Momma musings

8 months and 11 days to date since I became a mom...and before you proceed any further with this post, I must warn you not to expect anything cohesive here as I ramble on with musings of a new (really, not new anymore I guess!) mom...

It may sound cliched, but it's been a roller coaster ride indeed these past few months...parents leaving...I, deciding to go back to work to keep my sanity intact and prevent my brains from rusting :)...finding almost the perfect nanny and then 7 months down the road dealing with nanny woes...dealing with the perenial stay-at-home mom vs nanny vs day care debate...and in the midst of all that chaos, our little munchkin never failing to brighten up our days with something new everyday...

As bad as it may sound, I didn't turn out to be the stay at home variety after all...hence the decision to get back to work, albeit with some flexibility and a work location closer to home....I was earlier doing a more than an hour long commute(on a good day) each way to and from work....so needless to say, I was overjoyed with an offer that was inline with what I wanted to do as well as very conveniently located. A few months at home was enough to make me realize that given my personality, no matter how many hours a day I may spend physically close to my little one,my love and affection for her as well as the amount of undivided attention and quality time I could give her would remain unchanged irrespective of whether I ventured out to work or stayed at home....With this realization, it made more than just simple sense to venture out to work, keep myself up to date with the going ons in the corporate world, have some daily adult interaction ,get some form of help to take care of munchkin while I am out, while trying my best to make sure that she doesn't, in any way, feel neglected and her development is not affected.

D and my initial thought was that if we did find a good nanny, we would keep Raya home for at least one/two years before introducing her to nurseries/play schools where she could interact well with her peers and develop socially...Given an option, the thought of leaving an infant who was not yet mobile and capable of keeping himself/herself entertained with toys at least for short periods of time,in day care, kind of freaked me out, for no particular reason...Thus began the search for the perfect nanny :)...Let me tell you this, the search for a good nanny who fits well into your family, can be an extrememly frustrating experience, having to deal with all kinds of characters in the process...a couple of the potential nannies I interviewed cared only about the moolah...didn't bother to even turn and take a look at the child they would potentially be taking care of before fixing on the moolah aspect :(...there was one who came in for an interview with her boyfriend (God knows why!!)....and there were many others with their own set of idiosyncracies...I could go on and on...many a time, I was on the verge of giving up and just staying home...among close to 30 nannies I inteviewed, there were just two who struck a chord with me...they were maternal, warm, affectionate, loving and it was evident that nannying was more than a job for them ...they seemed to want to develop a lifelong bond with the child they would be taking care of...one of them was a simple,nurturing, Peruvian lady,'P', whom I took a liking to instantly and made an offer on the spot....she took great care of Raya for 6.5 months and Raya loved and still loves her...she was reliable and simple...but then as fate would have it , she had her own personal issues to deal with and she let me know that if and when I found good alternate care for Raya, she would want to take time off to deal with her family issues...fortunately she was not the kind who didn't turn up one fine day...I have heard those horror stories as well...and I thank God we weren't a part of another one of those tales...

Nevertheles, we were back to square one...debating yet again which way to go nanny vs day care vs quit work and become a SAHM...By this time, Raya was beginning to become quite active...sitting unsupported, crawling around, pulling up to furniture, becoming increasingly mobile and nurturing an increasing interest in toys and people around her...I just had this gut feeling that a play school/day care setting would do her good and was the way to go at this stage of her life...while we were inclined towards a day care setting, of course the endless talks of day care infections, illnesses, lack of one on one attention etc and just a general feeling of guilt kept us on the fence for quite a bit...till we found a place we felt really good about ...and then when we did,we decided to take the plunge...we introduced Raya to day care for 6.5 hours a day/5 days a week, three weeks back...needless to say, it broke my heart the first day when I left her at the day care...

Now, three weeks into day care and among that a week of seeing my munchkin go through a severe bout of cough and cold , I finally think my little darling is settling into her new routine...These days, day cares are quite well equipped, with video monitoring and instant messaging updates about what your little one's day is turning out to be...that helps at keeping general levels of apprehension and anxiety at bay, for parents and also in keeping the caregivers alert and on their toes...though I agree, it can never be a subsitute for a parent/family member being constantly around the child...but that's the way it just is, when you go this route and choose not to be a SAHM...I leave the dropping off to day care bit to D...let him be the bad cop :)...I play it safe and be the good cop:)....I pick my little munchkin up from the nursery every day....I first peek through the window before going into the classroom and more often than not see her playing around happily...sometimes on a bad day, I see her being a bit fussy...but fortunately that's not happened too often...but what's so far been a constant is...as soon as our eyes meet,she first smiles...then makes a face getting ready to cry, almost as if she realizes that mommy shouldn't see her happily playing around in school or mommy will get complacent :)... then she comes crawling as fast as she can to me ... I pick her up...she looks at me...the smile comes back on...she then looks around and smiles back at all her friends and teachers...almost saying without using any words..."My mommy is here".... and that in itself makes my day, everyday ...

