A POEM

Imam Ali (A.S.) - The beautiful Shrine in Najaf, Iraq.

I have written this poem in summer of 2003 -a year since I had been on a pilgrimage to Karbala - in Iraq, to visit the Shrine of Imam Hussain (A.S.), Imam Ali (A.S.) Abbas Alamdar (A.S.) and Shohadaz (Blessed be their name).

The impact of the pilgrimage was very great on me, and a year later after my journey, I find myself sitting down to write my feelings in the form of my reflections.

This is poem I have written soon after finishing my X Std public exam. Enjoy it.

MILES ACROSS.

As I sit, a wind blows across my face,

across my soul

my heart dances with joy.

The ground below my feet

Is happy to hear the beating of my heart

My soul burns with Fire

The Fire which teaches me many things

The dew on the Grass

The pretty flowers in the Garden

The Mountain Stream

Or the River joining the Ocean

Everything teaches only one Lesson,

Has only one essence.

And then when the cloud is precipitated with a greyness

The silhouetted building

Standing against the clouded day-sky,

Even this seems to be telling me something

A cold breeze then blows across my face

And I am reminded of the wind

that blew on my face which picked up sand grains

from the vast wadi

those moments in Karbala.

Those winds and the sand grains

Really blow across

touching my vehicle

touching my soul

Telling me something

And then moves across

But the Best thing which

was shown to me was

The Direction Board

Which took me to a Paradise

Where I could forget

What had been left behind me

And what lies now beyond me

And just believe (in the now).

The glittering mirrors

Above my head

The smell of the sand-grains

Upon my feet.

It told me to

that it is really time now

to forget and forgive, and move on.

I wish that

One and All

Get the chance

to Experience this Glory

In life -

Over and Over Again!

Gems in my Literary field - Till Now.

Books I've read till now -

1) Afghanistan - Where God Comes Only to Weep

Synopsis - The plight of women under theTaliban rule - before and after. This story is a narrative about one woman who has undergone more trials and tortures than she could have faced. The title of the book is a very apt one - I feel.

2) Mayada - Daughter of Iraq

Synopsis - Trials under the Saddam Hussain regime. A must read to get an insider's view about the various atrocities inflicted upon the innocent Iraqi civilian prisoners. This is book by Sasson Jean.

Also by her is another book titled - Princess and Daughters of Arabia.

3) Desertation

Synopsis - This book is by Abdul Razak.

4) Where Rainbows End

Synopsis - This novel is by Cecelia Ahern.

5) If you are afraid of Heights

Synopsis - This novel is by Raj Kamal Jha.

6) I Dared to call him Father

Synopsis - This book is by Bilquis Sheik.

(The List of books that I have already finished to read doesn't stop here. I will continue it soon.)

My Power Thinking Journal

Building my centres of Power

Friends and Family: My biggest power center where social interactions are a joy and there is a lot of support, understanding, emotional connection.

Challenge: Patching up with an old friend about an issue which I've been neglecting for sometime now.

Recreation and Rejuvenation: A lot of reading and researching and collecting ideas in which I get a lot of fulfillment.

Challenge: Mind is getting drained as of now and after a point of time I don't get so much of satisfaction.

1) Want to do a course in web-designing which will help me spend my time in a better fashion.

Physical Environment: I don't think I'm ignoring anything in my physical environment. Everything is just perfect.

I keep arranging and rearranging my 'space' according to my tastes and moods.

Health and Fitness: I find myself quite content with my health and fitness with regular doses of fitness-checks like exercise, dance, vocal-exercises etc.

Personal development:

Challenge: I need a lot of inspiration from books like these - 'Power Thinking' which will help me shape my life according to what I want it to be.

To believe that: Life is not only for living, it is also for growing. The happiest people keep their mind learning, their soul searching and their spirit shining.

Finances: I'm not as of now getting an opportunity to handle my money.

Spirituality: Spirituality is a sense of connection to a higher power: the spirit, God, the Universe. It is good to try to put into words what you believe.

(This is an outline of a book called 'The Power of Thinking' that I have read some years back. The book was a pick from the British Council Library, Chennai.)

Social Ethics - What is Child Abuse

Treating a child in an unfair way because the child is thought of as weaker position by the perpetrator is perceived as an abuse.

To explain further – Abuse of a Child is without their consent they are touched or treated in an unfair way – either physically, verbally or emotionally.

1) Is Child Abuse a reality in the Indian context?

Child Abuse is relevant to the Indian Society. A recent incident of a three-year old boy being severely tortured physically by his step-mother was reported in the newspaper. Also, school-going children face the problem of being taunted by faceless abusers on the street.

Young children are abused verbally by their parents, sometimes altering their psyche considerably. Therefore, Child Abuse is relevant to the Indian context.

2) How is Child Abuse perpetrated?

Many reasons. Poverty or by frustration created by mentally-ill parents due to economic or social problems. Weak children, who may belong to family/parents who are low on self-esteem may further enhance this. Also any kind of frustration prevailing in a child's home may tend to have a direct or sometimes an indirect tendency to under-develop a child's self-esteem. Therefore a child who becomes an easy target of abuse may tend to develop such feelings which can often result in self harm.

3) What are the preventive measures?

Children must be made aware of the concept of 'self' and why it is not good for anybody to touch you. The importance of differentiating between a 'good touch' and a 'bad' touch is a must.

A child who may have suffered from being abused should be treated with justice. One important thing to be kept in mind is that the child should not be blamed for what has happened, rather the child should be helped to confide in parents and teachers, so as to remove the feeling of guilt-consciousness. This will ultimately help the child to grow out of the suffering.

