Open letter- 9 (Books)

Dear Books,

   I am a bit shy to pen down this letter because I am sure it will turn into an open love letter. No matter how well I hide my feelings to sound matured and sane in the post, it will turn into a sweet expression of affectionate love by the end. For the source behind my inspiration, affection, and sanity, you have changed my world in an amazing way. And I am sure those who love you unconditionally will nod their heads in resonance when I say it is impossible to stay away from you. Unknowingly the need to possess you and read page after page turns into an addiction, while you open a wonderful world to life.

 Linking your name to addiction may sound incorrect but that is exactly how we feel about your presence in our lives. Let me quote my own real example from last week. After exhausting my stock of library books, I was restless till the time I could pick some new ones. And all the while, I possessed this unsettling feeling of missing something really important in my usual routine. That is how you make yourself so significant that your absence is difficult to deal with. But, this love is not shared by all the members of my clan. There are significant number of lovers and haters in the club; there are few who choose to stay away from you as much as possible. Something about you making them sleep! No wonder you are a good foolproof solution for insomnia. You are like a ‘tried and tested’ prescription for people who cannot sleep. Spend some time reading your text and experience guaranteed sleep.

 On a serious note, my lovely relationship with you is actually new-found and quite recent. I am sure my younger self in the past would not be able to say such good things about you. Since you troubled our childhood with boring matter and compulsory lessons, it was not a very smooth journey back then. The more I was forced to be with you year after year with examinations and evaluations at the end, the more I hated your presence. You were like that nosy nerd who seemed to know everything and who showed unnecessary smartness in front of our teachers and parents. No wonder my friends and I made all possible attempts to avoid you into our group.

   The number of times our elders told us to spend some time with you was just too much to handle. While I would love your colorful cousins full of fun stories and cartoons, I detested your boring counterparts overflowing with knowledge to the brim. This is exactly why we looked forward to hide you from our lives on the first day of vacation. In fact we even celebrated a little ritual on the last day of our examination where all of your gang was shut behind a locked cabinet to be ignored as much as possible. This hatred was only for the serious curriculum members of your clan. I still loved your fun based novels and informative non-fiction who promised not to judge me at the end with an examination!

   But all of this changed magically when the specifications of our relationship changed. As soon as you promised to stop bothering me with marks, degrees and tests, something magical happened. I felt in love with your matter when the marks did not matter! And then our bond strengthened. Now reading all your friends, cousins, family members and neighbors is my motto because I realized you people are fun too. Apart from the high level topics that tangent off from my understanding, there are actually many others that are totally interesting.

  There is some possessive feeling about you that is common within our club of book-lovers. Though we enjoy reading borrowed books from the library, it aches our heart if someone misuses you. Everything from folding your ears to flipping you upside down hurts our sentiments as if someone is manhandling our own friend. Hence on behalf of our team of ‘book-o-philes’ (Yes, this club does exist), we promise to punish the offenders immediately. You are best friend to so many of my introvert folks. In fact ‘bury yourself into books’ to avoid awkward interactions is the war-cry of the said book-o-philes.

 You are the brain child of talented authors and writers who work hard to reach their readers. And once you are out, it reflects their dedication, talent, and determination. You deserve all the respect in the world because words are powerful. And you are like the humble house storing all this power.

  Even someone as powerful as you could not be spared from the growing flame of technology. While technology managed to grip our grandparents and parents under its claws, I realized it did not spare you too. Though the sight of our grandparents swiping their screens or our parents smiling behind video calls is too cute and wonderful, it is not the same in your case. Call me old fashioned or an old grumpy girl (yes, I meant girl and no, it is not a typo) I don’t like to read your electronic version. I am still in love with your physical copy, making it easier to touch your pages and feel your words. I feel old and out-of-fashion when I say this because even my cooler dad prefers his cooler tablet to read the younger members of your team. I dread the day when electronic species of your genre will wipe away all the physical books and dominate the earth!

  I have a feeling this may turn into reality soon. And even though I hate to admit, it is true e-versions are better, convenient, simple to carry, and save paper too, yet they seem a bit cold at heart. But as they say change is the only constant, please do warn me before this happens, will save one physical masterpiece to show the grandkids!

 This brings me to the end of my open confession of love and affection. Do continue to bless our lives with texts, paragraphs, pages and binding. Till I read you again as soon as I am done with this writing; inspire our minds and brains- we need you forever.

Yours lovingly,

A true book-o-phile

Open letter- 8 (Moon)

Dear Moon,

  To be honest, I did not plan to write to you. I did not seem to have enough words for a calm, cool, beautiful and matured image like yours. They say ‘Drama creates talks’, hence it was not easy to get any juicy matters for your no-nonsensical aura. You possess the calmest look with a beautiful essence, leaving me dumbstruck for lack of any good words. But ever since you captured my attention two days back on the eve of full moon, I was tempted to say something. And when you posed for my camera, I realized it was the undoubted signal from universe. To a lovely natural satellite who shines bright and strong, there are so many aspects of your personality that attract me.

  At the start, you are ‘the single most romantic hero’ in the galaxy. I am curious to know why and how you earned this title, but there is something romantic about your presence. You seem to bring out the best kind of dreamy words from writers, poets and lyricists, while they symbolize your cute looks and lovely essence. And when these wonderful lyrics are wrapped into melodious tunes, the effect is beyond understanding. You manage to inspire and motivate us to fall in love with the breathtaking elements of nature. Not everyone needs to be strict and stern like your scorching cousin ‘Sun’. I hope he doesn’t read this letter to add to the existing stock of intense heat.

