NAMESAKE

                                                                                                                                                                   
10.06.1993.It was a breezy morning, around 3.40am a cry was heard in an hospital at Bangalore. A cry which bought smiles on faces of people. First kid of third generation of the family was born. Everyone wanted to take her in their hands, kiss her tiny eyes, cute little feet and rosy cheeks. Happy tears were seen on her mom's face as she was born after four years of her intense prayers. She was not only her daughter but a boon gifted by god. But, one question was running in everyone mind, "What will the princess be called?"

                 The kid was addressed with every possible nick names like chellam, bangaru( means gold in Tamil and  Telugu), nanna, sweety, princi, khanna, shona,etc. Everyone in the family had their own names for her. Yet, no one had answer for the question, what would be her name? And at last they decided to give her a permanent name. They consulted the most powerful man in ones life, their 'astrologer'. He told them that their daughter would have a bright future if her name started with the letters 'ga' or 'gee'(according to their regional language). Discussions began in the family, the mother referred every possible book for a beautiful Indian name. as said by Shakespeare, "What's in a name?", was this much discussion required. The grandmother wanted to keep the name of an Indian goddess which definitely ended with the word Devi. Maternal uncle, was against the whole concept of astrology, he wanted her to be named as Nimisha or Prarthana, but these names were against what astrologer said. The father came up with a name, "Gangotri", but it was rejected as there was a belief that, baby would suffer if she was given the name of a river. Here comes the maternal aunt with a name and it was the name of her favourite Telugu movie too, "Gitanjali", but mother rejects it saying its the most common name in neighbouring state i.e. Andra Pradesh!!

                   Mother had the habit of reading books. One afternoon she was reading a book of poetry's. The name of the book was "Amruthamkurisina Rathri" written by Devarakonda Balgangadhar Tilak. Her eye feel on the eighty sixth poetry, It spoke about ones plight at summer days. The name of the poem was "Greeshmam", which means summer. And the discussions in the family ended there.They all liked the name. and the princess was named as Greeshma, oops! How can we forget her caste, after all we are Indians! She was named as Greeshma Naidu.On September 27,1993, a grand naming ceremony was taken place in their family house. The ceremony was celebrated in typical south Indian style.

                    Now after 19 years, 5months, 19 days, the same kid is writing an article of instances which had happened without her knowledge. Yes. its my story, the story of how I got my name. I'm sure there will be a story behind all your names. Ask your parents or elders in the family about it, they'll be more than happy to share it with you. And please do share the story with me. Am waiting to hear all your stories.

OH MY GOD.....!!!!

