Poetry for young people

Finally its poetry that brings me back to my once favorite haunt.
No I didn't forget you dear blog page... Just went away for a while on a journey of sorts.
Back in school when I started to write poems, I also voraciously collected poetry compilations. And occasionally read them whenever I had a piece of time all to myself.
I came across a wonderful poem by Robert Frost that left me mesmerized. It was called 'wild grapes'. I hunted for a Frost collection ever since but never found one. Recently we visited a book shop and I stumbled upon this!

Published by Sterling publishing, poetry for young people is a delightful series with beautiful printing and illustrations. 

A wonderful way to introduce your child to the joys of poetry.

The only disappointment I have is that they chose not to include the poem 'Wild grapes'.

So here is the poem for those who may have missed it.

What tree may not the fig be gathered from? The grape may not be gathered from the birch? It's all you know the grape, or know the birch. As a girl gathered from the birch myself Equally with my weight in grapes, one autumn, I ought to know what tree the grape is fruit of. I was born, I suppose, like anyone, And grew to be a little boyish girl My brother could not always leave at home. But that beginning was wiped out in fear The day I swung suspended with the grapes, And was come after like Eurydice And brought down safely from the upper regions; And the life I live now's an extra life I can waste as I please on whom I please. So if you see me celebrate two birthdays, And give myself out of two different ages, One of them five years younger than I look- One day my brother led me to a glade Where a white birch he knew of stood alone, Wearing a thin head-dress of pointed leaves, And heavy on her heavy hair behind, Against her neck, an ornament of grapes. Grapes, I knew grapes from having seen them last year. One bunch of them, and there began to be Bunches all round me growing in white birches, The way they grew round Leif the Lucky's German; Mostly as much beyond my lifted hands, though, As the moon used to seem when I was younger, And only freely to be had for climbing. My brother did the climbing; and at first Threw me down grapes to miss and scatter And have to hunt for in sweet fern and hardhack; Which gave him some time to himself to eat, But not so much, perhaps, as a boy needed. So then, to make me wholly self-supporting, He climbed still higher and bent the tree to earth And put it in my hands to pick my own grapes. "Here, take a tree-top, I'll get down another. Hold on with all your might when I let go." I said I had the tree. It wasn't true. The opposite was true. The tree had me. The minute it was left with me alone It caught me up as if I were the fish And it the fishpole. So I was translated To loud cries from my brother of "Let go! Don't you know anything, you girl? Let go!" But I, with something of the baby grip Acquired ancestrally in just such trees When wilder mothers than our wildest now Hung babies out on branches by the hands To dry or wash or tan, I don't know which, (You'll have to ask an evolutionist)- I held on uncomplainingly for life. My brother tried to make me laugh to help me. "What are you doing up there in those grapes? Don't be afraid. A few of them won't hurt you. I mean, they won't pick you if you don't them." Much danger of my picking anything! By that time I was pretty well reduced To a philosophy of hang-and-let-hang. "Now you know how it feels," my brother said, "To be a bunch of fox-grapes, as they call them, That when it thinks it has escaped the fox By growing where it shouldn't-on a birch, Where a fox wouldn't think to look for it- And if he looked and found it, couldn't reach it- Just then come you and I to gather it. Only you have the advantage of the grapes In one way: you have one more stem to cling by, And promise more resistance to the picker." One by one I lost off my hat and shoes, And still I clung. I let my head fall back, And shut my eyes against the sun, my ears Against my brother's nonsense; "Drop," he said, "I'll catch you in my arms. It isn't far." (Stated in lengths of him it might not be.) "Drop or I'll shake the tree and shake you down." Grim silence on my part as I sank lower, My small wrists stretching till they showed the banjo strings. "Why, if she isn't serious about it! Hold tight awhile till I think what to do. I'll bend the tree down and let you down by it." I don't know much about the letting down; But once I felt ground with my stocking feet And the world came revolving back to me, I know I looked long at my curled-up fingers, Before I straightened them and brushed the bark off. My brother said: "Don't you weigh anything? Try to weigh something next time, so you won't Be run off with by birch trees into space." It wasn't my not weighing anything So much as my not knowing anything- My brother had been nearer right before. I had not taken the first step in knowledge; I had not learned to let go with the hands, As still I have not learned to with the heart, And have no wish to with the heart-nor need, That I can see. The mind-is not the heart. I may yet live, as I know others live, To wish in vain to let go with the mind- Of cares, at night, to sleep; but nothing tells me That I need learn to let go with the heart

