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...

These covid days are full of surprises, pleasant and unpleasant. One day, when I came home from work, there was an acrid smell of smoke in the air. Fearing there might be a short circuit in the wiring system of the house, I ran all over the place looking for a loose connection with sparks flying in a thick cloud of smoke. There was none to be found. But, the smell of the smoke pervaded everywhere. I knew that something was burning somewhere, hidden from view, lurking in the dark, surreptitiously working up a very nasty surprise!! My five sense organs could not localise the source of the smell. I was beginning to get worried. It was about to be dark soon. There was no one at home too. However, the nature of the smell kept on indicating that it was not some dry grass or firewood. It had a chemical and a plastic component to it. Thus, my sensors were always pointing towards a short circuit in the electrical wiring of the house. But, none was to be found. Once again, I thoroughly checked a...

I have always wanted to be fit and so have always been engaged in one form of workout or the other. But without much results. My weight has spiralled to more than twenty kgs above what it used to be about seven years ago. The recent lockdown has added to my woes. I could no longer go to the gym where I used to work out.  But, unwilling to accept defeat so easily, I decided to go for morning walks. So, one fine morning, I started out for a pleasant walk. How delightful it was! I used to go for morning walks about 10 years back but gave up because of the dirty roads and novice drivers who practice in the morning. On my first 'comeback' walk, I started at 4 a.m. and set out with full spirits. I walked upto the nearby market which was a distance of about 3 km. Then, I had this sudden urge to surprise my parents early in the morning. So, I proceeded further to my parents' house which was an additional 3 kms. Unfortunately, their lane was being repaired and so was not in a condit...

Friends started posting pictures of the full moon tonight. So, I too went up on my terrace, clicked some photos quickly, chose the best one and posted in all my close WhatsApp groups. There...my duty was done!  Then, as I raised my eyes from my mobile screen, the beauty of the moon took my breath away. Gently floating in the tranquil sky, softly sweeping away the light puffs of white clouds, throwing a silver hue to the whole world and a deep calm and serenity over me...I sat there completely mesmerized. Was this mysticism or hypnotism or simply the true beauty of nature? Being so caught up in the daily grind, I never realised I had been missing out on these things. Even the distant barking of a dog sounds so soft now. The whole world is gripped in the claws of an unseen enemy now. Humanity is being attacked on all fronts. Only our spirit is undaunted. From daybreak to nightfall, the advances of our nemesis is hammering on our heads with relentless force. The futility of all measur...

Whether it is a problem of the mind or the heart, I am not sure. There is a young woman who is always going around the neighborhood with her five young children following her around. She seems to be doing nothing except literally roaming around the neighborhood from sunrise to sunset. Her two older children go to school off and on but the younger three are too young for school. In the beginning, I used to wonder whether her mind was deranged or not. But, she talks with everyone quite normally. So I believe that she is just another child among her five children!  Whenever I see her, my heart feels very heavy. What will become of all her children? But I always end up thinking that everything is in God's hands. Even the children brought up with all the facilities turn out bad and those raised from the soil turn out good. There is always something called fate. Then, one day my neighbour informed me that her youngest son who was not even one year old was dead. I was shocked. She always ...

I love birds a lot. My compound is full of birds due to the high level of tolerance from my side. Waking up to the sound of the chirping of birds early in the morning used to be so refreshing. However, of late, they are becoming too friendly. Sparrows are the most numerous. They are busy throughout the day. They will take every opportunity to enter my house and will come in pairs. The heavy curtains are a haven for them. They will hide behind these curtains and try to build a nest there, of all the places. If I see them inside a room, they will be so scared of my presence that they cannot find their way out of the room and I must be quiet so that they will calm down and retrace their steps. Early morning, some beautiful flower buds will be waiting for the sun to come up so that they can blossom in the sunlight. By that time, my mischievous friends would pluck them off...making me boil inside! I don't know what they do with these buds, just dropping them there neither using it for f...