The Rules are Meant to be---

Hello,

How did you fill the blank after "Rules are meant to be? Broken --- Followed --- Left alone--- Follow the Crowd --- Do your own thing?

The following story is about the decisions we make.

I went out of town and could not reach a laptop or a PC, and in the process missed a post. My apologies.

Meera

The Rules are Meant to be---

Mom opened a closet in Sagar's room, and saw sixteen-year-old, Sagar's button-down shirt stuck in the corner of his closet. She knitted her eyebrows and said, "Hmmm---" and left the shirt alone as she went to the twins' room. 

All the children were playing a word game, twelve-year-old, Sapna, the acting a monitor for that game, kept an eye on the words used and the behavior of Suchi, Soori and Soham. Sagar read a book while playing the game. Sapna made sure he did not use any words from his book.

Mom said, "Hello everyone."

The twins said, "Mom, you want to join our game?"

Sapna repeated their question, "Yeah, Mom, do you want to play our game?"

Mom smiled and replied, "Not really, I just wanted to talk."

Suchi said, "Is this going to be a talk about the rules of the game that we should follow and do this and that?"

Soori said, "I bet that's what it is. Mom, we know all the rules and how to follow them."

Mom nodded, "I know each one of you is very smart and knows it all. I just wanted to tell you a couple of stories."

Four year old, Soham said, "I love stories."

"That's great. Come, sit by me and play with your Legos while I talk." 

Soham ran to his room and returned with Legos.

Mom said, "I read this morning that a chief minister in one of the Indian states, wished to observe how the government money was spent in that little town. He and his wife visited a little hut of a tribal couple."

"Tribal couple?"

"Yes, they are generally not very educated and are poor. The minister and his wife stayed with the tribal couple, ate dinner, talked and slept on the floor in that house."

"So?"

"Well, as a rule the government officials stay in a special guest-house which is modern and comfortable."

"They broke a rule?"

"Yes, the minister found out what was the was the progress in the town."

Sapna said, "So he broke the rule to do something good."

Mom nodded, "Another story is about this young teenage couple that went to a prom sixty years ago. They were thrown out of the dance because his hair was shoulder-length and the teachers said that the student was a troublemaker and not trustworthy, always breaking rules. The boy went home, cut his hair, dressed in a suit and went back to the prom, at the time, much against the girl's embarrassment. The girl further wrote that they have been happily married for forty-five years."

The eight-year-old, twins frowned, made a face and Soham kept playing Legos without being distracted by anything anyone.

"The next story is about a little girl in her preschool class. When she put a couple of fruits in a pan to 'cook' in the housekeeping area, the other children said, 'You don't cook fruits, it's wrong.' The teacher  said, 'Well, children, it's okay to cook fruits. There are many recipes that call for cooking fruits. On the same day, a little girl came and complained, 'Teacher, teacher, Tommy has been in the dress-up area since for so long and he's wearing dresses that only girls wear.' The teacher smiled, 'Well, is he bothering anyone?" 'No.' "Is Tommy happy?' 'Yes.' 'Then how about you read this lovely book to me, and let Tommy play in the housekeeping?'

Sagar said, "I get it, the children broke the traditional rules and ways but it was okay."

Mom said, "That's right and that brings me to your button-down-shirt thrown in the closet corner "

"What about it?"

"Did you like the shirt?"

Sapna said, "Mom, didn't you see, he looked so handsome, all prim and proper and very happy!"

"Well, Sagar, what stops you from wearing that shirt?"

Sagar said nothing. Two weeks later when Sagar went to a party, he wore his button-down shirt and a tie.

Sapna tried to whistle, "wsh..sh..wsh.."

Sagar smiled, Thanks." And went out the door.



The End


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

WHY---Here Come a Couple More...

Hello,

I am tempted to keep writing about words, but this is likely to be the last segment on words for a while, even though a couple of my blog readers have appreciated it. Thank you. 

Sagar and Sapna continue with their origin of more words.

Meera

 WHY---Here come a couple more--

Sixteen-year-old, Sagar returned from his party.

Sapana, his twelve-year-old sister said, "So Bhaiya, because of your buttondown shirt, were you in the 'limelight'?

Sagar frowned and threw his shirt on the bed, "Yeah, I was in the limelight. Along with a couple of other guys like me, but the rest of them came in jeans and a tshirt."

The eight-year-old twins walked in. 

Suchi said, "Did somebody say lime something?"

