Enthralling Trails

  “If I had a flower for every time I thought of you…I could walk through my garden forever.”― Alfred Tennyson It was a typical year-end evening. A King Cobra snake emerged from behind the hedge and attempted to cross the street. This snake was not fully grown and was short in length.  It would raise its hood and curl its body when it threw itself across the road, it would then fall at a distance, and later it would glide even further. We were transfixed by the raised hood, flickering tongue, and startled eyes. We were also awestruck by its vibrant energy and intelligence. The determination was so strong that it reached the opposite side of the street though the traffic was at its peak and disappeared in the hedges. Along that roadside, there were vegetable vendors selling vegetables from carts. Upon seeing the King Cobra, these carts were left aside, they rushed forward to save themselves, anticipating the climax of seeing the Cobra land on their vegetables. After the snake disappeare

  “Glittering tinsel, lights, glass balls, and candy canes dangle from pine trees.”― Richelle E. Goodrich, My daily walk through the man-made forest is full of mysteries, reminding me of fairy tales and unique secrets. As I was walking through the forest one morning, I picked up a leaf from the Christmas tree. That was not a common Christmas tree, it was a Leyland Cypress plant. There are cypresses throughout the forest, so this was a common plant in the area. As soon as I brought it home, I planted the leaf and its axillary bud in a long flat pot. Then, I watered it thoroughly. It grew in the friendly space of the money plant and hibiscus which were swift in their growth. While the leaf remained green, I did not see much growth. The soft branches of the money plant almost covered the leaf, while the hibiscus plant stood two feet high. Just when I was about to give up, I saw a tiny twig growing from the leaf. The leaf had finally begun growing. After that, it never stopped growing, but

  “It does not matter how long you are spending on the earth, how much money you have gathered or how much attention you have received. It is the amount of positive vibration you have radiated in life that matters,”― Amit Ray, It was a festive time in India and every home was well lit with lights. The smell of savouries filled the air. The Pandemic seemed to have been forgotten. Fear, loss, and pain have been laid to rest. The market on the square was filled with groceries and food. The sale was larger than expected. Ayesha began to walk to the grocery store in a haze to buy the normal supplies. There were lots of shops on the pavement. The shops sold candles, Diya, trinkets, savouries, footwear and many others. This place was closest to Ayesha’s tenement. Things were getting back to normal for her despite all she had been through this year. Ayesha hailed from Hyderabad’s old city. The lanes and bylanes that lead to the Charminar, the churi bazaar, and gullies were among her favourites

 “Bite hard, backwards, not on your front teeth, but on your jawline,” she kept saying. I followed the instructions twice, rehearsed but failed to bite. “Start mixing the dental mix once again, and use yellow colour”, she told the assistant. Something is wrong. ‘Please give ma’am the mirror. Look into the mirror and bite on your lower jaw,’ she said After listening to her, I held the mirror in my hand. I felt bad for bothering her. The dental cement was ready once again. Now she repeated the instructions and said, ‘chew hard backwards on your jaw’. I bit into the cement-like I never had before in order to make sure it was just right. The dental assistants looked down at me hopeful. There was a deep silence as they kept waiting for the impression. Finally, she said, ‘Perfect’. I felt blood flow in my body with ease. ‘As your crown is a ceramic one, let us check the colour.’ I kept watching the dentist. There was great zeal and enthusiasm as she worked. It was during the pandemic that on

  “You live as if you were destined to live forever, no thought of your frailty ever enters your head, of how much time has already gone by you take no heed”-Lucius Annaeus Seneca The evening was filled with colourful hues, but the sky was dark and grey. It was the first festival of the year, a festival everyone looked forward to. Ganesh Chaturthi commemorates the birth of Lord Ganesha. Goddess Parvati creates him from clay after Shiva slews him. As a consequence of the never-ending second wave of Pandemic and anticipation of the third wave, people hid for a moment, but the market was full of festivities nonetheless. We saw a few vagrants moving around with glass bottles that had lights inside a few days before the festival. As soon as the bottles were switched on, they lit up with bright colours. These little boys ran about in the traffic signals and convinced people to buy the brightly lit bottles. People have familiarised themselves with online shopping and there was a hesitation to

  “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”― Jimi Hendrix Peace is a spiritual goal that can never be achieved without love. A number of courses are available on health, happiness, joy, and mindfulness to create peace and tranquillity. I stumbled across a course on Udemy taught by Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh, a world-famous peace activist, poet, and teacher who helps people find happiness and access God’s Kingdom. In the good old days, people did not possess lots of wealth but their peacefulness came through simplicity in life. In modern days, we find that it is easy to be successful and wealthy but it is difficult to be calm, unpretentious and humble. The egos and fits of anger are high and happiness is sought through work, food, alcohol, movies, shopping, money which is temporary. The sufferings, the crimes, and the protests around the world make one wonder how far we have come. Marcus Tullius once said, “Peace is liberty in tranquillity.” Rec

