Saptaah and his children

Long ago in the span of time, there was a time when no one knew the name of days. Then lived a scholar, Saptaah, who had seven wives. All were about to give birth to a child and each one gave birth to a child on consecutive days, from the day when the sun shined bright. Everyone was happy and so was the scholar. He was thinking of naming the kids. He wanted to give the names in a way that they would be known throughout the world for what they are. So he asked the heavens to send him the celestial bodies to choose the names for his children from

First came the sun and he said:

I am the sun, the mighty one

I give the shine to everyone

Name the son, the eldest one

He would be the dutiful one

Saptaah was happy and named his eldest one Sun and named the day of the week "Sunday" after the sun.

Then came the beautiful moon and she said:

I am Luna, the shining moon

I change my stunning looks so soon

Give your daughter the only boon

She will be glowing like the moon

Saptaah named her beautiful daughter after the moon, about whom the world talks still about the beauty. He named her Luna and the day of the week she was born as Monday after the moon. 

Then came the god of the Norse Tyr. And he said:

I am Tyr the lord of mars and 

I fight the world with a single hand

Name the son who rules the land

Be known to all as fiery brand

Saptaah named his third son after Tyr as Twis and named the day he was born as Twisday after the Norse God Tyr and the day dedicated to Mars.

Then was the turn of Lord Woden

He said:

I am close to the sun

So shall be your son

He would be the one

Who would have the fun

Saptaah named his fourth sun after the Lord Woden, the lord of Mercury, Music and the souls. The day came to be known after him as Wodensday and later Wednesday. Then was the turn of the fourth son. The strong and powerful one among the seven. Thor, the Norse God came forward and said:

I am Thor, the mighty thunder

Everyone sees me in wonder

May this boy be named after me

He would be as strong as me

Saptaah named his son Thor and after him the day was known as Thor's day or Thursday, the day of thunder. The turn came to name the beautiful daughter... Saptaah searched the heavens to find the most beautiful Venus. She came forward to give her name to the daughter and said:

I am also known as Frige

Beauty no one can ever reach

Give her my name today

As she will be known everyday

And the child was named Venus and the day she was born came to be known after the Anglo Saxon Goddess Frige popularly known as Venus. 

The only God who was left to give a name was the lord of Saturn Titan Cornus, and he was the father of Zeus and the Olympians. With his one eye and stout body, he was scary to look at, Saptaah sadly gave the name to the seventh child as Cornus and the day came to be known as Saturn’s day or Saturday. Cornus spoke thus:

He will not be the mighty son

Nor would he get everything done

But he would change the lives of men

Time will tell you what he is then.

The kids grew up blaming everything on the little one. Cornus was sad and felt low at heart, but had the intellect of the Titans and kept silent till the day arrived. The seven had to cross a river and knew not how. Sun wanted Thor to take him across, Venus was taken across by Luna. Tyr took Woden along and who was left was Cornus. Everyone laughed at him and mocked him as he had no one to help him. Cornus was left alone in the forest and the others went home. Nightfall brought darkness with it and Cornus was all alone, the witches came and tried to scare him, but he stood still, smiling all the way... Seeing the brave child, seeing the scary witches, the queen of witches gave him a wand, with which he could change what he wanted. Cornus thanked her and walked his way through the forest.

He wished for light and light it was, he crossed the river with the bridge he wished, on the way he cured the ill and made them smile all the way. For all those who knew the powers, Cornus was the best to be with. And Cornus was never sad or depressed again.

Everyday has its own importance so make your Monday a Marvelous Monday, Tuesday a Terrific Tuesday, Wednesday a Wonderful Wednesday, Thursday a thrilling Thursday, Friday a Freaky Friday, Sunday a super Sunday and last but not the least Saturday a special supreme Saturday... More than knowing what you don't, you need to know what you have in you. 

Girijan and the talking mountains ...

Once upon a time, in a far off village lived a young man, his name was Girijan. He had a unique gift of God to talk to the Mountains. Those were the days when Mountains spoke to those who spoke to them. Every morning he would go to the mountains and talk to them about his wishes and dreams. The mountains would listen to him and shake their heads and the trees would send a cool breeze to him. One of the mountains expressed his wish to him

"We are so heavy, we could never go to school to learn ..." said the small mountain sadly

From that day onward, he would tell them all that he saw and learnt each day. Mountains were very happy listening to him. The mountains knew only good things and spoke the best that brought a smile to his lips. Every evening when he walked away to his village, the mountains would go blue in sadness. Seeing this the King of the Mountains, Giriraj gave him a boon.

"Whenever you want to know the future... just shout out to me .. I will tell you your future"

As the tide, time also waited for no man and it flew. The time had come for him to earn a living. Girijan wanted to be rich and famous and earn a lot in life. He planned to set out on a journey and went to his friends, the mountains and bid farewell to them. He remembered the boon given to him and sought permission from Giriraj, to see his future.

