Deep Ties

March ended on an anticipatory note! We were off to Johannesburg to be with our daughter P and son-in-love V and of course, our two little grandchildren, Zo and Sam. With life having played a hyperactive part to delay our packing till the day before we left, there we were, chucking gifts and clothes, required (and unrequired) medicines and footwear into our boxes.  The anticipation grew as we got into the cab to the airport. Of course, even if we had left things behind, there was very little we could actually do. The excitement kept us both going till we got into the aircraft. Emirates got us in on time, but once there, there was a delay of more than an hour as they had to offload six passengers, and what was more painful, their pieces of luggage, which must have taken some doing, considering that they must have been ensconced deep alongside a multitude of suitcases and odd shaped parcels.  The flight was uneventful, luckily, except for the fact that we were in two s...

  Photo by  Imleedh Ali  on  Unsplash Water has always been a universal symbol of life across cultures, past and present. Nothing can live without water. As Jacques Yves Cousteau said it so aptly, “We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one.” Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula of H2O – transparent, odourless, tasteless, colourless, but the significance it has in all our lives is momentous. Mythology abounds with water deities. This list is mindbogglingly long. These gods and goddesses were prominent in civilizations that grew up next to the sea or ocean, or beside great rivers. A few examples are:   Ashiakle, the goddess of the treasures at the bottom of the ocean (Africa) Anuket, the goddess of the Nile, nourisher of the fields (Egypt) Nephthys, the goddess of rivers, death, mourning and night (Egypt) Mazu, the goddess of the sea and protector of sea farers, (China)   Mizuchi – dragon and sea god (Ja...

                                                                                                         Pinterest Some days are so busy that one needs to take a break! Hence, I decided that since I have already completed 15,206 words in the #Blogchatter #WriteaPageaDay Challenge, I could take it a bit easy today... Saturday Night Blues, as one might say.                                                                                                   The Spring Break Family It is ...

                                                                                                   Amazon.in “The sea has so many stories to tell.” With that sweeping statement, the author who dubs himself “this old sea dog” has taken on the mantle of bringing his second collection of sea stories, the first one titled ‘Driftwood’. Published by Readomania, this collection has eleven stories that wax eloquent on war and peace, trials and triumphs and sadness and laughter. The cover in blue is as evocative as the melodious title of the book. Every story is preceded by a black and white illustration that gives a subtle hint about the story to follow. The first story titled ‘Service to the Nation’ is narrated against the backdrop of the In...

  eBay Hector Hugh Munro is a writer who is known for his whimsical style of writing, his amazing sense of humour, his love of animals, his generous nature, and his consideration for others.   He took the pen name of Saki, the name of the cup bearer in Omar Khayyam’s The Rubaiyat. He was called the master of the short story even as he satirized Edwardian literature and culture, regaling readers with his rich political satire, his intriguing characters and his narrative style. The story titled ‘Shock Tactics’ is replete with all these characteristics. The story begins on a late spring afternoon as Ella McCarthy was siting listlessly in her garden when Bertie appeared before her, and sat down on an adjoining chair. She was elated to see him and began thanking him for the lovely handkerchiefs he had sent to her as a gift. She had wished to write and thank him for them immediately, but when she said so, Bertie’s face fell. “’You know what mother is,’ he protested; ‘she opens a...

                                                   Iris Scanner - Mantra Softech When you walk into the lobby in school, you will find me on the wall in front of the office. A biometric device that captures the gaze of the teachers in school! Had I been human, I would have been the luckiest man ever… with so many ladies gazing into my attentive eyes. Some walk in and gaze languidly at me, others rush in like hurricanes, aware that time is ticking by, inexorably. Yet others make a beeline and look at me, not paying any heed to anyone around, singling me out for attention. Only after I capture their gaze do they even relax and wish others around them. That is how important I am in their lives. One teacher walks towards me, and stares into my eyes. She moves her head up and down, trying to reach that sweet spot when I can help her. When that does not work, she...