Turning Wiser...19 August

It’s my birthday today and am so so so happy to celebrate this feeling of getting older. Wowww… am growing to be that girl/woman I always wished and strived to become and am sure that I will head towards my mom's wish of reaching the top very soon.

This is a special year as I celebrate it with my husband. Today I have a stronger support to march towards my goal… yes my dearest husband is a real source of motivation and care. I feel so blessed … words are too little to explain the love, care and forfeit of my parents. My brother is forever there to guide me and mentor my ideas. Harshitha, my little niece is truly a blessing. She adds spark to every little moment of my life. And above all, my spouse Kumz is God’s very own creation, just for me.

All I wish for in the coming year is for a little more patience in handling things and people around me especially my loved ones. I would like to live life upto the brim without missing a single opportunity to have fun with my family.

Apart from this, I really want to do the following this year:
- Must complete the MBA at Symbiosis
- Must include and follow a strict fitness regime and attain a great figure...lol
- Gotta make Kumz also workout
- Make it a point to rise early in the morning
- Somehow find time to catch up with a lot of reading
- Make a trip abroad.

So all the best to me… Now, I shall get going for my b’day party at Rain Tree!!!

Janmashtami celebrations at home

The reincarnated of Lord Vishnu is celebrated as Janmashtami or Krishnashtami all over India. The historical background of the birth of lord Krishna depicts the significance of this Hindu festival. Lord Krishna is said to have been born on the midnight of the eighth day of Hindu lunar month, Shravana. Though I was not able to celebrate Krishnajayanti the traditional way of reciting a whole lot of slokas and mantras, reading versus from the Bhagwat Gita, I did make it a point to keep my family attached to our roots.

Despite hectic working schedules, I made it a point this time to make some sweets and savouries for the pooja. This is my first Krishna pooja after marriage. A day prior to Janmashtami, I made some ribbon pokodas (a form of muruku/ chakli in hindi), sweet appams and coconut burfi. It took me a solid three and half hours to complete this exercise. I managed to do this after office that’s between 9.00pm & 11.30pm. After effects of standing in the kitchen for three hours can now be felt in my body….lol!

Then on the day of Janmashtami, that’s 13th Aug, I performed the pooja in the evening, again after office, with some traditional Aval Payasam, which is said to be Lord Krishna’s favourite.

My simple evening pooja comprised of butter, curd and some fruits along with the sweets I had prepared. I managed to recollect some of the Carnatic and Hindustani songs I had learned long long ago and sung them all. I beautifully decorated my baby Krishna with some jewellery and flowers. Oh… the idol looked so divine and real!

It was a great evening to have the entire family around (but only in-laws) for the pooja. While work is making life extremely hectic, such celebration really lightens the heart and relaxes the mind. Spending time in prayers and following a little bit of your own traditional practices can be a great stress buster and help us stay connected to our roots. Hmmm … after effects are always there!!!

India's Entertainer No. 1

While ‘Rakhi ka swayamvar’ has come to end, am very curious to know what Rakhi and Elesh are up to?

Well… I watched this hilarious comedy called ‘Rakhi ka swayamvar’ on NDTV Imagine religiously just to figure out if Rakhi could make at least a little sense ever. But from the very beginning, I was certain that it’s going to be Elesh Parujanwala, the filthy rich NRI from Toronto. Who else can handle Rakhi’s drama… the way she dresses…atrocious!

Rakhi actually chooses three guys and actually made all three jokers dress and perform ceremonies of that of a bridegroom. She even had the mehendi and the sageeth functions that are essentially held only before the wedding for simply choosing one among the three. Coming to the grande finale that was telecast live… It was an awkward, creaky two-and-a-half hour episode. All the actors from the soaps of Imagine gathered around the place for this drama at Leela Palace hotel. The event clearly did not include any members from Rakhi's family or friends.

What made this whole event ever more awful was the Jesus prayer song where Rakhi and her three unidentified companions suddenly started singing a tuneless prayer to help her choose the right guy.

Once Rakhi garlanded Elesh, the rejects and their families danced quite merrily… ofcos they were quite relieved, ESCAPE!

No doubt that ‘Headlines Today’ called this show India's Entertainer No. 1. Since the TRP’s have rewarded NDTV Imagine, may be they can try another show with this sensitive, misunderstood, coy bride-to-be who was looking for sachcha pyaar… Rakhi Ka Break-Up!

To conclude:
Rakhi ka swayamvar was not a bad show. But the ever-melodramatic Rakhi and her attitude was the biggest flaw. With Karan Johar as its creative consultant and brand ambassador NDTV Imagine could have regulated the show making it real and classy. After all Indian television viewers are certainly worth quality content.

Aaj Pehli Tarikh Hai

Advertising is turning more towards humaneness with an emotional appeal today. While people have tuned a deaf ear to the advertising mantra of hooking consumers with false promises at this time of recession, Cadburys has come up with this bold concept with the commercial ‘Aaj Pehli Tarikh Hai’. Never mind the slowdown and the salary cuts; the payday is always a reason to celebrate. Certainly… all of us do in our own ways.

This new commercial highlights the celebratory occasion of payday. Though it comes 12 times in a year, it is definitely an important event in the life of every middle-class Indian. Infact most of us look forward to this day though we may not be really happy with the package. It’s a brilliant idea of associating Cadburys Dairy Milk Chocolate with the payday celebration. The ad conceptualised by Ogilvy India has reached far and wide though its universal appeal and also by quoting the famous song Aaj Pehli Tarikh Hai, sung by Kishore Kumar for a movie called Pehli Tarikh.



I would rate this TVC higher than CDM’s older 'Kuch Meetha Ho Jaye Pappu series because it stands out. A good TVC is one that can steal the attention of a man who is in a hurry. The ad is a great example for occasion-based marketing.

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My heart skipped a beat when I saw my picture in http://tamil.galatta.com/. Hemanth, one of Kumz’s friends for the preview of the film ‘Malai Malai’ at Sathyam. Hemanth is the producer of this movie. Which casts Arun Vijayakumar (Hemanth’s bro-in-law), Prakash Raj, Prabhu and the heroine whose name I do not know and do not wish to find out.

Though I know the hero Arun (but he may not know me…lol) through my aerobics classes with Jeff at O2, Nugambakkam, it was very different to be a part of the filmy crowd with cameras flashing everywhere. The show, which was supposed to start at 10.00pm on Thursday, 30th July, began only at 11.30pm after the cast posing for a million photographs and P2C’s.
Sathyam’s parking area was filled with expensive sedans and there was a huge crowd lined up outside the theatre at 2.30PM to see these celebrities while they leave after the movie. It was really bizarre to be a part of this whole event and after seeing the photographs, I feel even stranger.

Well about this film…no comments. Hemanth is a good friend and I wish him good luck.