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The air in the street smelled of strong filter coffee…Meenakshi stepped into the old tiled house…she was visiting her native village after five years…She examined the house from one corner to another like a tourist examining an art work in a temple… the rocking chair, that was once strong and adorned the living room, was now rickety. It was moved from the centre of the house to a corner, like a neglected old family member. The strong aroma from the kitchen tingled her senses…while one part of the house smelled of sambar, the other side was filled with the scent of the incense sticks lit in the puja room….though nothing has changed in this house in the past few years, she felt like a total stranger…She moved to the bedroom, that still had the old bed with bright blue bed sheet with huge yellow flowers printed on it…”did we always use such bright sheets?” she thought to herself... she couldn’t recollect what it was like when she was a kid…she thought of her own bedroom which had a color theme…she chose the most sophisticated colors that reflected her classy taste …

As a kid she used to observe her mom get ready in the morning, the kanjeevaram saris, the gold jewelry, the big bottu…she loved it all...when the other kids at school made fun of Meenakshi’s long oiled braid decorated with a string of jasmines, ”they are just jealous”, her mom used to say…and she didn’t care much as she wanted to look like her mom, dress like her,be her…she looked at herself in the mirror now - cropped pants and a t-shirt, her long braid was now replaced with an above-the-shoulder layered cut. She did not look anything like her mom….

She went into the kitchen, where her family members were running around, preparing a traditional spread for her welcome…They were delighted to see her after a long time...showered her with all their love and affection. For the first time since she walked into that house, she did not feel like a stranger…she realized that it was not about the things in the house…it was the people, that she longed for…her people who were a part of her memories, her childhood, her life and this home…her home…

Wake Up Sid...

For some reason, I just loved this movie...ok well, i know the reason..its Ranbir :P
He's sooooooo cute...and I really did not expect him to perform so well...he's done a very good job as a 'bade baap ka bigda hua beta' who's actually good at heart...though the story was very predictable, I think its the performances that made all the difference...be it Anupam Kher or Supriya Pathak or even Rahul Khanna as the handsome boss....they all made it look so natural and played their roles with such great ease...

Sid's role was so perfectly crafted...thats how most of the guys think..."who cares kal kya hoga as long as we can have some fun"...they dont get serious about life till something jolts them out of this "having fun" notion...thankfully the director saved us from the bad guy-turned-good type of cliche...and showed the hero as a good and caring guy who is only a little lazy and irresponsible...

Aisha, on the other hand, is very goal oriented...but like a typical girl doesnt know how to let out her anger or emotions and usually ends up expressing it in the wrong way....like all the girls she doesnt say what she has to..but instead shows the frustration on something else..."Jab itne efficient hogaye ho har cheez mein tho ab aasman se baarish bhi barsado" (sarcasm..aha!!)

The one thing that I really appreciate is the simplicity of the storyline and the not-so-heavy dialogues...like in the last scene Ranbir says innocently- "Directly nahi bol sakti (that she loved him)...itna long story likhne ki kya zaroorat thi" (so sweet!!)

All in all I just loved the movie...and ended up watching it twice in the theatre (though the second time was only for Ranbir :))...he's just soooo adorable in the movie....

P.S: All those who did not like the movie or Ranbir can keep their opinions to themselves...criticizing and mockery is strictly prohibhited :P

Good Ol' Days

Today, all of a sudden, I started feeling very nostalgic about the ads and shows on TV I used to watch as a kid (yeah, of all the things!!)....the reason for this nostalgia is "borolene" I found in my apartment...yes..the khushbudaar antiseptic cream borolene....the sing-song tag lines just remain etched in our memories for ever...Some of the ads and shows from the Doordarshan era, that I would never forget-

1. Jungle book - The ever famous mogli and his jungle friends...Jungle jungle pata chala hai chaddi pehan ke phool kila hai...
2. Dekh bhai dekh- every character is so funny and sweet...can watch it over and over again...


3. Tehkikaat - The super suspense thriller....


4. Malgudi days - the music was amazing...the show brilliant...

5. Washing powder Nirma -Washing powder Nirma..Doodh si safedi Nirma se aayi Rangeen kapde bhi khil khil jaaye...Sab ki pasand hai nirma...lolz

6. And ofcourse..the ad that would play in all the theaters before a movie started...
Vicco Turmeric- vicco turmeric nahin cosmetic...vicco turmeric ayurvedic cream...

Though it seems ridiculous now, we used to love these ads and the way these models(??) sang and danced around in these ads...

The Sunday morning memories are still strong and vivid as if it was only yesterday...the roads would practically be deserted...and the entire family would huddle in front of the television to watch all the favorite shows - Jungle Book, Chandrakanta, Mahabharat etc...We had no cellphones, cars, desktops ( forget laptops!!) not even a cable connection...yet we were so happy and content...I know its now difficult to go back and relive those moments...frankly, I don't think I'd be able to survive without my phone and laptop...but I am glad at least its a part of my memories which I'd cherish forever....

Sun n Clouds

So here I am...after a long hiatus from the blog world...I realized I was too busy pretending to be busy :) now its time to get back to my blog...

So last weekend my colleagues had planned out a trip to Grand father mountains, NC, which is about 4 hours drive from where I live...Since it was a day trip, we had to start early...the saddest part of the trip was that I had to get up at 5:30 in the morning, something I had not done since I finished my last exam in school six months back...we started for our great mountain expedition at around 6:30....The drive was awesome, the view breathtaking...but once we reached the mountain most of the leaves had already fallen off, which was a lil disappointing...but the view below from the mountain was colorful and amazing...

Usually I am extremely scared of heights...so I almost gave up when I had to climb this rock which was not very high, but one wrong step and we could fall straight down on the rocks and break our head...But everyone was climbing and with some motivation and help I finally managed to climb it...After reaching the top of the rock, the only thing I kept thinking was how to get down...but thought it shouldn't be a problem as so many people are climbing the place should be safe...but then someone told me about this..


But luckily climbing down was much easier than I thought it to be...After our great rock climbing experience, we went to the highest peak of the mountain...It was very warm and pleasant..so we left our jackets in the car. To reach the peak we had to walk across a swinging bridge hanging at a height of about 5,900 ft...after crossing it we sat on the peak and were enjoying the view, when we realized that a cloud was slowly moving towards us...excited, we waited for it to reach us...it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen...In just a little while, we were enveloped in a thick blanket of white mist and could hardly see anything...it was really difficult to withstand the chill and we started running towards the car...it took us good 10 mins and high heat in the car to regain our senses...


I don't think I'd ever forget this once-in-a-lifetime experience....