Magazines Galore

So while my book came out in September, and it has now been a good 7 months, the media coverage still continues and I am very grateful to everyone who has given me the opportunity and invested time and energy into my book and me.

Sometimes when i read about myself on websites, in magazines, in newspapers I wonder if it is really me. Sitting, half way across the world ensures I am a little distanced from it all. That is good and bad. Here in London, I do not even speak much about it.

I get a lot of comments from friends who say things like ' Oh, now you are a celeb!'. I laugh it off and happily tell them how i have just done the dishes or the washing or the cooking (or probably all three).

A lot of people also tell me that i should be proud of myself. I should be proud that I have a book. I agree with them, but i really do not feel any such thing. What i do feel nice about it the fact that I am able to manage so many things at the same time. A full time job, a book out in the markets, another being written, a home to take care of, friends, family.....but in all fairness, while i do work very hard, all this is not possible unless you have help and support. Since the only family i have here in London, is my husband, Sid, a lot of credit goes to him too. Mum, Dad and Bhai back in India are indispensable. They listen to me patiently as i tell them the plot, nod their heads sagely when i discuss strategies with them, push me hard to do things the way they should be done and listen to me when I am exhausted and just need to crib it all out of my system.

Of late a couple of things have appeared in leading magazines.  Doing the interviews or the stories - its has all been so much fun! I am so glad for these opportunities!

In the last 2-3 months the following have been published:

Interview in Good House Keeping Magazine.

Yes! I am so excited about this!

We started work on this, I think, in December, and it was such a lovely experience! The interview was done by a school friend of mine whom I had not spoken in like 10 years! It was just so lovely to catch up with her. The interview is very well written and put together.

You can buy the March edition of Good Housekeeping and read it there.  Otherwise here is the attached pdf.

Interview in the Air India inflight magazine

I have received so so many emails and calls about this one!

Apparently a lot of us travel by Air India and a surprisingly high number of us read the inflight magazines! Also I think the half page close up shot of yours truly and pink flowers did help ;) It was one of the easiest interviews I have done and I had a lot of fun working on this one. I sent a note to the lady who interviewed me thanking her for her help and enthusiasm. Really, it can be such a pleasure to work with someone who enjoys and loves her work!

For those that asked, the picture was clicked on my second wedding anniversary with flowers gifted to me by Sid.

This picture was posted on my FB page by a friend who was pleasantly surprised to my interview in in flight magazine!

Three part story in Femina.

I write in long haul flights. I just love it then. I wrap myself warm and cozy, request the air hostess for a juice, set up my laptop, plug in some music and as the lights are dimmed and people around me fall asleep, i lose myself in words.

It all started because i find it very difficult to sleep in flights. I keep getting up with a start so much that I simply don't even try to sleep now. And i hate wasting time. So the perfect solution then was to just open your laptop and start typing. 8 hours of interrupted time and voila! you have a story!

I started penning down this story when travelling from Delhi to London in November. It was a difficult story to pen as this is mature story. Plus, I had the constraints of the number of words. As the author of a book, i generally have the luxury of using up to 70,000 words...limiting myself to 2000 was not an easy task.  But I thoroughly enjoyed doing this!

Overall, it is an honour to be given space in the leading women’s magazine in India and I am very grateful for the opportunity. Here are pdf shots of the three part story.

Part I

The copies attached here and not great to read and I apologise for that. I am travelling to India soon and will try and get more readable versions :)

Till then,
Take care.


Love
RP

Wink Wink

So this happened yesterday.

It was Friday morning and I was on my way to work. Work has, of late been very demanding. I had a lot of work pending and was feeling very stressed as I started the long day ahead.

I generally have to take the tube to work but I was running late and needed to be on a conference call so i hopped on the bus to work.

So there i was, sitting sullen in the bus, not at all looking forward to the day that stretched unending in front of me. The bus trudged along slowly manouvering London's weekday 8 am traffic. I was lost in thought. Stressed and unhappy.

Sitting in the bus, I suddenly caught the eye of a young and might I add a very good looking, handsome man sitting in a on coming Mercedes. The traffic was slow and the two of us stared at each for a few seconds.

And then he gestured.

He used his hands to pull the sides of his lips downwards in an inverted 'U'. A sad face. Then he jiggled his hands to say that that is not good. He then smiled widely. A happy face. Then he gestured that that is really good.
As meaning dawned on me, unkown to me, i was alreay smiling.

He smiled.

And winked.

My bus and his car moved on leaving me smiling. :)

Sometimes little gestures mean so much. We are always looking for a validation of our existence. To be acknowledged, to be made to feel important in even a small insignificant way. Thank you, Stranger in the Mercedes. You made my day.

RP

Decisions

I am surrounded with people making decisions that will potentially change their lives. I know most of us are deciding something or the other every moment but this is different.

So of late, I find myself discussing Decision A with person A, then discussing decision 2 with person B and Decision C with person C and so on....they are all big decisions and a lot rides on them...

These people I refer to are worried and tense and that is making me feel the same too.... I wish they all decide what they need to decide quickly and more importantly, make the correct decisions.

All three decisions, however boil down to a simple choice. The heart versus the mind. The heart wills one and the mind dictates the other. What choice the three people will go with depends largely on the type of person they are..

And yes, this is birthday week! A year older and hopefully a year wiser :)

Love
RP

Bhag, Bhag!

London has taught me to love running. And it is a lesson I wish to not forget because I absolutely LOVE it!

