Gaya

Unfinished Houses

What struck me most as I was travelling from the railway station to our dharamshala was how unfinished the houses were. The roads are narrow and traffic rules are not followed much here. I recommend that people who are new to Gaya should refrain from getting distracted while travelling on the road especially by foot; avoid speaking on mobile phones while travelling. I heard about the recent road rage incident where a person killed another simply because the latter overtook the former on the road and even though it shocked me at that instant, I realized that after my experience on the roads; it did not surprise me as much.

Gaya is named after the asura / demon Gayasura who after austere penance received a boon that anyone who saw him would eventually attain moksha. Ideally 'moksha' / salvation is attained by doing righteous deeds in this world so to prevent immoral people from attained salvation, Lord Vishnu the God of Harmony pushed him inside the ground thereby leaving his footprints in the stone which are visible to this day. The Vishnupad (Lord Vishnu' footprints) Temple was built at this site; the current structure is courtesy Rani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore.

Vishnupad Temple

If you can trek to the Vishnupad Temple, then it is a must-do; it was about 1.5 km. trek for us but totally worth it since we were in exploratory mode. Except when you near the temple, be prepared to be assailed by the 'Begging Mafia'. They have their words down pat to make pilgrims visiting the temple give them money; but give it to one and you may very well be surrounded by the entire mafia. Luckily, I had a very good bodyguard in my friend whose look and words scared the most of them.
Once you enter Vishnupad Temple, pujaris will make a beeline for you in anticipation that you will do some 100+ pujas. On the left, you will see hordes of people doing the Pind-daan (prayers for salvation of ancestors); this being the most revered place in India to do so. We wanted to spend some time in this beautiful temple simply praying and meditating but that was difficult with the pujaris trying to get you to do pujas. Still, by God' grace, we managed to change spots about 3-4 times and spend about 5-minutes each in silence. You can literally feel some peace descending upon you; probably because the souls are at peace after Pind-daan is completed by their descendants.
There is an Akshayavat ('Immortal Banyan Tree') and then as you go down you see the barren Phalgu river. The story goes thus - Lord Ram who is the protagonist of the Ramayana (one of the ancient and sacred Hindu texts) and the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu, came here with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman to do the Pind-daan for his father, King Dashratha. While Lord Ram and his brother Lakshman went to get the items required for the Pind-daan, King Dashrath appeared to Sita and asked her to do the Pind-daan immediately. She requested him to wait for his sons' return but he would not, so she did the Pind-daan with 5 witnesses - 1. Akshayavat 2. Phalgu river 3. Cow 4. Tulsi plant and 5. Brahmin. Now when Lord Ram came back, Sita told him that she had completed the Pind-daan and provided him with the 5 witnesses. Only the Akshayavat sided with Sita and told the truth whereas the rest did not say anything. Enraged, Sita cursed the four - Phalgu river to be barren, the cow to eat any waste from this land & not the rich fodder that was otherwise provided, the Tulsi plant to never be able to sustain growth here and the Brahmin to never be satisfied. I witnessed the effects of the curse first-hand - the Akshayavat that was blessed by Sita to be immortal stands majestic, the Phalgu river was barren, the cows simply ate anything they could lay their hands on and the brahmins never seemed to be satisfied with the amount of pujas they performed or the money offered to them by the devotees.
Amazing isn't it?

Sita Kund across the barren Phalgu river

Sita Kund across the barren Phalgu river, is a temple dedicated to Sita; apparently this is where she waited for Lord Rama and his brother.
On the way back, we went to the Mangala Gauri temple which is another one of the 18 Maha Shakti-Peeths (remember the story from Kashi?).

Some of our fellow-travelers had trekked to the nearby hill which provided a great view of the Vishnupad Temple; we did not try it but apparently the trek while long and hot (at least 2 liters of water should be carried), was worth the view from top.

