This post is selected as one of the winners for the #WOW badge by BlogAdda.  Thank you Team BlogAdda.  Life of a fairy tale- something she wanted since always and waited for it forever..!! Today, I am going to share a story of a beautiful young girl, Alyva, who is not different from all of us. A girl- who has a desire to be happy and to be at peace. Basically, I have been given a task (by team BlogAdda) to connect some weird words (teacher, celebration, home, clock, traffic jam, suitcase, rose, baby, billboard) and pin them together in the form of a story, so here is my attempt to make up something, different from conventional, happy ending, not-so-real stories. Who does not want to live a fairy tale life? Just like everyone, Alyva, a young, adorable, lovely girl from a small town too wishes to live a life of her dreams. Her dreams are not different from others but at the same time, she does not expect too much from life, just a life with peace and contentment. Alyva, a 25 year old young lady, who lives in a small town of Karnataka, is a teacher by profession and lonely by heart. A girl, whose aspirations from life are very simple- a happy family, a loving husband and a simple life, nothing more than that. But somehow, things are not working out for her and she is not able to understand what exactly is going on in her life. Her life looks so perfect from outside- a loving family, a highly paid and respectable job, she seems to be a strong and independent girl who is a perfect blend of beauty with brains. Even though she has everything, she does not feel that ways. She is lonely inside. She is trapped in her own troubles and pain. She is missing something which is beyond the understanding of the people around her- she feels- something is amiss, a major miss. Nothing excites her anymore and celebrations for her means just staying at home all alone. Now she wants to settle in life, she is tired of being strong. She wants to be loved by someone, wants to be held in the arms of someone who can hold her forever. She is waiting for a companion who can make her life worth living. The clock is ticking and the time is running but she is not able to see any change in her depressing life. It looks like that there is a traffic jam en route to her happiness and the jam is never going to end. However, deep down, she is still hopeful. She still awaits for her partner who will come with a suitcase in one hand and a rose in another, who will take her along forever in the life to a blissful place where they will be happy ever after. The one who will treat her like a princess one day and will pamper her like a baby, the other day. The one who will be proud to have her and will use a billboard to showcase his love for her to the world. The wait is still on, the loneliness is still there but she has not given up. May be one day, she will get what she wants and may be that day will bring happiness in her life……………….. I truly wish, from the depth of my heart, that she gets what she desires for, very soon and may she be loved forever..!! Amen! Disclaimer: This is a fictional story and the character, place and name of the character has nothing to do with anyone. Any resemblance with any person or place is purely coincidental. ‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’

This post is selected as one of the winners for the #WOW badge by BlogAdda. Thank you Team BlogAdda.  Because life is all about enjoying where you are with what you have. However, we all have had some that time in our life which is the most memorable and happy time and we wish to go back to that phase and enjoy again. Some of us also want to reach a point and enjoy those things which they have not seen till date. Some people want to be a child again- a life which is full of fun and laughter and where tension is all about completing the homework and waking up early in the morning for the school next day, where happiness means an ice cream party with the family and birthday celebrations means a dinner party with cake cutting and some gifts. Simple- no? But yes, full of happiness all because of its simplicity. There are also people who love their young time the most and enjoy those prime moments. Spending time with the love of their life, living their passion, working where they always wanted to work, earning money and most importantly- having the freedom to do what they want to do- no rok-tok. Again to be specific- to be independent. That’s their best time and they wish that the time should stop here and they should never grow old. I have also met people who waits to get old. Sounds weird? No, no, c’mon it’s true..! After a lot of hard work, earning money, raising the family, doing this and that for the whole life, some people wish to be old, wish to be at the age when they just enjoy the interest from their saving. In short, they want peace, contentment, relaxation. We all are different and no