3 year old Anushka's tribute to the nation!

My 3 year old daughter Anushka is definitely one of the very few of her age to be so patriotic! Why not, she was born on August 15! Yesterday, when we went shopping for her birthday she sang "Jana Gana Mana" repeatedly covering almost the entire stretch of Lokhandwala (Mumbai) holding the National Flag in her tiny hand! Her rendition of the National Anthem, in my opinion, is the most heartfelt, though her words are not very clear. Watch the video to figure out for yourself! I don't know who to thank for this, the almighty or her lovely teachers at Eurokids? Whoever it is, I am a happy mother! She doesn't know what a nation is and why is there an anthem; for a child it's not necessary. I just hope she feels the same enthusiasm, and learn to feel the emotion while singing the National Anthem when she grows up. She also loves the fact that her favourite Robi Thakur (Rabindranath Tagore) composed "Jana Gana Mana"!

Sale begins and so does shopping!

How life changes with the passing of time....  I started writing this post while I was waiting in a huge queue at Shoppers Stop yesterday, and I'm finally finishing it now (I have no control over time)!

There was a time, not so long ago, when going out shopping meant buying stuff for myself and sometimes for others. Now, the focus of buying is only on Anushka. I walked the length and breadth of a fairly large Inorbit Mall, Malad Mumbai looking for things that are good and worth buying, but I didn't feel like buying anything for myself! It's not that I don't need anything; in fact, I badly need a whole lot of things! 

During the off season sale at malls the clothes, in particular, are not always that reasonable; they are often over priced and some of the stuff are unbelievably rotten! Wonder who designs them and who wears them! It's my baby's birthday next month and I have the onus of buying things on her grandparents' behalf. I went to Shoppers Stop and Lifestyle twice each and scouted like mad to find just a few things that interested me. I got tired and gave up, hence I'll have to go back again!

For now, I got two really cute dresses, a Snow White figure toy (one more to add to our Disney collection) and a Dora Snakes and Ladder game! I'm not sure if Anushka would have any interest in these beyond a few minutes, but I know I enjoyed shopping for these in spite of getting tired hunting around for something worthwhile! It's almost as if I am fulfilling my unfulfilled wishes and reliving my childhood again!

And the music begins...

At 2 years and 11 months Anushka had her 1st music lesson on the keyboard! She knows what are high notes and low notes, she identifies the black notes from the white. She can even identify groups of 2 and 3 black notes. She can identify all C's on the keyboard and also knows that there is a Middle C; she doesn't know which one is middle C though! The 10 minute lesson ended with a promise that I'll let her play the piano when she's 5!

Recycling plastic bottles

I have been selling all used plastic bottles, boxes, and all other plastic things that are waste in my home to the local scrap buyer (kabadiwala) for many years. I know for a fact that if a kabadiwala is paying me money to buy old plastic then there ought to be a reason for it. I googled and figured that used plastic is crushed and processed to make different things, but I did not find a well written document which explained what really happens with all this plastic.

Just today, I read an article in the newspaper which gave me more reasons not to throw away the plastic that gets accumulated at home into the garbage bin. My husband sometimes makes fun of me, and my parents and sister think that I'm mad. Don't know what my friends would call me; I never discuss my recycling madness with them. I know what I'm doing and I'm happy being myself!

School admission dilemma!

Getting through to a good school in the Indian big cities is no joke. The reasons for this varies from one city to another.

Our main criterion for a good school is that it should be inclusive. School ranking etc. can be secondary as we don't even know what our daughter wants to become when she grows up. If she wants to study any form of performing arts in Berkley or The Julliard School, no elite Indian school can get her there unless she has the talent and we have the means to be a part of such schools!

For now, Anushka will go to either a regular (good) school, if she gets through; or, she starts at a pre-school.