For All The Wild & Blue

C: Hiii!!!Hobbes!Hobbes!!!Have you slept?

H: [ one foot inside the dreamland ]Yawn...yeah...err...NOOO!Tell me...You find time to talk to me when the rest of the world is dead asleep...Argh!

C: Hmpf...Hey listen!My diving classes are starting soon...I paid a twenty..a TWENTY thousand...Hmm...

H:  That’s okay...Don’t worry...I will give you some one day.By the way can I ask for something?The place must be beautiful right with all the blue...Can you get me some nice pictures of things down there?

C : [ bored,bemused,dazed & dumbstruck ]Whattttt!!!Of my down?Really???

H: Haha!!!I don't really mind...pictures of the water down or of anything else down...good night...sleep well champ!

C: You too buddy…ZZZzzz...

This silly conversation happened last night.Very soon Calvin is off to an island for more than a fortnight to learn marine biology,Hobbes is going to giggle thinking of this joke till the boy comes back home.His diving classes have begun.It looks like this trip is going to be interestingly wild for him,like the ones he has had before.Just that it is expected to be filled with lots of blue instead of his favourite,the usual green.The coral reefs shall now be his house and the sea grass his bed.As long as he is in there in the euphotic depths playing with the star fish,jelly fish, sardine,squid,dolphin,shark,turtle,crab,octopus and with every new friend he shall make,Hobbes has a special something rather many things to keep him going.Here they are:

GIFT-1

This Hobbes knows that this isn't happening to this Calvin this time,is this right?;-)

GIFT-2

Hobbes means it!!!


GIFT-3

[Share this with the rest !:-)]
THE DIVE

‘Fear not of the guarding octopus or the sharp shark that may dine

Wild kids come on in my kingdom!’ calls the blue waters of marine

 For to live,learn and explore are dreams big now a fifteen in twine

Plunge they shall with air and light in their hearts to gulp and shine

While they wade through the bay like flappinig fishes set for strive

The reefs shall stand like rocks solid with countless lives in a thrive

Work will soon bring joy like for the bumblebees of the jungle hive

A wish from here for them all,’Have many a sound and happy dive!’

-R-

The Pause

A cold day of winter,I was at the bank with Amma to get a demand draft.The dawn fog had not cleared and sunlight was just seeping in,typical Bangalore weather.While the staff was making one I asked her to sit in the waiting area reading the newspaper and magazines piled on the table.Standing at the counter I turned and stared at her.She looked like a school teacher with her spectacles on the nose.I have always loved that look of hers.She would have made an awesome one,only if she had studied more.But then life took its own course,she is now a mother of two kids whom she loves the most.And for her that has always been more than enough.I smiled at this thought,and in a blink of a moment I noticed beads of sweat on her forehead.Her ears and cheeks had turned beet red.She was blowing little puffs of air.I walked towards her and asked"What happened Amma?".She gave me the usual 'I-Am-Alright' expression of hers and said "Nothing!Just get me a glass of water,and please ask somebody here to switch on the fan Raksha.It is so very hot".And there I was standing right next to her wearing an inch thick sweater swearing at the cold.It was the 'hot flush' yet again!

"A woman must wait for her ovaries to die before she can get her rightful personality back.Post-menstrual is the same as pre-menstrual;I am once again what I was before the age of twelve:a female human being who knows that a month has thirty day,not twenty-five,and who can spend every one of them free of the shackles of that defect of body and mind known as femininity."

-Florence King-

The journey called life from cradle to grave especially for women is filled with many duties and responsibilities.They have an inherent quality to give but expect little.You may ask what about the demands that they make everyday,well some of them may seem like reckless expenditures but a lot are really genuine.One among them is 'Good Health',I strongly feel women have somewhere forgotten to work on this or bring this in their demand list,far is the thought about the rest of this world paying attention to this issue.And amongst the womankind the least we care for are the elderly,sad but true.How often do we water the old tree in our backyard,ever wondered?

Women play umpteen roles all their life.I believe there is nothing more important than being and appreciating the fact that we are born as one with dreams to live,power to look after ourselves and a zeal to use our opportunities even when we are alone.This post is about the role of a woman in taking care of herself when nobody else will,being independent and accepting life's hardest changes,nothing else.Our old tree can definitely stand strong!

