Between husbands and wives – Part 4

Celebrating Wife Appreciation Day!

it's wife appreciation dayHey folks, it’s that time of the year again. It’s Wife Appreciation Day today. Yippee! Yes, they actually felt the need to have such a day to remind husbands to appreciate their wives – at least once a year – for all that they do for them and the family. Of course there’s that rare breed of husbands who’ll say: Oh, for me, every day is Wife Appreciation Day. God bless these good souls, and may their tribe increase.

Wives cook, dust, clean, nurse, babysit, teach, counsel, comfort, offer moral support; some even work full time to keep the home fires burning, and yet tackle a zillion chores to manage the household. So surely, a teensy-weensy bit of appreciation, even a warm hug, now and then is not asking for too much, is it? Ask any wife and she’ll tell you it’s the small things, the little gestures of affection, that matter most in a marriage. Not the shimmering gold jewellery or an evening out at a fancy restaurant.

wife appreciation dayIt’s true, wives in general could do with a lot more appreciation than they get. Yes, there are some husbands who may go to extreme lengths to shower praises on their wife. And other husbands could sneer that these guys know life would be hell for them if they didn’t pay lavish tributes to their wives, specially in public. But most wives are not such aggressive hellcats.

And what’s wrong with expecting a little appreciation from those closest to us? The need to be appreciated is a basic human craving. No, I didn’t make that up. That’s what the American philosopher and psychologist William James had said. Continue reading

Posted in Senior Humour | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Learn a new skill. Keep your brain sharp!

You’re never too old to learn a new skill

learn a new skill, keep your brain sharpIt’s true. When you learn a new skill, you not only add an element of excitement to the boredom of your daily routine, you can also keep your brain sharp – at any age! Remember what Henry Ford, the legendary American industrialist and founder of the Ford Motor Company, had said? Anyone who keeps learning stays young.

Scientific research has shown that the best way to keep our brain sharp is to learn a new skill. When we practise learning something new, changes take place in the networks of our brain and the density of white matter too increases. More about this later in the post.

Agreed, it’s easier to learn new things, pick up new skills, when you’re young because that’s when your body keeps building new brain cells. When you’re older, though it’s less easy, it’s not impossible.

brian mayTake the case of Brian May. He shot to international fame in the 70s as one of the world’s leading musicians. Choosing to make a career in music instead of as a scientist, he became the lead guitarist for the famed British rock band Queen. But that’s not the point. Brian May was always passionate about astronomy and astrophysics and had a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from London’s Imperial College. In 2006, at the age of 59, guess what he did. He went back to scientific studies and completed a Ph.D. in astrophysics from the same college! How cool is that?

As for those of you who are still not over the hill, remember that if you live long enough, you’ll get there someday. Aging happens to everyone. But that doesn’t mean you have to wait till you cross 60 to learn new things. Develop the habit of lifelong learning now and you could have better mind power than your contemporaries later on. Continue reading

Posted in Active Senior Years | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Great Goan: Frank Fernand (1919 – 2007)

Composer of timeless music

frank fernandOne Sunday evening in Bombay somewhere in 1963, my family and I were seated on one of the tiered stone steps at the open-air theatre in Victoria Gardens, waiting for the tiatr to begin. (Yes, once upon a time in Bombay, you could enjoy a tiatr alfresco, in the midst of greenery, beneath the stars.)

An announcement over the loudspeakers said they would be playing the songs from the newly released Konkani film Amchem Noxib, and suddenly, the chatter all around stopped, like magic.

It was then, as a little schoolgirl, that I first experienced the captivating sweetness of the music of the great Goan Frank Fernand. More than five decades later, even today, the work of this talented music composer  still continues to cast a spell on Goans across the world. Continue reading

Posted in Viva Goa! | Tagged , | 4 Comments

My Goan mando video: Adeus korcho vellu

A popular farewell mando

goan mando video adeus korcho vellu paoloCan you imagine the agony and frustration of being separated from your loved ones for months at a stretch without any way of communicating with them except perhaps through a letter or two received weeks after being posted? This was what Goan tarvottis and their families had to put up with in the late 1800s and the first half of the 1900s. And that was why each time our tarvottis had to sail away on long voyages on British-run ships such as the S.S. Canberra, or Kampala, it was hard for them to bid their loved ones goodbye.

Our Goan mando composers captured those heavy-hearted, emotion-packed moments of parting between tarvottis and their families through poignant farewell mandos. “The time has come to say farewell, Oh how my heart aches…” that’s how one such popular farewell mando Adeus korcho vellu paolo composed by one of our greatest mando composers – Torquato de Figueiredo – begins.

Today in the twentieth century, many Goan young men still sail on American cruise ships to earn a few dollars more for their families. They may still have to put up with the rigours of life at sea, but thankfully for them, it’s a more connected world we live in today.

Enjoy this mando that not only has links to a slice of Goa’s maritime history, but will also let you take a short cruise into the recent past through pictures of some of the iconic ships on which our Goan tarvottis once sailed. Do share the link with tarvotti families you know.

 

Posted in Videos | Tagged | Leave a comment

Mando echoing the anguish of tarvotti families

A popular, farewell Goan mando

a farewell goan mandoIn the latter half of the1800s, British shipping companies began operating larger, and more modern steamships, opening up a huge market for maritime labour.

The sudden availability of jobs on a large scale was a bonanza for Goan men frustrated by the lack of job opportunities in Portuguese Goa. Here was their chance to earn some decent money, to afford a better lifestyle for their family and a better future for their children. The price they had to pay? Months at sea enduring the rigours of life as seamen, and the pain of separation from their loved ones with hardly any contact with them till the end of each voyage.

