One of the best books I have read is “My Father Baliah.” Baliah’s son narrates how his father raised his family through education. It is a simple book on the legacy of a father and the ordinary things our parents do that shape our lives and the people we become. I remember reading the last chapter of the book on my Kindle while on a train. The book ends with Baliah being taken to the grave, and I cried thinking about my mom. I thought to myself that someday I should write a book titled “My Mother Tamilselvi.” The thoughts reappeared when I was cooking kesari on my mom’s birthday. That is the only dish she would consistently prepare for all our birthdays. We used to tease her that she couldn't cook anything else, and she never bothered to prove us wrong. Though I may not be close to writing a book, I thought of writing down the thoughts running through my mind while stirring the kesari. People usually credit mothers for delicious meals, but to be honest, I do not remember any of he...
When we were kids, our parents made sure to take us to the book fair & exhibition every year during the Pongal season. I remember the fair moving location year to year from St. George school (The famous kana kanum kalangal school) to YMCA and my mother would say that it used to be held in Quaide milleth when she was in college. Slowly over the years my dad would stop at the entrance and listen to the evening speeches and debates at the venue and let my mother take us inside the fair. Then he stopped coming altogether. I remember going with my mother when I was in my early 20s. Now that all my sisters live separately, it would be a miracle if we go together to the book fair, provided the little time we spend together. But the urge to visit the fair still lies with us, thanks to the efforts our parents put into our childhood. The last I went to the book fair was in 2020, after that due to covid and other reasons, I have just given up that idea. This year when the season started, I wa...