Rani recently wrote another beautiful poem:
When the sinking sun
sets fire in the sky,
When the day is done
and night creeps in by and by,
When I hear music play
as birds and crickets fly by,
When the dogs bay and
the wolf howls in the sky...
When the night glows
with the silver moonlights
And fireflies galore
give beauty to the sights
I think to myself
as I sit and observe
That Nature herself
is a miracle for sure!
Friday, January 22, 2010
Friday, July 3, 2009
Thoughts on Wimbledon 2008
Wimbledon 2009 has been in full swing, and the finals weekend is almost upon us. Before I write about my impressions of this year's tournament, I wanted to paste in my observations from last year, which I'd typed up as practice for blogging, before I started this blog.
June 26, 2008.
Watching the Tennis Grand Slams
Since moving back from the U.S., my interest in watching international tennis tournaments, particularly the Grand Slams, has been rekindled and strongly.
The coverage of these tournaments in the U.S. used to be very disappointing, as they would only show matches which were perceived to be of interest to Americans, and hence typically were ones that featured U.S. players. Given the dearth of up and coming U.S. players recently in these tournaments, I’m glad that I’ve been able to watch them in India! The only grand slam that was covered extensively was the U.S. Open, and for obvious reasons.
Since coming back to India, I look forward to each of these tournaments eagerly, and given a chance, could spend the entire two weeks immersed in these matches. Although I don’t quite have the luxury of time to be able to do that currently, I make it a point to not miss the semi-finals and finals of the key tournaments.
Interestingly, I didn’t consciously realize how this interest of mine had been subdued while I was away from India. While I would try and watch any match that was being covered, and would also complain about the lack of coverage, it wasn’t something that I really sat and cried over. But now that the coverage is available, I’m surprised myself, at how passionate I’ve become in following these tournaments and the players. I even dream of actually going and attending one of these live in the future. Wonder if I’ll ever truly have the luxury (of time and money!) to be able to do that….
June 27, 2008.
Wimbledon 2008 - A disappointing loss for Sania
Sania Mirza, India’s brightest hope in singles tennis, was ranked 32 for Wimbledon 2008. Her competitors for the first two rounds were much lower ranked, and when perusing the draw before the tournament began, one felt that she should be able to make it to the third round for a potential match-up with Venus Williams (seeded seventh this year). But, hey, that’s why they play the matches!
Sania won her first match against Castano but she was not able to make it past the second round against Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. The only saving grace was that she dug herself out of a 6-0, 2-0 hole and made a match out of it. In fact, she had 4 match points in which to bag the match, but credit to her opponent, for saving those and eventually winning the match.
Due to Sania’s recent injuries, she was likely somewhat tentative in these matches, and that at least accounts for her poor starts. Given her recent history, I did not expect her to go too far. Nevertheless, it was still quite disappointing to see her lose and not be able to capitalize on the opportunity to potentially face Venus Williams on center stage (or, rather center court!). The heart is disappointed, no matter how much the mind rationalizes!
July 4, 2008
Wimbledon 2008 – Anticipating the Finals
The finals weekend at Wimbledon is looming, and I for one, am excited and looking forward to the matches. Yesterdays’ womens’ semifinals were not really too exciting, and went along expected lines, without much fight from the underdogs. While the U.S. presence on the men’s side has been sorely lacking in recent years, the Williams sisters are making up for it on the women’s side, by making it an all-Williams (and needless to say, an all-American) final. It is definitely very impressive that both sisters have made it to the finals from an original field of 128 competitors, especially given that they don’t play too many tournaments any more. But perhaps that works to their advantage, as they come in fresh and ready for the kill for the big ones, without becoming jaded by playing too many matches. It remains to be seen, however, if they can produce a competitive final.
It’s a different story on the mens’ side, or so I’m hoping. Federer is gunning for his sixth straight title, and I for one, am rooting for him. But, Nadal is playing very strong, and if I were to bet with my mind, I would likely bet on Nadal. But it’s the matter of heart over mind again, and I really, really want Federer to get his six straight titles. If nothing else, it’ll be great to have a marathon five-setter match that goes down to the wire!
