To take or not to take?

 To take or not to take, that actually cannot be the question. It is, however, if the social media is to be believed. Luckily, I do not even use tinder, twitter, and the types. Yet on the wapp, there would be repeats of what a friend's friend  on some such  issues would argue on some other platform. Suddenly party x would be conducting vaccination camps. Nor merely this!

Every newspaper, even when it would otherwise blast the ancient field of knowledge, would  carry  stories of how according to the local Ayurved expert,  vaccination jabs are absolutely unnecessary. What should we to do? Play Safe. Antibodies are sure to save us in any form, right? Why take a chance? Caution never killed anyone, right?

Pratima@to take or not to take is not the question. Let us save ourselves and others!

Nostalgia negated!

 "Be negative, but stay positive" was one of the fun wapp messages sent to me. The negative therein refers to the stage of the Corona affliction,  and  the positive to the possible attitude. 

Currently, however, both appear difficult. What with the newer variants by the day of the coronised world, even a simple cold is worry some, especially because the newer virus versions/editions are both, easily caught, violently virulent.

Newspapers are yet again full of the numerical data regarding the virus spread, the "jumbo's" everywhere are up again, messages regarding stages of the dreaded disease, how to "treat" them have started doing the rounds. Back to March 21, 2020 and/or April/May, 2021!?!

No nostalgia for me though. Given the huge difference! Constantly to be taken care of, to be attended to, Aai was there. When I first explained to her the total lock down, why Raju would not be able to come every weekend, why Sanju's visit would not be possible till the conditions are better,she had told me of the plague in her childhood, how they had in her childhood travelled from Pandharpur to Gursale, and how her paternal/maternal relatives would meet them at the station, but never invite them home, given the fear of infection. She also told me of the constant mini epidemics in Pandharpur due to the "wari" influx, how the municipal authorities would initiate the usual cleansing up, the stench post-Wari, and  all such details.

Now SHE is not there. 

As it is there cannot be any nostalgia for a dis-eased period. For me, though, neither nostalgia nor positivity is possible, given the tectonic shift. 

Though she would not suffer all the horror consequences of the epidemic, and I am happy that all the pandemic negativities would never now ever hurt her, how my heart wishes, SHE WERE THERE !

Pratima@ memories immemorial!

Selfless

How does one  behave with people who think that your goodness and your love and concern for them reduce you to a stupid fool? Wonder of wonders is that these very people would be licking the feet of extremely inferior others who ill-treat them, look down upon them, mock them! 

Are such people naive? Surely not! May be, they know, for whatever may be their  reasons, which side their bread is buttered. No harm in it! In a way, that attitude of theirs is an indication that they know perfectly well how to take care of themselves. Good for them!

But when they consistently behave badly with you, demean you through their very body language and/or intonation, through the looks they direct at you and thus show you repeatedly, reveal openly that you are absolutely a nobody  for them, how should you behave with them  just because you continue to care for them?

Sure one would not be able to harm them or expose them. Not even in one's wildest dreams! But at the same time one learns to take care of oneself, too. Being kind, good, gentle or honest, caring for others does not mean that they should be allowed to reduce you to a non-entity.

Being selfless because you care for a  person deeply does not mean you give that person a carte blanche to ride roughshod on your genuine feels, your deep emotions. If a person never even bothers to call you, never invites you home or to any occasion which is not in the public glare, behaves with you worse than a stranger when you have to be at their place, does not give you the new mobile number, does not answer your wapp messages, never wishes you, throws away your costly gifts, never stands by you nor helps you even during days that are difficult for you, blames you for sins/mistakes you never committed, never appreciates anything about you, on the contrary, (un)consciously allows others to hurt/harm/bother you, while this very person is hyper considerate with others, I suppose, one should take the cue the person is giving you so openly, so loudly, so clearly. Just because you cannot stop caring for that person does not mean that you always make excuses for that person, that you forever worry about the possible personal/professional problems to justify the (c)rude behaviour, and allow that person to constantly belittle you.And, oh, yes, you are absolutely not so bad either that you would be forever wrong, especially because you are constantly worrying yourself to death over every minor issue to avoid any misunderstanding, eternally looking at everything first from their perspective!

