The Household Rat Race

For people like me, office work is a welcome break from domestic issues, and home is a place to shake off the work pressure. The change in the kind of work, environment, and people gives us time to reflect upon ourselves. We do a lot of work at home and at office for everything to run smoothly. But there’s one question that always lingers in my mind: Why do most women feel dissatisfied with their work?

We have heard about the corporate rat race, but have you heard of the household rat race? Let me explain. Consider a typical Indian couple. Although both the man and the wife have corporate jobs outside the home, the wife takes care of 90% of the household work. The man completes the rest 10%. This is a typical scenario in most Indian families.

At the end of the day, this is what the man feels: “Wow! I help my wife so much with the household work. She’s lucky to have me. I never saw men contributing this much in these mundane tasks.”

And this is what the woman feels: “Oh God! I couldn't complete the 10% of the work that I am supposed to. Am I not lucky to have found a partner who really helps me? I wish I could manage everything on my own without depending on anybody.”

Do you see the difference?

That’s what is a household rat race. It is a common mistake to assume that all the household work is the responsibility of the woman of the house, and that she’s fortunate to get help. What we don’t realize is that household work is a shared responsibility of everyone in the house.

Why does this happen?

Because in India where Agriculture was the main occupation back in the old days, men toiled in the fields, and women managed the household, thus arriving at the norm. I read somewhere that in Sweden, both men and women had to share Agricultural work to provide for the family because Sweden was a poor country. That led to an equal sharing of work at home too.

Now that more women are entering the workforce, I hope that more families in India follow the Sweden way.

Words That Influenced Me

Friends, today is the last day of the blogathon. I am excited that I have finally made it. Your appreciation and encouragement plays a major role. Since this post marks an achievement, I am going to write about the most remarkable woman I have met: my Mom.

Out of all the experiences I have had with Mom, there’s one that still rings in my ears.

I was in my 7^th grade. I came back home after finishing an exam. I told Mom that one of my classmates helped me with the answer to a question. That was the first time I sought that kind of “help”.

I could see that Mom was not pleased. She thought for a second, and said, “I would accept even if you score zero, but I wouldn’t appreciate if you cheat.” That was the last time I cheated in an exam.

The beauty of my Mom’s speech is that she always keeps it short. Her message is always crisp and clear. That’s why her words are so powerful. She gives me and my sisters all the freedom that a Mom can give. Love you, Mom.

The Lottery Ticket

Suresh comes home after a long day, sits on the couch, switches on the TV, and makes himself comfortable by spreading his legs on the coffee table facing him. His wife, Nirmala hands over a cup of coffee to him as a daily ritual, while blabbering about the mundane tasks that he’s supposed to do. “Get onions, tomatoes, and ginger. Withdraw 500 from the ATM….” She goes on. Suresh hears only half of it because he’s engrossed in watching cricket.

“Are you listening to me? Go get all of them now!” Suresh is startled by the voice. He takes a shower after finishing the coffee, and leaves for the market.

Nirmala picks the shirt that Suresh has left carelessly in the living room, and notices a piece of paper in the pocket while placing it in the laundry basket. She flips it and realizes that it’s a lottery ticket. She never believes in ridiculous things, and surely, lottery is one of them. She crumples the paper in disgust, throws it away, and heads into the kitchen to start cooking for dinner. Little does she know how much she would regret it later.

Suresh comes back after a while with the vegetables that Nirmala has ordered. He places them on the dining table, sits on the couch, and switches on the TV. Nirmala sighs in disappointment. She wonders how lucky men are to lead such a relaxing life, while women seem to slog forever.

Suddenly she hears Suresh shout in excitement. “Heyyyyy! Nirmala, Look here!!!” Nirmala wonders what on earth has made him so happy, and looks him puzzled. Suresh lifts her with both his hands, and sings in joy, “We have won the lottery!!! We are going to get 10 lakhs!! Lalalalaa laaalalaa!!” 

Nirmala doesn’t believe her ears. “What???” she asks in disbelief.

Suresh puts her down and says, “Yes, you have heard it right. We are going to get 10 Lakhs. Now go and get the shirt that I removed before leaving for the market. The ticket is in the pocket.”

That’s when it strikes Nirmala that she has thrown “the useless thing” somewhere. She freezes. She heads to the laundry basket praying God that she must find it. She looks in and around the basket for the ticket, but in vain.

