Imphal And The Beautiful Manipur

I am somewhere near Imphal but never really got a chance to see the city. So its great when you have guests come over and my in laws coming from Jaipur- a city where you just don't see the lush green mountains like you see in Manipur. And this was great option for a quick get away. And since we had a home here, it adds to the pleasure of having a grandson to play as well. 

We started to explore the beautiful Manipur and though it's not a hot tourist place in India, we did end up having loads of fun. 

Khuga Dam

Started as to provide electricity and water to the villages around, Khuga dam has a beautiful picturesque location with tiny villages occupying the hills around. The locals catch fish here and you can see a solitary gondolas sometimes making tours around the lake. We went for boating here and it was fun to have a little picnic too.

A View from the boat

The Lone Fisherman

Kangla Fort

Kangla fort was earlier the palace of Imphal. There is Imphal river surrounding the palace, beautifying the remains of this fort. As you go inside, the premises spread really wide and you can visit the Govindji temple inside.

Govindji Temple

World War II Cemetery

The moment you enter the cemetery, you are awed by how well-kept the memorial has been maintained and a sense of peace prevails as you go around the grave and read the heartfelt epigrams. And when you notice how young they must have to give up their lives, it's really heartbreaking. Visitors, relatives come all over the world to pay their respects to their ancestors and you get quiet a crowd them they hold a formal ceremony once in a year. 

The cemetery looks calm

Loktak Lake

Floating islands

The lake is the most beautiful sight you would come across and it's known for the floating islands all over it. There is also a tiny house on the floating island that moves with the wind. It has commercial boating facilities where one could go and have a great experience on this lake. If you want to get a bite then "Classic" has come up with a resort and a restaurant on the hill that gives you an amazing view. 

The view of loktak late in the evening

Shopping

The best part about going to Imphal was getting my shopping done. I had a difficult choice in choosing what I wanted because you see a spread of colors in front of you. The handloom is really popular and there are choices from Manipur silk and cotton sarees, Mekhlas (wrap-arounds), House- gowns, Suit pieces in cotton and silks, Bedsheets, ties. 

The manipuri embriodary that actually costs you an arm and a leg 

Light Of My Life

"The day you were born,

you touched my soul.

You were the missing link,

that made my life whole.

Those beautiful blue eyes,

stare at me in awe.

Gazing at the woman

Who just became your mom."

The light of my life is always ‘love’. The time when I fell in love with a man who just swept me off my feet, an officer in the army who loved me for who I was rather than changing me into some person I didn’t know. I started to believe in myself more when I was with him and that gave me the confidence of pursuing my passion for writing.

When I started out as a young mom, I had no expectations at all as to how I would feel holding a little baby in my arms. I had the smoothest delivery, the baby slid out like a dream and I went home happy with a few stiches to say I am carrying war scars of the labor room. Vivaan was now the little guy who was going to rule my life. From late night readings, my nights ended with feedings and waking up to my child wanting my closeness than anything else. I suddenly found someone who needed me to love him unconditionally, as he loved me. And to this day as he turned three this May, I have memories of those tough nights and frequent change of clothes to having to entertain him, to be the best time of my life. 

I always would see my life in terms of being a mother and a writer and of course, a partner to my husband.

Read More at World Of Moms

"This post is an entry for the contest 'The Little Light of my Life' on www.WorldOfMoms.com for a jackpot prize."

5 Things To Do To Keep Your Baby Happy And Safe

“Pampers brings you the softest ever Pampers Premium Care Pants. Its cotton-like softness is #SoftestForBabySkin and allows it to breathe, thus keeping baby’s skin soft and healthy, and your baby happy. ”

When I first became a mother, I had loads of pressure from the pregnancy books and the elders, hoping that what ever I do, I do it the right way to keep my baby happy in nappy. Here is a few tips as to how to keep your baby safe and also avoid some serious damage in the near future.

Wash new clothes:

Buying clothes for a baby is fun and I think shopping was the best part of going through a tough pregnancy. And there was a sale going on at Shopper Stop which made me kind of haul the entire section of unisex clothes for my unborn baby. What we forget often that we would open them when the baby comes into this world. Only the skin is so soft and delicate that the new clothes only tend to inflame the skin, making them cry even more. The tradition of handing down clothes from others is slowly dying so the only option we would have is to wash them in good baby laundry liquid and then pack it all till you wait for them to arrive. 

