The power of fashion

It was a strange place to learn about the power of fashion ... in the villages of Rajasthan. Passing through Rajasthan I was accosted many a time by women who wanted my clothes. One of them even came up to me and asked me for the Calvin Klein vest that I was wearing and another wanted my Esprit fur jacket. Now before any one starts to commisserate with the poverty in India I must make it clear that these women did not want money .... they were just interested in the clothes I was wearing. That is when I realized that women have an uncanny sense for fashion and that they can spot brands even without realizing. The woman who is in this picture insisted on taking the vest I was wearing and even offered to pay for it ... hence, the uncomfortable smile on my face... I was hoping that she would not get too persistent.

A Zhengzhou that is not Shanghai

I remember my visit to China in 2007. After spending ten days in two of China's cleanest and slickest cities, my husband and I decided to take a trip to the Shaolin temple. We decided to do it the real way and took a train to the town of Zhengzhou. Since our plans were last minute, all we could get were trickets in the unreserved coupe. I remember the ten hours in the most crowded train I have ever traveled in ... there were people standing in the alleys (thank god I found a seat!) We didn't speak or understand Mandarin and were the only foreign faces in there. People found us quite amusing and soon we found ourselves talking in sign language or in broken, basic Chinese written on slips of paper. It was the best train ride ever.

Zhengzhou was nothing like the Shanghai or Beijing we had left behind; it was like any small town crowded and lived-in minus any of the polish that we see in big cities. But it was one of the friendliest cities. The people on the bus we hopped on to soon realized that we didn't even speak a smattering of Chinese and they decided to take us under their wing. They found it amusing that we didn't even understand the announcements made by the driver and often were late in meeting up with the group. They were patient and understanding and in one instance when we missed the bus they left a message with another bus to take us to our next destination. That for me was the real China... not slick or clean like most people like their cities to be but lived-in, lovable and with a soul.

The photograph shows my husband, Anurag with two of our travelling partners. They formed a bond even if they didn't understand each other - may be it was their love for the Shaolin temple.

My Firsts

For those who don't know what I have been up to in the last two years .... here's a sneak peek. I call this "My Firsts." My first day back at school .... my first Trojan tailgate .... my first Thanksgiving... my first Halloween .... my first internship .... and my first commencement with my husband.

The return of the native

Its been two years since I abandoned this blog to experience life. A lot has happened since then I moved to the US to do my masters, spent two years living through academic bliss and then graduated to unemployment. I traveled to new places, met new people and enjoyed new experiences. But I felt myself skimming through it all and I now realize that it isn't enough to experience life it is important to express it too.

So here I am, back again to give you an unadulterated view of my life, my travels and my travails, and I hope to do so sans judgement. I don't want to skim the surface of life any more but want to find that light even in the darkest underbelly of life.