Soulful

"You were never good at it" "Good at what?" "Acceptance" "humph", sighed Alok. This was not the first time Tina teased him about his complaining behavior. Numerous times before too in their 30 years of togetherness, she would point to his restless attitude. And she was right. Alok would hardly enjoy the moments in his life. He was a person who just couldn't ignore the scratch marks on a shining surface. In fact, his focus on the scratches would not let him appreciate the rest of the beauty. But nobody would bother about his somberness. For he had Tina by his side to balance him out. Always, full of life, the one who would always be happy about the glass being half full. And Alok appreciated that part of his life always. She was his life support system otherwise he would have drowned in the sordid existence of his self, as in his words. She would often show her concern to him about it.   "You have to learn to accept the reality of...

When he was 4 all he would do was to sit at the window side and gaze at the number of trucks standing in line outside his home. He would sit there for hours looking through his childish gaze at the different shades and models of the giant vehicles that were waiting to get the gunny bags unloaded and transferred to the huge storage building right opposite his house. 

Welcome to Vivanta, my realm. I am Ruhaan, just an ordinary guy here but that doesn't stop me in introducing you to the amazing society we have here.

"Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike, each has their sufferings." - Buddha For years I have lived envying the happiness of others. For years I have lamented over my fate. For years I have complained life is unfair to me. For years I have blamed others for all the bad things happening all around.  For years I have wanted a chance when I can prove I am superior. And one fine day I woke up to realize I have finally proved. Now the game was reversed - now others lamented while I rejoiced. I relished having it all.

- written by Piyush Bhatnagar Once upon a time the earth  really was a nice place.  img courtesy http://www.kenlauher.com Before the life forms we see today, it was occupied by energy forms, what we come to know now as feelings. So Happiness, Joy, Contentment, Wonder, Amazement - all the feelings we know of - used to occupy the realm of the ancient earth.

<This story was published in Womans Era Feb 2nd Edition 2017> Freedom is contagious. It doesn't spread by touch, or microorganisms. It spreads by something more powerful - Self-awareness! I realized this recently when Sivamma came knocking at my door around mid-night to seek shelter for the night as she had left her husband. Sivamma was my maid.

<img courtesy http://www.masterschannel.com/> Am I a good person? the thought shook me to the core. My co-anchor nudged me to bring me back to senses. I was hosting a talk show with some college students on the topic -"Nation and Generation today ". My guest, dean of a state university, had asked a question from the participating students in my show - "What is your aim in life?" Such a simple question. I would have answered - a TV anchor, had it been asked from me nine years ago. But not by this simple looking girl who gave the most different response - "I want to always answer yes to the question Am I a good person? " Everybody applauded.

He came to me with eyes seething in anger and hatred. He wanted to hurt me with some modern weapon in his hand. The night was dark as the skin of a cobra, hissing through the sounds of winds. 

"Bhikkhus, it is not easy to find a being who has not formerly been your mother...your father...your sister...your son...your daughter..." If the above words of Buddha are true, then how can we be unkind to anyone? I came across this story while searching for some answers. Buddhism, though I am no Buddhist, is full of subtle powerful teachings that can be imbibed without following any rituals. I am in the stage of life where burdened by responsibilities, I might ignore my elders, parents, and in-laws, their advices, might find their habits irksome and might hurt them. This story teaches me filial piety. I understand now that we may have differences with people including our elders but that doesn't mean that we should stop being polite, kind, caring or dutiful towards them. And also that we can never repay the debt of kindness of our parents, all of them :)

"When people see some things as good, other things become bad." What new can be said for the rivalry between the Good and the Evil? For, it has been there from the beginning of nowhere and it will always be to the end to nowhere. But there happens an uncertain-unrecorded time in the past or present or future, when there ensued a showdown between the manifestations of the two. 

He was my rival in my world as he owned everything that I ever dreamed of. We both started at same level. But his ways to get to things were shrewder than mine. Or I was much naïve, as I thought, at that time. But he didn’t have one thing that I possessed- a boon by the sorcerous powers- a mirror that could warn me about any immediate foe. And so I knew about him from the beginning before even knowing him.

Three roommates discover the bond of togetherness and learn how things are not always as they seem to be. published in Woman's Era (May 2015) in slightly different version

Nina is fond of her mother and is angry from her father until one day she finds every one around her ready to hurt Nina except her father. Read on to know more about the cute incident with 6 yr old Nina.