'LIGHT' IS THE WONDER OF WONDERS!

"The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity."                                        
Walt Whitman

                                              

                             Sunrise at a place in southern India.

‘Light’ is the wonder of wonders that creates an incredibly fascinating phenomenon. The reality of light displays multiple facets enfolding the charismatic character of the cosmos.  For one it denotes the powerful universal life-giving truths. Humankind is blessed to witness the enchantingly calm and serene dawn light, uplifting daylight, a distinct and mind-blowing light of the rising sun, the blazing light patterns of the setting sun, the mysterious twilight hues, the celestial moonlight and sometimes the inky dark light of the night.

                 

             Full moon clicked from the verandah of our home at Patiala.

Moon’s pale golden light is a marvel. It is the night light to the world. The moonlit nights are the loveliest and have myriad romantic connotations. The poets have explored the depths of their imagination to describe the beauty and grandeur of the moon's mystery.

Moon is a photographer’s delight the way it passes through many phases to attain its final circular shape. To take a walk in the moonlit night is an experience indescribable! Watching 'THE TAJ'(one of the wonders of the world) at Agra in moonlight feels bewitchingly out of this world. The moon figures as ‘CHANDA MAMA’ (uncle moon) in children's stories and lullabies. This nature's lamp is both awe-inspiring and magnificence incarnate!

            
Autumn's blazing colors in the afternoon's golden sunshine in the US.


Sunlight is dynamism personified- a force unique. It is a giver of life to all organisms. During summers, it scorches but is a boon in winters. Wintery days morph into a paradise of sorts with golden yellow sunlight embracing the space all around.

For the first time could click a lightning flash from the coutryard of our house.


Then there is the creepy sudden streak of light, which precedes thunder on rainy days. The flash of scary bright light in the sky is one of the awesome mysteries of nature and does need no explanation.

Man’s super brainpower has learned to generate electric light from water from coal and from sunlight. The simple electric bulb whose light we take for granted is like a ‘miniature sun’ at night. It has revolutionized our lives even beyond imagination.

Nature’s bountiful light sources together with man’s God-given innovative abilities for creating light are enough reasons to label man as God’s favorite creation.

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INNER JOURNEY IS AN EVERYDAY AFFAIR

Inner journey creates possibilities for unchartered journeys.

Our inner voice goads us to listen to the call of yonder mountains.

INNER JOURNEY IS AN EVERYDAY AFFAIR                             

Human psyche’s veiled corridors,

Nurture an inner voice.

A lurking quiet force,

A shadowy presence that rules,

Pokes, as well as admonishes.

Perhaps the inner voice is more of

A guiding lighthouse,

Going back and forth eternally.   

Sneaking deep into mind’s keyhole,

Living, reliving moments never told.

It's spell catapults a thinking mind

To heights hitherto unassailable. 

..

Isn’t it that man is the chosen one?

To play God’s magic on earth. 



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IMAGES: MONSOON SCENARIO AMIDST HILLS

"Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky."  
Rabindranath Tagore.

Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky. Rabindranath Tagore
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/rain

                                                                                                                           

We're witnessing the fag end of monsoon season in the hills, where we're putting up these days. Below are a few pictures of nature's spectacle, clicked during the week.

Dark clouds holidaying.

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Pines and sundry vegetation in our complex.

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A spider's web held me spellbound in the morning.
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                                                                        Afternoon shot during a walk.

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 Joyful lush green valley overlooking our balcony.

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A thin sheet of mist engulfing the peak of the hill, while the sun tries to wriggle out.

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The greyish sheet of clouds that stays the whole day.

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Purple hues adorn our lawn.

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HEART O HEART!!

From my archives: Autumnal scene (in the US) charms the heart!

"Your heart is the most powerful organ. It breaks, heals and becomes stronger again."

It is your heart!

Let it be never caged.

Let its potent vision be never grazed.

Let it articulate its smoldering spells.

Let it not throttle its cathartic swells.

Let it smash the toxic social bonds,  

Let not its tenderness with pretense downed.

Let it flourish in a swirl of loving kindness,

Let it receive the sensations of warm-heartedness.

Let it smile to wean the miseries away,

Let it smoothen muddles that bind night and day.

Let not its heartstrings be ever incommunicado,

Let them burst with courage, faith, and bravado.

Let it not be messed up by gibes and prickles,

It’ll surely transcend the inane and the fickle.

........

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OUR GREEN WORLD

G is for Green World:

Human race or any other living organism would not have survived but for the blessed green world around us. God has been kind and thoughtful  to gauge our needs and make provisions accordingly. Nature’s mammoth powers have bestowed upon us overwhelming variety, which nudges our exploratory tendencies forever.

Nature’s benedictions in the form of everyday wonders act as a source of eternal joy, hope, and inspiration. Our green cover is an indescribable reservoir of God’s gifts. It is our lifeblood.  Just imagine its absence. The thought itself is menacing. Man and all other organisms would go extinct.

The green world encompasses in its fold the treasures such as trees, bushes, plants, flowers, herbs and countless forms of vegetation.

The food chain of crops, vegetables, fruits etc. provide nutrition to humans and animals for sustenance.

