there are some people that come into your life so suddenly and you tend to wonder...are they here to stay? or are they the kind of people that will fade away as the days move by? I have finally moved out of the CIEFL phase and have officially entered office space. i have stepped out of a comfortable hostel, with my own cupboard and a wonderful roommate to a hostel where even after 2 weeks im still living out of my suitcase. i have left hyderabad and am now trying to embrace bangalore for all that it is! i thought it would be easy. but its not. I miss hyderabad. i miss university. i miss waking up to my room mate saying- "utt gayi??!" but most of all i miss the security that came with being there. everything here seems alien. like its out from some story book that i dont want to read.
but i know this- like all my posts end...this one will end with the optimistic note that i am famous for when i say-it will happen! bangalore will be mine soon. i will learn to like it as time goes by and maybe then we will walk hand in hand- one looking after the other.
until then- im cribbing! :)
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
To the person who understood me without really trying. love you B!
kohl filled eyes well up as mumbled whispers go around;
a hug, a kiss, a saying of "I believe in you!"
as a group of people huddle and hug
in a corner
one heart wonders...when next?
one heart wanders...through corridors, classes, tea-shops
an empty bed!
the first of many have left.
a hug, a kiss, a saying of "I believe in you!"
as a group of people huddle and hug
in a corner
one heart wonders...when next?
one heart wanders...through corridors, classes, tea-shops
an empty bed!
the first of many have left.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
स्ट्रीट फ़ूड!
 Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good. -Alice May Brock
Its amazing how many different cuisines there are in the world and how wonderful and distinct they are from each other. Each a different taste. Each a different colour. Each a different smell. And yet sometimes you don’t have to visit a 5 star hotel and pay am exorbitant amount to be introduced to the best kind of food in India because the cuisines are where they should be- on the street and for everyone. This post is necessary because whenever anybody travels around a new place one of the things they look for after accommodation are places where you get the best food fro the best prices and this post could just be your guide as to what a place can offer you. For starters, its one of the major misconceptions that street food is characteristic to only the rural places in India when infact one of the best places to begin your journey of eating street food is Mumbai. After all what better place to start from that from the city that never sleeps!
I remember waking down the lanes of Mumbai, taking in the smells and the sights of the place when I stumbled into this little lane where I could smell the spice in the curry, see the sweet gooey juices around the colorful ‘jalebis’ and like any other Indian teen who likes the idea of street food…I galloped into that little street and savored what I would call one of the most exquisite food I had eaten in a while. I’m not complaining that mom makes bad food…but its “chaat” and “vada pav” we are talking about here.
Its not just Mumbai that serves appetizing street food. In July 2010 I visited Calcutta- the city of joy and what an eye-opener it was. The ’puchkkas’ (crispy rice balls stuffed with  
potato and dipped in a special water that is made with spices) were outstanding to the point that when they broke in your mouth, it was a taste that I knew for sure that I was going to remember for life. And its not just the puchkkas- they serve chicken rolls, ’beguni’(fried brinjal), aloo and pyaas chops( fried potato and onion)and if you are someone with a major sweet tooth then you are in the right place. Mark my words-The variety of sweet food will astound you. Every street and lane has atleast two such shops. So if you think you have missed one, just turn the corner and another one awaits your arrival.
Everyone down south in India believes that Mumbai is the king of all good things that India has to offer and I choose to disagree. India on a whole- state by state- city to city, and every nook, corner and little ‘galli’ (small street) provides something special to relish and make an experience out of- and that includes the South of India as well.
The Kerala street food market is so huge because it has a particular dish for every district- so it ranges from the ‘thattukadas’ that serve ‘thattu-dosas’(a light rice-flour   Crepe [dosa] fried in coconut oil and served with coconut chutney) to crispy chicken fry and quail eggs fried with a ‘parotta’(which is like a naan but beaten and mixed with oil). They also serve the famous banana fry and ‘parripuvada’ which is deep fried balls made of lentils. Tamil Nadu ,Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh offer delicacies in the areas of starters and desserts that will fill you with the essence of the place itself. The ghee filled ‘mysore pak’ to the‘obbattu’ to the ’kabab skewers’ its all there and it’s one adventure anyone would want to take.
