The Essence of being a Woman

The Essence of being a Woman

 It’s rightly said that “The Hand that rocks the Cradle rules the World”. It is none  other than the hand of the  woman,  whatever role she may play in the family,  be it that of a mother, a wife, or a sister- and  of course  lest  forgotten  that  of  a  woman undeniably  the  one who also happens to  be a  birth giver, the divine nurturer, a caregiver, bringing  forth and  raising up. She is the one on to whom her parents depend for  understanding and succor in times of need, the one whom her spouse   depends on, to bring up their wards  morally, as well  spiritually  , on whose shoulder  rests, his   over  riveted   days  of    schedule, in  seeking relaxation  to    unwind  in to    leisure times   for  him  from his    hectic   grind    , and whose soft and soothing hands can magically ward off the tiredness off  his mind and aching body  and  soul . She is the one on to whom the children look up to; at all times.  Times   of sickness, it is the cool soothing touch of her hand on the fevered brow which the child feels in his state of delirium and sees his/her mother sit up to  it  , at all   odd hours of the day   or night till the monster of a ‘fever ‘resigns  to  the  motherly healing   touch,  that  is  when     she is   certain  that  the child is out of danger  and  living  day lights  will  shine  on  him  again. She is the one patient enough  sitting through the trials and tribulations of  each  hour   through  the  life  as  they grow  and enacts   as  a  fair referee to the children’s quarrels in the house.This quiet, compassionate, understanding, patient, forgiving and  epitome  of  sweet disposition  that is  a ‘ women’ have given us the best of doctors, nurses, teachers and various other professionals, not forgetting the woman who is a homemaker and a professional in her own right but who most of the time sadly goes unacknowledged.It is a point to wonder and ponder   as to whenever one gets to hear of the woman being as a member of the weaker sex and the ponderings lead one to conclude that it may be the physical strength of the woman that is alluded to, or may be in the olden times when most of the women were homemakers and did not have the earning capacity, they were stereotyped into the weaker sex mold. But in reality, when faced with the hard facts and truths of life it is mostly seen that the woman picks up the threads and continues weaving the tapestry she has to in order to give life the continuance required. As the saying goes “When the going gets tough, the tough gets going” aptly applies, for instance, in the case of children orphaned early in life, or whenever, unfortunately a family loses their mother; it is always the sister who voluntarily takes up the reins of holding the family together. A widow left hapless with a brood of children will see that she will leave no stone unturned to see that her children are fed, educated and brought up to the best of her ability. In the case of a divorce, there again one will find most women seeking custody of their children and taking the responsibility of their upbringing and education singlehandedly Women, can no longer be considered, belonging to the weaker sex, but are an epitome of strength, love, responsibility, loyalty, selflessness and other great virtues.  They are someone to look up to, idolize, cherish, and hold them in high esteem. They are the ones who  rock the cradle and bring about strong and healthy future leaders and keeping this in mind, we must  all strive to save the girl child by putting a stop to female infanticide, respect the modesty of women, give them their due respect in their homes and workplace, and strive to protect them curb  crimes  against  women make  our  world  a  safe  place  for  them ,so they beget healthy sons ,daughters ,fathers, mothers  wives sisters .........thus  making this world  a place to call our very own.                              By Maria Gorette Sequeira

