Merry Christmas again!!

Once upon a time there was a Santa… in my heart , all around me…in spirit.
Growing up in a place like Kenya where all religions lived under one all encompassing roof, I got to choose the religion I enjoyed if not the one I was born into.
I studied the Bible, attended Sunday Mass, sang hymns like a native, celebrated Eid and Christmas also, not cos I was a Christian or Muslim but because my friends were and it made no difference to me.
I have grown up believing in GOD..not a segregated one with some ten thousand names, but the one Universal force that I prayed to every night lying in bed or kneeling by it cos Enid Blytons characters did it that way. I knew as a kid that I had to talk to someone, thank someone and request someone…and that someone was an intangible force they say is all around us even if not visible to the naked eye..and I believe them.
I don’t feel less religious if I don’t cover my head and seek sublimation at every occasion in front of a statue of God in a mandir cos I feel I don’t need to seek him there alone.

As a child, I sat and watched in awe as my young friends dedicatedly read their namaaz so sincerely like clockwork, not understanding what they did but respecting their beliefs and admiring their sincerity, while impatiently waiting to be doled out generous helpings of mouth watering biryanis, sevaiyan, and I forget what not else!!
But what I enjoyed most was Christmas.. I guess one of the biggest influences in my growing years was the world of Enid Blyton and Disney , initiated, introduced and encouraged by my readalholic parents!!
I wanted to believe in Santa like the famous five did, I wanted to understand the spirit of goodness as Uncle Scrooge learnt, I wanted to see the Jerrys hug the Toms of the world just cos it was the season of love and forgiveness…
I aced all the hymns, watched the proceedings in church while gazing in admiration at the structure and ambience . I lit candles and partook of turkey and pudding with my Christian buddies…I hung up my school socks knowing that I would find them overflowing in the morn!!
The red, white and green colors all around me brings a smile to my lips even today… I believe there is a Santa in the North Pole..I refused to eat reindeer in Alaska cos I thought I was doing my old friend Rudolph a misdemeanor!!….
I want to knock on doors and sing hymns for smiling folks who hand out goodies…I want to sit on a fat Santa’s lap and ask him for the gift of happiness for my family…I want to sneak out of bed and catch him as he slides down the chimney shouting Ho Ho Ho!!!
I know I have been good so I’m sure he’ll come this year too!!
My babies grew up too soon so they couldn’t be conned too long into believing the tooth fairy put that crisp ten rupee note under the pillow, or that the Easter bunny left that box of chocolates on the mantelpiece, or that Santa was pleased with them and knew exactly what to put in the long red stocking borrowed from my daughter and hung by the bed!! Sad!!! I wish they still believed!
We watched Christmas themed movies every year on the huge bed in the living room with oohs and ahhs from the littles ones warming my heart all over again! I believed and I wanted them to believe because something about the myth of Santa gives you a strange kind of happiness and assurance that something good and fun still exists!
I missed the days when my kids and I decorated the arocaria tree in the garden with silver bells and little stars and paper strings much like what we saw on tv and watched them fight and laugh gleefully as they did so…!!
But today I felt young again!
I felt like my little babies were still shorter than me and still full of mischief and madness cos today my son brought home a six foot tall Christmas tree replete with all kinds of cute decorations to adorn it and the sight of it made my heart soar again! I wanted to give him a tight hug but he ran for his life like he was being ravaged!!
I admonished him playfully and quickly got to work singing jingle bells in abandon while he slapped his forehead in chagrin and shook his head in dismay at my antics! All he did was rant that he may have made the gravest mistake of his life bringing home the tree if I was going to behave in this exasperating manner while taking photos of my idiocy!!
As I stepped back after a while to admire my handiwork, singing even louder oblivious of the threats from my son that sounded suspiciously like he was contemplating wringing my neck on Christmas Eve, a disturbing thought crossed my mind..it was the 24th already and Santa as to leave with his trusty Rudolph and company in an hour!! What if he didn’t have enough cash to get the toys ready on time cos of the demonetization! What if the Elves couldn’t get all the goodies loaded onto the sleigh on time!! Oh horror of horrors!! All the little kids of the world would have been good all year to no avail! If they weren’t going to get their gifts this year they might just as well have a more exciting time being crude and brash and misbehaved for all the good the abstinence did them!!
Soon better sense prevailed and I heaved a sigh of relief as I realized rupees must be redundant on the North Pole..they probably use Euros or Dollars or something unpronounceable there, I’m guessing!! Thank God!!
So get ready kids, Santa’s on his way …Jingle Bells Jingle Bells!!! Go to bed dreaming of a White Christmas, snowmen, Partridges on pear trees, Three wise men tramping down a dusty path enroute to a certain manger wherein lies a harbringer of peace and hope….. and the promise of our friend St Nicholas!! The morning may make your dreams come true!!
Next year I want to spend Christmas where it is celebrated the way it should be, where the decorations are as they should be and where Yuletide is engraved in the places heart and soul! I’m not choosy..USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Europe ..maybe even Iceland!!!….feel free to choose….India done…the rest of the world awaits!!!
Santa you listening???

