Inner Journeys

2009-08-02T05:53:00.001-07:00

http://shobhainnerjourneys.blogspot.com

2009-04-06T03:16:00.001-07:00

once upon a time

2009-03-27T07:39:00.001-07:00

MY GRANDSON RANVEER IS NOW THREE MONTHS OLD...

2009-03-27T04:59:00.001-07:00

MY GRANDSON RANVEER

2009-01-13T23:21:00.001-08:00

Vijay Nair: [Transcreation] Fear

2008-05-03T00:49:00.000-07:00

Vijay Nair: [Transcreation] Fear

ABODE OF CREATIVITY...ANJOLIE ELA MENON

2008-02-15T05:05:00.001-08:00

A remarkable modern Indian artist...her works are an insight into the mind of the painter ....

clipped from affordindianart.com

ANJOLIE ELA MENON : Anjolie Ela Menon was born 1940 in West Bengal of a mixed Bengal and American parentage. She went to Lawrence School, Lovedale (near Ootacamund), in the Nilgiri Hills, Tamil Nadu. By the age of 15, when she left school, she had already sold a few paintings. Thereafter, she briefly studied at the Sir J. J. Institute of Applied Art, Mumbai and later earned a degree in English Literature from Delhi University. During this time, she was drawn to the works of Modigliani, and Indian painters, M F Husain and Amrita Shergil. At 18, she held a solo exhibition with fifty-three paintings of a variety of styles. Her creative brilliance got her a French Government scholarship to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Before returning home, she travelled extensively in Europe and West Asia studying Romanesque and Byzantine art. She has been awarded the Padma Shree, one of the highest civilian awards in India.

PAPILLION

2008-02-11T05:03:00.000-08:00

for Deena Muzzi)

I sometimes wish

I could for a day

Be a butterfly .....

A splash of colour,

A wave of joy,

For the lives I touch.....

To wipe a tear,

Heal a wound,

Reach out and caress

Hearts lonely and careworn.....

I sometimes wish

I could for a day

Be a butterfly -

Just a willow-the - wisp papillion

Eternal in Transcience

IN FLAGRANTE DELICTO ( an appeal to Osama Bin Laden)

2008-02-10T07:48:00.000-08:00

(an appeal to Osama Bin Laden)

Osama, do you hear -

Don't camouflage evil intentions

Under words like 'jihad',

For killing innocents is a crime

No matter what you name it.

I sometimes wonder, Osama,

When did Hatred build her dam

Blacking out love in your heart

Dry as the sands of the desert

Where you belong?

The web of hatred that you spread

Traps in its gossamer the guileless,

Whether it is New York or Kashmir

The cries of victims rent the air.

Let the dam break, I tell you,

For in Love alone lies the answer.

Nor Christian, nor Muslim,

Neither Hindu nor Jew

Can escape the flames of hatred

That strew unchecked.

Remember, in flagrante delicto

There is no salvation -

Be warned now, before it is too late

For you, for me , for the world.

IS NANO TECHNOLOGY THE NEW PHOTOGRAPHY?

2008-02-08T21:20:00.001-08:00

I am really intrigued by these ...they have a sense of power and scope that baffles me...i hope my friends enjoy them as much as i do...

clipped from www.nytimes.com

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Is NanoArt the New Photography?

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Each year, Cris Orfescu, a California-based artist and scientist, sponsors the International Online NanoArt Competition.
Mr. Orfescu uses his art "to inform people about the new technologies of the 21st Century."
Left, Black Eye NanoOctopus: The artist created a nanosculpture by hydrolyzing a tiny drop of a titanium organometallic compound and coating the structure with gold in order to be properly visualized with a Scanning Electron Microscope. The monochromatic electron scan was then painted and digitally manipulated, and the final image was printed on canvas with archival inks.

haiku

2008-02-08T03:09:00.001-08:00

I came by chance upon this site...and thoroughly enjoyed the haiku....

clipped from www.poetrylives.com

Light and shadow,
Shadow and light,
I cross both paths

OUTSIDER ART

2008-02-06T05:38:00.001-08:00

An alternative type of consciousness? .....extremely captivating visual qualities!

clipped from www.nytimes.com

NANO ART....INTRIGUING!

2008-02-06T05:07:00.001-08:00

This one intrigued me immensely....must learn more about it.

clipped from www.nytimes.com

Nano-Cyclops V

The seed image was "distorted multiple times and layered in with various photographs of the seedpods from Acacia Cyclops and one of my drawings."

