The Word Route

Kabhi kabhi ek ajnabi apne se bhi zyada ban jaata hai, jab apne hi ajnabi ban jaate hain! Aaj laga ki hum bhi kuchh hain, hamara bhi koi wajood hai. Ehsaas hua ki hum adhoore nahi, Aur pehchaan hamari sirf ek muskurahat nahi... Sawaalon ka kaafila aa raha tha door se,  They iss intezaar mein ki woh kab hamein gher le aur kab hum jawaab de, Par jab woh guzar gaya bagal se, bina hamein dekhe ya chuye, dil mein teer sa chubha aur phir se sannata chhaa gaya!

Rays of the sun caress the cheeks,  A cool breeze tickles and goes Eyes closed, she envelops me in a tight hug. Her warmth, her fragrance, the freshness and a nip in the air She is here again to make me alive again. I am alive once more!  The traffic, the sounds of birds, steaming hot tea gushing into cups,  Heady cigarette smoke at chai tapris, Makes me forget the chaos on the streets! She is here, winter is here!

From the moment I conceived, it was my fantasy to have a super tactile bond with my child after he/she would be born (for the longest possible time, I felt it would be a girl!). After my son was born, things became different and the first three months were extremely painful feeding him or holding him thanks to my C-section stitches. So all maternal feelings vanished into thin air and all I could think was sleep or having “me-time”.  There was hardly a chance to cuddle up with him! Post partum depression had hit me big time and me not being able to calm down a screaming infant had dipped my morale too. Motherhood was nothing like I had imagined it would be! Besides I was terrified that my son would not accept me if I didn’t develop a bond early on. Of course, that did not happen. It was a mom’s fear that had spoken. After he entered the infamous toddler phase, I became the quintessential “villain” for my son – the usual don’t do this and that. Yet again, my dreams of becoming...

Author : Lavanya Karthik Illustrators : Satwik Gade & Ashwathy P.S. Publication : Karadi Tales Age: 4-7 years This book in hardcover format is appropriate for preschoolers. As the title and the book cover suggests, it is the fantasy of a little fish in the vast ocean. The ocean has marine life of all kinds; biggest and the smallest fauna co-exist peacefully. The story is about the will and determination of this little fish who aspires to fly, something that we as kids did too. Most of us as kids always wanted to achieve the "impossible" as labelled by adults. Similarly, this fish wants to fly. The book captures his journey very beautifully through wonderful illustrations. The book paves way for widening the imagination of children who aspire to touch higher limits. The adage "Nothing is impossible" is perfect in this story! Just like other Karadi Tales books, this one also sends a powerful message to kids and even adults who somehow restrict themse...

Author : Yasasvini Sampathkumar Illustrator : Henu Mehtani Publication :  Pratham Books Age : Level 3 (7-10 years) How many of you have trouble sleeping at night? Yawning through the day and feeling fresh like a daisy at night? If you answered yes to the above questions, then it is likely that you will relate to Kottavi Raja too! Meet this insomniac king and enter his sleepy kingdom where the king is forever awake at night and keeping his kingdom awake too. Kottavi Raja's wife, ministers and all the subjects in the kingdom are exasperated, exhausted and annoyed at the king's lack of sleep as all their efforts to put him to sleep are in vain. This Level 3 book by Pratham is an entertaining read. The language is simple and can be easily understood by kids above 4 years and kids above 7 years who read books independently. The story has been woven beautifully through visual imagery created jointly by the author and illustrator. Reading this book aloud to younger one...

Author : Rohini Nilekani Illustrators : Angie & Upesh Publication : Pratham Age : Level 2 (3+) This is a part of a series of stories about a banana farmer named Sringeri Srinivas. The series surrounds this banana farmer and quirky tales on his smartness and common sense while dealing with problems in the village. None of them are interconnected but the characters appear throughout the series. As the title suggests, the farmer has a unique problem. His new cow has started making an unusual sound. The other cows, children and the villagers around are getting intimidated by their new neighbour. The farmer is totally at his wits ends and must do something soon to solve this serious problem. And there is a cat too in the picture, to add to the melee and chaos! This Level 2 book from Pratham is a great read aloud book for children aged 2 years and above, and for children above 4 years, who recognize familiar words and can read new words with help. Simple, short sentences ...

I have borrowed the above statement from a famous adage: "The early bird gets the worm". We all learned this proverb in school. It applies to every walk of life. In case of children, this adage gains more significance as they cross various milestones in life.  There are some habits or values which we want our kids to imbibe early. These are called modeled habits.  This is the main reason why we introduce certain habits and values early. For instance, right from brushing teeth twice a day to eating three meals a day (differs in every culture and community) to having bath and doing household chores, we should have book reading sessions of short duration daily so that it becomes a part of their routine too. Books are great to enhance imagination and also engage a child constructively. Most of the time kids these days would prefer the screen. But what a visual medium does, is to kill the imagination of a child. Whilst reading a book, the same child will be forced t...