What is your style?

For ages most of the general population have followed and worn dresses from what a select few have chosen every year. These fashion designers, masters, tailors, gurus have always looked at finding out what trends are catching up and how they can guess it before it hits the market. Some even went of elaborate plans to make a particular fashion a hit. In India Karan Johar is known to have introduced GAP hoodies and tees to the teenage audience through the film Dil Wale Dulhania Le Jayenge so much that everyone from the fruit and vegetable vendor to the guy on a Yamaha bike were wearing counterfeit tees without knowing that the original brand GAP was non-existent in India at that time!

Trends come and trends go. You stay the same! The fashion police look down upon and sneer about the choices that many people think are cool and have glorified horrible looking selection as well. I have always, reiterating the word - always, had my own fashion and have been comfortable in being so. Very few times, I liked what was being thrust on to me as a fashion trend we cannot miss and hence the style has become the same almost all these years. I am glad I did stick to a particular style that remained with me so much as I have always been photographed or seen on the same trend - my trend. 

My choice of fashion has two main reasons:

1. Is it comfortable?
2. Is it made from good material?

Simple huh? Well! not for many people. Some people have closets that are much bigger than the one in Chronicles of Narnia! And yet have always wondered what they should be wearing. I have heard and read a lot of people talking about the body shapes and stuff but don't you think it is too much to think of? While I always want you to be fit and healthy so you would live longer (Isn't that the idea?), I would recommend you take the trends off your chest for a while and look at life more easily and make things less complicated. Wear whatever your heart tells you to. Make sure YOU are comfortable. Don't bother about what others think. What they would say. Worry about you being presentable and being nice and don't give everything else a damn! You look best when you are happy and comfortable. Just make sure you have a smile on your face when you step out. You are mint new!

Having said that, I have had my share of suits and boots and have rocked them too. Sometimes mom wanted me to look so (on my graduation), sometimes the occasion demanded so (my wedding being one such occasion). But just can't have then every day.

So choose your fashion choices wisely and go with what you like. Choose your style. Make one that is your own, personal and close to your heart. Something you would be comfortable in and can pull off. I myself like a black tee, blue jeans and sport shoes any day, every day.

Get more fashion advice and tips from here.

“I am participating in the ‘Ready For Rewards’ activity for Rewardme in association with BlogAdda.”

Storytelling with the Little Tigress

I don't want to brush. No. No. No no no no no. Now, what do I do? 

Dad was opening Colgate bag he got from Blogadda as a part of the special "Magical Space Adventure" series from Colgate. But unlike every time, he didn't discard the box and helped me cut the shapes and cartoons in it! Yes, the box contains several characters, places, stands to set up the drama and children can play with them. You might need help from elders like I needed to as I am very small. Let me explain the story we made up from the characters.

While we quickly discarded the toothpaste (I ensure it is away!) and focused on cutting along the dotted lines and placed all the planets on the board, we found that they couldn't move as fast in the solar system. We got into the spaceship and started our journey towards Saturn. Here is what happened!

Me: "Dad why aren't the planets moving?" 

Dad: "Looks like there is some problem. The planets are all sleepy and slow."

Me: "Why dad?"

Dad: "Let us go closer and check out."

We slowly zipped to Mars. But could see some white, ash gray material all around us and Mars didn't even smile. 

Me: "Hello Mars! I am from planet Earth. Why are you not smiling and why are you still sleepy?"

Mars was pleasantly surprised to see me in my small Colgate spaceship.
Mars: "I don't know. I am just still sleepy and have slight tooth pain. These plaque monsters are not letting me eat anything."

Me: "I am scared. What are plaque monsters?"

Mars: "You see all these white creamy things on my teeth and in my mouth? Those are plaque monsters and I cannot bear the pain!"

Me: "There are so many around! What will you do? Are you in pain?"

Mars: "Yes. Can you help?"

Me: "Yes I can. Tell me what can I do?"

Mars: "I have to brush quickly to keep these plaque monsters away and heal my teeth. Do you have some paste and brush?"

