On the eve of.....part II......

and it so happened...

Precisely on 1st October last year, I found myself at the Prithvi Theatre to meet Mr. Manav Kaul of Aranya Theatres with a reference from my dearest friend Geetanjali. I was not sure at all if I wanted to do an experimental play and that too in Hindi...but I thought of giving it a shot. Stepping into a new territory, leaving your ages old comfort zone can make you unsettled.
When I was watching the rehearsal of Mumtazbhai Patangwale at the Prithvi House, I felt as if I have been here before. That atmosphere seemed familiar, it took me years back to my Ruparel College Gymkhana Hall where we rehearsed with Chetan Datar.
The energy and positivity of this group felt like a breath of fresh air.
and there I was...an active member of Aranya group and a part of the cast of LAAL PENCIL, the newest production of Aranya written and directed by Manav Kaul.

The first show of Laal Pencil at the Prithvi Theatre was magical.

I had jumped into the unknown and a treasure of pure joy was revealed to me. I am so happy that Geetanjali introduced me to Aranya.

While I was struggling to improve my hindi pronunciation by trying to get rid of the marathi accent, I was thrilled to get an offer for a commercial marathi play "Never Mind" written by Dr. Vivek Bele and to be directed by the young and enthusiastic Nipun Dharmadhikari....I could not have asked for more.

"Never Mind" opened just after "Laal Pencil" in December 2011.
40 shows old Never Mind is well received by the audience but it takes lot of efforts to attract the young crowd to the theatre. The Facebook has helped in reaching more youngsters....but the attendance is not satisfactory.

In March 2012, I also became a part of a grand show called " Mi Yashwant" which was based on the life of first Chief Minister of Maharashtra Late Shri. Yashwantrao Chavan. I played his wife Venutai, first time in my career I portrayed a real life person. The show was grand and it was performed in the presence of the President of India and other political leaders of Maharashtra.

This April, just a couple of weeks before my birthday, I became a team member of REACT, UK, a company which trains theatre actors to use their skills in the corporate world.  A concept which has been practiced in the US and UK since 80's but is at a very nascent stage in India. Being an MBA myself, I was happy to combine my acting skill with the management background. There may be more projects coming up with REACT.


Today, my friend Kadambari took me out for a film...and then we both had lunch...
My very old friend from my Management college, Suresh, called me from Nairobi to wish me. He knew my landline no. by heart....(we did not have mobiles then and so we used to know telephone no.s by heart...gone are the days though...) A call from Suresh was unbelievable. I can't imagine how he remembered my landline no and my birthday..... I am touched.

I have spoken to all my close friends in the US....and Sanjali just called...last call of the day...with her voice in my mind, I guess I should sleep well.....

Friends who want to be with you on your happy day and a family that always cushions you .. that is all one needs .....to be content!


With red and brown streaks in my hair (my birthday gift to myself..and please don't be scared..they aren't too prominent :) ) I am entering the new age....the new year...
I wish the red colour stays...on my hair and in my life as well... (whatever that means.... )

I hope I have grown up by a year and "grown out" of sulking because my family took me to dinner to a place that was not my choice.... :)

I wish myself a delightful year ahead with a bunch of new people that have been added to my life this year....(all the old ones remaining constant, of course)!

On the eve of.....part I

On the eve of my birthday....I am looking back on the entire year since my last birthday....wow...It's been a wonderful year actually..

It so happened.....

I was sulking on my last year's birthday evening because my family chose a venue for dinner other than that of my choice. Ufff, why call it a birthday dinner if it's not at the place where the birthday girl wants to go?

I finished my work before 10th May last year because I was to leave for my USA tour on the 12th. I still feel the excitement of the entire process of making this tour come true...the visa(thank you Ravi..it would not have been so easy without you...and I mean it.), the ticket booking, the planning of the itinerary.....
A month and half long tour to the other world, millions of miles away from home...travelling all alone...it was an experience of my life...! Liberating... exhilarating...!

I spent some beautifully memorable days with my younger cousin in the picturesque Colorado Springs.
It was heartwarming to see my little cousin turned into the lady of the house, settled in the far off country, now with much ease and comfort.

and then the real fun began.....
Can you imagine my joy when my close college friends came to pick me up at the Florida airport?...I am reliving that moment now... it's impossible to explain the delight of heading straightaway from the airport to The Magic Kingdom at the Disneyland with them.....the magic of the trip really began there...

"The Princess's castle"...it was so beautiful...really magical....I felt like a princess myself along with thousands of little princesses watching it with awestruck, dreamy eyes...
and those thrilling rides made me shake myself up...giving in to the fear and overcoming it with absolute confidence...I yelled, I laughed, I was full of vigor!

"The Monarch of the Sea" was no Titanic but it surely gave the three of us, me, Sampada and Vrushali, a time of our life...those wonderful 3 days on the cruise to Bahamas and the Coco Cay Island were fulll of fun and frolick!
Hardly ever did we imagine in our college days that many many years later, we would be on a 3 days cruise to Bahamas...all girls...enjoying ourselves...realising that we have come a long way in life.
With the unique circumstances of our respective lives, the added responsibilities, the reality of the routine....we still managed to be the young girls that we were once....yayyyayy, we were just the same....leaving everything behind and just being ourselves...we rocked and how!

I could not believe myself...was I actually at NASA? Was it the same building I saw in the hindi film? Didn't I want to marry Mohan Bhargav of Swades? No, I did not look for that perfect man of my dream called Mohan Bhargav there. I only looked at the giant spaceships and had lot of fun...

and how about some blackberry picking? woohooo.....I guess I picked some of the best....or was it Sahana? my friend Vrushali's little one!

and how about a sunset at 8.30pm? We witnessed it at the enormous Siesta beach in Florida having the softest white sand.

A few days with Sampada in Chicago gave me a chance to be an active participant of her daily routine. I left early with her to her office. We travelled by her car first, then the bus and then the train.....
I roamed around the Chicago downtown whole day to meet her again at the "Au bon pain" cafe near her office building....then the return journey to Naperville by 6pm and still the sun shone brightly...it was almost like a beginning of another day on the same day...now at Naperville...at her beautiful house...playing with Ariana, shopping at the Home Goods....the day never ended...or at least till 9pm....and still we ended up getting less time for many things....huh...

My last stop was New Jersey!
Resembling Mumbai in many ways, New York and New Jersey did not excite me much.
My younger cousin brother and his young bubbly wife made it memorable for me. The Times Square in the night is something worth experiencing...the glitter, the crowd, the lights, the billboards...just so full of life....

On my return flight, no wonder I was feeling apprehensive. Was there anything to look forward to workwise? The answer was a big no then.
With a backpack of an enriching trip, a big bundle of unforgettable moments....the re-bonding with my close friends....the love n care of my cousins...the joy of freedom.....now, what do I expect to do back home? I felt jittery.
Where do I start?

I returned to India and I started by bidding goodbye to the work that I was doing for almost a year before I left for the US. I thought there was no value addition happening and I needed to quit. How else would I get something better?

A month went by just like that....living on the memoirs of my trip....would something worthwhile come my way? I have the patience to wait, alright, but will there be something to look forward to?

I did not know then what was coming my way.....
.......ummmm....well.......
.... let me take a break for a while....only to continue later....in my next post....just in time before my birthday gets over.....what say? :)