Health is Fun with Sunfeast Farmlite

'Health is the greatest wealth.'

'Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live.'

'Good health and good sense are two of life's greatest blessings.'

Since childhood these eternal pearls of wisdom have been making a regular appearance in my life.  While at school, the teachers never missed out on any opportunity to reinforce the importance of health, and how 'health was the real wealth', at home my parents used similar idioms and expressions while force-feeding me and my younger brother all kinds of 'healthy' vegetable concoctions (read karela and other green vegetables). Every time my brother and I would gulp down those mouthfuls of bitter karela, we would mentally curse the know-it-alls who had nothing better to do than invent atrocious food items like karela and shove it down the throats of hapless children like us.

And since those traumatic karela days, I developed an aversion to all lofty pearls of wisdom like 'health is wealth'. All sorts of product advertisements espousing some health benefit or the other at best evoked either a smirk or an indifferent shrug from me. But his indifferent attitude only lasted till about a few days ago. Yes, you read that right, till about a few days ago. So what happened a few days ago that caused this change of perception, you might be wondering, and rightly so. So the answer, ladies and gentleman, is that a few days ago I came across this super fun and entertaining campaign by Sunfeast Farmlite, creating awareness about the combination of health and fitness through their 'Health is fun with Farmlite' films.

Sunfeast Farmlite is the new biscuit range from ITC Foods and this one boasts of a 'perfect combination' of taste and health - with wheat and oats, and raisins and almonds all coming together to create a healthy and delectable fusion cookie.

Fun and Fitness Go Together

Sunfeast's 'Health is fun with Farmlite' is an engaging and entertaining amalgamation of fun and fitness fundas, focussing on the fact that fitness can be incorporated in one's everyday chores and these chores and seemingly routine activities go a long way in helping one to achieve set fitness goals.These points have been beautifully put across through the Farmlite Bytes Film Festival - a collection of fun films about fitness! While the playlist of this festival boasts of interesting short films, my favourite from among the many fun videos is the Striker Strikes Back by Manu Singh.

Striker Strikes Back is a quirky and fun take on your mundane game of carrom. Oh I forget, it' NOT your mundane game of carrom, it is in fact the Carrom Premier League, where the 3-times world champions white coins have put up a tough game against the black coins and their 'striker' is the relatively unfit and lazy Dubey ji. Now since Dubey ji is not so quick on the board, all his attempts to woo down the 'Queen of Hearts' fail. Alas! Disappointed, but not yet giving up, Dubey ji eats healthy, tones down, and in no time is fit enough to tackle the black and white coins. And lo and behold, he wins over the Queen of Hearts too! See the lesson there? Winning is so much fun and easy - you've just got to be fit and healthy!

Another fun and super quirky video is the one inspired by the many tele-shopping network advertisements - you know, the ones featuring models waxing eloquent about their lives before and after using a certain product. This fun video titled 'Homework Kiya' by Anurag Goswami centres around this obese bhaisahab who has lost all his self esteem thanks to his bulging belly. Adding insult to injury, even his wife is not too happy with the 'not-so-fit-and-smart' husband, choosing to ignore him more often than not. Sigh. But then bhaisahab wakes up to the importance to fitness, does his homework and makes it a point to make an effort to get fit. He does not have the time or the inclination to go to the gym and sweat at the machines, so what does he do? He eats healthy and helps the wifey with the household chores!

