Q : Questions kids ask : A to Z Challenge

We know kids are by nature hyper inquisitive, however there are times when their questions put the elders in a hot seat. I never realised it until my little niece began her schooling and gave me the first taste of such a situation. 

Situation 1 

We had gone shopping to Lajpat Nagar (Delhi) during Diwali time. The market was buzzing with activity as people rushed to make the most out of festive discounts. Outside every shop was a "Sale" banner, trying to sit the prettiest and brightest so as to grab maximum eyeballs. As we were about to enter such a shop, my niece suddenly pulled my mom by her Saree. "What is it dear?"my mom asked. "Nani, why do I see the Sale written on banner as Saaley?" my niece said in an innocent voice and gave her signature "I haven't done anything" smile. Who could have thought that "sale"written on banners could be deciphered in that way as well? Not only were we all in splits, along with surprised customers who had heard her, I also realised that nowadays, kids have their own way of observing and deciphering things...

Situation 2

Pretty much the same, just that the location had changed. Few days after the first episode, we were shopping in South Extn market. We had entered the store "Mango" when my niece came running and asked mom, "Nani, why have they named their store Maango (meaning to ask for something in Hindi)?' I knew she wasn't that small to understand this one, so I caught her mischief and took her out of the store promptly before she could start guessing the reasons aloud.

If it has anything to do with genes, then I am to be blamed. We had purchased a vacuum cleaner, when I was a kid. As the salesperson gave demo for the suction application, I suddenly decided to prove my out of the box thinking. "Can we use this to suck in the rats who create havoc?" I promptly asked, leaving the poor guy embarrassed and speechless. I am still teased at family get togethers for this display of intelligence and innovation.

Do you recall such incidents?

This post is written for A to Z Challenge. 

P : Premchand : A to Z Challenge

If you are a Hindi literature aficionado, there is one name that for sure would sit with pride on your bookshelf - Munshi Premchand. The king of realism, he centred his writings around social issues in pre independence India. His ability to sensitise his readers with pain of his characters can perhaps be attributed to his difficult life.  That's why, decades later, his stories based in prehistoric India still strikes a chord with modern day readers. 

I was introduced to Premchand by my mother, herself a big fan and there has been no looking back for me ever since.

Many adaptations of Premchand's works have come, but I fell in love with this TV series I found on Youtube last year. Excellent screenplay coupled with power packed performance of industry veterans make these stories a treat to watch.

Here are some episodes of the amazing series - 

Godaan

Nirmala

Sawa Ser Gehun

This post is written for A to Z Challenge

N : News readers : A to Z Challenge

Ask any kid about their favourite TV program, and you will get answers ranging from cartoons, music shows to sitcoms. I bet if you will ever get to hear "NEWS" as the answer.

But, childhood in the 80s was very different. Instead of being spoilt by choices, we spoiled the game for them, by being simple. There were limited channels and limited programs, which is why they have an amazing recall value in our minds even today.

Every evening, the moment clock struck 8, I would dash towards our TV set to watch my favourite program - English news.

Back then, neither did I understand a word of what was being said on the TV, nor was I interested in the faces of politicians showing up everyday like uninvited guests on TV screens. But there was just one thing that kept me glued to the news - News readers.

Back in the 80s, Doordarshan boasted of legendary news readers, whose style still makes them every news reader's idol. My favourite was Rini Khanna whom I almost worshipped for her immaculate diction and perfect phonetics. I would observe everything - right from the clothes to styling, pauses and pronunciation,

Once the news would be over, my bulletin would commence. Wrapped in my mom's saree, I would grab the newspaper and pretend to be the news reader. Like a copycat, I would imitate their expressions, poise and diction, much to the irritation of my forced viewers!

While destiny took me on a different career path, those news readers have occupied an irreplaceable place in my heart. 

If you too remember the news readers of the 80s, this video will be a treat 

This post is written for A to Z Challenge

L : Lost : A to Z Challenge

Thinking of letter L, I was feeling somewhat lost, for I wanted to refrain from taking up the very popular Love. 

Have you ever been lost?

Well, most of us feel lost when we find ourselves back to our office desks on Monday mornings, don't we? But, I am asking about actually being lost.

How does it feel to be lost in a crowd?

