Hi Googlies, 4/3/10
PTL!
Sorry that you all were disappointed yet again. I don’t know why my short story has not been published so I am going to surprise you with a preview of it right here on my blog.
Ideas for new articles keep pouring in; my friend Sajla has correctly warned me that there will be a lull and last week, I felt it. But since I had taken the precaution not to send all my articles in, I still have 8 in my ‘To Be Sent’ folder.
Yday I finally penned out an article on romance. Now I am keen to expound my ideas on saving water, electricity and gas in the home. Shall begin work on it after I finish this letter to you, my faithful readers.
I had sent 2 poems which were published. Posting them today for you guys and gals.
Kirsten, my eldest son, is busy with his finals so do keep him in your prayers. I am waiting for the hols. Just around the corner by end-March.
Glenn gave me a shock today; he spotted Sajla on Facebook and told me that I shd take Internet. It is certainly a major change from his views on wastage of the electronic world.
Been preparing the minutes of my Society mtg for 5th. Being a Secretary is a royal pain as every Tom, Dick and Harry comes only to me to complain. Now I redirect them to the Chairman or Mr. Churi. Gave in my resignation but no one is interested in the post, so they rejected it. And so the donkey plods on.
Hoping to begin the legal work in regard to a plot we want to build a house on. Please keep this in your prayers to. Insha Allah as they say in the Gulf.
Chalo then, bye for now.
4m d heart J
Auriel


TO A MOTHER

In the stillness of the night
A whimper breaks out soft
The alert ear listens
And rushes to comfort

A glass falls; the cut is deep
A wail is all it takes
For that earnest soul
To hasten and soothe.

The night is long; the lesson drags
A yawn is stifled
That watchful eye has seen
The brewing mug is ready.

The day has come to bid goodbye
To greet another’s world
Those eyes once filled with love
Now fill with un-staved sorrow.

The tree grows; a gurgling smile
And soon there are fears
A patient hand, a loving hand
Arrives to cope with all.

A head grown white, shoulders drooping
Yet she is the strongest
Her ways are loving solace
She is, yes, a Mother.


THE SPARROW

A sparrow comes everyday
And says to me:
“It’s lovely to be free.”

I watched her as she built her nest
Way up in the tall neem tree
Her lover hunted for twigs
Soon their home was ready.

I saw in it eggs it held,
White and small and pretty
Captive she was for many days
‘Hatching’ was what she called it

Soon the little ones peeked out
Their tiny bodies were hungry
The duo toiled day and night
To feed their little future.

But then they flew away, away
She lost them: now she’s all alone.
I ask her why she bothered
That’s when she says to me:
“It’s lovely to be free.”


THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE- PART I

Sahir woke up early, jumped out of his bed and ran down the stairs. “Mama, Mama” he shrieked, running to hug his mother in the kitchen. “It’s my birthday today, today. Yipeee!” His mother looked down at him, ruffled his hair and smiled. “Yes, I know, beta. And you must be wondering what present you are going to get from us, hah?” Grinning sheepishly, Sahir acknowledged her query with an excited nod.
After breakfast, she took him to her bedroom and rummaged through her pile of clothes. There, nestled under her huge mound of saris, was a rectangular package all dressed up in attractive shiny wrapping with a huge bow around it. She gave the package to Sahir with a “Happy Birthday, sweetheart” and a kiss on his forehead.
Sahir ran up the stairs to his room, hoping against hope that it was the gift he had been praying for. Of course, he had hinted to his parents many days before that he hoped for an Optomus Prime but knowing that his parents were short of money, he was not sure that they would buy it for him. Still, one never knew! Mum was persuasive; maybe Dad had relented to her pleas after all.
With trembling fingers, he opened the wrapping, carefully saving the bow to use later for his craftwork. As he opened the box, his face fell. It was not the toy he had hoped for after all; it was just a jigsaw puzzle. He looked at it with disappointment, tears trickling slowly down his face. The puzzle was that of the map of India. A puzzle- and a map at that! What was his mother thinking of? “It must have been Dad’s choice.” he mused, grumpily.
Sahir tossed the box and its contents in disdain onto the bed and went out to sulk in the balcony. He could see the children going by on their way to school. He decided he was not going to go, just to spite his parents. Engrossed with his plan for revenge, he did not hear his mother come until she whispered, “Sahir, are you still angry?” Then he remembered the gift and, with a grimace, he turned to his mother, sighing, “Mama, you know how much I wanted the Transformer toy. Just this once couldn’t you have bought me something I wanted?”
His mother didn’t know how to pacify the distressed boy so she hugged him to her bosom soothing him with gentle caresses instead. Then, taking his hand, she guided him slowly back inside and sat him down besides her on the bed. She opened the box and laid out the pieces of the puzzle on the Micky Mouse bedsheet.
“See, Beta, this is our state.” she pointed as she picked up Goa and placed it in the centre. “And this is Kashmir, right on top, close to Pakistan.” Sahir did not bother to look. Instead, he folded his hands across his chest and stuck his chin into his neck in rebellion. Realising that she had a battle ahead of her, Sahir’s mother continued to place the pieces on the sheet so that the whole map was in position. She then said “Come down soon” and walked away.
Sahir looked up after she had left, at the door, and then at the pieces of the puzzle on the bed. He felt like throwing them into the wastepaper basket. But he knew his father would throw a fit if he did that so he began to pick the pieces up one by one to put them back into the box.
Suddenly, he spotted a familiar name. “Delhi”, he said, as he looked closely at the piece. “Why, that’s where Nani lives.” In bold letters across the piece were the words “HARYANA”. He quickly ran to get his Geography text book and learnt that Delhi was the capital of India and that it was in Haryana. The puzzle suddenly became exciting for the little boy and he began to piece it together, checking with his book all the time. “Here goes Jammu & Kashmir, just above Himachal Pradesh.” He checked with the picture on the box, then searched for Punjab. “There it goes. Now to find Rajasthan.” Sahir thus grouped the pieces into North, South, East and West. Then, beginning with the four Southern states, he placed the Western ones above them and finally the Northern states right on top. Next he did the Eastern side and, putting Madhya Pradesh last, he finally completed the map. He counted the number of states; 28 in all. WOW! He dismantled the puzzle, put the pieces back into the box and glanced at the clock on his study table. It was time to get ready to go to school. Quickly donning his uniform, he grabbed his satchel and the box, carrying both down with him. (To be Continued)

THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE- PART II

In the drawing room, his father sat, reading the newspaper. Sahir asked him if he could take the puzzle to school. “Why not, beta”, his father replied with a knowing smile, folding the paper as he continued “You can show it to your Geography teacher and your friends can learn the map easily too, nah?” Sahir nodded happily. Today he would get a good remark from his teacher and a lot of attention from his friends. Oh, how he loved his Dad!
“Thanks, Dad, I was sad that you did not get me the toy I wanted but this is far better. I will take good care of it at school, don’t you worry.” Sahir assured his father with a tight hug. “I know you will. And this vacation we can go on a tour to some of these places. Maybe a North India tour first, then a tour to the Himalayas next year and another to see the places in South India the year after that. What do you say? Would you like that?” “Yes, Dad, yes.” exclaimed Sahir, excitedly, “But can we afford it?” “Don’t you worry your little head, beta”, said his mother. “Dad has his LTA facility and the Government firm he works for has housing quarters in every state. We won’t need to spend much and can still have a good time.”
Sahir walked out of the house on a cloud, with stars in his eyes and bells on his feet. “I have the best Dad in the whole wide world” he thought to himself as he trotted off to the bus-stop, his puzzle box tucked under his arm.
When Sahir reached the class, he placed the box on his desk. His friend, Atul looked curiously and asked, “Kya hai, buddy?” Sahir highlighted all that had happened that morning. Atul immediately wanted to see the puzzle so Sahir opened the box. The other students eager to watch, looked on, as Sahir pointed out the various states to them. “Aiyo, this is my state.” cried MS, Munnaswamy for short. “And this is mine.” said chinky-eyed Bijoy. The boys all began to search for their respective states, so no one noticed the arrival of their teacher, Mrs. Braganza.
“Ahem, Good Morning, boys.” All the boys scurried to their places. Approaching Sahir’s desk, she adjusted her spectacles and peered out of them. “What have you brought us today?” she sternly asked the frightened boy. “N—o—thing, miss, just a puzzle. My Dad gave it to me as my bir---th--thday gift.” Mrs. Braganza picked up the box and looked at the cover. Suddenly, she smiled. “Good choice, son. Can I hold on to it for now?” Saying this, she picked up the pieces and carefully put them into the box. Then she kept the puzzle in the cupboard and began the class.
Sahir was worried. Would the teacher give him his present back or would she take him to the principal? He could not concentrate on the lesson. The teacher, realizing his predicament, called him up to her table and asked for his calendar. Right there in front of the whole class, she patted him on the head and gave him a positive remark. Sahir walked on a cloud for the second time that day as he went back to his desk.
In the recess, the boys usually played in the corridor. Sahir had seen Mrs. Braganza take the box away with her. He approached the staffroom, but there was a big crowd of teachers near his teacher’s chair. He peeked through a small gap and gasped. His Geography teacher was solving the jigsaw puzzle and the other teachers were helping and encouraging her. He was overjoyed and ran back to tell his friends. They all ran to the staffroom to watch the fun. When the teachers heard the commotion, they came out and one of them asked, “Who brought this to school?” Sahir came shyly forward. The teachers surrounded him, congratulating him and his History teacher said, “I always thought Sahir was not interested in studies, but today he has proved us wrong. Keep it up!”
Sahir walked on a cloud for the third time that day, a happy grin on his face. His parents loved him, his friends loved him, his teachers loved him and ‘All iz well’ with the world again. All because of a simple jigsaw puzzle of the map of India. Oh, how he loved his Dad, and his puzzle and his beautiful country India. He vowed there and then that he would not pester his parents for silly presents again. He would instead ask them to keep their promise and take him on tours to see all the wonderful places of India. He could click photographs with the camera that Mohit Chacha had given them when he came from USA. What fun! He couldn’t wait to pack his bags.
Moral: Love your country India for she is your ‘Mother’land and look after her well. (Concluded)