss even making coffee for my mom. Whenever they come home I make sure I take out time to make the evening tea for my parents. My mom always complained that I never made good tea just because I didn't like it. To be honest, I never made good tea until two months before marriage. Only when I got to know that I had to sometimes make tea for my husband, did I start making good tea and also started enjoying sipping a warm cup of tea. On a lazy Sunday morning I wake up thinking mom would give me a cup of coffee. Soon, I am brought back to reality that I have to make one not only for me but also for my husband and even for my in-laws if they are here. Although my husband makes good coffee and at times surprises me in the morning, I can't really throw tantrums saying that the coffee is not adequately hot or has less sugar. I go to the kitchen myself and adjust it  according to my taste. Oh!! Even while I am writing about this I am missing the coffee connection I had with my mom. 

The hours of gossip with mom were always a turn on. It could be anything under the sun. I remember coming from school and discussing everything about the happenings of my day even without changing my school dress and continued this until we completed lunch while watching those daily soaps with high TRP's . Now, I don't even feel like watching any interesting soaps(if there do exist good ones)because I don't have my mother for company. My dad shouted at us for gossiping so much while having lunch and watching television at the same time. That is why my mother always waited to have lunch with me. That's doesn't mean we never has disagreements or arguments. We still have. They are mainly related to my clothes. I always ran to her for selection of the dress that I should be wearing for any occasion. In childhood days she decided everything for me. When I grew up, I selected and she used to approve. Then there came a time when she left me on my own to decide but, the confused person that I am, I made sure I gave her three options to select. The irony of the situation was that I never used to wear what she selected. It seldom matched with the choice I had in my mind. She used to get irritated and yell at me saying, " Why do you even ask for my opinion if you have already made up your mind to wear something else?" I used to smile shamelessly at her and give her a loving look only to show that it was just asking her that mattered to me. On many occasions I did listen to her and we came to a common decision. Oh God!! Dress selections are so important for women. For my marriage everything was decided by my mother and I. I was very happy with the selection of sarees, jewellery or even slippers that I wanted as a match to wear with each dress. I was so confident that I even left the gold jewellery selection to her and I was not even a bit disappointed. In fact, our relationship had become just like best girl friends. I had the freedom to even select a hairstyle for her and also the sarees that she should be wearing for specific occasions. Marriage has changed a lot of this because there is a permanent physical distance. I do call her up on phone and seek for her opinion. She practically remembers about all the sarees and dress materials that I have. I listen to her these days. I tried out the same with my husband. I give him multiple choice for selecting any dress that I should wear for any occasion and finally end up wearing what I had decided. He has repeated the same dialogue as my mother did. The only difference was that he swore not to select any dress for me again because I never went by his choice. I was probably looking for a motherly quality in him and I realized later that I was expecting too much. Mom will always be mom. Always so forgiving and loving. 

I have felt the same way as Deepika Padukone feels in this ad. Though I have never ended up late or ever had a lifestyle with which my parents had any complaints. But, I have made them worried many times.

I just wish I could gift her one such beautiful necklace some day. My mom is always worried about my health and my skin. She keeps complaining that I never take care of myself and I have always neglected my skin. Whenever there were any boils or pimples on my skin, mom always had a solution. Even if it took her the effort to take me to a good parlour she would do that. Even now when I Whats App my pictures to her, the first thing she notices is that my skin is not glowing, that I look sleepy eyed or bloated and I have lost the colour on my face. There might be multiple reasons but she has just one question, " Are you happy?" I laugh and I reply to her but I know deep down how concerned she is about me. Till date whenever she reads a home remedy beauty tip she preserves those paper cuttings and reads them out to me and if I don't follow her instructions, she gets upset. She always packed a homemade face pack when I left for college after holidays. Now that she is unable to send me face packs so often, I get instructions over the phone to make it by myself at home. I forget at times but when I remember to make one. Mom is always there to guide me. 

I had jet black, thick, silky and straight hair when I was small and still have some of it left thanks to the natural hair conditioning that my mom used to apply on my hair. Every week she used to apply oil for me and very patiently give me a nice head massage. I miss it the most; as from ten years there is no one to do it for me. At times when I miss a hair oil massage I end up going to a salon but no one can re-create mom's magic. I have asked my husband for help but innocent man, he doesn't even know how to apply oil for his hair properly, how could he apply it for me? I was just expecting too much from a simple man. The realization just keeps sinking that no one could give the feeling of warmth that mom  can give.

