EASY TO MAKE RAVANA'S EFFIGY

 AT HOME

( This picture has inspired me to create my own effigy at home which can be a fun weekend activity for kids too )

 Dussera is around the corner and festivities are all around. You can choose a free day to try this interesting DIY project with your kids at home. Do try and enjoy Dussera with some creativity ;)

DIY Ravana Effigy

Now you can create your own ravana effigy at home with very easy to follow steps :

How to make:

1. Take a cardboard paper and draw the face of Ravana on it. For drawing the face you can choose a reference figure from internet or some books. Do not draw the mustache on the face. Now because Ravan has ten heads so get your image photocopied. 
2. After drawing color/paint  the face. Do keep in mind while choosing your color palette that either you can color all heads in skin color or you can make all the faces in different bright colors. Like in the image above.
3. Once the face is been drawn and painted, you can add mustaches. Take a black color sheet of paper. Draw and cut the mustaches in different positions and shapes. Add your variety of mustache to the face.
4. Now for the body of Ravana take black color paper sheets and roll them. For his torso take a big sheet and roll it wider. Stick the ends with glue. Close the bottom of this paper cylinder from one side with a piece of cardboard paper. Stuff some torn pieces of old clothes or newspaper inside his torso along-with some crackers i.e. ladi and bombs. Leave the small strings of Ladis hanging out his torso to catch the fire. Do not make the torso too heavy because then the structure will be heavy to be carried on his legs. And your Ravana effigy will keep falling down.
5. Similarly for his legs and hands roll smaller black color sheets into thin cylinders. Close the bottom of leg cylinders with cardboard paper and fill them with old newspaper. With the help of golden color paper cuttings you can make some jewelry  also.
6. To attach all the pieces of his body together use glue gun.
7. Once his body parts are attached insert a thick bamboo stick inside the torso of your Ravana. Attach his ten heads on the bamboo stick. Leave less space between the head and torso.
8. To burn your home made effigy - take an old planter and fix it in that with the help of some thin wooden sticks as per the size of your effigy.
9. Would suggest to not make a very big effigy as this project is for fun. It can be dangerous to burn a big effigy at home. So please keep safety of your family in mind. 
10. Enjoy this Dussera and don't forget to post your comments.

Here is a hand drawn reference image uploaded for "how to create an effigy at home". 

Happy reading :)

"I'm proud of you!!"

( This is a picture of one lovely mother daughter duo who did not hesitate to answer my random questions. Happily they got themselves clicked . Mother is in her late thirties and works in some bank. She proudly told me about the achievements of her daughter who's in her early twenties. Loved their energies :) ) 

One fine morning when we were having morning tea sitting in our balcony, just like that, I asked him "are you proud of me?" Expression on his face was worth a click. My question left him confused and surprised. He spoke in stammers, ulps and umms...."what type of a question is it?" "I don't know what to say" "I'm not sure what you are trying to ask me" were his replies to a very simple question asked by his wife. Though within five minutes he said with full conviction in his eyes that he is . It left me wondering why was it so difficult for him to reply immediately.

Was my question bothersome because he was already lost in reading top headlines of the business news paper? Or he never thought about this or felt it before hearing it from me? Or whatever!

Somehow for the entire day I kept thinking about the morning incident. Lot of questions arose inside me. I tried to recall when was the last time I heard this phrase "I'm proud of you". As far as I could go deep inside the layers of my memory I couldn't find anyone other than my parents. They might have said that to me long time ago. Especially my mom. Who has always been an inspiration for me. 

Is it important for me that I should be told by someone that he or she is proud of me? I'm not self sufficient to be proud of myself? And how does it feel or make a difference when someone says that to me? Is that some kind of stamp which I need to realize what I have achieved in life? Or is it an expression of love, care, contentment and pride for the giver and taker both?

I decided to write something about this on my blog. In order to prepare myself for this challenging topic I started thinking what can I do to know more about this expression? Then one day I went to the local market. Instead of going back in my car I decided to walk on the streets and ask random people about it and make a small compilation of their views. 

My house is close to a college so lots of young girls and boys generally stroll during mid noon. Area appears lively seeing so many youngsters around. When we are young we have that vibe and energy within us. 

