27 March 2023

 Displaced

Yes we are displaced children

Of our multi-faceted Creator

And yet

Here we are

Seekers of our own truth

Faltering and steadying

Again and again

Starting off sometime in victim mode

And then veering back to the centre

Our own centre 

Which hold our own pots of nectar

Hidden behind translucent veils

Of self-doubt and self-pity

Can things really fall apart 

When the Centre holds fast.





25 March 2023

Pathhik

Kahaan se tu aaya
Kidhar ja raha
Kaun jaanta hai

Beete andheron ko chhod
Ujaalon mein chal
Aur phir ruk waheen

Na hil dul 
Aage picche na ho
Reh tu stthir

Khud apne prem ki chhaya mein
Apne aap se prem kar
Kyunki khud mein hi Khudaai hai







13 April 2021

Few drops of Nectar

Love That Elusive Ephemeral Butterfly 
That sometimes comes to stay and 
Sometimes flies away too soon

Did it come and perch on your cheek
Or snuggle in your heart
And stayed or been pried out
By hapless word or action

Did it return or forever vanish
Or did it peer in unasked for 
From an unthought of place

Did it come and go or
Did it come to settle
Did you make a choice
Did you even try 

Did you feel a stubborn need to
Hold on to a few drops of nectar 
Whilst you still live your humdrum life
Were you ready to risk it all

Or did you want to maintain 
Balance and not upset anything
Too much. And curtailed and
Compartmentalized emotions for various parties

Duties and various kinds of bonds.
And did you try to make peace
Within yourself rather than hanker for more
=To be content with a few drops of nectar
And no more.














14 August 2019

Prana The rider of air

Link upon link
Bone upon bone

Hard yet ephemeral 
Tissue, ligament, tendon and muscle

Gossamer web of
Nerves and veins

Each cell - a Being
A magnet to its own

Clinging, sticking
Making a larger form

Laced with comings and goings
Of The Breath

Life it is astride Air
The rider leaves

Certainty prevails
Can a visitor stay forever?

Form falls apart
Fragmented
Slow dissolution into mud 

While Life rides air
And flies away
❤️






24 November 2016

My love story

                                
Even after taking citizenship of another country I remain Indian. I got myself an OCI status for ease of travel back to the earth I am most accustomed to, and yet-

The bond only deepens each day.
It is a bubbling over in the heart
It pervades and takes me over
Every cell rings with it
What is it, oh what is it that I feel?
Words fall short, that is their nature.


I had to let go twice to live overseas. Letting go- my achilles heel. I know that all it takes is to sink into the ‘right now’ and I do. The umbilical cord never really severs, does it? All the time, right inside is a soft and insistent tug.

My daughter has remarked that she has never heard anyone else talk about India as much as I do :) I have no idea if this was a compliment or not but I take most things at face value to keep life simple.

I live a fairly busy life but like to think I have struck a balance between work and leisure. Now leisure to me is anything in which I am totally immersed- singing, writing while listening to music, ( generally to old hindi songs on Radio Purani Jeans), being walked by my dog etc. Work is cooking/cleaning/all paid work.

I also take Ms.G for her various sports/music/dance classes and go to social events of the spiritual/entertaining kind. 

Despite this some part of me hovers in and around India all the time. Strange phenomenon this. I live here and also exist elsewhere.
Reminds me of Hariharan's gazal- Main khayaal hoon kisi aur ka mujhe sochta koi aur hai :)

                   indian lotus nelumbo

15 November 2016

Sweet music

As long as us humans have existed we have loved sound I guess. I can imagine our ancestors the cave-men, sitting besides a waterfall after their day's hunt, listening to the gurgling sounds of the water, bird-song and the rustling of leaves. Stones, sticks etc would have come next I imagine and thus slowly along with other discoveries and inventions, musical instruments would have come into being.

                             My little one and I love music to bits. All kinds. I sing. She plays three instruments (Violin, Flute and Coronet)- been learning them for an year now and is coaching herself on a fourth ( a Casio keyboard) at home. She sings too but does not like to sing in public. At all. I leave her to herself and let her work this out for herself. She will in due time.

