KEEP THE SUNSHINE IN !

A Wedding anniversary is a milestone,

each more special than the previous one.

The first is precious,

and second a treasure.

Third is for growing more in love.

and fourth to understand each other.

Fifth to learn from one another.

and sixth to accept each other.

Seventh to let go and yet be together.

The Eighth to understand and know

that problems are challenges

to cross and once the bridge is behind

the path is clear.

coz when the goal is one

victory is certain.

Ninth and the bond got stronger.

Mutual commitments the key to success.

Tenth and lady love stays at the helm.

Eleventh onwards they are best friends forever.

Twelfth, a reminder to remember the special day.

Thirteenth for more love and care for one another,

in the midst of tiffs and squabbles.

Fourteenth for each to realise,

that one cannot do without the other.

Fifteenth to invoke more blessings,

from elders and the almighty above.

Sixteenth in jubiliation of a relationship

that has stood the test of time.

Seventeenth to cherish fondly and look back

at memories of love which brought them together.

Eighteenth to keep thanking God for the friendship,

that survived many a storm and a hardship.

Nineteenth to look up to the heavens in gratitude.

Twentieth to honour, coz it was made in heaven.

Twentyfirst and not yet half way to vintage.

Twenty second, the love was still blooming with age.

Twentythird and prayers for a smooth sail.

Twentyfourth to acknowledge contributions

with a sense of great satisfaction.

Twentyfifth to rejoice with friends and family.

Twentysixth to wonder how fast indeed time can fly !

Twentyseventh in dignity to complement one another

Twenteighth majestic, a toast to the couple who look great together.

Twentyninth and rocking, on and off a roller coaster.

Thirteeth onwards, to celebrate the imperfection

and to revere them with respect as "The Perfect Couple"

To be continued...............................................

Sibling Love and A Mother's Recipe !

“What are you making for us, Amma?”a curious Nayaki asked her mother Vijaya.

I am making a yummy dish for the two of you she said.”

“Ooooh, what is it? Is it sandwiches and omlette?!”little Nayaki asked her mother as she grinned sheepishly knowing pretty well that the orthodox mom would rather keep the little mouths hungry rather than feed them on eggs. 

Subbu was a sporting Dad. He reprimanded his wife Vijaya often, rather lovingly, chiding her to give in to his little girl's whims and fancies..

"Do what you wish to !" Vijaya would retort back once in a blue moon.

It was the year 1975. Subbu and Vijaya lived in Kolkata with their two sweet children…Nayaki 10 and Ambi 5 years old.

The mom daughter conversation continued and yet Vijaya was very much focused on her work. Her fingers moved deftly and as she stirred the contents of the bowl, Nayaki was getting more curious..

"Oh ! What’s it that you are making for us Amma?" She pestered her mother and cribbed...

"I am hungry, amma"..saying she ran into her study room. It was midsummer, a warm Sunday morning and past breakfast time.

"Sweetie ! Kannamma ! Come here my dear. Breakfast is nearly ready," Vijaya called out to her little girl.

In a loud but loving voice…she repeated…."It is healthy, it's special. It’s something Grandma is not too adept at making." Can you guess my dear, said Vijaya before breaking into laughter

Grandmother Kannamani was away on her annual holiday to her native village near Villupuram and Vijaya had donned the temporary role of the official cook of the Iyer family.

Hearing her mother call out, Nayaki came running back into the kitchen.

The family of four lived in a two bedroomed second floor flat on R B Avenue…As was the practice as much as possible, they dined together and  sat down on the floor to eat. Eating times were fun times when amma served with love and the rest  helped in passing around the dishes.

“Can I help?' asked Nayaki.

"Can I pour the stuff into the bowl? Mom let  me pour the stuff into the bowl.  I have washed my hands." she said…Vijaya was a cleanliness freak..Oh! My ! the septuagenarian is still obsessed with hygiene…

Vijaya would oil her little girl's hair, comb and put her hair in a high ponytail.

Nayakui used to wonder…"Oh ! Why does amma have to do this to me whenever I am hungry ?"

Hmmmm. You don’t have to..I cant trust you…Where have you been ? Colouring with crayons..Uh ?” a doting mother spoke much lovingly .

“Okay, I’ll leave it to you , "Nayaki replied with a huff.  "This is so much fun!" she said.

"What’s that, what are you doing now?” Amma dearest.

“Chopping onion and chillies, dear" amma replied.

“Cool, that’s cool. What else do you have? I see butter, is that the natural unsalted home made butter ?”

“Yes.”my dear…..Vijaya looked and smiled at her baby…Her little girl was growing up fast…

“Mom let me stir this…Is this curd ? and before I can taste the final dish can I have a small cup of curd please ?"…Nayaki loved milk and curd. And what’s that?” Nayaki went on to ask her mother.....even as she was puzzled....

