Isn't that how festivals should be?

“Please, Mamma, may be do Ganapathi at home?”, my kids asked me.

“No way. I am not killing myself any more”, I replied. “You want to celebrate, you celebrate. Leave me out of it.”

Last year, I had sworn not to celebrate any festivals at home. All the hard work wore me out, nobody appreciated the effort, and I ended up snapping at everyone in frustration. Life became much easier after I started ignoring festivals.

And then the kids wanted to celebrate. I let them take charge; helped when they asked. We have fun.

Isn’t that how festivals should be?

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We haven't yet got to a stage where we celebrate obscure festivals like this one where images of the Mother Goddess seem to be worshipped at home, but we have celebrated at least three major and many minor festivals, and had fun. Taken at the local market, in December, this forms a part of my Pictorial Flashback of 2012.

The Mother of a Reader

“Haven’t you already read this book?”, my husband often asks. “Why are you reading it again?”

“For the same reason you keep watching the same match on TV”, I tell him. “Because I want to.”

Non-readers just don’t get it. Reading is not like watching TV. Reading needs you to concentrate, to put in effort. Why would you do that, when you already know the ending?

But a Reader knows that it is precisely when you are not rushing towards the ending that you get the most out of a book.

I am glad I am the mother of one.

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When I first read Vikram Seth's "A Suitable Boy", I nearly got a stress fracture on my wrist because of the weight of the book. One decade, two kids, and many life experiences later, when I returned to the book this year, the book gave me just as pleasure as it did the first time I round. I am glad I discovered it, gladder that I re-discovered it. Taken at a Cafe outside my sons' school in November, this photograph forms a part of my Pictorial Flashback of 2012.

You don't have to be good....

They had strung a net across the road, and using streetlights as floodlights were engaged in a game of volleyball. None of them was particularly skilled; they had to keep interrupting the game to let pedestrians pass. But they were all having fun.

“Why have you blocked up the street”, and elderly gentleman reprimanded. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

They smiled and asked him to join in too. He didn’t, but stayed to watch.

You don’t have to be very good at something in order to enjoy it. That you enjoy something is reason enough to do it.

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Just off one of the busiest streets in Bombay, is this narrow lane where traffic is so sparse that people can actually block the road off to play a game of volleyball. Taken on a cool October evening, this forms a part of my Pictorial Flashback of 2012.

I discovered cooking

Mine is a family of fussy eaters. Of people who think nothing of leaving their food untouched and ordering greasy takeaway. Never a passionate cook, I stopped cooking a long time back. Till I realised I could cook for myself. Recipes my mother used to make, and which I had almost forgotten about. Recipes given by friends. Recipes sourced from the internet. Cooking became fun again. And with me spending more time in the kitchen, my cooking became more palatable to the family.

Though I have been cooking for over 25 years, this is the year when I discovered Cooking.

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Despite the fact that the hubby doesn't have egg yolk, in all these years of married life, I clung to my principles of never baking an eggless cake. The first eggless cake I baked was for his 40th birthday, and it came out really well. This photograph of the chocolate-banana cake forms a part of my Pictorial Flashback of 2012.

Judgement to be Swift

While the entire nation is signing petitions demanding death penalty for the rapists in a particularly heinous crime, I hold a contrary view. People want the rapists to hang, so it will serve as a deterrent for others, but if that were the case, there would be no murder or terrorism. What strikes fear in the hearts of people is not the severity of punishment, but the certainty of punishment. And if death is the punishment, any judge will drag his feet.

The lynch mobs can continue to scream for blood, all I want is for judgement to be swift.

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"The Doors of Perception", is what I call this composition. What you see, depends on how you look at it. Taken in August at one of our favourite restaurants, this forms a part of my Pictorial Flashback of 2012.

Will this ever end?

Crimes against women are on the rise. Rape, assault, murder. Instances of acid-throwing, of faces being slashed. Crimes by strangers; crimes by loved ones. Crimes reported; crimes unreported.

Crimes that make you seriously consider donning a veil- except that never stopped a sexually frustrated male, did it?

You can blame tradition that put women in a subordinate role. But actually, it is popular culture that is to blame. It is Bollywood that reinforces the view that stalking a woman is the way to win her. That when a woman struggles, she’s enjoying it.

Will this objectification of women ever end?

