Someone’s tip just touched my finger and I fear that I’ve sinned.
I wanna bury myself under a blanket before they do so under the land,
All that’s around me is sad.
The clouds, the moon, the trees and man
We now fear the dear
For I have a family to protect.
In this chaos I am looking out through the window for the sanitizers
to fight my war and the mask to block my enemies.
Will I make it to the end?
Or is this my end.
Kirthika Suresh, Fashion designer and Journalist.
Pencil sketch by Saritha
Gone are those days of smile;
Vanished, the days of peace
Whilst disaster intruded meanwhile,
To capture the universal bliss, to seize;
Loss, fear and agony widely spread
Despondence pervaded ruthlessly,
Death toll rose up like towering cascade;
Drops of tears spurted over incessantly.
No, dear comrades, no time to panic
Remember, prevention – always a better path.
Isolation and home quarantine help out the public
Together, let’s face this misery with one heart.
Let’s stand united to fight the growing pandemic
With one heart, one soul let’s break the chain.
Saritha Ram Mohan, Teacher, Poet, Artist, Thiruvananthapuram.
Go back corona
Corona virus ,the daunting disease
Cannot be eradicated with ease.
The world’s headline
Is not allowing us to live fine.
It goes around and around
And still the medicine is not found .
The virus is shaped like a crown
And threatens the whole town.
A great downfall for the society
Which often keeps us in anxiety.
Corona,the intimidating cluster
And the nation’s buster.
Go back corona
Go back corona.
K. Monika, Student and Stage Artist, Chennai.
A woman of substance
She is the pillar of the house,
The keystone of the arch
Take her away and roof and wall,
Would fall to ruin.
She is the fire upon the hearth,
She is the heat that warms the earth,
At her, the children warm their hands,
She is the light of their love alive.
She is the wall against all danger,
The door against wind and snow,
Oh god don’t put her unto rest,
Till her children grow up to be the best.
She is the trendsetter in all walks of LIFE,
On this special day of hers, Let’s feel blessed,
She’s a part of our lives. HAPPY WOMEN’S DAY, to all my friends!
Sujatha Sairam,
Co-Founder, SthreeJeevan.com
A woman is often treated as a commodity after the marriage. A well-qualified, educated domestic help who has to struggle hard often to earn a recognition. This is the plight of so many of us because we have agreed to give up our freedom. A pinch of sindoor and mangalsuthra have a great role to play in bringing about a sea change in our lives. It’s considered the auspicious way to solemnize a relationship but is the integrity of the two maintained forever by the men apart from the women who value it more than their lives. Women often become a scape–goat and victim of so many untoward incidents.
We as educated individuals must value the purity of both. At the same time must not succumb to the emotional aspect of it forgoing our real identity. Marriage gives us an extended family with additional responsibilities. In the pursuit of living a married life our personal interests and passion must not get subdued. Our special traits have to be etched out artistically. Jhansi Rani, Raziya Sultana, Indira Gandhi, Kiran Bedi, Asha Bhonsle, Rukmini Devi Arundel, M.S. Subbulakshmi, Indra Nooyi-the list is endless. These women successfully balanced their personal life as well as professional career. They became world famous and paved way for many other women as role models. They owe their success to their family and the value system put into them in their upbringing.
We too can be one among them with our names in the annals of history. We need to assert to ourselves and think what makes us come alive. “Nothing great in the world has been accomplished without passion.” It may be gardening, music, handcrafted things or anything in which our interest is vested which gives us real pleasure. We must also remember that finding passion is just not about career and money, it’s all about finding our authentic life. We women take a pleasure in admiring another woman driving a bike or scaling heights of the Everest. We fall flat for Shehnaz Husssain’s herbal cosmetics and spend ransom on Neeta Lulla’s trendy wear. We shrug our shoulders and speak about other women. We tend to forget that we can also be one among them. We must make others too shrug their shoulders seeing us. Working meticulously and passionately on our desired work front will add a plume to the bonnet of womanhood. Let’s celebrate our existence and shine brightly like the pole star.
by Sujatha Sairam, Chennai
“I’ve always been fascinated by memory and dreams because they are both completely our own. No one else has the same memories, no one else has the same dreams.”
I thought of reviving the wonderful writings of SJ which made a great difference in peoples’ lives since we started our journey a couple of years back. I’m sure these writings will transform many more lives.
LIVE FOR YOURSELF
This fact all of us have to affirm in our heart and mind. Our life is a unique gift of God and we must make the best of it. As you wake up every morning look at the mirror and admire yourself for confronting the most beautiful person. Just smile and say “I’m lucky that God has given me another day to live life meaningfully.” This will not only enliven your spirit but also boost up your morale.
After a pleasant morning prayer open your wardrobe to pick the attire which you think is going to be a perfect fit for you and comfy as well. Dress up for yourself not for the world. Dress includes not just clothes but a pretty smile to adorn your looks as well. Your smile increases your face value.
Prioritise your day’s tasks and go about doing it. “Will people like the way I do it? Should I change myself? Will it improvise my working style?”-these questions are sure to pose a hurdle. Just cross them and yes of course you have to change-not others or for others. But change the way you think. Make independent decisions and be confident about them. Then see how success knocks at your door.
Satisfying others is quite easy than satisfying your inner self. You will feel defeated if you don’t live for yourself. Enjoy life to the fullest by doing all crazy things you wanna do. Singing loudly and dancing, watching cartoons, buying your favourite assets. You have to project yourself as you are. Seeing your attitude people will flog around you. Another important thing is stop explaining about yourself to people who don’t understand or care about you. People who really love you will stay by you come what may.
BE YOURSELF, LOVE YOURSELF AND BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.
by Sujatha Sairam, Chennai
She dreamt of a beautiful life,
But all she got was threats n beatings,
Kicked till she bled, Her face disfigured.
Her vermilion smudged in her own tears,
She bled, yes she bled!
No one to care,
No one to love.
She was abused,
Tortured physically and mentally,
All her dreams- They burnt in her pyre burning high,
All her dreams too thrown away into the pyre.
O man! Stop these inhuman ways of satiating your hunger,
For lust and greed, For potful of money,
As a price for that a poor girl’s life,
For your pleasure alone!
You bought her as a material,
From the open market
To be in the kitchen
To cook your meals and feed your over-weighing body!
Give her a life,
Don’t burn her body and dreams
In the raging fire
O stop this dowry system
Outdated but still prevalent.
Let her enjoy her life,
Don’t let her shed a tear
Curse will be upon you
Hold her with your love,
And not by burning her in the raging pyre !
Sarala Balachandran, Palakkad