                               Chatting with my mum as I drove her to her table-tennis club this morning, drew a nugget forth, which I will share.

                               My ammamma (maternal grand mum), was generally seen with a crochet needle and ball of thread in a bag stuck at her waist in her free time. A child bride she was, who came to my Nana's (Maternal grand pa) home in Kamptee, from Andhra and knew only Telugu at that point. It is a mystery as to when and how she taught herself Hindi so fluently as to read the Col: Ranjit's jasoosi upanyaas, (detective novels) which she had stuck under her arms as she ambled around the house amiably.

She played the Harmonium, Violin and sang.

As her children grew up, ten of them, she played harmonium while one of her daughters who took music lessons, sang. Somewhere along the path of life, her own singing took a back seat and disappeared.

We, her grandchildren, never got to hear her sing or play either of the instruments.

                    Love you Ammamma.

                                                                 Indian instruments

31 October 2016

Dumbing down- a 141 word post

I have had an uneasy feel about THIS and this came to the forefront in my head after reading a post shared by a blogger friend.
What THIS is - a sense that all over the world there are groups of all sorts that are working at a mass and individual 'dumbing down'.
This could sound like paranoia but it is true, just take a hard, penetrating look around

1. The media- tele-vision, papers, tabloids, social-media, commercials...
2. Politicians
3. Industrialists
4. Love-bombers
5. Individual manipulators in our circles



Finally all of it comes from a person or a group of manipulators whose aim is to pull the shutter down on the clear thinking faculties of people for his/her/their personal gain- material or emotional.



Dear reader, go on and tell me your thoughts in the comments section. What do you think?


19 September 2016

A peek into well-being- a yoga interview.


 Dear readers, bloggers, writers and friends,
I am going to do a series of interviews with a variety of people. The common thread is that they are promoting well-being on Mother Earth, in one way or the other.
                                                   
Firstly a few words from me :)

However high a tree may rise towards the sky, its roots need to be firmly entrenched in the ground. Likewise whichever way our society goes, we need to stand steadfast to our country’s inherent wisdom.

Yoga is of prime importance and even a few of the eight limbs, when pondered upon and followed work as an elixir and fortify us against stress.

Lifestyle diseases which are rampant today are mainly a by-product of the thoughtless lifestyle and stress which accumulates unbeknownst to us, in large part due to the needless speed in every aspect of life. Yoga slows things down to their natural pace.

Valuable lessons that comes to us from yoga:
1. Figure out what connecting to oneself means and to re-connect again and again, for the term ‘yoga’ itself means to unite, with oneself and with the universe at large, starting from our immediate surroundings.

2. Slow down

3. Develop an awareness of our thought processes and understand that we can choose our thoughts, or at least which thoughts to give primacy to.

4. Be mindful in general, be it of our food, sleep and other habits, or even of our posture and other unconscious tendencies.

5. Understand that we are housed in a body which serves us well if we give it a little attention, stretch it a little, bend, twist a little and most importantly breathe easy.

A peek into well-being



Now to the interview section of this post

Today I am talking to Mr. Raj Pandey, who I thank for sharing the below with me.


Q. What got you interested in Yoga? What are the lessons you have learnt from it?

A. I had a yoga institute close to my house in India when I was a young boy. I started going with my friends and gradually I started liking it. Later on, I learnt yoga with several great masters, such as BKS Iyengar, Osho, Swami Ram and Swami Satyam. I learnt many different types of yoga from them, like Hatha yoga, Kundalini yoga, Kriya yoga etc.

Q. Lessons I have learnt from yoga up until now are:

A. My yoga practice has taught me that life is not a competition. It is not a competition to win, to be better than anyone else. It taught me to know my own strengths and weaknesses. I learnt how to enjoy every moment of life by knowing who I am and what the goal of my life is. I learnt that the same divine force or energy dwells in every living and non-living being on the planet. I leant how to laugh in every situation without being judgmental.

Q. How long have you been a yoga teacher? What prompted you to become a teacher in the first place?

A. I have been practicing and teaching yoga for approximately 30 years now, having taught extensively in India, Oman and Australia. My Yoga Guru Swami inspired and motivated me to be a lifelong yoga student. I don’t like to call myself a yoga teacher. 

