Wanderlust May 2013 – Lansdowne – Day 1

I was still trying to grab time to blog about our last trip when Mr. hubby announced he wanted another one. A recent family wedding & some other pending issues had me totally exhausted so when he proposed Lansdowne, it seemed like a welcome relief!

Didi had gone to Lansdowne a couple of years ago & had been in awe of the old British architecture, especially the Garhwal rifles mess. Lansdowne therefore, had been pending for quite some time.

With our bags packed in a jiffy, we left the hot and humid Delhi in the morning. I was excited to catch up on the McDonald’s breakfast menu on the Drive in near Khatauli. Mr. hubby had asked me to look for the route to Bijnor from Khatauli however,  a miss and we ended up taking the bylane adjacent to new Cheetal Grand restaurant. It was finally the server at the Mc Donald’s drive in who guided us about the right route (I had been looking for Bijnor on the signboards whereas we were to reach Jansad first & then take the highway to Bijnor).

I was expecting Bijnor to be just another small town but the pleasant drive there was a treat for my greenery hungry eyes. A well irrigated place, with a huge “Madhya Ganga canal” strategically routed through the fields, Bijnor is a place with quite roads and lots of greenery around. The sight near the canal barrage was simply awesome & if the place had the option of camping, we wouldn’t have mind a detour. Few minutes after we crossed Najibabad, I was delighted to see a huge (and I mean pretty huge) sugar mill. I could see the huge conveyor belt & some machines & was told the place was Mawana (from where my daily chai gets the Mawana sugar!).

Whenever we visit the hills (which is almost all our trips), I behave like an elated child on spotting the first set of hills after the plains. My reaction on seeing the mountains on the horizon en route Kotdwar was no different. Lansdowne was a few kilometers now!

My excitement soon turned into concern as the actual route after we took the route to Lansdowne. Britishers are known for their superior architecture & planning however, this time around, they had missed on the basic infrastructure. The roads are very narrow & Mr. Hubby, who had been driving non stop from Delhi now seemed tired. We have been on the worst of hilly routes but this route was one of its  kind. Narrow roads, steep, blind turns at every few metres (I would recommend taking a driver unless of course you don’t mind the frequent clutch & break like my Mr. Hubby).

I was waiting to get away from the heat. A signboard read “the first view of Lansdowne”. “But it is still hot!” I cribbed. “we have to go atleast 300-350 km away from Delhi in the hills to beat the heat, so chill baby”, Mr. Hubby at his consoling best again!

Lansdowne welcomed us with a Cant board toll, lot of old time fauji buildings & the best of all – numerous pine trees. We reached the main market – Gandhi Chowk. All the resorts we had tried to book came on our way, except the one we had actually booked – Jungle resort. I was getting cranky now with my empty stomach, heat & a strong nature’s call. The locals in sadar bazaar showed us a blue overhead tank & asked us to take the “bad route” from there. The bad road had already irritated us & when I saw the “real” secluded bad route, I prayed God for both of us & our Skoda Rapid.

Till about a few metres enroute Dhuri, we could see one or two jawans however after that the civilization just disappeared. Two tired & hungry souls on a bad route that was taking them nowhere! The route got worse with every turn but we had no option – there was no space on the narrow road to even take a U – turn. Finally after 3 km of that torturous terrain, he sign board read “Jungle Resort retreat Anand”. I wished for decent accommodation & clean loos as there was no way back now.

Seems God heard me. The resort was full of Pine trees (just like they used to show in the 90s movie songs) & had numerous cottages & a swimming pool. It was still hot so when I asked the staff why aren’t there any AC’s in the cottages, he smiled & said “spend few hours here & you won’t miss the AC. We decided to head to the pool to beat the heat. However, the pool had been occupied by numerous noisy kids & their parents. Belly dance of the pot bellied father to the shrieks of the bachha party – I hadn’t expected this after a tiring journey! But that’s hospitality – guest expectations exceeded, though on the wrong side!

Jungle Resort, Dhuri, Lansdowne

With kids occupying pool, there was nothing much to do. So I just lazed around the remaining day on the Hammock, while Mr. Hubby was glued to his Trip Advisor app to plan for the next day.
Read about day II of the trip here

Hills covered with Pine trees

Lovely Blooms

Sadar Bazaar

Ideas ideas everywhere, no time to blog

I had often read bloggers cribbing about blogger’s block – after the initial shower of posts and page views, the rigour suddenly takes a backseat. And not because of any specific reason but just like that. Just like the decline phase in the product life cycle, the blogger stops having those amazing ideas or the enthusiasm to check page views or post something frequently. The usual remedy is to give it some time. Bloggers usually take a well deserved break from the pressure of posting and saving their blogging ranks & once back, they usually start with introspective/philosophical posts.