  But, if we leave the humor aside, you are like the mellowed down version of your stronger cousin. While he is strong, powerful, hot, angry and fierce, you are just the opposite. Appearing during the cold nights, you are so calm, silent, cool and happy. When the darkness of night seems to dull our spirits, your cool look makes us happy, hopeful and loving. We look forward to yet another day of struggle after a quiet night of sleep. I admire the perfect co-ordination between sun and you. While one brother forces people to wake up and get to work as long as he is around, the other one puts everyone to sleep. Must say, you and your brother handle two shifts perfectly. This coordinated play has turned into a perfect clock system for us. Both of you come and go, while we stick to our routine down here.

  I remember trying hard to learn about your cycle theoretically and observing you every single day to make it practical. With a short cycle, you enjoy turning brighter and dimmer with a strict schedule. How do you manage to stick to your fixed agenda every single day of the year without any laziness is beyond my understanding? Aren’t you bored of the same behavior every now and then without any variation the way you feel like? Well, I may never get any answer to this, but the least I can do it follow it as much as possible. If I go to think about it in my own practical life, it points to ‘obeying time’. Every other factor will come and go, but the value of time can never change. If we obey time, everything else will be taken care of.

  I have heard you cause high tides and low tides in the ocean. Also, your pull is strong enough to create huge waves in the sea. How do you manage to do it from up above is another factor beyond my understanding? But, as a tiny particle on this planet all I can say is your coordination with different elements of nature makes it interesting and worth learning. I love your different shapes in the sky. Though there are many technical terms for each shape, I enjoy layman cute terms such as ring and bulb!

   Though you may not like to hear this, I enjoy your absence too. No moon days are often linked to darker superstitions and unlucky times, but your absence offers a clear black background to observe sparkling stars. It is absolutely acceptable that you take such timely off since it gives a platform to tiny stars too. They can enjoy their short term of fame and attention, before you return back once again.

   Your full-time job days are amazing too. You seem to switch on a bright bulb in the darker skies. Looking at your moonlight during cooler nights is nothing less than pure magic. It has the power to transport us to happier times and nostalgic memories. No wonder you inspire us to sing songs as we look at your calm face. Though you are silent always, we tend to draw a lot of inspiration from your silence too. We do not need any two-way conversation with you. We can simply look at you and continue our one-sided talks, while assuming your love, smiles and blessings come our way.

  Do you have some secret language of communication with little kids? Why do all these cute innocent minds treat you as their lovely uncle and wave back to you, every now and then? I am sure you speak to their innocent and clear hearts that can’t stop smiling and enjoying your presence. Thousands of miles away from his home country, when my nephew recognized you in a new atmosphere, it made him feel much safer and familiar. It was as if his best uncle traveled to be with him. And it’s not just plain recognition, it was his bright-lit smile and excitement that felt out of the world.

 You have a fun side to your character too. Why do you love to play hide and seek with clouds only on those specific days when you know everyone is waiting for you? You make yourself loved and longed for while enjoying the undivided attention. As we hope to catch your glimpse after a long day of fasting, you seem to enjoy all our prayers and requests, royally! But, nonetheless it teaches a lesson in disguise- be unique and indispensable such that people long for your attention and presence.

  I must stop writing now to end this long letter. I never realized I had so much to talk to you and your friends, before starting this series. For a socially awkward character like me, this is more than I can handle or digest. Or maybe this is the only means of communication that can keep me going.

 Till we meet again - while you switch on your bulb, switch if off, shrink to a ring or show 50-75% of your beautiful looks.

Yours lovingly,

A cute niece back then, an un-cute admirer now!

Open letter- 7 (Bird family)

Dear Bird family,

‘Nothing stops you,

Nothing pulls you back,

When you decide to leave the land,

 it is time to touch the sky!'

  I am amazed by how these words are flowing in a poetic manner because I am never able to write one if even I wished too. May be this is due to your influence and thoughts in mind. As symbols of free will and independence, you represent the power of being yourself. While flying in the limitless sky, you are not bounded by the shackles of physical boundaries. Nothing stands between you and your desire to touch the sky, discarding any borders as insignificant lines on earth. 

  It is exciting to look at your style of life- one moment you are grounded on branches of trees and other moment you are gliding or flying in the sky. How does it feel to balance such contrasting responsibilities? Is it fun to be able to just leave the land when bored of its limitations to explore the limitless sky, only to return back when the stomach demands food?

  Till I started penning these open letters, I never realized there is so much to convey to each one of you in nature. And once I started with it, there was no turning back. As our friends on this planet, you truly make our life complete and full of happiness. Though I agree our obsession with development and efforts to conquer everything on earth drives us towards inhuman approaches, we are making amendments, while hoping it is not too late.

   You represent the beauty of exploring everything life has to offer. While flying is just one usual action among your other tasks in life, we cannot help but admire it as an exceptional feature of power. And since we cannot do it ourselves, we love to stare at your flight and wish we could do the same. 

 As a child when I saw you leaving the earth to disappear into the sky, I was jealous, surprised, amazed and happy all at once. I cannot remember the number of times I must have requested God to let me fly once, especially from a boring class or away from tons of homework. If I could escape from it on my free will, life would have be so wonderful! Though we have made brilliant efforts of copying your style and flying inside an aircraft for several miles around the globe, it is not the same as flying individually like you do.

  You have so many diverse members in your family. From tiny cute ones to powerful big ones, your family is huge and interesting to know about. 

  While each one of us wish for this ability to fly, we have even expressed the desire through songs, paintings and books. Your feature of flying above the world has filled us with inspiration to pen/paint/sing those desires in wonderful art forms. It is true we cannot fly, but the least we can do is engage ourselves in those amazing thoughts through the power of our creative imagination. After all imagination takes us places, then why not fly with it if we can?

   How does it feel to observe us from up above? I am always curious to know, do you laugh at our stupidity of overcrowding the land or admire our development to transform the earth? It will be beneficial to acknowledge your opinions to gain a wider perspective. Reports about death of birds caught inside wind mill or within the string of kites should make us understand, but we choose to escalate the problem before paying any heed. This dominance of our character should end before we are left alone on a barren land. We are making efforts to prevent these disasters as much as possible, but I always believe repairing something after the damage is done is pointless when we could have clearly avoided it in the first place. It does not mean our efforts are incorrect, it only points to the need to find harmless alternatives. 