“Nirmala, why is it taking so long? Come fast”, he calls out, and seeing no response, he goes to the room to check what’s going on.

“Suresh, I.. I am so sorry. I.. I threw away the ticket thinking that it’s a wa.. waste of money”, she blurts out with a sheepish look and an apologizing tone.

Suresh is red with anger. But before he speaks anything, Nirmala placates him, “But I wonder where it’s gone. It must be somewhere here. Please give me some time.”

“Okay. I’ll help you with the search. If we don’t find the ticket in 30 minutes, you will be out of the house”, he declares. Nirmala becomes nervous.

For 20 minutes they ransack the entire room. They become more desperate with each passing minute. When nothing works, Nirmala finally says, “Suresh, let us first sit down for a couple of minutes and think deeply. We would definitely find it. No doubt about that. But you get better results only when you work with a peaceful mind. Please listen to me.” Both of them sit down on the bed and close their eyes. The two minute retrospection helps them calm down and act wiser.

Suresh realizes how harsh he has been to his wife. If the ticket were so valuable to him, he shouldn’t have stored it in a safe place. He places his palms onto her cheeks, and says, “Look, I am sorry for what I have said to you. It was part of my mistake too that we have lost the ticket.”

Nirmala is moved. She kisses his hand, and they both resume their search. After a few minutes, Suresh notices a piece of paper hanging onto Nirmala’s dupatta. He snatches it, and to his amusement, it is the ticket!!! How come neither of them noticed it all the time? They both rejoice and celebrate.

Sometimes, crazy things happen to us only to show us how crazy we have been. Slowing down for a couple of minutes and rationalizing our behaviour gives inner peace.

10 Most Unusual Jobs I Am Interested In

1. Teaching people how to make greeting cards and other crafts
   
2. Arranging adventurous trips for the enthued
   
3. Scrapbook making
   
4. Painting walls with designs and patterns
   
5. Setting up and maintaining a library
   
6. Training new comers on the product that we work on at office
   
7. Organizing events at work or family get-togethers
   
8. Collecting old photographs of people I love
   
9. Collage making
   
10. Selling handicrafts

Okay, not all of them are unusual, though. And I am glad that I have tried most of them too.

5 Things That I Would Do To Entertain Myself When I Am Alone For 7 Days

Writing prompt: What would you do to entertain yourself when you did not see a soul for 7 days

Actually that's my dream. The sad part is that it might not happen in the near future. Anyways, here's my list:

1. Sit in a cozy corner with a book. When I read a book, I am cut off from this world. I can read, read, and read until my eyelids become heavy and I doze off without realizing it.
   
2. Cook my favorite recipe. I love baking cakes and making chocolates. I know I am gonna put on a few kilos. That's why the next idea:
   
3. Go on a shopping spree. I can never get bored of shopping.
   
4. Clean the house. Cleaning, washing, dusting, etc can be tedious, but once I start doing them, there's no stopping me now that I assume my sweet little monsters are away. And the results are always rewarding. It's just that I need a push to begin the work.
   
5. Clear the house of useless things. If you see a house that's occupied by old people, half the things are useless and not used for years together. Yet, the old lot store each and everything as if they are very precious. Examples are an empty vaseline bottle, news paper articles that they have never read again (for God's sake, there's something called Google), a handful of discharged batteries, broken furniture that's not fit to use, old wedding cards, old clothes... you name it. Given a chance, I would throw away most of these. 

PS: Keeping wedding cards in the memory of somebody's wedding is fine. But, should we stack up all the wedding cards that we have received in a lifetime?

Confessions of a Frustrated Student

Writing Prompt: Write a story with these words: College student, crumpled paper, train, laptop

Payal is a college student returning home from her hostel in Rajasthan. It’s Diwali, and she’s all excited about celebrating the occasion with her family. She boards the train in Delhi, and places her luggage in the allotted place. She notices a crumpled paper in the corner. Little does she know that the paper is going to lead to a chain of surprising events.

The train starts, and after a couple of hours, she buys a handful of peanuts for herself. Since she doesn’t like to throw litter all around, she picks up the crumpled paper to serve the purpose. She unfolds the paper. It looks like a page torn from a diary. It goes this way:

Although I have told Dad a million times that I am not interested in becoming an Engineer, he forces me into this rat race. And he wants me to get into a reputed institute like IIT or BITS. Does he realize that there are lakhs of people who take these tests every year, and there are only a few hundreds of seats? How probable is it for me to secure a seat? And he also knows that I do not have a high IQ like those rankers.

