Jigsaw Art

 

Two Cranes

 

Stupid & Clever

 

Domination

 

Maruthi Rao Garu - Respects

When I was feeding on Dan Brown's thrillers and John Grisham's intriguing fiction, no other author or genre could disturb me. Meanwhile my father couldn't stop his comments and reviews on his latest read and I picked up the book just to find out what's letting him go gaga over a 100-page Telugu novel. I wanted to read a small excerpt from the first page but continued until the back cover before the sun rose next morning. I was smiling, crying, worrying and thinking with the characters and was pondering over the background and trying to justify the stance of every person included in the emotional drama 'Saayamkaalamaindi' for the next several days. Till date, any similarity would trigger the replay of the scenes from the book. Such was the lasting impression made by Gollapudi Maruthi Rao garu on the readers' minds! He is equally revered as a seasoned actor, a confident commentator, a perceptive critic, a knowledgeable reviewer and a vibrant TV show host. Respects and homage to the multitalented personality!!

Relationships and Relations

Realized the difference between relationships and relations today. Relationships are for the weak who quickly strike a bond with someone and is in a hurry to give it a name while relations are for the strong who remain individual and can keep any association limited to the name given to it. The confusion in understanding the difference creates all the mess of expectations, openness, jealousy and pride in relationships. Relations are as cool as the popcorn. Though these crunchy bits don'r fill the stomach, they appeal to the appetite for the time being! And life is too short to keep waiting for the main course of true relationships

Milestones at 40

When you reach milestones in time, people appreciate it and we get the high. When we fail to reach them due to some incapacity or inability, we eagerly wait to achieve them and pat ourselves. But, when you put yourself to sleep and become lazy to try and reach the milestones at the exact time they have to be illustrated, but achieve them when someone pushes us off the bed, wake up from slumber and realize that we have reached a milestone as late as 40 years and we rejoice from that achievement, it is not the time to celebrate but to rethink our basic nature of being lazy and evading responsibilities.

Krishna and Yasoda

Tattoo

Pushing Things Aside

Everytime you try to push something under the carpet; a part of you wants to argue, one part awaits healthy debate, a part wishes to be convinced rationally, a part worries of the words lost, a part cries over the stakes neglected and a part pushes the mute button suddenly!

When such an act becomes routine, the sum total of all these urging parts in you wilts away!

While on the outside it appears to be stirring up a storm out of the simple act of adjustment; it is truly not that easy and goes a long way into losing hope, bottling up emotions that might resurface in many other ways and finally giving up! Is it not better to fight it out rather than ignore the elephant in the room everytime??!!

Smile on the Run

We have been running with time to keep up with the work schedules, vacation, festivals, family celebrations and pujas!! Today afternoon, unable to run the race, we have even resorted to hiding the clock out of sight!!😜

As we arrive at yet another grihapravesam and wait outside the flat for the muhurtam, amidst all this chaos, Kaka and Prithvi don't forget to have fun!! Kids put back the long-forgotten smile on our faces once again!!

Dussehra Leftovers

The recipe for heavenly food seems to be including the leftovers of Dussehra festivities. The grated coconut kernels, lentils from the daily offerings to the Goddess and soaked tamarind evolve into coconut curry to be eaten with pacchi pulusu and sour curd from the Aavada (Dahi vada) as side dishes. As the dry curry moistened by the tangy liquid touches the palate to be finally soothed by curd, it feels to be the moment when you have discovered the optimal solution to reach the zenith.

This classical combo is the family favourite and handed over through generations by my maternal grandparents. Feeding these today to my children, and narrating them all the related stories brought back the memories of my childhood when my grandmother and uncles used to cherish these dishes!! The way my ammamma used to sit on a really tiny wooden stool to enjoy these during her lunch on the day after Vijayadasami is still fresh in my mind!!

