Japan Travelog

Due to global pandemic, the travel outside India was almost stopped in past 4 years. I joined a new organization in last quarter of 2024 and my first business visit was to Japan.

Japan had always intrigued me. In my humble opinion, there are only 2 countries which are uniquely unique on earth and they are India and Japan. In terms of culture, history, lifestyle, nature, there is no other country in the world matching India and Japan.

Here are few things I noticed during my short stay in Tokyo as an outsider and first-time visitor - 

- High tech Toilets - toilets in Japan are completely different from any other place. Compared to normal toilet, which only has one function -flush-, the Japanese ones is equipped with warmed-up seats, bidet, jets, music and array of other functions.

- Vending machines - there are vending machines everywhere  and apparently you can buy food items, drinks, batteries etc   

- Long working hours - Till I visited Japan, I always thought Indians are the most long-hrs working people. Japan beats India truly here. I have seen associates started working very early morning than expected and staying back till very late evenings. As a result, folks doze off in metros, trains. Almost all eateries incl small kiosks and fancy restaurants were running full every evening. Most of the workers grab food on the way back home rather than buying groceries.

- Food - Wherever I went in Tokyo, I could find ample options for lunch/dinner.  Though I noticed that there were very few options for an Indian vegetarian. Seafood is part of almost every japanese dish. At the same time, I also realized that there is not much popularity for fastfood. But the 3 main chain-stores 7-Eleven, Lawsons and FamilyMart have stores literally at every corner and provide wonderful on-the-go options of quick food/drinks. 

- Dense population - Just like most of major metro cities around the world, Tokyo is also densely populated city. The trains run jam-packed at rush hours but everyone is super-disciplined in travels, walking, crossing the roads, driving

- limited english - on my arrival and on first day, I really struggled to find ways around the city, to ask for necessary information. People do understand and speak English at airports/hotels but in local stores, restaurants, it was a struggle to ask for directions, getting train details, asking for food details or even to ask counter person how much I need to pay. Google-lens and translator were saviors for me then onwards.  Even in a global city like Tokyo, there are hardly any boards or signs in English.

- Restaurants - we went for lunch to a restaurant close to office and I was surprised to see robots delivering food. we placed order through tab placed on our table and food was ordered by robot like moving cart. Seems this is pretty common in many restaurants. Another unique thing especially in small eateries, they display their menu in the form of plastic food in show-case outside.

- extremely punctual trains - like global metro cities, there are multiple train companies in Japan/Tokyo too. But the trains are extremely punctual, I read that average delay of Japanese trains in 18 seconds. really? 

- Plethora of Kitkat flavors - every store I went, I found a atleast 3-4 new flavors of Kitkat chocolate. I brough home flavors like strawberry, orange, double dark, matcha, cheesecake which are most common. seems there are 300+ flavors available incl cherry-blossom, sake, red-beans, soy and many many more

- Onsen - there was a pamphlet lying on my hotel desk, mentioning onsen timing and instructions. At first, I thought it must be equivalent of spa. Later I understood 'Onsen' means common bathing facility offered to guests. Of course there are etiquette rules to be followed if you want to use the facility.

- Longevity - life expectancy is really high in Japan. I could see ageing people everywhere. One of my co-worker from Tokyo office was in 80's. Inspite of age, most of the old folks are pretty independent, working and mostly on their own.

Well, as they say, Japan is a land of ancient wisdom, futuristic dreams where every corner  holds a new discovery. So if you ever get a chance to visit, don’t miss it- you can’t un-visit Japan once been there.

किंडल

किंडल बद्दल आधी मी इंग्लिश मध्ये एक पोस्ट लिहिली होती. पण नंतर असं वाटलं कि लेख मराठीत लिहिला तर जास्त लोकांपर्यंत पोचेल , म्हणून हा खटाटोप . 

किंडल संदर्भात नेहमी मनात येणाऱ्या काही प्रश्नांची उत्तरं देण्याचा हा माझा प्रयत्न - 

* किंडल म्हणजे नक्की काय?

किंडल हे electronic पुस्तकं वाचण्यासाठी अमेझॉन कंपनी ने बनवलेलं एक खास device आहे, जे साधारण एका टॅब सारखं दिसतं .  किंडल च्या वापरातून तुम्ही पुस्तक / मासिक / वर्तमानपत्र वाचू , शोधू, खरेदी करू , download करू शकता . 

