Letting go

It is easy to go on

Just place one foot in front of the other

Walk on by

The stars shine more brightly tonight

My work here is done.

You may think you are broken but you are whole

You are the eagle soaring high above every living soul

You are above, you are below and all around, encompassing everything

You are the laughter of a child, the tear of a bride, the wrinkle on old skin

You are beauty, you are truth, you are light

You are love. There was nothing ever more bright.

It is easy to carry on

A kind word should not bring tears to the eye, but that will take time

Curling up into a ball feels just so right

Get up from the bed, look in the mirror and actually see yourself

Are you hiding your cry? Oh you do that perfectly

So what if your eyes betray your pain after a few hours

The sun will shine tomorrow but now it brings rain showers

The flowers have wilted, those flowers which were supposed to bloom

On that abandoned tree which survived anyway.

I had come to bring you home

Lead you through a path strewn with petals and dreams

My feet, they have bled from treading on thorns

But they look as beautifully red as the flowers I have walked on.

I had come to make you whole

You, who had led your life in parts all along

I held your hands even when you let go

And now I see you are getting ready to fly.

The stars shine more brightly tonight

My work here is done.

Thoughts on Depression

So I was reading out the first chapter of my supposed novel out to my husband and he says that I am very negative. I cant write happy stuff. I had a look at my poetry posted on this blog and I find them all dark. In the very first job interview, the HR head of a company had asked me what I write... I had told him two of my short stories and he said- you write very sad stories. Someone who does not like me might even comment that I seem to be perpetually depressed.
Well I do seem so, dont I. But truth is, I am basically a very happy person. Very pessimistic but happy. I am happy in my own company, which very few people can say of themselves. I am a thinker. I used to be a brooder, but with age, I have less reasons to brood and more reasons to worry. So the things I think about are mostly like- what would be my Booker acceptance speech. Which is to say, I am ambitious in my thoughts if not in my actions. And that I am not even always pessimistic.
Being pessimistic also gives me an unique advantage. If good things happen, I have given myself the leverage to be pleasantly surprised. If bad  things happen, I am always in a position to say I knew it!!
Truth is, I have stayed with depression almost all my life. However, every time, I think of depression as some kind of maze which I have to find a way out of. It is a challenge but I keep trying. Maybe that has been possible because I have never been acutely or severely depressed,  It is more of a sense of extreme sadness and hopelessness when I tend to let go of my perfectionist nature for a bit and sleep all round the clock. But there had come a time in my life when I had needed medical intervention. The pills the shrink gave me, which I took for 3 months, I call them my 'happy pills', did a lot to accelerate the process of coming out of my maze. Then I decided to stop taking the anti depressants and I have not needed them since.
I have often wondered about how people commit suicide. What is that darkness which makes them think that it is better to head towards the absolute unknown, to cease to exist, to jump into a chasm with no end in sight. It is like standing on a 1000 foot tall chimney ledge, with just enough standing room and strong winds, where you cant see the ground. Your situation is unenviable, no doubt. On the outer side you have a ladder. You can climb down in precarious conditions. It is hard, but the ladder will take you to the ground you cant yet see. On the other side you have a jump into darkness. You know nothing of whats inside the chimney. It is pitch black, it may take you infinitely down once you jump. But you prefer to jump anyway because you dont want to take the trouble to climb down into the light?? I dont understand that.
I have often wondered if killing themselves, for some, are not about their ego. I know of someone who had tried swallowing pills once. She was taking professional help dealing with her schizophrenia, but she was a student who was doing well, had friends and was not in a stage of life where it poses big problems. She survived, but it set me wondering why she would do it, other than to gain attention. That I suppose is also a big reason. Like you hear of Lady Diana throwing herself off stairs, cutting her wrists etc, and surviving at the precipice every time. It is a call for help, it is a call for attention. It is a sign for worse things to come unless help is given or taken.
I am glad to say writing... and reading... helps. Even googling 'depression' and reading about it helps. We should try that more. We should help ourselves when we feel the world is not helping. One thing is clear. We must never never ever waste the light to choose jumping into the darkness. The light is too dear, too joyful, too hopeful, to give it a miss for the one last time... every time.

There it is.
In the white glittering skin of twisted emaciated bodies.
Hanging from silvery trees
Swaying gently in an icy breeze
Death
As it came to me in my dream that night.

