Monday, September 30, 2013

A stranger in a strange world …

                “ Behind destruction and war is the hand of a human….”
                   Capture
Man has become a slave of technology. It is inevitable that future society will be fully dominated by scientific technology. There is so much harm in man becoming the slave . The freedom , the creativity, the hardwork of a man is not retained when the power subsides to machines.

They have become slaves of technology. Every minute 4,00,000,0000,00000,00000000 million cell phones and 9,00,000,0000,0000 robots are sold throughout the world.
The world once green and happy which glowed with happiness seemed a long long time ago.
But now every house has a robot. For example last week my nephew asked a robot for his birthday and he was surprised to find 6 of them as his birthday presents.
            
From getting robots to massage their backs to cutting  their nails man was slowly drowning in techsea.
Granny clearly dislikes machines.
The society would tag her as old fashioned and I would call this society bleddy slaves.
I have instilled all values from my grandmother. I completed my bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence at Harvard University & a masters from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and soon I was selected for a post at the quarters of NASA.
My life circled around my granny and work.
It was our duty to maintain the balance between technology and nature. It took me 2 years to realise corruption had touched a full new height. Most of the NASA consultants and scientist s were mere puppets of multimillionaire's s who destroyed flora and fauna to create MNC”s for making billion’s of machines and more qualified robots. They destroyed forests to build malls and companies and Robohomes.

I resigned from my job . I started writing columns for a Epaper.
And within no time I had the attention of a half a billion people residing in the continent.
I was called as “the Fierce peacock” as I was an Indian.
My works in the Epaper were against the use of robots and how distrustful they were.

The land is slowly loosing its texture, the forests are on the verge of getting deforested. It will soon be barren but they say technology can overcome these natural problems caused by man. No one cares.. People are busy being heroes of their western lives, those who cared have no help of funds.
The beauty is still there. Soon it will be extinct. Man is selfish. Very selfish.
People have very little faith in God, those who live with faith ..live with fear . the courageous are oppressed. This realisation happened 6 month’s back when I made paintings depicting the merciless act by money hungry wood merchants who ruthlessly cut several trees in south-east forests. All my paintings were sealed and the matter was handled by top officials. I was payed a huge amount of money to not display my paintings again. So basically I had sold my soul for a large sum of money.
She herself told stories how my great great ancestors had laid their lives for protecting forests in THe chipkoo movement. I laughed at the memory  it was near to impossible for someone do such a thing for trees now. Ofcourse my Grandma was an exception.

She is the vibrant kind always full of stories of mysterious creatures.When I was not out screaming my lungs out playing the role of an activist I was home cuddled up on my laptop writing endless columns and the rest of the time I spent it with my granny. At nights we both used to cook dinner together and later go on the terrace to gaze at the cloudy sky. It was a marvel if you could spot a star or two in the skies. The pollution was another problem.
“Ever wonder what‟s out there?” granny asked pointing at something tiny which one could assume to be a star.
“Sure. I think everyone does,” I answered.
“Do you think people reeeeeeally want to know?” Granny asked with a smile playing on her lips“I don’t know, but don’t we have enough probs to worry about what goes on outer space” I answered vaguely
“You know you talk about problems like you are the most troubled person on Earth “She exclaimed
I sighed inwardly knowing exactly where this convo was going to.
“can we talk about something else”
“sure. You should stop planning your own murder, what on Earth do you think you are doing writing against the employees of NASA”
“Something else “ I muttered
The night ended by a long lecture followed by emotional blackmail of me not loving her much and hence putting my life in danger.
If Granny had a problem with my past few writeups , she would be surprised by the remnants of the few writeups I decided to publish in the next few weeks.

I had done a lot of research and worked day and night to unleash the bad going on behind the screens of the Tech And Science institute's.
I concentrated mainly on  spreading awareness how Robots would be the destruction of mankind and the how we should avoid making further advances in artificial intelligence. People have lately been behaving like ignorants who are completely ignoring the fact that they are depending on machines and artificial Intelligence  so much that they have made robots who would surpass the man and end up having more power than humans.Human welfare is slowly edging towards danger.
My articles were the most read articles on the net. It was clear that people had started to think about it but like always there were Villains.
The Epaper I used to write was banned , whatever happened to freedom of speech in such an advanced era. People who used to support made excuses and those few who really did care were oppressed and bashed.
It was the most hard time for us activists.
2 weeks after the shattering incident I drove past my garden to my garage which was a bare open waste land and parked my vintage Storm explorer. I din’t move out of the car. My head was hot and ready to explode. I couldn’t understand why I cared for people who did not care for themselves.
I removed my seat belt and closed my eyes in exhaustion. The past 2 weeks events had caused something, I was losing my courage. the girl with big dreams of making this place a better place to live was actually going insane I thought grudgingly.

