Hellooo people!
How are you doing? I am doing great!
Is there something that you’d like to know about me? Or my blog and blogging journey? About India and our culture? Have any questions about anything that you think I can answer?
Ask now. Feel free. The floor is open to all. Ask anything. Ask as many questions as you want.
If you don’t have anything to ask, then I have a question for you:
Do you think you are successful in your life? What does success mean to you? (Okay, these are two questions :D)
Let’s get to know each other. Let’s talk. Don’t shy away if you have come here for the first time. Feel free to engage in a conversation.
Check out the previous chapter of Ask me anything here. It is one the most commented posts of this blog. If you want to answer last time’s question, go ahead. The comments section is still open!
Randomness Inked 
I consider myself successful because – at 71 – I have a happy marriage and a beautiful family of 6 kids and 20 grand-kids. None of them are wealthy or famous – but all are happy and are serving God. Question for you: What is your favorite food? What holidays do you celebrate in India?
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That’s lovely Barbara. Do you work? or did you work during your younger years?
My fav food list is tooo long.. I’ll tell some of the Indian ones- Dosa, Idli, Tikki, Dal Makhni naan, Rajma Chawal, Kadhi Chawal, Chhole Bhature, Aloo ka parantha. In desserts I love homemade gulab jamun and different types of halwas such as that of carrot, gram flour, wheat flour.
We are celebrating our 71st Republic Day today. Our constitution came into effect on this day in 1950. But I was working today as I work in a media house, so not a holiday for me technically. Ofiicially it is a national holiday. We have two more national holidays- Independence day (15 Aug) and Gandhi Jayanti (2 Oct, birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi).
India is a country of diverse culture. We celebrate a lot of festivals and have holidays for them region-wise. In my family, our major festivals are Diwali and Holi (as we were born as Hindus). While Diwali (marking the return of Lord Ram to his kindom after defeating Ravan) celebrations are almost a week long thing, Holi (marking the victory of Lord Vishnu and his follower Prahlad over his father King Hrinyakashyap and his aunt Holika) is celebrated on two days. HOli is a festival of colours and Diwlai is a festival of lights.
Then another major festival (and also a holiday) my family celebrates is of Raksha Bandhan- a day when sisters tie a rakhi on the hands of their brothers who promise to protect them for life.
There’ s Dussehra (marking the victory of Lord Ram over Ravan).
For married women, there’s Karwa Chauth- they fast all day long and break it after the moon rise. They pray for the long lives of their husbands.
There are so many more festivals celebrating all the relationships.
For the festivals other religions, we have Gurupurab, Eid, Christmas, New Year holidays.
We have also started to celebrate mother’s day, women’s day, men’s day, etc. But these are not holidays for us.
What we north Indians call Navratri is celebrated as Durga Puja in the eastern parts of India. So, we have different names for the same (or similar) festivals. Rituals are vary as per community beliefs.
Also, since we have so many festivals throughout the year, we can’t really have holidays for all of them. So schools, colleges and workplaces decide on the holidays as per the region they are located at. State govts announce their holidays every year for govt offices.
Thankyou for asking. Talking about holidays and festivals makes me happy! 😀
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Thanks! Very interesting. What is a rakhi? Yes I worked. I was a legal assistant to an attorney for several years and then worked as an energy specialist for a large power company selling electricity to large companies. I have been retired for seven years – now into my eighth year and loving every minute! You live in northern India?
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Rakhi is a band that you tie on hands of your brother. Just like friendship bands. But friendship bands have a modern look. Rakhi have a traditional look. It’s a thread with a beautiful design in the centre.
https://www.google.com/search?q=rakhi&client=ms-android-samsung-gj-rev1&prmd=sinv&sxsrf=ACYBGNRtgDvkLthnEy-YrnQRnPEsylRf3g:1580097475273&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjjlOXl8aLnAhWFaCsKHaGqDRgQ_AUoAnoECBAQAg&biw=360&bih=612
Check some images on the link above.
Wow! Both the jobs are poles apart. Wasn’t it difficult to shift and adjust to a completely new field?
How is life different after retirement?
Yes, northern India. In Noida which is adjacent to national capital Delhi.
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Thanks for the link. These are beautiful! I did not find it hard to shift to different fields. While the jobs were different the basic skills of analysis, communication and relating to the client/customer were the same. Life after retirement is great. I can get up before the sun if I want to and watch the sunrise or I can turn over and take couple more hours sleep. I can go to bed early or stay up late. Every morning when I get up the day is mine to do as I please. No alarm clocks, no traffic, no deadlines. My husband and I love to travel so now we are exploring our own country. I love it! Only downside is I am getting older and I know my years ahead are few. But even that is a blessing because it makes me appreciate every day God gives me. My prayer each morning is “Thank you God for another day of life.”
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That’s lovely! I’m glad you’re enjoying life after retirement. Exploring our own countries is so important. I realise that there are so many places in my city that I’ve never visited 😜
You really don’t know about life. One may live a hundred years, other may die quite young. We should make the best of every day.
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