Once upon a time…

“Didi, I met Cinderella” my four year old cousin gushed happily as he sat admiring the colorful pages of the fairy tale. “Ya right, Cinderella is not real, it’s just a stupid story”, his seven year old sister piped in. “You are lying” he shouted back.
Thus started their argument which inevitably led to one crying loudly while the other sat making faces. After much coaxing and a bribe of chocolates both resumed their model behavior acting the prim and proper children they are. Their fighting forgotten now in the exchange of chocolates.
But my mind began to drift to my childhood days when Cinderella, Sleeping beauty, Aladdin were real people and not mythical characters created by some long forgotten grandma for the bedtime rituals of little children whose imaginary minds are not quenched by real incidents or naughty pranks, whose untainted souls struggle to accept realty but with unquestionable happiness accept these magical stories. I still remember the days when I used to sit up in bed reading these stories, happily unaware of the late hour, my mind drifting gaily beside Sleeping beauty’s bedside, flying on Aladdin’s magic carpet, running beside Cinderella as the clock strikes twelve or climbing up Jacks magical beanstalk. When sitting in school, listening to the same explanations about why the numerator is lesser in value than the denominator or staring at the biology diagram for an hour (an endless amount of time), these very stories provided relief and respite, a break from the monotony of classes into the world of fairies and castles. The mystery of why peter pan never grew up seemed more intriguing than fractions or biology. The time when I used to think that short people were snow whites seven dwarfs .That feels like a long time ago, yet even today Harry Potter is dearer to me than all the other books I have read, maybe because the child in me still craves for all those imaginary quests.
Real or not, Cinderella, Snow white, Sleeping beauty, Aladdin and Peter Pan were my childhood companions and I was happy and contented to believe in them. I cherish and treasure them.
And if that makes you think I am an overgrown girl, so be it!

LIVE INTENSELY

The other day an article in the newspaper caught my attention, it was by Robin Sharma. The article in question was an excerpt from his book The Greatness Guide 2, the reason why this article caught my attention and made me write about it was it was a compressed piece of writing from within, writing from the soul, in-depth writing or call it whatever you want the point is it was a marvelous article targeting the tangle which humans have landed into. Here is what it says

‘I like my music loud, my coffee strong and my dreams large. I like days with colour, people with passion and conversations that call out the best within me.

I want to live like there is no tomorrow, achieve the best within me and love the people in my life like I really mean it. I want to do my part to elevate our world; I want to live with intensity

What a beautiful word: intensely .live a high volume life play full out. Take risks, reach high. Don’t look back. Be authentic. Be great.’

And so it goes.

I so loved this piece of writing its fresh, rejuvenating, original, direct and from the heart. I wanted to share this with everyone .More importantly I wanted to share it with people who have forgotten how to live INTENSELY, who have given up their originality to ape someone else, who have forgotten themselves in the quest of some non-existent happiness, who have become so obsessed with keeping in touch with those around them that they have forgotten to keep in touch with their own souls.

To all those people for the ultimate happiness there is no need to look anywhere else, just look within yourself.

Live Intensely.

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS OF CHARMINAR

You can start feeling the warmth and the power of Charminar even before you reach it. The burkha clad women, the tiny tottering children, the small 'bundis' full of assorted stuff from pens to hair clips to cups, the sights of this place leave you craning your neck to fill your hungry eyes. Every nook and corner of this amazing place is abuzz with activity 24*7.The reason Charminar is so famous is because it is the heart of Hyderabad city, every tourist who comes to Hyderabad visits this place at least once. Once you step into this amazing place you feel like you have stepped right into a carnival.

Built in 1591 by Mohammed Quli Qutub shah to mark the end of a plague in Hyderabad the charminar is a massive impressive structure with four minarets, it’s a beautiful thing to look at. My first visit to Charminar was when I was just about 9 years old and I can’t remember anything about it apart from a crowd of people swarming the place. Yesterday was my third visit there and it felt like being sucked into a whirlpool of people jostling one way or other going about their business, clicking pictures or shopping. I first entered charminar by getting down at Laad bazaar which is street famous for all your Indian accessories, bangles, necklaces, semi precious stones, saris, brocades, khada dupattas and what not. A delicate stone encrusted kada along with a beautiful necklace landed in my shopping bag. Bargaining is a regular feature in Hyderabad so don’t lose hope if the prices are too high you just need to bargain a little and in the end you get what you want. The best way to experience this place is on foot as the bazaar is located on a narrow street bursting with people and the shops are small, cramped but comfortable.

