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New York ~ A Perfect 5-Day Travel Itinerary for First-Timers
New York City, often termed as the “Fashion Capital of the World”, is a must-visit in the United States of America. Now, that you are reading this post, I assume that you belong to one of the following categories – You are planning a trip to New York soon. You are interested to know about my trip details, which might inspire you to travel to New York soon. You are a dear friend, who is looking to relive my memories and happiness, by going through my travel posts. You are my favourite group of blogging critics, who help me improve more and more with your constant suggestions. Welcome aboard! I…
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LOVE CYCLES, FEAR CYCLES – A Complete (Work)Book for All Couples
One fine evening, I was working on a writing assignment when I got a notification on my social media account. A lady was looking for volunteers to review a book named “Love Cycles, Fear Cycles”. It had been quite a long while since I’d read a book then. So, even though I have never been an avid reader of relationship-based books, I decided to give it a shot. And there it was! Within a span of two weeks, the complimentary copy was delivered to my home in Texas, USA. First Look I would like to make a special mention about the way my anticipation for this book was build up.…
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IPC 498A – Does it actually protect women or is it a choking noose for innocent men?
DOWRY – a social menace which compels the bride’s family to pay a specific amount in cash or goods to the bridegroom’s family (considered as a ‘norm’ of an Indian wedding), is practised in many parts of India even today. BUT what’s even worse is the reckless misuse of the law which was initially formed to curb exploitation in the name of dowry. Undoubtedly, dowry still remains an ugly truth of India today. But, fake dowry harassment cases depict an even uglier and lurking reality of the Indian society. True Story Recently, after posting an extensive article on the actual history of the dowry system, I was going through the…
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Delectable Dishes Galore At The Texas Food Truck Showdown 2018
Before moving to Austin, I had read and heard a lot about the food culture in Texas and was quite eager to set out on a food adventure in Texas. As luck would have it, the Texas Food Truck Showdown 2018, was scheduled on March 17, 2018. This seemed like a perfect timing (right after I reached in Austin) and before I even realised, I was ready with my “Mission Food” in Texas. Though I was never a voracious eater, I have always been fond of nibbling at a wide variety of dishes in small portions. Here, there was food and drinks galore, with a typical carnival-like feel – just…
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Sunshine Blogger Award 2018 – First Milestone for Wander Bird
Yippee! I just got the much needed motivation to keep flying and reaching new heights!! I feel ecstatic to announce that Wander Bird got nominated for the “Sunshine Blogger Award 2018”. What a day to cherish! It was a usual Monday morning and I was busy checking my emails and listing down my tasks for the day. Then suddenly, I got my most exciting notification of recent times on Facebook. My blog had been selected for the Sunshine Blogger Award 2018 by Traveleidoscope – one of my favourite travel blogs. This blog is authored by Tina Will, and undoubtedly, one of the most fascinating travel blogs I’ve come across in…
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Palur Chronicles : “First Day Jitters at Palur Hills”
11 years gone, and still counting! The first day jitters still remain the same. As I sit down today reminiscing about the good old engineering days, all the memories seem to brush past like a whiff of fresh air. It seems like yesterday, when we had first stepped into the magnificent campus of our engineering college at Palur Hills. Boarded on bright yellow college buses, we noticed the sprawling campus from the national highway. This was going to be our second home, for the next 4 years of our lifetime. Since the college was situated in the outskirts of the city, the most feasible means of transport was college bus.…
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Palur Chronicles : “My valedictory to 4 precious years of a lifetime”
“Contemplating about the past 4 years spent in these lush green locales of Palur Hills, we seem to have attained a very peculiar state – a placid persona ready to forgive and forget. The ambience here has definitely nurtured every individual to become the human being that they are.” I penned down these above lines way back in the summer. Sitting on the staircase of the topmost floor, probably waiting for someone, gazing away into the greenery around, the unending sky, I was in a different world altogether – a world of my thoughts, my world of contemplation. Just couldn’t muster enough courage to complete what I’d started. Hearts were…
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The Day I Fell in Love with America!
I always had a personal vendetta of sorts with America, since I was on a long-distance relationship with my then-boyfriend (now, husband) for about 3 years when he was working in USA. The cause for our separation (read : America) naturally made me detest the place to the core. However trivial it might sound, that was the only reason for my repulsion to America. While people all over the world craved to materialise their American dream, I hardly ever gave it a thought! Meanwhile, I travelled to different countries and even stayed in one of them for about a year. Perhaps, the travel during that time, gave me a lot…
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Public Opinion – Yes, We Are A Country Obsessed With BODY WEIGHT!
This is a sequel to the last post in the Social and Lifestyle segment of WANDER BIRD – “19 Things People Say When You Are Lean ~ The Saga of Being Thin”. This has been the most popular post so far, with thin people exactly relating to each point mentioned in this article. Rather, they even sent me few more hilarious comments which they’ve personally experienced for being lean. Even if I plan to put all the new details in a fresh post, the list will be unending. This made me realise, how casually people have normalised an abnormal behaviour of taunting or nagging someone constantly for his/her body weight.…
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Why Did Dowry Ever Come Into Existence in India – High Time for a Reality Check?
