Vivid colors!

Sid (washing his hands in the bathroom, calls and asks me): Mamma, what is champagne?
Me (surprised): It's an alcoholic drink, white in color, something like soda.
Sid: Then is there pink champagne?
Me (SURPRISED and a tad confused): Maybe there is, like flavored drinks.
Sid (obviously not done with the questioning and STILL washing his hands): Is it kept in ice?
Me (Running to the bathroom now and asking him pointedly!!): Where did you see all this?
Sid (not at all perturbed by my tone, casually SINGS): Pink champagne on ice. It is there in 'Hotel California' lyrics!!
Me (makes a mental note to talk to Josh): Ok, usually champagne or wine is kept in a bucket of ice to keep it cold. Now come out!

With a kid, surprises are at every corner! This was all thanks to his keyboard classes!

That time of the year again

It is that time of the year again! New 'fresh' books, buying binding sheets and labels, dusting bags and boxes to see if it is reusable and so on..

You guessed it right. School starts soon and I can't tell who's more excited - my son or I?!

Every year, I take up the responsibility of binding and labelling the school books. Measuring and cutting the sheets, carefully covering the books, cello-taping the flaps - so therapeutic! It is also nostalgic. I look into the pensieve scattered with my childhood memories, observing my parents bind my books, to assisting them and then covering the books on my own. The visit to the friendly neighborhood stationery store, gaping at the laminated binding sheets (damn, they were costly!!), settling on the normal brown paper, having a lot of fun choosing what labels to pick - the cartoon ones, the plain ones, the car ones, so many choices to make!

I always loved this chore and needless to say, I was so excited to repeat the cycle with my child!
This year, I let him observe for a while, and also got him to choose and peel the labels out (slyly added Dora stickers too - to make sure he doesn't get into the boys/girls arguments in school, he is still unsure about it though, let's see how that pans out).

Starting of the school year also means an end to the vacation - not only his but mine as well. Will have to sharpen my skills, make plans and be ready to make the journey as easy and fun as possible.
Here's to a great new year - full of exciting possibilities, new learnings, happiness and disappointments, and everything in between! 

Zarah phir se kehna!

So does anyone remember which song the title of this post is taken from?

If you said yes, then congratulations! You truly are a 90s bollywood fan! Did you also mug up lyrics by the dozen, not just the mukda, but the antara(s) even!?

Mugging up the lyrics, was completely necessary, to win the imaginary Close-up Antakshari you would play in your mind, or for the saner ones, to identify the music or/and know the lyrics before any of the Deewanas, Parwanas or Mastanas pressed the buzzer! Lyrics were very important you see, you could lose if you even got 1 word wrong! Annu Kapoor was damn strict that way!

Kidding? Not really. I was, and still, am enamoured by the lyrics. I love exploring the meanings, the composition, the use of certain words and the way it is strung together. Sometimes it becomes more dear or meaningful after watching the movie. Context adds a lot of weight.

Back in my teens, even in my 20s, I used to listen to a lot of songs, mostly Hindi ones, sometimes on loop (from cassettes slowing transitioning to the internet or forwards from friends). Learning the lyrics by heart came naturally. Singing not so much! But still I persisted, even almost winning a Corporate Antakshari once! Our team came a close second and one thing was ticked off my bucket list.

Although, I must admit that am a little rusty now. So it came as a pleasant surprise when this happened today.

I was listening to a 90s playlist from Saavn (I really like the way some of the playlists are compiled), and this 1 song started playing. Back then the general consensus of the audience was that the movie should have been named "Rani". Got the movie yet? Yes, it was "Raja", the Sanjay Kapoor-Madhuri Dixit starrer, that had a pathetic plot (if you would call it a plot, that is), but some good songs. Remember 'Akhiyan milaaon'? It was a popular number back then. But when this song - 'Kisi din banoongi mein Raja ki Rani' started playing, suddenly I could remember everything about it - not just the song, but the costumes, places, hell, even Madhuri's hairstyle and earrings! I was able to lip-sync the mukhda, then the 1st antara, and then even the 2nd one! It felt so familiar, as though I had just listened or watched it yesterday. This was some obscure movie, watched at least 20 years ago, maybe listened or watched the song a few more times after that. It is, indeed, remarkable how the brain stores information and that too, with such clarity!

