Month: August 2020

Sticking to old practice
which my mom inculcated,
I have not shampooed my hair
treat my hair with Shikakai.

I have not been to a beauty parlour,
not once to be frank, Kum kum
is the only cosmetic I use,
right in my forehead
it is blood red.

To say so I have not spent
a pie towards manicure,
waxing, pedicure, foundation,
mascara, rouge. Well,
I know only that much.

I follow a schedule
Tuesdays, and Fridays, oil bath,
the other days regular baths
with home made soap. No sauna,
no spa. Very frugal.

The same goes with medicines,
Mostly take nothing to cure cold,
fever and cough, At times
swallow a pain killer, very recently,
my knees being the culprit.

Ginger, ‘turmeric, black pepper,
garlic, lemon are added liberally
they are less expensive extend
immense benefits. A short walk
around my garden is the only exercise.

Artificial is not my word.
I live close to nature
with trees, herbs, hedges
standi tall in the garden,
lending shade and greenery.

Cats, squirrels, birds, bats
nimble, peck and consume
the first bunch of fruits, I
find seeds scattered all over
indicating that fruits have turned ripe

I might sound archaic,
it is how I am made of.

A flight crashes
splits into two
scores die.

Land slides
houses lay buried
dozens die.

Pandemic spreads
almost everywhere
millions die.

Natural causes,
man made errors,
end up in casualties.

I burn the midnight oil
memorizing, writing, and working
geometrical riders and algebraic
problems.

I byheart poems and formulas
quote from memory is alloted 10 marks,
My voice echoes through the staircase
penetrates to the living room

My siblings call me ” mike”
address me as ” mug pot”
tease me to the core,
upsetting my routine,

I quickly pick myself up
continue memorizing,
increasing the volume by few
decibels to irritate them.

They do not leave me in peace,
complain they cannot concentrate,
the matter goes to higher court
where mom presides.

hearing both sides
she with a practicality,
one of great intrigue
to me even now,

pronounces the verdict
“One cancels the other,”
so none of you are wrong.
“What do you mean”

I blurt in anger, She retorts
” I mean what I say”
“Go back to the study,
each one do your work”

She never adjourns
dismisses our representations
instantly, leaving us
in a quandary

My town on the banks of River Vaigai
remains quiet through the ages,

It neither cries for attention, nor
commands perfection.

A town where transactions
abound, where trade

and commerce flourish, anything
finds a market, salt to diamonds,

silk to bricks, pulses to grains,
fruits and vegetables, sold

and bought the retailers,
wholesalers and people,

keep the town afloat,
idealistic in preference.

a town that never sleeps,
lives from dawn to dusk,

engages from night to morning,
a strange scenario, turns

a phenomenon illustrious
of its nature,

The big village as many refer
takes pride in its shrine

which hosts Goddess Meenakshi,
where elegance and style

are interpreted in graceful
dimensions. With festivals

all through the year, the town
exhibits a ceremonial texture,

Called as Madurai, where Madhu
denotes nectar, the alliteration

explains best the density, divinity
and sweetness associated with the town.

River Sarayu flows
as gently as it could
reverberating the chants
Sri ram, Jay sri ram
as the little town
on its banks Ayodhya,
the Rama Janma Bhoomi
is teeming with activity.

The Temple pulled down
by Muslim invaders
gave way to Babri Masjid.
The dispute ran for centuries,
through generations ,comes to an end
by a judicious verdict pronounced
on 9/ Nov/2019.

Finding proof there existed
a Rama Temple the construction
starts with a fanfare, Silver bricks,
golden ones along with the clay
pieces pile up in the site.
The temple is off the mark.
An historical event commending
appreciation.

River Sarayu continues its journey
unmindful of Rama or Rahim.
To her both are one and the same,
the faces of Gods might be different
the names might differ, the worship
might vary but the belief in God
is unanimous. The spirit of
Rama will sustain. the faith
in Allah will support.

Opening my back yard
I find two ripe mangoes
on my doorstep.

I bend to pick them
two more falls
on my head.

Gathering myself
I turn in
to get a basket.

Three more knock
me down. Beaten up
almost everywhere,

I rush to the kitchen
take a big basket, hoping
to collect a basket full

Lo! no more fruits
the tree stays still
I get back with
quarter basket full.

occupy the
front row, stand prominent
in a picture while others
remain insignificant.

One little girl sharp and sensitive
holds her sisters’ pavadai,
while the sister plays
with her ear rings

looking elsewhere, lost in her thoughts
The other pair of siblings
the eldest one, a determined
lass has a firm grip

on the three year old
who wears a frock, unlike others.
Her round eyes telling
of her status timid and soft.

The biggest of the group,
stands tall, she being
an authoritarian fit to be
a leader.

This picture, lands in my phone
unexpectedly, serves as a premonition
to what the kids would turn
in the later years.

The best part being
each one grows up and lives
exactly as the evocative
picture portrays.

A day of significance,
of prosperity with manifold
increase in growth, AdI Perukku,
falls on the eighteenth day
of the month of Adi.

The day begins with
early morning bath
in the rivers,. Flowers, fruits,
betel leaves, areca nuts are left
in the waters as offerings to River God.

Rains have set in. Cultivation
commences, Rice, millets, grains
are sown. Farming activities buzz.
to the noise of the tractor, the sound
of manuring, folk songs keep merry.

With the belief and trust
in God the farmers engage
in hard work. The next few months
will turn demanding, The farmers
have to sweat it ou.t

Minding not the toil
the farmers tend to the crops
with faith. To them it is an year’s
earning, The river streams
with the flowers afloat.

Shiva and Parvathi
dance between the horns
of Nandi,

three hours before sunset
on the thirteenth day
after full and New moon.

The Gods assemble in Heaven
to witness the Sandhya
Tandavam.

The couple dance joyously
this day, known as
Pradosham.

These hours grant
an opportunity to remove
sins, the negative karma

or karmic energies get eliminated,
extending the potential to perform
and attain Moksha.