It's another day

Each day is a new challenge. Today you woke up smiling next to me I thought it would be an easy day- when I could catch up on twenty winks. Seems like you read my mind, baby, coz all you did was feed and doze for precisely ten minutes every hour starting from 1 o'clock. By 6, I was frustrated, edgy and tired. Then I looked at your tiny face and realised if I was feeling all this, you would be feeling ten times worse. When I rocked you in my arms and you finally fell asleep, I felt like the best mother in the world. Thank you, darling!

Raania- The Queen of my heart and Life

Amazing how a small bundle can turn your life into theirs. Feed, burp, poop, pee, play, sleep. Suddenly your day is measured by the number of wet nappies and how many times she fed. Suddenly everything else pales in comparison- social life, work, friends as you work harder at being a parent than you ever have,in your entire life. You stay up nights, sleep in snatches of minutes and are yet elated with life. As you look at that tiny face breaking into a toothless smile, suddenly all your tiredness vanishes and you feel like reigning over the world yet again!

A child gives birth to a mother

After months of struggling with those elusive two pink lines and then finally spending a stressful nine months, eighteen hours of labour for a normal delivery (thank you, God and Dr Feroze Soonawala) i finally held a little swaddled blue glow worm in the best room at Breach Candy. Ironic that the first few days when you need complete rest your body is put through its most rigorous test: feed the baby and recuperate.
However, at the end of the first ten days or so, you start feeling reborn- its true- a child gives birth to a mother!

The 'mango pickle' novel

Sigh.
Odd title but it takes me back ages- when as a little girl I would snuggle upto my cosy grandma and devour Enid Blytons, Nancy Drews and Tinkles by the dozen. With the steady whirr of the high ceilinged green fan, the cold wave of air from the window cooler and the heat emanating loo outside, it was my greatest joy to find comfort in sucking a piece of the famous Arora's mango pickle while engrossing myself in yellowed dog eared pages.
There was a method to preparing the pickle first as it could not be had straight from the jar.
First, a piece had to be selected. Careful consideration of the pickle jar would bring out just the right piece- not too fleshy and with a sliver of seed. The pickle piece would be pulled up with a spoon- mind you- not fork- so as to save it from bruising on its ultimate journey and then carefully placed under running water to wash away the masala which would only end up in a bitter and sour taste. Once washed, the excess water would be shaken off diligently and that's how the piece would be ready to accompany the reading.
Aeons have passed, I have sampled rich delicacies from London to Singapore yet nothing has rivalled that humble piece of nostalgia.
Ever.

A suitable boy

Now that the younger sister has come of age to get married, the whole e-space has become her playground. Moreover, she thinks that the fact that the parents are queuing up suitable boys for her to have a dekko, is quite like turning reality on its head- she gets to be in the seat of choice, instead of the other way round. Of course, the parents are more than piqued at times with comments like 'he looks like an alien/ bugs bunny/ uncle ji/ married father of two' when i have to gently remind her that she ain't no Cinderella herself!
Sigh.

let's see where this new crusade takes us!

The only way I know is right!

What is this new malaise striking young rich couples? The desire to stay and live alone, devoid of any family ties- they seek to be the perennial centre of their warped universes, bringing much desolation and grief to the surviving parents.
With the strong values that I've been brought up with, I firmly believe that its always prudent to consider an elder's point of view- else they wouldnt be called elders- and it always turns out they are correct in the end.
The second phenomenon is leaving really young children in creches and day care centres, at the cost of fulfilling their own ambitions. When I was young I used to think creches and crutches meant the same- little did I realise they actually do!
My mum gave up a lucrative career in journalism to take care of my sister and me. My mother in law turned down various teaching opportunities so that her three children could be brought up right- and I'm fully prepated to do the same when its my turn. I wouldn't have it any other way, and neither would my system accept the cries of a piece of me, surrounded by strangers as I'm merrily climbing up the corporate ladder. It just isn't me.
Or maybe I'm too old fashioned, but I like being that. Its the only way I know is right!

And then there are these

1. A fine piece of natural craft- a spider's silken threadwork across the window grill, reminding you that small is beautiful!
2. A feather floating down from the sky, catching the sun's golden rays- making it look ethereal
3. The joy of planning a Valentine's Day surprise for your husband of seven years, and finding it just as pleasurable as six years ago
4. The unparalleled excitement in your aunt's voice as she exclaims over the anniversary flowers you sent her
5. The undisguised thrill on your friend's face as you pay her a surprise visit!