Children Chronicles

Nowadays, my 3rd old nephew refuses to talk to me on phone. All my efforts to lure him went in vain. I tried the old trick - With due permission from his parents, I posed (read as voiced) myself has his classmate (read girl). He was super excited and spoke to me for solid 15 mins. When I called him back again (as his aunt), he answered the call and said "Mema, X baby had called me". Boys will remain boys!

During Christmas, my nephew’s teacher asked him what should Santa gift him for Christmas and why. He answered "I want a laptop so that I can work and make money to buy tickets for Achan". His father didn’t have enough leave so had to shorten his stay at native. He had told his son that if he didn’t work, he will have no money to buy tickets. Real love and realization are the key virtues of children!

At last, my nephew did get his dream laptop from Santa Claus. I told him "My laptop doesn’t work anymore. Can I lend yours?" He said "No, you ask Santa to gift you a new one". I said "Santa didn’t gift me anything, I don’t why". He said "You are bad boy. If you behave well, Santa will you gift you". Children are genuine and gullible at the same time!

My nephew had spent few months of his life with his maternal grandparents at their home. Once he was driving down with his parents to Kerala, his excitement had no bounds. His father took a different route this time to avoid traffic and got lost midway. So he asked a passerby for the way to Bhavani. My nephew thought his parents are going to meet Bhavani and not his grandparents. He cried and kept saying “I want to meet Ammomma and Appoppa and not Bhavani”. Children are the storehouse of affection and attachment!

As Wordsworth has expressed it before "The child is indeed the father of man!"

New Year Plans

Some hearts to be broken
Some words to be spoken
Some paths to be laid
Some promises to be made
Some wishes to be fulfilled
Life to be lively and fun filled
And I wait for the New Year
With mind steady, sound and clear!

Emotions

I am an owl enjoying the night
I am the cuckoo crooning in the sunlight
I am the peacock dancing in the rain
I am the hen picking up the grain
I am the vulture waiting for the prey
I am the turkey drawn into a gory fray
I am the duck paddling in the lake
I am the ostrich of a sturdy make
I am the crow drooling in the dirt
I am the pigeon engaged in fractious flirt
I have all the colors, even grey and white
Docile yet dodgy, strong yet very light!

Slyness is written on his face
For he showers you with umpteen praise
His actions will leave you in total maze
For he is from the unreliable race!

Don’t ever ask me who is he?
For he can be seen in AnyboDy!

Shades Of Love

Love, thy has many names
When a guy is besotted with a girl, you are called infatuation
When a mother showers her attention on her child, you are called affection
When two strangers care for each other, you are called friendship
When a soldier dies for the country, you are called patriotism
When an artist shows his creative prowess, you are called the muse
When a person shows dedication in his work, you are called passion
When there is a mark left on the platform, you are called lust
Love, you have many facets
Which one suits you the best?

Binding Laws!

When I was born, I started to cry
I followed the laws of birth!

When I turned one, I started to walk
I followed the laws of growth!

When I turned three, I started school
I followed the laws of learning!

When I turned twenty one, I started working
I followed the laws of earning!

All the while, I led a life of discipline
I followed the laws of society!

Appeasing others, not at peace with myself
I gained no friends, just avoided animosity!

I wonder
Was the rule not meant to broken?
Was the extreme obedience worth it?
For I have lost the real me!

Irish July & Singaporean August

I had a chance to trot from the west to the east or rather north to south of the northern hemisphere in a quick span of time which left me completely tickled as well as throttled. It was a rare opportunity to spend July in Ireland and August in Singapore, the only common factor in both these trips was that I was neck deep with work. However the variegated experiences in both these countries, the good ones and the not so good ones, were enriching and elevating. It helped me evolve as a person with more maturity and poise.


Dublin matches a lot with India especially in terms of the freedom struggle that it had to endure. The Irish flag resembles with Indian one, horizontal stripes are replaced by vertical stripes minus Ashok Chakra. The city is well maintained and well connected by Luas tram services and buses, people quite warm and friendly, the only turnoff being the cost factor. Cathedrals, museums, parks are the major tourist attractions like any other European counterparts.

City is famous for its literary heavyweights – James Joyce, Bernard Shaw, Oscar Wilde, Jonathan Swift, W B Yeats… can find books at very cheap prices. Another must to do is to taste Guinness and Baileys! Luckily, I visited Dublin at the right time of the year, around July – August when the sun never sets before 10pm.

I thoroughly enjoyed the short stint during July in Ireland but was extremely let down with my long stay during August in Singapore. May be it’s because Dublin and Singapore are on the extremes as far as the climate and citizens are concerned. Heading straight from Dublin to Singapore was not a good idea at all - from severe chills to humidity that kills! It took nearly a week to adjust to the tropical climate and the stinking odor of the oil used to prepare food. While in Dublin, one get to see most of the fellow travelers quite engrossed in books, in Singapore, they were quite engaged with the high end phones, laptops and other gadgets. As for working environment, I prefer Dublin to Singapore, for Dubliners know exactly how to separate out play and pleasure!


Singapore has mixed population – Chinese, Malays and Indians, settled in well defined regions. Since each section represents the different cultures of its inhabitants, it’s good to travel to places like Chinatown, Little India, Paya Lebar and experience the diversity! The various parts of the country are well connected by MRT as well as buses. It just takes a week to cover the entire country!

Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Jurong Bird Park is worth one time visit. River cruise at night is quite invigorating – cool chilly breeze, illuminated elevated buildings, magnificent marvelous Merlion statue! The man made island Sentaso is a huge tourist attraction.

Now as I enjoy the Indian September, I recollect these beautiful lines brilliantly penned by Robert Frost

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

How true! The cities abroad are good in their own way but home is where my heart is and it is known by the name India!