matter we deny this fact- we all have one age-the most favorite age among all the ages which we either want to live again or we wish to be there, may be sooner than usual. And amongst all this, here am I, who wants to go back to the age where I did not even know that I exist. When my life was all about things which I did not even know, the time of unknown because ignorance has always been a bliss..! Oh, yes- you got me right. It is when I was just a chhotu baby, when I was just 1:) From infinite amount of love to eating food, from potty training to blessed naps- oh my god- the life of a one year old is absolutely delightful. When I was one (wow-just one year old), I had a simple motto in life (not that I knew it was, but naturally, it was what it was :P) – Eat, love, play, sleep, repeat! Yayayayay- wow, what a life it was. I wish I could go back to that time and never come back, I wish I could be at age 1 forever. Because I strongly believe that ignorance is a bliss, the time when I did not know anything about this perilous world, when I never had to worry about anything (because I did not know only the meaning of ‘being worried’), when my life was so simple that it revolved around my mom and dad and dadi, when the only thing I wanted was someone holding me in their hands and playing with me, when making me eat food was a herculean task for my mom, when my naps gave her the most relaxing time of her life but again when my smile made her the happiest person of the world. The time when there was no competition, no ambition, no fights and no revenges. The time when I did not know that people are envious, the time when I did not know that love also comes with a cost. It was the time when the love was unconditional and life was perfectly uncomplicated. I still feel ecstatic when I think about those wonderful times and I so wish that I could go back where I was. The age of one- the age of unknown, the age of love, laughter, happiness, unknown and peace. The age of contentment. My mom always says this to me when we talk about my childhood- even till now (when I am far away from 2 :P)- “the messiest, craziest, maddening, emotionally unstable, troublesome, annoying tiring baby, she could not imagine her life without.” ‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’ Yayay:

This post is selected as one of the winners for the #WOW badge by BlogAdda.  Thank you Team BlogAdda.  “In a moment of difficulty, remember to PAUSE and BREATHE before moving forward. It will take you out of REACTION into ACTION.” Whenever in doubt, pause..!! Pause and give yourself a break. It helps you to think well. I guess all of us do that every now and then. I also do that quite often. Taking a break from the hustles and bustles of my life which is running at a speed of light is extremely important for me to rejuvenate and feel alive. My way of breaking off from my daily routine is sitting in my balcony window and enjoy the beauty around me. I am not saying that the view is ecstatic but it is without a doubt immensely peaceful. I live on the fourth floor and it is rare to see people around at this height (at least in my street, yeah I am glad..!!). Since I live in a house which is in between a street, we have houses all around. Outside my balcony window, all I can see is the terraces of the nearby houses, a temple which is a little far, the terrace of the school in which I used to study (which reminds me of my old happy days when I was a kid and my life was pretty awesome and simple, wow), just terraces everywhere. Whereas when I sit here, I just look at the house right in front of me and enjoy the peace and silence around me. The floor of this house which is right in front of my eyes is not really used by the people and is quite shabby. It has some old ropes on which some clothes keep lying for many days. The balcony is quite small and dirty. At times, pigeons sit and enjoy their alone time in that balcony. But you know, it is rightly said by someone- “beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder”. No matter how dirty and ragged this house looks (just the way it might look to some, it is beautiful by the way), staring at it for long hours soothes my eyes. Just staring and getting lost in my own thoughts gives me a lot of peace and satisfaction. This alone time (when I am staring outside my window) gives me time to live my life of my choice (be it in my thoughts only). It also helps me to detox myself from the negativity and sadness around and connect myself again to my own self and life. Sometimes looking at the pigeons sitting in pairs (in the balcony), helps me restore my belief in true relationships and assures me about their existence. No people around says that life is meaningless without the people in it. It is important to have ‘our people’ in life to actually live. But these thoughts are rare, very rare to be honest. Most of the times, I just sit in the balcony window with a cup of tea, having a novel in my hand and enjoying the silence around. And the cherry on the cake is when it starts to rain, wow, just wow..!! The best alone time to come back to life again. I am sure all of us have our own connections with the view outside our windows, be it talking to our neighbors or enjoying the chit chat of the kids around or anything else but there is something for sure. I would like to know how you feel when you look outside your window. Please share in the comments section below. ‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’

