From breath to life...

Loose as the sand, 

Life flows from my grip.

Seeping through the crevices, 

Percolating into grooves.

As I lay basking, numb under its coarse grains,

I feel it playing hide and seek, 

Oozing from my every pore.

Just when the out pour overwhelms me, 

And I strive to escape the rigmarole,

The hour glass is suddenly turned, 

And in flows the sand again.

Filling me with life, 

Bit by bit, grain by grain.

Askance

As I stare out of the window,
Resting on the cool earthen surface
Reflections flush my mind
And desires flood my heart
The sweet nothings of the parrots
Cause me to steal a glance
And ripples tickle my puckered lips
As thoughts come and diffuse
How meandering life is
How fragile our grip on it
What is to become at the end of it
One hardly can perceive !

Bangalore Evenings...

Its cloudy again, its rainy again

How can I forget those late evening strolls

On the busy lanes of M.G Road…illuminated throughout

Colors dancing in the droplets of rain on roads

Cars throwing a pool of light amidst showers,

Passers-by struggling to cross the road with their colorful umbrellas

Airport buses taking a detour to drop passengers on their respective destinations.

As I call it an off after a long day filled with work and laughter,

I peep inside the Koshy’s to see if a chair invites me,

And alone I sit with my favorite bread-roll and chai

Submerged in the book which narrates tales of the café,

Of the visits of Kiran Rao in her favorite breakfast hangout

As numerous media men with suspicious countenance chatter

Sharing jokes and political views alike.

Some droop over a glass of liquor with their customary evening snacks.

And as I peep outside the wet windows, I can see K.C Das diagonally opposite to me

And plan the next evening with cutlets and chai

Or may be the cozy Indian Coffee House

With the fried eggs and the milk rose.

And it tickles me as I laugh on myself

As to which friend I shall grab arms of to savor another relishing evening !!!

Patchworks of Fate

Threads fragile, Threads discolored by time,

Wasted away, scattered by the lack of human touch.

Caught in the whirlpool of destiny,

Spin along the curvature of fate.

Gaining hues, getting reunited,

Shaping up, being woven into

what seems like a patchwork unfinished,

Abandoned by the finesse of some lass.

Picked by the Craftsman, Girdled around His fingers,

Bound to His Craftsmanship, giving way to a yarn.

A yarn woven to cover the wilderness

To sheathe the nude

For all that reflects

In this man-made world

Are masks and silhouettes

Attires hiding shame

Apparels covering greed

To project only beauty

That appeals to the eye

The eye that sees the surface

And shuns what is beneath.

SHADOWS

Amidst hollow spaces

Juggles my mind quietly

Playing with my shadows

In a fleeting attempt to catch them

Valleys of solace

Deserts of mystery

Oceans of treasures

Fill those spaces

And I walk through them

A sublime feeling gushes through

Making the spaces hollow again

New valleys, new deserts, new oceans again......!

The Waltz

Dance, is perhaps the most celebrated form of art. Where music, painting, architecture, sculptures etc. are different manifestations of art, dance too is one of them. It is the path towards eternity. One can express almost all emotions through dance, be it love, jealousy, anger, affection or hatred. The journey itself is so beautiful that it leads to the meeting of one’s soul with God. Every gesture is a note of music hummed by the various parts of the body. Every swirl is like a huge wave raising its arms and embracing the waters. Every turn is like a whiff, a sudden breeze that causes eyes to blink. The tapping of toes scatters various colors in the ambience covering our eyes with hues. The amalgamation of gentle movements with bold expressions is a chant that leaves the spectator spellbound. Be it classical, folk, contemporary or freestyle, every form is inspired by the ancient teachings. The attire adds to the beauty of the show. Buns adorned with flowers capture the senses with their intensity. The application of kohl, henna  and paint elevates the ecstasy to undefined levels. The use of paddy grains to celebrate the harvest, wild leaves to please the gods and tribal accessories to mark their ceremonies hold special significance in respective cultures. Whats more is that it is not limited to any special community. Every individual can practise it at his/her own convenience. Not only a means of recreation but also a great stress buster, dance is a treat to the eyes and feast for the body and soul.

There are other worlds to sing in.....

A robin alights on a branch of a canopy a fine day. Amused by the various shades of its suburbs, it ponders day and night, how to spread its wings, how to make its nest. Quiet and sober, it hums a tune a day and spreads its aura to the sudden delight of its fellow creatures. 

It’s not too late when it starts identifying itself with the place, the shades and the creatures which all together make up a world of its own.It becomes the most sought after chirpy feathery angel with its beautiful colors and melodious charm that is contagious. But, while it is the heart of the jungle, it forgets that life plays its own games. Amidst friends and pleasant companions, there are hidden demons that are dark and dangerous. The threads of its everyday life are so intertwined in the mesh of the greens that it wipes out the memory of all lands it has visited far and near.

Just then, nature spins its wheel of fate and the robin is alarmed! It has to leave everything behind and visit another land that is now alienated. It has dearth of choices. It can’t even understand or reveal this sudden whiff that is going to change everything overnight.

Leaving her tits and bits, before dawn can make the picture vivid to all, it flies away with a heart that is both happy and sad, but too heavy for the wings to lift….

It inhabits a new branch and ponders once again that it should never forget, it is destiny’s child, and there are other worlds to sing in…..