Q. How important do you think Yoga is in this fast paced world? What are the most valuable lessons we can learn from it?

A. Yoga has more relevance in the present society than ever before. The world is gradually dividing into small fragments, fragments like cast, creed and religion. If yoga is taught in its totality to an 8 year old child, then it will bring unity, harmony and peace to the society and world.

Q. Did yoga bring about a positive change in your life? If yes, what are the life lessons you have learned from it?

A. The word ‘yoga’ itself means union and harmony first with everything around you, and finally with the divine. Yoga has given me enormous things like health, strength, watchfulness on my emotions, and focus in my work. Yoga has given me great tools, such as mindfulness, to excel in my job as a high school Physics and Math teacher. Finally, Kriya yoga has brought tranquility and serenity to my mind and existence, which helped me learn who I am (self-realization).

Q. Many prefer to train their bodies and reduce fat in gym lifting weights. Do you think, they should be doing Yoga instead?

A. Unfortunately, in western world and even in India, people think that Yoga is only physical exercises, such as the poses. Yoga is more than that. It brings harmony in life on many levels. It brings a positive radical change in life. Exercising in the gym only works on the body but yoga works in every possible dimension.   

Q. As a yoga teacher, what are the valuable life lessons that one can apply in their day-to-day life?

A. The basic desire of a human being is to live in harmony with oneself and the environment. Nowadays in the modern world, more emotional and physical demands are constantly placed upon many aspects of life. Consequently, many people suffer from physical and mental tensions or stress, like anxiety and insomnia. This is why techniques for the attainment and improvement of health through physical, mental and spiritual harmony are of great importance. This can be easily achieved by practicing and incorporating yoga in daily life. Yoga is for everyone, regardless of age or health conditions. Yoga gives us valuable, practical instructions for the body, breath, concentration, relaxation and meditation.

(He is a member of YTISA and Yoga Australia. He has approximately 30 years of yoga experience and has taught extensively. He has accumulated a wealth of knowledge in a wide and varied background of various forms of yoga and meditation including Hatha yoga, Kriya yoga, Kundalini yoga, Therapeutic yoga, Sahaj yoga, and Pranayama. Raj is a trained meditation instructor in: Solar (to hold energy from the sun), Lunar (to hold energy from the moon), Nada Brahma (ceaseless ever expanding Sound), Dynamic (to remove pent up emotions), Kundalini (to awaken subtle energy), Vipassana and many more. Raj also has experience with Reiki, Pranic Healing and Acupressure)


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What did you think of this whole post dear reader? Did the length deter? Did the series I have begun interest you? Did you find the information here helpful?


Do share :)                                               

      
                                                        
Admiral's arc, Kangaroo island
                                         

13 September 2016

Meditation- a poem and a guest post :)

Happiness People Csp13461963   Search Clipart Illustration Drawings
To drop from the head into the body,
Get aware of the inhale expanding the body
Watch the exhale release itself and also
Release everything that needs releasing.

It is this and keeps us in the now and
The immediate HERE
Gets us out of the constant pendulum
That the mind can become.

What is scary about this I ask you
Nothing. Let us give up the notion we
May have of what it is and allow
Ourselves to accept that it is simple

And accessible. Let us begin with the
Breath and end with the breath for what else
Does life begin with and end with
Breath to breath is all we need

Breath to breath is all we have.
A gift most precious.


Dear reader, I have had a first and who doesn't love firsts :) Aditi asked me to do a guest post for her www.dancebible.com  on a topic I had never written on. Dance. So I thanked her and wrote the guest post

It is on Bharat Natyam and how it benefits children. Needless to say the same applies to adults.

What are your thoughts on meditation and the beautiful dance form Bharat Natyam? Do share :)

2 September 2016

What no one tells you about being a parent.

No one is obliged to spill the beans
No one is bound to tell
Even if one does dare take up
The task of unmasking every cell.

Umbilical cord severed physically 
Actually severs never ever.
Urge to put baby back into embryo
To keep safe and sound from every fever.

