Who is the greatest God of all ? What if the Gods fight each other in a fierce battle to ascertain the same? Who was Sage Agasthya and how did he make the Vindhya mountains bow before him? Tales from mythology have a fascinating mystery about them. It could be in the depth of characters they portray or their timeless value…

.

 “The Sage with Two Horns – Unusual Tales from Mythology” by Sudha Murthy captures the enigma of myths in a fashion that engages the reader. The stories are narrated in a simple manner, that makes the book an easy and enjoyable read. The collection includes diverse stories ranging from  tales of King Shibi, Lord Ayyappa, Kalidas and many more. These bound in values of benevolence, compassion, devotion to duty and selflessness. Also seen alongside are characters that display greed, treachery and cruelty. The illustrations in the book are simply magnificent and add to the delight of the reader.

Personally, I have been curious about tales from mythology. Reading this book helped me understand these stories from a different perspective. This one is a must read to anyone interested to explore mythology but do not know where to begin !

© Anakha K Vijay. All Rights Reserved.

Hello all !

Took this book up by chance. Here is my take on the book..

TIME – the eternal, the universal. The element of universe that flows in its own majesty, without disruptions, without fetters. The Time Keeper is a book about time.

It lets the reader flow in the space of time. It beautifully interwines elements of real life and fantasy. The work connects the stories of Dor, the father of time and two persons on Earth leading their own lives – Sarah Lemon and Victor Delamonte. All three lead widely different lives with their own priorities and challenges. Through the course of time, their lives are mutually interlinked. What happens then, and how the future unfolds is the story of this book.

What I loved about the book is the depth of its narration, while retaining its simplicity. The storyline keeps the reader engaged and the philosophical aspect of the book captures the reader’s imagination.  It teaches us that the value of time depends on how we use it.  Some of us never have enough time. Some others, have just too much time that we do not know what to do with it. We are blind to the blessings we have at the moment and fret over things we do not have. The author conveys these morals without disengaging the reader. What is fate ? What if we can pause time ? What if we get another chance at life ? These questions keep coming to the mind after one has read the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a dose of inspiration to move ahead. Sometimes, if we realise the truth that each second we have is a boundless blessing we would look at life differently.

As a lawyer, I have always wondered why or whether it is difficult for women to make a mark in the legal profession as compared to men. Is this due to nature of the work, or the one word that has more to do with gender injustice than any other – Patriarchy. This led me to ‘On Balance’, the life story of Justice Leila Seth, India’s first woman Chief Justice of a High Court. The book answered many of my queries. And better, it has helped me understand that what decides our growth, be it in the legal profession or any other is the CHOICES we make.

A truly inspiring work !

Writing about one’s life must be a difficult task. More so, if the life one lives is anything but ordinary. Leila Seth’s autobiography ‘On Balance’ must have been an extraordinarily challenging one to write, much like the extraordinary life she lived.

The narrative of the book proceeds in a chronological fashion. Initially, the author discusses her childhood when she was gifted the greatest gift of education. At a very young age, the author understood the importance of thinking for oneself. The greater familiarity the author had with English as a language than her mother-tongue, her life at the convent, dealing with the death of her father – all these phases of her life are talked about. This is followed by details of her life in England – clearing the Bar exam and even better, topping it ! That too, while raising her young children.

On her return to India, she begins her practice at the Patna District Court. The process of ‘finding her feet’ as a woman lawyer exposes her to the challenges women face in the legal profession. This ranges from gender based remarks during hearings to absence of a proper women’s toilet in the Court complex. Her career has both moments of triumphs and deep dejection. The chapter on emergency where the author mentions her anger against the erosion of independence of the judiciary is quite telling.

Years later, the author is elevated to the Bench, where she is witness to the challenges faced by female legal practitioners from a different perspective. At the beginning, lawyers address her as ‘My Lord’, either oblivious to her gender, or due to the force of sheer habit ! One interesting incident is when farmers from the nearby village head to the court just to see the newly appointed female judge !

What strikes one the most about this book is the deeply personal touch every chapter has. The author talks candidly about the challenges she faced in maintaining her work-life balance. The spirit of the author shines all through the book. The book is one straight from the heart. The author explores her feelings- her heartbreaks as a mother, the complex relationship with her daughter, tensions in her family, her stories of self-doubt in meeting the expectations of the Bar and many more.

