Living it up for just ME

Its been a month since I am away from the comforts of life- all the pampering, ready made, spoon fed things which fortunately, I did not take for granted. Just that you need to appreciate every bit of you life in certain ways which are not necessary overt, it can just be a "feeling of realisation" when your mom gets a packet of your favourite chips/ chocolate just for you amidst all of the hustle bustle of the supermarket. That realisation comes to life when you learn to return the same appreciation when you are away from home. A small thank you email also means a lot to the opposite person- be it your parents, grandparents, friends, cousins whoever!

Coming back to the bit where I spoke about staying away from home. Besides what I mentioned above, you also learn how to be completely on your own. No permission to go out of home may bring a few smiles and wicked smiles on some people's faces but I can tell you, that wicked smile will last for a few days. You get your share of independence but how you make proper use of it is totally on you. Again, this is one of the challenges of living independently. This does not mean never enjoy, it means enjoy independence with a pinch of awareness of why are you staying alone, away from home. That should do it! ;)

Shopping alone:
I always loved to shop alone in India also and till now, I am enjoying marketing- TESCO, weekly market has its own charm. Buying the required, then putting it into account, totalling the account for the month..that is independent living. Its a learning process all together!

Cooking alone:
The second thing I enjoyed in India- cooking (credit: Masterchef Australia- always!) Cooking for oneself is enjoyable unless you go wrong somewhere, you have to eat that all by yourself! :P Cooking for friends is something I will always enjoy (have to make sure nothing goes wrong here...so always stick to known things or recipe book!!) Prior grocery shopping also has some fun elements in it.

Studies:
Nothing like how we would "mug up" in MU. Education here is totally research based, they want to explore areas which we would love to explore and go deep into it so that we can pursue our area of interest for our Phd ;) Love reading research papers, asking questions to myself and then finding answers myself. This is just the first month, have 9 more months of such things coming up, looking forward to spend each work hour in that way!

Travel:
London, Woking, Windsor, Leicester and Loughborough and still counting... Intend to go to Nottingham after 18th Nov on one of the weekends. Knowing a new place is learning about a whole new culture, directions, language, food and way of life. Its a good passtime to have! 2 Things I chose Loughborough- Studies and the amount of beautiful places around the town ;) So, 1 travel,1 month is expected-- Railcard- total vasooli ill do ! :P

Videos:
I love going around alone so that I can take as many videos I want to, experiment with as many pictures, spend quality time at each place... That is independent life for me!

I am living it up!! Having fun, loving life- Independently!!!!

DjokerNole!!! #1

A small tribute to my role model in Tennis:

The first time I saw you play,
You were not a #1 on grass or clay,
But you were my idol since that very day
and today Nole, for everyone you are number 1, here to stay.

The last night's victory was so neat,
Emotions ran high when you achieved the 'feat'
the Wimbledon you won and Rafa faced defeat,
and you ate the grass, which was such a treat ;)

Watched you for 5 years and a Lot more to come,
More Grand Slams, more imitation fun,
More wins and many others you will stun,
For everything you gave us fans, thanks a ton :) :)

Cheers from India!!!

The cricketer who sold his Ferrari

I only could think of one question "WHY??" Why did Master Blaster sell his Ferrari? It was gifted to him by a Legend himself - Michael Schumacher. You heard it right- GIFTED. And then selling away the same Ferrari is what I found, very ridiculous.. Today's Times of India front page photo-- "One legend meets the other" yeah, Sachin meets Roger Federer (respect!)... Years back when Sachin met Schumi, TOI had a similar front page article.. and an addition to it was the Superb Dream car FERRARI which Schumi gifted Sachin. Wow, wasnt that everyones reaction to the news.

          There would be two possible reasons for the WOW:
          1. Because it is a Ferrari, not any ordinary car which Sachin 'owns' now.
           2. Because he was GIFTED a Ferrari by none other than MICHAEL SCHUMACHER.
  Now, if someone like Schumacher would have gifted me a FERRARI, I would never ever given it away. Forget Schumi, even if Sachin would have given me a small pen, or an autograph, it would have been my most treasured possessions. Its all about RESPECT and ADMIRATION that we fans have for our Legends. This was not even like gifting the GIFT you have to someone else. He SOLD it!!!
         I had respect for Sachin, will still have for he is the only Indian cricketer I respect. But this is like NOT DONE! And our dear newspapers have put this news under the carpet. Even the ever pushy and sensationalizing Hindi news channels never came up with a 30 minutes Special about-- "Kyun Sachin Ne Apni Ferrari Bech Daali" or some thing like that. Anyway, a small letter to our Mumbai Blaster!

