The Red Petals

These  red rose petals have  revived  old memories

                                                                 

The year was 1989.The year in which our darling daughter was to get married. The  preparations had started many days before . There were  many ceremonies  Starting with the Engagement , Sangeet and Mehendi , all the ceremonies were  vivid, colourful and distinctive. The mehandi looked exquisite. The whole atmosphere was surcharged with gaiety. There was merriment, jollity, cheerfulness and liveliness  all around. Her friends were singing, dancing and merry making.  There were several guests in the house, many of whom had come from out stations. The ceremonies started with applying turmeric   paste on the body of the bride to be. This paste is made with turmeric, sandalwood flakes , oil, scents and rose water. Every one applied this paste on her . After this the bride-to -be had to take   bath. The water for the bath was brought in a pitcher by the sis-in law of the bride. My DIL, accompanied by young girls,  brought water in a mud pitcher from a neighbour's house. This ceremony is called Gharoli.  The girl  then took bath. After the ceremonial bath  another ritual  was performed. This is  called Chura. Chura consists of seven or multiples of seven red and white ivory bangles. It is customary that these bangles are brought by the girl's maternal uncle. Before the  bride wears the chura it is circulated  among every body present there. They touch the chura and pray for the happy married life  of the couple. Along with the Chura the  bride's friends and young girls of the family tied Kaliras. Kaliras are made of gold,silver or silver lining  with ringlets hanging  on  the sides. They are tied to the bangle.  Lunch was served after the ceremonies. Now was the time to move. The actual marriage ceremony was scheduled to be held at a club. My husband, who is a stickler for  time started hurrying up. We had to reach the venue in time  to welcome the baraat. After great persuasion every one was dressed to leave. We left in ten cars, which were decked with roses. . Most of the guests had already reached  The whole place was tastefully decorated with red rose and petals.  Our Son-in -law ,is a perfectionist. The Baraat reached on the dot.  On the entrance there was another ceremony called "Milni". The close relatives of the boy and the girl were introduced.They weregiven a red carpet welcome.The boy and the girl were  led to the altar. It was tastefully illuminated and decorated with red roses.A priest was already present. He recited mantras  from holy scriptures . The groom and the bride took  seven rounds of the holy fire.(Pheras). After the Pheras Kanyadaan ceremony was performed The priest explained the significance of all the rituals.  On the conclusion of the marriage, dinner was served. It was time for the departure(bidai) of the baraat with the bride. This is an emotional, solemn and  sober occasion., when the girl leaves her parental  home.  From the Pandaal up to the  car, the passage was  decorated with red roses  All the relatives were given red petals. As the the bride and groom moved towards the car, they were showered with red petals.

My daughter is a very lovable and emotional child. Till today she has safely preserved the red petals.           

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A wish unfulfilled.:

Every year  we celebrate Raksha Bandhan at a common place.  Last year  my younger sister,  offered  to host  the festival , as she had shifted to a new house We were all thrilled.   She wanted things to  be done perfectly.  Every day she  used to  call me to discuss the arrangements. The menu was  finalised after great discussions. Only two  days  were left.Every thing was planned. At midnight  the phone rang. I took the phone. Her daughter was on the line.Sobbing profusely she  said , "Mom has passed away." We met at her house not to celebrate but to condole.



                                                                     

 100 words on Saturday 11- Prompt-Your call


pic  courtesy: postaletrice via Compfight cc

Haiku Heights # 251

                                                  

                                    

                           Summer heat oppressive

                  men  nature  animals  parching, thirsting

                             come heavenly  manna.


 prompted by Haiku Heights # 251 change
                                                                                              Pic courtesy google                                                                           

health Haiku Heights # 250

                                              Hey twin Babies
                                  Bright red cheeks,smiley lips                        
                                          Mom's darling both .

















                                                                                                     Juicy red tomatoes
                                                                                      Mamma makes healthy  tasty soup
                                                                                                          Babies love it. 

 

                                                                                    
                                             Prompted by Haiku Heights Health # 250

 pics courtesy Google

Betrayal Haiku # 249

                                                                                                       
      Sheba, family's  pet

desolate  and ill,cruelly discarded    
                                                     
           to decay  alone.

