Happy 2020!

Wish you and yours a wonderful 2020!

May this year be filled with 366 days of love and laughter.

For my annual verbal diarrhoea, read on :) or skip NOW 🤣🤣🤣

Oh 2019! What tumultuousness you brought
We are still with tensions fraught.

From the Amazon fire that raged
To Greta Thunberg's fierceness on stage
From Trump's extravagant self-indulgence
To all the year end divulgence.
From UK's Theresa May's exit
To Boris Johnson's ongoing Brexit.
From Hong Kong to Bolivia to Lebanon
Mass protests have the world over risen.

In India, Kalam had wished for his nation
To be everyone's preferred residential destination
To have us all proud of our leadership
Oh! How far we still are from his wish.

As a country we lead, certainly,
But in internet shutdowns and children going hungry.
While Kalam imagined equity and plenty
We spiral down and down to  divisive polity.

But despair not, there is hope yet.
The youth is here to protect
The constitution, the world even,
Nature and each fellow human.

Be it Greta or the youth of India
Focus is on action, not just posts on social media.
Yes, we could have spoken up sooner
For causes equally dearer.

But there is, at last, change in the air,
Knowledge with passion is often paired.
A new morality, pragmatic reality:
Votes have spoken for greenery and humanity.

Yes, we are far from Kalam's 2020.
But we have our own Humpy,
Sports has brought us much glory.
And though no longer Indian, we claim Abhijit Banerjee.

As Faiz, Ambedkar and Maulana Azad
Vie to be seen on many a placard,
We see a nation, the world, arise
We see leaders taken by surprise.

Be it New Zealand's or Kerala's bipartisan buy in
Of climate change laws or anti-discriminatory inclusion
We all have sung as loud as we could
"One life, you’ve got to do what you should."

2020 may you be kinder
Usher in a period saner and safer
Grant us all peace and wonder
Have us more united and wiser
Enable us together all prosper
May nature and humanity, both, you foster.

- Written on 31 December 2019.
- Self-explanatory to a large extent.
Humpy won the chess championship, Abhijit Banerjee and coterie the Nobel, mass protests the world across have shown the power of humanity, the NRC-CAA seemed like the last straw for many an Indian after Kashmir's internet shutdown since August 2019, Greta Thunberg was Times's Person of the Year for her activism, youth across the world are leading the way to change, from Kerala and New Zealand are united, the protests in India quote Faiz, Ambedkar and Azad (so do pro-CAA at times strangely), and I quoted U2 (which toured in India this 2019) "One life, you’ve got to do what you should."

We should and we will. Inquilab Zindabad! 

In Response to Reflections

Jagged though the pieces be
The indulgence doesn't seem petty
When with hope it fills our being
When memories it gives comforting.

A broken mirror many demean
But look even when broken it has its sheen
It reflects our truths manifold
It shows us perspectives earlier untold.

So shadows though we seem to chase
It is human, is it not, to participate in the race?

- Written on 24 November 2019.
- In response to a poem-post by Shakir called Reflections, which in itself seems to have been inspired by a story I shared yesterday captioned Aaina mujhse meri pehli si surat maange... 

Find Shakir's post here: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10158098759389767&id=783374766 

Lost in the Kindle Maze - Tagore

Tagore's 'Kabuliwala' iconic
A story that takes us to lands scenic,
Tells of stranger-danger bias
Overcome by a child's welcoming cries,
Shows the common bonds love for family
Shared by all of humanity.

This tale we set out to search for
Publishers we found galore.
Written first in Bengali and translated into English,
Many a translation we found remiss.

Kindle seemed to be the new in-thing
And bookshops stored more of Ruskin Bond's inkings.
This 1892 public domain story found home in collections many,
Alas! publishers charged exorbitantly.

It makes one wonder what is affordability
How do we ensure for all information accessibility?
Is it to be that kindle is the way to go?
Ebooks rather than paperbacks will grow?

So perhaps we must
Give teaching a new thrust:
Include reading skills on gadgets
To ensure information reaches the masses
To be inclusive in affordability
We might need our materials to tweak.

Studies aplenty describe paper's quality
Of information in our brain's survivability.
But we need to perhaps make way for strategies
To teach retention despite processing digitally.
Perhaps we need to stop moaning about the old days,
Perhaps we need to carve out new educative ways.

Said Tagore on educating a child:
"Don't limit a child to your own learning,
For he was born in another time",
This was the Nobel Laureate's insistence:
"The highest education... makes our life
In harmony with all existence".
Today's methods rooted in mindless tradition he would deplore
He would urge us to new territories with objectivity explore.

This man, a synthesis of civilisations -
Hindu, Mohammaden and Western -
Being ever rational and respectful in disagreements,
One who lived his life on his own terms.
His copious work not available easily is a pity,
His thoughts need to be disseminated more widely.

- Written on 17 November 2019.
- In reaction to trying to find an affordable Kabuliwala to gift 40+ people in these last 03-04 days. 🙄🙄🙄

On Ayodhya Verdict - चलो मंदिर मस्जिद बनाएँ

एक कर्म का क्या खूब फल मिला
देश को दहशत में डुबाने में कौन सफल रहा।
मस्जिद गिराके मंदिर बनाओ
था मंदिर पहले यकीन दिलाओ।
कानून कहता विश्वास है सच्चा
मानो बात उसकी जिसने आतंक फैलाया ।
ना सोचो कि क्या एक गलत से दूसरा गलत धुल गया
ना मानो कि आज एक बार फिर यथार्थ को भरोसे ने झुक्लाया।
हाँ, यहि है राम भूमि, कर्म भूमी
शर्म और इंसाफ की मृत्यु श्रेणी।

- Written on 10 November 2019.
- In Response to the Ayodhya Verdict by the Supreme Court of India on 9 November 2019. 

Painting-Poesy #8: Happy Diwali 2019

Stories of resilience are often told
To give the miserable encouragement and hope.

Be it the the darkest night lit with rebellion
Lights of knowledge spearing the machiavellian
Be it the laughter of dear ones enlivening spaces
Be it the bounty shared shining through grinning faces.

Be it the spirit to say 'No to Crackers',
Be it the spirit that yearns for sparklers
Both united in wishing for all
Of peace and prosperity a steady rainfall.

So too I wish for all of us this season of joy,
May we be inclusive, wise and stronger in unity, than the new magnesium alloy. :)


- Written on 26 October 2019.
- Diwali is on 27 October 2019.
- Also on Facebook and Instagram - Facebook Link

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156261736706230&substory_index=0&id=692626229

Let the child in each of us ever be free. Joy lies therein.
- Someone must have said this. If not #AnushaLogism.

Painting-Poesy #7: Black

Black is something often reviled
With depression it does get filed,
But a person sad will tell you
Black comforts, colours hurt you.

The loudness of red is a gunshot
The cheeriness of yellow highlights your life's rot
The soft pink
Makes you your tears blink
The blue sky is bright
Seemingly indifferent to your plight
The vibrant green
Gives more than you can glean.
A failure is what these colours make you feel
In a hypersensitive state, just one is enough to deal
Black obliterates them all and yet them encapsulates
If the message is what is important, black has all that it takes.

Shhhhh, let silence be,
Ahhhh, in nothing do beauty see,
Take a deep breath, let peace in seep
Do not be afraid with friends to weep.
Lend an arm, a shoulder, an ear
Not false hopes, peddle just support against fear.
Let the sad be, do not chasten,
Do not unnecessarily recovery hasten,
It takes effort and strength, but accept
This is a process, and just your company is all they expect.

#worldMentalHealthDay #mentalhealth #Depression #Support #justbeing

- Written (and painted) on 10 October 2019.
- Why? Well it is World Mental Health Day.
- First shared on Instagram and Facebook.

Happy Ganesh Chathurthi 2019!

Vignaharta - Remover of Obstacles
But do setbacks give a sense of what else is possible?
Do they serve a function of pause and reflect?
Do they make us see in our charts, the defect?
If then, should obstacles be removed?
When there is no opposition, will we be improved?

Questions to ponder upon as we Ganesha's name invoke
Do we really want all challenges revoked?
Ganapati is also known as Vignakarta - the obstacle creator,
For the value of hurdles is known to a good educator.

