Hip Hip Hurray

Yesterday I watched “GIPPY” movie and it transported me back in time to my old school days.  The scenes and songs from the movie were sweet reminiscent of my happiest times at Bishop Westcott Girl’s school. There are so many funny and mischievous moments of those days that bring back smiles and joyous tears to my eyes and this one post is not enough to put down all my thoughts.  I will narrate though, few of the funny incidents here. My boarding school is known for its strict discipline where punishment is the normal consequence of naughtiness and I had fallen preyed to it many times.

One incident I vividly remember was when I got punished for not finishing my snack in dining hall. It was the rule to finish off all our food in mess and not bring it to the dormitory. After our tea break, we had to stand in queue to freshen up and get dressed up for games. On that particular day, we were given cream roll for snacks and you know it takes time to munch one big roll.  I just grabbed it and ran to be first in queue. Unfortunately, I was caught by my matron Miss Jennifer and yes the punishment was unusual this time. I was asked to bring needle and thread and she then made the garland out of cream roll. It was tied around my neck and I was asked to play the games with the cream roll necklace being around my neck  for the whole time! Juniors, seniors, teachers and of course my classmates had good time watching me with my new accessory. Play time was for an hour and by the time it ended my cream roll length also reduced to one fourth. My friends came and had good bite of cream roll in between the games. By the time punishment was over, all that was left out of that poor necklace was an inch pendant. 

Accessories reminded me of another incident where I was punished for keeping eatables in my closet. It was again the rule to keep all our home snacks in tuck tin and in separate tuck room. Usually during school time we used to have 15 minutes break to have snacks from tuck room. We were not allowed to keep it with us in dormitory. One week before the winter break my mom visited me and brought lot of eatables along with her. As only one week was left for vacation, I kept the snacks with me. Same day at night, while chit chatting, I opened the biscuit packet to share it with my friend. I was not aware that Miss Jennifer (yes She again!!) was on her round and the moment I opened the packet, Miss Jennifer entered. She took the packet from me and asked me to see her in the morning. Remembering my punishment of cream roll, I knew what was going to come. Next day she tied the biscuit wrapper and it gave the appearance of a bow in my neck. Just imagine the combination of biscuit wrapper bow with my school uniform and tie. I had to wear that for the breakfast and luckily before leaving for my morning assembly I was asked to part away with it.

Another funny incident I remember from those days was, when we were caught in the middle of night talking. Frustrated with the loud noise and laughter, Miss Das came with her stick to teach us the lesson of being awake late at night. She came inside and instantly she started banging at my friend Nidhi’s bed. We could hear her scream with pain with each hit. After venting out her frustration, Miss Das gave us last warning and left for her room. We all had a good laugh when she told us that not even a single stick hit her. Her blanket was the sufferer. She screamed just to portray she is the victim. I will never forget those bitter sweet moments and how I wish I could relive those days once again.

When Borders Blur!

Recently I read in the newspaper about the Pakistani Hindu refugees who have escaped the country in a hope for a life in India.  It makes me sad to read about their pitiful conditions and I can’t stop thinking why can’t we live peacefully. Why does the religious sentiments still exist? These questions always haunt me.  Pakistan is my neighbour country and there are lot of things I don’t know about it.  Why am I not inquisitive about its culture?  Is this because of bloody murky history involved between these two countries and the unforgettable effect it left on the people from both sides of border?

When I was invited for the Pakistani cultural night organized by Pakistani students in MIT, I instantly bought the ticket. I thought this would be the great opportunity to experience their culture.  This was a perfect occasion to flaunt our beautiful traditional dress i.e. Salwar Kurti.  Of course most of the Indians and Pakistani were in Salwar Kurti as we rarely get the chance to wear them here. Night began with their national anthem and instantly I stood to show the respect.  While paying homage, I thought things would have been different if whole population of Pakistan and India would have felt the same for their national anthem.  A short video was played to show Pakistan, their culture, its people and pride.  I could see the admiration in student’s eyes for their country. 

