What does it take....?

What does it take to be a teacher? A fleeting muse crossed the conscious. Making me perplexed, the airy muse swayed down to memory lane.

The quest was referred to self, but it showed up  again and again. Baffled I raised another query. “After all what does it take to be a student?”Hhmmnn..a nagging feel floated across the mind, a little scary but inexplicable one that couldn’t be exactly abhorred. What was it?

Musing about my facilitator I concluded?  “They are till date mystical, the unpredictable lot-god has created them like that only.” I sighed.

A bit of hard, rough, scary-but these sclerenchymatous coconut  persona-seemed soothing and supportive during the crisis( after that who had time to think about them, in those rosy seasons of spring). They were with us, the students-before the exams ,during the exams, helping and saving us with bigger fears of lives-topics, unemployment and many more.

More skilled (knowleagble) lot were more dangerous(scary).Always correct with supernatural extinct of sniffing everything about you-a full idea of your head(strength) and tail(weakness),mapping  alpha and omega of brain(capacity).

Personally , I always found security being at distance from them if not afforded to being at  distant.
“Ooph! What could have be done.”after all daily interactions couldn’t be avoided. So that love (ovation and exaltation)-hate (scare and respect) all went simultaneously, till last date at the campus.

Decade later, settled in my teaching job, with blissful conjugal life-I have been juggling dual responsibilities according to my capacity. Then on a chanced visit to my institution, an instantaneous encounter to him pounded my heart. Still maintaining the aura of discipline, in his steady and firm walk, he was crossing the corridor.
His questioned gaze ceased my heart beat for the moment-with dry throat bowing to him, I introduced myself. The towering frame melted to shady banyan of summer, after my intro. His demeanor softened and soon his kindness had been palpable.  Standing under his supportive strength when I was about to regain my ease. He shot, in his deep, grave voice, “what are you doing?”

 I stammered again… I teach in +2 school..somehow I completed-sensing that I fell short of my towering mentor-a gold medalist and Megasaysay Award winner himself-I was completely aware of his expectation and disappointment.

I was standing infront of him-two faces were encountering each other.Voices were disappearing in space but the inner dialogue had been established. He was asking,I was answering without being bother to be listened.  Then the moment of stillness reigned between us. I realized it was time to take permission.

I bent to touch his feet-murmering the last sentence-“take care of your health, sir.” He nodded and bent his face to other side.

Back in the moving vehicle I peeped through the window to catch his glimpse through the corridor.He was wiping his specs. For the moment the time stopped before me.I was in complete debate about my academics, my successes and failures,forgetting my age, my chidren and spouse.

I got the answer why did their presence never fade out of  our memories. Though their thoughts still jolt us but their imparted learning made them immortal in our lives.

And then a voice echoed inside me for my facilitator. Perhaps I didn’t emulate you academically but I learnt so many humane side of yours. And on those learning I have been leading a blissful life. But O, perfectionist we respect and exalt you though still with a scary shudder.

Motherhood

When the compassion blends with bliss of love
The tender wheeze pulsates in the womb

When godliness smiles inside her

The mortal self ascends ahead

When divinity blinked to her fondly
The bundle of bliss chortle in her arm

When the tenderness jingles in the space
The nurturer walkes on the earth

When the fragrance of jingles  lauds the air
The earthly gets the glimpse of divinity

Womanhood

When god blessed the feme
For her unfathomed faith in the creation
He bestowed her with the power of creation,

When the eye of humanity long for divinity on the earth
The luck smiled from the sky in the arm of femme
When the motif of nature awe the deer doe mortal

She stepped ahead with power of creation
When the humanity looks for ascension
She walked alive  uplifting the joy of earthly

Bundle of bliss- chortle in and around her
Divinity walked on the earth in her silhouette
Her charisma blessed the space-as the home.

The icon

The yesteryear actress of nineties  Archana Puran Singh, who was acclaimed for her sizzling dance sequence in movie directed by Pankaj Praser. The bold story of drug dealing was set in picturesque Goa. It got critically acclaimed on many fronts-for direction to its whirly camera movements, editing and choreography.It was supported with fresh star casts.With its aesthetic presentation the movie had long been captured the imagination of audience.

But after that with her first famed release of first movie, the actress surprised many with no- another- release parallel to it.


Soon with her down heading career, for survival sake perhaps the talented actor opted  flavour vanished, stereotyped roles. And the disheartened fans accepted her in repetitive roles of eccentric vamp-yelling nonsensically. Though, her work out persona and maintained aura, even in her restricted script would often tap the memory of her amazing dance moves of first release.


Perhaps this is called destiny. And it forces us to believe in upper hand of almighty or higher one in occurrence of life. Truth of life unfolds to us, with our puppetry role as a human existence where success and failure are chained somewhere else.


But certainly this is not the end of story, it is start. Then what keeps her survived in her career despite not so supportive destiny. What about her still knocks the consciousness? Why does even her small screen presence etch the memory lane seeking share of attention? There is certainly something in her. 


Her lively, well groomed youthful look perhaps again an endeavour to keep pace with seven year junior hubby. But here again she is undoubtedly an unbeatable winner, proving her points in life that love and harmony matter more in matrimony than disparity of age.
Supported with her energetic presence, the small screen show of comedy circus has been running for years without any interruption.

