Precious Pearls

Can convenience be priority when one decides to work? Not something you would appreciate when you hire someone. It could be so in some cases, when you look at the other side.  Everybody sees what works to one’s advantage and there is nothing wrong in it, is there? None other than you should decide what works for you. Being a working woman works out for me perfectly and so it does for most girls today. Work-life balance is something a woman has to master, I would always think. Of course, I never saw future replete with stay-at-home women and knew that working would be their financial and psychological need. Still I must admit I had seldom thought about a section of the stay-at-home, who would love to cross thresholds of their homes on work. Running around for assignments, I was unmindful of this side of the story. However, my recent back-to-back encounters with such housewives, looking at investing their time fruitfully, made me aware of many of their preferences and more imp...

A little glamorous and a lot more clamorous; it’s a special day for those who want to cut a fine figure. There looks a strong build up around this numerologically unique date, 12-12-12, thanks to media hype and deep-rooted belief in auspicious occasions. Not being a person into astrology or numerology, it was very unlikely for me to keep tab on these types of dates. In spite of this, being a social animal, I had to take note of something happening around. I had too many programmes to attend this month and a few days ahead of 12-12-12, I was just taking scanning invitation cards. I suddenly found myself lost while making a wise choice. I failed to understand why too many programmes were scheduled on one single day.  With most of them must-attends, I was thinking of ways to make it humanly possible. As it that was not enough, I got a call from a close friend saying she was planning to arrange her wedding reception on the same day! Discussions pertaining to this day greeted me ...

Age is just a number but only for a few. Usually, it tells on many as it rises. At the same time, youthful exuberance has little to with age. However, those young at heart are a few and far between. Youthfulness generally takes you to nightclubs, treks, hotels, picnics and you automatically turn to temples as the age starts catching on. So-called youngsters want to avoid the company of ‘oldies’. Believe me, it (the company) could be a lot of fun. It’s my personal experience.  Needless to say I am young, by heart and age as well. I decided to attend a spiritual workshop at a renowned math. There would be hardly any people I thought but I saw the auditorium teeming with senior citizens. Little late (and in Western outfit), I naturally arrested attention! To tell you frankly, I was a little disappointed at the beginning. I warned myself I was there to hear what I wanted to and not to spend time in the company of anyone. To my surprise, all three days went off well. I enjoyed the ...

Regardless of your resolutions to stay away from banters, there are certain things or people who can set your tongues wagging. At times, it’s not about how much control you exert upon yourself but some personalities come up with interesting anecdotes making you laugh. There is nothing exclusive in what they speak but the way they do it adds spice to the entire episode. Their manner of narration forces you to keep logic aside and be party to playful conversions. What’s more important, it prompts you to be sporting enough to take everything in a light vein. My recent encounter with a younger cousin kept me in humorous mindset for a couple of days. Naughty and mischievous, I recollect how he would give sleepless nights every person around him through inane activities in childhood. His mischief had landed many in trouble. Our family members, guests, kin, neighbours, teachers, even servants were victims of his impish ways. I wasn’t in touch with him for many years. And whenever we caug...

What happens a thousand miles away concerns every nook and corner of the world. While the entire world had set its eyes on the US polls, let’s agree they have certain significance for everyone us included. Of course, not much was common in our and their procedures. Imagine how the things could have been in India on the Election Day. For America , it was a 24-hour affair. The game is over and result is out with the President firmly in the saddle. Ours is a different scenario altogether, isn’t it? Perhaps, we love the melodrama called election, event that runs for months, if not more. It’s no less than a circus where it’s tough to make out who are all performers and where’s the ringmaster. Perhaps, we wouldn’t be able to choose between two candidates. Perhaps, we require multiple choices. And profiles of candidates! Criminal background seems a plus and charges of graft appear to make one’s electoral claim stronger … Just before counting, Obama had a quiet dinner with wife and ...

I am fed up of a typical question mediapersons ask in every interview: what’s your opinion on X issue? Let me put it straight. As a scribe, I haven’t asked anyone this question till date and pray, will never. I don’t feel it’s necessary for every person to react on everything under the sun. I know, what I feel hardly matters, as this question is almost invariably answered. A film personality may pass some comments on politics, sports or even international affairs. This isn’t confined to social or glamour fields; this is something we come across in day-to-day life. It’s not merely about making opinions but about passing instant judgments!  Generalising things often makes matters worse. This headline in a leading business paper caught my attention. It was about Marissa Mayor, Yahoo CEO, joining work within two weeks of her maternity leave.  The newspaper went to the extent of saying that she was setting a bad precedent for career-oriented women. After a few days, I saw her ...

It was the song I was humming all yesterday and today but I wasn’t too keen on listening to it anymore. Song apart, first things first! Certain things we like at the very first go. What happens to them when they start getting older? Anything loses its sheen when it becomes common and overused, it seems. I have observed this pattern with myself. I desperately look for a new song that has arrested my attention. Mobile, internet, Bluetooth, i-pod and what not, I leave no stone unturned to find it out. Without exaggeration I must confess that I literally want the new song by hook or by crook! Since times immemorial, you never get anything you are looking for desperately for a song. That’s the reason you exploit every possible means to find it out. Yes, it feels so happy when one gets what one wants. You feel it was worth the effort you put in. Here I am, listening that newfound song umpteen times. I play certain songs at every possible opportunity. After a few days, there comes a po...