Elixir of Life

"Live. So that when your children think of caring, fairness and integrity, they think of you."- Jackson Brown Jr.
A "father" as the emotions point,  nurtures  his children  in such a way that , in their every step they idealise him.

As a father, Atticus Finch (from "to kill a mockingbird") treated his children as adults, when he answered any question they had, while keeping in mind, that they were free to make mistakes as children.

So , what is it like, to be a father? Does he have to be a stern, disciplined and a high tempered figure that a child looks up to him with fear? That's not entirely true. On the contrary, a father is the guiding light. A muse who shapes the future in a rightful way. To a child, his first idol, hero, is his own father. He is the soldier, a brave , emotion controlled protector, who is willing to sacrifice everything and anything just to see a smile on the child's face.  

                         The other day, I had a peculiar ornithological experience , that made me understand, that fatherhood, is not at all limited to the human species. A singing bird ,was laying her egg in the nest, on a wavering branch of a tree. A bird , in general, needs to hatch the egg while literally freezing in one position, while facing every type of challenges in the world. The winds gushed around it, the rains poured, the tree swayed and another time, the heat of the sun, torched it. But the confidence of the bird was to be admired. Then , another look around, caught my attention . The partner male bird was sitting on the next slender branch of that tree, fighting the natural turbulence! The vibe of confidence of the female bird, became quite clear to me then. 

                           A father is a silent supporter, whose importance is rarely realized unless he is gone.

 He is the one who enlightens the child to the world and  the dark side. That is the toughest job which he does ,with such an ease or maybe whilst hiding the pain. 

He is the one who stands awake, guarding, when the children sleep cozily, dreaming .

He is the one who opens the locked doors when his child is trapped in the endless, dark maze of life. 

He is the one whose heart unknowingly skips a beat, when the child hurts or gets hurt. 

He is the one who surfaces no emotions, when his heart is being gradually torn apart. 

He is the one who holds the child upto the world when he himself is crumbling to pieces without succumbing to pain. 

He goes through every emotion seeing his baby grow into a man, his own reflection. The first cry of the baby, fills his heart with immense joy. The first word and the first fight gives him a peaceful gratifaction, The first graduation, inflates his chest with pride. The first salary, makes him content and happy with the fruit of his struggle and perhaps, signs of his retirement. He then knows, that his toiling was worth it. 

                        

The influence of a father, on his children, cannot be underestimated. Although, being the Godfather, Vito Corleone, tried hard to keep his children away from the crime world, when Michael, his good, wise son, took over his bussiness and proved to be his own  reflection. 

                                                                

My elixir of life,

who alertly, never blinks an eye,

when the world is on a strife.

To me, he is my pave,

a ray of strength ,

when I return to my cave.

The guiding light that never dims,

A torch that in the darkness always rims.

I would collapse without you,

for, you are my support, 

a cornerstone amongst a few. 

I won't fear of the death,

a constant dangling knife,

because, Father, you are the Elixir of my life. 

An Incantatory Call

The steep, rocky, dry, snow-clad, heartless mountains in Leh seemed to take a toll on my soul (technically, my airway). The icy dryness was cracking my core. The trip to the north was failing to soothe me. Instead, I was looking for some warmth, to help me go on.

As I was about to kneel down before this nature's peaking cruelty, a little school boy walked  across me, humming a slow tune. Suddenly, the tune mesmerized me! My blood deprived heart, now began to flood suddenly with emotions. Joy, relaxation, admiration , inspiration gushed their way into me. The seemingly everlasting drought, had finally come to an end! Finally, I was a human again- with flesh and blood. "Did a simple tune turn my world upside down?" I wondered. "or was it the hypoxemia talking?"  At that time, the latter opinion seemed to be believable. So I stuck with it.

Next day, as I entered a Tibetian monastery, the tune was everywhere around me. Later, it struck me that the "tune" was in reality, the "religious hymn" of the people!  After that, a mild humming or loud chants started having a calming effect on me. It was an extraordinary religious experience for me, as I humanly felt closer to God. A realization dawned upon me that, a simple thing can have such a quick impact on somebody. The new peacefulness was developing its roots inside me. The world was suddenly a better place, the best in fact.

