Beautiful Distractions!

The path is all ahead me and I am ready to gear, all prepared to make my journey on

I have made luggage with things I need, made my mind to travel the milky ways

The euphoria excites my heart, amazed by the wonders seen along the road

I watch them perplexed and prayed the almighty, who painted avidly every corner of the land

The more I wonder more my heart thumps, I stay for a moment and then I have to leave

Some moment of loneliness when engulfs me all around, I sit with some flower and pour my heart; I lay under the tree telling my story

O tree! I am searching, O tree! I am travelling

At night when stars are shining I tell them my tales

And I sleep basking in moonlight weaving magical dreams

I get up and I find my pace has become slower, there are my desires I have now to carry and on my tiny shoulders I have added luggage of dreams

I sludge along the path and stop at every admiration

I am controlled by petty habits, and I give them my all in all

I still talk to flowers and trees and tell them about my story of travelling to some place

But day by day I see my increasing burden, my steps are now broken

I feel tired and I stopped by the river, there I found some hut to stop in there for while

I found that there was a big mound just behind, I dig and found a treasure and transformed the hut in mansion

And brought all beautiful flowers and shades of trees, I stayed there and thought that now I have my life

Years after years but my burden kept on building, making me stoop with dingy fainted memories

I went to the flowers, they recited one story; I closed my ears and went to lovely trees……

They too echoed the story of a journey, long started, but now lost ways and tracks and now I am here all alone with my dreams, I am here and with me are my beautiful distractions…..

History should be studied to learn and improve our lives and not to repeat the mistakes of the past.

Through history, we study the culture of human beings. The journey of the human beings from the forest and caves to the skyscrapers of today is full of enigma, sadness, blood-shed, gloom, glory and everything. Minutely looking into the growth of society, its mean of livelihood, climate and society, different religions came into emergence. Some evolved on with the understanding of man while others offshoot into new branches. From ancient nature worship to polytheism - monotheism – atheism – agnostics, religions have traveled a lot; a long journey full of all shades.

As we see the history we observe a peculiar thing that every religion was entwined in making people united and this was how religion served as the rule to unite people and thus politics and religion evolved together. Then religious heads or there beneficiaries became head of the states and people accepted the king as a representative of Lord. Then with democracy, liberalism, rationalism and demand for equality between man and man, transformations took place. Religion now either formed different sects or reformed the old traditions. Those were our heroes and mentors who actually gave the momentum to ability of human mind to think without any adultery and suppression. They propagated that humans should not accept the situations as they are but they should question, ask and keep on asking until they are answered.

There might be as many religions but the essence of every religion is universal brotherhood. From ages human has questioned his existence, existence of nature as it is. The questions troubled the mind of every thinker from every creed and religion developed to ease the mind of human. Religion emerged from the philosophy of living and understanding of our surroundings and till date religions are changing and molding as the human understanding is evolving with observation and experience (mental or physical).  

People are always proud of their heritage and it is something very necessary because through this we contemplate on the life of our forefathers. When a child is born, she learns about the culture in which she is brought up.  The culture or religion is not inherent but developed in course of one’s upbringing. And we love the traditions in which we are brought up, but it does not mean that we should not appreciate other cultures. Instead we should learn more about other cultures and such learning should not cultivate the tolerance but the respect for other cultures. If we study in more exactness we find that essence remains same from one religion to another though the garb might be different. As the world is moving on to globalization there is dire need for an individual to take the interdisciplinary view of life and lead a life that fulfills his objective as a free thinker to question and seek answers for.

The things that promote disharmony by digging the ghosts of past mistakes done by someone due to ignorance, ego, selfishness etc only widen the gap. History is the best teacher but if we refuse to learn we learn nothing. Whole history pleads for peace so one should keep the mind open and use history as a torch that helps us to learn from past actions to make our present better and future hopeful.

Story of the sparrows and the scattered grains.........

This is a story simple and plain; it’s about the sparrows and the grains.

When I was kid, I watched on terrace birds of all kinds.

When I would rub my sleepy eyes I saw them greeting early in the morning.

And on the bench when I sat in sun, they chirped around me in a turn.

Black, brown, green and grey…well daadi! Oh naani! What are their names?

This is parrot, this one is crow and this is sparrow ah! look that is pigeon, 

Hmm! I liked that green but it remained silent; I hate that black it yells and screams.

That brown one has dirty yellow beak and grey one is always out of reach

Hmm this sparrow is auspicious one; she eats rice grains my grandma spreads.

Whole day she remains on my courtyard and flutters here there all around.

She not only chirps but her wings make a sound as she flew close to my ears

And so days went by and so many the years……………………….

I grew big, smart and busy; I have my own life with foes and friends;
I have to deal with them on my own terms.

I hear rock music and metallic bells;
vehicle horns and all the crazy sounds.

The ringtone of my mobile mimicked all the birds on globe and in my ears is the latest i-pod.

As so many years I never gave a thought; the journey was long, but it took me back.

To the old paths I had now retraced; I see no grains scattered on my floor, naani in heaven and daadi so old...

And one day the moment was just perfect, when I was sitting on the same bench, with the memory in flash,

Back in the moment, I found  no sparrows; 
I felt no chirping and no wings  resonance.

I felt as if I have lost someone.
Where she’s gone? Why now I care the most..?

One morning I came out rubbing my eyes, I scattered some grains and waited so long.

All birds came one by one, the green, brown, the white, the black.. but..I could think now what I have lost…

But every day I kept the water and grain; shooed all birds out of vain.

Hey! This not yours I am keeping it for her, don’t take what is not yours. Go away and tell her to come.

They crooked and screamed and cursed me a lot but I was living on some hope.

Then one day I said she might not come as I never cared and took her for granted.

And still I kept the water and grains, I let every bird have it and never shooed again

I watched them daily the elegant flocks; their melodious songs and fluttering feathers

I had the hope still and also reality accepted and one fine morning I came out rubbing my eyes and I was amazed for what was in my sight.

Two tiny sparrows were hopping on the terrace walls; I could not control my feelings of enthrall!

I was so happy. I sat on the bench in sun; the sparrows were chirping, fluttering in the golden rain.

Feeding on the scattered grains!

(When I wrote this poem, my daadi was alive, but now she too joined my naani.... love you both!)

editted on 18 july, 2016

I am on my path......................

I don't know where it will take me

But I am on my way

I am enjoying this journey

Of vast and scrappy mountains

And down the lanes and uphill

I twist upon and spill

It has been a dream

To reach at place some 

That appears fuzzy and almost bleak

Rivers are carving and changing swirls

But I am looking to one thing

The twin stars at night and moon sandwiched

Cannot judge my utmost reach

I feel if my heart is traitor and mind might deceive

But I listen when so ...so.. calmly

My heart says lay trust on mind

And mind says heed the heart

I know then the track is not so easy

But I am still on my path........................

Life is like a cocoon!

Its dangerous but what if taken no risk, put a step ahead and waiting for
Waiting is pain, why can not just live now?
Time goes on rolling, how can be measured in wheels?
And surpassing things so simple, complicating under the heels
When plain were all the shades of life, why thought of adding colors?
What this hues speak about, is it must to stop and listen now?
Counting the lines and counting on time, should some moments be put now?
The flow between pinnacles is endless and can not end
But that grows from speck to mammoth, life is like a cocoon, shouldn't stop building now?
Created and destroyed, should have understood this relation now
It gives signs of some vacuum, those panoramic details carved so beautifully
And beholding all in one, must not thread the symptoms now
Ahead and ahead and marching on, the toes needs some buckles now
Racing to nowhere, the place, some place, though not exists, but must be seeked for now