96/100 #debsaristories #100sareepact #100CholiCraze #iworkedout

Saree: the unbeatable Dhakai,  Choli: A printed cotton one

Story: somethings are not meant to be perhaps. Like when I was trying to detox after the day I wanted to wear this dhakai-saree for sure. I was browsing through the blouses for cotton ones and guess what? I dint see (m)any! I wasn't in mood to dress up way than my mood was so pulled this cotton choli.. it felt soft, comfy and was inviting me to try it. They dint go well .. not the love at first sight.. but nevertheless they are in it together!

Much like life, sone things and sometimes people are very good individually but the pairing may not work out... unless they put an effort to! I think its perfectly alright to be so.. so what if the choli would have been amazing with another saree and vice versa? Sometimes going with the flow and being in the journey together makes magic!

Hmm....So much talk for a not-so-matching sari choli 🤣🤣

Btw.... do you remember when you graduated from Bournvita,  Nutramul to coffee and tea?? Mine was around when I was thirteen or fourteen.. that was important milestone of feeling adult-like! 🤗🤗 when was yours?

95/100 #debsaristories #100sareepact #100CholiCraze
Saree: tussar cotton mix gifted by sis from her first trip to Kolkata after marriage.  Choli: polka dots blouse from a different sari.

Story: I lost from 176 to 60s in ONE DAY! o woah woah woah before you could count kilos and pounds.. let me clarify.  I cleaned social media 'likes' (99% saree and choli related) from 176 to 60s yesterday (of course retained all my favorites). Helps in self control for my shopping is my logic 😉😉😉 I will let you know if it works.

Oh btw, finally I found it - the "touch me not" plant. Ok! If i had not shared it earlier i was desperately looking for this plant around to show it to bettu. He hasn't played with it ever and when I was his age I found it very funny and addictive, so wanted him to enjoy the experience. Getting back to my story, I did find a touch-me-not plant walking around and I called out to bettu. While he was walking towards me, I think I tossed sides in my bed so whooshhhhhh - The plant, me, the road everything vanished. Bettu was sound asleep and I smiled. Well... it's a dream..

Sweet dreams ❤❤❤

Today was exhausting mentally so when I came home I wanted to take time to find solace amidst chirping crickets, fragrance of roses and cool grass blades... the saree was very comfy and perfect for that summer evening.. thanks ra Siri.

94/100 #debsaristories #100sareepact #100CholiCraze #iworkedout
Saree: simple bengal cotton with hand painted alpana from Sanskriti Kolkata, Choli: cotton top from handsofindia

Story:
Bettu: ma, which religion are we?
Me: I dint get you?
Bettu: black,  white.. or maybe brown? What's our religion
(Rewind: bettu was practicing MJ and was watching the superhit 'Black or White')
Me: ah, I get it now. None actually.  Color of skin doesn't define one's religion. It only leads to discrimination and no religion actually teaches you to discriminate. No matter what color your skin is, color of heart defines a person. On that note, there could be two religions.. good and not so good.. if at all.

Imagine! When you think of it, such discrimination exists at grassroot level... white or not around the world; fair, dark, darker, darkest, wheatish.. in our homeland, with in the neighborhood,  with in each family. It can be found at the innermost core of existence!

Michael Jackson,  Martin Luther king,  Mother Theresa  (mmmmm .. all M's) have all stood up against the so called color-religion. They practiced Love.. colorless love, just like water!

Well - much as I dress up colorful,  ironically my fav color is the colorless white. The sun kissed summer afternoon motivated me to choose this simple comfy look. I wasn't ready for a hugging choli so switched to a cool, comfy, airy cotton top to go with it.

93/100 #debsaristories #blingbling #100CholiCraze #100sareepact

Saree: cotton with block printed patterns Choli: again cotton with handpainted pattern

Story: oh no! I dont want to hit century yet.. can I count slowllyyyyyyy 93.1 93.2 93.3 etc from here on? Guess what? Initially you think the target is far off and you rush in anticipation of being able to reach it. Midway or past midway, especially close to the finish line you want to slow down, you dont want the journey to end. You feel nervous,  you are stressed of the fact the end is not far! Its mixed and maxed emotional roller coaster. Much like life, isn't it?

