Posts

AND SHE MEANT ‘LEAVE MY BABY ALONE!’

The summer clouds swirled above as I began my evening stroll in the not-so-wide open spaces. ‘Caw!’ Something had made a soft, shrill noise from the ground. Something small, furry and jet black. It was a baby crow sitting on the roadside. ‘Caw! ’ I liked the sound which it was making and simply loved the way it opened its beak. I decided to record this encounter on my phone. While recording, I heard some crows cawing. I was so busy I didn’t realize that something a lot bigger than the baby crow was headed straight for me. I registered a slight pain in the neck region. ‘Hey!’ ‘CAW!’ Quite immediately I interpreted the caw as ‘Leave my baby alone!’ It was the mother crow, enraged and undaunted. I realized the baby crow must have fallen from its nest and was not able to fly back. The mother crow was fiercely guarding her baby from any and every perceivable threat. Being a mother myself I was enthralled by her spirit. What a courageous mother! I wanted to tell

GO GIRLS!!!

Go girls! Go girls! These were the words which were echoing in my ears. Believe me, when a woman of my age hears these words, she suddenly feels like a sixteen year old, and the walking speed increases automatically. People on both sides of the road were cheering for all of us. This was the scene of my first marathon. Teenage girls to women in their fifties, everybody was full of energy. I was so happy and excited to be a part of this marathon. One year back, things were just opposite. Feelings of despair and gloom ruled my life. I had met with an accident, which left three of my ligaments broken. My knee was unstable and I wasn't at all sure whether I'd ever be able to walk normally again. One day one of my friends who participated in the marathon told me "Don't worry dear! We'll go next year's marathon together!" I smiled and thought participating in a marathon would only remain a dream. I wasn't able to walk five steps with

AND THERE HE WAS WITH A STONE IN HIS HAND

How can you have sympathy with the person who is ready to break your window with a stone? You may think that I’m crazy because a normal person’s reaction under such circumstances will be that of anger or fear. Let me explain and start from the beginning. We had moved to New Jersey just a week ago. There was a dense jungle behind our house. We really enjoyed mornings and evenings because there were so many birds and animals which would come near our window. But the nights were horrible. There were lights, but they made the tree branches look really scary. The tree branches which seemed to dance during the day appeared to take horrifying shapes during the night. I’d be able to see all of my favourite horror movie characters take shape right outside my window. So it was 11:30 pm, I couldn’t sleep. And then I saw a shadow. For a moment I thought my brain was playing tricks on me, and that it was just my imagination. But then the shadow on the window became bigger and I could

THE DAY I BECAME A HERO

Who would have thought such a scenic place would turn so deadly? It was August 15, and we were all supposed to go for a picnic! ‘Around 11 am all four families were ready with their picnic baskets. We kids, that is, my brother, my friend and I, were really excited. After reaching there our moms made arrangements to sit under a tree. The gents started playing cards and the ladies were busy chatting. Initially we kids enjoyed climbing on the tree, but after some time got bored. Suddenly my brother exclaimed: “Oh look! There’s a stream down there!” Without informing our parents, we ran towards the stream. The water of the stream was crystal clear and knee-deep, which was just perfect for us. My brother and my friend started exploring the banks of the stream while I sat with my feet dipped into the water. I started throwing pebbles into the water, which created ripples and had an enchanting effect on me. I don’t know how long I sat there, completely mesmerized. And then I

EVEN DEATH COULDN’T STOP HER FROM SAYING GOODBYE

I still remember the day when Meeta joined as a trainee in my office. There was instant connection between us. I used to question myself why I had this feeling that I knew her from somewhere. We both belonged to different cities and had never met before. Still we liked each other very much. If she didn't come to office for a single day I used to feel sad. And if I was sick, she would call me ten times to ask me how I was doing. From colleagues, we became close friends, like sisters. We used to take our lunch together, share our problems. Then came the day when I got engaged. From the day of engagement till my marriage, she was there with me like my shadow. Helping me with my shopping, packing, and what not. A day before my wedding, I asked her to go and take rest. But she said she wanted to enjoy every bit of my marriage. For her it was a fairy tale wedding and she wanted to be a part of it. I couldn't imagine my wedding without her. Days passed, months passed, and then c