My mom suddenly contracted an incurable but controllable disease. There wasn't even a genetic connection. She suffered with Psoriasis and she is still suffering, without a proper cure. Sometime she used to cry in pain and I never understood the reason for her grief when I was a child. 28 years back there wasn't any cure for it and neither were there any discoveries in medical science which could find a potential cure for this disease.  Despite all this my mom never left any stone unturned in my upbringing. I don't remember now exactly how she did it but I have faint memories of her sufferings. Foremost, was helping me in maintaining my silky hair. Mom knew it all and she did everything. As I grew up I started realizing that behind all the normal things, she was enduring extreme pain. She went through a physical, mental as well as a social pain. At times she used to feel extremely low about herself because of her disease condition. As her disease started progressing from acute to chronic, her bones and joints started getting affected. Her condition went from bad to worse and she had permanent deformities in her small joints that could never be reversed to their normal shape. Even with all that pain she did apply oil and did a relaxing hair oil massage for me. Initially she used to do it for more than half an hour but now if she does it beyond ten minutes her finger joints start paining. I know she is having a problem but I still ask her to continue for five more minutes just to make her feel normal. 

There were many such situations during my school days when she refused to come to collect my progress report card from school or attend any of  my award functions at school; mainly because she had lost her confidence due to her health conditions and she was withdrawing herself from the people around. Social life did suffer in such conditions. I felt sad at times thinking that my mom couldn't accompany my dad for such functions. I used to come back and tell her that she should have come as all my friends' mothers' also came. She used to smile and tell me, " I am not lucky enough for you. I want you to do good in life. I don't want anyone to ask about my health condition. It gets very embarrassing." These words still ring in my ears and my eyes well up with tears. It took her years to get out of that insecure feeling. She still travels to that mode at times but over the passing years life has taught her to be more confident and positive. I could somehow convince my parents to attend my graduation function despite having many family commitments. It was a major milestone in my life and I wanted them to be there. This time my mom was more open and confident. Thanks to her self confidence and the medicines which made her feel little better.  I remember the same situation when I see this Ad. 

My parents wanted me to be an engineer but I chose to become a Biochemist. They were initially not too confident about my career options but when they saw me complete my higher education with flying colours they were carefree. That was when I started getting cold feet and they seemed to be pretty chilled out. I was worried about various job options after studies and went crazy searching for jobs. Mom was a sport that time. She boosted me with extra confidence.

Her prayers during my exams and results, her sacrifices for me so that my studies don't get affected, her staying up late at night to listen to my school presentations, oral lectures and also listen to all those chapters of History that I had learnt by heart cannot be forgotten. Even till my 10th standard board exams I made her listen to history lecture notes. She sat with me at times burning the midnight oil just to make sure I didn't need anything. 

She was a part of my job hunt too in the initial days when I was looking for internship opportunity in my hometown. I got a secure job as a Biochemist and I was working for almost two years. Even then she was a constant reminder telling me that I needed to look out for better job opportunities. If she found any Ad related to my career interests she would take a note and send me the links. She made sure that I applied in all the sectors. Her dream was to see me working in a government sector in the health science field where I could have a secure job and I would be able to do service for others. She pushed me to keep looking for better opportunities rather than slipping in my comfort zone. She did all this even though she had no clue about my subject. It was just her interest for me that made her scan through newspapers and articles in magazines just to look for a better job opportunity for me. She wanted me to work in a research based government organization and told me to try applying there regularly. There were many posts available during a particular vacancy. I knew I wouldn't be selected but still she told me to apply. I did not get through the first time . She told me to visit their website again and again. I missed one such opportunity due to my negligence. That was when I realized that it was a great opportunity that I had missed. I started taking her words too seriously. I was on the outlook for a job daily and finally one day the right opportunity knocked at my doorstep. I applied for a post where I could be eligible and also could submit the application within the last date. I got my call letter one day and my happiness knew no bounds. My parents came home just the day after I received the offer. That day my mom received another letter telling that my interview had been postponed. She got a bit dejected but I was happy that I had time to study for the interview. I got the job in fifteen days and when I showed my offer letter to my mom her happiness knew no bounds. She told me to get into this job even though it was paying me less. I didn't think twice and took this bold step with utmost support from my husband. The day I joined work there my mom called up and told," Didn't I tell you that you would get it here?” My job was for a fixed tenure and a temporary one but the happiness in my mother's voice makes me work with extreme motivation even today.

Just like mine every mother is special for their children. No matter what mom does she is always the best. She has always been the #MyFirstExpert for her children. I have different memories which I share with my mom and they are really close to my heart. What is yours? Don't you relate yourself and feel nostalgic and emotional when you see all these Ads?? Mothers' are always there for us. Wish I would be able to play the same role when I become a mother. 

This post has been written for #MyFirstExpert contest on IndiBlogger by Godrej Expert on Mother's Day. 

Do check out their website for the product http://godrejexpert.com/single_used_pack.php and the interesting commercial which yet again shows the bond shared by a mother and her daughter. 

