#126 An old lady

An Old lady

Pic Courtesy: dreamstime.com

I got transferred to another city because of my job. The flat where I lived was surrounded by many buildings and the region appeared quite congested. So, in order to enjoy fresh air, I would prefer to go to terrace every morning and practice some Yoga exercises.  Then I would head towards my room, read news headlines from a national Newspaper along with a hot cup of coffee. This is how my morning would go usually. 

One weekend I decided to go for a morning walk so that I could have a glimpse of the nearby areas. As I am a great fan of music, I did not forget to keep an ear chord with me. There was a small temple situated behind my apartment. It caught my attention. At the top of the temple, a statue of Lord Shiva could be seen quite distinctly. My footsteps carried me to reach there. As soon as I approach the temple, I could smell the divine fragrance of the flowers emanating from the garden situated inside the premise of the temple. The smell of the incense stick reminded me of glorious days of my past. I climbed the stairs which were about 20 in numbers by chanting hymns of Lord Shiva in my mind. Suddenly I stopped when I heard someone addressing me as 'Beti'. The voice was loud enough to pierce through my ear .I turned around to find a lady draped in a white and weathered Saree and she was calling me out repeatedly. I approached her without much delay. She was selling a bunch of flowers by arranging systematically in a basket. She must be in her 80s, I guessed her age. With her shivering hands, she showed me those flowers and requested me to buy one bunch for offering Lord Shiva. I grabbed a bunch and paid her some penny. 

“Amma, where do you stay?? I asked her.
“I live back-side of this temple.” Answered she in a frail voice.
“What do you mean by back side??” I inquired.
“I have been allotted a room by the authority of this temple. So, I live there.” She replied to my question gently.
“Don’t you stay with your family?” I fired another question.
“ I don’t have any family. I mean my family doesn’t care for me.” She looked gloomy now.
“What?? Why, Amma??” 

“My son got married to a girl of his choice. Everything was fine except the day when he found me useless, so he left me. He was gifted with a son. I was the happiest lady on that day. I always wanted to spend the remaining days of my life by making this child play on my lap. But my health did not support me. I started depending on my daughter-in-law for everything starting from searching my daily needs to performing my daily routine. My vision also degraded. This made my daughter-in-law devote some time for my need. She also hesitated to perform my duties.  She would always complain my son of my presence. Things got worse day by day. There used to be clashes among them because of me.” Her voice trembled and she paused suddenly. 

“One day, I visited this temple in the morning. While returning back to my home, I found entrance gate of my house locked. I waited for few minutes, then hours. This wait made me impatient. But I had no options left except to hang on there. Time passed like hell and arrival of dawn confirmed no sign of theirs. I felt a terrible loss. I thought of returning back to my second home i.e temple. From that day onward, I am here.” She sipped her tears falling from her eyes unconsciously.  

“Authorities of this temple are sympathetic enough to understand my plight and provided me a shelter. I arranged my daily wage by selling flowers here.” She added a line to her speech.

“OMG, how can someone do like this? Where have they gone?? Did they ever visit this place??” I asked curiously to calm my mind.

“No. Later I got a news that my son had sold this house to another family and gone abroad.” She said with a weird expression on her face.

I became furious by hearing this and started cursing her son for doing such a crappy thing. To this, the lady said calmly, “I keep no grudge over my son. He is the only son of mine for whom I always pray to the almighty to bless him with a good fortune. May he get all the success in his life”. She folded her hands before the idol of Shiva.

I was so touched by her words that made me weep for the time being. I entered the temple and prayed to God to lessen her load and bestow her with strength to live her life.

From that day onward, it became one of my habits to follow a route to the temple and interact with that old lady to know her well being. I found solace in this conversation. I would secretly put some money and eatables things in her bag, otherwise, she would object me. Gradually I developed a bond with this lady – a budding relationship with a grandchild to her grandmother.  

I had to report to another city for attending my conference. So, I got busy there for few days. A return back to my apartment reminded me of the old lady. The next day I went to the temple. I did not find the lady. I searched for her in her room which was located just back-side of a temple. I contacted one of the priests to get information about the health of lady. 

