Purple Pulp!

PURPLE PULP!

I was green, my greenery gave solace to everyone.

For a while, my foliage was enough to bring radiance and luminance on everyone's face.

I tried hard to serve propitiously!

                          ****

I was pink, my pinkness took over greens and blues. 

My pinkness made everyone blush and flush. 

I was gazed upon with love and lust. 

I was kept tight - high and low, far and wide.

Till recently a purple tide came, I became an eyesore for everyone.

I was abandoned, I was burned, I was molested and deserted.

                            ****

I am Purple, I am rhetoric and grandiloquent.

I know I am acting bit pricey right now. 

It's only my final effort to tell you all .....

Usher me tenderly, love me honestly, place me where I belong to.

'Bhaioon aur Bahno' - I don't want to be pegged out like pink !!!

Happier Heart :)

World Heart Day

In a coldhearted world, today we dedicate the day to our tiny little 'heart'!

The heart is a biological organ, assigned to a human body for pumping blood to all the parts of our body. Till the time we are alive its performing its job sincerely. But are we sincere to this small little muscular mass?

Cardiac diseases are taking a maximum number of lives, BP is the most common ailment. And angioplasty and by-pass surgeries are most fashionable surgeries of all. 

Have you ever tried to hear the thumping beats of your heart? If not, please understand it now! How rhythmic and in sync it is with your body and soul. But we are totally out of sync with it, we do everything that goes absurdly against its wishes. 

Show us Indian sweets, Cholle-Bhatture, starchy oily food and our taste buds start dancing against the melody of our heart beat!  Let heart skip a beat or two, but taste buds should quench the thirst first. 

Food is not only one of its foes, but our lazy genes are even bigger culprits to take away its strength. Blame on to the genetic composition or our upbringing; we are comfort lovers, and nothing can prevail over our comfort zone. Physical exercise is our last priority, our mind does excessive manipulation how to avoid it. Summers are too hot, winters are too cold, autumn is full of dust and spring is full of allergies! We have all the lame excuses to give to our heart when it asks for some 'cardio'. But poor thing beats in all the seasons 'lub-dub-ta'   in tandem. 

Food, genes and third is the stress which is the enormous threat to our tiny red little thumping organ. Stress gives it all sort of wrong signals, continuously tries to kill its harmony and peace. And ultimately disturbs its melody and puts it on the nodes of BP pills.  

But what is this stress? In this competitive,  ambitious and lusty world, stress comes as a package. It runs parallel with all our desires. Right from a school going child to a grandparent everyone is suffering from some or other level of stress. The stress of achieving, the stress of competing, stress of outshining and blah, blah, blah; plethora of pressures puts a mega stress on our heart. Poor muscular bag beats along with extra pressure nevertheless.

But how long and how far? Can we do something to be its good companion?

Can we do something to ease its journey? Can we fine tune its melody?

Yes, by all means, we can!

We Indians can rejoice our food as much as we want, our food is the most healthy and nutritious in the whole world. We only have to be wise enough to pick and choose our food according to our lifestyles. Should stop having fast-food and shall switch to homemade food as much as we can. 

We are the luckiest to be born in this country, where nature showers all its shades in abundance. We see the sunshine round the year; rain snow and wind spurt out their colours off and on. Ever weather adds our health and body. We should use most of it. Walk in the sun, walk in the rain feel the wind and if you are lucky enough witness the snow as well. Play like a child and let your heart feel young again.

Stress it the most serious issue to be dealt with. We call it 'stress full times'; but times are same its our thought process which has filled the vacuum with stress. Live in the moment, do your best, try to be selfless and breathe out to let go! Stress may go as well. 

No two individuals are same. No two hearts are same, no two minds are same, so lets stop ourselves comparing to hundreds and thousands.

Its our life lets live it our way! Its our heart let it beat its own way! Lets just try to be in sync with it, this is best we can do to make it stronger and happier :)

Happy Heart day indeed!

Homage to Pullela Gopi Chand !

                                   

He was meant for some sport, he figured out early in life. 

He fell in love with shuttle and racquet in no time.

His soul was trapped inside the walls of the court.