New Delhi and its neighboring states are enveloped with pollution and chocking on this toxic air called smog which is refusing to settle down from past few months. While pre-Diwali air was already on edge, celebrations (despite the fact that the fire crackers were ban) tipped it over the ‘very poor’ level. Before we could even think about what exactly is happening, just a few weeks later, the air quality worsened further due to intense crop burning in Punjab and Haryana. Delhi’s average air quality index (AQI) on Monday was 641 at 12 am. Oh my my.. this is horrible..! And of course, the visibility also took a plunge which was way below 200 meters. Sad, very sad..! Air pollution in Delhi-NCR is turning out to be a downright menace with pollutants in the air becoming more and more aggressive with each passing day. As we witness an increased toxicity in the air, it is gradually enlarging the radar of threat upon us. With such low visibility and people gasping for breath, it is important to understand what smog is, its causes and effects and how can we prevent ourselves from falling sick (at least we can try to do so) Here is a quick explanation to certain important things which we need to know: Here is a list of small things which we can use to protect ourselves:

This post is selected as one of the winners for the #WOW badge by BlogAdda.  Thank you Team BlogAdda. “Hanste Hanste Kat Jaye Raste Zindagi Yuhi Chalti Rahe Khushi Mile Ya Gham Badlenge Na Hum Duniya Chahe Badalti Rahe Hanste Hanste Kat Jaye Raste Zindagi Yuhi Chalti Rahe Khushi Mile Ya Gham Badlenge Na Hum Duniya Chahe Badalti Rahe” Wow, how beautifully my life has been summarized in these words. Because life is meant to be full of ups and downs, happiness and sorrows, fullness and emptiness but the downs must not change the way we are. We all are running in search of happiness, peace and contentment however the balance can only be achieved if pain, struggle and disappointment are a part of our life. As it has been beautifully said by someone: There is no second thought to the fact that all of us are battling our own struggle. Problems are a part of our life and they cannot be avoided or ignored no matter how hard we try. We are stuck in our own cobwebs- be it having trouble in scoring good marks or not being able to make friends, social concerns or emotional connect, trying to be able to lose weight and look better, or not being able to get a good job, struggling with the problems of married life or struggling with the single hood, troubles of raising children with the best of our ability or not being able to have kids, pain of not having parents and missing them or feeling overburdened with the old members of our family, dealing with the fights in the family or being in a pain for not having a family, there is no end to the amount of pain and struggle we all are going through. But the matter of the fact is that no matter how difficult it is for us to breathe during our most difficult situations, the life will go on, the sun will set and a new day will begin. The Earth will continue to rotate on its axis, the days will pass and so the months and the years, seasons will come and go and life will continue. It will not stop for anything or anyone. The only way to be able to overcome the struggles of life is by making others happy. Smile and spread it, it is contagious and can actually make a difference in the life of people around you. Difficult situations are meant to change you, but for the better. They make you stronger and wiser. Even though it is extremely difficult, start your day with a smile, be thankful for what you have and not ungrateful for what you do not have. Smile at everyone you pass, greet people, and try to remain calm in the most difficult situations, trust me- the survival will be easier. I am not saying that trying to be happy will take away all your problems but it will make you strong, it will help you grow and it will surely give you peace and contentment. The above song is very close to my heart as I truly believe that your smile can make a difference- to you as well as people around you. Your struggles will not decrease but you will surely get the courage to survive them. Don’t be affected by the struggles, change for your betterment. So smile and make people smile  :) ‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’

