Let Love be!

Once again this inexpressible emotion knocked me down and upon recovering consciousness gently nudged me to make one more attempt in expressing its beauty and vastness.

I have always wondered about the many layers of this deep emotion to the point of believing in the saying- “Love is not an emotion, it’s your very existence.” It is the pure, unadulterated, unconditional love bordering on the lines of devotion that has always caught my fancy. When someone says ‘I love you’; who is I and who is you? See deeply and wouldn’t it be evident that the divinity in ‘I’ loves the divinity in ‘you’? Doesn’t the Divine love himself here?  He only makes it look different in the form of two people loving each other. Most of us cling to the outer forms, but it’s the core that intrigues me. When I discard the outer and talk about the core, I am termed hypocritical and rather impractical. J

I don’t blame the world either because making sense of this emotion can make people seem loopy. I’d rather be termed impractical than refrain myself from seeing the immeasurable beauty that love entails. I am not against the ‘romantic love’ that most people feel and look for in their ‘soulmate’ rather I am a hopeless romantic and did I say impractical in worldly parlance? ;) 

Come to think of it, isn’t everyone looking for that unconditional loving space when one can just be? When meeting the other person or even thinking about them is a source of nourishment to the soul? Don’t all of us seek to either feel complete or share our completeness with someone? Isn’t true love which we shamelessly gush about in books and movies border on the line of a lover’s devotion to their beloved? What is love if not divine, the core that we all are?

Devotion is the highest form of love; but why loving a person unconditionally in the worldly parlance earns someone a ‘tag’ of Meera Bai? Why can’t some ‘earthly person’ trigger the same level of devotion in someone; why can’t it be felt for the God within than just for the God at the places of worship? Why people mock love if it goes beyond their limited understanding and belief that it is only a worldly emotion? How limiting is that; an insult to love! Why can’t love just be? Why we only like to praise the divine love of Radha- Krishna and not even dare to explore that love ourselves? Why someone who loves God in this modern age of need and lust need to hide his/her love and longing for the fear of being ridiculed or worse, misunderstood? Why can’t it be seen as someone’s only life purpose? Accept it or not, each of us is doing just that; we are only too scared and rigid in accepting it as it is.

This song from the movie 'Khamoshi' has been my perennial favourite; couldn't put it more soulfully myself. 

Love Always!

Thodi 'Barfi' ho jaaye?

Barfi is an Indian sweet which has just about the right sweetness; it satisfies your craving for a sweet without nauseating you with its sweetness. That’s exactly what I loved about the movie, Barfi, too! I had a lot of apprehension about how Ranbir Kapoor will play out a Charlie Chaplin and Priyanka Chopra, an autistic character but when you have friends who drag you to the movie hall since they have rave reviews and know that it is a fab movie; it’s only little you can do. J

And how did I find it- Beautiful and refreshing!! It’s the cutest movie I have seen after a long time with just the right amount of ingredients to leave the viewer with a warm, fuzzy feeling. Now I can say; only RK could have pulled off this act. Barfi is intelligent, smart and SO adorable! PC is great too; infact just as I only saw Auro in Paa and not Sr.AB; I only saw her character Jhilmil and not PC! That’s saying something about her acting abilities in this one!

Love has no barriers and even if it has, it transcends it all provided your love is unconditional and pure. That’s one of my takeaways from the movie. A mute and deaf guy ends up loving an autistic girl because they connect through their attitude towards life- to view it as something alive, new, beautiful, each moment! The world may never appreciate their outlook; may call them careless or difficult but if they find just one person loving them for the way they are and share their outlook of life and beauty; life would be as sweet as Barfi. We ‘normal’ people want to define terms and conditions in our love for the other; we want a name to that relationship never attempting to let love be. Not all love like that but surely an attempt can be made right now because we all can.

Watch it for the freshness in bonds, for living a carefree life through Barfi (RK), for seeing the world as Jhilmil sees it; upside down. J Beautifully subtle treatment of a beautiful, tender emotion- Love.

Don’t miss the start; the sweetness begins right there! 

Love Always!

An Innocent voice

The blues gave way to hope and my core tossed out another poem! Aha, feels SO good to see this channel of words making it's way through me. This one is based on a very vivid experience I had; the understanding of which hopefully would remain with me for a long, long time. :)

In the depths of my heart

Makes an innocent voice its abode

What is it that perturbs you?

What is that you worry about?

You were. You are. You will be.

You are joy, love and peace.

