Category: thoughts

It is a place strange
hot in the mornings,
rainy in the evenings,
warm in the nights,
no water shortage
provides a good revenue
an apparent blessing.

It is Nature’s design.
I have to live out of necessity.
No way to escape.
My body burns,
my mind relaxes,
being a contradictory sensation
both demanding and rewarding.

I know not how to overcome
think and think all the while
never could solve
I am worried about my physic.
The wear and tear are too many.
Oh! help me to resolve.

The greatness lies not in stature,
not in money, not in power
but in benignity.

Chinappa walks royal with a silver betel box.
It is a year since he came.

The family greets him. He is their trusted astrologer

The next morning he is up.
Nice to see him with a dhoti around his waist.
His bare chest is smeared with ash.
He keeps munching the betel leaf,
spitting the juice in the spittoon.

Chinappa is at his job.
As goes the tradition horoscopes are cast after the child’s first birthday.
He sits erect before the low desk ornated with brass.
A [i]panchanga [/i]lies open.

He calculates mentally.
First, adds the years, then multiplies the [i]vinadis[/i]
divides the[i] nalis.[/i] Marks the Dasa, the transits of the [i]girahas[/i].

Sips hot coffee in between. Energy renewed,
he works on the [i][i]kattams[/i][/i]. Places the planets in each one of the twelve boxes.
The ascendant or the Lagna is the starting point of the horoscope.

He studies the aspects, details them in a hardbound notebook.
He works on the horoscope for three days.
The life predictions were documented.

He smears turmeric on the edges of the notebook.
reads the salient features that include the[i] pariharams [/i]
The family listens to him keenly.
He is an expert. He takes no reward.
Quoting him,
Accepting money from you is akin to selling my skill.
If I do that my foretelling skill would desert me”.
He laughs.

Hope he would make it next year too.

The jackfruit tree in my garden
planted decades ago
grew in size all the years
tall and huge it looks.

Leafy and imperious
a beautiful sight in all
Every now and then
I used to go close
to find if they blossomed

I lost interest in watching,
the tree grew tall.
Its branches resembled a canopy.
A great sight to behold.

Yesterday was different.
Seed like tiny buds hung.
Thought it could be the leaf curls.
Reaching near saw the little pale green ones
hanging in reliable intervals.

The tree has shown its potential.

Laugh, the world laughs with you.
Laugh to your heart’s fill.

Laugh when you are happy
being an outcome quite normal.

Laugh when you are sad,
though difficult to ensure.

Your smile will sustain you
relieve you of your pain.

The theorem of happiness as said
is a way to come out of depression.

My country is for me,
no one else can come
quoths the  American president.

I will construct a wall
allow not any Mexican enter
cries the U.S leader.

I have suspended seven country nationals.
They cannot enter the U.S territory,
dictates the newly elected leader.

What is this called?
I try to find the exact word.
an antonym for Globalisation.

it is hard to seek.
Could it be regionalisation?
narrower still- internalization.

It is shrinking.
The closing of doors and windows,
allows not the wind to enter.

The  noise of the gadgets
right from the morning
heard,  by men, with no grudge
as it turns out to be a necessity.

Grinding and blending,
whistling and frothing,
clattering and clanking
keep one involved.

In the milieu, the natural tunes
being the tweets of the sparrows
the squeak of the parrots
go unheard almost.

The haste and the chase
mankind finds itself
leave the race in a design
alienating from the environment.

The fever and fret,
the grumble and the regret,
place humanity in a prison
away from Nature.

The species around him,
either aviary or aquatic,
be the ones tagged to the grounds
live in harmony with the surroundings.

Distancing himself man is left alone,
knows not what to do in times of need,
finds himself battered by disasters.
Finally, lets himself devoured by them.

An incident that keeps me anxious.
No, the one that makes me smile.
Yes, that brings in a resolution.

It being unexpected. Baffles me all the while.
It revolves around a birthday party.
The girl being an eight-year-old called Mona.

She chooses her friends. The number allowed is ten.
Makes the list. Strikes one or two
Adds up – a great calculation.

Mona starts inviting.
One of her friends is absent.
She gives the card to Nisha, not on the list.

Nisha gets mad and calls Mona rude
Shouts, “Why are you not inviting me?
Mona retorts ” I do not like you”.

Her papa scolds her. She minds not.
Steadfast in her decision, tells her dad
“Please do not talk about it “.

The dad knows not what to do.
Did he applauds her determination
or condemn her behaviour. Intriguing!

Mona stands out.

Being a connoisseur of art
my eyes devour the beautiful.
A tussle between desire and discretion engages.

Furniture keeps me in a hold.
That of Mother Of Pearl
makes my jaws drop.

The designs are eye catching.
Excel in grandeur. They are chaste and delicate.
Impressive and imperious they appear.

To possess one became a passion,
which turned into an obsession later.
I researched, I browsed, I hunted like a devil.

Forayed through the malls and shops
both in Malaysia and Singapore.
I became mad.

My family teased me. Called me
“Mother Of Pearl.” They had fun at my cost.
I talked of nothing but Mother Of Pearl.

A friend of mine, a Chinese, made a trip to her homeland.
Knowing my love for the inlaid furniture,
searched for the best in the mainland.

She took it as a challenge. Substituted the motifs
dragons with peacocks. I admire peacocks. Ordered, Shipped.
paid. All she did without a word to me.

Left to me, I would have settled for one. Finances do matter.
She does not count. She bought two sets of dining tables
along with one living room furniture. I would not have dreamt off.

I was overjoyed to see them all. Bright and intricate.
They are my proudest possession. Pricey too.
I am delighted..

A string of pearls
round the neck
enhances the beauty
of the one who wears.

It is a selfless extension.
Being one of charismatic delivery
Unlike men who brag about ordinary
forgetting. the ethics.