RELIVING

 Life is the most beautiful gift bestowed upon us by the Almighty. However, I believe that life, though is a gift but is made beautiful by the moments we make each day. We begin this journey of life on the day we are born. As we grow old and progress on the path of life, we plant the little saplings of events and moments which soon grow into lovely flowers. The barren land soon grows into a picturesque garden of life. The flowers of the garden are those lovely memories that we want to keep admiring and remember. Some are the thorny bushes which remind us of the painful events of the past, yet the thorns remind us of the endurance and tolerance we learnt during the painful process. Some are the weeds, the unwanted memories yet can never be prevented to grow in the garden. Such is the garden of life, with all sorts of memories-blissful as well as painful. this blend of moments  makes life a beautiful gift.

One such event that occurred in my life was when I got the chance to go abroad (Europe) with family. This event has been engraved as a heartwarming memory which when looked at brings a sense of rapture and elation to my heart. 

It was the hot summer of  June 2018 when we were all poised to fly overseas. Our destination was the city of charm and romance, a heaven for foodies and fashion- PARIS. We started the day on the Champs-Elsyees-the most beautiful avenue in the world and ended at being at the top of Eiffel Tower. To reach on the top of the tower was like to have reached on the top of the world. The tour through the safe place of Mona Lisa- the Louvre Museum was euphoric. The cruise on the glimmering Seine River and a walk on the Paris Streets felt like a dream come true.

The next landing place was the land of fancy chocolates and luxurious lifestyles, lofty green mountains, lovely hamlets and stylish watches-SWITZERLAND. The breathtaking views from the Snow covered Mount Titlis enthralled me. The stunning Rhine Falls and the stone paved streets of Interlaken made me feel as if I was in a wonderland. The shining Swarovski Crystals for which AUSTRIA is famous amazed me.

The last destination was the land that gave birth to the greatest poets, painters and architects of the world-ITALY. The architecture of Leaning tower of Pisa made me revere its beauty. I couldn't stop myself from imagining Galileo throwing balls from the top. The winding canals of Venice, its Gandola rides, squeezed one way walking streets, striking architecture and beautiful bridges couldn't stop me from admiring the beauty of this "Floating City". The majestic chapels and fortified palaces of Florence, a home to the most famous art galleries of the world, took my breath away. It was really hard for me to believe that I stood on the pavements of the city that was the birthplace of the world's greatest architects and poets like Dante Alighieri and Michelangelo. The next visit was to the Capital city of Italy-Rome, very well known for its historic sites-the Colosseum, Vatican city and the Trevi Fountain. The city which is about 2500 years old stood majestically flaunting its historical buildings. The VATICAN CITY, home of the Pope, is surrounded by Rome and looked more like an open ground than a country.

This long journey of touring across different European countries became an unforgettable memory which still blooms in the garden of my life. Whenever I sit peacefully to go through the flashback, the memory of this trip comes flooding to my heart giving me the feeling of nostalgia. I could grow this lovely flower in my garden due to my father who made this pipe dream a reality for me. The memories of this event won't ever fade away and will perpetuate to soothe me whenever I would look back into my garden of life while relaxing on my rocking chair.

REKINDLING SOLACE

Today, I got a call from my old friend Indie and we decided to have a get together at her gallery. I soon readied myself and left for Indie's workplace. I preferred walking over driving as it would allow me to gaze at the beautiful creations.

As a writer, I have been acclimatized to observe my surroundings profoundly.

This always gives me a chance to enter a new world wherein I can sense others' feelings and thoughts to a greater extent. And this makes me proud to be writer as being philosophers, we are gifted with a sixth sense to look at the world through someone else's window. This further provides us with a different view and hence changes our way of perceiving things.

With these gleeful thoughts, I reached at the doorsteps of Indie's grand gallery.

