Purana Qila: One of the oldest fort that still stands young

History may not interest many, but Delhi's rich cultural heritage has some of the spellbound creations that can't go unexplored. One of the most peculiar among this is Purana Qila, a 16th century fort that stands sturdy amidst greenery.

This lakeside stone fortress with ramparts is a beautiful destination for heritage lovers and photographers. The fort encompasses a zoological park, a museum and a 16th century mosque. The lake offers boating to the enthusiasts. Somehow, we have been lucky only once! When the weather seems right, it is always a long queue for boating lovers outside the Qila and you really need to be patient in waiting for your chance.

One of us has been a regular visitor to Purana Qila owing to the love for vividness that she witnessed on her first visit. This place is a packed house during weekends. People visit the Qila with their families for picnic, weekend outing to zoo and museum with kids, avid photographers to catch some fantastic shots and last but not the least for boating.

Thought, the lake is not an amazing one but still it does not fail to grab attention of the visitors owing to its location. It traverses the walls of the fort which makes it look wonderful but we sincerely request Delhi Tourism to run a cleanliness drive at the lake!

No matter how much we ignore these monuments, but we can't neglect the fact that these monuments have given Delhi a whole new identity. It doesn't bother us how many times we fail to get a boat ride here, it's worth giving another shot and we are definitely going there once again. 

Dilli Haat: Incubating blending cultures of India since 1994

Extensive foundation work, small thatched roof cottages and colourful kiosks will set your mood in a flick once you enter Dilli Haat. A complex which is built on six acres of land is a perfect artistic experience away from the turmoil of Delhi city. This ethnic market gives rural craftsmen a great platform to showcase their creativity.

The time of our visit was January 2015, a perfect winter outing. With a modest entry fee, we entered the vibrant Mini India. While entering the Haat, we came across a small area that had been converted into a theme, probably for photography lovers like us! A perfect display of what all can visitors find inside the haat- handicrafts, handlooms, home decor, clothing accessories and artefacts.

Then we went on to explore the shopping kiosks and one thing that got us stuck was my BFF’s love for junk jewellery!! Her love for earrings is maddening and she can go on to collect despite the fact that there are still a few in the collection which haven’t been worn yet!

Anyway, so finally once my BFF got her mental satisfaction by filling her coffers with a few pair of earrings, we headed towards the food stalls of Dilli Haat. This is a great place to experience the diverse cuisines of India at one rest. You can have a grand feast choosing from a respective state stall like- Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttrakhand etc. Do not forget to eat the famous stick Kulfi which can be easily spotted at a food stall.

The evenings at Dilli Haat are livelier. Live performances by music bands and dance troupes, nukkad nautanki add to the entertainment factor of the place. The place also holds exhibitions and promotional events at times. This place is an aesthetic experience for first time visitors and for Delhities, it’s always a pleasure and a change to visit Dilli Haat.

Its Geet, Not Jab We Met for Me

A movie which successfully managed to make a room in every girl's favourite list. I am no different. Having watched this movie nth time, I can never get enough of it. Although I have this movie saved in my laptop but whenever it comes on TV, my excitement reaches a different level altogether. This craziness of mine directly affects none other than my BFF who endures every-time the movie comes on Television. Not that she dislikes the movie but she can't keep watching the same thing every time!

Coming back to my love for this flick, just to clarify, I didn't fall for the movie but for Geet. A character which is full of life, confident and an optimist. Kareena Kapoor very well portrays a person who speaks her heart out, no matter what the situation be. Not wasting any time I came up with my perception, why it holds a special place in my movie library and I am not insane.

Does anyone of you remember any Shahid-Kareena movie which you actually enjoyed before Jab We Met? For the very first time, I got to know that the duo can actually act. (PS: She is my favorite actress post this movie). This film completely changed their career graphs. The best thing about this cult classic is its songs. This move actually gave me an awesome playlist which peps up my mood instantly.

