Fire and Ice

 

Fire and ice are contrasting elements can be beneficial if used accordingly as well as also cause destruction. I have heard news were people die due to extreme heat or extreme cold, but it's uses different based on necessity. Fire is beneficial to warm oneself during winters and chill air(air conditioners)provides relief  during summers. Can heater utilised during summer or air conditioner utilised during winters? 

Frost in his poem "Fire and ice" talks about two different emotions at its extremes. Fire symbolises desire, passion and love whereas ice symbolises hatred. It's interesting to look at these emotions seperately.

When the topic of love arises it appears to be complicated as there is never an agape but some compromises and sacrifices involved. We say we should first love ourself but if only concentrated on self won't it be selfish and slowly change the person into narcissist but if a person does not have self love then they won't understand their value and appreciate themselves for the achievements they received through hardwork.

Now if we look at romantic love too much love may lead to obsession or possessiveness which harms the relationship as there won't be space to breathe. Too much love for parents would also cause trouble if not shared equal love and respect to the wife after marriage. So what is love? We need to search and understand the meaning by ourself.

Now if we talk about hatred, there are lot of reasons. I believe hate is a very strong feeling that is very rarely felt. We might dislike someone but it may not be hate. Hate in simple terms simple means lack of love.

Emotions are complex to understand even if its about the emotions I currently feel. Maybe that might be the reason we listen to music when sad, talk a lot when frustrated, jump around when excited and so on. Even though emotions are complex, it makes one human.

The Badarpur Market

Today as I went to the market commonly known as Badarpur market the shift in air instantly hit me. The buzzing street was full of people of different ages. The place was crowded as well as not crowded but almost every store had a bunch of people gathered around.

The ladies were bargaining the vegetable prices with the vendors and it was a sight to see how women won the bargaining match effortlessly. I believe it is a talent to be able the reduce half the price for the commodity.

Even though the places were packed with people the cars and rickshaws would dive effortlessly past the crowd like an empty road. 

The quality of air was so bad that I felt suffocated but when I asked my brother who was walking beside me he said that he had " gotten used to the air" which might be my words in a few months. I could smell the smoke and it just was so difficult to breathe but still people walk around as if they are all fine. 

I understand that its us who brought this but isn't it high time people all try to prevent this problem. I remember a documentry that I watched recently that said the story of the people who together worked to prevent the cause of ozone layer depletion which was successful as the ozone layer is still healing. 

It was a story were everybody together helped for a cause and in Delhi also the odd-even system was beneficial to reduce the pollution. The lockdown actually cleaned the air and I was able to see stars but now the sky remains cloudy the entire time. Hope it doesn't get more worse than it is and we all again work together before nature takes action. 

Salt

 

As I was reading a phrase kept me thinking. "‭Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavour, how shall it be seasoned?" This is a very simple phrase that has a literal understanding.

Salt is as valuable as a treasure as it remains an unavoidable ingredient. It is a natural ingredient found in the kitchen of every household and is needed to be part of every dish. It's a small item, not expensive but is not to be ignored. Salt if kept for too long will lose its value as it won't be useful after a certain period.

I would like to connect this to the talents every individual possesses. We often do not use our talents just like the short story where a father divides his wealth among three sons. Two of the three sons did business and multiplied their wealth whereas one son hid his wealth without using it so it became useless in the end.

Similarly, we need to use our talents rather than hiding them or pushing them later. As the "later" doesn't come the opportunities are pushed away. 

This phrase is also a reference to the faith which has diminished over the years. We all go to worship places but do we understand what we are doing or are just following the tradition or what our parents taught us? This thought needs to be implied to understand the depth of our faith and to remain strong in our faith. 

Humanity or not: a guiding light

 Today I happened to read an article about two students who decided to set their future goals to be police officers. Those two girls faced a trauma that was made public but the support they received from their family members was the bare minimum.

Both the girls are rape survivors and the culprits are their close family members. When brought to light the girls are blamed for bringing out such an incident that shames their 'family'. One girl even gave birth to a baby a few days before her exams, her strength and willpower needs to be appreciated. 

These were the hindrances they faced but the help they received from the police officers led them to choose their final destination.

There are a lot of such stories that we hear, some give up and some stay strong. There are a lot of stories that are not said out for the fear of being pointed at, but whose fault is it for the lack of courage? Have we given space for the voice to arise? 

Why is there a blame game especially by the relatives and close people? We see a lot of faces all friendly but if there is a problem how many faces would be present with a helping hand? All will be there to say "We said so...". Out of a hundred maybe just a handful would be there which seems very ironic. 

This is just the raw situation we see every day. People change when there is no benefit, they would be so close with all smiles but it won't take long to turn their back against. 

Just because of a few, we shouldn't assume that humanity is lost. There is always someone somewhere who will be there in the phase of life as an inspiration. We should not cling to them but rather let time lead the way.

( The article)

Conner space

 A corner space

Connected on four sides

A safe haven 

That small joint.

Reading and listening

Sleeping and eating

And the repetition

Goes on and on. 

Places changed 

Routines changed

Habits changed 

But I remain the same.

Monotonous monotonous

Too much of repetition 

Need to change the conner space

To a wider arena.

The dead poet

Poems are always accepted and I have heard many claim that it is very difficult to compose poetry. Some of us love poetry because of its unlocking power. As Wordsworth said "the spontaneous flow of powerful feelings" is applicable when it comes to poetry.

When we look into the history of poets and their works we largely focus on the Romantic poets like Wordsworth and Keats. Yes, I too agree that they are amazing poets due to the majority of their works still being appreciated today.

Poets die physically but they continue to live in their works. If not for their works I don't think any of us will remember them as we even fail to remember the names of our closest ancestors. 

