The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi

After reading “Chanakya’s Chant” by Ashiwn Sanghi earlier, I was quite looking forward to his new book “The Krishna Key”. To add to that, the video ad of the book made me all the more excited about it. So, was it a delight or a dud for me? Actually neither! At times, the book was too gripping whereas at others I lost interest due to too many details. When I say ‘too many’, it was actually ‘too many’. But I have to give credit to the author for the kind of research he has done to write this book. Absolutely brilliant! It’s simply amazing and praiseworthy to note that in this age of shortcuts or quick-lits, someone has actually put in this kind of effort to write a book like this. Kudos to Mr. Sanghi for the same!

Now coming down to the book, its yet another intriguing thriller fiction that interweaves mythology and reality. Five thousand years ago, there came to earth a magical being called Krishna, who brought about innumerable miracles for the good of mankind. Humanity despaired of its fate if the Blue God were to die but was reassured that he would return in a fresh avatar when needed in the eventual Dark Age, the Kaliyug. In modern times, a poor little rich boy grows up believing that he is that final avatar. Only, he is a serial killer. In this heart-stopping tale, the arrival of a murderer who executes his gruesome and brilliantly thought-out schemes in the name of God is the first clue to a sinister conspiracy to expose an ancient secret, Krishna’s priceless legacy to mankind. 'The Krishna Key' tries to provide a logical alternative explanation of the Vedic Age that could be relished by conspiracy buffs and thriller addicts alike.

Well-researched, Fascinating but Overloaded! These are the three words that come to my mind if I have to describe this book crisply. The start of the book was quite good; first day when I had picked it up, it seemed to be one of those unputdownable ones. But as the story unfolds, it isn’t. If the blogosphere said that it’s like an Indian Da Vinci Code, it actually is! And I didn’t mind reading one, as personally speaking I have come across very few Indian fiction that has presented thriller in a captivating way. This book definitely manages to do that to an extent. Except that I feel that at places, over stretching could have been avoided to keep the interest intact. If you try to relate to fact with fiction, or go into the mode of relating current with history then trust me it will leave you super confused. So, just read it as it is. Language was good and flow smooth but the length of the book with 464 pages of storytelling was something that I think could have been definitely relooked at. 

Overall a good read but start reading it with moderate expectations. If you get into comparative mode with the author’s first two books, then you might have higher expectations leading to disappointment. If not for anything else, read it for the kind of information that this books provides on mythology and history.

So, have you read this book? What has been your view on it? Do share the same in the comments section.

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Wordless Wednesday: Godhuli

Godhuli bela! 
Remembering that tranquil evening spent by the beach in Goa last month...

“366 words” series by FUNOKPLEASE

Few days back I had written about Toto Series by this new age Indian publisher FunOkPlease. I got to read yet another gem by them – “366 words in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi & Kolkata” and once again I am compelled to write my feedback about them. These guys definitely deserve a big shout out for their effort! Absolutely laudable and worth a mention! Undoubtedly their content is different and when I say different it’s actually different. Practical, innovative and engaging to the core! I can’t tell you how impressed I’m by this 366 words series.

 ‘366 words’ showcases the vibrant cities of Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi & Kolkata to its readers in a very creative and interesting way. Each book revolves around one city and presents the history, culture, food, festivals and important landmarks through beautiful illustrations. This book is meant for kids of any age group. For younger kids (< 5 years), it can be used as picture talk book to learn one new word each day. For bit older kids (6-8 years), it can be used to help them learn and identify places and interesting facts about their city. For older kids (> 8 years), it can be used as an informative and comprehensive guide of their city and surroundings.

Loaded with information, presented in style, these books have enough activities to keep your little ones engaged - be it the ones like 'find-the-objects-in-each-picture' or 'identify-the-images' at the end of  books, each page has been designed keeping kids of different age groups in mind.

A sample page from "366 words in Bengaluru"

Though the book does not mention it but I must say that this book is not only meant for kids rather even grown ups can benefit from it easily. The first two pages on history and background of city are so informative. Things like “how did Bengaluru get its name” or “how payasa combines all flavors of life in one single recipe” from ‘366 words in Bengaluru’ are some of the knowledge nuggets which I definitely loved to read.

