One Life To Live

Sunday, February 21, 2021

Mystical

Nothing was ever as mystical,

As the chime of Your smile...

The breeze draped in fragrance plume,

And the lavender roses in bloom.

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Straight trees!

"Straight trees are cut first."

When this statement was spoken, it did not make any sense then. Now..?

Well, things are different, now.

Times change. One might understand a statement or a situation, but may not realize it completely until it happens. Certain things are realized only by experiencing it. If something happens once, or may be even a few times, one might still not realize it...or may even choose to ignore it. But if similar situations keep on happening, time and over again, one would definitely take notice of the pattern. When that happens, realization strikes...of what was happening till now...of the naivete. Well, that might shake things up, may be for some time.

A person armed with hope, resolute, and tenacity should never be challenged.

Tenacity with hope is a strong force, which is often underestimated or overlooked. Of course, these are simple forces. Nonetheless, they are fundamental to a person's attributes. A person armed with hope, resolute, and tenacity should never be challenged. It would be derisive to ignore or belittle such a force. It's similar to what Voldemort thought of Harry; how he ridiculed Professor Dumbledore's belief of the strength of love.

Hope and dream are beautiful forces.

Hope and dream are beautiful forces. They can make you show light in the darkest of times. Couple that with resolute, and there's a strong force. Keep working with that force, and there won't be anything that can bring you down. Of course, there will be obstacles. But that's what they are going to be...just obstacles...nothing more. They are just helping you make your journey more worthwhile...for what is a journey without any twists and turns! Brave those, and you would be enriching your experiences. After all, life is all about it. Make it worthwhile, make it beautiful. It's One Life!

Sunday, February 14, 2021

Love, Because?

Certain things are better when they are left unexplained; certain other things are better when they are explained properly. Then there are those which can never be explained.

Not everything can be explained. They are designed to be that way. However, somehow we gravitate in our futile attempt to fathom the inexplicable.

Love is ineffable, indescribable. It is also not imperative to have a reason to love. How do you provide reason for something so innate, so fundamental? One might be happy for some reason, though always a reason is not needed. However, with love, a reason can never be associated. Where there is a reason, there's no love. You do not love because....; you simply love.

One might ask: love what, or whom. I do not feel that it is indispensable either. Love need not be personified always. It need not be directed towards any person. Love a feeling, love a thought, or just love. Yes, just love. It is an intrinsic quality. It is elemental. You don't need something or someone to be in love. Just be in love. If one loves, one just loves.

It is enigmatic, yet so simple. It is so magnificent, yet so humble. Love imbibes life in the most realistic way. Love makes everything dreamy. Be in love, always.

Interlaced Scents

The tinge of twilight,

Brushed through the reminiscing breeze,

Spelled of the rose's transcendence,

And scents interlaced in yester soirees.

The dusk spelled of the divine amour,

Entranced in hues of gold,

Words so precious..pledged till eternity,

Laced with ardor, lo and behold!

The evening breathed sweet nothings,

Luxuriously with a silky essence,

A dreamy heart wished for chocolate,

Magnificent fervor, entwined with redolence.

The depth of night whispered into the calm,

Magic of music and enchantment of stars,

Holding on to plushies, avowed the tales,

Of perfumed memories and untold memoirs.

The dawn enlivened the horizon,

Gloried in hope and dressed in joyous attire,

A golden vow etched till eternity,

Braided in the aroma of endearing desire.

The noon blazoned the transpiring moments,

With sanguine aspiration and mirth,

Proclaimed with love, the kiss of faith,

Adorned the celestial rays on earth.

The smile of the afternoon sun,

Spanned the cosmos with joy and elation,

Warmth of the embrace said it all,

Of desired scents that charm and enthrall.

Thursday, January 14, 2021

Food and Love

It was almost twilight. The rains had slowed down a bit by then. I was jostled with apprehensions and was juggling myriads of thoughts and emotions until I reached the cottage hotel. On reaching the hotel, the host and his team welcomed us with the warmest of smiles, some amazing home-baked cookies, and a comforting cup of hot Kashmiri Qahwa.

The warm reception by the team and the steaming cup of Qahwa melted all my apprehensions and worries. That was the first food that welcomed me to Kashmir. And what a beginning it was! Splendid, in every sense! In true way, it set the tone for the rest of my stay in the valley.

After the quick snack, we retreated to our room. After an hour or so, one of the staff members came to ask for our choice for dinner. There was no menu to choose from, just like we do not have in our homes. We could request for anything as long as the requisite grocery is available in the kitchen pantry. On further discussions, we got to know that Kashmiri rajma (kidney beans), unlike other rajmas, need not be soaked before cooking. That sounded interesting to us; ergo we chose it as one of our options for dinner. The dinner was delectable, to say the least. It had the comfort of dinner at home. What started with the cookies and Qahwa was cemented further by the dinner and I was finally at home, completely.

Food truly is an emotion. Good food, cooked with love and served with care, can establish an unfathomably strong bond, and can connect memories and emotions.