He informed me about her death.  Few people had witnessed her death. I was astonished to know that she uttered my name in the end. 

I experienced a sleepless night. My eyes were numb so was my mind. To preserve memories of the lady, I scribbled continuously over the pages of my diary, starting from the day I encountered her to the day I left for my conference.  I bowed down to her spirit for leading a life free from any grudges and repentance in spite of witnessing ordeals.  

“May her soul rest in peace,” I muttered this under my breath and kept her memories enclosed in my heart forever. And I never saw her again..........

This post is written for Indispire Edition  121: Write a story ending with And I never saw him/her again.

#MyStory

Sweta Sarangi

10-6-2016

#125 Binding the household

Binding the household

Pic Courtesy: www.clipartsgram.com

Home serves as the most fundamental institution of learning the basics of life. A human being always keeps learning and this process of learning starts from the very moment of his birth and continues till his death. A child imitates from his surrounding as he has a limited constrained sphere of judgement. He does not know what is right or wrong. The virtues, thoughts and ideologies are ingrained in him at the root level which later forms the foundation of his belief system. Unluckily these ideologies are often stereotyped or biased. The most common example would be the association of quality traits or work with the gender. Girls are advised to be submissive whereas boys are trained to be aggressive and extrovert. These qualities based on gender are inculcated in them through various means such as girls are provided with dolls, kitchen sets to play with on contrary boys are made to play with toy cars, trains etc.

This level of gender disparity is not a new thing. It is a very old concept which has been dominating the society for a long time.  The society which has made men brave, strong and protective, it’s the same society which has constrained the spheres of a woman to the household. Is it logical? If we take a close look at this concept of inequality, we would feel that it has got started because of an assumption and nothing else. That assumption has been very misleading and firm as it has been ruling our minds over ages. Like every scientific conclusion stems up from an assumption, in the same way this has been a result of a misconception. Today’s world is a completely dynamic one. It has opened up several opportunities for a woman in almost every sphere. The concept of feminism has stolen the limelight. Women have started working in offices like men. In spite of these revolutionary changes, women still have to perform the household chores like laundry, cooking, cleaning etc. What if I say to discard this basic assumption of relating the household chores to women?

There are solutions to abolish this custom of gender inequality. It is pretty simple but we have to follow it cautiously for a long term. The first step would be to check our own thoughts and actions to boycott gender inequality. The second step would be to stop labeling any work to gender. Every work can be done efficiently by both the gender. Just imagine how great it would be if men can share the load of household chores of women of their families. This small step will prove to be a great leap in the direction of uprooting the prejudiced feeling of relating gender to work. The third step would be to stop passing this assumption to the next generation. Our next generation, irrespective of the gender, should be taught to participate in household chores in a healthy way so as to help the female members of the family. In this way, the load of the work will be well distributed and a prevalent misleading norm can be acted against. This proposal of load sharing can be helpful in many ways as it teaches the concept of time management and responsibility effectively and efficiently. It enhances a strong bonding between different members of the family. This will also provide enough time for the female members to come out of the cycle of household chores and explore themselves.   

It has been well stated that charity begins at home.  To be a part of this greatest revolution, we must carry it out at a small scale which can be initiated by implementing it in our respective families. We all can be torch bearers to completely eliminate this societal norm by pledging to stop carrying these illogical customs forward. As a consequence of it, we will certainly have a healthy society to live in!

“I am taking part in the #ShareTheLoad Challenge with Ariel and Aksharaat BlogAdda.”

Swati Sarangi

05.06.2016

#124 Get ready with Datsun redi-GO

Get ready with Datsun redi-GO

Are you getting bored in this summer? Do you have a plan to go for an outing with your family but every time you postpone it thinking of scorching heat? Then stop worrying about it and get your luggage ready for a long drive.

Ready, Steady  and Go.....

Here comes Datsun redi-GO for your rescue by providing you the best fun riding smooth experience.