Kameswaripuja

Who doesn't want to escape to the mountains.... with trails watered by random falls and with a view presenting the lush shades of green left by the monsoon and clouds playing touch-and-go with the cityscapes as one ascends through the altitude built over the chain of hillocks!! Annamayya kritis or Vishnusahasram or Suprabhatam in the eternal voice of the legendary singer, MS Subbulakshmi or Gadyam chanted rhythmically by Pandits reverberate to welcome the visitors at the peak!! Irrespective of the caste, education, upbringing, profession or lineage; everyone is prepared to shed their baggage (including digital distractions) and wait for long hours to catch a glimpse of the Lord. The only topics discussed are room allocations, darshan timings, prasadam. The only calculations done are about the number of laddoos to be taken back home for the kith and kin!! The only challenge taken is to crack through the vada with no unbroken tooth!! The only thought everyone has is to survive through the rushes and imprint an unforgettable image of the Lord in their minds!!

The endless race for the unknown of every person with a fast-paced life and lifestyle is simplified overnight to focus on the ultimate during the brief stay!! Tirumala Balaji is not just the richest and the most-popular deity, he is the gamer who not only shows the path of redemption to the devotees by bringing down all their pride to prostration with pure devotion, but also lures them with the glitter and glory and encourages them to work harder to earn the next visit to his empire built on 7 scenic hills!! Here we are..... the connoisseurs of the experience!!

Cookies

Sun Shades

After giving us a morning in shades of cream and off-white, dull blue in the afternoon, gloomy grey in the evening, it has decided to end the last couple of minutes during twilight in an uncapturable sunset yellow showing us that nature is still the mother who nurtures us in ways more than we know and expect and that we have to finally go back to her for updating our shade cards

Win or Lose

Win or lose, 
This is the path I choose!!
I shall learn to play, play to learn,
But will never take a U-turn!
I might falter or fall, still I would try it all!
It's okay to fail, but not okay to turn tail!
I am that Phoenix, who rises after every defeat.
But, will make sure I come back and give my best!
Because I know, a win or a loss,
I'll keep playing to learn and learning to play always!!

Loose!!

Unassertive 'No'

Assertiveness from the assertive is expected. But, assertiveness from the unassertive is a shocker! Behold, yet another open-minded friend has built a wall of strong views and judgments and still stronger 'No's around himself! You have fewer people left to share your mind without being judge!

Vikram Lander

Irrespective of the result, the efforts and their repercussions need to be applauded. It was inspiring and heartening to see a number of women among the scientists actively pursuing the path of Vikram Lander, the school-going children anxiously trying to read the altitude-velocity graphs, the common man learning new facts about the lunar days and it's south pole to understand the magnitude of the Mission and the people around the globe witnessing the way India has put together such an inexpensive lander and rover mission and is bracing itself to pull off a complex maneuver, with the Prime Minister holding all these hands together, social media buzzing with best wishes and support; and every other channel telecasting the event live at 1.30am..... Hope is certainly not lost!! ISRO has certainly made us proud and given us those goosebumps of patriotism!!

Vinayakachavithi!!

Personality

What makes a personality....

Is it the measure of our affordability or the quotient of congeniality?

Or the sum total of our habits and choices that we make?

Or the subjects or the positions that we never want to take?

Or the number of children that we decide to have??

Is it the drinks we choose to sip or the money that we save??

The hour that we wake up or the promises that we might break??

Are we not more than these norms that a society shares??

Can we not be the people that we wish to be, who cares??

Should I not be defined by the values that I strive to hold,

As long as they are not criminal or corrupt but only 'bold'?

Am I not to act by my perception of happiness and 'good'

In a world where saying 'me' and 'mine' is ill-mannered??!!

Who am 'I' here if I am not lost in this massive commotion;

Either I am judged to be an alien or an insane person!!

Under pressure, I might become that true replica of 'Chitti';

The robot with a chip to think and act like everyone in the city!!

