A tiny step towards a Big Change

       This is a season of religious gatherings and village festivals fondly known as Karaga, Sidi, Jaatre etc etc.. People gather in large numbers to celebrate the festival of the local deities. We too have Karaga happening in our area and I see so many shops being put up infront of my house with various products on sale. 

      The kids get attracted to some fancy and colourful toys which even the parents are eager to buy them as they don't cost much like the regular toys shops. That's because these toys that are sold are 'Made in China'. These products are imported to our country in bulk quantities and sold by these roadside vendors. They don't even cost much so people buy them easily.

       If we go a step further and analyse what we are buying for our kids is a very dangerous product. The toys are made of cheap plastic, the paints used on them come off easily just with sweat (if the kid holds in their hand for some time) and are very toxic. The batteries used in these are mostly of very cheap quality and is easily ingestable by the kids and above all these toys break easily so we dispose them off very quickly.  A large amount of plastic gets generated for which the recycling cost is more than product cost.

  Wait!! Before you start blaming the Government as to why it's not banning the Chinese products, all the countries under WTO have signed a treaty for open trade. So that cant be done.

        Everything said and done there is a simple solution to this problem, STOP BUYING THEM.. If you find a lady with a small child trying to sell these and you start feeling pity for her status, then give her some money or a pack of biscuits for her kid, but dont buy anything in return. 

    This is a simple logic of Demand and Supply.If there is no demand, then there won't be any supply. Rather buy your kids some nice glass bangles or a piggy bank made of mud. They are purely Made in India and keep our traditions alive.. Think about it..

    

Motherhood....

      Motherhood... A word, a feeling or an emotion which every woman aspires to experience atleast once in her lifetime... Motherhood comes with lots of challenges along with many beautiful moments to cherish for.

    Motherhood is not an easy journey especially if you are taking care of your baby alone. You have to be a mother, a cook, a nurse, a spy, a teacher, a friend and above all an entertainer who needs to be always ready to entertain them be it any time of the day. It doesn't matter how tired you are..

         You don't get time for yourself, nor for your interests. You need to eat food which suits your kid too..because if the kid falls ill you are the one who is going to bear the consequences. Your job,  your aspirations all come to a halt or atleast like other say a pause but that doesn't mean you can achieve them again after few years..that might not happen at all.

          Some mothers who are very lucky get to enjoy all the benefits that life throws at them since they have support from their parents or in -laws.,but that too comes with a cost. The expectations from you keeps increasing day by day until you finally give up and feel it's better to take care of your kid yourself. 

           Inbetween all this hurdles, you will still be judged for the type of mother you are.. People still keep giving you advices as to what is good and what is bad to your kid. They think they know your kid better than you. Please disconnect the connection from ear to brain and listen to them. You need not take it to your heart or mind. Nobody knows your kid better than yourself bcos you were the first human being that the God had introduced to your baby. You knew her heartbeat before anyone else.

          Among all these circus of parenting, love your child above all since you are first point of contact to your kid. Kids need not utter any words to make their mother understand them. How much ever the kids may stress you out, still a small hug from their tiny little hands or a sweet kiss from them is all that you need to get energized and restart your journey again the next morning as a mother.. So, Enjoy this journey!!     

Think beyond your religion...

        In India we know religion is deep rooted in us and our culture. We depend on religion for everything - be it our education, our job or for that matter our status too. You need your caste certificate or quota to get concessions in your school fees, to apply for a job and to further get promotions. We also need this religion for elections and to also run a government.

       With all these benefits that we enjoy using our religion and caste status, we never thought how this is making our country weaker and forced to show to the world that we are a weaker nation and will continue to be one... That's because all these years we chose a Government that used and misused our country based on religion and caste. We voted them just because we thought they were secular and would do justice to all the religious groups to live harmoniously.

        Wait...have we ever thought that if our Nation progresses or if we choose a Leader who would show how strong we are to the world and would give importance to the development of the Nation rather than just promising to keep the harmony among different sects of society intact, we would be gaining more as a country and a nation rather than being a mediocre country who was a developing, is developing and will be a developing nation for ever in our children's textbooks. If the Nation progresses and become self sustainable with every citizen living a secured and settled life, then religious harmony will be maintained on its own.

         Think above your religion. Let religion be in your hearts, in your prayers and in your lives but not at the cost of Nation. 

         I hope that one day I would read that "India is a superpower and a developed Nation" in the textbooks of our children rather than the same old story of developing Nation..