Shrinika Neethi

 PATRIOTIC TOURISM - Day 1 - Prayagraj  There are many types of touring - Staycations, Heritage trails, Spritual Tourism etc. But this summer that went by, my son and I went on a Patriotic tour! For the past couple of years he has been reading heavily about the Indian Freedom Movement and has developed deep affinity for the heroes involved and wanted to visit the historical sites. So much so that a home body like me felt inspired to oblige 🙂       We first flew to Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The taxi driver was courteous as he took us around the city which has got a good facelift since Kumbhamela. After a decent lunch, we proceeded to visit the legendary Alfred park where Chandra Shekar Azad was martyred.      It was a vast area, not very crowded and had the vibe of a place where you can just sit out and read a book on a sunny winter afternoon. The tall old trees and green grass all over showed that the park has been well maintained over the year...

Click on link to read 1st part https://hridayakamala.blogspot.com/2026/05/forefathers-gift-culture-series-1.html     AI generated image    Born in the mid eighties, I have sweet memories of watching TV programmes like Chitrahaar, Chitramala and Oliyum Oliyum in Doordarshan, along with my large family. Then, with the liberalisation of the Indian Economy came the cable TV. The first cable TV office in my city was set up in our locality when I was 7 years old; upon the service provider’s request my grandfather agreed to subscribe to a connection. A large dish antenna was set up in our terrace for uninterrupted signal so that we can watch TV programmes from across the globe….. but only American channels were available. Soon I got to watch series on Star TV - Bold and Beautiful, Santa Barbara, Baywatch, Beverly Hills et al. I learnt that there are people in this world who don’t live the way we do but lead great lives nevertheless. Since then, anytime my elders asked me to...

  This post is the Introduction to a series on Indian/ Bharatiya culture Picture- AI generated If you are an Indian reading this English blog post on your smart device, it is apparent that your grandfather or someone older in your lineage who lived in a remote village decided to upgrade to what they thought was a better life. Such an ambition requires discipline, adaptability, focus, hardwork and perseverance. Just as much as itrequires us to break mental barriers, shed limiting habits and associations, work through setbacks, unlearn and relearn. So, it is the lifestyle and knowledge transfer of our forefathers and their successive generations that ensures we live a ‘pro max’ life with relatively minimal efforts. If we do it right, our children can enjoy the same benefits. This can be clearly understood if one visits their native village and sees the descendants of their grandfather’s peers facing the same challenges that your family faced one or two generations ago. We then feel a...

THOUGHT BUBBLE #1  A bowl full of pomegranate arils peeled and kept ready for consumption is an unfailing indication of love, the depths of which you can scale only when you peel it and see for yourself.🥹🥰 You can be sure that someone is barely tolerating you when they say, " Hey, there are Pomegranates in the fruit basket, you can have them if you want" 😆😆😆😆  ஒரு வட்டா நிறைய மாதுளை முத்துக்களை சாப்பிடத் தயாராக உரித்து வைத்திருப்பது அன்பின் ஒரு தெளிவான அறிகுறியாகும், அதன் ஆழத்தை... அதை நீங்களே உரித்து பார்க்கும்போது மட்டுமே அளவிட முடியும்.🥹🥰 "பழக்கூடையில் மாதுளை இருக்கு, உனக்கு வேணும்னா சாப்பிடு" என்று யாராவது சொன்னால் அவர்கள் உங்களை 'ஒப்புக்கு சாப்பாணி'யாக எண்ணுகிறார்கள் என்பதை நீங்கள் உறுதியாக நம்பலாம். 😆😆😆😆😆

                A large part of the custom tailoring orders undertaken at Composium are for Princess Gowns.  These gowns are made mostly for girls between 7 to 10 years of age. I see passionate mothers who would go to any length to throw the perfect birthday party for their daughters; they would also scout for any length of fabric in their little girl's favourite color to give her the perfect gown.           So, the whole princess experience begins with the mothers bringing their girls to my boutique after school. It is so cute to see the little ones tag along their mothers like ducklings behind Mama duck - without a care in the world chatting away about their day at school. The mother will begin with her grand plans for the girl's birthday, this is precisely the point when these girls will look at my reaction for validation. I pamper them with the mandatory excited expression and say something like, " Oh wo...

 I have collected many tiny memories of my relatives and mine and strung them all together into one fictional story. This 15-minutes-read is set in the late 1980's small town in Tamil Nadu,India.The picture of my father and me is to add some character to the story . The last gulp is the sweetest, thought 5-year-old Babbu as she drank the lemonade freshly squeezed by her ammamma. It was almost nightfall on a Sunday. Babbu had a rollicking weekend at her ammamma’s house playing games like lock-and-key and hide-and-seek with her cousins. It was then time for her to go back to her house which was in the next street. Mother called out to her elder sister who was reading a book sitting on a branch of the guava tree, an advantageous location for when she wanted to snack on her favourite fruit. Babbu, amma and akka bid farewell to everyone and started their 5 minutes’ walk to their home. There was an eerie calm in the atmosphere, the sky was darkening, all the shops in the street wer...