"Shout out to the mountains what you want and they would tell you what you would get" said the mountain king.

So with all that he had in mind, Girijan shouted:

"Wealth"

and the mountains replied

"Knowledge"

Girijan was shocked and sad. He again tried and shouted:

"Salves and servants"

"Friends" came the reply from the mountain.

He was getting angry that the mountains were not telling him what he wanted to hear. He tried for the last time:

"Power"

"Love", came the reply from the mountains.

He stamped his foot angrily on the mountain and started walking back. He turned towards the mountains and said:

"You are thankless... I will never come back to you"

Girijan went his way back to his village and the next dawn he set out on his journey. He started living his life, wanting to prove the mountains wrong. He earned a lot of money, but lacked knowledge and lost all his wealth as he could not manage it. 

He had a lots of slaves who always cursed him, but one. That one slave, whose heart was of Gold, had compassion in it, decided to be with him through his tough times. He was the only friend Girijan had. Girijan married Girija and had three sons Giridhar, Meru and Jambu.

Like always, time travelled at the speed of light and Girijan became an old man. At every turn, he only had his friend, who was a slave all through his life. His sons were of the age to get married and they found their partners for life. Girijan still kept holding on to his wealth and possessions. For starting a new life, his children took all his money and threw him out of his house. The next morning he saw his slave friend waiting for him to wake up with a hot cup of tea. He understood the power of love and wanted to get back to the mountains to apologize. Both of them set out on a journey back to the village he was born, to the mountains. 

The saddened mountains, never spoke to anyone after Girijan had left and had lost their voice, never to speak again. With the frail body and weak mind, Girijan shouted to the mountains:

"My friends ... I realize my mistake... Pardon me ..."

They could hear only what he said to them and nothing more ... Hearing no reply, he shouted again

"My friends ... speak to me ... please ...I realize my mistake"

They did not budge, but streams of tears flowed out of the mountain’s heart as waterfalls. They cried and Gods from above gave them permission to speak but never to let anyone know the future.

"Can you hear me?" asked Girijan and all the mountains just threw the sounds back to him in his own voice

"Can you hear me?"

Girijan cried a lot in vain. The mountains never spoke to him again. Even till date mountains talk back but hide the future in their hearts. Girijan etched on a rock the lessons he learnt in his life

Forget not the virtues of life

For they are real and true

Knowlege is gift of life

And stays with chosen few

Friends are forever in life

They are the ones for you

Power is not what runs yourlife

Love is the truth for you ...

And Girjan and his slave still wait for the day when the mountains will start talking again.

The Magic Words ...

Once upon a time in a small village, far beyond the mountains, there was a man named Maanav, who wanted to make it big in the world of words. He saw stories in every grain of sand and every drop of water. But whenever he sat to write them, no words would come to him. He went up the mountains and deep into the sea, but words seem to run away from him. He sat for days with his bunch of blank sheets of paper, hoping to write a line that would be the beginning. He was always sad and depressed. His wife Sarada was worried about his plight.

"I wish you would write and I could see you happy ..." She said to him with a tear in her eye.

But he knew nothing but to keep following his passion. That was the time, when a sage came to the village. Stories about him from far and wide reached the village like a raging storm. Everyone wanted to get a glimpse of him and seek his blessings. They believed he had a solution to every pain in the world. Sarada finished her chores and rushed to seek a solution for her problem - a husband who never cared. She went up to the sage, who was serenely silent with his closed eyes and smiling face.

"Will he ever write a line ..." she asked the sage.

The sage looked at her, gently smiled and said:

"Ask him to meet me by the river side in the morning and he shall ..."

Sarada returned home happy to find Maanav sitting on his chair with his bunch of blank sheets. She gasped for air and panting:

"God bless the sage" she said, "He asked you to meet him by the riverside. You will write and be happy again"

Maanav saw a glimmer of hope in his life and decided to be at the riverside when the morning sun peeps out to the day. Long before dawn, he rushed to the riverside and waited for the sage. He had butterflies in his stomach and was excited about the change the day could bring in his life. He saw the sage walk towards the river with the sun rising behind his head. He felt as if God himself was coming to give him the words that would change his life. Manav touched the sage’s feet. The sage smiled and gave him a feather...

"Write the best words and you shall start writing ..." He said to Maanav.

He rushed back home without even waiting to thank the sage and one the way kept thinking.

"What could be that magic phrase ...?”

He reached home and sat on his chair. Took his bunch of papers and tried to write:
"Love ... prayer ... care ... compassion ... friendship"

But his feather never budged. He tried to search for the magic words in all that he has seen in his life... But alas ... the feather would not move in the paper. He sat there without food or water the whole day ... no words seemed magical to start his writing. He was slowly losing hope...

