Creative writing
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Hometown to home
Today morning, I was surrounded by the lush greenery By night, I am in the desert. Morning, I was braving the heat. By night, the cold chills my bone. Morning, I was dreading the 30kg luggage limit By night, I was dreading the last-bag-on-the-baggage-carousel fate. Morning, I was in my home town. By night, 3000 nautical miles later, I am in the place I call and feel home.
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Word-hu(o)b
(The Daily Prompt from Daily Post today is : If you could wake up tomorrow and be fluent in any language you don’t currently speak, which would it be? Why? What’s the first thing you do with your new linguistic skills?) For me, without a doubt, the answer to the above question is ARABIC. A beautiful Semitic language of poets and writers, Arabic literature is vast and rich in information related to culture and history dating to almost 16 centuries. Closely related to Hebrew, Aramaic and Phoenician, Arabic also has influenced many languages of the world including English. It has been a major vehicle of language to Europe, especially in…
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Phase of life
For nearly two years, there has been a constant theme in my life – Uncertainty. Personally and professionally, everything I desired and worked for ended up in failure. I ask myself, where did I go wrong? Did I not work hard enough? Weren’t my prayers sincere? How and when will I figure things out? I find myself mulling over the same decisions. Insecure, confused, unhappy and anxious. I am a shadow of my former bubbly self. I stopped believing in friendships. Solitude is my greatest companion now. Quarter-life crisis, they call it. Everyone goes through it, they say. Is it? ( Write Tribe’s 100 Words on Saturday –…
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Neighbourhood.
It has nearly been 6 months since I and my mom have been staying alone, back in our hometown, after a gap of nearly 20 years! Used to the idyllic slow paced life of Doha, safe and secure with Dad and brothers around, staying in Kerala was as adventurous as it was hard on both of us. We are not aware of the Doctors, Plumbers or the Painters around. We do not know about the local Electricity board, neither do we know the local grocers and shopkeepers. Heck, we dont even know the brand name of the milk powder packets used here commonly! (In Doha, it is either Nido or…
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Through their eyes – Perspective
Situations when it is easy to see from another person’s perspective : ●While feeling loved/loving ●Happy moments/situations ●While feeling Calm and composed ●If we have gone through the same situation before/read about it ●Knowing someone personally who has gone through the same situation Situations where it is really difficult to see from another person’s perspective : ●In the heat of rage/mad anger ●Feeling sad, tensed, anxious ●Being unaware of the situation/depth of emotions related ●Not listening/comprehending the other person’s point of view ●(I have to say this) At times when we are just too stuck-up/arrogant/proud Incidentally, it is the second set of situations where there is…
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Perspective of a parent
After visiting an elderly relative of mine yesterday, I was quite disturbed on seeing him, sitting all alone in the front porch. His three children stay abroad. Wife was at the hospital. He has a male servant who helps him out. Otherwise, it is him, the big house and silence. In the eastern countries, filial responsibility is entrenched in the minds of people. We rarely send our parents to old age homes or put them under the care of someone who is not family. When we come across such a situation, the first thought is ‘The children donot care for their parents. How selfish of them!’ Maybe, we are wrong…
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Think global, act local
The issue of racism abounds in our society. Though we Indians come in all shades “Fair is superior/beautiful, dark is inferior/ugly” mantra has been sung and wrongly believed since ages. I have never encountered racism until the time came for me, to search for a spouse. Then I tasted it’s most vile form. In the concept of arranged marriage/proposals set up by families, one of the initial questions asked is ‘What is her complexion?’ The minute it is known I am dusky/wheatish/dark/tanned (You see, Indians have a colourful vocabulary!), it negates all my achievements, educational qualifications, qualities and goodness of heart (if any!). How much more shallow can we be?…
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Generation gap
The generation before me did not grow up using Google for their school projects. The generation after mine would not have used Encyclopaedia Britannica for the same. We used both ! The generation before mine did not know what it was to listen to one’s favourite music over and over again. The generation after mine would probably not know what a Sony Walkman /MP3 is. We know both ! The generation before mine was not familiar with X-box and PSP during their childhood. The generation after mine donot spend their time playing ‘Hide and Seek’ and ‘Tag’. We played it all ! The generation before mine typed on their typewriter.…
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Scotland dreams
After graduating with Bachelor’s of Dental Surgery, the options available for an Indian dentist are : 1) Work in a Private/Government hospital or go into private practice. 2) Clear the Post Graduate Entrance Examinations. 3) Post Graduation abroad. Clear the required Qualifying exams of the country. While searching for option 3, I came across an exciting degree in a reputed college in a beautiful place. I am referring to Master’s in Public Health (MPH) from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, UK. I was quite thrilled on coming across it since it fulfilled all my criteria. My eventual goal is to get in to the Public Health Sector, hence…
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In her shoes
I have been having a strained relationship with my mom for a week now. Hence, when I saw the DPChallenge, I thought why not write a post from her shoes, on why I am being a difficult child suddenly! ” I donot understand why. Why is she hurting me so much? I have always looked out for her good. Now she tells, it is because of me her life is messed up. What did I do? I can see the pain and confusion she is going through, yet to take it out all on me is not justifiable. She tells I am no good, I forced her to…
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A word of praise.
While at the College food court, the cashier on seeing my ink-splattered hands, gave me paper napkins to wipe with, even before I thought of asking for it. I got excited and ran to my friend, ‘Guess what?! He gave me these without me asking for them !’ (Looking back at it now, it looks like a very silly reason to get excited about!) My friend replied, “Oh dear, I love it how you find joy in the simplest of things!” I was startled by the comment. Finding joy in the simple things – Such a phrase had not entered in my thought process until then. I was…
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Amna
You are our biggest blessing in the tiniest package. You are our heartfelt prayers answered. Your soft baby voice is our antidote to sadness. Your distress cries breaks our heart. Your firsts – smile, step, word are eagerly awaited. Your antics are our daily dose of laughter. You epitomise the meaning of your name – safety*. You make us feel at peace – forgetful of our worries. You teach us to be patient and compassionate. You make us reflect on God’s infinite miracles. Your reaction on recognising your mother, melt hearts. Your squeal when your father returns – joyous. Your smile lights up every room in the house. Your pain…
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Sharing their laughter
As her breakfast was turning cold, she was frantically searching for her dentures. Holding a newspaper, he screamed out from the living room, “Have you seen my glasses?”. Quietly assessing their situation he gives out a loud chuckle only to be met by a quizzical and angry look from his wife. “We just became two of the Three (Gandhi’s) Monkeys “, he explained his laughter. Humour was the powerful ingredient that kept their love strong, for the past 55 years. (This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda – Write an entry having only 5 sentences, with the theme, Love) Edit : This post…
