Dar Ke Aage Hi Jeet Hai ...

 I have given ten years of my life to the gallant Indian Army and the service of the nation, donning the olive greens, which to date has been the best colour which suited me. But being in the Army does not mean that army men don’t have fear in their life. Big or small, at some point of life or the other we face known and unknown fears in life. We can either keep avoiding it through our entire life, or get up, push them behind and tame them forever. The choice is all yours.

At times we have fears which we fend off till they stand against us, life size tall, looking straight into eyes, inviting for a bout of life. It is up to us, whether we stare and roar back to diminish them eternally or look down, show our back and tell ourself that we will fight next time when we are more prepared. Believe me that day never comes, the fear stays with us like a stigma and reassures its existence on top of us, lifelong ahead. If you have a fear of height, you will conquer it only when you jump off that cliff, if you have a fear of water, you will sail through only when go in for a splash and make your way through those waves of life, if you have fear of public speaking, you will live with it until and unless, you stand on that podium, look into the eyes of your audience and address. So fears can be of various kinds which once you defeat, it will reassure you of your own capabilities and strength. I had fears in life which I faced and defeated to emerge as a winner. Here I share one with you.

Joining Army as a woman officer was considered a taboo when I joined forces almost 12 years back. It was a man’s world, then, it still is. Having a company of boys and being a tomboy was a different thing and leading tall, robust men of almost your father’s age was a different ball game all together. Although getting trained in the academy we get a fair taste of what lies ahead in life but facing things in real life, it did make me feel a bit weak in my knees. The incident I am talking about, dates back to Sep 2002. It was the same month when my shoulders became heavier with the responsibilities of serving the nation in the form of two brassy stars. The world never seemed brighter before the shine of these two adorned my very own shoulders. When I got commissioned in the Army, I got placed on the forefronts of our nation where my unit was then deployed in field conditions. That was the first time in my life, I realized why the woman in the Army was considered surprisal. In field conditions we stayed in tents and in the entire spread of the unit, and horde of almost 200 – 300 men I was the only female. The first look around, made my head spinning. It was certainly a man’s world. The entire view in front of my eyes with the soldiers busy with their routine work, spread around me, kept revolving for a few minutes before I held myself. Well, that was just the first day and the fear of being surrounded by so many men and a distant  voice with just echoing ‘what if?’ kept haunting me with me brushing off the probabilities every time. And the biggest one came in the evening when I told by my senior officer that I have to go for the guard check as a duty officer at 2 O’clock at night along with the duty JCO (Junior Commissioned Officer). Till now I was only battling the awkwardness of being the only lady in this soldierly world and pulling myself up, but this one really hit me hard. The fear of moving out at that hour with a not known man, that too in a hostile terrain and going on armed posts for guard check shivered me. Thousands of thoughts raced my mind every second and I kept striking them and pulling myself out of my imaginative world. So there was a task at hand, which was to be done and more importantly, there was a fear which had to be defeated. I gathered up myself, assumed myself in the combat fit, put on the boots, picked up my arms and told myself that I fought against all odds to be here. This is where my today lies which is responsible for the tomorrow of my nation. I reassured myself to believe in the integrity of the forces, wore my helmet and kicked myself out of my tent. My duty JCO was ready outside and we went ahead with the task assigned. We went around in the darkness, post to post checking the alertness of the guards. Getting acclaimed on every post, receiving those sautés and that proud calling back of ‘Jai Hind’ filled me with a sense of pride and immense boost of energy which kept me driving for the rest of my years in the forces.

[Image from my personal album]

So it's all about how you tackle your fear, rise above and defeat it. The rest is like a story what you are reading right now.

This post is written as  Rise above fear for campaign as part of Happy hours on Indiblogger. Here's the new, awe inspiring video of Mountain Dew re-establishing faith in self and courage.

Top 5 tips to boost your body metabolism

Did you ever have heart burns knowing people with high metabolic rate? When you were busy sweating and hitting hard on your fitness regime and keeping your calorimeter in check, the other one was indulging into guilt free savouring with no or minimal workout and still in shape? Well, yes, it does makes one feel jealous, but having a good metabolism is not a rocket science. Your body might not be having a naturally good metabolic rate, but relax, it is quite achievable.

Here are top 5 ways you can step up your metabolism in easy ways:

1.         Having a high protein diet has multifaceted effects on our body. Apart from being a nutritional supplement to the body, a generous dosage of protein means giving our body a low dose of carb but with the increased energy boost. This makes the task of body metabolism easier and helps it in working faster to extract the fat element from the diet. Therefore, having some protein rich snack helps tremendously if had as a pre workout meal, fuelling energy for your fitness regime.