किंडल मध्ये खास तंत्र (ई - शाई ) वापरलय जे आपल्या स्मार्ट फोन / टॅब पेक्षा वेगळं आहे. त्यामुळे दोन फायदे होतात , एक कि किंडल ची बॅटरी खूप जास्त चालते (कित्येक आठवडे ) आणि दुसरं म्हणजे ह्या तंत्रा  मुळे डोळ्यांना त्रास होत नाही . 

* किंडल का खरेदी करावं  आणि वापरावं ?
जर तुम्ही हाडाचे वाचक असाल तर तुमच्या साठी किंडल अगदी योग्य आहे. आता 'हाडाचे वाचक ' म्हणजे काय तर - जर तुम्ही रोज काही ना काही, साधारण एक तास भर , वाचन करता . 

पण जर तुम्ही क्वचित वाचता - जस कि समजा कुणी काही सूचित केलं किंवा एखाद्या पुस्तकाबद्दल तुम्ही खूप ऐकलं  तरच तुम्ही वाचन करता - तर किंडल चा पूर्ण फायदा घेऊ शकणार नाही . 

* कागदी पुस्तकांच्या संग्रहा  पेक्षा किंडल चा काय फायदा आहे?

किंडल वापरण्याचा सर्वात मोठा फायदा म्हणजे जवळ जवळ अगणित पुस्तक तुम्ही ह्यात ठेऊ शकता आणि सोबत कुठेही  नेऊ शकता . 

समजा तुम्ही घरा बाहेर आहात , प्रवास करताय, विमानतळ / हॉटेल / डॉक्टर अश्या ठिकाणी तुमचा नंबर यायची वाट पाहताय,  किंवा तुम्हाला आजुबाजूला अंधार असतानाही वाचायचंय , मग अश्या वेळी कागदी पुस्तकांपेक्षा किंडल चा फायदा असतो.  

सध्या जे किंडल मिळतात , त्यांच्यात कमीत कमी ४ GB मेमरी असतेच. म्हणजे मोठ्यात मोठी पुस्तक ज्यांची फाईल साईझ १ MB असते , अशी करोडो पुस्तक ह्यात सामावू शकतात आणि हि सारी पुस्तकं तुम्ही एकत्र कुठेही घेऊन जाऊ शकता. 

मलाही कागदी पुस्तकं आवडतात , पण मुंबईतल्या घरांचं आकारमान पाहता , करोडो पुस्तकांसाठी राखीव जागा ठेवणं शक्य नाही . आणि नुसतं साठवणूक नाही तर त्यांची निगराणी राखणं , धुळीपासून संरक्षण , कव्हर बदलणं हे सुद्धा कठीण होत. 

* किंडल घेण्यापेक्षा मोबाईल वर फ्री किंडल अँप वापरलं तर? 

जर तुम्ही अनियमित वाचक असाल किंवा मोबाईल च्या प्रकाशाने तुम्हाला त्रास होत नाही , तर कदाचित किंडल  device विकत घेण्यापेक्षा किंडल अँप सोयीस्कर ठरेल . 

अँप वापरण्याचे महत्वाचे फायदे म्हणजे - १) अँप एकदम फुकट आहे . अर्थात पुस्तकं विकत घ्यावी लागतील ('फक्त फ्री पुस्तकं वाचायची' असं तुम्ही ठरवू शकता 😊 ), २) अँप तुमच्या फोन मध्ये असतं जो तुम्ही तस पण कायम सोबत बाळगता . 
किंडल हे छोटं आणि हलकं device आहे पण तरीही एक जादा गोष्ट चार्ज करणं आणि सोबत बाळगणं अपरिहार्य होत . 
अँप चा सर्वात मोठा तोटा म्हणजे , फोन चा प्रकाश. फोन आणि किंडल च प्रकाश तंत्र वेगळं आहे . कितीही नाही म्हटलं तरी फोन च्या प्रकाशाचा नकळत डोळ्यांवर परिणाम होतोच होतो. 
आजकाल तसही आपण सर्वच फोन पाहण्यात गरजेपेक्षा जास्त वेळ घालवतो , मग निदान वाचन करताना तरी अतिरिक्त त्रास नको डोळ्यांना . आणि जर तुम्ही पूर्ण सूर्य प्रकाशात वाचताय , जस की गच्ची वर / बीच वर , तर फोन वर पुस्तक वाचन कठीण होत. 

