What my music teacher taught me!

Music is never considered an important subject. Arts, Music, Sports are all considered secondary subjects and in fact in schools their instructors are never given as much importance as other teachers. In my school also, children all considered these subjects as free ones where we could sit and chat rather than learn something of value. For as far back as I remember, we had one Arts & Music class which was always free. Our class teacher would walk in and ask us to keep quiet and shuttle off and we had 40 minutes of free time to talk, play antakshari, play hangman etc. It was only in std. 8th that we finally had a Music teacher walk in.

She was a short, plump, radiant lady. A round face with long hair neatly braided and a Kanjeevaram saree which looked adorable on her. Her face was glowing and she had this huge smile on her face. When she started speaking, it seemed a bit off. It was as if a baby trying to speak. At first, we did not realize but then she explained that she had lost her ability to speak in a childhood accident! This was just to show us that music is so powerful that anybody can feel it and appreciate it,it truly needs no words.

It was the first time I realized the power of music. Music is the food of soul and as long as that is alive, nothing else matters. Over several months,we came to know of her full story. Even after the accident, she was able to feel the rhythm of all the classical music that her mother used to play. With her mother's support, she was able to feel and appreciate those music pieces, it also helped in her recovery when it came to speaking basic sentences. In her mind, the world was all a matter of tunes, some sorted and some unsorted. All she had to do was tune into a certain frequency and it became easier to connect to others around her. This is a complicated thing to understand but it was the first most important lesson of my life-NEVER GIVE UP! Nothing is impossible once we put our mind to it. Perseverance is important but hard work always pays off in the end.

She used to divide us in groups and have little quizzes. She taught us that this world is not a place to be explored alone, rather the strength lies in numbers. She was actually the first teacher who taught the importance of teamwork to us! CO-OPERATE TO CO-EXIST is crucial!

She used to bring biographies of important people to class and ask us to read them. At first, it felt weird that this is a music class, why are we doing reading as if we are in a library! Then she told us that learning has no boundaries. Every subject is connected with the other one and all we needed to do was explore everything out there. We each chose an important figure and performed a little musical play based on their life at the end of the year,something so unique and creative! Soon, her lessons were our most awaited ones. She taught us how music is in everything in the universe. The buzzing of the bees is musical, the way the planets dance around the sun has a rhythm. Her lessons were so much metaphysical and intellectual in nature, I truly cherish them now!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Impact of matrimonial ads and fairness creams!

Everybody wants to look good and beautiful. In India especially this is considered to be true only when a woman is fair skinned. All through my childhood I did not spend much time thinking about this as my family is more or less fair skinned but the tremendous impact made by this attitude of our society in general became prominent after college. One of my best friends is dusky skinned and she was always experimenting with one fairness cream after another. After 3-4 years of constant use and experimentation, she had a face full of pimple marks and black spots left behind by the heavy chemicals used in all those creams. She had to shell out a lot of money to go to a dermatologist and get all kinds of crucial treatments for months afterwards. Even after this, her quest for fairness did not end. Right after college, her family started searching for boys for her marriage and she got a portfolio done to show to the boys' families. In each picture, her skin color was enhanced by at least 2 shades so as to present a fair skin to the other side! She is beautiful anyway but to see this kind of blatant trickery was beyond my understanding. Her simple answer was that no boy wants to marry a dark skinned girl and this is the normal trick employed by all families when going for arranged marriages!

I started looking at all fairness cream ads and matrimonial columns much more carefully after that. Truly, all of the ads point at just one thing. 

'' Use this fairness cream and you will never have to worry about getting a good boy! Not only that, you will also get a good job, everyone will love you, kids will smile when you walk by, your mother-in-law will love you, your parents will be proud of you! ''

The ads look ridiculous as they always employ models or actors who are already fair. None of them have the courage to show a naturally dusky skinned actor and actually show the effect of this cream on their skin over a period of time. Many times newspaper articles have reported how some of these creams contain such powerful chemicals that they are banned in many countries! Some of them even contain some hormones that mess up with our bodies! Some of them burn our skin beyond repair. Some of them enter our bloodstream and make us weak from inside. But still people continue to use them!

