How to keep kids engaged - during lock down

These are testing times indeed - testing our endurance, our patience, our adaptability, our compassion and our human values.

With the out break of the novel corona virus and the threat it poses to the world and to our country, it has become advisable not to venture out unless there is a dire need to do so. With online shopping for groceries, work from home option for many and schools shut down, this does not seem to be difficult.

But after a week or so being at home with the complete family - kids who want to play all day, spouse who has telecons and is working from home and in many instances the domestic help and cook being absent, it becomes daunting - especially to manage kids,with restrictions on usage of play area, the pool and other common amenities.

If you have a kid who still not in the able to read by self stage, these tips are for you :

1. Read from story books : This is the time to inculcate the joy of books to the kid. Order some picture story books which the kid can look at when you are reading the story to him/her. Be as dramatic and as expressive as you can be. Use voice modulation, facial expression and hand gestures to make them understand and visualise the character. If there is an older sibling(s), next time when the child wants the story they can try to imitate the way you told the story. Ask the child to repeat the story the next day. And when he/she does it, applaud and praise them.

2.Coloring books and white paper : Get some coloring books and crayons/color pencils. Make the child color the book. Let them make a mess on the books and get as creative as only they can be on the white paper. It is ok as long as they have fun. To ensure they donot scribble/color on the walls or furniture, place a mat/carpet/rug in the middle of the room Tell them we are on pretend play and we are on a boat - what ever falls off the mat/carpet/rug is into the water and cannot be retrieved. Play along with them

3. Hide and seek : Play hide and seek at home. Before start, educate them of no go places, like near to the electrical appliances like fridge, washing machine computer, into the kitchen, wet bathroom(s), open balconies etc. Identify the unsafe places to hide and restrict those places as no go.

4. Play dressing up : It is not necessary to wear your best clothes only if you have a party to attend or during festivals. Bring out the party wear/festival wear and dress up the kid (and yourself if you like). Get the full party/festive looks - do the hair, wear appropriate jewellery and make up. And take plenty of photographs. Pose as silly as possible. Play these photos on TV and giggle along with your kid(s). If you have some particular costumes for your kid(s) you can use them too.Be as imaginative as possible.

5.Make them do small house hold work : Kids, especially the young ones, love to do what the grown-ups do. Take advantage of this - ask them to help you in shelling peas, separating the leaves from leafy vegetables like fenugreek/amaranthus, sweep the floor, dust the table, arranging the cushions on sofa,sort and pick their clothes from the washed clothes pile, etc. Donot expect the job to be completed by them Remember, our intention is to keep them engaged, not to get the work them, Engage them in converstion when they are doing it and praise them when they attempt to do it right.

6. Shoe lace and beads : Get a shoe lace and some big beads and ask them to create a string of beads . It is easier to string on the hard end of the shoelace. Make a bracelet/necklace for dolls from them and make a big show off of their achievement by showing the finished product to everyone in the family.

7. Increase screen time : I completely understand how finicky most of us are in allowing more screen time to kids. But these are difficult times. It is ok if kids watch an hour more of TV. Just be sure that what they watch is age appropiate. My daughter is 3.5 years old and I play animated movies for her, which I watch along with her explaining scene by scene, so that she understands and enjoys the same.

8. Plant something and make them watch it grow :I think money plants are a life saver here - get a clear glass bottle, pour water and put a money plant in it. Show the kids how the roots and leaves grow. Make it a ritual to see the growth every day morning. 

9. Make them talk and listen to them : Ask them to recollect past instances like some trip, or a visit to a friends place, or to a restaurant, supermarket etc and listen to them, ask questions as appropriate - many times we will be pleasantly surprised to see the world from their perspective. This improves their ability to recollect and elaborate and explain things. 

10. Make plans for future : Discuss and ask them to make plans for immediate future, like what we will do when we can go out to the mall/supermarket/pool etc. Make them list down all the steps we need to follow For example, my daughter's version to go out on a saturday, she needs to wake up, brush her teeth, use the bathroom, take bath ,wash her hair(I wash her hair on saturdays), dry her hair, have milk, eat breakfast, pack her shopping bag(she has a small backpack in which she carries water bottle, change of clothes, hankies and diapers), ask ma and papa to get ready, wear shoes and then go to the car. After going to the mall, she will want to have icecream/pizza/chicken popcorn, visit toy store, ride in shopping cart etc.. she will list down that as well.