The philosophy of the author – of living in zest, living life like it is a double rainbow is really magnetic. What we can all learn from the book is the importance of enjoying the little things in life, while aiming for the bigger purpose in life. The author’s message is to work sincerely, to be detached in work as in love. She tells her reader – “Girls, go and light your own candles! ” This message is what makes the book a must read.

©Anakha K Vijay. All rights reserved.

The human mind never ceases to fascinate. Philosphers and thinkers have pondered on the nature of the mind and its endless potential. But, what strikes me most is that the mind is a tireless monkey, jumping from one branch to another. Jumping, jumping … just like that. Here are a few words on the MIND.

Oh, If only you could tell, dear mind

Where to sleep to cast off the despair,

For you too travel all the while with me,

Across emotions, all the while.

For even when I sleep,

Across the dark nights,

You travel, to dreamlands unknown,

When do you break your sojourn, Oh Dear!

Do you sleep on the dark barks,

On trees along your travel,

And steal the fruits for me,

To console my long lost sorrows.

Or Dear! Do you wrap around,

Pebbles nice and round,

To decorate my dreary self,

And then sleep in the watery depths.

Oh! Tell me dear, Do You?

Walk around the mush meadows,

Singing me songs, sweet and long,

Trying to lull me into sleep.

Ah, I think I know,

May be you never sleep,

And you wander, around orchards,

Green and thick, all the time.

May be you always fly,

Taking me with you, across

The blue ocean, across lands,

Unknown, like a jet soaring to the stars.

© Anakha K Vijay. All Rights Reserved. The image is from the internet. Copyright acknowledged.

Today, September 5^th – A day to remember with gratitude; the love, selflessness and dedication of our teachers. Be it in school, college or otherwise in our personal lives, teachers leave a lasting impact.

So here’s to all those wonderful teachers – the light in our lives. Happy Teachers’ Day !

Lost I was,

In the dark woods,

Under dense thickets,

Unable to see, or breathe.

Had I ceased to exist ?

I wandered aimless,

Till she found me,

Held me close,

Choosing to show me the way,

Out of the woods,

Into the light of the world.

She showed me,

the magic of letters,

the world of stories

the beauty of numbers.

She led me,

To face my fears,

To speak my mind,

With courage, conviction.

She taught me,

To be curious, to explore

 and dream sans limits !

She was there,

When there was no light,

She held the candle,

So I could see my way,

She gave me her shoulder,

So I could cry my heart out,

Lost and scared, I was. 

She was there. Always.

What do I give her,

In return, for all that ?

I do not know, really,

What gift for her ?

That would match her,

The strength of her will,

The light of her heart

Or, the beam of knowledge

She has shone for me,

Who was lost without her !

© Anakha K Vijay. All Rights Reserved. The pictures are from the internet. Copyright acknowledged.

As I pen this, Afghanistan is plunged into deeper chaos. With the Taliban set to rule, the future of women rights, minorities and freedom look grim. Images of people desperately clinging to aircrafts in the hope of a rescue, working women keeping home afraid to step out – these shake the core of what we call humanity.

What future holds, only time will tell. What is unfolding before us is a humanitarian crisis that needs urgent attention. One can only hope the world takes stock. Afghanistan deserves help.

If the rugged mountains,

Could whisper,

They’d tell you,

About death of life,

In the valleys.

Death at the bark of guns,

At the callousness of religion,

Or, at broken promises.

Would the valleys hear

Again, the music ?

Or boldness of womanhood ?

Or even, the voice of liberty ?

Would the valleys see more blood ?

Or hear cries of women,

Laden with shattered dreams ?

Are the valleys singing adieu ?

To freedom, to colours

That once lit this graveyard of empires.

Would the valleys ever,

Echo back, the innocence

Children carry in their bosom ?

Or the clatter of their toys ?

For now, the guns are barking,

In languages of blood, death.

Oh ! is there even some hope ?

That the valleys return,

To the life that once thrived herein ?

Perhaps, time would tell.

For now, the sky is listening

So are we, for the valleys,

To speak freedom again!