But it isn't blogger’s block that is eating away my blogging frequency. It is the good old excuse (and in my case, truly genuine one) – lack of time.

Having jumped into the blogging arena only a couple of months ago, blogging still runs around in my system and gives me a high. Lectures, exams, submissions, mood swings, so far nothing has been able to hold me away from posting my ideas on my blog. The mind still brims with loads of ideas, and the evidence can be found on the umpteen “to do’s” on my smart phone and laptop.  Yet, since I have returned to Delhi, Miss blogging often complains to Mr. mind – “you don’t have time for me.”

One option was to comfort Miss blogging by posting some pictures or quotes, but that wouldn’t have justified the purpose of me getting into blogging.

So, I decided to think aloud about what’s affecting my blogging frequency –

1. The blogging seat – Believe it or not, but its true. In college, my desk next to the window with a scenic view of the Aravallis got out the best of my creativity. Back to the concrete jungles of Delhi, my dedicated writing space has gone.

2. Cooking – The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Very true, but the same way also takes you away from the “me time”.  No, I am not being a lazy wife & Mr. Hubby knows this. But when at home, I find myself more in kitchen than anywhere else.

3.  Being the social butterfly – I once read on author Preeti Shenoy’s blog that one has to sacrifice social life to make it up for the love of writing. I still don’t completely agree but the recent family weddings, outings, chit chats, gossip sessions and get togethers have got me to somewhat think about it.

4.  Spending the quality time – Now this one’s the most important. Recently Mr. Hubby got bitten by the Watsapp bug (and I have a full post dedicated to this in pipeline). Though I am not that fussy a wife, whenever I find him glued to his Watsapp or Discovery Turbo, I make the most innocent face & crib that he has no time for me. And poor thing gives in to my draamebaazee! But he is no innocent thing anymore, coz he has now found a way to get back at me. Whenever he sees me glued to my laptop (which often is the moment I have just began work on a new post), he too, makes that same innocent face (though with a dash of sarcastic naughtiness!) and says “U have no time for me, I meees u”. My own weapon used against me!

No matter how much I crib, I can’t live without blogging. While wrapping up at work yesterday, the optimistic me planned the rest of the evening my way & resolved to write a post every alternate day.  Even though an unexpected guest & the elaborate menu played spoilsport, the moral refuses to go down. And here I am, back to my blog!

Thats my computer calling me to blog!

So I get to walk the ramp!

Picture perfect, chiseled bodies, perfect poise, looks that kill - models are what every gal idolizes when it comes to looks. Not to miss their shining, smooth tresses which embrace any hairstyle. I have lost count of the times I have tried to copy their hairdos as a teenager, mostly ending in messy disasters. How do they do it? I used to wonder. Stress, pollution, chemicals – poor hair bear the brunt of them all. As career kept eating away into the “me time”, getting that hair a’la models became a distant dream.

But not anymore.

While browsing recently through Indiblogger, I came across the TRESemme Ramp Ready hair contest. I had seen a few promos of TRESemme on TV & my neighbor in hostel had recently got herself the shampoo. The page mentioned “get your hair ramp ready”. With all those years of dull, messy hair behind me, the claim was too good to be true. However, I decided to give it a try.

Indiblogger was as usual prompt with the shipping & within few days, I received my free bottle of TRESemme hair fall control conditioner. Having straight hair yet falling prey to hair fall & dull hair had been frustrating. The product, with its enriched formula, claimed to work on the deadly tangles that every girl fears. The catch was simple, getting salon ready hair in few washes. Although I didn’t get breakage free hair overnight, my hair were surprisingly a lot less tangled than their usual self.

Next, it was time to get the perfect salon look. And I didn’t have to step out of my home for that. The TRESemme India youtube link   brought salon perfect hairdos right to my home. Diana Penty welcoming me to the fashion show amidst the flashing lights, I was feeling like a Diva already!

Beginning with the basics of a good hair wash, the interactive, user friendly module allowed me to pick my favorite hairdo as per my hair type. I chose the Butterfly ponytail. Never before had someone made salon styling so simple. The TRESemme hairstylist explained step by step how to get the hairdo. Unlike the various beauty shows on TV, I got a detailed view with explanation & could repeat the video. I simultaneously tried the butterfly ponytail on my hair. Wow, I actually did it on my own, in the comfort of my home!

