Shweta & Rajeev's World

HI FRIENDS!!

2007-04-01T23:46:00.000-07:00

Hi again!! I am sitting in a cybercafe with Chinar ...My 9th month is getting over on 3rd April but no signs of labour as yet. During my last appointment the doc said the baby's position for labour is extremely good and there are high chances I might deliver my 2nd April however no signs as yet!! I will my baby will take complete 9 months and 9 days to come into the world. Rajeev keeps teasing me that since I keep doing things as per a planned schedule my baby would also come into the world as per a planned schedule of 9 months and 9 days!!! Pregnancy is getting pretty boring now...I just cant sit ile at home. Before I Cmae to Pune I had finished cleaning the entire house in Mumbai!!Now I am just playing the waiting game!!! Its very exciting though!!! Misssing Rajeev a lot...He is also goig to take 10 days paternity leave and join me for my delivery in Pune!! So bye till my next post ( I woner when that would be possible!!)

HI!!

2007-03-20T23:27:00.000-07:00

New Movie Review!!

2006-09-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

I saw ' Lage Raho Munna Bhai ' yesterday evening!! Its an awesome movie...We really can't compare Munnabhai MBBS to its sequel as both the movies have a different setup and apart from Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi's characters , all other characters are new!! The movie has a message to tell about Mahatma Gandhi and an important one indeed. Its an out and out comedy movie with some sensitive moments !! Amazing dialogues and superb performances by all!! A new concept has been introduced in the movie..Vidya Balan looks refreshing once again after ' Parineeta '.The movie is a must see atleast once!!

My 29th Birthday Snaps!!

2006-08-28T04:53:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my birthday first in the office as I was working and then at home with my parents and hubby. Dinner that night was at HOTEL ABBOT , in THE CREEK restraunt .Check some of my 29th Birthday snaps - Shweta's Birthday Snaps :

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

2006-08-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOME....HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SHWETA...HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!! ...Yes ..I turned 29 today!! Hubby Darling gave me a surprize by coming at 2am from Delhi!! Yesterday I was very upset that it would be for the first time since 2001 that we would be spending my birthday without being close to eachother!! But he came and also send me a bouquet through his friend at 12 in the night!! My parents are still here and we are planning to have a small quiet dinner at home today!! Thanks Monica and Jeffrey for your wishes!! And those photos above are 8 years old ...I look quite different now!!

Saw K.A.N.K Yesterday

2006-08-13T20:46:00.000-07:00

Yes I finally saw K.A.N.K ( Kabhie Alvida Na Kehna ) yesterday evening along with my parents.I really enjoyed the movie...a typical Karan Johar stuff. I even cried in the movie!! I think every married couple must see it once. Although I think the extra maritial affair was not at all justified in the movie. Preity Zinta looks amazing and so does Abhishek Bachchan. Rani and Shah Rukh have done some fantastic acting . All in all a good one.The entire movie has been shot in New York and a small part in Malaysia. The locations are beautiful!!

My Snaps!!

2006-08-12T01:41:00.000-07:00

My friend Meenal got a new camera phone today , so she has gone bonkers clicking everyone’s snaps in the office!! Check out some of mine below :

Shopping Time

2006-08-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

This Raksha Bandhan since I could not visit my brother in Pune due to the bad weather conditions , I was in Mumbai itself. Whole day we lazed around at home and in the evening we went for some shopping to be done. We bought a new LG DVD Player and traded it with our old one. Then we went to a nearby mall and did some shopping for Rajeev in Pantaloons . Regal offered a flat 55% discount and I love these sales so I bought quite a lot there. After that we did some basic grocery shopping in Food Bazaar and then left for home. On the way we brought home some Chinese food for dinner. So all in all it was a relaxing holiday. Now I am looking foward to my parent's visit this Saturday. They are here to give me company for a good one week as Rajeev has to go back to Agra.

HAPPY RAKSHABANDHAN

2006-08-08T03:55:00.000-07:00

Since I would not be in office tomorrow ( its a holiday ) , I thought I should post this today. I badly wanted to visit my brother in Pune for Rakshabandan but going by the bad weather , I am sure I will be stuckup on the express highway because of the rains!

Some information about Raksha Bandhan

Rakhi - The bond of love

Raksha Bandhan is one festival that primarily belongs to the North and Western regions of India but celebrated throughout the country with the same zeal. Regional celebrations may be different but Raksha Bandhan has become an integral part of those customs.

As per the traditions, the sister on this day prepares the pooja thali with diya, roli, chawal and rakhis. She worships the deities, ties Rakhi to the brother(s) and wishes for their well being. The brother in turn acknowledges the love with a promise to be by the sisters' side through thick and thin and gives her a token gift.

The festival falls on the Shravan Purnima (full moon day of shravan month) which comes generally in the month of August. The rakhis and the sweets are bought and prepared generally before the Purnima.

As per the tradition ,the family members get ready for the rituals early. They take a bath to purify mind and body before starting any preparations. The sisters prepare the thali for the pooja. It contains the rakhi threads, kumkum powder, rice grains, diya (an earthen or a metal lamp used for worshiping), agarbattis (incense sticks) and sweets.

The Sisters tie the thread of love to their brothers amongst chanting of mantras, puts roli and rice on his forehead and prays for his well being. She bestows him with gifts and blessings. The brother also wishes her a good life and pledges to take care of her. He gives her a return gift. The gift is the physical acceptance of her love, reminder of their togetherness and a symbol of his pledge.

Hi , I'm back!!

2006-08-06T23:26:00.000-07:00

Hi ,

I am back after a long and an exhausting trip to my inlaws place. Sadly my Mom-in-law’s health is still in a bad shape. Now its been more than 15 days that she has been admitted in the hospital. Actually she has been ill for the past 20 years off and on. Not even AIIMS Delhi has been able to cure her. Almost every second month she is in the hospital for 3-4 days. She starts getting high fever , loose motions , vomiting , everything together. This time we also gave her 3 bottles of blood .15 days that I was there , every day I used to sit atleast 12 hours continuously in the hospital room. Rajeev and his father used to sleep in the hospital everyday/ My MIL is not even in a position to sit by herself. She needs to be lifted up by others. All her daily chores are on the bed. Everyday she has been getting atleast 20 injections and 3 drips on her body. The doctors say that after so many years of putting drips , there are unable to find any veins remaining where a drip could be put. They used to spend atleast one hour finding a new vein strong enough to add a drip! And the temparature in Agra is horrible. Its so hot that one cannot sit without an AC or a cooler on. Since MIL was very ill , we couldn’t switch on the AC in the room and the fan was running at a snail’s pace. So you can imagine what must be the room temperature inside! It was boiling hot! Now that we have come back , Rajeev’s elder brother Sanjay is in Agra to help my father in law . Next week Rajeev might go again if she doesn’t recover till then. All the relatives from Agra and Delhi helped us a lot in all this. I just pray to GOD that she recovers fast. Please pray for her.We reached Mumbai yesterday at 10.30am. But we reached my place at 1.30 ( usually time taken to reach from Mumbai Central to my place is only 50 mins by Taxi , 50 mins is hardly anything considering the size of Mumbai ). But yesterday it took us 3 hours! It was pouring like anything and just like last year , the entire place was flooding. I prayed to God that we shouldn’t get stuck up in the rain and be forced to stay at some relative’s place like last year!! Thank God , our taxi driver managed to find away somehow to cross Sion Circle. Once that is crossed then there is no tension as Chembur onwards there is never any water clogging. I missed all of you in the last 2 weeks. I have a lot of catching up to do in the office as well. I went through all the blogs in the morning ( doing a 8-4 shift today ) . But will go through the photographs at leisure.

On Leave for a week

2006-07-22T02:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my father-in-law called saying that my Mother-in-law's health is really bad. She has been hospitalized for the past 1 week and now her condition is getting bad . So we decided overnight that we need to visit her immediately. So I am flying to Delhi tonight. Would stay at Rajeev's aunt's place and then move to Agra tomorrow morning. Lots of things to be wound up in office and in the house before I leave. Would probabaly be back on Mondy. Till then bye bye.....

YAHOO BLOG SITES HAVE OPENED UP!

2006-07-21T05:41:00.000-07:00

I am soooooooooo very happy that I am back into the blogging world!! Its terrible to be an outsider. I missed all of you so much!! Mari and Nidhi - Thank you so much for mailing me your snaps. It was more than a week I guess that the blog sites were not working. India is a democratic country and I hope this never happens again!!

I am so upset

2006-07-18T04:26:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!! I am so very upset with the Indian Government . You must be wondering why ?? Well because for some odd reason they have blocked all the blog sites in India .Which means I will not be able to check anybody's blog including mine. Although I can update my blog but can't view what I have updated. Also won't be able to check any other blog. This is going to me terrible because I CAN'T DO WITHOUT BLOGGING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just have to be intouch with all of you through our blogs. Please pray this gets corrected soon!! Thanks Mari for this information because for the past 4 days I was clueless as to why I am unable to check any blogs!! I also called the IT Engineer in the office to check!! Read the site below :

Blogs Blocked in India
But I will keep posting my snaps and other posts in my blog because you guys can definately check them!! And yes please do send me your latest information to my mail id

Spirit of Mumbai

2006-07-11T23:33:00.000-07:00

Mumbai Blasts
11/7 WILL NOT BE FORGOTTEN IN THE HISTORY OF MUMBAI. The 1993 bomb blast terror was seen again. I wonder what kind of people are these who don’t give a damn for human life ? How can anyone be so cruel? Certainly these anti social elements of the society do not believe and fear GOD. However one thing I would like to mention and appreciate is the spirit of the Mumbaikars which is amazing. I have personally experienced this last year when I was stuck in the rains in Parel on 26/7 . And some surveys prove that Mumbai is the rudest city in the world! What crap!

12/7 , Everything is back to normal , all professional , educational and government institutions are open. Trains running fine , Western Railways late by only 15 mins! SALAAM MUMBAI-----THE ECONOMY STATE OF INDIA ( Mumbai contributes to 40% of the revenue generation in India ) IS TRULY THE BEST CITY TO LIVE IN INDIA!!

And yes please do not forget to pray for the victims of the bomb blast , please click here to submit your prayers : PRAYERTOWERONLINE

Lonavala Khandala Visit

2006-07-10T20:49:00.000-07:00

This Sunday we had invited a couple friend of ours - Pinal and Deepali for lunch. They have a 4 year old son Aryan. After lunch we went to Lonavala in the evening. It was an amazing site. There was fog all around, so much that one could hardly see a few metres away!! The scene was amazing!! We eat corn and had nice hot tea at that spot! We also had a glimpse of the famous Ambey Valley ( the most beautiful residential comple in India , but only for the rich and the famous!!). Although one cannot go inside the premises till you have a pass. So next time we will go prepared!! Most fo the celebrities like Amitabh Bacchan , Aishwarya Rai , Sachin Tendulkar etc have their bunglows inside. Then we went to Dukes Retreat for dinner! So overall it was a nice trip. Didn'ty really click many snaps , just 3 of them :

My Pune Trip!!

2006-07-04T04:58:00.000-07:00

Hi All,

I visited my parents , brother and sister in law in Pune this weekend. I was there on 3rd and 4th of July. Let me start with what I call as a spectacular view of the Express Highway which is connecting Mumbai and Pune! For those of who have never been on the express highway , you must visit the same especially in the rainy season. It is the first highway to be created in this manner between Pune and Mumbai. The roads were wet , the mountains on either side looked green and beautiful!! The wide roads were shining in the rain!! There were waterfalls in a row one after the other on one side of the road. It was raining heavily and a sight for sore eyes on the express highway!! Pune Expressway connects the commercial and cultural capitals of India. To drive the mumbai pune expressway is to rediscover the joy of disciplined and responsible driving. It completely lacks the indian road chaos. It is another landmark of modern India.
Notable features of Mumbai Pune Express Highway are:
· Six lane concrete highway divided in center by a 7m-wide divider. An extra lane provided on each side as a hard shoulder.
· The Mumbai Pune expressway should cut down travel time between Mumbai and Pune to less than 2 hours at an average speed of 80kmph.
· Separate tunnels for traffic in each direction.
· Complete fencing to avoid humans/animals crossing the expressway.
· No two wheelers, three wheelers and tractor vehicles allowed.
· Provision of Petrol pumps / motels / workshops / Toilets / Emergency Phones and Breakdown Vans etc.
· Proposed planting of 70,000 trees along mumbai pune expressway
Finally we reached Pune at 1pm in the afternoon on Sunday. This time most of my trip was dedicated to my nephew Raunak. I gifted him a nice electronic car! He is now 1.5 yeard old and very very adorable. Rajeev was playing with him throughout the day till late in the night. In the evening we all went to Gold Adlabs where Raunak was busy playing in the mall in the kiddies section and all of us were doing window shopping. We also went to the Horror Show which is present in the mall. Me and my sister in law Chinar were really scared while that 15 min thing lasted. On Monday morning, I went for a haircut to Jasbir’s in Camp. This haircut was long pending!! Then I caught up with a friend of mine who is also my ex-colleague . We shopped on MG Road in the afternoon. Then later in the evening Rajeev and me visited one of his friend outside his office at Tadiwala Road . Pune brings back my old memories! And while I was crossing Gera Plaza , Nandu’s Paratha House , Mazorin’s etc , I missed my old friends and remembered them a lot! Later in the evening we left for Mumbai. There was some minor landslide which had happened near Khandala so we got late by half an hour. Otherwise the journey back home was good. For more snaps click here - PUNE SNAPS

Will Krrish be India's first successful Superhero?

2006-06-25T23:19:00.000-07:00

Yes , I saw ‘ KRISSH ‘ this Sunday in the afternoon. As everyone knows Krissh is a sequel to Koi Mil Gaya. It is director Rakesh Roshan’s second movie in the sci-fi genre. The movie will star Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Rekha, with a cameo by Preity Zinta. It will be subsequently dubbed in Tamil and Telugu..

Especially kids will enjoy it! Hrithik looks amazing in the movie with his new hairstyle and so does Priyanka Chopra ! The movie is a stunner and one must watch it!! Something like – INDIAN SUPERMAN!! Sequels are getting popular in India nowadays ! The costumes are very good in the movie but the songs are a bit of a let down. The special effects in the film are by Mark Kolbe and Craig Mumma. Hrithik Roshan has performed all the dare-devil stunts without the use of duplicates. Hrithik underwent massive martial arts training under Siu-Tung Ching. The thrill fest includes bungee-jumping, plunging into infernos, leaping across slippery rocks on wild-flowing rivulets, scaling walls, swinging trapeze acts, and so on. All of these stunts have been conceived and coordinated by Siu-Tung Ching of Hongkong and Sham Kaushal.
Later in the evening we went for the Club Mahindra Presentation for which we were invited. Club Mahindra has amazing resorts all over India. Since my Mom has been a member , we have stayed in their resorts in Munnar ( Kerala ) and Manali. Its truly beautiful. However Rajeev and me are not really interested as we don’t want a 25 year old membership!

