Thank you!

Oh mothers,

I write this letter to you, thanking you in advance for the beautiful men you will be nurturing and growing. I am so proud of the fact that you will be teaching them to be kind and gentle, respectful and loving, strong and supportive. I brim with pride when I know that the boys are in good hands and you have helped them understand what “NO” means - for trivial nothings and for the non-trivial bigger non-nothings. I see that each of your boys is seeing at home an example from his father, brother, grandfather or uncle on how a woman should be treated - He sees someone who is an equal partner - right from helping out at home, to taking care of each other. I know that you know that this is important as he is not going to learn this anywhere else. You have also made them realize that they have an immense responsibility to walk hand in hand with the other sex.

I am so proud of the fact that when these boys grow up to be those wonderful human beings and they look back at the stories of horror on the opposite sex, it leaves them in utter dismay, but they heave a Sigh of relief with the thought - “Not on my watch, not now, not ever”

The wrinkles

Unlike the wrinkles on a shirt that get pressed on, with no stories to share, the wrinkles on a face mean so much more. They highlight the years of laughter, the moments of tears, the days of toil and more importantly the beauty of time. They are like journey lines, each telling a different story. The ones around the eyes speak about the heartfelt smiles that made their way from the lips to the eyes, the furrows near the brow retain those un-worded disapprovals , those on the forehead, the unabashed exclamations, the creases near the mouth roar with the sound of laughter, and those under the chin scream of the unshed tears that you pursed your way through. 

Do we have to smoothen these and erase a part of the past? Do we have to make them disappear? Ageing is inevitable but ageing elegantly and beautifully is something we should still hold on to, no?

One Truth

Why does the innocence of a chid's voice invoke so much more spirituality? Is it because they are untouched by any of the vices? There is purity and clarity in their voice and tone. It shatters your ego, breaks into all your insecurities and makes you completely vulnerable. 

And I am not talking here about a God or religion but just the true essence of acknowledging that there is something bigger than you and yourself. Amidst all the logic and certainty, there is another energy that does make that one small change.

All of us go through ups and downs in faith on the basis of incidents in one's life. During intolerable times, some hold onto that faith longer and firmer whereas some question that faith. But I feel, we question and then we seek peace and we come back to that one truth.

The bond

One has seen life, the other is about to, one has known, experienced , lived, the other is going to know, experience and live. But they are the bestest of friends, they bare their soul to each other and they laugh and live like they are the same age.

They feed off each other and live off one another. Distances dont matter, time doesnt matter, they hit off where they left. Childhood is relived, time is being made. 

This bond is sacred, divine, necessary and absolutely fantastic. I am so glad that in some small way, I have helped seal this.

I am so glad that I knew mine. I lived her childhood through her eyes. She lived mine. 

This is the "Grand" bond, strong, loving and ever-lasting. For the self-less grandparents and the ever-loving grandchildren whose hearts brim with an emotion more than love, more than affection and something so brilliantly "un-nameable"

Doe & a clown

How can somebody bring so much joy? A little butterfly that flutters around, a doe that gracefully hops and mesmerizes us, a clown that can make you roll in splits. All this in one beautifully packaged darling is Nidhu.

She is carefree, sensitive and boisterous , all at the same time. For her, her world revolves around her amma, appa, akka , akka and akka! And then her 3 close friends.

She can be content swaying to Ghoomer or Pinga or Roar or 500 miles or actually any music.

She cannot settle for culinary mediocrity. She needs food tasty and hot. One look at this little thing would suggest a complete disinterest for anything food. But quite the contrary

She is nearing 5 and is developing a beautiful personality. My baby!

She turns 9

It was my daughter's 9th birthday. A remarkable landmark when the kid is slowly disappearing and the girl is blooming. We had 10 of her friends invited over. Wow what fun.

Girls are the best. I will say so because I have two ;). They are truly beautiful flowers. When I  say flowers I don't mean the pure dainty ones that yearn protection. I mean there are different kinds. The boisterous ones, the soft petaled but strong ones, the thorny ones, the truly open colorful ones.. They are all different types but they are the joy of life.

I realized, that the kids did not need fancy events, locations or any such thing. They needed a place to be themselves and run amok. The event they enjoyed the most was just running around the park or dancing to arbitrary songs.

And the best sight was, then and now, they would all hug each other like it's the most natural thing to do. So warm, so natural. 

I love this phase and I want her to enjoy every bit of it

What is the hurry?

Beautiful, simple, content and happy.

Bali is known all around the world for its massages and beaches. But there is so much more to this beautiful place. Ubud, its cultural hub welcomed me with its quaintness, love and beauty. There are “pura”s or temples at every turn. There are artists and musicians on the sidewalk. The museums, temples around Ubud are splendrous. But what is most splendrous is its people. There are beautiful women in kebaya(their traditional wear) in the nearby villages who do the processions for the celebrations. There are men in their kain or sarong (usually a checked black and white one) and batik shirts. And they are untouched by many things that have tarnished the oldness and warmth of many a beautiful place. The place is pristine - clean and pure. There are smiles everywhere. Nowhere can we see hurried people wanting to get to the destination at haste. They all seem to say - “Enjoy the journey, what is your hurry”?

On a sunday morning, at the Ubud palace, a teacher is teaching the girls Legong, the traditional Balinese dance. The music is soothing , the girls radiant in the morning sun swaying gracefully with precision. Even the powerful camera will not be able to capture the elegance and grace.

I am 10,000Km away from my home and yet I feel right at home. not just because of the people, I never knew that our cultures were so similar. You can see Vishnu (Desa), Siva, garuda, arjuna everywhere. Rather, they revere and cherish them more than we do. There are wrought iron statues of the gitopadesam in jakarta. Arjuna looms 50 ft tall in the middle of Bali. Hanoman protects all here. 

Bali is mesmerising