DELIGHT IN FLIGHT

                                                                birds in flight

                                                      together in equidistance

                                                      spectacular is their sight, 

                                                   from the earth in our glance.

                                                           at the same pace

                                                     very jolly as a company

                                                        all in the same grace,

                                                   it’s their family in harmony.

                                                    form V-shape, all in flying,

                                                    it seems they have a plan,

                                                 of each other’s safety wishing,

                                                      so fantastic is their clan.

                                                    it seems it is a long flight,

                                                 to be settlers in a better place,

                                                  as part of their survival right,

                                                       how wise is their race!  

                                                             

                                                  here the heat, all grown dry,

                                                  makes them be on their way,

                                                   in quest of the place in sky                                                            

                                                   cool and congenial for stay.

                                              

                                                     sure to come back here,

                                                  one day they are welcome,

                                                   after their short stay there,

                                                     for the water in fulsome,

 

                                                 see! how they glimpse us well,

                                                    in love and look in tear-dip                         

                                                     let’s bid to them farewell,

                                                    for their foreign short trip.

Published: Literary Vibes - Edition CXLII (28-Jun-2024)

RAYS OF THE ROOTS

                                                                     roots spread underground,

                                                                         unshown and unknown,

                                                               but shines bright above the ground,

                                                                green in sheen, rays in ways shone,

                                                                           whose selfless service,

                                                                        for every creature all bliss?

 

                                                                           grows gigantic in stature

                                                                    with branches farther and bigger 

                                                                buds blooms to sweeten atmosphere

                                                                       fruits to shine to fulfil hunger.

                                                                              whose selfless service,                                                                                                                              for every creature all bliss?

 

                                                                            rays are born with roots,

                                                                     sheen in reign by means of green,

                                                                  oxygen for breath, cool under shoots

                                                                   to offer life, all responsibilities keen

                                                                           it’s tree’s selfless service,

                                                                          for every creature all bliss.

 

                                                                         the tree with its all fully seen, 

                                                                     its so-called stature to it adds glory,

                                                                       the fact all the people not keen

                                                                     roots give life for its action every.

                                                                         its roots in selfless service,

                                                                         for every creature, all bliss.

 

                                                                      no child, without parents first

                                                                       no seeds, without trees first,

                                                                    students, without teachers first

                                                                       shoots, without roots first,

                                                                      from roots, rays rise to pace,

                                                                        as an echo from the base.

Published: Literary Vibes - Edition CXLII (28-Jun-2024)

NEEDS

A Story of Animals

            It was a thick forest. There lived all kinds of beasts. It was an animal world. There lived a lion called Mrigaraja. He also had his lovely name, Simharaj, as he was the king of beasts in the forest. All the animals in the forest obeyed the lion, Simharaj.

            Simharaj was a nightmare for all the beasts. The beasts were afraid of hearing Simharaj. Whenever they heard his roar, they ran helter-skelter panic-stricken.   

            There was a jackal, called Vinay. He used to come and tell some stories to the lion Simharaj. The sun was rising one fine morning. He thought that was a new sunrise for him when he came to Simharaj. He had an intimately open conversation with him.

 

            'Simharaj! You're very powerful...You're unrivalled in power... unsurpassed in stature. No beast dares to see you... No animal can fight against you,' said Vinay to Simaharaj.

            'Yes, I'm unrivalled...I'm unsurpassed... It's a fact...a well-known fact,' said Simharaj self-boastingly.

            'Yes, you're... but...,' said Vinay suspiciously.

            'What’s that "but"? There’re no ifs and buts in my life...What’s that "but"? What is that for...?' said Simharaj.

            'For all the beasts...,' said Vinay.

  

            'All the beasts...?' said Simharaj.

            'All the beasts held a meeting and had a unanimous resolution...,' said Vinay.

            'What’s that unanimous resolution?' said Simharaj.

             'In the meeting, all the beasts took a unanimous resolution to kill you somehow or the other,' said Vinay with a sad feeling in his face.

            'How could you come to know this?' said Simharaj.

 

            'I was in the meeting... Since you're my friend, I'm disclosing their firm decision to kill you... Dear Simharaj, don't tell it to any other beast that comes to you. Be careful... If you try to confirm my information by other animals, all the beasts will come and kill me...They think that I’ve told you about their conspiracy... their secret plan,' said Vinay.

            'There’s no need for you to worry ... As long as you’re with me..., nothing will happen to you, Vinay... When you are faithful to me..., no harm will touch you,' said Simharaj.

            'In the meeting, all the beasts except me nodded their heads with the sounds of their agreement. I hope they noticed my soft corner and kind gesture for you,' said Vinay in the cunning art of the jackal nature.