किंडल device कि किंडल अँप - ह्यात निवड करताना , आधी किंडल अँप वापरून पहा. १-२ पुस्तक किंवा २-३ आठवडे वाचून पहा कि वाचन अनुभव कसा आहे ते . मग किंडल घायचा कि नाही हे तुम्ही ठरवू शकता  

* किंडल वापरताना वायफाय किंवा इंटरनेट लागतं का ?

नाही . एकदा का पुस्तकं किंडल मध्ये संग्रहित झाली , जस कि आपल्या फोन मध्ये आपण फोटो संग्रहित करतो, कि पुस्तकं उघडायला आणि वाचायला इंटरनेट /वायफाय ची आवश्यकता नाही . नुसतं वाचन नाही तर तुम्ही अधोरेखित केलेले परिच्छेद , लिहिलेल्या टिप्पणी  हे सर्वही उपलब्ध राहातं . 

* किंडल चा डोळ्यांवर परिणाम होतो का ?

इ-शाई आणि LED प्रकाश ह्या तंत्रामुळे किंडल चा प्रकाश प्रचंड सौम्य असतो, जो डोळ्यांसाठी खूपच कमी त्रासदायक आहे. किंडल ओऍसिस मॉडेल मध्ये तर स्व-नियंत्रित प्रकाश योजना आहे ज्यामुळे सभोवतालच्या प्रकाश तीव्रते नुसार किंडल चा प्रकाश आपोआप बदलतो . 

* मला रात्री / झोपण्या आधी वाचायला आवडतं , मग किंडल उपयोगी आहे का?

खुप लोकांना झोपण्या आधी थोडं वाचन करायला आवडतं . कागदी पुस्तक वाचायचं असेल तर त्यासाठी दिवा चालू  ठेवणं आवश्यक होतं जे तुमच्या जोडीदाराला त्रासदायक वाटू शकतं . किंडल चा प्रकाश अतिशय सौम्य असतो आणि त्यामुळे आपण किंडल वाचनाचा दुसर्यांना त्रास होत नाही . 

* आता पर्यंत सर्व छानच , पण पैसे किती पडतात ?

किंडल ची खूप (३ प्राथमिक) मॉडेल बाजारात मिळतात, ज्यांची किंमत साधारण ८००० ते २२,००० रुपये ह्या रेंज मध्ये आहे . 

सर्वात उच्च प्रतीच्या मॉडेल मध्ये सुविधा हि चांगल्या आहेत जस कि ४G , म्हणजे तुम्ही फोन सारखं डेटा सिम कार्ड त्यात वापरू शकता . 
जर किंमत आणि सुविधा ह्यांचा ताळमेळ घालायचा असेल तर मधलं मॉडेल (उदा . किंडल पेपर व्हाईट ) योग्य ठरेल.  ह्या मॉडेल मध्ये सर्वसाधारण वापरात येणाऱ्या साऱ्या सुविधा आहेत आणि किंमतही योग्य आहे . (साधारण १२००० ते १३००० रुपये )

* आणि पुस्तकांच्या किमतीचं काय? त्यांचा किती खर्च येतो?

पुस्तकांच्या किमती मध्ये खूपच विभिन्नता असते. अमेझॉन वर लाखो पुस्तकं फुकट हि उपलब्ध आहेत . पण सुप्रसिद्ध लेखकांची किंवा प्रसिद्ध कादंबऱ्या , मुलांची पुस्तकं , स्व-मदत (सेल्फ-हेल्प ) अशी पुस्तकं साधारण ० ते ५०० रुपयात मिळतात. 

चांगली गोष्ट म्हणजे , दररोज अमेझॉन वर वेगवेगळी पुस्तकं , अतिशय नाम मात्र किमतीत उपलब्ध होतात. 

अमेझॉन च्या साईट वर तुम्हाला 'Deal of the day', 'Monthly deal', 'Lightening deal', 'Limited time deal' असे खूप पर्याय दिसतील . 