 Let me take the letter to a lighter note before you fly away in boredom. Your wings inspire us to explore our own talents hidden within. When a strong desire to touch the sky overpowers any trace amounts of self-doubt, anxiety, lack of confidence and failure, everything appears possible. You give us company on land with your voices and actions. And I am sure you understand baby talks because small children are so excited to see you, while conversing with you in some unknown language. No wonder they create pet names for you, while clapping and rejoicing in your presence. Though almost everybody loved the game of ‘Angry Birds’, I did not like it as much. Somehow the thought of picturing you as angry and agitated did not go well with my system.

  Among all your members, sparrow was and will always be my favorite. She is too cute to ignore or dislike. I am sorry picking up a favorite sounds rude and unfair, but she is my first friend since childhood. 

  Often, while caught in the madness and fast pace of our daily routine, we end up ignoring or not acknowledging your presence. But, the moment you choose to abandon some place for a while, we miss you a lot. You may not believe it but we do notice your absence instantly. Also, we enjoy spotting various kind of birds different from the ones we see in our neighborhood, while traveling someplace else. After all, ‘bird-watching’ is a popular adventure too. Your name is also mentioned quite often when someone asks us to take a ‘bird’s eye view’. If refers to taking a whole view rather than conserving our opinions over a limited notion.  

  Fly high, inspire us, love us and give us company, we love your presence in order to stay motivated and confident.

Till we meet again - while you fly and I try to fly!

Yours lovingly,

A tiny particle on earth

Open letter- 6 (Rainbow)

Dear Rainbow,

   I always think there is some special connection between the two of us owing to our recent amazing encounters. The photographs captured on my phone justify this fact because you simply look more and more beautiful in each one of them. One perfect moment between the sun and the rain and you greet us with your mesmerizing beauty. You do the perfect job of guest appearance, lasting for a short while, yet delivering all the possible magic within it. No one can depict the significance of the right moment as you do since all it takes is just one perfect opportunity to paint a beautiful picture.

  Though I always spend those crucial minutes admiring your colors, I realized it is about time to appreciate your presence. It made me guilty of just staring at your looks without offering any words in return, hence here I am writing and writing till my mind stops. To talk about our first introduction, it started in my science classes where we were taught about your occurrence. While the phenomenon of sun and rain producing this wonderful array of colors in the sky seemed confusing and difficult to understand, it all turned fruitful when I actually saw you in reality. Nothing can replace the joy of seeing a colorful band in the sky, appearing as a perfect painting made with perfect strokes in proportion.

  If there is one occurrence in the nature that signifies the importance of ‘timing’, it has to be you. While we can look at mountains, oceans, sun or clouds any time of the day, it is not true in your case. Unless we drop everything and rush to capture you at the perfect moment, we cannot enjoy the sight. I must say you have made yourself so valuable. “Come to see me whenever I appear, or else forget about it” is the best way to explain your attitude. And that does sound a bit narcissist, yet we love you! Though we may fail miserably if we try to implement the same attitude in our own life (I can actually hear more ‘forget it’ thrown at me), it speaks something about the ‘value of time’.

   If we learn to value every moment as an independent factor, we will learn to extract more from life. Like timely combination of rain drops and sun is something as beautiful as you, timely existence with timely work pattern may be something as wonderful as a happy life. I enjoy extracting life lessons from natural elements because those teachings are so true, pure and selfless. Without any vested interests, nature teaches us so many things that can only make sense, if we are willing to learn. Back to you, if anytime I find myself wandering into pointless future, I remind myself to be back in the moment that matters.

  I am amazed by your simplicity. How can something as basic as seven bands create the wonderful outcome of a rainbow? It shows beauty does not demand lot of complicated elements. All it takes is simple co-ordination and unity. Individually none of the colors may appear as wonderful as they do when all come together. Another lesson in disguise. Though your appearances are rare and short, you do teach a lot within that time. ‘Maximum output from minimum input’- I am sorry if you did not mean to teach that last bit but we are capable of deciphering anything to suit our purpose! Make impactful appearances that add value is the underlying statement in disguise.

Some people don’t really bother a lot about your occurrence. Ignoring it as a natural act, they tend to let it go. Or they must have seen you quite many times before. And then there are few others like me who jump at every chance to capture you as much as possible. No matter how many times I see you, every single appearance feels unique. I am not sure if you actually dust your bands with some inspirational powder because I always return motivated and inspired after our rendezvous.

   Whenever your name is mentioned, the first word that pops in my mind is ‘VIBGYOR’. That is how we were taught to remember your sequence correctly. This lesson from childhood has made a permanent space in our hearts. And a confident boast to our brain cells that we still know it correctly. It joins the league of childhood lessons such as sequence of planets in the solar system that form a permanent memory in our system and remind us of our happier school days.

  It is wonderful to witness your coordinated performance between two diverse natural aspects –sun and rain. Rarely does rain offer respite from the scorching sun and sun provides a ray of hope during cloudy days. Hence the perfect combination of rain drops and sun is truly unique.

 This brings me to the end of writing few words of appreciation. Hope you continue to decorate our sky with a colorful show, and do call me the next time you visit. There are many dreamy eyes and eager minds who wait for your guest appearance.

 Till we meet again - stay smiling, cheerful and colorful (as if you have any other choice!).

Yours lovingly,

A lifetime member of your fan club  

Open letter -5 (Sun)

Dear Sun,

  Before starting this letter, I must admit I am quite scared to write to you. Just in case if I end up writing something that offends you or does not go well with your thought process, you may easily punish me with more heat in my direction. And looking at the chaos you create during summer months, I cannot take a chance. Every now and then, we hear extreme weather reports throwing light over your intense heat and powerful anger. Why don’t you take a chill pill by not being so tense all the time? Or is it impossible to cool down considering the burden of responsibility on your shoulders?

