Switching to Wordpress :)

Heya!

Was totally bored of Blogger's antics and have shifted my blog to Wordpress now -
See you there! :)

mindcravings.wordpress.com

See you there!

Moi and MAD!

This was published in the Hitavada, Nagpur's supplement called 'Insight' today. I am so happy and proud of the current MAD team in Nagpur which consists of Nachiket Deshpande, Harshil Gupta, Saurabh Bajaj, Bhagyashree Barahate, Ankita Poddar and Pranay Patil. What a great team, fellas! Love the energy.

Just want to spread the word about MAD through my blog! :)

Cooking show overload!

My TV screen is flooded with TV shows about cooking. From Top Chef to Masterchef, from Nigella's Kitchen to Rachel Allen's 'Bake', it's food all around. The latest show that caught my fancy was Top Chef : Just Desserts.

Such a beautiful concept. An entire reality show about pastry chefs and each challenge revolving around desserts. From cakes to fondues, from souffles to pastries, from different types of donuts to what not, a delightful treat for the senses.

My biggest gripe with these shows is that I don't know half of the ingredients they use! My mind boggles with each mention of a exotic ingredient which I have absolutely no clue about. And again, being a vegetarian makes things worse. I am of the strong belief that people should come up with a vegetarian version of Masterchef or Top Chef - that would be something! :D

Apart from that,
these shows make me wish I was a really kick-ass cook. I end up with a feeling similar to the one I had when I finished watching the delightful movie about cooking, 'Julie and Julia' (if you've not watched it, please do - you can thank me later) .. Mmmmmm.. I think I should now get something to eat as all this mention of cooking shows has got my mouth watering.

Bon Appetit! 

To all my blogger friends.

I know so many great writers on Blogger and I really want to share this site with you all.
It's - scribophile.com

It's not a blogging site. It's a site for budding writers to share their work and gain constructive criticism on their works and get constant feedback on their writing. It's a great site if you've ever wanted to make your writings public.

I highly recommend this site to everyone.
Please find me on the site - my username is sukhada

Hope to see you there!

Hola! :D

Who you really are..

When I was a child, I used to be so fascinated by the number of things you could do when you grew up.. you could become an astronaut, or become a pilot, or become a painter or become a teacher.. everything sounded so wonderful, everything seemed so wonderful.

When I was little, I used to think that I would do something not a lot of people do, that I would do a job which was unique, something that would change the world. I used to look at my elder cousins, slogging for their engineering studies and mentally vowed that I would never study what I did not like and would always listen to my heart and do exactly what it says.

But growing up was an experience in itself and it taught me a lot of things of which, as a child, I was unaware. Before I knew it, I was studying to become an engineer, grudgingly at that. Before I knew it, I could no longer listen to my heart and find out exactly what I wanted to do. Before I knew, I had lost all my answers. Before I knew, I was left only with some uncomfortable questions.

Looking back at my childhood, I feel like a owe the 9-year old me an apology that I could not become the person she envisioned me to be. But to the 30 year old that I would be someday, I would want to tell her that I am trying my best, to find my true calling. And that, I have realised, to be yourself is the biggest victory.

How many of us can claim to be ourselves? Truly,honestly ourselves and not a worldly mutation?
Some words I read recently had a deep impact on me and it would be unfair to end this post without sharing them -

It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.

The last Harry Potter movie. Premiered.

This was Trafalgar Square yesterday where hundreds and thousands of Harry Potter fans

camped for the World Premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: II. This photograph in particular makes me so happy that there are people who share the same madness for Harry Potter

as I do. 

If I could, I would travel 7000 miles and more just to watch the world premiere of this amazing movie

franchise of the book that has influenced me to the core. The premiere date for India is about a week away, and I kind of dread that day.. because I know I will end up crying in the movie theatre 

when the last scene of the movie will end.. something beautiful that just kept evolving into 

bigger and better things, is coming to it's eventual end.. there will be no more waiting for new

HP trailers, waiting for the DVDs, then waiting for some trailers again.. my heart knows 

this is not the end, but still, for the ultimate Harry Potter fan, this is the end of another journey. 

The eternal journey continues, for Harry Potter and his friends, live on in my heart.

The great allies.

The picture says it all.

Gem of a movie #1 : Truly Madly Deeply

Now, whenever I come across a movie that must be written about, no matter how old it is, I shall spread awareness about the same through my blog. After watching Alan Rickman as Snape in the Harry Potter series and also after watching him in Die Hard (by chance), I was eager to see his other works.. and the first one that I lay my hands on was a 1990 classic called Truly Madly Deeply.

Truly Madly Deeply (TMD) is about a woman trying to come to terms with the loss of the man she loved - Jamie (Alan Rickman) and how she almost 'wills' him to come back and voila! he returns.. but she knows not what is in store for her.. just when she thought her world revolved around Jamie, life (and Jamie) had other plans for her..