Buy Age appropriate toys:

If you want your child to be left with a few toys while you do your own thing for a few minutes then always leave him with toys that's appropriate to his age. Make sure you see the instructions and not just handed it over to him just because he was throwing a tantrum and you wanted some peace. It will make a lot of difference in being firm with what he can play with and what he cannot. Avoids a lot of trips to the hospital too. 

Keep the floors clean:

India with it's pollution, dust and frequent unwanted guests (rats and cockroaches) are a menace when it comes to raising the little ones. We do not have the luxury of leaving a floor uncleaned even for a day before it starts to show the dirt and the germs that your child can succumb to. So make sure that you follow the basic cleanliness protocol and have a healthy baby at home. 

Constant supervision:

A baby means someone whom you have to watch over 24/7. Or who watches you 24/7. Its an unavoidable situation and you even have to leave the bathroom door ajar to have an apt audience waiting for you to be with them again. So no matter how much you have to see them, do not get irritated with the situation. Most of the times you wouldn't know what mischief they would get into all alone.

Bums are chums:

Buy the best quality diapers for your baby. Now a days you have several options but truly I have tried pampers new born in the beginning and I have faced a diaper rash ever since. Do make sure to change them frequently though and not let it be as we would like it to be. 

These are a few things to follow when you have a baby in the house. And be careful and alert is one part of being a happy parent as well because you tend to avoid accidents and unsavoury trips to the hospital. So create a safe and happy environment at home and have a beautiful life with the little angel.

Spread Happiness Through McCain- The Secret Recipe

This post has been written for McCain India

When you have a plate of McCain,

You just cannot help but blame,

The yummy snacks make you salivate,

and forget the times you had to wait,

Now mom has a new recipe to make me happy,

When my day had been crapy.

McCain smilies are just not any frozen food

It's food for soul, that gets me into mood. 

McCain with its intention to put smiles on our faces has so far succeeded by giving us umpteen ways of redoing the way its made.

And I like my food filled with veggies even if its just for a snack. Here is how I re-constructed my McCain snacks into an amazing yummy filled meal with my chai with friends.

Ingredients:

Mozzarella cheese (Or cottage cheese if you want more healthy)
Tomato
Onions
Capcicum
green chillies

Procedure:

1. Chop the vegetables into tiny bits and decorate each McCain Aloo Tikki with them. 
2. Grate the cheese over it
3. Preheat the oven for 10 minutes before putting the snacks inside
4. Turn up the heat and let them bake for another 10 minutes 

Now you have yummy potato snacks that give you the aromas of fresh veggies and your favourite cheese. 

And then i called my friends over for a tea party that I had specially organised in the evening, desperately needing some girl time over the weekend. I had to impress the boss's wife as well. That, and get compliments from my friends for my cooking skills. I am not really a great cook but with the help of some McCain, I was able to impress as well bake some more because the plate was wiped off within minutes. Now I always make sure that I keep a packet in my freezer for emergencies guests as well since we are very social and like to meet people. So now I do not have to plan really a ahead and know how to work around McCain snacks and get compliments from all!

Together With Nature- Kissan India

This post had been written for Kissan India

I always thought 90's was the best time of my life. The cooler would be on its high speed, my mom would sit on the chatai (straw mat) and cut mangoes for us in the hot afternoons after lunch and we would lie down and doze off till late evenings. Watching television was not the priority. There were a few shows coming on in the evenings and nothing really on for kids. And while we made plans for summer vacations eager to visit dida's house because she had this huge mango tree right in the middle o her house. We would put up a tent from the bedsheets picked stealthily from the family cupboard and adjusting it with a stick, five of us would sit under it, the eldest cutting the mangoes and the youngest trying not to get the red chilli powder in the eyes. Those memories would always be a part of my life. But do i regret being into the techno-savvy world? Not at all. Instead, I always thought my children would learn it the other way around. But army kids always learn it the toughest way. Since posted to various unknown locations, we get really close to nature. And there is no Mcdonals or KFC to appease the fast food cravings. In fact even in the city we abhor it like plague.
Togetherness does not mean having the latest mobile and sharing whatsapp messages or visiting the latest restaurant because you need to test the food outside. Somehow simple meals, sitting at the dining table together is all about a family showing love and care towards each other.

