How my 'Udta Punjab' is also 'Komal Punjab'

The movie 'Udta Punjab' has attracted eyeballs both in the theatre as well as outside. While I haven't seen the movie as yet but I have seen the terrible hullaballoo around it. From the Arnab Goswami News Hour debate about the movie leaking online to the heavy police cover outside Ludhiana movie halls to the constant raving of people about the acting of Alia, there has been much said and heard about the movie.

Each time I read a review of Udta Punjab, I also read the word Punjab at least 10 times. Its dark politics, the darker deep rooted societal problems and the darkest and much highlighted(in the movie) drug issue. Whilst I know the movie isn't a head on take on defaming Punjab or the culture of my homeland of 25 years but somewhere each time i read about the movie, it saddened me. What the movie was doing for my beloved land was highlighted a big socio-political issue that needs a resolve but it somewhere also maligns the reputation of Punjab.

When i visited my parents in Ludhiana, during my week long stay, I noticed some small things about the udta punjab that i know. Thus i decided to bring forth the smaller things that my state has which perhaps goes unnoticed mostly. Punjabi, the language most widely spoken in Punjab is often mistaken as a very harsh language. I've seen Punjabi speaking people being shun due to the hoarseness of their speech. But is that really so? Is my udta punjab just such a Rough Punjab?
AU CONTRAIRE!
It is one of the most softy state of the country. I don't say so just for support for Punjab but also for things that I noticed during my trip. Where in the country do you hear a 50 year old Rohit Bal Clad Lady talk to the street urchin asking for alms like this- "Tussi Kam Kar ke Paihe Kyu Nahi kama lende PuttarJI?" Notice the PUTTARJI or dear son for those who cannot decipher the lingo.

Punjab is also one of those states in the world where every shop keeper is addressed as Veere or Brother. From the college girl coyly buying sanitary napkins at the medicine shop saying 'Veerji, ek whisper' to the taxi driver who drove us back to Gurgaon telling the toll tax collector that he doesn't have change with - "Sorry Prawa, aaj change nahi hain. Tussi de do." Punjab is Polite, vinamar, courteous and Salikedar.

The domestic helps in my Ludhiana home continue to call me 'Behenji' for as long as I remember. It doesn't make me any more LS(low society) than I already feel when i visit the now modern city. The local vegetable seller who comes in our lane for decades is not an uncle or bhaiya or simply Choudhary( as is his name I learnt this time). But he is 'Chache' for everyone. He doesn't call his shop on wheels - Chache di hatti or anything but he is addressed as Chache because it is more loving than Uncle.

When the newly married igirls n their Jimmy chop shoes and Gucci Bags bargain for their phulkari, the shop keeper doesn't call them Madam. He says, "Parjayi, tussi bade dina baad aaye ho, chai pi ke gal karde ha." PARJAYI aka Bhabhi.

So humble request to all who're watching 'Udta Punjab' from someone who has seen all her growing years in the state to be non-judgemental about the state and only focus on the issue at hand. For Punjab is not 'UDTA' it is also 'KOMAL' 'Sabhya' and everything that polite and courteous means...

  

Using SMALL change for a change

When I was leaving for my holiday I decided to look for any type of foreign currency stored in the umpteen number of purses/handbags/wallets Ive bought over the years. The only currency I found was of the smallest kind. The nickels and pennies of the world aka the rupees and fivers of India. And not a few, each bag was full of such change. And all of a sudden, I had an idea. An idea to utilise all that change and check for survival days. But my idea had to wait till I came back from the holiday. So once I got back, I decided to empty all my bags and gather all the change defined as -Any Indian currency in circulation under/equal to Rs 50. After I'd emptied 5 bags I realised there was so much that I needed another empty bag to store it. So i stopped searching for them and started my experiment. Starting 10th June, I decided to survive on small change and see till when I last. But since i couldn't empty all the bags at the time. I decided to start with my 5 bag load of change and put the firm foot forward of 'Survival on change'.

Day One- June 10th was the first day we came back from the holiday. I was armed with one full wallet of Rupee 1, Re 2, 5,10 coins and around 50 notes of Rs 10 and another similar amount of Rs 20 and some 10 notes of Rs 50. I didnt have the time to check how much money in all I had but it seemed a lot for the day. In the morning itself, my maid informed me that the kids toothpaste was missing so I got the opportunity to spend the first money out of my change. So i happily called for the toothpaste with some change. In the afternoon I paid off the Press wala with the change too. Some Rs 5 and the others 10. The challenge came when the washing machine repairman came. He asked for Rs 400. I looked up my pink bag of change and decided to spare him the horror. Out came the Rs 50 notes. Soon I was left with more coins and lesser note. Thats when I decided to give a heart attack to the fruit seller. I bought our weekly dose of mangoes, Anar and apples in coins. Since I knew the fruit guy so he only laughed when I did this. He said he will give all of it during Ramadan. So all for a holy cause. In the evening, I was still left with some change which I decided to carry forward.

Day 2- I looked for 4 more purses and got armed with another big fat pink wallet. This one had a huge wad of crisp Rs 50 notes. That's because I emptied two formal clutches which I'd have used during Diwali card parties. Wise sense prevailed when I kept this in the back pocket for a rainy day. The days expenses went on as usual. The pizza guy at the end of the Friday wasn't too happy to receive Rs 485 in change. He counted it twice. I didn't give him any coins of course. And yes, there was also the grocery staples like milk, bread etc being paid on each days in coins. Somehow, no one seemed to mind it too much. Maybe they all wanted the change. In fact, the Amul milk stall guy asked for more. I told him to wait another day.

