Aren't they beautiful ?

Aren't they beautiful ?

Dawn !

That part of the day which the wilderness within
meets : eye to eye, soul to soul, heart to heart
And
merges into it...
serenity, calmness...branch out from the trees
the chirrup of the winged beauties form a melody...
In fact I remember taking early morning walks for a couple of days when we were in Umergaon, a small village-upcoming township near Mumbai in Gujarat. Men opening shops, some cleaning with brooms themselves, some getting it done by peons. There was a banker, a Parsi who owned a Xerox-STD-ISD booth. I saw him brooming himself and then putting 'rangoli'. Now that's 'owner mentality', a lesson that I learnt, in the land where business runs in the blood. Then there were few 'chaiwalas' making 'adrak/elaichi chais'. You bet I would feel very tempted to take a morning sip. But...men standing with newspaper...small place...etc the usual social norms...and I would walk back home to have the drink in the comforts of home. Why can't a human being attired in woman's body enjoy certain things? I fight this out on a daily basis. Well I don't want to talk about the rigmarole pertaining to this topic. Coming back, yes the early morning spirit ran through all, whom I saw during my walks, sort of binding us all on the outer...even though we occupied different worlds within.

Dawn !

That part of the day which the wilderness within
meets : eye to eye, soul to soul, heart to heart
And
merges into it...
serenity, calmness...branch out from the trees
the chirrup of the winged beauties form a melody...
In fact I remember taking early morning walks for a couple of days when we were in Umergaon, a small village-upcoming township near Mumbai in Gujarat. Men opening shops, some cleaning with brooms themselves, some getting it done by peons. There was a banker, a Parsi who owned a Xerox-STD-ISD booth. I saw him brooming himself and then putting 'rangoli'. Now that's 'owner mentality', a lesson that I learnt, in the land where business runs in the blood. Then there were few 'chaiwalas' making 'adrak/elaichi chais'. You bet I would feel very tempted to take a morning sip. But...men standing with newspaper...small place...etc the usual social norms...and I would walk back home to have the drink in the comforts of home. Why can't a human being attired in woman's body enjoy certain things? I fight this out on a daily basis. Well I don't want to talk about the rigmarole pertaining to this topic. Coming back, yes the early morning spirit ran through all, whom I saw during my walks, sort of binding us all on the outer...even though we occupied different worlds within.

Balewadi Sports Campus: Appearances are deceptive.

Having missed out on the Mother of all sporting events "The Commonwealth Youth Games" held at Balewadi in Pune, had an opportunity to visit the fancy sports campus located at Malunge village, for a conference. Sprawling lawns and glossy exteriors of the buildings are a feast to the eyes. However the changing rooms were shoddy and the loo, a nightmare. There was no water but there were cartons of sealed 'Energy drink' bottles kept near the toilet !! A bunch of women had formed a line outside and one of them took the bottle out of the carton and went inside. Soon many followed suit until I got curious about the colourful bottles and read the contents ! The atmosphere there, now got really 'energized' ! Can the sports authorities explain the reason behind stacking cartons of 'Energy Drinks' near a toilet?

Balewadi Sports Campus: Appearances are deceptive.

Having missed out on the Mother of all sporting events "The Commonwealth Youth Games" held at Balewadi in Pune, had an opportunity to visit the fancy sports campus located at Malunge village, for a conference. Sprawling lawns and glossy exteriors of the buildings are a feast to the eyes. However the changing rooms were shoddy and the loo, a nightmare. There was no water but there were cartons of sealed 'Energy drink' bottles kept near the toilet !! A bunch of women had formed a line outside and one of them took the bottle out of the carton and went inside. Soon many followed suit until I got curious about the colourful bottles and read the contents ! The atmosphere there, now got really 'energized' ! Can the sports authorities explain the reason behind stacking cartons of 'Energy Drinks' near a toilet?

