Weddings, family and a whole lot of dance!!

The word family wedding always sends a slight shiver down my spine. And no, it isn't because I hate to see another one losing their independence. It is because the Marwari/baniya style of wedding that we people have in my maiden household calls for a lot of female involvement in terms of dancing skills. Now, all those who know me would also have seen me dance at some point of time. I am sure you haven't liked what you saw. I, for one think I am very bad at dancing and that's putting it mildly. Some who don't like me might call it pathetic!

I have avoided the Indian dancing format for long. The first time I danced was on Meera Didi's ladies sangeet. A solo performance! On an Ila Arun number! Resham ka Rumaal! With an actual orange rumaal to match my orange lehenga! God alone knows how I feel about that performance 15 years later.

It was Twinkle Toes time again at Niti's wedding when everyone thought I was an adult and could manage my 'two left feet'. Well, they were wrong. I did dance but the thumka's and the lachak's just weren't there. Everyone thought that being the younger sister of the bride I deserved to be in the middle of both the dances I was a part of. I am sure they repented their decision when they saw the videos of that dance. While they danced on 'Mujhe pyar karengi', I danced on my own funky tunes...God! When will grace come to me while dancing?

Well, God did help me out a little at my wedding! I was back to a solo performance, after all, it was my own damn shaadi. After 15 years, I had to be a lot better than earlier. This time around, I gave myself in the safe hands of a choreographer who chose a 'Guru' number for me and expected me to do an 'A la Aishwarya' for her. She also soon found out that if I managed to pull off all the right moves on the stage, then it was my lucky day.

Somehow, that dance did turn out fine, maybe God gave me a one-time dancing grace. But he took it away the next day itself and I suffer from the 'rupal can't dance' syndrome till now. And that is how I come to the story of shivering over Family weddings. With Ankur's wedding knocking on the door, it is dancing time again.

There is a dance for the sisters, there is a dance for the kids, there is a dance for the bhabhi's and there is a dance for the couples! But where the hell is the dancer in me? You know your dancing is very bad when your husband looks at you practice and recommends to teach you a bit on the drive back home! Now, for all of you who know Mohit would know he never objects to anything I do. But I knew I must be looking hideous when he advised me to practice a little more. The fact that he is a good dancer doesn't help at all!

How two kids of the same mother get different dancing genes is beyond me? Niti is such a graceful dancer and I am not even the 'D' of a dancer. So much to the extent that during weddings, it is taken for granted that she will dance. And for me, everyone hopes that I drop out of the dance voluntarily. I wonder why my mum didn't give me those dancing toes that Niti got?

Anyhow, the heart of the matter is that I am a bad dancer and my bad facial expressions don't help me on stage either. I am going to avoid all that yet another time and dance on yet another wedding. Maybe there will be a miracle and despite little practice and low confidence, I will pull it off nicely! But Ankur it is all for you! Better remember that! Your sister made a dancing fool of herself, all for you!! :)

Till next time!
From Twinkle Toes!! ;)

From Sunday Tea to Roasted Chicken

"Pyar mujhe sab sikha dega, Papa" Salman Khan said this very dramatically in Maine Pyar Kiya when his Dad told him he didn't know any work. Well, my Mom took a cue from him and told me the same when I was courting Mohit. Actually, Salman needed to learn some work to earn a living while I needed to learn some cooking to earn some brownie points.

I was also as cool as Salman was about it and thought 'pyar' rather 'time' mujhe sab sikha dega....Salman did manage to learn to do some manual labour within the next one month. Well, I took almost an year.

From the single, carefree girl whose weekly cooking schedule included making evening tea for mom-dad on sundays to somebody who is cooking square meals each day...Life has come a long way. Rather I have come a long way! Pyar, nope, Time sab sikha deta hain!

While I wiled away my courtship dreamy eyed, lightening sharp reality struck soon. I soon discovered whoever coined the phrase "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach" wasn't a fool and wasn't kidding. It held true for 99.9% men, Mohit being one of them. So, as part of Pati sewa, I took it upon myself to learn the true 'art' of cooking.