Her intelligently apt hilarity to support a weak humour is really commendable. Her humanity rank first as she responds to worst humour in most dignified way.


At the family front she came as home runner, still without regretting her hard push as an earner.

Though her bouncy ever fighting spirit still misrepresented by Bollywood in repetitive dabbles of negative roles. For decades dangling in short psychotic role she now geared to small screen with talk show and as finalist.


With successful matrimony and children she seems to be blissfully happy giving her best to every job of life. 


At comedy-circus as multi tasker her inevitability makes sense. To uplift the energy of sinking humour and saving TRP, she shakes the show with well tuned punch lifting guffaw. Her positive comment as a judge and charismatic gearing retains the integrity of the space from straying in double meaning gags. 


No doubt the earnest approach positioned her as a permanent finalist of the show, ironically sometimes at the cost of afflicting ruthless hurled humour. And now sailing through the odds of nonsense in cheerful and composed way her presence seems more pertinent in the show than the performers.

Her persistent energetic endeavour to work, her ease at rolling in laughter at nonsense now makes sense. Her dignified way to take the ruthless jokes without any tinge of hurt and offend.Her role as support system be it running of home and hearth or maintaining harmony in family.She is commendable everywhere. 


In short her presence says, I am Archana Puran Singh or rather Puran Singh who ensures the purn “complete” sailing of things be it life, family or a show.” 

Run Of The Mill Lives

The International Women’s Day on 8th march was nearing and my creativity inside tide up intermittently for the expressions, but the overwhelming fogginess was profound than the clarity about the topic.

Sitting with laptop the mind raced and hankered to diverse subjects-one after another. And then iconic Aung San Suu Kyu- the Nobel laureate for peace haunted more than anyone else. Her appealing yet turbulent, out of box way of life, her marriage to a man one year younger than her. Her education at Cambridge, her mediocre life in Britain, her political career at Burma and subsequent house arrest of 32 years. Her youthful look, her poise her unfathomable spirit there was allure in everything about her. The subject was taking shape in me, and then unexpected I under took the journey—

The train had started at usual time at around 6.00 p.m. To relax the encountered melee of startup journey it seemed a big relief to stretch a little on accommodated space of the berth.

Around mid night the occupant of lower birth made the entry. Subsequently a harsh, croaked voice pierced the slumber of everyone in compartment.

“Whose footwear is these?”

Groggily someone replied in irritation- “move them aside and put your luggage beneath.” After her boisterous entry it was her discussion that outlaid us more. Her discussion at the audible limit ranged from politics to inflation lasted till dawn bereaving many of them to their sweet dreams. In next quarter of time I was out of slumber tried to take stock of her. An elderly lady in salwar suit with short hair do –not so condusive to talk with, I opinioned and tossed on berth with annoyance.

In the morning alighting from the upper berth my husband-hushed me that take care of the lady and don’t disturb her. She is a cancer patient she must not be disturbed. When I alighted down I sat at the end of her lower berth taking care.

My engaged attention broke by her query-“are you working lady?”smilingly I replied in affirmation. The lady does not seem so crass in the morning. “Where do you work? Sitting on her seat she initiated.

Few moments of mingling revealed more about her. A retired university staff she was 65 years old. Diagnosed with cancer in 2003 and subsequent three operations she had been fighting the lethal battle on her own.

She was on her way to half yearly check up to the leading health center.

Her indomitable spirit seemed impressive. I didn’t see a single tinge of apprehension in her voice. The way she had been handling her finance and her ailment without any help was amazing. An enthusiastic raconteur and full of social life she talked on every issue from her food habit to lodging.

During the journey the morning news paper too fuelled the my imagination about the Aruna-the nurse at KMC Mumbai who was fighting the life for 38 years. Her plea for euthanasia got rejected by Supreme Court but her fight was still on.

More than year old news still refuses to leave memory. “What does keep her going?” Is the biological superiority of female body which is equipped with power of creation? In the mortal world we name it “ Shakti.”

Then I felt a pressing need to celebrate woman’s day to salute those unwavering spirit who most often go unnoticed.

In my neighbourhood, I got another lady fighting the emperor of malady.However juggling her ailment still her eyes focused on child progress and husband needs. When she talked about her chemo she chuckled in between her narration as if she had been recounting a travelogue.

Heaped with social responsibility, in today’s world Indian women are the most stressed. Managing the two worlds of career and home very few realize her unsupported stature in the home and society. A manager of her nuclear family, as a career woman or home manager she always lacks support of care giver during her needs.

In Indian setup she lacks the facilities like crèche and dignified place or home for parents. Even the mentioning of these needs raises frown as if she is a vampire. Ready to dump children in strangers hand and ready to leave the old without any support and care.

Just be humane and think about the necessary strength she requires carrying the day and obligating her responsibilities. And how long she can sustain herself without pushing in depression and persistent fatigue. A common companion of Indian women!

The world is changing faster so the woman as an individual- to save the society we need to save the woman. Since century she has been taking care of everyone. In today world equipped with education and aspiration she needs some understanding and change in family setup to sustain and showcase her potential. May almighty fulfill to all! Happy women’s day!