Saba Irfan's Blog, page 35

The strength of the heart!

“A true hero isn’t measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart.” – Hercules

A quote that speaks volumes! Fighting, taking revenge and giving away whatever you got is easy, but do you think after some years, when you’ll recollect those moments, would you be happy by your reaction then?

It’s often seen when you hit or retaliate back on some occasions, mostly it’s because of anger. Where you in you assume the situation to be something else while it’s something entirely different and sometimes it’s the wrong person attacked. We just go about spilling the beans and giving away our piece of mind to the opposite person in our anger.

When we hit someone or speak roughly or rudely, we think of ourselves to be strong. For most of us strong is that person who attacks fiercely physically or verbally. Forgiveness is something that doesn’t even take a step here. Rather those who forgive or stay quite or ignore are often considered as coward.

Well, let’s take it like this! Do you think it’s easier to keep quite even when you know the other person is wrong and you are right? It’s actually wisdom that instead of shouting back in the manner of those people, you choose to deal with it silently. You just can’t step back on puddle just because it got your feet dirty the first time. And do you expect your feet to be clean while you did so!

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Secondly, when you choose to forgive the person when he/she’s ashamed of their acts or even if they are not, if with time you tend to forget everything. The pain, the strength you showed when you gulped all those tears inside, the will power it took to not to react to the opposite person’s actions and the power to still forgive that person is something that makes you brave by heart! This brave heart depicts your true strength from within. It shows how strongly can you face life and those unwanted situations in life.

And the benefits you get the same is the feeling that you won by without even uttering a word. The stressfree feeling of not having grudges against anybody and the pride of being the superior one. Forgiving the one’s who didn’t deserved that, but you deserved the same so that you could live in peace.

Well, from today, let’s drop all the grudges, give up all those revenge ideas and be the one person you deserve to be, the one who forgives, shows the strength of a brave heart and can live in solitude forever!

Does she need a prince charming?

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“And one day the princess charming came in her life, fought with all her enemies, solved all her problems and took her away with him and they lived happily ever after!” Remember these lines? The lines that each girl have heard during her childhood from her mother, of granny or grand mother.

Since childhood she’s been trained to believe that when she grows up, firstly there are going to be innumerable problems in her life that she won’t be able to solve. Secondly, a prince charming on a white horse would definitely enter her life (even though it would be a different century where horses would be replaced by helicopters). And thirdly, he would be already having the licence and strength to fight all your problems and help you out. (Until then you would be just staring at those problems of yours and waiting for the prince to come and solve them, just like Mr. Rasthana expected Munna Bhai to deal with it, saying to the problem, “mamu, bhag Jaa teri to waat lag gayi hai.”) And fourth wherever the prince took you along with him, you both will be happy ever after.( I wonder if you both are going to die and shift to heaven permanently, where there will be no sadness.)

Now that was expectation! What happens when you actually grow up? You juggle your way trying to hide your so revealing beauty and womanhood during your adolescence period from men who just have one work, stare at any female, believe me, it’s any female. (Doesn’t matter if she’s a child, a pregnant mother, a woman with hardly any glam looks or an old lady.) Then you get through all those desperate boyfriends always trying to act as if they are the most coolest boys now turning men. (I am sure they’d been thinking of all the growing girls as a damsel in distress and would be dreaming how to rescue them just like a prince.)

And if dealing with these wasn’t enough, when you go for work, you are surrounded by sophisticated men talking gender equality and the same men being the reason of the glass wall that you have to bear through your work.

Then you finally believe that the man you will be marrying is the prince charming you had been waiting for all these years. And guess what a shock of your life would you get if the same man orders you to quit your job for which you took all the pains during those years to create your identification and you end up being just a house wife. (But for love, you bear it all.)

Then comes the frustration because of growing family and decreasing income. And then you get the taunt of spending too much and how tiring it is to work out! Smashhhh! Goes down the dream of happily ever after!

Now, does today’s woman need a prince charming to get her living happily ever after? Well, I think today’s women are their own princess charming. She doesn’t need any prince charming to bring her out of a messy situation, she already did that during her adolescence and work years, remember! And the one who can keep her happy ever after, well, if a woman can buy her own choices and fulfill her own demands, the prince charming loses another one of his allotted jobs!

And the question of remaining happily together always, it’s life! It has a charm in its ups and downs, it’s fun to embrace both of them. These are just like those identical twins which will die if departed!

So girls, what do you think, do you need a prince charming riding that white horse in your life now? Or are you ok if he comes round in a public transport too? Or would you read the same story to your daughter too? If yes, then don’t spare sons, let them also believe he’s gonna soon get a princess charming riding on a white pony soon to embrace him!!

The mysterious Staircase!

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The jumbled castle had many range of stairs, all sliding downwards, the never ending one they seemed! I was lost, tired and thirsty. The never ending circular stair case was getting on my nerves now. The feeling of dizziness was increasing, I was desperately praying to it end so that I can land safely on the place I was destined for.

What was more strange was that though the spiral staircase was going on from heights enough for fifteen to twenty floors, there’s wasn’t a single room around them. Each floor seemed to be folded just in the staircase. There’s wasn’t anything around it, no room, no corridor, absolutely nothing. That was what frightened me more as I was climbing down. But I had to, for something important dependent on what I got from the last steps of this staircase.