Recreating my Reading Hobby!!

2006-06-24T05:59:00.000-07:00

I was thinking the other day that its been so long I have actually read anything ( apart from my study books ). However now that I have free time once I reach home from office ( exams are finally done with !) , I have prepared a list of the books I have missed out in the past few years and I am looking forward to read :

THE ALCHEMIST………………………………………………. BY PAUL COELHO

DA VINCI CODE………………………………………………….BY DAN BROWN

MEN ARE FROM MARS & WOMEN ARE FROM VENUS….BY JOHN GRAY

CREATED TO BE HIS HELP MEET…………………………..BY DEBBIE PEARL

CHANAKYA ON MANAGEMENT

LEFT BEHIND…………………………………………BY PASTOR BRAD BUTLER

PAID IN FULL………………………………………….BY TIMOTHY PAULSEN

THE 8TH HABIT………………………………………...BY SR COVEY

I have started reading the following :

Paid in Full is particularly important for me as its related to my work.

Next would be CHANAKYA ON MANAGEMENT , which is an excellent book as informed by my boss and my colleagues in office! Actually my Boss has an excellent selection of books kept with him so we keep borrowing them from him!!

My Weekend News

2006-06-19T00:27:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a good one. Our friends Rachna and Amit visited us from Pune. We were all celebrating another couple friend , Rajesh and Rupali’s 4th marriage anniversary in Mumbai. This was on Friday . It was go good to see all 3 couples getting together after such a longtime. Earlier Rachna and Amit were also staying in Mumbai but they shifted to Pune when Amit changed his job last year !! Rachna has a 3 year old daughter Khushi and a 5 month old baby Shreya although she herself is only 25 years old!! Rupali also has a 2.5 year old son Siddhesh . So all of them were behind me and Rajeev that by next year we should have a little one in our arms!! That night we all slept pretty late at around 3am in the morning. Me and Rachna ended by gossiping and bitching the whole night…hahaha usual girly stuff!! When they used to stay in Mumbai we used to have a lot of these parties happening. Saturday I had a week off and Rajeev went to office along with Amit who wanted to meet his old colleagues. Rajesh also went to work so the ladies got a chance to shop like crazy. We all were thrilled that we didn’t have our husbands with us stopping us from buying what we wanted!! We were in the mall for around 5 hours and shopped till our legs ached!! I got myself lots of clothes , a nice handbag , bracelets , books and so on!! Imagine with all the babies around. Whenever Rachna had to try on any outfit ( and tried on a loooooooooooooot of them ) , the baby was in my arms or in the pram and me looking after her. It was fun and very very tiring. Later that night dinner was at our place and everyone had come over. I had cooked Goan Fish Curry , Fried fish while my cook managed the chicken , rotis , rice and all. Next day , that’s Sunday , I was in office working !! Rachna and Amit went back to Pune . It was an amazing weekend and felt really good to catch up with old friends. Then in the evening we first met my coushin who stays in Vashi and then went for a Movie - Chupke Chupke ' ....Okay dokey types!!

Know Your Personality Through Your Hand Writing!!

2006-06-16T00:08:00.000-07:00

Graphology - Handwriting Analysis

Graphology - the study of handwriting and handwriting analysis - is now an accepted and increasingly used technique for assessment of people in organizations. Handwriting analysis is an effective and reliable indicator of personality and behaviour, and so is a useful tool for many organizational processes, for example: recruitment, interviewing and selection, team-building, counselling, and career-planning.
Here is a introductory guide to graphology, with examples of techniques that graphologists and handwriting analysis experts use to analyse a person's personality from a sample of handwriting.
Graphology is 'brainwriting' - the handwriting comes directly from the writer in a uniquely personal and individual way, irrespective of how the person has been taught to write: an expert graphologist understands the styles of the different countries and languages and makes allowances for 'taught' influences. Also largely irrelevant to the actual analysis is the content of the written text.
The science of graphology uses at least 300 different handwriting features in its investigative approach. The graphologist's interpretation skill is in the psychological art of understanding the particular blend of handwriting features - an expert is able to see the writer 'step off the page'.

Graphology theory and history
A person's handwriting - the script - and its placing on the page express the unique impulses of the individual: logically, the brain sends signals along the muscles to the writing implement they control. By examining a handwriting sample, an expert graphologist is able to identify relevant features of the handwritten script, and the way the features interact. The features, and interaction between them, provide the information for the analysis. (No single handwriting sample will exhibit all 300 different features of course - a typical analysis will involve far less).
No single handwriting feature proves anything specific or absolute by itself; a single feature alone can only identify a trend. It is the combination of features, and the interaction between them that enable a full and clear interpretation. Graphology is actually a very old and respected science - the study of handwriting and its analysis was first developed by the Chinese 3,000 years ago
The Romans used graphology, and through the centuries since then various civilisations and cultures have analysed handwriting to identify the essence of the person who produced it.
The modern approach to handwriting analysis was established by a group of French clerics, led by Abbe Michon, who defined key aspects of the science in the 1870s, after 30 years of study. This work formed the basis of modern graphology, although the science is still being researched and expanded today. Professional graphologists operate to a strict code of ethics, and these experts are constantly in demand; those who use it recognise its value in the workplace as an additional method of understanding character. It is therefore an extremely useful tool in identifying the quality and capacity of an individual's talents and potential, particularly in career guidance and improving relationships. Like other powerful behavioural or intuitive models, it is not easy to explain how and why graphology works, nevertheless it continues to be used, respected and appreciated by many because it achieves a high level of results.

Graphology - an introductory guide to handwriting features
As previously stated there are around 300 features - this introductory article attempts to explain some of the basic ones that can be readily understood and which give interesting information.

Slant
Right slant indicates a response to communication, but not how it takes place. For example, the writer may wish to be friendly, manipulative, responsive, intrusive, to sell, to control, to be loving, supportive, just to name some possibilities.

If the handwriting is generally upright, this indicates independence.

A left slant tendency shows emotion and reserve. This writer needs to be true to self first and foremost and can be resentful if others try to push for more commitment from them.

Size
Handwriting is made up of three zones - or cases - middle, upper and lower. A basic average measure - or benchmark - by which size can be judged is 3mm per zone. This gives a benchmark for a non-remarkable full height of 9mm. More than this is large; less than this is small.

Large size handwriting can mean extravert and outgoing, or it can mean that the writer puts on an act of confidence, although this behaviour might not be exhibited to strangers.

Small size can, logically, mean the opposite. Small size handwriting can also indicate a thinker and an academic, depending upon other features in the script.

If the writing is small and delicate, the writer is unlikely to be a good communicator with anyone other than those on their own particular wavelength. These people do not generally find it easy to break new ground socially.

Pressure
Heavy pressure indicates commitment and taking things seriously, but if the pressure is excessively heavy, that writer gets very uptight at times and can react quickly to what they might see as criticism, even though none may have been intended. These writers react first and ask questions afterwards.

Light pressure shows sensitivity to atmosphere and empathy to people, but can also, if the pressure is uneven, show lack of vitality.

Upper zone or case (as in l, t, h, etc)

Tall upper strokes are reaching towards goals and ambitions or, if they are very extended, there may be unrealistic expectations of what the person feels they must achieve.

If there are reasonably proportioned upper zone loops, this indicates someone who likes to think things through and use their imagination in a sensible way. Wider upper zone loops indicate more of a tendency to dream up ideas and mull them over.

If the up-stroke goes up and then returns on top of itself, the writer may be squeezing out imagination and keeping to the basic requirement of getting down to the job in hand.

Lower zone (as in g, y, p, etc)
Lower loops are also varied and have different meanings.

For example a straight stroke shows impatience to get the job done.

A 'cradle' lower stroke suggests an avoidance of aggression and confrontation.

A full loop with heavy pressure indicates energy/money-making/sensuality possibilities, subject to correlation with other features.

A full lower loop with light pressure indicates a need or wish for security.

If there are many and varied shapes in the lower zone, the writer may feel unsettled and unfocused emotionally. Again the handwriting analyst would look for this to be indicated by other features in the script.

Word Spacing
The benchmark by which to judge wide or narrow spacing between words is the width of one letter of the person's handwriting.
Wide spaces between words are saying - 'give me breathing space'.

Narrow spaces between words indicate a wish to be with others, but such writers may also crowd people and be intrusive, notably if the writing lacks finesse.

Line spacing
Handwriting samples are always best on unlined paper, and particularly for exhibiting line-spacing features.

Wide-spaced lines of handwriting show a wish to stand back and take a long view.

Closely spaced lines indicates that that the writer operates close to the action. For writers who do this and who have writing that is rather loose in structure, the discipline of having to keep cool under pressure brings out the best in them.

Page Margins
The sides of the page each have a meaning.

The left side margin shows the roots and beginnings/family.

The right side shows other people and the future.

The top is goals and ambitions.

The foot of the page shows energy, instincts and practicality.

Therefore margins are very informative.

If the writer has a wide left margin, the interest is in moving on. If it is narrow, caution and wanting to avoid being pushed before they are ready is indicated.

Narrow right margin shows impatience and eagerness to get out there and on with things.

Wide right margin shows that there may be some fear of the unknown.

Middle zone or case (as in a, c, e, etc)
These middle zone shapes can give some particularly interesting information.

The middle zone in the script represents the ego - from it we get a lot of information as to how the writer feels and acts in public settings - what makes them tick socially and at work.

Some people's handwriting consists of only one single style, but many people will have a mixture of two handwriting styles or more.

Again this provides useful information.

All of these features have potentially positive and negative connotations; the analyst uses the flow and facility (ease, smoothness) of the script to infer a positive or negative interpretation.

Arcade
This means that the middle zone of the writing is humped and rounded at the top like a series of arches. It is in the basic style of copy-book, though it is not taught in all schools. Writers who use this can be loyal, protective, independent, trustworthy and methodical, but negatively they can be secretive, stubborn and hypocritical when they choose. The most important characteristic is group solidarity against outsiders.

Garland
Garland is like an inverted 'arcade' and is a people-orientated script. These writers make their m's, n's and h's in the opposite way to the arcade writer, like cups, or troughs, into which people can pour their troubles or just give information. The Garland writer enjoys being helpful and likes to be involved.

Angle
Angled middle zone is the analytical style, the sharp points, rather than curves, give the impression of probing. The angle writer, is better employing talents at work and for business or project purposes, rather than nurturing, which is the strength of the garland writer.

As with any indicators of personality style, the interpretation doesn't mean that each writer needs to be categorised and prevented or dissuaded from spreading their talents and interests, but the analysis can helpfully show where the person's strengths can be best employed.

Thread
Thread handwriting is like unravelled wool, waiting to be made up into something fresh. These writers are mentally alert and adaptable, but can also be elusive and lack patience. They are responders, rather than initiators. They can be very clever at drawing together strands of information and making something of them. Therefore they observe and bide their time, so that decisions are made at the most appropriate moment.

Wavyline
Wavyline handwriting is often an amalgam of all or most of the other forms and is usually written by people who are mentally mature and skilful. It shows that they can call on a variety of responses, to suit the occasion and indicates good coping mechanisms. They are adaptable and resourceful.

These features and interpretations provide a small but useful guide as to the way people behave, and particularly how they handle their social requirements. Check your own handwriting against these pointers to see what you can learn or confirm about yourself, and see also how effective even just a few simple graphology techniques can be in revealing personality style.

Understanding the personality through handwriting is a valuable way of making the best of both personal awareness and interpersonal situations for the benefit of all concerned.

The aim in using graphology to analyse a person's handwriting must always be positive. The interpretation should enable people analysed to use the understanding gained, to help them live their lives to the highest level of satisfaction that they choose. In a professional or organizational context, graphology can play an important part in enabling working relationships to be forged that will enhance the quality of the group or team performance.

As a child you were taught to write, but it's not likely that you still write in the way you were taught. The fact that you don't helps to explain the reason graphology exists and why graphology can be used to interpret personality.

My Nashik Visit

2006-06-12T20:31:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!! I am back after a hiatus of 11 days!! My exams are finally over!! YAHOO!!! I am feeling so relieved. It has been a hectic time for me although my exam center was a very stress free one. The college is built on the beach and I would get to see a beautiful view of the water while I was writing my papers!!

Last fifteen days as I said there was nothing much happening and I didn’t have anything to post. But 9th my last paper got over in the afternoon and the same day we had guests from Delhi at our place. Rajeev’s 2 aunts , 2 uncles and his grandmother had come to stay at our place . Actually they all were on a religious trip to Bhimashankar and Trimbakeshwara in Nashik. These are 2 Jytotirlingas of Lord Shiva out of the 12 which exist in India. It is said that Lord Shiva exist in each of the Jyotilinga and the one who see all 12 are freed of our sins. Nashik is called a Pilgramage city due to the no. of temples and holy places which exist in the city. The three lingas in this 18th century temple dedicated to Trimbakeswara are eye-shaped. Tri means "three," and Ambak means "eye," thus trimbaka means the "three-eyed one," who is Lord Shiva. This temple was visited by Lord Chaitanya. This interesting temple was built in 1730 by Baji Rao Peshwa, costing almost a million rupees at that time! Bhimashankar is also an amazing place. Actually we used to go there for trekking in our school days. I haven’t really clicked a lot of snaps due to the hectic journey however I have managed to click a few of the Trimakeshwara Temple and all of us. Click here SNAPS to see the snaps. We also went to Muktidham temple which is situated in Nasik. It has the statues and photos of almost all Indian Gods!!The Muktidham Temple is located near the station, around 7 kms from the city. The temple has been built with pure white makrana marble tiles making it a unique piece of architecture. The distinctive feature found here is that, eighteen chapters of the Bhagwad Geeta are written on the walls of the temple.

These 3 days were very hectic for me. More than anything I was very tensed because first time in 2.5 years of our marriage we had Rajeev’s relatives staying at our place. So me and Rajeev had to see that we give them full attention and there is complete hospitality extended to them. Because on our annual visit to Delhi evefry year , they do the same to us and take very good care of us!! At the end of it they were very pleased with their stay here and especially with me!! Thank God!!

