Working holiday at Shristi

 

“Raindrops are falling on my head….” has been the song we’ve been singing for the last ten days as we’ve been enjoying the rainy weather at Shristi, my parent’s farm house in Dharmasthala in South Kanara. With most of our world moving into an online format allowing us to remotely connect to work, school and even attending court hearing through video conference, all from our picturesque plantation farm! While incessant rains can be a tad depressing during these times in our confined city home, but the overcast skies, pitter-patter of rains alternating between a light drizzle to heavy showers, rain soaked lush greenery, the smell of moist earth, experienced from atop our farm house overlooking our plantation farm is truly magical! While the day is dominated by the rhythm of the rain, it’s one noisy party of crickets, praying mantis, dragon flies and frogs at night! With my parents more than thrilled to host us, little did they realise how we would transform their quiet rural setting into an online-hub, taking over every part of the house for our online activities – from online daily school, online Model United Nations meet during the weekend, and online music class for my ninth-grader, work as usual with teams/webex meetings for my IT professional husband, once-a-week online school and online little gym class for my reluctant pre-schooler, and work related phone calls and court hearing through video conference for me, along with our laptops, files, books, internet accessories and all the attendant clutter…..its a full house indeed and we can’t thank my parents enough for putting up with the madness of it all! 

 But amidst our online lives, we would best remember this time for our walks in the rain, hopping across the creeks in our farm that are running full to the brim this season, playing family ludo in the evening, playing with our pets, feeding the cows, watching web-based family dramas with my parents, reading at the portico, and gorging on the delicious and wholesome home cooked meals dished out by my mom, all in the backdrop of the monsoon magic at Shristi!

While Abhay had spent close to two months with his grandparents at Shristi during the initial lockdown phase in March and April, Aadya hardly got to spend time with her maternal grandparents. Well, she more than made up for it this time - demanded to be pushed on the swing by her grandpa, loved painting on the stones and chasing butterflies in the garden with her grandma, basked in her grandpa’s pampering with chocolates, looked forward to being read to by her grandma and in return entertained her grandma with her own stories!  

To celebrate the nature’s bounty at Shristi, I looked up a Pratham story on storyweaver.org, that was read to Aadya by her Sanna-ajji, “Chunu and Munu: Let’s sing and dance for nature” a Level 2 Reader by Shantdas Manadhar and Shilpi Pradhan and illustrated by Abin Shreshta, and translated by Alice Berger, part of the Chunu Munu series revolving around two little girls who go on many an adventures. Chunu and Munu are fascinated by all the flora and fauna in their surroundings, – from the joyful jumping of the goat-kid to flowers in full bloom, from the colourful butterflies during the day to the shimmering fire flies in the night and they imagine themselves to be butterflies hovering around flowers or jumping around like the goat kid or flying high above the mountains  like a bird and decide to sing a song celebrating everyone and everything that touches our lives – from parents-friends-teachers-village-country to air-rain-flowers thus singing a hurrah for nature! Though a little simplistic, it is the sheer energy and enthusiasm of Chunu Munu that makes it worth reading to your little one and introduce her to nature’s beauty that surrounds us. All thanks to the painstaking efforts of my parents, our plantation farm is a heavenly rejuvenating retreat from the cloistered life of a city dweller!

5-power!

“I’m growing bigger…my birthday is coming!” is how my little one shoots back at her brother when teased about being a baby! While we can’t believe how time has flown ever since she arrived five years ago, our little princess (I know it’s a cliched term but she loves it and sure acts like one!) has grown bolder, naughtier and definitely more assertive in her sibling skirmishes with her older brother! The eight-year age gap hardly matters as she regularly spars with her older brother in their territorial wars, so much so that we are left bemused (and a little nervous) at how confident she is about her own ability to take on her big brother! That said, she can turn into a baby the next moment, wanting to be fed and cuddled to sleep like one, when one of her parents walks in!  While she is definitely a lot more independent than Abhay was at her age, open to trying out on her own and excited to experiment with new experiences, Aadya however still latches on to certain activities that strictly qualifies as being only for babies, like being fed dinner or refusing to go to bed on her own and its more to do with wanting to be around her mommy or daddy all the time than about her own capability  …….and our 24/7 presence at home owing to the lock-down has certainly not helped the situation!  Aadya turned five last week and no doubt she has gotten bigger, but she can no longer hold on to “my birthday is coming” anymore…..for at least while now and will have to think of another way to smart mouth her brother! 😊

Since her birthday falls during the school vacation, we always lament over how she never gets to celebrate the day feeling special at school and this year we had decided to have her don her birthday special dress on the school reopening day in the first week of June. Alas!…. It turns out that it’s not just Aadya but many are to miss celebrating their birthdays in school this year!

