A beautiful boy

Big chocolaty eyes filled with wonder
Dark curls flying around his head
A smile… mischievous, trusting, angelic
Her beautiful, beautiful boy…

Every night as the boy goes to sleep
A contented smile plays on his lips
Happy and safe in his mother’s arms
Her beautiful, beautiful boy…

And she weeps, of the time to come
When her embrace will not be enough
She weeps for the day he will grow up
Her beautiful, beautiful boy…

When reality will rear its ugly head
The wonder will disappear from his eyes
The smile replaced by hurt and confusion
Her beautiful, beautiful, beautiful boy…

~Anamika

© 2007 Anamika



A beautiful boy by Anamika is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

This poem was first published at my blogspot blog here on 10/07/2007

 

Stumbling

He toddles along in front of her eyes
Hopping and jumping, as she watches with a smile
Suddenly, his foot catches without any warning
He spreads out his hand, as he is falling

As she watches him tottering and stumbling
Her heart skips a beat… and then starts pounding
She reaches out a hand… but stops herself mid way
As he straightens up and moves along on the pathway

She let out a deep breath, as quietly as she could,
Ah! the pain and the understanding that is motherhood
Knowing she cant always protect her little son
Only allow him to learn…learn with every fall and stumble

~Anamika

© 2008 Anamika



Stumbling by Anamika is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License

 

कितना मीठा था बचपन का सपना…

More than a poem this is a memory of my childhood.  Having spent my early childhood in UP, a region dominated by hindi speaking population, I can’t help but write in hindi about my childhood.  Writing about it in english kind of takes away from the nostalgia.  So over to my nostalgic memories…

नानी की उँगलियों से बालों मे तेल लगवाना
सर्दी की धूप मे सूखती रजाई पे सो जाना
रात को अंगीठी की सेक मे कहानियाँ सुनना
सुबह के कोहरे मे रजाई से बाहर ना निकलना
कितना मीठा था बचपन का सपना…

स्कूल खुलते ही गर्मी की छुट्टियों का इंतज़ार करना
नानी के घर जाने से ज्यादा ट्रेन मे बैठने की खुशियाँ
दोस्तों के साथ पत्थर मार के आम तोड़ना
मीठे तरबूज़ खाके खुश हो जाना
कितना मीठा था बचपन का सपना…

बारी बारी दोस्त्त की साइकिल चलाना
छोटी-छोटी बातों पे रूठ के रोना
वो लड़ना झगड़ना और मनाना
अपनी ही गुडिया की शादी करके उदास हो जाना
कितना मीठा था बचपन का सपना…

~Anamika

© 2008 Anamika



कितना मीठा था बचपन का सपना… by Anamika is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

 

Happy New Year Son!

A red balloon flies across a blue sky

All out of breath chasing a butterfly

Dirt of the playground on his jacket

He falls and gets up to play again

Cold wind blowing in his face, lifting his hair

The hot sun taking bite out of the cold air

Sliding off the slides and see saws

Making new friends and shaking hands

Happily playing with his new friends

As his smiling mother watches, from the bench

A good day, this, the last day of the year

A new day and new year await you tomorrow!

New year, new days, new possibilities…

New bedtime stories, new discoveries…

A new world awaits you everyday!

A happy new year to you my son!

~Love

Mom

 

~Anamika

© 2007 Anamika



Happy New Year Son! by Anamika is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.

 

Ram: The Perfect Man, The Perfect Husband?

My write up on Sita as a strong character in the epic poem Ramayana generated some strong views. A comment from one of my friends got me thinking. What about Lord Ram. The main lead in the entire story. The Ramayana had been a gargantuan effort by Maharishi Valmiki, to describe the virtues that a MAN should live by. Ram is referred to as Maryada Purushottama, literally the Perfect Man. He was the husband of Sita, the perfect woman.

True the acceptable norms and virtues, change with time. Each era has its own acceptable code of conduct. However, something as timeless and eternal as Ramayana applies even today, with era based interpretations, of course. There is that word again! Interpretations… So lets see what kind of a husband was Lord Ram. I would not deign to try and comment on Lord Ram as a Man, the epitome of all things right and correct. However, I believe I can still have an opinion on Ram’s role as a husband, from a woman’s point of view.