I was on my mission - I stopped many random girls first (I wanted to gain some confidence before approaching boys as I was more comfortable with similar sex) and requested them if I can shoot their videos or take their pictures to capture their natural reactions while i put up questions to them. But they all refused. I completely understood their inhibitions. But I kept asking them my question - "when was the last time you heard someone telling you "I'm proud of you?" As most of them are still in college so it was heard by them in recent times. They could immediately recall it. Mostly girls could tell their stories like from whom and why they heard it but boys started laughing and wondering. Most of them couldn't recall and many replied to my question - "hamne kahan kuch aisa kiya hai jo hamare parents ko humpe proud ho ( we have not done anything of that stature that our parents should feel proud of us)" - while giggling and shying away.

 I quickly understood one thing that I have to go to different age groups. 

Then I looked for middle age men and women from different walks of life. I stopped many and asked the same thing. None of them could remember or recall this phrase. Then eventually most of them said, they might have heard it in their childhood from parents or teachers. 

Then I went to stores, gyms, salons, schools, where I could speak to working men and women of all ages. And what I found was very interesting. Many working women could recall their past instances of hearing this phrase but not from the parents or family members but from their bosses. And many men also gave positive answers saying that - when they achieved target sale or delivered well in job and been promoted, they heard this phrase coming from their bosses and wives respectively. 

When i asked how they felt when they are being told so, they said it was a wonderful feeling, like top of this world kinds. Their eyes shone and a bright smile appeared on their faces while recalling that moment.

One thing was clear in my head. We often get to hear this phrase from a person who has been with us on our journey. Like mentors or parents or spouses or siblings or bosses and not from a stranger who doesn't know us. Reason behind it is, we can only take pride in something which we have been a part of. 

  

When your parents or mentors or anyone who has been very close to you says this, you feel very happy. It gives you a feeling of achievement. You feel great about yourself and want to work even harder towards your goals. It works like a melody to your ears, a pat on your back when you are tired and you want to regain your energies, a moment to cherish & to be remembered. 

But I'm not finishing here. What about those middle age men and women (mostly housewives, as I specifically asked everyone their age, status, and what they do)? Why is it so that no one says this to them? Do we stop accomplishing after reaching a certain age? Don't we have any ambitions to look forward to? Do we stop learning? Or all these thoughts and expressions don't matter later in life.

Because as the above exercise shows we get to hear it when we are young and accomplishing in life. Constantly learning and achieving. Which we generally stop after a certain age. And mostly women who are housewives, their hard work and commitment to give their families a comfortable life is not acknowledged as an accomplishment by their families ( not generalizing but most of the times ). Hardly any over middle aged man gets to hear this often from his family or friends.

I take pride in whatever I do in my life. But if it's acknowledged by my family, mentors or a close friend and if someday someone says ( only when they really mean it and not after reading this post ;D ) - "I'M PROUD OF YOU", I would treasure that memory in my heart for the rest of my life. 

In this picture here, she's a working mother. Who looks after the house with work like many working moms. She told me - I have said that to my children but no one has ever said that to me. 

He's the newspaper and  magazine vendor. He's in his late fifties. And he has never been told 

anything like this because such topics have no relevance in his or his family members life.

( I would like to express my gratitude to all those people who participated and helped me to write this post )

Happy reading :)

          WHAT DOES CREATIVITY MEAN?