Anyway, it was very much a birthday in Covid-19 times,  with a home celebration amidst the members of only our household with her maternal grandparents joining in through a video-call, and  splash of pink and a smattering of a few princess cut outs available at home, home-made savouries, and a “princess/doll cake” custom baked by “Bake_mon_reve ” run by a pastry chef who is also a relative followed by the customary birthday treasure hunt organised by her “Anna” and the piece de resistance being his part-hand-sketched-part-printed birthday card for his sister making it even mores special!  

While we revisited an old book, "Its Hard to Be Five" by Jamie Lee Curtis  and Laura Cornell, that I had read to the big brother on his fifth birthday back in 2011, it didn’t enthuse her much and I’m not sure if it’s a ‘girl thing’ not to be impressed by a whiny five year old boy annoyed about turning five…but when I happened to stumble upon this wonderful online story at “Storyweaver – Pratham books” ..I knew I had found the perfect book for Aadya’s fifth birthday! In fact, “With you, Ma” by Adith A K and illustrated by Amalendu Kaushik is too good to be true! I must say Pratham publications have been pioneers, in so far as stories that deal with simple growing-up quirks of children. No matter how usual or unusual is your child's tendency, ..there's bound to be a Pratham book about it and I'm always amazed at how they manage to put out such good content at such an affordable price! 

Anyway, in keeping with the Covid-19 times, we went online too, and found this gem of a  book online at storyweaver.org.in.  My little one always relates to the girl in the book and what are the odds that the little girl in this book is named Aadya too?! Little Aadya is almost like an extended attachment to her mother and neither lets her mother out of sight nor wants to venture anywhere without her ma (I’m sailing in the same boat too!) On a trip to Majuli, where she is seen literally clinging to her mom through-out the flight-train-ferry journey, Aadya is introduced to another girl her age, Kim-Kim and her young sister. Though hesitant at first, Aadya enjoys playing with her new friend Kim Kim, and soon she is off to tiny little adventures with Kim Kim and her friends, playing in the rain, splashing water by the river and picking and munching on bugories….all on her own without having her mother tag along and this experience pushes Aadya to take baby steps towards the path of self-reliance, much to her mother’s delight!  A great book to nudge your little one into doing things independently!   So here’s wishing more 5-power to my just-turned-five year old who no matter what and much to her chagrin, will always be the baby of our family! 😊

What shall I wear?

My little one has been a mini-fashionista ever since she learned to utter the word “Adalla” (“not that” in Kannada) and from then on, she would pretty much veto anything and everything I would pick out for her to wear and choose her own outfit for the day! It had been a formidable task to get her to wear her Montessori school uniform on the only two days of a five day week that required the students to don their uniform and just imagine what a mammoth effort it took for us to get her accustomed to wearing the school uniform “every single day” in her current school! “What shall I wear now” dominates her mind space and conversation with her nanny as she gets off her school bus in the afternoon and on most days, she greets me in the evening as I return home from work with “Amma, what shall I wear at bedtime today?” She would insist on a change of clothes even when accompanying me to the next door Kirana store for milk, or as she heads to my office (which is a portion of the ground floor of my house) or pillion rides the scooter with her dad to drop her brother to his bus pick-up point down our street! No matter what the book is about, it is always “what the girl is wearing” or “what sort of footwear has she worn” or “what kind of hairstyle is she sporting” that first draws her attention and trust me….she couldn’t be bothered about the boys at all! (At least for now!). Running short of ideas to engage her during the lock-down situation, we’ve given her a free rein to pull out whatever she likes from her wardrobe –  from traditional Indian wear to fancy party wear, from her various fancy dress-like outfits bought during our travels to her earlier school day costumes …. our little style icon isn’t complaining about being “All dressed up but nowhere to go! 😊

So I have always wanted to lay my hands on Pratham’s “What shall I wear” by Natasha Sharma but as you have would have it with many Pratham books , it was out of stock in most places I inquired. (Of course most Pratham books are available online on storyweaver, but it is not the same thing as cuddling with your little one at bedtime with her favourite book or when she pulls out the book during her alone-time and pours over her favourite character!)   So imagine my delight when I came across “Snack time Story time” hosted by Natasha Sharma based on her books on Facebook last week which also featured  “What shall I wear” a Level 2 reader by Pratham Publications authored by Natasha Sharma and illustrated by Tanvi Bhat. Its wonderful when the author introduces the book as he or she always lets in a snippet or two on the author’s story behind the story and it turns out that Natasha  Sharma was inspired by her then six year old daughter’s love for clothes that lead to the book and we also got to see how her not-so-little-fashionista took the same forward to now designing her own clothes! Anyway, the book is about a little girl who is in a predicament that most of us often find ourselves in …none of her clothes feel right!  Sometimes it’s the discomfort of the shirt buttons, or the pant being too tight, or choli not fitting or the lehenga being too long, so on and so forth driving the little girl  to the wardrobe of her mother and brother with no luck! Read on to find a do-it-yourself-creative solution arrived by the little girl in tweaking her wardrobe a little with an intelligent mix and match….and voila!… she has a new outfit! Now ….isn’t that true for all of us too!  A laugh-out read  for our fastidious little divas who have us on our wit's end  in trying to fulfill their fashion demands!   Just as we were about to log on to Youtube for another story telling session …....…Aadya stopped me to ask “Amma what shall I wear for the story-time?” !!!:-)

A time for a book for you and your Puchku!

