WARM SHADES

Platonic love: Does it actually exist or merely have wordy existence?
Recently while rereading all my whats app images, I got captivated by one of the images stating " Man asked God what is the difference between your love and my love?" God replied, " I let my love fly open and free in the sky while you imprison it." Immediately next step was, which is quite usual to me, was to update my status. It read as "  Let your love fly, if its yours it would stay if it flies away it never was....so just chill and go for platonic love." I wrote without having a single thought  that it would be inviting list of inquisitive interrogations from my students.
Pareedhi, one of my bright students of literature , enquired very innocently about the meaning of platonic love. She asked if the term has something to do with Plato, the renowned greek philosopher and writer of " The Republic". Touched with her empathy I was in dilemma how to explain my seventeen year old student the meaning of platonic love. The moment I started typing my message, her message popped up on my whats app screen...." Is it parent and child like? or Is it between friends?"  My eyes fluttered and lips twitched and I smiled in my heart. Not cause of her inquisitiveness but as I knew how to explain her the meaning in one statement. I answered quickly, its as it was between Meera and Krishna, beyond worldly pleasures, beyond metaphysical and very sublime and ethereal. Of course the extended discussion on metaphysical world, sublime and ethereal concepts occupied my nocturnal activities,usually eating head of my best friend, Kamakshi.

Have you ever felt if somebody is remembering you at say two in the night and you actually get a message or call. Did you ever feel if you are with someone and that togetherness makes you complete? Have you ever felt the closeness an answer to all your searches? You are not physical yet you are in ecstatic and majestic form of warmth, has this feeling ever crossed you over? Expectations are foreign to your companionship and distance hardly distances your mind and heart from that person.....you surely are in platonic love.
Many of us name it as being friends or best buddies but its far above the level of friendship.Very difficult to recognise and not everyone's cup of tea. Only those who believe in it can experience it. In this world of materialistic desires one can't keep oneself away from worldly expectations. Does that mean that Platonic Love is mere a word ?
No, its not though its longevity has a doubtful existence. I can explain it with an instance. When you feel you can't feel comfortable till you talk to or see a particular person,you are at the first step of platonic love, and it should not be mixed up with physical attraction, its chaste feeling of getting warmth in that person's company or association is nothing but ethereal form of love. You don't want anything than talking or seeing that person.But the moment the mind starts controlling your soul you come to the world of LOVE, which is not platonic.
Haven't all of us experienced it at least once in our lifetime? I have intrigued your senses, go and dig the warmth in your relations. Might be you are answer to my doubt of its existence forever, want to share? Do that.

Sangeeta Sharma

Spontaneous feelings

My nine year old niece, Angel,  got holiday home work to write a poem on frienshipship. The poem is meant for the age group of 6 to 10 yr old.

Friendship

Friendship is priceless
It is timeless.
It is the ship of buddies best
Which never gets wrecked.

Friendship is only for angels sweet
Who care, love and tweet
Frienship is lifeline
that cures all worries and pine.

Where no one can help
Friends come with smiling gel
Friendship is so very pure in taste
Don't let it go in waste.

Sangeeta Sharma

Spontaneous Feelings
Knowledge

My mind yesterday asked me
What knowledge should be
For the tender learners
Whom acquiring is like a transformer
From savage to sane communicator.
At the empty corner sat cognitive
Replied in affirmative
Knowledge so communicating
The dynamic processing
Of truth tracking.
The right scientific side smiled
At the logical and practical beside
Those theoritical and imaginative justified.
The left emotional side
Gave me imaginative mind
To show the dexterity so refined
That flows in the words of my poetry realised.
The answer my desiring conscious got
All that is felt and answers what
Is knowledge acquired the most.

