Pink By Ruchi Archives - My Inner Shakti

New Country, New Friends – Pink by Ruchi

Ruchi is back! And this time she’s sharing about her journey to making friends upon moving to India.

Personally, I love this post. This is a topic I’ve been thinking a lot about lately. Maintaining old friendships and making new ones as an adult is just plain hard. I plan to share my thoughts in a future post, but for now, I hope you enjoy reading about Ruchi’s experience.

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Gee, I’m almost 30 years old, and I have to make a whole new set of friends, in a whole new country. Should be interesting.

This is one of the first thoughts I had when I moved to Kolkata. My automatic assumption was, ‘Okay, I can just become friends with Jai’s friends’ wives.’ Then, we realized, most of Jai’s childhood and high school friends had left Kolkata. (In most cases, if you didn’t join your family business, you left for another city for more opportunities). All right, let’s re-think that one. Well, I guess it’ll just happen.

Think again. Making friends is hard! When you’re in school, it does just kinda happen. You find people you have things in common with – through extracurricular activities, through social groups, sometimes your roommates, you know.

But, when you’re out of school, married and in another place, that’s where the challenges are. First off, your priorities and obligations change. In our case, we live in a joint family, so a lot of your free time is taken up there. We also have to travel a lot for work, so when you’re actually in town, sometimes the last thing you wanna do is socialize and make an effort. I know, if you want to meet new people, you have to step out of your comfort zone and try. Our work environment is also very different from the States – we’re the bosses so no making friends there.

We both realized things needed to change. We had to start making more of an effort and not being so uptight. We also needed to break away from the house and, in turn, the family a bit more.

I had joined the Kolkata International Women’s Club but had barely made it to one meeting. I finally decided to take part in a Bazaar showcasing small business owners. Through this, I met a few ladies, and things started taking off from there. Then, we attended our first annual Monsoon Ball and couldn’t wait for the next year where we’d be planning which table to be at. I think it struck me (quite late in the game, but it did nevertheless) that friends were not just going to fall into my (our) lap. No need to be desperate but small steps had to be taken.

Our first Monsoon Ball – fun times all around!

And, the same for Jai. He started playing golf with friends of friends, and he joined a league where he barely knew anyone. I guess these things come easier when you’re a little younger and not so wrapped up in work and life in general.

One more thing. I also realized that we didn’t have to do everything as a couple. It’s funny – in Atlanta, when we were dating, we had very independent lives. Yes, we had some common friends, but we were very good about separating our time, too. After moving here, I just wanted to be stuck to Jai because I didn’t know any better. I was such a fish out of water.

Second point. We both realized (even though we’ve said it many a time before), but quantity over quality. We wanted to spend time with people who we could learn from, who we could be ourselves with, who we could potentially take a trip with, and just order a pizza and hang out on a Friday night.

And the final point. We were hanging onto our American lives too much. The food, the places, the friends, all of it. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But, when you know this change/move in your life is pretty permanent, you have to start adapting to your new place, too. Accepting all the parts that come along with that. Yes, some of our friendships have suffered due to our move, but I also think that’s just the natural shift in life. It gets harder and harder to stay in touch with time differences, families growing, jobs changing and responsibilities increasing. But, this has also forced us to truly appreciate and cherish all the people in our lives, near and far. Sorry, not trying to get mushy on you guys!

It’s tough dealing with so many changes, but it also makes you a stronger person, and I believe deeply in that. I struggled with the friendship part at the beginning and still do sometimes, but I’m powering through and figuring things out day by day.

If you find yourself moving to a new place, try to embrace all your surroundings. It’s daunting at first, but you’ll manage. Join clubs, try to find 1 or 2 people you get along with and build a friendship with them, attend events you normally may not be inclined to, explore.

I’m definitely not an expert, but I’m happy with where I’m at and where I’ve come from in this little journey of mine.

As always, thanks for tuning in! I’m leaving you all with 2 quotes I thought were quite appropriate for this post 🙂

Thanks, Ruch! As always, it’s so nice to read your thoughts and have you on MIS 🙂

Do you think it’s harder to make friends as an adult? Any tips?

