My Coffee Love

    Depressed, disjointed, struggling, irritable, irrationally angry. How many of us identify with these words? How many people have come up to us and asked us why are we so irritated all the time? How many times have our parents told us "You used to be a happy child. What happened to you suddenly?" There are many times we do not even know what these people are talking about. Most of us keep saying "I'm not irritated" or "I am not angry, I'm just emphasizing my point". And this, my friend, is a common problem all across. Of course some of us are actually going through problems like a bad break up or a horrible boss at work or other emotional issues. If you know the issue, well and good. But for the rest, who are not going through anything substantial, there's a major problem. The problem starts with social media. The first thing that most of us do every single day is wake up with our alarm clocks (after snoozing it for a couple of...

A daughter-in-law; someone who is brought into the house with festivities and celebrations. Someone who is asked to leave behind her home, her possessions and even her name. Someone who is told explicitly that this house is her new house and she’s to be provided for only by the members of this house. Someone who’s told not to ask for money from her parents, even when her in-laws’ think her expenses are extremely frivolous! She enters the house, hoping to make it her home. She accepts the relations as her very own. His parents as hers, his brothers as hers, his grandparents as hers. Within a few years of her marriage she realises that this house is just that; a house. She lives in a no-man’s-land, with nothing to claim as her’s.  Her parental house seems  to lose its sense of belongingness the day she gets married. She feels like a stranger in the house she grew up in. She’s no longer acquainted to the things stacked in the house. Her cupboard may still have her cloth...

The millennials have grown up with ambitions. Ambitions nurtured by their parents, nurtured by society and propagated by the media. Yes, with the end of the Great Depression, our parents got better opportunities. Late Generation X-ers suddenly found doors opened to private jobs, which paid them much more than the Government jobs. They learnt that a degree in MBA went a long way. They learnt that the better they were at academics, the faster their career chart grew. Most of them could afford to buy a house and run a full-fledged family by the age of 28. When they had kids, they thought that the academics + MBA formula will be enough for their offsprings to earn a salary that most of us only dream about. And they drilled this into us and how! “Padhoge likhoge banoge nawab, kheloge koodoge banoge kharab” became our anthem. We studied hard, spent far more economically than Gen Z does and believed that after our MBAs we will rule the world. Getting a decent job was suddenly not en...

So it’s been a while since I have been thinking about this and finally decided to pen down my thoughts. This began on the day of Dussesrah when I was busy getting celebratory/festive wishes on Whatsapp. I was thinking about the popular, shorter version of the story of Ramayan and how warped it is.  So Ram, playing the ideal son, decided to give up his kingdom keeping in mind the insecurities of his step-mother; which is cool. But, did he discuss it out with Sita first? No! He just played the perfect   son, making his parents proud. Poor Sita! She just heard the decision taken by her husband and like a good wife (who may or may not have wanted to escape living with her in-laws) she followed Ram into a life of self-exile. That wasn’t enough when Ram’s younger brother, Lakshman decided to follow him. Again, there’s no one knows of his wife Mandavi, who decided NOT to follow her husband into the forest and live in the kingdom with her new family. May be she thought l...

India has seen a new Government in the last few months and people are elated with rising stock market and tomatoes (in the near future) costing Rs. 10 per kg (let’s not look at the excessive stock as a reason for this) and fuel prices dropping across Maharashtra! Great news, na? Well actually I beg to differ! Let’s look at some instances of the “invincible” Modi Sarkar that made my blood boil like never before: 1.      Centre issues a directive to the High Court that for child passports unwed mothers need to declare how she conceived the child (Link: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/For-childs-passport-unwed-mother-needs-to-declare-if-she-was-raped-Centre-to-HC/articleshow/44988057.cms ). Why should it anger you? Well, for one, we have been fighting to get women stand up for their rights! When Nirbhaya was raped, BJP strongly condemned Shiela Dixit, the CM of Delhi at that time, asking for her resignation. What BJP Government has done today...

I feel that we're far into this digital media age than ever before. It's a quick sand pit and before we realized it, we are neck deep inside. Why am I saying this? Well, for one, there's nothing called Privacy any more. I'm seeing who is eating what, where and with whom. Okay, well, people choose to share this information with  me. Can't complain, can I? Let's look at what digital platforms are doing. Ever used Google Maps to navigate? Have the app on your android phone? It may come as a surprise to you but Google is literally tracking your every move. Don't believe me? Check out https://maps.google.com/locationhistory/b/0 (log in with the account that you have synced with your phone). You'll say that there's nothing harmful in this. Well, if there isn't anything harmful, why is Google storing all your data? Why not erase it from it's server after you have reached your destination? Of course, we all have heard the rumors about Google keeping...

Since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections have started in India, every news channel is donning the hat of Ekta Kapoor. There's drama ("Modi ne Priyanka ko beti kaha"), there's plotting and planning ("Modi not allowed to hold a rally in Banaras!"), direct confrontations ("How did Priyanka Vadra's secretary get entry into Amethi's polling booth") and ofcourse the normal "Nahi, Nahi, Nahi" reactions. Instead of heavy make-up and jewellery, we see everyone in the cotton saree/kurta-pajama (and muffler) look. Each hour of news looks like it is scripted for more masala. Only the inner voice/thoughts of the politicians are missing from the voice over, thankfully so! Here's a quick look at what's happening on Indian News Channels: Verdict against the Culprit Each News Channel hosts a debate wherein the moderator of the debate and the anchor of the sow turns into a typical saas, throwing allegations at the guest who has been...