Sometimes in our lives we have wished for things that we don't have. No matter how hard we wished on the star or a candle our wishes never seemed to be answered. We all have felt that bitter disappointment on Xmas morning realising that everything was just fantasy.
         There was this one day. I was standing out in my balcony staring at the stars. It had rained and the smell of wet mud was so enchanting that it laced my nose cells leaving me desperate for more fragrance. Wind was gushing over my face, my hair was fluttering. I am an atheist, never believed that god can exist. Questions of confusion were fuming out of my mind. How could there be such a fantastic thing like rain, nature, hurricanes? How could gravity exist? Well science has its own answers, but who created such elements, melody of rain hitting the earth?
           For a minute I thought there existed a supernatural power GOD, but as usual my stubborn egoistic mind was was back to its 'atheism'. I had no answer. Suddenly the gushing wind became more forceful, almost it could blow me off like a kite(yes! I am not that strong). A narrow ray of light from one of the stars I was gazing at, showered on me, it was very bright though! And, I see a face so pleasing, so angel like with a skin so fair and a smile enchanting come up to me say, "Hello Dear, I am god".
            I was shocked! Give me a break! This can't really happen. It must be my imagination. It's like in some Bruce Almighty movie. "No!" This is not true. I was consoling myself. I guess watching Bruce Almighty a lot of times must have sent my head for a toss. No! This is utter nonsense. God seriously can't come up to me casually and say "hello, I am god." Its insane, they can't do that.
              Lost in my thoughts, I forgot that so called 'god' was in front of me. I popped from my bubble of thoughts and looked at this imaginary or real character in front of me. God was at her best dressing sense, full of junk jewellery and stylish attire. Letting her hair flow. Wow! She can be an gorgeous Bollywood star. Her scent was too good. God pulled me to the sky. I couldn't imagine this is happening, her smile maintained consistency and r then I was on top of some cloud, the view from there looked amazing. I was lost. God gave a big whack on my head and I came back to my senses. I cleared my throat and asked "Why have you brought me here?? Am I dead or something?" God laughed louder and louder and then she said "No dear, you are not dead. Its just you have created lot of misconceptions. Your mind is full of doubts I have to clear those.
             So how exactly is your world? I am sure it's different from what I had created. You humans have made it better and worse, beautiful and ugly. So which part of the league do you belong to, beautiful and ugly?
               I opened my mouth with a shock by the fact that I am on cloud talking to a god as though she was my long lost friend. God suddenly said : Yes I am your long lost friend. She continued "When you were young your mother used to force you to pray, but as and when you grew up. I was something that you were not interested in. I ignored that emotional dialogue and told her about my world, explained that there was music, dance, gossip, friends, Ipod, more gadgets and of course 'Facebook - definition of my life'. all of these create my world of happiness. Studies, work, people who bitch is ugly for me.
                    God took a moment of silence and asked me whether I could show her places I adore. My terrace, My room. I took her to my room , she was fascinated. She in fact liked it. I then showed her my favourite place- KFC. It was locked but i showed her my favourite chicken wings and crushers on a poster there I have no idea what god felt about the idea of eating non-vegetarian food. God was for that day one normal person, it was as though she was my friend not god. She never made me feel that. I had no need to treat her with huge respect and lay red carpet with rose petals, and garlands everywhere and a lamp with desi ghee.We spent time talking and laughing. She said that I always see the negative side of life, and advised me to enjoy every moment of life, love each second. She told me to happy with such loving parents and to think of those who don't have, be happy with what I have and think of those who don't have anything. She showed me pointing to the beggar sleeping on street. God knew me. She new me the day she planned to create me.
                    I asked god "Aren't you showing me your world? She answered "Dear, you are in my space itself, this is where I live. "What? You live in heaven right? not here amongst us". She then said, no! I am inside, hiding in everyone heart, waiting for the moment when you could all realise I am right here in you all but nobody realise."
                     I was thankful to god for this day.. She made my day. God kissed my forehead and dropped me back home and said "See you soon and have a nice birthday. Happy birthday dear. Oh! No! It's my birthday tomorrow, didn't even realise that. God smiled and said "goodbye, have a good sleep".
                     I woke up suddenly. It was 12.00am. Ha! You must be thinking that I would write down the very old cliche. "Oops! Ii was just a dream! A day out with god. It was the best way to start my birthday. Thank you god(?). And then, my phone starts vibrating and you can guess the rest of the story...
               

MOM & ME

                Bonding between a mother and daughter starts at very early stage. When a daughter is born, there is always the question of how much she will be like her mother. You would stand in front of the mirror, apply her lipstick, model her earrings, try her duppata and tell the mirror, I look just like my mom and I want to be like my mommy. It is the same till your thirteen. Later, she would be the most ignorant creature at home. Your reaction to whatever she says would be "moooooooommm..."! Our priorities may change , after certain stage we don't like to be dependent on our mother for everything. We feel that we can handle our life. At this stage, a girl gets more attracted towards her man, but her true love is always for her mother. " It's the original relationship and its also a relationship that has been sentimentalised but not honoured.

                 A beautiful picture of a mother and daughter inspired me to write this blog. Please take a look at the image below -

I'm sure most of you would have remembered your mother at least for a second after seeing this picture. The picture itself speaks about their relationship. We hardly get to see such real pictures. Aren't they world's most beautiful mother and daughter.
 
                   Remember? She was your first best friend. Sometimes, I scatter the whole room but still can't find my things, but when my mom comes those things appear in the same place where I had searched before. What kind of black magic is that? After few years, a daughter becomes mother's best friend. She shares her opinions, happiness, sadness with her. Her daughter becomes her strength. few are best friends. Others hardly speak to her. They won't understand her importance until they hit their  motherhood, few won't understand even if they hit their grave. Even if your relationship with your mother is like that don't worry. It can be corrected, follow  few simple tips given below-
1) Lack of communication is a common challenge in any relationship. Be clear and calmly state of how you're feeling. Is your mother treating you like a child? Simply say, "mom, you're not treating me like an adult".
2) At times, we lose temper and speak very arrogantly and nastily to her. But don't continue it, go to her and say sorry. I'm sure she would apologise you.Forgiveness is important in a relationship.
3) Avoid sarcasm and facetiousness. It's easily misinterpreted cause hurt feelings and takes you further away from resolution.
4) Don't bring in third parties - A daughter might involve dad becomes mom is driving her crazy. Mom might involve another child because she feels like she can't talk to her daughter. Either way, talk directly to the person.
5) If you're a daughter, think of your mom as a women with her own wounds and hurts, who was born and raised in a different generation with different values and issues and family relationships.Put yourself in her shoes.