Soori said, "Don't deny it. we heard it, lime or lemon---lime juice? Lemon juice?"

Sapna said, "No girls, it's just a word for someone who's famous."

"Why?"

"I don't know. They can be famous for anything---for asking dumb questions."

Suchi said, "Didi, if you don't know the answer, just say so, no need to call us dumb."

Soori joined her twin, "That's right. We know dumb means not able to speak, and we can speak, talk, sing... all we wanted know was, why a limelight and why not a watermelon light?"

Sapna said, "Well, okay, I do know that. Now listen, a long time ago, they burned a cylinder of lime to produce a bright yellow light in lighthouses, to make it noticeable. People started using the word limelight for actors, to give them attention."

"Huh?"

"So there is no lime juice?"

"No, no juice. To be in limelight simply means to be the centre of attention."

"Big deal, limelight." Suchi made a face.

Sapna said, "You asked."

Sagar raised his voice a little, "Enough guys, you are all being silly."

Sapna said, "And so I pass the buck to you, Bhaiya." 

"Huh? Pass the buck?"

"Well, let him explain it now." Sapna smiled at Sagar and left the room.

Sagar said, "By all means. Girls, to pass the buck means give it to someone else."

"Give what?"

Sagar said, "I can see why she wanted to pass the buck, meaning she does not wish to deal with you and now you are my problem."

With a long face the twins asked, "Are we a problem, Bhaiya?"

"No, my dear little sisters, you are no problem. Listen, a long time ago, at card games, players passed an item called a buck from player to player to show whose turn it was to deal. If a player did not want to deal, he would 'pass the buck' to the next player."

"Huh?"

Sagar let out a long breath and said, "Passing the buck it to give the responsibility to someone else."

"Got it."

Sapna came in with four glasses of lemon juice, "Let's toast to that."

"We're eating a toast with our lemon juice?"

Sapna scrunched up her face, "Don't you guys ever get anything without an explanation?"

Sagar laughed and clinked his glass of lemon juice gently with the twins' glasses and said, "We toast, we celebrate your understanding of the English language by clinking our glasses."

"The glasses will break."

"Do it gently, Now, a long time ago, in earlier times someone might have wished to poison an enemy to  kill him. To make sure the drink was safe, the guest would pour a small amount of drink into the glass of the host and both men would drink it together. When a guest trusted his host, he clinked his own glass with the host's glass."

One twin said, "Too many words, Bhaiya, we drank up our lemonade."

The other twin said, "Without eating any toast."

They both left for their own room.

"Sagar plopped down on his bed, "At last the why's and what's have left."

Sapna said, "I can see, you are on cloud nine."

Sagar said, "Eeee....nough, no more words."

Sapna said, "The very last one, I have to tell you, I learned that clouds are numbered according to their altitude, cloud nine being the highest. So when you are on cloud nine, you are above all the worries in the world." 

Sagar said, "That I am."

"Good for you, Bhaiya." Sapna also left the room.



The End


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

One Special Day

Hello,

I have a post ready to roll with words-fun, but a special day comes first.

All the moms are walking on cloud nine these days. Why? They are looking forward to Mother's Day! Perhaps a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates. Maybe a beautifully made card by a child's loving hands. Some may get a gift card towards a makeover, a spa or something, just for them, they don't have to share! Let's not forget a special home made meal or eating out! Maybe a piece of pretty jewelry. (I know, there are Dads who take care of children and cook meals way better than the some Moms, but we're talking about Mother's Day, so, let's not digress.)

Happy Mother's Day!

Meera

One Special Day for Mom

The six-year-old twins, Suchi and Soori ran to their ten-year-old sister, Sapna's room. 

Suchi said, "Didi, I want you to help me fix my picture for Mother's Day. See how my hands are giving the flowers to Mom? I drew the colorful flowers but can't draw the hands."

Sapna took the drawing, "Hmmm...lets' see. I see what you mean."

Soori said, "I drew the whole picture myself but I can't draw my eyes and my nose in the picture. My eyes look crossed and the nose is crooked."

Suchi said, "That's because you are cross-eyed and your nose is not straight. You draw what you see."

Soori said, "Stop trying to make me mad! If my eyes are crossed and my nose is crooked then yours are too. We are identical twins. So Ha!"

Sapna gave the picture back to Suchi after fixing it, "Twins, stop the argument. You are both fine and equally annoying." She returned Soori's picture after fixing it.

