DreamingAway

  நகரத்துக் காலை நேரத்துப் பரபரப்பு அடங்கியதாலோ என்னவோ, நான் வார இறுதியில் பயணித்த பேருந்தின் ஓட்டுநர் மென்மையான பாடல்களை ஒலிக்கச் செய்துகொண்டிருந்தார். “மீனம்மா” பாடலின் “அம்மம்மா… முதல் பார்வையிலே சொன்ன வார்த்தையெல்லாம் ஒரு காவியமே…” என்ற வரிகள் ஒலித்தபோது மெதுவாகத் தூக்கிப் போட்டது — பேருந்தல்ல! அது ஆண் குரலுக்கான வார்த்தைகளாய் தோன்றினாலும், பெண் குரலில் ஒலித்த அந்த வரிகளின் கற்பனை மிகுதி ஏதோ சிந்திக்கச் செய்தது. பார்வையில் உரையாடிக் கொள்ள முடியும்தான், ஆனால் அதைக் காவியமாக்கிக் கொண்ட கற்பனைத்தான் சற்று வியப்படைய வைத்தது. வண்ணங்களைப் பூசிக் கொண்டு அழகு கொள்ளும் வெண்ணிற ஆடைபோல, கற்பனைகளைத் தரித்துக் கொள்வதில்தானே கவிதைகளே பிறக்கின்றன, அதுவும் காதல் கவிதைகளுக்குச் சொல்லவா வேண்டும்! பொதுவாகக் கற்பனைகளில் பல உண்மையாகுவதை நாம் பார்த்திருக்கிறோம், அறிவியலின் படைப்புகள் பெரும்பாலும் இப்படித்தானே. சட்டென்று ஒரு ஐயம் — காதல் கவிதைகள் எல்லாம் இதற்கு எதிர்மறையாக இருக்குமோ — அதாவது உண்மைகளைத்தான் கற்பனை என்று எழுதிக் கொண்டிருக்கிறார்களோ என்று. வேம்பின் பைங்காய் என்தோழி தரினே, த...

Honestly, I didn’t like the year 2023. Looking back, it feels like an under-utilized year, despite whatever I had done. I gained 5 kg in the last 4 months, something I’ve never experienced before. :( Watched a good number of movies without checking any reviews and ended up wasting time. Por Thozhil was good and Yathisai was a different experience. Read over 25 books this year. ‘ The Book of Five Rings ,’ ‘ The Top Five Regrets of the Dying ,’ ‘ I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings ,’ ‘ Accelerate ’ are the books that I couldn’t complete — read at least about 50% but stopped. ‘ The Crossover ’ and ‘ Architect’s Apprentice ’ failed to meet my expectations. On the other hand, ‘ A River In Darkness ,’ ‘ Peaks and Valleys ,’ ‘ Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives ,’ ‘ The War of Art ,’ ‘ My Little Epiphanies ’ are a few books I loved. ‘ Kaikeyi ’ is possibly an interesting book. I couldn’t organize my expenses this year. Here are a few things that I wish to do: Read at least 12 books. Avoid mo...

 Here is the old-age question: can we script our own lives, or are we mere puppets of destiny? Believing in destiny is the easiest path, as we encounter infinite things beyond our control. I've come to strongly believe that erasing God, in any form such as destiny, from our lives is impossible. How can a seed produce both root and stem, growing in opposite directions? Can the root dream of becoming a stem? Will the root’s dream ever be realised? The easiest for the root is to be a root because that is how it is designed. It is its destiny, and it is just that - right? Now, what of our dreams, our aspirations, our quests for achievements, fulfilment? If everything is pre-written, what about the rest of all the things we hear all along? Can we simply surrender and label it as destiny because everything is predetermined? Will we? Honestly, I do not know. Nevertheless, I don’t prefer to be in that state - a state where I don’t see a difference between a lifeless thing and me. There is ...

 One of the good things about friends is that you don’t have to do any preparation to spend time with them. One of the good things about the news is that it gives you something to talk about. You know, for example, my friends talk about young people dying in the gym because of the heart attack. It would be like, “young officer trainee dies of….”, “young woman college graduate dies …”, “young doctor dies while doing gym…” on random days. Of course, we end up in agreeing that we should be careful on our health and follow good health practices. You see, we take some lesson from others. Don’t we? When we see the news about massive earth quack, we feel sorry for the thousands of people who lost their lives. When the video of flood running a riot somewhere in the world, sure we watch and talk about it. When the news flashes about a horrific accident that kills several people, we do talk. We talk about climate change, infrastructure, global landscapes or whatever we could pick based on th...

  She is an elderly person, possibly in her eighties. It is a very busy road and adherence to traffic rules seems to be non-existent and is possibly not a mandatory thing. Of course, it works in congested areas like these. People navigate smartly, finding the best ways to move themselves around. There is a sequence of bus stops for different directions, and for the long distance travel. There are autos and private vehicles. The traffic police can’t help much as the issue demands more infrastructural solutions than mere discipline. One good thing about this is, there is less likely a chance for any major accident. She is weak. Despite her age and a bent back, she can walk. Of course, with the aid of a walking stick. There's a sidewalk designated for pedestrians, but I tend to avoid it. It's often overcrowded, serving as a terminus for numerous buses and crowded by passengers boarding and alighting. And there are slow to very slow walkers. And plus the scattered litter. Even walk...

The last leg of my daily commute involves a short bus ride on a route with infrequent service. While I have options like taking a share-auto or even walking, I always end up waiting for the bus. I often tell myself, "I'll wait five minutes, and then I'll leave." I add 2 more minutes while browsing my phone. And then three more, to make it a round ten. By the time ten minutes have passed, I'm bored with whatever I'm doing on my phone. Even though I am bored and frustrated, I start to expect the bus to arrive, cursing my decision to wait so long instead of choosing another mode of transportation. Despite disliking this habit, I find myself caught in this situation every now and then. If you've ever lent money to someone facing financial difficulties, you've likely encountered this situation. The person suddenly asks for a small sum of money to round off the total amount, with the assurance of repaying the entire sum very shortly. In the hope of getting t...

Child Dog Playing It was a perfectly sized dog for that child. If it had been too young, it might not have matched the child’s energy, and if it had been a bit older, it might have knocked him down. Adding a few more brown patches to this dog would make it resemble the pet I had during my schooldays. Would you call it stealing if someone spiritedly took a puppy without the owner’s consent? At that time, it didn’t matter to me. In fact, such ethical concerns were far from my thinking. The black puppy was beautiful, but the white-brown puppy was so attractive and his mother graciously (!) allowed me to take it with me. As a customary act, I gave it some sugar (mixed with Idly) to prevent it from running away. I still do this when I get a new pet dog, even after growing old enough to dismiss many superstitions. It was obvious to me that the child and the dog were familiar with each other, as I could see an instant connection and an intuitive understanding of what they wanted to do - play....