Nature's Wonders

This is my first ever poem, and guess when or where I wrote it?  It was in my 12th standard Physics lecture.  I was always termed as a talkative and naughty student, and I feel proud of it now.

I had sent this poem as an entry for a youth section in Indian Express newspaper back in 1996.  I had just scribbled the poem, but did not know what title to give, so I had written a note along to the editor asking them to help me give a title.  The editor was kind enough to title it "Nature's Wonders" and I have retained that title till date, and will continue to remain so as my appreciation to them.

It was such a joy seeing my poem in the newspaper.  It was a big achievement those days.  One of my friend's dad, Thanabalan uncle, who is no more, called me up to congratulate me, and the excitement was no less than receiving a gold medal. That uncle is a constant source of encouragement and appreciation.

As usual on a Tuesday, that's the day for the youth section, I eagerly scanned the newspaper for various talents displayed.  I saw this poem titled Nature's Wonders and began reading it.  The words felt so familiar, but I did not realize that it's mine.  Just out of curiosity, I saw the poet's name and there it was listed, Kavita, AFAC Junior College, and I had such a surge of adrenaline.  I still can feel the jitters.

With that note, I present my first ever poetry, Nature's Wonders... Thank you Indian Express!!!  Thank you Mama!!!

Nature's Wonders

Sun rises with a golden lining,

Moon with that of silver,

Nature is so full of beauties,

With all its bloom and bower.

Flowers with colours so bright

Symbols nature’s love and light.

The streams flow with sparkling water

Thro’ the valleys with joy and laughter.

Sunset portrays its golden beauty

And all creations go to rest.

Then nature opens its arms so wide

To gather all creation to her breast.

Though darkness blankets in the night,

The moon showers its moonlight.

Trees sing their sweet lullaby

For babies tired with play and cry.

All creations, both animals and plants

From pipals and babuls to crickets and ants

All offer God a song of praise

Thanking Him for His mercy and grace.

Penned in 1996

BETRAYAL

I loved you with all that’s within me

And wanted us to be together forever.

What was it then that you drifted away

Without a word, nor a reason to say?

Did you never mean the words you spoke?

Were those feelings not real that you felt?

Did you not yearn those moments we spent?

Was the thread so fragile that you wove?

I saw it in your eyes, felt it in your smile

Felt it in everything that you did

Those unspoken words, those unrevealed feelings

I felt just by being near you.

I was entrapped in the storm of distress

Rigging and tossing with the tides of sorrow.

You stretched your hand to strengthen me

Lighting a hope to live life again.

When I was just coming out of it,

Just beginning to see the light of life

You removed your hand off from mine

Leaving me to fall in the storm again.

Is there no end to these tears?

Will they flow for endless time?

Can’t these threads be tied again?

Can’t we give our love a chance again?

         

Penned on March 23, 2000 

LIFE -- A Strife

When life seems an ocean of darkness

You stumble and fall, but can't perceive your fall;

Get up, though bruised, and search your way

For the ocean meets the shore of light.

When life seems a thorn of difficulties

You prick yourself and bleed tears

Quit not, but climb up the path

For there is a blossom of roses ahead.

The night is never a night always

The break of dawn declares the day

Awaiting you with a ray of light

To shone your path with possibilities.

But do not think it the goal of life

'Cos it's still miles away

Let not your hope die, for hope

Is the foundation to build your goal.

Strive through the trials and tribulations

Make them the pillars of your success

For this success is true and lasting

Gifting you a life -- content and prosperous.

Penned on February 17, 1999

Passions

Writing poems was a once-upon-a-time passion for me.  Through the years, in the mad rush, I seem to have lost touch with it.  I wish I could rekindle my thoughts and revisit that part of me through blogging.  I wanted to publish all my poems back then, and I always wanted to name my album "Passions".

So, I dedicate this blog to the younger me, whom I thought was dead, and whom I want to resurrect.

Also, I somehow feel like dedicating this to my brother, who always loved teasing me, saying that he is my inspiration and I write poetry because of him.  I do not know if it's true and if it is, I do not mind giving the credit to him.  But, I believe that I have inherited it from my dad, who is an excellent, but unpublished poet himself, and he has written many devotional songs in Tamil.

