Saturday, July 22, 2023

25/1000 - And Yet So Blissful

The temple town, the mokshapuri, in Tamil Nadu, Kanchipuram, is just a couple of hours away from Chennai. It is even connected to my maternal grandparents. My uncles and cousins often go there. But I have been there only a few times. And the only visits I remember in all these years are the stop at the main spots of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham (that was on work), Kamakshi Amman Temple, Ekambareshwara Temple, and Varadaraja Perumal Temple. 

Friday, February 24, 2023

Taller than the Tallest

The wave rose
Higher and higher
Triumphant, belligerent
Invincible, feeling confident

Higher and higher,
Striking in the hearts
Fear and wonder,
Inspiring awe

'Never seen such a one
Ever in my life!'
Gasped the people
With popping eyes.

Wonder acted like a string
Tying them, despite
Fear giving them wings
Ready any instant to fly

The wave rose to its peak
And then the fall began
It took many in its fold
But finally vanished without a sign

Though memories 
Of this and others
Higher and smaller
Before and after

Became legends 
To be repeated
Several times
Amplified, exaggerated

Of that wave or the others
There remained no sign
For they had merged forever
Into the vast ocean

Indistinguishable
From the field of waves
Attempting to achieve
Those heights great

Another will rise again
In its place, no doubt
But it will merge too
And remain but in thought

The fame and name
Last a little longer
But will that make
The wave immortal?

Then the name too
Will be forgotten
The tides of time
Erasing it forever after

But in everlasting hope
Rise again it does
And though dashed
On the cycle goes

Rise and fall
Is part of it all
And on and on
Go on, it shall

Till the water 
Seeks the depth 
And remains content
Basking in glory great.

Saturday, December 24, 2022

The Whirling Circle

I stood outside the circle
A toe touching the rim
The flashing lights, the laughter
Joy filled up to the brim

Friday, December 2, 2022

The Kite

It touched the skies
Finally finding release
The kite, symbolising freedom
Flying beyond anybody's reach
Doing what it was meant to do
Fulfilling its purpose
On its own merit
With no one dictating terms!

Sunday, November 27, 2022

The Temptress

The vivid colours and the beautiful sounds
Lure me, bind me to everything around

I stretch out and, with tiny fingers, grasp 
Relatives and friends, so many to clasp

I hold tight to things infinite
Believing they belong to me, indefinite

So much gold and diamonds to mine
Working hard to make them all mine

Showered with your kind abundance
I still seek wealth with no reluctance

How patiently you bear our abuse
Making us, even the heavens, refuse

All glittering, catching our eye
Entrapping us and satiating the 'I'
 
So that we come back again and again
Seeking pleasure, even if laced with pain

The other worlds we do not know of
You blind us to them by giving all we ask for

Food, lands, wealth and fame
Making us want to make a name

A mirage that moves as we do
With temptations many, you woo

So that we return again and again
For they all look like a great bargain

We seek nothing higher or spiritual
In the garb of a mother but really the seductress

Smothering us with things, so we remain
Fulfilling our needs in your domain

Knowing all that we get is left behind
Yet we come back again and again

There are but a few who escape you
Seeking and finding themselves anew

Till our eyes open after a hard fall
And strive hard to ignore your call

To drop it all and seek liberation
Seeing you from far with veneration 

I am wiser now, o mother mine
I revere you but have other paths to find

I loosen my grip so I may be free
Knowing it is all but a hazy dream.




Friday, November 25, 2022

The Safari Food Chain

Food chain, you have studied all about it in class 6 or 7, I am sure. Seen a diagrammatic representation, I am sure. Probably drew a crappy version of it too. 

Even in the corporate world, you would have heard of how the hierarchy works - like a food chain, each level eating the one below to grow bigger. Politics is no exception and probably closer to the jungle raj than anything else.

But, food chain in the safari!?

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

सलीम भाई का भाई

"तुम भी चलो ना इस बार सफ़ारी पे मेरे साथ! शेर जंगल का राजा है और भारत में सिर्फ गुजरात में गिर के जंगलों में मिलता है," राजीव ने मोहना से कहा| 

हमेशा की तरह, मोहना झिझकी, मगर गुजरात का नाम सुनके मन में लालसा जागी और उसने हाँ बोल दिया| अब अहमदाबाद से जूनागढ़ स्टेशन में उतरकर  मन में कई तरह के सवाल उठे - शेर के इलाके में घुसना सही था क्या? उसका पति तो साल में दो तीन बार तस्वीर खींचने जंगलों में जाता है| ये वहां क्या करेगी? तस्वीर खींचना भी तो नहीं आता है| 

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