Sometimes

Sometimes just a word
Brings a smile
Sometimes just a word
Brings tears

Sometimes just a word
builds courage
Sometimes just a word
brings fear

Sometimes just a word
encourages you
Sometimes just a word
demoralises you

Sometimes just a word
fills you with love
Sometimes just a word
Makes you hate yourself

Sometimes just a word...............

Viewpoints

Anuj- Anuj sat in a foul mood. He and his father had had an argument early in the morning which had left both of them in a rotten mood.

He was starting his Tenth Board exams the next day and the first paper was Maths, a subject which he loathed. It was such a pleasant morning that he wanted to go out and sing. But his father was always after him to do well in studies especially maths because it was scoring. And said that music was alright as a hobby but not as a career.

But being an engineer would maybe earn him money but not satisfacion, but would his father understand that?

Mr. Mishra- Mr. Mishra understood what Anuj was going through. In his youth he too loved to write, he had even joined a weekly but the pay was so pathetic that he was not able to support his family. And so he had become a salesman and had remained so for the last 20 years. Oh why couldn't Anuj understand that music was good as a hobby and unless you were a Pandit Jasraj, it couldn't support you financially?

Mrs. Mishra- Mrs. Mishra was torn between father and son. She understood what her husband was saying and she understood what her son was going through but how could she make each understand the others viewpoint but most important what was the best way through?

Anushka- She was the youngest and still 2 years away from the Big menace-10th board.

She wanted to be an IITian and had already made plans to reach THERE. But mom and dad were always behind bhaiya because he was a SON.  Let him do what he wants, I will be an IITian and look after them in their old age and if need be she would look after bhaiya too. What was the fuss all about; let him follow his dreams.

And then came Holi

Aruna gave final touches to her rava ladoos.

Growing up in Karkala, Karnataka, Holi didn’t have much significance, but marriage and then coming to this township, it had. So apart from Gudi Padva, Rakshabandhan , Dussehra, Deepavali, Holi too had an important place in her festival list now. So here she was now preparing sweets and snacks for Holi but with a heavy heart.

Newly wed, the township had welcomed her warmly and made her their own. Including Gurinder Bhalla. Both their husbands were posted at the Sinter Plant. Being of the same age and temparement they had clicked instantly. And had gone through pregnancy and child birth simultaneously. Gurinder initiated her into Punjabi cuisine and Aruna into Konkani and so on.

But because of some misunderstanding or idle gossip, Gurninder had not been talking to her for the past 2 years and that hurt; hurt badly.

She knew that on Holi you could dissolve all differences but 2 years back Gurinder’s brother who was in the Navy was transferred to the Eastern Naval Command and she would go off to celebrate Holi with her brother.

‘But the point is was our friendship based on such shallow foundation that someone’s gossip could break it? If she was hurt by some remark of mine, she could have told me on my face rather than hibernating’,thought Aruna.

Evening was Holika Dahan and although she saw Gurinder, by the time she edged towards her, she had already left.

Holi dawned and everyone played to their hearts content, while the ladies backed off by 11 am and returned to their respective homes, men and kids kept on playing till there was call for lunch. Lunch on Holi day was a ‘cluster affair’ where each family would bring their specialties at Mrs. Bannerjees Garden, her garden being the largest as it was the corner one. So while Mrs Bannerjee brought her rasgulla and luchis, Santosh her Daal Baati, Aruna her rava ladoos and appes ( a mini idli made in aebleskiver pan) and so on. Gurinder used to prepare Choley bature.

Aruna was busy making chutney when the bell rang. Thinking it must be some kid, she opened the door to find Gurinder with her platter of colors. Aruna was shell shocked and stood agape, when Gurinder asked ‘Tilak laga doon’ (Can I put a dot on the forehead) Aruna numbed in joy could only nod her assent. And then Gurinder said ‘Ladoo nahi khilayegi?’ (won’t you give me ladoos?).
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HAPPY HOLI FOLKS!!