First steps

Yes isn't it wonderful!!
You took your first few stumbling steps
Before long your tiny feet will carry you far
You will not want to crawl anymore
With a slightly saddened heart
I am putting away your 'crawls' into the attic of my memory


To do the right thing even when no one is watching

I have written a post earlier about how searching for the right school can be a daunting task. Every parent has certain criteria. A school that ensures better grades is sought after so your child is assured of an engineering or medical seat. When we were growing up, ensuring a lucrative career started with a degree in Engg. Or medicine. Else you had the IAS.
Owning a car or an apartment of your own was a luxury and a indicator of success in life. Today the pyramid has widened. With the internet available to most, opportunities for business and entrepreneurial ventures has escalated putting money into more and more hands at a younger age. Car is a necessity. And unlike earlier times when you retired into your new house, the young generation in their 20s are house owners. Information is easily accessible. Quite simply put, there's a huge paradigm shift. So. Why hasn't education changed?
Our children are still cramming data, trying to up their grades. And worse, once they get their degree are incompetent lacking basic skills. Many social media addicts have problems holding an intelligent conversation. On site skills are abysmal. Our schools don't teach skills that are most essential like financial management. Children cannot handle a broken relationship or a failure. Where is character building? What attitude are they going into life with? Respect for one another is to be learned in better ways than as a mere pledge that you mindlessly repeat each day.  Decision making ability is important at every level whether its choosing a career, a friend or a partner. The important thing is doing the right thing from our heart and mind.
What if our schools taught children to "do the right thing even when no one is watching"?
Here's one such tried and tested system that I came across in a book called "the leader in me." Its written by Stephen Covey who has given us the "Seven habits of highly effective people." For those who are new to the habits, these are
Three personal habits-
1.Being proactive : you are in charge.
2.Begin with the end in mind : have a plan
3.First things first : work first then play
Three team building habits-
4.Think win-win : every one can win
5.Seek to understand first and then to be understood : listen before you talk
6.Synergize : together is better
And the seventh habit
7.Sharpen your saw: balance feels best
Explaining these is not in scope of this blog nor am I qualified to. So I will refrain from it. But should you feel the need to delve deeper in the subject, I can assure you it will be most enlightening.
In the book 'the leader in me',Stephen Covey cites examples from schools that have implemented teaching these timeless self empowering habits to children in primary schools and even preschools. And you will be amazed at the transformation the schools speak of. And yes, the grades have improved too. Many schools all over the world have started this model.
The bad is news is that by the time our policy makers and the local school administrators wake up to the change, your child probably would have graduated from college. The good news is that you don't have to wait for better schools and can start teaching the required skills at home. Of course you will have to learn them yourself and believe me it will help you in your personal life too but importantly our children don't have to wait to grow up and learn the hard way before equipping themselves with self empowering skills. So they and in turn you are more confident in letting them face the world.
I have started teaching my 5 year old daughter. And it isn't difficult.
And no. I do not work for the Covey foundation. :)
For more information: http://www.theleaderinme.org

Chip off the old block

I love to watch rain fall. The sound, the cool air and the feeling of laziness that comes with it. Of course I look forward to the sun after days of rain but you know what I mean. The occasional heavy downpour when you are home, warm and dry! Being an archiect, I have planned many houses with a terrace. A private terrace or verandah where one can sit and do nothing but watch the rain pelting on the vegetation, making ripples in young puddles. Its a phenomenon that soothes all the senses... The sound, the smell, the sight, the touch and if you like it, the taste! I share this passion with my father in particular. On many occasions I have heard him suggest the same. Once i remember remarking.. "Oh I love watching the rain." And my dad joked," There is now no doubt that you are my daughter!"
Recently we moved into our 9th floor apartment at Ernakulam. I now share my rain watching pastime with my daughters.
Another thing I like to watch is city lights at night. I remember my aunt's breezy apartment at Chennai whom we visited during vacations. It had balconies where I liked to stand for hours looking at the city lights dreaming of having a place like that when I grew up. Some wishes do come true!
Recently my parents visited us at our apartment. And I found him on many occasions, standing in the balcony looking at the night lights!
It amuses me to think not only do I look like him but there also these quirks that I have inherited!!!

