• Thoughts and Quotes

    For all the Men out there – How do you show your love?

    How do you show love to your daughter By keeping her indoors and making her wear long overhauls Or by teaching her self defense and self respect It is a bad world out there, but guess what – she is already a part of this world   How do you show love to your son By telling him which courses to do and pushing him to be more competitive Or by listening to his dreams and letting him cry on your shoulder It is a tough world out there, but guess what – you gave birth to a son, not a robot   How do you show love to your…

  • Thoughts and Quotes

    A Gym tops my list of Most Positive Places

    Gym is perhaps the most positive place on this planet. This is why I think so: If you are there, it means you already have a goal/purpose in your life You feel inspired (and not jealous) if someone is doing better than you Pain is associated with having done things right You know there are no shortcuts to success. You will have to sweat it out in order to receive the benefits. There is instant gratification from your own body, when you push your own limits No one cares how good looking you are or what clothes you wear to the Gym. All that matters is what you can achieve…

  • Thoughts and Quotes

    Father and Daughter

    Today, during my morning walk, I saw a father driving his teenage daughter to college. She sat upright holding the back of the motorcycle for support. In the rear view mirror, she adjusted her hair and checked her red lipstick. She would have been prettier without them, but then teenagers don’t really think like me anymore. Her eyes said she was ready to face her friends. They said she was planning to skip a few classes to catch up with the latest college news. She looked cool, confident and ready for her day. At the same time, I couldn’t help but notice the expressions on her fathers face. Even though…

  • Toyna

    Stepping into Mama’s Shoes, Literally

    Toyna rushed down from the steps exclaiming in a “No big deal” kind of way, “Mama, I am wearing your Pajamas today!” I turned around to look at her. Indeed, she was wearing my dark green pajamas! My reaction, “Huh! But why? Where are your own pajamas?”   Honestly, this isn’t the first time she has slipped into my wardrobe. She has been doing this for ages now. But till now, she had always either asked my permission to borrow something or hid from me the fact that she took something from my room. Essentially, till now she had considered my things as my property. But today, she crossed that…

  • My Love,  Thoughts and Quotes

    We love knowing we will leave

    Its been more than a month since we lost a loved one. They say time is the best healer. I think more than time itself, it was the family that came together to stand by us, who saved us from getting lost in this time. The last few of this family, closest of all, left a few days back to get back to their own lives, leaving us officially on our own. Few days back, I took the long airport ride to see them off on their journey to the other side of the planet. The fact that it would be months before we meet again, kept rubbing in, throughout the journey.…

  • Thoughts and Quotes

    Maybe it is time for Happy Mothers Day

    A few days back I was casually discussing the sale season with my mother. I like to think that both of us are “smart shoppers” who ensure that we spend the right amount for the right thing at the right time. Given the ongoing sale, I was nudging my mom to check out the stores and complete her shopping list. She, however, sadly exclaimed, “Beta, I don’t feel like going alone to the malls. They are so big and crowded. I fear I will get lost.” My heart filled with love for her. I tried reading beyond her words into what she really meant. After all, my Mom is a…

  • Uncategorized

    Feed, Love, Pray

    The relationship between Food and Love runs very deep in India. If you love someone, you take them out to fancy restaurants. When you want to make up for a fight, you cook something special for your love. When you want to pamper yourself, you binge on food you love (not necessarily food which is good for you). Food is such an important part of our lifestyle that I sometimes wonder about the adage, “We live to eat or we eat to live”. This love for food or rather the love to feed can be observed at its peak in a mother and child relationship. I agree that during pregnancy…

  • Thoughts and Quotes

    “Parenting” when you are 50

    I used to think that being a parent is one of the most difficult roles, one can ever play. You are literally responsible for the health, wealth, happiness and attitude of young minds. Over the years, I have changed this view. I think there is one more role that is even more challenging, which most of us end up playing as we get older. That is the role of a “parent-in-law”. Consider this – at about 50 years of your life, you are finally done with your responsibilities, you have also managed to give decent values and direction to your children, you have saved enough for your retirement, and now…