A Campaign Beyond the Clichés

Sunfeast's 'Health is fun with Farmlite' is engaging and entertaining, to say the least. Going beyond the clichés of showcasing the subject of health and fitness in a serious light, this campaign focusses on a fun approach - of using light-hearted short films to enlighten the audience about importance of fitness and how one can achieve that through everyday activities. Besides the films discussed above, the other films in the playlist too are entertaining and connect fun and fitness in similar vein. And they are all driving the same point home -

• Health and fitness need not necessarily mean sweating out in fancy gyms, twisting and turning around mean gym equipments; trying out some routine household chores too can help you burn those calories!
• Dance! From garba to classical to freestyle - whatever suits your fancy - try it! It will not just drive your blues away but will also help you keep fit and active.
• If dancing is not your thing, and the idea of exercise too bogs you down, then go for nature walks, hikes, treks! Connect with nature, walk down those winding trails and see how it works wonder on your body and soul!
• Eat Healthy - But of course. And oh yes, you can absolutely stay away from the awful karela if you wish, for now there's a lot of other healthy (and tasty) stuff to compensate for the not-so-missed absence of karela. Besides the grains and vegetables, and fruits and nuts, there are fusion snacks too - snacks that are balanced combinations of taste and health, say something like Sunfeast Farmlite.

By the way, have you tried Sunfeast Farmlite? If you have, then do share your review of these healthy munchies! I personally love the oats and raisins combo!

This post is a part of 'Health is fun with Farmlite' campaign on Indiblogger.

Healthy Child, Happy Home!

Rehaan, the explorer!

This is my four year old nephew Rehaan – happy, curious, and wondering, ever ready to learn new things and experience all the excitement that the as yet limited exposure to life offers him. He loves the outdoors – take him to the park and within minutes he’s all over the place, trying all the rides, exploring the park, curious about the trees and flowers, the little insects, the butterflies, in short he has a wondering mind that wants to know everything - why the butterfly gives no butter? why the flower is pink but the leaves are green? why the dog barks but the duck quacks? And like most kids, he will sulk when it’s time to get back home.

Checking out a raccoon at the zoo

'Can I hold it please?'

Mom look, an opossum!

Rehaan loves animals and at the zoo, is absolutely a sight to behold  - with his animated curiosity about the animals - why the elephant is gray but the zebra has stripes? The parrots are so colourful but the swan only has white? At times, it's difficult to keep pace with him - questions, observations, answers - all mingled up in the conversation that we adults often dismiss as kid talk.

Nothing less than a dinosaur cake for me please!

You must be wondering why I am singing paeans about Rehaan.  He's just like any young kid, you must be wondering. Yes he is. Very much so. But he's also a super healthy child, not prone to falling sick, thanks too his super immune system. Touch wood and touch Dabur Chyawanprash for that. Hahah, I kid not. My mom and Rehaan's dadi (grandmother), calls it a rambaan for all those big and small illnesses that children come down with. Constant colds, runny noses, fevers and flus, stomach bugs - it's very rare that Rehaan bugs us with these issues thanks to the daily dose of a spoonful of Dabur Chyawanprash every day.

How Dabur Chyawanprash helps

Children's immune system is quite prone to taking a hit since they are exposed to a variety of food substances with all kinds of preservatives, additives and artificial colours added to them. These food items look attractive to the eyes but more often than not, have adverse effect on the digestive system. Besides this, with different kinds of pollution the kids are now exposed to, their immune system needs super boosting to help take on various infections and diseases. And times tested herbal mix Dabur Chayawanprash has anti-oxidant properties and helps to strengthen your body's internal defence mechanism - the immune system - thereby protecting you from day to day infections such as cough, cold etc.

Chyawanprash, a time-tested, age-old formulation has a number of herbs like Amla, known to be one of the best antioxidants, Giloy (Guduchi), known to have immuno-modulatory properties, and has more than 40 other natural ingredients.
Dabur Chyawanprash’s magnificent brew of Ayurvedic herbs strengthens the body’s natural defence mechanism by stimulating your NK cells* (Natural Killer Cells). NK cells assist in fighting with virus and bacteria in your body, thus giving us increased immunity from various infection.

Let's swing it!