Of course, I’m putting the cart before the horse a little, since they both have to still get through their respective semifinal matches – Federer against Safin, and Nadal against Schuettler. And, speaking of the semi-final matches, they are about to start in a few minutes, so I’m going to sign off right here… Let’s hope these matches are a little more interesting than the womens’ version of the same.
July 8, 2008
Wimbledon 2008 –An epic and well-towelled final
As all the newspapers and headlines are saying, it was an epic men’s final!! A final to remember for the ages – the longest in Wimbledon’s history. Well, my wish for a marathon five-setter was answered and how!!! For those of you who may not have been on this planet for the last 2-3 days, Nadal won an extremely engaging five-setter match against Federer. Federer lost the first two sets, where he was playing below his potential, then came back to win the next two sets in tiebreak. The fifth set was won in fading light by Nadal at a score of 9 games to 7.
I guess the fading light was an appropriate background for this match to end, as the result underlined the fact that Federer does appear to be fading away from the no. 1 spot, slowly but surely. He lost his 5-year hold on the Wimbledon trophy, and failed to better Bjorn Borg’s record of five successive Wimbledon titles. Sadly, that is one record that he won’t get a chance to better again in this lifetime.
Much has been written about this match over the last two days, so my writing anything more would just add to all the redundant adjectives and adverbs being thrown around to describe this match.
So, here’s a different thought that I wanted to put down, which came to me when Star Sports showed the ex-epic-final (i.e. the match that was considered to be the epic final before this latest Federer-Nadal battle replaced it!) between Bjorg and McEnroe that was played in 1981. Many interesting contrasts between matches then, and matches now, struck me when watching this, even though, amazingly, the center court at Wimbledon looks largely the same.
One particular difference in the players’ mannerisms was very apparent. In 1981, the players did not rely on getting a towel to wipe themselves after each point. When the point was over they would just walk over to the respective court to be ready for the next point. Contrast that with today’s matches, where as soon as a point is over, the player beckons the “ball-boy” for the towel, walks towards the back of the court and goes through an elaborate ritual that is specific to each player and may include any of, wiping face, wiping racket handle, wiping hands, etc. Do players really sweat more today than they did a quarter of a century ago?!! Or, are the points more tiring now than they were before? More than the physical aspect, I think it’s a mental thing. The stress and the pressure that the players feel today, is perhaps a lot more than they did earlier, and that is probably what causes them to pause with the towel after every point to gather themselves mentally as well as physically. It was quite interesting to note that contrast between then and now…
June 26, 2008.
Watching the Tennis Grand Slams
Since moving back from the U.S., my interest in watching international tennis tournaments, particularly the Grand Slams, has been rekindled and strongly.
The coverage of these tournaments in the U.S. used to be very disappointing, as they would only show matches which were perceived to be of interest to Americans, and hence typically were ones that featured U.S. players. Given the dearth of up and coming U.S. players recently in these tournaments, I’m glad that I’ve been able to watch them in India! The only grand slam that was covered extensively was the U.S. Open, and for obvious reasons.
Since coming back to India, I look forward to each of these tournaments eagerly, and given a chance, could spend the entire two weeks immersed in these matches. Although I don’t quite have the luxury of time to be able to do that currently, I make it a point to not miss the semi-finals and finals of the key tournaments.
Interestingly, I didn’t consciously realize how this interest of mine had been subdued while I was away from India. While I would try and watch any match that was being covered, and would also complain about the lack of coverage, it wasn’t something that I really sat and cried over. But now that the coverage is available, I’m surprised myself, at how passionate I’ve become in following these tournaments and the players. I even dream of actually going and attending one of these live in the future. Wonder if I’ll ever truly have the luxury (of time and money!) to be able to do that….
June 27, 2008.
Wimbledon 2008 - A disappointing loss for Sania
Sania Mirza, India’s brightest hope in singles tennis, was ranked 32 for Wimbledon 2008. Her competitors for the first two rounds were much lower ranked, and when perusing the draw before the tournament began, one felt that she should be able to make it to the third round for a potential match-up with Venus Williams (seeded seventh this year). But, hey, that’s why they play the matches!