The capital just like Mumbai and the other metropolitan cities in India offers a wide range of street food all over the place and so finding a good place to sit down and eat will not be difficult at all. As someone rightly put it, India is a continent on its own and there is no country in the world probably that will give you this much of a variety all stuffed into 25 states. Pierre Auguste Renoir says: ‘It is after you have lost your teeth that you can afford to buy steaks’. So what are you waiting for. Listen to the call of the street food that awaits you- its right down that corner.
Bon Appetite!
Its amazing how many different cuisines there are in the world and how wonderful and distinct they are from each other. Each a different taste. Each a different colour. Each a different smell. And yet sometimes you don’t have to visit a 5 star hotel and pay am exorbitant amount to be introduced to the best kind of food in India because the cuisines are where they should be- on the street and for everyone. This post is necessary because whenever anybody travels around a new place one of the things they look for after accommodation are places where you get the best food fro the best prices and this post could just be your guide as to what a place can offer you. For starters, its one of the major misconceptions that street food is characteristic to only the rural places in India when infact one of the best places to begin your journey of eating street food is Mumbai. After all what better place to start from that from the city that never sleeps!
I remember waking down the lanes of Mumbai, taking in the smells and the sights of the place when I stumbled into this little lane where I could smell the spice in the curry, see the sweet gooey juices around the colorful ‘jalebis’ and like any other Indian teen who likes the idea of street food…I galloped into that little street and savored what I would call one of the most exquisite food I had eaten in a while. I’m not complaining that mom makes bad food…but its “chaat” and “vada pav” we are talking about here.
Its not just Mumbai that serves appetizing street food. In July 2010 I visited Calcutta- the city of joy and what an eye-opener it was. The ’puchkkas’ (crispy rice balls stuffed with  
potato and dipped in a special water that is made with spices) were outstanding to the point that when they broke in your mouth, it was a taste that I knew for sure that I was going to remember for life. And its not just the puchkkas- they serve chicken rolls, ’beguni’(fried brinjal), aloo and pyaas chops( fried potato and onion)and if you are someone with a major sweet tooth then you are in the right place. Mark my words-The variety of sweet food will astound you. Every street and lane has atleast two such shops. So if you think you have missed one, just turn the corner and another one awaits your arrival.
Everyone down south in India believes that Mumbai is the king of all good things that India has to offer and I choose to disagree. India on a whole- state by state- city to city, and every nook, corner and little ‘galli’ (small street) provides something special to relish and make an experience out of- and that includes the South of India as well.
The Kerala street food market is so huge because it has a particular dish for every district- so it ranges from the ‘thattukadas’ that serve ‘thattu-dosas’(a light rice-flour   Crepe [dosa] fried in coconut oil and served with coconut chutney) to crispy chicken fry and quail eggs fried with a ‘parotta’(which is like a naan but beaten and mixed with oil). They also serve the famous banana fry and ‘parripuvada’ which is deep fried balls made of lentils. Tamil Nadu ,Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh offer delicacies in the areas of starters and desserts that will fill you with the essence of the place itself. The ghee filled ‘mysore pak’ to the‘obbattu’ to the ’kabab skewers’ its all there and it’s one adventure anyone would want to take.
The capital just like Mumbai and the other metropolitan cities in India offers a wide range of street food all over the place and so finding a good place to sit down and eat will not be difficult at all. As someone rightly put it, India is a continent on its own and there is no country in the world probably that will give you this much of a variety all stuffed into 25 states. Pierre Auguste Renoir says: ‘It is after you have lost your teeth that you can afford to buy steaks’. So what are you waiting for. Listen to the call of the street food that awaits you- its right down that corner.
Bon Appetite!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Fight?
Its one of those days when you realize that things can never be the same again and you are at the brim of that glass filled with utter crap! That’s how I feel right now. All of a sudden I seem to lose patience fast. All of a sudden I lose faith in the things that I have believed in all my life. All of a sudden I don’t believe in love. All of a sudden I am stuck. Its not that I’m not happy. I am. Very. It’s just that sometimes I like to see things as just black and white! I don’t want grey areas. I like it as simple as it can get and I don’t think I’m asking for too much. But then if everything in the world was that easy then ‘it’ wouldn’t be called life and there would be no incentive to get up the next day and fight!
