Vein in Vanity

I have a problem with the term “full-time mom”. The meaning of the phrase that i found online is, a mother who doesn't have a job and spends all her time looking after children. In this definition is the emphasis on the fact that she doesn't have a job or on the latter part of the sentence? When a woman decides to have a baby doesn't she become a mother from that exact moment? And if she decides to work after having a baby does she stop being a mother the time she goes to work?   Now that I have a baby the one main thing a lot of people want to know is if i am working. And  when I answer in the negative, the majority is appalled. A popular reason being, “A master’s degree down the drain”, “ You aren't housewife material” etc. Other reactions include disdain and even despair because “ What do you do all day at home? Don't you need a break from the baby? Don't you get bored? How can you put up with all the cooking, cleaning, crying, feeding etc etc?” ...

It happened a few months ago when I was attending a training session for the job I had newly got. There were 3 Americans, 1 English, 1 Austrian and of course 1 Indian (me) attending the session. The task was to write down the names of all the things that we could find in the room we were sitting in, in our mother tongue. Sounded easy enough at first, but led to extreme embarrassment when I could name just 17 and everyone else in the room came up with 70 in a minute’s time. I always took pride in the fact that my English was good. But what a slap in the face it was, when for the life in me, I couldn’t figure out what we called a table in Tamil! While recuperating from the serious damage caused by this incident I began thinking… Most people associate culture and history with India. It is incredible that we have so many different religions, traditions and values. And not to forget the multitude of languages. I have often heard that what scientists in the west discovered years l...

Yes it’s true my best friend was stolen in Kindergarten and believe it or not I have still not made my peace with it! Conspiracy began at that ‘tender’ (puh!) age! Nevertheless I cannot deny having met so many remarkable people through the years. And in that light the loss I was talking about doesn’t really matter. I made my first real friend in the 8 th standard. Honey was on no mission to reform me. And I was so grateful for that! She is my diva. Sumeet , the alleged boyfriend of mine, was so much more than that! And I can’t begin to describe how he always rode shotgun in the scariest of times. The next person on my list started off as a brat but it wasn’t long before everyone was convinced he was a brat alright but with a big heart. I would describe P.K as one of the few genuine persons. Pawar is Mr.Practical. He always seems to know what would work and what wouldn’t. Madhavi is more than a friend. She is family. We have had the longest conversations about everything we kne...

Now does this happen with you? You are busy, have hardly any time to breathe and have a million things on your mind! But then suddenly out of nowhere you think of all the things you could do, had you just a breather. I for one seem to shine with creativity, come up with a million topics to write, new recipes to cook, oh! And that cupboard of mine that needs to be cleaned! Sigh if only I had the time. Finally Chronos smiles upon me giving me a weekend or sometimes even more. But then I can’t seem to recollect and I wonder. What was it that I had to write about? What did I have to try with cooking? And what about my cupboard?  Also it’s about having the accessories to work with. Like a MacBook pro wouldn’t hurt you know. If anything it’ll be such a motivation to write! Then the devil that my mind is begins to grumble and this is how I manifest it ‘I have nothing to do. I am bored’. And when I am bored what do i feel like doing? Nothing and what is the only thing I wish I had? S...

It’s quite impossible to explain the impact some incidents in life have on you. Suddenly, the things that seemed the most important till today become insignificant and man begins to appreciate and reconsider his stand. So unaware a being has Providence made Man that he lives every day without having the slightest hunch of what might happen the very next minute. That makes him adept at complaining, fighting and hating another. Be it on a larger level- terrorism or at a more identifiable level- being jealous of a friend. We know how it is all going to end and baffling enough don’t know when. Then why do we put ourselves (me included) through all this drama of love, hate, sorrow, anger? Why is it that we crave for appreciation? Why is it that we want to have it all when we very well realize it’s not for keeps? Why is it that we always feel that we deserve more? Why is it that even when a friend or a relative is going through a bad patch it’s still ‘I’ that matters? Why is that the...

It was in 2009 that I experienced snow for the first time. To us, born and raised in a tropical climate, having winters with snow has always been a dream. So was it for me! Unfortunately last year there was very little snow.  However the city seemed to have sensed my disappointment and this year Vienna is living a white Christmas! It’s amazing how different the city looks in every season. Nonetheless it never seems to lose its class or charm! The grand architecture of the Staatsoper(Opera House), expansive parks, the central church with its statuesque dome, live on with the same if not more grandeur.  The much talked about Viennese Coffee culture comes to one’s notice a lot more during cold winters. People journeying through snow-covered streets holding piping hot coffee from Aida (one of the famous coffee houses here) is a common spectacle. Also, all resentment for that cup of green tea seems to evaporate as you sit cuddled in blankets sipping some boiling tea. No San...

I wasn’t really the favorite child and rightly so because I wasn’t docile or obedient. I’d like to believe I was unconventional, for various reasons. And it was in such troubled times that I found a confidant within my family. I cannot say how or why she had so much faith in me. She was always much forward of her times and so stood by me through thick and thin. Mom never thought I was being unreasonable or demanding. I am sure many of us consider our mothers as very special people who are a very important part of our lives. But it is a whole other thing to establish trust. I would say my mother had me trapped. She believed me so much that I could not dream of letting her down.  Before I made any decisions I would first thing think about how she would react to it. So while making me independent she made me responsible too. After having my sis, when Mom was in the family way after 8 years she badly wanted a boy. Maybe that’s why I am a little tomboyish. It could be because ...