And then in the cold feet of the old man
As I touched one last time unable to find
The man I knew just half a day ago.

In the life that went before it arrived
Known only by me, felt only in me
Left. And left devastation in its wake.

Death. Black Death. Absence of all light. All around me now.
Every child taken is mine
If not mine, seen through these eyes, become mine.
Cant escape anymore the swaying ashen bodies of my dream
Keep running into me whichever turn I take
Death
Following me faster than I can flee
I can feel its cold white hand almost upon my shoulder.

Toss a coin in the fountain of wishes

Put a lock on the bridge of love and drop the key into the Seine

Watch it sink slowly, to find its place with hundreds of lovers’ prayers

I didn’t love you like that.

Hold hands as we walk on the streets

Steal a kiss behind a tree, a sly snuggle by the lake

Immersed in each other as the world goes on in this mad rushing city

I didn’t love you like that.

I gasped for air when you left my side, gasped, for I drowned without you

Lost in a crowd, lost in the desert, lost among a million faces, searching searching for one

Dreaming with eyes wide open, smiling, laughing at memories, maddened by memories

I loved you like that.

Shouting screaming hair wild eyes wild hitting out in the air

Passion in my anger jealousy love love passion in my kisses on your face on your lips in your mouth

I will leave you I will never call you I want you need you desperate without you I will die without you

I loved you like that

That is how I loved you

Till you went away, till you decided that my way of loving did not count, till you told me so

Till you bared me to the world, stripped me naked and made me stand out in the cold rain

When you left you killed me

When you left

You made me not fear death anymore.

How to (and how NOT to) throw a Princess Pirates Party for a 7 year old, within Rs 11,000/-

Dont plan a birthday party for a would-be 7 year old and you might have to deal with a grumpy face for the next 365 days. And while I would run at the idea of a party, leave aside throwing one in MY house, 7 is the age when they start to become mini adults, and hence starts the tantrums, the grumpiness, the expectations. And the judgements! My god! Cant we just leave the "you are the worst mom ever" to the teenage years!? But really, after all these years of just cake and a dinner, I think she deserved a small party at home.
Glad to say, apart from a couple of small hitches (excusable, this was my first time), I did it. And it was even proclaimed by one child as "The best birthday party I have ever been to." I kid you not! My chest just swelled 10 times in pride and utter triumph at this comment!
Here goes... what I did, and more important, what I didnt do, and should have done. Learning for next time.

• Forget about months in advance, unless you want a whole lot of kids attending. If you have a list of about 7-8 kids or less like I had, you can start 2 weeks prior.
• I asked my daughter to name her good friends in the building. It was a weekday anyway and it did not make sense to call any school friends at this age. The school is far away, the friends are scattered all over the city of Mumbai in the rainy season. Indians dont believe in RSVPs and moreover, I didnt want frayed egos in school. Neither did I want to call 20 children. So building friends it was. She named about 8 one day and probably had a fight with a couple of them in the next few days, so about 10 days prior, we settled on 6 friends. Two boys and 4 girls.
• Monkey wanted a princess party, but with two 7-8 year old boys coming in, I suggested we make it Princess-Pirate, which she was very happy with. Also, children are particularly partial to popular cartoon themes, so Jake and the Neverland Pirates seem to be a current winner right now.
• A home party planners best friend and worst friend? Pinterest. While it gives you amazing ideas on themes, decor, food and gifts, the alpha moms there can set the bar just a teeny bit high. My plan was to take ideas though, and do it in my own scaled down version. Still I ended up doing a lot and it cost me sleepless nights and a back breaking day!
• Lots of free printables on the net. Any google search with "pirate princess party free printables" threw up scores of options. I made the invitation cards from two printables, one princess and one Jake and the Neverland pirates, taken from the Disney page. 

• These are some of the resources I downloaded from various sites. Disney free downloads are very useful. Many come in PDF files which I cant paste. All you need is a printer and ink cartridges, I spent Rs 2000 on the printer ink alone.
• I racked my brains on the return gifts. Since this was her special core batch of friends and just 6 kids, I decided to go all out. 
  