Sangeeta Sharma

Horizon

Nothing Succeeds like Success
Racking your brains, toiling hard, lifting the load and sweating it out are some of the advices we have been lecturing on everytime we are with the people of calibre. The question arises how many of us really bother to listen to that lengthy and boring preaching. Ofcourse most of you agree with me with smile on your face.
We are also directed to be focused, confident, positive, vibrant thinker, enthusiastic, perseverant and hopeful to pocket success. But these only appear words or printed marvels and not success mantra. Then what is success mantra?
Yes, it is something we might have never thought of. Let me explain with one of the riddles. If you are in a room, which is dark and dingy, with just a match box with one match stick in it and found a candle, a gas stove and a lantern, which one you light up first? Trust me most of us would go for candle. Without giving a second to presence of mind ,we will try different options but not the real answer that is a match stick. Here is the trick of getting successful in life also. To be successful we need to have want and want so badly that our tenacity will drive us to the top. RIGHT RECOGNITION OF OUR STRENGTHS AND AVAILABLE RESOURCES CAN PREPARE A SMOOTH SAIL FOR US.
Idea is, before taking someone’s suggestions, identify your sparkling and twinkling success mantras matching your calibre and style to fashion your fate and that too by your own industry and focused decisions. So, like the energy of an atom, man’s potential exists within himself to be used.Donot run after success it will run after you if you realise and recognise your worth.

Sangeeta Sharma

Horizon

Knowledge travels Ignorance crawls

Yesterday two of my bright students initiated a discussion on future plans and carrier making choices after xii standard. Manik with 96% marks in class xii feels he isn't focused and Amrit feels he has to be rich as soon as possible, as he wants his mother to bask in his glory of name, fame and recognition. Manik wants to be an entrepreneur ,but how, he is totally clueless.The best orators of my school are entangled in the maze of ignorance.As their guide and mentor with motherly concern i was touched with empathy.The obvious way out to show them right direction was empowering them with right way of planning by introspecting and contemplating . Alas! Today's education system leaves students with power packed package of knowledge but web of ignorance too.They know what is what but how to answer what they are totally in confusion.And trust me this is dilema of many students. Manik and Amrit represent the whole student community.

The need of the hour is to make holistic approach of education an avenue opened based education, where students know that after completion of degree program he'd be entering into the world of profession. Instead of teaching them the glory of good percentage we must teach them how to pick up best even with less marks. After all history has many examples of low achievers who proved their worth as shining stars. To quote some, we have examples of Albert Einstein , who was  expelled from school as he felt learning dates has no learning outcome than knowing the possible ways to stop wars amongst nations, Abraham Lincoln, the US President, was not even well educated and there's no record of formal education of great literary personality William Shakespeare and history has imprints of many such examples.The point is not to loose one's individuality but important is to recognize one's potential.

If one gets diluted in self mistrust the target seems unachievable.Education must support learning which removes the clouds of ignorance from students' misconception about carrier making programmes. Right in secondary school they must be directed on various professions based on their streams. Practical visits to professional bureaus and interviewing well settled professionals make these students knowledgeable in true sense."If not this than this" option with regard to various professional and degree programmes must be a source of increase in their horizon.Before they actually enter a college life, a mock drill of applying in colleges to decision making in selecting the course must be rehearsed at school level only.

They know how many courses are there,what is the scope, duration,which college but ignorant what best suits their own caliber.Alas!Knowledgeable but ignorant.

Let education mentors them that knowledge travels but ignorance crawls.

Sangeeta Sharma

Forgiveness

If someone holds grudges against you
Forgive him for his illumined views
As he knows no he is weak
Forgiveness is only for strong and sweet
Doesn’t he know the preciousness of forgiveness
Devoid he is of love and tenderness
Blunder he is inviting
Knows no respect he is avoiding
Remember in forgiving lies defeat
Of your enemy who tried to proceed
With motives unclean.
Injury with words is an insult
Forgiveness a mighty sword in turn.
Forgiveness make you attain height
Of the ways and trends of that divine
Who’s known for his unique rewards
In the form of forgiveness an award.

Sangeeta Sharma

From the Pages of Life

"Marriage to me is commitment and I resist it."