He leapt and bounced at the tune of his coach. 

Collected used shuttles from every corner of the world to attain new heights at every shot.

For he could not afford to use the new shuttle for every practice game!

He lived like a hermit for the love of medals.

But instead of medals life put him on crutches.

He crumbled for a while, but the desire to be donned with tricolours kept him alive.

After major knee surgery, he conquered all the major tournaments in the world.

He missed out so desirous Olympic medal.

He promised himself he would get it one day.

He did it not once but twice.

He was compared to Dronacharya - while Dronacharya took away Eklavaya's thumb, he took away billions of hearts! 

My wallet's Night Out !

                     

Last Sunday was full of thrill, excitement, and passion as I was at the promotional event of my book. It was a scorching afternoon, and Pragati Maidan was full of enthusiastic readers, I  thought so!
Little did I know that along with bibliomaniacs there were kleptomaniacs and pickpockets as well.
After the thorough promotion of my book and shopping a couple of them for my daughters, I thought I had a splendid day. Merrily, I moved out of the venue, took the shuttle service organised by the authorities and joyously stepped into my car. On the way, I opened my handbag and skipped a heartbeat or two as I found out my wallet was missing. I freaked out and checked left,  right and centre. I called up every shop and counter I visited, even spoke to the Police on duty. I was guided to contact Tilak Nagar Thana to lodge a complaint. Promptly, I got a message, 'This is Delhi Police will get back to you shortly.' Nobody got back to me till now, though :) All the effervescence of the day evaporated, and I felt so much like a flat coca-cola without a fizz.
My mind tried to quickly calculate what all I had in my wallet, how much cash? What kind of documents and how many credit and debit cards? Poor at calculation in general and in such circumstances even most destitute! Some part of brain commanded, "Stop calculation and block your cards!" Luckily I got through my bank in the first go and blocked all of them in a shot.
I was a bit relieved but still couldn't get out of the shock that when and where someone sneaked out my wallet! Back home I hugged my daughters and tried to de-stress, counselling myself that I did some charity -  let the pickpocketer be happy. But deep in my heart, I was sad for I  had lost my favourite wallet as well. This promotion was indeed costly :( At ten in the night, I got a call from an unknown number saying, "Madam I found your wallet on the floor of my shop, I tried all the numbers on your cards and finally got yours!"  I couldn't believe my ears, I fumbled, asking, "Is there something inside my wallet?"
Bang came to the answer, "Yes Ma'am it has all kind of cards, some medicines, and a  hundred-rupee note!" Wahoo! How generous is this pickpocketer? He left at least 'Kiraya-Bharra' for me! Then who was the gentleman who is trying to be so kind I enquired!
"I am a vendor, I found your wallet on the floor, I will keep your wallet safely with me tonight, you can collect in the morning from my stall," he replied. Now, who he was? None my concern! Little did he know my wallet was more expensive than all the cash put together in it, and I would be more than happy to have it back!
Next morning I got my wallet back, safe and sound! Thanks, dear for taking my wallet for a night out, and returning back safely! You are more sensitive, compassionate and prompt than Delhi police!

My Aaradhya by Amita Thakur Dogra

Rain, rain and blame game !

A lazy day with low clouds and mellifluous drizzle, a third cup of tea since morning, radio playing the most romantic and mushy songs of the 70s and 80s.  Rare quaint moments of life. But only if you can afford to sit at home.

Last night was a different story when it rained heavily for two hours, and our very own Gurugram came to a complete halt. Commuters were stranded for hours and hours on the highway and in the by-lanes of Gurugram. One of them was my daughter who left from MG road at five and reached home at eleven in the night. It was a very anxious, frustrating and hopeless commute for my daughter and even more for me. Five hours for ten kilometres drive .....for some even more. We are a developing country, it happens!

Every year in monsoon we get such anxious moments. Politicians start blame games, mud slinging, arguments, counter-arguments. Same happened this year as well. Since morning I have been reading and watching on different versions of different parties and politicians. Best came from Mr Sisodia, "Jumlon se Jam Nahin Khulega (platitudes won't resolve jams)."  Very correct sir, per Kaise khulega wo batiye?