  Whatever may be the reason, I must agree you are extremely important in our lives. Everything revolves around you, making you the rightful head of the planetary system. No wonder you make all the planets dance around, giving them light and heat as they pass by. Our relationship with you falls under the category of ‘love-hate’. Something we share with our siblings and spouse. We need you a lot and it is impossible to imagine a day without you, but at the same time, we hate you so many times during irritating moments of the fierce noon. Your presence adds energy and enthusiasm because obviously sunny days are much better than gloomy, cloudy ones.

  I must confess, growing up I always disliked your discipline. What is with your love for punctuality? Everywhere we went- be it school or home, our elders cited you as the ultimate example of discipline. “Be like the sun who rises and sets every day without any excuses for vacation or holiday.”, “Just as the sun arrives at the same time every day to perform his actions, you must too”.  That is all we have heard when our elders praised you for your sincerity. I secretly disliked your routine, wondering why couldn’t you just sleep and not irritate us on your own day at least. After all, one ‘Sunday’ was designed for your own enjoyment, yet you would report back on duty! It is so unfair to wake up as soon as you arrive, not allowing us to handle our own schedule. But to think about it maturely, it’s good we follow you otherwise all our days would end up being like weekends, where we don’t really care about your arrival time.

  On a serious front, it is simply impossible to imagine a world without you. I remember framing essays in school, where we assumed you wouldn’t rise for a day. Though it sounded awesome and interesting at first, it was soon replaced by the dangers of your absence. You control our life on earth. You are the primary source of our existence, hence it would be an understatement to even talk about your significance. “You are hence we are”. I cannot think of any other way to say it.

   It must be taxing to work all day. And though we assume you are sleeping peacefully at night just like us, you travel someplace else performing your night shift or day shift (It is so confusing!) Throwing light all over the earth at different times is such a demanding task which you seem to enjoy. But, this letter is not to discuss about your work, so let’s talk about how much we love you!

   We truly miss you during monsoon and winters. A day does not seem fulfilling unless we see you. Though we may work hard and carry out our daily routine as usual, it does not feel the same in your absence. On the other hand, even if we just waste a good day in your presence, it seems oddly fulfilling! Not working at all, while you shine over our heads all the time is a wonderful holiday. Long cold days or pouring rainy days are good for a short while, but we start missing you almost immediately.

  Be it little kids or senior citizens, I am sure everyone prefers sunny days over dull ones. I like your style of not allowing anyone to look at you directly all day. Except sunrise and sunsets, you don’t entertain admirers who would otherwise love to observe you. You save your performance for a short while, offering quick guest appearances for few minutes. Though I love sunrises, I admire your sunsets more. Something to do with having more time to halt and appreciate your looks. What do you expect us to do after a good night sleep? Hurrying around with our early routine leaves us little time to admire your rising scenes (I just hope all the elders especially my parents skip through these lines, I cannot afford repeat telecast of childhood discipline lessons!)

   We cannot imagine how hot your surface must be. Isn’t it difficult to manage such high heat? But all I feel is you seem to be enjoying it. Please don’t get warmer than what you are. With a true desire of saving the environment and doing our bit for the nature, we have started harnessing your energy to fuel our homes, offices and other facilities. Your energy will turn into the next best source for electricity, but unless the costs come down, it seems like a long dream further long away.

   Why do you discriminate among different regions of the earth? Why do some of us get more heat or why do some experience more darkness for few days of the year? Though I am aware there is lot of logic, geography, science and physics involved in it, it seems quite unfair overall. You appear as the strict head of the family. And you share strong relations with all the other members of your clan. 

  From creating vapors for clouds to hiding behind mountains and oceans for picturesque rising and setting, from alternating shifts with your only other colleague moon to resting inside the big living home of the sky, you have so many friends around. And you have made your presence extremely important for plants. Though they do all the hard work of preparing food, you just add little essential spice in their photosynthesis (Now I know the source of my husband’s ideas)

   Whenever I see that you and raindrops have arrived together, I eagerly wait for a wonderful rainbow. The magic of seven colors forming a hair band for the sky is just beyond words.

  When you play hide and seek with the moon to create epic eclipses, it is another interesting episode. Keeping the physics, safety, sentiments and popular age-old beliefs aside, the phenomenon is exciting in its own way.

   There is so much to write to you, but I must stop somewhere. Before you get annoyed and throw more heat in anger, let me end the letter soon.

 Till we meet again where you wake me up as usual, stay cool and happy if possible.

Yours lovingly,

A complicated lover/hater/admirer/scared human/lover again!

Open letter- 4 (Sky)

Dear Sky,

  It is impossible to miss you. Whenever and wherever we feel like waving at you, all we have to do is either look upwards or walk few steps to the window to do the same. So though I could have said all of this from my window, it is not the same like writing long letters, hence I chose to do the latter.

  I am tempted to compare you to a watchman. A watchman of the universe, observing every single thing on the earth, how does it feel to look at all of us from above? Is it boring to look at the same old landscape downstairs or is it fun to keep a tab on all our activities? It must be interesting to observe how the mountains behave, how the rainfall interacts, how the oceans flow and how the trees play on land. I am sure even our actions and adventures must be entertaining you. Looking at our crowded highways, and tall skyscrapers must be eventful because we keep adding them practically, every now and then.

   I adore your bright blue color. You seem to have filed a patent for this color because we cannot talk about it without mentioning your name. We associate you with the sky-blue color even though you change your shades all through the day and during different seasons.

