Khushi's dose of the day!! Santa's surprise

Khushi : Mummy, see SANTA has kept the Christmas gift in the temple today itself!
Mummy : Wow!! In advance??
Khushi :  Yes, because he knows I won't be at home on Christmas day.
Mummy : Wow!! So considerate of him. But you didn't keep the chit in the socks, so how does he know what to give you?
Khushi : Yeh, I forgot to put the chit. But look Mumma, he has given me chocolates in the socks, as I told you.  And gave me TATOO pens.
Mummy : That's awesome. Did you like the gift?
Khushi : Ofcourse Mumma. SANTA!! You are the best!! No! You are the best-est in this whole world! You just know what I like and what I want.
Mumma, he knows that I need Tatoo pens for our party as I am going to be the Tatoo artist. See he is so awesome! He gave me what I wanted!!

Yes, Santa is the best. He knows what you want. He makes sure you have everything you wish for in exactly the same way you have thought.
Mumma/Papa does all the hard work and Santa gets all the credit. The  364 days we strive hard to keep up to your wishes/expectations are taken as part and parcel for our duties as parents. And one day some MR SANTA sends you gift, he becomes the BEST-EST!! That's how unfair the world is to us :P

Khushi's dose of the day!! Growing up fast

Mummy : Avani, you know Ishaan was telling me that you would have a party in school  
today.
(One of the lie I have to use for sending Avani to school when she starts throwing tantrums for not going to school)
Khushi : Ishaan? How can Ishaan tell her? He is not in her school. He is in my school
Mummy : There is another Ishaan who is in her school dear!
Khushi : How can it be? Anyways my Ishaan is better than hers.
Mummy : How do you know that? You dont even know him!
Khushi : (After thinking for a while) Mumma, Is he handsome?
HANDSOME??? Wow...Is he handsome? How do I answer this? I want to be friends with my girls always. To an extent that they can share their crushes and affairs with me. But isint it too soon(Khushi is 5) for me to deal with such epic moments?

Happy birthday Papa

When I asked my Dad for a Music player in the car, he refused! When I asked for an AC system in the car, he refused!! I wasn't too sure, why are the basic things in life an addiction and a distraction in life;In his view. He never craved for luxury, for gourmet food, for a bigger car or a bigger business. He was a gold medalist in his academics, but he never aspired for a high profile career unlike his colleagues. A very ambitious person like me had a tough time getting in terms with his satisfied and simple life.
Home is the best luxury house for him, home-cooked Mom's food  the best delicacy, his routine 9 am - 10 pm business his best time pass and his friends are his best treasure. In true sense, if I have seen any father not discriminating in a daughter and son, it was him. Right from education to our choices in life, he has approved of every valid demand equally. Infact, when it came to doing patriarchal chores like changing flat tyre of car in the middle of road, electrical work at home and even buying pan at a panwala store full of weird men around. All the things were distributed equally between us.
He never failed to appreciate the slightest of effort we took to do something apart from the routine work. Whether its the pathetic cake I made at the age of 9 or the accounting work I learnt to help him. My Mom is an artist and I am sure, she tries all the new things on earth because of the encouragement given by DAD.
When I look at my last 10 years, my professional and personal success in life. I feel, the most influential factors were the values and lessons given by my Papa. I am closer to Mum, but highly influenced by Dad. So on his 72nd birthday, I wish the very best for him. May God give him immense happiness, good health, love and everything he has desired in life. You were always the benchmark for me and I will always try to live up to your standards.Happy birthday PAPA!

Tayari jeet ki

Har paath par kathinai hogi,
Bheed nahi, to Tanhai hogi

Akele chalkar thak jayega,
Lekin tu na ghabrayega

Aasan nahi hai path manzil ka,
Har shann hai teri pariksha yeha

Jab tu karega yakeen khudpar,
Duniya ka bhaii na hoga aasar tujhpar

Sirf daarna aapne karmo se,
Na bhagwan aur na daanav se

Tayari puri ho raah ki
Phir mile na mile manzil chaah ki

Koi haar antim na hogi
Jab tak rahe yakeen tujhe jeet ki

Khushi's dose of the day!! Innovations

Khushi: Mom I want to do a lot of innovations
Mummy:(Really? Does shr even know what is innovation?Or has she just picked up the word from my conversations? AMUSED. ..) What kind of innovations darling?
Khushi: Anything Mom!
Mummy: But give me one example of what you want to innovate?
Khushi:(After thinking hard...) What about a ROBOT?
Mummy: But that's not your innovation, its already implemented long back! So what is special about your Robot?
Khushi: Mom, my Robot will do all the house work and go out on my behalf. Like going to school, going to office, going to shopping etc. It will be just like me!
Mummy: Then darling you dont need a Robot, you need a clone!!

I am sure, these brilliant innovations are the outcome of Doraemon and Ninja Hattori cartoons, Khushi is so fond off! But at the age of 5, innovations n clones were unknown words in my dictionary.  Forget knowing their meanings!

Beyond the wall: A memoir

This is my second wall painting and this time I wanted something to accommodate the wonderful pictures on my vacations. So here we go with the picture tree.

Steps to do similar wall painting

1. Choose the picture you want to draw or think of a free hand design to go with the theme 

2. Select a big enough wall which is not hidden by furniture, curtains or book shelves in the room

3. Make sure the wall is well painted, a wall with stains would not be the best choice for your hard work

4. Draw a draft sketch on the wall while keeping in mind the scale of the image. Grids will help you keep up the scale

5. Also sketch the details like branches, leaves and other design as it is in the picture

6. After the sketching is done, check the whole picture once again and whatever modifications needs to be done, do it before starting to paint

7. Use oil paint colors (not the water colors or the fabric colors, they don't give the same getup). You will need the required oil paint tubes, brushes of different sizes, turpentine/linseed oil

8. Start covering the major areas like trunk, branches etc. If you are doing a free hand painting, finish coloring the major blocks of the whole painting and then move to more delicate and intricate work. This has two advantages. Firstly you can scale up as per the look you want and secondly you want your painting to look grand and delicate at the same time. And you also need to space out properly the picture frames you plan to hang on the branches.

9. When you paint, you need to take enough colors and be uniform with the direction of strokes. Oil paint colors are a little more difficult to work with, so avoid reworks as much as possible.

