Out of the books ...

Remember all those slumber parties in Enid Blyton books which we all were hoping to have in real life? The cellars and rooftop scenes? What if a place could give you that experience in real life?

Some people just happen in your life. And that's how I met a friend of mine who is now fondly referred as a coffee affair. When a routine movie plan was dropped we cousins and friends decided to drop in to his place which I was just familiar from his words and videos and pictures.

But what awaited us was more than a mere house.

It was an experience.

Those high roofs, cellars, brick walls, vast open spaces, balconies with cozy seats where you can spend hours lost in books or nature, wall attached beds which gives you a feeling of sleeping inside an open cave, big rooms where you can have midnight parties like those girls in Malory Towers, huge windows which give assess to roof to reach there like the cousins in Famous Five. Oh! Wish I had some photographs to share with you all.

It was a one moment of soulgasm. 

It was a walk through a beautiful book past, where the images from all those books I read, the scenes I so wished could live, came true. 

I’m participating in the Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Blogging Challenge through October. #WriteBravely

Today’s Prompt – “Nostalgia”

Caught red-handed

"Amu! Did you take those chocolates I had kept for your cousins?"

"No Mom, how would I do that especially when you asked me not to touch them?" Amu made an innocent face.

Thou her innocent eyes sided with her words, the chocolate smeared on her face told another story.

Linking this to BAR-A-THON by Blog-A-Rhythm Day 4 Prompt – Caught red-handed

From the Past...

I miss those Saturdays when I tossed away my blanket and run right to the hall, switch on my favorite channel and snuggled in my favorite sofa. Or those days when I could fake a stomach ache just because I didn’t feel like going to school. Actually I never did that. I loved going to school. And if by any chance I didn’t want to go, mom allowed me to stay back. Or crying the day before my Geography exam because I had so much to study and just a few hours and then mom says it ok if you flunk write whatever you know (That was the only time she was cool about flunking L). And the happiness when the scores came, for I actually did a good job. Or eagerly waiting for the summer holidays, so I could fly to Dad and be with him for whole two months. Or days hours I went on a hunger strike because I wanted a computer. Or the board exam fear. Or the phone calls from my best friend the night before the exam to do that last minute combine studies. Or the moments when J and I exchanged those Sidney Sheldon books which were paper wrapped because we were still too young to read them. Or the day when mom forcefully made me do a confession to our Priest when I questioned my Christian beliefs after reading Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. Or the hours spend in school library bunking Hindi lectures. Or the hard work done in organizing a Science Expo or a school event and the fun we had and blunders we did. Or mimicking the accent of the new North Indian Nuns not knowing that eventually we’ll also be speaking in that very same accent. Or been melodramatic about the farewell and the first saree. Or that rainy last day of school when I roamed around the premises, cherishing all the nook and corners with my best friend.

I miss those innocent days of childhood. Then it was more of living but now it’s more of surviving.

But I am grateful for those days of wonder years. They still make me smile and taught me to see dreams.

So what was your wonder years like? Do share the fun and happy moments.

Hey Baby...

How can a little baby who’s so tiny, that we actually hesitate even to touch him, wondering whether it would hurt him or make him uncomfortable, can be the center of everyone’s life all of a sudden?

Yesterday, I and a friend went to see another friend of us. And when we entered her room, next to her was lying a small bundle with just a tiny handsome rosy face peeping out. His face just made the time stand still and feel as if the world is so beautiful and made me think why we never thought before, that this little guy would be part of our gang sooner or later. Whenever we visit her, we used to buy her flowers and chocolates, that been her favorite, but yesterday we were thinking what are we going to get for the baby love.

I meet her the day I stepped inside my boarding school. Parents  been at the same country, added to our advantage and then and there started our friendship. Now after 15 years, I’m aunt to her baby boy. Awe… Life! Before I looked forward to meet her, but now I can’t wait to see the baby again.

Definitely children add so much beauty to our relations and to this very world. 

What you say?

My Earliest Memory...

Today we (blogging friends at Write Tribe) decided to jot down our Earliest memories in our Blogs. I was tagged by Jyothi ... 

So here goes a very small incident from my wonder years...

