Yet another personal (impulsive) reflection…

May seems to be the month for engagement announcements. The one that I got to know today came as a shock. She is a close pal but marriage was not on her cards. We were more or less sailing in the same boat. But like she herself put it, everything happened suddenly. Sometimes when I think about how most of my friends are married by now or have plans to in the near future I get very intimidated. It is during such times I feel that it’s time I too settled down. But this thought only occurs whenever I get the news of a friend tying the knot. Else I would still say that there is time for me.

Anyway I would like to divert my mind as of now and the best topic that comes to my mind is my upcoming trip to Delhi next week. I am really looking forward to it. There are so many people I have to meet; I just hope there is time enough for all. I so wish this trip could be extended. I have really been missing Yashi a lot for the last few days. Since it is not possible for her to come to Delhi I could have gone to Dehradun. It would have been ideal but I don’t see that happening this time. So this plan will have to wait. Right now hope to make the best of those two weeks. And of course the most important thing, the reason why I am traveling – my lil brother’s admission. I hope he makes it to CBS. Fingers crossed!!

Happy birthday dearest Bhai :)

Wish you a very happy birthday Bhai. This one is indeed very special for you – you are celebrating your 25th Birthday plus your engagement announcement exactly a week ago, adds to the celebration. I am sure all those numerous gifts, warmth and love from my would-be Bhabhi did make you feel special and made your day already. But there are other people too who care, a lot, it is just that they might not express it often. And I am of them.

Well, it is never easy to pen down our feelings for someone who is so dear to us. Sometimes we do not have the apt words, and sometimes it seems like words are not enough to express all that we want to say. When that someone is YOU – it is a Herculean task. And mind you, this is the second time (I shall not miss any opportunity to talk about the testimonial that I wrote for you and the one that is pending from your side ever since :P) I am attempting to write something about the remarkable bond that we share!   You know how our relation has been like. We have grown-up fighting – physical when we were kids and later on verbal, especially in college. We have outgrown those days, as we are matured now. But when I look back at all of it, I have a smile on my face.

Know what? Ever since childhood, I have pretty much been on my own. Most of friends at that time had elder brothers who, by their basic nature, were very possessive. I somehow missed that interference in my life and always wished I too had an elder brother. My friends told me I would not like it and they can really be a pain imposing restrictions and all that stuff. But you know how we always want something we don’t have. Similarly, I wanted someone to keep an eye on me and be concerned about my whereabouts. Things changed as I grew up, because my dominating attitude would not allow me to be under someone’s control. However, the desire to share that bond was always there. And today, I can so proudly say that my wish was granted. In fact I got much more – I got a wonderful friend in a brother.

You would soon be starting a new phase of your life and I wish you all the best. And yes, no matter the distance or time, you will always be a special and an important part of my life. Thanks so much for everything. Love you!

P.S. We don't have a single photograph together!!!!

IPL season 2 - getting better?

IPL season 2 saw a lot of drama before the real action of the matches begun. At one point of time it looked difficult to conduct the tournament. After various controversies, trials and tribulations, it was finally decided that IPL would be shifted to South Africa. There were again a lot of speculations if moving the tournament out of India was a good thing to do. Teams, franchises, sponsors, players and audience, all were divided in their opinion. A lot of them said IPL would not be the same in SA. Players said they would miss playing at their home grounds. At the end, all had no option but to accept the fate.

Currently, the IPL fever is on and we are well past the mid way. And what an interesting situation! It seems like barring Kolkata any team can make it to the semi-finals. People are supporting one team or the other with great fervor. But I am not enjoying it. Not that I am not interested in cricket or am averse to this version of the game. The problem is something else.

I do not have a favorite team as such, as I like various players from different teams. However if you ask me which team am I supporting the first name that comes to my mind is Delhi Daredevils. I have spent seven memorable years in Delhi and thus the connection. Theirs is a good team too, and a lot of the names are familiar. Virendra Sehwag-Gautam Gambhir combination is no doubt one of the best though it’s little sad that this duo has not performed well this season. I am glad that Gambhir finally managed to shirk off his not-in-form status and bagged the much deserved Man of the Match award. I am now waiting to see Viru’s explosive batting. I also like Vettori, AB De Villiers and Nannes.

Things would be very simple if it were just this. But at the time I have a soft corner for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) too, for obvious reasons – no not Shah Rukh Khan, though most girls go gaga over him; I was born and brought up in Bengal. Plus, I admire Dada’s grit and never-say-die attitude. They have been extremely unlucky this season and I feel sad at their plight. KKR had been surrounded by controversies even before the real match begun. First it was the multiple-captain theory and then the captaincy issue, which was handed over to Brendon Mccullum. Now when they are at the bottom of the table, much is being said about their pre-hype and SRK’s publicity stunts which did not bring any results. I want this bad run to end for them and as their latest commercial says, come back “RELOADED”. But I know that the dream run of winning the trophy has come to an end this season. All they can do now is bounce back and win the rest of the matches to save themselves more humiliation and criticism for as we know, when it comes to cricket Indians are fanatics. When the team does well and they like someone, they praise them and go mad appreciating and showing their love and affection for them. But, if the same team starts losing matches and do no perform, the same people who earlier had garlands in their hands now have stones instead. They even start abusing the team and hold them guilty for not living up to the expectations. They forget that at the end of the day it is a game where someone wins and someone loses. In India, especially in cricket, fans only expect the team to do well and keep winning. I can see the same fate for KKR. The fans were already upset at Sourav not given charge of captaincy. Now they will be ready to pounce on everyone, seeing the team’s dismal performance. So a couple of wins here should them some good.