2.         If you don’t like indulging in caffeine too often, think twice because having caffeine regularly can help in sprucing up your body metabolism.

3.         Thyroid is one of the most dreaded illness, which sucks its patient’s metabolic rate, making the accumulation of fat easier in the body. Therefore, most of the thyroid patient get into depression tackling the weight gain issue and most of the times give up on workouts slamming the slow results on the disease. But understanding the core issue of a slow metabolic rate would help resolving the distress. Again, having a high protein diet helps thyroid balance in the body which stimulates the metabolic rate and with an improved metabolism, it gets easier to shed off that extra body weight.

4.         How about a generous sprinkle of spice in life? Hello don’t derive meanings out of it. I am, talking in the literal sense. Enhanced spicy flavours with the adaptation of green or red chilli in the food can be increasing your metabolic rate. The natural chemicals present in these spices act as metabolism boosters.

5.         If you are the gym kinds, you can go for interval training which combines high intensity workouts with the regular breaking with low intensity exercises. In a gym you can achieve it with varying your speed on the treadmill and if you are into walking or running in parks or otherwise, you can inculcate this otherwise also. Shuffling speed during running helps to achieve the results faster and also facilitate in shedding those extra calories even after you finish with the workout. This happens as your body needs more oxygen, which makes the metabolism work faster and thus give the desired results.

So if you are also struggling with those weighty issues in life, you probably know the secret now behind those calorie cutter’s working. Go ahead and make the body metabolism work more to give a leaner and prettier you.

 Images Courtesy Google :)

5 Tips for a rocking B'day Party

Alright, let me guess. It is your birthday and you want to throw a party which people would remember for life time and you don’t want to spend fortunes for it? Well, that’s a great idea and who says only money can buy happiness. And when you can have all the fun in a limited budget then why not? After all it is your special day and you are the king of the world today. The rules are all yours.

So let us have a look at top 5 birthday party ideas which would rock for your crowd and would be less expensive also. Firstly, let us cut down on the money required to rent a venue. Decide upon a theme for your party in which there is no need to rent a venue, but the place is readily available to you. If you have managed to do that you have already saved a handsome amount. And deciding on a spectacular theme, you will nail it completely.

1)         Pool side party.       You can have a pool side party in your society pool. This would save you from the expense of spending on venue and even décor. Everybody loves to splash in water and you can achieve that by organising some games in the water. Of course you can mention to carry the swimsuits in the invite. If people are enjoying themselves your party is already a hit. Believe you me this theme would set the town on fire.

2)         Retro theme.            You can have this theme in your house also. For a perfect ambience you can have dim lights and paper lamps. If possible, take few print outs of old movies and fix it as part of décor. No extra ‘kharcha’ on venue or décor. Add to the mood with having a retro dress code and some games based on old movies and songs.

3)         Dhaba theme.          This is a guaranteed hit when it comes to theme parties. Set up in a total ‘desi’ mood, this party theme can be actually held at a dhaba. With this theme you not only save on venue and décor, but also on catering as food from dhabas is quite inexpensive.

4)         Biking theme. This theme would go well with boys, but girls would also love to be part of it. Plan a long group bike trip to the most picturesque places around and have a cake cutting at the highway. I am sure this would be a totally unique and unexplored idea. For the food part you can stop any descent place midway. This is my personal favourite theme.

5)         Childhood theme.  Although now grown up we always remember our childhood days and are wishing to relive them. Going back in time is not possible, but you can definitely get a feel with planning your birthday party with revisiting childhood as the theme. With the obvious dress code you can organise activities you did as kids.

But as every party needs planning even your birthday party needs detailing before the fun begins. So what are you waiting for? Indulge and enjoy.

This Post is written on Day 5 of Write Tribe Festival

Wrtie Tribe Festival : Day 4

Well, it begins every time with a Thanksgiving to Write Tribe, so I guess will continue doing that in this post also, as I am getting the opportunity to express my gratitude towards one of the best selling authors today, Preeti Shenoy. It was because of her that I got into blogging and it was her book ‘Life is what you make it’ after reading which I checked out her blog which was earlier known as justamotheroftwo. To tell you the truth and accept the fact, that was my first encounter with the thing called blogging. Although I had heard about it, but has some misconceptions about it. Completely intrigued, reading her posts, checking out a new post every morning almost became a ritual with me. And very soon the idea of starting a personal blog of my own started seeping in. This appeared like an e-diary to me and as I was a diarist myself, blurting out my choked feelings and thoughts into the web space where people were ready to listen to me was an idea which completely possessed me and then this page saw the light of the day out of my fantasies and experiences of life. So as today, we are linking our post, firstly I would link to.Blog of Preeti

Secondly, being new to the bloggers world, I was attracted by the various prompts which compelled to stir up new ideas and enabled to cook stories and the first one to hit my digital space was Blogadda. Their weekend prompts made me experiment with my own capabilities and I started dishing out short stories. So I want to thank Blogadda for enhancing my blogging skills.

