Melange

Article on parenting in Smart Indian Women

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Archana K B / 1 Comment

Writing is the one area I wanted to concentrate this year, as part of my January plan. I did apply for content writing and article freelancing, but the prompts, theme and the number of deliverables was quite a shock to the amateur writer in me. I could not come up with a single word for the article-style writing which made money.

One day, when I got a reply from Smart Indian Women, I never thought I could write a 500-word article. As usual, the next day morning, I sat down to practice free write, (the schedule which I do miss at times), the theme of mother-child emotional bond floated in my mind. I started penning down my emotions, and at the end, it was exactly within the limit of 500 words. Strange coincidence huh?

As in the films, after the child is born and shown to you in the labor room, you brim with joy, and laugh and cry. And when they start sucking for the milk, the river of motherhood overflows. But for mothers like me, the bonding happened much later.

Struggling with the fatigue of the sedatives and the pain of the stitches, I was rarely able to tend to her needs at the hospital. The breastfeeding struggles followed with the sleepless nights. Though the doctors advised to keep trying with the baby to suck at my flat masses, my mother kept criticizing me for making the baby cry. I was more practical. I was more selfish. I wanted her to try, rather than trying myself to gain more patience…

The Devilish Mountain

Posted on June 8, 2014 by Archana K B / 1 Comment

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.
~Edmund Hillary

The valley was beautiful. But now I see the mountain. The big mountain. The deadly beast which could either make or break my life.

Every time I sit down to write with a prompt, words jumble around around my head like a bee hive of mosquitoes at dusk. And slowly you get the bites. They evade you even if you try to beat them. That’s the irony. You can’t escape from them, even if they are very small individual creatures. I wrote too, about the massive rival, self-doubt in the previous post about the writing tips. And here I am, battling it out. Instead of writing a proper fictional piece, or writing articles for freelancing, I am unlocking my mind.

But still unconvinced, I turn to my other interests. Take photography. I started going out with the Bangalore Photowalk group on weekends, to places where I have not been, like the old market buildings, meeting other photographers, and very talented ones.

I realized there are masters and grandmasters and professionals battling for business in the world of photography, along with the amateurs and beginners, whose photos are far better than mine. I had stumbled upon a graph few months ago on social network, which had the graph of an amateur photographer down at the bottom, just after he dived into this field, as he gained more and more knowledge. It kind of exactly depicts my present state of mind. (Oops! Couldn’t find that photo again!!)

I stop showing my photos around, and hide in the shell of my home. And turn to quilling. This should be easy. Just the rolling of a paper and mere sticking. So I try quillography of Nayana, thinking that, I would stick on her play area wall, like naming a room.

Post by Archana Ramakrishnan.

The layout of letters was easy to get printed. But the designs around that, had to come from my mind. I scouted internet and the Bangalore Craft Lover’s group for ideas. But the quilling designs displayed shocked me to some extent. What creative design I could come up with which won’t look like I have copied from others? Not much. I did try to start something, but laziness and lack of inspiration kept me down. She is too young to appreciate my intricate nature of the work.

Like the writing challenges, I realized I would be better if I had the buddies to inspire and give a shot. I did ask in forums for the same, but realized I will have to go out of my comfort zone, and take measures to handle Nayana. I will have to send her to daycare in the afternoon, if I have to get out in the weekdays. Then I have the problems of not having any experience. Strangely, everyone is a beginner when they start. So we should be easily getting opportunities, no?

The mind blocks have formed the mountain so high, that I could not see the sun, though I could see its rays of hope touching the peak. Surely I can gain some pleasure in conquering the mountain. But for that, I need to climb to the peak.
And that’s a long way to go.

***
Written for the mountain prompts

mommy/Personal

The Elusive cat

Posted on June 7, 2014 by Archana K B / 8 Comments

“Don’t yell at your child. Never raise your hand at her. ”

That’s another sentence easier to hear, or write than execute. They say its just the matter of identifying triggers, and diverting the root cause so as not to build up the anger inside you.

But its not that easy to change the flow of the river, ain’t it? Its hard, but its worth it.
I know it too, but I slip very often.

I do tell her, that I love her very much. Sadistic approach? Maybe.

But I am just another mom.
Struggling with her inner battles.

***
Linking to Light and Shade Challenge

Personal/Verses

Orange hues

Posted on June 6, 2014 by Archana K B / 6 Comments

Orange shades,
Of sun rising up,
The rays that touch the corners,
Of the world.

Bringing a new day,
A new dawn,
With air that smells refresh,
After the rain,
At night.

It was raining hard,
I could remember,
But now the time is gone,
And time to move on.

Miles to go indeed,
The cliché that is true.
For every life we are born into,
Have to be made worthwhile.

Not in the money that we earn,
But how we spend them instead,
And the relations we create,
The sparks of those moments,
Sensations that creep up,
The joy and pleasure in the heart,
The smile on our lips,
Reflection of the purity of soul.

And when sun sets at dusk,
Again in the orange hues,
With no debts of love,
And no heavy bags of guilt,
We rest in peace,
Deep asleep.

***
Inspired by Writing 101.

Stories

Beach dreams

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Archana K B / 12 Comments

She wanted to escape into the beaches for their vacation. He disliked the sand and salty air.

So she made up their guest room in a beach theme with a sunny balcony overlooking the busy roads and traffic in the heart of the city. He had argued for weeks for a private entertainment den in their small home, but she insisted on pinks.

He had come to get the books for her to read at the hospital when he saw the room. Tears welled up, as he decided for the vacation plans after she got well.

But she never did.

***
Linking into Write Tribe Picture Prompt.