Dear Sachin, we would have loved to see that Ferrari running on Mumbai roads. Remember you did so much to clear the customs of the car. Why did you sell it. Dont just shove the news by saying "I have nothing to say on this". Please! Well, you would have had some level of attachment with the Ferrari right? I mean it was with you for such a long time and also because Michael Schumacher gave it to you :) It is too late to think about it, but I am sure you must have sold it after thinking a lot!
         I guess most of the fans would echo the same thought.
                    I guess Roger Federer did not give him a Rolex watch because Fedex reads newspapers :D :D
                                                                                                             Cheers!!! xo

Habibi Barack Obama, #OsamaDead

Osama Dead!! Wasnt he already, Ill catch up with the whole news and get back here!

What is the Jan LokPal Bill???

What is the Jan Lokpal Bill and  why is it important?

The Jan Lokpal Bill (Citizen's Ombudsman Bill) is a draft anti-corruption bill drawn up by prominent civil society activists seeking the appointment of a Jan Lokpal, an independent body  that would investigate corruption cases, complete the investigation within a year and envisages trial in the case getting over in the next one year.

Drafted by Justice Santosh Hegde (former Supreme Court Judge and present Lokayukta of Karnataka), Prashant Bhushan (Supreme Court Lawyer) and Arvind Kejriwal (RTI activist), the draft Bill envisages a system where a corrupt person found guilty would go to jail within two years of the complaint being made and his ill-gotten wealth being confiscated. It also seeks power to the Jan Lokpal to prosecute politicians and bureaucrats without government permission.

Retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi and other known people like Swami Agnivesh, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Anna Hazare and Mallika Sarabhai are also part of the movement, called India Against Corruption. Its website describes the movement as "an expression of collective anger of people of India against corruption. We have all come together to force/request/persuade/pressurize the Government to enact the Jan Lokpal Bill. We feel that if this Bill were enacted it would create an effective deterrence against corruption."

Anna Hazare, anti-corruption crusader, began a fast-unto-death today, demanding that this bill, drafted by the civil society, be adopted. The website of the India Against Corruption movement calls the Lokpal Bill of the government an "eyewash" and has on it a critique of that government Bill. It also lists the difference between the Bills drafted by the government and civil society.
A look at the salient features of Jan Lokpal Bill:
1. An institution called LOKPAL at the centre and LOKAYUKTA in each state will be set up.

2. Like Supreme Court and Election Commission, they will be completely independent of the governments. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence their investigations.

3. Cases against corrupt people will not linger on for years anymore: Investigations in any case will have to be completed in one year. Trial should be completed in next one year so that the corrupt politician, officer or judge is sent to jail within two years.

4. The loss that a corrupt person caused to the government will be recovered at the time of conviction.

5. How will it help a common citizen: If any work of any citizen is not done in prescribed time in any government office, Lokpal will impose financial penalty on guilty officers, which will be given as compensation to the complainant.

6. So, you could approach Lokpal if your ration card or passport or voter card is not being made or if police is not registering your case or any other work is not being done in prescribed time. Lokpal will have to get it done in a month's time. You could also report any case of corruption to Lokpal like ration being siphoned off, poor quality roads been constructed or panchayat funds being siphoned off. Lokpal will have to complete its investigations in a year, trial will be over in next one year and the guilty will go to jail within two years.

7. But won't the government appoint corrupt and weak people as Lokpal members? That won't be possible because its members will be selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities and not by politicians, through a completely transparent and participatory process.

8. What if some officer in Lokpal becomes corrupt? The entire functioning of Lokpal/ Lokayukta will be completely transparent. Any complaint against any officer of Lokpal shall be investigated and the officer dismissed within two months.

9. What will happen to existing anti-corruption agencies? CVC, departmental vigilance and anti-corruption branch of CBI will be merged into Lokpal. Lokpal will have complete powers and machinery to independently investigate and prosecute any officer, judge or politician.

10. It will be the duty of the Lokpal to provide protection to those who are being victimized for raising their voice against corruption.

