My Bestest Friend-(too much sibling love I say)

There are 2 kinds of kids in this world,one who are known as "daddy's little girl" and the other "mumma's boy",but well i think i represent a third kind-"BROTHERS BABY SIS"

It is almost unbelievable to some people that siblings can live without fighting, torturing and almost killing each other.Well such relationship's do exist atleast in my world it does.

My elder brother ,Aditya Gupta, has taken and survived through all my tantrums and unrealistic demands.(trust me he survived and it is quite an achievement)

I have always been the little toy that fascinated him as a kid,and even today though we are adults i love to be the toy he pampers to death.

Well my stories of torturing started from a very early age.The very first and the fondest memory i have(even though it is a nightmarish memory for him) was at our maternal grandparents home.Well i was a very bratty kid who couldnot stay without her mom.So when after achieving a great feat of putting me off to sleep my mom thought she deserved some shopping time with her sister and left leaving my brother incharge of his little baby sis.Well little did he know that the responsibility he had willingly taken upon was going to one hell of a task.My mom had to leave and within less than an hour ,yes i was awake howling crying for my mother.An age where there was no way to contact your parents once they were out of the house my poor brother had no other option but to put sense in his little stubborn sisters head.Failing miserably he sat with me on the stairs outside our house for over 3hours till our mother returned.(well how many of you baby sisters can proudly say that you tortured your elder brother and they sat there quietly cause they loved you to death and they were more worried about your security than there status as an elder brother)

It is not like we are perfect siblings,we fight ,we hit ,we bite and we abuse an example being our favourite childhood game was "WWF" were obviously I was the one who volunteered to get beaten up cause i wasnt strong enough to try a "choke slam" on my brother.But the fact that our parents always just let us solve our own problems and never intervened in our issues only made our bond stronger.(Thank you ma and papa)

Well as a child we kind of wanted the other to leave and always craved for different rooms.But lack of space due to the enormous family and my mom's adament wish that we would always share a room we never had different rooms(even today we have the same room even though there is enough space in the house.)But it was only in 2004 that we realised how important the other person was.It was the most difficult time for me to see him go to Manipal and the thought that the next 4years of my life i would probably see him only once every 2 mnths was scary.But well distance worked wonders and we only got closer.

There is no aspect of my life that he isnt aware of-from my latest crushes to my worst habits,the biggest lies i have said to my biggest achievements,he is always the first to know.Some of the things I have done and recieved my life's greatest compliments have been because he has pushed me to do them.Although i have never openly agreed to this but he is the only reason that i even auditioned for my lives biggest performance on stage-The british council play.Totally low on self confidence if it wasnt for him,i would still be sitting and thinking "what if i had "!!

He is been a friend when i needed one,the parent who i called when in trouble(and cant tell my actual parents) a model who I will always look upto for living life too the fullest.He has gone through some of the most difficult times in his life with a smile,a quality that i would kill to have.Although he gets angry at the drop of a hat it doesnt take him much time to apologise and accept his mistakes, a gesture that would take me years to even think of doing.

Although he is very aware of this fact,i would like to re-state it that his wife(whoever she shall be) will not have a difficult time trying to adjust with the insecurities her mother in  law has with the new woman in her son's life(well cause my mum thinks she is too cool for this typical saas bahu drama) but with his over possessive sister who is going to make her life a living hell.My brother has always put me before anyone else,i have been in his priority for the last 22 yrs of his life and no one,i mean no one, can take that away from me.

Today as i am away from home and away from MY BESTEST FRIEND i thank technology,if it wasnt for that then my life would be miserable.Only 5months and we have spoken probably 5 times over the phone yet there is nothing in his or my life that we arnt aware.

Mum and Dad I could never thank you enough for giving me the most precious gift any kind of money could buy-ADIT BHAIYA!

OUR SONG!!!-That you have sung for me always and continue to do it forever...I LOVE YOU!

