Remember When?

Back in the days
The first leaves of our notebooks
Were free of writing,
Save for our names and grades.

The Yogic Way

I do have my moments. Moments when the health bug bites me and I am off on a bout of healthy lifestyles, long walks and slimming diets. The one who suffers the most for the latter is of course my long-suffering husband who has by now been forced through every diet fad, from the Atkins to the Flexitarian. The logic behind it is simple, based upon a promise he made to me at some weak moment about eighteen twenty one years ago – that he would stick with me through thick and thin. Here I am trying to get thin. And I firmly believe that he needs to be with me. I am just trying to save him from breaking his word. Plus, the unwritten law that holds marriages together decrees that if I suffer, he does too.

Post 101- Looking Back with Gratitude

WordPress tells me this is my 101st post. Wow! The day I started blogging, way back in November 2006, I never dreamed I would get this far. It all began far, far away in a land called Rediffiland. The Ilanders were a motley crowd of wonderful people. Some of the best blogger friends I made were early dwellers of this mystic place. We all came together, supporting, motivating and being there for each other as we learnt the ropes of blogging. Somewhere along the way, the place unravelled and most of us migrated to WordPress or Blogger. But the friendships that sprouted there haven’t faded away. They merely spilled over to Facebook and continue to thrive.  

Understanding Shiva

The title is rather overambitious I know… I should make that ‘Trying to Understand Shiva’ because this is just a humble effort to comprehend a small drop in the mighty ocean that is Shiva. Even that, I do realize, is a foolhardy endeavor beyond even the Gods, as the legend of Brahma and Vishnu who went in search of the crown and root of the towering pillar of flame that was the manifestation of the mighty Mahadeva, bears testimony. However, I am sure that the Supreme Lord who is both quick to anger as Bhairava and swift to calm down as Ashutosh will bless this small effort by someone who has long been enraptured by His magnificence.

Urgently Required – A Change In Attitude

We had to make an urgent trip to Washington DC this week on a small matter of getting a fresh lease of life for my daughter’s passport. I honestly did not look forward to the trip. I did not mind the five-hour drive to DC, but rather the visit to the Indian Embassy in Washington.

Tava Virahe Keshava… Happy Birthday Krishna, Eternal Lover

This was originally published in www.yentha.com on Janmashtami, a few years ago, when I was doing a weekly column named Kochuvarthamanam for them.

The Ten Days of Onam

There is a popular Christmas song here that goes thus:

“On the first day of Christmas my true love sent to me

A partridge in a pear tree.”

And it goes on till the twelfth day, tallying the various gifts sent by one’s true love.  When I heard this song last Christmas, it suggested to me an excellent way to teach my kids about Onam and the various traditions associated with this festival close to the Mallu’s heart. Being far away from the land of Onam, we NRIs need to resort to such gimmicks to pass on our traditions to the next gen. So here’s my attempt at the Onam version of

The Twelve Days of Christmas: