Come over!

A fun weekend spent chilling out, with the highlights being a Grihapravesh function and loads of shopping to revamp Navy's wardrobe.

Other than that am pleased to have brought this this well known writer on ST

Dickens!

Today is a special day for all Charles Dickens lovers.

I would like to think more so for me since my blog title is The not so Artful Dodger!!

Go to ST for a lovely compilation by S on some of the gems that can be introduced to the young reader at home as well.

Am in Chennai and got to meet friends apart from regular work. We went to Shiraz Cafe in Cholamandalam and had refreshing Irani lemon tea ( with mint) and pulpy guava- beet- basil juice. Nice place to chill out.

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DO go here for a bit of juicy weekend reading at ST- an interview with Craig , a young story teller.

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The highlight of the H'bad trip for us was Paigah Tombs- stunning, poetic architecture. Go here for more pics at my friend's flickr page.

Front row seats

Another weekend at Chintamani- we went to Navy's school Annual Day and had SO MUCH fun. There were about 27 dances and a skit. I had to prevent myself from getting up and dancing along given how senior MIL is in the school!!

Was mighty impressed with the really decent moves the kids came up with even on some newer movie songs. A shop called Prabat helps on sets and costumes and some are bought by parents as well. Really grander than anything I have attended so far in any city.

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Pl look up my book reviews at Shruti's MM and the one at ST in view of the Chinese New Year!

BTW I was born in the year of the Dragon. And here is a pic of the inhouse little dragon.

When I was young....

People often say that their childhood was the best time of their life.
Though I was not a depressed child, I cannot claim the same. My childhood was good but it was also an awkward and insecure phase.

As I recall, I have always strived to enjoy life all the time, at any age. So there are a lot of good memories and some tough ones.... what about you?

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We went to two entirely different kids' programs yesterday
One noble ( Ashwini trust's Annual day) , one subtly opportunistic ( fest by a Pre school) in nature
While kids enjoyed both, the first one left me inspired and introspective
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Saw Rockstar- loved first half- the second half was a DRAG
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Do look up ST for a chat with Samhita Arni- a child author , now grown up.
Kids who have read the book are welcome to pose questions if they have.
You will also see some extra goodies at ST today. Do not miss the fun!!

Lovely Weekend!

The Saffron Tree fest- CROCUS 2011 - comes to a close today. Do visit a review and interview I did with a very interesting illustrator from the UK.

Went for the Airforce Warriors' performance and got drenched in the rains and in the patriotic fervour as well. The girls loved it. Will positively go again whenever they play next.

Navy and I saw Velayudhan, a typical Vijay movie, time pass though a bit gory. But it was nice to go to a movie alone, without kids, after almost a year.

Medici, an Italian restaurant in I Nagar, live up to what we had heard.

Will again give the Hindu November Music fest a miss but those who do go- pl update me.

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Aditi picks up my office phone and asks into it" Boss uncle, Boss uncle how you?"

Luckily she does not know to dial yet.

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Aditi finds Navy's tee rough and asks him to shave it!

Aditi at 25

Aditi has taken to singing to herself big time.

She is also an enthusiastic Happy Diwali 'wisher'

She has spontaneous bursts of affection where she half strangles you with her hugs and kisses and declarations

She is really manipulative with her well times sorrys and thanks

And the last two days she has asked to be taken to play school, contrary to the usual hell she raises to go there. ( though she does not even turn back once she is there)

She also has begun dressing up and preens in the mirror at times.

She is 25 months old today.

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Yesterday it showered water related stories and today it is fire that is sparking up tales at Saffron Tree.

Do visit and show us that you love stories and CROCUS.

Waiting to Bloom

The Saffron Tree annual fest- CROCUS is just around the corner. Being ST's fifth birthday, we chose elements as the theme. Am sure you will love the selection of books on review.

Do encourage us by visiting us more and leaving behind comments as well. And feel free to spread the word around....

Bangalore and Chennai Times

In Chennai on work. Met zestful Uma of Adya fame and again amazed at how much she can fill into her day and life. She indulged me with craft material for Anushka and golu dolls for the coming year!!