Back in Office

2006-06-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends…..I am back to office after a leave of 3 days. My exams were good but the last paper was a little tough. I hope I clear it!! Actually the past 3 days were really bad for me. I got an attack of viral fever coupled with bad cough and cold. I wasn’t sure whether I would be able to even give my exams or not. There was so much weakness in me that even getting up from bed was something in which I needed to put a lot of effort. Let alone studying! And to top is all the exam center Dadar is a 45 minute drive from my place in case of low traffic otherwise it can take more than a hour. Rajeev used to accompany me and wait outside my exam hall till my paper is over! How sweet!! And yes , it started pouring like cats and dogs in Mumbai since the last three days!!! So everything was happening together. Mumaietes were sent SMSs by the Municipal Commisioner warning of the heavy rains due in the next 48 hours and that we shouldn’t get out of the house. News Channels flashed scenes of areas were water had started clogging ! I was really tensed of how I would reach the exam center!! However the real scene is not that bad. BMC is I guess doing a decent job this year. There was no water clogging anywhere and not really bad traffic. Now I have just one paper left which is next week!! Just waiting to finish it off!! By the way the weather is so good outside , wet and green , I JUST DON'T WANT TO WORK!!

Dinner at Khandala

2006-05-28T20:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our weekoff. I spent the entire day studying for my HR exam - Industrial Relations and Labour Laws ( How I hate studying those laws ) Rajeev was bored sitting at home the whole day because of me. Later in the evening though I promised Rajeev I would go out with him as I didn't want to spoil his Sunday. So at 7 oclock we left for Khandala , just the two of us. We went to Hotel Vallerina for dinner . Had amazing chicken and stuff. By around 11.30 we were back in Mumbai. And here I am in the office at 8 oclock today!! Would actually leave at 4pm today and go home and study again.

Fanaa is not a good movie!

2006-05-27T02:10:00.000-07:00

Yes its sad but true!! Many people had a lot of hopes pinned up. The movie has excellent acting done by Kajol and AAmir. Kajol looks beautiful!! But the screenplay and direction are very weak!! Although the cinematography is beautiful. The movie is good upto the interval but after that its so boring and so long....It just doesn't get over...Anyway those of you who are waiting to watch it , it can be seen once but it won't leave an impact on you.However anybody who sees the movie will definately agree with one point - KAJOL SHOULD NOT QUIT MOVIES. SHE IS THE BEST ACTRESS WE HAVE. Infact Kajol left an empty no. one spot for her cousin Rani!! However now that she is back , Kajol will definately give Rani tough competition once again!!

Awaiting the Monsoons!

2006-05-23T01:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends! I am back in the blogging world after a long period of 7 days. Actually my exams are on and I was busy studying. I finished 3 of my difficult papers this week. Now I have 4 more to go , 3 next week and one the week after that.. I also have to submit my pending assignments before 30th May!! So may be I would not be able to post that often for the next 2 weeks. Mumbai is hot , very hot nowadays however we just had the first shower of rain yesterday morning! It was a beautiful scenery at 6 am yesterday , everything was green , the mud smelt good!! I am waiting for the monsoon to come!! But hey I don’t wanna get trapped in the rain like last year !! The 26th July scene was bad last year. Me and Rajeev had taken a leave from office as we had some work in the bank at Parel. When we finished our work the water had already risen to the knee level and it was all in the bank as well! We were stuck in the traffic for 6 hours and I actually took 2 short naps in the car! Imagine , stuck in the middle of the traffic and sleeping! Thankfully I have all my relatives staying in different parts of Mumbai and we then managed to get our car into a small lane. We walked to my aunt Rupa Aatya’s place and slept there for the night. My cousin Sheetal had also walked from Parel to Rupa Aatya place. Next day the water level came down at around 4pm , so we left for our place from there! But I really appreciate the spirit of the people of Mumbai which truly makes Mumbai the best city in India! Although my personal choice would always remain Pune . There were people on the streets making food arrangements for the people stuck in the traffic for hours!! The water level was so bad that even some of the buses were under water! All this was due to the bad drainage system however there is a lot of work going on currently on almost all the road to correct the drainage system. Hopefully this mess won’t be created this monsoon! I have uploaded some photos of the rains last year :

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY

2006-05-15T00:41:00.000-07:00

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL THE WONDERFUL MOTHERS IN THE WORLD!!! Especially to my darling Mom Shilpa who stays in Pune and my Mother In Law Kamlesh who stays in Agra.

I am back after a longtime. Actually nothing much is happening in my day to day life nowadays. Since I am preparing for my last semester - MBA - HR its only studies , studies and studies. Although saw 2 movies last week. Posiedon and Tom , Dick and Harry. Posiedon is good to watch once. Inspite of the reviews , I liked it. I just went to watch the movie going by the fact that it was directed by the director of ' TROY '. I loved the scene where all 8 of them are trying to get out of the cruise through a small , really small iron tunnel and there is one girl out of them who is claustrophobic. I could completely identify with what they showed because I am also claustrophobic and believe me I'd rather die in that water than having to go through a small tunnel which may or maynot have an opening above!!

Tom , Dick and Harry is a sick movie which should not be watched at all!! It is based on a famous Marathi Play ' ALL THE BEST ' which is one of the most successful plays in India with regards to Marathi Theatre and it has also had shows abroad for the Maharashtrians staying there!! Its really sad to see that Deepak Tijori could not make a brilliant film out of such a wonderful play!! Apparantely Bollywood has copied quite a few movies from Marathi plays and Movies. Even Baghbaan is a remake of a hit National award winner Marathi movie - Tu Tithe Mi ' which means ' I will be hwere you are '. It was an amazing movie!

Review of two movies

2006-05-08T05:15:00.000-07:00

Hi , I'm back . Saw two movies last week . Actually Rajeev and me watch a movie every Friday which means we cover all the movies first day third show!! If you want the reviews of any movies which have released , you know where to contact!!Last week after we came back from Gorai I saw ' DARNA ZAROORI HAI ' . I know your laughing and thinking what rubbish this girl watches. But as I said we both are movie buffs so we watch everything! Anyway DZH is hardly a scary movie. There are 6 small stroies directed by 6 different directors . 2 stories are boring but the others are fun. Mallika Sherawat has done a brilliant job of enacting as a ghost!!Also the story with Amitabh and Rietesh in it is damn good. Good Time pass... The second movie I saw was ' 36 CHINA TOWN ' Its an ok movie. Not too good. Its a comedy plus suspense movie. Again good to watch once. Johhny Lever and Paresh Rawal are at their best!! So I recommend that you watch both the movies this weekend Now I am waiting for the following movies to release - Dhoom 2 , Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna , KKrish , Umrao Jaan , Fanaa ( just have to watch my favourite actress Kajol make a comeback and that too with my favourite actor Aamir...................Hey did I tell you guys that a particular scene in Fanaa was shot just outside my society on Palm Beach Road in Mumbai. Actually they had created a scene of Delhi in Mumbai!! We have a branch of Delhi Public School on Palm Beach ( I have posted snaps of Palm Beach in the earlier snaps ). They put a set of Mother Dairy , got autorickshows just like in Delhi and shot the scene!! Kajol was wearing a white dress. They were standing with Kunal Kohli who is the director of the movie. At the exact same spot we had seen Amitabh during the shooting of ' Bunty and Babli ' . And now for the past 4 days there is some shooting going on in a bunglow behind our society of some serial but I haven't really gone and checked which one. Shall let you know soon.

Long Weekend!!

2006-04-29T03:54:00.000-07:00

I am really looking foward for the long weekend. Sunday is a week off and Monday is a company off due to Maharashtra Day.So we have 2 days to enjoy! Initially we were thinking off flying to Bhopal to meet Rajeev's brother. Then we thought of going to Goa , Ganapatipule. But this is the wrong season to go there. So finally we thought we will stay on Gorai Beach or Madh Island in Mumbai itself! I am sure it will be fun. There are cottages available and some good beach resorts. Also lots of water sports. I hope we get a good hotel because we haven't done any advance booking and I am sure the place would be crowded now!

Times Festival at Bandra Kurla Complex

2006-04-25T01:38:00.000-07:00

Hi Folks,

Me and Rajeev had visited the ' Times Festival ' which was held at MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai. Sunday was the last day ! We had attended this exhibition last year as well. Its fun. All the stalls generally display Consumer Electronic goods , Kitchen Appliances ( which is my favourite section ! ) and furniture stalls. Spread over 10,000 sq m, the grounds metamorphose into a shopping paradise, with over 200 companies displaying their products in 250 stalls.
The place was overcrowded however the exhibition venue was fully air-conditioned so the Mumbai summer did not bother us. At the Utsav, you can shop for home utility products; furniture and appliances; apparels; automobiles; cosmetics; education; music and toys.
I did some smalltime shopping in the Kitchen Section. You also have yummy food stalls there where we both hogged ( and then we complain of putting on weight !) I also bought these amazingly beautiful bedsheets from the Rajasthan Section stall. They are multicouloured and really good! I remember as a child also I used to visit a lot of exhibitions with my Mom who was very fond of them. And now my husband is!!

Happy Birthday Rahul!!

2006-04-22T03:59:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my brother Rahul's birthday. He would be turning 33. Since I would not be in office , I am posting today. Presently Rahul is in Germany on an official trip , so he won't be with the family to celebrate!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU RAHUL!!!

Work Work and more housework!!

2006-04-05T04:07:00.000-07:00

Its been more than 15 days my servant has not come ( not well ) . To add to that even my cook did not turn up for 6 days inbetween ( had gone on a religious trip )! Thankfully her daughter used to come once in the morning to prepare breakfast and lunch. But evenings I had to do prepare dinner. So my day starts at 6.30 with my morning walk. Then sweeping , mopping, washing utensils and finally the clothes! Then rushing to office. So my two hour study time in the morning has got ruined. This is my last semester ( MBA ) and I have 7 papers to give. My exam would be in mid May! Then we reach home from office at 8pm. So next work , prepare dinner , again clean the kitchen and finally rest to watch some TV. By then I am so exhausted that I hardly study for about an hour and doze of to sleep by 10.30pm . So now I have thought of an alternate solution. I have started getting my books to office. I make it a point to study at least 2 hours in the office post lunch!! But thinking about the positive side of all this , I have regained my lost stamina! I have actually realized that all this extra weight I have put on is not only because of my eating habits but also becausen I had stopped doing any house work! Everything was getting done so well by both the servants. In the past fifteen days , I am sure I must have reduced a little bit atleast!! Infact I think this is a good way to keep fit!!

Nice Holiday!!

2006-03-31T02:25:00.000-08:00

Hi there!! I had a nice , pleasant Gudipadwa holiday. It was as if we had gone on a long drive on the countryside viewing small villages , rocky mountains etc. We went to two places - Woods Resort and Karnala Bird Santuary on Panvel - Goa Highway. It was beautiful. Woods Resort is surrounded by the greens of nature and majestic mountains, where the whiff of air brings an unparalleled sense of freshness, where the tranquility is broken only by the harmonius chirp of a passing bird, where you are closest with the wonders of nature a perfect blend of nature's gifts and the comforts of the modern era, a holiday destination that rejuvenates your body, mind and soul.
Just a short drive outside Mumbai Karnala Bird Santuary is on the Mumbai-Pune Highway to Goa, is the densely forested Karnala Bird Sancturay, a pleasant surprise away from Mumbai's concrete jungle. Karnala is a tiny sanctuary, barely 4.8 sq km, home to over 150 resident bird species and about 37 types of avian migrants.Its a different story that we could hardly spot any birds. Basically you need to go with binoculars and start early in the mroning at around 4am!! I just realized there are so many places around Mumbai which are so beautiful and make good tourist spots like - Alibaug , Chiploon , Ganapatipule , Dapoli , Ratnagiri etc. I am waiting to go to Ganapatipule!! Its got beautiful beaches . Infact all the destinations have beautiful beaches to swim in!! You can view my snaps of Woods Resort here - Woods Snaps!!

Happy Gudipadwa to All!!

2006-03-29T00:35:00.000-08:00

I know Gudipadwa is tomorrow but since I woulod not be in office I would not be able to post! So wishing all of you a very Happy Gudi Padwa !!

Gudi Padwa Information

The Maharashtrians celebrate Gudi Padwa on first day of the Chaitra month. Day welcome the New Year with this festival, which heralds the coming of Spring. There is great rejoicing on this day and apart from the usual rituals like drawing the rangoli, they have a custom of eating the bittersweet leaves of the neem tree on this day. They usually make a paste of neem leaves, ajwain, tamarind, gul and jaggery, this paste is supposed to purify the blood and strengthen the immune system.

The people of Maharashtra have the traditional gudis hanging out of their windows on this day. The Gudi is a pole with a brass or a silver vessal placed on the top. These poles are covered with silk and flowers like marigold. Mango leaves and coconuts are tied to it.The Gudi's hanging out of the windows symbolise nature's bounty.

For more information click here :

GUDIPADWA FESTIVAL

Continued.....I Miss All my Friends!!

2006-03-28T01:04:00.000-08:00

Here is the second instalment of my friends photos. I will try and add few more later. I don't have scanned versions of most of them , especially the childhood friends. The albums are at my Mom's place. Except for Monica's photos since she keeps sending me her updated ones!!

This is my childhood friend Monica. I haven't seen her since 2002 when she left for US to do her MS. Presently she is doing her PHD. Brainy girl , right from kindergarten! Thats her hubby Jeffrey . They stay in Texas. Monca and me have grown up together and have shared wonderful days together!! Hoping to see her soon. Off late we are intouch through mails only and sometimes phone calls.

Hey who's that!! My hubby Rajeev surrounded by all my friends. I remember this photo was taken way back in 2002 , a year before our marriage. They all look so different now!! Obviously everyone has put on some weight!!

This photo was taken on New Year's Eve in 2002 , a year before we got married. This was clicked at Splash Mountains in Pune!!

That was clicked in 2003 , i guess. It was generally a small tea party we were having!!

And thats my newest friend on the block! Meenal , she works in the same office as me. We share all the office gossip and all that! She ahs recently got married to Qais. She is evry particular about the way she carries herself!

2006-03-28T00:43:00.000-08:00

Life changes after marriage. I am sure all my married friends will agree. After marriage everything revolves round your hubby! Not that I am complaining because I am enjoying every bit of my married life! But this is also true that I miss all my frends so much because you get to be in touch only through mails , blogs and phone calls!! You really don't get to do all the girl stuff you did earlier - like slumber parties , parties , shopping , wearing eachothers clothes etc!! Most of them have settled abroad and very few are here in India. I miss all of them . I don't have scanned photos of most of them but I managed to gather few . So this post is dedicated to all my friends to whom I wanna say that even though I may not be spending so much of time with them I love them all and miss the times we shared together!!!

Thats my Friend Kalyani . She also stays in Pune and is a software proffesional. Kalyani is also married. She has been my friend right from college times when we used to bunk lectures and go for movies!!

This is Sushma , She stays in Pune . A very fun loving and jolly girl all the time laughing and having fun!! We had great times together and great bets ! Like daring to dip a biscuit into a tea cup and having it inside a 5 Star Hotel where everyone around is ooh soo sophisticated!! Hahaha!!And yes she is single ( Are you ready to mingle ??)