For older kids :

11. Teach them crafts : This is a good time to make them learn a new craft, be it sewing, embroidery, painting, knitting, anything which they are interested in

12. Sudoku/Puzzles/board games : They can do sudoku, solve puzzles or play board games like chess, snake and ladders, carroms etc. Many of these can be done online. Just be sure you monitor what they are doing.

13. Reading fiction/Non-fiction : If there is no stress on upcoming examinations, make them read fiction/non-fiction to enhance their vocabulary and knowledge.

14 : Cooking and other basic survival needs: Make them learn basic cooking like making tea, boiling eggs, making a sandwich, set a cooker, make small meals etc. Ensure safety when in kitchen. Make them keep the home clean, run a washing machine, fold clothers, organise their books, and be presentable always. This will help you in the lonjg run when you need a break from the every day chores.

With the scare of pandemic all around, let us try to create a positive environment at home and stay safe.

My new year day over the years

Today is 1st of Jan 2020. Most of the people of the world are celebrating the New years day - Last night, many of my friends partied hard, some of my friends are on their vacation to exotic places, some of the folks threw lavish dinners. For a few like me we stayed at home, life going on as usual. Yes, I did make a few calls to the people I value most in my life wishing them the best in the year to come. But other than that, when I introspect and after seeing all facebook posts and instagram updates, do I have FOMO(the millenial word for fear of missing out)? Thankfully, no. I am happy to be where I am with what I have. 

I was chatting with my husband how New year day used be when we were younger - when we were in school, college, beginning of employment and were musing over how New years day celebration has changed over years.

When I was in school, New years day used to fall during winter vacation. Most of the first 10 years of my life, my parents took me to our native place, in remote Tamil Nadu, where I would have the best of holidays with my cousins. It used to be the get together time for the entire family. I don't recall wishing anyone happy new year in the first 10-12 years of my life(please ignore my first 6 years- I was too young to remember them).

Next phase is when I entered my teens. That was the time,when I had started reading a lot of books and my awareness of the outside world began to widen - thanks to Enid Blyton books and various comics and magazines. That was also the time when greeting cards started appearing in the small town I grew up in. Some well off kids used to give the teachers New year greeting cards after the vacation at school. For those like me who do not know where to acquire them, in order to feel not left out, I started painting beautiful pictures and turned them to greeting cards to give them to teachers. That was new year for me - no celebrations, not at home , not in the town. I do not know if my other classmates celebrated New year. For all I know, everyone celebration Ugadi- the Telugu New year, not the Calendar New year. During 9th- 10th standard, I knew where to buy the greeting cards and bought them depending on the spare pocket money left. Else, the painted cards continued for the New year and most of the Indian festivals like Sankranti, Deepavali etc. Being south Indian,we did not celebrate Holi.

After school, during my intermediate college, graduation days, the New year was a time when greeting cards were purchased in advance with fervor, addressed and posted. I used to receive a few from my friends and cousins too, some of which I still am holding on to. On New years day, we meet up in someones' house , chit chat and hand exchange greeting cards. That was the celebration.

Then after graduation, I moved to Chennai - the circle of friends grew; new friends with new ideas got added. Night show movie plans, mid night beach plans were made. But since I was staying in a hostel which had a cut-off time of 9.30 p.m, I just used to listen to the stories of what my friends did on New years eve. 

After taking up employment, in the initial few years, every day was fun,every weekend was a celebration - be it with friends or alone. If with friends, used to go on drives, try different restaurents. If alone, binge watch movies or read books with pizza, coke , potato chips and many other junk food. Did not really miss celebrating New year.

After marriage, New year became a time to make new resolutions, have a scoreboard of last years resolutions and evaluate how many of them were achieved, catch up with friends, binge on good food.

Past few years - New years day became just one more day in life. And I am  absolutely fine with that.