Don't waste my teens in aligning me with these terms and regulations,

As my tweens might go into just untangling myself from these reservations,

Even before I realize what I am and get to understand myself and my interests,

The responsibility of being accepted weighs heavy on my inner happiness!!

Before that happens, I want a fair chance to be the real me;

Without being adjudged as a rebel on a mutiny,

I just wish to sing aloud 'I am what I think and believe,

I am that acceptable and approved Queen Bee of my hive'!!

Hero

Heroes do not only exist in the movies or alien worlds. They are found among us. Every person who has triumphed over pain or overcome the self-imposed inhibitions and learnt to live with confidence and a smile but for these ups and downs should be given a standing ovation for being a HERO!!

LB Stadium

Success and Failure

Failure can be tricky..... it fades into the dark when you learn to smile and move on.... but pushes you into dark when you fear it! Success is also tricky this way... it brightens up with the 'smile and move on' attitude but fades beyond the darkness of arrogance and over-confidence! A win or a loss.... Do carry your smile as the torch and pave your own pathway to light!

Nostalgia of the '90s

As I listen to these tales of the old times,  I am happy to learn that I am not the only one with a mind that is a bag of nostalgia!! There are lots of people who discuss those short brief visits to temple towns, long cycle rides, the vacations spent at grandparents' homes, power-cuts during late evenings that gave a lot of time to blabber in groups into the night, the festivities that made one drool for the sweets and savories throughout the year, the progress reports and answerscripts that sent chill along the spine, the mornings that started with Venkateswara Suprabhatam, the weekend skin-cleansing rituals that meant the moments for body art and giggling, burning the midnight oil for the entrance exams, the struggles to withstand the distractions and make those tough and bold choices one believed in... '90s made truly a generation of millennials who had the courage to pull off those impossible high jumps above the barriers set up by society, and yet remember both the start line, that supporting staff that helped them make it through and preserve and own those medallions, insecurities and scars with no lesser pride than a true marathon winner!! Social media do bring these like-minded beings together to ponder over the red flags, whistleblowers and those pastures that were both green and thorny!!

Drawing

Kaavadi

Oh Baby

If Kamal Hassan could pull off the character of a middle-aged woman after 36 years of acting, with special makeup and prosthetics way back in 1996; then Samantha needs a standing ovation for the way she has convinced the audience with the role of a 70-year old stuck in a young body, within 10 years of entering the film industry and without any expensive accessories. Can't believe that the same Jessie of Ye Maaya Chesaave who has walked around in starched cotton sarees and churidars and maintained the serious expression in the name of acting in 2009 has transformed into the domineering and big-mouthed granny in 2019!! Kudos....

Everyone would long to have such a chuddy-buddy like Chanti in their 60s and 70s and a son like 'Nagababu' (I almost slipped down from my seat laughing when Samantha stands up from the dinner table and gets excited after seeing her son!!). The frustrated woman videos have finally worked out some magic for Sunaina!! Nandini Reddy proves that preaching need not always be boring.

Oh Baby is a laughing riot for the comedy loving audience, an eye-opener for the people who associate energy and beauty with age; an emotional journey for those who have lost their parents early in life and a tribute to all the single parents who have left themselves behind while bringing up their children!!

Birthday anna

The elder brother is always the superhero for the younger one to look up to.... more so when he is bossy yet caring and loving!! Happy Birthday Anna wishes Prithvi

Good friends do matter

Smiles or tears- not everyone can help you fathom;
Shower these goodies only on those who value them....
Not everyone is capable of understanding and empathy;
Some can only see these as the facial expressions enacting a play!!
Realize this and regret the entertainment you've  given them this way!!

Your true and sincere feelings deserve respect and regard;
But can’t become means to making you conscious and ashamed;
 Consider yourself truly lucky if you find that friend and confidant,
Who takes time to listen to your thoughts and read your emotions;
And cheers you through the thick and thin of stressful situations!!

