Republic Day

Republic Day

It is the occasion of Republic Day. I wake up & check my WhatsApp messages, which are full of "Happy Republic Day" wishes. Facebook is also loaded with Republic Day pictures, and looking at all the uploads, i upload one too!

As i sit to sip down some morning tea, I can hear faint "mere desh ki dharti" in the background somewhere. The news paper has a nice tricolor picture & the building next to me hoists the national flag. Some adjacent building has a puja. The overall atmosphere is quite beaming.

As i get up for a bath, i look around. The home is in a mess. My mom hasn't been around for the last two days, & hence you can imagine the situation. I decide to take matters in my hand & start cleaning up the entire house. While this cleaning process, I think about the cleanliness of India. & thinking that makes me also think about various other things that we need to do ASAP.

Our roles in celebrating Republic Day aren't restricted to just uploading tricolor pictures or playing patriotic songs. Our roles also comprise of making India even better, with each passing day.

Following are, I feel, the things which we, as Indians, should adopt and try to implant in our day to day lives.

1. Cleanliness- We should all make an effort to keep India clean. & by clean India, I do not mean only banging the "Swaccha Bharat" slogan or taking on streets over one Sunday in two months. By cleanliness I mean we should all make serious yet simple efforts to keep our surrounding clean. Try to not throw away wrappers on the road, don't put waste out of the waste bins on the streets, don't litter the trains with waste, keep the public toilets clean after use and so on. Just take care of your own acts, & everyone will.

2. Environment- We need to take care of our environment. Don't kill wild beings. Don't pollute the environment with noise. Try to minimize the use of vehicles for small distances. Do not print unless extremely necessary. Plant tress- but not a random tree at on any public road- take care to see that it does not effect the localites and also that it will be taken care of.

3. Water- We should all stop wasting water. We have been facing water cuts since the first day the rains stopped. & its still long before the rains come again. But yet, we have been wasting water. Don't overuse the available water just because you have it. Try to minimize the use. Try to stop the wastage.

4. Intolerance - I feel ashamed to put this, but yes, we Indians definitely have turned intolerant towards everything. & we are dumb enough to call ourselves tolerant while protesting for a film because an actor called us intolerant. People, we do not need to raise bandwagons over every statement and every act, which isn't even remotely near to the issues that actually matter. If you want to be hyper over things, be over issues that concern the general public - which we have enough.

5. Supporting the 'isms'- I feel any 'ism' over an extent is wrong. Be it caste-ism, religion-ism, feminism, & any more. You feel strongly for your caste- sure, support it- but don't try to show the other castes in the worst light. You think religion is the key thing to stick by- go ahead- but don't be ready to kill anybody who expressed otherwise. You call yourself feminist- sure, but don't bank on it. Know the fine line between extrem'ism' and support.

6. Respect: We all need to start respecting our fellow people a bit more. From the neighbors to the sweepers; and from the celebrities to the common man. And especially learn to respect the Women in our society a lot more. Always, when you give respect, you earn respect!

7. Health and Fitness- We all need to take care of our health. We all need to be fitter. These days when I look around, I find so many obese people. No longer can 4 people fit onto the benches in  local trains. I see so many people falling sick the very moment they go into the rain or travel in hot sun for a day. We just do not care about our health & figures. We need to understand the importance of being fit and also need to realize that running to the hospital and getting one million tests done isn't required every time. Just like the slogan "Padhega India, tabhi toh badhega India", I feel equally important is " Fit rahega India, tabhi toh badhega India".

So this 67th Republic Day, lets all swear to eradicate the negatives and adopt the positives. Let us try to make India the way our Constitution makers had dreamt of. Let us, for once, make India proud of her Indians.

Happy Republic Day! 

Jai Hind!

MOVIE REVIEW: AIRLIFT

MOVIE REVIEW: AIRLIFT

Since the trailer for this movie was out, I had made up my mind to go watch it as close to the release as possible. & watching this movie has been a correct decision.

Airlift is a movie which has everything- a perfect story (based on a real incident), great direction, perfect acting and the adrenaline rush. It proves to be a complete power packed package which not only entertains you for two and a half hours, but also gets you involved in it, by the end of which you are beaming with joy and some patriotism.

