ಅಳಿದ ಮೇಲೆ – ಒಂದು ಸ್ವಾರಸ್ಯಕರ ಓದು

ಮನುಷ್ಯ ಬದುಕಿಗೆ ವಿದಾಯ ಹೇಳಿದ ನಂತರ ಇತರರ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಉಳಿಯುವುದು ತಾವು ಬದುಕಿದ್ದ ವೇಳೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾಡಿದ ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳ, ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳ ಅನುಸಾರವಾಗಿ. ಈ ಜೀವನವೆಂಬ ಕಟ್ಟಡವು ನಿಂತಿರುವುದು ನಂಬಿಕೆಯಂಬ ಬುನಾದಿಯ ಮೇಲೆ. ಮೇಲಿನ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಸಾರ ಇದುವೇ ಆಗಿದ್ದು, ಕೆಲವು ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿಗಳನ್ನು ನಿಭಾಯಿಸುವ ನಿಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಲೇಖಕರು ಭೇಟಿಯಾದ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿಗಳನ್ನು , ಅನ್ವೇಷಣೆಯ ಪಥದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಎದುರಾದ ಸವಾಲುಗಳನ್ನು, ಹಿತ ಅಹಿತಕರ ಘಟನೆಗಳನ್ನು , ಸೋಲು ಗೆಲುವುಗಳನ್ನು ಕ್ರೋಢೀಕರಿಸಿ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯ ಸ್ವರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಬರೆಯಲಾಗಿದೆ.
ಈ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯ ಕಥಾನಯಕ ಯಶವಂತರಾಯರು ವಿಭಿನ್ನ ಸ್ವಭಾವದ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿ. ಅವರು ಕಾರಂತರಿಗೆ ಪರಿಚಯವಾಗುವುದು ಆಕಸ್ಮಿಕವಾಗಿ, ರೈಲಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಯಾಣ ಬಳಸುವ ವೇಳೆಯಲ್ಲಿ. ಪರಿಚಯ ಸ್ನೇಹವಾಗಿ, ಕ್ಷಣ ಕಾಲದ ಸ್ನೇಹ ಮತ್ತು ಆಗಾಗ್ಗಿನ ಭೇಟಿ ಮಾತುಕತೆ ನಂಬಿಕೆಯ ಮೇಲೆ ನಿಂತ ನಿಕಟ ಸಂಬಂಧವಾಗಿ ಬೆಳೆಯಲು ಅನುಕೂಲ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಇದೇ ಯಶವಂತರಾಯರು ತಮ್ಮ ಕೊನೆಗಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೆಲವು ಕೆಲಸಗಳನ್ನು ಲೇಖಕರಿಗೆ ವಹಿಸಿ ಬದುಕಿಗೆ ವಿದಾಯ ಹೇಳುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಇವರು ತಮ್ಮ ಹುಟ್ಟೂರು, ವ್ಯಾಪಾರ, ವಹಿವಾಟು, ಸಂಸಾರ, ಬಂಧು ಬಳಗ, ಮಿತ್ರರನ್ನು ತ್ಯಜಿಸಿ ಮುಂಬೈನಲ್ಲಿ ನೆಲೆಸಿರುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಒಮ್ಮಿಂದೊಮ್ಮೆಲೇ ಎದುರಾದ ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿಗಳು ಸಾಕಷ್ಟು ಕ್ಲಿಷ್ಟಕರ ಎಂದು ಕಂಡರೂ, ಭಾಸವಾದರೂ, ಕಾರಂತರು ಕಾಳಜಿ ವಹಿಸಿ ಅದನ್ನು ನಿಭಾಯಿಸದ ರೀತಿಯೇ ಈ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯ ಮುಖ್ಯ ಕಥೆ.
ಕಥೆಯನ್ನು ನಾಲ್ಕು ಭಾಗಗಳಾಗಿ ವಿಂಗಡಿಸಿದರೆ, ಮೊದಲ ಭಾಗ ಮುಂಬೈನಲ್ಲಿ (ಲೇಖಕರ ಮತ್ತು ಯಶವಂತರಾಯರ ಭೇಟಿ, ಪರಿಚಯ), ಎರಡನೇ ಭಾಗ ಶಿರಸಿಯಲ್ಲಿಯೂ (ಯಶವಂತರ ಹುಟ್ಟೂರಿನಲ್ಲಿ), ಮೂರನೇ ಭಾಗ ಕುಮುಟದಲ್ಲಿಯೂ (ಯಶವಂತರ ಪತ್ನಿಯ ಊರಿನಲ್ಲಿ) ಹಾಗು ಕೊನೆಯ ಭಾಗ ಪುಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ( ಯಶವಂತರಾಯರ ಸ್ನೇಹಿತರ ಊರಲ್ಲಿ) ನಡೆಯುತ್ತದೆ.
ಇಡೀ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಹಲವಾರು ಪಾತ್ರಗಳು ಕಾಣ ಸಿಗುತ್ತವೆ. ಎಲ್ಲರ ಸ್ವಭಾವ, ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವ, ಗುಣ, ನಡವಳಿಕೆ, ನೀತಿ ರೀತಿ, ಆಚಾರ ವಿಚಾರ ಎಲ್ಲವೂ ಭಿನ್ನ. (ಒಂದೇ ಕುಟುಂಬದಕ್ಕೆ ಸೇರಿದ್ದವರಾದರೂ). ಹಣವೇ ಬದುಕು ಎಂದು ಬೀಗುವವರೂ, ರಕ್ತ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಕರ ಸುಖವೇ ತಮ್ಮ ಸುಖವೆಂದು ಭಾವಿಸುವವರು, ಕೊಟ್ಟ ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿಯನ್ನು ಸಮರ್ಥವಾಗಿ ನಿಭಾಯಿಸುವ ನಿಷ್ಠಾವಂತರೂ, ಹಣದ ಮೋಹಕ್ಕೆ ಒಳಗಾಗಿ ಮೋಸದ ದಾರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಗುವವರೂ, ಆಸ್ತಿಕರೂ, ನಾಸ್ತಿಕರೂ, ಮುಗ್ಧರೂ, ಇತರರನ್ನು ಗೌರವದಿಂದ ಕಾಣುವವರೂ ಕಾಣ ಸಿಗುತ್ತಾರೆ. ಒಟ್ಟಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಗುಣ ತ್ರಯಗಳ ಪರಿಚಯ ಎಂದರೆ ತಪ್ಪಾಗಲಾರದು. ಕಥೆ ಸಾಗುತ್ತ ಹೋದಂತೆ, ಸಮಸ್ಯೆಯೂ ಹಂತ ಹಂತವಾಗಿ ಬಗೆ ಹರಿಯುವುದನ್ನು ಗಮನಿಸಬಹುದು.

ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕದ ಮೊದಲ ಕೆಲವು ಪುಟಗಳನ್ನು ಓದಿದಾಗ ಕಥೆಯ ಗಂಧ ಗಾಳಿ ಇಲ್ಲದೇ ದಟ್ಟ ಅರಣ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಕಳೆದು ಹೋದಂತೆ ಅನುಭವವಾದದ್ದು ನಿಜ. ಆದರೆ ಕಥೆ ಓದುತ್ತಾ ಸಾಗಿದಂತೆ, ಅದರ ರುಚಿ ಹೆಚ್ಚುತ್ತಲೇ ಹೋಯಿತು.
ನನಗೆ ಈ ಕೃತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಬಹಳ ಇಷ್ಟವಾದ ಒಂದು ವಿಚಾರವೆಂದರೆ ಲೇಖಕರು ಉಪಮೆಗಳನ್ನು ಬಳಸಿದ ರೀತಿ. ಹತ್ತಾರು ಉಪಮೆಗಳು ಆಲೋಚನೆಯ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಕೋನವನ್ನು ಬದಲಿಸಿದರೆ, ಇನ್ನು ಕೆಲವು ಉಪಮೆಗಳು ಹೊಟ್ಟೆ ತುಂಬಾ ನಗುವಂತೆ ಮಾಡಿತು.ಉಪ್ಪು ನೀರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಕಿದ ಮಾವಿನಕಾಯಿಯನ್ನು ಅಜ್ಞಾತ ವಾಸಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋಲಿಸಿದ ರೀತಿ, ಮನುಷ್ಯನ ಹಾವ ಭಾವಗಳನ್ನು ಪ್ರಕೃತಿಯ ಚಟುವಟಿಕೆಗಳಿಗೆ ಹೋಲಿಸಿದ್ದು ಹೀಗೆ ಉಪಮೆಗಳು ಕೃತಿಯ ಮೆರುಗನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿಸಿದವು.
ಕಥೆಗೆ ಕೊರತೆ ಬಾರದಂತೆ ಲೇಖಕರು ಪ್ರಕೃತಿಯ ಸೊಬಗನ್ನು ಬಣ್ಣಿಸಿದ ರೀತಿಯಂತು ಅತ್ಯದ್ಭುತ. ಲಾಕ್ ಡೌನಿನಂತ ಪರಿಸ್ಥಿತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ, ನನ್ನ ಕೋಣೆಯ ನಾಲ್ಕು ಗೋಡೆಯ ಮಧ್ಯೆ ನಾನು ಬಂಧಿಯಾಗಿದ್ದರು ಈ ಪುಸ್ತಕವನ್ನು ಓದಿ ಮುಗಿಸುವ ವೇಳೆಗೆ ಊರೆಲ್ಲ ಸುತ್ತಿ ಬಂದ ಅನುಭವವಾಯಿತು. ಕೃತಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಿಸಿರುವ ಹಸಿರು ಪರಿಸರ ಕಣ್ಮನಗಳಿಗೆ ತಂಪು ನೀಡಿತು. ಬದುಕಿನ ಸ್ವಾರಸ್ಯವನ್ನು ಲಯ ಬದ್ಧವಾಗಿ ವಿವರಿಸಿದ ಅರ್ಥಪೂರ್ಣ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯಿದು ಎಂಬುದು ನನ್ನ ಅನಿಸಿಕೆ.
🖋️-ಅನರ್ಘ್ಯ ಟಿ ಪಿ