Me: "Oh! No. I don't like brushing and so we left it at home on Earth."

Mars: "What do we do now? I need to brush or else my friends, Jupiter and I cannot move as there are too many plaque monsters in the way. Help me. I am your friend."

I looked at our special Colgate spacecraft and the plaque monsters were slowly crawling towards us. Dad had slept off so I had to wake him up! 

Me: "Dad! Dad dad dad dad dad... help!!!!! I need my paste and brush to help Mars and shoo away all these plaque monsters"

Dad: "But you hate brushing!"

Me: "Dad, I hate brushing but we have to help my friend Mars!"

Dad: "I have a small toothbrush in this spacecraft and super powerful Colgate paste we got today here with me. Let us help Mars!" 

Dad pulled the special Colgate paste out and spread it on the brush and we had to do so many runs around Mars to help him brush and with clean teeth and gums, my friend Mars could move again! All the plaque monsters saw the paste and brush and ran away! Haha! We could win over the battle.

Now my friend Mars said, he will help brush his friends and took the paste and brush from us.

Mars: "Thank you so much, little friend. You saved the day! I could not have survived the plaque attack if not for you. Thank you for helping me brush."

Me: "I hate brushing but good that dad carried the paste ad brush with us."

Mars: "Let me check your teeth." He looked into my mouth and saw some plaque!

"Little friend," Mars said, "you have some plaque monsters in your mouth too. You should brush every morning and evening to kill them and defend yourself. Or else you will be stuck like me."

Me: " OMG! I will brush right away." Mars gave me a special space brush that flies in the space and dad helped me brush with it!

Finally, we took a selfie with my friend Mars and came back home. I brush every day now and so does Mars. Next adventure is scheduled to Saturn. I need to tell her to clean her rings! Too much plaque you see. 

“I’m blogging my #ColgateMagicalstories at BlogAdda in association with Colgate.

Tata and Tiger on the Joy of Building!

"Ready to spend a weekend with TATA and look at their plant?", Harish said and I was game. After working on excel sheets, targets, reports and what not, all through the last few weeks and writing exams, this was the break I needed. Long time I had spent some time with fellow bloggers and it is always fun to hangout with Blogadda and this time the deal was better as we were #BuildingBlogsOfJoy in the city of Joy with one of the top brands in the world and the best in India. So there we set off to Kolkata by Indigo and there was this special chauffeur from Tata to take us to the TATA Centre. Ushered into the guest rooms to freshen up and after the ceremonial breakfast of sandwiches and tea, we headed out to meet the marketing team at 9th floor.

Built in 1957, designed by the renowned architect Indranil Sen The TATA Centre is one of the highest buildings in Kolkata with 18 floors and 259 ft. Not everyone has access to the top floor which has the special guest house that hosts the Chairman Emeritus and the top board members. You can see for miles from there and the view is pretty amazing. I was one of the lucky three who were granted permission to go up and go crazy with the camera. The architecture was colonial and everything associated with the building from staff, security, dressing, cutlery and service was amazing and iconic! And I got clicked by Sammy on the terrace. What a view.

This was a two day activity with TATA Tiscon and we were brought up to date with the amazing branding journey of TATA Tiscon. Steel for centuries was just a commodity and was always bought on the recommendation of the maestri or friends or the shop owner and not much thought was given to the branding and the quality wasn't considered so important, So how do you brand such a commodity and maintain standards to convey that your brand steel is better than others and convince customer to stand out and pick you over the competition? 

That is the amazing journey of the marketing team at TATA Tiscon we went through for the rest of the afternoon when not sipping coffee and munching on Sandesh and gobbling up the unlimited supply of Mistidoi. To brand the unbranded and to retain the quality and ensure the consumer had the last mile access was a victory of sorts for Tata Tiscon and you can read more about it here.