Suchi gave her a hug, "Didi, annoying or not, you still..."

Soori completed the sentence while hugging Sapna, "Love us."

Fourteen-year-old Sagar, their older brother came to the room, "Hey, what's with this hug-a-thon ?" He continued, "Don't tell me. Your Didi helped you with something."

The twins showed him the pictures.

He said, "Nice, Mom will love these pictures."

Suchi said, "Didi, what are you giving Mom for Mother's day?"

Soori asked, "And Bhaiya, what are you giving?"

Sapna said, "Something special."

Sagar said, "We're thinking of giving her something for the whole year."

Sapna sair, "Do you understand a year? It's all twelve months, from this May until April next year."

Suchi said, "The year starts in January."

Sapna said, "Right, then all the months from January to December."

Sagar said, "I am giving her a certificate that says, 'I will vacuum the whole house once week for the whole year'."

Sapna said, "And I am giving her certificate that says, 'I'll do the dishes and empty the dishwasher for the whole year'."

Soori said, "Then what will she do? What will Dad do?"

Suchi said, "They can hire someone to do the cleaning."

Soori said, "How will she get her exercise if she does not vacuum or do the dishes?"

Sapna said, "They can go for a walk together after dinner or join a health club."

Suchi said, "That's a great idea, giving Mom a gift for the whole year, not just for a day."

Soori said, "Can we also help and put our names on your certificates?"

Sapna and Sagar exchanged glances.

Sagar said, "Sure kiddos, you can do that or you can give her your own certificates."

Suchi said, "You are doing all the work."

Soori said, "There is nothing left for us to do."

Sapna said, "Sure there is. You can always put away your toys, books and clothes before you go to sleep."

The twins looked at each other and shrugged.

Sagar said, "What do you say?"

The twins paused for a couple of seconds, Soori said, "Okay, help us make the certificate..."

Suchi said, "That says we'll clean up our toys, books and clothes, after we're done, for one whole year!"

Sagar said, "She's going to say, this is the best Mother's Day gift ever."

Sapna added, "From all of us!"

The twins smiled as they made a circle with their siblings by holding hands.


The End


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

Why---a Word Here and a Word There

Hello,

In today's story, the older siblings introduce a couple of more words with the whys of the origin of the word.

Meera

Why--- a Word Here and a Word There 

Sapna entered Sagar's room with a book in her hand. She watched Sagar.

Sagar was changing his shirt, putting on a dress shirt to go to a formal party, "I hate wearing these button- down shirts, I like t-shirts, stick your hands in and go." Sagar looked up, "What's up sis?"

Sapna said, "It's your fault."

"May fault?"

"Yeah, guy's clothes have buttons on the right and you are left handed! We have buttons on the left."

Sagar buttoned his shirt, "You are right. I remember reading about when the buttons were invented, rich ladies were dressed by helpers, the dressmakers put the buttons on the right."

"And the guys have it reversed, and a left handed gentleman like you can't handle it. You should just call out 'mayday'---help!"

Sagar smiled, "Where did you find that word?"

Sapna smiled as she sat on a chair, "Oh, not in your sea-books, but in my language book. In French, "m'aidez" means 'help me' and it sounds like 'mayday'!"

The twins walked in with their papers with drawings.

Suchi said, "Didi, I want to sign my drawing for Mom with and O and X, and Soori says, I have to spell it out, LOve and Kiss."

Soori said, "Well, Bhaiya says, don't take shortcuts, write the spellings, don't you always remind us, Bhaiya?"

Sagar said, "Well..."

Sapna said, "Guys, I think when you write a quick note, a special note to mom or dad, or your grandparents, you are allowed to write O and X."

Sagar said, "Actually when people could not read or write, when  they were illiterate, they put an X on the significant document and agreed to do whatever it said. And down the road, it became synonymous with kisses."

Suchi said, "Bhaiya, that's too much information."

Soori said, "And big words, we just want to know if it's okay to write an X for kisses?"

Sagar said, "Little sisters, I know Mom is going to love both your pictures."

Soori made a face, "Ha, she just wants to be the first one to give Mom her drawing. Look at her picture and look at mine."

Sapna said, "Okay, okay, stop arguing, Mom will love both the pictures, with an X or the spelled word. Now go and give her the pictures before you forget and get into drawing something else."

The twins smiled, rushed out of the room.