            'Their resolution to kill me is in the offing. I trust you for your friendliness. I believe in your words. As per their decision, all the beasts kill me to be free from their fearful living in this animal land,' said Simharaj.

            'Yes, they want to live happily without you...They've all plans to kill you...No doubt about it...This is for your clear information,' said Vinay.

 

            Vinay told Simharaj what he wanted to tell him, and disappeared from the scene, leaving Simharaj alone to fall in his long introspection.

            Simharaj looked around and did not find any beast in any direction. He said to himself looking at all directions:

            I'm the king of beasts...I've been enjoying high fame for a long time... I've been unrivalled...unsurpassed. Now there’re all the beasts united to kill me... I doubt myself...

            Did Vinay tell me? Did I hear what the jackal, Vinay was telling me...? Was it I or somebody else...?

            Was there truth in what Vinay said...? I hope it was falsehood...It sounds a false alarm...

 

            What Vinay told me was like the sunrise in the west and the sunset in the east...

            Jackals are cunning... but Vinay, the jackal is my trust-worthy friend...I’ve to depend on his suggestion...

            All the beasts call for unity on the mission of killing me... Union is strength... All the beasts are together to be more powerful than I am...

            Ants can kill a cobra when they have unity. The bits of straw that are together in the form of a rope can tether an elephant...

            Will all the beasts plan to kill me, Simharaj, the king of the beasts... the king to rule the animal world?

            'Will it happen? If it happens, what should I do...There are no ifs and buts in my life... It does not happen...

 

            I recall the story of the lion...with a clever plan to say that there was another lion in the forest...The lion believed in the plan... He peeped into the well. He saw another lion in the well. He roared...The lion in the well roared and roared and it resounded... To protest the lion in the well, he jumped into it... All the beasts may have a tricky plan now... I mustn't follow their clever plan for me to peep into the well. I mustn't go to any well to peep into it and fall into it foolishly. The foolish lion dies like that... I'm not foolish...I'm cleverer than that lion...all the other beasts...I know the trick. I'm very conscious...

           How can the beasts have the same old trick...? They have the trick... the same old trick to kill me... I’m not an ordinary lion for the beasts to think of me so...

            I'm not growing weaker with the idea...No idea can weaken me...No plan can impoverish me...To be weak is unwelcome. I don't allow any weak fillip to enter my mind...

            When my mind is weak, I should yield to the beasts... To be weak is miserable... The idea of being weak is intolerable... I shouldn't allow any such idea into my mind that weakens and disheartens my heart...To be weak is always unwelcome...

            I'm Simharaja...I must be bold...I shouldn't become timid with the weak fillip...

 

            Ordinary beasts cannot kill me...I'm their king...Shouldn't they feel so as I'm unrivalled, unsurpassed in powers...?

            Their killing me happens never...I hope it's a lie...I can forget it easily and immediately...

            Vinay may be wrong, as he's a jackal with his cunning nature... He might have told me as per his evil nature...

            I must go to Vinay to confirm it once again... He'll surely tell me, as he's my follower, my friend as he called me several times...

            Vinay ate whatever flesh and bones I left for him. He sought my help in his livelihood...He can't forget my help...He says that I'm his friend...He'll respond to my call...

            No... It's the question of prestige...Though it's the need of the hour...I shouldn't go to him...Why should I go to him...? It's a prestige question...It's badly insulting. It shouldn't happen to Simharaj, the king of the beasts...To approach him is suicidal...

 

            I need Vinay at the hour ... If I call him, he mayn't come...

            It's the need of the hour, I suppose... I should act on time in my welfare... I should go to him...when it is my life question...I shouldn't think of prestige at this moment... It becomes a false prestige...I must go to him.

                       ...                     ...                     ...                     ...                     ...

            Simharaja went to the centre of the forest where he met Vinay several times. Of course, Vinay came to him hearing his roaring when he was hungry to share the meat and the bones of hunted animals. He, therefore, roared loudly and his roars echoed in the forest and the hills nearby.

            Vinay did not care for Simharaj's roar at the beginning. Later he came leisurely running to Simharaja as if he were very obedient to him.

            'O friend, I'm coming to you...,'said Vinay coming closer to Simharaja.

            'O my friend... Where have you gone...? You're coming late...I wanted to see you and so I roared...I'm not able to bear your separation from me...,' said Simharaja.

            'All the beasts know that I'm your friend...They don't allow me to come to them... I know where they are... Regarding our separation, I feel like you...I'm in the same mood... I too feel so...,' said Vinay humbly.

            'I want to confirm what you said yesterday...the unanimous resolution on the part of all the beasts to kill me...Are you sure of their firm decision to kill me...?' said Simharaja appealingly.

 

            'It's real...cent percent real...a thousand percent real...What I say is real, my looks real, smells real and sounds real, ' said Vinay.