Nowadays, I am an active member on Indiblogger which is another amazing site to connect with other well established and phenomenal bloggers, writers.

And I am now writing for Write Tribe also which has been churning some wonderful prompts and I keep getting drawn and motivated to write. So thanks, Write Tribe for this terrific opportunity.

Once I have written for Blog-A-Ton and have got a very good feedback which leaves me inspired to keep writing for their future prompts.

Considering myself still an amateur in the blogosphere, I am taking my own small steps to graduate and I am sure will grab more chances in future to test myself on the scales of various Blogging sites. 

Related Posts

Write Tribe : Day 2, Write Tribe : Day 3

Interpreter of Maladies : A Book Review

Interpreter of Maladies. A book by Jhumpa Lahiri, although I read this book sometime back and kept thinking of posting a review, it didn’t actually happen. Thanks to Write Tribe for giving this prompt about writing reviews and this was my instant choice. 

This book found space in one of my most favourite books and made me an ardent fan of the compelling writing of this amazing writer. Jhumpa Lahiri possesses a magical quality of weaving tales which binds the readers, so artfully that the reader longs for the narrative beyond the ‘what happens next’ approach. This is a collection of short stories with each story such a scintillating prose, which evokes images and feelings tapping into an overarching humanism. Interpreter of Maladies, majorly a diasporic fiction, is articulated between the expected and unexpected which makes an impact through spot-on, detailed observations laced with humour and irony. It is the indelible writing style of the author which struck the cord with me. Meandered along the sharply outlined and varied characters, the simple and glinting prose presents a refreshingly unsentimental approach to the plot. In her writing, environment and food   played key roles in the story line. She derives metaphor from them and the partition which is in the background captures the cardinal emotions and makes them play a significant role. The writer has beautifully divided the characters against the others and also within themselves.  The way Jhumpa Lahiri has sashayed the elaborate reflection of life with a perfect eye for nuances and ear for irony, it makes the readers glued to the book asking for ‘more and more’. Her writing with an eye for detailing and impersonal comparison makes her a dazzling storyteller and delivers distinctive lessons for budding creative writers.

So as this book is an anthology, speaking about each story won’t be possible so I will restrict to speak about my favourite story which also happens to be the opening story of the collection, A temporary matter. This is an engaging story of a couple whose marriage has gone sour after the death of their unborn child. The darkness in their life is symbolized by the power cut in their area, forces them to enter into conversation which is about accepting few unspoken truths about their individual life. The forced darkness in their life gives them the required space to clear out the matters of disputes and other minor matters of life and helps them to bring their dying relationship back to life. The lead characters Shoba and Shukumar have their own share of secrets to share. In an almost duping end, when Shukumar admits that he was there to see their dead child and reveals that it was a baby boy, Shoba faces the truth which had become the root cause of their parting ways.

The story is a masterpiece and a must read for all book lovers with a literature bend. In fact, as you read through the stories one will appear to be bettering the previous one. Pick up this book if you have not on my recommendation.

Related Post

Write Tribe : Day 2

A question of life

Alright, so this is yet another feather in the already adorned cap of Write Tribe. A quiet an interesting prompt I must say. So here are we trying to find answers to our own set of questions. 

While we all seek answers to our questions of our life, this I must admit is getting difficult to find a question whose answer I am supposed to give. Should I answer a cushioney question or delve into myself and dig into the deep corners of my existence to ask myself a question which would be not so easy to answer?

Well, I choose the difficult one and ask myself am I accepting defeat at the hands of times? Am I stuck in my past and not coming to terms with my present?

