THE POEM CALLED LIFE

     Shashtri looked out and spotted Durga Devi looking celestial and jubilant in a purple and red silk sari. Her knee length hair was neatly decorated with orange chrysanthemums. Her bindi resembled the setting sun. A very masculine Sreenivas stood next to her. His physique could frighten any being in the vicinity. Then there was the very prosperous Madhanlal who wore gold and diamond rings on all his ten fingers.             Badri in his usual white dhoti kurta and his wife Roopa in a simple silk cotton orange sari with gold border, were there too. They looked disheveled by the 112 km drive they had. undertaken. Natrajan and his friend Vikram in their starched and ironed white shirts with khaki pants were restless for they were already late for school.        Roopa’s desperate eyes fell on Jeevatha in her little pink polka frock, dancing, singing and playing hide and seek between Padma’s sari p...

This is more of an essay . Was supposed to be a Woman's Day post . :) Butterflies Lalitha with one year old Gowri clinging on to her took small but fast steps towards the house she visited ritually for the past 5 years. She was the sun’s clock, for as she knocked at the large gold painted iron gates of ‘Ashanivas’, the sun leisurely rose. She placed the bag of freshly strung jasmine on the gate and hurriedly left. Her husband and four school going kids would wake up and demand their morning breakfast of yesterday’s rice soaked in water flavored with green chilly, before they dispersed for their busier day. Shantha nodded as lalitha smiled and said “See you tomorrow sister” before she took the turn. They had no time to have their 5 minute gossip session today. Shantha took the cover, opened the gate walked across the dew coated grass, placed the flowers and the milk cover she brought in the blue and white jute bag in front of the large teak door. After this she had to go to th...

All Aflame Preetham and the whole of his territory was being tormented by the fiercely shining cruel summer sun. As he stood there gazing at the source of discomfort he pulled out his arsenal one by one. It was going to be a tough day.   He knew his administrative center would be sweltering but it was his childhood blaze to be a ruler. His region may have been minuscule but what mattered was the power he possessed. The authority he held. He was proud to be who he was and it showed in his apparel and his mannerisms. The well maintained moustache he often fiddled with when he caught an offender contrasted his receding hairline that exposed his glaring scalp. His crown offered some cosmetic balance. One wondered whether his expansive limbs made his tummy seem fuller than full or the restrictive paunch made his limbs look overworked.              If it was not for him, his jurisdiction would be in total chaos. Everyday he directed hi...

Kasthuri Bhai The door bell rang as I expected it to at half past eleven. I lay there on my bed unsurprised by the new entrant into my overcrowded room. The day was almost half done but my mundane chores remained undone. She was preparing for the next thirty minutes of fun. At least that’s what she called it. While her concoction was being warmed she changed from her vivid attire to a rather uninteresting costume. In the meantime I reluctantly undressed myself baring my over sized engraved self to the chilly breeze that managed to gush through the door that let her in. She banged the door shut and barged towards me with her potion. Drawing her hands together she bowed before me. For any other person the whole procedure might be relaxing but for me it was an ordeal. She made it a point to plait all my muscles and weave my nerves. Her hands caressed every single atom I was composed of. She proved her years of practice on my flesh. I was happy when she splashed boiling...