I am very happy celebrating kids birthdays . There is so much joy, so much ahead of them, so much happiness, unfold milestones in life etc.

As we age and start feeling like "baazi palat gaya" and now the clock is ticking 'backwards' it's scary. Suddenly you want it slow down, you wonder if you did all you thought you would do the way you planned, you want to redo, unfortunately life offers no retake! Start camera, action... One shot!

I feel like it about my journey of life as well. I think my count up days are gone and count down has started. I need to build my memories carefully.

One such is the swing! I visited my friends place and guess what? She had this traditional chennai wala swing at home. Doesn't take me more than few seconds to hop on and start kicking the floor off with my feet to start my swing flight. It was such a fun thing to do as a kid as much it is today.

All of us have this one great life to be loved one great time in one great way. The hourglass clock may be ticking up or down.. but let's keep the show on and be aware of the "limited period offer" we have in this world. May ours be a book of beautiful tiny little flowers that spread fragrance forever after they fade as well!

Song of the day? Aane wala pal jaane wala hai... ho sakey to isme zindagi guzaro.. pal jo yeh jaanewala hai..

How true!!

92/100 #debsaristories #lessismore #100sareepact #100CholiCraze #iworkedout

Saree: white benarasi chanderi I suppose. Choli: wink, wink. It's a reversible jacket from @handsofindia. Multipurpose, versatile,  vibrant handloom! Can't ask for more

Story: watched Paramanu over the weekend and also this being Memorial Day weekend here,  thoughts of patriotism floating around. Being able to support one's country, being in frontline, armed forces and the like is a special privilege not many are bestowed with. I clearly remember the moment when my son was born my first thought was 'I wish you grow up to serve your country be in defence armed forces or administrative services'. ☺☺☺ life always has it's own plans but nevertheless all of us have an opportunity to contribute in any and many ways.

We may never certainly understand the pain and struggle to be free, but I think we shoulder the responsibility to use it wisely! I appreciate being around and aware of many other-wise common women bringing change and freedom to those deserving.  For choosing to stand up and do the right thing.
Many in this group and through my handloom interactions... I have a huge list of you role models and in depth of heart I soon wish to collaborate with you all , to partner and perhaps to spread the goodness! Will let you know when i am ready for my dream to take shape of reality.

Amidst all the Paramanu advancements , amidst our soldiers fighting and protecting our front line, those of us that are making tiny ripples of changes, bringing happiness and building confidence to our womenkind,  this is no less commendable.


Just a moment to thank all of you wonder women, world is good because we still have the likes of you around 👩‍🚀👩‍🚒👷‍♀️🧕🕵️‍♀️👩‍🍳👩‍🏭👩‍🔧👩‍🎨👩‍🎤👩‍💻👩‍🔬👩‍✈️👩‍🏫👩‍🎓💃💃💃

91/100: #debsaristories #100CholiTalk #100sareepact sari: muslin jamdani from ma's collection. Choli: @Queen of Hearts by Deepa Mehta

Story: slowing down is a beautiful feeling.. applies to many things in life. I am enjoying a bit of it now, and want to relish it before it's gone.