See through the veil of illusion

There never has been any chaos or confusion

Everything is just perfect the way it is

The seemingly imperfect and amiss

Your work is to do and let go

You are never alone; this you must know

With faith; go fly as you were destined to be

Fall if you may; know you always have Me. 

Love Always!

The blues and the greys

One of those days when the day didn't feel right from the moment I opened my eyes to a new sun. The various activities and interactions through out the day didn't soothe the heart and mind either. And for heaven's sake, it's not even that time of the month! :P

A part of me tries to make some sense of these bouts of seemingly unsettling moments but a part of me knows that they are just clouds that will pass by. I am not perfect and know my flaws. It's just that once in a while the flaws seem overwhelming and the strength a little lost. The lazy bone that I am didn't want a long verbose cathartic writing session and voila! A poem pops up and gives me the much needed solace. This was written nearly 3 months back but the emotion today remains more or less the same even if the cause behind them changes. First from me and hopefully many more will flow, hopefully in better moods :) Now I know why pain is supposed to unravel the depths of human consciousness. A no-creativity person becomes a poet; how mind boggling is that!

The mist, the grey, the gloom

 Hold on darling there’ll be cheers soon

The future awaits your greatness

Let go of all jitters and sadness

Let’s build the castle one brick at a time

The fire within will melt the rime

Oh dear, there is always help

That spurs to your comfort before you yelp

So gather yourself and see the light

Soar high, let be, realise your Might!

Love Always!

Teachers' special

I don't believe in all the 'days' that make the rounds to celebrate the various people or emotions in our lives but Teachers' Day is special as it has loads of memories attached to it. Handing cards and flowers to the teachers who made a difference; seeing our seniors in sarees and giving them a tough time managing us, the parodies on teachers, exploring the fun side of their personalities; all that was so much fun! J

I have been blessed with some wonderful people whom I can call teachers par excellence. It's only in recent years of my life, I have begun to appreciate the huge difference that teaching makes in developing the personality of a child and his/her likes and dislikes in picking up a career. With that awareness in mind, I am now going to begin my thanksgiving ceremony. 

I thank Valsama Mam for bringing SO much passion and sincerity into teaching a subject which many find boring to death- History. Learning that for 5 years under your brilliant guidance was a treat to the mind and soul. I remember you everytime I visit a historical site and feel a childlike joy to see the books come alive. Thank You!

I thank my English teachers- Sister Rosaline, Dutt Mam, Reena Mam, Buhazre Mam for making me fall in love with the language; for motivating me to do my best and being ultra strict too even before I could think of resting on my laurels. You have been a BIG influence in whatever cultured speech I can boast of. 

I thank Saini sir, my class Xth tutor who was more of a father figure than a teacher to me. I have never felt SO pampered even in my own family. I have vivid memories of the day when you consoled me when I broke down for not meeting 'people's expectations' in my Maths board exam. Thanks for those cherished moments of learning and love.

I thank Dua Sir, my accounts tutor for being the most organised mind I have ever seen. You made me see my potential in the subject when scoring a second highest 'went against my caliber'. Thank you for making the debits and the credits such loved terms. :)

There are others too who have contributed in making me who I am today and I am ever so grateful to them for gracing my life. The defining trait in all these wonderful people is their passion for teaching and imparting the best to their students. They were teachers out of choice and not because of the lure of cool job timings or the convenience that the profession brings vis-a-vis other careers. They truly made teaching a noble profession.

I hope there are many, many such teachers in every school and college so that the students can truly appreciate the joys of learning and remember them with full hearts for shaping their lives and minds for the better. Amen!

Love Always!

P.S. On another note; why doesn't a Maths teacher feature in the list? Did no one do a good job there or was I a thick head? :P

Morning bird or a Night Owl- who soars higher?

Ah! Once again, the ever so famous saying-‘Early to bed, early to rise, makes the man, healthy wealthy and wise’ rattles my brain. During childhood, I ignored the great advice under the pretext that it talks about a man and not a woman, so by that means I shouldn’t be spoiling my blissful earning morning sleep! :) I feel someone who made this quote definitely was a sadist who took great pleasure in teasing night owls like me and holding himself to be morally superior. My late grandmother told me to be in tune with Nature; ‘see how the birds start chirping at the breaking of the dawn’, she would say. I always wondered, isn’t owl a bird too and a natural one at that??!! A religious lady as she was, I tried convincing her seeking the religious texts reminding her that owl is the official vehicle of Goddess Laxmi, the goddess of wealth. So maybe I am destined for prosperity and material riches! Misplaced logic is what I was told I indulged in! J

Ok jokes apart, I personally feel that every one of us has a natural rhythm and style. People who get up early tire out by afternoon; and for someone like me afternoon is just the time when my brain feels alive and kicking! No phone calls, no random visitors dropping by, no traffic, absolute stillness of the night; ah...what bliss! While the world sleeps, I am awake; who said you can have a personal awakening only when you get up early and meditate? Misplaced logic again...huh? ;P I get some of the best ideas at night; sometimes they nudge me mentally and I have to get up and work on them. My brains just don’t stop! 