Funny to read that Mr Khattar is blaming Delhi for rising water levels in Gurugram and vice versa. After the city is wholly drowned in rains, Mr Gadkari orders for a team to assess the situations. Sir if your team had visited earlier things would have been much easier for them.

Right now it's a complete circus going on, one Domino pizza guy slipped on the highway, and his pizzas floated on the water absolutely free. Few are playing cards inside the stranded cars as they can not move an inch. Shona road is ready to take a boat ride as our vehicles are yet not available to float. Much more I cannot describe as I can not dare to move out. But I pray for those who are stranded. 

But let's not just blame our slow-paced government machinery, we also contribute to this mess. Clogging mainly happens because of garbage and polythene which we unmindfully use and throw here and there. At least let's pledge to do our bit until we can not mend our potholes and highways. 

Till the time let's listen and think "Bhegge bhegge ratoon  mein, meethe meethe batoon mein , assa lagta hai ---------"

21st June !

                                

21st June! An important day in my life, it's my dear husband's birthday. United Nations made it even more relevant by marking it as international Yoga day. 

It's a reminder for me to draw in extra breaths during my Pranaam session so that day goes by extra smooth, without a tiff!

As they say, yogic culture goes back to Lord Shiva,  He is being considered as Adiyogi or first Guru. Yoga is not regarded as a religion or as a belief or philosophy, but it's a method. This statement was well proved when I did rounds of doctors from my physician to neurologist for a minor problem like a headache.  All the doctors tried various chemicals to tune my Brain's untuned chemical. In the end, all of them said, "Please practice yoga!"

 After being attended by all streams of medical sciences when this statement came in unison, I questioned myself ....."Do we need multi-speciality hospitals or we need Muti speciality yoga centres?" In the stressful times when we all are jostling within ourselves,  probably yoga is the only science which teaches us to be happy amongst ourselves. Media is going frenzy about 'Yoga day.' See any tabloid, all are full of different kinds of yoga - anti-gravity yoga, steam yoga, water yoga blah -blah- blah. 

But Sadhguru defined "Yoga" in a beautiful way. He said yoga is geometry,  it's all about proper alignment of our body so that all the cosmic powers can flow adequately. 

He gave an excellent example, people from at least my generation or older can relate to it easily. He said, "Till the early eighties we all aligned our aluminium antennas so that it can match the required frequency for the best television reception. Precisely our body requires an angle for the best cosmic reception. Yoga is not about trying 100 different postures.  It's not about sweating or losing weight. It's about precise alignment, and everybody has a different angle."

So husband dear I want to gift you a precise alignment on this birthday, please join and let me help to find mine :)

Happy yoga day to all - let's take charge of our mind and emotions to explore other dimensions of life in a better way. 

Agatha Christie for AgustaWestland scam !!!!!!

I am an ordinary citizen of a grandiose country, proud to boast about few things, modestly accepting many. All we can do is read in print or media discuss within our four walls and then silently wait for another. Latest in the air is AgustaWestland scam.  A for Augusta, B for Bofors, C for Commonwealth ... V for Vayapam and so on. We can assign one to every alphabet!  Dishonest methods to acquire hundred of crores is defined as the scam,  An average in math like me can't even figure out how many zeros it requires.

It's heartrending to read the names of defence admirals, politicians, babus and secretaries all joining hands together to rip off the integrity of the country they are serving for! The story of AgustaWestland says a deal worth rupees 3,600 crores was done to acquire 12 VVIP helicopters in 2010, which was six folds higher than the regular price. Later the deal was scrapped due to corruption allegation and for a kickback of some 400 crores only. But in due process country got three choppers and lost many crores!

An ordinary citizen like me listens to such stories and then gets back to mundane routine. It does not matter who took the money as we know it has gone to drain.  But a thought that tickles me is,  do such politicians ever imagine the scenes of rooftops of our buses and trains loaded with people risking their lives to reach back home? Have they ever noticed one auto rickshaw carrying twenty children to school? Have they ever saw daily wagers cycling on highways to achieve to their sites, or a rickshaw-puller riding his age-old rickshaw -  before asking a kick back for a chopper which has cabin height of 1.8 meters? Dear babus,  we all Indians are of average height 5 to 6 feet, we all require basic safety standards. If this money had not gone to drain, we could have had achieved many such standards.

