Illuminate Lives

Today, let me be lost Nowhere to be found, Nowhere to be seen. Let my existence be a delusion, And let my past be a myth. Today, let me be no soul Let my body have no structure, Let my heart have no beats, Let me have no flesh and blood, Let me have no air to breathe. Today, let me come from nowhere, And have no place to reach. Let me have no name, Let my design be no species, Let my blood be no colour, Let no gender define me. Today, let me be forgotten No proofs be found in papers and concretes. No trace be found in hearts and minds. No content of mine is known or read, No time be my witness, No context defines me. Let only the land know where I travelled. Let the water decipher my silence. Let the air feel the touch of my skin. Let the stars track my directions. Let the sun shield my shadows. Let the moon keep my secrets. Let me be unknown to humanity, Let me be unknown to humankind.                                               VEDIKA

  What sets aside the Holi of 2024? Firstly, the festival coincided with an Eclipse. It happens when the sun, moon and earth form an alignment called syzygy and on a full moon day. Secondly, it was one of the hottest Holi day our nation saw, accredited to the El Nino and rise in global average temperature. What’s more? Well, it was hot like really hot even though the summer has just knocked on the doors and we’ve opened the doors. We’ve still not let our guest inside. My sister was sick a week ago. Suffering from seasonal transition viral, after an exhausting travel schedule and still performing her duties as board invigilator, supervisor and other mandatory duties at her school. She had to push herself hard throughout her schedules not because she isn’t used to but because there was an added contingency to deal with, her health. Even after knowing her schedules, she didn’t want to exchange her duties for the sake of clarity and the least she wanted was to take antibiotics. Alas, a

Weary of the day and stressed of latest challenges, I stepped out after having dinner. Lonely, just to have a self-talk and to remind myself that I shall make through this time. The little crossroad just a few meters away was all dark, due to unserviceable streetlights. Although, it wasn’t all dark, I could still see very faint shadow of mine. I took an about turn, oblivious if I really wanted to return this soon. And then, my usual admiration for the night sky drove my vision to the sky. I could still feel the chill in air after the evening rain showers. The dark sky was all cloudy with no visibility to stars, giving it a very hazy concrete grey look. It was as though I could spend my whole life gazing and admiring the moon if it could stay as long as I wished. It felt as though all my fatigue had evaporated that very instant. It was a Halo-moon (also known as Lunar Halo), something which I had neither noticed before nor known about. Well to those who are also new to this term, scie

We notice everything with our eyesight, but we perceive, realize and learn only with a keen insight….   I was pretty much anxious. Keeping myself from helping the little creature lying helpless on the platform, was out of my normal. While mom kept iterating from the kitchen, "Don't touch them, their mother will surely come to get them. If you touch them, she might as well abandon them.". Her concern was right whereas mine was also justified. I feared for we had seen a large snake roaming around our house a couple of times since that morning. Also, it was getting dark since dusk. I had in fact made up my mind, that if the squirrels don't reach here on time, I shall rescue the baby squirrel and give it a home. I waited from inside of my wire-mesh door with lights switched off, not to frighten away the baby squirrel's parents by my silhouette. Also, my mind kept wondering if the snake might have crawled up to the squirrel's nest and caused havoc. How else

  I’m a believer, having deep reverence for all the religions, their teachings and beliefs. Don’t know how to put it better but ever since I recollect, I was a curious child always wanting to accompany my grandma to her temple visits. Back then, it was just an eagerness to pluck flowers on the way and watch her worship. And to this day, I’ve gone to temple almost daily as long as I’m not on a journey or under imposed lockdown. Somehow, every time when we were posted to a new place, the temple used to be around the corner, so call it more of an excuse which turned into a habit. Previous evening was a bit gloomy at my place with moderate cold weather and seasonal intermittent rain showers giving a wild feel of rainforest weather. There were very sparse people to be seen around. I enjoyed the way to our temple feeling the gentle breeze, the seemingly endless dark sky and those little drops of joy falling on us inherently. When I reached our campus temple with my sister, I met my dad’s

Be me a tapestry, that evokes jittery, in a gloomy wintery. Be me a tapestry, of an unknown history. May you win! May you win! Be me your victory, and flow through you like electricity. Be me an accessory, Which makes it all silvery. May you keep a souvenir, Like an excellent tapestry. And Be me a royal history.                                               VEDIKA