  A face popped out of the door and said ‘Hello, have you just moved in? We turned around to see a woman step out of the adjacent apartment. She wasn’t very tall and was lean. Her short grey hair was pinned behind her head and she had a cheerful face. She was dressed in Kurti and leggings and had a face mask on. She asked us cheerfully,’ Are you going to move in here? We were six of us but she addressed just one of us. She probably thought we only wanted one of us to move in. ‘We are thinking about moving here,’ we said. We smiled and asked, ‘How is living here?’ Is it to your liking? Do you have friends? She said, ‘I’ve lived here for three years and it’s good to stay independent. We have sufficient security personals for safety. There are plenty of friends once we cross this corner and walk to the right into the D3Apartments.’ ‘Do you stay alone?’ we asked hesitantly. Does anyone else live on this floor? She replied, ‘ Yes, I have been staying alone. Eleven years ago, I lost my husba

I am Different, not Less “Life is all about balance. Since I have only one leg, I understand that well.”― Sandy Fussell The article named ‘ Pandemic takes a unique toll of South African Disabled ’ spoke of the stress the disabled had to face due to their disability during the pandemic. The president addressed the nation’s fears, but none had spoken for the disabled like the deaf and the blind who could not hear or see the president. The pandemic restrictions, the use of masks, the lockdown measures and social distancing had blocked their sense of smell and help of people. The disabled in any country undergo social exclusion. Life is difficult than the disability due to ostracism. Human beings are either unkind due to their experiences or learnt emotion. The article reminded me of Saira and her doll. Saira was born a few years ago after the summer solstice. The earth was hot and fiery, but Saira’s whines matched the rage. She could gulp lungfuls of air and cry relentlessly. It was incre

  We should look for expressions of artistry, and be sensitive to beauty, responsive to what has been created for us” ― Edith Schaeffer, This academic year, the students joined the undergraduate program six months later than the schedule due to the Pandemic. They were happy that the professional courses had begun finally, and the University was trying its best to save their year by making the academic year a shorter one. The online classes began with great fervour, but we missed meeting the students in reality. The students who joined the course were from various states in India. There were a few students from Kashmir too. The students were polite and elegant in their composition and speech. They were empathetic and actively involved in sensitizing people when a fire broke out in Sweepers Colony, Noorbagh in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district. They helped the weak and vulnerable. A photograph of one of the Kashmiri students clad in white overalls with a dark scarf and a mask overlookin

  “Nothing in this world is impossible to a willing heart.”― Abraham Lincoln I am a vial of multiple doses of Covishield AstraZeneca, I was created in the Serum Institute of India, in Pune. After great research and initial trial, we were manufactured with the codename AZD1222. Weakened germs and other ingredients were pumped together to change me into a vaccine. I was then bottled in an elegant glass bottle that measured 10 ml in all. Weakened germs and other ingredients were pumped together to change me into a vaccine. I was then bottled in an elegant glass bottle that was 10 ml in all. The world was getting vaccinated but Indians were waiting for their turns. While a few fostered a fear towards the Vaccine, there were many others who were heedless towards the pandemic as they felt they could manage the new mutant of Coronavirus with their newfound immunity. The vials manufactured that January was sent to other countries, I was waiting eagerly to be shipped. The rise in the CoVID case

  “Life’s most precious moments are not all loud or uproarious. Silence and stillness has its own virtues.”― Kilroy J. Oldster A little boy’s toys were visible on the window sill when the soft brown velvety curtain was drawn. I looked out for the boy this morning, in the afternoon and the evening. I awaited his presence as I cooked dinner for the family but the curtains remained drawn.  The boy had appeared on the window sill every morning since the first wave of Pandemic. He was thin and fair with a charming smile. His little tuft of hair had grown into long locks of curls during the first wave of the pandemic making him look like a maestro. He not very tall when the Pandemic began but now he was taller. He wasn’t very fluent in his speech then but he would hang out on the window sill speaking loudly the whole day. He would call out for his friends. The boy lived in the opposite building that was hardly twenty feet away from ours. The window is visible from our living room and kitchen

  When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educate their hearts. –Dalai Lama The posh reception area in Pratibha College of Management was crowded with more than a hundred people, the crowd was segregated into tiny groups. Clad in a sari, I was there for an interview. The interviewees were for assorted subjects, they were well-qualified professionals. I had enrolled for a PhD then, I was on the lookout for a few hours of teaching for undergraduates and graduates to complement my research. The interviews were for the MSC, MCA, BCA, B.Com, BSc, BBA, MBA and many others. The venue was the same for all. It was here that I met Dr Janardhan Takalkar for the first time. He was a board member of the Dept of Commerce and Management at Pune university and the Principal of Pratibha College of Commerce and Computer Studies in Pune. He asked me at the end of the interview, “Are you NET, SET or PhD qualified?” I said, “I have none of these, I am enrolled for a PhD and have no exp

  That which does not kill us makes us stronger.― Friedrich Nietzsche It was an online Google Meeting to discuss the updates, after addressing a few of the issues, the Head of the Department called out for Santosh. He had been unwell for the past ten days yet he switched on the camera. The image that was screened showed a frail, weak and mentally disturbed man, depressed with the Covid Pandemic. Everyone wanted to greet Santosh and wish him a speedy recovery but he said nonchalantly, ‘I have been advised to take Remedivir and the injection isn’t available anywhere. It is ten days now and I feel hot, feverish and unwell, the Pandemic has spread to my wife and child’. He also added, ‘I need to get admitted to a hospital for cure but there are no beds available for patients'. The Head added some words of advice and spread the message about the requirement to everyone. The word spread like fire within no time, the whole family of colleagues came together and by the end of the day, Sant