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VISHU IN JOHANNESBURG

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Saif Zaman - Unsplash “Are you travelling just before Vishu (the Malayali New Year)?” The same question popped up several times just before we were leaving for Johannesburg on the 12 th of April. I wish I could have recorded an audio message explaining how onerous it was to get a visa to South Africa and how we had lost money twice in the process. So, Vishu or no Vishu, there we were, five intrepid folks (my better half, our daughter, her two little ones and yours truly), all set to move to another continent. Vishu had always been an event over the decades when our daughter was growing up with the whole rigmarole of setting up the Vishu ‘kani’ – the puja space where the most auspicious objects were displayed. The fun part was leading in the family, blindfolded towards the spot the moment they woke up in the morning so that when they did open their eyes, the first sight they would take in would be auspicious.  One of the most anticipated moments was when the elders would give money t
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THE FREEDOM TO FLY

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                                                                                        DESIGNECOLOGIST on Unsplash “The Award for Outstanding Entrepreneur goes to Ms. Rachna Singh!” The beautiful lady walked to the stage, exquisite in a starched cotton sari, her short curls framing a face that exuded poise and confidence as she stood onstage, her palms folded together in an endearing namaste . The applause was thunderous as the audience gave her a standing ovation. Rachna gazed at the sea of faces. Her husband, Samar and his mother were right in front, eyes aglow with pride as they clapped loudly. She could hardly take in the moment, dreamlike as it seemed. The head of the Awards Committee held out the spectacular Award to her which she accepted with both hands. He handed over an envelope to her as the Master of Ceremonies read out her impressive biodata which brought a gasp to people’s lips. As the applause died away, Rachna looked at Samar, her heart in her eyes. He blew
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WRITE A PAGE A DAY! #WRITEAPAGEADAY #BLOGCHATTER

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  Freepik Here I am at the end of a month of writing on February 29 th , a taxing yet enjoyable exercise which I managed to hang on to by the skin of my teeth. #WriteAPageADay by #Blogchatter challenges writers to write across the month and complete ten thousand words. So, there I was, all set to take the bit between my teeth and canter on, despite dire threats from my better half. “Don’t you already have enough to do in a day without this added complication?” I nodded, mulling over how to work it out. Being in school from 9AM to 4.30PM is a major chunk out of a day, no doubt. I could always do away with my evening walk! Wait a minute… what evening walk? That had already been done away with in my previous challenges. My better half and I both believe in the adage, “Eat well today for tomorrow you diet!” Hence, there are days we gorge, mostly on weekends, and then come back to our senses and our diets the rest of the week. Makes cooking a whole lot easier! Dinner? What could b
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LOST WORDS! #WRITEAPAGEADAY #BLOGCHATTER

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                                                                                                       Unsplash Over the decades, words fill our lives, words spoken, words penned and words that stay unspoken within the soul. There is so much of our hearts that go into these words, and stay there in the world, in the form of books, articles, poetry and the like. That is what we writers live for. Spaces form between words, and there are times when words dry up as well. But we need to battle on, even on days when we have nothing to say. When one fine day, those words are taken away, it can be heartbreaking. Even when there are back up files because there are specific moments when these words make all the difference, and when the moments are taken away, the words cease to have the same effect. There are thieves who steal away words for nefarious reasons… to hoodwink the innocent and to make a quick buck. These are the people who hide hearts as back as the night within pristine exterior
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SIMI’S MA - #WRITEAPAGEADAY #BLOGCHATTER

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  Pinterest “Ma, why the long face?” Simi swooped down on her pensive mother, swinging her around as she used to when she was a teenager. Her mother’s face lit up at the sight of her beloved daughter. “Simoo, when did you get here? Why didn’t you let us know you were coming.” She gave her a bear hug, pausing only to ask, “Where is Akshat? I hope he has come as well.” “Oh, Akshat had a boring conference to attend. He will be here tomorrow,” replied Simi irreverently, grinning at the shocked expression on her mother’s face. “Don’t say such things, you silly girl!” Ma remonstrated, pulling her ear in fun.  “Your husband needs to be respected.” “Of course, I respect him, Ma. However, that does not mean I need to revere him. He is, after all, a human being.” Ma said nothing, but Simi knew she had struck a chord within her heart. She knew how much her mother had had to adjust, being married to a man, not only much older than her, but also a bit on the dour side. If Simi had dev
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ANARKALI BY HARSHALI SINGH – BOOK REVIEW - #WRITEAPAGEADAY #BLOGCHATTER

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                                                                                                       Amazon.in  The name ‘Anarkali’ evokes memories of the beauteous Madhubala in ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ twirling around in a hall of mirrors, her reflection being multiplied to the lilting tune of an unforgettable song. Harshali Singh’s latest offering ‘Anarkali’, from the Readomania publishing house, offers us an insight into the background of this magnetic woman who, as the tagline claims, was ‘The Courtesan, the Pawn and the Queen’. The narrative begins with the story of Nadira and her indomitable mother who takes her daughters on a perilous journey through the Khyber Pass to Kabul, “a mother who went through hell to keep her daughters safe.” On one special occasion, Nadira is paraded before the emperor himself, the mighty Akbar, in the hope that he finds her promising enough to be taken under his wing. Once she passes muster, she is determined to prove worthy, absorbing all the attributes
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WHEN PASSION AND PROFESSION COME TOGETHER! #WRITEAPAGEADAY #BLOGCHATTER

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  QuoteFancy What is it that I call work? Or do I label it my passion? Is it the writing I do as I explore words in all their beauty, creating sentences that magically weave themselves into meaningful forms, making my heart swell with joy and fulfilment? Is it the rapport in the classroom that I always seem to have enjoyed, having meaningful conversations with young minds, sharing a joke, and imbibing the sense of drama that makes such a difference to life itself? Is it the sessions that I had with the wonderful ladies who made up one half of the Indian Army, as I learnt wonderful lessons from mentors who made life a pleasure by just being around? Or those illuminating moments when I could, as a mentor myself, give my nuggets of wisdom and receive many more in return? What about yesterday, when I followed a mentor who has always been in my life, my mother, taking in her every move, as she strove to hand over a lifetime of learning and experience to me, expecting me to fill her
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