Does he realize that for the past four years all he talks to me is only about my education? What happened to the times when he took me out to a movie or an exhibition? Does he even remember the last time he appreciated my efforts?

He has always set very high expectations on me.  I have already told him that my heart is in playing the Guitar. How reasonable is it to think that everyone has to slog for money? I feel very miserable and downtrodden when he complains about my performance. I am tired of fighting with him. So I am leaving the house to lead my own life. I have saved a few bucks from my pocket money.

I, being a professional guitarist, am going to show him that one can always become successful by following one’s heart.

Payal is shocked to read the confession. What is she going to do now? Looks like the guy is still a teenager. He might not be aware of the harsh realities of life. Living on his own might turn out to be a nightmare.

She then opens her laptop and shares the contents of this paper in all the social networking sites, leaving this message at the end:

Dear Frustrated,

I know that your Dad has made your life miserable. But, trust me, life outside your family at this tender age can be more miserable. Please return home, your Dad must be heart-broken by now. He might have realized his mistake too. So, you never know, he might let you chase your dreams too. 

After getting down at her destination, Payal heads to the Police Station to report the incident, hoping that the guy’s parents might have already lodged a missing complaint.

A Letter To My English Teacher

Writing prompt: Write a letter to a teacher in your high school who gave you a hard time.

Sir,

This is Swathi, one of your students in Kotak Salesian School in 2001. I joined the school in my 9^th standard and you taught us English. As you know, speaking in English was mandatory in the school, and although I had studied in an English medium school before, I was not very fluent in the language.

I know it is hard for you to recollect who I am. So I am going to narrate an incident in my high school that I would never forget in my life. It was the first unit test after I had joined the school. You were our invigilator. You handed over the question papers to all the students, and asked us to only go through the paper. You told us very clearly not to start writing until the bell rang again after five minutes. Since I was busy reading the question paper, I did not hear what you were saying, and had started answering the paper before the bell rang.

You spotted me writing, and said, “Hey you! What’s your name? Didn't you hear my instructions? Why does the school take students who cannot follow simple English?” 

That was it. The last line hurt my ego. Although you misunderstood that I did not follow your instruction, the fact that I was poor in English was embarrassing to me. That day I made a silent oath that I would master the language. I read lots of books and referred to the dictionary plenty of times. I spent some time each day reading good literature. That was how I built up my vocabulary.

As a next step, I forced myself into a few elocution competitions. That improved my speaking skills. By the time I got into 10^th standard, most of my friends and teachers appreciated my English. I felt proud.

Right now I am a Technical Writer. Again, that’s a profession that requires you to have impeccable communication skills in English. It was you who triggered this movement in me. I wanted to tell you this a hundred times, and I am glad that I have done it finally.

Thank you.

Best Regards,

Swathi

Quick and Healthy Breakfast Ideas

All of us know that having a healthy and nutritious breakfast is essential to our body. But, in today’s world everybody is hard pressed for time. Most of us do not have time to eat breakfast, let alone preparing it ourselves. So, presenting to you a few healthy recipes for breakfast, along with the preparation time in descending order:

• Idli + Chutney – 20min
• Dosa + chutney – 20min
• Plain parantha + a bowl of nuts – 15min
• Palak/Pudina paratha – 15min
• Poha – prep time: 15min
• Egg noodles – 15min
• Veg sandwich/burger – 10min
• Pongal - 10min
• Pudina rice – 10min
• Raagi malt + a bowl of corn flakes – 10min
• A bowl of oats + 1 banana – 3min
• A bowl of muesli + 1 apple – 1min

Note: The preparation time specified above is for two people. Choose an item depending on the time you have.

A few tips:

• Never drink coffee or tea on an empty stomach. Not even herbal tea
• Eat or drink something healthy within 15min of waking up.
• Prefer a whole fruit to its juice.
• Have your breakfast within 2 hours of waking up.

Courtesy for the tips: The book - Don’t Lose Your Mind, Lose Your Weight, by Ruzuta Diwekar

Friends, if you have more ideas, please share in the comments section. My sister, Sowmya, has one to add. @Sowmya: Waiting for your inputs.