Champi for Mummy

Probably the creator wanted one individual in each family who was always there for the family, a person who took care of the needs of the entire family, someone who could manage and hold everyone together, could bear innumerable pain to give birth to a new one and extend the family, one such soul who is selfless and full of love. The almighty wanted to bring someone as strong as him on this earth. That's when he sent Eve in the form of a woman who later on would take the role of a mother. From then on every family has a mother. I always wonder seeing my mom that how could she be so selfless? I would also be a mother in the future but I have this question in mind- Would I ever be able to be like my mom? I agree that they are the hormones post childbirth that helps a woman to mature emotionally and become stronger. The bond that is created between a child and his/her mother makes mothers be selfless and extremely loving. Giving birth to a child is not easy and also managing the family along with a growing child. We all are so attached to our mothers that we know- anything on this earth mom has a solution for it. We grow up eventually and there comes a time when we might have more knowledge that our mother but she is the one who always knows the best. 

In the modern day scenario women and being given more opportunities and with a good family support system mothers in families are trying to juggle between professional as well as personal lives. That doesn't mean that their responsibilities reduce. They have an additional responsibility of taking care of their career interest along with personal life. It has always been a mother in the centre of the family and the entire family around her is dependent on her. She has to divide the pie chart of her life equally in order to manage a family peacefully. 

Like all mothers my mom has been the pivot for our family. That doesn't mean fathers are any less but a family is dependent on a woman no matter how modern they can get. No one can eliminate a woman from their lives who later on will become a mother. My story is different because my mother had to undergo physical hardships just after my birth. She suddenly contracted an incurable but controllable disease out of nowhere. There wasn't even a genetic connection. She suffered with Psoriasis and she is still suffering without a proper cure. Sometime she used to cry in pain and I never understood the reason for her grief when I was a child. 28 years back there wasn't any cure for it and neither were there any discoveries done in medical science which could find a potential cure for this disease. Despite all this my mom never left any stone unturned in my upbringing. I don't remember now exactly how she did it but I have faint memories of her sufferings. She never made me feel that she was suffering; Right from getting me ready for school, packing tiffin for me, waiting to have lunch with me, giving me whatever I need, taking me out, staying awake at night with me so that I could concentrate on my studies, worrying and praying for me while I wrote my exams, sharing my tensions during exam preparations, worrying when I went out alone, had a strong heart to let me go to another city for higher education only to make sure that I become successful. Her gesture of waiting outside the gate when I came home for holidays, making a list of all the dishes I like, talking on phone for hours together sharing her feelings and most of all helping me maintain my long silky hair; mom knew it all and she did everything. As I grew up I started realizing that behind all the normal things, she was enduring extreme pain. She went through a physical, mental as well as a social pain. At times she used to feel extremely low about herself because of her disease condition. As her disease became chronic from acute her bones and joints started getting affected. Her condition went from bad to worse and she had permanent deformities in her small joints that could never be reversed to their normal shape. It was that time when she started refusing to even oil my hair. She couldn't even comb her own hair and make plats. I helped her till the time I was there at home. When I went to college she couldn't do everything alone so she was forced to cut her hair short. I felt deeply affected when she had to cut her long, silky straight hair short. There was no one to even apply oil in her hair. Post marriage I feel even worse that I was staying away from her. I miss doing things for her. 

Since I have got my hand on Parachute AdvansedAromatherapy oil I thought I could relieve her of her tensions and also massage her hair when she always used to do for me. It was time for me to give her a nice hair oil massage that would help her feel relaxed and calm. It was the right time for me to create a situation for her just like the times when her mother used to oil her long tresses. Her hair is still short but I hope that I could help her maintain the current length. I will ensure she will not have another chance to cut her hair shorter and be unable to maintain it. Hair oil massage is scientifically proven to increase blood circulation in the scalp and also relieve tension. When we massage the scalp with hair oil, blood flow increases in our blood vessels that are present in the brain. As blood flow increases it allows more exchange of nutrients and oxygen. The stress causing hormones like cortisol and epinephrine increase. Proper blood flow helps in reducing the levels of these circulating hormones and increases endorphins. I had read in some research articles that reducing stress could help my mom feel better and her medical condition would also improve. The amount of stress she has taken for all these years is nothing compared to what I would be offering to her but I could be slowly helping her release all that has been built in from 28  years. She deserves every bit of this relaxation. Since this oil is available in different fragrances like Lavender, Rosemary and Bergamot, I would choose the one she likes and feels the most relaxed with. I would prefer doing it twice a week so that she relaxes and feel fresh despite her physical ailments. Wishing this could help in improving her condition because research says that Psoriasis management can be done well by leading a stress free lifestyle.  This could be the best possible and easily accessible way to de-stress my mother. The number of pills she has popped from year together would someday affect her system. De-stressing would reduce the risk of side effects due to medications. Whatever it takes I want to see my mother relaxed and happy with herself. She has become so withdrawn and less confident about herself that she needs to be relieved of all the worries. I wish I could get ten percent of the strength my mom has got to endure any kind of suffering. 

“I’m blogging about why my mother needs to de-stress with a Parachute Advansed Aromatherapy Oil massage for the #StressFreeMom activity at BlogAdda.”

Image courtesy : www.google.com 

Finally!! Airtel makes life easier.

