A sanctuary for stories, reflection, and authentic expression. Roma Gupta Sinha is a writer, author, mentor, and storytelling coach. She has authored seven books and conceptualised two Emotional Wellness anthologies that launched 40+ authors, and has been the founder of Roma's Communication Academy since 2014. Her candid, thought-provoking writing has earned honours including the Woman of the Year Award, Planet’s Pride Award, and Sahityakosh Samman.
With Holi around the corner, childhood memories of this sheer fun and frolic filled colourful festival come drifting in, coaxing me to shun all inhibitions and once again #khulkekheloholi like yester years 😊 and I have been doing and will be doing exactly that.... I know decades have passed, people have moved on and unfortunately Holi is gradually loosing it's charm... But, I am glad nothing much seems to have changed for us... I mean me and my bestie with the only difference, that I now call him my hubby❤️❤️
Yes, I can still hear mom yelling crazily to oil our hair and even body with her trusted Parachute Hair Oil , while we were busy planning our water pranks and assimilating our colours collection...for she knew she's gonna have a tough time for days while bringing down the colours off us! But the excitement and the jubilation of those moments made us feel ecstatic and our excitement knew no bounds...not to remember anything else!
Holi was absolute Bliss for our Toli❤️❤️ comprising of a huge herd of all we neighborhood kids😊.... There was no worry about our next day's exam with our entire focus only being on who would be the next target of our water filled balloon...
Also, we spared no friends of our colors no matter where they were hidden and a dip in the huge tub full of colors was an absolute must😊😊
I and my best friend used to lead the gang and were the centre of all the Holi Mastii and we were recognized by our Holi pranks.... Many years later being married to each other, we have still managed maintained our name...
Undoubtedly, Holi still remains the most eventful and joyous festival for my family ❤️❤️ .... This year though on account of drought being declared in Maharashtra, we intend to have equal amount of dry fun by playing with dry Gulals ❤️❤️
Like every year we have invited all our friends and relatives with their spouses and kids to our place for loads of fun, food and Mastii 😊.
We have made the colors out of corn flour and edible colors as taught to my little sonny is school to have utmost Mastii without harming any body ❤️
With my precious half and my bestie landing in the evening from tour, tonight we plan to make Gujiyas and other Holi special delicacies over some serious prank planning for our friends ... After all there can't be a better way to relive your childhood again than to #KhulkeKheloHoli👌👌 and too with our little boy and family and friends!
Happy Holi Folks, Have a Blast... Play Holi till your colors last❤️❤️ Author's Note: “I’m pledging to #KhulKeKheloHoli this year by sharing my Holi memories atBlogAdda in association with Parachute Advansed.”
Sometimes, I feel so blessed to have born a woman...to not only fathom the deep sea of emotions, warmth and care for my love ones but also profess wisdom, endurance , patience and faith all simultaneously...I have thoroughly enjoyed my journey as a women learning and evolving through each of it's phase, and thus weaving precious Memories for Life! The most beautiful one of all of these undoubtedly being the pleasure of being a mom....motherhood has knocked the softest corners of my heart and the treasure of those priceless moments are forever etched on my heart..I love to relive those moments as often as possible but every time it still wets my eyes and gently tinkles and soothes my soul! In this post, I narrate this most beautiful chapter of my life.. Getting almost swept back in times.... This dates to about 7 years back, I had accidentally conceived and though I was happy, being so caught up in my high profile career, the feeling hasn't really sank in...I was pretty young, just married and was always travelling owing to my profile..Yes, I did have some cravings but that was only at 2:30 a.m mostly...I was a carefree soul who hasn't learn to settle... Months flew, on 1 st march I attended a crucial board room meeting at 7 p.m. followed by a sumptuous dinner made by hubby darling and a game of Scrabble, our favorite...That was exactly when my water bag burst..there was a lot of confusion plus our Gynac too was not in town..... Amidst all this, it was the first time I chose to stay calm, for I realized my anxiety will bother my little one side...I felt so connected and so protective about this tiny soul within me...I had become a mom, a real mom, a few moments before his birth... I was conscious during the C-section as it was a partial anesthesia with my husband holding my hand...In a few moments, the doctor spoke aloud from behind the screen on my lower half, " Roma, It's a Baby Boy!" AAhhhh...what a feeling it was...when the nurse gave him to us for a few seconds saying you can now kiss the baby...Tears flew down from both mine and hubby's eyes...it was pure ecstatic joy...pure motherly love oozed out of me as I caught first glance of him, in the sunlight that peeped in from the window...He looked like an angel sent straight from God...Words Fail me to express, what a divine moment it was for me that transformed me into a mom, only a mom, forever a mom, from being everything else in the world. So this is when the feeling really sank in... His First smile, first word, his first step, his first day to school, his first award are all #Memoriesoflife for me...Today he is seven years old but I still love to play with his fingers like I did when he was my little baby..Time has flew so fast and I am glad he is growing up into a fantastically talented boy...