And so this is why I have presented Rehaan as a perfect example of a healthy, happy child. One look at Rehaan, and everyone is content that he's growing right - happy and healthy. A healthy child makes for a happy home. Everyone knows that we need to not unnecessarily worry about Rehaan falling sick - for all that ashwgandha, guduchi, satavari and the many other magical fancy herbs in the Dabur Chyawanrash are doing their work to ensure that Rehaan and of course everyone else in the house remains healthy. So with Dabur Chyawanprash around, one can always count on increased immunity from infections. On this healthy note, here's wishing you a healthy and happy Diwali! 

This post is written for Dabur India's #ImmuneIndia blogging drive in association with Indiblogger.

UNICEF Launches 'Baap Wali Baat'

UNICEF's latest report says that one in four adolescent girls experience physical violence. This report, 'a compilation of data revealing the magnitude of violence against adolescent girls' lists down some alarming statistics - 

• Almost one quarter of girls aged 15 to 19 worldwide (approximately 70 million) report being victims of some form of physical violence since age 15.
• Around 120 million girls under the age of 20 worldwide (about 1 in 10) have experienced forced intercourse or other forced sexual acts, and one in 3 ever-married adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 (84 million) have been victims of emotional, physical or sexual violence committed by their husbands or partners.
• Data suggest that in some countries, as many as seven in 10 girls aged 15 to 19 who had been victims of physical and/or sexual abuse had never sought help: many said they did not think it was abuse or did not see it as a problem.
• Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were married before their 18th birthday. More than one in three (about 250 million) entered into union before age 15.

The enormity of these facts and figures is overwhelming. Needless to say, there's an urgent need to raise awareness about violence against girls and educating people about their right to education. To this effect, UNICEF's new anthem 'Baap Wali Baat' is sure to strike a chord with the people.

Launched on the eve of International Day of the Girl Child - October 11 - 'Baap Wali Baat' is an anthem that presents a violence-free scenario, where girls are given all the freedom and equal opportunity to flourish. A part of UNICEF India's #ItStartsWithMe #EndViolence campaign, this anthem aims at inspiring all the fathers to nourish and help their daughters to blossom into strong and independent individuals. The song also pays tribute to those fathers who go all out in support of their daughters' dreams and aspirations.

And what a coincidence it is that this anthem is unveiled on a day when the Nobel Peace Prize for the year has been awarded to two leading child rights activists - Kailash Satyarthi and Malala Yousafzay, for their relentless struggle for children's rights. One can only hope that developments such as this pave way for a better future for not just the girl child but for all the oppressed and deprived children in general.

Coming back to Baap Wali Baat, this song has the 'baat' to make people aware of the challenges faced by girl child and come forward to pledge their support to the cause of #EndViolence. Let us too spread the word and share our support for this campaign. The #EndViolence #ItStartsWithMe campaign aims at raising awareness about different forms of violence, including physical, emotional, sexual and child marriage. Join hands and take a step to #EndViolence against children. I can #EndViolence because #ItStartsWithMe.

Observed on October 11, the International Day of the Girl Child was declared to recognise girls' rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. This year, the theme is Empowering Adolescent Girls: Ending the Cycle of Violence.

Bucketing Some Dreams

Okay, so first things first. This is my first attempt at writing for an IndiSpire topic. In the past, every time a topic which was to my liking came up, I would mentally attempt it, scribble a few lines in some obscure corner of my mind and then promptly abandon it there. I had almost abandoned this one too, after scrawling a couple of to-dos on the imaginary wall of the black hole that my mind is, but then something struck a chord and I had to reclaim it back. No, I thought, I was not abandoning this one, no I was not going to give up on this one too. And so here I am, bucketing some dreams for the first time in a long, long time.

So the topic for this edition of IndiSpire is: Ten things you must do before you die or else you would feel like a loser on a death bed. Let's share and motivate each other about life. Let's dream about life.

The cynic in me generally brushes aside concepts like bucket lists and must-dos, but I was tempted to indulge this topic for it said, 'let's dream about life'. The word dream not only inspired me to write, this clause also freed me from cynical dismissal of the concept of bucket-lists, since the word 'dream' gives me the freedom to pour my heart out and still be aloof from the pressure of going all out to make this 'bucket-list' come true. Paradox, isn't it? 