Innards twist at the slightest inkling
Of any discomfort to the little one.
This is the very heart walking around, in the 
Shape of a child you have won.

Soft - vulnerable heart, outside the body
Out of the protective casing of ribcage, flesh and sinew.
This - only a pinch of how it feels and
I will try no more except to urge myself, and

You and you and you my reader
 Not that you need the urging one bit.
To care and tend and yet not stifle.
Keeping personal struggles at bay,

When around the child, let us
Allow ourselves to rejoice while we may.
Be a child with the child, firm not harsh
When the need arises for oh yes- it does everyday.

Eternally oscillating from tender love to 
Marking out clarity, let us read, ruminate, 
Speak out our love and blessing 
And be not too rigid all the time,

With the offspring, who is as we speak
Every moment becoming more and more
Individual. Nurture their nature.
Give in to material demand, in balance, 

This is a toughie in this day and age.
Not so much that they lose value
Not so less that there is hidden discontent
Day after day we grow alongside

If we let ourselves, putting fallacies and fakeness
Aside. Grow up once again, gain dimension and depth
Finally to let go, for we are only given a while 
To play out our role in divine drama - 

Unconditional, eternal, infinite.








8 August 2016

Essence. What I got from the 7 day blog challenge #Barathon

The freezing cold from the last 3 months had seeped into every pore, creativity ebbed low. My blog saw an occassional post. 
                                      Then came the Barathon, at just the right time. I decided to write very short posts unlike my A to Z challenge posts which one way or the other tend not to be short. My blog began to smile and cheer up with daily visits from me and friendly bloggers and readers. 
                        Om, Omkaara and Takshak emerged and wove there way in and out of my 7 day tale. The three of them, the monkey, various animals and I, thanks all of you who read and cheered me on from start to finish. 
                              The writing muscles got their much needed exercise and also the Sun has begun to visit us a little more, the last few days perking everyone up around here. Hob nobbing with the other bloggers brought cheer and warmth. Manuscripts lying around have begun to be gathered up with a new vigour and resolve. 
                                      Kudos to the admin team at the BAR. Congratulations to everyone who took part in any way. Now I am off to read and comment.
                                                        Field Of Poppies, Sun, Spring, Nature
                         
                                    

7 August 2016

Last day, A tiny tale. Day#7 #Barathon

He slithered out and tucked the apple back into the cavernous recesses of his throat, promising himself that he would get the better of the innocents, he was out to lure.
             Omkaara and Om were out of sight now. Takshak followed them, sometimes on land, sometimes shooting across tree branches. They seemed to have disappeared. He tried to breathe in their odours but could smell nothing that could give him any information about the path they had taken.
          Across a large lake, in a large patch filled with banyan trees, a monkey had taken the couple under its wing and taught them the art of swinging from tree to tree. Omkaara and Om soon were adept at this, the aerial roots giving them ample opportunity to practise.
                     Having filled themselves with berries, they curled up, intertwined, atop a wide branch. They were hard to discern, their brown skins blending with the brown skin of the branch they slept on.
    Takshak made his way to where they lay, finally having smelt them. He pushed the apple between their faces. They had to notice it and take a bit or two, for sure. He sat on the branch right on top of theirs and tried to stay awake.
                 The monkey who was still up and about, returned and seeing the juicy, red fruit snatched it and bit into it. Takshak lashed out with his tail but to no avail. They monkey hopped off the tree and was soon out of reach, along with the apple.
                                    The duo slept on, while Takshak slunk back to the nether worlds, shame faced.
                   





I am writing a seven part short story as a part of the BARATHON, a week long blog event at Blog-A-Rhythm, each part based on a prompt. Go all teams and in particular #Orange Tango :)



BARATHON

6 August 2016

Nearing the end, A tiny tale, Part 6. Day #6 #Barathon

Instinctively she reached out and touched the shiny blobs and then recoiled when she realised that the blobs ended on a dangerous looking visage, different from the animals she had seen.
                    The little shoes had changed into round golden blobs, Takshak noticed. His skills needed brushing up. While he mulled over this, Om woke up too and sat up near Omkaara, staring at what lay in front of them.
                  Coughing out the apple, Takshak placed it near the couple and sped backwards until he was behind a large banyan tree. He watched eagerly, waiting to see the apple eaten. Much to his chagrin the duo ignored the fruit, arose and sped off in the opposite direction.
                     This apple business had started to get harder amd harder on his nerves. The gem he had his eye on would soon be wishful thinking if he didn't change his tactics. At other times, in other places, this had been a piece of cake, thought Takshak, letting out a deep sigh which came hissing out of him.


