WomanZie

Relive my golden Shantiniketan Days this weekend

05:11

My excitement knew no boundary when my husband suddenly planned for Bolpur (Shantiniketan) trip last weekend. My happiness was doubled because I was a Post Graduate student of Visva-Bharati University (under Central Government). I was a Master degree student in Journalism and Mass Communication then and had lot of memories in Shantiniketan.

Visva-Bharati was established by Rabindranath Tagore (An eminent novelist, writer, song writer and poet) in the heart of Shantiniketan, district Birbhum. His dream was to expand the education and knowledge not only in India, but also around the globe. His interest in Chinese culture is known to everyone and that is why; China’s respect for Visva-Bharati always got a remarkable position in the University. I am proud to be a student of this university with a broader vision and goal.

If you board a train, it is only 2 to 3 hours journey from Kolkata and many trains are easily available from both Howrah and Sealdah station. We boarded Satabdi Express at 2.15 pm from Howrah and we practically run to catch the train. (All thanks to our Kolkata traffic).

At 4.00 pm, we reached Bolpur (Shantiniketan) and I could smell the soul of Lal Mati (Red Soil). Thanks to my University Sir from whom I asked for help for hotel booking and I got a room for a day. (Rush of Tourists still prevalent).

We book a ToTo (New launched public transport in Shantiniketan) and straightaway head to Shanibarer Haat (Saturday Flea Market). The speciality of this Haat is that you can find people selling Handicraft items (showpieces, paintings, clothes with hand stitch designs), handmade food items, and the famous Baul gatherings (local music of Birbhum district). When I was a student, we friends had our own bicycles and we cycled through the Lal Mati and spend some weekend time at Haat. It is open for all and the entire Haat will wrap up when the sun set.

I and my husband went there and found that the Red Soil Road was transferred into solid concrete road and the work was still in progress. This decision killed the essence of Red Soil.

My Man: What happen?

Me: I am feeling sad to see the condition of the Haat

My Man: What can you do?

Me: Nothing

My Man: I loved it and let’s take more pictures of the Haat, Eucalyptus trees and Khowai

Me: I smiled

In the evening, when we were having tea, suddenly my husband asked me I want to see Shantiniketan through your eyes. I was very happy and smiling inside. But, many things changed in these five years.

Still, I took him to the places where I used to have my breakfast, lunch and dinner, my Paying Guest locality and building, my Campus, my department, my shopping stores, my grocery stores and friends Adda (chatting) zone with friends. I felt, as if I was a student again and enjoying my days to the fullest. We strolled around the shopping market and check out the special Dokra jewelry of Bolpur (Shantiniketan). We also visited Kankali Tala Temple (Temple of Maa Kali) and offered praying.

On Sunday, we boarded Kaviguru Express at 2.10 pm and reached Howrah by 5.00 pm. It was a sudden weekend trip and all thanks goes to my man. It’s a great weekend break for me to relive my golden Post Graduate days.

#MondayMusings

Facts of Life

Missed opportunity with New Hope

09:24

Facts of Life

Review of Inspirit Cleanse: Flawless Beauty

07:44

Imperfection is just a mere expression. Your outer beauty will be radiant if you are beautiful from inside. Though, it is an old cliché, but recently, I understood the real meaning of inside beauty when I came across of Inspirit Cleanse. This company set up with a vision of different cleanses and juices in Kolkata, which will have many nutritional and health benefits. Out of excitement, I mailed them to know about their service and that is when I got an offer from the company to try a sample cleanse, then I immediately gave green signal to this opportunity.

They schedule me the cleanse programme for Flawless Beauty. I was bit speculative when they said me that I cannot take any food for the entire day and have to be on cleansing drink for 12 hours. It was really harrowing for me at first and I get double assurance from their side. As per their website, it claims like this:

8 am – Sparkle 2 x 250 ml bottles

11am – Immunity 2 x 250 ml bottles

2 pm - Ravishing 2 x 250 ml bottles

5 pm - Robust 2 x 250 ml bottles

8 pm - Enhance 2 x 250 ml bottles

The courier boy arrived with the set of sample at around 9.30 am and so I started to drink the cleanse juices from 9.30 am to 9.30 pm with three hours gap from one drink to another drink.

SPARKLE

Ingredients- Apple, Carrot, Celery and Spinach

It Claims- It gives you healthy and beautiful skin and makes you feels rejuvenated. It is vegan, no artificial sugar, gluten-free, unpasteurized and no added color and preservatives. Served chilled and it will be best before 72 hours. It is 100% natural.

My Experience- I start my day with this juice and have the two bottles at one go. The apple flavor was strong with spinach taste and a mix of sweet and tangy taste of apple makes the drink perfect to drink at one go.

IMMUNITY

Ingredients- Orange, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lemongrass

It Claims- A sweet and tangy juice for enhancing your digestive health with antiseptic properties. It reduces the chances of strokes. It is vegan, no artificial sugar, gluten-free, unpasteurized and no added color and preservatives. Served chilled and it will be best before 72 hours. It is 100% natural.

My Experience- Of all the five juices, this one is my favorite for this tangy taste and I really enjoyed having these two bottles at one go.

