Leaves Of Grass

Two Seeds of a Pod,  Planted alike,
Destined differently, when Nature would Strike.

Reared in the same Soil, One Sun on them will Shine
Two Seeds of a Pod, each, to a separate path will Align

Time was a friend this far, seeds grown into leaves of Grass.
Two leaves, Together , the ill-fates they could Surpass.

Seasons they saw, Years that went past,
Young leaves of grass, in a happy place were cast.

Each growing to new dreams, hearts filled with joy,
But Time was about to turn a foe, Who was to Ploy?

Fields golden, turned fiery red one day,
Dreams caught fire, only ashes were to Stay.

Taller leaf, shielded the stunted one,
Took the blaze on , but a word said none.

Fire went Off, But the charred leaf withered,
Stunted one's love and hope went scattered.

Cursing the stars, which appeared on twilight,
Leaves of Grass, today a sacrimony of this plight..

Looking for that perfect horizon..

I visited my parents a few days back. They stay in a quiet non-metropolis. While brewing a cup of tea in the kitchen, I saw a thatched roof and tin walls of a small hut right outside our window.

It was almost falling apart and the walls were caving in. The heavy monsoons had caused a mini puddle inside the hut. I asked my mom if it was inhabited. After all, who could stay in the slush pool..

My mom replied that it was an ex-Army officer who stayed there. He had an injury in his shoulder due to extensive bullets and could not continue in the Army any longer. To feed his family, he took this job of looking after a plot of land. The plot owner had asked him to be a watch-guard there. So he setup his own hut there and managed his meals by cooking over stones and coal. He occasionally sweeps the slush out when it over flows.

This ex-Army guard had once told my mom how he misses having chapatis.. He can cook them for sure, but due to his shoulder injury, he cannot knead the dough or roll them with a pin. It hurts him each time he tries it.

My mother would occasionally give him food, but she lives on a lonely road and was worried about constant interaction with strangers. She could not give him chapatis everyday and if she did, he would crave them more, incase she could not provide for it.

I thought it wasn't fair, but then it crossed my mind that we live in  a world where we cannot trust strangers. Dad leaves for work each day, while my mum and sister stay at home. SO I gave up the thought of persuading her to give him food, even occasionally. 

Now whenever I put a morsel of that hot roti in my mouth, I feel grateful. I guess that is why god is in small things.

Here was a man, who served his country , got shot in the arm and lives a life full of struggles to make ends meet. While I live in a fabricated world of perceived perfection, away from the real struggles.

It is our constant perseverance to ask for more.. from life, from our surroundings and from ourselves.

We live lesser 'in the moment' each day. Our lives are now digital records of every day activities (obnoxious selfies and location tags on Facebook and Whatsapp),  where Personal spaces are trifled with over-communication.

It is always about Better jobs, higher salaries, move to a better country/city, bigger cars, fancier lifestyles and some more obnoxious selfies and thus Emptier minds.

In this rush, I have missed many a little pleasures, which I want to cherish. Every now and then I remind myself to live at peace with the moment, be grateful, do what my heart says, take risks cause i have the liberties to do so, and look beyond that perfect horizon. so that I do not miss the vision of simple pleasures right under my nose..

Divided by Opinions, United by Intent

Elections in the country has given rise to the latest fad of 'political debates'. Facebook, twitter, newspapers, office coffee breaks, dinner table...these discussions are following me everywhere.
Social media and web have also played a significant role in people expressing their support openly. There is so much more to read, absorb and form opinions about.
This is democracy  - differences of opinion, all being heard for a careful vote towards the majority.
I am happy to experience this information age, but it comes with it's backlash. The more opinionated people get and more they want to be heard, the debates thereafter take a devastating turn from being informative to just a mud slinging session. It is very typical of Indians to point the flaws, but I have seen very few resolving ambiguity and conflicts.
Why do we conflict over opinions? Every Indian wants the same basics from their government, whichever candidate or party they may choose. I do not mean to support any party and I personally feel that these opinions should never become a personal agenda for spreading negativity towards anyone. How different are we then, from these politicians who have always intended this polarization for their vote banks. We are giving them what they need, by turning our daily conversations into war zones, over nothing.
Sit back and think, the politicians who claim to be either 'honest', 'industrious' or 'secular' have been attacking each other in the most childish ways possible. Why should we turn into them ?
Having an opinion and supporting the party is one, but limit it to making the right choice or helping someone with information so that he/she may make his /her choice..
Don't bear the cross of the political party on your forehead, spam people's inboxes with defamatory material on the opponents.. Rise above this division they want to create and look beyond.
Governance can change a lot, but for our country, the most important change is to stay united, peaceful and work towards the future we want. After all, we may be divided by opinions, but are surely united by our intent for a progressive future for this country. 

