EVEN NOSTALGIA ELUDES

Those were happy days.

He had parents, siblings,

uncles, aunties close

and beloved relatives in

the immediate neighbourhood.

Along with the passage of time

he grew up like a

coconut plant growing up

into a coconut tree with coconuts aplenty

and his near and dear ones

including him went in different directions.

Several of his elders

bid adieu and left to Heaven.

With them departing from all,

now none is left behind

in the village where he

was born and brought up.

Those days of nostalgia too have

‘gone with the wind’.

He knew in the bottom of his heart

with the wheel turning a full circle

he finds himself in

this part of the world

with his wife and children.

This is not only his

story but the stories of

many a people are like this.

Behold

we are all ‘creatures of circumstances’

and have

no let-up from them…

PRIORITIES

Memories are like one’s

children

while some children

right from the kindergarten days

are studious

others often play truant.

Rewarding the studious

children and whiplashing

the truant ones are of no use.

Studious ones in the

course of their life

turn civil servants, scientists, professors,

doctors or engineers et al

the truant ones in the

course of their life

evolve into politicians

ministers, rulers or law-enforcers

who occupy positions of power

and rule the once studious

hard-working, dynamic and enterprising ones

holding the reins and command the

first category and

direct them to follow their diktats.

ROBBER

The day on which

you visited my home

together with your parents

and a few close relatives

I was all joy and happiness.

Only after you went

with your near and dear

I felt something missing within me.

While I was groping

along the dark alleys of my mind   

the light I saw at the end of tunnel

I knew you have stolen my heart.

In the night

after slumping into the bed and lay

your face started playing

hide and seek game

robbing away with my heart.

You came from nowhere in the thick of night

and entered my bed-room stealthily

and lay by my side you asked me :

‘you are still sleepless?’.

I couldn’t find words

to explain my predicament

since I  was drowned in the pond of overjoy.

Hugging me planting kisses galore

down my forehead

lips, cheeks, hillocks and my valleys

you were emotions unlimited

you lay by my side until

I fell asleep

deep sleep it was.

In the morning when

I woke up from

slumber you were not by my side.

My delight vanished and

I plunged into the abyss

of melancholy.

I awaited patiently until

the darkness got thickened.

But you didn’t turn up 

leaving me in tears

and I felt like my

senses going haywire…..

I was still certain you

would come to me one day……

PRESENT TENSE

Always living in the past is foolishness.

It is like swimming

against the river of fluid.

Even  a great

swimming champion can’t move far

and it is dangerous.

Getting drowned in the

river of fluid is common.

The more one tries, the

less one can move ahead

before he/she reaches

the finishing line.

Let bygones be bygones,

I would advise.

Future is always unpredictable 

and uncertain.

Hence weaving a dream net

is always impossible and immaterial.

True, to set an eye

in the future is good

but you may not be able to

reach your goal.

Always try to

live in the present

this moment, this second,

this minute

you could taste the

sweetness of the present.

Your imagination won’t

wander thru the forests

and it would remain  in

the present only and

that would make you

cheerful and delightful.

Be you a rich man or

a poor man living in

the present is of primary importance.

Never try to rewind,

never try to forward wind

but for something important

some thing important….

THE EMPTINESS

One day the new landlord

along with his labourers 

came by lorry from elsewhere

followed by the JCBs.

First and foremost they

removed the gate

after which four tall 

compound walls demolished.

The huge pretty house

in the middle of the property

was brought down

and ensured that

not even a  single

remnant of the destroyed

structure was left behind.

The owner who was watching  

the entire structure

saw to it that the work was in progress.

And

as per his instructions

labourers uprooted the trees and plants

in the already drought-hit garden.

The land was leveled

as directed by him and

by evening thy returned

elsewhere. 

They came back next day morning

and took up the thread of the work

they left behind yesterday.

What happened to the

occupants of the house

along with the

former landlord, his wife

three girls  and their young brother.

A emptiness left in his mind

and memories of his love-affair

with the young, cute, attractive girl of

the house for a long duration entwined him.

Whither went the enigmatic girl

was the nagging question

tormenting his mind, her face  

without being able to

erase from his mind.

His old, golden memories

of the past flowed like

a ‘stream of consciousness’.

In the meanwhile

he was asking himself

what would be the plan

of the new owner in

future who  had taken up

the mantle handed over

to him by the former landlord?   

ELECTION GIMMIKS

Riding the crest of popular wave

he was voted to power

with a thumping   majority.

From the very day

the party elected him

as Prime Ministerial candidate

he plunged into the fray

six months before the

elections were scheduled.

He went on a whirlwind

tour of election campaign

across the country

and conquered the minds

of majority of electorate

with his oratorial skill.

The D-day approached

within six months

during which time he had

delivered rousing speeches and

upsetting everyone’s expectations

his party  emerged victorious hands down.

While he was on a

whirlwind tour around the nation

highlighting the plight

of poor people

and vowing to lift them 

above poverty line

he could capture the hearts

of suffering millions.

Upon assuming the charge of Prime Minister

within two –three months

contrary to the expectations

of the poor

he and his party sided

with the industrialists

and businessmen  

caring two hoots for

the dark plight of poor people.

The gap between the rich

and poor got wider and wider

and the sinister game continues

leaving the poor

and middle-class in the lurch.

All parties while taking

the plunge into the

election arena

always swear by the welfare of them

by ameliorating

the pathetic conditions of the suffering millions.

He and his party are no different.

A MAN’S PLEA TO A STAR

Allow me to come out of the

shell of the star

in which I spend my lonely days

to come out and stand on my legs,

take a prolonged sighs of relief

and look down on the

vast sprawling Mother Earth

who gave birth to me

and jump with joy

and exhilaration

when I find out my residence 

among thousands of

residences belonging to various guys.

I can very well stand

erect and look upon

them - my wife and children

while they take a

walk down the courtyard

in the moonlight

looking around cracking

jokes, playing pranks

and occasionally looking up

they happen to see me

watching with delight

from the sky.

The amount of joy and pleasure

they enjoy

singing, dancing and jumping up frequently

are immeasurable.

Such are the feelings

I too enjoy

when I feel assured

that they still recount

the love and fondness I proffered on them 

all still etched on the soft

walls of petals of a red rose

I get elated.

Watching them sharing happy moments

for hours together until I

return to the star

with agony and sorrow enveloping us

is unbearable.

FIRST PRIZE WINNER

In the early hours of the morning

I woke up at 6 AM sharp as usual.

My wife had already woken up 

and after her routine chores

she entered the kitchen

and prepared a cup of

hot black coffee

and brought it to me

I woke up from the bed and she

handed over the cup of black coffee.

Like a person sipping

liquor in an air-conditioned bar

I started sipping the

sweet black coffee

enjoying each sip 

praising my beloved wife

for preparing such

a nice cup of

coffee silently.

I threw my hands

in to the air followed

by a deep sigh of relief.

I unlocked the door to the verandah

where the  day’s newspapers

one in vernacular language

and the other in English were left behind

by the newspaper boy.

Picking up the newspapers

and reclining conveniently

in my easy chair

and began leafing thru the page.

Though  the newspapers

convey the news of tragedies

be them regional, national

and international

the newspapers have

already evolved into

opium  which easily enslaves us.

‘Hello good morning’

the lottery vendor Chakkappan

unexpectedly was standing

infront of me with folded hands.

‘Sir, have you kept the

lottery ticket safely

in your possession’?

- he was asking

‘Certainly’ – I answered him.

‘Then go through the paper

and verify your ticket

with that of the newspaper’ – he implored.

I went inside within no

time and brought the

ticket and verified my number

with that of the newspaper.

Overwhelmed with joy

and pleasant surprise

I glanced again and

again at the ticket

which has won first prize.

My joy knew no bounds

and felt like jumping

again and again and called 

my wife and divulged

the happy news of winning first  prize

amounting one crore rupees.

