The beautiful world of Dream Catchers...

There are beautiful concepts and beliefs that exist in different parts of the world. Travelling and technology have shrunk the world so much that many such traditions are now known to us. One such tradition which originates from the Native Americans is Dream Catcher.

It is a handmade object made using a willow hoop, on which a loose web is woven. The dream catcher is then decorated with sacred items such as feathers and beads.

These dream catchers are said to emit positive vibes. It is believed that dream catchers have the ability to catch all of a person’s dreams. The bad ones get tangled in the dream catcher and perish with the first streak of dawn. However, the good dreams gently slip through the outer holes, sliding down the soft feathers to the person sleeping below.

In olden days, they were woven by the grandparents for newborn children and hung above their beds to give infants peaceful, beautiful dreams.

Fascinated by this concept, I browsed the internet for hand wooven dream catchers in Mumbai. After a little research, I came across an amazing e-shop called 'dreamcatchers_india' on Instagram. I loved their designs and instantly placed an order for two dream catchers.  A bigger one for my bedroom and a relatively smaller one for my office cubicle.

The Dream Catchers arrived within a week. Also, they were more beautiful than I expected. The colors were just perfectly complimenting each other. I could strongly feel the love and compassion with which they were weaved.

Sharing the pictures below:

Dream Catcher for my bedroom

Dream Catcher for my cubicle

Chromatic, Vibrant and Ravishing!

Didn't you fall in love with them ?

Aren't you excited to buy one for yourself or your loved ones?

I am sure you are!

To order or view more of their designs, check their Facebook page here. Their Instagram Id is dreamcatchers_india. 

So Dream on guys ........ Coz everything starts with a Dream!

Sky Watch.......Bandhavgarh

For hours I can keep gazing at the sky. Wondering what is it, so intriguing and mystical about it! When the sun transcends it's light, on to the clouds, the sky changes it's color dramatically. As if God is painting the sky crimson using the various colors from his palette.

 I captured  these pictures while enjoying an evening village walk in Bandhavgarh, Madhya Pradesh.

 

 

