from a caterpillar to a butterfly

What is it with a night? It brings a soothing peace, It calms us with its presence, It claims us in our sleep. What magic is it this night? That we are transformed in its presence. We are not aware and yet we are reborn It gives us hope, it heals our pain. There is something about this thing called night, That changes everything. It puts us to sleep yet creates us within. Releases something and adds so much more. I am grateful for the night, For its presence and embrace.  Through it I am no more. I become one with many. In its arms I surrender, day in and day out. To heal, to reprogram, To reorient, to reinitiate,  To restart a new, me…

  There in my sleep, I was awakened by a dream, A dream in which I asked myself, Do you love me? What a silly question, I said. Of course, I love you! Now, you go back to sleep. I brushed it aside, ready for a deep slumber. But this dream me, persisted. It asked, why do you love me? I replied, why does anyone love? Because they like. Oh, said the me, You love me because you like me? Ah, but what about the times, When I am angry, do you still love me? What about the times when I am sad? Do you still love me? What about the times when I am reckless? Feeling guilty and pity, do you still love me? What about the time when I feel insecure? Do you still love me? What about the times when I did a wrong? Do you still love me? Ah, why this sudden inquisitiveness, Why this sudden urge to know, I wondered? I looked at this dream me with a smile, My heart overflowing, I said. I love you not because you are loving. I love you even when you are angry. I love you not because you are happy. I love you

  Who is God, I was told, God is everything, God is everywhere, God is infinite, God is nothingness. I felt blank and totally lost.  Wondering, What is He? Where is He? Why is He so abstract? I was unable to comprehend Him, I was unable to relate to Him, I was unable to see or understand Him. Lost in this deep mystery called God. I searched, I kept looking, For some explanation, For some sign, For some understanding. It came to me in different forms, In articles I read, In the speeches I heard, But I still craved to understand more… It was then a miracle presented into my life, It came in the form of my Guru, Who held my hand and took me into his lap, Lovingly, patiently He taught me to look, He showed me the God present in music, He showed me the God present in dance, He showed me the God all around in nature, Oh, is this what they meant when they said, God is everywhere, God is in everything? It no longer seemed so abstract, The experience showed me God is here and everywhere. My Gur

  Over the vast blue sea, That seems to meet the sky, Rises a red and yellow ball, Spreading its glow and shine, Sometimes presenting without a drama, Sometimes peeping from behind the clouds, This golden ball gives us rays and sunshine. Ah, this is nature, What beauty and shine, Shimmering in the water below, Lighting the skies above, It leaves us spellbound, Dissolved in its majestic sight, We lose ourselves to it, Without a blink or a flicker, This is nature, as I have always known, I cherish it deep, in my hearts corner. There it stands, towering and gallant, Romancing the clouds grounded and valiant, Many mysteries and secrets holding in its bosom, It calls to me expectant in anticipation, It takes me through its bends and curves, Each time revealing a tiny part of itself,  I squeal in excitement at the view around, Ah this is nature, So enormous yet so delicate, Lush greenery amidst the color of the earth, Tiny stream flowing between the huge rugged rocks, It is so huge, and I st

There, in a universe so big and vast, With millions of galaxies and billions of planets, One tiny speck of dust, kept keying away in a Mac, What was it about, what was going on? Oh, was it about a series or a movie? Was it about a learning or a realisation? Was it a prose or a poetry? This tiny speck of dust was a mystery known. Oh wait, who is this cheerful face,  With eyes that sparked joy, With mouth that carried a smile, This tiny speck of dust lit the place bright. Oh, what a wonder to behold and know, An inspiration to some, An enigma to many, This tiny speck of dust was the one for many. A voracious reader, a passionate writer, A casual singer, an amateur cook, A loving spouse and a doting parent, This tiny speck of dust is a multirole wonder. Oh, I can see your brows go up, I can see your eyes squirt, Who in the world is so humble? Yes, you are right, it is I, it is I! Oh, now that you know it is I, And what you know are out of the way, Come let us explore, This tiny speck of d