Sania won her first match against Castano but she was not able to make it past the second round against Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez. The only saving grace was that she dug herself out of a 6-0, 2-0 hole and made a match out of it. In fact, she had 4 match points in which to bag the match, but credit to her opponent, for saving those and eventually winning the match.
Due to Sania’s recent injuries, she was likely somewhat tentative in these matches, and that at least accounts for her poor starts. Given her recent history, I did not expect her to go too far. Nevertheless, it was still quite disappointing to see her lose and not be able to capitalize on the opportunity to potentially face Venus Williams on center stage (or, rather center court!). The heart is disappointed, no matter how much the mind rationalizes!
July 4, 2008
Wimbledon 2008 – Anticipating the Finals
The finals weekend at Wimbledon is looming, and I for one, am excited and looking forward to the matches. Yesterdays’ womens’ semifinals were not really too exciting, and went along expected lines, without much fight from the underdogs. While the U.S. presence on the men’s side has been sorely lacking in recent years, the Williams sisters are making up for it on the women’s side, by making it an all-Williams (and needless to say, an all-American) final. It is definitely very impressive that both sisters have made it to the finals from an original field of 128 competitors, especially given that they don’t play too many tournaments any more. But perhaps that works to their advantage, as they come in fresh and ready for the kill for the big ones, without becoming jaded by playing too many matches. It remains to be seen, however, if they can produce a competitive final.
It’s a different story on the mens’ side, or so I’m hoping. Federer is gunning for his sixth straight title, and I for one, am rooting for him. But, Nadal is playing very strong, and if I were to bet with my mind, I would likely bet on Nadal. But it’s the matter of heart over mind again, and I really, really want Federer to get his six straight titles. If nothing else, it’ll be great to have a marathon five-setter match that goes down to the wire!
Of course, I’m putting the cart before the horse a little, since they both have to still get through their respective semifinal matches – Federer against Safin, and Nadal against Schuettler. And, speaking of the semi-final matches, they are about to start in a few minutes, so I’m going to sign off right here… Let’s hope these matches are a little more interesting than the womens’ version of the same.
July 8, 2008
Wimbledon 2008 –An epic and well-towelled final
As all the newspapers and headlines are saying, it was an epic men’s final!! A final to remember for the ages – the longest in Wimbledon’s history. Well, my wish for a marathon five-setter was answered and how!!! For those of you who may not have been on this planet for the last 2-3 days, Nadal won an extremely engaging five-setter match against Federer. Federer lost the first two sets, where he was playing below his potential, then came back to win the next two sets in tiebreak. The fifth set was won in fading light by Nadal at a score of 9 games to 7.
I guess the fading light was an appropriate background for this match to end, as the result underlined the fact that Federer does appear to be fading away from the no. 1 spot, slowly but surely. He lost his 5-year hold on the Wimbledon trophy, and failed to better Bjorn Borg’s record of five successive Wimbledon titles. Sadly, that is one record that he won’t get a chance to better again in this lifetime.
Much has been written about this match over the last two days, so my writing anything more would just add to all the redundant adjectives and adverbs being thrown around to describe this match.
So, here’s a different thought that I wanted to put down, which came to me when Star Sports showed the ex-epic-final (i.e. the match that was considered to be the epic final before this latest Federer-Nadal battle replaced it!) between Bjorg and McEnroe that was played in 1981. Many interesting contrasts between matches then, and matches now, struck me when watching this, even though, amazingly, the center court at Wimbledon looks largely the same.
One particular difference in the players’ mannerisms was very apparent. In 1981, the players did not rely on getting a towel to wipe themselves after each point. When the point was over they would just walk over to the respective court to be ready for the next point. Contrast that with today’s matches, where as soon as a point is over, the player beckons the “ball-boy” for the towel, walks towards the back of the court and goes through an elaborate ritual that is specific to each player and may include any of, wiping face, wiping racket handle, wiping hands, etc. Do players really sweat more today than they did a quarter of a century ago?!! Or, are the points more tiring now than they were before? More than the physical aspect, I think it’s a mental thing. The stress and the pressure that the players feel today, is perhaps a lot more than they did earlier, and that is probably what causes them to pause with the towel after every point to gather themselves mentally as well as physically. It was quite interesting to note that contrast between then and now…
Friday, December 19, 2008
Reading habits and Wuthering Heights
As a teenager, I used to be an avid reader. My dad, myself and my brother always had our noses in one fiction book or the other. I remember being scolded by my mother when I tried to continue reading my story book at meal times. We used to make fun of my mother for not being able to finish any book that she took up. In fact, she would say that she found it hard to get beyond the first few pages, and I always wondered how she could let go of a book she started.