This was it, it was time to give up.I sagged  back on my seat happy I had come to a conclusion and within seconds I was asleep in my comforting warm car,sheer exhaustion claiming me in spurts.
A faint sound buzzed in my ears and I woke with a start, something stark white was glowing in the distant skies.I gazed at it for a few seconds. It was dark out. slowly becoming bigger by every second. The star seemed to be glowing more than it could. Or was it a meteor , whatever it was I had to hurry as it was moving towards where my car was parked.
Before I could start the engine the overwhelming glow of the mysterious white light engulfed me and I shut my eyes to cover from the light. My ears hurt from the noise the white object did when it hit the Earth.
My first thought was to run past my garden and straight into my home but curiosity got the better of me and I got down from my car to get a closer look to what appeared a huge boulder half out in the open and half burried deep in the Earth’s core.
There was  thick smoke and faint smell of metallic sheets everywherede
My eyes could not take the cruel black smoke and I shut my eyes and when I opened them I just knew my life held so much more than the thing called failure.
They spoke animatedly to each other. One had feathers on his backs and the other was a handsome dark man in his twenties. Next to them stood a the most beautiful Robot I had ever laid my eyes on.
The robot dreamily looked around his surroundings , so happy as if he had found his long lost mother.
The ones’ s who had conversed in foreign language started walking in my direction and I thought I stopped breathing for a minute. It was when one of them spoke in english I left the breath I was holding.
“You must be Najm, pleasure to meet you”
Oh wow he knows my name. Pleasure to meet me? You guys just survived a meteor . Shouldn’t you be hurt.Why is he so handsome. Damn! what the hell is wrong with me? I am 21 , not a teenager for God 'sake !
Finally when I gathered my wits I spoke.
“Look I don’t know how you know my name. I don’t talk to stranger handsome , no way ! You damaged my property, but that’s okay I am not going to charge you more than the damage you have caused and the robot of yours can do the rest of cleaning”
They looked at each other clearly amused . Wow  what a fool I have made of myself.
“We are here for a very important reason, please ma’am if you could give us an hour to explain things , we will tell you the reason for our visit” “
“And about the damage we are sorry, Techtoh will take care of it” said the handsome one.
“Umm, so you are here for me, well you I mean both of you could come over to my home its near by “.. I managed to say.
Whatelse do you do when two strangely mysterious men come out a boulder and acknowledge you by your name ! Gah !
The beautiful Robot smiled at the two men . Did he just SMILE I gaped at the robot in astonishment.
The Robot was unlike any Robot I had met. He was made up of clear silver sparkling white steel with and mind you not a single flaw . Flawless and Fabulous . I just complimented a Robot.Thank Goodness it was in my mind.
And when I had finished with my scrutinizing the Techtoh I colored crimson seeing both the men were looking at me as if I had gone crazy or was that the look of admire. LOL . Clearly the past two weeks have made me mad I guessed.
“Nice car there” said the dreamy Robot and I gave a small smile and asked the two men to follow me !.
WOW ! Am I smitten by a Robot or is it the whiskey eyed man !MAD MAD MAD I am turning MAd..

They walked into the foyer. Granny was already asleep when I got home with the strange men.
When we were seated comfortably in my hall. The Handsome man introduced himself .
“I am Kasthey and that is Harris “ “ We come here with a purpose “he said intently
And he removed what seemed to be a scroll of blank paper and rolled it off on the table. And signalled me to come forward and have a look at it.
There were millions of Robotic heads in a crowd and on a high platform above them was a very familiar curly haired woman in a Storm explorer car.
Realisation dawned upon me.
“This in the car is Me , right?”
The next few words were a blow on my face.
“yes, it is undoubtedly you Miss Najm. “ a deadly silence followed
“Please explain. What do you guys want from me. This is freaking me out” I said with the little courage left in my body
The two men looked at each other , Harris nodded his head and Kasthey started talking…
“We are from a star Zelith . A replica of Earth.There is life and resources. Humans and Robots. The difference is it is ruled by Robots.
We humanoids are slaves.Are ancestors were fools who created intelligent, conniving robots who could think for themselves and now they have taken over the world. This drawing by the astronomist Robot of ours is our only hope.We have no idea who you were until he gave us your name. It would be a huge favor if you   accompany us to our land and do anything to save us humans from getting totally ruined.
We promise you, you will come to no harm and once the problem has died we will get you back here in no time”
I stared at them blankly,this had to be some joke by those wealthy bastards who had stopped my column and poured petrol over my dreams .
“If this is some kind of scheme, I am calling the cops” I said matter of factly.
“Najm, please see the drawing, its I who drew it” said a sweet voice from the doorway
I turned around to see Techtoh seeing me with new hope.
“You may think I am crazy and all that but yes I thought about this and would like to pay a visit to your sates” I said
The two men smiled relieved.
“We shouldn’t waste time Ma’am , please pack few clothes and take your car keys”
“Why my car?” the question was out of my mouth before I could stop it.
“Its easier if a man is armed with a machine, a moving machine even better” said Harris.
Clearly not understanding I simply nodded in agreement.

