True Story - wings of fire

*********************************************************************************All characters appearing in this story are taken from true life. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely intentional. If you can spot yourself amongst the characters, be assured that it is you
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Once upon a time , not so long ago there was a  Scarlet Macaw. She was a very beautiful Scarlet Macaw. She was so colorful and full of life . She had an incredibly bright plumage in colors ranging from the scarlet , through to light blue, yellow,with metallic gold iridescence, and even some green in the wings. Though Native to humid evergreen forests in the American tropics, this beautiful bird had flown down to Bangalore after getting married to the most handsome Fire-tailed Myzornis . Our Scarlet Macaw was a beautiful and brave woman who was equally kind and compassionate. All through her childhood her dad had treated her like a Princess and told her she was no less than any boy if not better.  So after marriage though she loved the Fire-tailed Myzornis very much she was very very cautious. Cautious about what ? Cautious that Fire-tailed Myzornis should not treat her as a mere female. After few initial hicupps she realized that he did not actually belong to the enemy camp but was one among what you called as "real men" shown on televisions.  Soon they were blessed with two beautiful children who thankfully had the best of features of both the parents.
They were both taught the right values. While the Jr Macaw-Myzornis who was a boy respected every living being baby Macaw-Myzornis was full of life and radiated confidence .
The Fire-tailed Myzornis helped with dinner and also advised the Scarlet Macaw whenever she faced any problems as work place. The Scarlet Macaw was highly respected at the work place .She shared a good rapport with her manager as well as clients. There was a time when her client had sent her flowers all the way from the dense rainforests of Melbourne !
The Macaw wanted to something more . She looked for other options in the same organization and soon got a good role in one of the happening teams.
As always she worked hard . But this time her supervisor - the Harpy Eagle was not so impressed. He kept different types of competitions to judge his team and finally when the results came our Macaw got a shock of her life ! But why ? she asked.  "That's because of relative performance " pat came the reply from the Eagle.
"Can you swim like the fish? " He asked
"N...no " she replied
"Can you crawl into a hole like the snake ?
"No I cannot " she replied
"But I can fly ...and I flew so high ! "
"Anyone can jump into a plane and fly " He replied.
I will take it up at the next level she thought. Definitely my skip level who resembles the guy out of Mani Ratnam's movie Roja will help . So she went to the Lappet faced Vulture's cabin.
"Relative performance" he replied without bothering to look up. Learn to swim and crawl and we will see next year what happens" and he dismissed her with a mocking smile.
The Scarlet Macaw came home to find the Fire-tailed Myzornis' shoulders ready for her to cry. After she was done with crying she asked him for advise. He looked a bit surprised. "Ofcourse you fight " he replied. That was all she needed. "This is going to be your fight. While I will always be there right behind you , to hold you , to give you support, its going to be your fight entirely. And when you come back from the battlefield I will be right at the doorstep with a bottle of champagne...  either to celebrate the victory with you or to drown the sorrow. Just go ahead and fight!"
So with these encouraging words our  Scarlet Macaw went straight to the battlefield and called the Vulture and the Eagle for a fight. She had no idea if she would win or loose but she knew in her heart she owed it to all the females in the world - birds , animals as well as humans.  She owed it to her dad who taught her to fly so high. She owed it to her husband who took leave to look after the kids while she attended her meetings. She owed it to her daughter and even to her son who looked upon her. And above all she owed it to her mother who prayed during her exams , who was by her side always, who readily took care of her kids while she worked. More than winning or loosing what mattered was that she stood up for something she believed in.
And thus the fight began.....The Eagle and the Vulture were powerful ...very powerful but our  Scarlet Macaw had so much of strength in her that even she was surprised.

As she opened the champagne bottle that night for the first time she felt her life was worthy and meaningful.

Note : I had decided to fight  , to raise my voice against something I totally believed in . I fought ...fought hard and I won. Even if I had not won it would have given me the satisfaction that I at least fought ...fought with all my might. 





Take Care,

True Story - III

*****All characters appearing in this story are taken from true life. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely intentional. If you can spot yourself amongst the characters, be assured that it is you  ****************


Once upon a time there was a Liger. You don't know what a Liger is? Liger is a hybrid cross between a male lion (Panthera leo) and a tigress (Panthera tigris).

