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!  

Cocktail of 2015 ****

Cocktail of 2015****

Life is fathomless; more we try to understand more we are gripped by its complexity. Each year comes with its delicacy, and we often question God,"why this is being served on my platter, I don't like this?" usually forgetting to thank for all the puddings and pies HE serves us every day.

This year was special in a way for me too, as I also questioned Almighty many times, "Why this and why that." The year was full of challenges and demanded to stretch my skills to the maximum. It was tough very tough, but in the process, I got introduced to my new level of resilience.  I was compelled to try new concoction in the recipe of the cocktail called LIFE, and  I came out with a new zing. Though I am not a Lord Buddha to preach about life. All I could say that probably HEAD CHEF of this universe puts us on fire; gives us a toss and turn to dish out something new to savor for times to come.

Hopefully, 2016 will bring beautiful aromas and sweetness of life for all of us. Let's celebrate this party called LIFE with more vigor and buoyancy. A very merry and happy new year to all of you. God bless all 

HAPPY DUSSEHRA !

A beautiful tale of  'Satyug' a triumph of good over evil----still enchanting our kids. A story of demon Ravana who abducted Lord Rama's wife to take revenge for his sister's insult.  This was his love for his sister. He abducted Sita to take revenge but fell in love with her pristine beauty.   So were the values of that Demon that he kept her in seclusion and waited patiently for her acceptance.

Now we are in 'Kalyug,' each day with new stories. Abduction, rape, molestation, burning toddlers in the name of casteism, killing humans over animals and so on.  With so much happening on this earth, I am sure there must be much confusion up there in heavens that who are this Yug's demons and who is a sage?

The Same day we culminate 'Durga puja. It says that  Demon Mahishasura created havoc on this earth, so Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesha infused their energies and gave birth to Maa  Shakti or Maa Durga with ten hands to defeat Mahishasura.  Maa Durga ended the tyranny of this demon, and so peace prevailed all over. 

But we also worship all the Lords with gaiety, pomp, and show in this Kalyug. Why can't we restore peace and harmony? Or the powers of Kalyug's demons have increased so much that even our Lords are taking the time to reincarnate another 'Maa Shakti' to end all rapists, terrorists, goons and many such scoundrels. Today's 'Maa' just cry after despotism ......hopelessly wait for justice and dies to wait for the same.

All our festivals have great lessons for all of us to teach ....but do we take any? My five-year daughter comes back from school and tells me,  "Mam has asked us  to write all our bad habits on paper and burn it with Ravan this year." I smiled and said,"Yes," I wish it was that simple....then there would have been no more Demons in this Kalyug. 

 

Dating Fixation......

Dating Fixation......

God made Adam and Eve.....and created infatuation between them.  This has been going ever since but with the changing times, relationships are changing so is the spectrum of the same. Infatuation, crush, liking, and admiration were the words used in our age ( just two decades back ) for such feelings. Now it has been replaced by just one word "dating." Being a mother of an adult teenager, I am in the learning process of this sweet term "dating." 

I often get the opportunity to sit with this generation. They are much more chilled out than ours. Fun loving and happy go lucky. But as I get to know them better I secretly reveal to myself that  I  am either dumb, or a fool or I have really grown old.   

Their conversation terminology - hook up, make out,  ask out and friends for benefits, etc.,  makes my head spin.  I generally remove my doubts with my sweetheart so that next time I don't look such a moron. Though she hates that I am enhancing my vocabulary on this front, but I don't mind improving my GYAAN on any front.

 Jokes apart dating is defined as a prelude to any relationship.  But for this generation "dating" is a playground of romance where hearts are won and broken at supersonic speed. 

It is a phenomenon where u wear best of perfume, most beautiful clothes, hang out for the movie , eat and drink at hip joints and make out for few days or few months and then after petty fights and few tears ---bada bing, bada boom. It's over. Time to search for a new Dating partner.

 Everything is there on this "date" thing except that most beautiful emotion "love." It can not be described that easily to this generation :). Maybe this is the in-thing, but I hope love fills the shallowness of this dating phenomenon someday.

Nevertheless happy dating for all of u :) 

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