Dhanyavaad (Thank you)

 

As I burn the seashells candle next to me which a dear friend bought for me, I am reminded again of gratefulness. 

For the past few weeks I haven't been able to feel gratitude as much as I should. I've also tried to express or feel it within me with certain techniques, even forcing it through, but I haven't felt it entirely because of a feeling that's been lingering on. However, the most important part here, is that I acknowledge this and I'll keep working on it.

Acknowledgment and acceptance is a key part in life. 

(As I'm writing this at 12.42am, I just received a message from my friend where I am again, reminded of a friendship that I'm grateful for. It's odd I got this now because I haven't received any other messages today until I started writing this new post! Isn't it weird how the universe works?)

I've been having some trouble the last few weeks and I'm happy to acknowledge and accept that it's been a bit tough. I needed to speak to someone about my thought process and the wrong direction that my mind was heading, from a spiritual perspective. I had an enlightening call last night. I cried, I got angry, I got frustrated and then I healed, to a certain extent. He taught me that problems were going to keep arising through-out life. He gave me a perspective from a higher level where our eyes cannot reach or see.

A cycle of problems. Let them keep coming at you and keep on fighting. Thinking about it, it reminds me of a part from the Bhagavad Gita, where Arjun has to also fight. We have no option but to keep fighting and keep overcoming obstacles - it's a part of life. Let it keep happening and let it come at you. We just need to be ready each time. We need to acknowledge, and accept that this is reality. The sooner we understand this, the easier it is to deal with the next problem because we've built that resilience over time.

Hearing this, awakened my soul again. I can tell you the general things like things will become better, all will be fine in the end, which is true, but my advice is, let the game unfold as it should.

Divya Stree - A powerful/divine woman

Tumhi mere har pal main

Tum aaj, tum kal main, hey Shona

You are in all the moments, 

Today, tomorrow...hey Beautiful.

Hi All,

I was supposed to continue with part 2 of my last blog post on India, but slight change. I have some inspiration to write now at 11.29pm! 😛

As women, we have such pressures to look a certain way, behave in a certain way and we are constantly being judged upon by the world. Recently, I have opened up myself to the world where I now show more of who I really am; whether this is me without make up, me in a baggy t-shirt, me singing or me doing completely crazy TikToks.

We are not in this world to be judged or looked down upon by anyone. We all have our own purposes in life and it's so important that we keep our purposes alive in our minds everyday so we can continue to live our lives. It can be easily distracting to lose track of our purpose. Sometimes you can have a bad day, sometimes the worse day, and it's in these moments especially that we need to remind ourselves how important we are, how much we are loved, how much we have accomplished in life and how much the world needs our smile and our positive vibes.

It's an important time for realisation and self reflection. I realised I lost track of what meant the most to me because my purpose was forgotten and they were significantly interlinked. Life seems to zoom pass so quickly and we can often fall into the traps of materialism, pressures and attachment. Having a balanced mind, some breathing space and reflecting deeply upon your journey in life, will make you realise how far you have come and will make you feel grateful for what you already have. This post is for all the superwomen out there.We love you and we are so proud of what you do.

Remember to live in every moment and constantly visualise your purpose.

This lockdown is a blessing in disguise, and if you haven't realised this yet, I promise you, you will soon.

Boh Prem,
Jai Shri Krishna
xxx

India Ki Kahaani (The tale of India)

Namoh Namoh Ji Shankara, Bholenath Shankara, Rudra Dev Hey Maheshwara...(I just watched the film Kedarnath so the song is in my head lol)

Like they say...Inspiration comes at night ;) ...I didn't feel like enough of my India kahaani (story) was shared, so here's a bit more detail...

Arrival at Abu Dhabi: Got to my gate and met a few members of a famous band who I had company with through-out my journey to Mumbai. 

Arrival at Mumbai: Lovingly,  my Aunty (who lives in New Zealand and was visiting India) came to pick me up. A sudden rush of warmth came about me. 2 minutes in, those warm feelings shattered. Due to unforeseen circumstances, she told me she has to leave India in 4 days. My trip was booked for 13 days so I could travel around India with her. I felt like I was about to be sick. What would I do alone in India for 9 more days and it's my first time!?

