A few days back I read an article that in the US half of all mothers accepted that they have little to no retirement savings. And I felt this is not only about the US. In our country also, mothers generally don't plan their retirement and savings. When they are working, they continue spending their earning to support their husband in carrying out the family responsibility. It is also an assumed notion that women can't manage their cash well and they can't plan to save. Contrary, I feel mothers are better leaders and managers. They are traditionally raised to save, they are disciplined so that they teach their kids, and they are futuristic.  Still, primarily finances have been taken care of by the men of the family. Right in their own house, mothers face this gender discrimination when it comes to money matters. The monetary world is filled with faked barriers that prevent them from taking charge of their money. Many times they are not provided the knowledge to set their fi...

Our world is currently encountering two kinds of epidemics approaching very fast towards us, which put people at risk for chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. These two are  obesity  and  screen addiction . These epidemics are affecting people of every age group. Right from very young children to adults. We all know junk food can contribute to  obesity  and yet it is becoming a part of our everyday lives because of our fast-paced lifestyles. We are well aware of the side effects of continuous screen time, yet we are always gazing at our phones when time allows.  This post is about Junk food and how to reduce its reach among kids. Let me be honest I am not going to be a flag bearer of the anti-junk food movement. This is not feasible practically in today's lifestyle. Just food is available in every nook and corner around. From lavish restaurants to street food stalls, the varieties of junk food are uncountable. Junk food is convenient, tasty, a...

Do you like chocolate or do you love it? Or you are one of those who think no matter what happens, chocolate will make it better? Whether chocolate is an occasional sweet, a staple item of your kitchen or just a part of your PMS help, most people agree that there is something about it that makes chocolate very likable. Even research tells us that chocolate is the most commonly craved food and is also one of the favorite foods to be consumed as emotional eating.  I fall in the category of people who occasionally like having chocolate. I remember when I was newlywed, my husband used to bring chocolates for me. My limit was one or two squares in one go and that's why the remaining bars used to rest in the refrigerator for weeks. Slowly he understood that I am a different person :) Soon I had Vibhu (my son) and chocolate made its entry again to my house. Surprisingly for my boy, biting a piece of chocolate means something very comforting and happy. I started keeping chocolate bars as t...

After watching Panchayat , I was again on a hunt for another web series that Vibhu (my 7-year-old boy) can also enjoy. Luckily I found one. It was again a neat and uncomplicated one. No abusive language, no inappropriate talks, and full of comedy, it was really fun to watch " Gullak " with Vibhu. Set in a small town in North India, this web series is about a middle-class Mishra family and their day-to-day struggles. Being a 90s kid, I have seen the craze for clay piggy banks, typically called Gullak. Be it any fair or festival, buying a clay piggy bank was a custom in families of North India (UP) during the early 90s. The Series is named Gullak as in the show, a clay piggy bank, is the narrator of the plot. The Mishra family includes a giving husband, Santosh Mishra; a sarcastically speaking wife, Shanti Mishra; and their two sons. Then there are nagging neighbors, demanding relatives, everyday life struggles, and lots of humor with all. The performance by everyone in the ca...

While Scam 1992 was a good watch , it was still heavy for Vibhu (my 7 year old boy). Hence next I wanted to see something which is light on the head, clean and can make us laugh. Panchayat is one such 8 episode web series that Vibhu and I enjoyed during the lockdown. Panchayat is about common people who are not fighting with terrorists, facing a ghost, sacrificing love, chasing money and showing off. This web series revolves around the life of Abhishek Tripathi (name of the character in the series) who gets an average-paying job as a Panchayat secretary of a village Fulera (UP). He is not satisfied with his job, however, with no other option in hand, he continues doing his duties. He experienced both good and bad things living in a room of Panchayat's office. In each episode, you see small incidents in the life of Abhishek, which make each episode like a small yet complete story.  Do you remember Shahrukh Khan's Swades? In the movie, he leaves his comfortable and fulfilling N...

Television has been our biggest medium of entertainment for long. However, with the evolution of the internet, the monopoly broke and people started looking for a new kind of fun through the internet. Social media is one such kind of source of refreshment. Then we witnessed how slowly OTT platforms established their roots in our country and web series became the most-watched content among people of the new generation. Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hotstar are few very popular platforms that took over the digital space like a storm.  Then Covid happened. We all were at home and those who had internet access lapped up multiple  web series  on OTT platforms. With lockdown outside, it was binge-watching; nonstop, morning, day, and night. That further accelerated the growth and business of the OTT platforms like hell.  I am also one such person who got caught by web series fever during the first lockdown time. I was on maternity break and totally mad because of postpartum bugs. ...

So it's all opened up now and the lock down is finally over. Many people are busy condemning and praising the government for the sudden lockdown which was no doubt a hard time for all of us. But you see we are now under this #newnormal I had also stepped out with my 15 months old little charm yesterday. I have also shared my experience of taking the baby out under these new normals in my last writing. You can see street full of vehicles, traffic and all back to business now. Many people in my society are roaming outside like we have really come out of threat. I see them socializing and exchanging well being. The only thing that matters now is wearing a face mask. Wear it and your are good to go. Isn't it? To be frank these masks are seriously less good and more harm for all of us. Here I'm listing down the most common harms of wearing face masks for its users: Breathing trouble: Your face mask causes filtered air flowing in and out with a barrier that usually causes us to ...