The moment I got inside the boulder I forgot everything. It was so damn beautiful ! There were an array of room designed brilliantly , camera’s attached to the doors everywhere. A garden full of artificial robotic beauties. Flowers and plants clearly talking to each other and murmuring things eyeing me.
The walk into the strange world had begun….
After what seemed like a journey of 5 hours the boulder like shaped Spaceship started to land.
The insides of my body grew hot with excitement. My two hosts had taken full care to not let me get bored and had kept me entertained with their war stories.It had increased my curiosity and I couldn’t wait to step in a world I had predicted in my columns .
Finally when I stepped out , the land was covered by steely substance. There were high poles gleaming with color. It was beautiful but yet so fake.
I followed the trio to a 100 floor building which was deserted, the staircase lead into a huge deserted hall full of hairy creatures.Other than that There were four legged humans who were handsome till the waist with long sparkling beards . Very few Robots exactly the same like Techtoh could be spotted among the crowd.
Upon seeing me the creatures stepped back , like I could do harm to them.The handsome four legged craetures looked at me with awe and respect, I felt a connection to them instantly.The hairy among Them were so fragile , if it weren’t their tails one could sum up them in the human category.
“Why you bring her, we can do on our own sir” said one hairy creature with a lazy expression.
Kasthey ignored him . “This is Miss Najm “The woman from the vision” he announced
The crowd broke into murmurs. A rather handsome face propped in front of me and extended hi led for a handshake.
“Finally! Its wonderful to see you in person, you have been the talk of the town lately” He smiled enthusiastically
If it weren’t for the murmurs I was sure the crowd could here my thunderous rate of heartbeat. I could not get to raise my feet or extent my arm. Was I scared. God ! I was.
The creature sensing my discomfort , sighed and took his arm back.
“How you know she be trusteeeeed?” asked another fragile hairy creature
“She is are only hope. And she is back from a long journey and would like to take some rest now, the meeting will prevail at sharp 8 am tomorrow on Mbps sec lands “
I thanked kasthey on my way to my room. It was an empty room. At least with all the gadgets and robonoid type gadgets didn't provide any comfort and I felt lonely.
I tossed and turned until I was fed up and went downstairs to get some water, only to find the fridge empty.
“You are thirsty?” said a bold voice
“I ..I was just”
“I am sorry to have startled you, my name is Sainx” the handsome four legged creature smiled at me
“No , its okay Its just that this place is new to me and I miss home”
“Would you like to explore our world?”
“At this hour of night?I am not sure that’s a good idea”
“This place never sleeps, the machines are always awake, “
“Umm. ok”
“I see you have a moving machine with you, would you mind if we drove in it?”
“Oh my car. Not at all”

I was surprised he had accompanied me in my car instead he had galloped off in the dark asking me to follow him in my car. Thankfully my car was accustomed to moving smoothly even on rough planes, rocks and when land was full of sharp objects.
Spainx stopped before a huge monument type building with long steely curtains. The gate was guarded by two men
When I inside the building I felt fear creeping up my neck, this was definetly the last place I wanted to be . There was plain boring lighting everywhere in orange which gave the forlorn walls with digipaintings a cruel some look.
He signaled me to take a closer look at the paintings.
There were digipaitings by robots who had clearly scripted how they were more advanced than humans and had every bit of more power than them.
There were bizarre paintings were humans bent on their knees seemed to take orders from the Robots.
One painting where a human being handed to a mass of robots caught my attention.
naaa 001
The next painting had thousands of Robots with super new guns running towards millions of humans . It was as if a war was taking place.
And then there was writing in ancient syllables.
‘”What’s all this?” I asked motioning at the digipaintings
This is your destiny”
“Mine?, Iam an outlander!”
Yes. You are bought here as a prisoner, The human race have been with war with the intellect robonoids for more than a century and when the war ended it was humans who had lost. By humans I mean us. We came to an agreement with the Robots to hand over the visionary woman to them and the humans remaining after the war would not be harmed but would serve as slaves to the Robot race.”
sde
The unknown feeling of fear and betrayal took over me “ Why are you telling me this?”
“ I am a human and a brave one. save our race Najm , please”
There was a sudden shriek and a hairy creature shouted “YOu traitor, you tell her !!!!””TRAITOR “ TRAITOR” he ran to out of the building shouting curses at Spainx.
“You have no time, drive past the guards and into the 53 KBPS street , there is an ancient wall shaped in a huma form , exaclty when the sun rises in the morning the barrier will open and you can get past the wall “ “
I could hear thunderous footsteps, my feet and my mind had left sensing .the footsteps grew louder.
“GO, Go , GO NOW!” Spainx shouted.
“What will happen to you?” I asked worriedly
“Don’t think, just go!”
001
I jerked back to reality , I have to be brave, I can’t run away now. I must find a way,. My mind started to race. I took the back door. all the walls seemed to reflect my images on them. The doors started to lock .
I am trapped. So far and I can’t lose.I reached my car and jumped into it and started the engine , surprisingly the door opened for my car. Wow they really do care for machines I thought.
My car my savior I thought jokingly. joke in such a situation , crazy me.
Following the instructions given by Spainx I reached the street and I couldn’t wait to get off this strange planet where people where hypocrites , people who knew nothing about love and peace. People who staying among machines had become just like them.Empty and Emotionless.
So this would be what my lovely Earth would become. I was “the visionary woman” they said. that meant the Robots saw me as a threat for their kind.
I was destined to put this to an end. I closed my eyes wishing it to be morning soon.
The street was empty with electrical wires and clean steel tiles. There was no flora or fauna in sight. The humans had completely destroyed themselves.

