Enthralling Trails

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”―   Mahatma Gandhi It was a cold day, the tempe rature  seemed dipping each day to make us shiver. The green foggy expanse at the  University of P u n e made us aware of the wintry afternoon. The English Department was cold that afternoon, both literally and symbolically. It was just after lunch time, the clerks were slowly regaining their composure. A few were yet to come back to their seats while a few others were with the Head of the Department. I wanted to meet the Head to inquire a few things but he was busy attending to many others. I stood to look around patiently as there seemed nothing much to do. The office has a glass barrie r like the banks with a wooden board jutting out for students to use it as a support to write. There is a cane sofa in the corner near the door. The doors  were wide  open and the chill could be felt as the room faced an open courtyard. I saw her ...

“All the statistics in the world can't measure the warmth of a smile”   ―   Chris Hart She saw the pictures of the assassinator in the newspaper. The news said that a teacher was burnt alive to terrorise the students and then the students were shot dead. The terrorists looked like any other young person she had seen. They looked straight into peoples’ eyes as there was no fear, just unpleasantness. Perhaps their eyes gave away the nastiness they bore. As she peered closer she saw him standing third, in the center stood he, he was none other than her adorable son.  How handsome yet so ugly. A sob escaped through her mouth. Where did she go wrong? How painful it was to watch her little one thus. Little was he? He was a full grown adult but for her he was her ‘cheeko’. As she mused she recollected the day he was born. It was a bright morning when this lovely child made way into the world. He was fair and divine looking.  People congratulated her saying that he wo...

“Don’t let mental blocks control you. Set yourself free. Confront your fear and turn the mental blocks into building blocks.”   ―   Roopleen ,   After thirty odd years, I met a few of my childhood classmates. After we exchanged a few pleasantries I had the opportunity of seeing the pictures of their recent visit to our school ‘Kendriya Vidyalayas Golconda No1’. All Kendriya Vidyalaya look alike maybe due to the layout. I had taught in one of the KVs at Pune for more than a year. Each day I would be hurled back into the past when I would hear the prayer ‘Asthoma Sadgamaya…….. Twelve years in a school is a long time. The pictures of my classmates included their banter with our childhood teachers who have grown old but remain pleasing. My classmates showed me my first form teacher, the art teacher and many others.   Looking at my art teacher Mr B.A. Reddy a torrent of memories arose. I recollected the art period in the school which was a lovable brea k during...

“The magic moments go unrecognized, and then suddenly, the hand of destiny changes everything”   ―   Paulo Coelho The picture in the newspaper illustrated the incident, it showed people, men, women and children bent in an engrossed state as they collected coins, money and other  things after a funeral was performed on the beach. They did not notice anyone clicking their photograph to be published in a newspaper. The photograph showed these people rejoicing the death of the person as they showered their blessings on the large-hearted relatives. I kept looking at the picture for a long time recollecting my past. Andhra Pradesh is known for cotton and silk clothes. The festival season begins with Ganesh Chaturthi though people do celebrate Po ngal, Ugadi and many other festivals in the months of January and March. The shops begin a sale of clothes which attracts crowds.  In the olden days, there were no malls but we had  shopping alleyway at various...

“...the best possible way to prepare for   tomorrow   is to concentrate with all your intelligence, all your enthusiasm, on doing today's work superbly today. That is the only possible way you can prepare for the future”   ―   Dale Carnegie He had a clump of curly hair, messy and dishevelled. He bent his head and peered into the paper, he pulled a strand till it stretched straight and then left it to curl again. However, this time the strand stood singled out in the clump in a funny manner.He was wearing a steel band around his wrist. We call it a ‘kada’ in Ind ia . It is normally worn by Punjab is, but these days it is in vogue. He kept glancing at me as he rubbed his fingers as if to convince me that he was unable to remember. I kept moving around looking at everyone coldly. There was a lady clad in a sari who occupied the first bench. In a state of anxiety to do well in the exam she overlooked her roll number in the attendance sheet. She looked at me anxio...

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome"—   Anne Bradstreet  ‘Karmbala Torro’ is what we call it in Konkani. It is a pickle and my Mother in law pickles it wonderfully well. Whenever we visit Tiruvalla, I find bottles of these stacked to be devoured during our stay and carry  some to Pune, which lasts a few months reminding us of our visit. ‘Karambal’ is small, juicy and sour with ridges known as ‘Carmbola’ in English, commonly known as Star fruit. The   Scientific name is   Averrhoa carambola. Star fruit is a small, bushy evergreen tree that grows very well under hot, humid, tropical conditions. Carambola is native to Malayan peninsula and cultivated in many parts of Southeast Asia, Pacific islands and China for its fruits. Although abundant and plentiful, carambola is yet to gain popularity, especially in the western world.(Wikipedia)   The fruit is a...

“Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.”   ―   Albert Camus   I ran up the stairs. I knew there were seventy-seven of them and then came the clearing, a rock supports the rest of the ground and  muddy earth leads to the clearing. The  elevated area is like the tableland near Panchgani. It is long, planted with trees all around. A railing surrounds the tableland and the whole area has a lawn ‘beautiful  and well maintained’. One can see the exquisite beauty of the place and the city from here. There is a lone tree growing in a small secluded area in the centre making it appear like the tree in the movie ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’. The railing is broken and its supports are missing as someone has been stealthily  selling its iron parts bit by bit. The view from the place keeps one spellbound to notice all these trivial things. I rushed to my ...

“A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave.”   ―   Mahatma Gandhi The boy  looked timidly at his father. He was seven years old and seemed to have just awoken from sleep. It appeared that he had been dragged downstairs by his father. His father clad in a pyjama and kurta gently coaxed him towards the cracker kept on the ground. The boy viewed the cracker and then looked at his father. It was near about six in the morning, dark with the street lights glowing, the sky was gradually turning  blue, a few birds were chirping as they perched for a second on those low boughs of the green bushes. It was one of the most important days of Diwali, the day people adorn their best jewellery, wear their best clothes and pray Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity to be blessed with grace and riches. The mornings are not very important, people relax as they wash the courtyard and shape beautiful designs on the ground filli...

“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison”   ―   Ann Wigmore Early Mornings are brea thtaking and exquisitely beautiful. We commence our walk around 5.45am when dusk gives way to dawn reminding us that after every gloomy phase there is a striking  bright new day, perhaps just as a new canvas for a painter to shade life, a new day to set new goals in life, a new day for new accomplishments, a new day for new decisions, a new day to begin  life afresh, God lets us understand the intricacies in life through nature. The  morning Sun as a red round ball changes the hues of the blue sky slowly gifting all organisms the bodily energy, intelligence and wisdom. Plants gain their source of energy from the sun and share it with all other living beings through the creation of food.Food is an imperative need in our life. I saw  a few middle aged men rush back after their walk cheerfully...

“Every parent is an artist, but not every artist is apparent”   ―   Eric Micha'el Leventhal It was late evening, in fact, it was almost dinner time, but the little girl wis hed to play. I saw the mother pondering for a while, maybe she wis hed to prioritize the needs of the child. She sighed, but let the child have her way. I saw them run all over the place, shrieking and enjoying every bit as they kicked and shuttled the ball on the lawn.  I watched the little girl fall several times, but so great was her enthusiasm that she stood upright within a second. After a while, I saw a contented mother and her  happy little daughter climb up the stairs wearily to go home. The mother had forsaken her timely duties and awarded beautiful moments for her daughter to cherish.  Memories del uged as I remembered the growing years of my son. After school in his kindergarten, we would never return back home without playing in the play area of the building for a long t...