In brief, selfless goodness does not mean being self-less.Decency does not mean being a dud. The only way one continues to care for such people is to pray , pray, pray for them selflessly.  When so genuine are your wishes for them, the whole universe is going to back your efforts for their well-being.

Pratima@ never ever any compromise with self respect!

Prayer

 Pray, pray, pray in a world that preys

 Rare may happiness appear in your dismay

 Act thro' the prayer, do not dilly-dally delay

 Years of a blessed life would not then decay

 Eastern sky like would life bloom, ne'er gray

 Ripeness would be all, and peace thy way!

Pratima@ Remember Coleridge's Ancient         Mariner and how/why he prayed to find redemption

 

Resolutions

 Come January 1, and most all are headlong rushing in  to that much inhabited region, resolution making. Sure, resolutions/resolves may change from person to person, and yet there is a pattern to them. Could we say that this pattern reflects the current context? Inevitably it does. Currently, for instance, every body's top most resolution would be to stay away from the dreaded omicron.

As a society, too, I suppose, we need to  make certain resolutions. Not spitting publically, not to mention its worse version that makes every road and each lane in to a public urinal, could be our social, why, indeed national, resolution, right? Corona's and omicron's  may come and go, the Indians their tiresome 'public' habits will never overthrow, right?

That brings me to the seminal issue. Why is it that resolves/resolutions vanish in to thin air within a week? That is because our minds and our souls are not involved, I suppose. Resolves are made more as a mood enhancer, born of the moment and the feel. Emotions when they thus overtake our head, heart and soul, are flimsy and transient, right? A grave, tragic, and serious parallel to 'new year resolutions' would be the emotionally charged promises we make to the dead soul in the first flush of grief. As the sorrow drains, vain appear those resolves. Remember Hamlet grieving over his father? Yet he eternally dithers. Remember his hyperbolic "ten thousand brothers..." declaration? The best examples ever of graveyard grief induced resolves are these!

Never can such resolves re-solve anything. Come January 7 tops, and life is back to the usual, meaningless rut. Resolution making, hence, gets reduced to an empty ritual that may be gnawing at the roots of our very being. Let us give up that ritual! Remember instead Vivekananda's message to the youth and/or that famous quote, "dreams are those that never allow us to sleep", made popular by our erstwhile President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam? I suppose when such are our stern resolves, the entire  universe conjures  up ways to help us! Long live resolves!

Pratima@a resolution fulfilled/makes us better indeed! 

The month of months

 Today ends Margshirsha. It was Aai's favourite most month. She had studied the Bhagwad Geeta formally. She knew hence how Lord Shri Krishna describes it as  "masanam margashirsha". She knew how the month is considered the most auspicious.

Every year in this month, she followed a particular  "vrat" most religiously. It could be reading the Geeta, the Vedas, the Ramayana, for example. Even during the holy Chaturmas, she followed such a ritual. This vrat, though mostly  religious, however, used to be more knowledge oriented, too. Thus she completed reading a great many texts.  

This Margshirsha,  in  her memory, every day, I read the entire Geeta. I have read the holy text daily during the twelve day mourning period, and thence on all the mensual anniversary days, as I did for Papa in 1999-2000.  

Both of them were believers, but in a humane way. Rituals mattered  less for them. Knowledge, however, was focally important. Hence this tribute. Both, as it was but inevitable, given their honest and sincere lives,  must be indeed most peaceful and content wherever they would be now. Hence this minor posthumous tribute!

Pratima@ simple were Aai-Papa's genuine lives/their honest ways made us wise!

Anew!

 Again Begins a New Year!

 Nascent yet! Eager to explore?

 Enough excuses! Why fear?

  Write in it stories unique n clear!

   pratima@resolutions simple but sure /         intentions pure n clear/thus get created Tales/Wherein the Best prevails!