A beautiful film about loving, losing and living.. with superb performances from Alan Rickman and Juliet Stevenson and a supporting act by Michael Maloney, this movie is a great watch. If you are one of those who has truly loved and lost someone, you will value and treasure this movie but no matter what frame of mind you are in, this movie will make you love your loved ones, just a little bit more :)

Asha ki 'kiran'

Today was a special day for Nagpurkars. Today was a special day for me, as I got the chance to attend a public talk by Kiran Bedi on how corruption is India's biggest enemy. It being a Saturday, I knew a lot of people would turn out to listen to her speak, but I did not know Nagpur would generate such a tremendous

response to this personality's arrival in Nagpur.

I was thrilled to be a part of a 5000-people strong crowd, consisting of people from all age-groups, all there 

to be a part of Kiran Bedi's movement against corruption. Without going into the details of what she mentioned in her talk, what struck me the most was the sheer humility that a person of her stature displayed. 

She is one lady who has been named one of the most trusted Indians in a survey by Readers Digest and the most admired Indian female by The Week, another great magazine. 

Just her words are enough to convince a person of her strife and sheer dedication towards a selfless cause - of making India corruption-free, of making India a super-power, of tackling so many problems that the country faces. I had goosebumps by the time she finished her talk and I wished some day I could be 10% of what she is. That someday, I could be able to show such determination and passion about things I stand for and actually make a difference. 

Kiran Bedi, you are inspiring in just so many ways. I am proud to have you as one of my role models. 

Jai Hind! :)

Sach is life :)

Happy Birthday, you wonder of a man! 

38 years to the moment you came to the rescue of a nation who needed to witness a miracle, who needed inspiration.. and though you have reached Godly status in my country, I know you are human, and yet you are not. 

Every person who has watched you knows how you have managed the weight of expectations of a billion+ crazy fans for 20 years. You Sir, are legend.

“The world breaks us all. Afterward, some are stronger at the broken places.”

—	Ernest Hemingway- Farewell To Arms

The irony of life.

Life can be so ironic at times.. and it stares you in the eye at some of the most unexpected moments. I work for a youth volunteer network called Make A Difference (www.makeadiff.in) and as a part of the core team in my city, it's a part of my duty to co-ordinate efforts where these underprivileged children get to know the outside world more and be a part of it.

And that's what we did when we had 4 beauty queens from 4 different nations visit our physically-challenged children from a certain centre. They were Miss Canada, Miss Sweden, Miss Iceland and Miss Mongolia. They interacted with the kids, played games, drew pictures, sang, danced and did everything that would make their time with the children even more fun. Towards the end, the children were in a mood to dance and we put on a Bhangra song for them. The song was 'Saddi Gali' from the recent hit 'Tanu Weds Manu'. You'd say, 'what's so ironic about this?'

But it is..
for a song that says,
'Even though by mistake, come to my lane sometime'

And I saw these kids dance to this song like there was no tomorrow. Children who were living this song, who just want your time and love and consideration. Nothing more than that.. children whose faces light up when you visit them, teach them something new, respect them for the individuals they are.. it was one of the most difficult moments in my life when I realized this irony and tried hard to stop that lone tear from flowing down my cheek.

:')

Ego-check.

Most of times, one is thinking about other people's egos .. other people's ego issues, mind games and what not.. but very rarely do we sit and evaluate our own standing on these parameters. Then come along some stressful conditions and situations which make us sit up and take into account that our own standing
is no matter of a moral high, but questionable to say the least.

Our ego snares up and shows its ugly head when we find it difficult to apologize, boast unnecessarily, cannot take suggestions, will not share problems with our juniors, and do not share credit. It happens before you know it and knowing our mind and heart, those moments keep flashing in your head, drilling into you the fact that your ego needs a big wala check.

It is moments like these when you appreciate the people around you, for tolerating you and your ego, and for never letting go.

Ego comes with a huge appetite.

Ha!

Sometimes you try to be everything..

and everyone..

Yes, sometimes you try to be everything and everyone. This is what I realised a few days back after a
certain event. Sometimes, you have such high expectations from others that lowering the bar for yourself and bringing some tolerance into the equation never comes in the equation. You forget how it was when
you were not good at things someone else required you to do and how you would be treated patiently and kindly when you erred. This is exactly what some things in life teach you, when someone you love and trust, finally shows you the mirror.

High expectations? Yes.
The other crucial factor here is what you want to be and the difference between the idealistic you and the person that you are. Growing up, knowing your parents and their work, you wish to be just like them,
perfect and proficient in their field. And then sometimes you forget that it is their 20 years of experience that makes them who they are and you ALSO forget that Rome was not built in a day. You try to do things like them, you try to see things from their view, you think of how your parents would approach a certain thing and when the idealistic you does not want to disappoint, you start shielding your shortcomings from the people who love and take on more than you can deliver, more than you can complete.

And then, if you are lucky to have such beautiful human beings as your parents as I do, there will come a moment in time when there will be that soft touch on your shoulder, the experienced eye who knows the crumbling self inside, the knowing smile who knows your shaky belief.. who will stop you, hold your hand firmly and tell you

It's alright if you say no. It is alright to be upset. It is alright if you do not do everything. 


It is alright.