My Home

Everyone wants to put an adjective ‘sweet’ to home. Yes my home is my sweet home. I have worked on the details of it by myself. My mother in my marriage gave us the utensils and all the pooja materials as part of formalities of marriage. She was in my home and with me in the initial days of setting up of my home when no sophisticated things were present in my home. She used to bring the materials required for my home daily by the time we used to come back from office in the first week of our stay in my new home. Ok, she brought only small things and she helped me set up the home, but the help I got from it and the confidence I got to run my home from that was good enough during the initial days. From the day 1 I own my home.

After that point, both I and my husband stayed in that small house in our first year of marriage before moving to different houses. We set up all the major items of the house (like TV, refrigerator, washing machine etc). Many of other essential items I had got as marriage gifts from my aunts and uncles like gas stove, cooker, mixer etc.

I do not care if anyone admires it or not, nor if anyone remembers how my home was set up. But I definitely remember those initial days. We were not getting the kind of salary packages we are getting now because we got married in our early 20s. So it was a little different experience at the startup and it was good too.

Now in our home (I do not want to call it a house, its ‘home’) I have all the necessities which a home should have. I have developed an immense attachment towards it. It may be a rented house but as long as we are living in it, it’s ours. Because all the details in the house are worked by me in that house. I have struggled hard to build my home the way it is. I work in office and at home, but still once I come back to my home I feel contended. I want to keep it clean as per my standards.  I do not want to be judged by others’ standards for my cleanliness. It’s their problem if they do not agree with the way I have kept my home because as per my standards others may not be clean enough right!

Yes there always comes comparison with my hometown home where I grew up and having all my memories with the house in Tumkur. I love the house where I was brought up. I like to spend some of my time in that house once in a year. I do not deny any attachments to my hometown nor my ancestral home.

But now my first love is my home where my family lives and breeds.  Where I dwell and struggle in my day to day activities. Where there is lot of effort and struggle, you love that part too somewhere in the corner of our hearts. Because it’s for my own family I am struggling and I want to see my family happy at the end of the day with my struggle. And with our own hard-work whatever I get I feel contended and fulfilled in that and one feels he/she owns it. That is how my home is built over the years and I own it undoubtedly.

I want my son to grow up happily in my home and he should also feel proud about what as a family we achieved together and I want to gain respect from him for all the hard-work done for the home and love we share.

With Best wishes It's TVR..

Happy 101th women’s day - 8th March

“MAY SOLIDARITY SHINE today & always. May women be equal. May there be no violence. Peace!”

May equality and dignity be there for every woman in every forum and in every house. Let there be decrease or eradication of inequalities against women worldwide.

To daughters, to mothers, to sisters, to girl friends — and to men who support what today is all about:

Happy International Women’s Day!

This is the quote I got in my office:

Proud to be a woman..
TVR..

Feeling of Pain

Feeling of pain no one wants. No one wants to foresee a pain coming to him/her. No one wants to recollect anything to feel the pain. Some forgotten thoughts in subconscious mind are like knife is a shawl.  You will only know the pain when you put on the shawl and only you can make out the pain given by the pricking knife. You do not want the shawl with knife. From outside everything looks fine but  no one can make out the knife inside it.

Such are the sorts of some of the pains in life. When it pains no one can understand what we go through. Only we know the pain that knife gives. And to no one we should tell that there is a knife. They tell its in our imagination and they cannot see it.

It pains more when there is self-blame for keeping the knife inside and being blamed for the pain it gives. The whole and sole responsibility finally lies with us to get rid of the knife but is it so easy than said? I am not sure how people handle different situations of pain. But when you are alone in this process of pain, then it pains more. 

At-least if I can do this blogging or if I can throw the knife out definitely by not sharing with people, but through some other means, then I can get relieved. But I doubt such a situation can come until my death. That’s why one needs ‘mukti’ from this world and not re-birth.

My son now recites – “Asathoma Sadgamaya, thamasoma jyothirgamaya, Mrityormam Amritangamaya, Om shanti shanti shanti…”. True, only the true light of divinity can revive us from all our pains and not just humans.

The power of prayer

Yes there is so much power in prayers. I have experienced it myself many times. We do not have to do extraordinary poojas, follow shastras but true prayers will be answered somehow. I have experienced it myself when I got my job, or when I was blessed with my son. I do not think some of the aspects do do not work only if we have capability, the blessings are definitely required. Yesterday had been to do surya namaskara (bowing to sun) in the early morning in my hometown. It was so nice to see how morning looks with people cleaning their outdoors, taking milk, or even going to temples. I miss them so badly these days. I will be engulfed in my daily chores so much in the morning.

