Reshmi 's memoirs jotted as events- to be refreshed by the writer if required

Your calendar points to 31 st December when auto search on the mind rotates and reflects on the year gone by. 365 days can make a decisive life for some and not for man y. No problem! Your heart beats for one year more to kick you about, for days and months to make it worthwhile. Remember blossoms are waiting to bloom only for all! Bouquets don’t last! The year gone by was a mixed experience of small moments of joy, expectations, disappointments and fulfillment. Nothing too big to feel bogged down. The experience of meeting new people did leave a twinkle in the eye which doesn’t last long. Move on! Pin your hopes Hope but don’t hope for much to feel EXASPERATED. Your frame of bones and flesh have a tenacity to absorb. Don’t over absorb to break that tenacity. Body is matter, preserve it! Caution helps Just guard yourself from “anti-self” persons, ambitious pessimists , who will raise hopes and disappoint later. Body is a big rubber ball that keeps bobb...

If politics was a recognised institution,   it would have earned a Pulitzer, Nobel or Academy award for lifetime achievement. Unfortunately,   such an award hardly exists. But players are many, quaint, experienced, novices, dynasts and vagabonds. Anybody can participate. Medicins             Sans       Frontiers Tailors                  Sans       Needle& thread Carpenters         Sans       Hammers & nails Teachers              Sans       Qualifications                               (* Sans means without.) It is mandatory to have a definite goal that affects the common good of a community. Even the gravedigger has a purpo...

To be on Social Media is a challenge for all ages provided you  ➤   Be online for at least six hours  ➤    Be tech-savvy on a moderate level  ➤    Be agile in recognising your responder  ➤    Understand ethics of conversation, not mandatory as in today’s parlance, if it treads on an abusive streak not polish  ➤    Emoticons are feelers (pheromones) that are lukewarm but essential especially “hearts” the most   misconstrued ones  ➤    Posting selfies for a pat than information  ➤    Pretend to be active on dating/profile/preacher apps (not that otherwise you are a stick-in-the-mud) Me, as an SM user has been disappointing because I cannot pretend to be active when I am slumped on a seat that is smeared with an hour-long glue. Maybe more! Poor/late reflexes to remarks. Reactions to encouraging news has been an unavoidable trait to keep me abreast of news, pr...

Although I wished well for all a joyful, warm summer, powers of nature or destiny decided to give me a spoonful of bitter summer lessons. Excess heat - despondent mood Technical glitches in the distribution of water in our building, that lasted for 3 weeks Entertaining some outstation guests in the heat of summer, who generally mix summer with travel (means, I /you are not in their list of fun) A family marriage – enjoyable but exhausting especially amidst strangers where you smile and mop sweat on the face alternately. The entire period of 8 weeks was filled with anxiety, action and reactions for a young athlete. Imagine stretching your stamina level at my age. Occasionally I looked towards heavens for respite and savour a cool whiff of air. Those summer vacations…. This refers to those vacations one longed for during schooldays. The mandatory vacation down south to visit relatives. All vehicles of transport were a challenge but we en...

Does the topic sound clichéd but being a ‘concerned’ woman of ‘some substance’, I do feel people are wrongly attired in summer? What irks me is the 5 ½ metre long saree that is wrapped for elegance does portend to be quite irksome. Be it at home or office or outdoor work. Oh, yes! We have cotton sarees that need to be pampered a lot before wear. Starched and ironed, I mean. The product has undergone a change these days. More and more women use netted fabric for letting in air to get easy movement of limbs. Then there is the silk and cotton blended fabric that looks crispy and glossy available in delightful shades. Loin fabric always So much for sarees but not to forget the less privileged women who have to make do with a make do fabric. Generally ‘loin’ with close knit prints to eliminate the translucent effect. The length and breadth too is reduced to give enough scope for limb movements. The best state in India to offer summer clothing is Kerala. They have a white ...

Bengaluru or Bangalore is no longer a city one longs to visit for the simple reason it can hardly qualify to be a Garden City. A ‘concrete’ city that is just booming the mortar business and also the daily wager’s fortune but drawing the Bangalorean to an unforeseen doom. Of what avail! It has squashed all the meticulous planning a city needs to preserve its past history. Even the city’s scientist who has left us, Mr C V Raman, who owns a piece of land there which is being hawked upon by the government. Electric supply, is erratic and water ‘supply’ is stolen (via tankers) and supplied, Lakes keep frothing when elections are not due, Vehicular traffic is infested with App-based taxes during peak hours. Eateries are doing good business except the menu has shifted from 'Bisi-bele bath' (rice delicacy) to Biryani . Lost city A ‘lost’ city where human interaction has virtually come to a halt. Is it because of the IT industry spreading its silent shadow over people, inf...

Almost two decades in this capital city have been eventful, taxing, tearful and adventurous. They have been learning years to meet and understand people, young and adults, bureaucrats and friends. The one distinct change anyone would notice is the change in personality. One can attribute it to the hostile climate here as experienced by a Mumbaikar. It just brings about a cultural change in the gait and mannerisms. I have evolved as a loud, aggressive and lazier person. ‘Lazy’, because the extreme climate makes so. Summer or winter, there is ample scope to sit in one spot for hours, especially during winters. A virtual ‘no-no’, to shift our butts from one chair to another. Thankfully that has not made me a bulky woman. Over to a lighter moment. Sharmas of ‘F’ Block We were residing at Lajpat Nagar. He, Mr.Sharma, wore a monkey cap (in winter), smoked beedis constantly, was pot-bellied, walked in slow pace, and scoured vessels in the kitchen/fridge when his wife is out. Techni...