The taste of failure often teaches
More than what one accomplishes.
One won't realise one's inner strength
Unless one overcomes some resistance.
One won't be truly aware of one's conviction,
Unless one is posed a contrary opinion.
One won't change and evolve in the path of progression
If one never faces a reason for course correction.

So invoke Ashrith and grant obstacles too protection,
As Amazon and Aarey are destroyed, may there be more rebellion.
And by remembering Atharv may all strive for true sagacity.
By supplicating to Anav may we peacefully actualise the bonds of humanity.

Happy Vinayagar Chathurthi!

- Written on 2 September 2019.
- Because it is Ganesh Chathurthi today. Because on these times it seems all the more necessary to have a robust opposition and ensure less smooth sailing and more course corrections :)


And because I am on Facebook -

A Response to a Response on my this post:
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156133671561230&id=692626229

But the names invoke a call to action
And perhaps we need remember the reason
Why there must be some opposition
Even as we march in the name of progression,
Let there also be a celebration
Of causes of pause and reflection.

We need all the more voices
To make us evaluate our choices.
Inclusion is key and it is within us
To listen, to speak, to respectfully discuss. :)



And a response to An Ode to Ganesha by Anjali Monteiro
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10220986288990979&id=1354335878

Says Ganesha, the symbol of protest,
Born of political maneuvers this overt fest,
Know my stories to know me,
I preach not violence but peace,
Not temples, but relationships I revere,
The downfall of bullying and pettiness I steer.

I was born of my mother, adopted by my father,
But no one questions my right to my forebearer.
I am for all, I know no religion or nationality,
Buddhism, Jainism, Sinhalese, Japanese all adopt me.
I am bound to not even one name
Alas my followers often remember just my fame.
I am now just a pandal hopping game,
Donations and footfalls are all I can claim.

But know my stories to know me,
Look for meaning though, not superficiality.

Feudalism: Outdated or is it?

In response to a Facebook post by a friend/ex-colleague/thinker-philosopher. 


Hmm... wonderfully written, but it makes me ponder,
The feudal mentality seems never to falter,
The lord beckons and sudama hastens,
Revelling in whatever his benefactor sanctions,
The happy man is happy,
But what his aspirations, what reality?
When in Bengaluru he faced revile,
Did he then his dreams in dusty corner file?
Is it satisfaction or contentment or resignation or a poor comparison?
What does he provide as happiness' definition?

The feudal prince has the luxury of time to think, to strum, to write,
Another privileged then reads and decries,
Even as Mohanna and like stand ready
To serve these 'knowers' with an ear, a smile, pakodas and tea.


______________________________
In reponse to a response


Kumar Arunachal I ripped myself too. Write more. Write thus. Your writings provoke. Be provocative. Make others think through.

As I was rereading your post and I have read it a few times, my bai got me tea that I had begun brewing and then got on a call and forgot about as I logged back into Facebook to respond to some comment and then saw your post again and it got me thinking and writing.

She is happy too, my kaam wali bai, so she says. I am the privileged you refer to. The thinking pseudo-liberal classicism deriding classist practitioner. I have been following the multilple class and caste based racist reports and your post struck me, it stabbed me too, provoked me to self-examination.

So thank YOU. Keep writing. :)

Kumar Arunachal also please do not think it was shallow. It is deep. It is a honest self-exploration. I do think you were writing about Mohanna as much as your own journey of feudal expectations and feudal realities. You were being critical, but honest and sensitive.

I just feel at times, and this is also because perhaps I am spending a lot of time talking to maids and helpers amd dealing with classicist, racist mentalities at home and even service providers that I am pondering upon

What is happiness for someone never allowed to dream?
When the dreams were tailored, they would have very rigid seams?
When the material was coarse, the cutting rough?
When ragged edges were ruthlessly hidden by stitches tough?
When the cut was functional, not complimentary?
What then was one's imagination of beauty?
When just survival is both a challenge and a necessity,
What then one's idea of development versus duty?

It is something I have been trying to grapple with and felt I could share with you here, since you seem to be grappling with the other side of the coin.

What when has aplenty
What challenge then remains to be?
What when success is the platform
What act then can one perform?
What when family history
Makes one's jaw drop with glory and gory,
When repelled one is still bound
That the ties strengthen even as they confound.
What when one looks around and sees
More hope in those who should have felt misery.
What when knows not what cause has one to rebel or revel
What then is the fate of the individual?

The problem of the current well-off
Of both aspiration and deprivation complaints they are rid of.

- 27 August 2019.
- Yes these were Facebook replies, but I liked these so thought to record them here as well :)

Link to Facebook Post that triggered all this https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10157623256819571&id=834854570 

For Your Own Good

There is a girl. She was wed as a child into a much richer household that promised to take care of her as their own. She was reluctant. So was her guardian, but he chose to marry her off, hoping for the best. Her consent was not sought. As she demurred quietly and then loudly, her new family said they would ask her consent again, later when she was older, wiser, knew them enough (they hoped that she loved them enough) to take the decision (they hoped it was the 'right' one and she would choose them). They knew she was an asset to them. She would be an asset to anyone. She had many riches untapped, unexplored. She would be the envy of the world as a gem in their crown. They looked forward to polishing her. 

They paid for her education and her food. She created some resources for herself, but it was not enough to sustain her. They allowed her to stay on in her home town (not that she was going to be a willing resident of theirs if they had pushed, anyway). They also paid for guards to protect her. Well they said protect, she said restrict. You get the point. She grew into a slightly difficult person with more contradictions and complexities than most.

She had a rental. It was more like a hovel to many others, but to her it was her kingdom. She had to share it with others and she cleverly ousted a few from the place supposedly to make more room for herself. The family heard of this and protested. Said she was unwilling to settle in the HUGE mansion they had saying she wanted a small place and then obviously was showing off her aspirations for a larger place. Why did she not join them? Together they could be happy. She again objected. She said she was sure they were not bad, but she was not sure that they were good for her.

She would rather severe ties if they needed her to stay in the family mansion. She was happy with her hovel. She would carry their name, but she wanted to lead her own life. Without their interference.

She had friends. Some friends the family did not like and they curtailed her friendships. She accepted the limitations with some reluctance. She was not sure the family was not right. But she resented being told what to do.

Periodically, there were talks between her and the family. They insisted she belonged with them in their space, she resisted the inclusion. She termed it intrusion. She had ambitions. The family said they could help her fulfill them. She wanted, oh how she yearned! But she was afraid of being stripped of her identity. She saw the family as good to many. But she also saw how they treated the disobedient within them. The ones with contrary opinions who voiced them vociferously. She had so many, many such contrary opinions. And she did not want to be beaten up. She came to think 'help' was a 'bribe' to get her to accept the family. She was not sure the family would stay that good to her once she became theirs wholly. She wanted to retain her semi-independence.

Now the family was getting impatient. They had waited years. They had expended resources on her. They had shown how tolerant they were, how broadminded. But she just was not seeing. She refused to see.

They decided she had to be made to see. They took over her rental agreement. They took her passport away. They blocked her bank accounts. They took away her cell phone. They ensured she had no resource she could tap into. They locked her down and then told her you are ours. We have done so much for you, high time you learnt your place. We will do well by you, but you need to live by our terms. Learn to accept. Rejoice. 

The story ends here for now. It is for each of us to decide if the family or the girl are in the wrong or in the right. What would you do if you were that girl? What would have been your advise to the family?

What if the girl's name were Kashmir? Does your answer change? 

— Written on 11 August 2019.

— My post on 'At Crossroads' led to some debate on FB in public and much more on private chats and messages. My post was also tagged as 'against community standards'. :) Some threatening messages of how I need to lose my Indian citizenship and perhaps I am a Pakistani at heart also followed. All on messenger or DMs rather than on the public posts.

It led me to question why is it that we do not want to hear a contrary opinion? I reread How to Get Power on TED Ideas and the idea of story stuck me anew. This story had already been brewing in my mind as a metaphor. But now I decided to not just let it roam the empty hallways in my mind and pen it down. Hence this post. 