  
  
  

• A Disney tiara-wand-jewellery- comb-mirror collection which cost Rs 700 a piece for the girl. This came in cute back packs. 
• A pirate kit with swords, mask and one pirate earring for the boys (Rs 300, from www.babyoye.com, http://www.babyoye.com/h/Role-Play-&-Pretend-Play-Toys/Tool-Kits-&-Gadgets/Ollington-St.-Collection-Pirate-Set-With-Two-Swords/p_BP10028529?ref=block) 
  

• One Ladybird Classic Treasure Island, available on Flipkart or Amazon, free delivery, and Amazon also offers nice discounts. Check both sites to choose the best offer on any book. http://www.amazon.in/Treasure-Island-Ladybird-Classics/dp/1409311287/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405492686&sr=1-5&keywords=the+treasure+island
• One eraser set each, from a shop in Dadar, Rs 35- 40. 
• One sticker set, Rs 25-35, Dadar.
• One home made book mark, printed from free printables, (princess and pirate), and laminated at Rs 10 a piece.

• One home printed notebook. Pages are free printables from various sites.

























• Along with that I also added printable colouring pages, available dime a dozen on the net.
• Also added small printed thank you notes, 5 stars (which were gold bars) and chocolate gold coins, which were part of the pirates loot.
• I got small Rs 8 bottles from a shop in Dadar, and wrote on them 'Pirates Ink' with permanent marker. This was filled with lemon juice, their "Invisible Ink". Everyone got to take home one bottle.

• I spent maximum amount of money on the take home return gifts. Anyone looking to cut their budget can easily do home made printable crowns, tiaras, wands, pirate hats and card board swords. Thats a savings of straight Rs 4000 odd.
• Food was home made fruit skewers with cheese and juice for snacks, Pizza, Garlic Bread, Juice, Coca Cola for dinner, and ice cream for dessert. I had planned to get mini dough nuts which kids love, but couldnt get it in time. 
• For fruit skewers I got pineapple, cherry and cheese cubes (cut into 4 pieces each). On toothpicks skewer the fruits and a cheese. Some kids just loved this. 
• I made my big mistake in the ordering of the pizza. With children this age it is always safe to just go with plain cheese pizza maybe with a topping of tomato. I ordered only one cheese pizza and two large chicken pizzas (since the group was predominantly non vegetarian). However they became picky about the chicken pizza, all wanted the cheese pizza and I ran out of it soon. One kid left her chicken pizza untouched. I had to call her mom and say that she hadnt had dinner!
• Second mistake. Less garlic bread. I ordered two servings. But kids just love garlic bread and I should have got one more. I ran out of garlic bread while they were still asking. 
• Third mistake- dont listen when a kid says I will eat nothing. Once everyone eats, they will too. I would have ordered one more cheese pizza only if this one girl had not come and specifically told me she had a stomach upset and would not eat anything at all.
• I got Amul vanilla ice cream and Hersheys chocolate sauce and the kids loved it. No need for fancy ice creams. Simple works best. I could have topped it with nuts and Gems and sprinkles or raisins, but who had the time. Learning: keep these things handy! However, they loved it with the chocolate syrup which is anyway tasty.
• Chocolate cake always works for most kids, but some will be picky and it is best to keep some cup cake or dough nut options handy. Thats my fourth mistake in foods. Learning: Get cup cakes and doughnuts one day early. 
• I had planned plenty of games. Two hours were divided into 10-15 mins slots (keeping 30 mins for food and cake cutting) with games in each slot.
• Kids nowadays are used to professionally managed birthday parties with games planned and arranged. I had some kids ASKING for games constantly. I had made a poster of Jake the pirate, and the kids played blindfolded- put the eye-patch on the pirate.
• I had a childhood set of 9 pins of my daughters. A narrow corridor in front of the rooms got converted into a bowling alley.
• We made Invisible Ink with lemon juice. I had already pressed some lemons and kept, and some were left for the kids. They had fun squeezing the lemons and getting the juice out. They wrote their messages with a paint brush. 
• I had arranged for "walk the plank" with cardboard strips, but there was no time to play.
• With lots of balloons, the kids went crazy playing balloon volleyball. This was unplanned but they had such fun, I started fearing the neighbours would complain!
• I planned a Treasure Hunt. Now this is what the kids were super excited about. I am so proud of my treasure hunt. They played in one team and the treasure was all their goody bags. This was a roaring success and the kids went mad running from one clue to another. More about the treasure hunt in my next blog.
• I had bought face paints and tattoos but they didnt get used.
• I bought black cloth for Rs 80/mt, 2 mts and cut them to make bandannas for each child. Home made eye patches with ribbons also were a huge success.
• Cost: 
• Erasers and Stickers- Rs 500
• Pirate set (2)- Rs 598
• Tiara-wand-jewellery princess set (5) - Rs 3300
• Bottles- Rs 50
• Lamination of bookmarks- Rs 160 for 16
• Books- Rs 1183
• Bandana cloth- Rs 150
• Cake- Rs 1700
• Pizza and garlic bread- Rs 1500
• Juice and Cheese- Rs 300
• Ice cream- Rs 200
• Cherries- Rs 100
• Chocolates- Rs 400
• Decorations, balloons, streamers, ribbons etc- Less than Rs 900
• Total: Rs 11,000 or less.
• I am leaving out the printer ink- That was Rs 2000.
• I am also leaving out the face paint since it wasnt used. That was Rs 1500.
• Dont buy the princess and pirate sets (Rs 4000 approx) and straight away the total amount goes down to Rs 7,000.
• Shopping areas- 
• Dadar for small items like erasers, stickers, cloth, bottles, fruits.
• Crawford market for all party decorations
• Hamleys for the girls return gifts, face paint and tattoos
• Online for the boys return gifts, books. (babyoye and amazon)

