Sisters!

She had three bags of clothes and books - two more with some accessories were on the way. Shifting to a new place can be tedious, especially if you have no idea who you would be living with.
She sat inside her room, looking around the tiny spaces allotted to each girl. There was nobody else as the ones living earlier had just left. Inspecting the tiny cupboards she found a small note in one of them. She opened it and reading the heading she had a feeling it was meant for her.

"Hi new girl" - it read

She was bored and thought it was no harm in reading a small note.

"So you must either be working or studying, in any case you do have friends."

She nodded her head, it was like someone was speaking to her in real.

"But let me tell you something straight, you won't be making friends out here."

She thought it was a prank and was about to throw the letter but then she read the next line.

"I was the drama queen of the previous group that reigned here. So making this as cheesy as possible, let me tell you something. Yes,you will not make friends here, cos you are going to make sisters here"

She smiled at the description and turned the page over.

"I was here when I had no idea about anything in my life. I did have friends in college, but as they say at one point you need to prioritize and I guess I was on the priority list of very few. When alone I came to this very room,where I met many others who were alone too, away from home.

We started off like any friendship would, we were a group of friends with different personalities. A drama queen that was me, a florence nightingale who cared for everyone, a Rapunzel with the longest hair, a cute silly girl who would kill us with her pj's, a silent wit - naughtiest yet looked innocent, selfie queen who did everything in life for a picture and a temporary replacement who came in for a few days. All from different places, we met here at this hostel.
We lived together for a long time, obviously I cannot write the whole of our era, do not want to pen down a book. But I just want you to know a little on the small group of girls who lived here before this, maybe you may carry forward the legacy and have a sisterhood of your own.

So once you share your wardrobe, check out guys together, sleep on the terrace gazing at the moon and discuss every silly and serious issue possible including how to kiss, what are the latest ISRO developments and where to find cheap clothes. You will have that one girl who you shall hate from the bottom of your heart, guess what your sister sorority does not approve her either.

Right from sneaking out for a party together, planning to place a prank on the landlord, go on suddenly planned get away trip, break the in time rules, get electrical cooking appliances without permissions, shout out happy bdays at 12am for the whole area to stay up, judge all the profiles on the matrimony sites where your roommates are registered, dance in joy when someone finds a 'bichara' for marriage, be the sexiest group of bridesmaid at her wedding and cry your heart out in their 'vidaai', so much so that the relatives need to be confused on why were you guys crying so much.

People say you cannot chose family, we did chose tho, a family of sisters. We were there for each other and we shall always be - cos the friendship turned into a bond, a bond that cannot be broken!

But as they say nothing is permanent in this world, we did separate. Some married, some moved ahead, in the end all of us took different roads. But we still remain connected, we know each other transform from the immature college pass out in search of a job to a new city into a little mature version, who probably has faced some of the bitter truth of life.
So after the best two years of my life when I am saying a final good bye to this place, I hope you find your sister hood too, have a bond that cannot be broken. I regret I had no hostel in college, but better late than never. Friendship is easily tampered with but love of the sister with a different blood will never get lost!"


She finished reading the note, wanting to know more on what the girls did and how they lived here. She was searching for some other note, when another girl entered the room.

"Hi, Radhika" said the new girl holding a purple coloured bag.

She stopped and stared at her.

"Hey, Sarah"

"I am your new roommate" said Radhika

Sarah looked at the note and then wondered what role was Radhika going to play in the new sorority. She smiled at her, listening to Radhika talk nonstop about her life. She wondered if she should show her the note, but decided  not to do it right away, probably wait for the right time.

Just saw Queen - inspired! !

A girl in her early 20's living in a town in India all set to marry her boyfriend, but hey you know what the boyfriend just found out that she was too lame to be with her since he has studied in United Kingdom now! So what would a normal girl do, cry, cry and maybe cry all day and all night.  But it is not necessary to be crying after a guy leaves you for his own selfish reasons, this is what Queen has taught y of so many girls out there.

Yes, Rani did cry but very soon she also realizability she had a better life out there, a life which she would live for herself and nobody else! I am not writing a review for Queen, it is something I don't feel like doing. This blog post is for all those Rani's who are out there confused and trapped in expectations from parents, peer pressure from relatives to get married and lousy boyfriends who would break up for any effing reason.

