My love story

                                

Even after taking citizenship of another country I remain Indian. I got myself an OCI status for ease of travel back to the earth I am most accustomed to, and yet-

The bond only deepens each day.

It is a bubbling over in the heart

It pervades and takes me over

Every cell rings with it

What is it, oh what is it that I feel?

Words fall short, that is their nature.

I had to let go twice to live overseas. Letting go- my achilles heel. I know that all it takes is to sink into the ‘right now’ and I do. The umbilical cord never really severs, does it? All the time, right inside is a soft and insistent tug.

My daughter has remarked that she has never heard anyone else talk about India as much as I do :) I have no idea if this was a compliment or not but I take most things at face value to keep life simple.

I live a fairly busy life but like to think I have struck a balance between work and leisure. Now leisure to me is anything in which I am totally immersed- singing, writing while listening to music, ( generally to old hindi songs on Radio Purani Jeans), being walked by my dog etc. Work is cooking/cleaning/all paid work.

I also take Ms.G for her various sports/music/dance classes and go to social events of the spiritual/entertaining kind. 

Despite this some part of me hovers in and around India all the time. Strange phenomenon this. I live here and also exist elsewhere.

Reminds me of Hariharan's gazal- Main khayaal hoon kisi aur ka mujhe sochta koi aur hai :)

                   

Sweet music

As long as us humans have existed we have loved sound I guess. I can imagine our ancestors the cave-men, sitting besides a waterfall after their day's hunt, listening to the gurgling sounds of the water, bird-song and the rustling of leaves. Stones, sticks etc would have come next I imagine and thus slowly along with other discoveries and inventions, musical instruments would have come into being.

                             My little one and I love music to bits. All kinds. I sing. She plays three instruments (Violin, Flute and Coronet)- been learning them for an year now and is coaching herself on a fourth ( a Casio keyboard) at home. She sings too but does not like to sing in public. At all. I leave her to herself and let her work this out for herself. She will in due time.

                               Chatting with my mum as I drove her to her table-tennis club this morning, drew a nugget forth, which I will share.

                               My ammamma (maternal grand mum), was generally seen with a crochet needle and ball of thread in a bag stuck at her waist in her free time. A child bride she was, who came to my Nana's (Maternal grand pa) home in Kamptee, from Andhra and knew only Telugu at that point. It is a mystery as to when and how she taught herself Hindi so fluently as to read the Col: Ranjit's jasoosi upanyaas, (detective novels) which she had stuck under her arms as she ambled around the house amiably.

She played the Harmonium, Violin and sang.

As her children grew up, ten of them, she played harmonium while one of her daughters who took music lessons, sang. Somewhere along the path of life, her own singing took a back seat and disappeared.

We, her grandchildren, never got to hear her sing or play either of the instruments.

                    Love you Ammamma.

                                                                 

Dumbing down- a 141 word post

I have had an uneasy feel about THIS and this came to the forefront in my head after reading a post shared by a blogger friend.
What THIS is - a sense that all over the world there are groups of all sorts that are working at a mass and individual 'dumbing down'.
This could sound like paranoia but it is true, just take a hard, penetrating look around

1. The media- tele-vision, papers, tabloids, social-media, commercials...
2. Politicians
3. Industrialists
4. Love-bombers
5. Individual manipulators in our circles



Finally all of it comes from a person or a group of manipulators whose aim is to pull the shutter down on the clear thinking faculties of people for his/her/their personal gain- material or emotional.



Dear reader, go on and tell me your thoughts in the comments section. What do you think?

A peek into well-being- a yoga interview.

 Dear readers, bloggers, writers and friends,

I am going to do a series of interviews with a variety of people. The common thread is that they are promoting well-being on Mother Earth, in one way or the other.

                                                   
Firstly a few words from me :)

However high a tree may rise towards the sky, its roots need to be firmly entrenched in the ground. Likewise whichever way our society goes, we need to stand steadfast to our country’s inherent wisdom.

Yoga is of prime importance and even a few of the eight limbs, when pondered upon and followed work as an elixir and fortify us against stress.

Lifestyle diseases which are rampant today are mainly a by-product of the thoughtless lifestyle and stress which accumulates unbeknownst to us, in large part due to the needless speed in every aspect of life. Yoga slows things down to their natural pace.

Valuable lessons that comes to us from yoga:
1. Figure out what connecting to oneself means and to re-connect again and again, for the term ‘yoga’ itself means to unite, with oneself and with the universe at large, starting from our immediate surroundings.

2. Slow down

3. Develop an awareness of our thought processes and understand that we can choose our thoughts, or at least which thoughts to give primacy to.