Naanna Cooks

Tired of the repetitive stuff, Amma decides to take an off for 2 days and this brings naanna to the kitchen. He shoulders the duty to pack lunches for the kids. Podi dosa, pulihora go into the boxes on the first day and tomato dosa and chapati along with curry on the second one. As naanna comes home from the office, Prithvi climbs the sofa and necklaces his hands around naanna's neck to whisper the secret, 'My friends love your cooking and they want noodles and chapati roll tomorrow!!'😳😀🙈

Naanna is all pink... (☺😊), collects the ingredients and learns these recipes with renewed vigor from Amma!! All set to serve the children once again!!

Yemaayenaa

That pathos, that rejection, that dumped feel brought to life by Chitra, excellent lyrics by Siva Ganesh and ARR;s music..... Aishwarya fades beyond the talent of these overpowering and mesmerizing legends in the song 'Yemaayenaa Kavitha'

Father's Day Wishes

Happy Father's Day to the coolest dad who....

....takes hugs and fist blows with the same ease

.....downloads the numbers from latest movies for the boys' playlists in the car

......builds bedtime stories around anything from character-building to sport and makes it sound interesting

......makes it a point to wake up early the next morning if he misses to kiss the boys goodnight the previous day because of meetings

......takes them to a playground for a football or cricket match every weekend that too in the early hours (after strenuous Friday late night calls)

......ensures that the children share the happenings of the day on a daily basis along with a dose of warmth and cuddling

......pays fat fee for every sport they want to learn and personally selects and buys the sports gear

......doesn't stress them about marks or achievements as the trophies and certificates might pile and mess up his otherwise neat bookshelf!!

......lets them be the brats they are....at times

......puts me into confusion as to manage or pacify whom among the three boys while in a physical brawl or verbal duel!!

(and..... last but not the least)

.....doesn't hesitate being the doting parent behind the active and pre-teen boys and suddenly STRICT disciplinarian at times!

Proton Turns 100

When our chemistry lecturer, Mr.Muzheer introduced us to the concept of subatomic particles and the gold foil experiments that revealed the presence of positive charge in the atomic nucleus; we as the 15 year-olds who just got a sneak peek into the vastness of atomic theory

were truly mesmerized by the discoveries, contributions and the creative thinking of Ernst Rutherford!! Now, when Proton celebrates it's hundredth birthday, I am confused as to whom to be gratuitous towards..... Muzheer sir who made the subject so interesting and profound?? or the scientist who has actually created the foundation on which the subject is built??!!

Anti-Incumbency

Anti-incumbency could turn out to be as dangerous as a free fall!! We lose sight of the consequences, send the logic on a holiday, put our intelligence to rest and allow ourselves to jump with the rage. We just keep puffing out heavily to strongly let the things not happen!!

The rationality of perceiving anything at face value, the wisdom that our education, experience and value system have given us; is pushed out of the processing mechanism. We neither care for the past nor the future and even forget to note whether the person is a dear one!! We are not prepared to realize the other half of the truth. Our brain uses anything and everything to frame a story to stick to the opposition.

Halfway through, even if we try to contemplate, the surroundings don't allow us to dig deeper; as people don't understand our background, the path we have treaded through or the dynamics of our present situation. They can't empathize with our greatest fears and insecurities that we are trying to cover up using these superfluous arguments. They add their own reasons and explanations. Nevertheless, we are ready to gulp down any 'anti'dote that might seem to ease the impact of the stupid collapse!!

Thud.....!!

The first response is denial... Nothing has happened... I am okay!!

Then we look around.... it's all because of that rascal.... we push the blame onto our opponent who has hijacked our thoughts entirely!!

And then the truth slowly dawns down... the bones are broken, body is aching, I have hurt myself and poked nails into my own eyes.... behold, the damage is permanent!!

Remember, we are not here to teach someone a lesson or settle scores,

Not even here to carry hatred in our hearts or emotionally blackmail others!!

We are definitely here to recall our learning and capabilities to make a good decision,

And acknowledge that we are part of a large system that doesn't function by our intuition!!

