The Strength of Friendship!!!

I dedicate this poem to all my wonderful friends!

Friendship is a relationship one should treasure. It enriches you, makes you a fuller, happier, stronger person. It gives you a rare, invisible sense of solace and well-being. If you want to continue with a good friendship, you too have to work towards retaining the same… and that is the other side of the coin!! To HAVE a good friend with whom you can share without any inhibition is indeed a lucky situation, but to BE a good friend and be ready to lend a helping hand without a second thought, is a rare quality.

And if you are one, hats off to you!!!

The Strength of Friendship!!!

Friendship is like a flower
With silent invisible fragrance
It has a mystic power
So don’t cast it off with grimace

There is no rule or regulation
As to who gives and who takes
It has a two-way motion
Flexible, stronger it makes

Your drooping shoulder’s gripped n caught
‘Nother perspective, you understand
You open up and share some inner thoughts
Get up… and build again from sand…..

Within you, willpower is built
Somehow you become strong
Your heart will not go tumult
You feel, nothing can go wrong….

If you have a friend, I have to say….
Your days, with energy, chime
Friendship teaches you to give away
And gain at the same time!!!!

---- o () o ----
© Shanta Ramakrishnan
December 23, 2008

You can…. You CAN!!

At one time when I wished to bolster a distraught youngster from crumbling, this is what I came up with! …. Though a drop of water in the ocean, it did help him retain his equilibrium at a very crucial stage -- Shanta

You can…. You CAN!!

“If you think you are beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don’t,
If you like to win, but you think you can’t
It is almost certain that you won’t….

Life’s battles do not always go
To the stronger or faster man
But sooner or later the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can!!”

The above verse appeared recently
In the columns of TOI **
It was so true and inspiring
That it caught my heart and eye

Education now-a-days, is tension prone,
That youngsters have nightmares
Exams are something that they dread
Their fear, you can’t compare

But the result, sure, is of great value
When your career at last begins
So work hard, face the worst, but succeed
Always keep up your chin!!

Books, syllabus, portion and the like
Now topics of talk remain
Once exam’s over, you relax a bit
Your lost energy, regain…

It is just not bookish knowledge that counts
When they judge your personality
IQ, EQ, other interests weighed
You’re rated with no pity...

Ease for a minute, then get along
With books of the toughest lot
Your result will be fine, I sincerely feel,
As unaware, you are not caught….

So step on, go ahead and win laurels
You can make yourself proud
Our best wishes are indeed with you
And you’ll shine even in a crowd!!
GOOD LUCK!!

©Shanta Ramakrishnan (May 1996)

** (TOI –May 06, 2006, ‘Sacred Space’ in Times of India, a famous newspaper/daily in India)

The Magic of a SMILE !!!

When my daughter Priya was studying in the first year Engineering in Mumbai, one of her classmates was showing signs of depression due to the academic burden. He was away from his family for the first time, and the challenge of getting though tough subjects in the examinations were too much to cope. When Priya shared the concern of her friends’ group about this class-mate, it touched me. I wrote this poem to boost anyone who is undergoing a strenuous period in one’s life. A smile, a pat and an encouraging nod can work wonders! It did, in this case!! - Shanta


The Magic of a SMILE !!!

:-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-):-)

Open your heart and smile, my dear,
A small one, a broad one, and bring in cheer
Radiate everyone with your special smile
It’ll keep them going, for quite a while

Smile at many a lonely face,
Smile at those who always rush n race
Bringing to them fragrance and sunshine,
It’ll make our life happy, yours and mine…

Smile, smile at people all around
Smile at the nature that surrounds
For smile clears worries and a lot of mess
And then you end up with great happiness

Smile with the load of books and texts
Smile your way through studies and tests
Toil and sweat but smile through the show
For your life will then have ....
A HEALTHY SUCCESSFUL GLOW!!!

© Shanta Ramakrishnan ( February 1996)

Life on Smoke????

‘Smoking is injurious to health’…. I am sure you would have read this sentence many times either on cigarette cartons or on public hoardings. You might have also heard some well wisher with good intentions uttering the same words. But does a person who is habituated to smoking pay any attention to this? I doubt. For him, smoking is a habit not to be questioned, as he does not bother about the repercussions. In all probability he would regret only when this addiction actually leads to his ill-health, sometimes detrimental to his life.

My husband is one of the lucky few who heeded our doctor’s advice and quit smoking with a strong will-power. And this happened after 30 years of our marriage when our physician gave him an ultimatum!! An optimist to the core, I felt that this was a ‘better late than never’ situation. Now I get a chance to breathe air unpolluted by the stink and the poison coming out of the cigarette smoke.

In the early years of my marriage, when he would not pay heed to my plea, advice or command not to smoke, I gave vent to my frustration by penning my thoughts down. Here is the outcome. The poem got published in ‘Pigeon Post’, the staff magazine of Rallis India Limited, in 1976.


Life on Smoke?????

How do you feel, tell me, when your husband smokes
If you say “no’, he takes it as a joke
Is it a symbol of being a male?
It boosts of course, the cigarette sale.

