A Luminous Life...

When health fails, everything else seems to deteriorate. But because it comes for free, we tend to take this most precious gift for granted. We do not often see how being healthy is essentially the first important step towards living a dream. It is actually the only thing that gives sense to any ordinary day. Without health, we are reduced to nothing but a mere weak mortal, who can really do nothing much. Even with brilliant thoughts and ideas brewing inside the mind, we cannot put them to use. Henri Frederic Amiel has said, “ To feel keenly the poetry of a morning's roses, one has to have just escaped from the claws of this vulture which we call sickness.” True indeed, we cannot wholly enjoy the beauty of nature when in sickness just as we cannot fully share the simple joys of living with others. It becomes a strain to talk or even listen when you are sick. Even the most exciting plans take a backseat, because then, you also realize that without that vigour and energy, all...

My brother once jokingly remarked that even if Mom planted something upside down, it would still grow. We used to laugh over it, but it is true that my Mom’s love for plants and flowers is enormous, that it seems magical to see anything and everything grow at the touch of her hands. If we couldn’t find her anywhere else, we always knew where to get her. She would be in the kitchen garden, lovingly tending to vegetable plants or totally engrossing herself in the numerous flower pots at home. Sometimes, one of my siblings would say, she loves her garden more than she loves us. That, of course isn’t true because we also know deep down that her love for plants is just one of the many manifestations of her love for us. She has always led the exemplary life even if it means we, her children are still short of the rich values she taught us through her simple ways. But, because of her, we are what we are today. I am glad that at least we have learnt not to waste our food because she has...

I sat with my colleagues talking how quickly time flies. They agree that when we were younger, time seems to move slower- so leisurely lingering that sometimes it felt like it wasn’t even moving. That we couldn’t wait for our summer breaks or weekends to crawl up so we could holiday and play all along. Those days, everything seemed permanent. Like school would forever go on and we would be excitingly terrified of exams every semester. Like college days would last and the friends we made through high school and university would always remain. Those days it felt like even the precious passing moments were never fleeting. That, from our own little closets, we viewed life differently, although with passion, zeal, hope and dreams. With anticipation for a good future. For a life that’s made of a decent job, home and comfort. Then, we thought we knew life. That we would have plenty of time to spare for all the people we’ve come to know, and mostly for those we love. Didn’t we also thin...