When I came to London first, and was job hunting, I used spend the major part of my days sitting in the lobby by the window over looking the Thames. I would sit there with my lap top and spend many not so happy hours looking for the elusive job in recession hit London (and also writing TIB! Only then I did not know that i was penning down something that would one day get published). I loved sitting there. Someone or the other was always running and since i was alone at home most of the time, it was the only way i could see people around me.

I would observe the runners closely and wonder why anyone would want to  wear shorts and run in the snow in sub zero temperatures. It perplexed me and I did not quite get it.

Two years later, I can now safely say that I absolutely adore running.

I was never the athletic sorts while in India (and am not now either), and I was as surprised as anyone else, as I slowly started running. Before I knew it, I was in love with it.

I now try and run at least twice a week and love every bit of it.

For the most part, I run along the Thames up to Tower Bridge (the gorgeous, super gorgeous bridge) which is a known landmark of this remarkable city.

 Source: google


Running for me is me time. I run till I can run no further, do some stretches, if the sun is out- absorb the warmth, breathe in deep, think positive thoughts and come back fully refreshed. I go out for a run when I am stressed, when  I need to think something through and when I am feeling low. For me it is the cure for all ills :)


Today, we went to Hyde Park for a run. It was supposed to be sunny but, well apparently bbc is not too reliable when it comes to weather ;)

So there we were running as the rain lashed against our faces and the winds howled loud in our ears. But I absolutely totally and entirely loved it. I love to feel the wind in my hair, I love the all in compassing feeling of liberation, of being able to break free- it is just so exhilarating.

The picture you see below is interesting :P.

The dog owner, having put on special gloves is hunting for dog poop ( you can see the dog too)She spent so much time hunting for it that Sid and I doubled up laughing. Finally, the poor lady managed to find it and happily deposited it in the bin before sauntering off with her dog and child. This is one thing I like about the Brits. They follow rules even when no one is watching. The follow rules simply because they should be followed.

The bare trees and the lovely benches. Pic clicked while running,  not bad eh?

 Hyde Park smells heavenly in bits. Like this place where you can see purple Flowers (don't know which ones these are, unfortunately).

 

Pigeons and ducks in the Serpentine, my second most favourite part of Hyde Park. This is when it had just started drizzling

 

And finally a picture of yours truly. I had finished my run and was just staring at the green of the trees and the brown of the trunks and barrenness of the branches when Sid clicked this.

I am not sure that I believe in New Year resolutions but at the start of this year, I promised myself that I will try and run more. I love it, I enjoy it and i recommend it. Now, get off the couch and do some exercise! :D

Love,

RP

PS: TIB continues to be on 'The Hindu's' Bestseller list even 4 months after its release. Those of you who have not bought a copy yet, here is the link:)

2011!

2011 was interesting. Highlights:

• I celebrated 2 years of marriage in 2011. Karwa chauth 2011 was the first day i recall when I ate absolutely no food. Am proud I could manage that feat :)
• The beginning of the year saw me complete my first year in London. I had never thought I would leave India and knew that if I did, I would definitely hate being out of the country. 2011 saw me slowly fall in love with London and the big city- multi cultural pot of simmering ways of life that London proudly is.
• Middle of 2011 witnessed me complete one year of work in London. Can;t believe that I managed to get a decent job in recession hit London.
• I changed roles towards the end of 2011. I am very grateful that I had options to chose from inspite of how the markets outside are and I am thankful that people at work appreciate my capabilities and abilities.
• I travelled extensively this year. Sid & I started 2011 with Nice (France) and  Monaco- gorgeous beautiful places. We managed to get out of the main city and explore villages near the beach. The camera can never capture the gorgeous beauty of the blue Mediterranean sea. Never!

Near Nice, France

• Italy- The Nice trip was closely followed by a ten day trip across Italy ( we visited the lovely Rome, Florence, Venice and Pisa). We mostly did touristy things in Italy plus I was quite unwell during the time. We are therefore planning another trip to the beautiful Italy in 2012!
• Next up, in June 2011 was the absolutely stunning Spain. I realised during this trip that I am not a big city person, I enjoy the smaller cities much more- that's where you get to see the real culture of a country. After spending a few days in Barcelona, we headed out to Tarragona, again a beach village near Barcelona. And it was lovely!  

Yours truly in Spain

Tarragona, Spain

• Then our next trip took us to the city of a 100 Spires, Prague! Here are some pictures of the beautiful, charismatic city!

Prague View of Prague

• This was followed by a trip to New York City (And the Niagara falls! A must see!!!). Add to that two trips to India and you will see how busy I have been travelling across the world!

The breath takingly beautiful Niagara Falls New York City View at night from the Empire State building

• I learnt to cook better. Yes, I did! For a party I threw last night, I made samosas, khandavi, quesadillas, spinach pin wheels etc etc all on my own! 
 

• Made new friends. A dear friend now, is a girl who I met first on a Jet Airways flight from Delhi to London in the beginning of 2011! She was sitting next to me and we exchanged numbers on the flight....nothing happened for the next two months but after that we started meeting up, got our husbands to meet who got along really well...and voila! friends!
• Being married to a sports enthusiast ensured that we were sitting in stadiums across London for a variety of key matches! This huge list included India England cricket matches at both the Oval and Lords. We lost one and drew the other :(

Eng Vs India, Oval

• Tennis- we were there at the Wimbledon grounds cheering on Leander Paes in the doubles mixed (he lost too)

Leander Paes, Wimbledon, having just lost the match :(

Mens doubles semi finals: Wimbledon 2011- the crowds begin to gather

• Saw the God of Tennis- Roger Federer live in action in the Barclays O2 Mens Finals. And thankfully he won! What a sight it was, to see each and every person in the arena stand up and applaud that one man. It was a moment I will never forget.
 