This is Leena with her Daughter Deeksha , isn't she cute.Leena currently stays in UK.

Leena again with her new hairsytle !!

Thats Kalpana . She also works in UK. Kalpana is also a trained dancer with Shaimak Davar.We all have had so many parties together ... and all that shopping before our quarterly office parties..My God!!

Thats Janhavi. She is also presently in the US. She has got a small cute son - Zayed.She is my very first college friend on my first day of college!! It is so memorable!!

This post is continued............

Sign my Guest Book!!

2006-03-25T03:31:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends!! I have added a ' Guest Book ' in my blog just below the profile. Don't forget to add a mesage . It will mean so much to me!!

A Very Happy Birthday to Fabian!!

2006-03-24T02:40:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys!! Thats my cousin Ishan , his wife Mari and their son Fabian. Isn't he cute? Well its his first birthday and lots and lots of hugs , kisses and wishes from Shweta Aunty and Rajeev Uncle!!

Neighbourhood Photos - Palm Beach Area

2006-03-22T00:39:00.000-08:00

Hi !! Everyday me and Rajeev go for our 40 minute walk on Palm Beach Road ( where my apartment is ) . We go at 7am and are back by 7.40 approximately. Believe me , Palm Beach is at its best in the morning , no pollution , no traffic and lots of fellow walkers and joggers with you. And yes you also get health drinks are every corner! I was tempted to click some snaps of that area and post it ! Though I looked funny with a camera phone in my hand while walking1 There is also a lake near Palm Beach exactly next to my apartament. Its a beautiful scenario in the morning with fishermans fishing for their catch , joggers on the track and the soft breeze! Click here ' PALM BEACH SNAPS ' to view them!

2006-03-20T02:29:00.000-08:00

Weekend Happenings!!
Didn't have a very eventful weekend due to the Riots happenings in New Mumbai. Everything here is almost closed down due to the curfew so we went towards Main Mumbai. Hey! I shopped , shopped and shopped at WESTSIDE - The VT Outlet at the Army & Navy Building. I got one trouser , 2 kurtis , 3 T-shirts and 1 formal shirt! Hubby darling loves shopping for me than for himself. He loves to choose closthes for me! It was fun. The merchandize this month at the VT outlet is amazing! Then we went for a long walk at Marine Drive for sometime. Finally we had dinner and came home. All in all a good weekend!! Above are some of the photos of Marine Drive for all my friends who are not from Mumbai..

14 steps to a healthy summer diet!

2006-03-17T04:44:00.000-08:00

Here are some other useful lifestyle tips you can follow to beat the summer heat.
1. Water is the best option to quench thirst.
It is a key ingredient in keeping the body cool. With high humidity levels, sweat will not evaporate quickly. This prevents the body from releasing heat in an efficient manner. This is why it is necessary to hydrate and drink water, even when you are not thirsty. Increase water intake regardless of your activity levels.
2. Avoid caffenated or carbonated beverages, alcoholic beverages, and those high in sugar.
All these drinks contain preservatives, colours and sugars. They are acidic in nature and act as diuretics. They cause loss of fluids through urine. Many soft drinks contain diluted phosphoric acid, which damages the inner linning of the digestive tract and, therefore, affects its functions. An excessive intake of soft drinks increases phosphorous levels in the blood. This separates calcium from the bones and moves it into the blood. This calcium displacement from the bones makes them porous and brittle. It also causes plaque on the teeth, kidney stones, arthritis and bone spur. Soft drinks also reduce mineral levels in the body to such an extent that enzymes are unable to function well, resulting in indigestion.
3.Do not drink very chilled liquids.
They do not really help cool you down in summers, though they make you cool for some time. Drinking really cold liquids when feeling hot may lead to a slight constriction of the blood vessels in the skin and decrease heat loss, which is not advisable when trying to cool down.
4.Limit all strenuous activity.
5.Eat light, nutritious and non-fatty meals.
6.Reduce intake of heaty vegetables and fruitsReduce intake of heaty vegetables and fruits, like spinach, radish, hot peppers, onions, garlic, beetroot, pineapple, grapefruit and ripe mangoes (if you cannot resist mangoes, soak them overnight in water).
7.Minimise the intake of dried fruits.
Increase the intake of fresh fruit.
8. Use sabza (tulsi seeds)
Use sabza (tulsi seeds) in your drinks -- this has very cooling effect on the body.
9.Include lots of fruits and vegetables Include lots of fruits and vegetables in the form of salads and fresh juices, preferably without sugar, in your diet.
10.Drink lemon juice, coconut water and thin buttermilkDrink lemon juice, coconut water and thin buttermilk, to replenish the fluids that are lost in sweat.
11.Avoid sugary foodsAvoid sugary foods, especially honey and molasses, and stick to natural sugars available from fruits and veggies.
12.Minimise the intake of hot, spicy foods and extremely salty foods. The body retains salt in the organic form found in fruits and veggies; the inorganic salt, meanwhile, is digested and needs to be thrown out of the body. And this is why you need to drink water!
13.Cut the intake of fried foods
Cut the intake of fried foods, like vadas, samosas, chips, bhajias, farsans, etc. Fat has a thermal effect.14. Maintain good hygiene levels.Since the sultry heat of summer increases with each degree rise in the mercury, by rooting ourselves to nature's provision of healthful food choices we can experience the bloom of our health and vitality.

A Cute Quiz for all of you

2006-03-14T00:38:00.000-08:00

Who is your inner ROCKSTAR?? Find out for yourself !!! I am BRITNEY SPEARS!! HAHAHA!!

Enjoy the fun and pass it on!! Click Below :

Tickling Fun

HAPPY HOLI TO ALL MY FRIENDS!!

2006-03-13T02:12:00.000-08:00

I know this post should have come on 15th March , but since that day is an official holiday , I have posted it today!! How about some information on Holi -
What is it all about
Why is it celebrated
How can you make colours at home
What is it called all over India

I AM SO PROUD TO BE AN INDIAN BECAUSE INDIA IS SUCH A COULOURFUL COUNTRY WITH SO MANY FESTIVALS TO CELEBRATE , EACH IN ITS UNIQUE WAY!!

Holi Festival
“One of the major festivals of India, Holi is celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun which is the month of March as per the Gregorian calendar."

Holi festival may be celebrated with various names and people of different states might be following different traditions. But, what makes Holi so unique and special is the spirit of it which remains the same throughout the country and even across the globe, wherever it is celebrated.
Preparations:
The entire country wears a festive look when it is time for Holi celebration. Market places get abuzz with activity as frenzied shoppers start making preparations for the festival. Heaps of various hues of gulal and abeer can be seen on the roadside, days before the festival. Pichkaris in innovative and modern design too come up every year to lure the children who wish to collect them as Holi memorabilia and of course, to drench everybody in the town. Womenfolk too start making early preparations for the holi festival as they cook loads of gujiya, mathri and papri for the family and also for the relatives. At some places specially in the north women also make papads and potato chips at this time. Season of Bloom Everybody gets delighted at the arrival of Holi as the season itself is so gay. Holi is also called the Spring Festival - as it marks the arrival of spring the season of hope and joy. The gloom of the winter disappear as Holi promises bright summer days ahead. Nature too, it seems rejoices at the arrival of Holi and wears its best clothes. Fields get filled with crops promising a good harvest to the farmers and flowers bloom colouring the surroundings and filling fragrance in the air.
Holika Dahan:
On the eve of Holi, called Chhoti or Small Holi people gather at important crossroads and light huge bonfires, the ceremony is called Holika Dahan. This tradition is also followed in Gujarat and Orissa. To render greatfulness to Agni, god of Fire, gram and stalks from the harvest are also offered to Agni with all humility. Ash left from this bonfire is also considered sacred and people apply it on their foreheads. People believe that the ash protects them from evil forces.
Play of Colors:Great excitement can be seen in people on the next day when it is actually the time for the play of colours. Shops and offices remain closed for the day and people get all the time to get crazy and whacky. Bright colours of gulal and abeer fill the air and people take turns in pouring colour water over each other. Children take special delight in spraying colours on one another with their pichkaris and throwing water balloons at passers by. Women and senior citizen form groups called tolis and move in colonies - applying colours and exchanging greetings. Songs, dance on the rhythm of dholak and mouthwatering Holi delicacies are the other highlights of the day.
Expression of Love:
Lovers too long to apply colours on their beloved. This has a popular legend behind it. It is said that the naughty and mischievous Lord Krishna started the trend of playing colours. He applied colour on her beloved Radha to make her one like him. The trend soon gained popularity amongst the masses. No wonder, there is no match to the Holi of Mathura, Vrindavan and Barsana - the places associated with the birth and childhood of Radha and Krishna.
Ecstasy of Bhang:
There is also a tradition of consuming the very intoxicating bhang on this day to further enhance the spirit of Holi. Sober Evening After a fun filled and exciting day, the evenings are spent in sobriety when people meet friends and relatives and exchange sweets and festive greetings. It is said the spirit of Holi encourages the feeling of brotherhood in society and even the enemies turn friends on this day. People of all communities and even religions participate in this joyous and colorful festival and strengthen the secular fabric of the nation.

In some parts of India, especially in Bengal and Orissa, Holi Purnima is also celebrated as the birthday of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (A.D. 1486-1533). However, the literal meaning of the word 'Holi' is 'burning'. There are various legends to explain the meaning of this word, most prominent of all is the legend associated with demon king Hiranyakashyap.

Hiranyakashyap wanted everybody in his kingdom to worship only him but to his great disappointment, his son, Prahlad became an ardent devotee of Lord Naarayana. Hiaranyakashyap commanded his sister, Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap. Holika had a boon whereby she could enter fire without any damage to herself. However, she was not aware that the boon worked only when she entered the fire alone. As a result she paid a price for her sinister desires, while Prahlad was saved by the grace of the god for his extreme devotion. The festival, therefore, celebrates the victory of good over evil and also the triumph of devotion.
Legend of Lord Krishna is also associated with the play of colors as the Lord started the tradition of play with colours by applying colour on his beloved Radha and other gopis. Gradually, the play gained popularity with the people and became a tradition. There are also a few other legends associated with the festival - like the legend of Shiva and Kaamadeva and those of Ogress Dhundhi and Pootana. All depict triumph of good over evil - lending a philosophy to the festival.

Holi Colors

Colors are the most joyous part of the Holi celebrations. They add life and vitality to the festival making it most vibrant of all. On the day of Holi euphoria fills the very air in India and clouds of colours can be seen everywhere. Energetic and joyful people move out in-groups and throw holi gulal and abeer on friends and dear ones. Singing and dancing on the beats of dholak add more joy to the festivities.

Play of Colors:
The tradition of playing colors on Holi is extremely popular amongst children. They eagerly wait for a prey with a bucket full of colour water, an ever ready water jet- popularly called a pichkari and loads of colour packets to give vent to their mischief nature. And nobody is supposed to mind the mischief of the kids or the elders, as the rule of the day is 'Bura na mano Holi hai'. (Please do not take any offence for it is Holi). The spirit of Holi knows no bound particularly in houses that witness the arrival of a new bride as everybody wishes to play Holi with her. At some places Holi parties are also organized where the color and water flows endlessly till everybody becomes absolutely drenched in colours of love and life.
Use of Natural Colors:In present times, a great change has been noticed in Holi celebrations. People are reviving the use of natural colors as against the harmful chemical colours. Days before the festival many people start preparing aromatic natural colours at home while many others buy these from shops The use of natual colours in Holi has made Holi celebrations much more enjoyable and gay.
Some Recipes for Natural Colours :Here're all the recipes that'll make your Holi naturally colorful! Learn how to get reds, greens, blues, saffrons, yellows and magentas from fruits, vegetables, flowers and cereals... all at home.

Red:Dry: Red Sandalwood Powder / Raktachandan / Lalchandan (Pterocarpus santalinus) has a beautiful red color, which is beneficial for the skin and is used for face packs, etc. This can be used instead of Red gulal. Dry red hibiscus flowers in the shade and powder it to make a lovely red color. To increase the bulk add any flour to it, in proportion to the vibrancy of the color you want to obtain. Sinduria (Annato) has a water chestnut shaped fruit, which contains lovely brick color red seeds. These yield both dry and wet colors. Wet: Put two teaspoons of Red Sandalwood powder in five litres of water and boil. Dilute with 20 litres of water. Peels of Red Pomegranate boiled in water give red. Mix a pinch of lime powder (the one that we eat with our paan / betel leaves) in half a cup of water and add 2 table spoon of haldi (turmeric) powder in it. Mix it thoroughly. Use only after diluting with 10 litres of water.Buras (Rhododentron arboreum) known as Burans in the Garhwal hills and Brand in the Kumaon hills gives a lovely red color when soaked in water overnight. The Palita Madar /Pangri/Indian Coral tree (Erythrina indica), found commonly in coastal regions, has large red flowers. Soak the flowers in water overnight. Boil wood of Madder Tree in water for a deep red. Red color can also be obtained from juice of tomatoes and carrots. This can be diluted with sufficient quantity of water to remove the stickiness.

Green:Dry: Use mehendi henna powder (not mixed with amla) separately or mix with equal quantity of any flour to attain a lovely green shade. Dry mehendi will not leave color on your face as it can be easily brushed off. Only mehendi mixed in water might leave a slight color on your face. Many people like smearing other person's hair with colors. How about doing it with mehendi powder and saving a trip to the parlor? Dry and finely powder the leaves of Gulmohur tree for a green. Crush the tender leaves of the Wheat plant to obtain a natural safe green Holi color. Wet: Mix two teaspoons of mehendi in one litre of water. Stir well. Green color can also be obtained by mixing a fine paste of leaves like spinach / palak, coriander / dhaniya, mint / pudina, etc. in water.

Magenta: Wet: Slice or grate one Beet root. Soak in 1 litre of water for a wonderful magenta. Leave overnight for a deeper shade. Dilute with water. Boil the peels of 10-15 onions in half litre of water for an orangish-pink color. Remove the peels before using to remove the smell.

Saffron: Wet: The Flame of the Forest (Butea monosperma), known as Tesu, Palash or Dhak in Indian languages, is the source of the wonderful, traditional color for Holi. The flowers are soaked overnight in water and can also be boiled to obtain a fragrant yellowish orange colored water. Legends say Lord Krishna used to play Holi with Tesu flowers, which also have some medicinal properties. Boil flowers petals of Semul / Silk Cotton, a red variety of Bombax ceiba) in water. Both Tesu and Semul bloom during February March. Collect and dry the stalks of Harashringar / Parijatak (Nyctanthes arbontristis) flowers during the early winter season. Soak them in water to get a pleasant orange color. Mix a pinch of sandalwood powder in 1 litre of water for an instant, beautiful and fragrant saffron color. Soak a few stalks of Saffron/Kesar in 2 table spoons of water. Leave for few hours and grind to make a fine paste. Dilute with water for desired color strength. Though expensive, it is excellent for the skin.