Now coming to my husbands New years celebration - during his school and college days, it was the day of picnic - when family and friends get together to catch-up on happening of others life. Since most of them were in public sector, the public holidays were the time when they look forward to meet the family and friends. Being the time when landline  phones where limited and public transport was not that great, catching up could happen only on those days. They used to go to some place closer to jungle with a good water source with all the equipment and ingredients required for cooking. It was a communal cooking, serving and eating. All good anecdotes are shared, games played, playful teasing done - everyone had a good time and everyone used to look forward to it. He misses those picnics in Bangalore.

New year day nowadays has become a big market. It has become a big event with event managers being engaged, party costumes designed, venues being selected, fat entrance fee being paid and big lavish parties with food , dance and booze being organised in various places in the city.In our own society, the community hall is decorated with innumerable balloons, glitter paper, lights, and all the other party decoration, There is ban on use of plastic and everyone is advised to use reusable cutlery, cups and plates. I dont know why balloons and other plastic based decorations are not banned. I feel they do cause an equal damage to the environment.

Over the years, I feel the idea of having a good time has changed. It has become more of a social pressure than actually have a good time. But if you cut out the FOMO, the basics good things in life still persist - tasty food, meeting/chatting with friends, good books, good movies, playing a game, listening to music, visiting interesting places, praying to God. So what is your pick?

Things which I wish I had not done

As the year 2019 comes to an end, I thought of sharing with everyone few things/expenses( I am refraining from calling them mistakes intentionally) which I could have avoided in my life so far.

I will first start with my marriage. Mine was not an arranged marriage and my spouse and I were a little pleased with ourselves for having organised our wedding completely by ourselves. But on further thinking all these years, I regret a few of the things which we could have avoided. 

1. Buying too many clothes :

 We had a wrong notion that after marriage we should wear only new clothes and we will be getting too many invitations where we should go dressed our best. With this incorrect notion in mind, we ended up buying expensive clothes - many silk saris which cost a arm and a leg, expensive kurtas and silk shirts for my husband. As of now, I have so many silk saris which I hardly get to wear - some of them, I have worn only once and some of them not even once. All of them are so expensive and so rich that, I don't get an occasion to wear them at all. Even if I manage to wear on some festival, it becomes a pain, since I have to look out to manage them from getting soiled.

If I could turn back the clock, I would have loved not to have purchased so many saris which I hardly wear - now I just hoard them, since I cant give them away due to their cost.

I have not worn my wedding sari or my reception sari even once after my wedding and reception. And for the record, I am married for more than 8 years. I had spent thousands of my hard earned money on them just for a day of my life.

2.Buying heavy gold jewellery :

 One more mistake I did before marriage(for marriage) is to buy heavy gold jewellery. I have not worn my wedding jewellery even once after my wedding day. So much money blocked for one day. 

If I could turn back the clock, I would have advised my younger self not buy such heavy ones which can not be worn ever again - rather, invest the money, or, if interested in buying gold, buy smaller pieces, which could have been worn in day to day life.

3. Buying too many clothes for an infant :

  I am blessed with a beautiful daughter - she is three and half years old now. I was on cloud nine to be holding my own bundle of joy and wanted the very best for her. In such a process, I bought her too many of  cute looking clothes, tutu dresses,  baby blankets, baby shoes, socks, hair bands, sweaters, thermals, jackets etc..In my mind I was giving her the best. These things did not fit her after 2 months, her sweater, jackets etc., were smaller in size by the time her first winter came in. I learnt the hard way that babies grow up fast.

All the cute little things, which I had hardly made her wear became smaller and not usable in just couple of months. Did I learn my lesson - yes, but after good two years later. I realise now, that kids grow very fast. It is not  necessary to by so many expensive clothes for them. It is better to get them comfortable, reasonably priced clothing which will last a few of months. Believe me, they will outgrow them soon and you will again have to shop. Instead of clothes, invest in good educative toys and books

Now you may wonder what did I do to all those cute little things - I kept a few as keepsakes and donated the rest. Now it has become a routine - I donate her clothes and footwear, every couple of months.

4. Footwear :

How many pairs of footwear does one need? If you were anyone like how I was, you would say, you would need at least one in each color of your outfits. I liked the idea of matching my footwear with my outfit and ended up with more than a dozen pairs of footwear, which continued growing over the years. This collection was excluding the walking sandals, walking shoes, gym shoes and sneakers. Not all of my footwear were comfortable - but I wore them anyway.