It was just yesterday, my late uncle came in my dream in a weary condition. All clad in torn, old attire with wounds on his hands, face and legs and walking as if he’s been limping for long. He was withering in pain and cried out to me, “help me dear, help me! I have been in unbearable pain since the day I died. You only can help me get rid of it. Save me from this pain, please, will you?” He folded his hands in request in front of me. I was scared seeing him like this. I felt my mouth go dry. I asked him, “how can I help you uncle? And what’s keeping you in so much pain? You were such a gentleman when you were alive, you never hurted a soul through your action or words.” Listening this he sighed, “oh yes! According to the world I was a kind, gentleman. But little did all know what bad deeds I did in my life. But one of them was so severe that it’s keeping me in continuous pain and it won’t be relieved until you help me.”

I wasn’t sure I could anything for him but out of curiosity I just asked, “let me know what I could do, I’ll certainly do it for you.” “Do you know the tall castle that stands beyond the city?” “The one that people say is haunted?” I felt scared. He half smiled as if mocking the idea of haunting. “Yes the same. You have to reach the top of it through the ladder kept outside the castle and climb down the stairs. You’ll find a huge trunk on the last step, you’ll find a small box in it, just give that box to the family residing at the other side of the lake and remember, don’t even look beyond the cloth below the box. Just close the trunk and burn it and leave.”

“How can I just burn the trunk? What if the castle caught a fire?” “No, it won’t. It would never do anything that could harm others. That fire would restrict itself to the trunk.” “But what’s in the trunk? And who are the family residing at the lake side. And what if there are many families, how will I recognise the deserving one? And why only me? Why not anyone else for this task?” The questions were endless but uncle was already stepping back, as if forcefully, with pain, limping away, “you’ll soon get all your answers, don’t ignore it. Only you can help her, help her and save me some pain please…”

The next day passed in a puzzled state. I couldn’t decide whether it was truth or just a bad dream? But whatever it was, my conscious couldn’t let me rest until I tried out what uncle told me to do. Hence, today, I just took the outer ladder and climbed the castle. I couldn’t make out why even though the outer side of the tower was pretty easy to climb, the inner side could be a jumbled, never ending staircase.

Though I was very scared to visit the haunted castle alone, but as it was day time, I had a little courage for it. Plus I had me pet dog, standing outside the castle, who with just a sniff can recognise I was in a danger.

I was still amazed why would uncle only choose me to do this task. Why not someone else? Well, as he said so, the answer would soon be in front of me. My legs were paining because of climbing down the stairs for long. I felt as if there was hardly any life left in my legs. Now they were beginning to shake too.

Finally, after around half an hour of climbing the Stairs down, I saw the last step. My feet got a new life. I stopped and stared around. Strange, the cottage had nothing beyond those stairs. It was just a round hall where the staircases were and the origin on it, up all the way towards the sky looked as if it were just two to three storeys. I searched the round about hall, to find an exit. Strange there wasn’t any! I felt the chill run down my spine. I actually climed down a haunted castle, following a stupid dream, alone without doing any research on the same. How could I be such a fool! What if I couldn’t get out? What if it got dark with me inside alone and the ghosts came out? Just the thought got me perspiring.

In a sudden action of panic I headed straight towards the stairs. To hell with the dream and to hell with the good deed of helping, I am leaving now! Suddenly behind the staircase I saw something shining, shining really very brightly. I headed towards it, but something stopped me from inside. What if it’s something dangerous. But my curiosity got better of my logic. I went around the source of the brightness left me open mouthed!

It was a large, six feet long trunk with diamonds studded on it. So this was the trunk that uncle told me about. Means the dream wasn’t stupid afterall. It was a real message towards something important. Well, it I just discovered the proof that it was something real, I was sure that box would be in it too and the family would be there too. I slowly stepped towards it ans opened the trunk. It was heavy, a little jammed but opened with a sharp shriek.

And yes! There was a box on it with the same diamonds on it. I lifted it, a sudden smoke filled the entire hall, I could hardly see anything around. I tried waving away the fog, but it wouldn’t go. The box was with me, it was heavy. The red cloth beyond it reminded me of something. What? I couldn’t remember. Slowly, frighteningly I put my hands on the cloth. A sudden loud noise from Somewhere jolted me. I stepped back with the box. Then I remembered my uncle’s warning, not to remove it any cost.

I gulped. With great efforts I came back towards the trunk, tried closing it but still I couldn’t remember where have I seen that cloth before. Suddenly, the trunk shut closed with a huge thud and the fog started clearing away, where? Even I wondered that.

I slowly brought out the match box outside my pocket and decided to burn the trunk. But what if I got burnt in this fure too and couldn’t get out ever? But again uncle said it would never harm me or anyone ever. If rest of the things uncle said so far was truth, this would be too.

Slowly I saw flames burning the trunk away. I retaliated towards the stairs glancing back occasionally. Half frightened, half alarmed if the fire is spreading. But it didn’t! It remained where it was and strange enough, there wasn’t even a burning smell in the castle. What was more strange? I reached on the top of the staircase within five minutes and without much efforts and climbed the stairs back with the box.

My pet was waiting for me and we both set back towards the lake. For once I felt someone was watching me from behind and I turned towards the castle only to see it standing calmly and silent as always.

I reached the lake and strangely so there wasn’t any house visible there. I remembered some months back I have passed from here and there were atleast fifty of them here. Think so government was planning for something to be constructed here and hence they were demolished. May be uncle didn’t know all of it then..I started returning back thinking what I’d do of the box now. The sound of a baby crying nearby stopped me in my steps. I turned and searched for the source. There was the a small hut just opposite the lake and a banyan tree. I went and knocked there, an old man in his late sixties opened up the thin door for me looking puzzled. I just handed it the box and asked him if he knew anything about it. Strangely, he started weeping hugging the box. I asked him the reason for it and what he said was really astonishing.

