Few weeks back I was invited to Anirudh's place for lunch on Sankranti. This is an important festival for them and since we were dating for a long time, his family had unofficially considered me part of their family. Every time I go to his house, I observe something weird. Now please do not get me wrong. Anirudh is a very nice guy. He has been very supportive and caring of me and my life choices. But his family has a very narrow minded views towards several things. Even in this generation, they observed gender inequality and some work were reserved to be done by guys and some work has to be done by the women of the house. Now I have been brought in a very different way. I have always been taught to question things which do not convince me. But in their house if I begin questioning about blind beliefs and the purpose behind doing it, it is considered rude. It is considered arrogant. My parents had given me enough freedom and independence. But here his parents had too many restrictions on the dress, on timings, on topics to speak and the list goes on. My parents had warned me before about his family. I really felt that our relationship was very strong than these petty things. But on the day of Sankranti what I observed really irritated me. They started seeing alliances for his elder brother Avinash. And what sort of a girl were they expecting - Post graduate, expert in cooking, skilled in taking care of house, ready to stay at home after wedding. Seriously why would someone want to stay at home after doing a post graduation. I began questioning them about their expectations. But they asked me remain silent. In their family, the sole purpose of the women of the house is to give birth to baby, be a housewife and take care of the house. Their mom has the done the same things and they expect their daughter-in-laws to also do the same thing. Does this make any sense in today's generation? I ask his mother and she asks me to follow the rules Though I shut my mouth, I could not shut my thoughts. When Avinash can be a graduate and work, why couldn't his wife do that? Why do they want a highly educated girl to waste her education by sitting at home after wedding? What exactly do you mean by skilled in taking care of house? Is this not your house too? Why cannot you make some contributions anywhere? Women are at par with men everywhere these days. Still you follow the trends of the 19th century and follow gender prejudices. What sort of an example are you setting for your family? What will your kids learn from you if you follow these illogical trends. If we women need our son and future daughter-in-law to thank us then teach the men to end the trend and share their load to embrace household duties however boring or uninteresting they are. “I am joining the Ariel #ShareTheLoad campaign at BlogAdda and blogging about the prejudice related to household chores being passed on to the next generation.”
It was after 2 years that I went to my sisters place. Her son Karthik is now in 7th class and the last time I saw him he was a small kid. I was really excited to see my sister after so many years and was looking forward to meet her. The day arrived and I started to her place. The moment I reached her house, I was in a shock. The whole house seemed in a mess. She opened the door with a smiling face but I could see the tiredness and exhaustion. As I came in and was talking to her, Karthik came to the room from inside. He was very reluctant to talk to me since he had not seen over many years. However he was ordering his mom to get his shirt for school ready. I was surprised my sister silently obeyed his orders. Then I saw his throw his old dress into the pile of laundry and rush out of the house. All this while my sister hardly spoke a word. I could not keep silent any longer. It was hardly an hour I came to her house and could see something wrong going on. When I spoke to her she mentioned that he was a kid and does not like to keep things clean. But the problem was she never taught him the right ways. Assuming that kid is small and will understand as he grows up is totally wrong. How will he understand when he has grown up seeing that. I asked my sister to slowly teach him to wash clothes or at-least put the clothes into the washing machine while she could attend other chores.However she herself did not want him to do that. "Let him focus on studies. I do not want him to get involved in these things", were her words. By showering a lot of love on our children, we are closing their eyes from reality. Karthik has always seen his mom doing the dirty laundry and other household work. Has there been a single day his dad has done that? Never. How will he learn about equality and sharing the load if this is the example he has seen. My sister has to let go of the fact that he is a small kid. Class 7 kids are no more small. They are much smarter than us these days. He needs to be taught to respect others and see all genders equally. If this is the example in my own house, I am sure this is the case in many households. So I urge all the ladies to let go of perfection and lets not blindly shower love. Lets learn to help ourselves to better our future self ! “I am joining the Ariel #ShareTheLoad campaign at BlogAdda and blogging about the prejudice related to household chores being passed on to the next generation.”
One of the things I always wanted in my man was to respect his partner equally and value them. So the day Anirudh proposed me, I wanted to see if this guy really matches this criteria. I had always known him as my friend but never seen this aspect. I borrowed time from him for my decision and started to closely monitor him. I even went one step ahead and tried to put scenarios where I wanted his views. So far it was going good. He was one of my very good friends in Hyderabad. No one knew me more than him. Our mindsets matched and we really enjoyed each others company. But when it comes to taking friendship to next level, we need to consider so many things.So after a good one months time, I called him for a lunch date on Sunday. As usual he came on his bike and we met at our favorite eating joint. Deep inside i too liked this guy but always held back after my first experience with Manoj. So I decided to pour it out to Anirudh. It went very uncomfortable at the start. But I wanted Anirudh to know how hurt and depressed I was from my relationship with Manoj because of one thing missing. Manoj never valued me. He forever seemed to dismiss my ideas, my suggestions were rubbish. Girls were only decorative pieces in life. I should become a housewife and quit my job. I do not have the right to dream and many more crap. Time and again I felt hurt and my self esteem dropped and he never took a second to recognize that. All my efforts to tell him ended with fights and he would convince me up and again the cycle repeats.I was really tired of being just a girl in his life. He was very egoistic like his father. I had my nights crying about this relationship. I had several hours questioning my own thoughts. What kind of a relationship was I in where I was not valued. If this is the case now what will happen once I follow his words and quit my job. I was not meant for that. This never fit with me because I was not that girl. So on 17th Jan I gathered all my courage and called off my relationship with Manoj. I wanted Anirudh to know the main things that mattered to me. He was the caring, supportive, sweet, lovable, understanding friend but he always had to know what I expect in my partner. I wanted Anirudh to value my dreams as I respected his choices. I wanted Anirudh to respect my ideas and suggestions as I always considered his opinions. After opening up my heart to him, the first thing he said was "I love you for the person you are. I can never dream to hurt you. I need you in my life. Your happiness and satisfaction is my top priority. I promise from the bottom of my hurt to love your every single day. I promise to be with you forever!". Those words of Anirudh at our favourite eating joint still hold true and I am proud he stood by his promises.