image from the internet

Czech Adventures Part 1 .. check!!!

It was the second leg of our Austrian journey as we drive out of Vienna along the beautiful highway that lead us out Of Vienna towards the Czech capital of Prague. I was as usual awestruck by the natural gift God has handed out to this country also. Oh my God!!!! We’re going to Prague!!!! Have mercy!! Hallelujah!! We are blessed!!

The countryside was wonderful with its gently rolling plains dotted with slanted roofs on picturesque houses that appeared sporadically unless we crossed a small town.

You may have gathered from my earlier conversations with you about my travels that I am a sucker for empty spaces, blue waters and sandy beaches, tall imposing mountainous stretches , serene and green surroundings, rolling fields of emptiness where the grass is king, grape vines cover stretches of ground as far as the eye can see, quaint little houses stand humbly Yet proudly in equally quaint little so called villages that finished before they started..nb pls compare with the villages back home..and of course CLEANLINESS above all.

I learnt from our very friendly and chatty guide who manouvered his Mercedes Benz minivan with 6 of us highly enthusiastic tourists on board, very skillfully, while updating us on the history and culture of Vienna and Austria in general, that popular Austrian wines are produced in this region.

Our Hungarian Guide , from the land of Goulash, named Baalaanj or something like that, was very fluent in English and his accent was easy for my husband to understand thankfully so the ride was fun and comfortable.

My husband in a bid to annoy me would keep joking about how there was dampness in the walls here too, pointed out every little bump and pothole however nonexistent they were , kept saying that we have trees and grass in India too so what are u so excited about but I refused to allow his pathetic jokes to dampen my spirits and kept my raptured face focused on the brilliant stuff whizzing by as we drove along!! I even stuck to my guns stubbornly about how even the clouds looked different here..an observation that was met with an obviously disbelieving smirk from my non-believer cynical other half!!
I gave up!!

There is no time I am as happy as when I am traversing a new country, new horizons , checking off another from my bucket list..errr the bucket of course is the size of the 1000 litre sintax tank sitting in agony on our roof back home.

Every little house , every little town I feel had a story as usual. It was quiet uncluttered..sometimes almost too quiet I felt! Were they happy with their simple lives, did they get bored and lonely..were they busy enough or struggling to find things to do? Sometimes there was nothing for miles around..only solitude.

Oh but how healthy was the weather. It rained that day and brought the temperature down and when it stopped , the cool breeze hitting our faces was so pleasant!! No pollution, no dust!! Our bodies almost protested against this fine treatment!! I think they were offended at not getting their daily dose of dust and smog ..the clean hands couldn’t recognize themselves and the unpedicured feet looked too pedicured!! The faces were white!! My foundation and concealer had been rendered unemployed!! The cosmetics in general were quite feeling ignored.. only the trusty eye liner and lipstick had something to contribute to the day! I think there was a political propaganda going on inside my toiletries bag!! Some talk of a surgical strike or coup amongst each other!! I played the farsighted and forceful decisive leader and saved the day by transferring the threatened objects to my back pack and carried them along on my travels! It might have removed them from harms way temporarily but unwittingly made more enemies for them cos the rest missed out on Hungary and Czech and Austrian adventures!! Sigh!! You just can’t please everyone!

It’s no wonder the BMW’s, Benz’s, Audi’s, Volkswagens and Skodas are so good looking!! Look at the climate in their home towns!!!

Oh dear, I seem to have veered off topic so back to the road.