“This box is what was going to save me. But we destroyed later.. my daughter, she disappeared because of this box.” He started crying loudly. The old lady came out of the hut and when she saw the box and the old man crying, she cried too. “I used to work for a rich man from the town. I spent my whole life serving him. Once he went out of town and left me as a caretaker for his property. After he came back he found that a huge amount of money was missing from his locker and he blamed me for the theft. He told he’d put me behind bars for this. I was so shocked that he could even of me in this manner. I came home crying and then my wife and my daughter who was a widow with a small baby decided to save me by giving all her wedding jewellery to the boss. But he couldn’t agree. Then my daughter went to request him about the same and after that day we haven’t seen her anywhere. Not even the police could find her. Neither have anyone known about the box.”

The story was shocking and sad but I didn’t understand what it had to do with uncle or her. “Then did your boss put you in jail?” I asked. “No he died in a sudden car accident after a week of the incident.” This jolted me! “Was your boss Mr. Manchi?” I was shocked when he answered with a nod. That’s when I remembered where I have seen that red coloured satin cloth before. That girl…. Oh my God!

I felt as if the world was spinning around me. I stood up ready to go. But the old lady grasped my hand and asked, “you know where our daughter is right? Please tell us… Please for the baby’s sake.” She started weeping. I felt as if the earth would dog a hole and if I could just burry my self underneath. “Your daughter is dead. She died three months ago and today I burnt her for her last rites. I said between tears and left running and crying as I went out. I just couldn’t see them wailing for their only daughter and had no courage to see an orphan baby getting orphaned again.

I remember it too well. She was the girl who came in search for uncle that day at the farm house. And I have given her the address to go towards the castle. He was there for a work. She had a beautiful, red satin cloth wrapped up on something. I was here to visit uncle for holidays and wanted to make some new friends. I told her if I could walk with her towards the castle and she was more than happy. She told me about how she loved moving around the country side with her baby and never told that she was a widow. She was so young, so beautiful, so naive. I even offered her a job in the city with us when she said about her need for a job. We were already like friends within just a miles walk. “You are really good dear..I never had a friend in my life before. Neither a sister, just mummy and Papa. But I would wished having a sister, it would be someone like you. I’ll definitely meet you again. I am sure you’re going to help me in future.” And then we parted. After few steps I thought I had lost my path, I returned there too, shouted for uncle and the girl named astha too, but no one answered. Well then slowly I started towards the opposite side of the castle.

We sure met again, it was she whom I burnt today, she who I felt beyond the red cloth today and the one whom I felt watching me after I came from there. Now I knew why I was chosen to return back the parcel safely to her parents. She told me if she would have any sister, it would be like me. Means she trusted me. But how did she die was still a question in my mind.

That night after a long time finally I could sleep and she was there, looking all lovely and beautiful and smiling. “Thank you, sister.” She said. But I was thinking of something else, ” so, I was right. You are dead. But how and why’s uncle included in all this?” I asked her.

“That day when you guided me, you guided me towards my death, my destroyal. Your uncle, your uncle took me in that castle saying he found the robbed money. And yes, It was there, all in the trunk. He cheated my dad and blamed him for the theft money because he had seen me and wanted me as his mistress. He tried to claim me and when you came back calling for him that time, he shut me in the trunk where I died out of suffocation. So you know, you are the cause of saving me and making me die at the same time. But I am glad now that you did my task and have that box that my family needs so much now to them. So now, you know why only you can perform my last rights and relieve me”!

I was left speechless, I couldn’t even imagine my uncle doing such a thing to a girl that was of her daughter’s age. “And uncle?” I just uttered these words. She pointed towards the other side where I saw a man limping on his way sweating blood and wailing loudly. Where he was moving was a ditch that had flames coming out!

When soul beautifies!

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“Lol! Do you think you can even pick it up Amir? Let it be, it’s not your cup of tea.” The same mocking style, the same sarcasm, she was mocking him like always. Underestimating his capability as a worker, as a man, as a human. She just thought of him as a jerk, as a man good for nothing. Not that he did anything, like just anything that could have proved her wrong. She mocked him for being himself. The thin, boney fellow with a minimum height of 5’3, much lesser than men of his area. The one with voice very soft, not that it was low, but he never felt he needed to scream to show he had a high volume and luck as worst as his reputation amongts others, always on the looser side. That’s what she called him, a looser!

She herself picked up the heavy suitcases one by one and half dragged them, half pushed them and kept them in her room. She has just returned from her hostel after a year, couldn’t be back during the half yearly vacations because she had an important project to submit. She was just given her exams for the last year in medical. As bright as her fair skin and shiny eyes, she was an all rounder, a perfect girl with no negative sides in her. She was tall, say about just his height, was fair, had some amazing beautiful features that could force you to look at her twice, had large brown eyes and was a genius in her studies. So much that she finished her medical studies all through the scholarships the school provided her. Her parents, living in a small chawl, couldn’t have afforded to give their daughter a good education though they themselves wished her to get educated. Hence, even when they have to part with their loving daughter, they still gave her the education she deserved.

Amir missed her badly. He admired her so much. She was the only girl he have loved all his life. She was the secret love of his life. He wanted to tell her that, but he knew she hated him badly. And why not, he was an orphan, the son of her father’s relatives living since childhood with her father and carrying the job of a butcher at her father’s chicken shop. He knew she cringed being anywhere close to her, and it’s not her fault, he was always surrounded by a stingy smell of meat and chickens. Which girl would like to be around him then? But he couldn’t control himself from loving her with all his might. That was why even if she mocked him or insulted him, he never felt bad.

