Me Myself And A Saturday

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 5/18/2013 7:04:00 AM

'Don't remember when was the last time I had a Saturday off to myself....Even if hubby hasn't been around, my little 5-year-old has always been!Plus the regular office work and other stuff has always made Saturdays seem just like another regular day, but with a little less work.So today, as hubby is out on a week-long work trip and my daughter gone for the day to her friend's place, it's just me in the house...for a change!I've always thought that if I get any 'me' time I'll do this (...)'

Read full article

Do You Wear The Pants?

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 5/15/2013 7:34:00 AM

'Just finished reading The Sealed Letter by Emma Donoghue. While I was definitely charmed by the book, in case you're not aware what it's about, let me give you a brief idea: it's about a real scandal that took place in the Victorian era between a married lady and revolves around her scandalous extra-marital affairs. This was one big scandal that shook the years during the 1860s and was widely reported.While I'm not going to divulge much right now, I'm soon going to share the review (...)'

Read full article

You're Not A Man Unless You Know How To Treat A Woman

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 4/2/2013 4:08:00 PM

'The title up there is self-explanatory. Debates, arguments, social norms be damned - if you don't know how to treat a woman, your or someone else's, you're not a man...not a chance!The numbers are out and once again, with our heads bowed down in shame, bow your's down lower and deeper into the ground if you're a man - India stands amongst one of the top most unsafe countries for women - and we're not even talking of any particular city out here, India as an entire nation is unsafe f(...)'

Read full article

Bengali TV Serial's On-Screen Cruelty Towards Child Characters

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 3/19/2013 5:57:00 AM

'As I was flipping through the channels this morning, I came across a really cruel scene in a Bengali TV Channel - the channel is ETV Bangla and the serial is called 'Ranga Mathaye Chiruni', which is a popular kids' poem in Bengali. While I'm not aware of the entire background, the serial showed a little girl, of about 6-7 years, who stays in a rich man's joint family. Though she calls the man 'baba' (father), she doesn't seem to have a mother. Being in a new environment, the little (...)'

Read full article

Death of A Marriage

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 3/11/2013 8:53:00 AM

'Recently I read an article in a daily newspaper about Sonu Nigam's views on marriage, where he said that he never really believes in the institution of marriage, that he feels marriage is one of the biggest reasons of love falling out of your lives, that the happiest couples or people around are not married. According to the article, the singer believes that marriage makes us take relationships for granted, whether we realise it or not, and that is one of the first and biggest mista(...)'

Read full article

From Mommy To Daughter, The Legacy Continues: Happy International Women's Day

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 3/8/2013 9:03:00 AM

'Before I begin, let me wish all you lovely ladies out there a very happy, special and empowering Women's Day! Of course we can't really be respecting and appreciating our women only one day a year, but it's not everyday that you specifically take out time to wish each other and tell them that yes, they are truly special and deserve all the attention! So yes, once again, a very happy, special and empowering women's day!!!So who do I dedicate this special day to? Of course, the (...)'

Read full article

Towards 'The' Kumbh!

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 3/6/2013 8:09:00 AM

'One of our friends shared this wonderful and accurate journal of traveling on the road towards Kumbh. Of course we had to share it here...Thanks a lot Gautam Trivedi for this word-by-word account!* (all images for this post have been sourced online)1:11 PM: We have now hit the NHAI highway. Kishan informs us that we are passing through Badhohi district, famous for Benarasi silk.1:20 PM: We are passing through the town of Gopiganj. I am always looking out for interesting things a(...)'

Read full article

Serious Aunties Vs. Fun Aunties

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 2/20/2013 2:22:00 PM

'Okay, before you start thinking of anything else, I was just talking about how some women, those who have kids or otherwise, suffer this whole life thing with a serious, glum look each day, while some blow away all worries in the wind and live life with full-on fun and energy. I'm definitely the latter types in case you haven't realised it yet....Well, so I've never been a typical 'mommy' or 'auntie' kind of person, in fact, sometimes I've been so out-n-out childish or free in my at(...)'

Read full article

Poshvine - Creating Great Food Memories With Amazing Deals!!!

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 11/29/2012 7:31:00 AM

'The season of celebrations is here, and one thing we absolutely love doing is eating out, with friends and family, to celebrate the joys and share more magic. But add to that the festival crowd, the long waiting time, the problems of not getting a table, and also the big numbers that come at the end of the meal. Quite a lot to not make it feel that magical, right?So it was quite interesting when I got a message from PoshVine, as it launches in Mumbai.The idea for PoshVine's new init(...)'

Read full article

Through Jungles and No-Man's Land: On An Evening With Suranjana Bose

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 11/8/2012 6:20:00 AM

'It was quite a few weeks now that I was planning my sister's trip to Mumbai. You see, I'm talking here of the famous Indian classical singer Suranjana Bose, the lady who has been recently awarded the Girija Devi Puraskar for Sarvottam Kalakar in Thumri. Please forgive me, but as for classical music, that's all the information and knowledge I have.She was coming to Mumbai from her home in Kolkata, as there was a performance in Kalyan, Maharashtra, where she would be the honorary perf(...)'