The Dawning…The Dream….
At exactly the wall turned transparent .
I drove my Storm explorer through the mirror like wall. It led me to a high plain. I kept on driving until I reached a dead end. It was clear I had reached my planet. There were trees everywhere.
What a narrow escape I had I thought to myself.
I got down from my Storm and stared at the blue skies. It was me who had to stop the humans from trusting the robot race and me and only me who had the power to  put an end to a revolution.
There was a reason why I chosen to go to Zelith. I walked forwards towards the edge of the cliff, and when I looked below I saw thousands of Robots looking up at me…
I was at the Robot dump zone. All spare and unwanted robots were dumped here.
I looked at the Robots who were looking in my direction with an emotion I didn't know.
I felt bold and courageous once again.Destiny. Now I believe.
“I will create a new beginning for our people and heal our planet ."
I had an aim. a goal. A clear vision of what I had to do.I managed a smile, too overwhelmed by my emotions to speak.I had it in me!
It was then I realized the Visionary was true , here I am the stranger who is back from a strange land .Chosen to save the world..
              naj 001
I stood there in silence hovering over the tech bots.They were in exile.
I looked upon the Robots  now talking in animated codes. Yes I will save you too. From hate.And war
the tale of exploring, bravery and survival had just begun….

This post is part of Indiblogger's  'I am an Explorer' Contest  by www.tatasafari.com
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Saturday, September 28, 2013

Mud makes me happy: Recapturing Childhood

I have always fancied mud. As a child I used to love spending weekends running to the parks and running back home carrying huge loads of mud during the rainy season . And then me and my friends used to spend hours painting  it, digging in it, making kitchen utensils .
Mud used to be my favorite medium of art, one that I could mold, dry, and decorate. Unlike many other medium, mud permits us to make mistakes. We can experiment repeatedly, knowing there is a limitless free supply. 
So when last week when I spotted one of my neighboring kid carrying a pot full of mud , I asked her what she was doing with the mud and I later on ended up talking her into bringing some of the mud over to my home . I so badly wanted to do something childish :D It had been years since I had indulged in the joy of playing with mud.
Who said playing with mud was just for kids?! Mud is one thing that connects us directly with the natural world.
Playing in the mud has its own benefits! 
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Kyunki daag acche hote hai :’)
And on Saturday when she came over to my house I jumped with joy like a little girl who is all set to go on an adventure ! 
Pouring water, and then mixing the mud , making sure the water is not in abundance and the mud doesn't loose its thickness.WOW. 
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I squealed with delight when we had finished with are art work. It was not at all fancy but the memory of playing with mud will always be cherished.
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Throwing mud, sliding around in it, building things with it and cooking things in the utensils we make out of mud is so much fun .
The making…
100_3677    100_3674
Today will forever be a happy memory treasured . It makes me realize I am still a child at heart,that is, the way I want to be my whole life.
The final touches……100_3678
The touch ups ..
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The fine outcome…
100_3676
Think back to your own childhood.  Do you have happy memories of playing in the mud and the dirt?  After all, making mud pies is one of the iconic images of childhood. :-)
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It is important we take some time out to enjoy a few heartfelt things which make us happy :-)
                 “Life is made up of marble and mud ~Nathaniel Hawthorne


Tuesday, September 24, 2013

LOL away. IE gets trolled.

Yesterday I was going through a few posts when I came over this picture of IE getting trolled and my my Did I have the laugh of my life!
I actually ROFLed at this picture.
I myself hate Internet explorer, hate it more when I accidently click on the IE button on the start up menu.
I can’t believe IE asking me if I would like to make IE my permanent browser.
I still use it sometimes when I have no option as many online application forms don’t support chrome and support IE ! Yeah really, such things still exist. Sigh.
The speed of IE is so irritating and time consuming, I wonder if anyone still consider using IE.
Here’s the picture , I am sure this is going to make you smile and brighten up your Tuesday morning. :’)
fert
Also I remember reading a tweet trolling IE on 2013 New years eve. It went something like this
I'm using Internet Explorer, I hope this comment does not come too late.
Happy New Year 2012.”

Hope you enjoyed the picture.  :-)

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Why I love Blogging ! My Choice, My Voice!

