Rashmi's Space

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) , one of the most iconic movies of Bollywood completes a whopping 1000 weeks at the box office today! Kudos to the team that made this amazingly simple and sweet movie that taught us so much at so many different levels, not to mention the fond memories and the cult dialogues it gave us! In his congratulatory tweet, Shekhar Kapur said "Congratulations 2 Adi Chopra n whole team. Film defined a generation. Wish they still made films like this. From the heart. "  I agree with him a hundred percent.  DDLJ  was a heartfelt movie - made from the heart and meant to touch hearts. I also agree with him that the film defined an entire generation. A generation that is so different from the present one that sleeps and awakes to the pings of notifications on their smart phone. 

Children are angels from Heaven sent to love you, bless you and try your patience – all at the same time! The greatest of your blessings, they can be the best stress busters as well as the most stress creators in your home. Whether trouble makers or quiet little sweethearts though, each child is unique and grows in his/her own special way. As parents it is our duty to provide them with the best possible environment and atmosphere to grow and enable them to take on the world when the time comes. Responsible parents prefer scientific and proven methods to make all the best possible things available for their children. Accordingly, they are aware, and even research shows, that most brain development happens up to the age of six; and it is important to introduce your child to many different and new things at a young age. It is also ideal to introduce your child to the magical world of books at a young age, if you haven't already...... Reading has its own advantages and among othe...

We are all aware of the adage "You are what you read. "Just like, what is inbred in you at a young age makes you what you will be as an adult, it is what you read when you don't have to, that determines what you will be when you can't help it :) Reading 'right' for your young children therefore, is extremely important, and by reading right, we mean reading age-appropriate books for young children that help in their overall development.

"Mom, I finished my picture!!" your toddler screams,....but you have to send out that email you are working on, like RIGHT NOW!  Your friend calls you up for a long chat; and all the while, you are thinking of that last message you were about to post on Whatsapp where you were involved in a serious discussion on your group..... You are ready to go to bed; but there are just a few more notifications you need to see that you never got time to check during the day..... You are in a flight and the flight attendant warns you sternly about switching off your phone (maybe for the fifth time!); but you need to send that one last message before you take off and are inaccessible for the next few hours....... Sound familiar?

Yet another shocking incident of an assault on a three-year-old in a school has come to light this week. And parents are once again faced with the responsibility of talking their children through things that may not be pleasant, in the very least.  When I was young, my parents got me into the habit of reading newspapers. I used to read headlines and then some paragraphs that my mom would’ve marked. This daily exercise was fun for me, because unlike all the story books that I read, I was told that this newspaper part was real, it was what actually was happening in the world around me; and I was always anxious to get the paper every day to see what new event I would get to know about. I would like my child to have the same habit too – but day by day it is getting increasingly difficult. One after the other, there are serious crimes reported; and when an incident such as the most recent one comes to light; I am scared – but more than scared, I am concerned - for the safety of my...

Ever noticed how we Indians are stereotyped in movies - Hollywood and Bollywood? Well, there are many who complain about this stereotyping, but what we fail to see is we do behave in a unique manner - not just as a community, but as a nation on the whole.... Look at festivals, for one (that’s our specialty!). We celebrate all festivals, be it Diwali, Navratri, Ganesh Chaturthi, Holi – with equal gusto! Getting all our family and friends together and spending some quality time making memories, we get lost in the spirit of celebration. And then when the lustre of the festival wears off, with all the hype and hoopla behind us, we are back to work - from poojas , and aartis we are back to meetings and deadlines......from sarees, ghagra-cholis and pathani salwars , we are back to trousers and work wear with barely any trace of the cultural excesses of a few days before.

Adiós 2013…..¡hola 2014 The year 2013 is coming to an end and here we are, on the verge of welcoming 2014…… 2013 gave us a lot and took away some too, am sure. To each his own; but this was another year going by...so that the next can come...and the one after that. So, what say, we take a moment to look back on the year that went by and introspect a little? We've all gained some, lost some, dreamt a lot and achieved some. So while we revisit what we lost, let’s also make an attempt to concentrate on what we look forward to in 2014...