The secret supplements for great health!

On By preeti somaniIn discipline, health, health supplements, mindfulness, motivation1 Comment

If you have been serious about your health and fitness, chances are that you’ve been skimping over myriads of those magic pills and powder ads on your Facebook wall – and getting equally baffled by the choice available and their claims!

Well, I’m going to make it easy for you. I’m NOT going to talk about any of them.

Instead, I’ll focus on those supplements that you got to have but don’t have to buy or ingest.

Motivation is like multi-vitamins! A small dose everyday gives.png

70% of folks who say they want to “get fit” or “lose weight” don’t end up doing so. WHY?

Because they are not motivating themselves correctly!

From Katrina Kaif to my dear friend, Juri Dutta, who lost 28 kgs of pregnancy weight in 9 months, many moons ago, suggests:

“You have to set very specific fitness goals, albeit small, achievable, and specific – My target was to lose 1 kg every 10 days.”,  A Program Manager at Juniper Networks, mom to a 10-year old, and wife to a serial enterpreneur, she recollects going to the gym at nights after gruelling work-days, even amidst quibbles from her family.  She achieved her target weight loss in less than 9 months. And there has been no stopping her ever since!

“And then, let the results take over. There is nothing more addicting than seeing the results of your hard work. It puts you in motion.” 

From Baby Fat to a Marathon Mom!.png

She is a serious runner today. She sets fitness goals every year. Her current goal is to run a full 42 km marathon. (May you beat this goal with the same vigour, Juri!)

Actually, you know everything there is to keep you healthy and fit. The supplement you need is the right motivation. 

Begin by setting the right goals. Goals, that scare you a little but excite you A LOT. 

Motivation may get you started.... (1).png

Last year, my husband, in front of a roomful of family, announced his resolution to meditate everyday in the new year. (Such an emphatic public announcement when he had never ever meditated before, felt like an act of drunken exuberance to me!)  But the next morning, when I was woken up by soothing meditation music on our Google Home, I realized that he was not kidding.  Over the next few months, I saw him experiment with various meditation apps, styles, groups, even buddies.  Everyday, his phone buzzed the meditation reminders. There was a meditation ringtone. He even got our 10-year old into meditation. Spending quality time has a a new meaning for him now.

But lo and behold, he did end up meditating for about 320 days last year!

(Yes, we did present him the Salman Khan award in the commitment category of our household, for his apt exhibition of “Ek baar jo maine commitment kar di, uske baad to mai khud ki bhi nahi suntaa..!” (Once I have made a commitment, I don’t even listen to myself!))

The moral of the story is: Its tough to follow through, on new goals. Esp. since your brain is wired to resist new routines in favor of what its programmed to do. So you have to use all the arsenal at your disposal and persist. Eventually, the new routine turns into a habit. The brain operates on auto-pilot after that.  

Lets talk about my other friend, Puja Singh. You’d have no dearth of excuses to be lax on your fitness routine if you are a globe-trotting businesswoman/restaurateur, a full-time mom, and living in three different timezones!  But Puja is on auto-pilot, when it comes to her daily fitness habits. For her, whether she is in San Francisco or Singapore or Bengaluru, the day cannot start without yoga and HIIT or kick-boxing. A few years ago, she probably hadn’t even seen a deadlift…Now, on a bad day, she’d lift about 93 kgs. 

puja collage.png
Any guesses on her age?! To me, she does not look a day older than 25!

 

Here’s one way to inject a daily dose of discipline:

Announce your goals to the people in your life.  Post it on Facebook, if thats your thing. Let the force of social pressure keep you disciplined.

 

Making Ideas Happen (5)  

What is your reaction when confronted by pretty-looking servers nudging you to try sinful starters at parties? I bet most of you oblige without much ado!

Being mindful is to train your mind to be vigilant of these indulgent impulses. It starts with paying attention to yourself; putting awareness to your thoughts.  

What are your indulgent impulses?

After some soul-searching, I’ve figured out mine. I love to waste time on random minutiae. Now, how does that affect my fitness and well-being? Lets take last night as a case in point.  I had a deadline that I couldn’t finish in normal daylight hours. (Damn you, social media!) That made me sleep late. (And you know, I need my 8 hours of beauty sleep!) This made me miss my early morning yoga session. I dragged myself to the gym, much later than usual. By the time I came back, breakfast turned into lunch….You get the point, right?!

Mindfulness is the link that can can bridge the gap from our mobile, digitally-frenzied lifestyles to a state of well-being. 

For starters, try taking this daily dose of “mindfulness” supplement:

Have one meal a day, just by yourself. No Screens. No newspaper. No talking.