Her dad made the best omlettes but he never used curd or milk..."Strange are the ways of amma,"...she thought...

“This is milk. Listen, once I am done with this work, you are going to have this without complaining…”Right my dear”, a stern loving mother  Vijaya was heard telling her daughter Nayaki.

And all the while Ambi thambi was a silent specatator, too busy to get involved as new ideas were brewing in his naughty mind….

"Please don’t- don’t tell amma," he had told his elder sis…just a little while ago…." I used it, okay?”

Nayaki was waiting for an opportunity to spill the beans and ensure that thambu got a good scolding.  Thambu was always landing her in trouble.

She was  hungry. "The complaint can wait."…she told herself." Let me fill my tummy first and later with a clear mind, I can complain about bro to amma ." She waited patiently....Eggs were still out of her sight....

In the meantime, Vijaya came out of the kitchen with a bowl which contained water. Slowly she poured the greyish pearlish coloured water into another container.

Ma…what’s left in the vessel ?….an innocent Nayaki, asked her mother

With a broad beam on her face, Vijaya replied…"That is yesterday’s left over cooked rice my dear, " saying she mashed the rice well with her hands, added a glass of thick milk, a bowl of thickly set curd and mixed the rice well. She added the finely chopped onion and chillies, butter and salt to taste even as Nayaki looked on in disbelief…The tempering done in fresh ghee, curd rice was ready to be served.

"No…this cannot be my breakfast, screamed the little girl..."No Amma...This is not fair," she cried much to the glee of a younger brother who looked on innocently. Nayaki shut her eyes tight to make sure that she was asleep and this was only a dream...

Alas it was only too real as she heard her mother's voice again..."Ambi…Come here my boy,"….Vijaya called out to her son..

With visions of toast butter and omlette clearly in front of her eyes, Nayaki sat down, disbelievingly with her mouth wide open. Vijaya slowly and lovingly placed the first urundai of pisinja payaethu thayiru sadham ( curd rice prepared from the previous day's left over rice) into Nayaki’s mouth……With her mouth sealed and tummy soon to be filled pondering on Omlettes whether maybe next Sunday or not, Nayaki swallowed the rice balls with much difficulty....She was an obedient child...

  

 Forty years hence...nothing has changed much on the milk and the curd front. Nayaki, no longer an eggetarian, seated on the floor with cousins, inherent traits remaining the same, yet another chat session was coming alive with renewed energy and the same enthusiasm……..

“Ambi, what are you doing?Just you wait till I catch ya " Nayaki was heard yelling at her brother. "Are you taking a picture of amma giving the thayir sadham urundai(ball of curd rice)  in my hand and  don’t tell me now that you have already sent it to our family groups on Whatsapp?!” exclaimed a furious fifty something young woman.

"Just you wait, six footer fella till I post yours…of amma feeding straight into your mouth. Let me tag you with the pics of curd mulagai, green mulagai ( Mulagai is chilly)…and the kadugu (mustard seeds) and the ginger and the kothamalli…Just you wait till I make a collage and I upload it for the public to see right on your FB Timeline…..!”

MILAGU RASAM AND FORTY WINKS !!!!!!!

The better days are nearly gone and I am still unable to think..Oh ! What a pity ! A week is almost gone without any literary pursuit..Oh ! What a pity.

The morning cuppa was just right.The second was good and the third one was by far the best...Yet ! an upper storey,failed to light up and remained plagued in darkness...

I have to admit that my maid motivates me to work.So when she is around,I am brisk and active and when she leaves,that's when a sense of completion overwhelms me and I am free to think..

It was 7AM,I pulled the curtains to let the morning ray of sunshine in.I had not overslept...It was intentional. I was making the most of a well deserved national holiday. As I lay awake, I made up my mind to work hard, really hard, so that I would be able to think....

So,I pulled out the bedspreads, the pillow covers and the cushion covers. Straight they went into the washing machine. The bed ,the pillows and the cushions got a new makeover and I was pleased. I paused to think.Have I been able to think ?...

"No! Not yet my dear," said an inner voice..

Unperturbed, I went about ,on not so routine chores...The kitchen is the best place to be in, when in search of new ideas. So I got into familiar territory. MTR's Rava idli is good, fast to cook and good to eat.With breakfast done, and no headway into new thoughts, I continued undeterred..

I checked the provisions available..The filled glass bottles and the Tupperware are proof of sufficient stock.A sense of contentment overpowered me and I was pleased. The sparkling stainless vessels are an indication of Tambrahm power and so powerful I feel...The tamarind,salt and pickles occupy their much deserved position in the porcelain jars...AAh ! That's indeed gratifying....and should empower me to have a taste of my own writing......So i thinketh......