Anyway, here's my list.

1. Set up free tea and snack kiosks on the route from Katra to Vaishno Devi - One winter night, a couple of years ago, I was trekking up to Vaishno Devi temple from Katra, our small group tstopping in between for cups of tea to keep ourselves warm. Now, the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board has made decent arrangements for the the devotees to take a break while they are walking up the steep road to the temple. There are enough shelters and canteens where one can rest and refuel themselves for the walk/climb ahead. These canteens offer refreshments at reasonable rates, but even with the subsidized rates, for the porters who help haul up luggage carts as well as weak and old pilgrims, it leaves a dent in their already light pockets. So I wish that someday I am able to help set up enough free tea kiosks on this route, so that the porters and other daily wagers here can have tea and snacks for free. 

2. A road trip across the country - There's so much to explore in our country - from the ethereal Himalayas in the north to the mesmerising tea estates of the south, from the cascading sand dunes in the west to the pristine landscape of the east, from ancient ruins to intricate architectural delights, our country is a treasure trove full of natural delights. I wish I get a chance to travel to every nook and corner of the country and explore it all and make friends everywhere. How wonderful it would be to able to connect with people from all over the country! 

3.  Be an expert swimmer and diver - I know swimming all right, but I wish I could do it better.  I want to be a better and confident swimmer so I do not shy away from swimming in natural water bodies. Also I love diving but find the big pools intimidating. So this is one skill I really dream of mastering.

4. Be an expert driver - I keep forgetting the basics of driving all the time. I remember long long ago when I was learning to drive for the first time, the person who was coaching me had to coax me at every turn to go ahead and take the turn. And I would fumble every time, scared that I will bump into some hapless passer by. I am yet to overcome that fear and because of this I keep giving up on driving. I need to overcome this fear and I wish someday I am a driver confident enough to drive on the national highways on my own.

5. Own a book store cum cafe - Oh, I am sure many of us have this dream. So wish some day I am financially comfortable enough to set up a little book store of my own, and a cafe to go with it. Nothing fancy, just your basic tea-and-cookies kind, where one can sit and sip endless cups of tea while browsing through their favourite books.

6. Have a few travel books to my name - I should be prioritising this, but the procrastinator in me wins all the time. I have a travel blog but most of the times I am either too lazy or too zoned out to update it regularly. So I wish I win the war against procrastination and seriously get down to penning my big and small travel tales. 

7.  Explore Machu Pichu - Very few ancient sites have left me as intrigued as the Machu Pichu ruins in Peru. This 15th-century Inca site was built at the height of Inca empire but abandoned a century later. There are several theories about why it was abandoned. Every time I read stories about its rise and subsequent decline, and see the photos of the captivating ruins, I have a strong urge to trek up and explore every part of this panoramic site.

8. Sail across the world - I have never been on a ship and the idea sounds very brave and romantic. Given my love for history and geography, it would be a dream come true if I get an opportunity to sail across the world. It would be so exciting to see for real all the fanciful names I studied in Geography classes - Gulf of Alaska, Strait of Gibraltar, Bermuda Triangle, Baffin Bay, et al.

9. Own a small cottage somewhere up in the mountains -  Ah, this is a long cherished dream, to be away from the madness that city life is and set up a quiet life somewhere deep in the mountains. Why, I even wrote a poem on it! You can read it here.

10. Make efforts to make sure the nine dreams listed here come true.  Oh yes!

So I have finally made a bucket list and it was fun. In fact bucket lists are fun. I guess the term bucket list should be replaced with the words 'hope list', for they make you want to live. Okay, enough. Let me pull down the shutters before I start philosophising.

Little Black Things

Some call Black powerful

for royalty it stands,

some dismiss it as evil,

strengthening wicked hands.