Mahabodhi Temple

Bodhgaya was about 6 kms away and what a transformation! The temples are pristine and surroundings are much cleaner and well-maintained than the rest of Gaya. You can take a rickshaw ride to all the temples dedicated to Lord Buddha the founder of Buddhism. Bodhgaya is the holiest of pilgrimage sites in Buddhism. The MahaBodhi temple which was built by the great Emperor Ashoka
houses the Bodhi tree where Lord Buddha attained Nirvana / Enlightenment. In and around the tree, you can see monks and other people in deep meditation; we tried to do that to no avail because we were frequently distracted by the guides (maybe self-proclaimed) telling us stories without request. My friend Hetal got a leaf from the Bodhi tree from one such enthusiastic guide; she has been asked to put the same in a book which she has immediately after coming home from this trip.
Note: There is heavy checking & frisking at the gates and it is advisable to leave your bags at the free baggage counter near the entrance. There are clean bathrooms and drinking water for the use of pilgrims near the main gate.
Opposite the MahaBodhi temple, there is a temple dedicated to Lord Jagannath and next to it is the entrance to the Bodhgaya markets where you can get fabrics, shoes, bangles and other dressy accessories, decorative items for a steal.... i.e. if you are good at bargaining.

Buddhist Temples

There are Buddhist shrines built by other countries e.g. China, Japan, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand, Tibet, Vietnam and the like. Each of these shrines have their very distinct country flair to it and you are mesmerized by the different artefacts in the temple other than the statue(s) of Lord Buddha.
Pssstt: The temples close around 5. If you want moments of solitude for quiet meditation or reflection, then sit outside on the marble steps leading to the temple. If you sit inside, there is a good chance that you would be distracted by the 'Selfie-maniacs'. We spent about an hour and curiously enough, nobody disturbed us till 6:00 p.m. when it was time for the main gate to close.

The Great Buddha Statue

Of course, you cannot miss the Great Statue of Buddha; which I think is the cover picture for
Bodhgaya promotions. The statue is 25m tall and what is impressive is that even the folds of the dress have been captured beautifully. Lord Buddha' face is indeed a picture of divine enlightenment; something that we should aspire towards... so much peace and contentment.

Kashi / Benaras / Varansi

I felt a strange unexplained power or an energy surge as I stepped into Kashi. From the air to the holy water of the Ganges, everything is designed perfectly for anyone to fall in love with Kashi.

Kashi is primarily the favorite city of Lord Shiva and Adi Shankarcharya established Shiva-worship as official sect of Kashi. It is said that Lord Shiva sent his 'ganas' (disciples) to check how his favorite city was faring and they set themselves up near Kashi and never returned to Lord Shiva. This made Lord Shiva curious and he sent some more ganas to find out if there was any problem. Those ganas did not make it back either. Even more curious now, Lord Shiva sent his son Lord Ganesh to Kashi and even he did not come back. This made Lord Shiva come down to Kashi only to find how his ganas and his son were well-settled in Kashi and very reluctant to leave this beautiful place. I can totally understand the feeling.

The Ghats at Kashi

It is the holiest of the seven holy cities ('Saptapuri) in Hinduism, Buddhism and even Sikhism is believed to have been originated here; hence it is aptly called the spiritual capital of India. Kashi has about 80+ Ghats out of which we were able to see about 50 of them during our journey to and from Kashi Vishwanath Temple by boat. Tip: Check the group prices for travel by boat and try to join the group that suits you if you are travelling alone or with just few friends. Members of our larger group paid between Rs. 100 to Rs. 200 for this tour.

The Ghats are stone embankments mostly built by the Marathas. They are connected by walkways and you can see the pilgrims do some rituals at almost all of them. It would have been great to hike through the various ghats but our kevat (boatman) said that it could take at least 2 days if you wanted to traverse all of them. I saw many people taking a walking tour and made a mental note to do just that the next time around. What a good photo-op that would be!
Of course, photo-ops from the boat are awesome as you can see.

Our Kevat at Kashi

Our kevat had some wonderful stories to say about Lord Shiva' links to Kashi.
It is believed that body part(s) and / or adornments of Sati / Shakti who is the first queen consort of Lord Shiva is here and hence there is one of 18 Maha Shakti Peeths i.e. Vishalakshi Temple dedicated to her. The story goes thus - Sati did severe penance to win Lord Shiva as her husband and much against the wishes of her father Daksha, she married Lord Shiva. Daksha held a ritual ('Daksha Yagna') and did not invite Sati and Lord Shiva. Sati still went to the Yagna thinking that she did not need an invite to go to her father' house but Lord Shiva refused to accompany her. Her father ignored her and insulted Lord Shiva and in that rage and sorrow, she jumped into the fire. Lord Shiva was enraged when he heard what happened and he kills Daksha but forgives and resurrects him later. But the sorrow of losing his beloved is too much and he wanders the world with Sati' corpse on his shoulders. Lord Vishnu is pained to see Lord Shiva in such distress and he severes Sati body into pieces and wherever such parts of her body fell, a temple or Shakti Peeth was dedicated to her. This temple is at Manikarnika Ghat where the Hindus cremate their dead.

