Dare to Dream

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The Flying Machines and the Martyrs

I had been in a chopper once, which my uncle piloted. It was an old luxury chopper used by the then CM

of the state. My uncle had taken us for a joy ride over the city. The sound of the rotors was deafening.

It was amazing to experience the way it alights from the ground, so effortlessly with a smooth gesture.

I remembered it as a sound of fun until the war started. The Kargil war. Scores of mortal remains of the

Bihar regiment soldiers were carried in choppers to and fro. As days went by, the number of trips

increased.

In the early days, we as young people, used to look up in the sky to mark this not so common event. Trying

to figure out what was going on. Definitely it had something to do with the war. Maybe an exercise.

By the by, we realised, it wasn't any exercise. It was the routine of bringing back the martyrs home - in a

coffin.

Some coffins had bodies intact, many had the ones whose faces had been reconstructed to similarity or

the ones with no faces. Some contained the ones with few or no limbs, and then there were ones which

held only the gathered limbs.

It was heartbreaking.

Each day we heard that sound and even though everyone chose to keep quite about it, our expressions

did alter for a moment and then we carried on with our usual daily life activities.

As time passed, that sound no longer remained pleasant or intriguing.  No one even bothered to look up.

We had stopped counting. There were days when these choppers flew in till late evenings. They had a

duty to perform, a dead line to meet. 

After many years, the war was long over and a memorial built to honour the brave soldiers. People forgot

about it and life moved on.

Brain is a strange thing. It stores dormant memories that emerge or get triggered by a sound or smell.

Long lost memories or feelings associated with a particular sound or smell or scene are all stored in a

shady corner and emerge at the most unexpected moments.

 

I thought I had got over the feelings of doom, heartbreak, helplessness and alarm triggered by the sound

of those flying machines. But time and again I am proven wrong. For even today my first expressions

upon hearing the sound of rotors, is that of dread. Yesterday 3 jets flew past in the sky. I couldn't see any

of them from my home but somehow it didn't feel pleasant. I said aloud to my daughter that maybe it's a

training exercise. There was a face off between the Indian and Chinese soldiers on the Ladakh border. 20

Indian soldiers lost their lives. A commanding officer had succumbed to his injuries. Later at night I read

the day's news to find that his mortal remains were in fact brought to Hyderabad and his family had

reached here too, to perform the last rites.

War and violence does scar the thoughts irrespective whether one is near of further away from it. The

power loaded leaders have a role to play. The medieval territorial tussle will go on but thankfully there are

a few who show those tearful longing eyes bidding farewell to their loved ones with dignity. Things are

so different at the ground level.

It should make us feel responsible and do our bit to support them and stand by the families of these

brave hearts who protect us from so many threats. And those who are still naive need a wake up call and

must learn how to stand united.

It takes courage, to answer a call,

It takes courage, to give your all,

It takes courage, to risk your name,

It takes courage, to be True!

The Chronicles of Brajmohan Mishra - "COVID-19" Lockdown

 [Disclaimer : This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to the characters alive/departed is purely co-incidental ] 


It is truly, atrociously horrific times, I tell you sir. This virus is like a *Sumo-Tragedy* trying to sit on top of us and crush us with its giant bottom, if you know what I mean, sir. Like the scene in the most famous Harry Potter, the great, "Muggles, in their rightful place!"

Day 1 for me was a trauma, Sir. After that all the days count under the post traumatic stress disorder. I tell you Sir, not going out at all, not be able to stay in, it's like become fully stuck in a No Man land. Fake passport, No Visa.

My wife gave gentle reminder in morning of day 2, what to tell you Sir, she said "No Moping!" Only Mopping!"
She call me, Sir, she call me twice on my phone from the kitchen to ask if I were coming home for dinner, tottally completely forgetting I was at home only!

On the 3rd day, I pretend to be a migrant labourer clamouring to reach my beloved village on foot but got caught by the cops and beaten blue-black. How it aches, I can't tell sir, all the work and muscle flexing. The house job and the appalling monotony of seeing our same faces day in and out, is like repeat telecast of a drama TV series. And all the utensils lying there in the sink in wait to be cleaned is tottaly like a scene from any horror movie, I tell you. They be like ready to pounce on you any moment in time you neglect!

4th day, it was then I hid in my child's play tent, Sir, pretending to be in quarantine. I saw too much news, what to do! I had symptoms, I tell you. What to do, outside horror of the inside of my home just won't end also! I sanitized the TV, the mobile screen, still my symptom won't go away. My teenage daughter, she listened to some song, "Erase and Rewind", Maybe that singer lady is some psychiatrist doctor of mind, you see.

Come day 5, I listed to Sadhguru tottal throughout after my kid convinced me that I was cured of the brain virus and no need to be in quarantine anymore. Very good boy he is, Sir I tell you.

I learnt a lot from the social media too, like, "If you can't go outside, Go inside!" So I went into the bathroom (that is the deepest place I can go in my home) and cleaned it neat as a needle, I tell you Sir. But still no respite. Meditation is the key, go inside your head, Mr Varma, my holy neighbour messaged me.