Few Pakistani songs and ghazal were played by the students too.  People could not stop themselves from humming the same.  People were singing in chorus Pakistan zindabad and that strong feeling of love overflow all over.  I wondered at that moment if we Indians have the same feeling for our country.  After this, we had scrumptious food and of course kheer added more sweetness to that night. A great performance of Bhangra added more delight to the event. Until that day I didn’t know people are crazy about bhangra in Pakistan too.  Night ended with splendid fashion show. I was captivated to see beautiful design and contemporary style.  In their feedback form I could not resist myself writing Pakistan Zindabad at the end.  It was altogether a great experience and I wish to see its beauty through my own eyes.  

Spring Is Here

I have always dreamed of living in snow city which got fulfilled when I moved to Boston. No matter how much it snowed I always yearned for more. The mesmerizing experience I had today made my wish for snow the farthest thing now. I had completely different experience in Harvard Square because weather was pleasant. From last two-three days temperature has risen and it seems finally spring has come.

I could see people talking, laughing, playing music and taking pictures. Today I felt that happiness is infectious because I was happy seeing people around me happy. Deserted Harvard campus was chirpy today. There were so many cute babies running, playing and jumping. I couldn't take my eyes off of a little baby trying to push his stroller. His laughter still resonates in my mind. Stroller which carried him for five months because of cold weather is now being carried by that baby. It was completely an amusing scene. Ingenious Harvard students were seen in groups studying and discussing on stairs. Few were basking in the warm sunshine and reading novels. I noticed one smiling cute young couple sitting on grass back to back and messaging on phone.

I could see bright and cheerful face because people’s faces were no more covered by stole and cap. I am glad that heavy down jacket and winter clothes will now be replaced by light spring and summer clothes. I like observing people’s footwear so now I will get to see strappy sandals and colorful flip-flops instead of boring heavy snow boots. Spring and summer is the best time to enjoy Boston. Desolated city will now again become vibrant and lively and will be embraced by music, street shows, play and food.  Snow laden trees will start to blossom again and revival of greenery will represent the renewal of life in city. Colorful sailing boat in Charles river will enhance its beauty and plenty of runners and cyclist will now be seen on its side  road.

Wish I could have stayed longer at this beautiful place but now time has come to enjoy the last summer of Boston. I just want to capture this beauty in my eyes and cherish it forever.

Vivid memories of my childhood boarding days

My School

I looked at my mother, and noticed her tears rolling down her lovely cheek. My tiny little hands wiped her tears, kissed her cheek and whispered in her ears “Don’t worry mummy, I am 10 years old girl now and I know how to take care of myself”. With that sweet little comment, I could notice smile at her face. She embraced me tightly, dried her tears and she said “ Just remember mummy loves you a lot and I know one day, you will make me proud.” She left me in my dormitory and with a heavy heart moved towards her car. I ran towards the corridor just to catch a last glimpse of her face before vacation and waved her goodbye. I said softly “Mummy, I will miss you. “ At that moment I was having mixed emotions, sad for being away from my sweet home but excited to experience new hostel life. Many random thoughts popped up about this new life at that instant. Suddenly ring of a bell brought me to reality, breaking me from my thoughts. Miss Jennifer (My new matron) informed me that it’s play time and I should quickly get dressed up to join my new classmates.

I wore my new shoes, new clothes and of course how I could forget my lovely clips to put on my hair. Before leaving I assured to look good, after all I was about to meet my new friends for the first time. I ran towards the playground, to join the group. To my disappointment, none of them noticed me not even my lovely clips. All of them were playing in their own formed group and were not even bothered to look at their surroundings. Out of my shyness I didn’t even approach any group. For one complete hour, I did nothing except to miss my old school friends and my home.  After dinner we all went to our dormitories. I thought this would be a good chance to do friendship with them. All the girls were busy chitchatting with their bed side partners, sharing funny stories, joking with each other. Again,I was ignored completely.