                                                                                                                                                                   

                                        



Parents old infirm

          left in old age home                                                           

                     to die alone.   
                                                                                                         




                                                                                                                                             








Prompted by Haiku Heights   Betrayal  # 249  
Pics courtesy google.

behind the doors

         





  

 
Mr.Subhash  Kapoor's  family  is very fond of  picnics, outings and excursions. Normally their  picnics are limited from morning to evening. Very rarely they go  for  over night stay. Strangely whenever they went for over night picnics , they  met with weird  situations . Once the car tyre got punctured. On another occasion the cook of the guest house fell ill. Since the guest house was situated  in a wild life sanctuary, no food could be made available. They  had to be satisfied with some packets of biscuits.  Hence  they  avoided  overnight outings. Last Holi, it was a  long weekend.Wednesday and Thursday  were holidays for Holi. Friday was a holiday for Good Friday..After including  Saturday and Sunday there were five holidays.  Mr, Kapoor, who  is temperamentally a  lover of  nature, travels and adventures, suggested that they should  have a long holiday in the  forests of Karnataka.  His wife  was dreaming  to have an outing. She was excited and immediately  reacted ,"Oh what a grand idea!!"   Subhash  said," Ask your sister. If she agrees , we can all go together. We will have a great time."  Mrs. Kapoor was thrilled and called her sister without any delay.  Her sister, Mrs. Mehra agreed . They planned to  leave  the next evening, because Mrs Mehra's daughter had a test in the morning. Mr.Kapoor booked two rooms in a guest house.  Kapoors' son  brought his cricket set and said, "Mom don't forget to keep my  cricket set". Mr . Kapoor shouted from his study," Take my lap top ". Their daughter, not to be left behind screamed," Mom you remember, you have to keep my swim suit". Mrs. Kapoor shouted ,"How do you know there is a swimming pool there?" The girl did not reply and  kept  her swim suit  on the table, murmuring something. 
                               Next day they all fully armed with their favourite  games, books, video cameras and what not sat in the car. They were supposed to meet Mehra's at 4 0'clock near the  Air Force Stadium. It was already 4.30. Mehras were there.  The drive from the Stadium to the guest house took about  an hour. They reached the spot around 5.30 pm. The elders ordered tea and  and relaxed. Their children, Madhu, Ramesh, Sita and  and Suresh, all teenagers,started a round  of the guest house.  The guest house was just a corridor, with eight rooms in one single row. The doors were brown with a blue paint on the door frames. In the center of the corridor a door was painted in yellow colour. This was the Reception. All looked alike.  The  children  walked  in the corridor. Their rooms were on one end of the corridor. They casually walked across the corridor. "I wish  some children are there to play with us", said Ramesh. The others  showed enthusiasm. As they walked past the rooms, all the rooms were locked. The last room was not  locked. It had a name plate with the words  'Chandrasekhran'  inscribed on it.  They four of them walked inside the boundary, singing loudly. After two hours Mr. Kapoor  called them . The next two days they observed that  no one else was seen in the guest house. 
                           The first  room did not open once. They asked the  guard and the cook whether some one was living in that room. They got the same reply from both. A man had checked in a week ago  but he has  not opened the door. The children became curious.They told the guard to  knock at the door. But the guard said they were not authorised to knock at the doors of the guests, unless the guests themselves  ordered them to do so. The children resumed their playful antics. But their curiosity   once aroused, could not be controlled. Two more  days passed but neither any stranger could be seen there nor the door  opened. It was Friday evening and they were leaving on Sunday morning. Ramesh, the eldest among them told others that they must solve the mystery of the closed door. 
 Early morning ,when the parents were still sleeping, all four of them started knocking at the door. But there was no response. They became desperate and started banging the door loudly. Still no response. They found a thick branch of a tree near the gate. They took the branch and vigorously started hitting the door. They saw the screws  loosened. They gave a mighty push, and the door fell down. There was no one in the room.In one corner they found a plate with remnants of food  in it. They also saw some clothes hanging on the  rod.Some one is definitely visiting the place but  the door had not opened. What was this mystery.  Sita was looking for some loop holes. Suddenly she said,"Look Ramesh Bhai ,what is this". The other three turned and what they saw shocked them. There was a piece of jute, which Sita had removed and they saw a hole!! It appeared to be some passage. Ramesh  entered the hole to step on the passage. The others  tried to enter the hole, but Ramesh stopped them and said ,"Suresh, only you come. Sita and Madhu wait here if there  is some urgency we will denominationcall you then you bring Mom and Papa here." The boys  tip toed and went inside the passage. About 12 feet away they found three men in deep sleep, snoring loudly. Four or five big metal trunks were kept there. Some bundles of currency notes were also lylng near a trunk. The men continued  to sleep. Ramesh  and Suresh had swift turn and came outside. All four came to their parents and told them about the adventure. Mr. Mehra immediately summoned the guard and also called the Police on his mobile. Within minutes  a police jeep entered the compound of the guest house. All of them went inside and easily located the men, still in deep sleep. One of the constables nudged the three men, who got up with  fear, and shock writ on their faces. The Sub inspector  and another constable broke open the trunks,, which were full of currency notes of 1000/- rupee denomination. All the three were arrested.  They took signatures of Mr, Kapoor and Mr. Mehra. They were commenting that these people have selected this place so that their illegal activity would not be detected. The Kapoors and Mehras were asked to leave without any delay.  This was another weird incident that happened  on  an over night picnic.
  
 these children were awarded Bravery award by the Government  on the next Republic Day.
 Note this is a purely fictional story




          