And finally, Oxytocin!

For all the folks, who think I’ve relented and am finally going to talk about a “real” supplement, I’m sorry to disappoint! 😦 coz Oxytocin is nothing but a hormone our body produces.

But why do we need a daily dose of oxytocin? Strong empirical evidence suggest its unrefuted role in our overall well-being and longevity. It also reduces the effects of cortisol(the stress hormone) and leads to the release of serotonin (the happiness hormone).  So, a magic potion for health and happiness really! 

And the great news is, it is the easiest of them all. Our close relationships, strong social bonds, and even altruistic acts – all contribute to promoting oxytoxin in our body. 

So, go ahead, folks…get  your daily oxytocin supplement:

Give a hug. Love your family.  Hang out with your friends.  Get social…(not just through social media).  And help someone. You are indeed helping yourself. 

 

ps: Now, if you’ve come till here, and still feeling cheated to have gotten lured by a “catchy” title, you can comment, holler, or shoutout! If you make enough noise, it may just inspire me to write a post on supplements of the popping variety! 🙂 

   

Health Nirvana in a year!

On By preeti somaniIn 2018 resolution, 40+plus women, balance, fitness, health, meditation, mindfulness, nutrition, personal transformation, protein, sleep, strength-training, weight-loss, yoga1 Comment
3d7f4-blog2btitle2bimageLast year was quite transformational for me!
 
Up until last year, I had been leading a life of a normal, middle-aged, Indian working mom.  Life revolved around my family, work, home and my passion for traveling, writing, and socializing. Personal health and fitness remained a nagging thought but never had the audacity to move from the 2nd to the 1st quadrant of my important-urgent decision matrix.


ccdb6-untitled2bdesignBut how things change in a year! I’m 44 this year and feel like I’m in my best shape ever! I have dropped some weight; I have dropped two sizes and all my key body numbers (from BMI to cholesterol to glucose levels) are in the ideal range. Even the body composition monitor(fancy weighing machine) indicates my body age is 5 years younger than my actual age. It does feel like some Health Nirvana, that I never thought existed for an oldie like me!



So how did this happen?! – I see the question in the eyes of lot of my friends and family members who see me after a long time.   

 
Therefore, as my 2018 resolution, I have decided to share some nuggets of wisdom around fitness, nutrition and general well-being that I have uncovered or received from some phenomenal folks that have been instrumental in this transformation. And hopefully, over the course of the year, I aspire to bring forth more of these, as I continue to learn new ways of keeping fit and healthy.

Be Lean and Mean, Eat Protein

Everyone seems to have their own theory around food and nutrition.  But I will focus on the 80/20 rule that worked for me. I’ve always been a believer of a nutritionally balanced diet. But alas, our great Indian diet, as balanced as it seems, does fall short on protein. Shona Prabhu, a nutritionist that I met last year, introduced me to the concept of having protein in every single meal. You have to strive to get close to 1 gm of protein per every kg of your body weight.  But how does a vegetarian like me fulfill this requirement? Though I eat eggs, which are a great and complete source of protein, Shona introduced some excellent vegetarian sources of proteins like tofu, greek yogurt, locally available millets(jowar, ragi, bajra), peanut butter, sprouts, seeds like chia seeds, amaranth, pumpkin seeds and some interesting supplements like spirulina to my diet. Even my favorite Rajma-chawal* and chhole-chawal* has made to the list, so I get to enjoy them guilt-free!  FYI, here’s an useful chart I found on the net for vegan protein sources:
Btw, I’m not a big fan of milk or milk products for my daily protein requirement, esp. after what you hear about milk adulteration. But that’s just me. 🙂

The only bad workout is the one that you didn’t do! 

I started going to the gym as a curious bystander(getting inspired by my gymmer friends, Rahul Agarwal and Manisha Agarwal) and now it have become an addiction. Yes, this is proof you can get addicted to good things! But I know workouts can get boring over time!  My trick is to finish them in the mornings before my brain starts to make excuses. Nonetheless, I envy folks who can get their exercise through fun things like dancing, sports, kick-boxing, heck.. bike riding. Whatever you do, the key is consistency and to keep it challenging and fun. That’s when you see results! Group classes or buddying up are great ways to overcome exercise inertia. Trust me, peer pressure just doesn’t work in offices! Btw, if you are looking to lose those kilos or get to a size closer to zero, I find yoga with short-interval, high-intensity, strength-training to be the most effective. 

The first step towards change is awareness!