It is because of the matrimonial ads. Pick any paper and browse through these ads. They invariably start with 'Wanted FAIR, Tall, Slim, Beautiful girl for....'' At least 90 ads out of 100 will start with these words only. It is a cruel irony that in our country Lord Krishna can be dusky skinned but his Radha is always fair skinned. All the education, progression and modernity hasn't been able to take this attitude out of our minds that a fair girl is the most beautiful girl automatically. The personality of a girl, her talent, her nature, her behavior, everything is secondary and the most important thing is she should be FAIR and BEAUTIFUL. No wonder that we have so many different brands of fairness creams and lotions selling like hot cakes.

Nobody is willing to even think for a moment that if a girl is born with a particular skin color, why is she punished for that? Why is she forced to grow up in a society where she will always feel inferior? Why is the sole motive of her existence forced to be to marry off a good boy and settle down for which it is important she should look fair? Why, in a country of majority dusky skinned people, we ourselves have created such barriers for each other? The sheer inhumanity of this situation stuns me!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

The impact of my most favorite book in my life!

I was never a bookworm. My dad was and he tried to turn me into one too. But I was always more interested in picture books than reading big elaborate stories. Also, like most of the children, I liked watching TV more! But it does not mean that I never read anything. Once in a while, I did read a good book and if I really liked it,I went back to read it again! The only book I have been able to read more than 3 times is my most favorite story of all time-To Kill A Mockingbird! It is one of the best stories in the world, quite popular for schoolchildren everywhere. It was brought by my dad for my sister but I loved it so much,I kept that copy for myself and my dad had to buy another one for her! In fact, much later I became a bookworm in school thanks to my English teacher who took a different approach to teaching but I think reading this book was the beginning of my love for books today!

Without giving any spoilers, the story is about this lawyer Atticus Finch who tries a black man's case in heartland of America and loses. This is set almost a 100 years ago i.e. a long time before Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movements in USA. At that time, Blacks were called 'Negroes' in the most de-humanizing way and actually treated as if they were not completely human, rather a sub-species (and 'brutes' or 'uncivilized') who needed to be ruled over by the Whites who were considered 'superior' and 'civilized'. In such an atmosphere, a white lawyer defending a black man for a heinous crime is going to be scandalous and that is what this story is about. I cannot explain in words what it means. One has to read it to believe it. The atmosphere in which people lived back then, even normal people believed in segregation of whites and blacks, even normal people hated the blacks and considered them born criminals, a white just needed to accuse a black man and people just assumed that the black man needed to be punished, all these have been portrayed extremely well in the story. The whole idea of justice being different based on race or skin color, something that today we might find ludicrous, was actually in effect then!

I like the most that this story is actually told from the point of view of Atticus's daughter and thus has a very innocent voice. She is a little girl trying to understand what the grown ups are doing and so has no prejudices. Through her, we the readers are also trying to make sense of what is happening and the morality of it all. Another thing is how the story,despite being from a child's point of view, is very straightforward in telling the truth,no matter how bitter it is. All the controversial topics are dealt with directly head on and not by hush-hushing them. It also shows the concept of innocence that is trampled over by a society that brands it as dangerous as society always tends to do when it gets into a majority and doesn't understand something. The killing of innocence in one form of another is always present in human condition and it is beautifully portrayed here.

Reading this book made me aware of so much more than my own world. It made me open my eyes to all kinds of injustice happening the world and I wanted to read and see the news everyday from then on. I vowed to never stay silent in the face of injustice,which is what Atticus Finch stands for, no matter if I lose or win! Humanity remains constant and we must not forget it at any cost and definitely not in the name of race,religion,financial status. These important life lessons that this book taught me have stayed with me till today! It was the first book I read where such an important historical event was explained in such an interesting way and I will always cherish the day I read the first line of this book!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Looking Fantastico even in old age, naturally!

