Whispering Thoughts

I am happy. Happy, through and through. First and foremost, it was Friday. And I love Fridays .. tender, nostalgic strings attached. Fridays also brings the hope of Saturday and Sunday – two days to wash away and cleanse our tired, exhausted selves. It rained in the morning and that meant no sunscreens. I learnt “ how not to cook ” kidney beans. And also how to guesstimate the salt requirements. A definite promotion in my personal cooking calibre. Then we were able to finish off the fancy dress project for my 5 year old nephew, Harjas successfully. And this was a big one. For two reasons – one, I was not sure if we would be able to bring out the concept properly because we were planning to make him a solar cell. And second and more challenging task was to get him to wear the dress and speak his lines before the audience. And it was satisfying to see him eagerly donning his so called “solar energy” dress and render verbally the concept. And more heartening was to see him jumping h...

Every morning, in my home, as they go about their routine tasks, both my parents religiously put on the Punjabi channels and listen to the “Katha Sagars”, in which the pearls of our religion are shared. Nothing deters them from listening to the religious preachers who try to explain how one should lead a balanced, spiritual life and sometimes unravel the meaning of some of the selected portions from Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji. These “kathas” provide background music to our morning activities. And though, I am a non-conformist to this tradition of my house, I like the feel it brings to everything around us. So pious, so pure, so serene. My mother has tried hard to get me listen to these sermons and lectures but to no avail. Some days I am occupied with other priority tasks and some days, I am plain lazy to get up in time. So, once I am up and awake, the wisdom is shared with me in bits and pieces, my mother knowing very well what is going to retain her daughter’s interest. All the morni...

“Why do you want to have a birthday party?” I asked my nephew. He promptly replied, “All my friends will be there and we will get to play and enjoy”, and then greedily added, “I will also get loads of gifts”. I laughed the first part off and maternally preached him about not being so gift-minded all the time. But at the back of my mind, the question kept nagging me. Not that I mind these celebrations. In fact, I love birthdays and all the joyous merrymaking associated with them. But never did I consciously think about the where’s and when’s of the origins of these celebrations. So, after rushing up with my things to do list, I started off with my search. And before I share what I came across, I reproduce the exact lines that have left me rejuvenated and refreshed. “ It is good to be thankful for what you have in life and what you have accomplished. But open your eyes to the larger picture. If we are to appreciate the fruits of life, we must first appreciate the tree that bears th...

I live in a small town nestled in the hills. So it is natural for me to have grown up with hills and rivers all around me.   Why, just walk up to the rear end of my house and look out. A small rivulet (calling it a river would not be fair) flows perennially and beyond it is a well rounded, green hill. I see it all the time when I am in Mandi. It’s a backdrop that does not change ever. The hill that I see is rooted to its place firmly, moving neither forward nor backwards. The scene before it never changes. There is no risk, no fear of survival, since there is no change. It is like a ship secured safely and tightly in its harbour. It does not venture out in the ocean to discover new lands. It has been here for innumerable centuries now and will be here for many more centuries. Always frozen in time. And then there is that small stream. If the hill is static, the rivulet is as dynamic as it can ever be. It is continuously moving forward. The water changes its hues according to th...

As weird a question as it may sound, yet every word is making me think, do we really know how to say thank you. And by this I do not refer to the language, style and accent that we have to put in. I refer to those little gestures which go all the way into the other person’s heart and warm it up. How do you ever thank people who stand by you even when the whole world is throwing stones and pebbles at you? When there is no hope, but there is someone who helps you keep your faith. When there is no light and somebody turns up with a torch to help you see the path. When you are crying and somebody wipes away your tears. I have no idea how I would ever thank such people and I think a lifetime would not be sufficient. These are people you know and yet, your thank-yous fail you at these times. And there are times when mere acquaintances and complete strangers out of nowhere will come to your help. Though involuntarily, a thank you might escape our lips but is it sufficient? This person mi...

I was watching Chandragupta Maurya with family .. when school prayer started ringing in my ears. And it so perfectly suited the aura of the serial .. like made for it. I do not remember the exact lines of the prayer but I think I can fairly represent a portion of it as follows Hum arya hain, humara itihaas hai purana Hai surya dhwaj hamara Kirne asankhya nana Hum arya hain ... Pratah sawan main hamne Vigyaan ved paaya Jiski vibha prabha se Sansaar jagmagaaya, sansaar jagmagaaya Apne ateet ko ab hum varatmaan kar dein Hum phir daya se jag main Anand gyaan bhar dein Hum arya hain... Jeevan ki jaan hain hum Hum praan hain pawan ke Ravi ki hain rashmiyaan hum Hum maan hain suman ke Bhoo par sadaa hamara Shaasan suchakra ghooma Hum hi rahe sadaa se Is bhoomi ke subhooma Hum arya hain.... Great were the times when institutes like Takshila existed and great were the teachers like Chankaya who lit the fire of learning and achieving in tender hearts like Chandragupta ..who taught the mort...