RIP Sir

A 24-year old management graduate distraught with hopelessness,  helplessness and meagre self-worth that has hit the rock bottom; walks into a three-storeyed building at 10am sharp!! As the concerned person is engaged in a meeting,  she's asked to wait, which gives her time to quickly think how punishing the life has been since two years, for the nth time... how good academic achievements have not been able to automatically lead to a job, how the rare and valuable monthly research scholarship could not be put into use due to delayed PhD admissions,  how the professors are not interested in the research endeavours of their junior fellows, how frustrating the loosely knit connection between the study disciplines and administration departments can be and how the pressure of rejection from over a dozen prospective grooms could make one believe themself to be the ugly duckling, how her ailing father is trying hard to recover from the recent heart attack......the flashback of endless journey of depression gets disturbed by the peon who informs her to go into the boss's cabin. The dark, hefty and short personality swiftly turns towards her in the revolving chair adjusted to his height. He shakes the hand firmly and says, 'Your profile suits our Research Associate position and you can join. We are a small social and market research company and the salary would not be competitive. You can start off immediately.' She couldn't respond.... nothing except 'you can join' went into her mind but picks herself and replies,  'Thank you Sir! My father needs a surgery and I am available only after that. Shall get back in touch with you!!'. Descending the steps, she is surprised....'what did I hear, is it acceptance, finally?? what part of my profile made me eligible for the position?? do I mean something to the world?? Am I a value addition to this society in any way?? Lots of questions run through her mind.... She could not feel happy but is surprised about how someone has recognized her hidden potential... a confused state resulting from the tiring journey she had had in the last couple of years....
After three months of struggle with parents for compromising in terms of salary and determination gathered from some unknown force, she goes back to the boss. He has kept the position open and waited for the candidate patiently all this time. He explains the work and introduces her to the others with a fatherly warmth. Within few months, she prepares a portfolio of the projects conducted by the company, develops content for the website, undertakes an exit poll for a constituency and executes successfully,  makes report presentations to who's who of International agencies....
The friendly boss also makes sure that the whole lot of employees dine together during the lunch time, encourages them to taste his recipes and teaches them to enjoy food and informal chats while passing boxes around the dining table. Life suddenly turns beautiful!!

Today, she doesn't know what would have happened had Parthiban Samiappa Sir not trusted her abilities when she herself didn't!! That small act of confidence by the boss permanently altered her course and gave her a new lease of life!!

Totally indebted to him in many more ways and extremely saddened to learn that his soul has reached the heavenly abode... This is only one example among the lives of many fresh graduates that he had touched!! May his soul rest in peace...

Strawberry Shortcake

Loud Partner

Trust me when I confess that the loudest and apparently dominating partner is only using a self-defense mechanism and trying hard to stick on to an adamant and silently bullying person! So, judging a calm person to be submissive and the one who argues and strives to send their point home as a control freak, is a narrow-minded haste to conclude a personality trait through the shortest possible route! Though marriages are made in heaven, couples are merely earthly beings with the most basic human nature.

Ugadi Pachadi

When the excess of anything in the drink that constitutes of 6 flag-bearers from their respective disciplines of taste, is capable enough to spoil the entire year, why not balance them judiciously to reach that pinnacle when ultimately the Ugadi pachadi touches the palate!!

Unclutter and winnow the bitterness to pick up that which is light and useful, chop the surprise stingy element into tiny pieces to harness the tang, add just a single pinch of saltiness, squeeze the pulp out of the sourness, throw miniscule bits of anger as inconspicuous as lost and found and lost again and finally allow the sweetness to go around everything in a very positive and friendly manner..... How I wish the emotions these constituents represent could also be managed with the same ease and simplicity by just using the instinct and experience!!

Could the conscious tasting to determine which flavour would dominate the year ahead be translated into conscientious responding and reacting too!!

Happy Ugadi everyone!!

