Feeds

Where were Atthai ,Maama ,Lakshmi wondered ,crestfallen by the locked door, eyes downcast ,taking in slowly the bedecked street ,marigold blooms,noisy crackers, the aroma of cardamom and sweet pongal, then it dawned , today mere mortals would witness the celestial wedding of Andal with the Lord. Behold the chariot swaying like a majestic elephant bearing the radiant idols, borne in turn by the tanned shoulders of the devout devotees ,followed by the pious priests tailed by women in splendorous silks Tiredness and hunger vanished ,she leaned, eager to catch a glimpse, fingering her green bangles, her cheeks ablush Next month Narayanan would be back with gold bangles  and his seraphic smile; she had languished long pining , It was time now to drape the silks and jasmine flowers,her  earrings danced keeping pace with her thumping heart    

Where were Atthai ,Maama ,Lakshmi wondered ,crestfallen by the locked door, eyes downcast ,taking in slowly the bedecked street ,marigold blooms,noisy crackers, the aroma of cardamom and sweet pongal, then it dawned , today mere mortals would witness the celestial wedding of Andal with the Lord. Behold the chariot swaying like a majestic elephant bearing the radiant idols, borne in turn by the tanned shoulders of the devout devotees ,followed by the pious priests tailed by women in splendorous silks Tiredness and hunger vanished ,she leaned, eager to catch a glimpse, fingering her green bangles, her cheeks ablush Next month Narayanan would be back with gold bangles  and his seraphic smile; she had languished long pining , It was time now to drape the silks and jasmine flowers,her  earrings danced keeping pace with her thumping heart    

Baby Nafisa’s beatific, confident smile after her cleft lip surgery ,her grandmother’s toothless grateful smile , Noyonika,the model’s ravishing smile first with a hint of anxiety then relieved and doubly radiant after her biopsy was negative for cancer, her receptionist’s admonishing ,weary smile after a day full of appointments, her daughter’s welcoming smile back home-all in a day’s work for Dr Nidhi, the surgeon. Nidhi removed her mask ,the mirror reflecting her crooked smile almost a grimace after the facial nerve palsy- a grim reminder of abuse,power ,patriarchy .Some smiles had sad back stories,not all smiles could be fixed.

Do you remember how we sat together to savour the baked potatoes The kitchen redolent with cinnamon and saffron, hands clasped Eyes locked ,hearts hopeful ,we spoke of home, children, dogs Banishing worries trivial we discussed animated details of the wondrous life waiting for us to stake rightful claim I remember also your promotion parties ,your temper outbursts , The children graduating ,the parents dying , the temple tours ,the doctor visits Bad times eclipsing the good, dark shadows clouding the brightness we treasured I kept burnishing ,you preferred embellishing , we sat in shared silence Only interspersed by the clinking of spoons against our plates. But, I forget when my dreams and your ambition collided head on Desires , practicality, fiction, reality got enmeshed Like the sweaters I knit now ,a tapestry of tangled coloured threads Like my neurons, amalgamated masses of stored memories Some clear as crystal ,some obfuscated like unshed tears