It has been 2 years I left my dream job in the forces and opted to stay at home to look after my kids (the younger one just six months that time). And the decision was also taken to stay with my Mr as both of us held forts of our nations at different places every time and had not got the opportunity to stay together even after 8 years of marriage that time. But although it was quiet a conscious decision, my hands trembled while I signed documents of my release from the Army that day. My heart pained when my I-Card (the most prized possession) was destroyed to ashes in front of my own eyes (this is a procedure we have to follow. I-card has to be destroyed to prevent any further misuse or security hassle). My last day in uniform, I wanted to freeze every moment of that day, but as if it was slipping from my hands like sand. When I sat on the chair, doing my last official assignment, when I rang the bell and called for my runner to place the official vehicle (assigned to the appointment, I was holding), I moving in my vehicle and the guard at the sentry post offering me a salute. The whole day was as if passing in slow motion with memories etching into my heart forever. Actually, they have been there and not even a single day passes when I don’t remember those days when I used to don the olive greens. Well, it is good to remember one’s glorious past, but is it right to try and hold on to it so tightly that there is no room left for the present to blossom? May be it is not right and am trying to change it also but I guess the speed is very slow. The pride of yesterday is making it a bit difficult to slog today for a better future. After having led a life of so much of dignity and honor, at times it gets difficult to start creating a niche all over again. I am trying to revive my writing skills. Well, I have been good with expressing myself with written words earlier also but being in the Army we get accustomed to writing in the Fuji style and I have taken more than required time to get back to my old standards. Army pays us quite decently, but after making those big bucks and a hefty salary getting credited to the account at the end of every month, it gets very painful to accept payments in peanuts even after sitting all throughout the day at times for my content writing assignments. But I guess it’s a phase and have to go through it. Afterall we don’t get everything in life as per our own wishes. I could have worked outside after quitting job in the Army and earned double the salary, but my kids would have been neglected so again a conscious decision which I have taken to work from home has to be accepted in totality by me. I have to work towards making this second profession work to regain that glory and in a different world this time. And I am sure this will happen one day and my secret shifters will come to life.

Thank you Write Tribe for giving me an opportunity to face my own fears and put my own self in a position to answer me.

This post has been written on the Day 2 of Answer A Question – Rediscovering Your Blogging Groove Day 2.

Down the memory lane as I sit by

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 49; the forty-ninth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. 

Down the memory lane as I sit by

I want to hear you as I cry

Rapt in your thoughts I wait here for you

Some say I might meet you when the day is still new

With open arms I give you my hands

Hoping a ‘dhappa’, a sneaking look or whistle to tell that you are near by.

The day is the same as it was supposed to be and even the date. I was supposed to be here today to join you in our new world. I know you did this all by yourself, decorating every nook and corner of the house, keeping my favourite colours and lighting effects in mind. Jai, I completely love our new home. It is so classy, specially the new addition in the house. The mirror on the wall. Yes, I have seen the surprise you have planned for me. I am sorry I removed the cloth to see that mirror. Could’nt just resist opening it. It is awesome and compliments the colour on the wall perfectly. You are so good at it Jai. Planning surprises for me. The pictures on the bedroom wall, I like that you changed the arrangement and added few from our last anniversary actually the first one. The charm of completing the first year of marriage never dies. What a foggy evening it was. Remember clouds touching at our doorsteps where we sat twined up in that blanket. I think we should go to Mahabaleshwar this chutti. I somehow want to relive those moments again. Yes we need to plan it now. It is already September.

Well, the shelves in the bathroom. I think we can put a small plant on it and some nice fragrance. And yes I noticed the way you had folded the napkins in the basket there. You learned it somehow. I think we can keep it permanently there so that there is no need to keep running for it when there are guests coming over for dinner. And I am glad you did not do the kitchen. I had a new layout in my mind. I know you are a great cook but you always mess up my kitchen in the process. You have done the terrace pretty well. But I need a fountain there in one of the corners. But not like the usual one which we keep seeing in the cantonment everywhere. We will do something different. I saw your favourite place on the terrace from where you spoke each night. I was hoping to hear you whistling there.