So, one fine day in my hostel every girl either was facing a relationship issue or a parental crisis. This is quite a common scene in most of the hostels with girls over 23. Our age group is so confused with what the society wants us to do that we almost forget that we have a life our own too

In one incident a girl was asked to wear a saree and meet the guy holding a tray of tea cups for his family. THEN the guy and girl were asked to go in to speak to each other in privacy - a typical Vivaah movie scenario. What was annoying was that the guy instead of speaking to her was busy on his cell phone and he though the girl was a small townie just because she was speaking to him marathi and not English. So while the girl was in a saree and preferred to speak in her mother tongue, it did not mean she never wore gowns and had no idea what English was.

Quite contrary to the last one, in this incident the guy and girl were in a relationship before marriage. After two years the girl joined a multi national company, went to social parties,  was outright and modern. The guy dumped her one fine day, reason, she was too ambitious to have a family with her. The guy did not even know the plans of this gi r like who wanted to quit job after marriage, have kids, decorate a garden and cook good food.

So the already confused woman is now stuck in between being ambitious and modern or traditional and family oriented! Cos surely even if she is capable of a balance, the men aren't capable to see that. It is not that all men are like that, there are a few dreamy fairy tale guys who exist, just that they take a lot of time to show up! So I love the part where Rani goes on her honey moon alone,  does everything that she dreamt with him alone and eventually she has more fun. Our lives are also good with the dreams with our guys, but have we ever thought of dreaming for ourselves alone?

Why do we always need a man to comfort us? Like Rani can't we just find our own selves? Why can't we get thin and diet for our health and not a guy who wants to see us set,  why not just cut your hair as you want and not stop cos your guy likes longer hair, why stop dreaming of traveling the world alone just cos he dreams of staying home? Each one of us needs to open up the gates. Just close your eyes and imagine your life without your dominating and make chauvinistic boyfriend or husband around, life might just get much more interesting. And yeah never forget the end of Queen - cos it's the one that gives hope to all those women who are either ditched for being too fair or too dark, too ambitious or too bland,  too beautiful or too ugly and too simple or too modern, never take a man back who is too egoistic to love you and too selfish to just to live himself and no one else... you are better off without these  judgmental freaks, wait for your hero he will come, even if a late entrant, he will be there soon!!

This blog post is not a gender equality or women empowerment
, it is simply for all the women who need to remain stronger and use the break ups and heart aches as a way to grow more in life..

A valentine's special post!

Her parents were not going to accept this relationship whatsoever, but today she was going to try her best to tell them the truth. She walked towards the kitchen where her mother was cooking breakfast for them all.

"Ma, I need to tell you something"

"Is it important? I have a lot of preparations to do for the evening"

"Yes it is regarding the same"

Her mother stared at her for sometime and replied, "I know you are nervous so I have called Diva to help you out"

She stood there silently while her mother continued serving the upma. She wanted to speak and this was the right time, but she knew she needed more than just strength to say what she wanted to.

All day passed by while she was thinking of what to do and how to avoid this situation. Around 4 in the afternoon her mother came in with a dress.

"Your father has asked you to wear this one if you like it, he says you look really pretty in blue"

"Yeah she definitely looks great in blue" said a voice from outside the door. It was Diva,  her childhood friend. They had spent almost all their life together and knew each other quite well. She did not respond to Divya comments and trying to avoid her presence she started changing into the dress her mother had got. Her father had invited a probable proposal to meet her today, she could not say no and had to meet the boy.

"Divya please get her ready, they will be here in an hour"

The two girls were quiet, she was trying her best not to make eye contact with Divya and Divya was trying her best to remain quite. They both knew that whatever was happening was not right and if the boy says yes there will be no scope for her to reject the proposal. Just when Divya was about to ask her something, there were some voices coming from the living room.

"I think they are here, I should go help aunt in the kitchen"

She had a tear rolling down her left cheek as Divya walked towards the kitchen. Wiping her face she got ready to go out.

She was waiting near the living room entrance when her mother called her out. It was the usual arrange marriage setup where the boy's family  was asking her questions and in some time the two were left alone to speak to each other. All the while she could not take it, she lived someone else and all this was not right at all. Soon after the meeting was over and she went in the bedroom, Divya was waiting for her there.