This poem is written in the form of a dream. As we dream we meet a lot of unique people. Sometimes the faces we meet may never appear again but it's just the pigment of imagination that we form from our memory. The poet similarly has a dream of meeting a poet but that dream turns to reality when he wakes up and realises he is dead.

Death is just a form as when he was alive he spent his time writing words that will remain alive for a very long time.

A delicious snack

 

Sunday is a day of rest when everyone will be at home resting and relaxing. A day when everyone sits face to face and have long conversations having the same repetitive topic without a change. 

After a grand lunch, everyone departed for a nap and that's when I had a craving to eat something sweet. And I had to think for a long and decided to make a snack out of a banana. In Kerala, it is named as pazampuri. The snack is usually made using maida giving a different taste but I wanted to make the snack using chickpea flour commonly known as besan flour here in the North.

During my first trial, my mom was there with the ingredients and the making process. It was fun at the same time the heat was too much to bear. It didn't matter as the results were amazing.

The ingredients included besan flour, corn flour, salt, sugar, water, oil and banana.

Firstly, we need to blend besan flour, corn flour (for crispy coating), a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of sugar. These ingredients need to be blended using water as required till all the lumps are dissolved. After the batter is prepared it needs to be kept for 15 - 20 minutes before cooking.

Secondly, the banana is peeled and sliced as needed. Then these sliced banana is added to the batter and spread evenly.

     ( The banana used)

Finally, the banana with the batter as a coating is fried deeply in oil till it turns brownish before it's ready to be served. The snack was delicious and was enjoyed with a cup of tea.

( The snack getting deep fried in oil)

The joy of home

Today as I reached the station it felt so close to home.  As soon as I stepped out of the train I could sense a shift in the quality of air that smells smoke everywhere. For a person living here, it's not a change but Chennai feels a lot more purified air compared to Delhi.

It was early morning when even the sun wasn't up but the streets were lit by lights all around. The auto drivers were awake early when most of us would still be snoring in our beds.

As I reached Delhi it felt long as I never had the opportunity to converse in Hindi, while having a conversation with the auto driver we saw the other side of comfort. That person had a wife and eight children who were still studying and young. He works without break to feed nine mouths but still, it's a struggle.

As I reached home after carrying those heavy bags and climbing the second floor, stepping the threshold of home was finally a relief. The tasty food prepared by Mom is much more valuable and expensive than any food that could be bought from shops. A feeling most hostellers feel when they return home.

(The still awake Delhi)

The second day in the train

 

A train journey to the North is too far and takes a lot of time and energy. It was once fun as a kid too as I used to ride the train from Delhi to Kerala. It wasn't often but still, it was an enjoyable journey, now if I am asked I feel it's a long way ahead to finally reach.

This journey was very friendly even though initially we met a rude person who was very harsh when he spoke. Later it got better with other people who were very friendly to get along with. We had two ladies who were going on the trip to Agra. They were lovely and energetic and were excited to visit places. This happens to be their second trip to the North and they were looking forward to it.

The chillness in the train reminds me of the cool winters without any woollen sweaters. To feel a bit of warmth it feels good to stand near the doors. Hot coffees and soups along with hot scolding water warm the hands and feet up. People from various places all gathered in one small train getting along despite the differences.

As I am reaching closer to my destination the excitement of leaving the vehicle feels wonderful. As the train moves forward and forward it's like a lullaby calming a child to sleep. Even though I have no idea when would be the next train journey, this trip is different as it is a way towards home.

Luggage and travel

 

What could be the worst part of a trip? I personally do not like packing and carrying luggage. It's always a heavy task to carry around the heavy bags rushing from place to place. Years back I came with two bags altogether but now I return back why did the number of luggage increase? Did I buy extra things, if so why?

I was stubborn to carry everything alone, yeah just naive of me to believe I could handle it well but then I painstakingly realised it was even difficult with three people. I desperately struggled to just share a few bags but my companions were too strong to effortlessly carry I guess. Thanks to them it was manageable.

Sometimes I wished I didn't have so many things to carry around but when I looked at my other friends I realised I had the least number of luggage and more complaints.

The best part is boarding the train finally after the long wait. Keeping all the luggage under the beds and sitting comfortably after a long drag of bags. Oof too tiring but I think it's needed to be done to go home.

Even though the carriages are tough I hope to have a smooth journey on the train.

Wish

 "Wishes are part of your heart. The very best part"

This very quotes made me rethink the meaning of wish that we often casually just make. From our childhood till old-age every person wishes changes as they grow but no 'wish' is insignificant as it shapes the thoughts of the person. When I was a child I wished to be a teacher so I used to make my brother sit with a notebook and mimic my teacher. As I grew my wish changed to be a writer which continued to reshape me. When I look back I realised these wishes weren't left empty but was part of me at  times.

Today I watched a Disney movie titled "Wish" which is a blend of a musical view along with a road taking us to the fairy tales that we often enjoy. As I watched the movie I realised how humans start believing themselves as God when they have power. The manipulation of minds help the powerful to control a large group. The king here controls the entire kingdom by claiming to fulfill their wish but those wishes would only be fulfilled if it benefits his kingdom. When people start thinking and questioning he feels threatend therefore befalling danger to the entire kingdom.

This musical drama gave very similar vibes as the fairy tales we are very familiar with. We see a glimpse of "Snow white" when the man takes too much pride upon himself and asks the iconic question to the mirror which we are very familiar with as the same question was asked by the witch in the movie " Snow white and the seven dwarfs".

Every person has a wish and the wish defines a part of them. Some wishes are impossible to be fulfilled, but its their personal entity, that are fulfilled in their dreams. We say an imagination doesn't have an end even though it's an illusion we create but that part of us is happiness that we carry within.