Okay where was I? Yes at Sandesh. We were allowed to handle the brand page on social media. To see a 100+ year old brand, let that sink in, let bloggers handle their page albeit for a few moments is amazing. It was especially interesting to see how open the TATA Tiscon team was to our ideas. While we made stories up for #BuildingBlogsofJoy and shot pictures, the team was gearing up to show us the customer-friendly interaction at the storefront. This was unraveling as the consumer was welcomed and serviced as though he was buying a latest mobile phone. The front end shop floors has all the gadgets you need including the 3D gear to visualize what the building would look like and the material needed once the plans were shared. The people were not taken to shady dingy to buy steel but were shown in a bright lit showroom what they would need, how and when. Taking customer into confidence while educating him/her with the latest technology was the main purpose rather than the sale. 



Tata Tiscon also has its retail presence in 6500 districts, i.e., almost 95% of the districts in India which means that you can have a TATA Tiscon outlet within 10 miles from your place, wherever you are in India. That kind of reach is scary. Apart from the final consumer, TATAT Tiscon works with maestris, contractors, labour, masons and many more stakeholders to ensure the product info is shared and their workload is reduced. Transferring the technology, usage methods, time-saving techniques and better construction methods and many more such trade secrets are shared with them to make them more skillful and equipped. The shop floor is designed by Tata design team to allow spacial comfort while selecting their ware. Pretty impressive as it could permeate to a grass-root level and involves a lot of educating and empowering all the stakeholders to ensure the brand message of trust, comfort and safety from TATA Tiscon seeps to the final mile.

Off we went to see the Princep in the night for a small huddle and off we went to rest our heels after another sumptuous dose of Sandesh and Mistidoi apart from the home cooked meal. I dozed off reading one of the books in their massive library and woke up startled when we were ready to catch the train. So off we went in the snaking paths of dreamy Kolkata, over the bridges and under the passes to the buzzing railway station. People were running everywhere and trying to get on with their trains and luggage. We lazily adjusted in the AC Chair car and resumed dozing off. I kept thinking about the day ahead when we will be exclusively shown the New Bar Mill at TATA Tiscon plant in Jamshedpur to see how the rebars are made!

The test of fire!

Once in Jamshedpur, I felt I was in the sanctuary of the greatest dreamers and successful people in the world and the expectation was at its peak.The visit to the plant happened in clinical precision with the security briefings, precautions to be taken and we were given a privilege of having exclusive access to cameras. The HR team and the factory management took us through the processes and ensured we understood what happens in the daily life of a Tata employee and we could see the extremely personal bonding people had with Tata as a brand more than an employer. The pride was worn on the sleeve and the satisfaction, gratitude was visible in their eyes. While we couldn't pull most of them aside to talk to them, we were given the presentation of the team that worked on a research project from one of the quality circles and their award winning contributions. I will be doing some of the posts for Talk To Tiger and you would see the stories are really amazing.

The dance of fire

The trip to the fiery furnace was more humbling than expected as you feel the heat some 25 mts away and it is not just the size that dominates but the spirit of Tata and how they could start this much more many others in India. The simple concept of getting such a big plant set up is a monumental task in itself and is not for the lighthearted. Having it up and running while the Britishers are breathing down your neck and trying to put restriction shows the power and stature of character from the founding father. 

Can you see the music and hear the symphony?

Tata Tiscon rebar mill is one of the latest in the whole scheme of things and we saw how the billets were remolded to form the rebars and the walk of the transition was educative. It is really easy to look at a steel bar and not see the fiery journey it takes to be what it needs to be - the nerves in your building. Unless careful quality controls are in place, the standards that Tata has set in place are followed the bar is discarded and used as scrap. Only the best of the best survive the test and move on to the clients. Did I tell you Tata Tiscon is the first to brand the steel bar?

Once we finished the experience and walked out of the factory we crossed the gates under the careful gaze of the man himself - Jamsetji Tata whose statue sits regally overseeing the gate and in a fitting tribute I got down to capture him in my camera and spend a moment in his presence, albeit being a statue, to think upon the legacy, the charm, the class and the culture his personality exudes and the simplicity of principles he lived by. While the rebar might be just a bar of steel for all of us for the staff at Tata Tiscon it is their art, their creation and their life.

Check out here about the branding lessons from Tata Tiscon soon.

