Wild West Delhi Women!!!

Uff! I hit my hand to my forehead even before i can begin telling you about this one! Last night was when my sweet lil cousin bro asked me to attend his friend's sangeet with him...i asked him where it was..."some five star" he said, i agreed and dressed to avoid the chill...a long overcoat, heels, and a nice black top.

Wait a minute, we missed something here, the 'five-star hotel' was in pitampura...oops! Anyway, 'how bad can it be? i thought? just a bunch of folks celebrating...and i get some daaru in my belly...what else could one ask for?', He missed telling me more, "My friend's a sardar", 'OH-KAY THEN!', Bracing myself for loud music and lotsa chicken we kept going, into the darkness of the night, through the ghettos...

The first thing that caught my eye when we entered was the sight of yellow fur...a human size canary was preening all over the place and had left her little trademarks a.k.a. little yellow feathers all over the chairs the stage, i'm sure everyone had a little feather on them sometime during the night...she was the groom to be's sister...hoo boy!

She was carrying a yellow feather stole...i mean can you believe it???? Her outfit was yellow, and if i could see her facial features, i'm sure her lips and eyes would be yellow too!!!

Just as i had enough time to adapt to her style of dressing...there passed by a whole parade of razzlers and dazzlers...or chamakchallos if you prefer...so much shiny stuff...not only on their outfits but on their faces and hair as well...i wonder if they've ever heard of the term, "inner glow" or "radiance"? To them these concepts would have reached as 10X the volume or shimmer..or whatever!

Then there were those aunties who were wearing revealing stuff...cross-backed fully embroidered outfits that did nothing for the way they looked...maybe it did for the way their husbands looked because all that jazz don't come for free!

In my last post on the dress sense of the men in west delhi, i think i overlooked the fact that women here dress weirdly as well...but why? Why can't you try and look beautiful instead of trashy? Why are the vamps of hindi daytime soaps your inspiration? Of which reminds me, this lady who was like in her late thrities had on a CLOTH PATCH on her back as a tattoo!!!

Yes!!! its TRUE!!! People actually do that in real life!!! This leads me to declaring Exta Kapoor and her natak paltan as a serious hazard to our comrades (i'm not socialist!) in west delhi...they need help...save em!!! Please!!!

After the rains...

Today the rains swept into our little town like an unexpected, but very welcome visitor! It was a sunny day but constant gusts of cool winds made it pleasant...just a hour back, the rain drummed upon the roofs of gurgaon, announcing its presence...the air was infused with the scent of silt...it was chilly, yet perfect!

Ms. Skeeter was with me, and just like the rain, she was a very sudden and very welcome visitor! We ate sweet potatoes from the street vendor as we marched up back into the haven of the mall...the scents from body shop au naturel products pleasantly lingering on to us...aah days as beautiful as this are hard to come by...it was perfect :)

thank god for small blessings :)

Gurgaon at Dusk

Whatever i could capture while driving...!

Today...

Today was the worst of all days...never felt this low...even when things were bad...i never let myself feel so bad...but today, i did.

I had to go attend a class but on my way i changed my mind, bought two ultramilds and began, yet again driving aimlessly with stupid truck drivers staring and honking...

I don't know why but after such a long time i feel compelled to smoke again, i feel like i can't handle things, or i don't want to in a rational manner. Anyway after one and a half hours of driving i decided to visit a lil cafe on arjun marg called sweet obsession.

I just wanted to be alone so in the middle of my second chai this really nice looking man who i assumed, was having his late lunch at 3pm said hello...i responded.

He said, "you're looking sad today..."
"Yeah...we all have our days i guess.."
He came over and sat at my table...His name was David, an american from San Fransisco...he's a spiritual tur guide who comes to India twice a year with an entire group of people...they go to places like rishikesh and calcutta...he lives life on the principles of parmahansa yoginanda...we talked about a lot of things except why i was sad, because that disappeared the moment the conversation began.

I've never spoken so freely with a stranger before but it felt nice.

