Life - or something like it

It starts with a small itchy sensation in your nose and a scratchy feeling in your throat. You sneeze a few times and blame it on the dust and pollution and carry on with your day. You sniffle a few times and think that it will go away on its own. Such dumb thoughts lull you into a sense of security and you sleep off thinking tomorrow is a new day. Next day dawns and the scratchy feeling that you happily ignored is making your throat hurt like hell. The only consolation is that you now have a voice that is a cross between a squeak and a roar, which you plan to call husky. Your friends ask you to verify your identity because you sound "kind off weird","like Marlon Brando in Godfather". Any man would have given his left arm for such a compliment, but you just fume. You tell them they are jealous because your voice sounds sexy. You hear raucous laughter when you say that and even though you angrily want to bang the phone down, you stop yourself. You look at the d

Here are the winners of the Caption Contest 27  ‘You think you are funny?’ This time I have received a lot of interesting captions for the picture and it was quite difficult to choose the right one. But choose I had to and here are the winners.... A Walk into the Woods   :  A moment please, let me finish the 'Bhakt Count Update' report. Jairam Mohan  : "P resenting "Online Wealth Management Options by Goddess Lakshmi" Picture Courtesy : Fun2video.com Congratulations!!! Drop me a mail at  and I will mail you the trophy. Hope to see you in another round of Caption Contest SOON.

She was my first friend on foreign soil. She held my hand and was a strong support for me, when I moved to the UK and settled in a new job. Her name is Nirali Pandya and she plays many roles every day, that of a friend, a wife, a mother and an entrepreneur. I know her since the past 6 years and each day I see her achieving new milestones in her life.  Nirali at her desk When you meet Nirali, you can see the effervescence and the enthusiasm bubbling from her personality. Set within her small frame is the determination and drive to achieve her dreams. Coming from a Gujarati family, entrepreneurship was always in Nirali's blood. She worked for a SEO firm while in UK and so starting her own Web design and SEO company when she moved to India was a natural progression. Also it was important for her to maintain flexible work hours as she was juggling pregnancy, her business and home all at the same time. Nhance Web solutions Pvt. Ltd. started its operations in June 2009 from a

This is Caption Contest 27  'You think you are funny? Please give a caption to the picture below: Image Courtesy: Fun2video.com All the Best.  P.S: For those people who would like to know the rules, please check  here . 

Check out  Part 1 and Part 2  before you read this: Shruti walks briskly avoiding the traffic in the bustling market place. She is out to buy Lotus flowers, Tulsi leaves and Coconuts for the Ganesh Pooja next day. The Ganesh Mandal in the market is practicing their Dhol and Tasha routine with full fervor and Shruti can feel the vibrations of the pounding Dhol. She quickly finishes her shopping and hails an autorickshaw to take her home. At the traffic light the autorickshaw comes to a halt. As the driver waits for the light to turn Green, Shruti spots a familiar figure in the adjacent car. She does not recognize the car or the woman sitting next to Vikas. Shruti watches the woman talk animatedly and the way Vikas smiles at her as he replies. They are both engrossed in their conversation and don't see her.  Shruti leans back in her seat quickly so that Vikas does not spot her. Her heart is pounding and her mind is in a whirl. "Who is that woman?" and "Why is Vika

Shruti's reverie was broken as Vikas walked in the kitchen and picked up his cup of tea and sat in front of the television, to watch a Cricket match. She sat at the dining table with her tea wondering when things had changed so much. She had started noticing his long absences just a month back. He was in the shower every morning or getting dressed by the time she got up. Most days he rushed out of the house without eating any breakfast and came late at night, after she was already in bed. On the face of it everything appeared normal and anyone who knew them would not find anything different about them either.  Shruti knew that something had changed imperceptibly between her and Vikas after the miscarriage. It was as if an invisible barrier had grown between them. Their conversations had become cursory and whenever they did talk, it was about mundane everyday things. Many times the  silence between them was so thick that she felt she could cut it with a knife.  Every

Part 1 I am making the filling for Ukdiche Modak, a sweet made as an offering to Lord Ganesha on Ganesh Chaturthi, a festival celebrated by Maharashtrians all over the world. One needs to use deft fingers to mold the hot rice paste into domes, filling it with the sugar and coconut mixture. My hands are moving with practiced dexterity as my mind moves unfettered to places in the dark recesses of my mind, when my thoughts are broken by the door bell.  Radha bai opens the door and says 'Tai, saheb aale' (madam, your husband is home). Vikas walks in with his laptop bag and picks up the mail lying on the coffee table. He looks tired and had hardly been home these days. His excuse is "there is too much work at the office". Without giving a glance in my direction, he drops his bag on the sofa and goes to the bathroom to wash his face. Radha bai puts a vessel on the gas stove to make tea for us.  I had hired Radha bai to work with us full time, six months back, i