Manikarnika Ghat

The cremations go on 24/7. It is believed that people who either die of natural causes or who are cremated here attain 'moksha' and go on to Lord Shiva' abode at Mount Kailash. People actually come here during the last phase of their life so that they can attain 'moksha' / salvation from the cycle of rebirth. I was told that I had come very early indeed; some people even asked me if I had any health problems. This when I looked as healthy as a horse and even my normal maladies when subject to extreme heat - headache, body ache and stomachache, seemed to have gone on vacation; God was indeed being kind to me.
Harishchandra Ghat too is another place where the Hindus cremate their dead. Many believe that this is older than the Manikarnika Ghat. King Harishchandra was known for his virtues of honesty, justice and generosity. When Sage Vishwamitra asked him for Dakshina, he gave away his kingdom, sold himself, his wife and son to slavery to pay off the Dakshina. He worked at the cremation grounds here in Kashi. He saw his wife only when she came with the corpse of their son who had died of snake-bite. King Harishchandra passed even this testing time with flying colors and this pleased God who handed back his kingdom and son to him.

Kashi Annapurna

Another story goes thus - Goddess Parvati also queen consort of Lord Shiva and reincarnation of Sati, was offended when Lord Shiva said that the whole world is an illusion 'maya' and anything materialistic including food was to be treated as such. She disappeared and suddenly the people of the world suffered from starvation and hunger. Moved by the plight of her people, she reappeared in Kashi and started offering cooked food to the people. On hearing this, Lord Shiva came there to bless her and since then she is worshiped here as Annapoorna Devi (giver of food and nourishment).

The pilgrims take a sacred dip in the Ganga before entering the temples. The most popular story of

Dip in the Ganga

Goddess Ganga descending to the earth begins thus - The sons of King Sagara disturbed the meditation of Sage Kapila and he was so enraged that he seared them to ashes. King Bhagiratha, one of the descendents of King Sagara prayed for Goddess Ganga to descend to the earth and give his anscestors 'moksha'. But Goddess Ganga' force and grace was too much for the earth to bear so King Bhagiratha appealed to Lord Shiva to break the fall of Goddess Ganga and Lord Shiva locked the flow in his matted hair. She was then led by a waiting King Bhagirath from the Himalayas to Prayag for confluence with Yamuna and then onto Kashi and then onto the netherworld to save the sons of King Sagara. Thus, it is believed that a dip in this holy river means absolution from your sins and eternal salvation.
I had heard that Ganga is one of the most polluted rivers with dead and half-burnt bodies and human waste / sewage and items used in rituals all floating around. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see no such thing. Our kevat told us that the Ganga is being cleaned courtesy the efforts of the government and dumping of bodies have also been banned. However, do not drink the water near the area where pilgrims take a dip in the Ganges. Some of our fellow-pilgrims drank the water there and subsequently spent the rest of the day throwing up, so beware.

Panchganga Ghat is the point of confluence of five rivers - Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Dhupapa and Kirna. The waters don't really blend and you can spot different colors as in Triveni Sangam. I had heard that water of Ganga don't spoil no matter how many years pass by but the water from the confluences with other rivers does spoil. So, as an experiment, I filled in waters in different bottles from Ganga (Kashi), Triveni Sangam (Allahabad) and Panchganga (Kashi). The only difference that I really observed was that the waters of Ganga are clear whereas the waters from the confluences have a bit of color like a bit of yellow & brown. I am going to age the waters and check out when or if they ever spoil.