10 Simple Pleasures

1. Getting a call from a friend after a long period, maybe a few years
2. Finding a chocolate in one of your old bags
3. A fat discount offered on the pair of shoes that you always wanted to own.
4. A holiday declared at school owing to elections when you did not finish your homework
5. Receiving a compliment from somebody you admire exactly on the same thing that you admire about them
6. A surprise visit by one of your friends or family members 
7. Munching your favorite dish at leisure
8. Chit-chatting with your siblings. Aren't they your first best friends?
9. Dancing as if nobody is watching you
10. Finishing a big task sooner than you had expected

What gives you pleasure?

A Funny Incident

Writing Prompt: "A funny thing happened on my way to..."

A funny thing happened on my way home while returning from office. I was riding my bike when I noticed a guy on another bike honking at me. I ignored him, but then he overtook me, and honked at me again. I wondered what could have gone wrong with him. Was it eve- teasing? Or was he just trying to compete with me? I happened to overtake him the next time, and then I noticed that he was waving his hand towards me. He later overtook me, and that was when I was really annoyed. 

I looked at him with an angry face, and said “what?” in a loud voice. That was when I noticed that he was a friend and colleague. So, all the time he had been trying to greet me. Poor thing! How stupid was I that I did not even get a hint. With the helmet and the goggles covering the majority of his face, I couldn't recognize him from a distance.

Both of us stopped and we had a hearty laugh. He said, “Oh my God! When you said “what”, I froze. I thought I had mistaken your identity. Everybody here had been noticing the way I was trying to reach you. I wondered if all of them would hit me now. Phew!”

And we laughed some more.

Confessions Of A Drunken Man

Writing Prompt: A drunken man sits next to you in a bar, thinks you are his buddy, and starts confessing the truth. Write about the truth. Here it goes:

I sit at the corner table waiting for my best friend to arrive. The bar is full of people – some tapping their feet to the loud music, some watching the club dancers, and some lost in their worlds. Just when I am about to call my friend to check where she is struck, I see a man in his thirties approaching my table. The way he tries to balance himself while walking tells me that he’s totally drunk. To my surprise, he makes himself comfortable on the chair opposite to me, and starts speaking to me.

“Hey! How come you are here? Have you come searching for me again?”, he asks in a groggy voice. Do I know him? I observe his face and realize that I have never met him before. Before I ask him if he knows me, he speaks again.

“I am sorry for what happened last night, Sanju. I know I was rude. How on earth did you find that old photograph? I hid it…”

“Hello! Excuse me, I think you are mistaken..” I try to interrupt him, but he doesn't let me speak.

“Please don’t stop me. I owe you an explanation. That pretty girl in the photo who I was hugging was my batch-mate in college. Her name is Pooja. I saw her first in our college library, and I fell in love with her. She looked so beautiful. I always wanted to talk to her. Finally, after a few months, we met through a common friend. From then onwards, I followed her very closely. I met her every day making it look like we just happened to cross each other’s paths. I think she too realized that I was interested in her, but since girls enjoy confusing boys, she remained silent. I made the next move, and proposed to her. After making me wait for a week (seven long days!), she said yes. I was over the moon. I was totally enthralled by her. A day without meeting her was a day wasted. As you can imagine, our grades went down. Our parents were worried. But we did not care. After passing out of college, we worked at different locations in different Companies. The long distance between the two cities made it difficult for us to meet even on weekends. Both of us were very much absorbed in work that we hardly had the time or energy to talk to each other. Finally, the distance between us grew bigger. We met only twice in the year after passing out of college. And that was the end. Each of us just moved on in our lives”.

The man seems to be deeply moved by the memorable events in his life. Poor thing, he feels he is confessing to his wife. He would be shocked if he finds out that he has been talking to a stranger.

“Hello, sir”, I pat on his wrist. He holds my hand, and says, “I am really sorry to hide this from you, dear. I always felt that you would suspect me if I told you. But, believe me, it’s a thing in the past. College romances are quite common. Less than 5% of the couples make it to a marriage. What happened in college was just infatuation. Neither I, nor Pooja had the maturity to think about our future. My true love is you and only you”.