Roger Federer at the ATP World Tour Finals- what greatness and what a humble man

 

• Add to that a couple of football matches and you will realise how busy we have been sitting in stadiums too!
• Sid got me to see Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dace tap dancing show. Tap dancing had fascinated me even as a child and I simply loved watching these incredible men and women perform with grace and energy.

Michael Flately's Lord of the Dance

•  Apart from that , we watched almost every movie that we had the whim to watch and loved every bit of the gorgeous silver screen that cinemas across the world had to offer! 

As you can see it has been a busy year. Add to all of the above a book. 2011 saw me become something I never dreamt I would become in my twenties. An author. On the 1st of September 2011, my first book got released by Rupa & Co to a largely positive response. It made to best seller lists, i gave many many interviews (which reminds me that there are two pending sets of questions that I should answer ASAP), I wrote an article for TOI which was met with a great response, newspapers carried pieces on me and TIB, I launched the book in Delhi, i gave autographs, I addressed a crowd of over 500 people talking with them and telling them about TIB, i saw TIB kept in best seller sections in book stores in India. Most importantly, however, I got emails from my readers. They emailed me their love and appreciation for TIB. For that I thank you all.

Have a great 2012 ! I wish you all the health and happiness!

Love

RP

 

Mommy Love!

The old world met the new.

My Mum wrote me a letter. Yes, a proper letter. No, not an email. A letter. Written on ruled paper and in Hindi. How charmingly old world-ish is that?

I really cannot recall when I got a letter last (except for the bills that we get in the post here in London).And one from Mum, never before!

However, the letter was not posted to me. Instead, as soon as my mother finished writing the letter, my brother fetched his ipad, clicked a picture and Imessaged it to me.


That is how the old world met the new. But that is not the point of this post.

So I was about to finish work when I got the picture of the letter sent to me by my brother. I squinted here and  there to read it, I enalrged the image, I turned my iphone upside down, I did every thing possible to read the letter till I was able to figure out each and every word.

And then I re read the letter.

And then re re read the letter.

 And then re re re read the letter.

Almost tearing up each time I read it.

I will not go into the details of the 2 page letter as it is too personal. Suffice to say that it was the sweetest, loveliest letter I have ever set eyes on. My Mum had been (uncharacteristically, might I add) missing me terribly and she thought of just penning down her feelings.She told me that she missed me, she told me what all she missed ( including me being so busy studying the whole day that I would not even take a bath- how charming :/) and how unfair it was that I now live hundreds and thousands of kilometers away from her.

Anyways, like I said, I read the letter about a trillion-gazillion times.Infact after work that day, I went out with some people to a jazz club. Dimly lit, excellent music, great food. But all I could think of was Ma's letter.

Such is the power of words.
Such is the power of love.

I realized that day that when you truly love someone( your spouse, your parents, your siblings, your kids, your friends) its like this thick rope connecting two hearts, securing the two hearts, empowering the two hearts. One heart writes and the other reads. One heart says and the other hears..

And sometimes, one heart says a little bit and the other heart understands everything.

Love
RP

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You can buy my first book, The (In)eligible Bachelors published by Rupa & Co. from Flipkart 
and interact with me on Facebook too!

Live it!

Like, I said to a colleague the other day while coming back from an amazing meal, sometimes we are so busy living in London that we forget to look at it.

She agreed. We discussed how we can probably describe the road to work (and by road I actually mean the road) and not the people that we (don’t)see or the beautiful buildings that we again( don’t )see.

So that day after work, I stepped out of my office and looked. And saw. And realised what an amazingly beautiful city London really is.

I had never really consciously noted the beautiful architecture of the building bang opposite to office.

I had never paused to admire the understated but immense beauty of St Paul’s Cathedral which I walk past each day to work.

I had never noticed how trees had she their leaves and how pretty they looked decked up for Christmas. Who had put up the blue lights? And more importantly, when?

I had never noticed the little fountain. How pretty that looked!

I had not noticed how beautifully fresh the cold wind that I hid my face from was.

I had not noticed how with approaching christmas everyone was looking happier.

I had not noticed so many many things.

This is life. This ordinary day that has gone by is life. One day has gone past you. It was the day you could have done so much, seen so many things, laughed, joked, clapped, danced…it is gone. A small part of life as you know and (hopefully) love is gone. Just imagine how precious it was.

Sometimes, we are so busy living life that we forget to see. And admire. And appreciate.

I have realised that it is time to change that about me! And I am convinced I will J

Love,

RP

Back!

