
San rock paintings from the Western Cape in South Africa. [Source – Wikipedia Commons]

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Charu and Amal didn’t understand their heart’s secret, but how could it be that their own heart hid something from them, well it did. Maybe, Charu’s binoculars didn’t work properly.
And Mr. Bhupati, a lost editor, busy sketching the details of a busy world, had no time for keeping secrets.
Why did they give their secrets to Time for safekeeping?
Time always travels light, thus, it naturally left their secrets behind, visible for them all to see, casting a spell. The spell didn’t kill, it broke hearts.
Vasant… Grishm… Varsha… Sharad… Hemant… Shishir… Six seasons talked to the Ghat near the Ganga River. The seasons brought green moss at times and dry leaves at others, dipping the Ghat into sunlight and rain shower with love, the seasons spoke less, but heard sincerely.
What did the Ghat tell them? It shared stories… yours and mine.
Let her be, why torment her, why read her notebook without her consent? She is little, just a girl, a child bride, she has left her world behind, she has carried some in her notebook.
Love is all-powerful and yet it blooms slowly in every soul, taking time for the realisation to sink in and sync with it completely.
A shade of love wrote a letter to the Postmaster who, tricked by mind, read it too late. Oh! That feeling…

The Broken Nest is a novella, while the other three are short stories; each one holds a complete universe and touches you deeply.
Rabindranath Tagore beautifully writes in the language of love, his characters always express something which stays usually hidden within a heart, sidelined by the talkative world.
Every story of his is like a time machine, it unfolds the past keeping it alive and magical at the same time.
The birds sing sweetest of songs in his stories, the earth dances the best to his tunes, the colour red blushes flamboyantly in his paintings and tears take time to dry up when he narrates.
Know his work and you will know.
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*
After crossing the vast desert, sailing through the green ocean, the Little Prince reached another desert. Golden sand waves welcomed him or so he thought.
The Little Prince walked alone. And the narrator’s voice followed him, sometimes foretelling and sometimes sharing.
“But this is not possible, for I cannot hear this voice”, says the Little Prince.
“Still, you can feel it”, replies the narrator.
The Little Prince inquires, “Feel the voice?”
“Yes, you can feel what the voice says, the emotions, the connections, the ideas, the realisations… this, you can surely feel”, says the narrator.
The Little Prince sat on the sand cross-legged and pondered over this thought. The desert wind tried to disturb him, but he stayed still, allowing the wind to settle in his golden hair.
“Yes, I surely feel… and I am glad I do… then what you speak is true”, says the Little Prince as if reciting a haiku.
“True for you and true for me… true for those who can hear me”, replies the narrator in a cheerful tone.
This made the Little Prince laugh loudly. The narrator and the desert wind joined him.
“Hey voice, yours is a pleasant sound… keep following me, keep foretelling and sharing, for I am on a long journey”, standing up says the Little Prince.
“I will, I will… for every journey needs a narrator”, says the narrator.
The Little Prince nodded and started walking, allowing his feet to sink a little and then rise, allowing the wind to tease him, holding his gaze up at the sky, waiting for the stars to show up.
For he knew a star that would lead him to his destination, he felt it deep in his heart. He felt it!
*