When Blogadda asked bloggers to list 5 black items that they wish for, it got me thinking. What the black! Black is all around us - in sophistication and in mundane. From elegant couture dresses to expensive luxury cars, from sleek fancy gadgets to hi-tech DSLRs, from handmade footwear to rough and tough cookware, black adorns all aspects of our lives! From the physical to the metaphysical, from the tangible to the intangible, black is everywhere. A colour that is eternal. So if I were to wish for 5 black things, what would I wish for? I do not long for designer dresses, Lamborghinis, BMWs and Aston Martins do not tempt me, there's no longing for fancy accessories - watches, handbags, footwear, et al.

Fancy cars tempt me not,
gadgets do not score,
Little things make me happy,
and that's what I wish for.

Yes, it's the little things that I yearn for, and they make me happy. A cursory contemplation and 5 black things that I would love to have is ready. You might consider them mundane, but I know that they will make my many a dull days exciting! Here they are!

1. BLACK MARBLES

Glossy black marbles,
they glitter and they shine,
wish I had a bagful of them
So I could boast they are mine!

2. BLACK PUPPY

Tiny little puppy,

to love and care for,

We both will play together,

and none will be a bore!

3. BASKETFUL OF BLACKBERRIES

A basket full of berries black
would fill me with delight,

it's tasty and healthy too

Oh I am craving for a bite!

4. BLACK COUTURE HAT

Couture hats intrigue me,

so creative they are

a black piece I would love to own,

and act like a Hollywood star!

5. Black Tea

Black tea is healthy,
for body and for mind,
you would want to share a cup,
it's taste is so refined.

So this is my list of 5 little black things that I desire. Hope you enjoyed the post. There's another list too, but the items there are not so little! You can read that list here, and let me know what's your take on the items listed! :)

This post is a part of #WhatTheBlack activity at BlogAdda.com

The Black List

Borne out of black,

to its solemnity we'll return,

Some will rest under the earth,

On pyres some will burn.

The colour black - solemn and eternal. Science calls it the absence of or absorption of light. The darkest colour, the opposite of white, it never ceases to intrigue. Generally associated with all that is intimidating, this mystical colour stands for the depths of the unknown, all that is beyond the earthy realm. But when it comes to fashion and luxury, black is big. It is bold. It's glamorous, it's royal, it's sophistication personified. 

When Blogadda asked bloggers to list 5 black items that they wish for, it got me thinking. The symbolism of the colour attracted me towards it - black magic, black humour, black cloak, a meeting with Sirius Black  - I wanted to it have it all. Maybe sometime in future. For now, here are the 5 black things I desire.

1. A Black Sheep

Baa baa black sheep,
Do not feel unloved
You have me to care for you,
Isn't that enough?

Strange that a thing so lovely and innocent epitomises worthlessness in our materialistic, obsessed-with-success world. The popular idiom related to black sheep describes someone who is an outcast in the family and society - someone who is not very mainstream and instead refuses to conform. I wish I have a black sheep for company, and together we will roam the distant pastures. Two creatures who are different and yet alike, an unlikely paradox. We will make for good company.

2. Black Belt

Training in self defence,

is now need of the hour.

To protect thyself from harm,

To fight back and not to cower.

Expertise in a self defence art is not a fancy skill any more. It's the need of the hour. Every day we are subject to atrocities of different kind, some subtle, some very in your face. Women are being manhandled, beaten and raped. For many, the atrocities are mental - in the form of harassment and verbal bullying. High time we all learnt a self defence technique - to not just equip our comparatively frail body to fight back, but also train our minds to always remain alert.

3. Black Clouds

The sun is beating down on us,

Heat taking a toll,

Black clouds come bless us please

Soothe our stifled souls.

I am yearning for black clouds. In my part of the world, the harsh sun is busy burning the already baked earth. Fear of a drought looms large. Everyone's listless - humans, animals, birds. Roads smell of burning tar, mirages far down the burning road are driving the drivers delirious, and the humidity is stifling. I want the black clouds to come rolling by, to stay put here for a while. Wish they come visiting soon, shower their ware around and make the wait worth the while.