Finally, I could say that I have at least lived my name.

I would like to restart this journey with one of my favorite poems, and it was published in poetry.com

http://poetry.com/poems/890138--65279-My-Promise-To-You-#

My Promise To You

penned on ... January 28,2000

Need Whiter Clothes??

Just thought of passing along this useful tip I learnt from my mother-in-law.  They work in an organisation where they require to wear white uniform very often, and I always found their clothes to be sparkling white.  When I asked her how, she shared this with me.

After washing the clothes as usual, just give it another quick wash with Lux soap.  I was very skeptical of this, nevertheless, I tried giving it a shot.  I picked up my daughter's dress and did as told, and lo, it had such a nice shine.  It gives a new look to the clothes.  I washed her shoes with it, and that too turned out sparkling new.  I tried washing my trekking shoes that were so dirty and I got the same result.

What you need to do:

Use LUX Soap (white or pink, both should work, though I used the white version) instead of your regular washing soap.  Work up a nice lather.  You will see that it removes stains and dirt very efficiently and leaves them bright and shining.

My experiment did not stop here.  The other day, I tried washing my bathroom tiles and toilet seat.  We have hard water here and it stains our bathrooms a lot.  My bathroom smiled back at me for making them twinkling like that.

I do not use Lux soap for bathing, but I surely buy one for these purposes.  Do try it out and let me know how it works for you.

Happy Washing.. Keep Shining...

Caring for your Environment

Lot has been said and done about global warming, but all that is still a drop in the ocean.  Though most of us cannot participate in a big way, there are still things we can do in our own small ways, and these seemingly small things will impact the globe in a big way.  If each one of us were to carry one small stone, then it will not be an impossible task to build a fort, isn't it?

Like they say, change begins at home, so would be our contribution too as individuals and as a family.  Following is a small list of things that we can inculcate into our daily routine.

1.  Switch off fan and lights when not in use.
2.  Running air conditioners at 24 degrees and switching them off when you do not need them.
3.  Usage of paper and cloth bags instead of plastics.
4.  Avoid littering at public places, trains, buses.  People tend to use local trains as dumping grounds to throw away plastics, fruits/vegetable wastes, hair, etc.  It is very sad that they do not realize that it is our own property and cleanliness and hygiene need to be maintained by us.  Look around for dustbins or dispose them off once you reach home.
5.  I do not know what religious sentiments it signifies, but one also needs to stop throwing flowers and wastes in the creek as the trains pass by; many do not even remove the plastic bags the flowers are contained in.
6.  During certain festivals like Ganesh Chaturthi, the idols are immersed in the sea, lakes, creek, etc.  Please restrain from disposing them off this way and thus polluting the waters.  Refrain from using plaster of paris idols and switch over to metallic or eco-friendly ones, which can be reused and disposed off in a safe manner.  Small idols can be immersed in your bathroom tub which could be nicely decorated.  For larger idols there are many artificial ponds built by the municipality for safe disposal.  One really ought to visit such places (where they dump the idols carelessly) after a few days to see the state of the idols, which is really pathetic.
7.  Water is a valuable natural resource and should be used with care.  Many societies that provide 24-hour water supply should do so with a gentle reminder.  People often misuse this facility.  It is advisable to have fixed water timings to avoid misuse/overuse.  Taps should be checked and closed before leaving the house.  Leaking taps should be fixed promptly.

This is just a small compilation and I would encourage my readers to add to this and thus help spreading awareness in our society.

This Earth is not just a planet, but she is our Mother, and we need to respect, love, and take care of her.

Go Clean
Go Green

A Ganesh idol in the filth

Does your God deserve this?

If they are holy, they should be treated as holy.

A Trek to Lohagad

Trekking is a hobby that I recently started enjoying and exploring.  I was blessed to be introduced to a few friends who were regular trekkers and after watching their pictures, I was unknowingly getting pulled into this sport, so strong was the attraction and craving.