                

Indian wedding extravaganza

Where ever in the world you may be living the wedding frenzy cannot escape you,especially if the wedding is that of someone very close to you.In the midst of the wedding season here in India and recently back from "THE GREAT BIG INDIAN WEDDING" of my brother i can say im positively in a wedding hangover!(well its a condition people suffer from if you are lucky enough to be part of a 5 day indian wedding extravaganza!!:p)The quitessentiel Indian wedding is nuthing short of a bollywood mega budget film.Songs,dances,family drama,comedy and great food...you name it and its there.

since childhood i have witnessed a number of weddings in my family my uncles and aunts mostly...and they didnt mean anything much to me beyond good food and a sangeet performance.However now with weddings of my brothers and sisters, weddings have a whole new meaning.

Just visited Lucknow for my brothers wedding , it can possibly be described as one of the best weekends of my life.After a 4year no wedding period this was definetly the most awaited event in the lives of all our family members.

Well one must not forget to put together those 5 days of perfectly co-ordinated function involves months of hardwork and meticuluous planning.In todays day of wedding planners I take pride in saying that my family today still manages the entire event with the help of its family members..like it has always been done.With a family of over 50 people who needs anymore help from outsiders.So every detail from the nail polish of the bride to the venues ,the menu the guest list and even the reception of every geust was handled by the members of the family.(i guess its the personal touch that makes ouer weddings only that much more special)

Well every indian wedding starts with the most awaited event of all the functions "THE SANGEET",and ours was no different.It is this function that suddenly turns all the members of the family into choreographers,directors,singers and music directors.All the children franticaly start listing all the biggest dance hits of the year and then comes the most difficult part..allocating them to the other members to perform on them.(this can usually lead to some major world war like situations among the family members).However more than the actual function i bet it has always been the practice sessions that all of us look forward to more.The trash talk and the improptu jigs from the elder members of the family only adds to the fun of those practices!

After the grand sangeet night where no family member is spared from performing and the only time everyone is excused for doing vulgar crass dance step comes all the serious stuff.But well we  never let anything get too serious at these weddings.Whenever things get to monotonous no one shy's away from picking up that dholak lieing in the corner and within 30 seconds the place resembles nuthing less than a jam session(playlist including selected "govinda" songs and the cheesiest wedding songs that have been sung at probably every wedding since the time of our great grandparents)

The theme parties,cocktail dinners and the sangeet all full of fun colour and glamour can sill never match upto the main event -THE WEDDING!
The wedding day with all its innumerous rituals,from the "sehera bandhi"(turban tieing) to the "barat"(wedding procession),the "jootha chuppai" to "phera" still remains as one of the purest moments one witnesses at the wedding ceremoony.When you sit there as the pandit chants the mantra and the groom and bride take there vows no moment no relationship feels as pure as this.

But the most touching and heart wrenching moment comes at the end of the wedding as one mother loses her daughter only to give her away to another and the life of the mother almost comes round a full circle.

As this tradition goes on and our families continue to grow one can safely say that the wedding bonanza in the Indian family is only going to get better and bigger if not anything else.

With this I welcome the newest  member into our family and promise that  every moment of your new life will be nothing short of entertainment.

Home is where the heart is!

I guess you never appreciate anything till you don't have it any more. A saying which one wont appreciate or understand till he experiences it too.

Born in woodlands hospital Kolkata on the 17th September 1989 I spent 21 years of my life in "the city of joy" and there wasn't a single day that I haven't complained about how my life is only getting ruined in this city.
But today as I sit here in Chennai writing this blog there is nothing more in this world that I miss than that old world charm and laid back attitude of the city i call my 'HOME'

There has been enough said about this city and probably there is no new way left to introduce it either.But probably the only way i can express my gratitude to this city and thank it for what it has given me.
TOP 10 THINGS I MISS ABOUT HOME:

1.STREET FOOD:
   If u have ever visited Kolkata you will be familiar with what i am talking about.Kolkatan's love their food and they never compromise on it so when in the city you will never find your self looking for food cause at every corner u will find some stall selling cheap yet delicious food.So don't miss out on the puchka's,katti rolls,kulfi's,telebhaja..u name it and u have it.