In nutshell, this series is a must if you’re looking to enrich your kid’s knowledge about your city. In fact as per me, it would be interesting if schools in their curriculums can include such books. I read all four in their series and I think I can safely say that I have not come across any similar Indian book that presents such important insights in such a fun way. Loved it and strongly recommend it to parents in my network. It’s one of those must-have books for your junior’s library.

Do check out more about their new collection here.

Wordless Wednesday

Oh yes I'm back to cooking, something which I really-really enjoy doing :-). Cooking was one of those few activities that I really missed during pregnancy, oh god I just couldn't stand the smell of many food items then. Speak of pregnancy food aversion syndrome and my brutally shattered dream of 'hogging-on-chocolates-till-I-die' :-(.

But even though I'm back, it's mainly low calorie or baked/grilled stuff on my cooking menu these days (sigh the post pregnancy weight :-( ). This wordless wednesday consists of snapshots of food out of my oven last week. Ok, I know Nutella Swiss Roll does not qualify to be low calorie from any angle but if I just took half a bite then it would be, right? Gawd, I can't believe my sincerity! I baked something with Nutella and still took just a bite, good gal I'm, ain't it :-)?

Kho na jaye ye

“Kho na jaye ye, tare zameen per…”, these words are buzzing again in my mind since yesterday. Ok, first a confession – when I had watched this movie in 2007, I actually was all teary eyed for most part of the movie. Having lived in hostels since childhood, the song “par andhere se main darta hoon maa” had moved me in a way that can’t be expressed in words. By the end of the movie it was quite an embarrassing situation to face my husband and friends with swollen red eyes and wet cheeks. Like many others I too had loved, loouuuueeed the movie then. By chance I happened to watch it again yesterday. And to say that I “cried” again while watching it would be such an understatement! Not only did I cry, I actually cried buckets or rather tanks or maybe pools… errr let’s leave it at that. Well, this time I was not just with welled up eyes rather it was what you can call as flooded eyes. Difference between then and now? Well, last time I just watched it as a regular viewer but this time I watched it as a Mom. And trust me it had a different impact all together! 

Oh the character of Ishaan and scenes like the last ones where early morning he gets ready on his own… all these suddenly had a perspective of “what if our little one had to face this or what if our little one had to do that”. Surprising part was that it was not only me who was so emotional about it but even the husband dear who otherwise makes fun of anybody who cries reading a fiction or watching a movie was himself silent and wet eyed. Sigh we have indeed become parents I think, we now get sentimental about anything and everything around us 

But the movie also made me rethink about many things related to child upbringing yet again. Imagine a special talent like Ishaan getting lost in this world if he would not have met a teacher like Nikumbh and let’s face it, in reality there are actually very few Nikumbhs existing in our society. Imagine the bullying which a child like him has to face just because he’s not good at maths or science. Imagine the kind of pressure, which a child like him has to bear to fulfill his parents’ expectations that have been set for him without evaluating what he is good at or what does he like to do. And from where do such expectations come from? From parents’ own dreams or through their aspirations for their child? Nah, in most of the cases it comes from comparisons! Comparison with siblings, cousins, friends / acquaintances / society / colleagues’ kids, classmates and many more! And when does this comparison start? When your child starts going to school or starts moving out socially? Again a nah! To be honest, these days such comparisons start even before the little soul has arrived in this world. Yes right, it does start from womb! Seven months into motherhood and I think I can state this fact with full conviction.

I can see it, feel it and experience it all around me. You go to park or any social circle and there are moms discussing what their kids can do. There is a serious comparative analysis that exists for kids of any age including toddlers and babies. Oh your baby doesn’t eat this but my baby does and you know this particular food boosts brain development by X %. Oh your baby has not started talking yet but mine toh started babbling at the age of Y months only, you know in preschools they check how good your baby is at speech or expression. Haven’t you introduced him to this series of videos, arrey they’re must for cognitive learning or mind training? From first tooth to width of smile to duration of sitting straight to number of steps in first walk to what he eats to how much she talks, there is this unsaid competition amongst most of the parents for almost everything – how come my baby didn’t do it first? It starts from there and then slowly moves on to Mathematics scores, sports activities, board exam results, engineering, medical, foreign degrees, so on & so forth. The ‘other’ child is always doing better and hence you’re supposed to do and follow what son or daughter of X, Y, Z is doing. In some cases it works but in most cases as per me such comparisons or expectations only lead to a burdened childhood and un-nurtured dreams. 