Yellows:Dry: Mix two teaspoons of haldi / turmeric powder with double the quantity of besan (gram flour). Haldi and besan are extremely healthy for our skin, and are also used widely as a ubtan while taking bath. You can use the ordinary haldi or "kasturi" haldi which is very fragrant and has enhanced therapeutic effects. Besan can be substituted by wheat / rice / arrowroot flour or talcum powder. Flowers like Amaltas (Cassia fistula), Marigold / Gainda (Tagetus erecta), and Yellow Chrysanthemums yield different shades of yellow. Dry the petals of these floweres in shade and crush them to obtain a fine powder. Take appropriate quantity of the powder and mix it with besan or use separately. Dry the rind of the Bael fruit (Aegle marmelos) and grind to obtain a yellow colored powder. Wet: Add one teaspoon of haldi to two litres of water and stir well. This can be boiled to increase the concentration of color and further diluted. Soak 50 marigold flowers in 2 litres of water. Boil and leave overnight.

Bright Blue :Dry: Jacaranda flowers can be dried in the shade and ground to obtain a beautiful blue powder. The flowers bloom in summers. The blue Hibiscus (found in Kerala) can be dried and powdered. Wet: Crush berries of the Indigo tree and add to water for desired color strength. In some Indigo species the leaves when boiled in water yield a rich blue.

Regional Names of Holi

Popularity of Holi can be gauged from the number of names Holi has in different states. Also of great interest is the story behind each of these names. As one moves across from one state to another, one can surely discover the myriad shades of human emotions behind the story that goes with each of these names of holi. These stories will make you feel proud of the rich cultural diversity of India. Besides, what is to be appreciated is the underlying strong bond of unity that binds this uniquely culturally diverse country. Even the Gods that are worshiped on Holi differ in different corners of the country. The way the festival is celebrated also differs but the spirit is same - the one of love and brotherhood. Inspite of their uniqueness in different states, the festival is considered to be the one which enhances the secular fabric of India.

Different names of Holi:·
Lathmaar Holi ·
Dulandi Holi ·
Rangpanchami ·
Basant Utsav ·
Dol Purnima ·
Hola Mohalla ·
Shimgo ·
Kaman Pandigai ·
Phagu Purnima

My Parent's have come to visit us!

2006-03-10T03:33:00.000-08:00

My parents came to Mumbai on Tuesday to stay with us for few days . They have come after quite a long time! I am so happy!! Though I could not take leave from the office , me and Rajeev definately take them out everyday. Yesterday we went out for dinner , today we are going to the nearby mall. Tomorrow I have taken a day of from the office. I plan to go to one of our relative's place. Sometimes how I wish i could just quit and be a housewife so that I could do whatever I want to - cooking , cleaning , reading , watching tv , meeting my old friends in Pune , statying for a long long time with my parent's ....and so on and so on.....There is a saying - GOD could not personally meet everyone on this earth so he created a mother! Thats so true! A mother loves his children so selflessly and does everything for them.( I wonder how it feels, maybe I will understand when I become a mother myself ) . Whenever my Mom comes she will clean my cupboards , do everything that is pending on my worklist while I am in the office , stock my kitchen with whatever is required ....in anutshell makes life eazy for me! And I should not forget to mention that she cooks very yummy food , especially non-veg , so she also makes some tasty snacks for us when we come back from office!!

Pass this on to all Indians!!

2006-03-09T02:27:00.000-08:00

INDIAN GOVERNMENT HAS A GRIEVANCE FORUM

To create a awareness please fwd to as many people u can
Can you imagine this happening in INDIA?

Government of India has a online Grievance forum at GRIEVANCE FORUM The government wants people to use this tool to highlight the problemsthey faced while dealing with Government officials or departments like Passport Office, Electricity board, BSNL/MTNL, Railways etc etc.I know many people will say that these things don't work in India, but this actually works as one of our colleague in CSC found. The guy I'm
talking about lives in Faridabad. Couple of months back, the Faridabad
Municipal corporation laid new roads in his area and the residents
were very happy about it. But 2 weeks later, BSNL dugged up the newly laid roads
to install new cables which annoyed all the residents including this guy.
But it was only this guy who used the above listed grievance forum to
highlight his concern. And to his surprise, BSNL and Municipal
corporation of Faridabad was served a show cause notice and the guy
received a copy of the notice in one week. Government has asked the MC
and BSNL about the goof up as its clear that both the government
departments were not in sync at all.

So use this grievance forum and educate others who don't know about
this facility. This way we can at least raise our concerns instead of just
talking about the 'System' in India.

HAPPY WOMENS DAY!!!

2006-03-07T22:51:00.000-08:00

A VERY HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WONMEN'S DAY TO ALL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!

International Women's Day is the universal day that connects all women
around the world and inspires them to achieve their full potential. IWD 2006
launches another year of working progressively for women's equality worldwide.
It is an important day around the world because the collective power of women
is witnessed by milions, and the brave achievements of women past, present
and future are respectfully honoured. International Women's Day 2006 will
be celebrated globally on Wednesday 8 March. Join the action !!

http://www.internationalwomensday.com/

I just Sponsored a Needy Child!

2006-03-04T23:22:00.000-08:00

World Vision is one organization which helps needy children across the world. The other day we got a mailer from them to sponsor a needy child for his education. What's more ! They send you the photo of your sponsored child and the day to day developments. You can also meet or write to your child! I have decided to sponsor a child and have just relpied to them instructing them to do so. Want to join me??? Click here to visit the site and get more details. And I urge you all to encourage your friends and family to do the same. After all we all need to give back the society whatever we can in whichever way we can.

Bugdet Talk - For Easy Understanding

2006-03-02T21:55:00.000-08:00

National Saving Certificate
PRE BUDGET
Lock in :6 years
Tax impact at time of investment:Deduction u/s 80C up to Rs 1 lakh
Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :Taxed at your respective tax slab
Tax impact at time of investment:Tax free if withdrawn on maturity i.e. after 6 years POST BUDGET Same
Public Provident Fund
PRE BUDGET
Lock in :15 years
Tax impact at time of investment:Deduction u/s 80C up to Rs 70,000
Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :Tax free.
Tax impact at time of investment:Tax free if withdrawn after 6 years POST BUDGET Same
Employees Provident Fund
PRE BUDGET
Lock in :Till retirement
Tax impact at time of investment:Deduction u/s 80C up to Rs 70,000
Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :Tax free.
Tax impact at time of investment:Tax free if withdrawn on retirement POST BUDGET Same
Bank Fixed Deposits
PRE BUDGET
Lock in :5 years
Tax impact at time of investment:NIL
Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :Taxed at your respective tax slab
Tax impact at time of investment:No tax on withdrawal of principal on maturity POST BUDGET Deduction u/s 80C up to Rs 100,000 at the time of investment
Post Office Monthly Income Scheme
PRE BUDGET
Lock in :6 years
Tax impact at time of investment:NIL
Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :Taxed at your respective tax slab
Tax impact at time of investment:No tax on principal on maturity
POST BUDGET Same
Equity stocks
PRE BUDGET
Lock in :NILTax impact at time of investment:NIL
Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :Dividend tax free in hands of investors
Tax impact at time of investment:Short term capital gains tax @ 10%and Long term capital gains tax is nil
POST BUDGET Same
Equity Mutual Fund (other than ELSS)
PRE BUDGET
Lock in :NIL
Tax impact at time of investment:NIL
Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :Dividend tax free in hands of investors
Tax impact at time of investment:Short term capital gains tax @ 10% and Long term capital gains tax is nil
POST BUDGET Same
Close ended mutual funds
PRE BUDGET
Lock in :NILTax impact at time of investment:NIL
Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :Dividend taxed in hands of investor
Tax impact at time of investment:For equity refer equity mutual fundsand for debt refer, debt mutual funds
POST BUDGET Dividend tax free in hands of investor
ELSS
PRE BUDGET
Lock in :3 years
Tax impact at time of investment:Deduction u/s 80C up to Rs 1 lakh. Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :Dividend tax free in hands of investors
Tax impact at time of investment:Short term capital gains tax @ 10% and long term capital gains tax is nil
POST BUDGET Same
Debt fund/ balanced fund/ Monthly income plan
PRE BUDGET Lock in :NIL Tax impact at time of investment:NIL
Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :Dividend tax free in hands of investors
Tax impact at time of investment:Short term capital gains tax at your respective tax slab and long term capital gains tax is 20%
POST BUDGET Same
Pension policy
PRE BUDGET
Lock in :Minimum 5 years Tax impact at time of investment:Deduction u/s 80CCC up to Rs 10,000
Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :Annuities are taxed at your respective tax slab Tax impact at time of investment:1/3rd withdrawal is tax free
POST BUDGET Deduction u/s 80CCC up to Rs 100,000
Traditional Life Insurance Policy
PRE BUDGET
Lock in :Minimum 2 years
Tax impact at time of investment:Deduction u/s 80C up to Rs 1 lakh
Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :Bonus tax free
Tax impact at time of investment:Tax free if withdrawn after 2 yearsPOST BUDGET Same
ULIP
PRE BUDGET
Lock in :Minimum 2 years
Tax impact at time of investment:Deduction u/s 80C up to Rs 1 lakh
Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :NA
Tax impact at time of investment:Tax free if withdrawn after 2 yearsPOST BUDGET Same
Mediclaim
PRE BUDGET
Lock in :Not applicable
Tax impact at time of investment:Deduction u/s 80D up to Rs 10,000
Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :Not applicable
Tax impact at time of investment:Claim is tax free
POST BUDGET Same
RBI saving bonds
PRE BUDGET
Lock in :6 yearsTax impact at time of investment:NIL
Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :
Taxable Tax impact at time of investment:Taxable POST BUDGET Same
Senior citizens scheme
PRE BUDGET Lock in :5 yearsTax impact at time of investment:NIL
Tax impact on interest/ dividend: :Taxable
Tax impact at time of investment:Taxable POST BUDGET Same

What's Cheaper/Costlier/Same?

Technology
TVs same Set Top Boxes - 10.84% Up
Ipods same MP3 Player - 4.90% Down
Flat screen TVs same Laptops same
DVD Players Down Mobiles same
Digital Cameras same Computers - 8.13% Up

Household Appliances
Air Conditioners same Refrigerators same
Dish washing machine same Washing Machine same
Kitchen Glassware - 5.42% Down Microwave same
Kitchen Appliances same LPG Stoves <=Rs2000/unit - 5.3% Down

Food & Beverages
Fruits same Grains same
Poultry - 10.84% Down Edible oil - 6.32% Down
Biscuits - 5.30% Down Aerated Drinks(Mineral water) - 8.16% Down
Vegetables same Fish - 10.84% Down
Aerated Drinks(Soft Drinks) - 4.08% Down Pulses same Meat - 10.84% Down
Condensed Milk - 10.61% Down Beverages like tea and coffee Rs 1/Kg Down
Packaged Milk Products(Icecream) - 8.98% Down
Packed Foods - 5.80% Down

Fuel
LPG Down Kerosene Down
Petrol Down Diesel Down
Luxury Goods
Cigarettes Up Gold Jewelry same
Clothes and Fabrics Down Precious stones same
Cosmetics Down Leather Accessories same
Domestic ToiletriesDown Small Car - 8.16% Down

Miscellaneous
MedicinesDown Baby Care Products same
Writing Printing & Packaged Paper - 2.71% Down Software - 5.42% Up
Newspapers & Magazines same Man made fibre yarn - 5.42% Down
Books Down Real estate and property Up
Man made filament yarn - 5.42% Down Compact Florescent Lamps - 4.65% Down

Amazing candles in Nainital

2006-03-01T00:31:00.000-08:00

Nainital apparently is very famous for its wax candles. A candle resembling any object , animal , fruit , vegetable etc can be made here!! I bought a whole lot of them. I also gifted few to my friends in the office. They have an awesome collection in almost all the shops in Nainital. I have placed them in the centre unit in my living room. I also the a frog candle and 3 small teddies for my office desk! The froggie lokks really cute and stares right in my eyes when I am working on my PC!! Check my froggie's photograph above!! Can you think of a name for him ?

HI ALL!!!

2006-02-26T23:21:00.000-08:00

Hi All, I am back to office from my leave!Rajeev’s cousin brother’s wedding was a grand affair. I am so glad that I have started blogging again!! My trip to my inlaws place was a fun filled one ( as always ). We went to three places – Delhi / Nainital and Agra. We reached Gurgoan on 16th night and stayed at one of our friend’s place. Remember I had put in a post of a wedding I had attended in the month of November in Pune , same couple. Then on 17th morning we went to Delhi and I met my inlaws ( who had come from Agra for the wedding ) and all of Rajeev’s relatives. This is the most funfilled and enjoyable moment for me. Meeting all the uncles , aunts and cousins. Since we get to meet them only twice in a year , we have lots to talk about. On 17th we attended the engagement ceremony . Next day was the wedding. That night all of us were busy discussing with eachother what each of us would be wearing for the next day. What would be the jewellery , shoes etc etc….Then on 18th morning ( usually Punjabi’s have the wedding in the night , but since the venue was already booked by someone else , we had it in the morning ) we left at 1.00pm in the Baraat. All of us were dancing and having lots of fun. The wedding took place by around 3pm. Followed by lunch. The next day at 5am in the morning Rajeev and Me drove down to Nainital. We reached at 12 in the afternoon. The weather was very cold and romantic!! We had a nice time and did all the things people typically do in a hill station – Boat riding in Naini Lake , visiting all the points in the mountains , see the waterfalls , cave visit , saw the Himalaya point as well , took an experience of the Ropeway and offcourse shopping!! Since it was Feb , there was no snow in Nainital. We also went to the Raj Bhawan which is an exact replica but of a very very smaller size , of the Buckingham Palace built by the Britishers. Then on 21st evening 4pm we drove back to Delhi. We visited some of our friends there and again same evening drove down to Agra. By then my inlaws had already reached Agra. 22nd – 24th afternoon we were in Agra. We went for the TAJ Mahostav . It was an amazing event. Celebrated near TAJ MAHAL , it is a celebration with people coming from all over India exhibiting their dancing , singing skills , selling their state varieties and so on. And yes lotsa yummy goodies to eat! We shopped there as well!! On 24th evening we went to Mathura to meet Rajeev’s cousin sister. From there we moved to Mumbai. Finally my trip was over. And today I am back in office!! But hey I really missed you guys and one reason I was looking forward to coming to office was checking your blogs and updating mine!! I have atleast a 100 snaps to show you guys – The Wedding snaps , My Nainital Trip Snaps , Agra Snaps. I am sure you guys will enjoy having a look at them! But that will take atleast a week’s time! Since I was out of office for 10 days , I have to get busy with updating myself with what all has happened in my absence in my two projects. But will promise you all that by next week I will surely post them. The picture above is of Shaily and Preeti - The Couple who got married on 18th Feb

Going on leave!

