Launching soon!

So this is what has been keeping me crazy busy and happy!
Keep watching this space for more, http://theindiantrumpet.com/

Image: Personal album

happy birthday sachin

When it comes to cricket there can be a gender bias for men it is a religion for women perhaps not. But when it comes to the 'God of cricket', Sachin Tendulkar, there can't be a bias. Everyone simply loves him! Right?

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bravehearts

@ Executive Towers, Business Bay

Today morning when I woke up and looked outside the window I saw these  'Bravehearts' cleaning up the building and windows of our homes. Heights get redefined in this part of the world. And just looking at these men hanging at such heights is making me all giddy! RM clicked a few pictures of the men. Sharing those here.

Stay safe, bravehearts!

Image: personal album

overworked & loving it!

And that's me! We (laptop & I) would need to shut down for a bit very soon :)

If you've been following me on Facebook then you would know that I have started this long long journey of converting this blog into an e-magazine! A magazine for all us lovely NRIs who miss home and yet love our new home! So that's what has been keeping me busy. It's an exciting process, tiring and insane too but I have to say am loving every bit of it. And am sure you'll love what I am putting together for you too! The countdown has begun...we'll go live on the first of July!

Till then, keep watching this space for more. You'll have to wait for the teasers :)

Image: Personal album

season of shame

393 rapes in Delhi in last three months. 

There are seasons. If you are natureholic then you would know of summer, autumn, spring and winter. If you are a fashionholic then you would know of Autumn/Winter and Spring/ Summer, Fall/Pre-fall. And if you are an Indian then you would know of the scam season, rape season, incest season, dowry season, bomb season, murder season… This phase too shall pass? 
Once upon a time we got obsessed with kids falling in pits. The whole nation prayed for a child who was in a pit and troops of men tried to save his life. Did no one fall in a pit post-that? Were all the manholes covered after that? We don’t remember. We moved on. 
Once upon a time we got obsessed with incest victims? Our newspaper splashed gruesome tales. Did no hand reach a place where it should have not after that? We don’t remember. We moved on. 
Once upon a time we got obsessed with a 23-year-old who was gang raped? Then a six-year-old, then a 45-year-old, the another five-year-old…Once again it made us very angry and we were told action would be taken NOW. We will soon not remember. We will move on. This is the rape season. This phase shall too pass?
This is the season of shame.

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halwa, puri & channa!!

When we were kids this was one day we looked forward to, Ashtami. We would wake up the aroma of halwa, puri and channa. Excited, we would quickly shower and wait for mom to serve us the feast. Dad would get a glass of water to wash our feet. We would say our little prayers and then wait for the gorgeous platter! Soon the house would fill up with little girls from the neighbourhood. We would also get a little token from mom, a box of crayons, a ten-rupee note, a chocolate… And such was the morning spent with giggles and good food.

When we grew up, things didn’t change, either! Moms being moms did not let our growing up interfere with the lovely ritual. For mom, we were and still are her little girls. Away from home, I am missing my mom on this day! Are you too?

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Piya tu ab toh aaja...

I had a lovely meal with the family at Asha's restaurant in Kuwait last night! A lovely review coming up soon. Watch this space.

Image: here

stay safe

Earthquake shock waves.
Hope everyone is safe.


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a classic on my coffee table

A classic addition to my coffee table! Forgive the bad image quality I just can't find my camera! And I don't want to waste time looking for it I'd rather start reading this marvel by Shakil Warsi. I promise to  put up good images followed by a review very soon!!

Image: Personal album

Silsila: My weekend date

My weekend date was a classic, Silsila. Believe it or not but I’d somehow never gotten a chance to watch this Yash Chopra creation. The film as I learnt later did not fare well at the box office though it had the best of the actors (Rekha, Sanjeev Kapoor, Jaya, Amitabh Bachan, Sanjeev Kumar).

In short, a few scenes in the movie…

·         Got me feeling drowsy where the two couples (Rekha-Amitabh) and (Jaya-Shashi) sit around in the garden.

·         Got me smiling. Yash Chopra was a born romantic.

·         Got me thinking that ‘swearing’ in films was considered ‘cool & amusing’ even back then.