March 8th is observed as International Women's Day.When all the campaigns for gender rights,women empowerment and grand celebrations are on with all the hullabaloo it would be worthwhile if we look at the imperceivable problems of being a woman.Geriatric women health care is still beginning to see the light of the day in our country.The main concern in this group is for the complex changes that occur in the body and mind during the process of ageing which shall affect the individual's level of functioning and well being.And 'Menopause' is one natural event that all ladies invariably one or the other day have to go through.Apart from all the fun that the world makes of old ladies,their mood swings and else,let us realize the fact that menopause isn't funny.It is a physiological transition due to hormonal changes,very normal but difficult to cope with.

Menopause can be very distressing but with a little understanding,support from the family and a change in lifestyle every woman can live through it like in any other phase of life.It brings with it a myriad of signs and symptoms,it is good if both men and women know about them and what to do for the same.And the most important of all are the regular health check ups and tests.I am not going to write about it in detail here,if I do so the post might turn into a health column;-)I am making this short,here is a picture for help:

Click the picture for an enlarged view

Good sites to read:

1. Menopause-Causes,Symptoms And Treatment For The Hormonal Transition In A Woman's Life
2. 34 Menopause Symptoms
3. Indian Menopause Society

"The most important role of a woman is not in being a mother,daughter,grandmother,sister,friend or so on.It is in not being a stranger to her own body and mind"-Raksha [copyright of this quote with the author;)]

Remember:

"Nothing on this planet can compare with a woman’s love-it is kind and compassionate,patient and nurturing,generous and sweet and unconditional.Pure.If you are her man,she will walk on water and through a mountain for you,too no matter how you’ve acted out,no matter what crazy thing you’ve done,no matter the time or demand.If you are her man,she will talk to you until there just aren’t any more words left to say,encourage you when you’re at rock bottom and think there just isn’t any way out,hold you in her arms when you’re sick,and laugh with you when you’re up.And if you’re her man and that woman loves you-I mean really loves you?-she will shine you up when you’re dusty,encourage you when you’re down,defend you even when she’s not so sure you were right,and hang on your every word,even when you’re not saying anything worth listening to.And no matter what you do,no matter how many times her friends say you’re no good,no matter how many times you slam the door on the relationship,she will give you her very best and then some,and keep right on trying to win over your heart,even when you act like everything she’s done to convince you she’s The One just isn’t good enough.That’s a woman’s love,it stands the test of time,logic,and all circumstance."-Steve Harvey 

PS:

This post is written as a part of

I was tagged by Dr.Prathibha for this cause,I am tagging these bloggers to participate in the contest:

• Sameera
• Obsessivemom
• Words Do Matter

Good day and a Happy Women's Day in advance to all the ladies of blog town:-)

A Letter To Uncle Pai

Dear Uncle Pai,

      

      I climbed up the attic when I heard the news a while ago and took out a hard bound book,the thickest of the lot.It is a small compilation of my favourite comic book of childhood,today and forever.You,me and the world know it by the name TINKLE.The box is full of monthly editions of Tinkle,Tinkle Digests,Amar Chitra Katha Books bought through many years and some gifted by a cousin of mine during our summer holidays.It is like an old treasure trunk and I am its lone owner.Nobody else in the house is allowed to touch it.Amma's many attempts to sell the box to the Raddi shop have turned futile in the past,she has given up a long time ago.

What disturbed me was this thing,as I flipped through the pages I felt as though all our people in the book are disappearing into a bitter pensive.Shikari Shambu,Tantri the Mantri,Uncle Anu,Suppandi,Kalia and everyone else looked mum.The epics and fables reminded me again of our rich cultural heritage which I have now for life only because of these books.The hundred colours in the book appeared like a fading rainbow.I heard you are no more,maybe that is why everything seemed so.