The next day I walked into the dining room for breakfast with the same feeling as I would have at my home. I knew whatever will be served will be something that I would definitely connect to- something that would have the solace of some happy, and amiable memories. And it was. Aloo ke paratha was just the way I would have liked. What better way to start your day! Normally, when on a trip, we prefer to visit other restaurants for lunch and/or dinner. However, this time it was different. We lived there for five days and we chose to have food there whenever chance favored.

We never missed any dinner there except once when we went out to a restaurant which I had in my bucket list for that trip. That restaurant was somewhere near Lal chowk area, which apparently was a place for protests and not as safe (as per some news media). Our host offered to drop us to the restaurant. Such warming gesture- who does that now-a-days! We did not want to be of inconvenience to him, but he insisted.

So, that evening, he accompanied us in his car till the restaurant. On our way there, we discussed about a lot of fun things. The songs in his playlist were some of the jewels of 70s and 80s music, which also happened to be one of our topics of discussion. He even sang few of the songs in his soulful voice. It never felt even for a moment that he was not a part of our family or we were there as part of for our trip. It felt as if we are just going out for dinner in our hometown. We halted for a few minutes near Lal Chowk. The place itself spoke about its magnificence and beauty.

On reaching the restaurant, he told us that he will not be joining us for the dinner. We insisted him to join us. He was an amazing company and a warm person. Insisting him to join was never out of question. However, he wanted to have dinner back at home, which we understood and did not force further. Further, he told us to give him a call when we are done with our dinner, so that he can come and pick us back. On listening to this, we were just out of words. I felt gratitude to a level that I never knew before could exist. We went to the restaurant, had Kashmiri Wazwan and some other dishes, which no doubt were scrumptious and brilliant.

During our dinner, we decided that we would not bother him again and we will go back by ourselves. But he, being the chivalrous person that he is, called us to tell that he is reaching to pick us back in 5 minutes. We were just finishing our desserts then. The sweetness of the dessert was nothing compared to the gesture our host showed us. It has been the best family trip we ever have had till date… all thanks to our host, his team, and the people of Kashmir. (You might have noticed that I never mentioned anything about the sightseeing places.) Food, which connects our mortal and immortal forms in some inexplicable way, and the love and warmth of the people made the trip what it was. Soulful!

Sunday, November 22, 2020

The Smiling Fish

Most often than not, I end up not clicking pictures. I would end up eating the food or spend hours together brooding over a scene and the thought of an "instagram worthy" picture would not even cross my mind. The same happens when I'm travelling or visiting a place of interest. I tend to experience the place or the moment more through my eyes than through the camera lens. Not that I never click pictures... I do and I have a fair share of those too... but there are not as much photos as there could have been.

That day I was visiting an aquatic museum. You know those kinds where you walk through the glass tunnels with the marine life swimming over your heads... yes, those ones.It was a surreal feeling. You very well know that you are not inside the sea, but that won't stop you from the feeling of being underwater. I feel, going alone to such places is a big perk because, that allows you to experience the place solely, while taking all its essence as it was meant to be.

So, there I was, engrossed and awestruck with the beauty and the grandeur of the sea. The shoal of fish were going on with their usual.Though it was a glass wall separating us, it felt as if either the fish were not able to see the other side or they simply ignored so many human beings being there. It must be the later reason because, everyday they witness the same scene. But it wasn't the same for me. I was completely transfixed with the magic.

It was just the entrance section. After a long while of being there, I realized that the human faces around me has changed... probably multiple times now. I thought about moving to the next sections then. I decided to give a last glance around and be then on the move. That is when I noticed it.

An adorable fish moved across twice. I felt as if it was looking at me. It had a smile too - or so it seemed to me. I was overwhelmed with joy. It was a funny feeling. It was as if the fish was playing hide and seek. It had that mischievous smile, like when you are hiding in plain sight and you want to test whether the seeker has taken notice of you or not.

I was intrigued by the playfulness of the fish. Thankfully, after a few moments, I remembered to click a picture of that scene. Well, the picture did not capture the entire event as I would have liked it to, but it did capture enough to rekindle my memory to that event of that day. That's what pictures are for right... just to rekindle the experience as a reminder that you have lived through such a moment.

I ended up spending a few more minutes there - until the smiling fish moved to the depths of the sea. With that amazing experience at the very beginning itself, I went ahead to explore the further sections of the aquarium. Every section had it's own marvel in place. Yes, I clicked a few pictures too, though they would probably not do enough justice to the beauty of the entire experience. What a bright beautiful day it was!

Sunday, August 30, 2020

The Mesmerizing Sunset

For here the sun might be setting
But the promise of a new day
Must also be fulfilled
The other side waited eagerly
As the sun was making the transition
From a mesmerizing sunset here
To a glorious morning somewhere else.

Thursday, August 20, 2020

The Desire

The desire....
To fly, soaring across the limitless sky,
To explore, and be lost in the beautiful bay,
To dream, and think across the brae,
Oh! The desire.....
To be and still not be; anyway!

The Fragrance

Breathe the fragrance in the zephyr
And feel the kiss of sunshine
The silkiness and warmth
For eternity, cherish and enshrine.

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