Why is my daughter so strong?

Have you watched this inspiring TED talk  by Yousafzai -  Malala's dad -please do!

"Why is my daughter so strong?” Yousafzai asks. “Because I didn’t clip her wings." Indeed a lesson that many a people in this patriarchal society will do good to learn - just let your wife, sibling, daughter, friend be. A simple answer to a question that sadly hounds quite a few gals- ladies even today.

Linking this to WT fest of words day Day 2. The task for the day is "Answer a question".


PS: for those of you who love your books,  I will definitely recommend "I am Malala" the inspiring story of the father- daughter who Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban

Check-list for a lifetime...

Have you heard of the WriteTribe write fest. Jus the perfect excuse I needed to take my blog off hibernation. The task for day one is to write a list post .

                                         

It's been more Than a few weeks since dear ssj tagged me to do this list post. But I conveniently put it on back burner. Errrr my vision rarely stretches beyond a few months - so imagine what a ordeal it is to list things to do in a lifetime! Anyways, here are few from top of my head:

• A decade back, it was to travel the world. But well today it's just to travel(dictated by our bulging bank balances). So what if it's only to my backyard. As long as I have my partner in crime to give me company, ooty will be as good as Switzerland ;)

• To live life to the fullest  To continue finding joy in small things of everyday living. The joy of reading, cooking together, writing, rearing a child.....

• A life where my biggest fear of losing my loved ones never comes true

• I am glad I chucked away my programming job. Now to find a job thats more than just a job. 

• A home that's after my heart. A balance between living in city yet with some minimum balance of nature

This just about makes up my wish-list for this lifetime ( sorry gal, I for the life of me can't come up with ten things) . Mmmm it still surprises me how non challenging my list sounds. No more reaching for the skies huh ... Dono if I should be proud of it! 

Deceptive Appearances....

I grinned when I saw Manasvi squirm as she glanced through my essay. Did she think she'd get away with insulting my grandmother...

I remember it like it was yesterday - it was Manasv's birthday. There she was the picture-perfect Indian girl - in a sari, braided waist-length hair falling at the feet of elders! That was until she silently sidestepped my grandmother - simply cause our bank balance wasn't fat enough to awe her!

The sadistic-pleasure I had in penning this essay on "Appearances are deceptive"  manifolded as I saw Manasvi turn red as my classmates ripped apart this "anonymous-cousin" of mine.

I’m linking this post to Write Tribe’s 100 Words on Saturday prompt – choosing one of the writing quotes in the post and using that as a prompt.

                   If you can’t annoy somebody, there is little point in writing.
                                                                                            ― Kingsley Amis

PS: Now to get this anonymous-cousin of mine to read the post! Sadly, this is a true-life incident.

Why the Caged Bird Sings...

"We are privileged to have the great danseuse Sarka Bai in our midst today. Even today at the grand old age of eighty, she is relentlessly training the younger generation in the dance form of Kathak. Indeed her “Kathak For You" program has demystified this complex dance form for common people like you and me”. As the entire podium full of my students and friends rose up to give me a standing ovation, I felt a wave of sadness course through me.

The next day during a session of “Kathak for you” at my studio, I couldn’t help the same sadness coursing through me - These students just didn’t understand even the basic nuances of dance. I couldn’t help flinching - Until few years my students were world class danseuse and today…….

But with a bed ridden husband and an alcoholic son I now know “Why the Caged Bird Sings”

This piece of fiction(Inspired by a friend's life) is in response to WT prompt of  "Choose your favorite Maya Angelou quote on writing. Use it as your prompt to write a post.".

"Why The Caged Bird Sings" is Maya Angelous's autobiography about her early years. This is been on "To Read" list for sometime now.......

Bingo Reading Challenge

Have you seen this Reading Bingo Challenge that's been doing rounds?  I personally feel this is a fun challenge.. would you join me?

Considering a good five months have flown away, this is how I  have fared so far this year - Almost 50% there... not bad huh :-D

1. More than 500 Pages: 
2. Forgotten Classic:
3. Became a Movie: Hitch: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide, #1)
4. Published This Year:
5. Number in the Title:  
6. Written By Someone Under 30:  
7. Non-Human Characters: Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
8. Funny Book:  I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
9. Female Author:  The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
10. Book With Mystery: The Cuckoo's Calling by J.K. Rowling
11. One-Word Title: Chef by Jaspreet Singh
12. Book of Short Stories:  
13. Free Square: 
14. Set on a Different Continent: Brick Lane by Monica Ali
15. Book of Non-Fiction:  Bong Mom's Cookbook by Sandeepa Mukherjee Datta
16. 1st Book by Favorite Author:
17. Book Heard about Online: The Guardian Angels by Rohit Gore
18. Best-Selling Book:
19. Based on a True Story: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai,
20. Bottom of TBR PIle:
21. Book Your Friend Loves:  
22. Book That Scares You: Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
23. Book More Than 10 Years Old: Train to Pakistan by Khushwant Singh
24. 2nd Book in a Series:
25. Blue Cover:   

Chinnu....