- Chris Marshall

Photo: Chris Marshall

THE THREE CORNERED WORLD

2008-02-06T05:04:00.001-08:00

This book's blurb has got me thinking and I'm trying to lay my hands on a copy. hope to get one soon!!!

clipped from www.peterowen.com

The
Three-Cornered World

Natsume Soseki

‘Walking up a mountain track, I fell
to thinking.
Approach everything rationally, and you become harsh. Pole
along in the stream of emotions, and you will be swept away
by the current. Give free rein to your desires, and you become
uncomfortably confined. It is not a very agreeable place to
live, this world of ours.’

Opening with the most famous introductory lines in Japanese
literature, The Three Cornered World has been cherished by
generations of readers as a glittering jewel in the crown
of Soseki’s artistic achievement.

A painter escapes to a mountain spa to work in a world free
of emotional entanglement, but finds himself fascinated by
the alluring mistress at his inn and, inspired by thoughts
of Millais’ Ophelia, he imagines painting her. The woman
is rumoured to have abandoned her husband and fallen in love
with a priest at a nearby temple, but somehow the right expression
for the face on her painting eludes the artist . . .

SOME MORE OF MY PAINTINGS.....

2008-02-03T02:09:00.000-08:00

GANESH PAINTINGS BY SHOBHA

2008-02-01T07:53:00.000-08:00

SHOBHA'S PAINTINGS

2008-02-01T07:49:00.000-08:00

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF MY PAINTINGS

2008-02-01T07:38:00.000-08:00

THE LANGUAGE OF LIFE IS ONE

2008-01-29T05:18:00.000-08:00

The Language of Life is One

I tried to learn the language of Science

Its talk of quantum physics,

High energy particles, the mathematical theories,

Electrons bound to atomic nucleii,......

I realised the language of science

Spoke the language of the intellect,

Where equations, structures, graphs

Explained the final gravitational collapse,

The Black Holes, inter stellar gas clouds,

But - it was a language already within,

That spoke not in equations but

Through the intuitive spirit

That has spoken to man always

Of the Heavenly Music, the music of the spheres,

Of every atom singing its own melody,

Producing rhythm, patterns of energy,

In dense and subtle forms - -

The Dance of Shiva

As he sends through inert matter

Pulsing waves of awakening sound and rhythm.

Artdaily.org - The First Art Newspaper on the Net

2008-01-24T05:31:00.000-08:00

Artdaily.org - The First Art Newspaper on the Net

IMAGINE BY JOHN LENNON

2008-01-20T09:18:00.000-08:00

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

ETERNAL ITINERANT

2008-01-20T03:53:00.000-08:00

I try to trap

The quicksilver moods of Time -

Hold the flowing sands in my palm,

But - she flows on

Singing her unrestrained rhapsodies.

Time - the eternal enchantress!

So obvious, yet -

So incomprehensible!

I know - all that is

Exists in Time,

Yet - have you experienced Time?

Where was Time when there was no Time?

How vast is her unexplored country?

Yet - how infinitesimal!

One cannot exist without Time

Nor remain outside her purview.

I lift the veil of daybreak and I find her there,

Even so at Life's decline

I hear her miraged rhapsodies,

I know everything perishes in Time,

But she moves on,

Eternal Itinerant.

ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF INDIAN PAINTINGS

2008-01-06T22:17:00.001-08:00

SOUL STIRRINGS

2008-01-06T20:12:00.000-08:00

I am a page from the book of Time,
Unspoiled, unwritten, hopeful, expectant,
This New Year I shall rewrite the dreams not realised,
I shall tread the paths I feared to tread,
I shall reach out in love to the child orphaned,
My heart shall sing of love's new hopes,
This year I shall touch eternity
For I know today eternity is not another land,
IT'S HERE! IT'S ME!!!

LOVE'S AN AUTO DA FE

2007-11-24T21:58:00.000-08:00

(To my sons....a POEM on the story of my life.)

When I consider how I embarked
Upon a lone journey of love,
Defying home and shelter
To chalk a new life, a different dream
Soon to be shattered,
Every joy robbed and left stranded
Alone - ostracised by all,
I often wonder why? Why did I?

Instantly the voice within
Echoes the voice of my dreams
Love's an auto da fe,
Destiny's Child, linking one to the other
By the Law of Karma -
And then I realize it was worth it
For the gems I gained are beyond compare.

Copyright ©2007 Shobha Nayar Pandit

CREATIVE EXPRESSION

2007-11-24T21:42:00.000-08:00

From My Inner Carrel..

In soft alone moments
When even Time lies asleep,
I feel the words flutter restless
Like a bird waiting to fly,
Like unread words in a book,
Trapped feelings, never expressed,
Thoughts deep buried, forbidden fancies,
Words playing riot to break the bars
In the elongating shadows of
Quiet winter evenings and take flight,
Oh, then I am a caged bird no more.