I had to get up and leave, and though it had been a nice time chatting...we didn't exchange any contact information because i guess we both knew that in life people come and go, what's important is the one moment you share with happiness sans give or take...

It was a lovely afternoon mr. david, i hope you'll always be the smiling cheerful person that you are. You made me feel better.

Thanks!

Pillons and Pops

To whomever it may concern (though it should be of grave concern to anyone who's ever sat in a vehicle or has a family, so basically, its everyone),

I would like to express my concern for families with 2.5 members or more. Families that cannot afford four wheel transport and rely mostly on two wheels to transport them from anywhere to anywhere.

Little babies balanced precariously on the arms of a waiflike mother who is also trying her best not to let her saree come undone, the handbag, the heavy poly bag with maybe the day's groceries, the baby is almost lost.

I don't care about the groceries or the poly bags, what i do care about are the babies. The future, our future. You know, this callousness in terms of every aspect of child care in India pisses me off BIG TIME!

We show clear disregard for a child's safety, yet if chunnu wants an extra chocolate (yes chunnu is a boy), chunnu shall get it! And not because he has earned it either...that much is pretty clear even to chunnu, he has a weener, so he figures that little people with weeners get pretty much what they want.

A note to all reading this, i know this is not true for a lot of educated families rich or poor, my mail is purely targetted at people who are sleep walking their lives away, and in this case, in terms of child care.

So, back to the point, my question to you is, WOULD HAVE A CHILD IF YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO OWN AND SUSTAIN A CAR? MUCH LESS A WIFE? (wife part is a different story, many budgets to choose from!) anyway, back to my question, would you?

Do you think its fair to bring a child in this world if you can't even bother to learn how to hold your infant properly?

My personal take on this would be this, before having a child, i would need sensitivity and a great deal of it directed at my baby's needs before i can even concieve the IDEA of having one!

Then comes in the money part, desire always preceeds the means so finances are a close second. I know this stuff might sound elementary to most of you, but nobody ever talks about it...i wonder if anyone ever thinks about this stuff...

I would like a bill to be passed that bans pillon riders from piling up, i.e. not 2.5 people, but a maximum of 2. No third child standing in the front while papaji goes from karol bagh till baljeet nagar...

Please let me know your views on this

he listens as i speak of the oceans
my words ebb and flow like waves
the tide hasn't yet arrived.

I am afraid of baring my soul
he hasn't yet, i don't know if he ever will.

today i let down my pride
told him my troubles then bitterly cried.
found this hard to do.
sometimes life feels so overwhelming.

this is how i can reach out i guess.
i dont know, hope it all works out for the best.
really wish i could tell him all openly so he could comfort me but i couldn't,

looks like life's gonna be one unexpected ride.

A slice of heaven

I took this picture at 8:45 am today. Didn't know that the haze would affect the lighting and make it look like early pm. I love the effect though. Its gorgeous. Seems like a still from heaven :)

Today I just let the words flow ceaselessly, no ‘topic’ on my mind here…its like what the wise have been saying…stay in the moment, focus on it and you will enjoy life a lot more…just trying to incorporate that I guess J

Life is so difficult at times and its then that one learns to enjoy it…right now life is hard, my career is getting a serious start…I’m at that age when I can’t escape and say, “oh, I’ll work later…I’m bored of my job”, not a princess anymore J though I do want to own an empire…so queen’s more like it ;)

Nowhere to run or escape to, this is what makes me feel more grown-up…and when you face shit at work you without thought try to pass it onto others, making it a bad environment for everyone to work in…I stopped myself just in time and corrected that so I’m happy…

The one thing through my struggles I will not give up is the good in me. The person who is an idealist. I won’t stop believing in people and the miracles that they can achieve because if I or you stop doing that and become people who ‘know it all’ then we can’t go too far and we won’t be much fun to hang around with…

Our lives our enriched by people and people are complicated. They cause more troubles than ease at times and yet, life without each other would be bland…so before we complain or put someone down, we should think for a second as to how that person really contributes to anyone or anything…maybe that would make us more tolerable people, people who are sophisticated in a truer sense of the word.