4. Black Starry Sky

Twinkle twinkle little star,
The rhyme is now a myth
Cut down the skyscrapers please,
get a magical scythe.

My beautiful black sky has gone missing. It has disappeared beyond the many million skyscrapers. From the little windows of my house, I look up to catch some corner of the sky, but its the concrete of the neighbouring buildings that mocks me instead, smirking at my incredulous wish to gaze at the black star-lit sky. How I wish to go camping in the open, and lie down by my tent at night and gaze endlessly at the black sky with its many million glittering stars smiling down at me.

5. Black Box of MH370

A plane flying high,

disappeared from the sky,

its black box is still not found

despite many a try.

The last item on my black wishlist is the Black Box of MH370. This is just another wishful thinking, but how I wish this comes true and the experts are able to solve the mystery behind the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. While this will not bring back the victims of the crash back, it will most definitely give a bearable closure to the family and friends of the victims of this baffling tragedy.

So this was my take on the 5 black things I desire. Hope you enjoyed the post. Do share your thoughts and also your black wish list. It would be fun to compare notes!

This post is a part of #WhatTheBlack activity at BlogAdda.com

Memories That Zest Up My Life!

Happy memories zest me up. On dull mundane days, when it feels like inanity has crept all around, there comes a whiff of a happy event and nostalgia takes over, charging me up with energy and enthusiasm. On days, when nothing seems to be going right and self-doubt attempts to overtake my mind, I take a break and go back to the happy memories of achievements. These, and a good cup of green tea, and there I am, all zesty and raring to take challenges head on. 

They say every passing moment becomes a memory, while whatever we consider mundane gradually fades out, the special ones hinges itself to the prominent corners of our heart and mind and remain there, making an appearance and cheering us up very now and then. Here are the five memories close to my heart!

1. My First Swimming Lesson

It took me a long time to overcome my fear of swimming. My parents had been insisting that I learn this life-saving skil for quite a while, but no, I was sure I would not even last for a minute in the pool, and the 'life-saving' skill would actually turn 'life-taking' for me. Every time I convinced myself to learn this skill, paranoia  would strike the moment I got near the pool! But then one fine day, after enough of convincing and cajoling from parents, friends and the swimming instructor, I just gave in! Just like that! Some hiccups and there I was alternatively floating and splashing around in the shallow end of the pool! It was magical! And now every-time I am inside a swimming pool, leisurely lapping across its length, I cannot help but laugh at my silly notions!  While the thought that I was once mighty scared of pools amuses me, the fact that I overcame that fear fills me up energy and enthusiasm. It motivate me surge ahead and tackle all challenges head on.

Swimming pools are scary? No!

2. My First Job

What an incredible feeling it is to be called a professional, to be at work, and to be responsible for the growth of an organisation! I know, I know, you must be smirking here! For many of us a few years of working has already taken its toll, boredom or exhaustion has set in and this feeling of graduating from being a student to being a working professional has worn out, replaced by stoic acknowledgement of mundane office work-life routine! True that, but still every time I think of my first job as a news trainee at ABP News, it zests me up!

3. My First Salary

Oh the joys of receiving my first salary! The crisp SMS arriving in my phone announcing that my salary has been credited in my account! So many years and I can still recall the day vividly! Eating out with my own, shopping and splurging on gifts for my loved ones! And no one, absolutely no one to play spoilsport in my shopping spree! One happy, fulfilling and thankful day it was and the memory of the day 

4. My First Solo Trip

My memories of my first solo trip zest up many a travel conversations I have with traveller friends! I went all the way up to Mcleodganj in Himachal Pradesh and stayed there on my own for a couple of months.

The lovely family I lived with!

