Sassy Little Girl

I want to start my blogging journey by painting a small picture of my childhood! 

Sassiness.. I am not sure if I am all that Sassy, but my mother tells me that I was always a lively, energetic little girl who wasn't shy what so ever to show my 'moves' anywhere, the moment I heard some music, so I guess that fits the definition! :) 

I grew up in my maternal ancestral home in a small, beautiful village, Nalleppilly, which has a very colorful and lively with the temple festivities. My maternal grandparents were very traditional and and they taught me values that showed me how to treat others with humility, being the sassy, often stubborn girl, (my mother says so!) I was. My grandfather passed away when I was 10, but I carry the two things in my mind always, which I have heard him say - " 'No' can be said in a very polite way"  and "Always remember that when you point a finger at someone, the other three finders are pointing at yourself". I have never seen anyone like my grandmother. She always saw goodness in people, always had a helping attitude and she was an ever loving happy soul! If I can be even 5% of who my grandmother was, my life will be made. 

Our family had a typical Gulf-Kerala setting from the 80s where the fathers worked in a Gulf country and mothers and kiddos stayed with the grandparents. As a kid, I looked up on my mom as someone who only disciplined me and I often thought I was living under military supervision, but now I get why she did that! She had to take the role of a father and my grandparents took the role of a mother, and my dad when he visited us, he took the role of spoiling me. :) 

I spent the summer holidays with my paternal grandparents who lived in Ernakulam with my aunt. Ernakulam is a city in Kerala and lets just say that it is very different from the village where I lived. It is from my paternal side of the family, I really learnt how to balance the sassiness with the traditional values. My grandma was very forward thinking yet she followed a highly traditional routine with her daily poojas and chanting shlokas. Being organized and tidy is definitely one of the best values I learned from my paternal side of the family. 

Music and dance has always been a big part of my life, whether it be for family functions or school functions! Ah! The interschool competition - "Yuvajanolsavam' - memories that I will always cherish! I remember the practice sessions, which was the best part, especially when we were allowed to bunk classes, and what made it even better was that we got to 'hang out' with our best buddies - teachers. That's right.. teachers! The pride of bringing the trophy back to school is something that I will always be proud of with that touch of sassiness in my attitude. 

Dance has taught me how to be structured in life as a teenager. I strongly believe it is one art that teaches you discipline without you noticing! Then, I got the best opportunity in my life, to learn dance under the prestigious Gurus - The Dhananjayans! 

To be continued..