Miracles of the green world are immeasurable.

Greeneries are great purifiers. They release oxygen and take in carbon dioxide. Thus, maintain a hugely beneficial eco system. Life without the green world is unthinkable.

The beauty of nature has been a beacon of inspiration for artists of all hues. The poetic world would have been bereft of the masterpiece “The Daffodils” had not Wordsworth seen them dancing merrily in the breeze at the bank of a lake.

Where would the birds, the squirrels, the bees and the butterflies have built their habitats sans green world? The cicadian notes would have been missing from the shadowy evenings. The mysterious cacophonic orchestra of the innumerable insects and other species, which reside in its midst, numbing our senses would have disappeared altogether.

Aren't the plants necessary for our wellbeing and happiness? They hold enormous possibilities for the good of humanity.

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FASCINATING CLOUDY FORMATIONS

"The best thing one can do when it is raining is to let it rain."               
Henry Wordsworth Longfellow

We're putting up amidst Shiwalik hills these days. Here the rainy season is in full swing. It rained torrentially yesterday. Extensive landslides together with the uprooting of trees happened. The authorities are doing their utmost to provide relief to the affected.

One is helpless in the face of nature's fury. Yet life moves on!

Pictures ( below) taken during the week of multiple vignettes of the monsoon skyline!

F is for Fascinating:

The thick clouds are barring the sun from making its appearance. Yet cleverly the sun wriggles out now and then to spread its brilliance. Clicked early morning today!

The hills engulfed with mist after a generous bout of showers.

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AN OUT OF THE BOX NARRATIVE

'E' is for enjoying  the simplest pleasures of life:

Strange that a small and simple object could take you down the memory lane and fill you up with nostalgia so effusive that it starts simmering in the psychic recess and waits for the time when it would be articulated. The urge to bring it into focus was intensely triggered when I saw it sitting snugly in the bathroom in the familiar company of a bucket, a low stool, and a bath mug. There and then, I decided to let it tell its own story. Instantly an insignificant thing transformed itself into a raconteur of sorts.

Dear readers don’t  feel shocked to know who I’m. I’m in fact a SMALL PLASTIC TUB cherished by the family for more than forty years till date. It all began long back when a young married couple was blessed with a sweet baby boy. Their first-born was special and deserved the best. Happily, they purchased all the baby stuff from baby soap to baby oil to baby powder (all Johnson and Johnson products) along with colorfully designed baby towels. They bought something else also. They bought Me. I’s a carrot-colored cute looking mini bath tub. 

Google image

 Things settled down slowly in the household and a routine took shape.   I’d wait for the baby’s mom to come home from work and give a bath to the baby.  As soon as she would come, the first thing she would do was to prepare for the baby’s bath. The housemaid who took care of the baby in mom’s absence knew exactly what to do. She would bring me from the bathroom along with other supplies to the sunny verandah where the grand ritual used to take place. A wok filled with warm water (heated by the maid in advance) was waiting for the purpose. First, the baby would be given a soft oil massage, which he enjoyed immensely and responded merrily to the gentle rubbing of his tiny frame.

After I was wiped out extra clean from inside, the lady would place me in the middle of the sunny verandah and fill less than half of me with the tepid water. In the meantime, the baby would be placed in my lap supported by the mother’s arm around his neck. OMG, how happy the baby would become instantly. He’d play and splash water with his hands, while charmingly opening and closing his eyes as the tiny droplets entered into his eyes. The mom’d tenderly watch the baby indulging in that playful exercise. The pride of being the mother of this lively and energetic child enlivened her face. I’s privy to this interesting sentimental drama played day after day. And I loved it.

The bath used to be performed meticulously in the midst of an animated prattle between mother and son and answered with chuckles and more splashes. Finally, the baby was picked wrapped in a towel and was transported to the bedroom, where a fresh looking dress placed on the bed eagerly awaited the baby’s arrival. Grooming done, the child would get the milk bottle - pre-prepared and standing on the side table- propped comfortably on the mother’s lap. Soon he would be so sleepy that only some gentle shaking would make him finish the milk. He‘d go to sleep under a baby mosquito netting uninterrupted for a couple of hours.

Again, I’d be cleaned and wiped dry and allowed to rest in a safe corner of the large bathroom until the next day.

As the baby grew bigger, I’s permanently made to rest, up in the attic. I’s dismayed. It was like a fall from the sublime to being a nobody.

To my good luck, a few years back the lady suddenly remembered me. A wooden ladder was brought in to reach the low ceilinged attic. She entered the attic in a sitting position (her light frame had an advantage in such tasks). She was overjoyed to find me as I was, only a bit dusty.

I’s brought out and after a few days transported to their flat in the hills. Here the bathroom is small and I fit very well in the limited space. She soaks her light laundry in me while adjusting herself to the new style of washing. I’m in the limelight again. Her long-standing association with me has survived the test of time. I’m still supple and strong enough to last, I don’t know for how many years more.

……

Friends it is a tribute to my comrade, this adorable tub for serving me so faithfully and becoming a part of life again. It is a testimony to the concept that small things can provide so much joy.

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