A D(M)ental Story

Disclaimer:May be this incident is fictional... But beware this can very much happen in real!!!!  The Story written here is based on possible very painful incident. People with weak Teeth are strictly advised to read this. This is truly dedicated to the survivor of this incident, which in this case is myself the brave heart, weak teeth Ramya the great!

Even though the hum-drum of city life had started setting in, Sipping a hot cup of coffee while reading news paper soaking in rainy but yet warm Bangalore morning seemed to be the piece of heaven which is bestowed upon her. Hardly did Ramya ever realize that her favorite cup of coffee would soon be torturous to her. Slowly she started noticing that drinking hot coffee, eating ice-cream in other’s money was no fun, it started to cause acute tooth pain. The Pain which she could never explain to anyone, increased day by day. Ramya decided to give up enjoying in others money and decided to take only things which are available free, but alas even that dint help her. She then slipped into flashback…

Life was colorful for Ramya, she and her folk of friends left no chance to party and Partying was everything, Parties like Pastry Parties, Ice-cream Parties, Choco-lava lala Parties, like these some or the other every evening. But as soon as she returned from parties’ tiredness of eating nonstop, dancing and having fun would take a toll on her and so she used to directly hit the bed ignoring all the warnings she got from her hubs to brush in the night, this went on until one day she realized a hint of pain in her teeth but who cares she hardly had any time to take a dentist appointment as she could not afford missing her beauty parlor and spa appointments on weekends

A sudden deep pain as she unconsciously sipped hot coffee pulled her back to reality and slowly she started realizing the possibility of gum problem, she now had no choice other than to chuck coffee and to munch on some nice fruits to refresh her morning.  She screamed as she took her first bite seeing the trace of blood on the fruit and shocked by this Ramya was totally lost. She realized Dental appointment is the only last option she has…

On meeting doctor, Sadly Ramya had very shocking news in store for her. Doctor in deep consoling tone told “Tooth Extraction is the only way…” And so he fixed the appointment after 4 weeks and till then she had to survive on tablets

But Ramya was so confused and worried, She made sure with doctor that getting it removed would not cause any other problem like Becoming mentally ill (which she is already)\ losing senses like speech, Sleep, hunger or the most dangerous losing interest in things like shopping, Partying and make up. Doctor couldn't answer any of her questions because in his entire career no one would have asked such question for Tooth extraction!!!

As she walked out of the Dental clinic, she couldn't avoid seeing an Advertisement in the news paper in which a beautiful female smiling and flaunting her neat teeth and claiming that “Help reverse Gum Problems in 4 weeks” 

She couldn't just like that trust the claim made by  this famous Dentist recommended “Colgate Total Pro-Gum Health” Tooth paste, But she had exactly 4 weeks to undergo torturous tooth extraction and so she decides to pick this up on her way back home and starts using it every day and night…

End of 4^th week, on that miraculously happy day, When ramya was typing a blog in http://www.myhealthyspeak.co.in/ her mobile beeps an alarm about an appointment for that day saying “Dental appointment at 11”, Ramya smiles and dismisses the beeping alarm and calls the doctor to cancel her appointment.

And so the moral of the story is…. Just don’t ignore warning signs and if you do, you are left with one and only option and that is…. Noooo not dentist it is “Colgate Total Pro-Gum Health” Tooth paste…

Thanks “Colgate Total Pro-Gum Health” for making this D(M)ental Story a happy ending

This post was made for the Indiblogger contest “The Moral of the story is!” hosted by “Colgate Total Pro-Gum Health”

P.S. Image courtesy: googled! 

A Nine Yard Fantasy

Flashback...

Me: Hi Rahul sir,

Rahul Bhatia: Hello Ramya

Me: Rahul sir, whats the criteria to host a guest post 

Rahul Bhatia: oh why?

Me: No... I dont have many reader so can I still ask for guest post???

Rahul Bhatia: Go ahead, its just to loop the bloggers...

Me: Ok then fine send it to me by afternoon.... and the topic left to you thank u Rahul sir... :D

Introduction...

Just few months ago, I pinged this person to convey my thanks to him as he regularly visited my blog and also was kind enough to comment on the posts with his insights, But then I had least expected that I will soon be pinging this person for various topics. And soon my one stop for Doubts in cooking, Latest News, Gossips, Technology discussions, Health Tips, Writing Tips, Good Old Tales, Indiblogger discussions and most important thing for Travel Queries was "Rahul Sir" and that's Rahul Bhatia who is an exceptional blogger blogging at Rahuls Blog and Collection.

How I laugh now for believing him when he told that he is just a retired sailor but then was totally bowled over to know that he retired as Commander in Indian Navy and is now a man of technology with varied interests like blogging, Cooking and travelling.

So I strongly feel, he is the right person whom anyone would want to hear more and more and so I requested for a guest post and here is how he surprised me again with his vast knowledge on any given topic ... 