Being a mother I have just these simple wishes for myself now – may I never get affected by what others’ children are doing; may I always have the sensibility to understand and appreciate the uniqueness of my child; whatever my child’s potential be, may I always be successful in making him realize that he is indeed the most special gift god could have ever given us! Yes he is and I know almost every parent feel the same, it’s just that some have to be reminded back at certain stages of life. 

Phew a long emotional rant after long but didn’t I tell ya earlier that parenthood makes your emotional glands hyperactive ;-)

Fun Ok Please: Something interesting for your little ones

I had mentioned it in one of my earlier posts about an Indian kids content website where I had landed up just by chance. After browsing through few pages, I decided to give their iPad app a try and man did I like it? Oh yes, a lot! Loved the freshness of the content so much that ordered some of their books as well and I wasn’t disappointed at all. Content was indeed interesting with appealing illustrations.

I’m speaking of “Fun OK Please”, a new age children’s book publishers based out of Mumbai. They focus on contemporary Indian content for children in the age group of 3-10 years and offer stories set in modern context. Relatable characters, practical messages and their made for India philosophy are some of their key differentiators which attracted a mom like me to check out their whole collection for my little one. I read four books from their 'Toto and Pattu' series and absolutely loved it. 

Toto’s stories are all about adventure and having fun while also solving problems and helping others. Toto is a lovable, cheeky little autorickshaw who lives in Mumbai with his driver Pattu. Toto, by character is brave, kind and a do-gooder. He loves to help others and make new friends. Involving people, animals, vehicles and objects, Toto’s stories aim at building character and developing positive self esteem in children.

What I loved about this series:

• Unlike the typical bedtime stories or fairytales, Toto stories are set in real cities with a backdrop of our day-to-day lives.
• Messages are practical and pertinent to current generation kids. Morals taught are not preachy but realistic with an added punch of fun.
• Problems addressed are more of what kids face in their regular lives like hazards of watching TV continuously or repercussion of feelings like jealousy and insecurity amongst friends.
• Presentation is interesting with rich visuals that will appeal to younger kids for sure.
• Each book comes with an activity section at the end making the books more engaging and fun for kids.

In nutshell, Toto series is all about being “practical yet fun” and “interesting yet informative” at the same time. It’s something that I surely look forward to offering it to my little one when he grows up. As of now also, he loves listening to the Toto song on iPad app. So, all you parents looking out for some good Indian kiddie content, do check out this collection by Fun Ok Please. Two of my friends have already bought the series and their kids loved it! 

You can check more about them at their site or on their Facebook page.

B’day and Cocktail

A big thanks to all my blogger friends who remembered to wish me last week. It's surprising, how we started to interact with each other in virtual world but now some of us are such good friends in real world too.

This b’day was indeed very special to me. After all, it was my first b’day as "Mumma" and that's what my b'day cake read :-). Though the little one is too young to wish me in words but his cute little activities whole day were sufficient enough to make me feel special and happy about the day. And the funniest part of the day has to be the way I got my first “Happy B'day Mom” card. It was not given by him rather snatched from him and that too with full force! After the cake was cut, N gave a card to the little one asking him to give it to me. Card was quite colorful and the moment he got this vibrant piece in his hands, he crushed it and put it in his mouth within seconds. Yes he has got something for papers, whenever he spots one, even the tinniest of pieces, he pounces on it with devilish gleam in his eyes and immediately stuffs it in his mouth.  The card also met the same fate. After some good amount of struggle we finally took it out of his mouth and hand. So, the card was literally snatched by me and it came to me all wet and crumbled and torn…ha ha ha, quite a b’day wish it was, sort of self claimed and forced.