This post is selected as one of the winners for the #WOW badge by BlogAdda.  Thank you Team BlogAdda. Writing a blog post was something I wanted to do from a long time however I somehow never got the courage to actually pen down my thoughts. I still remember how much time err days I invested in writing my first blog post. It took me actually almost four days to gather the courage the post it as I really had no idea how blogs are written, how much time should be spent in writing and what needs to go in the posts. And that’s how the journey began. I got a lot of appreciation on my first post even though I am sure it was not an amazing one but the appreciation gave me the strength and motivation to continue writing. From writing one post a month to two and three, I didn’t even realize when writing actually became my passion. Having the constraint of extremely hectic work schedule, I am often asked the same question- “how do you take out time to write?” and my answer is always the same- “because I enjoy writing”. I actually enjoying writing, sometimes it takes me days to think, write and publish a post whereas there are times when the pen works automatically and my thoughts are on the paper smoothly. Today, when I read that I have to write a post in not more than thirty minutes (thanks to BlogAdda and the W.O.W. contest), the only thing I could think of is to thank my readers for loving me and appreciating me which has helped me reach a point that I no longer think of what will people think and how they will react on reading my post. I don’t even think whether people will read it or not. The only thing I do is- write and leave the rest. I would like to take this opportunity to share my gratitude to my readers for being the constant readers of my posts and always supporting me in my writing. And yes, what better than this moment when I have completed one year of my writing J Here are a few messages which are very close to my heart: Thank you BlogAdda for giving me a chance to thank my readers. ‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’ Thank you once again to all me readers. Keep reading and keep supporting :)

Shopping is undoubtedly a bliss and with Diwali around the corner, this business is so much more fun. In fact I would say that shopping is nothing less than a therapy- for everyone. From diyas to lights, to sweets to crockery, everybody wants to buy the best. This Diwali season, since I am on my vacations (yayayay- Diwali holidays :P) and I do not have much to buy anything in particular for the D-day, I decided to spend my not-so-busy time in the malls and markets (with the friends who were busy shopping) to seriously focus my sincere attention on the types of khareed-daar for Diwali festival!! And I tell you, observing people was so much fun :P But no no no..I wasn’t there to judge people nor I am asking you to do so, it was mere observation during my ‘vella time’. So here goes the list: 1. The bargaining queen: They know exactly how to bargain with everyone, even during sales, yeah.. Seriously!! And hey hellooo.. don’t you dare mess with them… :P 2. The social media reporter: Their shopping is never complete without sharing it with everyone. Oops.. sharing does not mean literally (ha-ha, obviously) but through every social media platform available. They love sharing their shopping victory via loads and loads of pictures, tweets, statuses, tags and what not on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter and everywhere possible. You just name it and their post is already there. And don’t forget- hashtags- #shopping #blissful #happinessoverloaded #Diwaliisthebestfestival (ha-ha-ha-ha) 3. The I-am-the-richest-one: This one will buy anything and everything whatever he/she likes without looking at the price tag-even once. By looking at them- you may feel like asking- “Can you please buy something for me as well?” :P 4. The mom with her super annoying kid: This woman goes to market not to buy anything (though she wants to) but just to feel embarrassed- all the time, literally. Her super annoying kid will roll on the floor, all the time and will keep annoying her and all the other people around for no reason. This child wants everything from the mall but sadly, will not get anything. Oh Lord- save the mother please! 5. The critical customer: They would want to know everything about the product beforehand and will not buy anything without checking and double checking the quality of the product even though it requires a lot of time spending on reading and researching about it. And no, it does not end here. After buying the product, the close inspection of it is marginal bizarre. I am pretty sure that you have either seen or know someone who belongs to one of these types. Do share your views in the comment section below. Happy shopping, Happy Diwali! Shop like you have never shopped before..!!