The most important temple i.e. Kashi Vishwanath Temple, is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the 12 'Jyotirlingas' and the holiest of Shiva Temples. Legend has it that when Lord Brahma, the God of Creation and Lord Vishnu, the God of Harmony were having an argument as to who played a greater role in the world, Lord Shiva created a pillar of light that extended to all the worlds and he asked Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu to find the end of this pillar. Both of them could not find the end but Lord Brahma lies whereas Lord Vishnu acknowledges the truth that he could not find the end. Lord Shiva blesses Lord Vishnu and says that he would be worshiped till the end of time whereas Lord Brahma would not be part of any daily worship. Lord Shiva then replicated this across 11 other locations which are known as Jyotirlinga. Kashi is thus the City of Light.
This temple structure has been destroyed and recreated multiple times and the creation of the present structure is attributed to Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar.
Note: Cameras, mobile phones etc. are not allowed inside the temple and you may be separated from the others during the course of your darshan. It is wise to decide on a meeting point and carry minimal stuff. You can leave your bags with the kevat or you can be the bearer of all bags and take darshan after at least one of your group members have returned. If you are alone, chances are very high that you could be fast-forwarded for darshan & you may be back before the big groups in your boat have finished their darshan. The temple is closed between 12:00 and 1:00 so if you are in line during that time then you have to kill the hour standing in the same line before darshan. You can also shop at the stalls; many people in our boat were ecstatic at the bargains they had negotiated.

Benaras has a thriving silk and muslin industry as well as other works of art. So, you could get saris and accessories here for a steal which may have you cringing about how much excess you paid for the same stuff in Mumbai. We were directed to a wholesaler Chandan Silks so we could get more saris in our budget. Once the saris and accessories start getting displayed, the sheer choice confuses you and then makes you want to increase your already large budget.
You could also visit the Ramnagar Fort (where the present Kashi Naresh / Maharaja of Varanasi resides), Jantar Mantar (an observatory near the Dashashmawedh Ghat), Benaras Hindu University, Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple and Durga Temple.

Dashashmawedh Ghat

You need to be suitably rested before 5:30 p.m. so that you can get to Dashashmawedh Ghat for the spectacular viewing of the aarti by seven priests. You could take a rickshaw to a point from where there is a walk of about a km to this ghat or you could simply take the boat again. Our boat was parked in between Dashashmawedh Ghat and nearby Sitla Ghat so that we could view the aarti at both places. Children sell flowers and diyas which you can light and float into the Ganga. The sight of the flowers and diyas floating in the Ganga at night is spectacular. I want to also say that pictures or videos cannot do justice to the live feel of the aarti. The synchronized aarti by the priests overwhelm and leave you spell-bound.

Dashashmawedh Aarti

As I left Kashi, I felt I had left a piece of me behind so that I was motivated to go back soon.

Prayag / Illahabad / Allahabad

As I was stepping on the platform of Allahabad City railway station, I was sooooo excited about seeing the Ganges that I almost missed my footing. The warning about minding the gap between the train and the platform was on, which probably saved other careless passengers like me.

After a good bath, my friend and I walked to the banks of the Ganges for the boat ride to Triveni

Boat Jetty for Triveni Sangam

Sangam. Now our boatman or 'kevat' as he liked to be referred to was quite the treasure-trove of tales of yore which he had absolutely no problem in sharing with us.
He started with telling us the story of Lord Rama and the kevat. Lord Rama revered in Hinduism as the seventh avatar of God Vishnu was sent to exile for fourteen years. It was at this time that he arrived at the banks of the Ganga with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana. He wished to cross the Ganges for which he enlisted the help of a kevat. After the kevat ferried them across, he refused to accept payment for his services from Lord Rama. The kevat is said to have told Lord Rama that it would be unethical for him to accept payment from a fellow-kevat. Lord Rama asked him to explain this to which the kevat said that while he ferried people in this world, Lord Rama ferried people from this world to the next. The kevat just requested that Lord Rama ferry him across to the other world when his time in this world had ended. Lord Rama was impressed with the kevat' devotion and blessed him. Lord Rama then spent quite a lot of time in the ashram of Rishi Bharadwaj who was one of 'saptarshis' (Seven Great Sages of the Hindu religion) situated there.