But where are you Jai? I have been waiting here for past ten hours almost. You were not there to pick me at the airport also. Oh! You had a sortie. I forgot. But I am waiting since then. There were these whole lot of people who kept coming since I landed here. They all seemed so sad with most of them teary eyed. Mrs Khanna said that your chopper crashed today and you are no more. What rubbish? I told them that you always play this hide and seek with me whenever I come back and today was all the more special as I was joining you in this station for the first time since you shifted here three months back. I guess this place keeps you quite busy. Last time you came to see me in Delhi on my birthday, you looked tired. You had lost some weight also. Don’t worry now I am here and I will see how you neglect your health. But where are you? When I went to the washroom I thought when I would open the door you would just scare me. But you did’nt. I have brought few packets of those favourite flavoured tea of yours. Earl grey. In the evening I made a cup of that. I was hoping that you would be watching me at the door as you always do. I have been waiting for you for so long now. It is almost past midnight but I am not sleepy. Mom, I don’t why she has been crying since afternoon. Her left eye which got operated recently is so red. I tell her not to cry but she had been on and on. She also believes Mrs Khanna. They made me see a coffin at the mortuary saying it is you but how is that possible. That cannot be you. That was not you. You are just trying to fool me. I am sitting here on the terrace from where you spoke to me every day. I sit here with open arms. See I am now closing my eyes and I know you will just come and do ‘dhappa’ on my palms. I know you so well. Everybody says souls come to meet their beloved ones at this hour. It is going to be dusk time now. Jai my eyes are closed. Please come and tell this whole world that you are here and not gone. You are here with me right now in this moment.

I knew you are here Jai. I opened my wet eyes as I felt known warmth on my hands. But there with me stood a still time.

Soon they will be getting Jai to take him for his final journey.

P.S. Inspired from the true story of a martyr's widow.

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton. Participation Count: 01

Coffee and Meeee

Coffee and me. The association dates back to my teens. Although back then we did’nt have such posh coffee joints like today but my city, Lucknow had an old, historic Coffee House were we used to hang out having cups after cups. Those places had their own romantic charm. Where at one place there would be a group of oldies sipping their cuppa, sharing their small little snippets from life and getting high on it, there on the other shady corner used to be some blushing couple holding hands under the table cover. There used to be so much warmth, a sense of belonging, a feeling of togetherness even when we did’nt knew each other, it was something different. Feels like an era gone by. Today that warm heartedness in the air has been replaced by the intoxicating coffelicious aroma which allures you for a compelling cuppa. And it offers something different every time. Different experiences, different stories, moments of solitude sometime and wondrous celebration to remember at times. Truly ‘A lot can happen over a cup of coffee’.

I have my own set of interesting incidents and stories revolving around a simple sip of coffee. And here I share the latest one with you.

Few days back me and my friends had gone out for a movie. No matter how old you get but when a group of ladies go out together for a hangout the sense of youth and girlishness just seeps in. And why not? After all, age is always a state of mind firstly and secondly I am not that old. I am just a mother of two, fit and smart enough with looks to turn few heads for a ‘dekho’ even today. So you see, all sorts of bubbly thoughts come into the mind when a group of not so young, not so old ladies, nah girls is out. So we had gone for this movie out and as we settled in our seats with our tubs of popcorns and cups of coffee, we realized that we captured half of the row and quite interestingly the other half was claimed by a group of seemingly college going guys. And their selection of movie snacks was same as ours. I was seated last where the seats of young boys started. The guy at the next seat looked good and we exchanged smiles before the movie started.

It was a horror movie and soon we were completely possessed by it. The popcorn tubs and coffee cups started passing at both the sides. The passing parcels moved fast at times in a fast paced scene and sometimes moved slowly when the heart beats stopped racing. Totally engrossed in the one of the spookiest scene, where the actress opened the door in a dark and breezy night, her hairs left open fell on the shoulders and winging behind, the hall echoed with fanatic scream of a guy. Oops ! the guy next seat, totally lost in that scene had put his hands in my piping hot coffee to fetch some pop corns. Ha Ha Ha … that was coffee and some great fun. Used to such screams in a horror movie the public carried on and so did both the groups only to find later on what actually happened.

This post is linked to the prompt by Write Tribe on the occasion of World Coffee Day.

An open letter which is so very personal - part I

It was not happening for the first time to me but it was, and it was magical. Your deep soaking voice, your playful eyes with which you gave those flirtatious looks to me, your killing dance moves which won me completely, the zing in your walk and amazing sense of humour with a justly timing, the fighting spirit, in fact everything in you reminded me of my own self. Exactly. You were so very much me. Careless, carefree, free from all the bonding, a born rebel, ready to storm the world with whooping energy. Your  intoxicating smell, it entered my soul and lead me to a trance. As if it was mine but lost somewhere. I loved to see you fly and did’nt even come to know when I joined you on that journey which seemed endless, full of new life every moment. It brought a new experience every second with ensuing freshness and a daring madness. I loved being with you as a part of you which was my own reflection. Being with you I felt my life was taking a newfangled turn which was so much more colourful and pretentious. I loved every bit of it but you either unsure of what was happening to you also or looking for reasons in bullet points always asked me “Why me?”. It seemed so very difficult to me to list those ‘reasons’. It was as if justifying my existence to myself. May be always opposites attract but if that be true then are soulmates two individuals with different cores? Is it difficult to be together when you are so much alike? But with time we evolved to have separate strengths and most importantly a bit of weaknesses too. And when I look back I realize you were a shade better than me. Not like me but a more perfect me. And today I gather those enough bullet points to tell you as they are so very important to be told.