Painting-Poesy #6 At Crossroads

The past few days I have tried, 

As I failed, I have cried. 

I tried to understand the rejoice, 

I failed to understand the choice.

The majority celebrates, I am told,

A minority is all that objects, does not let go.

I have heard this often in my life:

When being raped is passed off as a duty of a wife, 

When being beaten up toughens up a child

When being domesticated is better for a creature of the wild.

A woman's desires are suppressed, the majority is happy,

An artist's dreams are repressed, the majority is happy,

A state's existence wiped out, the majority is happy,

Democracy bows to authority, the majority is happy. 

Dissent has been vilified, 

Questions have been nullified , 

Joys have danced on fears, 

There has been little sympathy for tears. 

Consent: how do we practice it? 

Does 'right' supercede it? 

Do to 'power' we accede it? 

Can only the 'majority' exercise it? 

We have often spoken up, spoken against, 

It may take time but dialogue is the way, 

Said peace leaders when they held sway. 

Even their dissenters they allowed space. 

But new times are here, 

It is aggression that does steer, 

A contrary voice is shouted down, 

All that is venerated is one with the crown. 

I have tried, tried really hard

To understand the facts and the farce

But I fail to see how secrecy

And muffling voices can be a democracy.

The 'majority' opinion counts, no doubt,

But do we then contrary opinions just oust?

#Kashmir #India #Democracy #Consent

- Written on 9 August 2019.

- For many days the idea of democracy as seen through the lens of what has been happening with J&K and Article 370 has been on my mind as I grappled to understand what was unfolding and how this could come to be. 

As I stated in a tweet: I have faith in India even when I have little belief in the political leadership.

But around the world as more and more such incidents occur, the idea of democracy needs revisiting.

Posted first on Facebook and Instagram on 9 August 2019.

Taleem Kabul (कबूल)

Taleem Kabul

No excuse. How can there be?
Children cannot be made terrorism's casualty.
One can argue, debate, hold a contrary position,
But violence cannot, should not, be a solution.

'No matter what we will be educated'
Says a post of a student frustrated
By attacks in his country
Yet won over by a child's piety
As the child wounded clutches his book
One can only with wonder and hope at the child look.

Another has posted a child's face dripping with blood,
Anger, pity, worry all through one's being flood.
Yet another says a friend has died
What words of comfort can suffice?

In a class I heard recently this question
'What is there to know?'
There is misery and terror, so much emotion
But is this worth knowing? A resounding NO.

Children know this today unfortunately,
We fail as adults to protect them from tragedy,
We fail to create a constructive reality
We fail as a society.

But perhaps in education lies hope,
Perhaps the next generation will not like us grope,
Perhaps they will know to not fight wars,
Perhaps they will know what is truly a just way and cause.

Perhaps they will live, thrive
And not just survive,
Perhaps they will help each other.
I hope their world will be much better.

- Written on 1 July 2019.
- Was in Kabul, Afghanistan when a bomb attack occurred on 1 July. Nearby schools were not spared. The images were graphic and heartwrenching.

Painting-Poesy #5

The inside of an ambulance smells different each time
The rides all do not have the same vibe.
The reasons are varied too
One may be coming from the hospital or towards it riding to.

The ride maybe short, just a road away,
The ride may be long with many vehicles to overtake,
The ride may have companions encouraging
Or the mood may be foul, any optimism dissuading.

The ambulance itself is a different shell
Housing all kinds of equipment to stem the death knell
Or housing just a stretcher and bench
With nothing to mask worry's stench.

The varied types of stretchers
The varied lifting devices, usually made of leathers,
The many ways to pull, to push, to shift,
So much to learn. Pray! why was this not our school's gift?

The windows or lack of do not register
Your own opinions to such extremes dance and quiver
And in the next bump they disappear,
Of life's vagaries the ride makes you an acceptor.

-Written on 21 July 2019.
- July has been a month of ambulance rides for mom. In fact, 2019 has seen us in and out of ambulances and hospitals more times than I can count.

Painting-Poesy #4

When someone makes mistakes

And is apologetic and daily self flagellates,

Refusing to move on,

Pacifying, cajoling, remonstrating begins to weigh upon.

Walking away is an option

But then the someone will cling further to the notion

That a mistake made is still unforgiven

The payment for it will last across this generation! 

Guilt is a cover that can shroud

Not just the repentant but those around.

Not that one should not feel sorry

But one mistake cannot be one's only misery! 

As we grow we make many

We learn, we repent, we forgive, we forge towards glory,

But if we wallow, stay rooted in the past,

Those loved ones around may not last.

Children are whom I look to for life lessons

So many mistakes, some tears, some smiles and all is forgiven.

While mistakes are at times repeated, progress is constant,

Each milestone is greeted by children exultant.

Look forward, not back,

Stop apologising, give back,

Mistakes do not define one

Efforts to improve make life fun.

#Guilt #Counselling #LearningFromMistakes #Forgiveness #SelfLove #BeingHuman

- Written on 16 June 2019 and Created on 6 April 2019.

- Posted on Instagram and Facebook. 

- Self-explanatory.

Painting-Poesy #3

Today, a slightly emotionally tough day, 

The first choice was always the dark side of the palatte. 

The conscious effort to choose lighter shades

Does not mean that sorrow fades,

But the end result indicates

There is light that might yet hold sway. 

In the darkest hours, the silver lining

Is not the cloud's rim, but faith in our hearts shining.

May like free birds we all fly high,

May like nature's bounty we all give joy. 

After every summer there is rain

After every winter, spring's upon us again. 

No cycle has no downside, 

No sorrow has no upside.

A friend's post reminded me of Bel Kaufman, 

"Up the Down Staircase" peppered with many a gem.

Another had earlier sent me delightful Ted Chiang's Arrival,

A third had just called to talk things trivial,

Each a signpost reminding me

Life is not all gloom and misery.

Chin up, cheer is near,

Just welcome it when you its arrival hear. :)

#Painting #Writing #Catharsis

- Written and Created on 15 June 2019.

- Posted on Instagram and Facebook. 

- Self-explanatory. 

Painting-Poesy #2

When I know I should have been working

Instead was procrastinating,

Just one more stroke, one more colour,

Just let me get this idea down on paper,

My notebook is filled with many a (false) pearl

Oystered in procrastination's shell,

My cellphone is testament to checklists

Unmarked, undone with few clicks,

Yet I procrastinate, hoping in vain,

This next one will satisfy a (non) artist's pain,

And strangely, while no beauties emerge,

My soul is at peace, as work yet again I purge.

#Procrastination #AnyExcuseWillDo #Escape #Art #PretendArtist

- Written and Created on 11 June 2019.

- Posted on Instagram and Facebook. 

- Self-explanatory. 

Painting-Poesy #1

Experiments make us stretch, feel woke, 

Just the tiniest change in the brush stroke,

Just a change in the palatte colours,

Just the idea, the thought, uncovers

New vistas, entire universes, within ourselves,

Perhaps within us reside some mischievous, magical 

elves.

#Painting #DigitalArt #Experiments #Art

- Written and Created on 7 June 2019.

- Posted on Instagram and Facebook. 

- Self-explanatory. 

Conversations in a Cab Ride :)

अच्छे तो बहुत लोग लगते हैं, इसका यह मतलब थोड़ी निकला कि जाके सबसे शादी कर लो।

(One may like many people, but it does not mean one gets married to them all). 

On my way home, stuck in quite a bit of traffic, after a haranguing time in a mini accident (no fault of my Uber driver), I heard this piece of wisdom dropped in the midst of my Uber driver, Azad, recounting his life story including a marriage he was emotionally blackmailed into by his parents when he was just 17 and his wife 16. The fact that this 8th school drop out is proud of his brothers having been able to continue with their studies, one to become an ethical hacker with a Computer Applications degree and another a pharmacist, proud that his wife is 12th pass, and was able to articulate the need for improved Govt schools in his home town area and link the education to quality of life, to self respect, to self evolution and to the job market showed how much he valued education even as he saw no way to get back into the game in the near future. The fact that he could respect his wife and admit that he would not have been the person she had chosen were she to have her opinion asked just as he would not have chosen her though she is a very nice person touched me.

