Thailand Tour | The Phuket Leg| Day2

Phuket Island... Continued...

Wandering around the globe is on everyone's bucket list, but very less are those who are fortunate enough and get to live their bucket list. Although this was my first international journey, I couldn't wait to go run and strike Thailand off my list!

Day 2:

I woke up in the morning feeling really refreshed! I had almost forgotten that I was staying along the Patong Beach, on Phuket Island, in Thailand. I pinched myself and woke Kushal (my husband) up to. We got ready real quick since we had to leave for our Scheduled Tour around the city which was a part of our Tour Package.

We started our day with scrumptious breakfast including Thai Noodles, Baked Beans, Veggie Salad and Fruit juices. Of course, how can one not get caffeinated, first thing in the morning? That's in our blood, isn't it? No matter how healthy we eat, we have this tendency of washing down all the food with either tea or coffee. So we had our cups of coffee to make ourselves feel away from home; rather than having tea and blaming how it doesn't have Ginger in it. 

Anyway, as we were having our last sips, our tour guide for the day entered calling out for "AAYALI MORE". I'm pretty sure he had a hard time finding me.

We entered the bus to know that we were accompanied by 2 more Indian families. It was really amazing to find similar species away from our normal habitat. We introduced ourselves with each other. There was this just-married couple and a family with four members. As the bus began its journey to our scheduled "Half Day Phuket City Tour" the details of which weren't mentioned in the itinerary, we adored nature's beauty along side the bus, wondering what were our spots for the day. The driver took a halt near Rawai Beach for sightseeing. It was absolutely stunning. Here, we were astonished by something else as well; there were a couple of trained eagles which would sit on tourists' arms and the trainer would click photos of them holding this amazingly mighty bird almost 3ft in length. Of course, one had to pay for it. These eagles were trained to spread its wings when taking photos. These eagles truly seemed as though they were trained to feel the royalty of being the "king of birds". Anyway, as we were about to process his highness's prowess and soak in the beauty around this hill which was surrounded by the sea, it started to rain, we had to rush back into our bus. But, we can really not help but notice how that area was heavenly and crowded yet calm. 

We moved forward to reach the Rawai beach- view. As the rain hadn't stopped pouring yet, we waited for the it to calm down in our bus and then we moved towards a plateau for sightseeing. And as we reached the top, we were taken aback. From Phuket Island, we were now able to see another Island which I don't know the name of. (Googles it, rightway..... The Bon Island, it is.) The pictures which we clicked here were so unreal that people still keep asking us whether we stood in front of a poster or what? I mean, the sky was crisp clear and blue immediately after the rain, beneath of which was clear blue sea within which stood this island, just as we stood on this another Island. It was the perfect picturesque moment, I doubt, I can ever forget in my life. Our first spot for the day was done and it felt 'Paisa Vasool!'

We now headed towards the Wat Chalong Temple, which was a Buddha Temple. It was interesting to find how people came to the temple to pay respect to the Buddha by lighting candles and how believers burnt firecrackers as a way of showing gratitude for their prayers that have been answered. This temple was said to have been built way back in 1837.  The architecture of the Temple was magnificent. Also, the way this temple has been maintained over the years is commendable. In addition to the Buddha Statue, the Temple also contained Statues of Buddhist Monks who are said to have been the Abbots or administrators of the Temple in later times. Buddhism has its roots spread all over the Kingdom of Thailand. We went into a spiritual zone for about a half hour and felt real stress-free.

We then moved towards the Gems Gallery Phuket Tour which was pretty amazing in which we could actually see people working with gems, including rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, diamonds and so on. We literally saw how the craftsman worked using their skills at their workplace and it was pretty intense. Inside the gems gallery, there was a mini- train tour- A pretty unique concept which has been undertaken to make the visitors feel as though they are in a Gems quarry! There were Mini-Boggies in which the visitors could sit and move on to a presentation, in an artificial gems mine- like structure. Here, we were showcased the history of precious jewels over the last thousands and thousands of years of mankind. We were shown the royalty of beholding such gems since time immemorial. As the train tour was over, we regretted about how we forgot to click pictures and videos. Such enchanting ride it was! After that, we were taken to the Gems Gallery, Phuket Shopping Centre in which there were on display, thousands of designs which were pretty beyond our imagination. The metals like gold, the silver and platinum which beheld these gems made our eyes literally sparkle. Obviously the prices were rocket high. If we knew about this particular place, that we were going to visit in our tour, we would have perhaps prepared ourselves accordingly, but unfortunately, we weren't. So, we just had a look at all the designs and some of the designs were so unique that we couldn't take our eyes of 'em. Colors like red, blue, green, peacock blue, turquoise blue and golden yellow, clear white so many many other vibrant colours made this centre literally lit!

And finally, our half day Phuket City tour was pretty much over and we were left to chilling on our own. The Next day, was going to be very eventful since we were going to travel to another Island. Travelling to Phi-Phi Island in a big boat was a part of our itinerary, something that I was looking forward to the most! 

