Mental Excursions

Diamonds are forever! Marilyn Monroe sings ' Diamonds are a girl's best friend ' in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949) What to talk of the country, one cannot count me among the rich, famous or achievers within even our own family. But there are times when I get the unexpected opportunity to see or experience some things for which I feel lucky and grateful. Some of you have pointed out the names of foods I missed out on, during my recent visit to Surat. Sadly, that ship has sailed now and I am not getting another chance to try them ever. You might consider that my bad luck which is partly true, but the Surat visit would forever be etched into my memory because of another reason - I got a chance to visit a diamond jewellery-making factory. I checked with some friends who said they had not had the luck of visiting such a place, so I thought of sharing my experience. Those among you, who have seen something similar, please ignore and forgive my indulgence. Marilyn Monroe’s ...

Surat in Gujjuland The dawn was quiet, the sun slowly rose in the hazy sky. With nothing to do so early in the morning, I picked up my crochet work to enjoy some moments of peace before Mani woke up. But that was not to be. Soon, the silence was broken by loud playing of  Babuji zara dheere chalo, Jawan jaan-e-man, Nachch Punjaban etc.,  accompanied by drum beats.  I ignored it for about half an hour before I got up to see what the ruckus was about. Down in the swimming pool were a few upright human torsos, mostly with bellies tending to pot, the arms of some moving with the rhythm and of most, out of it. Slowly I adjusted my eyes to the sun rays and saw two figures on the floor in front of the pool, demonstrating some kind of energetic dancercise. I was impressed, wondering at the healthy intentions and determination of the group. This continued for more than an hour - them exercising in the water and I sitting on my bed, continuously mumbling about their commitment. W...

Rise and shine! It is Mother’s Day tomorrow. Till a few years ago it was as unknown in our country as Valentine’s Day used to be. But let us give credit to the rising consumerism among our urban and semi-urban populace that even children who seemed to have taken their mothers for granted, now remember them one day of the year. They might call the old woman up, send a card or get her a gift but it is an acknowledgement of her role in their lives and that is not a bad step after all. Coming to me - a few days ago, a close friend called me a ‘helicopter mom’. Ordinarily, I would have been offended by the implication that I had hovered around the poor boy, taken over every aspect of his life, been overprotective , in short, overparented . But no, I could only chuckle. Me, a mother who loved her job as a sub-editor and for years, was absent from 2.p.m. to 9.p.m. daily and even beyond if there was an official or social engagement, I graciously accepted the term like a trophy. With Ma...

Elections challenge my grammar! Cartoon courtesy: The Hindu That polling to elect 543 members of Lok Sabha, the lower house of our country’s Parliament, are underway and that the results will be announced on June 4, is not news. In fact, I remember it was as early as beginning of last year that discussions in media had started about who is going to win and form the government this year. My rule is not to get into arguments about politics, not because expressing my views would have me losing a friend or two. It is because engaging in informed and wise discussions on national, even international politics, is not my strong point. I always lose during debates in our private circles because I have people in mind who should contest elections. Once in the seat of law-makers, they I feel,  can torpedo the country into the position where each government claims ‘it’ has brought Bharat in. But if I suggest this to these good people, they look at me as if I am hallucinating, the rude one...