If Only

"I wish someone had told me it would be so bad...If only I had known I wouldn't live to see my children grow."

This is a common statement echoing through the corridors of the hospital wards that admit patients for alcoholism, chain smoking and their various harmful effects. Not that they have never been told so by people - it's just that addicts never fully realize the gravity of the situation they're slowly dragging themselves into, every time they light up another cigarette or drink another bottle of beer. It's always 'just one drink/smoke' until it isn't anymore. It just goes on and on, day after day, year after year, and finally, on their death beds does it dawn upon many how they wasted an entire life drowning the slightest of stress and worry in alcohol and smoke, trading many blissful years of their life for the temporary high that such substances induce.


I came across an article in today's edition of The Hindu (Do read here) that left me feeling sort of helpless and empty inside. The article describes the true story of a well-to-do young man who was inducted into a drinking habit by his friends and thereafter could not quit. He lost his job and all his money, and spent 3 years visiting the hospital every few weeks or months with severe abdominal illnesses. He lost weight, his body wasted and his abdomen got filled up with fluid till he could hardly breathe. He was at such a stage where all that could be done was to admit him for a day or two, remove some fluid from his abdomen and discharge him ever so often. And it was then, near his impending end, that he repented for what he had done all his life, and wished to set an example for future patients like him to learn from at early stages, unlike him. So he asked for a picture of his distorted ugly form from his last days, to be hung above the bed where alcoholics were admitted into that ward, so others like him could picture their future and get inspiration to quit.

Another article in the same paper (Read here) recounted a wife's distress at her husband's extreme smoking habit that led to a heart attack, an angioplasty, followed by a lifetime of medication, frequent disorientation and many other side-effects that she had a lot of trouble adapting to but did anyway. Moving stories, aren't they? Alas, if only they could move the ones who need them the most.

Why am I so deeply affected by such stories? Well, no one in my own extended family smokes, as far as I know, but I am surrounded by many people, friends and acquaintances who do. Ever wondered why a person standing across from you in a public place is coughing incessantly and appears to be cool about it? He's probably a chain smoker. He knows his immune system is compromised and he coughs and falls ill much more often than normal people. But he won't get rid of the root cause of all this evil, because he likes it. And also because he's weak-willed. Whenever I picture the sad end these people are so care-freely sauntering towards, it just makes my insides churn. What can I do to change their minds? To make them quit, or at least try to? How can I make them understand they are killing themselves, and probably taking many more lives that are closely associated with them too? Is sharing links and writing about the issue the only thing I can do? Questions galore, and they leave me thoroughly disturbed and wanting to scream.

You see, it is always a misconception amongst the youth that 'I am not an addict, I just drink and smoke occasionally, and within limits'. As I said, that's but a misconception at best. Drinking even one or two pegs of mild to strong alcohol five days a week - what people today consider limited drinking - harms the liver and decreases the body's immunity to illnesses gradually but extensively, paving the way for cancer, liver disease and Pancreatitis further on in life. Slightly higher consumption and the process just escalates, making one vulnerable to a host of grave diseases. Smoking has ill effects even more severe and fatal than alcohol. It is in fact a leading cause of preventable deaths the world over. Cancer, Heart disease, Bronchitis, other lung diseases - smoking only kills, no matter what. In addition, passive smoking leads to adverse effects on others' health as well, including a serious harm to pregnant women who are exposed to smoking, actively or passively. The last thing you would want in life is for your baby to be born deformed or with congenital heart disease, won't you?

Innumerable damages, and all of this for what gain, eh? A temporary high that helps you cope with the stress that could be managed in other, harmless ways too? I don't claim to even understand why. I agree, for a lot of people smoking and social drinking occasionally may be an inevitable part of corporate life today; but for the young, it is just a source of a kick in life - it is cool and fun to indulge in, and so they decide to do it for fun at younger ages, promising to themselves that they shall quit it later on in life for a stable and healthier lifestyle. Trust me when I say, THAT DAY WILL NEVER COME. The adverse effects that smoking and drinking have on your body in just a few years take a lifetime of care and staying clean to fade. So if you understand the unhealthy implications, you should also know it is never too early to try to quit. Start today! Reduce the amount and frequency of your alcohol intake. Refuse that one extra peg a friend offers you out of camaraderie. Reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke a day, cutting back on a few at a time. Keep going strong, put your foot down every time you're coaxed by friends to have "just one" and feel your confidence soaring with every passing day. And the day you finally kick the butt would probably be the happiest day of your life - the day you feel free from any sort of dependence or addiction, the day when you finally feel good about yourself. That day will make you feel proud of yourself - the one feeling that most addicts lack in life. Just make sure not to fall back into the abyss again - stay in control once you're clean.

