To Mom, With love

I am writing a Tribute to Mom in association with Parentous.com

There are four stages in every man's life: 
"You believe in Santa Claus. 
You don't believe in Santa Claus. 
You are Santa Claus. 
You look like Santa Claus."

Mothers are angels from heaven and they are all about unconditional love, sacrifice and nurturing. Every Mom is special to her children, no matter what she is in any other roles in her life, a mother always and most certainly puts her heart and soul in raising her child with utmost care and devotion.

I share a very special bond with my Mom, too and she has been my best friend, philosopher and guide. She is always there for me and stood by me, through all times.Sometimes, a conversation is at its best when the person just listens. She is the best listener and heard everything with great interest right from how my bench mate in grade two took my favorite sharpener and never returned it,to my daily blabber about the pettiest, random things.

She is a very ambitious woman, always taught me to dream big and appreciate the finer things in life. She was the first one to teach me Hindi alphabets despite the fact that she hardly knows anything in Hindi apart from the alphabets and irony is, I went on to later top my school in the boards in Hindi and that too, with a whooping percentage. I was in kindergarten when Mommy dear thought I am not getting protein in my diet and wanted to try egg with me.We, being strict vegetarians, she had no idea what to come up with. She mixed boiled egg cut into pieces in my dal and lovingly fed it to me, fooling it with me as coconut. She took me to art, music and dance classes patiently, though I never took any of it seriously, back then.No matter what, she always had a way to love and care for us, with each passing day.

She has a great amount of perseverance and picked up on a lot of skills to start a career, managing with a kid like me with no help around and never even showed the stress of it. She was an exemplary working Mom who strives to provide the family with a better quality of life. She earned respect and trust of her seniors and colleagues through sheer hard work and commitment. During those days, when work was more of a means to get additional income to the family rather than a career, it is needless to say that kids, family and a better life for them was the utmost driving force for all her hard work. The most surprising thing is having a working Mom may mean some compromises to some but we were raised so well with all the attention that we never felt any hollowness, anywhere, anytime. I wonder today, how much she could fit into that twenty four hours which also included playing an agony aunt to desperate relatives seeking advice through phone calls, late into the night. And, she wakes up, bang on at 5:00 am the next morning, all energetic running into errands with no complaints at all but just a smile.

There were times when I did not behave very well with her and looking back, I feel I just took her love for granted on some occasions. On numerous occasions for not preparing my lunch box on time to her not-so-good taste when she bought a dress for me to saying that she is not organised enough in kitchen while just blabbering and not helping enough, I played the bad girl. Being the soft and sweet lady she is, she never even remembers or may be chooses to ignore my misbehaviour happily and peacefully.She only remembers the helpful girl in me who helped her with all the chores at home when she was at work, so much so that everybody around me started believing and showing me as an example of a good girl to their little kids.

All the realization for the numerous occasions when I was not up to the mark, however small, petty and unbotherable they may be, does hit hard some day and when it does, it does really very hard. And so it did for me. A marriage, moving out far from Mom, a career change and finally, motherhood. All the changes were massive for me but on a positive note, toned me from the intense self to a more sober person. I missed Mom on countless occasions and with everyday, I could see myself and Mom with a different perspective. Sometimes, distance does good to you. It shakes you from the deep slumber of indifference and wakes you up to the reality of gratitude.

I got a starting point to my answers on the question of why Moms are so universally special and loved about when I was blessed with a little angel. With each passing day, I could see myself evolving more and more to love, give, care and nurture. Women are immensely lucky, they get to relive and see an entirely new dimension to life with motherhood.Moms don't just happen, they are all made.

Behind the extra weight carried for nine months and beyond, the first trimester nausea, the false labor pains, the hope, the anticipation and the excitement of a tiny being fluttering inside, the anxious and much-awaited labor, the after-effects, the exhausting, draining night outs with a colicky new-born, the calm, peaceful sleep when the little one finally dozes off to sleep after great effort tucked tight beside you, the little milestones celebrated with great pomp and show each month, the first word, first steps, the heart-melting moment when your little one first says "Mama", the tears through parting the dear ones at day-care, the joy of being through every roller-coaster moment of a growing child, Moms are made- chiseled, carved and polished to the fine, loving and caring beings they become.

