northern lights

northern lights
image

Monday 29 April 2013

Haiku youngling




mom and baby having fun      


           Youngling today mother
protects, come tomorrow , self reliant
              great wide world

        





Child_praying : Little boy praying with the Bible in hand
                                                     God in Heaven
                                           Younglings innocent prayer
                                                    Will be heard






                                                           

                                                 
                            
Little Krishna                                                                                                     

Little baby Krishna
Creater,controllor of cosmic world
confer blessings divine                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

                                                    


As part of Haiku Challenge ---Youngling
      Pic1&3 Courtesy google 
      Pic2 Courtesy public domain pictures,net
       












Sunday 28 April 2013

Schooling then and now





Never a truer word said…
 
SCHOOL - 1950s  vs. 2013


Scenario
1  :
Jeewan and Mannu get into a fight after school.
1950s -
Crowd gathers. Mannu  wins. Jeewan and Mannu shake hands and end up best friends.

2013 -
Police called, and they arrest Jeewan and Mannu. Charge them with assault, both expelled even though Jeewan  started it. Mannu stabs Jeewan.

Scenario
2
Ratan won't be still in class, disrupts other students.
1950s -
 Ratan sent to the office and given six of the best by the Principal. Returns to class, sits still and does not disrupt class again.

2013 -
Ratan given huge doses of antibiotics. Becomes a zombie. Tested for mental disability  - result deemed to be positive. Ratan sent to a school for  mentally retarded children.n

Scenario
3:
Bhima breaks a window in his neighbour's car and his Dad gives him a whipping with his belt.
1950s -
Bhima  is more careful next time, grows up normal, goes to college, and becomes a successful businessman.

2013 -
Bhima's dad is arrested for child abuse. Bhima removed to an orphanage; joins a gang; ends up in jail.

Scenario
4 :
Mohan gets a headache and takes some aspirin to school.
1950s -
Mohan  gets  a glass of water from the Principal to take aspirin with. Passes exams, becomes a solicitor.

2013 -
Police called, car searched for drugs and weapons. Mohan expelled from school for drug taking. Ends up as a drop out.

Scenario
5 :Rakesh  takes apart leftover fireworks from  Diwali night,puts them in a paint tin and  blows up a wasp's nest.

1950s -
Wasps die.

2013-
Police and  Anti-Terrorism Squad called. Rakesh  charged with domestic terrorism, investigate parents, siblings removed from home, computers confiscated. Rakesh's  Dad goes on a terror watch list and is never allowed to fly in an air plane again.

Scenario
  6:Ramesh  falls over while running during morning break and scrapes his knee. He is found crying by his teacher, Veena. She hugs him to comfort him.
1950s -
In a short time, Ramesh feels better and goes on playing
games. No damage done.

2013 -
Veena  is accused of being a sexual predator and loses her job. She faces 3 years in prison. Ramesh undergoes 5 years of therapy.
 
Judge for yourself  whether we have really advanced. 

-

Saturday 27 April 2013

Xerox haiku



















Twins : Twin Towers by night      


                                                                                              

             Twin  twin towers
      Convey a message  to humanity
         Oneness, harmony  affinity

                         

                        

Twins : two twins brothers babies weared in acorn hats

           

                                                                                                   Sweet, cute wile

                                                                                         Are  you really two (or) 

                                                                                            one xerox copy!!

           

Pics courtesy Google    

As part of Haiku challenge Xerox                                                          

Friday 26 April 2013

Hope (Haikus)




                                               Hope
                                                                    
Branches and Snow
                                    Piercing sun rays

                              branches  pin prick  blue sky,

                                     where's the rain? 



Rain : Teenage couple under an umbrella, in the rain




            
                 Out comes Umbrella

   smiles,cheers,happiness,joy,delight

               raindrops tiptip down.
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                
                                                                                                     
                                                                                                         
       Pics  courtesy Google                                                                                         
                                                                                                                  






                                                                                                  
                                                                                                               





















 





                          








Saturday 20 April 2013

Men in my life



The Men in my life
 Every woman comes in contact with several men in her sojourn on this planet. Starting with her Father, who is the first male she encounters,every child understands that he/she must have a mother and a father. The father figure has always been a symbol of authority and discipline in our family. We spoke  to him only in mono syllables like ‘yes’ or ‘no’.   Right from childhood till we grew up there was not much interaction with him. I and  my brothers and sisters  had a closer view of his personality only when we grew up. We understood that he was reserved by nature and hence remained aloof. I respected him and never argued with him.
I am the eldest of two brothers and three sisters.  Since my brothers are  five to  thirteen years younger to me there was not much interaction with them. As grown ups we occasionally meet. They are involved in their family affairs. The younger one ,even though thirteen years younger, is elder than me in wisdom and worldly matters.  My brothers-in –law too have their own compulsions and responsibilities. I know them as good and noble persons. My son and son-in-law  have always been helpful to me and have a special place in my heart and life. Life will not be the same without them.
Now I come to the man who has been everything to me. He is my friend, philosopher and guide. Yes he is my Husband.  Right from the first day I met him I was over awed by his personality. He speaks only when he is required to but whatever he speaks is meaningful and relevant. He does not like to mix with outsiders unnecessarily . He has a great sense of humour. He is very popular not only with his brothers and sister and their children, but also with my siblings.  He is very considerate. Milk of human kindness courses in abundance through his veins. I am not narrating these qualities because he is my husband. Whosoever comes in contact with him forms a very high opinion of him. 
 I had a minor walking disability right from my birth.Ever since he met me he never mentioned about it. In fact when my father asked him if he was aware of my leg problem and still wanted to tie the knot with me, his reply was in the affirmative.  He thus  won my father’s heart. No other man would take this step knowingly. In our more than five decades of married life I have struggled with life threatening  diseases.On all occasions  he has stood by  me like a rock, giving  me   great support and encouragement and  instilled  in me the will to bear all adversities. My ailments which included the  likelihood of losing my eye sight, stones in gall bladder , stomach surgery and the biggest of all my cancer surgery, nothing shook him. He was always there for me. Any other man, if faced with such  a situation would have left his wife to her fate. This brave man, whatever may be his own  sufferings endured them stoically and never left me alone  was  always with me by my bedside  stoking my morale and nursing me back to health. He never burdened  me with his  own pains and afflictions. I know when he is in pain, but he puts up a brave front and smilingly brushes away the topic. At this stage of my life ,when I am  crippled ,he inspires me and encourages me  and boosts up  my will power. I know he is suffering bodily much more than me but he hardly ever discusses his health issues with me.
  In my professional life too I succeeded only because of his support. I started my career as a teacher and went on to become the additional Director of Education.  Hardly 2% of the teachers  reach the pinnacle of glory  They say that behind every man’s success there is a woman but I can proudly  say that the secret of my success is the inspiration, encouragement and moral support of my husband.  He is a great soldier who has fought several challenging battles in his life and has come out victorious.  My prayers are always with him. Great MAN I salute you. May your protective hand always  be  with me. I proclaim that he is my