Finally

Some questions do bother me; why some people get everything that they want while some do not; why some mediocre people taste success and some very efficient ones are failures; why some people seem to get the most simplest joys after a lot of struggle.

There can be a lot of deliberations on these, you might say hard work, organized effort, resourcing etc but I wanted answers on a ‘higher’ level. Reason being that whenever something untoward happens I am told that sometimes its our past actions returning to us (poorva janma phala). Which used to leave me quite bitter.

Recently when I had been to the library, a book caught my attention. Why? Because the cover introduced the author as the first lady of the Psychic world. The book was her biography-Herald of the new age, and I was game to read it.

To give a brief idea about the author-Ruth Montgomery was a journalist who made contact with the other world. And these-guides have helped her in opening some truths- about reincarnations, walk-ins and yes how our actions return back to us.

Now you may or may not believe that we can make contact with souls/ spirits. I do. Many times my ancestors have visited me in my dreams. A Non-believer may say those are not dreams but just an over active mind. I said so too until once when both me and my sister had the same dream, the same night with the same message, that removed all my doubts.

Whenever I am going through a bad phase and especially while lying on the hospital bed, have felt a very strong presence near me which used to scare me initially.

Returning back to the book, it does say that whatever we go through is linked to our actions in the previous birth. It also says that we do have ‘guardian angels’, which just means that my feeling of strong presences’ is not hypothetical.

I am a Virgoan and also a Finance person, which means that I need reasons for everything and until I do get it I don’t have any peace. So now that I know that whatever I am suffering or have suffered is because of some actions of mine, it doesn’t make me depressed in fact it makes me calm.

And am happy because I know that someone somewhere is looking out for me. Life is not bad, not bad at all.

And then she knew....

Ritu inspected her garden; the garden of hers had been a journey of patience. The whole area around their house had been rocky and the entire place had to be dug up thrice and the stones removed, manure and soil put and had then been ready for ‘cultivation’. The front side had been used for carpet grass and ornamental plants i.e flowering plants, crotons. And the backside was a kitchen garden.

But it was the front garden which was her pride (the kitchen garden was looked after by her mother in-law). All types of crotons existed there. And also flower shrubs, roses in different colors, hibiscus, seasonal flowers etc. On any day her garden would look like a rainbow, vibrant colors, pleasing to the eye.

But there was a problem. As soon as she planted a sapling and it started to bloom or flower, if the plant/shrub was small it would be stolen. So was the case in the whole neighborhood. They informed the Home Guards but were told that they were more in the lookout for burglars, car thieves etc and not these petty crimes which were probably someones prank anyways. So the ladies in their area that is of Cluster 135 Sector 1 decided that they would be always on the watch not only of theirs but also the whole cluster’s gardens. Whenever one of them was going out, they would tell atleast one of the others because usually these thefts occurred when the family was out.

Today ‘Paa’ was being screened at the multipurpose hall of the Officers Club and the whole family was going out to watch it and Ritu was worried. Her yellow-red dual colored hibiscus had two beautiful flowers and her instinct told that it would be stolen. So she locked the garden gates, informed Archana her immediate neighbor and Swati who lived upstairs, sent a silent prayer and left for the movie.

Night they were late in returning so she could only inspect her garden in the morning and lo, her instincts had been right, the shrub had been stolen.

Both Swati and Archana confirmed that they had not heard any sounds.

This left Ritu very morose. She lost interest in gardening, socializing, generally in life.

Couple of days later her husband came with some chemical in a bottle and started telling of its qualities. Ritu was never interested in chemistry and so said, ‘Cut it short, tell me why you have brought it home.’

‘My dear its sort of a dye, if you apply it to your treasured plants and when they are watered the water and sunrays create a sort of fluorescent light.’

‘So?’

‘So if our plants are stolen by any of out neighbors and if you see any plant gleaming you will know……’

‘Enough! how can you even think that any of our neighbors can steal,’ she was indignant.

