Mundane Musings

We are all set to usher in the New year and I wanted to take a moment to reflect at the one we are leaving behind today. This year has been very kind to me and has even been very memorable. Principally because I turned forty this year. And since my birthday falls in September, I was 39 for a good part of 2018 - a 39 which felt more like 40. Unlike many people I know, I have embraced the 40s as the maturity that I would associate with it seemed to have crept in during the late 30s itself. So this year has been very nice that way - I have been kind on myself and I have been mature about what life has thrown at me in the past year (which is not much I must say. Touchwood). If I had a word to describe my outlook towards life this year it would be - Acceptance. Another reason why this year has been so special is that we have adopted a very healthy lifestyle, thanks to S and have been reaping the rewards of it. We have both started Intermittent Fasting this year and are alread...

Ho ho ho! Seasons greetings to everyone! What can I say? This is my favourite month of the year and it has delivered well this time too. Pretty ironic that is, considering I don't celebrate Christmas. The Western culture has permeated our simple Indian mindsets so much, one can't turn left or right without a red star hanging in front of our face or a skinny, plastic masked Santa prancing about in ill fitting clothes. But all is well and jolly because it is Christmas. The timing of this festival is so perfect, coinciding with New Year which incidentally the whole world celebrates with gusto. I can't see as much enthusiasm growing for our very own Tamil or Telugu New Year or the local ones in the country. They pass by in a blur of new clothes and home made treats. There is no count down say on 13th April to welcome the Tamil New Year nor is there a host of bank breaking activities planned for the Tamil New Year's eve. I have said this before too, I think the ...

We are at the fag end of the year. The Christmas plum cake with its rich, fruity taste and texture has been savoured and toasts have been made for the New Year too, which of course still a few days off. There is something magical in this month. I love this month and after much deliberation I concluded that it was mostly because of the prevailing climate. After a harsh summer and chaotic rains, Chennai settles down to a cool, tender climate which begs the pulling out of moth eaten sweaters that smell of naphthalene balls (not always a bad thing), the crisp, beautiful silks and the thick woollen tops which are generally reserved for travels abroad or to cooler climes. The cool air is redolent with smell of cinnamon and chai and of hot crispy vadas and filter coffee (which of course is a staple the whole year too). In other words, it is the closest we come to sharing the white, snowy, cold Christmas setting that prevails over the parts of the world where it is celebrated. ...