THE DIARY OF A HOUSEWIFE

                        With shaking hands, quivering lips and eyes gleaming with unshed tears I picked up the broom one last time. It was 8th of June. The date the whole of India had been awaiting with bated breath. I was excited but a bag of nerves at the same time. Prime Minister Modi has been unlocking the country, slowly, in phases. I can now call my househelp/cook/nanny of 20 years back to work if I find it prudent. I think of what a tumultuous 3 and a half months it has been. To be truthful and more so to myself I have both hated it and enjoyed it. For the first time in my life, I was looking after the home, the cleaning, the cooking, the washing, without any outside help - a full-time houseworker that's how I want to see it. And it has been satisfying for most parts of it. The broom in my hands gathers along dust as I sweep, lost to the outside  world. With the dust that collects, hundreds of th...

“And from the midst of cheerless gloom I passed to bright unclouded day.” ―  Emily Bronte As the winds pick up speed crashing against the windows of our apartment I find myself keeping my head down and my ears shut to the ghoulish sounds that surround me. The cyclone has arrived and darkness engulfs us.  A good time to browse through Facebook and keep in touch with your "friends " as any, I say to myself. The darkness melts away and my mood lightens as my finger scrolls through the pictures, the daily updates, the opinions, the quotes. I make it a point to like them as I go along reading, appreciating, admiring and enjoying them. Some make me glad, some make me sad, some make me scoff, and I admit some make me envious too. Many inspire and motivate me and many I see as wake up calls to do better and as the rain falls heavily on the isolated roads of a country under lockdown I feel blessed that I am safe inside my world, yet so well connected to the outs...

                                    With the Pandemic blowing us completely out of our safe and secure space on earth (at least as we saw it) like a tsunami that doesn't bow down and collapse on itself everyone and I mean everyone is finding novel ways to remain relevant. Being relevant today is as important as it is difficult. But social media and technology has made it easier for us to remain relevant in the eyes of our friends and family and others. On the flip side it has also made it tougher for many who are already struggling with the issue of relevance. The struggle for relevance keeps us on our toes and inspires and motivates us to do more. We reinvent ourselves, educate ourselves, stay updated with trends, adapt and persevere. The fear of becoming dispensable and unwanted pushes our boundaries and makes us reach for the stars. Good then you might say. It's all good....

The Misfortune Cookie I looked at my brand new, neat, digital clock. It said the time was 8PM. Which means I had to eat dinner. I went to the kitchen. No food was prepared. I couldn’t just make food magically appear, could I? But I had a plan, like I always do. No way I was going to stay alive without any food even for one night! I saw my old-fashioned smartphone lying on the dining table. I realized that that night, I wasn’t going to be needing my dining table. I picked up my phone and searched “restaurants near me” I found a Chinese restaurant nowhere but one kilometre away from me. I left my apartment and took the lift downstairs. I am not really in the mood for a walk. Hitchhiking will be a terrible idea. I don’t have my own car. What should I do? I thought. I had no bright ideas. I had to walk one kilometre. It was a major inconvenience. You may not think so, but I do. I eventually reached the Chinese restaurant. It was looking good from the outside. A sign ...

Victorious and Glorious  A Poem By Ahan Sharma E pidemics and pandemics, Ravaging humanity, Changing the course of history, Taking over the body, Sparing Nobody. P eople in good health, Attacked by disease, Civilizations collapsed and laid waste, Bringing devastation in its wake Sometimes signalling the end… End of the HUMAN RACE   S preading, quickly, Spreading fast, In numbers very vast, Gloom everywhere it cast And epidemics and Pandemics have shaped our very past. T here are few ways, To prevent this disgrace, One of them, A vaccine, a treatment, or a cure, Another of them, Staying safe, and being brave Another reason, Last not least, Excellent immunity W ith new technology and medicine, The risk nowadays,                        is miniscule, And most survive, And stay alive, And continue w...

A 10 YEAR OLD PENS DOWN HIS THOUGHTS ON THE LOCKDOWN As you know, these days you won't be leaving your homes. PM Modi has ordered all policemen to beat up and punish all violators. And this is not just going on in India. In Singapore violators have to pay $10,000 or they are thrown in gaol for 6-12 months. Violating the lockdown is a criminal offence over there. Violators think that they are the people to make rules. They think that they are bigger than the PM. Well, no one is. The only way to prevent this is to educate (Not that it's not going to happen). It's not anyone's fault here. There's an ad on TV which shows pacman who looks like a virus eating up the ghosts and eventually eats them all up. But  there are three ghosts inside a box which dont come out and pacman cant eat them. This ad means that if you stay home you won't catch COVID-19. This is true. There are no violators in China and their lockdown will soon end. Italy, Spain, ...

"Your unfathomable stupidity astounds me!" The above, a word for word comment on someone's post on Facebook prompted this article. Social media is largely a fantastic tool for connecting with friends and acquaintances and people from all over the world.  You get to hear from them, get to understand them, their lives, their opinions, their likes and dislikes, their achievements, their ambitions, feelings, thoughts, their goals and so much more. Social media plays a very important part in our lives, with people venting out their anxieties and opinions freely. For most it's a mood enhancer and coping mechanism and for some it's an addiction which can lead to depression and lowered self esteem.  However, for most, social media gives opportunities to learn, gain knowledge, insights and entertain us. People's lives highlighted in their posts can motivate us, inspire us and help us to make our lives better. A spark of envy, resentment, fear or even rag...