Since the lunch that we tried the day before wasn't that good, we had already searched for some good Indian restaurants around Patong Beach, and yes, and we were successful in finding quite a few, which was not expected by us. One of them, was right across the road next to our Hotel, hence we decided to give that a shot. It was an authentic Indian restaurant; the Chef was from West Bengal, so we were nearly relaxed and you know it was like finding an oasis in the desert! We tried the Chicken Tandoori, Chicken Tikka Masala, Naan and Rice; the prices were pretty much the same as they would have been in India. Eating  Indian food after a "long gap" of almost "2 days" was so soothing, that we didn't even feel guilty of eating too much. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in our rooms. 

Later that evening, we did some shopping for the next day, as it was going to be a Sunny beach and boat day. So, we decided to stock up our Sunscreen and swimming gears. For dinner, we planned to go to an Indian restaurant called Hotel Kohinoor; which was a bit far away from our Hotel. It was suggested by one of our tour members which we met in the morning. But first, we visited the Jungceylon Mall near Hotel Kohinoor as it was not yet dinner time. We took some souvenirs for friends and family and had some pre-dinner 'dessert' which were delicious! We had 'Waffle on ice cream and Chocolate sauce'. For dinner, we went to Kohinoor Hotel in which we had a kebab platter followed by Biryani. We walked for almost two kilometers to reach back to our hotel. Of course, we snacked on fresh fruits to and fro from the hotel room. Fruits formed a major portion of our daily mid-meals for the past couple of days. Repetitive yet so Refreshing! So much better than gourmet meals! We had Pineapples, Dragon-fruits, Mangoes etc. The road towards our Hotel was filled with street vendors selling clothes, soaps, souveniers and fast food- stalls selling halal food, roasted corn, hot dogs and so on.

Today's day was pretty much filled with lip-smacking delicacies. The next day was action-packed. We decided to go early to bed since our call time was 6.30 am!

The next morning, we hurriedly had our breakfasts and rushed to our bus which took us to our boat ride to the very magnificent Phi-Phi Island. We were also scheduled for snorkeling on the way to Phi- Phi Island' which I was the most excited about. I was more than ready for taking dips in the sea to view the amazing corals and colorful fish down below. 

Could I be more stoked? I don't think so!

Ting!

The Newly Wed

The Newly Wed

It was easy to adjust with my new family, 

said no newly wed ever! 

She did not sign up for all this, 

She doesn't even have a say

Not even in the minutest decisions whatsoever! 

And if once in a while she tries to do something on her own, 

She gets owned like never before! 

Her new family was supposed to adapt to the fact 

That sooner or later there shall be an addition in their family 

Whom their very own beloved son shall love!

She, on the other hand, tries her real best to adapt to her new home. 

She wants to be loved and taken care of. 

But what she receives is taunts about how things she does is wrong! 

Not different, but wrong! 

They were already opinionated about her;

That she won't be able to fulfil their expectations,

That she is very lazy and careless,

That she's just good at work and not the welfare of this house (?). 

Yet, she kept trying to please them. 

They were impressed at times but would never appreciate her 

Unless she asked them about their opinion. 

Yes, change is not easy; 

it comes with it's own tag-alongs 

including disagreements, misunderstandings and what not!

But here, bringing about a change "by her"

Was more difficult than climbing Mt. Everest!

If she stayed of the opinion that it's OK; 

I'll adjust, which most of the times she did, 

they'd say "she's supposed to do so". 

But if she rebelled for a good change, 

she was shushed, not only by them but also by "him". 

He who brought her to his home in the first place..

Hypnotising her about how her life was going to be perfect!

But now, he has his own doubts. 

For he has been hammered by his friends 

That he'll be the one who'll be sandwiched all along. 

He chose the easier option of keeping his "love" quiet, 

Rather than getting into an argument with his Dear "family"

Difference of opinions are a part and parcel of one's lives. 

We talk about it and then we move on with our daily routine. 

Whatever she tried to inculcate, went unheard,

Unless he shall come forward and have a word,

She shall never get her place in her new world,

And thus, she now is no longer a newly wed,

And still trying to figure out what went wrong?

should I make some babies instead?

And thus they lived happily ever after..

My head started spinning..

"Stop it! Put that TV Off!" I said to myself!

How lucky you are to not be one of those 

"Newly Weds"!

You, for one have always received 

The privileges of a Daughter, perhaps more!

Because, they have regarded you as one!

Not since today, not since yesterday, 

But since their Son told them about you both!

How lucky you are, you Queen!

Not being judged for every move,

Supported in your Professional Life!

Liberated in your Personal Life! 

All because of the one you love and loves you back!

He is the one blessed with this lovely family,

He is the one who keeps it unconventionally cool!

Today is the day when you shall thank him!

For giving you the perfect family one could ever imagine!

So instead of crying on others plight,

Wake up, empower them, to make their choices right!

Hey guys, please give this prose-poetry that I tried your love by sharing and commenting!

P.S. I love you Kushal! For being my Mr. Right!

Love!

