Father's Day

 It's funny, but my daughters and I had an impromptu chat over WhatsApp just the other day. So that felt like Father's Day, though their Mother was also a part of it. The father in a typical urban family has been variously described as an ATM, a genie who fulfills every wish of his kids, a provider of bread (and cake?) , and so on. Which is all true, to an extent in a typical family where the mother is a housewife. My parents were both working all their life, so we were atypical, in a sense.

Now both my daughters are independent, more in line with today's women, so I am not really into 'getting them married etc.' It will happen when it has to, as per their wishes. But just reflecting on the years of fatherhood while they were still at home and dependent, it feels like a joyful roller-coaster of the type you see at Disneyland. Disney did a pretty good job of simulating life through those. There are many moments-some captured in photographs and some not-worth remembering. The birth, the birthdays, and the first day of school, or college, for example. Their perspectives on life, from time to time. Boyfriends, and breakups included, these days.

It's a nice experience, with them becoming your technology tutors in return for your teaching them A,B,C.. They did not get me on the blog, but they did get me on facebook, and I am happy they did. I got in touch or maintained touch with so many people, through just fb. 

Just some reflections.  

Filmy Sons and Daughters

 I mean the sons and daughters of the film folks. Many first-timers make it in the film industry after a hard struggle. Naturally, they want to make it easier for their kids to enter the industry if they are so inclined. So we have lots of sons and daughters of actors, directors, music directors and lyricists entering the industry, some successfully.

Examples are - Karisma and Kareena, daughters of Babita and Randhir Kapoor

Rishi Kapoor, son of Raj Kapoor

Sunny Deol, son of Dharmendra

Twinkle, daughter of Rajesh Khanna

Anu Malik, son of Sardar Malik

Anand-Milind, sons of Chitragupt 

Rahul Dev Burman, son of Sachin Dev Burman (both my favourite composers)

Aamir Khan, son of Tahir Husain the producer.

Some did not succeed, too, like Naseeruddin Shah's son, or Raj Kumar's son.

Weddings Fat and Slim

 We actually had three weddings to attend this past fortnight, and so it was quite hectic. Feasts ranging from South Indian, to Hyderabadi, to exotic international eats. Some glimpses, of all the action, as recorded for posterity.

What's a wedding without song and dance?

E.T., or Eaty? Lots to eat, no doubt..

What I Learnt and From Whom

Ok, let me get this off my chest..I haven't learnt how to dress elegantly, though some women constantly tried teaching me..bad learner. But I did learn the following,..

From Alok, a classmate- what GRE was, how to apply for M.S. to the U.S., and what an MBA was and how to apply for CAT. Later, how to live in the U.S. too.

From Vijayakumar, a friend and colleague- Applied SPSS, the difficult parts. The easy ones I learnt from Profs. at Clemson.

Basics of marketing from my marketing profs. JD Singh and Thirunarayana, and Bhaskaran (advertising, my favourite course) at IIMB. Stats from Dr. Cantrell and Dr. McNichols, at Clemson.

Human behaviour from two profs. and observation. I am eternally grateful to Profs. Valecha and SK Roy of IIMB.

Mischief, from all my friends over the years, and the million students I have had since I changed sides.

Being sensible, from my wife. And parents. and Father-in-law.

How to facebook, from my daughters. And some complex manoeuvres on my phone too.

How to blog, from my BIL Hari.

How to appreciate others? Comes naturally :)

English, from reading authors like Wodehouse, Agatha Christie, Erle Stanley Gardner, Arthur Conan Doyle, Alistair Maclean,..

Mother's Day- Play Review

This is a Marathi play that stars my cousin Suhita Thatte in a major role. So, naturally, we went in full force to the Balgandharva Rangamandir-me, after a long time.

The play, billed as a black comedy, lives up to its billing. The first act particularly, is full of barbs that fly non-stop, about parent-child relations, sibling rivalry, disregard for the aged, and many things else. Witty dialogue, sharp delivery and great acting from the four women (it's an all-women starrer)-most of whom act together in a TV serial, I understand (with Rohini Hattangadi and a couple of others), it is a must-watch for Marathi speakers.

The second Act is relatively sombre, but brings things to a climax that is somewhat expected, but closed out decently. Makes you think about a mother's unconditional love (a Kaikeyi or two notwithstanding-but even she loved Bharat that way), and how the kids are usually heartless. In this play, the daughters are the heartless ones (but one), while the daughter-in-law is the loving, dutiful one who cares for her mother-in-law in coma.

All in all, a great experience. Coming soon after The Importance of Being Earnest staged at IIM Indore, it put me a in a 'playful' mood.