Read full article

The Hand Rickshaw

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 11/4/2012 2:39:00 PM

'image courtesy thehindu.com  Does this image mean anything to you? To me, it instantly brings up words like An Evening In The Streets, A cosy day with books, nostalgia, many cups of ginger tea, old-world charm, crowded streets, footpaths, bargain.....will add more words here as they come to mind. Isn't this just gorgeous? Though I completely condemn the practice, I found this hand-rickshaw parked outside my guest house when I was staying in Kolkata, India, a few months bac(...)'

Read full article

My Morning Cuppa

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 11/2/2012 6:30:00 AM

' I can't begin my mornings without a big mug of tea. I have it with milk, without sugar. And a little strong boiled. It's my daily requirement to have at least 2 cups of tea each day, reduced from my earlier crazy number of almost 20 cups a day/night! This click was at a small home-stay we rented in Panchgani. The tables in the dining area would be lined with these cups, a plate of Marie biscuits and a little bowl of sugar (at the back of the pic) along each of the cups. T(...)'

Read full article

Nokia Lumia 920: Release Date and Specifications

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 10/30/2012 11:09:00 AM

'(image courtesy crave.cnet.co.uk)  I had really thought that the US and Europe would be the first ones to lay their eyes and hands on the Nokia Lumia 920, but it's being said that the Canadian market is the one that gets to be the first buyers of the 920 almost immediately after its been announced - on 30th October 2012, that's today!The Nokia Lumia 920 was first showcased by Nokia in September 2012, so its pretty immediately that stores in Canada get it! In the US, AT&T ge(...)'

Read full article

Mumbai International Beer Festival 2012

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 10/30/2012 6:25:00 AM

'So the Mumbai International Beer Fest 2012 got over this weekend ( 27th Oct, Saturday). We were so excited about the event that we had been waiting for it ever since we heard its coming to Mumbai.The event was held at D'Monte Park Recreation Centre in Bandra and was hosted by the Gymkhana Club (I think!). The event was scheduled to begin at 5:30 and go on till 11pm. We took the group booking option, where we signed up for a group of 5 and for a tasting of ALL the international beers(...)'

Read full article

Sitting And Staring And Sitting And Staring....

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 10/26/2012 10:15:00 AM

'Oh, I've been doing this for quite a few weeks now! And I absolutely hate it!!!You know how sometimes you start working on something and then something else comes up in between, like a mail from a contact, or an sms or a phone call, or even a random look at the newspaper or something, and you get on to something else altogether. Well, I'm sure you know what I mean...So for these last few weeks, even as I'm working the entire day on my laptop, some or the other interesting link,artic(...)'

Read full article

Destination For Bong Food Lovers In Navi Mumbai

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 10/26/2012 8:19:00 AM

'(image courtesy sublime creativity) Yes yes yes...finally I found it! THE destination for all bong food lovers here in Navi Mumbai (I'm afraid they don't yet have a chain in Mumbai).Navi Mumbai had the bong chain Pet Pujo, and it was good till the time there wasn't Bong Adda. And once I had a meal here, I completely gave up on Pet Pujo, and even started feeling that the food at Pet Pujo was quite oily and over-done in comparison. Sadly for those who may have liked it, Pet Pujo shut (...)'

Read full article

Durga Puja The Mumbai Way

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 10/25/2012 6:14:00 AM

'Durga Thakur at the Vashi Kali Bari Durga Pujo  Had a fabulous 05 days of Durga Pujo, one of the first times I ever enjoyed Durga Pujo so much in Mumbai (coming away from Delhi's Durga Pujo after living there all my life was quite sad and nostalgic).Shoshthi, Shoptomi, Oshtomi, Nobomi and Doshomi - every single day was a special celebration, a nostalgic moment that went by quite too soon. I wish it would last for just a few more days.Now, after the 05 days of celebrations, sare(...)'

Read full article

Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm - Lusting After

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 9/27/2012 11:22:00 AM

'Wow, so I've already been informed by my beauty SA at the counter that Maybelline is launching their Baby Lips in India (and if you've followed them on FB, I'm sure you've changed your profile pic to that of when you were a baby...didn't get the drift? Check them out on FB and you'll know!!)The main reason I'm looking forward to this is that as many of us girls out here, I suffer from terribly dry lips. No matter how much I try to keep them moisturised, they do end up getting dr(...)'

Read full article

Pond's Femina Miss India 2013 - Femina Miss India Completes 50 Glorious Years

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 9/27/2012 10:32:00 AM

'Femina Miss India joins hands with Pond’s to host Pond’s Femina Miss India 2013(Ex-Femina Miss India's Vanya Mishra, Prachi Mishra and Rochelle Maria Rao with Marc Robinson) Femina Miss India, the country’s most prestigious and credible pageant turns 50! Fifty golden successful years! The national platform that created actors and celebrities like Zeenat Aman, Juhi Chawla, Aishwariya Rai, Sushmita Sen, Diana Hayden Dia Mirza, Neha Dupia, Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta to name (...)'

Read full article

Torturing Babies In The Name of Television!

Author : Debolina Raja Gupta      Blog : a few thoughts here and there      Date : 9/7/2012 7:13:00 AM

'Unbelievable! If you are a regular TV-addict, you've no doubt seen this being played out on television many many times. On Indian Television that is....Tell me, haven't YOU seen such scenes on Indian television? I don't know about other regional channels (though Im sure they do this as well), but I have seen this cruelty being played out on Hindi as well as Bengali channels time and time again.A small baby crying, a small baby being scolded, a small baby constantly crying while the (...)'

Read full article