My bad. I know I have not been posting on blogger. The reason is simple. I have started writing in my diary again. Yes, yes, much like Kasturi:) I came from India 2 weeks back and it already seems like it was ages ago when I was in India last. There are a lot of things that have happened since which have kept me extremely busy. The India trip was amazing. The highlights: 1. I got to launch my book! Yeaaaayyy! It was absolutely amazing to stand on the little stage in the Crosswords book store in Select city mall, Delhi posing with my book as people clicked pictures. It was lovely because I got to sign my first few copies. It was lovely because my mom, dad and bhai could make it to the event. It was lovely because a lot of people who had read the book could make it to the event! 2. Gave my first in person interview. Living in London had ensured that all my interviews till then had been conducted on the phone or via email. A lovely lady from Hindustan times came over to my place to take my interview. It was a nice experience. 3. Took part in a live chat! On rediff. That was like super cool. So many people asked questions that I did not know when the hour was up. I still had questions pouring in. 4. I got to speak to more than 500 students , ask them questions, answer their questions…just generally speak to them, talk to them about my book et al. Lovely! It is a good thing that I enjoy public speaking :P 5. Tried my hand at making Momos. And before you ask they turned out really well  6. Met up with some friends. Always amazing to catch up. 7. Gave my brother a haircut. Do not ask how that turned out :P 8. Went shopping with my Mum and dad- the simple of pleasures of life 9. Got pic clicked with all five of us in it. Love that pic! The list could go on. However, the surprise this time was that while it was aweful to leave home, it was not that bad to come back to London. I love London in the winters. The foggy, bleak, grey and damp London. I just love it. Plus London is now all decked up for Christmas and there is such an air about Christmas time that it is infectious! This will me my first Christmas in London. Last year we were travelling in Morocco during this time and I am looking forward to being in the UK for Christmas. Fingers crossed for a white Christmas :) Love RM

From New YOrk City

So many people have asked me the same question- what is the difference between London and NYC? and finally I seem to have my answer. London is the quaint, antique street lamp with the yellow bulb and intricate carvings of an era gone by. NYC is a bright, jazzy neon sign. Which is better? You can take your pick:)

SO yesterday I went to see the Niagra falls. I was expecting it to be as over rated as most tourist spots are ( eg I found the EIffel TOwer to be massively over rated) but boy was I wrong! Absolutely totally wrong! I have never felt to captivated by the beauty of a place before. I really don't know how to put it in words.

WE got on the boat to go to the falls so that we could look at it. As I approached the falls I was stunned by the beauty. The water of pool was blue green. The water from the falls pure white. The force of the water pelting down -absolutely unimaginable. The noise from the falls distant but still oddly deafening. The sky a bright blue . As mist from the falls rose white birds flew around. The falls surrounded by white mist seemed so beautifully mysterious that I fell in love with that one scene right there and then. The white mist surrounding the blue and the green. Heavenly.

I don't do this normally but I stood there drenched from head to toe and memorized what my eyes were seeing. I clicked some pics too but I have realized that pics do little or no justice to the beauty of nature.

Then we climbed some bit of rocks near the falls to get a closer look. In a blue poncho, totally drenched and shivering I stopped dead in my tracks at one point.It was literally raining like crazy ( the supposed mist) and I had turned around to ask Sid to be careful as he tread the slippery grounds. I stopped mid sentence as i spotted a rainbow. Not huge, not even big but it began at my feet. I don't know if it is really that big a deal but I was stunned. A rainbow that is beginning at my feet, I repeated to myself. I stared at it for a long long time unable to take my eyes off it.it was almost magical. To have a rainbow begin at your feet.I stood there and took in each bit of what my eyes were seeing.

I have

Hello,

What started 1.5 years back more as a hobby than anything else, is now a published book. 2 years back had you told me that I would one day be an author I would have looked incredulously at you.

Infact I know what I would have said. I would have said something like ‘yes, I will write my book, while on my way to the moon’. Some smart ass comment that would have seemed smart ass only to me.

Anyways (as always), I digrees.

So the book is out now. People are getting hands on their copies and the reviews are trickling in. It is such an amazing feeling to read a great review (thankfully ALL reviews have been fantastic so far). I read what readers have to say about TIB and feel my heart warm into a fuzzy ball of warm chocolate.

I then read it again and then again. I look at the words you have written and wonder which parts of the book made you think that way. You teared up? Where? You laughed? What made you laugh?

Reading about how TIB has made readers smile, laugh and tear up is more gratifying that anything I have ever experienced. Readers have commented how they have been up way past midnight because they could not put down the book. One lady complained of a terrible head ache the next day because she was up till so late reading TIB. I know atleast three readers who mailed and gave the retailers an earful because they had not delivered the book on time. Another reader wants her Mum to read TIB. Another has already given it to his Mum. Another has just bought another copy for his Mum. Another reader is thinking of going down the arranged marriage route after reading TIB. Another reader went to office on Saturday (he never does that) because he was keen to get a copy as soon as possible. A senior from B school tells me how TIB is the first time in a long long time he has read a book in one go.

I am amazed at how positively people have reacted to TIB. Touch wood.

All the hard work of the last year and a half is worth these comments. Absolutely, totally, completely worth every bit of this.

Thank you to my dear readers. Thank you so much for liking TIB. I hope you continue to like and love TIB.

Again. Thank you.

Regards
RP

Want the First chapter?

Hi,

I know I know. All I seem to be talking about on this blog is TIB (The (In)eligible Bachelors! Huh!)

I agree. But my book is now coimng out in like 5 days! Can you beat that?

Right, so I am giving folks a chance to read the first chaper of my book :)

You have to just drop in an email at theineligiblebachelors@gmail.com and I will respond with the first chapter :)

Look forward to seeing you there :)

Love
RP

Heylo,

I am back. It has been an extremely busy few days and i do not see that changing any time soon.

Most of the after & before work hours are dedicated to 'The (In)eligible Bachelors' making me very busy. Add to that a hurt back ( thanks to a skating class in Hyde park) and a pulled muscle ( thanks to an over strenous yoga session) and you get the picture.

