The Defiant Mom

THE SINFUL SISTER, short story by Roohi21

I must admit  I have been quite lazy this winter down under and enjoyed every bit of it. But now I have an itch to blog, and I think I have the perfect occasion to as my son, Aabshaar, turns thirteen in a couple of days, well, officially at least. He has been displaying all the symptoms of being thirteen for some time now.  Inevitably, my mind goes back to the time I hit thirteen, boy, was I rebellious! Full of doubts and questions, I exasperated my parents with the ‘whys’ of the world! It’s an amazing phase to be in, being called a teenager brings a myriad of imagery to mind. The word adolescent sounds poetic, juvenile sounds like a cuss word, pubescent sounds biologically bewildering, youthful sounds not-so-insulting but may indicate that their burgeoning ‘reasoning’ might perhaps be laced with capriciousness, never mind their abundant vigour.  Parents grow with their teenagers. The way they converse with their young adults and the things they say to reach...

Main Kavita likhne chala tha Par yeh shabd, bhaage hi ja rahe the kabhi daayein kabhi baayein Pannon pe kalam, sarakti ja rahi thi kabhi daayein kabhi baayein. Iss bhagam bhaag mein dopahar se hui shaam na main kuchh padh saka na mera hua koi kaam. Khayal toh kai the mann mein lajawab aur anokhe magar main kaise likhta kuchh bhi shabd jo bhage ja rahe the kabhi daayein kabhi baayein. Phir maine socha kavita toh sabhi karte hain kyun na kuchh aur kahun machalti uchhalti natkhat chulbul iss paaji kavita ki kahani likhun? Sochte sochte ho gayi raat Mann hi mein reh gayi mann ki baat Pannon ke beech thak ke so gaya Kavita ki duniya mein yun kho gaya. Aankhon ne sapna kuchh aisa dikhaya Khud ko doston ke samne paya Kavita toh main fir bhi na keh paya Kya bataun Shabd jo bhage ja rahe the Kabhi daayein Kabhi baayein! Dedicated to my son's struggle with Hindi :D

Easy to get your mom to say ‘yes’… …piece of cake! You want a tattoo but you won’t be able to get anywhere near a parlor if your mom isn’t in the mood. Fret not, there are some pretty effortless ways you can show her your love and get her opinion on the design. Try some. First thing after you get up in the morning, freshen up, sneak up to your mom and hug her tightly. Tell her how much you love her. She will soften immediately and you would have set the course. Be careful not to be too sneaky. After you get home, repeat the exercise. Praise her cooking and offer to clean up after the meal. Don’t overdo it. Offer to help with the dishes or dusting or some such mind-numbing chore. If you can’t pretend to be enjoying it, at least make a show of it. Less than halfway through, she would shoo you off since you would be more in the way of getting things done than actually getting things done. Make yourself generally useful. Ask her about your childhood and see her light u...

Too many days, too many confessions :D Halfway Mom I always knew that am not the supermom type and when I discovered that I can’t swoon with gastronomic pleasure nor climax while experimenting with ingredients, I gave up even before trying. I scandalize my loved ones when I divulge that food doesn’t make me feel complete. So, there it goes, am not the complete woman but too late now, my habits are irreparable! Though the fact that I like it when my son compliments me on my cooking (I have to fill empty plates and growling stomachs, every day!), or when my friends derive pleasure when they get the rarest of rare chance to indulge their taste buds in stuff I somehow manage to rustle up, leaves me a tad bit bewildered. I guess it’s because they are the generous types and don’t wanna endanger whatever association I have with food (I eat sparsely too). Now, that’s not enough to pull me to my kitchen threshold to churn recipes, I only do it when there is absolute nece...

The absurdity of school uniform styles in India The concept in itself is not an issue. In fact, it brings a sense of ‘uniformity’ and instills a sense of belonging. The problem is in the impracticality of the dress designs that schools opt for. A few examples … Boys from pre-primary section have to wear shorts till they graduate to primary section. India is a tropical country but don’t we get winters here at all? Can young boys wear stockings under the shorts? Imagine these cute little kids in shorts trotting to school on winter mornings or evenings! And the elders are clad in trousers or jeans. Girls are always supposed to be wearing skirts, whichever grade they are in. No concept of stockings and in many schools, under pants haven’t yet been introduced. No concept of waistcoats. The jackets are not designed for the humid conditions. Each city has a unique climate; won’t it make sense to keep that in mind while designing school uniforms? A few suggestions … ...