Thank you for the many fond memories.I so much want to live those reading days again.While you leave us I have to tell you the ideas that I had while reading these books,some are really crazy.I always thought Shikari Shambu had no eyes because he lost them while finding the man eater.Whenever someone acted like a nitwit I used to tease them calling 'Suppandi'.Many of my science projects were inspired by Uncle Anu,because in him I found a teacher.The tantrums that I threw and the hunger strikes I made only to get a copy of the Tinkle Summer Special are still remembered at home.All the stories of our mythology that I know are from Amar Chitra Katha.These books have shaped my thinking and perspectives for a long time.They are a memorable part of my past.I have imbibed a lot of values from them and for that I will always be grateful to you.May you rest in peace.I will miss you.It is hard to find a story teller like you.Your books,words and lessons will always be with me for life.

Yours affectionately,

                                                                                                                                       Raksha.

Tinkle Uncle no little star...

The Marvel Called Malgudi

“So where do you want to go this time, apart from Mangalore?”Appa had asked me once when my summer vacations had begun.”Malgudi” I had replied I remember.Such was the town’s charm and my excitement.How I wished I lived in Malgudi for at least a day of my life!It took a lot of convincing to make me realize that the town was a figment of imagination.Appa had no choice but to get the book ‘Malgudi Days’ by R K Narayan for me to read,this was one book that made me appreciate the sheer beauty of simple words.The sketches by R K Laxman made the stories all the more better.Whether you watch the episodes or read the chapters the feeling is just the same.Just like the smell of wet soil after the first rain,fresh and alive.

After ages I am on a Malgudi Days watching spree,two episodes every  night before I sleep.The delight just gets better each time.Kudos to Shankar Nag,the director par excellence.How many such beautiful works  would he have made for all of us to watch,only if he were alive.Today's media lacks people like him.If he was around much sense and goodness would have prevailed!

"Never judge a book by its movie"so said J W Eagan.Malgudi Days is an exception in this regard.Every scene is wonderfully depicted,so much so that it makes us feel that the Malgudi people are always amongst us.There is a weird strength in each character.The kids like Swami,Somu,Rajam,Mani,Radha,Shantha and Kutty have an unadulterated innocence,and that connects with our childhood.It is no ease to portray inherent flaws and raw imperfections,and in Malgudi Days such human expressions and feelings is a pleasure to watch.

What all the more amazes me is the attention to every detail.Even humour appeals in the worst of situations with a unique tanginess.I remember a scene in one of the episodes called ‘The Watchman’where a girl called Padma arrives near a lake to commit suicide,the place which the watchman is guarding.On seeing her he runs to stop her from falling into the lake.When the girl tells him that not everyone faces difficulties in life the watchman shoots back ”Do you think my hair has greyed just by standing under the sunlight?”.We hardly see such play of thoughts and words in writing or on air these days.

Narayan in one of the episodes says “Malgudi has spoken a universal language,it has spoken to so many and now it will speak to you”, and the conversation actually happens.Malgudi represents any town in this world with different people in different situations.Each character is like someone whom we know of,each story carries a message which stirs something within us.The Indianness in the stories touches the most.The music rings with a tinkle of nostalgia.Here is a video I made a while ago.Sit back and watch.Enjoy the little joys which mattered the most once upon a time.Because the best milestones of life are hard to cross again.Agree?Hmm...

"Tanana tana na na na…Tanana tana na na na"

-R.

The Cup,Please!

Talks about cricket usually turns me dull and morbid for unknown reasons.Maybe it is due to my lack of insight and interest in the game.I know I should not be showing my displeasure towards our team and the sport,being an INDIAN I definitely want us to win!Everyone is eager to know whether we will hold the cup this time or not.Let us wait,watch and hope for the best!Since my rhymes sound pretty fair,here is my good luck poem for our team.Cricket or else,we Indians rock don’t we?‘Come-What-May-We-Are-Just-Us-FOREVER ‘ is our spirit.A cheers to that one!

