Articles by Reshmi Chakraborty

Sharad and Sheetal Agarwal, a young couple living in South Bengaluru spend Rs. 500 and above on drinking water every month. They bought a water purifier from a reputed company three years ago but felt it wasn’t safe after frequent gastro problems. "Our building receives water from tankers mainly and we aren’t really sure of the source and how effective our purifier is, so we felt buying 20 litre Bisleri bottles was a safer option," Sheetal says. The couple plan to acquire a new water purifier but are not sure which system would give them foolproof protection against contamination and…

It is an often repeated story. You spot an exhibition of enticing cotton fabric and immediately start dream-designing the kurta that you can convert from desk to dinner wear. So you go ahead, buy the fabric, get it stitched as soon as you can say tailor, only to discover that it has shrunk and no longer fits you and has to be handed down to your slimmer younger sister. Then of course there is the somewhat inevitable pitfall of the colour running and turning your vibrant vermillion dupatta into a tame rust. Variety of cotton fabrics. Pic: Meera K. Despite…

There’s a thrill in leafing through the pages of a book that comes with inscriptions of multiple ex-owners, like my second hand Rule Brittania by Daphne Du Maurier from Blossom Book House, where most of Bangalore’s book loving public goes to hunt for second hand titles both obscure and regular. Incidentally, they also have a great collection of cult graphic titles such as Watchman, Batman, etc. “I buy only second hand books from there,” says content consultant Mansi Narang, who lives in Langford Town. Her reasons? “The books are cheap, in good condition, there’s great variety and best of all,…

Deepti G (who lives off Bannerghata Road), mother of a ten-year-old daughter with fixed opinions of her own, prefers not to go for shopping for school supplies with her child anymore. With the incredible amount of school products available, shopping can get out of hand. "Every year we end up with pencil boxes, tons of sketch pens and markers, calculators, pouches and snack boxes that we never end up using," she reasons. File pic: Meera KSo what is the best way to shop for school supplies? First, make a list. I asked some experienced parents and they said a very…

Bindu and Ajay Agarwal from Sarjapur Road have been on a shopping spree lately. Their only daughter Ritika, four is on her way to ‘Big School' and the proud parents have been pampering her with brand new school goodies. But behind all the excitement, Bindu has a constant worry: Will Ritika be as happy in the sprawling school as she has been in the tiny four room nursery next door to her home? Ready for big school (pic: Supriya Khandekar)Bindu's troubles aren't new. If the time has come to send the apple of your eye from the cosier, smaller environment…

"You know what's my biggest nightmare?" asks 34-year-old bank manager Ameeta Srivastava from RT Nagar. "Forgetting to check my son's school diary at night and finding out during the mad morning rush that he's supposed to wear an eco-friendly outfit and take a green snack!" she says with a laugh. That offhand humorous take probably sums up the constant juggling act all working mothers have to do. Illustration: Narasimha Vedala Like Ameeta who commutes to MG Road, most working mothers in the city go through a day that begins early, watched by a clock that seems to tick extra fast…

Years ago, summer holidays used to be marked by visits to grandparents and long hours of playing – everything under the sun – with cousins and friends. The holidays are still as long for today's children but, these days, the time tend to be a bit more structured. There are summer camps or activity classes meant to teach children something new and keep them happily engaged, at least for a couple of hours a day. Gerry Martin's outdoor activity (Pic courtesy: Gerry Martin) Small wonder then that come summer and most parents are on the lookout for the right activities…

As parents, most of us want the world for our children; the right school, good manners, quality toys and the best of books. But few of us would probably do what Richa and Tarun Jain did for their daughter Suhani. Inspired by her willingness to learn, read and explore more, they set up Mindgym, a library for children! Out of the Box library (pic: Reshmi Chakraborty) As is with children, Suhani too would soon get bored of her new toys and books before moving on to other things. It led Richa and Tarun to talk to friends and come up…