I THINK THEREFORE I WRITE

Once again I’m face to face with the impasse of frozen creative spring. Willing, though I am, to take up the 99 per cent of the writing endeavour, which is funnily called, sweating it out, but what to do about the elusive 1 per cent which is the mother of all writing? Can I import it, whatever cost? Of course not. That one per cent which kindles the spark within can only be waited upon anxiously.


For the last couple of days, unease of not getting hold of that mysterious trigger point bothered me to no end. I waited but remained unsuccessful in arousing the muse of inspiration. Finally decided, that the way out is to coax the mind out of the slumber of inertia and dismantle the slothful grip of languorous inactivity.

After going through self censure and some resolution, dragged the whining self and sat it on the chair with a big pillow behind, to straighten the back, in preparation for facing the ominously blank computer screen. The task of dislodging the devil procrastinator which dangles like a sword of Damocles is a tough one. But when disarmed, it is felt like a sweet victory over wily treat of impassivity.

After mounting the eyes with the appropriate apparatus to aid vision, the dye was cast with the first click on FreeCell to shake the grey cells into a thinking mode. The game won, hurriedly clicked MS Word before the ‘dil mange more’ syndrome takes over.

A familiar state of mental haziness unavoidably precedes a fresh attempt at writing. A few lines and treasured Sim Sim opens, and the process slowly comes on the track

Actually friends, I am amazed at my own foolishness. Experienced as I am about this tug of war between the mind and opposing pulls which try to bog it down, I should always brace myself to fight it out.

At this awkward moment a valid question pops its head with a smirk on the face and says, ‘What on earth is the need to endure the constant internal squabbling? Nobody is pressurizing you and you don’t have deadlines to meet. Take it easy. What is the big deal?’ But there is the big deal! I can’t help confessing the steely hold it has managed to have over me. It has made itself paramount and everything else stands as second. It is a compulsion which is God sent. It is a silver lining in the dark clouds of purposelessness. It is a tonic which revitalizes the body and the soul. It ensures participation in an intellectual marathon which gives wings to imagination to soar high in unknown territories. It blesses clarity of thought process and substance to thoughts. It is a pick-me-up for confidence and bearing.

And the priceless bonus of making good friends on the way, whose love and support keep you going. I wish to continue to traverse the less trodden pathway in the hope of making more friends, in whose pleasurable company this journey will be more enlightening and meaningful. Hasn’t it been the quest of all thinking beings since the beginning of humanity?

So friends, here I’m, trying to be in sync with the unique persona of maverick dame creativity.

image: courtesy Google

STRAY DOGS - A GROWING MENACE

Friends, I’m taking up this cause to write upon, through personal realization of its seriousness. No longer is my dear park safe, frequented as it is by mongrels who roam unhindered inside and outside. In fact the hordes have been shooed away by adjoining villages and landed in our peaceful vicinity. I feel terrorized and my imagination runs wild conjuring up horrific scenes of dog attacks. My fear has got the better of me to make me halt my preferred activity of enjoying a morning walk.

Just imagine that our cities have been in the throes of this blight for a long time and still we’re rudderless to find effective solutions. Does it mean that we’re incapable of seeing the writing on the wall and delude ourselves into believing that it’ll go by itself, like a pigeon that closes his eyes on seeing a cat and ends up losing his life? The grievous consequences of this apathetic attitude are felt by the whole populace –rich and poor, young and old. Yet so callous we’re that we don’t muster up the will to execute measures which have been discussed ad nauseam. Now can any nuisance be wished away? Nah.

Almost every day there’re news about stray dogs endangering early morning walkers, unescorted children, cyclists, milk vendors and mobike riders et al. Many horrifying incidents are reported daily, still no urgent steps’ve been undertaken by our municipal corporations whose councillors are elected with much fanfare and the process gets wide reporting in newspapers. Are the people manning these institutions living in ivory towers that they are not conversant with ground realities? Where on is the tax payers’ money being spent, if not for public good?

Are we to remain mute spectators to the gory killings of small children by these canine brigades? This insensitivity has to go!

Apart from the danger of rabies and lethal attacks, stray dogs pose a threat to smooth running of our daily lives. One sees them causing ruckus among themselves at street corners or near garbage dumps and scaring passers-by. The ferocious dogs jump low boundary walls, snap at owners and scatter waste by over turning the bins.

There is no part of India, which is not in the grip of this scourge. The atmosphere is charged up. Let members of animal rights groups, civil society groups and Government agencies put their heads together to implement an action plan to stamp out this problem. There is no time to dither any more.

