A story of kindness, and sincere devotion

Finding Lord Krishna

After a seemingly long journey from his school, Madhavan poured some water on his feet from a kindi , and entered his home. His grandmother, who was busy reading The Bhagvad Gita.

“How was your exam?”

“Amma, I’m hungry”

It was easy for his mother to understand. Madhavan had his terminal exams, and that day, it was Mathematics,. It was not one of his favorite subjects, and that day too, the experience was unpleasant.

“ You must not get used to your exams being tough” said his mother “That is a bad sign”

“ What can I do, Amma? They always do this to us”

Madhavan’s  younger brother Mukundan was busy munching some appams.

“Kannan’s exam was easy” his mother said.

Madhavan looked at his younger brother again. Multiplication and division was still easy for him.

“How was it for your classmates?”

“It was tough for them too”

“Did you ask Shankar and Rahul?”

He expected that question. Shankar and Rahul were the toppers of his class. He actually used to ask them about their exam. They would tell him that it was tough, and then end up with some ninety five percent and above.

“Kutta? Will you accompany me to the temple?” Madhavan’s grandmother asked.

“I’m coming!” he replied, to avoid further quizzing by his mother. They went to the temple where his father worked as a priest. He was busy with his pujas.

“Bhagavane ! “ Madhavan prayed “I still do not understand how it would do any harm to me if the paper had been easier. And all that was asked were to ‘ integrate this’, ‘integrate that’!. I just hope that the evaluators show mercy while correcting our papers”

As he kept complaining about the exam, he noticed a frail, boy of about six or seven years old, praying. The innocence on the boy’s face gave it a pleasant glow, and then, Madhavan felt his voice being audible.

“Bhagavane! Bless the kind people who come here to pray. It is because of them that I got to pay my school fees”

Madhavan kept staring at the boy, who walked away in a slow, quiet manner.

As they stepped out of the temple, he saw his grandmother place a 100 rupee note in the palm of an old woman.

“Isn’t  100 rupees a bit too much to be given as alms?”

“Kutta, what do we have for dinner everyday?”

“Well, sometimes rice, and otherwise chappathis”

“Would it cost more than 100 rupees to buy rice, spices and vegetables altogether?”

“Well… yes”

“Then 100 rupees is very less. I’ve seen financially sound people give such small amount of money, like 50 paise, or one or two rupees as alms, as if they’d done a great work of charity, and then they go and buy useless trinkets. Moreover, that poor old lady has a grandson to feed”

That night, Madhavan’s thoughts were about the boy he saw at the temple. Paying his school fees was such a problem for him. Well, he did not know himself how much his father would pay for his studies every month. Then he brushed aside these thoughts, and lay down on his bed. The holidays have arrived, and it was such a relief.

But on the following days also, he saw the boy. As he helped his father with some work in the temple, he got to know more about him, who was orphaned when he was a toddler. The boy and his grandmother lived in a space between four dilapidated walls, which they called, their ‘home’.

But then, he noticed that the boy’s grandmother had not come to beg near the temple for a couple of days. What must have happened to her? Was she not well? The boy still visited the temple regularly.

He saw the boy again, one morning, as he poured payasam in small packets. The devotees would get a receipt for it and then receive it as their prasadam. The boy looked much weaker than usual, but still, his mind seemed to be much immersed in God.

Then, as though by some instincts, Madhavan got a receipt written for him and paid for it himself. Then he went closer to the boy and patted him.

“Come with me” he said.

The boy, startled, kept following him. Then Madhavan handed over a packet of payasam to the boy.

“But  Cheta, I haven’t paid for it”

“It’s paid already. Take it home”

The boy stared at Madhavan, with moist eyes. He walked away slowly, and on the way, turned back to look at him.

Poor boy, Madhavan thought. He must not have eaten for days, as his grandmother had not come begging for days. But, was a packet of payasam  enough for them?

He followed the boy quietly as he walked to his home.

“Ammama” he said “We’ve got something to eat”

“Who gave you this?” she asked.

“A boy in the temple” he replied “He gave this to me, and I did not have to pay for this”

He paused for a while

“Ammama, you tell me everyday that God would listen to our prayers, and help us in need.