On this note:

To my Mom and all other lovely Moms out there, a very Happy Mother's day. All of you deserve a big hug from your kids.

My First lessons in entrepreneurship

I wish to get my story published in Chicken Soup for the Indian Entrepreneurs Soul in association with BlogAdda.com 

It was during the days when I was pursuing engineering in electronics.It was vacation time for us and I was thinking of building working circuit models that I can later use for inter-collegiate competitions as mini-projects.

I needed electronic supplies, components and guidance for the same as it was something beyond the curriculum. Mr.Murty was the CEO of a small-scale electronics manufacturing unit that produced  specialized communication systems that were used in areas where normal communication systems were not effective. Mr.Murty was a very accomplished person in his field and won laurels across the world for his immense contributions. He started his firm post retirement and showed a great amount of zeal and enthusiasm in his work even at the age of eighty.

My association with Mr.Murty was from my childhood through my Mom, who worked at his firm. Over years, we turned into good family friends. He was a grandfather figure to me. He helped me with my questions on science and got me the most useful gifts ever, when he came to visit us.I heard very highly of him from my parents not only as a boss but also as a wonderful human being. But, I never got an opportunity to interact with him on a technical ground.After many years, it was that day I would be face-to-face with him again and I was very much looking forward to it.

As I walked into his office, a board greeted me that read, "Work is worship and our place of work is our temple". Mr.Murty was a god-fearing man and the words just reminded me once again about his commitment and devotion to work. I went in to the reception lobby and checked-in with the receptionist regarding my appointment who asked me to wait for ten minutes. As I sat there waiting, a sharp, well-dressed man came and greeted me. I could barely recognize him as he smiled and said, " Do you remember me little girl? I am Nagaiah." I was flabbergasted and dumb-struck. Nagaiah was a office-boy at that place, when I knew of him ten years back. He brought cans of water for the staff and carried out other chores at that place. All that I knew was he discontinued his studies after schooling. Before I could say anything, Nagaiah spoke,"I am a Junior design Engineer here now and a part of the research team. Whatever I am today, needless to say, I owe it to Murty Sir. I started helping initially, the team with small technical activities and spotting my interest, Sir asked me to shadow junior engineers. There started my story. I pursued my diploma and later joined a part-time engineering course, which Sir guided me through and sponsored. Above all the academics part, much of the learning happens from here, from all the experts. The lessons that I learn everyday here are invaluable and over years, I could learn the niche skills required for a job from a design perspective. So,here I am today. You must be surprised, I can understand" he said."Amazing and really inspiring, too. It must have been a lot of hard work and perseverance from your side, as well." I spoke as I regained my composure. " Well..Everybody wants to do well, earn good money and have a comfortable life. I am one of that "everybody" too, at that stage. The only thing I did not know was "how" and probably I did not dream this far too. Mr.Murty was the person who gave me a sense of direction and a purpose to my life. He taught me it is first about working on myself and building a place for myself in the society.Then, as much as it is about taking, it is about giving. I learnt give-back is a very crucial part and it is my big dream that I am working on. Some day..some day, for sure." he said in a firm, confident tone. I inquired about the well-being of the other people whom I knew as a kid and we discussed for some time about those days. He suddenly said, "Oh..I forgot to tell you. Do you remember Ramsingh?". " Yes, of course." I replied in affirmation. Ramsingh was a cook at Mr.Murty's house and he made the best of gulab jamuns. His gulab jamuns were to die for and he made a good batch for us whenever we visited Mr.Murty's home. He was barely twenty then, I recollected."He is in Delhi now, settled there with his wife and two children. He has a government job, works for the Central Railways", he said. "Wow, that is great to know."I said. "Murty Sir guided him into doing his bachelors from open university. He studied whenever he got some free time after the cooking. Mr.Murty was always there for his doubts and guided him on the job front, too.He is a happy man now, all thanks to Sir." he continued as we were interrupted by the receptionist who announced that I may now go inside. I bid good-bye to Nagaiah and made my way to Mr.Murty's cabin.