Failure- well that’s not the end!

Today, while cleaning my art shelf, I found some left out bits of cartridge paper which I normally use for painting or sketching. I am very conscious when it comes to saving papers and I ensure that even the smallest bit doesn’t go into the trash. I either make bookmarks or miniature paintings out of them so that they never go wasted. The piece of paper that I found today was large enough to be used for miniature paintings. Without delaying further I took few of my brushes and some acrylic colors. I cut the paper into three equal squares with the intention of making three mini paintings. I already had a couple of ideas in my mind which I was too scared to try on a larger paper or canvas. So the mission was experimentation, execution of new ideas and of course beautifying the leftovers.

The very first theme that I chose for my painting was a dreamy evening sky with illustration of bokeh effect visualized through the net grills. Initially I thought of finishing the painting quickly as I was already used to painting sky and bokeh in acrylics. But getting the perfect outline of the grills became a tedious task altogether that I almost lost patience and reached the verge of giving up! The sky came out the way I wanted it to be but the grill outline turned out to be a mess! And since I had used acrylic colors I had the privilege to add some more colors to mask the crap that I had made.  I did add few more layers of colors and once again drew the grills. This time I managed to get a proper outline although I messed up a bit in the corners.  To enhance the quality of the painting I painted a few silhouette trees. Finally I illustrated the bokeh effect and completed the painting. All together this game went about for two hours!!

I took up the second piece of paper and decided to paint a dense forest with sunlight peeping in through the dense cover. I took time and tried painting what I had planned. The outcome was totally contradict to what I had intended. I was clueless for a while and had to take break before taking any step further. I was so saturated after looking at the spoiled paper that I ran out of ideas for a moment. But my creative mind didn’t let me to throw away that small piece of color smeared paper. I took out my black paint and painted the entire paper with the same.  With the hope of finding some new ideas I went for a quick shower. While bathing, I noticed few soap bubbles floating on the surface of water. These transparent soap bubbles exhibited rainbow colors and a new idea flickered across my mind. I felt that painting these soap bubbles on the ruined paper would make a good painting. After a good shower, my mind calmed down and most importantly I had an idea to proceed further. I painted a few soap bubbles and they turned out well! There I was happily giggling and satisfied after completing the painting. I was left out with the third piece of paper.  The theme that I chose was rain droplets on a window panel. And thankfully I did not mess up anywhere this time. I was done with the third painting too.