Fast forward about 15 years, and I found my reading habits to have become what my mother's had been. Thanks to being a young working mother, I found that I had no stamina left for reading books (for myself) and finishing them. Of course, I read loads of kiddie books to my kids. The desire to read for myself was there, but not the will power or the stamina. Occasionally, I would get tempted to pick up a book for myself from the library, but most of them were returned unfinished. Over the next 10 years or so, my reading primarily constituted first reading to Rani and then to Pari. I just did not have enough motivation to revive my own old reading habit.
In the meantime, Rani has become an avid reader herself. Her favorite genre is fantasy books. She literally devours books by the dozen these days, particularly during holidays. She reminds me of myself at her age, when I couldn't let go of a book that I'd started.
On the other hand, Pari cannot be convinced to read by herself. It's not that she can't read, she just does not want to. She'd rather draw or cut or glue something, or dress up in funny ways, or dance or jump. She just does not want to read. Amazing how two sisters who came from the same genetic material have such amazingly different tendencies.
Anyway, back to my own reading habit. In the last year or so, I've started getting a little of my me-time back, thanks to the girls becoming more and more independent. As a result, I have managed to start finishing books that I take up to read, and it's great to rediscover the old habit. I'm re-reading books that I had loved in my earlier years, as also trying to read new books. Of the new (i.e. new to me) books that I read recently, two that I loved:
*The man who knew infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan (by Robert Kanigel)- a biography of Ramanujan
*The Silent Raga (by Ameen Merchant)
Authors that I try to re-read include Arthur Hailey, Ayn Rand, Daphne Du Maurier, Desmond Bagley, Irving Stone, Jane Austen, etc. One author whose books I had liked, but I have not been able to lay my hands on those books again, is Lloyd C. Douglas. I would love to read "The Robe" and "Magnificent Obsession" again....
However, there are some books I had difficulty getting through in my younger years, and I am not able to sustain my interest in them even now. Wuthering Heights is one such. I've seen many people praise this book, but somehow I'm just not able to get through this book myself... Somehow, I'm not able to empathize or connect with the characters in the book at all. Perhaps I'll try reading it again after a few years.
Nevertheless, I'm happy that I'm back to being an active reader, and I hope to stay that way!
Fast forward about 15 years, and I found my reading habits to have become what my mother's had been. Thanks to being a young working mother, I found that I had no stamina left for reading books (for myself) and finishing them. Of course, I read loads of kiddie books to my kids. The desire to read for myself was there, but not the will power or the stamina. Occasionally, I would get tempted to pick up a book for myself from the library, but most of them were returned unfinished. Over the next 10 years or so, my reading primarily constituted first reading to Rani and then to Pari. I just did not have enough motivation to revive my own old reading habit.
In the meantime, Rani has become an avid reader herself. Her favorite genre is fantasy books. She literally devours books by the dozen these days, particularly during holidays. She reminds me of myself at her age, when I couldn't let go of a book that I'd started.
On the other hand, Pari cannot be convinced to read by herself. It's not that she can't read, she just does not want to. She'd rather draw or cut or glue something, or dress up in funny ways, or dance or jump. She just does not want to read. Amazing how two sisters who came from the same genetic material have such amazingly different tendencies.
Anyway, back to my own reading habit. In the last year or so, I've started getting a little of my me-time back, thanks to the girls becoming more and more independent. As a result, I have managed to start finishing books that I take up to read, and it's great to rediscover the old habit. I'm re-reading books that I had loved in my earlier years, as also trying to read new books. Of the new (i.e. new to me) books that I read recently, two that I loved:
*The man who knew infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan (by Robert Kanigel)- a biography of Ramanujan
*The Silent Raga (by Ameen Merchant)
Authors that I try to re-read include Arthur Hailey, Ayn Rand, Daphne Du Maurier, Desmond Bagley, Irving Stone, Jane Austen, etc. One author whose books I had liked, but I have not been able to lay my hands on those books again, is Lloyd C. Douglas. I would love to read "The Robe" and "Magnificent Obsession" again....
