Discipline your son in his early years while there is still hope. If you don't you will ruin his life

I remember when I was a little child, my parents would always quote the above to me but in their own way, "There is only this much we can do/correct/make you understand the rest of you and how you decide to live and form yourself is all in your hands"
Our parents are our first contact with the world outside, our first teachers and our closest friends, our pillars, our banks(Till such time we start a job!) and yet many a times I have been a mute witness to them being the last people to know a happy situation.
The child was his parents only, and the apple of their eyes, they doted on him and nothing would make them believe that he was sometimes on the wrong side of the law, they would blame him, her them even if it would make sense -  aliens, such was their total and complete trust in their child, nothing wrong here BUT when a lot of complaints keep pouring in from neighbours and friends they must be looked into, not"Impossible that he can stone your window," "I saw him do it" "NEVER" and BBBANG the door shut on their faces, it was the same old routine. Everytime some one went to complaint to his parents.
The boy grew into a little adult completely knowing that his parents were never ever going to find out his wrong doings or even if they did, "Not my child" he was so sure about it.
Bad company, no correction and unaccounted for  money  was a fatal combination, to his downward spiraling graph.
The mother and father were the last ones to know their "little boy" had entered into wedlock, that he was a father.
They could take it no more, they grew miserable and heartbroken was the way they lived.
A lot of thoughts passed my mind whilst many a "friend" came to their rescue, How compassionate we human beings are, how despite the same people being shouted at, they were the ones to pull them out of their darkness.
Nothing came to be know about the boy, except that he migrated to some foreign land, and that too his parents came to know via some channels.
We must realise however deep is our love for our kids, we must not rear monsters, we must see reason and analyse why so many complaints keep coming, and probably talk to our child coax him to tell the truth and each child has a different way to be dealt with, we parents can be the only priviledged people to be able to handle this difficult situation.

“Perhaps it takes courage to raise children..” - John Steinbeck

"Are you lonesome tonight, do you miss me tonight are you sorry we drifted apart, do your memories stray to a warm summer day............."
He was singing this song with an emotion, that was so real, and only those few knew why this song meant so much to him.
He looked so sad and lonely as he belted out this famous song. Many moons ago,( let us call him Elvis after the famous singer whose lines he was crooning)Elvis was in love with a beautiful girl, beautiful within and out, they made an awesome couple, BUT there was a hitch, they came from different denominations, cultures were poles apart, despite all of this they seemed to be a couple made in heaven, the boys family was fine with this, BUT the girls family were guns ablazing, nothing could make them see reason "The young couple is happy" NO it was, and as we know how we strive to keep our parents happy the girls priority was this, Mother and Father could not see reason, they refused to see reason, they threatened, they pleaded, they begged and there she was betrothed to another.
A grand wedding at a five star hotel and life went on for her, I knew Elvis better ..Elvis completely broke down, refused to socialise, refused to meet any of his old friends, and continued with his job and his part time job as a singer and he was good at it.
It was at a common friends wedding that she (his Ex) attended that he especially sang out this song
She was well aware of his eyes moving in the direction of her dances, but the gentleman that he is...Never spoke a bad word about his relationship, not a harsh word about his old flame,
When we asked him about it all,"Oh! love is not meant to be caged, let it free if its yours it will come back to you "
And life goes on for him, says "Maybe true love will walk by me....One Day!"
Just watching Elvis sing his songs and we knowing the true meaning of the lyrics, the songs mean sooo much more.

'If someone you love, hurts you, cry a river, build a bridge, and get over it."

What a beautiful face that was I saw as I stood at the bus stop waiting for my bus. She stood a few metres away from me and was talking all the while into her tiny phone she held into her tiny palm.
But one thing disturbed me, she was weeping bitterly and silently maybe the person on the other side would never know, lest her voice gave her away.
The tears stained her pink cheeks and she was oblivious to the people around her who cared to look at her.
Maybe she was hurt, maybe she was a sensitive girl, I will never know.
I too have been in similar situations where even a tiny harsh word could throw me off for a few minutes, a few tears and a bout of sulking and there I was myself.
I too have cried in the privacy of my home a fight with loved ones, harsh colleagues, uncaring people.
This pretty girl, was conveying soft words to the person... my mind went off to various things that could have happened
 I too have silently cried behind my sunglasses, bright sunshine hot tears,
Gushing rains down my umbrella, hot tears rolling down my cheeks, its is a feeling one cannot control.
Helpless, standing there saw her walk into the bus, still stuck on her phone, all I could say was"God Bless you child, "
I will never know WHY ?