Long-distance

Holi

Happy Holi Folks.... scream the colorful microbots in joy!!

Lazy Monday

 

Pen

Prithvi carefully shops for 2 black gel pens, covers his first long notebook and crosses the biggest and the most exciting milestone of having to write the notes with a pen..... the feat he has been waiting for and practising to achieve since 3 months!! And already feeling like a grown-up as the first thing he does after returning home is showing off the notebook!! 😍

At an age of 9 years, what more could a child thank the God for!!

Parenting Dilemma

Is it easier for a child to overcome fear of uncertainty or trying something different, than for a adult? May be,... both of them have the same inertness to accept change... but as adults, we can rationalise and go about explaining things to youngsters for hours and bend their rules. We can even use the power to coerce them, just with the intention to enable them keep moving rather than get stuck. We push them into the change, expect them to be confident and move forward with a happy face!

Do we really take pride in doing this? As adults, do we get convinced so easily? Can we accept coercion? Can we put up that smile? Bearing all these in mind, should we let the child be? Should we let them hold on to their fears? Or should adults learn to lead by example? Are we actually leaders in any manner? Should we accept children as equals and leave it to their thinking and respect their judgment, after making our point clear?

#parentingdilemma #guiltyparent #preteenscanbehard

Women's Day

It's important for every woman to be influenced by the ways of womanhood one can relate to and ignore those that one doesn't belong to! However, it is equally emphatic to understand that none of these modes is the set standard or that 'one prescription for all'! Finally, we are all unique in being the products of our own circumstances and taking pride in being that special individual in itself lies the beauty of womanhood. This Women's Day, wear your 'single-piece' exclusivity suit; accessorize it with your humility, values and a smile; and celebrate your confidence, while being inclusive of other such similarly 'well-groomed' women!!

Shivarathri

 

Hairstyle

 

Hypocrisy

 

Grateful!!