I just finished making my Chinnus favorite cham-cham**! Poor boy, he’s been moping since he came from that darned birthday-party.

I wonder why these ladies cannot understand boys will be boys - the only way Chinnu knows to show affection is by falling all over you! Those dirty brains were telling me that he was trying to pin down a little girl!! Only if they understood he was just was aping his favorite “Emraan Hashmi”** - @#%$$#$#!%$!^!&!(*

But today fifteen years later, I wish I knew then what I know now – maybe then Chinnu wouldn’t have turned into a porn-addict…. 

Linking this piece of fiction to WT  100 Words on Saturday Prompt - s/he wished s/he knew then what s/he knew now

** Cham Cham - A Benagli Sweet

** Emraan Hashm - A Bollywood actor known for his "Kissing" scenes. "Serial Kisser" is what he is been nicknamed

PS: Cory Thank You for (not so gently) kicking out the writing-block :-D

Zenith of Happiness..

... For any book-lover would be a birthday bounty that looks something like this :-D. It doesn't surprise me anymore that half of these came from my blogger friends :)

Off late, the books I have been reading were failing to get me hooked! None of them transported me wholly into the land of Punjab or London where the books were set!

So I was glad, when I landed upon "More Than Just Biryani" - it took me on a delightful journey to Muslim kitchens (comparatively unknown for me) set in vellore, Bangalore and then Hong Kong! The book revolved around food and is full of lovely anecdotes!The story of a husband besotted by his wife's Shammi Kabab, to a new bride being accepted heartfully by her in-laws family only after she is able to dish out the delectous doodhi halwa, stories of how the matriarch doesn't share her secret ingredient(Glucose biscuit) which makes the most perfect 'Ande Ka Halwa', to how flipping rotis is the first step a young widow takes as she limps back to normal life, to the story of the protagonist for whom food is the only she knows to express her love and how the humble 'Biryani' opens up an all world of opportunities for her!

"More Than Just Biryani" is a book I finished in straight four hours and thoroughly enjoyed! The story crept in so much into my heart that I dreamt of it yesterday night and now I know I'll have to treat myself to a biryani Soon :-D. Its a book I will recommend to every food lover!

Thank You Mr.Museum piece, for taking the effort to read thru tons of reviews and zeroing on this book for me! I am indeed delighted :)

Linking this to AtoZ challenge - Z  is for Zenith Of Happiness :).

An Yummilicious Birthday :)

The one word that describes this Birthday must be - "Yummilicious"! From having my first taste of a custard cake to trying out Japanese cuisine  - we indeed had a gala time!

The custard fresh fruit  cake, came from a bakery next door, who went out of their way to accommodate a cake that was not even on their menu! Of course the choice of cake was spelled out clearly to 'Chocoholic' Pheno:-D

Dinner that day was a Japanese affair - another first! While I obviously cannot vouch for its authenticity, I absolutely enjoyed the experience @ Teppan. Pheno has reviewed it in details here. My abs fav were the Tuna Salad and Sushi- Indeed I have waited for a long time to taste them and they truly dint disappoint me :)

Japanese Cuisine is synonymous with Sushi for me!

For True Fish Lovers - The Tuna salad must be mana!

Linking this to Linking this to AtoZ challenge - Y  is for Yummilicious :). Another post coming up soon on best part abt birthday - gifts, what else :-D

X-Mas Eve.....

It was last X-Mas - my niece was home for her hols. At the last min, the little missy decides she wants to do up a Christmas crib. We did a quick dash to the local market with absolutely no luck! So literally on Christmas eve, we went about scouring a crib from the itty-bitties at home......

An empty oil box from the shop next door became the base for the Crib

Jesus, Mary, Joseph!

A few hours later, here's her cute little crib... ....

Did you like our little crib? Linking this to AtoZ challenge - X is for X-Mas

A Walk in a Coffee Estate...

The best part of any holiday for me are the long walks in midst of unadulterated nature! Its funny but when am on trips, am generally the first to be up and about!!

These are from a holiday at a coffee estate in Chikmagalur. The homestay there was amidst coffee estates - I have posted about it here. The day we landed there, the owner offered to take us on a visit to his estates. It was a monsoon evening - so armed with gumboots, raincoat and a stick we were ready to go!

It was an absolute delightful three hours that followed... The extra-green plantation due to the recent showers, the ravines, the grasslands and the streams on the way were an absolute delight!

Linking this to AtoZ challenge - W is for walk in a coffee estate!