Green Ganesh

         

The festival is quite near, so thought of sharing with you all before it is too late !!

As the title suggests and as the 'present' demands from us, we should celebrate this year's Ganesh Chaturthi keeping in mind that it should be environment friendly. Everywhere, in every field our Mother Earth needs to be saved for nobody else but for Us , for ourselves, for our better and safe future.

Idols of Ganesh ji are made from Plaster of Paris. Have you ever thought how harmful it is ?These idols can be severly damaging to the eco system as they take a long time to dissolve in the sea and also destroy aquatic life. Also the paints and chemicals enter into the food chain . An alternative to this is to make the idols of clay. These can be prepared by paper or metals also. Its true that paper Ganeshji can not be immersed in water and metals can also prove harmful to water animals so for that we can bring out the idol back and decorate it every year during the festival. As it is , it has been observed that the day after the immersion, heaps of broken legs and hands of the figure are found near the sea. Is it not our responsibility to keep our environment clean ? When we are gaining immense pleasure in worshipping our God, is it not our duty to maintain the beauty of the nature created by the same God ?

Instead of keeping an idol in every house , a common idol for the society can be kept at a common place. Besides cleaner environment, the money will be saved, the friendly relationship among the neighbours will be encouraged and the festive mood will enhance .Now a days people have started adopting artificial immersion. They create an artificial pond, big enough to accomodate many idols. Later on, the remaining parts are used in various factories for useful productions.This is a big step towards greener Ganesh Chaturthi.

HAPPY GANESH CHATURTHI !!

KEEP SMILING :)

Stop thinking as Old or Young

First of all, A Very Very Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers :)

Now coming to the topic.....

Well, I think considering oneself as old or young, pertains to the mind set of an individual .  Nobody is restricted by one's age to do anything if one's heart and mind allow. Of course, an element of health is involved in the old age but who knows ,it can occur in young age also. A person may be very young but may not be keeping a good health to do many things. On the contrary, an old person may be quite fit to do those many things. The latest hit ‘ Buddha hoga tera baap’ is a very good example. Amitabh Bachchan in this doesn’t want to be called ‘buddha’ simply because he doesn’t consider or feel himself to be so. It is his mind set. The college goers today don’t want to be treated like children. They say they are confident about what they are doing. They seek their parents’ opinion /help only when they are really stuck somewhere. Similar is the case with older generation people. They refuse to let their age dictate their activities or lifestyle. They seek their childrens’ or grandchildrens’ help only when they really need it. Otherwise they carry themselves quite well.

Retirement these days by many people is not awaited to relax but to start many new things which they wanted to do earlier but their job or may be some other reasons were not letting them to do so. I feel that we, being from younger generation, should support our parents/grandparents to let them do whatever they feel like . We should try to open up as many avenues as possible in front of them. They are wise and experienced enough to decide what is possible for them to do.

Keep Smiling - a major difference between a man and an animal J

Please drop in your valuable and much awaited comments/ feedback / suggestions in the box below.

Adventurous Mother !

No, no,  No, no……don’t start imagining about a lady going on an adventure trip or taking part in adventure sports. Its adventures in motherhood….what all she faces while playing the role of a mother  ! J

Children children children!! Ever so imaginative, coming up newer ways to disturb your cool and peace of mind.

Trust their timing : When I started working from home I realized their gift of timing. Whenever, I am  talking to my clients on phone ,  suddenly my kids start fighting, get an urge to eat or some such innovative act  to test my patience.  You can never beat their timing.J

Trust their memory : Whenever there are guests in our house, children’s memory suddenly wakes up from its deep slumber and they start remembering what all happened in school that day and it becomes something important to tell you at that very moment. It is as if they are making you undergo an agnipariksha and demanding to know who is more important - guests or kids ?

Trust their manners and good behaviour : Their best of manners are exhibited when we least expect it. When my son was to be admitted in nursery, we were to face an interview. The principal offered a toffee to him. He took the toffee and started chewing. Suddenly, he opened his mouth full and put his finger into the mouth in an effort to remove the toffee bits that got stuck between his teeth. Something which he had never done before and which we would have loved to avoid.

