10 Important Life Realisations

I always knew it but had forgotten in the insecure atmosphere of last 1-1/2 year.

1. It's OK to have less... 

   Spend less. Happiness is not directly proportional to your pay check. It's directly proportional to spending time with your loved ones.

2. Its OK to wear again what you have worn earlier. 

   No body pays attention to what brands you are wearing, It's important to be neat, clean and decently put together.  We wear just a few favorite clothes, fewer pieces of jewellery, a few pairs of shoes, and still fewer handbags

3. Wholesome homemade food is good food. 

   Eating out should be restricted.It reflects, adversely, on your health not on your status.

4. Live the way you want to.

   No one is impressed by what car you are driving and what house you are living in They are all busy with their own things and if someone does they are not your kind of people.

5. Love yourself.Follow your heart. 

   You live only once. Live it up!

6. Cultivate a hobby.

    Learn to play an instrument, paint, cycle or whatever you have always wanted to do. It helps you get i touch with your inner self and that is enlightening.

7. Learn to dance

   It liberates you, gives you a sense of peace, coordination, balance and exercises your body and mind

8. Read books.

   They bring the world to your table. Nothing more needs to be said yet they give you a vision, a broader perspective and sometimes lessons that last a life-time

9. Travel to broaden your horizon.

   On travel, there are beautiful untouched places in our own country and we travel for our relaxation and exploration not to impress others.

10. Be there .

    For the people in your life Your parents, children,siblings,friends and those who have less than you have. Dignity and respect comes from being there and being good when you are needed.

The Castle Wedding @Kanota

#Guddudavyah kahin bhi hota, mujhe to jaana hi tha

I was looking forward to the invitation! Yes I would be lying if I say that I didn't care. There was not an iota of doubt that it was going to be grand and exclusive. everyone wanted to be on the invitee list.

The pre-wedding function was where it started. We reached the small town and I was surprised as well as reassured with the warm welcome we got from the family. These are the times when you realise that the genuine feeling and love you had nurtured when you were young are priceless and long lasting. Some people are as genuine as you are. The blast that we all had made us miss some who were not there. we bonded again over vodka, cofffe, mithai and gossip.

Yes Indian weddings are all about relatives and gossip, gaudy clothes and loads of jewellery but its also about extended families bonding and your children meeting your favourite cousins. I saw our children get to know each other and it brought me immense satisfaction that the legacy will be carried on for at least the next generation. I feel that its the need of the hour that extended families relate what with single child units becoming the norm.

The journey to Kanota for me was filled with fun, laughter, dancing to Pujabi Songs in the taxi with the young brigade and eatig potato chips and polo, after the anxiety that we won't be able to pack everything we needed and load it on the vehicles was over!

A breathtaking place, spacious suites, big lawns, a blue pool and so many trees and animals around, it is perfect destination for a big Indian wedding. Two days passed as if in a wink. The castle was specially lighted up with fairy lights and colured lights,orb like lamps hung from trees and hundrends of votive candles lighted aroud the concrete paths.it was if you had come to dream palace. The effort which the bride, her groom and their families had put in the planning was evident. THe food, the ambience, the convenience and luxury were unparalleled

Small things like the photoframes where you could get yourselves clicked, the billboards relating the couples love story and the scooter which was a witness and auxillary to the law students getting hitched being made the centre of attention were brilliant which made the evening special and relevant. It felt great to see that they were proud of their connection and unabashed about it. The new generation is open, self-confident and brazen about their choices and financially independent to be able to carry it on. I am proud of the change and relieved too.

It was a fun wedding, no tears, people dressing-up and faces made up to the tee whereas the bride was so elegantly dressed with her natural beauty and radiance that she needed minimal make-up. Little girls in lehengas and shararas, touting about their maang teekas and bangles. Cousins, children and ladies having meals together, taking strolls, calling out each other, shouting and laughing. The bride's cousins gave a swashbuckling bhangra performance and the elders got on the stage muddling it all up and making it all the more enjoyable. About 3000 pictures and selfies were clicked unofficially.

Money was spent like anything. Lakhs spent as short change but like the bride's mother concluded, it was worth the glow of happiness on our daughters face. It was indeed a grand wedding and a memorable event.

Well done Guddu and Nishant for planning this beautiful wedding and Thanks Ricky Di for making me an integral part of it.