Yayay..It’s Diwali again- the festive time of the year is back J. The excitement of celebrations- lights, shopping *eee*, sweets and chocolates at Diwali time, is exceptional. But ohh no *sad* it’s the time for the enormous amount of noise and air pollution as well. L It is understandable that all the spirits are high around the festive season and all of us want to enjoy in the most incredible ways however even after knowing that Diwali needs to be celebrated in the most eco-friendly manner, most of us struggle in figuring out the ways to have blast without actually having the blast (*he-he*, I mean blast without fire crackers). This year you can ACTUALLY make a difference by opting to celebrate Diwali somewhat different this year. Awestruck? I have got you covered. Here I have tried to list out some most easily doable and fun loving activities which you can try instead of burning crackers and have a wonderful Diwali. 1. Bon-fire over crackers: Love crackers and don’t want to quit? Here is the choice :*happy happy* You can celebrate this festival of lights by lightning a bon-fire in an open space or on your terrace with your friends and family. Get all the children of your society to go for a nature walk the evening before Diwali and collect dry leaves, grass, twigs etc. Click pictures, talk about the nature and appreciate the beauty around you. Fill up balloons with glitter and small pieces of colored paper and burst them while spending time with friends along with the bon-fire. The cheerful sound will be enough to usher in Diwali. And yes of course- home-made sweets and sharbat are always welcome..!! 2. Host a celebration: You can go traditional and eco-friendly this festive season instead of buying those expensive crockery for your parties. Use small earthen glasses and banana leaves to serve your guests (unique and interesting). Organize an event for kids as well as adults. Some suggestions like: 1. Flower making competition 2. Sweet making competition 3. Rangoli making competition 4. Drawing competition 5. Throw a party- a dance party: All you need is a music system and you are ready to rock and roll. It will have all the sound along with the fun and that too without crackers. Na-na- don’t forget- it is less expensive as well. 3. Rangoli lover- try this out: Use organic and eco-friendly colors for your Rangoli. Rather than buying the colors and dyes from the market (which are expensive too :P) switch to the things which you already have in your house. Chawal (Rice powder) for white, Haldi (turmeric) for yellow,  dal chini (cinnamon) for brown, chhoti elaichi (cardamom) or saunf (fennel) for green, sindoor or laal mirchi (dried red chilly) for red. Need more colors- look around and let your imagination lose. Rangoli can be made with fresh flowers as well. The fragrance will create the perfect ambiance for the festival. Decoration of doorways can be done with garlands of jasmine and marigold along with setting up of lilies and rose vases. This way, the beauty of the house will be enhanced in a better manner than those artificial lights would have done. 4. Make sweets at home, yes be old school this time: Instead of buying those over sugar coated sweets from the market, try making sweets at home which are filled with your love and care for your family. There are many options- badam halwa, kulfi, rabri, ladoo, sewaiyan, icecream and the list is never ending. Choose what you want. 5. It is time to give back to the society: Spend some time with the under privileged children instead of spending hours in bursting crackers and drinking and partying. Spend time with them and spread happiness all over. They will cherish this time and simple gestures like giving them some home-made sweets, donating old clothes, stationary, ear-rings etc. will make this day a festival for them as well. You can also visit an old-age home, a hospital or any place where people need just love. Spend time with them, share stories, listen to songs and eat good food with them. There are certain things which you can plan to do and not do this Diwali season to make it a beautiful memory for everyone around. This Diwali, let’s take a pledge for a better future: This Diwali, let us burn hunger over crackers. Are you with me? How are you going to celebrate your Diwali? Please share your views in the comment section below.