Ever so helpful children: We are constantly trying to inculcate in children the habit of completing their daily chores such as polishing school shoes, setting their bags, dusting their room, taking their plates to the sink etc. Somehow we always feel frustrated and defeated . However, their sense of duty is best exemplified where it is least desired. E.g. insisting to knead flour , vacuum cleaning the car alone, cleaning the room along with the maid in the process undoing her efforts ,polish their father’s shoes but not their own.

Indeed, it is really an adventurous and exciting journey to be a mother of two growing kids !!! You do not need to indulge in any adventure sports to experience the thrill :)

Keep Smiling :)

Mid-life..Wake up call !!!

Mid-life crisis ,at the age of 40, is faced by many of us. We start getting a feeling of restlessness that something is missing in our lives.

Time and again we ask ourselves .... What is the aim of my life? What am I really good at? What is it that I really want for myself? What is the purpose of my work? What next ? These are n number of questions which sooner or later, we all seek answers to them.

Earlier , these were the questions once or twice in lifetime. Either when they were about to start their career or when they resolved to break from what their family expected from them.

In today's scenario, fundamental questions of identity and purpose are no longer a once or twice-in-a-lifetime occurrence. Many of us face them at different stages of our lives. We would realize that it is not only when we are struggling, but also, when we are succeeding.

There is a reason behind that. The better we do, the broader the range of opportunities we have. We no longer just get to move up, we get to move wider. With the fast changing trendz and technologies, we are exposed to great many people, their great minds, different styles of living, various ways of working etc. We tend to get attracted ,we try to opt for work that grants us more than sustenance and recognition. Work that allows us to fulfil our passions, express ourselves and serve a larger cause.

But, the mid-life crisis is no longer a bad news. It is an opportunity to look for new avenues, new opportunities,new ideas and create a completely new life which you actually start enjoying. This is because when this crisis strikes , there are still a good many quality years left. In the case of women, they are natural creators and wonderful multi-taskers. Its just the emotional attachment which doesn't allow them to think for themselves. This would be the right time when they have almost done with their duties and responsibilities and are free to live their lives. In case of men also, some are not satisfied with what they are doing. They start their career just to earn their bread and butter without going in for what they actually love doing. Having done that, this is the time when they can choose what they like. So long as they are clear what they want, it is never too late to salvage a dream. Simple mantra for all can be........

• Don't get bogged down by the number 40. Just think I am still young to start anything at 20.
• Leave your EGO. Accept to learn from someone younger than you.
• Don't stick to comfort zone. Fight to get out of it.
• Accept that you might need to start from scratch, so be ready to sacrifice some pleasures.
• Always remember that satisfaction and happiness are greater than pain.

and of course Keep Smiling :)

Better way of Parenting...

Parenting is a tough art to be learnt. It is not something which is learnt first and then brought into practice. Daily you learn something new, you experience something new .But definitely parenting is an art which helps children grow up as better individuals. Research psychologists have studied and concluded that there are different styles of parenting.

The Authoritarian : As the word indicates, in this type of practice, the parents follow a strict set of rules which their children have to follow.The parents feel that what they say is right and children need not argue on that.It is felt that in such cases when children reach their teens, they start arguing with their parents and ask for freedom to do certain things.Parents do not change and so their house becomes a war zone. As a result of this, children lack curiosity and tend to go in depression.

The Permissive : In this style of parenting, parents are less demanding and more responsive.Parents involve a lot with their children which is a good aspect but at the same time they don't teach them the right behaviour at the right place.They ignore their kids' mistakes and blame others or surroundings instead.Rules are not imposed on them and they are given less responsibilities.The good part is that the children tend to become more creative. However, they may be immature,impulsive and may not be in the habit of listening and understanding others. 

The Authoritative : This is basically a mix of the above two.Parents set clear limits and expectations and simultaneously they remain warm and accepting with them. Kids learn how to behave in front of others and also they have the freedom to try different things on their own.Parents do not force their wishes on them. Such children have better interpersonal relationships. Moreover they are taught to appreciate others also.

Parenting is a very important aspect of everyone's life.So no harm in learning the right way so as to help one's children become good human beings.

Keep smiling :)