The Library.

Humongous number of books, journals, magazines and newspapers stacked up the shelves. Is that what you see? Perhaps, to an avid reader, a plethora of happiness. Is that all?

Well, the library certainly did serve my purpose. Books, yes. Happiness, yes (I'm one among those avid readers). But most of all, the people. Seated across the tables, wandering along the shelves, whispering as low as they can, aiming to touch below 20 hertz.

One reader with his collection of books, gazing through the pages of the book; as though there hid a treasure between the pages of the book. Probably he isn't able to absorb what is conveyed. Probably he is lost in thought. Probably he is just engrossed into his book. Probably, he's waiting for someone. But that happens in Cafeterias, right? Never-mind. Let's just call him 'The ponderer.'

At the right most corner, there is one woman, probably in her 40's, gazing. No, not at the book. Her gaze widens to her own world. She chooses to follow Newton's first law of motion. Probably the library has an aura of peace to her. Probably she has got nothing on her mind. She is still. And that's that. Because stillness is not the same as nothingness. Probably she is at her peace.

To the other extreme are a bunch of happy-go-lucky students. Giggling, whispering, winking and at the same time cautious to not disturb the others or grab the attention of the librarian. Probably they're done with their examinations and having a fun time borrowing the works of favorite authors. Oh yes, all the giggling and whispering only after each one of them had an attractive book in each of their hands. By attractive I mean, good authors.

Meanwhile my friend is busy juggling across the pages of a book that contained a zillion things to learn, that actually made no sense but was absolutely omnipotent for the examination that was to commence in a few hours.
What was I doing? Why wasn't I doing the same? Well, observing people seemed much more interesting. Much more knowledgeable: do not ask in what context.

A few walked in and a few left. A few slide across the shelves. Ah, the beguiling attribute of used books. Experience wins hands-down over description. There is something about the used books. Alphabets scribbled in a hustle, ink marks, an old leaf from the autumn fall, and if you're lucky, a message. A message in a book, that travels past hands and libraries and shelves, right away to you. Curiosity spurs imagination inside the heart.

That's for an enough. I resume to my books. The same kind of books that my friend was fighting a war with. Just different color, different author and different publication. But unfortunately, no message in a book.
Better luck next time I mumbled to myself. :)


© Deekshita Srinivas. 2014. 

The sky lantern.

As I stood awestruck by the beauty of the moonlight oozing out of the thick black clouds, I wondered how things were, the way they were. When you look at those mountains, those immense rocks jutting into the sky—if you look at them quietly you feel the immensity of it, the enormous majesty of it, and for the moment, for the second, the tremendous dignity of it, the solidity of it, puts away all your thoughts, your problems—right? And you say, ‘How marvelous that is.’ So what has taken place there? 

The majesty of those mountains, the very immensity of the sky and the blue and the snow-clad mountains, drives away for a second all your problems. It makes you totally forget yourself for a second. You are enthralled by it, you are struck by it, like a child, who has been naughty all day long, or naughty for a while, which he has a right to be, and is given a complicated toy. He is absorbed by the toy until he breaks it. The toy has taken him over and he is quiet, he is enjoying it. He has forgotten his family, the ‘Do this, don’t do that’: the toy becomes the most exciting thing for him, said a journal.

Likewise, I was in the mid of forgetting myself, doing two things; one- pondering about those who could travel to far off lands, those who could master in a plethora of languages and cultures, those who had the opportunity to mingle with different kinds of people, those who could afford to be insane, those who were carefree and two- being taken over by the beauty of the moon in the star studded sky fighting against the clouds to outshine themselves. 

And out came a surprise for me. Just in time. A smile crept in upon me. A reminiscence. 'Everything has a right time. We just have to wait for it, until it arrives.', a friend had told me. Now I knew that was true. A sky lantern floated beautifully in the November night sky. It is in these moments that I most cherish the value of little things, simple things, or more so, casual things that can never be replaced by object specializations or immense  noise of the world.

I think I fall a little in love with people when I catch them in small moments, when they think no one’s looking at them, when they absently twirl a strand of hair between their fingers, when they lick their thumb to turn a page in a book. There’s something beautiful about a person who is lost in a thought, or adjusting their shirt, or is scratching a phantom itch on their arm, or even someone who is looking at someone else like I am looking at them. And, I fell in love with that sky lantern, as it conquered the night sky racing towards wherever the wind took it, appearing smaller and smaller, dimming it's glow every second.




One by one, I proudly placed a check mark against my wishes.
 Today, it was this- Sky lanterns. Check. :)
I am grateful. I guess that's an achievement for the day. Thank you.


© Deekshita Srinivas. 2014