Courtesy- Pranati Bapat Via Email..Thanks :)

Dream on! Next Dream-- London Olympics 2012

My one dream of going for a Cricket World Cup Finals was fulfilled this year :)) My next dream, London Olympics 2012. And this time I dont just want to go and watch as a spectator, I want to work as an intern or as a sports officer at the village. This dream will give me a great head start for my dream job. My fingers are crossed :)
Dreaming out of the limits and levels of a perfect lifestyle is a little difficult to do and I am taking a risk of getting out of the comfort zone of having a 9-5 job, earning a consistent salary, coming back home and resting for the night. I dont think I will be entering such a lifestyle after entering a field of Sports Psychology. As it is said, it will not be an easy path to mix career and interest but, I am willing to take the risk. There are many lucky people whose interest and careers go hand in hand and also, the career field gives a great lifestyle and pay package right from the start. I known just one thing, I am going for this career and will strive to get the best in the field.

Need to get in touch with Sports and Exercise Psychologists Immediately!! Anyone out there???

A- Z of my experience on 2nd April 2011

Thanks to my Cousin, the last moment hurry-burry, and then going 2 Wankhede for a dream match has come true!!! Thank u bro!! And thus, experiencing things which many did and many did not!! Here my dictionary of words that comes to my mind when i think about yesterday!
A
Amazing!!!!-- That feeling of just getting 1 ticket in my hand was just so amazing!! ahhhh!
Awesome!!!-- Reaching the Churchgate station and looking the the sea of Blue, was so great! Awesome!
Ambani- One of the Celebrity on the stadium along with his wife and other people. Was really amazed with Nita Ambani to stand up throughout the Match and Cheer Team India with the flag!
Annoyed- My friends were pretty annoyed with me ditching them and going to the match. But will anyone leave this opportunity!!! Love you guys to let me go :))

B

Blueee--- Of course...yesterday changed the meaning of feeling blue...We feel charged when we Say now Bleed Blue!!!!
Bled Light Blue- Two blues competed the Finals and ultimately everyone bled Light Blue!
BHAJJI--- The Turbinator or whatever you call him...I do not like him but but, he is there and cant ignore the way he cried!
Beamer and Bouncer- Not Many bowled..But that one Bouncer from Zaheer Khan, aha that made my day!

C

Courage- This feeling cant be learnt, but it can be seen in many many players and they can be an inspiration to many!
Compassion-- Every Indian Had it!!!
Chanting-- Sachin Sachin!!! thak thak thak!! India India..Jeetega bhai jeetega India Jeetega!!!
Crowd- What should I say about the Mumbai crowd---United and Passionate about a game which is their religion!!
Celebrities-- Loads of Celebrity spotting and Loads of Gossip!

D

Dedication- By both sides...Sri lanka and India and I believe which ever team participated in the World Cup
DHONI--- Calm, composed and one of the few who doesnt show his nerves.
DILSHAN- Booed totally...but a great player--Hai mera Pallu!!

E
Elated-- Who would not be if u were there witnessing history!
Enthusiasm-- All had it!
Enormous- Though the ground is not enormous..The crowd was haha!!

F
Finish-- The Six off Malinga from MSD...yo man!
Fours-- Aha, Mr. Sachin, Uv, MSD,Kohli...hoa!
Flattered-- with all the roars and tears!

G
Great- MATCH, Finsh, World Cup
Gambhir- 97, hurry to finish. But ultimately win matters na
Ghajni- The most enthusiastic Celebrity in the whole gang...XO

H

High, Higher, Highest-- Six, Score, Rankings and everything!

I
INDIAAAAAA-- No words!
Insomnia-- Experienced last night!

J

Joy- tears, laughs, smiles, etc!
Jealous- Many of them!
Jokes-- Immediately after the match i donno who has the brains of making such amazing jokes!
Jaywardhane-- Hats off to this man for the steady 100.. :)

L

Lost-- in the crowd, in the noise and in the joy!
Loud-- DJ, Dhol tashe wale
Lived the moment- Completely and still living it!
Love- Every bit of yeserday!
Luck- MSD has a lot of it
Lasith Malinga- Cheered initially, Booed after he took Sachins Wicket and Cheered again when he got the medal Coz he is of Course Mumbai Indians ka bandha

M

Madness-- Cant explain!
Mexican Wave- The maximum in one go was 6 rounds and that actually shows the unity of the public!!
Mind Games- None evident, but sure there were many!
MUMBAI--- Meri jaan!

N
Noise-- I didnt complain
Nation-- One nation, Millions but just one goal...Cheer India

O
Optimism-- Seen in both the teams
Oooooooooo--- Whenever anyone came on the boundary rope, Mexican wave, to bat, bowl etc.

P
Passion- :)
Play-- Even those who dont understand the game, understood it yesterday!
Police-- The most efficient, polite and organised force...Thank You Mumbai Police...ull rock!
PZ-- Miss Zinta with Tri colour bangles, even a hand fan!