As, I opened the door, I was greeted by his warm smile. He looked old but no where close to the eighty mark that he is. He had a certain charisma to him that doesn't go unnoticed. As we spoke, I explained him the purpose of my visit. He reached out for a magazine on the book rack and flipped through the pages and said, "I did some research on the project when you sent me a email. It is a basic functionality that you are looking to build. Here is something challenging that you could do to make it a little more fun. These are some interesting functions that could be added to your existing model that are a big value-add from a product perspective" he said, as he pointed out to some circuit diagrams in the magazine. He meticulously explained everything in the diagram.As he explained, I could notice the passion that he has towards work and how much the passion drives him to do what he loves. He then called in a person who would help and guide me through my work.I took leave of him and was guided to my work area by my mentor. As I walked through cubicles, I could see a few groups of students who were working on live projects under the guidance of people who are more than eager to help.

As I sat down to start off with my work, I could feel the positive energy of the place. I pondered how much a leader can influence a group of people to not only work with grit and determination but also do their small part by giving at every opportunity they get. Mr. Murty redefined entrepreneurship by not only meaning business, finances, risks and economics but also to include humane elements to it like responsibility, respect towards fellow beings, sharing and giving. I got the components and began to work, saying silently to myself, "Entrepreneurship,someday..definitely someday.."

The soldiers in my life

This post is a part of #Soldierforwomen in association with BlogAdda.com .

Being a woman, I have definitely had my share of pleasant and not-so-pleasant experiences with men.While I was mostly alone when I battled out with the negative ones, there are a good number of good men, too. I am fortunate enough to have men in my life who are supportive,stood by me and created a sense of being there for me,come what may. Here is to them for leaving a positive impact on me for life.Thank you all!

Mewling in his arms and turning side to side,

A look into the eyes and he was filled with pride,

There lies his much wanted baby girl,

Gleaming and glistening like a fresh water pearl.

He rocked her, patted her,sang for her and walked all night.

As the wailing queen fell deep asleep over his shoulders snug and tight. 

He got her the best of toys, clothes and candy.

He put her in the best of schools and worked hard to give the best of everything.

She was all pampered and her unfulfilled wishes were almost nothing.

And so the little girl grew up and asked one day,

"What is all this hue and cry about being a boy or a girl,how does it matter anyway?"

No differences were ever known, she was always free to choose what she wanted to. 

He was a soldier who battled out hard for his little girl's comforts and put her before all of his,

The selfless soldier - My father he is.

Ten years later, there came another person in the family,

"Little brother for me !", jumped the now,big sister, joyfully.

Days, months and years and nothing changed for her,

Except another person for sharing love and making her life merrier,

She was cared for,nurtured and protected all the same.

The little brother was her much coveted baby doll,

And grew up to be there for her every call,

They laughed together,fought together and had fun together.

At the age of eleven, he innocently prayed as his big sister went to give her first job interview,

He cheered for her and celebrated when she was through.

He boasted about her, laughed with her when she was happy and prayed for her in distress, 

The soldier who stands by me and gives a sense of being there - My brother he is.

Out in the big bad world,

A few friends and colleagues to prove its not all that cold,

Simple actions of chivalry that show respect towards fellow humans,

Being there to accompany after a late day at work and for various other reasons,

The soldier who contributed in his small way to my day going right - my friend he is.

He promised my family that I would in be safe hands.

When I came with him all alone to an unknown land.

He pampers me like a child when I feel low.

A good critic who can point out my faults with a comical show.

A loving and caring Dad to a one year old,

The soldier who firmly believes in responsibility and realizes it with all his heart - my husband and soul-mate he is.

A plea to live and let live

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

This post is featured to be a WOW post by BlogAdda.

A young executive was nervously biting her nails. The clock showed half past eight in the evening.

She was typing the last email on her office laptop before calling it a day.It has been a long, hectic day for her.But, she loved it.All the more, the day was very special for her. She received the most coveted 'Best employee of the year' award at the annual meet for the company and that too from the hands of the person whom she idolized all her life. It was highly commendable for a person who joined the organisation only an year and a half back to be a part of such honor.She was all ecstatic.