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This picture was taken from a cab on a monsoon day in July. Words are not required, those eyes say it all. Taken on Tulsi Pipe Road, this forms a part of my Pictorial Flashback of 2012.

He can READ

“Mamma, what is the meaning of RAPE?”, my six-year-old asked me. Any mother would have been horrified that he had stumbled upon that word. Instead, I was thrilled. Thrilled that he had learnt to string sounds together to form words. Thrilled that he liked reading enough to voluntarily pick up the newspaper. Thrilled that the universe of knowledge had opened up for him.

When he entered second grade, he struggled to recognize even three letter words. Guiding him was not easy, but his determination and my faith in him did it. He can READ.

But, that question still needs answering!

______ 

In June, I visited a summer camp where underpriveledged children were given supplementary coaching to bring them to normal school levels. Some of the methods they used helped me in making that critical breakthrough with my son. This picture taken in a slum community about a mile away from my house,  forms a part of my Pictorial Flashback of 2012.

Even dusting!!!

“You son tells such wonderful stories”, my mother told me. “You should write them down.”

“I just don’t have the time”, I told her. “I am barely surviving. I cannot make time for something else.”

“It is not as though everything you do is essential”, she insisted. “You can cut down on something else, and do it.”

But that is exactly what I do. Cut out what is not essential. There are the things I need to do to survive. There are the things I do to retain my sanity. Everything else is unessential. Everything else I ignore. Even dusting!

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There are many paths to Peace of Mind. Meditation is one of them, but that is not for everyone. What works for me is attaining Balance in my life. So far, so good. Taken in May at a monastery in Ladakh, this forms a part of my Pictorial Flashback of 2012.

The first generation

Spotlessly clean uniforms- shirts tucked into their skirts. Hair neatly combed and plaited- every bow of the ribbon perfectly arranged. Sitting crosslegged in straight rows on the floor- backs straight, not ever fidgeting or whispering or passing notes.

I couldn’t help but compare the disciplined group of schoolgirls from a tiny tribal hamlet, with the unruly mob that inhabits the school my kids go to. The kids with movie-star hairdos and messy clothes, who unthinkingly flout every rule in the book!

It is obvious who values education more. Naturally too- they are the first generation to have access to it.

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I took this photograph in a one-room one-teacher school in a tribal hamlet near Bombay. The photograph taken in April forms a part of my Pictorial Flashback of 2012.

There are decent people everywhere

The cab-driver who drove a few miles out of his way to return the phone I left behind in his cab. The man who bought a bottle of water for my son when he was carsick, and disappeared before I could even thank him. The shopkeeper who called me back and gave me the change I forgot to take. The people who went out of their way to help me when I had a nasty fall.

Why do we presume people are out to get us? If only we look for them and acknowledge them, there are decent people everywhere.

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This photograph of the rear window of a cab was taken during one of my numerous rides across the city. All cab-drivers are presumed to be cheats, but this was one of the several who didn't try to to fleece me. The photograph, taken on my phone-camera in March forms a part of my Pictorial Flashback of 2012.

I let him grow

“Please may I go to the shop and buy a packet of biscuits?”, my then eight year old asked me. The store is barely 300 meters from my place, no roads to cross, no difficult stretches to navigate. My son was fairly responsible- I knew he could be trusted to not do anything foolish. Why then did I hesitate? Was it because I thought he was too young? Or was it that irrational fear of letting go?

It took me three days, but I eventually agreed. His joy was unbounded. I am glad I trusted him, and let him grow. 

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I nearly killed this plant by watering it too much. Luckily, I caught it in time, and eased off. Kids are like plants, aren't they? Overwatering stifles them almost as much as neglect. Taken at home in February, this forms a part of my Pictorial Flashback of 2012.

Facing your Fears

After my disastrous first marathon, I resolved never to attempt the distance again. And yet, even as I made that resolution, I knew I would have to return at least once. If only to prove to myself that I was not scared.

I trained hard for it. Almost let it become an all-consuming passion. And in January, I did it. I exceeded my wildest expectations; ran a marathon of which I could be proud. On my birthday, I ran the distance again. By the end of the year, I ran my first ultra.

When you face your fears, they disappear.

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While I was running on the Bandra-Worli Sealink during the Mumbai Marathon, I saw the Sun rise over the waters of Mahim Creek, and paint the sky golden. I couldn't resist whipping out my phone, and snapping this picture. It is symbolic of so many things, and forms a part of my Pictorial Flashback of 2012.