I started to blog 3 years back, back then it was a mixup of random of random stuff, reviews and randomly clicked photographs by me . I dint have a clue if there was more to blogging other than just sharing opinions.
But I always had a passion for writing,and getting an opportunity for voicing opinions without being judged was just pure awesomeness and that’s how I started loving my blog.It became my voice!cdI have always loved the blogosphere and even more I love to write.  I wanted to start on a journey to push my boundaries as a writer.There was no stopping me from ranting ! If I wanted to talk food? I would do it! Simply write a blog about it.
If I wanted to share my shopping experience or showoff the gorgeous dress I bought,I would end up blogging.It was Perfect. ^_^
My blog is just that. It’s me. It’s everything I love. And these are a few reasons why I will always love bloggingCapture-I can connect with people all around the hemisphere without having to stop working or studying!
-It is the best platform to share my mindless poetry and stupid story’s ! Nobody would dare comment “Yeh kya bakwaas hai’ :B (Even if they did, I shamelessly delete it :’p)
-It helps me stay up to date on the latest deals and coupons.
-Rereading my old posts makes me smile. My blog is my diary.
-I can write whatever I want about topics that interest me. 
-I have complete control of what is posted on my blog.
-It gives me a chance to be my own boss. *Hell yeah*
-It helps me keep my writing skills up to date. *Win win situation*
I just Love Blogging because  #BloggingIsMyCalling!

This post is written for MissMalini’s mega haul contest . Click here to go to her Mega haul page.

Monday, September 16, 2013

Yardley Body spray. Perfectly complimenting the women of today !

Hey my cheeseburgers :’D
Yesterday I came from my shopping spree smelling so awful ! And when I was at the mall I picked up Yardley of London’s new Body spray range of Lace sprays !
The scent is so mesmerizing ! Just beautiful!
I have been using English Lavender and English Rose for more than 5 years ! They are my favorites and my new current favorite is the Moring dew ! Love !
Sometime back I tweeted how it wasn’t important if you looked great but one must smell great and many tweeters agreed with me.
Women are suckers for flowery and mild fragrances and Yardley has just the right thing for us!
Yardley of London is one brand I have heard when I was just 8 years old. All my aunts used to dab Yardley talc on their faces and I used to copy their tactics :P
And since then I have been using Yardley soaps , perfumes, toilette and body sprays !
These two be my favorites. They come along in a single packaged box. Priced Rs 150 for 150 ml.
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Lavender is a very feminine and warm scent that dissipates after a span of 3-4 hours.
English rose is a a floral, classic and vintage scent. Perfect for spring or summers.
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I absolutely love both of them and have used secret crush and morning dew.
Secret crush is not for my smell buds. I dislike it so so much !But morning dew is just the opposite of it. Perfect.
And then there is this Lace I bought the other day. I wouldn’t care if it smelled bad ,I would have bought it no matter what because I loved the color of the bottle :’P But the scent is even more appealing ! So refreshing ! Almost all women would love this one! It’s a value for money thing priced at Rs 170 for 150 ml.
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Yardley has never disappointed me . Their exquisite perfumes and Deo’s have always won my heart!
I would give it a 4/5 .
And I am definitely going to keep buying them !
“Red lips and fragrances always top off an outfit for me.”
Click here to go to their website Yardley !
Like them on Facebook here.
Follow them on twitter here.

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Unraveling the future! Shopping the smart way.


Its weekend. And ofcourse its new year the day after.  It will soon be 2031.

 The only time when I read eNews. Twitter , the old chap has kept me so occupied.
Its raining heavily outside and I don't feel like leaving my king size digi bed.

I snuggle under the warm semi solar blankets and yawn an unladylike yawn.
I pray because I am blessed with a bed built in with 5 plug points ;D
Two things I love with me. My will to shop, thanks to my Kindle :* and my digi bed!

I plug in my dearest Kindle 9 to charge.

I head straight to the bookmarks sec.There it is my favorite E newspaper bookmarked.

The Headlines...


I was curious to know the top 10 of the year 2030

             

E shopping 

So much work, so much commitment. shopping is my knight in shining armor and i don't want to sacrifice that for people !
Thank God for online shopping I sighed heavily.

Why take the huge long process to shop at malls when things can be shopped online and at a lighting speed pace.
Why leave comfort of homes !
To add more zing are the most advanced tech added to retail shopping online...


Here goes the Top 10 list of E-shopping technology in 2030...

#SmartHomes Shopping for themselves!

#Facial Expression software

#Ebay check 12.0

#Personalized virtual Online boutiques!


#Delivery in just 5 minutes!

#Magical virtual mirror



#3D Virtual try on.



#RIP CASH


OH MY! Shopaholics have reached the 7th heaven since e shopping retailers have started practicing high tech technologies. This has made our lives so so easier.
And NO this hasn't led us(read the people in 2030th  ) to ' Laziness' . We are as hardworking as the men in 1990's . Nor are we slaves of technology.
But there is no denying that every technology is associated with fear.But I always have a positive overlook to everything. Hopefully these technologies in future will make man more wise and not become the likes of a quote I read sometime back.
"The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers." -Sydney J. Harris

This post has been written for a contest by Ebay.in powered by Indiblogger.com for Ebaycheck


Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Fragrant Memories...

I loudly shut the book with frustration . This was it mine was going to be the worst project ever. 1 day left or i could say 12 hours left before i was to present a seminar on the A Special Tribute to home:Down Memory Lane . memories ke saath unique project ? thenga ! Not a single idea . I was doomed !
I had spent the whole week googling for information on how I could give a tribute to the so called home! and doing everything to come up with a innovative idea. Alas ! I would get a zero .It was tough to put up a unique presentation which would be hatke from others. I panicked and ran to the kitchen for a glass of water.
The aroma of fresh Gulaab jamuns filled my nose and I grinned.It was late afternoon and mom was preparing Gulaab jamuns to cheer me up. Mom's will be mom's I thought with glee. I loved Gulaab jamuns.
Aaaaah the aroma of hot gulab jamuns ! YUMMM ! I was sure I would eat all of them in just 10 mins.