If only people today had that willpower to really admit the risk they're putting themselves and others at and its implications, and were determined enough to overcome such petty addictions for their greater good. If only they thought not just of themselves and their so-called needs, but of their family, friends and dependents as well. If only they could see through the smoke and understand how non-profitable a deal it is between addiction and a real, happy, addiction-free life, the world as I see it would be a much better place. Give it a thought. Take initiative. Life's precious - live it, don't let it go to waste.


This post was a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda, and it got featured among one of the best entries.

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Coffeeliciously Yours..!

I make no bones about the fact that I'm an insane coffee lover. Expertly brewed coffee, cold or hot, just lights me up and makes my day like nothing else can. And now that we're at it, let me also admit that I don't really like the coffee I make for myself at home. But alas I don't own a coffee maker :( and I can't brew my own coffee, so I have to rely on the meager Nescafe for that occasional shot of pure coffeelicious pleasure. But the homemade coffee doesn't always satisfy my coffee-hungry soul. And that's precisely where coffee shops make an appearance in my life.


It is almost flabbergasting to see the practically infinite number of coffee shops that have sprung up over the last decade, cramming every single nook and cranny of the city. Metro stations, neighborhood markets, malls - look to your right or look to your left, you'll surely spot one or the other cafe within your range of sight. Not even kidding, it happens with me! Not that I'm complaining - coffee shops always save the day.

Or wait...maybe I am. I am complaining alright. Because even though I am not very finicky about the taste of my coffee, as long as it's averagely nice and loaded with caffeine, but the quality of service and ambiance at most of the coffee shops in the city today is so terrible, it pisses me off. But again, not ALL are that bad. Most Costa Coffee outlets are good when it comes to service and ambiance. Their coffee's pretty good, though I would rather stay away from their cakes and sandwiches - not a big fan of that stuff here. But all of that comes at a slightly higher expense than a poor little student like me can afford every now and then. So Costa is reserved for special occasions. :P

Barista Lavazza I have a pretty good though less informed opinion on. Not been to it a lot, but speaking from whatever experience I've had of it, the coffee is perfect, the snack bites are yummy and as for the desserts - their chocolate excess cake is to die for. Thumbs up to Barista! (Mental note: I should visit it more often)

Now for the real reason behind my frustration with cafes - Cafe Coffee Day! Agreed that CCDs were the pioneers in propagating the let's-get-together-over-coffee fashion among the Indian youth (as far as I've seen). And to be frank I used to love their ambiance and old look too. But with all those newly introduced irritating concepts like self service, the new menu and highly illiterate and non-courteous staff, CCDs are now a serious blot on the face of this earth. There's nothing on the menu really worth boasting of; even the best of their beverages have now been reduced to poor clones of each other with nothing much to help differentiate one from another. Add to that their incessant hunger for more money (that makes them charge extra for every tiny little thing - even those toppings that are mentioned as parts of the beverage on the freaking menu!) and the uselessness of the staff (which by the way doesn't serve as much more than a brigade of stone statues, since it's all self service now!) and what do you get? Bad experiences.

That said, I would surely like to point out that a few CCD outlets around town do offer good experiences to those who can ignore the minor shortcomings. Foremost out of them would be The Lounge chain of outlets by CCD, located in places like CP, Khan Market, Hauz Khas, Saket, Lajpat Nagar and Greater Kailash Part 1. The prices are much elevated, but the ambiance and presentation of food and drink is way above the standards CCD has set for itself. Take a look:

Another one of my favorite coffee shops would be the open-air Cafe Coffee Day right opposite to the Taj Palace Hotel in Chanakya Puri. The very fact that it is open air and spread over a large area, in addition to a majestic view of the Taj and nice sitting arrangements with greenery all around, this one place is totally worth enjoying a cup of steaming hot coffee with nice company on a rainy evening. Like I did a few months ago (see below).

True indeed. In the end, All I want is coffee.