As part of b’day celebration, I finally got to watch a movie. Oh yay, after more than five months I visited a multiplex. Now those who know me or have been reading me for long know my love for movies. From five movies a month, now my movie watching stats has reduced to a movie after five months. And I thought I would love any movie when I’m getting to watch one after these many days. But how wrong I was! Cocktail was quite a mediocre rather a disaster so to say. Still wondering what exactly they were trying to show esp. when you know that the movie has been made by someone like Homi Adjania of 'Being Cyrus' fame. So, what did one get out of this movie?

• That men like to have all the fun with the hot chick and then make the seedhi-sadhi, puja-path wali as their final pick!

That there are still some men in this world who use one-liners (that too such cheesy ones) to hit on women.

That you go to whichever part of the globe but if you are an Indian woman, you will be only considered a marriage material if you wear salwar kameez and do stuffs like laundry, cooking etc.

That… well this list can go on and on and on…

And how much so ever hard Saif tries he still can’t justify this ‘cool dude with all hot women in my pocket’ kinda look anymore. Even if you decide to ignore those wrinkles and horrible dialogue delivery, still he cannot and should not do such roles that advertise his age so loudly and desperately. Ufff overall an absolutely pathetic movie which I could have easily ignored! Not even worth watching on television I think.  

Did you watch this movie and how has been your reaction to it? 

Chalo time to log off for now, will be back with my next post soon.

My Guest Post on "India Inspired Designs"

Hello people, what's up? Hope you all had a good weekend. This week offered its own excitement and challenges to me. Excitement as little one is six month old now, that means we also started with some solids apart from milk and challenging as never ever I imagined that introducing new food to baby was going to be this tough a task! I mean really I don't have words to describe the effort and patience required for this. 

A detailed post will surely come up on this :-), for now please check out my new guest post titled "Indian Inspired Designs" on Curating Fashion blog. Curating Fashion is an online journal for the Design Museum London website. For more information, you can check out their blog here.

Bbye for now, will be back with my next post soon.

MoMusings: 1

Remember the mayhem that happened when your baby fell sick for the first time? Yes, yes exactly that! So, it was quite a chaos at our place for last few days. Thankfully nothing to be worried about, just the general cold and fever but then I’m using this term “just the general” only when he is fine now. Ask us until few days back and it definitely seemed to be a big, like really BIG deal! 

And surprisingly more than me, it was the daddy dearest who was hyper concerned for junior. I have never seen him like this before; the man who always sounded super cool about any cuts, fever, cold etc was day in, day out fussing over the baby with such a worried expression that he had to be reminded that it was just a regular flu and nothing else. Like all human beings, even our little one would fall sick and there had to be a first time for it! Phew, speak of the changes in men once they become daddy! OK, I’m unnecessarily trying to act cool, frankly speaking even I was anxious like hell and kept on wondering what to do to calm him down. First two nights I just couldn’t sleep even for a moment and kept on looking at the restless little one beside me. It was so miserable to see our cheerful, super active darling lying dull and crying inconsolably. Don’t remember when was the last time I would have been so worried for something as minor as cold, but then I guess that’s what parenthood does to you. This also made me think about the number of sleepless nights my mom would have spent while raising up three of us. You know we all hear it so many times that we understand our parents better when we ourselves become parents, trust me this statement is cent per cent true and you need to experience it to understand what I mean by this. You indeed get a whole new perspective towards yours and spouse’s parents altogether once you enter this phase of life. Ain’t it? 

Ok enough of Mommy Musings rather MoMusings for now, shall be back with another post pretty soon. I have come to know of this kiddie book publisher who have got some real cool kids’ content. They definitely deserve a mention and review on my blog and I’m so looking forward to finish their series soon.

