FACE THE MUZIK

Face the music 

Be prepared to face the challenge. This is what many of us are usually told by our elders every now and then. I too as a child was often told to be prepared for the tests that the life would give me.

I wondered then, these challenges would be big, huge, monstrous, would scare the hell out of me and I would be left begging for help. But now that I have started understanding what life has in store for each one of us, I have been able to overcome my fears to some extend. (To be very honest, till date am hell scared of lot many things).

Challenges, for sure are there but they are not wrapped in unseen situations, but rather present in front of each and every individual, all the time.

The task that a young mother takes to prepare the food for her child, who takes his Tiffin- box to his school his full of challenges, challenge to prepare the best food for the day, rich in taste and nutrition. The challenge that she encounters to drop the child to the school by driving a two wheeler and making sure that her child holds her tightly and she manages to face the chaotic traffic and lead her child safely to the school premises.

 The challenge that a father faces to complete the office work at time so that he can accompany his child to the annual function, where his child his participating in a skit and wants to see his role model in the front row cheering for him.

The challenge that a tuition teacher faces to help the student weak in academics, to perform better and score well. Its also a challenge for a vegetable vendor to sell the vegetables before he goes to his home so that he can earn his livelihood and feed those who are dependent on his deplorable income. There also lies a challenge for the children, whose parents fight with each other, to make them solve the matter amicably.

The list of challenges is endless. Its even a challenge today to take a whiff of fresh air in this polluted air, its a challenge to drink safe water and not be taken down by some water disease. Challenge to bear the load of the noise pollution that has arisen. Challenge to go out from home and return back safely without being a target by the terrorists.

Challenges, I have been taught, would surmount me but in the century where I live today, I feel I have surmounted innumerable challenges with determination. And so have my friends too.

So next time when a problem bothers you, remember if you have been able to survive till now, you will survive this one too .

Nature's pain

The leaves that differ in colour, shape and size, adding to the beauty of the tree, may feel jealous of each other’s potential, be jealous of the melodious rustling sound that their so close yet distant relatives, the other leaves produce when the air blows through them, setting them into motion, into life, into joys, but the tree and only the tree can feel the pain, the pain of even one single leaf  shed from its branches. Because the tree had nourished each and every, single leaf that it had given birth to. Though innumerous now, and adding to its growth, the leaves still remain close to the tree even when they start bearing flowers or fruits later. Seasons change, leaves dry up, wither away, are broken and detached from the tree, making the tree a skeleton of mere branches, entwined with one other, feeling the loneliness and at the very same time trying to find solace in each others embrace. Nothing remains but faith does and when faith sustains, life regenerates. New leaves blossom but not to overlook, the tree remains the same. 

With the same love, the same care, the same responsibility, the tree once again starts enriching the leaves and once again the tree looks dynamic.

When a tree can love that what it bears again and again with the same intensity, humans too can love what they bear with same passion. And what humans bear is not merely children, but humans bear love, hatred, jealously, joys, pain with their own actions.

A small lesson learnt today, from a tree, I am reminded of the short story THE LAST LEAF- by O Henry, which taught the lesson of selflessness.( Sharing it on my other blog : rem-i-n-i-scence.blogspot.com blog.)

 

A Humble Prayer

A Humble Prayer

A Tsunami in the Eastern part of my country.  A million lose their life. The news leaves me in a state of shock. A riot in the Western part of the nation. Thousands killed brutally fighting amongst themselves in the name of religion. Terrorist attacks in the heart of the country, leave hundreds killed and terror in the minds of the survivors. I hear it all and am scared to death. Famines hit the South this time and I am shown the visuals of people dying of hunger, am grief struck. The motherlands’ Northern flesh, a piece of land, as they it say now, is witnessing awful fate since half a decade now, and I feel uneasy to think about the fact “ what next now?”

Living safely in my home, am saddened by the news flowing all around me.
But am safe. And so are my relatives who are settled in the Eastern, Western, Southern, Northern and the Central part of the country. Am happy. Am blessed and I am lucky.

And I am a Hypocrite.

Saddened, shocked, sorry?  For those who lost their lives and their dear ones?

Alas! These are nothing more than just some phrases, which sound apt when uttered at times when such catastrophes struck the humanity. But days pass by and I have forgotten the pain of those left houseless, handicapped, shattered and hopeless.

Days pass by. I carry on and as they say, I move on in my life. Success as it is has to be achieved, come what may.

I see World Trade Center crashing down, I see scribbles being murdered, and I see girls being raped. I see kids being kidnapped, I see children killing parents over property feuds and I pray to God, “Thank you. I am safe”.

And one fine day, I am kidnapped, raped, murdered and my dead body is thrown in the famine hit, tsunami awaited, and earthquake prone piece of earth. A volcano erupts and heaven falls on earth and a voice raises a question … Were you safe even when you thought you were? You forgot the pain of those who suffered and enjoyed your life as you wanted to LIVE while alive. Party each day was your motto in life. 

And I wake up and realize it was a dream. Am still alive.

But my mind is no longer at peace and a prayer leaves my lips. Oh God please make this earth a safe place for everyone around. Loss of brethren near or far, know or unknown, belonging to any colour, race, and religion is a personal loss. Every pious soul leaving the world, noticed and un-noticed, attended to and un attended to, is a grief to noble world. And now this prayer in my mind, in my heart, in my soul seeks a favor to be spread around because human we are and humanity must prevail on this earth, our beautiful home .