Vishu-the childhood memory.....

Vishu-the childhood memory.....

Vishu Kani

‘Vishu’ is a festival of nostalgic memories and it is associated with my childhood. It reminds me of the sights, sounds and smells of my soil.Those memories are as golden as the smile of ‘KaniKonna flower' (flower of cassia fistula tree).

 The ‘Kani Konna’ with its glorious  yellow colour can be seen on the streets which is the first sight first that announces that ‘Vishu’ is around the corner. The beautiful nature suddenly bursts with the all yellow. Even we choose the  available marigold, mangoes, yellow pods of jackfruit, yellow cucumber, yellow pumpkin and yellow banana as the best bounties for a visual relish (‘Kani’) on a ‘Vishu’ dawn.

Vishukaineettom'

'Vishu' is one  occasion when children's aspirations to become rich are richly rewarded. The 'Vishukaineettom' (token money given as a blessing by elders to all younger ones in the family) literally portrays prosperity that this festival rightly proclaims. Children feel honored everywhere and for once, in money matters, the elders are at the giving end on this day.

As children our preparations for Vishu used to start a month before the festival. I open my piggy bank on the eve of 'Vishu'. If there is a shortfall in my Vishu budget, my strategy had been to beg, borrow or steal. The main objective was to find resources to muster enough fire power by acquiring the maximum 'padakkam' (Crackers). The more the crackers that you can gather, the more prosperous your Vishu is. The testing of samplers starts on the Vishu eve when the dusk sets in and it progresses till 10 PM reserving the fiery ones for launch at 5 AM on the Vishu dawn after the auspicious ritual of 'Vishu Kani ' (The ritual of seeing items that symbolize prosperity as the first thing in the morning).

  'Vishu' in Sanskrit means 'equal' or when day becomes equal to night.The Malayalam New year as per solar calendar is celebrated around 14th or 15th of April every year.

TEENS FASHION

TEENS FASHION……..

The fashion industry is changing constantly. New styles are being incorporated into old styles. Many ideas are passed down as others are removed or altered. Fashion always has an effect. Fashion can have more impact on a way of thinking than music.

The impact of fashion is like a chain reaction. A designer comes out with a new line for the season, a few other designers come out with their own version of the same thing and all those variations of the same style are copied by people lower in the fashion industry and sold for cheaper. This has been positive and negative impact on society as well.

Fashion is something everybody deals with everyday when we get dress. Every morning when we choose what to wear, we like to pick something that will tell everybody a little something about your unique personality. Endless logos, big designer name and brands are important in today's society. A strong interest in fashion is because it is a way for teenage girls to shape their identities.

Fashion is what's current and what is "in the moment," and it often strikes interest in a large number of people. The clothes we choose to wear tells a lot about ourselves. Fashion is so important to us because it is a way to express yourself to the world. Even if not intentionally, what we wear give others the first impression of you. Fashion has evolved throughout the years along side with society. As our culture and attitude changes, so does fashion and trends. Over the last several years, women have gained a lot of freedom and so did what they were allowed to wear. As women's socioeconomic status went up, the fashion industry wasn't able to dictate what women were permitted to wear. Women now a days can show a lot more skin, women can also wear tighter and more fitting clothes.

"My mothers world famous Chicken Curry"

"My mothers world famous Chicken Curry"

My brother – he is mummy’s favorite kid. She never admits. But still the quieter him and crazy me, together managed to keep mummy on her toes all the time. She was either in the kitchen cooking for us, making rounds to our school explaining for us, pulling us apart while we try to kill each other or in her mandir  praying for us. On her toes all the time!

But Sundays were totally different, our Sunday morning would start with the sound of mummy reciting her prayers in the prayer room and to the smell of chai simmering away in the vessel and ofcourse a big fat breakfast different  from routine week days. Hours after breakfast was what we look forward to more. It was Sunday so it was a chicken curry day. we kids will get engaged in various activity and mummy would get in the kitchen to make her  world famous chicken curry. It takes her at least two hours to make that chicken curry.

The process would start with onion, ginger, garlic paste prepared using a stone grinder. Whole spices ground along until everything turns into a smooth paste. Then her loyal pressure cooker would be pulled out, which by the way was used just on Sundays, just for the chicken curry. The process would begin and the aroma of masala floating in the backyard would get strong and stronger.

Two hours later we would lay newspaper on the floor, put our plates on it and lunch would be served. There would just be chicken curry, steaming hot rotis and a simple salad on the side. But that is still and will ever be the best meal one could ever serve to me that is "My mothers world famous Chicken Curry".

Better than a bottle......

The Baby's Treat..... Better than a Bottle. 

 

"It is so nice to hold your baby but it is so hard to learn how to take care of it, to make the first breastfeeding steps, you have to learn new things and amazing, the baby knows those things more than we, the mothers, do. We have to teach the mothers how to learn from their babies all the first steps they have to take in their relationship" Dr. Krishna Kumari  sums up the essence of her work as coordinator of the breastfeeding awareness campaign at the maternity in Goregaon.