जर तुम्ही उत्सुक वाचक आणि त्याच सोबत संयमी असाल तर तुम्हाला हवी ती पुस्तकं खिशाला परवडणाऱ्या किमतीत कधी ना कधी  नक्कीच मिळतात . 
माझा स्वतःचा अनुभव -  मी गेली ६ वर्ष किंडल नियमित वापरतेय . मी जी काही पुस्तकं विकत घेतलीयत (इंग्लिश आणि मराठी), त्यातली बहुतेक मी प्रत्येकी १०० रुपयांपेक्षा कमी किमतीत घेतली आहेत.  आणि माझ्याकडे चांगल्या पुस्तकांचा बऱ्यापैकी संग्रह आहे ज्यांची कागदी पुस्तकांची  किंमत प्रत्येकी  २५० ते ५०० रुपये आहेत . 

बहुतांशी पुस्तकांच्या  किंडल कॉपी ची किंमत हि कागदी पुस्तकांच्या किमतीपेक्षा खूपच कमी असते, 

* पुस्तक विकत घेतल्यावर ते वेगवेगळ्या उपकरणांवर वापरता /वाचता येत का?

हो . तुम्ही तुमचा किंडल संग्रह ६ वेगवेगळ्या उपकरणांवर वापरू शकता, जस कि वेगवेगळे किंडल device , तुमचा कॉम्पुटर , फोन किंवा टॅब (किंडल अँप द्वारे )

* किंडल बिघडतो का? बिघडला तर दुरुस्ती साठी काय करायचं ?

किंडल ची दुरुस्ती केंद्र भारतात almost नाहीच आहेत . किंडल विकत घेताना १ वर्षाची warranty  असते . पण फोन च्या तुलनेत किंडल तसं खूपच कमी क्लिष्ट device आहे त्यामुळे सहजासहजी ते बिघडत नाही . तुम्ही किंडल सोबत जर चांगल्या प्रतीचं कव्हर घेतलं तर रोजच्या वापरात जी घाल-पाड होते त्यापासून नक्कीच संरक्षण होत . 

माझं किंडल मी गेली ६ वर्ष वापरतेय  आणि अजून एकदाही त्रास दिलेला नाही. 

त्यातूनही जर किंडल बिघडलंच, तरी  तुमचा विकत घेतलेला पुस्तक संग्रह अबाधित राहतो. तुमची पुस्तकं अमेझॉन खात्याशी संलंग्न असल्याने नवीन device वर ती तात्काळ उपलब्ध होतात आणि नव्याने खरेदी करावी लागत नाही. 

* किंडल चे अजून काय फायदे आहेत?

किंडल 'Goodreads' ह्या प्रचलित साईट शी जोडू शकता . ह्यामध्ये in-built  शब्दकोश आहे जो जुनी इंग्लिश पुस्तकं वाचताना खूप कामात येतो . 

* किंडल सारखे अजून काही वाचन उपकरणे आहेत का?
हो. बाजारात किंडल व्यतिरिक्त देखील पर्याय आहेत जस कि Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Clara HD, Nook. 

पण जसं बाकरवडी चितळ्यांची , तसंच इ -वाचन उपकरण म्हणजे किंडल असं समीकरण आहे 😄

* मग किंडल विकत घेणं ही फायदेशीर गुंतवणूक आहे का?

ह्याच उत्तर तुमच्या बजेट वर आणि तुम्ही किती वाचता यावर अवलंबून आहे . 

मी साधारण १०००० मध्ये किंडल घेतलं होत आणि ती माझी सर्वात चांगली गुंतवणूक ठरलीय. 

मग आता एवढा मोठा लेख वाचलाच आहे तर एखादं आवडीचं पुस्तकही वाचून पहा . 

" दिसामाजी काहीतरी वाचीत जावे " असं म्हटलंच आहे ना !

!!!happy reading !!!

वाढदिवस आणि बाबा

काल रात्री १२ वाजता लेकाने गळ्यात पडून Happy Birthday विश केलं आणि खर्र्कन जाणवलं की ह्या वर्षी मला विश करायला बाबा नाहीत . 

माझा वाढदिवस म्हणजे अगदी खास त्यांच्या साठी . एकही वर्ष असं गेलं नाही कि मला बाबांनी विश  करून काही भेट दिली नसेल 

मी शाळेत असताना वाढदिवस जसजसा जवळ येई तसे बाबा गिरगावातल्या खास खास कपड्यांच्या दुकानाच्या फेऱ्या मारायचे . आणि शॉर्टलिस्ट करायचे की ह्या वर्षी मला काय घेणार ते 

अगदी लहानपणी च नाही आठवत पण कळत्या वयातले त्यांनी घेतलेले सगळे ड्रेस मला अजूनही आठवतात . त्यांची पसंद मला आवडली नाही असही  कधी झालं नाही . 

