Where is my doggie gone ?????

I need a dog .... canis lupus familiaris
they are such nice snuggly breathing pillows .. and i so need one ...

To revive my lost spirit while studying
To feel the true warmth when I cuddle them
To look into those large mesmerising eyes full of love

Yeah I know the excitement when ur pet leaps n jumps on you when u return home.......... true euphoria .... all your tiredness just washes away in those moments of togetherness ...

I miss my german shepherd ... my alsation ... my Alice
My true companion !

Muah Muah Alice .... God Bless You !

Sardarji 12 baj gaye !

The other day I was browsing through the Internet pages and stumbled across this wonderful piece of information; couldn’t help myself and hence comes this blog.
This blog brings the true meaning of "Sikh-12o’clock" teasing into the limelight. A many thanks to whosoever researched on this in the first place … a very enlightening one!

During 17th Century, when Hindustan was ruled by Mughals, the Hindus were humiliated and tortured like animals. Mughals treated the Hindu women as their own property and were forcing Hindus to accept Islam and used to kill those who refused to accept. That time, the ninth Guru, Sri Guru Teg Bahadurji came forward, in response to the request of some Kashmiri Pandits, to fight against all these cruel activities. Guruji told the Mughal emperor that if the emperor succeeds in converting the Guruji to Islam, all the Hindus would accept the same. But, if the emperor fails, he will stop all conversion activities.
The Mughal emperor happily agreed to this. Guruji, along with his other four fellow members, was tortured and mistreated. Since the Mughals were unable to convert Guruji to Islam he and his followers were assassinated and Guruji sacrificed his life for the protection of Hindu religion.

Can anybody lay down his life and that too for the protection of anotherreligion? This is the reason he is still remembered as "Hind Ki Chaddar", The Shield of India.

None of the people, for whom Guruji laid down his life, came forward to lift his body, fearing that they would also be assassinated. Seeing this incident our 10th Guruji, Sri Guru Gobind Singhji (Son of Guru Teg Bahadarji) founder of khalsa made a resolution to give birth to a new cult (followers), who will not be able to hide themselves and could be easily located in thousands. Thus came into existence the “beard & moustache men”!

At the start, the Sikhs were very few in numbers but as the fight against the Mughal emperors took momentum many joined into this special cult. At that time, Nadir Shah raided Delhi and was carrying the treasures and thousands of Hindu women along with him outside the country.
The news spread like a fire and was heard by Sardar Jassa Singh who was the Commander of the Sikh army at that time. He decided to attack Nadir Shah's Kafila at midnight. He did so and rescued everything; the Hindu women were safely sent back home. It didn't happen once but thereafter whenever any outsider attacked the country (to carry the treasures or Hindu women along with them for selling in their markets) the brave Sikh army, although fewer in number, attacked them at midnight 12 O'clock.

After that time whenever any similar incidence occurred, people started to contact the Sikh army for their help and Sikhs used to attack at Midnight, 12 O'clock.

Nowadays, people say that at 12 O'clock, the Sikhs go out of their senses, but I say thankfully to their madness that we are still the nation we are.
So when next time you hear someone say those lines ‘sardarji 12 baj gaye’ just think, smile and thank the founders of this cult for their sacrifices for the Indian community!

The ‘Weekend’ Weekday

Read the tile as ‘The fun filled weekday … the weekday which looks & feels like a weekend and ends with a hope of another similar day!

You all know H by now … my flat mate n the other member of ‘The Little Rocking Gang’ …. yeah yeah ... the 2 member gang ..........
It doesn’t take us long to shun our ladylike demur image into the notorious kids, the moment we step into our home …

Like everyone we always try not to have long evenings on weekdays esp. the start of the week but unlike everyone we always have the longest evenings on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays!
Yeah, and each day is fun filled … I am sure we don’t even know what ‘Monday Blues’ refers to … we believe in ‘Paint the whole week red’

Yup, our long word day ends with a fashion parade at home, capturing each other in the best outfits, mix-match of accessories to go with a new outfit or long pillow talks about cosmetics, makeup & latest fashion trends

Every morning is greeted with a zest to begin a new work day full of 100% effort to full fill our little dreams and hopes …. The career woman is back in command!

The Boiler Mishap

After some 2-3 hrs travel from a weekend away, all you need is the warmth and comfort of your bed to sleep away all the tiredness; a well researched way to get up to a fresh and smiling Monday Morning!

Let me start with my entry into the house …. The gorgeously smiling face of my dear flat mate H, greeted me at the door and the hug was exactly what I needed then.

The last I had seen her was on Friday early morning and so it was obvious we had loads to talk and chat. Starting with the fashion parade from the weekend shopping interspaced with our little chatty sessions (we both can never get enough of talks and the topics range from Movies & Cricket to Shopping & Food) we gradually shifted to the Tiramisu … yummy !

