Happiness is..

….Winning!

Yes, undoubtedly … there’s nothing more fulfilling than doing something and getting rewarded for it. We can all kid ourselves with the idea that its only the pleasure of ‘doing what we like’ that really matters. but nope. The bottom line is winning!!

Clearly , Winning also has its side effects. Like dementia for starters. And that’s why I feel a little crazy with joy right now. Coz between yesterday and today I got not one but TWO WINS,

one , fuelled by obsession with starting something of my own – my entry for an internal business idea contest made to the final shortlist. If I make it further , who know I might strike gold and get motivated to actually realise my dream of being my own boss. more soon,when the time is right.

and second, on my way to ‘writing my own book’ , just when I thought I should write some more to develop as ‘ a writer ‘some one might actually pay to read’ , I sent in my entry for Chillibreeze Travel Writing Contest . Apart from some very kind comments , I also WON.

Check out the happy news here on this link.

Watch out for my very first interview of the site very soon..can I sound more delirious?

:)

 

Update : The Interview is right here .. Check this link and express yourself!

Wander Lust!!

Entered this travel writing contest on chillibreeze more coz I needed one more excuse to re-visit all those amazing travel destinations , I ve been dreaming about lately.

Travel writing is truly the sweetest torture.

Agree /Disagree? Tell me here

Sometimes the best things in life arent .. things..!

It’s strange how if you see close enough you’ll see most things in life absolutely entwined like a pre-written screen play. Was trying to act like a passive sounding board to a very confused friend who’s not able to make up her mind when it comes to taking a holiday post her marriage (Post Marriage Trip is what we upwardly mobile girls call it!). As she was listing, more for herself, than for me – the pros and cons of a planning a romantic European getaway vis-à-vis a far eastern sinfully luxurious one , I couldn’t help comparing mental notes with how I would plan a holiday.

The one thing I always put right at the top as the premise, before any conclusions are drawn – it’s good to plan, but tragic to over plan. Information on where to go , how to reach , what to do – is abundant , but then there’s a thin line that sometimes is crossed leaving us with a huge list of expectations and killing the surprise along the way.

Around the same time, I came across a contest on chillibreeze inviting entries for the best travel destination list. For a travel – writing maniac like me, that’s the sweetest torture. To dream some more about those places seen, those moments lived, those pictures captured and those stories learnt. And limit the list of just 10!
And thus began the task of elimination. Putting together a must-visit travel list is like setting up the menu of a dinner, you need something that suits your palette, something that goes well with the mood, something that promises the perfect start and something that leaves a great after-taste too. Be it spicy heady or fizzy – it’s got to be easy on the eyes and yes, memorable.

So here’s my idea of a grand feast for senses, go ahead indulge.

Also , if you can manage to ignore the typos .. and if you feel it was worth your time to read . then please comment/like through your FB account! Read the Entry .. Here!

Bara Imambara , Lukhnow – Fascinating Monuments

Lucknow is one of those unique cities who’s reputation precedes its mention. Dripping with a heritage that dates back to mughuls , it perhaps is more stereotyped than any other city that one can think of. Perhaps like the mention of Paris throws an image of impeccably dressed models catwalking down runways or couples indulging in freshly brewed coffee with French pastries at road side cafe , perhaps more as an antithesis , lucknow still comes across as a city of people from the old era narrating stories of life as it was over shero-shayri , lukhnavi tunda kebabs and intricate chickenkari .

Whether you’ve visited the city or not, you’ve known of lukhnavi aan , baan and shaan since forever.

A city that singlehandedly fuses delectable cuisine, atypical culture and art with the reminiscence of a bygone era. The bustling bylanes of hazratganj , the echoes of namaz at the old city , the tunda kebabs for travelers brought in by the morning shatabdi , the glittering ghats of gomti , the chatter of students of Le Martineire , the majestic vidhan sabah which stands tall as a tribute to the british era – a city that paints many vivid pictures. And amongst these snapshots one finds the most intriguing monument of our times – the Bara Imambara.

Literally meaning ‘big shrine’ , the building was built by Asaf-ud-ulah , the then nawab of lucknow in 1784 and here comes the interesting part , not as a symbol of undying love or opulence , but as a ‘famine relief project’! When the region was hit by one of the worst famines and people of his land were distraught , building this monument came as an answer to his dilemma and their worries.
Legend has it , that for 18 long years , the poor used to labour their way into building the monument through the day to earn their daily wages , while the nobility was brought in to demolish it by the night.
Now , one would wonder , why wouldnt he splurge his treasure to uplift the needy? And here comes the twist in the tale. Islam as a religion is averse to the idea of ‘easy money’ which is termed as ‘haraam’. An ideal god fearing muslim is supposed to earn his due i.e. ‘imaan ki kamaai’ . The nobility on the other hand , wasnt equipped with the necessary skills to ‘build’ , but was much better at ‘demolishing’. So , to make the idea a winsome deal for all strata , the ‘project ‘ went on for years before the monument was finally finished .
Now if thats an interesting story , then there’s more surprises these walls have in store for you. For the uninitiated , the upper floor of this royal building has one of the most extensive labyrinths of the world. but then again , that was clearly not the intention when the building’s foundation stones were laid. The bhulbhullaiya of various floors intermingling with one another into passages and stairways eventually leading upto an open terrace that gives a spectacular view of the entire city , was built the way it was built , and yes , this one’s a spoiler – to support the building’s weight in the marshy land without using beams!

Every year thousands of tourists land here and gaze with spectacle at the grandeur of the building and attempt to crack the bhulbhullaiyya without the guide’s help . But the monument still remains unknown to those who swear by our cultural heritage . One look at the litter strewn around the premises that’s now home to colonies of laboureres and touts and one wonders when would some of the most exquisite monuments of our times find their much deserved glory and come out from the shadows of Taj.

Catch the pictures in and around the gorgeous monument!

The Grand Entrance

The Majestic Premises

View of Imambara from Bowli

Memories in Mortar – Fascinating Monuments Series

A couple of days back, on a storytelling spree with D over a walk, I was reminded of this fascinating story that I had come across on my visits to Lucknow. It got me the one response we storytellers yearn to get at the end of the story – “oh ! you cant be serious ! Really, is that true!” . It had the makings of the perfect drama – money, power, intrigue, royalty, religion – all embroiled into the shape of a monument.

But then isn’t that the reason monuments are built? A stamp on the face of time by a ruler who sought his moment of glory in history.

I’ve been to a couple of ‘monuments’, some who’ve found their way into the must-visit- sections of tourist itineraries and some others which are now forgotten. And I’ve realized every time I wandered gaping at their otherworldly splendor or pondering over their lonesome demeanor, how they seemed like memories captured in mortar craving to tell their story. So I took a minute off and lent them an ear. And thus began this series of notes on the enchanting storytelling of the most fascinating monuments of our times. Lukhnow , Mcloedganj, Delhi , Udaipur – catch an eclectic mix of snapshots of an era in subsequent posts. Lucknow’s Bara Imambara , is where it all began.. and that’s up next!