 Now you may wonder why I shared this ‘behind the scenes’ story even after successfully completing the painting. I am sure that some of you might have already exited after reading the first or second paragraph, no worries though!  So, first and foremost thing that I would like to tell you is that my biggest source of inspiration for my artworks is failure. Yes you heard that right, my failures teach me a lot of lessons and it makes me more confident and perfect! Experiencing artblocks, running out of ideas and taking a small break from what you love the most is absolutely fine as long as you don’t stop it entirely. We are human beings and experiencing highs and lows is quite natural. So the tip from my end is never felt dejected when you experience a failure. Try to acknowledge the mistake instead of bogging and see to it that you never repeat it again. Today, at the end of the day I not only had three paintings in my hand but I also had a bountiful of lessons that I learnt from the mistakes that I committed. With the hope that this little piece of advice would make a difference I am ending this story!

 Stay safe, Stay creative 🙂

A crazy,memorable year-2020!

What a crazy year 2020 has been! So many things happened, good,bad, expected, unexpected, accidents, deaths and the list goes on! But this year will be a memorable one for me because I understood what life is and how things could change in a fraction of second leaving the world dumbstruck ! This year was all about working on my strengths, accepting my disabilities and moving on. Most of the times I have tried to use the available time in the best possible way. But at times,when trauma took a toll on me I realized how important it is to take break and heal myself. I gave more importance to my physical and mental health, care my loved ones and spread positive thoughts as much as I could. I would like to thank every amazing human out there who stood by me during my worsts.

This year was all about learning new things and life lessons everyday. As this crazy year has come to an end, I thought of sharing the small packet of knowledge that I gained through my routine.

  • No human power is ultimate in front of mother nature . She has her own way of creating a balanced system for which humans are not necessary! Sounds harsh but it’s the truth!
  • Your mental health is as important as your physical health. Take time and understand who you are and what your capabilities are. Accept what you cannot change and move on! Life won’t be that difficult
  • Success is not a mandatory thing to be happy! You can be happy without being successful.
  • Mistakes are the greatest teachers. Committing mistakes are absolutely fine! But repeating the same mistake isn’t acceptable because your every mistake teaches you a lesson.
  • Being productive all day long is good. But it isn’t an achievement. If you have manged yourself to survive through the worst situation without harming yourself, then you are a winner!
  • Taking a digital break once in a while is important!
  • You’ll understand the value of an item only when you lose it. Be it time, people or a thing.
  • Be selfless while helping.
  • As long as you are happy with what you are doing be it your passion or profession, nothing should bother you! You are always being judged by the people around you and controlling others thought process is mission impossible! All you can do is make an attempt to change their mindset. It’s up to them whether to accept it or reject it.
  • Having a hobby is very important because it keeps you occupied during your free time ! Find one for yourself if you don’t have any because hobby has the power to cure your boredom which no pill or treatment can cure!

So these are some of the lessons that I have learnt in this year! Kudos to one year full of uncertainty, pain, fear and loads of positivity in the midst of so many chaos!! Cheers to all those of you who have made it through this year! Happy new year !!

Strokes And Colors

The mightiest tool
that I own, which
is capable of
reading my clumsy 
mind full of dreams,
helps me ponder them
on a blank sheet
through powerful strokes 
of colors , giving
meaning to the 
subtle life.
Your tender soft bristles
soaked in colors has
the ability to convert
my every idea into
a complete picture
speaking the reality
when words and actions
fail to do so!
Every time when I
hold you , enthusiasm
flourish in just like
a new spring blossom!
fresh and so full of joy.
Boosting creativity and
instilling confidence
to take up more 
colorful challenges!
At the end, both 
of us are a bundle
of happy mess;
One experiencing the 
joy of experimentation
whilst the other for being
supportive throughout
the colorful creation.
Our dependence on each
other will last forever as
everyday both of us
are set for a new exploration,
with a vision of creating
and spreading joy
through strokes and colors..