Q
Quiet- Wen Sachin Got out!

R
Risks- Sreesanth ko leke MSD played a big risk...but he is a risk taker!
Relaxed- The team was!
Remember-- The most memorable day of my life
Rajnikanth--- Aha, jab superstar is in the house...then why 2 worry eh?

S
Six- The last one---MSD!
Scintillating- Shots
Serious-- The crowd when Sachin got out
Songs-- DJs played perfect songs,, some related to Aamir Khan..and the nation!!
SACHIN- Do I need to explain??????
SANGAKKARA- Very down to earth person who respects everyone in the team! Well played man, but hard luck!

T
Ton- Missed the 100th ton but never mind Sach!
Tendulkar- Same as Sachin
Train-- celebrations continued in the train to...back home :)
Talk- All the commentators including ex captain Ganguly, Thanks!
The Cup of Life- This is the one!

U
Utopia- Its what yesterday was called
UDRS- hahahaaa...comedy of errors by Viru Bhai
UMPIRES- Taufel and Dar! Too good!!!!

V
VIRU-- Opening everything(as said by Ravi Shastri!)

W

Winners---- :D :D :D
We-- are the champions
Wankhede- My favorite ground
Wise- MSD
World Cup- Is ours

X
Xcellent----- GAME, Stadium, captain, and series!!!!

Y
Yuvraj- Bhai revital chala haan!

Z
Zaheer- Zak Zak Zak!
Zonked- Was and is still!

Ricky Ponting- My favorite captain, Ill miss your captaincy!

"You can hate him or love him, but you just cannot ignore him" This cliched statement suits this man the most- Ricky Ponting, Ex-Aussie Captain. Yes, ex because he just announced his retirement as a captain from all forms of international cricket, he will still continue to provide services as a cricketer to his country though.

I started loving the Australian cricket team right after Ricky Ponting led the Aussie Side against England in 2002 and won the ODI series. This was right before the World Cup 2003 and Aussies won it yet again. Since then till now my impression about Ricky Ponting has not changed at all- A great Captain, a great Batsman and a superb fielder. The most important part- a great team binder. I have seen the Australian team under Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting and have tremendous respect for Steve Waugh. But, the team under Ricky Ponting was different. A Mix of progressive aggression and a tinge of winning humour along with it. I liked it!

My countrymen hate Ricky Ponting but I admire his talent, his zeal to chase excellence, his multitasking capabilities, his witty sense of humour, his body language, his prematch mind games, his strategies, his fielding, his upright collar (smarty!), his sense of team binding and building, a sane captain thats what he was. He had that little madness in him which made him a successful and an envied captain. But as it is said, that little madness is necessary to get what one wants to achieve. And Punter, we like you being like that!

A brave captain, he did not leave his captaincy to break some records which he could have broken and claimed to be the numero uno Batsman. But instead he took up the captaincy and maintained his batting record also very well for which I admire him a lot. Ricky Ponting was always looked with a negative eye in other countries especially India. I have heard many calling him a Cheat, Sledger etc etc ignoring what brilliant entertainment he provided us for years. He made us see some great centuries and some great catches. My favorite of his-

1. 140 against India 2003 WC finals
2. 257 against India, MCG, 2003
3. 104 against India, 2011 Quarters WC
4. and the best 164 against South Africa, 12th March 2006(the best ODI ive ever seen in my life)

Thank you Punter for the great captaincy...Will always miss you action on the field :)
Cheers!

MovieZonked- 127 hours

127 Hours- Starring- James Franco. Directed by Danny Boyle

Every second counts and it actually does. 127 hours is a brilliantly made film with a brilliant message at every second of the movie. Most of the film reminded me of another masterpiece, CastAway. The only unrealistic thing in Castaway was the period of time Tom Hanks spent on the island--4 years. 127 Hours is real because it is a true story. The film, made by Danny Boyle, is adapted from an autobiography- Between a Rock and a hard piece, written by Aron Ralton. My next target is to read this book. I am sure it will be as inspiring as the film since it is a true story written by the person who experienced it.

James Franco plays Aron Ralston and has done a great job. I felt each emotion Franco felt in those 127hrs and even the last bit when he is crying for help and word do not come out of his mouth. Too intense! Danny Boyle has kept the reality untouched and has made a masterpiece! Hats off!

