It’s a beautiful morning in Sagar, MP. After the mammoth task of sending my two ‘sloth inspired’ (if we can get inspired to ‘get going’ from a horse, why can’t one get inspired to ‘take it slow’ from a sloth, so my son asks??) darlings to school, it’s indeed a blessing to sit outside, in the garden, sipping tea and enjoying… the clear blue sky, the morning breeze, the bird songs, the fragrant flowers, the ‘ballet’ing butterflies, the sun kissed grass …. Hmmm sheer bliss, if at all something was missing it was Julie Andrews singing ‘The Hills Are Alive….’ in the background. But this perfect morning in our Hawk hill is as short lived as our ‘Aam Aadmi’ sarkar. In a blink, the sky darkens and rain starts pouring, in torrents. This is how unpredictable the weather of Sagar is. But then don’t get me wrong… I love this unpredictability…. and of course, I love the rain.
For me there is nothing as soothing as the lullaby of incessant rain drumming on my window panes. Born and brought up in the enchanting land of keras, rains have been a beautiful and integral part of my growing up days. It is as if God knew that my land would get murky frequently with its dirty politics and would need more than it’s fair share of rain to wash away all that dirt ( सब दाग अच्छे नहीं होते ) . In an year, Kerala witnesses two major monsoon seasons, Edavappathy(South West monsoon) and Thulavarsham(North East monsoon)…. and many frequent showers in between. People in Kerala may forget to carry their mobiles but never their umbrellas….. and of course, never ever their political opinions.
If Kerala is notorious for politics, MP has topped the charts in incidence of female foeticide. Inspite of all the efforts of the ‘बेटी बचाओ अभियान’, the हत्या rate in the state is still appalling. In India we think twice before killing a mouse ( Ganeshji’s सवारी ) , but never once before butchering a girl child. Sadly it needs much much much more than rain to wash away this EVIL.
Meanwhile I am already on the look out for a घर जमाई for my daughter, for, let alone my BETI, I am not even ready to part with my daughter’s dresses. Made these bags out of Shivani’s baby dresses.
Stitched close the hem of the skirt. Attached handles and velcro/zip to the waist part. As simple as that.
Removed the upper part of the frock(neck and hands), stitched close the hem, at the same time retaining the shape of the frock. Added handles and a zipper to the waist part.
Without our demanding or wishing for, prices of each and every teeny weeny thing is soaring. So if we unitedly wish, stand and demand…. value of a ‘life of a girl child‘ might rise a notch.
Till then intermittent rains in MP might help disguise some tears.