With bleeding heart and agony in mind, like to do some mockery. Lend those three choppers to taxi drivers who are sitting idle these days, blocking roads here and there.  Let them fly AW101 and let a common man travel in regal babu style! At least some money will come back! In the meantime hand over the investigation to Agatha Christie :)

NAMASKAR FROM GURUGRAM !!!

नमस्कार गुरुग्राम् :) 




Yesterday it was all over media that we are not Gurgaonites, but we are Gurugramites!  The news came to me as if someone has pelted a stone at me and said, 'Catch it if you can, or you will be hurt!'
Gurgaon is often described as Singapore of India and is on the world map for MNCs, is now being face-lifted from its international image to mythological image.

For all the fellows who are curious to know about this 'Guruji', it's Guru Dronacharya who taught archery and martial arts to all the Kauravas and Pandavas. But lesser known fact about him is that he was the first test tube baby if Google history states it right!  Just trying to stress on a point that Guruji was born in such scientifically advanced time. He grew up in an environment where he was given best of education and was skilled to superhuman capacity.

Honourable Mr Khattar we don't mind to associate ourselves with such great warrior in any which way, but just his name will suffice the growing problems of Gurugram?

 Suppose Guruji's soul decides to visit his hometown in present times, the first thing he will have to look for would be a mask and a steroidal inhaler as our Gurugram has less of oxygen and more of dust and concrete. Next, he will have to carry a torch as we have 10 to 8 hours of electricity cuts.  A water tank, as Gurugram is not left with much underground water. His own vehicle, as metros are always overloaded, and we have no other public transport. But finally, once he lands at Gurugram, he will surely be impressed with all the skyscrapers, cyber hubs, pubs, hotels, malls and blah blah blah.

But what if he falls into the trap of our traffic and pot-holed roads? He will inevitably have to use his Brahmastra for evacuating himself!  He might question to himself," So  was this the town I ever lived, no I don't think so?"

So Mr Minister point is not Gurgaon or Gurugram - we need a Gaon where at least an essential quality of life is provided- clean water, gentle air,  24hrs electricity and some greenery so that our children can breathe.

Jotting down my Grievance number (at municipality website ) 20163264972 registered on 2nd March 2016 regarding such complaints. Status is still 'registered,' I hope now that name has changed the machinery of government will also change and will give Guruji some honour. After all, its GURU'S GRAM now!

Beautiful girls , fans are for cooling !!!!!

God Almighty decided WOMAN  to be the creator and perpetuator of this race called Mankind. From time immortal this has been happening, from giving birth to lending all her life, women have been busy taking forward the race called humans.  In olden times it was a lovely arrangement; all the men would go to work and women would sit back and nurture the race. In the evening men, women and children would sit together eat and drink merrily and then would retire to beds. I have not witnessed those times, but I think things were simpler, better and happier 

Time evolved, and so changed the thought process of mankind. Over the times, I guess women sliced and diced their virtue of being a woman!  They took a long hard look over their womanhood and probably reached a conclusion that, "We can do much more than just perpetuating this race ." From there begun the saga of their fortunes and misfortunes.

Fortunes I don't need to state we all know our women in space, in sports arenas, in Hollywood, in politics, in business and much more. Why I am saying misfortune? For the fact that many women have overburdened themselves in this arms race.  They have no option to shun their responsibility as creator and perpetrator, but they overloaded themselves with many others.  Though resilience and endurance of women can not be challenged but sometimes in the process to preen, our mind gets fatigued. And when the mind becomes weary, happiness ends.  And when there is no happiness or contentment what is the whole exercise for?

Women of our generation are pressurizing themselves too hard to walk the walk. Reasons could be different ( desire to achieve,  financial, or need of personal situation ), but I urge to all you beautiful women take a breather. Analyze your needs and demands and then reboot your soul, " How much I want and how much I can do ??".

