Hey friends,
I will be offline for the next 10 days or so. Leaving you all with a new look to my blog and one of my favourite posts that was keyed in the day I started blogging. Hope you like it. The post is called 'Roots'
Also came across a portugese proverb that I liked immensely, sharing it with you here :
" the mirror reflects perfectly because it does not think"
Will be back shortly to read all your posts. Have a good time and be safe!
ROOTS
To look back and cherish - a place called home..a place that saw you grow from a precocious child to an adult and enjoyed all the phases in between.. a place full of friends, of laughter and tears, loss as well as victories.. of impulsive moves and secrets shared.. adventures and joyrides, rebuking and encouraging pats - a place we all leave behind..
We travel far and wide in search of our destinies and at times ridicule the peers who stay behind.. we are enamored by wealth, glamour, and the jet set world, and believe me, none of it is wrong.. and yet the best memories are always from back home.. Our minds and egos get satisfied (if ever they know the meaning of the word) as we reap the harvest of our hard work, but the soul's nourishment is from the fields we leave behind.
Does that mean we stand still? Not take a path of our desire and find a place under the sun that is rightfully ours? Definitely not..but the wings of our flight need to have the strength of our roots. Alex Haley, probably introduced us to this meaning of the word "Roots" and by now it has become quite a cliche.. we keep hearing of the European in search of his roots.. but this search is within all of us maybe in differing scales of priority.
As expatriates we all know that the best journey is always the journey home. The heart gets parched like the dessert sand over the year long wait and is only drenched in joy once the flight lands to the place of our origin..for a month we replenish stocks, get busy in buying things, refuelling our wardrobes and larders.. as we go about fulfilling our physical needs.. our inner eye is clicking away familiar landscapes now hurriedly passed by, but to be relived at leisure on the return flight.. Bitter sweet memories of Home is what we essentially carry back to see us through another year of deprivity.
Life goes on and we grow with it and follow paths that have been determined for us in an unknown script.. the strength always drawn from the reservoirs of purity and innocence of our roots. As we all know roots do not grow in a day or a year or even a few years..to live in a place and get to know it and develop a bond that is healthy and fertile takes time..most of us were lucky enough that our parents gave us that time..gave us a place to look back upon and smile..Are we doing that for our kids? are we giving them roots? In our strife towards material gains and prosperity at the shortest possible time are we sparing a thought towards the next generation.. "to look back and cherish..." a blank for them.. or a series of everlasting, nomadic journeys.. lots of mere acquaintances formed.. but no childhood friend..houses of brick and cement..but never a home to build memories on...is this our gift to our children? ..for just a few pennies more...
I will be offline for the next 10 days or so. Leaving you all with a new look to my blog and one of my favourite posts that was keyed in the day I started blogging. Hope you like it. The post is called 'Roots'
Also came across a portugese proverb that I liked immensely, sharing it with you here :
" the mirror reflects perfectly because it does not think"
Will be back shortly to read all your posts. Have a good time and be safe!
ROOTS
To look back and cherish - a place called home..a place that saw you grow from a precocious child to an adult and enjoyed all the phases in between.. a place full of friends, of laughter and tears, loss as well as victories.. of impulsive moves and secrets shared.. adventures and joyrides, rebuking and encouraging pats - a place we all leave behind..
We travel far and wide in search of our destinies and at times ridicule the peers who stay behind.. we are enamored by wealth, glamour, and the jet set world, and believe me, none of it is wrong.. and yet the best memories are always from back home.. Our minds and egos get satisfied (if ever they know the meaning of the word) as we reap the harvest of our hard work, but the soul's nourishment is from the fields we leave behind.
Does that mean we stand still? Not take a path of our desire and find a place under the sun that is rightfully ours? Definitely not..but the wings of our flight need to have the strength of our roots. Alex Haley, probably introduced us to this meaning of the word "Roots" and by now it has become quite a cliche.. we keep hearing of the European in search of his roots.. but this search is within all of us maybe in differing scales of priority.
