Du-bye

Something is different as I write today. It’s not weather or the mood but it’s the backdrop, towering mountains have replaced the skyscrapers.

Change as they say is inevitable, and so it was time for us to move from Dubai to Muscat. We are all set for new challenges, goals, happiness, frustrations and learning’s here in Muscat.

Dubai has been really kind to us. We continue to be great fans of Dubai, of course every place has its own challenges but the city with each passing day tends to grow on you.  For many it might be the city with biggest and tallest, for me it has been the city of firsts!

It was almost 7 years ago I got married and came to Dubai join my hubby. To be honest, at first I didn’t like place very much but in a matter of few months I started calling it home. We set our first house together, done it up to call it our home, bought our first car, and mastered the art of DIY thanks to frequent trips to IKEA among many other things.  But nothing beats the pleasure of being first-time parents.

Little Smera was born here in Dubai and she filled our lives with immense joy. Staying away from family, it was difficult to raise an infant all by ourselves with no prior experience, but it got us closer to each other as partners.

We have been extremely fortunate on our career front and especially my husband who has been part of an outstanding company for the last 10 years. RSA has been extremely generous and supportive of him and his ambitions. In fact Smera is truly a RSA baby with pink and purple being favourite colours, true to the brand colours of the company.

Taking a sabbatical from work to enjoy motherhood, it was here I first tried my hands at blogging and I must admit I am addicted to it (thanks you for supporting my addiction !).

 There are numerous memories tied with this city and I am really going to miss it. The friends we made, our house (no, home), our favourite food joints and so many other things. However I am sure we are going to make many more new memories and I would love to share it with you all too here on Sangrywords!

To Muscat it is, here we come, with a little prayer in our heart, smile on our faces and hope in our minds to start a new chapter!

A fine line!

Getting a driver’s license in the UAE is not an easy task. But I managed it with ease and so I declared myself from that day onwards – a good driver. Actually to be honest I have been driving for more than half a decade in Dubai. To date I have never received any major fines. However I did receive two small ones. One, for not paying the parking ticket and second for obstruction of traffic.

I have very good explanation to justify myself on these two counts too. In the first case, it was just a technical glitch. You see here we can pay tickets via sms, but I happened to send to the wrong number, realised it when I found a ticket on the car. For the second one, I would like to blame the hubby darling. Dropping him off one day, in front of the office I happened to have stopped the car on the narrow road for not more than 20 seconds but that still did amount to obstruction of traffic. And it would not have happened if the hubby had not asked me to drop him. Right ?

Now coming back to square one. I am good driver! I can give good lectures too on the subject, I can also give you few of feelers from some my previous posts.

1. Driving me crazy

2. My massive problem of passive road rage

3. Take care, not chances

But this New Years I got my first speeding ticket. Sob, sob! Yet again I would like to state that it was not my fault. This time too I have a perfect explanation to the slip-up or should I say speed-up and the photo shot that ensued.

1.      The weather was lovely, with slight drizzle and moonlit sky

2.      The mood was happy, as we were driving to Muscat to meet the extended family

3.      My daughter’s favourite song Jiya Jiya Re from Jab tak hain jaan was playing

4.      On one my favourite radio channels, City 101.6 fm

gettyimage.ae

So singing along with Smera, I accidently happened to step on to the gas a little more than I should have. Should I be blamed for it? No, City 101.6 should be for held responsible for constantly playing lovely music that instantly perk me up and put me in such a jolly good mood that I forget the road speeding limits too.

It was just a mistake but that still cannot take away the fact that all of us had a wonderful time listening to the radio during the long drive.

For my eternal love - Peraty !

Everyone has some or the other fond memories of growing up.  I also have many and still living up some of them even though I am an adult now. It’s these memories that keep the child in you alive. In my real life research I have also noticed that it helps me connect better with friends.

I used to love Amma feeding me lunch and dinner. Now that I am mum, there’s a role-reversal and I miss Amma. Last night as I went to sleep I was thinking of days when I would spend time at home and Amma making my favourite food. Of course there are many more memories but today I plan to write about my love for Peraty!