1.         I loved you as a human being. You were one of those ‘Allah ke nek bande’ who are not only himself good but spread that goodness around. I remember you helping around needy poor people who were not even known and it must be your aura speaking because of which though in a crowd yet they came asking help from you.

2.         I loved your serious logical reasoning for even the most illogical thing on earth. I am sure you would be a fiery debater back in school days. You had the most convincing ability which could win anything on earth. Sometimes I wonder the logic which you gave was that all planned and if you worked as per them? I mean I really wonder because the reasoning used to be so perfect.

3.         Your love for adventure. Well we made quite a lot of it together but so much is still undone and since I love my life that way I knew my life would be steering where I would have always wanted it be.

4.         Your zest for life and happiness quotient in it. The way you seeked happiness in every possible offerings of life and in turn spread it around. It was the most amazing quality you had which at times I hated as you did’nt let me be in own self during my down syndrome.

5.         Your just self, which held the hands of truth always. Whether it is comforting or not and whether it took to accepting your own mistake in a conflict. Not everybody can do it that well.

6.         And I loved the way you looked okay. …

P.S. Please visit again to hear the rest of the story.

My 10 Secret Shifters

Life is all about dreams and a strong belief that you can achieve them. Dreaming for wishes getting fulfilled is a beautiful creative visualization and having wishes is a flight of happiness. Wishes …  oh you are asking a wrong person to list just ten as I am a born dreamer. Dreams are a way of immersing my inner self in an ocean of deep fantasy and in turn transcend to create a reflection of my own different selves. I only wish it would have been possible for me to fulfill all my dreams and aspirations, but as of now we are talking about only ’10 Things I must do before I die’.  Well this list is endless and always ready with me which I call my ‘Secret Shifters’, my inspiration to work towards a fanciful tomorrow to make it a reality. And if we will not wish how will we achieve! So here are my 10 Secret Shifters:-

(1)       (The no 1 position keeps changing but surprisingly has been retained by this one for quite some time now) To Be a successful world acclaimed author. People who love to read should have read at least one book of mine. In a popular bookstore there would be a separate shelf for my books. Every book shelf in library or in book laden homes would have my collection of books. (Bus itna sa khwab hai …. Am I wishing too much?)

(2)       I want to own a huge luxurious bungalow with like rooms in double figures, a big garden, swimming pool, my personal gym, a huge study which will also be my work place, a balcony opening from my bedroom with beautiful terrace garden and it would be facing east so that the first ray of hope falls everyday with wind perfect for my wings.

(3)       Travelling and lots of lots of that. Well being part of the armed forces this wish is already getting fulfilled but want to see each part of my beautiful and not so explored country before I head towards the world.

(4)       Conquer the highest point on earth. Summit the Mount Everest. Missed doing it once due to health restrictions.

(5)       Do sky diving. I have a bit of phobia with height but want to defeat it by doing sky diving. Will definitely do it once before I die. I guess everybody should try and do this once in life. I am sure it must be an out of the world experience to be in air and being rapt in that epitome of freedom.

(6)       To be part of an NGO and give back to the society in whatever way I can. And all of us should do that. We are blessed to be in abundance and its our duty to share the grace and show our gratitude. I am doing it a small possible manner right now but would grow in my efforts someday.

(7)       To have an extended family beyond the actual family, being with whom alone would be copious and full of love and just unconditional love. We would together create a world full of love, happiness and togetherness where there would be no room for hatred. The family is already coming together.

(8)       I would learn dance someday. A desire to take a formal training in any form of classical dance is a deep desire since my childhood. Would love to see myself doing that someday.

(9)       Go on a biking world tour with my hubby.

(10)     Last but not the least. Infact, quite an important one. My ‘Rs 10 Crore cheque’. Now how this comes I don’t know but this wish has been etched my diary long back and I know will achieve this someday. May be when I start writing books, one of the books gets super duper hit like none before. May be one of the books get incorporated in motion and fetch me this amount. Anything can happen.

I have wished all this and sent it to the universe. And I know the universe is listening. Are you wishing already?  If yes would love to hear about your ‘Secret Shifters’.

This post is part of Indispire for Indiblogger.