As expatriates we all know that the best journey is always the journey home. The heart gets parched like the dessert sand over the year long wait and is only drenched in joy once the flight lands to the place of our origin..for a month we replenish stocks, get busy in buying things, refuelling our wardrobes and larders.. as we go about fulfilling our physical needs.. our inner eye is clicking away familiar landscapes now hurriedly passed by, but to be relived at leisure on the return flight.. Bitter sweet memories of Home is what we essentially carry back to see us through another year of deprivity.
Life goes on and we grow with it and follow paths that have been determined for us in an unknown script.. the strength always drawn from the reservoirs of purity and innocence of our roots. As we all know roots do not grow in a day or a year or even a few years..to live in a place and get to know it and develop a bond that is healthy and fertile takes time..most of us were lucky enough that our parents gave us that time..gave us a place to look back upon and smile..Are we doing that for our kids? are we giving them roots? In our strife towards material gains and prosperity at the shortest possible time are we sparing a thought towards the next generation.. "to look back and cherish..." a blank for them.. or a series of everlasting, nomadic journeys.. lots of mere acquaintances formed.. but no childhood friend..houses of brick and cement..but never a home to build memories on...is this our gift to our children? ..for just a few pennies more...
52 comments:
Very true! Come back sooooon! :(
Have a nice vacation. And don't forget to stalk Federer. :P
Come back Soooooooooooon !!
"The heart gets parched like the dessert sand over the year long wait and is only drenched in joy once the flight lands to the place of our origin.." SO beautifully written!!! I wanna go home boo hoo...
Have a lovely vacation!
Your prose has beauty. You create magic with words. Come back soon. We shall miss you terribly.
Roots are really our identity. I miss home. i miss terribly. :(
Nice :)
You take care and come back real soon :)
And the header looks nice n bright :)
Header image is so cute its a good change and come back soon we will miss you.
Enjoy the time away. Have loads of fun!
Enjoy and come back soon...
Masterful weaving of words and meaning !
Have a fun filled trip ! And we look forward to having you back here !
:)
I will miss u. whole appearance is so sweet now. and 1 question..can I call u Sujata Di?Although I've never seen u ever ,but this sweet relationship through blogging is compelling me to ask u.Can I?
Lovely post! Come back soon! TC
baapree..10 days without yr motivating cheerful commentsss..anyway u deserve a break from nuts like us..enjoy
Happy holidays :-) will miss ur posts
one of the best reads of the season i must say..i just love u for ur writing sujata..u r fab, one of the top favs!!
Hi all at the lounge in the airport and could not stop myself from chking blog!! my fingers will itch each of these ten days I can tell you..
@Purnima thanks
@Amrit God save Federer!!
@Anil thanks
@SJ thanks
@ZB I feel the same way throughout the year, thanks will be bk in 10 days
@Meira thanks, I fell in love with the sunflower!!
@Kishore thanks, am waiting still for your comment on my last post, want to get your feedback on the fiction I attempted
@Nona thanks
@Bhavya thanks
@Kavi thanks, it does mean a lot coming from you.
@Shivi you can call me didi or sujatadi, I would love that. take care and stay happy
@Nikki thanks
@Ramesh thanks. will be back before your next sssnake post!!
@Rush just caught you..thanks and I still cant get over the SUN!! what was I thinking??
Noth like sweet home.Have a great vacation.We wil be waiting for you to come back and regale us with your wonderful posts
ohhh..that was awesome...yeaa...started my journey away from home some 12 years back....and there is more to come, to leave farther and farthest..and more i move far away, the craving for the roots becomes more evident...
Look forward to reading your posts on your return
Such a beautiful post...wrapped in nostalgia, lyrically woven words.....just loved it!!!
And love your blog's NEW LOOK!!
bheeshon sweet!!
Have a GREAT VACATION!!
Whoa, the sun flower was pretty terrific!
Have a great vacation and don't forget those chocolates.
Vow! That’s a pleasant look. Have a great time. I’m yet to read your ‘Roots’, the one I read and immensely liked was Alex Haley’s. And the proverb…thanks for sharing.