However, there are some books I had difficulty getting through in my younger years, and I am not able to sustain my interest in them even now. Wuthering Heights is one such. I've seen many people praise this book, but somehow I'm just not able to get through this book myself... Somehow, I'm not able to empathize or connect with the characters in the book at all. Perhaps I'll try reading it again after a few years.
Nevertheless, I'm happy that I'm back to being an active reader, and I hope to stay that way!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Trip to Munnar and Thekkady
During these Pooja holidays, we made a 6-day trip to Munnar and Thekkady. This is to record the places we visited and the things we did, as these days I find that I tend to forget the details of a trip within a few months!
Overall itinerary-
28 Sep night - Left Bangalore by train (Coimbatore Express)
29 Sep morning - Reached Coimbatore early morning. Drove (hired vehicle+driver) to Munnar. Reached Munnar early evening after a leisurely and scenic drive with several stops.
30 Sep - Drove to Mattupetty, Top Station, Eravikulam National park
1 Oct - Drove to Kolukkumalai tea factory, P waterfall
2 Oct - Drove from Munnar to Thekkady, seeing some sights on the way
3 Oct - early morning boat ride in Periyar wildlife reserve
4 Oct - Drove back to Coimbatore; caught train back to Bangalore
Munnar
The drive from Coimbatore to Munnar was very enjoyable. We stopped at a nice waterfall point on the way. Another highlight was to see the Sandalwood forest, which is all fenced in by the government (for obvious reasons!). It was interesting to smell the wood of a broken stump just outside the fenced-off area.
Munnar was breathtakingly green and beautiful. One felt like one was travelling through a picture postcard all the time. The lush green tea plantations that look like carpets lain over the mountains have to be seen to be believed. Added to that were the numerous waterfalls at a multitude of places since it was just after the monsoons.
We stayed at the Westwood hotel. It's quite a nice place, and has a river flowing behind it. We were also lucky to get rooms that looked onto this serene view.
First day, when we drove to Mattupetty, we went boating in a speed boat which was a more adventurous experience than the usual paddle or row boat. We then drove up to the Top Station. The Top Station which is at the border of Kerala and Tamil Nadu is a very scenic point, with a view of the mountains all around. The last part of the road reaching to it is quite bad. But the trek to the point was exhilarating and in fact, the kids ended up doing some extra trekking by taking a roundabout path back from the point.
We thought we were exhausted after that and a late lunch, but on the kids' insistence (since they were eager to see the much touted mountain goats - the Nilgiri Tahr), we then went to the Eravikulam National park. Here, one has to take one of the park buses to go up the mountain. The bus drops you at a point beyond which you can walk up the mountain and take a close look at the mountain goats that inhabit that area. All in all, a nice experience, what with the scenic green views all around, the waterfalls along the mountains, the clouds at the higher levels of the mountain, and of course, the peaceful mountain goats!
The next day, on the suggestion of our driver (who had good knowledge of the various places in the locality), we booked an all-wheel drive that takes you up a mountain that is the second highest peak in Tamil Nadu, where a private tea factory is located. After a stop at a waterfall, where we could dip our feet, we switched over to the all-wheel drive jeep. The drive in the jeep is very interesting and adventurous- after a while, you leave the tarred road behind and bump along on a road which has rocks all along. The kids had a very interesting ride at the back of the jeep! Pari commented that we would probably be broken to pieces by the time we reached back!! Once we reached the tea factory, we were served milk tea, and then escorted by a guide through the tea factory and walked through the entire process of tea production - from green leaves to the final product - a very educational experience. I was amazed at the relatively primitive nature of the equipment used in the factory in today's technologically advanced age. But in a way, it felt good to see things being done in a simple and straightforward way, rather than through a multitude of gadgets and gizmos. We learnt that by locating the tea factory at such a high altitude, no air conditioning is needed for the cooling processes. After the tour, we were served lemon tea, and of course could not resist buying some of the tea packets ourselves. And then, it was bumpity-bump in the jeep, back up to the point where we had left our vehicle. This sojourn was probably the highlight of our entire trip.