Presidential Address on Independence Day 2017

Yesterday, on the eve of the 71st Independence Day, I got the opportunity to listen to the Presidential Address by our new President, Shri. Ram Nath Kovind on All India Radio. 

President Kovind, began his speech by reminiscing the sacrifices made by our revolutionary freedom fighters and how we, as their sons and daughters have to responsibly build the India that they've dreamed of all their lives.

He said, in making India what they've dreamed of, the collective efforts of both, the Government and Citizens in required. He gave a Vision that by the year 2022, that is when we shall complete 75 years years of Independence, we should have achieved many milestones including house for every family, better infrastructure, Swachh Bharat, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Anti- Corruption and so on. He also explained how it is necessary for citizens to give up discrimination on the basis of gender and religion and think beyond that, in a compassionate way. 

He appreciated the support from the common man for the transition to GST, the proceeds of which will be utilized for the betterment of infrastructure, defense and other areas which contribute towards nation building. The successful implementation of demonitization has been a step towards an honest society; we should keep up the spirit and gain momentum. 

President also mentioned how we need to use technology for the empowerment of people leading to elimination of Poverty. Poverty and New India are not compatible. 

He appealed to the Indian citizens that we should not just think of ourselves and our families, but beyond. He mentioned how various people and organizations work quietly for the poor and needy. They are busy right now in activities including running schools for street children, providing water to tribal communities and so on. We need to gain inspiration from such volunteers. President also appreciated those responsible citizens who gave up their Gas Subsidies voluntarily just on the request of PM Narendra Modi. No Law had compelled them to do so. Yet, for the poorest families to get freedom from smoke/ chulha- related respiratroy disorders, they took the smallest steps which have collectively brought up a huge sum of money which has been used to install gas stoves to the backward areas. We should definitely draw inspiration from all these families.

President Kovind appealed citizens to bear an extra level of 'Selflessness' similar to this very virtue beheld by the Police and Military who don't care about their lives and fight for the people, Farmers who provide their services from one corner of the country to the other, without even knowing the ultimate beneficiaries. Why can't we be as selfless as these legends? 

Towards the end, the President mentioned how we as citizens, form a crucial part in nation building. That we need to form a strong yet compassionate Society. In upcoming years, we are expected to become a fully literate society and as the responsible citizens of this country, the President appealed us to pay for the education of not only our own children but also one other child who's not our own. Just One! We have to equip our upcoming generations. We are stake-holders towards nations building and need to undertake collective efforts to achieve the one common vision of making a New India.   

The speech was really an eye-opener for those who are blinded in their own tiny worlds of self-obsession. This speech was an aid to expanding one's brains to a more holistic approach. I thank the President for the much needed wake up call.  It has been 70 years since we have been on our own. Instead of playing the blame game and doing the aftermath of history, it's definitely productive to utilize that time and energy for creating a better and positive environment conducive to societal, communal and national development. 

Let's head back to work and be responsible for a better and progressed India.

Happy Independence Day! 

Miley Sur Mera Tumhara.. Toh Sur Bane Humara..

The Time We Reached Thailand| Thailand Tour 2017: Day 1 (Travel Day!)

The "First- Time International- Travelers" is an exotic kind of human species I must say. Let me just break this down for you. These people are the ones who won't think  of  enjoying the trip but definitely get tripped in framing their "strategies" of deciding the location, to deciding the Tourism Company, to the Passport and Visa procedures, online check-ins, the endless checklists,  and what not! 

My Family i.e. my Father, Mother, Sister, Husband and I decided our destination. It was a Phuket Island and Bangkok City Tour. This was going to be a two-legged journey to Phuket first and then to Bangkok. However, we were required to reach Phuket after a stop at Bangkok first, since there were no direct Phuket flights in our Tour package with Yatra.com. Yatra.com had arranged our stay and flights. Their package also included quick tours of the cities. We were more than ready for making this the first and most memorable international holiday of our lives!

After almost a month of planning, the travel day arrived. It was going to be a midnight flight. However, we had a wedding to attend the very same afternoon and then had to leave for the airport that evening. It was going to be pretty hectic, so we had to get our things packed and ready to go a day before our departure. As they say, the most pre-planned things can go wrong at the end moment; the same thing happened with us. We had planned to book a cab for the five of us to go together in a single cab; but to our surprise, what happened was that we couldn't find even a single 5 seater car along with a luggage carrier. So we had to book two Mini Ola Cabs and go separately. This may sound like first World problems but it would have been really fun to start our journey together. Anyway, we reached the airport almost at the same time and the very first thing which we ticked off our to-do list was hogging at Burger King right outside the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Terminal. We were so full by the time we had to move towards the Bangkok Airways Gate. As any first timer would go, we were the first ones to reach at the baggage counter, so we had a lot of time to spare. Although, the security check and immigration process were still pending. As soon as the Bangkok Airways staff arrived, we got our baggage registered and received our Boarding Passes and then we rushed towards the Security Check Area. Past that, we raced to the Immigration Line which was a pretty huge one as there were hundreds of people waiting to leave India in their respective flights to different parts of the world. Being my very first International travel, it was turning into a really overwhelming experience, for me at least. Maybe now I will be used to it, that's what I was thinking in my mind when we were waiting for our immigration stamps to be put up. I recollect a funny memory that occurred though. As I reached my immigration officer's desk, he asked me what my name was. I said, kind of confused "Sayali.." And he struck a conversation with me! Initially he spoke in Hindi with me and once he told me that even his daughter's name is Sayali, I immidiately switched to Marathi. We actually spoke for about 2 minutes figuring out the meaning of "Sayali". I told him that I was informed in my childhood that "Sayali is a name of a flower and that I was named by my grandmother" but he was like " No, but what is the real meaning of Sayali?" and I was completely clueless. He in turn told me to find out the meaning of Sayali on the internet. we just had a bit of a laugh as he stamped my passport saying "Departure" "Mumbai CSI". Finding me engaged in a talk for such a long time , my family was actually worried as to what was I being Interrogated about?

