Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Mridula Chaudhari
When we talk about the celebrated writers of literature, what amazes me is their quality of being relevant today even after having written hundreds of years ago. How can a person think through the human psychology to the extent where he is never defunct or his thoughts are pertinent after several hundred years later?

Today let’s browse through the pages of ‘Jonathan Livingston Seagull’ written by Richard Bach. The story revolves around a seagull who is bored with the daily squabbles and life, of merely working to eat two meals a day and with meaningless materialism. He wants to do something bigger and not live a confined life. He was done with screeching and fighting with the flock around the piers and fishing boats and diving on scraps of fish and bread.

He wanted to fly high. He wanted to learn to fly higher in the sky and learn new skills. Isn’t this what everyone of us feel from inside? We long for many things, however seldom taking the right steps to achieve them. In this pursuit, Bach’s Seagull is outcast by his own breed. His parents and other fellow seagulls completely disapprove of this bold step taken by Jonathan. This too is how typical of us always condemning someone who behaves differently and does not take the oft trodden path.

Bach’s Jonathan experiments with his flying and reaches a flock who takes him in their wings. Now they teach him new tricks of flying at an even higher speed. These gulls are a class apart and offer to teach these traits to Jonatahn. Jonathan is ecstatic and he works hard and learns to fly with immense speed thereby making best of the opportunity he stumbles upon. He makes sure to bring finesse in his pursuit.

However, once an expert at flying he thinks about his flock back home and wishes to go back to them. He wants to go back, not to show off his prowess but to make them realize the importance of better things in life. He wants to reassure them that merely catching a prey and eating it is not life, it has many facets to it.

And to my mind this was the most difficult challenge for Jonathan. Learning is one thing but teaching the thoughts that are against the common belief is the most difficult task. Jonathan needed first to forgive those who outcaste him, teach them the new tricks and ensure their progress.

This is what is called giving back to the society. All great men try to give back to the society and make it a better place to live for everyone. Life is about learning, earning and returning back.

We all have a duty towards our society to make it a better place to live for ourselves, others and for generations to come. So much has been written by the masters for us to mull on. We only have to take a step forward and make living life an extraordinary experience.


Let’s take a leaf out of Richard Bach’s Jonathan Livingston Seagull, chew over it and work on it!!!

Monday, September 11, 2017

Mrs Pinkcheeks: Let's be proud of our children

Mrs Pinkcheeks: Let's be proud of our children: Mridula Chaudhari Undoubtedly women are an emotional breed. Tears trickle down their cheeks more often, though, of late, they have l...

Let's be proud of our children


Mridula Chaudhari
Undoubtedly women are an emotional breed. Tears trickle down their cheeks more often, though, of late, they have learnt to control their emotions quite well. Love and care run in their blood stream continuously. That must be the reason why God has entrusted with children’s care to women and not men. On first instance, a child also cries for his ‘Ma’ or ‘Mom’ more than his ‘Dad’ or ‘Paa’. A woman has always been taught to care for her child by her mom. For any small issue that she may face her mother has made her aware of how to deal with the situation.

What a young mother is never told is what happens when the child grows up. You can find umpteen number of books on teenage problems. Answers and solution to any teenage problem is available on the click of a button. So much so that a mother can preempt such problems and even is two steps ahead of her teenage child. She can make sure that no emergency arises and her child can come out of adolescent age unscathed.

What the young mother is never told or made aware of is, what happens when the children grow up. How to tackle the situation when the birds leave their nests to experience new pastures? How to come to terms with the situation of emptiness? How to change lifestyle to suit the new situation? How to remain busy while the children are too engrossed with their lives to think of their moms? How to make peace with thyself? How to bring joy to her life and open new opportunities for herself?

Yes, most moms find tackling this situation very difficult. But that’s the truth of life and one must accept this very gracefully. Keeping busy with our hobbies, learning new skills and keeping occupied helps overcome this feeling of loneliness. Though it does surface time and again but to overcome it is the art that one must learn.

Most importantly it is very important to realize that the children haven’t forgotten us, they are trying to cope with life without our support. They are trying to make a mark of their own and eventually make us proud. If this feeling is understood, feeling of depression will never be felt.


Bravo!!!