For the restless spirit!

"Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities." Today my 16 year old daughter is going for her first Prom. Since the last few days, that's all we have been talking about ......I am sure that's what they have been talking about for months at school!! Since yesterday, she and her friends have been completely taken up with preps for this one evening and their excitement is infectious. I am completely caught it in and enjoying their fluttering of wings that will soon take them away .... I spend the whole day with them and saw Life again - through their eyes... excited as only 16 year olds can be - their dreams, their imagination.... not a care in this life....it felt so unadulterated that my eyes went moist at times. I prayed hard to my Lord that He allows these girls to hold on to this excitement ...for as long as possible. Who knows what Life holds in store for them? How much of it is good, how much of it is bad? But then, why ...

Recently, while talking to a friend about a relationship problem, I was reminded of something I taught my daughter long ago when she was around 2 years old .... I used to tell her that there was within her a "good" girl and a "bad" girl and they both would always give her advice and tell her things she should do...and their opinions would always differ greatly. I would encourage her to take "control" and not listen to the "bad" girl, but to support the "good" more and more and each time she succeeded in doing this, we would celebrate as she had won a "battle", however small.  My daughter took this very seriously ....she was far more serious as a child than she is now, thankfully :)  She would rush back from pre-school on some days and and gleefully tell me about her "victories" when she wanted to take someone else's pencil or pick up food from the ground and eat it...but didn't! Small decisions for most,...

“Empires collapse,  Civilizations disappear,  Health deteriorates  And bodies turn to ash,  But life will always go on”  ―  Mouloud Benzadi I realize more and more that we are almost like prisoners of our own lives......we like to think we are in control but are we really? I feel Life is like a flowing river....constantly moving towards its end ....taking everything with it, willingly or unwillingly, joyously or painfully...but constantly flowing in its own direction. You could jump in and use its fierce motion to add to your flight....or you could also struggle like a sapling in the river bed, trying futilely, to hold your own against the tide.....but the mighty river will go on its way....you have to adjust to it, make your choices, shift your gears.... Life indeed goes on. Even if a river comes across a blockage, it pauses for a while, tries to push forth - and if it fails, channelizes its energies elsewhere, in another dire...

A lot has happened since I last was here ..... I am now settled in my new nest...in the new year..... Most importantly, I lost my mother quite suddenly on Jan 4.  For one so looking forward to the new year, it's been quite a start...really! As sometimes happens - when you start something with a lot of enthusiasm....something bad or sad happens and that kind of throws you off gear, leaves you rattled. But that I believe, is a test..... of Life....to see how you are really shaping up, how resilient you can be, how firm you are in your convictions...... At the stage I have reached in life, losing a parent is almost natural...many of my friends have been through it. I honestly have no regrets. My mom was always a passionate woman and loved and hated with equal fervor. She had lived a full life. She was getting very lonely ...and tired .....and just then, God decided to set her free. We could not have asked for a more peaceful death for a woman like her. For that, I will...

I have moved....to a new nest...a new home.  I am ready for the new year. Only 5 more days to go. I am all set for a new beginning, once more.... The word "new" has almost a distinctive flavor, a smell, a feel  ....of newness ,if you know what I mean? And once the word "new" is attached to something, that taste or flavor or feel attaches itself to that "something" and makes it laden with immense possibilities.... It gives us yet another chance ...to get it right. To help me settle into my new home, I have painstakingly taken the time to "do it up", hoping to enjoy the new settings for a reasonable period of time. I look forward to many cups of coffee, sitting in my new balcony. I look forward to watching many a sun rise from my bedroom recliner over my morning cuppas. I look forward to the wafts of my aromatic candles that will exude warmth and welcome for many days. I look forward to holding on to the newness of the sheets...

Dec 19, 2013 7:46 pm As I take in the view for the last time .... I sigh a little.... Moving homes is not very easy. Moving away from what grows on you is always tough.... As has this evening view of the Marina!!! I will miss it. I sit amidst packed cartons tonight ... This place has been good for me for the last few years ... But maybe there's better in store... In my new home, in my new surroundings.  As a close friend reminded me recently, it's all about change and accepting it, right? When did that ever bother you ?? That is true...  However, bonded I am to the fond memories of the past, I am an ardent believer of change for progress and improvement .... I welcome the opportunities that change brings with it. And I believe if approached with enthusiasm and positivity, it can only work for our betterment.  So, while I struggle with the chaos of today and tomorrow.... I assure myself.... It's only a matter of time... Before the excitement of a new surroundings, the newn...

Dec 12, 2013  I watched a cinematic adaptation of Tagore's famous work, "Shesher Kobita" as part of the Dubai International Film Festival.  Unlike most Bongs, I have unfortunately not read the original piece and hence was oblivious of the story line....I did however know that it was extremely popular with the Bengali intellectuals and the eternal poets within most Bong souls!I also knew it was about "Love" ....apart from politics, Bengalis usually have most to talk about this topic!! However, the title always baffled me with its negative tone - "shesh" or "last" means an end, right? And "true" love was never meant to end, so how did this work? Watching the movie unfold, I got my answer ....and am now reading the novel too, for better understanding. The answer is very simple, actually....something a lot of us never understand, or struggle with....it is that "True love is boundless". Period. It does not have to ...