Keep the children safe

Do see this video that teaches a child about bad touches.

"My Body Belongs To Me" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-5mdt9YN6I&feature=youtube_gdata_player

It isnt just kids who need to know but also parents who might be living in self denial that such things occur far more commonly and are not just statistics in the newspaper. Its also a lesson to the casual adult who might unintentionally invade the privacy of a child. Yes. We have to start treating children like little persons who have rights too. For instance knocking before entering closed doors. And above all the video emphasises the importance for parents to believe the child rather than hush up or scold.
Its important to teach "dont talk to strangers or take gifts from them". But its important to know that the major damage is done by known friends. One, the child is likely to lower the guard against a known person and secondly, is less likely to complain against a close relation or friend of a parent.
Its very important that children are also taught to respect other peoples privacy so our children grow up into conscientious adults who respect others' bodies and also stand up against crimes.
Most importantly, try and keep the communication line open between your child and you for as long as you can. Answer all questions with sincereity incuding those about private parts right from childhood and hopefully they will turn to you in their teens, when most kids start claming up. Remember, what your child tells you and how much they reveal will depend on what kind of reactions they get and grow to expect. If you are going to freak out, they will learn to shut up or turn to someone else.

Whats wrong with being brown or black?

Do you like ads that promote use of fairness creams? My daughter isnt very fair and when I see her watch these ads that suggest women ( and now men too) are more successful in life because they are fair/er, I know something isn't quite right.
Look at the name of the product - Fair and lovely. They have been brandishing this name under our noses for years and we've been tolerating it. I use the product. Its a good product. But I would use it even if it didn't use the word fair and lovely. And now we even have ' fair and handsome'.
Apparently Asians are obssessed with light skin. Ironically all top international brands have fairness or skin lightening creams that flood our market and worse, fight for air time in commercial breaks which children are soaking in.
There is a larger issue. Are these ads rascist? Is being fair an advantage? Why is it so? Should it be so? Its a viscious circle but now the tables have turned. These commercials ensure that our children remain caught in the cycle of thoughts, reinforcing bias based on skin color.
I always found these ads annoying. But with a 5 year old in the house and another baby in my arms, I am particularly peeved and want these ads removed from televisions.
I have entered an online complaint on the website of
The advertising council of India. I have even launched a campaign on avaaz.org titled - stop advertising fairness products.
http://www.avaaz.org/en/petition/Stop_advertising_fairness_creams/?aTvypeb

Some of the questions I got as a response include, it is an individual choice or that we should stop using these products in the first place. Also, why target commercials? Our movies have always idolised fair actors in the lead roles. Popular Comic illustrations have indicated that gods are fair and demons are dark skinned. Oh and Krishna who was actually dark skinned according to mythology or even Draupadi is shown blue.  Fairy tales hammer in to our heads right from childhood ideas like "fairest of them all" and kind but beautiful princesses always win "prince charming".
So why stop commercials?  Simply because you cannot monitor them, they are repetitive and actually show being dark skinned to be a distinct disadvantage.
For those who say its an individual choice, I'll say so is smoking and drinking. Why have we banned their commercials? Because of the influence on our children. Make people aware of the harmful effects of drinking and smoking being in a democratic society, let people decide. The use of the word 'fair or fairer or fairness' in promoting skin products must not be allowed on any media. Insensitive ads that show fair skin to be at an advantage and fair skinned people to be more successful must be stopped immediately.
If you believe it too, you can talk about it,blog about it, share this blog, sign the petiton, complain to the Indian advertising council. Find your way.
Lets stop these ads.

