It gave much joy

A more conscientious gardener would have weeded it out the moment she saw the first leaves popping up. But this gardener genuinely believes in giving all plants a chance, so she let it be. It grew faster than she anticipated- which weed doesn’t- but she was so worried it might snuff out her mint, she never noticed the familiar pattern of the leaves.

Till one day, she saw a fluffy pom-pom of the palest mauve. A flower that stirred her memory. Many years back, she had a mimosa that gave much joy before it died. Is this a great grandchild?

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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

A certain ruthlessness

Oscar Pistorius is not the first sporting superstar to have fallen from grace in recent times. Nor is he likely to be the last. Child molestation, domestic violence, rape, murder, they’ve done it all. When caught, they feign remorse, but none appears genuinely contrite.

What drives them to it? Is it because you need a certain ruthlessness to be the very best in the world; and it is that ruthlessness leads you to care a damn about everyone else? If this is the stuff that our sporting heros are made of, I’m sure we are better off not hero-worshipping them?
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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

I am bored

“I’m bored”, said my son.

Read a book. Draw something. Play a game with your brother. Practice arithmetic. I came up with half a dozen options, all of which he rejected. He wanted to watch TV, and that I didn’t want him to do.

“Fine. In that case, stay bored!”, I told him and walked away.

He sulked for half an hour, then found two old Happy Meals toys and started enacting a play with them.

A cupboard full of toys and a library of books is not enough. Sometimes, you need to ignore your child to teach him self-sufficiency.

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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

It doesn't mean you quit

“Slow down”, my body screamed five weeks back. “I cannot keep up.”  But I refused to listen, and had my legs give way under me. I was lucky it was just my legs that gave way- nothing that fluids, salts and sugar couldn’t heal.

Yesterday, a man was not so lucky. He pushed himself, collapsed at the finish line and breathed his last in an ambulance.

Yes, it is good to push yourself, necessary even. But sometimes you have to listen to that voice in your head. Slowing down just means you are slowing down. It doesn’t mean you quit.
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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Why compete?

The other day, a runner shot ahead of me, throwing an almost triumphant look at me as he passed. He couldn’t sustain it, and even at my steady pace, I overtook him before the end of the loop. He speeded up to overtake me, but was forced to fall back again. After it happened three times, I got fed up and increased my pace very slightly. He tried catching up, but after a few attempts realized he couldn’t even keep up. A few minutes later, he dropped out- his run ruined.

Why do people have to compete all the time?
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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Every curve serves a purpose

Swimming, they say, gives you a total body workout. Have you ever seen a swimmer who doesn’t have a well toned body? Yes, I have. Thousands of them! They go under the name of Whales.

Vegetarian food is better for you than non-vegetarian food, they say. If you want to lose weight you better lay off fried stuff, processed food and alcohol. Does that mean that if I eat lots of greens, I’ll become as slim as an Elephant?

Human women were designed to be curvy- every curve serves a purpose. Why can’t we just accept ourselves as we are?

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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.
Picture credit - Jacky Fleming

Rite of Passage

Has it ever happened to you? You are with the kids, and without warning it starts raining. You grab their hand and start rushing homewards. When all of a sudden, it strikes you that no matter how fast you move, you are not going to be able to outrun the rain.

So you slow down, and let the kids enjoy the rain. Because if you are going to get wet, and if you are going to fall sick, you might as well have enjoyed what should be a lovely experience.

Do you think it is an essential Rite of Passage?

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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Shouldn't a doctor....

“I was back to running within 3 weeks of my c-section”, she said.

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. After a laparoscopic surgery, I was advised not to run, climb stairs or lift weights for six weeks- a c-section is far more invasive.

“I hope you cleared it with your doctor?”, was all I could say.

“Absolutely. And she was very supportive!”

A runner myself, I can understand her desire to get back to running. What I cannot understand is how a qualified medical practitioner could allow her to do so. Shouldn’t a doctor be able to assert herself?
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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

I am blessed

“Please, please, please”, my son tells me thrusting a book into my hand. “Read this book. You’ll love it.”

“Lights out in two minutes”, I tell the kids, long past their bedtime. “Can I finish this chapter please”, they chorus.

“I swear I didn’t take the book out of the cupboard”, he tells me with an innocent look. As if books could miraculously find their way to the couch without human intervention.

For all that I complain when books fall out from everywhere, I know I am blessed because my kids love books and reading as much as I do.

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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Can anything justify....

RIP
Reeva Steenkamp

It was hard to process the news that Oscar Pistorius had shot his girlfriend dead on Valentine’s Day. Why would a man at the pinnacle of his success feel the need to do any such thing, I wondered. But his statement that it was a case of mistaken identity was even more disturbing.

Yes, breaking in and entering is a crime. Yes, a burglar must be punished. And if the system has broken down, it is cause for concern. But can anything justify taking a man’s life, merely because he is stealing your material possessions? Have we sunk so low?
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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

You did me proud

“I hope I win a medal”, my son muttered on the way to his Sports Day.

“Remember, I will love you whether or not you win”, I whispered back.

