Another drawing

My little brother's new set of colors seemed so tempting...I just couldn't resist drawing this (an old drawing again)

"It's not only fine feathers that make fine birds"
-Aesop

"The reason that birds can fly and we can not is simply that they have perfect faith, for faith is necessary to have wings"

"A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song"

The Haunted House

I climbed up the winding stairs

Of the derelict house with broken chairs

Cobwebs lined the dark passages

It was mysterious, full of secret messages

The dusty mullioned windows, the broken latch

The old turrets, the greasy patch

With voices ricocheting off the walls

And discordant cacophony filling the halls

My heart was thumping hard all the while

I felt as if I could drink the Nile

I crossed the archway and reached the landing

It was so scary, perhaps my ending...

Everything here was still as death

A rustle startled me, my heart leapt

I checked twice, no one was there

I felt the need to go, but where?

Just then a hand gripped me tight

I didn’t have the strength to scream, let alone fight

With horror, my body went really numb

I knew my end was near, I would succumb

Just then my eyes fluttered open, my mum stood there

Oh! I heaved a sigh- it was just a nightmare!

A sketch by me

Sketches

I love sketching ruins...Here's one I sketched long back...

  "Some ruins of ancient times are much more beautiful than the best buildings of modern eras!" 

― Mehmet Murat ildan 

"The Rusty Ruins were the remains of an old city, a hulking reminder of back when there'd been way too many people, and everyone was incredibly stupid. And ugly."

― Scott Westerfeld, Uglies   

"There is, I find, something very evocative about ruins - particularly recent ones." (introduction to "Calico Black, Calico Blue") 

  ― Joel Knight

Where No Man has Ever Gone Before

I had a feeling...A strong desire

Though threatened by consequences dire

To reach a place...A quaint wonderland

Perhaps buried under the sand

The desire forever in my heart I bore

As I set out to reach the land

Where no man has ever gone before.

I put on my walking shoe

And my hat..."That would do!"

I thought to myself as I set out

With a stifled cry, not a shout

My desire strengthening all the more

I tried to reach the land

Where no man has ever gone before.

  

I crossed the snow lands, the deserts hot

Still I couldn’t reach the place I sought

I swam across the seas and scaled the peaks

I was exhausted, my limbs felt weak

Still I walked till my feet were sore

As I struggled to reach the land

Where no man has ever gone before

My greatest fears were coming true

As I had fallen down and nothing I could do

Smeared with blood from the bruises and cuts

To walk another mile, I didn’t have guts

And then I saw it...It was a door

Ah! I had finally reached the land

Where no man has ever gone before! 

Mountain of Conviction

Blackened by the sooty flames of despair

With the litter of doubts here and there

Peaked by the snow of discouragement

With trees laden with the leaves of hindrance, seemingly bent

Lit by the lightning of diffidence

With the clouds of demotivation getting dense

Braving the storm of uncertainty

Resounding by the cries of inability

Drained by the stream of deviation

Reverberating by the voices of procrastination

Yet suffused by the light of hope

Dotted by the saplings of trust on its slope

With the wings of faith, it aims to fly

To reach higher, higher and high

Midst echoes of abnegation

Rises high the mountain of Conviction...

The Nature’s Best

The grass was green

The breeze so cool

The sky was a luminous blue

The butterflies fluttered

The cuckoos sang

The little monkeys stood there too

The river waves played

The frogs did croak

The sun was an orangish glow

The temple bells tolled

Azaan was heard

And the glory gently seemed to grow

The leaves rustled

The birds flew back

Everything was slowly coming to rest

The moon was out

The stars shone

I had witnessed the nature at its best.

Happy Father's Day

For my Dad...An Inspiration...a role model...a mentor...a friend....and an exemplary gentleman.... A very Happy Father's Day!

HE

He held out his hand, when I fell down

He tickled me silly whenever I frowned

He made me fly when I wanted to jump

He steered me away when I was about to bump

He made me act upon my thoughts

He rescued me from tight spots

He made me run when I wanted to walk

He made me resume when I wanted to stop

He made me explore when I wanted to see

He made me the person when I wanted to be

When I wanted to whisper, he made me shout

He made me sure when I had a doubt

He gave me energy, when I was feeling low

He made my life a beautiful rainbow

Many bizarre hues, he did add

Yes....He’s none other than my Dad!

The India of My Dreams

"Aano Bhadra Kratvo Yantu Vishwat"
(Let noble thoughts come to us from every side)

-Rigveda

Whenever I'm alone, I dream....I dream of what India will be like in the near future. I grew up listening to the endless yarns of my Granny of how India had been. The rich past of India acts like the golden chain which binds the country together into oneness. Everything from wisdom to spirituality sought refuge here. The great Himalayas with its lofty peaks rising above the clouds and the grand waves of the Indian ocean together contribute in making India a 'Kohinoor of the world.' We have a rich heritage ranging from the towering heights of the Qutub Minar to the sinking depths of the Ajanta and Ellora caves. Since time immemorial India has set examples for the world. This is the land where Bapu once trod, where Krishna was born, where Buddha got enlightened...It is the land which survived numerous invasions and still stands firm on its feet, strengthening all the more. The future I want for India is the upon built upon its past. We need to look back and take inspiration or as Swami Vivekananda puts it "...Drink deep of the eternal fountains that are behind and then look forward"
The call for unity is the first and foremost thing. Considering the brutal clashes in Andhra Pradesh or Assam for a split up, one can say that unity is becoming lax here. Unity not just regionally but I want unity culturally, racially, religiously, linguistically and intellectually. The more we go on fighting about trivial issues, the more we'll deviate from the path of togetherness. Divisions will degrade us all the more and weaken the prospect of a better, shining India. Patriotism should fuel our intentions. If we want to bring India to the heights of prosperity, there lies a bumpy road ahead. There's work to be done day and night.As "The future depends on what we do in the present" (M. K. Gandhi), we have to start working now. I dream of a country devoid of pollution, beggary, corruption, poverty, untouchability, violence, dishonesty, unemployment, illiteracy, inequality, discrimination and injustice. I beckon the youth of today to rouse themselves for life is short. The golden bird is now ready to fly away, we just need to provide a bit of strength. The future I want for my country is suffused with the light of Non- violence, Truth, Education, Development, Fearlessness, Women- empowerment, Equality, Self- discipline, Prosperity, Greenery and last but not the least golden rays of hope...