In many advertisements for beauty products it is shown that the product is so good in quality that using it makes even a mother look like a sister to her own daughter. Of course,in reality, not many such products exist, however there are quite a few people who do look so ageless that people think of them as 10-20 years younger than their actual age. My grandmother is one such person. She definitely does not look 80 years old, she still walks on her own two feet without using a cane, she still has more than half her teeth intact in her mouth, she still has a sharp memory and her skin glows more than us kids in the house who are in our 20s or 30s! She says that this is hereditary and even her mother was like this till her death. Over the years,I have been able to get some secrets out of her.

1. " If you are not healthy from inside, you will not look good outside" - Nani says that this is the absolute truth. And that is why it is paramount that we take good care of our health. Have a nutritious diet, eliminate burgers and pizzas and junk food with no nutritional values. Do not indulge in fatty food. Have fruits and vegetables. Eat on time. Eat well. Chew properly. Do not eat while watching Television. Sleep early and rise early. Walk for an hour everyday. Do yoga at least 3-4 times a week. Drink lots of water and all this will result in a glowing complexion automatically. Just listening to her makes me think that she is right. Our modern lifestyle is the biggest culprit, we have forgotten how to be healthy inside so how can we look good outside?
2.  " Do not put on your skin what you will not eat" -Nani has never used a single cosmetic product on her skin. The chemicals that make those creams and lotions are,according to her,the biggest culprit of all that goes wrong with us in the long run. She only uses natural products that she makes in the kitchen. Turmeric and Besan as body exfoliator, Oats and Yoghurt as body moisturizer, Baking soda as face exfoliator, Milk cream and tomato as face brightener, Turmeric and sandalwood as body pack, body massage with natural oils of coconut and olive, all these are the treatments my grandmother is a brand ambassador for. The results are there to see. She has not visited a salon in all her life and still her skin is smooth and flawless.
3. Drink Green Tea, Herbal Tea, Coconut water, fresh fruits juices to hydrate from within and to give all kinds of minerals and nutrition to body throughout the day. In addition, she also has Aloe Vera Juice and Amla Juice to keep her digestive system absolutely clean and healthy. 
4. Herbs like Turmeric, Ginger, Garlic when taken internally provide us many benefits in the form of protection from cancer, bone diseases, dental diseases and so on. They also help in keeping our collagen production intact which helps us by making our skin look young and ageless instead of sad,old,sagging!
5. Clean and moisturize-these are the two treatments that my nani always insists on. Forget all the marketing mumbo jumbo and just focus on deep cleaning the skin every day and then moisturize it liberally. The more beauty products we use,the more confused and congested our skin becomes. So it is important to keep things simple and focus on healthy living instead of just good looking.

Simple yet fantastic tips from some who has lived a wonderful life. Surely with dedication and patience, we too can look fantastic till a long time!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

The Fantastico ways to use herbs for good health!

Herbs are the nature's way of taking care of us. They are a reminder of universe looking out for us. Nowadays, when we live a life full of so much stress and almost everyone is beset with one lifestyle disease or another, it is important to remember that we still have natural ways left to heal our body and give a boost to our health.

1. The most important herb is Turmeric. It is multi-purpose as well, it can be eaten, it can be applied as a body pack, it can be used as a fairness treatment. It is important for our bones and joints specially. It can be mixed in milk and then drinking it eases inflammation in our bones. It is great for arthritis where it can be mixed in any body massage oil and then applied liberally over the joints. All skin problems like pimples, eruptions etc. can taken care of by mixing it with curd or milk and applying everyday before shower. In fact, these are home remedies that my grandmother still swears by!
2. Garlic is another great herb. My grandfather was recommended to eat one little garlic whole daily in the morning to keep his heart in good shape. My mom also started doing it. It is difficult in the beginning but once you get used to it,nothing like it. Just take one garlic, make little pieces by crushing them and chew them every morning. It is great for our arteries and heart health in general. It is also great for dental health and keeps our teeth strong. It keeps our blood pressure normal. Latest research suggests that it could also be great for preventing cancer.
3. Ginger is excellent remedy and also preventive for arthritis and such inflammations. My grandmother has some dried ginger everyday with her evening tea and it keeps her walking upright even at the age of 80 plus! It is also a great remedy for those who get motion sickness when out in the sea or flying in an airplane. My mom had vertigo as a child and my grandmother fed her one dried ginger every morning and it helped my mom a lot with the vertigo symptoms.
4. Tulsi or Basil is one herb that almost every Indian family has grown up worshipping! The myriad ways in which this herb is important for us is legendary to say the least. In case of cold or cough, just take 2-3 leaves mixed with honey and get immediate relief. My grandmother uses it to relieve stress by using these leaves in making tea! It instantly refreshes,provides a soothing relief from headache too (personal experience!), and is great for combating any kind of virus in our immune system!