After saying this, he drops onto the table. I call out the bartender, who gets the man’s driver, and within minutes they are off. I wonder how mindless people are when in college. What has this person done? Wasted four precious years of his life romancing a girl, and he’s not even serious about the relationship. Wake up, guys! 

Love Thyself

Kavya is a young intelligent girl who lives in a city that’s far away from her parents’ place to pursue her higher studies. She is studious and dedicated to her work. To help bridge the gap between her financial needs and her pocket money, she does a part-time job at an eatery. She stretches a lot to accommodate her busy academic schedule and her hectic part-time job.

As you can expect, this eats into her personal space. She has little time to fend for herself. She has no time to eat food, let alone cooking for herself. Skipping meals, cutting down her sleeping time, maintaining irregular timings to eat and sleep – all these have made her very weak. She’s in her early twenties, but she feels as if she’s double her age.

Kavya doesn’t realize that her routine demands a surplus of nutrient intake. I can go to the extent of saying that she needs as much food and sleep as a pregnant. Do you know that her part-time job involves running on her toes for 6-7 hours? And that happens thrice a week!

Kavya’s roommate, Navya, has time to buy expensive clothes and accessories, and pamper herself at the beauty clinic, but no time to cater to the basic needs of her body.

Okay, now tell me, dear readers, how many Kavyas and Navyas are there among you? Remember that how you treat your body in your teens and twenties pays off in your forties.

My next article would be about a few principles regarding maintaining your health. Meanwhile, if you have any points, please drop a comment.

The Innocence of a Kid

I know I have been very cruel while writing about my kids – how they pester me, irritate me, deprive me of a sound sleep, and so on. If I am scaring you away from kids, then this one is for you.

Although tiresome and demanding, kids are also very refreshing and rewarding. Yes, there are times when you are stressed, and something that they do makes you fall into a fit of laughter. For instance, today I have been feeding Sweety milk. It’s a long process – she doesn’t drink from a bottle, so I have to use a spoon-like thing. Janu jumps in to help me manage better. So she offers the little one a bangle to play with. You know what Sweety says after she receives the bangle? “Thaa Dhoooo”, which means “Thank you”. I guess that’s the first word she’s ever spoken.  

When my hubby asks Janu to join her hands and pose for a photo, you know what she does? She joins her hands and says, “Namaskaram, ETV News ki swagatam” (Namaskar, Welcome to ETV News). That’s hilarious. We encounter such events at least once a day.

The innocence of a child makes you smile even in the most critical moments. Parents are always their super heroes. Kids believe in whatever we say or do. If I say that a magic spell can heal the bruise on her knee, she believes it. She even comes to me asking me to cast a spell when she hurts her knee. 

My day ends with a few minutes of playing hide and seek (or whatever they fancy) with my two little angels, and nothing ever gives me more joy.

What are your experiences with kids?

20 Things That Annoy Me

1. Litter - That always stands first. I once saw a kid dropping a chocolate wrapper (that he was holding in his hand) in a dustbin, and his parent telling him that it's okay to leave it on the road. Would the parent say the same thing if it were his home?
2. Traffic - It's not just traffic that irritates me. What makes managing the traffic more difficult is people violating traffic rules. They don't understand how much they cause others by doing so.
3. Loud voices - So, your sister bought a new car, or you friend had a bad day. Is it important for the entire world to know that? If not, please keep your voice low while speaking on the phone.
4. People changing TV channels or disturbing me when I am watching something - I am not a big fan of the idiot box, but I do enjoy a few shows. I would appreciate if you let me watch them.
5. Kids crying when you are fast asleep - One fine day (no, night) , when everyone is fast asleep, my Sweety suddenly wakes up crying. God knows what's wrong. She wouldn't drink milk (even if she's hungry) or go to sleep. And this happens often.
6. Somebody not picking your call - I know I am not good at receiving calls on time, but when I call you, please pick my calls. :)
7. Nagging - So, who's perfect? Why grab the chance of nagging me every time you find one?
8. Kids disturbing you when you are in a hurry - 9:30 in the morning... I would be cooking very hurriedly to rush to office, when I find Janu sprinkling water in the kitchen or scattering her toys all around. Now, who would want that?
9. Ads in a TV serial
10. Men misbehaving with women - I think this should be the first one in the list. Why do some men feel that it's their birth right to misbehave with women?
11. Strangers trying to find out your age - When I travel alone in the train, the co-passengers, usually uncles in their mid-forties interrogate me about my work, my previous work experience, and then how long I worked at each Company, all the time counting back to find my age. What would they do with this "useful info"?
12. Cell phone going out of battery when you are talking - I have a very bad habit of charging my mobile only once a week, and I don't like it when my mobile goes out of battery when I am talking. Crazy me!
13. Elders preserving almost everything - If you do a google search in an old man's home, you would find that at least half the things are useless. Examples are an empty vaseline bottle, a broken spoon, a torn mat, phew! You try to dump them in a dustbin, they make their way back into the home somehow.
14. Misspelling my name - A few people write my name as Swati, while it is actually Swathi. I would like it if you clarify it first.
15. System hanging up
16. A novel without a happy ending
17. People judging women by what they wear - I too did this when I was young, but after interacting with people, I can think in a broader way.
     