Happy Birthday

“You look just like your mother”, people often tell me.

“Don’t let her hear that”, I am quick to retort. “She’ll not like being told she looks like me.”

Whether we look alike or not is debatable, but on the face of it, we are completely different. She’s gregarious; I’m reserved. She loves bright colours and dressing up; my wardrobe is made up of monochromes. We can’t stay together in the same room for an hour without fighting.

And yet, in the things that matter, we think alike. She’s the first person I think of when I need a hug.

Happy Birthday, Mumsie

Be honest, anyway

On the way to the airport, I left my phone behind in a cab. By the time I could get through to the cab driver, he'd already picked up another fare, and was too far away to return. Without really expecting him to do so, I asked him to drop the phone off at my mother's place whenever he was next in the area. Not only did he return the phone within a couple of hours, he refused to accept a tip from my mother.

Why do we assume people are dishonest? People are intrinsically honest, if you trust them.

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”
― Mother Teresa

Our point of view

“And why do you want to change schools?”, the Principal of the school I was seeking admission in asked me.

“We are quite happy with the school”, I replied honestly. “But now that our older one is moving to secondary school, we want a school that puts more emphasis on academic results.”

She smiled, hesitated a moment, then said, “I’ve interviewed many parents who have kids in the same school, and you are the first parent who hasn’t complained about the school.”

I am glad she appreciated our point of view. We have chosen the right school for our kids.

 “Values aren't buses... They're not supposed to get you anywhere. They're supposed to define who you are.”
― Jennifer Crusie

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

The purpose of festivals

Sharad Poornima.

The full moon night when the moon is closest to the Earth. People believe that if they offer a milk based dessert to the moon before consuming it, they will be blessed with good health in the coming year. In the days before high-rises and pollution, many families would have, what amounts to, a moonlight picnic dinner on Sharad Poornima. Whether the moon actually blessed the food or not, we do not know, but everyone sure had fun.

And shouldn’t that be the whole purpose of festivals?

I did my bit, and make something sweet for the kids.

“The easy confidence with which I know another man's religion is folly teaches me to suspect that my own is also.”
― Mark Twain

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

He was right

“My Maths book has a mistake”, my older one informed me. “There is a question, ‘which are the only two months that are next to each other and have 31 days?’. The question is wrong, isn’t it?”

“Of course not. There are two months that are together that have 31 days”, I snapped; irritated that at nearly nine, he still didn’t know the calendar.

“You are talking about July and August, aren’t you?”, he asked. “But what about December and January. They have 31 days too, and they are next to each other.”

And you know what, he was right!

“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.”
― Mark Twain

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

A little bit of sensitivity

The King of Good Times, he called himself. The flamboyant owner of the fastest growing airlines in the country. Known for his jet-set lifestyle- the yatchs, the fast cars, the parties, the gorgeous women.

Then his airlines ran into trouble. Its employees unpaid for several months. Their family members committing suicide because they could not cope.

His lifestyle continues unchanged. Babes, booze and beaches. Openly.

Legally, he is in the clear. It is a limited liability company, and he is not responsible for its fate.

But this is not about legalities. Shouldn’t he be showing a little bit of sensitivity?

“Find a purpose to serve, not a lifestyle to live.”   

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Beautiful blue flowers

When a neighbour shifted out of her apartment, she decided to abandon all her plants. I’d see their miserable faces everyday, but since I couldn’t image anyone leaving her plants to die, I presumed she had made other arrangements. By the time I realized she wasn’t going to claim them again, it was too late to save any of the plants. One, however, held on and with every last ounce of energy produced a bunch of pods.

I planted the seeds, without knowing if they would take root. They did. Now my balcony boasts of beautiful blue flowers every month.

“Take the time to plant seeds even if you're unsure if they'll grow; who knows, maybe all it takes is for someone else to come along and water it.”
― Kai Mann

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Can anything be more Joyous?

Four months back, my younger one couldn’t read at all. He could spell words, but couldn’t read them in a printed book. And then he gradually learnt to sound the words out- first with help, then on his own. He still gets many of the words wrong, but he gets enough right to want to keep trying.

Yesterday, he picked up his favourite Tintin comic. “Why don’t you try reading the words instead of just looking at the pictures?”, I suggested.