The contentness knew no bounds. All the goals, ambitions, greed were crushed, for a moment, under this huge rock of solitude. My family thought I had turned my way to spirituality or worse- exorcism! But this was something else. I have not yet found a correct word to express it. But I can only say that, for me, the time stood still. 

                     As I was hastily browsing a shop , I came across a dusty rack covered with cobwebs. On keenly observing, there it was! Peacfully lying in the rust - the record of my "inner call". The search was over. Mission accomplished. 

My Patronus

The scar which Harry Potter  carries throughout his life, on his forehead was a sign that ,mother's love is not only selfless, but is stronger than any evil force in the world. 

"You are the shining pearl in my heart,

A ray of hope that never loses it's part.

though you are not a superhero, 

you always try to make it thorough.

for you, I can go to any end,

where the drop of water parts and light bends"

       A single cell multiplies into an infinite celled creature into the womb protected by the strongest bond in the world. 

       Just like a bud blooms into a bright coloured flower, under the roof of it's leaves.

       just like a chirpy baby bird, that learns to sway and dance in the air, under the wings of it's creator. 

Just like a Patronus which fights the dark forces by keeping the person in light.

"Sometimes I think,

Is it a miracle that I came into this world?

that my tiny little brain grew so big 

to hold the entire worries of the earth.

You are my patronus

my shell  that protected me against the storms ,rains and dust

my roof that rescued me when I was drowning in my own sins 

my patronus that showed me light whilst burning in the dark.

that proud look keeps me going,

when I earn the price of my toiling.

that smile turns my world upside down 

when my day has ended with a frown

I promise that I will hold onto you my Patronus,

till the mountains erode ,

and the oceans dry out.

I won't let your suffering go to waste, 

till the earth is moving,

till the winds haste. 

You are my Mother,

You are my Patronus"

The Creator

About people or money,
he knew little as a penny.
He watched the structures elegantly designed,
against the mockers' joy, he quickly resigned
Then  stood  the  girdles, the pillars  self admired
it was a heaven, a place they long desired
From an office to a quarry
he scorched under the sun, too busy to worry.
Until the sun rose in the west,
Calmly he sat, fulfilling his quest.

(based on Ayn Rand's 'The Fountainhead')

The Thunderstorm

The  dark clouds of silence  which prevailed for a hundreds of  years in the skies of tolerance  are  finally bursting. Some are pouring their rains, to destroy the dignity while some are gently mending it. The social , political and economical situations in India, are on their peak with a thousands of supporters and an equal number of oppressors, both at the same time,  climbing and chasing them , with different motives. 

                The country is using it's digital and communicating medium, like never before. Every human is voicing his opinion and hence the thunderstorm is the most persistent feature of these violent rains. Those in power , are adding an extra ingredient to the chaos- an element of utmost importance, which can destroy the morality of anyone within seconds- that being the element of Confusion. This element maintains the strength of this thunderstorm, which has led the country in both unity as well as  seperatism.

The result of this climatic twirling,  has led to many changes and a total sense of newness in the environment. No one knows the end of this enigmatic conundrum, but still every one tries to stand out, in order to be saved.  The only person who has faced every situation or the storm - the common man - is standing there, like a tree who faces the storms  with his wisdom held as an armor, waiting for it to end while the country, fights with each other, in order to achieve it's obscure gains.  Because he is the one, who has become the most tolerant and experienced than any other powerful human and whose roots, lie deep inside the earth marking his inevitable strength.

A Miragy Day

It feels indeed like a mirage when amidst a hot afternoon, the weather suddenly turns cloudy and cool. You can surely imagine yourself as a 'chatak' bird of the Indian mythology eagerly waiting for the first rain drop to touch it's dry, waiting mouth. For this, he has waited years long without ever complaining.

