Reflections Of A Desi Mom

The year is about to end.. 4 days from now this wrathful year will come to an end.  This year that started with so much hope and promises like another New Year and showed us some horrific times with a raging pandemic. It also showed us how to survive with the basics. Something that we had forgotten over the years while becoming a supremingly capitalist economy.  As I look back I cannot be thankful enough for all the good times that we saw, the good health that me and my family were able to have - in spite of the fact that the world was fighting the rage of the ugly virus.  But just like a coin, the other side has left an impression on the hearts and minds that is going to take a very long time to disappear.  The loneliness, the silence, the despair in the eyes of kids and adults alike.. There were some very hard times that this year showed us. The streaming content on a variety of channels often kept us more sane than our own trying-to-be-positive thoughts. The wait ...

When you have lots to share and don't know where to start you almost ramble...  I hope I do it a lil less today :-D 2020 has been all about Covid and its implications. But today I don't want to banter.. Instead I want to be thankful & grateful of the small joys and happiness that we re-discovered being in the comfort (sometimes cooped up) in our home. Thankful of having a home where we can see the world go from rushing - to silent - to running again. And thankful of having our precious sweetheart N who made this miserable year far less miserable for our existence.  We completed 15 years of married life last week.. and instead of a boring mundane Monday our whole day was busy discovering tiny beautiful surprises N arranged for us.  She clocked her alarm for 11.45 pm and woke up to surprise us with sweet Cadbury pack (that she saved since Diwali). And just when I thought I could kiss my husband Happy Anniversary while he blissfully snored - she woke us to atte...

  As a young married lady when I used to see daughter's of friends holding and cuddling their Barbies' amongst other toys - I used to cringe and wowed my future-child would never-ever-oh-so-never hold that skinny little thing ...leave alone play with it.  Aaah!! The perks of being a mother and that too of an incessant young girl - I just finished watching the latest Barbie movie -  Barbie Princess Adventure     Yup! You guessed it right - That's why I titled this  Never say Never !   No offense to #Mattel but I simply hated Barbie Dolls as a young school girl myself. I remember when my uncle living in a another country used to ask me if he wanted me to bring any toy for me - I used to tell him get books on the next trip instead. I think even then the materialistic world of plastic smiles, fake bodies and fashion clothing didn't interest me..just like it doesn't now.  As an aunt - I remember buying Barbies & accessories for my husband...

Diwali festival is almost over. I say almost because I can still see my social media feed full of Diwali DIY and Decor pix. The lights in our balcony or the neighboring buildings still shine bright and cute in the dark November sky. I am still reluctant to swab away the Rangoli that I spent cpl of hours breaking my back for with my girl clan! But all good things come to an end. As they have to make way for new ones.. tomorrow and after that. But it seems empty to not share this year's Diwali experience.  Diwali View from my Balcony Last couple of years, the efforts to have a very festive festival has paid off every year. I realized celebrating festivals as a nuclear family [after having a child(ren)] has its pros n cons. We get to form our own sweet customs and rituals..  And the best part has been the choice and freedom of making your own happy traditions combining your legacies.. At the same time we miss the affection of grandparents and extended family on special days....

I had a video call with 2 people today and the first thing after the initial pleasantries was  "What is wrong with your face? Why don't you go see a doctor?"  Another quite younger than me chirped -  "___ you are getting old!"  With severe allergies this season, my only karta-dharta is Allegra which helps me not to sneeze but I have started to feel like a puffer fish now... Anyhow I laughed out both the comments but it kept me thinking .. how limited our social system outlook is even now. The way we perceive people is still largely on the basis of their looks. If the person has flawless skin and beautiful eyes along with smooth healthy hair they are instinctively perceived as happy and full of life. Whereas when a person has (more)salt n (lesser)pepper hair, wrinkles setting their roots under their exhausted eyes and no-makeup face - they are prejudiced to be getting old and something seriously wrong with their outer beauty.  I think either of the lens is ...

When the kid scores full marks on a Math Unit Test and does Hi-Fi with Mumma before rushing to call Nani n telling her the result - You know the bond is more than that of a Grandma n Granddaughter! Last week, N told her Nani that she is kinda nervous about her Math unit test and Nani as usual very positively and graciously told her "Try hard and Give it your best shot! I know you Can Do It!" 👍 I thought the motivating words were falling the same way on N's ears as my words often do. But NO.  While attempting the Test, she was nervous to Submit it not because she worked hard to get a good score... but because she promised Nani she will try to score the Best!  So the jubilant N shrieked and woke her peacefully napping Daddy cos she did it! Scored full in Math and she couldn't believe it.  But she had faith in her Nani's belief! She tried harder because Nani just said that once and said that with conviction! Unlike Mommy who keeps ranting positive and encouraging wo...

How are you today?  How are you dealing with the situation?  And no - I am not asking about how your city, neighborhood , society, school is handling the on-going crisis. The numbers keep increasing at some places and there's not much we can do except mind our own business and be extremely careful of not becoming a negative statistic ourselves.  I want to know how many of us ask each other and our own selves -  "How are you?" and  "How am I dealing with the side-effects of the pandemic?" While chatting with my girl friend gang I realized I am not the only 1 who looks forward to the night time peace and quiet these days. We all have our own ways of snooping around and squeezing some 'ME Time' for ourselves.  1 said she loves her clinic..Another said she misses her office.. Another 1 is leaning on to running everyday. My mom looks forward to her Online Yoga class where all she can think about is how further I can stretch and bend. Some days when I open my ...

When Ganeshji comes with an important lesson not only for your 9 year old but also for your own self, I feel the concept of the festival has risen above just customs!!  Due to Covid I was extremely scared of stepping out this time. Leave alone going and selecting a moorti in the rush of Pune's festivities. So the very first time I took the plunge and booked the moorti online.  After discussions n deliberations I chose 1 very subtle and very different than what we always get. Booked it and started visualising decor around the colors.  💙💖 Now came the flowers.  I couldn't think of anyway of getting the flower stock, sanitizing them and keeping them for pooja without spoiling them.  So turned to my very good friend H. She graciously agreed and made such pretty n beautiful flowers n garland out of paper.. I know they touch n feel different.. but in my heart I know I am trying to do the best in my ability for my family! And That was the 1st lesson for N.  📝 W...