Enroute to Triveni Sangam

Our kevat always referred to the city as Prayag. Prayag is the original name of this city; the word "prayaga" means junction and indeed we were proceeding to Triveni Sangam where the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the invisible Saraswathi. Our kevat had a tale to explain the 'invisible' Saraswathi. I had my hair in a braid ('veni' in Hindi) and so did many of the other women on the boat. He said that at the onset of creating the braid the women make 3 parts of the hair but once the braid is completed, there are only 2 distinct parts with the third part blending quite beautifully into the other 2 parts. Similarly, Saraswathi is invisible but its presence can be felt by the believers. Some of the other people on the boat said that the power of Saraswathi may be felt once you step into the water. As we neared Triveni Sangam, we could see the graceful rivers retaining their own color even at the point of merging - the shallow yet forceful Ganga had muddy color whereas the calm and deep Yamuna retained its greenish color. The boat docked and most people got into the water to take a dip. This dip is sacred to the Hindus as it is believed to grant absolution of sins and 'moksha' / salvation from the
cycle of rebirth.
I sat and listened to the kevat's other tales about Prayag while the others went to do some rituals after the dip in the Ganga.
He pointed to one of the banks where the Kumbh Mela is held. Not only Hindus, but people of other faiths come here to experience the Kumbh Mela. That is something to plan for.
Prayag has been referenced in the Vedas (one of the oldest Hindu religious texts) and is believed to be the place where Lord Brahma did the rituals after creating 'Manu' (mankind).
Our kevat then pointed to a gigantic fort in the distance. He recounted as to how Emperor Akbar conquered Prayag and built the Allahabad fort at the banks of the Triveni Sangam. He rechristened the city to Illahabad (where Allah resides). His Hindu bride spent quite a lot of time in this fort and the Patalpuri temple which is housed inside the fort.

Allahabad Fort

He then pointed to a tree inside the Allahabad fort (there were so many trees so I really could not figure out which specific one he was referring to until we came close while returning from the Sangam). Now, this tree is believed to be indestructible ("Akshayavat") and thus sacred to the Hindus. It is referred to ancient Hindu texts as the tree where Lord Rama rested with Sita and Lakshmana. The kevat said that the tree is Kalpavriksha ("wish-fulfilling tree") which has special significance in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism too.
After the Marathas conquered Prayag, they built beautiful temples and subsequently when the British took over the then city of Illahabad, they anglicized the name to "Allahabad". They established the High Court, the Police Headquarters thus transforming it into an administrative center. To see these, you have to go over to Civil Lines. We went first to Allahabad Jn. railway station by a moped-converted-rickshaw and decided to follow Google Maps and walk down. Big mistake as we realized later because the locals will show you some shortcuts that could cut that walk time into half. We first

All Saints Cathedral, Allahabad

Tombs at Khusrau Bagh

saw the All Saints Cathedral built by the British and then Chandrasekar Azad Maidan where he shot himself while being surrounded by the British. We were advised to see Khusrau Bagh; believe me it was very good advice. The park has such a lot of trees and amidst all that stands the tombs of his mother Shah Begum, sister Nithar Begum and his own. Khusrau was the son of Prince Salim aka Jahangir and the grandson of Emperor Akbar. The mausoleums are majestic and their architecture and designs are simply out of this world.
I rode the cycle rickshaw around Allahabad; just for the experience inhuman though it may have been. You can also negotiate a fair price for those moped-converted-to-rickshaws and those may be used to travel around other notable sites of Allahabad - Allahabad University, New Yamuna Bridge, Amitabh Bachchan' childhood home. Tip: You should get into rickshaws only if your group has 8 or more people; otherwise simply skip it even if they literally try to sweep you off your feet into the rickshaw. Safety first please!

Cycle Rickshaw Ride

Be creative in expressing how special your oldest & dearest friend is to you on her 40th birthday!

Your dearest friend is turning 40. She has everything that she wished for in material terms; and she is not at all materialistic.
What could be the perfect birthday gift for her?

I racked my brains for over a month for something meaningful that she would not forget in a long long time (she is such a forgetful person; you see).

A little about our history so that you can imagine my dilemma -
Fact: We have been friends for well over 30 years ever since we came to live in the same apartment building.
Fact: We went to the same school, college right from under-grad to post-grad.
Fact: She married another one of my friends from the same building and thus continued to live in the same building
Fact: She has very specific tastes that differ dramatically from my own

I chanced to read on social media that "If you have been friends with someone since childhood and you have fond memories with them ever since, then you are one lucky person". That gave me an idea of all of our common friends (actually almost 95% of them are common considering the above facts) telling her on her special day how lucky we were to have a friend like her.