Evening sun hid under the sea and the village had a golden moment when everything seemed to be drenched in the golden hue of the setting sun. Mannav’s son Dhruv came running home to his father...

"Baappu ... did you write ... can I see ..." asked Dhruv.

Maanav lost all hope. Threw the paper and the feather away and walked away in sadness. Dhruv knew not what had befallen his baappu. Dhruv saw the papers in the corner and a beautiful feather. He went and picked up the paper and the feather....

He wrote on the paper "Thank you ..." and the feather moved like a gliding bird, writing in golden letters. Maanav saw Dhruv writing and saw the golden words of magic. His eyes filled with tears and ran back to the sage. He fell to his feet and apologized for his acts with all the gratitude in his heart for having taught him the worthiest lesson in the world.

And Maanav wrote his first few lines:

I have words to tell the world so wide
Which sees the life with ebb and tide
I live to say the magic words to all
I thank the Gods and thank you all...

Silence of Bodhi ...

Once upon a time, as in the fairy tales, there was a far off land where trees lived happily. They admired each other, some were creepy to gossip about the others and some were small, looking up to the bigger ones. There was a banyan tree by name Bodhi, who always remained calm composed and silent. Everyone saw him grow and grow to a huge one ... biggest and oldest of them all. 

A creeper slowly crept on to a mango tree and said:
"You bear the king of fruits and yet they don’t adore you as much as they do the old banyan"

She smiled and said nothing....

The creeper went on to speak ill about the Banyan with envy. Some waved at the creeper when the wind blew and some heard him gossip, but a very few. Of the few was a thorny Kikar tree, who with his thorns hurt everyone. He spoke to the Sleepy willow and the willow to the Lambu bamboo. They laughed without being heard.

The wind heard the gossip and carried it to Bodhi. He was busy taking care of all the plants and animals around him. He heard what the wind said and blew it out through his leaves. They fluttered and said...

"I am happy the way I am....?”

The word spread like forest fire and a small squirrel went and told this to the small fruit which Bodhi bore. The small fruit was so sad, that it crackled in sadness... threw his life - the seed - on to the soil and died. The seed knew not what he should do. He hid himself in the soil with sadness. It was dark inside the soil. He saw no daylight. He kept worrying. Bodhi kept searching for the seed and found him nowhere. 

Deep inside the soil, the seed cried and cried. That was when Bodhi's friend Megha, the rain cloud arrived in the land. Megha knew that the seed was hiding in the soil and she showered all her love as rain making the soil soft. The sun shined bright and gave strength to the seed. 

The seed wiped his tears and said:
"I will prove to the world, what I am worth ... I should"

He threw out his hands with all his strength. Pushed the soil with all his vigour. He cared not what the creeper said. He wanted to reach out from under the soil and see his father who was worried and looking for him. He tried and tried but could not break the cover he had made for himself. 

The worm came by and said, "I can help you".

The worm pushed the soil for his new friend and one spring morning, the seed pushed his way through and saw the smiling sun. He was a sweet new plant with one leaf. All that he wished was to see his dad, but now he had his own leaves, like his dad. A soft tender green leaf. He waved to Bodhi, his dad and both were so happy. Bodhi was so happy that his eyes were wet with tears. 

"My son ... My seed... He did what many other couldn’t ...."
Son... never heed to what others say, you are what you are and you deserve to grow ..." Bodhi told his son. 

Bodhi extended his arms and hugged his son. The day was not far when he grew to a handsome young banyan tree, giving shade to the young and old, wise and dumb, merchants and kings alike. Even today in the far of forests, the father and son stand tall giving all their love as shade to all the birds and animals who come to them. They remained silent and from then on, learning from the wise Bodhi and his son, trees remain silent till date. And all of them lived happily ever after.... but silently.

Sunshines smile

It was a cold winter night when Sun was hiding behind the eyelids of the dark night. Night opened its eyes after a sound sleep with dreams decked with the shining stars. From behind the eyelids the sun saw a bright new day. With every step he was getting close to his love earth.

She was beautiful, when the sun saw him. With the flowing rivers and the green filled mountains, deep blue sea. She was as colurful as he had dreamt about her at night. He looked at her and smiled. The earth blew a soft kiss to the Sun and sent it with the morning wind.

The bright red sun came close to her and said:
" I have come to see you ..."

She smiled and turned all her sun flowers towards him. and shyly said:
"I was waiting for you ..."

He wanted to stop and be with her, but was cursed to burn himself and run all day by night and return to hide behind her eyelids at dusk, till she lets him go.

As the sun started running, all the sun flowers kept looking at him, with all the love and adoration. Birds kept singing and dancing at the sight of the sun. The Sun was so excited and wanted to hug the earth with all his love and warmth. But the curse kept him burning and running all day. He forgot the heat he had and scorched the soft deserts of the earth at noon.

