Healing Aura

First thing you notice about her is her curly hair. Curly, as in South-Indian curly – jet black as the night! Several will want to get entangled and never experience freedom. The eyes big as saucers with lots of mischief threatening to sweep you off your feet in unimagined ways. Again black – pitch black! In a fair face, with the typical hexagonal shape deities are sketched by Indian artists. Laughter bubbling at every instance. Maturity and a sense of purpose in the carriage. All of twenty-five and telling life “Here I come!!”

Tall with a straight bearing, regal stance, sharp features, almond eyes with an intelligent and proud sparkle in them. A strong voice and purposeful frown on the face is what catches your attention. Of the mettle women were made of, during Rani of Jhansi’s time. You could well imagine her fighting a war and winning it too. Maybe, that’s what is enormously beautiful about her. Writing is unmistakable – “I came up the winner in spite of all that life has dealt me.”

A Mona Lisa smile, taking on the world without so much of a trace of what wounds lie hidden underneath. Enormous energy to help people and an immense ability for love and compassion for others, having received none herself. Charming and indispensable to all who know her. Of the clan who nurtured societies and build bridges. “I have quit fighting, I long for peace and love!!”

This is not the beauty revered in cosmetic advertisements. Not attributed to women dissatisfied with their outward appearance. This beauty shines from within on faces of women, who least think of cosmetics, who are unaware, they are beautiful. Women who know their core and are satisfied with their inner person. UNSUNG, NO DOUBT, BUT EXTREMELY BEAUTIFUL ALL THE SAME.

Geeta had taken an early off from work to go and attend Yug’s Open Day at school. She had actually reached the residential complex, where she resided a bit early and decided to go and meet Yug’s music teacher. The music class was in the complex and on her way home. It had been a long time, since they had met.

The vocal class had still not begun. The children were just assembling, another 15 minutes and Divya, their teacher would get busy. Divya guided Geeta to the inner room and they decided to spend the 15 minutes respite over a cup of coffee. In the course of the conversation, Divya happened to ask Geeta, “Did Yug say anything to you about what happened last week?” Geeta replied in the negative, asking, “What about?”

“You are aware, Yug is selected for the final round of the school’s vocal competition? Well Angad’s mother was here, he couldn’t get through to the final round.” Geeta replied, “But they both are not even in the same standard, how does it matter?” “It looks like it does matter to Angad’s mother. I am sorry, but I couldn’t stop her. She was very insistent and kept on prodding Yug – you are really great!! Hope he was not disturbed with the sarcastic tone! Did he not mention anything?” “No he did not. Forget what she said, what did Yug reply? Was he angry?” “I don’t know, but he appeared pretty calm, all he kept saying was – No, aunty, I am not great.”

Geeta was gratified, that the child had not taken the bait and that he did really know he was not THAT great!! She wanted him to do everything, that he enjoyed doing, without the pressure to always excel (he did not win the final round!) She had had a carefree childhood, which unfortunately her son would never have, thanks to the information boom! She wanted him to acquire the vast amount of knowledge in his purview, but to also remain humane in the bargain. Wanted him to indulge in seemingly nonsensical games like talking backwards, which he loved doing, all of them doubling over in laughter at the play on various sounds it created! She loved the way he enthused and shouted everytime, he saw a new version and make of a car!

“All is well” kind of learner, that’s what she wanted her son to be. 

Children are so natural, perceptive and with a deep sense of the right and the wrong, we elders write obscenities on their clean hearts, yes all of us, knowingly or unknowingly!!

Their new house was away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Far away from the maddening crowd, you could say. The residential colony, where they had purchased their new home, was the only one, with very few shops or neighboring colonies nearby. It was a small place – one bedroom hall kitchen. He wanted to show her how the building had come up and all the pretty surrounding he liked so much. She had not visited the colony, ever since they had gone there to book their home. It was practically one and a half years.

Man! God’s image on Earth!
We are taught, since Birth.

Man, quarrelling, angry,
Discriminating & sundry.
Petty, small, cautious,
Sometimes downright obnoxious.
Judgemental, with a mental block,
Since eternity taking stock.

All is not lost friends,
Man, also has angel hands.
Empathy, love, and more,
Touching your very core!
Heartstrings entangled,
Feelings intermingled!!

Man, God’s shadow on Earth
Likens to Him with worth!!

(In remembrance of “Abu Ben Adham, May His Tribe Increase”)

There was that kid once again. She saw him time and again, leaving for school with his mom, bang when she left for work. A lovable, adorable and innocent face! Fair of color, blue-gray of eyes, average height of a nine-year old (must be as old as her son, sure was the same height) and lots of latent energy kept in check!! Well, not kept in check by the child himself, but no doubt through the constant instructions, and jabbering the mother subjected him to every morning. Come to think of it, whenever the child was with the mom, she constantly kept going on and on at him. Poor thing!!

They stayed in the same housing colony as her, in building number 18. The mother was a trained Ayurvedic doctor, it seems – hearsay from other colony members. She had never interacted with the boy’s mother - more so because she was a working mom herself, had a joint family and a son to take care of! The boy’s father was absent – was the lady divorced or separated or did the father work overseas (in that case, she would at least have seen him once a year, when home on holiday). Whatever!! What does it matter to her?

Most of the times, the boy was rebellious, irritating his mom all the more. She was frustrated most often than not, what with the responsibility of earning a livelihood, raising a young boy full of energy and having nobody to share her load. Life could be so hard, even when you had all the support in the world. The lady, who took care of the boy, when his mom went to work, vouched that the child was well-behaved and mild. Why did the mother bring out the worst in him?

Last evening, she had gone out with her husband to get the monthly groceries. She had already seen the boy playing in the foyer, even before her husband stopped the bike. What was it about the child, which seemed to pull at her heart?? She got down from the bike, her eyes never leaving the boy. And his blue-gray eyes, she was not surprised to find, never leaving her husband!! Oh the longing, which she saw there!! Longing for someone, who was not there, envy, that her son had, what he could never have – a father-figure, someone to have a man-to-man talk with, someone to soothe and calm his weary mom, someone to fight on his side, when mom held him responsible for everything, that was going wrong in their life!! Thank God, her husband did not look into the child’s eyes, one smile from him (as was his habit) would have had the child weeping, so potent were his feelings.

She was scared, that the child would shift his gaze to her and know, that she knew. She hurried inside the building, but the blue-gray unfathomable eyes would remain with her forever!!