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March 24, 2019 – Holi Celebrations, Canton Hindu Temple, MI, USA

Welcome to one more awesome thing that I did in March 2019.

This time, some of us decided to head to the Canton Hindu Temple to celebrate the Hindu festival of colors – Holi. If you don’t know, I am an atheist, so I usually don’t go to temples or the places of worships, but, I didn’t want to lose out on this wonderful opportunity of celebrating, dancing, and having fun with loads of Indian people, so I knew I had to go for this one.

This was the first time I was attending Holi in the US, so I didn’t know what to expect. Usually, there are two types of affairs when it comes to celebrating Holi in the US. The first type is a more intimate affair where people meet each other at someone’s place, wearing nice and fancy Indian clothes, and *obviously* don’t play with colors. The second one is more of my style where people just go crazy with colors and make sure they have fun and groove on the sounds of some Bollywood numbers. I love celebrating Holi and when I was heading to the temple, I was just reminiscing the ways I had celebrated Holi in the past. Be it, in Bangalore in 2015 or at my place in Patansaongi in 2014.

The moment I arrived at the location, I knew I was going to have fun there as I could see an ocean of Indian people standing in lines to get inside the Holi celebrations area. I was eager to get in as the wait seemed too much longer. I had a couple friends with me while I was waiting, so that helped a little bit. We could hear the Bollywood songs and just wanted to get our grooves on. Fortunately, I didn’t have to wait that much and I got inside in a few minutes. That’s when all the festivities started for me.

The organizers gave us a couple of pouches of colors, which we knew were not enough. We ran out of our pouches in a few short minutes. By this time, our rest of the friends also showed up. The moment we were slightly big in numbers, the fun quadrupled. We had almost everyone from our SGGS Alumni group. We made sure we play Holi with each other, then dance on many of Bollywood numbers, and click countless pictures. It was really fun and I didn’t know they had those groovy moves in them. The music didn’t stop and neither did we. It was a fun-filled afternoon and the 50s temperature helped us a lot. The low temperature helped us keep our body at an ideal temperature and we could enjoy more and better.

The day finally came to an end when the DJ played the last song and we savored on some Chai and snacks. It was a nice outing, which I am definitely looking forward to attending more.

Next stop: Ford team potluck, Dearborn, MI, USA

Week 07 (February 06 – February 12) – MJ’s Running in 2022

Welcome to the seventh week of running for the year 2022.

Like last 6 weeks, I continued the streak of not-running and didn’t go out to run even for a single mile.

Something amazing happened though during this week. I met a very special girl and I think things will turn out the way I want. But, I don’t want to get my hopes up and want to to keep my feet grounded. It was nice to go out and have some food after such a long time. Ever since I came to India, I had been eating home cooked food, which is the best thing in the world, but I was excited to try something outdoorsy too. This “date” gave me that chance and was excited to finally meet someone who was on the same wavelength as me.

Apart from my personal life, nothing cool happened during this week as far as my running goes. Let’s see how everything turns out.

See you next week!

Week 06 (January 30 – February 05) – MJ’s Running in 2022

Welcome to the sixth week of running for the year 2022.

I am not sure when my running drought is going to come to an end, since, I couldn’t run this week too. I spent my week getting some work done during the Eastern hours and helping the family ease up with all the wedding preparations, since the wedding happened smoothly and there is nothing much to do now. We spent our time just chit chatting with each other and relaxing a little bit. In my household, the guests do stay over for more than a couple days after the wedding, so, it definitely adds up to some work even after the wedding. I was glad that I could help out everyone during this time.

Let’s see if my streak of not-running breaks next week! 🤞

See you next week!

March 16, 2019 – Hartford, CT, USA

Welcome, Welcome, everyone!

This trip happened out of the blue. I wasn’t really planning to visit Hartford but the trip just happened and I couldn’t help it.

The reason for this last minute trip was to meet a couple friends with whom I hadn’t had a chance to meet before, and I very much wanted to meet them before I head to India in April. And frankly, you don’t need a reason to visit your alma mater, correct? I really wanted to check out the new UConn building at Hartford campus, which was still under construction when I graduated UConn in July 2017. I was returning here after almost a couple of years.

My stay at Hartford was taken care of when I told one my friends whom I met through my Cricket journey at Hartford. He was kind enough to let me stay at his place for as long as I wanted. I felt lucky to have friends like him in my life.

My flight to Hartford was quite smooth. It was a red eye flight, but glad I made it in time to get some sleep before heading out to explore Hartford. Once I got out for my exploration, all the nostalgic feelings came together and reminded me of certain memories when I walked by familiar places in and around Hartford Downtown.