The lovely part which actually made the movie one of its kinds is its dialogues. Remember the dialogue in the introduction scene- "Khud bheed ka hissa hain aur takleef bhi khud hi ko hai". She says it so casually in the scene but is it that causal statement? Sometimes I think twice before blaming the so called "bheed" for anything now. Such impact this line has :p

And how can we forget "Main apni favorite hu". A dialogue that makes me fall in love with myself even more and no I am not self-obsessed.

"Kyunki yeh mera favorite game hai, Zindagi! Jaise logon ka hota hai na Badminton, Cricket". As funny as it may sound, but she had a secret message hidden in this line and we all should apply it in our lives- "increase your risk appetite, you never know where you end up".

The most epic dialogue, "Akeli ladki khuli tijori ki tarah hoti hai". I never miss the opportunity to chipkao this dialogue at times to my family members.

And yes here I confess, if you remember the telephonic breakup scene between Geet-Anshuman, I actually planned to recreate the scenario but it wasn’t as perfect as the movie. Never Mind ;)

Here I rest my case BFF. Next time onwards, please don't ask me to change the channel and enjoy it with me.

A well spent day brings happy sleep

“When you lose your parents as a child, you are indoctrinated into a club, you are taken into life's severest confidence. You are undeceived.”

That moment, those smiles on cute little faces, those giggles the kids at Udayan care (foster home for kids) had are still fresh in our mind. It was June 13, 2015 when we decided to visit one of the child care home of Udayan Care: 13 girls who warmly welcomed us in  chorus “Good Morning Didi”.

The occasion being birthday of one of us, we took some goodies and mouth watering cupcakes prepared by one of our dear friend who runs a homemade bakery called “Twisted Baker”. We saw girls aged between 6-16 years nicely dressed quite excited to learn who we are.

Noteworthy is the fact how well mannered the kids were. They waited to be served and everyone spoke of how delicious the cup cakes were. What else do you want in life than to see the happiness you got to so many faces! The cozy three bedrooms flat was no less than a den of talent. The girls residing there go to top schools of South Delhi, everyone was well versed with the language of English. It was indeed a pleasure to learn that the Management has taken good care of their interests besides studies. A group of girls were getting ready for their squash classes, while a smaller group of girl fought on which track do they dance to show us how their dance classes have been progressing.

Suddenly, three girls walked from one of the rooms and handed over a card to me. It was an instantly prepared birthday card. The very moment the card was handed over to me, it looked more precious than anything I could ever possess. The zigzag writing with warm wishes from everyone and a special note saying “Please do come soon again, we would like to spend more time with you” was no less than a blessing from God.

We spent time with kids knowing their names and what school they go to besides knowing their hidden talents. We had all in one room- 13 girls who include painters, dancers, squash players, badminton freaks, bollywood fans- the usual Salman:Shahrukh battlers :p and what not.

The day ended with a birthday song sung by all kids and a shout in chorus-“Thank you and please do come again”.

The pleasurable moment was to discover how a family is not defined by our genes but it is built and maintained through love.

Ditched by Friends Hence the Beginning of BFF

Ditched by Friends Hence the Beginning of BFF

The perfect duo connected by a love for travel!

Settled in Delhi for years now we BFF's have spent the most amazing years of my life in Dehradun, mostly referred as Doon. No matter how far we go but when it comes to solace, our choice of place is always back home. The valley has some kind of magic in it which turns out to be a energy booster every single time we visit this beautiful land.  It's the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of Delhi.

We have known Doon like the back of our hand. There is a strange thing about this place, you can never get lost. Each and every street looks so familiar where people don't treat you like stranger. We are emotionally attached to this place not because its our home but because more than we love this place, it loves us back. It has given us a box full of memories and lifetime experience which will only make us wiser and stronger.