Photo Courtesy: India Today

Photo courtesy: India Today

Photo Courtesy: India Today

Photo Courtesy: India Today

So, get ready for an incredible experience with the ultimate Urban Cross- Datsun redi-GO. Nissan presents you a car which very well fits into your budget with which you can enjoy the freedom to ride without worrying much about the transportation cost. This car satisfies all the criteria as it is equipped with the capability of a crossover with the convenience of a hatchback. It is a fusion of integrated style, comfort and safety. The very first ever automobile plant was built in Japan. Datsun redi-GO has evolved over ages spreading its name and fame with various features supported by latest technology. Its popularity can be judged by the fact that over 20 million Datsun redi-GO has itself been sold in around 190 countries worldwide. Now it’s the turn of India to experience this wonder. Datsun redi-GO is all set to be launched in India in June 2016 for making your journey delightful and memorable.

Some of the features have been enlisted below which make it stand better in competition-

·        Design- Engineers have come up with very good interior as well exterior designs that are responsible for its charisma. Its wide and robust stance makes it quite suitable for a smooth city ride. Its sleek exterior design is outstanding. It would not be wrong to say that it’s a car for a ride with an entire family because of availability of enough space for sitting. Interior fabric is inspired by sports car. It’s high and wide opening provides ample of storage space for luggage. So, there is no need to worry about keeping luggage on side and sitting clumsily. Its ground clearance is high enough to deal with obstacles efficiently without being hit. Its gem shaped grille provides a distinct look. The touch of silver manifolds the magnificence of its look. The installation of digital tachometer is something that you would admire as it helps to keep track of your fuel economy. It is bestowed with excellent Audio system and power windows for enabling freshness of air.

·        Performance- Coming to its performance, the foremost points that hit one’s mind is engine capacity and fuel economy.  Its engine uses Intelligent spark automated technique (i-SAT) for adjusts the timing of sparking with 54hp at 5678 rpm. The 0.8 litre capacity engine has an impressive fuel economy of 25. 17 km/lt.  So, the problem of shortage of fuel during the journey is least likely to occur. Turning radius of Datsun redi-GO is very small (about 4.7m) which is advantageous for the driver in a compact area.

·        Comfort- It drives smoothly because of its five speed manual transmission with precise shifting. It responds to your demand quickly. It has a drive computer indicator which displays contents such as fuel remaining, distance to empty and much more. Shift indicator is very much easy to read and comprehend as it displays the ideal time to shift for maximum efficiency and performance. Datsun redi-GO is ready to beat the scorching heat of summer through its superior air conditioning system. Its 89 CC compressor is large enough to maintain capacity of cooling for any weather keeping in mind the comfort of passengers. As you might have felt that passengers prefer front seats rather than rear but when you are in Datsun redi-GO, you should forget about the position of your seat as you enjoy same comfort irrespective of the position and centre AC vent is just perfect to circulate the cold air.

I would like to test this car in my home town i.e Bhubaneswar. The factors that I would like to check in the car are mileage, comfort, safety and performance. For me, mileage would be an important aspect to look upon as it will focus on the total miles covered in a given time with given quantity of fuel.  One can’t ride a car smoothly if its design hampers comfort. For this car, this is not an issue at all. Keeping in mind the comfort level, engineers have put a lot of efforts to meet the demand of the users. Seat of car is not only comfortable because of classy fabric but also imparts a stylish look. Its steering is light and protects driver from sudden vibrations or jerks. This feature of very low turning ratio is suitable for parking and riding in steep turns. An extra support aims at providing support to occupant while turning car. This feature ensures stability and enhances smoothness of drive. To enable safety of passengers, Datsun redi-GO presents an excellent strength of shell of body. The stunning design, price tag, comfort and safety are the factors that are very appealing to customers.

For a middle class family, it has always been in wish-list to purchase a car which not only resides in the arena of the budget but also accommodates the entire family comfortably. If you have ever aimed for a car, then going for it will never be a regrettable decision for you. All you need is to pay in between 2.5 lakh-3.5 lakh.  So don’t miss the chance of grabbing your dream car with confidence from the nearest showroom as soon as possible.

