Loss of a Dear One!

Losing someone is painful enough, but not getting to say goodbye adds on to the woes.

Last night I lost my dear friend. All was well when we parted with a quick usual goodnight. Little did I know what the morning had in store, or shall we say what the night was up to. 

There was no good morning, no greeting to be exchanged. The cold body and stillness of the environment had a sad story to tell. Attempts to recover with a life support system yielded no results but my heart refused to give up. I could not get myself to remove the life support, though there was nothing left to support.

Shock, disbelief, sorrow, anger  . . . the emotions were all muddled up. There was so much to catch up on, so many things to share, so much to learn. Yes, I know there are innumerable notes left behind for me, piles and piles of information that were carefully stacked away for my perusal but it is definitely not going to be the same. My friend was not just a friend but a guide, help, support, a treasure of knowledge I could turn to at any time. I have not only lost a companion but I have lost MY life support. 

While the heart comes to terms with the loss life goes on and so must I. 

It is time I bought myself a new Smart Phone!

Smile – It Goes Beyond a Mile

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The Greek philosopher Heraclitus had said, “Change is the only constant in life.” It hardly matters how conscious we are to the changes happening in and around us.

Where did my journey begin, where have I travelled and where do I intend to go? I know the answer to the first two but the third will always be a mystery. My future travel plans are not shared with me, yet I have to tread along. Yes, life is an adventure, an adventure I am compelled to experience. Take it with a smile or a scowl, the choice is mine.

Has this adventurous journey taught me anything so far?  Have I learnt anything? Multiple lessons and multiple teachings, some stay while some fade away. Some get packed away in a corner somewhere.

There is, though, one thing that has stuck with me for quite a long time and I believe will stay with me. It is looking for the positive side. The desire to look for happiness in all kinds of situations because, Life is uncertain. SMILE and…

– look for the silver lining, look for the stars twinkling

– look for the chirping birds, look for the flocking herds

– look for the blooming buds, look for the worm in the mud

– look for the colourful butterfly that flutters over gardens and meadows

– look for the vessel that is half full and not for half that is null

– look at the meal you’ve relished, look at the moments you’ve cherished

Look, look and look a little harder. Life is full of happiness only if we wish to look in the proper places with an open eye and a willing heart.

Smile and life will smile back!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Would a Ghost Want to Kill Me?

 

Why would a ghost want to kill me?

Does it know me or does it not?

If it knows me:

Does it like me?

Does it hate me?

If it likes me:

Does it seek my company?

Is good company scarce in the other world?

Does it want me to enjoy in the other world – assuming it is better out there, wherever that is.

Does it want to relieve me of the daily struggles of life?

If it hates me:

Does it want to take revenge?

Does it want to torture me in the afterlife?

Does it want me to suffer in the other world – assuming it has the burning hot cinders of hell.

If it does not know me:

Is it some psycho?

Is it some serial killer?

Has it got nothing better to do?

Have I offended it in any way?

If it knows ME but I do not know it?

The possibilities in this last scenario are endless and hence I would like to make an earnest appeal to all potential killer ghosts – If you know me and 

• if you consider me to be responsible for your death, or 
• if you hold a grudge against me, or 
• if I have offended you in some manner, or 
• if I owe you money, or
• if you missed the first-day first-show of Marvel’s Endgame because the ticket counter shut after my turn, or
• if my dog barked at you to every-time you walked past my gate, or
• if you lived in the flat below mine and were disturbed by moving furniture, or
• if my AC water constantly drenched you window sill, or
• if …

Would it not be great to sit across the table and have a heart to heart discussion? Oh no, for that you need to have a heart which I am afraid you do not have one. But we can still talk like mature humans, oops sorry, not humans but mature souls and sort out the matter. I am always ready to apologise for any inconvenience I might have caused you and am also ready to make amends. Dying might not help repair old mistakes. 

Please do give it a thought because anyway, someday I will be joining you so why speed up the process. You never know, it might be better without me out there.

And inspite of all this, if you do kill me then please be sure to face some serious troubles from my end because then, for you, there will be no where else to go. 

AND . . .

YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO KILL ME AGAIN!

 

Thappad: Why I Will Not Watch it

When I was in school my mother used to subscribe to a women’s magazine named Savvy. Don’t know if its still around since many magazines I used to subscribe to have recently gone out of publication. But anyway, Savvy. This was a magazine that had a cover story of one particular woman every month. As children we always had this opinion that to make it to the cover of Savvy a woman had to defy family rules or walk out of her marriage or go against the society or fight the patriarchal system. Basically speaking, she had to be someone who created a tornado in the family or society and herself emerged victorious. Kudos to those women!