But how?

Now since I still have the remnants of my erstwhile IT-life, I can't think beyond presentations and Microsoft I guess. Hmmmmm!
So, we did a presentation on "A trip through memory lane of being Priya". 

We collected some of the choicest pictures from four decades and cataloged them by year so that we could all see how she has grown through these. It was a difficult task - getting pictures from everybody, cataloging them chronologically but it was sooooo worth it. We were very naughty too - we paraphrased most of the photos with anecdotes that we remembered.

Guess what? She was overwhelmed. Not only about this but because we used Google Hangout so that our common friends from all over the world could wish her while she was cutting the birthday cake.

If you have some special people in your life, do remember to thank them and overwhelm them with gestures like these and you can create more special memories to remember in the future.
Just an idea!

Renew and spring-charge your wardrobe with leftover fabric like I did

Earlier when I would get my clothes tailored, I would always request my tailor to give me the material left over. However, I have always been disappointed to hear that 'no material was left over'. Now that I sew the dresses, I am fascinated to find that if the cut is right, you are left over with quite a bit of fabric.

 

Also, I am so forgetful that I have 'burnt' quite a bit of dresses too while ironing. I can't wear them but why should I waste the entire fabric?

I put such fabric that I have collected to good use by reusing such leftover fabric.

This is a kurti I made with leftover material from another kurti. I found matching patches to attach on the sides so as to increase the length & breadth of the kurti.

Now, I also had this crepe material from a shawl that I accidentally burnt during ironing. I made rose flowers & stitched them to give the neck, slits & bottom of the kurti a different kind of look.

I am sure you can revamp your closet to give your dresses that 'new look'. So, what are you waiting for? Spring is in the air; do that spring cleaning of your closet & bring that spring & zing to your wardrobe without burning a hole in your pocket. 

If you need more ideas on what to do with such excess fabric... you know like making making different accessories to complement your wardrobe, then you will love this website -

http://www.allfreesewing.com/

It has inspired me to save up every spare bit of cloth and make beautiful little things that don't even take that much of your time.

Honesty is still the best policy or so the driver at UBER showed us today

Since my Dad is in town for just a week, it was a mad clamber to meet family and friends who he had not in several years.
Today was one such day when he was meeting one of his friends who is 80+ and due to the heat, he asked me to book him a cab. On his way back, his friend who was travelling with him left his phone in the Uber cab. He realized it only after about half hour of reaching his home. He called Dad to ask him if Dad had seen his phone. We called his number and the cab driver Ganesh picked it up. He was already on another ride but he promised to drop the phone personally at Dad' friend' place.

Ever the skeptics, we told him to return the phone to whoever was closer to him at his earliest. He said that he would be coming closer to our place and told us to not worry about the phone. Within an hour, we got a call from Dad' friend saying that Ganesh had come by personally to return the phone to him.

Dad' friend was worried more about the loss of the contacts on his phone. Where he had lost hope, Ganesh' act of honesty and going out of his way to return the phone was simply overwhelming.
Not just for him, for us too. Because it is far from what we hear normally about cab drivers like - how rude they are or how they overprice or how they harm the customer.

Thank you Ganesh for showing us how cab drivers can also be!

Easter selfies!

I was never a selfie-kinda girl. In fact, I hate posing for pictures; I'd rather play photographer. This Easter, I let my hair down... Probably because there is nothing like celebrating the biggest day of a Christian with your family.

My parents are with me this Easter weekend and after the mass, we posed for selfies & pictures. This sparked a selfie-sharing frenzy on my various Whatsapp groups. Then came the pictures of different family activities or just chilling-out poses.

That made me try out my latest kurti which is actually made from the material for another kurti' salwar (bottom). I have so many cream salwars / churidhars / leggings that making another one seemed to be such a waste. Also, I collect the left over materials from my other creations in the hope of using it sometime in the future; that proved to be a boon.
I had to create multiple panels and sew them together but the result was worth it - simple yet elegant. Best of all, it made me stand tall. It was like I was implementing the message of Easter - 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'; I converted my earlier rejects into something that I love wearing.

Now that is reason enough to give in to the 'posing and clicking and then posting on social media' frenzy. Here is the Mathews wishing you a verrry happppppy Easter!