He looked incredulous. Then tried. “Mamma, I can read!!!!”, he exclaimed.

Can anything be more Joyous than that discovery?

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
― Stephen King, On Writing

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

There is no magic pill

“But you are a fitness freak”, a friend informed me, when I was trying to motivate her to work-out regularly. She made it sound like I was addicted to exercise, that some mysterious power compelled me to work-out every-day.

Doesn’t she realize that when the alarm goes off early in the morning, I too have to struggle to get out of the bed. That there are days when I want to rest, but don’t because I know that once a habit is broken, you can’t get it back.

There is no magic to fittness- you just have to push yourself.

“If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost-effective drugs ever invented."

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Wasted time

I was stepping out for a run when my older one caught me. “Mamma, please, please, please, can you go for a run later. I want to talk to you now.”

“Later, Sweetheart”, I almost told him. “We can talk when I am back.” I really wanted to put in a long run that day; soon it would be too hot to go outside. But I looked into his eyes- gleaming with hope and anticipation. A day will come when he might no longer want to talk to me- how I will long for this moment then.

I stayed back.

“Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
― Marthe Troly-Curtin, Phrynette Married

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

So fast?

Nine days of festivities draw to a close today. Nine days of worshipping the Mother Goddess. Nine days of dancing through the night. Nine days of dressing up in nine special colours. Nine days of refraining from eating certain foods. Nine days of joyous celebrations. Nine days of mirth.

Seems like yesterday that everyone was counting down to the festival. Buying new clothes, accessorising them. Planning where to go on which day. And with whom. Planning what to cook, when.

And now, it is all over, until next year. Time flies doesn’t it? Both the good times and the bad.

“How did it get so late so soon?”
― Dr. Seuss

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Put kids in charge

Decades back, the Indian government came up with “Project Tiger”- a way to protect the environment by putting the national animal at the apex of the ecosystem. Unfortunately, today, even the big cat faces extinction.

"If tigers are so important, why don’t we just keep them in zoos”, a kid asked.

Before the teacher could reply, my kid piped up, "but Project Tiger is not about the tiger. It is about all the animals. The tiger is the symbol, because big people don't think rabbits and butterflies are important."

Right he was. Why can’t we just put kids in charge?

“If the bee disappeared off the face of the earth, man would only have four years left to live.”
― Albert Einstein

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Celebrate the inner goddess

Every day, you read about atrocities against girls and women. Major crimes grab the headlines, but it is the relatively smaller crimes that strike terror in our hearts. The girl who was assaulted when she dared protest when a ruffian stared at her. The woman paraded naked because she resisted a rape attempt. Small everyday crimes, that make you scared to assert your rights. That make you crow in fear.

And yet, come Navratri, the entire country steps out to worship the Mother Goddess. When will the Nation learn to celebrate the inner Goddess present in its Women and Girls?

While the real Goddess waits for a school bus, the cloth
that is offered to the Goddess hangs from a store.

The symbolism of the Goddess is not a parallel structure to the symbolism of God the Father. The Goddess does not rule the world. She is the world. Manifest in each of us, She can be known internally by every indivdual, in all her magnificent diversity.

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

I don't care

“Sera* called me ‘Tiny’”, I overheard my younger one telling his brother.

“Did you hit her?”, his brother asked.

“Why should I?”, he replied. “I told her I didn’t need her to tell me something I already knew.”

I worried about it for awhile, and at dinnertime, broached the topic again. “Do you mind being the shortest in your classs?”, I asked. “I am sure you will grow taller soon.”

“Why should I want to be tall?”, he asked. “I’m okay as I am.”

“But don’t people tease you?”

“So what? I don’t care.”

Wish more people were like him.

“What people in the world think of you is really none of your business.”
― Martha Graham

* Name changed

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

What you see....

I’d made some really good plum chutney the other day, and wanted to take a picture to post on a food group. I poured it into a pretty bowl, spread out a cloth that would compliment the colour, and started shooting. I took seven pictures- all were well composed, perfectly exposed and well lit, but none of them came close to capturing the colour and luminosity of the dish.

On an impulse, I decided to go against everything I have learnt, and shot against the light. The photograph was perfect.

Sometimes, the smallest shift in perspective, ends up changing everything.

“What we see depends mainly on what we look for.” ― John Lubbock

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Being yourself

“You are getting so many grey hairs”, a friend commented. “Why don’t you start colouring it?”

