"Merawala Brown, please!

I walked into L'Oréal salon, ten minutes prior to my appointment and was greeted by my hair stylist with extra sparkle in his broad smile, “long time Ma’m! Where have you been???! "

"Maybe, he is upbeat about tonight's New Year party", I thought.

We exchanged a few pleasantries and once I was settled in the chair with the apron tied to my neck, it was time for complete surrender to his expertise.

“Ma’m, let’s try something different this time, what say?” he said, gently stroking my hair, trying to gauge if it was right to use cool, warm or neutral tones for my tresses. “Shall we do highlights? That will change your look.”

There was something about his enthusiasm that alarmed me but before I could even reply, two more hair experts were summoned. For next ten awkward minutes, I felt like a helpless guinea pig!

Each expert took some strands of my hair, matching with colour chart in the thick booklet containing weird colour names like; Sunflower Blonde, Caramel, Hot-Toffee, Sparkling Amber, Espresso, French Roast, Copper Shimmer, Crushed Garnet, Blowout Burgundy, Chocolate Cherry, Light Auburn, Red Hot Cinnamon and Ruby Fusion, adding to my confusion! (Why on earth do they keep names of colours that remind you of coffee/wine/chocolate? Sorry, I am digressing!) 

Once their serious discussion was concluded, the recommendations of tones in deep Purple, Red and Green started coming my way making me almost jump from the chair, dismayed by their audacity for suggesting such weirdly bold tones! I panicked and started visualizing strange reactions coming my way, being labelled "weirdo" and being disowned by friends and family. 

“Hey guys, wait! That’s ridiculous! I’m a simple woman. Give me something that suits my personae. You expect me to go to a meeting in those hideous rainbow colours on my head? Are you out of your minds?“ I protested.  “Give me my usual brown” I demanded.  

“What’s the point in doing the same colour again and again?  Experiment a little, welcome the New Year with a bang, Ma’m. It will be fun, I promise”, said one of them.  “Be bold, do something different Ma’m!” said another, trying to cajole me. The argument continued for few minutes but I did not budge. Finally, at end of almost an hour, I was happy to see my crowning glory shining in Golden Mahogany Brown. The hairstylists made fun of me, mocking my expressions while reacting to their suggestions and we all giggled non-stop.

I left with a generous tip and a parting gift received in form of encouragement to get out of my comfort zone ! Maybe, I will never wear Fuchsia, Lilac or Blue in my hair but I think it is time to experiment a little, explore possibilities and get rid of all the inhibitions. And that, is a great realization to usher into New Year with!

And I am not talking only about hair colour here!

2014 has been a great year! Thanks for being part of it!

It is that time of the year when the world goes absolutely bonkers about celebrating the New Year! Due to My mother in law's health, we have already declined a few invitations for the New Year party disappointing some friends and extended family.

This year's New Year celebration is going to be at home, subdued, sans any fanfare. My aim is to find a few hours to unwind, hang loose, not worry about anything and just relax with family and a select few close buddies. 

It is always fun having a small group that enjoys mad conversations ranging from ragging each other to serious in your face conversations on various topics and of course the HUGE doses of laughter triggered by nothing really concrete that can be recalled yet it happens like a magic act from the hat of tricks, with our funny bones on the over drive! 

Oh and how I love watching complete foodies eating my special dishes! Their indulgence is never less than a devotional act! Many fervent proclamations about “light bite” transform into gluttony and it is beyond words to see pleasures of renunciation and nirvana all in circle of plate!!! 

The year of 2014 has been fabulous despite the upheavals in my personal life! This is yet another year that has passed in a jiffy. The year brought in loads to be thankful about and as we usher in the New Year, there are many things to look forward to. 

Thank you very much for being part of this wonderful journey. Wishing you and family a happy New Year! May you find all the happiness in coming year and may your dreams come true! 

See you next week. Rock the party!!

Where has our conscience disappeared?

"Be safe", I say nervously to my son, who is leaving for his college, holding him bit longer than usual in embrace. It is a matter of few hours when he would be home but I am bit restless. That anxiety is uncalled for but it happens every time I learn about tragic events of terrorist attacks in any part of the world. 

I struggle really hard to stay away from writing about events that involve violence and human rights violation because such incidents are extremely painful to cope with, emotionally draining and their impact is too deep to shrug off and carry on with life as if nothing has changed just because I am not affected by it! There is a deeply disturbing trend of cult of hatred becoming a global epidemic endorsed by religious extremists. 

What kind of people, don't flinch before committing heinous, barbaric sins of taking innocent lives? What kind of religion endorses killing in name of its God and honours the culprits as martyrs/heroes? I fail to understand logic behind any religion that demands people from other religions to be killed! It is difficult to fathom politics of hatred that makes inhuman acts of violence not a regrettable necessity but the whole point and make people who subscribe to their ideologies, barbaric savages. With high stakes invested in terrorism, it has become a new currency to establish religious, political and economic power games for global domination. 

The photograph of the dead child's face in the coffin that many photographers documented in recent Peshawar terrorist attack symbolizing the horror of butchered innocent lives of 132 children, is still on my mind giving me sleepless nights!

The photographs, media covering of the Peshawar attacks would remain just an archival data for those who dispense justice. The candle marches, protests, signature campaigns, angry intellectual debates, political blame games have already started waning as other headlines have taken over the eye balls. The calls for world to unite strongly and decimate those "inhuman species" out of our life" are getting feeble. We are done with discussions at the cocktail parties of how Peshawar attacks are "a rude awakening to the perils of religious fanaticism". We would soon forget about this gruesome tragedy, the pain will dilute or remain just a sad memory till such tragedies occur in our own backyard. 