But the pampering was far from over. It was time to actually feel the excitement of the ramp. One click & I was right there at the ramp! My favorite hairstyle, music, photographers - the feeling of being a model was sinking in. And with Diana Penty among the viewers, anybody would love to flaunt their salon ready look!

Thanks TRESemme for giving making me believe that every girl next door can get her hair ramp ready!

This post is a part of the TRESemme Ramp Ready Hair contest in association with Indiblogger.

College na milega dobara

Phew! Exams are over!  Like a farmer waiting for rains, I had been desperately waiting for this day ever since I stepped in the hostel. It meant so much to me – freedom from books, classes   & lots of good time with family, friends, TV & shopping!

The last exam was also the toughest one – not just for me but also for Mr. Hubby. Poor thing tolerated my tantrums for 2 days – sometimes counseling, motivating me, and otherwise helping me with my doubts over the phone. I remember during school & college, whenever the last exam used to end, there used to be a loud “Hurray”, even though we knew exams awaited us the next session. But this time, when exams actually finished for me, I just stood up, looked at the paper & said “No more exams to take now. I am through.”

Since most of our batch mates were leaving the same day for their hometowns, & the remaining few had their last exam the next day, it was also a sad day. Me and a couple of my friends in the girls hostel decided to leave the next day as we wanted to relive & relish some of the most memorable moments spent in the hostel.  Looking back, it appears funny that the same place we awaited desperately to get rid of had become such an indispensable part of our existence that we felt like taking off few moments to remember the good times.

So, in a pure “college na milega dobara” mode, we planned our little girlie party. Abhilasha, who’s always proactive with the clicks suggested we capture each & every important place in college, beginning with our hostel rooms. But there was a problem, the rooms weren’t exactly in the same shape as we were all packing. So, I quickly prepared my room for some good frames & we began the photo session. Soon, more frendz joined over & we had an amazing giggling session. Nidhi was in a dancing mode since morning & she ensured each one of us, gave her company for “Radha on the dance floor” while Abhilasha got the perfect clicks. 

Next, it was time for outdoor shoot – the canteen, the lovely green ground, classrooms, the sunset point, the road where we had taken umpteen leisurely walks. Every evening, while taking a walk, I used to count the days left in the college. And on the last day, my eyes were moist as we took the Oh so longish last walk – as if I wanted to fill the beauty in my eyes before the bid the final goodbye. Had it not been for Nidhi’s reminders, Abhilasha & I would have to make do with hostel food as we were so totally out of control with our photo sessions, roping in everyone we spotted.

The lovey sunset view

The classroom

As we enjoyed our large pizzas, we recalled all the amazing pizza parties we had before, the midnight chai sessions, morning wake up calls, masti amidst some boring some enlightening lectures, burning the midnight oil before assignment deadlines, weekend masti, evening walks, impromptu jam sessions, midnight maggi & chitchat sessions  - moments that had now become golden memories. To make the last day even more special, we decided to stay awake the entire night & do full on masti & dhamaal. But there was a problem, Pooja had an exam the next day & was in the adjacent room. We didn’t want to distract her, but the fun was incomplete without her. I was already feeling guilty as she was dropping in time and again for quick 5 minute chitchat sessions before resuming her studies.

Umpteen presentations given here...

We moved to Abhilasha’s room & that’s where the real girlie fun began. What started off as a simple movie plan eventually turned out to be a super spicy gossip session. By 2 in the morning, studies could no longer hold Pooja in her room & she too joined us. Midnight tidbits, amazing pals, memories, facts, opinions & college life revisited – I take with me memories to cherish forever. I had dreaded hostel since childhood but when I finally lived the hostel life, I realized why hostel bondings remain precious throughout life. Thanks to my amazing pals Pooja, Abhilasha & Nidhi who made our last evening in hostel so special! 

Finally...the road to freedom

4 gone 2 to go!

The ratio now reads 4:2! Exactly opposite of the last time I updated my blog on the deadly exams. So, before I refill my arsenal for tomorrow’s fight, lemme quickly update you on what I went through last 2 days.

