84/100 #debsaristories  #100sareepact #100CholiCraze.

Me: Saree: satin crepe in my fav combo, choli: red! Cape: from the darling Sayanti Ghosh. Omg ..loved the drape of cape..🌷🌷


Story: it's that time of the year.. when I say.. "Happy bday " and she replies "thanks same to you ka".  Yup. Twins, just five years apart, so to speak.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU Sis 💥🌷💥🌷🎉🎂🎈

Our Childhood birthdays were never about cake balloons and parties. It was about gulab jamun, rasna, summer vacation, temple visit, Amma nanna blessings. Siri and I had matching dresses for the most part until later years when we intentionally decided to go hybrid do we could mix and match ours.. for college..

Coincidentally after many many years today we ended up wearing a Salwar Kameez that Amma picked for both of us when she visited Lucknow last year.. lucky we both had it stitched!! 😍😍😍

And today for a Change my little sis obliged to my request to wear saree (she's a tough bull to nudge) and surprised me in her Saree pics.

Our little bettus showered love on mammas and the entire family blessed us .. what more. Life is bliss. Thankful God.. for the space on earth and the goodness around.  I hope to make wise use of the opportunity and done something worthwhile while I am here.

Sis ... I will always want to share my birthday with you .. and wish we get to celebrate it together again.. it's been ages.

83/100 #debsaristories  #100sareepact #100CholiCraze
Saree: forty five year old Saree purchased from Benares by ma when on visit with her parents.  She then saved the Saree to wear it during her wedding few years later. Choli: it's jute cotton I suppose... very comfy and very easy to carry.. from Roopkatha

Story:  I was going through all the wonderful saree posts of Akshaya Tritiya across social media, the tired body woke up to find solace in Saree.

As I was feeling through the sarees and wondering about the "gold rush" for Akshaya Tritiya and the marketing around it.. I recall I havent been a strict follower of the routine.. I definitely consider it an auspicious day but don't limit it to gold! Gold is here today and gone tomorrow.  If I really had to multiply something that would be happiness, love and blessings.

That's what I tried.. as I draped the Saree in a giffy and walked down the stairs I could see the sparkly smile in ma's eyes as much as her lips. I promised her I will treasure this Saree much like the others for nextgen.  She's worried that the delicate Saree may give way by then and perhaps rip off .. nahhhhhh. Not when I am around ma!

Baba stopped by and said "you look besutiful chinni", bettu said.. "ma tomake khoobh shundor lagche" (ye he speaks bangla at home).
Ma recalled her trip to Benares and how Deedha had saved this Saree for ma's wedding celebrations.. I secretly wished ma blessed me as she always does... because that's what I want to multiply today and always. That's my Akshaya Tritiya right there!

I don't have any idea of material wealth I could pass to nextgen.. those are perishable.. however I certainly bank on the blessings I collect and am more than happy to give them 100% to nextgen!!! Its like collecting pebbles and sea shells. It's a childish thing to do.. but filled with fun and content.

Happy Akshaya Tritiya to you all. May whatever you wished for today multiply and bring you happiness.

82/100  #debsaristories #100sareepact #100CholiCraze  saree: Assam cotton with woven rhino motifs. Choli: gujrati stitch blouse from BEAS my tailor remixed it with red ikat patchwork.

Story: Shubho noboborsher shubecha o shubashish =  Iniya puthandu nalvazhthukkal =  Happy New year!!

It was gorgeous and sunny outside. Perfect new year time! May life always be such sunny and bright!! Baba (FIL) was born and grew up in Assam. Although I haven't visited Assam.. heard many stories of Shillong (Meghalaya), Silchar, Guwahati.. some day perhaps I will get a chance 💖

Watching Hichki gave me such a nostalgia trip that I can't explain. Do you remember how it feels when everyone else starts getting additional sheets and you haven't finished the main sheet yet 😲😲😲 the night study, the last minute "revision" which often includes first time reading.... shhhhhhh. Don't tell mom about it!

That also reminded me of the small self deserving targets we had to meet

- Eclairs for special occasions versus the round orange toffee
- Good Day biscuits versus the regular Marie biscuits
- Rasna versus Bournvita
- Chocobar (that's REALLY big deal) versus the regular stick ice cream
- Hero pen versus regular ink pen (been ages since I saw one of those)
- Reynolds pen (scratch the writing off to personalize it 😉) versus the leaky ball point pens..

The targets were simple, not always expensive but our commitment to get there was innocent and were dedicated now that I think of it. Somehow it became a habit.. even today I mentally and heartful'ly keep little targets for myself.. like... "I will buy myself this Saree when I do that".. it helps me few ways. 1. To set mini targets 2. To work towards them 3. To indulge myself when I meet those targets. It's a fun way!!

Once again life's all about small things. It better be that way. Its easy to hate, because it doesn't need effort- to choose to love takes effort, trust, purpose, need, commitment and most of all humanity...

Similarly it's default to be sad about things we don't have in life, but it takes effort, contentment, gratitude to choose to be happy with what we have because many others don't have this either!

jeena isi ka naam hai.

81/100 #100CholiCraze #debsaristories #iworkedout #100sareepact

Saree: Linen, matka silk with sequins pallu, Choli: Umbara Designs cholimaker white custom choli with Chudidhar sleeves and back bow.

Story: the bangali in me is awake when it rains to enjoy khichudi, begun baja (brinjal fry), papad. That's what it was for lunch today. And the much awakened saree spirit is always there.. I was feeling like wearing white so cudnt wait until Durga Puja to release the white Umbara choli.. out it came of the closet today!