The End


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

You Broke My Piggy Bank

Hello,

Languages are enriched when they accept words from other languages. Sometimes the words are enunciated in their language a certain way, but when used in English with a different pronunciation.

Meera

You Broke My Piggy Bank

Eight-year-old, Suchi chased Soori with eyes flaring, screaming, "You broke my piggy-bank. Why did you touch it? Why did you throw it on the floor?"

Soori ran away from screaming Suchi and hid behind their older brother, sixteen-year-old, Sagar, who was working on a puzzle with their twelve-year-old sister, Sapna.

"Help me Bhaiya, she's going to kill me." Soori peeked from behind Sagar.

Sapna asked, "And why does she want to kill you?"

"I accidently broke her piggy bank."

Suchi dived to pull Soori's hair, "No, I saw you, you did it on purpose."

Sapna offered a beautiful orange jar to Suchi, "Here, this can be your new piggy bank."

"Orange? Whoever thought of an orange piggy bank?" Suchi asked.

Sagar laughed, "Well, girls, we were stuck with this puzzle anyway. I can tell you why an orange piggy bank and some more new words."

Soori came out from behind Sagar, "New words? In English?"

Sagar nodded, "New words with information about how they came about."

Soori grabbed Suchi's hand, "Come on Suchi, you've got a new piggybank jar, a nicer one even if it's orange."

They both sat on Sagar's bed, Sapna sat by them. Sagar pulled a chair and wrapped his arms around the chair, "Well, a long time ago they used a dense orange colored clay called pygg to make pots, dishes, jars and such. They used those 'pygg jars' to collect coins. An English potter misunderstood the word and made a Piggy bank!"

Sapna said, "I know why they say 'love' for the score of zero in tennis."

"Why?"

"When tennis became popular in France the scoreboard showed a zero, which looked like an egg, 'l'oef' is egg in French. And 'l'oef' became 'love', nothing or zero in English!"

Sagar said, "I can tell you one more word in another game, in golf." 

"Oh, yeah?"

"Oh, yes. In Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots liked to play golf. As a young girl, she went to France and King Louis built the first golf course outside of Scotland for her. He hired cadets from a French military school to guard her. She liked the idea of the cadet helpers and guards and when she went back to Scotland, she decided to hire some young men to help on the golf course. In French Cadet is enunciated as "Ca-day, which became "Caddie" in Scotland and then all over the world.

Suchi said, "Bhaiya, why don't you just say a cadet is called a ca-day in French and just stop there."

"Yeah, Bhaiya, you give too much info. We are out of here. Let's put your money in the new piggy-jar, Suchi." 

Hand-in-hand the twins left for their own room.

Sapna looked at Sagar and shrugged. Sagar did the same and they went back to their game.

Meera


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

Losing a language

Hello,

The original residents of America are the Native Americans who spoke different languages. Then the continent flooded with immigrants. They came with their culture, traditions and languages. The immigrants stayed as parts of a salad, but by the third generation, they blended in a melting pot mainly through social and economic reasons. And the immigrants' language is lost in America, however it survives in their native country.

This story is about the loss of a language from our environment. There are languages that are lost completely. Linguists fail to understand how or why a language dies. It reduces in strength, and slowly disappears from the face of this earth due to social, economic and political reasons---all a stress from outside.

Meera

This is Yours to Keep

Six-year-old twins talked in hushed tones in the den.

Soori said, "I don't like to speak in Hindi."

Suchi agreed, "Me neither. We are Americans, let's just speak English."

Soori added, "Yeah, I think it's called American English."

Their older siblings, ten-year-old Sapna and fourteen-year-old Sagar entered the room. They exchanged glances.

Sapna said, "Hey, Suchi-Soori, what's cooking?"

Sagar said, "Ye kyaaa goos-poos chal rahi hai (what's all this whispering going on)?"

Suchi said, "Bhaiya, we don't speak Hindi, speak with us in English."

Sapna said, "Oh, really? Well, girls, Bhaiya and I just wondered what are all these susurrations?"

The twins spoke together, "Huh? We understand only English."

Sagar smiled, "I think your Didi is speaking your language."

Sapna patted the twins on heads, "All I asked was what were all these susurrations, all these whispers."

Sagar said, "Now Didi is your Guru so you'll become pundits."

Suchi said,, "We don't need Didi as a guru to ---"

Soori completed the sentence, "To become a pundit."

Sagar and Sapna laughed and gave a high-five to each other, Sagar said, "Girls, you just used two Hindi words, actually Sanskrit words, Guru and Pundit, a teacher and a learned person."