Living by the Coastline

Living by the Coastline

As the first light of dawn slowly trickles through  the green hills, crossing over the lush verdant  fields, bringing in a soft bluish green hue to the still water of the lakes and ponds and finally meandering towards the coastline, one is clearly able to see around , the dewdrops glitter akin to  tiny beads of jewels on almost everything . At this blissful  time around  when  we   happen to traverse to the shore  where  the   sea  meets   coast   to   coast ,  finding  our feet in for a treat as the soft cool sand caresses the   tender   soles with  the urge to   wade  in and soak  all  that  feels   salty. The Gods of the Sea know  what  it  feels    , when  the   water wets  feet  ;  irresistibly wanting  you to immerse  your entire  self  to  feel the bountiful  nature   up  close  and  so  very  near. There is a sense of togetherness, a different hue painted to the sky shimmering itself in the cool calming still waters of the morning and the  soulful  sea. Fringing the beach & its surrounds one finds   the  coconut trees to be still with their majestic fronds awakening  motionless to the call of the morning breeze  so  pleasant  making  you  feel  God touched  his  Hand  unto  you . Eyes do  not  miss few of  those  birds  up and about, welcoming the morning sun and its  rays doing  peek-a-boo  through the lush fronds making their way to the cool sea water and there one sees the Almighty Creator dipping his brush into the palette; painting a bright yellowish tinge to the blue green waters of the bountiful Sea. The Sun is then slowly seen journeying skywards   making    the mist disappear with its brightness and warmth. Soft rays of the sun bathe  down the earth as  far  as  the  eyes  can  see  in  to the far horizon   transforming  the dark night into a beautiful sunny morning.

Allow your Gaze to travel back to the      shore   and  what  is  seen  is  the  traditional fishing activity carried on  by the fishing community, who  go about doing their job   joyously  with  bubbling energy either humming a song or whistling  merry  making tunes  reminiscent  of  the  folklores. The catch is heaved up, consigned to bamboo baskets readied for shipment to the market or the factories. The nets are freed of all sea clutter and spread to dry in the morning sun before they are ready once again for the next fishing activity ;maybe later in the day or the next day.

The Dewy haze  is  seen  clearing  far in the distance  and  one can see other fishing boats and mechanized canoes out like  dots on the horizon and the sea gulls swooshing   down  taking  low  flights  converging in groups bobbing on the white foaming   sea , their light wings fluttering as they  greet   crests of   waves  upon  waves . The gentle rays of the sun warm the skin and the cool fresh salty tang of the sea breeze vitalizes senses like no other making one feel fresh & rejuvenated and ready to face the day and whatever it upholds. Luckily coastline dwellers are indeed blessed as they can experience the cool dawn of a new day as well, the cool orange sunset of a lovely evening or even the early caress of the dusk .The sea at all times is a thing of beauty which indeed is a joy forever.

By Maria  Gorette  Sequeira

Amazing "Garfield" my  dearest feline buddy

Well back in the days there once was “Garfield” a fictional cat and the protagonist of the comic strip of the same name, created by Jim Davis. The comic strip centered on Garfield, portrayed as a lazy, fat, and cynical orange tabby Persian cat. He was noted for his love of lasagna and sleeping, and his hatred of Mondays, fellow cat Nermal and the other unlikable stuff. And I always thought and wished if I could only own one then it wouldn’t be a fantasy but reality but none of that happened and I felt disheartened . I had watched the movie couple of times and even bought myself a copy of the same and archived it to my movie library .I must admit I did get truly obsessed with the cat character in the movie and how badly I wanted one to be befriending and living next to me . Days went on by and often times being a cat person I would in particular play the same movie over and over again and around the same time I picked up another sequel to its prequel and bought myself Garfield 2 - A tail of two kitties . Believe me by this time my obsession had got the better of me and it got me going in search of an exact clone of “Garfield “ as was portrayed by a fictional movie character I didn’t give up searching the elusive one to be my friend and now I can clearly recall the day when out in my backyard , running her usual errands ,my lady saw someone crouching behind the trash bin . Up until then I didn’t know of the happenings as I was well engrossed playing games on my computer . I remember her calling out to me frantically and pointing at something which at one moment to me looked unreal as if I saw a ghost of the same tabby gingerly Persian cat ; the one , I was going crazy after in my fantasies .But lo ,behold what I saw was real and there was this cat who resembled to be the exact spitting image of the movie character the world so adored , sitting right there before my very own eyes. It was an unbelievable sight

At first glance we could easily assess his state of affairs and concluded him to be a wanderer of a sort and now in despair , scared malnourished and presumably someone lost far away from the place he actually seemed to have once belonged . I was truly spellbound looking at him and every bit felt myself in awe because this one looked straight out of the movie as “Garfield “ the non-fictional character itself At that point I said the dreams or the so called fantasies do come true if you keep picturizing visualizing them often times .