These are the two teams that I support. But, there are two other teams that I like for only one person each – Mumbai Indians for Sachin Tendulkar and Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rahul Dravid. Sachin as we all know is an iconic player and I don’t like to see his team lose. On the other hand I have been an ardent fan and supporter of Rahul Dravid ever since I started following the game of cricket, which was way back in class VI or VII. He is one player, who I feel has not got the appreciation that he deserved. He has scored more then 10000 runs in both versions of the game but people have more often criticized than praised him for his skills. He is always considered a slow player, despite the fact that he has been the person who has held the Indian innings together a lot of times. Never mind what people say. I liked him and I still do. It was really nice to see him begin with a bang. He is the sole reason why I do not want RCB to lose a match.

That’s four teams down. However it doesn’t end here too :P I somehow like Kings XI Punjab for no specific reason. And lastly, Chennai Super Kings. Dhoni again is such a brilliant leader that I do not like to see his side lose. I feel sad to see that dejected look whenever his team is in a bad position. Other than this, I do not like the team on the whole. Like if there is match between CSK and any of the teams mentioned above, I would be supporting the other team. The toughest situation is when Delhi and Kolkata play a match. In fact they will be playing one shortly and I am with both the teams. This is a difficult situation as one cannot possibly cheer both the teams simultaneously. Such is the dilemma that I land up not watching the match. At least that’s what I did the last time. Let’s see what happens today!

The last two teams – Rajasthan Royals and Deccan Chargers are the only two teams I have never felt a connection with.  I do not want either of them to make it to the semi-finals. It would be great if Delhi, Mumbai, Punjab and Bangalore make it to the top four :)

How comfortable are girls in buying a sanitary napkin?

I have had discussions on this topic with my girl friends many a times. And the response has more or less been the same – most of them are still very uncomfortable in buying a sanitary napkin, which I would refer to as ST henceforth [This is another thought – the abbreviation for a sanitary napkin should be SN and not ST. But that is how we have been referring to it always. I wonder why. I guess the ST comes from Sanitary, but then what about Napkin? Strange!]

You walk up to any store and ask for one; if there are men around, you will surely see them staring at you. The person at the counter takes it out in a hush hush manner and then wraps it in a newspaper or puts in a BLACK plastic bag, sometimes even both. I wonder why! Not that I don’t know the reason, but it is so baseless. Why should it draw attention if I carry it just like that? What is so disgraceful about it that it needs to be concealed?

A lot of girls I know never buy ST from the chemist next to their place or any other shop that they visit regularly as they know the person sitting in the shop and thus feel embarrassed and ill at ease. This thought really bewilders me. Not that I blame the girls for thinking in this manner. It is the mentality of the men around them that gives rise to such self-consciousness. But why, that’s my question! And are only men to be blamed for this?

I would say it is the psyche of the people in India and how they look down on this whole process. In some parts of India, menstruation is still considered to be a curse and linked with myths and taboos. Teenage girls, especially in rural parts are not comfortable in discussing it with their parents or elders in the family. As a result girls are shy and embarrassed. Many a times they go through a lot of pain or trouble but are unable to share it with anyone. There are many NGO’s and other bodies working towards this and educating the rural community. But what about the urban class who are well educated and aware of everything. Why don’t they treat it as a natural phenomenon and stop being embarrassed about it?

Some people might argue that this is not the case. Well, I was in Delhi for 7 years. Initially, in our first year of college we used to hesitate in even telling our guy friends that we are chumming [Now most of them, including some girls, will not understand this term too I guess. It is a colloquial term that we girls use for “periods”]. Things changed gradually, a lot of credit for which goes to Eng Hons. Today I have no qualms in discussing or talking about it with most of the people. But there are times, when I too am a little hesitant despite the “bold” and “liberal” girl that I am. For instance, I could never tell a male colleague in my office that I was chumming. However I am still better off than most of the people I know. Girls still are not at ease talking about this.

I remember, once I wasn’t feeling well as I was down, when a guy friend of mine called me up. When I told this to him, one of my girl friend who had come over to my place raised her eyebrow and looked up at me in a very surprised and shocked manner. She later asked me how I could tell a guy that I was down. I asked her what was wrong in telling him; we were good friends after all. She then told me that she could never talk about this with a guy, no matter how good a friend he is.

My earlier posts on PMS evoked mixed and varied reactions. Most of the girls liked it and appreciated that I have expressed the pain and feelings aptly. But some of them asked me how I could post such a thing on my blog. Till the time girls themselves have this notion in their heads, this issue will always remain as it is. They need to stop feeling shy about it in the first place. It is only when they are themselves comfortable, that they can expect people to behave normally.

A long break

I have not written for a long time again, but this time it was for lack of time. That’s no excuse because one has to take out time. However, April was an eventful month. A lot happened, with Prachi’s wedding being the main affair. So obviously I have lots to write about. And then marriage/engagement seems to in the air!! Two people who are very close to me got engaged on Sunday - my cousin Apporva and one of my best pals from school. I am obviously very happy. I will write about them in detail in the coming posts.

There are certain things on my to-do or to-learn list like guitar lessons, French classes, learning Salsa and most recently photography. But never really had the time to take them up. Now that I have time, there are no facilities. So basically something or the other keeps coming up. However, I am glad that I have finally, finally joined swimming. And it is the perfect time too; gives such a relief from this heat. It has only been a while and I will take some time to learn, but I am so happy that it is ultimately happening. The other good thing is that it is taking care of my sinus problem. I used to keep away from water for this reason, but it feels nice now :) Hope I am able to take up the other things too sometime! Till then it is HAPPY SWIMMING :)