What is that one thing that turns an adversity into an experience.  What is that one thing that gives us hope and pushes us to hold on.  What is that one thing that watches over us, reassuring. What is that one thing that never leaves us alone, even in our darkest hour. It is a magic that all living things experience, It is a marvel that always fascinates us, It is spectacle that always leaves us spell bound, It is an elixir to all the negative emotions we experience. It brings us together, It gives us a purpose, It drives us with passion, It makes us happy. Every cloud has a silver lining. Every adversity is an experience to go through. Every dark tunnel has light at the end. Every moment is an opportunity to love. Love… The thought of which brings a smile to our face, The thought of which melts our heart, The thought of which is like a warm hug, The thought of which is a reason for happy tears. Love… Love, for life is too short. Love, for the time is just right. Love, for creating be

What does the picture say? The rays of sunlight pierced through the dense forest and fell on a lake. The lake reflected the light, bringing to life the beauty around it. Suddenly there was dancing petals and glittering flowers.  Everything became so magical and beautiful. The forest became something more, a celestial palace... I was this dense forest, with a normal life. A working professional, like thousands around me balancing all the roles of my life. Chasing few dreams and living happy moments every other day. Travelling, reading, writing and growing the way life takes me, flowing with the flow. Everything was good, but there was this one yearning, for a ray of sunlight, for a miracle. One fine day, I had a glimpse of this miracle. It was two blue lines on a testing kit. I was joyful beyond words and filled with gratitude. She was an invisible part of me, not even the size of a mustard seed and yet my life started to revolve around her. Months rolled by, she was demanding, physical

 Here you go with my first attempt at a horror short story, hope you enjoy it! The pic, is just to set the tone :) Kavya and Anirudh had an exciting time with their grandmother. They always look forward to her visits. She brought fun to the otherwise dull holidays. After a long day, it was time for bed and they went to their room to sleep. As they were getting ready, Anirudh noticed the chest between their beds shake. The noise increased and the chest started to glow, catching Kavya’s attention too. They looked at each other wondering. The chest was moved a few days ago from their grandmother’s house. What was happening… They blinked, rubbed their eyes and opened them wider than usual. Were they dreaming… suddenly with a loud thud, the chest opened by itself… and out burst a grey hood… and it zoomed past them. A deafening scream that formed in their belly was stuck in their throat. They scrambled from their beds, hugged each other and crawled to a corner and hid behind the laundry bag.

It was six o clock, I got out of my bed to welcome another day. I am a person of routine and habits. Discipline and rules are my second nature. It is this strength that has kept me going and brought me this far in life. My day usually starts with brewing a sizzling hot coffee. Inhaling its aroma and sipping it while watching the morning news, undisturbed… ah, sheer bliss. The household usually wakes up after me. I am ready for them, sometimes as a parent, sometimes as an advisor, sometimes a driver, sometimes a gardener and most of the times as a babysitter or just a helping hand. I am anything my children want me to be. I find joy in being part of their life. I feel valued in contributing in my own little ways.  It was not long ago; I was in a race of my own. Earning and providing for the family. Running behind money to give my children a life far superior than my own. Gathering information and knowledge with the hope to guide my children someday. I never had the time to enjoy the sim

I woke up to the sound of thunder. It was raining outside. I groped for my spectacles in the dark. Ah there, I took and wore it and switched on the bedside lamp. The clock showed the time was 4:30 AM. It was half an hour before my usual wake up time. Lying on the soft bed, wrapped in a blanket, warm and cozy, I contemplated on what to do next. The sound of rain was becoming distant. It became really quiet, maybe waking up early was a good thing.  Winter mornings are always difficult to wake up, the cold makes my bones brittle. But it is a 40-year old habit and I want to keep it going. I am not budging to the cold or rain today. Twenty minutes later, I was ready in my walking clothes, with my shoes, coat and black umbrella. I walked out to the living room to see my son, getting ready for his morning jog. Today I am not taking a ‘no’ for an answer. At 75, how much life do I have left, to not experience a walk on a beautiful rainy morning? I picked up my mobile phone (something I am forbi