I am writing a seven part short story as a part of the BARATHON, a week long blog event at Blog-A-Rhythm, each part based on a prompt. Go all teams and in particular #Orange Tango :)



BARATHON

5 August 2016

A tiny tale part 5 Day#5 #Barathon #Blogarhythm

The pair gambolled, at ease with their surroundings, at one with the animals. A large thorn pierced Om's foot and he stopped to remove it and gaze at the red liquid drops on his under foot. In the meantime Omkaara had curled into a ball on a patch of grass and fallen asleep. Om walked away. He came upon a lake and jumped in and flailed his arms and legs in abandon. Emerging in a while he made his way back and fell asleep beside Omkaara.
               Grass and dry leaves rustled. Animals, big and small scurried off to hide. Takshak looked at the sight with glee. His prey was right in front of him, but oh no, they had fallen asleep. He had to wake them up somehow. He wanted to be done and go back to where the Sun did not shine.
               His fangs emerged witth two tiny shoes at their ends. Shiny material of mirage, he was an adept at this trick he had learned on his grandpa's lap, a hundred years ago. Moving closer, he tap tapped at Om's wounded foot with the shoes to no avail. Grimacing, he patted Omkaara's arm. She sat up with a start and glared, goggle-eyed at this strange thing with shiny tips.


I am writing a seven part short story as a part of the BARATHON, a week long blog event at Blog-A-Rhythm, each part based on a prompt. Go all teams and in particular #Orange Tango :)



BARATHONOrange Tango

4 August 2016

Part 4 of A tiny tale. Day #4 #Barathon #Blogarhythm #Orange Tango

The last time he had been sent on a similar mission, Takshak had been caught red handed, napping on a banyan bough, his belly heavy with his favourite meal of apples and rabbit.
His eyes turned into slits as he firmed his resolve of getting hold of the duo and seducing them into sharing an apple with him. This was no run of the mill apple, it was one crafted by Dushtakarma and full of a sweet liquid. Once bitten into, all kinds of strange desires would seep into the hapless person's veins and make them do all kinds of things. Currently it lay hidden in a cavity in his throat.

In the meantime, Om and Omkaara had walked across the Aranyaka forests and reached a clearing. Here they ran behind a herd off deer, chasing them and imitating their style of running. Laughter rang out and filled all directions.


BARATHON
Orange Tango

I am writing a seven part short story as a part of the BARATHON, a week long blog event at Blog-A-Rhythm, each part based on a prompt. Go all teams and in particular #Orange Tango :)

3 August 2016

Fragile Lives- Part 3 Day #3 #Barathon #Orange Tango

Satiated, they ambled off into the horizon, blissfully unaware of how fragile their life and that of the place they were in was going to be.
Unbeknownst to them Takshak, a dark and venomous being had emerged from the nether worlds and slithered around in search of the newly hatched pair. Deformed and stragely shaped, all the underground dwellers had chosen him to do their task.
                     He was to find the innocents and lure them to his dark world. Once he had done this he would be rewarded with a new Mani for his hood.





I am writing a seven part short story as a part of the BARATHON, a week long blog event at Blog-A-Rhythm, each part based on a prompt. Go all teams and in particular #Orange Tango :)
BARATHON
Orange Tango

2 August 2016

What You Do Not Know - tiny story contd. Day #2 # Bar-A-Thon

The creatures stretched and ambled towards one another on hind legs. As they walked they stood taller and taller, until they seemed quite straight. The Sun's rays caught their hair and skin and glinted.
Opening it's mouth one of them, the female emitted a gurgle and tried to match her voice with the hum in the background which had begun to fade. The male did the same and they both tested out their voices, while the birds flew down from their perches to take a look.
             The fully grown creatures had no idea of what they were and where they were. All they could sense was that there was some burning sensation in their bellies which demanded appeasement. They began to nibble at tree-bark and leaves. Venturing further fruit was found and liked. Juice dribbled down their mouths as they downed mango after mango.
BARATHON
What You Do Not Know

