Save for a rainy day !!

The little girl in red and white frock, jumped in the puddle; with muddy water splattered all over her. The sweet smile and water dripping from her curly black hair, added to make the picture perfect. The rain also danced to her steps and the rain drops falling on the puddle, rose higher and higher to touch her and be close to the child and shield her from the wind; wanting to blow the clouds away.

My daughter's excited voice brought me back to my warm home. Her wide eyes showed delight and excitement at having got up from her afternoon sleep to find the rain and all the excited children dancing and playing on the ground below. The sweet smell of wet earth was still fresh in the house.

'Can I go out and play ?' asked my daughter, excitedly. And out she went on hearing a yes and seeing a smile on my face.

I watched my daughter and all her friends having a nice time in the rain, getting wet and splashing in the water and a different look on their face. Even the trees and plants sported a new look. The flowers were also dancing to the tune of the raindrops. The wet grass shone like a green carpet and the grass blades trying to stay afloat the rain water. The birds were all grooming themselves and having a bath, the animals looking silently at the rain.

The rains had finally arrived to the dry region and arrive they did with a full thunderous shower.

I hurried in the kitchen to make some hot pakoras. They are expected at such times and I could already get a faint smell coming from the kitchen belonging to my neighbour. My daughter would surely hurry up and ask for a plateful.

By the time, my work was done, it was already over 2 hours since the rain started. I sat down on the cozy sofa and looked out of the window. The kids were now collectively working out some game and trying to build a barricade to trap the water. I wished to go out and play with the children. 'What is it that stops me ?' I wondered.

I went down to call my daughter for some hot pakoras. She looked at me with water dripping and her face lighting up with joy. 'Come on Aai ', she called out to me and came running towards me, to hold my hand and drag me into the cool and happy moments of getting drenched with water and mud and the joy of playing in the puddle.

All the kids gathered and around and we all played 'Ringa ringa...'The happiness was manifold and made me realise that I would rather save my mature behaviour for a rainy day than miss this joy away!

The Mirage

My grandpa once told me of a golden deer,
      running here there and everywhere;
Thought he saw water near
      Alas ! who would tell of the imaginery well nowhere.

Years passed, I grew big and strong
      My father told me of his animals and fields;
At the farm I felt the days short and nights long,
      I worked hard and realised my dreams.

I am a man now and living in luxury
      I have people working for me
And have nothing to worry ?
      Is it really? For I am rich only by money.
 
The market holds the cash in stacks,
      The banker boasts of lending so many.
The Bull and the Bear each patting on the backs
      Why am I standing so lonely ?

I dream to go away and own a farm
      How I remember my grandpa's words so warm !
'Aye my child ! The deer is safe in the foliage'
      'Alas !' I say, this is just a mirage.


 

Where am I ?

It is indeed a good experience to see Jackie Chan's movie. Most of them are full of comical fights and quick apt reactions. "Who am I", is one such movie that gave a similar enjoyable experience and made me go thinking of the title of the film and its relevance in today's world. So many a soul have wondered about the word 'I' in the title.

Indeed it is food for the mind to understand one's existence in this world, the purpose and the destiny that each has in store. So many articles have been written on soul, mind, self, God, destiny; indeed its human nature to question the real and accept the surreal. Man's existence lies in the fact of his ability and readiness to question himself. Nature has made such a wonderful creature ie a human and endowed superior qualities like intelligence(confirm with call center professionals' list of stupid questions), ability to adapt (ability to create hostile situations too!), ability to question self evaluate (examinations losing their credibility); the list can go on.

At this junction, I feel blessed just to study the environment or surrounding around me. 'Where am I?', is in fact a relevant question for me given the current times and things happening in the world. Its not just about the bombs exploding and killing innocent people, its more than that; its something to do with trying to terrorise the human mind and prodding it to distrust the other soul. What good will come out of all this distrust? Man is driving the economy or is the economy driving the man? Aren't we running after the stock market, which probably is after just a market; a place to shop but not stop. I am sure it is not going to take care of mother nature or our future generation.

Why is it that along with the distrust and no clear destination for mankind, do we still continue to keep our eyes closed to the real truth? Only HE knows.

Our daily needs have no limit and we keep on craving for more and more. Our grandparents lived in a different era where men and women had different roles in the family and society. Their needs were basic and they craved for more; this was achieved successfully by the next generation, our parents. Indeed they had all that their parents had and to top it all they also managed to get more materialistic things. But their wants did not end there, they left the seed of wanting more in their children. Did we not get all that our parents had and tried to do even better by having still more materialistic comforts ? Are we not facing the problems of exercise and obesity ?

The problem of dissatisfaction still remains, only its nature changes. We are still in want of something. What is this something ? Is it materialistic comforts or is it physical well being or is it the spiritual well being ? None as an individual can take us to the destination, and to make matters worse, we don't know what is the destination and the journey. Saints have come and gone and spoken about the combination of all the three does lead to salvation. Our mind is too small to understand the true meaning of salvation, but doing our bit in keeping our mind, body and soul rejuvenated, is what leads to true happiness.

The journey that we undertake is what defines who we are, where we are. Let the journey be the destination and not a means for the final destination. 'Where am I ?' is not a question asked by a person who is lost, it is rather for a person who wants to go somewhere.