The sun was shining again thank God cos I was worried about the photos that had to be taken in good weather! Yes, that’s Another thing I am obsessed about..Did I mention. Wrote that I’m trigger happy?? I have to document my escapades and since my memory is not what it used to be (my kids will vouch for that!! ), The only way to do that now is to take at least 7000 photos on every trip..that’s a respectable amount!! 😇😇. Makes me feel like I’ve done a decent job!! So having the sun around helps.. at least the face doesn’t look as dismal as the rest of the body!! You can turn it up against the sun and hope it gets blessed as it’s captured before its exquisite backdrops!

So apparently Budweiser, Ivana Trump and the dollar from the Czech word Tahler are the three bonds Czech Republic shares with America.

On that note I’m going to stop to take in a long breath of this fresh unpolluted Austrian Alpine air !!

Buon Giorno Roma!!

 

 

 

We spend along in our chauffeur driven ride courtesy Emirates towards the very heart of Rome ..Spagna where our aparthotel was situated. After having my heart in my mouth as a result of having done a whole lot of blind bookings for our our impending trip, a bit nervously cos my my sister was depending fully on my judgement and selection I was at least relieved to learn that the place that was to be our home for the next few days was in a very central and happening part of the city.

We had barely entered Roma and we had already passed a whole series of Cathedrals and fountains..the most significant one being Santa Maria Maggiorre. An awestriking facade with its huge marble walls and intricate sculptures and statues!
As you already know by now if u have read my other blogs that I am a sucker for old traditional architecture, imposing stone structures and anything Romanesque. Greek, Edwardian or Victorian!! We had already had a fair taste of what was to come and we werent even home yet!

I had read enough forums and online advice to be speculative about a number of things and not allow myself to be lost in my overexcitedness at actually going to Italy..a life long dream for me!!
No heavy suitcases…no porters!
No open bags and wallets and phones etc…pickpockets galore!!
No gaping blindly and stupidly at the amazing sights without being aware of the surroundings especially in crowded areas…snatchers!!

I had been scared enough by trip advisor forums and their variety of warnings before I walked up the steps to the gynormous aircraft to be a bit wobbly in my stride as I trundled my bag along the cobblestone path towards the entrance of our Aparthotel on Via Sistina, having passed the massive Obelisk and its stone statues ..The Column of the Immaculate Conception…in Piazza Mignanelli that marked the south east extension of Piazza de Spagna with my sis following close behind. The fear of the unknown I guess !!

We were confronted with a very traditional wooden pulley type quaint lift inside a 17th century building that took us up 2 floors to our amazingly fresh and newly done up apartment…all fixed and furnished with the choicest of modern accessories and its grey and white interiors! We smiled at each other and laid our suitcases to rest for the next few days!
We were in Roma!!!

First Impressions..traversing the Canadian Rockies!!!

 

While on the first few days of the Candian Rockies tour, I was overwhelmed by emotion and jotted this down while in the coach…my intro to my holiday sojourns in Canada…over the next few days I would love to share some experiences and emotions in detail with you all..most of you have been travelling a lot longer than I have and have more experienced than me but each one has a special one !!!

The Canadian Rockies

Seldom have I been so overwhelmed or humbled by nature as I have been these past few days.
I consider myself a water person (cos I have this love/hate relationship with the deep and mysterious seas but at the same time nothing makes me happier than the sight and sounds of water…nothing can stop me from plunging in at the slightest opportunity ) but now I have been pushed to add myself to a new category too… I am a mountain person too..I am not converted but my loyalties seem to have taken a temporary turn.
I have been amazed, awe-inspired, reduced to tears, frightened, excited, childlike-in-wonder, sometimes disappointed… All in the span of four days.
I have been blessed..I have driven wide beautifully manicured roads into the spectacular Rocky Mountains, marveling at nature as they loomed above me in all their glory…
Standing tall and fierce…proud, magnificent, ominous even…telling a story that goes back to the times of their creation…..holding their own through it all….enveloping a world of emerald and cyan green lakes, turquoise and peacock blue ones (along which I have walked trying to take in the beauty at every angle ), flora and fauna of all scales, wildlife and humans abundant…protecting and threatening all at the same time.
Humans have scaled them, traversed them , climbed them, built on them, cut through them, revered them through time but they have stood their ground and held their heads up high… Their slopes ridged, craggy and tough…imposing in their grandeur…their tips a bowl of snow with glaciers running down, weathered and dented by changing acts of nature… their bosom encapsulating thousands of lakes with a fierce protectiveness and good-natured humor..almost with a smirk as they allow the tragically pathetic human being to live with the misconception that they have tamed the wild yet secure in the knowledge that they have simply humored them for years… Played with them like an indulgent mother, scolded them like a big brother and unleashed their anger like a disciplining father..sometimes gently rugged and approachable , sometimes angry and stormy….but always proud and majestic!!!
I bow down to Mother Nature and accept my insignificance with humility!!