Growing up and around southern part of India my exposure to pastel shades at the time was very less and limited. I was more attracted to bright violets, red, magenta and royal blue. Those were the go-to colors and I always assumed wearing a bright colored sari saree with heavy gold jewelry is all one needs to look stunning.. I remember dressing up that way for school and college farewell parties as well. Sometimes my choices made me look older than I was but that did not matter to me at all .. I actually wanted to look older!! (I have no clue why though.. so pardon my ignorance 🤔🤔) there is still nothing right or wrong about that school of thought - to each their own except that as I evolved as a person my choices,  observations and lessons learnt evolved too. That's when I began learning the art of #lessismore

My first such lesson was when I first met ma. Way before my hubby and I had anything in common. Ma was wearing this exact shade of a beautiful fully woven dhakai jamdani. Simple blouse. Hair tied in bun (must have been three four rounds because she had REALLY long hair, touching her knees!), pearl earrings,  sindoor. That's all. I mean really that's it. Dang! That pic is still in my mind and I wish I had a USB to transfer it to fone! Oh well,  some things can never be captured ever, they live in heart! I wondered how this 'aunty' (as I would refer to her like the rest of my roomies and friends) manages to look stunning and be the show stopper without any jewelry.  I just couldn't figure that out. She oozed confidence,  charm. elegance,  dignity,.. everything I look up to in women.

Over the years maybe I borrowed a leaf or two from her books. She would instill confidence in me that my education is my biggest strength, my profession is my independence and kindness is my beauty.. all this went over my head .. totally. I understood nothing back then but would simply nod. She would tell how amma's dreams of me becoming an independent woman should never be in the backburner!

Ma, hope I am able to live up to the daughter you always wished you had! I hope I learn to bring you and amma smiles of what you wanted me to grow into!

Today I love pastels, i love minimal dressing. I truly realized that #lessismore when one is confident about self and carry oneself with highest regard. 

90/100 #100CholiCraze #debsaristories #iworkedout #100sareepact

Sari: I guess block printed chanderi cotton Choli: Kota with embroidery, creation from Arpita Saha

Story: phew! Can't believe I hit 90s!!! One of those pretty low key days when I talk so much inside that I am quiet outside. Something triggered me to wear the sari and I ended up randomly picking this combo!

I always question whether it is the mind that thinks and heart that feels. I don't know for sure, perhaps it's a collective process. It is not one organ or other. Perhaps it's none of those organs that feel but an external stimuli triggers emotions?

I don't know. It's just one of those mysteries that Nature left us wondering about.

Despite technological advances and innovations, it's hard to replicate human brains! Even just eyes! How we adjust our vision to objects, the clarity, precision, ability to focus, see and store .. no camera can ever do justice to the beauty as seen and captured by the eyes.

The ability of brain to multitask, store, sense and execute is beyond the "man from ape" theory. It's a scientific creation designed to perfection with self improving, self replicating, self learning, sustaining model! Nah! This ain't an ape theory (If it were why aren't any more monkeys getting converted to humans?, although we see vice versa - humans behaving less sensible than they are capable of)

With it came the special ability to love,  care and  protect not just one's own but the planet in general. Wish we all used the ability as much as we can, as often as we could.

Ah! That's a lot of inner talk exposed! Will get back to my shell and let you all be ❤❤❤❤

Meanwhile I am waiting to enjoy my Cerelac  (Yes you heard it right!) Tomorrow morning for breakfast.. been my wish since childhood!!! Yummy!!

89/100 sari(s) . All are gadwal.

Story: me wearing Amma's sari,  Ma wearing her mom's sari, Amma wearing sari gifted to her by Ma. Hearty Love triangle of saris. Of moms and daughters 💃💃💃

Mothers - the lesser said, the better. Mothers don't expect celebration but worthy of celebration  every moment.

Not limited  just to the mother's by birth, motherhood  extends to all mothers by thought,  action and living by example.
Mothers that feel and extend compassion,  mothers that stand by you just to be, mothers that lend a shoulder and get it even when you don't say a thing, so on and so forth.

You can never thank them enough nor say much.

More than a 'being' (humans like us) or a 'form' (divine like many) , Mothers are like 'energy'. Energy can neither be created nor destroyed - it can only be transformed from one form to another.

Mothers' blessings are powerful than anything else in this universe. Such positive energy! 🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️🙇‍♂️
May we stay blessed.

88/100 #100CholiCraze #debsaristories #iworkedout #100sareepact
Saree: manipuri silk with brocade border.  Choli: a random purchase couple of years ago.