Faith

As clear as crystal,
surrounded by surfaces 
of trust,
faith seems to be perfect.
Gentle words full of toxin,
pouring in, like the way
sharp rays of light
creating fake brightness.
Blind belief often misleading
making everything trustworthy.
Blanket of false idea mimicking
just like the way dust 
covering a clear crystal.
As fragile as crystal
faith is!
once shattered, can
never be rebuilt.

Does success define happiness?

At the end of the read, I am sure that at least some of you will understand implement my sayings and change their perspective towards success.
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What is success? When do you say you are successful? Have you been successful throughout your life? Well many of you might find it difficult to answer these questions. Along with these I also have one more question for you guys. Do you really have to be successful to be happy? If yes/ no, then what is happiness?
That’s too many questions to all of you. Now let’s analyze what true success and happiness are. Success according to me is victory or a temporary joy that a person experiences as a result of hard work, smart work, honesty and overcoming their previous mistakes. Happiness is a feeling, an internal realization which is most often considered as an emotion.
Now ,I have one more question for you. What do you do to be happy? Do you sought after happiness or experience happiness with what you have
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Let us keep this happiness talk aside for a while and talk about success. Success could be of various types- for students its academics which define success and for job holders it’s their career. Likewise for business holders it’s their financial status and for very few people it’s emotional stability which defines success. So if you are anyone among these you can think of yourself in the situation and tell for how long you were happy after being successful?
Sometimes your end result is something different from your expectations or you may end getting undesired result. This undesired end result has a very special name, you are right its failure. Failure is not accepted in the way success is accepted. Very often failure is considered to be negative and all that a human being wants is success. Parents, most of the times never teach their children to accept the failure. This often results in stress, anxiety and depression which nothing but provides more and more such failures. Failure is not the end of the life. Failure is a part of life with which we have to cope up and become strong. Failure makes sure that a person never commits the same mistake in life. Failure is a result of ignorance, negligence and over confidence. Failure is one of the best teachers which if accepted in the right way can teach immortal lessons. Now that I have defined what failure is, think how many times you have failed in your life. Did you accept your failure or did you mourn for not being successful? If you have accepted your failure, then what did you learn from them?
************************************
Coming back to our happiness talk, I strongly agree with the point that one need not have to be always successful (applicable to only those who consider and value failures). Success is one of the factors which can cause happiness (temporary) or you can call it as pleasure. At this point of time I would like to narrate one of the incidents from my life. I was also in the bandwagon team of people who believed success was the only factor which could make a person happy and complete his / her identity. So this incident happened two years back. I got my pre university results and I had scored a decent percentage (Not boasting about myself). My photographs appeared on news papers and college broachers. I also received cash awards and certificates. I was on cloud nine and people around me were also appreciating my efforts. But, listen carefully, all these lasted for 15 days or probably a month. After a month, I almost forgot about my results and was stuck in a routine which was all about assignments, cultural activities and deadlines. My earlier success no more gave me happiness and I had to find new remedies to keep myself content. That’s when I realized success cannot always keep you happy. Likewise I never wallowed over my failures and I always believed failure is a part of my life.
To conclude, never believe that success gives you permanent happiness. Never fret over your failures and believe in the fact that the best is yet to come. Count your failures in the way you count your success. Learn to be happy with what you have. Learn new lessons from your failures and create a new path for success. Success and failure are not the ultimate beginning and end of your life. Success and failure are part of your life. Enjoy every moment of your life to the fullest . Motivate yourself to be happy by not letting failures affecting your life.