“Man is a Social Animal” was the first lesson we learnt in sociology and though I have been a student of sociology earlier, it is only now that I realise the value of it. With the entire country on a lock-down/home quarantine situation owing to the advent of the devastating effects of Covid-19 virus spread, we are now faced with a unique and never-seen-before challenge of “Social distancing”! Right from the boy who drops off the daily newspaper and milk to the maid who cleans up, the help/nanny who takes care of your little one, from the Ola/Uber/Metro that gets you to work to the co-workers and other employees at work, from restaurants/eateries we frequent to the shops/market for groceries, from the various hobby classes we enroll into, to fitness/swimming activities we partake in, from the visit to the salon or socialising with friends and family, our day-to-day lives are so inter-twined with the other social animals!! To press the pause button on all of the above and isolate oneself is a not an easy task, to say the least but being unsure of how long to put off human interaction , so as to effectively control the spread of the virus is what causes real alarm. As of now it is Day 6 of the Central Government ordered 21-day lock down in India and one can only hope that we are successful in our attempt to flatten the curve!

With an overload of messages on the print and social media on finding the silver lining in this lock-down situation, and on how it can be an opportunity to reconnect with your inner-self and family, revive your long forgotten interests, and relearn the ways and means of a simple life of the days of yore, I decided to get back to blogging after a long hiatus and my absence is thanks to without an excuse - sloppy time management (though I would love to call it a writer’s block!). No doubt reading to my kids is still a stress buster, I’m all the more delighted at the unhurried pace at which I can now do so as we have suddenly landed ourselves with more than enough time to kill. Ever since I heard the title, I wanted to herd myself into getting hold of the book only to learn that it was out of print! On one of my recent visits to our favourite bookstore “The Funky Rainbow” (when a visit to the bookstore was still an acceptable social activity), I was pleasantly surprised to have finally found this gem of a book. “A Book for PUCHKU” a Level-3 Pratham publication by Deepanjana Pal and illustrated by Rajiv Eipe makes a wonderful read aloud story about a little girl who just loves reading. In fact, all Puchku does all day is read, read and read and so much so that she has finished reading all the books at home, and all the books she can reach for in her library until she discovers the top most rack of a cupboard that has stocked many a books that she hasn’t yet laid her curious eyes on!   So little Puchku along with her friend Dodla make an acrobatic attempt to reach for the books that she thinks seem to be at the reach of only a giraffe…..until the simplest solution presents itself in the form of a very-tall-eager-to-help librarian!  Thrilled to no bounds, Puchku however has no time to thank the librarian who helped her find the books she hadn’t yet read, as Puchku is already lost in them! A simple story with playful illustrations and an earnest attempt to sow the seeds of reading in young children, this curly-haired-two-pony-tailed-book-loving little girl was indeed an instant hit with our little Puchku!! So as the advisory goes…. “Stay home and stay safe”…. and cuddle up with your little Puchku with a book!

Aadya's day out at the beach!

Summers are always a throwback to one’s school days!  Though we adults aren’t as lucky as our kids to enjoy a summer break for a  whole month or two  (unless you are in the teaching profession),  the sweltering heat, twilight evenings, school holidays, the mango season, ice cream outings….. All of which ushers in a lazy feeling goading you to .........maybe take it easy this season …..unwind and chill out with kids and family. With schools closed, and a consequent respite from the morning rush and evening homework, I can't help if some of my son’s holiday fever rubs off on me too. Though we didn’t plan for a major trip this summer….we combined a couple of family events at our native town with a small beach vacation at the coast with a final stop (as always) at my parents’ farm house Shristi, Dharmasthala.  

The highlight of our trip was our stay at Sai Vishram Beach resort at Baindur, Udupi District. A quiet little property on the shores of Someshwara Beach which promises a back-to-nature (sea in this case) experience, free from devices ( no TV nor phone) albeit with all the modern comforts, and a delicious vegetarian spread. The almost-private beach as its center piece, the resort offers a host of beach related activities during the day and sunset evenings with chai and literally ‘bajji on the beach”!  We enjoyed the calm and pristine surroundings of this Sattvik resort, made even more homely by the ever-smiling staff and not to forget the Sai Baba temple in the midst of the refreshingly beautiful sea facing greenery that made for a memorable summer getaway for all us!