From here we moved to the Afzal Gunj market for some fruit shopping. It was so hot that we could not stay for more than half an hour. Welcome to 40 degrees, that’s Hyderabad. Hunger and heat forced us to a hotel for some lunch, the yummy naan, biryani and qubani ka meetha sated our appetite. Charminar as every hyderabadi will know is a food lover’s paradise with every nook and cranny of it holding at least one hotel or food joint. No one can leave charminar without tasting one of the many delicacies its so famous for, even if you are not too hungry the aromas are sure to lure you.

Fully fed and satisfied we continued with the shopping spree, much to my delight the footwear at charminar was a big catch. Though you can’t expect much quality here the range of footwear for all genders and ages was a vast one, the prices again being subjected to your bargaining skills, nonetheless it’s worth the haggling. A breezy calmness began to set in by the time we finished with our shopping and dusk was welcomed by the charminar with open arms.

I had momentarily forgotten that unlike the other markets Charminar is filled with life even at night, so I was surprised as the number of shoppers increased with the decreasing light. The majestic Charminar was brought to life with an array of lights and it looked mysteriously beautiful and serene, my mind began to drift to the times long gone when the Charminar might have hosted the Kings and Queens, might have been draped with rich cloth, but now stood witnessing the population of its beloved city resting in its shadows.

I began my homeward journey, happy to have stood in the shadow of a great monument and sad that a beautiful day had ended. My experience at the Charminar left me humbled and spellbound. Truly a magical experience.

THE NEW BEGNNING

BEING A NEW BLOGGER MEANS SOMETHIN LIKE BEING NEW TO THE WORLD.CONSEDERING THAT I WRITE SO MUCH I THOUGHT I MIGHT AS WELL SHARE THE CREATIVE SIDE OF ME WITH THE WORLD, I HAVE SO MANY THOUGHTS ALL MUDDLED UP IN MY MIND THAT WRITING PROVIDES ME WITH AN OUTLET TO VENT MY ANGER, EMOTIONS, THOUGHTS, FEELINGS ALL THE EXTRA ENERGY THATS BOTTLED UP.

AT THE MOMENT WHEN I AM WRITING ABOUT THIS I AM SIMULTANEOUSLY THINKING ABOUT ALL THE THINGS THAT I DID TODAY LIKE THE LITTLE GIRL IN THE GROCERY STORE, OR THE GLOSSY PAIR OF SANDALS I SO WANTED TO BUY BUT HAD NO CASH TO SPARE FOR, OR THE FRIEND OF MINE WHO IS SO CONFUSED ABOUT HER FEELINGS.SIGH! ITS A WORLD FULL OF MISMATCHED THINGS AND WE TRY TO SURVIVE BY BLENDING THE NOT SO GOOD THINGS WITH THE GOOD THINGS.WELL, I AM GOING TO DO JUST THAT.WITH THIS STEAMING MUG OF COFFEE RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME AM SO LOST IN MY OWN WORLD.THERE IS SO MUCH I WANT TO DO, SO MUCH I WANT TO LEARN, SO MUCH I WANT TO GIVE.

A FEW LUCKY PEOPLE GET TO EXPERIENCE THE WHOLE AND UNENDING DEPTH OF LIFE, I WANT TO BE ONE OF THEM.ENTWINED IN THE WORLDLY THINGS I WANT TO CREATE A UNIVERSE JUST FOR MYSELF.PANDEMONIUM, DESTRUCTION, CRIES AND TEARS WILL BE NON EXISTENT THERE, REALITY WILL FADE AWAY TO GIVE PLACE TO THE CALM SOOTHING FEELING THAT EVERY HUMAN BEING WANTS TO EXPERIENCE.

AND MAYBE I WILL ACHEIVE THAT SOMEDAY AND THAT ONE DAY I WILL SIT BACK AGAIN WITH A STEAMING MUG OF COFFEE AND READ THIS AND TRY TO RECOLLECT WHAT EXACTLY WENT THROUGH MY MIND TO MAKE ME WRITE THIS.

THIS FIRST POST ON MY BLOG IS DEDICATED TO THE PERSON WHO INSPIRED ME TO WRITE THIS.THANK YOU.FOR SHOWING ME A WAY!