RAVISHING

Ingredients- Pineapple, Orange, Beet, Pomegranate, Aloe Vera juice, Chia seed

It Claims- High protein which lowers blood pressure, cholesterol, increases hair growth and cleanse your system. It is vegan, no artificial sugar, gluten-free, unpasteurized and no added color and preservatives. Served chilled and it will be best before 72 hours. It is 100% natural.

My Experience- I love pomegranate and so the cleanse juice. On the last sip, I got a small portion of pomegranate which brought a smile on my face and so here is my selfie with the cleanse juice.

ROBUST

Ingredients- Apple, Celery, Spinach, Cucumber, Parsley, Lemon, Ginger and Moringa

It Claims- The best juice amongst the lot with most nourishing and dense nutrients for super alkalizing and anti-inflammatory benefits. It is vegan, no artificial sugar, gluten-free, unpasteurized and no added color and preservatives. Served chilled and it will be best before 72 hours. It is 100% natural.

My Experience- With so many ingredients, this juice also has a good effect on my taste bud.

ENHANCE

Ingredients- Almond, Filtered water, Turmeric, Himalayan Sea Salt, Coco oil, Vanilla and Honey

It Claims- High protein of almond and anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric, health and cure combined to give you an energetic pro-digestive nutty drive. It is vegan, no artificial sugar, gluten-free, unpasteurized and no added color and preservatives. Served chilled and it will be best before 72 hours. It is 100% natural.

My Experience- It is really heavy as a juice and it has a sweet turmeric and almond mixture taste more prominent.

Bottom Line:

Through this 12 hours journey, I did not feel hungry in between the three hours gap. But, I drank water to keep myself hydrated and it did not affect my system at all. Next morning, I woke up in a fresh and light mood and there was no lame experience for the entire day.

As per the company’s Instructions mailed to me:

Pre Cleanse Diet - Avoid consumption of tobacco/alcohol for a few days before starting the Cleanse. Start intake of light food ahead of your Cleanse program, avoid red meat and fatty foods, include fruits and vegetables in your diet and keep active.

During the Cleanse - Try and keep yourself stress free. Don't worry if you are hungry / dizzy or frequently going to the toilet, it's your body flushing out the toxins and is on clean and repair mode. You should not eat processed food during a Cleanse but if you feel you need more, supplement with raw salads or broth, a light liquid diet and keep yourself hydrated at all times.

Post the Cleanse diet - Bask in the glow, eat light and make it a habit to cleanse periodically.

Don't be disturbed if the juice separates as veggies and fruits produce juices of various densities. Make it a habit and with sustained use you will feel better with great results. Always keep the juices refrigerated and shake well before use.

So, all you guys and girls who want to have flawless skin, must try out this cleanse process occasionally to relieve your beautiful moment.

For more information, you can visit the website www.inspiritcleanse.com

NOTE: The review is based on my complete personal experience.

Linked with: http://www.threewordwednesday.com/2016/01/3ww-week-no-462.html

Facts of Life

My Tales of 2015

08:26

The year 2015 taught me many things. I understood, life is not what I used to think, life gives many twists and turns. Yes, I can say it did not start with a good note. Relationship strain, depression and stress was part of life in the first half of the year. My life was like “plain paratha” without any “tarka” and on the top of that there was additional “chili chutney” that makes my life miserable. But, I did not give up my hope and thanks to my husband for his continuous support to sort out all the differences in the family.

To come out from this trauma, I took up counseling session to restore my relationship and understand where the gaps were. I realized that sometimes we need to leave that 5 seconds of our life to stay in peace and avoid quarrel. From these sessions I understood my priorities and overlook the petty issues that was going in my house. The session came out to be successful one and slowly and steadily I regained my confidence and started looking into relationships in a different way.

To get myself out from this situation, I visited my Mommy land many times. Meeting my parents was a healing effect for me. Due to all the negative things, I was going far from my blog and it truly affected my blog too. To escape from all these nonsense things, I started spending more time with my blog and pen down my thoughts. But, it was just a small ray of hope and in the mid months of the year, I had viral fever almost after 2 years and my health was affected badly. The main reason of the fever was mental and physical stress during the first half of the year. I was completely under medication for 10 days and weak from inside. Finally, I decided to join gym to flush out the toxins from my body and got some ME time in the gym.

September, my birthday month and I planned a sweet and short vacation with my family. Though, it was short, but the impact of the trip was big. It was a like a sunlight in the midst of dark clouds. Later, in the month of November a big shock came to me when my MIL was hospitalized. I had to take work from home option from my office, take good care of her health and do all the household works. It was really hectic on my health.

After a few weeks of hustle and bustle, I got a sign of relief and was determined to change my life. I started with my blog and purchased the domain of my blog. 31st December, the last day of 2015, I celebrated with dance, music and food. I forgave all the people from whom I got hurt and wanted to start fresh with new hope and desire.

The year 2016 started with good things and I am looking forward to this year for more strong bond in relationships, new initiatives in my professional life, more time for my blog and most importantly I will carry the education and experience that I learn from my mistakes in the year 2015. Today, I participated in “walk-for-a-cause” initiative by Tata Medical Center, Kolkata for the treatment of cancer patients suffering in North East Region. It was my first time and yes, good things do come to those who are patient.

Happy New Year 2016!

Linked with: “I’m sharing my #TalesOf2015 with BlogAdda.”