But once I became pregnant with my daughter, I wanted to wear comfortable footwear, since my ankles used to get swollen and I had the fear of slipping and falling. So, we went to most of the premium footwear shops and I ended up buying one pair of  black sandals and one pair of boat shoes in neutral color, which cost a bomb. These I purchased when I was 4 months pregnant. Now my daughter is three and half years old. I have not worn any other footwear since then. Now I realize what it means in investing in one good pair of footwear.

I still have my 20 odd pair of footwear from my pre-pregnant days. I am hoarding them for the rainy day, pun intended.

5. Hand Bags :

 Just like footwear, I was a collector of handbags and wallets. Most of my hand bags were of PU leather, and matched with some of my outfits. Being a working woman then, I did not get as many chances as I would have loved to flaunt my handbags back then, since five days of the week I was lugging the laptop bag and a lunch bag to office. Only during weekends, I got a chance to use my handbags. Howerver, on many weekends we dont go out and the usage got further restricted. But that did not stop me from buying more hand bags. Every abroad trip, I bought more hand bags. I started running out of space to store them in my wardrobe. I started putting smaller ones inside the bigger ones. It became a chore to maintain them. Then one day I noticed that the skin on one of the handles of my yet to use bag started peeling off. I was devastated. I got down all my stock of bags and examined them, only to realise that most of them have started to peel off/ started to get worn off.

With a heavy heart I sorted and donated all the used ones. I made a point to use the unused ones for some time before I donated them too.My domestic help was one happy lady that day when I gave her so many hand bags.

Now I have a few handbags which I am sure will stand the test of time. And yes, I dont intend to buy anymore handbags in the near future. The ones I have, will last a lifetime if taken care properly.

6. Scissors :

 How many pairs of scissors does a household need? 2..3 or 4? My husband is obsessed with buying scissors of all sizes. His favorite pick up item in departmental store or euro store as the situation may be will be scissors. We have 2 scissors in kitchen, 2 in each of the bathroom, 2 in my dresser, 1 in each of the cars glove compartments, 1 in medical kit, 1 in toiletries kit, one in manicure kit, one in sewing kit,2 with stationery supplies. I think you can find a pair of scissors at my home if you open any storage compartment.

But when we actually need to use one, everyone goes to the kitchen and use that one. So why hoard so many. I dont know. 

7. Spectacles :

 I am a spectacles wearer. I have impaired vision and was advised to wear glasses at all times. I am very regular on my yearly check-ups and change my glasses if there is a fluctuation in the power of my eyesight. in this process, over the years, I ended up with many frames with lenses which donot suit me anymore. Then sometime two-three years ago, I got this wise idea to replace just the lens and continue using the frame. Till date this seems to be a good idea. Now I have two pairs of spectacles and one pair of sun shades.Well done pat for me.

8. Watches :

Between my husband and me, we have more than 15 watches. But we use only 3 or 4 out of them. Others are just lying around. In the age of mobile phones, wearing a watch is more a fashion accessory than a time watch. Do we really need so many watches? One statement piece should do. So, I do not intend to invest in one more watch ever.

9. Trading in shares and involvement in Futures and options:

Trading in shares, and plunging in Futures and Options requires dedicated hours during market time. This feat cannot be managed when you are in a demanding full time employment. Learnt this lesson the hard way after burning our fingers badly.

10. Investment in a home/flat : 

It is a dream for many to own a home. People put in all their life's savings in getting a home. However, in todays world, nothing is permanent. We had to move to multiple places within the city depending on the work location, since it was not feasible to travel for almost 3 hours everyday for work. Our own flat remained vacant most of the time. Lesson learnt : it is not a good idea to own a flat, when your job requires you to be some place else and you have EMIs to pay on the flat. One might argue that the flat could be rented out- believe me, the after tax income from rent will not even cover half the EMI. In addition to that you will have to bear with your tenant's tantrums.

In todays employment world and traffic woes, it is best to have a tension free life - rent a home close to your place of work and have more time on your hand. The bonus point- you will be spending less than half of the EMI which you would have paid if you have purchased a flat.

