Bits & Pieces 5

The Name Game

I have quite often come across children with strange names that look as if taken out of some ancient or pagan language. This trend, I feel, is on a steady rise- more and more parents, esp in the younger generation are naming their kids with all sorts of unique names that seem Greek to most of the people. An acquaintance of mine named her daughter ‘Aneiya’ just because she thought it looked different. Even though she was clueless about the meaning of this word, she was happy as it sounded ‘you know very mod types’, she told me with a grin. I have come across strange sounding names like ‘Czarina’, ‘Imariya’, ‘Kieryna’, ‘Amieria’ and the like. The desire to stand out of the crowd and to look different has led us to focus only on the style factor and ignore the meaning of the name that a child will carry all his/her life. Someone named his son ‘Shankit’ that means ‘always in doubt’ (shanka- doubt) and another one ‘Gorky’ after the famous Russian writer Maxim Gorky (of ‘Mother’ fame). This word ‘Gorky’ literally means ‘bitter’ in Russian and it was a pen name the author had adopted to support the Labor Movement in Russia. To make the matters worse, some celebs have given strange name to their children that are often copied by the public. Such names like ‘Apple’, ‘Majesty’ and many more rather can make you feel lucky and thankful to your parents! My name is a Sanskrit word that means ‘inscribed’. Thank you mummy!

Image-babypicpoint.com

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Data Display!

The worst display can be, I think, the display of knowledge. Nothing can be more annoying than a self-boisterous gadfly hell bent on making you feel like an illiterate fool. Then there are certain people whose personal life is entirely detached from all the spiritual things they keep talking about. They are, in their very hearts, deeply envious, greedy and insecure and are often in a ‘defensive mode’ that is not letting the other person point out any flaw in whatever they state. Always ready to argue over things as petty as a spelling, a name or anything and always pouring out whatever they know at any available instant, they end up making complete fools of themselves and gathering contempt of others. Also, in most of the cases, their ‘knowledge’ that is always on display (often out of context), is merely a collection of facts and figures crammed from newspaper and magazines with little thought and novelty of perspective. Socrates rightly said ‘the biggest knowledge is to know that you know nothing’ How true!

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A Pattern Surfaces

There is a chain that links a few things together and creates a pattern that is rather worrisome and ugly. Trends like-

• Steep rise in road rage incidents and
• In animal cruelty
• In sales of violent video games
• In sale of cheap and erotic literature
• In soft-pornish dating shows on TV
• In high divorce rates and
• In porn search on internet

Taken in a totality, it points out that we are achieving freedom but at the cost of mental stress and loneliness. Animal tendencies are rising and people now openly fight for paltry properties and gold, openly abuse teachers and elders and display their desperate urges as if flaunting a medal. This entire scenario cries out that we need to go back to our roots, spirituality and nature to balance technology with socialization and brotherhood. I think everything that goes up and reaches its peak is often destroyed of its own excess.

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Versatile Blogger Award and Tag

I have been awarded the 'Versatile Blogger Award' by Geetika (geetika-gupta.blogspot.in). 

Thanks a lot dear Geetika! This award comes along with a tag wherein I have to state seven facts about myself. So, here are the seven facts-

1.     I am a cleanliness freak and dislike people with a low personal hygiene factor.

2.     I hate getting up early in winters.

3.     I want to plant as many trees as possible in this lifetime.

4.     I want to spend the rest of my life in a natural area, deep inside the hills.

5.     It is my dream to spend some years of my life in a Buddhist Monastery.

6.     I love vegetarian food and I am proud to say that I am a pure vegetarian.

7.     I can’t have enough of golgappas!!

I am not tagging anyone.

Stay Balanced!

An acquaintance of mine is often mistaken to be pregnant and it has, much to her embarrassment, happened so often that people have actually got up to give their seat to her because of this. The belly fat can make one look unattractive and in some cases, when gone too far, it can make you feel awful about yourself, just like the girl whose experience I shared. Not every one of us is free or energetic enough at the beginning and/or end of the day to carry out a complete yoga session or a rigorous workout. However, little changes here and there along with some important tweaking in diet plan can make us slim. The key to a good health and beautiful body is a balanced diet. It not only boosts immunity but does a lot of good in the long run. We can maintain an appropriate BMI (Body Mass Index) and adequate weight only by adhering to a balanced diet.

