Quotidian Tales

Make this a Christmas that you can happily recollect years later. The fancies may fade away as the little one grows up, but the love will remain. S omeone knows I am indeed special because his present for me is always exactly the one that I want! The whole year round, I am so worried about the little troubles I make - scared that I will no longer be on his nice list. As winter settles in, I try to be the good girl. I pray for Santa to overlook my little mistakes and like every year be more indulgent with me. Then one fine day before Christmas, I finally talk to Santa. All my worries fly away, and he magically ushers in the holiday spirit. I tell him about my family, my friends, about Christmas and the North Pole and also my present. I know Santa watches over me the whole year round and although I’m naughty at times, he believes in me and makes sure never to disappoint me during Christmas. I blindly rest my faith on him. Over and over again, following it through every year! S

Tell us the titles and topics that you want to see as future posts in Quotidian Tales. Speculations that we can discuss. Please add them to the comment section. I t's unbelievable how time flies. You never know, and soon you become a year old or more effectively as for the group of Quotidian Tales, a year wiser! It has been a wondrous one year for us! We couldn't thank our enthusiastic readers and their friends and families enough. Barely could we reach out to each one of you who read Quotidian Tales and enjoyed it. So here we take the opportunity to thank you for showing so much love and support throughout the year. Each day, you motivated us to keep writing, which made this first year so much more manageable. We enjoyed and loved your comments and likes that spurred us to keep marching ahead. It was the beginning of 2019 when we procured thoughts of expressing ourselves. Soon our excitement started piling up in google docs. We at least had one new document each

…a virus...challenged our potential…(and) intimidated our very existence as ‘social beings’...(but) “Maybe everyone can live beyond what they are capable of…” I t’s been a year. Though the first 7-8 months of blogging were difficult, defining, and yet gratifying, very much like nurturing your own child, the last four months have suffered distraction and distance. In fact, even right now I feel like the way Malala Yousafzai (well-known author of the book ‘I am Malala’ ) felt on her twelfth birthday, which she spent in Haripur. She was upset and certainly missed a cake, a couple of companions and a celebration. Yet she made a wish and so did I. Strange and at times, surreal is how I can describe my past few months. Most of you might prefer to concede to having a similar experience. While we were busy enacting our so-called remarkable roles in the absurd theatre of life, a virus ( coronavirus ) invaded our domain. It not only challenged our potential but exposed our p

Fountain pens are traditional, durable, enjoyable and stimulating - An incredible writing instrument that engages you in a therapeutic hobby. R amanuj listened to the morning news. He was ready to head out to work with his cup of fresh coffee and a slice of cake. On his way out, he grabbed his keys and hurriedly picked up his precious possession. Surprisingly, it was one from his prized collection of fountain pens. Being an analyst by profession and having twin teens around kept him busy all day. It was amazing how he would manage time out of it to refill his fountain pen and consciously sit down with his special notebook to ink his daily gratification in distinctive cursive fonts. He named it his ‘inking indolence.’ He never had to practice it. It was his passion. Miraculously, he knew how to set aside his worries and unwind himself in a calm space with his fountain pen and notebook. Entirely focused on his handwriting and his pen and lost amidst a comfortable space, f

...we need to go back to our grandparents, re-examine their lives as a whole and then try reconstructing our own on those very principles that pervaded theirs. B esides politics, these days the next issue which is being talked on, diligently discussed, argued about and fought over for finality, is food. Every day, you will come across articles, messages, videos, advertisements and whatnot, about the way you should deal with your gut. Be it something as understandable as managing your bowel movements or something as incomprehensible as the workings of the solar plexus, some information or the other is being served up perpetually. Then again, most of the knowledge that is gained is contradicted with a new set of ideas and guidance even before one has properly taken to it. Mind you, each time it is said to be supported by more advanced scientific research and even further delving into the Ayurveda and other systems of medicine. And so, what happens to a person like me? I am left ba

A unique range of kitchen products to enrich your experience in the kitchen and enhance your 'kitchen happiness' - That's what Zulay Kitchen is all about! N ow, you might wonder as to why and how they're doing anything different than what other companies contend. We also had a similar question, and that is when we sank right to the bottom of their kitchen story. It's a simple story which encapsulates the quotidian tale of every family and one where you can instantly discover your culinary space. In the year 2015, a company was born to celebrate and share the 'kitchen happiness', which resided in the very hearts of Aaron Cordovez, the co-founder of Zulay Kitchen and his wife, Whitney Cordovez. Today they have successfully touched many hearts and bellies through their love and their products . And we are more than delighted to bring their story to you. The story goes back to Zulay, an outstanding lady, who was born and brought up in a p

Fancy feeling the fervour of cooking? Then don’t just satiate your taste buds but let the spirit of your kitchen brighten the hearts in your home. Set about with this sumptuous Mango Fish recipe. H ave you ever experienced the ecstasy of being able to cook something delicious, nutritious or even otherwise? If you have, then you are no stranger to the alluring sizzle and warmth of your kitchen. My two kids are always peeking inside the pantry to conceive a dish or meal that mom could cook that day. Once an image pops up, they are ready to deliver it to mom so that I get moving on my part of the project. The most familiar way my kitchen wakes up every morning, and I enjoy it. Sometimes, my food cravings also drive me to the kitchen to prepare something. If I watch a good cooking show or a food tour, I almost always spend an experimental and engaging evening cooking for my family. Being the heart of my home, I love my kitchen to be alive and animated every day. Hundreds of

A deep breath... a strong effort to swallow the lump... Eyes squeezed hard to let out the last drops that clump... Misty rays of light... Flickered beyond closed eyes... Caressing gentle kisses... By the soothing night air... ...Another breath... And her tomorrows started there...! By: Shreya Basu © Quotidian Tales