Of Ms Pandey & Ms Banerjee

Thought to be on twitter for sometime and get updated with whats and hows of today but duh, whatay timeline. Full of negativity & cynicism! In fact every second tweet right now is about IPL5 & KKR tamasha. Now before I proceed further, let me tell you clearly that neither I’m IPL crazy nor SRK fanatic (oh yes, like most gals of my age group even I was crazy for him during my teenage days but then maturity prevailed; sigh, gone are those days of being lost into mush movies of Rahuls & Rajs). To be honest, I didn’t watch even one single IPL match this year; twitter micro updates on wins and losses were enough to bear. But this frenzy after the KKR win is now getting too much to handle. And surprisingly none of the hungama is actually on the final match or the players or the captain, it’s on… well let’s have a look at some of these:

• Not the win of the team but the apology of Mr. Khan.
• Not the genuine excitement of many others but the not so excited ‘I’m excited’ statement of Ms Khan – man, people had some real fun stuffs on this one.
• Ms Banerjee and her hyper exhilaration and her celebrations and her gifts and her … well, lets leave it at this!
• Match fixing sagas which till evening of the finals were being predicted for CSK but immediately after the win, got very conveniently pushed to KKR.

And not to forget:

• Ms Pandey! For past three days,  a certain Ms Pandey has been sitting tight on the trending topics list. Not only that, on the night of win it was not Gautam Gambhir but this Ms Pandey (I refuse to write her full name and add yet another page to her credit in searches) who was actually trending worldwide. For what – for her ‘dare to bare’ act, the correlation of which with cricket only a brain of hers can rationalize!

Lessons learnt– Ms Pandey needs to be officially included as case study in all marketing courses; gawddd she indeed knows the art of publicity! And when it comes to appreciation, we the human beings are masters of cynicism. You do whatever, there is always a larger set ready to criticize you and your acts. Com’on for once speak about the game or the players but nope, how could we? Aren’t we just too busy with Ms Pandeys and Ms Banerjees to focus on anything else?

The Jungle Book by Campfire

Most of us would have read / watched “The Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling at some point of our lives, then why did I pick this book again? No, no my little one is too young for story book reading as of now, its my own love for graphic novels and comic books which makes me pick up these even if the story is read earlier in text books or elsewhere. So, when Campfire sent a mail for reviewing their new titles, I immediately picked up few for review and one of those was “The Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling. Having read their books earlier, I was sure that their presentation would definitely have something new to offer. And man, wasn’t I right! It’s yet another beautiful visual treat by the Campfire team. Loved it, absolutely loved it!

The plot remains same – It’s about the adventurous journey of a little boy Mowgli who escapes certain doom at the hands of the tiger Shere Khan and lands up in a jungle amongst the wolf pack. With time he grows up in jungle and is taught the ways of living a jungle life. Though as he grows he faces lots of conflicts, the biggest one being finding his real identity amongst pack of wolves or humans – neither of whom is willing to accept him as of one its own. Yes, it’s the same story but you have to go through this book to understand why it is an interesting read for kids and adults who like reading visual books. Here’s my quick take about the book:

• As I mentioned earlier, it’s a visual treat! Have to say this about the graphic team of Campfire – your presentation is class apart, really love the way stories get illustrated at your end. 
• Language is simple and can be easily understood by kids of reading age group.
• Length of the book is also apt, neither too long for kids to lose interest nor too short for grown ups to miss their attention. 101 pages of total fun!
• Like most Campfire books, even this one comes with some interesting trivia about “Rudyard Kipling”, “The Jungle Book” story and movie at the end.
• There is a cute poster of Mowgli and his fun at the end of the book .

From my side, it’s a thumbs-up for this book. I've read their one more title during my pre-baby era and will be posting a review of it soon. Would love to read more books from Campfire and yes waiting eagerly for the little one to grow and see if he develops the taste for reading or not. Totally up to his interest level but if he does, Campfire books would definitely be on my recommendation list for him.

My First Mother’s Day

Normally I’m quite cynical about all these so called special “days” like valentine’s day, rose day, chocolate day, kiss day etc etc etc… I mean you name it and there has to be a day for it! Not that I don’t like to be wished or don’t wish my close people on such relevant days but somehow I’m quite repelled by the overall commercialization of these days. We now officially know that from marketing and promotional success point of view, Valentine’s day in India is actually a more celebrated event than Diwali or Holi. And belonging to the same marketing fraternity I can’t even say everything is irrelevant or not required, though like many other things there has to be a limit to it. Imagine a multivitamin health supplement ad being positioned as Valentine’s Day gift for your loved one? Oh yes, I did spot it in a mainline publication during Valentine's Day marketing fever. Coming to emotional events like Mother’s day, imagine banners all over web that read sentences like “click here if you love your mom”. From Alphonso Mango to Platinum earrings, everything has to “the” gift, which if not given to your mother would just not prove your love for her! 