Peraty is what we call it, but which I am sure most of us would relate to eating from the bottom of the pan. Especially on days when would have Amma made my favourite like Aloo gobhi or chicken fry. Peraty – literally means coating. Coating little rice into the lovely masala stuck at the bottom of the pan, rolling it into a ball and eating it. Eating Peraty used to be a pure bliss moment.

When I was younger I used wonder why Amma always ate from the pan and not in a plate, until one I realised the about the joy of eating Peraty. Once you've tried it, I am sure you would be hooked on to it for life. This is something that also has a special relevance in my hubby’s life.

He grew up in a hostel and once a week there would be meat served to them. At the end of the meal there would be kitchen in-charge walking with the big pan and rice and she would roll Peraty for whosoever was interested. Of course they all were and so they would call out raising, “Miss please Peraty” and so the poor ended up with a ridiculously but cute name Miss Peraty.

We still enjoy eating Peraty and just the thought of it makes our hearts go all mushy and take back in time when life was so simple.

Silly Saturdays: The Princess and her Commoner

My husband has this recurring backache, blame it on the modern working culture sitting for hours in front of the computer. No wonder they say sitting is the new smoking. Even the spring mattress at home is no respite for him and so yesterday he decided to sleep on the floor on the mat, hoping that might help. 

Smera was not really pleased with the new arrangement, as she wanted daddy next to her. Finally I convinced her that the princess and queen will sleep on the bed and daddy – the common man will sleep on the floor.

The princess idea was deal-maker proposition and she happily got onto the bed and was soon fast asleep. Around 4 am this morning the hubby took her for an early wee-wee and got her back put her to bed.

Even in deep sleep little Smera had something really important to instruct to her daddy.

So in her firmest voice, with eyes closed, she tells the hubby, “Daddy now you go and sleep on the floor!”. 

Where the mind is held without fear

2013 has been a yet another remarkable year for me. Personally it was a fabulous year and there is nothing that I could complain about. I set out this year to learn something new and I have to confess that I have not learnt anything that significant. Yes maybe a few small things here n there, but mostly about myself.

What I have come realise is that I need to get back to work and that will be the only resolution I take upon myself for the year 2014.

The year has been challenging for most of us as Indians. With the inflation sky-rocketing, corruption of all kinds setting new record-high levels and treating our fellow Indians less than equal. This has just pushed us generations back, more like the dark ages, when ignorance and lack of education prevailed.

Was life this complicated or unsafe, 20 years back when were growing up or was it we were unaware? I wish and dream of India and us as Indians setting new benchmarks in the world. Not going back to the dark ages. I stay away from the country and in a funny way I feel more Indian than ever before. 

I feel sad when a girl is brutally gang-raped, or when children go missing from their homes, good health-care is un-affordable and children falling sick after eating mid-day meals provided at schools. I want to see a society where we are not forced to live in fear.

I pray in 2014 more children go to school, people have mutual respect for everyone, let there be smiles on everyone’s face. If each one helps even if only one, even then we can achieve a lot. Let’s the cities, towns and villages be more safe for children. Compassion and empathy should pave for the change, that we are really hungry for now. 

I hate watching the news channel with depressing and heart-wrenching stories. If I want the best for my child when it comes education, health and food then why should it be any different for anyone else. The problem is more in our heads that makes us feel superior to others. If only we all practise gratitude that is the core of Indian culture, the country would be a much better place to live in.

Just last evening I was met a young boy at a coffee shop. He was thrilled to see the book I was reading “I am Malala”. He too comes from the same country as Malala and was glad to see the world can read everyday problems people are facing. He said, “Malala is just one of millions of girls who want to study” and that he wanted to go back home to teach kids in his village after he finishes his education.  At 17 he had a clear vision of what he wanted for his nation.

I think we too ask ourselves the same question what do we want and that I guess will answer most of our problems.

Let there peace, happiness, love and clarity in our hearts. For a better India and an even better world in 2014. 

Image courtesy: Amul.com, an utterly honest brand!