Every day in the news, the suicides of celebrities rock us all, not only celebrities but girls next door also do this. It's boggling to see the powerhouse of resilience crumbling down like this!  If you are unhappy with the situation, please reach out to your dear ones. If that does not work, look for medical help. The irony of this time is, if Humans make you unhappy, pills may make you happy :).  But please please, please !!!!!  Your place is in hearts,  if not in one's may be in another's. You are too indispensable to end up yourself on fans :(  Fans are for cooling, sit under and cool your heels!  Time never remains same!

MORTAL REMAINS :(

Earning smiles :)

In today's time, everyone yearns to earn something or else, dollars, pounds or rupees, bank balance, shares, funds, equities, and properties. All these things are benchmark our lives. 

To earn all this, we put many precious moments of our lives at stake ........like spending times with our loved ones, peace of mind, the sleep of our nights, tranquility of our soul. Still at the end of the day, if we try, to sum up, the day's  earnings we get a grim smile on our face. And then to come out of such harsh situations, we sometimes try meditation, pooja path or other spiritual means. But still, the craving, hunger, and desire for earnings of life never end.  

But sometimes we earn very precious tangible or intangible assets in life with very simple deeds. I received a bonus today with an unadorned, but the thoughtful act of mine. 

It so happened that I became friends with an uncle who is a thorough gentleman. Unfortunately living without his better half to whom he loved a lot. From his narratives, I could make out that how much pain one yearns when the spouse leaves you lurching in middle of life, and children sail away miles across.

 He can boast about all the earnings of life I mentioned above, but still, he looked very desolated to me. Whenever I met him, I started spending five minutes with him. Mutual admiration grew, and we started talking more.  Somehow  I could see through that how deprived man can be of simple things if he doesn't have his woman by his side. And simplest of all is home made food .....so I sent across once. And that simple practice of mine earned me so much that I would like to share today's conversation with the uncle;

 Words can't explain but this honor is a big one ....if a bowl of Kheer can earn a father and daughter in today's time, then I would say things are not that bad yet :). With a choked heart and happy feeling; this treasure earned I will keep in the locker of my life forever and ever.

Whatsapp

Another holiday somewhere on earth is culminating with a lot of fond memories, fun, and experiences. Every journey is "out of the box "  learning process. We imbibe so many things knowingly or unknowingly. This holiday I was forced to notice that technology has done wonders.  The World is smitten by this app or that app, but of course, the king of apps is WHATSAPP👑.  First time on our international travel we didn't buy a local calling card, WHATSAPP took care of calls. 

Every morning at breakfast lounge seven-course breakfast meal was laid with beautiful colors and delicacies, but hardly did I see anyone noticing that. All I saw everyone's plate full in one hand and phone in another.

 Hardly did I discern anybody admiring food because WHATSAPP messages were pouring in, which I hope were more amusing or entertaining.  This is probably the reason our digestive enzymes are so confused these days 😄 because they can't understand WHATSAPP.🤔

No matter what age, creed or nationality everyone is hit by this WHATSAPP bug. Not only calling or messaging it has become informative in many other senses as well.

Let's mock about WHATSAPP DP (display pic ) first. Many are there on our contact list but still few are our favorite and like a morning ritual first thing first we all check their DPs. 

Teenagers first ...., their reaction to DPs are best, "Oh man so and so had DP with so and so last night; It isn't the same? Gosh, they broke up last night that means! " 

 " Poor thing is always flocked by the bunch of friends, I think he is single!' " I have no status to show let's put a DP with mom, dad, bro or sis at least it's comforting ☺️."  When you see a couple smiling, clung to each other with so many hearts as status, you can bet couple is going smooth and having the best time of their lives 😆😆.

We middle aged people also have many stories to tell through our DPs and status. Our birthdays,  anniversaries,  Mothers day,, Father's Day are all wished first on WHATSAPP than verily.

 Travel destinations, our achievements, kids results are also displayed beautifully on WHATSAPP 😍. Many a times status also reflects husband and wife had a terrible fight last night or things are not so good here and there. After reading the status, we start calling, and we get the answer, "it's all ok now yaar,  It happened last night I forgot to update status 😌." 