I moved from the cellar to the altar..I cleaned the silverware with vibhuti ,and scrubbed the bronze and brassware with tamarind…I wiped the photos,drew the daily kolams and lit the oil lamp...I prayed to the Gods for the gift of creative thought,so that I could think...think well ,so that I could write and write at my best so that my happy hormones could be elevated….badly need them for the months ahead.

The lunch preparation began with a bang...The safety valve in the tiny pressure cooker went bust...I was not going to be worried anyway...A long association in a joint family has also helped to retain,procure and stock all that I need and all that I don't ,in multiples of two and more,so that cooking continues uninterrupted…The menu is Capsicum sambhar, Kovakkai curry, Milagu rasam and Thenga Thugaiyal.....

Lunch is also done…..My Godmother Maya Devi made her presence felt in the fleeting moments when she mopped the floor and washed the utensils. Home is where the heart is…Home is where the tiffs begin and end. Home is where occupation begins with preoccupation…Home is where laughter is interspersed with tears…Home is where you long to be in when you are out and out when you are in…Home is where relationships stand the test of time and are not strained by silly angst within……..

So ! in the midst of squabbles and the tiffs, in between kisses and hugs, when the hungry mouths are fed,when the God mother has left with a promise to be back tomorrow, when the forty winks will run to a couple of hours…that is when I am inspired to think….

and so signing off as Hitachi says...Inspire Next....:-)

Give me some ideas and I will chip in with some more....It’s a Quid Pro Quo !

The last word of each paragraph (in double quotes) is a Latin word and the first word or words (in single quotes) of the next paragraph is the meaning of the Latin word. The poem is incomplete and can be continued.......

Latin is a language which I do not know.

Yet ! it thrives in my expressions apropos.

Where words work out that is a word gym.

and plagiarism is simply copying “verbatim.”

‘Word by word,' I learn and explain

Isn't this how all wordy nerds train ?

It's all Greek. Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta.

and if my grey cells light up, “mea culpa ?”

'At fault,' I claim total responsibility.

"Ye ! woman," I say," Unleash your writing creativity,

poetry, prose or limericks, all side by side,

and self certified as being yours, “bonafide.”

'Genuine' and real is indeed the need of the hour.

So, I put on a thinking cap to enhance my word power.

I shunned the cuts, pastes and wore a broad beam

and told myself, " Start writing, “carpe diem.”

'Seizing the day,' is a lesson I have learnt often.

Screen and keys have taken over the paper and pen .

The impetus is slowly gaining momentum.

Will I now be able to resume longhand “ad infinitum ?”


 Latin words and their meanings have been sourced from the internet to compose these verses.

WATER"UMA"RKED :-) :-)

I have jobs pending at home and I feel so dumb,

when my timeline wall lists pending items some.

It’s been a good week and please allow me to rhyme.

I promise, I will not take much of your time.

Long ago, not so long ago, I wrote under the pseudonym Plum.

I composed verses over a cocktail of ginger ale and rum.

Weekend is over and I am in a mood not so euphoric.

I play daily with words to solve the crossword cryptic.

In the world of words, I dare to venture,

Bcoz ! without rhymes, alas ! there's no adventure.

Here's a game for us and them to play.

It’s great fun and you will thank me all the way.

Let's begin and I start with a few examples.

Think, exercise your grey cells to get a few samples.

The rules are simple and the tag line is creativity.

Try to coin new English words keeping in mind, brevity.

For instance INDIGENIUS could mean “ intelligence local.”

Strive to achieve a state of concentration at a point focal.

EXCENTRIC could mean “To be obsessed with memories of an ex.”

and I type in capitals simply for the hype and an effect.

DEBTONATION means “ self immolation by an insolvent country. ”

I have to make Parathas for lunch and Ouch ! I am hungry.

WRENDEZVOUS is “ A forum for grammar addicts.”

I was at wit’s end thinking , what if such a forum really exists ?

This game evoked the SCRABBLEROUSER in me,

which means “An expert in vocabulary” you see.

If BEERPRESSURE is “ To be influenced my members of a beer group,”

To that extent , “ Oh Lord ! I pray ! may I never stoop ! “

FRIEDAY is “ A day that comes before a Scorchy Saturday. “

Will there be thundershowers in the month of May ?

An EGGALITARIAN “ believes that eggs, good and bad are the same.”

I hope I have given you a fair idea about this wonderful game.

BEAUTOXED is "the mental state of an admirer spell bound

by an age defying transformation that can astound"

If NIGHTHOOD means a sleeping status,

this game is certainly a virus contagious.

To sum it up "Exercise and brainstorming helps keep Alzheimers at bay."

PURRVIEW is “ The ambit within which one stays contended, “ I say.....

WHO COINS THEM ?

This post is purely a fragment of my imagination ! Quite like Unreal News.Com !

Note that the countries come in alphabetical order !