Rishtey-darr aka relatives are everywhere. They come in all shapes, sizes and quirks :P. You meet them a few times a year, at family gatherings or on vacations. You love them, but you can't help noticing their myriad eccentricities. From hordes of life-advice-doling-out uncles to aunts who can do nothing but catch you unawares with their 'When are you getting married?' questions, nosy relatives are a menace that all of us have had to deal with at one point of time or the other. So much so, that for a lot of us especially during our mid 20's, attending an occasion which sees every relative under the sun in the same venue, is nothing short of a nightmare. They are all colorful and quite sweet (and bitter?) relatives! Often, we are surrounded by these relatives against our damned wishes! Some of them are the ones we can't wait to meet, while there are some whose names we keep trying to find! Here I have tried to decode some most common types of rishtey-darr that all of us have certainly experienced running into: 1.The maddening kid ‘Didi phone nhi de rahi” The little devil! Remember the one that asked you for your brand new phone while their parents are looking, so you just cannot say no, and then drop it on the floor right in front of your eyes..Oops..!! 2. The gossipmonger sutli bomb “Arey bta bhi do..mjhse kya sharmana” There is one intrusive aunty in every Indian family, who is the most curious in the family especially about you. She will call you up when it is your result day, when you come back from a job interview and even when she sees you with an opposite sex in public. If nothing else, she will not hesitate to ask you about your friends, salary, relationship status and everything about you. In short, an all-time spy! And on top of that, this one is the big-mouthed. He/she has the weird itch to say everything. Everything unwanted. They yearn into our lives like that unforeseen sutli bomb and make a mess of it all. Oh God, WHY?! 3. The talkative one This one could be an uncle or aunt. One thing is clear from conversation with them- they are of the firm opinion that every second they are not spouting slews of meaningless blabber, is a precious second wasted. Caution- Just smile, nod and inch away very slowly. Whatever you do, don’t break eye-contact. They see this as weakness and increase the loudness of their voice and proceeds to accompany it with violent hand gestures and sometimes snorts of laughter. This one does not know what being quiet means and does not stop jibber-jabbering till the time you get a headache! (It was nice to meet you. Not *being devil*) 4. The food mill I am super sure, all of us have one aunt who makes us eat till the time we have to beg her to stop feeding us! She has everything, from ‘bhujias’ with tea before starters :P to ‘chhapan bhog’ in the main dish and of course, not to miss- ‘the dessert list’. But yes, we love her because who does not love good food? 5. The Armani Princess We all have one fashionista in our family who makes us envy her style and drool over her oh-so beautiful clothes. Be it a lehenga in her sister’s wedding, or a gown in an evening party, she has got it all and carries them with panache. Close cousins are of course green with envy while the distant ones cannot help but eye her! 6. The sugar bag Blame this person if you end up getting diabetes after an occasion. He/she is loaded with extra sweetness while talking to you and will make it a point to ‘shower you with the sugary love’. Chaashni me latpat baatein- you will hear them all and will not understand how to respond. But don’t deny- you love hearing to her not-so-real appreciations, after all passing time is very important during family functions..!! 7. The whiny soul Everything ain’t nice, girlie! This rishtey-darr has the ultimate capability to find faults in everything and everyone around. For them, the clothes are either too old school or too modern, the food too heavy or absolutely tasteless, the decoration too dull or too jazzy. Having problems is understood but they will make sure that every living being knows about it! 8. The ATM of the family “Mere pass bahut paisa hai!!” The one rishtey-darr who would love to pay for all the bills for everybody around. For him/her, giving cash is rather convenient and ahaan-how true it is! Their envelope makes our eyes sparkle. May god bless this ameer soul! 9. Rishtey-darr X There is always one out of all the relatives we meet during family occasions, who we never knew existed! You can call him/her- relative X. This one will just happen to you. You are supposed to smile in front of this ‘dooooor ka rishtey-darr’ as your parents cherish their old memories when they pop out of nowhere. *Hahahaha* 10. The Oh-no, don’t do it one “Don’t eat rice today, it is a no-moon day”, “Don’t wash your hair on Thursday and Tuesday and Saturday”, don’t go out of the house because I just sneezed”. Sounds familiar? So, this relative is superstitious, dominating and a cherry of the top, is a conformist. He/she wants everything “as per so-called rules’. And we totally detest these rules! 10. The honey-pie Yes, you cannot miss this one. The one relative whom we all love! It can either be the adorable grand mom, the hilarious uncle, the enthusiastic aunt or that lovely cousin. They are the life of every get-together and their sunny nature cheers everyone up. They are the ones who actually light up our lives. J I am sure you too must have at least half of these rishtey-darr in your family, isn’t it? Did I miss anyone? Do share your views in the comment section below.