    You play an extremely important role in our existence on this planet. After all, you connect us with the space above that can only be imagined through books (and through one man’s courageous efforts to actually take us there!). You form a link between the sun and earth which is the real basis of our life down here. How do you manage to handle such a large empire? Spread all around the globe over every country, you have so much of data about each one of us! You are nature’s big data server with information about everything and everyone. I apologize for this data lingo, but thanks to the new age concept of artificial intelligence and big-data, I just got carried away.

  On a series note, you have no limits (in a good way!) We admire your vast area and limitless extension that force us to say ‘Sky is the limit’. It comes handy when we begin to doubt our abilities and potential. When one failed attempt drives us to disappointment, we are inspired by your limitless extend. We treat you as a benchmark and border, encouraging ourselves to keep going. Nothing can stop us from making attempts when we believe everything is possible, but only if we stay determined from within.

  I know you do not say any of this, but we are wired to use nature as an example. Your hidden messages and meanings bring out the best in us, as nature has so much power to influence. Touching the sky is a secret desire of every human being because it stands for the ultimate victory and freedom. While it does not mean literally poking your stomach, it stands for being free and courageous to achieve everything that is desired. And yes, touching the window of an airplane does count because that is the closet we can get to you!

   I am always tempted to ask this “Were you scared when we started flying around in big machines in your territory?” You were used to birds doing the same thing but was it weird to see our big aero planes wandering in your neighborhood? I don’t know about you but we were extremely excited to be able to fly in the sky. And unknowingly, this luxury of touching the sky soon turned into a normal mode to go from point A to B because that is how far we reside today around the globe. It is fun to see the way you look at us from above when everything looks so mini and tiny. It gives me the feeling of being a giant though it lasts for a little while! After all, they don’t say ‘On top of the world’ for nothing.

  Your role is tough and demanding. How does it feel to accommodate that hot and powerful sun in your area? He looks scary, hot, angry and bossy though we look at him from miles below. He is an integral part of the entire universe and you hold him for us. Apart from all your usual responsibilities and tasks, I admire the fact that you are so beautiful and inspirational. One look at your limitless stretch drives us to some dreamland that looks much more peaceful than the chaotic earth around. I adore your diverse patterns with clouds. How do your manage to arrange them differently each time is beyond my understanding, but they form amazing wallpapers on our screen. Your calm looks and stable existence inspire us towards stability too. At times (or most of the times), it is necessary to just think calmly without any extreme feelings to look at life in a clearer way.

  That does not mean you are always silent and quiet. There is some drama from your end too. Why do you scare us with thunder storms and lightening attacks? And what is with that gloomy look when you invite thick clouds and cover our sun? For a sun-loving person like me, overcast sky is boring but that is fine for a few days. After all, you need to change you looks too! 

  Talking about looks, your black outfit with sparkling stars is truly amazing. Though it is just an evening outfit for you, we have to make special arrangements to watch it through the act of ‘star-glazing’ from someplace far and remote. Thanks to our love and need for artificial lights, excessive light pollution does not allow us to appreciate your natural lights naturally. But, no amount of light pollution can take us away from the bright light of moon. These stars and moon are part of our childhood stories, holding lot of excitement and affection since then. When I look at my little nephew calling out to your moon as his own uncle, it proves there is life in each one of you too!  

   You protect us like an elder- watching our acts and taking care of our life from up above. It must be so taxing to take charge of the entire universe, yet appear bright and calm every single day.

  Until I touch you again during my next flight - stay happy, bright, clear, smiling and loving. Do wave at me from above, it feels good.

Yours lovingly,

A tiny-mini admirer

 

Open letter - 3 (Ocean family)

Dear Ocean family,

  I don’t know how should I put it but I am jealous of you and amazed by you at the same time. While as residents, we struggle to buy a house on per square feet basis, you possess unlimited space without any boundaries. And while we are forced to be contented within our tiny houses, you are so lucky to have no such restrictions. So huge is your area that it is impossible to understand where you start and where you end? Standing at a shore, it is beyond our limited mental faculty to even imagine your horizon. Doesn’t it confuse you too? Isn’t it a major task to manage your large house that just stretches and stretches all around the globe?

  Now that I have conveyed my major doubt, I feel much better. Ever since I thought I will write these open letters, I was sure to ask you this question. 

  Your mighty influence and powerful waves always pull me into a sea of thoughts, making me surprised and happy all at once. I address this letter to your entire family because there are so many members in your clan. And since you are the head of the family with powerful hold all around the earth, your name deserves to be at the top. 

  I love and admire every component of your family. From a youthful beach who loves to party to a motherly sea offering means of transportation and home to marine animals, from a huge ocean who rules the water kingdom of this planet to little children of streams and waterfalls, you have so many elements in your troop. Not to forget your sweet long lost cousins- rivers and lakes.

  You represent the most important and essential component of nature. As water source that assists in maintaining the balance on earth, your role is truly magnificent. I admire your ability to create such a powerful aura around you that it scares even the strongest players of nature. You are friends with those who respect the cycle of nature and stern with those who don’t. I must admit listening to tales of people who drown within your pull scares me to a great extent. You don’t like anyone challenging your power and that is inspirational in a bitter way.

  Everything from your waves to water, color to fragrance and looks to functions amaze me as I admire you from the shore. Your rising and falling waves are the greatest proof of the fact ‘Ups and downs are part of life.’ You don’t give up on falling, while just wait to rise back at the next opportunity. I also enjoy your play with other components of nature. 

  Your coordinated play with moon amazes me. How he manages to create high and low tides all the way from millions of miles above you is beyond my understanding. Whenever I stand at the shore and make an attempt to understand your limits, power or appearance, I simply fall flat on my face. It is impossible to measure any of these factors, hence I avoid thinking a lot, while enjoying your presence as much as I can.

   Your house is so cool and refreshing. Standing on the shore for a short while is so energizing. I often find myself smiling and admiring your sight, while just staring at your looks for minutes on end. And I am sure many of my friends do the same. I am not an enthusiastic swimmer kind of person, but when I look at others swimming in your waves and enjoying your water, it is so exciting.