4. Be mindful in general, be it of our food, sleep and other habits, or even of our posture and other unconscious tendencies.

5. Understand that we are housed in a body which serves us well if we give it a little attention, stretch it a little, bend, twist a little and most importantly breathe easy.

Now to the interview section of this post

Today I am talking to Mr. Raj Pandey, who I thank for sharing the below with me.

Q. What got you interested in Yoga? What are the lessons you have learnt from it?

A. I had a yoga institute close to my house in India when I was a young boy. I started going with my friends and gradually I started liking it. Later on, I learnt yoga with several great masters, such as BKS Iyengar, Osho, Swami Ram and Swami Satyam. I learnt many different types of yoga from them, like Hatha yoga, Kundalini yoga, Kriya yoga etc.

Q. Lessons I have learnt from yoga up until now are:

A. My yoga practice has taught me that life is not a competition. It is not a competition to win, to be better than anyone else. It taught me to know my own strengths and weaknesses. I learnt how to enjoy every moment of life by knowing who I am and what the goal of my life is. I learnt that the same divine force or energy dwells in every living and non-living being on the planet. I leant how to laugh in every situation without being judgmental.

Q. How long have you been a yoga teacher? What prompted you to become a teacher in the first place?

A. I have been practicing and teaching yoga for approximately 30 years now, having taught extensively in India, Oman and Australia. My Yoga Guru Swami inspired and motivated me to be a lifelong yoga student. I don’t like to call myself a yoga teacher. 

Q. How important do you think Yoga is in this fast paced world? What are the most valuable lessons we can learn from it?

A. Yoga has more relevance in the present society than ever before. The world is gradually dividing into small fragments, fragments like cast, creed and religion. If yoga is taught in its totality to an 8 year old child, then it will bring unity, harmony and peace to the society and world.

Q. Did yoga bring about a positive change in your life? If yes, what are the life lessons you have learned from it?

A. The word ‘yoga’ itself means union and harmony first with everything around you, and finally with the divine. Yoga has given me enormous things like health, strength, watchfulness on my emotions, and focus in my work. Yoga has given me great tools, such as mindfulness, to excel in my job as a high school Physics and Math teacher. Finally, Kriya yoga has brought tranquility and serenity to my mind and existence, which helped me learn who I am (self-realization).

Q. Many prefer to train their bodies and reduce fat in gym lifting weights. Do you think, they should be doing Yoga instead?

A. Unfortunately, in western world and even in India, people think that Yoga is only physical exercises, such as the poses. Yoga is more than that. It brings harmony in life on many levels. It brings a positive radical change in life. Exercising in the gym only works on the body but yoga works in every possible dimension.   

Q. As a yoga teacher, what are the valuable life lessons that one can apply in their day-to-day life?

A. The basic desire of a human being is to live in harmony with oneself and the environment. Nowadays in the modern world, more emotional and physical demands are constantly placed upon many aspects of life. Consequently, many people suffer from physical and mental tensions or stress, like anxiety and insomnia. This is why techniques for the attainment and improvement of health through physical, mental and spiritual harmony are of great importance. This can be easily achieved by practicing and incorporating yoga in daily life. Yoga is for everyone, regardless of age or health conditions. Yoga gives us valuable, practical instructions for the body, breath, concentration, relaxation and meditation.

(He is a member of YTISA and Yoga Australia. He has approximately 30 years of yoga experience and has taught extensively. He has accumulated a wealth of knowledge in a wide and varied background of various forms of yoga and meditation including Hatha yoga, Kriya yoga, Kundalini yoga, Therapeutic yoga, Sahaj yoga, and Pranayama. Raj is a trained meditation instructor in: Solar (to hold energy from the sun), Lunar (to hold energy from the moon), Nada Brahma (ceaseless ever expanding Sound), Dynamic (to remove pent up emotions), Kundalini (to awaken subtle energy), Vipassana and many more. Raj also has experience with Reiki, Pranic Healing and Acupressure)


                                           ***********************************


What did you think of this whole post dear reader? Did the length deter? Did the series I have begun interest you? Did you find the information here helpful?


Do share :)                                               

      

                                                        

Admiral's arc, Kangaroo island

                                         

Meditation- a poem and a guest post :)

To drop from the head into the body,

Get aware of the inhale expanding the body

Watch the exhale release itself and also

Release everything that needs releasing.

It is this and keeps us in the now and

The immediate HERE

Gets us out of the constant pendulum

That the mind can become.

