How to be a cool parent

Papa, I am dropping the Mech Paper. I know I will flunk if I appear in it.

First year at college, and I had just learnt that it was now possible to “drop” papers you think are too tough!

The cool Dad reply

Beta, why don’t you read up a bit, whatever you can, and give it a shot? You might just clear it and not have to read the WHOLE thing again. Just try a little…

There was some logic in it..

Oh Ok. I’ll try what I can do. But I just want you to know I might not clear..

That’s ok, you can always study all over again, but I do think it’ll be much easier if you can manage to read up a little now…

It’s final exam time at home now.

And the toughest part of my job is convincing these two to study.

As I gear up for another argument, telling myself I am not going to lose my cool/blow a fuse this time, Dad’s words echo in my mind.

Was there a small pause in his voice as he heard my declaration?

..A sharp intake of breath and a hesitation as he thought over what to say?

Are there some memories that become sharper with time?

Conversations, which you understand better after a lot of water has flown under the bridge?

Or is it just wisdom, life forces you to acquire, that shows up things in a different hue altogether?

Please life, give me the wisdom, to say the right thing to say to my children, right before their exams.

Please friends, do share some advice,

Or just pray for me…

First love

No it's not about my daughters' but my own...

The heady, exhilaration..

The soft, mushy feeling..

A solace, a homecoming

An adventure, a discovery

Someone who was always there for me,

Setting my imagination free,

Letting my dreams soar

Bringing a smile on my face no matter how lousy the day was,

My best friend, my strength, my happiness,

My best memories

If that isn’t love, then what is?

My Amar Chitra Kathas,

The man who gave me some of the best moments of my life, who shaped my childhood, passed away early this month.

I had to log on to pay homage to this wonderful man,

And to thank him for leaving behind a wonderful legacy for my children too..

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(This is my younger daughter’s typical afternoon read-unwinding after school, even during exam time. And I can’t blame her.)

So even though I am on an unplanned blog break,
even though I am running a backlog on my work, on kids' exam preparation, I had to write this one post.


Thank you, Uncle Pai! For making my childhood so much better.