She was looking gorgeous in that pink dress she wore, chewing apples while aunty was busy cutting vegetables for lunch. Amir was staring at her from his room that wasn’t much far from where these two were sitting in the verandah. “What have you thought about your future humaira? You have completed your studies and you are soon going to join the local hospital as a doctor. What do you plan to do after that?” Aunty was asking her casually. “Hmmm nothing much maa, I’ll go on as time goes by. Let see what happens.”she just waved the question away. “Oh no! I was talking about marriage, do you like someone back there at the hostel? We want you to get married as soon as we can beta. After your brother staying away with wife, we really are worried about you.” “I haven’t thought anything about marriage maa, what’s the hurry? And why are you worried about me, I am strong, have stayed alone at hostel for so long and would be earning soon too.” Amir just couldn’t help but hear more intently the conversation going on there. “No beta. It would be really very good if we can marry you with a good man. We really want to see that day. If you don’t like someone already, let me suggest you one, I know if a very good boy who would keep you happy for your whole life.” Aunty have said something that gave amir the shock of his life. How could aunty find someone for Humaira, he thought she knew how much he felt for her and she loved him like his own son.

“Ok maa, let me know who he is, I’ll think about it.” Humaira was ready to drop the subject. “Amir! He’s a good boy, is hard working, works with your father and an honest man. He’ll definitely be the best one for you. Even your father wishes to marry you with him. And what else, he likes you too.” Amir controlled himself from jumping in an giving aunty a tight hug. She was indeed his mother figure. He loved her. He couldn’t have imagined a better way to send his proposal to humaira.

But the next instance he got the worst surprise of his life. “What? How can you even think of this maa? I will never marry that rotten rat, that looser Amir. Don’t you know how he looks? And he’s a son of a cobbler. That too the one who died of begging continuesly. When dad picked him up from road side, he was begging too. And he’s not even continued his study after tenth. So you think I’ll match him and he’ll be a good pair for me? Even if he would have been the last man on the earth, I wouldn’t have married him. He’s a weak, looser. He needs a woman to protect him, he’s so weak.. I wish him dead and to hell.” She stamped her feet and ran away to her room.

That day Amir cried after a long time, after his Baba’s death. He felt as if he was full of dirt and she was an untouched lotus. He already knew how she felt about education deeply, that’s why after she started her studies in hostel seven years back, even he started his private classes from the nearby school and started taking an interest in studies. The money for this he payed from working part time at the nearest garage. He just loved cars and hence, couldn’t help but work around with them as a part time job. For the chicken shop, he did that just for uncle. He knew how much uncle felt for his family business of the chicken shop and they have done so much for him. He just wanted them to know even after their son left them saying that he hated the father’s business and a cheap life, he wouldn’t ever leave their side. And for his looks and weakness, he wishes he could request nature to make him tall, dark and handsome just as she liked. After all, it wasn’t his fault he was the way he looked.

The next morning while having breakfast their eyes met, he actually lowered his gaze feeling hatred he saw in her eyes. He could hear those words again in his ears. She was starting at him with hatred and insult. After aunty went back to her work in kitchen she came and stood in front of Amir, “so you beggar, are you dreaming of marrying me you ugly rat? Do you think you can afford me, or any woman for that matter? So you have in you the husband thing by any chance?” She challenged him openly. “Look at you, you are good for nothing. Just keep in mind, don’t you dare think about marrying me. My parents have kept you as a servant and that’s what you are. You are a cobbler’s son and you are destined to remain on our shoe tips forever. Got that?” She snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. “you can’t ever, never be equal to us, never!” And she left with a pride walk.

Amir was thrashed! He Just couldn’t stay at the same roof with her any more and excused uncle and aunty saying he need to go to a neighbouring town to help a friend in business for some time and left. The insult, the hurt she gave him, he couldn’t just bear it. He left the town and within a week was under severe depression. His friend couldn’t see him like this. “Amir, be brave. Life doesn’t end up after a proud girl and her lashings. There’s so much to it. Come on, show her you aren’t weak, show her your own potentials.” His friend was trying to being him back to life. “She hates me Azar. I can’t bear seeing my own face in mirror. And you know what’s the sad part in this? I am a beggar’s, a cobbler’s son. I am a filthy weak and ugly fellow. I am a good for nothing man. These are all the facts she stated.” He again started weeping badly. His friend saw him, took about his favorite book, copied a quote from there and stucked it on the cupboard door along with a picture of a car.

It was another dreadful day in Amir’s life. He got up and took a look around, bright sunlight was entering in the room and then he read something written on the cupboard, something with that pic of the lovely car.

“You must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul.” – Ratatouille

He sat there gazing at it for four hours, then he started rushing, showered, changed in his best clothings, took out a bag and opened it to get an envolup, he touched it lovingly, and repacked it and rushed out to never come back to the old Amir again.

They were all packed up, all their belongings in a small bunch of bags in the varandah. They were just waiting for the owner to come so that they can hand him the keys and leave. Then there was the knock on the door, she opened up just to step back in shock. She wanted to clutch something that can prevent her from falling but he came forward in a stride and took her in his strong arms. Strong arms? How can that be possible. Was she dreaming?

Aunty rushed forward crying and hugged him tight. “Amir, where have you been my son. We have missed you so much. Why did you go away. Its been a year. Look what have happened to us after you went away. Our shop went in loss, everything is sold, even this house is! Our beloved house is also sold. And Humaira’s wedding got cancelled because they knew we were now bankrupt and the hospital deprived her of her job because of a minor fault is some case.” Aunty said it all while weeping and even uncle came forward with teary, silent eyes. He felt ashamed of himself of living them in this condition. And she was there standing aside embarrassed and may be still in shock.