Needless to say,it is important to have an excellent diet which comprises of lots of fresh fruits and vegetables in order to stay healthy but it is also important to take advantage of these ancient remedies which our wise elders have taught us to keep in fantastic health forever!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

#madeofgreat and bringing knowledge everywhere!

Today,looking at Tata Motors' association with Lionel Messi as the Global Ambassador, I am reminded of a personal #madeofgreat story that I witnessed. 

My dad is a bookworm and so is my sister but I never was. I was one of those kids who scream and make a fuss everyday before going to school. I did not like books, I did not like studying and I could not understand why these grown-ups wanted us kids to go to school everyday. Then when I was in 2nd class, my dad was transferred to Varanasi and I had to enroll in a new school. Here I met my English teacher, Manjula Ma'am who changed my whole perspective on education, studying and life itself. 

She was the most soft spoken, sweet tempered and loving teacher I ever met. She taught us in such a low voice and there was just something about her that everyone went into pin-drop silence mode when she entered the class. There was a quiet dignity in everything she did and it was easy to see why everyone was so respectful of hers. She never gave any of us punishment, even for not doing our homework! Just a simple 'do it tomorrow please' and nothing else. In fact, we always made sure that we did all our work in time just so we would not disappoint her. In class, she would not just teach us from books, but tell us amazing stories beyond our syllabus. She brought heavy books of Shakespeare, O'Henry, Jane Austen and taught us their stories in simplest language thus helping us understand the basic story and not get scared of the width of those books. Then she asked us to paint whatever we felt like based on the story we heard. How amazing! Painting to teach us English? And it worked wonders. We got so enamored by stories,we went to library on our own and poured over these books. She never asked us to simply write answers but to think and make up our own answers. There were no rights or wrongs in life, she said, only what you make of it.

It was much later that I came to know she came from a poor family and was the sole breadwinner of the family. Her quite personality, her dignity, her intelligence, they never even made us suspect of the dire conditions of her personal life and that was how she taught us the values of struggle, discipline, dedication and using our brain to get ahead in life.

Till date,I am in touch with her and I hope that she gets all the happiness in her life.

Tata Motors has entered into a legendary partnership with Lionel Messi and in this contest they are giving away an amazon voucher of Rs. 750 for simply telling 'What do you think of this association of Tata Motors with Lionel Messi?' This ends on 26th Nov before 11.59 PM.

Taking care of skin before marriage!

It is marriage time at home! My cousin is getting married so here I am at home,surrounded by family and friends,in sweltering heat of Mumbai and have been picking up some really great tips for my blog,even though won't be able to devote a lot of time in days to come to actually updating it! Anyway,here goes the one topic I really wanted to talk about-taking care of one's skin before marriage desi ishtyle! 

1. My grandmother has been making this mixture of rose water and almonds every second day and all us ladies in the house apply it on our face,let it sit for half hour and then mildly scrub it off. Just 1 week and our skin is already glowing like a 100 watt bulb. 
2. Bathing is a luxurious ritual for us as we are using a real sandalwood -turmeric mix to scrub our bodies with-and I can already see 40% of my tan reducing in past 2 weeks alone! 
3. Honey and Sugar mix, my cousin has been using this to not only scrub but take care of her ingrowth! Did you know you could do that? It also makes skin soft like a baby-but don't use it on face much,at least my skin got all red when I did,so test first! 
4. Finally,we cousins were in a fun mood this morning so we took a bunch of fruits and smeared it all over each other for a quick facial-strawberries, grapes and bananas-now our faces are oh so sweet and soft!