Hypocrisy at its best

No Presidential election campaign was as bitter as this one. No election result ever left friendships fractured and relationships strained. In the last few month America listened to the backlashes from both sides and finally when we thought that it was over we are opening a Pandora box !Hypocrisy was the key game card during this election. Every exit polls went wrong. Stunned to see black sheep among us. People who were ashamed to openly support Trump came out of the hiding....election results changed by "Silent voters"stunned this nation. Hypocrisy at its heights! Selfish motive superseded their traditional values and belief. It is 3 days since election results came out...America continue to voice out their anger and frustration on the streets of major cities.A country known for its diversity is now deeply divided.What is next for this great nation ? Is it going to be beginning of a new era of great healthcare, border security, and booming economy as promised ? When the Out going President Obama and the President elect Trump came together on 11/10/2016, it made me realize that when the titans can put the differences behind....we as a responsible citizens can do the same for the country that we call it home! 

Tribute to Drew

               

  On August 29th, 2016 life of a teenager ended tragically in a road accident in New Jersey. A young life cut short, an aspiring mind erased in a flash and big dreams coming to a crushing end.As the news spread through my town, everyone was gripped with sadness beyond words. Drew as he was affectionately called, was a person full of humor, energy, talent and most importantly the love for life. I sat with my son to get know about this incredible youngster whom I had only met briefly at his school play. Drew, as I came to know was the "Gaston" in beauty and the Beast, the handsome and adorable villain who with his natural boyish mannerism had the audience raving his acting skills. I also came to know that this kid had a great sense of humor in addition to his amazing talent. Drew was also a caring brother, a loving son....and a wonderful human.
On September 1st when all the kids were getting ready for the first day of school, Franklin township kids were preparing themselves to say good bye to their dear friend. Excitement of the new school year was replaced by the overwhelming sadness at the loss of their popular classmate. Fear and anxiety ran high in the minds of the parents on how to possibly prepare their children for the funeral. I could not even comprehend what Drew's family was going through. That solemn ceremony attended by hundreds of people left me with many unanswered questions....Why this kid? How and where his parents will find strength to move on? How many 12 year old would have attended the funeral of their friend? Is it fair for his siblings and friends to experience such a devastating loss at this young age? I found the answers after two months...
 The community came together again two months later to celebrate Drew's life and cherish his memories. Singers, dancers, poets and orators took to the stage with one message
 "Andrew forever".The evening started with Franklin High school choir singing melodious tune to soothe our hurting heart, followed by Franklin Middle school drama club dancing to a peppy number from "Shrek" to lift up our sinking spirits.The children brought out the portrait of a smiling Drew and placed it on a chair on the stage from where he observed everything that evening.The event went on with singers singing their heart out, dancers dancing to shake off their blues.Tributes poured in from friends, teachers and family members.There was his sister reciting his poem on "French Fries", his best friend who emotionally narrated how they were an inseparable duo and read the last text message from Drew one hour before the accident.Finally the most heart breaking part was the poignant speech by his mom. She depicted strength, emotion and courage.There was not a dry eye in that auditorium on hearing her heart wrenching speech.
 That day made me reflect on many things in life. We all come to this world with a finite time card and it is quality of the life that matters and not the length of it.This boy who hardy lived up to the age of 14 touched the hearts of many in my community.The arm sock that he wore as a mockery was proudly worn by all the kids to show their solidarity.The card " # Be Like Andrew" that was passed around to keep his legacy alive showed his kindness to others. The oak tree that is going to stand tall in his school is going to tell stories about his exceptional character. The white bike that stands on that traffic intersection symbolizes his soul resting in peace.
      I was particularly moved to see the support from the Franklin fraternity. I saw God in every single soul assembled there.Looking around me and into the world, my faith in humanity has been fading lately but that evening sparked a new hope in me. I found an altruistic angle in every single kid who readily gave up their Halloween parties to gather in that auditorium to cherish the memories of their dear friend. The unparalleled team work by Franklin Township public school teachers and staff was equally impressive. In today's world filled with materialistic needs and egoistic interaction it is very refreshing to see such genuine warmth in people. That finally came to this lively soul in heaven who made me feel that this world is still a good place to live after all. Thank you Drew !

My hero

On Columbus Day 1999 arrived my first bundle of joy. Just like Christopher Columbus discovered this great continent, I discovered my way into motherhood. Sleepless nights and sleepy days became my routine. Diapers, pacifier, wet wipes replaced my makeup and books in my handbag. As a first time mother I was overwhelmed with joy of caring and nurturing my own baby whom I had started to love unconditionally. Equally overwhelming was the responsibility of caring for the little one. I checked on him constantly even when he was sound asleep. I made sure that the house was sanitized to keep away the germs. When he coughed or sneezed even once I ran to my Pediatric books to look for the differential diagnoses. For the developmental milestones forget it ! Even if he was late by a week to crawl or stand my mind came up with worst possible syndromes.