So, the sample copies are now ready. My publishers have shipped 2 of them to my home and I can’t wait for my Mum/ Dad/ Brother to receive the package and open it and take pics of my book and email them to me.

*Sigh*

The wait is now almost killing me!

The book will then officially release on the 1st of September, 2011. The date has been pushed back and there have been slight delays, but well, what can be done about that?

I am jittery, nervous and excited. But mostly, I just want the book to come out now. I have been working on it for more than 1.5 years. For 1.5 years, each day I have spent time and energy on the 252 pages that will be put in the form of a book. It is indeed a labour of love.

The support for the book- that has been fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. However it has not come from places I had expected it will come. I have learnt to be fine with that because of a reason. Some complete strangers who have gone out of their way to promote TIB.

I look forward to your support :) and I hope you have pre-ordered your copy! If not, then there is the flipkart link on the top right of this page. Do get yours pre-booked now :D

Love
RP

Hi,

I have fever, my forehead is hot, my brain is not working too well, so I am just going to up an image.

I know you will like it :)

Love
RP

HT City (Delhi & Mumbai)

The Eligible Bachelor and Lotus Root Curry.

Blog Marathon 2
Week 3: Post 1
Guest Post by: Shumaila
Spoiler: Love Story ahead :)

Introduction to Shumaila
Shumaila, or Shumi or Schumi(as I have always spelt it in my head) is my loomie from first year at B school.
Loomie.
Right, you do not know what this weird word means. Here you go:

Roomies share a room. Loomies share not a room but a loo. Interesting, I know ;)

She was one of the hottest girls on campus (please do not be misled by her humble post below!), an amazing team player ( I vividly remember the countless hours she used to spend working on her group assignments) and has turned out to be a fantabulous cook and blogger!

Shumaila currently lives in the US and I hope that one day, she becomes renowned for her cakes and breads and all the other yummy, mouth watering stuff she makes!

She blogs here and I would highly recommend her blog to those of you who cook. I follow it quite closely myself and have lifted off recipes with a mental whoop of joy! Sometimes I find it difficult to believe that one of us can cook so amazingly well!


Enjoy her post and the recipe that follows it!
Needless to add, thanks a ton, Schumi :D

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The Eligible Bachelor, Shumaila's story

Ram Pyaari, or as we friends know her- Ruchita, is the author of the upcoming book, The (In)Eligible Bachelors. Its a fiction novel about what goes on behind the scenes in Indian arranged marriages, through the witty account of a recent MBA graduate, Kasturi Shukla. The tag line says it all for the book:

Arranged marriages are complicated things.
So are relationships.
And so are mothers.

V and I had an arranged marriage last year in March.

But unlike the whole arranged marriage scene in India, I never had to go through the typical arranged marriage routine of parents-of-girl-sending-out-proposals-narrowing-boys-arranging-meetings-dealing-with-rejections-stuff. In fact, my parents weren't even looking for a boy nor was I.

V was the first guy I ever spoke to, in terms of the whole arranged marriage thing. Even five years back when V's proposal came for the first time, his was the first family who had shown the bahu (daughter-in-law) kind of interest in me.

Five years back, I wanted to study MBA and live independently for a while.
Five years back V too had just started his masters in the US and wasn't looking to get married.

So, after a brief interaction (one yahoo-chat-window long conversation) in cyber space, V and I parted ways.

Little did we know that it was temporary.

Fast forward two years.

I joined an MBA college. My parents showed no interest in boy searching, though felt that after MBA, I should get married, but they were not doing anything about it.

Being the only son, V's parents though were looking for suitable matches. So V kept on seeing prospective life partners during his short trips to India.

V, according to his family was a picky one when it came to girls, refusing rishtas (marriage proposals) left, right and centre.

But that all changed when I came into the picture. (tada!)

I really don't know what it was about me that made him tell his parents very covertly- 'what about Chauhan uncle's daughter (aka me)? Is she still available?'

We hardly spoke five years back, just chatted online briefly and honestly I have no idea what we talked about- I assume I must have said something really witty and smart for my memory to have stuck with him. But, knowing me, and the witty and smart lines I have come up in the past (I can probably count them on my two hands), I don't think that was the case.

But then, I was pretty good at picassa-ing photos back in those days- probably it was one of those morphed picture of me that made me look like Angelina Jolie (yes, I think she is very pretty) rather than the Rosie O'Donnel (No, I don't think she is ugly- just more closer to what real people look like) I actually am. That image of a "pretty" girl might have stuck in his mind and that's why he kept a tab on whats happening in my life through orkut. Boy, he must have had a treat if that's what got him interested in me. *Insert evil laugh here*

Anyway, fast forward another two years, and my MBA was done. I was still not interested in getting married. My parents too were not looking for a boy (though getting me married off was on their mind but dare they act on that- my wrath would have seriously injured them!)

I was actually interested in opening a bakery- with no prior experience or interest ever shown in the kitchen one day I decided baking was my true calling- after graduating in economics and doing an MBA in finance- that seemed like the most logical path to carry forward on. (I know what you thinking and I agree- kudos to my parents to bear with my constant erratic behavior and I judge them for not whole-heartedly trying to find a boy who would get me off their hands sooner. Parents I tell you, they love you no matter what!)

Anyway, I digress again.

So, I wasn't looking.

My parents weren't looking. (Though secretly I know they were hoping I get married.)

But V's parents were looking and since V had accomplished what he wanted to before marriage he too had started showing interest. But nothing was working out.

