Roar In the Sky

This year has seen  nonseasonal and heavy rains in different part of the world. Where I live in Bangalore is no different. Not just cats and dogs, its raining monkeys and elephants too 😥💧💧💧 There are other parts of Karnataka where agriculture is dependent on rains and its dry as hay. Is it Murphy's law at play or global warming  or a warning for all of us ?

I have an urgent need to get my roof repaired but the rain gods are not relenting.. 

So i decided to write a poem instead..

The skies roared and rumbled

Seemed like they had a lot in store to grumble.

Dark clouds swirled with their gloomy face

The sun tried to peek bringing in a 'little haze

Then came the heavy downpour

Like its heart could hold no more

They say its a depression in the bay

Or is it an expression of what nature has to say.

A heavy pour here and nothing elsewhere

Is it global warming at play ?

How do we interpret all this anyway ?

 

 

The Kite

 Makara Sankranti is a harvest festival celebrated all over India called by different names in different states.. Bihu, Lohri, Pongal. One of the traditions of this festival is flying kites. This is specially very popular in the state of Gujarat. While the actual reason behind this may be many, for me it signifies the color and vibrance that life  begins to exude with the coming of harvest seasons with its different hues.

Today a few people in my neighborhood  took to this and came searching for a missing kite in my backyard. This prompted me to go to my terrace and watch them as they immersed in this act of pure joy.The last i remember flying one myself was several years back on the Chennai beaches, braving the gusty winds along the seaside, trying to control its flight in vain.

 

 Soaring in the wind, knowing no bounds

Lifting my spirit , inviting me to tag along.

Gliding with the breeze, dangling its tail

Dancing as it rises ,The kite seems to have a mind of its own.

The invisible thread guiding it among the winds

Is holding me too, As I soak in the limitless joy it brings.

Sometimes it goes up, sometimes it twirls down

The hand behind it managing it for so long

Reminding me to play along.

Beginnings and Endings - A tribute to Time.

 Its 2021. The year that went by will be remembered by all for what it was.

Here's a thought that occurred..

We tend to underestimate the importance of the time we have now with the abundance of experience it brings and Overestimate the time we have left !.

Learning from Time gone by
Regretting nothing that happened or didn't
Without Anticipation of Time to come
Celebrating this moment for what it is
Relishing the experience it brings
I cherish the time now ! 

A Lamp in the Wind

An epiphany i had watching a lamp...

One night I lit a lamp and saw it grow

As the night grew dark , so did its glow

The flame flew and flickered as the wind blew

Dancing along , going with the flow

How long it would last I had no clue

Many hours went by before I knew

The  secret of light and fire as we know

Needs burning out everything  Oil, wick and air

Till all is one and there is none.

Soon the wick grew short and oil began to slow

That's when it amazed me even more 

The flame puffed for air like its last breath was here

The light seemed to grow with every blow

Till it went out putting on its best show.

 

In life to create anything of value, like the flame one needs to completely dissolve and give oneself totally to create the light and glow..

Summer Delight

The favorite part of traveling to work was passing though the inner roads of cubbon park. The Canopy of trees in the area have a story to tell in every season. Come summer it’s as if all the trees are having a jubilant party and each one is excited to show off their new colorful attire. It's a sight to behold.

This year being at home, I got to notice the magic of arrival of summer around the area I live.

Its all fresh and new

This nature's way to renew

Shedding the rusty and old

Bringing  everything in its fold

Sun is shining through the leaves

As they sway to the gentle breeze

A little bud  slowly opens to the world

Shyly saying ,I made it too !

The crow's caw and the Koel's Koo,
Make a symphony with chirping birds in the crew

The wind rustles its way through the trees

Dancing among the new born leaves

Few stand totally bare
Almost as if without a care

Some hang on to their brown and red hue

Probably thinking fall is still due

Pink , Red, yellow and blue

The place is lit up with all the hues

The purple jacaranda is in full bloom

Gulmohar will appear soon

Its summer and it bright

the time seems just about right 

O ! What a delight to be viewing this sight 

Encounters of a different Kind..