10. When you want to highlight the photos, its always a good idea to use a single color. It will give a monotone base to the wall and at the same time enhance the look of your pictures

11. Let it dry for 3-4 days and the wall is ready to embrace your memories in the form of your photos

12. Photos you select should preferably be framed  in basic color photo frames. I prefer black, champagne and silver frames

13. If you prefer changing photos after a while,make sure you use changeable picture frames

14. You are all set to nail the frames on the wall now. Play with your imagination and make your wall shine with golden memories of your life. Because every picture you hang there is going to tell something about your life which you would want to cherish forever

Incredible Bharat!! ATITHI DEVO BHAVV

Our culture states "ATITHI DEVO BHAVA". And we Indians take it quite seriously, especially if the atithi is a foreigner. Whether in his country he is a criminal, carpenter or a cowboy. If he is a foreigner, everybody around him tries to charm him and be friendly with him.

Recently, I went for a boat ride in Munnar, Kerala. There was a long queue of 50 people standing in the hot sun. Behind me was a plump guy in his early 40s flashing his Prada shades and Arabic accent. He was trying to communicate with some Indians with sign language and few English words he knew. Soon few more people joined the conversation and he had more admirers. In that super enthusiastic junta, there was a gentleman who was so keen on making our guest comfortable that he called another gentleman who knew Arabic language. This gentleman had stayed in Dubai for some years and could speak broken Arabic. It was amusing to see all the heads turning left to right with the rally of conversation between our country's guest to the Dubai return VIP. Others standing had no language problems, but they hardly greeted each other. But when we have a foreigner around, we have no barriers.
Haven't we all seen the innumerable foreign nationals welcomed in our film/television industry? From Laura to Leonne, all are still our VIP guests after spending years and earning millions in our country.
And remember those devotees in the temple/ashram's wearing cotton saffron attire and rudraksh beads necklace who are made to sit in the front rows? And also that British/American well-dressed senior manager who visits from your head office and your boss continues to treat him like God, even in the informal evening dinners.
                      
Like all the foreigners think, all Indians are poor, uneducated, snake charmers. We Indians feel all foreigners are millionaires, smart, geniuses whom we should always keep happy. No harm in following a great tradition, but lets follow it for our own people also. Lets welcome our neighbours equally open-heartedly as we do the strangers.
On a lighter note, the biggest irony is that we consider all foreigners as Obaama and they consider all Indians as Osaama. #NothingSeriousAboutIt

Why I don’t want my kids to get married?

I know the title itself will raise a lot of eyebrows and people would have a lot to contradict me and a lot to support me as well. But I felt the pinning urge to write about it as whenever I raise this topic, people usually feel I am saying all this without thinking. And also they think that the reason why I am so vocal about this is that I have kids of age lesser than 5 years. So long way to go...
Frankly, as a kid, teenager and an adult, I never thought so much about marriage. It was part of the organic growth all kids have in our country. Eventually, you will finish your studies, and eventually you will marry and settle down. Yes, I still fail to understand what “SETTLING DOWN” is is all about. But yes, being brought up by happily married parents, there was no reason why I would think of marriage otherwise. And I am quite sure; my kids would also say the same about us. Then, why am I not so keen on getting my kids married? And why am I thinking about it at the age of 5 yrs?
There is a very strong reason for it. And the time is also the most apt to think about it. I will tell you why?
As soon as a kid is born, in India, we start planning for him/her. We start thinking about his safety, his comforts, and his needs. How are we going to financially support his upbringing. We go to an extent of having a marital insurance, education insurance for him. I am not against insurance, but my point is, we start excessive planning for the kids.
If it’s a girl, we buy all pink things for her. Pink dresses, pink toys, pink walls, pink clips and what not. If it’s a boy, we paint the town blue! So consciously or sub-consciously we make this divide of a girl and a boy. Why do we see 1000s of cars in a boy's toy room whereas a 1000 dolls in a girl's toy room? Don’t we have girls driving cars all over? OR for that matter guys seeking fashion and clothing as careers? We do. But we confuse our children by dividing their likes and dislikes as per their gender.

Subconsciously or consciously, we prepare our kids to get ready for our legacy, our marriage system. Learn some cooking; it will be useful for you. Keep your room clean, you should keep your house clean. Take some responsibility; you should be a responsible man. Sports are good, but you cannot go out of station for your matches. Don’t wear this, don’t grow your hair long, you are a boy. You should learn to adjust, life is all about adjustment. Keep others/family before you always, good girls/boys always care for others more than themselves.

When it comes to family name, we don’t hesitate to curb our kid’s desires. They might be great chefs, or great athletes, or great dancers, or for that matter just great with some musical instrument, but depending on the gender we prepare them for the future. If our kid is inclined towards spirituality, we get concerned if he becomes a yogi. If our kid is more into theater and music, we press them to concentrate on studies. We want Sachin Tendulkar's at home, but how many of us are ready to let go of their matriculation exams to let him go to play their test matches? We are concerned about the adventure sports our kids take up. We all love actress/models, but when our daughters want to take it up as a career, we think about their marriage, the society and everything that really doesn’t matter in life. We keep an invisible bubble all the time around our kids. WHY?

Every person is born with some talent, and they are unique. You as a parent have to give basic education and basic code of conduct of humanity to them. After that, whether he/she wants to fly, or drown, or sing or jump, let it be their choice. Don’t put the burden of your legacy on them. We all feel, we had much more potential in us. But more often than not, we blame it on society, or family or responsibility for not being able to tap that potential in us. "I would have been a great athlete, if I pursued running then"."I would have gone places, if I was allowed to take up modeling"."Today, I cannot pursue travelling, because I have responsibilities"."I am best at writing, but I have no formal training"." I was so good at cricket, but my father wanted me to be a doctor". All these are common statements with people of our generation.
What do we do to our kids? We pass our wishes, our failures, our dreams to them. 9/10 people who are "happily married" say that they are happily married because they have ADJUSTED to each other. Why is it so important to put our kids through all this? If it’s about security, there is no security in marriage. If it’s about love, there is more love before marriage than after. The social balance will go for a toss? What social balance are we talking about? Where most people have EMAs and divorces at the drop of a hat? If it’s about kids/family, what do you want kids for? For making your own compromised clones? And it’s not very uncommon to have single parents these days.
I feel, we should let them fly. Let them tap their potential. Let them decide what they want to be. Success or failure, they will be happy that they are what they are because they chose it for themselves. If earning money and pretending to be a happy is life, then animals have a better life than us. God has given us brains and talent to create genius and evolve with every generation. We have Einstein’s and Tendulkar’s all over, but we do not have an eye for it. If we free our kids from the pressure of their future, I am sure they can come out with flying colors. Education, marriage, job, family is a part of your life, not the life itself. Every day they can have an all exciting life if they choose what they want to do in life. And also if they choose who they want to be in their life. Does being a radio jockey excite them? Or they want to live a life of a traveler, wandering at different places. Or they just want to be a family person. Let’s just leave it on them and their destiny. It is another way of teaching them to live in present.