As she recollected the afternoon ceremony and her most rewarding moment, she was filled with pride and she even shed a tear or two.It was a long journey for her and she got all nostalgic. Even as a child, she was passionate about structures and their intricacies. She had a flair for art and an eye for detail. She went to an architecture school and she was elated when she was the only one selected from her school for the company when they came for recruitment, an year and a half back.Work was challenging but fun at the same time and she started to excel at it. She was living her dream. Her peers and leads nurtured her talent and helped in tuning her creativity in the right direction to productivity. In a very short span, she was able to see herself creating magic with a paper and pencil. Of course,as much as it was love with work for her it also required a lot of dedication, a lot of time and hard work.The year that went by had her working extra hours to catch up with the stringent deadlines her company had.She was lost in fond thoughts when she was awakened by a loud beep.It was her cell phone.She reached out for her bag and found the cell phone there.

"Start early.It is getting late.Take care and be safe.Love-Mama." It was a message from her mother.Such messages and reminders from her mother have become very common from the last few days.She hurriedly completed the rest of the email, packed her bag and rushed towards the elevator, hoping silently that her bus to home would be crowded at that hour.

On December 29th 2012, Nirbhaya lost her life filled with dreams to the cruel hands of a few sadistic animals. Three months later, today, we see more rapes in different parts of the country which includes foreign tourists despite the wide spread protests and anger against the incident.

Every home and every girl shudders with fear at the very thought of the incident and silently prays that everything goes well and she safely reaches home everyday.Let us hope and pray that India would be a free country where every girl can move without fear, with her head held high and build a future of her dreams. 

And miles to go before we sleep!

This post is a contest winner in the Blueprint for Change - Weekend Contest at Blogadda.com.

This post is a part of Weekend contest at BlogAdda.com in association with Chanakya's New Manifesto.

India,a land renowned for its unique heritage and unity in diversity is in a very pitiable condition.Following are the five areas,according to me,that need to be concentrated on to realize our dream India.

                                                    Image Source: en.wikipedia.org

1)Knowledge is power:

It is a well-agreed fact that basic education, at least, is needed for every person in the society and there are many initiatives put into place for the same.

Though the number of educated people is going up,we still see that it has not become a very big contributing factor to the society.The reason being that people are not educated in the true sense.

Some of the major problems in the country ranging from corruption,discrimination on the grounds of gender,race,religion,sexual abuse to pollution,breaking traffic rules,etc. are more common among the 'educated' crowd.There are people who have no formal education but are sensible,liberal in attitude and learnt lessons from life and know what to value and what not to value.

                                          Image Source:thespiritscience.net

What can be done:
Character building starts at home.The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.Positive parenting leads to well-groomed children in all aspects who will go ahead and become responsible citizens.Treating women with respect must start at home.There are many homes,including urban, where women are considered to be only secondary decision makers(even worse they don't have a say),  confined to kitchens,'must' learn cooking before they attain a 'marriageable' age, are supposed to help their mothers in kitchen while the boys kill time watching TV and are also supposed to put their marriage in priority as compared to career, etc.It is but obvious that young boys who grow up in such an environment grow up to discriminate women at home,work place and the society.It is important that even very small things like these are taken care of at home as they sow the seeds of discrimination into young minds at a very early stage.Even casual discussions highlighting that we belong to such and such a caste/religion and taking pride in the same is irrational.Children must be raised with the values of a religion rather than rituals of the religion.Caste system was designed based on professions and it was the pride in the profession that made a caste good or bad.Today, when we have people from different religion,caste and gender in all professions,it makes little sense to associate pride with caste or even reservation system with caste.A deserving person or a successful person needs to be applauded on the basis of his merit,character and virtues.At the same time,a person who is capable and deserving but need financial support need to have privileges on economic grounds and not caste/religion.The same thoughts must be inculcated in children at home.It should be taught to children at home that every job is honorable and there is dignity in labor of all forms and see to it that they don't discriminate servant maids,etc.Children always pick up and learn what they see.So,it is also the parents responsibility to educate themselves and gain correct knowledge before passing any information to children.Knowledge gaining is an ongoing process and when parents do it,the children follow.Children who come out of such families definitely turn out to be responsible citizens.