 Write Tribe is an initiative for the Motivation and Support for Writers and Bloggers

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A Tribute to Mom

Mother  is a word which is universally looked up as a symbol of pure love,bliss and compassion.Is it not a fact that every living being on earth owes its existence to .  MOTHER. A mother,who has carried the child in her womb, is emotionally bound with the child.This bond is eternal. The child, on coming to the world, has the first caressing of love from his mother. In fact this communication starts even before the baby is born.The mother,on hearing the heart beats  and  sensation of movement of the baby within her, becomes ecstatic.The  baby too  can listen to what the mother talks and can be affected by  what it hears.This bonding is everlasting and enables it to be self- reliant and confident. George Washington,the first President of   USA, said about his mother,"  All I am  I owe to my mother."A mother has to struggle a lot to bring up the child and in return she gets a reward which she can cherish  her whole life....a toothless smile and and a loving hug.  This is precisely the reason that our grandmothers used to advise us during pregnancy  to think positive and   talk politely and softly.  Many people know the famous story of  Abhimanyu ,son of Arjuna,who was killed in the battlefield.While in his mother's womb, he heard about entering a 'Chakravuh'  in the battlefield to entrap the enemy. Unfortunately he did not hear  how to come out of it.In the Mahabharata War he entered  the  Chakravuh but could not come out of it safely and died on the spot.

For a child, the mother's arms are a solace.When  the child  gets  hurt  or frightened,the mother's arms become a cosy shelter.This  is called seeking protection  and assured security  which persists even till adulthood. A mother's  presence is felt by the child soon after it is separated from the umbilical cord.The mother's warmth  which assured security to it  now becomes a psychological, emotional and mental bond.The first sounds that the baby makes are something like'um m m mn'. 

    Even though I am not only a mother but also a grand mother, the memories of my mother will always be fresh in my memory. My Mom passed away twenty years ago. Every moment, every incident and every experience shared with her is precious for me. We are five brothers and sisters. I am the eldest. A mothers' love and affection  is equal for all. I being the eldest had an added   responsibility .  My Mom shared all her problems, worries and apprehensions  with me. My Father was an Engineer , working in a senior position and used to be very much involved in office work. The responsibility of the the house was on my Mom’s shoulders. I bow my head in reverence to her memory.  I remember after my marriage when I was leaving, how moved she was! She wept bitterly.

Once when I was in hospital suffering from an eye ailment, she was with me day and night,  nursing me  lovingly and tenderly.Even after my marriage there was not a single day when we did not talk on the phone. When I was expecting my first baby, she guessed it even  before I told her.

I am fortunate that my Mother- in law was very affectionate and loved me  like a daughter. Not even  once did I feel that she was my MIL.Even though  I did not know Malayalam and she did not know Hindi or English , there was  a unique bond between the two of us. It  was only my yearning to talk to talk to her that I learnt Malayalam. Her  love, warmth  and soft  spoken demeanour and  attitude  was bewitching! She lovingly made special Kerala goodies  for us, sometimes keeping  awake till wee hours  of the morning

  

Mothers Day is celebrated in all countries of the world.This day is dedicated to a Mother to honour her motherhood.and to celebrate her place of pride in   the heart of every individual.It is celebrated on different days  in different countries.On this day gifts are given to  the mother and she is honoured by the family and the nation.

      A Mother's love cannot  be measured.She knows only how to give and never to take.I remember a very old Hindi  movie 'Mamta' which depicted  a mother's love for her daughter.I was very much moved by that movie.Sometimes the children may become wayward and may even turn against the mother.They may be punished by God for their misdemeanour,but the mother,who is the symbol of  love  will  continue to have the same love and compassion for her off springs.Sometimes she is thus even above God. Thackeray, a famous novelist said, "Mother is the name of God in the lips and hearts of children,"

 According to Samuel Taylor Coleridge,"God sees us through our Mother's eyes and rewards us for our virtues."

       The mother always has a  protective hold on her children.Even when the children go far from the mother for higher studies  they are  always near her  heart. "The mother understands what the child does not say," says a Jewish proverb.Many people jokingly say that their mother is a bank where they can deposit their worries and forget about  them.

A mothers  love is unalloyed and equal for all her children.She does not distinguish between any of her off springs.Mother is a born philosopher and  a  psychologist. She knows the needs and requirements of each of  her children.In olden days there used to be large families.The mother was a nucleus of  the family,who could identify the likes and  dislikes  of everyone. Her influence  and hold on the children was supreme and unchallenged.Her sufferings and her joys are her own.Her sufferings, she keeps to herself and her joys are shared  by all.  Mother, you are Great!! Ma tujhe salaam!!

I am writing  a tribute to Mom  in association with Parentous .com

Haiku EGG # 248

     Small little eggs

Creator of all livig nbeings

                    have no life.                                                                       

               Prompted by Haiku Heights, Haiku # 248     Pis coutyesy Google