A lifesaving football

While passing through a village today, I noticed two little boys waving at our vehicle. They both had catapults in their hand which is commonly used to hit birds. They were shouting something which was unclear. When the vehicle stopped, they were surprised. Scared perhaps with apprehension. 

After a little small talk about their school and education, I gave them a Football with a caveat that they will not shoot down birds anymore. They were happy for getting a Football. I was happy too, hoping that the other side of the deal will be kept. That the glorious flights won’t end. That the melodious chirpings would continue.

Humbling Saturdays

As we trekked towards the village, a middle-aged woman passed by. She was carrying fresh vegetables in her kokcheng(Local bamboo basket) perhaps to sell them in little market along the highway. Her young daughter marched alongside carrying her textbook from school. She kept looking back at us surprised at the entourage going the other way. 

At a distance, an old man was seen ploughing his field. A family was taking rest in the adjoining plot amidst the paddy harvest. A boy had climbed on top of their mud-house to repair the thatch. A group of kids ran across the field with a make-shift football prepared from scrap. They all had their issues, but they all had a smile on their faces. All week long, I simply look forward to the next village visit, to be among the genuine smiles, to be a part of the modest ways and to the humbling saturdays.

Nutmeged

He must have been 8 or 9 years of age. He did not even have proper football gear. As he dribbled the football with ease, I approached him with an air of overconfidence. Just a new kid around the block, I thought, oblivious of the skill-set. 

As I stepped forward to tackle and gain possession, he did a glorious step over. The ball passed through between my legs. Nutmegs are considered humiliating in football. However, this one made me proud. Proud of the raw talent we have. Proud of the possibilities it offers. Proud of the hope it ignites.

Misfits on the shelf

As I glance across from my work table, I see them there, placed randomly on the shelf. Colorful, restless and a total misfit. They cry out loud sometimes deperate to hit the field. They belong to the euphoria of the game. They desire the embrace of the unbridled fountain of youthful energy. 

I got them just before the lockdown for the kids from the villages. The shelf has become their quarantine meanwhile the young Ronaldo and Messi wander unaware. “Perhaps a little more left, the whistle may go anytime!”, I tell them. They remain motionless but I can see the tsunami within. The footballs, on my shelf.

White lies

Have you ever wondered how cows keep producing milk? And Why we humans need to keep consuming milk even after growing up post the infant stage? And that too from another species ?

Amidst the whole marketting propaganda, all I ever heard throughout was the benefits of milk and how it is impossible to ensure physical growth without it.  Unfortunately the gigantism of those white lies  eclipsed the Vegan perspective. I feel betrayed.

Speciesism

Yes, we, the Homo sapiens, are on top of the hierarchy from the point of view of intelligence but does that give us a right over all the other species that we regard as animals. The animals are also sentient beings who experience pain and are a life form not very different from us. 

What right do we have to breed them selectively in confined spaces, to objetify them in our zoos, to deny them the right to live freely, to chop off their beaks, to forecefully impregnate them, to take away their babies and to slit their throats ultimately. Why are we so seduced by those adverts from animal agriculture groups when we do have a choice to go for a plant-based diet.  Do we have a moment to think about what we eat? For 10 minutes of sensory pleasure of the taste buds, why should animals be killed?

Light of Kindness

Few more kilometers to go, I told myself, attempting to convince my mind to keep going. It was after a while that I had gone for a long run. Sun, my sole companion suddenly disappeared into the horizon. The darkness made the remaining distance dreary. 

And just when the gloominess of the night was to take control, the Solar Street lights along the road sprang to life. These were among those adopted by people as a community initiative. It rekindled the good vibes of project light. The light of kindness. I sprinted ahead fuelled by joy.

STAY AT HOME

STAY AT HOME 

They work tirelessly, 

Day and Night, 

They risk their own, 

To save your lives.  

For the medics, stay at home. 

They have nurtured you,

Sacrificed their lives, 

They raised you up, 

They didn’t dream big, so that you could. 

For the old, stay at home. 

They have just began, 

With wings still folded.

Their future lies ahead, 

In this uncertain time. 

For the little ones, stay at home. 

We have been bad, 

Greed and what not. 

We must learn. We must coexist. 

We must recreate that balance. 

But before all that, 

For our species, stay at home. 

Parties can wait

Marriages can wait 

Travels can wait. 

Corona, on the other hand, 

Is too stubborn, stay at home. 

There isn’t any other way, stay at home. 

Else humanity would pay, stay at home. 

That’s all I want to say, stay at home.