Masterminds and Minions !!

It was our first day in our respective new sessions in School, and our Mommy was buzy with her list of instructions for the new year. We both were damn too excited to hear all of that and can't wait to reach the school, meet our classmates, new class teacher and show off our new stationery assets, all this while still being jealous about each other's new possessions. That's sibling love !! The 3 year age gap was not enough to stop us from not being each other's friend as well as an enemy. His summer holidays were full of cycling, football and breaking neighbour's windows with cricket ball while I was buzy painting, reading Archies, Tinkle, Billu and Pinky. 

We usually only used to sit peacefully together during meal times - over steaming chhole bhaturas, chicken curry, idlis, dosa and more - Once over hearing my mother marvel about how he had just scarfed down his 8th idli, I challenged him over a idle eat-off. This antagonism was just a way of bonding with him. He agreed, like any other over excited younger sibling, mostly he could watch me suffer. (For the record I ate 18 and he gave up at 10, but I was dieing after that without showing off :D)

I believe that brothers are God's chosen partners-in-crime for you. A sibling is the one person in the world who will confirm for you that, yes your family is a little nuts and yes, that's probably why you both are too. No one else can you that solace because noone else has that wonderful, unique, ridiculous set of experiences that is your family.

Having a brother meant that there was someone to share the blame with did we did something stupid. My mother held us equally responsible for every horrible thing that happened. I lost my penbox at school?

"You all are so careless."

He brings home a puppy to keep as pet?

"You all are so stupid."

I forgot my aunt's birthday?

"You all are so thoughtless."

Somehow I know that no matter how stupid, thoughtless and careless I am, he's right next to me - taking equal responsibility for it all infront of mom/dad. Younger  siblings I do believe are the victims. Older siblings are indeed the criminal masterminds that you are made out to be. 

Because of one simple reason - you have more minions at your disposal. Would Crime Master Gogo be as hilariously frightening if there were no mothers putting their children to sleep at night with, "So jao, nahin to Gogo aa Jayega."?

Whether it's convincing them that climbing into the water tank was a good way to take a quick bath 

or making them conduct heists from the kitchen for more wafers, nuts or biscuits ("but don't let Mum see, okay?" - the mastermind has it covered, as the younger ones innocently follow. Many younger siblings are told they are adopted because they were found in gutter, left on the doorstep and my cousin's favourite - you were sent by courier. 

Every sibling relationship falls somewhere in the spectrum between a Cadbury's chocolate Raksha Bandhan advertisement and a violent scene from Bollywood movie. If we are not standing up for each other, then we're buzy having violent fights that end in nail scratch marks (his) and clumps of ripped-off hair (mine). But siblings are the only ones who make you understand what it feels like to have your heart in the body of another person - like having a best friend that you are born with. I could spend the rest of my life fighting with him, but if you mess with him, you'll have to mess with me first.

(Written for the love of my younger brother, who has grown up somebit now )

Shifitng interests of older at-home women

A ‘happy married life forever after’ is always viewed as the ultimate goal for a woman by her parents. They want to see their girl settled down and prospering. However, in all the haste of grabbing opportunities and making every effort not to miss them, girls are married off at an early age of 19-21, the very moment the mother lays her eyes on a suitor.

In this whole process, education tends to take a backseat. Some twenty years back this was the case, when families looked for girls who could take care of the house. Working women were thought of as heretical, a threat to the patriarchal ways and vulnerable to the running-trends.

Hence, housewives were the most sought-after brides then. They fit the bill – served well in a joint family, the kitchen loved them, mixed properly with the relatives, and from time to time they inculcated the ancestral sanskars in children. It was a happy existence, indeed, for the woman as well. But the ‘forever after’ was not bound to last for long. The emergence of a new-age woman broadened perspectives and possibilities for every woman.

Twenty-five years after the marriage, when their children are well-settled in their career field, which had once been her earnest dream; the woman is forced to question her abilities and her identity. When the picture of an urban-woman is thrown to her face she can’t help but notice what she has been missing.

Despite the urge to change, this new-found dream seems far-fetched to her. The woman is about to enter the evening of her life; which company would want to take a forty-something, inexperienced and unskilled lady?

It is a dilemma faced by thousands of women beneath the glorious veil of metropolitan cities. These women are free- free from their domestic obligations. At first, they succeeded in doing what was expected of them from their parents. Later they devoted themselves to the marital vows. A life dedicated to others. But now, freedom is theirs.

It is all right if they don’t know well a foreign language such as English. None of them must get disheartened. They might have been the best in their class in tougher and other subjects such as mathematics or history. Their worth can not merely be measured in terms of their academic status but the age of experience. 

Older non-working women can surely become a part of the various Non-Governmental Organizations. These, normally, have no age-limits. It is not that difficult to get in touch with a NGO nearest to the residence. For starters, how about a local-welfare society? Or may be a home meal service for bachelors 'n working couples in your area?. The only thing required is determination and faith in oneself. It’s never too late.

Here again…

I have not written for quite a long time, no particular reason I just didn’t feel like, maybe a writer’s block. Last few months have been a transitioning phase for me, from being a mother to an infant, now I am a mother of a toddler who keeps running all over and wants everything that catches her interest (especially the things I am using), and from being a full-time corporate woman, now I am a work-from-home mom with a jumbled up life.

Gladly, I have been advancing in my new chosen career path (freelance content management) and also growing to understand my mini boss much better. Now I am back, with many silly experiences of a mom and struggling real time experiences of a freelancing world. Stay tuned !