Ambling along.

Deep heat is what we have been experiencing for the past couple of months. May 2017 will draw to a close in another few days and the countdown to the great Indian Monsoon will begin if it has not yet begun. On the international front, May 2017 was marked by President Donald Trump's visit to Israel and the suicide bombing in Manchester.How many more lives are to be lost before peace prevails? What kind of high does taking a life give you? Some demented people spreading fear and terror, cutting short precious lives..Closer home India continues to fight for the life of one of her sons.Have mercy on us, dear Lord!

Your mother is the first person in your life. She gives birth to you and then raises you the best of her ability. You may argue and fight but she remains your closest confidante. A once strong and active woman, now in her 81st year is frail and tired. She moves slowly  and speaks softly and is unsure most of the time. She is happy to be around her grandsons.They tell her to have a 'chill - pill' She dotes on them and they dote on her. She loves reading the newspaper and generally reads it from start to end.  You cannot quite accept the person that she is today. She rode a luna, stitched your clothes, cooked your food, took up your lessons, got you married and helped you raise your sons.

You try hard to convince yourself that ageing is inevitable and the changes that you see are inevitable. Nevertheless, she is the first person in your life and you must be grateful and thankful for the time you spent with her and are spending with her. Incidentally, mothers were honoured on the  14th of May. The offspring did not have a clue about the day. Boys will be boys. My friend's son remembered and wished her at lunch. "Better late than never," I say.

Someone remarked that we hand write very little these days and that someone was so right. Besides the odd cheque and a few grocery lists, what is there to write. Typing and texting are more like it. All the typing and texting has taken a toll on the handwriting. Today I am not very proud of my writing. Schools generally lay a lot of emphasis on handwriting and the school I attended was no different. I vividly remember being given pages of copywriting in a grade as high as 9. There were those red and blue lined copywriting books and your writing had to touch the lines. Are they still in use? 

The Scent of Summer

  May is drawing to a close and a blazing sun is scorching the city. The temperature is soaring and city folk are complaining. All through April, May and June we go 'blah, blah, blah' until the heavens burst open in June. However, with the romance of the rain, we have to contend with waterlogging slush,  muck and other problems. 
 Both school and college kids are currently on a well-deserved summer break. The soft drink and ice cream companies are reaping huge profits. The health-conscious though prefer to stick to good old chaas. (buttermilk) Quite a few Mumbaikars are reclining in cooler climes. The rest are being roasted and toasted in the summer sun.

The king of fruits is reigning supreme as fruit stalls and markets wear a golden yellow hue. The best news of all has been delivered by a popular nutritionist who has waxed eloquently on the nutritional benefits of the  Mango. "Exercising a little restraint, eat to your heart's content" he says. It's got fibre, it's got vitamin C, so indulge! From Aamras and puri for breakfast, aam ki launji and a variety of mango pickles,  and mango milkshakes we are a mango-happy nation delighting in the succulent fruit all summer. The watermelon is also loved by most and from sinking your teeth into the juicy fruit, you can use it in a salad with cucumber and feta cheese and drinks. 

Summer brings on the heat, sweat grime and a steep increase in your power bills but summer has a lesson for us all in that how to remain cool when life becomes too hot to handle.