DP Daily Prompt: Fight or Flight Post by Ranu

Many  times I had confrontation with people.I always opted to head for the hills. Though it made me angry.I’d wait for  next time. I was very outspoken at home,I never let my siblings get away  with anything. My mom disliked this side of me. She’d warn me,’Now Ranu  perhaps it’s all right to be confrontational with your siblings,I fear you may do the same thing outside’. I don’t know what those words,did to me,whenever someone was mean, I tried to tell them off,but it seemed the words were stuck in my throat.

Then came a day when I just lost it. There happens to be a busy body in my town. He always boasts about his kids,how well they’re doing and keeps on beating his drum. I thought it’s okay,he has a right to do so. Suddenly he changed the subject,he started picking on my  kids,one day he said ,Selina will never get a permanent job. If he said it to me I definitely would not look the other way. He had the audacity to say this to her,in front of several people. Selina was unhappy,she told me what he’d done. I was so angry I immediately picked up the phone to tell him a thing or two. He was not at home,I left a message to call me. Next morning , I waited till nine in the morning. I called him and I did not hold back,words came pouring out of my mouth, I was surprised . When I finished, I warned him not to repeat this atrocious behaviour .

Finally I was relieved I did not look the other way. I can see my Mom staring at me and saying, ‘Ranu ,you didn’t do the right thing.’

DP Daily Prompt: Weaving threads post by Ranu

Foliage in the Parc du bassin Bonsecours and dome of the Marché Bonsecours (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: View of downtown Montreal. Français : Vue du centre de Montréal. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I like  Montreal .

It is a beautiful city.

The best part is,when I go there, I hear diverse languages,including my own. Parlez,vous francais?  Non, je parle Anglais, Monsieur!

A song by Tagore Translated by Ranu

English: Night sky with moon and clouds, in Thailand (forgotten location, unidentifiable location) Русский: Ночное небо с луной и облаками (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When you came in the dark

the moon did not rise on the bank of the ocean.

Oh stranger, I felt your presence,

your song touched my heart.

When you went alone

the moon rose in the night sky.

your garland was visible on the way___

it made me realize who the garland was intended for.

DP Daily Prompt: Freedom Of Facebook Posted By Ranu

Image via CrunchBase

I do not know anything about facebook. Freedom is a word I believe can be misused. Facebook has come under attack? I’m glad the users or non users are taking steps to have some guidelines. I don’t think it’s  a place for hate speech or violent imagery. Having guidelines can help all those who use this to talk about themselves. It’s perfectly all right,but when it is used for a negative purpose,it should be controlled.

I sometimes see comments made by people when they watch YouTube distasteful to say the least.If users are not comfortable to watch,read whatever the case maybe,the best thing is to move on.There is no need to use swear words,it shows disrespect and also doesn’t say much about the person who is doing it.

DP Daily Prompt: Say Your Name Post by Ranu

My Dad loved the word paradise. He named my older sister ‘Firdous’, which means ,Paradise in English. He wanted to be within the confines of paradise, he decided his second daughter should be named, ‘Chaman’, my name means garden in Urdu. He named his third daughter,’Hoor’, meaning angel. Hoor also is an Urdu word. Then came the turn of the fourth,he named her,Roshan which means manifest. All these names are Urdu words. In our home we have,Paradise,Garden,Angel and manifest.

When one thinks of paradise:garden,angel and manifest comes to mind.My Dad did a fine job naming us.

My name ‘Chaman’ means garden. There are a lot of poems written by famous people about ‘A Garden’ or Gardens. I love my name.I cannot think of renaming myself. I love reading the poems composed by poets.

Here are two verses written by Iqbal from his famous book,( ‘Bang-e-Dra)

Kali Se Keh Rahi Thi Aik Din Shabnam Gulistan Mein

Sir Muhammad Iqbal (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rahi Main Aik Muddat Ghuncha Haye Bagh-e-Rizwan Mein

English translation by the author;

One day the dew in the garden was saying to the flower bud

“I lived for a long time among the flower buds of Paradise.”

2. Tumhare Gulistan ki Kaifiat Sarshar Hai Aesi

Nigah Firdous Dar Daman Hai Meri Chashm-e-Heeran Mein

Translation by the poet:

The condition of your garden is so elegant,

The Paradise’s sight is concealed in my bewildered eye.

I have borrowed these two verses from” Phoolon Ki Shahzadi”  The princess of flowers(Bang-e-Dra)

Shaadhona Worship by Tagore Translation By Ranu

Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel prize for literature. It is the first Nobel prize won by Asia. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Goddess, devotees have come to you

with many offerings;

I, the unfortunate, have brought my tears

and  my ineffective prayer.

You know my hearts desire,

I had the longing but not the ability,

even then I carried the desire day and night.

I tried to string together what was in my heart,

it continuously fell to pieces,

the good, the bad, dark and light is mixed up.

Still, O pious one ,

I bring my heart and soul to you

my life’s greatest wealth___

my fruitless prayer.

