Questioning The Diet!

"Mom, I want my burger and fries!", said Rahul.

'But, you have had the same for lunch, Son.', replied Rahul's mother.

"So what? I love them so much that I want to have them, day in and day out! Why don't you ever let me have them?", asked Rahul, with a pretty anxious look on his face.

"These are junk food items and are not good for your health.", replied the concerned mother.

"How can such delicious dishes be bad for my health? I want them right now!", Rahul said with a frown on his face and adamantly stomped his feet on the ground. 

In his opinion, he was doing a favor to his mother, when he finally decided to switch to 'pasta or pizza' with 'coke'. 

As if these were any healthier! :o

His mother could not understand whether to feel amused or to frown and helplessly give up to her child's tantrums. 

She was really concerned about the ill-effects of these foods affecting her boy's health adversely. 

Rahul was already over-weight. He had become lethargic, irritable and devoid of energy to pursue any sport or game, over the years. 

Rahul refused to have any fruits or nutritious leafy vegetables so as to counter those ill-effects. 

Fizzy drinks were making his teeth turn pale, and had even become home to cavities! 

~~~ 

This is the scenario with kids like Rahul in most homes, today. To make these children understand the importance of a healthy balanced diet is a herculean task and more often than not, parents end up conceding to the demands put forth. 

Teenagers who go for a casual outing almost always for a meal from a fast food joint as they are the 'in thing'. No one wants to be labeled as being old fashioned. 

If potato is served to you as 'French Fries', it is yummy and if served as home-cooked 'Potato Peas Gravy', it is frowned upon as being old school. 

The fact that these foods are composed of mere calories and have no fibre content does not bother young children!

Some people even chase the myth of adopting a crash diet to achieve the 'dream shape'.
Aiming to keep oneself in good shape is fine, but not to the extent of being borderline anorexic!

It is in such a scenario that the body is depleted of all the vital vitamins and minerals, the deficiency of which, leads to diseases.

Dabur has always been there for us, with their fine quality honey, which is so rich in vitamins and minerals that we do not need to compromise with taste for health.

It is rich in iron and calcium, that are vital for the proper growth of a young child, and which impart strength to their developing bones also.

They have always made us realize that #HoneyDietIsHere with their well-rounded Honey Diet. :)

Cricket, The UC Web Way!

Cricket in India is like a religion, with Indians as resolute devotees. Ace cricketers from all around the world are regarded as deities by all cricket fanatics.

When a sport takes the form of an obsession, a passion, it is imperative that all other work take the back seat and the obsession is given the first priority.

After all, why shouldn't it be like that when the fanaticism in question is for the game of cricket? :)

In our nation, people of all ages experience a certain thrill and excitement at the mention of the sport and are ready to go to scale even the Mt. Everest in order to avoid missing a match!

Moreover, with various formats of the game, which had been introduced over the past many years to appeal to the audiences, nationally and internationally, it does not come as a surprise that love for this particular sport is innate.

School-going children, middle-aged individuals, and even senior citizens seem to have been gripped by cricket fever.

It is nearly impossible to find any Indian compromising with his liking for the gentleman's game. For, most of us, it is like choosing cricket over everything else in the world, blindfolded.

As a matter of fact, cricket is a game of the masses in the true sense, as it is a force like no other in our nation. We are tempted to skip work, postpone family get-togethers, bunk college, or even cancel a meeting! It is simply amazing that a subtle sport can appeal to such extent to the masses.

While it is not the game itself which I like, but the sportsmanship spirit exhibited by some players on the field which captures my attention, I would also like to add here that it is fun sometimes to juggle and balance between the game of cricket and personal or professional commitments.

Thankfully, most of the matches are day-night and hence I am able to reach home around the same time that they begin.
These are the perks of being a school teacher, which I enjoy occasionally.

As far as balancing household duties with the urge to watch a match and spend quality time with the family, while enjoying the televised game is concerned, I am thankful to myself, because it was my wise decision to get a wall mount television installed in the kitchen. Am I clever or am I clever! :D

For the times when I am in the go, however, I have my smartphone as a trustworthy companion with the UC Browser installed on it. It is this super fast browser by UC Web which enables me to watch any cricket match in the style of UC Cricket!

Moreover, it is one of Yuvi's most trusted browsers, too. #YuviSurfsUC, I am told! What more could I ask for if the prerequisite is to Surf It All, Surf It Fast? :)

It's Buddy Parenting All The Way!

'Buddy Parenting' - the GenX term. 

Yes. 

I say it is a GenX term, because it is like a new slang, familiarizing the youth and the new parents of the nation with a concept which has gradually made a place for itself and hogged the limelight into the rhetoric mindset of the quintessential Indian. 

I believe that the ideology has been co-existing with the Indian mantras of parenting, albeit hidden, latent. Just like a seed planted into the earth, the idea of befriending one's child sprouted and bloomed into a flower which was greeted with open arms on the Indian soil. 

From being a daughter to my parents who have been my friends before being my guardians, by being my first mentors and confidantes, to being a parent to my daughter, as a friend, philosopher, mentor and guide, I have come a long way as an individual. 

Taking cue from the parenting style of my parents, which I like to call "friendly parenting", coupled with the attributes of discipline and courteousness, I too have evolved as a parent and embraced the parenting style which the world calls as 'buddy parenting'. 

Even as a teacher, the importance which I lay upon an interactive classroom environment is paramount. 

It is the same essence of interactivity which I attempt to imbibe in the environment at home. For, I have understood that it is interaction which leads to the well-developed personality of a child as opposed to blatant instruction. 