Now, don't get it wrong- V is a find, a keeper, like how they say in India- heera hai ladka, bilkul heera (the boy is as valuable as a diamond). Great job, intelligent, handsome, very cultured, simple- almost like a Sadhu. He was every mother's son-in-law-dream-come-true!

But, like I said, he was picky. No one fit his bill.

Enter me.

Tada!

Well, actually, re-enter me.

Tada!

When his marriage proposal came, I told my dad no. My friend and I had a great business idea and I wanted to work on that. My dad though, plotting some master evil plan of his to get his daughter married did not convey this message to V's dad, thinking 'fickle-minded-me' would change her stance.

Around the same time as our dad's convo, V had mailed me on my Yahoo, an account I rarely used ever since I switched to gmail 2-3 yrs back, but hadn't been deleted out of sheer laziness.

So after two-three weeks of his mail lying in my inbox, and he thinking I was clearly not interested, I don't know what made me open my mail (the last time was probably 4-5 months back). I replied to his 'hey-i-hope-you-remember-me' mail. I directed him to my gmail and thereon our conversations started.

From surety of not being ready for marriage, the conversations that followed convinced me, that he was the perfect guy for me. Till date, I believe, with all my heart, vice-versa does not hold true- he could have done much, much better! Kya karein ladka heera hai heera!

But I guess in life, not everyone can come out as the winner, right?

And for a perfect marriage, don't they say the husband should always let the wife win!

Well, V let me win! :)


The Lotus Root curry

Lotus roots are roots of the lotus water lily. The roots are tuberous, with large air pockets, making them buoyant in the water, and give the lacy pattern when sliced. It has a firm crispy texture. Dishes having lotus roots are pretty common all over Asia. This is a dish from the Northern Part of India, Jammu and Kashmir. Its a fairly simple recipe, and tastes great with Tandoori Roti or Naan. I initially thoughtof pairing it with rice but its a little on the drier side to have with rice. I used frozen lotus roots, which you can find in the frozen section in Asian stores.

Adapted from India: The Cookbook

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound lotus roots
1 tbsp ghee, clarified butter
2 black cardamom pods
4 green cardamom pods
5 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks, about 1 inch long
1 tsp ground aniseed
1 tsp ground ginger
250 ml (1 cup) natural plain yogurt
salt, to taste

Directions




Cook the lotus roots in boiling water for 10 minutes, or until half done.
Heat ghee over low heat.
Add the whole spices, aniseed and ginger. Season with salt. Cook for 10 minutes on medium low heat, stirring constantly.
Add lotus roots, and let cook for another 10 minutes.
Add the yogurt and simmer over low heat for 2 minutes. The ghee would separate.



Serve with hot rotis/naans.

Blog Marathon; Week 2 , Post 2

And it begins!

Yes, it has begun! :D The preordering has begun!

Here on Flipkart

Here on infibeam

Is not that super cool! The book is also available on uread and ring-a-book!


So, coming to the post.


When I was younger I wanted to become a detective. I was as serious about my career choice as any 5 year old could possibly be. I spent my afternoons practising skills I was sure would save my life one day.

I have afternoon insomnia. I created that right now and since I created it I will tell you what it means. A person with afternoon insomnia, very predictably, is a person who cannot sleep in the afternoon. In the 1.5 years I have lived in London I have never slept in the afternoon. Never.

Now after having armed you with that life chnaging piece of information, let me come to the point.

So I aways wanted to become a detective. Since I was a child. In the afternoons my Mom would nap with my brother and me on either side. I would pretend to sleep (another great skill to have for a detective, I told my 5 year old self) till Ma and Bhai were fast sleep and then quiety get out of bed (another handy skill) and practice.

In the darkened room with the curtains drawn, I would let my imagination go wild. The room was a mansion of a dangerous man. I was a detective on a very dangerous mission. I had to find the dangerous truth that would save the world from ? Danger, ofcourse!

I had to move as quietly as the mouse I ferverently hoped did not exist in the room. My brother who was mumbling in his sleep was no innocent 4 year old. He was actually a very dangerous killer who should not wake as I searhed the room for important documents. The urgency. The mystery. The suspence as I moved steathily around the bed looking for dangerous papers which I knew I would finally find in my school bag very quickly once i got bored or tired.

Oh Boy!

So well, as you would have figured out I did not grow up to become a detective. I did a boring degree in Engineering and then another in Business Management.

I wanted to become a detective. I did not. I never thought I would become an author. But I did.

Yesterday, my book 'The (In)eligible Bachelors' went up for preordering. And as I sat there staring at this pagee and the 'Author' in brackets next to my name, it hit me.

You do not know what destiny has in store for you. It can be bad, but it can very well be good too. Keep the faith.

Love,
RP.

PS the book can be pre-ordered on flipkart (yes! they are pre-ordering my book!) infibeam at a very cool 40% discount, at uread.com and at ring-a-book.

If it interests you ( and I really hope it does!) please do place your orders. And as always thank you for your support and kind words.

PS Kinder souls could share the link on the facebook page too. As you undoubtedly know, sharing the link gives you a halo and two wings! I need all the help I can get to spread the word!Thanks :)

Blog Marathon
Week : 2 ; Post: 1
Days left for official release of TIB('The (In)eligible Bachelors' for the uninitiated:): 17
Country wise availability : 1st week of Spetember.


Focus on things to do!

I could never do that. If someone said something I would think and think about it till my brain imploded.