Fight! My mom once told me that all the good things in life are worth fighting for. And that’s what I am reminded of now-a-days. That is what I tell myself- when I look at a bad grade and decide instantly that I want to do better. That is what I tell myself when I make a mistake and hurt someone and don’t want them to give up on me. That is what I tell myself when I hold onto the rays of hope, of love, of a life with the man I love- of a new beginning. And then all of a sudden my life seems to have a meaning to it. My life is telling me that there is a purpose to it. I want to get up and stand on both my feet, breathe the air in and tell the world that I am strong.
But then again…I am left to wonder how long this will last. I am left to wonder how long I will be able to hold on. I am left to wonder how long I will fight!
The answer is just where I want it to be- a silent message sent to me telling me that there is someone who believes that I am still capable of love and I always will be. Because of who I am on the inside. Because mom taught me well. Because I know that I will never give up. Because I am me. I will love. I will conquer. I will not give up. I will believe. I will breathe. I will fight. I will live.
Fight! My mom once told me that all the good things in life are worth fighting for. And that’s what I am reminded of now-a-days. That is what I tell myself- when I look at a bad grade and decide instantly that I want to do better. That is what I tell myself when I make a mistake and hurt someone and don’t want them to give up on me. That is what I tell myself when I hold onto the rays of hope, of love, of a life with the man I love- of a new beginning. And then all of a sudden my life seems to have a meaning to it. My life is telling me that there is a purpose to it. I want to get up and stand on both my feet, breathe the air in and tell the world that I am strong.
But then again…I am left to wonder how long this will last. I am left to wonder how long I will be able to hold on. I am left to wonder how long I will fight!
The answer is just where I want it to be- a silent message sent to me telling me that there is someone who believes that I am still capable of love and I always will be. Because of who I am on the inside. Because mom taught me well. Because I know that I will never give up. Because I am me. I will love. I will conquer. I will not give up. I will believe. I will breathe. I will fight. I will live.
Monday, February 14, 2011
things that are new and improved.
so...yes! as usual my posts are much too delayed and decayed in my brain by the time i set to really writing them but then again they are there so like i always say- I'd rather have it written down than forgotten. so...here i go! its been two weeks since i got back from my two month holiday at home and i was'nt even a decimal point thrilled to be back at the University so i sulked around for a few days and then realized that i had to make it work for myself! there was no other way.
I had to get through a semester; i knew that. so i got to business trying to make this semester easier for me. and guess what it worked. I just started having fun. I realized that i did'nt have to be nice to everyone. I didnt have to keep up all the social obligations i had or thought i did all the time. I did what made me happy. I lived life the way i wanted to and was happy and content at the way things were turning out. and all this mind you happened in the span of around 3 days approx.
Then the day dawned. i turned 23! officially. shit! i was growing old. that's when it hit me. this semester i had some major decisions to make and i have to make them keeping only me in mind. now...how the hell is that possible? ah...but the answer to that is a completely different post.
So back to where i was of discovering that i had to make some serious decisions- so the first one i took was of not doing a dissertation. i have always wanted to do one. since the time i set foot in this university...but then some things just don't happen the way you want it to. so that's that! days moved on in this place where all i did was watch movies, watch movies, watch movies,laze around and hang out in my room with the roomie who i have come to know and love.
Fourth semester did change a few things thoug. from the way i feel about Hyderabad now to the way i look at myself. its like the place and the people have done wonders for the new and improved me. and i like that. the fact that a place can help in making you stronger and ready to face the world enthralled me in the beginning but now...i just turn back and say...HELL YA! i will make it!!
Amidst all this chaos and confusion of discovering and re-discovering places and things, bonds have broken, been made and some strengthened over time. people have come to be respected and appreciated for what they are. secrets have been shared. a part of me finally feels accepted. and i like it.