~~~ 

I would like to put forth episodes and anecdotes from our journey as a mother-daughter duo which would aid you in seeing the scenario from my perspective. 

Picture a three-year-old toddler standing at the threshold of stepping into the ocean of wisdom and knowledge with open arms. 

Albeit, like a tiny chick hesitant enough to spread its wings to embrace the infinitive sky. 

As we all know, innocent minds are most impressionistic. Incidentally, there was a playschool just opposite to our house. However, it was not the one which my daughter had been admitted to. 

There was a three-year-old boy attending that playschool who used to whine his way out of his hesitation to be rendered away from his parents, even if it were for a span of two hours. 

I felt the same hesitation and nervousness creeping into and gripping my child's limbs, on her first day of school. However unlike those parents forcing their child into the premises of the school, aided by incessant crying by the boy, I gave her the same example of that baby bird which soars high into the sky and masters the skill of taking flight. I reassured her of her teachers being motherly to her, and her school being her second home. 

Moreover, she was delighted to learn that I would always be by her side to patiently listen to her adventures as a new student. Sharing those experiences of each new day was a routine, fun exploration, and never did I see that hesitation overshadowing my child's exuberance! :) 

~~~ 

Picture a child attending primary school now. What accompanies the experience of being enrolled into a school which follows the conventional timing of eight in the morn to two in the noon is the routine of observing summer and winter vacations in a time period, termed as the academic year. 

From reviewing the daily notes in the School Diary, regarding the homework reminders, or the notes of appreciation, or the notifications of an upcoming Parent-Teacher Meeting, or even when there were occasional silly mistakes marked in red in an assignment, by the teacher for my child to observe, correct and improve on her own, like a kid stumbling repeatedly before she learnt to walk, to working together as a team on innumerable school projects - an appreciative 'V.Good' on which would enliven both our faces with smiles, we have come a long way as each other's support. 

Even without a 'V.Good' at times, it was the experience which she gained and the effort that we both put in as a team, which made her excel in all future conduct! :) 

~~~ 

Picture now, an adolescent facing emotional, mental and physical imbalance owing to the onset of puberty. Well, I have always been vocal about how important it is to embrace bodily changes, both as a teacher to my students and as a mother to my daughter. 

The vocal expression is evident as a blogger as well! 

After all, when your designation at school is that of a 'Biology Teacher', the dreaded S-word, M-word and the P-word make their way into your annual lesson plan in the Teacher's Diary, don't they? 

Even otherwise, it was my responsibility as a mother to acquaint my daughter with the hormones causing havoc inside her. After all, it is her body, and she deserves to explore the differences which were being caused in her behavior, owing to reasons which she was unable to understand. 

The vocabulary was not dreaded anymore, at home, as dreaded it is on the social front. 