We have forgotten to take a moment before we speak, think or act…life could be a lot worse…remember that, and smile for all the nice things you have in your life Today.

of mallika sherawats and roadside dhabas...in true haryanvi style!

Today, of all days was romantic yet hectic...i wish cellphones could be switched off without having to hear the other person complaining as to why or how could you do such an unfair thing to them. To them??? hah.

I had a date, in three parts, on the same day! The day started with me visiting cocoa cola's office (i NEVER consume aerated drinks no matter what they say!) then i met up with cute punjabi guy to watch pyaar ke side effects, barring the irritant phone calls, the movie was brilliant...okay, maybe not brilliant, but entertaining for sure!

Mallika sherawat was...well, pure mallika, outright, bold, unafraid of being wrong...and mr. bose, seems to have lost his intellectual superiority complex which is a welcome change! This was one coupling i was dying to see! And guess what! It paid off!

Then in the spirit of the true haryanvi, we headed off in the general direction of well, haryana! Basically, we stopped way before the toll booth on NH 8 but the drive was nice, there was quite an interesting scattering of people & sights to see...like a little girl in a salwar kameez outside a tea stall, squatting on the roadside and scrubbing the tea pan with all her might....a white chevrolet parked beside a hut in a farmland and a few prosperous looking farmers sitting around and discussing things with an air of pride and respect...a look that i rarely see on people's faces any more...

Finally, after rejecting a dhaba because of its dismal air, we were able to find one which was perfect, because a) We were the only patrons, b) the propreitor had planted some white flowers in small rectangles spaced evenly from each other which made it look dreamy and happy...there were also two very interesting looking rooms made entirely of bamboo sticks one was called the VIP room simply because it had a fan, and the second one was called a family room, though why a family would want to sit there evades me.

Anyway, sitting there in the setting sun watching the highway traffic speed past and a cool breeze playing with us, the setting couldnt have been better! Ofcourse the chai was yummy, i could'nt believe that a dhaba would serve tea with such little amounts of sugar...the pakoras were good too, but right now my tummy's started complaining mildly...let's hope all is well until tomorrow!

We parted ways at 8 and a hour later as i went out for an after dinner walk, we met again! I'm not one for taking risks at all, they scare me...

But it was surely worth taking, and i'm so glad he didnt insist on making me stay for a little while longer...I ran back home like a 'fraidy rabbit when we said goodbye...

Life is being sweet to me again!

Its been a beautiful day :)

Good night!

Wine & Tonino...

Sounds like the perfect evening? Yes it was! A little walk through a cobbled and lit passage way that delicately threaded its way through a garden, a lovely cool evening breeze beckoning us to stay outdoors and yet, we could'nt help but step inside the welcoming, dimly lit interiors of tonino...

We asked to be seated at the waiting area for drinks preceeding dinner because well, it was beautifully lit with big candles and the sofas were very comfy.

For a woman, it was a perfect place because everything there was a compliment, the flickering candle lights, the music, the fragrance, the courtesy...yes, it makes you a romantic even if you're not.

And trust me, i was smitten :)

The music was a cross between swing jazz (some of it latin) and some romantic songs, none of the variety that you might have heard a zillion times before. Infact, it seemed like it had been handpicked by someone with a great love for music and the place because it complemented both.

The lighting was a key factor to enjoying the place. Dont ever go there if you're in a hurry, its perfect for 4-hour lunches or even dinner for that matter and the authentic fire heated oven makes for interesting viewing :)

Coming to the food...it was yummy. You won't love it right away, nope, especially not if your taste buds have been spoilt by butter chicken and dal makhani or even spaghetti makhani (which is what you'll get in most food courts!). No, this is a place where you need to taste with your senses, all of em!

The smell of freshly ground pepper, the authentic sun dried sour tomatoes...the taste of extra virgin olive oil and a glass of red wine (in this case, two :) )...very sensual...

Yes, i've hopelessly fallen for a place that's run the way i'd like to run my own restaurant!