As we crossed the immigration counter, we entered into a completely different world altogether. There were hundreds of brand-stores with their over prized shizz around us from which we couldn't take our eyes off. The area was so glittery in the shimmering yellow lights all over, that we actually were staring at everything going around. By the time we came back from our Awe-struck selves to our Normal Selves we realized, that we were thirsty and that we weren't carrying any Water bottles. So we actually went to purchase a water bottle from the food counter but we found out that they were pretty pretty expensive. Hence we dropped the plan of buying water and were in search  of some free drinking water. There was free water available which had to be drunk using our hands like cavemen. We tried to awkwardly drink a sip each just for the sake of it. However, there came this sweet man who actually offered us his empty bottle so that we could drink water like normal people. It feels pretty amazing, strangers come out to help you when you are in need. We obviously thanked him for his gesture and moved on to our long stroll to the Departure Gate. It's a very long distance journey from the immigration counter to the final Gate, hence there are these escalating machine which actually increase the speed of your journey. We were already enjoying the journey. Kushal (My husband) had already traveled internationally just a year ago so we were kind of relieved that at least he knew some of the basic things that we needed in this particular travel game that we were playing. 

By the time we reached the precincts of the departure gate, we had a good one hour left until our flight would leave. What do we do? We took a quick photo session of our family, cause why not? It was only a few minutes before the boarding announcements, that I realized, there was Wi-Fi around me the whole time! What a shame! I had to "talk" and not "post" all this time! "FOMO Alert!" 

We were now finally going aboard the plane. Once our seat range was called out we reached then and there and finally we boarded the plane. We had obviously checked in online hence we were on our desired seats. How can we forget to talk about the infamous "airplane food"? The food from Mumbai to Bangkok was pretty decent though. Since it was Indianized for the Travelers, we could at least enjoy that meal. I was pretty nervous about my next flight food from Bangkok to Phuket though. But Come on! the first International Take off of my life, in the desired seat; with these perfect souls; I thanked God, How blessed is my life? I did my prayer and decided to enjoy the journey as it comes my way. It was past midnight and by the time we crossed India and were approaching Thailand, we witnessed the best Sunrise of our lives through the Airplane window! The transition from Dusky Sun-rise to the perfect Morning blues was so alluring! We were engrossed and stunned in the beauty of all that was going on around the plane on which no human has any control whatsoever.

We reached Bangkok SvarnaBhumi Airport really early in the morning and we were quite groggy and sleepy and couldn't wait to board onto our next flight; not to forget, we had more than an hour to spare. However, we had to get our Arrival Stamps. Although we were very hungry, we rushed to the domestic departure gate of SvarnaBhumi Airport leaving behind all the food joints which left us all hungry without water. Also there was low Wi-fi though. So, all we could do was, wait to get into the plane. Once we were seated, we were served breakfast immediately as the flight was going to be a short one. The safety Instructions in Thai- English Accents were almost like noises which we couldn't figure out. The Breakfast was one of the most bland meals of our lives we can say. If chef Gordon Ramsay would have been there on that plane, he would have gotten the cooks fired! Seriously though! The desert was actually good, in fact the only best part of the breakfast was this fruit- dessert that they served. We were really very very groggy from the early morning flights and hence we decided to catch up on our sleep and that was pretty much it because we reached Phuket within 45 minutes. But I cannot forget the mention how surreal and privileged it felt to be able to have a glance at the Sea and the various Islands from above the sky. 

On the Phuket domestic airport, we rushed through the gates in search of the tour package representative who was supposed to receive us at the airport Gate and in true professional fashion, there was already our driver standing at the gate with my Name on a Board to receive us. Also, we were informed in our itinerary to be in time at all places. Our driver was going to take us to our hotel Room at Ashlee Hotel Patong. Our ride towards the hotel was almost an hour long. Thai People are very particular about timings, I must say. Our Driver showed us this beautiful scenery as we were on the road. We saw this blue sea for the very first time, just as we used to draw it in our childhood! The clear blue sky reflected its colour in the clean water making the scenery just unimaginably beautiful. We kept admiring about how the roads of Thailand were neat and clean as well as without any pit-hole. This was so unlikely to what we experience here back in Mumbai. The roads were decorated with trees leaving an aura of freshness on each and every lane. One thing's for sure, wherever we go, we couldn't help but compare Thailand to India. 

