RSVP

It is quite normal to respondez s’il vous plait to invites but there still seems to be resistance to this very polite etiquette by elder members of our South Asian community. Especially to wedding invites.

I recall in my youth attending weddings that I hadn’t been invited to because I was spending the weekend with an aunt or so. Not something I would even consider doing today…. But this was normal. Weddings were a festival that anyone remotely related could attend. Huge buffets were laid on. What was a handful of extra guests going to matter?

Two Mummies

Dear Diary,

On a day out in Haggerston Park, in Shoreditch, my four year old daughter was asked by another toddler where her daddy was. Before my daughter had the chance to reply, the toddler’s mother said in a very matter of fact way, “no darling, she has two mumies”.

Dementia

Dear Diary,

My grandmother suffers from early stage dementia and it is only since my last visit that I have begun to understand the cultural conditions which stir her awful behaviour of a wicked grandmother-in-law.

Super Nannies

£448 million to be spent on troubleshooters for problem families!

These “super nannies” will go into “troubled” households and attempt to sort out their problems. They will ensure people are getting up and going to work; that children aren’t truanting; that anti-social behaviour is eradicated. The so called “troubled” families will lose benefits and or face eviction if they do not comply.

Family From TV Series "Shameless"

Respect

Oxford Dictionary definition: a feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements

Asian definition: Do as your elder tells you.

My Daughter

Dear Chatterjis,

I have read your posts and comments on gender discrimination with great interest and would like to share my story with you.

My daughter is three weeks old and has been totally rejected by her grandparents.

The Stolen Baby Scandal

Spain has a dirty secret that has finally been exposed and investigated: over the course of five decades the country’s government, in collaboration with the doctors and nurses and the Catholic Church, stole new born babies from families regarded as unfit in order to sell them to apparently more deserving families.

No Florence Nightingales

The healthcare system has been under fire again this week and once again, nurses face the brunt of the attacks. They are understaffed, overworked and most of all, it appears that bureaucracy has superceded care.

To alleviate the burden on nurses, Dr Peter Carter, head of the Royal College of Nursing, has suggested that families should be encouraged to assist patients during mealtimes and taking them to the toilet. Whilst I am all up for families helping their sick members, it does concern me that that these essential human needs will be entirely left to a family member and what will happen if they are not there?

Parking Con

I have recently decided that parking in London is a con. It is a legitimate way for local councils to fleece its community with unreasonable parking charges, ambiguous rules, limited parking bays and increasingly more double yellow lines.

Carry On Camping

Until this weekend, I never understood the appeal or desire of the British to go camping. I am now a converted camper and will be taking my children, on this inexpensive and fun family holiday, regularly. Whilst I don’t think I will ever be a diehard camper, like some of the friends we went with, who spend fortnights on a campsite.  I most certainly am able to spend a few weekends of the year sleeping in a tent and taking in the lovely outdoors.