Being mindful of what you eat, how you eat, what you think, how you react to situations… is a crucial step in transforming your health. It’s a difficult art to master and I’m still figuring it out. But here are some mindfulness hacks I consciously try to practice. 

Mindful Eating

Long before the movie actor, Mahadevan popularized “Drink your food and chew your drink”, my Dad had been an expert at that art. Dad’s painfully slow, silent and focused food chewing sessions (a.k.a. lunch) were a bemusement to me growing up, but now I realize the science behind it. (They say, 50% of your food gets digested while in your mouth.) No wonder, he’s kept in great health all of his 77 years of life.  There are some other mindful eating tricks I use. Before I put anything in mouth, I always do a mental check. Often times, just the awareness is enough to help me make the right choice. I always eat a little bit (either a fruit or some nuts) before going to a party. That way I’m not tempted by those calori-fried kebabs. Remember, you can always nibble on your drink while others guzzle them up. Better waste it, than waist it, I say! 🙂

Minding your Mind

Stress does kill. But its a given with the kind of lives we lead. Therefore, its very critical that we detoxify and rejuvenate our mind on a regular basis. While there are many ways to do that, I find meditation like a gym workout for the mind. Last year I had the good fortune to try out the Inner Engineering program by Sadhguru. Ever since, I have engaged in their Sambhavi mahamudra. I feel its a great start to a journey towards mental detoxification. But you can pick your own form of stress busters…it could be as simple as deep breathing, a quick prayer, or even sitting quietly for 5 minutes. The point is to let go and reset.  

You need balance across all areas to lead a fuller, healthier   life – a balanced diet, work-life balance, emotional balance and   even bank-balance. 😉 I owe most of my fitness to a nutritionally balanced diet. But if you eat badly one day, you need to balance it by going easy (or even fasting) the next day. Or if you are caught up in a stressful situation at work, balance it out by some relaxing music on your way home or talking to a good friend or engaging in a hobby. The other way to look at balance is moderation. Overdoing work or play or eat or rest is never a good idea…Remember, Guilt is the most fattening emotion!  

A girl’s got to have her beauty sleep (well, even boys for that matter!)

Fortunately, I’ve always been a great sleeper.  I believe it’s the final and yet the most important step of my health routine. Our bodies need sleep to heal itself and restore its chemical balance.  Btw, did you know that you lose weight when you are sleeping? Weigh yourself at night before you go to bed and then again in the morning, you will notice that there is usually a difference of anywhere from 1/2 to 1 kg. Well, instead of beauty sleep, maybe we should call it skinny sleep! 🙂 There are many many health benefits to a good night’s sleep. So, please make sure you are sleeping at least eight hours a day. And try to go to bed at the same time, each nite. Unfortunately, this means you can’t be a regular at the late-nite shows/parties. Neither can you be spending your sleeping hours doing social networking..But that’s a small prize to pay for a longer, healthier life, right?! 

Feel your best, look your best, and get your best body back. That is my wish for all of you in this new year. 

 

Btw girls, trust me when I say this: 

 

ps. I’m sure lot of you have similar stories to tell! Please do share them..It may just inspire someone!  Also, would love to hear about fitness tips and hacks that you have found effective.  

 

 

Success is when Sachin Tendulkar tweets!Parenting a Champ!

On By preeti somaniIn bronze medal, sachin tendulkar tweets, saloni dalal, swimmingLeave a comment

I cannot even dream about something like this!, says my dear friend, Krishna, the proud mother of Saloni Dalal, who last week made so many headlines that Sachin Tendulkar tweeted about her. (Sachin’s tweet on Saloni Dalal.)  
For those still unaware of Saloni’s claim to fame; Saloni won a bronze medal in the 200mts breaststroke swimming at the National Games2015 (touted to be the Indian Olympics). But that’s not it, she won this in the Open category, i.e. while competing against athletes twice her age, some previous National Champions, record holders and anyone who’s a who’s who of Indian women swimming, and became the YOUNGEST medal winner in the National Games only falling short of half a millisecond from the Gold medal.  
If you meet Saloni, you’d find her a normal 12-year old, in fact so puny that her coach got constantly mocked upon for enrolling her into the championship. Not to mention, her Gujarati heritage…which is well-known for lot of things, but not sports!  
So what’s the secret?
Of course, you need to have talent and the drive to make such a mark. But it’s not just that.  In fact, it’s not just about her too. It’s about the winds beneath her wings.  It has a lot to do with her parents, my dear friends, Krishna and Kaushal.

I remember the tale when Saloni emphatically announced, a few weeks prior to the championship, that she’s quitting swimming! 