Her gallery was filled with a plethora of paintings and abstract arts. The colossal paintings hung on the peach colored walls while the small sized ones were displayed on the desks protected within the glinting glass. Unfortunately, her gallery had piffling spectators. Nevertheless, Indie's sparkling eyes were a hint of the contentment with what she did.

We met with a warm hug and broad smiles. She immediately took me to a tour of her regal gallery and I too took a keen interest in her lovely and magnificent paintings. 

Indie is a indeed a gifted one. Her wizardry and skills were reflected in her paintings. Every blade of  grass, every outline of cloud and every vein of leaf was drawn with great perfection.

Indie explained to me the meanings hidden in each of her paintings and arts.

We then came across one of her famous paintings which had once attracted lot many people. The colossal canvas was painted in black with a lovely lady in its foreground wearing a white dress. She stood barefoot with an expressionless face. Her fragile hands held a candle which she had blown off. She stood in a poignant pose. The painting seemed to come to life. Much could be felt and seen. My engrossment broke when Indie explained that the lady in the painting was a personification of hopelessness, darkness and grief. She blew away the candle because all hope seemed to fade away. She was forlorn and engulfed by the darkness. Indie told that the she had portrayed herself as that lady. At one point in her life, she felt dejected and hopeless. Pessimism prevailed in her world and she had accepted the darkness as a part of her life. 

Indie told me that most of her works were either the part of her own life or were the realities of the world around us. Painting was portal to her solace and an outlet to all her emotions and feelings. I could too experience the same because I believed there wasn't much difference in the worlds of artists and writers except that one described the inner feelings through colors while the other through words.

I soon realized that art and literature are the embodiment of emotions, feelings and experiences. They are the reflection of the unheeded realities of the world.

They are the lifelines without which one would face the pangs of loneliness in this fast pacing world. They form the veins of every civilization which carry the blood of life and color.

People through their poems, writings, songs, artworks express the feelings that lay beneath the layers of apparent smiles.

I had to give a halt to my thoughts as now was the time to gossip with Indie and remember past times with sigh. The gallery reverberated with the peals of laughter. Thanks to the lower number of viewers in the gallery that we could spend a merry time with each  other without much trouble.

Time passed and I had to leave unwillingly. We parted with a warm hug.

I walked down the street which was yet illuminated with the final rays of setting sun. I took with me the lovely memories of the day. I walked back with the thought that the art and literature walked hand in hand. They had an immense power to move and rekindle the lost solace among people who are entirely entangled in their walks of life. 

In spite of this, they disparage art and philosophy with the thought that these weren't the honorable professions or no one could live writing or painting throughout life.

This saddening thought prompted me to think that a part of world still lives in fallacy.

HER PAINS

The final rays of the sun were fading away and it was time for her to ease herself in her rocking chair. It had been a long and exhausting day. She sighed deeply while wiping out the sweat rolling down her face.

The setting sun took away the warmth and coziness with it. The cool breeze set in accompanied with the darkness which looked ghastly. Silence crept in slowly with the dying chirps.

Rocking back and forth in her chair, she tried hard to listen to her inner self in this grim silence. She tried to dive deeper in search of inner peace.

Years of pain and miseries had shattered her inner peace. Her trials gave no piece of consolation and now she stood all alone with no one to become the adhesive of her splintered life. Each day reminded her of her painful past. Every present moment was a piece of unpleasant memory. She stood up everyday with a new hope and vigor but retired to rest with broken spirit.

She had grown up to a strong person. The glistening eyes showed her true spirit, the tough hands showed her boldness and fearlessness while her sharp voice was like a thunder.

But her inner soul wept somewhere in the nooks. The pain was endless. The outer smile hid the inner pain. Beneath the tough hands, lay a fragile form that had been worn out due to the wounds of agony. Boldly she faced the world but lacked even a tinge of courage to wipe out her own pains. Her plumy cheeks and rosy skin showed her serenity but her inner enthusiasm seemed to ebb away. Gloom was the state of her inner self.

