You would have read about the PTM experiences of parents.How have you ever wondered – how difficult is it for the teachers? Being on the other side of the table during PTM is not easy. Issuing a report card and talking the same content to the parents in an elaborate manner; making parents accept the reality of their ward – is a tight walk.

Parent come with all kinds of expectations towards us and towards their wards, with their disappointment towards us and towards their wards – not an easy situation to handle. Deciphering their mood swings,guiding conversations, putting them at ease, trying to negotiate unexpectable demands, building optimism about their child’s capabilities – are not easy – definitely not easy. Do we get appreciated for this act, not once every term.

Korean drama trend quite often in streaming app. Why are they getting popular? There are fan clubs for Korean dramas in Chennai. Why do so many of us follow these pages in Facebook?

There are a lot of things these dramas can be admired for.

• The genre : The drama is clearly categorized historical fiction, romance, comedy, thriller, melodrama, romance thriller, romance comedy. They don’t deviate after first few episodes which we generally see in Indian soap-operas.
• Excellent actors – starting from the main lead down to actors doing menial roles – do really work hard for their characters/ role and this is evident to us an audience.
• Cinematography – whether it is time- travel like Tunnel, Life on Mars,Legend of the Blue, Vincenzo – each location are beautifully captured.
• OST – original ! truly Original Sound Track, love them – the OST of Healer or Sky castle keeps ringing in our ears – not days, not months…. but years after watching them. It’s time our Indian teleserial makers learn lessons from the K-drama makers.

Come Navaratri, each part of India lits up ! Bengal – Durga Ma Pandals; South India with Kolus, Sundals. The beauty of India lies in its distinct flavors and vibrant colors.

That leads me to think about how there is a similarity between the sequential climatic conditions in India that match our dress colors and food colors. A change of season brings festivity in India :

Jan – Harvest Festivals

Sept- Ganesh Festivals

Oct-Nov – Navaratri ;

and festivity brings changes in food, changes in outfit and changes in colors. Unlike few others countries in the world, where festivities are limited, food options are limited. Their dining table never looks delicious, color and aromatic like ours – and their dress – definitely similar – few shades of dark colors like their sky, perhaps!

I love my cream biscuits in my 40s just as I loved it in my childhood. Crunchy biscuits held together by a dollop of cream – is fascinating now, even as it was fascinating them. They joy of splitting the crunchy-munchy biscuits, licking the cream and handing over the empty biscuits put together to my mother and making her frown was a favorite past time of mine when I was young. Nibling the corners of the biscuit and eating the center as it shrunk in size was another.

It’s these little joys and the memories associated with it that makes our lives interesting.

I happend to watch the fabulous lives of Bollywood star wives ….or some show with a similar name. If the show was meant to draw us to the star kids or highlight the fact they have difficult lives to lead or their dilemmas; It did the straight opposite. It was a compelling watch, though.

I felt it just showcased the abundance enjoyed by a certain section amidst the poverty in India. Wives of three failed actors along with a once-upon-a-time star (who still keeps bragging about her past) – took us through their privileges they enjoy – it shows families with patriarchal mindset, hollow conversations and highly insecured individuals.

It showed a privileged group of individuals who were so divorced from reality or who would rather wanted to -stay away from the common people and consider themselves the up-end section of the society.

I was just wondering – would the show be more interesting if those star wives were moved to a house like that of big boss or shifted to small units in Dharavi, where they get to do real household work and have real conversations like majority of Indian women do – Daal,Chini, EB, power cut …. ?????

As we grow older, reading articles or books of our interest and sharing it with our friends is an interesting past time.

When I read J.Krishnamurti’s extracts and share it with my friends and they share their perspective – it becomes a good learning experience. It makes us open-minded to new points of view and discussions.

I read newspapers. I like the smell, the sound of the rustling paper, just as I enjoy reading the content. They have been my morning companions for dogs years, now. Why do I like newspaper?

Over the years, there are aspects about newspaper which I have noticed (I am sure everybody has) and which is very much applicable to our lives. Some of them are :

• News articles are categories and sequenced – our life needs to be organised and it is better to work in compartments.
• There are news about local events, politics and people along with news of national and international events – which means there is enough room for people in our lives.
• Political cartoons that make you smile, small crosswords to engage your mind – indicates never miss the small pleasures of life they are as important as the big picture.
• Headlines screams, front page always gets noticed – learn to prioritize tasks in a day – eat the frog the first thing in the morning – complete the difficult task first.
• Eye capturing pictures – retain certain photographic moments in your life and store it in your memory.

Above all, once read- the newspapers of the day cannot be re-visited meaning live life one day at a time – that makes it worthwhile.

There has been much said and written about re-opening of schools from September 1,2021. There are educationist and academicians raising concerns about re-opening of schools- seating arrangements, transport guidelines – will schools be really able to run on shift basis with rising petrol prices. There are articles and warnings of rising Delta variant, the third wave around the corner.

Amidst all this what do parents feel? I was thinking : Are our children better-off at home or would they be worse-off from prolonged online classes?

In families were providing a digital pack / devices for learning for their kids are far from reality – re-opening of schools is definitely welcome. On the other hand, there are many families were devices can be provided to students, and to them as well, re-opening of schools is still a welcome. Why?

As a parent, I would rather have my son writing and reading from books and notebooks rather than watch him helplessly switch from one screen to another – small screen for online classes and big screen for binge watching. What is more painful – is to notice that social skills wane away, disinterest to write, depending on calculators instead of doing quick mental math. Wonder if students still have team spirit and interest in sports ?

Though, the above statements are one-sided, , I think re-opening of schools is something zillions of parents are wishing for. It is easy to get students vaccinated (at school) before the third wave arrives- that is, if the vaccinations are available. Let’s go to school.

This is the title of chapter 6 in J Krishnamurti’s book ‘Commentaries on Living 1’. In this chapter he encourages us to be self- aware. He discourages us to follow any spiritual master. And, he further reiterates that when spiritual masters live in a different country and the pupil lives in another – then this leads to an illusion and self-deception of the pupil.

He says spiritual bodies and organization headed by spiritual leaders are just exploiting our need for gratification. There is a beautiful quote in the essay which goes like this, “Reward in any form is extremely gratifying, especially a so- called spiritual reward when one is somewhat indifferent to the honors of the world. Or When one is not very successful in this world, it is very gratifying to belong to a group especially those by someone who is supposed to be a highly advanced spiritual being, for then one is part of a team working for a great idea, and naturally one must be rewarded for one’s obedience and not for thee sacrifices one has made for the cause.”

If we reflect on his statement we realize it – need for joining spiritual/organized religions is our need to deceive ourselves – our need to be rewarded for what we think is our achievement or our need to get rewarded from others for what we think is our success, either way it is our illusion.