.image courtesy: Google

ALOE VERA NEEDS ATTENTION

Something which has not enjoyed its legitimate position in the fraternity of medicinal herbs is the modest Aloe Vera. It has been used for centuries in India for its curative properties to heal burns, wounds, acne, eczema and many other skin problems. There was a time when every household in India grew it in pots or beds in their yards; both as an ornamental plant and as an herb. I remember seeing broken clay water pitchers, standing on their necks, being used to grow this wondrous plant. In the event of some injury or burn there was no doctor to go to but the potted physician was always available near at hand and its gel was used as a dressing.

Aloe Vera is a succulent plant with long thick leaves and grows fast in tropical climate of North India. Though it had remained in oblivion for long but now its medicinal properties have been recognized and researches are being undertaken to comprehend its  composition and its value as an herbal cure for many ailments.

It is especially advantageous for treating and repairing skin damage, scarring, sunburn and aging skin conditions. It promotes natural healing and has no side effects. And its gel is applied to reduce chafing, itching and for its cooling effect. At present when alternative medical systems to treat diseases are being given due importance, Aloe Vera's popularity is in the ascendancy. Shop isles are filled with products containing Aloe Vera as one of the constituents. It is being used widely by cosmetics manufacturing companies. The branded body lotions, face creams, moisturizers, body soaps, baby wipes, facial tissues and hand washes, all profess to contain Aloe.

However, these fancy products cost a lot. In fact you can grow Aloe at home. Just plant one stalk, with roots and in a short period of time it will multiply. The simplest way to use it is to cut off (with a knife) a leaf from the base, trim its sides to remove prickles and split it into halves exposing the flesh. Rub the halves one by one on your skin, starting from face and going down to your feet, heels and toes before taking bath. Its watery gel tightens the skin and repairs cells with its nutrients and minerals. It leaves the skin soft and silky. Its regular use can do wonders to improve the tone and texture of the skin. This apart, scoop the flesh and store it in an air tight container in the fridge to be used when needed.

Its juice is available here in Ayurvedic stores which can be taken orally first thing in the morning by diluting it with water for stimulating digestive system and detoxifying the body. (People taking other medications should consult their doctor).

My mother was very particular about growing aloe in the kitchen garden. She used to cook its chunks with the peel on like any other vegetable for stomach disorders.

It is known to work as a hair tonic also. Put its flesh in the blender to liquefy it and fill bottles and keep them in the fridge. About an hour before hair bath, rub the liquid gently in hair partings and wait for it to work on your scalp. It lubricates the hair roots and helps in hair growth by controlling dandruff and dryness. But a regimen has to be followed regularly for sustained results.

Aloe Vera is nature’s free gift with marvellous health benefits.
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courtesy: Google images
 
Friends, your comments'll be appreciated.

MY GREEN THUMB

There was a time when I was an enthusiastic gardening lover; an interest which I inherited from my father who looked after a healthy kitchen garden in the backyard of our Chandigarh house. The power of the Mother Earth and the recognition that it sustains multitudes of creatures in its fold got imbibed within me slowly as I evolved into a deeply conscious individual. I recall my father instructing the gardener and also lending him a helping hand. Memories are a reservoir of impressions, which connect us to the past, shape us into who we are and become our essence over time.

Egged on by these fleeting remembrances, I managed to set up a kitchen garden in our own house after marriage. In those days the gardener entrusted to us by the university was an experienced hand in growing vegetables. In the afternoons, hot sun notwithstanding, I’d take a round of the yard to note the jobs to be done for the gardener’s next visit.

After we shifted to our own house later, this practice continued. I recall the picture perfect carrots, radishes, turnips, fresh coriander leaves and round aubergines ( the reward of our efforts) and also the pests I used to kill by examining leaves. Those were the days….can’t help going nostalgic about the glorified experiences.

Now with depleted energy levels and paucity of dedicated gardeners (who’d take pleasure and pride in their creation) I can maintain only an apology of a garden.





 buds, a day before opening up

 In spite of all these discouragements I still indulge in growing flowering plants and take care of a few potted beauties. Twice a year I add cow dung manure which my gardener supplies. I’ll just share some titbits with you regarding my little efforts to stay connected with flora.

I love cactus for its exoticness and grow  one (pin cushion) which I’ve had for a long time. I prize it for its gorgeously delicate and short lived mauve coloured flowers and its hardiness in standing extreme temperature.

A healthily growing curry leaves bush, whose sensual aroma gets rubbed on me as I pass by it during my scheduled morning tête-à-tête with each plant, stands statuesquely. Its flavourful tender leaves lend a finger licking relish to rice pulao, Indian curry dish and other vegetables which I cook by sautéing.



Lily, growing in beds and by the driveway wall starts flowering in the beginning of April and spreads its crimson charm, making our stepping out like a red carpet welcome. A visual feast no doubt!

A few hollyhocks which surface every year by themselves in February  are adorned with purple blooms in my backyard, thronged by bees.