Though our little one has been to a beach before, this was her real  full fledged beach experience and we were quite surprised that she shared no inhibitions (like her brother earlier did!) with any of the beach activities, whether it a motor boat cruise, to jet skis, or riding on the waves lashing on to the shore with the help of a life guard or simply floating in the middle of the Arabian sea, or making sand castles….our little adventurist was game for it all!  

To complete her beach experience, we read a couple of books on the beach. I had picked up   "Keya's day at the Beach" a Level 2 Pratham reader by Radha Rangarajan and illustrated by Lavanya Naidu. Keya excitedly  peeks out of her burrow in the sand to be looking out at the sea. As she accompanies her mother to the beach, she spots many of her kind who have all come out for their feed of the day at the shore. As she marches on with her mother, grabbing whatever treats she can find in the sand, her mother introduces her to many of her species kind from the robust-soldier crab, to the eye-popping ghost crab, from the big-claw-fiddler crab to the crab-eating moon crab. Alas! just as she nears the sea, it is time to head back to the burrow. But Keya has enjoyed a day out at the sea and can't wait for the next day to march into the beach again! This is a-one-of-a-kind fiction-non-fiction book anthropomorphizing crabs which does make an interesting read with vivid illustrations for curious little minds.

But for my little one to fondly remember her fantastic beach experience at Sai Vishram Beach resort , I had to fall back on another anthropomorphic series - "Peppa at the Beach" , a Peppa Pig adventure, revolving around their beach outing with the Kangaroo family. My little one could very well relate to the excitement of the approaching waves, riding on the waves and being carried by the waves into the shore..... just like how she attempted to do with the help of a life guard at the beach.  Just as Daddy pig is caught off guard with a giant wave that picks him up and carries him into the share, my little one was knocked down by quite a few big waves hitting the shore and no sooner did she wipe the saline water off her face than she was ready for more! So just like Keya and Peppa, our little one loves the  beach! 

Angry "A"s!

What makes you angry? When your clients dodge paying up after extracting all the work from you? Or when you feel your entire weekend being devoured by your kids leaving absolutely no 'me-time'?  Or when your little sister is a ubiquitous presence at home, staking claim to all of your parents' attention? Or when you are not allowed to snack on your favourite junk food (which happens to be right before dinner time!)........ these are a few reasons that makes us go all red and hot! Off late, both our 'A's (as we fondly refer to our kids both whose names begin with the first alphabet) have been experiencing certain anger issues in their own way........if one is transitioning from tween years to teens.... the other is moving from thunderous threes to fussy fours!! While we dialed in  for "Toddler 911 techniques" for the latter, for the former we decided to introspect and look within and like most children's issues....it's no surprise that this too stems from the parents! While anger is a natural feeling when things don't go as expected, it's how we choose to react and express our anger that has a direct bearing on how our kids let their steam out! We yell and they yell, we abuse and they abuse, we curse and .........well.....they'll think cursing is cool!

Of course, avoiding all kinds of outbursts or shouting-matches is easier said than done, and it's convenient to let it slip a few times and blame it on children themselves or rationalize the same as parental authority! But seriously...who are we kidding? They are as we are and they will turn out as we have turned out. As the saying goes ....children are great imitators...so give them something great to imitate!

As we all learn to deal with our own anger management issues, I discovered an insightful little children's book on the same subject by Pratham publications titled "Angry Akku" by Vinayak Verma. Recently awarded the Hindu Young-World Good Books award for the Best Picture book: Story category, this book is based on a theme that transcends all age groups and makes a delightful read for one and all.  Even the name of the little girl reminds me of Kannada author Vaidehi's story of a strong willed woman named "Akku" with her own anger management and mental health issues that was even adapted into theater and later a movie. I wonder if the author drew inspiration from the same....!

Anyway, as little Akku is picked up from school by her father, he notices that Akku is not her usual perky self but is upset over something. Nothing seem to cheer her up...if the sun flowers on the way are "too yellow", the monkeys on the roof of her house are "Chee!" Nothing that appa has to offer softens her mood..... and though she refuses to down a glass of buttermilk or crunch into the crispy vadas.... on second thoughts  she polishes off the plate in no time!  Despite being in an unenviable situation, I envy the father's ability to stay patient and adopt a therapeutic  approach to letting Akku's anger subside! Why is Akku angry or most importantly, does Akku finally cool down?  Read on to find Akku's  annoyance melting away as she turns from Angry Akku to Artist Akku!  Aided by vibrant and imaginative illustrations,  and endearingly relatable portrayal of its protagonists, this book is truly one of the best picture books in recent times! Even on a personal level Angry Akku is a big hit at home as I see my little one imitating Akku in one of her own angry avatars and my older one trying out the ten best things suggested when he feels angry like Akku and  our lives are all about juggling between them as we learn to deal with our own angry-Akku-moods!    