He says he gets a ‘kick’ out of it
You do not like the idea a bit
He thinks of to-day and not of ‘morrow
When it might be only a world of sorrow

He smiles and takes another puff
If you protest, he barks, “that’s enough”
How to put sense into his handsome head
And think of a healthy future ahead?

He is not the only one who knows it is wrong
In nook and corner, such people throng
Try to warn them, they just ignore
And categorize you as a BIG BIG BORE!!!

© Shanta Ramakrishnan (June 1976)

Reading - A Healthy Habit!!

I love reading. It is a wonderful way of keeping oneself occupied, updated, and knowledgeable. When I was in school, I used to accompany my dad to a local library where he would pick up big, fat novels for himself, colourful and interesting magazines for mom and short-story books for us kids. I remember dad reading out paragraphs from Mrs. Henry Wood's novels inculcating humanitarian feelings in our minds and mom describing different stories each time, giving examples of how courageous youngsters rose above their tormentors. We six siblings, took turns each Wednesday evening, reading and discussing one short story within the allotted one-hour, the unforgettable ‘talk-time’ we spent together as a family. According to my parents, nothing can replace a good reading habit. I totally agree, because, it is this habit that has made me a well-read adult. I cannot resist a good book, whatever the theme be and reading fills me with renewed energy.

It is a shame that youngsters now-a-days have no time for books, no inclination to pick-up one even for a lazy hour relaxation. Through this poem I urge all youngsters to get into this habit of reading!

Reading – A Healthy Habit!!

Children, Hey kids! Now listen to me,
Stop, wait and lend me your ears

I am going to tell you something new
That has been forgotten for some years…

Now-a-days you go home, eat, and watch TV
To the idiot box you are glued
So many channels, Star, Zee and DD
By you, all these are viewed

With television and homework to keep you occupied,
You have no time to spare
About the habit of healthy reading
You are completely unaware…

So kids, stop and check yourself now
Start this very good habit
You’ll enjoy the same, I do guarantee
Be totally engrossed, every bit

It gives you the knowledge, makes you real smart
You spend your time in a better way
You learn new words, your language improves
You look forward to a lovely day

You know about authors, you quote a few lines
You use phrases and idioms
You speak confidently and create an impression
In the minds of your close chums

Reading is a habit that should never die
No matter what might be your age
So shut that TV and take a book
AND BEGIN WITH THAT FRONT PAGE!!

© Shanta Ramakrishnan (October 1995)

Mumbai Terror Attack - November 26, 2008.... Shanta's view

The recent terror attack in Mumbai has rattled not only the energetic city but also India as a nation. The incident has left a deep scar in the common man's mind and morale. He knows that the entire nation is watching his plight, some sympathizing and some (who might be instrumental in plotting the massacre) will be busy making the next plan of destruction.

It looks as if the young terrorists are trained meticulously in each move they ought to take, with an alternate plan if it doesn't work. They are techno savvy and they have done their homework well. They have been given enough assurance (in whatever kind it might be) so that they can forget their kith and kin, responsibilities they would have had otherwise, and concentrate only on their fanatic goal.

We, as common citizen of India should become more alert. It should become a habit for us to be suspicious of anyone strange, any act that is out-of-the-ordinary, anything that is even slightly varied. We should be careful about who we open the door to, be alert and look around in a crowded train/bus, even if it is only upto a spot where our vision can reach, be watchful of body language or expression that signal something different than what we would expect it to be. In a nutshell, we should be more observant and vigilant. As a habit, we all should have the emergency numbers (police/ ambulance/ neighbour) handy even if we can memorize them, and carry an identity card (photo-id with the contact information) on us all the time.

Our politicians, the so called 'governors' of our country, should get down from their pedestal and think of the need of the moment. Army and Air Force should have maximum man-power and excellent training. Since most of our boundaries are sea-coasts, Navy has a bigger responsibility of having alert, well-trained, non-corrupt, stringent staff who think of our nation before anything else. There should not be any dearth of funds spent in the training of any defence and para-military forces.

Judiciary should be above any other department and strict no-nonsense regulations against such destructive planning and actions be made. Verdict should be of utmost severe nature to those who have been proved guilty of terrorism in the past, so that terrorists who plan to plunder our nation in future think twice and retract their steps.

Anyone who enter India, irrespective of what route they take or who they are, should be strictly monitored, their papers, background and belongings checked thoroughly. For this to happen, we should have officers who rise above corruption. There are such officers in India no doubt, but the numbers should increase to encompass ALL authorities, public servants, including politicians.

Indian citizens should get together as one (forget about state borders, it lies only in the minds of petty silly 'netas/politicians'), create action-plans and make groups of volunteers in each locality. They should involve the local public in security drills and have discussions on emergency moves. According to me, all youngsters should get trained in commando activities at least for a year as a compulsory regulation. Self discipline, alertness, observation and quick, well-planned action might be able to save us from a similar situation in future.

© Shanta Ramakrishnan (November 2008)