As I told him at the end of the ride, his story is not a happy ending story and he laughed and agreed that it also was not a sad ending story and stated perhaps it is the average middle of the road story, I thought to myself about the many ways we talk of education that do not really take into account these realities of life.

He spoke of reservation in India, of govt schooling systems, of how the fall of the Babri Masjid intimately affected his family and how they had to move away from his hometown to protect themselves with the anti-Muslim sentiment prevalent in their area then, of how health care is not as effective still and so on.

Important topics all. A personalised yet nuanced understanding of the contexts he was speaking about, an ability to counter my arguments with his own examples without putting me down - all struck me, but the lines he said at the fag end of the ride somehow are the ones that resonated with me. Those and his intention to never force his little girl to ever go through a marriage that she had not wholeheartedly desired.

"सही marriage, madamji, वही होता है जहाँ आपस में समझ हो - husband अपनी Mrs ko समझे और wife अपने husband को। तभी सही बुरे वक्त में शादी टिकती है, वरना दो लोग जिंदगी में साथ चलते हैं, साथ रहते हैं पर वो शादी शादी नहीं होती"

(A true marriage is one in which there is mutual understanding - a husband understands his wife and she her husband. That is when the marriage stands the test of hard times, otherwise two people are just walking, living together, but it is not a marriage.) 

I really liked how he described schooling and what he thought of schools and language mediums and the reasons for poor literacy rate among Muslims in India. I did not agree with all his points, but that does not make his views invalid. Actually they become more interesting. Will need to research a bit more though on some of the points he raised. Maybe another post. 

 #cabrides #lifelessonsinconversations :)

- Written on 31 May 2019.

- Posted on  Facebook. 

- Self Explanatory. 

Election Results - 2019

D-Day looms and it feels my country

Is still itself sculpting

In the midst of identity politics, finding its own identity,

In the midst of chaos, developing, organising,

Somehow the flag flying proud and high in the university,

Made me realise anew my faith that no matter what, India will continue to be.

To be the hope for millions to rise to prosperity,

To be the beacon for millions to celebrate diversity,

To be the light for millions for peace and unity,

Even the fights are a celebration of variety.

Yes, I believe India will continue to be.

An idea, a faith, a dream, a reality.  

- Written on 22 May 2019. 

- Posted on Facebook. 

- Election results were to be announced 23 May 2019.

Happy Woman's Day - 2019

Women be strong,

Listen not to litanies wrong.

Obedience is not always a virtue

It is not selfishness to be to YOUR SELF true.

Walk towards what you want

And your talents do flaunt.

Fight for yourself not just others

Relax, kick back, why always be multitaskers? 

First give to yourself, believe you deserve,

The world needs YOU, not a martyr. 

You exist, you are precious. 

Celebrate not just today, but every moment, every year as felicitious. 

Happy Women's Day, today and every day. 

To everyone, because we need Gender Equality, not just a special day party :)

- Written on 8 March 2019.

- Posted first on Facebook. 

- Self-explanatory. 

That's so Foolish! - Out of the Mouth of Kids

That's so Foolish! - Out of the Mouth of Kids

Yesterday, as I was talking to my Uber driver finding his way to my location, I was also reading a poster, when I felt a tug on my dress. I looked down and this young kid (about 6 years of age) spoke to me:

Child: Are you calling them?

She was pointing to the poster and with no pause for breath, even as I began to shake my head and say no, continued.

Child: Because that is so foolish! They are just right inside. (Ponting to a building).

As she paused, looking at me with mild exasperation at my foolishness, I meekly submitted that I had been talking to my Uber driver.

She nodded her head wisely and proceeded to ask if I liked exercising (I had been looking at a Gym poster, outside a gymkhana at that, after all 😉). I shook my head and said I preferred sleeping and asked her what she liked to do.

We had a fascinating conversation jumping from topic to topic as she waited for her parents to pick her up and her friends had their own conversations around us with other parents milling about. As the 10 minutes passed in a jiffy, I also had a parallel track running in my head as the dusk light faded and the dim street lights slowly turned on.

Should I tell her to not talk to strangers so easily? Should I warn her to not separate so far from her friends? Should I question the other adults not seeming to notice that the little girl had wandered to me near enough to raise an alarm should it be needed, yet not really secure from nefarious intentions should I have them?

Yet was it fair to instill this fear in the child? I think she enjoyed our conversation as she questioned me on my likes and occupation and sermonised me about how I should deal with my students. I certainly did enjoy our conversation. Should I deprive myself and others like me the joys of having a child talk to them because the world can be a cruel place? Or should we as adults just be more vigilant and create more safe spaces? Even when it seems impossible to do so?

I have been pondering about this since then and I do not know the answer to this. Surely a child should feel safe to approach a stranger to share her delightful wisdom? But is it not better to be safe than sorry?

As my Uber driver and her parents arrived, I walked away exchanging pleasantries with the parents. I could hear them jokingly, lightly asking her why she was bent on walking away from friends and talking to a stranger and her vehemently defending her decision as a helpful one. She also argued that poor me had no one but a phone to talk to and I might have been foolishly talking into the phone to enquire about details than walk into the gymkhana. 😉

I am still thinking was I right to bite my tongue and not caution her? We often talk of children learning better through exploration, seeking information by themselves, helping others in an effort to understand the unknown. How then can we deny them spontaneous interactions with strangers that they architect themselves? And yet...

- Written on 9 Feb 2019.

- Posted on Facebook first. This is just for repository purposes :) 

- Self Explanatory. 

Kochi Trip - April 2019

As the Uber zips through the lanes of cars,
I look out at this city I have come to love.
Memories zip by as fast as the events,
So many to remember, relish, replay, recast even.
Two nieces and a nephew who make us laugh aloud,
Stubborn, affectionate, outgoing, they do us proud.
Cousins, sisters born
But as friends I do them now count.
More and more members warmly greet,
A gathering of this many no mean feat.
Music, laughter, and so much food,
The very best combo for times good.
Friends and family time is a treat,
Worth many, many a repeat,
Worth any effort
To realise the worth
Of shared values despite many a difference,
Of knowing the bond survives across generations.
To many more such meetings and soon,
For now I relive being over the moon.

- Written on 29 Apri 2019.
- A nephew's poonal was 28-29 April and this was one huge family meet. One gifting so many a cherished moment.

Why Friends Meet

When you are down in the dumps
It helps to have friends.

The ones who know what you feel,
And ones who still have your layers to peel.
The ones who always have your back,
And the ones you simply smile at.

They are all fun as you lose your worries
In the news, the gossip, the good ole days memories.
You make more memories too,
The ones that lend you vigour anew.

The hugs, the smiles, the quiet asides,
Are ever worth the travelled miles,
Are ever worth rejuggled times,
Are ever worth 'Unchecked To-Dos' and such crimes.

The new friends you make,
The new perspectives you gain,
The laughter, the fun, the eats
This is why friends need meet.

- Written on 30 December 2018.
- Self-explanatory. 

Thank You Blood Donors!

A loved one for 11 days in the ICU,
With kidney and heart problems, diabetes, gangrene, what have you,
7 different teams of doctors working on her case,
Everything slips by in a daze.

One hopes for the best, but fears always loom,
As the graphs spike and plummet, there is so much gloom:
12 units of blood and counting,
Multiple tests that lead to just the next thing.

More questions, fewer answers,
The game called life requires trust:
Trust in strangers to do their best,
Trust that what does the trick is rest,
Trust that doctors know what they are doing,
Trust that the medicines and surgeries are working.

Hospitals teach you so much each time,
There are more days yet to learn lessons prime.
For now, we take a deep breath and recharge,
With gratitude for all who gave blood that helped her death thwart.

~Anusha Ramanathan

#BloodDonation #Gratitude #KindStrangers

Mayank Mrinal Akanksha Sharma Kritarth Chaudhary Thank you so very much. And all the other unknowns and non Facebook friends too. The road to recovery would not have been possible without you.

- As posted on Facebook on 6 Jan 2019.
- Written on 6 Jan 2019.
- Self Explanatory  (Mom unwell). 

Goodbye 2018, Wecome 2019

Wish you all a wonderful 2019!