I have been using Airtel network on my mobile since 2005. Airtel network has been very friendly with me in Tamil Nadu as well as in Karnataka. I could manage to be well connected always with my parents when I was in hostel. Even now, I am using the same Karnataka number which I got in 2008. There were problems with roaming connectivity when I travelled in the train to my hometown during college holidays. My parents got worried endlessly and I waited for network zones to inform them about my whereabouts. In 2008, the network connectivity improved and I could stay connected while travelling with my folks at home very well. In 2012, once I moved out of my home town again for work, I still didn't want to change my network. That's when I started getting many benefits through Airtel offers. I could travel without worrying about connectivity problems. Slowly my problems started differing when it came to Airtel. I was bothered about recharges. Initially the only option to recharge phones was through scratch cards or some Airtel recharge boothw/shopw. Since Internet has taken confidence over everyone, people forgot recharge shops and started recharging online. I used to stay in a place without a proper Internet connection. I started going to a local recharge shop where mobile phone recharge was done in minutes. Those times I used to always have problems calling up home because of ‘0’ balances. I used to wait for the next day until a recharge shop opens and then I got to recharge my phone. Slowly Wi-Fi and easy net connectivity forayed into everyone's lives by 2012 so as mine. I started recharging online. Seven months ago I used to struggle to recharge even through their website. It used to hang many times showing 404 errors. I used to get charged from the bank but recharge never happened. I also use Airtel Broadband at home. There was a time when I had to wait for a week to pay my Broadband bill. We even raised a complaint on their website. The issue was solved in a couple of days after their response. 

In 2015 they have introduced the new website which seems faster, easier and simpler. I haven't faced any problems so far. Hoping it remains the same. Now, because of the Airtel Loan facility and easy Internet recharge I don't bother about zero balances ever. I was happy thinking about the revamped Airtel website when they introduced us to their My Airtel App (http://www.airtel.in/myairtel). It is certainly making me feel more confident about Airtel now. I don’t even have to go to my desktop or laptop to recharge. I have it handy with me. All I need is an Airtel 3G balance to recharge my phone. Phew!! It has given me such a relief. 

I can only say that I am loving it!! I logged in and they say that I am a ' Platinum Member'. 

I can get to know my balance easily without typing or sending any codes. It saves me so much time. I struggle with recharges but now it will just be a click away. I can view different offers instead of calling up customer care and waiting in call center queues to know the best offer for the day. I can easily store numbers which I want to recharge frequently. If I use Airtel Money then I can buy products also buy recharging my wallet. 

With every recharge there are offers. Who wouldn't want a voucher or a discount coupon? I frequently keep recharging my phone as I spend a lot on talking to my parents at home. I can get to know the day to day STD calls offers and recharge accordingly. I get a bonus voucher for recharging. The offers are also useful, like on Pizza Hut, PVR, CCD, Flipkart, VLCC etc which form a part of our regular lifestyle these days.

Airtel seems to take you by surprise also. I shake my phone and there are multiple offers with promo codes exclusively for my phone. Offers and discounts are so elusive. Who wouldn't want to use them?

I can also save names and numbers to which I need to recharge frequently and set as my favourites. Every time ' I want to' Recharge for those I have to just click. Their payment gateway is very secure so I needn't worry about my account security. They allow card details to be stored also but it is secure.

Now Airtel will not allow me to go to '0' balance. It will alert me whenever I have low balance and force me to recharge. 

I am enjoying the App and I am also sure that there will be more surprises for me in store from Airtel. What are you waiting for?? Download the My Airtel App right away and don't forget to check out their page http://www.airtel.in/myairtel before downloading the App. 

Ek Nayi League- Revolution in trading!

The videos of Kapil Dev talking about a different kind of cricket must be making everyone very impatient. All cricket fans would like to know what is this all about. I was also confused looking at the short fifty second and one minute videos which were posted on Ek Nayi League website. Guessing by the video where Kapil speaks about a different kind of cricket, I feel it is not about playing cricket but about playing a game in a very different way.

The line where he says," Itne din saare khiladi dil se khelte the, par ab dil se khel nahi sakte." This could just mean that the kind of game which he is going to introduce is not just about playing with our heart and soul but it is about technicalities. Any player who wants to be attaining success by winning these kinds of matches should know about the theoretical as well as the practical aspect of the game. One cannot win just because luck favoured the player for that day. If we play with just the heart and with anxiety may be a bad shot can be ruining us. I feel that Kapil would be training celebrities on such aspects.

