Suhani Writes

A week ago, I was cleaning my cupboard. Papers, books, magazines, some unfinished cards, chart papers, letters, birthday cards flooded out of my cupboard! Usually many of us have the habit of hoarding things! I am one of those so, whenever I clean my cupboard I have all my memories rushing to remind me of some sweet, some bitter moments! These amassed souvenirs are one of my most treasured possessions; it won't be wrong to say that they are relics of my life (though it's too early to say so).  As I was cleaning my stuff, I came across an envelope. At the back of my mind I knew what it carried but, I wasn't very sure. Intrigued, I opened the envelope only to discover my most treasured possession...three letters written by my grandmother! With no patience I began reading those letters. With every piece of advice my grandmother had left for me in those letters my eyes welled up only to rush down my dusty cheek! Later on I found two birthday cards designed by my younger brother...

  When I was in class five, I was introduced to a book called 'The Old Man and His God' written by Sudha Murty. As I turned to the last page of the book I was elated with all the short stories the author had written and was very keen to read more of her work. Today, my bookshelf is embellished with almost all her books!  The author of 'The Old Man and His God', Sudha Murty, writes short stories (maximum of her books are short stories) which are barely ten to twelve pages each. They are easy and good reads, especially for the ones who wish to inculcate the habit of reading. What I like most about her writing is that, it is very real. She writes about her personal experiences which make her stories more connecting and heartouching! Her writing has simplicity and yet, you are taken into Murty's world! You can literally imagine words when you read her book! Her stories can be read by children, adolescents and even elder people. Murty's writings has magic as it can c...

  Last Sunday, when I scrolled my WhatsApp account, the one common thing I could see was, people wishing their mothers a ‘Happy Mother’s Day’! All the status updates on WhatsApp that day showed children comforting their mother’s around their arms and smiling widely! Oh, it was an adorable sight!  As kids we are always very close to our mothers, right from our very existence! We have grown in our mother’s comfortable wombs and then into her comfortable laps and under her soothing touch! It is said that even a newborn understands his/her mother’s touch. Her touch is of a different kind, tender and affectionate when we are in pain and strong yet fragile when we are creating pain! Her hugs protect us from all the problems, her pat on our back is more than a Noble Award! Describing a mother's love for her child is impossible as it is beyond words and can only be felt by the kid! Mother’s indeed do a lot for their kids throughout their life and yet, only a day in a year for them...

  “N eil Armstrong was the first man whose boots touched the moon’s surface, Buzz Aldrin was the second one.” We were taught this in school in the second or the third class. Apollo 11 was the mission which had set these astronauts on the Moon. But there weren’t only two astronauts who flew to the moon….they were three of them. Michael Collins was the third one. Many may know this too...but I know his contribution is known to far less people! Collins, often referred to as the ‘forgotten astronaut’ last breathed on 28 th April 2021. Michael was the one who flew Apollo 11. As the rocket took off from the Earth and reached the moon it sent two astronauts down to experience the surface of the moon whereas Collins remained in the spacecraft preparing for the journey back home. He spent hours engulfed in the darkness on the darker side (the side of the moon which is not visible to the earth), orbiting the moon when, he had lost connection with Earth as well as with his fellow companion...

  “Look, how well she studies and look at yourself!”, “Mr. X’s son got a job in the US and look where you stand!”, “Y’s got a handsome package and you, you hardly earn anything”, “He studies for ten hours a day and you, can barely sit for ten minutes in a place” These are some things we’ve always heard at some point in our life! Maybe were taunted in the above ways by outsiders or maybe our parents said it to us! I was a varied category, as I compared myself many time with others! When I was twelve years old, I had one of the best conversations with my paternal uncle. As a kid, I was bragging about how well I scored in a test that was conducted in my school, “I have scored fourteen out of fifteen and none of my classmates were able to do so!” to which my uncle replied, “I am happy that you scored well. But, don’t compare yourself with your classmates, you will limit your score to the highest marks and not fight for full marks!” was his polite reply. This came as a life lesson for...