THE HERO ON A BISON WHO GRACED THE SKY- DEDICATED TO OUR HERO ABHINANDAN

A few men go through tiny but significant moments in their life that leave a big impact on history and on the millons around. Abhinandan Varthaman, the hero whose valour cannot be described in a few words - this poem of mine is my humble dedication for his verve, poise and gallantry.

PARENTING TIMES - FUNNY TWISTS-1- BEING ORGANIZED

Last Monday, my daughter was getting ready for college. Her absent-mindedness over the last few months had crept into my mind and I had got up early that day. This was to keep an eye and ensure that she had taken everything with her. It was also to keep reminding her on the ticking clock, so that our driver would not have to get into a psychopathic avatar while having to chase the college bus.

And last week, in addition to this confusion, it was only after she had left home in the  car and crossed a few streets from our home did she realize that she was still wearing her home footwear :) So, like a great Dad, here I was, monitoring everything and reminding her constantly to leave on time.

After seeing her off, I rushed to dress up and get ready to board our company bus that stops a hundred metres away from home. I take a good eight minutes to reach the pickup point and I normally keep a few minutes as a buffer with me to spare. I finished breakfast, recited my prayers and then quickly grabbed my bag and ran down the first floor steps towards the gate. Suddenly, I felt great that my bag was considerably lighter. But then, I really stopped and thought about it. “How could it be this light?”. Ahh!! I had forgotten to keep my laptop in it :) I think here I proved to be more of a roll model than in being a role model :)

BLACK SAND BEACH LANGKAWI - A TRANQUIL PLACE

While travelling in public transport, either in buses or suburban trains, I have gone through journeys where we had crowds like a swarm of bees and also journeys where there were just ten people in the whole bus or carriage. When the crowd was thin, we had air dancing through the vehicle and it was like a dream ride for me. I enjoyed those times much more than going around in my air conditioned car.

I had a similar experience, visiting the Marina Beach in Chennai on day of the Pongal festival. It was a claustrophobic experience and I just ran out of that place as quickly as I could. Quite contrary to that place, I found this tranquil beach, in Langkawi, Malaysia a superb place to hang around. Such a quiet place that every vibration of nature will be spotted by our ears.

There is an interesting local folklore that the black sand on the beach was the result of a large amount of firewood that was stacked along the shoreline and burnt by the people of the Land Kingdom when they were into a war with the Underwater Kingdom. This firewood when it was burning gave the impression of a huge army waiting on the shoreline and that kept the fighters of the Underwater Kingdom at bay.

All this fight according to the folklore,was because a mermaid princess from the Underwater Kingdom fell in love with a prince of the Land Kingdom and ran away. The war was supposed to be one-sided as the Underwater Kingdom had more troops than the Land Kingdom.

LANDSCAPE SHOTS -OOTY

Ooty is one of the popular hill stations in South India and it is the place where tourists flock during summer. It is a town in the Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu, located in the Nilgiri Hills and is often referred to as the Queen of Hills. It came under the rule of the British East India Company at the end of the 18th century. The original name Udagamadalam was pronounced by the British as Ootacamund and thereafter became Ooty.

Most of these spots that you see in the snaps below have been the popular spots in many song sequences in Indian movies.

Landscapes are a great treat for the eyes especially when we don't have any man made structures like buildings, electricity towers, etc for miles and miles. The greener the expanse the more pleasant and soothing it is for the eyes.

We as a family spent a lot of time here, and after about two hours, had to flee as a bison started racing down the hill towards us. You can see it in the last two pics.

So sometimes it's not just the man made structures but even the natural creations such as these that we don't prefer while enjoying the view. That's the peculiarity of nature. Sometimes, it offers something to enjoy and something scary in parallel :)

INTERESTING PATTERNS OF PRACTICING OUR FAITH - PART1

Last Sunday, I was on my way to home after our church service.  Every Sunday, while on my return from our church, I have to run through a street adjoining another Pentecost church, before entering the street where my house is located. Seeing the way the bikes were parked on either side of the street, I knew that I did not have enough space for my car to freely move forward. Inside the church I could hear the chants “Halleluiah” pretty loudly. Every member there, whose bikes were parked outside, was into a trance. I had no clue how to move forward with my car. As I was anxiously pondering, some people on the road, who saw my situation came forward to move the bikes and help me.

After some struggle, I was able to negotiate my way through and I was on my way again towards my home. I remember going through this encounter almost every Sunday and it makes me think about our pursuit of faith and religion. Each person inside the church is immersing himself deeply in worship while immersing in parallel, the public like me, in deep inconvenience.

May be a mortal like me, is also doing the same thing in some other way, if not through the parking of a vehicle. There are so many actions that we do like this parking of a vehicle that affects others, if we are not conscious and careful. This is where I see that as a Christian I am trying to climb onto Step 2 in the religious ladder when I have not made myself worthy of standing on Step 1.

Actions like these form an interesting pattern of the faith that Christians like me practice as part of our religion. I will be writing on a few more similar observations, in the posts that follow. Of course we could apply and adapt it across any religious or belief turf. But I prefer to stick to what I observed within my domain and leave it open for my friends to interpret it the way they are comfortable with.

MY BOOK OF POEMS NOW AT THE FAIRFAX COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY, VIRGINIA, USA

I am really happy to share the absorption of my first book, a book of romantic poems titled "INDELIBLE ETERNAL ETCHINGS" into the Fairfax County Public Library, Virginia State, USA.  The book went through a round of screening and was then taken in. I am thankful to my friend Subhashini Satish for doing all the ground work required to submit this book to the library and for the repeated followups post submission.

I really appreciate her for sparing me her time. I had requested many other friends for helping me to present my book to the libraries in different states in the USA and also in the UK. I am happy that Subhashini was able to spare time for this and help me. It's a big thing for me and for the book.

Friends in Virginia. Request you to grab a copy and read. It will be really great to hear from you. We have four copies available there and it's a nice sleek book of 55 pages. Your romance with the romantic book will only take an hour or two. Give it a try. When the intensity hits you, please share the book with friends and drop your reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

CAN YOU TEACH?

I consider it a cacophony
When my daughter and wife
Just talk normally
But at high decibel levels.

When they spot me all stooping
With my head helplessly buried
Deep into my hands,
They know it's the noise
That's creating this effect.

I have earned the respect
For being able to teach subjects
To little ones who came home
Seeking my help.

But if it was a noisy class
With all kinds of students
Each in their own state of excitement,
How good would I have been
In patiently teaching them.
I would have found it
To be an arduous task.

I salute my teachers
For their infinite patience.
More than the knowledge aspect,
It's their patience that inspires me.
It almost borders with
The golden patience of a mother.

Saluting every teacher!!