“Don’t worry aunty, you aren’t going anywhere now.” He calmed them down.”But no beta, the new owner is going to come at any minute now, our house is sold off”. Aunty was explaining him when he called the name of the new owner, he was standing outside, he came in. Amir asked him the amount he payed for the house, removed a cheque book from his pocket, signed a single one with the amount and have him back. They were all staring at him when he turned back and then he knew he need to explain.

“My love for cars got me engineering degree I completed when I used to work in the garage. I started drawing good designs and even got a huge offer for some of them. But I didn’t want to leave uncle alone, so I just kept the letter packed in a bag. Then one day, after going from here feeling rejected because of what I was, I read a quote that made me understand my future lies in what action in do, not what my parents did or what I used to be before. Hence, I sold my designs, got working on some more and now I am the highest paid automobile designer in the whole city. I started with sports and mingling with people to forget Humaira but I couldn’t do that. So, I returned to try my luck once again and ask her if she would accept me now, for who I am, accept me for the souls I am not my body”.

Aunty and uncle were so proud of him. Humaira was crying and looked embarrassed too, ” I am sorry Amir, I judged you badly and punished for something you were not guilty of. My own deeds were in front of me when I got rejected because of bankruptcy and the job which I took a great pride on, was snatched away from me. I am sorry and I’ll be honoured to marry you”.

The beach life!

Rejuvenating you souls is just such an awesome feeling! Travelling is another amazing way to rejuvenate yourselves. And what could be more heavenly to relax, have a gala time near the beach! Those fresh waves kissing your feet, those salty ambience around you that engulfs you sweetly. That soft sand dropping away below your feet and those enthralling view of sunset testing you while you just gaze out there relaxing.

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Beach life can be enticing! Imagine living in a villa that opens up at your private beach. Your privacy while you swim those chilling, soft waves cam be such heavenly. The solitude you feel when you just sunbath lying on the beach sand soaking yourself on the soft sands beyond your back can be an enriching experience too.

When it comes to public beaches, there are innumerable tourists places offering you some amazing and breathtaking destinations that can prove astounding for a brief beach holiday. Which other place than Goa in India can give you a perfect beach experience along with the exciting water sports to add some glam to it. Not to forget the huge variants of multi cuisine stalls at the beach side giving your soul some scrumptious food options to choose from. The shopping spree that you can feel after glancing at the local and handcrafted items you get there is extremely natural too. A perfectly consuming, fun filled three/ four days holiday can be rejuvenating and refreshing for everyone who love beaches.

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Another great beach that india prides in having is Andaman and Nicobar islands. The excotic and natural range of islands consists of dozens of beach that are embossed with amazing natural beauty. The scenic views and captivating views are enough to glam up your beach holiday here. You need atleast a week’s holiday to explore the islands that opened up for tourists and enjoy the calmness of the beach.

Maldives is a global beach that’s what I say it! The sophisticated beaches having the most captivating sea is a famous retreat for beach logon travellers. Huge lines of trees and pure and rushing water and clear and soft sand, that’s what you can expect from Maldives. A holiday for atleast ten days is worth to enjoy a fun time out here.

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Miami is another beach that welcomes you with open arms are stunning sand and sea combo. This world famous beach destination has lakhs of people visiting it throughout the year and still has some space left for more beach lovers. You just can’t enough of the surfing and water sports activities here along with the beautiful climate enough to give you a healthy tan.

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There are more, some incredibly natural gift of nature in the form of beaches along the world are awaiting explorers to have a glorious time on their sand. But oh human, are you so busy running behind the virtual world that out can’t spare a short holiday captivating the soul of natural beauty around you?

Western Union interacts with millennials!

Knowing the millennials better!

Millennials, there’s a wave of the around the globe. Nearly 27% of the global population. The generation that has achieved the incredible in the most rapid time span and in an exceptional way! The one generation that has seen a major transformation of time and a fabulous revolution of technology and has excepted the change very much sportingly. The one’s who were born in the 20th century and carried on towards the 21st! These are the game changer of the society bringing about the change that they desire and just how! The ones who believe in themselves and share the same belief for their counter parts too. They believe in conquering the world with their talent, incredible energy and exceptional knowledge of technology they have! The one who wants to embrace globalisation largely.

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Western Union and millennials!

When western union surveyed these millennials, they discovered that these millennials didn’t believe that hindrance of caste, country, borders, race and class shouldn’t be considered as something major. They believed that they could cross these hindrances and make the society a better place to live in. While almost half of the millennials believed that political representatives aren’t compatible enough to represent their demands and needs and can’t handle them properly. These millennials comprise of individuals considering their likes as opportunity sharers rather than competitors. Thus, bringing about a fresh aura of unity and progress that goes hand in hand with devoluping technology.

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The Western Union Millennial round table meet up!

In the western union #WUMILLENNIALS event recently held at ISDI centre, Mumbai, they celebrated this power of millennials. Here, they showed us how they shared the views of millennials of crossing borders and other hindrances and creating an easy and free flowing society globally. They revealed how Western Union depicts globalisation just like these millenials did. Where in transferring money from a state to another state, a country to another and from a continent to another ones becomes just a matter of seconds with Western Union Money Transfer. Their flexible policies while trasferring the funds globally makes it easier for everyone from any side of the globe to embrace it, accept it!

With around 550,000 retail locations at around 200 countries moving about $300 billion principal in more or less 130 currencies and processing 32 transactions every second, they offer the best global reach for easier money transfers. Hence, we can rightly say that in time being, they have evolved as global leaders in cross border and cross currency movement with an omnipresent platform that consists of the digital and physical worlds and helps consumers and businessmen to more around money with efficiency and ease.

The panel discussion!