After another late lunch and a bit of rest at the hotel, we decided to try and visit one of the major waterfall sites that we had missed going to. We chose to go to the bottom of the waterfall rather than to the top viewing point, since the kids are always keen on dipping feet (and rest of their bodies, if permitted!) in the water. There was a major traffic jam at this place, and unfortunately, the water also was not too accessible. Nevertheless, it was a nice point. When coming back, we trekked up the mountain for a short distance, and this was a fun experience. Rani had been keen on doing some trekking and this gave her the satisfaction of at least having done some trekking. We also stopped off at a garden built next to a hydroelectric station, and again did a fairly long walk through the garden. The garden looked like it had seen better days, but was not being maintained well any more.
On the way back, we did a bit of shopping. Homemade chocolates and marshmallows are advertised at a number of points in Munnar. And, me and the girls were keen on getting the marshmallows. But the shop we tried at had run out of them. My mother got us a nice elephant (to add to our Golu collection), and the kids got some keychains as they are collecting them.
Thekkady
The next day we set off for Thekkady. On the way, we got to see tons of cinnamon plants (something we had also sampled on the way to the Kolukkumalai factory the previous day, but now we saw them in large numbers). We got to eat our first authentic Kerala lunch on the way, with warm pink water and the boiled rice with big grains. We reached Thekkady in the late afternoon, and could now feel the temperature difference between Munnar which is located at a much higher altitude and Thekkady.
At Thekkady, we stayed at the Hotel Tree Top. It was a really nice hotel. We had 2 cottages side by side. For the kids, the highlight was the games room which was also a big hall with a stage, so they could do mock dance shows, in addition to playing ping-pong and carrom. We reached the hotel late afternoon, and spent the rest of the day just relaxing - something we had hardly had time to do in Munnar.
Early morning (at 6am!) the next day we headed out to the boat ramp to try and get tickets to the early morning boat ride that starts at 7am. The crowd at that time was amazing. There was a long serpentine line to get tickets (the ticket counter hadn't opened yet). There were separate lines for men and women, and both H and I stood in the respective lines, since we didn't know how the lines were going to move (although the women's line was definitely shorter). After a long wait, we managed to get tickets on one of the last boats heading out at 7am.
This boat ride is reputed to be the prime highlight of visiting Thekkady and viewing the animals in the Periyar Wild Reserve. In some ways, it really was a beautiful ride, as the water winds through the forests, and in the early morning, everything looked calm and serene. However, the ride was an anticlimax with respect to spotting some interesting animals. The main thing we saw were birds. There was a fleeting glimpse of an otter and a sambhar, and the only other animals we saw were wild pigs. The ride started feeling long after a while, with nothing to do, and not much to spot. The children (and adults) were quite bored by the end of it.
After coming back from the boat ride, we again spent time relaxing at the hotel. THe children played in the games room, we napped or watched TV. I think the hectic sightseeing at Munnar had tired us all out, and we were all happy to just take it easy.
The next day, we had another early morning start, to drive all the way back to Coimbatore. The drive was uneventful. SInce we reached Coimbatore a little early, we made a visit to the local zoo, before we caught the train back to Bangalore. The highlight of the zoo visit was a peacock who had his full set of feathers opened out, and was almost dancing to attract a female who was showing no interest in him!
The peacock looked so beautiful... - it was a fitting end to a wonderful trip.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Encounters with truths of the unflattering kind
Two recent incidents forced me to confront two sensitive truths about myself....
Encounter 1:
As my tailor was measuring me, I asked him to make sure that he keeps sufficient margin in his stitching, especially near the sleeves, implying that the clothes should fit even if I put on a little weight.
The tailor reassured me with : "Madam, your measurements are not big at all, you just look fat..."
Despite myself, I had to laugh - what else could I do? I mean, is it better to be fat with big measurements, or to look fat even if your measurements don't reflect it?!!
