When we see them off....

There is a something very earthy about being in the Airports. We can see so many people from so much different backgrounds ..aged, not so old, young, not so young..adolescents..all pushing their own bags around as they check in and come back to their relatives and friends who are seperated from them by a railing...talking to them animatedly and passionately about something which they think is important. They keep waving while they go towards the security check..we can see some tears too when they take leave from their dear ones..and we can see the happiness on the faces of the newly weds..as they walk away hand in hand ...If we are observant enough, we can even look at the father of the girl..who hold that wistful look in their eyes, as they see their kid walking away from them. It is quite a human drama out there, only if you have the patience and eye for humanity, which for a moment stops running and starts contemplating.. it is going to be a long long time when they meet again, and who knows, life is so strange, it is never going to be the same again...Seems to be the message clearly written in the air..Quite interesting.

In the midst of Busy busy days !!

Busy days are something we look forward to ..once in a while. They make us happy to be around people we love...to tend to their chores..Lots of talking and shuttling around the streets and shops..late nights and long days, missed afternoon naps..and endless cups of tea and coffee..
But these days also remind us that how nice it would be to escape to some tranquil place..a walk along a river or a trek up the hillside...with the freshness of the dew in the air ..and lots of fragrances floating in the air..
All it needs is a little bit of imagination and a few minutes of our own time..and lo..we are there ! I would love to walk around a place like what is in this picture...with so many hues around and some chatter of the nature around...a song comes to my mind...
Tum agar sath dene ka wada karo...Main youn hi mast nagme lutathe rahoon...
Now, every moment of our lives, there will be a song playing in the back of my mind..Thankyou Music for being in my life..

I am sure that life is the greatest teacher for us. It is a way to grow up, from our childhood to adolescence to youth and beyond.
What is the one thing that I cant do without? There are no second thoughts about it at any point of time. It is just the Hope...to succeed in what ever we are doing then.
Even in the midst of desert, when Hope springs, it brings a spring. It is always accompanied by it's mates..Happiness, anticipation, Euphoria, Laughter..into our lives.
There will be always another time, chimes in Hope when we are down with disillusion. That is the time when we really want it to go on with our lives.
I sometimes wonder about the people who take their lives...Dont they know that what they are undertaking needs so much courage ? more than what they would need for living, for sure. And what might be the reasons for them to depart that way ? did the hope deserted them....or they just shut the door when hope visited them?
I would prefer the later..and feel that it is the truth indeed. Even in the darkest hours, I am sure that hope will be lurking somewhere around...peeking into our lives...All it needs is a little wish..to live, love and laugh. And Hope will be yours forever..in eternity.

Where are we taking them...

I got my first Bicycle at the age of fourteen, when i was in ninth standard. I was envied over it... When i was twenty, I got the taste of Motorized Two wheeler, in Luna bought by my brother. The First four wheeler i drove is a Company owned Jeep at the age of twenty five..after i was taught the way to drive it, at Company's expense. When i was able to buy a Car for the family, I was jubilant..which happened when i was thirty...
Now, My nephews had a motorcycle Gizmo costing a lakh rupees when they are in school, around fourteen years of age..By the time they came to Tenth standard, they were driving in Sedans with A/c turned full blast and Blau punkt system going at full blare...They had one or two houses.courtesy their parents..All this by the time they were not even Twenty !
What makes me sad.. is that we, in our eagerness to give our kids a much better life than what we had..are making them totally devoid of aspirations and ambitions...Infact we are depriving them of a Zeal to make it big on their own..
What do they have to achieve ..when they already have every materialistic thing possible under the sun??
And I know that their parents are unhappy with them. What they say is that instead of working hard, their kids are taking lives easy and wander with out a Goal.
I do listen to them patiently..but we all know where the fault lies....which is an irony..
Are we spoiling our kids ??

When movies were so beautiful !!

A moving human drama...

I detest the news papers, though I have been a cursory reader for decades. Gone are the days when ethics and language were hallmarks of good journalism. Now a days what we see, as we open the papers are some gory photographs of hapless people who lost their lives in accidents or articles about how a person was caught red handed while taking some bribe. They are sensational..no doubt . But they show the poor taste. I for one moment, pity the relatives of those who lost their lives. Who would like to see our people splattered all over the place?
But today i saw a little note in Hindu back page, which was so gratifying. A grammy nominated acclaimed Violinist got down at Newark airport, US, and some how forgot to take his violin case which he kept in the rear seat. It housed a Stradivarius Violin, valued at 4 million $ ! When the violinist found that out, the cab is already out of his vision.
As he tried frantically to contact the cab agency, with in half an hour, the cabbie drove back to the airport to return the violin.
The very grateful artist decided impromptu to give an exclusive concert there itself. And for half an hour, he along with his band gave a memorable performance..even as the cabbies started to dance around.. quite an eyeful am sure.
I am so happy to read this so early in the day. After all, this shows how better we are as a race can be..and how some nameless and faceless people can lift our morals to a zenith...
This is what i call reporting..and journalism..
here is the link for full story...


http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/425822/1768583


Here is the artist at the Concerto Royale..at the taxi stand of the Airport, Newark, USA.

When the summer rages on...

I just love rains. That is the time to let loose ourselves. Last week we had rains on one day. It was absolutely fascinating to watch the water falling in torrents..and I did my ritual on that day.
It has always been my habit, to get skin wet in first rains..ever since i have been a kid. I enjoy the rains, with the smells it bring of the baked earth...wafting through the air, and memories flood our mind. Those childhood memories when we had carefree days...and the adolescence which is full of untapped energy just waiting to break out...It is always there.
I just went on the terrace and stood in the open, as the rains poured...with thunders and lightnings sizzling down on mother earth. Earlier it used to be a little difficult as the other homes didnt had second floors..but now, as they all became high rise buildings...I feel sheltered in the urban jungle.
I am thankful for the little patch of greenery in front, which we call park..for its existence.
I was happy that the rains have come and the summer will abate. But it was just a flash in the pan, we are into the fire now. With temperatures soaring around 43 C We hide behind air conditioned curtains...and await the rains.
Hope they come early..and make our lives bearable....

...And i started

It is always difficult, the first step. It all started with music. I neither knew the language nor the nuances, yet it stole my heart. I used to sit with wonder and watch the record player of my brother as it belted out this number ...Dil ke Jharokon mein tujh ko bitha kar...Yaadon ko teri main Dulhan banakar..Rakhoonga main dil ke paas..Mat ho mere jaan udhaas.."
How true !! It stayed with me through my happiness and pain..and through triumph and failure..All through my growing up. Thanks to it, I always could see the light at the end of the tunnel...
When i really felt very happy, I used to go and hunt for music even in the crowded cities...When i felt very sad, I used to go and search for music...And Oh! how it enriched my life ...cannot be explained.
Now , what else i can i say about my better half ?
It suffices to say that She has come to stay with me for life.