The panel discussion was also held here to study the power of globalization and millennials briefly. The panelists comprises of some well known millennials who with their amazing talent, up-to-date education and proper use of of technology have gained fame, brilliant social following, success and wealth in a much shorter span of time.

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We had our host, Ankit Vengurlekar, the editor of technology on Tech2. With his exceptionally well hosting that of course comes for an experience of anchoring for CNBC and hosting for BIG FM, he made the panel discussion and the topic of millennials so much fun and easier to understand. His discussions and sharing about certain examples where youth have created a difference through social media without any huge hash bash through youth ki awaz and other sources is really something that should be acknowledged.

[image error]Our host at his best!

We had Pooja dhingra, the pastry chef of Le15 pattiserie who shared her experience about her unique selection of career that came as an open door of succes and fame to her. Because of her incredible achievement at such a young age, she was selected by Forbes India for their, 30 under 30 Asia list. It was inspiring to hear her story of achievement and the stairs of success she climbed so well in this time span.

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Sohini Rajola, the regional VP of South Asia and India China at Western Union also shed some light on how gender discriminations are no longer a serious issue in most of the work place and how millennials had taken it as a matter of equality. Plus, she shared how she made it to the high positions in the banking and finance world while she started at an age of 18 with Axis Bank.

[image error]Karishma mehta

We also had with us karishma mehta, the founder of the famous facebook page, Humans of Bombay. She described how she started with the help of a photographer friend and created a normal page inspired by the Humans of New York which later within a short span of time got publicised and viral and was among some famous names in the digital world. Her efforts, her stories through which she have helped hundreds and raised funds of lakhs was an inspiration. She explained bow globally she got donations to raise funds for the daughters of sex workers through a story they shared on Facebook.

[image error]Himanshu Sehgal from My Yellow Plate

Another millennial we had was Himanshu Sehgal, the founder and blogger by the name of my yellow plate. His passion of taste and travel got him features on national geographic, Huffington post, lonely planet and other sources and his portal is amongst some of India’s top online portal globally.

Siddharth sahani, the co-founder and executive director at the ISDI was quite clear about his vision for globalisation and have shared quite a few experiences of excellence in his students and their wide outlook towards social issues. Through his large experience in healthcare and education and working in the institution, his knowledge about certain factors in start ups and finance is impressive.

This discussion left me open minded upon how millennials are a medium of a vast change in society and how globalisation is creating the road for them to capture the opportunities and gain the incredible in minimum time!

When human left humanity!

I was traveling in a rental car when i heard the thumping of a flat tire. We pulled over and discover the thumping is not coming from a flat, after all, but from the trunk. What or who is making the noise?

We felt scared. All three of started staring at one another. Dark stormy night and an empty highway and this noise on top of it, the feeling was eerie. I felt my throat go dry with fear. “Let’s open it and see. It would be minor fault after all.” Robin, my companion said and we all opened up the side doors and stood facing the trunk. I don’t know about others, but i was actually feeling as if I am unboxing a halloween gift when we openen the trunk. The loud shriek, thst followed as we opened it was alarming.

We all stepped back with eyes as wide as potatoes. I actually blinked twice. Was it a doll? I remember playing with something like this when I was a baby. But oh, a doll doesn’t stare you back as if she’s seen the angel of death in front of her. Neither does she has scratches on her face and hands with blood running out of them. But, the sight was just shocking. I have no word to describe her. She was a small girl, may be around 8/9 years, fully dressed in a red bridal lehenga. Her face would have been covered with heavy makeup but have been ruined with tears and sweat.

My other friend Meera held her up and got her out of the trunk where she was sitting tightened up in herself. “She’s Shivering” she whispered slowly while she made her stood up. She wasn’t wearing any footwear, even her foot were having blood marks on them. Her tiny fingers were now clasped in one other. And she started crying unstoppingly seeing us.

“Geeta!” She told us between hiccups when we asked her name. “I ran away, I ran away from my wedding, from my husband”. She told us with breaking voice. “Husband, did she say that?”I asked my friends. We all knew that was what she said. “But you are so small. You couldn’t marry and what kind of a rotten fellow was he who could marry a child?” My voice became feirce even after controlling a lot. “No! Don’t say anything against him. He’s my God. Aunty says husbands are wife’s God. Never do anything that irritates them and never say anything bad about them otherwise we will suffer.” She told us in her extreme innocence in between those hiccups.

I was disgusted. “What rubbish. And if you can’t do anything that irritates him, then why did you run away from him?” “I was scared.” She said in her small voice. “scared?” That were we three in a chorus now. “I saw my husband using blade on my eldest sister. You know, we are three sisters. My eldest sister is Seeta, middle one Savitri and I am Geeta. We were all married together today and he was cutting her bridal lehenga with blades and she was screaming. She was bleeding, didi was bleeding. I got so scared, I knew after didi he’ll go to Savitri and hurt her too and then he’ll cut me too. So…. So I ran. I ran and got in to your car to got away from him.” She started wailing in between those sentences. Meera hugged her closer and asked her slowly, “but if was hurting your didi, didn’t her husband stopped him and save her? And how can he touch your sisters, doesn’t their getting married and going with their respective husbands?” She forgot all her tears and blinked as she saw us, “which husbands? We are sisters and we marry the same man. Then which other husband are you talking about?”