What is scary about this I ask you

Nothing. Let us give up the notion we

May have of what it is and allow

Ourselves to accept that it is simple

And accessible. Let us begin with the

Breath and end with the breath for what else

Does life begin with and end with

Breath to breath is all we need

Breath to breath is all we have.

A gift most precious.

Dear reader, I have had a first and who doesn't love firsts :) Aditi asked me to do a guest post for her www.dancebible.com  on a topic I had never written on. Dance. So I thanked her and wrote the guest post

It is on Bharat Natyam and how it benefits children. Needless to say the same applies to adults.

What are your thoughts on meditation and the beautiful dance form Bharat Natyam? Do share :)

What no one tells you about being a parent.

No one is obliged to spill the beans

No one is bound to tell

Even if one does dare take up

The task of unmasking every cell.

Umbilical cord severed physically 

Actually severs never ever.

Urge to put baby back into embryo

To keep safe and sound from every fever.

Innards twist at the slightest inkling

Of any discomfort to the little one.

This is the very heart walking around, in the 

Shape of a child you have won.

Soft - vulnerable heart, outside the body

Out of the protective casing of ribcage, flesh and sinew.

This - only a pinch of how it feels and

I will try no more except to urge myself, and

You and you and you my reader

 Not that you need the urging one bit.

To care and tend and yet not stifle.

Keeping personal struggles at bay,

When around the child, let us

Allow ourselves to rejoice while we may.

Be a child with the child, firm not harsh

When the need arises for oh yes- it does everyday.

Eternally oscillating from tender love to 

Marking out clarity, let us read, ruminate, 

Speak out our love and blessing 

And be not too rigid all the time,

With the offspring, who is as we speak

Every moment becoming more and more

Individual. Nurture their nature.

Give in to material demand, in balance, 

This is a toughie in this day and age.

Not so much that they lose value

Not so less that there is hidden discontent

Day after day we grow alongside

If we let ourselves, putting fallacies and fakeness

Aside. Grow up once again, gain dimension and depth

Finally to let go, for we are only given a while 

To play out our role in divine drama - 

Unconditional, eternal, infinite.

Essence. What I got from the 7 day blog challenge #Barathon

The freezing cold from the last 3 months had seeped into every pore, creativity ebbed low. My blog saw an occassional post. 

                                      Then came the Barathon, at just the right time. I decided to write very short posts unlike my A to Z challenge posts which one way or the other tend not to be short. My blog began to smile and cheer up with daily visits from me and friendly bloggers and readers. 

                        Om, Omkaara and Takshak emerged and wove there way in and out of my 7 day tale. The three of them, the monkey, various animals and I, thanks all of you who read and cheered me on from start to finish. 

                              The writing muscles got their much needed exercise and also the Sun has begun to visit us a little more, the last few days perking everyone up around here. Hob nobbing with the other bloggers brought cheer and warmth. Manuscripts lying around have begun to be gathered up with a new vigour and resolve. 

                                      Kudos to the admin team at the BAR. Congratulations to everyone who took part in any way. Now I am off to read and comment.

                                                        

                         

                                    

Last day, A tiny tale. Day#7 #Barathon

He slithered out and tucked the apple back into the cavernous recesses of his throat, promising himself that he would get the better of the innocents, he was out to lure.
             Omkaara and Om were out of sight now. Takshak followed them, sometimes on land, sometimes shooting across tree branches. They seemed to have disappeared. He tried to breathe in their odours but could smell nothing that could give him any information about the path they had taken.
          Across a large lake, in a large patch filled with banyan trees, a monkey had taken the couple under its wing and taught them the art of swinging from tree to tree. Omkaara and Om soon were adept at this, the aerial roots giving them ample opportunity to practise.
                     Having filled themselves with berries, they curled up, intertwined, atop a wide branch. They were hard to discern, their brown skins blending with the brown skin of the branch they slept on.
    Takshak made his way to where they lay, finally having smelt them. He pushed the apple between their faces. They had to notice it and take a bit or two, for sure. He sat on the branch right on top of theirs and tried to stay awake.
                 The monkey who was still up and about, returned and seeing the juicy, red fruit snatched it and bit into it. Takshak lashed out with his tail but to no avail. They monkey hopped off the tree and was soon out of reach, along with the apple.
                                    The duo slept on, while Takshak slunk back to the nether worlds, shame faced.
                   