"How was he? Tell me more of the meeting, am really excited!"

"Why are you pretending this?"

"Pretending what?"

"You are making it worse for me, why did you even come?"

"To let you know that I am with you in whatever decision you make. I know what you are going through"

She started crying a lot, Divya hugged her tight and tried to console her.

"I know you love me and that is all that I need from you, I don't need a marriage with you to know that you love me too"

Sobbing, she finally hugged Divya, the love of her life , the love that nobody would ever understand or even try to understand. The two friends were together ever since they could remember. The same school, same college and lived in the same neighborhood. The two of them helped each other sneak out to meet their respective boyfriends and the two of them were there to cheer up each other during a break up. It was once when she was at Divya house when they were sitting next to each other talking of love that they accidentally kissed. It was natural and very spontaneous. They were in love with each other and not friends as the world perceived them to be. Now after being together for 2 years as lovers, they knew things would not go any further. They knew they lived in a society where even normal couples had to go through moral policing and honor killings if fallen in love, they definitely held no chance of being together with the acceptance of their families or the so called society who has set rules which can bend according to time and need.

# I do not know why but even though we say that we or our generation is open to everything, we still are narrow with our thinking. I felt ashamed of myself when I realised that even I was a part of people who would laugh or call someone gay just like that. Is it wrong being gay or lesbian?  Is it wrong loving someone? I don't think so, I mean I am straight but I still cannot figure out what love exactly is, then how can we say that their love is wrong? A small blog post to respect the ones who have found love irrespective of caste, age or gender...

The X

Just the title is intriguing enough for people to read further, the X, a single alphabet which has been haunting man kind since childhood. I remember when I was studying in 5th and my math teacher caressing his big ugly beard pointed at the board and said to me, 'SOLVE THIS'. All I could read and understand in the problem written on the board were the last two words, Find X. 

Since then The alphabet X is been puzzling, confusing, annoying and to some extent even heart breaking. As I grew up I realized X was not just something who had lost its value, but it was also an attribution to someone or something who gave up from playing an important part in your life. You like it or not, there is an expiry date to every relationship, after which it is prefixed with a X.

Today I suddenly got attracted and affected by this alphabet because of something that happened on one of the Whatsapp groups in the morning. So this was one of the groups where you actually never bother to reply and is filled with people from the past with whom you have no idea of what to converse with. 

So, I was in a fix and had no idea how not to pay attention to a group which was wishing my X boyfriend with birthday wishes and my X bestfriend was talking of the old gold days we had together. Yes, I did mute the group, but to some extent it was a little tough not reading those messages. 

In 22 years of my life, I have got my fair share of X's, be it the relationships, friendships or enemies for that matters. But never have these left my life forever, they have always been there to remind me of my past and occasionally scare me of it too. However I convince myself that I will not get affected and ignore the sole dramatic alphabet, it never really happens.

In 22 years of my life, I have got my fair share of X's, be it the relationships, friendships or enemies for that matters. Yes, they have never entirely got out of my life and there were elements of both good and bad times with them that I remembered at times.I am still concerned of what my X bestie is up to (and honestly I know it's kind of bitchy, but I hope they are paying for the sins committed), I always want to know if my X has got a new girl (and I love it when people say with disgust on their faces 'It is HER instead of YOU) and I always end up being friends with people I hated or who thought I was too bossy (They get used to my typically dominating self I guess ).

And today after receiving messages and calls wishing me happy birthday on the X's birthday (totally lame sarcasm and an old thing I did in 50's probably), I do accept the fact that the X plays an important role in changing everyone's life. If I did not have an X relationship, I would have never got a chance to find one where I was happy (and a relationship where I did not get liffe threatening calls from the berserk mom to leave his son alone). If I did not have an X bestfriend, I would have never understood life beyond being happy soul sisters! It is now I got to revamp my life and make a new thing out of what I was. 

All I have learnt so far is that whoever leaves you by choice and does things to be the X in your life, they are actualy doing a favor to you. They help you to discover yourself and it would be a foolish someone to not take the most of the opportunity provided. So,today I would like to thank all those who are currently my X buddies and bestfriends and all that crap! Thank you.. You made me what I am today, and let me tell you I love myself for what I am today!!

I love party, I am a party person!!