I was around 4 years and was studying in KG-1 in a school in UAE. I remember having two boys as my friends, wonder why I don't remember having any girls in my friend list until I got back to Kerala. Anyways, back to KG days. In class I sit in between these two guys and us three used to blabber all throughout the class. Been good children in spite of our tongues we were spared by most of the teachers until a North Indian teacher joined the school. I don't remember her name or details except she lacked that warmth of a teacher.

So one day she comes to class and saw us indulged in our own world. She gave us a warning and we did keep quiet until she finished the lessons. Again we started. Warning turned to changing places. But nothing could keep me from my friends. Seeing all this and the disobedient me, teacher lost her temper and slapped me on my face. Been the youngest and most pampered child, I was too shocked and stubborn even to cry. And when Mom came to pick me my cheeks told her the story even before I did. And even before I knew it, Principal changed my class. Even thou I was sad to leave my friends begin I was happy to go from her class.

I don’t even remember whether the slap caused me any pain or not. But I do remember how my Mom made sure that I was not put in her class again and also scolding me for making the teacher angry. 

I remember how the kids and children welcomed me into their midst with such of warmth. 

I remember how my boy-friends used to meet me religiously at all intervals.

I guess, that tiny tot incident taught me how much I screw up in life, my parents would be there for me, even thou I have to face their scolding’s first. And no matter what, some people could make you feel good just with a smile. 

And the best one was, I never felt bad or had any grudges against my teacher, I was all smiles very soon. But if that happened now, I could have made quite an hungama ... cos, as I grew up the innocence of childhood just washed off... 

But now, as I write this, I can fully understand why that teacher of mine lost her temper.... even as an adult, I can't tolerate myself, so at that age I would have been the worse... and my poor teacher must have been really frustrated with all my drama.... ;)

..... Now I'm tagging Kathy Combs. And off to travel along with her down her memory lane. 

So what's your earliest memory.... do share it .... :)

******

This post was a group effort of the Ladies from Write Tribe. All started when Vidya Sury asked us to share our favorite photo in our FB group. And now 20 ladies shared their Earliest Memory in a single day. Thanks to Corinne and Shilpa for sorting it all out. :)

And here goes a journey down the memory lane of many Lovely Ladies :)

1. Suzy Que - Someday Somewhere
2. Psych Babbler – Over Cups of Coffee
3. Vidya Sury – Coffee With Mi
4. Tulika Singh – Obsessive Mom 
5. Shilpa Garg –  A Rose Is A Rose Is A Rose
6. Richa Singh –  The Philosopher’s Stone
7. Meena Menon – Meena’s Space
8. Bhavya Nandakumar – Ishithaa
9. Kalpana Solsi – Gemini In The Sky
10. Kajal Kapur – Rainbow Hues
11. Geeta Nair – Fabric of Life
12. Corinne Rodrigues – Everyday Gyaan
13. Maggie Lawate – 2 AM Writer
14. Shiva Kapoor – Where The Mind Is Without Fear
15. Aditi Kaushiva – Life Is A Journey – Make It BeaYoutiful
16. Jyothi Nair – Jyothi’s Day Out
17. Sheetal Susan – Scribblings
18. Kathy Combs – The Giggling Trucker’s Wife Writes
19. Pixie – Pixie’s Take On Everything
20. Sulekha Rawat – Memoirs

Love you Ladies.

A Book in Every Child's Hand!

Once when my Dad and I were shopping, my eyes stumbled upon a white hardcover book of animal stories. And there at that moment the  five year old self of mine wanted that. And that day my Dad bought me my first ever story book, not knowing that this was just a start. That book took me to another world, a world of animals. I was excited about what I read and saw, and that excitement turned to love. My first love. Love for books.

A reader lives a thousand lives while a man who never reads lives only one” – George R.R Martin. Books contain worlds some have never even believed of imagining.  Books take to another world, a world where you can be whatever character you want.

A beautiful book with lots of colors and pictures is every child’s dream. Even if he didn't turn out into a avid reader, holding a book close to heart is moment of joy of childhood. But can every child in India get that privilege? Does every child get a chance to read at least some books to decide whether they like to read again? Is every child as fortunate as us so they could curl up into their bed clutching their favorite book? Definitely No! In a country like India where education itself is huge issue in some places, getting a story book is like a far fetched dream. Every child has their right to enjoy their childhood Almost all of us are here in this blogosphere is because of their love of books and words. Can you imagine a childhood without fairy tales, Noddy, Enid Blyton and comics?