The Centenarian amongst us!

I always remind Abhay of how lucky he is to be living close to both his  paternal and maternal grandparents. Not everyone gets to be indulged by paternal grandparents on a day-to-day basis and enjoy the 24/7 on-call homework help from his maternal grandparents like Abhay does!  (Touchwood!) In fact, our household has four generations living under the same roof.....with the oldest and the youngest almost a century apart in age!  It not only makes up for a stimulating home environment for growing kids but also enables them to understand family relationships and empathize with different levels of co-existence (at least I hope so!)

Of course, today's grandparents do make it a point to spend time and pamper their grandchildren, but how many kids get to spend time with their great-grandparents? Well....as I said in one of my earlier posts, Abhay has been more than blessed on that count and as his  great grandmother celebrates her hundredth birthday today, he can still count on her to rush to his rescue when being disciplined by his parents! Though she has been wheelchair-bound for the last nine years, and barring a few age related issues,....Abhay's "Doddajji" is active as ever. So much so, that she can even double up as another one of Abhay's nosy siblings, always trying to obstruct his defense-cricket play at home......leading to cross-generational-fights forcing Abhay's grandmother to intervene and diffuse the high decibel situation! Not to be left behind, my little one too reserves her performances exclusively for "Doddajji" only!  Much to Abhay's chagrin, his dodda-ajji also dons the role of a peacemaker during the fights between him and sister over sharing of toys or chocolates, etc!

While it is her indefatigable spirit and unparalleled zest for life that has Abhay's Dodda-ajji achieve the centenarian status, the credit greatly goes to her primary care-providers, my in-laws, particularly my mother-in-law who has had to cut back on a lot of her freedoms to take care of Doddajji!

No celebration in our household is complete without a book and I had to drive all the way to the author's place to pick up this signed copy!  Well, special occasions demand special effort and I am extremely grateful to Ms Roopa Pai, the author, who quickly responded to my urgent request and was kind enough to readily offer one of the last copies of her book! "How old is MUTTAJJI?",  a Pratham publication authored by Roopa Pai and illustrated by Kaveri Gopalakrishnan, is a perfect book for this memorable occasion and did rounds in the entire family circle!

Putti and Putta are excited to travel to Mysore to visit their mother's mother who takes care of their mother's mother's mother  on the latter's birthday! :-) As they try to figure out their great-grandmother's age, they are led into a matho-historical adventure of calculating her age on the basis of certain historic milestones that their Muttajji connects to her very own personal milestones! As they try to ferret out information on the "Grand-Maharaja-Maharani's party"  or the "Clean Trains" or "The Dam that tamed the river Kaveri" at the  local library with the help of grandpa  (and not Google......mind you!) and do the necessary math, they finally arrive at a figure which is exactly the same as our Doddajji! A wonderful story that has so many different elements packed into one - from history to maths, from local flavor and culture to family traditions, from adventure to subtle and relatable humour, aided by lively and delectable illustrations - this book is a treat in itself....and to be reading it to our own "Muttajji"  on her hundredth birthday, makes it all the more endearing!!  And thanks to this book, we too went from "old people don't have birthday cakes" to getting a big cake with pineapple icing and roses on the top!!!

On a side note, the math element in the book reminds us of Abhay's maths-professor grandmother who's birthday it is tomorrow. Not everyone has a hundred year old great-grandmother living with them and not everyone has a mathematician grandmother.....so happy birthday to Abhay's "Doddajji" and advance wishes to Abhay's "Sannajji"!!! :-)

Wildlife in a City Pond!

This weekend saw another celebration of the dwindling water-bodies and its attendant greenery within the city at our neighbourhood kere (lake in kannada) at the Puttenahalli kere habba. Organized on the lines of a similar kere habba (literally meaning lake festival in Kannada) at Kaikondrahalli lake at Sarjapur Road by Namma Bengaluru Foundation, this festival attempted to draw the spotlight on the importance of conservation of lakes amidst the growing concrete jungle. Though we missed the habba due to confusion regarding dates ( assumed it was to be held on Sunday instead of Saturday), we have been regular visitors at the lake. So much so that my father-in-law’s day is incomplete without his refreshing morning walk around the lake! Puttenahalli kere is also home to many species of birds and a true delight for bird watchers and naturalists alike. But I must say that Puttenahalli lake would not have been the same, if not the continual efforts of Puttenahalli Neighbourhood Lake Improvement Trust (PNLIT) to rejuvenate and maintain the lake and the surrounding environs. Further, events and initiatives like these not only help sensitize our kids to the environment around them but also garner support for retention of parks, lakes and such open spaces, lest they get swallowed by land sharks!