Suddenly something struck my mind and I started fumbling through my nicely arranged clothes to find it. I searched for it for half an hour but couldn’t found it. I lost my control and started crying. Seeing me weeping, one girl came to me and asked “Are you a new girl?” Wiping my tears I nodded my head.  She smiled and introduced herself as Nidhi and then asked,” What are you searching inside your cupboard, any precious possession?” I said “My Family Photographs”.  She looked at my clip and said “Hey, beautiful clip, can I borrow it for one day?”  I nodded with a wry smile. I thought it would be a good trade off between friendship and clip. Quite happy with her clip deal, Nidhi introduced me to her all group members. I learnt that day sharing is the best way to win hearts of others. Half heartedly I even distributed my chocolates among all girls in dormitory. This worked and they started chitchatting with me and even shared few funny and scary ghost stories about this hostel. Suddenly light was put off and it was time to sleep. At the end of my first day, I was happy to be part of my new classmates and I completely forgot about the photographs too.

Next day at 4:30 am Miss Jennifer gave wake up call. Reluctantly I got up, with half eyes open and waiting for my mother’s instruction to take bath. Miss Jennifer’s shrill voice woke me from my dreams and then I realized I have only 45 minutes left to get dressed up. With brush in my hand, I ran towards the washroom to get freshen up. Seeing the long queue, I was aghast. Pressure was building in my stomach but somehow I managed and finally was ready on time. After studying for one hour, it was breakfast time. Whole day went smoothly attending classes, studying and playing. I made few more friends on that day and I was happy.

I was very naughty in my childhood and the one who always got into trouble. Definitely, my mischievousness continued here too. One incident I vividly remember, I planned to scare my bedside partner Shambhavi. I knew she believed in ghosts and had heard many hostel stories too. From beforehand, I took rest of my dormitory mates into confidence and they were happy to be part of this wicked plan. One night, after lights were put off, I covered myself with white sheet, smeared my face with white powder and made few red marks around my lips to look like blood. I wrapped my face with white scarf and planned to put small white flash light under my chin. I waited till Miss Jennifer was back to her room. As per our plan, Shweta asked Shambhavi to accompany her to the loo. When she got up from her bed, I jumped at her. She was scared to death and she screamed at the top of her lungs. Hearing her terrified yell, Miss Jennifer hurriedly came to inquire about the incident. Being the main culprit, I knew I was in great trouble. As a punishment, I had to stand in front of Miss Jennifer’s room for the whole night. It was a different story that I didn’t obey her and brought my sheet and pillow to sleep on floor. Next day, it was not surprising for others to see me standing in front of Principal’s office.

There are many such stories about my boarding  school. I still cherish those funny and mischievous moments. 

I am on F2 or H4 Visa and I cannot work.

Boredom is the root of all evil--the despairing refusal to be oneself.

By  Kierkegaard  Søren.

Boredom often leads to depression and it affects us in different ways.  Many international women in the USA are suffering from this disease as they cannot work because of visa status restrictions.

After marriage I was given the choice between Career and family and I chose the latter. I came to USA in February 2011. Quitting my job and coming here on dependent visa was not an easy decision to make. For one complete month I enjoyed “The beauty of doing nothing” but afterwards excitement turned into boredom. I did nothing except to stare at the wall for most of the day. 

After a while I realized it can be overcome by having positive attitude towards life. Instead of taking it as a threat, now I consider it as an opportunity to learn new things which otherwise while working would not have been possible. 

Many things can be done to keep you busy and Volunteering is one of them. I feel volunteering in the community is the wonderful way to get adjusted in the US work environment.  You not only gain valuable US based skills but some work experience to mention it in your resume.  There are many websites which offer Voluntary jobs matched to individual’s skills and interests.  I found one through idealist.org site.  I am working on various projects for Literacy volunteers of Massachusetts suited to my HR background. It is helping me to regain my self confidence and self esteem.

One can create blog of their own. Blogging has gained momentum these days. It’s a good medium to put your opinions or thoughts into writing. You can always start writing blog suited to your interests.  It is not only helping me to improve my writing skills but also gain confidence.

Centre for Adult Education offer various courses suited to your interests. You can enrol for classes like cooking, foreign language, Gardening, creative writing and many more.  I am thinking to enrol for creative writing classes to further improve my piece of writing.

If you are interested in learning, you can always apply for distance education course through Harvard extension School programs or some other top colleges.  Their names always look good on resume. J

Well I feel, Instead of cribbing we should try to see the brighter side of the picture. It’s never too late start working towards making things better.