(Of course, it probably means he's going to stitch me ill-fitting, tight clothes yet again, which is even more depressing)
Encounter 2:
I have been driving to a class on Sunday mornings, and for these drives, have settled on a radio channel that amazingly played all my favorite songs at this particular time on Sunday mornings. One of the best things is that there are hardly any announcements or talking between songs, presumably because most of the channel's regular audience is probably not awake at that time on Sunday mornings.
Well, the other day, I happened to be listening to the same radio channel at a different time. And up comes an announcement saying - "On Sunday mornings from 8am - 12pm, don't forget to listen to our Retro songs program " !!
My favorite songs are now "Retro"?!!
Age and fat have piled up unbeckoned and largely unnoticed (which is probably a good thing in itself!)....:-)
Encounter 1:
As my tailor was measuring me, I asked him to make sure that he keeps sufficient margin in his stitching, especially near the sleeves, implying that the clothes should fit even if I put on a little weight.
The tailor reassured me with : "Madam, your measurements are not big at all, you just look fat..."
Despite myself, I had to laugh - what else could I do? I mean, is it better to be fat with big measurements, or to look fat even if your measurements don't reflect it?!!
(Of course, it probably means he's going to stitch me ill-fitting, tight clothes yet again, which is even more depressing)
Encounter 2:
I have been driving to a class on Sunday mornings, and for these drives, have settled on a radio channel that amazingly played all my favorite songs at this particular time on Sunday mornings. One of the best things is that there are hardly any announcements or talking between songs, presumably because most of the channel's regular audience is probably not awake at that time on Sunday mornings.
Well, the other day, I happened to be listening to the same radio channel at a different time. And up comes an announcement saying - "On Sunday mornings from 8am - 12pm, don't forget to listen to our Retro songs program " !!
My favorite songs are now "Retro"?!!
Age and fat have piled up unbeckoned and largely unnoticed (which is probably a good thing in itself!)....:-)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Rani's poem - "My Life"
A few days back, Rani's teacher asked for volunteers who could contribute some writing or art for their school newsletter. She gave them one class period to do it in. And Rani, relying on her 11 years of accumulated wisdom, came up with this incredible poem....
My Life
I sit here thinking all alone
Feeling a little melancholy
I sit there staring at a stone
Feeling a little lonely
And as I look around, so sad
I feel the world seems evil
But then my eye falls upon a crab
I stare at it until....
My stillness encourages a butterfly
To alight upon my hand
I'm startled from my reverie
And suddenly I hear a band
Consisting of bees and birds and things
A rich rejoicing because we're alive
And I realize that I want to sing
Because I am happy with my life!
Perhaps it's my motherly bias :-), but I still find it hard to believe that she wrote such a wonderful piece, and that too in such an impromptu manner!
"How did you come up with the thought and the structure?" I asked her. "I don't know, Mom, I just wrote it", she said shrugging her shoulders, with the nonchalance of an 11-year old.
Well, I am still amazed and so very proud of her...
....and of course, it did get published in the newsletter!
My Life
I sit here thinking all alone
Feeling a little melancholy
I sit there staring at a stone
Feeling a little lonely
And as I look around, so sad
I feel the world seems evil
But then my eye falls upon a crab
I stare at it until....
My stillness encourages a butterfly
To alight upon my hand
I'm startled from my reverie
And suddenly I hear a band
Consisting of bees and birds and things
A rich rejoicing because we're alive
And I realize that I want to sing
Because I am happy with my life!
Perhaps it's my motherly bias :-), but I still find it hard to believe that she wrote such a wonderful piece, and that too in such an impromptu manner!
"How did you come up with the thought and the structure?" I asked her. "I don't know, Mom, I just wrote it", she said shrugging her shoulders, with the nonchalance of an 11-year old.
Well, I am still amazed and so very proud of her...
....and of course, it did get published in the newsletter!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Parenting - an acquired skill?
In today's world, there is an entrance test or an interview that needs to be passed for most anything - from a toddler wanting to get into kindergarten...to a XII standard student looking for admission into tuition classes (yes, even those have entrance exams now!) ....to, of course, adults looking for jobs.