Fun. Freedom. Confidence. The ultimate Urban Cross - Datsun redi-GO - the capability of a crossover with the convenience of a hatchback.

2-6-2016

Sweta Sarangi

#123 Life so far

Life so far

For me life is like a roller coaster- a felling of happiness, relief, contentment, failure, sadness, excitement. Like a roller coaster, you get acquainted with some other feelings when you try to move further. Sometimes you find yourself out of the world and sometimes not. At a time, you can't predict whether you have enjoyed the ride fully or not. For me, life has not been that smooth rather a bit topsy-turvy. What you expect is not always proportional to what you get. Expectation proves to be an enemy of a person because it kills all joy and leaves you with regret sometimes. It shatters all hope. This is the worst ever feeling and similar to a broken glass which can never be fixed. But can one live without expectations in life?? No, not at all. Because whatever we do is always linked to some purposes and results. It may be theoretically possible to get rid of expectations but practically not.  Sometimes situations appear to be in favour and the next moment, it turns out to be weird which is beyond my level of imagination. A feeling of standing at an edge of the world is so profound to me that all other things, that provided me instant happiness once, are all worthless now. I am unable to observe the beauty of nature or listen to melody of birds. I am completely in a dark zone. Why is this world round, now I get its essence? I have reached the same place where I have started my journey once. Though progress is not that significant, yet it is a backbone of my hardship and labour.

This blog is an alternative way to express my views on anything. Through this blog, I try to lessen load of  my thoughts that get accumulated in my mind. It helps to conciliate me. It mitigates my anguish. Not everyone can decode your feelings because they don’t sail on the same boat as of yours. So, I find this blog to be the best place where I can scream aloud, hum my song and give a direction to my untamed words. A few years back, this blog turned up because of random scribbling and unpleasant experiences. It is not always necessary to prove your worth to the world. When things go wrong totally, no one is going to believe you. One can believe you only when you showcase your old form yes, the same energetic and charming form of yours.

I write for two reasons- to satisfy my hobby and fulfill my need. For the present moment,latter reason is more valid. Yes, I am in a need to comfort myself and rely on my abilities. It may seem awkward to others, but I become more conscious of myself when I write down. I am more expressive in writing. I can exactly decipher what I mean through writing.

There is always someone present by your side; he may not be visible to others. He prevents you from treading in wrong direction or taking any unfavourable steps. Discovery of this blog confirms so. As I write down more and more, I start to get filled up with positivity and negative thoughts get depleted gradually.  This is the magic of words and blogging. I just pray to almighty to shower his mercy upon me so that I may be able to come up with more positive energies and strength.

Here is a wonderful quotation

Good, better, best. Never let it rest. 'Til your good is better and your better is best. St. Jerome

Sweta Sarangi

22-5-2016

#122 Mirror, Oh my mirror

Mirror, Oh my mirror

Mirror, Oh my mirror,

Did you see my anguish?

Hidden in my fake smile,

When I see you daily

It pops up automatically.

Did you observe my trepidation?

Isn’t the end of competition??

Want to come out of troubles,

But nothing seems to be in control.

I want to share my plight fully,

Hope you listen to it faithfully.

At what point my story should start,

So that you catch me up quite fast.

I’m in search of solutions.

Interrupted mirror in between

“I’m aware of your condition,

Fire your troubles with determination

Nothing lies permanent here,

Similarly your fear, my dear.

I reflect your personality everyday,

Wish to see you happy always.

Your problems are ephemeral,

But you shouldn’t be sceptical.

What lies within you is greater,

Than the critics of your haters.

Face the world with all your valour,

Never try to run from your battle.”

“What is in store for you –unknown,

You can make anything happen.

Present is hard , may not be tomorrow,

Perseverance eliminates all sorrows.

Envisage your way through dark,

Definitely you’ll witness a spark.”

I feel relieved after this conversation,

No words to praise you for consolation.