On all my subsequent trips to Ludhiana, I made it a point to learn atleast one food item and practise the toughest thing- The chapatis. How others make them so round is still beyond me. Ranjit and Vinod( the house help) must be cursing me for all the weirdly designed roti's I made for them as part of the practise session. But, well their endeavor did pay off and 99% of the times, my chapatis are edible.

Chicken cooking was the only cooking that came naturally to me and also the kind that I enjoyed. A whole lot of experimentation, some help from ndtvcooks.com and a lot of inputs from Sumedha have made a decent Non veg cook out of me. Mohit better vouch for that! Maybe, Salman was right after all. Pyar ne Chicken banana to sikha hi diya!

The cooking classes in tandoori snacks, continental and Chinese prior to my wedding did help in impressing people but you can't survive eating noodles and pasta every night. But the basic forms of cooking were rather easy, I discovered. I let my imagination from the chicken experiments flow here as well and now you can see me as a 'hands-on' cook who can manage a meal for three without much hassle. That's a big deal for someone who started with sunday tea.

But cooking never came naturally to me and that is why I don't enjoy it as much as many others say they do. I manage it as part of a daily ritual. Aloo gobhi, rajma and matar paneer might not be my favorite words but tandoori chicken, lemon fish and galoti kabab do make me smile. Maybe they bring a twinkle in his eyes, that's why!
After all, pyar ne sab mujhe sikha hi diya!!

Dilli ki sardi!!

When the dim rays of the morning sun fail to wake me even at nine,
I know Dilli Ki sardi is back in all its prime.

When the ever sweaty Mohit switches from AC to no-fans overnight,
I know Dilli ki sardi se ab marni padegi fight.

When the first thought each morning is of a hot cuppa coffee,
I know Dilli ki sardi is going to give us third degree.

When adrak ki chai becomes a daily ritual,
I know Dilli ki sardi's arrival is truly factual.

When my oily skin demands some moisture and cream,
I know Dilli ki sardi is here to make us scream.

When my cupboards get their bi-annual cleaning,
I know Dilli ki sardi can't see the world weaning.

When the sun doesn't rise but the days still end,
I know Dilli ki sardi is back with no amends.

When I and the blankets stay on the bed all day,
I know Dilli ki sardi has claimed another prey.

When the whole house reeks of nose snot,
I know Dilli ki sardi has left us all distraught.

When I take solace in coats covering the fat,
I know Dilli ki sardi is making me see the prayer mat.

Social networking and old friends

First it was Hi5, then it was Orkut and now it is Facebook. Social networking is surely a way of life now. I chat with my cousins sitting a phone call away through FB, I make dinner plans with friends through the same medium and sometimes Mohit and I comment on each others pictures while sitting next to each other.
The immense power of FB...Totally gripping!

But I think the best thing that's happened for me through Social networking is touching base with old friends. People from school whom I had no clue about. People I had lost contact with after leaving college and those whom I didn't bother to call after coming to Delhi. With FB in my life, I know where they studied, who they are courting/married, how many kids they have, rather every little detail of their living minute...
The immense power of FB... Captivating!

And if I start counting the number of people I have got back in touch with from my pre 10th standard days in Sacred Heart Convent School, then the figure will surely be in doubles. It has benefited me in more ways than just emotional. I have even done business with a couple of them.
The immense power of FB... Intimidating!

I know through FB that Bhakti and I share a love for Sex and the city, Samant and I are both interested in making an impact on the world wide web and that Nando's is Ritula's preferred London eatery too. I also counted to see the huge number of Convent alumni who had now settled abroad...
All thanks to the immense power of FB...Surprising!

So for the second time in the past 10 posts, here's another cheers to FB from my side. This is good work going on and I have enjoyed talking to all my old mates. Remeniscing is good, seeing them all grown up, minding their own kids and having fun in life is what has made the social networking effort a fulfilling one. With little hello's and hi's from old school mates, it seems like my whole life comes flashing by, sometimes in pictures and sometimes in chats....
Kudos to the immense power of FB.... Imposing!