These are the ten things which I wish I could have done differently. From 2020, I wish to intentionally start on a minimalistic life. That does not mean I am going to throw away/dispose/give away things I have already collected - I am going to use them wisely till they last. What I intend to do is not add on more.

Wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous New year 2020.

The Smudged Nail Polish

It was 11 O'clock in the night. My toddler had finally fallen asleep. I slowly sneaked out of the bedroom so that I donot wake my daughter or my husband.  With an active toddler, I hardly get any time for myself, to read a book or to relax. I switched on the light in the living room and snuggle in the sofa. I was not in a mood to read anything. So I just relax -  doing nothing.. I was just reminiscing the day when I noticed that my nail polish that I was currently wearing had chipped off.

I decided to change my nail polish color and apply a new shade - a vibrant orangy rose. So equipped with cotton balls,nail polish remover and the new nail color, I head out to the balcony with headphones. I play a relaxing music on my mobile and with careful dabbing of the nail polish remover, I remove the old nail color from both the hands.

Then I soaked my fingers in lukewarm water with a few drops of almond oil and baby shampoo for 5 minutes. Then I washed my hands and pat dried them. This seemed to be a luxury that I was enjoying and I was very pleased with myself.

And then, with loving care, started applying my favorite nail polish. After one coat, I applied one more coat. My fingers looked beautiful - I admired them when I let them dry. Then I thought, let me apply the clear nail polish as top coat. I applied the clear coat and was very pleased with the effect. And.. I started to wait.. for the clear coat to dry..it seemed ages that it took to dry. When I thought the paint was dry, I went to bed and slept-off.

Next day morning, to my display and disappointment, what do I see, my beautiful nails have creases in the paint and also hair marks.. I seemed to have slept off without totally drying up the paint.

Now, the chances of me finding same amount of time to redo my nails in next couple of days seems next to impossible. Then I realise my nails actually look like modern art, like an abstract painting. My thoughts of spoilt nails was replaced by admiration for the new look.

Life is also like that. Sometimes, in spite of all the efforts, the result is not the same as what you expect. That does not mean the result is bad - it may be better.

And as they say - when life gives you lemons, make lemonade :-)

Will you kill if you will not get caught

Will you kill if you will not get caught.

This is was a poster hoarding I saw the other day across the road. May  be it was a new Netflix story or a new amazon prime series – I don’t remember.

But it is an interesting question. Would I kill someone, if I know I will not get caught for doing the crime. On deliberation, let us see who are all the people who actually kill people :

1.       All our soldiers kill, without the killing getting on to their conscience. They do since it is their duty – towards the motherland and towards their other fellow human beings. They have a justification for killing.

2.       Criminals kill- But not many of them get caught. They still lead a free life

3.       Lunatics Kill – But they are not sane and do not understand what they are doing

4.       Politicians /Bureaucrats kill – though not directly, through henchmen, or through police/soldiers whom they authorise to kill.

5.       Doctors Kill – not intentionally, but sometimes their treatment goes wrong and they have death on their hands

Which brings us to an interesting juncture – Do these people carry the killing of people on their conscience. Will it weigh heavy on their heart that they have been instrumental in getting someone most. Do they sleep peacefully. Well, this is a question I cannot answer.

On the question of would I kill someone, If I know I will not get caught – the answer is NO. I cannot and will not kill anyone. I don’t hate anyone so much that I would even entertain the thought of killing. Even if I hate someone, I would leave it to Karma to do the job. That is not my job.

There are instances, when I had wished I had a super big boxer hands that I thrash someone off senseless. There were instances where I have imagined me thrashing and stamping people who have angered me. But that was only in my imagination. That was my own anger let-out therapy – helps me to keep cool and control my emotions.

I don’t know what I would do if it is a question is killing for protecting my loved ones – Like in a movie like situation where, I have to kill someone to ensure the life of a loved one. I cannot bring myself to think that I would kill even then. May be I will look at disabling the threat in any other manner other than killing, if there is a possibility.

I believe that life is very short to entertain feelings of hate, anger, frustration for long. It unnecessarily clogs the mind and eats way time – which I consider is the most precious thing of all. If someone is devoting time for you unconditionally, you should truly appreciate that person.