Can someone not make me dress up please!!

Yesterday I had to attend a wedding…yes, since you ask, there are weddings taking place in the middle of the monsoons…the Gods have been warning not to dare rain down on the elaborately decorated tentage or woebetide to him!!!
Yay you say??? Dressing up time?? Funtime?? Maybe!!
But as usual God has other experiences for the hypothyroidal beings bravely manoeuvring their way through their lives, clambering over obstacles, tugging their perpetually tired selves around the house with a tremulous grin on their faces!!
A wedding at night for me means a day long preparation….no I am not running off to the parlour to get a head to toe!! Or that big bouquet of garish flowers in all shades of plastic in the hairdo that makes the wearer look like a cockatoo!!!
For me the day begins with hauling myself out of bed , more tired and sleepy than when I got in the night before!!! Thereafter , all my daily chores are constantly interrupted by the mingling question troubling my medulla oblangata incessantly about which saree would I wear? ….is it ironed…groan!!!…will the blouse fit me??…..are my simpler tastes going to be smothered by those of the thousand ladies present whose oh-so-shiny sequenced numbers in the brightest of hues!!!
Too many doubts dog me all day!!!
I scrutinise my face..shit man, I really shouldn’t have picked that stupid pimple which decide to appear in my 50s rather than my teens!!! Shriek!!! Is that a pigment patch on my right cheek???? Nahinnnnnnnn!!!!!
“I am going to kill that new girl at the salon the next time I see her”!!!! … Couldn’t she bloody well see that the right left eyebrow is more arched than the right????
Oh Hell my hair has grown and the white ones are cleverly sneaking out into plain view through all the rest!! “Ridiculous” , I exclaim as I tuck them back into oblivion!!! This is no age to get white hair…😜😜..!!
I tackle all these little inconveniences during a routine day full of kitchen work, gardeners, guests etc breezing in and out at will and by the time the evening arrives I am already exhausted!!
By the time it’s time to get draping I am dragging my feet to the bathroom and a quick shower later, I attempt to wear my blouse..thank God this is a new saree so the blouse is my post-thyroid size ..no problem there!! As I try and squeeze myself into the sleeves yanking left and yanking right and yanking up, I am sweating again. What the hell was the point of bathing I wonder!!! Miraculously the hooks also developed a mind of their own and behave anti-magnetically with my fingers as I struggle to clasp them into place!!! Breathe in, hold breath, pull and tug into position , quickly insert into eye!!! System Failure!!!! Start again!!! This goes on for a few minutes while I drop and curse until finally each hook is holding on for dear life to protect my dignity!!! I can hear each one of them sniggering at me in ridicule which makes me even madder!!
I rush out of the washroom and gasp the fresh air that hits me while I collect my wits about me!!! Why am I attending this wedding again I wonder!!!
I glare at myself in the mirror before plastering my face on, wear my heels ( the only thing that makes me feel good about myself) and begin unravelling six yards of frustration around me!!! Wrap, pleat, adjust , measure, check, tuck more, tuck less , repeat, pat down, shake out, twirl around, settle pin, holler for husband to help , stand back admire, sigh in relief!!!
I just swam the English Channel without drowning!! Hurrah for me!!!
Narcissi Rogrigues sprayed on, hair brushed out, lipstick in place I turn with a smile and say lets go!!!
Collossal task wearing sarees but oh so elegant!! Nothing like yards and yards to hide your flaws and make you feel sexy!!
I strut out confident and proud of myself but tired enough to wonder if I will make it through the evening without swooning at someone’s feet in front of the chaat stall!!!

First Impressions..thankfully not the last!!

It was the 15th of March when I touched down. The weather predicted was highs of 17 degrees and lows of 6 in Shanghai…mostly cloudy. And so hje light jacket came out.
It was cloudy ! Foggy and quiet..the cars travelling in discipline within their own lanes .The houses we passed on The way from the airport to the hotel stood in identical rows much like the terracotta warriors of Tian…morose and solemn.
After a while signs of cityife began to show, still shrouded in mist..nothing bustling or lively about it.

I love the Chinese script..it’s very artistic.

Population demands the unending columns of residential highrises.