I let go...I was tired from my flights. All I wanted to do was rest at this point. Got to the hotel, wasn't as I expected and I couldn't even sleep properly, but it ended up being my protection.

Mumbai Exploration: Went to Film City where a lot of the Bollywood films and serials are made. Found a policeman and took a pic with him for the bants lol. To be honest, it wasn't as huge as a lot of people make it out to be. It was pretty standard, unless you happen to see a Bollywood star by chance. The best part was seeing the 'mandir' (temple) that was used in the film Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. We grew up with that film, so physically being there seemed surreal.

The friends I made from the airport invited me to their show in the evening. I thought to myself, when are we ever going to get a chance to see a live outdoor concert of Harrdy Sandhu, or ever experience something like this in India? So I just went with the flow and jumped on a rickshaw! Told my friends we had arrived and we went through to the grounds. As we were walking towards the front where the seats were, it seemed to be blocked off so we were just about to go back, but then the security guards noticed our wristbands and let us through. That's when I realised my friends gave us the VIP tickets and that's when the adrenaline kicked in. Imagine you have no data, your reliant on your Aunt's data and your messaging your friends whilst they're on stage about to perform; it was mad!!! Then my Aunt's phone died LOL. That was just peak lol. Here's some footage from the spectacular night:

Got back to the hotel. Connected to WiFi lol, and then booked an early flight for the next day to Delhi LOL. Then booked a hotel in Delhi. My life was a joke at this point but I was loving every single minute of it!

Arrival at Delhi: Aunty wanted to go Chandni Chowk. At this point, I didn't even know Chandni Chowk was in Delhi. I only knew of Chandni Chowk from the film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. I thought I was living a dream. When we arrived it didn't look like a safe place, lots of stares and we seemed like outcasts so it made me feel uncomfortable. Then we ended up going deeper into the streets of Chandni Chowk and managed to do some shopping despite those feelings. It was a hell of an experience- shop keepers started to offer us cold drinks/chai/snacks lol. We had spent so long there that it had began to get dark, but that's when Chandni Chowk lit up; it looked so beautiful. All the colourful lights, so many people roaming the streets, some doing shopping, some going Gurdwara's and it really opened my eyes; I didn't feel as unsafe then, I felt alive.

Funnily enough, my friends from the show were also coming back to Delhi on the same day, and weirdly, the hotel I was staying at was 5 minutes from the hotel they were in! So we all got together and had dinner in the evening. At this point, the rest of my India travels was still undecided.

The next day me and my Aunty went to see the Red Fort, India Gate, and saw the Hanuman Mandir where there's a 108 foot murti of Hanuman Ji. We also went to a few famous bazaars of Delhi. By then, I had learnt how to bargain like a pro with rickshaw drivers because sometimes it would end up being cheaper than Uber!

Arrival back at Mumbai: My Aunt's flight was the next day so we decided to have a chilled one. We were just about to rest as we were exhausted from the last few days of our travels, until my Aunt's daughter-in-law called her. She asked if she was at the airport. Confused, she asked why would she be at the airport when her flight is tomorrow...Her daughter-in-law replied saying her flight is at 12am. It was currently 10.30pm. Our hearts were racing.

FYI: My flights were booked for the morning. I wasn't going to be staying in Mumbai either. I was flying to Chandigarh. But I didn't know if my flight was going ahead. 9 airports were closed. Chandigarh was one of them. And...this was due to tensions with Pakistan.

Boh Prem...
Jai Shri Krishna
xxx

Sorry to leave you guys on a cliff hanger...but Kahaani toh abh shuroo hui hai (this is just the beginning).

India

LOL I last blogged in Spring 2017 #Peaktimes.

I haven’t been able to sum up my journey to India so here goes…

I was told so many negative things/myths before I had even gone to India. Anupriya, you’re going to get loads of mosquito bites, you will go dark, you will get ill, the pollution is so bad, it smells etc…the list can go on. I got 1 mosquito bite, I didn’t get ill, the pollution did not affect me (same as London tbh), my skin colour didn’t change, and it did not smell whatsoever. And I travelled to 4 different cities. FYI I had the best time of my life. An experience I will never forget.