Story: Finally I rushed to the mustard fields.. eree.. feels good saying sarson ka kheth instead before they will be chopped off!!

My first sight of mustard fields was enroute Agra (see the then me 😎). I was amazed and felt very very Bollywood-ish driving past them in an old Maruti Omni van carefully steered by Rana Saab . My colleagues cum roomies and I made point to stop by and take pics there First, Taj Mahal comes next!

I was beginning to write few words today and the gel pen ink started drying up. Flip, flip, flip.. in the air. Gosh I freaked out. Exactly like how I would when I accidentally flipped an ink pen without a cap and terrified it might spill on my answer sheet, my uniform,  the desk or worst of all my Classmate's shirt! The one sitting ahead of me. I paused. Nah! That ain't happening today. That was twenty or so years ago!!! Sigh! The boys used to play ink holi too! Gosh, those days the good old Surf Excel 'daag ache hain..' wasn't there too! I don't know if the popularly used Rin soap of my time was any good unless the shirts were beaten brutally on the washstone on the backyard!
Ink-ed shirts end you up in defaulters' line :( much like the poorly polished white canvas shoes from Bata.

A good Sunday is one when you get up wash your shoes, dry them by noon, polish and by evening you dust off the extra whites and be ready for Monday stick, span! Chammak challo!

An ok Sunday was one when you forgot to wash shoes (or were too lazy) and afternoon squeaked clean just the rubber sole part with an old toothbrush, polished the canvas and by evening somehow managed to make shoes look ok.

A terrible Sunday is one when neither you washed shoes nor some but blatantly applied polish on the brown sole.. poorly covering it in patches and somehow manage to escape the defaulter line

A "totally gone case" Sunday is when you forget all about shoes amidst chandrakantha, Mahabharata, national matinee movie,  regional weekly movie, super hit muquabla.. and Monday morning outside the school gate you borrow broken chalk pieces to bring some sense to your shoes hoping to escape the defaulter line.  Goodluck with that@!@

Hair, Uniform defaulters... another day. If you are lucky to have black shoes for uniform, argh you don't get this pain!! May Lord Almighty bless you with white canvas shoes for uniform next birth!

For now no faults,  no defaulters!!
Only mantra - keep calm and sari-choli on!!!
#sanskritikolkatta

87/100 #100CholiCraze #debsaristories #iworkedout #100sareepact

Saree: White linen saree, amazing quality, amazing craft. Choli: it's Gamcha Time! From @Mohar

Story: the bright magenta reminded me of the school book binding. This time usually is when we would poay money to get new book set.  Siri and I always insisted on getting them early.. lovely smell of the new books. Brown sheets. Geometry box. We would go home and count "motta page" meaning empty ruled pages in our single or double ruled notebooks.

Amma would ready the textbooks to send to the binding shop. Wow! That was a privilege, not many families would do but amma was particular about such things! The magenta bound book always was a special one.. if we are lucky. 🌺

Notebooks were a different story.  Nanna had taught us very specifically, technically to cut and do the brown sheets. It had to be nearly perfect. The left out triangle pieces of brown paper from the corners show how how skilled you are ☻

I still do notebook covers the same way. Habits! I don't think kids these days have to deal with such things anymore.  My kid doesn't have a lot of notebooks as such yet, they deal with machines and there is no color binding or brown sheets involved😎😎.

The new book set tied in "purucose" rope string (God, how do we even spell it????) Also makes miss the news paper packing of groceries. Talk about reuse and resources.  Sometimes I used to get the privilege of checking the grocery  list delivered in the verandah from the local kirana shop. Obvious ones like toothpaste, oil are easy, the paper wrapped lentils are tricky. You need to be like an expert gynaec feeling the baby in tummy to feel the exact dal in paper. If you failed then you poke a hole with finger asnd drrrrrr pours the daal out. No plastic no waste, no carry bags nothing. The paper would be recycled or sold eitherr for cash or for steel samaan that Amma had been collecting for years for my and Siris marriage! Her favorite was collecting the "Amitabh Bachhan" steel dabbas. She still has a collection. 😄

Phew! That was lengthy story, but blame the magenta,not me!

