So-Saree Readers Speak - Sonali

Today the person who features on So-Saree's Readers speak section is my best friend Sonali. You have read about her here. She is the most regular reader and biggest encourager of So-Saree, and so I wanted her to feature on my blog for the longest time. So here, you go. Be ready for an excessive dose of hyperboles and exaggerations, because come on...she's my best friend.

I love Sarees but not as much as reading So-Saree! I am not an avid reader but I love reading So-Saree as it keeps me connected to my long distance friend Aditi. I have known Aditi for 8 years now and have always admired her writing and conversational skills. Her impulsive nature and witty jokes crack me up. I call her the epitome of beauty and brains, and to top it up is a great sense of humor. Okay..sounds like I’ve been bribed to say this but I do mean it.

I knew, if Aditi ever decided to write she would do wonders with her writing. It’s no surprise to see her fan following on the blog. So-Saree clearly reflects her personality; interesting, vivacious and addictive. I like the fact that the blog does not only talk about sarees but many other interesting topics.  My favourites are the recipes and the Indianfestivals/rituals. I must admit that I hardly knew the reasons behind these rituals and traditions, so I make sure I read these carefully. I love reading the travel posts and the bloggers posts. I admire all her blogger friends for the talent and skills they have which is also reflected in their blogs. My all-time favorite So-Saree post is the first one about Aditi’s ‘Aai and the Wedding anniversary post ‘Opposites Attract’. I love the way she uploads so many pictures to keep the posts interesting.
Did you know, the first ever saree that I bought was for Aditi's wedding in December 2010. Earlier I had always worn my mom's sarees.

To sum it all, I am stunned by the dedication Aditi shows towards the blog.
You are unstoppable Aditi! I wish So-Saree good luck and may it keep educating (people like me) and entertaining others for many years to come.

 

What Women Want !

Another guest post on my dear Friend Jaya aka Dhriti's Blog... Being Dhriti on the occasion of her First Blog Anniversary. Congrats Girl.

In this post I have shared my all time favourite story ....What Women Want!

Do check it out HERE and leave your comments if you like it.

Love,

Aditi

The PPD Story by Shilpi

Today another of my Blogger Friend Shilpi Shrivastava of Pink Jasmine Styling shares her PPD story for So-Saree Readers.

Motherhood is truly a blessing for me.

It's hard for me now to imagine a day without my kids and family. Life looks better when you have someone to share and care. My twins are two now and life is getting little better than before. They love exploring and are very tech-savvy (not that I am exposing them to too much of technology but whatever little they get). They love playing with each other and never leave a chance to fight for a toy. It's really fun to watch your little ones getting independent with every passing day.

But things weren't that great when I conceived and came to know of my pregnancy. We were really happy and excited after hearing the news but then with my body making two babies, it left me too weak. The whole duration of pregnancy was difficult and tiring for me. As a working woman plus a fashion blogger, it was very stressful. The only option left for me was to give-up blogging for a period of time and concentrate on more important ones. It was a hard decision for me to make but I guess that was the need of the time. Everything moved great for 9 months except the nausea and weakness phase which overtook me pretty fast compared to other pregnant ladies. Doctor called it 'double trouble' which eventually let me sacrifice many of my fun seeking activities. After 9 months, I delivered my beautiful twins. Those moments were surely priceless. But unlike the typical Bollywood movies that wasn't the happy ending.

I got a stroke called 'Postpartum Depression' ! Not that I never heard of it but until and unless you experience it, you don't know the real taste of it.

I wrote a post in my blog ( http://www.pinkjasminestyling.com/2013/05/07/postpartum-fact/) where I quoted- 

‘Right after delivery under the  influence of local epidural, I thought my world has changed for better but this thought lasted for few hours. As epidural was wearing off, I was coming close to reality. I was in pain of wear and tear of delivery when I was asked (hospital nurses) to walk around and start attending breastfeeding classes. A day back, I was so happy being mother and now it was diminishing every moment (pause). I thought I just can’t be a good mother & take care of my babies. I cried with helplessness. My babies were preterm and they needed additional care. I was greatly helped by my family members. They consoled me and brought my confidence back.

Having twins is not a one time deal but doing two projects at the same time and with no excuse.’

So as you can feel from my words that, it was a phase of depression, loss of memory and anxiety. I cried heavily on the day my babies were born. It was such a mix of feelings. Parenting pressure, getting judged and bad health made me feel so low. I was sleep deprived since my 7th month of pregnancy and all I wanted was a long peaceful sleep. But this is something which is not easy to have once you have babies. On top of your fatigue there is so much of pressure to change diapers, feed the babies and then attend the breastfeeding classes which make you feel sick. I was asked to attend the BF classes few hours after my C-section. Easier said then done, but your body feels crappy with the stitches and you certainly don’t have strength to think beyond sleep. PPD is something I started experiencing it within 24 hours of my babies birth.

