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Those Hands !!

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     Everyone has a spooky story that they swear by. One that made them go white in the face, dry in the throat and a voice that went barely a squeak. The brain froze and heart sank to the bottomless stomach. Some would say that they don’t believe in ghost types and I agree. But I never mentioned a ‘ghost story’ did I? Rather a ‘spooky story’. It is not about ghosts. It is more about an eerie, a sinister, a paranormal…or an unknown. It is about the unexplained that has etched itself in your memory. An event, that despite the time gone by, still makes you feel hollow if your neurons connected old dots. It could be a simple shoulder tap or the smell of damp wood or a visual of a withered plant. It could be millions of things that are around you that would otherwise be the usual.       For me, sometimes the winters trigger it. As far as I remember, it probably started to occur during the December of 2005. Or was it November I am not sure. But I definitely remember that I woke up one of
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Nature's grandest event !

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   So there's this thing that I have started to rediscover about nature. Its just beautiful whichever way we look at it. Only that we don't give it a really deep thought. As we grow up and move into adulthood we tend to stop thinking about things that used to bring us small joys when we were kids. Like for instance the sun rising in the horizon. Am sure the images that we conjure up when we think of the event are from our childhood when we did have a good look at it. Or otherwise just tell me when was the last sunrise that you have really watched and enjoyed. I can sense you are jogging your memory, but that's okay. Happens to all of us. Right so, lets see what we have in those dusty corners, shall we. Yes, I want us to go back to the same images. I want us to go back to our childhood and enjoy those beautiful moments. Let's try together !    I need not tell that the event itself begins on the horizon. And am pretty sure that we all know that. So waiting on the calm sea
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Some things don't change !

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And here I was again in the school dropping my boy (now all of 11 years) and his friend for a competitive exam. As I always did for most exams that he appeared.  The routine is the same as ever and the motions that we go thru are the same too. Make sure that he gets ready. And while he and his mother fuss over the clothes, the uniform, the water bottle and the last minute information that he can grab or remember, I ensure that the exam pass, the pens, the pencils, erasers and the pads are properly tucked in the bag. After the customary wishing of luck, we are on the way to the centre. I give him the instructions of doing well, keeping calm, not rushing thru the questions etc. while he is half listening and half chatting with his friend. 'Baba, I know, you don't worry' he smiles when I stop my oft-repeated monologue. I acknowledge him with a nod knowing that my little boy has now grown up. Noticing my silence, he says 'You will pick me up right'. I feel better
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Born Again..as a Father !

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       Was it magic that I was just witnessing, I couldn’t fathom what I was going through. I did not understand or figure out the moment that was unfolding itself into.        I was holding my new born in my hands for the first time. This beautiful brown little one with a tuft of hair neatly combed to one side was nestling in my arms. I was looking at him sleeping peacefully. And he was oblivious to all of the excitement running thru me. He looked like an angel all nicely ensconced in the soft white cloth from head to toe with only his face peeking out to the outside world. Few strands of soft silky hair which escaped the expert combing were perched lightly upon his forehead. Am not sure if those little lips were smiling or it was the natural curvature but then they charmed me no end. The cheeks were thin and felt warm as I stroked them lightly with the back of my index finger, careful not to wake him up.        And then without warning, a wonderful thing happened. I was compl
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Location: Pune, Maharashtra, India
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Le Panga !

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'Le Panga!' proclaimed Dhoni on the small screen while doing the customary thigh slap and the wagging of the finger (the index one). Followed by visuals of impossibly fit guys kicking, jumping, flying and generally tumbling over one another. And yet coming out unscathed. The first two words give it away as a commercial for the upcoming Kabaddi series. Heartening to see that the game has progressed from just being a domestic sport to an international one and also now hogging the much needed eyeballs and generating a lot of interest and excitement ! So if the question that I see posed is, whether I am promoting the sport then the answer is I don't really remember playing it or have anything got to do with it. So for me it doesn't really matter. Now having said that, a section of my grey cells begged to differ. Not sure why though. And the million brain cells started to spark off a trillion sparks and a zillion vivid images of me being on the Kabaddi court in t
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Back to School?

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     As I settled down on a bench after having packed off my kiddo in his classroom, I looked around. The empty classroom that I was sitting in was a little different from what I had been used to some time back. Or was that really some time back was a thought that crossed my mind. It was actually three decades back. Well this one was a large one, all spic and span. Clean and neat with the benches all lined up in probably 7-8 columns. As I sat down I noticed that the benches themselves were very sturdy, all of metal and wood that will withstand the kids day in and day out and will probably age beyond them as they grow out of school. The blackboards were not black, they were white and had marker pens placed in colors of black, red, blue and green all in a rack meant for them. The tubes were LED's and the fans were clean. Not only clean but they were in great working order and that too without squeaking. Hold on, they also blew air on to the eager kiddos who sat beneath and around
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