एका वर्षी 'गोट्या ' नावाची मालिका खुप प्रसिद्ध झाली होती आणि आम्ही सर्व पाहायचो TV वर . त्या वर्षी त्यांनी मला गोट्या कादंबरी चा पूर्ण सेटच आणला होता . 

एकदा मला प्रार्थना समाज च्या एका बूकडेपो मध्ये घेऊन गेले आणि म्हणाले तुला हवी ती पुस्तक घे , मी गोंधळून १-२ छोटी छोटी पुस्तकं घेतली , मग त्यांनीच अजून ४-५ सिलेक्ट केली आणि आम्ही रमत गमत (मी उड्या मारत ) घरी आलो . 

माझं लग्न झाल्यावर देखील हा सिलसिला चालूच राहिला . एप्रिल च्या सुरवाती पासूनच ते आई ला विचारायला लागायचे काही आणलास का नाही अजून तिच्या साठी ?

जेव्हा ते स्वतः बाहेर जायचे तेव्हा काही नाही तेर ग्रांट रोड च्या मेरवान चे मावा केक तर आवर्जून आणायचे . २४ ला सकाळी सकाळी फोन यायचा शुभेच्छा द्यायला . 

गेल्या एक-दीड वर्षात त्यांचा तारखा बाबत जरा गोंधळ व्हायचा . कुठला महिना चालू आहे हे पटकन उमगत नसे. मी गेल्या ७ फेब ला त्यांना भेटायला गेले होते, तेव्हा निघताना त्यांनी विचारलं कि २४ तारखेला येशील ना तू?  मला पटकन समजलं नाही असं का विचारतायत , मी म्हटलं काय आहे बाबा ह्या २४ ला ? तर त्यांच्या खास शैलीत म्हणाले "अरे येडा , तुझा वाढदिवस नाही का ? " इतकी महत्वाची होती २४ तारीख त्यांच्या साठी . 

आता बाबांना जाऊन २ महिने झाले , ह्याच नाही तर ह्या पुढच्या प्रत्येक वाढदिवसाला मला तुमची उणीव भासणार आहे बाबा . तुमचे आशीर्वाद आणि शुभेच्छा कायम पाठीशी राहूद्या . 

Kindle - Reader's Companion in lockdown

After I posted my 'Gone with the wind' review, many people asked me that in the current lock-down situation, how am i getting hold of good books.
The answer to this is my dearest gadget 'Kindle', the e-reader.
So in order to answer the curious reader's questions, I have listed below some FAQs about Kindle.

• * What is Kindle?

'Kindle' is a special e-reader device, designed and marketed by Amazon. Kindle enables users to browse, buy, download and read the ebooks/newspapers/magazines.
It uses special technology of e-ink and LED back-light which is different than the technology used in smartphones/tablets. The battery life of Kindle is amazing and you can go on for many weeks on one full charge.

• * Why should you buy Kindle?

If you read lot of books, you are qualified to buy a kindle.
Now what qualifies as 'lot of' is open to interpretation. But if you read everyday for an hour or so, you have a valid case to go for kindle.
if you don't read quite as much or you pickup a book only if someone recommends you, you may not rip all benefits of owning a kindle.

• * What are the benefits of Kindle over having collection of paper books?

The most obvious reason for buying kindle is that you can carry nearly unlimited amount of books around in your pocket. If you tend to read outside, while traveling, while waiting in lobby/reception/lounge or read in the dark regularly, the Kindle gets upper hand over the paper book.
All of the current Kindle models have atleast 4 GB of storage space. With even large books often sizing under 1 MB of space, that’s an absolutely huge shelf space you get for your books and you can carry it all around with you wherever you go.
Honestly, as much as I love to have nice paper collection of books, with my tiny house in Mumbai, it is nearly impossible to spare decent size space for storing books. Also the simple maintenance like dusting, covering can also be tiresome.

• * Should you buy a Kindle device or just use the Free App?

If you are a lite reader, or the smartphone back-light doesn’t bother you, then Kindle app may suit you rather than buying expensive gadget.
Using it on your phone is not ideal, but it can certainly be done.