A week end break between exams sounds like party time, but when it does come in, one realizes things were better without it. Especially if one has more than 2 exams after the 2 day weekend, half of the energy is spent juggling between various subjects. On Sunday afternoon, I learnt the difference between distance and displacement that my Physics teacher had emphasized so much on in school. Even though I had spent Friday and Saturday studying for the later exams, I couldn’t even remember the names of topics! Back to square one! Nothing retained in mind and I had not even started preparing for the lengthy Monday paper.

The whole batch had been taking law very lightly, considering it to be a “cram and vomit” subject. But a night before the exam, we had our moment of realization. Watsapp, FB and the college mail was bubbling with notes and tips, powerpoint presentations that promised to get the entire Contract Act into your mind in less than 15 slides. But there was limited grey matter and unlimited laws haunting us with their numerous clauses. I looked at the Ganeshji in my room and said, “Sheer breach of code of conduct, why do people get into so many wrongdoings? Each act becomes an act and then we have to get our act together.” Hehe…

These days, immediately after waking up, I feel like a patient of short term memory loss and that’s why the morning revision holds immense importance. As if the ordeal I went through the previous night wasn’t enough, I had another prickly sense of realization the moment I began to write the paper. To know a law and to write answers are two things poles apart. Things had to be written in “a” sequence only using “the” specific words, else the meaning changed! To write or not to write became the question and one couldn’t write in the good old layman language.

In the middle of the paper, I also discovered that my “chanchal” mind had smartly distracted and was throwing me the idea of this post. I quickly hushed it up, though smiling at my shameless creativity. Since no contract is valid without a lawful consideration, I too did my bit to avoid the breach and somehow managed the jargons in the paper.

The next day and night was like an akhand paath (non stop prayer session) as today’s paper had anything and everything as part of the curriculum. Some friends, who couldn’t ignore their devotion towards IPL and Sir Ravinder Jadeja, took the chance of just brushing up the numericals. But galz are the scared lot. I went on and on and on but the course wouldn’t just finish!

I reached Just in time (which incidentally was also a topic in today’s paper). My friends smiled and pointed towards the front bench desk adjacent to the invigilator desk – the only vacant space left for latecomers. As the teacher distributed today’s paper, my mind instantly played a famous bhajan by Hari Om Sharan “tera raamji karengey beda paar, udaasi mann kahey ko darey” (why worry oh my dear sad heart, Lord will take care of everything!). And he did, the teacher had played a good Santa by giving so many choices that each one had something for himself!

As soon as I came to my room, I played the elimination round (yes, sounds funny but when I am through with an exam, I stack all those notes and books separately and just feel good when the stack increases with every exam, relative to the stack for pending subjects….something a friend taught me in school).

I know a lot of people might find this very stupid and melodramatic, but for all those people, I just have one thing to say “You have to step in my shoes to understand what it is like.”

My Hero – My Pa

Often we watch heroes on the celluloid who flex a muscle and smash the villain, and we go gaga. But, what are real heroes made of? Is it just about the looks, muscles, suave and macho appeal?  No, real heroes are beyond that. They are men of iron who have the grit and the guts to stand up for the right. One such hero I have admired since childhood is my father. And the admiration doesn't come by being his daughter; it’s his courage that makes me bow.

My parents were born in a society where women were considered nothing more than cattle – they were suppressed, exploited and kept confined to the kitchen.  Boys however, were encouraged to study and work. Born in a family with modest means, Pa had to work hard to get his share of education. At 20, he set off to the then secluded Andaman & Nicobar Islands on his first job posting. But the bug of enhancing his learning kept biting him.

He had seen his mother suffering in life due to lack of education & had promised himself he would take it upon himself to ensure no woman in his life remain uneducated. He strongly believes when u educate a woman, u uplift the entire family. He had 2 sisters and as per the norms, they were to be married off before their age crossed the adult mark. Pa stood up for them, argued with his parents to let them finish their education. It was tough to convince people of the elderly generation, and Pa took up the responsibility of their studies, channelizing his earnings to fund their education.

After my parents got married, Pa realized how my mother had been forced to leave her studies mid way for the marriage. While he too, like other men of the family could have ignored her aspirations, he promised her he would not let her dreams of education die. Having faced the music for his sisters’ education, he knew it would be a herculean task to convince the elders. It was a taboo to have a daughter in law show her face outside the veil, her studying after marriage would have raised eyebrows. But Pa had already made up his mind. He told his parents about his decision and when they showed immense resistance, he just had one answer, “education is a fundamental right, and I know by doing is I am doing what is right.” He promised his parents he and mom wouldn't let this affect neither the honor of the family nor their household responsibilities.