Today as I woke up in the morning and opened the front door, there  were bits of bones along with some waste plastic strewn just outside. It was as if someone had a late night non-veg party at my doorstep and forgot to clean up after . I knew at once this was the work of  Mr Bands who was lurking around the area at night. Every morning I would see his dropping on the stairs , stains of its dried urine  and kept wondering how to get rid of this menace. This was not the first time he had left behind some unhealthy remains from his night's dinner at my doorstep. During each of these episodes I kept wondering why of all places he found my doorstep as the perfect place for having his dinner. My logical mind came up with the answer that area was open and large enough for him to move around unhindered .I wondered why when he  could take the trouble  of climbing the stairs to reach the door on the first floor, Another flight stair away was the terrace, a much bigger area he could have had all to himself. With every passing day he was staking claim over the area outside my house. I was so petrified by his movements that I stopped  going out of the house at night around 9.30pm , the time he made his rounds.

Though I consider myself to be brave I didn't want to take any panga with him. Who knows if he was alone or had other friends with him. This was happening for a few nights and then suddenly Mr Bands antics of leaving something at my door stopped until last night's act.One night while returning home late I had a glimpse of him . He moved in a flash , so swiftly shaking the earth under his feet that it almost sounded like a terrifying band in motion and hence the name Mr Bands.  

 It was just in the evening as I was sitting  still a realization struck me. Was Mr Bands sending me a message. Just the previous morning, I had cleaned the backyard garden of my house of unwanted weeds. In the process, I had seen several deep holes made by  him and his friends in  the garden that was causing the soil and the ground beneath to sink . To fill the hole I had used some heavy stones and bricks and closed the entrance to the holes that was used by him and his friends as pathways to their home. The very next morning, that is today he had left behind the remains. Was he indicating to me that "if you destroy my home, I would do the same to yours". As I recollect the last time there were remains at my doorstep was also when I had sealed the entrance to the burrows and had talks with my dad on getting rid of him.  It was not a coincidence any more.

Yes I'm talking about Mr Bands a furry black bandicoot, who is the size of 2 plump cats put togather.

Suddenly I was overcome by a sort of compassion and felt a being in this creature.Wasn't it also a living thing  that had its share of space and place on this earth. It surely had some importance in the circle of life no matter how insignificant and worthless I thought  it was. The creature  had a right to its home. Who was I to destroy it. Was nature sending out its message to me through his acts of retaliation  in response to what I had done .

Coincidentally earlier today I was watching a video of sadhguru where some college students tell him about the area near their college infested with snakes . Sadhguru quickly corrects them saying it is us humans that have infiltrated their area. Was this deja vu or an epiphany or me becoming irrational ? 

The question however remains. Is it possible to co-exist with these creatures that we humans consider as a menace and often hold responsible for  spread of infections and diseases ? Aren't we the ones that pollute our environment, allow them to proliferate on the mess we created and then blame them for the aftermath ? It is said in much earlier times, people could communicate with animals the way we humans talk to each other. To this day we know at least some animals like dogs , elephants, gorillas can understand human talk and feelings. I am curious to see if this  creature understand my concern and what I am trying to convey and if there is workable solution we can arrive at. Now this may really sounds nuts to many ! Is all the daily dose of spirituality that I was consuming as  articles and videos affecting my rational thinking ?

How am I going to tackle the issue of burrows in my garden and rat dropping on my stairs?, I am yet to figure out. But for now I have realized my insensitivity  to this creatures place on this earth and have mentally atoned for it. I hope Mr Bands in spirit receives my sincere apologies and stops leaving me nightly unwanted gifts at my door step while we work out our boundaries in an amicable  way and learn to  respect each others space.

I hope to write a follow up to this episode in a few weeks or in a month's time. Will keep a watch out for Mr Bands actions and reactions. Meanwhile for starters, this morning, the next day after writing this blog, there isn't anything at my doorstep. Did Mr Bands get my message or is it a just another freaky coincidence ?

Still..

Sitting silent on one of the days
I start to think of my own ways
Thoughts just come and go
As if there is a flood or two
Unable to control them even for a sec
I begin to work and beck
Slowly as time goes by
My mind calms and blanks like the sky