In summers, ice-creams, desserts and snacks become, as if, inevitable.  It therefore becomes very important to stick to a balanced diet. Most people go for crash diets and lose health instead of weight. When the aim is fitness and weight loss, crash diets are utterly useless as they are deficient in nutrients and can make one weak. Hence, a balanced diet with a little fat and many nutrients is the right solution. Crash diet also makes us cut our favorite dishes, thus taking away all the enjoyment of meals. You can include fruits, vegetables and pulses in a balanced diet but one thing that should never be left out is honey. It has innumerable benefits as it is packed with minerals and anti-oxidants that make us immune towards various health problems. Those desirous of losing kilos should take it as the first thing in the morning with warm water. It is a proved remedy for weight loss. In case of sore throat, it can be taken with ginger and the relief is instantaneous. Honey is especially useful for pregnant women and those under convalescence, for it is so healthy!

For this, we can opt for ‘Honey Diet’. Honey does not need any introduction. In fact, honey was found even in the deep caves and coffins of Mummies in Egypt and was found to be edible even after thousands of years! Pure honey never decays. It is also said that the Greek God Zeus was fed on goat milk and honey only and grew to be so strong that he became the king of all the Gods and beings. Such is the power of honey!

Honey is a nice substitute for table sugar; the latter uses calcium from our bones for its metabolic activity thus making bones weak if taken over a long period. Therefore, in long term, honey maintains our strength and vigor like anything! It is indeed a food of the heaven. Even in ancient Indian texts where it has been referred as ‘madhu’ it has been considered in high regard. Our health and happiness are in our own hands and we must never forget that prevention is always better than cure!

Check out- http://www.daburhoney.com/

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Bond Not Bind!

In earlier days, children who were slightly open with their parents were the odd ones out. It was not very common to see a girl chatting openly with her father or a boy sharing the story of his first crush with his mother and most of the time, parents behaved just the way they were traditionally supposed to behave and thereby taking the gender and identity roles a tad bit too seriously. I remember my maternal grandmother once told me about how her father’s word was the law in the house and that she and her sisters avoided too much frank interaction (esp publicly) and behaved like typically ‘good and well mannered girls’. However, now the things are changing faster than we can understand and ponder about the change. Children are no more protégés of their parents or a platform where they can make their unfulfilled wishes come true again.  It is a fact that school going children of this age have more extensive knowledge than their predecessors. I have seen so many children teaching their tech-illiterate parents to work on the Internet and handling sites like Youtube and Instagram. Hence, we can provide best parenting and a happy childhood to our children only when these two eras combine and move ahead with the sweeping and rushing change that gets hold of us each passing day. 

I would like to present a very common example here that every one of us must be acquainted with. I noticed how this small bonding experience helped to bridge a sort of communication gap between one of my young cousins and his somewhat introvert father. The gap started when my uncle won a smart-phone in some lucky-draw in his office. However, he stuck to his ancient mobile handset and that smart-phone remained untouched for a few weeks. One day (I was also there) my cousin, who studies in class seventh, patiently taught his father to handle the smart-phone, to download the apps and watch videos and take pictures. Even though my uncle was slightly reluctant and apprehensive, he gave in and took a long tutorial from his young son gladly. Those 40 minutes or so were real bonding moments and it was really adorable and rather a proud moment for a father to notice the ‘tech- depth’ of his child. This way, my uncle was also made to open a Facebook account. My cousin, who is yet to enter his teenage, is a complete tech savvy kid and has full knowledge of almost every gadget. His father now keeps posting on his FB account and this way can also keep a tab on his growing son’s friends and other habits as well as whereabouts. 

In another incident, I fondly remember, how a child forced her mother to chuck saris and wear jeans and T-shirts! She wanted her mother to look as ‘modern’ as other parents of her classmates. The mother-daughter duo bonded over this little demand and this way, I think the child remains assured of the support, importance and acceptance from her parents’ side.

We cannot expect children to obey us without asking anything nor can we behave like ringmasters and expect their love. Even child psychiatrists opine that for parents to enter the world of kids and to mingle with them is an absolute necessity. This way, children will be free of a suppressed childhood and parents will be able to know their children far deeply and in a much better manner. To learn is life and these little bonds, when clubbed together create what we learn from our homes and parents. To make sure your child smiles when recalling these moments, be his/her buddy, for there is no other way to conquer a child’s heart and to make him learn things and yes, you will also learn a lot. So, bond with them instead of binding!

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