I am glad that I am liberated from the cycle of legacy and have the ability and inclination to detach my desires from my kid’s upbringing. I may fail; I may not be considered a good mother in the definition of parenting. And I may also possibly repent giving them untamed wings one day. But I want to take this risk. I want to teach them to live for themselves. To fulfill their own wishes without sacrificing or compromising their dreams. The compassion, humanity and love they need to be happy in the social society are anyways things which nobody can teach them. They will learn it from nature. What I want for them is a free sky to fly without the invisible wall of society, expectations, legacy and pressure. Whether I am right or wrong, I want to remain true to my instincts of a mother.

How we express?

Why do some people write? Why some people run marathons? Why do we dance? What is the pleasure of getting that perfect shot for a photographer? What is the motivation for some people to follow adventure sports? Why do we paint? What are hobbies? What is that one thing that makes us happy when we are doing something we like? Or to put in other words. Why do we like something more than the other things?

We get similar happiness when we are with friends. Just that one old joke makes us laugh for hours with the people we are close to. Why getting high with life/alcohol/love makes us feel close to the divine? Small things also gives a lot of high in life. Just watching a bright yellow flower early in the morning on the way, getting a clear road while driving to work, listening to that favorite old song on radio unexpectedly or just a phone call from an old friend.

There is no major significance of these things in life. They don't make you rich, you rarely earn from your hobbies(rather they are usually expensive). Pulling out time from your hectic daily schedule and doing these extra curricular things takes alot of drive and sacrifices. Then what is the reason, most of us wait to go back to this world of our interest. In fact, why are we so interested in this dreamy world of ours? Why different people have different interests in life? And why some people leave their interests back and become so inert and passive?

According to me, our hobbies are our way of expression. Expression is a very basic characteristic of human nature. When we are small, we cry, howl, giggle, scream, shout and express. A child who has just learnt to speak, cannot get enough of telling his stories to his mom. And as we grow, from toddler to teenager, we express to our friends. We talk about everything with our friends and with play and talk we vent ourselves all the time. But as we become adults, we stop sharing ourselves with others. We become more wise and diplomatic with our expressions. The calculations of profit and loss, the weighted of repercussions and the good/bitter learning's of the world make us less and less expressive. The people who seem to be very talkative and friendly are mostly not expressive, they are more or less hiding behind the facade of a friendly face. So, everyone has a need to express as they grow.

When I started writing, I had not a slightest idea of why I want to write? And I wasn't sure, if I would be comfortable sharing my life with anyone else. But today, I know I feel very happy when I write. I feel like I am talking to a good ole friend, someone who knows me from ages. Someone who is not judgemental. He who might not give me solutions to my problems, but will give me his ear for sure. Similar things I experience when I dance. Dance elevates me from my intellect, my education, my social status, my fear of being judged. I am expressing myself in the form of body language. I am smiling without a reason because the reason is coming from within. My body is happy expressing it and my mind subconsciously signals to smile.

Even researches show, that people who are very introvert and shy, open up with dancing. This definitely proves my point that your hobbies are your form of expression. Some love to run and sweat and express themselves. Some paint their minds with paintings, however abstract and weird it might look. But paintings tell a lot about the painters emotions. Some find the expression in the adrenaline rush they get while playing any sport. Other hobbies, right from arts and crafts to travel. All would be one or the other form of expression.

Your friends and confidants might leave you or ditch you. But your hobbies are your secret to happiness. You might not be comfortable sharing the aggressive, flirty, cocky, generous, stingy, conservative, broadminded, sloppy side of you, to your friends. But you will definitely express it via your writings/paintings/dancing or any other hobby. However subconscious and unacceptable it might be, but those are your expressions. The conscious mind will be happy suppressing them, but your subconscious mind will always have them in you. So better to express than to keep it to yourself.

My hunt for healthy food

After 2 years of delivering my second baby, I have suddenly realised that I have put on a lot of weight. I was giving myself a levy for quite sometime now stating that I am a mother and its ok to be overweight when you have delievered. But now suddenly, fitness seems to be in the air around me. All my friends, my colleagues and even strangers I meet, seems to be fitness freaks. And when love is in the air, you have a chance of skipping the cupid arrow( as there are two people involved in it). But with fitness, there is no saviour. You start feeling guilty of everything you eat and the mirror suddenly seems to be disliking your new found structure. And cherry on the cake would be if you see your old photographs and start craving for that wonderfully tonned body and glowing skin.
So when fitness is on your mind. You start thinking about every small thing which harms your body and increases your chances to get that flab. That 1 spoon sugar you take in your tea or the spoonful of ketchup you consume. All seems to be a cheat meal in your diet.  (Before this enlightening struck me, an extra sachet of ketchup was a must with every burger I ordered in MacD)
It was one week of enthusiasm and determination. Started with rigorous gyming and diet control. And eating oats for breakfast, veggies and rotis for lunch and dinner and minimal tea/coffee/dessert. And the epic being just a couple of chocolates for the whole week, which for a chocoholic (read me) is like leaving smoking for a smoker.I finally started withdrawl symptoms. Those chocolates seemed to be calling me towards them. My right brain started telling my left brain to stop all this nonsense and live life kingsize (literally :P). Introspections such as I am not a model, its ok to be healthy and slightly plump for a mother of two kids. OR others like, you have only one life, if you suppress your wishes (read cravings of desserts/chocos) whats the use? And ultimate ones like, I am just in my early 30s, why bother so much about fitness and food. Anyways I would need to refrain from it when I grow older. And many more which I cannot discuss here.
So finally I decided to not torture myself with such strict diet and hit the supermarket to find some good alternatives which will both be healthy and tasty. I had few parameters in mind with which I would filter my so called "HEALTHY SNACKS".