After one of my friends has said to me, "I love to party, I am a party person", I have been thinking of what exactly is a party person? While a dictionary states that it is a wild species which cannot be found easily and has his/her habitat in a bar,pub,lounge and so on, I was wondering when was the last time I had seen or even heard this lady of being in any of the shelters of these species. 

I mean, yes I can get most of the rich brats and bitches going to a disc every night and paying thousands on drinks and dope. I understand they are petty little creatures screaming for attention as most of them don't get that at their homes. But when I talk of the Mango people - Aam Admi - I find it difficult to absorb anyone going to a Miami or One on a regular basis. Either you are a big burden to your parents or you have found a dumb kid with a rich dad as your friend!! In either of the cases, you are more of an outsider to the community bdw!

When explained by this nice little friend that she loves to and hence the party and therefore she is a party animal; trust me, I lost all the little intellect I have been developing in these sane few years.

When I shared part of this incident to a few friends I talk sense with, we had a good discussion on this. There is a wrong conception of party person or party animal to most of us. Yes, love to dance and have a drink occasionally in a pub is a good way to recreation, but it does not even make you anyone close to being a party lover. 

There were a few times wherein this pretty sweet woman had spoken of loving GOA for instance, because she loves parties. Now seriously, GOA is a place for people who love dope, who love sex (on the beach) and who know what the combination of Metallica and weed is, these days loving GOA for booze is also cliche and wanna be - something all my 'grass' loving friends would totally agree to!! 

This blog is not of a particular person or any specific friend, it is just about how we need to grow up now. It is time we realize that there are many things in this world which we will not understand, but still trying to do them or be them will make us nothing less than a wanna be... 

And yeah am not just talking of all the pseudo party animals, there are so many I know who have gotten into hukkah, weed, booze and drugs because - I AM COOL , I PARTY, I DRINK, I DOPE. There is cult of people who know how to party, if you are one of them kudos to you. Similarly, there are groups of people who know what grass is and some realize how to drink, if ou cannot fit in and then do not force to. 

Not encouraging any one to get into any bad habits, but even if you want to try, do not push yourself and stay only if you belong.

(To all the geniuses who would be like 'WTF, even she goes partyn, I saw the FB and Insta uploads - Yes, I too party and go out to pubs or lounges, but that is exclusively when it is girl's night. We friends though love getting all decked up to dance in neon lights, know for a fact that it was pointless to spend 300-350 rupee on a freaking pint (I would not even want to look at the cocktail side of the menu!)

Dress well or you 'll die in hell ...

Each time my mom told me that you must dress explicitly well to make people take you seriously, I laughed. I always believed in “Karna judges you” and cared the least of what I was wearing and concentrated more on my work, but I guess it is just me who thinks this and thankfully a few other friends.

After two back to back incidences yesterday, I have come to a conclusion where people are going to judge you with your appearance and language.

Yesterday, it was me and two of my friends who wanted to meet for a drink after work. All three of us discussed on how shabily dressed we were in simple cotton made kurtis and rugged jeans – but hey what does that have to do with us having a drink!

Finally we decided to meet at a bar lounge in a posh commercial complex in Parel. Even though we succesfully went through this big maze like complex to enter the building, got our bags checked and ourselves checked for almost a dozen times and literally one of my friend hit himself bad passing through some sharp plastic thingy that closes itself down without any warnings, we did all of it to go to this lounge!!

Now, we were meeting after a long time and were speaking more in marathi (Kolhapuri marathi to be precise). So I am not sure if it was the language or the clothes, but as soon as we went in the bar and were choosing a good bean bag seat wala table, the manager just walked in to us with another waiter I suppose. They asked us for our id's and questionned us as like we were some school going kids crashing parties. At this time, we do know that there are restaurants and bars who have to follow a procedure to check for ID cards before serving drinks, but there is a polite or rather I should say an equal way of doing things. And I know this for a fact that they do not check for ID cards of everyone because it was just a week back that I had been there with some other office mates and no ID were checked– difference in the two groups, in the office one we were all blooy dressed up in shorts, one pieces and stuff and we were speaking in the so called ELITE language of english.

