My Vratham Story, Varalakshmi Vratham

#debsaristories #varalakshmivratham
I dont know why I have this bad habit of needing to write the story behind an event.🤔🙄
Saree is a kanchipuram one in pastel shade with silver work. Inter cultural marriages give an abundant opportunity to learn and enrich oneself. As a Telugu Brahman girl growing up loving the Varalakshmi Vratham and the decor and the goddess and how I could dress her up and how I would dress up (yup that's important), its my Barbie playtime equivalent (I never possessed a Barbie doll till date). The goddess looked more gorgeous than anyone, the kili pachchai (parrot green) or manjal (turmeric yellow) or arakku (reddish maroon) sarees and temple jewelry take your breath away. The look stays in your mind forever, like its in mine

. .. so when I adapted to bengali culture through marriage, because that's all my sweetest mil (Ma) wished of me, the one thing I asked her in return is to join me and celebrate Varalakshmi Vratham (and Vinayaka Chavithi). Its basically a religious ceremony perfomed by married women for well being of husband and family. So theoretically its all good. Ma agreed and she dint have much clue of how this daughterinlaw will turn out but was fully optimistic about my good intent (we live together so we can't pretend to be nice to each other, we must truly be nice to each other). However just few days ahead of my first Varalakshmi Vratham after marriage, Ma's aunt visited us from Kolkata and when she heard I would do this puja she got all excited. She was a Sai devotee and apparently many in their group perform.this puja at a central location and she told Ma to definitely encourage me doing this at home and also join me in doing it. Ma is a sport and my biggest supporter, so of course she was game. But to make it relatable to both of us I would do the telugu mantras first and ma reads the lokki panchali (bengali version) thereafter. That became a routine..ok, then comes food. I love boorelu, garelu pulihora etc but never made or learnt it during school and college days (grades were more important 🤔). At the same time after marriage I learnt bhog r kichudi, labra, tomato chutney as prepared in puja pandal from Ma..since then the bengali pujo menu has become staple menu forbour Varalakshmi Vratham.

 Isnt it beautiful? How the hearts can come together and make something work wonders so long as you prioritize for it? End of day its about oneness. Language and Food and Culture are powerful tools to bring people and families together, one should never use them as weapons to create distances

Math of Life

#debsaristories #shakuntaladevi #momsondance #maths #passnahitohfailnahi How many of you have tried Shakuntala Devi puzzles ahead of your campus interview tests? Many would raise hand if you were engg students. I am one too. Honestly I would struggle solving them so yeah I am just "human", nothing close to the "human computer" that Shakuntala Devi ji was! 💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃
Watch me dance with bettu to 'Pass nahi to Fail nahi'! https://youtu.be/SCbgR9eI6f8
💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃💃
 Math and I have bittersweet relationship. I never hated it and never loved it either. I managed good scores (math done!) And although my true love was for biology, destiny had different plans for me. I think math is genius and so are mathemetici! Art hai art! But, the kind of math I know and the one I use to run my life, doesn't add up always. That explains my bittersweet relationship with math. Which one to believe? The number 'theory' or the life 'practical'?
🤔 Math says: When you give, you lose. Bitter!
🥰 Life says: But Math...if you give knowledge, you gain. You gain blessings, more knowledge and what you have doesnt actually decrease. Sweet!

🤔 Math says: When you add two things, you sum up and output increases. Bitter!
🥰 Life says: but in life when you add two big egos its a bigger disaster. Sweet!

🤔 Math says: When you divide, you get smaller fractions. Bitter!
🥰 Life says: When you divide happiness with others, it multiplies. Sweet!

🤔 Math says : Bigger value is greater. Bitter!
🥰 Life says: bigger bank balance doesn't always mean greater person. Sweet!

Sometimes math going wrong and mistakes done actually aren't bad, they didn't need to add up and that's how life is. Like a famous movie dialog, " jab God ki marzi hoti hai, cheezon mein logic nahi magic hotha hai" Shhhhhh all said and done.
Quiet now! Not sharing all this bettu yet. Khabardaar. He has to focus on his mathematics lessons for now and get his scores right. Get that Clear? He will get his due time and chance to discover mathemagic in his life too! I am big fan of Shakuntala Devi, tidbits of her life are so awesome i can't wait to learn more about her Meanwhile we shook leg to one of our instant favorite numbers. Pass nahi to Fail nahi!