Rejection

You promised me a brave new world
See
Here I am
With a heart wide open
Wide as my arms, when I asked you to hold me
My mind wide eyed
Waiting
Only waiting for a sign
To believe.

You promise me, my love wont be unfounded
Look
Here I am
Loving you with my finger tips
Feeling your beauty seep into my skin
As you reject my touch
Smiling
Only smiling as my heart suddenly withered inside me
Unbelieving.

It took you a withered heart to realise
That I have starved for rain.
It took you my lifeless body, to see
How I tried in vain to breathe you in.
It took you a broken soul
To start to want to mend
While I had started to look away into the unknown
Reaching out my hand to the heavens even as you mourned over me
Wondering if only the darkness held my dark lord.

Book Review: Jhumpa Lahiri The Lowland

Booker short-listed 'The Lowland' by Jhumpa Lahiri is another one of her Kolkata-USA transitional novels, the kind she specialises in. Two brothers born in pre-Independence Kolkata, through the troubled naxal revolution times. Then one brother (Udayan) becomes a Naxalite, and the older brother (Shubhash) moves to study in USA and hence, their heretofore joined-at-the-hips lives develop in completely different ways. 
Obviously, tragedy strikes when the younger brother is killed and then starts the journey of Subhash with his brothers pregnant wife, who he marries to save her from an uncertain future. 
But it does not stop here. Bela is born and raised, and then she has a child and it goes on and on. And on.
Which brings me to my problem with Jhumpa Lahiri novels. They dont seem to end. Her short stories are works of genius. Pithy, hard hitting, and perfectly simple, they are a joy to read. But her novels tend to meander along heavy slow routes, leaving their original course, getting into unrelated territory, never seeming to end. So goes this story. Bela's mother is an intelligent woman but cannot love her daughter. It is never clear exactly why- because she loved Udayan too much? Or because of what Udayan did before he died? Why did she leave? Bela turns into a hippie of sorts, has a child out of wedlock, but comes 'back on track' and gets a boyfriend in the end. While Shubhash's life goes on, with and without his parents, with and without his wife, with and without his daughter (not really, his brothers daughter), with and without his friends and colleagues.
Now to what the novel started with, the Naxal revolution in Bengal and Kolkata, the first part of the novel, the part which actually is interesting, heart wrenching and close to home. I have been brought up in Tollygunj, where in my growing up years, the Naxal revolution was still clearly remembered, deeply felt. There were still parents left who had lost their children. Trees under which someone was murdered by the police, fields where someones son or brother had been asked to flee, escape and then gunned down mercilessly. Just like Udayan. Ive met people who have seen such things. I lived by the Tolly Club, and we, as kids used to enter the club through a hole in the wall, and play inside. My mother had done the same when she was a child... and she and her rowdy group had been caught by a guard and given a couple of hidings. I basically lived in the Lowlands. The Technicians studio is close to my house, and the mosque, the lanes, are just as Lahiri describes them. It was so close to home that I was a bit angry to read her, it was as if she had entered MY territory, "I" am the one who is supposed to describe it, "I" live there. I have studied in Presidency, my closest friends were in Jadavpur University, College Street where Udayan and