Bravo! The #MeToo factor is gaining pace in India. The fairer sex is getting a fair deal with timely punishment of perpetrators. No more fairness cream or fair wages or alimony or striking a revenge for rape or even consensual sex. Sometimes marital rape also endorses views of ‘spouse’ torture, don’t ask me male or female spouse. All sexual transgressions are claiming headlines these days and now who is sex crazy the news giver? the victim or those middle aged/old men craving for news on sex?  Whether it is a transgression of Human Rights on an infant, toddler, school girl, teenager or a sixty year old, Wow! all are making news. Are we a sex-starved nation? After the Harvey storm that ravaged the American coasts another Harvey Weinstein erupted like a Monster in Hollywood. Why he gave a new dimension to the casting couch. Victims – all old and ravaged! Ladies of all sizes, age and talents spoke of a ‘cruel’ man who must now go for rehabilitation for having...

Terms like miscarriage, hijack, usurp, coup, negligence, have turned out to be common parlance in our society today. The terms that lend credence to civilised human existence have found forays to enter openly yet clandestinely. Not many days ago, a 7-year old child had to face death for a disease that could be cured in a week. The icing of the bad news was an administrative gaffe on the medical bill presented to the bereaved parents – a hefty bill of Rs 18 lakhs – a miscarriage of justice, or the result of avarice and medical negligence and worse in a country which has no proper medical care and ranks very low in the quality of life index. Yet another instance of miscarriage of justice. Despite an Indian being re-elected to the esteemed seat of ‘justice’ internationally, a global terrorist leaves prison free to be a civilian – Hafeez Saeed. Mumbai Terror Target The man who solely masterminded the 26/11 attack on one of Mumbai’s posh and iconic hotels is treated as c...

New Indian President Electing a dalit President after being pitted against another dalit did not create a political maelstrom. Perhaps, this seemed to be the last straw on the camel’s back. A political evolution has a superficial gloss but does it really uplift the masses in the lowest rung of society? Overall we expect an erudite, accommodating President who will do good for all, true to the aspiration of Dr B R Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian constitution. Ram Nath Kovind ,the new President  and more recently Mr.Venkiah Naidu was elected new vice-President are the new faces on the political landscape. So much for a conveniently poised political picture painted for the highest office also drew a lot of flak from the opposition. The opposition is still rattled and clueless but will it only influence the secretly rich politicians to hide and play their cards less blatantly. We are heading for a heady battle of thoughts when politics is not so easy a game provided the...

Should I feel defeated, inferior, jealous or elated to speak of Vidhi (name changed), a Jain by birth, born to a middle class family from Haryana. She went to a government school but fought her way through student life with just one eye. Topped her school and sailed through college life in flying colours. Her congenital defect of being in frail health was due to an auto-immune disorder which was evident from her eye defect that could not be rectified. But before substantiating more details on this person, I must add some interesting information about genes that can affect or break a person’s hopes. Fame/ success cannot elude a person for his defective genes if the person is industrious and indomitably strong-willed. Why this genetic destiny? The following facts are excerpts from “The Gene - An Intimate History” by Siddharta Mukherjee, these are added to clarify the importance or lack of importance for genes but a field that needs to be studied in an evolving manner, as this ...

Know then thyself , presume not God to scan; The proper study of mankind is man. Alexander Pope, Essay on man. I dare not say that I am in the ‘best’ frame of mind but this summer has affected my thought process. Is it because intake of food is reduced and liquids have usurped the digestive tract. My acquaintances or friends are sparingly in contact via all modes of communication blame it on the sweating away of vital (?) emotions. My apparently feeble health has been treading a path towards that finite destination which may sound predictable and spiritual.  Destinations are drawing to a close or a dead-end too. But my travel list is still endless and I am ever willing to pack my bags and go on any journey to the desired destination. You can knock off the word ‘desired’ but travel does enrich. She hardly travelled Speaking of travel, the one person who considered ‘travelling’ an anathema, was my paternal grandmother who lived for almost 83 years.  She was a ...

      Chandeliers no longer a living room luxury While chandeliers certainly upgrade the quality of lighting in a living room, There may be a drab and dull corner that can add up to the elegant quotient with a mini chandelier to enliven the room. The brass based ones in cup shapes  are suitable for the living room and the dining hall. Despite all the modern day developments in lighting technology with fluorescent tubes and CFLs, the allure of a chandelier is unmatched and that is why the rich and famous prefer chandeliers in their homes. They have the unique style and classical touch to charm the people living in and those visiting these tasteful homes. So whatever be one’s budget, there are chandeliers to fit every pocket size.  The awe of grandeur and luxury tags  are attached to chandeliers even today, there are affordable options.  Some rooms which may not require the chandeliers for instance, the children’s study room should have bright...

(This piece was written by me for a magazine on Home decor. I felt the general reader also deserves an insight into making indoors look splendid without tweaking the budget) A well-kept home needs chandeliers to make it look vibrant and colourful. A room without proper lighting looks sombre and  reduces the ability to add life to the living space.  That is why, Indian homes, especially during festivals like Diwali, are brightened and spruced up by a thorough cleaning up and also with a display lamps that help to give brightness, sparkle and colour. Apart from festive seasons, generally, homes need to be brightly lit up to invite good fortune. Chandeliers are not a new concept in Indian homes and have been around for at least the last three centuries. Some say the concept is at least 800 years old and descriptions can be found in the literature of those times especially when describing the dwellings of the royalty and aristocracy. They were hung when electricity was...