WE ALL HAVE HEARD THIS WORD A LOT - "CREATIVITY". WHEN WE ARE YOUNG WE ARE OFTEN  ASKED TO DO SOME SCHOOL PROJECTS CREATIVELY, ESPECIALLY RELATED TO ART ETC. THEN LATER IN LIFE FEW OF US CHOOSE A CAREER IN CREATIVE FIELDS ALSO LIKE DESIGNING, ART, WRITING, FILM MAKING ETC. AND MANY CHOOSE A DIFFERENT CAREER PATH FOR THEM. PEOPLE WHO WORK IN CREATIVE FIELDS STAY CONNECTED TO IT IN SOME OR THE OTHER WAY BECAUSE OF THEIR NATURE OF WORK. BUT WHAT HAPPENS TO THE LATTER ? DO THEY MOVE AWAY FROM CREATIVITY IN THE RACE OF LIFE? I THINK NO..THEY DON'T. WE ALL HAVE SOME CREATIVITY IN US BUT WHAT WE DO NOT HAVE IS THE POWER TO RECOGNIZE AND REINFORCE. IN OUR BUSY ROUTINES WE OFTEN GIVE BACK SEAT TO OUR CREATIVE SIDES AND GIVE PRIORITY TO OTHER THINGS. WE DON'T REALIZE DOING CREATIVE THINGS CAN BE A GREAT STRESS BUSTING EXERCISE FOR HUMAN BRAIN. IT CAN EASILY TURN THE MUNDANE REALITY INTO AN IMAGINATIVE WORLD.

AS THE TITLE OF MY BLOG ITSELF LEADS YOUR THOUGHTS TOWARDS BEING CREATIVE, I OFTEN THINK WHAT IT ACTUALLY MEANS?AND CAN IT BE TAUGHT TO BE CREATIVE ?

SO MY CURIOSITY TO UNDERSTAND THE CREATIVE WORD AND WORLD BETTER TOOK ME TO INTERNET SURFING. I ENDED UP READING VARIOUS VIEWS ON DIFFERENT WEBSITES. BUT STILL I WAS NOT HAPPY AND SATISFIED WITH WHATEVER I HAD READ. I ASKED MYSELF WHY? WHEN UNANIMOUSLY IT'S BEEN WRITTEN, WHY IS IT DIFFICULT FOR ME TO COMPREHEND?

WHAT I READ ON INTERNET AND WHY I COULD NOT CONNECT -

1. BECAUSE OF THE TECHNICAL LANGUAGE OF THOSE PAGES 

2. EVERYONE WAS TRYING TO WRITE SOMETHING SO "CREATIVELY" THAT IT ACTUALLY BECAME "COMPLICATED" FOR ME.

3. LIBRARIES CURATED WITH A LONG LIST OF BOOKS ON "HOW TO BE A CREATIVE THINKER" ETC.

4. BEING CREATIVE IS A ROCKET SCIENCE.

IN THAT VERY MOMENT I FELT HORRIBLE ABOUT MY WRITING SKILLS AND FOUND EVERYONE BETTER THAN ME. I ALMOST FELT LIKE GIVING UP BLOGGING BECAUSE OF THE PICTURE I CREATED INTO MY MIND ABOUT "CREATIVITY" AFTER ABSORBING THOSE HEAVY VOCABULARY WORDS. MY WRITING IDEAS SUDDENLY DISAPPEARED BECAUSE OF THE IDEAS OF OTHER PEOPLE.

ALL OF A SUDDEN A SINKING FEELING WAS FILLED INTO ME. I WAS STANDING AGAINST THE MONSTER OF "CREATIVITY" WHO WAS ENORMOUS AND READY TO GULP ME DOWN. 

I GAVE SOMETIME TO MYSELF AND LOTS OF THINKING HAPPENED. I STARTED ASKING MYSELF FEW QUESTIONS - 

AM I ENJOYING WHAT I'M DOING? THE ANSWER WAS "YES".

AM I READY TO LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES? THE ANSWER WAS "YES".

AM I AFRAID OF FAILURE? THE ANSWER WAS "NO"

AM I DOING IT TO PROVE MYSELF TO ANYONE? THE ANSWER WAS AGAIN A "NO"

SO WHY AM I NOT FEELING GOOD ABOUT WHAT I'M DOING 😀 I SHOULD RATHER BE HAPPIER ABOUT THE FACT THAT I COULD FOLLOW MY HEART DESPITE OF SO MANY CHALLENGES. 

SO WHAT I FINALLY CONCLUDED IS, SHARING WITH YOU ALL HERE, MY DEFINITION OF BEING CREATIVE OR CREATIVITY :

WE ALL HAVE SOME PART OF US INCLINED TOWARDS CREATIVE THINGS -  MUSIC, DANCING, WRITING, PAINTING, PHOTOGRAPHY, SINGING AND EVEN DAY TO 

DAY COOKING ETC. 

