The fragrant cloud

  The Riddle of the Shoes   Today, I went with some of my office colleagues to the ISKCON temple of our city, to attend a religious feast. Two ladies and two gentlemen...that was the team. Hearing the Arti in progress, we went hurriedly inside the temple to join in. The sweet fragrance of the incense sticks, the sound of the conch shells and the soothing bhajans sung by the devotees engulfed me so totally that I seemed to have been transported to a different realm full of peace and tranquility. The 'rush and hurry' of daily routine, the 'forever running against time', the 'never a moment to sit down'...all seemed to be suspended for a moment. We hurriedly went up the stairs leading to the main temple which housed the Arti Hall. All the devotees left their shoes on the ground at the foot of the staircase. Our two male colleagues decided to skip the Arti and stayed outside. From there, they had wandered to a construction site where one of them was having his

The Flying Bed: Episode 2-Reviving the Rhino The apple of my eye, rather the apples of my eye-my two sons. Spending time with them is the only thing I want to do all the time. Living their imagination, imagining life beyond the immediate boundaries. That’s what we do at bedtime! All bedtime stories have been exhausted. So, I have started embarking on the adventures of the flying bed, our latest fantasy airship to travel wherever we want to under cover of the night. So, here we go again on another adventure. The adventure of the flying bed. Captain Columbus (that’s me), Captain Optimus, Captain Maximus (my sons) and Genie (of the lamp) are quite ready for another important mission. No lieutenants except for errand boy Genie! Columbus, Maximus and Optimus have to constantly think on their feet to face the numerous challenges that usually come in the way of the flying bed. So, boys, let’s head west towards the Thar desert. On the slightest touch of the start button, the flying bed