I am writing a seven part short story as a part of the BARATHON, a week long blog event at Blog-A-Rhythm, each part based on a prompt. Go all teams and in particular #Orange Tango :)

Nearing the end, A tiny tale, Part 6. Day #6 #Barathon

Instinctively she reached out and touched the shiny blobs and then recoiled when she realised that the blobs ended on a dangerous looking visage, different from the animals she had seen.
                    The little shoes had changed into round golden blobs, Takshak noticed. His skills needed brushing up. While he mulled over this, Om woke up too and sat up near Omkaara, staring at what lay in front of them.
                  Coughing out the apple, Takshak placed it near the couple and sped backwards until he was behind a large banyan tree. He watched eagerly, waiting to see the apple eaten. Much to his chagrin the duo ignored the fruit, arose and sped off in the opposite direction.
                     This apple business had started to get harder amd harder on his nerves. The gem he had his eye on would soon be wishful thinking if he didn't change his tactics. At other times, in other places, this had been a piece of cake, thought Takshak, letting out a deep sigh which came hissing out of him.


I am writing a seven part short story as a part of the BARATHON, a week long blog event at Blog-A-Rhythm, each part based on a prompt. Go all teams and in particular #Orange Tango :)

A tiny tale part 5 Day#5 #Barathon #Blogarhythm

The pair gambolled, at ease with their surroundings, at one with the animals. A large thorn pierced Om's foot and he stopped to remove it and gaze at the red liquid drops on his under foot. In the meantime Omkaara had curled into a ball on a patch of grass and fallen asleep. Om walked away. He came upon a lake and jumped in and flailed his arms and legs in abandon. Emerging in a while he made his way back and fell asleep beside Omkaara.
               Grass and dry leaves rustled. Animals, big and small scurried off to hide. Takshak looked at the sight with glee. His prey was right in front of him, but oh no, they had fallen asleep. He had to wake them up somehow. He wanted to be done and go back to where the Sun did not shine.
               His fangs emerged witth two tiny shoes at their ends. Shiny material of mirage, he was an adept at this trick he had learned on his grandpa's lap, a hundred years ago. Moving closer, he tap tapped at Om's wounded foot with the shoes to no avail. Grimacing, he patted Omkaara's arm. She sat up with a start and glared, goggle-eyed at this strange thing with shiny tips.


I am writing a seven part short story as a part of the BARATHON, a week long blog event at Blog-A-Rhythm, each part based on a prompt. Go all teams and in particular #Orange Tango :)



Orange Tango

Part 4 of A tiny tale. Day #4 #Barathon #Blogarhythm #Orange Tango

The last time he had been sent on a similar mission, Takshak had been caught red handed, napping on a banyan bough, his belly heavy with his favourite meal of apples and rabbit.
His eyes turned into slits as he firmed his resolve of getting hold of the duo and seducing them into sharing an apple with him. This was no run of the mill apple, it was one crafted by Dushtakarma and full of a sweet liquid. Once bitten into, all kinds of strange desires would seep into the hapless person's veins and make them do all kinds of things. Currently it lay hidden in a cavity in his throat.

In the meantime, Om and Omkaara had walked across the Aranyaka forests and reached a clearing. Here they ran behind a herd off deer, chasing them and imitating their style of running. Laughter rang out and filled all directions.

Orange Tango

I am writing a seven part short story as a part of the BARATHON, a week long blog event at Blog-A-Rhythm, each part based on a prompt. Go all teams and in particular #Orange Tango :)

Fragile Lives- Part 3 Day #3 #Barathon #Orange Tango

Satiated, they ambled off into the horizon, blissfully unaware of how fragile their life and that of the place they were in was going to be.
Unbeknownst to them Takshak, a dark and venomous being had emerged from the nether worlds and slithered around in search of the newly hatched pair. Deformed and stragely shaped, all the underground dwellers had chosen him to do their task.
                     He was to find the innocents and lure them to his dark world. Once he had done this he would be rewarded with a new Mani for his hood.





I am writing a seven part short story as a part of the BARATHON, a week long blog event at Blog-A-Rhythm, each part based on a prompt. Go all teams and in particular #Orange Tango :)

Orange Tango

What You Do Not Know - tiny story contd. Day #2 # Bar-A-Thon

The creatures stretched and ambled towards one another on hind legs. As they walked they stood taller and taller, until they seemed quite straight. The Sun's rays caught their hair and skin and glinted.
Opening it's mouth one of them, the female emitted a gurgle and tried to match her voice with the hum in the background which had begun to fade. The male did the same and they both tested out their voices, while the birds flew down from their perches to take a look.
             The fully grown creatures had no idea of what they were and where they were. All they could sense was that there was some burning sensation in their bellies which demanded appeasement. They began to nibble at tree-bark and leaves. Venturing further fruit was found and liked. Juice dribbled down their mouths as they downed mango after mango.

