Magic Moments

source: www.indiblogger.in She crawls around on the floor excitedly on seeing a lizard, while we adults try and stop her from grabbing it. Every animate object is interesting to her. I love the way she yells that happy cry with wide eyes on seeing a mouse running towards the dark corner. We laugh as she tries to hold the sun rays coming from the small holes in the window. She’s my cousin’s baby- our small bundle of energy. She’s such a darling; just watching her cute activities makes my day. Her day starts early morning, before anyone of the entire household wakes up. She just sits there on the bed looking at our sleeping faces, poking and trying hard to wake someone up. She hates it when no one’s paying her attention. She makes curious noises as if to announce, ‘ I have woken up, wake up guys. It’s very boring to sit here alone and stare at the sleeping faces. ’ And that sweet laughter when the first person in the family wakes up and holds her is music to our ears. Then sh...

If words can travel to you... Dear Love, I don’t know why I am writing this. It feels like writing to the void. Perhaps the envelope shall never be opened. Perhaps my words shall never be read, never be replied. My questions shall never be answered, and my feelings shall just occupy the emptiness left behind. I don’t know if you even exist. I don’t know what became of the war, what devastation it caused. I don’t know what became of the thousands of soldiers; how many lives were lost, and if anyone at all escaped that fate. And it’s killing me. It’s eating me inside out. Perhaps I’ll tear this up. I don’t know what more to write. Even the ink is blurred with my tears. No, I didn't cry, till today. How am I, you ask? I’m living, eating and still breathing. I wonder how. I wonder why. How are you, if you are still there somewhere? And if you are not, then how’s oblivion? Should I join you? I don’t want this to be a letter to your grave. Return if ...

I believe in soul mates. Your twin soul somewhere out there, or perhaps already in your life who connects with you the most, understands you the best. But I don't really think it has to be your beloved, or someone you are romantically connected to. It can be anyone- your best friend, your brother or sister, parent, or someone you're acquainted with. That person is special. She accepts you as you are no matter what. She loves you for who you are. She brings out the best in you. You don't feel the need to suppress your own real self around her. You don't feel the need of any facade to save you around her. You can just be 'You'. She brings in positive changes in you. And you realize the absence of her in your life creates an irreplaceable emptiness, a void that cannot be filled by anyone else. You can recognize her when she walks into your life. "We don't meet people by accident. They are meant to cross our paths for a reason." I have been...

source: indiblogger.in Would you prefer a chat over a phone call? I would, yes. Why, you ask? Read on. Firstly, there’s the problem of being busy and not being able to attend the call. Missed calls give panic attacks and you keep waiting by your cell phone for the important call. And when you keep trying to connect with the other person, it might be his turn to be busy and not pick up the call. This cycle can make people on both end of the line quite irritated. But with a chat or messaging facility, you can check the messages and reply at your own suitable free hour. There is no exact time of communication. Then again, if you forget certain details of the exchange or product, like the price or venue, etc., you can always find it in your chat history, without bothering the other person again unnecessarily. Calls end, and don’t provide history details until and unless you record it. Chat history is handy and you don’t have to keep recalling the important details. ...

Source: thoughtcatalog.com Boy’s POV: Last week when I had the golden opportunity of reading her journal in her absence, I discovered it was me whom she adored. She had written that I was ‘The One You Cannot Have’ for her. Yes, she was a big Preeti Shenoy fan. I came across many flattering descriptions about myself like ‘blessed with the handsomest face’, ‘sapphire blue eyes’, ‘chiseled nose’, ‘jet black hair’. Was it really so? I wonder. I was thanking my stars that she didn’t notice my extra big ears and my sometimes awkward gait. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder, they say.  There was more about my smartness; ‘quick and classy’ wit; high taste for art, antique seals, curios, statues, coins and documents; and my aim to be an art historian in future. And another three pages about my fashion sense; my black tailored suits, my fetish for hats, how I twirl it around my finger before mounting it on and how I believed that fashion is the luxury one should allow ...

Patachitra are paintings made on palm leaves. They are created using a sharp tool to engrave the drawings and then color in filled in. These paintings are limited to religious and folk themes. The Gita Govinda composed by Jayadeva is one of the popular themes in the traditional patachitra paintings of Orissa. Other themes are inspired from the Mahabharata, the Jagannath cult, and Vaishnavism. The art has been unique to the Raghurajpur artist's village, near Puri. Every family in this village has devoted their life to this art form. Every generation in the family, learns and practices this skill and passes it on to the next generation. They spend days together to make a perfect, flawless Pata, making intricate patterns and designs. They even make the colors they use. The art, therefore, is their way of life. It is their main occupation. But these artisans do not get their labor’s worth. Though their art is widely appreciated on an international level, they ar...