Kallola

Time has a way with time itself And yet it falters at the close The best of times are untimely... even cursed And the worst of times are best at worst Where does that leave a plan or a scheme Where does a wish get fulfilled Once upon a time Comes but once in a while Even for the sake of verse. ¬¬ Also on: Unboxed Writers  

Seven Rose plants were laid to rest today. After several trials, many buds, many more blooms eaten by nature’s cutest creations and many re-positions to pander to light and air fickleness, I had to concede that my balcony was just too moody for these seemingly hardy yet extremely delicate plants.  न चलती हवा काम आई न धीमे धूप की तपन न हल्की वर्षा की ठंडई न प्यार से बोले वचन . मेरे गुलाब आए , खिले और बिखर गये . किसने सोचा था कि  छाया भी कभी कातिल बन जाएगी . पर चार गज़ का आँगन मेरा , मेरे दिल का बाग़बान , मेरी राज़ों का रखवाला , मेरी सोच का कदरदान , यही समझाता रहता है कि ज़िंदगी एक नाटक है जिसका सूर्य है सूत्रधार और हम उसकी कठपुतली. यहाँ कभी पंखुड़ी हंस कर खिल जाती है तो कभी हवा से हिल जाती है . हम तो बस माली हैं , समय के . निगाहें हैं , एहसास के . कुछ दिख जाए कहीं तो परखना ज़रूर , इस लेन - देन के चक्कर में , संभलना ज़रूर . And so, my tiny garden tutors me...

Does a fish catch cold? Can a Sun ray turn to gold? What if the sky turned green and stalks grew inside the bean? Where do all the colours go when the lights are out and candles blow? Who made the smile, ma? And why does it tickle so? How do you know my bruise will heal? Kiss it better, seal the deal. Why is a cuddle the best of all? When will the kitten call? Will the Sun always shine so bright so every misty morning turns out right? Tell me what is yet to come Let me in on the fun. My curious mind will always seek and keep me young and on a peak. My wings will always stand to fly down valleys lush, up endless sky. Because that's what you taught me, ma. To be, to live, to ever see. So my heart is warm and mind is free. Happy Childrens' Day :-)

What is it with domineering foes like suspicion, inhibition and other marital woes? Why can a day not just pass without the thought of another's lows? Why is it that the world matters more than what one can do to hold it all close? How is it that love becomes less than what an unknown universe unfolds?! Think! Oh! Silly heart. It is all in your grasp - your love, your life, your moments that clasp every tenderness, all that joy to hold and behold... It's your Kingdom, fool. Sit back and bask! 

She stood ready to pounce, eyes locked on the three ruffians waiting to leap about ten feet to my right. In the middle, I stood with a mad resolve, my instincts on high – I was a mother too.  The three little beauties lay heaped on each other, huddled, eyes closed tight, oblivious to the ambush above. My little child of five stood silent, finger on his lips, eyes peeled, behind the safety of the gate, watching me and the little pups. “Don’t worry Awwa, mamma will save them”, he whispered with such conviction to my petrified mother watching us all, I was torn. As my mother’s eyes panned left to right, one arm protectively harnessed her love and life, her little grandson. The other hand gripped a heavy cane, ready to be hurled at my first attacker (markswoman in her heydays, she has an unfaltering aim even today). We were all mothers that day, each protecting our child. No one breathed. Not even the wind. The only sounds were of occasional growls from the leade...

“yaarigu helodu beda, summage namma paatigey erona. naaley yaarigunu nenupu iralla, bidu ” (No need to tell anyone, let’s stick to going about our business. Tomorrow, no one will remember this, leave it), was one of the least agonizing shows of strength extended to the distraught mother of a four year old girl-child, violated by the local stud of their slum. Parallely, Times of India carried a terrible account of male child abuse left unattended for dacades! Children constitute 42% of India’s population and their safety is paramount to the health of our nation.  But in spite of recent legal reforms that criminalise not only sexual assault and its abetment but also any indulgence in its idea – like child pornography – each day of 2015, recorded eight child sexual abuse cases on average, with only 2.5% ending in convictions. Sure, this alarming trend is not unique to any country in the world and it is not an unknown phenomenon either (for worse statistics, just look at Ame...