THIS ONE'S FOR YOU,MY SON

It is Mother's Day today but do we really need to have a selected day to celebrate motherhood?? Do we need restricted reminders to tell us about the joys of being a mother?? Nah,Nah!I think, for a mother,everyday is a special day to experience that one-in-a-million feeling of being called 'Ma'-- we do not need a fixed and stipulated day or time to realize what an exclusive gift from God it is, to be a mother.
I cannot forget the experience of all those wonderful amazing moments of the joys of motherhood........a treasure of a lifetime.As a mother,I still remember the inexplicable joy of watching my son grow day by day.......watch the unfolding of something new everyday.......the simple joy of holding my baby son in my arms....clutching his tiny fingers and babbling with him.......the thrill when I saw him take his first step......in singing a lullaby to put him to sleep......feeding him with spoonfuls of 'cerelac'........changing his diapers endless times.......I remember how frightened I would be if he would sleep extra long hours and how excitedly I used to click his photographs each time he wore something new!
He was full of mischief.....I remember,he learnt to crawl at 7 months.......as soon as he would see no one around,he would dart out on to the verandah and tear the leaves of my mother's favourite plants to my mom's utter dismay and finally it was decided that we tie him up with a string.......yes,it was my daily duty to tell my little 'janaab' 'a once upon a time there lived a king'[ or a giant or a pirate] stories during mealtimes....and how he would listen with his eyes popping out and mouth open and very cleverly I would put the morsels into his mouth.
My toddler soon grew into a cute,smart and affectionate boy and we bacame the best of friends.With him ,I did the most impossible and unimaginable things......playing darkroom,becoming his pony carrying him on my back,playing 'I spy you'on the terrace and singing our favourite songs as we would walk hand in hand on the driveway of my parents huge bungalow.How can I forget the first day he took those tiny steps to school......dressed in his school uniform, water bottle and satchel.
Years flew by even before I realised.....in school,he proved to be intelligent,sincere and the apple of his teacher's eyes....he excelled in everything and I felt pride in his achievements....as a single parent I found the going very tough with time demanding too much from me......often commitments of various sorts took me away from him but it was as if my little one understood and so he never complained......he was fascinated with reel life heroes like He-man,Streethawk and GIjoe....and so obsessed was he with these figures that he spent hours together in their world,creating typical scenes,fighting dhishum-dhishum and even conversing with them.
Soon my son was a high school boy and I can proudly say that he was a package that says "all in one".....in school,he was a performer,he was a debator,a compere,a program manager.......this brought out the best in him and my joy knew no bounds.......by the time,the four years of computer engineering got over,he had bloomed into a fine young man and my heart glowed with a kind of undefined satisfaction.......I do not know how many times I have thanked God for giving me a jewel of a son....I could not have asked God for more!
Today he is a tall,handsome,smart and savvy software executive working in a multinational firm but just as my heart swells with pride,my eyes turn misty as if looking for that small bonny boy running all over the place,reciting rhymes,singing songs,pulling his sister's pony tail and in between as if he needed a break,would come running ,sit on my lap,give me a hug and a kiss and then run away on his next naughty mission.What an irony it is!When he was small,he always loved to sit on my lap,hold me,hug me and kiss me but I hardly had the time.....I always sent him away saying'some other time'.............and now that he has grown up and away in a distant land,I have all the time in the world to let my son sit on my lap and tell him his favourite tales.......I long to take him in my arms and cuddle him but now he does not have the time....isn't it ironical??!

THE BIRTH OF THE NIGHT BIRDS

The social norms are changing,the working hours are changing,life styles are changing......yes,we know it......as the adage says......transition,change is the way of life.....the worrisome part is, alongside, a very uncanny and warped change is emerging.....and if we don't wake up and see the warning signals,it might become just too late to deal with this new species ,a strange creature............the night bird!!...its characteristics----- in office they busily receive overseas calls and transfer data online in the middle of the night,at home they love to talk,chat,text,read and type in the wee hours of the night,they enjoy a walk or a buffet meal or watch a match when the whole world is asleep....in short,they feel pepped up and high on energy at night.......weird isn't it?

Earlier,we used to work by day and when darkness would creep in,we would switch off all work and sleep....but wait!wait!wait!this is not what the new nocturnal creature from urban India thinks.......for him,when the sun sets,it is no longer the end of day........rather life begins after midnight for him.

The night is no more tranquil and serene.........there's the din of traffic,the sound of machines trying to complete work post midnight,the noise made by party buffs revelling and merry making.........in offices people are discussing important issues at conference meetings,some are exchanging social niceties and sipping cappucchino coffee and yet others are trying to meet the unfinished deadlines..........poor hapless employees........they know ........if they fail,they'll be thrown aside like dead rats........oops!........at home........the kids get hyper active past midnight........they are talking on mobiles,messaging,net surfing or e--mailing........and it is a wonder that parents no more find it odd!?

So you see,we are living in a 24 hour world.........everyone seems to be ticking,power packed and hungry for more..........the BPOs,the shopping malls,hotels and cafeteria's and even the internet hubs are mushrooming,as if to satisfy the night bird's wants.......in fact,I feel all the forces are conniving to lure the people into becoming sleepless zombies.........what with the BPOs giving huge incentives for night shifters,the all- night eateries offering mid- night meals and the internet providers making attractive baits of unlimited downloads at night.

Sadly,the nights are no more dark,quiet and beautiful.........it is as if the rich texture of the black colour has been mutilated by a flood of bright neon lights and polluted by harsh human sounds.........when asked,this breed, unanimously say that working past midnight give them a sense of freedom and space..........so they really don't mind going to bed at three in the night and getting up at nine in the morning.......God,won't they have broken body clocks.........their claim is that they don't require more sleep than that.............however,the million dollar question is if this will give rise to a new clan..............reckless,aggressive and abnormal insomniacs?!? Will they miss the magic and romance of the dark and silent night?can't we do something to give them a normal ,happy human life?Is anyone listening?