Parents of our generation are struggling as well to get into the groove of this WHATSAPP addiction.Though poor things are trying hard,  my dad mostly sends messages at wrong contact. Doesn't matter they will also learn with time 😍.  

Sum total WHATSAPP has become an open diary of our lives. It's addictive, interactive and entertaining but yes those essay type jokes are the most irritating feature of WHATSAPP 😁. Technology has really revolutionized our lives, but still, I crave for one such app which is more tangible and brings each of us more close than tabs and US 😄.

SCHOOLING ....NOW AND THEN !!!

In the past two decades, our country is struggling to emerge as a developed nation. I can't comment on all issues,  but as far as schooling is concerned  India can proudly boast of having one of the finest schools in the world.

Yesterday was the sports day of my five years old tricky daughter,  who is somewhat prankish and modestly frank at home; but to our amazement, we witnessed her as a most obedient child there. For sure it was a magic wand of the school.
It has been almost twenty-six years since I passed my school. Fond memories of school always remain with us but if I go in the series of flashback, our sports day reminded me of everyday white uniform with white Bata canvas shoes (extra finished with CHALK to look sparkling white).

 PT time and then; Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Badminton, TT  and at the end of the sports day two ladoos!  I was never into any kind of sports, so for me, sports day didn't mean a lot, (though now I realise how important it is ) nor our schools propelled us for the same.

 I can't blame my school, at the modest amount of Rupees 15 per quarter it gave me a lot ( yes believe it or not this was our fee at  Kendriya Vidyalaya ). It gave me worth that now I can afford Rupees X per quarter for my daughters. But money is not the point here. I am talking about the paradigm shift in the education system. When three to five years of tender kids ( of different nationalities ) showcased their skills and knowledge of global sports, in amalgamation with their academic skills on the playground, we parents were wonderstruck.  The whole ambience was so vibrant and inviting that we also wanted to be kids again!

But still melancholy prevails with a thought that how many children are privileged to get this kind of education?  Still, the majority of my country's children go to Anganwadi, State schools, and Kendriya Vidyalaya.


Nothing much has changed there. Now also tender hands are forced to write a,b,c or 1,2,3 without being given any exposure towards sensitivity to mankind, environment, and moral values.

 No wonder we hear stories about intolerance, revolution, and suicides at the college level!  Today only  I listened to the fiery yet emotional speech by Madam Smriti Irani .....poor thing was herself so baffled, hurt and deluded. She showed determination to bring some change . Madam, please visit over primary schools. If at all anything can be changed it can be modified there. Rest all of us have passed the school! 

Humans .......worst cosmic by product ?????

                                           

Astrophysicists and Scientists say this universe appeared out of nothingness in a single cataclysmic explosion ten to twenty billion years ago. It's all science, it is all chemicals, and everything around us is just chemical "lochha".

For such boffins existence of God is debatable. Though I am a staunch believer in God. I bow to His creations every time I try to understand the complexity of this universe.  How precisely HE  has created space, galaxies, universe and how well they all are in tandem with each other for millions of years.


 Whenever I go out in the lap of nature,  its beauty jolts my soul!  What beautiful colours, textures millions of species one for another.   Seeing all this can't buy the crap of  BIG BANG theory that we all are by-products of a cosmic reaction.

I am sure up there God has some highly skilled brains or robots making such flawless merchandise and artefacts.  But if I have to rate one after another, I would say humans are GOD's most ordinary creation. HE gave us white, brown and black colour, one complex brain and lost interest in us after that!

According to Hindu mythology, a human being is born after passing through 84 lacs yoni (vagina)!  So what good we are doing after moving through 84 lacs yoni?   Human being's superior brain than the rest of the species is I think the most significant problem.

Lust, greed, competition, anger, hatred all are the futile exercises of our well-developed brain. Lately, I visited a jungle .......was so much awestruck by the discipline of wildlife. Lions and Tigers also mark their territories, but no one crosses each other's domain.  No one asks for individual quotas, saying they are minorities!  No riots, no dharnas just peace and tranquillity.

But what about our jungle ......nothing in control of our Lions and Tigers. All are sleeping in their dens.  Let there be more ruckus let there be bit more fire in jungle till then why to get out of our slumber!  (Acid attack, JNU attack, Jat quota stir all giving bandhs and chutties ) the alarm is on don't worry!