If you are in Chennai, do check out Lets do something at Velachary for the activities they do.

Dhaatu Golu is on for those in Blore.
There are two cool plays for kids theatre on the anvil in early November.

And watch this space for updates on the annual ST fest- CROCUS 2011.

Ram jaane

Ram- Sita- Lakshman- Hanuman. Had some trouble deciding how to place them. Instinctively felt that Hanuman would not be near Sita. Saw some calendar art on the web and decided to go with this placement. Though traditionally the wife stands to the husband's right.
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Please visit Saffron tree for an interview with Karadi Tales and do leave behind comments/ queries for them.

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Anushka was awarded by Shruti for her colourful Artsy Craftsy peacock.

She was pleased to hear that- " Aunty liked my work!"

Colours dekor has featured our Sea theme birthday.

Many thanks ladies.

Happy Onam

Happy Onam!

We did a small pookolam with the flowers picked from our building garden and the girls wore their Kerala outfits ( from Fairico). Apart from pappadam and payasam, we had a regular meal.

And watched this cute video on Onam. Filled as it is with cliches, it is a good introduction to the festival for the kids.

And I cross posted this review at ST today, in case you missed it on this blog.

Happy Teacher's Day!

Here is what Anush made for her teachers using blocks:

I debuted as a story teller last weekend at Monkey Maze in Indira Nagar with Elefunt Tales.

A great experience and hopefully one of many more to come

Had an audience of about 25 kids and some parents

Did some elephant theme stories with a lot of Jeeva pointers sprinkled in and some craft

Cherry on the icing- 2-3 kids wanted me to continue and kept asking me for more crafts!

While on craft we went to this neo-rustic cafe called Chaipatty. Navy and I had opposite opinions on the food there. Pic courtesy Anush:

And here is an interview at ST with the inimitable Jeeva! Don't miss this chance to leave your questions in the comments on the post at ST? She has agreed genrously to respond to them!

Aha ! Oho!

Aditi's first attempt at art. She had fun. And I felt it fit right into the Rangeela theme at Artsy Craftsy. So here we go. The youngest member of the Artnavy family!

Spent time with the wonderful R&S family at Rangasankara. Anush managed to attend two story sessions. I was disappointed we missed Vayu Naidu. Till next time then!

Aditi had a haircut - I only let the parlour do it post their assurance that her curls will grow out again- wait and watch now... She certainly looks naughtier with this hair style.

Sister Act

Anushka Do- Aditi See and Do

Whatever Anush eats, Aditi will ( even if it is a hard ragi thattai)

Whatever "Anusha" wears in terms of accesories, Aditu wants ( clips, bindis and bangles especially , though Aditi never keeps any of them on for over a minute)

Whatever "Anush" plays, Adi wants the same ( Aditi has a badminton racket which is larger than her)

But as a result I see Aditi picking up things faster ( good) and growing up sooner ( not so good)


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Do look up my new post at ST. (I did not post even one review in May!! )

Spread the word(s)

Had an awesome get together of the Saffron Tree folks in Bangalore. We got to see gorgeous kids, exchange books and of course there was a lot of chat and eats. This time there was full attendance. Hope we have many more such.

BTW If you have old books to donate, (for ages 0-22 yrs) do get in touch with me or choxbox.

And here is Anushka's newer book shelf though we continue to patronise her old one as well.

Fun in Devlok

Simply enjoyed reading the Fun in Devlok series by Devdutt Pattanaik from Puffin.

To say that Indian mythology is rich would be an understatement. My fondest memories of my grandmother are of listening to her much embellished tales about Hindu Gods, munching on her murrukkus. It would delight me no end, on occasion, when she introduced me into the story as a character.

Having said that, as a parent now I have some reservations on some of these stories in terms of the stereotyping they propagate and the relevance in our times. For example the King wanted a son ( though he had 10 daughters). It certainly does not fit in with today’s parenting style and lifestyle.

But no one can deny the wonderful lessons and meaning many of these stories have. Devdutt Pattanaik, a favourite in our household in his early days when he wrote books on Shiva, Lakshmi and Ganesha , has recently published his work Fun in Devlok through Puffin.