“I’m blogging about the kasams I want from my man this Women’s Day with the #SadaSexy activity at BlogAdda”
Walking is one the best low-impact, gentle exercise that's easily available to everyone. Right from the time we were kids, the first thing we do was to walk. It is freely available to us and suitable for all ages. Below are the impacts of walking and why it is so good for you – 1. Walking strengthens your heart Regular walking reduces the risk of stroke and heart disease. It's great form of exercise which helps to lower bad cholesterol and increases good cholesterol. In addition, a brisk walk into your every day routine also helps to control the high blood pressure and reduces the risk of strokes. 2. Walking lowers disease risk A consistent habit of walking habit cuts the risk of diabetes. You are even less likely to develop cancer of the womb or breast with an active hobby such as walking.Taking more steps everyday can ward away diseases like asthma. Recently my mom was diagnosed with having diabetes. She was feeling very tired and lethargic and ran down with energy. She was constantly drinking lots of coffee loaded with sugar to bring back that energy. Her eating habits were simply unhealthy and she skipped meals due to this lack of energy. Her doctor gave her a healthy eating plan, urged her to cut down on coffee and strictly take a 30 minute walk every day. She took the docs advice very seriously and within few weeks of following the plan, she noticed tremendous changes in her energy levels. Within a month, her sugar level came down and she is full of energy now. 3. Walking helps you maintain weight For someone weighing 60kg, brisk walk of 30 minutes helps to burn about 75 calories by walking 3.2km. If you increase your speed you end up burning more calories. If you walk 6.4Km per hour burns calories equivalent to having cakes. The more you need to lose weight, the more you need to increase your speed of walking for burning more calories 4. Walking prevents Osteoporosis Walking is a total body exercise, but mainly works on your feet and legs which support your body's weight. Walking restores and strengthens bones and increases bone density. This is very important to everyone especially for women. Walking about 8Km-10Km a week can help develop your bone health. 5. Walking tones up legs, glutes and abs Regular brisk walking can give amazing definition to quads, calves hamstrings while lifting your glutes muscles. If you add intensity to your walking by walking on hills or inclines you will burn more calories and get more effective workout. Although it is a free form of exercise, we need to maximize to get a total body exercise. If we maintain correct posture in our walks, it also helps to tone your waistline and abs. 6. Walking boosts levels of vitamin D Walking is effective if its done in the open air. That being said, we are free to do it anytime and anywhere. If we get a brisk 30 min walk in the early morning, we maximize calorie burns by also boosting our Vitamin D. Now this nutrient has a huge role in impacting many things from bone health to our immune systems. In addition to all this, it is great way to travel and wonderful form of social activity. It is effective and convenient and great way to interact with friends because you can easily talk and have a quick walk. #TataZicaMarathon 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.
1st of April 2004. I still remember that day. Not because its April Fools day. But because it was the day that I created my first email account. Yes. My first email account with Yahoo. Having a social media presence was like owing a smartphone. It was not at all a must have to live but was a must have to survive. To survive among your friends and society. And that my dear friends was the first step of my journey into the gigantic world of social media. Right from Yahoo chat, to Orkut, to Facebook and now Twitter and Instagram and what not...The list is endless. New trends in the social media keep coming and change with time. What first started for me as a way to share my updates with friends shaped into way of keeping in touch with them. More so that these days I hardly check my Orkut or Facebook accounts. What changed the most for me was the online contests held by many companies through social media. As a medium for promoting their brands, it gives an opportunity for amateur photographers like me to participate and showcase our talent. It gives me immense adrenaline rush to participate in these contests than mindlessly browse through news feed. Slowly my focus shifted to searching for online contests in social media and participating in them. Through this I came to know about many brands and my general knowledge also increased. Initially I found a few contests in Facebook and kept myself busy with them. With so many medium these days, my hands are full of dates with photography contest deadlines. Slowly and steadily I started winning these contests. My sense of confidence improved and my passion for photography increased. My most memorable contest was a photography contest with Woodland which I found in Twitter. I won first prize in that contest and they sent me to an all expense paid 7 day trip to Kenya. Imagine winning an all paid trip to an international country. It was like dream come true. It still amazes my parents because during their times television and Radio was the only way they get to know about updates. The awareness that social media brings across these days is simply tremendous. Isn't that a great way to stay updated with latest trends and current affairs. To me social media is simply a blessing in disguise. I am so thankful to all those companies who spend so much time in promotion so that their product is popular among consumers. Who would have imagined that a way to keep in touch with friends would now turn into my source of living. I may be very active in social media for checking contests but completely out of the league of commenting on photos. It was very easy to get lost in commenting on pics and stalking people. But if we find our focus, we can turn anything to what we set our mind to. #TataZicaMarathon 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.