So this post is dedicated to all the random trips to Maula Ali, the shopping sprees, the food outings, the randomness of just sitting around with buddies, the endless trips to kim fung and big bazaar and cribbing and eating at the mess, facebooking through the night,decorating and redecorating rooms, cups and cups of coffee, crazy assignment days, no internet confusions, loads of movies,ladies night outs, planning trips and not taking them and a lot more craziness that is yet to come.
so thank you...to Hyderabad; to CIEFL; to the people here; to my roomie for teaching me that its OK to be me and that its not necessary that everyone likes me.
as far as im concerned now...I'd be damn glad if someone occasionally thought i was being an ITCH with a big B right in the front of it!!! i love being me! :)
I had to get through a semester; i knew that. so i got to business trying to make this semester easier for me. and guess what it worked. I just started having fun. I realized that i did'nt have to be nice to everyone. I didnt have to keep up all the social obligations i had or thought i did all the time. I did what made me happy. I lived life the way i wanted to and was happy and content at the way things were turning out. and all this mind you happened in the span of around 3 days approx.
Then the day dawned. i turned 23! officially. shit! i was growing old. that's when it hit me. this semester i had some major decisions to make and i have to make them keeping only me in mind. now...how the hell is that possible? ah...but the answer to that is a completely different post.
So back to where i was of discovering that i had to make some serious decisions- so the first one i took was of not doing a dissertation. i have always wanted to do one. since the time i set foot in this university...but then some things just don't happen the way you want it to. so that's that! days moved on in this place where all i did was watch movies, watch movies, watch movies,laze around and hang out in my room with the roomie who i have come to know and love.
Fourth semester did change a few things thoug. from the way i feel about Hyderabad now to the way i look at myself. its like the place and the people have done wonders for the new and improved me. and i like that. the fact that a place can help in making you stronger and ready to face the world enthralled me in the beginning but now...i just turn back and say...HELL YA! i will make it!!
Amidst all this chaos and confusion of discovering and re-discovering places and things, bonds have broken, been made and some strengthened over time. people have come to be respected and appreciated for what they are. secrets have been shared. a part of me finally feels accepted. and i like it.
So this post is dedicated to all the random trips to Maula Ali, the shopping sprees, the food outings, the randomness of just sitting around with buddies, the endless trips to kim fung and big bazaar and cribbing and eating at the mess, facebooking through the night,decorating and redecorating rooms, cups and cups of coffee, crazy assignment days, no internet confusions, loads of movies,ladies night outs, planning trips and not taking them and a lot more craziness that is yet to come.
so thank you...to Hyderabad; to CIEFL; to the people here; to my roomie for teaching me that its OK to be me and that its not necessary that everyone likes me.
as far as im concerned now...I'd be damn glad if someone occasionally thought i was being an ITCH with a big B right in the front of it!!! i love being me! :)
Monday, November 15, 2010
The Givers of Life
Someone wise once said on a random google search page that "Home is the place where it feels right to walk around without shoes” and it is true.
this is the first time in years where i have wished to go home. and now i am. to hug my dada. to rest my head in my mom's lap. to play ball with my brother. to gossip with my aunts. to babysit my cousins. to witness the birth of a new baby. a new relationship. Home is where my heart is.
this sudden urge to go home is not owing to the fact that i am sick and would be better of at home. this post is because i realize that i am no one without the people back home. this post is to thank the two people who brought me into this world. this post if for my parents.
this post is dedicated to all those kids who suddenly find themselves alone- look behind you. your family is just a call away.
this post is to all the parents of the world but especially to mine- for making the person i am. i am strong because of you. i am brave because of you. i am me because of you. and i only hope and pray that i am and become half the individual that you want me to be because you two are two of the most beautiful individuals on this earth together and apart.
you make me proud.
p.s. Ma, We 4 are the World! (M3JK):)
this is the first time in years where i have wished to go home. and now i am. to hug my dada. to rest my head in my mom's lap. to play ball with my brother. to gossip with my aunts. to babysit my cousins. to witness the birth of a new baby. a new relationship. Home is where my heart is.
this sudden urge to go home is not owing to the fact that i am sick and would be better of at home. this post is because i realize that i am no one without the people back home. this post is to thank the two people who brought me into this world. this post if for my parents.