The surya namaskara was performed in a place called aralikatte (It’s a place in the town where a small temple is present and two big banyan trees and also neem trees will be present). It was such a nice place to do little meditation, small prayers and bow down to God. Here we were doing surya namaskaras. Sun is source of all the life on this earth. He is the source of energy and our ancestors used to pray him for good health by putting namaskaras. It seems for lord Surya putting namaskaras itself is good enough to please him.  Though I do not believe much in many shastras/rituals or sometimes blind beliefs, I definitely believe in the power of prayer, the power of listening to the chanting mantras (For Surya, it is "Aditya Hridaya").  They fill our soul with little relief and we get a little bliss from our mechanical life.

I would like to pass the same to my son and make him aware of our ancestral practices. We ourselves do not know much about many practices but whatever we know we can pass on. Many of the values and practices which our ancestors used to follow (I do not say all) had some true meanings and benefits which if we follow can be little more disciplined in our lives and can improve our health and mental peace.

With Best wishes It's TVR..

Women who made difference

Yesterday I was reading in Times about a woman (French-Manipuri, a yoga guru, dancer) who is 94 and still came to India for a ball room dance show. I felt any 16 year old girl will not match to the energy levels of her when I saw her photo. She had a hip bone surgery a few months ago and she is already in form and has come back to her dancing. Her doctor advised not do padmasana but she did not listen to him. Today her doctor calls her “miracle woman”. I could not stop staring at her photo again and again.

These list of women did not have any privileges by birth nor did they grow up in a very luxurious environment but made so much difference to their lives by determination, hard-work and focus. I could not stop admiring these women when I saw the list and the details about each one of them published in yahoo about women who were here with a purpose and achieved what they wanted against all odds in this male-dominated society.

Mother Teresa


Joan of Arc


Marilyn Monroe

Oprah Winfrey

Amelia Earhart

Billie Jean King

J. K. Rowling

Princess Diana

Rosa Parks

Kelly Holmes’

I would like to add a few more names to this list:

homai vyarawalla

P T Usha

Kalpana Chawla

Kiran Bedi

And many more whom I cannot recollect at this point of time. But there are many whom I admire very much.

Want to get inspired by them, become truly positive and achieve satisfaction at my personal level.

Much Love Appa!

As I type this I was wishing my father on his birthday over phone.  He turned 64 today.

You gave us so much love when we were brought up.

You took the responsibility of your family at an age of 28 to bring up your two brothers and two sisters. But you never complained nor nagged on the responsibilities you had. You are admired by your siblings, wife and by us for that!

You are an abode of patience at-least with your kids. You never screamed on us and always guided us in a very gentle manner.

Even though you had much tensions at home and office, you never made your wife feel lonely. You both never stopped enjoying the good aspects of your lives!

You took care of your mother with so much love, when people just keep talking about taking care of their parents. Not only her, you took good care of your mother-in-law also. I remember how you spent money and your time when Amma’s mother was in hospital. You always adored her too.

You never made us feel the troubles you faced. You insulated us from them and gave only protection.

You were always liberal in spending money and always gave Rs.100 if we asked for Rs.50 because you knew we do not spoil it and you were always very liberal in spending even though you had faced so much troubles financially too. This attitude we both kids of yours have imbibed. Cannot live as a stingy person anytime.

 You still have so much confidence on your kids and I know you are so much proud of us in every sense.

 You gave me the gift of art of reading. I love the hobby and I still continue to read and acknowledge the beauty and happiness of reading books!

Off late you have some health problems. You suffered from piles and sometimes still get leg pain due to uric acid issues and you have blood pressure. But do take care!

May you have many many more years of celebration!

Happy Birthday Appa!

With Best wishes It's TVR..

2011 - Hinnota (A view back)

  As we are at the end of this year, i was thinking what and all i did in this year and what were the major milestones of the year. To be frank there are no major milestones in my life this year personally and  we just enjoyed being with Eshaan and watching him grow in this year has been a true delight. It seems kids are needed not just like bringing up a plant and expecting fruits at the end. They are needed for just the sake of happiness that is in store for us and enjoy them during the course of their upbringing.  The statement is very TRUE.
  One thing i would definitely remember would be that one more bundle of happiness came to our lives. That is my sis gave birth to a baby boy and whenever i visit my hometown i just enjoy having him on my lap. Its such a divine experience feeling once again in a span of 2 years since Eshaan was born.

Apart from that the year just went by.

But I really like this last week of the year. Bangalore roads will be less crowded and everywhere holiday mood will be set.

Somehow i do not get thrilled by New year or celebrations. My joy would be all my old friends/friends and also my cousins send messages or wish us and i feel happy that they remember me and that brings smile on my face by receiving messages unexpectedly. We just remember everyone and also send wishes to them and that itself brings lot of happiness to begin a year.
2012 is starting on a sunday. Can be with my family for the whole day!

Anyway as we pass this year and the end of the year has come. Wish you all forget sour memories, leave the baggage for this year on 31st Dec back and step into new year by cherishing fond memories.

Have happy holidays! Have fun!