Gauri's love blossoms, was second home for 3 years.
"I" know the people, the stories... and yet, she is a Booker nominee for having told my story! 
But I wish she would stay with the Naxalites, not go into so much detail about Shubhash's life, Bela's life, 4 generations... why? How does Udayan's death affect the fourth generation? I didnt get that. It affected Bela's childhood, and that's it.
So much possibility... its a piity.
My verdict... or my bet, however you put it- the Booker for Lahiri? Not this time.

Also see: http://kolkatacitydiaries.blogspot.in/2013/10/my-kolkata-in-jhumpa-lahiris-lowland.html

Book Review: Salvation of a Saint

From the wonderful 'The Devotion of Suspect X' to the intriguing but bland-ending 'Naoko', the fall was quite wide. 

However, I was excited about the second English translation of this Detective Galileo series, as it is called. Keigo Higashino is Japanese and allowing for some loss in translation, this is still my favourite detective series currently. 

Salvation of a Saint has an amazingly tricky plot, and with new additions to the main plot in between, one is left guessing till the very end. 

What I loved about this book is, the murderer is announced at the very beginning, yet the reader is second guessing throughout, not just about the murderer, but the motive and the method. Ultimately the detective work is about the method, but the motive itself is in question till the end. 

When you get to the point where you can guess things, it becomes so exciting, so intriguing, that the pace of the book itself seems too slow. Your brain will work much faster than the climax of the book, and that is the only thing that can be complained about. 

For any detective fiction lover, I suggest this book as a not-to-miss.

Book Review: How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia

I just loved the irreverent humour and the innovative style of Moth Smoke, similarly the experimental style of Reluctant Fundamentalist interested me, and I loved the story line. So I HAD to read his third novel. This is also an unique tone, addressing the protagonist as "you", the narrator being the writer explaining to the protagonist who is the reader of the 'self help' book, how to get rich.

I was left skipping pages and often felt bored of the narrators tone. The parts where the story emerges are interesting, but it is not much of a story after all. And in the end, one dies inevitably, so whats the point of being filthy rich. Wait... was that the point? Who knows!?

Book Review: The Cuckoo's Calling

I'm a sucker for murder mysteries. I used to be called Miss Marple in school, and not just for attempting to solve mysteries like 'who stole the pencil'. I've read too many to not have guessed the murderer in this one. Its almost Christie-esque in its solution and that fills me with glee. For I love being proved right about a murderer!

When no one knew Robert Galbraith as J K Rowling, someone commented about the description of clothes and fashion in this book to be feminine. I find this rather amusing, this point about if you realise if a man has written a book or a woman. Its a moot point. Only rarely does it not show... yes this book is very much written by a woman. And not just any woman, one who surely, is one of the most brilliant minds of this age.

The story starts with the introduction of a new (Yummy) detective, Cormoran Strike (Cant wait for the next Strike mystery now), the war veteran with a checkered past, just broken off from his supermodel girlfriend. (The only 'male' point of view here is that Strike gets to date only supermodels!!). Then comes Robin, the trusted sidekick, as every detective worth his salt should have. (Robin is also hot.) The victim is also a supermodel who apparently committed suicide and Strike is hired by her brother to prove that it was a murder. Anything else I say may turn out to be a spoiler so I desist.

My only complaint about this book is, it should have been limited to maybe, 300 pages. Agatha Christie is still eminently readable, again and again, simply because they are that pithy, thin spined and easy to finish in one day, flat! The Robert Galbraith in JK Rowling should plan to write 20 more Strike mysteries and make them short enough to finish, with complete satisfaction, on a flight!

Book Review: Bring up the Bodies

The second of the proposed trilogy by Hilary Mantel is much more lucid to read. And took a lot less time to finish! . 

Cromwell has made Anne queen and Henry has already started the break with the pope. Here Cromwell is at the peak of his power, in the king cannot do without him, and he is building strong enemies. 

Bring Up the Bodies starts with Anne at the helm of her own powers, as a queen who might still give England an heir. If only she could, history would have been different. But either the king's accident (he fell from a horse and was unconscious for a long time) or his relationship with Jane Seymour, already in the reckoning, caused the miscarriage of a 3 month old pregnancy, supposedly of a male fetus.