A token of gratitude

Today the entire world is celebrating as your day. But for me, every single day is your day, for you’re my best friend. You walked into my life when I was a toddler. From the very first day itself you assured that I remained happy and content. You took me to a new world where words were the beads, emotions were strings with which a story was woven. You entertained me by sharing all the beautiful, magical, enchanting and exciting stories. You also ensured to inspire me every day by sharing life history of great personalities. You made me feel better whenever I was depressed by sharing a few self help tips. You taught me moral values, life lessons.
You have been my companion for seventeen years now. You have shaped my identity, improved my speaking ability and polished my writing skills. You have fed me with right food when the hunger for learning new things arose in me. Apart from stories, the other thing which I like about you are the pictures that you carry along with the stories (if not many, at least one for sure).
I chose you over people. I admire your selflessness. You never asked me how much money I had, how much property I owned. You never questioned me about my background. You never judged me on the basis of physical appearance. You never betrayed me, never made me unhappy. You never gossiped about me. You whole heartedly accepted me the way I was. You neither measured me in terms of success, nor failure. You drove away my loneliness. I would love to call you as an ideal companion of mine.
I sought after you for knowledge. You are a perfect guide. Holding you in my hands is a bliss which I cannot explain in words. There’s a saying that one should be wise enough in choosing friends. I can proudly say that I was the wisest because I chose you. You possess all the qualities that a genuine friend should have. You are a bundle of knowledge. No matter how busy I am, I always make sure that I spend some amount of time with you; and those moments are the golden moments of my life!
You are divine, pure and humble. You never disappoint the people who choose you to be their friend. You are a light in darkness, a ray of hope in crisis. On this prestigious day of yours, let more people befriend you; let the world know your importance. You enjoy your day to great extent and at this moment all that I want to say is “I love you my best friend!” You will forever be a part of my life.




ಮಳೆ ಮರುಕಳಿಸಿದ ಬಾಲ್ಯದ ನೆನಪು

ಸಮಯ ರಾತ್ರಿ ಹತ್ತು ಗಂಟೆ ಆಗಿತ್ತು. ಹೊರಗೆ ಜೋರಾಗಿ ಮಳೆ ಬರುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಮನೆ ಒಳಗೇ ಕಾಲ ಕಳೆಯೋಣವೇಂದರೆ ವಿಪರೀತ ಶೆಖೆ. ಅತ್ತ ಇತ್ತ ಹೊರಳಿ ಮಲಗಿದರೂ ನಿದ್ರೆ ಬರುವ ಯಾವ ಸೂಚನೆಯೂ ಕಾಣಿಸಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಹೊರಗೆ ಸುರಿಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದ ಮಳೆಯನ್ನಾದರೂ ನೋಡೋಣವೆಂದು ಮನೆಯ ಹೊರಗಿದ್ದ ಮೆಟ್ಟಿಲ ಮೇಲೆ ಕೂತೆ.

ಮಳೆ ಜೋರಾಗಿ ಸುರಿಯುತ್ತಲೇ ಇತ್ತು. ಮನಸ್ಸಿಗೆ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಹಿತವೆನಿಸಿತು. ಧಾರಾಖಾರ ಮಳೆಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ಜೊರಾದ ಗುಡುಗು, ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ಕುಕ್ಕುವ ಮಿಂಚು. ಇವೆಲ್ಲದರ ಜೊತೆ ತಂಗಾಳಿ. ಆದರೆ ಇಂದಿನ ತಂಗಾಳಿ ಎಂದಿನಂತೆ ಇರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಮೂಗಿಗೆ ಯಾವುದೋ ರೀತಿಯ ಪರಿಮಳ ಬರುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಅದು ನನಗೆ ಪರಿಚಿತವಾದ ಪರಿಮಳ. ಕೂಡಲೇ ಮನೆಯ ಬಳಿ ರಂಜೆ ಹೂವಿನ ಮರವಿದೆ, ಆ ಹೂವಿನ ಪರಿಮಳವೇ ಗಾಳಿಯೊಂದಿಗೆ ಬೆರೆತು ನನ್ನ ನಾಸಿಕವನ್ನು ತಲುಪುತ್ತಿತ್ತು ಎಂಬುದರ ಅರಿವಾಯಿತು.

ಅಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಪ್ರಕೃತಿ ಮಾತೆಯ ಸುಗಂಧ ದ್ರವ್ಯವನ್ನು ಆಸ್ವಾದಿಸುತ್ತಾ ಕುಳಿತೆ. ಮನಸ್ಸು ಹಾಗೆ ಬಾಲ್ಯದ ದಿನದತ್ತ ಸಾಗಿತು. ಬೇಸಿಗೆ ರಜೆ ಬಂತೆಂದರೆ ಊರಿಗೆ ಹೊಗುವ ಅಭ್ಯಾಸ. ದೊಡ್ಡಪ್ಪನ ಮನೆಯ ಬಳಿ ಒಂದು ರಂಜೆ ಮರವಿತ್ತು. ಪ್ರತಿನಿತ್ಯ ಮರದ ಕೆಳಗೆ ಬಿದ್ದ ಹೂವನ್ನು ಹೆಕ್ಕಿ ಮಾಲೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಮುಡಿದುಕೊಳ್ಳುವುದೆಂದರೆ ಎಲ್ಲಿಲ್ಲದ ಸಂತೋಷ ನನಗೆ.

ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಕೇರಳದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಅಕ್ಕನ ಮನೆಗೆ ಮದುವೆಗೆಂದು ಹೋಗಿದ್ದೆ. ಆಗ ನನಗೆ ಸುಮಾರು ೫ ವರ್ಷ. ಅವಳ ಮನಗೆ ಹೋದಾಗ ನನ್ನ ಕಣ್ಣಿಗೆ ಮೊದಲು ಕಾಣಿಸಿದ್ದು ರಂಜೆ ಮರ. ಮನಸ್ಸು ತಡೆಯಲಿಲ್ಲ, ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಬಿದ್ದಿದ್ದ ರಂಜೆ ಹೂವುಗಳನ್ನು ಸಂಗ್ರಹಿಸಿ ಮಾಲೆ ಮಾಡಿ ಸಂತಸದಿಂದ ಮುಡಿದುಕೊಂಡೆ. ಆಗ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಬಂದಿದ್ದ ಅಕ್ಕನ ನೆಂಟರು ನನ್ನನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ ನಗಲಾರಂಭಿಸಿದರು. ಅವರಿಗೆ ನಾನೊಬ್ಬ ವಿಚಿತ್ರ ಪ್ರಾಣಿಯಂತೆ ಕಾಣುತ್ತಿದ್ದನೋ ಏನೋ. ಹೀಗೆ ನನ್ನ ಅದ್ಭುತವಾದ ಬಾಲ್ಯದ ದಿನಗಳನ್ನು ಮೆಲಕು ಹಾಕುತ್ತಾ ಸಮಯ ಕಳೆದದ್ದು ಗೊತ್ತಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಅಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ ಮಳೆಯೂ ನಿಂತಿತ್ತು. ನನ್ನ ಮೈ-ಮನವೂ ತಣ್ಣಗಾಗಿತ್ತು. ಮತ್ತೊಮ್ಮೆ ಆ ಪರಿಮಳವನ್ನು ಆಸ್ವಾದಿಸಿ ಸಂತಸದಿಂದ ಮನೆ ಒಳಗೆ ಹೋದೆ.

Quarantine,Future and Us

Our elders said that one should not forget the roots of one’s existence. That means one shouldn’t forget that he or she is the child of Mother Nature and it’s his or her responsibility to take care of her. But we being selfish have forgotten our origin, our responsibility, our duties and our rights.  I always feel that humans are the most selfish and disgusting creature on this earth. Our greed has no limits, no boundaries. We don’t care about our fellow human being and other living organism that are dwelling on the same earth. We exploit, overuse and misuse all the resources for our own needs. We killed animals for their skin, horn and other body parts. We destroyed huge forest covers in the name of improvement of transportation and communication. Do we really follow the alternative ways that we speak about and are we really concerned about other creatures around us?  I sometimes feel that humans aren’t fit to live and enjoy the resources of mother earth. All that we have done is over exploitation

The day has finally come, to realize and understand the consequences of our own actions. The major threat the entire world is facing today is of corona virus. A micro-organism is destroying the entire world. Did we ever imagine that our lives would be controlled by a virus like covid-19? Today, most parts of the world are under quarantine as a precautionary measure against the pandemic. India is also one such country where the number of deaths are increasing day by day. All that our government has asked us to do is to stay inside our house. But on the other hand, people are least bothered to pay attention to government’s words and are roaming around like nothing has happened. In spite of being beaten up by the police, people are carelessly wandering. For whose benefit has the government ordered 21 days of lockdown? All these days’ people kept on criticizing the government for one or the other reason. Now that the government is pleading the people to follow certain rules, people aren’t cooperating. I hereby humbly request you all to stay inside and practice social distancing.