Facebook live chat with saree lovers

#debsaristories #nostalgic
Thanks for an amazing start of my Friday!
I loved every bit of the interaction with the amazing group of saree lovers!
I am humbled by the love and I get motivated by the support and virtual togetherness. I will keep it short post and say THANK YOU (sob, sob I am emotional as I type this)! ❤ and thanks to the technology that enabled us connect from different parts of the world. And because aaj dil is is Dilli,do us my pic ❤

THE JITTERS

#debsaristories #emulation #facebooklive
Absolutely Excited and Extremely Nervous as I was invited for a Live Chat  on a very popular and fast growing Saree lovers group!
Deviyon aur SriDeviyon! Namashkar! Iss Shukrawaar shaam ko dekhna na bhuliyega! (tadada daaan) I was excited when I was pinged and immediately said YES to chat because I could get a chnace to hear from you all and I am longing for an India trip and this came as a blessing for virtual trip!
But immediately a bunch of butterflies appeared in my tummy So here they flutter!
🤔 What if phone dies or won't start at all (try laptop)
🤔 What of camera wont work (again try laptop)
🤔 What is they can't hear me (check volume button or yell at top of my voice)
🤔 Oh shoot what if i don't wake up at 5:00 am and get ready. I can't do this in PJs (keep everything ready and don't pick tough drapes)
🤔 Oh what if i don't wake up at all (shradhanjali hi de do yaar)
🤔 What if the host forgets about it? (No she's too sweet and has been doing it like a pro.. she is the best part)
🤔 What if i have a brain freeze or laptop freeze (oye! Sochna bhi mat)
🤔 What if i stammer and can't chat at all (totla bhai joke.. gaata laheeee melaaaa dil... tu hi meliii mantilll)
🤔 What if no one shows up and the host and I chat away just to our selves? (Not a problem , we have been doing it last few days but i would feel bad for her)
🤔 Question ka answer na pata to? ( Host will help me out... sabka maalik ek)
🤔 Host

ke yahaan powercut ho gaya to? (Chup kar, shubh shubh bol) 🤯🤯🤯🤯 oh my god!
Which saree to drape? So ladies that's me right now, ok I will calm down, sleep and happily get up in the morning to meet you all. Meanwhile you all go wrap up your Friday activities and get ready to join the masti! Tab tak ke liye. Apna khayal rakhna ❤ But honestly I am excited and definitely would love the interaction and catchup. Hopefully the timing works for most of you, given its a Friday evening in India and Friday morning in USA (Hopefully some of you are able to join as well)
Wearing a benarasi from ma's wedding troussea! Forty plus years old and super gorgeous even today

My own depiction of Sita Gita

#debsaristories
 Oops.. I think I took the phrase "mein apni favorite hoon" pretty literally I emulated myself.
I created a Sita Gita version of myself. Everything is exactly same in both pictures, except for the sarees and bindi. This entire rebirth photoshoot took thirty minutes.. did you ever wonder how it would be if you suddenly discovered you had an unknown twin or doppelganger, drastically opposite to your character as shown in movies (i don't know why they never show twins as being similar nature and temperament). I would freak out!!

If I had a twin that was OPPOSITE to my character AND NOT LIKE ME, here's what that person would be:
1. Doesn't think by heart and uses head instead
2. Doesn't trust anyone easily
3. Doesnt hesitate hurting or giving it back in words
4. Would love money and self independence over family and togetherness
5. Would put career ahead of family and children
6. Prefers independence and not believing in sentiments
7. Doesnt enjoy cooking, painting, dancing, gardening And and and...
8. DOESN'T ENJOY DRAPING SAREES! OMG!
Everything above that last point was fine, but anyone that carries my looks in remote form pls.pls.do love sarees! Don't break my heart 😐🤯 Bettu looked at the pic and said no question. Your doppelganger would be a saree fanatic like you too! Hope he is right Dekha na Sita Gita? Ab jao jao, sab apna apna kaam karo. Chalo chalo!

Sabyasachi- tribute

#debsaristories #budget 
I can shamelessly admit I am big fan of dada creations. He is to sarees what Rabindranath is to poetry, M.S. Subhalakshmi is to devotional songs and much more. He is someone who has transformed Indian fashion to suit us, the quintessential Indian women. The six yards completely went through Renaissance when he put it on the Global pedestal. Not that we needed any validation from the world but more to educate the world about the wealth and richness of Indian weaves. On one way India is portrayed as poor, impoverished, yet another third world country that could be ignored, he just introduced the world to India. He made a statement like no other. 

