Just be positive!

My grandmom had a line which she used as often as she could,"just be patient, everything will be fine".When my mom came to her with loads and loads of things that she needed to share, after listening to her patiently, nani(grandma), had just one thing to say, "don't worry, just be patient, everything will be fine", I often saw my mom getting angry at her for repeating the samething time and again..she would complain in an irritated tone,"how can things be fine on their own!Why do you keep saying this!", Grandma just smiled, since that was her confident reply. She had a firm belief that God tests our patience oft and on,he makes us believe in our abilities, he wants us to nurture the positive within us inturn controlling the negative thoughts and restricting them in a deep dark corner, never allowing them to surface again.
So friends,"Dont worry!Just be patient, everything would be fine"..very soon:)

True Beauty

I often wonder what beauty is all about. Many people say that my grandmother was a very beautiful woman. When she came after marrying nana(grandpa), women from the neighbourhood used to make regular visits , as they had heard a lot about her.This was when she was young, but when she grew old there was something that still attracted the people towards her.As a granddaughter if I say that she had the most innocently soothing face that I have ever come across, people would say that I am being biased.But there was definately something about her, that even a stranger whom she had never met before,could relate to easily.At that time I was just a little kid , aware of my grandmothers implicit charms, but unaware of the reason behind them. What made her who she was?Today I know the reason....
Be it an ailing neighbour or an arrogant relative, an old friend or a new acquaintance, grandma was there for everyone.It was not only at the time of distress that she was with them, but she made it a point to celebrate their happiness as well. This was her life, she never carried malice for anyone in her heart.It was just that she genuinely cared, and thats what made her appear really beautiful.
I know about another beautiful woman whom I have always admired.. Mother Teresa..an epitome of love, a true beauty.Her beauty ran in her heart and was showered wherever she went.Its true that beauty isn't skin deep...it has much more to it that makes it complete..It includes a beautiful heart and a kind soul and yes it also includes a few words that have the power to heal any wound that it comes across.
True beauty penetrates through the heart and seeps down into the soul.Most of us crib about about our appearance...beauty that is skin deep. Just give yourself time and get to know if the beauty that you desire has penetrated into your soul...if it has , you are indeed beautiful and would stay that way forever, coz such beauty just gets better with time.
Beauty that perishes with time isn't true beauty, but is infact a mask that we wear since its not attached to our soul.
Remember its not the look but the essence that makes you look beautiful:)

It definately would...

Certain memories last longer than we think they would, turning into lessons for a life time.I believe children are like a blank paper, each moment in their life and each new lesson they learn gets typed in their minds eye and stays there forever. What happens when they see their elders performing certain duties, well!They just unconsciously follow them and make them a part of their life. On the contrary when they see their parents lying about something , they learn to lie, since it is a fact that our minds don't come with an editing machine,thoughts do linger on, whether positive or negative, its only when we mature and know the difference between right and wrong, we attach certain boundaries that we never attempt to cross,coz we know for sure that the winds are fatal on the other side!
We learn and imbibe a lot of things that we grow up observing and today one such incident that comes to my mind is the family trip to the polling booth.
It was ofcourse a holiday for us, so me and my cousins use to join the rest of the family and went to the polling boost,inspite of the fact that we very well knew that we would have to wait inside the car!Well that was not a problem,the thing that excited us the most was the car ride and yes then observing the people standing in the line to cast their votes. While we indulged in non serious stuff like running around the vehicle, as that was the boundary that we were ordered to stay within, the maturer part of our home, i.e. our elders took a step towards a new tomorrow , a ray of hope for their nation ,by giving it a leader who would hopefully be a soothing wind of change!
At that time I did not realise how important that one trip to the polling booth was, it was but a trip for me to enjoy and yes a break from school. I did not realise that this very duty that my elders performed will get registered in my mind forever.
Today when I hear people say,"What difference would it make if I don't vote",my mind goes back to the unforgettable memories, the sharp sunlight, the never ending line and the smile of satisfaction on my parents face after they have performed their duty..I just have one thing to say.."It would make a difference, it definately would:)"