We all stared back at her open mouthed. These three sisters were actually married to a single man. Can this be real? We exchanged surprised glances. Shocked was a short word for us. “Geeta, can you tell me more about you and your family and your husband?” Robin was a social worker. He knew he smelled danger here. “We are three sisters. My didi three years older to me, than is savitri and then myself. Our mother died some months back and we live with our mamu. We all girls work with mamy at a bangle factory the whole day. But still we couldn’t have enough food for us. Mamu has got two sons and both of them go to school. Even we used to go to school, but after mother died, mamu said we don’t have money to pay school people. So we started working so that we can gather some money and go to school. I liked going there and writing so much. I really miss my teacher and friends there. Some days back this uncle came with mamu to our place and my uncle told us all to wear our new frocks. He was really very nice. He talked to us nicely and even gave us all three lots of money to eat. Next day, he brought us all new lehengas and mamu told he’s going to be our husband the next day. That night we had a huge fight at home. Mamy was fighting with mamu saying how can he marry us to that man in exchange of five thousand rupees. But mamu hit her badly that night and the next day made us all ready for our marriage. Even didi and savitri were crying the whole night on the same day. After marriage he took us to his home and I was kept in a separate small room. He told us that was our new home and it was really very big. He even got us lots of tasty food to it. But that night when he was cutting didi with knife, I got scared and I ran away. I don’t even know if didi is alright. May be she will be in hospital, and savitri, even she would be crying. I don’t know what to do. Please can you save them, please?”

We were hearing this all with a grim expression. Human trafficking sas real and this girl was a living example of it. Imagine an uncle selling of his three nieces just for an amount of five thousand! And what’s more disgusting, the man may be a psycho and rapist too. I was feeling depressed thinking about her two sisters, both of them still a child and being attacked with a blade.

“Where’s your new home, do you know the address? We’ll help get your sisters back to you.” We asked her but she was very young to remember an adress that she have been taken for just a few hours. Neither did she remembered her chawl’s name. “Ok, you got in our car from near by your house, right?” Robin got the idea and she agreed. We took a u turn and took our car back to where we had come from. Meanwhile, Robin made all the necessary phone calls to the authorities required for immediate action. We stopped near the antic shop we had visited some hours back and where Gita would have stepped in the trunk and got herself locked.

“That’s the house”. She pointed towards the small bungalow opposite the antic shop. But she started shivering again glancing it. We both left her with Meera and knocked the door loudly. A middle aged half bald man with loose kurta that was half buttoned and had blood stains on them opened the door. He was frustrated and in rage and with the speed in which he opened the door, we knew he had already noticed the missing Geeta and was searching or waiting for her. “What do you want? Who are you?” He asked harshly.

“Seeta and Savitri. We want them back with us.” Robin replied calmly but he was shocked to the chore. “Wwhhat are you talking about? Who Seeta? I don’t know anything about her.” He was stammering now. But Robin was famous for his immediate and rough actions. He took the man by his collar, grabbed him in the house with and started opening the doors one after another screaming Seeta’s name loudly. We saw a girl in the far corner of the last room in a similar bridal attire hiding behind the curtains all scared and crying. When asked her name, she said she was Savitri. “Where’s Seeta?” We asked her and she pointed towards the cupboard. I slowly tip toed towards it and opened it only to be screaming loudly.

A thin girl in her undergarments fell upon me all covered with blood and scratches. “Oh God! She’s dead Robin.” I could hardly breath. This was the worst moment of my life. That innocent girl was all white on her face with all blood now in cupboard and on the floor. “No, she’s breathing. We can save her.” Robin shouted after checking her pulse. At that moment Meera came in with the police and NGO volunteers who have already brought a small hospital van with them.

Soon the girls were accompanying her sister to the hospital and later they would be handed to Child care center. Police arrested the man and their uncle for the ruthless crime they did.

What was the most sad part in this story, the uncle have spent the five thousand rupees in his dose of cocaine and rum and had them all the previous night that he took in exchange for the lives and happiness of these three innocent girls.

It’s disheartening to see humans actually leaving humanism. Human traffic is real. It actually transforms lots of young girls in to prostitution daily. It kills girls like Seeta because of some pycho sexist man and these girls don’t even raise their voices because they are trained ny their relatives to not to bad mouth about their buyer husbands to anyone!

My Ebook My pride!

It was mid March when I got to know of the buzz of the A2Z challenge by blogchatter. The whole twitter timeline was buzzing with their theme reveals and plans about how they would go about this challenge. I felt it something intriguing. I loved blogging and even though I used to write quite often, sometimes I felt I needed a more challenging goal to keep me blogging. Something that would make this process of blogging more engaging and enlighting.That’s when I scratched this hashtag of A2Z blogging challenge and decided to enter it.

The 26 days of the blogging challenge did give the adreline rush I needed! The excitement of publishing a new article daily with lots of comments and likes on the previous ones and some amazing tips and tricks from fellow bloggers added more spark to it.

What enhanced the charm was the announcement of the blogchatter ebook carnival! This carnival gave all the bloggers a chance to become authors and live their dreams through the posts they write for the A2Z blogging challenge.

I always wanted to become a writer. This chance was God sent for me. But for some reasons I was quite nervous for the same. I even deleted the mail containing the steps of registering for the carnival and thought to skip it for this year. As it was my first year for the challenge and they were loads talented writers and bloggers already registered for it.

But then when I saw the excitement of my fellow bloggers, even some of them were debutant just like myself, I gave myself a chance for it. Slowly and steadily following their guidelines, I started doing the editing and proofreading if my posts. Not to forget the blogchatter guidelines mail and Facebook videos helping a lot in this process.

And then, after some days my ebook was ready with that glamorous cover that said it all that was inside.(I actually took a lot of pains to find a good cover image and work on it). No one at my home knew what I was up to and it came as a huge surprise for all when my ebook was finally published.

The pride I felt is beyond description. I felt I have won an Olympic medal or something. Being a from a conservative background and being super busy with three kids and a full huge family, establishing this was just a war won without any ammunition. But, won did I!