18. Politics - Politicians are so fickle minded. I wonder what percentage of money that they earn would they use.
19. Discussion on cricket - Watching cricket itself is so boring for me, discussing about cricket is more boring than that.
20. Kids not eating - Duh! How many hours per day should I spend holding the little monster pleading her to eat, thus ending up with hand pain and back pain?

PS: What annoys you the most? If there's something outside this list, please drop a comment.

Planning For A Perfect Vacation

A perfect vacation is where there’s endless fun, laughter, adventure, and thrill. You do a lotttt of physical activities viz. trekking, swimming, running, playing, shopping, and so on, and still feel very refreshed.

Factors that make a perfect vacation:

• People: No matter where you go, what matters is who accompanies you. Going out with your hubby, your friends, family, and colleagues – each one gives you a different experience, especially if you are taking kids below five years; I swear you would never make another trip in your lifetime.
• Place: Choose a serene place that brings you out of the chaos of your city life. My favourite is always the beach. Stretching on a beach with a book is my dream – I would never feel bored even if I do that every day.
• Time: Who would want to jump out their cosy beds when it’s freezing outside? Or who would want to sweat in the scorching sun instead of lazying around in an AC room? I do - crazy me. But, if you are not crazy like me, you might want to choose a better time to go for the much awaited vacation.
• Activities: Plan for a few indoor and outdoor activities depending on the number of people in your trip. Just in case you end up sitting in your room for eternity (pun intended).

So, when are you packing your bags?

The Flying Car

Writing prompt: Invent a hot or sensational news, and write a story about it. Here it goes:

CrazyCarz Launches The World's First Ever Flying Car

Bangalore, 7th Feb: The world's leading automobile manufacturer, CrazyCarz, launches the world's first ever flying car, Flying Saucer, in the Auto Expo held in Bangalore yesterday. In a press meet held by the Company, the CEO, Mr. Rao, and the COO, Mr. Raju, told the reporters that this would shake the world. "It took a team of 200 employees, technicians, and workers to manufacture the first lot in a year that followed the 5 years of R&D. We have been getting plenty of orders from India and all over the world. 1 lakh cars have already been booked, and we have started manufacturing the second batch to match the demand", says Mr.Rao.

Name of the car: Flying Saucer

Price: Starting 5 crores

Maximum Power: 1000 Hp

Top Speed: 500 kmph

For more details, visit the Company's website.

Through The Eyes Of A Blind Woman

Writing Prompt: You are in a room full of people, and you are the only blind person there. Describe the room and the people in your mind.

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Naveen and I have come to see my friend's wedding. I hear the sound of the door being opened, and then a lot of noise. Looks like we are going to enter a room that's full of people. Naveen is holding my hand, and is leading me into the room. Since the noise levels are so high, I think it's not just a room, but a hall. There's a whip of fragrance as soon as I step into the room. So, I believe there are flowers around. The ground under my feet feels soft for my slippers, so there must be a carpet laid out in the hall.

Let me now pay attention to what everybody is talking. "Hahahaaa! Stop it", I hear a shrill female voice at my elbow. Probably, somebody very close to her is cracking jokes on her, and she's definitely enjoying them. I feel women love it when people play jokes on them, as far as they are in limits. "Thud!" I feel a kid of about 3 feet tall running into me. That's followed by another "Thud" by a taller one. This one must be chasing the former. We must learn how to entertain ourselves from kids, isn't it?