I entered the super market and 90 % of the things were processed food full with oil, sugar and transfat. The yummy tea cakes, the bhujiya, the chakli, the ketchup,the biscuits, the yougurt,,, all so wonderfully packaged and marketed. I never saw them with this perspective earlier. And I am sure, many of us still find it difficult to stop ourself from picking a few packets of chips and cakes and biscuits for munching here and there. But today I felt as if I was walking in a heap of junk food. Junk food which is soo part of our daily life.
I never thought twice before eating a packet of chips. It  is not only fried and not only made of starchy potato but also contains huge amount of salt (ajinomoto maximum times) which ideally you should consume only 2-3 tbs per day.
Ever wondered about that innocent looking, so called healthy tasty "TOMATO KETCHUP"? Let me tell you, there is noting healthy about that devil. Its the favorite among kids and causes obesity. It makes us obese and our kids are exposed to so much of preservatives in it at such a tender age.
Another monsters are the aireated drinks. Its mind boggling to know how much sugar goes in each glass of Sprite/Coke/Slice. And its heart breaking how we consume such forbidden drinks which affects our bones for long term. I am amused, how are they not banned after so many proven facts of having pesticides and other harmful ingredients in it!

The list can continue, the instant soups we get is full of preservatives and salt, the digestive biscuits we eat without any hesitation is high in fiber and also in carbs. The diet baked chips, the tea cakes, the low fat milk, the trans-fat free oil all are such fancy names to the same old processed food.
My kids love to come to shop with me for the very reason they can pick up the packet of chips or biscuits which they have seen in commercials inbetween their cartoons. And I don't know how to stop myself from picking atleast one if not many things which are screaming to be picked.
The statistics say, we are becoming more health conscious. But I wonder how these processed food companies are doing so well? Every day you will see a new product launched, a new low fat version of the devils.
Finally after my holy visit to the supermarket, I have finally decided not to fall prey to these well packaged monsters. I am dertermined of drinking freshly made soups, eating freshly cooked veggies and snacking on dry fruits and fruits rather than going for a quick fix. But then again, what on earth has remained pure these days? How do I skip the hormones injected in the milk I drink, and the pesticides I consume from veggies and fruits and the latest genetically modified hybrid varieties? Why on earth is it so difficult to eat healthy in our country? #FOODFORTHOUGHT

Khushi's dose of the day!! Feminist in making

As any other girl child, Khushi is more inclined to befriend girls and play with girls rather than boys. And I find it pretty normal, so I never force her to befriend anyone. On the contrary, her best friends are all boys. So I thought it has nothing to do with gender, she just mirrors other girls. But this conversation between us shows me a feminist streak in her at the age of 5.

Mummy : Khushi the sculpture you see next to Ganesh is of Gowri. She is Ganeshji's mother.
Khushi : Oh! That small one? The girl face?
Mummy : Yes
Khushi : So when do we celebrate Gowri's birthday?
Mummy : mmmmmm.. we dont celebrate Gowri's birthday
Khushi : WHY? We celebrate Ganeshji's birthday but not Gowriji's! We celebrate Krishna's birthday but not Radhaji's! That's not fair!

I was introspecting as to why are most of our festivals celebrated for male Gods and only a few for female Gods? Wish I asked this question to myself and had started celebrating GOWRI, as the people in south celebrate one day prior to Ganesh chaturthi. I think, subconsciously, we inculcate the seeds of patriarchy with our culture. Time to rise and awaken, time to consciously sow the seeds of equality if not Matriarchy.

The Art of Detachment

I have been brought up by two extremely opposite personalities in terms of emotions. My Dad and my Mom.

I have never seen my Dad upset over anything in my 22 years of stay with him. No skipping meals, never late to work, never sleepless at night, never crying or sobbing about anything in life. I always thought, its because they have a perfect and simple life.  No worries, no major pains.

Now I understand, what it means to be him. He is basically  a detached person. Detached is usually used in a very negative sense, as someone who doesn't care. But I have a completely different perspective to it. Detached is the one, who can SWITCH ON and OFF from the situations. The one who can differentiate between the problem and the worries. He might had a lot of issues in his life, but he knew he has to deal with it without getting worried about it. He knew people and situations will never be same. He adapted to changes much better and could overcome his emotions with ease.

A loved ones demise, parting of his son/daughter, financial crisis, accidents, ailments or any other situations in which a normal human breaks and wrecks, were all part of his life too. But the way, he attached to the situations and detached from the worries was completely commendable.

I often thought, "Papa ko to koi attachment hi nahi hai" when I was probably not so mature or not so experienced in life. But now I realise, what a blessing it is to know the ART OF DETACHMENT.

And at the other extreme end, is my MOM. There is nothing on earth, that she is not worried about. A distant relatives grand son is scoring less in his CET, she is sad. In his friend circle somebody is fighting, she is worried. Forget about, my kids falling sick or me sounding sad on the phone. Then there would be days of NO FOOD, NO TALKING TO ANYONE or Worst case, next flight to Bangalore. I have stopped telling her my everyday petty issues like most mom- daughters share after marriage for this very reason. I will royally forget about the concern in a day or two. And by then she must have already spoken to 10 people for some solutions. Or went to the extreme corners to get the exact solution. Or if not anything else,wasted few nights of sleep thinking about my nonconsequential matter.

She is the one, who has concerns for everyone she knows. And mind you, genuine concern for each one of them. She can be the 4 am friend to anyone. Whatever she can do, she will do and if not anything else, she can cry with you for sure.

I sometimes wonder, how painful it must be to feel the pain of others all the time. In today's world, when you are soo bogged down with your own worries, how is it that she can embrace everyone and touch their life with such ease??

We celebrated 50 years of their togetherness last June. And I feel so wonderful, how God makes such complimentary pairs. But today, what I wish to explore is a little bit about myself. Who am I?? A blissful DETACHED soul or a lovingly ATTACHED soul?

I think, I am a mix of both. Infact, with years I have adapted the qualities of both.

I can switch on and off in a jiffy with my situations. When I am at work, I am an ambitious corporate professional. And when I am at home, I am a totally homely mother of two kiddos. I never mix my work and home. I have taken important presentations and meetings with my MIL totally unwell, coordinating with doctors on calls at the same time.

