What (not) to wear.

I am very excited! I am going to embark upon a uber controversial topic. If people view my blog and have the patience to read through my articles, and have that teensy extended bit of patience to leave a comment, then I am very excited to see what they have to say.

So lets get started.. My blog title reads what (not) to wear.. and the protagonist of our discussion is the "mangal sutra" or "thaali" as they call it in some cultures.
The wikipedia blurb reads....
"A Mangalsutra (mangala sutra, mangalasutra or thali) is a symbol of Hindu and Syrian Christian marriage union in India. It is a sacred thread of love and goodwill worn by women as a symbol of their marriage. Every Indian woman considers the mangalsutra the most revered token of love and respect offered to her during the marriage ceremony" According to Hindu cultural ethos, mangalsutra symbolizes the inseparable bond between a husband and a wife.During the wedding ceremony, the bridegroom ties the mangalsutra to the neck of the bride uttering- “May you live long by wearing this sacred Mangalsutra, the reason of my life”. Married women are entitled to wear Mangalsutra throughout their life as it is believed that the practice enhances the well being of her husband and family. It is also considered that the mangalsutra protects the marriage from any evil. A Hindu marriage is incomplete without the mangalsutra. Three knots symbolize three different aspects of a married woman- the first knot represents her obedience to the husband, the second to parents and the third represents her respect for God".

Sounds divine even reading through it right? I respect hindu mythology to a very great extent. A lot of things that were done in the ancient past - come to think of it has some scientific explanation to it. When this combination exists, I am floored! really.

According to ancient history, wearing the mangal sutra is supposed to have a strong significance.. as you read in the blurb above. Fast forward >> in todays day and age..do people still hold regard for things like this? Have things like comfort, style, what others might think, looks taken precedence over the ancient beliefs and myths of some sort?
How many out there wear their thaali on a daily basis? Is it ok not to wear it? Is it really true that by not wearing it, we are falling easy prey to evil and disrespecting our culture?
There have been many talk shows (mostly in the southern part of the world and asian countries) that have been discussed this topic.

My take on this..Cat on the wall.. I really don't know. I no longer wear mine..(oops!!) and thats mainly because

- its too heavy
- its too bling ( I hate gold unless it has some emerald and ruby to it - yeah expensive taste)
- it makes this clinky sound and causes an allergy near my chest..(sux)
- It doesnt go with all types of clothes..
- It attracts many unwanted questions from strangers which you may be obliged to answer
- Its too bling and heavy - ohh I have mentioned that

So there! thats why I dont wear it... I dont know if I am doing anything wrong by not wearing it.
Ofcourse when I visit a temple, or go to any traditional gathering that is bound to have nosey gossipers, that blingy thing will be hanging around my neck...

I personally believe that the good will and nice thoughts for your husband's well being should exist in your heart and you should pray for it from deep within and sincerely want it. And most importantly - practice it! You can still wear your thaali, act all pious and then go off on a tangent! How many such stories have we heard.
I believe that the power of prayer and sincerity in action can make many wishes and desires come true.
I guess this is one of the biggest reasons that I consider it ok to not wear it and not feel gulity about it.
I know I may be attracting a lot of controversy and people judging me. I may not make everyone happy.. but at the end of the day, I am happy and at peace with my self and my belief. I dont want to do something because it has to be done ( unless I am literally forced to and if the life of a loved one depended on it).

- G

Lost!

I was going through my blog from scratch.. From when I started to write very passionately to the time when I started losing the touch and skill (if you will) for it. Even to me, it was quite evident. I really enjoyed reading my initial posts and I can see that it kinda lost focus as time went by.
I can somehow justify this. There was a time in my life I was going through a huge emotional turmoil ( yeah too harsh a word, but I like to think of it that way). I really got to touch base with my inner "soul" and got to learn a lot about myself. Faced the hard facts of life, turned a new leaf and a whole deal more!
At that point, it was very easy for me to put words together and construct a sentence.
It was very easy for me to write beautifully what I was feeling and my perspective and take on certain things.

Fast forward >> to present day.. Over the past two years... I have been at peace with myself. I relish the feeling and love being in that state... I lost the self doubt, my self confidence reached a new high ( to a state of normalcy..lol) and I stopped questioning things.
At this point, I guess I was lost in that halo of peace and just "being" in a state.. I must have lost the skill to write somewhere along this time..

Another thing that I noticed is that my blog doesn't really have a theme to it. Its very random. If you see, most blogs have some sort of theme to them - reviews based, beauty based, art work, cooking, advice and so on. Mine seems to be a mix.. a blend... its like a spice rack. It has a little bit of everything..and then some...

For a very long time I wondered if I should just streamline it and make my blog about "something"..what that something was...I dint know...
But you know what.. I think I am ok about it being a potpourri.. it has a little bit of everything and I like it that way....:)
When someone visits my page, then can (hopefully) find variety and thats pretty much what I am aiming for.. I guess... For my blog page to be a spice rack... A little sweet, a little sour, a little spicy... a little of "everything"....

C'est Moi

I have constantly tried to find out if I have managed to discover more about me over the years..
And so I thought I'd make a list.. So here goes.. This should probably give an idea.. if it doesn't, it only means am still evolving...

- I love my life.
- I have successfully found answers to a ton of questions that I have been asking all my life.
- I love cosmetics.
- I love shopping.
- I love movies.
- I love Surya.
- I hate working out.. but I have to..
- I don't like getting up early in the morning.. but I have to.
- I love rain
- I wanna see snow.
- I love driving.
- I hate walking.
- Sometimes, I'd like to think of myself as laziness personified.
- I have started appreciating nature... and I love it.
- I can shop for an entire day and not get tired.
- I love cooking - & I think I cook pretty well
- I am very impatient.
- I am stubborn.
- I do what I want, and end up getting what I want eventually.
- I don't know how to say no!
- I have this compulsive need to please people.
- I love to have people around.
- I love to laugh.
- I enjoy slapstick comedy.
- I love to do up the house and keep things in order.
- I hate a mess.
- I like chicken.
- I love Chocolate.
- I love icecream and brownies.
- I don't like Starbucks, but I end up getting coffee from there most of the times!
- I love basset hounds.
- I miss Rudo.
- I don't like cats.
- I like helping people.
- I like fighting.
- I love intelligent people.
- I want to start a boutique of my own someday.
- I would like to do something.. that I never could have imagined myself doing, and feel proud about it.
- I want to colour my hair.
- I need a mani/pedi and a haircut ( talk about being unkempt)!!
- I scrub the floor with a brush before using a vaccum!!
- I can sleep for an entire day and wake up without a headache..(Achievement of its own kind).
- I actually wanted to write these in a specific order.. but lost patience
- I feared that I'd disclose too much.. but I just realised its too late to do anything about it..

- G