               You can always get back to me if the above tips doesn't work. The first thing you'll do after reading this blog is go to your mom, hug her, kiss her on her cheeks and say that you love her and she's very special to you. If you do this regularly, you will never be in need of those tips. And don't forget to take a picture with her like the one I posted. Do share those pictures with me.

COOKING ISN'T ROCKET SCIENCE

              What's the first thought that comes to your mind when you see your mother cooking? Wow! She's a super women. You would get confused if she is not at home. The only thing you would prefer to cook is "Maggie". Instead of doing so, try to cook something simple, like salads, sandwiches, burger or Indian recipes like lemon rice, dosa( if batter is available), may be even a cup of coffee. You may fail at the first attempt but slowly you will learn and fall in love with it. Cooking isn't something which only mothers and aunties do, it is an art, there is no constrains for learning an art. Our country is known for its exotic cuisine, its popular worldwide. It'll be an achievement  if you learn to make two dishes in every cuisine.
                The first dish, I made was 'fruit salad'. It was a simple dish so there was no question of failing in it. I was just 8, when I made it. Later, cooking became my hobby, I cook when I'm happy, when I'm sad and whenever I feel low. It gives me a refreshment feel. I cook for others when I'm happy because I want see the same happiness in their eyes too. My cooking makes me feel special and superior than others, that's the reason I cook when I'm sad. Every tasty dish I make is an achievement for me. Nigella Lawson is my inspiration for cooking, she is the one who made me realize that cooking is an art too. Her way of cooking and admiration for it, attracted me and inspired me to cook. I feel that I imitate her while cooking.
                  Cooking is not meant only for housewives, I know that we all are living a very busy lifestyle. In our busy life we can afford at least an hour in week, to cook. On Sunday's, try to cook for your family, trust me, you can never forget the happiness you see in their eyes. The best way to impress your loved ones is to cook for them. It is said that food is the way to man's heart, dear men, its the way to women's heart too. Every girl expects a surprise dinner from her man, she would be overwhelmed if you cooked for her. If you are confused and not sure what to cook, try something in potatoes, remember, the golden rule of cooking, you can never go wrong with potatoes!
                    Like all the other art forms even cooking gained its importance through T.V. shows and reality shows like Master Chef, Hell's kitchen,etc. these shows transformed cooking as a fashionable art and increased the sales of recipe books and CD's. Try to prepare at most one dish a week. During, weekends stop aimlessly browsing the internet, step into the kitchen and start cooking. Few of your attempts may fail but you'll definitely succeed one day, after all, "cooking isn't a rocket science".