2006-02-16T03:16:00.000-08:00

Hi All! I would be going on leave from tomorrow to Delhi , Agra and probably Mousurie! Would be back on 27th Feb. Till then CIAO!

Promise you would be back with a whole lot of nice snaps!! Would miss all of you till then!

Valentine Special

2006-02-15T00:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Rajeev and me went to a nice place called Aromic for dinner. They switched off the lights in the hotel and put candles on every table. A glass cover with a big fat red candle kept inside. The whole place was decorated withred coloured heart shaped ballons , and yes red was the theme. They were also serving heart shaped pizzaz , burgers and what not! The whole arrangement was fabulous. Finally they also gave us a bunch of pink and red roses when we left! Very Romantic indeed! We didn't gift eachother with anything special on that day! Probabaly we would do that later! Tomorrow I am leaving for Delhi and boy I haven't started my packing as of now! Today whole evening I would be doing that! Above is a photograph of the card and teddy I gave Rajeev...

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

2006-02-13T22:23:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day from Shweta and Rajeev!!

Weekend News

2006-02-13T02:03:00.000-08:00

Hi All!! I know I am not posting everyday nowadays but somehow life has been toooo busy for me in office! So not much news from my front this month. On Saturday after a loooong time , Rajeev and me attended a friend's birthday party. Her husband who is my colleague was bringing in her birthday and it was a surprize for her! Hey but the snap above is not of yesterday's party , its one of the old snaps I found that day which we have clicked in Club 9 in Bandra 2 years back! I also ended up doing a lot of shopping in Bandra on Sunday. I need to attend a wedding in Delhi this week so would be flying to Delhi on 16th night. I got 2 lovely purses , golden and black colour and 2 pair od footwear to wear on my golden and wine coloured saree!!

What came first ?

2006-02-08T05:19:00.000-08:00

I subscribe to the Daily Heartlight magazine and they really send some very inspirational and good articles which have changed my life in many ways. The articles bring you closer to believing in GOD and most importantly not only believing but following the path which GOD wants us to. I see so many of my friends , people around me who regularly pray to GOD , fast , go to the temple / church but in their daily lives cannot conduct themselves in a manner which is worthy of respect. What is the use of praying to GOD and then cheating someone , lying , manipulating others ?? Is that what GOD asked for ? No. The article below is an eye opener :

Which Comes First?, by Rubel Shelly

No. I'm not talking about chickens and eggs. It's more nearly
understanding and behavior. Or insight and change. Perhaps wisdom and
conduct.There is this ancient and ongoing debate about how to improve human
life. How do bad habits get replaced by good ones? One theory is that
education, understanding, and insight will combine to produce change in
human beings. The other is that embracing new patterns of behavior
provides insight.I'm not smart enough to settle the debate. However, it seems likely
that the very idea of choosing between the two alternatives is a
fundamental mistake. The idea that all change happens by only one
technique sounds wrong-headed to me.For example, little children
have to be made to bathe and brush theirteeth. Over time, however, they learn
the value of the behaviors. Boys especially seem to resent both these intrusions into their time – at least until they discover girls! Required activity eventually is seen
to be justified by more mature reflection. Mothers teach children
behaviors they appreciate fully only as adults.
On the other hand, there are occasional flashes of insight that come to
us and change us forever. A man who loves a woman picks up on her
tastes, preferences, and desires; he learns to do things differently in
order to please her or to make her life less stressful.
On balance, my own hunch is that change more often leads to insight
than the other way around. So there are social boundaries and rules. We
pass and enforce laws. The Bible marks forbidden paths and counsels
positive behaviors. The idea is that we can't wait for everybody to
grow up or figure out his or her own ethical rules and gradually
conform to them. That would be like putting children in a lab and
telling them to mix chemicals until they discover something
interesting. Countless more would get blown up or poisoned than would
create medicines!Unfortunately, this seems to be the way we have left people to develop
their moral and spiritual lives for the past half century. Just do it.
Find your own way. Do what seems best to you. Create your own truth.
Don't let anybody tell you what to do.
In the meantime, people have ruined their own and others' lives by
ignoring basics such as truth-telling, respect for life, keeping
promises, and living within our means. Maybe they didn't live long
enough to get the insights they needed.Doing the right things you already know will lead you to healthy insights. Groping about in your uncertainties will only serve to put
you at greater risk.

Trust the Lord completely! Don’t depend on your own knowledge.
Think about God in all that you do. Then he will help you. Don’t
depend on your own wisdom. But respect the Lord and stay away from
evil. If you do this, then it will be like medicine for your body
or a refreshing drink that makes you strong again. (Proverbs 3:5-8)

If any of you want to subscribe or visit the Heartlight site do click here :

Heart Light

Mumbai Derby- A Grand Event

2006-02-06T23:50:00.000-08:00

Hey! Its Derby time and I thought being in Mumbai , I should put a small note on the Derby happenings!
The Indian Derby**
When:Feb 2007 (annual)Where:Mahalakshmi Race Course, Mumbai (Bombay), IndiaThe highlight of the year's racing calendar in Mumbai is undoubtedly the Indian Derby, run at Mahalakshmi Race Course.
Traditionally run on the first Sunday of February, the Indian Derby is known as the "Crown Jewel of the Triple Crown." The race is restricted to four-year-old horses, both colts and fillies, but is almost of secondary importance to the activities surrounding the event. Serious punters are comprehensively outnumbered on Derby day as the course overflows with well-heeled viewers. It is important to be seen at the Derby and to be seen at your smartest.

The event is supported by McDowell and Company, a liquor company controlled by Vijay Mallya, who also owns one of India's leading stables.

For all you horse lovers ,more information is available here : Mumbai Derby

And also a snap of my brother Rahul and Sister in Law Chinar posted here which appeared in Maharashtra Times few months ago during the Pune Derby!! Chinar is the one with a hat on and Rahul is in a suit

Got Allergy

2006-02-03T22:49:00.000-08:00

Hi Guys!! I am back. Had taken a sick leave yesterday. Actually Im suffering from bad cough and cold since November05. I ended up going to 3 ENT Specialists and all of them said that it is a dust allergy which has happened due to the dry weather of New Mumbai. Now I have been given a spray which I have to use everyday in the morning ( spray in the nose ). The day I don't spray I end up sneezing after every 5 mins!!! Doctors say that since New Mumbai has the backwaters of the sea in the vicinity , this kind od allergy is common! And boy its bad!

Britney's Baby - Sean Preston

2006-01-31T01:11:00.000-08:00

Britney has finally shown her baby to the world!! Britney takes her 4 month old son Sean Preston to Hindu Temple near her house in Malibu. He was blessed by the priest there. She also put a red bindi on her forehead when she left the temple.

Celebrations !!

2006-01-30T02:29:00.000-08:00

Hi!! I am back at blogging! We celebrated Rajeev's birthday with his cousin brother Gagan who had come from Delhi to stay with us for a week. We took Gagan to Marine Drive and then went to Copper Chimney to have dinner at Worli Seaface! So it wasn't a very eventful birthday celebration ( I had to drop my plans of a surprize party at the last minute )however it was a good one. I also visited this new joint which has opened up near Marine drive - Salt Water Grill!! Amazing place! You juz have to vist it. Its got a section where you can enjoy watre sports like - para surfing , riding on a motor boat , rafting etc. Its amazing!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RAJEEV!

2006-01-27T23:33:00.000-08:00

A VERY VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU RAJEEV!!! MAY YOU LIVE A LONG , HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS LIFE!!

Rajeev's Birthday tomorrow!

2006-01-27T02:20:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is Rajeev's birthday! I am very excited , although I don't know how we would be celebrating it. The good thing is tomorrow is Saturday so we can enjoy till late night! I shall keep you posted!

Happy Republic Day

2006-01-24T01:14:00.000-08:00

26th January is the Indian Republic Day. A very important day for Indians. Thought I should share a detailed article on the same :

Also go through the following photos for more infomation : India Calling

Introduction

August 15, 1947 saw the birth of Independent India marking the beginning of the end of Colonial rule. It was on 26th of November, 1949 that the Constituent Assembly adopted, enacted and gave to the nation the Indian Constitution with the following preamble:
We, the people of India, having solemnly resolved to constitute India into a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic and to secure to all its citizens:
JUSTICE, social, economic and political; LIBERTY of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship; EQUALITY of status and of opportunity; and to promote among them allFRATERNITY assuring the dignity of the individual and the unity and integrity of the Nation.
In our Constituent Assembly this twenty-sixth day of November, 1949, do hereby adopt, enact and give to ourselves this Constitution.
To a people beset by caste, class and gender oppression, the Constitution of India held out the hope of equality; to a country plagued by violence and the political exploitation of religious difference, it promised secularism and the rule of law.
Today, the Republic Day is celebrated with much enthusiasm all over the country and especially in the capital, New Delhi where the celebrations start with the Presidential address to the nation. The beginning of the occasion is always a solemn reminder of the sacrifice of the martyrs who died for the country in the freedom movement and the succeeding wars for the defense of sovereignty of the country. Then, the President comes forward to award the medals of bravery to the people from the armed forces for their exceptional courage in the field and also to the civilians, who have distinguished themselves by their different acts of valour in different situations.
To mark the importance of this occasion, every year a grand parade is held in the capital, from the Rajghat, along the Vijaypath. The different regiments of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force march past in all their finery and official decorations. Even the horses of the cavalry are attractively caparisoned to suit the occasion. The crème of N.C.C cadets, selected from all over the country consider it an honour to participate in this event, as do the school children from various schools in the capital. They spend many days preparing for the event and no expense is spared to see that every detail is taken care of, from their practice for the drills, to the essential props and their uniforms.
The parade is followed by a pageant of spectacular displays from the different states of the country. These moving exhibits depict scenes of activities of people in those states and the music and songs of that particular state accompany each display. Each display brings out the diversity and richness of the culture of India and the whole show lends a festive air to the occasion. The parade and the ensuing pageantry is telecast by the National Television and is watched by millions of viewers in every corner of the country.
As Indians, let us pledge to uphold the promise of the Constitution and conduct ourselves in such a manner that we can be proud of our country, our heritage and proud to be known as Indians all over the world. We must be proud of our culture, traditions, customs, religions, languages, social norms and the individual distinctiveness that makes India a wonderful multi-cultural country.

Jana-Gana-Mana(Thou Art the Ruler of All Minds) The Indian National anthem, composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly as the National Anthem of India on 24th January 1950. It was first sung on 27th December 1911 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress. The complete song consists of five stanzas. Tagore himself rendered the lyrics into English.
NATIONAL ANTHEM OF INDIA :
Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya he Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Punjab-Sindh-Gujarat-Maratha Dravida-Utkala-Banga
Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga Uchchala-Jaladhi-taranga.
Tava shubha name jage, Tava shubha asisa mage,
Gahe tava jaya gatha,
Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he, Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!

English Translation of The National Anthem
Thou are the ruler of the minds of all people, dispenser of India's destiny.The name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sind, Gujarat and Maratha. Of the Dravid and Orissa and Bengal.It echoes in the hills of Vindhyas and Himalayas, mingles in the music of Yamuna and Ganga and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.They pray for your blessing and sing thy praise. The salvation of all people is thy hand, thou dispenser of India's destiny. Victory, Victory, Victory to thee.

The song Vande Mataram, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji, was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom. It has an equal status with Jana-gana-mana. The first political occasion when it was sung was the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress.
The following is the text of its first stanza.....
Vande Mataram! Sujalam, suphalam, malayaja shitalam,
Shasyashyamalam, Mataram! Shubhrajyothsna pulakitayaminim, Phullakusumita drumadala shobhinim, Suhasinim sumadhura bhashinim, Sukhadam varadam, Mataram!

English translation of our National Song
The English translation of the stanza rendered by Sri Aurobindo in prose 1 is: I bow to thee, Mother, richly-watered, richly-fruited, cool with the winds of the south, dark with the crops of the harvests, The Mother! Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight, her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom, sweet of laughter, sweet of speech, The Mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss.

There are around 22 languages recognized by the Indian Constitution. These languages are :· Assamese · Bengali · Bodo · Dogri · Gujarati · Hindi · Kannada · Kashmiri · Konkani · Maithili · Malayalam · Manipuri · Marathi · Nepali · Oriya · Punjabi · Sanskrit · Santhali · Sindhi · Tamil · Telugu · Urdu
Hindi is the official and main link language of India. Its homeland is mainly in the north of India, but it is spoken and widely understood in all urban centers of India. It is written in the Devanagri script, which is phonetic and, unlike English, is pronounced as it is written. Hindi is a direct descendant of Sanskrit through Prakrit and Apabhramsha. It has been influenced and enriched by Dravidian, Turkish, Farsi, Arabic, Portugese and English. It is a very expressive language. In poetry and songs, it can convey emotions using simple and gentle words. It can also be used for exact and rational reasoning.