“It is in my blood to be humble and nice, because that’s always been my nani’s advice.” Happy grandparent’s day!! I believe in magic since childhood and all thanks to my grandparents for this. Yes, and without them there would be no mummy and papa, what else? They love us with their absolute and purest form of love. The way they care, the love and bond they share is beyond words. I have been raised with three grandparents- my dadi (whom we used to call as jhaiji), my nana ji and my nani. I have never seen my dadaiji as he went for his heavenly abode much before I was born. My jhaiji was the central point of our family and all important decisions were based on her final call. She used to love me, my brother and my cousins (as we had a joint family) in her own unique way. I have learnt many life lessons from her and she used to teach me in the most beautiful ways. My days used to start with her and never ended without her amazingly superb stories. I used to share a strong bond with her till the time she was with us and till date, I miss her! My visit to nani’s house was quite regular because of the obvious reasons. My nanaji and nani had unrestricted form of love for me along with never ending patience for my mischief! Now the only matriarch of our clan is my nani. She is an incredibly innocent and loving lady I have ever met in my entire life. Not just because she is my nani, but as a human being, she is a person who is full of love and tenderness. She cares for every person around her without expecting anything in return. Since I cannot manage to meet her often, she makes it a point to call my mother every single day and ask about our well-being. Whenever possible, I always try to go and meet her to spend some quality time with her. The only thing she expects from us is love and time. Whenever we meet, we sit for long chatting hours and then she opens her treasure of memories to share her past experiences of her childhood, marriage, family, naughty moment as well as a few unhappy moments. She teaches life values to me and does that in the most subtle way. I can see the spark in her eyes when she is talking and I am listening carefully. Those are the moments which I cherish the most. Just the thought of her being fine and at peace keeps me content even though I do not talk to her on regular basis. She is a darling and I love her to the core. This grandparent’s day, I will surely go and visit her (tomorrow) and the plan is to give her a surprise and sit with her to listen and learn from her interesting stories of her life over a cup of chai and biscuit. We will open her old photo albums and while she will re-live those moments, I will enjoy and live the moments with her. I would also like to write on one of my favorite’s poem from my childhood reserve: “Walking with grandma” I like walking with my grandma Her steps are short like mine. She does not say ‘now hurry up’ She always takes her time. I like to walk with grandma Her eyes see things like mine do Wee pebbles bright, A funny cloud, Half hidden drops of few. Most people have to hurry, They do not stop to see. I’m glad that God made grandma Unrushed and young like me! -Author: Unknown I look forward to hear from you how would you celebrate Grandparents Day. Do share a selfie with your grandparents on Sept. 10, 2017 on Twitter or Facebook with #LoveJatao & tag @blogadda to win a goodie from Parachute Advansed

“Independence is not doing your own thing, it is doing the right thing in your own way.” –Kim John Payne What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear, read or think about the word ‘independence’? On 15th August, 2017, away from the blaring loud speakers and loop promos of patriotic movies on TV channels to commemorate our Independence Day, I was wondering about patriotism, independence, freedom and democracy and I could not resist the urge to ask everyone around me about their thoughts on independence and so I conducted a short survey on- “Are you independent? Independence-people came up with various responses. For some, it came it out to be ‘sense of freedom’, for some it means ‘a day to remember our great national leaders’ and to many it is a ‘national holiday to be spent with friends and family’. Yes it is, all of the above. But there is something deeper to think and evaluate and the moment is now. Today, through this article, I would like to solicit each one of you reading this to think about the word ‘independence’ and then together do our bit towards achieving it. No number of folk performances, flag-hoisting events or one-day celebration will bring a change, definitely not. In fact, what change are we talking about? As individuals, are we independent? When I tried delving into the different kinds of independence (through the survey), I got to know various meanings of this term and the responses look like this (data from the survey): As a whole, let us lead independent lives and contribute towards a better nation in our own ways. What is the true meaning of independence? The meaning of the word independence differs from individual to individual and every 15h August all of us talk about it in special ways. Hence I thought it would be a good idea to think (while filling the survey near 15th August), pause and