Letters from Canada

Letters from Canada

I am still an old school on this aspect and on weekends, I take time to hand-write letters or postcards to people I really care about. If you have received one from me, you really matter :)

Similarly, I have a friend or actually I don't know what to call this person. She is now a friend to me, at one point me was someone special and till date how much I want to avoid talking to her, she still sends me these letters from Canada about her life.

It's like sitting here in India I can get all the updates about her. She has changed, matured and is all grown up now but what make these letter special is the innocence she pens these down with.

Child like filled with smileys and her writing so good that words actually turn out to be stories.

I used to feel that you decide to walk out of something or someone, it doesn't mean that you actually do. The person can make you part of their life irrespective of the stand you take. 

I am still learning to embrace this side of me wherein I shed my strong will image and actually smile at times reading such letter. 

Even the hazelnut brownie or my home made coffee can't make me smile so much I never realized.

During one of NGO visits, I happen to sit and have chat with a 12 year old girl who by the way does amazing paper mache. She made learn or re-learn how to make a boat, an aeroplane a candle and the tippy-tippy tap, if that's what it's called as a Level 1 learner. She writes, every Sunday, 7 letters to her 7 best friends and then posts them.  This is way better, I assume than a whatsapp group chat. She shared with me that though every 7 of them don't reply everytime she sends these letters, but once in a while when she gets a letter it's a beautiful moment!

You don't stop putting in effort if the other person is not your story. They may not be in a chapter or two but they can always be in your story even if they don't want to :) 

Kids teach so much, that we already know, yet we forget since we feel these are now kiddish things but these so called kiddish things are the actual essence of friendships or relationships. 

Write one today... Even if it doesn't come back...

Bread or paratha

It was raining in Delhi. Like, pouring. Once in a while kind a rains.

We were driving home together from work. In fact, she was driving and I was listening to some of  'my songs' . She had downloaded my playlist for me so I can listen to those songs.  Adorable!

As we were approaching home, since we stayed nearby, she asked me if I wanted to come to her place and we could grab dinner. Too tired to think, I said, yes! Rains make me just loose the focus. At times :) Otherwise, I like being sharp.

When we entered her home, it was all peaceful. Her parents were off to Jaipur for a wedding. The maid was on leave that day which angered her. So, we had a choice. Either we order in or she makes something interesting for the two of us.  Yes, she did get angry often. And yes, I did offer to help to cook or prepare anything. 

Well, as I put my cell phone on charging and grabbed a book to read, she gave me a danger look.

In between all of this, my cell phone had an incoming call. On the other side, there was someone who was also cute and we kind a looked cute together.

She asked me if I am free to come home for dinner. She was and I assume, still is an amazing cook. She loved cooking and her passion was so intense she used to spend hours in the kitchen, typically on weekends.

We worked well as a team. I used to write food reviews and she used to tell me more the about what goes into the food.

She was making parathas and not just any parathas. Stuffed parathas which were light on oil and had healthy ingredients with a choice of yellow or white butter.

In the interim, the anger lady☺ had managed to get on with the dinner. 

As I like, I usually try to help in whatever way I can in the kitchen. She didn’t know cooking at all. In fact she never liked cooking. So she told me that she can make bread butter and if at all I say a yes, this will be the first time she’ll make one.

Interesting choices and options life gives us. 

Which one would I have picked? Batao!! 

Bread or paratha!! 

PS: This story is not necessary of me or about me 😆

Spotting the real Tiger

People do ask me what is it like having a sibling or not having one.
Well, you can't even the sunrise and moon rise the same time!

Having people in your life is a tricky blessing. If you are careful you make the tricky part easy and if you are not, then' let's just count the blessings :)

Siblings make value relationships a bit more.They also make you mature early, think for others before you think for yourself and more importantly, siblings have your back.

Not having a sibling, can make you grow up valuing everything a bit more. You need to run your own show and this means you are independent way early.

It's also interesting to note that respecting people, irrespective of having a sibling or none is something you need to learn fast. Respecting makes you humble and grounded.

When the sun shines it's not just the light we get. It's the life we see all around.

During one of my recent visits to Jim Corbett, I met with an elderly guide who was showing us the circuit to spot a tiger. He, in the true Rajasthani spirit, greeted us with folded hands and added as 'Sahab' to our first names. He was knowledgeable and yet so full on passion about the tiger reserve and the hospitality of Rajasthan that I personally spotted the real tiger in real, in person.

Besides the scenic beauty all around, I took this as an another lesson that no matter what you do and where you come from, giving respect is something that still not goes out of fashion and there are some people who genuinely do it from the heart! With or without siblings :P

More stories and captures on my #Instagram handle @karansayz

The Busy Bees who Keep Buzzing

Life has been (un) fair to all of us, at some points. 
But then that's what life is all about. 

Often during my "#MeTimes" I happen to think deep about some of the people that I have met so far in this journey. They amaze me. Some were broken, some were looking for casual sex, some were desperate to be with someone like them, some keenly wanting a worthy relationship, some who were still trying to figure out what is it to be loved and then there were some who just swung by thinking let's see how this works and what if it really does work~!