1858 India comes under direct rule of the British crown after failed Indian mutiny.
1885 Indian National Congress founded as forum for emerging nationalist feeling.
1920-22 Nationalist figurehead Mahatma Gandhi launches anti-British civil disobedience campaign.
1942-43 Congress launches "Quit India" movement.
1947 End of British rule and partition of sub-continent into mainly Hindu India and Muslim-majority state of Pakistan.
Newly independent
1947-48 hundreds of thousands die in widespread communal bloodshed after partition.
1948 Mahatma Gandhi assassinated by Hindu extremist.
1948 War with Pakistan over disputed territory of Kashmir.
1951-52 Congress Party wins first general elections under leadership of Jawaharlal Nehru.
Regional tensions
1962 India loses brief border war with China.
1964 Death of Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru.
1965 Second war with Pakistan over Kashmir.
1966 Nehru's daughter Indira Gandhi becomes prime minister.
1971 Third war with Pakistan over creation of Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan.
1971 Twenty-year treaty of friendship signed with Soviet Union.
1974 India explodes first nuclear device in underground test.
Democratic strains
1975 Indira Gandhi declares state of emergency after being found guilty of electoral malpractice.
1975-1977 Nearly 1,000 political opponents imprisoned and programme of compulsory birth control introduced.
1977 Indira Gandhi's Congress Party loses general elections.
1980 Indira Gandhi returns to power heading Congress party splinter group, Congress (Indira).
1984 Troops storm Golden Temple - Sikh's most holy shrine - to flush out Sikh militants pressing for self-rule.
1984 Gas leak at Union Carbide pesticides plant in Bhopal. Thousands are killed immediately; many more subsequently die or are left disabled.
1987 India deploys troops for peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict.
1989 Falling public support leads to Congress defeat in general election.
1990 Indian troops withdrawn from Sri Lanka.
1990 Muslim separatist groups begin campaign of violence in Kashmir.
1991 Shri Rajiv Gandhi assassinated by suicide bomber sympathetic to Sri Lanka's Tamil Tigers.
1991 Economic reform programme begun by Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.
1992 Hindu extremists demolish mosque in Ayodhya, triggering widespread Hindu-Muslim violence.
BJP to the fore
1996 Congress suffers worst ever electoral defeat as Hindu nationalist BJP emerges as largest single party.
1998 BJP forms coalition government under Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.
1998 Hindu extremists demolish mosque in Ayodhya, triggering widespread Hindu-Muslim violence.
1998 India carries out nuclear tests, leading to widespread international condemnation.
1999 FebruaryVajpayee makes historic bus trip to Pakistan to meet Premier Nawaaz Sharif and to sign bilateral Lahore peace declaration.
MayTension in Kashmir leads to brief war with Pakistan-backed forces in the icy heights around Kargil in Indian-held Kashmir.
OctoberCyclone devastates eastern state of Orissa, leaving at least 10,000 dead.
Population: 1 billion
2003 Aug 25Bombay rocked by twin car bombs
2000 May India marks birth of its billionth citizen.
2001 JanuaryMassive earthquakes hit western state of Gujarat, leaving at least 30,000 dead.
AprilSixteen Indian and three Bangladeshi soldiers killed in their worst border clashes. High-powered rocket launched, propelling India into ranks of select club of countries able to fire big satellites deep into space.
JulyVajpayee meets Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in the first summit between the two neighbours in more than two years. The meeting ends without a breakthrough or even a joint statement because of differences over Kashmir.
JulyVajpayee's BJP party declines his offer to resign over a number of political scandals and the apparent failure of his talks with Pakistani President Musharraf.
SeptemberUS lifts sanctions which it imposed against India and Pakistan after they staged nuclear tests in 1998. The move is seen as a reward for their support for the US anti-terror campaign.
Kashmir tensions rise
OctoberIndia fires on Pakistani military posts in the heaviest firing along the dividing line of control in Kashmir for almost a year.
DecemberSuicide squad attacks parliament in New Dehli, killing several police. The five gunmen die in the assault.
DecemberIndia imposes sanctions against Pakistan, to force it to take action against two Kashmir militant groups blamed for the suicide attack on parliament. Pakistan retaliates with similar sanctions, and bans the groups in January.
DecemberIndia, Pakistan mass troops on common border amid mounting fears of a looming war.
2002 JanuaryIndia successfully test-fires a nuclear-capable ballistic missile - the Agni - off its eastern coast.
FebruaryWorst inter-religious bloodshed in a decade breaks out after Muslims set fire to a train carrying Hindus returning from pilgrimage to Ayodhya. More than 800, mainly Muslims, die in subsequent revenge killings by Hindu mobs.
MayMore than 30 people killed in raid on Indian army camp in Kashmir, which India blames on Pakistani-based rebels. Moderate Kashmiri separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone shot dead in Srinagar by suspected Islamist militants.
Pakistan test-fires three medium-range surface-to-surface Ghauri missiles, which are capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
War of words between Indian and Pakistani leaders intensifies. Actual war seems imminent.
JuneUK, US urge their citizens to leave India and Pakistan, while maintaining diplomatic offensive to avert war.
JulyRetired scientist and architect of India's missile programme APJ Abdul Kalam elected president.
2003 AugustAt least 50 people are killed in two simultaneous bomb blasts in Bombay.
Kashmir ceasefire
NovemberIndia matches Pakistan's declaration of a Kashmir ceasefire.
DecemberIndia, Pakistan agree to resume direct air links and to allow overflights.
2004 JanuaryGroundbreaking meeting held between government and moderate Kashmir separatists.
MaySurprise victory for Congress Party in general elections. Manmohan Singh is sworn in as Prime Minister
SeptemberIndia, along with Brazil, Germany and Japan, launches an application for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.
NovemberIndia begins to withdraw some of its troops from Kashmir.
DecemberFormer Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao dies, aged 83.
Asian tsunami
Thousands are killed when tidal waves, caused by a powerful undersea earthquake off the Indonesian coast, devastate coastal communities in the south and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
2005 7 AprilBus services, the first in 60 years, operate between Srinagar in Indian-controlled Kashmir and Muzaffarabad in Pakistani-administered Kashmir.
JulyIndia signs a nuclear co-operation deal with the US, heralding a possible lifting of sanctions on Indian access to civilian nuclear technology.
8 OctoberAn earthquake, with its epicentre in Pakistani-administered Kashmir, kills more than 1,000 people in Indian-administered Kashmir.
29 OctoberBombs kill 62 people in Delhi. A little-known Kashmiri group says it is behind the attacks.
NovemberFormer president KR Narayanan dies at the age of 85.

I believe in Meditation!

2006-01-18T05:30:00.000-08:00

I must share something with you all. Lately office has been very very stressful. I am handling 3 projects and it gets very taxing at the end of the day. I was always into doing Yoga however post marriage ( got married 2 years ago) I have completely given up on yoga , exercise !! But recently my husband's senior suggested that that we practice mediation. Although a lot of my friends do it , I never really felt the need to do so. However I have been meditating now for quite sometime , twice in a day , 10 mins in the morning and 10 mins in the night. Believe me it works! Suddenly I am experiencing a new energy , new light in my life which I never felt before. My concentration levels have increased manifold and I have started thinking positively in life!! WOW!! Feels good. Thought I should share a good article on Medidation :

Meditation
There are many forms of meditation. Most trace their ancestry from ancient yoga and Zen Buddhism. TM, or transcendental Meditation, based upon Hindu teaching, is practiced by some. A secret mantra (sound) is given to the meditator by a teacher of the technique. This sound is then repeated over and over with eyes closed. Some types of Hindu and Buddhist practices focus upon a mandala- a visualization of some object such as a thousand-petal lotus. Regardless of their origin, all the meditative techniques have at least two phases. The first is to quiet the body, and the second is to quiet the mind.
This relaxation is often done in the following sequence:
1. Relaxing the motor muscles i.e. arms, legs
2. Decreasing the breathing rate.
3. Decreasing the rate of other body functions.
4. Slowing brain activities.
Meditation is often considered the process of trying to eliminate the chatter of the mind-the constant thinking, planning, and fantasizing-which occupies the conscious state of the mind every waking moment. As arousal is reduced, so is anxiety. Self transcendence, or an altered state, is then achieved. Most meditators find they feel creative, positive, calm, and energetic after meditation.
A simple easy to learn meditative exercise, which combines both a mantra and a mandala, is described as follows:
1. Find a quiet place where you can be alone if possible. (This technique may be done in crowded places as long as it is appropriate for you to close your eyes. If you cannot escape to your bedroom or other isolated spot, you can always close the stall door in a public facility to achieve some degree of aloneness and privacy.)
2. Sit in a comfortable position.
3. Close your eyes and take three deep breaths. Let your thoughts come and go.
4. Start to visualize a particular object-for example, a rose.
5. In your thoughts, start to repeat the word for the object-"rose"-over and over, at any speed or rhythm it wants to go.
6. As you continue to repeat the word, start to imagine the rose opening and closing in the same rhythm.
7. If distracting thoughts come into your mind, let them pass through. Continue to repeat your word and see its image. (Often, worries of the day, like "what shall I have for dinner" or "I have three exams to study for," will flow through your mind to distract you.?
8. Keep this process going from two to twenty minutes.
9. When it is time to stop, open your eyes slowly
You should feel relaxed, refreshed, and less anxious after trying this technique.

Happy Makar Sankranti!

2006-01-13T21:40:00.000-08:00

Hi! Happy Makar Sankranti to all of you. This festival is also called as ' Lori ' in Punjab which was celebrated there yesterday and Pongal in Kerala which is celebrated today! Makar Sankranti is celebrated in Mharashtra .
Introduction of Makar Sankranti:
Makar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious day for the Hindus, and is celebrated in almost all parts of the country in myriad cultural forms, with great devotion, fervor & gaiety. Lakhs of people take a dip in places like Ganga Sagar & Prayag and pray to Lord Sun. It is celebrated with pomp in southern parts of the country as Pongal, and in Punjab is celebrated as Lohri & Maghi. Gujarati's not only look reverentially up to the sun, but also offer thousands of their colorful oblations in the form of beautiful kites all over the skyline. They may be trying to reach upto their glorious God or bring about greater proximity with the one who represents the best. It is a day for which Bhishma Pitamah kept waiting to leave his mortal coil.
Makar Sankranti is the day when the glorious Sun-God of Hindus begins its ascendancy and entry into the Northern Hemisphere. Sun for the Hindus stands for Pratyaksha-Brahman - the manifest God, who symbolizes, the one, non-dual, self-effulgent, glorious divinity blessing one & all tirelessly. Sun is the one who transcends time and also the one who rotates the proverbial Wheel of Time. The famous Gayatri Mantra, which is chanted everyday by every faithful Hindu, is directed to Sun God to bless them with intelligence & wisdom. Sun not only represents God but also stands for an embodiment of knowledge & wisdom. Lord Krishna reveals in Gita that this manifested divinity was his first disciple, and we all know it to be indeed a worthy one too. No Sundays for the Sun, may be because one who revels in its very 'being', the very essence of his own Self, is always in the Sunday mood.
The co-relation of cosmic events with individual life and values is one of the most astounding traits of Hindu Masters. Once this co-relation is brought about thereafter these cosmic events become instrumental to remind us the best which we cherish & value. Of all the cosmic bodies Sun is the most glorious & important, thus every sun-centric cosmic event became very important spiritual, religious & cultural events. On Makar Sankranti day the Sun begins its ascendancy and journey into the Northern Hemisphere, and thus it signifies an event wherein the Gods seem to remind their children that 'Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya'. May you go higher & higher - to more & more Light and never to darkness.

Astrological Significance:
Makar means Capricorn and Sankranti is transition. There is a sankranti every month when the sun passes from one sign of the zodiac to the next. There are twelve signs of the zodiac, and thus there are twelve sankranti's as well. Each of these sankranti's has its own relative importance but two of these are more important - the Mesh (Aries) Sankranti and the most important, the Makar (Capricorn) Sankranti. Transition of the Sun from Sagittarius to Capricorn, during the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is known as Makar Sankranti. From this day begins the six-month long Uttarayana, considered very auspicious for attaining higher worlds hereafter. While the traditional Indian Calendar is basically based on lunar positions, but sankranti is a solar event, so while dates of all festivals keep changing, the english calendar date of Makar Sankranti is always same, 14th January. Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the Hindu Calendar month of Magha. There is another significance of this day, after this day the days start becoming longer & warmer, and thus the chill of winter in on decline.

Religious Significance:
1. The Puranas say that on this day Sun visits the house of his son Shani, who is the swami of Makar Rashi. These father & son do not ordinarily get along nicely, but inspite of any difference between each other Lord Sun makes it a point to meet each other on this day. Father in fact himself comes to his son’s house, for a month. This day symbolized the importance of special relationship of father & son. It is the son who has the responsibility to carry forward his fathers dream and the continuity of the family.
2. From Uttarayana starts the ‘day’ of Devatas, while dakshinayana is said to be the ‘night’ of devatas, so most of the auspicious things are done during this time. Uttarayana is also called as Devayana, and the next half is called Pitrayana.
3. It was on this day when Lord Vishnu ended the ever increasing terrorism of the Asuras by finishing them off and burying their heads under the Mandar Parvat. So this occasion also represents the end of negativities and beginning of an era of righteous living.
4. The great savior of his ancestors, Maharaj Bhagirath, did great Tapasya to bring Gangaji down on the earth for the redemption of 60,000 sons of Maharaj Sagar, who were burnt to ashes at the Kapil Muni Ashram, near the present day Ganga Sagar. It was on this day that Bhagirath finally did tarpan with the Ganges water for his unfortunate ancestors and thereby liberated them from the curse. After visiting the Patala for the redemption of the curse of Bhagirath’s ancestors Gangaji finally merged in the Sagar. Even today a very big Ganga Sagar Mela is organized every year on this day at the confluence of River Ganges and the Bay of Bengal. Lakhs take dip in the water and do tarpan for their ancestors.
We salute such a great devotee & benefactor of his ancestors. One who can express such gratitude to his ancestors, work with tireless resolve to redeem the pride, pledges & resolves of his forefathers, alone possess a personality, which the history reveals to be a true benefactor of the world too. A person who has severed his own roots gets soon rooted out in the flow of time. Moral of the story is to see to it that the roots of the tree of ‘our’ life are not only intact but nourished well, thereafter alone the tree blooms & flourishes.
There is another spiritually symbolic aspect of this story. The 60,000 cursed son of Maharaj Sagar represent our thoughts, who become dull & dead-like because of uncultured & blind ambition. Redemption of such people is only by the waters of Gangaji, brought down ‘to’ & later ‘from’ the Himalayas with great tapasya. This represents dedicated hard work to get the redeeming Brahma-Vidya, which alone enlightens, enthuses & enlivens the life of anyone.
5. Another well-known reference of this day came when the great grandsire of Mahabharata fame, Bhishma, declared his intent to leave his mortal coil on this day. He had the boon of Ichha-Mrityu from his father, so he kept lying on the bed of arrows till this day and then left his mortal coil on Makar Sankranti day. It is believed that the person, who dies during the period of Uttarayana, becomes free from transmigration. So this day was seen as a sure-shot Good Luck day to start your journey or endeavors to the higher realms beyond.