Anyway, we reached our Hotel, we came to know that our check-in time was only after lunch; so we decided to grab our lunches first and then to check in to our rooms. However, the Hotel staff was kind enough to have made us the rooms available before the decided time. The temperature in Thailand was pretty much the same like in Mumbai. The afternoon heat really made us feel at home. We searched for some hotels  around manually, since we did not have access to the Hotel Wi-Fi yet. We came across a F.R.I.E.N.D.S. themed restro named Central Perk right besides our hotel. My sister and I got pretty excited about it! We went to check it out but to our dismay, it was closed. So we continued our search for food. As we were strolling around, we found out there were many tourists like us who were roaming around. Thailand is primarily an economy running solely on the Tourism Industry. Anyway, we stumbled upon a big Food and Clothes vendors street called the Malin Plaza. Now had come the time when we were going to experience the authentic Thai taste. But for lunch, we decided to go for something which we are familiar with. We went for the most gullible option known to every Indian ever! Chinese food; which in my opinion was not that good. I mean there was nothing wow about it. Although, the grilled chicken was pretty flavorful. We all were so tired of the Traveling that we couldn't help but fall asleep once we got back to our rooms.

In the evening, we headed to the Patong Beach, Phuket Island.

As Mumbaikars and particularly Maharashtrians, we are mostly used to the dirty and mushy beaches. But over here, the experience at was totally serene. The sand was literally crystal white. We were here standing barefoot at the Shore taking in the beauty of the beautiful sunset. The colours in the sky were a mixture of orange, pink, blue and grey. All this charismatic beauty could never be perfectly captured in any camera whatsoever. Such moments can be captured only in one's mind. It felt as though the Sun and The Andaman Sea were on a peaceful journey towards meeting each other. Both, the Sun and the Sea, the symbols of infinity of Nature, having a rendezvous with each other, every single day for millions of years! What an enchanting image it was!

This picture perfect opportunity was not left by my sister. She posed for a few lovely shots for the Social Media. Our entire scheduling that day was around food, literally, I mean as we reached the Shore we found a fruit vendor who sold fresh guavas, mangoes and pineapples. After gazing at the beauty of the Sea and the seamless skyline, we took a long stroll across the beach and decided to have those fruits as an evening snack. The taste was beyond delicious. The freshness, along side the sweetness, accompanied with a kick of the Thai Spices made our Travel fatigue go away instantly. We spotted a chicken Kebab Corner as well. We decided to give it a try. There were various types of barbecued meats there, both, chicken and fish. They looked spectacular! Obviously, we expected them to be tangy and spicy like the Mughlai Versions we are habituated with. But these were pretty sweet and needed a lot of external seasonings like chili sauce, black pepper and salt. It was at this point, that we decided to search for some Indian food around the town once we reach our hotel rooms. Afterall, we had to spend yet another two days here in Patong! We then began to walk back towards our Hotel and kept admiring the touristy environment around. Patong, at night, was filled with Tourists enjoying the night life in clubs and cafe`s. We came across a Juice Corner and had some Yummilicious fruit drinks like lemon, watermelon, dragon-fruit, sweet limes etc. and decided to call it a Day. A lot had happened in the past 24 hours. We had travelled from Mumbai to Phuket; witnessed many kind people around who guided us in our journey; witnessed many spectacular views from above the sky and at the ground level alike. This was turning Into a really fun vacation with family I must say. We went to sleep looking forward to the very next wonderful juncture ahead. Breakfast at the Hotel next morning!

Ting! :D

Love! <3

D-day ..

Finally, the wedding day arrived. Devyani was getting married to her love Vishal! All of us were decked up for the wedding with our Special Marathmol Wedding Attires. We quickly checked out of our hotel rooms and went on to have some delicious Zunka Bhakari, garma garam Kande- Pohe of course followed by steaming cups of tea. We decided to take a group picture by the Panhala Fort itself. As we reached there, we asked a by-stander to take our picture on one of our phones. All of us posed sideways in desi- style and he clicked a few shots. It was a picture perfect moment! 

All this happened in a matter of 30 minutes  as All of us had to rush to the Wedding Hall. As we moved towards Kolhapur City, we had our one last look around the fort from our bus and reminisced all the beautiful moments spent in the fort, From the wonderful stroll as soon as we reached Panhala to the simple but soulful dinner we had the other night; from the Wild berries to the mesmerizing view of sunset from Panhala Fort.Thus, we bid our good-byes to Panhala Fort for then but the amazing atmosphere and historical feel shall always have a place in our mind whenever we'll be talking about the stay.