App has 2 major advantages - 1) app is absolutely free. Of course you still have to pay for the books that you download (unless you’re planning to read only the free stuff available). 2. app resides on the device that you already have ie your smartphone.
Kindle is small and light, but it’s still another device that you’ll have to charge and carry with you if you want to take it anywhere.

The biggest drawback of using the app, is the backlight on your phone. it’s just not as nice as the e-ink and LED lighting that Kindle provides. You can definitely read in the dark on your phone, but it is pretty harsh and will take a toll on your eyes.
Now a days, we all are already spending too many hours looking at a screen, and reading on one will not be preferred. Also reading on phone can be extremely difficult in direct sunlight.

Probably the best way to figure out if you should buy a Kindle is to try using the app first. Read couple of full books over the course of a 2-3 weeks to see how you like using the app on your phone or tablet, and if you think you’d prefer a Kindle, then you can decide about buying.

• * Do you need constant internet/wifi connection to use Kindle?

No. The books are downloaded on your device similar to how we have photos stored on phone. So no Wi-Fi or internet required in order to open already purchased and downloaded books . You can also turn pages, search for words and view all notes/marked paragraphs within each title without an Internet connection

• * Does kindle affect eye health?

The e-ink screen and built-in LEDs of the Kindle provide soft lighting that is very easy on your eyes without making it hard to read at night. The high-end models like Oasis have adaptive light sensors to automatically adjust to your current lighting.

• * If you are a night reader, should you buy Kindle?

Lot of us read at night before going to bed. Reading paper book would require night lamp to be kept on and that may be irritating/distracting for your partner. The LED light of Kindle is mild enough to not wake up or cause distraction.

• * All good so far, but how much does it cost?

Kindle is available in various models, ranging from approx 8000 INR till 22,000 INR.
The high-end models provide major feature of having compatibility with 4G, that means you can use data SIM in the device.
If you have to go economical, I will recommend to go with intermediate model (like Kindle Paperwhite) that provides decent amount of features along with affordability of around 12000-13000.

• * and how much does it cost to buy books?

The books price varies largely, starting with millions of free books to in thousands for rare books.
However, most of the common and famous self-help, novels, children's books range from 0 to 500 rupees each.
The good news is, every day, Amazon sells a wide range of top-tier novels and non-fiction books at knockdown prices.
When you browse Amazon for eBooks, you will stumble upon 'Deal of the day', 'Monthly deal', 'Lightening deal', 'Limited time deal' and many such.
If you keep close watch on the book you want to get hold of and have little patience, you will certainly break a pocket-friendly deal within days.
This is based on my own experience of using Kindle for 5 years. I personally have not bought any book for more than 120 rupees and I have decent collection of famous titles as well as authors.
In any case you will notice that almost always, Kindle edition price will be way lesser than paperback price.

• * After purchasing a book, can you copy/access them on multiple devices?

Yes. You can access your Kindle library on up to 6 devices, and these can be actual Kindles or PCs, tablets or smartphones running the Kindle app

• * what about aftersales service?

Regarding service centers, there are close to no service center for Kindle in India. So, you can trust kindle for one year as long as it is in warranty. After that, trust with 'All is well!!!'. But there is rarely any problem in e-readers because they are not very-complex devices as smartphones. Buy a good cover for your device and you can let go the worry of clumsy handling.
I have been using my device for 5 years now and never ever faced a slightest issue.
In case you really try hard and manage to damage your device, no worries about purchased contents. They are linked to your Amazon account and stored on Amazon cloud. So can be easily retrieved on new device using same account.

• * What more features Kindle has?

Apart from being great e-reader, it has many more features. It is integrated with 'Goodreads', in-built dictionary, 'most highligted passages' etc

• * Is Kindle only option in e-reader?

There are other e-readers available in the market like Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Clara HD, Nook etc.
But like 'Colgate' is synonym to tooth-paste, Kindle is to e-reader. :)

• * So is it worth making investment?

That’s going to depend largely on your budget and how much time you spend reading.
I spent around 10K on device few years back, it has been giving highest ROI since then.

If you have taken efforts to read such a long post, i reckon that you can try with reading a good book too.
So happy reading and remember - “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”

Top 10 new things in my life

If you ask anyone around you - 'what has been new in our life compared to earlier/childhood days?' - the obvious answers would be mobile phones, internet, computers, social media, digital gadgets, eCommerce, automobiles etc.
But even if we leave aside these obvious things which have become integral part of our daily life, there are many eccentric things that have also occupied a place in our day-2-day life. People in my generation would certainly be able to relate to my selection of top 10 such things listed below.
For newer generation, they probably can't imagine now life without these.

