The Relationship Bridge

Taking a walk by the riverside and basking in the golden hue of the setting sun we walk hand in hand. With every passing moment I realise that time is slipping by.

Today’s moment will be a past tomorrow and tomorrow will be history soon. Walking side by side I wonder when was the last time we strolled down this lane and when shall be the next time I set foot on this sand.

Flashes of memories fill my mind. Laughter and smiles hugs and kisses. Children crying for attention. I smile to myself sadly. All that is in the past. The lustre of youth and busy life of middle age… Invariably leading to the wrinkled bag of bones now

I strain my mind to remember details of a particular face lost in the shadows of death, a dear one no longer close enough to touch. But the mind has erased the picture. I can only recollect a bit of fragments and flashbacks… Building a bridge to the past.

I look at the hand clasped in mine. Grateful for its presence. I look up to smile into his eyes. His eyes of pure innocence and bliss. A child unknown but happy in his world. Unbridled by the bonds and worries of the past and future. Just a bobbing and inquisitive mind of the present. A blank canvas to paint!

Tired I sit down on the shores of sand, trying to fathom the vastness of space and time. Looking into the tiny shell of my body, ready to surrender any moment. But a smile of satisfaction on my lips, for a wonderful lifetime behind me!

#WordPrompt

Superstitions? Are you sure?

Are you superstitious?

Maybe???

Thinking about it I do prefer to do important stuff on auspicious days and those with numerological relation to my birthday as far as possible. But when it comes to other stuff i would like to consider the science behind it.

Things that appear superstitious may not be so. It could only mean a way of life for our ancestors or a scientific process not fully understood by our generation.

Let’s consider some examples. Being from India I assure u i have a ton of them

We do not believe in crossing a road if a cat crosses your path, but my logically thinking mind imagines India a few centuries ago with thick rainforests and fewer human population. In that time a cat could mean anything from a domestic one to a wild cat like tigers, lions and panthers! So it makes sense not to cross paths with cats!

Another example could be the structure and design of temple being intricate and grandeur whereas the residents themselves stayed in small huts. And even superstitious is the deity which can be worshipped in any form right from a stone to wind and trees and many more.

But now it is fast being ascertained that the temple construction was scientific and was actually an large yantra or machine to help a person experience the divinity within. Right from climbing steep mountains that get us to focus our attention on the breath to lying prostate in front of the deity in complete surrender and all the steps in between that leads us to a devine experience of ourselves. The deity from natural elements imbibes the importance of nature in our survival. Today we witness first hand the catastrophe due to loss of the forest cover and contamination of nature in our surroundings

Other superstitions like avoiding cutting of nails after dark or lighting a lamp at dusk could be due to fear of cutting self with sharp instruments in the darkness or a way of keeping out wild animals due to the fire of a lamp.

Anyways I could go on and on but the crux of the matter is before we dispose off anything as superstitions we could analyse it better giving a peek into the lives of our long gone ancestors.

Image from https://www.pexels.com/photo/black-cat-walking-on-road-1510543/

My article on intimate health and hygiene in today’s local newspaper (15/3/23)

https://epaper.navhindtimes.in/NewsDetail.aspx?storyid=396597&date=2023-03-15&pageid=1

From failure to success

How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

Thinking back to my biology class in eleventh class i am reminded of the dissection of a monocotyledon and dicotyledon stem. We were required to make very thin slices of the hibiscus stem using a razor blade to be viewed under the microscope. You may think that is a child’s play but it wasn’t. The slices needed to be thin enough to be covered perfectly on a slide with a thin coverslip! So infact the height of the specimen had to be as near to negligible as possible.

So first day i set out with my stem and blade making attempts after attempts to no avail. The coverslip would invariably lift up from the slide due to the almost negligible height available to the specimen. And the laboratory assistant had me repeat the same over and over and over again with no success. I practiced the same at home also to get a hold of the process

This continued for a few more laboratory sessions and my colleagues were rapidly getting there, but I was still stuck where I began. At the end of the session i asked the laboratory assistant for what I may be doing wrong as i had already ripped my fingers in various places and was still not close to having perfect samples. They were either half way or too thick for proper visualisation. She suggested that I try out with a brand new blade for the next session.

