Layers!

From the glass bowl of souls,
God took one string of being,
and sewed the heart pieces into one.
New life created, illuminated it with a soft glow.

The heart, energetic and awake,
felt vulnerable and exposed,
and requested God for a cover,
fearing harshness it could not take.

So He created a maze,
for the heart to hide in,
leaving only an eye-window open,
allowing it, at times, to gaze.

The eye-piece watery and bright,
from showing love,hate, anger and pain
requested God for two shoulders
to share some of its plight.

So He created shoulders broad,
for the eyes to rest once in a while.
It helped display pride and strength,
and in times of need, to gently prod.

The shoulders, despite their might
were tired of the task bestowed on them,
and requested God for two hands,
to share some of their plight.

So He created hands two,
to hug and comfort a friend.
With polite and friendly shakes,
they shared the shoulders' load too.

The hands, weary of the shakes
with every soul-maze they met,
requested God for a thick skin,
to reduce the connections they made.

He finally created a thick skin,
with a sharp tongue to go along with it,
sealing his delicate maze in this secure cage,
leaving no trace of the soul to be seen.

The multi-layered man faced the world,
confident and brisk,
while the soul lost in its maze,
tries to get its voice heard.

The process of discovering new and unexpected layers in a person motivates me to keep finding out more about them. Just when I think I have figured someone out completely, Bham! They surprise me with something new.

Layers in short, is the way I perceive my friends and acquaintances.

Jaago Re!

I have had my share of "Election-ke-time-agar-aap-vote-nahi-kar-rahe-hain-to-aap-so-rahe-hain" moments. ( If you didn't get that, you need to watch the Jaago Re advertisements by Tata tea.) Of all of them, there is one memory which for me, is the funniest.
After going to Mysore for Infosys training in 2005 September, 5 of us decided to go to the famous Brindavan Gardens one weekend. The first sight of the garden was a shock - Surely it wasn't this dirty a couple of years back! There were papers, plastic covers, and other debris everywhere! Unkempt grass, dirty water, and loud people were already making it a regrettable trip when-
A 25-30 year old lady, seemingly nonchalantly, dropped an empty aquafina bottle. You may think that she threw it in a dustbin, or maybe even, at a place where there were lot of aquafina bottles. But nay, she dropped it right in the middle of a grass-less, but fountain-ed place in the garden!
To say that I was more than ready to show her the very sharp edge of my tongue would be an understatement. So, I controlled myself, ran up to her, picked up the bottle, and said, with my 32-teeth-obvious-artificial-smile, "Excuse me, you dropped the bottle." and thrust the offensive piece of plastic back into her hand.
Ah, the joy of seeing pure shock and later, embarrassment on someone's face! **Sigh**

The sound, and sight of music

There are different sounds people like, like Bryan Adams, birds chirping, violin or even a baby's full-hearted laugh. This post is about one sound which mesmerises me - the sound of a water fall.
I have been to 5-6 waterfalls in my life, but visits to two, being treks, were unforgettable. Imagine walking through flora, fauna, stones,insects etc just for the sight of a famed waterfall and wondering how long you can maintain your balance (and dignity) climbing slippery rocks. To suddenly hear the rush and sheer power of water falling is pure music for ones' ears!! I don't know how to describe it, but I can still feel the rush I had at that precise moment when I knew for sure that that's what I was hearing. Finally, what can beat the climax of the moment, the source of the music, the first glimpse of the fall?!
By the way, the two falls I have been talking about are Abbey Falls, and one near Talakona falls. Adjectives like "Wow", "Amazing", "Spellbound" fall short of describing them, so attaching a couple of pictures!

The one near Talakona Falls

Abbey Falls

My God must be crazy!

Thats because, He devised an ingenious way of keeping me ramrod straight on my chair while working. My God uses an invisible straw which rests on the table edge with the other tip ending at my forehead, forming the hypotenuse of a right angle triangle.
But the unthinkable happened today morning. I leaned too much over the straw, and it broke. I immediately folded my hands, had a sip of coffee, and prayed,"Please keep me upright. I have work to do". He listened and reluctantly replaced the straw.
After two hours and breaking nine more, I ask The Lord again, " Please Sir, I have a call at 12.30. Once more, and I will never ask for anything from you today."
He looks at me with disgust, " My dear, that was the last straw"
I stare at him, shocked, and against my own will, my forehead drops on the table.