I come from a middle class family. When I was a child, the money was in short supply in the family, a fact which we did not realize at that time. There was an intrinsic understanding between our parents and us children about our financial position. My parents always provided what we needed and we never asked what they could not afford. I suppose their love and support never let us feel the lack of money...

Keep Smiling !!!

When I got married, I could hardly speak Tamil. My mother in law knows no other language except Tamil. I was also scared to use the scant vocabulary of Tamil with her lest I use some words in some way which may be offensive. So, how did I manage ?? Simple - I simply smiled whenever I happened to look at her and she smiled back. A lot of things got conveyed this way. If ever I needed words, my sister in law (mostly) or my husband (occasionally) pitched in and translated. 

Now I am very comfortable in Tamil and me and my mother in law talk on every subject under the Sun. But through my initial experience with her, I have understood the power of smile!!!

Falling in love...

Falling in love is an oft repeated phrase in literature. However, those who have experienced love would know that one does not 'fall in love' but actually 'rises in love'. Love ennobles. .. Love makes a person a better human being...

Naming of my children

Each name has a history or at least a story. I want to tell here how both my children were named.

My first born is son. Me and my husband decided to name him after a great Indian king. We short listed few names - Ashoka, Kanishka, Vikramaditya, Harshavardhan, Rajendra ( of Chola dynasty ) and Rajaraja ( also a chola king). Kanishka was straightaway rejected as there was an ill fated aircraft by this name which crashed killing all passengers on board. Asoka and  Rajendra have become so common that they no longer remind of the original kings. Rajaraja did not sound very impressive. So, we were left with two choices both equally appealing as far as virtuosity of the kings go. What tilted the scales in favour of Harshavardhan was the literal meaning of the name - one who increases the joy and the relative ease with which the name can be pronounced. So, our son was named Harshavardhan.

Naming the daughter was pretty simple. Before marriage itself, my husband told me, " if and when we have a daughter, she shall be named Rajeshwari (after his sister)". So when after much wishing and prayers, our daughter was born, she was promptly named Rajeshwari amidst mild protests from my sister in law.

Walking to fitness!!!

These days, lot of people talk about staying fit. I also seem to belong to that crowd. But wait, I was not like this always. Long years ago,  I used to be a very studious, bespectacled person ( I still wear spectacles !). Then one day, unexpectedly,  I joined IPS. Things have never been the same after that!!

Needless to say, there was an overdose of outdoor activities during training. I was surprised to find that I could do all the activities quite well. I, who never ran even 100 mts, was now running 8 kms ( though with some effort and few pauses). Infact,  running was the only activity  I found difficult- several others such as horse riding, route marching,  trekking, rock climbing and last but not the least , shooting- I enjoyed and did quite well! 

Well, the training got over but the desire to stay fit continued. First I tried my luck with running as my husband is an avid runner. Since it never was my forte, I soon gave up and settled down to simple walking. I am sticking to it ever since. Not a day passes without me going for a walk. To say that my day is organized around my walking will not be an exaggeration. 

These days, out of laziness, I have been walking in the evenings. There was a time nearly 10 years ago, when I and my husband used to be at Chennai Marina beach by 530 am - I for my 5 km walk and he for his jog. Walking on the beach early morning was a lovely experience. Many a times, I felt that I owned that beautiful beach.

However,  with the birth of my daughter, I provided myself with good excuses for not getting up early in the morning and tried various other schedules. While posted in Coimbatore, I loved walking on the race course, sometimes in the morning but mostly in the evening.  Coming back to Chennai, I started going to a nearby park as the traffic near the beach road increased intolerably.

I feel compelled to go out for walk in the evenings.  It connects me with my surroundings and nature.. I find the walk relaxing and invigorating at the same time. The regular rhythm of walking soothes the mind and stimulates thought process. Solutions emerge automatically of pressing problems. Thoughts get sorted out in a way. I also make use of the time to talk to my family members and friends. Walking has become a kind of passion, so much so that if I am not able to walk for more than a day, I  feel I would go crazy...

From my experience, I can say that all it requires to stay fit is a pair of walking shoes and some road to hit. We can walk to fitness and get the thoughts organized - for free !!!

There is certain charm about...

There is certain charm about...

Standing on your own feet
Even if the platform you could reach
Is of lesser height...

Facing difficulties with dignity, and
Not minding loss/harrassment for a cause...

Living a frugal life...

Loving someone wholeheartedly
And not trying to possess him...

Putting your best into the work
And not bothering about recognition...

Living life fully, and
Quitting quietly
When the call comes...

Choice

I choose love over hatred
I choose faith over doubt
I choose clarity over confusion
I choose positive over negative...

I choose to make my own destiny...