Love is in the air…

A strange kind of love;

Love for nature,

Love for kindness,

Love for gratitude,

Love for good health,

Love for fitness,

Love for well-being,

Love for calmness,

Love for patience,

Love for humility,

Love for humanity;

It is a different experience,

And an overwhelming feeling!!

Not explicable nor visible,

It is just there,

Love is in the air!!

An overwhelming moment

I visited Mt Kailash recently, which is popularly believed to be the abode of the Lord Shiva. I have tried to capture my feelings as I saw Kailash for the first time. A fleeting moment but filled with various emotions. It was overpowering and overwhelming at the same time.

I stood transfixed,

As I watched the snowy cloud

Gently kiss the dark majestic peak;

A moment of bliss

To sense the ethereal beauty;

A moment of serenity

To behold the epi-centre of earth;

A moment of harmony

To be engulfed by the divine energy;

A moment of sheer joy

To inhale the crisp cool breeze;

A moment of ecstasy

To witness the bright celestial mountain;

A moment of prayer

To feel the protective embrace of heaven;

A moment of great relief

To view the abode of the Lord;

A moment of faith and hope

For a more peaceful world!!

Willpower…

In the world of uncertainties,
You are my rock;

In the world of frailties,
You are my strength;

In the world of clutter,
You are my peace;

In the world of haze,
You are my breath of fresh air;

In the world of commotion,
You are my silence;

In the world of barren land,
You are my garden;

In the world of drought,
You are my oasis;

In the world of famine
You are my nourishment;

In the world of withdrawal,
You are my inspiration;

In the world of fiction
You are my reality;

When the world seems to crumble,
You are my anchor!

Gloom over the dainty land!

Chennai musing…

Chennai was hit by a severe flood and the whole city is in a dismal state. This is my musing over the sad state of the city:

 

She is languishing in deep depression,

Immersed in a melancholic strain;

She is weeping her heart out,

Like she has never ever done before;

She is covered with filth all over her,

Only worsening as her tears try to wash it away;

She refuses to embrace her guests with a warm hug,

Nor greet them with her bright sunshine smile as always;

Her mind should pay attention to her well-being,

And her heart should reach out to her bruised limbs;

She had paid a lot of attention to charm and glory,

But failed her attention on her basic fitness;

She has been taking pride in her glamour,

While she has missed out on her yoga and stretches;

It will take days for her to get back to shape,

With lot of focus and unflagging effort;

Let us reach out to her and support her,

Until she is able to smile on her own again;

Nature has her own way of combat techniques,

And none can dare stand to offend her!!

My feelings on a stroll…

My son recently completed his graduation from the Air Force Technical College after 70 weeks of training. I have captured my feelings on that day as I watched his POP ( Passing Out Parade). Every parent seeing their child’s graduation goes through this I guess…

I sent you as a young lad,
You have blossomed into a gentleman;

I sent you with a lump in my throat,
It has melted away right now;

I sent you with a shiver in my hands,
It has steadied itself hugging you today;

I sent you with a skip in my heartbeat,
It has started singing as I see you today;

I sent you with a lot of trepidation,
Which is all wiped out clean today;

I sent you with a tear in my eye,
It is glowing with pride today;

I sent you with a quiver on my lips,
It has settled into a broad smile today;

I sent you with a lot of ambiguity and hope,
It has transformed into a clear vision today;

I sent you with a feeling of letting go,
You have arrived with a determined ambition today;

You have been trained and moulded for the journey ahead,
Good luck for an exciting and purposeful life dear son!!

Down the memory lane…

The High school where I studied, completed its Platinum Jubilee celebrations recently. I wrote this for the PJ Souvenir in the honour of my school and the teachers.

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A sea of pink and purple,                                                                                            Smiling faces with bright ribbons,                                                                                 Rushing through the big black gate,                                                                                    As the loud school bell echoes…

Is the first thought that comes to my mind!

The voice of the HM booming regally,
On the dais, during the assembly,
Hushed giggles, secret pinches,
Getting chided for not paying attention;
Is what slowly transformed the little girls into young ladies!

The morning hours would drag on,
Many of us, waiting for the lunch break,
To rush out and exchange the tit-bits,
Of the previous days happenings;
Gave us those cherishable teenage pleasures of sharing!