Then four bougainvilleas bushes – pink and white, yellow, magenta and purple, enliven the area across our boundary wall in the company of three sturdy, towering trees which shelter my loving birds and keep the air clean (two of them Neem).

Most of the flowering plants are perennial and remain green if watered regularly. There are few decorative plants also which don’t give flowers but create a green space the whole year.

A small mint bed thrives after winter. It is a very useful herb which  for preparing green chutney to spice the snacks or as a side little something for a normal meal. Its leaves chopped finely garnish soups and shakes. Mint leaves boiled in a cup of water and taken with a pinch of salt ease stomach cramps and aid digestion.

I try my wee bit to create eco friendly surroundings.


This is my garden in a nut shell affording me a chance to keep my date with nature.
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Dear friends,welcome to add anything to the above via comments.

CUCKOO'S SONG

Last year I wrote a piece about my soul mate cuckoo, but that was during rainy season, when her presence is pronounced. But I can’t help penning paeans to her persona again, after hearing her sweet voice a few days back. As the buds on the neighbour’s mango tree grew into tiny mangoes, I was certain that cuckoo is on its way from some mysterious abode of hers. There is some eerie connection of the cuckoo with the mango tree in its glistening glory, starting from the advent of spring. Cuckoo’s internal clock is geared perfectly to appear in our midst around April, when the atmosphere is crisp, breezy and refreshingly cool.

Her daily visits to our area are perfectly timed. Early morning I open my door and go to bed again, to wait for her call. That is the hour when I get to hear a crescendo of chirpings, twittering and host of other bird sounds on the three towering trees across our house. It is like an orchestra where synchronization has gone hay wire. But even then the sounds appeal because of their distinctness. I feel blessed in the luxurious state of waking up while taking my time to get up. It is then, that I hear cuckoo ‘s mellifluous coo coo which cheers me and my inner being feels like shouting, how wonderful it is to be alive on such a superb morning!

The pitch of her song indicates that she is at a distance hidden in thick foliage of some tree. Her melodious song stands out above the cacophony of other avian families. Her sonorous voice is that of an expert vocalist, starts on a slow note, gains an effortless pitch and slows down again, to end on a perfect note. Her voice has depth, energy and resonance. If you are a bird lover you can’t simply miss the rich quality of her voice. These days her singing spells are short, sometimes just a couple of stanzas and sometimes just a couplet. It is only in the rainy season when she sings in full throated abandon.

Her dulcet voice echoes in the rustling leaves in the cool of the mornings, though she is hardly ever seen. She perches undisturbed, hidden in a lavish spread, a perfect setting for singing her lyrical melodies. Her singing evokes  many emotions. It has the potential of many interpretations, if it can be put to that test. And perhaps she conveys something as mystifying as the nature of life or perhaps she is pining for her lover inviting him through her harmonious ditty to melt his churlish response.

Cuckoo’s musical notes brimmed with romance and magic surge up amazing emotions in the human heart.

courtesy: Google image

PRAYERS DO GET ANSWERED

Some of us have absolute trust in God. We wonder how God steers the wheels of universal phenomenon so magnificently?
Belief in God is experienced on an intuitively private mental plane. It is completely subjective. It is like forging a relationship with God and having Him as an ally in all your ventures. A believer keeps company with the creator through various mediums.
Faith builds confidence:
The question often asked is- if God is our saviour then why our lives are beset with innumerable challenges. God does it on purpose. In fact, faith symbolizes moral courage and resilience in the face of adversity. He leads our success for the right causes by cultivating within us the quality of determination through self confidence. If we don’t succeed, it is due to our impatience for quick results.
Man needs God’s intervention:
God has granted man the sharpest intellect and the ability to solve most of his problems. In spite of our well developed faculties man still is the most vulnerable creature on earth, emotionally as well as physically and needs some faith or affirmation to go on with life.
Praying helps:
One medium of having a commune with God is through a sincere prayer which works psychologically. The very act of praying happens because you believe that God is on your side and will listen to you. The belief generates positive energy and zeal and goads you to put in all your efforts in whatever you do. The situations which seemed invincible are tackled because of perseverance and confidence that He will affirm your prayer.
A personal experience:
Many many years ago, a genuine and fervent prayer rescued us out of a seemingly insoluble situation. One such intense prayer in the course of which, your whole being merges with the image of the Almighty, utter humility replaces ego, you feel cleansed, the stress of the situation melts away through a pure revelation and everything falls in place.
Trip to Shimla:
We had gone to Shimla during holidays and were having a gala time enjoying outdoor activities with our son and daughter. In between we decided to go to Mashobra a beautiful small town situated about ten km away from Shimla. After reaching there we explored the lush green forest cover and water courses hidden here and there. When our children got tired we came back to where our car was parked. The kids wanted to be left in the car. They got the keys to unlock it and were given special instruction not to lock it. We started walking nearby, busy in gazing at the mountains. (In those days there was no rush on the roads and hardly any car was visible.)
Unexpected happened:
After we had done with mountain gazing and a good walk, we decided to join our children to go back to Shimla. We neared the parked car and found the kids busy reading ‘Tin Tin in America’ which was our son’s favourite. When my better half asked for car keys both of them showed ignorance. They simply did not remember where they kept the keys. You can imagine the ordeal which followed. Inside of the car was searched hundred times. Every nook and corner of the area was rummaged with utmost attention by four of us but no sign of the keys. Hubby was livid with anger as no solution was in sight. How could we leave the car there? We talked about the possibility of hubby going to Patiala to fetch the spare key. Luckily we had given one house key to our neighbour and the other was in the bunch which was lost.
Light after the dark:
In utter frustration of our failure to locate the keys, I entered the car and sat down on the back seat. The trio was still groping in the grass around the place. I closed my eyes with a feeling of indescribable helplessness. I started praying. Soon I felt detached from the now and merged with some holy presence and simultaneously glided into a state of tranquillity. I requested the unseen presence to help us out. I forgot where I was, being totally immersed in the act of praying and complete stillness inside. I don’t recall how much time I stayed in that meditative state. When I opened my eyes my gaze fell on the sun visor above the steering wheel. I got up and spread my arm to lower the shade and lo the bunch of keys was lying there snugly.