The first bar of love

Yaadein, a beautiful word to describe the many pleasant memories of ones life. Stored, restored and then cherished forever, until you have a treasure chest full of loads and loads of moments, both happy and may be not so happy...but I am a bit choosy when it comes to preserving memories, I've lined up the happy ones and try to keep them at a "recall" away, so that as soon as my mind clicks, I can watch the pleasant reel of the bygone days:)
One such memory that keeps tickling my happy harmones is the one related to a bar of choclate! Yup!My very own five star, which when I was a kid used to come in a bigger version but at a cheaper rate. There was a new general store that had come up on the main road. It was quite close to my house. Though it was a regular store had nothing amazing about it, but for me it was a dream come true and I'll tell you why! Right there on the shelf, visible from any corner of the road, there sat the love of my life,my very first crush...a huge jar filled with loads and loads of bars of five star!Ummmmazn!
Whenever I was on my way to the bus stop or while crossing the road..which now happened more often...I could feel the stare of my love interest..and the smell of choclate, it went right into my nose, pulling me towards it, which was indeed surprising coz it was a tightly closed jar, to save it from people like me I guess;)
So it just happened that I got to walk with my grandpa in the evenings when he ventured out to cater to his social circle, as we walked together, right from the corner of the road I could feel the magical spell pulling me towards it,I looked longingly at nana and taking his hand into mine, I carefully poured out all the sweetness that had ever resided in my mouth..."Nana, can we ahem..like...you know what! I made an amazing painting in class, ma'am was really happy!...", Nana just smiled, "God is he bad with hints," I thought, but continued the struggle, "can you like get me a five star today", there was silence, but the smile on his face just lingered on...the hint was finally taken! and then came the best moment of my life! Staring at me, was the most pleasing, adorable and the irresistably huge jar of five star!
I was blessed with one of them and savoured it for hours on end:) Mmmmmm!thatz life!Memories can be recalled, cherished, enjoyed and yes relished as well!Though my loved one is not the same and has reduced in size, keeping up with the trend of smaller sizes I guess, but I am happy that the memories haven't changed.After all theres nothing like first love and no one can replace it ever!:)

When life comes to a halt...there's a restart!

Is it possible to stop people from ageing? Its quite a helpless situation when you see the people you love , in not the best of conditions and the worst part is, you cannot do anything about it. Nana( my grandfather) has been the most lively human being Ive ever encountered in my life. When I was a little kid, I would just be amazed at the different kind of activities he would indulge in .....social service, play writing , organising big functions where he would collect the people from the whole area and have a get together. Each and every festival was celebrated with equal delight, on Christmas we used to gather at Aunt Dorothys place, on Holi , nana's friends would barge into the house and carry him away to play holi, on Eid the whole house used to smell of delicacies with loads and loads of people pouring in:) It was just beautiful.
Today when I see him, lying on the bed, not in the best of moods, irritated with his eye sight, as he loves to read, all the bygone days come back in a flash and highlight the stark contrast. But the best part is, he never gave up and never will. There are days when he is in his best moods and at that point of time, I can see a young man, rejuvinated with the great spirit that he had always possessed and singing the good old tunes of life......simply at his poetic best;)

A small lesson

Nana often talks about the small but beautiful things in life. Having the honour of being taught and having the company of some of the great personalities of our nation, he has learnt an important lesson and swears by it day and night."Small things make a lot of difference . Your language, the way you talk and the company you seek determines a lot of things ".
There were people he met , who have left a sentence or two as a parcel of their fond memories, but those words are remembered and cherished till date. You never get to know but sometimes you end up saying some such thing, be it good or bad , that gets attached to you and is spoken about , whenever you are remembered. Therefore always try to leave such words that have a lasting impact, helping the other to build up precious momentoes , that bring a smile on their face. He remembers a line said by a great writer Kuwar Mahinder Singh, "each one of us tries to become a torch holder of ones religion, morals and values, but the genuine among them are those who do good things in life without preaching them oft and on, since their practise has the power to influence countless hearts.
Therefore I learnt a new lesson today ..walk on the right path, without trying to be a preacher who preaches, but is unable to take out time to practise his own lessons. Try to set the right example first....the rest would definately follow!

I'll be there by your side

Nana is becoming older by each passing day.Yesterday when I forced him to come and have dinner with us, I knew it was very difficult for him, but he agreed. Sometimes I just wonder why at a young age we are unable to inherit such compassion and selflessness, is it just the lack of experience or that we just don't want to give a thought to certain things. Whatever it is I believe that such wealth can only be found in the hearts of the elders who have given all those wonderful years of their life to make us who we are today and still haven't stopped the process of giving.
Don't they expect anything from us? Of coarse they do. But our clocks run on such untouched, practical schedules that we don't get time to listen to our hearts, otherwise we would have been able to hear it call out to those who need us the most......and we need them too.
Yes we need them, coz we may realise it or not but the amount of stability the aged presence brings in our lives cannot be compared to anything. They might not say anything, they might be busy with the daily clock that they have happily set for themselves , but the fact that they are there makes all the difference. Its their prayers , love and innumerable blessings that surround us and guide us on the stony path of life, making it a bed of roses with a few words that last a lifetime.
"I know you are old, I know we need to talk, I know you need to complain, I know you always bless me whether I am there or not, but just be sure about one thing in your life, whenever you need me, I'll be there by your side".