Imagine the tact required to get her out of that negative thought process!  And imagine what it takes every day to keep a 12-year old motivated to swim for 5 hours!  That too, in a Bangalore public pool that is an hour and half away from her house!

I’ve seen both of them make countless personal (and professional) sacrifices to give Saloni the attention she needs.  But again, making sure that the extra attention doesn’t affect their younger son. They had to find her the right coach, the right counsellor, the right diet…And to keep her fed every half hour, because she’d burn up calories faster than a bird! And while doing all this, never letting their expectations or disappointments impose on her!  But these were not even the big challenges.
Their biggest challenges were to find the fine balance between when to hold back and when to push;  to let her swim in the allergy seasons, knowing very well that her allergies could act up and maybe even cause a serious lifelong ailment for her; to channelize her adolescent crankiness and to maintain normalcy around her while she prepares for something extra-ordinary.
A National Games win is an apt reward for the Dalals! More importantly, the tweet from Sachin Tendulkar, the sportsperson Kaushal has idolized growing up. I feel happy success came to people who are worthy of it (and of course, to people close to me J)! But giving an ode to them would be wrong too…

This is really an ode to all those hundred other parents who toil equally for their children, but never see the medal around their child’s neck. 

What it takes to be an urban 40-something Indian woman!

On By preeti somaniIn 40+plus women, indian wemen, new-age indian women, today's indian womenLeave a comment
Some passion, a little boldness, and possibly a personal trainer!

A forty-something urban Indian woman isn’t hung up on a career, as long as she has a passion, to pursue! It’s no longer about raking in the moolah.  (Thanks to their husbands for being the lifestyle providers.) And by now, most of them have proved themselves to the world in their mainstream careers anyway.  So it’s about doing something that defines them; chasing a passion that provides meaning in their lives. Passion could be anything from music to baking to a social cause, but it is dealt with the same fervour as their past-life professions.  Just like their multi-vitamins, this daily dose of passion is what keeps them young and energetic.
   
Middle-aged Indian women today are more bold and beautiful (Thanks to the growing fitness and beauty consciousness of the times!) than ever before!  In fact, they are at their boldest best.  It’s not been easy to maintain those looks or curves .  And who knows when the sagging will show up or the greys will turn into whites. So, it’s now or never.  From selfies to parties, they are flaunting their beautiful, manicured selves to the fullest.  

Sonali – Fit Factor winner, a mother of 2 
and close to 40!
Photo credit: Hari Bhagirath
They are getting bolder in their thoughts and actions too. The kitty party conversations are moving from discussing recipes, kids, and domestic help woes to discussing Nandana Sen’s sexuality or Kim Karshashian’s derriere. There’s no more hush-hushness around engaging in a little flirty tete-a-tete or enjoying bedroom innuendos. Or in sharing smokes or shots with men. They are running marathons, taking solo trekking trips, winning body-building championships, standing up for their rights (and for others’), and asking the hard questions.  

Up until now, fun did not surface as a serious part of their agenda.  But the rules are being rewritten. With kids (pretty much) sorted, husband handled, finances in place, and an unabashed attitude, why not have some fun? Fun is taking tennis lessons or clubbing till wee hours or matinee shows with friends or even a good-looking personal trainer to keep them motivated.
Nonetheless, the quintessential Indian women they are, they remain great caregivers to their families, the right support system to their friends and in general, attentive to others’ needs. And that does not change dramatically… what has changed is now are they are more well-balanced, confident women as opposed to the dull, over-the-hill ones they would be earlier. 

Happy Days (Achhe Din) are here again!

On By preeti somaniIn Acche din, bang bang, e-commerce euphoria in india, festival season 2014, indian e-commerce, modiji's campaigns, Narendra modi, preeti somani blogLeave a comment
Did Modiji pick a good time to become Prime Minister of India? Or did we pick Modiji at a good time?

The Verbal Bang Bang of Modiji!
From Mangalyaan to Mary Kom to the mouse and the mobile revolution, Indian sentiment is at its exuberant best.  Add to that the big fat festival season combined with Modiji’s Bang Bang speeches!  It’s like playing the lungi dance song, when you are already bottoms-uped!

Well, while some may debate the cause and the effect, there is no refuting the fact that achhe din have come upon us.

As we speak, our children are on their mom’s mobiles, trying to buy toys, gadgets, and clothes from Amazon or Filpkart, depending on who is having a better sale that day. This is generating so much excess that they are all feeling charitable about donating to the lesser-privileged.  Ahh, Joy of Giving and Swachh Abhiyan, all while enjoying the new-age comercialism. What say, Modiji? Achhe Din, yah!