I still so much insist on keep weaving these sweet memories and they aid us said smoothly even through the rough patches of life! HDFC Life gave me this rare opportunity to send a message to my sonny boy also with creating a scrapbook for him, which I loved to do, you can read the same here as well as create yours too: https://memories.hdfclife.com/message/b0a-r4JUCc65B1vdVf002w== Author's Note : Share your #MemoriesForLife like I’ve done at BlogAdda for HDFC Life.” I could not resist sharing this lovely commercial too, which touched the core of our heart and teaches us so much....
Holi with my Sunshine, Yesterday, today and forever #khulkeKheloholi
I am an astoundingly firm believer of staying firm on ones roots and nothing aids is stay more bonded to our very roots than it's festivals that remind us of our enriched culture and traditions... Agreed?
As festivals are also times to getting together with your family no matter which part of the world you are in otherwise...it multiplies the fun all the more...whether it is lighting diyas with everyone on Diwali, waiting for Moon Rise on Karvachauth, our festivals hold the most special part in our lives...
And like all of us have our personal favorites , my fav festival is connected to my free spirited flamboyant soul, and it is undoubtedly HOLI, the festival of colours ever since my childhood ❤️❤️
As I think of it, priceless memories keep flooding my heart about what great fun we had on the Holi...Being woken up by the priceless aroma of gujiyas from mom's kitchen...Mom first oiled our hair with her first trust, Parachute coconut oil... And than we, checking on our packets of colours, pichkaris and water balloons... Our girls gang soon collected and played Holi to our hearts content... No one was spared , friends , relatives and some times strangers too 😊😊 .... He ran home only when we got Hungary in between to gulp down a few Holi Delicacies and than attacked back with double the vigour, only to dance and take dips on the huge coloured water tanks..
Celebrations went on for hours and moms found it really difficult to identify their children as all of us were black and green and red from top to toe... Though drop dead tired the zeal never died until we were really hurled bck home!
No matter how dirty we were and how many days it would take for the colours to permanently go from our bodies , we were damn happy and satisfied.. Aaww! What great fun it was , marvellous day where nothing could drench our spirits to play Holi to our heart's contents👌👌
Unfortunately with every passing year I had seen the energy and interests of people dampening in Holi...This chars my soul even further that this is on account of very trifle reasons like protecting their skins or taking it as a leave to spend it on a weekend getaway!
C'mon guys, this is not done... #KhulkeKheloHoli yaar! It is fun and Mastii beyond compare... No matter what's your age...
Play Holi any encourage your kids to do the same as well, so that you pass on the right legacy of our rich culture to them too like the legacy of #ParachuteAdvansed that run across generations!!
As for me and my family, Holi is a religion and we love and immerse in every ounce of it's fun...till our hear and souls are immersed and satiated....No matter if we are keeping it dry this time, the Gulals are sure to do the trick :)
Author's Note : “I’m pledging to #KhulKeKheloHoli this year by sharing my Holi memories atBlogAddain association with Parachute Advansed.”
Though the times today have witnessed a paradigm shift from what it used to be a couple of decades ago in terms of gender equality and I am so damn glad to be breathing in an air that let's women work shoulder to shoulder with men in most walks of professional life..but unfortunately the picture isn't that welcome in India, in the domestic scenario...where the men and the kids still shy away to #SharetheLoad in most households and all chores are still mommy's business no matter even if she too had had an equally tiresome day at work!