 You surely know how to entertain little kids and adults alike because even the slightest thought of visiting you drives an unexplainable form of energy into their system. After all, you are a king among tourist spots around the globe. One beach is all you need to turn a city/town or country into a famous tourist destination, pulling people from far and wide and hence the money that follows.

  You have created many diverse fan clubs- some of them love to bathe in your waves and enjoy all forms of water sports, few others only look at you from a safe distance and talk to you in some unknown language (a proud member of this club, right here!), while a tiny group is scared of your power and choose to stay away. Whatever group one belongs to, it is impossible to ignore you, while appreciating, acknowledging and celebrating your presence.

     Watching the sun set against your backdrop is such a pretty sight. Some things are beyond description and this experience definitely ranks first among them. You have an ability to gel with other elements of nature and create a picturesque scenery around. I must admit you respect time very well. If we visit you at any time of the day, you manage to treat us with different looks and appearances. From crisp mornings when you appear energetic to calm afternoons with a relaxed look, from power packed evenings when you roar occasionally to mysterious nights when you disappear into your own world, you surely know how to enjoy every moment round the clock.

  You are incredibly photogenic. Check photo albums of our grandparents, browse through the digital albums of our parents or look into our smart phones today, I am sure you will find so many pictures ‘of you’ and ‘with you’. After all, posing against your backdrop adds extra beauty points to our looks too! What is the connection between your ambiance and philosophy? So many people turn philosophers in your presence, showering words with deep meaning and intense outlook. You also provide artistic inspiration to writers, painters, artists, poets, dancers, singers, actors and performers.

  You are home to many marine creatures. It must be fun playing with fishes, dolphins, whales, sharks, sea weeds, crabs, lobsters, and so many others. Because when we sit in fancy boats to spot these animals, it is nothing less than pure magic. Thank you for allowing us a closer and personal look through boats, sails, ships and cruises. It is fun to be surrounded by water all around, while capturing mandatory Titanic poses! Though our touristy visits are just for recreation, these marine routes are major links for transportation of goods and materials too.

    Few minutes with you and the mind is recharged once again. You never fail to surprise, love, inspire and energize us. With changing looks at different intervals, you manage an excellent performance. From waves to calm waters, you have it all. And hats off to your fashion sense. What is with your diverse shades? Sea green, aqua blue, turquoise, deep blue, gray, silver, sky blue, white, light blue, deep green – you have much more shades than a make-up kit! But, it is your color and typical sea fragrance that attracts visitors like hovering bees.

  Till I meet you again to stare at your waters and admire your waves- have fun, keep smiling, laughing and loving. Stay as cheerful and mesmerizing as you are because only few things can succeed in pulling us away from the usual boredom of life.

Yours lovingly,

Long distance water lover and wave watcher  

Open letter - 2 (Mountains)

Dear Mountains,

  My initial plan was to hand-deliver this letter to you, but you have raised the bar so high (literally), it was impossible for me to climb your highest peak. And though I do practice hiking over trails (read: walking slowly for not more than half a mile!), my kinder garden level of education on mountaineering will never match the doctorate scale requirement of ascending your peaks, so what better way than to use my blog to talk to you?

   I am almost sure that you keep following me everywhere, how else can you explain the omnipresent presence of your beautiful sight just few minutes from my home - be it my childhood den or the one I reside in now? Watching you from a distance, while admiring your mighty strength is just too amazing to write it down into words. I love the way you spread over a wide range, while claiming your territory both horizontally and vertically. You are one proud piece of nature who depicts the power that lies within.

  I don’t know why but you remind me of a stern, yet friendly principal of school. You appear kind, polite and nice, but still it is impossible to shake hands with you or be your friend. The fun lies in admiring you from a distance, as the sight painted by your existence is totally beautiful in every way. I believe each one of us follow the same path of friendship with you. It starts in kinder garden classes where we draw two inverted V alphabets with a rising sun at the center, followed by a nice house in front (I hope that it does turn true someday). Till then, this proud accomplishment by our little hands is all we know about you. Slowly, as you enter our lives through Geography lessons, we realize you are not just all beauty, but a lot of substance too. There is loads of complicated sciences in your formation, function, types and existence in the natural cycle of environment.

   All of this is then transformed into absolute love as you spread the magic everywhere. The best part of your presence is you are everywhere around the globe. You help eliminate any feelings of homesickness because you are just the same, like back home! I agree your look is different in different regions as you prefer to dress in local attires specific to the place, yet your aura and feel is the same.

  When I look at your strong power in long ranges and high peaks, I think about the power that is within each one of us. You inspire me to believe in myself. All we need and wish to achieve in life does not depend on external factors. It is all within our core, mind and internal system that needs to be attended to.

    I admire your strength to stand tall and stern. After all, it is impossible to shake you or move you even by a bit. It instills the significance of a firm stand. Often, my fellow friends and I surrender ourselves to inner doubts, worries, tensions and fear, making us unstable quite easily. We fail to stand strong over our beliefs and inner faith. It takes several self-help books and philosophical lectures to learn what you seem to be knowing right from your birth- ‘Stay strong and true to your strength. Believe in yourself and nothing else matters’.

   I love your participation in shows directed by Mother Nature. You play the part of a handsome hero quite amazingly, as you succeed in capturing our attention quite often. And your interaction with other participants turns it into a wonderful performance, stressing over the importance of coordination and cooperation. Whether it is your close relationship with trees and plants or seasonal interaction with rains, whether it is your motherly love for grazing animals or bypassing lanes for waterfalls, you play it so well.

  Another praiseworthy factor is your committed relationship with our beloved sun. How do you hide it away every evening to bring him back in the morning? The sight of rising sun from behind your strong body and setting back again in the evening is so well coordinated. It teaches us a lot about commitment and punctuality. Follow same routine day in and day out, yet do it so beautifully!