Siblings banter

After a long time baba, kaka and aatya are together at our house the second time. Few years back they had all gathered together at Umbergaon. Its fun watching the brothers tease their sister. All are in their 70's. Kaka arrives all the way from Vadodara to be with his kin. He is the one to wake up early today. Everyone else joins him soon for a cup of tea. And the never ending chat starts once again. Grandchildren, daughters-in-law, sons, daughter, her in- laws....the talk focuses mainly on relations. I have had few days of interaction with all of them in these 14 years. Kaka, a retired Veterinary Joint Director, early in the morning put his cell-walkman on speaker which doles out 'Breathless' by Shankar Mahadevan followed by Marathi songs. I thought he is making good use of the cell phone (has also set the voice tone which anounces the time every hour) unlike my folks especially my mom who is yet to learn messaging. Aatya ( a retired teacher) is her own sweet self. Though I can understand Marathi well, it is difficult to follow certain words/dialouges that highlight different meanings in different context. But I can make out that baba and kaka try to make her view the usual familial issues in a manner different from what she percieves, she belonging to the sensitive lot. I like sensitive human beings (can relate to them better). And so till date I have had a good time getting married to a Maharashtrian household inspite of being a person raised in a South Indian (Tamil/Kannada) home, in the central part of India (Bhilai). Baba, a Mechanical Engineer is his own jolly self and once he quoted his philosophy of life by reciting James Leigh Hunt's Abou Ben Adhem

Abou Ben Adhem

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An Angel writing in a book of gold:

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the Presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?" The Vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."

"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the Angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerily still; and said, "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one who loves his fellow men."

The Angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!

-- James Leigh Hunt

I'll continue later I guess as I need to attend to
some chores.

Siblings banter

After a long time baba, kaka and aatya are together at our house the second time. Few years back they had all gathered together at Umbergaon. Its fun watching the brothers tease their sister. All are in their 70's. Kaka arrives all the way from Vadodara to be with his kin. He is the one to wake up early today. Everyone else joins him soon for a cup of tea. And the never ending chat starts once again. Grandchildren, daughters-in-law, sons, daughter, her in- laws....the talk focuses mainly on relations. I have had few days of interaction with all of them in these 14 years. Kaka, a retired Veterinary Joint Director, early in the morning put his cell-walkman on speaker which doles out 'Breathless' by Shankar Mahadevan followed by Marathi songs. I thought he is making good use of the cell phone (has also set the voice tone which anounces the time every hour) unlike my folks especially my mom who is yet to learn messaging. Aatya ( a retired teacher) is her own sweet self. Though I can understand Marathi well, it is difficult to follow certain words/dialouges that highlight different meanings in different context. But I can make out that baba and kaka try to make her view the usual familial issues in a manner different from what she percieves, she belonging to the sensitive lot. I like sensitive human beings (can relate to them better). And so till date I have had a good time getting married to a Maharashtrian household inspite of being a person raised in a South Indian (Tamil/Kannada) home, in the central part of India (Bhilai). Baba, a Mechanical Engineer is his own jolly self and once he quoted his philosophy of life by reciting James Leigh Hunt's Abou Ben Adhem

Abou Ben Adhem

Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw, within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich, and like a lily in bloom,
An Angel writing in a book of gold:

Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold,
And to the Presence in the room he said,
"What writest thou?" The Vision raised its head,
And with a look made of all sweet accord
Answered, "The names of those who love the Lord."

"And is mine one?" said Abou. "Nay, not so,"
Replied the Angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerily still; and said, "I pray thee, then,
Write me as one who loves his fellow men."

The Angel wrote, and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And, lo! Ben Adhem's name led all the rest!

-- James Leigh Hunt

I'll continue later I guess as I need to attend to
some chores.

A plea

you created a lovely world..
the solitude of the dark silent night
the breathtaking aura of the full moon
talk of 'non verbal communication' !!!
the music of the early tweeting sounds
the warm hug of the morning breeze..
sun rays stealing thru the greens of trees
golden twinkles...
wet grass on bare feet
blanket of clouds in the blues above..
ocean stretching far and beyond...
as far as eyes can see
this's not enough...
could u create some more?

