The Beauty of A Snowy Winter Day

Shivers running down the spine

Hundred excuses not to leave the warmth of the 'razai'

Strolling in the chilly dawn wind

The crunch of fresh snow under the feet

The beauty of a snowy winter day

Catching the first flakes on the tongue

Snowmen with button eyes and carrot nose

Snow angels and sledge slides

Kids full of glee: merry time

A dash of colour in a sea of white

The beauty of a snowy winter day

The smell of burning wood in the fireplace

Sitting down with a book and dreaming away

Craving for 'gajar ka halwa'

'ek cup chai'

The beauty of a snowy winter day

Sneaking in with freezing hands

Cold touch on a warm face

That warm gaze

His hand in mine

A hug and a smile

The beauty of a snowy winter day

hakuna matata

I love the expression... Dont worry Be Happy! It sounds so much better as Hakuna Matata.. as if it imbibes happiness within those two words... Just saying it makes me happy!
There are so many little things in the world that seem to be happiness itself..
Looking at a child play- Whatever my state of mind, I cannot help but smile in the presence of little kids... their innocent questions...
Music as well - how wonderfully healing can it be for a wounded heart, always managing to bring a smile
Stumbling on to an old much loved thing, that was believed lost....
the first drops of rain and the feel of getting drenched ....
the joy of reading a book and finding words spun magically together to evoke the very same feeling that you have had and couldn't explain...
the joy of just reading a book....
that look on a loved one's face when you surprise them...
Opening your eyes to a wonderful bright day...

It really does intrigue me though that we constantly focus on the unhappy things in life, no matter how small it may be when you actually compare it to all the good fortune you have, we have an inherent system telling us to focus on the not so great and ignore the good stuff.


Hakuna Matata...love it.. wish it was as easy to follow as it sounds

Darkness

I don't know how to start this post. I am compelled to voice my thoughts but I am also hesitant although I do not know why? I have read quite a bit on revolutions and repressions and the horrific things some people go through and other people do. I do not know why I read about such stuff because it scares me and appalls me and terrifies me even. To think of all the cruelty in this world.... why/ how can a person be so? I cannot fathom what can make people commit such atrocities? Why would anyone enjoy seeing another person in pain much less inflict it?
I do not know why I keep on reading about such stuff.... I have been lucky to be living in a safe haven with a loving family and far from any sort of hatred .... but I shiver at the thought of those people who are not so lucky. Women who are repressed and beaten, people who are tortured, even children who have to face unspeakable atrocities. It leaves me shaken...
I wonder where all this darkness comes from? Is there a dark side to all of us? Are all of us capable of committing such crimes against another person? Or what is it that makes some people so cruel? What do they feel?
I do not know why I get so worked up about these things.. not that I have witnessed or been through anything remotely close. I have led a very protected life... maybe that is the reason... Because at some level I cannot believe that such things could exist but then I know they happen and so I have this struggle within me... it stirs up a lot of emotions within me that I cannot seem to get my head around and it sometimes feels stifling just to acknowledge that we live in a world where people can be utterly cruel. It leaves me with a sense of such profound emptiness.. like a hole in my heart...

Happiness - the Yellow Bike

Why do we leave behind those days of childhood?

The innocence and faith for what we call worldliness and tact..

It was the same dream again

Wish the golden days were back

When all I cared for was time to play

And a loving hug from mom made my day

When homework was the only worry 

And love and hate meant maths and history

When ice cream van jingles excited

And happily were rhymes recited

When I danced on the roof in the rain 

And later sent little boats down the lane

When paper planes flew in class

And lunch hour always seemed scarce

When I chased butterflies and counted stars

And searched for shapes in the clouds afar

When museums were boring and picnics were cool

And I made a zillion excuses to try and miss school

When friendships were sworn for life

And friends stood by in punishment time

When laughter rang no rhyme or reason

And my ambition changed with every season

When I was amazed by the world at large

And learned something new every hour

When dad’s appreciation was the nobel prize 

And happiness was that yellow bike

The last minute syndrome...

I have just spend an entire weekend thinking about this bit of writing I have to turn in on tuesday. I ponder over it, I think about how I should structure it but I dont lift a pen, or rather my laptop to get it done. That will only happen on monday night.
Try as I might, I cannot get rid of this "last minute syndrome".
Just as most of my problems seem to find a solution in my dreams!! I get up in the middle of the night, frantically trying to find that pen and paper to jot down my ideas lest I should forget them. Makes me wonder sometimes if its better for me to try and find solutions or just sleep over it, if only I could control it...
I am nearing the end of my PhD... although technically I have spent 4 years working on it, I am not sure how much time have I actually spent on it. Last minute papers at the six monthly reviews or just before the meetings with my supervisor. Even now, I struggle everyday to trick myself into believing that I have a deadline and this is the last minute. The last minute syndrome!!!

thoughts off the road..

Traveling more than 2000 kms by road in two consecutive weekends gives one a lot of thinking time. So there I was gazing absentmindedly at the landscape rushing by when out of the million things that cross my mind every minute a thought suddenly caught my fancy.I was thinking of the times when I've travelled back to one of the many places I have grown up in. And I realized, when reminiscing, even the most mundane task, or the one that I may have hated brings a fond memory. 
So when I cross the school hallway where we stood in punishment, I grin and point it out as if it was a glorious achievement. Its hard to contain the excitement of locating that cycle repair shop where I dragged my bike to fix the punctured tyre under the scorching sun. I may have hated waiting for the bus at the bus stop but now driving past it, I smile. No matter how boring I may have regarded the lectures to be, I want to be back in the same classroom. 
So no matter what I think of the place I am in at the moment, or of the things happening around me.... someday in the future, I'll look back and a smile will cross my lips......