Copyright ©2007 Shobha Nayar Pandit

SOUL'S YEARNING

2007-11-24T21:27:00.000-08:00

(To all my loved ones0

My soul longs
to take flight,
break the chains,
escape. . . .
My soul longs
to rise pure and free
unrestrained,
throw off the reins
that bind me here. . . .
My soul longs
to trace the untraveled path,
a traveler anew,
trace a new course,
away . . .
away from
existence's nonexistence.

Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007

LIKE A MIRAGE

2007-11-23T00:50:00.000-08:00

(..in memorium...)

I sometimes feel your nearness
In the soft afternoon air
As the day spreads lazily over me..
I sometimes feel your touch
Whispering over my body
Like a gently sweeping breeze.
I sometimes smell the fragrance
Of your body washed in the warmth
Of love's embracing breath..
I sometimes hear the melody
Of your distant voice ringing
The memory of a thousand unsung songs...
I sometimes taste the sweetness
Of a love that was mine
Some runaway summers ago...
I sometimes see the fire
In your eyes and I reach out
To bathe in its spreading glow
Like a mirage over my dreams

Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007

THE COSMIC DANCE

2007-11-16T04:07:00.000-08:00

In the vibrating molecules and atoms,
In the bombarding showers of cosmic rays,
In the enveloping cascading energy,
In the pulse of the cells within
Is the cosmic dance of the Lord of Dancers.
Scientists say matter is never quiescent,
Quantum theory, thermal vibrations
As scientists refer to this rhythmic pattern,
A dynamic equilibrium or as the Taoist wisdom
Says -The stillness in stillness is no real stillness,
Within this stillness in movement lies
The cosmic dance of the Lord of Dancers - Shiva.

Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007

MY RAIN DANCE

2007-11-16T03:53:00.000-08:00

Rain droplets in my cupped palms
Hold many rain dreams.
On rain wet spring afternoons
When diamond sprays hang on gossamer web
Shooting bright rain rays,
When pendulous rain droplets on
Wet, wet leaves glint under a rain washed sun,
When rain spray from rain bathed feathers]
Wash my face in cool, cool drops,
My rain dreams take flight and they fly
Over smoother than smooth washed pebbles,
Over velvet petals holding rain pearls,
Over emeralds on greener than green grass,
They fly across the bluer than blue rain sky,
Carried by the rain-cooled breeze....
They fly from my heart to you, my friend.

Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007

Drishti: Some favourite songs

2007-11-13T05:11:00.000-08:00

Drishti: Some favourite songs

DEJA VU

2007-11-11T07:08:00.000-08:00

I sometimes have a feeling that this life is a dream, a surreal dream that began many aeons ago...I was there then in a different form...and I also know that the people we get close to in this lifetime were part of our lives many lifetimes ago....
We all have karmic obligations to fulfil...and this cycle goes on in a never ending circle...birth after birth....

I am Here, Here, Here.....
(to the all enveloping spirit....)

Have you heard the sound of dewdrops fall,
Or seen the breeze whisper, "I am here, here, here,
Have you tasted the salt of tears when hearts break,
Or smelt the fragrance of first love taking birth,
Have you touched the chord that binds you and me?
Don't ask to see or hear or feel -
Just know - I am here, here, here,
In the rhythm of the falling dewdrops,
In the beating of a baby's heart,
See me in the gentle whisper of leaves
And smell my fragrance and taste my love,
For I am always here, here, here. . .. . ...

Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007

LUMINOUS PURITY

2007-11-10T20:29:00.000-08:00

Have you ever felt the luxuriant warmth
Of sunbeams on cold winter mornings,
Or pressed a tender blossom to your cheeks?
Have you touched their graceful forms
Or ever exposed your face to the aerial floods
That sweep the blue heavens?
Have you ever wondered at the winds unwearied activity
Or heard the infinite music , the tactual sonorities
Of a thousand branches or the roar of tumbling waters?
Remember, nature in her luminous purity sings
Her sweetest songs to the heart that loves.

Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007

WHY WOMEN CRY!

2007-11-10T01:49:00.000-08:00

A little boy asked his mother, "Why are you crying?" "Because I'm a woman," she told him.

"I don't understand," he said. His Mom just hugged him and said, "And you never will."

Later the little boy asked his father, "Why does mother seem to cry for no reason?"

"All women cry for no reason," was all his dad could say.

The little boy grew up and became a man, still wondering why women cry.

Finally he put in a call to God. When God got on the phone, he asked, "God, why do women cry so easily?"

God said:

"When I made the woman she had to be special.

