Solo trip to Goa - Shopping in Arambol

As a solo traveler I carried a bottle of water, sunglasses and a bag to step out of the hotel every morning. I would then walk for hours to experience the myriad colours of Goa. 

As a traveler you can walk down the local market to not only shop, you can get to talk to various kinds of people, interact with them to know more about the local culture,food, artifact and many more wonders associated with the place. 

If you want to shop, be ready to haggle a bit with the shopkeepers. 

There are shops selling bedsheets with queer themes. You can find a Bob Marley beside a Buddha ☺️ 

If you like smoking from a pot then streets of Goa markets are for you. From glass to hand carved chillams... You get it all.

Arambol is famous for its music and wellness retreats. Drum groups are in plenty and you can often witness people jamming on the beach or a cafe with drums. Hence the shops selling hand made drums for music lovers. 

Hand made bags, hemp bags are perfect souvenirs which one can buy when in Goa. 

If you are chilling by the sea and want some fresh juice, approach a similar cart posted in the blog.

As a food loving person I always buy local masalas to bring them back home and cook.

 This time I met Vicky at the masala shop, an enterprising boy. I bought green chicken curry masala and garlic chutney. 

Vicky ensured that his masalas are so tasty that I am going back to Arambol again to buy masalas from him. I just hope he's right 😀 

This is the first time I bought incense sticks in Goa. I couldn't resist after smelling the various aromatic sticks in a shop. The fragrances were weird yet aromatic. From mixed fruit to garam masala they had many such incense sticks. 

While walking through the market I spotted a toy shop. What gained my attention was the material with which the toys and souvenirs were made of. I ended up buying a few toys for my child made of cashew wood. It's worth buying and gifting to your loved ones. Also you contribute to the income of the local artisans who toil in day and night to create such wonders. So you do a good deed too during your stay in Goa ☺️

I am a mother of a seven year old and this is the second time I went on a solo trip. My message to all the women and mothers who want to travel solo ... Don't wait, just go! It's worth it. This was my eighth visit to Goa and first solo. The picturesque town by the sea is worth your time. Go solo to create moments, introspect and look forward to your life with a lot of enthusiasm and zeal. Take a break and live a few days to yourself. It's worth every bit. 

I ❤️ Goa 

#solo #solotravel #solotrip #arambol #goa #india #food #momlife #travel #moments #momblogger #shopping #incredibleindia #momlife #travelblog #motherhood #parenting 

KK the voice of love

It's exactly two days that he passed away. So many updates, news, videos making the rounds on social media and other platforms. Condolence posts, comments that inundated Facebook and Instagram timelines. 

Frenzied photographers, journalists, fans trying to cover his last journey with mobiles and cameras flashing. What madness! 

Sab tired ho gaye honge ab taak. All the hard work paid off. After two days they must have hit the sack tired yet satisfied after covering all that news. Gharwale shabashi denge ke beta/beti badiya photo liya tune! Good work.

Somewhere in the city there are three souls or more (I am not aware if his parents and in laws are still alive)  who are tired too.. Tired traveling to a city where he breathed his last, tired of handling formalities and arranging for the cremation and funeral. They are tired of  the sudden media attention and unnecessary hype. Yes, They are tired... and tonight is the toughest night for these tired souls. Last two days were spent in organising and meetings. They would have hardly got any time to mourn. 

Tonight when the world is sleeping after all the madness, there's a family that's sleepless. A healthy man who left home with a smile and promise to return is dead. It's only the cremation ashes that remain in that copper urn which will be immersed soon. 

His wife, who was with him since they were twelve years old must be crying her heart out inside the bedroom, or she could just browse through her phone albums with moist eyes. She could also scream in agony as she visualises him in every nook and corner of the house. Her bed is empty tonight and it will be forever. Is she feeling betrayed by him? Could be. She could be wrathfully cursing him for leaving her alone forever or she could just be lying on the bed with silent tears rolling down.  Or she could be with her kids at last...all together after the incident. It's that time in their lives when they have none but each other to handle. No amount of consolation, sympathy can help at this moment. It cannot! 

This loss is irreparable and unforeseen. A family which is incomplete tonight, a family which will never be the same again. A wound that's going to be there forever. The bereavement is beyond words to describe. Death is inevitable but death like this is unbearable. 

The media will forget him in a week, admirers will move on too, the politics and slander will die out in a few days... What won't die is the angst and agony of the family members. Yet somewhere they will have a smile when they would think of him later. The respect he earned over the years as a human being and as a singer. His untimely death showed what a great soul he was. That's what will make his family proud and help them recuperate. I hope. 

The song 'Maine dil se yeh kahan' from the film Rog has been in my mind over the last two days. It features Irrfan Khan, was sung by KK.