But, ironically, one adult job which does not require any such test, also happens to be one of the most important jobs that many of us do- Parenting.
Why doesn't nature require some mental/emotional readiness for becoming a parent, just like she demands physical readiness?
Parenting, it seems to me, is becoming quite a specialized skill, at least in certain societies. I may be mistaken, but it seems to me that in earlier generations, parents did not have to be as conscious of their parenting skills as we do today, and sort-of raised children as a matter of course. However, today, there's so much analysis out there on what parents should do and not do with their children, that we tend to question ourselves frequently on the stance we take with our children on various things, how we interact with them, what we expose them to, etc. And, it is really difficult to measure how well we are doing, given that each child is a human being in their own right. Using the child's "success" or "failure" in life (assuming we can decide on how we measure that!) as a yardstick for deciding how well the parents did, doesn't seem like the right thing, since there are so many other factors that go into a child's development.
Like most skills, some folks are certainly more adept at parenting than others. In the film "Ijaazat", when Rekha starts managing Naseeruddin Shah's household from day one after their marriage, he makes a comment to the effect - "tum to ekdum professional housewife ho"! ("you are a professional housewife"!!). In my view, in a similar way, some folks are "professional parents". From day one, they are conscious of what they need to do as parents and do all things right for their child - food, clothes, school, habits, extra-curricular activities, etc.
However, the rest of us who are more like "amateur parents", who lack that in-built skill or training, try and learn on the job, with an evolving trial-and-error process. That's when one wishes that someone had made us take a 3-year course on parenting and made us pass an exam on the do's and dont's, before we took on the job.
On the other hand, the thought of special training in parenting sounds so ridiculous, when you think of the whole animal kingdom taking parenting in its stride, and following its natural instincts in raising its young!! Why has human parenting become much more of an acquired skill, rather than a natural instinct?!!
Edited to add: Shruthi's Law of Parenting in Shruthi's blog aptly expresses my thoughts too. I'd imagined that parenting would get easier as your babies got older, but it doesn't..... - it continues to evolve and change in degrees and you continue growing with your children, but I don't think it gets easier.
But, ironically, one adult job which does not require any such test, also happens to be one of the most important jobs that many of us do- Parenting.
Why doesn't nature require some mental/emotional readiness for becoming a parent, just like she demands physical readiness?
Parenting, it seems to me, is becoming quite a specialized skill, at least in certain societies. I may be mistaken, but it seems to me that in earlier generations, parents did not have to be as conscious of their parenting skills as we do today, and sort-of raised children as a matter of course. However, today, there's so much analysis out there on what parents should do and not do with their children, that we tend to question ourselves frequently on the stance we take with our children on various things, how we interact with them, what we expose them to, etc. And, it is really difficult to measure how well we are doing, given that each child is a human being in their own right. Using the child's "success" or "failure" in life (assuming we can decide on how we measure that!) as a yardstick for deciding how well the parents did, doesn't seem like the right thing, since there are so many other factors that go into a child's development.
Like most skills, some folks are certainly more adept at parenting than others. In the film "Ijaazat", when Rekha starts managing Naseeruddin Shah's household from day one after their marriage, he makes a comment to the effect - "tum to ekdum professional housewife ho"! ("you are a professional housewife"!!). In my view, in a similar way, some folks are "professional parents". From day one, they are conscious of what they need to do as parents and do all things right for their child - food, clothes, school, habits, extra-curricular activities, etc.
However, the rest of us who are more like "amateur parents", who lack that in-built skill or training, try and learn on the job, with an evolving trial-and-error process. That's when one wishes that someone had made us take a 3-year course on parenting and made us pass an exam on the do's and dont's, before we took on the job.
On the other hand, the thought of special training in parenting sounds so ridiculous, when you think of the whole animal kingdom taking parenting in its stride, and following its natural instincts in raising its young!! Why has human parenting become much more of an acquired skill, rather than a natural instinct?!!
Edited to add: Shruthi's Law of Parenting in Shruthi's blog aptly expresses my thoughts too. I'd imagined that parenting would get easier as your babies got older, but it doesn't..... - it continues to evolve and change in degrees and you continue growing with your children, but I don't think it gets easier.
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