On August 2nd 1990, Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait and the Iraqi army took over the city within a few hours. The Kuwaiti royal family managed to escape, leaving the state rudderless. The people were subjugated and made to suffer at the hands of the Iraqi army. During that period, Kuwait was also home to almost 1,70,000 Indians, who had nowhere to go. Airlift is a story that covers this incident, and how two of the most powerful Indian men – Sunny Matthew and Vedi (both played under a common head by Akshay Kumar), great business tycoons residing at Kuwait helped these Indians to return back safely to their home country; with the aid of Air India that flew roughly around 488 flights for the evacuation of these stranded Indians.

Akshay Kumar as Ranjit Katyal is just perfect. Undoubtedly one of his finest, delivering a very controlled performance. The change of his nature over the period right up to his body language is obvious and acted perfectly in line. Nimrat Kaur is also excellent, playing her part with ease and never overdoing a bit. The pair definitely makes it seem real. The supporting cast gives Akshay and the film the perfect support. Every actor is cast impeccably and plays his part with ease.

What also works for Airlift is the way it is closely kept tied to the reality, nowhere bringing in the Bollywood necessaries (almost). The predominant concern is to tell a gripping never-told story and that works perfectly well. The songs and music are mostly restricted to the background. The moment where the song "Tu bhula jise" plays in the background, when the Indian flag is hoisted – it definitely makes every Indian swell with pride and love for India.

The only negative for the movie is, the actual Airlift operation- which also finds a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the largest and most successful evacuation attempted by any country in the world, is shown only at the very end of the movie (which could have been extended or brought in a bit earlier).

All in all, a definite must watch. It gives you everything- good direction, no-nonsense script, great acting by the lead and a gripping untold story that will make you proud of your country. 

A prefect watch for the Republic Day!

(Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xwyb7fT65Ac )

Love - Then and Now

Love - Then and Now

It is my parents 25th wedding anniversary. As I make a card for them, on which I paint "Happy Anniversary", highlighting with thick silver sparkle "25th"; I feel awestruck with the number. Twenty-fifth Anniversary. Twenty five years of marriage, twenty five years of commitment, twenty five years of loyalty & twenty five years of splendid togetherness. To think of, 25 is a magical number. Everything feels silvery with a sense of some achievement - be it your twenty fifth birthday or be it a twenty fifth anniversary.

As I think about the rough 23-24  years I have known them, my memories usually comprises the moments of them standing together at the balcony sipping tea, helping each other with their daily routines selflessly, or of their sharing each days happenings with the other at the end of the day- making each a part of the others life. Of course, I roughly remember few of their fights as well, but the sweet light memories are so much more to hide away the few awful moments.

Twenty five years of togetherness. Rather, happy togetherness. My parents had a love marriage that involved 3-4 years of dating each other & eventually getting married. Even in those 3-4 years of dating- of all the stories I have heard so fascinatingly since childhood, there was always such a sweet pure romance to it. Since the day my dad first saw my mom, he knew she was the one. So did my mom-once she had accepted his proposal. Since then, 28 long years back- they have still stuck together with equal, rather more happiness & satisfaction, together. Even when today I look at them, at times they feel more in love than any ordinary couple in their 1st year of courtship.

As I think about this, I also feel compelled to think about the kind of relationships we have today. People, feelings & relationships have become so easy. There is no binding commitment usually, & even if there is, hardly does anybody feel the need to stick by it.

In my 5 years of college life, I have seen more breakups than my parents must have seen in their last 40 years. People have become so oblivious to the sense of commitment. I guess, these days’ girls & boys get into any random relationships that they feel the "spark" for initially, & then break it off at the slightest crackle. Of course, there still are people who are into serious relationships & stick by through thick & thin, but the number is so low that it seems almost invisible.

I have seen so many cases where people get into a relationship, flirt shamelessly to any extent, get into the relationship for a mere tag of “dating”, only to discover later that it was really nothing of the truth. & when this truth strikes, it generally blows off the person- which turns into an ugly breakup. & then, heartbroken messages are exchanged, Facebook & Whatsapp statuses are updated until... Until a new one is found- a new probable candidate for the tag of "true love".

This also makes me think over the fact of "finding true love". I am a girl who believes in the age-old concepts of love & I find it funny when people fall in love every 3 months. These days I genuinely feel people do not understand the meaning of love or a soul mate or a life partner.