P.S. A friend tweeted this amazing Oatmeal strip that gives great insights into the history of Coffee and a lot of interesting Coffee-related trivia. Must check out!!

From the writer's bookshelf...

Isn't the feel of a brand new book in your hands like the best feeling ever? *sigh*

So I finally caught hold of Narcopolis. Yes, I mean the book by Indian poet and writer Jeet Thayil that has been shortlisted along with 5 other world-class titles for this year's Man Booker Prize. *yayyy* You see, I have this fetish for Indian Booker prize winner books. The White Tiger, Midnight's Children, The God of Small Things, The Inheritance of Loss - you name it and I've read it. This one was gonna be no exception then, was it? I am very (VERY) eager to read it.

Though I am currently feasting my senses (literally!) on Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. Now I don't say this often, with only about a handful of books that have ever had a profound, lasting effect on me, but this book is so going on to my list of favorites. It isn't even a book in the true sense - it's a phenomenon. I could just go on and on about how amazing, thought-provoking and at times really heart-wrenching Shantaram is. But I shall reserve any further of my praises for it until I finish reading. A review will hopefully be up here by the end of next week.

Other few of my latest literary acquisitions - on my to-read list in the coming weeks - are an assortment of my varied interests. For example, The Laws of the Spirit World by Khorshed Bhavnagiri is a book that describes the spiritual journey of an elderly Parsi couple who lose both of their young sons and are devastated, until they see the true spiritual path towards redemption. The Krishna Key, by Ashwin Sanghi, on the other hand is an expression of my recently acquired love for Indian historical fiction. And who better than Ashwin Sanghi to do justice to the genre! I've read his Chanakya's Chant, and parts of The Rosabal Line as well, and have high expectations of his latest title. So keep watching this space for reviews and a lot more on books!

Also, in another, totally unrelated news, I'm leaving for Jaipur tomorrow to attend a cousin's wedding over the weekend. And I found myself wondering - Jaipur, Udaipur and other such cities in Rajasthan have in recent times become a favorite choice for couples to get married in. Why is that? Is it really because of the exotic forts and gardens that they offer for the wedding location - the ceremonial venues that seem to have been taken right out of the pages of Indian history? OR! Is it because wedding arrangements, venues and catering are much less expensive there than they are in Delhi? Do tell me if any one of you has figured this out already. :P

Rebirth

I walk by an empty room sometimes
And my mind sinks into memories bygone...

Of those walls that had no windows or door,
Of that damp corner where I'd always crouch
Look up at the blackened ceiling above
While an untold sorrow weighed my heart

The walls seemed to close in on me
The face in the wall a mere shadow

And the shrieks froze inside my throat
As I cowered in wait of an evident end

But the walls caved in the moment I blinked
To reveal a lovely sun shining in their wake
It warmed and fed a soul long stifled
And turned fright into ethereal epiphany

And that bright sun still livens up my life,
Warming my days, lighting up my nights
Passing by an empty room reminds me sometimes
Of how lifeless i was and how I came to life...

Melbourne here I come!

As each day goes past, the excitement just seems to rise exponentially. D-day is approaching fast - getting nearer by the minute. I can already picture myself roaming around the streets of Melbourne all by myself, lounging in one of the many coffee shops on the sidewalks or playing touristy with my camera. I can't believe my luck at having bagged such an opportunity so early on in my life. If only life were this good, all the time!

Okay, time to rewind a little. So I received this very surprising call last week that (almost) made my hair stand on end. I have been working as a freelance travel writer for quite some time now, so far only having reviewed places around the city though. But last Saturday, I got a call from the director of the travel website I'd been working for, and the first words he shouted into the phone were, "It's your time to visit Melbourne NOW!" Taking it to be just another of his lame jokes, I ignored the words and proceeded to start talking about the clearance of my remaining dues with them. But he did not give it up, Thank God. He explained to me how one of their partner international travel agencies was looking for a couple of good travel writers to send on an all-expenses-paid trip to Melbourne, Australia (and there I went wheeee!) as part of their campaign to rake up genuine travel reviews for their upcoming travel website on Australia. He had recommended my name for it, and to my utter surprise, they had SELECTED ME as one of the two lucky ones! I expressed my doubts on the same though, having read a lot of stories recently about unsuspecting writers having been left behind in faraway places by well-known global names in the industry to fend for themselves, in a clear breach of trust and contract without any later liability whatsoever. But he had had it all researched already and assured me that the whole 10-day trip itinerary had been put down in a legal contract, that he had read through each and every clause, and that I shall be given the freedom to do as I please throughout, with the expenses being borne as they came. Now what could be better than that? I happily assented, and went through the whole registration and orientation procedure yesterday. I'm finally going to Australia!!