this post is dedicated to all those kids who suddenly find themselves alone- look behind you. your family is just a call away.
this post is to all the parents of the world but especially to mine- for making the person i am. i am strong because of you. i am brave because of you. i am me because of you. and i only hope and pray that i am and become half the individual that you want me to be because you two are two of the most beautiful individuals on this earth together and apart.
you make me proud.
p.s. Ma, We 4 are the World! (M3JK):)
Thursday, November 11, 2010
this has been put off for a really long time but then again i can still hear my heart in my mouth every time i cough. This past week has been about nothing but rest and major amounts of sleep. all the sleep i have missed this semester. all the dreams that were waiting to be seen. all the realities that we were ready to be acknowledged. everything. this week did that for me.
it all started out with a random conversation with a friend at around 01:30 am and the next thing i know i've decided to take a bike trip to HCU at that time of the night. so i came back and changed into something more comfortable and carried a bag with little things like food and water too. when i stepped out to go i was so pumped-it was unbelievable! i hadn't felt like that in a really long time.
it normally takes 40 minutes or more by bus if you want to get to HCU(Hyderabad Central University)-it took us 25. the minute iset foot in there, it was cold. chilly. like i could smell the unpollutedness(if there is such a word)of the air inside and it was mesmerizing. Four hours of circling the campus and i still had so much more to see but then my human instincts of hunger had to come in the way so we left. there is something i have not mentioned- when we left campus he did tell me that there was a surprise in store. i had forgotten about it until we left the campus and he said-" when i tell you to hang on tight, you hang on tight. got it?" i remember vaguely thinking-ya right! what could be so surprising? but was i in the most awesomest ride ever.
so we are still riding.riding.riding. and then he says it and i can see the road- a curve, a downhill, an uphill and then a curve again. nice road i thought. smooth road. i clung on tightly. as tightly as i could and was i glad i did. at 110km/hr that has got to be one of the finest moments ever. the surge of adrenaline.the wind beating at your ears. a roller coaster ride without getting in one.
well...we did get back in one piece and after breakfast at Reddy's, i treated myself to an amazing nap.
now here comes the hard part- i caught a cold. i thought-hah! its just a cold...it will pass! it did not.i was cold. my body ached. it went on to be a fever. then my body was burning up. and then i couldnt taste what i was eating. all because i ignored a common cold.
moral of the story: If you have caught it, treat it!
it all started out with a random conversation with a friend at around 01:30 am and the next thing i know i've decided to take a bike trip to HCU at that time of the night. so i came back and changed into something more comfortable and carried a bag with little things like food and water too. when i stepped out to go i was so pumped-it was unbelievable! i hadn't felt like that in a really long time.
it normally takes 40 minutes or more by bus if you want to get to HCU(Hyderabad Central University)-it took us 25. the minute iset foot in there, it was cold. chilly. like i could smell the unpollutedness(if there is such a word)of the air inside and it was mesmerizing. Four hours of circling the campus and i still had so much more to see but then my human instincts of hunger had to come in the way so we left. there is something i have not mentioned- when we left campus he did tell me that there was a surprise in store. i had forgotten about it until we left the campus and he said-" when i tell you to hang on tight, you hang on tight. got it?" i remember vaguely thinking-ya right! what could be so surprising? but was i in the most awesomest ride ever.
so we are still riding.riding.riding. and then he says it and i can see the road- a curve, a downhill, an uphill and then a curve again. nice road i thought. smooth road. i clung on tightly. as tightly as i could and was i glad i did. at 110km/hr that has got to be one of the finest moments ever. the surge of adrenaline.the wind beating at your ears. a roller coaster ride without getting in one.
well...we did get back in one piece and after breakfast at Reddy's, i treated myself to an amazing nap.
now here comes the hard part- i caught a cold. i thought-hah! its just a cold...it will pass! it did not.i was cold. my body ached. it went on to be a fever. then my body was burning up. and then i couldnt taste what i was eating. all because i ignored a common cold.
moral of the story: If you have caught it, treat it!
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