 

 

So in this background, today we read  a beautiful story titled “Wildlife in a city pond”  by Ashish Kothari and vividly illustrated by Sangeetha Kadur, a level 4 Reader from Pratham publications. Narrated in first person, the author is puzzled by a deafening cacophony emerging from below his balcony as he moved into his new home in Pune, only to find the mystery solved the next morning as he discovered a small pond below in an abandoned quarry. Over the next year, he saw the pond undergo transformation through the seasons, especially during monsoon when the pond came to life with a host of plant and animal life finding shelter. What a joy it was to wake up hearing the chirping of mynas, watching brilliant blue kingfishers swoop into the water for their daily feed of fish  …baya weaver birds resting in their tailor made nests…. even flapshell turtles swimming in the pond and finally being lulled to sleep  by the croaking frogs at night!  However one day, the pond and its wildlife were threatened from the so called development plans to the drain the wetland to make space for more buildings. However, thanks to the efforts of the residents who sought help from all quarters from the media and environment protection groups to the city commissioner….the pond was declared off limits for any construction!  So just like the author in the book, we residents of J P Nagar VII phase are lucky to enjoy to a mini sanctuary amidst the bustling city!  Kudos to PNLIT and Namma Bengaluru Foundation for making Puttenahalli kere the pride of J P Nagar VII Phase area!  :-)

Before the monsoons are over.....

With the Ganesha festivities over, it's time to enjoy the last of the monsoon magic as it lingers on in the coastal region, before we head back to Bangalore. Though the rains don't seem to let up in some areas, they  are almost on their way out in other parts of the country. Before it's too late.... I thought I should do a monsoon recap on Onestoryaday! 

 

 

 

 

When you think of the Indian monsoon, you can't miss Uma Krishnaswami's "Monsoon", illustrated by Jamel Akib which highlights the importance of the yearly rains in a tropical country like India. Another foreign publication that remains close to our heart is Kashmira Seth's "Monsoon Afternoons", as I remember reading  the monsoon escapade of a grandpa-grandson duo to my son in the US when it got me so nostalgic that I almost immediately wanted to return to India! (and we did the same year!)

 

 

Pratham publications have a lot to offer ranging from Peacocks and Pakoras by Mala Kumar and Manisha Choudary and illustrated by Priya Kuriyan as a part of the Rituchakra series on seasons and the Level 2 Early Reader  Rain Rain by Sanjay Jaiswal "Sanjay" and Ajith Narain to the recent “Wildlife in a City Pond” a Level four reader by Ashish Kothari and Sangeetha Kadur.  

“Going home in rain” by Nancy Strikland and Jigma Lodey, a story revolving around three young girls and their attempt to brave heavy rains in a mountainous region in Bhutan.

There's Ruskin Bond's The Angry River, a story of survival and friendship during flash floods in the rainy season, put together in an Amar Chitra Katha format along with another one of his stories titled "The Blue Umbrella". 

Tulika's  Raindrops by Vaishali Shroff presents a vivid picture of monsoon in a city, with its soft water colour illustrations by Ruchi Mhasane enhancing your reading experience! 

Another addition to our rainy-day reads is Tulika's "The Red Umbrella" a bi-lingual by Nandini Nayar and pictures by Sowmya Menon which we received as a part of the picture book exchange hosted by Bubbleink just in time for this year's monsoon!

 

 

 

This story reminiscent of classics like "The Mitten", with a monsoon/ rainy twist also reminds you of Gulzaar's famous song, "Ek akele chhatri mein jab aadhi aadhi bheeg rahe hain"! J The rain goes drip drip drip and all the animals from the mouse to the cow scramble to fit in under the red umbrella…..which in all makes a perfect read-aloud book for younger kids!

Monsoons may come and go, but you always have these monsoon reads to transport you back to the rainy season and let you vicariously enjoy the rains.....!! For now, enjoy the monsoon while it lasts!:-)) 

Freedom Run!

 As our nation turns 68 today, like many Indians, we too watched the Independence day celebrations on television and keenly listened in on our Prime Minister’s maiden I-day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort, New Delhi and also followed it up by attending the flag hoisting ceremony in our community neighbourhood. Over the years, Independence day celebrations have gone beyond the traditional flag-hoisting- patriotic-singing ceremonies and the emphasis is more now on celebrating India in all its pride, history and diversity. So from Tiranga halwa at I-day buffets to I-day discounts and offers and I-day children’s story-hours, its “Happy Independence day” all the way!

