The Brighter Side of this Diwali

Diwali is that part of the year when festivity is in the air. It is sort of a community festival. It is the only festival which we celebrate with zest. We are rather lazy in celebrating any other festival.

In this post, I am going to talk about the brighter side of this Diwali for me:

1. Books

You cannot avoid reading about books here, now can you? Well, the day we came back from our Rajasthan trip [just before Diwali], I had a bunch of books waiting for me [review books and one from Smita, gifted via Flipkart. Thanks a ton Smita for the lovely book J]. 

And that is how my Diwali began. But that’s not all. I ordered 2 more books for myself from Amazon because they had 50% offer going on some selected books. These two caught my eyes. Hope to read them next year!

2. The Corridor Wall

Image courtesy: Google

I am sure; those who have seen ‘Wake Up Sid’ will clearly remember this lovely wall from Konkona Sen’s home in the movie. I had fallen in love with this wall, and I was just waiting to replicate it at my home. I had done my corridor in a lighter hue of yellow, some 2 years back. Just before Diwali, I decided I should finally give it a try. 

I wanted to do something new for Diwali without spending too much. Well, the best thing about my husband is he is extremely cooperative in my creative pursuits. In fact, I would go on to say that usually I am the one who ideates, and he accomplishes. I had loads of cleaning to do, and yet I threw this idea on him. He had loads on his platter too, and yet he was extremely positive on this. The day we went for Diwali shopping, we also bought some wire from a hardware store on our way back. What was available was thicker than I wanted but I took it. I got the wire for Rs 80. Then we bought some brown chart paper for Rs 10. At night, the hubby drilled 2 nails on the wall, and wound the wires around it. It was not easy because the wires were quite thick and they are still not really sticking to the wall too much. I drew the birds and put them up on wires. This was also not as easy as it sounds. The process resulted in paints chipping off from many places owing to he adhesive. Those chip-offs have been camouflaged with the strategically placed birds ... ha ha!.

Here’s how the final thing looked [below]; all for below Rs 100 and some hard work. And the more I see it, the more I love it. There are several decals of wires and birds available in the market, but such raw feel appeals to me. Even all my photo collages are handmade from scratch. When you create something together, it has more meaning to it. 

3. Passing smiles

Money cannot buy happiness but it can bring some cheer to those who don’t have much. I do not really donate systematically. I give away money as and when I feel like it. But it looks like I should take it seriously now. Recently, I gave 100 bucks to an old lady who comes to pick up the garbage and she was so happy. I was thrilled but also embarrassed at the same time. I could have given her more. I realized how much we spend on a single lunch / dinner / coffee outside of home, which can otherwise add so much happiness to a person’s life. I think this thought is worth pursuing in the days to come.

On a lighter note, here is a conversation I had with my husband:

Me: Look, I think we should think about donating now in a planned way.

Him: Sure!

Image courtesy: Google

Me: To begin with, let us donate the money we spend on crackers from next year. It is so much better.

Him: Certainly, but that's just Rs 50!

[We don’t burst crackers, but hubby gets some every year in the hope that he would. Of course, I dissuade him before, during and after buying crackers. So, he never gets around to bursting them. This year, we got 2 sky lanterns believing they were eco-friendly but I just learnt that they are no less harmful for the environment. But I am glad I am passing on the message of 'saying no to crackers' to my son. He would say 'no, no, crackers!'].

4. Cleaning

If you know me, you would know how much I love cleaning my home. Cleaning is therapeutic for me. If I have time, the first thing I do is clean and organize everything. And Diwali brings the best excuse to do that. I completed a massive cleaning of the house, and loved every bit of it. The only thing that stopped me from going up the stairs every single time and getting into every nook myself was the toddler, who had to be held all the time as he was itching to get into trouble in all the cleaning frenzy.

5 Home accessories I love around my House and how I got them [UBC Post 25]

In my dreams, I am a writer-cum-interior decorator. I love beautiful but real homes. I love neat, organised, quirky homes which have a character, and don't have a straight-out-of-a-showroom feel to it. I had written about the scrap book I had created for home ideas here. Though I have not updated it in a while, yet I still fancy myself as someone who loves and has the talent of doing up interiors. Frankly, doing interiors is an on-going project. You never feel it is done. It is always getting done.

Sometimes I buy quirky, interesting, (not necessarily expensive) accessories for our home. Here are the 5 things around my home which are my favourites: 

1. The Vinyl Clock

I was looking for a wall clock. I don't like simple ones. It has to be something interesting. I came across this on a website and quite liked it. It was for about Rs 450. This clock is carved out of an old vinyl. At that time I also had little metal figurines playing different musical instruments from @ Home. So, this clock went well with the music theme. It also went well with the vintage feel of the cushions I had bought around that time. But that does not stop my husband to make fun of this clock (and me) at every opportunity. 