A plea

you created a lovely world..
the solitude of the dark silent night
the breathtaking aura of the full moon
talk of 'non verbal communication' !!!
the music of the early tweeting sounds
the warm hug of the morning breeze..
sun rays stealing thru the greens of trees
golden twinkles...
wet grass on bare feet
blanket of clouds in the blues above..
ocean stretching far and beyond...
as far as eyes can see
this's not enough...
could u create some more?

Treading distances...
miles and miles to go
But the 'I' in me doesn't match the steps...doesn't want to
It wants to fly
Where?
How?
With the feet firmly grounded.
Wish could smoothly back up the legs
cool...like the birds do
Oh! what a world it would be then
the journey matching the soul !
A sense of Exhilaration !
I don't belong to this world
Do I?
I wish to see the world that I want
I close my eyes
and wish
on this day of Valentine

Treading distances...
miles and miles to go
But the 'I' in me doesn't match the steps...doesn't want to
It wants to fly
Where?
How?
With the feet firmly grounded.
Wish could smoothly back up the legs
cool...like the birds do
Oh! what a world it would be then
the journey matching the soul !
A sense of Exhilaration !
I don't belong to this world
Do I?
I wish to see the world that I want
I close my eyes
and wish
on this day of Valentine

Hey Aakash and Ekta !

Do you know that you are our 'Happiness Bank'?
Like you add pennies to your piggies
We deposit N number of things daily...
We can cash you whenever we want..
A warm hug here, a kiss on the cheek there
We never have to think if we have enough to invest...
In fact we have more than we can even dream of...
But yes unless we do pay up everyday,
We won't get the returns, No way !
How strange? We don't have to 'work hard and earn' or 'plan' for this daily savings
No tax to pay...
All interest compounded...
Wealth swelling day by day !

Hey Aakash and Ekta !

Do you know that you are our 'Happiness Bank'?
Like you add pennies to your piggies
We deposit N number of things daily...
We can cash you whenever we want..
A warm hug here, a kiss on the cheek there
We never have to think if we have enough to invest...
In fact we have more than we can even dream of...
But yes unless we do pay up everyday,
We won't get the returns, No way !
How strange? We don't have to 'work hard and earn' or 'plan' for this daily savings
No tax to pay...
All interest compounded...
Wealth swelling day by day !

Children

A five something year old boy in his school uniform and bag with the zip torn, got onto the 7.50 am bus, quickly sat near a window seat and gestured his mother 'aai laukar ye, ithey seat ahey', holding his tiny palm onto the vacant seat besides him, guarding it fiercely. A little girl who looked to be his sister, came in, panting and occupied the seat in front of the boy. The Mother came at last, may be pre-occupied with unfinished jobs back at home, or someother things going on in her mind, the thought of availability of a place to sit in the bus being the last one to think of. The concern the boy showed for his mother was so sweet, like any five year old would do. He looked like he would take on the world for his mother. We raise our kids unconditionally and we are rewarded like these heavenly gestures. Soon the conducter came and the mother said 'MIDC', to which he showed surprise. The girl then said,' Chincwad station' and started giggling, in between telling her mother how nowadays she forgot the names of places. The 6 year old also explained, that the conducter didn't know MIDC. It was lovely watching kids taking reigns in their hands, sort of being escort for their mother. And the Mom...she was sort of beginning to feel the security that comes from the knowledge that her upbringing is being fruitful. Unconditional love can do wonders. Reminded me of my son who would hand me the cell or the house keys that I sometimes forgot to take before leaving for work. More than that, him cheering me up at times, not budging till he saw a smile on my face or reading his dad's face and asking what went wrong? Children clothed in Adult-thought attire. Where do they get this sudden Adult behaviour and statements from? They are truly the Gift of God.