I made her shoulders strong enough to carry the weight of the world,

yet gentle enough to give comfort.

I gave her an inner strength to endure childbirth and the rejection that many times comes from her children.

I gave her a hardness that allows her to keep going when everyone else gives up, and take care of her family through sickness and fatigue without complaining.

I gave her the sensitivity to love her children under any and all circumstances, even when her child has hurt her very badly.

I gave her strength to carry her husband through his faults and fashioned her from his rib to protect his heart.

I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly.

And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. This is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."

"You see my son," said God, "the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart - the place where love resides."

send this to five beautiful women you know today. You will boost another woman's self-esteem! Send it to every man, so he can understand!

ETERNITY

2007-11-07T23:53:00.000-08:00

I believe matter is never destroyed....it reappears in a different shape and form. In life we hold many things very dear and don't want to let go. I have two sons and they are my dearest treasures and now that they are married I also have two wonderful daughters in law who are also very dear to me. But love does not mean clinging so I believe in giving them space and keeping my own space too. I believe I am a part of eternity, having gone through this journey of life many times, in different forms, and identities! I am a part of the super consciousness. I am life!

(to my sons.)
I am a leaf from the tree of life,
Crush not me between the pages of a book,
Pluck not me to trample underfoot,
Scatter not me to be forgotten tomorrow,
But....preserve the green of my dreams,
Cherish the yellow of my age,
And when I am brown and sere
Lie me to rest, content for I know
You are my yesterday, my today and tomorrow,
Time without space, eternity....

Shobha Pandit
Copyright ©2007

CARLOS - the best friend anyone could ever have!!!!

2007-11-07T20:14:00.000-08:00

"He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion."
-- Unknown

All the poems given below convey the thoughts every dog lover understands. I am sure u too will when u read these wonderful pieces about man's best friend...

High up in the courts of heaven today
A little dog angel waits;
With the other angels he will not play,
But he sits alone at the gates.
For I know my master will come, says he,
And when he comes he will call for me.

The other angels pass him by
As they hurry towards the throne,
And he watches them with a wistful eye
As he sits at the gates alone.
But I know if I just wait patiently
That someday my master will call for me.

And his master, down on the earth below,
As he sits in his easy chair,
Forgets sometimes, and whispers low
To the dog, who is not there.
And the little dog angel cocks his ears,
And dreams that his master's voice he hears.

And when at last his master waits
Outside in the dark and cold,
For the hand of death to open the door,
That leads to those courts of gold,
He will hear a sound through the gathering dark,
A little dog angel's bark.

- Author Unknown

**************************************************

WAITING
I got to the gate of Heaven yesterday
After we said good-bye.
I began to miss you terribly,
Because I heard you cry.
Suddenly there was an Angel
And she asked me to enter Heaven's gate.
I asked her if I could stay outside
For someone who'd be late.
I wouldn't make much noise you see,
I wouldn't bark or howl.
I'll only wait here patiently
And play with my tennis ball.
The Angel said I could stay right here
And wait for you to come.
Because Heaven just wouldn't be Heaven
If I went in alone.
So I'll wait right here, you take your time.
But keep me in your heart.
Because Heaven just wouldn't be Heaven
Without you to warm my heart.

- Anonymous

*********************************************

Don't grieve too long for now I'm free
I'm following the path God set for me
I ran to Him when I heard His call
I wagged my tail and left it all.
I could not stay another day
To bark, to love, to romp or play
Games left unplayed must stay that way
I found such peace it made my day.

My parting has left you with a void
So fill it with your remembered joy
A friendship shared, your laugh, a kiss
Oh, yes, these things I too shall miss.

Be not burdened with times of sorrow
I wish you the sunshine of tomorrow
My life's been full, you've given so much
Your time, your love and gentle touch.

Perhaps my time seemed all to brief
Don't lengthen it now with undue grief
Lift up your heart and share with me
God wanted me now, He set me free.

Author unknown

*********************************************

If it should be that I grow frail and weak
And pain should keep me from my sleep,
Then will you do what must be done,
For this--the last battle--can't be won.
You will be sad I understand,
But don't let grief then stay your hand,
For on this day, more than the rest,
Your love and friendship must stand the test.

We have had so many happy years,
You wouldn't want me to suffer so.
When the time comes, please, let me go.

Take me to where my needs they'll tend,
Only, stay with me till the end
And hold me firm and speak to me
Until my eyes no longer see.

I know in time you will agree
It is a kindness you do to me.
Although my tail its last has waved,
From pain and suffering I have been saved.