Blame it on the crippled traditional mindsets or the general inertia in resisting the change, the latest statistics put forth this hard fact that the responsibility of domestic chores is one are where gender equality must sneak in...and the earlier the better!
Data Courtesy : Ariel and Blogadda
The picture looks grim but there is however a ray of hope..On the optimistic front, are a handful of households in our country which are leading by example in sharing the load of housework equitably and can definitely be a torchbearer of a positive change for million others! In this blogpost, I share the regime of one such balanced family and that's mine!! No, No, boasting and bragging are not on my mind :D ..The idea is to spread the positive vibe to #SharetheLoad among as many lives as possible even if that's to a limited extent only initially...When dad and kids and mom will share and cooperate in finishing the chores, we will automatically lay the right foundation for gender equality in times to come...as more often than not children imitate what their elders do at home!
For me Marriage came as the biggest eye opener. Having witnessed for years mom taking care of 120% of all the chores at home, I initially was startled when I moved in an apartment with my hubby post marriage...He effortlessly cooperated in every single house work and even initiated and finished a few, like cleaning and doing laundry..At first, I was intimidated as I wondered if his help was out of sympathy for he felt I didn't know how to do them....
Not able to hold myself for long, I had poured my heart out to him sheepishly in a soft voice stating that I knew it all and he might not pity me only to be corrected by his reply in next couple of minutes, a reply that stole my heart forever! 'S' replied : As we begin our new journey, It shall sail most smoothly when both it's front and rear wheels will sail together and #ShareTheLoad! We are both equals, and let's commence our married life on principles of love, mutual respect and equality! My heart swell with pride hearing each word of his and this pride only multiplies today after 10 years of our wedding where he has not only practiced what he has preached but also trained our little sonny in similar fashion. My little boy likes doing laundry or dishes with dad, watering the plants,cleaning his room with occasionally cooking with mom and dad on weekends and that's a part of his routine now...
Ours is thus a nuclear household, with the three of us take turns and share all the work at home to the best of our capabilities!! Life thus becomes a worthwhile journey full of smiles, love and care while we #sharetheload and I am relieved of the extreme pressure many of my friends are buried under... I thus urge to all who touch upon this post, to sow the right seeds of gender equality now in your households, as buddies, As you Sow, so will you Reap :) Moreover, a candid little effort of yours to share the load (you may start with setting up laundry in Washing Machine with Ariel as an easy yet perfect start)with your precious half, will undoubtedly touch her heart and make your child tomorrow a great hubby and a wonderful dad!
Author's Note : “I am joining the Ariel #ShareTheLoad campaign at BlogAdda and blogging about the prejudice related to household chores being passed on to the next generation.”
Hey love, below I have chalked out a Sshh Secret Mantra... For you to remain #SadaSexy in my eyes Rockstar❤️❤️ How about making me some promises this women's day... And steal my Heart all over again ❤️❤️ This is just a small price for keeping our fire alive.... Trust you'll merrily revise these 10 Point love enhancement Kasams for your dear wife ❤️❤️ So without much adieu.... I present below the coveted list to you❤️❤️
#Kasamno1: So love, first and foremost I want you to spare some precious time and memorise our together times since childhood, including the ceaseless laughter and meaningless chatter and promise me that you will take out time of your always busy schedules and give me back my childhood bestie and boyfriend naughty( at least in some ways, phew😉)
#Kasamno2: Though I may sound a weirdo to you but promise me that you will have me in all your DPs on all social media handles and whatsapp too to let all your singletons colleagues that we are happily married and they need not try on you ( P.S. Forced to do this as apne saaman ki suraksha khud Karen ) #Kasamno3 : The third kasam I crave from you is for all the days you are not travelling, we'll have dinner together and in the same plate( I promise I won't starve you :D) .... Sweet little gestures to enhance love darling that strengthen the couple's bonding. #Kasamno4 : Be Mine after Nine❤️! I have never confessed this to you but my heart freaks out waiting for you to end up those long discussions on your cell ...so please khao kasam that you'll finish them all up before nine and post that you are only mine 😘😘