My Teacher My hero

           It was the year 2006, I got into my high school. I bunked my first day went to school on second day, I had thought the ritual of introducing ourselves to the class would be done by this time, but it was carried on to the second day too. I got mixed reactions about the class teacher from my fellow mates. Few said that she was really cool and helping, others said she was very strict with the students, they even exaggerated it buy saying she was one of the beautiful teachers we had in our school and irony is that none of them had seen her! They had heard all these things from our seniors. Finally she arrived, in a mustard color and red salwar kameez, with the world's most beautiful smile on her face.  
             Like all the other teachers, even she asked us to introduce ourselves to the class, after this ritual, she introduced herself and spoke about her. She was so good that everyone liked her at the very first class. For a moment, I felt that, even I will be a teacher one day. She taught us English and History/ Civics. She was so good at teaching that I feel in love with those subjects. We were introduced to many new concepts, arts, books, movies, etc, though it was not her job. I was completely groomed by her, I felt very confident when she spoke to me and guided me.
               As a kid, I was very shy natured and a very quiet girl, she completely changed this nature in me. I was made to speak in front of the class and in morning prayers, where whole school could hear me, I started taking part in drama's and many other cultural events. She was the one who installed the habit of reading in me(books,newspapers), I started watching news channels and life style channels because she insisted it, which later inspired me to take up journalism. My tastes gt completely changed even of movies. "Life Is Beautiful ", one of my favorite movies was suggested by her. I and all my classmates were extremely happy when we came to know that she would continue for us the next year too. This was the year I took part in highest inter school events. Thanks to her. I still remember and cherish the way she praised me, when I did something good.
                 It was the year 2008, we entered into our 10th class, this year our class teacher was changed, we all couldn't accept the fact that, our teacher, whom we respected and admired was not with us. We raised our voice against the administration, even went on a strike for a day, but all of our attempts failed. As this was our last year in school, we wanted to do something special for her. On her birthday, 22nd august, we took cake and flowers, went to her house, gave her a surprise. I could see the happiness in her eyes, as far as I remember that was her last best time with her. I remembered how she transformed a shy-quiet girl to a bold and confident girl. Later, we were out of the school and everyone was busy with their own lives. Last time I saw her was in the month of June of 2009. Later, I came to know that she had left the city and moved to Mumbai. Until now, I'm not able to contact her. I want to meet her atleast once, before I hit my grave!
                 By the way, her name is RUPA NAIDU. Our beloved Rupa ma'am. Love you ma'am! But, where are you?

                    

   

MY FIRST ADVENTURE TRIP

DANDELI - The place which i desperately wanted to visit. At last it happened in the last month of 2011, saw an invitation on facebook for an adventure trip to "Dandeli". I jumped out of my chair and contacted the organizer immediately. He briefed me about the cost, places we were going to visit,(which i hardly understood). And, i knew this was the trip which I should go with my best buddy Ramya. When I told her about this, she agreed immediately and yes we both were ready to leave on 16th night. I thought this would be a memorable trip, I didn't know then that i would regret it in the future.

               Finally, the day came, December 16th 2011. I and Ramya were dropped to the bus stop by our parents. We were very excited as this was our first trip together. We left 2 hours late than the scheduled time. We introduced ourselves to other trip mates in a daaba where we had stopped for dinner. till the next day, I and Ramya were  in our own world, away from others. it was a long journey. We reached 'Uluvi', where we were put up in a so called guest house. A single mother with her kid was our room mate. We got ready and left for trekking. I completely enjoyed it. Greenary is something which never fails to amaze me. We visited 3 caves, this was the first time I got into a cave. Each cave had a story of its own. Later, we reached the place where we were supposed to do "rock climbing". Yes, this was interesting! Ramya was petrified to do it, but I insisted her to do it, because she wouldn't get such an opportunity in future. She did it at last and was very proud of  it too. Though, I consoled her and made her do it, I myself couldn't do it later. When it was my turn to do, it was completely dark and it scared me. I couldn't do it.... We started moving towards the guest house, this was one of the best experiences of my life, walking in the darkness through a dense forest. WOW! By this time we both had found new friends and were busy chatting with them all the way. We reached the guest house, it was time to rest. Next day, we were to leave to a new place.

               Next day, we visited a nearby temple. Two localite's there were getting married, their customs and traditions were interesting and strange. They applied turmeric paste on cheeks and blessed us saying even we would get married soon. We left to Dandeli after breakfast, the journey was full of fun. we danced for rustic Indian numbers, including the world famous 'Kolavari di'. We reached Dandeli and were put up in a resort called "Horn Bill". We had lunch and left  to have our lifetime experience, "water rafting". We reached the place from where we were supposed to start our rafting. I couldn't believe what i saw there. My favorite actor  "Naseerudhin Shah" was standing only a few feet away from me. We rushed towards him, greeted him and took pictures with him. I took a deep breath once he left and realized the sad part, Ramya was not with me. We all were divided into three teams and put into three different boats. Of  course, Ramya was with me. I really don't lnow how to put up that experience in words. It was splendid, awesome and breath taking, it is something everyone must do atleast once in their lifetime. It is something I would never forget in my life.
               We all took pictures together and left to Bangalore. I had then thought, I made good friends in this trip, but it didn't take us much time to realize that I was wrong! I felt sorry to Ramya as i couldn't accompany her while returning. This was trip which I completely enjoyed and this was the one which disturbed and messed up my life for a short period of time. I snapped out of it and moved on in my life. The show must go on!