Adopting a healthy lifestyle, will not only make you look and feel better, but you also get to experience a plethora of other healthy benefits. Living in a healthy lifestyle, requires that you devote to making healthy choices, follow them regularly and stick with them.You can start with the changes today that can impact your overall health and wellness positively. Eating a balanced diet – The way to a healthy and balanced diet is having the right quantity of food that will help to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight. A healthy diet is as good for your taste buds as it is for your heart. Including fresh fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains in your diet will give your body the energy and nutrients it needs to function properly and maintain overall health. Regular Physical activity The benefits of regular physical activity and exercise are abundant. We all know simple activities like running, cycling, and swimming are good for you. It helps prevent many chronic diseases and improves digestion. In short, your overall quality of life gets better. Weight Control A healthy lifestyle also helps you keep up with a healthy weight. This helps improves your appearance, your mood and your confidence. Controlling your weight reduces the risk of developing stroke, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease and different types of cancer. By incorporating healthy balanced food and cutting down your intake of beverages and processed foods that are generally high in calories, and sugar you positively impact your weight and overall good health. Improved Confidence and Mood Physical activity helps in the release of brain chemicals that can make you feel happier. This emotional boost can help reduce your stress level and improve your self-confidence. In addition, the chemicals to enhance your mood that are released by physical activity can help you face a stressful day with a calmer mindset. Increased Energy Level Exercising regularly improves your power to withstand stress and makes your body stronger. It also works on your cardiovascular system, which keep your muscles more energetic by delivering oxygen more effectively. Due to this you will have more energy to do everyday tasks. Improved Brain Health A healthy lifestyle can increase your health of your brain. A balanced diet, regular exercise and good sleep can change your brain heath and mental functions. Basic exercise like walking, swimming is good for your brain. It regulates blood circulation and increases the amount of oxygen that reaches your brain thereby helping you to think more clearly. Improved Appearance A healthy lifestyle can not only help you lose weight and look more youthful, but it is more than that. For example, staying hydrated by drinking enough water and getting sufficient sleep can reduce the visibility of under-eye bags. Cutting down on alcohol and tobacco intake reduces its aging effects on your skin and eyes. Keep Up the Heart-Smart Lifestyle Its one thing to know about what needs to be done for a healthy lifestyle and another thing to actually follow it. By following a healthy lifestyle you cannot always see the results of your hard work, but there are numerous impacts and every healthy choice you make does take you one step closer to a healthier lifestyle. #TataZicaMarathon 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.
Good news for all you high speed internet lovers.With India’s major telecom Bharti Airtel Ltd rolling out its 4G services, you are going to love the lightning fast internet speeds on the go. Gone are the days when you will have to spend time waiting for movie downloads. With Airtel 4G being the first telecom operator rolling out 4G services, it is now available nationwide across 296 cities. One good news is that we just pay the price of 3G for 4G. Another good news is that by just tweeting #GetAirtel4G, they are giving a free 4G SIM and Airtel provides free home delivery of 4G SIM. I am already going crazy thinking of all the things i could do with this unbelievable speed offered. It will be fantastic to stream videos so fast. By downloading apps for shopping like Flipkart and Amazon, I could do my shopping really quick with 4G speed. For someone like me, who loves to keep her playlist updated earlier i had to face the trouble in streaming videos and wasting time to download songs. I had to set the downloads to happen overnight so that it would get completed by morning which was really waste of time and electricity. But now I could download my favorite songs within seconds. Whenever friends drop-in at our place, we always end up watching movies along with partying. Now I could download my favorite movies without worrying about slow speed. Previous seasons of reality shows and finale of The Bachelorette could now be seen without streaming issues. It normally takes me about 1 hour to commute to my office. The only fruitful task I do then is browse through social media and stay connected with friends. With 4G network, it could now make it easier to access social media. I could now maybe write my blog during the commute which could save me lot of time when i reach home and make life easy. On days when I need to book a cab online, it would be really convenient using Airtel4G and make the cab booking process quick and hassle-free. And how do we forget the chat with our family and loved ones. I would definitely not like any kind of delays during our chats. So our Whatsapp and Skype conversations could be smooth without any interruptions. Any time I would want to do a video call, due to slow internet problems I could only hear their voice and not see them. This would be really disheartening because the whole purpose of having video calls to see your loved ones was lost. But with 4G, experience in video calling would also be amazing. On the whole, I am already loving thinking how great life will be with 4G and I would like to thank Airtel for coming up with Airtel 4G and making our lives easier.