A Nine Yard Fantasy... by Rahul sir 

‘You guessed it right’! I am talking about the best and most ethnic wear an, Indian saree. An unusual subject for a man to discuss but anyone who cannot appreciate a saree  is not fit to be a man!! Maybe an overstatement but the truth cannot be denied that the nine yards of fantasy can make even the hardest head turn. One need not walk in saree on the ramp at Cannes or at Abu Jani or Sandeep Khosla haute couture show, but just walk pass on an ordinary road to set the heart aflutter.

 I would like to take you on a short journey with my experiences with regards to this attire starting from the time when I was a young lad and saw my mother draped in this fine piece of clothing, ever since I opened my eyes. Never did she adorn any other clothing so this was my earliest brush with this garb.

I would often accompany my parents when my father bought sarees for my mother so I tried to pick up the nuances associated with purchasing this. First time I left home to travel to Bangalore while still at school, I visited Poornima Saree Shop at Kampegowda Circle to buy a silk saree for my mother. The shop keeper was delighted and helped me in selecting a silk saree which cost a bit over Rs 200/- a fairly hefty sum in those days. It had a golden border a small one, not too loud, and a nice pallu. My mother was overjoyed when I gave it to her.

After getting married, I went around with my wife and slowly learnt more about sarees as she too loved to wear them. On our first trip to Srinagar, we went around the market and I did my first shopping of a Kashmiri silk saree for my wife with a self-print and flowers which she liked and wore for many years.

We travelled to many places and each place has its own unique saree, in India. This may not be something which Indian girls would not have heard of but the aura of saree from each part of the country is unique.

 In West Bengal in the remote villages of Pundibari in Cooch Bihar district I saw the Baluchari, Tangail, Jamdani , being woven on hand looms and even amid so much poverty the weavers create a magic with their looms. The streets of Kolkatta at Park Street,  Garihat and New Market will bend head over heels to entice you to buy Kantha stitch and Taat  sarees .

Not very far in Assam, in Kamrup district, near Gauhati is the Sualkuchi village, by the banks of river Brahamputra. The village is famous for the Muga and Pat  silk sarees. I saw how the silk worms are raised and the thread is extracted, the threads colored to weave sarees which could take anything from a few days to almost 8 to 9 months to create. Ericulture is a household activity in this small village where Muga cocoon to cloth is created in form of mekhalas, chaddars and sarees.  The price range is from a few hundred to tens of thousands of rupees. They create a half saree for unmarried girls, a tradition in common with South India. The cream colored saree purchased here still remains a fond collection.

In Varanasi, silk sarees are as famous as the sweets of the city and the temples. The holy town by the river Ganges produces one of the finest works of silk brocade and Jari work (woven with silver and gold threads). No North Indian wedding of a girl is complete without a ‘Banarsi saree’ as it is fondly called. There are massive stores and small ones in by lanes in town where one can come across sarees stocked in shops.

I got an opportunity to travel to Aurangabad, famous for Ajanta and Ellora temples. While going around and exploring the city I learnt about the village called Paithan which is 56 km away from the city, by Godavari river. My wife insisted that we visit and I knew that a big hole was about to be blown on my pocket. Paithani sarees are known world over for the rich silk sarees produced here with motifs of peacock and birds and frescoes of Ajanta paintings. Every household is engaged in the art of producing the magical sarees on their looms. There was very little time left to see the place as my purse cried aloud after the purchase of a saree at Paithan.

While visiting Bhopal, the visit would have remained incomplete without buying a Chanderi saree, which has a very fine texture and are light in weight. Maheshwari and Tussar silk  are some more exquisite sarees crafted here and are popular.

Another trip to Hyderabad would have been a nonevent without falling for a Pochampalli or a Kanchi Pattu saree. Pochampalli sarees are famous for the intricate geometric designs.

Jamnagar in Gujrat where I served, was a perfect place to buy Bandhini sarees (which use the tie and dye method). It was fun to visit the small shops in lanes where the workers produce the saree by tying knots with thread, to create the designs and immerse them in different colors and dyes to conceive startling designs.  Patola sarees of Surat with geometric designs are even more enticing and expensive. Rajasthan  is  also a stronghold of tie and dye sarees, and no visit to Jaipur is considered fructified without a purchase of ‘tie and dye’ saree.

I will not do justice to the sarees without mentioning about the ever popular Kanjeevaram sarees of pure silk from Tamilnadu, Mysore Silk sarees of Karnataka , and Set Sari of Kerala. These sarees add so much color and have such rich ensemble of sparkle that they require a separate post to describe their beauty. It is difficult to give a miss to stores like Parthas in Ernakulam and Sarthas in Chennai without buying from here. Since I wandered in these states more than anywhere, you can well imagine how my finances suffered during each of these visits.