I have drove with my daughter fainted in the back seat in Bangalores traffic with tears in my eyes but still detached from the situation.
And on the contrary, I have cried watching a small baby in beggars hand crying for food. I have cried remembering that one restaurant or movie or joke which I shared with that close friend I have not met for decades. I am too emotional about the people I am close to. When a friend or loved one is leaving . I may pretend to be the stronger one. No extra emotions, no OHH HOW WOULD I LIVE WITHOUT YOU. But deep within, I think I am in denial with the situation. I always remember the 3 idiots dialogue. Our heart is like a child, you should always keep on repeating "ALL IZZZ WELL" and your heart agrees to it. And I do the same.
I know its crazy. One day, you have to face it. And you burst out. But its better to burst out in a lonely room than to howl infront of 20 odd people. Plus, after a while you know you will be alright.
I think, each one of us finds our ways of venting out our emotions. And there is no right or wrong way of doing things.  So next time you judge a person by his emotion, like I did for my Dad. Think what you know about the shoe he has been in!

Khushi's dose of the day!! Time managment lessons

Khushi is 5 yrs now and goes to Kathak, drawing and Conversation classes in the evening. Everyday from 5 to 6 pm, she has some or the other class. And considering the BAD BAD world around, I thought it would be a good idea if she can learn some martial arts. So I went to inquire about the Karate classes held in my society. He informed me the classes are from 5 to 6 pm every Tuesday and Wednesday. That means it collides with her schedules of other classes, so I informed her

.Mummy : Khushi, we cannot join Karate class!
Khushi    : Mummy, I want to learn Karate. I want you to buy the dress today itself for Karate class.
Mummy  : Baby, we will buy the dress when you join the class. Not now.
Khushi    : Why cant I join the class now?
Mummy  : Sweetheart, the timings collide with your other classes. Tuesday you go for drawing and Wednesday, Conversation classes. And both are at the same time. So you cannot join this class.
Khushi   : Mummy, I really want to join this
Mummy : Then we will leave the other classes and join this. Is it ok with u?
Khushi   : Mummy, we can join both the classes now itself.
Mummy : HOW?
Khushi   : I will go to drawing class one week on Tuesday and next week I will go to Karate class on Tuesday. Similarly, one week Conversation on Wednesday and other week Karate. This ways I can learn both!
Mummy (stunned and speechless for few minutes) : Khushi, you dont use your little brains soo much!! If you are learning something, you have to learn it whole heartedly. Missing classes and learning too many things at a time will make you " Jack of all and master in none!".

At her age, time management was an alien concept for me. Listening to her time management plans, the mother in me was proud and worried at the same time. Proud, that she knows how to achieve her goals in crisis situations :P. And worried, because I have to be smarter in dealing with this brat who has a logical answer for all her dreamy ideas.

WHY DID UNCLE PUNISH ME?

"NO!!Please don't touch her!", I warned to a gentleman sitting on the next table in a restaurant who was lovingly pulling my 2 year daughter's cheek. We went yesterday night to a restaurant to forget all the trauma we are going through from last few days because of the rape case of a 6 year old girl in the school, by the instructor.
There is something drastically changed in me from last few days. The cool and casual Momma who wanted her girls to live free and be bold in dealing with the world has suddenly changed into an over protective and untrusting mother.
The restroom was 20 ft away from my table, but I refused to let my 5 yr old gurl alone to wash her hands. I stay on the first floor, but I cannot send my daughters in the lobby to play. They are sheilded from plumbers, electricians, drivers, maid servants or anybody entering the house for no good reason I can explain. Not only that, I dont trust neighbours, friends and family with my daughters now. The normal evening walks or cycling fun has become a detailed planned activity with my trusted female staff or myself or husband accompanying at all times.
I had to teach my 5 yr old daughter about good touch and bad touch.  She doesnt even understand what I am telling her, but I had to do that as a mother. She asks me innocent questions as to, should she allow the doctor to touch her chest? My impulsive answer would have been yes!! But the scared mother says, " Only when Mummy or Papa is around!".
If we cannot trust our second parents, our teachers in our second home, our school.  How do I trust a doctor?
I know probably I am overreacting, I know the world is not that bad a place to live. But the mere thought of that little 6 year old gurl makes me pessimistic about the whole world.
I don't want to imagine, what the parents might be going through. I can just not stop imagining her asking to her mother, "WHY DID UNCLE PUNISH ME?"
I have a question for each of you reading me. From Nirbhaya to this 6yr old. We have just talked and protested. When are we going to punish the culprits hard? Every criminal minded person should have a fear of law running down their spine when they even think of this kind of crime. We need to inculcate that fear if we want to stop this. If saving the innocent at any cost is our law, then noone is more innocent that the 6 year old in question. Please save her self respect by punishing the culprits. Publicly hang these criminals and set a precedent. What are we waiting for??

Khushi's dose of the day!! As strong as a cow!

Khushi and Avani were watching their favorite Mickey Mouse clubhouse during their dinner time. The scene showed Clarabelle the cow holding Mickey’s car with one hand while the elephant filled air in the flattened tyre. My maternal instincts immediately itch to associate drinking milk to gaining strength and I interrupt

Mummy  : Khushi, See how strong the COW is. She can pull up the car with one hand! If you also want to become strong, you should drink more milk
Khushi    : Really?
Mummy  : YES!
Khushi    : WOW!! But Mummy, how is it that the COW drinks milk and gives milk?
Mummy  : Errrrrr, it doesn’t drink milk, it gives milk. It eats grass!
Khushi    : (smirking) Mummy, then why to drink milk?

I agree, I behaved like a typical MOM who can give any stupid explanation to her kids for having healthy food or drink milk. But then aren’t they suppose to accept whatever we say? We too accepted the same stories from our parents without any questions.
Next time, when you repeat the good ole tales infront of your kids, think logically if you make sense. Else you will also be embarrassed like me, infront of your tiny tots.

Khushi's dose of the day!! Secret shop of Mommy

Khushi  :  I want to buy a lot of toys!!

Papa     : You do one thing! You open a shop, as you mentioned last time. Then you can earn money and buy as much toys as you want!

Khushi   : No! Why do I need to open another shop? Mumma has already opened a shop.

Papa and Mummy : Which one? When ? Who opened?

Khushi   : Areeyy,, Mummy has already opened a shop for selling baby items na. You remember last week Mummy sold all the baby items

 We laughed our lungs out. Actually, my kids have outgrown many of the baby items like pram, bottle sterilizer, bath seats, walkers etc. So to de-clutter my house, I tried selling them at OLX/QUIKR. And for that I had taken some pictures of it and in the process had to explain as to why I am taking pictures.

So the concept of selling something was associated with opening a shop and hence the brand new dose. 