We reached the wedding hall a bit late than expected due to traffic all along our journey. We rushed to see Devyani who was getting her finishing touches of make up.  As I mentioned in the earlier piece, Vishal's Sister Vrushali was getting married at the same venue itself, the same day. Her Muhurat was before Devyani's. Hence until then Devyani had time to get ready. She was wearing a traditional Golden Yellow Peshwai Styled Nauvari Saree with Gold Themed makeup. She looked more like a Princess getting ready for her coronation to be the Queen! Indeed it felt like "D"- Day! Her room was filled with her mains including school friends, office colleagues, us cousins etc. We kept talking about how lovely the make up was done. All the rituals were being performed on stage. As a token of welcome, all the boys were given Kolhapuri Orange Pheta/ Maharashtrian Turban. All of us cousins were busy clicking photos in the Kolhapur heat outside that would be flaunted on our Social Media handles for weeks to come. We waited for the pre-wedding rituals to end. And finally, the time had come, when Devyani and Vishal were going to be one perfectly wedded couple. We took Devyani on stage for the Jaymala or Mangalashtaka Ceremony. Vishal too was looking dapper in his traditional attire.

My mother was one of the people who said the Mangalashtakas. She said the one based on Jeevan Vidya Mission's Preachings wishing the bride, the groom and their families a beautiful and peaceful life filled with health, wisdom, wealth and prosperity. Devyani and Vishal Exchanged Floral Garlands and their Marriage Rituals began. They took their Pheras, Devyani adorned her beautiful Mangalsutra and finally, the most pristine moment of their love life had arrived as everyone witnessed them getting married. All of us were teary-eyed as we met the newly-weds and wished them for their future endeavors. We had to leave early since us reaching late at night would have affected the travel- permit of our bus. Pretty disappointed we felt for leaving the function midway. It was really delightful to see both of them and their families so happy! 

The Wedlock is not a shackle but a knot tied to strengthen two personalities. Both of them are now going to carry on their lives as a team and try and conquer every battle that life throws at them! They'll be taking care of both of their families alike without any discrimination whatsoever. Afterall love is built on the foundation of affection, trust, understanding and honesty. Both the families have united to be one big family which by the way is filled with not only educated people but also responsible citizens of the country. May God Bless these beautiful souls with all that they desire. Kolhapur gave us so much memories right from Historical places like Panhala and Shahu Palace to Spiritual place like Mahalakshmi Temple. It was an enthralling experience! 

And in this way, our journey to Kolhapur had finished and we were really bummed that the weekend went by so quickly. We left Kolhapur around 4 pm and reached back home by almost 2 am the next day. Although the journey was pretty exhausting, we enjoyed a lot watching Movies, singing Songs, cracking jokes and what not! Family-time of traveling together and staying together shall always be so much fun! Looking forward for much more of such journeys ahead. 

I hope you guys liked my tryst to covering my Cousin's wedding and our time spent at Kolhapur. Critics are more than welcome!

Stay tuned for more such content on coming right from the Inner Voice of Psyli.

Love!

Kolhapur Diary continued..

Day2:

We started early in the morning since it was going to be a long day ahead. We reached to have Breakfast to a small food joint on the Panhala Fort area itself; had Dosa and Misal-Pav and as we moved towards our bus, we took quick photos and went onboard the bus. From Panhala, we started to descend towards Kolhapur City to reach for the Mahalakshmi Temple. Decorated by White Temple tops, the Mahalaksmi Temple is a must visit for all those who visit Kolhapur for the first time. As we entered, we witnessed how the Mahalakshmi Temple was filled with Pilgrims and Tourists alike. What I observed immediately upon reaching there was that there were two separate lines, one was the normal one and the other was an "express one" for a faster redemption of their "Navas". Such a discrimination was so appalling that we decided to just take a look around the temple and not go for any of these lines of discrimination. Me and my Cousin Vasundhara took the elderlies for Mukhdarshan area which was less crowded than the other 2 lines. As we were inside the Temple, the remaining ladies went for saree- shopping while others stayed back for some sugarcane juice. When we came out of the temple premises, we were surrounded by beggars who kept on asking for money and that our offering would bless us with Devi's Blessings. We told them politely, "we have come here just to pay a visit to the temple. God resides everywhere". Indeed God's blessings or curses are nothing but the fruits of our own deeds. We bow in front of deities just to remind ourselves about being kind to others and respecting the God in every human. People at Pilgrim places become overtly emotional and give away money to whoever asks them to. This situation is more often than not taken advantage of by the local shopkeepers and vendors as well who sell their stuff at high-end prices than what actually are outside the temple. Anyway, our dispersed group gathered back together and we moved towards our bus. We started our journey towards the splendid and royal Shree Chhatrapati Shahu Palace. Shahu Palace is Partially a Museum, a Property of Maharashtra Tourism Department while the other part still belongs to and is the Mansion of the Royal Bhosale Family. Public entry is rightly banned in that area.The grandeur of this Palace is visible from a distance itself. It is surrounded by a bird and Animal Reserve. We quickly took pictures of the Deer, emus, kranes as well as a peacock and moved towards the Royal Shahu Palace. As we entered the gate, we found that the Palace is surrounded by a beautiful garden, a huge fountain and a wrestling ground as well. What stature! Awed by the massiveness of the monument, we were disappointed to know that Photography is strictly not allowed inside the Palace, hence I can only describe vaguely the vogue that has still been preserved in the Huge and Splendid Architecture. The Palace, as I mentioned earlier is Partially now a Museum including weaponry and armory as well as collection of clothes, furniture, and manuscripts separated categorically across the Palace. The Museum included paintings showing highlights of the Maratha Empire as well as the History of Bhosales. Also, at the end of the Palace was a collection of Skins of Animals as hunted back then by the Royal Family. Almost an hour in the Palace, we could feel every bit of Royalty that can only be imagined and not seen anywhere else but here! The Sabha Mandap with an elevated stage for his Highness was one of the most memorable places that I've ever visited. I could literally feel the Grand Sabha that might have been taking place back then. We ended our quick tour since It was past noon and we had started feeling hungry.. We had simple but tasty buffet vegetarian meal at the Cafe outside the Palace. We had to move quickly towards the engagement venue. Also, the Heat was killing hence, we took off and bid good bye to a great Memoir of History that is the Shahu Palace, also called New Palace, Kolhapur.