Day 3- Is just about finishing up as I write this. And I did have the cherry on the cake today. I went shopping for the kids. Had to buy good night suits for them since we leave for Nani house soon. And I cannot have them wear old boring tees clubbed with tracks there. Nani was always particular about her kids wearing prim and proper night wear. She'd be heartbroken if i didnt keep up the tradition. So i went shopping, like I've just mentioned. And thanks to my smartness yesterday of saving the Rs 50 notes. I paid off Rs 2500 in Rs 50 and 20 notes. And again the teller didnt even blink an eye. He also counted twice but not a word. I almost thought maybe he gets such crazy people everyday. Then came the problem. The real problem. How to pay for the popcorn during the night movie we just watched? So I made the prime sacrifice. Ditch the popcorn for a night. Let the husband pay and the others feast. Then its technically not my direct expense. So call it some arm twisting but I did survive the 3rd day.

12 June will be the last day of the experiment and post that we shall take a break. Not because I will run out of change or because the expenses will be high enough to not survive the change. But because we are off to Mom's and that's one place we pay for in hugs and kisses.

So more on my experiment once I am back. I hope to survive at least 7 days on change. And if I get the time I will also try to budget out how much the total expenses were during these 'changed' days. It will give an insight to all of us on how much change we pile up.

Santorini with Kids? Are you kidding me?

Thats the response I got from most people when I started planning my much awaited Greece trip. The Greek isles have been on my travel bucket list for the past 5 years. Each year, we postponed it wondering what will the kids do on the party struck, beer doped beaches of Mykonos or the romance oozing Santorini? But not this time! Fate played a part when my globetrotter friend informed me of a great deal for air tickets. But booking the tickets was the easiest part, it was all the other things that were very difficult. For starters finding a hotel in Santorini which had a sunset view and allowed kids. it took me almost a month of research to find us apartments in all our spots. It almost came to an extent where I almost decided to skip Santorini and add a friendlier island like Crete or Corfu. But who dare escape the lure of Mykonos and Santorini? Even if that meant not partying the night away in the alluring beach paradise or not watching the sunset from the furthest point in Oia.

So here is how it was pulled off. Summing it in some easy steps-

1. Choose Apartments with pools and kitchen- Since kids feel bored all the time, water works wonder. Having a pool in your apartment always help. When choosing one in an expensive town like Santorini even a sunset facing jacuzzi will do. A kitchenette will be handy in handling those any time hunger pangs since apartments will not have room service.

2. Spot the nearest park- In the planning stage, don't look for must visit restaurants. Look for the nearest park in every destination. Having a park nearby gives them the time to burn those extra calories and some  'we are free' time.

3. Day Flights work for us- Now this is something which goes against the basic logic. I have always heard people prefer to fly at night with kids where they'd sleep the night away. You also won't waste money on the room night. I beg to differ on this. Day flights work better for me. The kids watch movies, play, chit chat, snack around etc during day flights and reach the destination ready to crash. You get time to settle in that way. The evening is free to settle and relax. Hitherto had done night flights, where the kids slept ON ME leaving me sleepless. I reach my holiday spot with active kids and cranky and sleepy self. So i did save money on the room night but i wasted my day's enjoyment.

4. Mathi Rocks- Whoever said mind your diet or watch that ghee in the mathi must be kidding. For my younger veggie child, mathi is the staple diet during holidays. So stack up those home made mathis and keep the trip going.

5. Play the poor burdened parent- Oh how i love this card at airports, train stations etc etc...Basically all queues abroad. Act like the burdened mommy who is hauling her kids around on the airport and you will be made to jump the longish queues. Basically you board at your ease, you get best seats on the trains/buses, you get discounts on entry tickets, you get freebies in the markets, sometimes you even get upgrdes- all thanks to the kids.

6. It's Greek to me but the natives love kids- While the rest of India thinks kids are nothing but trouble makers, the Greeks love kids. that's what all my prelim research on the country had suggested and hence proved too. No where did we not have our kids hounded by smiling, hand shaking Greeks...Calling them pretty princesses, have an ice cream on me, a rose for a rose and what not! The girls were pampered as if they were the real princesses in Disneyland.

7. Mykonos is for Beaches and Santorini is for swimming- We wiped the mindset of partying the nights before going. The option of having baby sitters was there in Mykonos but we kinda partied the days away. With water babies who love beaches, I didn't know my kids had the capacity to make sand castles for 6 hours at a stretch leaving us ample time to sometimes spend entire days on the same beach. Santorini might mean watching the sunset through the eyes of your lover and holding hands walking down the cobble stone path. We discovered santorini in a completely different light. We did walk hand in hand(with the kids) but most of the time was spent either in the jacuzzi or in the swimming pool splashing with them looking at the sunset at the same time. Not a bad deal at the end of the day I would say.

8. It's all in the mind- I read somewhere that fun depends on your perspective. For someone fun might mean drinking yourself crazy for another it might mean having an early dinner watching the sunset and for another it could be partying the night away. Fun is what suits you best and what makes you happy. So I decided to keep my options open and not go with any expectations or mindset. Let the days unroll and fun take its course.Just take it easy, the kids will resonate the same.

So after 8 days we got back to stories of 'wow, mom what a pretty sunset' and 'that aunty was dancing on the beach'. Lessons learnt- We weren't the only ones who adapted ourselves. We weren't the only ones who compromised on the partying and the romance, the kids compromised too. They climbed the tougher hiking route to Acropolis and followed it up with cycling. They walked along, checking on the Fitbit if we did our daily 10 kilometres target or no. they spent hours under the sun as we drank ourselves silly on the beach.

So isn't all that part of what a Family holiday means?