 The king is already enamoured of Jane Seymour, a polar opposite of Anne Boleyn, quiet, calm, meek, where Anne was quarrelsome and bold. After this miscarriage the king, with the help of Cromwell plots the downfall of Anne, with a web of stories, lies, deceits, until Anne is finally executed for adultery and high treason. 

The language takes one back to the era and it is as if one can see it happening in front of ones eyes. There is a sense of vindication, as Cromwell avenge the death and degradation of his one time master, cardinal Thomas Wolsey. 

Tight woven, descriptive and clever, this book deserves the booker as much as Wolf Hall did.

Wolf Hall- Hilary Mantel

Maybe I have read Indian writing in English a tad too long. Yes, I heard my sister say that it is a tough book to read, but I thought, how tough could it be. And then I spent one month ploughing through of this vast tome of historical fiction. And the one reason I didn't keep it away is that, I couldn't- the story is itself riveting. The language of the book has often been critiqued as too dense and confusing. But I feel, given the period that has been portrayed, the archaic language brings out the historical validity of the novel. While the story starts with Cromwell's childhood, probably less material makes Mantel move quickly to adulthood. However, I wish there was more on that time of Cromwell's life. Its a pity.

First, the title. Wolf Hall is where Jane Seymour was born, the third queen, after Anne Boleyn... and the house itself does not feature in the novel, nor does Jane in any significant role- yet. I am guessing she will have a bigger role to play in 'Bring Up the Bodies', the second part of the proposed trilogy. However, we all know the history, and Anne's ambition to be queen, as held against the impending disaster she will face makes the title itself like a death knell for her. 




But this is neither the story of Wolf Hall or Jane or Anne Boleyn or even Henry VIII. This is the story of the rise and rise of Thomas Cromwell, a commoner, blacksmiths son, into the highest echelons of the English court, a favourite of Henry and a trusted aide of Anne herself, who he later brought down cruelly. Cromwell have been written in countless novels and studies in countless shades, cruel, sharp, ambitious, cut throat... and here, we see yet another side to him, not normally seen. The family man. The husband and father and uncle and good Samaritan. Who not only rises fast in court and becomes a king's favourite for his charm and diplomacy, his skill as lawyer and law maker, his acumen with numbers, but also one who thought rationally in an irrational fanatic world. On the one hand he reveres Thomas More, for his capabilities and power of mind, on the other, his hatred for More's methods (where he tried and executed countless intellectuals for heresy) are evident in the novel, towards the end, when it is Cromwell who tries More and brings about his execution.
I have always loved historical fiction, and this satisfies every requirement on my list. The characters are varied and numerous, and only a very skilled storyteller like Mantel, will be able to bring every character to light and draw them into the plot. I never liked Cromwell much, especially since his loyalties were always suspect... he helped Henry divorce Katherine and gained Anne's trust, and then brought the downfall of Anne without much of a qualm. This book brings out where Cromwell's loyalties may have laid- in his King and his Country. 

Lastly, the oft repeated point of a woman writing from a man's point of view... this is truly an example of such a book where the gender of the writer is not evident in the writing. It is strong writing, it is a male point of view, Cromwell's point of view. And you will never once think of the sex of the writer WHILE you are reading... the prose is just too perfect, too tightly bound and you,as a writer will think, I will never be able to write like this, construct like this. Read this one for the history, for the story, for the language, for the characters, and my favourite in any court drama- the sexual politics. I already have Bring Up the Bodies in my hand, and cant wait to launch right into it

Fathers Day Gifting: home made gift ideas for different ages

 Fathers Day is on Sunday, 16th June. Some super ideas to make gifts at home for our super dads.

1.    A collage card (From toddler to teenage)

What you will need:

·         Card Paper or A-4 size sheets

·         Sketch pens

·         Craft paper in different colours/ or you can colour them yourself

·         Glue

·         Scissors

How to:

·         Decide on a pattern to make: you can choose flowers, boats, kites, fishes, hearts or anything that dad loves.

·         Take the craft paper and cut out small shapes of decided pattern. You can cut white paper and have your little one paint them in different colours.