Love does not mean him calling you hot every moment. True love never needs to be judged by any materialistic thing- it happens when two people feel at peace together. When you feel a connection- a pull that tugs at you- not simply because the guy is oh-so-hot but because you genuinely feel at ease & at peace with him.

I have observed people have started misunderstanding the concept of love & dating. 

The following things are being considered these days for a potential "Life Partner":-

1. Looks

2. Richness

3. Flirtation skills

4. Social life

5. Space &/or Individuality

Whereas the following things are not considered:-

1. Respect towards you

2. Thought process

3. Honesty

4. Wavelength

5. Family Values

Shouldn't it be the reverse?

In the old times, people fell in love with each other & knew they had to work through the struggles because being together forever was the most important thing for them. But with the changing scenario, forever has only become a dictionary word- an option- nobody really wishes to give in to that long a commitment.

I wonder if after few more years, will there be anybody celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary's? For there seldom are people anymore who stick by even for 2 or 5 years.

Love all over has been grossly misunderstood, I feel. Just spending time together at Starbucks or making out, laughing over ridiculous things or shedding a few tears over an issue- that is not what love is all about. Love is being there for each other through everything. 

Love is when you look into his eyes & know that no person can love you as much as him.

Love is when you take her in your arms & forget every sorrow, every exhaustion for the moment.

Love is when you do not feel the need to have sex at every sole opportunity.

Love is when you understand her mind before she even speaks out.

Love is when you like his food more than yours & so he exchanges your plates, just so that you can have the better one.

Love is when you care for each other even amidst a fight.

Love is when even the silence feels comfortable.

Love is when you hate to see her go out in that sexy outfit, but you still let her - just because you know how much she wanted it.

Love is when you feel the strength to face everything- because you know- no matter what happens- this one person shall always stand by you.

& such love takes time. You cannot call it "true love" within a few minutes of meeting a person or call her your soul mate within a month. Such things usually take time.

Do you know how is a pickle made? You need to put in various different ingredients- the kaccha kairis, the masalas, the sugar & the salt. Then, you need to put in some oil & give it all some time- time for all the ingredients to mix up, get absorbed completely & become one. Only then does the pickle taste good.

Love is just like a that. You need to put in various ingredients- trust, care, strength, & some reality. & then put in the oil of commitment & let it all mix up. Only then does it taste good. 

Otherwise, it only leaves a raw taste on your mouth- just like those failed relationships which you assumed to be your "true loves".

Today, love has become too easy. Options have become too many. & that's the reason why there are too many breakups happening so easily.

The age-old romance was what actual love was.

As I type this, I see mom laughing, breaking into a blush over something that dad just said- standing beside her in the kitchen- as she cooks on some chapatis.

SANTA CLAUS AND GIFTS

Santa Claus and Gifts

"Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle all the way;

Santa Claus is coming around driving on a sleigh"

Christmas. The English festival which is celebrated every year with equal zest & enthusiasm in India. Every year during Christmas, shopping malls are decorated with goodies, sporting huge Christmas trees. Shops are full of various Santa masks, frills, bells & scarfs. Cake shops are filled with aromas of plum cakes &  rum cakes. The roads are bright with a lot of red & green everywhere around. People get home Christmas trees, & decorate it with all the beautiful cutest things possible. 

& then, the best part happens. Santa comes around with a sack full of gifts! 

Gifts are exchanged. Secret Santa's are done & the Christmas day becomes an even more merrier day.

As a child, I was always fascinated with the concept of Santa Claus. I used to diligently hang up socks on Christmas eve on my main door & wake up super excited the next morning. & then I would run around the entire house trying to find out my gift which Santa had hidden away somewhere very smartly. & then!!!!! I would find it!!!!! Trust me, the happiness of receiving a gift from Santa was always a hundred million times more than getting gifts from anybody, ever. & somehow magically Santa always knew what I would love the most as my gift.

I remember that once I was visiting  my Maasi during Christmas & wasn't going to be home that night. So I had called up my dad & told him to hang up socks- back home. & just to be sure that Santa doesn't miss me by any chance (what if he checks whether I am in there & then not finding me, decides to not give me a gift?!), so I hung up a sock at my Maasi 's place as well. The next day, the usual course followed. I zoomed around & found out that Santa had left a greeting card for me! & it read "Ho Ho Ho Gauri. I have left your gift at your home!! Merry Christmas! Yours, Santa Claus". 

