Standing on life's long road

Standing on life's long road
The eyes cast ahead
Expectant looks
Of green trees
And gently tossing flowers.



But on the way
Life cruelly displays
Signboards
Of RETREAT.
And discouragement.



To riot the mind
With Dreams of the Mahatma,
High ambitions,
Collapsing faith
And the wretched wolfish motives.



In the course
Time flies.
The sun sets.
The little story is wound up.
And a vanquished is born somewhere.


Learning the ABC's of life
Only to let out
Long sighs and weak moans
Fighting a hard battle
Single handedly…..

Very tired because there was a lot of movement on the congested roads of berhampur and the comfort of home was missing. Money has to be spent like water for everything now and then. A single day's stay would mean an expenditure of some thousand rupees. Life is not at all comfortable if you are not ready to spend like a king. However, spending unreservedly may make you comfortable but not peaceful.

My journey to berhampur on 7th May, 2010

In the morning I set out to berhampur with my father, sister and wife. The journey was pleasant. We made it more enjoyable by taking up sugar cane juice available on the way side trolleys. The journey took almost 4 hours. Although I occasionally I drive, that day I did all the driving. We were about to reach at the destination and I was passing through a busy road. I noticed most cyclists are cunningly trying to maneouvre through the little gaps between the vehicles and making the traffic more knotty. At that time all my attention was dragged by a sudden sound of collision. Looking back I discovered that a cyclist has hit the left rear door of my car leaving a fresh deep scar on the body of the vehicle.

My love for books.

Somebody has rightly said that classics are for adorning the bookshelves. I fully agree to this point because many  people buy books but they seldom read them. I am not sure of somebody else doing so but I fail prominently in that category of bibliophiles. I am a good collector of books.Because I spend more time at the bookshop while choosing the book as compared to reading that very book  in my study room. It is because I read a few sentences randomly from a book at the book seller's for the purpose of buying the book for my collection.But in home that intensity of reading is diminished because I do not feel any urgency to read them.

Today under the hot sun of Berhampur I was selecting books from the footpath side vendors. I was profusely seating and feeling uncomfortable but I meticulously went through a good number of books before selecting three books for my bookshelf. I stress the word 'bookshelf' because I know for a long time the books shall remain in some rack of the bookshelf before I get the motivation and time to read them.

Summer vacation

Those who are in the teaching jobs enjoy a longer summer vacation. Normally the annual examination and declaration of results in the educational institutions are followed by summer vacation. This year the educational institutions of Orissa were closed from 20th April on account of terrible heat waves in the state. But the staff of respective institutions had to languor  in the headquarters till 30th April without fail. As a result I was also made to stay at my working place as per the govt instructions.The days were hollowed and vacant as I had little to do at my work station. The  days were mostly spent in idle talks and long sessions of watching TV.  It is because the place, where I am working as a lecturer, is a small cocooned place having nothing to do substantial.  Moreover, the matter is further worsened by the frequent strike-calls by the naxals. Sporadic Naxal violence have completely shattered a citizen's faith  in the Government law and order.. And my prolonged stay for some days in that place at such sensitive phase made me a witness to the anti-social activities of the Maoists.

However, in these days I have given some hours of productive labour to my institution as a committed staff by arranging the library books of the institution in a suitable order. Today I am on the way to my home-town and while waiting for the bus at Jeypore I am in hotel Princess. Smita is chewing chowmin and I wrote the above lines.