Its just that Aron Ralston survived for 127 hours without human contact, hand stuck in between the rock and the mountain, mind filled with regrets, 1 litre water, one chicken roll and here we crib just because summer has showed up 1 month before usual. As we call it in psychology terms, Low frustration tolerance!

a must watch!!!

Cheers!

MovieZonked

Hey all!
I am going to start a new project on my blog. Previous posts and write ups were pretty random. So I thought of categorising a little bit and start a new project called "MovieZonked". I am a Total movie buff and would like to review some films that I watch henceforth. Seeing the reviews, you will know my taste in movies too.

Cheers! and Have a great day!

Dry Summer and No Humidity -- So not Mumbai!

Its just mid-March and here we are! experiencing horrible summer already. The most surprising element of this is the dry heat which makes you feel like a dry fish getting cooked in the oven (!). Mumbai v=never had this kind of heat. We have humid heat, where we sweat and remain hydrated to slog for the rest of the day. But this heat-- eh! I hate it, it makes you tired even before you start your work for the day.

Yesterday, roaming in the heat with friends was fun. But the dry heat killed me! I thought of ways to keep up with this dry heat. We follow most of it in summer but some of the following would be off that humid summers-
1. Most obvious- Keep yourself hydrated, drink loads of water day in and out.
2. While playing outdoors, make sure you drink water as well as some sports drink like Glucose water/ Gatorade. It is essential to replace the lost salts.
3. Since we dont sweat a lot in dry heat, we need to sweat it out either by exercising or playing a sport. This will keep the body salts in balance.
4. Moisturize yourself regularly. Skin gets as dry as it can get in winter. So its better to keep a chap stick/ lip balm and moisturiser handy.
5. Eat a lot of citrus contained fruits which will kepp the body hydrated.
6. Try and remain cheerful and happy in the summer instead of cribbing about it, it will make a huge difference.

These are a few things that I feel will keep us going during the dry, hot -air summers. So keep healthy and soak in the sun doing your favorite things :)
Happy Summers!
Cheers!

Mother Nature's Fury

Yesterday morning yet another shocker from mother earth's angered soul. 8.9 Richter scale is a huge one. The earthquake was followed by a tsunami. The CCTV footage and the helicopter footage are too scary and I cannot even imagine what the situation must be right now in Japan. All we can do sitting here is pray for everyone there.
Japan is a earthquake prone area and the amount of destruction caused is great, but they are well equipped to face the consequences. But no one can control the consequences that are caused by mother nature's fury and we are bound to face it.
Let Peace be followed in Japan!

Have a great and a safe weekend! Cheers!

The Drug called Cricket

Cricket fever is on for all the cricket lovers throughout the year. But when the Cricket World Cup comes once a year, that excitement takes another level. If the World Cup is in your country, then the level is another one. Those days are like a carnival. We enjoy all the matches-Be it your own nation's or someone elses. Be is Australia or Ireland, TV is on, match is on and all are glued to the TV.

Going to the Stadium and watching a World Cup match is a dream. Especially if you are living in a city like mumbai where cricket is on everyone's mind- Mother or daughter, son or father, Grandmother or grandfather. And also because Mumbai is such a place where most of the stadium seats are reserved for the glitterati. Hardhitting, but the truth, you will not get tickets for less than 20,000 Rs, which is like a months salary for a person who works in an MNC and a 4 month salary for an average, lower middle class true blood cricket fan. Either spend that much or develop contacts withing the Cricket industry and beg for complimentary tickets. Or sit at home and enjoy the match with family. Call friends over and enjoy with them I do that. Or the best thing, watch it on the big screen with all your mates and get a stadium feel with many more unknown Cricket fanatics. Sports bar is always an option too. Grab a Beer, watch a great cricket match with your mateys.

However you watch the match, you watch it as a true cricket fan. Wherever you watch it, you watch it with the same excitement and joy. Whoever wins, you discuss some unfortunate decisions and some great wickets. If you watch the match alone at home, you phone your mate and have a huge debate whether the ball was bat first and the pad or the other way round. If you do all of this, you are a true blood cricket fan. So am I, because I do all the above mentioned. This is where the sporting spirit of a fan comes and because a true fan knows where to draw the line and where to cross.

Enjoy the cricket season in the right spirit. Cheers to the game :)

Happy Cricket!

Getting out of my comfort zone

Its been a while since i wrote. I dont know how many people read this blog but I do it for my satisfaction. I thought I should continue and blog like everyday. Lets see how much response I get from today onwards.

