A regular scene in my home: The two boys are at the dining table, laughing and chattering noisily. Suddenly, the conversation grows animated. Some screaming is thrown in the mix. And then the tween gets mad, says something nasty in a high-pitched voice; there is an exchange of angry words as the teen bellows in … Read More →
Gathered around the dining table, we were having a late breakfast on a downcast Sunday. I was browsing through the newspaper filled with sorry tales of the havoc the incessant rains had wreaked on Bangalore when I came across an article on why Indians do not contribute much to charity. It was a comparison on … Read More →
Do you remember the time when you and I were growing up? Not only was the innocence charming, our parents were extremely trusting as well. Those were the days when it was natural to strike conversations with strange kids, pull their cheeks and offer them chocolates. When a neighbourhood ‘uncle’ was the benign fun guy … Read More →
As we are aware, RTE or Right to Education has been implemented in our schools. What it essentially means is that children from socially backward backgrounds get to study in private schools to get better quality education which their government schools cannot provide. Now, getting them into a private school is just the first step. … Read More →
Indian culture has always placed a lot of emphasis on respect, especially for elders and teachers. We don’t address our teachers by their first names and may share a friendly relationship with them within a respectful dimension. And elders, we address our parents’ friends as uncle or auntie. We touch the feet of our elders … Read More →
This year my elder son turned 15 and I completed 15 years of motherhood. Yes, motherhood which is often put on a high pedestal, not without reason though. Trust me, I am not one who likes to be treated as a deity or worshipped. I am as human as another woman and terribly flawed too. … Read More →
Summer vacation are never the same as they were in my childhood. I walked down that nostalgia lane in this post. As we moved from joint families to nuclear ones with working mothers, no more monthly sojourns to relatives’ homes. At least, not for me. Family visits are quick and short. And the kids hardly … Read More →
There was a time when parents controlled kids. Yes, kids of my generation. Most of us grew up having a pally relationship with our moms and a distant one with our dads whom we feared. A normal way to stifle our mischief was when mom told us, “Wait for your dad to come back from … Read More →
You know when you would find kids being diligent about new hobbies and stuff like reading books especially when you don’t want them to? Exam time. That’s right. Since parents do not have enough on their plates chasing after errant kids, the kids decide to make it even harder. So the younger son, well he … Read More →
So exams are done and dusted almost (the elder son finishes tomorrow). But for me, they were over last week when the younger son finished his. Why? Because the elder son studies on his own. And apart from regular reminders to go and study, I hardly do much. In this post, I have already written … Read More →