THE CRYING LOTUS Part 3......


We spent a lovely time in Dar es Salaam ('76-'82) as a family and she was the perfect homemaker. Coming back to Mumbai she learnt Batik, bead-work paintings, patchwork and tie and die. But soon she started relapsing and in 1984 she slipped into a deep depressive state marked by loneliness and aggression. 

THE CRYING LOTUS (part 2) .......

My brother's birth in 1972 brought a huge change in my mom's personality. She acquired over the coming years, a number of skills:

-Cooking to perfection

-Hosting parties

-Wonderful interior decoration ideas

-Creative and frugal spending on clothes and other household items

-Crochet

-Macrame plant hangers with sisal

Her two main talents lay in craft ideas (including dried arrangement) and she sang the most melodious Meera Bhajans. One of my earliest memories is learning to draw a peacock from my mom and the female side profile in the form of simple line drawings.   

THE CRYING LOTUS SERIES........


She was born in New Delhi in December 1943, the youngest of a brood of six- the eldest a boy, next a girl then three boys and then my mom. Her father, a brilliant scientist at the Pusa Research Institute, New Delhi passed away when she was 4. She was carted away with the rest to Pakistan (Kamalia) where her mother belonged but partition days had wiped out all traces of the poor lady's family and ancestral home. So they all returned to New Delhi. As she grew older she suffered from PTSD and by the age of 16 started displaying signs of schizophrenia with the auditory and visual hallucinations setting in. Still she managed to learn languages and music and graduated with BA(music hons.) at IP college for women, Delhi. All this without the help of meditation. She got married to my father in May 1968 at the age of 24. I was born to this mismatched couple on August 22nd 1969.

THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE :

Suddenly a mysterious hand snatches us from our near and dear ones. Life is an enigma to be cherished , enjoyed and lived to the fullest while it lasts. The sunset on the horizon , the clouds in the sky and our heartbeat ... all out of human reach. Recently a known family lost their young son, a wife

her husband, little children their father... in ten minutes he was gone, taken away to God's world leaving hearts broken and tear filled eyes. Then I realised how important

our time in this world is, how precious the health of body and mind. We must do all we can to stay fit. Praying for the departed soul and those missing him.

EXAM TIME

Examinations are stress filled even for those parents whose children are grown up and can manage on their own. Our kids undergo preparation anxiety while we are filled with self doubt. Am I giving enough nutrition , a patient hearing , encouragement so that he exerts his brain cells and memory to the utmost? While I wrestle with these questions I do my best saying "Beta Study" at regular intervals when my teen son starts mooning over this or that. And here's an interesting recipe from the newspaper for kids studying for the boards:

Broccoli-peas soup-

Take some Broccoli , 100 gms shelled peas ,

1 small piece of ginger, 1 small onion and

2 small potatoes . Boil in a pressure cooker with a tumbler of water and teaspoonful of salt. Blend and serve hot with a dash of lemon.

2) THE INDISPENSABLE BEAUTY PARLOUR : Good grooming -- a must for all !!

My experiences at beauty salons over the last 22 years have been extremely fruitful and heartening. The visit is as refreshing as a session at a spa taking away my aches and pains and tans and excess facial hair. Nowadays with modern techniques such as laser hair removal (without looking at the bill being charged ) the transformation in looks is a miracle! :) :)

MUNDANE MOODS....

1) Household blues: Social networking busts household blues! Connecting on facebook and internet surfing has helped change my personality from the 'fat ,bored housewife' (2008,2009) category to the 'plump,busy homemaker' (2010,2011) category. Added to the misery might have been a shortage of household help but life instead cheered me up with unconventional exercise for the upper arms in the form of stacks of dishes , white school uniform shirts and hanging out the washing. Courage to tackle the pile of newspapers waiting for scrapbook inspection came slowly. Next in line for the happy hardworking feel are watering plants and dusting, in time to interesting music on You-tube. With my favourite photographs downloaded and pasted all over the cupboards and the wooden doors ... "Home is truly Heaven "now.