Avani's first day to play school

2 months of splendid vacation time with hubby and kids has come to an end. Today is a day of mixed feelings for me.
Firstly, our little princess Avani, started her pre-school today. She was super excited to wear her school t-shirt, hang her school bag and show off her ID CARD. Everyone from our house, me, hubby, Khushi went to drop her to the montessari school. She went hand in hand with her society friend Anika who is also going to be in the same class Magnolia. Like all the other parents, I was also a little anxious and nervous about my little doll, but was very relieved when she came smiling outside. She seemed to have a great time playing in her school and as of now, she doesnt seem to be unhappy going to school. Hope this remains.
As a mother, my thoughts were,,,...She has grown so big already and it feels like tomorrow when we brought her home, she weighed 2 kgs then :P. She is starting a new life today, today will mark the beginning of her formal education and will make her the person she is going to be for all her life. We as proud parents, will watch her grow everyday and hoepfully will be able to give her the best of everything that she deserves. Change is the only constant in life, but whatever changes, your talent and education stays with you forever. If I am able to give her a wholesome education which involves formal education, ethics, culture, honesty, innovation, creativity, real meaning of happiness and empathy, then I would feel I have done my part well.
Also there is a great inspiration and influence for Avani at home in the form of her elder sister, Khushi. A very sensitive, caring and loving child. She has been like her best friend for her in the last 2 years. They have grown, laughed and fought together. Having the company of each other, they hardly missed anybody else in their life. Now, Avani is going to be introduced to new friends, new people in school. Her horizons are going to expand. My caterpillar is going to get wings soon and I pray that the butterfly which comes out is more colourful, more adorable than the prior. God bless her always!!

Secondly, I have joined back work after a break of one month. It was the best time I have spent at home after almost 8 years of work life. Visiting few of the most beautiful places of the world. Travelling like a pro. Then just being at home with kids.Spending maximum quality time with kids. Best time not only for them, but for me as well. No todo list, no schedules, no meetings, no running behind the clock, catching up with so many close buddies, doing creative things with the kids, cooking, taking kids out for movies, for theater, for activity centers, chatting with frds for long, decluttering house, cleaning up, finishing the long pending personal agendas, and so many more things!! Ofcourse, the list is not even close to finishing, but its still a good feeling to do so many pending things which never comes on the priority list owing to your other committments at work.
And now after one month, I am rejuvenated. I want to go back to work. I want to get back to routine. I want to work better. I want to get out in that corporate world and use my talent. Breaks, always motivate you to push yourself a little more and to achieve new heights in life. I think I am feeling just that. I have kids running at the back of my mind, but at the same time, I am loving the feeling of getting back to work.
Hope the enthusiasm stays and kids also adjust themselves to me not being at home all the time. #LifeGoesOn

Lotus flowers with Pistachio shells

Easy steps to make use of all the pistachio shells you have collected all these days
1. Clean pistachio shells and color them with bright colors. Let them dry. Color one shell at a time for a neat work.
2. Take an old CD/DVD and stick some play dough on it with fevicol.
3. Start placing colored pistachio shells on playdough in concentric circles. Start from the center of the CD. Apply fevicol in every shell and give the shape of a flower.
4. Once the whole CD is covered by petals made by shells, let the fevicol dry for 10 minutes
5. Take golden color or any lighter color to shade the petals. Take dry brush, dip in gold color and stroke it on the top edges for shading effect.
6. Lotus flowers are ready. You can float it in water or use it as decorative pieces in any fancy packing.

My little first gift

When you come across somethings in life,it brings back a huge tsunami of old memories. Its been more than 5 years that I have shopped for these booties, but even today when I see them I relive that moment. This was my first purchase for my unborn baby. My first motherhood experience.
I had stopped myself of buying anything from the wonderful world of baby items for three long months. Its considered to be a taboo to buy anything for the baby before you complete three months of pregnancy. So everytime I went shopping I would just want to buy everything and not buy anything for those three months.
And the day I completed 3 months, we went shopping. The moment I enterer MOTHERCARE, I realised why it is called so. But since I had to refrain to only one baby item, I wanted something special.
The moment I saw these booties, I thought of the little feet, pink and soft which are going to be stepping in my life soon. I felt the little hands which are going to be holding my hands forever. I couldn't have got a better thing as my FIRST gift to the would be mother.
And in all these beautiful memories, I suddenly remembered that it has been more than 5 years that I have bought these. I plan to frame them and keep the moment alive forever! I know when my kids grow up, they will find this insane. A scrapbook full of their FIRSTS,their favorite toys, their hand prints and footprints, their ANNAPRASHAN dresses, their videos and so many other things which would have been easily demarcated as junk if it wasn't for my memories.
Loving the free time I am getting to stop and recollect the old memories and build a few more!!

Khushi's dose of the day!! Entrepreneurial instincts!

It’s very interesting to be part of the process of growing up of your children. It amuses me to see how their perception, their understanding, their ability to think and analyze, changes from age to age. I am not too much in favor of introducing money and economics to the kids at an early age; So against pocket money for children before the age of 10 years. But things have changed; Kids have become too demanding and greedy for their age. The more they are exposed to new things, the lesser they have started appreciating things they get. So in the process of learning the art of parenthood, I started introducing Khushi with the concept of paying money to buy anything from the shop. It’s an experiment to introduce her to the fact that THERE ARE NO FREE LUNCHES. 

One fine evening, sitting on her Papa's lap, she conversed

Khushi        : Papa, when we go to Disneyland, I want to buy Cinderella bottle, Mickey mouse       

                      compass box, Mermaid hat and Dumbo T-shirt.

Papa           : You cannot get so many gifts, you need to choose any one thing and I will buy that 

                       for you

Khushi        : Why Papa? I want them all

Papa           : No, don’t be greedy. We will buy one gift for everyone in the family

Khushi         : Papa, you do one thing.

Papa           : What?

Khushi        : You open one shop. Then we will get a lot of money. We will sell things and 

                      become RICH!

Papa, Mummy shocked!! RICH? SHOP? I am not sure if the BANIYA BLOOD in her has to do anything with her concepts about shop and money. But I am sure that she thinks that we don’t buy her everything she demands, because we cannot afford it.

I would have laughed out the conversation and explained her that everything we can afford need not be bought for her. But I wanted to encourage her ENTREPRENEURIAL instincts and make her think more on her novel project of becoming rich, so I interrupted...

Mummy      : Wow, Khushi. That's a great idea!

Khushi        : (Shy and embarrased) YES!