This series is a lighter, contemporary take on mythology- not to be taken lightly. Hidden are nuggets of wisdom and social consciousness, backed by fluid story telling.

There are three stories- An Identity Card for Krishna, Gauri and the Talking Cow and Indra finds happiness. You do not need to read them together or in any particular order. In two of the stories, the protagonist is a child of today.

Gauri and the Talking Cow
Gauri, a curious city girl on her first visit to a farm discovers how animals and the earth need looking after. She befriends a talking cow, Sweety and in the process learns a few stories including those on Surabhi, Kali and Gauri and Indradhyumana, a King who did not realise how much good he had done. And even offers tips on hair grooming to Goddess Kali!

Indra finds happiness
Harsha, a boy who feels he is the unhappiest person in the world, meets Indra and discovers the story of Vashishta and all the wish granting things possessed by Indra. He realises that true happiness comes from being contented. He also demonstrates impeccable behavior when he refuses to steal even at Indra's behest, rightly observing that even Gods could make bad decisions.

An Identity Card for Krishna

Anushka's favourite story was this one, where lovable Krishna Bhagwan dons a teenage avatar yearning for his first plane journey but stopped by an earnest security guard. Krishna's devotee, who reminded Anushka of her great grandmother, tells Krishna the story of Anasuya and the Ashwini twins, and why Rishi Chavan made a rule that all gods should carry a flag with their symbol- sort of like the ancient form of an ID!!

A wonderful introduction to mythology, in a contemporary context, you can see that there are multiple stories in each book. There is enough humour to engage children and the stories are interestingly illustrated as well.

A must buy for 5-8 yr olds! Aided by the large font size, they will find it an easy read and give you a lesson or two on not just mythology but also on values.

Up and Down

Aditi likes the swing and the slide and unlike Anush she was never intimidated by either. Possibly because she sees Anush enjoy them so much , she follows suit.

Do visit ST for my review of Mayil will not be quiet and a chat with the writers.

Booked

It is World Book day today. Did you know that?

Write in and let me know your favourite book in the recent past to add to my list of must reads....

Also please catch up at ST on my post there

15 yrs and 17 months

They have put a warm sunny smile back on a slightly down day
They have inspired hours of thumb painting fun and art
Their bilinguals got Anush interested in Hindi and Tamil
They have helped me teach a few simple life's lessons to Anushka
They have empowered Anush to read and Aditi to look up 'bujuks' with their colours
And they have given me stimulus for many of my ST posts- both in person and through their books.

Tulika has been a boon to the Artnavy household. Run a search and you will see loads of old posts on them. It is our favourite gift- to give and to get. Thanks Tulika for being there. Happy 15th Birthday. Wish you many more years of creativity and originality and of course success.

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Speaking of birthdays, Aditi turned 17 months on 25th Feb.

She walks, communicates, talks and is a huge fan of her maternal grandpa. She sways beautifully to music, folds her hands in a namaste when she sees lamps and God pictures( and a big blow up of a man doing bhangra). She loves being outdoors and plays pranks ( she does really). She is adept at Zolo and at kicking soft balls.

She is no angel. She is attracted to open bathrooms and 'clean' potty water and keeps everyone on their toes. Aditi can throw a mean tantrum by walking off in a huff to a corner and waiting for someone to come get her. She closes her own ears when she is throwing a crying fit.

But overall she is more a lovable imp than a demon.

A Wholesome Affair

We headed to the other end of town yesterday- first to Central Tiffin Room for yummy dosas and then the Millet Mela. Interesting how they are trying to revive the use of these oft ignored grains. Anush enjoyed wearing the cap made of grains. Aditi enjoyed the millet chocos kind of cereal. My mother enjoyed exploring and shopping! We discovered a cute little shop called Desi close by.

During one of my aimless TV surfing moments Anushka mentioned- "Amma don't want this channel- no one sees it and they don't even know how to spell Colo(u)rs!!"

We had Navy's school friends visit and we also had my college buddy's ( a new father) parents visit. Major nostalgia trips...

Pl visit the two part interview of an inspiring duo at ST and leave your comments....