Pages From Her Diary

In our society, we often shy away from openly expressing love. We treat it as an obscenity, something to be whispered and hidden away. We fear that saying the word too often will lessen its power, as though we instinctively understand its weight and meaning. But love is not just a word. Love is action . It is the willingness to be gentle, patient, caring, and understanding. It is the ability to put aside pride and self-interest for the one we love. It is the willingness to bear our most vulnerable selves and entrust them to another, knowing that they will be tender with our delicate hearts. To truly love another, we must first love and understand ourselves . It is only then that we can choose to love another, to challenge them to be a better person, to help each other heal, grow, and encourage each other. Love is not just about the butterflies in our stomachs or the feverish infatuation we feel in the beginning. It is about creating a safe haven for each other's hearts and being w...

"Why doesn't this girl speak her mind" ...Rahul kept checking for her reply. He called up his close friend, Nikhil and shared the entire happenings to him. Nikhil after a patient hearing was also of the opinion that the girl's take matters in this situation. So, there was no option but to wait for her reply. Meanwhile, at home things were moving at a different speed which made Rahul all the more uncomfortable. He knew anything that he would say will be held against him. " Even I too think that we need to meet up again before we take a decision " ... finally a ping from Shruti. Now, this got him relieved to some extent.  " Sure, I am glad even u think so, but as you must be aware, our parents have already made plans to take this forward " . So we need to inform them too.  There was a silence from her side, Rahul was now sure that she has no say in these matters at home. A big psyche of AM from the parents perspective is if the boy wants to me...

Wasn't this edgy even when I gave my exams and interviews ...Rahul was in an array of thoughts as he drove back home. He wanted to make an honest impression on the girl, the sight of her father dashed all of that ...and all her dad had to say was a stoic " Hi".  Why is this process of Arranged Marriage highly flawed, all he wanted to create a soothing atmosphere for both so that they can bond well but now he was not sure how the scene at her home would be ...did he commit a mistake by asking the girl out without parents consent !? Will it cause trouble for her? He was genuinely rattled. Mom had already sounded him off that the girl's parents were quite orthodox and now if they come to know that not only he met the girl secretly but also landed right in front of her dad ... well, hell would break loose... Thoughts kept swirling in Rahul's mind as he was imagining the chaos at home if Shruti's dad would call up home and update about their meeting...

The scene at home was as expected .. just after an exam, parents would ask how was the paper, will you pass, etc ..this event was no different. Questions were being gunned at Rahul as soon as he reached home. He was quite cheesed off with the questions being hurled at him by his parents about the meet ." How did you find the girl, what did you all talk, what do you think the girl will say yes?  " Now how do I know a girl in a first meet in an hour? Rahul found it too stupid to answer these questions. Mom's next question...hope u all ate something. Yes, we had coffee. Only coffee? Yes, at Starbucks, coffee costs Rs 600. Mom fell silent, and Rahul added on ..by the way, she paid for her coffee. Mom was shocked, she felt this didn't sound too positive .her expressions said it all. After a while, the interrogation stopped. Rahul had this habit of capturing the happenings on his notepad, perks of being a blogger. Glances on my cell To see her ping... ...

Love Marriages …A lot has been written about these time and again ...boy meets girl, love at first sight, parental opposition, triumph against odds, blah blah  ...the clichéd stories & outcomes! Let's spare a thought for an age-old institution of Arranged Marriages….Like every ancient stuff, these too have undergone a world of change from yester years. Gone are the days where parents used to arrange the match and the boy n girl get hitched. Well, today there is a complete makeover ....it's quite quirky, fascinating, practical and at times quite funny too. An arranged marriage is not the diktat it once was. It has evolved over the years into a meeting of mutual consent between both parties.  My parents, products of an arranged marriage, had outlined the same process for me as well.   As parents, their pressures are too many  ...education, raise the child to be independent and self-sufficient. And now to get married was their last major responsibility. I ...

So here we are...celebrating yet another  माँ    Day. Social media and posts are buzzing with the 24×7 selfless gigs of ತಾಯಿ which is a  template repeat of each year. Cards, gifts, treating our mom to a nice restaurant ...everyone's bucket list for celebrating this day is ready. For most of us, this is our way of showing appreciation and thanking them for making us a part of this world and for taking care of us and our homes and preserving our memories..every victory and heartbreak. But is it ok to acknowledge mom just a single day!? Seriously, I wonder. So, why don't we do something special for  आई  today ...for all the moments she so curated for us day after day. Let's look at HER bucket list and gift her,... HER LIFE . For all the things that she wanted to do, let's not limit the gifting and celebrations to a single day. Spend some time with her each day, Ask her how her day was, learn from her a favorite recipe & cook for her, help he...

Hmm… How do I make her watch a movie? Ayan’s mind was racing at the thought. Naina always comes up with a totally different perspective. After a lot of deliberation, he thought of something unusual to pass of the entire movie to her in "triggers". He dialed her after a couple of days. “Hey Naina, just get ready your first wish to see a movie on this Saturday” Ayan told her excitedly. “Oh, it's a surprise, that you remembered “ Naina chided him. “I will pick you up from your office”  said Ayan. “Sure, I will wait for you. Better be on time if we are to watch the full movie “ she laughed. Saturday . Ayan got ready before time and reached Naina’s office. He was determined that everything should be as he decided, even reaching on time. Naina was pleasantly surprised though she didn’t mention it.  As they drove in the Uber, they chatted happily. Am really stumped by your this wish Naina, I kind of expected you to say “ I wish I c...