So armed with a new razor and a fewer more stem samples i attended the next class. I got to work instantly. Slicing as thin stems as possible. But everytime I took them to the laboratory assistant she discarded it as not ideal sample. This continued for the entire session. But just the last sample that I showed her actually had her pleased. She said that this is the ideal sample that could be mounted on the microscope to visualise the structures easily. And infact i was actually amazed at the result my persistent efforts had yielded.

If you too have had similar experiences please do share so I know for sure I am not alone in this process of evolution from failure to success in small mundane daily activities and events

Image from pixabay

Toast to the future

Getting to the tree top is not an easy task. The COVID pandemic had everyone in lower morale and lesser opportunities. However as bleak as the future seemed and after facing all the possible harsh realities we stand tall.

Layoffs, reduced incomes and luxuries opened our eyes to the other avenues we never knew existed. We let ourselves explore and implore and evolve inspite all the falls and circumstances we survived. We put in the necessary efforts and clinged to life with all our might

And Voila! Right here we have altered priorities, shift in our thought process and we have achieved the unthinkable. And for all of you out there still on the path… I suggest you continue to take the right steps and strive and persist and survive… Your goal will be visible having faith that if not today, someday a brighter tomorrow will emerge.

Here is a toast to the future and a adieu to the past as we carry the lessons known into the unknown for a pleasant tomorrow!!

http://adelectablelife.com/2023/03/04/weekend-writing-prompt-310-treetop/

Image from pixabay

Horror inscriptions

Engraved in the hearts of the people are the horrors witnessed throughout their lifetimes. Be it the wars, pandemics or acts committed in cold blood. Or the horror of draught, starvation and floods.

These events leave a permanent imprint changing his life forever. For better or worse it changes his perspective, his actions, inactions and brings clarity to hazed thoughts. The repercussions are carved in his heart and live within him actively in a remote corner, surfacing every time in tiny decisions and actions. The horrors may have passed but the wounds and scars live forever deep within.

Death comes as a relief but alas it my not truly be. For the karma lives on with the interactions with the people and surroundings. You will be remembered through these. Your thoughts and impressions will never truly leave… engraved on the sands of time, it will continue for eternity.

Ageing and health series published in local daily

Ageing and health series published in local daily

Life

life is the same in every one only experiences differ,
be it a tree , a bird, a squirrel, a bat or an ant
life is the same only perceptions differ,
all are in the same space, breathing the same air
sharing foods in the food chains,
life is the same only ways of living differ

some are sensitive, some are ruthless,
some are kind, some are brutal,
some are vulnerable, some are resilient
but life is still the same
only expressions differ

yet in this universe
we dare to believe we are superior
oh how foolish can we be
thinking nature to be inferior

and yet its a nightmare to imagine
a world without trees
without the bees for pollinating seeds
a world without seas
without the microbes
for decay of substances

life is the same only the attitude of the beholder differs
life is the same only challenges differ

instinct of survival is the same
so is the need to eat, sleep and reproduce
birth and death are the only doors
not one is spared from the course
life is the same, only journey differs
life is the same only awareness differs

Motherhood and health series published in local newspaper

https://epaper.navhindtimes.in/NewsDetail.aspx?storyid=294036&date=2022-05-18&pageid=1

Motherhood and health series published in local newspaper

https://epaper.navhindtimes.in/NewsDetail.aspx?storyid=297701&date=2022-05-25&pageid=1

https://epaper.navhindtimes.in/NewsDetail.aspx?storyid=299776&date=2022-06-01&pageid=1

Where did they go?

The hand that healed
The touch that soothed
The smile that cared
The hope that aired
Where did they go?

The medical schools barren
The mountain of suffering adamant
Where did the kind words disappear
Where did the footsteps waver

Looks like the mob wiped away the clan
A few for political gains and others for solace
The rest must have fled the country of dread
Where the healers are butchered
One must never reside

Now i wonder with a tear in my heart
Where are the thousands that walked these paths
How can one blame the healer
For the truth of death is inevitable
And how can one watch
The destruction of a noble profession

Where did we be go wrong?
What was the reason
Was it frustration, politics or treason
Was it the wrath of the senior professionals
Or the fatigue of very long hours of work

But alas we will never know
Coz the profession exists no more
Coz humanity exists no more

Dr Saroj Salelkar

Reference

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