·         Got me swinging, what would Holi ever be without Rang Barse.

·         Got me humming. Neela Aasman, Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum…a gorgeous flow of songs, one after the other.

·         Got me thinking of the ‘bold’ cinema of those days. A child out of wedlock, an extra-marital affair, etc.

·         Got me appreciating the colours of the gardens in Netherlands. Yash Chopra always had a fascination for exotic locales.

·         Got me thinking if Bachchan would ever delight us by singing yet again!

·         Got me giggling as I watched the hero in a sweater in the snow & the heroine dancing around in a sleeveless blouse & saree! Some things never change.

·         Got me wondering if the movie would end differently if made today; considering we are living in the times of re-makes.

·         …

Have you seen the film too? I’d like to know what you have to say about it.

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making a home, lessons from a little one

I have a little fish at home, my four-year-old adorable & huggable niece called Sara. And yesterday, the fish, her mother and I went swimming in our complex. And she loved it. Honestly, more than her I loved watching her play in the water! She has been missing her friends back home, they moved to DXB only last month, and we thought the ‘kiddie pool’ would be a good place for her to make new friends. And she did make friends not just one but five! And she claimed how much she loved the evening and Dubai! The innocence and simplicity of her words got me thinking how as children we wished for humble things and simple things made us smile & happy.

A lesson I learnt from her: Home is a place that is filled with familiar aromas of her favourite pancakes & cheese. Home is a place where she plays with her friends, mom, dad and toys. Home is where she sleeps on her bed, hugging her favourite doll. Home is in the mind & heart. Latitudes & longitudes don’t ‘exist’ for the little one.  

I am going to make my ‘home’ in DXB! Are you joining?

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Sand, sun & smiles

So last Friday from the moment I woke up I was thinking of humble sand, calmer sun, gorgeous water, awesome family time.... so I found myself at the Jumeriah Beach and Park  with the family!

I loved the sun  (enjoy till we can), sand and smiles!  

Oh btw, all the pictures that you see on the blog are courtesy my personal photographer (read husband) who will from here on be referred to as RM (roommate).

Please note: Photography is prohibited at the park so make sure you don't hurt anyone's sentiments and disobey rules. We had clicked these pictures at our last holiday in Goa.

Images: Personal Album

Can swear? Think Bollywood!

If you can abuse and take pride in it then a career in Bollywood awaits you! With Batameez Dil ruling the playlist, Nautanki Sala soon hitting the screens and Har Ek Friend Kamina Hota Hai competing for the status of Generation Y's (or is it called Z) anthem you sure have a chance with your swearing skill set in Bollywood. Oh and just in case you have forgotten the DK Bose… and of course all the ‘beeps’ in Delhi Belly and yes the soon-to-be-released chilled out film, Go Goa Gone. A little reality check for Go Goa Gone makers… you are confusing swearing for comedy!

Now I completely understand that swearing is very much a part of our daily vocabulary these days (times have changed from parents scolding & punishing their children on swearing… swearing is cool for all age groups…sigh!) and swinging to peppy beats is a lot of fun but I am sure we can do a lot better when it comes to lyrics. The sad bit while we look back at the music our parents used to listen from Arth to Anand to Mili to Saath Saath… I wonder what the next generation is going to call ‘classics’? Perhaps a Munni Badnam will be for them what Tum Itna Jo Muskara Rahe Ho is for us.  

Call me old fashioned but the badnam, batameez, sala, kaminey….is sure not my kind of music. I say bring on the ‘so-called-cool’ lyrics & create cheerful beats but do it sans swearing.

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Honest cabbie! Respect.

The world is full of dishonest people and to keep us going in this bad, bad world we need reminders of goodness. I met up with my reminder today.

We took a cab from home (Business Bay) to the Oasis Centre and met up with Najam, the cabbie. He showed us an iPad and informed that his last passenger left the same in the cab & he needed help to figure out a way to return it! Fortunately, we figured out to whom it belonged and gave Najam his contact details from there! He immediately made the call to a gentleman called, Ajay Bhatnagar, and informed him of the same & offered to return to the same spot that he had dropped him and return the iPad!