Mirror, Oh my mirror,

Be there when I look desolate,

Your company can propitiate.

P.S- This post is written for friday reflection(write tribe)-What if your mirror started talking to you? What would it say?
#fridayreflections

Sweta Sarangi

20-5-2016

#121 Keep going

Keep going

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill has very aptly quoted this statement which throws light on the importance of courage that plays a vital role in one’s life. This statement implies that whatever you have achieved till now is not final and failure is not that dangerous. It takes an infinite courage to rise up after being fallen down. And this makes a person unique and special.

‘Keep going’ symbolises life and life is always associated with progress, joy and happiness. Everything which has life always shows a sign of movement. On the other hand something that remains still is non-living or dead. Being dormant is a situation associated with death. This is one of the reasons that differentiate a living being from a non-living one. You might have observed ECG chart that records the activity of heart over time period. The rise and fall of curve indicates life and if it becomes straight or stagnant for long, it will denote death.

You should keep on moving irrespective of outcomes; after all you fall under the category of living beings. It hardly matters how little step you take. Until you move, you won’t be able to reach your destination, so progress is all that is needed. Nothing comes your way automatically, you have to keep moving towards the direction of your goal. It takes an ample of courage and determination to move an inch when you face failures in life. Failures are not permanent. These exist for short period of time.

Just imagine a situation in which you are sitting in a restaurant where you have never visited before. You have ordered few dishes and you have no idea about their tastes. Let’s make the number of dishes limited to five for simplicity in understanding. How will you know which one tastes better?? Just by seeing...  No. You have to start by tasting each one. When you keep on trying each dish, you are left with few options. It means that if the first one tastes bad, you know that there are four dishes left, out of which there is a chance that there’s at least one which will suit your taste bud. In this way, you are just trying to eliminate the options. So, you are able to taste the best dish ultimately. In a broader way, life provides many options, out of which you have to decide the most suitable option for yourself. For that you need to analyse each options by trying out. It may happen that you face rejections in the path you’ve chosen, those  failures give you enough idea about the future step you should  take . You learn more from losing than winning and in this way you keep going. You’ve to repeat the process until you succeed.

   

When you fail in your attempt in achieving something, you simultaneously figure out the reasons for your failure and discover some other ways to rise up. In real sense, you have just eliminated one negative trait from your personality that made you fail and added another positive trait to rise up. Hence, you have moved a bit close to success.  This is nothing but application of trial and error method for challenges of life.

Life is all about tackling challenges. No one has ever been successful by moving away from difficulties and hardships. If the time is tough for you, let it be. It won’t remain the same for long. Everyone has been given a life to achieve something significant and produce some desirable outcome. I would like to mention a statement given by Martin Seligman,

It is the combination of reasonable talent and the ability to keep going in the face of defeat that leads to success.

Sweta Sarangi

2-5-2016

#120 Chase your dream

Chase your dream

In the words of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam, “Dream is not what you see in sleep, it is the thing that doesn’t let you sleep. “ In oxford dictionary dream is defined as a series of thoughts, images, and sensations occurring in a person’s mind during sleep. Dream drives a person to achieve whatever he has desired for. A higher dream accelerates the possibilities of getting success. So, one should always try to dream and hold his/her thoughts for long. Dream leads to action and action leads to result.

Our dream is our own and that is no way related to other’s opinions. It may seem vague to others but we only know the importance of our dream. We should chase our dreams the way our shadow chases us all the time. I want to share a short story whose intention is to convey a message that we have to overcome all our hurdles while chasing our dreams. If we don’t find any hurdles in our path, this gives an indication that we are treading a wrong path. Dreams and hurdles are mutually connected. One can never taste flavour of success without tasting failures in life.