Don't grieve that it must be you
Who has to decide this thing to do;
We've been so close--we two--these years,
by Tasha Hamilton (from the Dachshund board)
Let me tell you what happened
when I had to go outside
I'm afraid my Mom is losing it
I'm thinking I should hide
I got up as usual
went out to do my thing
And there was Mom with a little bowl
What a ding-a-ling!

*************************

I kept staring at her
wondering what she had in mind
And everytime I looked at her
she was watching my behind

I really wanted my privacy
because I had to go
But she kept stalking after me
as if Inspector Clouseau

I couldn't hold it any more
and finally had to pee
Damned if Mom didn't take the bowl
and shove it under me

It seemed to please her very much
as if she'd won a prize
But who am I to argue
when "that" look is in her eyes

What I don't understand
is why she wanted that stuff
And why she had to save it
when there's always more than enough

Maybe the stress of the season
is finally taking its toll
So just wanted to warn the rest of you
watch out when they get that bowl
Don't let your heart hold any tears.

Hope the reader enjoys these lovely pieces about the only creature that gives so much and expects so little in return. This is for you, Carlos, and for all that you have given me and taught me!!!!!!

PORTRAIT OF A MOTHER

2007-10-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

I was reading an article my son had posted for me on his blog about 'mothers' and it struck me how important and unique mothers are. I don't recall being a great mom because I feel I was more a 'teacher' than a mom! I worked instinctively and being a single parent was difficult as I did not have much time to really sit down with my sons and share their homework problems and things like that. But the unseen hand guiding my life has brought three of us ( my sons and I) so close that I think that I must have done some things right!
But the credit for me being what I am today goes to my mother, a very simple woman who was mostly in the kitchen cooking for the large joint family we lived in. But in her silent ways she taught me important lessons in sacrifice and giving which children of working mothers rarely get these days. I did not appreciate her silence and lack of expressive ways when I was a child but now in the autumn of my life I realise how giving she was, and how strong, and what a sharp mind and wit she had. She accepted as her own her brother's children when he passed away very young. My aunt and her children stayed with us in a large happy family of aunts, uncles, grandparents and lots of visitors all the time. My mom taught us to share and give of ourselves a value very important for all and which is missing sadly today. I was a jealous child not knowing why so much attention was being showered on my cousins, why my mother did not take my side when I was blamed for something, and so many more such heartaches all growing children experience. Today my mother is not with us, but her sacrifice, her smiling face, her wit, her courage and strength remain as a source of constant inspiration for me.

Portrait of a Mother
(To us 7 inheritors of this legacy of love...)

From the cornered nooks of memory
Emerges a portrait -
A portrait etched in indelible shades
Of a selfless heart spreading
Love that enclosed in its warmth
Her own brood and more...
She stands today an etching in time
Saree draped carelessly over shoulders
Working incessantly in the kitchen
Never complaining or brooding
But giving ... giving more than she would
Ever get in return...
To share and give selflessly
She kept the family under her generous veil
Giving away her love always and
Asking never for anything or from anyone.
She was not just my mother
But our mother, as we seven grew
Under the roof of an overwhelming love.

Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007

WHEN SILENCE SPEAKS!

2007-10-12T02:26:00.000-07:00

(...inspired by a moment of silence...for my sons.)
Have you heard silence speak?
She speaks when the eye is inward turned,
When words are silenced
And we wake to an unnoticed world.
Silence speaks the language of colors,
Rainbowed ribbons, bursting spectrums,
Azure expanses, glowing green buds,
Baby pink rose petals, flaming feathers,
The palette lies spread before us.
When silence speaks...
She speaks the language of rhythms,
Of vibrations , of cascading waters,
Whirring insect wings, swaying trees
And the gentle beat of a baby's heart.
When silence speaks she speaks the language
Of sounds unheard, soulful melodies
Strummed on heart strings, the hum of
A mother's lullaby ...
Yes ..escape into the world
Where silence speaks.

Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007 Shobha Nayar Pandit

SOMETIMES - (A SCENE FROM A LOST DREAM!)

2007-10-12T02:09:00.000-07:00

Sometimes
I see the fire in your eyes
melt into a smile

Sometimes
I feel the ice of your hands
grow warm in mine

Sometimes
I wonder at the magic
of your nearness

But--only sometimes
Sometimes
it seems a shadow
from a dream

Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007 Shobha Nayar Pandit

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ETERNAL IN TRANSCIENCE!

2007-10-12T02:03:00.000-07:00

I know I have travelled this journeys over the millenia in different forms. Our bodies decay and return to the dust, but our spirits live on taking different shapes.
I sometimes feel that this is really not all, just a speck in the eternity called life....we come in different shapes and forms and touch many lives....only to part again...

