Girls Night Out, literally!!

If there is one reason for which I would openly admit that Bombay beats Delhi hollow, it is the freedom and safety that girls feel when they move out in these cities. For example, can a group of girls feel brave enough (forget about feminism for once) to travel in autos and enjoy the night air of Delhi (not that the layer of pollution over the city makes that too much of a possibility). However, by personal experience I can say, that a similar scenario in Mumbai can not only be concieved but be enjoyed to the fullest.

Now let me come to the point of this post. Mumbai happened in the summers of my second year at Symbiosis. Internships, careers and all that, you see. But Mumbai presented a host of opportunities which, being a dweller from North India, seemed unique and alluring. I shared a flat with two of my friends from college. That, in itself, is something which is unforgettable. But even more so is the one night that we all decided to go out for dinner but landed up at one of the most coveted spots of the city, Juhu beach.

All three of us had different office timings. However, one evening all three of us were at home, rested and in the mood for some fun. So, exchanging nods of agreement at the first suggestion that was under discussion, we all decided to go out for dinner. This would be our first roommates get together in the two weeks that we had been in Mumbai. Getting ready, all of us hailed an auto and started out at around 8 p.m. towards our destination, unknown even to us till this point. One of us had randomly heard of some good restaraunts in Andheri, not very far from our flat, so we decided we would go there.

Reaching there in around 45 mins, pretty early according to Mumbai standards, we decided to go in for an Italian dinner. Ahhhhh, what ecstasy. I have to make a stop here and remember the unique blend of sauces and spaghetti that melted in my mouth that night. Eating so much that all of us felt bloated towards the end, we were now looking towards heading back and going off to sleep (at least I was...you see, I am an early bird...:D). However, precisely at that point when all of us were full from the delicious dinner, one of my friends got a call which bade her to come and experience the Juhu beach at night.

We were tired after a full day at work and then a superb dinner. But who could not agree to such a proposition? At 11.30 p.m., all three of us piled up inside another auto and made our way towards the very famous Juhu beach of Bombay. The roads of Mumbai after 11 in the night are a sight to behold. So empty that they seem almost desolate. However, the emptiness helped us reach our desination in less than half an hour.

Now we were faced with the most surprising element of all. Even after 12 a.m. at night, the beach was crowded with Mumbaikars. All three of us were shell shocked. We had to walk the length of the beach to search for a qwuite spot on the beach where we could sit down and enjoy the beauty of the night with the waves overlapping at the helm of the beach. Finally we came upon a comparatively empty section of the beach. All three of us sat and enjoyed the calm, balmy night for a while, talking about nothing in particular and mostly just listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the beach. According to me that is one of the most amazing sounds that nature has created.

We enjoyed the scene for another hour and then reluctantly decided to head back. The auto ride back was without incident. We reached back home at around 2 a.m. that night. Tired but exhilerated we decided to finally settle down for the night. However, one thought that dominated my mind was that walking on the sand of the beach, with the sand sifting through my feet was an experience that will stay etched in my memory till a long time to come. And beyond that, I have this blog to remind me of that one night when we all celebrated freedom and a girls night out, literally!

Cooking marriage !

What is so different about a marriage, you ask me? Nothing much really. The only difference that can be is of a perspective. The one that everyone has is of the glamour and perfection that every marriage portrays in front of the guests, be it in the form of decorations or food. The other perspective which I stumbled across was the one which is of the amount of work which goes behind the preparations of all that beauty and food. A very different yet no less enthralling one, I can say that for sure!

A marriage in my dad's friend circle was to take place towards the end of the winters in 2009. My dad was appointed the decorations and stage incharge. (:)...yeah...just imagine) So, the morning of the wedding and reception day we decided to go and take one final look at all the preparations. Very frankly, no words can describe my feelings when I reached the spot. These photographs would be much more adept at giving you a slight more idea of what exactly I sawe and felt in the kitchen around the reception area.

Large, canyon sized bowls were filled with colourful vegetables which refused to let the eyes wander around too much. On top of that the smells were so intoxicating that it was quite a task to come out from the kitchen area to see the decorations. However, the beautiful flowers which were being used for the stage decoration were another story altogether. (Yeah yeah, I am a flower lover).

That night when we went to the wedding and saw the beautiful stage all lit up with lights and enhanced by the beauty of the flowers, it was an amazing feeling.

Masti at night

Everyone told me "College Life is unpredictable." Now, I am a very unassuming kind of a person. So sudden plans had never been a part of my life style. However, once Symbiosis happened, everything I had believed in till then went for a toss. In Delhi, going for a movie post 6 was unthinkable for a girl. But Pune made me realize there is life beyond your room's four walls post 6 p.m. as well.

"Wake up Sid" created a furor in my college. My friends were of the opinion that you should go to see the movie becaue in some way or the other you will be able to identify with the storyline. Another thing that was said, but in undertones, was that don't go with your parents to see it, they will also see a lot of similarities between you and the storyline, and that will raise a series of remarks best left unsaid (Arghh). Anyway, it released just as my exams were about to begin. Not that we study a lot, but still it makes the conscience clear if we don't go out immediately before the exams. As it turned out, this time it was not to be.

One day, after a tiring day at college, my roommate came up with the brilliant plan of going for the movie. The main question was, where would we get transportation to travel from our hill to civilization at 7 p.m. Then my friend had a brilliant idea. I will not divulge the exact information but just let me say that we were four people who went for the 7 p.m. show of 'Wake up Sid' that day - me, my roomie (Padma). our friend (Nikhilesh) and my dean's daughter. (wink wink...:D)

We got into my dean's car and rode away at full speed in order to catch the 7 o' clock show of the movie. Since our hill is around an hour away from civilization, we reached there with just around 10 minutes to spare. The movie itself was an amazing one (no, I am not saying it just because it was the first movie we had seen in the theater in around three months). According to me, sitting in a darkened theater, watching Ranbir's antics and eating stale salted popcorn with a cold drink is a must have experience for one and all.

Coming out of the theater at 10 pm, we all were ravenous. But at that point of time, all our regular eating joints (or let me put it this way, the ones we could afford...:D) were shut down. Oh, by the way, I think I forgot to mention, it was raining like cats and dogs that night. We were all soaked by the time we got into the car. Searching around for a place to eat, finally we landed up at a Dhaba on our way back to our hill. Eating hot paranthas there while the rain pitter pattered on the tin roof above us, with the dhaba almost empty, I had one of the best times of my life.

Finally it was time for us to start our journey back. Our clocks were showing 11 30 p.m. and we were all amazed that time can pass so quickly. But that's the beauty of being with friends, you don't realuize how quickly time passes. Our college gates shut at 12 a.m. so all of us were a little worried. But ahhh, we had forgotten that we authority on our side that night...:D Remeber my dean's car?? Hehe...Finally we got back to our room, soaked to the bone, exhausted but feeling exhilerated and out of the world.