Teaching art to kids

We've put my daughter at a summer camp where she spends half a day. And its not because I am not home. She gets to interact with other kids and spend her time more constructivley. And yes... I can relax a little bit. Handling two kids and getting the house work done can be a little tiring.
I spoke to her camp co-ordinator the other day and got some positive feedback about my daughter. She participates in all activities avidly. Her coloring is above average. She also suggested that if she were taught drawing she can do much better. Incidently they have a drawing tutor at the camp. Her voice echoed my husband's for he has often suggested we put her in an art school.
The thing is, I am against children being 'taught' art. For one, you cannot teach art. You can only teach techniques. But you can't teach someone to spontaneously express her/him self in his chosen medium. And in my experience, teaching children and adults to draw is to stiffle the spontaneous creativity. It is specially important in children and we need to trudge carefully lest we impart and enforce adult convections on them. I personally believe children are far better artists because they don't have any preconceived notions and that makes childrens' art much more honest and straight from the heart. I am a huge fan of kiddo art.
I draw and paint a little. And I have always steered clear from the temptation to 'teach' her art. Childrens art is symbolic. Not necessarily logical. And there lies the beauty. Like, Ananya used to draw a car with four wheels ... In a straight row. Or her durga had eight hands.. four on each side n a series and not converging as we normally see. She once made a figure but the face had no features. When I asked her about it she said its the back of a persons head. Children also have a fantastic choice of colors. All that spontaniety is lost somewhere as the child grows up and leaves his world of incredible imagination behind. And for the rest of his adult life he is forever trying to recapture that incredulous beauty. It reminds me of the song called "bum bum boley" in the movie 'Taare zameen pe'. The song aspires to rekindle the imagination in children. To break steroetypes.
Coming back to the summer camp, the course co-ordinator suggested that we can tell children leaves are not always green in color. Its a mix of colors. Very true. But I believe that instead of directly teaching kids that, you can make them observe leaves and the myriad shades of green and brown and yellow that leaves have. And then let them draw. Unfortunately and unwittingly we teach stereotypes. Apple is red. Really? Leaves are green. Sky is blue.. deep blue sea. White clouds. These are also picked up from literature.
When Ananya was three we went sailing with my husband who is a sailor. And we used to stand on the open bridge wings looking at the vast expanse of water all around and the heavens above. Blue sky was a rarity. Sunsets splashed so many colors in the sky and were reflected correspondingly in the waters... Pinks and purples and violets and oranges.... I remember pointing them out to my daughter.
So don't teach them art. Show them the to observe and admire the beautiful nature as is.

Laughter of a child

Laughter of a child
Like pearls
Falling on the floor
Like dew drops glistening on leaves
As the early sun warms the air
Like warm breath on a cold rainy day

transitions

This year's got to be The year of transitions for me and my family. A new baby in the house. My older daughter is adjusting to her role as a big sister as also moving onto schooling. Its been hard on her. And we are shortly going to relocate to a new house in a new city. That means choosing a new school for her. A new set of friends. Not only for her but also for us. My husband is between jobs. He is grappling with a choice to continue sailing vis a vis a shore job. Things are muddled unclear hazy. Its stressful groping in the fog without a clear direction or knowing what might happen. While there is a sense of adventure at the change and novelty, there is also apprehension and the longing to settle down to a familiar rhythm. So until then we are swimming in strong currents through the stream of transition.

Cycles for free

Isn't this a wonderful idea to go green.

