The Sweet Spot

“It is a love-cum-arranged marriage”, Renu had informed her small, close-knit community in the outskirts of Rajkot, Gujarat. Her nephew was marrying a Punjabi girl, in an inter-cultural marriage, in the US. For those unaware of this Indian parlance, it is called a “love marriage” when the couple meet, get to know each other, fall in love and then decide to marry – before the family is involved. It is “arranged” when the family is the matchmaker and gets the couple together with an intention of getting them married. In India the latter is still a common practice. In the eyes of conservative folks in India, a marriage is a union between two families, and ensuring the couple has the blessings from both families, which culminates in a traditional wedding, is very important. So “love-cum-arranged” softens the jagged edges of the love (read as “youthful foolishness” through the orthodox tinted glasses) with the cloak of family acceptance and blessing! A few years ago, their community in Guj...

Every morning when I see our dog Smokey roll on his back in a morning ritual, with his belly up, looking for a gentle rub, I can’t help but be reminded of Snoopy from Peanuts thinking “I must admit that I have a pretty good life”! All Smokey’s basic needs, however simple, are taken care of - be it his food, shelter and walks. We have tried getting fancier with him, like dressing him in snazzy jackets to protect him from the cold, but he hates them and gets rid of them by aggressively tearing them up. The walks are the most exciting part of his day where he can socialize with other dogs, and snag heavenly treats from some generous dog owners and generally meander in the wilderness. The rest of the day he naps for long periods of time, mostly finding a cozy place next to humans going about their daily business. The part about Snoopy’s, and Smokey’s “pretty good life” feels even more relatable when I read about overachiever working dogs. There are sniffer dogs busy training to be the next...

How smart is your home? The tech that arrived in the post-Advertising Age has continued to find uses in our homes. Now, home appliances are becoming increasingly connected – with some displaying the latest and greatest in connectivity, intelligent connectivity and networked-everything-ness. Homes around the world are getting smarter, with products from lights to thermostats now linked to the internet. This has led to the arrival of a host of connected appliances in the home, from fridges that tell you if you need milk, to cameras that let you see what's happening at the front door. It's essential that your appliances and other electronics, such as thermostats, refrigerators and lights, are properly connected to your home network so they can be controlled and monitored remotely. For example, you can use your smartphone or tablet to set a temperature for your home while you're away. If your home Wi-Fi is weak or slow, to make your Wi-Fi the best it can be, consider adding a w...

To newly migrated Indians in North America, huge hardware stores like HomeDepot, Lowes etc can feel daunting at first. But it doesn’t take too long for hobbyists, tinkerers and serious builders alike, who have some inclination to get their hands dirty and their feet wet, to figure their way around. And in no time at all, with a favorite DIY project tucked under their arm, these stores can make one feel like a kid in a candy store! To newly migrated Indians in North America, huge hardware stores like HomeDepot, Lowes etc can feel daunting at first. But it doesn’t take too long for hobbyists, tinkerers and serious builders alike, who have some inclination to get their hands dirty and their feet wet, to figure their way around these stores. And in no time at all, with a favorite DIY project plan tucked under their arm, these stores can make one feel like a kid in a candy store!  My cousin Rahul moved with his family to Canada recently. For most of his adult life I had seen him focusse...

When Karen Collins, President of ABUW stepped in last minute for Christine Schuster, President and CEO of Emerson Hospital, during the “Neighbors” themed Storytelling event organized by AB-United Way, she opened the show and her debut act with a reference to her friend Christine’s favorite pearls, and how the evening would string in the many pearls in the form of stories.  Though this was only the second storytelling show I was attending in the US, the concept wasn’t new to me, having grown up listening to many in my mother tongue Marathi. Storytelling was literally called “Katha Kathan” (Katha - Story; Kathan - Telling). And the pearls brought back memories of the storytelling maestro Dr. P. L Deshpande (Pu La) . That evening had started with a bang, slowly stringing in the pearls, with a variety of content and interpretations of “neighbors”. Karen ended her story about overcoming her shyness and the confidence she mustered to approach a neighbor only after she saw a moving sign. ...

I wrote my first blog post one year ago about my daughter’s gap year and her experience in Iowa. This was when the clouds of “gap year” confoundment were starting to disperse from my mind. When the notion, which was originally vague at best was clearing up; when the concept of a gap year was finally sinking in. I wrote about my daughter’s experiences and mine at about half way into her gap year, when things had started making sense. I also want to address and share about the time when it all started on shaky grounds. In our desire to be model parents, ironically, we had lost connection with our daughter’s desire to live her life in her way. So, when in the middle of her senior year, she expressed a desire to take a gap year, we thought it was a phase. She had a choice of half a dozen colleges to pick from and admitted to at least one college she liked very much - now, wasn’t the next step to attend that college? As the academic year progressed, she continued to bring “gap year” up eve...

Growing up under the shade of my super talented artistic brother, I had an elusive relationship with art. I was immensely proud of the cascade of applause, awards and accolades my brother received, including one from Shankar’s Weekly International straight from the hands of the Indian President himself. Not wanting to be left behind, I gave art a fair shot - but we were not meant to be! My subject would be very clear in my head, but by the time it traveled down to my hand and fingers and onto the paper, I ended up having to call it modern art and leave it to the viewer’s imagination and interpretation to figure out what I drew. I think I did end up developing a very important skill, that of an art critic. There was enough art around the house to appreciate. And it was fairly easy to look at a piece, reflect and express with honesty my true feelings for the piece. A few years ago, some artist friends formed an Art Club. Given my history with art, I avoided the messages to join. Well, wh...