I am thankful to those who showed their concerns for me and to those who kept stressing for me to be careful and not to trust anyone because I was travelling alone. I am so grateful that God was with me at all times. At challenging times He protected me and He did not let anyone harm me even if people tried.

I went to Mumbai, Delhi, Chandigarth and Amritsar and met some truly inspirational and amazing people who I’m lucky enough to call my friends.  My journey was spectacularly spontaneous from beginning to end- I never expected to be booking random flights a day before LOL. A tip on travelling to India airports- ONCE YOU GO INSIDE THE AIRPORT, YOU CANNOT COME OUT. I fully wish I knew this before going there. It’s not like airports here where you can freely enter and come out as you wish. (You can get a visitors pass for 100 rupees lol). I did gather that the people of India love people from London LOL so that was a bonus for me! My Hindi became so on point that I forgot Gujarati lol. I couldn’t even speak to my parents in Gujarati on the phone LOL.

At times when I was stuck or there was a problem, people are always willing to help you. I remember a lady in Chandni Chowk, Delhi who helped us with a rickshaw guy who was trying to rip us off. She was busy working but she took time out to speak to us and she started shouting at the guy in front of everyone telling him to charge us with the correct price LOL. I gave her a huge smile and shouted back in front of everyone ‘Thank you so much- you’re amazing’ and it made her smile so much. She replied with ‘you’re welcome’ in English even though she didn’t speak much English. I will never forget how much my words meant to her and how her face just lit up. It’s the little things man.

What really made my trip was seeing The Golden Temple in Amritsar on Shivratri. I had a vrath that day (fast of not drinking or eating) for Shiv Ji (Lord Shiva). So seeing the temple on Shivratri made me feel at awe. It's a beautiful place where you feel at peace. I highly recommend you visit at least once in your life. I still can't believe it happened.

On the last day of my trip I decided to do what I really came to Mumbai for…to see The Gateway of India. I spent it alone doing exactly what I wanted to do. But of course...spontaneously. So, I saw The Gateway and it was so beautiful, exactly how I imagined it. I spent a good 15-20 minutes admiring it. As I walked towards the back of The Gateway, I found a few people asking me something but I ignored them. Then, they caught my attention again when they said 'boat ride'. I decided to speak to them and they told me it's a one hour boat ride with a return journey which costs 200 rupees (roughly about  £2). I was intrigued as I never anticipated a boat ride in Mumbai. I asked where the boat would be taking me and he said 'elephants'. I asked him what that meant and he said a word in Hindi which I couldn't understand but I was like who cares, it's a boat journey. It should be fun! So I just got on the boat without thinking twice. After a beautiful 30 minutes of being on sea, a thought came across to me. Where on earth was I heading? LOL. I was deeply enjoying the whole experience I had no idea of my destination so I decided to Google it. I had a sudden rush of adrenaline and then a feeling of warmth. I was being taken to the Elephanta caves which was an island dedicated to Lord Shiva. I had absolutely no idea about this place. Shiv Ji clearly wanted me to visit him before I came back to London haha. Not that I was waiting for a reward or anything but it felt like I was being rewarded after my vrath. I walked up 120 high steps in the heat and when I finally reached the top, it was breathtaking. I'll leave you with a few images of the caves:

To top this off, I visited the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, went to Mumbadevi Mandir and stayed at JW Marriot Sahar on my last night as a treat to myself. I was away for 2 weeks and really missed my family and friends. I can't even tell you how much I learnt in my first trip to India. All I know, is that people were put in my path, blessings were taken from Morari Bapu on the first day of my travel in transit at Abu Dhabi who happened to be on the same plane as me, and I was spiritually guided along the way for a beautiful experience. Thank you India. You've empowered me.

My last words before ending this post...

'There's beauty in the strength and determination of a girl who follows her own path...A girl who doesn't quit when life throws her obstacles.
There's inner beauty in a girl who's confidence comes from experiences, who knows she can fall, pick herself up and move on.'

Be the change you wish to see.

Boh Prem
Jai Shri Krishna
xxx

Vasanta (Spring)

Jai Shri Krishna!

It is officially the first day of Spring! Happy Spring!