real life HERO battling on all fronts incessently!







 

 






Wednesday 17 April 2013

Mood swings

                                     mood swings

Today morning when I got up  I did not feel my normal self. I was irritable, contentious and cantankerous. The maid brought my usual cup of tea and wished me good morning with a smile. Instead of being thankful, I  felt petulant and started finding faults. “The tea is cold. Take it back. I don’t want it.” The poor lady  just took the tea back and said, ‘I will bring fresh tea.’ My husband intervened,’There is nothing wrong with the tea. I am enjoying it.”I  reacted somewhat irritably,’Yours may be good, mine is not”.  He left the room murmuring something.  After he left I tried to analyse  why did I react irritably.  Normally I am quite sober.  I thought that I had not slept well at night and this might be the reason for my sudden  outburst.  My husband came back after his morning walk, cast a sly glance at me and without saying any thing  switched on the TV. A very old Hindi movie song  from the film Anarkali,’yeh zindagi usi ki ai jo klsl ka hoh gaya’ was playing. I too started singing along with it loudly. I smiled and said,’What a beautiful song.” He just  said sarcastically, "Are you all right  now?”  I told him  that even I myself  was  bewildered . The poor maid did not deserve such a behaviour.

 I ruminated and thoughtfully  tried  to determine why do people  have such sudden    syndromes  or mood swings.  I spoke to friends, neighbours and colleagues. I inferred that  changes in mood affect every body. Sometimes we do not even notice  the changes because they  happen so fast and  unconsciously that we  do not become aware of  any change. If we try to monitor our thoughts  and try to find out the reason for such  irrational action on our part  we may realise that   many emotions  that we experience leave  their impact  in various forms. The impact may not be the same in every individual.  A similar incident may affect different people differently. Mood swings  happen unconsciously and many times may leave a person  embarrassed. In the words of   Dr. Charles Raison, a Physciatrist,” most  depressed people feel unhappy all the time. Sometimes they feel better in the mornings and sometimes better in the evenings……sometimes they feel predominantly  depressed or predominantly hyper, euphoric, or irritable (and often  all three in rapid succession.)" Sometimes  mood swings  make a person feel  out of control. Such people must be handled with great care and refer them for medication in expert hands. 
 Another aspect of mood  swings is  feeling elated. Mood swings can be compared to a pendulum, which moves from right to left and vica-versa. Similarly mood of a human being  keeps moving from left to right and right  to left. At times we can be  hilarious and delirious and at times  in the dumps. In a hilaruios mood the world which looked gloomy suddenly becomes bright and rosy  and we feel  on top of the world, with high spirits
The question arises why do people have mood swings. And how to tackle the issue and  get rid of it. If we get irritable  for no reason  or  suddenly feel depressed   or get the impression  of feeling sad,  we must  brush away such feelings  and  divert ourselves to some other activity.  Then be assured that that half the battle is won.  Depression can also bring feelings of moodiness, impatience, anger, or even just not caring. When depression gets in the way of enjoying life or dealing with others, that's a sign you need to do something about it.

If sometimes you feel that you are going to have mood swing, make a conscious effort to to be your normal self.  You can then  succeed in  reacting and  throwing the mood swing. You can ‘pretend’ to   have an inner feeling  of joy. Moods are, believe experts, contagious.
The modern life style is full of anxieties, frustration, social responsibilities and obligations.  Humiliations  surrounding  the  'aam  aadmi' are bound to  affect his mood. How can he not suffer mood swings ,when he is gheraoed  from all sides by such monstrous evils pervading  every where? Living under such  stressful  conditions  the hormones in the body tend to boil down, and he/she becomes a victim of  adversities and is inflicted with mood swings. 
 It is believed that women are more prone to mood swings due to oestrogen level  falling during  their periods.
 A study has also proved that weather also affects the mood swings in human beings. Sunshine and  a  pleasant  day  keeps men optimistic and radiant. Gloomy winters and  high level of humidity affect the nerves and induces sleepiness.
We can reduce the mood swings  considerably by having a  regime of  physical exercises and Yoga.












Submitted to BAR MONDAY archives ''mood swings'' ,week 9 th to 14th