A test of time to prove this land's mettle now has come
Millions here are wishing you luck just more than some
On the field in all mayhem are many milestones to cross
Let the shared dream of winning this cup go for no toss


Play the game well O' gentlemen and make us all proud
We will watch you all along and cheer from heart aloud
In the throngs of a stadium,living rooms and every gully
Hope no goof ups are made with your folly,silly or sully


Crazy about this sport is every man in the world thicket
Standing high on the pitch are our stars in every wicket
Bowl and bat,sweep a four,hit a six!‘But’ never get out
For you are one team only ours to flaunt and talk about


Live up to every broiling hype on print and the idiot box
Beware of the battlers not any less and pull up your socks
Show them the way back home with all your gallant guile
Pat your back and say this toil and sweat was worthwhile


The ones who can make it is you,our idols great in light
Centuries and ducks all will roll through while you fight
So keep the score boards ticking always,happy in count
Rest aside,we are with you catching a faith in surmount


Write these turning days of triumph in pages of history
If you strive and deserve not any far is a desired victory
Fate shall not be a mighty umpire when you are around
Make glory on the crease,bring all magic to the ground!

PS:

Happy world cup match watching to you people,fingers and toes crossed;-)  

Cash[ews] In On Poison

 This post is featured in-Blogadda-Spicy Saturday Picks-Feb 19-2011

Kasargod is where my family roots are precisely.The landscape in and around this town bordering Northern Kerala and Karnataka is filled with cashew nut trees.This along with arecanut is one among the important crops of this region.Many of the households depend on it for their annual income.The colours of the fruit as in this picture does look appealing,but the issues that have been associated with its cultivation are nothing short of a tragedy.

I came across this news last night that the State Government of Karnataka has finally decided to impose a two month ban on a harmful pesticide called ENDOSULFAN.My mother went completely down the memory lane and started telling me how the residents of this area used to run outside the house when a helicopter passed in the sky.Little did they know that it was above them to shower white crystals of nothing but illness and suffering.It brought a mist of grief that would cover them for ages.

Way back between 1970s and 2000, endosulfan was aerially sprayed in this manner through many years over the cashew plantations.A bio accumulator by action,it is associated with a wide variety of problems like infertility,cancer,skin allergy,asthma,epilepsy,cerebral palsy,physical deformities and congenital malformations.It is disheartening to see children,men and women alike  ailing for no fault of theirs.Many organizations and people are fighting for this cause already.What everyone must understand that while rehabilitation and compensation is a part of the solution,the pesticide industry and the government are the only ones who can decide their fate.What is mockingly surprising is this pesticide has already been banned in 63 countries and India still continues to be its largest consumer!

It is enough late,I wonder why the ban here in Karnataka after these many years.What will happen after two months?Isn’t it a shame on our part when we let something like this kill our fellow human beings?Why does it take years to come to terms with a hard hitting fact?Of what use are our policies if they cannot save or make better lives?How difficult is it to make a sensible decision?Are we really developing?

We forget these questions in a blink because there are innumerable scams and scandals to laugh and talk about.And of course the world cup cricket matches will be soon on air to spend all our time.These campaigns and movements can always wait,there are many others who do it.How many of us do not think so?It is more than true that somewhere amidst all the progress in this country that we are proud of,we have actually stopped being humans.

Click on the picture for an enlarged view

Another truth that we all must know,it is easy to wake up someone who is asleep and make him get going but if he is ‘acting’ asleep no boulder falling on him can wake him up.And all of us belong to the latter category in  a hundred important issues.Ironical it may seem but in countless ways ours is a land of more than a billion scapegoats who refuse to decide their way of living by themselves.Guilt or accountability of any kind is for the administrators,none of the population’s business.While we are knowingly committing crimes and letting others do the same too,all we can ask each other is”So whats the score?”. 

Here are a few links,do go through them to know about this prevailing poison and its grave affects:

• Endosulfan-Wikipedia
• Endosulfan Victims Website
• Downtoearth-Another Kasaragod

-R.

My Grandfather's Clock

Some objects are like a key to our past.They bring back memories,both good and bad.The emotions attached are priceless,especially with the antiquities left in the household.Radios,telephones,gramophones,compasses,pens,pocket watches and many more feature in this list.Of course these things are hard to find in our homes these days unless we are living in a museum.

My Grandfather's Clock is one among our prized possessions.It is currently hung on the wall opposite Ajja's room with it hands stuck close to two thirty,in the same place since the last five decades.The clock is kept untouched in spite of its sorry state for sentimental reasons.It was fortunately in a better condition when he was around. I came across this photo of the clock today while cleaning up my hard disk.I guess this was taken when I last visited Ajji Mane,a solid two years ago.The moment I saw this,a movie of my childhood ran in my mind,well almost!I had a beautiful reminiscence.

