Wordsmith at work

It was with mixed emotions that I stepped down from the train that very late evening of October 3rd. I was visiting the city that I had grown up in. Jamshedpur or the 'steel city' as it is known as holds memories aplenty for me. My husband being a true blue Mumbaikar was curious to visit the city where I had made memories. He was not disappointed.  Work brought my father to the city when I was just 3 years old and we went on to live there for 22 years. Childhood was fun. With no mobile phones, there was plenty of time and space for good old-fashioned outdoor play. College was also fun. The happy, crazy gang are still in touch with each other.  Almost every place stirred up a memory and I happily travelled back in time. Visiting old neighbours reliving the good old days sure brought back so many smiles. As I stood outside the cottage that I once called home, more memories came flooding back.   I must mention the hospitality ...

They have stayed awake late After having too much plum cake Spotty skin, runny nose They sure do keep you on your toes. They've been scribbling on the walls Interrupted your telephone calls  Often driving you nuts   With their 'ifs' and 'buts.' And yet  You are there to banish their blues And kiss away their boo - hoo - hoos. You beam with pride At hesitant step or furious stride One so shy  another so bold Each little treasure  Is yours to have and to hold No malice and hatred To drive you wild No guile, no violence  Only sweet, sweet innocence.  Thank you, Lord For the joys and the tears Let us keep them close through the coming years. 

Where Am I at 54?  July saw me turn 54.  I am a little older and a little wiser. Despite the fact that my hair has greyed, I am yet to hide the greys. I don't feel the need to right now. I am struggling to remain a decent weight but  I don't feel 54.  There are books that I want to read and pages that I want to write and lands that I hope to visit. A few aches and pains have made their way into my overweight frame. Well, health is definitely a  priority now.  The years have flown and the children have grown. My significant other and I will soon be looking at the empty nest syndrome. We will have to feed on memories, find things to do and fill the nest the best we can. Would I be happy with the free time? I can't say.    And now you ask me...Marie, Marie, how does your garden grow? It is never to late to learn and here I am at the ripe old age of 54 discovering the joys of gardening. I knew nought about growing plants...

On your birthday dear motherland.  May you be  clean and green May your children learn and play;  and not be exploited in any way May women trod freely the paths they choose Without the obstacle of gender - specifications and the fear of sexual abuse. May you be devoid of  scams and monetary jams May the old and lonely find love and care May caste, creed and race not have an ugly face May humanity thrive in every place.  May good be appreciated and evil defeated May progress happen and setbacks lessen With blessings from the good Lord night and day.  Jai Hind!

It is the last day of July and no overcast skies or thunderous clouds.  Technically it is monsoon and it should be raining buckets.  However, with exception of a couple of very rainy days the city has been under a dry spell. We have experienced a few sharp short spells and fine drizzles but nothing to rejoice about.  What has the world been up to in the last 8 months?  Just 4 months to go before we wrap up 2018 and we have been witness to the good, the bad and the ugly in the country and abroad.  I am saddened by the increasing number of rapes and other crimes against women. How many more rapes and crimes will it take before a woman can roam the streets fearlessly with a twinkle and not terror in her eye?   In a path-breaking move, Prince Harry married African - American Meghan Markle in May. Let's toast to happily ever after.  President Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after a year of exchanging...

I entered my marital home 23 years ago armed with recipe books among other things. IN the days following up to the wedding, I had spent quite a few hours copying recipes in a  diary which even today sits along with my other recipe books. My grandmother, mother, and her siblings were all adept at creating some extraordinary culinary delights. I had a reputation to live up to. Marriage was soon followed by motherhood and that meant rustling up baby-friendly food besides regular food. I soon had my very own collection of recipe books - learning and experimenting. I gradually moved from the traditional East Indian cuisine to the cuisines of other communities and cultures. There was so much to learn. The little that I had pottered around in the kitchen with ma during my spinsterhood days was just a drop in the ocean. I remember the time when my brother and his family visited our home and I had cooked a peas pulao for lunch which turned ou...

Thank you, Lord, for the food on my table Thank you, Lord, that I am healthy and able. Thank you, Lord, for the roof over my head Thank you, Lord , for the comfort of my warm soft bed.   Thank you, Lord, for the gift of sight Thank you, Lord, for a restful night.  Thank you, Lord, for the air that I breathe and the water that I drink Thank you, Lord, that I am able to think. Thank you, Lord, for Mom and Dad Thank you, Lord, that they taught me good from bad.  Thank you, Lord, for family and friends Thank you for for your bouquets of blessings that never end. Thank you, Lord, my mighty awesome God I will praise and worship you evermore. 