I popped a hot jamun into my mouth and my tongue was on fire ! I liked my gulab jamuns just like these. Hot ready to burn away stress!
When I extended my hand to pick another one , mom put the plate out of my reach . Wait, don’t eat when I am cooking barkat khtam hojayegi. I rolled my eyes at her ,
“Yeah nice black belief”
“How’s your project going ?, accha idea mila?”
'moooooom, iss barr mein pakka zero" I exclaimed
'Aisa nahi kehte, jawo mehnat karo"
I mentally rolled my eyes , mehnat se kuch hota toh ...
She smiled in return and whisked me out from kitchen telling i just had to get a clear mind, like that would help.
I came back to my room with a hot jamun in my mouth, and thought of getting some sleep to get a clear mind,when a photo album landed right on top of my head with a thud.
*ouch*  I rubbed my head slightly , and smiled at my loving album.
All photos scattered . I started retrieving the fallen ones and when I had finally picked up the last one, I sat down to give a quick look to all the photos I had treasured with so much love.
It was an old one. Very old. Faint smell of faded paper smell arose from it.
It had memories, memories of this home, my childhood, my happiness...
photographs had always held a special place in my heart.
Just as I was about to open it , mom had come bustling inside the home spraying the sweet Ambi pur fragrance ... So sweeet. I inhaled deeply and let out a loud sigh.
My mom sat beside me and took my hand in hers .
"that's a nice fragrance , you know" I said
"i know, do you want any help with your project"
I shook my head ,
"you have enough on your hands"
"tell me what is this project of yours about"
When I had finished explaining , she was all smiles .
“Its simple. Relax you will figure this out she smiled”
I wish her words would turn true. I sighed deeply .
“We are going shopping , you get to baby sit him”
“Shopping without me ?” I made a face at her.
“You have your project or are you willing to join us and get a zero?”
I frowned further more, but the next few words of my mother had a totally different effect on me..
In the midst of dressing up and reaching the door she said the words that saved me . Found me.
“Hey, I just thought Why don't you pay a tribute by associating all the fragrances and smells of your home"
"MOM ! YOU"RE AWESOME, I LOVE YOU" i jumped with joy all over the bed carrying my nephew. 
This was it...I sat back and spread newspapers on the bed and pulled out all books , pins and stationary. And with the help of my photo album I was certain I would bring out the best memories associated with different smells and fragrances in my home. I cleaned the mess on my bed and spread the album neatly …
And that was how my journey back to a childhood full of wonderful memories started..
There were photos of me playing with sur sur battis during the Diwali time.Photos of me doing a masakali pose with a pigeon who had made a home on my window sill. And pictures of my drawings , my bro lil brothers playing galli cricket. 
And I started writing the magic of home, where smells and fragrances could bring back nostalgia...