2. The Clock from Bombay Store

You can say I have a fetish for clocks. In fact, I am looking for 2-3 more for different rooms. Well, I wasn't looking for this but it found me when I went to a Bombay store outlet. This was for around Rs 750. When I bought this, I never realized that it worked perfectly with the colour in the bedroom (seen here in the background). In fact, it is the exact shade of red. This one also won me some comments (all in good humour) from hubby dear. In fact, to be honest, he makes it a point to make fun of all these interesting home accessories I buy. He makes fun of me but never asks me not to buy any of those things. So, that is a small price to pay for getting your way, isn't it? 

3. The miniature bike from Crazy Daisy

I first came across this in Femina, I think. I instantly fell in love with it. I wanted to have it for my bookshelf. I found from Femina that this piece was by Crazy Daisy, based in Delhi. I Googled their coordinates, called them up and arranged it to be courriered to me from Delhi. Yes, I am that single-minded about things I love. I got this for about Rs 350.

4. Mukul Goyal Bookends

I saw this in BBC Good Homes magazine, and I absolutely loved it. These are such slick beautiful pieces, you cannot not love them. But yes, these are expensive. But I was so much in love with them that I bought them anyways. I could not find them at any of the online stores, so I called them up and found that it was available at a tiny design store in Pune. I landed on that store in Koregaon Park (can't remember the name now) and bought them for Rs 2250. I had to beat around the bush when hubby asked me how much they were for but then I never lie to him so I told him. Of course, he found this ridiculously expensive. Even I found it expensive but that does not mean I couldn't indulge once in a while.

5. Poster by Mario Miranda

When I went to Goa, I wanted to buy a poster by Mario Miranda. Know more about this distinguished artist here, who passed away in 2011. I love his illustrations. But I did not know where to look for them. I had gone on an official trip to Goa. Our company associate knew that an Architect retailed some posters but it was not possible to go to him at that time. It was pure luck when I found posters, post cards and what not at a lifestyle store next to our hotel. I and my friend bought a poster each. I got it framed and put it on my living room wall. And I think it is lovely. Many people do not know who Mario Miranda is but it is funny when they keep looking at it to figure out what was special about the poster that it has got place of pride in my living room. This I got for Rs 700-800. 

Home Makeovers

I love doing up interiors and home makeovers are always a treat to watch. Quite by chance I saw Colin & Justin's Home Heist on BBC Entertainment, and these days, I am quite enamoured by their home makeovers. And they do it in 6 days flat. It is interesting how they transform homes.


I do have a couple of issues though:

• They do not seem to have a low budget
• Most of the times, they replace everything including ceilings, entire floorings and furniture
• The homes usually end up looking fabulous but devoid of personal touch
• I don't like wallpapers too much. They make the space look a little suffocating, especially, if put up on all the walls and in bold patterns
• Too many white furnitures and upholstery, and too many decor items. Whites are extremely difficult to maintain (next to impossible)

Well, it is aired thrice daily, featuring different home heists. Pretty interesting!

(Image courtesy: www.hgtv.ca)

Good Homes

Of all the things I love doing, doing up my home is one of my passions. It is good that my husband does not have similar passion otherwise we would end up fighting on what we want to do with it.



I absolutely love Interior magazines. There are so many inspirations in so many different forms, one thing leads to another and you get something absolutely perfect for your home.


I am also a cleanliness freak. Everything has to be absolutely on it’s place whether or not there is anybody around to see it that everything is laid out perfectly. The last thing I do before leaving home for office is put everything in place (as much as possible, in whatever little time I have while rushing to office). And well, the first thing I do on entering my home, no matter how tired I am, is put everything is place. Starting from shoes, to cushions to our lunch boxes, the rug, the several remotes, newspaper, magazines, moving on to putting away the clean clothes inside cupboard…..and I do not settle for my cup of tea, before making everything picture perfect. Yeah, I’m very much like Monica (from FRIENDS). I remember, once Phoebe said about living with Monica, “yeah, eating cookies while standing on sink, is fun!” yeah, I’m like that too.


Sometimes when I find my husband cleaning the kitchen and putting everything in order, I feel overwhelmed. How one person gets conditioned to live with the other person! But frankly, I feel too grateful to whatever he does, because cleanliness is my one of the passions (read vices) not his!