Below compiled list is of course purely my choice of top things. I am certain everyone will have their own personalized such list :)
I have split the list in 2 types, one is food related and another one non-food related.

These food items have over the time become so much defacto in households/daily life, it is really hard to believe that none of these even heard of in our childhood.

1. coffee - like i have mentioned in one of my earlier post, coffee was always considered as special drink, only to be offered, consumed on special occasions and may be for certain people. It was never a part of day-to-day life. Today it is essential part of office routine, social catch-ups and for many more reasons. Truely, a lot can happen over a cup of coffee.
2. Paneer - I probably had not even heard of this substance till few years back. My mother would have gone crazy at the idea of spoiling a full liter of milk to get the bowlful of paneer, what a waste!. Now a days, any vegetarian meal is incomplete without a dish of paneer.
3. maggie - this special food entered during very late days of our childhood. and frankly it didn't appeal at all at first taste. But later during onsite travelling days, this yellow packet became life-saver. I have seen most of the next-gen kids love maggie and to my surprise many dada-dadi and nana-nani also love this instant food.
4. Biryani - in my childhood and pre-marriage life, non-veg used to be eaten only in curry style. 'starters' and dishes like chicken tandoori or kebabs started becoming part of plate little later when hotelling become more frequent. Biryani was still looked upon as alternate of having plane rice. however had not got hooked to this delicious one-dish meal until very late. But once tasted, then there was no looking back. From lucknawi/hyderabadi biryani to Jaffer bhai's speciality, it was the door opener to wide world dedicated only to this classic amalgamation of meat n rice.
5. Bottled water - like all above items, this is integral part of life especially when you are on road or travelling by any mean. In my childhood days, during travel times, water need used to get fulfilled by big jars/bottles/plastic gallons. 'Bisleri' was pioneer in India to launch packaged drinking water. So much so that just like every toothpaste is 'colgate', every bottle of packaged water is referred as 'Bisleri'. Few years back, if anyone would had dared to predict that this nation will be buying their water for drinking, he would have got considered as a big fool.

Non-food - it was hard to pick these 5 items, barring the obvious onces like mobile, apps etc. I have picked up these 5 considering their penetration in my daily life.

1. sanitary pad - Undoubtedly it deserves the top position in the list. All the woman of my generation have seen and experienced the transformation from home-made cotton napkin to industry-made/super easy-to-use sanitary pads. 
2. Hair conditioner - remember how we used to clean hair? Most of the time with Shikakai beans/powder boiled at home or with Shikakai soap. Use of shampoo was considered as luxury. I heard the word and substance called 'Conditioner' first time when SunSilk (one of top shampoo brand of 90s) introduced their new range of products as shampoo+conditioner. But what does this product supposed to do was unknown for many. Now for women as well as for men, it is essential product of daily cleansing regime.
3. Denims /Jeans - Our daily-wear clothes used to be frocks/skirt-tops etc. Denims were one of dress type which used to be optional, one may have it or may not. Do you know anyone now who doesn't own a pair of jeans? It is not a choice anymore but defacto clothes for youth. Not just us and our next gen, but even many of previous gen also got used to comfort of this sturdy attire.
4. air conditioners - in earlier days, AC used to be present only in selected restaurants and offices. It was certainly looked upon as luxury or rare occasion to be in a AC room. Now every flat/apartment has AC installed by default or provision is made to install one. Even the older buildings of Girgaon have made space for AC installation wherever possible. It is no more looked upon as luxury but very much part of must-have's in house.
5. Air travel - overall the travel modes and means have evolved to a great extend in last 20 years. With the revolution in automobile domain, the once unimaginable things like owning a vehicle or commuting in a private taxi is no more a thriller. But air-travel was always looked upon as a high-end luxury meant only for celebrities, politicians and richest of rich folks who have no better things to do with their money. and look at today! every person around me have been in air atleast once incl folks in previous gen. Now travel plans, be it business travel or family vacations, start with air booking option first.

Hope these 10 things made you travel through your own memory lanes and you have already started making your own list to match :)
Do let me know whats on your list.

#lifechanging