Frenzy-Bed, bath, beyond

The amount of workload that piles up with a new born in your house is phenomenal.Right from the mental workload of what to do, how to do, when to do and where to do along with who will do is a big challenge.The baby cries and the entire family runs in to figure out all the above.The procedures to be adopted to wrap the baby , clean it up, feed it, the holding techniques etc simply emerge in front of you and you along with your instincts and the new training you have received after a span of 15-20 years maybe since one might have handled a baby, is mind boggling.The sheer amount of laundry that the washing machine has to handle is like asking it to run a double shift.Then to dry the laundry one needs to order additional clothe hangars.The food and the strict diet regime for the mother in particular is a test.The grandma in particular is like a robot, programmed to execute the functions as if it were a multitasking contest which one has to graduate with honours.The other members of the family for example the grandpa apart from figuring out that he has added years to his life, is trying to figure out how he fits in as a TOY to entertain the little one with maximum gimmicks.He gets tossed around in this frenzy along with his daughter or son( the babies aunt or uncle) in the process.The best part is when one finds out the gibberish talk one needs to do with the newborn to which it responds and then falls a sleep is fantastic.I for one, rattle down the newspaper headlines and TV breaking news to the baby and surprisingly it keeps looking at me and smiles.I wonder what goes on in that small brain that must be processing information at the speed of sound maybe or more.Must be saying , hey grandpa, why bore me with all this news that drives all of you nuts.So the baby decides to sleep.What a strategy.!!

The aunt or uncle is confused and is busy wassapping and FB addicted announcing the good news to the world with snaps being posted and news travelling faster than the speed of light.The comments that come are" how cute!!! and "Awwww!!!""etc.....The smarter ones just say "hey, when is the party?The elders start comparing the little one with"I think it looks like its dad"!!remarks.The social network is abuzz with likes and comments.The journey from the hospital to the place of residence is another task as if it were a mission to the moon.The preparation time, the degree of preparation, the state of the transport vehicle, the captain of the ship,and the navigator who will spot the other traffic companions and the signals and bumps.Then the arrival formalities loaded with traditions and beliefs, followed by the acclimatization of the new born to the surroundings.The barricades and the bunkers are erected to ensure the baby is safe in a shell/cocoon.The room is fumigated and every nook and corner tapered off to ensure no obstacles lie on the floor.The curtains and the shears optimised to ensure the right amount of luminance.The room heaters , lights all tuned to give the right temperatures.The bath area cleansed and readied like a war room.The next door grocer and chemist, is doing booming business with toilet rolls, disinfectants, medications,in plenty being sent across to one household in the vicinity .The maids and special masseurs and nannies suddenly are the most sought after persons of the decade.The outdoor and indoor duties are to be distributed to avoid unnecessary stress and strain on a particular person and inspite of that the amount of work the granny in particular does is huge.The way she snores at night  is enough evidence.

All this and more makes one wonder ,how much of management we actually do even if you are not a qualified MBA ,managing the logistics, the marketing, the materials, the personnel and time.One baby changes the entire surrounding  and your world.

Cactus

The prickly issue of the current Indian Diplomat, and the treatment meted out to her is such an insult to all Indians, that we feel ashamed to even call our self self respecting Indians with a population of 1.2 billion people and one of the large democracies in this world.

So many debates, disputes splashed across newspapers, TV channels and literally even rational anchors getting emotionally disturbed while conducting the debate can make any Indian spectator feel patriotic and angry.The countries ,around us already treat us like dirt.China walks in and treads on our  territory at will and make atrocious claims, refuses visa or gives visa on seperate papers instead of the passport, arrest 3-5 people from our own territory and needle us at will.Yet we sit and watch like dummies,keep requesting and pleading and ignoring the signs till such a time comes where anybody stands up and slaps us Indians.Is this what we deserve?Pakistan, a piddly nation, a breakaway state from India( the biggest mistake ever made by our own people),sends terrorist across our LOC and slaughter our army personnel and we meet their PM shaking hands????The 26/11 is a glaring example, where for years post the event we still are sending evidences( ridiculous)to the other side asking them to admit their hand in the attacks.They keep refusing bluntly and we do the Indian bobbing  and nodding like a puppet on a string.Shame on all of us!!!!