For Onler with Love

A must watch movie for all sports lovers and especially all mommy’s on forced or volunteered break after kids. The movie we are talking about here is the latest B town buzz ‘Mary Kom’. The movie is about the grappling comeback of the boxing legend in the squared world. Although the film captured the pathos of the struggled life of Mary Kom brilliantly, what actually struck the chord with me was the second half of the movie which portrayed the fight of regaining the lost glory. Achieving the most unachievable feat, Mary rose to earn the title of ‘Magnificent Mary’ after reclaiming the world champion title in 2008. And this was when she made a majestic restore after delivering her twins. Knowing what trauma the body of a female goes through after giving birth, the accomplishment was more than remarkable. The character has been well lived by Priyanka Chopra. The grueling workout sessions behind the scenes are substantially reflected in the power pack performance of the actor. She has given her heart and soul in being the essence of the movie which takes on the shape of an enriching inspirational biopic.

As I said for me what made the movie rather story of Mary Kom special is her immense dedication to make the glorious come back that she did. May be I could relate to her frustration on leaving her career for the family and thereafter staying at home to ply her role of a dedicated mother. But she fought against all odds with a perfect balance to conquer the heights once again which if not unachievable, would be difficult without the support of a husband like Onler. It was Onler who made her realize and believe in the dreams once again. It was his unfathomable and unrelenting belief in Mary which made him extend the immense support for her taking care of the young kids. The movie brilliantly portrays the role a husband plays in the success of his wife after motherhood. Successful career women when take decision to take a break to look after the kids, making a comeback is never easy but goes effortlessly well with moving dedication and unconditional support from the family of which husband plays the main role. Today when we speak of gender equality and role reversals, I believe raising kids is equal responsibility of both the parents. After the initial care for which the kids need their mother, if the lady wants to hit the main stream again, husbands should be equally liable to share the load and give that extra push a wife needs at that hour. I simply loved the way Onler did that in the movie. Of course Mary Kom deserves the love and respect for such a remarkable journey but I would give an extra star to love of Onler and for his unquestionable support for Mary. Definitely this makes me say, ‘Behind every successful married woman, is a loving and supportive husband’.

Life of a Street Yapper

The swanky glittering red branded wagon on the not so famous roads of Muzzafarpur, all set to conquer its kingdom, zoomed past the old church near the bus station leaving a gust of filth around. As the dust settled and the street came in terms with the newly lifted status of cars on its tarmac, somewhere near the turn past the church, the chill of night accentuated with painful and heart rendering cries of a known voice. “O my God, its Bruno”. I scatted and dodged amidst the horns and screeches of passing by vehicles to see my  ten  days old li’l pup profusely bleeding, hobbling and struggling to reach the edge of the road. Teary eyed I hugged young Bruno and licked his wounds. Snuggled in the motherly warmth, smeared all over with blood and mud, Bruno lied and the street echoed with his raucous cries. He had been hit badly on his head and leg with the speeding car that just whizzed away. Distressed and helpless to see Bruno’s condition my heart filled with wrath and hatred for the stoic civilized species who did’nt care to slow down for a small puppy crossing the road. I licked and pushed Bruno to help him stand but his body did’nt support and he fell again with weak and diminishing cries. Hoping for a divine intervention in the distant tinkling of the church bell I sat there licking and comforting my Bruno. Onlookers passed by but no one stopped to help a savage street dog and a wounded little puppy. No one wants to own, forget about helping a not so good looking yapper down the road. Shivering in the icy winds as I rapt my Bruno trying to save his few more breaths, I gather even my own life from the atrocities of this harsh weather and envy those classy breeds proudly possessed and flaunted by their owners who come with a silver spoon in this world.

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

 Write Over the Weekend theme for this week

 A short story (200-300 words) from an animal’s perspective.

And it won the WOW Badge

The morning kickbox - Part I

Its a WOW Post :)

“A …  A… Aaah … slowly  Sandy”, the painful voice pealed out of the society gym. With a sniggered look on his face, Godbole quickly called up his morning walk buddy, “Hello… Joshi, come fast to the gym, someone’s making out here .” “Making out what yaar when gym won't be open only at this hour” said an old and confused Joshi. “Arrey making love idiot” said Godbole in a hushed voice. Both Joshi and Godbole sneaked into the room from the window to find Sandy, the new fitness trainer making Neeta stretch her legs but for side splits beyond her limits. 

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

The post had to contain word Love and the story had to be completed in just 5 sentences. I hope you liked the attempt at short fiction.