This post is a part of the #BuildingBlogsOfJoy activity of TATA TISCON in association with BlogAdda.com.

Pamper me Soft!

“We have a little guest coming so have to prepare our home to welcome her and it is going to be a tough job”. We were on the mission to welcome a little guest who would change the way we live, eat, think, work, sleep and even dream. 

The little guest would be our special guest for the next few years and would change our lives forever. But first we were to child-proof our home to ensure that there are no sharp things, no corners open, no nails, no plug points, switches and harsh surfaces that were protruding and harm our little one. Though this mission started much before the the little Tigress arrived, we were ready. Bedsheets changed from posh silk ones to cool cotton, pillows became softer, paddings were used to cover the furniture. Everything was ensured to be the softest thing available. Grandmother’s sarees kept for this particular purpose, specially worn, softened in natural organic fabric wash were cut to size and kept ready to be the first touch between our baby’s skin and the already soft blankets. The wraparound was also selected weeks before, thoroughly washed and ironed.

Our shampoo changed because it was slightly harsh and might irritate her. Our soaps changed, detergent changed, my cologne changed, we stopped the use of perfume, stopped wearing a formal shirt as it was leaving the button marks on her feather soft skin when I hold her during lunch or before going to office. I started wearing cotton tees, wify skipped all the decorative work-kundan-designer dresses and shifted to cotton ones so it was easy to handle. I started shaving every day to make sure my stubble doesn’t hurt the little one. Pillows, cushions grew multi-fold on our bed, on the floor around the bed. So everything around was which didn’t fit the softest in the world category was shown the door and we moved to the softest and the most natural one to do.

Then came the question of nappies.

Some suggested the use of cloth, some suggested the use of some pant model ones, some said use grandmother’s saree, some suggested napkins. We were also searching in Google, with doctors, friends and everywhere possible. Our primary logic was to ensure the baby’s skin doesn’t get rashes and the nappy shouldn’t hurt her. No compromise on that. No compromise on freedom of movement too. We didn’t want the legs to be too tight or hard to obstruct her freedom to move her little legs and do her cutsy things. We didn’t want her to feel wet either and get disturbed in the night or just before going to sleep. Comfort, peace of mind and safety were our primary concerns apart from a thousand other things all parents are worried about.

Then we found pampers. Pampers gave us the freedom to let her rest comfortably and move around as much as she wants. She wore them to sleep, wore them to parks, wore them when bored, wore them to fights, wore them to pin me down when wrestling, boxing, biting, fighting, basically wore them everywhere. She never felt that they were obstructing her movement. She loved them and to be frank, we change them very often. We also play with the colorful elephants, giraffes on the pampers. I keep joking that I have a masters degree in pampers changing. Thankfully no rashes, no leeks, no other problems in the last two years. Won’t we all choose the best for the baby? After all nothing is more important than her care and comfort. So why compromise!?

Pampers brings you the softest ever Pampers Premium Care Pants. Its cotton-like softness is #SoftestForBabySkin and allows it to breathe, thus keeping baby’s skin soft and healthy, and your baby happy. This post is a part of the Pampers #SoftestForBabySkin activity at BlogAdda.

Why I need to #ProtectHerHeart

When I met her for lunch for the first time, we spoke a lot, we laughed a lot, ate a lot and planned to meet again. Few days later we met for my coffee and her tea at the Taj and spoke over snacks. As our relationship progressed, our foodie expeditions moved forward too progressively increasing in time, space and quantity. The whole relationship was bonded over a good dose of food, frolic and fun. 

The numerous coffees that got cold as we spoke or ice creams melted over our engrossment in each other, or the hundreds of cold coffees that turned hot as our fights turned to silent waiting out to hear a sorry (It was always me by the way and never her). Life is good. We cherish the moments we spent with each other and will spend with each other. But most of these additional calories that got added to our tummies were burnt in the long walks we took after food though our car was parked next to the cafes and restaurants. If sharing food isn’t accompanied by the friendly chats, silences and walks later then it is no fun at all and in the process I won her heart.