My short story in just four lines: I ran and melted into his open arms, my safe haven. He held me tight, protective and loving. Nothing mattered more than that moment, he and me, gazing, touching, holding each other. He cupped my face into his hands and bent down to plant a kiss. My mobile rang, I let that silent tear trickle down. All I am left with, is his memory…

  There is this thing. It is a very dark thing. It is not a pleasant sight, It always likes to hide. Sometimes it hides behind a smile, Sometimes it hides behind a tear, Sometimes it hides behind duty, Sometimes it hides behind love. The world is aware of its presence, Yet, they rarely confront, If ever they talk, It is in hush whispers and sighs. It is a gloomy cloud, That blinds our vision to light, It is the mustard seed, That is held very close to the eye. It is a presence, That sucks our happiness, It absorbs all the joy from our life, Leaving us depressed, glum and crestfallen. It can be fought, And triumphed upon, If we give it some love, And give it some time. With love, With time, This very dark thing, Starts to heal. This not a pleasant sight, Sometimes hurting, Sometimes healing, Soon turns into a memory. A memory that inspires us, A memory that sets us free, A memory that becomes our strength, A memory that creates us. That memory, That presence, That not a pleasant sight,

  There comes a time, When you rise and shine, A caterpillar from the comfort of a cocoon, Breaks free, To become a butterfly... Yes, I had my butterfly moment this week. I had always wanted to do it, but I was nervous as hell. I always marvelled at the effortless ease with which people around me did it, even my kids. I wondered, why was I unable to get myself to do it… The very thought of doing it, made me nervous. A hundred ‘what if’ scenarios played in mind. What if, I fall. What if, I slipped. What if, it broke. What if, I am stuck. I shuddered at the thought of one of the scenarios really happening. Though the probability of it happening is like one in a million, the mind is such a peculiar thing, it clings on to the most inconsequential thing, to escape the situation. I continued to be in my comfort zone, always wanting, yet too scared to take the first step. This week I got the much-needed push, when life put me through an experience that forced me out of my comfort zone. I plun

I saw a face, round and fair. It looked back at me with twinkling eyes and a loving smile. I was mesmerised, captivated by the beauty. Who is this person, so happy and peaceful? She reminds me of the spring breeze carrying the fragrance of freshly bloomed flowers. She reminds me of the smell of earth after a shower of rain. She reminds me of a cup of hot chocolate on a gloomy, rainy day. Yes, that blissful happiness. She reminds me of life and what it is to be happy and alive. I stood there transfixed, unable to take my eyes off her, taking her all in. I captured the moment forever in my memory, cherishing and feeling one with her. Suddenly a doubt crept in, what if she left abruptly, without a word or a smile? My heart started racing, I wanted so much from her. I wanted to talk to her, touch her, hold her, listen to her, feel with her and know her. I looked again, bringing all these emotions into my eyes, I asked, ‘Hi there, who are you?' There she stood, looking stressed, tired a

  March 29th 2015, a special day in my life. Life presented me with an opportunity to discover a whole new me. I had no idea what was going to unfold. Yet I embraced it wholeheartedly, me and the moment…by just being in the present. One look and an emotion so strong rose within me, it gave strength to my battered body and tired soul. It shook me with its depth, it surprised me with its presence, its protectiveness baffled me, it was so unconditional I never knew myself to be and yet, experiencing it all felt so natural to me. Motherhood welcomed me and I dissolved into its open arms.  The journey was like a song. The good days were filled with happiness, joy and warmth, just like a good note in a song. The bad days were filled with sleepless nights, wailing, tantrums, truck loads of laundry with no time left at hand. Just like those off-key notes in a song, that makes you pause and wonder, why has it gone all wrong. Yet it was my song, I held on. The love, the hugs, the cuddles, the ki