Parents couldn’t be happier though; even though a chunk of their income is being spent on their children. The glorying success of Modiji (or Mary Kom for that matter) is enough to rekindle their aspirations that it could be their child in the newspapers someday. Well, if a chaiwala can become a Prime Minister, anything can happen, right?!    

There’s damn achhe din for the newspaper and broadcast media…Thanks to the e-commerce bigwigs throwing VC money for full-length ads to lure us into buying things we don’t really want but at a cheaper price!  The young and the smart of the country rejoicing at this; they are busy building creative products/services  (aka “Make in India” startups) to ride on this irrational materialism euphoria.  And since they are working hard, they are partying even harder! Achhe din for our hotels, restaurants, pubs, paan-walas,  et. al.!

Friends and Families (who are not partaking in the startup boom) are busy travelling to exotic locations or gambling away at the pre-Diwali tash-parties (with single-malt whiskies). Happy Days are here again…Thumbs Up, hic!

The women of the country have become the biggest cheerleaders of the achhe din. They are enjoying their womanhood with renewed self-confidence; clicking away Facebook selfies with their designer outfits that they are buying online.  And for a change, enjoying the thrill of their favorite outfits chasing them from one online site to the other!  They may not go the mall this season, but are religiously going to the gym in the hope of fitting into the teeny-weeny dress they bought on Myntra. Come to think of it, they are pulling the weight of the fashion industry, the social media industry, the e-commerce industry, and the fitness industry on their delicate shoulders!  Women-power as you say, Modiji!

After a long time, men are invigorated thinking about how to re-build the nation (per Modiji’s mandate) and mint money (in the process) so that they can fuel the economy (and their SUVs). They are also going to the gym regularly to catch the women in action (oops…I meant to say, to build their biceps).  And while women are enjoying Facebook, men are having fun with Whatsapp; laughing away at every joke (if it’s dirty, of course)!  Either of them looking forward to an iphone6 to show up as their Diwali gift!

Aren’t these the achhe din we had all hoped for?!  Thank you all for choosing Modiji as our Prime Minister and thank you Modiji for choosing a good time to become one!


ps. Now that Modiji has Bang Banged us with his speeches..lets see if Hritik Roshan scales upto it!

Back to Bangalore: From the lens of a Gurgaonwali!

On By preeti somaniIn bangalore culture, gurgaon, gurgaon culture, gurgaon to bangalore, living in bangalore, move to bangalore, r2i bangalore2 Comments
I had not anticipated the move from Gurgaon to Bangalore (officially Bengaluru) to be that consequential. But the stark contrast hits you in the face just like the cool breeze of Bangalore after the sweltering heat in Gurgaon.
 
The ride from the Bangalore airport makes you want to turn around and move back to Gurgaon. It feels like a long road trip after a short haul flight.
    
Gopuram Temples: A mark of Bangalore’s Traditionalism
The sights of the shiny exterior facades in Gurgaon are replaced by the sights of rustic layouts surrounded by green meadows, (polluted) lakes, and Gopuram temples.  You may have traversed and well-versed in the planned sectors and phases of Gurgaon, but here you better get used to the labyrinth of main streets, cross streets and more importantly, unpaved bystreets. To top it off, you’ll find yourself in an obscurely named halli (each progressively harder to pronounce than the last one) every 10 minutes. (This I believe is, bangaloreans way to shield off their territories from non-local influences.  If you can’t pronounce it, how can you live in it?) 

The taxi driver doesn’t make it any easier for you. He will claim to know Hindi (or English for that matter) but you will not understand his accent and neither will he.  He’ll nod at everything you say, but still take the shortcuts of his choice, instantly creating an element of angst in the mind of an ever-suspecting, direct-from-Delhi female.

The only respite from the cacophony of the Bangalore commute is the close confine of your own gated community. You may think that Gurgaon living is characterized by gated communities. But Bangalore takes community living to another level.  You shop, play, exercise, recreate, socialize, celebrate, and politic within your residential community.  And if that’s not enough, you share every possible resource at your disposal, from your maid, to your kitchen, and even your dinner. This is such a change, coming from a place where neighbours don’t exchange smiles (well, not until they are perceived to be of the same uberness status!)

But then again, Gurgaon seems to be created so that uber Delhiites(especially the foreign returned and the professional types) could distinguish themselves by the virtue of their address. Bangalore, on the other hand, is a melting pot of different cultures, religions, mindsets with the like-mindedness of either their high-tech background or their staunch beliefs thrown in.  Even the successful (setting aside the acres of land they own) will only show-off their simplicity and modesty.

