The elderly

A river flows westward taking with it the tidings of the past and present, and the memories of those who left for more promising places

Children still gather on its northern bank to play war-games with paper ships and hand cannons

On the other side, a meadow hides the cottage of the old river guard when young blackbucks appear from nowhere to graze

When the Morning greets the waking birdie the two boats lose their anchors and drift westward

Old guardians grow older by the day, their lazy branches soaking in the cold water

The Old Banyan’s beard partially hides his faceless trunk that juts skyward like a tower from the past

As the breeze blows harder and rushes the river along, the Old Banyan grows older

The Kim Conundrum

Reading about the personal journey of an Irish boy who grew up in India touched me in ways I did not anticipate. Rudyard Kipling's novel, 'Kim', took me as far back into my own childhood as I could remember, except that I was more fortunate, and less lonely than Kim.

Kim is energetic, playful and yet has a yearning for something more profound than playing catch with the other boys his age. This profound longing and search for the truth leads him to a quest for enlightenment, in the company of a Tibetan lama who is seeking enlightenment. The two journey through the vast and empty mountainous terrains of India, and finding themselves astray resume their quest in the vast populous plains. Here, the lama eventually finds the 'River of the Arrow' and achieves enlightenment. Kim, on the other hand, is the 'chela' or the disciple of the lama only, and we are left to wonder if he too will pursue the enlightenment that drove his master to undertaking the great journey. The answer is not revealed, and conveniently so, we are obliged to think what would we have done.

Would you take enlightenment if it were presented to you? Or would you prefer to pursue it instead undertaking an arduous journey at ultimate peril?