Let me say this at the outset: I am sorry for
being this late. Have been working for the past few weeks at a stretch, even
spending my weekends in the newsroom and editing bays. But since it's an off day today, I am all set to pour down
my thoughts on this topic. I don’t think the title of the topic stays valid in
my case, so here’s changing it a bit –
Things Every Woman Should Write to Empower
Herself
1 1. What
Younger You Would Like About Present You
My younger self is in love with the present me. She is independent, full of life, humble, and spiritual.
She discovered her spiritual side almost a decade back. Having attended some of the
meditation or Murli classes, she
understood the essence of the word – ACCEPTANCE.
Today, her dreams might have
grown bigger, but her expectations have lowered. Though she strives hard to
achieve her big dreams, she accepts that impediments make the journey even more
interesting, beautiful, and worthy! I am in love with the present Anushree Bhaumik.
2. The
Watched/Read It List
I love reading books, and I love watching movies. However, sometimes, it
becomes too difficult to read a book after a long, tiring day at work. And, those
are the times when I prefer taking a deep slumber to reading or writing, since I know the
next day will equally be tiring. When time permits, I do read one chapter
before I hit bed.
Well, at present, I am reading a book, the adaptation of which I missed out on watching on the big screen – Yann Martel’s Life of Pi. Have watched the movie
on television but it’s a different feeling to read the book, which talks
intensely about living a fuller and more adventurous life. Next on my reading list
is a Jhumpa Lahiri book.
The last movie I watched in the theatre was – The Lunchbox. I was smitten
by the beautiful storyline and the brilliant acting by Irrfan Khan,
Nimrat Kaur, and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. In fact, for the longest time, I had high
hopes of it making it to the Oscars. But then I am also the one who thinks
Bollywood has an obsession with the Oscars and should come out of this reverie soon and concentrate only on creating meaningful films.
3. The
Mistake You Never Want to Make
There are a couple of
mistakes that I don’t want to make. However, they always allow me to reinvent myself. One among them is my habit of getting worked up over what
people say about my surroundings, my state of mind, my idea of living life, my
way of eating and dressing, my way of dealing with varied relationships… and so
on.
There is a constant policing that people around you will always do. They
have a say in anything and everything that they don’t quite agree with. This is the time to smile
at them and get on with my life – the way I want to live it and not get too
stressed with what others think of me.
4. Your
Ideal Outfit
In my perfect world, I
am wearing a pyajama and a T-shirt and
that’s because it’s a Sunday and I am at home. But, I love dressing up nicely
and especially for get-togethers. What I wear, depends primarily on my mood and
the social surroundings of the event.
Last year, I experimented with wearing a halter blouse with my mother’s Tussar Silk saree at a cousin’s
wedding in Kolkata. And, trust me, I was warmly welcomed by all.
Below is a picture from
that event. Yes, that’s my ever-gorgeous mother.
5. A
Deep, Dark—Shhh—Secret
To that, I’ll say – it depends on
each one’s personality and how one nurtures the secrets. For me, my secrets
are like those hidden possessions that have the potential to make any mundane
day look brighter!
6. The Most Unexpected Compliment You Ever Got
Oh! How can I forget this one? This is a recent compliment that I
received from one of my interviewees, with whom I shot for 3 continuous days.
At the end of the third day, he said – ‘You are too sweet for a journalist. I
never found you screaming all this while.’
I thanked him and said – 'Not all journalists scream, sir.'
7. That One Quote
Sharing some of my favourite quotes -
1. Hope is a good thing,
maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies
- The Shawshank Redemption
2. When you want
something, the universe conspires to help you to achieve it.
Paulo Coelho
3. Faith in God is an
opening up, a letting go, a deep trust, a free act of love – Life of Pi
4. You’ll never find a
rainbow if you’re looking down – Charlie Chaplin
8. The Best Surprise You’ve Ever Had
Six years ago, I was almost kidnapped by a lovely friend who
came to meet me at my former office. Before I knew anything, I was sitting
at Pizza Hut (somewhat far from the office) - all annoyed for not being told of
the plans in advance. Nothing too big a surprise, but it was indeed a pleasant
one. When I look back at it today, I laugh frantically… and regret not
having enjoyed those beautiful moments fully.
9. Your True Happiness
Happy when my
reporting boss says – ‘Anushree, good story / nice script / good shoot.’
Happy to have an orange or lime ice candy in the scorching heat. Happy to go
rafting with my family and friends in Rishikesh. Happy when my mother makes me
something interesting to eat… and when my father drops me to office. Happy to
come back home late at night to the already-made bed by my younger brother. Happy when my grandfather
watches all my stories and feels proud to read my name on the credit roll. These are small everyday happy moments. However, my true happiness is in
the happiness of the people around me. I am happiest when I know that my
family and friends are doing just fine.
10. Your Favourite Failure
As a child, I was a good dancer. (Some say - I still am) My mother taught me to dance to Rabindranath Tagore’s songs. I started with that but later tried all dance forms. I would often go solo in dance performances in school. This one
time, my dance teacher asked me to take part in a group dance. I did that,
although we weren’t allowed to participate in more than one activity – a
rule for classes 9 to 12. I still remember that she somehow didn’t like my dancing
skills and chucked me out of the group a day before the function. I cried buckets
as a 9th grader. But that day, I promised myself that
I would be a far better dancer than I was then. And the very next year, I
stood first at the State Level Dance competition (Uttar Pradesh). But then that one incident gave me an ambition and a challenging task
to better myself as a dancer.
11. An Amendment to the Bucket List
Don’t know whether I should be calling them amendments, but yes, there are a few stuff that I would certainly want to achieve this year. I have been
postponing my dream of learning how to bake. I want to start baking and also
blogging about the same.
And, as per my personality, I think I’ll be better off being a little
less indolent about things I love doing in life – dancing, cooking, blogging, and
laughing. We don’t need any specific occasion to do what we thoroughly enjoy
doing in life. Just that we should be able to manage time – and that’s what I
am constantly striving for.
Here’s the link to the
original article on Oprah.com
Also, a big thank you to - Corinne Rodrigues and Pratibha G - the bloggers who came up with insightful posts, and inspired many like me to write
their own.