Cherishing the simple stuff of life, staying close to nature, using a positive vocabulary, hanging out with the right kind of friends, rejecting retirement, inculcating new hobbies to boost the brain and the brawn can add to the inventory that holds the secret to a-century-and-still-batting league. A s I had mentioned in my previous article , a steady purpose and a somewhat slow pace seemed to be the secret makings of the successful life-stories of centenarians. But research reveals that there are many other cogs in the wheel that engage to make the motion that is likeable and long-lasting. Vigorous veterans mostly rely on a plant-based diet. The emphasis is on fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and low consumption of salt and sugar. Two other aspects related to food are also watch-worthy. They stop eating when they are almost 80% full. To facilitate such discretion they use bowls and plates of smaller sizes that can hold smaller portions. But that should not steer you in

Why would you wake up tomorrow? Why should you take it a little easy? B eing a teenager who was fascinated by the ‘carpe diem’ concept (seizing the now), popularised by poems like Robert Browning’s ‘ The Last Ride Together ’ and as a woman who still binge-watches on shows like ‘ Little Things ’, the present and the little are all that matters and makes sense. It’s a different thing that tall talk mostly remains idealistic when it comes to implementing them for real! Anyways, I saw a video this weekend, which once again activated my brain cells and tugged at my heartstrings. It is about people. They are frugal in number when compared to the vast population of the world. They have been leading happy and healthy lives for as long as a hundred years or even more. I was intrigued. Sounds nice but like an oxymoron, right? As we all know, various researches are being conducted to study the conditions conducive for physical and mental health favouring life and longevity. Out of the

His characters might have leaned towards the grey but they sure had the innocence, the goodness and the confidence to obtain love. C ircus ! The boy-next-door! Messy brown hair, the dimple and the eyes! A boy I fell for. A TV actor who was a tad different. Then Deewana happened. I was surprised. He had come to the big screen. Then Raju came and stole my heart. Malaria or loveria whatever you want to name it...the silly acts of romance to woo the girl is all, I, a kid needed. Those were the days when we just had the National Television. Durga Puja was the only time of the year, Baba used to allow us to watch Bollywood movies by renting video cassettes from the local parlour. So my romance grew slowly and drove a steady path through the next few movies. Bam! Baazigar ! Who can think that you can fall for the con guy? A hero, a villain, the protagonist? Who was he? The ambiguity was more alluring than the acute need to put him into a defined box. Then rolled out one movie

Register online and be a part of this exclusive event! T he event features Ms.ZSUZSA GAJDAN, whose artwork is inspired from her adventure of life. Covering more than 50 solo exhibitions, she has grown from artistic realism and gradually moved towards abstract expressionism. Click here to learn her bio and know more about her work. This event is organized by IMA'S and promoted by Quotidian Tales . A gorgeous morning illuminates the entire universe and makes every being happy. Without this seeping daylight, the complete ecosystem is dysfunctional. Similarly, in our society, if we can’t distribute our love, affection and well-being, the entire human community is jeopardized. This lack willingly encourages depreciation of human values. IMA'S (International Multispecialty Arts’ School) having felt the need, has emerged with a dream of bringing art into the community. Community development has always been a serious concern of IMA'S, and this initiative is a

A photograph is just a moment captured. It is alive in its stillness. Be it a place, a person, an emotion or an event, a photograph is the only way to cling on to it, physically or otherwise. O ur friend who furnishes photographs for our articles is, by profession, a wedding photographer. But as any creative space cannot be constricted within the confines of common understanding, so is hers too. Her shared album of photographs is an alluring array of instants that exhibits existence in its entirety. It was on a leisurely evening as I was going through her album, I perceived, almost impetuously, the potency and the promise of a photograph. What is a photograph? Just a moment captured. A tick thought beautiful and worthy by the photographer and turned into truth. The little while, as a matter of fact, exists only through the photograph. The link to the past and the license to the future. A medium that enables you to travel through time. Take a look at the above photograph

I just stop by... not questioning why... An esthesis in this air I breathe... Teasing my senses deep... Or screaming whispers from the past... A plead to keep... Echoes from a place ... I know not where... I don't recognize them... and yet something we share... They make me smile... They make me quiver... Like tunes of an unknown song... But a melody I knew forever... Embracing me... Only to drift away again... Like a bounty souvenir... too immense for me to contain... I watch these thoughts until they trail into the dusk... And there was something pulling me back... I hear these chirps... Of emotions and words waiting for me to pick them up... I smile to myself... A thought crosses my mind... The divine is kind... Coz being cognizant of words ... Was probably God's way... And as I chain them together... I realize thatz the only way I make some thoughts and people stay...!! By: Shreya Basu © Quotidian Tales

A new journey begins for a new Durga designated to vanquish the new Asura, more appropriately, Asuras. A fter a precious interim of ten months, my little Durga was coming home. The joy was immense as was my anticipated relief. Through all my years, I never missed the opportunity of being in the proximity of the unique festival, the Durga Puja. Its exuberance overwhelms me every year and I respond to it ecstatically. But that year, it didn't even seem that the celebrations were going on. It didn't depress me though, for once, as I lay in bed away from the festivities that fostered the Feminine Energy of existence. Such was her captivity. No lesser than the one Maa Durga exercises on her devotees, I pondered. I could feel her twisting and jabbing in my belly. Little could we wait to see each other. According to Hindu mythology, Durga is created by the Gods to slay the evil demon, Mahishasura. She was born with astounding beauty and power, empowered by the colle