What You Do Not Know

Stranger than fiction- The start of a very tiny tale. Day #1 #Bar-A-Thon

The shell began to crack, the large egg moved a little and then fell apart. A creature, all wrinkled, skin moist- staggered out. Two legs, two arms a head and a torso. The sound vibrations continued- sonorous and earth shaking. Ommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm reverberated through the trees, the land, rivers, mountains and the skies. Another creature emerged from a neighbouring egg, stretched its limbs and looked around, squinting its eyes.

Stranger than fiction

 

Always.

Agony unleashed and lashed out

Leaving no markings, no welts

The body wracked by turmoil

Began to cave in and implode

You came, you always do

In some shape, form or manner

Washed out and cleansed

Taking away the needless

Leaving behind comfort and peace

And a certitude most quiet

You always hover around 

In the dust, the air, the people

Waiting for the space- to step in.

The monkey that spoke English- short story

Here's a little tale. Of a creature with a tail.

I found a monkey and named him Puttu.
Actually he found me.
In a train.
The train was about to pull out of the station when a furry bundle hurled itself on me and clung to my neck.
My first instinct was to jump up and brush off whatever it was that had latched onto me.
A little baby monkey fell to the seat and gazed at me with doleful eyes.

Wonder of wonders.
I looked out of the window to try and hand him back to his mum. There was no other monkey in sight. I looked at the other passengers for help on the issue. Everyone shrugged. A man told me to 'dump the creature' onto the platform.
In the meantime the little fella slunk out of sight and sat hidden behind my back.

I resigned myself to taking him home with me.
My home. A sprawling quarter acre piece of land with an old style house which would need to be pulled down soon. It had been built a 100 years back and had stayed in my family since.
I lived here with my husband, daughter and our pets.
2 dogs, a cat and a few hens.

What would happen if I added a monkey to the mix? I had to wait and see, didn't I?

My husband groaned when he saw me arrive, a suitcase and a new creature in tow. I had a penchant for bringing home strays and after that it usually fell to the practical person in the house to drop off the newcomer to the RSPCA.
 My daughter squealed in delight. 'Will it bite?' This had always been her first question when faced by a new animal. "Hasn't tried to bite me yet,' said I not meeting my husband's eye.
I put him in an empty bird cage in the backyard and rushed to the shower.

Later that night after my daughter was in bed, I was taken to task.
'How could you bring a wild creature home, what if he has some disease and infects us all?'
'He clung on to me and wouldn't let go. I had no choice,' I  replied lamely.
'We'll see what to do with it tomorrow,' he spoke with finality. I had nothing to say.

The next morning I sauntered into the kitchen to make my morning cup of tea and heard my daughter talking to someone in the backyard.
The excitement of the previous night must have woken them early I thought and looked out of the big picture window. Her father was nowhere in sight.
She was talking to the monkey and despite our instructions had taken him out of the cage and held him gently on her lap, as she sat on the wooden bench. The monkey was answering her questions.

My eyes popped out of my head and I ran out to check. I must be hallucinating.

The little creature was actually talking, same as you and me and was speaking in English, clean and unaccented.
I could have simply asked him where his mum was instead of bringing him along with me, I thought distractedly, another part of my mind wondering if I had gone raving mad.

'How did you fall down and how come the fall didn't wake you up? someone was rudely shaking me by the shoulder. I opened one eye and saw my husband looking at me as I lay bundled in my quilt on the floor, next to the kingsize bed.
'It can speak English,' I said.
'Who, what?
'The monkey, it can speak in English,' couldn't he understand, how daft of him.

The silly man burst into peals of laughter. My daughter sat up in bed rubbing her eyes. I sat up, my quilt still around me and looked at them trying to look as dignified as possible in the given circumstances.


                                                       **************************

First ever purely Gratitude post, thanks to Vidya Sury :)

 

The cup of my joy overflows as I ruminate

Sitting at the large glass window seeing green

The heavens pouring down last few days

Washing every little leaf and grass

Soothing the eyes and the heart.

Again I give thanks for the souls 

Encountered recently. Second cousins that

Came and stayed with us from out of the blue

Who knew that here would be a happily surprising 

Connect of true hearts and minds.

 

Thanks to the universe for the blessing in disguise

Of issues in the little one's last place of study, wherein

 

Lay the key to getting towards a Gurukul style Steiner

Way of learning keeping the entire Be-ing together.

 

Blessings abound and here I link this to one sweet blogger

I am happy to know, Vidya Sury it is and I am sure you know of her. 