Both fireflies ... Illuminating their surroundings with their celestial light and spark before the darkness of death shrouded them forever.  All they spread was light and happiness. Ethereal beings now in the realms of ether. Both gone to the big auditorium in the sky. 

Men may come and Men may go but few remain forever. 

Life hai Gullak si 😊

I didn't watch the previous seasons of Gullak. I somehow belong to the detective, mystery and action genre of films and series. A few friends suggested to watch Gullak but i turned a deaf ear to it. However the other day as i was browsing through the television I came across the third season of Gullak and thought of giving it a try. The only familiar face in it was Geetanjali Kulkarni whom I loved watching in the series Taj Mahal. I said to myself agar yeh hai cast mein toh ekbar try karna toh banta hai. 

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and I was missing my parents a lot. Sundays were all about family time when Babu would be home all day. He would take the typical Kolkata 'bajarer bag' and go mutton shopping from Yakub's shop. He would ensure he got the best rewazi pieces for us and the bone marrow for us siblings. Maa would cook her delectable 'pathar mangshor jhol', the aroma would spread far and wide. Bhai and I would drool and loiter around the kitchen with a bowl until Maa gave one or two pieces in it for us to taste. Later the whole family would have a good meal together and head to the bed for afternoon siesta. Aah woh bhi kya din the!

The trailer of Gullak somehow made me feel that the series is something like going back memory lane to the bygone era of simplicity and being happy together come what may. The nostalgia made me press the remote button to Gullak. Oh boy! Mishraji and parivar was an instant connect and soooooo relatable. Each episode was a treat to watch until the last one... I mean kaun karta hai aisa viewers ke saath? 

Mishraji ne toh Dara hi Diya thaa yaar! Izzati ki chamkar is the name of the episode and I am sure every middle class family will have tears rolling down while watching this brilliant episode. The brilliance with which the episode is shot is commendable. End of the day it's the Izzat that a hard working,honest man has earned over the years and when he sees that shattering in front of his eyes he succumbs. Vaibhav Raj Gupta .. bhai tu genius hai! Kaise kar leta hai aisi acting itne Aram se .. rula diya tune humko. Harsh Mayer bhaisaab woh chote bhai wala kirdar... Aah! You won my heart bro! This episode is actually an epitome of coming of age for middle class kids where they realise the importance of the father and how much that man means to children. Mrs. Shanti Mishra aapko pranam Mataji, no melodrama yet so strong portrayal of the wife in crisis. Aur Jameel Khan aka Mishraji you personified the fathers of most part of India to the tee. I mean how, how did you all create such magic with such simplicity on screen? 

I am so glad that i watched the series and believe me after watching the first thing I did was going back to my family photos stored in my mobile with moist eyes. I felt grateful for my family. Yes, we are weirdos in our own way but end of the day we are a family which is normal,which is perfect with its imperfections. Series like Gullak touches the right chord and makes audience feel and relate to emotions, moments, feelings of the real India. What a great watch it was! Team Gullak apka gullak hamesha bhara rahen with love and blessings. Looking forward to watching more seasons soon. 

#gullak #geetanjalikulkarni #ott #tvseries #jameelkhan #vaibhavrajgupta #harshmayer #films

All Out...The mosquito repellent story

Remember those All Out days???

The initial days of the mosquito repellent wave in the country. It was such a relief from the choking kachua chaap coils and mosquito nets! However, no one addressed those automatic liquid filled machines as mosquito repellent..It was 'All out taa lagie de' or 'All out laga do' etc. The languages varied,not the expressions. 

Remember the first All Out advertisement that appeared on television? That machine with a tongue 😛 that attacked and killed the mosquitoes, the Japanese man doing monkey see monkey do type of a thing 🤣 

Wow! Good old days! Memories of sleeping aaram se without the 'Moshari' or mosquito nets. Wasn't it some kind of a freedom for all of us ?  Inconsequential,yet such  soul stirring experiences that made up our growing up days!

The eighties and nineties kids surely experienced the massive change that the country underwent in terms of products, brands, technology. The transition from a simple to a more tech savvy product made us wonder. The new world was indeed years away then but we experienced the tiniest of change with much excitement and joy. 

How the entire country suddenly got used to new beginnings was in itself an experience. From the young to the old, all and sundry embraced the changes with open hands. India slowly became an important market to the foreign brands and there has been no looking back since. 

As they say... Change is the only constant. 

If you want to have a look at the old advertisements to go down memory lane click on the link below

https://youtu.be/gA4A6nH_25k

https://youtu.be/npQYyB2ArvQ

Do share your experiences in the comment box below ☺️