I realize I have not been that bad a mom these past 8.5 months after all...and that smile says it all :)...How I handle the coming months and years is anyone's guess...but for now at least, I can flush out the guilt, rejoice and bask in the joys and glory of just being a mom...:)

Here's a salute and toast to Stay at Home Moms and Working Moms alike...there's no right or wrong choice here...it's a personal choice that each of us makes and it's a difficult choice either way ...and no matter which choice you end up making, here's hoping it keeps you and your little one, happy and contented...

Leaving you with a few pictures of little Miss Sunshine , busy at work and play...:)

P.S.It's funny but I just realized I never write blog posts in the middle of a crisis(e.g. the nanny vs day care vs SAHM crises)...I wonder why...of course a part of it is lack of time, being too busy dealing with the crisis itself...also probably a part of it is because I prefer to write once I have found the light at the end of the tunnel...it just helps keep the optimism alive...probably :)

RAYA...

Visualize this...mid 1990s...a feisty teenager who feels she can take on the world like a storm...dreams in her eyes...determination gallore...cynical about the institution of marriage...while loving babies and little ones to cuddle with, nurturing a complete disregard for the blessing of a women's ability to bring life into the world...belief that life should not be moulded or steered by institutions like marriage and children...a proponent of the 'life is meant to be lived on one's own terms, without exceptions' paradigm...

Fast forward 15 years...visualize this...a woman with a huge bump on her tummy,religiously trying to attend prenatal yoga classes( because that's what the current 'earth mother'/'go green'/'organic' world says is best for her baby and her)...eating 'healthy'...doing whatever folklore and modern motherhood tales say about giving birth to and bringing up a healthy baby...enduring an 18 hour labor...being rushed into the surgery room for a 'C' section, because all the 'prenatal yoga' and 'walking' in the world failed to do it's magic:)...shivering in apprehension and anticipation in the surgery room...breaking down into tears as the little bundle of joy is placed next to her...letting life turn into a scramble as she tries to get too many things done in too little time...dealing with lifestyle changes...dealing with the challenges of nursing... night outs, partying out in the city,give way to nightouts, at home, feeding the little one and changing diapers...impropmtu trips give way to impeccably planned getaways...designer bags make way for the life saving diaper bag...those 'n' pairs of confidence boosting high heels( which she could not do without till a few months back), gather dust in the closet while giving way to unappealing,comfortable flats...she does everything that belies her erstwhile definition of "living life on her own terms" 15 years back...yet she is the happiest she has ever been in life...the early morning smile from her little one brightens up her day, gives her the energy to go through the day with zest and vigor...rekindles her belief in miracles and makes her feel complete...you may call it a life changing event...I prefer to call it the 'FLOW' of life...RAYA, our little Miss Sunshine...all of almost 5 months now and filling our lives with an abundance of love, laughter, smiles, babble, coos, rolls, twists and not to forget drool and wet diapers:)

Interestingly enough 'D' and I went into the gender determining Ultra Sound with just one name in mind...RAYA...while I lay on the Ultra Sound table, I must admit I felt terribly guilty about not having a boy's name in mind yet...it did inherently mean that both D and I were hoping for a baby girl...what if, it was a boy, instead??!! Fortunately both of us were spared from sulking in pangs of guilt for the rest of the pregnancy,with the news that it was a girl indeed :)

Time and again, a lot of people have asked 'D' and me what RAYA means...While I can't take credit for coming up with the name RAYA...that came from little Miss Sunshine's dad...but I must admit I did love the sound and vibe of it instantly...short, simple and yet eloquent...While the origin of the word RAYA is the Hebrew word meaning "Friend", it has a wide range of meanings in different cultures...in Greek, it means "Wise guardian"...in Bulgarian, it means "Queen/Heaven"...in Russian, it means "Relaxed"...in Mayian, it means "Unique, one of a kind/ Easy to love, beautiful and pure "...in Latin, it means "Queen"....in Arabic, it means "Aroma"...in Old Greek, it means "Adaptable,easy going"...in Slavonic, it means "Happy"...and most importantly in Sanskrit, it means "Flow"...