Chackappan too was delighted

and pleaded with me to

go to the bank with the

clock at the stroke of 10AM.

As told by Chackappan

to go straight to the bank

I rushed to the bank

where I had opened an

account a year back.

I went direct to the

cabin where the manager

was seated who looked

serious and on seeing me

and my wife he frowned

at us which we didn’t care. 

I took out the ticket

from my pocket.

‘Sir I am so and so

I have won one crore that

is the first prize’ and

handed it over to him for verification.

Manager shed his arrogance

and exasperation and glanced

at us respectfully.

He asked me to sign 

on the back of the

ticket and complied with his request. 

In the meanwhile

two cups full of

Nescafe, one for me

and one for my wife

I was wondering

whenever I came to

the bank in the past

he was not even willing to

even listen to

my grievances and one day

in the past he even went

to the extent of ordering

me to get out.

‘The same idiot is

full of smiles and

praises towards us’

Money is power, you know.  

THE FATE OF ABOOBACKER-AL-BAGHDADI STILL A MYSTERY

It is rumoured that Aboobacker-Al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed Caliph of Islamic State (IS) is no more as per  unconfirmed reports floating in the air about which even US is not sure. On the fateful day, across the rough terrains of Mosul, a large gathering of Islamic State militants assembled to chalk out future strategies about how to respond to the massive bombardments by the forces loyal to US and its allies and also to condole the killings of hundreds of thousands of civilians and militia who courted martyrdom who dedicated their service to protect the Islamic State (IS) which was formed by the annexation of parts of Syria and Iraq.

US which has already declared an offer of $10 million to whoever points out the whereabouts of Mr.Baghdadi who is more popular than Aymen-Al-Zavahiri who occupies No:1 position in Al-Quaeda after the assassination of Osama-Bin-Laden by the forces of US at Abottabad in Pakistan who was residing comfortably with his wives, children and  grand children in a spacious house. Who pointed his finger at him and passed on the hot news to US is still a mystery. And now after more than one year news emanating from US points towards a different story. That the man who was supposed to have pumped bullets on Osama-Bin-Laden and ensured his ‘death’ was not Rob O’Neill who we were told to believe but by who did the job is still unknown. Mr Laden, it was reported, was later carried away by the US and thrown out into an ocean which too is a mystery since US has not revealed to the world for reasons best known to it.

Now that new versions of the story has come about – all contradictory whether Laden was actually killed and if he was assassinated who was the ‘hero’ who performed, no one knows anything for sure.

So be it. Now that US has shifted its mission to Iraq for tackling the menace of the Islamic State led by Aboobacker-Ali-Baghdadi and his forces. Whether Baghdadi succumbed to the injuries after the massive bombardment of Mosul where assembled a number of Islamic State militants, whether he was very much present in the large gathering, whether he has been injured in the attack all are distant possibilities. Being the unquestioned leader of IS who must have had a protective wall provided by his followers, it is not that easy to finish him off.

With even Pentagon is keeping its fingers crossed how could we the outsiders reach a conclusion of his death?

The billion dollar question remaining unanswered is how long the war is poised to last, whether US will be lucky to emerge successful in its crusade against the destruction of Islamic State (IS) which if allowed to grow tall, it is US which is bound to suffer the worst of its kind in the end, US is unlikely to spoil an opportunity.

It is something funny on recalling that the former Nobel Laureate for peace, Mr Barack Obama has been put in a piquant situation. As defence strategist Brahma Chellany points out Barack Obama has seized a rare victory of intervening in the internal affairs of seven nations. How’z that?

PERVADING EVILS ACROSS THE WORLD

Shed your baggage of arrogance

in a deep pitch of unfathomed depths.

Throw away your

overbearing nature in the Arabian sea

or for that matter any sea or ocean.

Love you can, hate you can,

but never try to destroy a person

out of personal vendetta

or for nurturing a grudge

you keep with since a long period.