For the annual torture, read ahead if you will. I have definitely NOT been exhaustive in my recollection of 2018 events. There are just so very many.... 😱🤔😂

Goodbye 2018, Welcome 2019 :) 

2018 you have been tumultuous,
You have stressed us and stretched us,
In an era of memories outsourced to Google,
With moments and emotions too many to juggle.

Disasters from Kerala floods to Indonesian quakes,
From Hurricane Michael to the ongoing Syrian outrage,
From Californian fires to Indonesia's second tsunami
From tax benefits for the rich to a sluggish worldwide economy,
From Brexit's tragicomedy to Paris' Yellow Vest protestors,
From the Putin-Trump nexus, to Saudi's blatant Khashoggi murder,
From climate change naysayers to migration haters,
From gun violence to MeToo complaints increase
From the Trump-Kim love affair to Sridevi's decease.

Yet there have been ups galore
The kind that become folklore.
From Mary Kom to Hima Das, to Harmanpreet to Phogat to Manika to Sindhu,
The women in Indian sports shone this year too.
Science also won India glory,
The thinnest material from Gandhinagar IIT.
The Congress showed it is not yet out,
As it did in 2018 end the BJP rout.
India won the Champions of the Earth Award at the UN
Our country is the second best place for Unicorns (startups) to burgeon.
100 years since Armistice saw the world united
As did March for Our Lives, the biggest event to be student-led.
India decriminalised homosexuality,
And in Canada one can use cannabis legally.

Some events I know not how to react to:
The Sabrimala saga with so much ado,
The Patel Statue of Unity admist such dire poverty,
The weddings such as the extravaganza by Ambani
All while lakhs of farmers are dying
And education and health Indians are lacking.
Imran Khan's rebuff from Modi and his cronies,
Or China's gene-edited twin babies.

So much to let go, so much to take in,
So very much more somewhat forgotten:
2018 what a year you have been
With messages ranging from isolation to unity.

May 2019 be an oasis of calm and peace
May rationale win, may wisdom be appeased,
May emotions be positive and love triumph,
May divisions give way to unity's cries,
May the plenty we have be multiplied,
May everyone's dreams be realised,
May justice be served, may truth emerge,
May the youth find their voices and be heard.
May we all work to celebrate nature and its beauty,
May the economy too celebrate the values of humanity.
May globalism and oneness defeat isolationism,
May equality for all be made most welcome.

Happy 2019 everyone!

- Written on 31 December 2018.
- Self explanatory. 

Happy Diwali 2018

Diwali's origin is a mystery
Folklore has versions many

Is it Ram's return to Ayodhya?
Is it Krishna's defeat of Narkasura?

Is it Bali's defeat by Vamana?
Is it Mahavir Jain attaining Nirvana?

Is it to do with Lakshmi or Kubera?
Is it to do with Saraswati or Durga?

Whatever the legend be
All celebrate good's victory.

The darkest, the night of Amavas
Is lit bright with light bursts.

Ignorance, like darkness, is defeated
As the lights of knowledge are ignited.

The ones with plenty share merrily
For the whole world is a family.

What matters the symbol,
When the thought is crystal?

What matters the language
When humanity we celebrate?

Worldviews expressed differently,
Yet are the same essentially.

Diwali equalises us as human
Perfectly balancing reason and emotion.

Happy Deepavali!
May the lights of the season brighten your and your loved ones' lives forever.

- Written on 5 November 2018 night.
- Diwali is on 6 Nov for South Indians and on 7 Nov for the North. But what matters is the season of festivities continue. :)
- Also a friend and colleague is coteaching a paper on Language Pedagogy and yesterday's session inspired me to think of origins of stories and symbols and signs in language.

Facebook Link to the rhyme and responses:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10155535214786230&id=692626229

Chirantan Ami wrote on Facebook on 6 Nov 2018 in response to the above:


We light up the streets, our lives to push away the evil,
Why don't we push away the darkness inside us,
Why don't we light ourselves everyday
Why do we wait for some occasion to celebrate humanity,
Why don't we do it everyday
May from this deepavali onwards we re-think the meaning of our being.
May souls like you save
Us from pulling in the darkness inside.
May the lights today
Light up our existence and illuminate our perspective
Happy deepavali to youAnusha Ramanathan, and to all of us still searching for our guiding lights!

My response to him on 6 Nov 2018 also on Facebook:

Chirantan S:

The idea of Diwali is good over evil,
It is the thought that our minds should fill.

The day is just a reminder
Of the path we hold dear.

The day is like a signpost
Of what we achieved and how much further to go.

The day is to inspire us anew
To make us goodness with fresh vigour to pursue.

No we should not wait for an occasion to celebrate humanity,
But we need to celebrate our endeavour, our unity.

It is not to be just symbolic,
That is worse than words and actions vitriolic.

But as we march ahead in our serious quest,
We do need respite, some joy, some jest.

That is how I see this fest,
On the onward journey, a rejuvenating rest. :)

My Facebook Responses on 3 October 2018

Facebook Responses to brilliant posts calling out the ignorance and/or the hypocrisy of people in responding to stories of sexual abuse survivors.

In response to Harrish Iyer: 
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156823622040452&id=786145451 

I totally agree. The analogies you give are brilliant. What is more, the witnesses will not remember the incident in the same way either. That is why investigators piece together the incident by listening to the various narratives.

Not just that, as one begins to articulate and tries to remember the traumatic incident as one is questioned repeatedly, one does begin to recollect more details and sometimes they lead to seemingly contradictory statements. That is another piece to add to your explanation of the trauma.

The brain protects us from some recounting some memories day in and day out till another incident triggers the rememberance of horror.

BTW is this is also a result of what is unfolding in the USA in addition to all that is happening here? It seems to me like a systemic epidemic across the world and the more powerful the accused, the less powerful the accuser, the less credible the accusation. It seems that we believe that power and only power should speak up. Not justice. And definitely not truth.

There may be many, many sides to a story. Perspectives differ. But to discount a narrative altogether is unfair. We do not have to agree with another to respect their point of view and definitely their right to have their opinion.


In response to Meghnand Bose on Bollywood's (especially Amitabh Bachchan's comments) hypocrisy in responding to Tanushree Dutta's accusations. 
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10156079830037607&id=566742606

This is a very good articulation of what is unfolding right now.

I think it is about power vs power. The person who is less powerful is less likely tk be believed. Unfolding all around the world. See the USA nomination for a Supreme Court justice.

Another thing many of us forget is that one can be good most all times and still be bad at times. And the bad behaviour needs to be called out.

And for those who say why one did not speak up earlier and call out the incident (as publicly as now), let's not even go outside our homes. How many family and friends gatherings have we been a part of when an old grudge, an old slight, seemingly insignificant to all but the person feeling the pain, have been laid out bare?


When someone dies in our families certain incidents and thoughts that we never knew of emerge painting that person in a different hue. Ditto for weddings or graduations and so on. Parents recount incidents about our childhood to us that we have no recollection of. We accuse our parents of unfairness at times based on an incident a long time ago that they do not recollect off hand. But then therein the story is not termed to be fiction because the narrative's underlying theme is not about power. When it is, then the story that preserves status quo is more often believed.

- On 3 October 2018.
- Self-explanatory.

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi (2018)

Today is Ganesh Chathurthi
But somehow this morning no lines flowed miraculously,
Perhaps this year (I thought) it was not meant to be.

And then right now it struck me
Not about Ganesh per se, but about my locality,
The neighbourhood has never celebrated so silently.

The lights are on in the pandal in which the murti is residing,
But no loud bells are ringing, no speakers are chants and bhajans blaring,
The silence has a message resounding.

'... times, they are a-changing"
It is so very becoming.
Slow, steady, the fires have been long burning.

Not to burn, but to resuscitate
Not to exclude, but to equity inculcate,
The laws, the people all out to humanity celebrate.

There resides a  vignaharta in each of us,
The fight to fight or give up is up to us,
It is not about an idol but an ideal that deserves the fuss.

Yes, this month we overcame ignorance, overcame fear,
But more causes are yet to be fought dear,
And so, let go, reinvigorate, to again herald cheer.