RAYA, the 'flow' of our lives has provided fodder and momentum to 'D' and my lives...has given birth to new enriching and fulfilling emotions and relationships...has lead us to the delightful shores of parenthood, and continues to direct and lead us to explore new horizons every day of our lives...

And wait...before you leave this page, I have the feeling I am heading in the direction of becoming the cooler parent:) contrary to what I felt mid way into my pregnancy...As Raya is growing up, looks like Daddy dear has a lot more aspirations for our little munchkin...I increasingly hear 'D' talk about what he will allow her to do and what he will not, wants her to do and doesn't etc,while I have adopted a rather laid back attitude and am just focussing on enjoying the joys of motherhood and watching my munchkin grow up...'D' may turn out to be the stricter parent, after all...oh well, we'll see...the 'FLOW' of life will tell indeed:)

In the meanwhile, wish us luck! Bringing up a child the 'right'
way is difficult, specially when the notion of 'right' and 'wrong' is as fuzzy as it is in the world today...

About time...?

Well, I have been out of blogosphere for a while now...not for the lack of new things happening in life, though...:)

I have just been in two minds about sharing the news of probably one of the most significant life events in D and my lives...will get to that in a moment...

But then I miss blogging...and under the current scenario, writing about anything else without sharing this bit of news , the excitement, anxiety and nervousness associated with it just seems inappropriate and insignificant...

So I realized, it was about time I got back to my much neglected blog, about time I wrote about the life changes of the past six months, about time I shared D and my excitement, nervousness, apprehensions about the changes that life has brought on and those still to come...about time I mentioned the impending new arrival into our family...

Yes, D and I are expecting our first in another 2 and half months...we are excited, anxious, nervous, happy...all at the same time, if that's possible at all...but yes, after 5 years of marriage and into our 30s, I wouldn't blame you if you echoed our parents' thoughts and said that it indeed is about time :)

So well, going back to why it took me so long to write about something that's literally been the centre of our lives these past few months....While the first trimestor of pregnancy is unpredictable and uncertain for most women and hence a lot of people just prefer not talking about their pregnancy during that period...that aside,in general Indians tend to be really superstitious about anything related to pregnancy...I never could understand why....I do realize that two and a half months is still a long way to go and God forbid, a lot of things could go wrong in the next couple of months...so as of now,just trying to keep the positivity flowing, steering clear of all negativity and hoping and praying for a happy, healthy baby, while we prepare for her arrival...

So what has the last six months been like... a roller coaster of emotions, to put it simply....in the first trimester, in addition to the usual first trimester discomforts associated with nausea and exhaustion, I was encompassed by this intermittent fear that something may go wrong ....the second trimester was fun , other than having to get used to growing bigger and bigger...into my third trimester now …and growing bigger by the day...I perennially obsess about the little’s ones kicks and somersaults and sometimes the lack thereof...I failed my glucose screening test and have to undergo a longer glucose tolerance test now to make sure evrything's on track… and everyone says, the most difficult bit is yet to come...so essentially I am trying to keep enjoying the pregnancy and hanging in there with dreams in my eyes :)

It's funny the kind of changes impending parenthood brings about...In the past, whenever D and I talked of kids,I always imagined myself as a cool parent, never having undue expectations from my child and letting him/her grow up with unbridled freedom(much like how my brother and I did)...Hence, now I find it quite amusing and incredible when I talk to D about passing on my unfulfilled aspirations onto the little one...how I wish our child would be good at art unlike me...how the child wouldn't be flat footed like me...etc. etc...While DD brushes me off lightly with, "Don't get into the habit of forcing your unfulfilled aspirations on our child",I realize the flaw in my thoughts and just for a moment, feel a pang of envy realizing that probably( no, most definitively) D will be the cooler parent...:)...and I guess, I better get used to that :)…well, so that's that...

Wish us luck folks...your best wishes mean a lot to us as we get prepared for the final phase of this run...

A generation gone by...