Manan is thirty five year old unambitious, emotional,friendly and gregarious guy from Delhi.
Life to him is nothing but free from being chained up in social ties like marriage, as expectations from other half are just impossible to meet up.He is writer, producer and director of the pages of his mortal life. The reel begins from his association with his three friends, all chaotic in weaving their carriers and dreams, yet cemented in their friendship. With the help of their NRI friend , Mohit , they started a computer institute. Manan was the only know how person amongst them, yet salaried.The institute was more a pass time to these guys with similar vision:playing cricket with frivolous remarks in between for each others playing methodologies and of course the irresistible, girls.The childish frolic was part and parcel of their personality.
Mohit , the invester , soon started with insecurities of going bankrupt if same routine would be followed up. Line of action was initiated with recruitment of three female employees.Rush of students was expected but two friends couldn't avoid the charms of open minded Raveena, the HR Manager of the institute.Woman creates wall of drift between two bosom friends and that's what happened between two partners Mohit and Mukesh.Temptations were offered by Mohit to Manan and Mayank to stay but Manan was honest of his creed.
loss of twelve and half K was not much for Manan , as he had skill of computer handling in his hand. He got other job where he was whole soul potential arbiter. Same routine of calling friends over eating and drinking became their energy boosters.They wanted to drink life till the lease so, dating,drinking and daring became their trade marks.Not knowing where life was stretching them, they were all unaware of time's offerings.
To Manan the real world is virtual world, as it offers the inside of human beings.They are far away from masks they wear, deception and double standards.They show their real self , as nobody hurts them virtually, they all walk in the same boat.The pleasure of being true and genuine is a miss in this so called real world.He has taken his complete contentment in the virtual world.Mohit is settled with growing business and happy married life, Mayank shifted to UK and progressing and Mukesh still dwindling in the middle way of business and family but happily married .
Manan has vested all his search for soul mate in virtual world, ironically where he met a girl, who was an AIDS patient. All  luck was perhaps of his mother's blessings that he came out with a narrow escape.
Still he doesn't want to marry  because the virtual world has captivated all his attention. He finds it more realistic. Is it what human endeavor all about?  Isn't virtual world an unsolved riddle? Isn't human goal has remained a never ending search? Has marriage really become a burden for today's generation? I'm in search for the answers from the pages of life itself.

Sangeeta Sharma

They say..........

They say we are alive
To breath and fight
One another life
Of no care but only strife.
They say we are alive.
Coarse and devilish bind
Humanity in shackles so tight
They say we are alive.
One moment of relief
Costs uncountable tears shed in brief
Smiles buried in pain so profound
They say we are alive.
Deception a reality
Reality a deception
And they say we are alive

Man just a thing
And thing whole life
And they say we are alive
Darkness lights life
Light closes our eyes
And they say we are alive
A dead dies with abundance of faces around
Ah! Life lost in vacuum nowhere to be found
And they say we are alive.
 
Sangeeta sharma

Reflections

Knock! Knock!
Who's there?
Let me enter in your world and know who i am.
You are a stranger.
I am not. You know me but you avoid me.
If I avoid you than you are not reliable.Sorry, you may not enter into my beautiful world.
Without me your world can't be beautiful. Its incomplete.
You talk dubious. I must not trust you.
Trust is developed when you rely, when you explore me.
Why should I put my faith in you when I don't even know you.
Know me than.
You are dictating your terms or what?
No, I want you to reflect.
Is it a compulsion?
No, its your chance to get empowered.
I am confused.
Open the windows of your heart.
Hmmmm. I see a light.
What else?
A ladder
That is of success. What more?
 I see pure bright light.
That is your good being.
Ah! I see an ugly face too.
That is your Id....the devilish side.
Theres darkness with saturated clouds.
That's your chaotic world, your unsolved riddles and your problems.
Oh! I see a valley, its so beautiful with its streams and flowers.
That's your interaction with the only one, the lord.
I never saw it before.
Because I wasn't there.
Who are you?
I'm your conscious............
How many of us actually interact with ourselves? I did. Self contemplation few days back was not part and parcel of my routine. I used to preoccupy myself in the world of worldly desires without knowing i was actually avoiding my conscious stepping in my world of mirage.Reason might have been many, from busy schedule to personal attractions, but i explored the ultimate divine. I am not trying to let the mind and heart shrink into unattainable, rather I want to open the bolt doors of everyone's conscious to the avenues of success, fame, love and ultimate contentment.That becomes possible with our venture with people and circumstances. I have centered all my inner strength not inside, but I have given it wings.Let it soar high in the vastness of sky to find its identification. And there I was gifted with shining star, I congregated it in my fist. I heard my conscious yell, Don't you take in your fist, it would slip, adorn it in your heart than only you'll feel contented. I reflected immediately. To my surprise its glued for immortality even after my soul would merge into infinity. Smile travels on my face perpetually unaffected with cruel face life offers me, after all that's also one of its side. I feel i have achieved what i have attained.