I was living at the famous 250 Main St. apartment, which triggered the whirlpool of emotions. I walked past the 360 Main St. apartment, where I spent a couple weeks initially when I came to the US for the first time. The aroma of Indian food in the hallways of these two apartment building brought back so many memories and for a moment, I thought I was one of the current huskies.

After 360 Main St., it was time to explore the new buildings that they had just constructed as a new campus for UConn’s MSBAPM and MSFRM graduate courses. It felt great that the new students got to this building instead of ours, which was just a set of classrooms in one of the buildings in the downtown. The new building is constructed beautifully and I had fun exploring different rooms and amenities that the building offered.

After the new building, it was time to explore my old UConn building where I spent almost a year attending classes, preparing for interviews, and eating some free lunches over the weekend classes. It was surreal to see that nothing had changed in the last couple years and the building felt as-is even after a couple of years.

It was time to explore Downtown Hartford area after visiting my alma mater. It was both fun and nice to go through the same streets after a couple years, but this time, I wasn’t a student or a fellow husky. The Downtown Hartford area also presented an opportunity to visit my old apartment building which was at 55 Trumbull St and who can miss visiting Bushnell Park when they are in Hartford. I had spent almost everyday at Bushnell Park either studying or playing Cricket with my non-UConn friends.

The first day ended with a quick trip to West Hartford and I had a food at a Thai place, since Thai food is my favorite food to have if Pizza is not an option.

The second day was equally eventful. My friend and I cooked together some tasty dish for lunch. He was surprised to find out that my spice level had dropped significantly ever since I left Hartford, so he had to settle for a less-spicy version of the curry. I had a really nice time and stay at his place, but it was time to head back to Michigan. But, before doing that, I did go out one more time for a quick bite at an American restaurant.

The trip turned out to be better than I expected and I can’t wait to head back to Hartford.

Next stop: Holi celebrations at Hindu Temple, Canton, MI, USA

Week 05 (January 23 – January 29) – MJ’s Running in 2022

Welcome to the fifth week of the year.

The story remains the same. I feel like I am sounding like a broken record now, repeating same thing again and again. I am sorry, but I can’t help it.

My second sister’s wedding took place the way we wanted it to. We attended the reception too. Everything went well and I am glad that I was. there to witness the whole thing. It was quite emotional to bid goodbye to everyone’s favorite sister, but, you had to go through it, just to appreciate how strong her connection was with everyone else.

My eyes are still on running a few miles whenever possible, which seems to be quite difficult especially when I am on vacation. I am going to be in India for the next month too, so, it will be shocking if I don’t go out for at least a single run.

Let’s see how it goes.

See you next week!

Week 04 (January 16 – January 22) – MJ’s Running in 2022

Welcome to the fourth week of running.

The story of my running during this week is similar to the last three week (individually and combined too).

My second sister’s wedding is just a couple days away and I can’t be more excited. The wedding preparations are in full swing and at the same time, I am working during the American working hours, draining all the energy that I have. I am not the one to complain but if anyone is reading this, I will not recommend working weird night hours with more than 20 guests at your place. It is hard, but, I am able to manage it somehow.

Let’s catch up next week and see if my situation changes.

See you next week!

February 21, 2019 – Ford Team Outing, Dearborn Downtown, MI, USA

This was the first official “trip” of the year 2019.

What a way to kick off the new year.

If you have read my travel blogs in the past, you must have realized that me and my Ford team loves to go out for Happy Hours especially during the Summer season, as it is the only season which allows us to be outside our apartments and office buildings. The crazy and harsh winter season in Michigan doesn’t let you enjoy your normal outdoorsy like like Summer does, and that’s why it is my favorite time of the year.

I love scheduling happy hours for the team. It gives me a chance to get to know each other better and is an excuse to talk to people both within and outside the team. It gives me a chance to connect with my team and team members on a personal level, which is an awesome gift to an extrovert person such as myself. To decide and book a slot for Happy Hour, I have to talk to people and know their preferences, dietary habits, and some religious restrictions if you might add. It helped make feel everyone included and a part of the bigger picture, two of the most important qualities of building a team. I just love doing it for the team.

Anyway, for this happy hour, we decided to head to our usual spot – Bar Louie at Dearborn Downtown. To be able to drink and dine at a restaurant at Dearborn Downtown is a privilege in itself as you don’t have to worry about commute and park. We loved just walking to Bar Louie as it was a couple block away from our workplace. During the whole day, I used to get more excited as the time of the happy hour came closer.