I can never forget his first day in daycare when he was just 18 months old. Dressed in a dark green jumper, carrying a orange colored Elmo bag he eagerly walked into a room full of toddlers. Little did he know that I was going to leave him there! As I closed the door of the room behind me, I felt heavy in my heart. Tear started to roll down my cheeks. I ran to my car and cried inconsolably. For the first time in his life I left him under the care of an outsider...I felt as though a part of my body was amputated. I checked my watch every 10 minutes, how I wished that day got over soon so that I could finally run to my baby, hold,hug and kiss him. After a grueling 4 long hour it was my time to pick him up. I rushed to the daycare, opened the door nervously to find my son running towards me with eyes filled with tears, his face red with anger and sadness from separation. Immediately he sprinted towards me and climbed on me and held me tight. The action that conveyed how much he missed me!

Today as Akash turns 17, he walks into his school without even giving me a second look but his affection has not faded. He demonstrated more than once his commitment to our family, right from protecting Akshay from food allergies to helping me set up my office .He has matured into an independent, courageous young man. I could not have been prouder, not only of his academic achievements but also his personality. He has inspired me in many ways...my love for writing was ignited by him so was my ambition to succeed. I learnt how to be a focused, grounded, matured and ambitious person from him.He truly is my hero!
Love you chella.

Teachers Day

       September 5th, the birthday of Dr.S.Radhakrishnan is celebrated as teachers day in India. It is to honor all the educators who have dedicated their lives to implanting and nurturing the intellectual seed in every student's mind. Like most school in her city, Aashna's school also has been observing this special holiday to celebrate their teachers. Being in the 11th std she along with her batch mates volunteered for this event. It is a unique day indeed with students playing teachers and teachers taking a break from their mundane tutoring schedule. Their day started with setting up the trays of sweets and snacks that were specially prepared by the most authentic South Indian restaurant Swagath. The smell of the freshly prepared vada,sambar, kesari percolated its way to the corridor making everyone salivate. So it was a field day for the teachers. While the senior students were running around with the time table of the day, Aashna and her friend Kavvya chose to go to the kindergarten class since they thought it would be easy to handle the little ones. Boy...they were wrong!

The moment they both stepped into the classroom, they saw pencil boxes, books flying all over, girls pulling each other pony tails while the boys were having a kick boxing session. Aashna thought it was just like scene from "Kindergarten Cops" only that Arnold Schwarzenegger was able to bring them under control by merely showing his biceps. Anyway both the girls had taken up the responsibility and there was no way of backing up at the last moment. The initial jitters were soon taken over by the excitement of interacting with this bunch of tiny tots. There was this shy Swetha who would not utter a word. Sitting next to her was curious Bharath who had incessant bursts of questions " How old are you?", "Do you get homework?" Does your dad give you time out?" and so on. Then there was, this aspiring doctor Naveen who was an encyclopedia of human diseases and stylish Suman who pretended to be superstar Rajini. Over all Aashna thought that they were adorable bunch of Kindergartners, each with their own interesting personality. Kaavya picked a book on Farm animals and both of them took turns to read to it the class. After the reading session was over they were planning to distribute cookie treats for the youngsters. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Aashna opened it to find Uday standing outside. Uday was a very accomplished 11 th grader with a great vision and aspiration. Aashna always looked up to him for inspiration. He was strong, confident and over all charming. He was the president of National Honor society, volunteered in local Red cross and of course was the brain behind today's function. He said that he had come to check if everything was running as per schedule and chatted for a few minutes. Before he left he said" Girls, don't forget to come to the auditorium at 2 pm sharp".

The cultural programs were planned for that afternoon. Aashna, Kavvya and Lavanya singed up for singing. Lavanya had the voice of Lata Mangeshkar with carnatic skills of M.S. Subbalakshmi. She sure was the nightingale of their school. Having little confidence in their singing skills themselves, Aashna and Kavya was sure that they could pull a stunning rendition of a film song with Lavanya on board. Lavanya's mother picked a beautiful Bharathiyar song for them and helped them perfect the notes. Little did they rehearse, most of the time was spent discussing what to wear for the event. It was 12 noon already and Aashna was getting nervous about the afternoon program. So all three girls decided to assemble in the playground near the kindergarten to fine tune the song before the finale. Meanwhile, Aashna and Kavvya were ready to say Good bye to their little friends. Hugs, kisses, hand made cards and candies from the little ones melted their hearts. Aashna felt very accomplished having not only to tame that unruly class but also to have made new friends.She was touched by their innocent mind and  inquisitive brain.