Oprah says, God is in the details, at Tonino, i couldnt agree more, even the walk to the ladies room was a pleasure, the layout of the washrooms was something like a maze that the aztecs contrived.

It was a pleasure, and even more so with the person who introduced me to it :) thank you, i can't do it enough!

United Coffee House

Okay, so here we were the bpt gang at CP...wondering where to go before our minds produced a big '0' like the place...

"United coffee house!" i said...tiny said, "why?"

dd said "okay" (poor guy, didnt know what he just agreed to...

i said, (in my best whiny, traumatised, deprived kid voice) "well because as a kid, i've always wanted to go there!"...

they didnt have a choice but to comply..hehe...

Honestly though, i have always wanted to go there...i thought that the day i would, i'd be alone and i would be this gorgeous mysetyreious 30 something sipping...well maybe not a cosmo, but let's settle for...an old monk with coke! And i'd be all alone and people would look at me and wonder, "who is she?"

Yes i have strange fantasies, and trust me as you get to know me, they just get quirkier! But anyhow, here we were, the three of us, i, looking nowhere close to the mysterious lonesome lady...and thankfully, not close to my 30s yet...the place was packed and the crowd could be segregated into two groups:

a. the leering politician types
b. the relatively decent and non-leering politician types

The three of us were marched up to the first floor and seated next to some leering types who thankfully, i could not see from my vantage point. Tiny could, and she was upset...

We ordered some chai and samosas (which i hated) and some sandwiches (which i liked)...i loved pouring the tea from the tea pot and figuring out how to use em tea bag strainers...i love pouring milk into tea water...when the milky colour bursts into a bright tan, it looks so happy! :)

Anyway, in refusing my childhood fantasy of this place being crushed, i commented, "you know! this feels like a girls meal out, just like sex and the city, except that dd's a guy and well, sex is off limits, " i grinned.

They both sighed in unison and ignored me, i swear sometimes i feel like this overtly talkative kid in their company whose grown up mates ignore him/her and then i just sipped my tea in silence....

anyway, point is, i still somehow liked the place because it has the distinct flavour of delhi in it, impersonally busy, lots of politics (alongwith the dunhills, its pretty much in the air!)...the food and the service reminds me of the chelmsford club, slow distracted yet things somehow manage to get done!

I loved it, and i'm going there again, maybe in my older woman garb! :P

see you there!

men and fashion and west delhi!

Yes, if you combine these three things i.e. men, fashion and west delhi, what you have my friends, is a receipie for disaster!

imagine this, tight red sleevless t-shirt, hairy skinny arms, a belt with a buckle bigger than...oh well...you cant blame one for being ambitious! You get the drift! If you witness all this on one person, you've just met the West Delhi Man! He has an obvious accent (british or american, we're still figuring out!), a big car, big wallet, a big mouth complemented by a bigger ego....

When one is subjected to such glaring 'fashion' , one wonders what happened to good old classic dressing? Men in tuxedoes, or if casual, then simply in classic colours? A girl looking for her prince charming would be greatly disillusioned if she originally envisioned him in a white ralph lauren shirt and classic blue levi's. If that very combination were to emerge on a man from West delhi (somehow), the first five buttons would be undone to reveal an obviously shaved chest (yes, stubble shows there as well!!!), and maybe pointed toe shoes with metallic tips and oodles of gel and an overdose of Eternity....

i'm gasping for breath already! But the thing that discerns these men from the rest (read: boring, regular men!) is large bottoms that are stuffed into jeans or trousers, two sizes too small! yep, the effect? Something a packing and moving expert would take two hours to stuff in a bag, and everything below the waist looks as though its been 'ballooned'. It worked for Marlyin guys, sorry, its clearly not working for you!

Coming to the gait, well, think feigned nonchalance crossed with bulging bottoms oscillating rhythymically to a precise beat...

As critical as it may sound, what's being really targetted here is the reflection of an attitude. An attitude that is passe, it needs to GO. Dudes, your women are far prettier and deserve way better, dont you think its time something changed?