Pink by Ruchi – Bombay Dreams

written by Parita 2 Comments

Ruchi’s back, and this month she’s sharing about her trip to Bombay (Mumbai)! Thanks for stopping by, Ruch – happy to read that you had a blast with your sister and the kiddos!

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Malad & Ghatkopar – that’s pretty much the extent of my Bombay trips. It’s been the case since I was a little girl visiting India during summer breaks.

One of my Masis (Mom’s sister) lives in Malad and the other in Ghatkopar. It was always easy for the entire family to get together in one place, eat meals together, shop in that area and spend time with my grandparents rather than going back and forth in the crazy traffic.

Both married into pretty religious families, so temple and Saint visits happen quite often when I’m there, especially when my grandfather is around.

Now that I’m living in India, Bombay doesn’t happen as often as I’d like, but this year, my sister really wanted her kids to spend time with the rest of the extended family. As important as it is for them to spend time with Jai and me, it’s equally important for them to interact with their great-grandfather, grand-masis, cousin mamas (maternal uncle) and masis and last but not least their second cousins.

Rickshaw selfie with the kiddos!

So, before I get into this, keep in mind, when I go to Bombay, I’m pretty much stuck in a one-mile radius of either of the suburbs I mentioned above – there’s not much of the Taj Gateway or Marine Drive happening around here!

Well, I did end up at the new international airport to receive my mom, sister and the kids – it’s beautiful!

In a way, it’s nice though – we now have our little, local shops we visit, the owners know us (moreso my Mom than us, but still), we can walk around a lot more (which is rare for me in Kolkata), we get to enjoy short and quick auto rickshaw rides (again, a rarity in my world) and I get the occasional American fix (with Bombay being about 10 years ahead of Kolkata, a lot of the chains have already popped up and are quite close to both of the areas I stay in).

Local shopping – the best!

You bet I did!

Woohoo!

I do wish I was a bit gutsier – you’d think after living here for 5 years I would be, but I still don’t really venture out on my own in Bombay – it’s super intimidating, and even though I can confidently speak Hindi now, I just seem to close-up a bit when I’m there. I guess I feel like my cousins and masis will handle it all and take care of me (which they do – I’m totally spoiled!) 🙂

Some examples of how I’m spoiled – traditional Gujarati food (some of my favorites), pure, homemade butter, and I guess an Indian vegetarian version of sloppy joes?! YUM!

One thing I have noticed though, I have no issues bargaining and speaking up when someone asks me where I’m from. Dude, I know I have ‘I’m not originally from here’ stamped across my head, but I love the fact that I can now say, ‘I am from here, I live in Kolkata, so don’t try to tell me I don’t know the prices of things!’ What a liberating feeling! I love it! (insert evil laugh – he he he).

I had a list of the most random things I wanted to buy during this trip, and believe it or not, I managed to find them all – crazy how a city you visit for one week allows you to purchase a mixed list of items while the city you live in makes you feel like you’ve created a never ending wish list! I do suppose something about vacation versus work and life has something to do with it 😉

The week went by in a flash, and I guess the common saying stands true once again – time flies when you’re having fun! Bombay never disappoints, and I do hope to explore more of the city next time I go. If you plan on being in Malad or Ghatkopar anytime soon, I’m happy to pass on all my spots!

As always, thanks for stopping by!!

Have you ever traveled to India? I’ve been several times but have yet to explore Bombay for more than a few hours. It’s now officially on my to visit list thanks to Ruchi!

Pink by Ruchi Celebrates Diwali

written by Parita 1 Comment

Ruchi’s back! And this time she’s sharing more about her Diwali celebrations in India. We decided this would be a fun and interesting post to share since I honestly didn’t do too much for the holiday this year (being away from family will do that to you!). Enjoy!

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Growing up in the States, we celebrated Diwali quite differently than how I’m being taught to celebrate it here in Kolkata. I say ‘taught’ because many of the traditions are completely new to me, and even though I’ve been here for 5 years now, I still don’t know them like the back of my hand. I think it’s still going to take some time and practice 🙂

In the Vora (that’s my maiden name) household, my mom used to make homemade Gujarati snacks (sweets and savories), and we used to attend a few Diwali dinner parties at friends’ homes. I always participated in the community’s annual program (which consisted of lots of practices and then an exciting night of performances by all of the kids). That was pretty much Diwali for me – we didn’t do many of the ritualistic activities which I’m seeing much more of here.