For now rest, take a break from the drill,
"Imagine" "a world that's for everyone"; it's brill,
"Change is gonna come, oh yes it will".

- Written on 13 September 2018.
- Today is Ganesh Chathurthi. On 6 Sep Section 377 in the Indian Constitution changed to allow for gay rights finally. Then, of course, over the weekend we had the Serena Williams match triggering yet again the controversy of rampant sexism in tennis and elsewhere. So here is to another fight, another day. :)
- The quotes are taken from some of my favourite songs Bob Dylan's 'Times They Are A-Changing', John Lennon's 'Imagine'  Colonial Cousins' 'Krishna Nee', and Seal's rendition of Sam Cooke's 'A Change Is Gonna Come'. 

Happy Teacher's Day (2018)

Teacher's day is here again,
A chance to 'Thank You' for all that we have gained.
Here is my list for this year:
To completion it is nowhere near.

Thank you gardener uncle for patiently
Teaching me to use the spade gently.
Thank you Anil bhaiya for teaching me the milking art,
Thank you goat for being the patient guinea to help me start.
Thank you conductor of 505 on blurry mornings,
Teaching me the art of cheering up with quirky greetings.
Thank you earthworm for teaching me
To dig in the mud with so much glee.
Thank you squirrel for coaching me
To spot mangoes through you on our tree.
Thank you Suresh for tutoring
On the art of to great heights swinging.
Thank you friends for preparing me endlessly
For the art of failing hopelessly.
Thank you brother for enlightening me
Ever and ever on embracing humility.
Thank you doctors for upskilling me
On medicines and procedures though I have no degree.
Thank you transport in Mumbai for disciplining me
For every instance of my rush reach anywhere in a hurry.
Thank you bed for showing me
How to forget worries to gain new energy.

Thank you is not enough for all the ongoing learning
And teachers are not found in just a school building.

This not to say I respect not teachers in schools or colleges,
My gratitude to mine is boundless.
They are the ones who taught me after all
To appreciate teachers in all their forms.
They began by making me see
That I will learn only when the message and messenger I believe.

Thank you world for so many stalwarts of humanity,
To grow with and learn from to become a better me.


- Written on 5 September 2018.
- Self-explanatory.

An exchange on FB and WhatsApp each is something I will cherish always and hence am posting.

Dharam (who for years has been trying to get me to Dubai) on FB commented:
Thank you Emirates/jet/indigo/air india/air Arabia for being options for my impending Dubai trip.

Ramesh on WhatsApp said:
[9/5, 3:38 PM] Ramesh Dorai: ...Thank you for teaching  how " _just_ words" can teach  those that cannot be taught by just words...

 Happy teachers day
😉👍🏼

That poem  of yours, was wonderful 👏👏

My response:
You are one of the stalwarts in my life.

From you I learn how sacrifice is not martyrdom, how navy toughness can coexist with artistic softness much like the seas you traverse, how giving can be generous and how living means reaching out to many and yes, how words can be woven into poetry.

His Response
[9/5, 4:14 PM] Ramesh Dorai: It's an honour to be called so by a Super genius stalwart I know😉

I just linked sails. It's sea which taught it can be  waved

I just linked words. It's you who taught it can be woven

😜

Friendships: Happy and Happening

Friendships are about tears as much as laughter,
About teasing and cribbing as much as a wet shoulder.
Strength comes from knowing that no matter how apart
The love and relationships will survive no matter what.
Each fresh beginning comes from an ending,
But an ending is just a path that could again be intersecting.

Dream, thrive, reach for the stars,
Here's to success with no bars.
A birthday and a new beginning
L... and M... may your lives ever be happy and happening.

- 18 June 2018
- Self explanatory. One's birthday and one's new job. :) 

What is in a word?

'What is in a word?' ask many
Is a word ever a stable entity?
Do actions matter or names?
Is ever a word all it claims?

Then we see the effect of one
A word choice can others stun
Into euphoria or despair as the case may be
It often depends on what is perceived.

A poem by Imtiaz Dharker speaks of a person
A rebel to some, a terrorist even,
A martyr to some, a neighbor frightened,
Perhaps one's own son.

The descriptor changed with each perspective,
The words guided readers to be reflective,
But there is also the emphasis
That words capture not the spirit.

Yet each time wars are fought
On whether one is left or right or not,
Whether one deems oneself privileged,
Whether a word a community humiliates.

A film banned, a book burned, a post lost,
A single word, a career foul, a heavy cost.
Yet do words convey just one sense?
Do opposite not reside on the same fence?

The sun sets
The batter sets
The cement sets
And so change sets.

Yet when a word has power immense,
To hurt or uplift sentiments,
It behooves to be judicious
To save, to enrich relations precious.

- Written on 20 March 2018.
- A hurried, unintentional use of a word, 'core', for a team led to debates on hierarchy. Hence...
- Also, if you want to read the poem I refer to bybone of my fav poets, Imtiaz Dharker's The Right Word can be found at http://www.imtiazdharker.com/poems_7-the-right-word 

Death Scares

Death, I am told is scary,
To me life is the tragedy,
I pray the end have dignity,
Be absolutely pain free
But to prolong life seems a travesty
Though I do believe in fighting spiritedly.

I am told I am a cynic,
I seem detached when others panic,
I shrug off the events chaotic
Go with the flow, even if arrhythmic,
Why become depressed manic
Though I do shout out against the injustice chronic.

I wonder when I stopped fearing death,
When did it become almost a friend instead?
Because I know 72 hours of bated breath
When to know my brother's future we waited and waited.
I know too of the vigil at mother's hospital bed
When a miniscule time frame was on what our faith we fed.

Tears help not in crises,
Let go of them, weep, but persist.
Fear chokes throat, thought, hope,
Sharpen senses on it, but hang on to faith's rope.
Know, no matter what, someone L.I.V.E.D,
Never let this life before its time be stripped.

Time and time again death flirts
For friends, for family, it thirsts,
Yet time and again many have managed
To continue their earthly vantage,
Those who could not are not to be regretted,
That they existed should be celebrated.

Death scares perhaps teach us best,
That we can withstand any test.
Perhaps they make us be grateful
For what we have in life's push and pull.
For now just immerse in all that is comforting,
Reading-escaping, writing-purging, sleeping-energising.

- Written on 13 Jan 2018.
- Hmm... A lot of scares this past year. 02 aunts fighting cancer. Another friend fighting the battle too...and so on.

2017. The year that was...

2017. The year that was...

For me, personally, total chaos.

I kickstarted it professionally with new developments, 

Then periodically halted to take stock of health. 

I fulfilled a dream and went to the Biennale in Kochi,

But more I connected better with family.

The professional scene changed hues galore, 

The old, the new, together but did not fit in a complete core. 

On a personal front, I claim 02 beauties, 

Two wonderful nieces added to my blessings bounties. 

Friends and family found new trajectories, 

Some got married, some awards, transfers, PhDs, some babies. :) 

Missed opportunities to bond better, 

Some relationships changed, with others I became closer. 

Goals and deadlines have more often been not met, 

There is happiness tinged with sadness and a tiredness relentless. 

It has been exhilarating, confounding and debilitating,

I still am not sure of the path I am treading.

But 2017 you have had me introspecting, 

I think this has been a year of metamorphing. 

The process is not yet complete, I feel I am in stasis, 

But then this too is a part of chrysalis. 

2017, you have me perplexed yet grateful, 

Your largesse has been nebulous yet bountiful. 

- 1 January 2018

- Self-explanatory. 

Happy New Year, Happy 2018!

Happy New Year, Happy 2018!

May you fulfill all your dreams.

_________________________

Now my annual spam. 

Caution:Reading may be injurious to eyes at the very least. 😜

Note: Much that I wanted to add, but didn't out of consideration! :D

__________________________

Adieu 2017!

What a year you have been!

We saw Trump actually take up presidency, 

Be it Little Rocket Man, or Colin Kaepernick's knee, or the Puerto Rican tragedy, 

From Climate, to the tax bill, to sex scandals,  everything a mockery. 

But the 128 UN votes maybe the beginning of a new US trajectory. 

