Jingle bells...Jingle bells.......

'Twas the night before Christmas, and far out at sea
Our vessel was sailing, as smooth as could be

The stockings were hung from the balcony chairs
With hope that St. Nicholas soon would be there

The children were nestled all snug in their uppers
Having just settled down from a Christmas Eve supper

And ma and myself, we were covered in aloe
A bit too much sun, in a pool, warm and shallow

When up in the sky, there arose such a clatter
I leapt from my bed to see what was the matter

To the sliding glass door, I flew like a flash
Well, more like a saunter, and less like a dash

And what to my skeptical eyes should appear
But a great shiny sleigh, and eight flying reindeer

They circled our ship, from starboard to port
As the moon lit the driver, a jolly old sort

Who called to his team, in a happy retort
"Now Dasher, now Dancer," so on and so forth

We raced through our cabin and into the hall
To the very top deck, in time for us all

To be awed by the sight of Old Santa's sleigh
As he lightly touched down, by the midnight buffet

With a bundle of goodies thrown over his back
He rose in the air and dropped down the smokestack

Santa went straight to work, and later we learned
He found every child's cabin, from the bow to the stern

Insides and oceanviews, balconies and suites
Santa filled every stocking, with toys and with treats

Until all his deliveries had been handled with care
Then he noted he still had a minute to spare

So he surfed the wave rider, with nary a fall
While Dasher and Dancer scaled the rock-climbing wall

And Prancer, who had always been fond of the cold
Tried the ice-skating rink, a sight to behold

And then with a whistle, Santa summoned his team
And he bade us farewell, silent nights and sweet dreams

And I heard him exclaim, as he flew out of view
Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good cruise.


Written by Alan Fox, with appreciation and apologies to Clement Clarke Moore, author of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and courtesy Vacations ToGo.com

The Value of your values, and the value of your valuables.

The Mahatma was quizzed one day on how fitting his attire (or lack of it) was in front of the ‘Sahib’. It was regarding whether he would be put into a position of discomfiture when he met them in their suits and collars.

He said thus: “I Value your ‘Values’, not the Value of your Valuables”
Brings to mind situations where you like something which is alien, sometimes where you just accept it without prejudice. Raising a toast is a perfect example: more than once have I thought: Why am I doing this which is not part of my culture, not part of ‘I’…

The above clarifies this position in most cases where we are in a ‘fix’…Maybe it is just respect for their values, or is it something else…….

M Kalipurayath
Yet another Onam coming up - 2009

Fade and Etch

There was a quaint coastal village in Kerala which had a picturesque beach leading up to a majestic cliff wall. Here once lived Ramu and Raju, two village children who happened to be very thick pals. They were always found to be together.

One day, while playing on the beach, they had a fight – as children (and more often the older variants) are bound to do. As an immediate solution, Ramu hit Raju and told him that they would no more be friends. Raju, deeply hurt, went and sat on the sands of the beach, watching the waves. After some time, he wrote thus on the sand – “Today Ramu and I decided not to be friends anymore”.Ramu, on contemplation of events, started feeling lousy. After some time, he went up to Raju, and after hugging him, apologized profusely. On the turn of events thus, a very happy Raju walked up to the Rocks of the cliff and taking a sharp stone, carved and etched thus on to the rock – “Today Ramu and I continue to be the best friends we always were”.
Paste your bad memories where it can be washed away easily, the good ones – etch them onto you where it can never be taken away. M. Kalipurayath
The Monsoon, 2009

Hello again

Both - Rain Drops and my penning - got stuck somewhere. Planning a retake - shall in all probability start both ASAP

From up there, with luv…

Watching from the 12th floor terrace, one sees a pattern below in the life of Hamza as he is seen getting out of his abode at 8.00 PM. His wife has already washed the entrance and ‘their’ part of the narrow street…of course, the roof, along with the shared portion of that of his neighbour (both been rented decades back) undergoing the process of collapsing, the creaking and deterioration happening ever so slowly….over the years…awaiting the final thunderous roar, @ nature’s or man’s pleasure.

Unlike the ant which moves in groups, Hamza, determined to end the day at his pace, kicks off the scooter and is off…determination set on his face, not unlike, as in my friend Pradeeps assessment, a dog staggering down a mountain path, face set in determination, casting you an occasional bored look…on his way to whatever profound chore that awaits him.

But the latter part bore true on Hamza, the same determination…year after year, only to mutate into grim dissatisfaction as his side locks began to grey.

What are we setting out on to??? - Day after day, time after that.

Contemplate!!!

Was it Da Vinci who said – “Once you take to flying………”

M Kalipurayath
The Ides of March’2009

It’s all mine_____

I was en route to the Gym after parking my car in the club parking when I chanced to stumble upon Harris, either going in or coming out from the pool. The lady with me pronounced - “Harris, you have put on weight”. His reply was rock solid – “ I haven’t PUT ON anything, whatever you see, IT’S ALL MINE!!!

There was an underlying cause to explain the solidarity he felt with his body, the truth that he wanted to protect his body from any such onslaughts. His conviction that “it’s all mine” stemmed from a rare courage in the path of identifying and understanding oneself fully. It gave reason to “celebrate” the beauty of the body, regardless of what your trouser size is. So next time at the beach…flaunt your swimming trunks, and all that goes beyond….It’s all mine!!!

M Kalipurayath

Feb 2009