Common sense prevailed. But later. Much later. When, sometimes, it was too late.

For the better part, I would just think. And think. And then think some more.

What an absolute waste of time, energy and resources.

Today for the first time in my life, I was able to simply ignore the nonsense and focus my energies on something parctical that needed my attention. I was able to park aside the rubbish. Ignore it and just simply move on.

It was just so simple to do it and so very easy. I know that my head did not ask any questions, there was no curiosity, nothing. My brain just said to me, 'Hey listen, do you have time for this crap? No, right? Then please do your work'

As simple as that.

I consider that a victory. I have always had a very sensible voice inside my head. Only it was much easier to not listen to it. Now, increasingly I find myself dealing with things very rationally. I am learning to deal with that surge of anger that leads me to say things I always regret later. I am learning to ignore what people are saying (if it is not constructive). I am also learning to be open to criticism (good, since my book is coming out soon! :P)

Maybe this is called growing up?


Love
RP


Next post: Tag from Tanvi!

PS: My father was so happy with the reponse you guys gave for his previous post here that he is ready with his next post! That will come later maybe in week 3 :)

Blog Marathon

Week 1, Post 2

Dad's Post:

Dear Readers,

After taking your opinion only, I am putting up Dad's post the way he wrote it. Let's see who breaks the code;) To me it seems pretty straight forward now :)


THIS HAPPENED 411 YEARS AGO


I can give the exact time difference to the people who would like to go into those details(the type 1 personality)As it is said that history repeats itself and there is a good couplet:

येः सच कि तरीखः दोहरति है खुद को ,लेकिन जो अच्हे होते हैं वोह् किस्से नहि -होते -

It means that repetition does not have what was good in it the first time.What actually happened in act 1 SCENE 1 was that shehzada asked Mehrunnisa how the pigeon flew away ,she threw up the next pigeon in the air ,exclaiming this is how!

Only 411 years later in act 1 scene 2the same story was repeated minus the best parts.For this i will have to fill in some details.

One of close family friends had to leave town for a couple of weeks and they were very fond of their pet parrot.They requested me to look after the pet so Mitthu entered our family.This was a amazing pet .while me and my wife(Of (in)eligble Bachelors fame) were discussing somebody and we laughed,immediately Mitthu echoed the laughter perfectly .Then we realized his latent qualities.

There was plenty of cucumbers in the garden for Mitthu to feed and he kept us amazed by his shear ingenuity.

The time passed quickly and it was with heavy heart that we had to return Mitthu to its original owners,there children were missing Mitthu.I went to the pet market brought a parrot,being of very good breed it started learning fast.

Now was the time for act 1 scene 2 minus the frills i.e.the shehzada Sid was missing ,though i can give you the exact lattitude and longitude from Botswana to india where he was at that moment ,so my daughter coolly opened the cage of the parrot to let it fly away.Neighbourhood boys and servants ran around looking at the tree tops,with no result.

We waited for our pet for next few days and as the days passed our hopes dwindled.

How we got a new occupent to this cage will be told to you in my next post.

Comments now ;)

Blog Marathon
Post 1 Of week 1

Singham, Moview Review.

*No Spoilers ahead*

Singham, in sanskrit means Lion. Each time Ajay Devgan did anything that was inkeeping with the meaning of the name, a lion roared a couple of times in the background.

It is this that killed me. In a good way. It is what made me want to stand on my feet in the cinema, whistle a couple of times and clap really hard.

I loved Singham.

I loved Singham for the tight,fast paced script, the mindblowing dialogues, the background score and the action scenes.

I particularly loved Singham's signature action stunt where Devgan would jump in the air in slow motion, and with a not too pretty grimace on his face, would bring his palm on the head of the poor bloke who had made the error of crossing Singham's path. The bloke would then bounce a couple of times like a ball. That did it for me. Really it did.

Ajay Devgan is exellent. He plays the character of a super cop well by ..well..underplaying it. The khakhi uniform, the spotlessly white Baniyaan showing from underneath, the ray ban shades, the stuck on muchchi- it was all absolutely perfect.

Full points to Prakash Raj. He is the perfect villan. Not stealing the actor's thunder but honestly, well....matching upto it for sure. I did not bat an eye lid (literally) when the two men confronted each other in what were some of the best scenes I have seen of late.

The story is simple. It plays on the age old formula of good versus evil. Of courage. Of standing up for what you believe in. Of standing up for what is correct and right.

But the star of the movie in my opinion was the back ground score. It added to each scene. It lifted the movie to another level, it made me sit up, it made me want to clap and whistle.


Singham is Ajay Devgan's Dabangg. Only it is much better. It does not trivialize issues. It lets big issues remain big. The stakes are high here. And there is little tomfoolery. It is serious. It throbs. Yes, it does. Its all muscle and brawn. But with heart.


I therefore, highly recommend it to people who love masala movies. Go watch it. If posisble dont watch it in a multiplex. If I were a guy in India, I would not even buy balcony tickets for this one.



4.5 stars from me. Only because I do not give any movie 5 as a matter of principle.


P.S Bloggers and all you creative people! The Book give away is on fire. Close to 100 entries already but hardly any from the most creative people I know!You guys! Do go to this link and have some fun and give the non-bloggers a run for ...err...my book ?lols!

Dear Readers,

Side note first: I have just started a flash fiction (less than 10 words) contest on the Facebok page of the book. Winner gets pretty much the first copy of the book my publishers post to me :) My way of saying thank you to all of you for your support prior to the release of the book!