The Superpower behind the creation of universe is God himself. While creating human beings, a thought came across his mind. As he wanted to make human being supreme of all, he bestowed each and every one with a power, i.e ability to dream. When humans descended to earth, they started dreaming about their future. Some wanted to be scientists, doctors, teachers while others wanted to be singers, dancers, painters etc. To test the intensity of dream, God created some obstacles for them. 40% of the total human beings started trembling and found it very difficult to continue chasing their dream. They withdrew and thought to live life as it was. Now, 70% was successful in moving ahead but still they had to travel further. God was observing the actions of human beings from heaven. He again raised the level of difficulties for them and found that 30% of the total could not face it. Now, there were exactly 30% of the total human beings left who were chasing their dreams passionately. Those didn’t deviate from their paths. God was observing everyone very minutely. He raised the level of difficulty even more. It was the toughest of all. Most of the human beings found it very challenging. For them, it was like a mountain to cross. Their will power started getting deteriorated. They shattered and couldn’t move a bit. But he was astonished to find that there were still 1% human beings left who were successful in crossing this mountain of hurdles. By seeing their indomitable spirit, he got pleased and helped them to reach their destination. He blessed them with success and contentment.

1% is those people who are living a life which they have thought of. With passion and dedication, we can make our dreams come true. In reality, we give up most of the time when we are in the vicinity of success. Success and failure are like two sides of the same coin. We can never be successful if we don’t embrace failure. Failure shows us our true image and opens up other possibilities which we have never ever thought of. We should chase our dream till the end so that we may be not left with any regret in future.

I would like to end this article with a note that” Go after your dream, no matter how unattainable others think it is.”

Sweta Sarangi

15-4-2016

#119 Self-motivation

Self-motivation

Motivation is something that pushes one to move forward to achieve a goal. It is a driving force that keeps one going irrespective of obstacles. Motivation can be both internal and external. Self-motivation is related to how well you can encourage yourself to accomplish your task. That requires consistency of efforts. The fundamental of self-motivation is why you want to start a certain task. This lays emphasis on your abilities to perform a certain task. Sometimes, an external source also acts as a motivating agent like environment, parents, friends etc.

You might have faced many such situations where nothing is going in your favour. Everything is falling apart, not in a right place. Everything seems to be vague. There is no clear-cut path to move on. It is quite obvious to get disheartened and discouraged at this point of time. You can only think of getting out of such a situation by pushing yourself harder. Here, self-motivation acts as a catalyst.  I have enlisted few points to develop self-motivation-

1.     Set high goals
Before starting any task, setting a goal is very important. The higher you set your goals, the more you feel energised to complete it. You will try to think better options and work harder.

2.      Follow a plan
Make a plan before you start anything. Write down your plan in a diary. At the end of a day, have a look over this. It will act as a cross check of your action reminding you what have you missed.

3.     Read inspirational quotes
There are many quotes available on various websites. You can collect those. Try to read those on a daily basis. Reading quotations of famous personalities develop positivity. You can also paste those quotes on your wall so that you can read those whenever you want.

4.     Think about your past achievements
The best way to motivate yourself instantly is to think of your achievements and the memories associated with these. How did you able to achieve those? The answer is really simple. It was possible because of your hard work and devotion. It is just a reminder that you can also achieve your present goal. There is nothing like impossible. It will surely boost the level of your confidence.

5.     Read some good books
There are many books which are full of motivating stuff. Try to read it regularly. Here I would like to mention a few- Tuesday with Morrie by Mitchel Albom, Think and grow rich by Napolean Hill, Awaken the giant within you by Anthony Robbins, 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen R. Covey, You can win by Shiv Khera, How to win and influence people by Dale Carnegie, The turning point and Indomitable Spirit by APJ Abdul Kalam, Who will cry when you die by Robin Sharma

6.     Join regular classes
There may be many classes being started in your locality like Yoga, sports, Aerobics, swimming etc. These classes will make you sweat. It implies that you’ve worked against your body resistance. And you will find yourself relax and content.

7.     Question yourself
When you feel less motivated or out of energy, ask yourself why you have started the task. What has prompted you to begin? You will not be left unanswered. Surely a reason will pop up in your mind.

8.     Believe in your abilities
Try to visualise yourself achieving your goal. How will your life turn?? Life will not be the same as it is now. It will be transformed completely. You have to develop a faith that you can do it. Have a thought in your mind that you posses something different in yourself. You can only define yourself through your abilities. So, have faith in your abilities.