At the society level:Anything that portrays a woman to be just a glamor-doll who dances to the whims and fancies of a man need to be eradicated.Unfortunately, there are umpteen number of movies which portray the lead woman to be a person in scantily clad clothes who goes crazy over every silly,clownish act of the hero.There are many movies where the 'coolness' of a hero is directly proportional to the number of girls he is with at any given time and there are movies where the 'hero' does involve in crime directly.These movies generally fall into the 'mass' genre.The masses mostly who cannot distinguish between right and wrong have a major impact and start visualising women in the same way.It is the responsibility of the censor department to not only censor certain words but ban such movies that can have a mass impact.Also,the 'stars' have to realize their responsibility towards the society and take up roles and characters responsibly.

2)Give a man a fish,you feed him for a day.Teach him to fish,you feed him for a life-time.

The major criminals of the society who commit the most inhuman acts are not made in a day.Every day of their life has an impact on the way they turned out to be.Apart from bad upbringing,poverty,joblessness,lack of proper education and most importantly lack of a purpose to life can result in the psychopaths that they are.Some of them when investigated have no clear idea or clue as to why they have committed a crime.While they do not realize the seriousness and gravity of the crime, the fact is that they have no better work to do and had to pass their time in some way and crime is one such.They are orphans who need a sense of purpose and direction.

Poverty is a major problem in the society and the people who are given a direction to earn money through hard work realize the value of both money and work and turn out to be responsible citizens.The education system in India is very book-oriented and very less practical.The government schools and teachers barely behave responsibly in tuning an individual to stand on his own feet at school-level.In these days,when it is difficult for students who graduate from the best of the institutions in the country to comprehend how the subjects they studied are going to be relevant to the work they are going to do,it is no wonder that the poor people show little interest towards education after schooling or for that matter even high-school.

Basic reading,writing and math is actually sufficient.We can attract them towards education only when it becomes a means to earn money.Since,they belong to the class of people who can barely have two meals a day,it becomes important that they start to earn early for their livelihood.Vocational courses should be taught to them after the primary education so that they can support themselves while they work and learn.As they work,higher levels of education would then be their decision depending on the necessity.For example: A person after basic education can be taught basic electrical work that gives him a job.He can go on to learn more as he works.If necessity occurs,he would probably consider taking up electrical engineering course, in future.

What can be done: 
Vocational courses can be started by subject matter experts in different field to impart job-based skills to those who have know basic reading,writing and maths.Groups and clubs can be formed who map these skilled people to jobs in small scale industries,at a minimum.Initiatives on the lines of 'Teach for India' can be taken up where people are turned into skilled professionals who can earn and support themselves.They can be on various areas ranging from manufacturing, mechanics, electrical, electronics to crafts, art, weaving, music,etc.The government can also collaborate with these clubs and use this most valuable resource, the human resource to start initiatives that provide livelihood to thousands.The government should also encourage entrepreneurship based on the number of jobs they provide to the people close to poverty line and below poverty line through incentives on loans,etc.Also, this can contribute to economic growth when the goods are used for export.

At a very small level,it becomes important we encourage individual sellers compared to large scale retail owners and not bargain for every rupee with them when we can afford to blow money in a star restaurant without any guilt.

3)We Do Not Inherit the Earth from Our Ancestors; We Borrow It from Our Children.

The changes in the earth's atmosphere are happening at such an alarming rate that all of us are able to clearly recognise the climatic changes.At such a rate, it is not an exaggeration to state that we may witness the dooms day, after all.It is heard everyday,time and again about the increasing pollution,the resulting global warming and the ways to reduce it.

