Remembering my firsts of 2015 on the last day of 2015

While last year 2014 took us across 7 countries, This year saw many firsts for me.

I could manage to blog quite extensively well... that was my 2015 resolution. It was an awesome experience to keep writing about what I felt on different topics. 37 posts against target of 50 sounds pretty good to me. 

I blogged on mycity4kids on parenting (http://www.mycity4kids.com/parenting/mummy-musings) 

I got my article published on Scrum Alliance (https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2015/september/agile-scrum-principles-as-life-skills) 

I think I will keep blogging on this site strictly personal, any specific blogs can go to different sites for better audience connect. Next year I plan to blog on LinkedIn and other such sites. I also want to start a blog on diversity along with my colleagues.

I spoke at a women specific conference for the first time, my presentation here (http://www.slideshare.net/yashasree/what-women-want-make-breakyashasreeat201502)
I repeated it for an audience of 200+ lady TCSers

I along with a colleague of mine wrote a point of view article for the first time and got it published on TCS website. www.tcs.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/White-Papers/Data-Science-Consulting-1015-1.pdf

I delivered a keynote for the first time though in an internal TCS conference

I worked on an exciting concept of virtual labs powered by cloud for the first time

I participated as a panelist in an agile day event at a customer location http://keyhole.co/media/K0CAmG/EMCisAGile 

I did some warli painting for our Ganesh festival decoration

I shopped my Diwali presents on Amazon and have now become a regular online shopper

          I rediscovered my love for poetry and wrote quite a few poems this year. 

Connected with loads of friends and family on Whatsapp

          My kids' shoe size and height is almost matching mine now, I guess time to be more friends than mummy with them!

         I rediscovered that nothing entertains me as bollywood and music :) Back to watching films again!
       
          Life has been really kind and people around me extremely supportive!

Loads of things on my plate for the next year, most importantly adding more firsts to my yearly lists! That's when life is exciting, isn't it?

         Happy 2016 Everyone :) 

Grandmother...

While rushing through the morning hustle bustle and going to office with a day packed with work, potluck and s seminar, the sad news of death of my grandmother clogs my mind. Tears roll down while I get some alone time in the bus.

She was my granny's younger sister, but we were close as we lived in the same building in our childhood. 

After my granny's death, we surely developed a new bond with her. My brother and I had never lived without our granny and took time to come to terms with her death. She was such an anchor during that phase. We would take out stupid reasons like reading magazines and visit her just to be around her. In her company we found a lot of solace then. Slowly as college and work started eating a lot of our time, the interactions became scarce, even fewer after marriage, but the strong bond remained. 

I still remember whenever I gave her something when we met, she would refuse it. Only my insistence that I don't need a reason to buy saree for her would make her accept it with eyes filled with tears of joy.

I remember so many things even today and can relate to how my mom and mom-in-law behave with my kids!

Would miss you Aaji, this one is for you

Grandmother is such a blessing
Pouring all the love but expecting nothing

She was traditional yet with an open mind

Gentle loving caring and kind

She would always say "things were not so in my times"

But wouldn't pull us back from enjoying our times

We could see joy in her eyes when we smiled

And sadness and hidden tears when we cried

We could see the pride when we achieved something 

And "don't worry, it's alright" in the consoling

We knew there is someone to hide behind

When words mom and dad said were not so kind

We were so lucky to have you grandma

Wish we could pass on such love around

Buying of iPhone 6S, thoda fun, thoda style

Buying of iPhone thoda fun, thoda style

This custom shop which is about 200 meters  from my home is a favourite for us to buy electronic stuff after for almost everything we bought from there has been pretty cheaper against other places.

We have bought many phones, misc electronic items and even our Sony Bravia LED TV from there. As i get ready when I go to the malls or any big ticket shops, I don't really do that for this one. Almost all of our purchases have been when we were sitting idle at home and then "let's go and buy, we have thought for enough number of days" kind of. 

My first iPhone was 3GS and was bought for me by a relative from US. After a couple of years I bought 4S. When we went to this shop to buy, the boy who was getting it readied for us treated me like a neighbourhood bhabhiji who may not be aware of many technical stuff but got lucky as she got gifted a good phone by her husband. He explained to me that the phone is very good I will be able to click photos or videos and also be able to use net from the phone. I enjoyed the conversation and kept checking with him what all can be done using this good phone. Incidentally that's when I was working on development of a native iPhone app for my customer!