The time was 1 pm and the girls had one round of final rehearsal session that went on as planned. They all changed to silk cotton salwars with black metal accessories inspired by their favorite movie star Nadia. They did each other's hair, brushed a little rouge and lipstick to look glamorous for the stage. As they walked up to the auditorium their hard work at make up was rewarded with Uday's compliments. "Man, my day is made!" Aashna thought in her mind blushing. He ushered them to come to the back stage. There was a 7th grader who was dancing to a famous Kamal Hassan's number with audience cheering him. They were told that their performance will the next one. As they were lining up to enter the stage from behind the curtain, all of a sudden Lavanya started shaking as though she was hit by lightening bolt. Her eyes were filled with tears,hands tremulous and cold ! Aashna felt a lump in her throat as well. No one knew until then that stage freight was contagious!! Seeing Aashna and Lavanya having a melt down, melted Kaavya's confidence too. So here they were practically 2 minutes before the performance that the girls were contemplating dashing out of the door. This caught Uday's attention. He came up to Aashna and asked her what was going on. She narrated the stage freight situation that seem to be spreading like a wild fire. He looked at her, held her hands and said " I know you can do it". Those words worked like magic. Aashna felt a sudden surge of confidence, excitement replaced fear instantaneously and she wanted to prove it to herself and to others that she can do it. She quickly pulled the other girls for a small pep talk. Very soon they heard Uday announcing their names in the mike. As they sang the Bharthiar's song in harmony, she felt empowered by a new sense of strength, happiness and accomplishment. She glanced at Uday with tears in her eyes that conveyed respect, admiration and affection!
     

Millennial Parents

 When I snatched the smart phone from my son and downgraded to basic cell phone, he was furious, outraged and what not. He reacted as though I deprived him of his basic human right! What's wrong with tech generation kids? Right from birth they are exposed to technology. They saw their first dog on the iPad, heard their first rhyme on iPod and muttered their first word on the iPhone .These so called "ikids" are no matter very very tech savvy than their parents but they lack the exposure to the real world. It becomes a humongous problem as they become" iteens". Their phone becomes an appendage to their body and they develop separation anxiety and even withdrawal symptoms without it.

                I feel technology is being misused by many and largely by the younger generation. Every parent hands a cell phone to their children with the main intention of keeping in touch with them but it is being used for everything else. Is there a pressing need to face time your friend 10 min after dismissal or share every minute of your life on Instagram?! They are so bombarded by the notifications, text messages and blogs,that they become blind to the boring message from a caring parent trying to find about their whereabouts.
        ◦       Narcissism,materialism are the virtues being catalyzed by the cell phones.Real face to face conversation has become obsolete these days. Technocentric generation use the palm sized yet powerful gadget to meet,greet,fight and even for split ups. Warmth of the hug and hand shake have been replaced by telegraphic text messages. Heartfelt emotions emerge as "emoji s" these days!
        ◦       We as a millennial parents have one more hardship to tackle, that's the devil in the form of gadgets.In my humble opinion we need to fight against the misuse of these gadgets, to educate our kids about the consequence abusing the social media and to empower them with skills to prevent cyber bullying.Giving a cell phone to your kid is like giving a key to the world... they can use it wisely or misuse it terribly!

The Last Words

I was neither your companion nor your confidante
I was neither your spouse nor your sibling.
Yet I heard your last words!
Your sweet heart did not hear your last beat
Your soul mate did not witness your soul depart
Yet I did!
A stranger in a white coat
A stranger responding to a code
I held your hand until it turned cold
I caught your final glance until it went blank
I felt your heaving breaths until the terminal gasp
And I heard your last words... "This ain't an end but a start of another new one for my soul"!

Maternal Merits

Maternal Merits

She carried us inside her womb for nine months enduring all the gestational pain and suffering,which vanished into thin air the moment she touched our tiny hands. Soon our joy became her joy and our sorrow became hers. She clicked our first step, recorded our first word, saved our little hand prints and proudly displayed every award of ours.Tears filled her eyes when we came home crying with our scraped knees. And she jumped in joy at every triumphant moment of ours. She taught us love,value,integrity and above all forgiveness. Mom, Mum, Amma, mamma all means one thing....epitome of endless love.



                                                   Happy Mothers Day!