The voyage of life.... with F.R.I.E.N.D.S onboard......

              It sails through sorrows, it sails into happiness,it sails with the spirit to live life to the fullest; one's journey on this ship is a lifelong affair as the ship of FRIENDSHIP sails beyond the end . Friends - the companions who occupy a very essential part of life . It is a relation we are not born with but undoubtedly a relation we cannot live without. The strings of friendship tie friends together  with the essence of  trust, honesty, love and commitment that each one contributes. Blessed with many of these amazing jewels, I have a chest full of treasure to safeguard.
              Friends in kindergarden with whom I cried while being away from home , to friends in building with whom I ran around , friends in school with whom I studied , to friends in locality with whom I had fun , friends in college with whom I explored life outside, to friends at workplace with whom I worked ,each and every one of them has been a fantastic passenger in this ship. These friends have painted a beautiful picture in canvas of my life that is precious and something I can never afford to part with.
              With childhood friends the bond is so strong that even after years of being away, it never feels so and within no time of meeting again the connection goes live. It is very delightful to see the destination of these friends as they were my very own fellow travellers with whom the journey of 'LIFE' began. As the train passed through , each one alighted at their own station to achieve what they wanted to. Having visualised the dream of growing up and wanting to immediately become elder specially after a session of scolding by parents or teachers, it feels wonderful to now laugh over those silly and innocent complaints we once made to each other. Fight when a friend would not share a book, joy when a friend announced me as ' a best friend' or took along to distribute chocolates on birthday, argument when a friend cheated in a game, happiness when we shared our tiffins, innumerable memories like these are valuable and cannot be bought using any amount of wealth, status or position. Moments of achievement which became possible only because of the trust, faith and belief a friend placed on me made me very grateful for possessing such a precious gift . At times all one needs is the push of a friend to begin what one always wanted to.
             Friends from college occupy a special place in the heart. Those are the ones with whom the unusual yet exciting transition of 'dependence' to 'independence' ; 'carefree kids' to 'responsible youth', 'school bus' to 'local train' and 'tiffin' to 'canteen food' began. These friends stood as support all through the walk on the challenging path of career and employment . Friends at workplace made the belief strong that it is never too late to make new friends. As life progresses the process of meeting new people and making wonderful friends will keep on continuing as friendship knows no age, nationality, gender or creed, it is just a relation between the two who choose to share their joys , sorrows, experiences, knowledge and make life worth living.
             Looking forward to making many more friends and loving the ones already made for life , can never ever imagine life without any one of you because afterall .....'HAR EK FRIEND JARURI HOTA HAIN.....;)

A city that never sleeps.....

 A city that inspires its dwellers to dream big; a city that encourages them to accomplish those dreams,a city that simply refuses to sleep, a city we all call 'MUMBAI'.  Home to me from the moment I learnt to put my feet on the ground and walked around in baby steps,this city has given me a lot more than an address. It is not possible to refer to this place as only a geographic location because the warmth, love and friendship it shares can only be attributed to someone who is living. The fast pace and active spirit of this city imparts energy and excitement to achieve what one desires. Though everyone is preoccupied and worked up in their own world , this city can never let anyone feel lonely. While growing up in this city, every aspect of it felt amazing - tall buildings, crowded roads, busy markets, plying autos and the huge city buses . All of this became an indispensable part of life and could never imagine the city without it. This city infuses hope, aspirations, dreams, and a strong determination to succeed into every person who calls it home.
One cannot write about the city and not mention its lifeline - The 'LOCAL TRAINS'. Commute to college and workplace meant atleast an hour long journey by these trains . Though my relation with these crowded trains was of love-hate kind, besides my family, friends and locality, the next dearest thing of this city I will ever miss would be the local train.
This city has a platter of opportunities to offer everyone. It is easy to find what one needs and the city instantly provides it to keep all occupied. It is an artistic mosaic crafted with variety of pieces each different from the other but each very much essential to create a beautiful, big city like it. The enthusiasm to work and stay active spreads all over like a sweet fragrance that keeps everyone soaked in its magic. The sense of belonging that this city has given me can never ever be replaced by any other place on the globe. The morning rush, afternoon silence, evening joy and night fun exhibited by this city is unique and a wonderful feeling to live with. The city talks through its spirit of 'get going' . I will always give credit to this city for inculcating the feelings of ' never accept defeat'.
As its rightly said ' You don't know what you got until it's gone' . Away from the city I now  understand the values it was unknowingly teaching me all this while. I feel proud to be a part of this lively city. I now realize it was never a city for me ,it was an artist enacting various roles- a mother who taught me to share in the crowd, a friend who enjoyed with me, a child who wanted my love and attention, a teacher who encouraged me to fare well , a mentor who guided me and a coach who  pushed me beyond my limitations.
This is for the amazing spirit of my city and its people. A place I can never part away with because afterall its 'AMCHI MUMBAI ;)'

....on the other side of the table.....

