A new life

Its feels very queer...unlike me..sitting in my pg(in balcony :P) in the dead of the night,in mumbai,the cool breeze brushing through my poker straight hair and the sea roaring some distance away. I'm thousand miles away from home in Delhi. A month ago i was going nuts thinking how my future is gonna unfold,brooding over entrance exams and results. But as fate would have it and i had never imagined that i would end up doing my postgrad in mumbai,away from family and friends in one of the top colleges of India.

And exactly a month ago i met my BFF for the second last time.It hurt me to acknowledge we wouldnt be able to meet now for over a year perhaps,have our random chats,share moments of fun,wisdom,laughter or even silence together. The following weeks were passed meeting more close friends and relatives, exchanging goodbyes and good wishes.Leaving mom and dad at the station was the hardest moment of all. I felt weak in knees,my heart crying...i had never been away from home ever before.

But 2 week hence now that i'm writing this post, i feel i've got used to this hostel life. Doing my own laundry,cooking,grocery shopping,pretty much everything doesnt feel awkward,tough or nerve wrecking anymore.I'm glad to have chilled out roommates who patiently stand by my side to see if i'm putting correct amount of salt in a meal or surf in water for that matter!

The faculty at college can easily be described as tigers on loose. They want to rip us apart, are hungry for our flesh and leave no stone unturned to put our asses on fire. Assignments,attendance,deadlines,discipline and workshops make sure we have no time to while away. I'm not complaining but it does gets on your nerves when u have to submit two mountain sized assignments in one day on a short notice. Too much of pressure and constraints. They think we future journalists have our feet made of clay which can be stretched up to the crotch. Huh!

Amongst all this hype and hoopla there are somethings which are never forgotten. when i retire for the day and go to bed, flashes of home come to my mind. I miss being pampered by family and friends.I miss the food( mom's paranthas submerged in butter esp.)I miss my friends terribly esp u guys meghna,meetu,krittika. But my compensation would be Arunima who might be coming to bombay soon... Yeah i've made new friends but everytime i go to marine drive or kolaba or fashion st or McD with them,old memories rush past me,making me feel queasy...

But then,this is my new life. Life knows how to barter well. It gives you something but takes away something other. You just have to come to terms with it and learn from every moment.As of now i'm just hoping that my stint in this city would do me good and by the time i'm ready to return, i've made those people proud who are important to me....my new life adds a fresh chapter to my life,one of self responsibility and discipline. I wait in awe of how it unfolds! fingers crossed ;)

India's verdict

Jai ho! To democracy!

After 2 long decades, India has finally seen a stable government. Citizens have thrown a shoe at the left, right, third & fourth front. People gave their clear verdict and got UPA led Congress back to the centre. I was personally elated that our country which was fighting the marr of religious, regional and coalition politics was showing some healing. Agatha Sangma, state minister from Meghalaya took oath in Hindi. It was something for a person coming from a non-Hindi state.

SO FAR SO GOOD. But...
The selection of cabinet ministers is really disappointing. All the oldies which are not that goldy have been given the top notch honors of the ministry (exceptions being P. Chidambram who will handle home ministry, well deserved). The youngest or least eldest to be precise of all the cabinet is the trouble maker Ms.Mamta Banerjee (54yrs.old) who gave Bhuddhadev Bhattachararya a run for seats in the recent polls. M.Karunanidhi might be ailing in hospital at 84 but he sure wants no stone unturned to secure seats for his party members in the govt.

What is most depressing is the fact that VilasRao Deshmukh has been given a cabinet seat even after failing as chief minister of Maharashtra. Deshmukh was forced to resign after the Mumbai attacks of 26/11. Wow! What a luck it must be.. to resign as the CM and get entry into the cabinet ministry of the center govt! Cool!! Meera Kumar is holding the post of the Speaker of the house. The lady has a mouse voice which even humans find inaudible, let alone the hooligans in Lok Sabha! I’m really looking forward to a fun session in parliamentl for some guilty pleasure. :P

Performance?? huh..Nepotism is back in town folks!

Gripped in nostalgia

Who sees it all?
Varuna has but a thousand eyes
Indra a hundred
And I, only two
Gripped in nostalgia
I don’t know what to do….

College life is coming to an end. Last few days left. There is a sinking feeling; perhaps a sweet sorrow. Sweet because of the opportunities that lie beyond and sorrow because of all the goodbyes one has to say and leaving sweet memories behind.
I’m generally not open about my feelings..but I think it’s the right time to thank a few people who came by these 3 precious years to make them happy and memorable.

For me, the college life started on a low-key note. I had taken a year’s hiatus during which I preferred to remain in the confines of the 4 walls of my room. Meanwhile my best friends had engaged themselves in good professional courses out of town. So, when my college life started, I found myself lagging behind my peers in terms of confidence, trends, attitude and ‘coolness’ factor. Those were some forgetful months. But the spring of 2007 would change it all…for good…for the rest of the coming years.