   But, don’t you get bored of standing at one place? I cannot imagine someone can enjoy their fixed spot for years after years, yet stand smiling at the end of it all. I know there is so much that you do every day like talking to birds, playing with plants, teasing the passing winds and covering the bold shining sun, yet it takes a lot more to stay committed and stable. No wonder, every time my mind wanders away into some alien planet that I seem to know nothing about, I pull it back and bring it in front of you. I force my mind to look at your calm, steady, strong looks and learn a thing or two. Everything will happen at its own pace, hence all I am supposed to do is trust the process.

   We have made several changes of cutting through you to create major roadways. Though it aches our heart while troubling you, there seems to be no good solution to this long running battle of development versus nature. And because it is impossible to scale every possible mountain or access the ones far, wide and remote, we cannot trouble you more than just a little poke to your stomach.  

  I feel I should be honest with you. During vacations, I always preferred beaches and oceans over you, hence if the choice was between a hill station and a beach town, I seemed to pick the latter. But, you always proved me wrong because if the choice was not in my hands, the experience of visiting beautiful valleys and long mountain ranges would prove to be absolutely breathtaking. I love your hide and seek game with clouds. The sight of passing clouds producing mist and fog is so out of the world. Since I love you as well as the oceans, wouldn’t it wonderful to be at a destination that has it both? They say Hawaii has the best combination of both waves and mountains, maybe it’s time to head there! (read: one among the many attempts to convince dearest ‘husband’ for this destination)

  You are the ideal symbol of the fact ‘Strong can be beautiful too’. Your strong ranges and high peaks dismiss any popular belief that strength has no connection with beauty. I have never seen any other stronger and picturesque element of nature that combines these two into one.

  Also, thank you for holding strong winds and storms for us. I have heard you withstand a lot to protect us from the punishments of uncertain weather. We promise to contribute more from our end for a greener environment. I like it when you are green and happy, hence please do not wear the boring brown outfit that the sun dries and tries on you. It does not suit you at all.

  Till we meet again through our regular long distance sights, take care of yourself and all your friends up and below

 Yours lovingly,

A star-struck fan and long distance admirer

Open letter - 1 (Plants)

Dear Plants,

  Ever since you have decided to spread your cheer in our household, I was tempted to write something to you. While I was never famous as a gardener or plant care-taker in my house since childhood, I am surprised by your desire to grow in our green space now and that too under my charge. And as you have helped me earn the title of ‘positive person’ (well, in the eyes of my husband), I thought it was time to thank you through a short little letter. But on an extremely serious note, I don’t think I can thank you enough for all the wonders you do for us. This letter will be like a drop in the ocean, since no amount of gratitude or appreciation can match your big deeds.

  My first ever understanding about you dates back to our primary school classes on environmental science. While seated in a bench trying hard to learn and understand, I remember how my teacher explained about the presence of three living forms on earth. We humans and animals made the two obvious members in the list, but I was completely surprised to know that you are living too! Till then all I knew about you was due to stories, poems and nursery rhymes where you spread some laughter through your green leaves. I always saw you around in my neighborhood, but I did not know you were living just like me. Your cool shade, big green leaves, colorful flowers, tasty fruits and compulsory vegetables in tiffin gave me some idea, but only when I realized you are also a living being, I looked at you with a much different view.

   Slowly and steadily, you made a space in my heart and my science books. Thanks to you I was forced to learn about the phenomenal process of photosynthesis (but let me save such complaints for later, this letter is for appreciation alone). As a sound educated adult, I can explain that scientific procedure to any kid or student today, but I am still amazed by how do you actually do it? How can you prepare food for all of us? How can you sacrifice your existence for our benefit? What drives you to just give and give? And how can your mission involve spreading warmth, calmness, happiness and natural beauty around? Well, it is impossible to get answers to any of these questions, yet I will never stop pondering.

  You are an integral part of nature. It is impossible to imagine a barren world without your smiles, amazing looks and humble presence. We have grown up listening to several stories that explain your significance in our lives. In fact, we were always taught about values such as selflessness, hard work, perseverance and dedication with you as the central hero. I am sure you must be smiling with pride in your heart every time someone said “Stand strong as a tree and keep giving like him”. But, that is so relevant and true in today’s world. 

   I cannot claim to understand every bit of your philosophy, but one thing is sure you are a true giver. As you sway in the wind and play with other elements of nature, I enjoy that calm expression on your face. How do you manage to stay so? How can you bear with all the uncertainties surrounding you, yet stand strong as always? And if you are a tiny shrub, how can you withstand strong forces against you, yet smile at the next blow of wind?

   There is something soothing about your appearance. Whenever I admire the beauty of your parent nature, I am amazed by your cool looks. Whether you spread a green carpet over mountains or lay still on a lawn, whether you align the roads with a thick canopy or simply decorate our neighborhoods, whether you sit in our balcony and windows in neat little pots or create monopoly in thick forests, you are simply amazing at everything. Through this letter, I just want to thank you for all the love, affection, kindness and happiness that you give to my mind. Though whatever we do for you will never match the greatness of your deeds, I can only express few words to show my love.

   It is impossible to part ways from you. I know our greed for construction with focus over accommodation of rising population is pushing us towards extreme measures, but our environmental conscious minds is guiding us towards good things too. While I agree cutting you at one spot and planting you somewhere else is like building charitable societies to compensate for some ill acts (resemblance to any living person is purely coincidental); I can only hope we quit such measures as soon as possible. And thanks to the growing threat of global warming, we are on the track to save the planet back again. Unknowingly, we assumed that Mother Nature favors us humans as her favorite children, but that is so wrong at all levels. As our dear siblings, we must love you plants and animals the way we love our own family members.

