Caterpillar Story

He was moving slowly from one end of the leaf to the other, consuming the green goodness while he moved. Life seemed so good. He was happy at the food at his disposal, the tree had an unlimited supply of leaves. The sun filtering through the leaves was warming his back and the breeze was cradling him on the leaf to a gentle slumber. Life indeed is good he felt.

Few days of good life, and he grew significantly in size, and started feeling somewhat uneasy on the move and something was happening to his body. The leaves didn’t taste as good the crawl from one end to another appeared monotonous. He wanted to run faster, but he had to limit himself to slow crawl. Many leaves that he had enjoyed around him were looking ugly due to the large holes where he had eaten them.

While he was trying to walk faster, during those days he started developing this webby layer around him. As if a giant spider is trying to consume him in its woven prison. The layer consumed him very fast, and he was imprisoned. He wanted to break free, but he could not. He felt lost, suffocated, missing the glimpse of Sun light and the green of the leaves. He couldn’t even feel the breeze on his back anymore because he was encased in the thick shell that was all around him. I need to break free. He cried. I need some help; please someone; free me from this menacing prison. He screamed and he was sure that he was heard, but there was no help anywhere. He was trying to push himself out of the shell that has encased him.

Every waking hour he will push the shell and no avail, he will get tired and sleep and then wake up only to push again. He could feel his tiny feet getting stretched due to continuous pushing. His back was hurting and feeling funny with all the scratching and pushing against the walls. He was feeling certain that it is cruel joke that fate has played on him, and he is going to die of suffocation in this shell that surrounds him. He couldn’t count how long ago this confinement and torture had started for him. He did miss the days of freedom crawling over lush green leaves and nibbling on them to feed himself. He did miss the light and the air.

Then one day when he had given up all hope, the prison walls moved. His push and his prayers had cracked a small side of the wall. He started hitting hard with his stretched legs while pushing with his, now so soft back. The shell walls finally seemed to be giving way to his effort. He kept on pushing with all his might. Please help me he screamed to quicken the process. He knew there were a few outside that shell who could help him in his misery, but no one came to his rescue. He painfully learnt that he was all by himself to push through. He cried and he got angry but didn’t stop pushing, and then the shell cracked open fully, he wanted to crawl out. But he learnt that he was not a caterpillar anymore to crawl. He was a butterfly with agile legs and beautiful wings. He could fly now. Fly to any tree and any flower he wished. The sun felt warmer and the breeze more pleasant than ever.

The torture of the caterpillar in confinement was only to make him a beautiful butterfly, to totally transform him to his higher self.

No caterpillar in confinement and being suffocated should remember this story and know that the confinement is just for the sake of transformation. Because if someone remembers and stop pushing and trying to be free of that confinement then the transformation into butterfly will never happen.

Such is the nature. Such is the will of God.

And this is not just the story of a caterpillar.

  

उलझी पतंग

 This past weekend I went with my kids for a kite flying festival. While we were enjoying the kites that floated in the air, I just saw some unfortunate ones stuck in the trees. Felt like they needed someone to tell their story and I wrote the lines below. As all kites are made with the purpose to fly and not to be stuck. Hope you like the thought…..

है पतंग, मांझे से बंध कर

उड़ने को ही निकली थी

बादल पंछी खुली हवा को

छूने को ही निकली थी

पर जब कहीं झोंके से टकरा 

पेड़ के काँटों में उलझी तो

उड़ने के सपने टूट गए हैँ 

उस सच को जब समझी तो

हसरत से आसमां को देख

लब से एक सिसकी निकली तो

मांझे ने भी सुनी नहीं

उड़ती पतंगे आसमां में

आठखेलिया करती रही

उलझी पतंग काँटों में से

सिसकियाँ भरती रही

आपस में एक दूसरे की

बात भी ना सुन पाई

दोनों में दुरी का होना

किस्मत का ही खेल हुआ

कौन गलत तो कौन सही

यह मुद्दा ही बे मेल हुआ

किस्मत बदलेंगी तो हवा

थोड़ा रुख बदल भी लेगी

काँटों में उलझी डोरी

फिर एक बार  सुलझ भी लेगी

तब सपने के आसमां को 

एक छलांग में छू लेना

आज हो उलझी ले, कल उड़ना

उड़ के बादल तो सेहला देना

और अपनी उड़ती सखियों  के

पास जा के बस मुस्का देना

सांझे सपने की साँझ को

फिर एक बार जगा भी देना

और उड़ना खुले गगन में

वही  तुम्हारा गणतंव्य हैँ 

Slow cooked Delicacy , is it worth?

 This is a borrowed thought. I was discussing with my brother some topics and he gave this analogy of slow cooked food in relation to patience. I have tried to take the cue and build on that thought along with a question. 

Please read and let me know if you ever ponder upon such questions? And if yes then what is your answer?

You are hungry and want to eat something nice quickly. But one of your parents is cooking something. Be patient they say, this is a recipe you will love when ready, but you have to wait. How long? You ask impatiently.

As long as it takes is the answer you hear.

And then after all the waiting and getting upset and hunger and impatience increasing, the Dish is served in a platter for you. It looks great and it smells great, you take a bite, and it tastes like a bite of heaven. You look at your parent who served you the Dish and do a nod of gratitude. The parent nods back with a smile. posing an unsaid question. So, it was worth the wait, right? You respond using a smile on your face, that says yes.

 Life is like that, sometimes. You are in a fix and need a solution, but almighty is preparing that perfect solution for you. You get impatient and edgy. Trying to come to terms with the reason for the wait and prolonging of the pain. 

You try some simple 'snacks" to help your hunger which are harshly

snatched away from your hands, even the nuts that you had saved and stashed in your coat pockets are taken away from you. And when you feel almost certain that there might be nothing for you, an awesome solution is delivered, from almost nowhere. And you look up, nod a thanks to God. An acknowledging smile is felt in your heart.

 I’ve seen this happen to me sometimes and also to people around me so many times.

 But every time you are impatient of hunger and waiting for your parents to finish the slow cooked delicacy for you, the wait is never easy. On such days few thoughts cross mind,

• What if one loses appetite while waiting for the dish to be ready?
• What if the parent gets unhappy with persistent asking and stops cooking and let you stay hungry?
• What if one is completely consumed by hunger and perishes before the slow cooked dish is even ready?

 I don’t know the answer, but I do know the feeling. Also, I know the pain of anticipation while waiting. And I always tell that a parent or almighty will never fail their children, will they?

 And that hope sustains everything. 

 And that anticipation of the miracle is what keeps you, isn't it?