I am sure, that it was Bhagvan himself who gave this to me. I found him today! I found our Bhagvan today.

Madhavan felt deeply touched by what he heard. Slowly, Madhavan smiled through the window, and knowing that he was far from their attention, quietly walked away.

the painting

The Painting

A painting of a lady, one among

The others pinned to the wall

Encased, trapped in glass, frames of

Old oak and silver around them all

And I, a lad, a young poet

Finding ways to while away

Boring hours of a summer holiday

While others of my age would work and play

I sit and think about all day

To find something for my eager quill

Stained with the ink of my thoughts that spill

And found this picture, among the rest

Wondered why, I found it the best

Her hair had the flow of a river, disturbed

And in such mayhem, but a lock

So pale, might have cared less to paint

And yet had the radiant glow

Blazed like the golden sphere of the sky

But, caught me, those dark eyes

Of the lifeless, still Aphrodite

Caused the blood in my heart to rush

Feel it was more than strokes of brush

And then, there was life in every line

Touched the beating heart of mine

“Time’s up!” said the guard

And the illusion shattered hard

I looked back for a last glance, to the wall

At the painted lady on a piece of card

friendship

They may be similar or different from you,
In thoughts, habits and dreams 
you may know them from early childhood
or just as recent as yesterday
But they may be just as close to you
as anyone in your family
They do anything it takes
to keep you happy
and bring sunshine
in the most cloudiest moments
They are your friends

Dedicated to all my friends.......

Hope

A RAY OF HOPE

A ray of hope

Was what you were for us

When we, far from home

Wished we were near

To those who were to us, dear

And when we got to taste

The bitter-sweet world

A tempest beyond our harbour

You were our solace

When theories like boulders

Were kept on our shoulders,

Those used only to stones

And complaints about us,

Fell upon you like an avalanche

Of us being incompetent, naughty

You tried to correct us instead

Gave us a smile, made us feel special

Made us feel like stars

Made us feel like winners

And thus, you were for us

A ray of hope

New year greetings

A new year message

A year of hope

What is left of this year,

Memories, sweet and sour,

Records of losses and gains,

And lessons learned.

Images, those deleted,

Or laminated and framed.

Names, written in sand,

Or engraved on stone.

This year had been a furnace

That produced pure steel.

This year had blossomed

The reward for years of toil.

The year approaching, the one of hope

Must chisel away one’s false,

And make one a master piece.

The year approaching, with promises

To bloom roses, among thorns of life,

And cut diamonds out of stones.

The coming year is just a sheet

Of plain white paper,

But you have with you, the permanent ink,

And the right to inscribe.

So, may it be the best of your own will

For you have the power to succeed.

Merry Christmas- From Arathi Menon

May the ringing bells of christmas fill ur life with music of happiness and
prosperity

Tooba : Great Initiative from St. Joseph's AIGHSS to showcase the bonding of Children with Nature

 Tooba: Great Initiative to showcase bonding of Children and Nature

Mangalyaan - Mars-craft -Mars Orbiter Mission - MOM

Mangalyaan- Mars-craft- Mars Orbiter Mission

MOM is Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) First interplanetary mission to Mars.


IRSO released the first picture of Mars taken by its onboard Mars colour Camera. The picture was taken from a height of 7300 kms
ISRO's Twitter handle relased the pic with a comment saying 'the view is nice up here'.



Launched in Nov 2013
Mars Orbit in Sep 2014
Orbital period 3.16 days
Travel: 372 x 80,000 kms
Pictures by: ISRO

Happy Onam 2014

Your Mind is a Garden
Your Thoughts are the Seeds
Let's cultivate Positive Thoughts.
Happy Onam
- Arathi Menon, expressions-am.blogspot.com

a sibling

 If I had a sibling

If I had a sibling

the one with who I’ll be

I will tell them stories

explain to them, what is that they see
I’ll tell them “I’m your elder

you can always count on me”

I will let them wrap

their little fingers around mine

And step by step, they will

walk by my side
Thrilled will I be, when they speak out

names of papa, mama and mine

My toys will be theirs

and I’ll take them out to play

Together we’ll see the sun shine

and dance in the rain
I will be the one with whom they can

share their pleasure and pain

To my friends, about my siblings

i will talk most of the time
But oh, I do not have any

I’m the only child

My parents dote me

although I’m pampered and wild
I have all their love and care

I have all the books and toys

And I have no one else to share it with

Or fight for it and make noise
At moments, when I’m lonely

I wish to hear a voice

that of a sibling, who would ask

“Shall we go out and play

I want to hear your stories

And talk to you all day”
If you wish you were the only one

Then those who are will say

“How I wish I had a sibling

To keep loneliness at bay

For when you tell me about yours

i would wish for one again.