Never stab your friend

or well-wishers in the back

like Brutus did to

Julius Caesar forcing

him to utter ‘Ye tu Brutus’ in gnawing pain

of both of body and soul.

In this world

even in the first half of 21^st century

arrogance, overbearing attitudes, destruction spree,

rampant deception etc etc

we are left  with no other option

but learn to live with all evils……

spreading across the world….. 

IN SEARCH OF…………….

On the look-out for

my friend

who went missing since an year

I have already traversed

long distance

rivers, streams, hills,

mountains, villages

and cities…..

and despite all my search

I couldn’t fish him out.

But on reaching this holy land

I had an intuition that

he must be somewhere here

immersed in meditation

and I vowed to find

him wherever he was

and with that intuition

in my mind

I spent a long duration

searching him on the

nook and cranny of the land

inquired about such a man

whose features I explained

to each man in detail

and I could get the stock reply

which was that all

of them are recalling

such a man

but none could point out

where he was…

Caressing and embracing

such a dream

I couldn’t feel like

leaving this land

and I am very much

here since a long period

often pondering about

the possibility of

someone from my village

roaming and roaming across

this land in search of myself…

Still,

I never nursed and nurtured

the hope of leaving this land

and return to my village….

AWAITING HIS ARRIVAL……

The sky was thick dark and cloudy that night

with  the moon and stars went into hiding

he was riding the bike tooting the horn to his house

where his wife and son were waiting for his arrival

with their hearts pounding

since they were apprehending danger to his life

by his enemies for quite sometime then

who had taken a vow to blow out the flame of his life.

But a fearless he roamed thru the

streets in broad day-light  

and thick and dark nights alike.

Thru the rear view mirror

he saw approximately five or six

two wheelers following him.

The fearless young man

sensed the approaching

danger about to knock him down.

Still he rode with uniform speed and

cared two hoots to who were following him.

The sky opened up unexpectedly

and a heavy downpour resulted

drenching him and those following him.

Since they were riding

their vehicles with maximum speed

and surrrounded him.

Within no time

they hacked him several

times with lethal weapons until they ensured

and confirmed his death

and disappeared from the scene. 

The mother and son were

still awaiting his arrival while he

was lying in a pool of blood

in the middle of the road. 

HEAVEN AND HELL

It is often said that

the route to hell is

wide and safe

with no steep hills or

hillocks and unfathomed depths

and the route to heaven is narrow

with cracks and potholes

along the way and with occasional

hills or hillocks.

The souls of

evil and blessed ones

believing the dictum

passed over to them

by  their predecessors

rush to the so-called

heaven to which both the

blessed and accursed sinners

rush past each other.

The route to the hell

as already mentioned

doesn’t have any

takers and the path is

always deserted with

not even a single

soul choosing the

path apprehending that

it would lead to hell

and not even a

single soul blessed or accursed

knows not which route leads

to heaven and which

route leads to hell

with obfuscation ruling the roost.

In these strange times

not even a single human-being

cares not and believes not

whether heaven or hell does exist.  

BEGGARS

Beggars never strike work,

since it is they

who are the ultimate losers.

Like the beggars

roam about the sidewalks of towns, cities and villages

when an impoverished nation

falls into a poverty-trap

it seeks assistance  to lift itself

from the clutches of hunger.

Begging after all is an art of living

like any other profession.

THE SPRING

Another advent of

spring in our country

after a gap of three

spring  seasons of drought.

The drought hit fields

with cracks developing all around

as if in a magic have disappeared

plunging us into a sublime feeling

with our jasmine fields

full of blooms

spreading scent

have spread far and wide.

The evil spirits of

wickedness and witchcrafts

suffered by the neighbouring nations

with the scent

of jasmine blooms acting

as catalysts

have been banished and erased

many a dictator from history.

Still a few

like leeches are bent upon continuing

and sucking blood

of many persist.

Still we hope against hopes

and with cautious optimism

one day the jasmine

fields bearing jasmine blooms

would spread the world over one day…..