Little White Stars

These little white flowers have been in bloom in my garden from Febuary.

They remind me of jasmine ('chameli') … though they have no fragrance ...

The flower has a simple form yet is very attractive because of its sheer numbers.

The white looks whiter against its dark green foliage and is really soothing to the eye.

It does a lot to brighten a corner of my garden with its white blooms that resemble little stars.

At present there are only a few flowers left .. I feel sad and can't wait for them to bloom again.

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Wrightia antidysenterica.

Common names: Milky way, Snowflake, Arctic snow, Winter cherry tree.

A Tribute

Much time has passed

That my father is no more

Three and a half decades ago

An abrupt end

A rude shock for family and friends.

Time healed,

Memories remained.

My father

A lean man with curly hair

Center parted and gelled.

Flash of gold tooth when he smiled

Through his ‘paan’-stained teeth

A vivid image burned on our minds.

Fun and laughter were his pastime

He loved to joke and was quite bold

A favourite ‘chacha’ that he was

He did not fail to please young or old.

Uninhibited and casual in his ways

Would often cajole and tease

In general putting all at ease.

A few flashy airs

A keen sense of dress

He tried all sorts of clothing

Always carrying them off well.

He loved to shop, many a fair

Cooking was to him a flair.

Pots and pans he would clutter

Much clatter, create a flutter

to collect us all and perform.

Music, arts, sports and pets

He encouraged everything

Enthusing us at every step.

Planning, organizing

Festivals, birthdays, a picnic or trip

Such excitement would never skip.

As he would muse, a matric fail

But travelled many places,

His warmth and charm

Making him many friends.

Not one to chase money or fame

Happy to live life as it came.

I can never thank him enough

For bringing us close to life

Never preaching lessons

But living it for us himself.

Although cut unfairly short

his life seemed complete,

happy and content.

Today is my father’s eightieth birthday.

‘And in the end, It is not the years in your life that count

It is the life in your years’---Abraham Lincoln

Khamaaj

AS - this is for you!

Remember this song …….. how much you listened to this three years ago when it was released by this group Fuzon. Working, eating, sleeping, travelling in the car you heard it over and over again and many a times sang along with it …… I thought you were in love! In fact you got me also addicted to it .... It is based on raga Khamaj and sung by Pakistani vocalist Shafqat Amanat Ali. This same song was re-recorded a year ago here is a video of that recording.

I just love this!!!!!

सपने

जाने पहचाने
है सपने मेरे
कुछ बीते कल के
कुछ आने वाले पल के
कुछ सोते
कुछ जागते
लेते अलग अलग आकार
कुछ रहे अधूरे
कुछ हुए साकार
करती मै सोच विचार
लिख कर इन्हे कैद कर लूं
या मन की दीवारों में
रहने दूं आज़ाद!

Summer Woes

Summer has been bad this year. There seems to be some natural calamity or the other happening everywhere in the world. Global warming they say is due to man …. Still it remains unclear how much of this is man-made and how much just part of an evolutionary cycle.

This is the first time in the last three years of my stay in Dubai that one has not timed a trip to India during the summer. So I’m sitting here while back home everyone seems to be enjoying the rain.

I dislike the summer here, the heat gets to you … It’s bad enough that I’m a fresher at blogging but the heat is slowing me down even more and it’s an effort to think about what to write for my post. So I just made up a small verse as it came to me, about the Dubai summer.

The summer sun

in an arid land

soaring temperatures

scorching the sand …

The heat frowns

the greens fade

to yellows, and

sometimes browns.

The wind blows

clouds of dust,

cover your face

you must.

Shadows shrink

Sweat begins

one walks in shade

of tall buildings.

Stay home or

step out to malls

summer surprises

awaits all.

Laughter and

excitement fills the air,

as people throng

to such a fair.

While labour toils

at construction sites

leaving one saddened

at their plight.

Many go on vacation

Other stay here

Not much to cheer

for those in station!

One looks to the sky

to see a lone bird fly

hoping for rain

but all in vain.