 

 

Loving connections and The Liebster award :)

The wonderfully prolific Dahlia of https://mysilverstreaks.com  made the phewww feeling after the A to Z challenge last month deepen into a feeling of gratitude for not only keeping me company all through the A to Z but awarding me the Liebster award in the week just after :) Thanks a ton for that and the questions you sent me. 

The Q and A 

1.How did you begin blogging?     

I began in November 2006 when my little one was around six months old. I wrote very less and mainly about her and the joy she brought to our lives and hearts. I had been reading quite a few food blogs at the time and my dear friend's blog http://mysoorean.blogspot.com.au/    regularly. This inspired me to start a blog of my own.
2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years (as a blogger)? 
 I have no idea at all. Life is ever-changing and every breath we take is all we have.
3. When you are not blogging or thinking about it, what do you do? 

I don't blog so often that it takes over my mind fully and it usually the A to Z blogging challenge month which completely submerges me into blogging. Rest of the months I blog when I want to. I cook, clean, read, write, sketch, do art, listen to music/sing, play with my pup and spend time with my daughter. I also teach Yoga in all its holistic glory.

4. Does anyone from your family read/comment on your blogposts?

Yes my mum does and its very satisfying that she does :) My daughter has just begun to read my posts too and says she wants to start up a blog of her own soon :)

5. Could you tell us something about your part of the world? 

Australia is a nature lover's delight. There are a wide variety of people one gets to see from various corners of the earth. The true land owners however are seen on the fringe of society and this pinches the heart. The government has a number of policies in their benefit but the damage done is very deep and it will take a while for some real change to happen.
6. Any favorite quote/s that you would like to share? 

I would like to share one I just read on a wonderful blog I began to follow from the last two months namely http://drishtikone.com/  and the quote is- Mark Twain once said of India "Anything that can ever be done either by man or God has been done in this land".

7. Could you recommend a book or a movie (feel free to add as many as you like) for my bucket list?

There are many but I will post just one of each that struck me on reading the question.

Movie- Black               Book- Anna Karenina

8. What’s the craziest thing you have done? 

Taken a lift home riding pillion behind a stranger. Not a complete stranger because this was the driver of my bus from Mysore to Bangalore when I was in my early twenties and a naive lass. When the bus reached the city terminus, there were no buses to take me home which was a good 18 kms away and since I was the last passenger to get off I spoke to the driver to ask if he knew of any buses that would take me home at that time- 10 pm. He said , there were none and offered to drop me home. I accepted and all the way chanted Hanuman Chaalisa since in those days that road was no well lit and had eucalyptus forests on either side, half the route. He dropped me home safe and sound, the Blessed man and left after drinking one glass of water. Now that I am a mum and have learned to mistrust people just a little, I can only laugh at my folly.

9. How do you de-stress?  

Art, cooking, meditation, a walk, playing with puppy and daughter and writing.
10. Anything about yourself that you would like to change?     

My tendency to speak from the heart, because this has got me in trouble a few times.
11. What do you feel most blessed about?      

My offspring

Eleven random facts about me ;) 

1. I have one child and I had her in my mid-thirties

2. Our pup Bibbel was bought on the insistence of my daughter and this also fulfilled my life-long longing for a dog of my own :)

3. I sing and love music and can give up an entire night's sleep only for music, even the best book I am reading will see me in bed at least at 2 am.

4. I am a practising Yoga teacher and insist on chanting shlokas and getting my students to Om at the end 

5. I abhor allopathy and only an emergency takes me to it

6. My first point for pain-relief is Pranayama- nadi shuddhi

7. One of my first poems as a seven year old was on a street pup that I had named Sheroo

8. I have lived in Jharkhand, Bihar, U.P, Andhra, Karnataka, Duabi and Australia

9. I love public speaking

10. I can vibrate my eyeballs, bwahahahahaha, really and it freaks the daylight out of anyone that has had the privilege to see this 

11. I am gypsy at heart and traversing every inch of India is a dream I will fulfil

This was fun :) and here is a cuppa for anyone reading through my post in a beautiful terracotta cup from Pondicherry before we proceed to the most exciting portion

I get to choose 11 blogs to pass on the award to and so here goes my list of eleven wonderful bloggers and people that connected and gave company through the A to Z and also otherwise. May our connection bloom and grow :)

1. http://relaxnrave.blogspot.com.au/
2. http://www.geetikagupta.com/
3. shilpaagarg.com
4. http://titli15081977.blogspot.com.au/ 
5. www.kaapitimes.com 
6.  shutterbug-rajlakshmi.blogspot.com.au 
7. http://happinessandfood.com/ 
8. https://fabulus1710.wordpress.com/ 
9. http://sulekharawat.com/ 
10. https://inderpreetuppal.com 
11. http://obsessivemom.blogspot.com.au/ 

If my nominees accept, and I am pretty sure they will, since each of them is a good sport, here are the rules that must be followed:

RULES OF THE LIEBSTER AWARD

If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award and you choose to accept it, write a blog post about the Liebster Award in which you:

• Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog in your post.
• Display the award on your blog — by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a “widget” or a “gadget”.
• Answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.
• Provide 11 random facts about yourself.
• Nominate 5 – 11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have a less than 1000 followers.
• Create a new list of 11 questions for the nominees to answer.