The smell of festiveness...
The Sur sur battis.My favorite.
Every time during diwali we used stay out till 9 in the night and bring back our booty of packets of sur sur battis, flower pots and atom bombs . We would then stand in our balcony and proudly play with the sur sur battis. The whole balcony would smell of sulfur and charcoal. The fact that I was a muslim and yet had burst all kinds of firecrackers still brightens up my sometimes . I giggled at the thought. 
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Stench of chicken poop .
As kids we were so very fond of small chicks as pets . We had a small garden my mom treated it like her baby. They used to wander around in my house and sometimes find place even on my blankets. So cute and soft they were. We would keep chicken races. placing them a a huge base and dividing the race course with sticks. We had the fun of our lives encouraging are chickens to get them running till the finishing line! Names for every chick, medals for the winning chick, what a chickeny affair.Haha.The best part was when my siblings chick would poop on the base and refused to run forward. It was a sight, seeing my brother cursing his luck for picking up that particular chick. what a memory it was. 
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Fragrance of dried flowers in books..
As a child I was very fond of flowers , well who wouldn't be . Flowers are  friends in disguise just like books!
I would keep roses and flowers between heavy books (Read yellow pages directories which were supplied for free which unfortunately is nowhere to be seen now)so that they could be preserved till eternity...just like memories..
100_3574Smell of greens..
Out in the balcony and the stench of something familiar crossed my mind.
..there was moss, as water from the AC kept dripping ..I couldn't help my smile…
Greenery din't smell good all the the time.
The stench of it always make are towels put out for drying smelly, and when anyone had a bath and ended up using the particular towel, they would be smelly instead of fresh …and a memory of my brother smelling and fuming popped and I chuckled into the air…
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Just so a faintly odd smell tickled my nose and my gaze travelled on the balcony where my favorite susu flowers scattered on the floor. Ah , how much of my time I had spent collecting and planning naughty things to do with the fruit of these . I smiled sheepishly . Mahn I missed those days.
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   The simple Rangoli in the adjacent house reminded me of how I once had stepped on Cow dung (it was a part of rangoli) and  raced inside hopping on one leg.
Later on getting bashed to not have washed the dung out of the house, my whole house was smelling of cow dung furiously.LOL. ^_^100_3345
Just thinking of all the memories made me lightheaded. I smiled inwardly and stood there and let the wind play with hair. The sweet fragrance of flowers and dry leaves from the tree adjoining our balcony danced happily around my head and a few dropped down as the wind touched them.I stopped the urge to pick them up and take them to my room where I would press them into a fat book and treasure them till eternity..
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As I stood there I knew I would never get the warmth of my house anywhere. The idea of leaving this started to sound a bit strange…
I sucked in a deep breath, I shouldn’t be thinking of staying behind. I cleared my thoughts and got back to my room.
My eyes drifted to the album which lay half open on the bed. Inviting.Warming.
The next thing I was doing was flipping pages and recalling all moments when the pictures were captured…
My hand rested on a very old picture of mine , where all my aunties had platted my hair and decorated it with fragranced mogra flowers…I was very fond of my hair, long and black . Thick they were. The memory of mom applying coconut oil “Beta thoda aur lagane do, mazboot baal rahenge” and I would make faces saying “Sab mujhe coconut ka tree bulate hai, Itni coconut ki smell aati hai mujhse,basss bhi karo mom !”
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The next picture that caught my attention was a lovely me with my hands stretched out for my mehendi to dry..It was one of the night before Eid ..where all neighboring girls would hop in to my home to get their hands decorated with mehendi. I loved mehendi ! The smell aftermath the mehendi was removed was heaven! I could smell it for months and months and never get bored ! The day before Eid was filled with so much fun.All the colony kids would be handed over to me. (So bad I was in drawing mehendi, I only got the kids –.-)and once the drawing would be done we would apply a syrup of freshly smelling lemonade and sugar on it…So much happiness I sighed .
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Smell of wax...
Times when there were power cuts and I used spend hours touching my nose on the books during night time in the light of a candle flame..
This reminds me of how my mom used to scare us when we used to do mischief and actually drop hot drops of was from candles when we crossed the line of mischief and ran away from home to play only to return at 10 at night :P Such painful memories associated with candles ...
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Smell of nature on my window sill!
There were twigs and feathers all over my third last window, it was a sacred place. all the colony kids would come up to my house to watch the fascinating eggs a pigeon had laid. My mom had laid strict rules to never touch the nest. And I used to slowly open the first few windows to catch a glimpse of the mother pigeon warming her eggs, a little bit of movement and she would protectively look in our direction with pain..
I used to spend so much time putting up dry leaves and leftover rice and water for the bird... Throwing a towel by the grills during rains to cover the nest from getting wet…
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The aroma of spices in food
Mom ke haath ka khana ! YES !my kitchen, every aroma, smell in my kitchen bring back memories of me with my mom.My mom teaching me to cook for the very first time..not eating food whenever she used to scold me and she manwofying me to eat later. awww.the numerous dishes she used to cook when guests would arrive with huge gifts ;D ;P
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The aroma of rotis...the smell of flour
I loved rotis, and childhood is where we experiment , whenever I smell flour it reminds me of times where I used to make birds from dough and cook them happily and eat them half cooked half raw , inspite of mom scolding us for creating a mess in the kitchen while making them .
Learning to make Chapatis from Mom but ban gaya Bharat ka naksha :P & Atta spilled all over :D
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The smell of spices …
My favorite spot in my home was the balcony where me and my sisters used to plant garlic n onions in small pots :) And then the happy feeling when mom actually ran out of ginger n garlic and she would ask us to pluck a few from our treasure :’D
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The kushbu of Mitti…
right from 2 years old to finding ZGhar ke flower pots ki mitti irresistible and eating it up when mom was no where to growing up loving the kushbu of mitti singing in to my home when it used to rain ! LOVE MUD !