I muttered something incomprehensible about colouring being high maintenance, and quickly changed the subject. How do you explain to someone that you just don’t want to hide the grey. That coloured hair, or highlights are definitely beautiful, but that you feel the need for neither. That you actually like the streaks of grey, because you feel you have earned every single one of them.

That, strange though it may seem in a world obsessed with the perfect body, you are happy just being yourself.

“Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.”
― Marilyn Monroe

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Search for Dignity

“If you don’t mind, we’d rather you not take any pictures”, I was told by the person accompanying me on a visit to a project we had funded in a slum community.

“Why should I mind?”, I asked putting my camera away. “I wouldn’t want someone to take pictures of me without my permission. Why should people living in slums not have the same right to privacy?”

But the fact is that very few people realize it. Poverty might compel people to accept charity, but making a donation does not give anyone the right to strip them of their dignity.

"Empathy is simply the ability to understand another person's search for dignity."

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Can I be proud?

“You know what”, my older one said triumphantly. “The shopkeeper tried to cheat me, but I told him he was giving me the wrong change. I am really smart, aren’t I?”

At first, I found it hard to believe his story- would the shop-keeper I was patronizing for many months do that to me- but when I asked for details, I found that my son was indeed right. The shop-keeper had given him less change than he should have.

“How did you calculate so fast?”, I asked.

“We learnt it in school!”, he replied.

Can I be proud of him?

Education must have an end in view, for it is not an end in itself.
~ Sybil Marshall

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Change the World

This post is a part of Blog Action Day- "The Power of We"

Nestled high up in the Himalayas, Ladakh was an unspoilt paradise till tourists discovered the charms of its barren landscapes and Buddhist monasteries. They brought with them the polythene bag revolution; everyone wanted them. Like in every other part of India, garbage dumps were soon overflowing with polythene bags. Cows starting eating them, and falling sick; many even dying.

They could have waited for government to ban polythene bags, but the locals chose to do something about it themselves. They banded together and convinced the local community to boycott polythene bags.

Ladakh is now back to being an unspoilt paradise.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

Margaret Mead

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

To not say "Yes"

“Stop being such a spoilsport”, my friends told me when I said I couldn't join them for a night-out. “If you really want to, you can manage it somehow.”

But that was just it. I did not want it that badly. Sure, I love my friends, and love spending time with them, but not at the cost of disrupting my normal routine. So, I said “No”.

It didn't make me a lesser woman. It didn't make me a wimp. It didn't make me anything except a person who had a courage to not say “Yes”, when she actually meant “no”.

"A 'No' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'Yes' merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble."

~Mahatma Gandhi

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

I strive

I came home from school in a state one day. I was livid at a petty wrong that had been done to me. Triumphant on how I had dealt with it in the way only a headstrong teenager can. The moment my mother got home, I started venting. How I vented! I cried, I yelled, I cried some more. She patiently heard me through, let me sob on her shoulders.

And when I was calm, and able to deal with it, she told me exactly what mistakes she thought I had made.

I strive to be a mother like that. 

"If you can rely on someone who is going to love you no matter what you do, I think that is pretty empowering."
~ Teri Johnson, mother of US gymnast Shawn Johnson
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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Not to be a lady

For a long time, I envied women who were ladies. Women who wore the right clothes, said the right things, and knew how to conduct themselves in social-settings. No matter how hard I tried, I could never become one.

Injustice bothers me, and I am not afraid to create a scene when faced with something that is Wrong. When I have something to say, I say it, without worrying about how many feathers it will ruffle.

Now I realize being a lady is not all that great- I would rather be a woman who stands up for what is Right.

On the International  Day of the Girl, Nora Ephron's words are so true-

"Whatever you choose, however many roads you travel, I hope that you choose not to be a lady. I hope you will find some way to break the rules and make a little trouble out there. And I also hope that you will choose to make some of that trouble on behalf of women."
Nora Ephron

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Am I flying correctly?

Why is it that of all the animals in the world, it is only the human that is so full of self doubt? Is my running gait right? Is my voice pitched right? Am I speaking in the right accent? Is this food good for me? Does that dress look nice on me? There doesn’t seem to be a single moment in our lives when we are not questioning something that we do.

Is it because we try to do so much, we rarely reach the stage where we do things instinctively? Or I am generalising as I often do?