As a team, we had a real fun enjoying each other’s company and ordering our favorite items from the menu – Buffalo Chicken flatbread which tasted awesome with a pint of some of my favorite beers – Corona, Stella, and many more.
Apart from the ambience, food was the second most favorite thing for me at Bar Louie. It just feels great to be there and I would love to come back here again in the future. Until then, enjoy these pictures!

Next stop: Hartford, CT, USA

Book 27 – Savarkar (Part 1) – Vikram Sampath

This was the 5th book I read in 2022.

This was the most exciting book that I wanted to share with you. When I bought this book, I didn’t know I would be able to finish reading this book but the book was so interesting that I finished it during my India trip. It was a really long book and I was glad I got to read about a famous and important personality in Indian freedom fight.

How I got introduced to the book?

It was by accident. I was in Bhopal, visiting one of my sisters. As a thank you gift, they took me to a Crossword store, which was really thoughtful of them since I love books so much. After spending some time inside the store, I stumbled upon the Part two of the Savarkar book. I grabbed it and read the preface, which I found really interesting and took that book to the checkout. At the checkout, the salesperson recommend that I buy the first part of the book, without which the second part wouldn’t make any sense. I decided to keep the second part down and bought this first part instead and after reading it, I am glad that I made that decision.

What’s the best thing about the book?

Frankly, everything is interesting about this book. Before actually reading this book, I didn’t know much about Savarkar and I was always curious about the fuss that my college roommates were making about the life and work of Savarkar and his brothers. After reading and finishing this book, I understood what they meant when they asked me to read about Savarkar. I understood the importance of an educated, smart, patriotic, and influential man in the fight of India’s freedom. Though I was a good student during my high school, I didn’t like history and geography and due to this very fact, I ignored a lot of topic related to Indian freedom fighters. Savarkar was one of the most prominent figures

I was really impressed with the way the author explained how Savarkar and his brothers spent their childhood. I didn’t know Savarkar was this smart and influential person. He had a big impact on everyone that he interacted and he was constantly recruiting people for the Indian freedom fight. His smartness and dedication for further studies helped him go to England to pursue further studies as a lawyer, but the hidden agenda was to establish a stronger presence of Indian Freedom fighters so that the British give up their rule in India and leave it for good.

Unfortunately, he was caught while doing this and was sent to the island of Andamans to serve his sentence. This harsh sentence didn’t deter him and his influential nature continued making rounds of the Andamans. After a long waiting period of a couple of decades, he was freed from the Andamans to his motherland, India.

Throughout his life, he had worked towards *only* a single of India’s freedom.

Am I thankful that I got to read this book?

That’s a no brainer. I am really thankful and lucky that I got to read this book and appreciated the efforts of every freedom fighter. On the occasion of India’s 75th Independence Day, you realize how lucky we are that we get to live in a democratic and free country, where we can be anyone and can do anything. Unfortunately, sometimes we take this freedom for granted.

Am I excited to read the second part of the this book?

Yes, I am excited to read how the story continues in the second part of this book. I am excited to refresh my memory about the remainder of the story of the great freedom fighter, Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

See you at the next book review!

Week 03 (January 09 – January 15) – MJ’s Running in 2022

Welcome to the third week of running for the year.

Like the first couple of weeks of the year, this week was no different.

I didn’t go out for a run throughout this week. The biggest thing that I did during this week was to travel to India for the first time after a long three years. The last time I visited India was in 2019 and I couldn’t head back to the motherland due to Covid in 2020-21. My second sister is getting married in 10 days, so I didn’t want to miss out on it and therefore, decided to head home no matter what.

While thinking and packing for my India trip, I thought I would get a chance to run during the first week since everything will be new and fresh but I forgot that there was a pile of work that I needed to take care of as an elder brother of the bride.

Anyway, I will keep my personal story limited to myself, and let’s catch up next week to see how it goes.

See you next week!

Week 02 (January 02 – January 08) – MJ’s Running in 2022

Welcome to the second week of running for the year 2022.

If you haven’t, I couldn’t run a single mile during the first week. This week was no different. I made a trip to Chicago as I had to drop my sister off at Chicago Airport, who was heading India for a vacation.

I am scheduled to head to India too in a few days and I can’t wait to see my parents after more than three years.

From my running journey point of view, I wish I could have gone out for a quick run, but I didn’t and there is no excuse for that. I think once I get going, it’ll be easier for me to continue running for the remainder of the year.

See you next week!