Saturday starts an hour after an alarm missed at 5:30am, but the deadline is at 7:45am. Having gotten a promise for a breakfast that would be ready at 9:30(by the time I am back), I wrap a fancy jute silk saree that wouldn't be cumbersome while walking and have a glass of milk with 2 oats cookies and run for the auto-rickshaw along with my friend.
Three-quarters of the crowd is children with faces that are half-fresh and half-sleepy at 8am on a weekend. Everyone spic and span in traditional attire. The wintery breeze blowing from Hussain Sagar is certainly adding to the need for coziness. Nevertheless, all of us stand in the practiced fashion of three in a row, singing the krithis, following the teacher in both the rhythm and walk. A 9-year-old boy dressed (rather an undressed chest) as Thyagaraja shivers to add the necessary gamakas. Four songs down the road, we reach the statue where we settle down and repeat the bunch of compositions again as the teacher garlands and pays obeisance at the Saint Thyagaraja's statue on Tank Bund. Having done with the job, I come home to find the breakfast promises broken down. I change immediately and attend my domestic duties.
After a good hour-long siesta, I ponder over the day with a cup of tea and argue within myself, 'what have I achieved from the morning's exercise??..... wasn't it just to not be in the bad books of the teacher?? do I need it?? how can I avoid these unnecessary responsibilities from the next year?? these people want to brag a lot about their academy and therefore arrange such programs.... tomorrow is the big and a long day again... My train of thought leaves the platform this way....
Come Sunday, the same regime of sleeping through the alarm until 6.30am goes on. I suddenly wake up to the fact that I have to prepare the breakfast as well as lunch and leave. While cooking, I carefully pleat the selected kanchipuram silk saree, adorn the look with few accessories, to give a SINGER and a senior student (in terms of syllabus) vibe and catch the same auto-rickshaw at the same time as the previous day, along with my friend and co-singer.
At Ravindra Bharathi, we place the idols of Thyagaraja and Goddess Saraswathi on a table and arrange for the Thyagaraja Aaradhana'. Pancharatna seva starts with 'Sree Ganapathini' in the voice of Ayyagari Syam Sundar garu and all the 107 others join in for the next 75 minutes when 'Endaro mahaanubhaavulu' ends. In the meantime, Kuchi garu sketches the essence of these ghanaraaga keerthanas into 5 beautiful paintings. Sharing the stage with such eminent scholars puffs up my chest by a couple of inches.
After honouring the guests, the stage is cleared for the first solo performance by Mrs. Vardhani. Her rendition of 'Haridasulu vedale' instantly made me experience the magic of 'Yamuna kalyani'. Her aalaap, then taking off with that chatusruthi rishabham and prati madhyamam bring a lump into my throat and tears from my eyes. As I slowly try to recover, a band of flutists take over with 'Raama neepai tanaku prema podu... o Sita'. The spirit of the krithi which I have been practising since 2 months and was about to sing, was brought to life without uttering a single word. I realise the power of musical notes!!
Stuck to the seats, we were past the lunchtime, stand in the queue for 45 minutes, have it and run back to do the duty again.  I and my friend sit down,  lay the books open, adjust the mic, sruthi and complete the routine with 2 krithis with few mistakes here and there and the dullness set by the sleepy notes (remember the effect of a just-filled tummy). We receive the applause,  descend down to a few more kind words from our classmates and teacher, though we clearly know that we erred at few notes. Seniority in terms of number of years doesn't count at all...point noted!!
The curtains of the dias come down, only to go up after 15 minutes. The sight of 16 veenas itself fill up the senses. 'Sree Gananaadham Bhajaamyaham' rings in memories of Srutilayalu. Following this is the performance of the day.....'Ninu vina na madi' playing in unison. My mind quickly went into search mode....'I heard it....I know it....nostalgia'. I discovered a new flavour called Navarasa Kaanada that totally took over me for the next 3 days. Slowly I find out that Chittibabu garu's version has been playing on Doordarshan for several years. Finally, Saamajavara gamana on the instrument reminded me of my first music teacher, who played it marvellously along with my aunt at an occasion. During those days, going to music class meant a nightmare to me and my sister!!
Lost in this trance, I forget time. At 5.30pm, my children sneak in and bring me back to this real (not as good as my imaginary) world, pick me up and take me home. Though the evening has been busy with the chores, the entire puzzle of the five-year long childhood stint with carnatic classical music, the out of the blue decision to resume it after 22 years, getting a good company,  finding a teacher, learning it since the past four-years and participating in this 2-day annual exercise.....everything fall into place. I can't thank the God and my Guru enough for allowing me have this day in my life!! I send a 'Thank You' message to my teacher and light deepam for the God.

Gratitude comes out of conscious experience or to put it in the present lingo, 'mindful cognizance'. Life's dots can never be connected with being just present or futuristic to feel grateful.  We need to constantly peek into that rear-view mirror. Though things appear farther than they actually are, time and distance shrink in a matter of seconds when the figure completing the jigsaw is revealed.  

Creativity

 

Creativity

Creativity is... limited resources with unlimited ideas!! Internalizing the original and traditional in using the resources certainly helps in streamlining the new ideas

Fear of Rejection

 

New Phobia

The sense of exhaustion after trying every trick in the bag and the aftertaste of giving up after endless efforts put in for years; leave a stillness and silence which you badly want to hold on in order to justify the failure, but it betrays you within a brief period.... giving way to an inner struggle and dilemma within oneself whether to retry or ponder over 'am I ready for another rejection?' I hope language experts already have a word for the 'fear of losing self-respect/confidence for the (n+1)th time after the nth trial' in their list of phobias....

