Shail’s Nest

They ask me the same question all the time, every single time without fail, “Do you work??” Sometimes I wonder if it is a conspiracy. Hey let’s ask Shail whether she works. Its fun!! She might just explode into a million colorful bits one of these days and its not even Diwali yet. Sweet-natured [...]

It is almost a month since the junior son fractured his wrist. It is now time to have the plaster cast removed. So off go the Mom and son to KIMS. That’s Kerala Institute of Medical Science for you. It is a long drive from home. They make it in good time. Having completed the [...]

Words spouted
Meanings twisted
Feelings shredded
Broken hearted
Love thwarted
Insides knotted
Dreams exploded
The bloom wilted
Eyes clouded
With tears blinded
Breathe suspended
Life has ended.
-Shail Mohan (May 2008)

Mothers Day is here. Paeans are being sung, odes getting composed, poems being written by most everyone to their mothers and to motherhood in general. Yes, Mothers deserve that and more, no denying the fact Yet I wonder how many have on this day paused to think of those children denied a mother’s love.
Oh [...]

It’s presumptuous how some people mete out unwanted advice. Has me shaking my head in disbelief most times. Apart from the thought that makes me wonder why they think they must do so, is another more alarming one: Do I have ‘imbecile’ written in neon all over my countenance??.. Hmmm… I mean why else would [...]

I am back from my much deserved holiday. Son Junior and L&M are at the station to receive me. They have been waiting for me at the railway station from the unearthly hour of 2 a.m. The train predictably, is late and arrives at well past 3 a.m. Son Junior takes two of the bags [...]

“You’ve a lovely nose!” he said to me one day a good many years ago..
I wrinkled my nose and tried to look down it to see what was so good about it. Having never heard anything about my nose from anyone all of my twenty four years (for that had been my age during the [...]

Our movies (Indian) are chock full of hard hitting dialogues that have the front benchers and the balcony-sitters alike whistling, clapping or sometimes sagely nodding in agreement. That spells success for the story writer/ dialogue writer and the makers of the movie in general. Some of the oft repeated ones ever so popular with [...]

When my younger son was around 2 years of age, I decided to give him a hair cut and ended up with the Elikaranda (Rat- Gnawed) Look!
I watched him nervously as he sat there playing. Oh dear God! What had I done to the poor beloved thing’s mass of curly mop??!! It looked horrible. [...]

My brother and family have reached Trivandrum. Sis-in-law calls up, on reaching her home. They will be coming over in a couple of hours. I have one last batch of folded clothes to go into the wall closet. I open it to keep them and …..Aaaaaaaaaaaah! There is an ENORMOUS spider running on the closet [...]