8th May, 5 years ago, I took my first step into world of blogging. From my first post, to about 850+ posts till date, from an absolute novice to a published writer along with many online publications now, it has been an incredible journey of learning and growth.
As my blog Radhikasreflection celebrates its 5th anniversary today, I would like to thank each one of my readers for their constant support and feedback throughout. Some of you have been with my here, right from my initial days. Heartfelt gratitude to you my dear friends. Will look forward to your amazing company in the journey ahead too.
I sit at my table, in the alcove by the window
as the white curtain sways to the zephyr,
wafting in, with the fragrances of a world beyond,
drenched in life’s palette, in a motley of colors.
My ears soak in those whispers of thoughts,
their essence permeates into my being.
I gather the scattered unspoken words together
cajoling them into an expressive frame.
I breathe life into them, birthing my poems,
radiating a genuine warmth of emotions,
that emanate from the core of my soul.
My cup of gratefulness overflows with your support. So a big thank you to all my blogger friends. Do let me know what do you like about my writing?
I would like to leave you with a special request. India is grappling under an intense wave of the deadly pandemic, do take a few minutes to send out a healing prayer to India and the world. Hoping all the collective efforts will help us come out of this dark phase soon. Thank you!!
The gusty wind flutters pages of the scattered books,
a sepia toned picture falls out of an old dusty diary.
I glance at it, and my mind travels back in timeline,
a nostalgic smile creeps up, as I recall
the gang of famous three musketeers that we were,
bosom pals, partners in crime, inseparable!
Seasons changed, but not our friendship,
passage of time cemented our bond…
And then she fell in love, and hell broke loose,
for he belonged to another caste
thus shaming her family.
Being truly in love, they eloped to marry,
furiously tracked down by her clan,
for her alleged impropriety had to be punished.
Brutal death wiped their innocent souls
all in the name of honor…..
Shell shocked with no words to describe the ghastly act
my heart shattered into a million shards….
Jolted to the present by a gentle nudge,
I look up to see my mom all excited,
to show me some new bridal outfits.
Gratitude fills my heart
for, I am blessed with parents
who approve of my choice
of a life partner!
It is shameful that in spite of calling ourselves a progressive country, we still get to read about such brutal murders, here in India and many other countries. Honor killing is a homicide of a member of a family (usually the woman), by her own family. It is believed that she has disgraced the family by digressing from their tradition, religion and social norms. They are killed for supposed ‘illicit’ relationships, for marrying men of their choice, for divorcing abusive husbands, dressing in ways which are deemed inappropriate, engaging in non-heterosexual relations or renouncing a faith. They are even murdered by their kin if they are raped as they are thereby deemed to have brought shame on their family. The truth of the suspicion does not matter — merely the allegation is enough to bring dishonor on the family and therefore justifies the slaying.
This morning brought a pleasant news for me. A message from WordPress reminded the forgetful me, that it is my blog’s 4th anniversary.
Well, I can’t believe that time has flown by so fast since my first post. My journey from an absolute novice, to now, has been an enriching one. It’s been a privilege to read the works of some amazing writers here. All of you have been a constant source of inspiration and encouragement to me. My learning and growth embodies a reflection of you all. (I am still work in progress, though 🙂 ).
Thanks to your encouragement, I published my maiden book of poetry and haiku titled “Eclectic Verses” (available on amazon). My writings are simple, from the heart. It is the love of my readers that has helped me tide this far.
I am truly grateful for all the support, likes, comments and encouragement from my readers from across the globe. You have been my lifeline, helping me stay afloat in the ocean of blogosphere. I am glad to have such a diverse set of readers. There are the loyalists, who comment on each of my posts, (eternally indebted to them), the occasional peepers, who drop by sometimes, the silent likers, the wholesale likers (who like a dozen or more posts, at one go in a jiffy ;-)). No matter who you are, I am genuinely thankful to each one of you. Each like and comment still carries the same joy, as the first one.
Melange of thoughts waft by
fall as contours of ink on a page
words fill them with color
to etch them in this vast expanse
giving them, an eternal identity!
Before I sign off, I would like to understand from you, what is the one thing about my writing that makes you come back to read it?
Once again a big thank you to one and all. Stay safe and stay blessed.
merging the vestige of dark thoughts with the weaning shadows
the benign glow of the amethyst horizon
embraces the soul in a serene grace of gratitude .
Confined to home due to the lock down, my ramblings found words to vent out my frustrations. All fine, just waiting for this dark cloud to blow away without much harm.
Since World war II, we haven’t been impacted by a situation as serious as what we are facing today, at a global level. Corona has altered our lives beyond imagination.
Many countries across the world have announced lock downs and curfews. Borders, flights, offices, everything except essentials have been shut down to contain the spread of virus. While the government has constantly reassured that it is taking adequate measures to contain the pandemic, people are getting paranoid. With no clue as to how long the situation may drag on, there is a sense of fear prevalent among the masses.
Confined within homes, we have come to realize how much we depend on a chain of people who ensure the smooth functioning of a society. Each one like a piece of jigsaw puzzle fits in, to complete the picture. We all work in tandem, complementing each other and completing the loop. But there is one sector of workers whose value or importance we as a society have always undermined. They are the sanitary workers, sweepers and cleaners. Given the shutdown orders, we have a skeletal housekeeping staff for a huge apartment complex. So garbage pickup and cleaning is now being done on alternate days. With no maids too, the entire family is chipping in to help with household chores. It’s only now that people realize the things and luxuries that we take for granted. It’s time we acknowledge their service with gratitude.
After decades today a pause button has been pressed in our otherwise hurried lifestyle.
Let’s take this moment to acknowledge and appreciate all who directly or indirectly contribute in making our lives better.
Let’s channelize our minds to remain positive, join hands in prayer for the world to enter into a healing mode.
Pain, fear, experiences and overwhelming situations are great teachers in life.
Let’s hope that this challenging time, makes man emerge, a better human being!
A pilot for a decade now, this was a routine sortie for Jim. The sudden technical snag led the chopper to nose dive. Experience helped him crash land safely.
The brush with death changed his perspective to life. He started living each day of life to the fullest, with gratitude!
Reaching a milestone always brings a smile not only to your face but to your soul as well. It allows you to bask in the blanket of happiness. That’s exactly how I felt on getting to know that I have so far posted a 100 posts on WP on my blog of eight months.
A person who always wanted to share her thoughts and reflections with the world, I have had the most fascinating journey so far. From a small seed of thought in my mind, my writing has now sprouted into a young sapling which wants to grow into a big strong tree and spread its branches far.
The growth from the seed to the sapling has been possible with the care and warmth all of you in the WP family have showered on my blog. You have tended to it with care, watering it and giving it ample sunshine through your warm comments.
I hope that my posts continue to bring in the whiff of fresh air to brighten your day. A heartfelt gratitude to all my readers for their continued support ❤ 🙂
radhikasreflection 