Culture & Festivities:
This festival is celebrated differently in different parts of the country.
Uttar Pradesh:
In Uttar Pradesh, Sankrant is called ‘Khichiri’. Taking a dip in the holy rivers on this day is regarded as most auspicious. A big one-month long ‘Magha-Mela’ fair begins at Prayag (Allahabad) on this occasion. Apart from Triveni, ritual bathing also takes place at many places like Haridvar and Garh Mukteshwar in Uttar Pradesh, and Patna in Bihar.
Bengal:
In Bengal every year a very big Mela is held at Ganga Sagar where the river Ganga is believed to have dived into the nether region and vivified the ashes of the sixty thousand ancestors of King Bhagirath. This mela is attended by a large number of pilgrims from all over the country.
Tamil Nadu:
In Tamil Nadu Sankrant is known by the name of ‘Pongal’, which takes its name from the surging of rice boiled in a pot of milk, and this festival has more significance than even Diwali. It is very popular particularly amongst farmers. Rice and pulses cooked together in ghee and milk is offered to the family deity after the ritual worship. In essence in the South this Sankrant is a ‘Puja’ (worship) for the Sun God.
Andhra Pradesh:
In Andhra Pradesh, it is celebrated as a three-day harvest festival Pongal. It is a big event for the people of Andhra Pradesh. The Telugus like to call it 'Pedda Panduga' meaning big festival. The whole event lasts for four days, the first day Bhogi, the second day Sankranti, the third day Kanuma and the fourth day, Mukkanuma.
Maharashtra:
In Maharashtra on the Sankranti day people exchange multi-colored tilguds made from til (sesame seeds) and sugar and til-laddus made from til and jaggery. Til-polis are offered for lunch. While exchanging tilguls as tokens of goodwill people greet each other saying – ‘til-gul ghya, god god bola’ meaning ‘accept these tilguls and speak sweet words’. The under-lying thought in the exchange of tilguls is to forget the past ill-feelings and hostilities and resolve to speak sweetly and remain friends.
This is a special day for the women in Maharashtra when married women are invited for a get-together called ‘Haldi-Kumkum’ and given gifts of any utensil, which the woman of the house purchases on that day.
Gujarat:
In Gujarat Sankrant is observed more or less in the same manner as in Maharashtra but with a difference that in Gujarat there is a custom of giving gifts to relatives. The elders in the family give gifts to the younger members of the family. The Gujarati Pundits on this auspicious day grant scholarships to students for higher studies in astrology and philosophy. This festival thus helps the maintenance of social relationships within the family, caste and community.
Kite flying has been associated with this festival in a big way. It has become an internationally well-known event.
Punjab:
In Punjab where December and January are the coldest months of the year, huge bonfires are lit on the eve of Sankrant and which is celebrated as "LOHARI". Sweets, sugarcane and rice are thrown in the bonfires, around which friends and relatives gather together. The following day, which is Sankrant, is celebrated as MAGHI. The Punjabi's dance their famous Bhangra dance till they get exhausted. Then they sit down and eat the sumptuous food that is specially prepared for the occasion.
Kerala:
The 40 days anushthana by the devotees of Ayyappa ends on this day in Sabarimala with a big festival.
Bundelkhand:
In Bundelkhand and Madhya Pradesh this festival of Sankrant is known by the name ‘Sakarat’ and is celebrated with great pomp & merriment accompanied by lot of sweets.
Tribals of Orissa:
Many tribals in our country start their New Year from the day of Sankrant by lighting bonfires, dancing and eating their particular dishes sitting together. The Bhuya tribals of Orissa have their Maghyatra in which small home-made articles are put for sale.
Assam:
In Assam, the festival is celebrated as Bhogali Bihu.
Coastal Region:
In the coastal regions, it is a harvest festival dedicated to Indra.

How to Celebrate:
1. Get up early in the morning, before sunrise, have bath and be ready with water & flowers for the sunrise. Worship the rising Sun, by offering water, flowers with both the hands & then pray with folded hands by chanting the Gayatri Mantra and pray for knowledge, wisdom and enlightenment to rise in the similar way to greater & greater heights. Pray for blessings to live a dynamic, inspired & righteous life.
2. Do tarpan for your ancestors. Offer water to the ancestors while praying for their blessings. Resolve to redeem the pledges & pride of your forefathers. Live life in such a way that wherever your forefathers may be their head is held high by the life & deeds of their children.
3. Have a special session of Meditation, wherein you bring about the awareness of the self-effulgent subjective divinity. Affirm the greatest importance of your spiritual goal very clearly, and pray to God to bless you with the capacity to constantly revel in your true self. May the graph of your rise like the Uttarayana Sun. May there be greater 'Love & Light' in your life & the world.
4. Prepare laddus or other sweets of Til & Gur and offer them to your friends & relatives. See to it that your ‘Well-being Prayer for all’ gets manifested in action & deeds.
5. Have the lunch of Khichiri. This stands for inculcating simplicity in your life & habits.
6. Give some Daan on this day to someone who truly deserves.
7. Visit your son at his place and give presents to the son and the daughter-in-law. If it is not possible to visit, then organize to send presents to them to express your love & affection to them. Work to properly cultivate the generation, which has to carry forward all the best you cherish & value.
THE PHOTOGRAPH I HAVE POSTED IS THAT OF THE SWEETS WHICH ARE PREPARED OUT OF SESAME SEEDS AND JAGGERY.
THIS IS THE VAST , COMPLEX AND RICH CULTURE OF INDIA!!

Hi I'm back!!

2006-01-12T22:06:00.000-08:00

Hi friends!! I am back to blogging and it feels so good. I felt as though I was not connected to the world for the past 6 days when I did not get time to post. However I was still regularly checking all your blogs and being updated with what's happening in your lives! My Pune Trip is always special to me because Pune is my birth place and I have spent a good 26 years there before getting married 2 years back. Although now I have started liking Mumbai as well , however Pune will always have a special place in my heart. It is known as the Oxford of the East. It is considered the best city for education in India. So it has a lot of young people coming from all over India and also abroad to study there. So its actual a youth city which has a lot of happening places to visit. This time although I had gone for 3 reasons - For celebrating my newphew Raunak's birthday. HE'S A YEAR OLD AND VERY VERY NAUGHTY NOW! You can watch the photos here ' Raunak's 1st Birthday 'I had nice fun where I met a lot of my friends and relatives whom I don't get to meet often ( although Pune , Mumbai is just a distance of 2 hours !) The second reason was that my brother Rahul and sister in law Chinar shifted into a new locality and a new house. Its very spacious and airy! You can watch the photos here ' Rahul's New House ' And then the 3rd reason was to buy some property which is right now booming in Pune. We travelled in the vicinity and I actually realized how green Pune still is , inspite of the concrete jungle of buildings everywhere1 Check my city here ' Green Pune ' Hope you enjoy the snaps while I get on with my assigments!

Raunak's First Birthday!

2006-01-06T03:47:00.000-08:00

Time flies so fast ! I feel as if it was yesterday that I visited Nagpur for Raunak's naming ceremony and tomorrow is his First Birthday!! I'm really looking foward for this trip! Firstly I get to meet my sweetipie Raunak ,my parents , Rahul and Chinar! And also get to meet my friends in Pune whom I miss so much!!! And yes 2 whole days in Pune!! Yipppeeee!!! I'm leaving after office today and would return only on Monday morning. Again Monday would be a busy day in office!! But I will definately post on Tuesday and yes!!! With whole lot of pictures!!!!!!

Happy New Year!!

2006-01-03T03:59:00.000-08:00

Hi Friends! Wish you all a very Happy New Year!! This year has been amazing and as everyone does , I have had my share of ups and downs!! And of the best things I have done is creating a blog to be intouch with all of you! Thank you for reading my blog and keeping in touch with me through mail ( hey why not leave a comment !)My new year party was amazing! I have posted some recent snaps of the party . Click here ' Party Snaps 'to see the snaps. I have also added in the album some Christmas snaps of the Christmas Celebration we had in the office! My Collections and CSAT Processes won in Antakshari , Best Christmas Theme Corner!

Merry Christmas to All!!

2005-12-26T01:21:00.000-08:00

I know I am a day late but I have lots more to tell. We celebrated Christmas with couple friend of ours in a nice open air resturant on the outskirts of Navi Mumbai. The name of the place is Macchan which means TreeTops. They actually have wooden treetops where you can sit and dine! It was fun. I don't have very good pictures because the place was very dimly illuminated so my camera phone didn't really capture good snaps!! And the most happening news is that we have a whole week full of fun in the office - 'Christmas Celebration Week' We have 5 contests and let me tell you , my team has already one the first one - The Best Christmas Decorated Corner! But you will have to wait for the photos , which I will post in another 3-4 days. We also had a colleague dressed up as Santa. Unfortunately the actual fellow who was to be Santa could not fit into the dress hence we had a last minute change and had a girl do it. And she was a very slim Santa !!Also please await my office party snaps which we had on last Friday! You will be able to see them by tomorrow!

A Quick Note!

2005-12-24T00:37:00.000-08:00

As promised , I have posted some more snaps in the ' My Photos ' Section. I have posted some of my snaps of my friend's wedding I attended last week . Check my red lehenga!!! Click here ' Wedding Snaps ' to view.
Also I have added a second instalment of photos from my Mahabaleshwar Trip and some fresh additions of the Alibaug Trip . Click here ' Alibaug & Marby ' to check the snaps.First Instalment of photos of the Mahabaleshwar Trip , you can check in - My Photos-->Trips & Anniversaries Section. Hope you enjoy having a look!!

Weekend News

2005-12-19T05:11:00.000-08:00

This weekend was very eventful. We attended my friend's Mehendi ceremony on Friday evening. Then Saturday we had an office party . It was real fun!! Again on Sunday I had to attend the same friend's wedding ceremony in Chembur! It was beautiful!!
Hey I have pictures to show all of you but today is a busy day. Will post them within a week's time!

My Diamond Pendant

2005-12-14T05:16:00.000-08:00

Hey , Hubby darling gifted me a nice diamond pendant for our wedding anniversary. Thought I'd show you the photo!!

Sanjay Bhaiyya & Charu Bhabhi's Anniversary

2005-12-10T04:36:00.000-08:00

You guys must be wondering how many anniversaries I am celebrating within the family. On 8th we wished Rajeev's big brother a very happy 8th Wedding Anniversary!!
They have a seven year old daughter Sanjana!

Happy Marriage Anniversary to Mom and Dad!!

2005-12-10T01:07:00.000-08:00

On 9th December was my parent's 34th Marriage Anniversary..My God!!! 34 years of togetherness.. Thats great!!! I should have posted this yesterday but never the less - WISH YOU MOM & DAD A VERY VERY HAPPY MARRIAGE ANNIVERSARY FROM RAJEEV AND SHWETA!!

2nd Wedding Anniversary !

2005-12-07T04:47:00.000-08:00

Hi ....I am so relieved that finally my exams are over!! Yipeee!! And yesterday , on 6th Dec05 was our wedding anniversary...2nd one...Boy!!! Years have passed by , but the good thing out of it ? We haven't noticed the years passing by!! Our love & understanding is increasing day by day!! TOUCHWOOD , TOUCHGOLD!!! Yesterday we were oh so tired , my exam was 6-9pm. I had taken a holiday to study and Rajeev was in office. At 4pm we left for Dadar which was my venue for the exam. In the morning I surprized him by giving him a flowers , cake and a small teddy!! And he surprized me by sending me 5 different bouquets and a Card!! SHHHOOO SHWEETTT!!! Hey did I forget to mention , I got my diamond pendant as well..Later in the night , we went to Oasis in Chembur and had a quiet dinner!! Oasis is a cool place to hang out. Though we went to the restuarant not the pub as we needed to be by ourselves!!! Romance you see!! Well I have pictures to show you!! Check them out in 'My Photos' in the link section!!!

Quit Star Plus!!

2005-12-02T03:20:00.000-08:00

Hi...Im back after a longtime. You know what I used to be glued onto Star Plus Saas Bahu drama , rather melodrama for almost 3 years. But off late I have finally quit seeing all that!! I won't say that I have quit watching the serials because I have got bored ( it was very good entertainment, we used to keep making fun of all the makeup and the works!!)but recently I have discovered that Star One is much much better. Hubby and me regularly watch the following shows which I strongly recommend - Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai for a dose in laughter on a nice Monday evening , Laughter Champions - We laugh our heart out , Nach Baliye - Hey Catch on , only 3 episodes to go!! & India Calling - Very close to my heart because its all about call center - my bread and butter , my career and my life!!! I think Rajeev must be relived after 2 years of marriage that finally Ekta Kapoor does not rule my heart any longer where television is concerned!! Hey what are your views on this ? Let me know.

My Short Trip to Pune!!

2005-11-14T04:46:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was short, sweet and a memorable one!! We had to visit my hometown Pune for three reasons - My nephew Raunak was admitted in Ruby Hall ( had high fever, but is doing fine now ) , I had to do Bhaujbheej ( BhaiyaDooj )and one of my friend Avita and Rajeev's friend Mayoor were getting married. They were both working with us in BPl and Avita was also my school friend , so all in all we had to be there! Everything went on well. The wedding was amazing!! A beautiful blend of Christian tradition and Punjabi culture. Music was great , felt as if we landed in Goa!! But the best part was our drive back home on the Express Highway. It was beautiful and romantic in the night when we left ( At 10pm!!). We took a halt at Lonavala and drove in to find a good hotel in the heart of the town where we could have good food. Finally we reached home at 1pm in the night. And next day ofcourse was office!!!

My Parent's Visit

2005-11-08T04:47:00.000-08:00

I am so happy today. My mom and dad have come to stay at my place after a loooong time!! I hope to spend a good week with them.

Diwali at Marine Drive!!!!

2005-11-07T00:16:00.000-08:00

It was a wonderful festive week!! I really enjoyed every bit of it. My inlaws visit was also very wonderful. We went shopping and kept eating the entire day!! This Diwali was the most beautiful Diwali of my life!!It was the best and the most beautiful Diwali one can imagine this year. Me along with my husband Rajeev and my inlaws had gone to Marine Drive in the night at 10pm. The entire stretch of Queen's Necklace ( as they call it ) was flocked by people who were continously lighting beautiful crackers. In the background , check out Oberoi Hotel and the backwaters of the sea in the night!! And hey don't forget to check my Rangoli!!Hope you enjoy them.

Awaiting my Inlaws visit!

2005-10-31T04:22:00.000-08:00

Hi..In about another half and hour I would be going along with my hubby to recieve my inlaws. We would be celebrating Diwali together in my Mumbai house this time. Seems like would be fun. I have done up the house with new curtains , got rangoli , put lights up in the living romm!! Wow!! should be fun...Would keep all of you posted...

Second Karwa chauth

2005-10-30T00:34:00.000-07:00

This was my second Karwa Chauth after marraige. Though it was a little tough this time to live without water and food for one entire day , I still enjoyed it. Finally when I saw the moon and ate sweets , I felt relaxed. Will post some more photos in the blog later!!

Happy Diwali to Everyone!

2005-10-30T00:22:00.000-07:00

Hey its DiwaliTime. Time for eating sweets , bursting a lot of crakers , family get togethers and generally having a lot of fun! A VERY HAPPY DIWALI FROM RAJEEV AND SHWETA!!

My Wedding Photos

2005-10-21T06:29:00.000-07:00

It was a beutiful wedding with a mixture of Punjabi and Maharashtrian Traditions. Watch me wearing a Maharashtrian Paithani Saree with a Punjabi Red Chudda. Check my photos in the ' My Photos Link '