In the Kejriwal (that’s my married name) household, Diwali means major, major deep cleaning (basically the equivalent of Spring cleaning), menus, new clothes, pujas, sending out and receiving ‘meva’ (almonds, pistachios, cashews, etc.), visiting extended family – the works.

For us, the celebrations really begin on Dhanteras (which is 2 days before Diwali) – on this day, you usually make large purchases (lots of people buy cars or gold), and for symbolic purposes (and the actual pujas), we buy a silver coin every year. At night, the entire family takes part in a small prayer where we light 4 diyas.

Chhoti Diwali (the day before) is also known as Roop Chaudas. Back in the day, people used this day to prepare for the next – basically, they underwent natural beauty treatments to have that extra special glow for the most important event. My mother-in-law prepares a full body paste that acts like a mask – it consists of crushed almonds, gram flour, oil, yogurt, rose petals and some other stuff I’m sure I’m forgetting. You’re supposed to light a diya, spread the paste all over your body, hang out for a bit, let it do its thing and then shower. It really works – your skin feels amazingly soft and exfoliated afterwards – clearly, all these old remedies really work – I honestly think we should do as many of them as we can! I’ll spare you guys an image of myself with the paste on – ha!

The evening puja is a bit more involved – we light 11 diyas, place coins in a plate and actually perform the puja to them.

Finally, on Diwali, we have to 2 pujas – one in our place of work and then the main puja at night at home (both to pray for hopefully good things in the New Year and the general accomplishment of good over evil). For these pujas, we pray to God Ganeshji (the God with an elephant’s head who usually begins each prayer) and Goddess Laxmiji (the goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity). Everyone performs the rituals and showers the Gods with offerings, we light diyas which are then placed outside of each room of the house and sometimes fireworks!

The three days also consist of 6 different meals – a mix of traditional Rajasthani, Gujarati, South Indian and continental cuisines (this year it was Italian). And, as some of you may have seen over at my IG (@pinkbyruchi), we also get to dress up in new clothes (of course my favorite part of it all!). My mother-in-law wants everything about the occasion to be festive – the home is adorned with flowers, lights, candles, plants and more, we all wear new clothes, the dining table is decorated with new placemats and cutlery – it really does bring the entire place alive.

The morning after Diwali, it’s not downtime, but instead, we have to get up and be ready to welcome guests at home and also make our rounds around town to the elders in the extended family. Since everyone is busy with their own pujas the day before, visits are reserved for the days after. Like I said, even though I’ve been doing this for almost 5 years and Jai his whole life, we both completely forgot and had a lazy start that morning. And then of course, we were rushing! Standard!

I have learned so much about the spiritual part of Diwali after joining this family – there are many components, and I’m excited to carry on as many of the traditions as I can when it’s my turn. For now though, I’ll continue to make my lists and pick up as much as possible!

Happy Diwali (to all who celebrate) – may the lights of this season shine bright throughout your year and bring you nothing but joy, happiness, love and good fortune! As always, thanks for tuning in! And, thanks to Parita for letting me be a guest on MIS!

What’s your favorite holiday and why? Personally, I’ve always loved all the end of the year holidays, including Diwali, Navratri (another Hindu festival), Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Lots of family time and delicious food!

Pink by Ruchi – An Update

written by Parita Leave a Comment

Happy Friday, y’all! We made it to the end of the week.

I’m actually in Atlanta this weekend for my sister and Adarsh’s religious engagement ceremony. YAY! I plan to take lots of pics and look forward to sharing more on Monday!

Until then, please welcome back my good friend Ruchi! She’s back in India after her trip to the US and is sharing updates and glimpses into her current every day life!

Take it away, Ruch!

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Hello, hello! If you’d like to read a quick update (okay, it’s kinda long) on my trunk show that I posted about last time, feel free to head on over to my blog and see my before and after makeover pics as well. It was so much fun!

I thought for today, I’d do something a little different. Rather than talk a whole lot, I wanted to share pictures of my daily sights and happenings. Apologies for the quality – they were taken on my phone while the car was moving, and I was a being a little bit of a creeper in others…

It’s so interesting to see such extremes in this country – it just goes to show how far we’ve come and how much farther we still have to go. With that being said, here we GO!

