Movie date with the gals

Looks like I’ve discovered the best way to beat Monday morning blues. An 11 AM movie and that too a comedy. What can be more uplifting than to watch a movie with some 45 girlfriends looking drop-dead gorgeous? And that too so early in the day and week. Few other things would win my vote on Monday. That’s how Ritu Singh celebrated her birthday with us at a swish cinema theatre watching the movie Crew, pampered and indulged with a myriad of movie snacks served through out. Crew is a hilarious film about a heist by three stunning and talented actresses — Tabu, Kareena and Kriti — and their chemistry is tangible. I felt like I was on a rambunctious plane ride with this crew. I’m going to find it a tad difficult to be objective about the movie this time because the experience was so enchanting with friends, cakes, popcorn, sandwiches, and samosas pouring in that I was disappointed when this ‘journey’ ended and I had to return to Monday and the work that followed.

Empowering farmers

Something that can be even more magical than all this is working with underprivileged folk and giving back to society. The sense of gratification is tangible. When I rushed the very next day to an exciting trip to Bhubaneswar to do social work with the NGO Harsha Trust where I volunteer, it was even more exhilarating. Harsha Trust has as its members mentally stimulating and incisive minds working to improve the lives of tribals in the Rayagada, Koraput, Balangir, and Kalahandi districts of Odisha and parts of MP. At Harsha, we work at upgrading the skill sets of the adivasis and also to educate and equip farmers with modern technology and equipment to improve their quality of life. Founded in 2002, we have since then made a concerted effort to promote technology-led and market-driven interventions primarily through community-based organizations.

Tiding through challenges

A Fireside Chat, ‘Life is in its Challenges’, about women empowerment followed by High-tea at Taj Land’s End arranged by Alka Chaturvedi, was something I was looking forward to. Nawaz Modi Singhania, one of my panelists, is allegedly dealing with a bad marriage. We resorted to discuss how to create a successful marriage. The legal angle of abusive marriages was added to the panel by feisty advocate Abha Singh. And boy, did Nawaz reveal her challenges through a married life as it disintegrated before her eyes! Kudos to the way she dealt with hard-hitting questions. She spoke about being bankrupt when she married Gautam Singhania and hailing from a family of accomplished lawyers. Her father was a senior counsel and is still respected in the legal and Parsi community. 

One thing I do know is that life is full of twists and turns. We just have to be stoic, get up and move on. I have always believed “look your best when you feel your worst” and it is what was part of the reason the press gave me the label of ‘Page Three Girl’ when I was going through somewhat of a morass in the ups and downs of life!

So, until next time, chin up and celebrate life through your challenges and I’ll keep bringing you some fun times in the mission of us staying optimistically buoyant.

(Write to Nisha at nishjamwal@gmail.com)