The sheer joy was unfathomable but we were much too careful so as not to let him feel threatened by our presence and at the same time were praying hoping he finds us to be friendly enough , trusting this abode to be his last resort where he could join and be another member of our family . Slowly but surely he showed signs of trust and came out to eat some food and stayed put . A little while later he went in to a corner and soon fell fast asleep . We were over joyed by his arrival and more than anyone I felt the happiest most ; as if seeing the elusive Garfield character come to life and lingering in my home. We gained his trust with the passing of time and bonded very well with each other .

I hope you all stay with me for Garfield’s sake, as there is more to tell ……………… Cause another diary entry in the coming days will put forward my last narrative of his overall stayal .

Down memory lane with KIWI, the rescued cat.

KIWI  THE KITTEN

As  usual  like  any  other  day ,one  evening  on 15^th  of  August 2021, the feast of Assumption of Our lady into heaven and it being a holiday, we  were  walking     down  our path  for  a  long  evening  walk  by  the  beach  closer  to  the  hours  when  the  sun  was dipping  down    the  horizon .  The  walk had  us   much  caught  up  enjoying  the  cool  breeze  caressing  our cheeks  and  the  acres  of  verdant  paradise  sprawled  around  the  stretch  where  most    tourists  come  flocking   . As we walked on ; down  the  sand  carved  shore  on  the  beach ,  my   ears  caught  a  faint  sound  coming  from  across  the  bushes . At first it sounded like the chirp of a small bird, and then we heard it again this time more distinctly and we were sure it was the mewling of a wee little kitten.   We  inched  closer  to  the  spot  we  thought  the  sound  came  from  and  waited  to  hear  it  come  again .  For  a  brief  period  there was  this  lull  and  we  thought  it  were  our  ears  playing  a  trick  and  we went  back  to  sitting    at  the  same  exact  spot immersing  ourselves  in  to  chatting  again .

A  few  moments  later   the  sound  emanated  once again  and  this  time  we  heard  a  kitten  meow  and  saw  it   moving  around  the   same  bush   looking  frightened every  bit   .The  fear struck   little  kitty  had  spotted  us   letting    out  its  constant  meows as  if  telling  us  of  his  having  been  lost  and  separated from  its  mother.  The  kitten  looked  famished  and  now  abandoned .  Seeing  an  animal  in  distress  mostly  awakens  our  humane  side  and  this  time  we  knew  that  this  kitten  needed  fostering ;lest  it would  die  of  hunger, get run over by vehicles  or  be  killed  or  eaten alive   by  some  predators  mostly  dogs  or  hyenas that  scavenge  the  beach  for  the  leftovers  or  simply  in  search  of  preys   all  through  the  day  evening  and  nightly  hours  .

That  instant  had us  decide  to bring  home this part gingerly  partially  white  kitty   whom  we  christened  “KIWI “ . The  little  kitty  for  about  a  week  was  frantic  and  cried  day  and  night  wanting  its mother  to  be around  and  since  the  kitty   was  lost  soon  after  opening  its  eyes  it  was  still  suckling  on  to  its  mother  when  it  got  separated  due  to  strange  turn  of  events  around  the  area  it  was  found. It is kind of  a  habit  with my  lady  to foster  pups  and  kitties  very  well  and  she  does  it  better  than  anyone . So we  had  a  feeder bottle  brought  home  and  thus  began  KIWI’s  nurturing  . The  kitty  by  now had gotten  used  to living  with us  and  with  it  ended  its  cries  within  months   of  its  being  around  us  .He  was  seen  growing  beautifully; and  we  determined  it  was  a  male  kitty  .