1 August 2016

Stranger than fiction- The start of a very tiny tale. Day #1 #Bar-A-Thon

The shell began to crack, the large egg moved a little and then fell apart. A creature, all wrinkled, skin moist- staggered out. Two legs, two arms a head and a torso. The sound vibrations continued- sonorous and earth shaking. Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm reverberated through the trees, the land, rivers, mountains and the skies. Another creature emerged from a neighbouring egg, stretched its limbs and looked around, squinting its eyes.

Stranger than fiction

8 July 2016

Always.

Agony unleashed and lashed out
Leaving no markings, no welts

The body wracked by turmoil
Began to cave in and implode

You came, you always do
In some shape, form or manner

Washed out and cleansed
Taking away the needless

Leaving behind comfort and peace
And a certitude most quiet

You always hover around 
In the dust, the air, the people

Waiting for the space- to step in.
Image result for Free Graphics with No Copyrights

22 June 2016

The monkey that spoke English- short story

Here's a little tale. Of a creature with a tail.


I found a monkey and named him Puttu.
Actually he found me.
In a train.
The train was about to pull out of the station when a furry bundle hurled itself on me and clung to my neck.
My first instinct was to jump up and brush off whatever it was that had latched onto me.
A little baby monkey fell to the seat and gazed at me with doleful eyes.

Wonder of wonders.
I looked out of the window to try and hand him back to his mum. There was no other monkey in sight. I looked at the other passengers for help on the issue. Everyone shrugged. A man told me to 'dump the creature' onto the platform.
In the meantime the little fella slunk out of sight and sat hidden behind my back.

I resigned myself to taking him home with me.
My home. A sprawling quarter acre piece of land with an old style house which would need to be pulled down soon. It had been built a 100 years back and had stayed in my family since.
I lived here with my husband, daughter and our pets.
2 dogs, a cat and a few hens.

What would happen if I added a monkey to the mix? I had to wait and see, didn't I?

My husband groaned when he saw me arrive, a suitcase and a new creature in tow. I had a penchant for bringing home strays and after that it usually fell to the practical person in the house to drop off the newcomer to the RSPCA.
 My daughter squealed in delight. 'Will it bite?' This had always been her first question when faced by a new animal. "Hasn't tried to bite me yet,' said I not meeting my husband's eye.
I put him in an empty bird cage in the backyard and rushed to the shower.

Later that night after my daughter was in bed, I was taken to task.
'How could you bring a wild creature home, what if he has some disease and infects us all?'
'He clung on to me and wouldn't let go. I had no choice,' I  replied lamely.
'We'll see what to do with it tomorrow,' he spoke with finality. I had nothing to say.

The next morning I sauntered into the kitchen to make my morning cup of tea and heard my daughter talking to someone in the backyard.
The excitement of the previous night must have woken them early I thought and looked out of the big picture window. Her father was nowhere in sight.
She was talking to the monkey and despite our instructions had taken him out of the cage and held him gently on her lap, as she sat on the wooden bench. The monkey was answering her questions.

My eyes popped out of my head and I ran out to check. I must be hallucinating.

The little creature was actually talking, same as you and me and was speaking in English, clean and unaccented.
I could have simply asked him where his mum was instead of bringing him along with me, I thought distractedly, another part of my mind wondering if I had gone raving mad.

'How did you fall down and how come the fall didn't wake you up? someone was rudely shaking me by the shoulder. I opened one eye and saw my husband looking at me as I lay bundled in my quilt on the floor, next to the kingsize bed.
'It can speak English,' I said.
'Who, what?
'The monkey, it can speak in English,' couldn't he understand, how daft of him.

The silly man burst into peals of laughter. My daughter sat up in bed rubbing her eyes. I sat up, my quilt still around me and looked at them trying to look as dignified as possible in the given circumstances.


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