Aahaa Chennai

There are those who are so used to seeing fashionable bits of concrete, glass and steel inside their office buildings that their eye quite often has a longing for a green refuge inside their ultra modern workspaces. Some are lucky enough to find it and take a sneak peek, now and then, to relieve the everyday stresses of being caught inside modern cubicles, jostling with tightly filled schedules ...meeting deadlines, brand building, strategising for profit and the like.

'Don't I merit a second look,' is the silent message from a tiny sprig of green, away from the limelight, who has gotten accustomed to a daily dose of heat, dust, noise, swirling vehicular fumes, the searing rays of a relentless sun, the occasional pounding from sheets of water plus threats from other sources, whose life thus far has been a struggle for survival, not meant for the faint hearted.

The geese seem to be saying... the requisite amount of sleep, sufficient intake of water and being out in sunlight are an important part of  healthy living.

The  serene stillness of dawn was broken by a sudden pounding on the roof. A smile broke òut amidst the rivulets of sweat trickling down the cheek. Bright sunlight, a dazzling blue sky and sheets of rain seemed an unlikely combination. A  little later... some yells,  whoops of delight, shouts and screams erupted from the younger lot. The sound of feet running out to enjoy the break in the humid spell echoed doubly loud for a reason, albeit a colourful one. Not one but two perfect rainbows wove their magic pattern over the neighbouring sky. I could hear voices speculating on the stroke of unforeseen luck the rainbow could most likely bring - tests cancelled, no homework... The rain suddenly  stopped and the sun seemed  extra hot making me shade my eyes. The colourful spectacle set amidst the eye catching blue expanse had disappeared in a split second but... even the fast returning humid heat waves could not diminish the reminiscences of

A tribute to an apostle of peace. Towards peace... in  our homes neighbourhoods, offices, schools, factories, villages, communities, on the road, across the neighbouring region and in our minds and hearts. Celebrating Gandhi Jayanthi... a yen for cleaner, greener spaces.

A bunch of  red bananas, (packed with the kind of nutrients your mom thinks you need), is being watched by eager eyes, eyes which are noting the gradual increase in size and counting the days before they can be picked. The changing background high up...from night to day, from inky darkness to cottony white clouds weaving a pattern with dabs of grey interspersed into a blanket of blue, which then takes over the vast stretch, the highpoint being, the  shiny, alluring, crimson/maroon bunch which continues to beckon banana lovers.

A  tiny someone, a sort of  'the-dipped-in-paint' kind, has arrived saying... do not disturb. I am trying to get my daily dose of sunlight. I am cautious too coz my bold colour tends to stand out. How I wish there was a red hued leaf nearby! Oh no! I must hide. I can smell paint. Artistic hands wish to capture the sunny yellow, the cheery green and the bright red/orange hues.