Pencil sketches – Part 1

As usual B went to the play ground near her house. The ground has become a part of her life. A few years back sitting at her home, she saw a few people playing in the ground. She got excited with the passion and enthusiasm that everyone had and wanted to capture those. She went to the ground for the first time and sat in the shades of the tree. She observed the reactions of the players. She started making sketches of various moments of the match and created a highlights package. From that day, as soon as her college got over, B will run to the play ground with paper and pencil and take her place.

She always found one player interesting. He was tall and handsome and played excellent Tennis. He was such a good athlete and stretched himself to reach the ball every time the ball was close to the line. While he stretched, B would take a snap shot of the posture in her eyes and recreate the same. B found it extremely enjoyable.

Today was no different. B went to the playground and saw him chatting with a few of his friends. She gazed at the surroundings for a few minutes and waited for the match to start. Once the match started, B's eyes were fixed on him. She started sketching him. The boy was at his usual best and was moving swiftly. It was a tough game. Though he did not lose a set, it was very close. He won with the score line 6-4, 6-4. After the game was over, all the boys sat down and chatted for a few minutes while B was busy with fine tuning her sketches. Few minutes later, boys climbed on to their bicycles and left.

B was looking at her sketches and smiling to herself. She knew what will happen next. The boy came back alone to find B. He knew she would not have left. He parked his bicycle and came to B and looked at her sketches.

(To be continued…)

Bindhu!!

Questions

I am in a crowd,
Everyone is laughing,
And I realise I too laugh,
But what am I laughing at?

I am in a crowd,
Everyone is busy,
And I realise I too work,
But what am I working for?

I am in a crowd,
Everyone is listening to the speaker,
And I too look at the speaker,
But is he really speaking?

Days like these,
When i feel a void in my mind,
I am crying inside,
But what am I crying for?

Oh...Let me not find answers for these,
Let the day come to a close,
New day will bring fresh energy,
And then I will forget these questions.

Bindhu!!

Home and Universe

When world becomes a cage,
You will be unhappy.

When home becomes a cage,
You will be hostile.

When home is your world,
You will be happy and peaceful.

And when universe is your home,
You are blessed with powers
To look at your troubles as challenges
To win over them with your sweat,
And you realize those troubles become your feats
And have brought you happiness, satisfaction and peace.

Parenthood

I watch Super Singer everyday and there is a marked difference between Super Singer and Super Singer Junior.

Yeah – I am referring to the people who accompany the competitors.

Yesterday, as I was watching the program I was wondering how beautiful is being a parent.

Two people with two different backgrounds, thoughts and values, come together and create a long term relationship. They have their own interests, differences, likes and dislikes. Over a period of time, they understand each other and share their lives. AND the moment a baby comes into the family, two minds synchronize and they think of just one thing – My Baby has to get the best in life.

Isn't it beautiful? Moms, who considered career as important, are ready to quit it to spend time with the child. Dads, who did not want to come home early (because they had to take up additional work… J), rush to home to play with the kid. Grandparents, who could / did not want to be with their son and daughter in law, want to be with the kid and listen to the cute sounds he makes. The home is suddenly full of life.

The most lovable aspect of life, I would like to believe, is watching your kid grow.

Coming back to the program I mentioned earlier, the look of pride in the parents face when the child got selected s surely a treat to watch. Similarly, when the child failed to proceed to the next round, parents hiding their own disappointment, console the kids.

Parents are great and all I can say is – "Mom and Dad I love you. I respect you."

Bindhu!!

PS: In yesterday's show, there was a guy who sang the song "nam tham than nam…" with the sruthi petti. Do anyone recognize his father? Is he Mr. Lakshman, who was the music teacher at P.S.M school.

Life, Music and Sports

I have been thinking for long how life is related to music and sports and this blog is a reflection of it.

Music
I am listening to my favorite Ilayaraja Songs and again the same thought comes back…!!
How much silence enhances the appreciation of the following notes in the song? Isn’t Mounam sangeetham?

I feel our lives are similar to music. We do have upper notes and lower notes in life. We do have various moods and styles within us. But we all have a set of values – just as all music comes down to the basic notes.

So the question is: Don’t we need stops to reenergize yourself? YES. But a lot of us forget it. I believe these stops can be just 5 minutes every day where you clear your mind of all negative thoughts. I do pooja everyday and those 15 minutes give me the calmness and energy needed to perform my activities in the day.

How good if we all realize this!!

Sports
I consider sports closest to life for the single reason - Success and defeat happens every day.
Watching a sportsman go through the highs and lows are lessons in itself. The few that I have understood over the years are provided.

When you thought no one can beat Michael Schumacher, there was Alonso. When you thought Alonso is going to be the champion for the future, came Hamilton.
Always better your last performance because your competitors will change.

When Men tennis was getting bored with the gap between Federer and other players increasing, in came Nadal. Federer is the genius, but genius can also be defeated if you make the most of your strengths.

The West Indies cricket team of 80s and the current Australian team teach you an important lesson – Plan for the future.

Watching the match between Federer and Roddick in Wimbledon final makes you think – Is winning the only thing? Ofcourse Roddick would be disappointed and broken. But when he wakes up the next day, I am sure he would be proud of his efforts. Give your best shot and leave the rest to God.

Sachin Tendulkar cried after India lost the test match to Pakistan to Chennai. Why did he do so? Because he knew he was so close to victory. Its not over until its over.

Lance Armstrong shows you, if you have the passion and determination to win, nothing can be a hindrance.

And I am yet to make a mention of Tiger Woods, because I am awaiting the day when he will win the Masters again. I am confident of it.

So, what are the lessons that you have learnt?

And just as I comment on the musicians and sportsmen, I should understand others have rights to make comments on me. Do I understand? Not really. But I don’t mind. :)

Brindha!!

Rejection

I say..."I will help you."
They say..."No Thanks."

They say... "Help me."
He says..."I will consider."

I say... "I will take care."
They say... "No Thanks."

They say... "Help me."
He says..."It will take time."

I say... "I will support you."
They say... "No Thanks."

I said all those from heart,
They replied using their heads...

Head has reasons that heart can not understand,
Heart has feelings that head does not consider.


They love my heart,I admire their head,
And we know the heart and the head are right.

Bindhu

Ode to women

A few months earlier, I watched an interview of director K.B. I have got immense respect for him. He made a comment about today's girls, which got etched in my mind. He said today's girls are confident and educated. They are successful in life. But they are also becoming aggressive and impatient. I was not so sure if he was right that time.

But today, I agree with him totally. Last few weeks in Bangalore have made me realize this. The girls here are highly educated and confident, thanks to Bangalore becoming a IT hub and hence a lot of job opportunities. But their tolerance levels are very low.


Do today's girls understand the uniqueness of being a girl?

My aunt, who passed away a few years back, is my heroine from childhood. She was not educated but she always looked confident. Even in my early age, when I did not even knew what confidence meant, I was attracted towards her. I should also say that not many in the family liked her. Even my mother complains a lot about her. But all this did not come between me and her. I always watched her from a distance with respect. I am sure if she was educated, she would have been as successful as today's girls. She educated all her daughters and they are successful today.

But she also had immense patience. She suffered a lot early on. Early years of her marriage was very tiring. I believe all those days made her mentally strong. She was matured to face any challenge in life. She took care of all aspects of the family. She did all her duties perfectly and died when no one expected at the age of 60.

Will I consider her my heroine in case she did not possess patience? I doubt. To me a girl has to be mentally strong, have the confidence to take care of a family, possess high tolerance to face a lot of problems and maintain a calmness around them.

I pray God to give me the strength and patience to face any challenge in life.

Bindhu!!