I am waiting for the day

I am waiting for the day When masks and gloves are no longer items on my shopping list When I can greet a friend without a care in the world Unflinchingly and with unadulterated joy And not with elbows and fists! Have started abhorring those parts of my body! I am waiting for the day When Social distancing, Virus, Pandemic, Outbreak, Quarantine, Contact tracing Super spreader and Isolation Are all just bitter memories To be sealed and buried. I am waiting for the day When schools are living institutions once again Abuzz with Teaching, Learning and engagement With cheerful kids and vibrant classrooms With teachers and taught- deep in discussion. When lesson plans can be executed to perfection With spirited collaboration and engaging experiments Making the topic come to life I am waiting for the day When connections, microphones, and cameras Stop hampering the flow of everyday education And hindering progress. When a pat on the shoulder Or a shake of the hand Make that friendless pupil feel welcome & accepted And then there are those special pupils Who thrive on tenderness, and care Who need smiles, hand holding &tender hugs. Who flourish when persuaded, coaxed and cajoled To forget their fears and insecurities While joining the mainstream I am waiting for the day When teachers can teach fearlessly And pupils can learn from the best Mentored, guided, and counselled As they always did I am waiting for the day When newspapers are not just depressing sheets of paper Where rancorous politicians spew forth Their venom on seemingly insipid opponents Why can’t good news sell? Must headlines always be depressing statistics of rapes, murders, and death? Don’t we deserve better? I am waiting for the day When I can pack my bags and travel To where and when I want To relax, unwind and not be worried About getting stranded in some foreign land Unable to return to the place I call home I am waiting for the day Just like you are.

I am waiting for the day

I am waiting for the day When masks and gloves are no longer items on my shopping list When I can greet a friend without a care in the world Unflinchingly and with unadulterated joy And not with elbows and fists! Have started abhorring those parts of my body! I am waiting for the day When Social distancing, Virus, Pandemic, Outbreak, Quarantine, Contact tracing Super spreader and Isolation Are all just bitter memories To be sealed and buried. I am waiting for the day When schools are living institutions once again Abuzz with Teaching, Learning and engagement With cheerful kids and vibrant classrooms With teachers and taught- deep in discussion. When lesson plans can be executed to perfection With spirited collaboration and engaging experiments Making the topic come to life I am waiting for the day When connections, microphones, and cameras Stop hampering the flow of everyday education And hindering progress. When a pat on the shoulder Or a shake of the hand Make that friendless pupil feel welcome & accepted And then there are those special pupils Who thrive on tenderness, and care Who need smiles, hand holding &tender hugs. Who flourish when persuaded, coaxed and cajoled To forget their fears and insecurities While joining the mainstream I am waiting for the day When teachers can teach fearlessly And pupils can learn from the best Mentored, guided, and counselled As they always did I am waiting for the day When newspapers are not just depressing sheets of paper Where rancorous politicians spew forth Their venom on seemingly insipid opponents Why can’t good news sell? Must headlines always be depressing statistics of rapes, murders, and death? Don’t we deserve better? I am waiting for the day When I can pack my bags and travel To where and when I want To relax, unwind and not be worried About getting stranded in some foreign land Unable to return to the place I call home I am waiting for the day Just like you are.

Bringing up kids

Times change - Bringing up kids has never been easy for any generation. To put it in perspective ' it's no child's play!' (There are however exceptions to the rule ) Parents to school going kid – 80' and 90's( All ) Wake up and get ready for school Hope you have kept your uniform clean from yesterday Go and eat your breakfast – I have put it on the table Have you had air filled in your cycle tyres? Be a good boy in school Don’t fight with anyone Make sure you eat all your tiffin Wash your hands before you drink water from the tap Have you completed your homework for the day? Copy your homework for tomorrow Bring all your books home Be polite to your teachers Don’t get into any trouble Don’t dirty your clothes when playing Remember to copy the notes dictated Take this 50 p for guavas If I am not at home when you return , put your bag near the front door, then go and play I hope you pass in the exams. Parents to kids now a days ( Not all ) Sleep a little while longer , I will wake you later I have put on the geyser and ironed your clothes What would you like for breakfast today – will tell the maid to prepare it If you miss the bus, I will drop you to school – don’t worry Enjoy your day in school - don't play in the sun If that boy makes fun of you I will write a complaint I have put some money in your purse to use in the canteen – bring back the change as it’s a big note Buy a bottle of water Tell your teacher you never had time to complete your homework Remind the teacher to upload the homework for tomorrow Don’t carry unnecessary books home – your bag is too heavy for you Let me know if any teacher was rude to you Have fun my son I will buy you a new laptop this weekend Call me before you leave school If you don’t get over 90 % don’t even show me your report card .(