   Though I am penning this letter myself, I am sure many of my people will also feel the same for you. If there is one living thing on this planet who can be a strong advocate of the thought ‘Change is the only constant’, it has to be you and you alone. How do you change colors with every passing season? How do you shred all your leaves in autumn, only to hibernate away in winter and return back once again in spring is truly a secret beyond my understanding? I must say you are quite fashion-conscious. Your dresses from refreshing orange to bright reds, cool greens to energetic yellows are interesting for our eyesight.

  You teach me the power of silence and actions. You remind me that let actions speak for themselves. It is impossible to keep defending, talking, arguing, fighting and wining others with words. If we engage in doing any of this, where is the time and energy for doing productive tasks that matter? It reminds me about the need to stay calm and dedicated in my work.

  If there is someone who can teach us the value of team work, it has to be you again. Every part of your system handles their designated tasks with such sincerity, it can never get better than this. With firm roots who absorb nutrients to stems that carry it around, from pretty leaves who prepare food to colorful flowers that interact with others for further proliferation, from juicy fruits that aid in reproduction to strong branches in case of trees, everything is so well coordinated.

  Well, it is impossible to end this letter. There is so much to say but I must stop somewhere. I must let you get back to your routine of spreading happiness, fresh air and smiles like you always do.

 I am not sure if I have said it enough, but thank you once again. Thank you for making us feel alive, Thank you for decorating this planet with your humble freshness. Thank you for reminding us to stay humble and human, and thank you for the beautiful sight you create for us. Though I have learnt so much from you, if I have to name just one thing, it has to be ‘Stay happy, stay in the now, stay strong and be there for others’.

 Till, we meet again like we always do!

Yours lovingly,

A human admirer of your super green powers

Dear something, someone – an open letter series

    Gone are the days of writing long beautiful letters. As the only means of communication, letters were all about honest words, originating straight from the heart. Long time ago, when phone calls and instant messengers were as impractical as starting life on a new planet, letters served as the bridge between people. 

   From formal letters for professional purposes to informal letters to dear ones, from romantic letters to that special someone to letters of warnings and arguments; they were the only option to say whatever and whenever things were supposed to be said. While the sight of pigeons carrying letters was just an image straight out of movies or television programs, the underlying concept that letters carried messages far and wide was still true. With dedicated postman and efficient (or not so) postal services, letters were the sole way to even say a simple "Hello" to someone far around the globe.

  For some of you such memories may be crystal clear, if you used these same letters to talk to your folks as a usual and regular task. For few others like me, the memories of writing letters may be restricted to sessions of English class in school, followed by a compulsory task in examinations. And for some of you, all this may sound indecipherable as Greek, Latin, alpha, beta if you are a new age kid, born with smartphones in hand! Whether you are a close friend of this letter or a stranger to its existence, whether you love them as your long lost buddies or simply interacted with them for the purpose of gaining marks, these do mean something for each one of us.

 This invisible bond with letters (though thanks to marks and examinations) has occupied a special place in my heart. While I may have been forced to form an association with it purely to sail through my English papers, I did find some love and affection hidden somewhere. 

And as this concept of writing letters is slowly disappearing with every passing day, I am tempted to pay my honors in whatever way I can.

 Talk about perfect timing, after the completion of a long A-Z series, I figured why not dedicate the next series to these forgotten heroes? Though the practice of expressing emotions and feelings through long letters has been lost in thin air, why not bring them into picture once again? This is why I decided to experiment with a new series of open letters.

   I use the word experiment because blogging is about creativity and creativity is experimental to a certain extent. Hence, while starting this new series of open letters, I will be attempting some novel ideas along the way.

  So, why do I call it ‘open letter’ series? As I shall write this letter to a new recipient every week, I want to share my thoughts with you all. While I communicate to the particular recipient one letter at a time, I want you to be a part of the conversation too. I hope to get your participation and engage your enthusiastic eyes, while I express my thoughts to the thing/individual in question. Hence, the letters will be addressed to a common recipient every week. 

   If I write personal letters to my folks, it won’t interest you at all. Why will you enjoy the act of reading my thoughts addressed to any particular individual or relationship? That is the reason, these letters will be addressed to things or concepts or elements that matter to each one of us. I will make an attempt to talk to common aspects that relate to all of us, with an aim to express our ideas, plans, misunderstandings or preconceived notions. My words may make an impact, either forcing us to think about solutions or appreciating ourselves for the good we are doing.

  Though I will address to the recipient, I want you all to be in this journey. Stay with me as I communicate. You may disagree with some ideas, while nod your heads on some aspects. Either ways, do share your feedback to learn and grow together.

  But, the question remains. What are these common things or concepts or recipients? Whom am I writing to, while sharing my thoughts on an open platform?  Though I will prefer to keep it as a surprise by bringing a new recipient every post, the underlying thought is to write to elements such as plants, flowers, clouds, ocean, sky, climate and everything that impacts our life. I will like to write to fellow living things such as fishes, birds, wild animals and pets with whom we share this planet. I hope to express my gratitude to the planet earth for holding us in its embrace, and I will enjoy writing to elements such as fire, water, air etc. After gratitude towards natural things, I will also like to write to some of the materialistic necessities such as house, car, phones, laptops and few others. 

  If I continue at this rate, I will end up writing this series for years and years on end. But, don’t worry, I will not drag this to extreme limits. As long as I can put some words in the universe and address each of these significant partners in our journey, the purpose will be solved. Thus, this something or someone will be universally related to each one of us, making it a connectable idea for all.

  Join me on this unique adventure that will represent my one-way exchange of thoughts to the world around. Starting with an open letter to our green buddies called plants, I will be back next week to pen down letter number 1. Till then, keep reading, smiling, loving and enjoying the surprise called life.

P.S: Given a chance, whom would you write these open letters to? Do share your idea of recipients (I will gladly copy some of them from your list!)