Gadgets to the rescue

I am the sort of person for whom a book called " gadgets for dummies" would make a perfect gift. I am forever catching up on the gadget horizon and usually by the time i have figured out one its outdated. But of late life's been made easier with few.
Being a new mother and that too the second time means having no time to spare. Motherhood is a little like fire fighting. You respond to the needs of your kids in present time and the enormity of the responsibiltiy seldom dawns on you. Add house work and freelancing to it. A mother can put any circus juggler to shame.
But all is not lost. Enter ... Gadgets - to the rescue.
Having a smart phone is mandatory. While they are useful to make phone calls, you dont have to sit at the desktop to stay conected to the WWW. Checking mails or FB updates is a breeze. You can check out YOUtube or pinterest or anything else that fancies you on the web. PS. You can also get some work done checking your work mails. :)
To take things further, get a wifi. Its like a key that will open up the doors to many life saving devices.
Once you do that, investing in a tab makes sense. Again you can stay connected and browse in bed. Its definitely more pleasurable browsing than on your phone. I watched Usain Bolts olympic gold medal winning race on the ipad via YOU tube replaying it many times for it was such an incredible race and fantastic to see him explode ahead of his co runners!
Get a bluetooth hands free. I don't recommend it for drivers because it still distracts you from the road ahead but it's a must have arsenal for a mother. While it keeps you away from phone radiation, it importantly frees up both your hands for all that diaper changing oil massaging baby bathing activities. So you don't have to miss important calls. Of course getting used to a bluetooth head set is a different game altogether. I still pick up the phone and put it to my ears wondering why i can't hear a thing before it dawns on me to plug in the bluetooth.
Then there are Apps that you will find useful.
Ibaby- Its easy to use and you can record how long your baby sleeps/feeds or when s/he poops or wees with a touch of an icon. You can do it in the middle of the night in a sleepy stupor without much strain.
Wattpad. I downloaded many classics that i read on my phone while my baby feeds. There isnt much else you can do at that time.
Alternatively you can get a book reader a la "a kindle". The best part? You pay on line for an e-version of your favorite book and it can be downloaded to your kindle in a matter of minutes. While nothing can match the pleasure of browsing for books in a shop, on line shopping makes life easy in times when theres paucity of time. I have to mention here that I am reading Bill Bryson's "A short history of nearly everything" right now and find it totally addictive. Its like going thru' all your science school books in a stretch and finally making sense of it. Well, almost!
"Out of milk" is a good apps that lets you make your shopping list on your phone as and when you remember them. So you don't have to call your husband a hundred times while he is at the super market. You can sync it with his phone and update the shopping list.
Last but not the least, download blogger apps so you can blog from your phone in bed while feeding sessions or when the kids have slept and you refect on things that you just have to share with friends.
If there are other essential apps you know of, let me know. I am all ears.
Of course once in a while you have to forget all gadgets and just enjoy the baby in your arms. There simply isn't anything more adorable. And you see a bit of heaven everytime the little one catches your smile and smiles back shyly in the middle of feeding. Only a mother will know that bliss.

Right schooling

We are looking for a school for our daughter. And like all parents we want the best. But what is best? It shouldn't be too far. There should be lot of emphasis on co-curricular activities. And I realise that one of the top criterions for me to consider is for the children to have light school bags. One of the saddest things to see is little children carrying bags bigger than their frail selves. Its heart breaking and I dread my kids will have to do the same. Why do children need to carry so many books? From my own experience, we had to carry classwork and homework notebooks for every subject plus all the textbooks. With ever increasing portions, the bags are only getting heavier.
First of all why give so much homework especially to little children in kindergarten and primary school? Why are we bent upon making them skilled in writing when as adults they are more likely to type (only). Are their little fingers capable of writing so much?
Secondly, writing is equivalent to rote learning. It would be far more important to minimise writing like an imposition when you write for the sake of finishing the HW and instead introduce creative learning. Cutting pasting drawing exploring experimenting etc.
Thirdly for grown up kids, there could be assignments that they write on foolscape papers and submit for evaluation which are then filed away.  Books and classwork books can be left in the school. The school ideally should provide storage for the children preferrably individual lockers or a big cupboard where individual bags with their books can be stored.
Without books at home, the HW will be forced to be more than just copying from books. Children will have to write from memory and understanding.
Eaxms can be 'open book'. Why force children to mug up information when it only needs to be referred? May be they can have a single note book in which they write the formulae and important references to do their HW - A multipurpose all subject note for reference.
I think schooling might just become more fun as it should be.
Picture this. All the important topics in the physics book is distributed as a project among the children. The kids are supposed to use all possible sources of information ranging from books, library, internet, grownups etc and then make a short presentation to the class. The teacher elaborates on the topic. Eclipses are discovered as experiments using balls and lights. Algebra is not just (a+b) square. But about finding out how many IPL matches will be played if there are 12 teams and each team plays the other twice.
The positive impact of such a schooling might be felt in years to come as the kids grow up into sensitive thinking individuals who can then change the world for the better.

I now love mess

How do you handle a messy room?
I sit on the bed and look around at the helter skelter mess that grows and grows. It isnt that messy today. I can actually see a little bit of the bed and quite a bit of the floor today. Its been sometime I gave up active cleaning. Why bother when the clean room lasts about as long as i clean and i now have stopped dreaming about ever living in a clean house. I now handle mess in a more efficient way. Step one. Look around... Admire all the things that have turned up on the bed. There are sketch pens, some open... A scrap book...Cleaning tissues. Used tissues... Kiddo books.. mp3 player... Mobile phone.. wet towel... Baby Powder...tea cup... Banana peel...a husband with an ipad. After you have finished sighing, close your eyes. And go to sleep.

