Winter Magic!!

Mother Nature never ceases to amaze me. I have been working here in United States for the past 4 months now and it happens to be experiencing the winter magic at present. I thought this meant bone-chilling winds, white, soft snow flakes, and skiing. How naive could I be? I never really thought it could be anything beyond my perception. But my perception just happened to be a subset of the variations of the winter weather of this country. During these 4 months I have experienced atleast 3 types of snowfall. One in which the snow interestingly resembles crushed ice., second in which the the snow resembles tiny thermocol balls and third but not the least, the classic snowflakes that actually fit perfectly in my perception. And if you thought that was it, you are absolutely wrong. If we can have so many varieties of snow why not the rain!??

Last week, I got to experience a phenomenon called 'freezing rain'. Tiny drops of rain fall from the skies in their usual liquid form, but by the time they reach the earth, they have already turned into frozen drops, and the temperatures during this phenomenon drop to freezing point so drastically, that the any raindrops that might have fallen on windowsills or tree branches etc. actually freeze up within seconds, forming tiny icicles all over the city. It was a very cold, wet and awe-inspiring experience.

Another interesting and dangerous phenomenon is the 'black ice'. Wherein, the rainwater on the ground, actually freezes up, but stays transparent. Needless to say, this causes vehicles to skid dangerously, due to lack of any traction.

If you are thinking what inspired me to write this post, let me disclose, that I am sitting by my apartment window, looking at the winter snow storm going about its job, burying cars and erasing all marks of man-made pathways. Its frightening and exciting at the same time, as I am looking forward to building my first snowman at the end of it all. Whether I finally get to build it or not....only time will tell.

A Leaf From a Daughter's Diary

This post is a salute to the man who means the most to me in this world.

She hopped around the little playground, filled with mirth. There was a sparkle in her eyes, just as brilliant as the warm sunrays falling on her beautiful face. A gentle breeze mischievously tugged at her black tresses, as she emptied her small bucketful of water into the sand-pit and started giving it a shape, humming softly all the while, unmindful of everyone and everything around her, as if enclosed in a bubble. The bubble finally burst with the voice of her mother calling out to her. She dropped her bucket, and ran towards her mother’s voice, drawn to it like metal to magnet. Mother swept her into her arms and Father gently kissed his little princess on the forehead. “What have you been up to, my darling?” he asked. She smiled naughtily, and whispered, “It’s a secret. I’ll tell you if you promise you won’t tell mom”. Father smiled and winked at mother, who handed the little girl to her husband and hurried in to prepare tea. He sat her down on his lap and declared dramatically, “Cross my heart and hope to die!”. Satisfied, she smiled at him, and took his finger into her little hands, leading the way, towards the sand-pit.

It was a tiny little house, complete with a stone-lined pathway leading to the entrance door. There was also some crude landscaping of stones, grass and leaves along with some shrub pieces which only a child can pass off as trees!
She hugged him tight and kissing his stubbled cheek, announced confidently, “When I grow up, one day, this is the house I am going to build for you and Mom! Promise, you won’t tell Mom. I want to surprise her!”

He looked in her deep black eyes and saw the distinct sparkle. They say, a child’s eyes are transparent windows that allow one to see right through into their hearts! He could see the genuine pride and love with which she had just confided her secret in him, in those eyes. It flooded his own heart with pride, love…..and gratitude. Gratitude that he had been blessed with a baby girl like her. He remembered the day she was born. The nurse had brought her to him with an almost apologetic expression on her face, and announced quietly that it was a girl. He had leapt with joy at this news. It confused the nurse. She wondered if he had heard wrong. She again mentioned to him that the baby was indeed only a girl, expecting to see the joyous expression on his face get replaced by disappointment. Instead, his happiness and exuberance only seemed to have increased further. He explained to the perplexed nurse, that he was indeed overjoyed to be blessed with ‘Laxmi’, and that in his household, a girl child was considered a boon and not bane.

As he smiled at the look on the nurse’s face and took the infant in his arms, her baby feet gently kicked at his forearm, and she gazed at him with those same black intense eyes. He knew then, that his love affair with his bundle of joy had just begun.....

Dear Readers, this post is a blend of fiction and reality. That little girl is actually me and my two sisters…and the father is our beloved Dad. There is no greater happiness for a child than to know that he/she was so wanted. Thanks to our Mom, we know that at a time when a male child was still the greatest desire of every prospective parent in India, and the birth of a girl child was as welcome as an earthquake, we three were truly…WANTED.

Indian Politics

Politics – traditionally stood for the theory and practice of government, especially the activities associated with governing, with obtaining legislative or executive power, or with forming and running organizations connected with government.

This interpretation seems to have metamorphosed into something else, in today’s day and time. Politics in India, today has many facets or parts like greed, dictatorship, corruption, manipulation, race for power etc., which make it a Whole. An ugly regressive phenomenon.

I am currently on an assignment in Cleveland, USA. The other day, someone from India, based here in USA, for many years now, with no plans to return, struck up conversation about the Indian political scene. He reprimanded the Indian youth for not taking active participation in the improvement of the political situation of the country..me included.

At first I felt anger. How can someone born in India, sitting so many miles away from the country, completely wash his hands off any responsibility towards improving the state of politics in India by cleansing it of corruption, and happily blame us youngsters, living in the country of inaction? India is as much a responsibility of the so called NRIs as it is of the youth and children living in India. But that is not the subject of this article.

All this talk about Indian politics got me thinking. India is the biggest democracy in the world..and also one of the most corrupt. The current situation is indeed disturbing. There is not a single political party that I can pin-point for NOT being corrupt. Strategic coalitions are formed and broken every other day. Crores of Rupees have been and are still being wasted every day by adjourning of the parliamentary sessions. There is a constant tug of war between the government and the opposition to get an upper hand, the honorable MPs spending more time in television studios and press conferences instead of the parliament house, even if it means inefficient governance. Misuse of funds, is the norm of the day. In short, India is a very sick and crippled democracy. And WE are the reason for it.

I felt light-headed. Why have we become so myopic in our perspective of life that we cannot even see beyond ourselves? Why is it always MY life, MY family, but OUR Nation? Why has India ceased to be a part of the indian heart and soul? When will I stand up and accept the onus for better governance of MY country?

I am sure there are hundreds and thousands of Indians like me, who are aware of everything I just mentioned, and yet indifferent. But my dear fellow Indians, please realize, that we won’t get better as individuals and as a democratic nation, unless we really do ACT. Come, join hands to truly make this a great nation. After all, we have a billion different opportunities to make this happen!