In South Africa, Guptas and Zuma rocked in the corruption scandal,

But despite Sierra Leone and such there was much that deserved approval :

Ghana joined the Sat launch space; Mugabe was ousted,

Boko Haram released the 'Chikbok girls'; peace was boosted. 

In Europe despite British, French or Catalan election, 

And proof of fake news from Russia tension,  

There was still much to make merry, 

Merkel retained the majority, and Prince Harry is set to marry.

The Middle East began a brand new story,

With Qatar and its allies versus Egypt, Bahrain, UAE and the leader, the Saudi, 

The ISIS is down, but not the crisis, 

Assad's reign portends more stasis. 

Down Under we saw shooting stars memes hold sway, 

Natural disasters were battled even as 'Same Love' conservativism outplayed. 

Even with cyclones, hurricanes and earthquakes' dominion, 

Latin America and the Caribbean began recovering from recession. 

Asia was dominated by threat of North Korea, 

And the horror of ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya. 

Pakistan reeled under Panama Papers, 

Doklam raised afresh the issue of borders. 

Yet admist mayhem we have rejoiced, 

While the world became insular, many have unification voiced. 

As the world went topsy turvy, 

Art and Humanities, mainly comedians, were our link to sanity. 

In India we had Aadhaar and GST chaos, 

No matter what, we had to 'obey' the 'Big Boss'. 

The saffron regime swept more states, 

Yet the Government had to bow down to changed deadlines and tax rates. 

PV Sindhu, Kidambi made us proud, 

Rohit Sharma set ablaze a new record, 

ISRO again shone brightly with its PSLV-C37,

And the Supreme Court with its 'Right to Privacy' judgement.

A win, a loss or a lesson is a matter of perspective,

2017 was some ride, irrespective.

No matter what, humanity can't be denied,

The stories of hope help us turn for the better the tide.

2018 we await,

New stories that you will create. 

We hope for better scripts to cast our lot;

We hope the bad endings of now you will replot.

2018 we look to work with you

To uphold all that makes us humans true, 

Sustainable success for all,

Hosting Harmonious Happiness' neverending ball. 

Help usher in well-being for persons and nations bar none,

2018, be our THE ONE. :) 

Happy New Year!

- 31 December 2017

- Self explanatory. 

Happy Diwali 2017!! Part b :)

The light of wisdom dispelling the darkness of bigotry,
The light of action dispelling climate change calamity,
The light of forgiveness dispelling hatred and clannishness,
The light of empathy dispelling intolerance,
The light of imagination dispelling fear of aspiration's 'travesty',
The light of generosity dispelling boundaries between 'have nots' and 'have plenty',
The light of friendship and love dispelling gloom that life does our way bring,
The light of happiness dispelling hopelessness to which we sometimes cling,

These lights I wish you this Diwali,
May the lights usher in true prosperity.

Happy Diwali!

- 18 October 2017
- Because a season must be celebrated, even if I do not agree with the celebratory style as given in my first attempt of the day.

________________________________________

A Student's response to the above on Facebook. 

Are these those drops of light which allure us into darkness
Where we find peace and peace which
The lights shatter through
Oh the lights,the lights
Of dissonance,the light of love,
the bending lights.

__________________________________________________

My response to Chirantan's Response. 

The bending lights serve a purpose,
They make us question the truth of our senses,
Diwali is triumph of good over evil,
But it a constant fight, we cannot sit still.

The lights cast shadows and shadows merge into darkness,
We can flip the discourse and argues that darkness is best.
From space the most developed economies are those best light at night,
We prefer starlight while no moon stories make us shiver in fright.

But the point of progress is what we want most
It is peace and prosperity that is core, not whether they be in light or darkness clothed.
Bending lights, refractions, shadows,
Let's towards inclusion and joy march in force.
Let's remember that without darkness, light is soulless,

Together they make us life's beauty's witness. :)

- 19 October 2017
- Self-explanatory.

Happy Diwali 2017! Part A :(

A dawn that begins with the burst of loud crackers,
No matter what pollution levels state we need to meet traditional standards,
If sound decibels were a criterion, would not drums do?
If lights the need, do not lamps their mettle prove?

This need to follow 'rules' during festivals,
Traditionalists stating we do all things 'cultural'
Pray why use gunpowder in albeit peaceful ways,
It still kills, you know, just slower as it the environment stains.

The makers killed with the poisonous 'pepper',
Not just gun powder, but the gum resin for the firecracker paper,
The users killed with the with burns, deafness and lung infectors,
The protestors silenced by sentimental clamour.

The trite old phrases of traditions linger,
But the advertiser may trot out ready-to-eats for us to savour,
Life is easier if we just need to burst crackers,
Or gift 'goodies' boxes in 'traditional' colours.

Yes, life is easier if we can feel assured
New clothes and savouries have alike our pockets lured,
The joy of gifting made easy by companies,
Yes, life is easier if follow rituals while ignoring 'out of our periphery' beings.

Diwali celebrates the triumph of good over evil,
But we dare not liberate our minds and practices of rituals,
Diwali is supposed to be the festival of lights,
But to preserve a less than 500 year old display, we get into fights.

God hears a gentle whisper,
The devil can be shamed by a do-gooder,
Gracious humility not show-off mark true leaders,
Then pray why do we still herald Diwali with crackers?

To know the short version fo the firecracker history in India read http://indianexpress.com/article/research/a-crackling-history-of-fireworks-in-india-4890178/

- 18 October 2017
- The Tamil Diwali is today and not tomorrow. I live in a South Indian locality. Says it all.
- Well not all. While the first one I wrote today was actually this one :), I did manage a more celebratory one just minutes later. :)

Standing on the Kerb

Standing on the kerb waiting for my Uber,

Who knew could spell danger:

A bike swerved to avoid a child, 

Hitting an adult was the option wise.

As the tyre over the feet gently stepped, 

Despite the breaks applied by the biker deft,

Gravel and stones crunched into the feet,

The pain actually increased with the bike's retreat. 

Though the knees had given way to the gravel's pounding, 

The hands miraculously had just gravel patterns impressing. 

Even as the biker apologised seeing me bleeding, 

As someone helped me up, others began him berating. 

What fault his to have swerved to avoid a kid? 

What fault his to have into me skid? 

The tyre ad of idiots on road is now frustrating, 

Just as the sprain and deep cuts are irritating. 

Sense does not always beget safety, 

Fortune, indeed, sometimes favours the foolhardy, 

But even with all the restrictions and dire warnings, 

I cannot but feel grateful for my blessings.

- Written on 2 August 2017. 

- I got hit by a bike and I am thankful I do not have a fracture or worse thanks to breaks and sensible bikers. I am even more grateful that a greater tragedy was averted. 

I do so regret my footwear though. It has to be replaced :( 

My Views on India as on 28 May 2017

Yesterday, I was asked a series of questions that got me pondering. One was do I share my thoughts on Social Media and I realised it had been sometime before I stuck my neck out. :)

So FB asks me each time I log in `What's on your mind?` and I am answering that question today here :) 

Softly goes the day, 

Fading sun rays, 

Birds chirping merrily, 

Celebrating the cool night's incoming. 

Friends touch base

With all the news and paintings, it's tough to keep pace. 

Lectures enlighten and students delight, 

One does wish, one were more able and bright. 

Yet a thought haunts

'Of India, for India, what are your wants?'

Is it the ad that promotes financial advancement

Saving in mutual funds will lead to betterment? 

Is it the one with the transgender mother

The one in which the daughter decides her own future? 

Is it the self-congratulatory tone of Swacch Bharat Abhiyan

Having achieved a sense of unity, even if cleanliness needs way more "dhyan".

Is India my fear of poverty of food and water, of basic amenities? 

Is India my fear of bias againt groups, against minorities (or majorities)? 

Is India my fear of ignorance of new ideas, of valid concerns? 

Is India my fear of obstinacy to stick to path no matter the outcomes? 

Or is India the resilient idea not limited by a nation's boundary? 

Is India the youth that accept no restrictions real or imaginary? 

Is India the people bound by values of only humanity? 

Is India the home of the free, of beauty? 

Happy Holi 2017

Sometimes colours are all grey, 

No matter what you do, there seems no way. 