I was really amazed. So much, that I quickly jumped to this blog and started to write this post! Some of you might think 'how is this a big deal anyway?'
Well, you were probably the ones who said 'No' to my first question anyway!

F*** Gender roles!

The other day Sid and I were walking in a park and there was a lot of graffiti on the walls, benches etc. One said "F*$# Gender roles". Sid was curious and asked what that meant. Well, since the first word wasn't written properly, I didn't really go to the details, but told him that it was a way to tell that fixed gender roles are bad.

We then had a good discussion of what Gender roles are, how society is conditioned to believe certain things to be done or liked by only boys or girls and that it cannot be mixed up. How that is so wrong and that people can do what they want irrespective of their gender. He was quite interested and listened to everything I had to say about it.

Imagine my surprise when I heard Sid talking to his father about the same yesterday. It went something like this:

Sid: You know about gender roles right?

Sam (I am sure he must have been pretty surprised!): What?

Sid: Gender roles, you know, like boys can only do this and girls can only do that.

Sam: Yes.

Sid: Today in my school 1 boy said that 'Boys play with cars and girls with barbie dolls'. I said that it is not right and that boys can play with barbie dolls too!

Sam: That's very good.

Sid: It is wrong no? gender roles? Anyone can do anything right.

Sam: Absolutely!!

Places

I have these cushion covers from Chumbak that have 'my happy place' printed on them. The cushions with those covers are on the ledge beneath the window in my room, where I sit and read or watch videos. (So that is my happy place indeed!)

One lazy Saturday morning, when I woke Sid up, he didn't want to get up. He looked at me, pointed to the bed and said 'my happy place'. We laughed about it, and later on he suddenly hugged me and said 'Actually you are my happy place!'

So now I am his happy place and also his favorite color (which he stated in an obviously matter of fact way the other day!)

The pressure of being a mom I tell you!! ;-)

Lekin muskaan ho aisi

It's been a while since I listened to a single song on loop. The one that I frequently go back and listen to on a loop is 'Madno' (which I have posted here).
Now, I have one other song that has snatched that much coveted place in my playlist. :-) And the song is *drumroll* (or rather *soulful sitar*) 'Maana ke hum yaar' from Meri Pyari Bindu.

When 'Meri Pyari Bindu' was released, I did not think too much of the song 'Maana ke hum yaar' which was promoted as Parineeti's first singing break. Recently a colleague of mine, whose tastes in movies reflect mine most of the time, said that she liked the movie and that it was nice and different. Also, I mostly like the movies that Ayushmann Khurrana chooses, so I decided to check it out (on Amazon Prime).

I really liked the movie! The bittersweet romance, the songs of old on which the movie revolves and the protagonist reminisces, the cinematography, the lovely character portrayals of the parents/society but mostly that of Abi and Bindu - so humane, so faulty, so impulsive yet so rooted, all made for a good watch. Both the leads have acted very nicely too.

Also I absolutely loved the ending - its not a traditional 'happy ending', but its so mature and not like the usual drama we see on screen. Speaking of the ending, it was a genius move to have the song 'Maana ke hum yaar' play at the very end. The timing, the picturization, the music, the soulful singing of Sonu Nigam (who doesn't sing often in Hindi movies anymore, so was so glad to hear him) and Parineeti (not bad either) and the lyrics - all just makes it beautiful! Kudos to the director and the team!

It is a perfect ending in its own way -  makes you smile while probably shedding a tiny tear or two.

So here is the song for your daily dose of soufulness!

You can also listen to it completely, on Saavn.

Shifting scenes

(Scene 1: Mom (a.ka. me) coming back from work and being greeted by an over-enthusiastic 6 yr old)
Mom: "How was school?"
Sid: "It was good. You know we had discussion about God today."
Mom (frankly amazed that the teacher actually had a 'discussion' about God): "What did you discuss? Did you tell anything?"
Sid: "No, I had gone to the restroom."
Mom: OK!!