2.SWEETS
whether a Bengali or not if ur born in this city u cannot be one without a sweet tooth.A sweet dish after every major meal is a ritual.Born in a family of sweet shop owner this habit almost runs in my blood.Recommended sweets one should not miss are "mishti doi"."notun gurer sandesh",and obviously the world famous "rosogolla"

3.ADDA
It doesnot necessarily hav to be a weekend or  a national holiday for u to encounter a group of people sitting at the corner of a dhabha or at the entrance of their colony gate discussing everything frm the latest item number to politics."ADDA" is a culture that one would only witness here and and a ritual that has been followed religiously by people of all ages and class without discrimination.

4.DURGA PUJA
If ur from this part of the country your life is definitely incomplete without waiting every year for those 4days of durga puja.The only time of the year when the city comes to life like never before.. it is a sight only to be experienced and cannot be described in words.On display the best craftsmanship this country can offer, a wide range of food and unreal amount of talent on the form of music,dance,art.The beat of the dhak and the dhunuchi naach only adds to the colour and fun of the festivities.

5.EDEN GARDENS
The Mecca of cricket and a must visit place for any cricket fan.The energy and vibe of that place can only felt and not expressed.It doesn't hold over 80,000 spectators but as many commentators and coaches...some of which the Indian cricket team could do without.

6.PARK STREET
well have too many personal memories attached to this place,spent 16years of my life in this area ,this being the location of my school and college.But beyond that it probably still has some of the best restraunts at very affordable rates serving dishes without any compromise on the quality.A must vist "bar-b-q"-for thr chinese food and "peter cat" for the chelo kabab.Another time of the year when one should be here is during Christmas.Dont miss it!

7.NEW MARKET
Also know as HOGG MARKET is a place dearly missed.Only got introduced to its importance during my college years but if there is one place in this city where u can get anything this is the place."Chamba lamba " for its beautiful silver jewellery or "nauhoms" for their most delicious brownies and rum balls, or walk out on the pavement and you can get the jersey of your favourite team from practically any sport.If in the city during Christmas and don't know where to buy your decorations go here and you wont be dissapointed.

8.CHINA TOWN
'Tangra' kolkata's china town has to be visited for the best Chinese food.Based on my experiences in this country I rate Kolkata as having the best Chinese food ever and the restraunts in this part of the city certainly do serve the best kind.However people with a weak stomach please try the food at your own risk.

9.MONUMENTS
I know one would think its a ridiculous thing that i miss the monuments in that city.Even though not too many the few that are there are almost synonymous with the city."Victoria Memorial" "the Hoogly bridge" "Vidyasagar Setu".The mere mention of these places conjour in one's mind the pictures of these great structures.
The horse-drawn carriage ride around Victoria memorial a childhood memory that shall remain dear forever.
Do take a boat ride in the hoogly( still one thing on my list that i haven't done as yet.)

10.BANDHS
You love them you hate them you cant ignore them.Even though they were always a cause of trouble for my mother and my father as it brought along with it a lot of problems for both them individually but for me it was another excuse to be able to  miss school with a plausible reason and stay in bed for longer time.

Kolkata is a city that has enough to offer people from all walks of life,so if you haven't already do come to my city and experience it the way of a "TRUE KOLKATAN"

the newbee

Blogging was an option I never considered cause I didnt really think i was cut out to do it.
neither am i famous nor am i someone with great opinions so why would anyone read my blog.
But a new city a new found freedom and new ideas pushed me to try a new hobby.

well before i start as a formality an introduction is required.
I am Amishi a 22year postgraduate student pursuing psychology from Madras University.Originally from Kolkata (West Bengal).Finished my schooling and graduation from Loreto House and Loreto College,kolkata.

I hope this relationship that i build with you will only help me and you grow and learn amd to go "beyond" the realms of the already known.