Then we got married.

I make her breakfast, coffee and prepare food, milk for the little one and slowly wake them up. We still love our tea (She converted my coffee to tea! And I didn’t even realize?!!!), snacks, chats and the time we spend together over food. She tries to replicate my mom’s recipes and her mom’s snacks. Remember the word ‘try’ and then look up The Kitchen Story. She likes experimenting in the kitchen, cooks and plates mean food that makes me clean the plate. She waits while I taste the dish and tell her how good it is and then lets me enjoy it.

Then The Little Tigress stepped in to our lives. I don't just have one or two but three little hearts to protect and #ProtectHerHeart I will. 

Healthy options crept in. Though initially we hated the tastes, we started to love them. I gave up on all the food that she had stopped eating. So no snacks, junk food, Mcd, KFC, burgers and pizzas or colas and coffees. We were watching what we ate. Our food changed, choices changed. Then came the cravings. Biryanis. Many of them. We binged on everything and then once the little angel came into our lives, we decided to get fit to be there. I still cook for her. She makes so many nice things for the little one and I am forced to eat what is left out :)

Today, after checking out the Weight-Heart Test at www.saffolalife.com, I decided to tell you all as to what is our secret to #ProtectHerHeart. Here are the five things I would do to #ProtectHerHeart.

1. I will make you laugh every day and keep you happy and pamper you with so many gifts that make you smile
2. I will take you out for walks, talks and those street side hot teas while kids are at school
3. I will eat good food with you with all the calories and eat all the ice creams, pizzas, but in moderation
4. I will take care of the little one and give you ‘Ýour Time’ so you can have free time for yourself and do whatever you want to do
5. I will adhere to your strict diet that you have been pushing me to start and take my health and yours seriously

Most importantly, I will not break your heart and promise to protect your heart all the time for it is mine.

I am joining the Saffolalife #ProtectHerHeart initiative and pledging my support to better heart health in Association with BlogAdda.

Dabur Baby Massage Oil review

I was sheepishly hesitant when I saw her for the first time as she was wrapped in green cotton sheet and was handed over to me. I was holding her like I was holding a hot glass bowl or the egg of a precious bird. She was my little angel and I was seeing her for the first time. I cannot tell you how it feels to fall in love instantly and for the second time. This was a beautiful experience for me and I wanted to preserve that memory forever. This was to a point that I was always at her side, at her beck and call, even at the slightest call, muzzle or mumble. And I do it even today. I always wanted to give her the best of the best things available and in that process have not compromised on anything. Touch wood. May my #FirstLove stay the same - in the pink of health.

When it came to give her a bath, all the tub, wrapping towels, soap, soap case and everything else was the best of the best available in India and abroad. When it came to oil, we opted for a trusted brand and it shocked us when her tender skin developed rashes and upon a little googling and research, I found that the ingredients are not always natural and in this case, they were clearly mentioning that some mild chemicals were used. The product went straight to dustbin. Never to return to our shopping carts again.

Thus started the hunt for the best oil to massage my little one, not just to prepare her for bath and help her skin stay lush but also to help in the formation of strong bone, growth of muscle and tone of the skin. Was there a solution that provided all these and yet be natural and mild enough so her skin will not erupt with rashes and reddiness? Apparently there was and it was from our own tested and trusted brand - Dabur. The baby oil and Lal Tail are regular items on our shopping list. To take it one step forward, wify has started to use them too for herself to help in the tissue softening and it has done wonders.

The new baby massage oil comes in a cute little bottle of 100 ml and is priced reasonably at Rs. 110/- for the small bottle. The packing is good and the curve on the bottle doesn’t let it slip even with a slightest pressure on it. This comes in very handy when you are managing a baby in one hand, towels, wipes and the oil bottle in another. The cute little elephant makes it cuter. 

Dabur Baby does not encourage the use of any form of artificial colours, paraffins, and parabens. Dabur Baby Massage Oil is a unique blend of premium natural oils like - Olive & Almond which provide the baby the required nourishment. Olive is known to help provide nourishment to the baby’s skin, while Almond is known to gently moisturize your baby’s delicate skin making it soft and supple. The Olive oil provides the nourishment needed to reduce the pressures and pains (body aches) in the little one and helps her relax and sleep. 