Having said that, I know that the world with its herd mentality never let the mavericks breathe easy and conspires to take away their peace by kick starting the day early. Neither am I a writer or a painter working on her own leisure nor am I A.R. Rahman who can make producers dance to his tunes by strictly working only at night. I am a mere common citizen who will have to face the morning sun no matter how much my system wants to remain under cover! My aim is not to be an early bird but surely a lesser owl because the current situation demands it. I have much to lose with my over spilling brains having a ball at night. But that doesn’t make me any less wise than the morning chirpers!

So while I once again begin my struggle to get in tune with the world at large...I sign off with the wish that one fine day people like me can burn the midnight oil without being judged and labelled as an owl! But why do I see one more morning yoga class falling to the charms of a blissful sleep? Wasn't there an evening class too?! I am incorrigible but as Mr.Obama said-'Yes we can'! :)

Love Always!

Badli ki Baarish

I was making a cup of tea in the morning to soothe myself when to give me company came the light drizzling from the benevolent skies and a gentle breeze that stroked the wind chimes to perfect the setting with their delightful tinkling. I soaked up the beauty that everyday life brings in and which we so easily miss. The skies in a second turned demanding and started pouring; were they perturbed or just having a drunken party, I wondered! My mom was frantically collecting clothes off the verandah and told me- ‘yeh badli ki baarish bhi na!’I enquired what is badli; I only knew of it as of the oldest villages in Delhi and that too after taking the benign help of the Google god. But seems moms know things beyond what Google can search!

‘Badli’ is also called ‘Bhadon’ which forms the latter half of the rainy season. The defining trait of this season is sudden changes in the skies from sunny to extremely cloudy and rains in a matter of minutes. Means if you are out thanking for a sunny day to go shopping to Lajpat Nagar or Sarojini, chances are you might have to change your plans even before you can apply your sunscreen! Yes, that’s ‘badli’ which brings out the most important aspect of Nature which it relentlessly tries to tell us- ‘Everything changes.’ It’s just that sometimes the change can be a little drastic and demanding like this season’s rains. We can either fret or fume being stranded on a street over the sudden change of sky god’s mood or think of getting drenched and enjoying a strong cup of coffee once back home. Life brought me this sudden change too and in my ignorance I chose to fret. Am I any wiser now? I hope so; only ‘badli’ will tell J

Then amongst the wise ones are people who ever so willingly in their quest of new experiences want to challenge the lesser gods with their spirit of seeking fun and adventure. If you happen to be one of them; here’s wishing you a wiser heart and a playful spirit if despite the Rain gods you want to make a killer bargain at Sarojini or Lajpat nagar market next time. Just armour yourself with a raincoat and shop till you drop!

Love Always!

Attraversiamo – Lets Cross over

Ever since I read ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ by Elizabeth Gilbert, this word has stayed with me. I feel this word has a very personal significance in my life because I have been stuck up in past with its insecurities, fears, expectations of how life should be or infact how I should be. I needed to cross over and while pondering over this word I realised, everyone of us needs to cross over sometime or the other; either in a life changing decision or simply mundane ones. Aren’t we all stuck up in the past to some degree? One can be stuck with some harsh words said by someone; an employee may be stuck up with hurt or anger over its bosses’ behaviour or a husband/wife over his/her spouse’s or even kids when their demands are not met by their parents! The instances can be numerous and this is what creates pain for a whole lot of humanity.

Come to think of it, God always wanted us to travel light, devoid of emotional baggage. Had He wanted us to be stuck up every now and then, He might have given us tentacles! :D

So gather yourself up, shake off things that don’t serve your life’s purpose and Cross over!

There is always help available; visible or invisible. One might have a friend/family next to oneself or miles apart; it doesn’t matter. Just reach out and if there isn’t anyone, remember there is ALWAYS a Higher Power having your BEST interest. This has been the biggest truth of my life J

Attraversiamo

Love Always!