Monday, 13 April 2026

The rainbow baby

She looked down at the device 
There were two pink lines
Her heart fluttered
As she started imagining
The little baby she'd hold in her hands soon! 

A visit to the doctor 
A cheerful one
There were thoughts exchanged
But the doctor was uncertain 
If this would bear fruit 

She said a silent prayer 
Kept her hopes up
But things took a tragic turn...
Alas ! It was short-lived 
There wasn't a heartbeat , the baby no more!

Her heart felt wrenched
Her insides ached
Her body shriveled 
Her mind wandered 
A lingering mistrust!

Time flew by, 
The past still haunted her 
About the  baby she never held...
Once again, she found herself
With the two pink lines 

Her heart gave a leap
Her mind hopeful of the future 
Days moved on, as did months
Until, at last ....
Her rainbow baby arrived!


This post was created for the Blogaberry Creative (Monthly) Challenge with theme word BABY.



Tuesday, 17 March 2026

EXAM JITTERS !


Exam.... You know that feeling when a single word makes your stomach do a somersault!

 The school and teachers had drilled the concept of 'board' exam into our heads so much that it felt like a one had to walk through a pyre of fire and either come out untouched at the other end or burn your fingers and toes and do the walk of humiliation.

It was madness at all levels - The "Board Exam" talk was everywhere. Every auntie and uncle had the same script: "Hope the pressure isn't too much!" (Spoiler: it was).

After all the time of prepping (read: huffing and puffing, ha ha ha), the exam time was upon us. I managed the first few exams easily, being my strong subjects and more so because the questions were straightforward. Now, the next exam was: MATH!!! On the eve of the exam, I was over in my head, memorizing theorems, solving problems, revising the syllabus - everything possible to get through the dreaded exam!

I was drowning in theorems when my brother dropped a bomb: it was the India-Pakistan match that day (Sharjah cup, if my memory serves me right). I was losing my wits , that match was 'the day' to be when my dad, brother and myself would sit in front of the TV, watch ball by ball, give our expert opinions (what's a cricket match without the assessment and comments of the viewers !!) and of course share the excitement of India's win ( the key words used to be : 'India has never lost to Pakistan in a final').

Now, I am confined to my study room, hearing muffled voices about the toss and the pitch report from through the wall. It was pure torture. My insides at this point were now chomping at the bit! My brain torn between the match and the exam!! This is no choice one should need to take!!! ARRRGGHHHHH !!!

I heard my dad call me - I walk to the living room, heavy heartedly and expecting a lecture on exam prep. He asks me if I have revised for the exam the next day. I mumbled something. And then, what I heard next was sweet music to my ears!!!

" Come and sit, see the match with us - it is after all and India-Pakistan final, and you can go back to the revision once the match is done". I hit seventh heaven!!

We watched. We screamed. India won!!!!!

 And the next morning? I walked into that Math exam with the energy of a champion and crushed it.

 

 

This post was created for the Blogaberry Creative (Monthly) Challenge with theme word Exam.


Thursday, 26 February 2026

A CHERISED VIP WALK DATE


We often tend to think of a date in our lives as a passing affair, but ever wondered if what if that one date was taken out of the sequence of your life (hmmm...deep thoughts..... Here's mine):

Date 1 : 5th April 1990(about 5 years old):

The grand events of this day have been told to me in several witty-familial versions, but the central idea has been the same - how I was a tiny chaos agent!

Since I was the first(read: 'special'..yup !!) grandchild, Grandpa used to take me out as his evening walk VIP companion(I would flaunt this to my siblings and cousins that I was the favorite one !!). Close to where we used to walk, there were coral wood trees, which showered its red seeds like a carpet all around the walking area. This, to a five year old, is the equivalent of viral plush toy collectibles of the current Gen A - but FREE and lying in the dirt !. My eyes always focused on those and I always made it a point to bring home as many as my tiny fists could !

 That day, I decided to put one of them in my nostril to see what happens - now, at five, you have the curiosity of a NASA scientist but the risk assessment of a lemming !! I shoved it in my nose and it went up there. Chaos ensued : I panicked, in turn, my grandpa did too and I was rushed on emergency basis to the ENT specialist. Without much fuss, the seed was removed and I was given clear, stern instructions on how dangerous things might have been. 

Date 2: 18 April 1990 

All said and done, I went back to the VIP walks. 

My 'genius' brain whispered: 'Hey, remember that thing that almost killed us? Let's do a sequel' !

I shove the seed up my nose(again),panic(again), run to my grandpa(again)-but, this time around he's calm - turns me around like a clogged ketchup bottle and Thwack ON MY BACK!! The seed whooshes out ! My grandpa turns into a professional seed launcher !

Years later, as Grandpa neared the end of his life, he didn't want to talk about life lessons, his pick was the date of my nasal adventure(s). Now, I tell this story to my own kids. If this date hadn't happened, they’d think I was a responsible adult instead of a child who tried to turn her nose into a seed-dispenser. It remains the reigning champion of "Mom Was a Menace" stories -starting a laughing riot at every family gathering. It turns out, of all the things he did in his life, his favorite achievement was successfully launching a seed out of his granddaughter’s nose !

 

This post was created for the Blogaberry Creative (Monthly) Challenge with theme word DATE. Visit at https://www.blogaberry.com/miscellaneous/the-blogaberry-creative-monthly-challenge/