I live in my comfort zone, do things that please me and in the last few months, its taken a toll. I need to do some things so that I can have a better career,future and in general, a better life. Blogging, more precisely writing is always a passion. Let me convert my time which i spend on social networking sites into doing some fruitful. If I wrote once a while when my 'mood' said YES, I am going to start writing everyday. That is from today!

:) So cheers and happy reading some of my thoughts and idea
Have a great afternoon India :)

Attempts to Write Stories 1-- Barter My Carter

Shweta grew quick, quicker than everyone thought.

“She is going to turn one soon. She is growing up so fast,” exclaimed her mother, Seema.

Shweta was born in a small family, in a small town in the far interiors of the country. A fair, cute and a bright child would be the eye of every person in the village. Her father was a big government official and her mother, a housewife. Yet, they had a swarm of servants at their disposal. No neighbours around. But, Shweta was pampered and taken care of by her mother and father, who were her family.

All the guests showered the child with plenty of gifts- toys, colour books, picture books and everything that a child could be given. After all it was Seema and Jeet’s first child. All of them ensured she did not lack anything. She got everything with love. But, she lacked an important thing- human touch. Though her parents cared for her and loved her, she did not see anyone except her mother, father and a fleet of servants who wandered around their house.

So, she made a life of her own with her toys. Her favorite were the kitchen set, the dolls and a truck. But among these too, she developed fondness for a special doll. Unexpected as it sounds, this doll, which was a gift, was a boy and not a normal Barbie which a girl a girl would love. Do not imagine this boy doll to be like that of Ken from Barbie, this doll was different. He was a small boy of probably eight suited up with a jet black tuxedo, the best one can find for a child.

When she started playing with this toy, Shweta had not grown onld enough to express herself in words. But as she began to speak, she started naming her toys. She named this special guy, “Carter.” She was always in her play world. She called him loud- “Carter come here, I want to play with you.” One day her mother noticed her calling out various names. She heard this name Carter and wondered who her daughter is calling out to. After knowing the situation, she was happy to find her daughter playing and enjoying. A thought did cross her mind- “At the age of 4, where did my daughter listen to such an anglicized name. The TV there did not air English channels.” But she did not bother much as she was preoccupied with the next serial she has to watch. Though mother was at home, she was not with Shweta.

Even though Shweta received many toys and books on her other birthdays, she remained completely loyal to Carter. She did not have friends, but that did not stop her from playing hide n seek with Carter. She did not go to kindergarten but she had Carter all day long. Her mother did not have time to play with her, neither her father was in town to look after his daughter. But, she had no complaints. She went with her mother to the market, but she took Carter along. When her cousins came to stay, she did not play with the, but with Carter.

Curious to know her mother once told her, “Leave your Carter for sometime. Give him breathing space.” She replied instantly, “I cannot leave him. I am like his mother.” Seema was left a little puzzled. But she left it at that and continued her routine.

Shweta was 5 and now it was time for her to go to school. Shweta’s mother gave her the good news of enrolling her in a school and also told her something she did not like, “Shweta, now that you will be going to a big school, you cannot take Carter with you.” Shweta grew sad. She looked at her mother confused about the whole situation. “But Aai, I take Carter everywhere, why cant he come to school with me. I am like his best friend and like his mother.”

“No dear, you will have many friends there. You will get a best friend in school. I am sure you are going to enjoy your time there,” Seema replied.

“Aai, I want Carter. But, you also wont come to the school with me?” Shweta asked curiously.

 Seema had a hearty laugh. “Nahi ga. You will learn to be on your own. And like me, you will have a teacher to take care of you. She will help you if you need any help.”

“But aai…”

“Listen, I will tell you” Seema interrupted “In olden days, people who sold things gave the farmers their goods and then got food in exchange. You know whats this called…. Barter trade.”

“Barter Trade??”

“Yes. In a similar way, I am bartering our money for knowledge and nice help from the teacher. And this is for my sweet child. You will get knowledge which will help you. So going to school will help you. ”

Shweta looked amazed and told her mother, “Yes and then I am also going to Barter something. I will barter my Carter with you, for I am going to school as you are saying. So you will take care of my Carter na aai? ”

Seema looked pleased, “Yes I will. You do not worry about him.”

And Seema did. She realized though her daughter has grew in front of her, she did not know. When Shweta was in school, Seema noticed so many things in her daughter’s room which she never knew about- her drawings, her truck and her books. She also understood she missed her daughter reading her first book. And when she saw the name of the book, it was- Carter.

Bartering Shweta’s Carter was the only way Seema could get to know her daughter well, maybe.