CHANTINGS OF THE HEART

Winter is that one season which we all look forward to enjoy the coziness and warmth of our homes, couches and beds. The time when mornings are spent watching the dew drops on the leaves sipping hot mugs of tea or coffee, basking our backs in the mild sun, reading a book of our interest, the winter breaks, the picnics, the events, festivities in the air with Christmas and New Year ushering in happiness and charm of a new beginning.  Come Winter the one concern that most of us have at the back of our minds is to look beautiful, glow and be healthy. However, there is a dampener of sorts to our Yuletide spirits as we have to deal with dry, rough skin. Image credit: Canva No worries, here are a few tried and tested tips which would ensure that you get that supple, fresh skin you always vied for. So let's get started. Pull the OIL Oil pulling is a tried and tested method recommended by Ayurveda for keeping our oral hygiene healthy and flushing out toxins from our body. You can oil pull

The unfathomable has happened! Though civilization has progressed to reach the Mars and Jupiter, yet a virus hardly seen with bare eyes being microscopic in nature is making the world dance to its tunes. COVID 19 or Corona has changed trajectories and has been the trouble maker in people's lives.  Stress is one of those troubles that people are undergoing these days, thanks to COVID 19. Though work or family related stress in one's life was always there yet there has been a new addition. Stress due to the build up of fear psychosis of being infected with the deadly virus, bedridden due to medical complications after coming in contact with the virus or the fear of untimely death. What is Stress? The dictionary meaning of ' STRESS' is worry and pressure that is caused by having too much to deal with. Medically stress is the psychological condition when our body gives undue attention to a certain situation in our lives.  Stress and COVID19 Stress and COVID19 unfortunately 

I stand all alone beside the sea, Waiting as the waves lash along Weeds of hope sail along Only to be washed away Again and again.... I stand alone as the sand beneath me erode!! Move away with each wave of the cruel sea... I stand all alone as I slowly drown In the quicksand of life Never to be gotton again I stand all alone with the ficker of hope Hope comes but goes all alone I stand all alone, surrounded by cruel waves!! Thou beloved, you never came I wait until darkness for your glimpse You never came, I waited till the end of time I waited for your LOVE, all alone All alone beside the cruel sea You never came, you never came!!!  

Mrs Naina Agarwal was strolling outside in the green lawn of her palatial bunglow looking at the beautiful flowers, butterflies and bees buzzing around. Each of these flowering plants have been nurtured by her with much love and care and now these were her only company.  Mrs Agarwal virtually celebrated her 68th birthday with her son's and their families wishing her over Skype. It's been two years since she met them physically. The last time they came to India was for the final rites of her husband.  Mrs Agarwal sat on the garden swing and kept on looking at the beautiful house which she and her husband built brick by brick with the hope of leading the retirement life happily in the company of their children and grandchildren. Instantly her mind was flooded with thoughts of the past and present and uncertainty of the future.  Each and every word of assurance given to her by her near and dear ones were fake. First her husband left her untimely, though he promised to be beside he

  Should it be truth about liars or Liar's truth you decide... 'Liar's Truth'- well that might sound a bit unfamiliar and you must be having 101 questions on your mind on how could liars tell the truth? Well don't worry, I am here with you to solve the oxymoron. 'Liar's' I have met many of them in my life. You must be guessing how I got to know that they are lying? Well, I think I have mastered the art of catching liars red-handed and tactfully, however, I would not like to share how I find out who is lying or not. Liar's always come with a superiority complex as they feel people won't be able to understand that they are lying and believe me they don't even wink the eye and lie you about things in a straight faceted manner that you often feel embarrassed to counter-attack. But I am not a person who takes things lying down and digest all those lies from people I know. I have an interesting incident to share. It was year 2006 and tim

It's not unusual for Robin to work at eight in the evening. Yes, he has no shifts, no weekends, no holidays absolutely nothing; for Robin work is not worship, it's a necessity.  Robin looked around him, shops were decorated with curtain lights, masked people around him were dressed in their fineries, little children still argued with their parents for the pistols, guns, car's or dolls of their choice. A few children dragged their parents to the carts selling pizzas, momo's, chicken rolls or icecream. Robin looked at them with dismay. He had a pain in his heart and that reflected in his dark brown eyes.  Today is Maha Navami of Durga Puja, Robin was walking wanderlessly near the pandals, hoping to get something good to eat, but Puja this year was not good. There were hardly any doners distributing food and clothes.  Robin kept his plastic rucksack in a dark corner at the far end of the Puja Pandal. He sat nearby in the dark for a long time, trying to shoo mosquitoes and

Autumn has arrived, the cool gentle evening breeze blowing from the mighty Brahmaputra, the dew in the grass, the mild fragnance of the Xewali/ Shiuli flower as we embark on late evening walks, the wavering of the Kash flowers, the beats of the dhak from some far flung land is here to flutter your heart once again.  The week long celebrations which all Bengalis wait with bated breath for over a year is back.  Yes, it's Durga Puja; the time for shopping, rituals, bonding, merriment is back. But, this year 2020 is a stark different from the ones we celebrated over the years. The decor is missing, the idols have shrinked in size, dance of the dhakis and the dhunuchi dance is nowhere to be found, no competition for winning the best lighting, pandal or idol. Pockets are empty, clothes and jewellery limited, relatives and friends missing, fun and excitement to pandal hop is gone. Oh! how cruel it is to see some of the best themed pandals ordinarily done. The other day when I was moving a