Yesterday night papa called to let us know that aita (my paternal grandmom) was no more...Aita had not been keeping well for sometime now, though everyone back home says that the dignity with which she carried herself in those last few days, while she struggled with her illness, was incredible ...However as anyone can imagine , even the most expected news is difficult to accept when we are actually faced with it...so while papa tried his best to try and make it easy for us to accept the news with as much dignity as Aita would have wanted, by repeatedly emphasising that she passed away peacefully, without any pain whatsoever, tears rolled down my cheeks and I wept into my pillow at the thought of not ever again seeing that beautiful lady e who made that lovely house on the hilltop in Guwahati a HOME, a home where all of us grandchildren have spent many a cherishable moment..

I have been one of those fortunate ones , who has had a chance to spend significant amount of time with both sets of grandparents, and as I look back at the influences in my life these past three decades ...I see a bit of each four of them in myself today...and notice a predominant influence of both sets of grandparents on how my life has shaped up, thus far...

My maternal grandfather, a lawyer by profession,well known in Jorhat as the Nana ukil, was a warm, loving , witty and jolly man , who believed in living life to the fullest...perhaps it was from him that I learnt to love life, without too many complaints and to cherish and capture the little moments of life that make it so beautiful...

My maternal grandmom,Aita ma, was a beautiful lady, who was one of the most loving ,warm, affectionate and broadminded women of her times...her beautiful smile and the warmth of her embrace exuded a charm and joy , that was infectious...never heard her utter a foul word about anyone ever...she embraced friends and acquaintances of her children and grandchildren like her own...so much so that, I remember, as soon as I would tell my friends that my grandmom was visiting us, they would be dying to see her , listen to her stories and revel in her delicious cooking....married at the tender age of 9 and despite her limited formal education, she was the most open minded on worldly issues and in matters of the heart, alike...she carried her heart on her sleeves...and taught me to love and be loved...

My paternal granddad, Koka, was an academician by profession, a philanthropist in words and deeds...a humble soul who achieved accolades that are still held in awe even after his lifetime...the kind of goodwill and respect that he earned among his peers and the generations that followed with his noble deeds make people bow down in respect at the mention of his name even today...he had an aura, in the glory of which we , his grandchildren, bask even today when we visit Assam...he inculcated in us the values of respecting other human beings irrespective of caste,creed, religion and social standing, of humility, of empathy, of learning, of open mindedness, of not misusing the power and responsibility that we have, as humans...

And then of course,Aita, my dear paternal grandmom, a beautiful lady who was eons ahead of her times as far as lifetime achievements are concerned...a beautiful lady who was a writer, classical singer, a classical dancer, a thespian, a youth activist all rolled in one, while being the lovely grandmother that she was to all of us...She won many an accolade for her writings, her short stories, her translations of great English works like Jane Eyre to Assamese as well as for her many other talents....She epitomised the modern Indian women ...getting married to the man she loved against all odds, driving her own car, being independent while adhering to the basic values that make our family what it is today...she personified strength and dignity as she battled many a physical and mental battle that has helped the family overcome many a crisis...I guess it is that love, respect , strength and confidence needed for dignified living that I have acquired from her in some form...

Whenever I go back home to Assam, there are invariably multiple moments and occasions when people ask me my grandparents' names and as soon as I tell them, there is almost an involuntary, innate sense of respect and awe that fills their beings and demonstrates itself in their bearings...needless to say, it fills my heart with pride ...it makes be feel happy...it makes be feel fortunate and privileged ...and sometimes, it also does make me feel sad as well at the thought that I will probably not be able to do justice to that legacy and lineage I have been blessed with...

Over the years, while trying to deal with this quagmire and maze that this world and life is, I have often struggled to deal with situations that require aggressiveness, a killer instinct, a mean streak, a cynical view of people and the world ...things that are more often than not needed to get your way or make it big in the world today...I have often attributed this inability to my upbringing...but have time and again invariably failed in defying my upbringing to fit into the more cliched versions of people and the world like it is this day...

Today, as I remember Aita, Koka, Aita ma and Pipi....these are glimpses that fleet past my mind...the glimpse of Pipi throwing me into the air in joy as he celebrated the win of his favorite cricket team, the glimpse of cuddling up to aita ma, while she told me stories and fed me my favorite dish, the glimpse of Koka sitting on the lawns of "Anandam" , giving me a hug and telling me how proud he was of me on some achivement, the glimpse of Aita lying down in bed next to me and reading out stories while she tried to put me to sleep...glimpses and moments that have made me "ME"...glimpses and moments that make me realize how fortunate I have been to have had the upbringing I have had...to have been loved as much as I have... to have been taught to love life, people and this world....to have been born to the son and daughter of these four beautiful human beings...

