Why we should all be dry cleaners

I recently gave four sarees of mine for steam pressing at the local dry cleaners. We have a major wedding in the family coming up. In India, wedding equals four functions, MINIMUM. So I had to give four sarees for steam pressing (and one suit for dry cleaning for the fifth function).

It is a woeful process. First you must go through your cupboard and locate the sarees. Now, being in my job, I have both cotton and silk sarees. Silk sarees are of two categories: office wear and shaadi wear. Shaadi wear sarees are needed for wedding type occassions.

Anything less would bring dishonour to your family.

So on this sombre note, I picked out my sarees. However, having gone through the magical experience of giving birth and feeding my child, my weight however has not managed to get back to my pre-pregnancy situation. Which ofcourse means, the blouses for the saree will need to be altered. You'll need to do a google on saree, if you don't know what I'm talking about. But sarees are accompanied by blouses, tight cotton stitched pieces of apparel that need to be fitted.

I think it is just a way for the tailors to stay in business.

Lo and behold.

Problem no. 1: No blouse will fit. In fact, no blouse will even go through my arm. It is embarrassing admitting this. But this is the price you pay if you want a child and don't want to go to the gym.
Problem no. 2: Buying the material for the blouses (4 since there are 4 sarees)
Problem no. 3: Getting the blouses stitched. That involved going to the tailor with the material. Then collecting the blouses
Problem no. 4: Getting the sarees steam pressed.

At problem no. 4 I realized just how much money dry cleaners make. They must be raking in lakhs every month.

Imagine. The first store, which was the nearest to the main road of the market, was charging me Rs 150 per saree for dry cleaning. When I pulled out my red saree (with the excessive embroidery), he took one look at it and said Rs 200. When I shrieked - after all, I'm not stupid - how can you charge different rates for different sarees, the man looked at me with contempt and stated

"Take your business elsewhere Madam".

Customer service in India is not up to the mark. They don't need to give you a reason.

So I did. I walked around 15 shops away and found a guy who would do each saree for Rs 100.

We should all become dry cleaners though. Excess competition would force the rates down, but I think there is a lot of margin for profit.

The Grey starring Liam Neeson

Set in the isolated land of Alaska, this movie looks at how a group of air crash survivors deal with a pack of territorial wolves, as they hope for rescue.
My husband got this movie home by mistake. He doesn't like - as he calls them  - "arty farty" movies.
I on the other hand adore the cinema and appreciate anything that isn't mainstream. (I love mainstream too - and am simply waiting for the Hunger Games to come out on DVD - due to my little baby I couldn't see it in the theatre).
Liam Neeson was brilliant and I loved everything about the film. I also like the poem in the film - I loved how it was introduced into the movie and how it is actually what the movie was about in a way. The power of poetry never ceases to amaze me.

One more into the fray
Into the last good fight I'll ever know
Live and die on this day
Live and die on this day
From the movie "The Grey"

If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes.
St Clement of Alexandra

I'm going home to sleep

We recently have been blessed with a beautiful baby girl. She is the cutest darling anyone could ever wish for!! There was an incident recently that I'd like to share. I'd come over to my Mom's place for a few days.
My baby got sick two days back - a reaction to a vaccination given on Saturday. She was crabby that night, but I didn't think much of it.
On Sunday when she woke up at 5:30 am, she had a low grade fever, which rose to around 10:00 am. A call to the doctor and medicine later, she became a little better.
Which is when her Daddy saw her, around lunch time.
Now I think men are programmed differently from women. That's why books like Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus come out. That's why even Gretchen Rubin's husband thinks watching The Shield together makes the couple bond.
I was tired that day, and so was my baby. Both of us starting to nod off after lunch, because it had been a tiring morning after all. My baby with her fever, and me with a baby with a fever.
What does my husband say?
Supportive he is. I suppose.
"If you and the baby are going to sleep, I'm going home to sleep!!"
After that, I gave him a sound talking about how HE HAS TO HELP ME WITH THE BABY!! What do guys think? A baby is only the woman's responsibility??!!!
After all, we are a family with expectations of each other.
Sorry my dear baby daughter, but this is the truth.
I hope the fever goes down and my baby becomes her normal laughing self!!

Ram Kinker Baij retrospective at the National Gallery

I had to drag my husband out of the house to see this exhibition. He finds his Sundays too precious, but then, doesn't have any time to spend with his wife and child on any other day. So I forced him to take us to this exhibition.
It was Aditi's first exhibition. She was an angel through it, only getting agitated when we reached the seventh room of water colours! She is a trooper!!
Ram Kinker Baij was a Bengali, born in 1906 and passing away in 1980. He is known for his seminal sculptures. You may even have seen his sculptures without knowing it!! I didn't know that he was responsible for the Yaksha and Yakshini that is portrayed outside the RBI building. Awesome.
K S Radhakrishnan has done a really good job with the exhibition. Being an economist by training, I've never studied art after school. But I really appreciated the quality effort.
Bravo!

Downton Abbey in New Delhi

I was fortunate enough to borrow the DVD series of Downton Abbey (Season 1) and watch it last week. I had read about the programme and its popularity in the news.

I must say I was amazed when I saw the first episode. I actually wanted to see the rest. What amazes me is how the relationship between the lower classes and the upper crust has been depicted. How the world is changing and how that has been portrayed. How women's rights and the fight for them has entered the consciousness. Even the romance between Mary and Matthew proceeds!! (He's so cute!!)

Reading Moby Dick in 2012

I am sorry to say, I haven't read too many of the classic novels.
Which is why I've picked up Moby Dick this time in March. It is an all - American classic, beautifully written. The reviews are "rave" reviews.
I know it is about whale hunting. It is written by Herman Melville. I'm sorry I don't know much else!!
To encourage myself to read this novel regularly I will be updating the site every week to highlight my progress. I know myself. If I don't do this, I'll never read the book!! And that's what I really want to do!!

The Inspiration bookstore at Kotla (Delhi)

Whoa....
There is a really nice bookstore at Kotla (South Extension) called Timeless Bookstore. It is a great place to come to get inspiration. It is located just next to South Extension I, so if you're in the area you should drop in and see the store.
It has books from all topics, and titles that you will not find anywhere. Just walking into the shop is like a breath of fresh air!!
Plus they give you a free beverage - non-alcoholic but still it lifts your senses!! I think if you come early you can even get a brownie!!
Why I call it an inspirational store is because it has all the ingredients that one needs to get inspired. It has pazazz, great music, brilliant decor, nice ambience and a collection of books that need to be savoured and relished.
I wish I'd known about the place when I was at LSR!