I hear two (perhaps more) elderly men talking about rituals and customs, a group of young men talking about cricket, a few girls laughing, chatting, and complimenting one another's jewellery, the cries of a toddler for reasons only God knows. "Namaste Uncle, how are you?", my "analysis" is broken by Naveen's voice. Apprently, he is greeting somebody. "I am fine, dear. How are you all? Hi, beta", calls out an elderly person, patting my shoulder. His voice sounds familiar. Let me recollect. "That's our Jagadeesh uncle from Bhuvaneshwar", whispers Naveen, sensing my curiosity. "Ohh! Namaste Uncle, I am fine", I say, joining my hands. Not sure if I am facing him.

Naveen takes me further, and introduces me to somebody he calls Aunty. That's followed by a few more greetings from a group of elderly women. They make me sit on a chair, give me a glass of buttermilk, and ask general questions about what's going on in my life. I answer casually, but the conversation is broken by loud music of shehnai and tabla. I startle, but then I enjoy the music. No rock music can substitute our traditional instrumental music played during weddings and other functions. It has a soothing effect, doesn't it?

Naveen tells me that the bride groom and the bride are seated on the dias with the Priest chanting the mantras. He then narrates the process going on there, how sweet of him! After everything is done, we visit the new couple, and wish them good luck. My friend is delighted to see us. We then finish our dinner, and leave the hall. Another moment to treasure.

An Excuse For Not Working Today

Oh! I can write so many, but I am writing only those that are acceptable by my Manager, okay?

• An event in office: Yup! I conduct events once a month on a day of my choice. Yes! Last week we had one. And that too without prior notice. So, I pick a day on which I don’t feel like working, and stop the rest of the people from working. Hehe! Pradeep jokes that I would be the first one to be laid off.
  
• System not working: I can always unplug something, or “accidentally” delete some important files essential for Windows to work, and let the IT guy break his head on it, while I can have a chit-chat with my colleagues. Wicked me!
  
• Personal work, personal illness, etc. are also fine provided you have exhausted the above two options already. 

If I Had The Power To Change Something, I Would Change...

This prompt is so interesting that my fingers do not pause to think as I type...

If I had the power to change something, I would change the following things:

• Corrupted people: It’s because of them that we see the vast difference between the rich and the poor. They are the reason for literally everything – ranging from disasters such as fire accidents to everyday annoyances like the dirty roads.- Perhaps, the first thing that would change drastically when there’s no corruption is a strong Judiciary system. All those criminals let loose into this world would be put behind the bars, thus preventing further crimes very effectively. - For instance, why are the US roads very clean? Because the residents there are more disciplined? Yes, but that discipline was built into their systems through strict and honest cops who would put anybody behind the bars if they break the rules. Indians can get away from anything by bribing the cops, so discipline is an alien word to us.-  Another example - how long does it take us to get our passport after we apply? Mine took six months when I almost forgot that I had applied for one.
  - Why do you think there’s water scarcity in India like never before? Because those who should not approve house construction without rain water harvesting are silenced by money.
  - Without corruption, we can see a crime-free world, a good standard of living for all, good surroundings, safe driving… you name it.
• Food and shelter for all: Of course, if the above option becomes true, it’s easy to accomplish this one, isn’t it?
• The weather conditions: After the advent of humans, mother Earth has undergone a lot of transition. She bears the consequences of all the destruction we do to her. So she takes revenge by putting us into extreme weather conditions in most places of the world. Imagine how it would be if every place on earth has the most suitable living conditions.
• Uniform distribution of population: Urban life in India and in most parts of the world is so crowded that sometimes I feel that I should go to Himalayas, build a tent, and settle there. If there are equal opportunities for business, jobs, and education in all parts of the world, why would all of us cramp up in big cities, tell me?
•  Population explosion: I guess the world is less chaotic when there’s much less population.
• The mind-set of the dominant male: Yes, even today a majority of people believe that men are superior to women. I have no clue how such a mentality has cropped up. Perhaps, it is for the same reason that there are so many crimes on women in India. Men dictate how women should behave, how they should dress up, what they should do, and what they should not do. And if women do not oblige, they are abused, beaten up, raped…  I am surprised that there are women who feel that men have an authority on them. I am a hard core feminist, and I appreciate those who are with me.