Fortunately, it lasted for very few weeks for me. Sudden crying, loss of appetite, losing your self-confidence are very few symptoms but the effect is much more deeper. You loose your personality in this process and I call it as one of the hardest part of my early motherhood. Thank God that my husband and family were there to support me and it vanished pretty soon. But I have seen few of my friends had it for a very long period and it left them half-broken. 

The best way to avoid is to understand that we all are human and we need some experience to master anything. Share with your partner and family about you're parenting fear and take their help and support. Motherhood is a long journey and no one can be perfect mom at the same time every mom is a perfect mom until they finish off this journey successfully. Love yourself and take care of it, that’s how you can take-care for your loved ones.

 

The Panetar Story...!

Hey Guys..

I did my first guest post today.
It is on Manisha's blog: FollowManimatters

Click on the link below to check it out. 
Link 

Let me know what you think.

So-Saree Readers Speak - Ruchita

Hello Everyone!
Hope you are enjoying the Navratri Festivities because I am not ...and someone should.

Life has been busy and my blog is surviving on pre-drafted posts.
So I apologise if I have not been able to keep up with the blog posts of my bloggers friends.
But other than that Life is good.
Especially because we have a So-Saree Reader post to share today.
Today's reader also happens to be family.
Ruchita Thakkar is my husband's cousin and happens to be an ardent follower of So-Saree.
She not only appreciates and encourages So-Saree, but also pampers me with nail art goodies.
And that is not the only reason why I like her so much. (sheepish grin)
Today she features on the So-Saree Readers Post to share her love for my blog and of course me. :)
Thank you Ruchita..Believe me when I say it..I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.
Over To You....

I started reading So-Saree mainly to get to know Aditi. Being globally distant meant that there was hardly any opportunity for the same. However, I soon realized that I started to get hooked to reading the posts on So-Saree and would find myself waiting for a new post always. What has maintained my interest in the blog is variety in topics (travel, nail art, culture, recipes) and the way of writing (straight from heart). The posts are concise and at the same time doing justice to the subject. My favourite post so far has been the one on Autism. I was so touched by Sayuri’s life and in some way inspired me. I love the quick recipe posts as well.

Coming back to the purpose of why I started to read So-Saree posts, I feel I had achieved it, as when I met Aditi for the first time, I found her to be, just like I had expected her through reading her posts.

I used to write blog posts on recipes (smartandhealthycooking.blogspot.co.uk) which I stopped long while back. Hence, I realise that it is not easy to stay committed to writing in midst of busy schedule. I admire Aditi’s dedication and hard work in maintaining the spark of her blog.

I was requested to send my picture in a Saree to accompany this post. But, I am not a great fan at wearing saree mainly because (whether you believe it or not), I have yet to master the skill of draping the saree well and carrying it elegantly as well. Anyways, this picture is few years old taken at a Diwali pot luck party that we were attending at a friend’s place.

I would like to end this note by saying a huge thank you to So Saree for giving me an opportunity to write a post.

Aditi, you are doing a great job. Keep it up . Keep blogging!!!

Happy Dussera To All !!!

 

The Eco Friendly Ganeshas Of Mumbai

Now the third and final part of the Ganesha Series. I know I am a month late..but I believe Better late than never. So here we go.

The Eco Friendly Ganpatis Of Mumbai..through the lenses of my friend Paras.

Made from pulses (Jijai Nagar Mitra Mandal, Dombivli)


Made from bananas (Shivneri Mitra Mandal, Gograsswadi, Dombivli)

Made from crushed paper (Gograsswadi Ganeshotsav Mandal, Dombivli)

Made from various oil seeds (Tulsi Building Sarvajanik Shree Ganeshotsav Mandal, Khetwadi)

Made from clay (Kumbharwadyacha Eco Friendly Bappa - 2nd Kumbharwada)

Made from Paper Pulp (Tejookaya Park Mitra Mandal - Matunga E)

Girgaoncha Girijatmaj of Kudaldeshkar Gaud Brahman Nivas Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav is made from fiber.
The idol was made by famous sculptor Mr. Vjay Khatu in 2010. They are the 1st S.G.M. to do away with the visarjan of POP idol and their idol is stored permanently. Every year the idol has a visarjan procession till Girgaon Chowpatty from where it is brought back to the mandal and kept safely in a small pandal for daily worship.

Thank You Paras, for these wonderful posts. Keep Rocking and keep Clicking. :)

Gorgeous Ganpatis in and around Mumbai

In today's post, our guest post contributor - Paras, shares his love and passion for clicking Bappa.

It's simply a passion and my love for the festival + photography . I have been visiting various pandals & photographing Ganesha since 1996, when I got my first camera !