'Like the dewdrop on a petal
Love is cradled in the heart..
It is there in the caress of the morning breeze,
In the fluttering wings of the butterfly,
In the green of the leaves and
In the rainbowed hues of the flowers,
Its expansive glow envelopes the world,
It envelopes you and me.
I am love --- the macrocosm
Within the microcosm--
For I am the earth,
The air you breathe,
I am the gentle touch of the breeze,
I am the fragrance of the flowers,
I am the dance of the colors,
I am the scattering rays of light
In the rhythm of life.
I am only a speck in eternity
Yet I am eternal in transcience.

Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007 Shobha Nayar Pandit

THE FLUTTERING FLAME!

2007-10-10T01:57:00.000-07:00

(to a memory
I dive into the ocean of your eyes and
see in its depths images of a dream
taking shape....

I swim in the sea of your warmth and
feel the faint stirrings of a magic
gently taking shape..

I bathe in the glow of your radiance
lighting my life today..

and I cup my hands
over the fluttering flame
half afraid it will go out
before it is born.

Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007 Shobha Nayar Pandit

ALONE NO MORE!

2007-10-10T01:48:00.000-07:00

I think I am at the best stage of my life...it's unbelievable how time flies and with it so much pain, uncertainities, anguish,hurt and so many other pangs that tug at the heart. But Time as they say is the greatest healer and a time comes when everything else fades into nothingness. Then you see the oneness of things and realise that you have never been alone. You are a part and parcel of this giant cosmic puzzle.....

Being alone no longer threatens me,
It is a weapon that has lost its edge,
For when was I not alone?
Left childhood's lone play,
Entered adolescence to shut myself
Within me, myself, my feelings,
My thoughts, dreams, myself and me...
Came adulthood rosy colored with love
A love snatched too soon, so soon
That the mind never really grasped
What the warmth of love was,
A fleeting memory, a blurred face,
A touch no longer felt,
Was it there or mere raindrops in the sun?
Today, midway between life and death
I stand not alone, not alone anymore.

Shobha Nayar Pandit

DETACHMENT

2007-10-10T01:44:00.000-07:00

I stand on the shores of the sea of Time
Feeling its blue waters wash my feet,
The sprays sprinkling my face,
Cold drenched, scattered waves,
Rip roaring ebb and flow,
I am the wave and the spray,
And yet - I am neither.
Time stolen moments
Ebb and flow -
My mind is the ocean
And I am the shore,.
In concert yet detached.

Shobha Nayar Pandit

Ah! Those Were the Days!

2007-10-05T02:17:00.000-07:00

There was a very popular song when I was in school and it went something like this:
"Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end...." In those days of school and college time it was just a popular song but now I understand the real essence of the song. Yes, those days of innocence and fun will never return, the simple fights we would have at home among siblings, the long telephonic converstions with friends...ah those days will never end.

NOSTALGIA
I know-it is not my time of life now
to melt the hour in hot talks
on winter afternoons...
Today - as I weave
my hands through my hair
-a peppered web-
and touch my face to feel
crows feet gnarl the corners
of my eyes, furrows upon which hangs the story of my life -
the music I hear in my heart
is the same as that melody
shared a memory ago
in the company of radha and raj,
sudha, shree and shashi....
Today those memories return
rushing in a tide of sweet nostalgia....glimpses of
a lost childhood caught
in the mire of adult existence.

Shobha Nayar Pandit

There is no death....only a meeting and a parting!

2007-09-18T02:42:00.000-07:00

Death is looked upon as the final leveler.....it brings to dust all that is dear in life. But I believe there is no death, only a brief parting of ways. Matter is never destroyed and we return in a different form to enjoy this drama called life. We are all Nature's sleepwalkers, a speck in time's ocean....travelling through the millenia trapped in time's grasp, awaiting final liberation.

Nature's Sleepwalker
(To Sharon McElroy)
I saw my soul, nature's sleepwalker,
A traveler in time, a top spun by eternity,
Sweep the aeons, a speck in time's ocean,
I saw it lie inert, slumbering in stone,
Holding nature's dream, the ethereal melody
Lying in the womb of creation.
It awoke to the orchestra of the stars,
Vibrated to the cosmic beats.
The journey in time had begun
I traveled through the aeons....
Sometimes the radiant red desert flower,
Sometimes the fire in the tiger's eye,
Sometimes in the heart of a gentle giant,
Sometimes the sensuous Egyptian slavegirl,
I have traveled through millennia,
From flesh to flesh I have gone
In search of my spirit lying
Helpless in mortality's grasp.

Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007 Shobha Nayar Pandit

Memories of Another Day.....

