March 2nd,2017 Yesterday, the first day of a new month began on a spiritual note followed by lean meals all the day long. The significant  - other had rustled up some delicious dahi baath(curd - rice) while I cooked a dish of egg fried rice for the heirs to the throne. The teenager did not appreciate the egg fried rice and said that he felt he was consuming Jain food. I guess the rice turned out a little too bland for his 'spicy loving palate'. The twenty-year-old, though a member of the youth choir is not very spiritually inclined, or so he says and had to be pushed to hear mass yesterday. I wonder for how long more I can push. Not being spiritually inclined is a malady affecting many young people these days. My attempt at making aloo parathas for the boys' breakfast was nothing to write home about. The aloo mash turned out to be a soggy mess,  then there was no dhania - hubby dear had used the garnish(corriander leaves) to garnish something else.  This I was bli...

Feb 28th, 2017 , 6.38pm. The last day of February dawned with clear blue skies and a nice bright sun.  It also happened to be Shrove or pancake Tuesday. Shrove is derived from the word Shrive meaning 'absolution of sin. It is also called Fat Tuesday because we use up the fatty foods before the season of lent. The actual tradition of mixing up the ingredients for pancakes  is said to be a pagan ritual. Some beg to differ and say that it is a Christian tradition with each ingredient representing the 4 aspects of Christian faith.   As the light dims the birds can be heard chirping on  their way home.A peace must gradually descend on the land but the bright city lights will shine late into the night.

FEB 26th, 2017. At 7 am my eyes open to a brand new day - Sunday- the day of the Lord and Fat Sunday  - A day to bring out the bacon and beer - the last Sunday before the beginning of Lent.The significant-other usually exhibits his culniary skills on Sunday.  So we sat down to a lunch of Mangalorean pork curry and sannas and chunks of rich dark chocolate for dessert.  Needless to say, delightful fare. The weather outside is not so delightful.  There is more than a hint of summer in the air.Oranges are yet aplenty. Mangoes are on the way. The watermelon abounds.   The twenty-year-old enjoyed a long leisurely sleep, wrapped up in his dreams, deigning to rise only when we informed him that the maid was swishing her broom through the house. The 18-year-old was desperately searching for a lost text book. He did locate the book eventually but refused to divulge where he had found the lost book.. Welcome to the world of te...

A popular newspaper supplement carried an international study report on “A woman’s 20 most common criticisms about herself”. I was hardly surprised to see “I am too fat/overweight topping the list. It was something that is of great concern to me, and I often worried about the  excess flab that I carry around. At 51 your weight determines the state of your mind and body. Needless to say that I was fat, and have been so for many years.  Motherhood was a turning point in my life. They say a child gives birth to a mother and in my case a ‘fat mother’. Post my first delivery I was huge; I jumped a couple of dress sizes. I wasn’t too perturbed and hoped to get back in shape by Christmas. (I had delivered in September) Aha! No such Christmas present for me. I was heartbroken. I was never going to get back into my old clothes. Nevertheless I decided to work on the flab. I tried a variety of diets, but was always cautioned by the elders to go easy on the diets. New mums must feed...

He's a bogeyman He's loved and adored By the mathematician and  the nerd. Not me. I shiver and quiver At the mention of his name He's also caused me To hang my head in shame.  Mother tells me to make friends with him But that is just so terrible a thing I'm never able to figure him out. Numbers, equations and problems Give me a headache That no Aspirin or Crocin can take away I wish I could be rid of him run away to a land Where he does not exist Then how happy I'd be Living life bogeyman free.

I hit fifty in July last year. I am now a golden girl with streaks of silver in her hair and a few pounds heavier everywhere. At fifty you enter a whole new phase in life. You discover yourself. You are more cautious about your diet and are advised to have regular medical checkups, exercise is now a way of life and you are  expected to wear ‘ age  appropriate ’ clothes. Fashion at 50 takes on a whole new meaning and who says you can ’ t be fifty and fashionable? Iconic French designer Coco Chanel rightly says, “ You can be gorgeous at 20, charming at 40 and irresistible for the rest of your life. ” Oh yes! At fifty what should my style statement be?  How should I dress, what should I wear? A wardrobe full of clothes but nothing to wear is every woman ’ s nightmare and with age may turn to the queen of all nightmares. I may be fifty , but I do not have to lose myself in baggy, ill- fitting, dowdy garments. I do not have to give up being fashionable altogeth...

Mama's little hearts began to beat within two years of each other. Two little boys, as different as chalk from cheese, ironically share the same date of birth. Needless to say they turned Mama's world upside down. She changed not just dress sizes, but her entire way of dressing. The little black dress made way for the more comfortable, salwar kameezes. Easier to run behind children! She promised herself she would get back into shape one day. Mama stayed awake devouring not her favourite author, but changing nappies and rocking babies to sleep. Telephone conversations were punctuated with a "Hold on" while she attended to a piercing scream or ended abruptly, with "I will call you back" or "Talk to you later". She watched with bated breath and relief as the loves of her life said their first words and took their first shaky steps. Running noses, spotty skin, trips to the doctor, she learned to take it all in her stride, to take one day at a time....