#EkNayiLeague would be about finer aspects of trading which cannot be won easily. Players would have to struggle to get past such a game. There would be strict rules yet they would manage to ensure that players know how to handle such a game and they play it the right way. Money games involve the mind and not the heart. If one's mind is not focused while dealing with money and trading money it could create major losses. Kapil is helping the common man who has the knowledge and the money to invest in the right stocks and trade a good amount from it. There are also chances that if one registers into India's newest trading platform one can win an amount as huge as Rs. 1 Crore. One can also get a chance to become India's Smartest Investor. Investment is a mind game and winning it is very difficult but not impossible. Many investors learn the art of trade through their family business, through forefathers and some study about it. Kapil here brings a platform where anyone can become a smart investor by knowing the details about the trade and also investing smartly.  It is the Indian Trading League (ITL)which is a pan India competition that will allow participants to showcase their investing and trading skills where they compete with other market participants in a real market environment across asset classes including stocks, derivatives and commodities. In this way participants or players can win the ultimate title of being India’s Best Trader and win a Cash Prize of Rs. 1 Crore and many other prizes. This competition is open to Intraday Traders, Investors, Positional or Short Traders , Systems/Algorithmic Traders and Female candidates. Everyone who participates in the Indian Trading League will have only one clear goal , which is to generate the Highest Possible net percentage return. This league will commence from 19^th May 2015 and will go through the entire financial year till March 2016. The competition is divided into different timelines- Weekly, monthly, quarterly and annually. Prizes will also be announced accordingly. Participants can participate in these anytime according to their will. 

To know more on what Kapil Dev has to say about Ek Nayi League, do check their website - http://www.eknayileague.com/ and also Indian Trading League. 

Not so perfect story

I paced myself to and fro across the book shop in search for something that could help me kill time. It is one of the most common ways to feel that time is not getting wasted while one waits at the airport just to listen to the announcement " To the kind attention of the passengers, Air Asia Flight No-  I5 1322 from Bangalore to Goa has been delayed by 2 hours." I was wondering if I had not taken the right decision by choosing  to travel by air. I could have easily driven down half way out of Bangalore while I have been waiting to board the flight from past four hours.

Now that I was sure that I had two hours extra in hand, I could spend it fruitfully by reading a good book. Thanks to this delay, I could at least get to know about the bestsellers. I love reading Sci-fi books. There weren't any new ones in this category. So, I moved to politics. I picked up "The Accidental Prime Minister" by Sanjaya Baru. I was longing to read this book from the time it was released but never got time to buy it as a hard copy or get to read an e-book of it. As I was flipping through the pages, I felt a push at my elbow which made me fumble with the hard bound book. Much to my luck, I managed to hold it just before it could fall. Before I could turn back to look, a soft silky voice buzzed past my ear, " Oh!! Sorry." Mesmerized by the voice I couldn't control myself but look around. A tall, well dressed, woman in her late twenties, with short and neatly cropped hair was lingering over the Romantic fiction section. The perfume she had applied was so strong that it left a trail of fragrance in the path she followed after nudging me. I felt irritated but sobered down when I looked at her. She was the first good looking woman I had seen at the airport since morning. I left my book in the rack and followed her fragrance that led to where she was browsing through the books.

Well.... I was never the romantic type and I was scared going towards that section. This time the only reason was to stand a bit close to this woman. I was a bit nervous thinking that she might feel that I was following her. She was busy looking at the summary written at the back of a novel. In less than ten minutes I was already judging her character based on the kind of cheesy romantic books she was referring to. Just to make myself look natural I picked up a Sidney Sheldon book. I don't even know what kind of books he wrote. She looked up and saw me picking up the book and gave a faint smile. I couldn't help but smile back at her. I was not even interested in even flipping the pages of the book. I just wanted a pretext to look at her and get hold of the book she was engrossed in. I was very inquisitive to know what kind of book in romance fiction could a woman looking as smart and confident as her could read. I was enjoying this exercise about judging her character and had probably started building castles in the air. "How I wish we could have a cup of coffee together," I mumbled within. 

I guess she had heard the murmurs . Startled, she asked," You want something.”"No, nothing," I said sheepishly and walked to the next row of Sports magazines only to divert my attention off her.

I acted like I was too engrossed and kept looking at her from the corner of my eyes. Ten minutes passed and she still stood there reading that book. I looked down to read something finally. When I looked up again, she was gone. I looked around everywhere, but there was no sign of her. Putting the magazine back in the rack I made my way towards the exit but I couldn't spot her. For some reason I was attracted more to the perfume. I went to place exactly where she stood. I was clueless as to which book she was reading. Suddenly, while scanning through the book rack I spotted a book with a name I was familiar with. I tilted my head to read the name again in the vertical direction- 'Tara Sharma.'

I was numb for a second. It took me some time to regain my composure. I took the book and kept it in my hand. It was a thin book and I could complete reading it before boarding my flight. The cover page had a picture of a couple sitting hand in hand on a beach looking at the sunset. The next moment I was at the counter purchasing the book. 