Buying a new phone was on my mind for a long time and I visited the shop many times checking for the prices of iPhone 5, 5s. Finally yesterday we went and gathered courage to buy a 6S. And as usual this guy offered it at a price that was lower than other shops or even what the online giants offered.

With the huge amount of money I have now spent on the phone contributing significantly to the bottom line of Apple, I was really excited and worried about this new investment!

My husband too cared for the same and started checking if we can get a sturdier cover that can protect the phone better. Now was the time for another enlightening talk by the salesman. He asks, "sir! Why do people buy iPhone?". We allowed him to go on. My husband mentioned that his wife I e me goes to office and is a big officer. I was controlling my laughter as I could see the salesman looking at me and saying "really?" in his mind! Then he went on to enlighten us that people buy it for style, status and image. I suddenly felt like being a stylish corporate woman with a great image, the likes that we see in advertisements or movies flaunting all latest gadgets as I walk in my heels! He mentioned that iPhone is bought to be flaunted and not hidden under the flap cover like the others! My husband truly enjoyed the conversation to have the person spill few more pearls of wisdom!

There you go, every purchase of iPhone comes to me with a lot of free advice on what these products are, why are they bought and how to use them for photos, videos etc. Apple ka Apple, discount ka discount and entertainment ka entertainment.

As per my Salesman, I can use this phone for at least next 4 years with the best of things inside. Another interesting conversation awaits me after 4 years then :)

How did I feel after owning the new iPhone 6S? Awesome, it's just so beautiful! Just that I read a post on value for money on buying iPhone 6s, how someone could buy 10 different electronic devices in the same price. 

Next day I go to the office, show it (or maybe flaunt it) to my friends and colleagues. Everyone loves it and asks me how do I feel. My answer: I feel like carrying the weight of 2 air conditioners in my pocket! My husband's take, he sees a bike when he sees my iPhone and asks me what do i feel would be ahold parking space. And my kids are all set to experiment whatever they see in the TV advertisement. They have already flaunted in their friend circle that their mother bought iPhone 6S!

Colours of navaratri - part 2

I spoke about the actual colours of navaratri earlier, but all over India navaratri indeed has it's own colours of celebration.

My kids love the dandiya celebrations we have in our society, looking forward to getting decked up in specific colours. When I mentioned to my daughter that I never played garba in my childhood, her eyes were astonished with "then what did u do?" look. 

Mind travelled a few decades back in a flash seconds and brought alive My fond memories of navaratri, special puja at home, aarti every night including the long 10 stanza of ambabai, the bhondala that we played with great excitement with all my friends, the sweets and then the orange coloured dassera with marigold flowers everywhere. My father would also take us to mahalakshmi temple during navaratri and Ganesh temple on dassera.

In my husband's family there is a special puja of goddess mahalakshmi in the temple on the 8th day. I love the way the festivities are done there. Big idol of the goddess, all ladies decked up to do the puja, songs being sung without any fanfare by elderly ladies, the night surely has it's own charm.

In North India it's different celebration, a lot of people fast for 9 days, there is a girl child pujan and then ram leela followed by ravan dahan on dassera.

Great fanfare is in Kolkata and in east, where the pujo is a community event. I am awed by the grandeur of the goddesses that are out up and worshipped. The powai Bengali association's Durga puja is a must visit for me during navaratri.

All in all it's all about celebrating the female divine power winning over the devils. Great way to celebrate the victory. While I enjoy the positivities in the air, a part of me is pulled down by the constant violence that women face even today. It's so disheartening to hear about atrocities with 3 such small girls during navaratri, one wants to believe that it's a false news. The demons are all around us, when are we going to win over them! Safety and dignity is what the durga's of today need. They can then achieve almost everything thereafter. Amen!

Colours of Navaratri - Part 1

What really is the magic behind the 9 colours of navaratri that we follow here in Mumbai and Maharashtra 

If you see in general the ladies want to stand out in terms of their dress and look in general. If we find others wearing similar kind of clothes or even same colours. We kind of find it embarrassing. We feel the uniqueness lost somehow.

Come navaratri and everything changes. Lemme talk more in mumbai's context. There have been years when many ladies in mumbai who may or may not wear sarees when they go to work. Would make it  a point to wear one during navaratri. In the spirit of the festive season, it would typically be a fancy Saree not a regular one. I also did that for a couple of years some time back.