Bond of SisterHood

There are some relations were are born into and then there are those we find on our way, around everyday life..
I chanced upon one such amazing bond, a couple of years back.. 

I was just learning to drive back then & enjoyed taking my car out whenever I had a chance.. I had to meet an old friend , who stayed a few kilometres away from my home. He asked me if I could come over to his place as he had to be home when his 'kid' sister returned from her classes...So I drove that night to his place.
We had been friends for over a decade, but I had never met or heard about his younger sister before. I thought it was endearing to have such care for one's siblings..

I reached his place and rung the bell, as the door opened His 'little' sister walked out..Just that she wasn't as 'little' as I had thought.. She taught Science to students and just got home from her regular lectures.. She looked nothing like a typical teacher. She had her hair all tied up and was wearing a simple Kurti and jeans..She smiled at me and spoke for a bit..

I don't know what struck, but I had an instant liking towards her. The friend I drove down to meet that day, is now my husband and he told me later, that night when I had come to meet him, his 'little' sister had teased him about me and said, 'Sweet girl'...
Sometimes I think, maybe that one word  from her, was one of the things that got Deven to think about me... maybe that got us closer ..She was by my side all through, as I entered a big joint family which spoke a language I had never heard before... She was my translation and dictionary...
In her I found a friend, a confidant and above all a sister. We have spent some great moments giggling , letting our hair down and just 'being ourselves' in each other's company.

Now that little sister has grown up to find her better half..I saw her gracefully greet her future in-laws as she looked beautiful in a traditional sari..I saw her off, to his car as she left with him. I opened the car door for her so that her pretty sari doesnt get stuck anywhere..and as I closed the door and watched her go.. in a very filmy style, my mind ran a flashback from that first day I saw her..And I felt lucky to have met and known her..This is one of those few 'not-blood' bonds that will stay with me and only grow stronger with time..Here's wishing my little sister all the happiness that she has been spreading across, and more.. (muah)..

The Bystander

Life is an amazing gift. In whatever form we have it, we should be glad about it.
I don't mean to philosophize , but it is true.

People so casually crib about little things in life and eventually that becomes their way of life. They have these dry conversations about how tough or meaningless life can get..

Why so? I ask myself. Maybe, in trying to get the 'bigger' picture , we miss out the finer details..Thus, it's best to break life into simpler/smaller pieces and live it with the little joys it has to offer.

I have compartments to my life, each obscure from the other. Though these may interlink at some point, but it's best to keep it this way, till you can..

As work pressures & responsibilities increase, we tend to take ourselves too seriously. I have personally heard this from some very bright young minds I have met - " What is the purpose of my life?".. I mean why are you waiting to find that purpose..Just define it !!

The most complicated questions are always the ones with the simplest answers.It's the attitude towards situations that changes everything.

It's very simple to switch off and eliminate the negativity. It makes me so happy that I can easily tune off or ward off these elements from my life. I believe I can take charge of my life and that makes me love it even more. My happiness is what I create.. I don't just want to be a bystander to my life.. I want to be the one who defines it..

The sweet smell of Nostalgia

The start of 2014 has brought me reminiscence from my past.  I spent time with mom like good old days, stayed in the house where I grew up, she fed me well with her delightful recipes and I travelled with her to the beautiful Gujarat.

I picked up pieces of my life which I had lost over time, it was beautiful..

As humans we experience layers of emotions throughout our life. Even the most insensitive amongst us, who do not acknowledge or agree to having felt these emotions, fall prey to ‘Nostalgia’.

As we live through the fragments of our lives, it is good sometimes to go back in time and relive life, as it used to be. It reminds you, where you began and gives a retrospective view of the several journeys one has taken as a person.

While living my life this month, the way I used to, I remembered my old ambitions as a kid. I have opened up to the child in me and I am now listening to what she once wanted to be when she turned 30.. I hope to catch up with her more often and fulfill more of her dreams.. I am certainly more capable now to pick up from where I left..

On this note, the sweet smell of the past must be bottled safely, to be smelt every now and then - the fragrance of nostalgia, it is.