As marked by the Hindu festival of Holi, it is the time to welcome the new season with a bit of fun, love and peace.

It is time to grow and flourish! 

Bring out some colour

Show some love

Good vibes only!

The past few months have been challenging but wonderfully challenging. Along this path I've recently met new people who have inspired me to become a better version of myself. Spring is going to start with self reflection!

I wanted to keep this post short, sweet and simple and wish you 
a Spring which will be inspired with awe!

Boh Prem,

Jai Shri Krishna,

xxx

Kartavya Paripurna (Mission Accomplished)

At the beginning of 2016 I set myself some goals which you can see on these two posts:

Nav Varsh Na Shubh Kaamna

Maro Moodboard 

I accomplished Goals 1 and 2: In 2015 I lacked focus on myself and this year I really needed to just focus on me, my family and my career. I found out what was worthy of my time and effort and what was not. I subsided a lot of people and a lot of things and focused on what was supposed to be the correct path for me. This was one of the best decisions of my life. I accomplished more than I ever thought I would be able to and I'm so thankful that I was given the power and the strength to do these things. I healed.

Goals 3 and 4 were also achieved- I'm about the positive vibes life. I've now become like a current of electricity travelling with a positive charge. Ain't nobody got time fo' negativity. I would say 2016 has been one of the best years of my life. I did so many things I never thought I would ever do. 

I booked a train ticket out of London within a matter seconds. I didn't think twice. (Best getaway)

I also booked a holiday within a matter of seconds. I didn't think twice. (P.S. It was the best holiday of my life.)

I handled a huge appeal. I didn't think twice. (It went through.)

I worked SO hard on many things year. I didn't stop and I didn't think twice. (The effort paid off.)

I followed my heart. I didn't think twice. (Best feeling ever.)

I continued to be the person that was not afraid to shine. I didn't think twice. (People's opinions do not matter.)

I continued to be me. 

And...

I gave more. I expected nothing back.

Remember this quote by Gandhi?

"Be the change you wish to see in the world"

 I made that change.  I saw that change.  I was the change. I am the change. I will continue to be the change. If 2016 was not the best year for you, make sure nothing stops you from making 2017 the most epic year of your life. :)

Boh Prem,

Jai Shri Krishna
xxx

Europe 2016 Finale- France, Paris

Paris is probably so far my favourite city. I'm not sure what it is but I feel like there's magic in Paris! Every time I go there I get a wonderful feeling of awe. This is the finale of my Europe trip. Here are some of the highlights of the last country that I visited:

Pont Alexandre III

Arc De Triomphe

Louvre Pyramid

Palais Garnier

Tour Eiffel

Boh Prem,

Jai Shri Krishna

xxx

Europe 2016 - Switzerland; Mount Titlis, Interlaken & Geneva

M o u n t  T i t l i s

This is where it got even more magical! 

Switzerland leaves you in awe... 

The hotel was actually situated on mountains so we had such a stunning altitude, and because we were accommodated at one of the highest floors, the scenery was even more breathtaking!

Mount Titlis was scary. There are literally no barriers!!!

If you fall, that's it.

Ta, ta.

Goodbye. 

Jai Shri Krishna mate!

To get to the top of the mountain there is some serious work involved LOL - I think I went on a cliff lift, a gondola lift (similar to a cable cart), an elevator, then the Titlis Rotair which is another gondola lift that rotates 360° and we went on another elevator. I'm lost already at how much transportation was involved lol! It basically takes a lot of effort to get up there! When we FINALLY got there, I was honestly gobsmacked. The views up there are beyond belief:

I n t e r l a k e n

The town is situated in between Lake Thun & Lake Brienz 

T r u m m e l b a c h   F a l l s

A waterfall inside the mountain

G e n e v a

 L'horlage Fleurie (The flower Clock) & Jet d'Eau

Boh Prem,
Jai Shri Krishna
xxx

Europe 2016 - Switzerland; Rhine Falls & Lucerne

Out of all the countries Switzerland was by far was the most beautiful. The real excitement started here:

R h i n e   F a l l s

 The largest waterfall in Europe

L u c e r n e

-Chapel Bridge & Lion Monument

Boh Prem,

Jai Shri Krishna

xxx