"Oh no... what have I done", the sun said to himself and burnt more in sadness

Seeing her beloved in pain, earth stretched her arms as clouds and wiped the tears of the sun. The suns tears made the clouds wet with his tears of love and repentance. He squeezed the clouds and poured it over his love to cool her down. The tears fell on his beloved as rain. The trees, mountains, deserts and plains all got drenched in the love.

By then the dark night saw the sun in love and started pulling him towards her. As he was going away from his love, the sun said:

"I leave a few sunshine smiles just for you
To think and dream about me as you do
I will be back with love by morning time
To see your smile, when I come to you

My tears will cool you, as I burn
From your love I wish to learn
How you long for a gentle touch
With all the love in the flowers and fern"

The night pulled him into her eyes and kept him shaded till the dawn. But as he left saying the few lines, he turned red - the colour of love, leaving a few rays of sunshine smiles for his love. Since then earth waits for his beloved every morning, with the smiles in her memories all through the night. Every evening the earth says to her beloved Sun ...

"I live to see your morning smile
I need the warmth of love a while
When you leave me a sunshine smile
I know you will come to me, after a while.

I will wait for you till the night recedes
Opens its eyes and the day reveals
Till you come to me, my heart feels
Love is your smile and it heals"

Every dusk, the sun and the earth exchange smiles and wait for a bright new morning when they would meet again, smile again ...

The Smilepicker and his bag of smiles ...

Once upon a time, long long ago, very long ago, so long ago that no one knows how long ago ... there was a beautiful land of smiles. In that land, everyone smiled from morning till night in that land. No one knew what a frown was. All the happy people of the land woke up with smiles, shared smiles and went to bed with a smile. Every mile of the land was filled with smiles alone. Yeah ... Like the one you wear now while reading these lines. Thank you for that.

Into that land came a wind from the Angry land carrying all the dust and dirt from the land where everyone knew only to frown. The gust of wind crept into the homes of the happy people of smiley land and the dark days started. Kids stopped smiling and started to fight with their peers, brothers and sisters fought with each other, husbands and wives frowned at each other and friends kept smiles away from their peers. The happiness was gone and nowhere to be found.

Then came an old man who had gone to the experience mountain to fetch water. He came back to his land of smiles aghast, to find everyone frowning. He stopped and checked whether he had lost his way and reached some unknown land. He was wrong. It was the same smiley land where smiles lived on every face. The Old man thought to himself.

"I have not much time left. I need to bring the smiles back"

He took a sack from home and walked through the streets of the village. He walked by the windows and strolled by the alley. He saw pieces of broken smiles in the garbage cans. He picked them up from everywhere with a tear in his eye.

"I need to make this all right for all those who shared a smile with me in my life", the old smile picker thought to himself.

Some broken smiles and splinted laughs pierced the old smile pickers hand and scathed him. Scarred and wounded, the smile picker came back to his shack. He took each smile with care and mended them one by one. He burnt the midnight oil, to mend more smiles. He made them sparkling and shining as fresh as new. The smile picker smiled to himself the next morning, seeing a bagful of fresh smiles beside him. 

He went to the streets and shouted
"Fresh smiles, fresh smiles... feel free to buy one"

No one came to him. Everyone walked past him with a frown. 

The smile picker wore a smile from the bag and shouted at the top of his voice
"Pay me not, but share a smile"

Everyone veiled in the cloak of maturity, ignored the old man. The Smile picker went on and on and on ... He was tired, but still wore the smile. The sun was setting and covers of night pulled on...The smile picker walked back to his shack with a heavy heart, but still wearing a bright mended smile. He went to sleep with a smile, thinking to himself

"There will be someone who will buy a new smile tomorrow"

The morning sun peeped from behind the mountains. The old smile picker's sleep was broken by a knock on the door of his shack. The old man thought

"Who could it be?"

He opened the door to find a boy without a smile, with his head held low like a flower about to wither. He looked up to the smile picker

"Can I have a smile for my friend, who is in need of one?" the boy asked the smile picker.

The smile picker rushed to his bag of smiles and gave him a pouch of smiles. The boy walked away and the smile picker did not have to wear a mended smile. A bright new smile reached his lips from the heavens. He was smiling again. He went with his bag of smiles with the boy. The boy walked down the lane to his frowning friend and gave him a smile. His friend took it from the boy and they both started smiling. 

The smile picker knew one thing now
"Smiles are never sold, but shared and as you share, you get more"

The smile picker and the two smiling kids ran with a bagful of smiles and went to every corner of the village and started sharing the smiles and got more smiles in return. The scum from the winds of the angry land was gone and smiles returned to the smiley land. Where everyone started smiling again, everyone started shining again and lived happily ever after.

Share a smile today and get back more... one day.