Hi ma'm,
Coming from a society in which going away has become, first, an inevitable discomfort, then, a fashionable way of life, and later, the only reasonable thing to do; all having led to a society at deep discontent with itself; I do share your sentiments about roots being denied: to a child, a family, a society.
Now then, do let ur blogging fingers rest for the week, and come back fresh.
Have fun.
and the sunflower with her grin is perfectly becoming to the tone and mood of your writing.
That was good
Enjoy your break!!
Have a great vacation!
Enjoy yourself!!But be back soon...you will be missed.
Nice post..enjoy your vacation!!
Come back soon to your blog..lol!!!
tk
ur posts will be missed :-)
Have fun! be safe!
Very beautiful post.Have a nice trip.
Have a great vacation... and come back energized.
You have a refreshing new look for you page.
I have a different perception about roots... It is not so much the mud and bricks that we grew up in... Those are childhood memories. One will have his childhood memories he grows up. But root is the values and characteristics that create an identity of our own. The onus is on us parents to nurture the roots.
Wish you a great time!! Nice post!! I liked the name Roots..
very true the best memories are always from back home...
Thanks for sharing!!
That was a beautiful post! So true..
Have a wonderful break and do come back soon :)
As my father was in transferable job, I traveled with him. I wish I also had a place such as like this where I can go back to cherish.
Hey, You are being tagged!!!
Lets see what u come up with :)
http://ektakhetan.blogspot.com/2009/07/i-am-four-tagged-animal.html
This one really struck home with me. Every word rings like a precious memory within my heart. You have written a piece that speaks with much feeling and love of the roots that take us on lazy, warm journeys throughout life. I will be back to read more of your flowing fancies of warmth.
Will miss you
What a wonderful post! Mirrors so much of what so many people feel. Hope you are having a great vacation.
What a nice way of describing your expat-experience.
Enjoy your vacation and be back soon!
So coincidental that today I wrote a post ' I keep quiet' which is on similar lines. I enjoyed your post.
Have a great sabbatical, though short.
Enjoy your vaccation. A trek to unknown episode 3 is just published may read in your spare time or when you come back. A lovely post and come back soon.
Sometime I too feel like a plant separated from my roots. But my family doesn'tr necessarily means all of my root.
I am still searching that root!
Have fun and come back soon
loved the piece.
Ooh you’ve already mentioned Alex Haley’s Roots, one of my favourite novels…
Your last para made me think…No, perhaps this will be the last generation to hold any such notions about one’s roots. When you globe trot, to say since the day you born, which place on earth will you think as your home?
7 days gone.....i am sure you are having fun....be back soon..missing u
Hi Sujata that was really great. Touched my heart. I often tell my parents that I love the train going to my place and hate the one that brings me back. Enjoy.
beautifully written,Sujata.Agree with you wholeheartedly.
"Our minds and egos get satisfied (if ever they know the meaning of the word) as we reap the harvest of our hard work, but the soul's nourishment is from the fields we leave behind."...very well said.
Have a great vacation,Sujata.Waiting for you:))
Thanks all of you for the lovely comments. I got back late last night and I see I have a lot of catching up to do..you all have written quite a few posts in my absence, will catch up soon and leave my comments on the blogs.
http://sree9898blog.blogspot.com/2008/03/excerpts-from-arun-shouries-falling.html
wud like to know ur opinions.. i m commenting only gals bcos if i get a gal to comment u indirectly hit d guys hehehe so plz co-operate ;) atleast consider d time i spent on it :D
Hi Sujata, Lovely reflections. I am sure you are enjoying your holidays at or near where your roots are. Have a wonderful time!
I can share your feelings because I too lived a nomadic life for about 25 years. Our children were fortunate to glimpse a wide horizon since they were very small, but a huge -- and perhaps the only -- downside of my having a peripatetic job is that they don't have the kind of cultural roots that I or my wife has. Instead, they have a rather "global" approach to life. Is that good or bad? I don't know.
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