Now Lord Ram was above reproach when it came to how he handled his duties as a son, as a king, and as a brother. But how about his duties as a husband?

Lord Ram was after all put on this earth in human form. And like all humans, he too succumbed to emotions of jealousy, caving under public pressure, forsaking his wife. Does that make him an “Imperfect Man”?

Lord Ram peacefully conducted himself through the golden years after his birth, his childhood, initiation, and marriage to Princess Sita. He was the ideal son, obedient, respectful of his father’s honour. He was a perfect elder brother to his three younger brothers. And he was an attentive and loving husband to his wife, princess Sita.

Then adversity struck. As a chance to show mankind a way to conduct itself in adversity, Lord Ram kept his parent’s honour and went into exile.

 

Birthdays make me sad

There was a time when on the 12th of every month I remember asking my mom if it was my birthday. And could I have my birthday party today! How cute and silly I must have sounded.

But those days are long gone. With time, I grew older, less cuter, and more worldly wise. (There is so much meaning to the word ‘worldly wise’). So now birthdays make me sad. Several reasons for this turn around in my feelings for my birrthday. My top 6 list of reasons is:

1. Of course the number of candles on my cake keeps increasing every year. Although my friends keep assuring me that I dont look it! But what else can friends say!

2. The number of calls you get in the middle of the night reduces as your friends grow old with you. They are probably conked off with their insomnia medicines!!! (Thank god! as you yourself popped one sleeping pill just an hour before midnight anyway!)

 

Was Sita a victim?

Tough question to answer. Sita has often been “interpreted” as a docile meek character who followed her husband to the end of the earth/forests. In return, aspersions were cast on her character and she was banished from Ram’s kingdom.

However interpretations are often just that. Here is another interpretation of Sita’s character.

The saints/politicians/rulers of the time may interpret the epic poem (Ramayan) by Valmiki, any-which way they want. The truth still remains. Sita was a smart and graceful lady. She was a strong woman in her own right, but without the anger and aggressiveness of Draupadi style of justice. Quiet strength and not aggression was her trademark. Lets take a quick look at Ramayan from this point of view.

 

As good as it gets….

I’ve spent the majority of my life trying to reach the ideal figure, the ideal look, the ideal life…

But one thought just stopped me short. I am in the prime of my life. This is the peak. All my childhood was spent preparing for this. Then it hit me…that’s what my parents taught me wrong… “Study now, you have all your life to have fun….”, “don’t party, you can do that once you are married…”, “focus on your career, you have all your life ahead to enjoy…”

Or maybe they taught me well for that time, but I didnt stop following their advice when I should have.

 

Indian Soap writers- worth their weight in gold!

The k serials produced by Ekta Kapoor and other such soaps are a great guide for todays urban women, on managing their in-laws.

Was just chatting with a friend today. And she said something that I have come to realize in the last couple of years. The writers of ekta kapoor serials may all be writing about the same old topic. The mother in law- daughter in law relationship. But the situations they write into their serials the manipulations scheming in-laws do on TV are not that far from today’s indian reality. Many a times not just me, but many of my friends have felt this. That we should follow these serials like a bible and learn from them. On how to manage your in-laws and give your marriage a fighting chance.

Our generation has learnt how to manage our careers in schools and colleges. but in this race to be equal to the men, in a male dominated society, we lost out on the art of managing your in-laws. There are tips and tricks and even whole dialogs in these serials that one an use to save themselves, whenever sticky situations arise with the in-laws.

 

Male bonding…

We had the perfect example of male bonding today. My lil one year old had been quietly playing today evening when the door bell rang. He ran to the door expectantly.  The first to enter was his grand mother followed by his grand father. Though it is his grandma who looks after him while we go out to work, but yet, he literally pushed his poor grandmom aside and ran straight for his grandfather!!! We all burst out laughing!!! He has spent most of his life around his grandmom. Yet the one person he craves to be with is his grandfather! If there was ever a doubt in my mind about male bonding, they have all vanished after today evening.