The abuser needs to be given psychiatric help, so that he may not become a threat to the society or to himself. I especially feel so because the feelings of the abuser and the abused need to be channelized in a constructive way.

Finally, a legal action will certainly make sure that the crime rates go down.

An exciting Incident in my Life

I'm going to tell you about an incident which was one of the most exciting chapters which could be read out of the book of my life. It wasn't more like an 'incident' because it was planned much ahead of time and I was in all anticipation of the best moments of my life to come.

Yes it was a trip to some of my favourite cities in the North of India i.e; Agra, Delhi and Nainital. And being a total Nature-lover, I love to travel by train or by bus to discover and appreciate the natural surroundings around me.

So with these ideas lying at the bottom of my heart, I started my trip to Agra in the early September of a rather cool phase of winter that had just begun in this part of the country.

My exams had just got over and preparations for this trip were going on in full swing. So much so that even during my examination there used to be moments when I would be transferred to one of the mystical forts, Palaces or bazaars of Agra or Delhi or the beautiful snow-capped Himalayan peaks beckoned me while I tried to bury myself in my books. Anyway, so that arrived when I got into the train and waited to reach Agra to explore it.

We reached at four in the morning. We were taken to see the 'Taj Mahal'. I couldn't believe that I was going to see the Taj Mahal. I had heard so much about it's beauty. I used to sit for hours and gaze at one of the portraits of it my room and try to understand what allures people from all over the world to this architecture that symbolizes true love. It took me less than a minute to realize. The sheer radiance of 'Taj Mahal' in all it's magnificence didn't allow me to take my eyes off from it.

I sat at one of the benches facing the 'Taj' gazing at this human marvel and in an instant all the true stories of love flooded into my mind.

I am a romantic person and believe in love for eternity, now sitting in front of the 'Taj Mahal' once in my lifetime has removed even the tiniest ray of doubt I have ever had. I never felt like leaving that place. But the sun beating down on me in a scorching way took off all my energy and we made our way back home.

I still remember the 'Tonga ride' that I had way back home. It is etched in my memory forever associated with magical experiences of my lifetime. Taking these memories with me forever, I moved on to the next phase of my trip- Nainital.

I never feel more at peace with myself than being in the midst of nature. In Nainital I really felt as if I've been nestled in warm, caring bosom of Nature. I felt as if I really belonged to this place. It took great efforts on the part of my friends to mentally take me out of the place! It would just require someone to give me a chance and I will grab with both my hands to leave and stay close to nature.

The Naini lake - still remember it's tranquility. The mountains surrounding the Naini lake were just so beautiful. On the opposite, was a Temple 'Birla Mandir'. The balcony of this temple stood adjacent to the receding line of this lake. From across the lake, I imagined how it would feel like standing in that balcony and viewing the lake and the mountains from there. It would surely feel like Paradise! I've never felt so happy, and at peace and so totally gratified then during this trip.

Even as I write this now, I feel as if I've been transferred to this 'abode of Nature' where peace with oneself and tranquility of mind reigns supreme.

(I have written this essay way back in 2006 when in college and as part of a General English C.A. paper which tested our descriptive writing skills and so I was asked to write about an exciting Incident in my Life. My teacher Ms Lilian Jasper later felt that she actually experienced the excitement herself when she read my essay.) Through this write-up here, I wish to show my gratefulness to her.

Trends in Creative Pursuits

Art is a divine inspiration. And the artisans who are involved in the making of handcrafted products give shape to their inner most thoughts and desires in the form of the items they mould. This heritage that is passed down to them by their ancestors or that they have learnt by themselves, has a value in the form of a handicraft which is preserved and cherished by those who desire to own it.

Variety in Art

In India, there is no dearth in the way which a person can creatively express himself. Right from hand embroidery, to dexterous carving on a wood, there are many ways in which a person can express himself artistically. And in today’s commercial market, there is value for this. The country-folk engage themselves in handicrafts and a person who visits our country would want to take home a slice of this in the form of our many hand-made products such as a finely-woven hand-bag, or a mojri or pair of chappals with an interesting design. Today a person in an urban-setting, wants a handcrafted item to add a living touch in his space, or to simply feel connected to his past. And this need is well-satiated, be it an elegant piece of rosewood furniture or a mud-pot to accessorize your living room.

You may not even have to go places to search for a unique handcrafted product that you have a desire for. You can start your blissful journey shopping in the world of arts at your own convenience through an online craft shop. CraftsVilla.com offers you a world of convenience to shop for more than 20, 000 different products across different verticals such as hand-embroidery, metal-crafts, aromatic oils made from natural ingredients, to Indian paintings and even niche type of furniture.

I discovered a world of luxury handcrafted items which allow gifting to my loved ones so easily right from the choice of your favorite product to the delivery of your item. I enjoyed my shopping at Craftsvilla.com, and you can experience this enjoyment too. Visit Craftsvilla.com now.

- Alifia M.B.V

Dedicated to You

I would like to say, first of all - I want to say whatever I am today is due to many people and all the experiences and the time that they have shared with me. Owing to all these experiences, I am the person that you see in front of you today. Some have taught me love, some to stand up for myself, some to believe in something, some to respect work. And some have also taught me to hope. This Hope is not because of a positive experience. But this hope is not because of a positive experience. But this hope is because of a negative experience. By leaving me, alone, they have taught me the art of 'hoping' that someday they would be back. And so resilience too. After hardship, getting a good comment by my boss, has been the biggest achievement till now.