A myriad of emotions swept through my heart. I was not the same person which I was fifteen minutes back. I was hearing her name after six months. Yes, you guessed it right! I know Tara, rather I knew Tara. We had had a good as well as a bitter past. We were great friends at one point of time. Things would have been great had we stayed just as friends. The moment we stepped into a relationship things didn't turn up the way we had expected our future to be. I had imagined myself sitting beside her at a book launch and applauding for her. Never had I imagined that I would be buying her book at the airport and reading it, not even being aware of its release. Had I not followed that beautiful lady earlier this morning I wouldn't have even been aware of her book. Did the world know about it as much as I did or was I ignoring romantic fiction since long?? Everything that had happened between us flashed across my mind. With a heavy heart, I flipped open to read the first page of the book. It was written in italics-

'To that person who taught me how to love.'

I was wondering why I kept re-reading the line. May be she had found someone who would have really made her feel loved. After all, six months is enough to start a new relationship. Anything could have happened. Brushing aside the pangs of envy for the person whom she had dedicated it to, I started reading the book. I managed to keep the title of the book hidden and made sure no one realized that a man could also read a romantic fiction. Moving on through the pages I found that she had acknowledged many people and there were many names I was familiar with. I would have also been one of them had I been with her. There was a one paragraph long note where she expressed her gratitude to WriteUpCafe.com for giving her a platform and mentoring her to publish her debut romantic fiction.  They had their own promotional package where they would give a chance to budding writers to showcase their talent. I had never heard of this website before, but I was happy that she could take their help and fulfill her dream of becoming an author. She was a die hard romantic. I was reading at a scanning speed. As I was finishing reading the first chapter something struck me. Probably, the similarity of the situation. I went back to those pages and read again. There were descriptions of a place very similar to where we lived. 

Tara and I were neighbours and were also taking the same Metro route to office. We were on the same floor, but four houses apart. Initially, it was just meeting and greeting each other until one day when she knocked at my door asking me to lend my Internet connection. I was wondering what on earth have situations come round to. People are asking if they could borrow Internet connection!! I couldn't say no when a beautiful neighbour very innocently asks for such insignificant things in life. That's how a techie's life has come to. An Internet connection is not valued by money. It is as important as drinking water. I agreed to share my WiFi password with her. She sat outside my door in a hurry and completed her work. She had left halfway towards her house when she came back to apologize for forgetting to thank me. I didn't bother asking why she needed the Internet connection but I felt very weird seeing her expressions.

The protagonist of the story where characters were very similar to us. I was excited as well as nervous while I read the further chapters. Somewhere deep within a voice told me that the book was about us, but the bitterness in our relationship made me believe it was someone else. I continued reading. 

Tara and I met in the lift again and our conversation hit at once. She said that she was a journalist and was an aspiring writer. She thanked me for the Internet connection again and told that because of my timely help she could win a story writing contest. 

The story was moving forward with a good pace and I must appreciate her writing skills. I was beginning to believe that the man in Tara's novel was just like me.

Slowly conversations increased between us. It started with borrowing an Internet connection and ended up with Tara borrowing space in my living room. One day the house owner of Tara's house came and suddenly asked her to vacate as he had sold off the apartment to someone else. Not knowing what to do she dumped all her luggage in my living room and went in search for a temporary PG accommodation until she found a house. She came home famished at around 10:00 PM. Very hesitatingly she asked  me if she could stay for just one  night in my apartment because the PG accommodation was to be occupied only from the next day. I welcomed her home. She was shy and hesitant yet she was extremely sweet. I couldn't get enough metaphors to describe her. 

Chapter 7

The book was just 100 pages away to be completed when I started feeling anxious. My heart was beating faster. She had described the best date of her life. It was indeed the best date we had ever had.

We were very comfortable with each other by then. Tara had got a very nice PG accommodation. I missed seeing her in the apartment so post work we used to take a walk in the park near our house. After many such brisk walks and conversations our relationship came to the level of going out on a date. I took her to the most romantic roof top restaurant in the city. The breeze was cool, the music was soothing and so was the alcohol. We were so mesmerized by each other’s company that I didn't realize when she came and sat beside me. Probably we both were high on alcohol and also love. I felt my world turn upside down when she planted  a soft peck on my cheek. I didn't even realize it was a kiss. I didn't even know how it was like to be kissed by a girl until she kissed me. That's when she said that it was the best date she had ever had with me and she would write about this in her novel if she ever got a chance to publish one. 

Oh!!! I winced pinching my cheek. How could I have forgotten this? It was a clear indication for me that this book was all about us. I had no further doubts. I continued reading. There were bitter parts which I did not want to remember. She wanted to be romantic with me, but I chose to keep distance. She held my hand while walking on the contrary; I was very awkward of showing public display of affection. I was affectionate and loving towards her but not a romantic. She was always in a dream world with all her dreams were involving me. I, on the other hand was a jerk at times and never tried to understand her feelings. She forced me into a relationship and I couldn't say no either. She had become a part of my life so I never wanted to lose her.  I had not imagined her beyond a loving friend. She expected more from me and I could never understand her expectations. We hit it off good as friends but as we progressed towards love everything was not the same between us.