He gave it all he had. He pushed himself till the end. He was the best he could be. Unfortunately, it was not good enough for a medal.

I am a runner. I can recognise effort when I see it. I was proud of my seven year old. Prouder than I would have been had he won an easy race.

“You did me proud”, I told him. And I meant it.

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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

To take the life of another

In India, there had been only three executions in 15 years, so I never gave capital punishment much thought. But after two high-profile hangings in the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking of little else. And I am not sure where I stand.

Sure, some crimes deserve the ultimate punishment. But when people protest on the streets, demanding a death sentence, you wonder if it is justice they seek, or vengeance?

Yes, fear of death might be a deterrent to crime, but is life sentence not as bad?

Does we have the moral right to take the life of another?
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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Chilli flavoured chocolate

It had been a very stressful day, and I wanted only for it to end, so I could crawl into bed and hope the next day would be better. Relief came sooner than I hoped. Finished my jobs early, and when the kids went to play, made myself a mug of decadent hot chocolate. Molten Chocolate, spiced with cinnamon and mint, garnished with chilli flakes. I settled myself on my most comfortable chair and opened the note my younger one gave me- “Love you”, it said. All was forgiven, all forgotten.

Love is chilli-flavoured chocolate. The oddest medley of tastes.

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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

What hope for a nation....

He was a convicted terrorist. He has been on Death Row for over a decade. If he was guilty as charged, the governing law required that he be hung. There was no reason to keep the hangman waiting.

And yet, when the end came, the government did not think it fit to inform his family. The execution was conducted secretly, almost surreptitiously. His family first heard about his hanging on television- the official intimation reached after his death. Is that how a democracy should function?

What hope for a nation that doesn’t allow a wife to say her final goodbye?

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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

My spice rack

Thirty-seven. That’s the total number of bottles in my kitchen containing spices, herbs and assorted condiments. There are cinnamon sticks, powdered cinnamon, and a spice mix containing cinnamon. There is fresh oregano in a pot, dried oregano for pastas and oregano flakes to sprinkle on pizzas. There is nutmeg and fenugreek. Sesame seeds and nigella. And they are used fairly regularly.

 A year back, my spice rack contained just six powders- turmeric, chilli, cumin, coriander, dry mango, and mixed spices- and I never felt the need for anything else. It’s amazing how little time you require to develop a passion.

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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Lost in our own worlds

For years, the Play Area was the only attraction the mall held for the kids. But yesterday was different. “Mamma, while my brother plays, can I go to the bookshop?”, my older one asked. Since the brother didn’t want to go to the Play Area, the younger one didn’t either, and we all went to the bookstore. The younger one seemed lost, till his brother found him a comic he liked.

We all curled up in our respective corners, each reading a book. Lost in our own worlds, yet together. I had always dreamt of this. Sometimes, dreams come true.

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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Not to take yourself too seriously

Everyone else was getting their hair done at a salon. But between meeting a deadline, feeding the kids, and keeping up with the daily chores, I had barely enough time to even wash my hair.

“You are looking fine”, my father-in-law assured me. “In any case, nobody is going to look at you.” He had a point, but I didn’t particularly want to be barred from entering the wedding venue either.

Then, inspiration struck. I piled my hair up, and held it back with a quirky flower clip. Strangely, it worked.

Sometimes, it pays not to take yourself too seriously.

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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Live their Passion

When I look at some of my friends, I am amazed at how much they manage to cram into a single day.

Ultra marathoner. Classical Dancer. Baker. Sports Nutritionist. Mother.

Professional Baker. Environmentalist. Gardener. Mother.

Fiction writer. Content Creator. Professional Dancer. Mother.

Bio-tech entrepreneur. Photographer. Wildlife enthusiast.

Doing any of those things is a full-time job, but not only do they straddle multiple roles, they do it well. The one thing they all have in common is Passion. Passion for doing what they are doing. The determination to live their Passion. If you have Passion, the rest falls into place.
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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Isn't it Healthier

“What happened? You used to be so healthy”, is the socially acceptable way to tell a person she has lost weight. It used to amuse me to have ‘healthy’ used interchangeably with ‘fat’. What’s ‘healthy’ about obesity- doesn’t it increase the risk of cardiac diseases and diabetes?

But when you see thirteen year olds starving themselves so they can squeeze their bodies into a dress two sizes too small for them. When you hear nine year olds talking about “getting a tummy”. Then you are no longer sure.

Isn’t it healthier to be a few pounds overweight, than grossly underweight?
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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Here's to Digressions

“Will you ever get to the point?”, people often ask me. I’ve learnt to ignore them, because anyone who knows me knows that though I digress, I almost always get to the point, eventually.

Often, even my drabbles are digressions. In with just hundred words, I manage to ramble, before summing it up in half a dozen words, or less. I do run the risk of people misinterpreting me; but I’m not changing who I am to please people who are either too lazy or too dumb to look beyond the words, and interpret what they read.

Here’s to Digressions.
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A Drabble is a story told in exactly 100 words.

Hart Johnson designated February as Digressuary, and I'm hopping on too!