© Anakha K Vijay. The pictures are from the internet. Copyrights acknowledged.

Who knew a gaze through the airplane window would make me a poet 😉 So here’s to the alluring beauty of clouds…

High above,

Unseen, almost hidden,

There’s solace to fly,

Amid the clouds.

Silence, there is

Just the brooding

Sense of space,

And the sun beaming.  

Are the clouds speaking ?

Telling me how wondrous

It is, to float – unseen.

Can the clouds take me down,

Just gliding down to the ocean below?

Or may be lift me up ?

Take me places ?

So I can see thunders,

Rain and lightning?

Would it be that,

I have lost myself,

Somewhere, here in the heavens.

Or may be, it is

That I have finally found myself.

©Anakha K Vijay. All Rights Reserved.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title – WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS

Author – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Category – Non Fiction

Published by Fourth Estate. First Published 2014

Finally, got to read this book after so much waiting !! Based on a 2012 TED talk given at TEDxEuston 2012, ‘We Should All Be Feminists’ runs hardly fifty pages. The size, however is no indication of the rich content the book carries. I wouldn’t hesitate to call it a dynamite in feministic thought.

The ideas, bold and gripping are put forth in a candid essay. Why are girls taught to fret over what boys think of them? Is it not true that, girls are taught to shrink, to dream small so they don’t intimidate men?!  Why are women taught to worry about the destruction of their marriage? Disturbing questions, yes. But these questions are very relevant in the progressive society we claim ourselves to be. Just as Adichie says. “We have evolved, but our ideas of gender have not.’ Even today, entrenched patriarchy that thrives in silence.  Girls are taught shame. Close your legs ! Cover yourselves! These reflections by the author seem relatable at many levels. This instant connect with the reader is a key attraction of the book. 

A logical corollary of the notion of patriarchy is the narrow limits within which masculinity is defined. The weight of gender expectation does not even spare our boys! They are taught to be tough and shun weakness. In short, these make growing up a form of pretence.

The depth at which the author explores her thoughts is simply phenomenal. The addition of her own personal experiences in the course of narration makes the work even more engaging. The routes the author offers out of the cages of patriarchy also strike a chord. These range from the importance of having uncomfortable gender conversations, to making full humanity of women part of our culture. In the end the author says, “All of us, women and men must do better.”

So, a shout out to all the women out there! Embrace femaleness. There is absolutely no reason why one must be apologetic about femininity. Now, where is my lipstick and my high heals?!

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster,1986. One of the worst industrial disasters in the history of mankind. An entire town was abandoned. Severe radiation made the area uninhabitable. Thirty five years later, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone is still intact. But, with a small change. A thought provoking photograph clicked by Adrian Bliss shows an inquisitive red fox trotting through the zone where gas masks are strewn all over. An area, shorn of its life, is slowly beginning to relive again. What an example to resilience of nature ! How life keeps on keeping on !!  

Fire can rage the woods,

Burn down swathes,

To mere dust – but no,

Not kill the spark of life.

For when, the fire is doused

New seeds sprout, fresh

From the ashes.

In the darkest hours,

When life turns,

Its merciless face onto us,

Is that potential set alight.

The power of resilience

To keep on keeping on.

© Anakha K Vijay. The first picture is from the internet. The second one appeared in the Times of India,  Copyrights are acknowledged. 

What are windows to you ?

Sometimes, I simply enjoy looking out of them. Often, it is an escape from the boredom or may be, it is just the beauty of the world outside.

Mostly, it is the same view. The same street, the same trees… all over and over again. Still, windows never cease to fascinate me. Perhaps, it is the waft of fresh air or the shining light beams they let in. I do not know…

I look out; to see lands,

I can escape to,

To see the beauty around me,

Or the clouds that dot the horizon,

Unto which I yearn to fly.

There’s the wind gushing in,  

Waving its magic wand,

Tickling the leaves.

At times, the sky is dark,

My windows dreary,

From the noise of the thunder.

When it is sunny,

My windows let the light in,

Bathing me in the warmth,

Holding me on, the gentle rays.

Sometimes it is all still,

Unmoving, silent, blank

Just like my eyes,

 Staring onto unknown lands.

© Anakha K Vijay. All Rights Reserved.