Episode

These little  bits of life
Often seem like an episode
They come and go
Leaving you as though
You were standing on a sea shore
Bare feet dipped in marshy sands
Touching them like a storm
The waves hit your form

Making them salty and grainy
Taking a little sand with it
With every wave passing by
Your feet are firmly tied
To the sands that you stand

Bidding you a gurgling goodbye
The waters drift away
Leaving behind them
Treasured moments in the cave
As you think of the previous one,
The next one makes her move

Life passes by in a blink
Leaving you without a hint
But live we must as its our life
Laugh we must as its our plight
Change we must as its in sight
So hug we must  without a fight

All will remain as you walk the path,
Neither water nor sand
Beautiful footprints that were created
In the moments that went sway
Little smiles and hearty laughters
Lovely mischief and sweet barters
Will be seen through these prints
A story of your life with changing charters …

As I say a goodbye to you
Do we have a cue
Where life will take us hereon
On calm waters or rosy thorns
But there will be a day
When we shall meet again
Laugh that one more time
Memories again we shall find...

Once again...

Life is sailing normally... on  happy and sad waves...but overall a smooth sail....the motion has set in...you are moving at a certain speed...Inertia has set in
Despite the adjustments and compromises you are making everyday...you have found comfort in this inertia...
Konwn people, known reactions, known places as you tread your path everyday...You are happy and so is everyone around..so you continue sailing...

Then comes a  day  when you decide enough is enough...
I want to sail across the wind....break this inertia, get out of  this motion...
This is not me...I want to challenge myself beyond my capabilities....
Seek new waters, row against the flow, challenge the winds
Let go of the so called comfortable phase...begin a new one...

Suddenly the set equation ceases to exists... life comes to a jerk...everything seems unsettled....
No back ups any more, hard work and slogging are a must to establish yourself once again
Comfort zone is nowhere in sight...known people are nowhere to find
Familiar paths have changed, identities are lost, you are on your own once again...


It will be long before you find the momentum,
adjust your sails, fine tune your skills
set in your confidence and assume your position

While you are at it...
familiarity is your foe
anxiety is your shadow
fatigue is your friend
patience is your mentor

Mindset your greatest strength...

Ready for a Change...once again....?





Picture credit: http://www.ebsqart.com/Artist/Robert-Kimball/14800/Art-Portfolio/Sailing-Ship-in-a-Storm/522456/

Hand in hand

I walk with you
hand in hand
as we wander
in the time land

The first time I held your hand
was when we were quite young
simles of friendship simply past
across the then naive sands

Slowly we graduated to a level
where we enjoyed to be in each others company
You held my hand so tight
despite our innumerable fights

The once fiercest of the foes,
As we took our vows
hand in hand we sat
signing a life long pact

Then came a time; on a snowy peak
where the chances of  comfort seemed so bleak
again you offered this facility
hand in hand was just the necessity

Living with you in a new life
was a challenge in every stride
but every time i heard my cries
I found your hand tucked in mine

As we giggled through this journey
eyes met eyes in a flurry
Our hands always in tow
danced to the melody of love

As our feet get shaky
and hands all wrinkly
I hope they will still be together
like the birds of a feather

Through the golden years
Amidst so many tears
when our eyes will never see clear
I pray our hands are always near

Hand in hand as we walk the life
No worry seems so bright
Till my soul takes the last flight
Hold my hand always tight...

Time to change Cliche

Yesterday I began teaching my son this nursery rhyme...

Chubby cheeks, dimple chin
Rosy lips, teeth within
Curly hair, very fair
Eyes are blue - lovely too.
Teachers pet, is that you?
Yes, Yes, Yes!

And some days earlier I found singing to him our very own Marathi version

गोरी गोरी पान

फुलासारखी छान

दादा मला एक वाहिनी आण...

But I realise, isnt it high time that we stop teaching our toddlers that "Looking" beautiful is the ultimate aim of our lives....Why should a fairer skin, or a teeth within or blue eyed person be any more important than anyone whose otherwise....

And arent we to blame if our kids assume this to be true?

Why cant I be a teacher's pet even if i am a dark stout girl?

I am not against anyone praising a fair skinned or a physically beautiful person.However, I am not comfortable with ingraining in little children the importance of the above factors...

It only leads to them turning into unsecured teenagers...who then find solace in friends and outsiders more than family....what happens next is something we all know....

The only thing that matters is having a beautiful heart...

My version of chubby cheeks for our kids...

She comes to class in time

and does her homework always fine

loves to sing and play
in class shes always bubbly & gay

Always a friend in your need
makes her a teachers pet indeed!!!!

Or for our very own Marathi version, गोरी गोरी पान ...

सासू-सासर्यांचा जी ठेवेल मान

नोकरी करून देखील घर ठेवील छान

प्रेम विवाह केला तरी रीतींचा ठेवील भान

जीन्स पैइन्त घालून देखील स्वय्पाखात ठ्ठान्न

तुझ्याच बरोबर सर्व परीवारावारासाठी असेल ती मौल्यवान

दादा मला अशीच एक वाहिनी आण

तुला वाढवताना ...