We take so many turns and twists that we get exhausted in the process and then start blaming life or the people in this life. At the start, all we are looking is for a target to blame things on. Not even thinking for once that we were equally responsible for our actions and our thoughts. 

Then there is this digital world we all live in and get connected with. A simple 'like' from an unknown stranger or a comment from a known enemy can actually channel our thoughts and our entire day!

People, mostly these days showcase themselves as the busiest of the lot who are the only game-changers trying to create an impact. Sad!

In my journeys, all I have learnt everyday is "respect" is always earned by giving the same back. Never ever belittle people whom you don't think highly about. As you grow in life, try to be more calmer, more giving and yes, less of an over-thinker. Help people cut one bad thought and more, give back to the community you are a part of. 



#SaturdayShares

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Story of the Tough Girl from Bihar

Inspiring people are all around us. 

And so are the toxic ones.

You, the smart one needs to make smart choices when it comes to connecting with people.

Over past few years, I have limited my circle and that has helped me in many ways.

Firstly, I get to know and understand people a lot better since I connect with them 1-1.

Secondly, these people also believe in the power of partnership and collaboration.

And lastly, efforts counts, both ways.

Relationships are somewhat similar. You can decide whom to invest time with and whom to nurture and limit the leakage or breakage where it is bound to happen.

More so, in a hard pressed time that we all live in, you have to not only balance but integrate all of the above, very carefully.

I wanted to share a short story of someone whom I met last week.

They year was 2012. She scored the highest in the commerce stream from her school in CBSE, would have been happiest if she could share her success with her father. But, her dear father, was shot dead on December 7 last year ( 2011 ).

The youngest of three siblings, she was very attached to her father. 

In the grip of sorrow, the young student found it an uphill task to concentrate on her studies. She shared, whenever she would sit down to study, her father’s memories would flood back and she would start crying.

But the family came together to provide all the support that the youngest daughter needed to scale the peak of success. Well-wishers and friends, too, put in their bit so that the teenager could prepare herself for the exam.

Even till date, as the police investigation into the death of her father continues, she has moved on amazingly well. She always wanted to study at St Stephen’s College and then at IIM-C. 

And guess what! 

Both happened. And now, she is corporate banker with a leading global MNC.

Truly inspiring to see the focus. Like they say, tough times don't last. Tough people do!

btw- This story has no ending, as she has just started!!

What if & What about

Every night when she tried to sleep, she thought of the 'what if's' in her life that lead to the 'what about's'..

What if tomorrow or the next moment she was dead..

What about the dreams and aspirations she wanted to fulfill..

What about the loved ones she fought an hour back..

What about her 'would be' husband and kids..

What about the life she ever imagined..

What about making it big..

What about the home for homeless cause she wanted to build all around..

What about the heartbreaks she went..

What about the travel she is yet to set foot upon..

What about the many thanks & apologies she owes to people..

What about her sweet kitten- Mando..

What about her family and her friends..

As she was watching her favorite sitcom series she realized that one day she will not be around & yet there is so much to do. What she also thought was the time gone by, all these years, she was just basically waking up and sleeping down. In between, it was all air.


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This post was the most read post in #India for the Q3'18.

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Inside Meena Bazaar

I am sure many of you have would have taken some time out to visit a placed called as Meena Bazaar. Before you jump the gun on this one, hold on!

This place in my terms is a boutique chain where women ( and females ) are genuinely happy. And so is the staff. 

The interesting range of clothes, for all occasions with options to spoil you are all available. The staff here are old running members who in less than 2 minutes can actually predict if you are going to buy anything or not. If yes, you are treated like super cool celeb- tea, coffee or a cold drink and you have it all. If no, they will make you buy any which way.

Though for me personally, this place is a challenging option. What do I do here ? You can't keep on staring females around you. The service folks look into your eyes and smile and say - Are you paying by Samsung Pay, sir. Get ready!

During one of my recent visit I made it a point to notice what were the males doing. While some were just browsing on their smartphones, others were pulling up chairs for their partners to sit or just giving views and inputs why the green looked a little better than the pink. People who had adorable kids, were busy any which way. Then there were some newly married folks where you could sense the 'not so cool camaraderie' . Both were trying their level best to talk and share though.

The next in line were the men who were actually shopping all by themselves. That's big. 
One of them actually gave me an insight about Zardozi -  Zar ( meaning gold ) and Dozi ( meaning embroidery ) and I was super impressed. This person had a couple of stores in Jaipur and nearby areas and was a regular. He invited me to visit his place sometime.

While I did get my cold coffee but it can be so much fun to just observe what people do in places like these. What made me happy was the 'men' were all  support for their 'women' . 

That's what I call as genuine care and teamwork!

PS -  What was #karansayz doing here. That's for some other time :)

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You can share & follow my travel & food journeys at #Twitter #Instagram or my #FaceBook page via searching for @karansayz