A year long stint of teaching in college gave me an opportunity to experience life on the other side of the table. It was the most beautiful period that made me responsible, matured , patient and focused. It was easy to always sit back and judge a teacher, to criticize when asked to complete piles of work, to comment when forced to follow instructions and to resent the thought of being a student only to realize that the amount of efforts a teacher puts in shaping and moulding a person are absolutely selfless and pure. I could never comprehend it; until I myself started the journey in those shoes. A lot of work had to be done back stage before each class. Be it a lecture or a practical or an exam  I realised I was preparing and studying much more than what I did as a student because the purpose had now changed from gaining marks to imparting knowledge into unbiased and innocent minds. Only knowing things were not enough, it was necessary to present it in a manner that could be taken in by the students. Efforts were directed towards justifying the faith they placed over me as their teacher, guide, and a mentor.
There were moments of pride when students fared well, moments of irritation when things could not be understood , moments of happiness when joined them as their friend. The nervousness before the first lecture and the sense of satisfaction after its completion made a mark that can never ever be replaced or erased . The love and support of my teachers and colleagues made it an easy and comfortable walk as I learnt and gained a lot from each one of them. I was blessed to be surrounded with an amazing bunch of young, enthusiastic students who accepted me as their own. They taught me patience, attitude to inculcate and learn new things, ability to be enthusiastic for anything and everything . The opportunity to share values by taking charge of the blackboard made me a 'complete person'. Each of the students became an irreplacable unique piece in the jig-saw puzzle of my teaching experience . They complete the puzzle into a beautiful frame that will always stay picture perfect in my life. As I look back I realize the best way to pay back the respect and love for all my teachers was by being one.There were innumerable instances where I could relate to what my teachers must have felt while I was one of the many sculptures they were carving - a sculpture over whom they had poured all their love and dedication, a sculpture whom they valued a lot because it was their own creation. This feeling of love and dedication stays the same for all as each and everyone is a masterpiece.
This is dedicated to all my teachers who taught me to learn and all my students who taught me to teach :) 

Amarika it is ;)

A dream wedding with my childhood family friend got me to the U.S of A. Never imagined the  friend with whom I fought, played, argued, competed right from the age 5  would be the man of my life. 20 years later; the walk to the bus stop with school bags on back was replaced by the walk to the airport with big heavy luggage bags. With dreams of starting a new life and beautiful memories of people back at home I landed in the dream country. It was difficult to leave behind my 'more -like  friend, less -like father' dad, my too sweet and cute mom, a lovely critic sister , amazing best debutant friend and support brother-in law , guiding and supporting grandparents, loving and caring inlaws and a long list of relatives, cousins and friends filled with love, support and good wishes. But like its said no gain without pain. Here I was to gain a new journey of married life but not without the pain of temporary physical distance from these people.

There were a mixed bag of feelings-happiness, joy, excitement, anxiety as I stepped into our new home. Within a short while I got to experience each of this. Settling down in a new country that was almost like 12 hours apart from where I came from was going to be a bit of challenge for a girl like me who never left home for long. But I was wrong. It never really felt like one because of my friend turned husband. I could sense his nervousness and tension in trying to blend me with the new place. And that was the biggest advantage of marrying a friend. Totally comfortable with the new person to share my life with, the only challenge was to adjust to the new country, its culture, its conduct, its lifestyle and most importantly its freezing climate. Got to experience snowfall for the first ever time in life. While I did miss my people back home,easy contact with them through messengers and networking sites never made me feel very much away from them. Giving details of how well I fed their son to my in-laws;), describing the roads and traffic to dad, discussing home and groceries with mom, gossiping shops and clothes with sister, posting pictures of snowfall and fooditems with my relatives and friends, I was extremely delighted to be with touch with each one of them.

As I write this , I am only a month old baby here who has to learn, understand, experience and do a lot more still in this place we call 'AMARIKA' ;).