After Naneghat and Koraigad, I forcefully had to stop in order to enjoy one of the joys of womanhood of being a mother.  So after almost three years and much persuasion, my friends planned a trek to Lohagad.  As usual, there were lots of "Ï am coming, I am not coming" issues, but we were able to plan this event with nine of us.  Two of our friends had their own cars and they volunteered to be our drivers too.  So, our mode of transport was not an issue.

After a sleepless, excitement-filled night, we all left our homes by 5 am approximately, some earlier and some later, and reached Bhandup station by 6 a.m.  We were five boys and four girls in two cars and off we went to Lohagad.  The travel was so picturesque, it was raining now and then, waterfalls greeting us all the way.  The constant chatting of friends was adding to the excitement of the day.   Once we reached village Lohagad, we stopped at a small tapri to have chai.  It is such a refreshing experience to have piping hot tea with friends amidst such greenery, fog, and rain.  If anyone had any remnants of sleep or tiredness from the hour-long journey, the tea did its job to freshen us up.

Once we reached Lohagad, we stopped for a few clicks and had our breakfast of kande pohe, garam garam kandyachi bhajji, and tea again.  We dropped our bags in the car and armoured us with our windcheaters.  Those who were brave enough carried cameras too.

Lohagad is said to be an easy trek.  We reached the fort in less than half an hour.  Visibility was so low that we could not see few feet ahead of us.  There was a big pond of water and some enthusiastic crowd was having a good time diving and swimming in it, but the cold water prevented us from taking the plunge, and I had not taken a change of clothes, which was my foolishness.  After the preliminary inspection of the fort was over, some of us wanted to explore the entire fort.  I'd like to mention that till the fort, it is okay for people of all ages to visit, but the exploration of the scorpion tail and the rest of the fort needs some strength and courage.  Some of us did not have the courage to looking at the steep descent, but our brave friends encouraged us to shed our inhibitions and take the plunge.  They were telling "Darr ke aage jeet hai" every so often, so with lots of aahs, oohs, and screams we made our way to the ends of the fort. There was lot of cloud and we could barely see ahead.  It is a steep valley down and the wind was strong, but we were enthusiastic and determined.  There were lot of waterfalls and amazing was the sight to see inverted waterfalls.  Sorry, this term is derived by me, so I need to give its explanation too.  As I said there were lot of waterfalls, but the wind was so strong blowing from below that it was making the water to flow like an upward fountain.  Words are not doing justice to express that beautiful and amazing sight.

The ascent back to the fort was a bit easier than the descent.  Comparatively fewer people would make the choice of exploring the fort due to the clouds and the steep valley down.  The winds were strong enough to push us back, but we were lucky we chose to go on in spite of the obstacles.  I learned many valuable lessons there.  I was blessed to have friends who did not think twice before lending their hands to support us, especially me when I was too scared to put my next foot.

There were lot of monkeys and it was pleasing to watch the families of monkeys.  One was sweetly eating away the grass, another munching on some chips it had managed to snatch from a girl, and rest swinging from one tree to another.

We saw many strewn drinking bottles and chips packets and I want to request people to not do it.  These forts are of historical significance and an asset to our country.  Please take care of them and do your part to maintain its cleanliness.  It is our duty to protect our heritage.

There was one humble chaiwala serving hot tea to beat the cold rains, chilly winds, and exhaustion.  Since we had already had two teas before the trek and our spirits were keeping us warm, we deferred the tea, but blessed the tea vendor in our hearts and started to climb down the fort.  So after 3 hours, we were back to where we had started at the base of the fort.

We had a lunch of rice bhakari, aagri chicken, rice, lime-sprinkled kanda (onions), and zunka.  Then we made plans to visit the nearby Pawana Lake, another must see place and good for boating.  We wanted to return to Mumbai before sunset to avoid traffic, hence we did not wait long.  Another round of chatting and singing and after 2 hours were back in Mumbai.  After having our evening tea, we all said bye to each other and returned to our homes, with lot of joy in hearts.

One valuable lesson I learnt is:  Life is like a trek - scary, fun, enthusiastic, and full of obstacles - but when you are determined and go step by step, victory meets you at the end." 

I thank my friends for lending me those helping hands when I felt I could not go further than this.

A day amidst the constant rain, tricky descents and ascents, and playing with the winds and clouds.. wow..