#Kasamno5 : Now this one may sound nasty but I desire this promise from you to keep you #SadaSexy...Promise me that you'll hit the gym or Zumba class with me which we can schedule on weekends or whenever you are free❤️❤️ it will be so much fun to dance our hearts together or help each other tone our body muscles 😊 #Kasamno6 : No matter which part of the world you are in, as you open your eyes each day and close it each night you'll talk to me or ping me without fail...even if it's for a couple of minutes, a straight from the heart candid chat is vital for a sparky jazzy relationship ❤️❤️ #Kasamno7 : A Pleasant Surprise Date gives the most Wonderful Kick! In saatvi kasam, promise me to surprise me more often by tour sweet gestures and kind words, which are enough to rock my World❤️❤️
#Kasamno8 : Promise me you'll not stop me from clicking our selfies umpteen and smile and pose with me in each one of them! After all I am trying to weave sweet memories each moment of life, to forever remain in our hearts and albums , like a song as the years come along ❤️ #Kasamno9 : In 9th kasam, just fulfil my only dream, I have buried deep in my heart since decades it seems, do take me in your arms, across the globe on a World Tour , my love❤️❤️ #Kasamno10: Last but not the least , promise me my precious half, to be by my side in life's every moment, sweet or sour....Until the day I forever close my eyes, I keep witnessing the naughty lovelorn tinkle in your eyes and your smile as wide as river Nile❤️❤️... The two basic things that make you stay #SadaSexy , my Prince Charming!
“I’m blogging about the kasams I want from my man this Women’s Day with the #SadaSexy activity at BlogAdda”
I love the spark in his eyes, And his naughty smiles....
Whenever I flaunt a sexy flirtatious look, Curated with Jabong, my favorite online apparel n accessories store!!
So you know, like for all lovey-dovey couples madly in love with each other,for us too, Valentine's Day is extra special and more so for us as this is the day he went down on his knees to propose to me our forever togetherness... Thus valentine's day also happens to be our Love Anniversary ❤️❤️
Like always ,I plan every little nuance of our special day with lots of love including my looks, when we go out for a romantic dinner (No, I am not blushing ❤️❤️) as I earnestly to carve out a perfect script for a most memorable Valentine Day....
This perfect script is incomplete, without me flaunting a perfect look, to steal his heart away all over again...so for the same I have most trustworthily hopped to my all time favorite Jabong's Valentine's Day Store...Soon I was flooded with myriad options, from latest fashion from all round the globe, to adorn myself in and below is the look I intend to flaunt sexily this Valentine, using the worthy,value for money products from his , to make him skip a heartbeat, during the Dinner Date ❤️❤️
Here Wishing you all, a Crazy and Love-filled Valentine's Day 2016...Trust you loved my picks for my look this Valentine's day, Take a peep at The Valentine's Day Store yourself to select your favorites and Shop until you Drop❤️❤️
How much I love to drown myself in his love, and giggle in his arms...
Adorned in his spontaneous jokes and light-hearted humor...
My Life is no less than a beautiful fairy-tale with him, so full of Love and Laughter!!
While many term their wedding as an arranged or love affair , I can boast of my being solemnly arranged by our beloved parents after they saw us madly in love with each other for years ❤️❤️.... Though it was undoubtedly not love at first sight for us and for almost an year in college, I was sheepish enough to consider his friendly ways and candid talks as a spy activity for his best friend who didn't like me a pence ( Phew!!), God knows Why! .... But, I was soon so smitten by his charm and impeccable sense of humor that I didn't realize when I fell so deep in love with him amidst our ceaseless smiles and laughter over his crazy and freaky jokes....and the wait wasn't very long either when he went on his knees to propose me in the funniest every way stating that he wants me to be his forever and since he feels that I am too young and immature to take this decision, he has already decided it for us. And, I had no choice but to smile at his smartness and give a silly nod.
The wedding preparations started in full-swing in a couple of years from when we completed our engineering ...Me being the only daughter of my mom-dad and he being the youngest pampered kid in his family, our wedding was meant to be a grand affair....every single relative was invited with so much love n warmth and everyone really wanted to grace the occasion for one it was the first love marriage from our side and second they didn't want to miss to witness , the fusion of a typical baniya and kaistha wedding !
