Rashmi's Space

It was 9:30am. The family was having breakfast. Priti poured out coffee for herself and the husband; and milk for sonny boy.  The husband sat at the head of the table, reading news on his smartphone, absently sipping his coffee. Sonny talked animatedly about the game he had played with his friends this morning. He’d taken two wickets, he informed them; and then all the boys had chatted, he said, sitting around on the lawn, sipping from their water bottles, cooling off.    “What did you guys chat about” Priti asked. “Oh, this and that,” sonny said. “Sharav saw that latest Avengers movie this weekend, and he was telling us all about that. Sandy went to watch the IPL match at the stadium yesterday, only to have the game abandoned due to rain! But then he got to see what the groundskeepers did to clear the rainwater and shit…” “Language,” “Sorry…” Priti smiled. “What else?” “Oh, you know Pranav? He went to this tea estate with his famil...

                              It's afternoon. Middle of the day. It is hot. Then it starts getting hotter. More than it is supposed to be at this time.  Then the breeze suddenly dies down. The chirping of the birds suddenly stops. There is now a pronounced silence.  Before you know it, dark ominous clouds gather in the sky and the bright sunlight is enveloped by moisture-laden, low flying, dark clouds. A drizzle begins. Soft beads of water begin to cover the earth. And then, its not a drizzle anymore. It's a full-on attack of huge water droplets that begin to fall with increasing intensity; only to stop when the earth is drenched in the downpour!  Yes, that's  rain for you!  Did you know that there is actually a term for people who love rains? Yes, they are known as  pluviophiles ! They are the people who enjoy rains, who find joy and peace in the rains....

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.