This time our visit was little different from other times. So we BFF's planned for rafting with our gang but  because of back-outs at the last moment followed by a lot of drama, we ended up landing in Doon. It was a long weekend and obviously we were not in our best of moods.

We reached there at mid-night and soon after started making plans for our next morning. After all the brainstorming, we decided to explore a new cafe in town- FIRST GEAR CAFE on Rajpur- Mussoorie Road. A two wheeler ride on this road  never fails to lift or mood. our trip to Dehradun is incomplete without visiting this road.

As we woke up in the morning, we had two big concerns, rain and a two wheeler. We somehow managed to get a scooty which we had to collect from a friend and now the only concern was rain. It was raining heavily outside which somehow tried to ruin our plan but not our spirits. The decision really paid us well and by the time we got ready, the sun was shining in a way giving us a Thumbs Up.

We left from home to collect the scooty from our friend who was waiting for us at a near-by place. Surprisingly covering a 20 minutes distance turned out to be a roller coaster ride for us. The Doon which we had seen earlier was messed up, our peaceful city was also participating in the race of so called development. Construction everywhere, no public transport available for that distance, people literally crawling in mud to reach their destination. This walk literally made us felt like we are getting rescued from a place which just witnessed a natural disaster. We have never witnessed this kind of scenario before. After much of struggle we finally reached the spot and collected the scooty.

Soon we were on our way to Rajpur - Mussoorie road. As we reached closer to that road, it suddenly lifted our mood. All the stress was out and we could feel the calmness and greenery all around. We reached the First Gear Cafe and as the name suggest you can only reach there on first gear :p. We sat there for hours just to feel the beauty of our city and to that view, everything else just looked small. Not only this view was new to us but to our boldness, after the cafe we sat beside the road with beer in one hand  a list of topics to chit-chat on other.

So our very own Doon yet again gave us a new hideout place and yes not to forget sitting at First Gear Cafe felt like sitting at top of the world with the earth shaking below. The same time we witnessed an earthquake!!

BFF Journal: Happiness Amplified: These Yellow Capsule like cre...

BFF Journal: Happiness Amplified: These Yellow Capsule like cre...: Don't worry if you haven't watched its first two parts, the movie won't make you feel this. Here comes the weekend and without...

Happiness Amplified: These Yellow Capsule like creatures are way more cuter than what we saw earlier

Don't worry if you haven't watched its first two parts, the movie won't make you feel this. Here comes the weekend and without wasting any time, we planned to catch up the most talked about movie MINIONS. It's always said the first move should always be impactful and the rest will follow. Hence, here we are with our very first post on BFF Journal!

The rainy day turned out to be quite adventurous when we decided to book second day first show followed by a cup of hot-hot coffee to pen down a gleeful review of Minions.

Having seen the cute yellow creatures in 'Despicable Me', have you ever wondered from where these minions came from and with what motive?  If you ever came across these questions, go watch Minions, it has all answers for you.

Been around for decades, the only purpose of Minion's life is to serve a Powerful and Meanest master. This search leads them to serving a dinosaur, Vampire, Egyptians and even Napoleon but what they end up doing accidentally is: kill all of them. With no master to serve, there life becomes dreary and worthless until three brave minions- Kelvin, Stuart and Bob take the charge to find a new master and start their most astonishing journey.

Their search for an evil master brings them to New York followed by Orlando, a hidden town where they find their evil master and World's first female super villain Scarlet Overkill. The trio feels blessed on finding their new powerful boss, but Scarlett doesn't exactly have the same  thoughts. The very first assignment these minions get is to steal the crown of Queen Elizabeth for their new master, from where the story takes a U-turn.

Won't be sharing more spoilers now, figure it out yourself. If you are still thinking where is Gru, the Despicable master, remember we mentioned earlier, none of your questions will go unanswered. Go watch the movie and share your thoughts with us. :)  

And yes before we conclude... don't forget to grab a Banana to give your tribute to the hard work of Minions!! Go Bananas!!