Learning to be a big sister

The hardest part about having a second child is the inevitable reduction in attention that the older child is subjected to.  Even if you want to it just cannot be helped. The difficult two weeks postpartum for the mother plus the demanding new born leaves little time for the older child as i found out. Even if your spouse is there to look after the older kid, the child goes thru' trying times coping with the little intruder who gets priority attention from mama. Its no surprise that the child feels some resentment towards the baby. We had prepared our older daughter for the new arrival this last year since we found out about my pregnancy. We got her books about how her favorite charachters copes with the birth of a sibling. yet we expected some resentment. And it came. She announced the first night at home amid pools of tears that she didnt like the baby and didnt want to be a big sister. She wasn't the only one who cried. We told her its okay not to like the baby and that it was difficult to be a big sister. We let her anger come out. The resentment trickled down over the next few days. Sometimes she would say playfully that we could float away the baby in a basket like baby karna of mahabharata fame! But suggest that we would actually give the baby away and she doesn't agree. Once we playfully pretended to be thrown out of the house and in reality hid behind the door. She went out searching for us with concern and when she found we were inside afterall, got angry at being fooled and burst into tears! It broke our hearts. And now she absolutely adores the baby. Has coped amazingly well. Loves to shower her with kisses and overflowing sisterly affection. I keep an eye out on symptoms of resentment hidden inside a palour of affection. But her love seems to be heartfelt. Sibling rivalry is bound to set in once they start stepping into each others space but as of now its hunky dory.

After the second baby

Its been a long time since I visited these parts! If time was a limited quantity before it is even more so now since I had my second baby. But I discovered an easy way to find time to do my thing. A smart phone with necessary apps. I now read on my phone. Finished two classics- the secret garden and sense & sensibility in the last month... check mails, chat, am connected on social networks... Post my opinion... Share photos and now am blogging on the keyboard of my phone. Life or a good part of it is accessible on 3"x5" of a gadget.
What more do you want.. a baby in one arm and a smart phone in the other. Life is good :)

Unforgettable Jagjit Singh

Jagjit Singh to me was synonymous with Ghazals. My brother was the one who introduced me to Jagjit Singh and it was easy to fall in love with his music. It became a passion to own his albums and each was appreciated. My interest in Ghazals triggered,I listened to other singers but none appealed to me as much as Jagjit Singh did. For me, Ghazals began and ended with his lilting voice. Recently I have grown to admire Ghulam Ali. But the distinctness of Jagjit Singh's compositions stand apart. He made Ghazals popular and introduced western musical instruments into the genre without taking away its essence, something which other contemporary singers could not manage as well. It is debatable whether he was a better singer or a better composer. His compositions were honest to the meaning and emotions of the lyrics and caprtured the mood of the song perfectly... whether it was the romantic, " sarkti jaaye rukh se naqaab" or the pensive , "shaam se aankh mein nami see hai", one of my personal favorites. His live shows were extremely entertaining as is clear in the recordings. I nursed the desire to attend his live show but that desire has now died in my heart, unfulfilled and the sense of loss is crushing. When I was studying in Nagpur, he had performed live in the city but i didn't have the money then to buy tickets then. Few years later he was to perform in Bangalore while I lived there and I tried to get a ticket but I couldn't. I always hoped there will be a time when I will be able to do it. That day will never come. My cousin sister once called me and I could hear Jagjit Singh in the background. It wasn't a CD. She was attending a live show and thought of calling me, knowing how much I liked his music. That was as close I came to listening to him Live. Jagjit Singh also fueled my interest in Urdu poetry, Ghalib in particular. His music for the Televised Series on Ghalib by Gulzar is one of my favorite albums. I owned the album and gave it away to a friend who listened to my cassettes and loved the music. For a long time I was forlorn hunting for the album in music shops and finally bought the CDs. No Ghalib rendition enthralls me more than Jagjit Singh's. Everyone must die. And most will be remembered by their loved ones. But some come along who will always be remembered in the annals of history for their contribution to mankind. Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, Steve Jobs... Jagjit Singh. Photo: Jagjit Singh performing at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, 12 September ... en.wikipedia.org