We used to spend many humid and sullen afternoons lying under this clock on the cold red oxide floors,also we slept through the hot summer nights listening to the sound of this clock.Ajji then used to tell us the story of 'The Thirsty Crow',we used to fall asleep by the time her crow filled the pot with stones to bring all the water up.But the clock unlike us never got tired of her story,it ticked all along.

I remember the times when Ajja used to stand on a stool and wind the clock when the pendulum stopped swinging.He used to grumble at the other members of the house for disregarding its existence."Care for time,it will care for you"he would always say.During some parts of the day,the only motion in the house was that of the pendulum.The clock sang a perfect cuckoo tone every time when it made an hour.It had a weird melody which kept the house alive.

Ajja was a fusspot when it came to keeping time.He lived a life of proper and primeval simplicity.His breakfast was at sharp seven thirty,lunch at twelve fifteen and dinner at seven everyday.He followed this schedule no matter what the rest of the world was up to,if things did not happen on time he would roam around the house with his cane,mumbling and howling at whoever came across his way.All this was quite unintentional though.So we would just walk away.He respected time and so we respected him.Whenever we had to leave for somewhere he made sure that we get ready an hour before.He would shove us out of the house quite literally saying"Go children,before its time".His sense of punctuality was self taught.Everything was equally important in the past,present and future.

My mother and I have inherited a share of this excess expeditiousness.No wonder whenever I see this clock it makes a strange connection.I hate it when someone is not on time,it is something I can never forgive.It is hard for people like us to keep pace and follow the rest of the crowd in this momentarily speeding world.Sometimes I feel I have lost it completely,this sense of time.I am glad I found this picture today.I have now realized what little time I have in my hand to do all that I wish to do here in life.A very frightening feeling!

“Time is the most undefinable yet paradoxical of things;the past is gone,the future is not come,and the present becomes the past even while we attempt to define it,and like the flash of lightning,at once exists and expires”-Charles Caleb Colton.

Isn't it wonderfully bizarre when a lifeless object makes us smile or forces us to think so much.We all have something or the other special kept safe in our living room,cupboards,trunks or attic.If it has been a long time since you had a look at it,do stop yourself amidst all this daily conundrum and search for it.Go dig your treasures,let me know what you found and how it made you feel:)

Life IS beautiful,and the little things that belong to us makes it more:-)

This song was written by Henry Clay Work,now a long forgotten rhyme.I have put it up here for my grandparents,I am missing them very much today:-(

-R.

The Chocolate Box

Imagine yourself being stranded in a forbidden and lonely but vast desert.After a lot of wandering with the sand dunes you are intolerably thirsty and hungry.There is no oasis with water and date palms to save your life.When you have almost decided to give up your life you find an old and rusty lamp,you rub it with all eagerness and joy.You are ready with your wishes.A Genie appears like how it happens in any other normal tale.

But here is a twist,this Genie is a little different.He is one of his kind.He looks at you and says”Master,your wish is not my command!I have only one thing to give you.But trust me you will never feel thirsty and hungry again.Here is a box of chocolates.And you have to eat just one,only one.You have to choose what you want.That will be enough to live in this desert and how well you live will depend on what you choose.Each one is different,be very careful.Give the rest of them to the wanderers who come along your way”

The deal seems exciting,you nod and the genie vanishes like a cloud.Suddenly out of nowhere there are a hundred wanderers surrounding the chocolate box waiting just like you to pick their share.Now comes the difficult part.What will happen to each chocolate?Who will get them?How will they get them?Will these wanderers battle it out?Will they throw their hands up and walk away?Who are these people after all?

The probabilities are these wanderers including you belong to the following clubs,there is no strict division between them,sometimes they do overlap.But on a larger perspective this is how they appear to each other and the world:

The Blind Pack: These are the wanderers who make a random pick without any thought.They are not bothered about how the chocolate looks or tastes like.They are fine with anything that comes in their share.Most of us do this,don’t we?If someone comes to us with a box of chocolates,don’t we just pick one irrespective of what we desire?