WHEN IT COMES TO EXPRESSING YOUR THOUGHTS, YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCES, LANGUAGE AND GRAMMAR REALLY DOESN'T MATTER. WHAT MATTERS IS THE CONTENT, PASSION YOU PUT INTO IT AND HARD WORK. SOMETIMES WHAT IS SAID OR DONE SIMPLY, CAN WORK FOR YOU THAN HAVING SAID OR DONE IT COMPLICATEDLY. IF YOU ENJOY WHAT YOU DO - IF YOU ARE NOT AFRAID OF YOUR FAILURES- IF YOU ARE WILLING TO TRY NEW THINGS - YOU CAN RETAIN YOUR CREATIVE PART...YOU WON'T LOOSE IT. 

BEING CREATIVE ALSO MEANS BEING YOURSELF. I AGREE WITH WHAT THEY SAY,  IT MEANS THINKING OUT OF THE BOX, UNTWINING YOUR TWINED THOUGHTS AND SO ON...BUT WHERE IS THE ENJOYMENT, LEARNING, BEING YOURSELF ATTITUDE? ONCE YOU LEARN BEING FEARLESS THEN  CREATIVITY COMES NATURALLY TO YOU.

SO JUST LET YOURSELF LOOSE AND LET THE CREATIVITY BEGIN ON IT'S OWN. BELIEVE ME IT IS NOT A ROCKET SCIENCE. IT BRINGS LOTS OF JOY, SELF-RELIANCE, CONFIDENCE AND POWER TO SEE THE UNSEEN IN YOU. 

HAPPY READING :)

THE ADVENT OF THE FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS

TODAY WHEN I WENT TO PICK MY DAUGHTER FROM HER CLASS IN THE EVENING, THIS BEAUTIFUL SET UP ON ONE OF THE  BUSY  ROAD OF NEW DELHI CAUGHT MY ATTENTION. I DECIDED TO CAPTURE IT IN MY LENS. HOW MANY TIMES DO WE ACKNOWLEDGE OR ADMIRE THE BEAUTY AROUND US? AS FAR AS I KNOW IT'S VERY RARE OR ONLY WHEN WE ARE BEING TOLD TO NOTICE IT. 

STREETS OF EVERY CITY IN INDIA ARE GOING TO BE LIT UP AND SHINE LIKE THIS WHEN DEEPAWALI OR DIWALI IS AROUND THE CORNER. I GUESS THE MESSAGE IT BRINGS WITH IT IS TO ILLUMINATE OUR HEARTS AND SPREAD THE  LIGHT OF LOVE, HUMBLENESS AND GIVING IN EACH OTHERS LIVES.

IT'S ONE OF THE MOST FAVORITE TIME FOR ME OF THE YEAR. I LOVE AND 
COMPLETELY ENJOY DOING UP A RANGOLI ALMOST EVERY YEAR TO WELCOME GODDESS LAKSHMI INTO OUR ABODE. I STRONGLY BELIEVE WHEN YOU DO SUCH TRADITIONAL THINGS, YOU PASS IT ON TO YOUR CHILDREN. THEY WATCH YOU DOING THIS AND REGISTER IT IN THEIR MINDS FOR REST OF THEIR LIVES. SOMETIMES THEY PARTICIPATE AND BECOME A PART OF THE PROCESS AND LEARN TEAMWORK FROM SUCH SMALL DAILY EXERCISES. AND YOU END UP SPENDING SOME QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR FAMILY. ISN'T IT GREAT?

HERE I'M SHARING SOME PICTURES OF MY RANGOLIS :

AS YOU CAN SEE HERE THESE RANGOLI DESIGNS ARE LITTLE UNCONVENTIONAL. ABOVE IS A LANDSCAPE OF DEEPAWALI NIGHT AND BELOW IT'S MY FAMILY (that time my younger daughter was not born, so she's not been drawn)

I HOPE AFTER READING THIS, YOU ARE GOING TO TRY SOMETHING MORE CREATIVE THIS DEEPAWALI.