‘Pottered’
J K Rowling published her first Harry Potter book in 1997. And since then the world has been divided into those who have read Harry Potter and those who haven’t. Until June of this year I belonged to the latter category. I kept away from Harry Potter and his adventures for primarily two reasons. These were for kids, right? And fantasy fiction is not my favorite genre when it comes to reading preferences.
The final movie in the Harry Potter series, HP and the deathly hallows – 2, released earlier this year. I read comments of friends who went and saw the movie with an air of indifference. I had once taken a peek into my niece’s Harry Potter book and knew about Dumbledore. I saw bits of the first movie in the series – HP and the sorcerer’s stone. This was some time back and this was how knowledgable I was about HP.
Sometime in June this year, while I sailed with my sailor husband, I ran out of reading material on board and the only thing left for me to read were the e-book versions of Harry Potter. And I decided to take the plunge. Since then I have spent a huge chunk of my leisure time (which is meager in itself) reading up on the adventures of Harry Potter. I was in a sort of suspended living. Important things to be done were often squeezed in few days of break that I took between each book. I was ‘avalanched’ by Harry Potter! Initially I read on the computer. Recently my husband bought a kindle – e-book reader. And it got easier to read on it.
Sometimes I wish I had not kept myself bereft of the books for so long. But there were advantages of starting late. I didn’t have to wait for months, sometimes years, for the next book in the series. Today I stand a die hard fan of Harry Potter. And I totally understand the mania. As luck would have it HBO was airing movies in the series in the months of August and September and I managed to catch few of them. Of course the movies only touch part of the books leaving out many parts. It is infinitely better to read the book and then follow it up with the movies, as is the case always. I have even introduced Harry Potter to my 3 year old as part of her bedtime stories!

The final part of the series, the deathly hallows, was not available on the ebook format. And so I harangued my husband until he ordered the paper back version. I await that with bated breath, wanting to know what fate lies ahead for Harry Potter and his nemesis, Lord Voldemort. A part of me also dreads the day I finish it. For the characters in the book have been my constant companions over the past few months and there will be this vacuum which will be hard to fill. There is this feeling of melancholy that I invariably feel after the end of a good book when I actually miss the characters. I sometimes wish wistfully that we lived in a magical world of broomsticks and wands!
I have been ‘Pottered’.

PHOTO CREDITS: fanswallpapers.blogspot.com

He likes her. But he has competition. He is invited to a duel. They both fight till he is injured. He runs away, vanquished. He doesn't nurse a vengeance. No envy. Just plain acceptance. He moves on.
That happens only on animal planet

Happy to report this

I usually buy my groceries from a Reliance Fresh outlet near my office. I take my own shopping bag but when you are buying vegetables, they used to have these plastic bags to keep the beans and carrots from getting mixed up,. So no sorting out to be done later when you are stashing the veggies into the refrigerator. I would cringe at the plastic bags.
The last time I was shopping there, they had paper bags instead.
Isn't that great?

Blast in the past


I was quite annoyed yesterday when I heard the radio jockey on the local FM station repeat in “todays world cup match” a few times… A bad cold didn’t help. “Ids toborrow, you fwool”, I blurted out to the radio, piqued. That’s when my husband pointed out. They were reenacting India’s world cup triumph of 1983. So for one day, Radio Mango, Calicut took on a retro hue. They played music from that year, talked about movies that released in 83’. The news snippets were dug out from the archives of June 25th 1983 as also the gold and oil prices. Commercials sounded like they were created in the 80’s as well. A time when LPG Gas cylinder was a novelty, black and white TVs were a luxury, even though color TVS had come. You bought petrol at 6 Rs a liter, and diesel at 3 Rs. Gold cost the father of the bride, 1392 Rs for 10 gms. And of course in between, they relayed cricket updates of the final played at Lords’ on that memorable day. Like it was all happening ‘live’. Lying on the bed, recuperating from my congestion, I was impressed. What a wonderful idea. They paid a fantastic tribute to India’s world cup glory and took us all into the past to re-live the special moment. I was only 6 at that time, and had just started my second year at school! So I cannot remember a thing. But thanks to this novel idea it was like being transported on a time machine to witness one of India’s greatest Sporting achievements.