With the passing away of Aita ,a whole generation has passed by...We love you aita and we will miss you...

Assam...Guwahati..."Anandam", home and life as I know it, will never be the same again...

An anniversary of sorts...

My blog turns two years old the day after tomorrow...24 months...31 posts...and I have kept coming back after quite a few short hiatus'(if that word can be used in the plural at all :))

I started the blog on a rather solemn note two years back, while I was struggling to give vent to and verbalise my thoughts,guilt and anger as I watched the events of the three days preceding and following the November 2008 blasts in Mumbai unfold on televison...

Since then "Slice of life" and I have come a long way...

Travel...music...movies...books...theatre...adventures...issues...
nostalgia...memories...joys...sorrows...dilemmas...tid bits of life's precious moments...slices of life...

Though the posts have really been few and far between as compared to regulars and veterans in blogosphere, nevertheless these are slices and moments of my life that I have chosen to share with you...and over the past two years, I have realized and have been encouraged by you, the readers to share more and more of my life experiences through my blog with a sense of liberty and freedom, I have never felt earlier...

Inspiration to write (which, unfortunately is not too often) comes in various forms and at the oddest of hours...initially when D was traveling a lot, I would be inspired to write whenever he was away ...needless to say, D wasn't really happy about the fact that my creativity found fodder and expression only when he was away :)....that was a transient phase though...the spurts of inspiration soon started showing up when I was driving to work... the long, rather arduous, hour long drive to work and back does come with it's share of benefits,after all, doesn't it !! ;))...sometimes I get inspired when I am in the lab, simulating some important experiment or am really busy at work...sometimes inspiration comes in the form of the most elementary of conversations I have with D and sometimes inspiration comes when I am in the loo...he he...hmmmm...wherever, whenever it may be , I feel this inherent need to immediately pen down my thoughts because before long and before I realize it, they invariably just fizzle out...but all's well as long as I continue to be inspired to write, I guess...which is in a weird kind of way, almost cathartic for me...

I feel an enormous sense of appreciation towards all of you who drop by and read...some of you are regulars, who visit my blog frequently...some of you drop by once in a while...some of you think what I write is trash....others keep coming back for more...some of you take the time share your thoughts and perspective with your comments, irrespective of whether you agree or disagree with me (thus adding value by keeping the interactive element of blogging alive) ...some of you read and are happy sharing an unspoken sense of camaraderie as you realize that the basic issues of life are things that all of us struggle with...it's just that some of us express them openly, others choose not to but either way we are not alone in dealing with them... I have made friends in blogosphere whom I would have never gotten to know otherwise...and I am really grateful for that...my thoughts and posts have been endorsed by many, which gives me strength and inspires me to continue writing...my thoughts and posts have also been refuted by many...and that too gives me the strength and inspiration to improve, think about issues from different view points and perspectives but still continue writing...so thank you all :)

I really do hope I will continue to have the courage to share slices of life experiences through this blog as I move forward ... and I hope this hobby doesn't fizzle out into thin air like a lot of my other hobbies have...fingers crossed about that...

So I leave you on that note for now...

Have a safe and beautiful holiday season folks !! :)

The paradox called life

Paradoxical as it may sound, despite being an essentially absent-minded personality, there is one thing I am a particularly keen observer of, and that is human behavior...

Now I do understand that there is probably a very thin line between just observing human behavior and judging...so let's just put it this way, defensive as it may sound, I love interacting with people from all walks of life ....human behavior fascinates me, and while I observe and try to figure out why a person behaves the way he /she does without letting any hearsay /preconceived notions bias my opinion, I don't judge,for the most part I give people the benefit of the doubt and prefer to just go with the flow and let relationships develop, if they are meant to ...all the while, trying to keep those human sensitivities, I have observed in folks over the years, in mind, while interacting...

Now there is a good side to this trait and a bad...the good side is that, not having fixed/inflexible notions of what is right and wrong, I have the capability to allow for all shades of grey in human beings, including myself of course :)...and learning not to be judgmental has helped me form some beautiful, warm friendships and relationships in life, that I'll cherish forever...the downside however, is that for each of those five fulfilling friendships and relationships, there are always a couple where over time, you realize you have been taken for granted / been taken for a royal ride and where there was perhaps only an illusion of warmth and affection...for in a lot of cases, the little and sometimes even big things and thoughts in life go unappreciated :))...