HAPPY READING :)

"Candy Table"

On 14th September,2016, my elder daughter was going to turn 7.As usual we both were super excited and were looking forward to it.
We decided to host a house party.I didn't have to convince her much for it as she knows her mumma very well ;)

I put on my party hat days before her actual birthday and started designing the theme, decorations and food menu.

Once when most of the things were jotted down in my naturally inbuilt mind diary..i started to shop (most of the women in the world love shopping :D)

I chose an orange and beige theme for her birthday bash.And decided to set up a candy table. So I converted my dining table into a sumptuously, eye catching and sinfully delish piece of furniture in my house.(picture attached above)

It had homemade cupcakes, cake pops, pretzels, marshmallows and jelly cups made by me with some sugar but more love. Other than these I had displayed lots of color coordinated candies, cookies, apricots, magic stix, orange and mango juices and  jelly beans ( which i tried making at home too but failed :D)

While setting it up I went back into my childhood and started recalling candies which i used to relish as a kid. And all these popped into my head :

Hope these pictures reminded you of your small sweet tooth too. I really enjoyed having these and many more. And to my surprise I went and bought few of these recently and shared not just the candies with my girls but my childhood memories also. We enjoyed doing it hope you also will.

Here I would like to share history and some fun facts about candies. Click on the given link to explore more :

https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=4&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiC7rXC_6_PAhXCqo8KHVQkDfIQFgg5MAM&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.candyhistory.net%2Fcandy-origin%2Ffirst-candy%2F&usg=AFQjCNHSrYfXV8RimuVF6IqoCW0FKV30hw&sig2=VgDwi99vwPnXaiyInpiU_w

As i always say please do share your thoughts in the comment box below. Happy reading!!

                       WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU DID             SOMETHING FOR THE FIRST TIME ?

Another weekend !! Another expectation !!

Today morning for the very first time I decided to try egg Bhurjee. Though he always wanted me to try but I was always reluctant. But then suddenly something struck me in my head. And that was "WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME I DID SOMETHING FOR THE FIRST TIME?" And in that moment I decided to drown my inhibition.

And voila!! Here's some delish egg Bhurjee on my plate...soft and simmering. It tasted so good that I wondered why I always kept my taste buds deprived of this taste [ FYI it was cooked by me ;) ]. 

So after trying something for the first time i started contemplating about how we become so adamant or develop a belief in something without even trying and keep ourselves away from it for rest of our lives. Most of the times we keep giving up on things without even trying them once. 

Many of us want to explore various things in life but don't do it. It's not that someone is stopping you. Because if you really want no one can change your conviction. Situation and circumstances can be tough and challenging. 
So why do we don't try new things? It is actually because of "fear". We start all the thinking with two words before doing something new "what if.." And on the other hand we always want to do routine things because there is no risk at all.
                      But what is life without challenges !!

Dear readers and friends please do share when was the last time you tried something new? And do let me know if this write up has helped you in any way. Happy reading :)

childhood remembrance

Day before yesterday I was walking towards a medical shop to buy a back rest pillow for my father-in-law. His back was aching badly so he wanted one. When I crossed a shop on my way, a sudden smell of spices went into my nose. A very strong smell which reminded me of my childhood days. I couldn't stop my feet from moving towards that small spice-stinky shop. Indeed it reminded me of something. 

When I was a kid, my paternal uncles used to deal in spices. They had a big godown in their house which was a three story building in the middle of the main bazaar of our small town in Uttar Pradesh, India. My cousins and I used to play there all day long. Especially hide and seek...what a joy it was!!

There was a small pooja-room (temple-room) also in one dingy corner of that godown, where both my Taiji's (wives of my uncles) used to come everyday to worship their God. Any important festival or occasion was incomplete without a visit to that spice godown. Nevertheless that fragrance of strong Indian spices has always remained somewhere there in my system.

I was accompanied by my elder daughter and the moment i decided to enter that shop she threw a fit. "mumma mumma I can't come inside with you...this smell is burning my nose". 

The smell which was burning her small cute nose was actually soothing to my heart and reminded me of my childhood spent amidst Indian joint family culture.

Dear readers please do share which smell brings a childhood remembrance for you?

 Happy reading :)