Mummy       : But what will you sell?

Khushi        : We can sell all those things. Things we get in market!

Mummy      : Ok. And how do you think you will get those things? Don’t you think you need to buy 

                      them from someone else?

Khushi        : Ohh, is it? Then plan cancelled! All our money will be lost in buying it, so let’s not 

                      open a shop! We will think of some other idea. I am too small for opening a shop 

                     anyways.

We couldn’t stop laughing at the small but brilliant theory of our 5 year old girl. I wish I had used so much brain in understanding the entrepreneurial blood in me. Then I would have not been confined to my 9-5 job.

Look at the current generation; They don’t need to be doctors and engineers to earn their livelihood. Exciting professions like Radio jockeys, Scuba divers, Activists, Volunteering teachers, Stylists, Image consultants, Freelancers, Bloggers, Writers and so many others were not even known to us. They live their lives on their own terms; They live a FREE LIFE in true sense!

Avani's dose of the day!! Complex yet simple!

Me and Avani were travelling in the car to Khushi's school for paying her fees. I thought of taking along Avani, to spend some time with her in the car. On our way to the school, Avani pointed out
Avani      : Mumma, A B C D!
Mummy  : Where is it?
Avani      : Peeche chala gaya!!
I thought she might have read it on some pre-school boards, so ignored it. Again she pointed
Avani      : Mummy, why is A B C D written everywhere? Saab jagaha A B C D kyun likha hai un logo ne?
Mummy  : Kaha hai?
Avani      : Woh dekho, waha board par

Then I realized, she is pointing to the usual name boards of buildings and shops where the shop names and other details were written. As adults, we forget that the names and words are made of basic blocks of A B C D. And what according to us are meaningful names, are from a 2 year olds perspective, mere A B C D. Simple things in life are always overseen by our adult/complex minds.
Life is so simple and beautiful from a child's perspective indeed!

Family vacation at Mahaballipuram

We all were pretty excited for our Mahaballipuram trip with our extended family. Khushi and Avani were all set to play with the sand toys which their BADE PAPA had bought them especially for this trip. And more than the toys, spending two complete days with their beloved ARYA BHAIYA is something they were totally high about.

Usually, I do a little bit of research about the place and also browse through some pictures when we go on a holiday. But this time I had the pleasure of being on the back seat and enjoy the trip. I wasn’t organizing anything for once, and that’s the reason it was a surprise trip for me.

The journey from Bangalore to Mahaballipuram was a cake walk with the excitement buzzing among the kids in the car. Music, games and gup-shup made the 6 hours seem like a flash. As expected the mercury rose high as we approached Mahaballipuram and we all wanted to jump into the pool as soon as we reached.

Around 1 pm when we reached the resort, the miniature imitation of the "ARJUNA PENANCE" welcomed us. It looked beautiful but the scorching heat didn’t allow me to admire it much. We parked the car and headed towards the reception. The reception area was quite nice with wooden interiors and some comfy sofas laid around. We were greeted with a welcome drink and few smiling faces at the lobby.

The first look of the Grande Bay Resort and Spa with a huge swimming pool with perfectly lined coconut trees and white low height rooms, with overlooking aquamarine Blue Ocean was breathtaking. I forgot that we have travelled for 6 hours. I stopped at the balcony to feel the cool breeze and the lovely view in front of me. I was mesmerized by the combination of colors. I was wondering, how God does such an impeccable job each time with colors? The sea blue exactly matched with sky blue and then the sap green, the bottle green and parrot green. It was, the perfect combination of colors any painter can paint with.

I was interrupted by my little one shaking me "Mumma,Chalo,Room mein Challoo!!".Our rooms were kept ready so we walked down to our rooms. I noticed the low rise architecture of the rooms. The white color gave it a Mediterranean feel and the French windows looked very classy to say the least. The well mowed grass on the sides and the coconut trees around the swimming pool enhanced the beauty of the place.

Few foreigners were sun bathing on the beach chairs around the pool and there were some interesting round couches kept here and there. The round couches had foldable cloth roof which gave the couches the shape of a cocoon. I also noticed some colorful tiles amidst the blue ones in the swimming pool. Later in the night when the water in the pool was calm, I realized those colorful tiles were arranged in the shape of a peacock feather. There were three huge peacock feathers designed at the bottom of the pool and they looked extremely splendid in the dim lights inside the pool.

We had three double rooms booked for us and our rooms were all on the first floor overlooking the swimming pool at one side and the beach on the other. The balconies were equipped with two cozy chairs and puffs. The room was huge, almost like a double room. And had beautiful interiors with red, grey and white upholstery and wall paper. They had a coffee maker, mini fridge and a 38 “TV with a full range of TATA SKY channels (A must to mention for the guys, who cannot afford to miss their CRICKET MATCHES for any vacation whatsoever :P).

The bathroom was aesthetically designed with a very effective and luxurious shower in a shower cubicle. Clean white linens, sweet smelling shampoos and bath gels, etc. Everything was done very tastefully. The only drawback of the room I felt was the separate single beds, they were separated by a fixed center table. You would surely want to enjoy the king size double bed all for yourself on a holiday :P

The best part for me personally is always the balcony. I love to spend my evenings and early mornings sitting on a lazy chair in the balcony and enjoy the birds, trees, sunset, sunrise and the cold breeze. It’s the perfect time to be with yourself, no hurry, no to-do lists, and no kids’ yelling-pulling, you are at peace with the environment and yourself.

So, coming back to our vacation. We all settled down in our rooms and headed for lunch in LATITUDE 49. The resort’s only multi-cuisine restaurant. They served buffet and Ala Carte both. We were pleasantly surprised with the taste of all the three cuisines we tried. North Indian, Chinese and Italian dishes were made with quite perfection and except a few Chinese dishes which had excess black pepper (especially the hot and sour soup) everything else was delicious. More than that, the staff was very courteous. We had small fussy eaters with us, who insisted on pasta and noodles at odd hours. We were offered a set menu as part of the buffet one evening, and we did not like the menu (mostly non-vegetarian). So they were very accommodative and offered us few more additional dishes apart from the set menu. The breakfast spread was amazing with South Indian, continental, European dishes in it. Hot dosas, customized omelets, freshly made masala tea and the very delicious chocolate mango Sandesh, made the overall dining experience worth every penny. We ended up having all our 5 meals in LATITUDE 49 instead of our original plans of trying out other resorts and restaurants in and around Mahaballipuram.

