Faces of steel
cannot shed a tear
and that
is the misfortune
of faces of steel.

A tear
on a face of porcelain
does not betray
the sadness within
It only
enhances the beauty
of the porcelain
And that
is the misfortune
of the porcelain face.

Faces of tender clay
disintegrate
under the weight of
salty tears
And that
is the misfortune
of tender, unbaked clay.

खालीपन

ये खालीपन
धुंध सा है...
चारों ओर से ढक लेता है
कुछ भी नज़र नहीं आता
किसी का साथ नहीं
हंसी की धुप
से छंट जाता है
ज़रा देर
गर्म, मुलायम बातों से
गायब हो जाता है

अकेलेपन की ठंडी, रूखी सर्दी में
जैसे धुंध
वैसे
ये खालीपन॥
धुंध सा लगता है
ये खालीपन

A perspective on roles of Indian Women

This post is as an entry for the Indus ladies contest of the same name.

Roles? Did you really just say Roles?

This blogger has only one perspective on that: One day, when i was a child, my Grandfather asked me, "So, how many colors are there in all?" Super confident, i looked inside my crayon box and replied, "There are 12 colors in the world."
But there aren't 12 colors in the world. There are infinite. Just like the number of "roles" played by women - Indian or otherwise.

Enough said.

Through all those roles, only this i do know: A thousand men make an army. It takes a woman to make a home.

I tag 3 of my favorite people:
1. Mampi
2. nm
3. Chiya

For Esha

Today, do your good deed for the month.. we really need your help…

1. Find a blind school near you.
2. Make a visit – ask the children what they want to hear in audio books. Choose only 5-6 enthu bachchas. (interested children)
3. Order online, a set of mp3 players and micro SD cards. (Or ask us, and we will tell you where to get them cheapest)
4. Use your computer to download files from our central library into the SD cards.
5. Distribute their audio book libraries to the children in the blind school.
6. Go back in a month to see if they have heard everything they had asked for. If they have, ask them what else they want, and if they havent, give the mp3 player and the SD card to another child who might use it.
7. Share the experience and the feedback with us so that we can improve the program for others..

Alone, it will take esha a year or more to reach all the blind schools… with your help, we can reach different parts of the country very quickly. Alone, Esha will need 45 lakhs to cover the country. Together, it is only 2-3 thousand per person. We can afford that much. Go on, do it please..

At the very least, please share this post on your blog, facebook, twitter and among your friends.. you never know who may be looking for their good deed of the month..

When we bring light to others, it has a way of reflecting from our eyes…

PS: esha can be contacted at eshabraille@gmail.com.

Premchand is important

Kalidasa is called the Bard of India. What Shakespeare did to English and Kalidasa did to Sanskrit, Premchand did to Hindi - the use of the language itself. To use the very language to say something effectively, to bring out the beauty of the language, and to cover difficult subjects with ease, beauty and humour. That is Premchand. The more one reads him, the more one loves him.

For the generation that thinks that only new authors, new books and new songs are relevant to us; That old songs, old books and old authors are for the "old" people - i invite you, personally, to sample Premchand.

You will not find the writing dated. The reason the Bard is not dated is that human emotions remain the same. We find new words for them, that's all. Our metaphors might change but our emotions are absolutes.

It is important for all children to read Premchand - there is no better knower of the child's heart in popular Hindi fiction.

The next question is, where does one get Premchand?
Print: Diamond Publications has a very affordable set of Premchand books. Mansarovar(his 8 volume compilation of short stories) is priced at INR 75 per volume.

Audio: Please see the Esha site. We have compiled about 66 Premchand stories in Audio. You can also google for Premchand stories audio and get them at other sites. The advantage of audio is that even if you can't read Hindi, you can hear the story and enjoy it.

Video: DD has a series called "Tehreer" based on Premchand's stories. Please buy it. Its an investment worth making. especially for children, this is probably the best way to introduce them to Premchand.

What are your favorite Premchand stories/ novels? I loved Bade Bhai Sahab - its hilarious.