Every depiction of his art starting from the colors, the work, the richness of tones and elements used, the class was introduced that did not exist before yet was much needed. The stories of his life, and how we connects to the indian middle class thanks to his own experiences and how he conducts his photoshoots everything is so real. I know his art comes with a price tag but art is such. You cannot potentially question why the price tag? Its whether you take it or leave it. It's simply magnificent. I love his organza sarees and the silhouettes and today admittedly I am "copying" one of his depictions purely out of respect and tribute. The saree and blouse are not from Sabyasachi but more a budget Sabyasachi that's affordable. Can we not buy an expensive art piece? Yes. If we give up six or seven sarees and save that money to buy ONE Sabyasachi piece sure we can, i just haven't felt worthy of it yet. Neither am I a bride to share my story and get featured in Band Bajaa Baraat. Nor is my kid old enough so I could plan on him instead! So so so, today I am a budget Sabyasachi model too (ah wouldn't I love being shot by the Genius himself!) And transported myself to the famous Falaknuma palace in Hyderabad, one of dada's favorite locals.

Ah the handloom gadwal

#debsaristories #momsondance #friends
Bettu and I danced together today. Check below.

This post is a dedication to my two new friends. Pls read.Let me introduce them to this group.. they are already part of this group and many of you know them very well and they are quite popular. Basically both are shy and mostly work behind the scenes which is why you don't see a lot of their posts (I guess that is common to 95% of the group), so today I thought they deserve an official entry into the group with a picture and I included their pic in the comments (they didn't want to be part of the post pics for the fear of being rejected by admin). In fact many of you had been interacting with both of them on regular basis and I just took time to acquaint them. But hey atleast I got started. Their friendship is genuine and pure - both of them don't criticize you, your choices or your actions. They simply watch, they make you smile, they hardly make you cry (atleast they never made me cry until now) and they bring out the child in you or in my case an unexplored part (modeling) of you that you have always been hesitant sharing with others. They value your time and expect you value theirs, which is pretty reasonable. They show you truth as it is, and don't filter anything for you, unless you want to. They both are cranky like cancerian types initially but once you befriend them, there's no going back. There are very few friends to who you can turn your back around and walk away, fully knowing they are still there for you no matter what. Isnt that a blessing? Since they helped me with my own photoshoot today, I tried my best to return the favor. Let me know if I did a fair job as a friend. Oh btw taddaaaa! Its dance time.
Bettu and I danced to #manwalage. I love these routines where he and I perform together. Believe me, although it looks simple, for some reason the first three eight bars took me two hours of practice. We do an act in one afternoon (thats all the time we get for end to end concept to recording). I bothered bettu with too many doubts, he answered all but certainly wasn't ready to simplify the choreo or replace steps.
🌟💥🌟💥🌟💥🌟💥🌟💥🌟💥🌟💥 https://youtu.be/Bi8hSEC9IKc
🌟💥🌟💥🌟💥🌟💥🌟💥🌟💥🌟💥 Playing again with colors. I am beginning think I should do justice to all the sarees I wore for couple of hours for a puja pandal visit and ticked away in closet. This gadwal silk is one such. I love all the colors.

Nothing like a kanjivaram and fusion

#debsaristories #buttabommachallenge #buttabomma #momsondance
Definitely certainly 100% wasn't planning to saree today. Shhhhh!!! Quiet pls! 🤫🤫🤫🤫🤭🤭🤭
I sneaked into ma's closet and pulled out this kanjivaram, you know why? Because I just received the polka crop top! Taddaaaa! When you get the crazy idea to team a polka top with a kanjivaram, you are basically a confused atma that can't decide between Zeenat Aman and Rekha. Thats just me today. What's in Polka magic?
The naughty me peeped out! You have seen me in my usual stand up and smile poses always.. I never dare go beyond.. BUT You all know how I wished to model (idea shelved) so today I pretended to be a model and took timer pics.
Nothing amazing and don't blame me for this pagalpan.. blame the polka blouse!! I am still stuck dreaming about India and everything I would have been enjoying. Apna time aayega. Oh by the way, bettu did a telugu chart buster. If there's anyone tracking the trends (even celebrities fell for this trap) sure you aren't surprised by the #buttabommachallenge. Watch till the end to see bettu and I do it! Did we have fun? Oh my God, of course yes! Hope you enjoy viewing it too!
💥💥🌟🌟🌟💥🌟❤❤🌟💥🌟🌟🌟💥💥 #momsondance https://youtu.be/IPKXY1qF1OM
💥💥🌟🌟🌟💥🌟❤❤🌟💥🌟🌟🌟💥💥

