Hark! The rhythm

Hark! The rhythm. The pellet drum rattles. The dance begins. The creation, the annihilation, the fleeing in-betweens, and beyond these appar...

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Mum’s home


Mum’s back. And with her return, the home is crackling with energy again. With warmth, and with smiles. Radiating life.

Was she gone for just “three days”!!!! It definitely seemed much longer than that. 

All these days, it was just me, my granny and my disastrous cooking experiments. Beyond that nothing. No one to talk to, share my heart out and seek guidance. Take inspiration from.

Mum, I was not able to cook the sweetrice on Basant Panchami properly. Ma, I could not iron dad’s shirt. The curd did not set properly. Harjas does not eat properly when I cook. And I did not clean all the rooms. I ran a few errands and missed a few. And this is just the beginning of the mess I made in her absence.

Every passing moment brought her return closer. And my relief. But …

Mother was supposed to return yesterday night. The elections in Punjab played spoilsport. The delay, though only in hours, seemed an eternity.

And now that she is back, we are back to being our regular selves. We have all been speaking at same time. It has been tea and some more tea and some more tea all evening to drive that travel weariness of hers away. She has been playing Santa all evening, showering gifts on all of us (yes, me included). Things just keep coming out of her suitcase. Things she knows we needed. Things we will cherish for all times to come. And how warm and cozy her lap seems. No pillow can give that kind of comfort.

I woke up to this song in the morning(a definite hangover of musical mood) …

Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone
It’s not warm when she’s away
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone
And this house just ain’t no home
Anytime she goes away.

And it says all that I wanted to say but could not.

Love you, ma. I am so glad to have you around me. All is suddenly bright again.

And yes thank you for that designer coat, that Archies bracelet and the coffee mug and the purse … and this life.

Sunday, January 29, 2012

The mood is musical today ...


… And it began with a Facebook update for MLTR’s “Someday” video link.

I was first introduced to the songs of MLTR by my friend. And theirs were the first English songs I heard. So, they cosily make it to personal favourite category. I can play their songs over and over again and never get tired.

Now, I do not have huge collection of English songs; just a little folder that holds choicest ones. And any new addition to it is always cherished.

So, in the last two hours, in which I was supposed to finish up some important work and hit the sack, I have been free downloading (not fair but then I cannot keep buying every single track I like, not until I start getting a fat pay check.) a few (10 in all) songs. So that next week I will have some fresh beats to listen to (that is fresh for me).

So, come tomorrow and I will be listening to …


1. MLTR - Someday
2. MLTR – It’s Only Love
3. MLTR – Complicated Heart
4. MLTR – Breaking my heart
5. MLTR – You took my heart away
6. Christina Aguilera – Genie in a Bottle
7. Sarah Brightman – Time to Say Goodbye (English version)
8. Elton John – Candle in the wind (1997 version)
9. Whitney Houston – I will Always Love You
10. And a Japanese song Utada Hikaru’s Flavor of Life( Don’t ask me why. It was available and I wanted to give it a fair chance. I am on lookout for its English version J ).

What else could I, possibly,add to the list???

Friday, January 27, 2012

Holidays Mean … Art and Craft


Happy Holidays. An expression of joy. Of exuberance.

Happy Holidays. And a very “Happy Holidays Homework”. Especially, if you happen to be a school student.

The assignments, the models, the charts. The art and craft that goes into it. The glues, the paints, the scissors, scraps and stuff. Things that were done mostly by parents and presented proudly by the wards as their own humble efforts. The truth shouted from the exhibits. The truth heard but ignored.

Why am I speaking reminiscently of those school days? Because, a last few days have been pretty much the same. It so happens that our kindergarten kiddo, Harjas, is having his winter vacations and he has been assigned with some interesting projects … some within his reach and others need a little supervision and assistance of we, the elders.

So, his holidays homework is what my sister, my nephew, my mother and myself have been doing (in that order precisely. And since my name is at last, all I did is nothing. I did look after JaiAditya and now that he can walk, it can be a pretty tiring task. I did help them with other chores. And every now and then did chip in with a little cutting, pasting. Only once, as a matter of fact. And that’s the end of it. It was solely my sister, Harjas and my mother working).

The first assignment was to make a Christmas card. Guess, it can be used this year. Now that the last year’s Christmas has come and gone. Sole efforts put in by Harjas. Di just showed him how to work with the glitter tubes.

The second item in the list happened to be a New Year card. A little googling revealed a smart 3-D butterfly card. Now since the project was for a KG student, Di and Harjas modified the basic design from 3-D to 2-D, from intricate to easy and the result is


And the inner leaf is


The third is a pen stand modelled out of the ice-cream sticks. The sticks were coloured by Harjas and glued together by him under the guidance of his mother. The triangular stand is at my desk right now waiting for a base which I was supposed to make but since I am busy writing, it will have to wait a little longer. Nevertheless, I am putting across the picture. I can (not) imagine how his tiny fingers managed to put all this together. The third side has been painted red and green.


The last one on the list was a fabric collage for three seasons – summers, winters and monsoons. This is where my mother contributed her bag full of fabric pieces stacked over the years. And not just with the material but also with her experience, time and efforts.  Made on the back side of a long calendar, it adorns my room these days.


This collage has been put together by di, mum, Harjas. Yes, di and mum did all the cutting of the fabric, it is he who pasted them and made the sun rays and X-mas tree decorations and all. And I cut and pasted the winter tree with snow. J

Submissions are due for Monday when the school re-opens. And then the evaluations and grading. But till then it is happy holidays. And it is a happy homework too. J





Sunday, January 8, 2012

The Overcast Sky


It rained all night, with all its might.
Rain we heard and rain was in sight.
Damp and cold and dark everywhere;
Not a ray of sun, for light and care.
The sky overcast with thick and thunderous cloud.
The grey spirit, weeping and wailing aloud;
Roared and growled and thoroughly spent.
It came, it cried and away it went …
Void, empty, and drained.
Oh! Last night it rained …
Impregnating all with seeds of life;
With the zeal and zest, fresh after strife.
Leaving behind the rustling leaves,
The glistening greens, the cold and biting breeze.
Cleansed everything that it could;
Mind, body and soul as it should.
New, fresh and aglow, all seems to be again.
Heralding new beginnings, lo! Here comes the rain.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

The Flight


Give me wings and let me fly.
Watch me as I soar high.
Let the knots that bind me, be untied today.
Let me spread my wings, and fly away.
Higher and higher, oh! I will reach the star,
The sun, the moon, the ones that seemed so far.
Sailing with the winds, I will close my eyes.
Forward and onward, I will scale the skies.
When the winds go rough, I’ll strive and make my way…
To the vast expanse, sans the clouds grey.
And you will watch my flight and you will hear my song.
You will enjoy my dive and you will sing along.
Then I will spread my wings and fly away,
To swirl, to sway and to sashay
To the clear blue skies, where they belong …
My feathers, my flight and my song.