Day 355

Be careful what you wish for
cause you just might get it all
you just might get it all and then some you don’t want. – Chris Daughtry

It’s 7: 12 PM on day 355 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself toast, chicken nuggets and scrambled eggs for breakfast, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign – no luck – listen to music, feed myself rice and curry for lunch, go with my father to drop my mother, brother and sister at different places, cry for a while– my mom asked my dad to carry something for her into the building that she was going into, he said no, she said if any other woman had asked you would do it and before I knew it he was lunging at her (Note to mom and dad: mommy if you have problems go see a psychiatrist I can’t be your confidant and dad I will no longer go above and beyond to protect your reputation if you choose to behave in this manner you have to be willing to deal with the consequences) – go with my father to fetch my mother, brother and sister from different places, tweet about my campaign some more–still no luck I tweeted facts about water to achieve objective #2 of my campaign to highlight the plight of those who don’t have easy access to water– feed myself an avocado sandwich for dinner and brush my teeth once more.

Last summer I wanted so badly to go to India for my cousin’s wedding and now that it’s been decided that we are going this summer I don’t know what to feel because I know that it’s going to be hard for me when I get there not just in terms of accessibility but also in terms of my father and just people in general – my father rarely takes me anywhere here in South Africa where people are exposed to and educated about disabilities I wonder how he’s going to act when we get to his home state of Kerala where people have little or no exposure to people who are different. Have you ever wished for something and got it only to wish that you had never wished for it in the first place?

Are we connecting on Twitter? If not, say hi at http://twitter.com/Nisha360

If you’ve given to my cause or you can’t give now, please help me by sharing my cause with others. You can tweet about it like my friend Stan Faryna. This is the tweet he uses: @Nisha360 is a brave, smart young woman trying to make a better world for us all. Please help her do an amazing thing. http://bit.ly/hC7vOu

Stan’s very sweet for saying so, but feel free to write what reflects you best.

Thanks to all my friends out there who are helping me make my dream come true: to make a better world for all of us!

Day 225

The bible is my saving grace – that’s what I learned today

It’s 8: 42 PM on day 225 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself a sweet potato with a chilli, onion and yoghurt dip for breakfast, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign for a few hours – @morsemusings (Dawn) made another donation – thanks Dawn you are truly awesome – feed myself rice and curry for lunch, watch TV, tweet about my campaign some more – no further luck – feed myself rice and curry for dinner and continue to tweet about my campaign – still no further luck.

Today we were meant to get our passports renewed for our trip to India this summer but it didn’t occur to my father that he would actually have to be seen with me for that to happen since my mother had to stay at home with my grandma so he called off the whole thing and decided to go get my wheelchair’s belt fixed with my sister which was totally fine with me only my mother wasn’t having any of it and said she –referring to my sister – stays I’ll go with you to which my father responded in anger saying you’re not going come ‘on Nisha let’s go and as I sat in the car looking at him in the garden feeling hurt that he was taking me out grudgingly I remembered a verse in the bible and thought bless and do not curse. Do you use the bible as a weapon or a shield?

Day 222

The only way to survive in this life is to accept it the way it is – that’s what I learned today

It’s 6: 47 PM on day 222 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign for a few hours – no luck – watch a few Youtube videos – Christina Grimmie #5 on my ‘10 Most Talented Youtubers’ list (if you have no idea what I am talking about refer to ‘Day 159’) will be touring with Selena Gomez during the American summer – I am SO for her – feed myself rice and curry for lunch and tweet about my campaign some more – still no luck God knows it’s not for a lack of trying – feed myself rice and curry for dinner, continue to tweet about my campaign – today is just not my day hopefully someone will take pity on me and donate after I go to sleep LOL – and watch TV

This morning my aunt called from Kuwait and I heard her say to my mom if you’re planning on going back to India after you retire you should buy a flat in Ernakulam –the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India – there no one will say anything if you bring Nisha and at first I felt like a freak then I was outraged by the fact that she thought I was going to live with my parents forever considering I planned to make my own money, get married and have kids but after a couple of hours had passed I realized that I had to find a way to deal with the fact that most people would always discriminate against me. Are you resisting the circumstances of your life thereby making it more difficult for yourself to survive?

Day 186

It’s always good to remember where you come from and celebrate it. To remember where you come from is part of where you’re going. – Anthony Burgess

It’s 8: 12  PM on day 186 of my journey towards independence and I’ve managed to brush my teeth, feed myself French fries for breakfast,  tweet about my Clean Water For All Campaign for a few hours – no luck –  feed myself rice and curry for lunch, exercise for 5 minutes, tweet about my campaign some more –  @whoamitome (Juliana) who by the way has donated once before made another donation of $20 – thanks Juliana –  and feed myself butternut for  dinner 

A couple of days ago I was watching a Cricket World Cup match held in India on TV and I suddenly felt a twinge of guilt because I saw how proud the people of India were of being Indian while I was not and to make up for that I would like to take this opportunity to bring you the best of India – from architecture to food, music, movies and celebrities – enjoy

Welcome to my motherland

Taj Mahal – Wonder of the World 

Taj Mahal, a mausoleum that was built on the southern bank of the Yamuna (Jumna) River, outside Agra in India, by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Arjumand Banu Begam (also called Mumtaz Mahal, of which the name Taj Mahal is a corruption). She died in childbirth in the town of Burhanpur in 1631, after having been the emperor’s inseparable companion since their marriage in 1612. The building was commenced around 1632 by plans prepared by a council of architects from India, Persia, Central Asia, and beyond. More than 20,000 workmen were employed daily to complete the mausoleum itself by about 1643 and the immediate adjuncts (mosques, wall and gateway) by about 1649. The entire Taj complex took 22 years to complete, at a cost of 40,000,000 rupees.

The Golden Temple, Amritsar

The Golden Temple was first built by the fifth guru, Guru Arjun Singhji, to house the Granth Sahib – the holy book of the Sikhs. It was rebuilt in 1803 by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The temple is also known as Darbar Sahib or Hari Mandir Sahib. The temple is located in Amritsar and is the holiest place of the Sikh faith. It is built in the middle of a holy pool. The dome of the temple is covered by a gold leaf. The interior decoration consists of inlay work done with semi-precious stones in a delicate floral design.

The Akal Takht (or the immortal throne) was established near the temple by the sixth Sikh Guru, Guru Hargobind Singhji. It is the seat of the supreme head of the Sikh religious authority.

India Gate

This 42-meter high structure is located on the other end of Rajpath from the Rashtrapati. Also designed by Lutyens as a war memorial, it has the names of Indian soldiers who died in World War I inscribed on it. An eternal flame, a tribute to the Unknown Soldier, was placed under the arch in 1971.

 

Chapati/Roti

 

Thin bread cooked on the griddle.  

Biryani

A fancy rice casserole, often containing meat, poultry, seafood or
vegetables 

Dosa

Crispy, crepe-like southern Indian specialty filled with potatoes or
vegetables

  

 

Sachin Tendulkar

The backbone of the Indian Cricket Team.

Aishwarya Rai

Former Miss World and bollywood Actress.

 

Shahrukh Khan

Bollywood’s leading man.