9.     Listen to some motivational talk or music
Music has enormous power to heal your mind. If you feel low, a soft music or instrumental will refresh you. Listening to music is very effective in curing heart aches and depression. You can listen to speech of motivational speakers like Zig Ziegler, Louise Hay, Les Brown, Tony Robbins, Nick Vujicic, Sandeep Maheshwari etc.

10.    Chant some Mantras
 You can chant some traditional and existing mantras regularly. Chanting Mantras refers to auto-suggestion. You can make your own Mantra like I can do it, I am confident, everything is possible etc. You are instructing your mind to do something repeatedly.  

It has been wisely said by Zig Zigler, “People often say that motivation does not last. Well, neither does bathing-That’s why we recommend it daily.” You need to remind yourself what to do. This is what self-motivation is all about.

So, be confident and be motivated to achieve a goal that you have set for yourself. That may not be the very first time, but hard work coupled with devotion can never let go your efforts in vain.

At the end, I would like to mention a quote that I read somewhere which very well exaggerates the essence of life.

“Life will push you, beat you down and stomp your face to the floor. Never give up because you are alive and here for a reason. Prove to everyone that you are bigger than what you think. Stand up after all the scars have tried to tear you down. Nothing will stop you. God will guide you to perfect life.”

Sweta Sarangi

14-4-2016

#118 Vicissitude of separation

Vicissitude of separation

The divine state of attachment

Since the day of my earthly arrival

Yours every bit of selfless love and care

Which I will always remember

The saintly demeanour of yours

In life’s every endeavour

You thought and spoke

No ill of others

As your lips endlessly chant

For others welfare

The words of appreciation that I heard

For each one you came across

Even though we met for limited duration

You taught me the life’s important lessons

Optimism – the strongest weapon

To battle against tough situations

There’s light even in darkest moment

To balance the uneven trend

The influence of your energy

From myself will never cease

May your soul rest in peace.

Good Bye ,Aai.

P.S: This poem is a tribute to my maternal grandma (Aai) who passed away recently. May her soul attain the highest degree of salvation in heavenly abode.

Swati Sarangi

08.04.2016

#117 Women of my life

 Women Of My Life

I’ve been blessed with the existence of a set of wonderful women. I refer them as Super Women for the bunch of  super qualities they possess. They are my grandmothers, mother, aunts,sister,cousins, teachers and friends. I’m lucky to have witnessed the love and care of my great grandmother also, she was the iron lady of our family who fought till death. I’m always inspired by their way of leading life in a disciplined and systematic way. I can never imagine a moment of my life without any of them, they are God’s most beautiful creations- I admit.  As a matter of fact, they don’t require any special day to be honored or blessed as they are an inseparable part of my very existence. This is a tiniest attempt of mine to display my respect for them. So I present this poem as a humble tribute to all women of my life. A heart felt gratitude for making me who I’m today…

To all the beauties out

Manifesting in all relations, no doubt

About your wisdom and care

You’re my grandma

The owner of fantasies and land

Of exotic arena

From you I exist, Oh! Mother

Every bit of me, you gather,

Nourish and your touch-so tender

You’re my life’s essential flavour.

From being teachers, to friends

You’ve been in my precious moments

You’re my aunts – so lovely

Amongst the world’s finest ladies.

My shadow, my soul

You’re the one whom I always call

To dispel the hideous thoughts of despair

You’re none other than my sister

Oh! My teachers and your charm

Who transfer me to a utopian realm

Your infinite words of courage and guidance

Would put me in a state of trance

At last but not the least

I met with you all by fate’s trick

You’re wonderful jewels- my friends

Rise up high till the end

You all don’t need a day

To be remembered and blessed

As you dwell in my heart’s cage

I worship the innocence and valor

Embedded in the existence of yours.

You’re my role models..

Wishing you a very Happy International Women’s Day !! :D

Swati Sarangi

08.03.2016