Hundreds of Goan families were torn apart when husbands chose to sail off to faraway lands as tarvottis. And when that happened, both parents had to bear the brunt and angst of separation. Continue reading

Posted in Mando Magic | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Women’s rules for husbands, fiancés, et al

What women expect from menwomen achievers in india

It’s International Women’s Day! Time to celebrate women achievers in India and the world. Time to shout out loud, “Yes, we can! Yes, we can be achievers; yes, we can decide what we want to be; yes, we can live our lives the way we want to; yes, we can remind the world at least once a year that women form half of the world’s population, they work hard inside the home and outside to support and raise families, and they deserve as much appreciation and respect as men do; and yes, that we can expect the men in our lives to observe a few rules too. Right ladies?

women's rules for husbands, fiances, et alSo let’s tell the world what women expect from men. Now guys, don’t make a face, thinking: Women,  they’re always complaining about stuff. Haven’t men been making rules for women to obey ever since God knows when? Yeah, yeah, we know, since the beginning of time, there have also been men who have always treated women as equals. But at the same time, we can’t deny how men and women, husbands and wives, still keep misinterpreting what the other expects from them. And anyway, men have already been given an opportunity to have their say. Now it’s the turn of the ladies. Continue reading

Posted in Senior Humour | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Great Goan: Dr. ManoharRai SarDessai (1925 – 2006)

A truly cosmopolitan Goan poet

manoharrai sardessaiWhere do I begin when it comes to encapsulating the many talents, and wonderful qualities of mind and heart of a great Goan like Dr. ManoharRai SarDessai? Of a much loved poet who was honoured with the titles Lok Kavi (the people’s Poet) and Konknni Kaviraj (the Prince of Konkani Poets)? A formidable linguist who wrote in Konkani, English, French, Marathi, and Portuguese, a staunch nationalist and lover of Konkani, a gifted poet who chose to write predominantly in his mother tongue Konkani, could write with ease in both Romi and Nagri scripts, and published many of his works in both these scripts so his work could be accessed by all his fellow Goans… Manoharbab was all this and more.

His scintillating poetry reflected the essence and ethereal beauty of Goa and espoused a commitment to Goenkarponn (Goan-ness). Educated in Goa, Bombay, and France, Manoharbab was well versed in western literature. But his writing was rooted in the ethos of his homeland even as the tenets of liberalism, harmony, inclusiveness, and humanism it advocated were universal. Continue reading

Posted in Viva Goa! | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

My Goan mando video: Surya Denvon Guelo

A sweetly sad Goan mando

goan mando magic - surya denvon gueloRemember Shelley’s famed poem “Ode to a Skylark”?  The poignantly sweet Goan mando Surya Denvon Guelo beautifully exemplifies the truth in the celebrated poet’s often quoted line – Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought. As a school girl I used to sing this mando composed by one of our great mando composers – Caetano Joao Coutinho from Divar in Ilhas – for my granny, in deference to her frequent requests.

Read about how listening to the soothing strains of the Goan mando Surya Denvon Guelo became a cure from loneliness for Granny in this post.

In the meanwhile, enjoy listening to this lovely mando and don’t forget to like it and share the link with other mando lovers.

Viva Goa!

Posted in Videos | Tagged | Leave a comment

Rules for wives, girlfriends, et al., written by men

Have you laughed lately? Have a good laugh now and then. It works better than any other medicine!

What men really expect from women

what men want from womenIt’s a fact. Husbands and wives always tend to think the opposite sex is the weird sex. Admit it, most of us think like this: I’m a saint, all that’s going wrong in this relationship is because of him/her…  I know no one really enjoys making the marriage space a battle ground. And when we’re in a more amenable mood, and we notice our better half seems to be annoyed about something, we think: If only I knew what was going on inside his/her head… If only I understood what’s the cause of the ‘raging bull’ angry looks…

understanding the opposite sexAnd that’s where most of the problems spring from. From not understanding the opposite sex. From not reading the signs, signals, or whatever, right. Men mean one thing, women think it’s something else. Or it’s the other way around, and the men are guilty of getting the message wrong. The woman says ‘NO’, but the man is convinced she means ‘YES’. Happens all the time.

One big reason is because men’s brains and women’s brains are wired differently. But then that’s not our fault. Right? Continue reading

Posted in Senior Humour | Tagged | Leave a comment

Concessions for Senior Citizens in India

Enjoy senior citizen discounts

60th birthday cakeFor those of you who are finding it hard to come to terms with being a retiree, or are resentful about aging, here’s something to shake you out of that ‘down-in-the-dumps’ mood and make you wake up and smell the coffee.

Remember how you were working your butt off to put food on the table and pay the bills when you were part of the work force? There was no time to stop and take in the scenery, to enjoy the drive. Life was passing you by. Well, now’s the time to do things at your own pace, to savour the coffee and a piece of cake to go with it as well.

Forget the younger folks who think those who cross 60 are over the hill. Those fools will look even more stupid when they get here and see there’s some good stuff on this side of the hill as well.

It’s true many of us now have to live on a fixed income, but we do get to enjoy some bonuses. And one of the bonuses that comes like a package deal along with retirement is the handy mix of concessions for senior citizens. And not just in India, anywhere you travel in the world you’ll be able to cash in on senior citizen discounts and rake in the savings. Continue reading

Posted in Active Senior Years | Tagged | Leave a comment