We all rushed to get ready as we were to welcome the bride to the hall before the functions began. The pre-engagement functions started off around 5 pm with JeevanVidya Mission's Upasana Yadnya and Sangeet Jeevanvidya conducted by Kolhapur Branch of Satguru Shri Wamanrao Pai's Jeevan Vidya Mission. The Chants of "Vithhal- Vithhal" created an appropriate divine atmosphere for the serene alliance that was going to occur just a few moments later. 

The moment for which both Devyani and Vishal had been waiting for like forever was approaching! Both of them were in complete dismal about the situation until the day before. Funny enough, they had just a few seconds before realised what was happening. They were going to get married in a few hours!

Devyani entered the hall, we welcomed her with happy tears. All eyes were on her as she went on to get ready for the ceremony. The Engagement Ceremony was about to begin. She was draped in a beautifull gold-sequined Purple Saree and looked just fabulous! "What a beautiful doll she's looking!" we said to each other as she was busy getting ready and posing for the cameras. Afterall, she was the centre of attraction and focus of all cameras this eve. But amidst all this happiness, Mami (Devyani's mom) was not feeling well due to fever. She was trying really hard to be a part of all that she could. But we insisted her to rest. Thankfully, her Sister-in- law was in-charge of the rituals that evening so she could rest aside and not be tensed about every little thing. Then came the time, when the groom and the bride both stepped on the stage to exchange their rings. The moment when they both vowed to marry each other the next day had arrived and they just couldn't keep calm. Vishal also looked handsome in his Traditional Kolhapuri Avatar. They were all smiles as they exchanged their rings. Later on they posed for the cameras and a huge photo-session followed. All kinds of poses including the Kneeling down and proposing, holding hands, showing rings were done. Everything was happening like their dream came true. How happy they both looked! 

As they were busy with the photo-shoot, our group decided to grab dinner as we had to start moving back to Our Hotel rooms back in Panhala which was quite far from the venue. The couple too had their dinners and went on to change their attires for the Haldi Ceremony. As Vishal's Sister Vrushali was also getting married the next day at the same venue, that couple too joined these love birds in the Haldi Ceremony. Since it was almost midnight, we had to stay quite all along and no music was played. Even Mami wasn't feeling well so Mama rushed her to the hospital for last minute medications to make her feel better. Hence, the Haldi Ceremony was a rather quite affair. We soon left after applying Haldi to Vishal and Devyani. Finally, the day Devyani had waited for the past couple of months eagerly had arrived. The next day was full of the Wedding Banter, Devyani needed to have a good night sleep for being all fresh and blooming for "her day". We too reached our hotel rooms and rushed to bed to stay all pumped up for literally "D"-Day...

To be continued..

Kolhapur Diary 2017

Day 1: 