Gurgaon, the Kingdom of Dreams!
Gurgaon, the ostentatious Kingdom of Dreams, symbolizes the notion of “stand out” in every respect.  Whereas Bangalore, with its mellow and communistic attitude, prompts you to “fit in”.   Just like the original art adorning the custom living spaces of Gurgaon, as opposed to the display of the same tanjorepaintings in every south indian home.

While Gurgaon is all about modern and new, Bangalore’s broad-mindedness goes beyond skin deep. I find the populace progressive, not in the way they party or dress but in the way they entertain and adopt new-age ideas, whether it be waste segregation, organic-farming, spot-cleaning, or such social innovations.

I personally have a load of learning and unlearning from the move:  I don’t wear make-up every time I step out.  But I travel one hour for a facial. I remove my footwear before entering someone’s house. I do pot-lucks instead of pool parties. I segregate my waste, not just talk about it. I shop at BigBasketinstead of BigBazaar. Do Whatsapp more than Facebook. I learn Kannada from my driver.  I trust more. And I breathe more fresh air.

And thus signing off, a Banglored “Preethi”!  (The extra h comes with the territory. It’s like the Karnataka Road Tax on your non-karnataka automobile.)  

The 40 signs of getting older!

On By preeti somaniIn UncategorizedLeave a comment
Recently, when everyone else just turned a day older, I turned a BIG milestone older.  Sort of equivalent to Armstrong’s moon-walking feat: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”!  And to top it off, someone had the audacity to ask me the dreaded question, “So how does it feel like?” 



I guess when you are younger, you are curious and stupid. So this is to satisfy her, and the rest of you who are smarter but still curious.  

Here’s what getting older is all about:
1.      You spend your birthday braving Grade 3 and 4 whitewater rapids to prove to yourself that you are still young. (trading in the lavender oil massage for a Bengay one, post facto.) 

2.      You don’t reveal your birthdate on Facebook so as to avoid responding to the “So how old are you today?” question.

3.      You start believing in the “40s is the new 30s” adage.

4.      You are either undergoing a mid-life crisis or starting an alternate career (or both).

5.      You eat healthier but are bigger than you ever were.

6.      You blame your weight gain on hormones or convince yourself that bigger is better.

7.      You get a hangover just by looking at the alcohol and an upset tummy by looking at the French fries (and avoid them under the pretext of detox).

8.      You don’t miss any chance to make intelligent conversation or Facebook comments about economy and politics.

9.      Your profile pictures always get a photoshop makeover. (And you consider apps like makeup.pho.to, and Facetune real innovation!)

10.  You are receiving Botox and Viagra ad mailers in your inbox. 

11.  Your friends are discussing their sex lives and all you do is nod.

12.  It feels like the morning after, but you’ve not done anything the night before.

13.  Your secret luggage pouch most likely just has your daily multi-vitamins.  

14.  You actually sign up for the “Art of Living” course. (Better still, you don’t mind spending your hard-earned vacation on a yoga or a vipassana retreat.)

15.  Yoga becomes a cardio workout for you.

16.  You start taking your laugh lines seriously.

17.  You say things like, “You know that guy who was in that movie we watched that day”.

18.  You struggle to keep up with all the chat acronyms and emoticons (your most popular emoticon is a smilie, cos making sense of other emoticons is like giving an eye exam.)    

19.  You can not bluff in poker because everyone knows what your poker face means and you can’t change it, even if you try. (even withstanding Botox!)

20.  Your friends call you a buddhi (oldie), and you don’t have a good retort back. 

21.  The time it takes to make up your face is more than the time it takes to make up your mind about the dress to wear.

22.  The clothes you had put away until they come back in style, have actually “COME BACK” in style.

23.  Your ideal vacation spot becomes that relaxing beach resort in Florida. (with lots of books to keep you company.)

24.  You miss the ladies night out to tuck in your child into bed. (without feeling sorry for yourself.)

25.  Your optometrist tries to convince you out of the lasik eye surgery. (And her rationale being c’mon, you’ll be needing bi-focals soon.)