 Stay home.. Apna khayal khudh rakhna

This too shall pass

#debsaristories

This saree belonged to my maternal grandma and is special to me thus ❤. Since moving to USA we have been visiting India every year. Of course I am missing the trip this year. Who cares if it's hot and hunid, I never complained about it. I enjoyed the breeze summer evenings. I enjoyed street food, getting blouse stitching done and catching up on every detail. I miss street food and visiting ex colleagues turned friends. Enjoying how much things have changed yet nothing has changed. How much I still belong and hopefully will always do. The jetlag, the sleepy eyes, and exhausted body doesn't matter when we meet family. Sipping morning coffee from amma or the visit from neighbors especially mentioning how much bettu has grown up... all that is being missed now. I want everything to magically become normal. Just being kiddish like everyone else. I want the 2020 to rewind and restart to a happy path. Wish we could #timetravel and choose an alternative path and make things different. I know many many of you are in same situation and some even worse. A lot is going on and each of us are finding different ways to cope up and manage our spirits. Yes please keep it positive. Pls don't lose hope. I do believe- this too shall pass, just taking a little longer. But yes. Better days are ahead of us and yes I will enjoy every moment of my India trip whenever I could travel. Because some things are invaluable and thats all life is about. Apna khayal rakhna ❤

#debsaristories
 Okay okay, I am back as promised. A mom child themed duo choreo was a dream for me. I truly meant to only dreamt of it and honestly never planned for it to come true, but magic does happen. For you to see!
💥💥🌟 https://youtu.be/dl1WmwsFLlY 🌟💥💥
 One thing in my mind always was not the old conventional yashoda krishn songs, that doesn't resonate with me snd bettu personalities. We are equally mischievous and energetic, then came this song from Bahubali. Bettu adjusted the choreo to depict yashoda krishn, I enjoyed this a lot and it's close to my heart for obvious reasons.❤ Apologize to kids if you ever err., they learn from us. Usually we expect the kids to apologize to us everytime they make a mistake but we often forget to return the favor. No, think about it! If an adult makes the same mistake our kid does, i guess the way we react is different. We take kids at liberty and when we make a mistake although we feel guilty, sometimes we don't apologize verbally which I think is important for a healthy and friendly relationship even between parents and kids. I try to practice to set the stage for bettu to follow... dont let age and ego come in the way of manners.🥰 The saree is a bandhani one, got this from my bestie Minsha collection.

Badtameez Dil

#debsaristories
 Ab bettu to bacha hai, he's a kid so it makes sense him having filmy fun....but socho.. ma usse bhi zyada filmy nikli... (and yeah today I am the Ujala blue advertising gal)
💥💥💥🌟🌟🌟💥💥💥 Badtameez Dil choreo: https://youtu.be/qMrT3eKh5w8
Enjoy small moments of life and make memories. Jab tak bhudapa nahi aata hai, thodi badtameezi hi kar leyn!? Peppy foot tapping number and fast choreo to match! 💥💥💥🌟🌟🌟💥💥💥
He was prepping to choreo and dance for badtameez dil and first thing that comes to my mind is the bright blue saree and black sequins blouse (hum Deepika nahi hain aur hamara abs are replaced by flab so did the sanskari deepika version) of a similar saree. No other reasons except for... main kehti hoon jab tak bhudapa nahi aata hai, thodi badtameezi kar leyn!?