The dowry system in India has been blindly followed since ages and I have always found it extremely absurd. Detesting this evil practice to the core, I decided to dig deep into the actual history of the dowry system in India. How did such an evil-practice ever come into existence? Did our ancestors actually have such a backward thinking? The answer is – NO. Earlier, dowry was nowhere described as a mandate for the groom to make demands on the girl’s family. Inspite of this practice being so obsolete, regressive and a significant reason for a higher crime rate in today’s times, people in many parts of India are still following…
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Justice for Asifa : Can Rape Ever Be Justified?
I begin writing about this ghastly incident, with a very heavy heart. Yesterday, my day started with a Facebook post shared by a friend which read – “The Gory Details of the Khatua gang-rape shows that the India we live in is NOT really shining.” Going through the gruesome details mentioned in the post, I drew a deep shuddering breath. The grim news of the gang-rape and murder of an 8 year-old girl was described with such horrific details that the basic faith on humanity inside me, actually made me question the article – “Is this news authentic?” The details mentioned in the post, seemed too heinous to be true.…
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Soul Cleansing at PONDICHERRY
“A Dream ~ There should be somewhere on earth, a place which no nation could claim as its own, where all human beings of goodwill who have a sincere aspiration, could live freely as citizens of the world and obey one single authority, that of the supreme truth; a place of peace, concord and harmony.” This perfectly summarises my experience called ‘Pondicherry’ in a nutshell. Fiddling with Google Maps on the location of Hotel South Avenue, I walked straight out of the Pondicherry railway station, amused at how it was showing a total transit time of just 1 minute to reach my destination hotel. And there it was – right…
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The Ugly Truth of Dowry in India today
While going through the government’s initiatives for women empowerment in recent times, I stumbled across few thought-provoking ads which deliver powerful messages against the age-old practice of dowry in Indian marriages. The messages were loud and clear – “Say NO to dowry.” Dowry system in India refers to any form of movable goods, property or cash that the bride’s family gives to the bridegroom’s family, as one of the pre-requisites for marriage. Considering the nagging societal pressures and crimes regarding dowry, I decided to delve deep into the history of dowry system in India. I strongly believe that the history of this culture-rich country has been distorted time and again to…
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19 Things People Say When You are Lean ~ The Saga of “BEING THIN”
Having been slightly underweight almost all my life, I have come across a volley of sarcastic comments, concerned advice, unwelcome suggestions and what not for committing a crime of sorts – the crime of “being THIN”. We are a nation where food is given utmost importance (which is great), resulting in a wide variety of cuisine available to be explored in a single country. Consequently, being thin in this country is almost treated as a crime. People will not bother if you are healthy (literally) or have never suffered from any ailments in your lifetime. The moment you come in their range of vision, they just have to blurt out…
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An experience on Bakul’s Day of Service : A Day dedicated to Humanity
Surfing through my WhatsApp messages last night, I came across a message in my WhatsApp group : DOS – 2017 (Patia Region). It was a notification from a fellow Bakul member stating that the first Bakul Day of Service for 2018 was scheduled on March 25, 2018 (held on last Sunday of March) and anybody could volunteer. This brought back a plethora of memories from the last Day of Service that I attended in Bhubaneswar, during the Joy of Giving Week on October 2, 2017. For a beginner’s information, the day of service (DOS) is celebrated across India and worldwide to promote the spirit of social service and provide a…
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The melodious Pankaj Udhas Live In Concert “Madhosh” in Austin, TX
That day, with a typical child-like excitement, I reached the Riverbend Center in Austin to witness the first live concert of my life. I always had this fascination for live concerts, but somehow never got the opportunity to materialize this dream of mine before. Finally, on 10th March 2018, I was about to check off one of my dreams from my wishlist. I have been in Texas for about 3 months now, and the first “live concert near me” notification on Facebook read – ‘Pankaj Udhas Live In Concert “Madhosh” in Austin,TX‘. That took me back to a string of good old memories. I sat reminiscing about my childhood when my father…
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The Day I Met GOD Himself – A.R. Rahman
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Tryst with nature at HIMACHAL
Himachal Pradesh – Indeed a land of the Gods! The desire to catch a glimpse of live snowfall, first sparked my interest to travel to the mighty Himalayas, fighting all the odds of a chilly December winter. And with my first wedding anniversary round the corner, the deal was sealed! Having booked travel just to and from Delhi, we were headed on a trip of uncertainties marked with random travel and accommodation bookings only on the fly. Travelling in a Volvo bus from Delhi, we first halted at the Pahalwan dhaba in Haryana on the way to Manali. Yes, this food junction did not resemble even an inch of a typical dhaba! I…
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The quintessential cultural city – MYSURU
Mysore, officially renamed as Mysuru, is often described as the ‘Cultural Capital of the state of Karnataka’. Boarded on a special train from my hometown Cuttack to Mysuru, my first job took me to this enchanting city in South India. This train was specifically operating to cater to the increased public travel during the auspicious Durga Puja. I was accompanied by a group of friends, from the same college and we were all headed to attend a 6-month long training at Infosys Mysore DC. Our eyes were brimming with excitement, as we first stepped down at the Mysuru railway station. Probably, it was the excitement of a first job, mixed with the…