I’m amazed every day at the way certain construction is still conducted here. Those men are tying bamboo type rods together with rope while they stand unsupported and unprotected.

And down the street, we’ve got this monstrosity of a mall with some of the best designer stores in the world.

Love it when I see a woman scootin’ around; not sure how I feel about the child seated in front with no belt or anything…

People waiting to take a driving test – I also had to do this, and if you think the DMV is bad, try again 🙂

As you can see, Jai has taken over my desk area while I’ve been gone – time to clean!

The first is an older picture, but Jai and I are trying to do this more often – go to one of the best tea shops and have a nice cup of masala, saffron chai and a jalebi (basically fried dough dipped in syrup) first thing in the morning – um yes, it’s absolutely amazing! The funniest part about this is that you’ll see men in their workout gear chomping down on samosas (more fried, savory goodness), chai, jalebi and much more – well, at least they’re treating themselves after a ‘hard’ workout – okay, okay, I’ll stop being mean and breaking my rule of not talking much!

This is going to be our lives around town for the next few years – they’re building the metro – ‘nuff said. AND, traffic is terrible these days because of this!

The pictures on buses and other public transport just crack me up! Yup, that’s Spidey!

And, I thought I’d end with this beautiful image – the way we do havans/pujas/prayers at home – this is right before we start – it evokes such amazing feelings, and when the fire is at its strongest – gives you chills!

Thanks so much for reading along – hope you enjoyed it!

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Thanks for sharing your daily sights with us, Ruch! Hope you’re settling back ok!

And have a wonderful weekend, everyone! Thanks for reading. Smile

Pink by Ruchi Trunk Shows

written by Parita 3 Comments

You guys! Chicago is the BEST summertime city. The weather is perfect, the streets are buzzing with great energy, and everyone is in a fun mood. I can’t wait to live here. Of course, I’ll figure out the winters when the time comes, but for now, I’m going to relish in the fact that this will be my summer for the next 4-5 years! Woo hoo!

With that being said, I have a fun overview post coming on Friday. In the meantime, Ruchi is back and sharing more about her fabulous business. Take it away, Ruch!!

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I cannot believe how quickly my time is flying by here. It always does (because we’re clearly having so much fun), but it’s crazy how fast our trip comes to an end. I’m a little more than halfway through mine, and my husband Jai leaves today to go back 🙁

One of the reasons I think my trips fly by is because I’m also working when I’m here. It’s not really work though – it’s like fun work. I set-up and take down pop-up stores (temporary Pink by Ruchi clothing shops – like your own private boutique), host trunk shows and meet with clients one-on-one as well. Between trying to spend time with family, meet up with friends, cross off the personal to-dos on both of our lists and my Pink by Ruchi responsibilities, it becomes quite a hectic and fruitful trip.

Some of my designs and accessories being displayed

I try to come up with a new idea each time and pair my trunk shows with another product or brand. For the last 3 years or so, I’ve been working with various Stella & Dot local representatives and combining my clothing with jewelry – I know, great combination – what every girl wants in one place. This has always worked very nicely, and it allows me to make new contacts as well (which is extremely important in this business).

Some lovely customers shopping

I am so excited about my idea this year, and I hope we have a great turnout. I have decided to team up with a brand of make-up artists to allow women to treat themselves to a fun evening (or day) of make-up and then shop for clothing, too! The artists come out to my location, set-up all of their products and give clients a one-on-one session where they also teach them how to apply. I mean, being completely honest here, if I were not the one setting this up and got invited, I’d be there in a second. How fun! I totally need to learn how to apply makeup and having a professional show me what to do – there’s nothing better than that. Mix in clothing, and I’m sold!

It’s always nice to try out new ideas – they don’t always work out, but you never know until you try and put in that 100% effort. I’m already playing around with ideas for next year – I know, I’m totally crazy! Finish one first, right?!

If any of you are in the Atlanta area and would like to stop by either Thursday night or Friday during the day, please message in the comments – I can pass on the details and get you scheduled!

Always keep room for snacks!