List these rules in your post (copy and paste from here). Once you have written and published it, you then have to:

• Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster Award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!)

And here are the 11 specially crafted Questions for my nominees to answer in their own time 
1. 1. What is your prime motivation for blogging? 
2. Have you visited a place that gave you a sense of Deja Vu? 
3. If you could visit another century briefly when and where would you go? 
4. Who do you love the most and who loves you the most? 
5. What do you find most inspiring about life?  
6. What dish do you like to eat and what do you like to cook? 
7. Where do you see yourself as a writer in ten years?
8. If you had to close down your blog and give up writing altogether, how would you feel?
9. What kind of music do you like?
10. Who could you picture yourself as, in the history of Bharatvarsh?
11. Where would you like to be born in your next life?

Hasta Manana till we meet again dear readers.

 
I wish you Happy LIVING,
HAPPY READING AND WRITING.

Returning to the elements- a short reflection on death. A post in English and Devnagari Hindi.

Disappear element-body

The heat and anxieties returning to Agni

Imagination- speed to Vayu

Ashes to the Prithvi

Fluids to Jal

Prana to the Akasha

And you who resides within all of it

Back to wherever it is you came from.

This last week-ten days has been one of deaths and information of a death that occurred a few months back.
So this is what my being dwells on right now as I feel and contemplate sitting within the shell of my own body when I can during the day and night, while carrying on with the business of living life alongside.
Death- a doorway to returning to a formless existence, either to return in a new shell or stay formless, in synch with the formless energy which runs the Universe/Universes.

First it was an inspirational, loving, learned and much loved and respected blogger Usha Menon ji whose words are immortalised on http://eccentricgrandmum.blogspot.com.au/  
There is a little bit about her on https://blogarhythmblog.wordpress.com/2015/01/24/link-up-opens-featured-member-usha-menon-2/

We bloggers were in the throes of the A to Z challenge when we got to know about this. Everyone reeled. May she be in a loving literary place.

Before this had sunk in I was told by two of my friends and ex-colleagues that one of the 'loveliest on all levels' ex-colleague, Sandhya Prasad, had passed on while on a pilgrimage last November. Vivacious, mature, wise, sincere are only a few words that describe her. Sandhya was a Sri Krishna devotee and involved with the Iskcon Bangalore deeply. May she rest in the beauty of Lord Krishna.

I was processing all this when I was informed just as I went to bed at night, the day before yesterday, that my aunt Rajani had at 62, suddenly breathed her last.
The night was spent oscillating between praying and trying to fall asleep.
She was my mama's wife and a large part of my life since I turned ten. A simple lady in every way, she interacted with every member of the family and outsider in an ego-less and sweet manner.
This was a blow delivered to stun.
Rajani attamma, you will always be thought of fondly and missed greatly. Whitefield will never be the same without your smiling presence. I am certain everyone that knew you has felt shock at your leaving us so suddenly. May the ache in our hearts subside.
May you have everlasting peace.

For me it is expressing through words and other art forms which helps clarify and heal amidst other benefits. So meditation and words it is that I seek succour from in that order.

                                                      


 एक ह्रदय कितना कुछ झेले
क्या क्या सहे और क्या कुछ छोड़े

सब जान कर भी अंजान है ये
सब बू झ कर भी अन्बुझ है ये

पञ्च तत्त्वों से बनी ये काया
पर उस काया में वास है जिसका

कितना भटकाती है उसे माया
मन का आदि अंत न पाया

श्वास के रथ पर बैठे हम कब 

पल में हो जाएँ विलुप्त क्या पता

समय से पहले कहाँ कोई गया और 

उस से पहले कोई न आया 

व्यर्थ हि भागमभाग मचाते 

किसको कुछ है लेकर जाना 

हे ईश्वर रख हमें सतत सन्तुलित 

जीवन बहे जैसे जलधारा। 

A to Z challenge 2016- Time to Reflect

                                     

 

Done and dusted. Phewwww.

That is the first feeling and the one word that dominated me for many days, after posting my Z post and sharing it with the various groups.