re-think (now) about it when we are again buried and occupied in our own lives. How do we celebrate 15th August-Independence Day? As teachers and students, we are in the mid of month-long preparations to organize/make school events, a grand one. As employees we attend the two-hour program held on the office premises and some of the rest ensure to watch the live telecast of PM’s speech on Independence Day. And then, the day continues at its own pace, not to forget the trending big sales announced online and at different shopping complexes. Trends also include theme parties where wearing the orange, white and green is a must, with fun games and tambola being the highlights of the meeting. No doubt, the spirit is high and every Indian feels proud and patriotic on this special day. That beaming feeling of pride is so heart-filling and genuine that it has the power to make great moves and thus contribute in the making of a better nation. But what after that? Do we feel independent at an individual level? Are we free? After sitting and reading the opinions of people for hours and collecting statistical data, I have learnt and enriched my meaning and understanding of ‘independence’. Hence, I would say that being independent means making your own way in the world. To me-Independence is the power of imagination! Independence for me is freedom. Freedom that satisfies your desire to become a stronger person and yet does not separate us from our values. It is a sense of individuality that empowers us to speak our minds and free ourselves from ignorance. Independence means freedom for people to express themselves and to use that freedom to improve, learn and experience everyday living. Independence must not be used as an excuse to seize power. For me, independence is pursuing a life of peaceful endeavours while being responsible for what we do. Yes, definitely, independence brings humongous responsibility with itself. Independence for me is living life to the fullest. It is to enjoy little things and do your best every day of your life. It is about standing bold and strong. Independence means making my own choices and taking responsibility of consequences of those choices. It is like your life is a clear and empty page where you have the choice to draw and color exactly what you want. Make it of your own choice. Independence is not just personal but each individual step contributes to the nation. Both independence and India start with the letter ‘I’. Hence, I as an individual have a crucial role to play. Independence is the sum total of all the things happening in our lives and then our move towards the bigger goal. If we at our own levels work effectively then surely we will make a better nation. Until and unless, we ourselves become independent individuals, it won’t be right to say we are independent. Let us first be the change we wish to see in other! We can and we will..!!

"Smile-happy looks good on you :)" Who does not like to have admirers? Admit it-I guess all of us like to hear well about us from people around us. In today’s modern world where social media is an unavoidable aspect in the life of every individual, it is important to have something interesting to keep us involved in this side of our life. Sarahah- a new app is going viral these days because of its feature of sending messages to people without revealing your identity. Sarahah which means honest allows anonymous messaging, which is why it has become hugely popular. A lot of people are trying to use it whereas many are strictly against its use. Everybody has their own say to the usage or non-usage of a particular app and here I am trying to give my honest say about pros and cons of using such a new in thing. In spite of having so many criticism, it is getting extremely widespread. Let us look at both the sides of its usage: Without thinking too much, we can look at the positive and fun side of the app. It is a great way to admire people around you and make them feel special. Of course, it can be done publicly or privately by revealing your name and identity but what’s the harm if there is a choice to be secretive about it.:P A good compliment can be a great start to a beautiful day, and what’s wrong if you can be the reason behind someone’s smile. It can be a great way to motivate someone, to have some fun with friends and to let people know that they are special to you. However, at the same time we cannot ignore the down side of the app which includes mental harassment and cyber bullying. Not everyone thinks alike. People are using it for their personal hatred. Unfortunately, a lot of the comments people receive and send are downright nasty. This means more insults and less compliments. In fact, things become worse when you don’t know who is sending it. You don’t get to know which of your friends or coworkers is truly your enemy! Therefore it is important to stay away from such things, especially for children and teenagers who are not mature enough to handle criticism. Hence, it is all up to you to decide- whether you want to use it for fun and to just let it go. It is all completely fine till the time it is not used for harming anyone. What is your say on using Sarahah app? Please share your reviews in the comment section below.