86/100 #100CholiCraze #debsaristories #iworkedout #100sareepact


Saree: georgette bandhani,  Choli: of course it's a gota patti kurti today!

Story: there is definitely something wrong in the way my brain is wired 😉. I walk four steps straight and then take a detour! Here I go to team up kurti with Saree! Lo kar lo baat. I can hear Mr. Mashoor Gulati (pls Google) saying "aisa kaun karta hai bhai" 🤣🤣🤣

Mein karti hoon!

Speaking of Google I am sure i confused YouTube to it's limits. When I started the car the first song from YouTube autoplay was "Srirasthu subhamasthu" (Rajendra Prasad old movie.. title song) the next one autoplayed.. "Malarodu malaringu.." (Bombay movie. Tamizh song). Next it played "Dhunuchi naach 2016" (Bengali durga poujo pujo music).. then "Made in India " (By the pop queen Alisha Chinai..)

I think that was pretty round trip across the country and ended with the right spirit and right song!!! 😍

Do you remember those childhood days when new clothes are a privilege for once or twice a year? In my case it's during birthday,  Diwali and of course if I outgrew school uniform then a mid June uniform shopping! That's it. Wasn't that simple? Did not it feel more valuable?

I was thinking about it and more and more it leads to decide that perhaps I should resolve to good old olden days from next year on! We buy too many and wear too frequently.  Nothing wrong about it (thankful to the almighty for his generous abundance) . It's tough for me even as I think so because I am fabric lover, it's my breath,  it's gonna be tough...but it leads to think.perhaps I should be more giving and more caring? Too many consulted emotions at this time.. so need to wait to let muddy waters settle in my head and heart. But I sure do believe my next year will begin to be different than this in this aspect. What it will be, I will share with you of course as I figure it out ! But till then #keepcalmandsarion


Love all

85/100 #100CholiCraze #debsaristories  #100sareepact

Saree: gamcha checks.. an unusual seven color combo, Choli:  finally a successful faux halter neck that I was searching from ages, both from Mohar

My humble thanks to the hands that wove seven different color threads into small checks for the saree!! 🙏🙏🙏

Story: after few crazy weeks got a unusual opportunity to connect back with myself. Spent the day at home, made quinoa dosa and araichu vitta sambar.  Ma and I relished or rather gobbled it with yummy pudhina chutney and garlic pickle. Washed it with strong filter coffee. BURP! BLISS!

I wanted to enjoy the moment and couldn't wait from the time I received the gamcha saree (yesterday!) Its like kid waiting for dawn to burst fire crackers for Diwali. It's like kid waiting for cake and balloons for birthday. It's like unable to resist the new geometry pencil box!!

As I was draping the Saree,ma and I were recollecting that today's weather was perfect for a pujo pandal visit,  the saree was perfect for a shasthi arati

Its my wish to visit Secunderabad and Hyderabad pujo pandal once again to be around the familiar faces (known and unknown) that smile or greet, the familiar smell and food, those stalls, those mashis and the adda sitting around the shamiana.. the chaa. Ah!

one thing lead to the other.. and ma got the shantiniketan beads garland to match the saree... I did end up dressing like I am going to pujo pandal 🤗🤗

Sometimes it's hard to believe and accept that the roads once crossed are those we wish could go back but cannot! We don't realize that until much later!

Nevermind! No day is lesser for a celebration! No moment is dull, life is just as colorful as the gamcha checks

I took the moment to enjoy my chaa outside amidst birds chatting with one another, branches swaying to the gentle breeze, and at one moment ma, baba and I were conincidentally quiet as though relishing the beauty gifted by Nature.

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. ⚘⚘🌺🌻🌼🌷⚘🌾