The Wise Thinkers: These are the wanderers who look at each chocolate closely and ponder a lot to select the best amongst all,the box has a few flavours and colours that they have tried before.Some look extremely good,some appear completely detestable and some are totally new.And finally they pick up something that they are familiar with,they are happy and content.Many of us belong to this group as well.

The Lucky Flukes: These are the wanderers who are in a world of their own.No hunger or thirst bothers them.Sometimes they just dare and choose something new.There are times when someone else has to pick their share and give it to them.But despite all this it turns out to be a lot better than they least expect.They end up with the best chocolate ever.

The Poor Fishes: These are the wanderers who fear chocolates but cannot stay hungry and thirsty.They  choose just because they have to.The ill fated ones that they are,they end up with the worst taste on their tongues ever.They just wish that they never get to chose anything in their life again.

The Hapless Misers: These are the wanderers who forget the Genie’s condition and eye on the entire box.They fight and rage wars.But before they eat,even their share from the box gets either passed on or destroyed.The world out there is filled with many hungry vultures of this kind.

The Brave Blue Chips: These are the wanderers who are found occassionally.Fortune is bestowed upon them and also they work hard to keep it safe.They know which is the best for them in the chocolate box.They take their share and distribute the rest to the others, they also help them to make a choice.They remember the Genie and are truly grateful to him for giving the chocolate box and saving their life.It is because of these people that the Genie does not mind appearing again.

Chances are that these wanderers can have shades of more than one category listed above.But sooner or later they have to make a decision about which chocolate to eat,or else it is not possible to survive in the desert.The box of chocolates will empty soon,some wanderers may get the right ones while some may not.Some compromise,some fight and some give up.

You might wonder what this CHOCOLATE BOX story is all about.Here is a little exercise for your hearts and brains.Our world is a desert full of wanderers.Now think of the people around you,friends and strangers alike.Imagine they are sitting together in front of you in a huge carton just like a box of chocolates.Each person in your box has something beautiful in store for you but what you want is only one true love.How and whom do you choose?Quite a task,isn’t it? But do you get to do this over and over again?

Remember what Mr.Forrest Gump says "Life is like a box of chocolates.You never know what you're gonna get."He is partly true.Look at this box of yours closely,there are people in there who are actually carrying true love for you.You know them but just that it is hard to choose.God is the Genie who has given us this box.He might seem a little stingy in this issue but he wants us to make a choice,just one but a fair one.

Many factors decide whether the one person whom we pick for ourselves brings true love or not.Even if we end up with someone who has brought some or more,a whole lot of effort is required from both ends to sustain all the truth that exists in this love.Over a period of time it might turn stronger than before or may even fade away.But the tragedy of todays love is it breaks up before it builds up.No wonder we raise this question “Will true love ever happen again?”

So what defines true love?There is no fitting description.Love is a basic sense of belonging.We love someone based on our wants and needs.Everyone has a share of love to give and take.It might not make us complete and perfect forever in a blink.It requires an ardent selfless effort.And then arrives the truth in love,the feeling is just phenomenal.

We people are like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle,true love exists between the pieces right next to each other who are made to fit perfectly.Each piece shares a bond with the next to make a wonderful picture called life.Irrespective of sadness or happiness,poverty or richness,life or death each relationship grows on the values which we attach to them.The picture may mess up if we try to change the position of even any one of those pieces.

Like seasons love goes through phases,a cycle of ups and downs.It is what made you go downhill and how strong you stay during that period which decides whether you can rise up or not.Meanwhile what if you find love in another person who is truer and makes you feel much better?Or there is no chance that the love of your past is going to come back,what do you do then?

This is a rare ordeal,not everyone gets back to the same Chocolate Box Story after a grave loss.No matter what red glasses we put on and stare at the world,we yearn for only that someone special.For it requires a lifetime to shape and build one’s first love to call it truly true,leave thinking about the second.There are some amongst us for whom love is as easy as eating a pie.They compliment with anyone so very well that they do not have the need to ask for anything more,but this does not mean that their love is not true.They are the happy go lucky and blessed exceptions.