P.S- “When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.” 

Ever wonder what snow looks like

Snowfall in my hometown(Bihar) is out of the question so since childhood I have been fascinated with snow. Even though I got a chance to visit Kashmir in April but could only see its beauty on the ground. One of my close buddy is from Kashmir and out of inquisitiveness I always used to ask her how does snow look like when it falls. All my inquisitiveness came to an end when for the first time i experienced snowfall in Boston.

I was  bursting with Joy and excitement to experience my first snowfall ever. It was a chilly evening , -7 degree Celsius and i was  freezing inside out. Biting weather's affect came to halt when i saw some white particles was swaying around me. I could no longer control my excitement and looked up in the sky to feel soggy snowflakes on my face and relished its taste when it fell on my tongue. I could notice white snow on my hair and it felt as if white pearl is cozily settling to feel some warmth.

Everything started turning white. It felt as if nature is showering white blanket to make us realize that winter has begun. I started jumping around until i noticed that ground has become slippery and its not safe. With each breathe I could smell, touch, feel the freshly fallen snow. I was so lost in its  tranquility that I simply forgot where was i suppose to go.

Next morning it was bright, clear,  sunny day and when i glanced through my window i could see the entire lane beneath my window , rail tracks, roads were covered with snow. The slanting rooftops glittered with snow as if  now it has become its prized possession. It was beautiful to look at but suddenly thought of sun's ray melting all snow made me gloomy and grumpy.

But i am happy it's just the beginning and there are more to come as winter has finally arrived.

I am doing my bit r u??

Yesterday morning I was depressed to read that about more than 2000 children died of hunger in Karnataka but still we feel proud to be part of shining India. Who is responsible for it, Government or ignorant common mass?? By 2050 we expect to become the superpower country as major population is between the age group of 20-35. Even if we wash our hands of dirty politics, it’s important to do our bit to improve society. By God's grace we are fortunate enough to lead a contented life and now it’s time to give something back to society as a way of balancing the scales. You must be wondering that in today's busy world when you don't have time for yourself; it’s hard to find time for Society isn’t it??  

Recently I have read one article mentioning 50% of Americans in some way or the other have volunteered and the number continues to increase. They volunteer because they love their country. Since the concept of Volunteering is not popular in India, I must explain what's exactly  it is and how can it help our community. In simple terms it means offering services without any expectation or motivational gain. It not only gives you self satisfaction but a sense of pride and identity. There are many NGO's working for upliftment of society but at times due to lack of funding and manpower their projects get hampered. If we volunteer for two hours in a week, it will make a huge impact on society's development. 

It is human nature to see the benefits first in everything we do. There are numerous benefits of Volunteering. Networking is critical for career development and dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network and boost your career skills. Self confidence, self esteem and life satisfaction are key components of Volunteering. It too helps is spreading positive energy inside you. Apparently, volunteering on a CV will always look good to any prospective employer. 

P.S-I am experiencing it and now it’s your turn.

A Glimpse of Nature’s Beauty

Vibrant Colours, chilly weather, lively surrounding, diminishing daylight, falling temperatures is what you experience in the autumn. It’s just the sign of the transition from summer to winter. Before coming to USA I could savour its beauty only in movies.

Driving from Boston to New Hampshire is one of the most beautiful experiences. We could see trees with brilliant shades of colours like red, orange, yellow and green. We just couldn’t take our eyes with spectacular colour show all around us. Falling and flying leaves added to its beauty.

New Hampshire is famous for White Mountains. For me it was a glimpse of a heaven on earth with Trees of different shades and cloud on the zenith of the mountains. Usually in this season shedding of leaves is preceded by rejuvenating colour show. Deciduous trees in between the colourful trees from far looked like white patch in between the mountains.

From the top of the Mountain, view was amazing. We could see waterfalls, lakes, colours all around us. In sunlight sight of rainfall at other far mountains gave the impression of falling clouds with different angles. Full arch rainbow in the sky with colourful trees at its bottom felt as if a rainbow is emitting its colour on the trees. It was the most beautiful natural beauty I have ever seen.