The Tree

The Tree

Aeons   ago, I emerged

Stretched myself to the world

Clutched on, with my fragile roots

As I felt the whiteness melt away

Then, I remember, the young Earth

My mother, and I the infant sap

I embraced the amiable breeze

And basked in the glory of the radiant

Wondered how, with eloquent ease

Flowed the water, with its clear grace

Nourished my roots, and strengthened

If I had eyes, I would have seen

How, emerged forms of life

Of various sorts, of various sizes

And many others of my kind

Holding fast and breathing out

Sustaining life

The breeze would tell me

All what he saw

The tales of east and lore of west

And yes, about the creature best

Set him apart from all the beasts

The species, destined to conquer the world

Though fragile, is  gifted

But alas, their greed and thoughtlessness

And some sadist fancy induced the kind

To turn against their kith and kin

Do what they themselves call ‘sin’

The breeze himself, of chemical woe

Blurted out the terrible truth

Of how they turned out a foe

To us, who fed them, sheltered them

And from us, made a home

I hear the mourns of birds and beasts

And for our kind, a massacre

To build themselves

They say , a home

Of concrete and of stone

My kind, felled, one by one

Gasped through the grip of death

That with a sharp, gleaming axe

Piercing a slow, painful end

I see that nightmare, but still, hold on

And hope, a day, that they would see

And then, would come back to me

And I will keep waiting, day and night

With my wooden arms stretched wide.

The Lighthouse

The Lighthouse

It was a fine, sunny morning, if you would call ’11 ‘o’ clock’ morning. Yeah, that’s the time when I usually wake up, during the holidays. But today, I had planned to sleep for some more time, but then, Amma woke me up.

“Amma, it’s a holiday”

“But Ravi, holidays are not meant to be spent sleeping. Get up now!”

“Let him sleep, Aunty“ I heard Maya say “My uncle had actually planned to take both of us to the lighthouse. But if Ravi insists on sleeping…….”

I sprang up. “Are we actually going to the lighthouse?”

“But you don’t want to. Now go to sleep!”

“Of course I do! Amma, are my clothes kept ready?”

“Mone, get them yourself. I’ll prepare breakfast”

I leaped into my clothes and ate my sandwiches with haste.

“Will you be here for lunch?”

“Most probably, not. My uncle promised to take us out for lunch”

Then Maya and I bid Amma goodbye and hasted towards the car. Maya’s uncle was waiting for us.

The lighthouse had always fascinated me when I was young. Some nights, when Maya and I do ‘sky watching’ a ray of light would emerge from the lighthouse. We used to have a fancy that it was a signal from extraterrestrial beings, a way of greeting the earthlings. Then we grew up, got enough sense to understand its source. But in us, remained a longing to know more about this light and to know how it would feel being in its source.

We ate our lunch from a restaurant. It was a vegetarian dish with a weird name and all I know of it was that it must have got sweated off on the way to the top of the lighthouse.

“My uncle says that he could see paradise up there” said Maya.

“But we could see it only after we die, isn’t it?”

“No, we wouldn’t need to die for it”

Finally, we reached it. It was a magnificent tower of red brick. Maya’s uncle explained to us the history of the lighthouse and how it would guide ships to the harbor. Then we insisted on climbing to the top of the lighthouse.

               Soon, we found out that we had to climb a high flight of winding stairs. The very sight of it got us exhausted. Maya’s uncle noted our expressions.

“How else do you think we’d go up? By an elevator?”

Then we held up our spirits and started climbing. After about fifteen minutes, Maya and I found ourselves panting, while her uncle sped past us.