Apart from these things, I have also noticed a few changes in my surroundings. The pollution has considerably reduced and animals are happily jumping around without human fear. All that I understood from the above observations is that humans have become like a beast to other living creatures and also to the environment. This quarantine period is indirectly teaching us to survive and be happy with what is available; as we can see that people are struggling to purchase vegetables and other grocery items because of shut down of shops. This at least would reduce human greed and over consumption of resources to some extent, I feel.

We have a lot of other problems in the world apart from corona . Some of them are water crisis, global warming, climate change and pollution. I think this is the right time to analyze these problems and do our bit in eliminating them. For example, it might be minimizing the usage of plastic, wisely using the available water, looking for a greener alternative for sustainable living, etc. Every individual’s contribution to these things can bring about a significant change.  If we don’t tackle these problems right now, we’ll have to face several other problems in the future whose results are going to be worst.  So make the best use of these 21 days to acknowledge those problems and work on the solutions to overcome them.

Before I conclude, stay safe everyone and follow the instructions given by the government. Also be kind to mother earth and nature because they are the one who is bearing us. Don’t ill treat other living beings  that also have the equal rights to survive on this planet. Also look for better solutions to reduce the environmental issues and do your bit in conservation.   Appreciate and thank all the doctors, nurses, police, soldiers, media people and garbage collectors who are striving selflessly in safeguarding us. I hope the number of victims to the deadly virus decrease within these 21 days. Keep in mind that this is just a simple punishment given by Mother Nature to all of us for all the sin that we have committed so far.

ಕೆಂಗುಲಾಬಿ



ನೇಸರನ ಕಿರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಮೈಯ್ಯೊಡ್ಡಿ,
ಜನರ ಕಣ್ಮನ ಸೆಳೆದು,
ಹೆಮ್ಮೆಯಿಂದ ಅರಳಿ
ನಿಂತಿರುವಳು ಕೆಂಗುಲಾಬಿ.

ತಂಗಾಳಿಗೆ ತಲೆದೂಗಿ,
ಇಬ್ಬನಿಯನು ಹೊದೆದುಕೊಂಡು,
ಹೂದೋಟದ ಅರಸಿಯಾಗಿ
ರಾರಾಜಿಸುತ್ತಿರುವಳು ಕೆಂಗುಲಾಬಿ.

ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವದು ತನಗೆ
ದೊರಕಿರುವ ವರವೆಂದು
ಭಾವಿಸಿ, ತಾನು ತ್ರಿಲೋಕ ಸುಂದರಿ
ಎಂದು ಹಿಗ್ಗಿದಳು ಕೆಂಗುಲಾಬಿ.

ಕಾಲಚಕ್ರ ಉರುಳಿತು,
ಅವಳ ಎಸಳು ಉದುರಿತು
ತನ್ನ ರೂಪ ಕೆಡುತ್ತಿದೆ
ಎಂದು ಮರುಗಿದಳು ಕೆಂಗುಲಾಬಿ.

ಇಂದು ತನ್ನನ್ನು ನೋಡಿ
ಹೊಗಳುವವರಿಲ್ಲ,
ಆನಂದಿಸುವವರಿಲ್ಲವೆಂದು
ಹಲುಬಿದಳು ಕೆಂಗುಲಾಬಿ.

“ಸೌಂದರ್ಯವದು ಕ್ಷಣಿಕ
ಒಳಿತಲ್ಲ ಅತಿಯಾದ ಹೆಮ್ಮೆ”
ಎಂದು ಅಲ್ಲೇ ಇದ್ದ
ಮೊಗ್ಗಿಗೆ ಹೇಳಿದಳು ಕೆಂಗುಲಾಬಿ.

ತನ್ನ ಮನದ ಅಹಂಕಾರವು
ತಕ್ಕ ಪಾಠ ಕಲಿಸಿತೆಂದು,
ಪಶ್ಚಾತಾಪದಿಂದ ರೋಧಿಸಿ
ಪ್ರಾಣ ಬಿಟ್ಟಳು ಕೆಂಗುಲಾಬಿ.

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