A life support system called Music.

Each of us has one. A song to reminisce.

1) When you feel sad, and like you're betrayed and alone (whilst you have a family of 8); you have a song that plays atune!

2) When you are walk around a college campus, or an office hall, pretending to look the prettiest - a ramp walk happens with the best foot-tapping music (try Hotstepper the next time)

3) When you're attire is a pretty Indian outfit, teamed with the best accessories - You have a song going "Aankhon mein teri, Ajab si"

4) When you seem happy and lively and energetic, the recent song would be, "Suraj ki Bahon mein" - Zindagi na.....

5) When a mountain has crushed your feelings and the love of your life has......... your radio-head plays " Avril Lavigne - Im With You.

There may be many more. We definitely have a song for every moment that plays our life wheels. We even have a alarm song that wakes the fuck out of us and makes us smile. A morning breakfast song. An evening chai song. The coke studio hours. The best friend - "Jaane kyun dil jaanta hain" song!

And why not, it's the reason we exist. It's exactly the reason why our headphones never leave our sides. I love the fact I'm never seen without headphones!

As of now, I'm playing, Coldplay - Paradise, because it's Rains again my friend. It's Music.

Leave it outside your door pretty girl!

Every post on this blog is based on real-life experiences, so is this one. Actually, this is just about yesterday, precisely, last night.

1) The Roman Empire is out of town for about 4 days (They call it Event Management or something like that).
2) I recently happened to move base to Pune.
3) It's just the two of us now.
Bottom line, when he isn't around, I'm Alone!

Now to justify the base of this post and the "I'm Alone" part - it all relates to one particular childhood trauma. This is with all due credit to my only brother and his weapon - Fear.

Since about the age of 3, I have been conditioned to be scared. Scared of what if you ask me, I smile and say Ghosts. Yes, they do exist. At least that's what the 3 year old me believed and now, the 24 year old me.
It was a fun game for my then innocent brother, to irritate the living wits out of his sister with stories which were some what like this:
1) Imagine you are peacefully seated on the commode and a hand from underneath pulls you in.
2) If you wake up around mid-night and notice that you are all alone in the room (Meaning, the family was around prior to that)
3) Your mom's eyes are white (ghost like) when you look at her in the night.
4) The girl from the movie grudge crawls into your room from a remote corner
5) A small kid is seated under the table, chair, sofa etc. patiently looking into your eyes.
6) Somebody just walks through your house during the dark, mindlessly. (probably wanting to make a move)
7) A feeling you get when someone is walking right behind you and is about to lay their hands on you.

And many more of these situations. And as of today, it's foolish to expect me to stay alone in a house or room post evenings. I will not. Not even if somebody has their life at stake. This is plain fear. And, last night was one such night. I had to (had no option) to be alone at home, all night. And, to my surprise, I did. How? Because there wasn't an alternative. Although I stayed up till about 4 watching television (and binging on cola and wafers, (an attempt to stay awake), it worked. I still have 3 more nights to go. And, I swear to the Heavenly Mother of God, I'm petrified.

But then, I guess it was time to let go, to face it. May be I won't have options all the time. May be life won't be give into my demands all the time. So it's best I start now. Make it a habit. A habit to live alone, a habit to face the fear I fear the most. And, this is why I decided to name this post - Leave it outside your door pretty girl!

What's in the name of a city? A lot more than just history.

P.S.: The thoughts expressed are one person's opinions and experiences. Offence can definitely be taken but at your own risk. Read with good spirit or shut the tab. Thank You!

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As much as dare-devilish this sounds, shifting base to another city takes guts. Much more than Micheal the Archangel too.
Or may be, I'm just a bit socially handicapped to accept change. Or may be, Mumbai has grown on me.

It's not really humorous to walk into a city that you have to be acquainted with from scratch? Make friends with genuinely less-evil neighbours and ensure they are open to the idea of sharing at least one bucket of water with you? (during water crisis - which is rampant here!). Survive on 2 buckets of water in 24 hours? Observe, learn and invent tricks to deal with the erratic behaviour of our dear auto-rickshaw wallahs? Be absolutely ok with just 15% of bus frequency? Venture on roads, knowing the irresponsible traffic conduct may attach the "Late Miss/Mr." to your name? Pay 130 in Indian Rupees to travel 15 minutes? Get conned by autowallahs again post 9 p.m. in the pretext of 'waha se return bhada nahi milta"?

No. This is not remotely simple. Especially when this is going to be your routine. You need organs of steel or a new found metal to help you deal with it.

Then again, this city has something amazing to offer that Mumbai probably has to be tutored about; People!
Less evil, always smiling, warm, friendly, humane and supportive people! Rapes and robberies are sisters of distant past in this city. Although crime cannot be washed out completely. Less-rude or over-friendly kiranawallah uncles do exist. The autowallahs I previously complained about do not hesitate in letting go of not just 1 but even 3 bucks (Rs). A bunch of 3 or more men will first look at your face and may be then elsewhere! While at a crowded locality, men make way for the women, minus the ass  groping and boob-elbow touch.

So thanks to my new find - 'The People of my new city', I think I can make it through, with all of the above listed in para 2.
And to add to my delight, 'Hubli' (This being the husband) is in the same town.

I know Mumbai is what I am. But, may be, the other can accommodate too.

Wish me Luck!