You won’t believe it, I actually downloaded my ebook thrice and read it all again and again. Just the look of it, gave me goosebumps of excitement.

Then came the sharing and making it public! The huge rush of congrats and ‘aww, you never told us you were writing a book’ and ‘how you managed something’ made it more awesome. My friends and followers loved reading it dearly and each complimented me after their reading. Some even pointed out some mistakes, but I am glad they cared to read it so attentively.

Everything was lovely about being an author. I can now proudly ipdatey social media profiles as being ‘an author of The A2Z of Globetrotting!’ Even my husband startrd sharing my book’s link to all his friends and colleagues and the pride I saw in his eyes still makes me feel on could 9. After all, he is the driving force I have in my life. Always urging me to do better.

I couldn’t stop thanking blogchatter for giving me the first break of my life and my fellow bloggers for the help and inspiration they provided. Thanks to all my readers and friends and followers and my well wishers, even if I try, I could never forget these precious moments of being an author of my first ebook!!

You can download my ebook The A2Z of Globetrotting .

About my book:
A2Z of globetrotting is about the best from the various places across the globe. It takes you on an exhilarating journey across the globe with the prominent factory of these places described briefly yet cover their diversities.

I take on the baton of Blogchatter Ebook Carnival from Venice whose ebook ‘Live Laugh Love – bytes’ is also a part of the mix. About Venice’s ebook: Live Laugh Love – bytes, is a book that brings 15 pieces covering the myriad aspects of life, laughter, and love. Relive and find yourself among these pages. The book will make you experience thoughts and emotions and will make you laugh or simply seek comfort.

I pass on the Baton of Blogchatter Ebook Carnival to Anami whose ebook ‘Bodyweight Workouts: A Fun Way To Exercise’ is also part of the mix.
About Anami’s ebook: This book is a compilation of few Bodyweight Workouts you can do at your home. These do not require any equipment. It is written for the A to Z Challenge 2018. It is a great way to exercise for those who get bored easily. Try them and you will love them.

Why should dads have all the love!

When you are expecting, you both are! From the early stages of prenatal, to the postnatal hectic schedules, the responsibility should be carried out equally. Even though all those caring moments and duties for the babies are mutually shared around happily by both the parents, l feel mothers always tend to get end up with more chores than dads!

It may be due to the feeding task of moms or the natural closeness she feels than dads because of already being closer to the baby when he/she was in her womb, moms just couldn’t help but be around at an instant whenever the little one needs someone. I personally think even mums tend to understand more the needs and moods of babies than dads do. And for this, she forgets her being, her own choices and needs and cares for her baby more than of anything else. It may be her resting time or day, but she’ll end up with the baby after some time and leave those minutes or hours of leisure and solitude just to be with her bundle of joy. Give her the most important task of the planet to handle, one shriek from her baby, even though she knows there’s someone to care for her baby, she’ll leave that work and jump on the kid’s side to see what’s the issue. Such is the incredible love of a mother!

After these things, it should be but natural that the baby should be reciprocating the love of her mum just like she does, isn’t it? But what’s strange that most of the little ones are more attracted towards daddys than to mommies. I think most of you would have experienced that a mum does everything she could to keep the baby clean and filled but the instance the baby catches a glimpse of their dads, they seem to be alien creatures on their father’s arms not recognising Mumma at all. My experience of three kids have left me with the experience that even after slaving in for my children (ofcourse with all my wish and love), they seem to be loving their dads more than they love me.

This instinct increases the moment I see the baby cradled comfortably on their dad’s arms fast asleep within minutes of his humming. While I would have spent a whole day meeting her demands and have failed trying to put her to sleep even with the sweetest lullaby and most interesting bed time stories since an hour. This bias behaviour of the babies is quite relative, that’s what I think. Do comment below if you think the same too or have experienced the same.

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But, whatsoever the situation, I think these babies look super cute tucked up within the large frame of their strong dads. I really find the scenes when both the baby and daddy duo sleeps cuddling together snoring slightly as the most heart warming scene in the world. I could spend a lifetime staring at them and watching them sleep contently together.

Although my jealousy towards this partiality towards dads is still there, this mystery needs to be solved, why are babies more attracted towards dads than mom’s irrespective of their genders?

Book review- Notes from the road by Shilpa Garg!

For all the wanderlusts and travel fanatics, here’s, a Bible you should be keeping up locked with your always ready to take suitcases. This book written by Shilpa Garg has incredible information and tips for all the travellers out there. From your always must carry essentials from travelling to the quotes that can inspire you to travel more, it has it all.

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I wouldn’t just call it the notes for the road, rather it’s an encyclopaedia of the roads! I really loved how she made appropriate spaces in between those short and curt tips and shared her experiences as an example of the same. Its really amazing to read a book that had millions of words hidden under those thousands printed ones. She made it a point to explain each of the points in between briefly, yet conveying the message pretty well to her readers.

Each new chapter, each new page brings you a different perspective of travels, roadtrips, hotel expectations, etc. I don’t think so she missed anything while covering up the the travel aspects of life.

Some of those funny incidents she shared is really a must read. And I am still wondering about thst lady dimple she so briefly yet funnily described in one of her chapters.

Some of her situations that she described in detail with her experiences as reference, are so much relative. I really felt even I should start packing up my bags and set up for a trip after reading her amazing, to the point book on the same.

I’d really like to congratulate her on her writings. There’s not a single word wasted in the book and the book proves to be quite a useful one to read and keep and relate and try whenever travelling.

Overall, I really am impressed in the way she have expressed, shared, taunted (some of the times), relived some moments and adviced in this book. I would rate it 4.8/5. It’s a lovely read and pretty useful for all of us. Must read!

You can download it for free by clicking here.