And The World Grows Younger.....

As life has accumulated history of merged years, decades and now straddles a brink almost half a century old, a wonderful development unfolds before me...even as I watch, the world grows younger, in days, weeks, months and years. As I watch, I am surrounded by a growing populace of the immortally young, effervescent, energetic, of booming laughter, bouncy step, a glow that belongs to gods...young men and women surround me everywhere and fill me with hope that this shall always remain, or hope - as long as they remain, or at least a germ of hope that this renewal carries a hope of future redemption, salvation from ills that we have bequeathed them...for they care not for blames, complex analysis, imposition of past, but will carry life forward on the buoyancy of their laughter, the surge of their chorused songs, the sparkle of their many billion eyes.

And what am I? as this world grows younger? I am as an ancient tree, in an ancient forest, watchful, indulgent to the seasonal surges of renewal bursting around me in young neons and luminescent greens, to the splendour of new and the pull of the young - attracting the bees, butterflies, birds into a wild chorus of overspilling life... I am that which watches through silent spaces- neither young or old - just eternal.

What Gandhi Said...

The recent bloody and violent crises in Gaza strip have had many of us watch, read, follow with incredulous horror and helpless impotence the fate meted out to the civilians of this region. At such a time, words of Gandhi on the Jewish presence in the middle east hold a special relevance. Thanks to Windmills for posting this important document.

A New Year's Resolution--Kept!

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I know we aren't much into New 2009 at all - and yet, I have very successfully and resolutely kept this year's resolution- in fact, I have a guaranteed winner this time - I am fully certain. If the world, family, near-and-dear ones don't cross my path, impose outdated values, provoke guilt; if the venomous sting of jealousy does not impinge....etc. etc. then I do believe I have discovered a winner amongst resolutions! In fact, this year's resolution is blissfully and wonderfully easy to keep, good for my body, my mind, my spirit, my soul-it is a perfect recipe for improved motherhood, sisterhood, wifehood, neighbourly-hood, worldhood...in fact, I can bet with great certainty that the world, as well as me, will benefit greatly by my NYR! I can further add that this could easily become the most popular and beneficial R for the world to keep... no, no...I really don't mind, at all! No copyright laws, no patenting, no such bullshitting from me... let the whole world enjoy the benefit of my accidental discovery, and thus discover bliss!

It happened like this...I was being a really grumpy person, for many a good reasons ( and probably some bad) ..but lets not get into that now, that can be another story..so, as I was saying, bad humour had become my constant companion- my husband was harrassed , kids unhappy, workers sullen, neighbours distant, friends disappeared- who could blame them - I was not a happy person to be around...I myself felt crappy - often. Please be patient, this is my story, ya? Then let me tell it my own way... ya, ya I was coming to what I decided, but after that will you want to listen anymore to me? So let me tell you before hand, why it is that you should listen to me, and why this is the best way to help the world..

Ok, no lecture baazi, what occur-ed to me is this... if people need enough food to carry on with their lives, then they surely need enough sleep too. So my NYR is to sleep as much as I feel like on a daily basis - and THAT REALLY HELPS. No more improve myself type of Rs... what I have is feel better kind of R. How about responsibilities, duties and such likes? you say - well it helps to have accommodating husband, responsible children, otherwise, get back to bed after they leave home, or sleep on bus, in classes, while at work, sleep with your eyes open (I have heard it can be done!), or whatever it is that you do... one thing I can guarantee, it will add a glow to your skin, a spark to your eyes, a laughter in your voice, as no love has ever done before @!

When the World Sleeps....

When the world sleeps
from inky darkness deep
spirits emerge to creep
and softly begin to weep

awakening the ghosts of the dead
wispy forms, eyes smoldering red
floating silently to approach my bed
and begin a dance around the head

startling me from blissful slumber
with stomping feet and cracking thunder
to have me walk and follow them in wonder
leading me to land of death and plunder

rockets streak and bulldozers stomp
men with careless machine guns romp
looking for young or old to tromp
with flamboyant show of bravery and pomp

a bloody theater of foreign intrusion
orchestrated show of world collusion
of power, hate and direct elimination
of people, culture- a radical manifestation

I walked through streets of charred remains
blown body bits and bloody drains
hungry children, mothers tear stained
to steady drizzle of bullets rained

something inside me withered and died
and my spirit in inky darkness cried
following the line of ghosts to decide
on the next slumbering person they spied!

Gaza Conflict

It is with horror that I have been following the most recent Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the Gaza strip. Enough has been said and written that resounds within with anguish and pain, and yet as John Berger wrote two years back in the Guardian, "We must speak out"!He reiterates this message again, now, responding to the latest crisis-(I discovered these links here through Natasha)

The Inside Story on the conflict covers both the Palestinian land loss and also interesting video interviews.