Visit here to take part in the competition that is already heating up!

Do take part. It is a LOT of fun. Plus you get my first copy of the book :)

My Dad, a doc by profession, is an exceptionally intelligent man. From what I know of him, I am convinced he has a photographic memory too.

He has written a small, very small piece for the blog. I had to read it some 5 times before it all made sense to me. That too after Mum had explained his post.

Now, I have two options, I can either elaborate his post or put it up the way he has written it.

Suggestions?


Love
RP

PS The Marathon has completed one moth! Yeaaayy! but the posts will continue for some more time. Only I am going to reduce the number of posts to two a week.

Neha's Guest Post

Blog Marathon: Tuesday Post
Reason why the post was not put up on Tuesay: RP dozed off on the sofa

MY / the non author’s STORY: I have often stared at crumpled ATM withdrawl receipts and shoved them back in my pocket. Have even tried looking into a pot full of boiling tea leaves, trying to find the sunset colours in it but I couldn’t.

Sigh, I wanted to write, and the great authors do hunt for these seemingly insignificant things for inspiration, don’t they?

Well, I am a surgery post graduate resident and the most “in my face” and obvious thing in my life right now is my residency. Its obvious I should write about it, but of course my lips are sealed. Though only till the day I pass and run out of my prestigious institute . ( holding close to myself the degree and the pass certificate). Plus there is no time to write.

I multitask like my most fellow comrades : am a doctor. But I don’t just, for eg. , say, order an xray to be done. I tell the ward sister “sister ji, patient ko xray room bhej do”.

She’ll say “theek hai” and go back to her more imp task of checking out the other sister’s nail paint.
I wait.
Then I go find the ward boy. “bhaiya please patient ko chod aao xray me” . He’ll say “ok, ma’am” with a broad grin and go back to whisling a new chartbuster.

Mornings are always beautiful for him. Never suffers morning blues like us lesser mortals.

I wait.

Then I shout.

Then I catch hold of his arm, forgetting I am a doctor, going to be a surgeon and push him a little (with my 5’2” height that is all I can do) “ bhaiya jaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaao”

Grrrrrrrrrr. Now u know why the ward boy is humming the new chartbuster and not me. That is because I am in the hospital till late night doing the moron’s or someone else’s work.

Doctors, sigh.

Well, that is my story :)

Non author : who shall someday return as the angry young woman to narrate her story. Adieu till then!

Ram pyari’s / the auhor’s story : Well, Well, she did get inspired by the fading mehndi of her hands. So she is the author.

Lovely, brilliant and adorable Ram Pyari.

Aapki Ram Pyari will soon be “Madame RP of the ineligible bachelor’s fame” (so, we pray, hope and wish)

By the way, I am one of the the lucky two people who have already read the book. (and if some Sherlock Holmes thinks I am Siddharth in written disguise, I’m not ;) ).

Will tell you guys why everyone should read the book!! :-

1) Its about “marriages”!!! Oh c’mon, they are like “the event” in our indian lives. It is not your, mine or sombody’s wedding. Its nani dadi chacha chachi mausa masi, masi’s mom in law, and also the very important and very own aunty from the neighbourhood’s affair as well. Did you ever see this aunty ever bothering to take interet when you were struggling to get into college or deciding what to do with your career when u passed out?? That is the charm of shehnais, marigolds, and the gold ;)

2) Girl power : its about “us”. Independent headstrong bold ( smug smile :)) career women who do fall in love, who do get caught up in the arranged marriage chaos. All of us HATE the idea of our pictures being mailed to total strangers. And to be told that some xyz guy( with a paunch, a bald head and with hundred other imperfections) has rejected us coz our nose is not dead centre or because we area a little fat or a little too thin.

3) Its cost effective. (am I sounding cheap? NO! JUST THINK AGAIN OF THE END OF MONTH DAYS, YOU HYPOCRITES)

4) We all need a few laughs. We do. And this one is guaranteed to give you more than a few.

5) Its 100% gripping. You will not put it down before you finish it.

6) Its about mums too ;) your typical run of the mill mum. We love them. But, ah well, at times, well, you know what I mean. Please refer the book for details :)

7) Its by your Ram Pyari, and my didi. I haven’t known her for very long. But for some reason I absolutely adore her, can just pour out my heart to her and turn to her for help. Maybe because she is such a sweet heart. ( also she gave me a VERY COOL snake skin belt ;) )

8) Guys! Have you seen her pics??? Have you seen those coats and those high boots? You got to give credit to the fact that she is one classy chic! ;)

9) At the risk of sounding desperate and freaky : c’mon my fellow comrades, doctors, the residents,all the tragic heroes : lets raise a toast to this lovely young lady and her book. Pease find out time to read it. Its fab and it’s a stressbuster. AM KIDDING, I mean to address all you guys, the readers. Am sure you will enjoy the book as you have enjoyed reading RP’s blog

Dearest Ram pyari, am sure with your readers love and support the book is going to rock the bestsellers lists. You totally deserve it. Good things happen to good people. Lots of love from me. All the very best.

Dearest readers, thank you for bearing with me, if you did. Don’t u worry, the next post will be from Ram pyari, should clear this post’s hang over ;).

Love from me

Neharika



Thank you Neha for the lovely post. Yes, you one of the only two people on the planet who have read the entire book (except my publishers/ editors, i hope) and it was lovely to read what you had to say about my book. Love.

RP
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