घेउनिया पंख चिमुकले

मज पोटी आलास तू

तुझ्या वाटेकडे डोळे लावले मग

विसरुनी  माझे जग

तुझ्या आवडी मला भावे

तुझ्या नावाडी मला नावडे

असे पाहता पाहता लागले

राहून राहून मला डोहाळे

तुझ्या मूर्तीची कल्पना

पुन्हा पुन्हा केली ध्यानी

तुझा साठी एव्हढी  ममता

वाटे का माझ्याच मनी

दिवस भर्ता लागली कळ

सोसेना मझ्या जीवाला हि झळ

नामस्मरण करता तुकाचे

पहाट झाली तुझ्या दर्शनी

धरुनी तुझी चिमुकली काया

अंतर्मनी माझ्या आली ती माया

म्हणता म्हणता झाली अशी

मी इवल्युश्या बाळाची जननी

दिवस जाता वाटू लागे

असीम आनंद नभात ना फावे

कुठे दडली होती हि 'आई'

तुझा जन्म होण्या आधी?

रात्रीची ती जागरणे

लांगोत्तीचे ते धुणे

करता करता विसरले

माझ्याच पुरते जगणे

छोट्या पावलाने पहिले पाउल टाकलेस

तुझ्या पडण्याच्या भीतीने ठोके मझे चुकले

ओठातून मग तुझ्या काहीतरी पुत्पुत्लास

'आई' कानी पडताच जीव माझा सुखावला

आता तू मोठा झालास

तुझ्या स्वभावाला रूप आले

हट्ट हि मग सुरूच झाले

घरच्यांनी हि प्रेमाने ते पुरवले

अश्यावेळी आईचे मन

झाले मात्र कठोर पण

तुला शिस्त लावणे

आहे आता माझ्याच माथे

तुझे चुकीचे वागणे

जरी तुला न कळे

तुज्या वरती हाथ उगारताना

काळीज माझेच हादरे

घरातल्यांचे धिक्कार

तुझ्या डोळ्यातले अश्रू चार

ठीज्जून टाकतात माझे हृदय पार

माझ्यातल्या  'आईचा'

 येतो मग मलाच राग

हा माझा अटाहास

कुणा न कळे जरी आज

तुला वळण लावल्यानेच

घडेल तुझा कणा ताठ

जगाची हि रीतच जणू

दिसतात सुंदर मातीचे घडू

पण घडवताना त्यांना

माखतात मात्र कुम्भाराचेच हात

एके दिवशी तूला  होईल न्याती

वाढवशील जेह्वा माझ्या  नाती

हसता खेळता व्हावे लागते

आपुल्यालाही कणखर मनाचे

तुला वाढवताना एकच इच्छा असते  ध्यानी

तुझीच सभ्यता दिसो  जनी

तुझे गुण-गान इतिहासाच्या पानी

मग विसरू दे भले कुणी हि तुझी जननी

तुला वाढवताना...

A ‘Deadly’ Career

While traveling to office every day, I pass by a lane that has hearse vans parked on both sides. Year on year whenever I see this place a strange feeling engulfs me. Today I saw few men working meticulously towards preparing the vehicle. They were giggling and having a good time at their job. My first reaction to this was how can one make a business out of a phenomenon called death?

As I began to calm my mind from this initial outburst, a host of services that we never really pay attention to come to my mind… A fact that we always prefer to shut our minds to

There is a whole range of occupations and businesses associated with this phenomenon right from the morgue attendants, to doctors who perform the post mortem procedures to crematorium operators to florists and grave diggers.

More peculiar ones associated with this sector of employment are the professional mourners as witnessed in the film ‘Rudali’ and another sect of Maharashtrian Brahmins community which specializes only in performing the last rites rituals for the departed. Long ago I had seen a play which sensitively describes the lives of this inauspicious sect and how they are always avoided during any auspicious occasion by the society.

On a lighter note, I would not be surprised if there are niche businesses like catering services and dress designers and even photographers for funeral ceremonies!

However, whenever I have thought about these people all I can do is have a pity on their lives and the kind of jobs that they perform. I wonder what goes in their minds when day in and day out they have to deal with the dead. For me, it’s a great effort even to clear out a dead cockroach out of the room…can’t imagine how these human beings live a life which is so stone hearted!

Pondering about this over the years, has led my thoughts in a different stream of thinking. To think of death as an event, I would describe it as -a person, who lives an honorable existence during his lifetime, is reduced to a mass of flesh and bones after his death. Within seconds we start referring to this honorable person as a ‘dead-body’ and immerse our efforts in a bid to dispose it off as quickly as possible.

There lies the key to the importance of these ‘Deadly’ careerists; of easing this process and graciously disposing the remains of the person! I think the only way to lead a peaceful life for those who fulfill these jobs are to assume a role of selfless service to the dead!

Recently I watched a Japanese movie named ‘Departures’ which beautifully portrays how a fulfilling career can be made out of assisting the departed person’s body on its journey gracefully and with dignity!

All in all, I always look up and salute these careerists because,

While a CEO in a large corporate can be easily replaced, I wonder whether the same would be true for a grave digger!

Its that time of the year again

Its that time of the year again

When we tend to forget all the pain

And not worry about the losses or gain

 dream about a holiday in Spain!

Walls and floors

Windows and doors

Back to fore

Are all polished to the core

Women in the homes toil

Deep fried in oil

Come the savories of the soil

Packed in sheets of silver foil

As the heat grows

Back at office the work slows

The shopping lists flow

Pretty ladies ensure their faces glow

Done with the exam fever

Tensions pushed down the sewer

Little children just so clever

 build mud forts by the river

As the darkness in the sky fills

Evil in the World it kills

Crackers that burst with a shrill

Lights and sounds define its thrill

The home coming ceremony of Lord Rama

Celebrated across the country with such drama

Festival of colour, lights and vigour

Bring back to life the crazy little murmurs

Its that time of the year again

When festive mood flows through our veins

Young and old in the same frame

 long awaited smiles they claim!