When a child learns to read but never gets a chance to practice, he will not learn to read fluently. And that affects his performance in his academics and gradually that creates a dropout. This realization initiated Pratham Books- a not-for-profit publisher. Been a nation with 300 million children, 400 languages and almost 2000 dialects and with only 25000 books published annually and that too mainly in English and Hindi (Figures are approximate), getting a book in every child’s hand is not so easy task. Pratham made books accessible to children at a very low price. Till date, they published over 215 titles in English and 10 other Indian languages. That’s over 1500 books, most of which are priced below Rs 25. They have printed over 8.5 million books, over 10 million story cards and have a readership of 25 million. Their vision is to reach 200 million children in India, and they hope to someday put ‘A book in every child’s hand’.

Pratham books have put almost 300 of their books in Creative Commons. This allows any individual to read online, download, print and share, distribute without any copyrights. This allows more books to reach more children.

When I heard about Rohini Nilekani, Founder of Pratham books, the first thought that came to mind was, What can I do for this or about this issue? I have a group of friends in Trivandrum, Kerala, who takes classes twice a month for kids in rural area and they have decided to include a half an hour story telling session in their teaching schedule. And they will be given a book that day which should be returned on the next class to get another one and this repeats. For that we are going to use the Creative Commons license advantage of Pratham books. I too believe that, if we can share the privilege of what we enjoy, then that’s something we can do for others.

Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light. 

– Vera Nazarian

Check out this speech by Rohini Nilekani delivered at the event where Franklin Templeton Investments partnered the TEDexGateway Mumbai in December 2012. 

 

C for... ...

Childhood! 

That's the word for me today.

"When we are children we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves as few adults can. The day we fret the future is the day we leave our childhood behind."

- Patrik Rothfuss


Childhood is always my favorite years in my memory chest. The wonder years of life when we just live each day without any regrets or worries. So on the third day of the alphabet post thought of sharing a bit a my initial years fantasies.

 That's lil me! :)

Meeee again! :P

 Do I look naughty?? :D

My Alma Mater! 

Holy Angels' Convent School. My second home where I spent my nine years and still long to go back.

My School Boarding! 

The roof under which I grew up with so many friends: both younger and older. The place which taught us to share and grow.

 The Study Hall. 

Except for studies everything happened here.

Thanks to Nancy Drew for my love for books. And I just love her friends Bess and George, and always wished I could get people like that too, and which I did. Have read and own almost all the books in this series.

The fairies, magic, goodness, mystery, adventure and friendship. I still love theseee.

This was the only ice creams we used to get in school cafeteria. And they cost INR 6! And almost everytime we lacked money to buy 6 for 6 girls in our gang! So, obviously we'll buy 2-3 and shareee. Sharing ice sticks with friends were real fun, esp after we get all those colors in our lips and tongues! :)

Tinky cutey tiny big glittery stickers just adds glam to a gift or a greeting card. And I still look out for these.

Munching through a packet of lays while walking to the tuition classes along with friends.

Absolutely no age limit for these. Still I am addictive for chocolatess.

This is not my own collection. But somewhere from Google images. But I do have a similar collection from childhood back Home.

Tom & Jerry! My first telly experience began with these two guys. And in real life  I understood that, Some relations are like Tom & Jerry. They tease each other, knock down each other, irritate each other, but can't live without each other.

My first Video Game. :D

My all time favorite place. Don't know when I fell in love with this and don't know when I am gonna fall out of love too.

Every single non sense stuffs are stacked with tons of memories. And these are some bits and pieces of non senses from my childhood which I treasure, preserve and hold close to heart.

P.S. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. Hug your childishness always.

God Blez.

Happy Post! :)

No new ideas! No new incidents! No new emotions! No new stories! Nothing! Then why not make the people in your life the subject of a blog post? Why not scribble about them?

One thing that always surprises me and makes me happy is the people I have in my life. Surprised coz, does everyone get such people in life, who you know is there no matter how u screws up? Happy coz I have them and they are mine. :)

ATJ - My older GF. Love her serenity, sanity n insanity, blabbering and her love of life. Senior in school and boarding mate. I was so crazy about her then and even now, thou the childhood craziness do not exist I simply love her for the person she is.