‘Someone has isn’t it? Why don’t you apply this dye and…….’

‘No I won’t’.

‘Okay then I will and let’s see.’

Two days later they all went for some shopping and again that day one red rose plant was stolen. And Ritu shed silent tears.

The ladies of her cluster had a monthly kitty party in one of the houses. That month it was Archanas turn, after the food and the games were over, the party moved to the garden as the weather was just right to idle out in the open. Archana thought of watering her garden while chatting with them.

The weather was good, sunshine mild and because the garden was being watered there was this mild wet smell of soil. Ritu’s moroseness flitted away and she relaxed when something gleaming caught her eye…….it was her red rose plant.

If looks could kill, Archana would have turned to ashes then and there.

For All those................

For all those who went with me through my life my journey,


For all those who introspected with me,

For all those who heard me rant through my random thoughts,

Who gave Jeet to Pakhi and her world,

For all those who believed in the make believe world of Animal farm

And who read about life’s Neethi

For all those who suffered my Kavitas

And went with me on a virtual tour to Bahrain and Ukkunagaram

For all those who analyzed people in different situations with me

FOR ALL THOSE…………

A big THANK YOU going out on my 100th post

Thank you for enduring me and giving me a new meaning to life

Faith

Ram Sharan came out of the temple premises licking his lips. He practically lived for these Fridays when he could have dinner at the temple otherwise the food at his labor camp was …ugh, he couldn’t find a proper word. For that itself he was paying 20 Dinar a month.

He was all of 21 yrs of age and he had been in Bahrain as a construction company laborer for already 2 years. Earning Bahraini Dinar (BD) 90 a month, BD 20 was a princely amount for him. Out of that each month he managed to send home BD 50, BD 10 he always kept for emergencies and BD 10 he invested in a ‘chit’.

The Krishna Temple in Manama will usually have some sponsor for the Friday ‘prasad’. For many laborers this is the only good meal that they have in a week. And so the temple premises as well as the Joofri galli where this temple is located will be crowded. And so on this day the beginning of February when the winter has not quite ended, Ram Sharan is sweating and he takes out his handkerchief to wipe his brow.

From there he proceeds to Zenj Exchange to make a Demand Draft and send it to India but whats this. His purse is missing. He squats down there itself in a daze. Pickpockets were rare here. Still he had taken precautions. Instead of the back pocket he had kept it in his front, who could have taken it from there and what will he do now? How will his mother manage? His brother’s exam fees had to be paid. Before the monsoon the roof of their house had to be repaired. What will happen now.

He sat there for a long time until one of the employees of the exchange enquired and then gave him some fils (coins) so that he could go back to his camp in the bus.

Next day he was still morose, he didn’t know how to manage without money for a month and worse still how his mother would manage. During the mid morning break he got a message that his sponsor ( the one who provides visa) was waiting for him outside.

‘Ram Sarran, tum kall kidhar gaya?’(Where did you go yesterday) asked Mr. Saleh his sponsor

‘Manama gaya sahib(went tp Manama)', said He.

‘Tumhara purse gir gaya nahi.(your purse fell isn’t it?) one person found it and seeing your CPR found my address, came and gave it. I rewarded him with 1 BD taken from your purse’, said Mr. Saleh and left.

Ram Sharan was shocked. Hi s purse must have fallen when he had taken out this handkerchief. But to locate his address from the CPR and then return the purse was very noble.

He had lost faith when his purse was lost but the Zenj employee who had given him bus fare and the man who had returned the purse, both had restored his faith or had Lord Krishna taken care?

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A Central Population Register (CPR) Card is a sort of Identification Card which has details of each person including his photograph, Passport number and the name and address of the Sponsor/Visa provider in case the person is an expat. The smart card which has recently replaced the CPR, also has a chip which records everything. This card has to be with the owner at all times and is required for everything right from taking a loan, or for getting treatment in a hospital/clinic.