2007-09-18T02:33:00.000-07:00

Childhood plays a significant part in everyone's life. ....those cobwebbed days of blue innocence! I had a very remarkable childhood as compared to what children enjoy these days. There was time for everything. We lived in a joint family of cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmother, grandpa and life was a picnic. My grandmother was quite a remarkable woman and told us stories that left indelible marks on our young minds. This poem is a dedication to her memory.

Cobwebbed Days of Blue Innocence
(in memory of my grandmother who played a significant role in our life)

My hazy horizon beckons
Cobwebbed days of blue innocence,
Remnants of ammuma's old stories
Prahlad's faith, fierce Narsimha's locks,
And we gazed wonderstruck
For she had many a story to tell.
As she told these tales her white locks
Flowed over her shoulders like the Ganga,
Her portly frame draped in white acres
Over her belly that hung low
Pendulum like for us to feel and hide
Our hands beneath the wrinkled folds.
Her incessant murmured prayers invoked scorn from onlookers ,
But she mumbled on impervious,
A dynastic ideograph
A peice of permanent memory.

Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007 Shobha Nayar Pandit

A CELEBRATION!

2007-07-27T05:04:00.002-07:00

I have turned fifty six and I must confess it has been a wonderful life notwithstanding the moments of pain. But I donot believe in dwelling in the past but rather I look forward to today and the morrow. I have been wonderfully blessed by God for I have the love and trust of two wonderful sons and now my daughters in law too. Who could ask for more. I attach a poem here that I had written on my fiftieth birthday and the sentiments remain the same. I feel my life has been a unique gift of God and I don't intend to waste a moment in useless musings.

A Celebration
(In memory of a pain)
I celebrate the joy of fifty summers,
I celebrate the magic called life,
Moments of pain mingled with joy,
Indistinct, inseparable, ill-defined,
For what is life but a mingling of joy and pain,
Two sides of a coin, day and night.
I celebrate the joy of fifty summers,
autumn holds no fear for me,
For leaves yellowed fall not to die,
But as a carpet after life's hammerHas dealt its blow.
I lie stretched today on this canopy
Mellowed, content, basking in the love of sons well brought up,
In faith and trust reposed in me,
I am fifty and fulfilled, a survivor,
No rudderless boat, but rather
The thorn bird, the phoenix the warrior queen.
I am yesterday's pain,
Today's contentment,
Tomorrow's dream.
Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007 Shobha Nayar Pandit

MUSINGS ON A BIRTHDAY!

2007-07-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

Time is hard task master. He waits for none. I don't know how time just flew and tommorrow I will have completed fifty six years of existence on this planet. No, I did not just exist but I truly lived every moment of my life and enjoyed the ups and the down. A poem I had written on the eve of my fiftieth birthday comes to mind today and I shall share it with all those who care to visit this blog.

THE PHOENIX RISES.
(On the eve of my fiftieth birthday)
Standing on tomorrow's threshold
I view the pages of my yesterdays,
I remember how over the ashes of time rolled
I rose phoenix like...
Regrets are not for me,
Nor disappoinments,
Nor remorse,
Nor pain ,
For I am the phoenix,
Over the embers of a crushed life
I rose wings outstretched to fly --
Yes, I am the phoenix,
Death holds no nightmares,separation no pain,
For I have no regrets, no desires,
I have fought and won.
Standing today on tomorrow's threshold
I am the phoenix,
I am time ,
I am joy,
I am motherearth,
It's time to celebrate life,
From ashes to embers,
Embers to flame,
Flame, phoenix, life, me..
One and the same,
Beginning without end,
Eternity.
Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007 Shobha Nayar Pandit

AND NOW LET'S BAN RELIGIONS!

2007-07-25T05:10:00.000-07:00

I sometimes wonder why are there religions at all? Does the creator belong to one religion? Then why did He create lesser beings. A true perspective of religion and God is required. I believe that the supreme power that created the world is no bearded granddad up there in the heavens..It is a supremely intelligent force that is all pervading. The power of this super intelligence is perceptible everywhere and is present in every cell within us. That is why I believe each one of us is a potential God. And the purpose of our existenc e in this world is to realise this potential. It is this ability to realize that differentiates man from the animal. In this drama of evolution the superman is the one who has realised his inner self. SQ or rather spiritual quotient is what sets man apart. We are evolving all the time and when we are able to see the power to that supreme intelligence in all creations of nature we can say we have realized the eternal truth of life.

As a teacher I have perceived this power in the students I teach. Each one is a unique creation of God. Each one is endowed with unique potential. In every smile, every mischief, every tiny gesture I see the manifestation of God's power.