In Mcleodganj, I lived with a local family who took care of my lodging and boarding, and my days there were spent wandering deep into the mountains exploring the waterfalls and local tribes settled there. I also participated in quite many adventure and volunteering activities there. One volunteering activity that I always cherish would be working at a child care centre looking after Tibetan kids who either had a single parent going to work daily or were parent less. I think this was a great experience, contributing my bit as a traveller, and memories of this trip always keep inspiring to surge ahead and never shy away from trying something new.

5. Nano Drive With MTV

Tiger(s) spotting in Maharashtra, surfing on playful waves in Andhra Pradesh, scuba diving in rough Orissa sea and last but not in any way the least, ghost hunting in a West Bengal hill station - these experiences and a hundred more - I lived them all in one epic road trip that I was fortunate enough to be a part of. And this road trip was Nano Drive with MTV Season 2 – a travel show that involved 21 days of travel across the country in Tata Nano. 

Nano Drive with MTV - 21 days on the road

This was the best trip of my life! For one, never in my wildest imaginations I had ever thought that a road trip this long, covering this great a part of our country could ever become a reality for me. But as they say, strange are the ways of the world, I was chosen to be a part of the show with a few other travel junkies and experience India like never before! Whenever I feel down and out, exhilarating memories of this incredible trip do their bit to add zest to my life!

So that was a bit about my favourite memories! Hope you enjoyed the post! Do share thoughts about your favourite people, places, memories and experiences! Would love to exchange notes! :) 

This post is a part of the #ZestUpYourLife activity in association with TATA Zest and BlogAdda.com

Raising a Toast to Mardaani

'I've often thought it unfair that women are expected to stay at home when there's a fight to be won. If a woman has the strength to bear a child, she can swing  a sword as well as any man.'

Karen Hawkins, How to Abduct a Highland Lord

We women are a strange specie. Fragile and yet strong, yielding and yet determined - the perfect paradox, that’s what we all are. But the fact remains that there are so many shades to our personality. Yes, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US has many different shades within us. We might be all laid-back for days, but push us to an extreme, and there you see a different woman, all geared up, picking herself up and emerging stronger than ever.  She’s a mardaani, for she refuses to give in and blame it all on fate.

And here I proudly present one such mardaani from amongst us - Mrs. Aarti Goel

Aarti Goel with her husband

Aarti comes across as a petite every-day woman, your friendly next-door neighbour who loves supervising the household chores, picking her daughter from the school and spending time with her family. So what’s so special in that – you must be wondering, and rightly so. So many us do these and more. Yes. But what makes Aarti special is the fact that when is she is not involved in the mundane household and office routines, she is trained enough to ply passengers on Delhi roads. You read that right. Aarti is the second registered woman auto-driver in Delhi.

Aarti Goel - Challenging stereotypes

Always ready to take challenges head-on, Aarti is an inspiration for all. I first met her while on a road trip to Lansdowne. We had stopped over for a tea break at the same dhaba. Her's was a regular family, chatting away delightfully about this and that, and since my friend and I were the only other people eating there, they invited us to join them for tea. And it was there, sitting with them, and lazily sipping my extra milky tea that I discovered that the husband whom I had started addressing as Sushil bhaiya, only had one hand. I also discovered that they too were headed to Lansdowne and it was the wife Aarti who was driving them all to their destination. There was an awkward silence after this discovery, and it was Aarti who dispelled the quietness that had suddenly taken over our group. Calmly she narrated to us how many years ago her husband had met with an accident, resulting in the loss of an arm. Initially she found it difficult to get over the cruel incident and faced difficulty coping with the unfortunate developments. But she soon realised that the onus to reclaim her family's happiness was on her. She had to get a grip on not just her life.

That's me with Aarti Goel and her daughter Samiksha Goel

And she had to start from scratch. While earlier she had been a happy-go-lucky middle class wife who was dependent on her husband for all things big and small, now it was time to take the steering wheels in her hand - literally as well as metaphorically. Soon she learnt driving and was assisting her husband at his petrol pump and motor workshop. One thing led to another and now she's a trained auto-rickshaw driver too.