I was frustrated with the treatment, come on, everyone would be!! But somehow we let go and walked to some other resto in some other bloody tower like this one. We noticed the already present crowd there were filled with women wearing not longer than knee length dresses (to make it short, they were all dressed up and in high heels) and all of them speaking in English (though some of them just spoke dumb, but hey who cares that is english and we likey english). Looking at them we decided not to go inside and instead had coffee in a coffee house on the same floor. We had fu there cos there was no judging happening there. But the bliss did not stay for long!

Before proceeding ahead, through this small little blog piece of mine, I would like to request all those big grand towers in any freaking metropolitan city to keep direction boards (proper) if you expect people to find the exit and enter on their own. We got lost in the labyrinth while returning back and after finding the exit what we got was a bunch of guards stopping us for an interrogation again!!

When we answered in Marathi (he was lucky we did not use the Kolhapuri slang), he tells us that the security was in search of us for running around here and there in the building. Dude, we were practically called tresspassers and fugitives ever after spending 530 bucks for three freaking coffees!!!!

But when the next moment one of us said “What the fuck, we just followed the instructions given by the guard at the fire exit”

We got freedom and were sent out without any prosecution - YAY!!

Apat from the humor we had, we thought about the whole incident. Yes, before this too we have been to many places but never did we not dress up. Isnt't it discrimination? I mean, how can people get so judgemental that we have to wear heels after work if we want to have a drink at a so called good place.

Even if the dressing is pardoned, the language is such a big issue for people here. I thought it was for political benefits when certain ministers shouted out that people out of the state do not learn the mother tongue here. But I feel it is not the ones from outside at fault here – because it is not be a ROMAN in ROME policy here, it is quite the opposite. There are many natives who do not like speaking in Marathi, not just that, there will be many naives again who will look at you in a way that maybe means – what village are you from? If ou are talking in Marathi at certain so called “classy places”

What the fuck is becoming more effective in our country than chutiya these days, buckets of ice are poured on heads over saving a bucket of water, weraing full clothes is behen – ji and wearing shorter ones is provocating people to rape, beautiful even if dumb is better than intelligence, wanna be is not dancing with a beer glass in hand on music you understand shit about, but wanna be is trying to enjoy a couple of drinks at a good place in simple clothing along with using non english/hing – lish as a means of conversation..

(A tip - do you wear comfortable clothes? – If yes, YOU ARE A CULPRIT, YOU CANNOT ENTER A LOUNGE IN A GOOD BUILDING WITHOUT BEING LOOKED AT AS WANNA BE'S WANTING TO FIT IN A CROWD AND DEFINITELY CANNOT GET LOST HOWEVER CONFUSING THE FREAKING BUILDING ROUTES ARE.)

Yes, am single!!

So are you single?" I asked him in a causal manner, it wasn't flirting just a curiosity maybe. When I saw him for the first time, he was busy trying to gulp down a Mojito. It was clear that he was a newbie in this field when he made yanky faces.

"Definitely, I am a free man who is going to enjoy his life to all extents" I still could not believe him, the statement was sarcastic and there were no two thoughts in it.

"So just broke up?"
He did not reply and sipped in a beer he had ordered after the mojito. This confirmed he was a new - who drinks a beer and mojito back to back?

"Oh. So she left you or you dumped her? Let me guess, she cheated on you or your love reduced with time?" I know I was piling on him with these questions but I had this need of wanting to know people and their stories. After all I was the sexiest  bar tender in the club. And luckily the bar was running with low customers giving me ample of time to chit chat with this oddly handsome and attractive guy. Yes, I found him good even with a stupid French beard that did not suit him, a 'cool quoted' t-shirt and a colorful chino.

"Have you ever heard of a couple in love since year and decide to marry?"

"Are you talking of Snow White or Cinderella? Oh I know it is a Bollywood thing?"

"No it is my thing"

"So did your girlfriend die?"

He gave me a weird look, a look that maybe meant shut up. But before I could ask him another question, there was a loud 'thump'. Just three drinks and he passed out!! Thanks to the bouncers we took him to the lounge manager's chamber. And here I am waiting to listen to how her girlfriend died, it can become a story just like the many Indian Fiction books. Or maybe she is just not dead, maybe the parents got in. Or maybe another better guy who can handle more than two drinks. Who knows what! And this is intriguing me. I so wish to slap him and get him in his senses, guess will have to wait.