Owing to these reasons, I actually refrain from making a big noise of any such day in our lives that are more of marketing gimmicks than anything else. But have to say that all my cynicism and skepticism went for a toss this mother’s day when I saw the little one giving me his trademark gummy smile first thing in the morning. And when Nitin asked him lovingly to wish mumma a happy mother’s day, there he started to grin and gave a further bigger smile. Yes, a four-month can’t speak but his big toothless smile was reason enough to suddenly make me feel special that day, to make me pick him up in my arms immediately and hold tightly as the most prized possession of my life. After that I received a call from my mom and when I wished her “happy mother’s day”, she replied back with a jovial “same to you”.  Wow, there was something in that “same to you”. Yes, yes I know emotional glands become hyperactive the moment you enter parenthood but you know, you have to experience it to know what I mean by feeling most special by just a smile from the little one. Remember your first mother’s day or your first father’s day? Ya, ya exactly that kind of feeling. No gifts, no overtly emotional celebrations, just a quiet lunch-out with family, sweet wishes from close friends and acquaintances, light conversations with my mom and lots of fun with the junior – ingredients enough to make my first mother’s day just so special and memorable. Must confess that motherhood is one such experience that actually makes me look forward to be wished for being a mom on mother’s day, the day after and the day after and… well didn’t I tell you that mommydom makes your emotional glands hyperactive ;-)

Kuch toh log kahenge...

No, I’m not taking about the television serial which is currently airing these days with this title (BTW since I’m at home these days, I have started watching TV and that too a lot but let me leave this topic for a separate post). Right now I’m in a mood to rant and crib and … well, two and half months into motherhood and I have concluded that you do whatever, there is always someone who will say you should not have done “this” or how could you do “that”. No, I’m serious… you do whatever but people will have something to speak about it. For e.g.,…ummm there are actually many but let me list down this one for now:

Like most Indian families, even my family had that forty days recuperating period where a woman is supposed to follow certain set of rules after delivery. Fair enough, as even medically a woman is supposed to take rest for first six weeks and hence I was ok complying with all those rules. Though did not understand the logic behind many things like certain food restriction including healthy items esp. when medically doctors ask you to eat anything, no walk etc but still I followed everything as suggested by elders.

The first few weeks were just soooo hectic, yes the joy of motherhood is incomparable and I don’t think I can ever find enough words to express the emotions attached with motherhood but then the reality is also that this phase is tough and tiring and unpredictable and exhausting and… well those who have experienced it know what I mean. After the elder family members left, one day my husband asked me to take a break for few hours from all the baby work and relax for a while. He was observing me coping up with my new life, continuously putting in all the efforts that a new mom has to and being awake 24x7 for last seven weeks. In fact I had lots of health issues in my last trimester due to spine problem, so had not gone out anywhere apart from medical checkups for last few months. So, he wanted me to have some change just for couple of hours and knowing my love for movies he asked me how about going for one in the nearby multiplex? Initially I was apprehensive about the idea and thought it to be practically impossible but then he planned it out on behalf of me. My mom who stays in the same town had come and even she insisted that it’s perfectly fine to go out esp. because baby was asleep in the afternoon and that’s the only time of the day when he sleeps at a stretch for 2-3 hours otherwise the max he sleeps continuously is for 1 hour and then it's milk time for him. So, baby was duly fed, his next feed properly arranged and all his immediate necessity items were explained to my mom with an instruction that if he gets up and cries she should immediately call us and we would reach back in 10 minutes. Apart from mom, my brother as well as my maid was there at home. The kind of preparations and arrangements that I was doing, it looked like as if I was going out for a month. In fact my mom laughed at me and said that she is the one who had brought me up, so she could very well take care of my new born for two three hours. But she also added that she was happy to see the sincere mommy in me and how such feelings automatically come in a woman the moment she becomes a mother.