My initial thought was to do this post in free verse too but my poetic muscle needs some rest so I let it be. Also I miss writing prose :)

This is the second time I have chosen to do the challenge and finished it, which I would, since my personality has a problem with letting go of anything at all midway, which can just become a non-positive at times.

The actual research, reminiscing and writing itself of my mytho-historic poetry was extremely enjoyable and I found myself submerged in joy while going about the creative process.

One decision I have made to make the whole of April even more enjoyable is that I shall never ever again go through the A to Z in the fashion I have done, which is of writing and posting daily. Not only does this take away from the pleasure of reading others blogs and commenting but also I felt I have gone through a sugar-cane press. This time was much harder than the first since I was in Australia and thus had much more daily work on my hands than in 2014, when I was in the motherland.

Also the little one just turned ten and being an only child, looks at me to double up as a sibling/playmate....you get the drift I am sure :) Here there is no one around our home to go out and play with too.

At times I felt I would lose my mind and for sure the hormones had something to do with that too ;)

So next year and for however long I do the A to Z I will ONLY do it if I have most of my posts written and ready.

Interacting with fellow bloggers who went through the challenge and some who didn't, connecting with them through the soul that comes through in each one's written word, reading comments and replying, commenting on other blogs, discovering new human beings and new blogs- this is quite a journey and I appreciate it and thank everyone from the bottom of my heart. I am not mentioning individual bloggers/friends much as I would like to, from scarcity of time but the ones that followed many of my posts and the ones whose many posts I followed hold a special place in my heart and you know who you are :)

Touched and inspired from my mum and my daughter reading all my posts.

Thanks to the creator of the A to Z challenge, Arlee Bird and here is the link to the A to Z challenge site, just in case  http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/

Zzzzzz The cosmic sleep of Sri Vishnu. Letter Z of the # a to z challenge.

You sleep on the primordial waters of chaos

The Ksheerasagara- ocean of milk

Transcendantal consciousness that is Brahman

Every potentiality stays poised within you.

Ananta Shayana meaning one who rests

Atop the infinite Shesha Naaga*

Omni present- omni potent

Creator of the creative urge that is Brahma*

All pervasive, ever present.

We look all over- in any

Nook of the cosmos- any 

Other cosmos it is you, it is You.

All of us in you and you in us

This is how it is, for it is you- that

Resides in this shell, as the light and 

Airy element, that which escapes

When the rest of us falls to dust 

Back to you, the energy that runs everything.

You, that defies description

And we that love forms

We make such a pair

You, manifestation of everything beautiful

We that run after shadows

Give us a pinch of your cosmic sleep

Oh lord, so we float above the ocean

We live in, detached as much as needed

Poised within ourselves, in touch

With the infinity inside our own self.

I am writing poetry based on Indian mythology/history for the April 2016 A to Z challenge. Please read, comment and share freely and do come back :)

Yudhishtira son of Yama. Letter Y of the # a to z challenge.

There is something amiss

I cannot quite understand
Do tell me dear reader if you

Perchance figure it out.

Kunti's son from Yama*

Righteous and chaste was he

However being a mortal man

Prone to blunder and gaffe

Let us not judge, let us not call names

Simply run a glance over one

Incident that wrenches the heart

Yudhishtira it seems had one flaw

A vice that many a person has.

Stumbled on and lost all he/she had.

And so he gambled away his kingdom

And wealth which is not all-

He also lost his brothers and their

Common wife* to a blind and arrogant lot.

Draupadi was dis-robed in front of a

Full court, only the mercy of Sri Krishna

Rushing to her rescue in the form of an

Endless length of cloth. 

What may he have felt, this son of Yama

Seeing a sight such as that....

The rules of the game sacro-sanct so

Much so that none of the five husbands

Could help the damsel out. What a pity and

What a plight, with all the elders present

Not one could give her a hand. Oh! if only

She had married Karna the brave, she would

Never have had the mishap, thought she afterwards

In secret to herself, never knowing alas

That it was Karna who was the eldest one

That Mother Kunti had begat.

Alas, for everyone and for the son of Yama himself,

Had he been with them right from the start,

Never the war would be fought, for I suspect

Karna would have stopped short at many a point

Or gone ahead in every respect.

But what can be done now dear reader

All we can do is think back, conjecture and 

Hope to learn from Yudhishtira and all the 

Pandava and Kaurava band, what misery one can 

Go through, for the sake of one's land.

 

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yama

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draupadi

I am writing poetry based on Indian mythology/history for the April 2016 A to Z challenge. Please read, comment and share freely and do come back :)