A bird never asks, "Am I flying correctly?"
~ Mary Ann Radmacher

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

The mind works

It was a vegetable I have never cooked, but the moment I saw it, I knew I had to bring it home. While paying for it, in one moment of clarity, I felt the taste of a dish I haven’t had for over a decade. Without even knowing what the vegetable tasted like, I resolved to make something similar.

On getting home, I started trying to identify the vegetable using google. On an impulse, I typed in the name of the dish I got the taste of, and it was just that.

Isn’t it strange how the mind sometimes works?

“Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.” 

― Albert Einstein, The World as I See It

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Why are you so scared?

Do you remember how you felt when you stood up for the first time? Unsteady on your legs, falling down after a few seconds, but not giving up till you got it right.

Do you remember taking your first step? You need not have- crawling could get your around quite well - but you still took that Step.

There was a time when you were not scared of taking risks. A time when you knew that you could not cling to the familiar forever. A time when you were not scared to let go.

Why, now, are you so scared?

"The fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore." Vincent Van Gogh

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Never argue

I have always believed in healthy discussions. I state my point, listen to the other person, have a heated argument, and often call it quits by agreeing to disagree.

But how do you have a meaningful discussion with someone who doesn’t have anything to say, but still wants to say it? With someone who latches onto a peripheral part of your argument, and refutes it in long laborious statements, while ignoring the main thing that you were trying to convey.

Guess I should stop being so generous with my time. Not everyone has something to say. Why listen to them?

Never argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level, then knock you down with experience.

~ Bumper sticker

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Separate Issues from Personalities

“God does not play dice.”

“Stop telling God what to do.”

Even people who do not know what Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr were arguing about have heard of this famous exchange. Einstein could never quite reconcile himself to Quantum Mechanics as articulated by Bohr, even though (ironically) it was his work that led to it.

Till the end of their days, Einstein and Bohr argued about Nature’s Laws- neither willing to give in to the other. Yet, they continued to have the highest regard for each other.

Why do we find it so difficult to separate issues from personalities?

 Today's google doodle commemorates what would have been the 127th birthday of Niels Bohr. 

“An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes 

that can be made in a very narrow field.”

- Niels Bohr

October 7, 1885- November 18, 1962

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Remember who you are

She is a person I admire tremendously. A graduate from a top management institute, she had an enviable corporate career ahead of her. Instead, she chucked it all and returned to her first love- Experimental Physics.

When I congratulated her after she received an important Award, and told her why I admire her so, her response was surprising. “I’m so glad you reminded me of all that”, she said. “I’d forgotten who I once was. Now that I remember, it will be so much easier for me to make difficult choices again.”

Why do we forget who we really are?

"You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life.
Remember who you are. You are my son and the one true king. Remember..."
- Mustafa to Simba in The Lion King

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Rejoicing in the everyday

“I love your stuff”, I told a friend.

“I’m holding an exhibition next month”, she replied. “Let’s see what the response is like.”

Yes, selling your creation is the ultimate achievement, but we all know how difficult that could be.

“I too hope it goes off well”, I told her. “But regardless of whether you sell anything or not, you are a very talented artist.”

But somehow, that seemed not enough. She wanted public adulation, and nothing short of that would suffice. Isn’t it sad how people measure themselves by the goals they achieve, instead of rejoicing in everyday victories?

Don't wait till you have reached your goal to be proud of yourself. Be proud of every step you take towards reaching that goal.
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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Never Outrun your Joy

I was determined to run 20 miles that day. The first couple of miles are always difficult, and I braced myself and weathered those. But even after I found my rhythm, the run did not become any easier. “Why am I doing this?”, I asked myself repeatedly. “Running is supposed to be fun, not a task to be completed.” Me being me, I could not bring myself to quit, but as I struggled through those last miles, I promised myself that if running was becoming a drag, I wouldn’t run anymore.

And the same holds for everything else, doesn’t it?

"Run often and run long, but never outrun your joy of running."

~ Julie Isphording

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriM. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

Don't wait

I was walking home with the kids, when one of them suddenly took off in the opposite direction. “Were you off chasing the dragonfly?’, I asked when he returned, eyes gleaming in delight. He nodded vigorously, then catching sight of the dragonfly took off again. “Are you sure you don’t want to join him too?”, I asked the other one. The words were barely out of my mouth, before he took off too.