All was going as per plan, with my mom taking note of every tiny custom from the " ladkewaale" and even getting my wedding trousseau made to order as the color of the outfit for various customs varied in our castes, so both colors were used in my outfits to honor all customs..... When due to some unavoidable circumstances our wedding was not only preponed by a couple of months but also the venue has to be shifted from ladkiwaales to ladkewaales place!
And guess what the Dulha and the Dulhan who were busy in their jobs in Delhi were informed only two days in advance (what!!) ...Crazy.... Poor We , jumped into a wedding boutique and selected what best we could for each other... We were probably the first ever bride and groom, where the bride was hunting for the sherwaani's matching jooti for her groom in Lajpatnagar while the groom was on a lookout for a six inch heel sandles for his bride ❤️❤️( my precious half is 6.3 feet while I am 5.1 you see, so the sandals meant so much).....and when we hunted for stuff together the shopkeepers in all probabilities assumed us to be brother and sister ....trying to shop for the one we are accompanying ! Enjoying the fun, we didn't even try to clarify, also because we were short of time....
That same night we boarded a train to Allahabad...We tried to sort our things as much as possible, stuffed them in our bags and laughed at each other over our funny state just a few moments before being declared Man and Wife.....Words fail me express how it felt in those priceless moments, had never felt so happy and nervous simultaneously ever before...and probably he felt the same too...worrying about each other we turned towards the other at exactly the same moment, only for our noses to hit hard against each other only to trigger our bursts of laughter...choosing not to talk we just let our eyes do all the talking...As the station arrived, we headed to our parents any relatives as it was going to be mehndi ceremony next morn, followed by 24 hours of mix-bag ceremonies from both sides ! The banquet was impeccably decorated and I loved every bit of the floral theme set...The Food was awesome too and the guests were having a Gala Time...only that they was no bifurcation as to who was a ladkawaala and who a ladkiwaala as the girls side has come to boy's town, and boy's side are always guests in Indian Scenario :) .....Nevertheless everyone was enjoying and that was what was important! But Guess what amidst all their enjoyment they often forgot the bride and the groom...Yes, I mean it....I was probably the first ever Bride, who got ready on time only waiting for family members to tell her to walk to her wedding stage...not sure they didn't remember to take me or thought someone else will bring me or they themselves got too late in getting reday....That was exactly when a text flashed on my cell...It was from "him" asking me to come as he can't wait any more....Almost impulsively, I replied that no one's fetching me there and I am absolutely ready :(
In a few moments from then, I saw him walking towards me, I felt shy(but loved), softly he held my hand and asked me to come with him..amidst a hall full of uncles and aunts and cousins and kids, all looking at him questioningly..but he didn't look at them, he looked straight in my eyes and said," Koi hamari Dulhaniya nahin laa raha tha, to Ham khud hi Apne Dulhaniya Lene Aa Gaye" and we again burst out in our typical loud Laughters..The Laughter of Love, Trust and Strength of our relationship which was only meant to strengthen further from there! If was indeed a funny moment , when hearing this, everyone present in the hall, was in laughter splits too! Confident of his love, I walked among hundreds of people, holding his hand (Post this too, lovely relatives kept forgetting to tie our knot for Pheras and many such other stuff, but we didn't leave each others' hands...also remember that the panditji was kind enough to translate all Pheras to me from Sanskrit to English) ...that day and ten years later till today...Madly in Love with each other, still holding each other's hand gently yet firmly, still sharing our candid hearts,our lovelorn jokes and anecdotes and bursting out on them with unparalleled #LoveandLaughter.....
This love and laughter still forms the foundation of our beautiful bond..
And with him, every year that comes along, remains in our hearts like a song..
Wish and Pray that in every birth, he be only mine...
And like always, keep gifting me my favorite exquisite jewelry from Caratlane, every Valentines!!
P.S. I am a women after all and how can I resist my temptations for precious Jewelry :P :)
Pic Courtesy: All pics in this post are the personal pics of the author..Use of the same, without the written consent of the owner of this blog ,is strictly prohibited.