Thus, it has parents with the same genus but of different species. But he was no ordinary Liger. Oh what a majestic Liger he was. When he walked all the females turned around to look at him. He was large and powerfully built. The Liger's coat was shiny short and buff yellow, with a tuft on the tail tip darker than the rest of the coat. And his mane ? It was full and shaggy , covering the back of his head, neck and shoulders and continuing into the throat and chest to join a fringe along the belly. His mane and fringe were dark, almost black giving him a majestic appearance.
When he roared, all the animals scrambled around and hid wherever they could.
Being at the top he was very lonely. He had followers but no friends. He would spend hours smoking cigarettes and thinking about his lonely life.  What he wanted was a partner. But where could he find a partner who would match up to him ?
So when the Hyena came with a marriage proposal from the lioness living in neighboring forest , he immediately declined. All that she does the whole day is stand in front of the mirror and admire herself , the Liger retorted. No I need someone full of life , who is not afraid of anyone , who everyone looks up in awe.
Who can brighten my days and love me in every way.
"Why don't you marry the sunshine?" the Hyena muttered under his breath before walking away with a bow.
The Liger was about to say something when he looked up. His eyes automatically closed, so bright was the sunshine. He gave a lazy laugh and took out the cigarettes.
He was not able to sleep that night. His mind kept wandering between the neighboring Lioness and the Sunshine.
The next day he decided to propose the Sunshine. For the first time in his life he felt nervous.

"Are you by any chance proposing me " The Sunshine asked with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Yes ...No ...Yes " stammered the Liger as he extended the flowers towards the Sunshine.
The Sunshine just kept looking at him with a sly smile. He fumbled in his pockets and came up with a ring. "Its a pure platinum ring" , he managed to say.
"So you ARE  proposing me !" The Sunshine said with a triumph .
"Though you are kind of cute , I really cannot marry you"
"Cute !" Did she just call him cute ! The Liger could not believe his ears.
"I love my freedom. I love adventure. I love to shine on the highest mountain and make its snow glisten like diamonds. I love to shine through the thick dense forest and bring joy to numerous birds and animals. I love to shine on the dessert soil. So how can I be tied up with you. But as I said you are kind of cute so yes we can be friends"
And this was the beginning of a beautiful friendship. The Sunshine followed the Liger when he went for hunting , they both sat near the lake and chatted for hours. Not a day went by without them laughing so loud that the entire jungle wondered what the joke was. But come evening , the Sunshine would bid goodbye to the Liger. Many a times the Liger tried to coax the Sunshine to stay back but she was adamant .
One day after playing in the lake for sometime , the Sunshine took the Liger's hand and whispered a goodbye. His heart missed a beat. He caught hold of her tightly. "I must go dear one" she said softly "for my heart yearns for the mountains and valleys". As she tried to slip away from the Liger , he held on to her more tightly. On the spur of the moment  he caught her and forced her inside a bottle and quickly tightened the lid.
His eyes had a maniac gleam. "Now you are mine... only mine and I refuse to share you with the world"

He took the jar along with him to his den. For the first time they spent the night together. He in a high chair near the jar and she, sad and teary eyed inside the jar. Next day onwards he carried the jar everywhere he went. But he was not happy. Even though he had the Sunshine with him , it was gloomy and dark. As the days passed by the Sunshine lost all her youth and vitality. She became pale day by day. No amount of coaxing or cajoling helped. Even the Liger's health deteriorated. He no longer roared. He even stopped going outside. The whole day he sat inside his den with his little jar of sunshine trying to make her laugh. Finally he gave up on that also and just sat quietly staring at her.
 One day as he sat in his den he saw a colony of ants slowly moving towards the Sunshine. As they were about to climb on top of the Jar , he roared. "How dare you ! Don't you dare to go near my love"
"Your love ? Do you love her? " The leader asked. "Love gives hope, love gives strength, love makes you want to live. But she is about to die and we have come to take her carcasses"
The Liger seemed to be jolted out of his dream. He took one look at the Sunshine and made up his mind. He took a broom kept in the corner and swept off the ants. Then he took the jar outside and opened the lip. With tears in his eyes he bade goodbye to the Sunshine. The Sunshine slowly floated towards the mountains promising to return next year.

Every year as promised the Sunshine returns to the Liger. The Liger waits for this day eagerly throughout the year. They spend time playing in the water , making boats out of the leaf, they cycle down the jungle trail, laughing , chatting and pulling each others leg.