Anyways, reading and skimming through hoards of interior magazines, I cut-out whatever colors, items or accessories appeal to me. I have bought a lot of things by just getting a glimpse of it in any of those glitzy magazines like BBC Good Homes, Living etc, Ideal Homes & Gardens and Elle Décor. These are some of my favourites, but I absolutely love BBC Good Homes. It is fabulous.


Since I’m also on to collage and scrapbooks big time, (I will share some of my collages sometime) I am right now working on my dream home scrapbook. It has color combinations, home accessories, etc that I would like to adapt into my home. I buy a lot of photo frames and wall frames. I love retro-style posters. Right now, my bedroom has the huge collage done by me on our special moments over he years. It is quite huge, about 4.5 ft (w) X 2.5 ft (h). My guest bedroom showcases, another collage done by me with colourful cover page of books (well, I did not cut my books, these are cut-outs collates from different newspapers and magazines). I have recently bought a colourful Mario Miranda poster (inspired from one of the ‘real homes’ showcased in BBC Good Homes), and it is just waiting to be framed. I also intend to have a lot of smaller frames for both our families’ photographs, which I will put on wall.




Perhaps I should seriously consider home styling as an alternate career option. It is truly fun!

How Colors define & Influence You

I always thought, I’m more attuned towards Blue and Black in colors, but if you see my house, what comes across very strongly is Red and Yellow, and the family.

Red is supposed to denote Optimistic, dynamic, energizing, exciting, sexy, intense, stimulating, aggressive, powerful, energetic and dangerous. I really don’t know all that. It sounds psychological crap to me. To me Red is a rich colour. It immediately accentuates anything wherever you put it. You get a Red curtain, a red rug, a red sofa or even a red bean bag; it becomes an identity in itself.

Another site writes the following about color Red:
Red signifies the attributes of confidence and courage. It inspires boldness in thought and deed. A strong awareness of the physical body is indicated. There can sometimes be so much passion in its energy that when it is displayed it can be perceived as aggression. When the color presents itself in a seemingly coincidental context, it can be the equivalent of a stop sign from the universe. Because of its strong psychic saturation, it needs to be used carefully, especially in a domestic environment, and in combination with a balance of other colors. Also, too much red in the environment can cause feelings of anger, irritability, or impatience.
A simple spell for red: To inspire a sense of bravery, wear a red accessory. Even if the color is not immediately visible to anyone else (a piece of lingerie, a handkerchief, a piece of red construction paper folded in a purse or wallet), you will know that you have this splash of red and will feel more courageous as a result.

I also love Yellow. First reason is that it goes with almost all the colors. Yellow goes beautifully with Red, Orange, Green, Blue and white. We have all our bedroom furniture in Dark Brown, so a yellow curtain and a yellow bed sheet, suddenly creates vibrancy in the room.
I also love Yellow clothes. They look lovely.
Thankfully, Yellow denotes WISDOM • JOY • HAPPINESS • INTELLECTUAL ENERGY.
Like the energy of a bright sunny day, yellow brings clarity and awareness. The shade of yellow determines its effect:
Orange-yellow imparts a sense of establishment. Clean light yellow clears the mind, making it active and alert which is why the high visibility of bright yellow, it is often used for hazard signs and some emergency vehicles.
For years, yellow ribbons were worn as a sign of hope as women waited from their men to come marching home from war. Today, they are still used to welcome home loved ones. Its use for hazard signs creates an association between yellow and danger, although not quite as dangerous as red.
Ah, the psychological crap!

Another color which has become my hot favourite, and I’m dying to use, is Fuchsia.

It is a lovely color whether on clothes or interiors. It enlivens a drab drawing room. I’m planning to bring elements of Fuchsia into my Living Room – in rugs, cushions and some subtle use in curtains.
Interestingly, I found following write-up on Fuchsia:
The color fuchsia can influence both physical and spiritual well-being. It is the flag for nonconformist, innovative, strong-willed, imaginative, artistic, and creative individuals. Depending on how it is received, it can be the color of radiant happiness. It has the qualities of red, plus empathy; it is a mixture of passion and compassion. The negative side of its color influence is that it can create a lazy, laid-back attitude that shuns challenges and responsibilities. For this reason, people who are chronically depressed or introverted should avoid this color. Magenta is ideal for rituals to secure ambitions and financial rewards.
A simple spell for fuchsia: To lift the vibe of your environment, put a sprig of the fuchsia plant into a bud vase. Keep it in the room where you spend a great deal of your time. An object of this color is favorable to use when attempting to make contact with the spirit world.