In this Moment.

As I run barefoot over the sun kissed sand
Alone, free and totally happy...
As the sea breeze caresses my face, lovingly
engulfing me with serenity...

As the first drop of rain falls onto my face...
Bringing with it the secrets of the oceans..
Their stormy stories, swept up by passion..
All contained in a little diamond drop that traveled travelled thus far
Makes a small trip further still, from cheek to jaw...
Filling me with wonder and awe, at all that its been through
Rising from the depths of the seas...to tell me tales of afar...

I lift my head up to the skies and think once again...
How grateful I am, to live a life so rich, so coloured with joy...
Deepened by sorrow, enhanced by the senses

Life is so wonderful, i'm just getting to understand its effersevent essences!

The Red Pickup Truck

I see a long winding road in the countryside, the way you would if you were in a helicopter. Fields, radiant with golden yellow harvests and right there, in the middle of it all, a bright red pickup truck making its way along the snake-like road. I watch from the skies. Having risen long ago from this world, I keep coming back to be with my daughter. The girl driving the red pickup.

I see her face, radiant, yet her eyes are vacant. My ‘absence’ has made them so. On the radio plays a song. Our morning song. It cheered us up. She hums it absently, believing she is alone. If only she knew…

Rise and shine! This could be your neighburhood, but are your eyes really open?

there are tears in my eyes and a smile on my lips
sometimes there is a little sunshine with a lot of rain.

i can fly real high in dreams...
right before i really take off
it helps sometimes
to take leaps of faith

the heart has bled enough, and now to music it shall sway
today i'm down and there's a song on my lips
sometimes there is a little sunshine with a lot of rain.

Unshackled

freedom is a thing of beauty...
to want to be free inspires thoughts, actions and words that are far beyond the reach of the indidvidual mind...
a free thought transcends everything...it lets us dream...it fuels our desire to reach out and create a profound effect...
we are free when we know we deserve to be...nothing can come between us and our dreams once we realise this...
the physical plane is slower to change, true change begins in the mind.

Sensuous Living...

Imagine…
a cool breeze on a warm tropical afternoon…
melting ice-cream tasted slowly…
burning ice...liquid heat...

the discreet purr of a grey Persian cat…
over a Persian rug…
distant tinkering of bells…like diamonds falling on glass…

Sensuality is the shape of black, emerging from shades of white…unfathomable…
A drop of cream in a lake of coffee…slivers of white devoured by deep brown…

secret smiles…for secret reasons…

the play of violins over songs of silence…
notes that stir the passions within…

the play of light over intense eyes…
engrossed in listening through sight….

her long dark hair when it falls just right…
shades of red…a flicker of delight…

warm cake when fresh from the oven infused
with intoxicating scents of ground coffee on a rainy afternoon…

hot on cold..
demure…bold
quixotic…mysterious…
its elusive but not quite…
sensuality is my way of life!

My experiments with the camera....

Depth of field...well..almost!

No filters? No problem! The car's windsheild does a perfect job!

A diamond in the rough

An intense pain that sears through the heart….
Ripping across the soul…
Transcending across barriers all physical…

Heartache, tears, loneliness, grief…
Whatever be your ailment…
The cloak you choose to don…

The smile that you wear today,
The feeling that you feel…
‘Tis all a masquerade…
for the benefit of a passing parade..

a whirlwind called life…
sliced by a knife
kept aside for dreams that may never be

put away and stored, and pretended ignored
like pieces of the past
that tore you apart
never to be acknowledged, but you know they’re there

the fragments of your soul long lost, are smidgen
life was never meant to be a fancy fairytale

its about being one, then coming apart…
then being whole again
this is how it was always meant to be.

like a diamond in the rough..
the beauty of life is ethereal
I’m no mystic myself…
But trust me, this is real.