We were vacationing in Orissa. I must have been around 7 back then. That afternoon is still as afresh in my mind as impressions on sand. After hours of playtime with waves, it was time to shower and change. Mom took me and my sis to the shower rooms while Dad and big bro preferred to laze out under the sun. Once I was done, mom asked me to wait while she and my sis got ready. But I was just too naughty to wait. So I told her that like a good gal, I will walk out straight to Dad and brother and wait with them. Since they were just outside the shower rooms on the beach, mom readily agreed and asked me to go straight to dad.

But if children did everything as instructed by elders, we wouldn't have childhood stories!

I was addicted to collecting sea shells. The moment I walked out, I began my treasure hunting and stuffed the findings in my pockets. So focussed I was that I even missed spotting Dad sitting nearby and instead walked away, building my treasure. After a while, when my legs cried of fatigue and pockets of being overstuffed, I suddenly noticed the noises of children playing had faded. When I looked up, the coastline was heading for a curve. 

That's when it hit me. In the age of no mobile phones and navigation, I was lost on the sea beach!

I felt a sudden burst of heat behind my ears. But, I had no time for fear.  So I did the next best possible thing - About turn. 

Suddenly, the treasure in my pockets became excess baggage and I offloaded some as I struggled to keep pace. I was scanning each face on the beach, but couldn't spot the ones I was looking for.

I had heard horror stories of goons kidnapping lost kids and forcing them into begging, so I controlled my tears. 

By then, my family too had discovered I was missing and search operation was at full swing. While mom was hysterical, my elder sister with her presence of mind intact was scanning every nook and corner. But it wasn't a market with defined boundaries. It was a huge coastline!

I guess, God is very kind and pardons us for our mistakes. That afternoon, God pardoned me for not obeying my mom's instructions. My sister, with her 6/6 vision, fortunately recognised my frock from faraway, which almost appeared to her like a dot. The next moment, she was running non stop to chase that dot.

Just when tears were about to overpower my courage, I saw my sister running towards me. We had a typical Bollywood reunion as we hugged each other and I broke down. That day, she was nothing less than God for me, for had she not spotted me, perhaps I wouldn't be writing this blog. 

Have you ever been lost?

This post is written for the A to Z Challenge.

M: More is less: A to Z Challenge

The more we have, the less it seems
We run to chase the impossible dreams

What if less was better than more
Would we still run the rat race to achieve new high score?

Written for A to Z Challenge

Can We Bubble Wrap Their Childhood?

This was published in Parentous

The other day, Mr. Hubby & I were having a small tiff on the safety features of S’s pram. I had carefully scrutinized and chosen a pram which seemed safe enough with its sidebars cushioned. However, little S’s enhanced sense of mischief had found a bar on the back side to bang his head against. Before I knew it, Mr. Hubby had bubble wrapped all possible open metallic surfaces of the pram. It now looked like a new pram straight out of the showroom, all bubble wrapped.

That’s when the thought struck my mind, “Can we bubble wrap their childhood?”

Parenting is a situation nothing can prepare one for, except parenting itself! During my pregnancy, we used to visit the children’s park every evening and spend some time looking at the kids playing. As we looked at the kids joyously playing with sand, we made tall claims of not pampering our child with unnecessary luxuries and trying to keep him/her close to the nature. We had spent a childhood climbing and falling from trees, playing outdoors in extreme weather and we wanted our child to be as rough and tough as us.

Ironically, the very claims we made with much confidence, vanished into thin air as soon as I delivered little S! Continue reading...

K: Kaleidoscopes :AtoZ Challenge

It was love at first sight! At the annual science fair, I happened to mistake the small cylindrical object for a pencil box. But when I was unable to open the box, the salesman guided me, "Look inside and you will discover a whole new world."

Indeed I did!

One peep inside was just not enough, for the ocean of shapes and colours swept my heart away! I often looked up to smile at the salesman however, each time I would peeped back, new shapes and colours welcomed my eyes. It was tough to understand them, just like it is tough to understand life, with its various hues and forms; or people around us who change their ways and colours at different angles of life. Curiosity to see them all conflicted with the frustration to know it all.

Finally, the heart said, "What the heck? Just enjoy!"

And so I did by satiating my eyes with the myriad shapes n colours. Sometimes sitting back and enjoying is the best one can do. We only live once, so explore as much as you can.

My eyes just kept asking for more, until I spent the money in my pocket to make it mine forever...

That was my first date with Kaleidoscope!

This post is written for A to Z Challenge.