Addendum: About the last point mentioned here, my Aunt tells me that what needs to change is the women's attitude on other women, rather than the men's mindset. How many of us have seen women victimize a widow, disowning her rights to basic things that we take for granted?

The Easiest Decision I Have Taken In My Life

I am going to write about two easiest decisions that I have taken in my life:

1. To join BITS - Pilani. I was on cloud 9 when I grabbed a seat in the reputed institute. I couldn't wait till the actual day came, where I headed to the good old campus. The four years I spent in BITS are the best years of my life so far.
   
2. One day, a small chick breaks out of her egg shell, and comes out into this beautiful world. She looks around to find her Mom, but is not sure how her Mom looks like. So, she goes about asking each and every living and non-living thing that she encounters whether any of them is her Mom. She asks the cow, the car, the tree, the sun, the dog.... Finally, her Mom happens to come back home, and sees her little one asking around. The chic now sees the Hen, comes to her, and says, "You are my Mom." So, the moral of the story goes this way: When it comes to choosing the best suited person, it becomes so obvious. That's how obvious it was for me to choose my life partner. The moment I interacted with him, I knew I got hold of the correct guy. In case you are wondering, it was definitely not love at first sight.

The Blurb Of My Life

Friends, today's prompt is to imagine that my life is captured in a book, and write the blurb of the book in 100 words. A blurb is the content that you see on the back cover of a book that describes what the book is about. So, have a look at my life:

Swathi is a happy-go-lucky, enthusiastic, bubbly young girl. Life in a reputed institute far from home is a Heaven on earth. Little does she know how cruel life can be once she is out of college. At 22, she gets married to a nice young man, when she doesn’t even know what to expect from a marriage. Amidst the tantrums thrown by her in-laws, she tries to gain her individuality. The book narrates how Swathi, who becomes a mother of two by 26, prevents herself from losing self-confidence, finds joy in the little things around her, and reinvents herself, with her husband being her biggest support.

Life With Two Kids

Many people ask me, “Howz life with two kids?” Well, it’s difficult to give a straight answer. So, let me put it down today.

Having a pre-schooler and an infant at home is a lot more work than I have ever imagined. Just when I take out all the ingredients needed for cooking breakfast/lunch, my little one, we call her Sweety, wakes up. So, I leave the kitchen and attend to Sweety. I feed her millk, change her diaper – takes 30 minutes. Janu gets up just in time to disturb me, but, fortunately, Pradeep looks after her needs. So, after the 30min break, I start cooking. After a few minutes, Janu dives into the kitchen asking for something. She is followed by Sweety who is about to touch something hot. I almost trip myself while trying to prevent her. I then notice that her clothes are wet. So I go to change her clothes and if I forget to put the stove on simmer, the cooking goes for a toss. By the time I finish changing her clothes, Janu falls down while trying to mount onto the cradle, and comes crying to me. I pacify her, and Pradeep comes to my rescue here.

I head to the kitchen once again to see how far the cooking has come, when my phone rings. I again leave the things half-finished to check who the caller is. Nobody from my family dares to call me up at this moment. Turns out to be a call from the service provider! Arghh! I again march into the kitchen while Pradeep babysits both kids, preventing Janu from pouncing onto Sweety, and preventing Sweety from holding the burning Agarbatti. How tiresome! Do adults play with kids or do kids play with adults?

Finally I manage to leave for office at 10 when Pradeep puts Sweety to bed. Yup, she sleeps for 4-5 times a day, and each time, it takes 20-30 minutes to put her to sleep. Kids feel as if they are missing a great deal by sleeping. They want all the 24 hours to play. My MIL pitches in now after finishing her pooja, and has continuous work till 3pm – feeding both of them, bathing both of them, putting Sweety to bed, feeding both of them again, and putting both of them to bed again. Phew! Trust me, it’s not that simple, each task takes 30-45min.

I come back home, sweep the house, wash my face, do pooja, feed both the kids, arrange the kitchen, and oops! Time to join the meeting. Ya, I have meetings after 7pm almost all working days. After an hour, I start cooking for dinner again, feed Sweety, while MIL/Pradeep feeds Janu. I spread out dinner for all of us, put everything back, play with the kids, put Sweety to bed (toughest job in the entire day), and doze off in a second. Phew!

Parenthood is the most underrated job on earth, isn’t it?