Live_to_dream;Dream_to_live

    I was walking by the uniformly designed lush green pathway. Amidst the kaleidoscope of playground sounds, surrounded by the lively buzz of children's voices filled with chaotic symphony of giggles, whispers, and exclamations, I almost lost track of my agenda. I found myself navigating through a maze of words, trying to decipher the chatter and miserably failed. I reached the staff room and patiently waited for the teacher to come. It was 7:45 am and there was a swarm of adolescent children discussing answers, memorizing physics keywords and so on. My son had been sick the previous week and I had to submit a letter for his health-related absence. As the teacher entered the classroom area, a bunch of kids ran towards her for clarification of various answers to questions. “Hi mam”, exclaimed one, “Dude! Go spank yourself da! I told you that was the answer!”, said another one. While I was already lost in the earlier web of words, I found myself jolted to see that t...

It was a crazy winter morning. The spine-chilling winds gushed through the gaps in my window and penetrated my blanket giving me an Arctic blast! I sleepily put on my quilted overcoat and walked towards the window. As I bent to tighten the clamps, I glimpsed a vivid tapestry of  colours . Like a whispered secret, the translucent window glass unveiled a gentle kaleidoscope of hues.   With eager anticipation, I unlatched the window, envisioning a captivating masterpiece awaiting my gaze. But, to my utter disappointment, it was a splash of paints in an unmannered fashion, which appeared like someone had thrown them on top of one another every day in extreme anger and distress. I came back to bed, with curiosity ringing in my head.   Image courtesy: bedneyimages on Freepik   I could not stop thinking about the creator of that “ work ” and felt the grief that person must have been undergoing. During the day, I made up my mind to talk to that person and ...

  “Fic-shun” — I am so done with this genre! Cinderella  lives happily ever after, after one of her ballerinas goes missing. Snow White  gets her Prince of dreams, while lying in a coffin. Beauty  marries her beast friend and turns him into a handsome husband! Jack  lives off lavishly with the help of a miraculous legume! Have you heard of these stories or read them yourselves? Well…, I grew up reading these stories too and this coincidentally happened to me as well!! Last night , I was at a star-studded party and I had chosen to wear glass slippers,  bright and glittery  . I was dancing the night out to reach my time limit so I could leave my slipper in a hurry and wait back home for my Prince Charming .. so much so that I was reminded of the duration of my dancing by a piercing pain in my ankle because of the heels. Hyperventilation ensued as a consequence of the excessive dancing and drained my nerves out. I felt a profound depletion of energy and I...

  Summer is here and I can’t stop thinking about my childhood summer times.. I grew up in a joint family. Our house stood in a serene, calm residential locality with mostly silent neighborhood... apart from the noise we made of course! It was a beautifully designed independent house with a lot of greens around.. from roses to varieties of jasmine.. we had it all! The pathway to the garage had a strip of bushes and plants in the middle and this used to be our favorite observation area. We cousins witnessed numerous larvae growing into caterpillars and then into beautiful butterflies. Although ours was an orthodox household, we never once felt suffocating…well, maybe our moms took all of that and made us breathe free 😊 All I remember are the moments of joy during summer season, when all of us kids were given a triangular piece of watermelon each or big slices of mango that we’d smear and eat making it all yellow around the mouth. We’d assemble around the open drain (those days ...

    I often sit and wonder why I am disappointed or unhappy about things that aren’t in my control. Well... I am a human indeed! I, like everyone else, have expectations from people around me, want things to happen my way, can compromise to a certain extent, cannot sacrifice all of my desires and so on. This thinking is what makes it worse- the continued disappointments, the everlasting unhappiness, the eternal grumpiness, the never-ending list of complaints, the starving cycle of needs and passing on the depressing atmosphere at home and in the family! And…I heal myself in these situations. We cannot and should not depend on people to heal our wounds, for it may lead to more injury…who knows! I’m mostly a ‘let go’ person unless, situations have given rise to a fear in me. For me, a good brisk walk... with the cool breeze, caressing my face, during the early morning hours, while I enjoy the rhythms of ‘Masked Wolf’ or the like is just what is needed, to forget about the ...

  Keeping in touch, rekindling rough or long lost friendships, extending an affectionate shoulder during tough times, a surprise phone call to brighten someone’s day, a surprise gift on a special day, a key note when I stumble in life, a thank you or a sorry.. said without inhibitions, ending an egoistic cycle in relationships, sharing joys and sadness with loved ones, an angelic action which removes a mountain from someone’s head, a much needed advice in times of confusion, a fault accepted with dignity, a moment of anger lowered in the next, unpleasant reactions turned into graceful improvements, a tight hug in a much needed situation.. I call these “Courtesies” – they make a world of difference in my life! Courtesy is not always a response to an action, it is mostly the first step towards having a healthy and a strong relationship. It brings an extra step of closeness with that person. And this is what the world, currently wound up in a vicious ego circle, lacks! My mum, dad...

    We all have desires. They are the lifelines that show us the glowing path to keep going. Desires are unknowingly endless and put us through situations that are either eagerly awaited or unwanted. Desires do not have a right or wrong perspective…but, the execution does! Desires are long-term, short-term, strong, mild, immoral, impractical, wild, imaginary, simple, heart-felt…the list goes on. At the end, they just come straight from the heart, no tag attached! The happiness quotient associated with the fulfillment of yours is decided by the journey you choose to take along. Often, in this journey of fulfillment, there is a rough ending or a beautiful beginning! It depends on you. What you actually settle for and accept forms a major part of how your life can be circled. Desires around... My son is emotionally attached to Ruby, the friendly dog in the neighbourhood. She desires to be cuddled and loved every time he is around. But covid times, have made her sett...