Amma...your best case study for Management!

Amma to me is happiness! Of course, it is  not the only attribute that I could decorate her with, but it's the easiest that comes to my mind,... sort of an evergreen phenomenon.

I've been taking early morning walks around the neighbourhood, ...a new year resolution that has seen the light of day only recently....

....and the nosy person that I am, couldn't help but  eavesdrop on two mothers discussing not grocery prices(which have sky rocketed by the way!), but the ability to get their kids to sit down to eat.

Fondness for their own is nevertheless an art that takes different forms, ..in this case manifesting into a concern only a mother would understand.

My childhood, blissful as it was, .... was also a very active one. My twin and I were introduced to all kinds of extra-curricular activities like swimming, classical music, cycling, hockey, painting classes, and regular trips to the library so as to get us started on our reading habit.

We started to learn swimming at the age of five in Pune. Well, the challenge was not so much as to get us going, which we did, picking up the sport very quickly indeed, ....but to make sure that we weren't relegated to the pool side because of bronchitis. My mother made sure we got over the inhibition by attacking the problem head on!

This, she accomplished after having returned from her own school, teaching bratty fifteen and sixteen year olds, Biology and Chemistry. Our pleasure ride back home from the pool was not without a generous feasting on samosa and kachoris.

Those were epic days. And it didn't stop there. Our fondness and enthusiasm for sports was also shared by my mother, so much so that she used to gather all her correction papers and accompany us to the cricket stadium, where we cheered on insanely while my mum managed to catch up with her work.

There is nothing that we, as kids, were not introduced to. My concern is that, it just wasn't a topic of discussion then. Things were done in a very smooth and efficient manner.

I'm all for feminism and the notion of sharing tasks equally between a man and a woman.

The nagging thought however is  the magnitude with which management skills are being discussed!

This has got me thinking. Today, basic amenities and logistics have improved immensely. Multitasking should have been a no-brainer. But it's just not the case. There is this sudden thrust of an emergency meet for everything ordinary under the sun!

Is it the social media, or the blind objective of effective communication( also, a part of the curriculum these days), that has prompted such a trend?

Or maybe women just love to chat....or maybe people have too much time on their hands....or maybe, just maybe, it is viral without reason,...like everything on Youtube these days!

But somethings won't change for sure....when in doubt, ask your mummy! I gather there is no stronger, more effective a manager than your mom, and whats more...she is not your boss but your friend for life!

Nandini Rao.

My Dainty nostalgia gone Dull !!

I live in one of those new townships that have cropped up in the happening places in Hyderabad...,

the new trend that is fast catching up with the corporate conglomerate here in India.

It may seem like a treat to be able to gaze at the vast greenery from outside your window,  the gardens and the golf course,... the typical checklist that comes with this new lifestyle trend;...

...and then to provide a kindlier setting for the overwhelmed working class techies, the planning committee for this sort of real estate development  has managed to provide you with basic day to day amenities and shopping facilities within the county.

One must think it worth  the stay, and while I appreciate extravagance of any kind up until the point when style starts to give way to monetary exhibits, as is the case with most economically upgraded classes, I have lost the art of holding onto the surreal trappings that one would look back fondly upon and be comforted.

I remember our weekend trips with my father to Sambhaji Park in Pune, back in those growing up days. Even today, I recollect the simple settings of the park with a great deal of nostalgia and happiness in my heart, the happiness at being able to encounter the simple pleasures of life with zero vagueness. We always ordered BHEL PURI, yum! The very Khatta variety!  They always came packed in a local newspapers with a randomly chipped cardboard or thick paper spoon. The experience would always be one of immense beauty, ie. beauty in the simplicity of it all and beauty in the prospect of getting together with family and friends.

We have a 'CHAT BHANDAR' here within the township- explicit detail to the architecture of the shop, neat management skills of the owner and convenience of every kind for the potential customer, right from the polished benches to the very customary brown paper packages!( ...it's more of a fashion statement than an obligation towards catering to the green techno solutions, which is the trending topic today. They still forget or rather, not bother to turn off the lights when not in use!)

In all of these fabulous offerings, I'm still not able to capture the beauty of it all, and have not bothered to understand why. There is immense truth in the notion that childhood days are the best days of one's life and can never be brought back.

But if nostalgia is all about the beauty of reliving and relishing the past, what have we left to discover a few years down the line?

I'm pretty unsure as to whether I will look back in time on my trips to the 'CHAT BHANDAR' with fondness,...NOT because it didn't taste good or the environment wasn't a friendly one, but because I just couldn't fall in love with the whole adventure,.. as would have been the case years ago.

Nandini Rao.