Enthralling Trails

The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration, but its donation. Corrie Ten Boom Neela looked at her daughter lovingly, the baby had an attractive smile. She kept gazing at her contented smile as she caressed her hair backwards. The child was a stout baby, the sparse hair on her head was just enough to cover the bald head, and then her eyes focussed the cleft lip. She nev er wanted the little girl to get what she had found the most difficult in life to cope with. Neela loved the fact that her daughter Naina was healthy,  she had  the most beautiful eyes and so the name, ‘Naina’ was the most pertinent. However, the neighbours and family who had come for the naming ceremony, failed to notice the large eyes with the dark eyeballs. They only pitied Neela for having given birth to a look-alike daughter who they felt would find it difficult getting a handsome husband. Neela had a cleft lip, but was the most charming woman who could cook, dance, sing and keep the...

“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”   ―   Mother Teresa ‘ A ayi ’  refers to m other in Marathi, but Lakshmi had graduated from a mother, to a grandmother. Her daughter and her grandchildren loved calling her ‘Aayi’ in Konkani.  She was a native of the lush green Konkan. Aayi began her life with ‘ abu ’ Jagannath in the city of warangal in Andhra Pradesh. She was a tall, healthy lady and Jaggnath a good looking, lean and handsome man. Together they made a handsome couple not only looks wis e, but also mannerism wise. Lakshmi’s family was a large one consisting of seven sisters and the youngest one was the much awaited sibling brother. Her parents were ecstatic over the birth of a boy after seven sisters. The sisters treasured their kid brother. Lakshmi and her sisters got married early owing to the social norms and customs. Lakshmi was blessed with a daughter and a son. The daughter was a replica of Jagannath, the same chisel...

‘Only that day dawns to which we are awake-Thoreau It lay still in my palm, I shook it, patted it gently, and then moved it vigorously just as one moves his head after a hair wash to sprinkle the water around. Water did spill out of  its body, but the buzz was missing. The best turkey towel was pulled out to wipe it, as it lay smiling in the pink backdrop, its black body glistened spotless. I gently enfolded it in its cover and started it all over again. I prayed fervently for its life, and to my delight, it glowed and came alive, but its voice box remained choked. I wondered whether it was a common cold, and whether I would have to visit the mobile doctor. Well, I needed a mobile doctor, not a movable one, but the technician, a mobile doctor who could bring my Mobile Phone back to  the way of life. Moto G belonged to the Motorola family and came home when Flipkart the online store announced a pre-launch offer.  I don’t remember the  special occasion w...

“Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything”. -Plato   Mr. Siddhaye is a middle aged person born in the  family of musicians. His father was a music teacher for years and so the musical sense in him was not only an inherited quality, but also an environmental one. His early childhood and teenage was devoted in learning vocal music, but his ancestors were talented instrumentalists, which  included Violin, Tabla, Tanpura and many more. Yet, it took years to get  the right ‘Guru’ to show him the guiding path. His  education under his Guru taught him the precise way to hold a bow,  and play the instrument perfectly. As such, his learning included a lot of unteaching of self-learnt wrong traits too, which he says is far more  difficult than learning the instrument. Mr. Siddhaye is  a short, slim and a fair person who dresses traditionally for the music class.  He  is also ...

  To become spring, means accepting the risk of winter. To become a presence, means accepting the risk of absence.”   ―   Antoine de Saint-Exupéry  Sagar stood aloof as the kith and kin of the bride and groom were ushered towards the main building. Group photographs were being taken after the wedding ceremony. There were kids, adults, parents, uncles, aunts and so many more, in all they were around forty to fifty people. The photographer took pains to coordinate them  in the most suitable manner so that each one looked his best and was visible. As soon as he clicked the photograph, a few enthusiastic adults and children ran to him and peered into the digital camera, they approved the photograph and went for the next one. A little later the young ones raised their mobile phone with an extended stick called the selfie stick and smiled to click a selfie. A  Selfie is a self portrait typically taken with a digital camera or smartphone and shared via socia...

    It was a  well deferred visit to one of the reputable Banks. I would have preferred not visiting the bank, but it was inevitable. A few years back when we moved from Nigdi to Chinchwad, we were asked to change the address of all the important documents. An address proof is asked almost everywhere. This bank was one of the places where I had not updated the address, and as luck would be the last leaf of the cheque book had to be utilised after moving to the new address.  At the moment, I needed a new cheque book, but kept the visit awaiting owing to the numerous chores which occupied my consideration. One sunny day, I visited the bank and requested the fair young gentleman at the counter to issue a new cheque book. He told me that a cheque book would be delivered at my house address. I quickly reminded him that the postal address had changed. He asked me to submit the necessary documents to provide a  proof of residence. I  got busy with the o...