Finding the right toys or play aids that make my toddler’s work time (I mean the play time) interesting and fun has become my favorite conscious pass time. We are a multi-lingual household speaking Telugu, Kannada, English and Hindi. Speaking to the child in the language is the best way to make them learn the language. And there are multiple external aids too that I found that helped her learning process. Sharing the Telugu language aids that I discovered so…
Motherhood is not about womanhood. It is about the mother like nurturing heart. My tribute all such hearts around us. To the little one who cradles her doll.To the big brother who thought his little sister was his daughter.To the sister who took the responsibility of her family.To the father who is breaking all stereotypes.To the one who sees child in every plant.To the nature who nurtures life of every human.To the human who is a pet mom.To the teacher…
They said it was a virus, so deadly that lives went on counting in minus. Then came the lock down, with no creature walking in the town! We stayed at the blessing of our home, but the mind always wanted to roam! We called it new normal, but it was all too haze to journal. We masked up and the smiles behind cannot wait to come out of that lock up! We frantically sanitized or may be it was just…
My dear Shloka, Happy First Birthday my love! Last time I wrote something like this to you, I was eagerly waiting to hold you in my arms for the very first time. Oh my! A year has passed since that beautiful rainy day and I wish I could freeze the moment I felt you on my heart (chest) as I was lying on that surgery table. I felt a whirlwind of emotions when someone in the room declared “oh there…
Every pregnancy is different and everyone who goes through this always seems to have learned or discovered something new during this enriching journey. Many new moms, seasoned moms, and grandmoms shared much of their knowledge and experiences with me during my journey. I was certainly receptive to the knowledge, but only used and followed what felt right to me and my body. Hoping you would do the same. Since it is advised not to use much medication, I looked for…
If you are like me, you are most likely searching for ways to engage with your newborn/infant in a mindful way to aid her development. Skin to skin ( both mom and dad) at the very early stage and breastfeeding (bottle feeding for other caregivers) are the easiest and the most important ways to bond with your child. And, there are other activities too that you can certainly engage them with that can contribute to their development. As strange as…
When it comes to baking and cooking, I love it when it is simple and takes fewer utensils. This chocolate cake is exactly that. This is a recipe I have been using since 2011 and is a foolproof one. I made this one-pot Eggless Chocolate Cake literally 5 times in the last 2 months and has been an absolute favorite at home. This cake is great just like that (makes it vegan too) or you can add some chocolate ganache…
According to Natyasastra, a dancer can express through Angikam (body), Vachikam (words), Aharyam(costume) and Sattvikam(emotions). Hasta Mudras fall under Anagika Abhinayam. Abhinayam means expression. Hand movements in dance are very important to communicate ideas, actions, etc while dancing. Hence these are called Abhinaya Hastas. These are classified into Asamyukta Hasta (Single Hand Gestures) and Samyukta Hasta (Double Hand Gestures). Each Hasta is used to depict more than one action. Samyukta means together. A-Samyukta means separate. Before learning the hand gestures,…
Namaskaram! These are the seven Shlokas from Natya Sastra, written by Bharata Muni that a dancer must know/recite before starting the Dance. Hence, these are called Natyarambha Shlokas. Natya means Dance and Arambha Beginning. Pranamya Sirasa DevouPitamaha Maheswarou Natya Sastram PravakshyamiBrahmanaaya Dhutahrutham Bharata Muni sets to explain the Natya Sastra (the science of dance) that was preached to him by Lord Brahma. Before that he bows his head to Pitamaha (Brahma), the creator of Natya Sastra and Maheswara (Shiva), the…
The last few days have been hard on everyone because of Covid-19. As we stay home to #flattenthecurve and not eat out, we sure are cooking a lot more. And I know, in all this extra cooking (which I completely understand comes from a privileged position), we all crave for basic comfort food. Growing up, comfort food for us was Podi Annam (Podi mixed in hot rice with desi ghee) and Perugu Annam (Yogurt mixed in rice). Chutney Podi is…
If it was ten years ago, the concept of blogging would have needed an introduction. I don’t remember anyone who introduced themselves as a blogger then. But today, it is very different. Blogging is an industry in itself and being a blogger in the true sense is a big deal. Contrary to the notion of general public, blogging is not all about fashion and glam and it takes lot more than perfectly edited pictures to maintain a successful blog. It…