Check the product out and I would suggest you check any product from Dabur first before opting for anything else when it comes to kids. I also would suggest that you try out a small quantity on your little one to check if she is reacting in any way and then use any product.

Check out more about the goodness of Dabur and the Baby oil here.

“I am participating in the #FirstLove activity at BlogAdda in association with Dabur“.

Tiger reviews Renault Lodgy

"Looks bulky", I told myself when I saw the new baby from Renault for the first time. She had come to give us a taste of her speed and was standing in front of The Leela Palace at Goa. I love any new vehicle and this was especially enticing as it had just rained and some little droplets were hanging on to her. There was an entire fleet of 10 vehicles and we got the most powerful one with 6-gears to test out.

The first few minutes I was trying to figure out how she would respond to my finicky fidgety approach while trying out the shifting of gears and adjusting the seat height, angle of the steering wheel and fixing the indoor temperature and the music system (touch screen).

Once we got off the road from Leela and went on to try the driving at the main road I could feel the power of the machine. The MPV segment’s new baby from the Renault family had it packed well under the hood. I was amazed at the dexterity it could maneuver the turns and the wet paths on the rainy Goan roads. Well... while I can go on and on what I tried, let me tell you what comes as a package when you pick up a Renault Lodgy.

Control: I tried doing some stunts that the Renault team wouldn’t have agreed but ya… I have tried. The vehicle is under control when making sharp turns, does well in slopes when climbing up an incline. It also does well when braking suddenly. Though their reports say it is the best when it comes to the coverage of distance while braking, I had no reason to doubt. The ABS + EBD + Brakeassist, rear defogger, airbags and all the other security features makes you comfortable when with family.  

Real estate: The best feature was the space available in it to pack so many things and have the whole family, extended family and some luggage for picnic and drive off. The air conditioning was powerful too and with vents out at the third seat, the cooling was superb. We were around five people in the vehicle along with some stuff and still could be cooled properly at the first point. The boot space is amazing. What did I like here? The two tone dashboard, leather wrapper steering wheel, a fine looking 3 panel instrument cluster, leather upholstery, a built in medinav system with colored reverse camera display, roof mounted dual AC and electrically adjustable rear view mirrors, central locking, key-less entry...  

Comfort: Apart from the height adjustable seat belts, seat belt reminder, door ajar warning, impact sensing unlock, speed sensitive door lock, a rear wiper & defogger and front fog lamps the Lodgy was comfortable and there was no noise! Coming to noise, it was pretty silent despite all the rush and rain outside. The acoustics were done neatly and the music system with its touch screen option along with the Bluetooth connectivity to take a call and dial was superb handy. Giri tried calling his wife and we checked the functionality. The buttons for the call handling are right behind the steering wheel and could have been better if connected to the steering itself but that was handy too.

The vehicle is prepared to match the Indian roads when it comes to humps and speed breakers and with a considerable amount of weight has good clearance to handle the challenges. I am particularly impressed with the suspension and it was after all a family car with a specific need. 

Looks: The size isn’t big when you actually look at it that way and can be used comfortably in city traffic. The design is impressive with a lot of chrome work running around it and the arrow head hind lights were cool. The reverse park-assist camera and the proximity signal would come in handy especially when you are in a fix to find parking space.

I would have loved it if it had come in black but the Royal Orchid was close enough. Six more interesting colors make your choice easy. The gear box is a bit shifty and you should get used to it soon. I have a fairly good rating to it for the comfort of driving a really biiiig car and Renault has everything you need in the Lodgy. 

If you are in a big family and love traveling long distances every week or take frequent trips, this is the best you can opt for especially being the pocket friendly option. Renault Lodgy has been launched in India with an introductory price range of INR 8.19 to 11.79 Lakhs (ex-showroom in New Delhi) which I believe is very competitive for its features.

