blogathon/Internet/Links/Thoughts

Small Whispers

Posted on by Archana K B / 2 Comments

#atozchallenge alphabet W archanaonline.com

For the letter W, I had the story theme “Waiting” in my mind. I tried to do a story based in Venice or London, where the main lead is waiting at the same place for the partner, recollecting all the moments they cherished. That would have been a sad or poignant theme. But over the weekend, I was in a happy mood, which is not that common, and so did not wanted to get into the sadness mood, to dug out the words.

Then there was the theme or writing itself, and my thoughts on it. I thought I could shower some blog love on Write Tribe community and other bloggers, but that would be repetitive and very common topic.

And then I chanced upon the whispers. The verb, noun and the product.

Long back when we were asked to write inspirational post on Women’s Day, I had encountered on an article about Murugananthan and his business story of creating sanitary napkins.

That would be one of the basic inspirational steps towards woman empowerment. India as a country may boast of the metro cities, the culture, the religions, and the history, but the sad plight of women living in the villages, who still doesn’t have enough amenities, is something we need to be bothered about.

This article from Menstrupedia, yet again shows how modern and new people are yet to embrace the topic more freely, just like other so-called taboos like sex. (Did you saw the Ranveer Singh ad?)

The steps surely leads to a better future…

blogathon/Stories/Thoughts

The perfect vacation

Posted on by Archana K B / 11 Comments

#atozchallenge archanaonline.com alphabet V

The clear memory of the moments spent with him on that fateful night on the beach shack tingled her senses and sent waves in her body.
Similar waves which crawled upon the sand to touch their feet, as their feelings and the relationship slowly took a different direction over the conversation.

vacation five-sentence-fiction

Unable to resist, she called him up again to plan for another meeting the coming winter. She smiled to herself, as he revealed how he too was craving to meet her very soon..
She then sat down to chalk out the alibi plans to escape from her husband while she met her lover in the dreamland.

***
Linking this to five-sentence-fiction prompt by Lillie McFerrin.
five sentence fiction

blogathon/Stories

The Blue Umbrella

Posted on by Archana K B / 6 Comments

#atozchallenge archanaonline.com alphabet U

She always carried a blue umbrella. It was a lovely shade of memorable blue resembling the clear sky…

Clad in black purdah from top to bottom, revealing only the black staring eyes which spoke to me, she passed by everyday, while we boys sat on the wall, ogling the girls.
She was my first crush!

55 fiction badge

PS: Inspired by the bollywood movie name, The blue umbrella. There is also another animated film with the same name released in 2013 under Pixar Studios.

blogathon/Stories

Playing with Time

Posted on by Archana K B / 9 Comments

#atozchallenge alphabet T archanaonline.com

It was a fine summer evening. We had just came back home from the park. The little one was so hungry that I had to give in to her demand for cream biscuits.

She sat comfortably in the sofa, with the two biscuits I gave in a bowl, and started working on it. She slowly pulled them open, and licked the cream off. Then she returned them back to me after the cream got over.

“No dear, you need to finish the biscuit too. ”
“But I don’t want it, ma”

“If you want the cream next time, you need to finish the non cream biscuit too”
She started munching on it hesitantly.

I explained to her in an attempt to make her happy.
“You know, When I was younger, I used to do the same. Open them and have the cream and biscuits separately. But I kept the cream for the last bites.”
“Why do you keep it for the last?”
“So that I am left with the sweetness in my mouth..”

She started thinking.
“What if someone takes the cream away from you. Or it falls down. Then you won’t be able to eat it na..
And anyways, if you drink water afterwards, the sweetness will go amma…”.

That was profound.

“Hmm.. Have it your way then, but do finish the biscuits in full. You should not waste food.” I was happy to get the ball back in my court, but the few moments in between kept me thinking.

What about that old saying by Aristotle, “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is always sweet”. Maybe it doesn’t apply to the games played with time, especially in the matters of life…

blogathon/Thoughts

Concept of Spirits

Posted on by Archana K B / 2 Comments

#atozchallenge alphabet S archanaonline.com

There was a time when I was confused with the religious beliefs and presence of God and their need in our day to day life. I was religious, and still am. But the way I conceive all these things in my mind has changed. Is that what they call personal growth? I believe so. Where the state of mind is able to grasp all the various confusions and pacify itself with its own understanding. This sounds so spiritual, though I am not spiritual completely.

Following the Reiki episode, I went on to read the famous book on reincarnation, “Many lives, Many Masters” by Dr. Brian Weiss. And below are the points which came to my mind about the book.

– supposed to be a true story, hence cannot complain on the clarity and the continuity
– feels more like concentrating on the Masters messages rather than how Catherine gets rid of fears.
– supports the theory of Reiki and other Spirits, which enables us to understand some correlation in how people see ghosts or spirits, the communication with those spirits, as in films.
– explains many para psychic capabilities seen in human beings; establishes there are different senses indeed
– mostly conveys the message preached in religious teachings, like karma
– so many levels and planes, – conscious, unconscious, sub conscious, super-conscious minds
– reinforces the will power – ability to come back in life, get well on own etc
– some past lives visited again and again but different scenes
– no rebirth in form of animals depicted. The past lives are reported only as humans.
– always appears as servant or doing good deeds. She never becomes “villian” or the bad character in any lifetime.
– only few people from present life is visible in past lives, not all
– unable to comprehend how names and years are able to recollect
– no facts are presented which shows the events match with history.. based on the environment of the year or some other person’s lifetime etc.. It seems the soulmates book by the same author shows some relevant information in this regard

The concept of spirits and soul is sometimes very soothing and refreshing among the complications of various era, the various religions, caste and gender. Its like explaining the theme of a novel in two three lines. The questions may do remain still, but they are little different from the questions which I asked myself previously. That’s a sure sign of growth.

Quoting from this blog,
Change is the only thing constant, and growth is the only purpose.

blogathon/Thoughts

Reiki teachings

Posted on by Archana K B / 4 Comments

#atozchallenge archanaonline.com alphabet R

It all started with my search for ways to control anger; I was really worried over my behaviour with my child. As per the suggestion from an online friend, I thought I would give it a try, since I saw many testimonials from the customers, saying how Reiki has calmed them down, and build up the patience etc.

I did went for the Reiki sessions, and this is what I jotted down to clear out my understanding.

The concept of universal energy and spirit was unconvincing to me, though it had substantial evidence and it did seem satisfactory. Maybe my rebellious mind takes own time to accept this truth. It questions before it surrenders to the truth completely. I do not reject the idea of universal energy. I do acknowledge it, but I am just irritated since I do not know it completely. Just like a teenage girl, I need the complete story from start to end. It needed more answers on related topics, like the spirit, ghosts, souls, witch craft, tarot cards, astrology, candles based calling of spirit etc. It awakens in me the quest to quench my thirst of unanswered facts and questions. And until the dust is settled again, my mind whimpers. As of now, I realize, its just one another method, like the various other popular ones. Meditation, yoga, acupressure, natural healing and all the alternate therapies or methods I know of, was just a bundle of unused clothes in my mind, which needed to be washed and sorted, and I have just added one another to it. Those were the methods through which people attain peace or improve their mental state of being.

My interpretation:
Will power heals yourself. Touch of empathy and compassion reinforces it. The silence attunes us back to faith in ourselves, which then forms a cycle again. The mind then again takes control of your body, enabling to heal yourself faster. The energy gained is the refreshed willpower, watered by the faith in these practices.

But then, what about the distance healing, in which the patient never asks for the energy. Another food for thought. For some other time.