26.  The Body Shop salesman insists that Nutriganicsis the way to go.

27.  You have started using phrases like “Yeh baal dhoop mei safed nahi hue hai”* cos you actually can.  

28.  Your shades are more for your eye bags than for your eyes.

29.  At a family gathering, you find more people touching your feet**  than hugging you.

30.  You nudge your spouse about things like life insurance and will.  

31.  You don’t start your resume with “x years of experience”.

32.  You fantasize about owning a farmland and actually farming on it.

33.  You actively seek out NGOs to volunteer at (even without the CSR mandate.)

34.  You start making fun of your age. (Cos everyone else is scared to!)

35.  You forgive and FORGET (more easily).

36.  You care less about how you look but care more about how you’ll be looked upon.

37.  You start treasuring the people in your life more than the money in your bank.

39.  You start accepting people the way they are (and more importantly accepting yourself the way you are.)

39.  You worry more about how you’ll make an impact than about how’ll make more money.

40.  And of course, whatever you do, you do end up getting wiser.
If you are not experiencing this, thank your stars and party hard.  The rest, make peace with it. 
Think about it this way: You are just ahead of the game. The others will follow you soon. 


*A popular Hindi quote meaning “Experience is what has made my hair white”.

**a Hindu tradition of paying respect to elders.

Saga of my Smartphone Screen and Everyday Indianess (aka desigiri)

On By preeti somaniIn Uncategorized1 Comment
I had assumed it was as strong as it was smart. Maybe a notion borne out of the fact that its shining armour seemed undettered to my sudden assaults and callous falls. Well, but one fine day, just like that, it gave in; shattering away my foolhardiness along with the touchscreen.
For a moment, my whole world collapsed. (Well, if you can’t imagine why, read about my obsession with the phone!).  But like a sensible desi girl, I quickly got thinking. I asked my go-to facebook group about where to get my smartphone screen fixed. Folks refered me to the authorized service center and some to their trusted repair shops.
You never realize the value of a phone screen until it’s broken! They all quoted me ridiculous amounts to get it replaced. My desi self couldn’t digest this! In fact I asked them why, and the responses ranged from:
You will need to replace the whole display unit. Of course it will cost you 8500Rs.
The service center is going to charge you 8500 Rs., I’m only charging 6500 Rs.
Well, one jaat dude had the audacity to jhaado the famous Radio Mirchi dialogue…”Paise bhi to kamane hai!”
The range of the responses aroused my new-age desigiri: “Don’t Trust, Verify” and “When in trouble, go to God, I mean, the Google God!”  And like with God, if you ask him properly, he will alleviate your troubles. The right keywords and google spit out the youtube link to “replace your smartphone screen at home ” followed with ebay links selling screens from Rs. 500.
Coupled with this Google-backed wisdom and my innately desi convincing powress, I eventually got the screen replaced for Rs.1500. (Of course, I was smart enough not to take the youtube video advice too seriously..it did involve a hair dryer and a blade, after all!)
What I achieved that day was not only the satisfaction of saving some moolah but that of earning those rare-to-come-by moments in a desi’s life when you get to outsmart the oversmarts; something similar to:
When a Haryanvi driver overtakes you aggressively, only to be eye-to-eye with you again at the next traffic light!
Or when some auntyji types slyly scoots ahead of you at the super market checkout line, only to find out that you checked out ahead of them at the newly opened counter!
Or when you haggled the free dhaniya-mirchi out of the sabziwallah, only to find out that he gave you less sabzi for what you paid for!
But what I learnt was:
  • A smartphone screen replacement service is a very lucrative business opportunity (where else would you find such a combination of information arbitrage with a big market size of impulsive buyers)…provided you don’t attract smart-ass, nothing-better-to-do, internet-obsessed, desis as your clients.
  • When in doubt, google it out!
  • Finally, you always pay a price! (i.e. if you consider time as your currency)
    • Time taken to do online research = 30 mins
    • Time taken to order the screen from ebay and wait for the delivery = 4 days
    • Time taken to convince the repair guy to replace the screen (and not the whole display unit) = 1 hour 
    • Time taken to write the blog article = 4 hours
    • Money saved = 5000Rs (What was priceless though was the look on the repair guy’s face when I showed him the youtube video!)

  QOTD: You can take an Indian out of India, but you will not be able to take the Indianness out of an Indian.

A full circle!