I say an escalator is as fearful as a creepy - crawly alligator   Yikes!A moving staircase That would be straight out of a Harry Potter. My friends join me in the elevator Cajoling me to step on the scary people-mover I am terrified! Ha-Ha, an escalator to me spells only disaster.

Children are the spring in your step and the sunshine in your day. Bubbling with curiosity and mischief a child will keep you on your toes. A child will love you unconditionally and will ask to be loved in return. The sound of a child's laugh may thaw the most frozen heart. Take away the online or video games and children will indulge in physical play as if their life depended on it. One of the best memories of my childhood is play time. From Hide and Seek to the boisterous  Kabbadi, I played and played well. There was cricket and football of the gully kind. Awesome play and awesome childhood.  I was quite fascinated by cars as well and dad indulged me with a battery of toy two and four wheelers. Children love receiving gifts.  Receiving gifts is a big part of childhood. The expectations and then the exclamations when the gift is opened. So much thought goes into those annual letters to the granddaddy of gift gives -Santa Claus...

Do you carry the weight of disappointments on your shoulder and go around like a sad- sack?  Disappointments are an inevitable part of life. Every single human on the planet has been disappointed at some time or the other. A disappointment could be in the shape of a breakdown in a relationship, which held promise, a lost friendship, being rejected at job interviews, your life not shaping up the way you hoped it would, your finances not coming together, expectations not being met and as life goes on the list will get longer. Let's not forget that 'every cloud has a silver lining', so let not the disappointment hold us back. If the good Lord provides for the birds in the air and the fish in the sea, will he not provide for us, whom he has created in his own image? We must try our level best to let go of the hurt, the rejection and disappointment, pack up our bags and move on or else we are going to be as miserable as ever.  Forgiveness is a big p...

Mother's day is almost drawing to a close. Social media was rife with mother's day prayers, blessings and wishes. A child gives birth to a mother. I turned mom at the ripe old age of 30. My pregnancy ended abruptly when my baby decided that he wanted to be born 2 and 1/2 months early. A very stressful period ensued caring for this little boy who entered our lives so suddenly. Many many anxious moments later  Jason, as we had named him showed signs of becoming all that we hoped he would be. A  talkative bundle of energy, he stole the hearts of family and friends. Two years later his brother followed him into this great big universe. The boys as different as chalk and cheese in temperament and habits, I have had to adopt different styles of mothering with each. Motherhood, as any mother will say, is not all roses and wine. There are heartbreaks and disappointments.  There is learning and experimenting, sharing, giving and re...

It is April and it is miserably hot.My thoughts turn to the 28th of April1995.What was so memorable about that date? Besides being an intensely hot day it was my wedding day.   The family comprising aunts, uncles, and cousins had gathered at an aunt's home to bless and wish me well.There were smiles and happy faces all around. Besides the other decorations, a huge bouquet of flowers stood in one corner - Romance was alive and kicking. The flowers had arrived in the morning and were from none other than the bridegroom himself.  The happy faces soon turned to frowns as there was no sign of the dressmaker. Many frantic phone calls later, she arrived. Now I don't quite remember why she was late.Dressed in my wedding gown my face wreathed in smiles, I posed for the photo shoot. However, I left late with my bridal entourage and was even later as we got stuck in an awful traffic jam.   My soon -to -be husband stood at the altar biting ...

Photographs evoke memories and emotions.  One is overcome by nostalgia, joy and even sorrow as one turns the pages  of an old family album, Today pictures have gone digital but they evoke the same memories and emotions that photographs in an old-fashioned album would.  Leafing through albums of yore - those thick books with coarse black pages, and their four-cornered gummed photograph holders that preserve memorable moments and places can tear you up. When a cousin dug out a few of these old photo albums and posted old pictures of our grandparents and parents on social media I was a bundle of mixed emotions.   My maternal grandparents staring out of the picture reminds me of the gentle and pious folk that they were having left behind a legacy of love and kindness. 'Nana' standing among the pigs that she reared and another one of my uncle chasing a pig for my parents' wedding feast filled me with immense joy and laughter. My pare...