Rishton ka Manja

#debsaristories #calculatedrelationships #badpictureday Relationships. Huh. Such a tangle right? Every single form of it and there are NxN times combination! Rightly said as "rishton ka maanja"! I am all for true form of it. Friend, Colleague, Family, anything!
🌟🌟🌟🌟❤❤❤🌟🌟🌟🌟 #dance #manja https://youtu.be/K18ZTaQyrc0
Problems in life are like questions in an exam. They 'always' come with solutions. Sometimes it's hard to crack the solution, but patience and perseverance can help us get there with support from family and friends. This song is a representation of one such message, the choreo is lively and aligns to the musicality. #Inspiration #bepositive
 🌟🌟🌟🌟❤❤❤🌟🌟🌟🌟

The only one I dont get is the "calculated relationships" People "want" to connect with you for specific benefits. I mean how rude is that? I once knew a lady who has an amazing public figure, sounds philanthropic and has mass following but if you truly reach out for a genuine help not for yourself but someone that's in need- its neatly pushed off! No remorse, no emotion, simply refuse! Kaam khatam to rishta khatam. I have seen fake smiles, those that will vanish as soon as the job's done. I cannot assimilate and first assess "what will I get out of this relationship " and THEN start conversations! Hell no! Arey yaar, treat people well without expectations. Relationships aren't "business deals" in fact vice versa: for successful business deals , great relationships help! I am not quick in identifying such fake sheep and assume all is well until I get the brunt of it. Oh well. There is an opportunity for me to improve myself Bettu performed to this "rishton ka manja" so I felt like giving him company in gujrati style drape with "kai poc che" kites ! I got this saree assembled with three different fabrics. Since modal silk is rather heavy, I dint attach a fall.. so i can drape from either ends! Ignore my face, not the best .. but who cares..the saree takes the cake isn't it?

Be Happier

#debsaristories #choosehappiness #happier I mean it. "Choose" happiness even if it is the tough choice. Its like a medicine. It could come with a top coating of sugar but could be bitter to swallow, but similar to medicines it helps cure.. Here's a video to make you #happier ❤ https://youtu.be/L2pGGogO-C4 ❤

Every problem has two options - happiness and sorrow. In many cases, choosing happiness isn't easy at all, it may be next to impossible. You may think I am being absurd, but when I look back to the worst times of my life the choice I made to be happy and find solace in the situation had helped me overcome the negativity. Its not easy especially if you are dealing with a loss - personal, professional, material whatever it may be, and you are heartbroken how could you possibly be happy? Its ridiculous to think. But that's the point. You must definitely greive over the situation, however get over it and choose happiness. Imagine worser consequences of what could have happened and try to find the better of it. Last few days few of my besties at work and personal front weren't in the best of spirits. So I shared this with them and thought of extending to you all too..

❤❤ Three things I follow:
1. Nothing happens to anyone which he is not fitted by Nature to bear
 2. Your journey with anyone anytime and for how far and long is measured and destined. You don't get a moment less or extra
3. Things could have be worse, but the fact that we are alive in itself is a 100% bonus, that alone can help us fight back and regain what we want.
❤❤

Choose happiness.

Appadi Podu Podu Chennai

#debsaristories #coviddiaries
 ❤ mommy dance! https://youtu.be/x-zVi1-JQxw ❤
 We did it again. Bettu and me danced together. Video link above. When we decided this foot tapping tamizh madras style kuthu.. he was no way willing to dance alone. He wanted me as partner and said he enjoys dancing with me! Hey bhagwan that one reason is enough for me to do anything from tandav to disco. Just for him. Enjoying while it lasts. Again gals, I am not confident yet with moves and recording but thanks to bettu for toning down the choreo for me and also patiently redoing the recording as many times, if I missed or messed steps during the process. I thank god for sending him to me of all the amazing moms he deserves, its because of him the child in me is alive. All these years, no one ever volunteered or willed to dance with me and here he is, who truly enjoys my presence. Sob sob.
 In my previous post, I looked like i am prepping for saffola ad , this time I look like someone from Tamil Nadu tourism poster ad. 🤪

Speaking of madras and my times, I was recalling to patideb how our school excursions strategically revolved more around temple tourism. My third grade one day excursion was for Mahabalipuram shore temple, crocodile park and muthukadu boat. Oh well, there is always temple in the agenda. My eleventh grade three day tour included Trichy Vinayagar temple, Madurai Meenakshi temple, Tanjavur Brihadeeswar temple, Annai Velankanni temple, a mosque near that (forgot name) etc etc. Its hard to tell whether its pilgrimage or teenager tour, but we actually never complained. Reason? School, teachers , parents and students believed that we eleventh graders needed all the blessings from all gods for our twelfth grade exams and since we would be busy preparing then, we should do it earlier. In addition it also gives more strong reason to get strictest of parents permutation... see .. hai na smart idea? Did we not have fun. Absolutely we have great fun. Those are the days when no "smart" technology could ruin our freedom and fun. It was simple and memorable. Don't know if kids these days fancy such tours anymore when everything is more "fancy" and "international standards" (i dont get it) but if they do I am sure there are some good memories in making.