I so wish we could attend the Independence day special story time organized by friend and fellow blogger Cuddles and Reads, but due a prior engagement, we had to make do with a freedom story at home!:-) While Independence day is a time to reflect on the struggles and sacrifices our forefathers who fought for India’s freedom, it is also a time reflect in other freedoms we need to fight for today. I remember the centerpiece of  Independence day celebrations at our school was always be a map of India with  question “Is India free?” Going by the same issue, today we read a story that throws light on the plight of the forgotten children of ….Khamaria in Uttar Pradesh where the children are made to work all day at the carpet looms. “Freedom Run” by Subhadra Sen Gupta and Tapas Guha  is a level 4 reader in a comic book format brought out by Pratham publications. Meant for slightly older children, this is a moving story revolving around three children Kallan, Mansoor and Gokul who are made to work at the carpet loom to pay off their parents’ debt. All of them long to be free from the drudgery of knotting carpets for Mir Ali, the loom owner at whose hands they suffer physical and emotional abuse. It is only when they meet Munna Bhai, a social worker, that they realize that it’s illegal to make children work to pay off loans. Munna Bhai even offers to take them to Sewapuri where they can study and earn by weaving at the same time. But the question is how will they get to Sewapuri?? Meanwhile Gokul’s brother Rahul tries to rescue him from the evil clutches of Mir Ali and his associates…..?? Do the children manage to escape to freedom?? Will they be free like the rest of the children?? Read on as your young reader ponders over the harsh realities of life and goes on to understand the value of freedom…which we all take for granted!!! Lets hope this Independence day brings freedom to many such children who are victims of circumstances……!!!

Monsoon’s here!

It’s that time of the year again when your handbag feels a little heavier than usual, thanks to the umbrella you'd better carry, or when you can simply blame the weather for all your street food cravings or those multiple cups of chai at work, or  when you can expect your little one to catch a cold every other day or thankfully bid goodbye (at least temporarily!) to all your water woes and brace yourself for some more traffic woes!  Well, after playing truant last year, monsoon has hit the South and is expected to be near normal this time around. Monsoon always gets me nostalgic of my stay in Portland which is known for its cloudy days accompanied by incessant rain most part of the year. Monsoon is also reminiscent of the good old school days back in the 80s when school children could be seen leaving the school with their colourful raincoats and rain-caps. I remember donning my pink raincoat to keep me dry on those rainy evenings as I walked or took the BTS (public transport) bus home! Somehow, I haven’t witnessed a similar sight in the recent years during monsoon and I am not sure if it’s because it doesn’t rain enough for a raincoat or the raincoat isn’t enough for today’s children!  J

Welcoming this year’s monsoon, I had Abhay read “Peacocks and Pakoras” by Mala Kumar and Manisha Chaudhry and pictures by Priya Kuriyan, part of the Rituchakra series on seasons brought out last year by Pratham publications. The young protagonist of the Rituchakra series,  Meenu returns to welcome monsoon after a long hot summer! Meenu loves everything the Varsha Ritu (monsoon in Sanskrit) has to offer - the dark clouds with an occasional thunder (an unusually brave kid!), the cool rainy breeze, the smell of the wet earth, the dancing peacocks (she must live in the countryside or in a zoo!)  and the singing cuckoo (this one is definitely a possibility in a city, but may become a rarity  soon enough!), Shobha aunty’s kajari ( folk songs sung during the rain), getting wet in the rain while returning home from school (no wonder I don’t see the raincoats!), vibrant green foliage, and the smell of the pakoras being fried in the kitchen and the fact that she does not have to water her mango plant anymore (something I can identify with!) Of all the books in the Rituchakra series, we enjoyed “Peacocks and Pakoras” the best…and it is probably because monsoon, for various reasons, is the one of the most celebrated seasons of India! Enjoy the rain… everyone!   

Happy Mothers' day!

When Anna Jarvis campaigned to have the second Sunday in May recognized as “Mother’s day”, she probably didn’t anticipate how commercialized this day would turn into! In fact, seeing every business from restaurants, salons, baby and clothing stores to maternity hospitals cashing in on what is supposed to be a simple appreciation day, it almost seems clichéd or contrived to wish “Happy Mother’s day” to your own mother! Well, to me, today is the day to express gratitude for all those annoying “mothering” moments, while at the same time hoping that your little one would probably feel the same about your own “mothering”moments of today! We are constantly introspecting over the choices we make as moms and its impact on our little ones and I am now beginning to understand what my mother went through over the choices she made or decisions she took concerning me. For instance, it may begin with “Am I feeding him/her enough?” or “Should we take him to the doc or wait for another day?” and grow into "Will this job-change affect him?" or “Am I being too harsh with him?” or “Is this the right school for him?” or “Is this extra-curricular activity too much for him to handle?”and progress into “Will this be a good career choice for him?” or "Is she the right one?" and eventually evolve into “Am I being pushy?” or “Should I just let go?” – in all asking ourselves the same question “Am I doing the right thing for my baby?” So I guess today is the day you can put to rest all those self doubts your mother has had while raising you with a simple “Thank You”! ....... So...thanks amma for the choices you made!

Celebrating Motherhood- Three Generations of mothers (My own mother is missing from this picture though!)