But I cannot avoid the digital challenges that I have to face everyday. Our collection consists of two laptop, iPad, mobile phones, kindle and some times its just too much to take it at once. However when I am with my child, i try to avoid too many distractions and try to focus more on him by playing outside than being cooped up at home. The other day it was raining pretty hard and all i wanted to do was lock myself in but my son wanted to play. So I pulled my sleeves up, decided to do something that i must have done in my childhood. Making paper boats. The wonder in his eyes is a cherished moment now. The boats floated and he also put in his toys on them, giggling at the world he was growing up in. No matter how much I long to do what I want to do, I end up being a 'mother' first. The happiness of playing with a child in real than handing him the iPad is  much satisfactory and I get my share of kisses and hugs because I feel as if his love can only come to me if i spend quality time with him than just being there as a presence. And presence have to be felt than anything else. 

Announcement for kindle users- My new novel is here(CAGED BIRDS DO NOT SING)

Hi, bloggers! This is an official announcement. I am coming with my next romance novel- CAGED BIRDS DO NOT SING on Amazon, especially for Kindle users. 
To know more about my novel click on the link:
http://www.amazon.in/CAGED-BIRDS-DO-NOT-SING-ebook/dp/B00U78FSQG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1444810705&sr=8-4&keywords=sonia+kundra+singh

And get the copy for FREE for the next two days! so hurry!

Excerpt: Saira Singh is busy with her nine to five job plus fantasizing about the handsome young boss’s brother until the boss himself steps in to make sure things were in control. Aryan Reddy needs help. He brings her into confidence to pretend to be his girlfriend to avoid an arranged match at home. Things began to heat up pretty soon after that. He transforms the nerdy girl into a woman and soon Cinderella was falling for the prince. With strong South Indian roots and a responsibility to be the exemplary eldest son interferes with his romance.  

When Aryan refuses to profess his love, she gives in to marrying another man determined to forget the man who broke her heart.

The clash of the north and the south soon brings the lovers to their knees, estranging them to pursue different paths.

While Saira’s arranged match goes through a bad patch, she crosses path with the man who didn’t have the courage to be with her. But Aryan still sees the old Saira in her lifeless eyes. Passion still rises among the while the estranged hearts want nothing more than love…Will Saira breakfree from her loveless marriage and listen to her heart once again?

Mind Games And Depression

This blog has been written to spread awareness about World MenTal Health Day. 

Husband: You are angry with me
Wife: No, I just feel depressed
Husband: Are you unhappy with me? Is that why?
Wife: No, It's not you.
Husband: Then you hate being married to me. 
Wife: It's not about you all the time. Its just about me. And I don't want to talk about it.

And so it starts the series of unsaid words and tangled relationships. And sometimes it's just not anyone but you. But how can anyone make sure that the word's out there and depression is not just an attention gaining scheme of anyone but just something that's messed up the mind and you simply feel worthless and all alone.

It's how all you say starts with a dullness- an ache that you cannot finger point on and then it progresses to being a little more quiet than usual. People who love you, care about you, seem like strangers and you wonder why they are still hanging around and looking at you as if you just are here to spoil everyone's mood.

But Depression is not something that you can help it. Circumstances, failed relationships and sometimes aspirations that have never been met might be the causes of it.

Things to look for if you find your partner/friends/family depressed:

1. Nil participation in conversations
2. No reaction for any joke or laughter around
3. Sluggish moments and disorganisation at home
4. No interest in sex or family life
5. Eat in excess or doesn't eat at all

How can you help?

1. Just let them know you are there for them
2. Try to distract them by doing some positive activities together- like gymming, walking, going to a fun park
3. Read about it and have a serious talk.
4. Let them cry and just hug 

If you have depression:

1. Involve yourself totally in recreational activities- Like painting, Quilling, reading, even blogging about it.
2. Have a feelings journal. Vent out and then never read it again.
3. Talk about how you feel to someone you trust. 
4. Seek professional help- like Roshini NGO who provide anonymous phone consultation.
5. Therapies like Reiki, Yoga and high power exercise.