Bringing up kids

Times change - Bringing up kids has never been easy for any generation. To put it in perspective ' it's no child's play!' (There are however exceptions to the rule ) Parents to school going kid – 80' and 90's( All ) Wake up and get ready for school Hope you have kept your uniform clean from yesterday Go and eat your breakfast – I have put it on the table Have you had air filled in your cycle tyres? Be a good boy in school Don’t fight with anyone Make sure you eat all your tiffin Wash your hands before you drink water from the tap Have you completed your homework for the day? Copy your homework for tomorrow Bring all your books home Be polite to your teachers Don’t get into any trouble Don’t dirty your clothes when playing Remember to copy the notes dictated Take this 50 p for guavas If I am not at home when you return , put your bag near the front door, then go and play I hope you pass in the exams. Parents to kids now a days ( Not all ) Sleep a little while longer , I will wake you later I have put on the geyser and ironed your clothes What would you like for breakfast today – will tell the maid to prepare it If you miss the bus, I will drop you to school – don’t worry Enjoy your day in school - don't play in the sun If that boy makes fun of you I will write a complaint I have put some money in your purse to use in the canteen – bring back the change as it’s a big note Buy a bottle of water Tell your teacher you never had time to complete your homework Remind the teacher to upload the homework for tomorrow Don’t carry unnecessary books home – your bag is too heavy for you Let me know if any teacher was rude to you Have fun my son I will buy you a new laptop this weekend Call me before you leave school If you don’t get over 90 % don’t even show me your report card .(

A meandering mind .

I belong to the early morning club 4.45am- 5.00 am – somewhere around there Early to bed club too Your sniggering? Aren’t I boring? Commonplace and tedious? Its my life after all! Suits me perfectly Call me dull or uninteresting – or old Yes, that I am – getting there surely Weekends are no different Hate wasting the best part of the day Lolling. Newspapers, tea, and other rituals follow Writing too- when sufficiently inspired Or just determined to be productive Nothing fancy – no jargon Quiescent, Chimerical, Sempiternal and Redamancy Sillage, alharaca or aubade Let them remain in the dictionary where they belong Certainly not for me Am no linguist Do not aspire to be highbrow Not scholarly, not a bookworm either. Isn’t Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication?- LDV And thinking – yes! YES !! I love to just sit and think About anything and everything Conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, planning, synthesizing, and evaluating Or just daydreaming and that is relaxing. Today was no different …. My mind meandered And came upon Childhood dreams, lost and found love Ambition, hope and despair And opportunities Of the best days of my life Of autumn and spring And when the tides flooded, ebbed, and scarred. But scars fade & empty riverbeds fill Bringing with it joy and prosperity And it is once again Another bright day

A meandering mind .

I belong to the early morning club 4.45am- 5.00 am – somewhere around there Early to bed club too Your sniggering? Aren’t I boring? Commonplace and tedious? Its my life after all! Suits me perfectly Call me dull or uninteresting – or old Yes, that I am – getting there surely Weekends are no different Hate wasting the best part of the day Lolling. Newspapers, tea, and other rituals follow Writing too- when sufficiently inspired Or just determined to be productive Nothing fancy – no jargon Quiescent, Chimerical, Sempiternal and Redamancy Sillage, alharaca or aubade Let them remain in the dictionary where they belong Certainly not for me Am no linguist Do not aspire to be highbrow Not scholarly, not a bookworm either. Isn’t Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication?- LDV And thinking – yes! YES !! I love to just sit and think About anything and everything Conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, planning, synthesizing, and evaluating Or just daydreaming and that is relaxing. Today was no different …. My mind meandered And came upon Childhood dreams, lost and found love Ambition, hope and despair And opportunities Of the best days of my life Of autumn and spring And when the tides flooded, ebbed, and scarred. But scars fade & empty riverbeds fill Bringing with it joy and prosperity And it is once again Another bright day

The new world order was never a myth.

Where are thou- you elusive vaccine? The weight of the wait is bearing down On us- poor, fearful mortals Hopefully, it will not be the last straw And the camel’s back will remain intact. While the world seeks in vain And scientists labour laboriously You lie unreachable Hidden in niches and crevasses yet undiscovered Waiting to be extracted But where, by who and when? The race is on. Scientists have flattered to deceive Weeks have turned to months And months to almost a year And we are still Bearing the brunt of the capital C Cruel critics, continually create Covid chaos Magni-potent Media Moghuls- magnify mayhem Prejudiced, pompous politicians, practice perjury While John Doe That faceless, nameless, destitute soul Dies – unrecognized, deceased, hungry, penniless And forgotten. Billions are being added to the coffers of the rich While millions lose jobs and all belief in life and living The world is in turmoil like never before But doomsday? Strangely not on my mind This too shall pass – it must, and it will Our world is not ready to be swallowed up Not just yet . Black hole? No Chemical warfare, floods, super-volcanic eruptions & asteroid collisions, Have all failed to dampen the human spirit We have always prevailed So, I believe – that come what may Sometime soon ………………. The sun will shine out from behind the dark clouds The seven-coloured arc with its vibrancy Will shade the sky, with welcome hues People will hug, smile, and greet as before This depression will dissipate Love will bloom And prosperity will return The new world order was never a myth.