Life through a glass of wine!

So I turned thirty this January and honestly, I wasn't exactly enthralled - age is catching up. Sigh. Nonetheless, I had reason to be happy, with my super awesome family and friends around me. For me, my thirtieth has been a huge milestone and I feel a lot wiser than what I was just a couple of years ago. Here's a gist of what I've learnt so far. Surely, this list will get updated as I grow older, but so far so good. 1. Academic intelligence does not guarantee real world success Well of course, I'd expect most people to have had this revelation by now. I was a very proud- almost arrogant- A grader for much of my life. Until real life happened. I realised that my pedantic knowledge was absolutely no match for the things that life throws at us. At the most, good grades will get you to a good college. But they will not keep you there, nor will they teach you how to tackle adult life. It's way more important to learn all kinds of life skills than to be immersed in b...

I'm sure most of you have, at some point of time, heard this song. I'm also sure you have uncomfortably changed channels when it came on TV. Why do we treat sex as such a taboo? Why can't we talk freely about an essential human need which is the basis of all procreation and sustenance of life? Like most of the people I know, I am a person who treats sex as something deeply intimate and personal. I'm also aware that many women discuss their romps with their friends, but I refrain from ever talking about my own sexual experiences out of respect for myself and my partner. But I have no qualms about it. And I really feel that by treating sex as taboo, we encourage our youngsters to engage in sexually dangerous behaviours, and it is about time we all started talking in a matter of fact manner about it. What prompted me to write this piece is the fact that children as young as fourteen are becoming sexually active, and if we don't educate them early, we might be puttin...

Do you know what is a 'menu' called in Hindi? Can you name the three greatest Punjabi writers? Will you be able to make sense of Faiz's poetry without a translator? Unfortunately and shamefully so, neither will I... Like many of you, I was born to educated middle class parents whose sole ambition in life was to see their children do well. And one of the pre-requisites for doing well was your command on the English language. So, having worked tooth and nail on their toddlers, they were overjoyed when my twin sister and I got admitted to a reputed school run by Christian missionaries. Now, if you have been to a Christian missionary school you will know how it is. You pray in English, you curse in English, you think in English, you speak in English and you even dream in English. Class monitors are often asked to 'fine' the students for speaking in any language other than English. You will, of course, learn Hindi formally because it is compulsory, but it will not be ...

In our society, and in most cultures around the world, women have been the primary caregivers. They toil day and night to make sure that everyone around them is looked after. Women, unfortunately, are also twice as likely as men to suffer from depression and stress related diseases. Their biological makeup and the monotonous and thankless nature of their work are probably the main contributing factors. I too am among those women who put family before themselves, and get stressed easily about everything. From my own experience, I wish to share a few self care tips that have kept me together when everything around me seemed to be falling apart.  You have to understand - it's important to take care of yourself in order to be able to take care of those around you. A moping, unhappy and unhealthy woman cannot bring cheer to others. You need to recharge your own batteries so that you can fill in everyone else's. It's not being selfish. And don't let anyone hav...

Dussehra just went by, and like every year, this year too the Ravan effigies were burnt with great gusto. I'm a huge fan of festivals and celebrations and I love this time of the year, but every time a Ravan is burnt, I'm left thinking, is the Ramayana really relevant today? From a feminist point of view, the Ramayana is what's everything that is wrong with our society. If you read it just as a story and not as a religious scripture, you realise how much it reveres the patriarchal system. The telling of this story, generation after generation, is an indicator of how deep this reverence is embedded in our culture. There are such great flaws with the character of Ram. Firstly, suppose some prince's very unreasonable step mom insists that he be thrown out of the palace and lead an ascetic life. The King stays mum and lets it happen. The prince too, like a spineless git, agrees to such a demand. Not only does he give up the privileges of being a prince, but he's al...

Anybody who knows me knows that I've always been 'chubby'. While I'm quite comfortable with how I look, I have to be careful with what I eat to prevent an indiscriminate overload of 'cuteness' - as my mom calls it. Thankfully I'm not a fussy eater and badly made dishes don't ruin my day(especially the ones that I make). And hence, many years of trying to eat right has made me develop a palate that naturally gravitates towards fresh fruits, vegetables and non-oily dishes. BUT, I'm an unapologetic chocoholic and coffee lover, so I do tend to balance out my healthy eating with chocolates :). Here is my account of the little wisdom I have acquired with trying to eat right. I must start with a disclaimer though - I am an extremely lazy cook with very little experience in the kitchen. And hence, those of you who are passionate about cooking will find my knowledge rudimentary. I don't do 'diets' so I don't have much to say about them. ...

This Teachers' Day, I take the opportunity to thank everyone who has taught me something in life. I must have left out something, so my apologies in advance.  And there's still a lot to learn - so bring it on life! To my mother who taught me how to hold a spoon, thank you, I will need your embrace till the end of time.  To my father who taught me manners, thank you, I will need your support and strength always.  To the sister who taught me companionship, thank you, It is because of you I've never been friendless.  To the brother who taught me to keep cool,  It's because of you I can smile when things get hot.  To the teacher who taught me how to read, thank you, It's because of you I discovered the joy of books.  To the teacher who taught me maths, thank you, It's because of you I know there's a solution to every problem.  To the teacher who taught me science, thank you, It's because of you that I question and learn....