If you lose once and happen to fortunately find the same or better truth in love again,consider yourself double lucky.Because most of us are intuitive and perplexed humans who carry feelings and memories despite living in a very pretentious world.Complete justice is not impossible but hard to give for the second time.True love comes to us ‘naturally’ and ‘rarely’ just once,a bittersweet truth.

Here is a quote by Bob Marley,do read it with patience like you have all the time in this world and I am sure you shall feel this was worth your attention at the end:

 "Only once in your life,I truly believe,you find someone who can completely turn your world around.You tell them things that you’ve never shared with another soul and they absorb everything you say and actually want to hear more.You share hopes for the future,dreams that will never come true,goals that were never achieved and the many disappointments life has thrown at you.When something wonderful happens,you can’t wait to tell them about it, knowing they will share in your excitement.They are not embarrassed to cry with you when you are hurting or laugh with you when you make a fool of yourself.Never do they hurt your feelings or make you feel like you are not good enough, but rather they build you up and show you the things about yourself that make you special and even beautiful.There is never any pressure,jealousy or competition but only a quiet calmness when they are around.You can be yourself and not worry about what they will think of you because they love you for who you are.The things that seem insignificant to most people such as a note,song or walk become invaluable treasures kept safe in your heart to cherish forever.Memories of your childhood come back and are so clear and vivid it’s like being young again.Colours seem brighter and more brilliant.Laughter seems part of daily life where before it was infrequent or didn’t exist at all.A phone call or two during the day helps to get you through a long day’s work and always brings a smile to your face.In their presence,there’s no need for continuous conversation,but you find you’re quite content in just having them nearby.Things that never interested you before become fascinating because you know they are important to this person who is so special to you.You think of this person on every occasion and in everything you do.Simple things bring them to mind like a pale blue sky,gentle wind or even a storm cloud on the horizon.You open your heart knowing that there’s a chance it may be broken one day and in opening your heart,you experience a love and joy that you never dreamed possible.You find that being vulnerable is the only way to allow your heart to feel true pleasure that’s so real it scares you.You find strength in knowing you have a true friend and possibly a soul mate who will remain loyal to the end.Life seems completely different,exciting and worthwhile.Your only hope and security is in knowing that they are a part of your life."

PS: 

THE CHOCOLATE BOX is FOR the topic.

So which club do you belong to?Let me know:-)

Happy Valentines to you all!

Share some love EVERY DAY:-)

-R.

This post has been published as a part of THE GREAT DEBATERS
Topic: IS FALLING IN LOVE A ONE TIME AFFAIR ;the first edition of the Bloggers Debate; If you like this post then FAVE it  here and read other entries as well

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Cupid Scores

It was never a love at first sight with him.He was detested by me for various explainable reasons.He was ugly,lonely,complicated and hard to please.The first time when my mother said “Raksha you can be friends with him,give this a try,there is no harm!” I stepped forward and shook hands with him hesitantly.This was during my first days of school and so our story had begun.We were in the 'Stage of Getting To Know'.

So I thought...

He had arrived in my life with an agenda like a devil in disguise who was more calculative than expected.I was forced to spend time with him everyday despite my protests.It was hard,really hard.But what hurt me was that the elders loved him completely and the world moved on his finger tips!

To make matters worse he was my favorite teacher’s pet!Argh!Whenever I wanted to play on the swing or the slide she would call me back and inquire about him.I would never answer.I hated knowing him.He did not play with me because his games were different.He used to hop in squares,run in circles and shout the weirdest numbers.It is because of him that I got my first punishment in third standard.I had to stand on the bench for an hour long period just because I had forgotten the way he played to proliferate his *applications.I was made to write all his stories on the blackboard,not just once but more  than a hundred times!This made me hate him more.I was almost sure by then that he was here to ruin my life.We were now in the 'Stage Of Repulsion'.

He considered himself a genius,I had to prove that I was not any less smart.So I decided to fight just by being with him and learning his tricks.His problems were never my cup of tea.I had to scratch my head,pull my hair and dig my brain to solve them.But I did not give up.I tried hard to know him.I toiled day and night.And one day my mission was accomplished,I had settled all my scores.I had known almost everything about him.My parents were happy that I had started liking him and this made me happier.