“How does he do that?” I asked her “Is this how he stays fit?”

“Perhaps” she said “Don’t you feel thirsty?”

“Of course I do. In fact, I have some water with me”

“Oh, thank you! Let’s sit down for a while”

We took some rest and got to climbing again. We took some intervals between the climbing, and then we were so tired that we thought all the energy in us was drained, we found that our food supplies were over. But still, the strain seemed endless.

“Well, Ravi” said Maya, sitting down “Now that we have no supplies left, should we consider………….”

“Never!” I exclaimed “Well…. Perhaps. But your uncle would be waiting for us, right?”

“I guess he expected. He even told me that he wasn’t sure about us, getting to the top of the lighthouse. But if we climb again…. It’s okay for you, having a store of lipid, but me, I may faint, or even, dissolve!”

We reclined for a while. I thought as I looked up and down the winding stairs. The way upward seemed endless, and would have definitely given us too much of strain, enough to keep us in our beds for at least two days, but to climb down, would make us more than tired.

“I say, let’s have a race”

“Oh Ravi….”

“A race, up the stairs. Just for this once, please?”

“Okay fine!”

We used up all our remaining energy and pushed ourselves for a few more steps. Maya, as usual was ahead of me and then, at a point;

“Ravi! Look!”

I caught up with her, dragging my legs. And then, I saw her pointing at a faint ray of light.

           Then we climbed, or literally, crawled up the stairs. Our path grew brighter and brighter and we felt the breeze wiping our sweat. After the last relieving step, was one of the most memorable moments of my life. There was wind, blowing on our faces and through our hair, and the evening sky in the most loveliest shade of blue.

“It is for this, that I come here” said Maya’s uncle, patting my back “This is paradise!”

“I thought I’d see the other end of the sea” said Maya, smiling.

“You may, perhaps” said her uncle “When you go higher”

My happiness had camouflaged my hunger, but still, I helped myself with a dozen sandwiches, which were kept in store for us. Then the lamp of the lighthouse was lit. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and looked at my palm. The salty liquid now looked like diamonds to me.

                              Later, we climbed down the lighthouse, but with memories of a fulfilled wish.

Merry Christmas

My Teacher, My Guiding Star

You opened to us

The window of the world

You taught us

The meaning of life

You showed us

The wonders of science

And the magic of math

You made us understand

The depth of language

And the soul of music.

We, your students throughout our lives

Think of you with gratitude

You identified in us

The talents we had

Taught us to embrace the good

And abandon the bad.

You are our guiding star

The beacon of wisdom

‘The portal of success

The catalyst of skill

And lead us to the creator of the World.

Thank You, O Lord

Thank You, O Lord
For the shelter you have given us,
Like how you held up the mountains,
To protect your people from the wrath of the rain,
You gave us homes.

O Lord, we pray
that for life on earth,
may have roof above their head,
A safe place to stay.

Thank you O Lord
for the prosperity you have given us.
Like how you blessed impoverished friend and his family,
embraced them with love.
You gave us, all what is needed.

O Lord we Pray
that for every life on earth,
May they never go hungry to bed.
May they stay happy all day

Thank You, O Lord
for the guidance you have given us.
Like how you guided Partha,
through the clashing of weapons of kith and kin,
during the dreadful war

O Lord, we pray
for every life on earth,
may they brave hurdles, approaching ahead.
Have faith in you always

Thank you, O Lord
for the love you have given us,
from your abode, so high and divine
You came down to us,
to this evil stained world
several time, lived and grew as one of us,
washed those stains away.

O Lord, we pray
that, for every life of earth,
may have your goodness and spread it.
Do what the evil dread
to live for you, we pray.

KRISHNA

KRISHNA

Oh Krishna, the deity of peace

Whom one can think of with love

His grace and form are indescribable

See Him with your mind’s eye.

He is a waterfall of peace and happiness

Deep as the ocean is His love

Bright as the sun is His brilliance

His smile brings happiness to millions.

He is like the lamp that spreads light

To make us all happy and bright.