Children

A five something year old boy in his school uniform and bag with the zip torn, got onto the 7.50 am bus, quickly sat near a window seat and gestured his mother 'aai laukar ye, ithey seat ahey', holding his tiny palm onto the vacant seat besides him, guarding it fiercely. A little girl who looked to be his sister, came in, panting and occupied the seat in front of the boy. The Mother came at last, may be pre-occupied with unfinished jobs back at home, or someother things going on in her mind, the thought of availability of a place to sit in the bus being the last one to think of. The concern the boy showed for his mother was so sweet, like any five year old would do. He looked like he would take on the world for his mother. We raise our kids unconditionally and we are rewarded like these heavenly gestures. Soon the conducter came and the mother said 'MIDC', to which he showed surprise. The girl then said,' Chincwad station' and started giggling, in between telling her mother how nowadays she forgot the names of places. The 6 year old also explained, that the conducter didn't know MIDC. It was lovely watching kids taking reigns in their hands, sort of being escort for their mother. And the Mom...she was sort of beginning to feel the security that comes from the knowledge that her upbringing is being fruitful. Unconditional love can do wonders. Reminded me of my son who would hand me the cell or the house keys that I sometimes forgot to take before leaving for work. More than that, him cheering me up at times, not budging till he saw a smile on my face or reading his dad's face and asking what went wrong? Children clothed in Adult-thought attire. Where do they get this sudden Adult behaviour and statements from? They are truly the Gift of God.

Today

There was this silent voice that has been nudging me for years...
Its time now, it said...gear up-
Hmm ! not so easy this...
The mute observer, from the heavens almost had his thumbs up !
And the book I've been reading, every page or any sentence has been screaming 'go go...'
And I almost did ! but I paused...
God ! tussi gr8 ho !
u create a yearning, u give answers too...
but then u check every moment, how am I getting thru...
yaar tujhsey hai panga hamara
mazaa bhe tumhee sey hai
tujhey hi saath le chaley hain
tho gila kahaan kisee sey hai
Hazaaron hain jee rahey
kisi apney ki talash mey
Bas pahonchaney ki der hai
Mit jayengi ranjishey
Dil ko hai sukoon ki talash
Par junoon bhe tho hai josh mey
Manzil ki parwa naheen
Chalna hai rasto pe hosh mey
Bekhabar honey ki tamanna
kahaan hai peecha chodti
but 'wake up' says the soul within
rise, set y'self free.
its an eternal war, to be bound or not to be
Am wading once again
through moments that need the whole of me
If only I could find myself
how easy life could be !

Today

There was this silent voice that has been nudging me for years...
Its time now, it said...gear up-
Hmm ! not so easy this...
The mute observer, from the heavens almost had his thumbs up !
And the book I've been reading, every page or any sentence has been screaming 'go go...'
And I almost did ! but I paused...
God ! tussi gr8 ho !
u create a yearning, u give answers too...
but then u check every moment, how am I getting thru...
yaar tujhsey hai panga hamara
mazaa bhe tumhee sey hai
tujhey hi saath le chaley hain
tho gila kahaan kisee sey hai
Hazaaron hain jee rahey
kisi apney ki talash mey
Bas pahonchaney ki der hai
Mit jayengi ranjishey
Dil ko hai sukoon ki talash
Par junoon bhe tho hai josh mey
Manzil ki parwa naheen
Chalna hai rasto pe hosh mey
Bekhabar honey ki tamanna
kahaan hai peecha chodti
but 'wake up' says the soul within
rise, set y'self free.
its an eternal war, to be bound or not to be
Am wading once again
through moments that need the whole of me
If only I could find myself
how easy life could be !

Patterns

Colours splashed on the morning sky
Like a painter's brush gone haywire
The charming orange and saffron
on a background of sea blue
The crisp cool breeze that dances around
all set to woo...
The cuckoo's call of the summer
augments the show
The Sun makes his handsome entry
his ascent slow...
urges the day to grow...
I want the early morning hues to hang on...though !

Patterns

Colours splashed on the morning sky
Like a painter's brush gone haywire
The charming orange and saffron
on a background of sea blue
The crisp cool breeze that dances around
all set to woo...
The cuckoo's call of the summer
augments the show
The Sun makes his handsome entry
his ascent slow...
urges the day to grow...
I want the early morning hues to hang on...though !