On By preeti somaniIn Uncategorized3 Comments
“You know, microwave causes cancer?!  I have decided to stop using it.” This got a bemused, almost sneered look on my mom’s face, the first of it’s kind, especially considering she had come to visit me after a year.
Over the course of her trip, I kept showing off all my latest lifestyle changes…organic eating, the boycott of processed foods, the stainless steel additions in the kitchen,  my yoga routine, the all-natural beauty regime, and even the reincarnation of the balti-bath (well, the water campaign by Shekhar Kapur combined with my clogged shower head sealed that deal!).
She didn’t say much, but couldn’t hide the “Havent you come a full circle?” look on her face.  
She left a few days later, leaving me behind with the thought to ponder on.  
The truth is, not very far ago, my arguments with my mom were around these exact things…
“Why would you heat on a stove, when you have a microwave? It’s like living in the dark ages.”
 “Why don’t you give the new Maggie a try? It’s now fortified.”
“Yoga?!  Anything that boring cannot be healthy!” 
“High time to chuck the stainless steel, Mom. Everyone in the US uses non-stick cookware. And trust me, they are more health conscious!”
“A warm shower is the only way to really feel clean.”
Ironic, it may seem!  But the fact of the matter is, aren’t we all trying to come to a full circle in some way or other?
  • How come natural healing practices are taking center stage, when we have advanced so much in allopathy?
  • Aren’t we at the onset of an organic farming revolution, after having spent millions in research of chemical fertilizers?
  • Why are we starting to bike/walk to work, when we now own multiple cars?
  • Why are some of us so excited about those new flour mills in the neighborhood selling fresh chakki-ka-atta when we can readily get it in grocery stores?
  • What about that daily dose of sun we now feed our vitaminD-starved bodies, having refrained from it for the fear of skin cancer?
  • What about the resurgence of the eastern-style squatting toilets now being popularized by the Westerners?
  • And isn’t simplicity the ultimate sophistication these days?
  • And isn’t the appeal of being an “Aam Aadmi”, an endorsement of our back-to-basics mindset?
So all this advancement, inventions, systems, and gadgetry! Should we have really bothered? It’s as if everything we created has had an evil side-effect that we are now striving to compensate for.  Have we really progressed then, if we are constantly trying to fight the evils of our own progression?
If better sense prevails, looks like I may wind up where I started off. In a household where there wasn’t a microwave or non-stick cookware or a cupboard full of processed foods; only squatting toilets, balti-baths, fresh chakki-ka-aata, and lots of sunshine.  
And here’s how we may wind up:
How about that for a full circle of evolution?J

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 This post is dedicated to my Mom; the force behind me restarting this blog and the inspiration behind my full circle of evolution.

How I miss my phone!

On By preeti somaniIn 21st century philosophy, digital future, digital-life, impact of technology, life without computers, sci-fi10 Comments

I had seen it coming. But I had been in denial. My thinking was how come something as critical as a phone ever get that kind of a privilege? But it died…right in front of me, without any consideration of its own reputation or my misery.
Now, I’m not that sentimental kind. I don’t cry at funerals. (Not that I’ve been to one, but hypothetically if I ever got a chance, I don’t think I would.) But this one almost had me in tears. The unexpected loss of such an integral aspect of my existence, that too in an alien place where I had no way to contact my driver to summon the car! 
The point is life without these devices has become unfathomable. Our dependence on these technologically-savvy, digitally-accurate devices is such that we no longer find the need to rely on own memory or our darwinian-intelligence. Digital devices are our demigods: Omnipresent! Resolver of all our problems!
Now, I won’t have turned so philosophical had I not lost my other soulmate (my laptop), a few hours ago. Imagine a life without a phone and a laptop! (and no, not on a holiday; right in the middle of a work-day) What the heck, these days you cannot even go on a holiday without them. Who’d help you find out about those hole-in-the-wall eateries and those 20% off online promotions?  But luckily the laptop literally decided to wake up from its slumber. I still don’t know whether it was my cries or kicks that did him in.
The truth is our devices have earned their spot in our maslow’s hierarchy of needs by being our most faithful servant, aide, and guide.  To a large extent, they have made us what we are today: Super-productive!  This “superman/superwoman” persona is so intoxicating that we can’t let go of our digital crutches, even if we wish to. That’s why no one talks about it. We all know we won’t be able to handle the other side of the truth.
But what we don’t realize is that these subservient servants are slowly taking control. We are at their whims and fancy, rather than the other way round. And they are changing us in unimaginable ways:

  • Notice how many times have their incessant callings made us jump out from our sleep, dinners, showers, meetings? 
  • How many times have we’ve hushed people (our near and dear ones) so that we can listen to our phones?
  • How many times have we pleaded to our computers not to crash?
  • And how many times have we cried in front of the idiot box than in front of a friend? 

So, at the risk of sounding too “hollywoodie”, I’d like to add, ”Don’t be surprised if our coming generations morph into small-limbed, big-headed, electronically-stimulated, robotically-programmed zombies!”
For me, I’m in search of an altar life! (Let me start by googling it on my laptop.)
ps. And I do believe in rebirth. If not for myself, for the time being, for my phone!