So much so during our childhood we used to gather with the colony kids and friends and go hunting for the perfect mud and bring back loads of fine mud from parks far far away. And spening long summer afternoons in the kushbu of mitti. Carving, doing everything to make perfect kitchen utensils and gast stove in mud! Perfecto I say !
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The smell of sweat and sporty bliss!
Cricket ! Bharath ka asli national sport ! How we used to spend hours playing galli cricket and gilli danda. We being girls never got a fair chance to bat though :/
the long summer afternoons where you would play board games like saap sidi , Carrom,laal peet,hopscotch,lakori and ludo
The times when we went back home smelling awfully of sweat and grit ! A horror some bath by mom followed !How scared I was to take a bath ! Damn miss those lovely days!
Also those times when there was Ind-pak match or any other big cricket tournament ,it was so much fun during cricket matches where d entire neighborhood used to assemble to our place,those Hi5's!
I t was this epic day when my neighbour would recalibrate the TV antenna. Hogaya?!?! Nahin hua.. thoda sa wapas.Hogaya?!Hahaha
Complete Ban on TV during board exams ;) And we would go like mummy sirf eak match dekhne dona plsssssssssssss .Haha
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sking dad to become the ghoda,Mom to share her lipstick, daadi to give xtra ladoo, its FAMILY at home
The fresh fragrance of flowers…Ummm
Collecting myriad garden flowers including hibiscus, roses, jasmine, lily for putting it up on our long braids.. And then paying fine at school for coming along with a rose on my nariyal ki choti.
The fragrance of jasmine reminds me of those times when my di’s engagement took place at our home and my aunt’s giggling like kids made both the groom to be and bridegroom to be side by side and performed various rasams or rituals which included making the bride and bridegroom eat from the same laddoo.And then putting jasmine and rose garlands around their necks.The children I mean the me and my cousins cooing, and showering them with mogra flowers and whistling while the aunt’s garlanded :’P So much happiness and fragrance !100_3551
The soft plush fragrance of soft toys bundled up in my room.
Right from childhood I have soft spot for barbie dolls and soft toys. Everytime I had my birthday I wished everybody got dolls and huge teddy bears ! It was my dream to own a teddy in every size..
And those times when I hid soft pillows and teddy’s under the blanket to disguise as I'm sleeping to sneek out of home during early mornings to roam around the children’s play park. LOL. It was so so awesome. Sigh.
Also the soft smell reminds me of those times I used to shove a Teddy up my shirt and used to roam around the house pretending I was pregnant :P
I used to fall asleep on the couch, playing with teddy’s and Barbie's and used to wake magically in my own bed, nicely tucked in. <3
And those sweet pillow and teddy fights me and my siblings used to have at nights !
Sleeping on Terrace in Summers with my teddy beside me,Counting Stars,Listening to stories from Grandma and re telling those stories to my teddy...What else is Life! Ahh a simple soft smell can bring back millions of sweet torturing memories which we would never get back..25122010389
The stench of tyre’s…
It occurred to me now that the tires stored in the spare space of my balcony can bring back so many fond maemories, the times when we used to run along the road pushing a tyre with fat plank and running like a mad kid behind it. the times when we used to hang the tyre from the Champa tree in front of my home and take turns to swing on it ..
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The smell of stationary and crafts…
The times when we were flooded with loads and loads of homework as we had a 10 day holiday for dussehera and the amount of painting and drawing and craft me and my siblings would indulge in is uncountable! We used to love painting and poke our noses into paint boxes and drawing books for countless hours and skip lunch to complete our drawings..All the paint brushes, sketch pens and palettes scattered across the room floor and dirty hands smudged with paint. That moment where when the only stress we had was how to mix in the right color or how to craft the perfect lady’s finger flowers …
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The beautiful inviting smell of my room, the walls , the paint on them,the curtains and wardrobes…
the smell of faint Asian paints remind me of those memories when I cried because my dad got my pink walled room repainted into blue one :)
And it the smell of paint on my wardrobe reminds me of timetables.I miss all those timetables I made during my schooling which I used to stick on my almarih :)
Hiding in the wardrobe when mom scolds , so that she feels guilty when she can't find me :D
Paying hide n seek, trying mom's saree from the wardrobe in her absence and tearing it unintentionally giving a try to cooking at experimental kitchen …
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Such beautiful memories attached to smells. It was as if I had relived my childhood. my heart felt heavy. Those days were never going to come back ...
My home. And in the process of growing up and running life errands I had forgotten the memories and fragrances, smells and stenches attached with my home..It was  where I could spot anything even when I was blindfolded.
it was then my heart was heavy with emotion for a simple word called home’. I had cribbed on hearing the topic at college but now it seemed perfect. I din’t know how I had lost the touch with my home..
It is not just a place where you live but where your family accepts and understands you.
It is the place where we grumble the most and yet are loved just the same.
Houses are made of pillars and beams.Homes are made of love and memories.And ofcourse dreams…
It was home where I grew up, step by step, day by day.. shared memories here, lived here, loved here, learned here.
It's my stage where I perform without any fright! I feel like a Rockstar with a future bright :-)
Such an idiot for not realizing the true worth and warmth of my home..The memories would definitely never be back but the scents, the fragrances, the memories will stay with us forever...
And finally when I had penned down all the memories and scents on the paper I happily looked for relevant photos to go with the project and pinned it up on my bulletin board . I had 2 hours left untill mom returned from her shopping spree with Di.
And then the thought of gifting something for the home where I felt safe, loved, cherished, pampered & cared for popped in my mind :)And I threw my hand bag across my shoulder, grabbed my cellphone and house keys . I was off to the mall. And this was what I bought for my dear dear home…
I love the fragrances Ambi Pur air fresheners pour..I grabbed 3 bottles of these and I was sure my home would be pleased to smell of Lavender,vanilla comfort, and citrus all the time :’D
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And later in the evening when my mom came to kiss me good night I hugged her hard and she smiled back amused and not quite understanding of my sudden change…
Within 3 hours my project was ready and that night when I slept, I slept like a child....

This post is written for the Smelly to smiley contest by Ambipur on Indiblogger. Facebook page here
All the images above have been clicked by me.All rights reserved!