To say the least, I was touched and it made me smile.  “Honesty is not dead,” I told Najam as I got off the cab and he smiled back and said, “What I receive & deserve will come to me through God, not like this.”

To anyone who sits in the cab, NT 735 do tell Najam of this tale! J

And to Ajay Bhatnagar, you are one lucky guy!

And to all of us, let’s keep the faith! World is not all that bad! J

Living the charm of Dubai rain

I saw a lady walk in the rain this morning and was tempted to paint!

There’s a certain charm about waking up to the rain. And there is definitely a charm about waking up to Dubai rains. Was it the same land I slept to last night? The piercing sound of the storm has given way to the calmness of the rain.

The dust cloud seems to be far far away. The leaves are sitting pretty with dew drops on them. The children look excited as they wait for their school buses. The people driving to work look calmer, unlike a Sunday morning. The staff worker at the coffee shop is humming as he serves a cuppa. The

The day is calm, beautiful & charming. Let’s make the most of this day, Dubai!

Image: Personal album

Weekend wish list

Every Thursday I make a wish that the weekend would say this to me, “Hey, I will be there with you always!” But alas that doesn't quite happen! Sigh.

Anyway, so this weekend I am not going to ask you people to party, shop…blah blah! Let’s do some simple & lovely things this weekend.

Here’s my weekend wish list. What is yours?

Gorge on a lot of gooey, gorgeous and guilt-free desserts! A sweet sweet Friday for me!

An ideal way to spend an entire Friday! I am sure you would agree.

I am going to waste a couple of hours on Facebook. Will stare at the faces of people I have never met but are on my FB Friends, will comment on the posts of people I don’t like, et al.

And when I finally decide to get off the bed & take a shower I am going to make sure it is a long one & that I sing out loud in it! Sing in the shower. Do you like turning into a performer too?

Last, I would not check my work e-mail Time for a weekend digital fast.

Have a lazy-lovely weekend!

Images: here, here, here, here & here

Skype lurve!

Skype and I hold a special relationship. Yes, once you become NRIs Skype becomes your friends, family & more!! 

It's easy to fall in love with anything that primarily comes in free of cost! At least you get all the basics free.

A lot of people wonder what is it that people talk about on Skype. Some say it is tough to talk to a screen and they use Skype on their phones. But guess what, most Skype conversations revolve around the above & more. So guess that's what eats into the long long conversations. LOL!

But then it is better than making ISD calls, right? 

 And well a family that 'Skypes' together stays together! Totally love this vintage Skype advertisement.

Happy 'Skyping' people!

Images: here, here, here and here

Cabbies & conversations

For a very long time I thought that coffee went best with conversations till of course I sat in a cab in Dubai and the cab drivers completely changed my mind. Now how did they do that? Well, with their continuous talking! I soon realised that cabbies make good company too!! Lol!

The moment you sit in a cab and the cabbie realises that you understand Hindi, Bangla or Punjabi he will narrate his life to you!

He has three kids to look after.

He makes season forecast, summer is here.

He suggests you shift to another location for the rent there is cheaper.

He comments on why Salman Khan movies do well.

He informs that more than a few thousand people visit the Dubai Mall every three hours.

He shares his experience from his last trip to India.

He asks you if you like to have papad and even tells you of shops you can buy pickles from.

He discusses the real estate market with you.

He comments on the phone you are using.

……

…..

…..

…

He bids you good luck and good bye.

I say keep the conversations coming!! Tell us your side of the story!

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Listening to the radio...

Kabootar ja ja…. Pahale Pyaar Kii Pahalii Chitthii Saajan… this was the first song I heard on Dubai land on a cab ride from the airport. Like really! I remember I had half giggled and half mocked at the song. I was surprised, shocked, “Had I really left behind India? Perhaps not!” The cabbie spoke to me in Hindi, playing the DJ as he switched from one Hindi radio channel to another, and even to a Bangla radio station in between. Oh yes, I had felt at home. Forgive the cliché but music does unite. And with the streets filled up with Bollywood music, every turn and twist seems like home. A big thank you to all the ‘Indian’ radio stations here! Let the music flow.

Coming soon interviews with your favourite RJs!

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