Rather than entertaining negative feelings in mind, it is better to use the time to introspect and think as an outsider and come up with ideas to deal with such situations.

The journey so far...

I was reflecting on my different phases of career, how I had moved from a wide eyed, full of awe, youngster in my first job as a trainee, to a mid management professional I am now

In the initial stages of my career, I was supposed to be on learning spree – however, I recollect, I was yearning more for gateways to shun away from responsibility and was basking in the newly found complete independence. I was enjoying myself immensely on the power, my position as an auditor gave me, and the respect I could command at the client’s place, in spite of me being a trainee. Evenings were filled with chitchat with friends, trips to various malls in the city, strolling in the beach with friends. The time after dinner time, used to be a long affair. There were times when we chitchatted through the night and till the wee hours of morning.

The most enjoyable part was during study leave. We used to study through the night, with thermo- flasks filled with hot tea and instant maggi to satiate the mid-night hunger pangs. The whiff in the air of maggi cooking in someone’s room used to pull us to that room for a group attack on maggi.

I was always happy then, with not a worry to bother me. My friends used to tease me that I always wake up with a smile on and my stride used to be hop, skip and run. And my roomies and friends would vouch for me, of what a great chatterbox I was. After completing articles-ship, the trouble started - for I had to get into serious employment. And the great hunt for job began.

My other two co-hunters for jobs at the same time, could recollect these moments. Our modus operandi was the same every day. We used to meet in one of their homes. Our weapons, if I could call it, which we carried everyday was the same. Each of us carried a file, which contained copies of our certificates and copies of resumes+ one bag with one umbrella (after a shiver to the bone drenching experience!), a water bottle, mobile phone and some snacks. In addition to these, I used to carry a city map, which I would unfold on the hood of any parked car, to check for directions. The smart phones were still a long way off then. We used to visit consultant offices, and any office where we heard there is a vacancy, go to any and all walk-ins which we could hear upon, and then come back exhausted in the evening. Next day, repeat. This is was on till I landed on my first real job.

The next phase is joining as an employee in an MNC as a fresher, with lots of hopes and aspirations. I am glad that I made some instant friends on my first day, during induction, which I am glad to say, continues till now. I enjoyed the respect which I was able to get from my peers and superiors on account of my professional qualification. But being a fresher, I did not have a lot of responsibility on my shoulders, though, I was ready to take on more. I did not change my hostel, though my workplace was 20Km away and I had to travel for 2 hours every day. I enjoyed the din of bus/train travel and used to listen to music, read books, on the way. Some days, I napped and made up for my shortage of sleep. My working hours were long – used to work till 12 mid night every day and used to return by company provided cab. This job was the first serious step I took towards focusing on my career. I was very serious on the work I did and would be hell bent to finish all the tasks I had scheduled myself for the day. Hence, the long hours. I craved for recognition and kudos for my work, which I occasionally received. The result was, I was too exhausted by the time I reached hostel and did not have time for fun, which I noticed, my hostel gang was having. Sometimes, I used to feel left out.

My next jobs were my steps to improve professionally and when I look back at the journey so far, I don’t regret having taken these steps. Of course, I had a few stumbles on the way. But, as they say, it is the destination that matters; not the path, though it would not hurt, if the path was fun and enriching. I intend and try to choose the path which will be enriching me to groom myself further as a professional, which would be fun-filled and end-of-day, would leave me with a smile on the lips. I have encountered with some good, some not so good and a few irksome bosses and colleagues. I am thankful for all my bosses – the good ones inspired me as how to be; the bad ones, how not to be. Same goes with colleagues. Many of the colleagues have become lifetime friends. Am happy that I have not made any enemies out of any of my colleagues.

The changes in me from then to now, I talk less(some of my friends still carry my chatterbox image, which I guess I lost somewhere along the way), I listen more, read more and try to work less, have become more analytical,  have put on weight, wear spectacles, and am no more a youngster J.

And then life goes on…

Water, water everywhere...

Pitch dark-chilly and eerie night..and you are surrounded by water..you cant hear anything else except the sound of the paddle in the water. There was no sound of waves too. The lake was surprisingly seemed still.

