Glorious Sixty Year Olds

I do not know who wrote this - someone just sent it in my email. But it is beautifully and simply written. ( If anyone knows the name of the author, please do let me know. Thanks) Too many women in too many countries speak the same language of silence. My grandmother was always silent, always aggrieved Only her husband had the cosmic right (or so it was said) to speak and be heard. They say it is different now. (After all, I am always vocal and my grandmother thinks I talk too much) But sometimes I wonder. When a woman shares her thoughts, as some women do, graciously, it is allowed. When a woman fights for power, as all women would like to, quietly or loudly, it is questioned. And yet, there must be freedom - if we are to speak And yes, there must be power -  if we are to be heard. And when we have both (freedom and power) let us now be understood. We seek only to give words to those who cannot speak (too many women in too many countries) ...

Care-givers are people who spend their time taking care of others - and care-takers in this context are individuals who are recipients of the concern and care from others. A bit different from the normal connotations of these words, but this does make more sense doesn't it?   They took care of us - and today we miss that care and concern As we get older our responsibilities seem to increase. When the children are young, we keep waiting for them to grow up so that we no longer feel responsible for every action of theirs. But as we and they grow older we realize that worrying about them and thinking that all their problems have to be solved by us has just become a habit. We constantly think of ourselves as care givers - giving care, taking care of children and grandchildren and parents and everyone else around us. Is this just a habit? For me this is definitely true - I am just one of those people who loves to organise everyone's lives. Do this, do it this wa...

The Beach at Langkawi Holidays give you so much to cheer about. There is a change of surrounding, a relaxed time to spend with friends and an ability to do what we want and when we want. There is so much joy in them, that even a 15 day bug cannot take away from good memories and happy times.  Thank heavens for friends and for the gift of being able to go away when we want to and where we want to. We are truly blessed. Kuala Lumpur or Langkawi or Colombo - where did we pick up the bug from? Did it travel in our suitcase or in our wallets or was it just something which decided to come and give all of us some painful and tiring memories. Eagle Point at Langkawi An explanation is needed. We traveled for nine days in a group of eight to Kuala Lumpur and Langkawi and Colombo. The holiday was very nice - KL was more of a shopping expedition than anything else! A day spent in Genting Highlands was interesting - we played roulette and won en...

         S-145, Panchshila Park Vasant Vihar seems  a bit like home now, not completely but the areas are beginning to look familiar, I do not wake up and wonder where I am any more and I still call S-145 my home but then I also call C 6/6 home. Why do we get so attached to bricks and mortar? Why is it that some place gives you great vibes and welcomes you, whereas in some homes as soon as you enter there is a desire to leave. We have always hoped that our home will be a welcoming one, a place where people were welcome to come when they want and stay as long they want - to some extent!. We feel that we have achieved it where ever we have lived and maybe our friends feel that to. Homes are our lifeline, they make or break our moods. They are places where we can look for happiness for ourselves or just sit back and make ourselves miserable. But we forget that each home is a new place and we have to establish the atmosphere and the ambiance o...

A s we prepare to move to a new home in Vasant Vihar, mainly due to family obligations, both of us are going through a period of introspection and of wondering what the future holds for us. We are getting older, an undeniable fact! We are getting slower and more lethargic, another undeniable fact! We are happy to move house - now that is where the facts begin to get muddled up, that is where we are not too sure about what is happening and whether it is the correct decision to make. The decision was not an easy one - my husband agreed to move faster than I did. I wavered back and forth. Spoke to many friends and relatives, took too many opinions and spent many nights just sitting and staring at the walls. What finally made the decision for me was one evening when I could not even turn round into my road for 30 minutes because of the traffic mess all around. Then it felt that enough was enough and a decision was confirmed. Do our children agree with us? I am not too sure, they are...

Beethoven and Friends: By Kishore Chatterjee Those who are familiar with Western Classical Music in India, will also be familiar with Kishore Chatterjee's  radio talks about them. He has also anchored various shows on this subject and has also taken part in talks about it at Calcutta University and Jadavpur University, among other places. His book, Beethoven and Friends , is all about the history of Western Classical history, through the unusual format of stories about those who were a part of it. I have enjoyed the book as much as I have enjoyed listening to Western Classical music, which is a lot. Music for me has meant peace and relaxation, it has meant a transcendence into a world of joy and blissful sounds. I have never really attempted to understand the nuances of symphonies nor of operas, Mozart and Beethoven were just my lifelong friends who gave me some amazing music. However, after reading this book, I have begun to pay more attention to what I am listening to, it ha...

" During my childhood, I was afraid of my parents. As I grew older my teachers bossed me. Once I got married, I was afraid of my in-laws and my husband. Then my children took over and again I was the subdued one. Now my daughter-in-law has arrived and even though she is a lovely person, I am afraid to say anything to her because she might get offended." Does this refrain sound familiar? Does it touch a chord somewhere - or do you mock it and wonder which spineless woman is talking in this fashion? You will be surprised at how many women feel that life has somehow passed them by. Somewhere their individuality has been submerged in the sea of family and obligations. This is the generation of women who we have termed as "the sandwiched generation." Most of these women were born between 1945 and 1960. They were children when Freedom was achieved and were among the first few who were a part of the education system of Free India. They grew up in the heady da...