You may be a mother of nine (in case of our grandma) or a mother of two (in case of my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law or a mother of one (that’s my mother and me!), you cannot but agree that you play a pivotal role your child’s life! So on mother’s day I read “My Mother” by Jaya Jaitley, art and pictures by Bahadur Chitrakar, a Level 2 bilingualEarly reader brought out by Pratham publications. Set in rural West Bengal, a little boy describes a day in the life of his Ma who toils for her family. She wakes up very early in the morning to fetch water from a hand pump in the village prompting the boy to dream of becoming a mechanic so as to be able to repair the pump for his mother. Besides cooking and cleaning, Ma is clever enough to help them with their lessons and narrate magical stories that never end as they all fall asleep before she finishes! At end of the day, when Ma’s work is done, she sits down to paint pictures just like her mother did as it makes her happy! I loved illustrations that are designed in traditional Kalighat Parichitra style that are both vibrant and authentic to its setting. A simple and sincere narrative by a little boy who is full of gratitude for his home without his mother would not be the same!! Well....its the same for all of us, isnt it? To all moms......Happy Mother’s day!

Cant wait for summer ........to be over!

 I am glad that we are in the middle of summer holidays - one month’s over and one more to go! Even before Abhay began his summer vacations, I had begun planning for them! I thought I had it perfectly planned out for Abhay to spend the first half at his grandparent’s farm in Dharmasthala the old fashioned way, followed by a refreshing family vacation to Kodaikanal which would ready him up for a football camp organized by his school. But when the school decided to cancel the sports camp for the month of May due to very few enrollments, we were faced with the horrifying prospect of Abhay spending the whole day at home, which would have him invariably turn to the idiot box for company. So we were forced to do some last minute leg work for summer camps in our area, the result being Abhay has been enrolled into a discovery and science based summer camp organized by a group known as the Readwell academy. Ideally, I would have wanted him to be engaged in some outdoor sports or physical activity, but given the circumstances, I can certainly make do with any activity that has him constructively engaged at least until noon,  as opposed to watching TV the whole day! Well, to be honest, with Bangalore’s scorching climate, diminishing open spaces (unless you live in an apartment), and unruly traffic even in residential localities, I wouldn’t blame him for wanting to stay indoors instead of exploring the outdoors!

Besides holidays, summer is also the time to head outside, relish the king of fruits and gulp down gallops of ice cream! So today I had him read “Lassi, Ice cream or Falooda” by Mala Kumar, Manisha Chaudary and Priya Kurien, a Level 2 Early Reader and a part of the Rituchakra series on seasons brought out by Pratham publications. As usual Meenu is excited about summer, a season between spring and monsoon, a season of school holidays, a season to take a vacation on the hills, like Ooty (“or Kodaikanal” as Abhay recalled), a season of grandma’s raw mango panna or Farhan aunty’s sweet smelling Falooda, a season of the hot sun that has everyone wearing dark shades and feeling thirsty while quenching the same with Nimbu Paani or ice creams. So is the little sapling that Meenu had planted during spring that has grown into a little plant which Meenu never forgets to water twice a day. Finally Meenu shares her eagerness with the plant which she feels is waiting for the monsoon to bear fruit the next summer. Well, its not only Meenu or her plant, I guess everyone is waiting for the monsoon too!

The Indian spring!

Come March and it is officially the end of winter. Come March and it’s time for a sneak preview of this year’s summer! Come March and work gets hectic for the accountants towards the closing of the financial year.   Come March and it is officially the exam season, at least here in Bangalore. So much so that this time every year, my mind races back to the time of my exams (the last one being almost a decade ago!), like a pavlovian response to this weather! Abhay too has his quarterly assessment next week, but I guess he still has a couple or more years to go before the real exam fever sets in…..until then I can still breathe easy in March! For those of you who are already there …..All the best as parents need it more than the kids!

For parents of young children who are yet to feel the pressure of exams, here’s a look at some of the pleasant things around this time of the year. “Everything looks new” by Mala Kumar, Manisha Chaudhry and Priya Kuriyan, a Level 2 Early reader by Pratham publications and a part of the Rituchakra series on seasons, is a nice little book on spring. A  little girl named Meenu (who is the same girl in all the books in this series!) is excited to welcome Vasanth Panchami, which is supposed to be the first day of spring, called Vasanth Ritu in Sanskrit, a season between winter and summer. She notices the changes around her - new leaves growing on trees, flowers blossoming in the garden, birds and squirrels chirping around making the surroundings beautiful and pretty. Meenu's grandpa plans to a tree as spring is a good season to start something new.  Spring is also the time to celebrate Holi, the festival of colours. But the best thing about spring, according to Meenu is that spring is not cold, not hot and not wet and that she can play all the time! Enjoy this year’s spring, everyone (after your exams of course!).