The clouds of self doubt hovered in her world. Her inability to conquer her pains made her distressed. She wanted to pull herself out from the abyss of hopelessness but was badly trapped in the quagmire of grief and shattered spirit. Her inner soul cried for help but was in vain. She was left all alone surrounded by the mist of anxiety, pain, suspicion, pain and timidity.

Her heart felt being tossed and turned by the tides of agony and she failed to stand firmly against them. The spirit faltered and tears fell. Her inability to overcome the pangs of life left her crippled forever.

A new day began and sun shined more brightly but she again wore the dress of self guilt and got ready to face the world with the so called courage.

DYING FANTASIES

Twilight has been a fascinating part for me since childhood. I used to run past the doors into the garden to watch the soft flowing light in the sky. The faint ruddy sky with a tinge of orange glow pacified my racing heart.

Today, I repeated my daily routine. I slowly walked into the garden area beautified with the lovely flowers. The scent of roses was scattered everywhere while pansies flaunted their beauty in the corner. The marigold with its thick and lush foliage seemed really pretty and the pink petunias made a lovely fence.

I sat down on the wooden chair to acknowledge the beauty of the sky and welcome the tiny littered stars.

Relaxing back in the chair, I recalled my childhood days when I would hop from one place to another and smell the lovely flowers. I used to jump and dance. I loved staying in the garden for hours and used to watch the plants growing. I remember sowing mango seed with my mother and the seed has grown up into a big lovely tree under whose shade I am sitting today. Those lovely childhood memories brought a broad smile on my face. They had filled that childhood vigor and zeal in me. I felt like to hop and dance. It seemed as if I was young again. This everyday routine made me feel youthful and active.

But soon, my joint pains made me realize that I was no more in the springtime of my life. They rather beckoned me telling that I had entered the dusk phase of my life. They told me that the youth and child inside me is getting faint and rather suggested me to welcome the old age.

The blooming flowers prompted me to feel the youth in me but the wrinkled hands showed me my reality. The swift butterflies made me feel like a child wanting to hop but my aching bones told me to accept the aging years. The tall plants made me sense the strength in me but the hunched shoulders gave me the signs of aging. The green leaves gave me a sensation of freshness and youthfulness but my pale face reminded me of the winter phase of my life.

The realities seemed really harsh to accept. Just as it gets cold with the arrival of night, so is the same cold in this truth.

However, the arrival of tiny shimmering stars in the sky increased its beauty manifold and this again pacified my pounding heart with the thought that beauty lies in every phase of life. The winter has its own charm and so has the old age. Death is as beautiful as life.

Thus, I accepted my truth with ease and retired to rest.

CLOUDED

When I entered my room after a very long time, I felt choked in its concentrated air. Today, I moved in after years of struggle and laborious work.

The creaky door reminded me of its ill conditions. The dusty windows restrained me from the outer landscape. The webs introduced me to the new denizens of my room. The air was damp and I could smell the unfamiliarity in the air. The dust had settled and frozen on the tiles.

I still comforted myself on the couch and tried to relax myself and my body that ached and reminded me of the tiresome journey. But the suffocating air didn't let me sleep. I wanted to  run away into the open lands under the clear sky. I wanted to feel the lovely green grass and smell the lovely roses. 

But I felt chained in my own room.

The conditions of my room forced me to make a parallel between my mind and this old, dusty room.

The mist of doubt had clogged my mind.  The webs of uncertainty had become  the new members. The dust of dilemma had settled in my subconscious. The dusty panes prevented the the seeds of clear thoughts to germinate. The years of struggle  I went through questioned me like ghastly spirits and asked me whether it was all worthy. Numerous questions kept flooding and clogging my mind. I couldn't see the open lands. My thoughts surrounded me. I dived deeper into the vast ocean with the uncertainty of ever finding the shore.

And then, I fell asleep with a faint hope of sun rays reaching the ocean beds prompting me to come over the surface giving way to vivid and bright view.