Let stars shine

Let stars shine

It all started that day when my wife called me to remind that we had a doctor appointment in the evening and I should come home ahead of my regular timing. The home pregnancy test did show negative few days before and we wanted to confirm with our doctor once. And it was positive but least did I know that we are going to face a new world of people who are going to compare every action and try to scrutinize every movement of our child.

“You doesn’t seem to gain weight at all. Is your baby normal?”
“Since you are working, i guess the baby is not getting enough nutrition.”
“See that lady. She is also in same month of pregnancy as you. But her belly seems to be huge than yours.”

We managed to cross the level of comparison when the baby was in the womb and were unaffected by all these as we thought this shall rest after the baby is born. But it took a new level of criticism after the birth of our baby.

“He is not fair as you. He is wheatish.”
“He is not chubby as you and your wife were when you were kids.”
“Why does he cry always? See the kid of his age. They are calm and quiet”
“Why is he getting thin day by day? See that baby. She is chubby.”
“He is already 2 and he doesnt know to tell story? My son tells stories about Krishna”
“Kids in his age have joined play school. If you delay then he wont be able to catch up. Look at his son, he already tells rhymes.”

My son is 2 now and we have heard the above penned questions and comparisons. Ok now if you think that these questions are put up by aunties or uncles or grannies in social gatherings, you are wrong. Most of the times it is a close friend or fellow parents we meet who are in our same age group (28 to 30s).

I have always felt that the kids of our generation who are born in the 80s and 90s have underwent major comparison with other kids in terms of looks, studies, jobs, marriage and what not throughout their life. The comparisons have resulted in making them either introverts or turn out to become stubborn and arrogant to defend themselves.

I personally feel that we should not pass it to next generation. Lets stop comparing our kids with others. Let them have inspiration but that doesnt mean they need to be like them. Comparison doesnt help them succeed but instead creates unwanted hatred. If you just think once about your life when you have been compared and crucified, you will remember the hatred that been generated for that person or instance. We know that the world is competitive but definitely need not be comparitive.

Hence I wish I could ‘Kill the Cliche’ of comparing children with each other and give them a peaceful environment to grow up.

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P.S : This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.

FRI-FIVE (Mar 24,2016)

FRI-FIVE (Mar 24,2016)

Enjoy listening to MY Top 5 songs of this week from the latest Kollywood and Bollywood movies. Also do share your latest favorite hindi/tamil songs in the comments which I can consider for next week 🙂

Tamil

Hindi

 

Revealing theme for #atozchallenge 2016

Revealing theme for #atozchallenge 2016

Doing it for the first time and so am quiet nervous but it helped me to do some research and start preparing for the challenge.

YES !!! I have decided.

My theme is “A to Z Places to visit in India”

Do follow my blog to know about the places in India you should definitely visit if you haven’t before.

Cheers !!!

P.S : I am writing this article as part of #AtoZChallenge2016 and you can know more about it here.  The challenge starts from April 1 , 2016.

 

Have you enrolled yourself to #atozchallenge 2016?

Have you enrolled yourself to #atozchallenge 2016?

I am a first timer to enroll myself to #atozchallenge 2016 and I am eagerly waiting for April 2016 for the same.

The brainchild of Arlee Bird, at Tossing it Out, the A to Z Challenge basically requires 26 posts in 26 days based on 26 letters of the alphabet, one post beginning with each letter during the month of April, with Sundays off. It would be like April 1 – A, April 2 – B and so on till April 30 – Z.

When : Sign-up for this before April 1 and start the challenge from April 1, 2016

How : For registering, click here and follow the steps mentioned. You can read the FAQs here.

Why : I shall take this up for two reasons. 1. To connect with fellow bloggers 2. To challenge myself 🙂

E.g. : You can refer this blog by Debbie.D for her entries for AtoZChallenge 2015 and you might get an idea about it.

Don’t forget to add the badge in your page if you are participating.

C’mon, lets have fun !!!

Souvenirs Impérissables

Souvenirs Impérissables

I came across this contest in blogadda today morning and it was about ‘MemoriesForLife’. I remembered this quote – “Memories are timeless treasure of the heart” and I kept thinking about which one to pen about. The reel kept running in my mind flashing each incidents vibrantly. I could hear them shouting loudly to write about them and then fading away when the next one took over. Why to write about just one. Let me create a chain of various memories which have left the mark in my life.

So here goes my sepia coated reel of memories running the show for you:

“A brother shares childhood memories and grown up dreams”

It was during Durga pooja and I was 3 years old. I couldn’t find my mom since the previous night. Everyone at our home told that she is unwell and so have went to hospital. Though I didn’t ask much question about her not returning home that night, I was worried and curious as I was thinking about her belly growing big for past few months. Should be something really serious? I hugged my aunt who was sleeping beside me in fear and dozed off. Next day morning, I was taken to hospital by my aunt to see the new born. YES. I had a younger brother the previous night. I didn’t know how I felt that day but the memories of our childhood, our fights, the tit-for-tat attitude and sudden feel of miss after I went to hostel would remain ever green.

“Things end but memories last forever”

When I was in my class five, I was told that we are getting shifted to a new place. With lot of excitement and enthusiasm I got ready to leave the ‘City of Joy’.  It was really tough to move out from the busiest city to settle down in the outskirts of a small town where I didn’t even know the local language. But I never knew that I would fall in love with the same language and patronize the same. The memories of  the place where I was born and I grew up is still fresh. The small lanes of Howrah, the south indian colony where you either have relatives or end up becoming relatives, the local eateries, the festivals, the steamer rides, trams, mini buses, howrah bridge, hoogli brigde, Kali ghat etc. – the memories created there would shine bright which can never fade away.

