Life, Eccentricities And Me

What could be more apocalyptic than an actual apocalypse? I donning a saree! Hold on before you let that smile adorn your face, there's still more to it. Being the most unladylike, I end up with the inability to comprehend nail paints, contours and hues adorning one's face, lip crayons (in fact I ended up breaking one of them in my sheer excitement to color my lips just the way my 3.5 year old toddler does on those innocent coloring books) ! I am the most unladylike of all the unladylike females out there. No wonder, my mother used to keep my hair style same from upper kg to class viii, as she was quite confident that I wouldn't rebel, for I did not possess the least fashion quotient to even  raise a voice of rebellion. All hell breaks loose on my folks a fortnight before the day I decide to wear a saree. They dread if I would return in it unharmed, all safe and secure. My sister who is the fashionista of our house hold, refuses to acknowledge my presence publicly, given ...

Yes, you read that right! The "other" woman in my husband's life and I thank God for her existence! The concept of the other, in our country is quite dreaded or subjected to hatred. But here the other woman who crowns my husband's life is someone for whom I have anything but hatred. She is someone who inspires me, teaches me to love and only love people around me, she by her attributes deviates  from a relationship that is so controversial in our country, by bringing in a great sense of joy and happiness. The other woman whom I am referring here is my husband's mother, my mother in law (the relation who is expected to be anything but good) or Amma as we all lovingly address her.  Post marriage, few of my friends and acquaintances had instilled in me, a belief that when you enter your husband's or in laws' house, you are already a stranger primarily due to biological reasons moreso when you are from a culture that isn't theirs! So as a bride I was quit...

Dear Baba, Yes no fancy names but a simple way of addressing someone who's been and will always remain my idol forever, and eventually would stand as a benchmark to be met, each time I meet someone who claims to be a gentleman. Baba, an epitome of simplicity and patience (read, immeasurable amount, unperturbed, untouched by any grief or strife)! The faint silvers that adorn your hair are an evidence to years of experience coupled with an unparalleled wisdom and knowledge for practically everything one can fathom; and what's even better, your undying thirst for more knowledge, a keen interest to learn new approaches even if it means that's being imparted by individuals half your age! Baba, perhaps I have never shared this but unlike all children, my first ever teacher has been you, you have guided me, mentored me and made me what I am today! And I am quite proud of who I stand to be and secretly wish to make you proud too! Baba, you are an inspiration for all of us an...

"All characters drawn parallel to, in the underneath write up are real; it bears clear resemblance to all the real life interpretations that they have and that this is no work of fiction." On the eve of "Jamai Shoshti" (a day to celebrate the son in law, who besides being fed the costliest and rarest of edibles, are also subjected to supreme care and love), it would be more than apt to talk about the community that perhaps leave their footprints on the entirety of the world population-The Bengalis/The Bongs. Being one, no one perhaps knows more than me or you might vouch to know in case you have had the privilege of knowing any fromthis species, for they leave a trail wherever they go. You are out on a exotic vacation and suddenly you sense a bong around because of some weird addressals that manages to pierce your ear drums, yes, we are loud, not in our mannerisms but by the way we challenge the noise pollution guardians! You are destined to chance upon some Benga...

It's that time of the year when your parents ardently wish you were like "Gupta Ji's" son or "Mehta Ji's" nephew or worst, they condemn you for not being like them. Yes, you guessed it right, it's results time. All that hue and cry about how you've failed to live up to their expectations; how you've ruined their reputation in that rickety colony of yours or amongst their social circle that comprises relationships that weigh your credibility by virtue of your "MARKS" let alone your intelligence or even your genuine approach to hard work! It's sad that we belong to a country where marks is of utmost importance in judging your intellect and then, English becomes the yardstick to measure your social relevance. Somewhere in erstwhile Delhi, or in the narrow lanes of some tier two city, a student shines by securing 99.6% or a 99.8% (what's with remaining decimals?), and in your own homes, you disown your child, who besides bein...

Toddlers and their idiosyncrasies tickle your funny bones as much as they confront you with situations that are quite typical for them alone. Last evening when Anshika was back with her papa from the mall, perhaps she had been "trained" to refrain from divulging the fact that she had enjoyed an ice cream (which is quite a taboo when Maa is around), however the moment her mommy opens the door she enacts as if she had been fed the dessert quite against her will! Well, you can guess papa's reaction! A toddler whose vocabulary is none but an uphill task is more dangerous than a blender with a missing top, hear this out-when Maa instructs Anshika to tread carefully on a wet bathroom floor for she might "slip", she confuses it with "sleep" and asks mommy to demonstrate, which in either case is difficult and ridiculous! A toddler can come of age, mentally alone (for physically, they are usually that cute yet pint sized dynamite that can explode any instant...

Embarrassments come in all forms and it generally comes uninvited, sudden and uninformed. It can be in the form of that last bite of some sticky cheese, or the fiery red chilli flakes or that small bite of green spinach, that you have failed to brush out off your teeth and it does a little "peek a boo" when you are having that important conversation with your latest crush! Urrgh! It is quite embarrassing, more so when this innocent folly of yours get pointed out by that mischievous little impish boy in your complex and you have no options rather than turn tomato red. Embarrassment is also when you try to climb onto that last seat, (last because it is near the door, slightly elevated with a cage like enclosure around, not sure what exactly goes in the mind of the manufacturer, but surely it's intended to make the seating a little too competitive and complex)in the air conditioned Volvo bus, laden with robotically programmed people, who are even clothed similar, now this ...