Maths, physics, chemistry, biology,
The joy of discovering the new concepts,
And learning and challenging ideas,
Were such precious moments of those years;
Gave us the foundation to grow and find our inner strengths!

The language classes were the ones,
Where we learnt the lessons of life,
Embedded with a lot of classic jokes,
Which would make us laugh and go pink!
Gave us those relaxing moments amidst the heavy cramming!

The Saturday morning Bhajans,
With all of us squatting on the ground,
Are so memorable and etched in my mind,
That I still hum them to myself sometimes;
Gave us the experience of invoking the divine in mass gatherings!

I cannot forget the basket-ball court,
Where I first learnt to handle the big orange ball,
With those sly but efficient coaches who taught us,
And also made us win a District level match!
This brought in the ‘sporty’ dimension into my personality!

I discovered a new set of friends here,
And how easily we got-together as a gang!
Very friendly, yet so competitive,
Teasing each other, yet so caring!
Gave us great relationships to build on!

The school and the teachers,
Have actually molded our personalities,
Opened up our hidden talents,
Boosted our confidence to always do better!
And this has truly made me what I am today!

Here is a moment,
To say ‘Cheers’ to all those patient teachers,
Who have put in their valuable time and effort?
To make millions of us, better humans!!
My due respects to all my dear teachers who are a part of me!!

Rise to glory

I wrote this to my son who is training at the Airforce Academy right now. Hats off to all those youngsters who go through the rigour to accomplish their dreams. God bless!

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The going may be tough
The ask could be hard;
The body may be aching
The mind may be packed;
The legs could be throbbing
The hands may be tired;
The heart could be craving
The shoulders may be sore;
It is all worth it, for you to
Rise to glory, my son!

You may be up before the sun
And keep awake more than him;
You may have to swim like a whale
And absorb things like a sponge;
There is a lot of learning
To prepare you to shine;
It is part of the journey, for you to
Rise to glory, my son!

You need the will
You need the focus
You need the commitment
You need the passion
You need the drive
You need the patience
You need the obsession
For you to,
Rise to glory, my son!

Remember always,
When the going gets tough,
The tough get going!
You are one of that genre,
And it is a blessing;
Rise to glory, my son!!

SHE and She

SHE turns around and snuggles into the comforter,

She shivers as she is slightly wet from the shower;

SHE is a bit grumpy to have been woken up early,

She chirps a few questions trying to make it cheery;

SHE makes herself a cup of hot coffee,

She just awaits a while to get her cup free;

SHE is thinking of what she needs to do at work today,

She is at work and thinking of her son in his bay;

SHE needs her,so she can go out and earn,

She needs her, so she can earn and go out;

SHE gives her a grateful smile as she hands over the coffee,

She reciprocates and asks if she could have some biscuits too;

SHE admires her patience and humility,

She admires her coolness and flamboyance;

What is fair or what is right I do not know,

But there is so much mutual dependency in this flow;

SHE is a typical career woman,

And she is her loyal maid.

Now, read from the beginning, so it makes sense!

Back to teens!

A few of our high-school class mates got together last month. Chatting over coffe, dancing down the memory lanes…

Chatter and noise

Washing us down,

We had fun and laughter,

Taking us back thru decades;

No barriers, no inhibitions,

Poking fun at each other;

It was wonderful to relive,

The moments of yesteryears!

Soul searching…

In the last couple of months,  I have seen three of my dear aunts pass away from this world in the life forms they existed. It has been intriguing me on how this whole cycle of life happens and what exactly happens to the soul that departs the body and how the body, mind and the atma sync up again to structure another life form. This is just a downpour of my thoughts and bears no particular semblence to anyone in particular.

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Is death the stop of breath?

Or is it merely another state of life?

The body has stopped thriving

But the soul is still intact it appears

Pray, is the mind aware of this fact

Or has it gone along with the perished body?

Does it direct the soul to move on,

Or does the soul take on the driver’s seat?

So, who decides what is the next move?

Or where does it take a life form again?

It is a bit too overwhelming

To try to figure out the next outcome.

We miss the loved one whose soul has departed

The person in that life form is no more;

Maybe there is nothing more beyond this,

Or is it so difficult to comprehend,

That we just let the thoughts stand;

May the dear souls rest in peace…

Amen.