We keep believing and reiterating that Periods are not Taboo! :) 

~~~ 

Picture now, a fifteen-year-old facing a fork in the road - the most crucial divergence to the path less frequented. The choice of streams, the array of careers to choose from. Not abiding by the imposition of the parent's wish on the child diktat, my mantra was to keep it subtle and simple, by helping my child channel her focus towards a singular discipline. 

Chalking out the fields of interest, weighing them by the positives and supposed negatives of each, and successfully avoiding the tradeoff between the fascination of an engrossing subject and forced pursuit of a compulsive specialization for a child, is what has led my child on the path to achieve her dreams! :) 

~~~

Kellogg's Chocos helps in creating ‘ख़ुशी के पल’ between parent and child, so much so that they become pals! :) 

This philosophy is articulated as ‘खुल जाए बचपन’. ‘खुल जाए बचपन’ is about being unfettered and fearless. 

‘खुल जाए बचपन’ is about empowerment, not being authoritative and thus letting kids be kids. 

‘खुल जाए बचपन’ is symbolic of ‘unlocking’ the way childhood should be. 

These and many more ‘bonding moments’ make learning fun and create a happy and secure childhood. 

 ~~~ 

~~~

P.S.: The Photo Collage utilized in the post is a personal creation, crafted especially for this campaign, and is the copyright of the blog. 

This post has been written as a part of 'खुल जाए बचपन' Contest by Kellogg's Chocos in association with IndiBlogger.

You can vote for it here.

Vincent Van Gogh : A New Way Of Seeing

Vincent Willem van Gogh or simply Van Gogh was a luminary of his times. An artist who believed - "Art is long, life is short".

'Vincent Van Gogh : A New Way Of Seeing', a documentary true to its name, provides to the audience a new way, a new vision to glance at van Gogh's life and his works.

The one-and-a-half hour long narrative clearly portrays the artist in van Gogh and prompts the audience to have a tete-a-tete, to discover the man behind the masterpieces, to explore his struggle to conquer art.

Last week, I had the chance to delve deep into the short but eventful life of such an illustrious painter, through my wins in two separate Twitter Contests being held by PVR Live and Book My Show on their respective timelines.

The documentary takes to narrating a phase-by-phase account of van Gogh's life, his childhood, the attempts at procuring an education, moving out to various cities in Europe and finally finding solace in the sentiment of artistic expression.

The filming captures the essence of the letters Vincent often wrote to his brother Theodore van Gogh, addressed lovingly as Theo, throughout. It is through these letters that the audience is introduced to the ideology behind most of van Gogh's works, one letter at a time.

It is in Theo, that Vincent found a supportive friend, who was always by his side, to inquire of his health, his art, and his being.

After his brother’s death, Theo worked hard to bring to the limelight, Van Gogh’s works and publish his letters. So much so, that both the brothers are even buried together, by each other's side.

Most of the narrative also focusses on van Gogh's multiple creations and the associated interpretations with each, with the many officials at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, by the audience's side. Two works, The Potato Eaters and Sunflowers, are discussed extensively.

The artists of today discover a mentor in Vincent van Gogh, the artist.

Theodore’s great-grandson Vincent Willem Van Gogh observes his family history and admits that van Gogh's efforts as an artist went mostly unnoticed and unappreciated during his lifetime.

The documentary, under the able direction of David Bickerstaff and a heartfelt portrayal by Jamie de Courcey shows that perseverance, determination, and true love for art were greeted by success, and van Gogh's art won hearts.

Where I Was Meant To Be!

Tag!

You're It. 

You've been tagged. 

Yes. 

The Tag Game is what I was reminded of, when fellow blogger and friend, Kiran tagged me, rather prompted me to participate in the Three Day Quote Challenge, the soul of which was to share a quote a day, for three consecutive days and to thank the blogger you had been nominated by. 

As far as extending the chain is concerned, I would like to invite each of my readers to share a quote of their liking, and the one which captures their belief on their blog, too. 

You could read the quote for Day One, here.
You could read the quote for Day Two, here.

Here. I share the quote of the day, or the #QOTD, as they call it, for the third day of the Three Day Quote Challenge. :)

planned approach, aiming high 

unexpected change startles 

destiny takes charge 

~~~