More interesting are the colours that are followed during this period. 

Almost everywhere you would see the waves of a particular colour designated for that day. It's not only ladies flashing their fancy sarees, but young girls matching their kurtis or even western dresses to the colour of the day. Whatsapp messages, emails are floated informing each other of the colours in advance, so we are prepared in advance. 




My kids also want to ensure they wear the colour of the day when they go down to play dandiya. Moreover the boys and men also try to match the colours as much (at least on the white, blue days).

Trying to analyze the contrast shown by our behavior during the navaratri days to our usual quest if being unique in the way we are dressed. Is it a big community feeling that gets us to do that? Is it team spirit? Compliance? Friendly competitiveness? Is it a lot of fun? Is it being different than everyday, is it showing we are all together? Is it celebrating oneness? 

Isn't this phenomenon worth studying from a psychology perspective? Or will they simply term it as mob mentality? Well.,. I don't think anyone cares about it at all... It's probably a lot of fun that won't repeat for another year, so lemme instead worry about finding a white Saree to be wore to office for Monday to celebrate the white colour and traditional day call :) I don't want to be left out ;)

Of temples (or places of prayer)

I really admire people who are so regular to go to places of prayer to pray to god each day. I am not really a temple person, however I find the places of worship, specially if those are ornate and artistic very amusing.

Many old temples that have stone pillars with carving and a simple dome have a rustic charm of their own. The small inner rooms where the main idol is located are normally dark with small door and smaller windows. Those would have only one or two oil lamps that would light up the idol's face. It's very mysterious and alluring.



The enormous churches that I saw in Europe and St. Petersberg are like feasts for art lovers with the huge paintings and mosaics they have inside as well as outside. Extremely beautiful and artistic take on religion and mythology.



One thing that I love to keep looking for from my car while in South india whether chennai or bangalore are these small temples along the roadside. Though small, they contain a huge collection of idols of gods and goddesses put very aesthetically on the domes of these temples. Though in earlier times those might have been of stone carving, the newer temples seem to have those made from plaster of Paris. The arch that welcomes you inside the temple would also be as ornate. These idols would have a great combination of vibrant bright colours like the yellows, reds, greens, blues and so on. The spread of colours and the number of these idols would take the beauty quotient of the temple domes multi fold. It's pleasing to eyes and satisfying.



The temples in Konkan that I have seen seem to have wooden carved pillars, while the dome has design but not detailed one. Those again are coloured beautifully.



They say you get a lot of positive energies from temples due the blessings of The Lord or prayers of devotees. To me the wonderful art showcase simply enhances the appeal and brings more joy and peace to mind.

Ganesha! How I admire your varied forms!

As I pass by the idol making workshops of lord Ganesha, getting those ready for the upcoming festivities, my mind relishes on some really fond memories of the festival and brings smile on my face.



I am always awestruck by the enormous diversity of forms in which the Ganesha idols are made. Ever since my childhood, I have seen and admired so many of those. Though the smaller idols that we bring home and worship every year more or less remain the same for religious reasons, the god does not seem to mind donning different forms every year.


I have seen huge idols made up of right from many coconuts to many bottles, many sweets to fruits or flowers. We see Ganesha in the form of all other gods as well, as Krishna, shiva, and so on. No god or goddess form is untouched by artistes to give to lord Ganesha. Last year based on a tv serial's popularity resulted in Ganesha idols as lord malhar and this year's blockbuster bahubali has made Ganesh idols to lift shivling on his shoulder! Simply amazing.




The god seems to be taking it all in its stride. From a tiny shape carved on a beetle nut to sky touching huge idols, from a shape made out of a hibiscus flower to that of Many names of The Lord, from being seated on flowers, peacock, animals to thrones, it all seems adorable and magical.

One of my favorite things during the Ganesha festival used to be drawing a rangoli with the newest form of Ganesha that has shown up in the newspaper that day.


Just a few strokes of lines and the shape taking a meaning of the god's idol is really a wonderful and unique thing. No wonder Ganesha is so popular among the artists. The possibilities for drawing Ganesha as an art form are enormous and only limited by one's imagination. The many forms clubbed with creativity of minds creates an awesome effect.

While I continue admiring the roadside idols in making and wait for the processions to show up the huge idols, here is a shout out to our favourite bappa, "Amchya ghari lavakar ya"! (Come soon to my home!)