Off-late every radio station has a song singing praises of Modi, every hoarding has the face of Modi, every person's Facebook and Twitter feed is filled with comments about Modi. I'm sure most of you guys also feel taxed about this! Wherever we go, Modi follows! Thankfully he's not present on my cuppa coffee (phew!!) I don’t have a problem with any party promoting a particular individual as their Prime Minister. In fact, it shows that the party is pretty sure about what it wants. My problem is with BJP's positioning  for this election. BJP has NO other positioning except vote for Modi. Highlighting a few key points as to why this is a problem for a common man: Modi has been talking of Gujarat! What he forgets is, if NDA comes into power and he becomes the PM, he will have to govern the entire country and  not one state! Modi believes that the Gujarat Model of development will work for all states. I'm not even getting into the fact that m...

So I finally got some time off for myself and decided to write a blog. Would deviate from writing about  my coffee experiences but then I'm writing with a cuppa coffee in my hand :) Well, we're obviously in the election season and things are as heated as a cuppa cappuccino! While I was considering whom to vote for in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, I reached out people who actually see progress (or don’t see progress) at grass root levels. This is when I realised that in Maharashtra, the government in the last 10 years has been doing a lot for the people; things that you and I would generally overlook or wouldn’t even bother trying to find out about. These 2 things really impressed me. Some of these experiences are my own while some of them have been shared by various people around me (I wouldn't name them in order to respect their privacy). To start with, I was amazed at what all the government is doing in the state-run schools. All of us are aware that educati...

So I’m getting married in November and all the wedding preparations are going on in full swing. With office on weekdays and shopping on weekends, I have not been getting enough time to spend with Rahul (either he’s out shopping or I’m out shopping!). Moreover the pressure of wedding, too much work at office and the most hateful activity on earth (shopping) have started taking a toll on me! Rahul finally decided to take a break from all this and realized how much I need to talk to him and spend time with him to ensure that I don’t go completely mad (more than before)! We made an impromptu plan last Sunday. He gave up his cricket for me (partly because it was raining :p) and we went to Phoenix Market City, Kurla. While we were too early for dinner, we decided to spend time in a coffee shop. What better place to spend time than in Di Bella! Curved Cup for Flat White I’ve been to Di Bella before and really like the ambience. It’s quiet and nice and their cutlery is amazing. W...

Ok, I’m back after a long time! There’s been too much happening at work and in personal life and the only “me” time I’m getting is my coffee time! Even as I start writing this, I get a message saying there’s an issue at work! :( Off late, I have been interacting with people and talking to them about coffee (well obviously) and the sad part is that not a lot of people know about the nations which grow coffee beans. So I decided to put together this list of coffee-growing nations so that we all are on the same page! Before I start ranting off the names of nations, here’s what you should know about coffee. There are various kinds of coffee, the most popular being Arabica and Robusta. The lesser known kinds of coffee are   Kape Barako  or Kape Baraco, (English: Barako coffee), a  Liberica which variety grown in the Philippines , particularly in the provinces of  Batangas  and  Cavite . Well, obviously most nations produce Arabica and Robusta since ...

For quite some time, I have been thinking about quitting the rat race and moving to more idle pastures, doing what I like doing the best – drinking coffee! Well, drinking coffee alone will not get me the mullah, so I am wondering about setting up my own coffee shop. I would like to share this dream with you and may be you can motivate me to actually take that leap! Here’s what my dream looks like – a quaint little shop in the corner of a nice street. The smell of freshly brewed coffee, comfortable seats, a big library of books that people can choose to read while sipping on the coffee, melodious songs playing the background… This will be a place where you will not want to look at the clock! This is a place where you would want to unwind after a long day at work. This is a place where you know the café staff by their names and they know your favorite orders. The menu will give you a plethora of choices in coffee but you won’t find flavoured coffee. No Hazelnut or va...

Well, today I want to go all out and talk about my coffee affair with NesCafe Gold very openly! Yeah I know, it's that Instant Coffee shit and no true coffee lover would ever want to own up to the fact that they drink instant coffee (*aghast expressions from all my coffee lover friends will now follow*)! But yes, when you have no time to brew the beans or realise that you have run out of the decocotion right when you start boiling your water for that cup of coffee, instant coffee comes to your rescue. My favorite from all those really bad instant coffees out there is the NesCafe Gold. Well rounded flavour, strong body and an amazing fragrance is what makes this coffee special. Every time I feel low, this coffee has sat by my side and made me feel better! By now everyone knows that coffee does to me what chocolates do to young teenage girls – sets my heart fluttering, gives me a warm hug.... After you taste NesCafe Gold, you will never go back to drinking your p...

It’s one of those days when I get up to the thought that I will not meet my coffee partner in office very often. There will be no one to say “Dubeyji, Let’s have coffee or I’ll Die!” Mish, our friendship has been cemented (or should I say bean-ified) by our coffee breaks - our candid discussions, nautanki, pulling each other’s legs, discussing movies… From tomorrow, I won’t have anyone as ready as you to go for coffee with! Coffee played a silent spectator to our blooming love and friendship. The 2 cups every evening at Ungrumpy’s were the best time of our work days. It was a time when we could break away from the monotony of work and discuss all things we liked, bitch about the things (and people :p) we don’t like, take style lessons from you and hear your stories (God knows from where you could come up with so many!) The birthday gift that all you DA guys have given me was simply awesome and definitely Mish’s idea. I know it was the most obvious choice of gift – Coffee but...