Here are some photos of human suffering that really call on all of us to do something - at least look and not turn away.

Flying Kites, Flying Dreams

On Jan. 14, over many states in India, people take to fields, open grounds, rooftops, every square bit of space that views a bit of sky above, holding square scraps of color, fat spools of thread, ready to let their dreams fly - and with these dreams a bit of themselves.

Preparations begin weeks in advance with making a frame in a bow-arrow shape, fixing paper, attaching a tail, correctly orienting tiny holes for thread. Stacks of kites are got ready in each family and threads prepared painstakingly smeared with a paste of powdered glass. Kites, thus armed, fly forth upwards to ultimately rule (by defeating or 'killing' competitors) the vast blue sky!

We, at IISc, celebrated this festival, yesterday - a glorious day of blazing sun, cool breeze, fluffy clouds and high spirits. A morning - just to fly kites and feast! Young and old participated with equal gusto - kites flew till some where just floating dots in the sky, others - uncurbed, challenging beauties that whirled in amazing swirls, loops before diving for the ground, or inexplicably soaring straight up for the skies.

I watched, taking pictures, then giving up on my camera, ran to grab a kite!

Poetic Preludes

The year has started well,
with a poet of the ancient dead,
wandering into my hearth,
with a voice of cheery mirth,
to sing to me once more,
and regale me with lore-
of lusty girls and strappy youths
absent spouses, lovers uncouth,
pretensions absent,no room for shame,
modesty tossed,it was all a game;
jealous wives driven insane,
bored maidens escaping mundane,
cheating on husbands - just for fun,
or pining lovers on the run,
thus men and women played,
and frolicked till the end,
in the oldest of poetic anthologies,
from 2nd century CE
the Gathasaptasati.

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I have just finished 'The Absent Traveller-Prakit Love Poetry from the Gathasaptasati of Saavahana Hala' that compiles some of the oldest secular verse from 2nd century CE.What astonishes me is how puranitically repressed the modern human has become in sexual expression compared to our very much more liberal distant ancestors who sang, joyously, uninhibitedly, about the intimate relationships between men and women.

A Rule of Five

Yesterday, we had a visitor home for dinner. As my daughter and I were walking back home from our dance lessons, she skipped along side and asked

"Why have you invited him home for dinner? do we know him?"
-" We dont know him personally, but since we are hosting his visit to IISc., we thought it would be nice to have him home".

"What exactly do we know about him? Lets see...His name is Mark Edwards...so he must be a foreigner"
-"Not really...there might be Indian people with that name"

"We heard of him through Supi, so he must be connected with Wynad (Gurukul Botanical Sanctuary that is actively working to preserve and safe guard the fragile ecosystems there)"
-"Hmmm.."

"He is going to visit Centre for Learning ( a non formal school outside Bangalore) and so must be into Krishnamurthi kind of stuff"
-"Hmmm.."

"He is going to give a slide presentation...so he must be a photographer"
-"Seems like that..."

"He is going to talk about environment, climate change...so he must be a nice person"
-"Atleast he cares about important things"

"Thats just five things that we know about him..is that enough(to invite him)?"
-"Well...knowing three things about a human might be too less, knowing seven might subject it to additonal errors..so, to know five things might be just the right number"

"Do you know five things about me...?"
-"Well...lets see,you were born from me....."

Since then I have been wondering,do we usually care to really know five things about another human being, even amongst those close to us?? Isnt it high time we tried?

Inspiration

I belong to a Bangalore e-group called 'HasiruUsiru' that actively works towards preserving Bangalore's natural heritage which include lakes, tanks, trees. I am a pretty passive member-but I am glad to keep informed about the onslaught of large development projects in the city and the heavy environmental price that we, as citizens, pay for this progress. I met Arun through one such mailing - his mail announced that he had tree saplings to give away to people that wanted them. I responded and then awaited the promised Jamun and Bel saplings that I could plant near home and farm.

The other day Arun came home bearing these saplings. He looked regular, spoke the normal middle class tongue, sat with us and shared a cup of tea. It is during the course of this conversation that I discovered something rare - a spark of real passion, commitment, and a willingness through small action to dream big dreams - infact, a spark enough to inspire a few jaded us. Arun said that he was sick of watching the trees being killed in the city - but there was no point just sitting around complaining, cursing - so he has decided to plant one tree for every day of the year and to this end, he gathers seeds, germinates them, nurtures them into sturdy saplings and then gives it away to anyone who has space to grow them. He also dreamt of a city, a world, which would be very different if each of us planted one tree for every day we lived.
Arun neither preached, nor bragged - he was just sharing a dream.

I was stunned. Here was a living inspiration that had come to my doorstep, bearing a gift of his dreams...and baby trees.

I am glad that my New Year begins thus.