·         Fold any A-4 size sheet into two to make a card shape or take your card paper

·         Stick the patterns on the paper

·         Write inside

2.    Hand painted Coffee Mug/ Soup Bowl: (From toddler to teenage)

What you will need:

·         Solid colour coffee mug/ soup bowl. You can even use plates or glasses for this if you want.

·         Permanent Marker/ fabric paint

How to:

·         Decide on a pattern (Polka dots, hearts, the message “DAD” or “Worlds Best Dad”)

·         Take your mug (or any other utensil) and paint with the permanent marker. (Your toddler can just write “dad” or scribble anything on the mug. This is a fathers day gift, not a fine china set!)

·         Add the year and write “Happy Fathers Day” in small letters.
Image from http://meowchie.snydle.com/fathers-day-gift-ideas.html/fathers-day-gift-ideas-10

3.    A hand printed book (8-12 years and teenage)

What you will need:

·         A few A-4 size sheets in white or different colours.

·         Scissors.

·         Colourful pens or sketch pens.

·         Photographs you can cut out and use

·         Tape

How to:

·         Design the cover of your book and create a title “The book of Dad” or “Dad the Greatest” or “My Dad and I”

·         Second page will contain name of the creator “Made by …”

·         Rest is mostly up to you. Here are some ideas. You can start with “My favourite things to do with Dad”, then go on to favourite books, places to visit, things you want to do together etc. Older children could make it Dad’s life story with pictures, like an album.
Staple pages together and tape over staples at the edge.

4.    A pen holder for Dad’s office desk (From toddler to teenage)

What you will need:

·         An old plastic cup/ glass

·         Fabric paint

·         Craft paper

·         Old photographs you can cut out

·         Strong glue

·         Sketch pens

How to:

·         Get any old plastic cup, ceramic mug etc. Use fabric paint to paint it an even black all over.

·         Cut craft paper half the size of your cup and wrap all around at the center. Glue to stick. You can use more than one photo.

·         Take an old photograph you like and cut it in shape. It should fit into the craft paper strip.

·         Stick with strong glue till firmly in place.

Image: Supermoms 360

5.     Palm print poster (From toddler to teenage)

What you will need:

·         Poster colours

·         Desired size of chart paper

·         Paper plates (to pour colours)

·         Sketch pens

How to

·         Pour out the desired colours into paper plates. You can use any number of colours.

·         Take your chart paper and cut into any size you wish

·         Dip your hand on the plate so that your palm is evenly coated with colour. Press on to the paper till the colour is evenly transferred.

·         Make designs, or use as is, with a message.

·         You can make trees, heart shapes, birds etc with your palms.

Image from: http://www.fatherdaypictures.com/homemade-fathers-day-gift-ideas-handprints-free-fathers-day-photo-cards/

6.    World’s best Dad medal (From toddler to 8 years)

What you will need:

·         Card board

·         Scissors

·         Sketch pens/ permanent markers

·         Ribbon

How to:

·         Cut the cardboard into any small medal shape. You can make a circle, hexagon, square, star or any other shape.

·         You can thicken the medal by sticking two pieces together.

·         Draw border with dark sketch pen

·         Write “Worlds Best Dad” or “No 1 Dad”

·         Punch a hole on top and string in the ribbon.
Image: macaroni Crafts

7.    DAD photo frame (From toddler to 10 years)

What you will need:

·         Cardboard

·         Scissors

·         Blade

·         Old photo you can cut

·         Sketch pens

How to:

·         Trace out the word DAD on a cardboard

·         Cut two pieces of the same shape.

·         Leave one as it is. On the other, trace out the central portion of the D, A and D.

·         Cut them out with a blade.

·         Paint in bright colours or make patterns.

·         Stick your and dad’s photos

·         Take a bit of cardboard and stick at the back to make a stand
Image: http://www.marthastewart.com/274629/fathers-day-crafts-for-kids/@center/307033/spring-holidays

8.    Love you Dad heart shaped car ornament (From toddler to 8 years)

What you will need:

·         Card board

·         Ribbon

·         Paint

·         Sparkles/ glitter

·         Scissors

How to:

·         Draw the shape of a heart on the cardboard

·         Cut out two pieces of the same shape and size and stick together

·         Colour in bright red and scatter glitter or sparkles

·         Punch a hole on top with a paper punch or needle and string in the ribbon.
Image: Zazzle.com