GENRE: Features

Diwali always brings back fond childhood memories of buying new clothes, bursting crackers and the house filled with the yummy aromas of various sweets and savouries being made at home. Preparations for Diwali would start a week or two in advanceand the goodies stored in boxes for eating and distributing among friends and families during the festival. The more we gave the more sweets and other goodies that we got back in return. Though this happened just once a year, by the end of the festive season we got to the point of having an overload of sweets. These days,…

I don’t really know his name. Never need it I guess. The conversation with him happens because we cannot find a parking spot. It is eight in the night on a road near Commercial Street. The shops are still open and cars fill the tiny road. Me and husband are hungry and want to buy a burger from a shop nearby. A rickshaw driver stands parked on the road, blocking the space our car can fit it. I get down, request him to back it a little and direct my car in triumphantly. While the burgers are being ordered, since…

I don’t really know his name. Never need it I guess. The conversation with him happens because we cannot find a parking spot. It is eight in the night on a road near Commercial Street. The shops are still open and cars fill the tiny road. Me and husband are hungry and want to buy a burger from a shop nearby. A rickshaw driver stands parked on the road, blocking the space our car can fit it. I get down, request him to back it a little and direct my car in triumphantly. While the burgers are being ordered, since…

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…

The flavor of last month was “Desi.” This month it will be “Norsk” (Norwegian). I am in Norway for a month, meeting with and learning from a leading expert in all things “dog” – Turid Rugaas. I have been here for more than 10 days now. Each day has been an intense learning experience, with several lessons learned. Some lessons have given me confidence to deal with issues. Some have humbled me by exposing the vast canine world that I still need to understand. Some have reduced me to tears, showing me the sheer arrogance or ignorance with which we…

The flavor of last month was “Desi.” This month it will be “Norsk” (Norwegian). I am in Norway for a month, meeting with and learning from a leading expert in all things “dog” – Turid Rugaas. I have been here for more than 10 days now. Each day has been an intense learning experience, with several lessons learned. Some lessons have given me confidence to deal with issues. Some have humbled me by exposing the vast canine world that I still need to understand. Some have reduced me to tears, showing me the sheer arrogance or ignorance with which we…

Children from three branches of a play school visited the lake today, 26th Aug. 2013. They had been learning about birds and flowers from books and had come to see them in real.     The first excitement was an insect in the gazebo and then the walk began.      As if flowers in our garden, butterflies flitting everywhere and birds in the sky and water were not enough, the sight of the chicks of the Common Coot made the three year olds open their eyes even wider. A couple of slugs and a wriggling earthworm added to their…

Children from three branches of a play school visited the lake today, 26th Aug. 2013. They had been learning about birds and flowers from books and had come to see them in real.     The first excitement was an insect in the gazebo and then the walk began.      As if flowers in our garden, butterflies flitting everywhere and birds in the sky and water were not enough, the sight of the chicks of the Common Coot made the three year olds open their eyes even wider. A couple of slugs and a wriggling earthworm added to their…

“Who moved my onion?,” “Onion may touch Rs.100/kg by Puja,” “Onion free with purchase of tyres,” “Amid LOC firing, India plans to buy onions from Pakistan,” “Soaring onion prices bring tears across India”- these are all the headlines the humble onion is making in newspapers across India! Get on to any social networking site and you’ll find hundreds of ‘original’ teary jokes and see ‘rings’ with the onion taking the pride of place instead of a diamond! So much brouhaha over the price of one of the most essential ingredients in most menus seems justified. Jokes apart, yes, they do…