As the year closed on us yesterday, within minutes the year 2012, went off in smoke, What a welcome 2013 was given, With our heads bowed the people gathered prayed for peace, good leadership and wisdom to prevail, particularly the youth who are our future citizens, and in a way become the ones to take the country forward.

Deeply bent in prayer my heart and my whole being was with the girls parents(The delhi horrendous rape victim now known as victim X) only my physical being was at prayer.

My heart went out to her parents who I can relate to as I am also a mother of a teenager, and everytime she steps out"Take care " "Watch your step" 

Can one human do this to another ? actually speaking were they humans ?

What went wrong with their parenting? surely there must have been and thats for sure there will always be little signs along the way that snowballed into such a massive, horrendous surreal ..am at a loss for words.

We as parents tend to ignore little signals that we have to correct ... Maybe we have to learn from the mistakes of these demons and most importantly equip our own sons and daughters that it is time to take signs and stand up for truth, may anger a few, maybe you will stand up alone, BUT, nothing should change your attitude to speaking up.

With a prayer on my lips as We welcomed 2013, we also prayed for a better India and a better tomorrow for each and everyone of us...

"Forgive and forget " heard that a zillion times, but can we really ?. Try as we may, pray as we must, but can we ?
My own personal experiences with the above quote is a tough one, I have tried to forgive and have always forgiven even the most hurtful one that has come my way, but forget is still something that i would love to talk about now.
How can one forget ? enlighten me on that
.Over time it has surely been forgotten, but only to realise it does hurt but no so often, and not so painfully.
Time heals all wounds  is the best way to look at a hurt and dont rush to forget, if it makes you feel good, to cry over it so be it, if it makes you feel good to sulk over so be it and if it feels good to write about it(Yours truly !) so be it, BUT just a Red alert flag, dont get obsessed about it, move on in life, nothing can take away that happiness and surely no  one can.
Many a time I have taken my time to forget and having done so, have realised that it is off my chest for good, but I have not put on a mask neither have I tried to rush into it, In my time, is the magic mantra, But let it go,,dont stick to it once again no one and nothing is worth your happiness.
Like a very famous hymn goes"There is a time for sowing,  and reaping, time for losing,  time for gain, time for sorrow,  time for pain...."

As I am writing this article, its pouring outside, rain oh! the beautiful rain.
The thunder,  the lightning and me all tucked up in my sheets I can hear the rain hitting on the roof in the next building.
Rain the giver of life, the reason for so many of our bollywood romantic songs,just the clap of thunder and there she goes dancing in the rain, soaked to the skin.
Without the seasonal  rains in India and in mumbai, is like Happy without birthday,
The rains particularly in the countryside has a magical effect on its surroundings, few days ago patches of dry arid land now turn into huge rivers, and tiny waterfalls dot the hills ... a sight to behold, the green fields and the paddy saplings joyously swaying in the breeze.Oh the wonderful rain.
The birds have their own way of enjoying themselves the pigeons sit on the rooftops with their wings spread as if to welcome the showers....Oh the wonderful rain.
The smell of the wet mud, and the beautiful sky just waiting to descend ..Oh the wonderful rain.


Rain is grace; rain is the sky descending to the earth; without rain, there would be no life.

She stood all alone on the crowded platform, and despite the milling crowds around her she seemed lonely, she was sobbing into her kerchief, silently her whole body quivering with every sob.
My mind raced to the time, when I too felt that way, the only difference was I was walking in the rain, the hot tears rushing and the cool cool rain drops on my cheek is a memory that is diffcult to erase.
I was so frustrated over an issue that did not seem to see any light, and the worst part was I had to handle it with kid gloves, thats not me ! I am the tell it as it is, call a spade a spade type, so this was the fake me, and that got to me the only way out, sob silently and it felt much better after that hot and cold experience. Of course the issue got sorted out, and then it was happy days for me.
Back to the girl on the platform, the train came in and she disappeared into it, and I will never,  never know what made her cry, maybe the train was taking her far from her misery or maybe taking her to it. Bless her where ever she maybe.