(This post is dedicated to Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author of the novella The Little Prince.)
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*
Eyes could see that the mind was dreaming, yet it stayed attuned. The soft, glowing place might be the reason. And colours, crayon colours, water colours flowing smoothly. Glory ruled the place.
Such were the wonderfully true sights that my eyes beamed with pleasure. I then was beyond time and space, happy in the present.
Breathing deeply, quietly, I knew it all and I knew nothing. Bliss!
I woke up and with a quick, strong rush, lively sounds reached me all at once. It was time to live another true dream… it was time to be.
Ah life!
*
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‘Kaun Buddha Si?’ (Who was Buddha?) by the wonderful Punjabi Poet Amar Jyoti.
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Whose tale is it?
It’s left for you to decide;
Whether of Yashodhara or Siddhartha
Who repaired to the peace of jungle
Leaving Yashodhara behind
To bring up Rahul
Congruent with the royal
Customs and traditions,
Who made the glittering glass-house of her life a ruin
Behind the portals of a palace,
Where the seasons didn’t change,
Where life resided in silence,
Where her sight turned into an unending path
Waiting for Siddhartha.
*
And when he returned from the quiet of the peaceful abode
As Buddha the wise,
Who was the wise one,
Siddhartha or Yashodhara?
*
English translation of the Punjabi poem by Jagriti Rumi.
Yashodhara, a princess, was Prince Siddhartha’s wife, who was born on the same date and year as that of her husband. According to a Chinese legend, Yashodhara had met Siddhartha in their past life where she took a promise from him that they will be husband and wife in all their next births.
This beautiful poem asks a simple question and gives a concealed answer. Quietly it is telling a forgotten story, forgotten but real, real and empowering.
The journey inwards was taken by both, Siddhartha as well as Yashodhara. While one left the world of attachment behind, the other stayed in the midst of it all and grew like a lotus. In waiting for her dearest, in bringing up her only son, Yashodhara knew trance, living every moment and trusting herself, comprehending spontaneously.
After she met the enlightened Buddha, after her Rahul became a monk, Yashodhara did what she had prepared for, she become a Bhikkhuni (Buddhist nun); then the lotus shone brightly.
Yashodhara didn’t search for peace, she gently nurtured it within, she didn’t live in seclusion, she found herself in the celebrations. Not in a ruin, she lived in every effort of hers to learn.
Yashodhara, which means ‘bearer of glory’, got enlightened not once, but many times.
*

To read the original poem (in Gurumukhi), please click here.
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To believe is very dull. To doubt is intensely engrossing. To be on the alert is to live, to be lulled into security is to die.
– Oscar Wilde
*

*
Let there be doubts, for then the imagination runs hither and thither showing you new possibilities each time.
Don’t be scared of the different, don’t be rude to the unexpected, don’t banish the unheard for all of it arises from within.
Let not a belief dwell if it entangles you, binds you leading to nothing but erosion. A belief is anything but stubborn; believing is liberating.
Let there be empty spaces free of certainties, rigid lines that defines, keeping records, storing facts.
Let there be doubts, for then there is much brighter chance of a change.
*
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*
Six petals in sync
With orange centre as link
Adorned with white peace
Singing with the trees
Fragrant, pure and polite
Holding the divine light
For it begins at dusk
And greets all at dawn
Resting on the leaves
Or on the path, it weaves
A true reflection
Of perfection.
*
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In a hurry Farrukh forgot his wallet on the desk and left.
Down the stairs – nod to the watchman – walking towards the car – caressing hair – quick glance at the car window – slipping hand into the pocket – pausing for a second – no wallet – retracing steps – opening the door – “I forgot my wallet like an idiot” – bedroom – long pause – returns and bids me goodbye.
I smiled at him.
Just a few minutes ago Farrukh came to get his car keys. Of course, I tried to tell him about the wallet, but he didn’t listen and cutely replied “see you in the evening, Coco”.
Now, Farrukh will come back for the third time, yes he will, he has forgotten to put my food in the bowl. Look-look, it is empty.
When he returns, I will go near the table and bark loudly, for he has also forgotten his wrist watch there. O Farrukh!
*

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The Trip to Jerusalem pub, Nottingham by John Wright |

*
The beach was audible to her in intervals. She walked bare feet on the sand and still didn’t smile. Rhea had muffled thoughts, a cluster of it, covering her face. And that is why she couldn’t see the beautiful, starry canvas right above her. The sky didn’t twinkle, the waves didn’t play music for her. Like a ghost, locked in some tragic seconds, she moved slowly, that pale thing or maybe the world moved around her, and she stood still.
But the beach was audible to her in intervals. And she unconsciously moved towards the ocean. The interval ended, but it was too late for her to be locked back again… a wave rushed towards and caught her. Rhea took a deep breath and looked down, her feet were wet, the waves danced forward and backward. She smiled before she could stop herself.
Rhea could now hear the gushing ocean, see the sparkling stars, feel the cool wind and the cool sand. She started walking, this time not shying from the waves. She sauntered along the shore, opening her arms and welcoming the wind, the waves and the night sky… the interval overpowered unbeknownst to her.
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