Why can't we do the same airport checks for ex-American presidents visiting us as they did for Dr Abdul Kalam at the US airports and then state that there was a mistaken identity or lack of coordination between internal security agencies( which anyway is common in India).Can a prominent Hollywood actor be kept waiting in the Indian immigration with no fan,no access to telephone, no chair to sit and only be bombarded with questions asking him to prove his identity or reason for his visit.As we have some minority communities who are always treated with suspicion,why don't we treat some surnames with the same contempt when they visit us from the western countries.

Our govt.officials in high places too are so lame that the entire countries image has gone for a toss and we are treated worse than criminals.Pull out all the diplomats of those countries who don't treat us with respect and treat them the same way as our people are ,and immediately without delay.We need to make our presence felt.They need us to boost their economy and they need our population to grow on.If we withdraw all the key positions from USA represented by Indians as a diktat, they will suffer for sure.Give them back and make them realize that we don't take things lying low.Its high time.Today its the limit of counselor privileges and immunity definitions being violated and then hypothetically , lets assume we get an apology that turns up every politicians ego.But,what about the victim who goes through this?We have a piddly country like TOGO kicking our butt.Sad.I am appalled and feel humiliated.When will we ever stand up and show the world enough is enough.Lets be the cactus and prick others where required and not be at the receiving end at all times.

First cry

What an experience it is for the new born,especially the mother who is stepping into a big challenge in one of the most beautiful phases of life.

However what one sees is the list of endless "to do  and not to do things" on the never ending agenda coming from generations of experience and all nooks and corners of the country.The people around you locally seem more excited to share their knowledge and information stating what use to take place and what they consider best for the new born .This dates back from 1940's onward and depending on who and which part of the country and which religion or caste one belongs, the suggestions keep pouring in at intervals.If you have an inter-caste marriage then we have the north -south or east west cultures conflicting at times.The statements you get to hear are somewhat like"when i was pregnant, my mother and grandma did this................".The others come from the yester generation aunts and friends a like.The latest coming from well read e-savvy youngsters and mothers to be who get enough dope from the net and if they were to merge this information as what to do for a healthy baby etc , the new mother to be would possibly call it quits.Every phone call you receive , one gets to hear a string of things and lists shared , irrespective of wether you want it or not.Some of them go to such details that your head starts spinning and you go in a tizzy forgetting the most important task on hand.

I wonder, what about kids who are born in the western countries,what about those from china and south east Asia, what about those under privileged ones who cannot even afford the basic luxuries of a simple clean delivery.I have seen construction workers, daily wage earners who deliver kids and are moving half naked in the blistering cold, or beating the hot sun, with no footwear and braving the rains and dirt on the streets.These same people grow up to be strong ,more immune working class laborers who withstand all types of situations and survive.We on the other hand , give tons of medication, Ayurveda, nuts and steroids and take extra care of handling the infant and the mother since conception.Our kids inspite of all this are likely to catch a cold, fall ill, get fever etc with small changes in the weather.Ironic isn't it.And of course, give suggestions which i am not against, but don't confuse the poor mother to be.She gets paranoid at the list of things thrown at her, without considering her state of mind when multiple signals sent to her tiny brain from 100 other creative minds, will create panic.

So please , all well wishers and relatives and friends of new mothers to be, keep in mind the above and make life simple.

Foli-age

Its such a bliss to be close to nature.The greens , the fresh and soft foliage, the dewdrops that slide down the leaves and the changing colours that are a visual treat from the early days to its last.

If we talk to these plants, nurture them,care and shower love , put some music and see them respond, gauge their emotions which they express non verbally, its a treat.The seeding days, the first sprouts, the green sapling, the budding leaves, the first branches and then the floral tribute.Some lucky ones bear the fruit of their efforts and make us all happy.They need to be taken care of the same way as we take care of our young ones.This can be a small terrace garden,a sit out or a major garden.Walk in a botanical garden and just experience the smell of pine wood, the beautiful orchids, the cascading red velvets, the crowning sunflowers, the blood red roses, the palms, the cycas and so many more.

The gardener who takes care of them treats it so passionately that they respond back and show the results.The children playing nearby should be taught to respect and treat the plants the same way as they would treat their best friends.Not to destroy, pluck flowers or trample them,but treat them with care.If we walk on the grass to improve our health, treat the same grass also with respect.The turf is thick and has a bounce that triggers your health nodes.Similarly if one imagines that the grass too must be seeking some positive value addition from us rather than just be trampled upon, it would feel so elated.As we need a hairdo , so do the plants .The trimming and shaping is as good as the trainer visiting the garden to shape the plants up and give them a new look.The way they bounce back is amazing.