Life out of the rear view mirror

Everyday reaching destinations, making it in time for an interview, party or just another date, the routine has been the same for past ten years. Ten years … some say time flies but I have struggled each and every day, each and every minute, through those tough times to carve out a niche for myself and my family. And with a dream to possess my own taxi someday, I pick up and drop a whole set of different people every day to their varied destinations to make them kiss their stars of good luck and charm. After all, life’s all about dreams, aspirations and hardwork to fulfill them. And especially in a place like Mumbai, a city of dreams which personifies ambitions and fantasies, living here is like running a race. As I drive through its lanes, the breeze touching my face at times sultry or at times cool with a dash of tiny droplets, I become a part of lives of people whom I drive. Racing through the streets, dodging between the traffic, I help to accomplish a plethora of emotions and the reasons behind. Moving and reaching out to the tarmac whenever I gaze the traffic behind from the rear view mirror, I think if only life could have one. Though life’s all about looking and moving ahead, the rear view mirror at times shows what lies ahead.

It was a usual morning at the Church gate local terminal. People moving in and out with the same busy looking faces, their life programmed to the minutest details so that they don’t waste time on mundane issues. Mostly speaking on phone this species resolve half of their issues moving hands, signaling in air. These are the most wearisome passengers to carry.  I thanked my stars having escaped such a heartsick start to the day as I managed a lady as my first one today. Well no offenses towards ladies, they are equally tasked, infact more in life but having them to drive is like a spirits lifting right in the beginning of the day. In her late twenties, dressed up in a stunning electric blue kurta and a matching churidar, she came near. I quickly glanced over her as she topped the look with perfectly matching shoes. “Rustam studios” and she was on board after getting a nod. As I headed towards the old but the most famous studio in the area and she settling behind, I recollected my previous encounters with similar looking faces of a whole breed of struggling actors. I could see her holding the mobile phone with her left hand and speaking to someone. “That’s awesome, Junaid bhai. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I am on my way to the studios. I will be there by 10.” And she disconnected the phone. I checked my watch. “Still an hour to go. Will make it before that” I thought. Stopping at the signal I saw her in the rear view mirror. With animated looks she seemed to be rehearsing something. Familiar of such similar nervous faces I could relate to few passengers in past. With the green ‘Go’ we moved ahead towards Rustam Studios. As I took a zooming right turn her phone rang.

“Yes, Aai tell me. Any problem? How is pallo?” I heard her saying. And she went into a listening mode.

Engaged with the heavy traffic in the peak office hours I almost forgot looking back at her. Morning and evening hours, are the most troublesome and tiring to drive when the roads are flooded with the daily commuters going or returning back from work. But after some time the road cleared and was back to my normal comfortable speed. I realized that I didn't hear anything from the lady on the call in the back seat. And I checked her in the mirror again only to see her dismayed and totally in a state of shock. The dead look on her face reflected a traumatized expression. To see her pale face I couldn't stop myself as I asked. “Madam is everything ok. Are you fine”. But there was a dreaded silence as if the time had paused”. I felt it appropriate to stop the taxi at a safe place and turn to her. “Madam”? But there was no reaction. Her phone was lying near her feet. Dabbing the droplets on my forehead with shaking hands I shook her. “Madam”? Daunted by the sudden jolt she looked at me with vacant eyes. With submerged emotions, her eyes swelled with a saddened sea. “Madam. Is everthing ok”? I asked again. This time she composed herself only to wipe off those emerged feelings. “Yes, I am fine. Could you please take me to Rustam Studios”. “Sure Madam” fearing to intrude her privacy I occupied the driver seat once again. Under the killing silence inside the taxi and deafening noises outside we moved ahead. 

Unaware of the reason of her dejected self, I raced to make her reach in time. At least this I could do to comfort her.

With a screeching halt the taxi reached the glorious gates of the ‘Rustam Studios’. She stepped out and moved inside the old building leaving the doors opened behind. I saw her moving out and followed her till I could. Then I got up to close the rear door and saw her mobile still lying down. Her mobile had dismantled because of falling down with an impact. I gathered up the parts to put them in place and locked the taxi to quickly move inside the ‘Rustam Studios’ to search for her.

And there she was on the same place where she stoically stopped hearing the dreadful news of her three year old daughter passing away after consuming her nail polish which was left open when she was rushing to make it in time for her first big break in the show world four years ago. I picked her up to take her back to the taxi like did every day past four years to make my first passenger of the day meet her destination. 

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

Write Over the Weekend theme for this week

This time your entry must contain the three words rear view mirror, nail polishand awesome