Phaguner Mohonay!

#debsaristories #coviddiaries #ADDAyushmanDDancer ❤ watch me dance!
https://youtu.be/0m_Bnu0CXFg

Of all versions of myself, the "Ma" version is most endearing to me. Bettu is interested in dance and has been conducting online workshops free during this lockdown and share them on his YouTube channel for others to practice. Never imagined that we would get to spend so much time together and doing what we both like and are passionate about - dance! We actually enjoy each others company, despite bettu being a just-turned-teenager and me being forty. We giggle, make fun, crack jokes and love being with each other, we literally do 'roll on the floor' laughing too at times. What's more touching is when bettu tells me, he loves me as his dance partner and wishes I do more workshop choreos with him. I resist. My machine isn't oiled in twenty years and its old and rusty. Happens. He doesn't seem to care, he wants me nevertheless and is always full of spark and admiration when I drape a saree. Per him, I look best in sarees apparently. Bhidu, mera bachcha hai tu! So today again we did a small routine together , I immediately agreed to this for three precious reasons: 1) bettu 2) saree 3) dance. ❤ video shared for you!

 🥭🥭🥭 Oh BTW this the avakaya season in most telugu households in India. During my childhood its an activity five or six moms do together at one household! Its no less than a ceremony on its own. Starting from picking the right date window (most women still avoid period time) that works for all. Then the right mango.. Gosh, its like choosing a life partner! It should be raw, crisp and the cutting of triangular pieces with each piece getting a slide of the hard shell is key. Any pieces without the shell are kept aside for thokku pachadi (simpler and less important cousin of the great avakaya). The right oil, but more importantly the spices. Mom used to buy the individual spices and get them powdered in the mill (while we die sneezing try eyed) until buying the ready-made mix from Bombay General Stores became convenient and popular. On the "muhurat" day women gather in the morning, go to the market to get the mango pieces ready. Once home, they clean each individual piece with cloth, no drop of water is allowed anywhere in the perimeter of the project. Children are prohibited from entering the "action area". Big buckets and earthen pots are kept ready. Pieces are mixed in the spices, dipped in oil, then carefully transferred to the big earthen jars. Buttermilk and card is used to wash off the spices.Extra oil on the top seals it for next few days. Upon completion of three days, taste validation happens to adjust for spices and also for my favorite part - adding garlic (i love avakaya with garlic). Ah the summer! Live each moment. Love each moment

My chai and me

#debsaristories #coviddiaries
 I wanted to drape green but ended up in yellow. When Kangana drapes a rs.600/- saree its BIG NEWS, lo hum ne bhi rs.600/- ka saree pehna. But, I am no Queen Kangana, so its not even last page item! I don't have a 200-300 comment wala story script but wanted to gapshap with you as usual in my simple sa gharelu kota saree.
I had packed all my cottons in a big suitcase knowing I wont drape them often and this baby was looking at me with the look that says "pick me pls". Yellow saree ke saath white crop top? Chalta hai when you are rushing to get your pic nevertheless

So here i am enjoying cold chai and thinking of another world, another age where a pandemic would have potentially brought the internet and world wide web down and even worse exposed all personal data to public, virus of a different kind. Then people end up "social media lockdown" of internet without even opening a browser and the world is brought to it knees yet again. And worse.. humans realize they are not prepared and never had written anything in their phone book or diaries in ages so they don't remember their best friends number by heart (I am assuming atleast humans remember their family's numbers). Socho kabhi aisa ho to kya ho? Its good to keep a small hand written note of important information including phone numbers, account numbers (sigh passbooks are thing of past now) and other things that matter including addreses etc. Kal yug hai... kuch bhi mumkin hai. Apna khayal khudh rakhna. ❤

Seven wonders of the world woven in my pallu

#debsaristories #coviddiaries ❤ When the world isn't traveling, I decided to bring all the seven wonders of the world to my pallu ❤ I was missing the enthusiasm of draping and when the hubby announced the arrival of a new drone of course bulb jala. This was on my wishlist, so checked! The seven wonders of the world reminded me of few correlations with our situation today and also a testament to why these truly are wonders! Each represent the strength of life.

