Wednesday, February 22, 2017

5 Signs You Are In A Bad Marriage









Marriage is a very sacred institution on our side of the equator. A successful marriage requires lot of hard work and commitment. Problems in marriage are inevitable. But there are 5 big warning signs that will let you know if you are struck in a bad marriage or not.











No Respect for each other - Respect is a most important aspect of a happy marriage. If you respect each other, you will never cross that barrier, even during your most gruesome arguments. If you call each other by awful names and use derogatory langauge while fighting, think again!




  Voilent Behaviour - Any kind of violence is bad for a relationship. It may manifest itself as physical, mental, emotional, financial....




  No Sex - It is the first sign of a bad marriage, usually. Lack of physical affection like hugging or kissing is a huge black flag for your relationship. If you do not like getting phyisically intimate  or are having sex less than 10 times a year...see a marriage counsellor soon.




You resent each other - If being with your spouse in the same room make you jittery and all you want is get out as fast as you could...think again! It is the biggest warning signal that you are in a messy relationship.


Secret and Silences - If you and your partner keep secrets from each other, it dangerous for your marriage. A happy marriage is one where both the partners are able to share and are each other's friends. Also, if you are not communicating with each other and there are long spells of silences, there's a trouble in your paradise. 


Figure out the problem soon and work out before it's too late. 



Saturday, February 18, 2017

Offbeat Travel - Why a visit to Meera Mahal at Merta is a must!!

On the first day of the new year, I embarked on a week long trip to Rajasthan. On the itinerary were Pushkar, Ajmer, Jodhpur and Bikaner. Little did I know that on this trip, I would be discovering a hidden gem of Rajasthan, Merta. I bet, you may never have even heard of this place, I didn't.









The first stop of the trip was Ajmer so we opted to stay at The Westin, Pushkar coz of it's proximity to Ajmer. This way we would be able to explore both Pushkar and Ajmer. We stayed there for 2 night and on the morning of 3rd we left for Jodhpur, after stuffing ourselves with the scrumptious buffet The Westin had to offer. Jodhpur is around 190 kms from Pushkar ie a 4 hours drive. On the way, we stopped a couple of times to enquire about the route (yes! we were following google maps but still wanted to confirm from the locals), when an elderly local mentioned Merta, the place were Meera Bai was born. I were happy and my eyes sparkled in joy that I would be visiting this illustrious place. 








Around 60 kms from Pushkar towards Jodhpur (taking a small detour) lies this nondescript town where the Rajput Saint Princess Meera Bai was born. Meera Mahal as it is called is a museum depicting the life and times of the mystic poet, whose love and devotion for Lord Krishna in well known, in the form of paintings and sculptures. Incidently, Merta was a prosperous kingdom ruled by the Mertia Rathore rulers, descendents of Rao Jodha. Also, Meera Bai was married to Prince Bhoj Raj, of Chittor. 

Every major event in the life of Meera Bai is created in the form of a story. 



When she was four years of age, she saw a marriage procession in front of her palace and asked her grand mother innocently, "who is my bridegroom"? . Grandmother pointed towards the image of  Krishna and said, " Dear Meera, Lord Krishna is your bridegroom".

Meera Bai drinking poison




Once her relatives sent a cobra in a basket to Meera with the message that it contained a garland. When she opened the basket, it had a garland of flowers.




Every corner of the palace tells you the story of the bygone era. It is also quite well maintained keeping in mind the fact that it attracts only a few visitors. There is a Meera Bai temple in the vicinity called the Chaturbhuja Meera Bai temple.



Meera Mahal lies in the busy bylanes of the city so you could go for a small walk around, grab a cup of tea and soak in the history.




It's a pity that neither this place doesn't get a mention anywhere on the website of Rajasthan tourism nor is on the bucket list of any offbeat traveller to Rajasthan. 









Thursday, February 16, 2017

Coastal all the way!!


When you think about coastal food, all you think is sea food and other non vegetarian delights...so what am I, a vegetarian doing here? Well! I went there to explore the veg food items available. Almost all of my friends are  hardcore non-vegetarians  so inadvertently we end up going to places which serves great non veg fare. 







This is a quaint little place situated  in the plush Galleria market in Gurgaon. 




I ordered the spiced buttermilk which is buttermilk tempered with mustard seeds and curry leaves. It was good.
Spiced buttermilk

For starters, I ordered Parappu vada or Daal vada with coconut chutney and Paneer 65. The dal vada were very delectable, loved every bite.  Paneer 65 was different than the ones I had tasted before, this one was much tangy. 
Dal Vada

I ordered a crisp plain dosa which was served with 3 types of chutneys and piping hot sambhar. This is one of the best dosa I have had in a really long time. 
Dosa


Of course ! my non vegetarian friends relished their meals  completely from chicken stew with appams to the vindaloo to grilled fish. 

Chicken stew with appam and Malbar parantha


I rounded off my meal with kesari, which is the south Indian vesion of sooji ka halwa and payasam, which were finger-licking good.

kesari

payassam












Friday, February 10, 2017

Sense of spirits - a review








There's something about food which connects people! Isn't it?








 I recently went to this place for a leisurely lunch with a group of friends. What's best about going in with a big group is that you could taste a wide array of dishes. Sense of Spirits is nestled in the food hub of sec - 29 Gurgaon, which makes it easily accessible. It is a plush lounge where you can sit and savour your meal.



Food First - Now the most important stuff, the food. I ordered my dose of caffeine for the day - a cold coffee, which was awesome. I also took a sip of Jack on the banofee, which was good.








 As for the starters, I really liked  the Bharwan Paneer Tikka which was melt in the mouth,  Chilly Mushrooms and honey chilly lotus stems, which were nicely done. The highlight although was the Cheese parcel, which essentially is cheese wrapped in filo sheets. They were crispy on outside with loads of melted cheese stuffed. My non vegetarian friends relished their Bhuna Gosht and Sangam kebabs. 


For the Main course, I had my usual favourites kadhai Paneer  and daal makhni along with missi roti. It was good. 


The Dessert spread was really delectable with the brownie with icecream, gulab jamuns, basbousa, banana split icecream. 




What made this lunch special was the easy flowing conversation, laughter and a great company of friends  with delicious food. 










Sunday, February 5, 2017

Tricolour Magic in collaboration with Weaves@R

Hola! 
Here's sending some love to you all, through the pictures. I wore this pretty outfit from Weaves on the Republic day. Weaves@Ris a startup which designs outfit for the women of substance - someone who stands up for herself and what she believes in. Proud to be associated with such a brand. 











Pics credit- Mehak ( https://instagram.com/stubborn.ass )
Outfit - weaves
Bag - John Galliano
Shoes - miss Bennet

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