I leaned against a pillar, and watched the kids running, jumping, giggling. There was a pile of work waiting for me, but moments like these don’t wait.

"The art of being happy lies in the power of 

extracting happiness from common things"

~ Henry Ward Beecher

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriMo. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!

The Object of our Lust

She was professionally qualified, well-connected, in a well-paying job.

He was an unskilled migrant, a casual labourer in job paying minimum wages.

He lived in a slum community, she lived in the swanky apartment complex where he worked as a security guard.

He made a crude pass at her. She turned him down as firmly and politely as she could.

He couldn’t accept it. How could she, a mere Female, dare turn him, a Virile Male, down? Weren’t Women created solely to satisfy the urges of Men?

That night, he let himself into her apartment and stabbed her to death.

"I will far rather see the race of man extinct than that we should become less than beasts by making the noblest of God's creation, woman, the object of our lust." - Mahatma Gandhi

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriMo. The Plan is to elaborate (in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!
Today is the Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. This incident that happened a few months back shows how far we have come from his ideals.

Who Am I?

I try. I try very hard. But it never seems to be enough.

There is the Paragon of Perfection sitting on her pedestal, smiling condescendingly at me. “You are a failure. A total, complete Failure”, she says. “No matter how hard you try, you can never be Perfect Mother.”

It hurts to have her enunciate it so clearly, but in my heart, I know it is true. I am not a Perfect Mother, nor ever will be.

But do I really want to be a Perfect Mother? I am a Good mother, and my kids love me. Shouldn't that enough?

“There is no way to be a perfect mother, 

and a million ways to be a good one” 

- Jill Churchill

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This is the fourth year that I am going to be a part of NaBloWriMo. The Plan is to elaborate
(in 100 words) on a quote that touched my heart- let's see how far this takes me. If I can tie it in with the writing prompt, so much the better!
Today's prompt was "Tell us about yourself". This is me, or at least the most important part that goes into making the Essential Me.

A woman's work

I had been feeling ill all day, and by evening I was so ill I could barely stand straight. I tried eating something, but ended up throwing it all up. My head was aching so much I thought it might just burst.

And yet, there were chores I could not put off. Bathe the kids, pack their school lunches, fill the water, hang out the laundry. I was suffering, but had to do it.

“You lie down, Mamma, I’ll finish all your jobs”,

A woman’s work is never done. But after hearing those words, those chores got so much easier.

Traditions die hard

Three years back, when I first registered for NaBloWriMo, blogging everyday in the month of October was easy- it was what I had been doing ever since I’d started the blog a year earlier. The second year of NaBloWriMo had been no harder than the first, but sometime last year, I gave up trying to keep up with my blog. October had been a successful NaBloWriMo month, but I couldn’t sustain the momentum.

Traditions die hard, and I am back again. In October, I will attempt to blog once a day, everyday. And take it one day at a time.

Is that the way.....

For a 50^th birthday, a friend ordered a birthday cake from a designer cake boutique that charges the earth and promises to deliver heaven. When she went to pick-up the cake, she was appalled. Instead of something pretty, or even quirky, what she got was something straight out of a horror show. Lipsticks dripping blood, skulls made of gold, a frying pan. Even a bow tie if you wanted to kill yourself!

Her disappointment was apparent, but the baker was unrepentant. She was an artist- you had to take what she gave. Is that the way to run a business?

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Disclaimer- this is NOT 'The Cake'. This is what a customized cake should look like!

Are you sure?

“Are you sure you want to eat that”, I asked Thing Two as he reached for the Jalapeno Poppers at a fancy restaurant yesterday. “It might be a little too hot for you.”

He ignored me, and popped it into his mouth. And then reached for another. And yet another. He liked them so much, we actually ordered a second plate just for him.

Since he is such a fussy eater, I took the trouble to find the recipe, and made Jalapeno Poppers for him today. He refused to touch a single one. Who says kids are not fickle eaters?

Often turn out Right

Yesterday, on a whim, I decided to surprise the Hubby by baking him a birthday cake. I gathered all the ingredients before realizing that the expiry date of the baking powder had passed two years back. Too late to do anything about it, I left it out altogether. The cake, naturally, didn’t rise, but it smelt good otherwise.

Today, in a fit of inspiration, I cut the cake in half, and sandwiched a layer of Nutella and banana slices in between. It was delicious.

Things don’t always turn out as we want them to, but they often turn out right.