A Maternity Hospital is a very special place. This is the place where you meet your child for the very first time. Even if coming as a simple visitor, you can feel a peculiar buzz, a feeling of tension, of pain and happiness; nurses in a hurry, round bellies showing up around every corner, a blushing and restless mother-to-be.

The wards are clean, colorful, and the new mothers have their little ones next to them on the bed or sleeping in their separate cribs. This is what is called “rooming in”, in other words, the baby joins the mother right after birth.

"The infant has to get close to its mother right after birth" - said Mrs. Naina. Breast feeding Programme Consultant. "It is recommended that the baby is put on the mother’s breast immediately after birth to hear the mother's heart beat and feel the heart sound that the baby has been hearing for 9 months. That's how the mother and child get attached to each other and, when they are together all the time, the mother can see what the baby is doing and she can breastfeed whenever she has to".

 My dream was to exclusively breastfeed my baby for at least six months. I was convinced this was the best way to feed newborn babies, for the sake of their nutrition and their psychological bond with their mothers. I used to visit maternity wards as part of my work, and tell all the mothers I met, “You should have six months of exclusive breastfeeding, period!”Says Mrs.Rathod mother of 4 month old.

“Breast milk is known as complete nutrient or food for the babies. It is economical because we don’t need to buy formula milk, especially now that I gave birth to a baby boy. It helps us save money,” Says the mother of 1yr old.

The children who are exclusively breastfed for a long period of time are not only better fed. They are emotionally balanced; they have better social skills and a higher IQ. Breastfeeding helps prevent a number of serious adult conditions such as obesity and diabetes. It helps mother to recover faster and easier after giving birth and it helps prevents breast cancer and cervical cancer.

Things are quite simple. Lactation is a physiological process which starts immediately after delivery; it is the cheapest and the best way to feed your new born. None of the artificial milk formulas have the same quality as mother's milk.

Nevertheless, not all mothers choose to breastfeed their baby in the first months of life."There are many obstacles, the doctor said.

"Breastfeeding is not only the cornerstone of a child’s healthy development; it is also the foundation of a country’s development."

                                                                                                                   

The angel who introduced me to the world............

The angel who introduced me to the world

The most influential person in my life has ensured that I never strive for anything. Her presence meant that I always had someone to look up to, a shoulder to cry on, and someone who I could ask for advice without hesitation. This person means the world to me. She is none other than my mother, my faithful guide and companion right from the moment I was born.

My mother has always been my greatest supporter. She taught me that hard work. It needs not only just a attitude but also proper direction. She is the first to recognise any of my talents and encourage me to hunt them. Unlike many Indian parents who just want their children to accomplish academic success, my mother wants me to be unique. She supports me in everything I want to do as long as I have an appropriate reason. It is only she feels that something isn't in my best interests that she advices me against it. Even then, she leaves the final decision to me.

My mother made me cultivate the habit of reading right from an early age. Every time I performed well in academics or in extra-curricular activities, she would buy me new books, ranging from short exciting novels to books that increased my knowledge. On a slightly different note, my mother is the world's greatest listener. She listens carefully to each thing I tell her such as my problems, plans for the future and even small things such as things that happened at school and offers me the best pieces of advice.

My mother made me realize that everyone makes mistakes but that mistakes aren't meant to be repeated. My mother has always been there to share both my happiest moments and saddest memories. She taught me that happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light. She has truly been the most influential person in my life. She has been my best friend, my source of inspiration, my guide and mentor. I look up to her with love, trust and pride.

Even after my marriage I look up to her as the same guide who help me out achieve every goal of mine, today for everything I am dependent on her; she takes care of my home so I am on time at my work , she looks after my son so I am studying here. It is because of you I dream for something.

How is it possible for you to manage so many things at the same time,. I can never step in to your shoes. it's you the only angel send down to earth by the god.

Rain with the Pleasant Smell......

                     Rain with the Pleasant Smell......

The rain is been always cherished specially the smell which come and go. More than one smell actually. The usual after-rain sort of earthy clay-like smell was there, but mixed with others. Like the breezes from between the damp leaves still hiding in the corners of playgrounds. The wet pavement smell was prevalent in and around the neighborhoods with all their sidewalks and streets. Though, it should be said that newly paved streets and old crackly streets have distinctly different smells. They all sort of mix together in the heavier parts of a breeze. Which is where all the best scents can be found. At other times moist garbage could be smelled it is though unpleasant.

Right when the ground is still wet and the sky is still gray, but the air can't be described as damp anymore we cannot smell rain while it's in the process of wetting the earth, only afterwards. My research says that the eyes and ears are too busy to let the nose have a turn to smell the freshness of wet earth as well as freshness. Either way the sky stayed wet and dark all day long. The rain also make the ambiance quite as serious where you can only hear the familiar pitter-patter on the roof.

Similarly in the middle of night the rainclouds moves towards another town, and somewhere else to cheer that town up. What was left was the cold, more of a comfortable chillness that can be expected after a rainstorm. Just cold enough that you could breathe out fog and not enough to make you shiver. All this left with a clear sky behind the storm. The smell of rain, and a perfect view of the stars at the same time.