I had reached the last chapter. I started reading with a heavy heart. I was repenting for being so cold towards her as I read each word. It was as if someone was unleashing my past. The words formed a live picture in front of my eyes.

"Why don't you understand Anirudh? I do have feelings for you and I want to proceed towards a good and healthy relationship. I feel that we will do well. Let us give each other some time. You decide and tell me if you really feel the way I do," Tara said in a pleading tone. 

"Things are not this easy  with me Tara. It is hard for me understand love. I don't think it is love that is between us. I have thought about it from day one. The moment you asked us to be in a relationship. I had agreed, only for your sake but I am not feeling this is right for me. May be we are just meant to be good friends," I said innocently. 

I felt I was innocent but my words were rude and sharp as poison laden arrows. She didn't debate further. She left that day and never spoke to me much. We met each day post work, we had coffee and dinner together too but she was not the same Tara. I was too coward to ask her if she was alright. Suddenly one day she refused to meet me after work. She cooked up reasons each day. Finally, I confronted her. That's when she told me that she was not interested in seeing me again. We broke up all ties of friendship that existed between us. We drifted apart so far that we didn't even see each other's profile on Facebook. We unfriended each other from our lives also.

A tear fell from the corner of my eye as I closed the book. I looked up only to see a long queue. I was so engrossed in reading the book that I had forgotten to notice the call for boarding my flight. I was the last one to stand in the queue. Suddenly, I spotted the same girl from the book shop. She was running towards a small crowd. I stood on my heel and strained my neck to see the reason for the crowd. I could only see the hazel brown eyes. They were still innocent but had a confident look. It was Tara. The debut author- Tara Sharma. Fans had surrounded her  for an autograph. I just prayed within that she should travel in the same flight as mine. Unfortunately she was standing near Gate 10 and I was at Gate 8. Seeing that there more people in my queue I rushed towards the crowd. The crowd kept increasing and my queue kept reducing. I took out the book and waited behind everyone for my chance. I stretched my hand towards her but there were others before me. At that moment, I felt a tug at my book. It was the woman from the book shop again. This time she glared at me. She must have thought that I was following her. I was also holding the same book she had in her hand and standing among the throng of people to get an autograph.

Alas! My turn came. She took the book from my hand. She was about to sign the book when she raised one eyebrow and look at me with a frown. I was searching for hope in her eyes but they were cold towards me. With a smirk she signed and handed me the book back. I waited there only to be acknowledged by her. She did recognize me but chose to throw a cold shoulder. Everyone dispersed and she stood in her queue. I could only say," Thanks Tara" before I left from there.

I turned around to see if my queue was still there. To my dismay Gate 8 was empty and the doors were closed. The flight was ready to take off and I was not allowed. The security told me that my name had been announced ten times and there was no response. I missed the only flight to Goa for the day. I stomped away feeling disgusted at my foolishness. Nevertheless, I was happy that I could get an autograph from her. This book would be the last memories I had of  Tara.  I was feeling hopeful when I read the book thinking that we were still in a relationship but seeing her reaction I felt that she was gone forever from my life. The book had a happy ending, probably something which she wanted and I could never give that to her. 

This post is part of the contest Spin your Story on WriteUpCafe.com

My first step to getting smart!

"What are you doing Avinash?" I asked quizzically looking at my 10 year old grandson. He was peering very seriously at the mobile and playing Candy Crush. A minute had passed and I got no reply from him. I nudged him a bit when he replied irritatingly, " Dadii.... ( Grandma) please..."

I came closer to him and made him sit on my lap. I hugged him and told, "Let me also see how you play. Will you teach your dadi?"

He gave me a wide and an eager smile. I gave him a tight squeeze in return. We both sat together for hours that day exploring the new Moto-E which my son and daughter-in-law had gifted it to me on my 60th birthday. For some reason I had not touched it from the day they had gifted me this. My son insisted that I start using it so he had activated the phone for me and kept it at home. Now my grandson somehow took it and was using it on my behalf. I was never fond of smart phones but when I saw the look  of Moto- E I felt like touching it. I was very happy using the home computer for all my practical internet needs but seeing this phone my hands started itching to use it. My daughter-in-law always wanted me to own one smart phone so that I could browse internet on phone and also read e-books using that but I always turned down her offer. Now that I had got a surprise gift I wanted to use it but wasn't sure if I would be comfortable. I was in two minds. It was almost two weeks since my birthday had gone by and this phone wasn't being used much. I was feeling bad for not using it but I felt I could start slowly. Since the phone was not too expensive I was not feeling guilt for having been presented with an expensive phone and not using it. 