It was although a tough schedule for mom (I have blogged about it previously here), she was glad as she had her husband standing like a rock by her side, doing everything to ensure her dream of learning was fulfilled. With Pa’s support, mom not only got to continue her studies, she even did her Masters, which was a rare thing for girls in those days and went on to do her medical practice.

Today, Pa has ensured that all the women in our family are educated and independent. His spirit of encouraging education has extended beyond home, and I know several instances where he has single handed convinced parents to educate their daughters, often helping with the education expenses. He could have followed the trend of his times and taken a chill pill, but he decided to be the change he wanted to see around him. That’s what heroes are made of. I know words are not enough to thank you, but for the empowerment you have given us and for the change agent that you are, I salute you my soldier!

This post has been written for the "Soldier for women" contest by Blogadda.com, in association with Gillette.

This post is a part of <a title="#Soldierforwomen" href="http://www.gillette.com/en-IN/" target="_blank">#Soldierforwomen</a> 

in association with <a title="The Best Community of Indian Bloggers" href="http://www.blogadda.com" target="_blank">BlogAdda.com</a>

2 down 4 to go

The race has begun – the race against time. U count days till the exams are over and it seems a long duration. You start writing the exam and before you know it, the time’s over!

Pic courtesy:Google Search

So, as the blog title reads, 2 exams have gone and 4 more are left. That’s like 1:3! It’s funny that even though nobody scolds me for my performance, out of genuine care and concern, my family calls me up after every exam to ask how it was. Anybody who’s in the same boat as me would understand how it is. If I tell my father that my exam didn’t go well, he gets super concerned and starts making suggestions. Now I hate being a brat and say “You won’t understand pa.” so, I politely try to explain the subject or the issue in layman terms. The exchange goes till either one of us gives up. But it starts afresh as soon as the next exam is over!

If the exam does go well, the praises come so premature that  I wonder if I did indeed perform well as don’t wanna surprise them when result come.

Well, exams also do some distortion to my appetite. Before a tough exam, the appetite is in a dormant mode and as soon as the exam is over, all hell breaks loose! The mess food has to be really bad to control it then.

Same goes for sleep. Before exams, the sleep is banging the door hard. And as soon as the ordeal is over, it goes out of the window!

Today was a relatively easy subject.  I had promised myself a good night sleep and no skipping breakfast. My friend S also coaxed me for a longish walk last night (on the pretext that it would be our last walk in college post which we would be on our own in our hometowns…typical girlie senti stuff!). The walk and the extra ice cream got the DJ (digestive juices) rocking and I hit the sack in no time.

After hitting the snooze button for the 3^rd time, I realized I had fall prey to procrastination. I had decided to cover 2 easy (but highly expected to come in exam) topics early morning, knowing completely that I am just not a morning person. The watch showed it was far from early. With exactly 2.5 hrs to go for the exam, I cursed my laziness and got my fingers working on the laptop.

But I had a promise to fulfill. Today was a must have breakfast day as I had been skipping it for 2 days now. I gave myself all sort of gyan about not ignoring one’s health and gulped down a can of juice with some biscuits. Donno why, I got extremely motherly with myself. “I need to have proper breakfast”, I thought. I saw my friend P going to the mess and asked her to sneak in 2 paranthas as I had no motivation to go to the mess. She smiled and seeing my condition, immediately got me some tidbits to manage by the time she was back. And in no time, P was back with 2 aloo paranthas neatly wrapped up in tissue. 

Paranthas is the favorite breakfast item with of our hostel mess caterer. I guess all hostellers don’t need a description as paranthas are same in all the hostels – thick, half cooked and mysteriously stuffed with a stuffing that plays hide and seek. As I tried hard to make up for the lost time, instead of focusing on the pending topics, my focus was more on the food  – 1^st cribbing, then gobbling it down. Once I was done, I had to have tea else I wouldn't have felt completely fed. By the time it was an hour to go for the exam, I had done everything except revsion, with eating being the major activity. I quickly flipped through the notes and rushed to the exam hall. 

A 3 hour paper is like a relay race, u mess up any lap and u’r out. With barely an hour gone, my stomach started to take revenge against the stuffing it had been subjected to. I was in a fix, to cater to the paining tummy or the painful exam. I chose the latter. The tummy didn’t give up for almost an hour and tried its level best to distract my mind away from the exam. I kept pacifying it with frequent time checks. As soon as I was out of the examination hall, I told myself – every promise need not be fulfilled.

Pic courtesy:Google Search