Petals!

There is excitement as the New Year 2010 grows closer to us each hour. To each of you, I wish you a very  joyous and happy new year ahead. Ring in the New Year 2010 with new resolutions that will make you grow your happiness as much as your relationships and learning curve in every realm of life. Ultimately, we want to make our dreams come true by working hard for it and not simply because we left it to chance or good luck. Lord Alfred Tennyson's poem reminds us of ringing in the New Year so that it is time to let go of the past and bring into our lives what is true. " Ring out the old, ring in the new, Ring, happy bells, across the snow: The year is going, let him go; Ring out the false, ring in the true. " I also want to thank you all for sharing your thoughts and comments with me, encouraging me and lighting up my life by showing how deeply you care about what I write. To each one of you, I owe the high curves in learning, sharing and loving. I th...

Christmas involves a magical journey of introspection, reflection and self realization. Picture perfect post cards maybe more tempting but the inner journey is what strengthens the beliefs and adds greater meaning to the occasion. At times, you may even wonder if the seasonal magic is overhyped but the truth is that by the end of the year, we need to celebrate our new learnings, friendships, experiences and those moments that added so much fun to our life. Christmas packs in the spirit of love. It heralds a new awakening that brings so much joy to our loved ones in the form of gifts and surprises. This Christmas, the Secret Santa gifts that I recieved from my dear friends in office (Mayank and Priya) made me so so happy. Chocolates, a beautiful stole made from the softest fabric with hints of gold twirls on it, a beautiful Lord Ganesha on a swing and a wooden figurine of Mother Mary brought me so much joy. More than anything, their thoughts that led to the buying of t...

On a Monday morning, it is almost painful to reach office, especially in winters. All I want to do is curl up in the fluffy blanket and sleep some more. Of course, reality bites and the first thing that bites you on a Monday is to rush to office before traffic jam begins.  The best part of this Monday was tasting the Punjabi delicacy called Panjiri. Well, to be honest, I haven't even heard of this dish till I tasted it. When my dear buddy Ranjit brought it back from home (Amritsar) saying that her mom made it, I had a generous helping and then some more and again more and of course, nearly finished most of it. It was so tasty and rich. According to Ranjit, although this dish is ideal for nursing mothers, the way in which the ingredients are measured and inserted into this recipe make it very healthy for others too. The one that her mom made and I binged on is good for the eyes and help lessen headaches.  What a wonderful, traditional dish to taste on a Monday morning, is...

In Adi's playschool, Roots to Wings, a lot of emphasis is given to helpings kids learn from real life situations. The teachers bring out a monthly theme that is taught in their lessons and they share a monthly planner with the parents. The planner details the lessons, stories and rhymes that teachers will cover each week, the concept behind the lesson and what the expected outcome is. It also covers the menu and activities for each week.  Once a month, the kids have a competition where teachers from another school will attend and evaluate and give a prize. Sometimes, the competition will be judged in-house.  For highly disorganized, working moms like me, this planner is a life saver. It tells me all that I need to support my kid with. What I do is if the main concept is flowers, I get three or four coloring books, dot-to-dot books and so on based on flowers. In spare time, Adi and I sit down to do the coloring and he goes through the names and concepts again while colori...

Among the Chatterati is a book I enjoyed reading. It is the first book that I have read by Kanika Gahlaut. The writing style seemed refreshing and engaging. The story was not preachy yet it weeded out my impression about Page 3 columnists. To be honest, I always questioned their purpose in life and work. I mean, seriously, what literary fulfilment does one get by covering who talked to X and why Z's handbag was not Gucci, that sort of trivia really makes no sense to me. The protagonist, Aby, is a normal girl. She has spunk, character and conviction about a lot of things in life. It happens to be a sheer accident that spurs her career to take a new turning point as a Page 3nd then fate plays against her and she becomes a society columnist though she has no interest in it. I can relate to that because sometimes we don't always make the choice s about our professions, sometimes they happen to us as if part of a bigger plan. What we learn from Aby is that it takes a special k...

 1. Memories (some hurt, some soothe and some can never be replicated again). 2. Demise of a specially loved one. 3. Being away from my parents. 4. A truly bliss filled moment. 5. Listening to my favorite songs by my dearest Dasettan. (Dr. K.J Yeshudas). I've shared mine. Tell me yours .

For years now, I've been hooked to new Indian writers. As an avid reader, I am amazed by the variety and intensity of young Indian writing. The moment I spot a new writer's book, I am tempted to buy it because I love Indian writers and their stories. No two stories or novels are ever the same even when topics continue to revolve around family drama or coming-of-age situations. Rajashree's debut novel Trust Me had me hooked from start to finish and not because 'trust me' in Polish means 'F..k you'! New knowledge from this book that was almost funny because the way the author presented this nugget of information.  I completed the book greedily in a day. Of course, it is a romantic comedy about Paro, a protagonist who struggles to survive in Mumbai. She is no beauty but she has brains. She is on the 'healthier' side but she is tempted easily by tasty food though she always vows to go on a crash diet and slim down. She falls for a handsome man and is...

A lot of readers have talked about Manju Kapur's novel, The Immigrant with mixed reactions. In fact, I have always loved her books, right from Difficult Daughters to Home . She is a brilliant yet down-to-earth writer who writes about an ordinary middle class Indian woman's life with a crystal clear narrative and insightful perception. Indian Mothers Like to Believe Their Daughters are Virgins The story of The Immigrant is set in the '70s and revolves around a 30 year old protagonist, Nina, who is unmarried and begins with her lonely life as a lecturer in Delhi's Miranda House college. Her mother, like most Indian mothers, lives to see her daughter settle into a happy, comfortable marriage. Again, like most Indian mothers, she believes her daughter is innocent, inexperienced in the ways of men and a sure virgin who will be a prize catch for a well-to-do, eligible bachelor. Marriage is an Eye Opener Nina's life takes a significant turn when her marriage is ...