Chupke Chupke...Shhhh..

We all need a break from our daily routines. With a family of people aging between 3 to 75, it becomes very tough to plan a vacation suiting everyone's interests and ability to walk or sit long distances. This time, we planned a trip to Coimbatore. An overnight train from Bangalore is just perfect for all of us. Ola was our savior to reach the station as well as our destination from the CBE station. Even within the city, we were able to roam around freely without putting the burden on our hosts. Our hosts are staying in a retirement home. Note that it is not called an old age home anymore. The sad, sympathetic emotion that comes when you see old age home is not there anymore. This, to me, appears to be the perfect place to retire and stay. All you need is a steady supply of money for rent. Food, cleaning and everything else is taken care of. A well-maintained place with courteous staff - What more would one need at that age? Our hosts looked content and had a healthy breakfast, ...

My husband has started going for morning walks for the past couple of weeks. I must admit I am too lazy to get into the habit. Today he made sure our son and I joined him. I was preoccupied with getting back home soon enough to have a bath and start cooking lunch. My husband, on the other hand, walks with my son as if there is no hurry in life. He shows him the birds perched on the tree, the honeybees buzzing around flowers, white cranes in the lake water, coconut trees, and every small detail. I stand beside him admiring how he manages to have so much patience to enjoy nature while I am always looking at my watch, calculating the speed at which I need to finish cooking all dishes. My son may not remember all this when he grows up, but this was a lesson for me. I need to stop and look around. I should start enjoying small moments when I am out with my son. I am always in a hurry to proceed to the next task and I don't sometimes realize there are smaller, more wonderful moments t...

As kids, we were always fascinated by Circus.We would be thrilled to get a chance to watch one. I think my parents took us to one, though I do not remember it at all. So my first known memory of a circus was with my husband and in-laws in Bangalore. I was thrilled and enjoyed the show. I was awed by the strength, determination, practice and precision with which everyone performed their acts. It made me wonder if this art is dying. They do not have enough to keep them going on. For their talent, they are probably not paid enough. They do 3 shows in a day, repeat the same performance over and over again. Some girls perform some dancing gig while talking to each other. Maybe that is how they keep away from the boredom of repetition. Fast-forward to 5 years later, the same Jumbo circus. First circus experience for my 3-year-old. He was scared, excited, fascinated and enthusiastic at the same time. He managed to sit through for 2 hours. Well, no, actually we managed to keep him in for 2 ...