A Song...

The voice is a melody of a song composed in the serene silence of a hazy morn enveloped in grey mist.

The crimson rhododendron carpets the Earth with purple-red petals
that nauseates the senses with its tanginess.

The long slender bamboo rustles and sways in absolute harmony like in a dance.

The ever flowing water of the gurling brook knows no beginning and no end.

These and only these can bring forth such a song.

FALSITY

The name is a chant
The face a solace
The smile a sustenance
and the memory, a resolve
For a forward strife; thorny and barbed.
Yet, there’s hope and light.
For a promise is a promise.
It’s a word of a man and a man doesn’t fall by his word

'HIDE AND SEEK'

In the distant hill which is my haven, the Sun perennially plays, ‘hide and seek’ and fools people who are at Nature’s mercy. And, it seems to enjoy every bit of its prank! In the wee hours of morn the Sun’s rays forcefully makes way through little spaces between wooden beams and glass panes to the cozy dim lit rooms to proclaim its arrival and disturb their slumber.
Since bright sunny days are rare sight, people grab every moment of it. Every house is a buzz with activities that can only be done on such a day. Cloth lines are overflowing with mildewed , damp and washed clothes put out to dry and crisp in the natural heat .The close knit neighborhood is more like a ‘dhobi’s yard with clothes, clothes and more clothes. Everyday wear and fineries are ‘aired’ for the dampness to vanish. Everything possible is ‘sunned’, from suitcases to books to furniture to crockery to shoes to food items. Every door and window is open for the ‘warm blessed rays ‘to penetrate and take away the winter cold. Every face is a smile of accomplishment!
Sadly the accomplishment is short lived. The Sun is enveloped by thick black clouds making a sudden but bold appearance. It’s like the two are battling. Soon the faces vanish and everything is brought in lest the big natural water droplets wet them. The jovial mood is no longer jovial; it’s irritable and unpredictable, just like the weather,
Looks like the people of my home town are conditioned by the weather that blesses them with all four seasons in a day.

In the true spirit of 'Indianness"

What more could one wish for than an opportunity to watch IPL live in a typical Indian ambience!
We three folks went truly 'desi' yesterday with 'garama, garam chai', 'immense chaos' and 'a thrilling game of cricket'- the three C's that epitomizes India.
Actually, it was a matter of sheer luck and co incidence. Being Thursday we set out on a 'No-destination' drive in the full hope of getting 'somewhere' and doing 'something' that would spice up the weekend. And there it was, the neon light of 'Lamcy Plaza', beckoning us to head towards its direction and look no further! Without a second thought, my husband had the lane changed tothe leading to the 'hub' that would have us transported in spirit,to our 'desh'(country)for those three hours.
No, it wasn't a bad idea at all to be there with the luring 'sales upon sales'in all brands and the ever vibrant feel of the place. And, did I shop? Oh, yes! why not? We woman have a trade mark in that, don't we?
After all the trudging, the 'picking and leaving’, the confusion and the decision', the 'disheartening and the elation’, it was time for a 'Matka walla chai' at the one and only 'Bombay Chowpatti' in the well spaced out food court.
Yes, it was 9:30 p m but then who goes by routine on a weekend? That's the time to let go and 'jiyo bindaas'!
Had it been in India the 'chai' (tea) would be 'Malai(rich and creamy) walli' but one must speak the language of compromise in a distant land.
To our dismay, the 'matka' was replaced by the common, plain, white plastic cup but that didn't deter us from getting our 'cuppa'and grabbing the best table facing the nearest plasma suspended in the air. It was a bit of a streneous exercise for the neck but isn't that needed too ? It does more good than harm , does it not?
Soon we were in the spirit of the game and familiar with the team names. They were the Rajasthan Royals and the Knight Riders from Rajasthan and Kolkata respectively and their sponsors were no other than Bollywood 'badshah' (king) Sharukh Khan and the most talked about Shilpa Shetty's fiance.
And, the venue was Sahara Park, Newlands,South Africa.
The T 20 game could get no better with the match having a turn over with the appearance of Saurabh Ganguly ,( lovingly nicknamed, 'dada') who made a gallant 46.The team had a tied score at 150 in 20 overs each and a Super over was needed to decide its fate. Chris Gayle of Knight Riders took a single to kick off the FIRST Super Over in IPL history.Lady luck however, was all in favor of the Rajasthan Royals whose star player Yousef Pathan hit two 'sixes' and a 'four' to bring the score to 18 in an over in contrast to KR's 15.

I have to confess that my weekend had a 'kick start' with that nail biting match and the following one will be at Dubai's very own, 'state of the art' Sport's City Stadium for a first hand experience of the gentlemen's game as it was termed in the good old past.

The Magic Pebble by Nirlok Tamang.

One fine day, a boy named Nirlok was walking in the garden when suddenly a pebble hit him on the head. He took the pebble back to his room and when he closed the door, the pebble started to glow. It took him to a jungle.He kept the pebble in his pocket and went for a walk when all of a sudden a tiger appeared. The tiger went to get her cub. Nirlok growled at her and she went away. And then the pebble took him back home. He kept the magic pebble in a secret box.

Silence!

The key word to all the stress and the strain is 'silence'. However, the irony is that not all silence is welcome. The worst is the silence that death brings, it's unnerving and irreparable.
On the other hand, the silence of a serene place after the maddening traffic is heavenly! Nothing to beat the soothing effect that serenity can leave on our brains. The tranquility of the beach in the early hours of the morn or late evening can have similar impact. These places do wonders and are even considered 'therapies' for the 'stressed' and 'troubled’. One also needs time for one self, to be oneself and let lose.
The kind of silence that I personally abhor is the one that comes unexplained and all too suddenly. It wrecks your reasoning especially if you are the inquisitive type because you'd want an answer and there'd be none. It keeps playing at the back of your mind and destroys the normal tempo and yet all you can do is wonder. It's just too torturous! Nonetheless one has to learn to cope with it and find a solution.
Living is learning and you live life one day at a time. It's the mixture, the palette of experiences that makes you a complete person.

Owed to the Spell Checker : Author Unknown.

Eye halve a spelling checker
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marcs four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
It's rare lea ever wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it
Eye amshore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My checker tolled me sew.