Know Your Goal

Dear Children,

We are surely blessed! We had gone through very difficult period. We can’t forget people who had helped us in those days. People who trusted us. The shopkeepers who never asked but always gave, letting us pay whenever we could. Being trustworthy is very important in your life. Mutual trust has to be there without which your life will be full of doubts.

For that you need to keep your word and mind what you speak. Don’t make false promises. Live with in your means. In fact save 30 percent of your income for future. You need to sacrifice certain things in order get something better out of life. I remember reading in the newspaper that a study was conducted in which it was found that children who waited for better goods turned out to be leaders in their later lives than those who grabbed whatever came their way.

It is necessary to know what you want and how to get. Planning, focusing and implementing are all important factors that will eventually lead you to achieve your goal. The goal naturally should not be what others have are what others expect of you but what you want to achieve.

Different Peaks

Up and down, up and down
Go the wheels, in twos and fours,
On country roads or on railway tracks
The great wheels of progress.

If you are up
And always up
All that you create
Is a big flat plateau.

If you are down
And always down
All that you have done
Is, fallen into a chasm.

It is the up and down
And up and down
That makes you reach
Different peaks in life.

Valuable space

‘Four!’ And we have won! Cried the winning eleven
Much to the chagrin of the losing eleven,
The game that raced the pulse upbeat,
The game that turned the nations on heat.

But it wasn’t that day a national game,
Nor was it of international fame,
It was the local boys that played that day
Against each other on the ground that day.

Oh! Where is the ground? It is very much there
With security, a fence you cannot go in there;
It is no more a field, nor a green ground
Very well protected, by the prowling hound.

That is the story of a ground in a city
So is the tale of a field near a city
The green patch in the middle that was a dream
Turned to a high-rise, fulfilling someone’s dream.

You, me or them can be that someone
Not wishing to live on lease of anyone
Uprooting the grass, felling the trees
With little or no effort to plant new trees.

How we cry about our cities so loud
Unattractive and hot to the passing cloud
What do we expect from the jungle of concrete
If we cannot formulate a solution concrete.

It is about time, the rules are made strict
It is about time they are told to restrict
The construction of high-rise, the destruction of greenery
To plant flowering trees and save the beautiful scenery.

The eyesore garbage has finally been removed
The contract that was signed, its value it proved
No more can there be, encroachment guilt
For now there it stands the stadium that is built.

It’s a four again! The match has just begun,
This time too there was no need to run,
But oh! What fun to have an open space,
To give to ourselves our valuable space!

Oceans and Channels

Oceans and seas, never bore me
Mountains and fields, never tire me
Tired I am of the double feet box
Bored I am of the idiot box.

I scale the mountain and reduce my weight
I scan the channel and increase my waist
Oh! For surfing the sea with water splashing
Nay! For soap surfing with tears rolling!

On the high seas in boat I rock to and fro
On the low easy chair I rock to and fro
The former keeps me in spirits so high
The latter gives me the stoop and I sigh!

Newer Heights

Dear Children,

Ups and downs are there in everyone’s life. Even the person born with the silver spoon in his mouth had to go the jail. It is how we view it that makes all the difference. How you handle the situation that makes all the difference. There will be many opportunities in your life, but taking the right decision at the crucial juncture is what will bring you success.

Success does not mean how much wealth you have amassed. It is how you lived… are living… Are you trustworthy? Can you look at people in their eyes? Can you walk on the road without trying to avoid anyone? Are you comfortable being in any place? Can you talk to people from all walks of life… without either of you feeling uncomfortable? Can you give a natural smile? Can you laugh at yourself? If you can do all these and much more then you surely are your own master!

If we don’t let money be the master we can certainly achieve harmony in our lives. We can be with our near and dear ones and share their joy. There was a point in our lives when you were all young, when we had to choose between going after money and staying together. I am happy to say we chose the latter and are so much the better for that.

It happened because we lived a simple life… a trustworthy life. People came forward to help us when we needed it. Can’t forget them. They trusted us. To be trusted, you need to keep your word and mind what you speak. Don’t make false promises. In fact you don’t have to promise anything… your words should be good enough that it alone can take you to newer heights.

The up and down and up!

It is the time of the year to fly and soar high!
It is the time of the year the sun moves up north,
It is the time of the year the wind direction changes,
It is the time of the year you fly your colourful kites!

You can smell the boiling jaggery this time around,
You can hear the scream ‘kapiyay’ this time around,
You can bite and chew the sugarcane this time around,
You can see the colours in multitude this time around.

Oh! To be on the terrace as the wind blows on your face
Oh! To be on the ground with your feet firmly planted
Oh! To be with your friends, with the music ringing in your ears
Oh! To be holding the ‘firki’ and letting your kite soar high!

The kite soars high as the wind blows
The kite soars high - as we release the string
The kite soars up, searching for weak links
The kite soars up, having found the link.

What can happen to the link that was weak?
What could happen but that it lost its roots?
What could happen, to the one that lost?
What could happen? Oh! What could happen?

It starts all over again, the one that fell
It starts all over again, the one that lost
It starts all over again, in a new place
It starts all over again with a new one!

It is so similar to our own lives
It is so similar to our aspirations
It is so similar to our achievements
It is so similar to our ups and downs!

It is the time of the year to make a new beginning
It is the time of the year to start your planning
It is the time of the year to change your desire to want
It is the time of the year your kiting skill you flaunt!

Cherished Moments

Dear Children,

Nursery interview reminds me of how much the world has moved on. Now-a-days admission to school is not based on readiness of the child or the proximity to school or any other factor but the bank balance.

When we took you all for admission you were allowed to play with the toys and were asked simple day to day questions. The principals asked what language we spoke at home. They were happy to hear that we spoke our mother tongue and had started teaching English words so as to make you comfortable in school. For a child to know the mother tongue was given great importance.

Do they ask such questions now? Do they see the readiness of the child, the interaction between the child and the parents, and guide the parents if they are lacking in any areas? None of those. "What is your yearly income?" The gateway to admission. If your income is close to a lakh for a month your child's admission is assured.

It is not surprising that the younger generation runs after money. If you can't make it in rupees look for dollars or rials or whatever else. Everyone wants the best for himself even more so for the off-springs. Money is a good servant but a bad master. So long as it follows you it is fine as you have it under your control. If you run after it you are lost for ever, you are a follower and not a leader. However much bank balance you may have it will always be less if you want to keep up with the latest trend. Stop a while and see your children grow up. Like the poet William Henry Davies says 'no time to stand and stare' in the poem 'Leisure'- it certainly would be a poor life if you cannot spend time with your children, sharing their ups and downs. They are the experiences to be cherished for ever.