So much for the disciplined driving…when people speed coincidently within their lanes, they probably didn’t expect to be part of a pile up too often..I was greeted by one on the way …when one person applies the brakes the rest have to be vigilant.
Indians are good at missing !!!

Terrible weather..started drizzling !
Looks like a foggy Delhi.

Right hand drive…steering on the left still looks weird!
Getting closer to the city centre and the lights come on..
One tall building lit up with kaleidoscopic lights , throbbing bright against the dull dismal backdrop added cheer to the landscape.The majority of the buildings have a grey stone or terracotta facade.

We were approaching the bright city lights that excite me , the flyover , the interesting silhouettes, …..better! We’ve been driving for an hour already.

One more accident involving only two cars this time..the police are there in a jiffy and the rest of the people moved on in straight lines and straightfaced too like nothing had happened. In India there would have been a traffic jam by now when curious bystanders or drivers would apply the breaks in the middle of the road and rush to get in on the action . They obviously have more time to spare.

Now I need to get to the hotel, have a hot shower and a cup of green tea.

Apparently whatsapp, Google etc doesnt work here. What do Indians do here if they cant send their barrage of good morning messages at 5am every day?
We chat?

My pickup lady didn’t speak a word of English so it’s a quiet drive and hence the typing.

Yayyy…city centre lights..love them!! Puts a smile on my face anywhere I go…. even India looks clean at night.
If it wasn’t for the Chinese inscriptions on the buildings , I could have been in Bombay.
What if I was told to look for a building that didn’t have the name written in English too..many do and many don’t. Guess I won’t be finding it too soon.

I could soon make out that we getting close to the Swissotel Hotel in Jingan city centre cos I spied the Shaanxi Business Hotel , one of the hotels I haf been looking at. Little do they know there no business going on here…only PLEASURE!

A cross between Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong with vertical garden lining the roadsides….Love it!
We will continue to blame our population for the regression we face in infrastructure and conveniences but we won’t learn from these Chimes how to use this very resource to our advantage rather than make excuses for sheer indiscipline, laziness and selfishness.

The Great modern Shanghai that emerged from a humble fishing village was in all evidence now..they have come a long way!

They have a totally dedicated road for two wheelers seperated by a verge so no hanky panky on tje main higjway…impressed! We need one for cows and trucks!

I think every country in the world sends their garbage to India to recycle cos I’m.sure the amount of rubbish that lies around in the streets and neighbourhood can’t be produced by us alone!! No….even the smallest country in the world is spic and span while we dodge garbage with every step on the roads.

Ok we’re here…later!

Student council President

It is my proud privilege to be able to share with you, my perspective of the epic journey this year, not only as a constituent of one of the most prestigious medical institutions in India ,but also as the General secretary of its extremely talented and hard working Student council, and President of the Vidyapeeths Student Council.
This has been an honour and an enormous responsibility that was placed on our shoulders. A sound legacy was inherited from our predecessors , one that not only had to be sustained but further enhanced and taken forward. Therefore This was a colossal task that my enthusiastic team were all geared up to undertake, but faced with a huge challenge ahead of us, we were grateful for the undying support we received from our teachers and peers, without which this mountain may have been tough to surmount. I was , however very sure that with the their support, we could ignite the creative streak that was smoldering within each of us and succeed in bringing excitement to our otherwise mundane college routine.
Consistent team effort and the coming together of brawn , brain and wisdom allowed us to achieve several landmarks that we hope will go down in the history of this college for years to come.
The overly successful Synapse 2017 is one such example with the campus ringing with the sounds of a week long string of educational yet fun events that culminated in an evening of riotous performances by Atul Khatri and Lost Stories! Never has an college symposium had such a thunderous response and participation.
The year has seen many such accomplishments that we have been proud of and I wish to thank all the Council Members, my colleagues and the entire College Fraternity for the selfless support that they have extended to me. Without you all , this would have an unachievable task.
The idea of this magazine too is intrinsic to us as we wracked our brains to come up with a way to reach out to each member of our college family and ensure their awareness and future involvement in the functioning of the institution by way of the written word providing awareness, information and entertainment.
As I hand over the torch to the incoming team, I congratulate them and offer all my experience and support to them in turn so that they may keep the torch burning in all glory for the times to come.
Wishing you all the best of luck in life and all future endeavors.

Shivang Chopra

President

Feature..FlickonClick.com

Reena Malhotra Chopra recounts her fortunate career as a Painter