KIWI  ABOUT  TWO MONTHS OLD

Gradually the     months   rolled by and   just a day before yesterday    he is turned a year old. Our fondness  for  KIWI  has  grown  manifold  and  he  can  be  seen  playing  chirping  a few  times  like  birds  grabbing  all  the  attention  he  needs  and  he  is  become  such  a  darling as  we  love  him  so  much .  Ours  is  a  house  full  of  fostered  cats and  each  of  these  cats  have  a  specialty  of  their own  .  Being  a  male  we  have fights  on  our  hands  when  as  a  young  male  he  ventures  out  marking  its  territorial  rights  but  as  soon  as  it  begins  it  ends  abruptly  and  KIWI  goes back  to   playing  again  like  he  usually  does  after  each  of  such  episodes  as  if  to  convey,”  hey  guys  it’s  alright  I was  only  playing  “Please  don’t  get me  wrong”. 

A YEAR  OLD  "KIWI"

And now KIWI is in to   second year after his birth. I  guess  I  will  have   more  of  his  sojourns  to  relate  to  in the  coming  days . Do stay with me   as his story has just begun………………

 

 

"THE DAWN OF A NEW DAY"

"THE DAWN OF A NEW DAY"

       As the dark  ink  of the  of the night thins out   and the faint light of dawn is seen on the horizon,  us the early birds who are up and about, and ready to make the most of the day, and are lucky enough to see, hear and feel the new day taking birth slowly and beautifully. The light reddish hue of the sky far out into the  sea, heralds the new day and the world is  seen  treated to the sweet trills and chirps of the winged and feathered creatures  nestled  up in the trees, welcoming the day and in their own way thanking the heavenly creator  for  all  that  the  GOD  loves  much to  name  as  “earth” safe  through the  dark hours of  the   night . The dawn of a summer day will waste no time in letting the bright rays of the sun filter in over the mountains and through the treetops. The distant sounds of the cocks crowing and the coherent   responses  in  chorus  by the others of the same species have acted as a natural wake up call for humans through dawns of time . As the dawn  breaks  to the  sunny  self  and people go about their work, not so  natural sounds  silence  the others and merge in unison  in to the making of a beautiful  morning.

 
       Come dawn  and the  morning  has   sounds  so unforgettable  of which   the  one is of the bread man/baker, who , with  his bamboo basket stacked up with hot, soft and crusty delights of different shapes and sizes  cycles his way  to the houses. Come what  may !! It may be a cold chilly and foggy dawn of a  spine  chilling winter or it may be a cold rainy and stormy dawn in the monsoon or a warm dawn of the summer, this is another sound which never goes missing just like the sweet birds nestled  in  their   tree tops    or  taking  flights  of    gay  abandon .

       And  while   the  dawn  winks  gloriously ; some of us fitness freaks  ready ourselves   to embrace  the  day   by  embarking   on to   early morning walks or rather  engage    ourselves  and  the  bodies  in yogic asanas, and few of  the  others  who  feel spiritually attuned   are  seen    connecting   to the    creator    in obeisance in  a   deep meditation   ;or perhaps make their way to a nearby place of worship, some others whose mornings don’t   allow them   to  lay  back  are seen busy  caught  up in the  grind  . Some members of the student community are  seen sitting with their books making up for lost time and also making the most of the early morning freshness and alertness of the mind. For some of us a cool refreshing morning shower before getting dressed and ready to face the new day makes it worth the while.      

        Every dawn brings with itself a feeling of hope, of promises about to be fulfilled, of dreams about to be realized. None of us know what the latter part of the day might hold, it may make us happy beyond words or it may bring about unforeseen difficulties but since a  peep  in to the  future is not possible , let us at every dawn, like the birds in the sky, thank the Good Lord for the gift of a new born day and pray to him to help us make it a ‘Day’ more special than the previous one.