It was a busy Family-Wedding weekend. My Cousin, Devyani was getting married to the Love of her life Vishal at his home town in Kolhapur. It had been years since we all had gone for a vacation together and hence our family had decided to grab this opportunity and take a short trip to Travel Kolhapur. Thus, our journey began, I was accompanied with my whole extended clan except for Devyani's Family because obviously they had to leave a bit earlier than us for taking care of all the arrangements of the Wedding. Anyway, this weekend went by like a whole adventure joy ride with  my family including my dear in-laws which was really great! We started our journey by bus from Mumbai at about 6.30 on Friday morning. Had great fun in the bus singing songs and joking around. We took a halt near Satara for lunch and had traditional "Tambda - Pandhra Rassa" or Spicy Red and White Curry along with soothing Solkadhi at Khushboo Dhaba, Satara. For dessert we ate "Chocolate Paan" which was more than delicious. Now that all of us were kind of drowsy because of all the food, we played Antakshari singing All the cliche`d but mandatory songs including "Imli ka boota, Na Na Karte Pyar, Oh Oh Jane Jana, Maayi ni Maayi etc." With all this going on, I couldn't help but notice how my Grandma was enjoying each and every minute of the journey. We reached Kolhapur by evening 5.30. The level of exhaustion was ultimate, yet we left our hotel rooms within an hour and went to experience the beautiful Panhala Fort. We were staying at the fort itself which has been converted into a Tourist Destination by the Government of Maharashtra. Built on a Plateau, Panhala Fort really takes you back in the time reminiscing the days that might have been spent then surrounded by Adilshahi and the mighty Mughalshahi empires. As we reached the main gate or the "Mukhya- Dwaar", the history of Great Escape of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj from Panhala which was seized by Adil Shah's Siddi Jauhar , Shiva Kashid's courage as well as Baji Prabhu Deshpande's valour came right in front of our eyes and we were stunned. Such a Proud moment it was. We kept locking our eyes with the Valleys beneath, astounded by the ability that the people back then had to travel to and fro that too under such difficult and unpredictable circumstances. Felt really privileged to be a part of this great culture which was amongst the leaders in promoting independence or Swarajya. I was feeling fortunate to have been able to revisit this place which I already had a few years back. 

How could we miss the golden opportunity of taking tonnes of Selfies?! We took enormous amounts of group selfies appropriate for the social media and headed back to our hotel room. Just a thing that pricked me was how we forget to appreciate about the history of these places and concentrate our mind on the number of selfies and the time and places that we still have to cover and rush through even these golden monumental things abruptly. We need to relearn living and cherishing every such moment. Anyway, we enjoyed the "Raan- Meva" aka Seasonal Fruits from that area including bush plums and Java plums (or Karvanda and Jambhul) which gave us a new wave of freshness within soothing our tiredness from all the travel .. just then, we got to know that the bride and her mom aren't well.. all of us were worried but they were treated well immediately. That was a relief indeed..

Soon we reached our hotel rooms and began a few last minute preparations for the next day's Engagement Function and the Wedding as well.. and before we knew, it was dinner time. We had arranged a traditional clay-oven-cooked food including Zunka, Bhakri, Bharli Vaangi and Buttermilk on the side. Had the most simple yet tempting dinner after a longtime. I decided to complete my work for the next day's function (while my other cousins kept enjoying the rest of the night on the hotel roof, Not Fair!) The next day was going to be a long one. So, I called it a day and went off to bed.

Day 2 was filled with a lots of activities including site seeing and of course the engagement ceremony.. 

Stay tuned to experience what happened next..

The Broken pen

I was hurt! I had voluntarily offered a solution to a problem which was rejected on my face. I flipped out, isolated myself and began to cry like a baby.

And before I knew, I had broken a pen (??)into pieces! Aghhhh! Why? Why would I do that? Though it was easily breakable, such a destructive reaction was uncalled for and simply alarming to me. At that very moment, I gained back my consciousness. A thought crept in my mind immediately that may be this was a reminder given by my brain to keep a control on my emotions. 

But I still wonder how come had I reached to such a state of mind in which I could cause harm to something? This needs to be corrected now!

All my rant might be like "First- World Problems" to read. But, the inner turmoil that I was going through was legit. I decided to get away with the negativity and wrote down the happenings and decided to analyse the situation and felt way better. It struck me then, that our mind is in a constant need of positive vibes. It might display its thirst in the form of anxiety or anger or frustration over trivial matters. But, we need to spot these signals and take charge of our thoughts. Positive vibes could be attracted by uplifting videos (the cute baby ones!), a small chat with your BFF, a romantic date with the love of your life, or reading positivist articles or in my case, writing down whatever I feel. The options are endless!

Our mind faces its own ups and downs. it's our perspective that matters. Good or bad, optimistic or pessimistic. It's our life.. we have got to decide what's good for us!

I am really amazed about the ability of the human mind to have such an immediate transition from negative to positive thoughts ..

I have to say, immediate expression of thoughts is not always healthy.. it may cause harm to oneself.. The thoughts we are about to think need to be thought through before thinking.. thoughts are like the path- makers of our life. They may give a positive or a negative turn to our entire being..

It's better to consciously take efforts of thinking good, wishing good, doing good..  

Whoa!

It's been a hell of a roller coaster ride, this piece that I've written. To those who stuck with me till the end, I really appreciate these efforts taken by you!  

Thanks a ton!

Love!

Memento

Is it really weird,
that I thought to write today?
After such a long time,
Have been Postponing it every other day!

I have been so busy
With Life and Stuff!
that I didn't get time
to either Sneeze or even Cough!

I wanna Stay up all night
and have "The Talk" with Bae
I wanna cease that fight
which he was willing to "Slay"

Its the end that matters
Shall always be sweet
Even if I'm Mad
He'll Settle down the Heat...

And then the time comes,
To give it a shot!
But I am too Forgetful (?)
That I give up on the Knot!

This remains a memento
to the things I wish to do
But someway, somehow,
they remained in my list to do...