Appreciate – The word may appear small, but it has the capacity to cement bonds, cherish relationships, preserve joy, foster love and explore new altitudes of togetherness.  My life is blessed with the most amazing people. My family, my friends… their love and care is my biggest support system. I would like to look deep within and get in touch with my emotions to appreciate each one for their role in shaping me. Words cannot express my feeling nor my

“I’m bored.” How many of us, as parents, dread these words or have been driven up the wall in exasperation? Most of us I’m sure have been in that spot and resorted to activities, classes, books, and let’s be honest when all else has failed, to devices. Yours truly has been guilty of it as well till the day I recalled my own vacations and my mother’s way of dealing with it. The first two days would go peacefully, she

Conversations between two women “How is Pawan?He is fine Sheenaji.Now that he is settled and earning good money, why don’t you get him married? Hmm, I have been thinking about this. He needs to settle personally too.Yes, Sheenaji. Please get him settled soon, at least he will have someone to look after him, the house and take care of his needs….” *****And I walked away, as I couldn’t stand listening to more of the conversation. It is like this, if

Kids, especially teens may tend to get affected by peer pressure. From physical appearance or grades to the social status of the parents, they compare themselves with their friends and based on the results, sometimes develop complexes too. As a kid, I was no different. But every time I would notice myself losing my self-confidence because of someone superior, I would get reminded of my mother’s golden advice: “We are all endowed with numerous gifts. But, we also have our

Ganpati Bappa was welcomed this week with a lot of devotion, happiness and fanfare.  For Mumbaikars like me, Ganpati is a way of life.  But wait, not just in Mumbai, Ganpati is celebrated in many other states too.  In Mumbai, it’s not just that Maharashtrians welcome Ganpati at home, he is welcomed by people irrespective of religion and geographic borders! My kids studied in a school where Bible hymns and verses were a part of their prayers.  Christmas brought in

Seldom does it happen that we get a chance to reflect upon our blessings and gifts which life has to offer. But then comes along a prompt that makes you want to sit back, think and write about all the good things in your life. It also makes you reflect on the things that have touched you and made you – the person that you are! There are a few encounters with nature and many such moments which has turned

I am a firm believer that we are all permanent students of life whether we know it or not. There is also no limit to the lessons. The onus is on us to learn and relearn as much as we can. I love to spend time surrounded by the bounties of nature. Hence, I get to learn a lot from it. As every sunset is accompanied by sunrise no matter the darkness of night, so is the BELIEF that with

Bonjour les amis. That’s about as subtle as I can manage, when I want you to know that I am sitting in Paris writing this piece. But don’t worry I shall not gloat any further than this. I’ll just tell you what I found most striking about the city. No, I ain’t going to bore you with how the city is steeped in history and vintage nor shall I bog you down with a cultural tour. I will also suppress

I’m Renu Paswan, a girl from Bihar who left her home 20 years back to find meaning in her life. I was born and raised in a family of special children! Time has always been difficult. In order to support my family, I took the responsibility to do something to make my family proud. Around two years back, when I lost my brother – I found myself faced with difficult times! I lost my purpose, did not find satisfaction doing my job,

We fight, we crib yet we love each other. My equation with my kids is simply hidden in these words.  I was fortunate that I was one of the lucky ones to be blessed with twin kids.  Obviously, initial few years were just a mayhem and drain out; both physically as well as mentally. I had my own days of nervous breakdown, nonstop crying but if I look back now, every moment was worth it. No doubt at times I