Let me go back to some twenty five years. I was in my eighth grade. I was always a bit close to Maa. We would spend hours together and that would make me feel good and upbeat. He had a perspective towards everything, and in her simple ways she would tell me what’s her ways and why she chose to be that. However, in certain cases she was orthodox as other women around me. She was quite categorical about the

Oscars have been on our mind this whole week. One of ours won, that made me proud… especially because of the theme it was centred around… but more about that another time. What stole my heart, was the speech delivered by Olivia Coleman, when she was declared the winner of the Best Actress Award for her role in the movie ‘The Favourite’. Ironically, despite the movie’s title, the star wasn’t an exact favourite. But not only did her performance win,

VASUDHA PANSARE has a few ideas on how you can spend your weekend! She hand picks a movie and book every Friday. Ones that she loves. This week, she suggests… The Magic of Belle Isle. Delightful, charming, a film about hope, imagination and inspiration. Monte Wildhorn, a writer of Western novels,who has lost his wife and his will to live comes to a small town near Belle Isle. He is disabled, irritable and an alcoholic. His neighbor is a lovely

You have been on this planet for half a century!  Seems like time went by very fast! You have achieved what you’re expected to, completing your education, getting a good job, raising a family, buying assets but not time to retire yet. Demands are high, challenges keep mounting…the attempt to balance work and life continues…still remind yourself you’re NOT old! You’re employed and have an adolescent or adult children at home This could be more challenging, time sensitive and could

Often when I window shop with my kids in the malls, I cheekily remark, “Have you ever seen a mannequin who looks like me; short and plump?  Seems clothes are only made for tall and slim people.”  Though this comment is made in a funny way, but come to think of; it is true, isn’t it? Let’s face the truth, people still are attracted to the outer beauty first.  When a beautiful girl or a handsome man, as per society’s

One can’t negate the importance of having someone by her side when the going gets tough. A lot of people who take drastic steps to end their lives did not have a confidant to share their pain and were lonely. Try to look  for the signs of depression in people around you at home and work . It’s possible many a times they fake a smile to show the world all is fine with them but instead they are in

Exam fever is all over. Wherever I go, whomever I meet, exams and studies is a common topic that pops up. The syllabus. The teachers. The school. And then, the competition. The pressure and so on. Parents at times speak as if it is not their kids, but they themselves who are going to write the exams. They seem to know more. Bothered more. Tensed more. And that brings me to what I feel is a very pertinent question: Are

I lose count of the number of times I have sermonised someone, who’s beating himself (or herself) up over some decision or action of theirs, with my favourite one liner- Forget the mistakes, remember the lessons. Why? Because we outlive our mistakes so unless we learn to walk past them, they will impede our progress, they will not allow us to learn the lessons that we must, to be able to live a fuller life. Most of my students and

Yaaay! You’re forty years old or in your forties! As you hit the milestone, parties and presents remind you that you now are at the top of the hill. Some women tend to feel embarrassed, some seem to be caught in this whirlpool of life and have no time to think, to others certain concerns pops up like promotions at work, future of your children, parents, finance, high school children, responsibilities and commitments. You’re bombarded with commitments, demands, challenges and

My true-blue Bengali father though residing outside Bengal for the past 50 odd years can never really forget reminiscing his days in Shibpur University and his days in Kolkata.  Since I was little, I have heard stories of his college and childhood so many times, sometimes reminding him that “Baba, we have heard it before!” I got married and came to Mumbai in 2002 and this city of dreams has had a huge impact on me and now I cannot