        Today the clouds exploded and all the Chataks made peace with the skies. The cloudy weather has always been one of the reasons for my  happiness rather than the living beings. The  cloudy, drizzy weather brings peace and contentness to my heart- reason unknown and not expected.( I think).

         When the clouds turn dark,I lit up usually like 'Maria' from The Sound Of Music and suddenly my heart wants to sing every song it hears. The greenery and it's surroundings become lively and I fall prey to the unrealistic wish of 'flying' and 'soaring'.

        It's like the hills, the brooks, the birds, the branches are alive with music and are dancing and clapping to the beats of the nature. The cold air adds up the rhythm.

        And suddenly you forget the long, dry summer that lies ahead - just for a miragy day!

Primitiveness

As the first ray of sun impinges his eye,
 the primitive man lumps up and sets out for the lonesome goal in his life - survival.
for he knows not the burden or the joy of money
or the weekends off to heave a sigh of relief.

There's a movement behind the bush
and he must warn his species off the danger
for he knows not how this danger would be used later
by his own, on his own.......

It's raining heavily and he must find a shelter
for he knows not that dried out life ahead ,
will take the shelter under these rains
He is chirping and swaying
with the wildlife
for he knows not,
 what boredom is.

It's about night and the man collects the scatters-
the woods and the twigs for he has to survive the night,
in order to see the sun
No. He knows not the special diet plans and the calorie burdened food.

He runs to bed as he hears the wolves moan
at a distance in the moonlit dark sky
for he knows not,
when the sky will give an evil surge.

But one thing he knows for sure
that his very own primitiveness
protects and guides him
to the mysterious paths , yet to be explored.

Iniquity

Ruling out the traffic rules

It was an early morning of a new day.  People were carrying out their exercise regimen and so was I. The regular chaotic road, was taking in as much early morning silence as it could. All was going on in peace, when a motorbike strided along the road honking all over it. I could sense the instant mental disturbance, spreading all over and in the minds. The aura of the dawn was grabbed away single handedly. To my knowledge, the warning device is used in emergencies or to prevent one. This was the first time, I watched it being used as a means of entertainment.
                       The era of digitalisation is gaining over the minds to such an extent , that nowadays, "peace" is creating a "disturbance". The natural human feelings of love , sympathy, tragedy are being deleted and replaced by "likes", "comments" and virtual popularity.
                       Some decades ago, people walked to a nearby shop as they were worried about fuel wastage. Now, people ride to neighbours as they are worried about time wastage. The percentage of automobile purchases by a common man, has swollen up to 50%. So has the restlessness and fear. Man no longer lives to support and care , but to thrive on the glory of the unknown future.
                        The other day, I was riding a bike with a friend on a one- way road. There was an acute bend ahead, so I controlled the speed. What I saw, was a bike parked in the middle of the road ,on the edge of the turn ,while the driver was enjoying his "garden walk" to a thing, he had dropped accidentally on the road. Eventually , I had to apply emergency brakes and there was a quick rise in my temper, as I shouted," Learn to walk faster!" to the man. What he replied made me burn in fumes "Why? Are you in a hurry?"It was like crashing a parked car and saying  "Hey!! you were in my way".                                                          
                                           The process of evolution is reversing. 
                        As man is losing his thinking capacity, so is he losing the traffic sense. Speeding in the middle of the night on a bike without a silencer , with people shouting on it, was never the expected future of a silencer.
                        In the Bollywood's Golden Era , fans once  shouted and cheered the hero ,who ran, jumped and knocked the villian off. Now ,the hero is replaced by the expensive automobile with a puppet riding it. 
                                      But, the night is always followed by the day.
                        An uncle of mine did something which you would call an "exception" these days. He was riding to his office, when he saw an aged man walking, burdened with his fuel-less bike up the road. My uncle got off the bike and exchanged it with the aged man and told him to go to the nearby gas station as he himself walked off the bike to it. 
                                     This made me re-believe that humanity is not dead and buried.