 🌍 Leaning Tower of Pisa: Compassion. No matter how strong and tall you are, sometimes you still need a shoulder to *lean on*
🌍 Statue of Liberty: Friendship matters. irrespective of caste, creed, color, race, set, religion. Because when you need blood to save lives, you need a known or unknown friend.
 🌍 Great wall of China: Strength. To protect self and your loved ones and to stand tall and fight against odds
🌍 Hanging Garden: Respect Nature. World is ruled by nature. Period. None else, nothing else.
🌍 Pyramid of Giza: Value your past and ancestors. Isn't it true that this epidemic has taken many of us back to roots and the values which were at the verge of being extinction?
🌍 Colosseum: Celebration. Amidst all odds, life finds ways to smile and show its power. Similar to us sareeing to make our days sunny
 🌍 Tah wah Taj: Last but Best, love is all you need. When everything let's you down, love keeps you going. Of family, friends, strangers, acquaintances. Every delivery person that smiled, every Frontline worker that supports many dealing with illness, every shopkeeper that still goes to support and deliver things to aged parents, every neighbor that checks in on you.. list is endless. ❤❤❤

 I won't forget the lessons a simple virus is teaching the universe. Good or bad, its a version2.0 of life for many.
 Can you believe I wasn't in mood to drape sarees recently? Is it normal for people with passion sometimes to feel exhausted about it? I draoed this saree two times earlier. However both times I was in glaring sun so the beautiful weave dint get the due respect it deserves, so tried again today.
 Apna khayal rakhna

It's a milestone and I have all colors to paint my canvas

#debsaristories 💃💃 Aaj apun ka bday ch hai bhidu! 🎉🎊 Big party, celebrations, lots of hungama- was exactly NOT what I planned EVER! arey bhai aam aadmi (aurat) hai hum! Lockdown or not, the day was meant to be spent with family, that was the plan always. A movie and restaurant was missed. Some cuddling, some nostalgia and many memories. When I look back, I can't tell whether this was what I planned to be today. I never had plans, not big ones. I worked each step forward, I knew hardwork would give good results, I was taught dishonesty would lead to devastation. I was taught money is important but knowledge is more important. If you have knowledge you can earn money, but the reverse is not always true. When I look back..

🎈 I hardly remember my 10th bday. 

🎈I vaguely remember my 20th... college time and looking forward to life 

🎈I remember celebrating my 30th with bettu, who would then turn three 

🎈I will remember my 40th because it's like the half marathon checkpoint. 

 Self Assessment 

 🏅Checkin with myself if I turned out to be an ok human being 

 🏅Checkin to see that my mistakes in life (I have my own share) dont exceed blessings 

 🏅Checkin to see I continue spread positivity within home and outside 

🏅Checkin that I may not be anyone famous yet meaningful in small ways 

 Lessons learnt 

💪 Nothing happens without a reason 

💪 You may think you planned, you worked and thus achieved. Maybe. But pretty much the truth is, it was meant to be destiny. 

💪Everytime you think this was the worst, wait until the next event and everytime you look back you will see today is better than yesterday 

 💪 If life gives you coronavirus lockdown on birthday, take it. Atleast you are alive to celebrate one! 

💪If you stop complaining suddenly everything becomes beautiful and everywhere its happiness. Dont think chnage of place brings happiness, change of perspective does 

💪 Money is a necessity. But love rules the world 

💪 In my teens I thought love was everything in a relationship, in twenties I realized trust is more important, in thirties I realized respect is key and as I step into forties I know personal space matters. Cant wait for my next decade's discovery! There have been times when I tumbled and hurt real hard, when the path ahead seem blurry. However being myself helped me get along. Positivity, Humor, Integrity and Kindness. This helps. Today when I cross the half mark of life (I may have crossed it way back for that matter) I am thankful to everyone and everything that happened to me. 

 I lived every day like it were my last and will continue to do so! Days without color tv, days without comfort x days missing family when I was a working single, days traveling business class, days vacationing in some of my wishlist places (all in india), days lazing at a star hotel spa -- all meant the same to me. What I have today was not with me yesterday and may not be there tomorrow. So I will be mindful and respectful and thankful for my destiny

I had planned to drape this white with color pencil saree for my bday! ❤ the white canvas and plenty of colors symbolizes how I feel today.. an entire life ahead of me and I just started to paint it with a box of color pencils.