Though during those times it was not on such large scale, I used to visit pandals in my city & only a few ones of Mumbai.

When I bought my bike, I got the much needed mobility & the nunber of pandals increased. This year, I was able to take darshan of over 200 Bappas (household + Sarvajanik) covering over a distance of almost 400kms over my bike.

But the best and fondest part of this year, was my kiddo Siddhesh (6 years) too joined me in this passion & visited almost 100+ pandals with me! The happiness & smile on his face while watching these big Ganeshas was a big time booster for me to go on & on....
Some more pictures that I clicked.

The pooja idol of Shree Kesari Mitra Mandal, Hanuman Chowk - Mulund (East) was a unique one. I was informed that the idol was ordered from Karanataka and therefore the features differs a lot from the other idols.

Renowned Ganpati Mandals of Mumbai

Hello Everyone.

Today I am very excited because So-Saree features its first male guest post contributor.

Paras Masurekar is a friend of mine whose passion for photography shows on his Facebook wall. But this time, the pictures on his Facebook wall caught my attention because they featured pictures of as many as 100 Ganpati Pandals. Phew..can you believe that?

So I asked him if he would like to share his pictures with So-Saree's readers, and he said Yes.

But guess what, along with the pictures, he typed down a few lines about his love for Bappa and photography along with noteworthy peculiarities of some of the Ganpatis.

The Bappa Series will be divided into three parts.

The First One - Renowned Ganpati Mandals of Mumbai
The Second One - The Gorgeous Ganpatis in and around Mumbai

The Second One - Eco Friendly Ganpatis of Mumbai

Hope you enjoy it as much I enjoyed compiling these posts.

Over to you Paras...

The renowned mandals of Mumbai are a must watch during Ganeshtosav.

Both the GSB ganapatis (King Circle & Wadala) are the richest ones in Mumbai. The King Circle idol has gold worth almost 22 crores & had taken a insurance of 260 crores this year for the festival !

The Khetwadicha Raja - Khambata lane Ganesha idol this year was 27 feet tall !

Girgaoncha Maharaja of Akheel Mugbhat S.G.M. had a 21 feet idol made from clay (Shaduchi maati) and therefore is the biggest eco-friendly idol !

The small yet beautiful Ganesha idol of Keshavji Naik Chawl in Girgaon is the 1st sarvajanik ganeshotsav mandal of Mumbai and is in its 122nd year now !

The mandals of Lalbaug & Parel have their own reputations which almost everyone is familiar with.

Other than that...some famous and beautiful Ganeshas.

So-Saree Anniversary Guest Post_Pineapple-ish

Today is the last day of our So-Saree's Blogathon...Yippeeeee..!
I Did It !!!!
And for today's post I have a guest blogger whose style statement is so ornate and artistic that I am in awe every single time.
Shreeja of Pineapple-ish (gosh..don't you just love the name of her blog?) is a fashion blogger with an eye for detail. She's experimental, she's artistic, she's stylish and she's my friend. :)

Haven't I told you before???..I am just so lucky with Friends. 
Make way for Pineapple-ish!

I haven't done a post on my blog since... I don't even remember... and I have been planning to start again since.... I don't even remember... all the deadlines I gave myself have long gone.... So when Aditi asked me to do a guest post I instantly said yes - 

1) A push that I really needed
2) It had to be in a Saree!!

Not sure how effective this push is but I surely loved playing around in this gorgeous Sari!

This is one of my favorite saris... well all my saris are actually very dear to me - I love Saris and I'm very picky about them... I have a very specific type when it comes to Saris or even in general - raw textures, hand-loom, earthy & warm color palette with a dash of dull gold always attracts me - it has to be dull gold!

So this shoot here is pretty much a mood-board of the textures, colors and the overall feel that I personally adore.

This off-white Kota was actually a plain border-less sari with self paan motif (btw lots of off-white and lots of Kota among my saris) which I think still looked divine! But ohhh the pressure of adding bling to any Indian outfit specially if you are attending a wedding - I was forced to put a border to the pristine beauty - too much drama actually happened back then :P

My search for a semi traditional border was over when I found this red, black and gold lace ( have a thing for traditional saris too) and also this combo was just introduced by Sabyasachi which then went on to become a rage later - so I was too excited to have found it . I still love this combination - off-white, red and black with a dash of gold - it's a classic!!

An outdoor green bright shoot wouldn't have done justice to the look - so there was a location right in my living room - earthy with textures, warm colors of the painting  and a warm evening light through the off-white blinds - just perfect! These images are actually without any filters applied.

I hope I keep blogging - Thank you Aditi for asking me to post on So-Saree. Great job on your blog - keep blogging! :)

Love,

Shreeja

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