Yeah, we still remain savage as a race bereft of any conscience and this realization is making it difficult to have faith in humanity any more.  

"There is no flag large enough to cover shame of killing innocent people." Howard Zinn. 

Will Indian media learn investigative reporting Mr.Arnab Goswami? The Nation needs to know!

There is a lot to talk about as so many controversies kept buzzing on print and digital space when I was away from this blog past few weeks. But one controversy that boggled me and stood out amidst all the sensation in media was the recent video of two sisters from Rohtak, thrashing up two men for alleged sexual assault while travelling in a bus! Needles to say, it went viral within seconds and what followed was nothing new but yet another proof that Indian media has lost the plot completely. 

Soon after the above mentioned video went viral on social media and the news channels jumped the conclusions declaring the sisters as "brave hearts", the Haryana government announced to honour the two sisters on the occasion of Republic day. And like it always happens, the incident triggered spontaneous ire from women rights activists, with National Commission for Women chairperson Lalitha Kumarmangalam asking the authorities to take appropriate action against the accused. Nothing wrong with all this, if the said video narrates truth and the story has been checked for authenticity before broadcast. The day after this sad incident, there were twists in the tale where a few video clippings and statements of the eye witnesses putting a big question mark on credibility of the "victims".  

The impudence and superficiality of Indian media seems to have taken toll on independent, resourceful and honest journalism. The saddest part is that it is losing its credibility in its chase for "being first to present the news". The Indian media is sadly turning into instant views churning machines without taking pain of doing relevant homework. Watch any news channel and it seems courts have shifted to media with carefully crafted rhetoric and curators of the speeches by Mr. Arnab Goswami and his clan playing role of prosecutor, jury and judge; pronouncing judgments on 24/7 breaking news, setting a very dangerous precedent. The real amusement in this whole charade is the notion of "we are cleaning up the system by purging it of rot," which in reality turns the media into lynch mob inciting anger and instigating people. Oh and nothing can work as effectively as virtuous anger for TRP! And there is always a stiff competition to appear "socially responsible". Facebook, twitter, re-tweets, +1, signature campaigns and candle lit march/walks....oh, there are multiple options these days to find catharsis for our collective conscience. 

Outrage and zero tolerance for any crime are the first steps towards creating awareness about serious issues that we, as Nation are facing. The way to address them is by participating in constructive discussions and working towards finding real solutions. In cases like Rohtak sisters, the media coverage came across as biased, inadequate, sensational, inaccurate, unfair, misleading, irresponsible and damaging. The approach of the coverage reminded me of blood thirsty hounds! Can we stop losing our balance and learn to be careful about not punishing the innocents please?

We, as Nation can't allow Mr. Arnab Goswami and his fraternity to use weapon of trial by media and flash it as medals of distinction! My concern over this growing frenzy is that we could end up sabotaging power of media which is crucial for any healthy democracy. I hope Mr. Arnab Goswami takes a pause from his theatrics of strutting and screaming and for a change listens to what he has been saying/doing all this while. Will Indian media learn investigative reporting Mr.Arnab Goswami? The Nation needs to know! 

Looking for light at end of the tunnel

It has been a while since I had time to post my weekly articles here. I have never missed a single post in all these years since this blog was started and believe me, I feel sad that other priorities of life have taken over and left me with no choice. Sometimes, extraordinary circumstances compel us to shuffle our priorities and it is better that we don't mess with what life demands.  

It is interesting how often I keep writing articles in my mind from the most unthinkable places or in midst of bizarre situations. This post comes to you straight from the hospital where most of our last three months have been spent due to my mother in law's cancer. 

This is yet another stressful evening. I take aimless walks in the corridors outside the ICU, look at the unusually overcast, grey sky from a distant window with my sullen eyes. My mother in law is out of yet another surgery and taken to ICU. She suffered a mild heart attack post surgery. I wonder how much suffering life still has in store for her!

Last evening, as I sat beside her; listening to her yet another session of never ending tales, I witnessed scroll of a long life of seven and a half decades! Life full of tales of brave triumphs, struggles, guilt, bitter admissions, resentments for unfulfilled dreams and above all, a life that despite all the oddities, struggling to hold on to hope which seems to be losing by each day. Her fragile body and mind suffering with psychiatric problems fight to stay agile and relevant in the last lag of life. Have you ever observed, life has completely different meaning when one faces death in its eye? 

Past few months have also changed the dynamics within the family. When tragedy strikes, that happens very often. Some bonds strengthen further and some collapse opening one's eyes to shocking truths about relationships. In last three months, we have been subjected to ruthless scrutiny, insensitive, intrusive remarks by some people leaving us saddened in this tough time when we need moral support from everyone who truly care for us.

Inflicting pain seems to be uniquely human trait because in Nature, creatures kill one another for the sake of food, dominance or territory. Why do we do it? Why do we stand by and watch others passively while they suffer and add to their pain and attain joy out of it?

It has been months since me and my family stopped doing anything that we usually do on a normal, routine day. Ah, the very thought of being able to spare some time for Sunday brunch/movie/art exhibition/spa, relaxing at home, calling friends over or visiting them or just all of us spending a languid Sunday doing absolutely nothing in particular and still having fun  etc seems a very distant possibility! 

Sometimes, weight of love and duty is too much to bear! I am already on the brink, waiting for some respite, looking for some light at end of the tunnel.