O,my useless adoration

all the successful devotees are mocking me.

If only you ,Goddess could for an instant

change leer into affection__

shed one tear-drop with compassion

my useless prayer would be successful.

Goddess, many have come to sing

with numerous instruments.

I have a soundless, severed

humble lute.

You know I did not neglect;

I practiced countless times,

Whatever tune I had in my heart,

I used my lute with hope,

unfortunately my attempt failed__it broke the strings.

Quietly I waited all along,

brought my humble song

my beloved instrument___

a torn lute.

All your gifted followers are laughing with hatred.

If you take it in your lap

the unsung songs will take a seat in my heart!___

What was hope will blossom into music, the torn lute.

Oh, goddess I sang many songs in my life,

there were many good results;

I donated all of them to the world,

filled the whole earth.

Whoever likes it can take it,

however long it lasts, let it,

let it pick up all the fame and disgrace.

I carried out whatever I said

it is not mine, it belongs to all___

it is roaming around in different form all over the world.

Whatever greatest wealth I have

I am leaving at your feet__

failure, unsaid message, unsung song,

fruitless hope.

O my dear fruitless hope

watching this everyone is laughing in contempt.

If you my goddess will take this petty___

garland in your hand,

a new day and night will emerge with sweet fragrance;

it will make my fruitless life successful.

DP Daily Prompt: Switcheroo post by Ranu

The Switcheroo Series: Alexisonfire vs. Moneen (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If I could switch blogs with any blogger for a week, I’d switch with Subhan Zein. He writes his poems so beautifully. He has a great talent for writing simple poems,that are very meaningful.His comments are wonderful,he seems to have a way with words. I will learn a thing or two, I think.

Then he has such a huge follower list. I won’t mind having them for a week. Who knows I might have them for keeps. Wouldn’t it be lovely!

Mouno “Silence” poem by Tagore translation by Ranu

Whatever I say is ineffectual,

my mind nods ___ it’s not,it’s not.

The words that fulfills my heart

why don’t they ring in my instrument!

It only fills my emotion

my heart is overcast with clouds;

sometimes it rends like a flash of lightning

splits my heart what does it want to show!

Silent dumb stupid in deep darkness

suddenly at midnight it cries in a hundred streams.

Burden of words choke, oh you paralyzed heart,

where did you lose your songs.

No flute,just useless breath___

instead of music only tears.

DP Daily Prompt: Journey Post by Ranu

English: A picture of people performing (circumambulating) the . This picture taken from the gate of Abdul Aziz seems to divide the Kaaba and the minarets into mirror images of one another. Français : Pélerins en train de réaliser la Circumambulation (ou Tawaf) autour de la Ka’ba. Photo prise depuis la porte Ibn Saud, d’où la vue présente une symétrie en miroir presque parfaite. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One year my husband and I decided to go to Makkah for pilgrimage. We applied for our passport and applied to the Saudi Embassy for visas. We left the children with their uncle in Chicago. We took a flight from Chicago. We had one stop at Amsterdam. We waited  an hour to catch the next flight. I felt great watching all the passengers praying, the flight was going to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.We got off the flight and went to the lounge.There  was no place where we could sit. I saw other passengers coming in ,it seemed they knew how the system worked, one family took out a large sheet and spread it on the floor and sat down.I was amazed to see how calm they were. One member of the  family took out an apple and shared with people around her.

After clearing customs we went with my husband’s cousin to his home. The wife gave us instructions,what were the things we needed to do. My husband and I were excited. His cousin’s family accompanied us to Makkah. We visited the Kaaba we went around it seven times.From there we went to Safa Marwah .We walked back and forth seven times. We stayed in Makkah for five days.

Our next place of visit was Medina,we stayed here for two weeks.During our stay we visited the grave of Prophet Muhammad and other holy shrines.

From Medina we flew back to Jeddah . After a couple of days, we were on our way to Chicago. We got our kids and flew back to   Gander,via Toronto, Canada.

It was a wonderful experience for us.

DP Daily Prompt: Wind-powered Calculators Post by Ranu

Wind powered well in Nebraska (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have used calculators,I love what they can do better as compared to my brain. Wind-powered calculator.? It will be incredible to have one of those. It would mean no batteries or electricity to operate them. One thing boggles my mind, how on earth will the wind replace battery or electricity? Are they going to capture the wind in a box? My brain is unable to process it. However it is up to the inventors I believe,I will sit and wait for the day when it comes out.

I find it rather intriguing,how we humans are  mismanaging the energy we have. It has come down to load shedding in developing overcrowded countries.Electricity is used sparingly. We complain why that is so, maybe we should be reminded,there was a time when there was no electricity,no switches to play with,what did we do then?

So now we have to look up and ask nature to help us. We need wind-powered technology now. We have depleted the natural resources by our overwhelming need. I wonder if it is possible to use up the wind. For now wind-powered technology is showing its head up. Since we have to go with the flow.I’ll have to bow down and say it’s a necessity. Welcome wind-powered Calculators!