Smell the sea and feel the sky, let your soul and spirit fly.

 ~~~ Van Morrison ~~~

 

Alluring Kashmir.......Part2

Read the previous part here: Alluring Kashmir-Part1

Well , in this part, I would let the pictures do most of the talking. Some jaw dropping scenic places of Kashmir coming up in this post.

 Pahalgham

Pahalgham the shepherd's valley is approximately 77kms from Srinagar. On the way you could see the Saffron fields and visit the Awantipura Temple. You could also treat yourselves to the Kashmiri Kahwa by stopping over at a dhabha. Kahwa is basically a tea prepared by boiling green tea leaves with Saffron strands , Cinnamon bark and Cardamom in water. This aromatic drink leaves you completely refreshed.

Awantipura Ruins

Pahalgham, one of the picturesque towns in Kashmir, is the favourite place for shooting of bollywood movies. There are various spots here like the Chandanwari, Baisaran, Aaru and Beetab Valley.  If you have less time you should atleast visit the Baisaran valley which is also called Mini Switzerland. You could hire a pony to take you there or trekk enjoying the pine trees and snowclad mountains around.

On the way to Baisaran, you would meet locals willing to let you pose with their white rabbits and sheep in return for some money. I got myself a picture clicked with a cute rabbit.

Gulmarg

Gulmarg is the Skiing destination of India having a two stage Gondala ride. As the Gondola (cable chair) moves up, you leave behind the greener pastures and get closer to the whiter, snow covered regions of Himalayas. Everywhere your eyes go, there is just snow, snow and only snow. As if vanilla ice cream was spread unevenly over chocolate brownie! :P

Stage 1 of Gondola is very crowded. There are various activities for tourists like skiing, snowboarding, sledging etc. Amidst this crowd and hurry to try out all activities, you might forget enjoying the view. If at all you manage sneaking some time to look around you would realize the place is so beautiful that for a moment you forget you are in India. I couldn't do the 2nd stage but I have read it offers a breath taking view and is relatively less crowded than the stage 1.

Sonmarg 

Sonmarg meaning the 'Meadow of Gold' is a hill station at distance of 87kms from Srinagar. I stayed in Hotel Snowland which was surrounded by huge magnificent mountains on all sides and  Nallah Sindh flowing in its backyard.

In Sonmarg there is an exciting trekk to Thajiwas Glacier... However, I gave it a miss. I didn't want to end my trip with another over crowded tourist spot. Instead I started walking towards the adjacent hills. Attempting to let the beauty of Kashmir sink in. As the sun prepared to set, I trekked to the nearby hills enjoying some blissful moments alone.

The dried trees still add to the beauty of the place.

Horses grazing on hill top, Sonmarg

  

The back side view from Hotel Snowland, Sonmarg

There are myriad things that will again draw me to Kashmir. But undoubtedly the peaceful, serene & untouched beauty of Sonmarg has won over my heart. :)

Kashmir - The Epitome Of Beauty

In Kashmir every moment is worth capturing.....

This one was clicked on my way to Sonmarg from Srinagar.

When Nature heals....

This is by far my favorite click! The perfect blend of yellow, cream and green. As someone rightly quoted, 'Nature always has a way of expressing beauty when words fail'

PS: Captured in the beautiful garden near Brahmand Ghat, Mathura.

Capturing Beauty

PS:  Captured in Mukundgarh, a remote village of Rajasthan.

Letting the secret out ;)

           There is one compliment I have been hearing since a long time. People tell me I have a beautiful smile. “Seriously? “, I ask them baffled.  Yes they reply instantly and ask how I manage looking beautiful and staying happy all the time. I accept the compliment graciously with a smile.

But do you want to know the secret of that beautiful smile ???

         The secret is I want to smile. The reason is I want to stay Happy. Anyone who takes that effort to smile and enjoy the very moment will remain HAPPY. The secret of Happiness & Beauty is nothing more than a heart that wants to stay happy and wants to keep doing that every day.

When I was a young girl studying in school, every Sunday evening I used to go for a walk with mom dad. Most of the times I walked behind them analyzing what all things I wanted so as to be the happiest.  Three things topped my list: learning to drive, a personal computer, my own room. Now after almost 13 years I have  covered almost the entire wish list. However, I realized driving to work in my own car, coming back and sleeping in my own room and owning a laptop doesn't  give the Happiness that I get chatting with my friends over a cup of coffee. It doesn't give me the same pleasure that I get when I dance for hours with my closest friends.

            With time we realize the truth  behind Happiness. No one’s life is bereft of happiness. It's a part of you. The very human nature is to be happy. We keep searching happiness in the accomplishment of our short and long term goals. These goals might take years to complete. Does that mean we will remain cranky all through the years??Why leave even a single day or a single moment of being happy. Don’t associate happiness with your ambitions. Search for ways to enjoy each passing day.                                                                                        

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says :

”Happiness depends on your mind. When mind is free of past impressions and future cravings happiness is there.”

Perfect isn’t it. With such simplicity he has given the key to a happy heart. You need to forget about the past, stop thinking about the future and stay in present. When you are in present everything looks perfect and when everything is perfect you become happy. :)

            Another way of staying happy is being around positive people happy people and who else will be a better option than kids. The idea is to surround oneself with children and dive into the ocean of happiness. Love gives Happiness. They say in every child GOD resides.  Hence, a child’s love is the purest form of love.  Once a child connects with someone the nexus is too strong to be shaken.  I have been around a lot of kids and one such sweet child is ‘Yogesh’.

           It was a Saturday morning and I took the liberty of waking up a bit late than my usual time. As I checked my phone I saw 2 missed calls from an unknown number.  I called on the number and I could feel the voice was a known one. In a min I guessed that it was Yogesh. Excited he said ”Didi main pass ho gaya”. My delectation knew no bounds. I was delighted that he had passed his exams but I was more pleased to know that he wanted to share his happiness with me.  Who was I to him? Just a girl who came every Sunday with bunch of her friends and taught him. Kids have so much love to give that you can never be sad around them. Their love crosses all boundaries of religion, caste, language and economical backgrounds. They just want to get and spread love.

            If kids can do that why can’t we. When you wake up every morning, be happy that you have another day to live, another day to love your dear ones , to eat , to sing and  pray. A gesture of love can make someone's day and that will make your day. Give lift to someone who is trying to get inside a packed bus. Share your tiffin with that kid who works on the small tea stall outside your workplace, listen to your favourite track, browse through your childhood pictures, go on a walk with your mom, hug someone really tight. Just do something every day. Be happy and make someone smile every day.

Happiness is just somewhere around, disguised in various avatars. Just decide that you want to be happy and you will get plenty of reasons to be happy. J