Thru my heart

The cricket match enthralled everyone and kept the men glued to their seats. The kids played running from one room to another and the delicious aroma of food wafted through the kitchen. Food was served and the guests had a wonderful time satisfying their gastronomical buds. Neer dosa (which is a Mangalorean speciality), chicken curry, fish fry  boiled eggs and top it up with some chicken biryani and ice cream for dessert. Indeed a lavish spread. While I held my tummy and simultaneously my hand over my plate requesting them that I could take no more, I thought about the hostess and the time and effort she spent in cooking so many dishes for so many people. After my meal I went to the kitchen to meet her and as always I saw such a contrasting picture compared to what was out in the drawing room. She was busy frying fish and the rest of the items lay on the kitchen platform beside. In the sink was a huge heap of vessels to be washed and the pile kept growing. She looked tired, he...

7 years - a long time to stay in your first job some tell me. And some wonder - why did I change at this point? I am in my comfort zone, a mom of a toddler and I recently bought a house in the city. So why on earth would I decide to switch jobs and move to a new city? Well the truth is - it took me a lot of courage to take this decision. It certainly wasn't an easy one. I knew it that my career graph was not what I had envisioned and I chose to ignore it for a long time- by consoling myself that I have good work life balance, good pay and a brand name, I can focus on my baby and on my writing. People like reading my blogs, let me focus on the good things in my life. A person cannot get everything- maybe a good career is not meant for me. But I couldn't fool myself for long as I knew in my heart that I put in my best into whatever work I did. If that was not getting its due, it's time for me to move. I cannot keep blaming people around and complaining, I had to do somethi...

Dating, meeting casually and spending a few hours together is always fun. Dint you always look at your courtship period with a smile on your face? But marrying and living in together is a totally different ball game. Have you wondered why after the initial few days of marital bliss, the magic wears off? The couple may start getting irritated with each other's behavior and they start quarrelling. This is sometimes because of trivial issues which no one would have thought about or discussed in the past but they have snowballed now and are a reason for discontent and discord.   A few things which I feel are a must to be discussed before marriage and arrive at a consensus, which can avoid arguments and misunderstandings in future are- 1) Yes we split the work- Just like you never entered the kitchen as you were busy cramming your head into books, guess what- I did the same. So I make Maggi and chai just like you and if you are looking for that perfect homely wife who make makes ...

Akash starred at the screen aimlessly. It was almost midnight. Little Honey would be sleeping by now. Even Charu his wife would have retired to bed. He packed his bag and left. As he drove past the empty streets, several images flashed before his eyes. The quarrel they had today morning when once again he was asked to chose between his mother and wife? What could he answer? Could he really choose one over other when both women meant the world to him? And then he remembered his marriage day. Charu ad his Mom got along well but that was back then. Things were different. His parents lived separately in their house and visited Charu and Akash often. They had a duplex house and Akash's dad was keen to have the couple live with them but his mother did not agree.” I think we should give them space and privacy. Let them enjoy their freedom. Charu is new to our family let's give her time to adjust. Anyway they are living nearby we can always visit each other”. And so they lived ...

“Hey Bhagwan you speak English with your daughter? What is happening these days? People want to show off and are forgetting their roots”.  I have heard this many times. Earlier my reaction used to be - apologetic. I would keep quiet and try to ignore the comment and find an escape route. But now if someone dares to talk to me about this matter, I snap them off then and there. I am unapologetic I don't think I have done anything wrong which I need to feel ashamed about. So yes I do speak in English at home and this is my first language. No qualms about it. And it's not because of an inter caste marriage in fact I have been speaking English as a first language right since childhood. To give you some background on how this came to be. My mother’s parents belonged to Mangalore ( it's a coastal town in Karnataka) they migrated to Bombay in search of a livelihood when they were young. They married, had kids and their kids were brought up by a maid. As my mom and her broth...

“So your parents are getting a divorce? Why? What happened? Poor you.” Meghna flinched, bowed her head and mutely walked away. Her little shoulders carried the school bag laden with books and her heart carried a heavy load, much heavier to tug along than the school bag. Life had changed in a fraction of a second for Meghna, not that she could not fathom those warning signs and decipher them. Her worst fear had come true. As she lay in bed each night and heard her Mommy Daddy's raised voices, sobs and then the silence, she prayed hard to God "God please make Mummy Daddy love each other like before, please let them stop fighting". Then one day as she came home there was an eerie silence, something seemed odd but she couldn't figure out what. Later it hit her that she had not seen Daddy since last night. It was the weekend and he seldom went out on weekends. She got a greater shock when she couldn't find his clothes in the wardrobe, his shoes in the shoe ra...