What kids play with these days.

Yes, that's Tara playing with her new favourite "toy". An i-Phone. I am sure Apple didn't intend for it to be for the amusement of toddlers, but it certainly works very well in that department. She can use the touch screen perfectly and knows just how to navigate herself to her photographs, our photographs... or some music perhaps?

It's not just the i-Phone. Forget blocks, play-dough or rubber duckies, we like to play with mobiles, digital cameras, remotes, laptops (oh and did I mention getting the CD tray in the music system to come out and go back in?)... technology for this generation is literally child's play. So much so that Tara's dad seriously shook his head and murmured to himself yesterday after unsuccessfully trying to pry his i-Phone out of her clutches... "Have to get her her own mobile. Maybe even before the tricycle."

How much culture is too much culture?

You know that your child is getting a lot of culture when you say "Goodnight" while putting them to bed and they sleepily murmur... "Happy Eid". Happy Eid?


For the last few months there has been non stop cultural action where we live. And Tara has been lapping it all up! So first there was Janmashtmi which is big in Bombay, as crowds throng to see groups of daredevils make a human mountain to "matka phodo" (see picture below taken from our terrace) as the strains of "Govinda Alaa Re" are heard on every corner. (Especially from the temple stereo system outside our building.)

From Govinda Ala we went to Morya Re Bapa Morya Re as Ganpati Madness took over this city. Then as Ramadan came lights were strung up outside the entire street especially around the mosque - again, just outside our building. (We live at a place known locally as, whaddayaknow, Mandir-Masjid.)

As Eid crept up there was also Navratri to deal with. Another temporary temple was constructed next to the real temple and an idol of Santoshi Ma was installed, and a DJ belted out "Garba" numbers (Bollywood style) every evening as the cobbled street turned into a dance floor for hundreds of people swirling to the Garba. Then there was Durga Puja and Tara learnt to distinguish between "Jai Santoshi Ma bhagwan" and "Dugga Ma" (the ten hands of the latter made this easy enough.) So between, "Shubho Bijoya", "Happy Dussehra", "Eid Mubarak", "Ganpati Bappa Morya" Tara is in a cultural whirlpool.

It's not over yet. Diwali is round the corner and Christmas not too far away.
Oh well. Merry Diwali everyone!