The Sweet Spot

Last summer during the covid lockdown, while on one of my bollywood movie binges, I came across the movie Vivah. It seemed like a harmless, stress free, Suraj Badjatya goodie-goodie movie - even edging a bit towards calmly boring - and a perfect one to drown out covid anxiety. I hadn’t the faintest clue that within minutes the movie would turn irksome as the actor Seema Biswas playing “Chachi” coats her sweet little daughter’s face with layers of powder to make her look as fair as her cousin. Throughout its first part, the movie portrays Chachi’s jealousy and insecurity due to her daughter’s dark skin and how she is unable to see the bubbly and kind girl’s true beauty. To begin with I felt the movie was at best cringe-worthy, but it was interesting that the one scene left such a lasting impression in my mind that I am willing to give the movie some credit for subtly touching on Colourism. Anyone who has grown up in South Asia knows how deep Colourism runs in the region. Colourism is d...

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...

The school year 2016-17 in our town started with a dark fall season ending in a darker winter. The school community was mourning, grieving and learning to cope with the deaths of two current students and two past students who took their own lives. Then on a cold, dark winter evening in January when I entered my daughter’s room, she was in shock and unconsolable. “It’s a fifth grader....he is so young...only ten!” That evening is etched in my mind. If it took so much for our family to come to terms with this incident, I wondered what the boy’s family would have gone through. It has been more than four years since this incident, when quite coincidentally I noticed a page set up by a mother in the memory of her radiant boy. I was drawn to this duo and as I looked deeper caught sight of innumerable posts - some touching, some heartbreaking, but mostly inspiring, and tremendously positive in the face of an unthinkable tragedy. My throat tightened as I read “Sometimes it feels like he is jus...

On the weekend of April 30th-May 3rd 2021, if you are out and about - in your garden or yard, on a walk, or walking your pet, chatting with a neighbor or hanging outside in the playground in Acton or Boxborough - and you happen to see an interesting plant, or animal, a bug, bee or a bird - or any local biodiversity, you can earn the title of a Citizen Scientist ! This weekend is when Acton-Boxborough participates in a public collaboration effort in contributing to scientific research through crowdsourcing . And for crowdsourcing, more the merrier! “I followed the steps [ during the kickoff meeting for the project] and in just a couple of minutes I am all set to start observing biodiversity, and uploading the pictures to the site”, says Liliana Rao, a recent member of the AB BioBlitz initiative. The steps include downloading the iNaturalist app ( iPhone or Android ), creating an account and under “More” in the menu, click “Projects'' and search “Acton Boxborough” to find and j...

In our first year after immigrating to the United States, some of the most difficult times when we missed our family back home were during Indian festivals. Diwali, the festival of lights, is one of the most important one. In India, we made goodies, lit many diyas (oil lamps) and firecrackers and ended with a prayer to the Goddess Lakshmi (the Goddess of wealth). The year we moved to the US, we hadn’t yet got enough bearings in the country to put together the same kind of celebration. To make it a little festive, my husband had changed his computer background image to a Diwali motif. To his great surprise, his manager pulled him aside and requested him to remove the background. My husband was quite stunned at the beginning, knowing how the US practices free speech and freedom of expression. After all, he was simply practicing his religious choice! His manager explained that the motif has a Swastika, which is anti-semitic, has racist connotations and hurtful to other employees in the co...

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...

This year would be the second Holi washed out by covid. The vaccine is out and many of us are starting to get it, which is building some level of confidence towards a path to normalcy. It is still not enough for people to engage in the regular color play, which is the essence of Holi. Given the restrictions, I decided to indulge in colors in a different way, by revisiting the colorful and vibrant Indian arts. A few years ago I had the opportunity to attend a unique exhibition of Madhubani or Mithila Art right here in Acton. I knew about this dedicated Madhubani Teacher-Disciple duo, Sunanda Sahay and her student, Anindita Lal, who had worked together for a Massachusetts Cultural Council program, and showcased her work at the Acton Discovery Museum, among other places. The exhibition, which presented the very traditional Mithila Ram-Sita wedding painting, to the intricate and brightly colored designs with birds and foliage, also showcased an unconventional piece of Aladdin on the magic ...