Tag: #Weekly_Column

Colonel Jayant Khadilkar

(We proudly welcome Colonel Jayant Khadilkar  on e-abhivyakti.  Colonel Jayant Khadilkar was commissioned in June 1980 into the Corps of Signals. He is an Alumnus of National Defence Academy, Pune and Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru. Academically brilliant, he was awarded Plaque of Honour in Signals Young Officers Course and Army Chief’s Gold Medal in the Signals Degree Engineering Course. He is an expert in Electronic and Information Warfare.  He was awarded the first prize for his MBA thesis on the use of Decision Making techniques in Electronic Warfare.  Colonel Jayant pursues writing as a hobby, to capture his thoughts on topics of current public interest.  Today, we present his classical poetry My strange encounters with weight  .)

☆ My strange encounters with weight   ☆

My first RV with weight was in May 76,

at the pre joining medical for the NDA.

As the scale refused to move beyond 46,

a career in the Army seemed miles away.

I looked towards the doctor quizzingly,

outcome of the check up almost certain.

What a relief it was, when he said to me,

Go and eat bananas, minimum half a dozen.

Have water in plenty just before you come.

That should help you clear the minimum.

I thanked my stars, seized the opportunity.

The scale, next time, moved closer to fifty.

Courtesy the food at the NDA Mess,

coupled with intense physical work out,

weight was added and muscles built too.

I was above the Fly Weight, at fifty-two.

For Inter Squadron Boxing Competition,

Fly Weight category already stood taken.

Nominated to fight in the Light Fly Weight.

Pronto, my second encounter with weight.

Now I had to weigh between 45 and 48.

That meant a strict control on my diet.

No pastry and coffee, specially the cold one,

and getting wrapped in blankets after a run

Many years later, I had the third encounter,

when I was working in the private sector.

Courtesy the roles for which I was picked,

physical exercise got routinely skipped.

Frequently on tours, away from home,

Amongst buffet spreads, very inviting,

on savouries and sweets, I had a go,

acidity and indigestion notwithstanding.

My weight now measured eighty and two.

My waistline had grown, and tummy too.

As I visited him for a nagging head ache,

pre hyper tension, was the doctor’s take.

Very soon, I was prescribed a tablet,

and also had to take a blood sugar test.

Borderline diabetes was the diagnosis.

That made me sit up and take due notice.

(To be continued….)

© Col Jayant Khadilkar, Veteran

Pune

Ms Neelam Saxena Chandra

(Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is a well-known author. She has been honoured with many international/national/ regional level awards. We are extremely thankful to Ms. Neelam ji for permitting us to share her excellent poems with our readers. We will be sharing her poems on every Thursday. Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is  an Additional Divisional Railway Manager, Indian Railways, Pune Division. Her beloved genre is poetry. Today we present her poem “Arjun receives Brahmasiras ”. )

☆ Weekly column ☆ Poetic World of Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra # 41 ☆

☆ Arjun receives Brahmasiras ☆

To the bank of the sacred river Ganga

Drona and his disciple Kuru Princes went one day

As Drona entered the water to bathe

A crocodile grabbed him to everyone’s utter dismay

Caught him fiercely and strongly by his thigh

And although he knew how to himself set free

Yet, he summoned all his disciples and yelled,

“From this monster, oh please do save me!”

Bewildered the other princes stood

But Arjun quickly aimed at the crocodile;

Five arrows he fired in quick succession

Before the others could, to the facts reconcile.

Embracing his pupil Arjun in delight,

Granted him the missile nonpareil and unique.

With a silent mind and body he accepted

Brahmashiras, along with secrets of its use mystique.

© Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra

Hemant Bawankar

☆  Some lines…. between the lines! ☆

❃ ❃ ❃ ❃

We came in the world

to learn and try

Not for suicide

and not for die!

❃ ❃ ❃ ❃

I’m wandering

between

birthplace and graveyard.

I’m hanging

between

painful birth and dangerous death!

❃ ❃ ❃ ❃

You born alone

and

you will die alone.

But,

you can’t live alone.

❃ ❃ ❃ ❃

Death after birth

is definite

and

tracks from birth to death

is the definition of life!

❃ ❃ ❃ ❃

© Hemant Bawankar

Pune

9th August 1977

Ms Neelam Saxena Chandra

(Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is a well-known author. She has been honoured with many international/national/ regional level awards. We are extremely thankful to Ms. Neelam ji for permitting us to share her excellent poems with our readers. We will be sharing her poems on every Thursday. Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is  an Additional Divisional Railway Manager, Indian Railways, Pune Division. Her beloved genre is poetry. Today we present her poem “Realization…. ”.  This poem  is from her book “The Frozen Evenings”.)

☆ Weekly column ☆ Poetic World of Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra # 39 ☆

☆ Realization…. ☆

Time, like wind,

Often uproots you and throws you

Akin to a muddied yellow leaf

On untrodden paths

Making you feel defenceless!

You realize

The futility of your existence,

You fathom out slowly

That you are a zilch,

You don’t even know

Where your future is going to take you!

In this state of utter helplessness,

One fine day,

The realization dawns

That though the trail

May be of a muddied yellow leaf,

But you are not actually one;

You have the power

To steer your life’s car

With full force and conviction

And take it to a desired destination

With efforts and sincerity!

You insert the key,

You blow the horn,

And then march ahead

Like an enlightened Buddha!

© Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra

Dr. Nidhi Jain  

(Dr. Nidhi Jain is an assistant professor at Bharti Vidyapeeth, College of Engineering, Pune. She selected teaching as her profession, but it was a dream to be a litterateur. Her first book कुछ लम्हे  is a culmination of her interest. Her time management of family,  profession (Teaching in engineering science) and literature is exemplary. Today we present her poem “Chemistry teacher “.)

☆ Weekly Column ☆ From Nidhi’s Pen  #10 ☆ 

Ms Neelam Saxena Chandra

(Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is a well-known author. She has been honoured with many international/national/ regional level awards. We are extremely thankful to Ms. Neelam ji for permitting us to share her excellent poems with our readers. We will be sharing her poems on every Thursday. Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra ji is  an Additional Divisional Railway Manager, Indian Railways, Pune Division. Her beloved genre is poetry. Today we present her poem “Providence…. ”.  This poem  is from her book “The Frozen Evenings”.)

☆ Weekly column ☆ Poetic World of Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra # 39 ☆

☆ Providence…. ☆

You are just a straw

Floating with the gush of wind,

Going wherever destiny takes you.

Your finiteness

In the vastness of infiniteness

Is just an illusion

Making you falsely fantasise your worth.

Your knowledge, wisdom or health

May only give you inner strength

To dree the inevitable,

Your faith, commitment and character

May make you prudent

To face the inexorable;

But your path still remains undefined,

You still remain weightless

In the entirety of the universe.

The flow of life,

Depends not upon the straw,

But the wind that carries it.

© Ms. Neelam Saxena Chandra