                                          

                                          Image Source:josephine101.deviantart.com

What can be done:
Using public transportation not only works out cheaper but also reduces pollution and traffic.Use of alternative sources of energy should not be limited to environmental studies text books but must be put into practice. Homes should be encouraged to have rain water harvesting pit, compost pit, etc.Again subject matter experts can put in their thoughts towards simple alternative sources of energy that can be trapped and utilized at home-level and conduct workshops so that every home can look forward to employ these alternative sources of energy efficiently and economically.Solar energy,Bio-gas and other alternative methods are a worthy investment for research.Government can also encourage such initiatives by providing subsidies, knowledge and can play its part in bringing the interested individuals together.Trees should be planted wherever possible.We should also avoid dumping garbage at every and any place and should only use the designated areas.Also,we need to minimise the use of plastic and other non-biodegradable items and use alternatives like cloth,paper,etc.We need to remember that we are not here to exploit the earth and it is resources but need to preserve it for our future generations.

4)Health is Wealth.

The changing life-style and the advent of desk oriented white collar jobs has taken its toll on everybody's health.Today, we are prone to diseases twice as much compared to our previous generation and at half their age.This is a result of change in life-style, pesticide and other additives contaminated food,lack of exercise and most importantly stress.The single most way of living a healthy life is to lead a life as natural as it is supposed to be led.It is said that God created the human body with the early man in mind.The early man works for food,goes in search of food,collects wood and stones and returns home in the evening to cook and eat the food.So,his simple life revolves around working towards survival.Today,we are so much into the rat-race that we are forgetting that even if we win such a race we would still be only a rat.Everything from a missed mark in an exam to a difficult situation at work,to not being the best among best is leading to stress.Starting from high-school to adulthood,stress overtook our life in a major way resulting in a plethora of new life-style diseases.

                                          Image Source:www.moneythruhealth.com

What can be done: 
The first and foremost thing is to realise that in hunt of an illusive magical and comfortable destination,we are forgetting to live life by the day and forgetting the simple joys of life.Secondly,often stress at work leads to a way we devise to combat it.This way could be smoking to some people, binge eating or coffee/tea to a few others and just over-thinking to some others.All these can have a devastating effect on one's health that may do some irreversible damage.When stress is inevitable, some alternative ways can be followed to help overcome it.This could be something like having a glass of water each time you are stressed out or take a short walk or a deep breath or meditate for a couple of minutes.Eating healthy,working out and having a hobby to enjoy would be good.Also,it is important to compromise on small things and have time for everything in a day like exercise,work,play,family-time,etc.Though it might be a compromise,we have to remember that balance is the key.

5)Exercise your right to vote.

All the above that is written involves people majorly from three tiers,one-the subject matter experts or the more privileged,two- the less privileged and three-the government.All the three layers are interwoven and should work together among themselves and with one another to bring about a change in the society,as a whole.There are hurdles like corruption on our way but the only way in which we can overcome them is when each of us acts at our personal level.We are in a system that is of the people,by the people and for the people.We should strive hard to stay true to it.As much as it is important to do things and act at the personal level,it is equally important to think globally at the society level and remember that we are a part and parcel of the family called society and we need to live and let live.

There are a lot of areas where stringent laws are required and reforms are the need of the hour.Justice delayed is justice denied.We need a just,fast-acting,efficient judicial system to tackle bigger areas like terrorism and anti-social activities.For this,we need leaders who are capable enough to address these issues efficiently and effectively.

What can be done: 
We can choose who represents and leads us.Please exercise your right to vote.

                                          Image Source:www.pravasitoday.com

With all of the above, it looks like India has a very long way to go.But,every drop contributes to the ocean and each and every one of us can be the change we would like to see in the society.

In the words of Robert Frost,

"The woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

That was a close shave !

"Whoa..New movies added to this list today",said Ritwik as he scrolled through the horror section in the movies app on his smart TV.

"No way,we are watching a horror tonight.It is my day after all, so the choice is with me.We need to watch something pleasant,a feel-good or romcom", said Reena as she snatched the remote from him.

Ritwik and Reena are a lovely couple.It was Reena's birthday and it being a week day and peak of winter, they did not make any big plans on celebrations.They went to work in the morning and celebrated the chilly evening at a cosy, quiet restaurant having a candle-light dinner.Ritwik gifted her with a pink, satin pyjamas set that Reena liked very much the day she went on a window-shopping spree.They are now back home, changed themselves, took a cup of calming chamomile tea and wanted to watch a movie together before calling it a day.Ritwik, the typical male that he is, loves to watch action, adventure, thrillers, sci-fi, horror and the like.Reena, on the other hand, likes to watch romcoms and anything that comes into the feel-good genre.