The other guy accompanying me on the trip is a Malayali from Kerala. At first glance he seemed to be of a very serious sort, all grim and business-like, specific about every little detail. So I wonder how much fun (or not-fun) it would be if I had to take him along wherever I went. I guess I'll have to figure my way out with him - awesome people-skills are a real boon to those who have them. ;)

But up until about a week ago, I only thought of Melbourne as the city of the Australian Open Tennis Grand Slam. My bad - I couldn't have been more wrong. In the last few days I've exercised my Googling skills a lot and found out everything there was to be known about Melbourne. And you know what I realized as a result? There probably aren't more than about a dozen cities around the world that have such an exquisite combination of natural beauty, inherent culture and architecture as Melbourne boasts of. In particular the Tourism Victoria website had my eyes and mind glued to it for quite a while. To enjoy the sights and sounds of beautiful Melbourne by day, and to let one's hair down in cosmopolitan Melbourne by night, not to mention the lure of the hot-as-hell Australian men with that fabled seductive Australian accent - things certainly don't get better than this. Am I not raring to go Melbourne! :D

Although the travel agency has set down a fixed itinerary consisting of some great places for me to visit over the 10 day getaway, they've very generously left out a lot of time for me to do my own stuff too - shopping, detox, visiting bookstores, street-side cafes and other places that are not on the list. And so, I have my own plans to make each moment count. Here are some of the experiences I would love to indulge myself in -

A bird's eye view of Melbourne from Skydeck 88, atop Eureka Tower - the ninth tallest residential building in the world. I wonder how the city would look from such a grand height - the Yarra river, the immense cityscape, greenery, houses, tall buildings - wouldn't it all look like an intricately formed miniature model of Melbourne? I'd like to see it with my own eyes.

A visit to Melbourne Zoo and Melbourne Aquarium. I am an animal lover like no other. From a muddy little piglet to the creepy lizard on the wall, I just find every living creature so fascinating! A visit to the aquarium is definitely going to be topmost on my personal itinerary.

A full-day tour on board the City Circle Tram. Did you know that Melbourne is the only city in Australia where trams still ply? I've always dreamed about traveling on a real tram, having till date only heard about them and seen them in old films. I'm sure gonna live my little dream in Melbourne. The city circle tram is anyway free for all and takes you through most of the city's popular sites. Total win win!

Melbourne Park. I wouldn't do justice to my first ever visit to Australia if I gave the legendary sports venue a miss. After all, it is the venue where the annual Australian Open Tennis championship is held. I follow the game, especially this particular tournament, most religiously. Standing on the very ground that has seen the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and their predecessors and contemporaries play on it, is a mind-numbing thought. I wouldn't give it up for the world, no sir!

And to say that Melbourne looks spell-bindingly beautiful at night would be a gross understatement. Because the city actually shines. Bright lights sparkle from every building; warmth and life radiate from every nook and corner of the city; its narrow but lively lanes welcome you with open arms day and night. No wonder then that Melbourne remains the most livable city in the world for the second year in a row. It's totally worth the coveted title!

Before I sign off however, there is one place which this post would sadly be incomplete without. At just about a two-hour drive to the west of Melbourne city lay the 12 Apostles, a famous group of natural limestone rock formations rising out of the southern ocean on Victoria's breathtaking coastline. Driving down the Great Ocean Road in a yellow Mustang convertible, the cool coastal breeze tousling my hair, with the historic 12 Apostles in view even as the sun sets over the horizon in the distance - that's the kind of stuff my dreams are made of. Dreams that I shall not bury deep inside my heart for a change - dreams that shall be fulfilled in another three weeks. Bless the day I took up writing; little did I know it would take me places, quite literally too!

I cannot wait anymore for the Melbourne tour to kick off. Oh Lord, make the time fly for a change! Writing all this has me drooling already! (*_*)

(This post is my entry for a contest organized by Indiblogger in association with Tourism Victoria. For more details or to vote for my post, visit here.)