Milagu Rasam for the Soul 2

He was sure he was lost. He had been trekking for hours now. He and some friends had decided to explore the mountains starting at dawn. He had separated from the group to take some pictures and now it had been almost three hours of wandering around mountain tracks with nothing but the birds and bees for company.
The most blissful of days , the autumn sun warm and  pleasant. A gentle breeze and the beautiful  colours of fall all around, reds, browns, yellows and maybe even a few golds. He was willing himself not to panic having lost signal on his mobile with only a  bottle of water and few mars bars to keep going. Almost at the very top of a mountain track now ,he knew that he was definitely way of course.
Suddenly a gushing and gurgling, the unmistakable sound of water. A glimmer of hope – he could follow the stream to see if that led somewhere. He pushed past some bushes to a clearing and saw the most breathtaking of scenes in from of him.The trees and bushes had formed a clearing almost as if somehow they knew to obstruct such a  view would be a sin. There were mountains towering around in every direction and the stream turned out to be a roaring torrent of  water falling down the mountain’s edge to the valley beyond. He was so high up the clouds formed a fog around him. But the thing that held his gaze was a girl standing at the very edge taking pictures of the waterfall. Yippee he wasn’t alone! She was the strangest sight though. He could have sworn she had almost every colour of the rainbow on her. The worst dress he had ever seen. She was equally shocked to see him. He exclaimed how relieved he was to see her and she listened intently as he explained his predicament. She said that she knew the way back although it was still a few hours back to civilization. She took the lead, he followed.
Dusk had set in and the buzzing of the mosquitoes was getting louder, shadows merging into the darkness of the trees. Eerie was an understatement but he didn’t care anymore. She entranced him completely, the wisdom in her comforting eyes in paradox to the innocent lines of her face. She didn’t speak much English but seemed to understand it well. A faraway country, a strange culture and differing mindsets but a kinship in those kind eyes, urging him to tell everything. And he did, everything, how his friends had to drag him on this  trip, his problems at work, the months of depression that had preceded, his trouble getting back to the living after his dad had passed. The strange aura about her comforted his troubled soul and this was one journey he didn’t want to end.
The lights of the campsite were visible now but this was one time the darkness held more comfort. He had to hold onto to very moment. She said she was leaving early the next day and that they should keep in touch. Should he ask for an address? He couldn’t bring himself to ask for more and neither could she.
Sometimes one had to lose their way to find it, in more ways than one. Some relationships last a lifetime, some  over in the blink of an eye. Does that make them any less profound?  He woke up oddly healed knowing there would be more journeys and more lost ways.
Would there always be an angel in the colours of the rainbow to show him the way?
He was going to wait and see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni3ceognNHI

I Do

I went to a friend's wedding recently and must admit it was one of the most beautiful experiences I have ever had. Lots of love and laughter in the air.
The day every girl dreams off and the day probably every guy dreads. Made me think about all the weddings I had attended.
When I was kid I remember the months of anticipation and excitement building up to the big day when there was a wedding in the family. Planning outfits and days of shopping galore. Yes, those were the days when weddings were family get-togethers more than anything, people congregating days in advance and each day one big haze of rich food, endless rituals, petty squabbles and of course the togetherness.The house becoming one big playground with cousins from all over.
The pressures of modern life have made that impossible now but the emotion hasn't been lost thankfully. Be it a Church wedding or one in a temple, a romantic wedding at sunset on the beach or one filled with the whole clan in a more traditional setting, a wedding where two people who hardly know each other embark on a journey of discovery or one where two people very much  in love tie the knot forever, the overriding emotion is that of commitment. Committing to love and cherish, in thick and thin.
The union of two people for a lifetime. Ain't a joke by any one's standards but nothing to run away from either. With ever rising divorce rates what needs to be remembered is that everyone at the end of the day only looks for acceptance and respect from their spouse.
Future generations may question the sanity of this institution and maybe rightfully so but what needs to be remembered is that it may not work for everyone but when it does work the rewards speak for themselves. The sharing, bringing up kids, watching them grow, seeing you in them, sharing those proud moments, growing old together. That's one risk worth taking for sure.
So that one day filled with tears, blessings, confused emotions, fear, anticipation and laughter is just the beginning remember not the end.
So here's a toast to you friend for those two magical words you uttered "I do".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK98ixu8CVQ&feature=related

The sound of rain

I was introduced to Anoushka Shankar's work today and can't stop raving about it since. What an amazing talent! It's sheer joy to see modern Indians embrace classical music and elevate it to  new heights. The combination of her passionate work and her alluring dusky looks is definitely something of a trance. If there is a place called heaven then surely this is the kind of music the gods must be listening to.

My mom described sitar music as the sound of rain and I couldn't agree more. When feeling down and out, the sound of water can do wonders but now the divine strumming of the sitar have made that pale in comparison and who better to deliver that than a very talented enchantress.

Believe me when I say you wont't regret this click.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_HT-d8W1_M&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_5plCs7I5g

10 years on....

and I still get goose bumps when I think about it. September 11, 2001, I was flying to India. In my third trimester with my son our plane had been one of the last ones to take off from Heathrow before the world changed forever.


While growing up I have lived in several places owing to dad's work but like any Indian of that time, always dreamed that someday I would go to America. And one of the most vivid elements of those dreams was the New York skyline and most of all the twin towers. Mere structures of steel and iron, it's what they symbolised that we lost that dreadful day  - freedom. We were rudely awaken from the dream, such acts can't happen in the modern world.  A new reality dawned on us that yes we had to understand what was happening and  No burying our head in the sand  was not going to work anymore.
Thousands of lives were lost that day and none of those people had a clue what hit them. The enemy was unknown, the cause plagiarised and what good came from it?  The reaction that reverberated was even more befuddling - more wars and lost causes. Diplomacy and politics are lost on me but as Joe Bloggs I know something is wrong with the whole system. There must be another way to make this work. We are all humans at the end of the day, the same tears, the same laughs, surely that can be driven home.
When we look back on these 10 years, what strikes out is that terror once sown into our minds only festers and multiplies. And no amount of wars or vivid scenes of retribution can heal a wound. If at all anything only peace can ease a troubled soul.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xB4dbdNSXY