“The best thing about memories is creating them…”

My first stage speech on Independence day of 1997. I still remember the wonderful English speech my grandfather wrote for me a week ago and I was all prepared to deliver the same but I was not prepared to face the crowd. Though I had rigorous practice at home and school, I wasn’t sure how it would be in reality. I started the speech but was stuck after the initial respects. My class teacher who was standing at the other end of the crowd was showing gestures to proceed by seeing the paper and read the speech but I failed to grasp what he said. I silence so far broke by murmurings in the crowd. Tears slowly started rolling my cheeks. Before I broke down, my English teacher ran to the stage to stand beside me. I gained confidence and I delivered the Independence day speech without any error. And there was no look back after this. I was encouraged to participate in oratory competitions and this particular memory which was foundation to the major skill I hone today remains fresh.

“Good times and crazy friends makes the best memories”

Getting through the board exams wasn’t a big deal for me. Choosing Engineering over Physics and Maths was also quiet easy. But leaving the family to go to hostel was biggest fear of life. I guess every individual would have faced this especially when they have to leave the guarded shelter. The evening phone calls I used to make to my mom and granny would end up in fights and tears. I hated my dad for sending me to hostel though my home was just 1.5 hours away from my college made. The ‘home sick’ feeling lasted for just couple of months and till I got the buddies for life. The hostel memories which kicked off by August 2003 is very huge and it wont be fitting a blog. ‘Hostel days in college’ are the best days of anyone’s life and no one can deny that fact. It’s only because of friends you make. The memories doesn’t stop with just friends from college/hostel but it continues with the crazy friends you make at work and in social gatherings. Birthday bashes, outings, lunches, midnight chats, gossips, movie outings, fun time, weddings, dancing, jamming and what not. I am blessed to get such friends who have given me the best of best memories.

“Tears die, smiles fade but memories last forever…”

Even the richest of richest will not be able to forget their first job and first salary. The happiness of getting first salary and telling it to your parents is one of the best memory. I remember the day, my salary was credited. I called my parents to inform about it and I could feel how proud they were. I then called my grandpa to inform and he was the most happiest person in the earth that day. I had planned to meet him couple of weeks after and had even decided to get a gift for him and my grandma. But unfortunately he passed away couple of days after my first salary was credited. I miss you ‘thatha’. He was the man who skipped his 80th birthday celebration just to save the money for my college fee. I still feel sad that I couldn’t gift him anything. 

“Making memories with you is my favorite thing to do”

Isn’t meeting your girl and getting married to her is the most amazing memory of your lifetime? Though our’s was a arranged marriage, we fell in love with each other the moment we met and spoke. Since there was 8 months gap between first meet and marriage, we had got to hold a lot of memories within. And seeing your parents happy about the girl you are going to get married is bliss. Our wedding a grand gala function which is still being cherished not only by us but also by our relatives. I also have to mention that I have a got a wonderful extended family. My memories for life would have been nothing without you, my love.

“In my heart is a memory and there you will always be…”

And the best of the all is here. After sleepless nights as the date was nearing and my wife being at her mom’s place, I receive a call in the early morning to hear from my father-in-law that my wife has got the labor pain. I rushed to the hospital which is around 5 kms away from my home to meet her before she is taken to the labor ward. I saw her with intense pain. We could hear only her cry from the labor ward. After 4 and half hours of severe tension , we heard the first cry of our kid. When my family was eager to know the gender of the kid, I was happy that the bundle of joy arrived. Happy tears flooded everyone’s eyes. ‘THE MOMENT’ or ‘THE MEMORY’ was when I got to hold him in my hands for the first time. He could recognize my voice very well. The happiness it brought to me at that moment did beat the rest.

#MemoriesForLife doesn’t end here for me. I believe that there are more beautiful moments to come which would get converted as memories some day.

I hope my blog would have made you to remember some of your best memories. If so, then “Share your #MemoriesForLife like I’ve done at BlogAdda for HDFC Life.”

My scrapbook that contains the memories I had mentioned about in the blog is available here.

 

The mask

It was women’s day and she received ‘The most successful woman’ for that year.

She gave a long inspirational speech about the struggles she faced to reach the height and insisted the company to give more opportunities for women.

After the event one of her team leads approached her and said “We have got this CV of a candidate. She seems to be the apt candidate for the role. Shall I ask her to come for face to face interview this week.”

She gave a irritated look at him and said-
“How many times should I tell you that we dont want female candidates for our team? They will join today and then they will leave company telling silly reasons. Marriage, baby etc etc. It wont work out for us. Better look for some guys. Its always good to invest on them.”

He left her cabin thinking “Women dont have enemies anywhere else but in the form of women”.

P.S: This story is purely fiction. If it resembles anyone in real life, then it is just a coincidence.

The seed

“Why are you spending so much for her studies? Today she will say she want to study for just 4 years and then she will get a job and earn more, then she will tell she will marry of her choice. You very well know that boys in our caste hardly study. Who will marry your daughter if she does all I said?” advised his mother.

His daughter was state topper in her 12th standard and the application of top engineering college laid in front of him just for his signature.

His daughter was about to leave the room completely disappointed when he held her hand and gave her the application form. She nodded her head in disappointment and tugged the form in his hand again. He stopped her and opened it to show her the form duly signed by him. Her face brighten up with unbound joy.