I was so happy!! Santa Claus had written a card for me in his big-just-like-him handwriting- imagine my happiness! (oh yes, I really believed Santa had written that letter to me!) 

& yes, he actually had left a gift for me back home too!

I faintly remember, once I had gotten into an argument with a friend over Santa's existence & his giving gifts. When she did not believe my words & instead said "arre pagal. Wo Santa nahi deta. Wo toh mummy pappa gift rakhte hai"; I so hated her that moment & told her that she was lying. Finding no other valid argument to prove my belief in the existence of Santa, I just dropped a line saying that Santa gave gifts only to good children.

Once I had asked mom when does Santa exactly come? Over which she told me that Santa comes late at night when all the kids are sleeping. 

"Can anybody see him?", was my next question. 

"Yes. If you are awake, you can see him when he comes here to keep your gift."

Feeling excited about getting to see Santa, I declared that I would stay awake that night, as long as it would be. & I started imagining meeting Santa, talking to him, hugging him-all with sparkling eyes. But alas, being a kid of 7,  I feel asleep very soon. & my dream of meeting Santa was drowsed down by heavy sleep.

When I was in 5th std, I woke up on Christmas morning with the similar zest. I had stuck up the socks as always & was anxious for receiving my gift. I zoomed around the house for 10 minutes but couldn't find my gift. After searching every nook & corner, I realized there was no gift this year. I started crying uncontrollably. Over which, Mom dad said in a monotone that "Arre Santa Claus gives gifts to small children. You are a grown up kid now. How can he gift you?" 

Over which I wailing replied "I am still a small kid. I want my gift. This is not fair!!" Mom dad tried to console me, but last what I remember blurting out was "I hate Santa!", furiously.

Though it was all momentary in the sadness of not being Santa's good child anymore & though I never hung up socks on any Christmases again, I still do love Santa & Christmas. And even though I do know now who the Santa really was always, I still love to believe it was actually Santa Claus. Santa Claus who came down on his Reindeer's singing "Jingle bells" every Christmas night, checked if there was a socks hanging, magically got in through the tiny gap in the door or an open window, & left a gift very lovingly. Santa, the old fat chubby white-bearded man who loved good obedient & well behaved children & who actually took efforts to make gifts in his gift factory as per each child's choice. The warm loving Santa.

 \

I remember as a child I used to make up lists of what I wanted for Christmas. Every year the list changed. It would be anything from a new video game to a new puzzle; a new dress to a new mug; a new comic to a new hat; a new doll to some chocolate- any random thing. & I was always ardently happy with what I got.

Today as I write this, I wonder if I had to make a list for Santa; what would that include? Definitely not dolls or chocolates. For if given a wish now, I know not to waste it over things like these. In childhood, those were the biggest wishes,giving the biggest joys. But today, really?

Why not try it out. So here, let me make a list of my wishes. & as Santa needs to know your true exact wishes, otherwise he cannot fulfill them, lets be very honest. 

Here it goes:-

1. Happiness & Satisfaction

2. Peace

3. True friends

4. Good Health for all my loved ones

5. ......

Oh well. So basically I want a very few things, & well, things that cannot be bought. Happiness, satisfaction, well being... Can Santa give it to me? I guess not. But we can always hope he could. Like really Santa, its fine if you can't put it in a nice box & wrap it with your glitzy paper. Really, fine! But just give these to me!

Jokes apart,but that's how it is. The older you grow, the shorter your list for Christmas becomes. Because the things you want, cannot be bought with money. The things you want, cannot be really showered onto you. As kids, we would have found it hilarious if we ever saw "good friends" on somebody's Christmas list. But now, we do know the importance & the bleakness it now has attained. The things you want are no longer so simple as to put them in boxes & present them to you. Wish it really was that simple!

Well well. It's Christmas. A festival of happiness & love. A festival of sharing & caring. So lets just make our Christmas lists for Santa- whatever they may be & hang up socks with the same genuine hopes that we did as kids. Who knows, Santa might really show up & gift us in galore!

A very berry Merry Christmas to all! 