It has been over three decades since then and we have come a long way but a nagging voice keeps asking me, “Have times changed? Are women better off? Or for that matter have men changed? Three decades later can we say that the condition of a woman in a family has changed? Does a woman who is a daughter, mother, wife, daughter-in-law feel respected in her family?” 

Women empowerment is a ‘wonderful’ topic for discussion and many people are working towards it also. The cinemas are also touching upon women centric topics and creating ‘brave’ scripts. Two recent films have been in the same direction – Panga and Thappad. Both films revolve around women protagonists. While I have seen the former I do not intend to see the latter. No hard feeling towards it but I read the review this morning and the reviewer was all praises for it. 

So why would I not watch it if it is such a great film? It has a host of talented artists who have collectively given us a movie that is worth watching. Three and a half stars is a good rating where many struggle to get even half a star. It is a bold movie and talks about an inherent truth prevailing in our society since time knows when. While Panga is on a lighter note women will find Thappad to be a brave film and many may also identify with it. Men, and I don’t say all, may rubbish it. After all it is about them too. Though the story centres around a wife it also talks about the nature and attitude of men. If a woman has had to suffer a slap from a husband it is because of the very fabric of society that has been woven in a manner that gives men the right to do so. 

Thappad deals with a physical slap which can be seen, heard and felt. It resonates hard. What cannot be witnessed is the mental slap mete out to many women time and again. The kind of mark it leaves on the souls of women is not seen and yet it gradually breaks a part of her every time she is hit. And every time she has to gather the pieces of her broken spirit and stand up again to face the world – with a smile on her face. No, men do not like to see their wives sad and sullen. If she is sad she spoils the atmosphere of the house and how can a man be motivated to work for the family if he does not have a cheerful wife to go back home to. 

It is the ‘duty’ of the wife to understand that a man works from morning to night to take care of the family. So what if he loses his temper and shouts at his wife once in a while, he does love her so much. Stress at work can make him irritated and agitated and he can vent it out on his ‘loving and understanding wife.’ True, we all need that comfort zone where we can vent out our feelings.

Does Thappad intend to bring about an awakening in the society? I doubt. The makers had a story to tell, a point to make and an audience to entertain. True, the entertainment is not the fun kind but viewers will watch it to rave about the bold script, the powerful acting, and excellent execution of a ‘minor’ issue plaguing the society. The film will live its life in theatres and actors will get applauded for their award winning performances. Isn’t the award that matters in the end? 

Tragedies always make good stories and our storytellers know that very well.

Trapped? Not Really!

I made every possible effort to help keep you out of trouble but you were so keen on getting yourself trapped that I could do nothing about it. I filled in all the gaps to keep you away from your self-inflicting trap. Every nook and corner was taken care of but it seems like you were hell bent on inviting trouble.

It is true that good things don’t come easy. We need to work for them, work really hard. After a period of sincere hard work and toil an achieved goal brings joy, happiness and satisfaction. However, it is also true that that not all hard work give the desired results. It is not necessary that if we struggle for something it HAS to be good.

It depends upon us how we interpret the result and what we take away from it. At times it could simply be a life lesson, only if we are open to see it and learn from it. Sadly, not all learn from their mistakes.

You willingly walked into the lion’s den. Moreover, this voluntary ‘kill me’ act also took a great deal of hard work to achieve. Only a very ‘skilled’ soul could so efficiently look for that small irrelevant trouble spot and willingly walk into it. Yes, there are many who glide into troubled waters without having any idea of how to get out of it. I must say, you simply possess the knack  to get yourself into a difficult position. 

Okay, so now you are in a tight spot. You are twisting, turning, fluttering about and trying to look for a way out but how to do that is a million dollars question for you. In spite of my efforts to keep you safe you are now absolutely disturbed. How do I know? Anyone who sees you won’t take a second to realise how uncomfortable and distressed you are. Only if you sat down for a while, worked your brains a little and tried to see that there is a way out. Of course, there has to be a way out. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to be the way you function. Once faced with a problem you have to run helter-skelter; probably with eyes shut because you obviously are not able to see that your problem has a solution. 

To a blind mind even a flashlight is useless.

Even we humans fail to analyse problems. We too act before we leap and when we find ourselves in a muddled situation we simply try to wriggle out of it, this way or that. The solution is never really sought, forget learning from the mistake.

I am going to leave you with your problem. The tiny hole through which you came in is still open. Hope you see it soon. As far as I know, birds do have a sense of direction. Yet it is surprising how you, a pigeon, cannot trace your way out. Maybe metro city living has had an effect on your senses.