FROM ANOTHER WORLD

FROM  ANOTHER  WORLD

The sky was wide and still,

With a multitude of glittering stars

And a smiling moon, ever so bright

As I stared from the window sill.

A fragment of the eternal dark

Of the calm and peaceful night.

I stared further, and there, I saw

A little speck of white

So tiny, but proclaimed its presence

Like a drop of milk on black granite.

A strange presence, I thought amongst

A thousand blazing stars

Like the fire, in the oil lamps lit,

Radiantly for hours.

But this little white wonder

Who never strained much

Gave me a thought to ponder.

Its eyes, like my sight

Had the power of flight

To see through the dark clouds

And throughout the endless night

Higher than our home, and reach the height

And find will I there, a world like ours

Find will I there, I might.

There will be flora and fauna, land and water

And weather, maybe colder or hotter.

People, who sleep at night and work all day

And children who laugh, cry and play.

Perhaps they have schools where they learn

Arts and sciences, so they may earn

More from their own world.

Now may be, a little child

Thither may stare from a window 

And smile and think if there might be

Like theirs, another world.

Rain in Summer

                                                      Rain in Summer

It was another busy day
In the scorching month of May
The rushing crowd, the noisy streets
An ideal, summer day

And all I wanted to do that day
was just to play, play and play
That is all what a child can think of,
doing on a holiday

I ran out of the house as fast as a train
but my mother told me, "It will rain"
"Take an umbrella, or get yourself wet"
But her efforts were in vain

It was summer and it was scorching hot
and to use an umbrella, so frivolous I thought,
The sun too bright, the sky silver
As to be it ought.

We shouted at the top of our voice
But it blended with the busy street's noise
And we played as long as we could
But then, my forehead felt moist

Pitter! Patter! Fell the rain
And soon filled the potholes of the roads and the drain
And soon got the crowd, locked in the houses,
And the buildings, clean of stain

Ashamed, I ran home, in hasty speed
To my mother's advice, I should have paid heed
And as the heavy drops fell on my head,
to reach home, I thought was the need

But then, I saw the world rejoice
The trees and plants, swayed to its noise
I felt their happiness and wondered, in such a weather
The trees still chose to rejoice

The plants were rooted and I knew it,
And so were the trees, but seemed to enjoy every bit
The storm could shatter them, break or uproot them
but they still kept enjoying it.

They swayed to the strong tunes of the breeze
Which made me jump and dance with ease
Rain can be melancholy or even melody
But the latter was the choice for the trees

As I kept jumping puddles, I understood
Not always are good times, as we think it would
As problems come, do not sigh, do not mourn, but face it brave
And enjoy, enjoy, enjoy..............we should

First Prize - S Challenge Memorial English Poetry Award

Dedicated to my parents, teachers, family members and friends who inspired me to express my thoughts through my poems and short stories..

Receiving the S Challenge Memorial English Poetry Award from Deputy Speaker of Kerala,  Shri. N. Shakthan at Prress Club Hall, Trivandrum on May 12, 2013. The Award Committee members Dr N P Unni ( Ex - Vice Chancellor), Dr  Artist K G S S Nair and Smt B Indira and other dignitaries we the speakers who addressed the invitees.

Thrissur Pooram 2013 - A prelude

Thrissur Pooram Festival - The splendid and most colourful temple festival in Kerala dates back to 1798, is celebrated on the pooram day in the month of April. . On April 21st the Gaja veranmar  (majestic elephants) would grace the festival ground Capariosned to add the magnanimity of the 'panchavadhyam' during the madathil varavu and later the  'illanjithara melam'  rendered by over 200 artists. This would be followed by the Kudamatam - an eye catching attration at Pooram and the Spectacular fireworks in the night.

The above pics : The majestic elephants lining up on the eve of the pooram day at the temple ground.

St.Josephs AIGHSS X std batch 2012-13

For all my friends in St.Josephs A.I.G.H.S.S

Forever, forever

let these moments be

for these, we remember

for eternity

Little Things...

With minutes ticking by

For the new year to come by

The world, cropping up with resolutions

For a better year

Without any loss of money

Loss of status, or luxury

And all the other material factors

To keep up to the stress and prejudices

Cribbing about the past

Yearning for a fearless future

Filled with happiness

But where is it?