Eventually being close to nature and the jungles is far better than being surrounded by the concrete jungle that chokes us .The foliage releases loads of oxygen and brightens up our days.Little do we realize the importance of all this in our day to day life ,and I suggest spend a few minutes of yours with nature and see how it De-stresses you.It will certainly charge up your mental parameters and you would experience the difference.

Page 3

The most sought after space in the newspaper.Everybody, a celebrity, a brand, an unknown face wanting to be known and just for hecks type personalities clamor to get their painted faces, sculpted bodies displayed and printed in this space.The matter is irrelevant.Be it a party a music concert , eating out and wardrobe malfunctions are all in the news here.

People go out to even give advertorials just assuming that audience loves to catch up with all those scoops and wild parties,The space that each one tries to gobble up, the angle at which is snap is taken, with whom it is taken all that matters to the snobbish society we live in.The dressing sense or nonsense is spread all over,crazy hats and spiritual thoughts of celebrities printed ,of which they may not even be aware of .The PR agencies however are on overdrive trying to ensure that the film fraternity is in the news even if it were he or she sneezing or catching a cold or holidaying on the beaches of Italy.

The newspaper too is trying to push this space and the photographer is considered a VVIP at all such functions just for that 2x1" snap.The real heroes, the real people who matter to the society and do good really don't care about this.Azim Premji of Wipro, Nararyan Murthy, Ratan Tata, don't hog space and neither doing the push sales.Yet their contribution is millions of miles more than these flimsy, superficial,phony mannequins,draped in atrocious dresses spoiling the culture and or blowing millions which could be of use to the BPL people in India.The film with the same title shows the gray shades and dark nights of the actual behind the scene page 3 activities.Who , how and why?This is what we clamor for and want to be considered the rich and the famous.Every one has a short memory and for you to be really acknowledged as some one you should be able to make space in their hearts and capture the mental share of individuals across ,even if it were not visual.I call the rest the Desperados.God be with them.

On the bun

9 months is the time period most ladies experience and is so unique to them that they would take great pride to narrate the same like a mystery unfolding.The emotions of the new parents to be is phenomenal.The initial days ,where confirmations and excitement are leading the emotional trail.Then various tests that certify that the process has initiated and things are on track.The eagerness to let know and not show the excitement is a big quandary.The superstitions on one side and the societal responsibility on the other keeps every one guessing till the time is considered right.Various religions have various traditions to perform before revealing the secret.

The new mom to be is now going through the phases of life which the males would never get a chance to do so.But believe me, the sheer delight and anxiety it leads you through to simply watch every move , daily or other wise is a roller coaster.Things keep happening, schedules change,diets are controlled, exercise begin, awareness increase, the sense of smell and alertness is at the zenith,and you feel bliss.The magic of almighty is something which has no words to describe.The Gynaecologist ,one needs to go around checking and finding out,preferably a female, experienced, one who is practical and not a commercial C-section industry.Then the hospital or nursing home you would want to select and keep in mind ,knowing fully well that as months close in one needs to fix and book them up.The blood tests and USG's definitely are a common routine and one needs to keep budgets ready .The Dad to be is balancing the work front and the daily new story that unfolds at home.The in laws and the girls parents start applying the logic they have been through and bring in the old school of thoughts whereas the Mom to be is busy with the latest trends on the Internet and literally keeps tab day wise and monitors it as much as a Doc.The over enthusiastic relatives are giving their share of dope of Do's and Dont's.The days pass and then shopping in anticipation for the little one to emerge is on Top of the list.The array of dresses and bibs, prams and nick knacks are mind blowing indeed.Speciality shops catering to these items are doing booming business.The URL for baby names to be shortlisted are scanned over and over again to find out all options just to be prepared.

The penultimate months arrive and the countdown begins.The climax is just round the corner.The frequent changes, sleepless nights, football kicks and synchronous swimming done by the little one in the womb is on the high.The response to stimulus is exhilarating.The songs, noises, pats and hums all add up to the memories that the child will bring into this world.It is such an experience for the other family members around that they too feel the BP fluctuations.

But I must say ,what the woman goes through this is simply great and hats off to all  mothers for going through this to bring the new life into this world.