I was browsing through some old evergreen pics yesterday and as always life amazes me. The zoom in and out of lens aside, I never imagined how much ever few years would change anytime ahead. About coincidences,  about Destiny and about how everything happens for a reason.

Isn't that true for all of us?

I even look around and observe how families have evolved over generations. My parents generation was different when they grew up.. joint families, cousins, wealth or lack of, education etc. Their bonding isnt limited to own siblings but aunts uncles and cousins as well. Relationship between spouses was different back then. Mine of course was different as a child .. and very different as a parent.

Even in marriage, couples have evolved to be friends besides doing spouse duties.. there is a level of awareness and adjustment at times that helps nurture the relationship and also essential for the times we live in. At the same time, the fast food world has also brought with it tendencies of ego, lack of tolerance, arrogance of wealth which often leads to broken marriages.

I have seen my colleagues go through the turmoil,  some sustain, some break.

When in such discussions, the closest analogy I can draw is that if blood relationships.  Not all are blessed to get perfect parents, siblings etc. Sometimes those relations are far more messed up than the marital ones. However you would never hear a son divorcing a dad , or sister divorcing a brother. ! It is accepted as a fact, given chance and sometimes that itself along with time gives power to heal and mend.

Just because someone entered someone's life  little later (so do our kids!) And makes bunch of mistakes(not blunders that damage the core) in the process doesn't automatically qualify to disqualify them from life. I mean you can separate water from milk, but you can't separate milk from milk! Something heavy like a ship can sink and hit rock bottom or can dive up like a life boat!

Whenever you feel like giving up, pause and think why and how it all started. That's all matters. For anything in life.

Like today when it rained all that mattered was to feel some of it. To stop by puddles, to watch the bright green side of nature. To think of those "no school days, no uniform shoes days, bajji pakoda days, paper boat days ..."

80/100 #100CholiCraze #debsaristories #iworkedout #100sareepact

Saree: kanchivaram silk with threadwork border: choli: gamcha blouse

Story: if any of my sarees could tell a story, it will be this one. This was the first Saree ma chose for me from @Nalli Delhi as part of "biyeh r tatva".. gifts to bride. I LOVE this Saree. I have worn it many many times and never get tired, I love mangoes,I love jackfruit, this shade is perfectly in between my two fav fruits. The saree "auto drapes" on me (you know what I mean righr?) ... it knows me very well ! It has seen me as a new bride, growing into a wife role and then mommy role, daughter (censored the inlaw suffix!) Role and I bet it will see me in my next mom (again censored inlaw) role when bettu chooses beti for me and also in my grandma role!! God. Makes this happen, pls, pls, pretty pleaseeee. I'll promise to be good :) 🤗

Have you ever wondered how our eye pupil adjusts it's lens to zoom in and out objects pretty quickly and amazingly.  No camera invented by (hu-man)ush can ever do that. I bet.

Can you correlate that to how we deal with people?

Zoom out your pupil, Sometimes we tolerate a lot of unwanted sh@$ from people at work or otherwise because our job or role expects us to. Because we are paid (money I mean), we are employed, we oblige.  We have a motto at times - promotion, hike, appraisal or at times we are nice to people in neighbourhood - to keep up with social image, status etc. Different reasons but point being at times our tolerance to people that do not (significantly) matter in our lives in long run is much higher.

Zoom in your pupil, see what's right in front of you. Your family and extended family! Our tolerance and sometimes acceptance is lower, we are critical more and less nicer (maybe!). And mind you.. this applies to all in the family not just us...  if we apply some of those tactics we use from those "zoomed out" people to our "zoom in" core, don't you think life will be more meaningful, slowly steadily increasing real wealth (besides money) like love, trust, respect and sense of belonging, eventually leading to values and blessings... something that we truly can pass to our next gen.

I try to walk this talk as much possible but err at times only to quickly course correct.

I dont know why I felt like sharing this with you... hope I did not bore you. It was Madras thali,  dosa and filter coffee time today:)

79/100 #100CholiCraze #debsaristories #iworkedout #100sareepact

Saree: the evergreen unbeatable  classic dhakai, from ma's  treasure box. Choli: Kalamkari. When east meets south. Yup my story!

Story: it's simple, very very very simple. It's about simplicity. It's how some beautiful creations don't need to tell atop rooftops to announce their arrival, instead can command attention just by being.

That's this Saree. Needs no excess accessories,  needs nothing fancy and gaudy. Just by itself it's a masterpiece.

If sarees could talk this one would go on and on.. right from when ma and her sister bought similar sarees.. may be twenty five years ago.. or so.. this saree saw my husband grow up (ma has a pic of that) .. and saw me pregnant with bettu when I  wore this to work and many other occasions even after.

When in doubt I pick this. Because it can gel with times and blend into any occasion. Beautiful weaves!!!

Today is again the perfect summer afternoon.

There is a saying .. that even the garland string becomes fragrant just by being in the company of good  flowers.. so true for life. Just by surrounding ourselves with goodness we are influenced with goodness as well. And the converse is true as well. When I look back.. I am the string that was lucky to have had the company of such wonderful flowers that enriched the fragrance of my life at every step.. that's an amazing feeling.. yes there were few thorns on the way as well, but the string adapts itself and doesn't let the thorns cut or rip the garland apart.

No matter where the flowers come from and ni matter what the garland is finally used for.. the journey itself is beautiful, colorful, fragrant. Life. Ditto.

Wish you gorgeous flowers in the garden of life for your garland. ⚘⚘🌺🌻🌼🌷⚘🌾