Mundane Musings

Those fairy tales always started with a "Once upon a time..." and ended with "And they all lived happily ever after." Happily ever after? How was that even possible? After the rush of emotions and passionate wooing of a loved one, 'a happily ever after' should be yours by right, but all those divorces don't vouch for 'a lovey-dovey don't want to look at the flaws happiness' life.  This pandemic and the myriad things it brought to focus, led me think about what happens to passionate love after the seal of marriage is affixed on it. My knee-jerk response of course would be that the mundane takes over. yes, the mundane. How does mundane look, you ask? Well let me see -  - work, because more often than not, you want to be able to give the world to the other - food, its preparation, planning and imbibing - bills, because they follow you everywhere - commitments - family, friends, relatives, acquaintances - the dinners and the lunches, weddings, pa...

With the house repair going on in full swing, it will be a wonder if I could get a romantic thought edged in. But fate has its way. After the day's work when I relaxed in front of the TV I happened to catch some really good movies, movies that filled my heart and made the whole experience so complete. I was lucky to have caught up with Jerry Maguire (for the 1000th time), Trouble With the Curve (a nice, feel-good movie), Shape of Water (a well-done, different theme movie), Trumbo (an awesome biography elevated by Bryan Cranston's acting). February is Oscar month and viewers like me who have been seeing very little of the insides of a theater and lesser of my subscription of Amazon Prime or Netflix, get to watch older movies on TV. February is also Valentine's month. Yes, I got around to it. And I don't have any plans for tomorrow just in case you were wondering. I should be happy if I were to catch any one of my favourite movies at night with S's super yumm spani...

No other day in the life of a cupid-struck person comes loaded with pressure than the one that falls on 14 th February. Valentine’s day is and will be a major commercial jamboree for years to come. People who are in love, who might be in love, who suspect they have a chance in love are going to make this day matter. And as long as that happens, the celebrations and the pressure of that day is going to build up. In the rush to be a part of it, it is easy to forget the true essence of the day. Valentine’s Day celebrates love, rightfully so. It is of course infamous for being the day you ask a loved one to marry you or may want to know if the status of the relationship has progressed to the next level (whatever that might be). A married couple may need that day to appreciate the other’s presence and so on. Yes, these milestones needn’t necessarily have to fall on the 14 th of February every year, but a day set aside to nudge you to do something that can enhance your life is a welcome...

Now that I have found my Mr. Right and have our pyar ki nishani in my life, I don’t suppose I can hope to feel the rush of blood to my brain (or is it the heart? Is that even logical?), or feel a shopaholic’s urge to pick up gifts on Valentine’s Day. Because that was exactly what had happened on 14 th February. We were well aware of the special day, but were content with a good lunch a day earlier, at a favourite restaurant without the baby, and with chocolate doughnuts to sweeten the day. Over the years with S, there had been no doubt about how I wanted to celebrate this day. And before he entered my life, I was a romantic girl sitting in front of the TV watching movies like When Harry Met Sally or Pretty Woman or Bridget Jone’s Diary with a hand placed over my pulsating heart, thinking of the things I would do to celebrate the day if I had a loved one. Yes, it was bad. The hype consumed me, making it difficult to accept the banality of existence with no place for the love to flow....

Tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day. Yeah, I know…do you even remember? It’s surely tempting to scoff the day, especially if you are single and cynical or if you are hitched and practical or perhaps if are a little of both. But there’s no denying the fact that like all festivals or occasions that have got hyped in the recent past, this day too has gained significance in recent times.Open the newspaper and there are ads galore for dinner deals and the perfect gifts, check the internet and you’ll need to waddle through a great deal of pink and red hearts and e-roses to get to any shopping site. There’s so much temptation all around. It takes a really, really cynical person to not get touched by the ‘love is in the air’ feeling. Haven’t we all at one point or the other given significance to this day? The day takes on a great deal of importance when: a)  you have someone you’d like to show your love to. This is the coolest opportunity. b)  when you nurse an unrequ...