In a world full of hunger and hate

Where there is no time for care

Or where there is too much to bear

But, little things like sunshine

Butterflies, flowers and smile

Makes the world bright

Little things, let us live

Love , friendship and family

To see the dawn fresh in you

The world in a new light.

12.12.12.12.12.12.

Today is December 12, 2012
12 minutes and 12 seconds after noon
so that makes it....

                                               

                                                    12.12.12.12.12.12

Y's Men's RD's visit

Pledge to the Nation by Y's Ling's President Arathi Menon during Y's Men's Regional Directors Visit

Thought for the day

Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do, what they need is one reason why they can.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

The last summer day

THE LAST SUMMER DAY

On a summer day

The best time to come out and play

Me and my friends were doing the same

In the first week of May

Streaming sweat on our forehead

Our hair as dry as hay.

A drop fell on my forehead

Cooling it and reminding us

That it was the last summer day

Then I looked up to see

What interrupted us at play

Then was when I noticed

The blue sky turning grey

More drops followed the first

Quenching the warm land’s thirst.

A roar of thunder came loud

Made the sun run behind the cloud

We ran back home, by my mother’s call

And at home, sticking my nose on the window

There were lots of things I did see

I saw the world shower

Washing the roads clean

The stormy wind’s power

Made the towers seem to lean

There was a splash of water

Which washed the world clean

The trees swayed along

For the wind’s playful song

The sky scolded the sea

And seized the vast sky

But Posideon’ s rage was no less

And shook the sea with might

But soon, the storm stopped,

With a smile, the sun appeared

Drops of dew on the window pane,

Like diamonds they glittered

I smelt the fresh air

And saw the world bright

The birds chirped again, the weather so calm
I smiled, for i knew, the picture was much clearer.

princess of the night sky

Princess of the night sky

After the colourful sunset,

The attractive colour splashed palette

In flowed the night

In no time

Spread the sky with pure black

So had we, to go to sleep

Before the next busy day,

But it began to creep

And my heart began to leap

As the room became dark

The howling of a dog, the hooting of an owl

Made my tummy growl

Then I made myself calm, and kept still

And my eyes wandered to the window sill

There I saw the Pretty One

Dancing in her lovely white gown

And her face, lit up with a smile

But when she saw me, she was usually shy

Ran and hid behind a cloud , with a silver line

But soon she was back

And was collecting stars

To arrange them in the black

The Orion, the Dipper the great and little Bear

And the best the night can wear

She skipped and jumped in the midnight sky

And the wind translated her silent laugh

It gave a soft whisper

As she tossed the stars around

And threw them to the midnight ground

Her lullaby, carried by the wind

Soothed me to sleep

And as she sung, she never forgot to remind

To make the night bright there always will be

The princess of the night sky.

charles dickens

Charles dickens

Charles Dickens was born in 1812. His father was unable to manage his money properly, and when Dickens was a child, the family was always worried and poor. They lived in London some of the time,  but moved often. It seemed that Dickens would  not be well educated. His father did not pay his debts and was sent to prison. Dickens ’s mother and four of her children went to live with him. Dickens, who was still a young boy, had to work in a factory. However, his father’s position improved and he was sent to school again.

                          He became a clerk in a lawyer’s office, and later as a newspaper reporter. He began writing short stories and by the time he was twenty five, he had become famous and popular. He has written a lot of classics like David Copperfield, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby , Scrooge and tale of two cities. Dickens married and had ten children. He died in 1870.

onam wishes

Happy independence day

Still Curious and Red- Mission Mars

05.32 GMT, few athletes at the Olympic Village were up, stretching, gearing up mentally and physically focusing on the podium, visualizing their victory and kissing their well deserved medal. 

Across, the pacific, a Team, possibly the best scientists and astronomers had their eyes glued to the flawless landing of the "Curiosity rover" which was lowered by 25 foot long cables from a hovering rocket stage on the Red planet we call - Mars. The media reports that the Curiosity caries the most sophisticated movable laboratory. 

An admirer of Astronomy, through this blog, I Congratulate the entire TEAM behind successful landing of the Curiosity. 

friendship day