A portmanteau of the words British and Exit is BREXIT.
Would that cause to render an union decrepit ?
or would the union bounce back better ?
grow by leaps and bounds, stronger and greater ?

Immersed in thoughts and tales of history,
of relinquishments, annexures and victory,
of subjugations and the fight for freedom,
I was playing scrabble in the quest for wisdom.

Portmanteau of Oust and Austria is OUSTRIA.
Bye to Belgium for BYEGIUM in all it's gloria,
Czech and off and CZECHOFF it is.
Denmark to Quit as DENQUIT and I'm in splits.

ESTOVICT is morphed from Estonia and Evict.
and Finland headed for a Shift to a stable FINSHIFT.
Germany is set to run for a stronger GERRUN,
and now care to join me in this game, Anyone ?

The Brexits have set the ball rolling.
Playing with words is so fulfilling.
Hungary and please let's Break for dinner.
Some voted for HUNBREAK and an union got thinner.

Shown the way, Italy is all set to Leave
as ITALEAVE, leaving an union to grieve.
Luxemborg to Pass through to LUXEMPASS,
reducing the union to a tiny landmass.

Voting for a referendum too,
Malta is set to bid Adieu
as MALTADIEU, an economy self sufficient
and as a nation safer and independent.

As NETHERVALE, Netherlands followed suit
even as experts were trying to get to the root
of a larger problem as one that could impact
the world as a whole. Was it time to exercise prudence & tact ?

T'was the moment to Depart and the turn had come
for Portugal to take a stance from
either opting to remain or to follow the torchbearers.
Thus was born DEPARTUGAL in search of better pastures.

Are we moving out too ? Spain and Out ! exclaimed Senorita.

Handclapping and finger snapping, she danced, as the pretty Maria,

into SPAINOUT, expressing her anguish in a soulful melody

T'was an outpouring of emotions arising from separation and melancholy.

Please correct me if I am wrong.

Why should nations break away from where they belong ?
Should they not stay together in times of adversity ?
Does not strength comes from unity and diversity ?

Acknowledgement : Images from the internet.

Inspiration : Online Circulated Word play .

PARENTING.....SOME THOUGHTS !

So the summer break is over in India, which means ‘Back to school with heavy bags on tender backs, new water bottles hanging on shoulders , chart paper and cellophane sheets rolled in the hands and all. Time when parents have shift duties to perform, when they need to be up early to pull kids out of bed and drag them into the wash room to get their teeth brushed and awaken the sleepy brats with a water splash on the face followed by an immediate body shower. It's the story of going to bed the previous day with a mind full of school going and home coming, thoughts of sharing the stress of project-work, reading and writing together, mid term tests, a fixed waking-up time, drop and pick up, menu for the school lunch box, books arranged as per the time table, a properly equipped pencil box, geometry box, colour pencils and crayons, uniform, ironing, Bata shoes, black and white cherry blossom polish, socks, ties, bag packing, listening to complaints and stories of broken test tubes etc. etc. etc. 

Phew! The ‘My kid goes to school’ project is a difficult one. Planned Plan A could be the best but with kids, it would be good to keep reminding yourself about unpredictabilities and stay prepared with a back up plan say Plan B, C, D............Z to fall upon. How you act in a particular situation becomes the plan of that moment. 

The school working hours keep changing every year. From 1 hour at first in LKG to full working days on weekends and holidays in ClassXII, all that is required at the parent's end is presence of mind, the ability to stay alert and be prepared to adhere to the timings. 

Quarterlies , halfyearlies and finals are crucial testing times, sometimes in the forenoon and sometimes in the afternoons. But ! as a parent no matter what, you never give up on your kids  - No matter how trying the situations are, key is to remember "This too shall pass " and it does, I speak from experience here. 

Parenting in school is all about mediating and doing the patching up, explaining to your own child, teaching the child to be competitive with himself, to perform to the best of his capacity without comparison and sometimes talking to a parent whose child bullies others in the class. 

Now, when I count the money, I would have spent on transport, school projects, annual functions and excursions, I thank my stars. As compared to the exorbitant fees charged now school fees were much cheaper a few years ago and convent education came with several concessions. The annual fees in Class X came to around Rs 8000/- only. Text books and notebooks were provided by the school at a nominal cost. School authorities took orders for the uniforms. All that the students had to do was to assemble class wise as per the dates mentioned, form a line roll no wise, give the measurements and go back to class. Pay and take atleast a minimum of three sets at a time was the option given to the parents. The weekends, vacations and rainy days were time for parents to celebrate and take it easy. 

The school provided free education to under priviliged children. Call it a pitfall or a blessing of studying in a school which accomodated girl children only  from all strata of society, while the children learned to be friendly with all, they came back home with heads loaded with lice. Though holidays meant leisure from pressure, at the same time it meant looking into various options on eradication of lice and how to prevent further infestation...