"Beauty and the Beast-A fantasy romantic story of a handsome prince who falls deeply in love with a kind,intelligent and beautiful girl who carries a curse of turning into a beast every fortnight.The gripping story revolves around the prince who searches for ways to ward her curse off and make her his princess", read Ritwik."This should be the one.Your fairy-tale kind of movie with a little element of horror for me.."said he and hit the play button.

Reena enjoyed all the mushy dialogues and loved the fairy-tale appeal that the movie had while Ritwik loved the horror element to it, particularly , the nights during which the girl turns into a beast slowly and steadily with an awkward and sudden change in mood and behaviour as she turns to a beast was gripping and thrilling for him. Reena, though, was completely dejected with the idea of a beautiful girl turning into an ugly, hairy, black beast and pondered for sometime on how someone could even write about a pretty girl turning into a beast.Three and a half hours passed and the movie came to an end.It was fifteen minutes past midnight and really cold.Reena and Ritwik, kissed each other good-night and a final happy birthday and hit the bed to sleep.

A few hours passed by and it was getting colder.Reena rolled over uncomfortably from side to side.She was feeling cold and...sensed something weird was happening."No!"she muttered to herself in sleep."It is just a dream.It is just a dream."She was almost awake and knew it is imposssible and was trying to convince that nothing is happening but "No!It was getting weirder and weirder."She was scared and was trying hard to sleep and not wake-up.After all, it is not true, she believed.

Ritwik was feeling uncomfortable too with all the cold and was finding it hard to sleep.As he moved closer towards Reena he felt something hairy.Ritwik was half-asleep and brushed it aside and moved closer.He felt it again and moved a little away with his eyes still closed but now nearly awake.He thought he should give it another shot and moved closer.Again, there it was.

Reena was feeling something like hair shooting through her legs and hands.She tried convincing herself that it was all about the movie and her mind was too occupied with it but something seriously seemed to be wrong.She was too scared to open her eyes as she was almost convinced that she was indeed turing into a beast.Ritwik, too, was now almost convinced that Reena was turning the same way as they saw in the movie, slowly and steadily turning into a beast and all the hair he felt terrifed him too much that he doesnt want to wake up.Reena and Ritwik both felt individually by themselves that something is happening and even recollected about the next course of action in the movie and all the scenes of the beast and its behaviour.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah...!"screamed Reena and Ritwik,all of a sudden and woke up with a start.Ritwik rushed to the switchboard and turned on the light."Phew!"he heaved a sigh of relief as he saw Reena.She threw her blanket away and her satin pyjamas stuck to her hairy legs and arms due to the static in winter.She was having weird sensation as the hair rose to stick to the cloth and she had little static shocks, as well.Ritwik too, felt her raised hair on the hands and it scared him.

"It was a bad dream!" said Ritwik as he helped himself to a glass of water,nearby.Reena nodded and with an embarassed smile she said "Bad dream".

"I wish she had opted for hair-removal" Ritwik thought to himself as he got back to bed."I wish I had opted for hair-removal" said Reena loudly to herself.

And sure,the next day evening,Reena on her way back home purchased a Gillette Satin Care Venus razor that helps her get rid of  the horrendous hair safely and effectively.Also, the Protective Ribbon of Moisture provides a smooth and comfortable shave during the dry winter without drying her up which was her major concern previously that caused her to shy away from using a razor.

As she reached home, she found a box wrapped in gift paper.It read...

"To Reena,my kind,intelligent and beautiful princess..
My magic wand to help you feel all the more divine and sensous!
Love you!
Rithwik."

She smiled and knew it as she unwrapped it.It was another set of  Gillette Satin Care products.That was a close shave,she thought and promised herself never to repeat the hair-raising episodes again.

This post is a part of the Gillette Satin Care contest in association with BlogAdda.com