Yup, I got some veg snacks n tiramisu for my darling ‘vegetarian’ Roomie (Aargh, an extra load to drag with my already bulky luggage) while I hogged on my non veg bits …. Still talking when H bought forward the most feared topic … the central heating was on n working properly but not our room heaters …. Boiler guys were to come in the next day and so we were supposed to leave r rooms unlocked for them to have a look the next day … Understandable!!! …

With hot water bottle sneaked under my duvet, I tucked it on all sides before jumping into my beloved and much missed bed … ;-)

Tick Tock … Tick Tock … Tick Tock
(special effects to show the seconds which passes before the grand finale started)

Lady H enters my room, jumps over me (literally) and starts fiddling with my heater … she n her ideas … well the amateur technician at work … it didn’t take long for the room to start filling with acidic fumes

Yup, she turned a few knobs n the heater gave in !!!!

Water sprinklers were all around … my bed, window curtains, H herself were all bathed in that greenish-blue coloured water, while I was still tucked under my duvet - eyes popping out in disbelief …

Quickly coming back into my senses, I jumped out of my warm comfort and the first thing I remember doing was pulling my duvet away from the vicinity of my Roomie’s blessings (the stinking water)

No I was not angry at H, for I love her enough to control my temper towards her but it didn’t stop me from giving her those cold stares once in a while. My landlady (we call her auntie) had given this idea to her and so the 2 ladies were in my room trying to control the ‘out of control’ situation …

Anyways, after a while which did look like a decade to me … our landlord came in [to rescue my room and my sleep from the situation]. While he was at work I could fathom his venomous whispering to H n auntie to wake him from his slumber

Again, understandable as no amateur fiddles with unknown areas at 11 in the night ??? and though I didn’t mind him ‘talking loudly’ to auntie, it was not quite right for him to be rude to H … ofcourse I wanted to take that privilege :-)

Landlord’s and H’s “hard work” got the situation under control but my room was no more like any habitable place

It was almost 12 when I jumped into H’s bed with a hope to get that much awaited warmth of MY bed sometime soon !!

Oh and all this wont stop H from experimenting with the heater n boiler the next time it goes out of work !
That’s just her and so the moral of the story : lock your room when you go to bed to avoid trespassers into your territory ….

H if you are reading this, I will still introduce you as my sweetest and bestest friend … babe, we both rock together!! (minus the boiler)

Gurudwara Social Service

The effect of staying with a Sikh family is slowly BUT steadily showing off in me!
“Chak – de - Phatte”

I stay in Hounslow and the centre of attraction of the area is this massive and beautiful gurudwara – a Sikh place of worship.
Harry goes there daily and I love the desi ghee ka halwa she gets for me … absolutely sumptuous

Yesterday after a long wait I called Harry to find her whereabouts as she was not back from office and it was way past her regular time. The lady was in the gurudwara doing the voluntary service of serving food to the people – langar

Oh and yes our gurdwara serves 3 meals a day, every day of the year, free for anyone and everyone – and you do see a lot of Europeans in our Gurudwara!

Coming back to my dear Harry, chunni over her head, was busy serving food, flashing that gorgeous smile of hers which increased when she saw me (I required a lot of convincing over the phone to get out of my night dress and come out of the house when it was pouring heavily - She thought I will never make it)

All that Hello and Hi was enough to make us start one of our long chatty sessions – the never ending ones.
She served me langar which needless to say tastes next to what a mother can cook … nothing can beat it!

Once I was over with my dinner, I took over from her to do the service while she eats her dinner. Yes, I did service in the gurudwara …
I REPEAT: I stay with a Sikh family …

I have done community service before but this was a very different experience in itself. It is not easy to serve food into someone’s plate especially when you don’t know the persons taste and appetite.

You have to name the dish being served, then serve as requested (quantity and the exact place in the plate :-) ), remember the rules of quantity management and you should always be polite - inspite of who is on the other side being served.

I also served people who understood only Punjabi or a strange dialect they called English … Sign language comes to aid then ;-)
* Other Option: Start talking real fast n loud with a big gleaming smile on your face … serve everything then

I slept peacefully yesterday … No, not because of what you are thinking but because I was quite tired after those hrs of standing to serve food ;-)

Happy 60th Independence Day

It’s the 60th anniversary to our independence and here we are busy voting for “Whether the Independence day holds any importance to the youths as it held for our forefathers?”

And then when I get over my initial agitation to the question, I sit back and think: “DO I?”

Till a week back, all I thought to do on this 15 August is to take the Pearson Language Assessment English Field test 2007, to report to the centre on time and to carry all the required documents. Yes, I now know the importance of the poll question … so what will be my answer to it …… Yes, No, Can’t Say ……

I remember when we were kids; it was one of my favourite days … dressed up in that crisp white uniform, standing infront of the proud fluttering Indian Flag, hoisted by our principal, and singing our national anthem in one voice, trying to grasp each and every word of it!

I remember when I saw the movie on Gandhi and the struggle for Independence I had wept; I remember my father humming a few of those patriotic songs for us and we trying to copy him

I remember the proud glint in my eyes when I used to see dad hoisting the National flag in his unit in his wonderful OG uniform (Olive Green).

I have grown up now and my work has taken me away from my parents and away from my country many a times. But yes I still do remember … remember that 15th August was more than a holiday for me.

The Independence Day held its importance when I was young and now when I am not a young girl, my priorities have changed and so has my enthusiasm for the day ….

But does that really mean than the day holds no importance for me and the youth of the country in general?

Proud to be an Indian

"Every baby step India takes in achieving anything enhances my identity"

Former Miss Universe (India) Sushmita Sen
in Times of India 14 Aug 2007