The Chatty Divas

How are friendships created? What attracts very different people to each other? This blog introduces two fast friends who lived thousands of miles apart, one in New York, the other in New Delhi. They got to know each other through Facebook and have now actually met. Meet Sulekha aka Lucks, and Kriti who will both regale you with tales from their own frenetic worlds.  Sometimes you will see your own lives and your own truths reflected in there. They chat a lot so be prepared to listen…

Talkfest about India, America, Love, Life …

Chatty Diva  No. 1 – Sulekha aka Lucks

Home Engineer, Reclining Diva or Leisure Queen, What’s in a name?

Hi Friends, I am Sulekha aka Lucks and I love life. Haven’t unraveled all its intricate layers but I am getting there. I am a home engineer, house goddess, leisure queen, reclining diva of my abode. You can call me what you like, as Shakespeare has stated,” What’s in a name?”  I try and preserve my energy by not moving around too much and am happy to hibernate for hours on end. Lying motionless, unmoving, still…get my drift?

Though I go to the gym every day or at least every alternate day, I try not to deplete my energy resources, otherwise. The only thing I exercise all the time is my pea-sized brain in my pachyderm-sized body. Books are my passion, reading, writing and even smelling the brand new ones, fresh out of the printing presses. I love writing about the Sun, Moon, Sea, Love, Life, heartbreaks, food, drinks……anything and everything under the Sun and above it too. I tweak my writing with humor because a life without some laughs in it is a sad one.
I have an embarrassingly loud laugh – more like the Gabbar Singh’s loud and booming  laughter  in the movie ’SHOLAY’. Whenever I am home in Mumbai and I laugh at a joke, the entire society, heck the entire western suburb, comes to know that something funny has been said in my presence. It’s a little disconcerting but I take it in my stride and belt out a resounding sound.
I love with abandon and expect people to reciprocate in equal measure, when they don’t, I feel bad.

I embrace friends and their pain becomes mine, their joys make me happy. I can’t detach  myself from those I care about and that hurts me at times, but it’s all an integral part of who I am. I sing off-key, dance with two left feet, am an excellent sportswoman, used to run a lot but have stopped. Why? Because I read a quote, “When I run my thighs rub against each other and set my pants on fire”, I didn’t want a similar fate hence no more running for me thank you. My thighs are no chopsticks; they are the sturdy and stout pillars on which my gigantic frame rests. I respect them a
lot.

I am an eccentric writer, some nights I wake up at 2.30 a m and switch on the light startling my poor husband, to jot down the ideas swarming in my head. This leads to an argument which I incorporate in one of my articles and get off my chest. Life is interesting and challenging but I wouldn’t have it any other way because, “Life is for living”, is the best advice given by a dear friend. I enjoy each and every moment of life; Lassi with Lavina is one of the pleasures of my journey of life. Hope to share this Lassi with you all for a long time to come.
Lucks aka Sulekha 
http://sulekkha.blogspot.com/

Chatty Diva No. 2  Kriti

Just Another Happy Girl…

Just another Happy Girl – marketing consultant, mother of an angel, wife of a hunk, daughter of an inseparable couple.   I am just another girl – a girl whose life is led by her gargantuan thirst for life and enriching experiences.

There are a few factors that make me- Imagination, experiences, imagination, a bottomless pit for love, imagination, some pain and tons of joy and then some more imagination. Yes I am driven not by this world but a subsequent parallel to it – where things happen as I want them to. I am God there and shape destinies. I am ruthless to some and kind to others. My characters look up to me sympathetically and reverentially – as opposed to this world. Goes without saying, I inhabit my parallel universe much more leading to substantial disarray and confusion in this one.
In this one I have to fit into many shoes – I am actually in the process of changing the one I am in now – the immigrant’s sandals – if you will. I have kept them on for seven years now but am kicking them off in a few weeks for a new pair of good old Desi chappals again. I followed my husband and hence my marriage from India to America like many wives I met during my stay here. These years have been a mixed bag for me and I spent them happily understanding the following:

1. Multicultural Marketing –I was super excited to discover this trait in my profession here. From a marketing consultant back home, I suddenly became a multicultural marketer in the US. The amount of studying that this took filled up most of my days here with amazement and intrigue. And what a fascinating journey it turned out to be – I am now an expert in the field and am teased by all around for spoon feeding my clients.
2. Conversations on visa statuses till you think you are just ready to drop dead and die of boredom
3. Why I should or should not be called a “FOB”
4. Generations of Indians in the US are so much more Indian than in India. I have gone crazy trying to analyze NRI point of views for certain things.
5. Why when a stranger greets you with a “what’s up” you don’t actually have to tell him what is!!! I usually am extremely tempted to cater to his interest …

The list above is actually endless but that is already way too much digressing. Apart from my family and friends, Lassi with Lavina has given me reason to be a part of this world more often now. I have found a place to share my stories, make new lasting relationships, realize my dreams of wanting to be heard and a lot more.
I intend for all readers to sit back and actually grab a Lassi (spike it if you want) and enjoy the ride. I will share my viewpoints, some dilapidated thoughts, some secrets, some imagination, some real experiences and much more with you. I would love for you to hold my hand throughout this journey and let me know what you think of it. Change my course of life if you will – I will abide.

Sulekha and I had only cyber met  but now we have actually met in flesh and blood!  If this were a script from a Bollywood venture in the 80s, there would be thunderclaps and lightening, a thousand bells in the temple would suddenly chime on their own and a cosmic wind would tell our audience that something big is on the way. But alas, since that is not what is going to happen – we will share with you our dreams of a journey together and the progress we make. Our lives will unfold right in front of your eyes and you can be our audience/critic. But for now this is where we start. Break a coconut and give us a high five!

Kriti –  http://kriti-howaboutthis.blogspot.com/

The Chatty Divas will be alternating their posts  on Lassi with Lavina. Stay tuned!  Your comments welcome.