"To be one of somebody's being is your chaste being."
Sangeeta Sharma
 

 
 

 

























 

The Soul Talks

One of my friends quoted once a very catchy line, "  God is the biggest terrorist." Ever since he quoted this my soul was in search for explanations. The omnipresent, the omniscient and omnipotent ...a terrorist....how? We are created from His womb to soar like an eagle but not on his directions as puppets. He gave us free will, as Milton said in his book Paradise Lost, " advise him of his happy state-happiness in his power left  to free will, left to his own free will, his will though free yet mutable."means, we can control our own happiness, but free will can turn this into something else if we are not careful. As quoted further by Milton," the mind is its own place, and in itself  can make a heaven of  hell and a hell of  heaven." If such descriptions are adopted by us as power mantra than for all our miseries we are the culprit, the real terrorist. God is merely the creator , he is not made us handicapped and dependent on him for all our actions.For an instance, my struggle is outcome of my own deeds ,my own behavior and my own karma and not what the almighty has ordained for me. He has served me with the platter full of sumptuous meal and it is i, who have to feed myself with that meal if i get contented or i crave for more is entirely my choice and not His compulsion. Its human nature to pass on the censure on somebody undefensive for all his failures and traumas and who else other than almighty be swallowing whatever we hold for Him or against Him.He might be a terrorist , but the terrorist of making us realize the ways of this unsolved and undefined life about which we still are unsure.God in true sense an unavoidable, ubiquitous presence in our unquenchable search for salvation.Hold His hand and you cross this vastness, See through His eyes and everything you find is so very beautiful, feel through His heart and you find solution to your problems. He gives indications and we need to recognize it. Unchain yourself from the tangles of worldly attractions and feel the spell and enigma of his power bestowed upon you.You no more get settled in web rather you find way through way like forks of a road.All you need to do is to travel the best chosen , by your own free will and that would surely make a difference as said by Robert Frost," And i took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference."

  "God is the final destination for all our futile search."

Sangeeta Sharma

The Soul Talks

“A thing of a beauty is a joy forever”, said Keats and perhaps the best healer of injured soul is the company of nature. Its lush green spread delights the heart and mind. As usual when I went for my evening walk, the track was all covered with dry yellow coloured leaves and rustling of leaves beneath my feet instantly produced melody of my spontaneous thoughts. My soul was overjoyed and ecstatic seeing the floating clouds, through the tall branches. Chirping of birds, whistling of wind, noise of playful kids and loud laughter of grandpas and grandmas were giving me silent signals of pleasured pain. With swift synchronised brisk steps I was treasuring all the scenic and human activities, when suddenly I saw a small puppy. It must have been only few months old. Soft fur, brown coloured with black patched dropping ears, it was limping. All my attention got diverted towards that unattended injured stray puppy. Alas! My soul cried. I found it was injured at the back, blood was oozing out profusely, and the wound was deep. It appeared it was being attacked by some bigger animal. Now and then flies were disturbing him at his wound and it was trying hard to fly them away by turning his small face towards its back. I thought to muzzle him but my subconscious mind warned me of it being stray dog and source of infection. To my surprise in tussle of my heart and mind, my mind won. I could do nothing than see it struggling, struggling for life, struggling to prove survival for the fittest right.

This is what life is all about. The journey of mortals with their struggle and obstacles is only with and in their own company. The little puppy solved my quest of finding solace in my painful hours. We are our own best friends when we are in trouble. Others might come and show empathy, sympathy, care, concern or love, but its we, who need to find the solution of our problems.

"WE WITH OUR OWN BEING MAKE BEST OF OURSELVES."

Sangeeta Sharma