Year end !

A wrap to another year ...

A drive along the malabar and konkan coast to Goa !

Drive with the ocean for company , home stay in south Goa,  beautiful sunsets, beaches by the night ,  flea market runs  ,sight seeing ,yummy goan food and happy times with the family .

Wrapping the year with a lot of gratitude for all it held... hind sight is not a luxury , we possess ! Hind sight tells me i could have dealt with quite a few things much better than i did .. i hold with gratitude many lessons  i learnt with the deep realisation is  making the most of every moment presenting itself is the only key to living this life..Embracing the good , bad and ugly for what it is , is what is the need of every moment !

Another year end thought ! if every moment is precious  , why is  such a deal made out of a year end .
As a race , we are so stuck with time as the most important thing and rue its passage . A year end i guess gives a kind of  break to the unrelenting continuum . A period that can be left behind to pass over to  a new zone !

"Make it new" said  Ezra Pound , the modernist poet who made it his maxim !

On that note , here's wishing a Happy NEW year!!

She turns 15!

She turns 15 today ..
My older one...
Intelligent , astute, pretty ..
Its been one roller-coaster of a journey being mom !

Go on , P...
I wish you a journey that's filled with learning, fun, growth and Magic !
and why not..

I read some where that books are proof that humans can work magic ! One of the big joys of my life is that you know this !

Happy Birthday P !
Special Thanks to T , who crafted this beautiful cake ...A  book cake ! and cupcakes with book toppers !

Oneness in Stillness

The  Koodalmanikyam  shrine at Irinjalakuda.

It is the only shrine for Lord Bharata, devoted brother of Lord Rama, in the country.
A unique fact about the temple  is that it is  a single deity shrine.

The Lord here is in the mood of unflinching faith and surrender to his brother Lord Ram and revels in his solitude ... his  oneness.

The Lord is also called " Sangameswaran "as he stands near the confluence of two rivers -kurumali and chalakkudy .He is locally called Koodal manikyam , from a folk lore . One day the Lord's forehead shone brilliantly and when another piece of quartz ( manikyam) was brought to compare , the said stone is also said to have merged in the brightness earning him the sobriquet.

Vast expanse, a beautiful shrine and a sublime pond make up the austere campus.... The pond is called the Kulipani theertham, after the sage who willed  the ganges to fountain in the very spot he performed  penance seeking Maha Vishnu. The only wish he had on the fruition of his prayers is that the  Lord permanently reside there and he become one with him .The river sprouting is said to have submerged the ecstatic rishi merging him with the Lord.

The Temple pond continues to be preserved with reverence and feeding the fish in the pond is an important form of worship.

The stillness here , helps getting in touch with your own stillness and oneness.




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Blooming..

Caught these lily blooms  in a brass container under the lights of a hotel lobby .............

Bloom where you are planted...

These words credited to Author Mary Engelbreit , has held a huge sway over me for years ...
It represented some kind of a lofty ideal i needed to live up to !

Not a stranger to many an uprooting , in the form of moving and living in  many places through my life , of late i have been thinking , the wisdom of these words need revisiting..

Blooming is a process that takes time . Loads of patience , tender loving care, nourishment and it is a culmination of a process of growth.

A plant re-planted , has to make peace with the new soil and go through  the severe pangs of setting roots again.
To not appreciate this difficult process and expecting her to bloom sounds foolish , cruel even...

Nothing in nature seems forced , maybe because every pain is endured in silence.

Let blooming be a gentle process of growth , at ones' pace , with one's means and and in sync with one's own self.

As natural as it should be !

Only then  does it not matter where you are planted.

Stories Again !

Excited about donning the story teller hat again !

This time for a local school..

For 3 batches of Upper Kindergartners ...

Once a week every friday ...

Head is a happy hive of ..
Stories to choose from ...
Characters to come alive..
Events to narrate...
Morals  to share..and
New friends to be made..

Here's to Friday happy hours for me and my young friends !

Turning 40 !

And I Turn 40 !

Grateful for being here !
For the lovely family i have ,
For the wonderful people in my life !

For the wisdom i have gleaned and the miles i have walked !
The story am scripting and the  journey am on !
Nanri ! Dhanyawad !Shukran !Merci !Danke!...
Just a few ways i know to say thanks !

D gave me this drawing  with messages from S ,P and D!
A pile of gifts saying there were 40..

The bean counter  that Iam counted and found 37 and then she says Me , Akka and Daddy are 38, 39 and 40 !!
Indeed !!!

School Project !

I do love school projects !

like the one D got ...

To sow some seeds , tend to them , watch them germinate and grow..

Get the plant back to school for review !

In the process my little one had learnt  the magic of soil and seed, tending & caring and experienced the beautiful moment when a tiny plant breaks out of a seed!

As the tiny shoots fluttered in the wind on my window sill , was filled with a tremendous joy to have been  a witness to this simple but profound  process of birth and growth !

What a wonder!

Night under the stars !

A drive up the hills  for a night under the stars !

A starlit night holds unlimited appeal for me and a night out in the woods is an ultimate adventure to my mind !

As we crawled under our tents , the steady pitter -patter of rain blended with the sounds of the night to create some amazing jungle music.

To wake up to the mountains all around was a huge high !

At KFDC's Silent Valley property in Munnar !

Temple Festival

Temple Festival at Dad's village !

The village decked up to place their Lord in a chariot and take him through the village !

Chariot festivals are an integral part of many a temple in South India .
A time for the Lord to roam and survey his Lay!

This year was special with parents visiting for this specific occasion !

Joyed to see Dad forge connections with his kin, swapping stories and reliving  his childhood !

This occasion is very much part of my childhood memories too - summer vacations with cousins at the village, temple runs with grandmom  !

A chance for my little one to know her roots !

A tree without roots is just a piece of wood ..Happy to have re-connected with my roots !

Hyderabad Again !

With another academic year drawing to a close , Kids and I set out to our favorite destination !

Ps' house in Hyderabad .

Imagine 3 pairs of friends under one roof !

A week of playing catch up, long walks ,board games, mall runs , movies , TV Shows and yummy food -all therapy for the soul !

And the tea sessions with P , Ah priceless !

Till we meet again , P , So long !

Clay Play

Who does not love a good treat and was I was in for a wonderful one !

My good friend and hope central set me up a for a play date with clay at  http://www.clayfingerspottery.com/

A morning of moulding and scupting and working on the potters wheel transported me to a land of wonderful creations and i playing creator!

Loved every moment of it !

A sumptuous kerala meal to wind down the session !

The long rides to and fro with the inimitable A and her wonderful stories adding to the fun !

A , That was wonderful and will be cherished for-ever , Thank You! 

Picket Fences and Sunsets

I
A Sunny evening & a long walk ..
This time outside the gates of the community we live.

As i passed by a white picket fence and the vast expanse that lay ahead , lit up by a setting sun , all i could think of was the utility of borders !

Yes, they do serve a purpose but does not all magic lie outside our comfort zone?

As i walked longer and more away from the usual beaten track i felt the expanse inviting and enthralling with the promise of discovering something unseen..

Let me walk more of these roads , As long as i can trace my way back home !

And one thing i knew for sure - Being lost is also temporary and Home is never far away !