It was as if the surrounding silence was weighing down upon us. The kids seemed to have sensed something different and were surprisingly quiet. After a while, we could not even discern which side is the shore. And to add all to this, it started drizzling lightly. Good that all were dressed in warm clothes and were ready for the cold.

That’s how our trip to Chilika started.

15 minutes before

We had reached Satapada around 7 O’clock. Had tea and packed hot pakoda to have on the way to the guesthouse. We took the row boat at night. There was a power failure in Satapada when we commenced our journey – the reason for dark night. We expected a modern motor boat with generator for light and power, to Ferry us to the Guest house which was in an island in the middle of Chilika. We were in for a surprise when we saw that it was a normal fisherman’s boat, with a feeble motor attached, for navigation. But then, not every day you get to experience Ram Gopal Varma’s movie kind of scenes in real life. We embarked on the boat and set to the island where the guest house is, in the dark, even though I had doubts as to how the boat men will navigate to the destination in the dark. The short sail started and we enjoyed the hot pakoda on the boat using the light from our mobiles.

We reached the island after being on the still waters for the longest half an hour(or was it an hour – I am not sure). The rooms were in a gated boundary and were not of a great quality. There was a deer roaming in the garden, which came in a sweet surprise. The guest house was very low staffed and they changed the  bed-sheets in the rooms , only after we reached. We understood that there was no electricity to the island and the lights were powered by Solar energy. And then we were in for a second surprise! There was no one to cook dinner and if we need food, it meant return trip to Satapada in the chill of the night in the boat and buy food from there. We had taken with us the ingredients required to cook food, expecting that we will give it to the cook and have a simple dinner. Since cook was not available, we decided to cook ourselves on makeshift stove made with 3 bricks and firewood. We borrowed the vessels from kitchen before they closed it for the day. It was a terrific and enjoyable experience, cooking roti and Dalma on fire wood. The food infused with the smoke from wood made it even more tastier and we had delicious dinner. The kids had milk which we boiled in the same make shift stove. 

We doused the fire with water, so that the deer would not get burnt feet, if it accidentally steps on it. Then we retired for the night.

Next day :

Woke up at around 7ish and discovered that water was freezing cold. My fingers became numb when I washed up after brushing my teeth. Went out to the bank of the lake after having tea and savored in the morning scenery - calm lake, with birds chirping and foggy mist.

Came back and started on the boat to Kali Jai. En route, if we are lucky, we expected to see the dolphins.

We understood from the boat men that food could be arranged on the boat. I thought they would have bought the food earlier which they intended to serve us with . Breakfast was cold idli, vada and potato chops, which they had purchased from Satapada in the morning, before picking us up.

It was quite a ride – it was warm and sunny accompanied by cool breeze. For lunch, we were in for a surprise. One of the boat guys, made a make shift choolah(stove) with an old oil tin and firewood, kept on top of algae from the lake, on one side of the boat and started cooking. The heat from the fire in the boat was very soothing for the cold. He made Rice, dal and Gobi aloo baingan Kasa(Cauli flower, brinjal and Potato in tomoto and ginger gravy). He had 2 utensils and a Kadai(Wok) and a ladle. He managed to cook yummy food with only these.

The boat stopped at a place where the dolphins were expected. We were blessed with a few sightings of Dolphins – a few of them jumped a couple of metres away from our boat. It was more of a glimpse.We enjoyed the sight and did not bother to capture them in photograph (we would have failed even if we had tried).

We also managed to see the migrated birds from Siberia and clicked a few pictures.

We reached Kali Jai around 1.00 P.M. I had expected to see a temple on a hill top. I was in for a surprise, to see a ill managed and dirty temple where it was disgusting to go barefoot - for the ground(concrete floor) was so dirty and sticky. Still we managed to walk in that and took some photo graphs.

 Came back to the boat, had lunch and then started off the return journey.

It started raining, when we were half an hour away from the guest house. We managed to get back to that guest house without getting too much drenched, picked our bags and left to Satapada again in the boat, when we were blessed with another sighting of dolphins in the rain.

We started from Satapada to Bhubaneshwar – tired but well satisfied with the trip.