Oh well, that's life...and it' s paradoxical indeed...

Now coming back to the post...so what's paradoxical about life...some observations…

The fact that when people have a job, they wish they didn’t, they could just laze around and chill instead...and the fact that when people don't have a job, they wish they did...
The fact that when people have children, they wish they were just a couple...and when people don't have children, they wish they did...
The fact that when people are surrounded by folks who love and respect them, they take them for granted...and when they are gone, they crave their company...
The fact that when people are unhappy and sad, they give the illusion of perfection...
The fact that when people have all that they have ever wanted in life, they realize their search hasn't ended yet...
Essentially the feeling that the grass is invariably greener on the other side...when it isn't :)

Yes, the paradox called life…

For all our differences, and believe me there are many, for once D and I are on the same page at least on this one...live life in the moment and live it up...that helps us try to keep clear off these paradoxes for the most part...and I do hope it will remain that way in the years to come...but then you never know,do you... after all life is a paradox in itself and only time will tell what is in store for us...:)

Happy Friday folks!!

P.S. A couple of days back, a long lost friend of mine called from India to share a piece of good news...it was around 1:00a.m. in the morning when I received the call and despite not having had a chance to speak to her in the past 5 odd years and over the period of years, the email exchanges having become extremely rare, it took me less than a second to recognize the voice, after the initial,"Hello, is it Priyanka?" :)...the call made my day...and yes, there I was flooded with memories of all the times we had spent together ...a friend who has been very much an integral part of my life journey so far :)...so cheers to that!

Memories...the journey and the destination

Last Sunday, we went for this play called "Broken Images" performed by Shabana Azmi...I love theatre and fortunately for me, unlike in a lot of other activities, it hasn't taken much effort on my part to bring 'D' into the theatre watching fold :). Being an ardent Shabana Azmi fan, it wouldn't have taken much for me to get impressed anyways. But it was a stellar performance ,indeed, by the Indian theatre icon as she kept us on the edge of our seats , engrossed in the one act plot of Girish Karnad's psychological thriller for a full hour...Earlier this year, we had the opportunity to go for another wonderful play called 'the Blue Mug' starring cinema and theatre personalities, Konkana Sen Sharma, Ranbir Shenoy, Vinay Pathak and Rajat Kapoor, among others.

'The Blue Mug', which apparently falls into the experimental theatre genre explored the importance of memories in the lives of human beings...with each of the actors depicting real memories from their personal lives... 'Broken Images', a post modernist play, demonstrated the exploration of the subconscious mind and pysche of a renowned writer,trying to come to terms with her sudden rise to international fame, through her memories...

Whoa...don't stop reading here... this blogpost is not supposed to be an elaborate review of the above two plays...I mention them only because they got me thinking about how important a role memories play in our lives ...the vacuum, that personally, my life would be without memories :)

For a moment, sit back and think about the following:

When you undertake a venture or for that matter do anything in life, be it personal or professional...what is most important to you....the 'journey' or the 'destination' ...the journey, as in, the relationships you build...the good times...the bad times...the falls...the learnings from failures...the small stepping stones...the love, affection and respect you make and take...

If the 'destination' and the 'end' is all that matters, then this post probably would not make much sense to you...you would be among those laughing your guts out, right now, about me making such a big deal about memories ...'cause for you, the excitement and thrill all lies in 'the end'...the 'destination' is all that matters...the 'journey' and hence memories have very little meaning...the end always justifies the means...good or bad, that's the way your life will probably always be...for the major part perhaps - devoid of any meaningful, valuable memories...

However if you are one of those for whom the journey is what matters rather than the destination, then you would understand why I am making such a big deal about memories:)...yes, memories that make you smile, memories that make you pick up the phone and make that long due call to a dear one, memories that make you reach out to your loved one and give him or her a warm hug,memories that make you laugh,memories that make you cry...good or bad,memories that make you 'YOU' !!

Today, as we celebrate,Diwali, the festival of lights in India, for all of you for whom the journey is as , if not more important than the destination...as you start a new year and make new beginnings in life, may your life be filled with beautiful memories that lead you to the destination you aspire to reach - whatever, whereever it may be :)

Happy Diwali folks!!