How to go inside the head I don't know, however, one logic worked just fine with me. "Can one meditate while working or can one work while meditating?" So I brushed every corner and counted all the sticks in the broom. What a ample spiritual feeling it was, I tell you Sir! I got light in the head and a smile appeared on my face.

Then on the 6th day, it suddenly peeped like a ray of divine light into my forehead. I can't express the feeling, the enlightenment, tottally blinding! I am very most certainly like those frontline workers, superheroes of the day! This feeling of powerfully spraying disinfectants and evaporating the virus, is so intoxicating, I tell you Sir. My kids are watching the Avengers. I love them too much.

Day 7, I feel like a robot without artificial intelligence, fitted with a digestive system to sustain the circle of economy, with just the right amount of computing power. Delicate situation, Sir, what to do. But everything is peaceful now. I am like the Buddha, with a halo around my head, a spiritually enlightened Robot.

 So let us RIP together, rest in peace at home all my brothers and sisters of our greatest nation. 

Stay in. Stay safe.

Religion Realization – Study woes

(Me Pages) - Religion Realization – Study woes

A lesson in my 7-year old’s text book deals with the topic of various religious faiths existing in our country. For some reason, she is unable to easily compartmentalize and remember their names, holy books, festivals, places of worship etc. While she is quite good at the other lessons like Food, Safety Rules, etc.

We have been going through the same routine since past two years, learning and re-learning. No matter how much I try and whichever way I try to tell her, it just won’t get into her head because these are just imaginary terms and people for her. They don’t really exist in her world. They are unimportant! (Not that I mean they are)

The kids can only categorize who are friends and who are not. Some are good friends and then some are partners and some are on and off friends.  

That’s her world.

Now my dilemma is how to explain, she is just a kid. Given my opinion, she needn’t even know! When I try to explain the differences, I sound like a pathetic bigot! Even though we don’t go into details, I still feel it’s unfair to discriminate. She has only recently realized which faith we follow but she doesn’t care to remember it at any given time of the day. And I am happy about it. 

My question is, if the school is teaching it, is it correct? Why at this tender age? Why not a little later when the kids are a bit more aware about their environment? Maybe it's only to teach religious tolerance or to appreciate each other as human beings.

I can’t imagine how the other parents do it, but since I wasn’t brought up with the heavy imposition of religious ideas, I am at a loss how to deal with the situation.

We start with – There are people of different religions in India, namely, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians…………….. mumma! And aliens! Aliens are also there, you forgot! And I am like, here goes…..

Back to square one!

#GaurdiansOfTheGalaxy

#HarryPotter

#ReligionsOfIndia

#CommonParentingWoes

An Interlude

Madrigal Monsoon

#Save Every Drop
#RainWaterHarvesting

The Filigree Frame

The Story Of Life

The Story Of Life

Futuristic Festivities

(Short story series)

Holi - A festival of colours
Indian snacks : Samosa, Kachori, Chaat, Dahi-vada
Common Holi Beverage : Thandai

Graffiti

(Tiny Stories)

Time Lapse

(Tiny Stories)

Soul-Seeker

Nostalgia

Photo credit: Chinmay Deo

‘This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.’

A Yearning

Happyness and Smile

Happyness and Smile

I am happy today.

For me it is being with my family and knowing that they are safe.

Happiness is contentment, joy, delight. It is a state of mind. It is a phenomenon.

According to a famous philosopher, human beings are eternally involved in the pursuit of happiness. They think it is in acquiring the material things in life.

Another ancient philosophy states, happiness comes with inner peace.

Happiness and Smile go hand in hand. However same is not applicable to the reverse equation.

There are four types of smiles

1. Genuine smile
2. Elated smile i.e. a grin
3. Sad smile
4. Fake smile 

A Genuine smile reflects the warmth and love in a relation.

An elated smile is a result of an ecstatic state of mind and becomes a little rare as people grow up. A Sad smile as you can interpret is a forced action when one is trying to cope with a situation. However, the most interesting and the widely practiced art of smiling is the fake category and practice makes perfect. It's such a common sight these days that it's difficult to determine which one is real.

If humans are to be categorised in 3 generic terms :-

1. Optimists
2. Realists
3. Pessimists

Then the optimists would be the happiest lot, always finding good in everything and hoping for the best.

The realists would be wary and stingier in letting their hearts open for happiness.

So, keeping this theory in mind, the pessimists must be the saddest lot.

However, we can't categorise human mind in these watertight compartments. Keeping in view that happiness is a relative emotion, it varies from person to person.

Nothing compares to a child's innocent smile and that true feeling hidden behind it.

Well, all said and heard, happiness might not be a constant factor in our daily lives, but a smile sure is. It definitely does light up the day of others, who sometimes may or maynot smile back at us, no matter for the mechanical factor. 

We never have to pursue a smile, it's only happiness that we seek, which ironically, lies hidden within us somewhere!