The twins widened their eyes, "We did? They are Indian words?"

Sapna said, "Hindi words. When I was about your age, Bhaiya told me that English becomes richer, nicer when it accepts words from other languages too."

Sagar said, "Have you heard Mummy and Papa slip into Hindi when they want to say something we need not know?"

Sapna said, "Not any more because Bhaiya and I understand and speak Hindi. They speak in Marathi or Gujarati now, but we understand those too. Mummy once said that her father and grandfather used to speak in Marwari, a language that the other family members did not know."

Suchi asked, "Like a secret language?"

Sagar said, "Exactly, many of their friends speak different languages, Punjabi, Sindhi, Kannada, Tamil, Spanish and many more. They just go back and forth in those languages when they are together."

Suchi and Soori kept quiet and listened.

Sapna said, "From what I understand, if we don't use a language, it'll be as good as a dead language for us."

Sagar said, "That's right, our parents moved away from India, and you guys are about to lose Hindi. Your Japanese friend Misaki learns Japanese every Saturday, Didi and I know enough Hindi to teach you."

The twins said, "Well..."

"Well, how about ten-fifteen minutes everyday?" Sagar asked.

Sapna added, "Just speaking and listening to stories in Hindi."

Soori said, "Okay, we can do that."

Sagar said, "You know the Japanese and the Chinese speak to their kids in their languages, many of the Russians and Polish parents did not do that with their children and now many of them want to learn it in colleges. Hindi may not die in India, but if we don't use it, it's dead for us. Besides---"

Suchi said, "Bhaiya, Soori said, OKAY, we can do it."

Soori said, "Please don't give us all this information even if its not in sus-u-rra-tion."

The twins laughed and burst into a chant, "Hindi---Hindi---"


The End




© 2014, Meera Desai Shah

You don't Know Anything

Hello,

Scientists tell us that to keep our brain working we should not let it sit idle. One needs to continue to keep learning. For the same reason we keep children from watching too much TV. Even babies are encouraged to not watch TV. It's a passive activity.

As the years go, years are added to lives---yours as well as children's. A time comes when the child says, Mom/Dad, you don't know anything.The world is changing, it's not the same when you were a child.

Yet, you have to be a step ahead of the youngsters and eventually, you give in and accept defeat.

Meera

You don't Know Anything

inadvertently = unintentionally, without meaning to

Twelve-year-old, Sapna opened the computer in her room and signed into her account. She punched a few keys., the screen lit up bringing her the information she sought. Sapna worked for half an hour, and pushed a button inadvertently and the screen went blank. She punched some keys, but the screen remained blank. 

Sapna ran out of her room, "Bhaiya, I need help, Bha...iya....." There was no answer from Sagar.

Mom answered from her room, "What is it Sapna? Sagar has gone out with his friends, maybe I can help you."

Sapna shrugged, "I guess you can. I wish Bhaiya was here, he knows this computer inside out."

Mom came to Sapna's room, "Sweetheart, that he does. A couple of years ago Dad taught us how to use the computer, and now he teaches Dad."

"Yeah, he's so smart and you guys don't know anything."

"I beg your pardon, young lady?" Mom raised her eyebrows.

"Mom, I meant, you don't know anything about computers." Sapna said as she looked at Mom from the corner of her eyes. 

Mom said, "I understand what you meant, sweetheart." Mom pressed a few keys, the screen stayed dark. She turned off the surge protector, "Now Sapna, count till twenty."

Sapna said, "Okay, one, two..I never know why we need this multiple plug strip, Mom."

"It protects the computer from the voltage spikes by shorting or blocking to ground the unwanted voltages above the safe threshold."

"Huh?"

"All it means is that it keeps the computer and other gadgets from blowing up!"

"Blowing up?"

"Keeps it working."

"Hunh? I'll ask Bhaiya. Anyway, I hope this works, my paper is due tomorrow."

Mom smiled as she turned on the switch, "We'll soon know."

Sapna sat at the humming computer, "It works! Mom, how did you know this?"

"I am trying to keep up with my smart children."

Sapna resumed her work at the computer, "Mom, you are the greatest, thanks."

Mom patted Sapna's back, "I don't know how long I can keep up with your young brains, sweetheart."

Sapna looked up at Mom and smiled, "Forever, Mom, forever."


The End


© 2014, Meera Desai Shah