Ugadi Subhakankshalu

#debsaristories #ugadi
Aaj mere yaar ki bday hai! Jigri dost ka happy wala birthday. It's Ma's (MIL) birthday and also Ugadi today 🥳🥳🥳 Wishing you all Saarvari nama ugadi subhakanshalu!

We spent an entire lifetime blaming technology and internet, but be honest now - aren't you truly thankful for internet and wifi? What do you think? Wouldn't it have been more catastrophic if internet and wifi were down across the globe? And in past one week there were peaks of panic and valleys of depression now settling into a plateau of understanding and sinking in to reality. Anyways, today's the new year and of new beginnings, new hope and positivity. Ma's birthday today. So I am twice as happy. For the past few years we had started the habit of getting "girls time" with pedicure, lunch of her choice etc before or after the birthday, apart from the usual family celebrations.
This year, thanks to virus bhai saab it's all home alone. I although was enthu and wanted to cook a simple south Indian thali meal. So this was my menu- Mango pulihara, Vengaya sambar, Vazhakka poriyal, Beerakaya pachadi, Keera masiyal , Pavakka curry, Rice yogurt etc. I am off to make filter kaapi now. Been in back to back meetings for last few days. Actually I realized how big a workaholic I am because these days I am working for easily 16-18 hrs a day. So I cooked the meal late nights or early mornings as I knew I wont get time altogether. And these past week made me realize a valuable life lesson. I am thankful to bettu, its because of him i deprioritze EVERYTHING else and make sure I spend every minute with him, his classes, his hobbies. Now I realize he's been indirectly helping me stay sane and have a life beyond work. Otherwise my life would have sucked 🤣😛

CoVID Diaries

#debsaristories #covid19 Aa gaye na sab apne aukath pe? While the world leaders assuming they have the world in control, men faking their power on women, rich exploting the poor... a tiny microorganism silently disrupts the World, brings everything to a halt almost, cannot be seen, cannot be heard.

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%% For every "hoarding " virus, there is a "sharing " anti-virus. What you have in precautionary excess maybe cruicial necessity for someone else.
%% For every "use money power" virus, there is a "kindness and humanity " anti-virus. Remember there are many that cannot afford to stock up.
%% For every "selfish, look down upon people" virus, there is a "help strangers and be front line" anti-virus. Pick your stand now!
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No one can yet harm the virus and arrest it or hang it to death. No one can blame its religion caste of origin,. Ab batao... who is powerful? Like this virus , there are so many other invisible powers which time and again remind us we are nothing but a chaotic, helpless, unplanned, immature bunch of creatures.


Between practical and panic there are so many variations. While a group is busy stocking up toilet paper (sad we are killing more trees than before), tens of bags of onions, wiped out entire department store of santizing wipes, cleaned all cleaners from supermarkets (were we truly living a gutter life before the virus?), another group wonders why they arent joining the majority? They are doing their best to keep clean, not spread germs but yet not hoarding like crazy. Scratching their heads on how much can one stock when no one knows what's the end to this situation and when?!

 - I did not buy any supplies of cleaning or sanitizer
 - I bought dried and fried onions instead of real ones so they dont rot thanks to the panic over buying
- I bought tomato ketchup to replace real tomatoes as well if need be
- I bought lentils rajma chana as backup if ever we run out of veggies and meat and shops are shut - I bought milk and eggs enough that I would generally stock up for coming weeks, not months
- I have frozen veggies which may add up to any meal and also quinoa oats etc which could opt for healthy meal
- I havent purchased medicines that I wouldnt need if I already had one bottle each of the usual cold cough allergy fever medication
 - I did not want to create panic that would lead to depleting resources for someone that may truly be in need

 Offices are almost ghost towns, schools are closed and now starts the real problem. Now comes the real rubber hits ground situation
- Families that had almost forgotten living fulltime with each other realized they are locked up together for next four weeks - hum tum ek kamre mein bandh ho...
- Education and staying current requires new skills which everyone realized even developed countries did not equip themselves with. Many institutions are creative is requiring collaborative online classes.
 - Physical activities require more planning. Active kids that used to spend an hour or two exercising their fitness how need to rely on jogging at home, jumping jacks, squats, jump rope etc to keep up their momentum.

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Remember
 This too shall pass, life still goes on. There are many front line workers that dont stay home but actually out there serving others. Salute them. They have a life and families too. Stay safe, healthy and mindful
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