JMJ - 17 years. That’s what we have shared. Initial three years, it was just familiarity. Then it was friends through thick n thin. She’s one sanest, craziest, spontaneous and smart female. We share the same ideologies, the certain level of feminism and love for each other. Our friendship started with lays and books. The first girl friend with whom I talked about boys, crushes, dates, love, career, marriage, dreams and life itself. And now even thou we are unmarried and childless, we talk about getting our kids married to each other or letting them be best friends We lead our life in different paths in different places, but still, when we meet nothing changes.  We are still the same old girls. Soul sister, Love u!

JAJ – A devilish beauty with an angelic face. :D She has the most innocent faces I have ever seen. Whatever stupidity she does in class, the blame automatically rests upon our shoulders. Coz no one believes she could say/do anything out of the box. Stubborn like a mule. The female warrior (Unni Aarcha) of the whole batch. Doesn’t mind picking up a fight even with the professors to make her version clear. But she’s a lovable, caring and a practical female. Bold enough to live with her likes and principles.

K & N: They are the recently added sibilings in my life. Big B and lil sister. This defines them. K tolerates mine & N’s stubbornness, inflexibility, rareness and similarities. No probz, he is supposed to! :P We knew each other for years, but never talked, never even looked at each other’s way. But all of sudden there they are!

LPN – “Where ever u go, ‘m there.”

That’s our tagline and that’s what defines us. Right now we are planning to elope together, after making a good amount of money. :D . Someone who seems to understand what ‘m saying, even when I just blabber out the word. Someone who thinks with heart, crazy about foot wears and watches, who doesn't likes chocolates, lovable, a bit scary with those look she gives. But whatever u does, she’ll never back out. Will be there for u in spite of the weather around.

MK – Talkative, sensitive, bold, smart, lovable. A complete F.O.O.D.I.E. 24x7 hungry. She’s one person who doesn’t tolerate me when I freak out my duties of a friend. Who has her own principles and ideologies and criticizes and scolds me when I do craps. A fun person who’s ultimate aim is to live happily and make others happy too. She’s like a like a lil sister who I treat as a bro!

N & N – Love these girls. But lost the intimacy of once high friendship during the course of life. Blame it on ego, arrogance and misunderstandings. But when realized, it was too late to be back in square one.

SAJ - I am his first female friend (big grins). And m his secret keeper and he only opens up his bottled mind in front of me, actually he says so. One hell of an adamant and confident guy. One person to whom I can turn to in the case of advices whether in studies, love, relations, guys, money or profession. And he never fails to be in touch with me even if I do so.

SS - Another one from small age. But we were never friends, then. Or I didn’t consider him as one. I actually couldn’t stand this guy coz of his intensity of irritating me. My fighting friend. And he even made a disappearance from my premises and never showed up for years. Then suddenly, there he is, with his same old insanity. But now he’s a friend with whom I have shared my childhood and who I can count up on anything on anytime of the day/night. But we still fight a hell lot, and he's still irritating to the core. :D

RR – The lady with brown eyes. A sleepless night creature who wakes up even from deep coma when a Hide& seek biscuit wrapper is opened. A female who looks so fragile with an unbelievable temper. She always strives to do her best and win the race of life. My partner in planning crimes.

VSV – Human being who made me create a priority list. My BBF, who never wishes me on time for my birthday unless I threaten him or start pleading before a fortnight. Who irritates me like there’s no tomorrow. Person who precisely wakes me up in insane hours during exam seasons. Makes me say sorry for the stupid things he provokes me to say. Makes a habit to be somewhere near the scene when ‘m involved. Was there visibly and invisibly whenever I needed him. Demands birthday gifts from each other which have to be unique. I miss having u around esp. when I need to throw a tantrum at someone, and when something good/bad happens.

How much I complain to God, this is one thing I’ll always be grateful and happy. Coz these souls are not my relation by blood and I never choose them, they all came to my life unexpectedly at different times to show me life is definitely beautiful and no matter what, God will never make u feel lonely. All these people hold their own space, their own importance in my life. And I believe no one can replace one another. Each person is unique in his/her own ways.

A toast to you people.

No matter how much you grow, some people can still bring out the child in you. Love you all coz of who are you deep down in heart, and coz you guys tolerate me as I am.

                     

                                                     

P.S. :)



God Blez.