Hope Santa fulfills all your wishes! *wink wink*

(P.S. Dear Santa, if you cannot give me my these wishes (fulfilled), &if its really like you gift only able-to-buy kind of gifts, I would be fine with a Jimmy Choo as well ;) )

Types Of Instagramers

Types Of Instagramers

Instagram - all of us know it. Most of us use it & for those who don't, still know what it is. With the growing use, (or should I say addiction?) of Instagram, I have observed a few categories of Instagram Users, commonly referred to as Instagramers. Read on to know the distinct species categorized & also to find out which category you fit into.

So here are the Ten Common Types Of Instagramers:-

1. The Best Friends - These people will like all of your pictures. Even the most weirdest horrible ones. This category is usually your best friends & they like your pictures mostly because it will be violative & unethical of your friendship if they don't.

2. The Liker- This is a person who does not fall into category 1, but will still like each of your picture diligently. Whatever you upload, he/ she will like it. Might or might even not be a friend; you people might never even be talking to  each other, but on Instagram- you are like buddies. Liking each upload of the other as if sworn by a secret agreement.

3. The Crazy Commenter- This person won't always like your picture. & comment? Whoa never! Commenting for them is strictly a no. But when they do, yes, in a blue- no, a purple blue moon, they will comment something so weird that you will be tempted to delete their comment. It will either be a complete sleazy comment, or a total negative comment or something that drops your status 10 times & would make you look like a retard. & at the end you'll just delete their comment. No comment better than such comment!

4. The Sugar Commenter- This is the total opposite of the above. This person will make it a point to comment on most of your pictures, if not all. But their comments are so typical that you can as well predict what the comment would be just by looking at the notification. Though its always a sweet, sugary diabetic comment, & you are obligated to reply back with an "Awww"; you can actually see through the comment & picture them typing "Cute" without even  actually looking at your selfie. So much for the obligation!

5. The Photo Bomber- No, not photo bomber like "photo bombing each picture". Photo bomber like "uploading more than 10 pictures on a single day". This category of Instagramers are usually inactive through the weeks or months, you would need Rottweiler

 to spot their existence on Instagram. & then one fine morning, you open your account & whoa- there are pictures of this person!!! & as you scroll & scroll & scroll more, half your feed is with pictures of this person. No stopping then!

6. The Hashtag Queens/ Kings- All pictures that these people upload will have one thousand hashtags, & I am not even kidding! They will use hash tags for every random word that pops up in their mind, right from the time of clicking the picture upto uploading it. They will go like "#I #me #myself #what #idk #udk #lights #camera #cam  #selfie #nofilter #filter #random #natural # phone #tv #fridge #meyou #youme #we #us #...........# #okbye" & you are like #ill #Findyou #& #killyou.

Also, there are these species who make it a point to upload each single picture with a philosophical quote. Like the picture would be a hot her, with makeup plus some 10 filters & the caption will read "beauty lies in simplicity". Oh hell yeah- lies!

7. Excessive Editors- These are those people who filter their pictures so much that at times you are surprised to realize that it's a female you know! That much difference. Like a bit of filtering here & there is fine. But don't filter your each picture so much that we cannot distinguish your one facial feature from the other. Or your every picture has so much filtered effect that your edited & non edited picture look like a before & after advertisement of a fairness cream!

8. Total Non-Editors aka Natural seekers- These people are so oblivious to the happenings around them that they upload any random picture just like that. I have seen girls uploading pictures of their nail paints which turn out to show off their unshaven legs too. Or guys uploading a picture where he is visibly looking so bad that even the word bad would be ashamed. I agree there is nothing wrong in looking bad, but well, you don't need to necessarily upload such pictures. Though we hate fakeness, we don't also exactly need this kind of natural-ness. 

9. The Favorites- These are the people who get likes on each of their picture- good or bad- in thousands. Like literally. Whatever the upload, however it be, there will be minimum 100 likes on their any picture at any day! Like what do you have girl? A like-pulling magnet?

10. The Obsessive Like-Seekers- These are the people who will upload each of their pictures on Instagram & then each of the same on  every other social networking sites known to mankind. Like every picture. On every social site. Like why? I agree IG has given you the facility to link your accounts, but why the same you at 10 different places. & imagine it being the case every 2 days. You ultimately get sick of that face!

11. The Genuine Ones- These are the people who are actually genuine. They will like your few uploads which they really like, or comment something sensible & natural. They wont upload one zillion pictures everyday & neither be complete zombies in existence. The genuine Instagramers- bow to you! We need more people like you!

Feel free to add  more!!! ;)