Check out Giri's review for more technical version or Renault Lodgy website.

Rating: 4/5 (The vehicle gets about 3.5-4/5 but when you look at the cost and the product offering it gets 4/5)

Verdict: Definite buy.

I was a part of the #LiveLodgycal Drive by BlogAdda.com in association with Renault India.

Some of the pics and video are from Giri.

The #LiveLodgycal experience @ Blogadda

Day -12: I am on my twitter app updating myself and I suddenly see the tweet from Blogadda. Something exciting is happening and I am invited to be some of the select few. How can I say no? I decide to skip the session of RTI at my law college and jump on the bandwagon. 

The Light Liders

Day 1: It was a good day to wake up. Last night it had rained and the cool original Bengaluru weather was welcoming but the excitement was more about the hot humid Goan weather that would invite us in some time. 40 (top) bloggers from all across the country woke up early and gingerly finished their tasks and moved towards the respective airports to board Air Asia flights and headed to Goa. While the flight was uneventful, there was very high expectation in the air about what the Renault Team with their new MPV - Lodgy would have for us along with their co-conspirators - Blogadda. Now we all know the hospitality of Blogadda and we were only ready for being pampered. I personally was coming off after 72 hours work shifts and had left my little one at home and it was a promise to come back as soon as I finish my testing and review of Lodgy.

We landed on time in the little Goan airport and stepped into the arrivals lounge when the Team #LiveLodgycal were ready to receive us and we were ushered into the waiting bus and wow we had 20 more people to join us in this crazy drive. I dozed off on the bus to reach the hotel and was ready to experience the fun and the famed five star service The Leela Kempinski Beach Resort. With the floral welcome came the coconut drink and off we went to the rooms to fresh up. The evening was fun too as we were introduced to all the bloggers and the meet and greet ended with a small brief about Lodgy and the specs of the MPV. We were repeatedly reminded to have fun and not worry about the vehicle or anything else. 

The BlogAdda team were more than willing to ensure this would happen. We wanted to go to the beach but the weather played rough and it was almost impossible to walk on the beach without moon-walking. A quick dinner and a dip in the warm tub got me ready for bed but the excitement was just too high that we got up early and went off to get hands on the New Renault Lodgy. Boy this was going to be fun. 

Day 2: We were a team of four with Neha Mathur, who while not riding SUVs and MPVs cooks a mean dinner and is known for her food recipes, Hina Gujral, who has fun and frolic with food when she is not admiring the beautiful Nainital, and Giridhar the brain behind one of the top techblogs in India, and we were 'the Light Riders'. We got the higher end vehicle to tryout and we were already to ride quick and light after a filling brunch. Burp! 

The vehicle was flagged off and we zipped off on the moist Goan roads and were quickly greeted by drizzles and showers that made the driving more fun. The events planned all along with the way and we made good progress. Once we reached the Cavelossim - Assolna Bridge we had to stop and take a break. Break from tweeting, clicking pictures, tagging and retweeting and having awesome fun. The four of us had the best of times during that drive. We had Ankita to help us out with the route and it was beautiful. The view was too damn awesome. You have to stand on the edge there look at the lone fisherman in his boat under a palm hat and rain drops hitting your face and you are the only human amidst the massive plantations, flooding river and a cloudy sky. Damn it was fantastic.You got to be here to see this. And then we zoomed off to the venue – The Lalit Ashok. We went off to the beach and there were 15-20 ft high waves and a strong wind blowing at you. With all cameras being guarded all the bloggers were taking pics and strolling on the beach. My shoes got to kiss the ocean and the fun was I could click this picture. 

Soon after lunch we went on to proceed back and we convinced Archanaa to come with us to shoot the video bits while we were driving. And again we stopped to have a break at the bridge. This time the rain stopped and we were again in for some nice treat. We clicked a couple of pictures and were sitting there while others joined us and we all sat there just looking at the sun set in the horizon at his own pace. Once it sank in we pulled some stunts on the Lodgy we are not really allowed to do to see how it performs in pressure on the wet sludgy roads in rain. The vehicle performed well and I have a separate review coming up for the same. Once we reached back, I went out to do some shopping and got back to go to the beach and off to dinner and the party. 