            'I know you tell all facts...I want to see the beasts... Just, I want to see the beasts from far away... Let me know their whereabouts...,' said Simharaja.

            'Today the beasts are in the eastern area of the forest ... Tomorrow they'll be in the western area. Day after tomorrow they’ll be in the northern area...The next day they’ll be ...' said Vinay when Simharaja responded to say to him promptly,

            'In the southern area...'

            'You're brilliant to know all the things,' said Vinay.

 

            'Thank you...I want to see the beasts in the eastern area of the forest,' said Simharaja and left the spot with its own feelings not to reveal anything to Vinay.

            'After your hunt, call me by your roar,' said Vinay.

            'Okay...'

            Simharaja went in the eastern direction while thinking of what to do in evading his impending peril. While it was going in the direction, he recalled all his dialogue with the deer, Parashreya once.                    

            Once Simharaja openly declared his unrivalled greatness to Parashreya as a challenge,

 

            'I'm the king of beasts... I'm very powerful... None can question my powers.'

            'I know your powers...How do you have powers?' said Parashreya.

            'Those’re my natural powers...in-born powers to be more powerful than all other beasts like you...,' said Simharaja.

            'You live on animals... innocent animals like me...You eat our flesh and become strong. The reason for your strength is due to us, the innocent animals,' said Parashreya.

            'You make a senseless comment...Yours is a meaningless statement...' said Simharaja, roaring.

 

            'I'm stating the facts...bitter realities...The big fish live on the small fish... So is the case with you, the big animals, Simharaja to live on small animals. We're for your life...to give you life...to give you breath...for your strength...for your courage,' said Parashreya frankly.

            The dialogue of Parashreya rang in the Simharaja's mind.

            Simharaja knew that he became weak because he did not hunt that day. He understood the dire reality of Parashreya's words.

            One way, Simharaja had the fear of the attack of all the beasts. In the other way, he felt like satisfying his hunger. It was the to-be-or-not-to-be question for him.

            Simharaja searched for beasts in the eastern area of the forest. He roamed and roamed but he did not find any animal. He came back to his cave disappointed.

            The next morning Simharaja combed the western area of the forest as Vinay told him. He searched and searched but he did not find any animal. He went back to his cave. He had no strength to roar as a call to Vinay.

 

            With a much difficulty, Simharaja woke up to go to the northern area of the forest the next morning. To his dismay, he did not find even a small animal. He came back slowly as he was not able to move in the usual manner. He went back to his cave and was groaning throughout the night. He made up his mind to hunt animals as he had already seen in the eastern, western, northern areas of the wide forest the previous days. He hoped to find all the animals in the southern direction that day.

            To fulfill his hunger, Simharaja went silently to the south area of the forest as Vinay's information and searched for animals. He did not find any trace or any sound of any animals. He tried to roar but it was not able to roar. His roar sounded at the lowest ebb to sound like the cat.

            Simharaja came back lamely and weakly to the cave making up his mind to turn vegetarian. He slowly started to eat leaves and roots for his survival. He roamed around the cave and ate all the leaves and the roots he found.

            As usual, Simhaaj roared but the sound of roar was low to his surprise.

 

            To the utmost dismay of Simaraja, Vinay with new vigour and enthusiasm came to him. He found his friend weaker and weaker. He said,

            'What happened to you...?'     

            'Nothing happened to me... Nothing happens to me... Nothing will happen to me,' said Simharaja.

            'You look dull...,' said Vinay.

            'Nothing of that type ... I became a vegetarian...I am living on leaves and roots...' said Simharaja.

 

            'You are the king of the beasts...aren't you?' said Vinay.

            'Yes... I'm the king of the beasts... I was the king of beasts in the past... I'm the king of the beasts in the present... I'll be the king of the beasts in the future... Is there any doubt about me in you ...?' said Simharaja.

           'You're mistaken... All the beasts consider me Vinayaraja, Mrigaraja or Simaraja... Call me so...These days are different... These are my days,' said Vinay.

            'The lion is the lion, the king of beasts though the days tend to change their trend,' said Simharaja.

 

            'Remember the plan of the beasts, the firm resolution to kill you...They're on their mission...,' said Vinay mockingly.

            Simharaja kept quiet as he thought that he was like other animals. He lived on leaves and roots but not on the beasts in the forest not to harm any animal in the policy of 'live and let others live'.

            All the animals subsequently learnt that Vinay, the cunning jackal was very tricky as he misguided them to kill Simharaj and call him 'King of Beasts' later. They did not agree to his said proposal of their killing of the lion, Simaraj. They taught him a bitter lesson by calling him 'Cunning Jackal'.

Published: Literary Vibes - CXLII

28th June, 2024