Society

Last night, I lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. Nishi and Tigger, my dogs, were curled up with me. I had been away for a month, getting my dog training education in Norway, from one of the leading experts in canine communication – Turid Rugaas. Ever since I got back from Norway, they are sticking close to me. As Nishi’s head pushed against my neck, I could feel her twitching and making tiny whimpering noises. She sounded afraid. I wondered what she was dreaming of. I went through all the things she had done during the day and wondered…

How can I ever talk about it? These are the opening lines that play on most women’s mind when it comes to even thinking about menstruation and all the embarrassing moments that surround it. All women, and I mean absolutely all women in India, have had one or the other moments during her period, especially as an adolescent, that she feels she can never talk about openly. And this is true for rural, tribal, urban, educated and uneducated women. Pretending it never happened During trainings for women leaders in IT companies or for ASHA workers in a village to undertake menstrual…

How can I ever talk about it? These are the opening lines that play on most women’s mind when it comes to even thinking about menstruation and all the embarrassing moments that surround it. All women, and I mean absolutely all women in India, have had one or the other moments during her period, especially as an adolescent, that she feels she can never talk about openly. And this is true for rural, tribal, urban, educated and uneducated women. Pretending it never happened During trainings for women leaders in IT companies or for ASHA workers in a village to undertake menstrual…

You can make out by the name that this one is going to have to be a series You would be surprised by the number of pests and insects you might encounter even in a terrace garden. In my case I have towering trees all around my terrace, so that might be an added reason, but pests are in any case one of the biggest challenges when growing in containers. The variety of beautiful insects (not all friendly to my plants) you can find in a terrace garden in the middle of the concrete jungle really amaze me! One of…

You can make out by the name that this one is going to have to be a series You would be surprised by the number of pests and insects you might encounter even in a terrace garden. In my case I have towering trees all around my terrace, so that might be an added reason, but pests are in any case one of the biggest challenges when growing in containers. The variety of beautiful insects (not all friendly to my plants) you can find in a terrace garden in the middle of the concrete jungle really amaze me! One of…

Kids are fussy eaters and there’s hardly a parent who isn’t stressed out about what their child ‘will and won’t’ eat. Most of the times the ‘won’t ‘list exceeds the one’s that they do eat. Sometimes these are not of utmost concern for most pediatricians or dietitians, but if key nutrients are getting missed out on a daily basis, then an alternate solution needs to be looked into. Minimise the consumption of junk foods with no mnerals and vitamins among kids. File pic. One of the key nutrients in a child’s diet is calcium. If your child is allergic (lactose…

Kids are fussy eaters and there’s hardly a parent who isn’t stressed out about what their child ‘will and won’t’ eat. Most of the times the ‘won’t ‘list exceeds the one’s that they do eat. Sometimes these are not of utmost concern for most pediatricians or dietitians, but if key nutrients are getting missed out on a daily basis, then an alternate solution needs to be looked into. Minimise the consumption of junk foods with no mnerals and vitamins among kids. File pic. One of the key nutrients in a child’s diet is calcium. If your child is allergic (lactose…

Extracts from an email from Vishnupriya Hathwar, who frequents Puttenahalli Lake   --------- Just wanted to share somethings that many of you may have already observed [ or maybe not].. here goes !!   Due to the wonderful rains, the lake has filled up quite a bit, leaving only smaller islands for the birds. In this, the most common birds- the Common Coots have chicks that are almost grown to adult size [ only the plumage is still lacking]. Spotted a pair of Coucals - appears that they too have a young one!! Spotted a small Coucal with FRESH plumage flying across the lake.I have personally…

Extracts from an email from Vishnupriya Hathwar, who frequents Puttenahalli Lake   --------- Just wanted to share somethings that many of you may have already observed [ or maybe not].. here goes !!   Due to the wonderful rains, the lake has filled up quite a bit, leaving only smaller islands for the birds. In this, the most common birds- the Common Coots have chicks that are almost grown to adult size [ only the plumage is still lacking]. Spotted a pair of Coucals - appears that they too have a young one!! Spotted a small Coucal with FRESH plumage flying across the lake.I have personally…

Last Sunday I took a friend and her nine-year-old daughter to Bull Temple in Bangalore. It’s the place with the country’s largest monolith bull - known to be Nandi, the servant bull of Shiva. The majestic Nandi far surpasses the tiny Shiva (who you almost miss in a small alcove behind the bull) in size, structure and sheer architecture. I promised this little nine-year-old lady who was too sleepy to be excited about a temple, with a true story after she had seen the Nandi in the temple. Once she was slightly woken up (and I was fast realising it was hard to…