My prayer was answered through a soulful experience.


Image courtesy: awakenedanew.com

THINK MY THOUGHTS WITH ME ,PLEASE

Internet has plethora of sites espousing how, what and when, of almost everything on the planet. Though I too make forays into the realm of health issues, geriatric well being and sundry subjects, but I feel my information won’t add to, what is already available on the web.

LIFE'S RICHNESS : Rather, I prefer to dwell on the infinite avatars of life itself, which never fail to stun or stir. Purely delving into this field of oceanic proportions in one’s own signature style, throws an intellectual challenge. The choice of a particular tributary of that ocean to ponder over, happens at any time and brain remains set to receive it. Out of the blue, the thought intrudes into grey cells, takes shape and comes alive on the blank page as follows.

HOW CHANGE HAPPENS? : Reminiscences of the past calendar of your life merging with the here and now bring forth interesting observations. Contrary to popular belief, I believe people do change. The change is not  like a waterfall, suddenly coming into existence somewhere, after a heavy downpour in the hills. Here the change is deliberate, conscious, slow and steady and teaches you to adjust to the shifting truths of every day life. In my late sixties now, I know how this change has come about. The journey of this change has been flavoured with bitter sweet happenings, moulding my character in between, cautioning me along the way about the fragility of human relations and about the power of the spoken word which can make or break relationships.

Yes, certainly confidence has declined, beleaguered by challenging circumstances in the course of life‘s multifarious roles, as a full time professional, as a wife and as a mother. But now being a proud grandma is the greatest joy of my life.

LIFE'S LYRICS: Protected and loved in childhood and adolescence, college lecturer at twenty two, marriage….. children…..the pain of bursting of myths of mushy romance, dreamt during heavenly gossip sessions in the lawns of GCG Chandigarh, during free periods… secret crying on the pillow or on the garage roof under starlit nights….. angry reactions squelched by umpteen considerations….. writing personal poems to blurt out the suppressed emotional deluge and finally gaining a state of stoicism via falling and balancing. The journey’s cobbled path with a few roses thrown here and there enshrined within me the capacity to celebrate the fragrance of those roses by putting them in the vase of memories. Life as such is no undiluted lyrical ballad, it is an epic poem with some sweet pains and numerous heart aches. Life’s lyrics get written every day.

Amidst the practicalities and choking compromises of life, you cling to the memory of those creatively thrilling precious moments which shine like a lighthouse through rough terrains.

There are yet tasks to be accomplished and lived for, and I try to attend to my physicality, to ensure its support for as long as possible.

SEARCH FOR WONDERS : I seek the wonders like that of the spider’s web, which surfaces suddenly with its fragile weave hanging on balcony railing one fine morning. Where is the place for resentments and excesses of any kind to squander this jewel of life...? One has to resurrect the special celebratory vignettes to walk alongside stealthily to merge in the here and now.

SHUN PROCRASTINATION :The villain of the piece is the satanic crutches of moodiness pulling you down in the mire of procrastination and allowing tedious lethargy to set in upsetting the ‘apple cart’ of joy. The battle within to stomp over the dead wood of passivity and inch towards some goal with child like curiosity will hopefully continue till the last breath.

Dear friends, welcome to comment on what you think of the above.