Blogadda team was very particular in making us feel very comfortable every step of the way. We had an awesome musical night planned with Frontline, the best of the bands in Goa performing for us and the real fun started with bloggers started to take the mike and belt out smooth numbers like professionals. The highest point was when Neha clean bowled everyone with her incandescent deep voice and the whole of Bollywood came on to the floor. After a light dinner we bid good bye and went off to rest our tiring feet and had specific plans for the morning to shoot some short films on the beach. 

Now I have to mention the place specifically as they had one of the best resorts in India and we were really enjoying the hospitality. Once we rested our bodies we woke up to a hard hitting rain in the morning and yet we went off to the beach to have some fun and were joined by Santosh and Prashanth. We shot some funny videos while having too much fun, too much to be read as the cold swift rain hitting at you as you try to stand straight. We went off to the hotel, freshened up and packed and were ready to have a sumptuous breakfast and the Lodgy’s were missing but we had enough to talk about politics, food, travel, wildlife, life and philosophy. 

The flight was delayed but we had some fun waiting for it too. We reached Bangalore and traveled back with Garg Ankit, Piyush, Pariknnita and called it off. This was really a fun experience and it was awesome to the hilt. Thank you Blogadda for pampering us and keeping us happy, busy and engaged. It was more a fun event than 40 bloggers working for something. 

We made 45 new friends - Tina , Pranav, Atul, Manjulika, Aditi, Neha, Senthil, Rutavi, Debojyoti, Sammy, Ragini, Prateek, Murtaza, Piyush, Nirav, Madhu, Deepak, Satish, Rekha, Roshan and Omkar. Now Harish, Ankitha, my bags are packed and am ready for the next adventure. Thank you Renault and BlogAdda for everything. 

#LiveLodgycal #Peace.

I was a part of the #LiveLodgycal Drive by BlogAdda.com in association with Renault India. 

Product review: Ambipur Air Effects

"Fish! Fish for dinner today!" 

This is the announcement that greets me as I reach home and I say, "I know! I could smell it at the parking lot!"

Let me confess, I love fish. But then I love the smell too. The real smell stays longer than we all like it. A typical family has several odors that they live with every day. Fish is just one of them. Eggs, milk, last night's curry, the undiscarded pizza box, nappies, tissues, papers and what not! We all know the weaknesses, then leave it to settle on its own and then start to live with them. The next step is to get used to the smell so much that you wouldn't even notice it anymore. Unless until you walk out of the room for some time and come back. Yep, you grow to love the smell (that was sick right?)



Do you know indoor air quality is one of the most concerning issue we all choose to ignore? Modern life exposes us to a vast number of harmful toxins every day. The air in enclosed spaces likes homes and offices has 2,200 times more concentration of toxins than the outdoors! While you must always look at enhancing the natural flow of air and light into the rooms to ensure they are healthy and disease free, you might also depend on various solutions to solve the odor problem. The market therefore has new tools and technologies that promise to help. At least in terms of smell, the Ambi Pur Air Effects is one such product designed to reduce all the odors that plague your homes in one smooth simple swoosh of Ambi Pur!

The fragrance is slightly mild and pleasant depends on what quantity you use. The lesser the better as it neutralizes the unpleasant odors and brings in the freshness of what you have chosen from the Ambi Pur arsenal. They have a variety of fragrances to cater to your tastes. The ones we liked are the Blossom and Breeze and Lavender Vanilla and Comfort, there are some exotic ones too that promise to take you to the land of your dreams. If you feel you might get bored with just one, pick up more fragrances. While Ambi Pur would help you remove the bad odors right away, always look to keep our place clean to keep it fresh and disease free. Cleanliness is next to Godliness and for all others like me, you have a solution now. Fresh up instantly and see the difference. You don't have to live dirty you know! You can change from #SmellyToSmiley.

I am blogging for #SmellyToSmiley activity at BlogAdda.com in association with Ambi Pur.