This year too the Sunshine returned. And what did she see ? The Liger was not alone. His wife and three cubs welcomed her warmly. Did she feel a teeny weeny bit of Jealousy ? Yes ! But she was destined to be free , she knew even bounds of love would feel like chains to her. But before saying good bye which she realized was going to be her final goodbye she gave the three cubs a present each. She gave a part of herself to each one in the form of dreams , hope and love without which the world would cease to exist.

Moral/Lessons Learnt : 

• The more you try to possess your lover, the more true love will evade you . Give space give freedom.
• You can't always get what you want. 
• You can find love everywhere...just keep your eyes open ;) 

If you liked this please go ahead and read the other two true stories

A True Story...

another true story...

Take Care,

another true story...

*****All characters appearing in this story are taken from true life. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely intentional. If you can spot yourself amongst the characters, be assured that it is you  ****************

Once upon a time there lived a female Dove. Very pretty and equally intelligent. Her heart melted at seeing poverty around and yet she was very very shrewd .

She loved painting and laughing. While her friends burnt the midnight lamps to pass engineering exams , she passed the exams studying in the canteen along with her best friend and numerous plates of samosas.

As soon as she passed her exams , her parents got her married . A perfect match in every way . She cooked  rock hard idlies and he showered her with praises.

Their weekend was spent in shopping which was her favorite timepass.

Soon the strokes got them a sonny baby. After the initial few hiccups she settled down to the new routine.
But there was definitely something missing. Did she feel insecure because she was not earning  ?
"Darling you are already doing a lot . Why do you want to work now ? " Hubby asked surprised. But as always he let her have her way.

Soon she got a job !  Responsibilities kept on adding - at home and at work. Did she take anyone's help ? No ! Our Dove felt it would be a sign of weakness to ask for help. She was a strong female!

"We need a baby girl" one day Dove declared. "So be it " said darling hubby .

As her maternity leave came to an end , hubby dear once again offered "You can give up your job" .

 "No no I promised them I would be back after 4 months . So away I go next month"

Time passed by . With the added responsibility our Dove started getting up one hour earlier and went to sleep an hour later than her usual time.

But the responsibilities kept on adding as did her weight.  One day she got a shock as she looked into the mirror. Signs of ageing !!!! The damn expensive cream didn't erase the dark spots as it promised on television. She neither had the time nor the strength to sue them.

"If you want I can leave my work and take care of the house" Hubby dear offered.

"No No you earn more than me. You carry on . I think I will leave my job. Just give me some time to sort it out in my mind "

"I am a superwoman" she chanted 10 times everyday morning. And did it hep ? No it didn't. She gave up her evening walks to meet her deadlines. She didn't have time to hear her daughter sing "Chamak Chalo " .  She gave up her pedicures to complete the damn report . "Candle light dinner ?" she gave hubby such a dirty look that he actually felt guilty of proposing it . "Lets just grab a burger . I have a call in half an hour. "

The sensible hubby recognized the sign of depression behind the fake smile.  But what could the poor guy do ? And how long could the Dove's body take this kind of abuse. As she sat in front of the Psychiatrist she realized how wrong she was.  She thought equality meant going out and working. She knew the exact time of  each of her meetings , but didn't know her sons exam had started.

"Darling take a break from work for some time. If it doesn't work out go back. But at least give it a try. "  Dove nodded her head in agreement. Next day she went to her office and gave in her resignation. There was a notice period of two months .

From then on every time she fought with her hubby or shouted at her kids she thought "Few more days , then  life will be back on track" . She googled for dance class and meditation classes nearby. She did a lot of research on salsa and hip hop and finally decided on belly dancing classes . She was looking forward to her break. She got a new fruit juicer , sprout maker and a steamer.

Finally the day day arrived. She handed over her laptop and said good bye to everyone . As she handed over her Access card at the security she felt very happy and light. Finally she was going to live her life the way she wanted !

She came out of the huge gate . She looked back one last time. She took a step to cross the road. She did see the huge monster truck that was coming from the other side. Crash !!!!! Her white feathers along with her dreams were strewn all over the road... She slowly closed her eyes as the crowd gathered around her... A small tear dropped down from her lashes and got lost somewhere...

Moral/Lessons Learnt : 

• Don't wait until tomorrow to begin living. Start right now ! 
• If your superwoman outfit seems to have ripped /shrunk , just discard them for a designer outfit. 
• Its okay to ask for help. 

Take Care,