A Rationale God

A Rationale God

It is true there is but one God

It is also true that it is a God for all.

If God loves my childrenThen God loves your children.

If God loves meThen God loves you.

If the above is fact and trueThen there is a God; the children; and me and you.

God does not need a religion or suchNeither do I very much.

God does not have a chosen people

It is the people who have a chosen God.

God would never sanction human suffering

But severly judge those who harm his children.

God loves you and yours and also me and mineGod shares and cares;

and at the very least is fair and kind.

A child is taught and a child does learn

Responsible teachers should question and also discern.

10-30-06 Aho Speak. AHO Speaks

Random Thoughts

2007-07-22T05:44:00.000-07:00

I remember i was an athiest when i was seventeen, later in the twenties i was an agnostic. But i have always been troubled by thoughts about where i came from, what is the purpose of all this thats happening around me, why is there so much evil in the world if God exists? But through the turbulent years of my life i have ever felt an unseen hand guiding my life and my journey inwards began without my realising it. I had always questioned the purpose of religions and rituals. Now i realise that one needs a true understanding of God...we often imagine God as an entity living up there in the heavens and meteing out justice to humanity. Now i realise the presence of that ever pervading supreme power. I feel its presence in the wind, the sun and stars, in the smile of a child, the beauty of nature. I realise that the power that is around me manifested in all the beauties of this universe is also within me.

ETERNAL IN TRANSCIENCE
'Like the dewdrop on a petalLove is cradled in the heart.
.It is there in the caress of the morning breeze,
In the fluttering wings of the butterfly,
In the green of the leaves and
In the rainbowed hues of the flowers,
Its expansive glow envelopes the world,
It envelopes you and me.
I am love --- the macrocosmWithin the microcosm--
For I am the earth,
The air you breathe,
I am the gentle touch of the breeze,
I am the fragrance of the flowers,
I am the dance of the colors,
I am the scattering rays of light
In the rhythm of life.
I am only a speck in eternity
Yet I am eternal in transcience.
Shobha Nayar Pandit
Copyright ©2007 Shobha Nayar Pandit

Inner Awakening

2007-07-21T05:18:00.000-07:00

Inner awakening comes when one is completely relaxed. And this is of greatest importance in todays world of stress and strain. It has been experienced and studied by great world teachers who have searched for truth , and it is by the full understanding of this subject that they attained enlightenment. When one is relaxed all blockages are removed and one's inner self awakens to an inspired state and a feeling of joy and exaltation is experienced. The best way to achieve this is by practising 'pranayam'.

Inner Journeys

http://shobhainnerjourneys.blogspot.com

once upon a time

MY GRANDSON RANVEER IS NOW THREE MONTHS OLD...

MY GRANDSON RANVEER

Vijay Nair: [Transcreation] Fear

ABODE OF CREATIVITY...ANJOLIE ELA MENON

PAPILLION

IN FLAGRANTE DELICTO ( an appeal to Osama Bin Laden)

IS NANO TECHNOLOGY THE NEW PHOTOGRAPHY?

Is NanoArt the New Photography?

haiku

OUTSIDER ART

NANO ART....INTRIGUING!

THE THREE CORNERED WORLD

The Three-Cornered World

Natsume Soseki

SOME MORE OF MY PAINTINGS.....

GANESH PAINTINGS BY SHOBHA

SHOBHA'S PAINTINGS

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF MY PAINTINGS

THE LANGUAGE OF LIFE IS ONE

Artdaily.org - The First Art Newspaper on the Net

IMAGINE BY JOHN LENNON

ETERNAL ITINERANT

ENJOY THE BEAUTY OF INDIAN PAINTINGS

SOUL STIRRINGS

LOVE'S AN AUTO DA FE

CREATIVE EXPRESSION

SOUL'S YEARNING

LIKE A MIRAGE

THE COSMIC DANCE

MY RAIN DANCE

Drishti: Some favourite songs

DEJA VU

LUMINOUS PURITY

WHY WOMEN CRY!

ETERNITY

CARLOS - the best friend anyone could ever have!!!!

PORTRAIT OF A MOTHER

WHEN SILENCE SPEAKS!

SOMETIMES - (A SCENE FROM A LOST DREAM!)

ETERNAL IN TRANSCIENCE!

THE FLUTTERING FLAME!

ALONE NO MORE!

DETACHMENT

Ah! Those Were the Days!

There is no death....only a meeting and a parting!

Memories of Another Day.....

A CELEBRATION!

MUSINGS ON A BIRTHDAY!

AND NOW LET'S BAN RELIGIONS!

Random Thoughts

Inner Awakening

The
Three-Cornered World