A long lost friend came in touch; I became a member of students’ union in college [cultural secretary-a sexy post to handle ;)], my average academic performance shot-up, top scholarships fell in my lap, took part in many co-curricular activities, won prizes, did stuff for creative satisfaction, and worked actively for college.

Throughout, this journey, I’ve few people to thank who made my college days an experience which I’ll cherish all my life. In chronological order they are -:

1. Namrata Dang-for cheering me up throughout the low phase of 1st yr. and believing in me. Couldn’t have cleared that depressing phase without you. Namrata though you are rude, blunt and way too ‘up-town’ish but I love you for the clear heart you possess! :)

2. Malvika Wahi- for making my term in Students’ Union full of fun, masti, laughter and learning. Going for sponsorship hunts even after dark, staying back in college till 7 during fests and events, running after the teachers throughout the campus to get work done, small escapades in Mc D’s and slogging our ass off...ufff..but all this didn’t seem a tough job with you by the side. This gave me the strength to continue my stint in the union in the 3rd yr. as well. You rock Malvika! :)

3. Meghna Nijhawan- sometimes I still wonder how and why I became friends with her in the first place, considering the fact that- firstly, I thought of her as an obnoxious, loud and fake girl throughout the 1st yr. and secondly, the fact that I’m very cautious at making friends. It began online and soon the durations of our chats increased. Still, when in college we used to hangout with our separate group of friends and seldom talked with each other. Very slowly, as destiny would have it, we made our way into each other’s territory. I found a trusted friend and soul sister in her. She made up for the void created by the absence of my best friends with me. Now we share even the microscopically minutest information, crack the lamest possible jokes and laugh on them too! I love the time spent with her. I can easily label her as one of my best friends, though I’m lingering in doubt if she reciprocates the same feeling..

Meg you are weird and ‘totally’ ajeeb. But I love you for who you are, your caring and restrained self which only a few people know. :) Thank you gtalk for giving me this friend!

4. Priyanka Sharma- for the small period of time when we were buddies.. I shared some of the best laughters with you. Even though we talk less now or some trivial issues that cropped up (I’m happy they’ve subsided now) you are an amazing person and a nice human being whom I’ll always respect. Not to forget, you’ll always remain my first Assistant Director ;)

5. Abhilasha and Nisha you are the best egs. of how true friendships can be maintained even with minimal contact. You personify the statement ‘friend in need is a friend indeed!’ Love both of you for your simplicity and endeavors :)

6. Anisa Akbary and Sakshi from union- will miss both of you gals! Himangi will also be remembered for her cleverness, double talk and back-stabbing :P

7. Arunima Mazumdar- the final person in chronology. Since internship with a media house is an integral part of my course, I can count this as my college life only. The dull environment of DD News’ website deptt. was pretty vibrant and frolic with Miss Mazumdar occupying the pc next to mine ;) . Had endless talks over coffee and chai about guys (including Hindul :P), career and other things all and sundry. In mere 10 days we knew about each others’ lives. I had an amazing time during my entire internship. Arunima you are the best multi-tasker I’ve ever come across. I love you for your straight talks and wisdom tht comes out of your cluttered mind every now and then!

And there are many more.... will thank them personally...thank you all guys..love you all!!

eyebrow raising lesson :P

This is just a glimpse of our 'vellapanti' at DD.

ANOTHER VERSION OF TAGGED-- 8 Random/Weird things about me

Meghna tagged me a grip ago! I have to respond according to the blog etiquette rules. So in reply to said tag here are 8 weird/random things about me --

UN: I talk to myself. I’d rather refer to it as thinking out loud. : P sometimes in order to process my thoughts I have to say them out loud. This means a lot of self-reflective conversations. Some of my close friends have even caught me in the act! Lol

DEUX: I am a little bit obsessive compulsive about lines and symmetry. I will therefore, go about adjusting people's clothing, pictures and public signs until they are perfectly aligned.

TROIS: Back in childhood days, I used to fantasize myself as one of the main characters of the Jules Verne science fiction novels and used to enact alike when alone or interpret situation in daily walk of life. Ditto for the Sherlock Holmes series. Here I was the pretty girl in distress; P

QUATRE: I have a fantastic memory for odd things. I can recite Kirchoff’s Law, Quadratic formula. chemical formulas on command and I remember events that happened when I was as small as 3yrs old. But I can never remember where I put my mobile.

CINQ: Sometime back, I was addicted to and expert at sudoku, brick game and Zuma.Used to spend hrs. on internet to beat the scores of other competitors at Zuma.

SIX: I love to smell washed clothes, my mom’s hair, puja flowers, chocolates, hot soup, petrol and chalk ;p …cant help it…

SEPT: In class I’m unusually serious about my studies and get very annoyed when other people talk, gossip or don’t listen to the teacher. I feel like slapping them hard.

HUIT: recently I’ve become very particular about accessorizing my outfits right. Earlier it was hardly a concern.

Whoever reads this post may consider himself, herself tagged! There you go!