Amma ! Mom !!

She brought me into this world 59 years back !! Looked after me for 29 years, and left for good !! They were lovely years, full of favorite food,care and love like no other. One fine morning when I went to wake her up, she had died in her sleep.Like the river Baharatpuzha, she was a stream at times and in full flow most times !! Loving life for what its worth, never giving in and laughed at the dumbest joke and the easiest person to please ! A few words of sentiment, was good enough to fool her,coz she - like me - was an orphan at an early age, and like the drop of water in a desert, sucked up anything in the vaguest form of love !!
Years have gone bye,I got married, Children, Friends,and always restless, with a huge conflict in the brain. Conflict between right and wrong, conflict between acceptance and rejection, conflict between wealth and happiness - the one fact that remains, is her advice that God will always bless you, keep your heart, clean and available for others !!Oh well !! The consequences have been devastating, but am content, and happy.This one trait has not brought me wealth, it has made me lose everything I had, lived like a maverick in the eyes of society, but a few saw the meaning in Khalil Gibran's words 'I have seen a face whose sheen I could look through to the ugliness beneath, and a face whose sheen I had to lift to see how beautiful it was.'
Amma, was fun ! Nothing could dampen her joi de verve spirit, a BA Hons in History of those days, was well versed from Akbar to Alexander, and a mix of the Modern to Traditional in the year 1950 !!Dad, being the typical Army Officer of British upbringing were a handful for all those who came home !! But natural, the son acquired a mix of these qualities and what have you ??? Ha Ha !! The most wonderful sound in the world that can beat a Mozart to AR Rehman !!
In these long years of life on this planet, there are very few I have met, who come close to her qualities of universal UNSELFISH love !!One is a friend I have met just twice, but on the phone every day !! Another I meet just once in 3 years ! And a dear couple, who have given me all the love, care, understanding,advice and scoldings, for being what I am !!
To these people, I was thinking, how would my Mom say thank you ? Coz she always lived by the word GRATITUDE !
Simply in my Prayers, every day !!Today, I firmly believe that's the best gift, I can give as gratitude and as both Dad and Mom always said "

Be like Rani our German shepherd,Listen to everything they have to say, keep your eyes on them and be faithful as only a dog can '

Promise I will

School !!!

Madras Christian College High School... 1964... Old Hostel !! Those were the days !!The bell goes at 5 am, time for a raw egg and Bournvita in a Aluminium Tumbler and on to the field for Hockey !Old Hostel.. The showers are common !! Its a batch of 20 boys in the showers, and really feel sorry for the kids who have joined in std 6 !! Not used to being in their B day suits !!We get 10 mins for everything , which takes an hour now !!!Its rush hour after that, for breakfast, putting books together, searching for socks( someone wud hav hid that ! ) to class!! A full working day !! And again free time from 4PM!! It was compulsory that we shud learn something other than play games.. so I chose the Bagpipe !! Oh !! Lovely days, practicing in the Car Shed !!Its 5PM... run to the Basketball Court for a game till 6.30PM !!