Question Paper Art

 

Passtime

Aaraadhana

 

Veenas

Good Friendships

 

Relationships

Vulnerabilities give a chance to open up and strike an instant bond with the compassionate but carry the risk of eventually becoming the causes of abuse or the only reasons for staying in the relationships... Resilience might at first seem to be giving a cold-shoulder or being hard-hearted or brutal but down the course, turn into foundation for building timeless bridges with the bricks of honesty, steadfastness and trustworthiness

Social Sciences

History and geography seem to be interesting, now that I need not write the exams.... Bronze age, Ashoka, the World Wars, Landforms and Industries across India... 'Why did I miss the fun around learning these facts during the school days', is the question that comes to mind now.... might be the fear of being tested in remembering them... that sliptest on India and its features when I got 11 out of 25 still sends jitters in my spine and gives me nightmares!! It has permanently marred my aptitude for dates and maps and made me believe that Social is not for me!!

Today, while reading and helping the kids understand them, I feel so happy to note the details and assimilate their significance with a fresh mind and in a new perspective!!

While the content of textbooks is created with a powerful vision of facilitating children imbibe the knowledge and equipping them with the material necessary to build their understanding of the subject, it is equally important to develop efficient methods of pedagogy and implement novel learning procedures that enable the young minds comprehend the inherent sophistication!!

Beard

Pigeon

Alampur

One among the 23 Papanasi temples reflecting Nineth Century Chalukya Architecture, that were cautiously restored and relocated to Alampur in 1980s!!

Countryside

Festival

Spick and span are two small words, with broom and mop as its two straightforward representatives. But, the word 'festival' is not so innocent. It is a complex expression that teams up with these two partners in a strange manner, with running errands, shopping, lots of decorations and cooking; with bodily strain and backache as the invisible mascots!!

Art is a powerful medium to convey social message! Neither the age nor experience matters.... the honesty in approaching it and the confidence in presenting it add a lot of credibility to any artwork. Watched professionally executed 5-minute spanned street plays performed by mere 11-year olds. The gusto with which every student enacted them was impressive and engaging. Every minute of that half an hour was worth the month-long effort the children and the teachers put in!

Child is the mother of a woman too!!

Life only happens when God wishes it to..... the truth and this photo push a lump into my throat, tears into my eyes and make me breathless..... We were busy growing up while life was happening for our parents and when we found time to take a pause, he was nowhere to be found and her spirit was gone... We have become her parents, though could never be as good as she has been to us!! He left her to our care and when we're still fumbling and figuring out how to make up for her loss, she turned 60.... Life just happened and left her in a jiffy!!

8 Years

Eight years ago, my first assignment was to improve an account on Apple Inc. Leaving two children, all of 1 and 3 years respectively and intent on giving my best, I sit at the desktop and concentrate for an hour. Then, the minute I hear loud giggles, I want to push the chair and stand up, it doesn't move..... I look around to see heaps of toys thrown around the room with no place left for a single step, the young one's diaper hanging heavy and the older one's nose flowing out with a white trail into the mouth. Struck by reality, I feel guilty for not caring for them and being in my own world!!

Cut to the present day, I get to work on yet another Apple analysis, now at an easier pace. After a heavy Sunday breakfast, I retire into my den with the laptop and come back after an hour. This is the mess, spread up in the hall!! Ignoring my perplexed looks, Kaka leads me into the middle and explains how they have built a city, with airports, metro, swimming pools, sports arenas and many many more nuances....

Though the first thought that came to my mind was the miniature digital plan of CBN's Amaravathi; it slowly led into that deja vu moment I had!! And the aftermath is like; is the age just adding up years to these kids?? or is there anything worthwhile value addition that it is making..... to these children, as nothing seems to have changed in them over the years, but the spectacles that Kaka wears and the lost canines among Prithvi's teeth!!!

Distraction

As the desi rajma curry, raita and lehsun ka chutney, along with the British mayonnaise roll up as layers into the domestic version of tortilla.... the aromas waft into the drawing room. Naanna intent on not being disturbed for the next 1 hour, orders kaka and prithvi to get him three such homemade Mexican style Chatpata wraps from Mom's kitchen!! I can't say whether good food helps you find the way into a man's heart but it is certainly resourceful in distracting him from the digital devices....