Fall season represents the inevitability of life and death. This beauty is for a few days more and my colourful city will cover it with snow in coming months. Now I have to prepare myself mentally and physically for the cold, snow and long winters.

Hurricane Irene and My experience

What if you will get to know that a Monster Hurricane might sweep your house away??  Or you realize that your city stands right in the middle path of deadly Hurricane?? Isn’t it Scary?? What would be your reaction to this event??

Even I was petrified to see in the news channel the destruction caused by Hurricane Irene in the Bahamas and is approaching towards the north east side of USA.  I live in Boston, one of the oldest cities of the United States where most of the houses are 100 years old.  Under such situation all ghastly things come to your mind and I was scared what if Irene rips off my house and take away all my precious belongings.

Emergency was alerted in most of the north east cities and in low lying areas people were asked to evacuate their houses. I have never experienced the natural disaster before and tracking the Irene path every now and then was the scariest experience of my life.  There were chances of the power outages, flooding and much more destruction but I was ready for the worst.

At that time my main concern was passport and all important documents which I packed in one carry bag if in case we have to leave our house and run for life. It might sound funny but even I noted down “Maha mrityunjaya Mantra” a prayer to lord Shiva for help in overcoming death.  At one point I even looked at my life line and thought it’s long enough to endure this deadly hurricane but instantly the thought of the end of the world made me panic again.

Constantly I was following the news channel for the latest updates and I was relieved when it was informed that Hurricane will turn into tropical storm by the time it will reach Boston.  At the same time I was praying for others lives and safety.  It was raining heavily the entire day on Saturday and Sunday and even could hear the roaring sound of the gusty winds but gradually it fainted.

Even though it caused less destruction as expected but took lives of 41 innocent people and my prayer go out  to all those that lost loved ones during the storm.

There is still a little girl inside me

No Matter How Much I grow,

There is still a little girl inside me,

Who at times wish to conquer the world

But is afraid to come out of Cocoon

There is still a little girl inside me,

Who loves to admire rising sun every morning,

Enlightening the whole world with new light ray ,

With a hope that one day Peace will embrace the entire world

Even though I am a grown up woman now,

But I still cry to see the world fighting,

And innocent child becoming victim of it,

Who yearns for nothing but love & gentle care.

May the little child inside lives forever in everyone’s heart,

Whose feelings remain tender and vulnerable,

And may live innocent, caring and loving life eternally,

To admire the beautiful life and peaceful world

How to lead a gleeful life??

It’s a well known fact that L³  is  the key to happiness in our life i.e. Live , Love and Laugh. But how many of us actually embrace it in our life??  Why do we forget that life is too short and beautiful to get sad and depressed about petty things?? It’s the time for Self Introspection before it’s too late to regret about it.

  

“The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne is one of my favourite books. Many lessons of life can be learnt from this book. As mentioned in this book “Fall in Love with Yourself” and world will fall in love with you. At times we feel we are deprived of the love we actually deserve and start deserting our self from the rest of the world. But this attitude can lead you nowhere. Love and respect yourself completely without blaming and criticizing anybody for screwing your happiness. Respect and love everyone without expecting anything in return and you will feel world will start loving you. Keep this in mind you alone can control your happiness.

Recently most of us must have watched famous Bollywood movie “ Zindagi Milegi na Dobara” . Very inspirational movie that actually make you think what you want from life. Make your dreams come true instead of wasting your time in ifs and buts of it.  Why to procrastinate it when you are unsure of your life tomorrow. Instead of running after success and money spend some time in the things which you enjoy the most or you always wanted to do.

In today’s world stress is the main factor leading to depression. Career, money, relationships are the key factor for this. Negativity in the environment is the cause of this sadness. Only Positive feeling will lead you to your destiny. Dr. Stephen Hawking is a world renowned physicist after Einstein. Inspite of all the Physical disabilities he strives hard to fulfil his dream and relive every moment. His story gives the courage to everyone to fight in every situation against all odds, towards success. Instead of mourning over difficult situation take the inspiration from these great heroes and fight towards it.

Laughter is the best medicine, we have often heard this many times. So what are you thinking?? Call your friend and share some jokes and good memories, this will certainly make you feel light and happy.

P.S- “ When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.”