Anyways, so we went for Agneepath, getting the ticket was no big deal as movie was already running for weeks and it was an afternoon show. I loved the movie and more than that loved the free time I got. It was a pleasant change and in all my excitement I went and posted it on Facebook. Lo and behold, here I dug my own grave. While some were happy that I could manage to go out, most of them pounced back on me with a glaring “how could I”!!! From phone calls to FB messages, from acquaintances to relatives, almost everybody in the same accusatory tone – “how could I! I left a one and half month old baby and went for a movie!!!” Oh yes, it did sound like the biggest sin one could ever commit in the history of mankind. And thanks to same messages being communicated again and again, after sometime even I thought, oh yes how could I. There was this guilt trip suddenly within me, blame it to all the emotional hormones, which are anyways hyperactive during early stages of motherhood. Though when I discussed this with my husband, he had one plain simple statement – what the heck! We discussed and discussed and yes he was right – what the heck!

• After all, the baby was not left just like that, wasn’t my mother whom I trust the most there at home to take care of him?
• It was sleep time for the baby and by the time we came back, wasn’t he sleeping peacefully with a lovely smile on his face?
• Weren’t all his necessities duly pre-arranged and explained to mom?
• The multiplex was at a distance of hardly 2 kms from my home, so one phone call from mom and wouldn’t have we reached back in max 10 mins?

Well, everybody has their own ways of relaxing and instead of cribbing or sleeping, it’s actually a good movie for us. That one short break refreshed me more than what a nap or anything else could have done. Then why not take that break, get revived and take care of the baby with a happy smile? I would any day prefer to do something within possible limits which can energize me and enjoy this phase happily instead of just cribbing forever that a baby changes the life of a woman forever and alas life will never be the same! Trust me guys, motherhood is anyways so tough but I think it has been made tougher by all these so called “how could you” kinda people around us. And this is just one incident, I have actually many to share where all the efforts have been ridiculously questioned with more ridiculous “how could yous”. Maybe I would list them down in different posts later, as of now I have concluded it once again – kuch toh log kahenge, logo ka kaam hai…. Kya, of course “kehna” ;-)

P.S: Phew finished this post in more than ten sittings, thanks to the attention span, which little one allows me these days. The moment I sit with my laptop, he gives me a killer smile and well here goes the laptop for a toss and mommy gets lost in his smile and aaooos, aagooss, geeesss etc :-)

Letter from Baby to Mum-n-Dad

Got this as an email forward and just loved it! I so wish I could know who actually wrote it first. I think all new parents would be able to relate to it and those with grown up kids would surely feel nostalgic after reading this :-).

Dear Mommy and Daddy,

Please keep this letter from me in a place where you can read it and re-read it when things are rough and you are feeling down.

1. Please don't expect too much from me as a newborn baby, or too much from yourselves as parents. Give us both six weeks as a birthday present, six weeks for me to grow, develop, mature, and become more stable and predictable - six weeks for you to rest and relax and allow your body to get back to normal.

2. Please feed me when I am hungry, I never knew hunger in your womb and clocks and time mean little to me.

3. Please hold, cuddle, kiss, touch, stroke, and croon to me. I was always held closely in your womb and have never been alone before.

4. Please forgive me if I cry a lot. I am not a tyrant who was sent to make your life miserable, the only way I can tell you I am not happy is with my cry, bear with me and in a short time, as I mature, I will spend less time crying and more time socializing

5. Please take the time to find out who I am, how I differ from you and how much I can bring you. Watch me carefully and I'll tell things which sooth, console and please me.

6. Please remember that I am resilient and can withstand the many natural mistakes you'll make with me. As long as you make them with love, I cannot be harmed.

7. Please don't be disappointed when I am not the perfect baby you expected nor be disappointed with yourselves when you are not the perfect parents.

8. Please take care yourself; eat a balanced diet, rest, and exercise so that when we are together you have the patience and energy to take care of me. The cure for a fussy baby is more rest for Mom.

9. Please take care of your relationship with each other. What good is family bonding if there is no family left for me to bond with.

10. Keep the "big picture" in mind. I'll be like this for a very short time, though is seems like forever to you now. Although I may have turned your life upside down, please remind yourselves that things will be back to normal before long.

Enjoy me - I'll never be this little again!

- Yours.

Ain't it just sooooo touching?