Life-ing it up...

The motivation behind the whole trip was ‘Stripey’. And, I hope you recognise Stripey for he’s the cute, little tiger cub who reminds us how there are only 1,411 tigers left in the country (and just so you know that’s his name actually, don’t believe me! Check out Facebook, he’s quite a celebrity) and I decided let’s chance it out.  So, away I went along with hubby, on my Easter weekend (let’s say extended Easter weekend, April 2010) to Sariska National Park in Alwar, Rajasthan. It’s a breezy couple of hours'  drive from Delhi and the weather is much more tolerable than the city. And before you ask me, 'NO', I did not see any tigers at all. They simply didn’t think it was worthwhile enough to give me a glimpse of their majestic presence. So, you should all sympathise with my beautiful sentiments of extreme envy towards those who did. However, I’m not the one to go down without a fight! So, here I am with a 'Tiger Bird' instead, eating out of my hands—litera

This totally intriguing thing happened late last night while we were returning home.  The roads were clear and empty almost. I was humming along to some nice Kishore Kumar songs playing on the radio and inhaling that peculiar autumn smell in the air. Everything was gradually entering a trance-like mode when suddenly my husband jarred my senses.  He was trying to make me see something ahead of him. As both his hands were on the wheel, the whole pointing action was done by his eyes and monosyllabic utterances containing the single word, ' Dekho !' .  I naturally looked ahead—at the road. Confused, I looked back at him, 'What?' 'Look, look at my speedometre!' he said. 'Very responsible citizen, you are sir. You're doing 30kmph!' 'Miss. Intel-i-giant, look at the metre which clocks the miles covered." I made a face at him. 'That is called an odometre...' but my sarcastic reply hung in the air when I saw it. The odometre showed a perfec

The names above are the ruling deities of the hearth and home according to civilizations. The Egyptian pantheon upholds Hathor as the protector of the hearth. The Celtic tradition has Brigid, the Norse have Frigga, the Greeks have Hestia and the Romans have Vesta. In my humble abode, I uphold the goddess Durga, have my mother in the advisory role, and the operational team is just me! The past week has been hectic and so is this week and something tells me, its going to spill onto the next week as well. Bah! I'm almost feeling the need to be Dashabhuja like Maa Durga ! I have just shifted base from south to west Delhi and the unpacking and rearranging seems to have no end at all. Yes, I'm now a denizen of the suburbs. The planned blocks, residential complexes, tree-lined roads, sparse traffic, designated market areas... it is all so breezy. Although, setting up my own hearth in a tranquil atmosphere and just so as my heart always wanted is a welcome task, it is a huge t

Waiting out the rain in a dhaba enroute to Sariska I'm sure you're hearing this everywhere, I do—in office, at home, in the bus, at the grocers and even the stray dogs seem to be beaming the chorus . Talk about national consensus, we seem to be having a huge one here. And predictions!  Why, how could you ever leave them out? Did you get these: –It's going to be a bitter winter this time around because the rain would spill over the coming months and... (The theory) –It's going to be a very moderate winter because rains would offset the chill of the winds... (The theory) –There's a high probability of earthquakes with all the water going underground and... (I didn't stick around to get that theory) Some entertainment, I tell you, and yet, everybody says the season is dull. My apartment building is taking it hard with growing water seepage. The ceiling is damp and green with mould, so when you lie in the bed and look up it looks like a galaxy of distant star

Before I begin, let me tell you that I very, very much expect that you read my profile (why else, do you think I'll make one otherwise). In any case, you'll generally develop an idea about me as you go through my posts. These posts will not have any smart-ass quotes, or extreme anecdotes but will simply be an extension of my life. And my life... it is not without it's fair share of incidents and accidents, oddball co-incidences, mishaps, embarrassments, miracles, dream-come-true-events, and also sadness and rants. So, whatever happens in my life, happens in my blog. I'm very enthusiastic about this... hope that translates into action as well. Nonetheless I love to live it up. I'm an avid reader, self-styled food connoisseur, travel junkie, movie buff and a sucker for good times; my partner-in-crime my husband. We've been together seven years now unmarried and married. (Which reminds me, we should be nearing the seven year itch now, I should be looking out