• Still would like to reiterate that we Hindus firmly believe:

"Reaching 8.4 millionth manifestation announces a soul atman gaining absolute purity forever "let us think over !!!!

TRIBUTE TO YOU ......BRAVEHEART HANUMANTHAPPA !!!!!

Soldiers become soldiers with a dream to serve the country, probably they also fantasize to die serving for the same.  But sometimes death does not come that easily, and this is what happened to   Lance Naik Hanumanthapa.  

Ever since news broke about a soldier found alive after 6 days buried under 35 feet of snow,  many stories kept floating. Some said he survived because he practiced yoga,  some said it was his willpower, some said it was air trapped in the snow pit which kept him alive.   Nobody talked about what he must have thought for all the days he was stuck in the snow. 

Ever since I heard the news,  my mind was off and on visualizing about what one could think trapped deep down in the snow . The darkness of the white pit, hot flashes because of claustrophobia in sub-zero temperatures, sting of hunger and above all fear of death .....with all this what kept him alive?

After all, he was also a human being, somebody's son,  someone's husband and father as well. Of course, as a soldier, he must have thought about his POST.

But  I believe that it must have been his 'will-power' to see the face of his old parents one last time,  desire to hug his wife so that she can live with his warmth for rest of her life, or to kiss his child and to hold him/her never to leave again. 

It must have been much harder than taking a bullet in the chest . I shudder at the thought of Hanumanthapa's  situation. My tears couldn't stop rolling down sitting in front of TV seeing all the biggies meeting his stone-faced wife and wailing child. I am sure his wife must have been thinking, "Wish I could only see my husband and none of these."

I am my favourite....

I am my favorite.....

 Self-love is universal, and we all love ourselves.....there is no oddity in this statement. But in the hustle and bustle of life sometimes we even suppress this feeling of ours. In the stable regime of life; many 'loves'  step over our self-love. Love for the spouse, love for kids, love for mundane and materialistic  things predominantly curb 'dear self.'

But exceptions are always there.....and I am fortunate to have one in my family, not only she epitomizes self-love but has in abundance for others as well.  She cradled her kids with perfection, flattered and nurtured her better half with devotion, kept her home as a revered institution but in the process never held herself in the back seat. It's none other than my dear MIL. 

I am in awe of her self-glory ever since I got married, and always wondered how could somebody be so devoted to oneself. 

But the stream of life never flows unidirectionally. Lately, she met with an accident and laid in ICU for a month. We all were emotionally drained to see her with half of her bones broken, but she kept her spirits high, and I even saw her exercising in the semiconscious condition. She came out of ICU with a vengeance . Hours of physiotherapy, best of diet and above all passion for being back in her placid disposition got her back on her own feet in a months time. 

She proved self-love is the great miracle cure. It enlightened me so much so that from now on I am also going to love 'ME' the most and I am also going to be my favorite. 

Jokes apart but really a lesson to be learned ......we all came alone we all will go alone, so we have to take care of ourselves alone, no one can substitute that.  Someone very rightly said:

So love urself in abundance !!!!!!

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From the other side of the window

Aging is a gradual process of life ......easy to say,  hard to experience. Even harder when you see our parents going through this.  Though at this age, I am blessed with two set of parents, and I thank Almighty every day that I am being showered upon with their love, wisdom, and protection. Aura of their presence shields me in a cocoon where I can nestle till the time I want to without any fear and insecurity.

But life takes its toll. In the past, I have seen all my four parents from the other side of the window in ICU. Their moist eyes, helpless faces, feeble bodies and the desire to be cocooned had been the most taxing experience of my life. 

At that moment though I wanted to hold them as tight as I could but was weakest deep inside. It is harsh to see your epitome of strength growing frail, but that's what life is.

If life was a reversible process, I think each one of us would have loved to be inside the silken cocoon of love and compassion woven by our parents forever end ever. But nature wants this world to be full of colors and more beautiful. So at one stage or the another, we all have to come out of this cocoon and do our bit. Love you parents beyond words!