Had got up at 6, the chores and was ready by a half past 9. Lekha gave me a tight hug and my card - a beautiful one at that - first thing in the morning. The first calls were from my sisters and their families, Achu, my nephew. It was a stream of calls from my classmates, Academy course mates and my naval friends.
Meanwhile, we'd come down to the ground floor when Lekha presented me with a batch of three handkerchiefs with 'R' monogrammed on each.
I cut the cake - baked by Lekha, yesterday - around 1000 hrs with Lekha's friend, Seena and Suma in the ringside. The cake was delicious and yummy! Sijo, the autorickshaw driver, took me on a small errand and therefore, he too was given a piece of the cake.
Phone calls continued to come from my relatives and friends, along with SMSes and What'sApp messages. By evening, the last of the gifts had arrived by courier - it was a collage of photographs from my childhood to the present day. This was the result of systematic hard work, plenty of rounds of discussions between Lekha and Ammu, my niece along with her husband, Mithun and working as per a conceived plan.
A birthday that I enjoyed thoroughly. Thanks all of you for making my day!
Lekha and Ammu showed that anything could be pulled off even during the most adverse conditions! I doff my hat to the both of them.
* * *
Your First Eyes
A lover has four streams inside, of water, wine, honey and milk. Find those in yourself and pay no attention what so-and-so says about such-and-such.
The rose does not care if someone calls it a thorn or a jasmine. Ordinary eyes categorize human beings, That one is a Zoroastrian. This one, Muslim.
Walk instead with the other vision given you, your first eyes. Don't squint and don't stare blankly like a vulture. Those who love fire fall in the fire. A fly slips from the edge into the whey.
If you are in love with the infinite, why grieve over earth washing away in the rain?
Bow to the essence in a human being. A desert drinks war-blood but if it knew this secret, springs would rise, rose gardens.
Don't be content with judging people good and bad. Grow out of that. The great blessing is that Shams has poured a strength into the ground that lets us wait and trust the waiting.
Rumi
Tailpiece.
The Covid cases are on the upswing in India. It's cited as the second wave......will we have to go through yet another lock down? A spike in cases is sure to occur by the end of the first week of next month, soon after the elections to the local self government bodies!
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