The moment I held it in my hand I felt different. It felt so light and sleek to hold. The notion of heavy , huge smart phones was gone. No wonder my grandson was using it so easily to play as if it was his toy. We both sat together and started browsing through the phone more. My son and daughter -in-law had chosen a blue colour  grip shell for the mobile knowing that I loved the colour blue. It was quite brighter for my age but it was making me feel lively. The buttons were also smooth and the edges were soft for my delicate hands. Then we both started using the various Apps. The first thing my grandson taught me was to play " Candy Crush." It was keeping me engaged for a while. Though I never liked playing games online I was getting addicted to it because of little Avinash. Soon he got bored of it and started clicking pictures. He held his cheek close to mine and told me, " Dadi look at the camera. We will take a selfie." We got an awesome selfie. The picture clarity was really nice. It had all the features that were available on any smart phone but I felt I could use with ease. The screen brightness was also good. For a person like me who is turning old, the phone seemed to be quite easy and handy. My son had an iphone and I could never even understand answering calls from it. I got an android phone. It was new and easy for me. The wide screen made me easy to read e-books. My daughter-in-law had downloaded the Flipkart E-book App from where I could read novels and books of my choice. The first thing my grandson downloaded was a novel for the kids. It was more like his phone but I knew it was mine for all practical reasons when he was at school. I was enjoying the experience. I was not aware of many applications so I had to browse through Moto- E website( http://www.startwithmotoe.com/) where I got  more information about the phone. 

The experience was exciting me slowly. The moment my daughter-in-law was back from work I showed her that I had started using the phone. I could see a sense of fulfillment in her face and she seemed to be very glad that finally I had started using it. Their thoughtful gift had not gone waste after all. I was the proud owner of an awesome smart phone. My very first had to be Moto E. 

Feast like a king for breakfast

Why is everyone being so desperate to go to Gupta Ji's house for Nashta (breakfast)??? There has to be something special in their breakfast menu which everyone wants to try out. I was also wondering seeing this Ad on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/user/kelloggindia.).  Out of curiosity, I checked out their page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/anaajkanashta) and I got to know why everyone in this Ad by Kellogg's India was so interested in going to Gupta Ji's house for having breakfast.

Everyone has become health conscious these days. We all want to lead a healthy lifestyle knowing that the kind of environment we are exposed to makes us prone to many kinds of lifestyle associated diseases. The most prevalent ones being Diabetes, High Blood Pressure and Obesity. Eating right makes it very easy these days to control such diseases which can be controlled. It is in our hands. When it comes to eating right, we have to monitor our entire day's meal regime. We have to be careful about what we are stuffing ourselves with from the time we wake up. Breakfast is the first meal which we have after an overnight's fast of about 8- 10 hours. Breakfast should be good and healthy. As nutritionists suggest, one must feast like a king during breakfast, eat like a mediocre for lunch and eat like a beggar for dinner. The first meal of the day has to be heavy, tasty and healthy. There are different cuisines available that form a great breakfast menu, but it is not possible to re-create that in our daily household always. So, thanks to Kellogg's India that they have introduced this concept of creating a healthy, tasty and innovative variety for breakfast rather than us having the boring cornflakes with milk daily.  Gupta Ji's family has already started following this as a daily routine and I would like to learn these recipes from them. 

There's a variation in each dish. They have over 100 recipes that could be made of  just simple Kellogg's corn flakes. They have created different varieties suited for all age groups. Kids who would not be willing to have plain corn flakes and milk would love it with strawberries and banana in it. Cold milk adds to the flavour and also this would look presentable. Kids love strawberries. If you mix banana with it the flavour enhances. In this way they can enjoy their breakfast which looks nice, tastes good and also is very healthy. There are all kinds of dry fruits used in corn flakes to make different dishes. They use ingredients like coconut, milk , chocolate, vegetables, salads and  fruits. This will add to the flavour and taste. It makes the corn flakes very crunchy and also it makes it interesting for anyone to have. Gupta Ji's family is going to be a very healthy family with such innovative and healthy variations of Kellogg's corn flakes. To suit the youngsters they have included  dark and milk chocolate also in corn flakes along with thick milk to  make it a crunchy yummy dish. It looks very presentable and anyone's mouth would water seeing the dish. They have made sure to include the right amount of sugar, fruits, milk, nuts and grains, coconut, veggies that are very essential for a healthy living. There are sweet dishes too. Plain corn flakes snack recipes with a little salt and spice can act as a good side dish with a cup of tea or milk. These snacks can be had anytime, even in the evening. But they are  better suited for  breakfast. The evening post work or post school snack requires to be light at the same time something that makes us feel full. The variation of having shredded veggies along with noodles and cornflakes makes it a perfect dish for an evening nashta. 

Anyone can eat these dishes and they hardly take any time for preparation. It is easy for people who rush to work in the morning, for mothers who are tired of making different dishes just to make their children eat healthy food, for people who come back home from work tired and cannot spend much time to make a snack for themselves. It solves everyone's problems and we all get to lead a healthier lifestyle. The variety of the dishes using Kellogg's Corn Flakes also reduces boredom after having the same snack daily. 

Are you not getting tempted too after seeing this Ad???