Over a period of time I was used to him.He had his strategies.He made me learn,he made me think fast.He made me look smarter than I was,sometimes even dumber than I thought.There were days when I ignored him but he had his ways of getting me back.He defined my weakness so also my strength.He taught me discipline.He taught me the right and the wrong.He taught me life.We were now in the 'Stage Of Attraction'.

We always had a difficult love hate relationship,he knew I would definitely leave him one day if someone gave me a choice.And when I got one,I did like he thought.I decided to run  away from him.He was too perfect and scary.I was the one with flaws.I could not handle him and so I decided to leave.I do not know how bad it made him feel.We were now in the 'Stage Of Fear & Giving Up'.

For years I was too occupied to miss him.He did appear here and there,remember I said no world can do without him.He is everybody’s essential.I have come to believe now that he is a paradigm by himself.He has taught me that life is not just about zero or one,there are endless possibilities.He was infinite.And I will always need him to survive.

He is in the millions of rays that brighten up my day,also in the millions of stars that light the sky of my night.He is in the symmetry of flower petals,also in the walls that make a bee hive.He is everywhere around me adding abilities,subtracting woes,dividing sorrows and multiplying joys.He has power,a great power.I have invariably started loving him but not halfheartedly like everyone else.I dare not make a foe out of him!We now have passed the 'Stage Of Realization'.

And just when I think that I have pushed him and his puzzles quite far by walking into the field of medicine[not that he was the reason]he creeps into my life now and then,when I am trying to read about what the electrolytes in the human body are up to; what concentration and velocities the enzymes are acting; what percentage of individuals in a test are false positives,true positives,false negatives and true negatives!Sigh!He whispers  in my thought bubble”You like it or not,I am going to stay with you for this life my darling!” with  the last laugh.All I do is smile in an agreement and write all that he has to say over and again because we have now finally reached the 'Stage Of Unconditional Acceptance'.

Little Raksha playing with numbers,
look how happy she was!   

Oh by the way world did I tell you this was all about 'ME and MATHEMATICS’.Did you see anything of him today? See this video if you missed sighting him around.You will fall in love with him,just like the way I did!

                                    

I know Maths is a weird subject to love but it is not impossible,I say this after some awful  experiences.Trust this quote;)

"If people do not believe that mathematics is simple,it is only because they do not realize how complicated life is"-John Louis von Neumann.

If Maths is Religion,Calvin is God!What he says is true about love too!No one can say how it happens.You either believe it or you don’t!

*multiplication tables-I never wished to cross 15 10 za 150!;)

This post is written as a part of Blogadda's Stages Of Love,do have a look at Preeti Shenoy's Life is What You Make It:)






-R.

Not Just Lonely But Alone

Sometimes you have no choice but to stand beyond all the lasts...

A twilight so wonderful colored with the last light of violet and blue
When we had the time for every small feat that we together could do
You played the last note on your piano to let my heart with joys fill
I closed my eyes heaving a gleeful sigh,it blended with the tranquil


Melting clouds soon brought the last storm for us while flying pass
While in an earnest wait on the ground thirsty was our reed of grass
Pitter patter the last drop of rain fell not anywhere but on the roof
I looked around to find you all set to wander in the woods all aloof


Seeing you walk the last leaf on our tree drooped to wave goodbye
All that reached the land holding my feet were tears of my silent cry
I stand now at the last turn of a road where I saw you stroll and go
For you were my one friend the best who could never turn my foe


Waves of the past hit me over and again say O'cmon one last tide
And bring back those moments naive that took our world for a ride
Little did I know then that those were my fine days of one last smile
I wonder would you come now and take me along from this old isle


Come to me again,there are songs to sing and things together to do
Make me feel for a change that you were nothing but nice and true

Hold my hands,paint my dream a strength with your one last touch
What I wish and ask in all this life from you for me,is it too much?


Buried or bruised I shall stay quiet in the lightlessness not strange
Skies of hope will be my blanket and the lands of faith my grange
Remember every grain of sand beautiful once belonged to a stone
The last shore where you left me,I am not just lonely but alone.

-R.