Side note for me – I’ll have to make sure the women hit the clothes first AND THEN the make-up! Ohhh, the details! 🙂

Hope to see you!

Thanks for sharing, Ruch! I wish I was in Atlanta right now. Smile Would love to check out some of your pieces and get a personal makeup consultation! Maybe next time!

Thanks for reading, everyone Happy Wednesday!

A Glimpse in to Ruchi’s World

written by Parita 3 Comments

Hello hello! We got back from Italy yesterday and are still adjusting to “real life.” I’m back at work and Vishnu’s getting ready for a boy’s trip to Vegas. I have so much to share about our trip and plan to do so starting on Friday. Can’t wait!

In the meantime, Ruchi is guest posting today and sharing more about herself and her business. Thanks, Ruch…so excited to have you on MIS!

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Namaste and Hello! First off, thank you so much for the support, and special thanks to Parita for opening up her space to me. I am so excited about guest posting, and I hope it’ll start up some interesting and fun convos!

We thought for the first post it would be a good idea to give you all a little background info. As Parita mentioned, I met Jai (my husband) in 2007, and we quickly knew that even though our future (as a couple) was not decided just yet, India was definitely in the cards for him. He always knew he wanted to move back and join the family business.

*Side Note: When it comes to big decisions in my life, I’m crystal clear – don’t waiver one bit – once I know, I know. And when it comes to the small decisions, I’m a big mess! Go figure! SO, the idea of moving to India was actually okay with me, and I was a ‘yes’ pretty early on.

Anyway, moving on (no pun intended). In 2010, the big move happened, and that was it – time for India to become my new home, my new permanent home. Everyone was pretty surprised and worried about how I would adjust, but I guess I tried to be as positive as possible and kept reminding myself that I had to make the most of my new situation. Yes, I was totally scared, didn’t really know what to expect and basically just felt far away from everything and everyone I knew. Sometimes though, it’s these things in life that really make you stronger and appreciate all that you already have. I know, it sounds all perfect storybook and cliché at the same time, but seriously, it’s true.

Driving school like I’m 15 again!

Dressing up for lots of traditional pujas!

Well, before I was even completely settled, Jai suggested I go ahead and start my own business. At the time, I thought he was absolutely crazy – I mean who starts a business when they’re not even used to this new life and place?! Not only did I still need to get used to being married, but now I was in a new country, new family, everything! As usual though, he was right (don’t tell him I said that 🙂 ), and it was probably the best thing I did.

Because fashion has always been a passion of mine, we figured what better place than India to dive right in. I was then forced to learn Hindi, teach myself how to deal with tailors, learn about fabrics and stitching…basically, I had to learn how to work here – and let me tell you, it is a totally different ball game. After growing up in the States and knowing that 99% of people work with a proper timetable, are professional and respect you, I really had to bring my expectations down. But with that came a new appreciation for this new city and seeing how hard some people really do work with such few means.

One of my first sewing projects!

My entire experience has been humbling and exciting and frustrating, and I know this will continue in the coming years as well. I never would have thought in a million years that I’d 1) be living in India and 2) be running my own business, but I must say, I feel so lucky to be able to do all of this and share my anecdotes with all of you. Life really does surprise you sometimes.

A little bit of Kolkata – huge festival/puja which takes place in the fall.

Kolkata street food – a must!

So many of the pieces in my line are inspired by my [new] life here and the need to fit in but still feel like myself. I learn something every single day, and I don’t expect that to stop anytime soon.

Thanks for popping over to listen to my rambling. I’ll most likely be over here once a month to share stories about my everyday happenings and some fashion advice/tips as well! We’d love to hear if there are any specific topics you’d like to chat about, so let us know!

In addition to my posts here, I’ll also have my own blog for those who’d like to follow along a little more closely (www.pinkbyruchi.com/blog) and I’m on Instagram @pinkbyruchi (for some #ootd pics and other tid-bits)!

‘Til next time!

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Thanks again, Ruchi! So happy and excited for you!

And happy Wednesday, all!

New Country, New Friends – Pink by Ruchi

Pink by Ruchi – Bombay Dreams

Pink by Ruchi Celebrates Diwali

Pink by Ruchi – An Update

Pink by Ruchi Trunk Shows

A Glimpse in to Ruchi’s World

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