After a hearty meal, it was time to doze off till the scorching sun makes it bearable for us to step out on the beach. We unpacked, slept for a bit and then it was time for us to soak ourselves in the sun and sand of the awesome Mahaballipuram beach. From a distance, Mahaballipuram beach reminded me of the Mauritius beaches. Aquamarine blue water, with lovely shimmer on the waves. Unlike our Mumbai beaches, the sea shore was spotless. No broken liquor bottles, no plastic bags, bits of paper or any other garbage. It was a treat to walk on the wet sand. The waves were also perfect. Inviting and white as milk.

I have been always very fond of beaches. Love the water and the grandeur and playfulness of the waves. I can spend hours together watching the waves and starring at the horizons. I have some strange connection with the waves. They calm me, rejuvenate me, excite me, and invite me, all at the same time. And the splash of water on me feels like a baby cuddling her mother. It is this strong bond of me with the ocean that has transcended to my kids. Both my kids love water, beaches excite them a lot.

So after a perfect beach bath we transferred ourselves to the resort swimming pool. The pool water temperature was brilliant. It was better than the hot water pool in Bangalore. That’s what I love about beach vacations. The temperature of water is very soothing whether its beach or pool. We swam for almost 2 hours and we literally had to drag the kids out of the pool after 2 hours. Khushi (5 yrs) was always a water baby and with her tube now she doesn’t need to be monitored in the pool. But the little bomb at my house Avani (2 yrs) refused to consider tube as an option. She insisted that she is born with swimming talent and can be good without the tube and insisted that she should be considered to be eligible for the adult swimming pool straight away. So with a lot of drama we finished our swimming session that day.

After that, we had a short session of cards with the family and then headed for dinner.

After dinner, while others slept, I enjoyed watching the serene pool and cold breeze from the balcony. I also loved listening to the agitated waves from the beach. They had their own music to share. I wanted to be there whole night listening to the waves and enjoying the open sky, but I had plans of a beach walk at sunrisewith my co-sister. So thought it would be a good idea to sleep for some time.

 Had a horrible night with Avani getting temperature. Continuously was checking with her temperature and making sure it doesn’t shoot up. I always remember one line told by a nice man "Kids are wonderful, they give you happiness. But with happiness they also give you a lot of pain. It’s never easy to bring up kids without feeling helpless, frustrated, tired and scared!". Every time my kids are not well, my whole energy goes for a toss. I feel miserable and I feel helpless and not in control of myself. But every dark night has a new dawn. So I pulled my socks and got ready for my beach walk before time. I didn’t want to miss the sunrise on such a beautiful beach.

 Finally, we managed to reach the beach before dawn. The sky was amazing. With all shades of yellow and orange it looked like a perfect painting. It’s amazing how sunrise and sunset can reproduce the exact same colors on the horizon. It’s an amazing feeling to look straight into the eyes of that divine light and absorb all the positivity, energy and strength from it. The waves once again invited me towards them and in spite of no intentions of being wet, I was in the water. Sun rays beautifully reflecting from the clouds and bringing a lovely shimmer on the water was an awesome scene to start the day with. We walked on the wet sand for almost an hour, listening to the mesmerizing songs amidst the sound of waves.

There were a few local people fishing on the coast and the smell of fish was quite unbearable for us to explore the whole stretch. It’s quite pitiful how we spoil our environment with our mess. The same beach which looked spotless was littered, with every possible garbage by the people visiting it the other day. India should ban eatables and plastics completely on our beaches soon, else in no time all our beaches will look like Juhu beach, full of garbage!

 Then it was time to return to our resort.

We went back to the resort. All the others jumped into the pool but I decided to sleep for a while. Later I thought, after a full sleepless night, it was a good idea to take rest for an hour. I felt better and energetic for the rest of the day.

We had our breakfast and went for sightseeing in the city. There are a few historical places and temples which are the major tourist attractions in the city. Arjuna penance/Descemt of the Ganges, Shore temple, Pancha Rathas and some caves. The Panch Rathas are under the auspices of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site inscribed by UNESCO as Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram. It is carved from single stone and has a lot of interesting history attached to it. Though I like all the old tales attached to historical places, the hot sun and sweat made it impossible for us to appreciate the beauty and history of the place. We skipped the SHORE temple and decided to cover it next time we come to this place.

Once we reached the resort, we all had a very fun filled family time. Music, cards, kids drawing, playing, pulling each other. We also bullied our nephew Rahul to dance on BADTAMEEZ Dil. I don’t think he will ever forget the dance in his life, if he forgets, we have a video to share with him and remind him of the torture he went through. All thanks to my darling hubby for bullying the poor guy to move him from his comfortable position. But anyways, these are the memories which we will cherish forever. So after a lovely afternoon with our cousins and a hearty lunch, we waited for the clock to tick 4.30 pm. Jumped into the pool and enjoyed a refreshing swim.For memory sake, we clicked a lot of pictures in the pool.

The evening was wonderful but with Avani not well, I didn’t want to leave her. So I decided to sit in the balcony with her in laps and spend some quality time with her. I call her the KANGAROO baby, she loves to cling to me all the time and my touch soothes her. So I spent an hour just with my little baby, talking and loving her. That 1 hour was the best time I have spent with her in these last 2 years. You never know when and where you create unforgettable moments in life. It was only Avani and me, heart to heart, sharing the mother daughter bond. I feel, it’s always unfair with the second kid. You do not realize, when time flies and when they grow up. I am happy I captured that lovely evening with her that day.

 Then it was dinner time and we had planned a birthday surprise for Khushi. Khushi's BADE PAPA had specially brought a customized Eggless pineapple DORA cake for her from Chennai the night before. We had arranged a roof top cake cutting surprise for Khushi on the restaurant terrace. With balloons and candle light the place looked very festive. After confirming all the arrangements, we called our princess for her surprise. When she saw the cake and everybody starring at her, she was embarrassed. She didn’t know how to react but the twinkle in her eye suggested, she loved it. She was unable to express her joy and had her first happy/excited/nervous/embarrassed/awkward moment of her life. The cake was scrumptious and ordered with a lot of love by her BADI Ma. We all relished the cake and had our dinner.

 It was the last night of our vacation. The golden memories are engraved in our heart and minds forever. We had enjoyed every moment of our family vacation and would look forward for many more fun filled vacations in future. The resort, the food, the location, the company, the moment all were perfect. Kudos to the good times with family at Mahaballipuram!!