Enthralling Trails

                     News papers splashed the news report with pictures. It was in the year 1992. People vied with each other to read the news first and share it with others adding a bit of spice to the news from their side doubting the credulity. Folks began planning their trip to the hospital. It was no less than the ordeal of climbing Mount Everest . The event was the birth of rare conjoined twins. There were two faces very close to each other, so close that the lip of one head was in one of the cheeks of the other. It had three normal hands but the fourth one a little small at the back. The body was conjoined from the heart to the shoulder. The legs free. With in hours after the news was telecast, we saw a lengthy serpent like queue in the hospital where the child was born. People thronged from far and near for a glimpse of the baby. The two heads were the most beautiful with a tuft of hair, pink and plump smiling faces. D...

" A joy that's shared is a joy made double. "     John Ray We were at Pune railway station half an hour ahead of time. We got the platform tickets and climbed the access ramp to reach the over head bridge from where we were directed to platform number five. We reached the platform and found it reasonably full. There were people every where, a mail train to Bangalore was about to depart the platform. We lingered as it slowly chugged and stirred ahead. The crowd did not budge instead there were many more people trickling slowly to board the Mumbai Hyderabad express. There was a huge family with their extended family of roughly fifteen people with kids and adults on a holiday. The women were clad in “burkha” a black cloak. We were frantically searching for a place to be on our feet with out people pushing us around. We were to meet my sisters who had boarded the train from Mumbai. As time went by people started hastening with their luggage and families. There ...

Far-off I could witness the ten year old in his red shorts and a navy blue T-shirt, his winning long strides justly being a reminiscent of an Olympic champ like Milkha Singh. There was delight written on the lad’s countenance as he sprinted in the course of the desired vicinity. He did not gaze at the by passers. He was neither apprehensive regarding the time nor concerned about the people; he was moving through the paths taking giant strides, each tramp assuring him that he was in the vicinity of his aspiration. The pace of his thin long limbs and his synchronized hand movements were sheer elation for every one of us. We had observed the boy a few months ago when he would commence with a scurry and draw close to a halt within a few steps, clasp on to his legs and pant loudly. His father would call him aloud uttering that it was time for him to get geared up for school. I have seen the sports teachers of an array of schools bring an entire lot of students and coach the stude...

It's incredible to realize that what we do each day has meaning in the big picture of God's plan"  ( Bill Hybels With the value of rupee plummeting and the price of natural resources like petrol escalating, we resolved to amend our life style by resorting to a two wheeler to reach neighbouring localities and walking areas in the nearby locales. As we reside in  busy environs we are unable to stroll serenely, more over the roads are mercilessly tinted with squashed tobacco and beetle leaf spatter and pot holes. After seconding the decision I and my husband rushed to the Hero and Honda showrooms to purchase a latest four stroke scooter which would be handy for both of us. We were not very glad with the models available and the other models which were out of stock had a waiting period of eighty five days. Our Chetek and my Kinetic Zing though well maintained were losing on utility due to the repeated repairs and services. We visited the new Kamala Yamaha showroom t...

Aniket with his arm high up was struggling to grab his teacher’s attention. Aniket was eleven years old, brawny, well built with a smiling face accentuated by his dimpled cheek.  He was seated in the third row on the fourth bench. His teacher glanced surreptitiously from the corner of her eye but sensed that another youngster should respond to the problem. As the session ended with a clang of the bell, his teacher stared closely at the strapping boy who now appeared a lot more contented. Surges of happiness gushed within her as it struck a chord of events not many months ago. Aniket had gone astray after the demise of his mother. His father had occupied himself with the responsibility of taking care of Aniket. His own parents were alive but they cajoled him to begin life anew by walking down the aisle again so that Aniket could have a mother and the family would be entire again. Aniket’s father convened the teacher during a parent teacher meet to inquire about Aniket’s ...