Eluding Date!

I wish to breathe the fresh air with you

In the crimson dusk, by the quiet sea.

Away from the piercing, deafening world,

On an eluding date, for two in love

I want to hear the music of the waves

The sound of the eve

Embracing the night

I crave to see the rising moon with my light by my side

Clasping your hand tight in mine

Gliding through the scintillating night

I wish to watch the mesmeric stars

Narrating tales with every twinkle

And then when night takes a nap

We’ll gently sit on the glowing sand

And pledge our love before angelic hosts

Right amidst tranquility

I yearn for love and time like this

With every breath in every hour

An everlasting, tireless, immaculate love

In time that binds us incessantly.

Papa Santa!

Crepes and Confetti  ... ribbons and cards... mistletoes and bells ...a glittering Christmas tree balancing a modest crib...cheerful carols on cold winter evenings...the scintillating star  accompanying chrysanthemums in the courtyard...new clothes paired with fancy shoes... tempting aroma of cakes and treats is what Christmas has always meant to me!

And what glorified Christmas to me all these years...was a triumphant feeling of receiving gifts from my Santa... Every year I neatly wrote my Christmas wish on a hopeful piece of paper and kept it in my stocking ... I'd wake up in the middle of the night rubbing my eyes in a battle against sleep only to catch a glimpse of my hero...my Santa... but my smart Santa would enrapture me in angelic dreams as he would silently, humbly, unassumingly walk into my room and leave a gift by my bedside ... So what if I missed the rendezvous with Santa... he still brought a big broad smile on my face every Christmas morn!
I wonder now... If Christmas will ever be the same again... for I know my Santa has bid adieu to me forever.

But then as I sit reminiscing about the Christmas presents I received, as papa’s darling angel...the air around me fills up with a fragrance of sparkling joy and I hear my Santa whisper to me once again...He shares with me, the secret of his happiness, his zest in relentlessly working all year long only to bring smiles on faces of his angels. After being happy as a receiver for so long, my Santa now wants me to aide him, and discover the joy of giving...giving presents, sharing smiles, and filling lives with mirth and peace! My Santa has blessed me with gifts and sweet memories to last a lifetime...and now, as he says,
"it’s time to share them!"

So here I come...tip toeing in my new garb...to share the message of love, the spirit of Christmas and make this time of the year ...special once again!

Love you Papa Santa!

Veiled Rebecca

As my friends embark on a tour to the city of pearls, my heart leaps back, to the city’s neat juxtaposition of Hi-tech city and Golconda fort, balanced by the tall statue of Buddha in the famous Hussain Sagar Lake. Apart from the sumptuous biriyani, splendid pearls and the alluring Film City, there was something more that I fancied about Hyderabad, even during my first visit to the city of charming minarets. Although I am wary of sounding narcissistic, it was the statue of ‘Veiled Rebecca’ at the Salar Jung Museum that drew an instant connect for me to the city. I was astounded to stand before Giovanni Maria Benzoni’s masterpiece and get absorbed in the intricate art of the translucent marble veil that conceals and exposes together, the serene smile of Rebecca. The meticulous craftsmanship makes one feel the marble veil against her skin. Benzoni has created four statues of Rebecca out of which the one in Salar Jung Museum draws her veil with her right hand.  The remaining three statues , two of which are in the High Museum of Art in Atlanta, Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield, Massachusetts depict Rebecca pulling the veil with her left hand.

Photograph from Flickr.com

 The sculpture of the mesmerizing lady not only stands out for its amazing technical excellence but also for the image it depicts. The art piece portrays the Biblical character Rebecca or Rebekkah when she draws her veil before being presented to Issac, the man she was to marry. Infact this episode also marks the first mention of the veil and veiling the bride (badecken) in Genesis 24:6 in the holy Bible- "Rebecca took her veil and covered herself" upon her first meeting Isaac.

Interestingly, the Veil flows as a common strand that binds cultures across the world, with variations in its presentation, use and terminologies. A veil basically translates into a simple understanding of a cloth that covers the head –hair and/or the face. Cutting across regions, religions and cultures, women wear veils, for different reasons, the most popular being a sign of respect for their religion or men in their lives.

The transparency of marble veil synchronizes with the naivety and purity of the face of the lady-Rebecca who continues to mesmerize audiences from around the world even today, standing true to its meaning ‘to bind’ and ‘the captivating’!

§  http://www.hudsonvalleyweddings.com/guide/jewish.htm

§  http://www.flickr.com/photos/ef60four/4058969495/