(Scene changes, Sid having dinner and hesitatingly tries tonDekayi palya)
Sid: "Mamma, this is very nice, it is so juicy, I am eating it all."
Mom: "Very nice."
Sid (amused): "You know why I am eating?"
Mom: "Why?"
Sid: "Because Ma'am talked about God today and so I am eating this."
Mom: "Ok, but what was talked about? You were in the restroom right."
Sid: "Ya, but Ma'am talked right, that's why."

(Scene ends with a befuddled, albeit, relieved Mom, asking the kiddo if he wants a second helping of tonDekayi palya.)

Dooriyan

Sometimes, you can't decide which moral or saying is correct and which is not.
Usually, this happens, when the same topic is addressed differently.

For eg, take these sayings about people close to you, but not near you.
Distance makes the heart go fonder.
Out of sight is out of mind.

Say, you are with a person (friend/spouse/family/kids - anyone close to you) for sometime, but then separate. The separation can be temporary (going for a short trip, education, meetings etc) or permanent (changed companies, shifted to a different place etc).

Sometimes, the first holds good. You are so used to that person, that a brief separation puts things into perspective. You miss their presence and their importance in your life.
But sometimes, its the latter. You don't miss them nor do you feel a void without them around you. This does create panic in your mind - do you not love them? Am I a bad person for feeling like this? Not necessarily!
It might just be that you are more practical then you thought you were or that you and that person is happy in the individual space that you have created by being apart.

I think the 2 sayings are too vague and might work for some persons or some point in time but not necessarily otherwise.
What it usually is, as I have observed, is that, distance makes people forget each other, because you are not a part of each other's lives, you do remember them and talk to and about them occasionally, but you get on with life. So does the other.
But when you meet again, its like nothing had ever changed.

Ok then, I think I am done rambling.

Honesty!

So the kiddo was giving the usual trouble of not finishing his milk quickly in the morning. I was sitting next to him reading the paper, and was telling him that I will visit a 2 month old baby today.
He asked what his name was and I said its not yet decided.

And then started this very honest conversation!
Sid: So you named me Siddhant because you thought I would be a good boy. (giggling uncontrollably) You were wrong no?

Me: (surprised) Probably, so would you be a good person now?

Sid: Maybe when you die!


Kids, I tell you!

Clay and stones

It has been quite a long time since I posted travelogues. Although, there are quite a few to add, thanks to our wonderful vacation in Australia, this post is not about it, but a quick trip planned with the family.

Since the kiddo and his cousins did not have any good outing together, this summer, we decided to go to 'Our Native Village', near Hesaraghatta for a day.

Well, it was terribly hot, but the place had shade, thanks to the trees, and was full of engaging activities to keep us occupied, for the most part of the day. The highlight of the place was all the rustic games - Kite flying, Laggori, Gilli-danda, catapult, tyre-racing, spinning tops. There were added attractions too, in the form of pottery making, garland making, rangoli making, cow-milking (yeah, you heard that right!) and a bullock-cart ride! A few indoor games, like carrom, chess, snake and ladder were also present.

Through the bullock-cart ride, I was trying to recollect the bullock cart ride songs in Hindi/Kannada movies that I had come across! Some of the ones I remembered were 'Oh re taal mile' and 'Janumada jodi' songs.

It was a return to our childhood seeing the games, and the village ambience and the other activities made our parents nostalgic! Needless to say, the kids enjoyed thoroughly, making the most of the time we spent there.
The adults had fun too, although, there were pockets of time, when we did nothing, but just slept/sat on the mats/benches and talked. Well, doing nothing was fun too, I guess, if you could excuse the heat!

Food was very good, and the buttermilk was just what the doctor ordered for a hot summer day!!!
We even got to buy some organic vegetables, that were grown in the resort.

All in all, a good place to spend a day, esp. with kids and if you enjoy playing outdoors.

View greeting us on the way to the resort.

Inside the resort. The fruit ladden mango, sapota, lemon trees were a beautiful sight!

And so were the flowers!

Decorative door