So next time you want to win a heart of your sweetheart do not forget to buy a saree . Sarees are now conquering the world by being projected by the divas of Indian film industry like Aishwarya Bachhan, Vidya Balan and Sonam Kapoor at international forums. Who wants to be left behind, in the race for grace?

P.S. Rahul sir :D please reply to all the views and comments we get on this post - Thanks

Beware of labor pain even before conceiving ….

(Disclaimer: ***Pun intended *** should I be telling this? :P all my posts are anyways pun intended :P !!!)

I know you must be thinking that Ramya has gone complete nuts! But friends what if I say end of the post you will completely agree with me as at some point or the other every one of you (if you are an Indian, married and Male or Female) then trust me would have undergone this labor pain!!! Surprised?

Here u go, this post is all about how a married couple is easily attacked in front of everyone by questions like “So when is the good news coming?” “So when are you promoting us?” “I got a dream of u telling me about good news, so anything up that you want to share it with us?”

Surprisingly all these different words and different questions only mean “When are you producing offspring?”  or to be more bad “You are anyways gaming legally now, when do you plan to produce some output of the game”  

Now I see every one of you in agreement with me J? … Last few days such questions are raining on me and so it is more interesting to share with you all and get your insight on it … (actually the real intent is when you comment on this, I get a sadistic satisfaction that there are many like me who have suffered or suffering due to such questions)

Well, you will surely find my frustration or rant justified when you know the questions that are showered on me over last few years, and surprisingly these questions also varies with time.

1.             First year into marriage and on first anniversary: “So anything new ?”, “so when is little one coming”, “you have put on so anything good”( :P well this questions is double stab!) , First anniversary you get less congratulations but be sure to get more comment and questions on when is the little one coming!!!!
2.             Second year into marriage: Doubt is building up furiously … “So u guys seem like planning and postponing baby”, “I think Its already 2 years you are married nooooo,” no question doesn’t end here It continues and ends with random aunt hissing in my ear as “Did u visit doctor?” at this point I feel like peeling my ear out and giving it to her !!!    
3.       Third year and from then on: You will start hating to attend any social gathering cause everybody there makes u feel like one sloth bear lagging behind in race whereas every other aunt and uncle has news to tell about their son or daughter who has conceived and delivered within a year (worth a noble price :P) and almost everybody will have lot more random questions, some have gone to the extent like “are you both not interested?”, “I think you should pray to this Swamiji, My daughter conceived in just a month!!!” (I wonder what swamiji does :P), Final one to conclude my rant is about the solution offered by some great aunt   “You should consult a Sex Therapist!”

PERIOD!!!! Just cant say anything more, doesn't this hurt more than Labor pain :P???

But then this is just my silent rant, even after all these Questions, Solutions and suggestions my reply would be a smile and a nod!!!  

Tell me why???

Roads are laid very neatly and beautifully, there are no dirt littered around on the roads, Streets are just not well lit but are overly lit by colorful lights as well, no power cuts, all the sewage system properly maintained, Water supply 24hrs and Public transport running all around the city right on time, all these and more not in any other developed country or its not my imagination of Rama Rajya, but it’s hard to believe when I say it’s in namma Bengaluru in my very own country India…I see many eyes wide opened in disbelief !!!

Yes, it was exactly this scenario when there was just a week for Elections here! By which I mean just before a week and all those 5 years the roads were full of pot holes, dirt littered, with no street light, power fluctuations, problems for basic facility etc and etc.  But just as the election approaches, the ruling party or member of that particular ward is all awake and starts all these activities and more. And for this they claim that he or she has been doing all these and more over last few years and so they should be elected again. Whereas all those years, we dumb citizen see them alone progressing but nothing else.

Now you all learned people tell me why should I vote?

1.  To see progress of elected people from car to caaaaars, home to Bungalow, belly to Pot Belly, and gold accessories to Gold mines!
2.  No matter who comes in power, I still have to bribe for my rights!
3.  I am still scared to walk in the night alone, forget night even in day light one has to think twice to step out.
4.  I mostly end up with slip disc or crack my spine because of those humps and poor quality roads which chip into potholes
5.  I still have to walk in streets that smell of those unclean and poorly maintained Waste bins, oops sorry some places don’t even have those, both streets and dustbins!!!
6.  I still see people not having basic facilities, bribed for voting, literacy rate with no improvement and where as the crime rate increasing exponentially.

For these reason if I forcefully try to forget that I should be voting, I am reminded by every other Movie Star, KMF by printing on milk covers and lot many NGOs, to vote and in some cases many or threatened to vote. There is no one to answer these questions but every other celebrity posses in their best with a statement saying “Voting is your right” “Be an Indian cast your vote”!!!! So when the sewage is blocked in my locality do I ask these Stars to clean it up?

Such frustrations were spurting like hot lava in me, as I stood in the hot sun waiting for my turn to prove that I am an Indian. But I am still waiting for an answer; tell me why should I vote? Tell me why?