It all seems a hopeless struggle,

To go ahead you work hard to find a will.

At times like these when there is no zest

There sometimes comes a colourful fest. 

And no, you are NOT happy, 

But how with all the wishes can you depressed be? 

And you return the wishes with a smile fake, 

Till at somepoint you no longer feel on a coal rake. 

Thank God for friends and family, 

Who might not understand, but still support faithfully. 

Colours of so many hues arranged wonderfully, 

At the end of the day they merge joyously. 

One from the other so hard to distinguish, 

But they all in each other exist. 

Perhaps that is the lesson taught by Holi,

That even washed away we could live on in memory.

- Written on 12 March 2017.

- Happy Holi to all on 13 March 2017.

Self-explanatory. 

Resist, Exist

Throbbing, debilitating, relentless, 

Rendering one almost senseless. 

Over time one learns to move, 

To smile, to work, to slip into a groove. 

One tires, but pushes, what else to do, 

To retire from life or to trudge - these the only choices two. 

One seeks solace in fruitless hope, 

Somewhere, somehow one will find the dope, 

To cure the ailment, to cease the pain, 

Perhaps then one can truly live again. 

Then one day the pain eases, 

One should be pleased one supposes, 

But no! A habit, even a bad one, comforts, 

The lack of it actually disconcerts. 

What, how, should one do anything now? 

For so long the ache made one bow, 

Walking with a lesser burden even more deadens,

Why is it that is when one is near the destination? 

It tempts to let go of all there is, 

It tempts to cease to resist, to exist.

- Written on 27 February 2017.

- Because I am stupid and in a bad mood, perhaps. Though I often wonder why pain is missed so when it seems to wane, is it because after so long one knows not how else to be, or is it that the tiredness finally takes over when all that resistance that gave one energy is no longer as needed? 

I dunno. I do know that I sometimes am the weakest when recovering, not suffering. Why? Coz. So? 

The Kochi 2017 Trip

Plotting, prodding, for 02 whole years, 

Planning, failing, replanning visits, 

The Kochi-Muzaris Biennale Art Fest beckons for sure, 

But also the chance to connect with another family treasure, 

Finally,  finally, the rebooked tickets are stamped, 

Finally, finally, in my holiday destination I land. 

- Written on 18 February 2017.

[25/02 7:51 am] Anusha Ramanathan: 

The planning for over 2 years sporadically shared, 

The ever eager partner in you had me even more snared. 

The flight delayed as I wait eagerly, 

To finally begin vacationing in Kochi.

I finally land to be greeted so warmly, 

Your family circle including me so easily. 

The Sunday with all the travel snippets, 

The Jew Synagogue, shopping, browsing, the beach, the Chinese nets... 

The picture sessions, the lunch with a view, 

The Church, David Hall, Students' Corner, the drive too.

Then Monday, us girls' day out largely, 

The Second Wife meal, the amazing company.

The ferry ride on Kerala waters at last, 

The walk through the park,

The awe of Basilica still resounds, 

Each moment with joy abounds.

Then lazy Tuesday with a visit to the doc, 

That V... paid for!!!! 

Kerala Folklore Musuem experience I culled, 

The Sacred Heart tour and an ex-student's company minor inconveniences lulled.

Wednesday was again a day for lazing about, 

As Amma says, I used your home as a resort!

Thursday, most Biennale haunts completed, 

A lazy evening, catching up, was exactly what I needed. 

Then Friday, the last day, that you all made awesome, 

From morning tea to the pizza party, each moment was with fun fulsome.

The kids have been such exuberant fun,

Their foibles negligible, they are human! 

Even with the long visit some things we skipped, 

Reading your chapters, for instance, I missed. 🤔🙈

I also cannot possibly capture, 

The amazing moments of sharing, of many a conversation bender. 

The care, the patience you each showed me, 🤗

Makes me want to repeat this trip already! 

I hope I can soon return this hospitality, 

Though I know I can't measure up to Your Excellency!

Thank you ALL. Each of you made my trip special.

[25/02 7:56 am] Anusha Ramanathan: 

I missed writing about so many cherished memories,

But each adds to my riches' repository, 

It all boils down to finally, 

The stupedofantasticallymagical company.

- Written on 25 February 2017.

- It was a holiday. I have this wonderful cousin who has this super family and it was an awesome holiday all in all even with all the doc visits I had to undertake being me.  :) 

Responses on WhatsApp - to Poems of a student

Response 01 on WhatsApp 

[15/11/2016 10:09 pm] Anusha Ramanathan: 

A thought is air 

Enclosed in mustiness it would despair, 

Left free to roam, it would wonderfully fare. 

It might become polluted, but its essence retain, 

It might be wrong,  but it could retrain, 

Protection, limitation, it would disdain.  

A thought released is boundless

Once shared it becomes creatorless, 

It then finds its true purpose.

Response 02 on WhatsApp 

[15/11/2016 10:25 pm] Anusha Ramanathan: 

The power of thought is that it so sparkles, 

That it lights a million more miracles, 

It breaks through plastic,  escapes barriers

It expresses itself and renews all of us.

Response 03 on WhatsApp:

[12/02/2017 07:39 pm] Anusha Ramanathan:

To be missed this much, 

By one such

Is when unicorns rule the throw of dice, 

Is when darkness is dispelled by sunrise, 

Is not Heaven nor Hell, 

Is where Love does dwell,

Happiness is swell, 

Peace all else does quell.

- Written on dates afore mentioned. 

- I have this supertalented student who inspires me a lot. And intimidates me like hell as well :P 

My Comfort,, My Bed

Comfort:

A holiday from all effort. 

The bed, my solace:

A place to just laze. 

Reading, writing, doing nothing:

Thinking, dreaming, on whimsy ideas floating.

Deep breathing, out of the window gazing, 

Finding even the BMC election rhetoric amusing.

Hours and hours of not talking, 

Not engaging, just being, just existing. 

There is so much to do,  so true, 

But even that guilt vanishes as if by some charm of voodoo. 

Acquainting with self all over again, 

Dreams,  desires,  goals, reinventing the whole damn train.

- Written on 13 February 2017.

- Self-explanatory. I have realised holidays do this to me. :) 

If I could just....

If I could just under the covers hide, 

If I could just let all my ambitions, dreams, slide, 

If I could just let the days move in and out, 

If I could just let others's expectations rout, 

If I could just stop feeling, 

If I could nothing be craving, 

If I could just lie retreating, 

If I could just in my own world be living,

If I could slowly cease thinking, cease existing.

- Written on 11 Feb 2017

- Self-explanatory. 

Happy 2017!

Well,  well,  well! 

2016,  farewell! 

The end of an era of hope

That bigotry won't on humanity foreclose. 

But the Brexit heralded the trend 

Trump's win just brought home the end. 

Deaths littered the year's tidings:

Castro died: a paradox of autocracy and establishment resisting,

The iconic Jayalalitha breathed her last, 

Leaving a legacy of progress for the most part. 

But let's not focus on what went wrong, 

The flaws are many and we have wept long,

This year had its share of triumphs and joys

Just enough to serve as buoys. 

Hillary may have lost, but the Indian women shone

Sindhu, Sakshi, Dipa, Aditi, all brought medals and glory home. 

Sports has given us much to cheer,

Kabbaddi, Hockey, Cricket, Football, Paes all brought us delight sheer. 

Demonetisation angst is heard all over, true, 

But that Indians know to stand in line in India it proved. 

Amazing the numbers of the starving, the helpless and the newly jobless 

Accepting hardships peacefully in the quest for promised progress. 

Air pollution maybe galore, 

Industries and cars increase ever more.

But the Paris Climate Agreement was signed

India and China are leading this fight. 

Last year Tamil Nadu drowned in a torrential deluge, 

This year they battled Cyclone Vardah and gave hope a refuge, 

Sikkim became the first Indian fully organic state, 

Digitisation, a youth filled country may bring on a laurels spate. 

Here's wishing all a Happy 2017! 

May it see a reign of wisdom, peace and prosperity. 

- Written on 31 December 2016.

- Self-explanatory.

I just could not include the many things I wished to such as Sehwag's witticisms on Twitter discovered and many more. But it was just getting too long.