Look beyond...

post pain...the smiles come easily...
once i surrendered...only to gain

when hurt hurts
and is difficult to bear...

when life's a mess...
one rotten affair.

just look beyond...its difficult...but try...
lift up your head...and cease to cry...

what you're looking for, its right there...
its been there too long...a lost and forgotten treasure,
taken for granted in pursuits of a fragile pleasure.

it is life itself i'm talkin' about...
did you forget that walk in the clouds?

when each day was filled with wonder anew,
when the littlest things brought a smile to your lips...

the times you laughed at my quips.

look at it again, with a fresh perspective...
i'm right here, to walk by side...
your truest love,
i am your soul...

let's be friends again
lets learn to live...
your deepest sorrows haven't been lived in vain.

My view on Rang De Basanti...

Every once in a person's lifetime there comes a film that touches a chord with the cynical, astray, self-possessed youth of that era. Rang de basanti is one such film. It starts on a humorous, outspoken note ( as would be characterised individually by the protagonists of the film).

Yes, after having lived my entire life in the capital, I can say I know all of them personally; I've encountered the deejays, sukkis, the ashfaqs and the die-hard (but maybe not so honest) patriots that this city breeds in its university.

The plot is so cleverly contrived that at the end of the film, if my favourite characters decided to stage their non-violent dharna on the moon, I'd have been gung ho about it.
This is what's so different about the movie, the characters. They're real. What they say, what they think, what they speak, their aspirations are all mine.

I was so comfortable with them, that when they shot the minister of external affairs (a bad idea...I would have warned them) I, in all earnestness, felt an acute discomfort of being weighed down with a friend's dark secret.

The transitions from the past leaders to the transformation of today's youth, added a depth to the narrative, giving it a substance. However, I did feel that the revolutionary counterparts could have had a more convincing getup. In all honesty, the moustaches looked out of place, and their faces too fresh and unlined for what they were going through. Also, the past felt like a drag in some portions and could have been cut short to create a faster pace.

The two transitions I liked best were the reconstruction of the Jallianwallah bagh tragedy and the recount of the torture and the one-hundred and something day fast that our heroes willingly undertook. These were best liked simply because they showed in greater detail something we took for granted and were able to see something new, a braver side of the Indian People.

Aamir Khan, was, as always brilliant. This 40-something actor never once made me feel like he was too old for the part he was playing. What more can I say about him?

The film had many subtleties and nuances that only served to highlight the complexities between real human relationships. Soha Ali Khan was natural and comfortable in her character and siddharth can count on a new fan :)

This film reminded me that i need to speak up as an Indian. Thank you for risking your money on such a thought-provoking subject (a big no-no for most producers). Thank you for doing what you truly believed in!

The Blindfolded Contradictions

They scream out their ignorance
bound by self-made chains of defiance.

They Insist they're right
by virtue of their plight.

They never ceased to ponder
upon problems too yonder.

It taxes their mind
limited and defined.

I try to be humble and give you your space
but you just hate the very sight of my face.

Carefree, guiltless, happy and free
is that why, you're after me?

Could you try to think?
Could you try to try?
Could you discover your wings
and prepare to fly?
To places unknown and heights unscaled?

But you're an example of all those
who tried to live life blindfolded...
but failed!

Pritika Sethi

Copyright ©2006 Pritika Sethi

Sometimes...

Sometimes my eyes are filled with tears...
You know what, they're secretly shedding my fears!

Sometimes love finds me round the corner...
And leaves me feeling lonely..
That's when i learn
that true love can be found within myself only

Sometimes when anger and jealousy weigh down upon my soul
I just breathe...and lightness engulfs me tenfold

Sometimes i'm helpless
trapped in a mould...
That's when inspiration is struck
Like in the middle of nowhere...
when one finds gold!

What things may seem
they never are
the seemingly good...the seemingly bad...
its all there for a reason
that for sure i know...
the answers to all of life's questions begin with a humble bow

Welcome.

Hi! Welcome to my whimsical world woven around the truth(s) of life that i attempt to uncover...as i try to enjoy each moment of this amazing journey on this dimension of space and time, have a great time unravelling your gifts from this abundant universe!

- Pritika