Aarti Goel is a mardaani in every sense of the world. Like the proverbial phoenix, she has risen from the ashes to reclaim her family's happiness. She did not give in or blame fate for the misfortunes that came her way. Rather she worked around the misfortunes and wrote a new destiny for herself. 

Aarti Goel's story has been covered by a couple of newspapers already, but it would be great to see her story inspiring people beyond Delhi. Hope the stories of grit and determination of all such mardaanis motivates us all to be positive and determined in the face of challenges.

Mission Megma: Doing Right

The past week had been terrible. Unmet expectations, sundry drawbacks, exhausting but not adequately rewarding work pressure, and the big tug of war between the material and the immaterial needs. 'Disappointed' was the big word of the week. 

And with this down and out state of mind I sat down to read about the latest half story of Tata Capital's Do Right - Half Story initiative. This half story is about Mr. Chandrakumar Pradhan and his dilapidated 3-room school in Megma, a sleepy remote village located on the Indo-Nepal border, on the Singalila ridge at an altitude of approx 10,000 ft. above sea level.  A cursory glance through the story and I learn that Mr. Pradhan has retired as the Principal of Saraswati Mandir School, where he had been working since he was 19 years old. 

Even after retirement, Mr. Pradhan continues to teach the 20 odd students here, all for his passion for teaching. The humble 3-room school is in a state of disrepair, with walls peeling off, blackboards cracked up and not-so black any-more and benches that are all run-down and shaky. There's not enough stationary too. When the basic supplies run out, Mrs Neela, the only other teacher at the school, a mother figure for the students, helps them with practising their lessons on the floor, with chalk outlines and stones placed on top of them.

The run-down Saraswati Mandir School in Megma, on the Indo-Nepal border

Cracked and not-so-black blackboard in the classroom

The students come from economically weaker families but want to continue studying

The students at this school come from economically weaker families. There are days when they have to go without meals. They use their pencils right till they become stubs in their little hands, so the idea of good stationary items and a decent school kit is but a distant dream for them.  And this is just what Mr. Pradhan wishes for his students - basic stationary and supplies to keep their love for learning alive.

Mr. Chandrakumar Pradhan features in this video and shares his dreams for his school with the viewers. Despite the many shortcoming he faces everyday, the warmth and happy tilt in his voice and the light in his eyes lighten up my spirit too. 

 

The dedication and passion is inspiring indeed - but what warms up my heart is the selfless spirit - Mr. Pradhan does it all, and gives private tuitions too - without charging a single rupee for his services.  Wow! Here we are, the lesser mortals, expressing disappointment over this and that, and here's this gentleman - warm and encouraging with much passion for his work, despite the many challenges he faces everyday.

Mr. Pradhan's half story inspires us all. It inspires us to be selfless and to think beyond the I-Me-Myself syndrome that we have all got caught up in. It motivates us all to be more giving and to reach out to those who are less privileged than we are. So let us all help Mr. Pradhan in his selfless mission of educating the kids with lesser means and ensuring that every house in this remote village is educated.

 With the kindness of many 'Do-Righters', his immediate need of blackboards for the school and stationary kits for the 20 students has been met with. But we all know, a humble school with humble students has many a humble needs - uniforms, woollens, basic furniture...little things that make the process and experience of learning better and cherished. So do contribute whatever you can towards this noble cause. Let us all 'Do Right' and make Mission Megma our own. A happy ending to the Megma half story is in our hands.

Mr. Pradhan, working at the school since he was 19

About the Do Right - Half Stories initiative:

Tata Capital's Do Right - Half Stories campaign is a journey to identify unique stories of courage, perseverance and determination from some of the remotest parts of the country, highlighting the challenges faced by the individuals/communities living there and letting ordinary citizens step in and support their needs and dreams, effectively scripting a happy end to their stories.

For more details about this heart warming initiative by Tata Capital, please do visit the Do Right website. Details of how you can help and support the cause are given on the website.