Reflections from the Belmont Bay

I have been writing small verses since my early adulthood, some of my romantic scribbling remained concealed and buried in notes books and daily diaries scattered lying here and there then dying their natural death .The appreciation of poetry seems to be an endearing trait which showed its powerful influence on the inner make up of almost all members of our family. My mother could recite religious hymns till the age of 88, my father a medical doctor by profession was an ardent admirer of Urdu poetry and my two sisters used to recite and discuss poems in their daily social exchanges till the last of last days of their lives.

Here is a collection of some of my poems mostly written from the year 2003 onwards when I retired from a very demanding and involving business. After retirement I found time and space to exercise these skills. This is a modest attempt to collate my recent work.

As through lament we evolve, pain and angst gives us strength to endure, they clear our vision, through penance and ambition we achieve and through struggle we excel, by will we reach. I had the fortune of all these. They were bestowed to me in my late years and that too in such a heavenly ambience and social comforts.

So writing side by side with our travelling, buildings maintenance, social service and meditation became a rewarding past time it a compulsive past time. It gave me an occupation, a hope, a meaning and a renewed self worth There is a plenty of material to gather, plenty of sights to admire, many new found sounds to heed to many joys and kicks scattered around as we sojourn through our daily living. It is all happening before our eyes in this play of life. We got to have time, patience and skills to capture, save the present and share as common celebrations with our near and dear ones.

Our revered friend Dr Darshan Sachdeva has given me much needed push and support. His encouragement triggered a new zeal in me. I kept on writing. Writing with any pretext writing on any occasion offering a worthwhile inspiration I value the well meaning honest review of my friend Dr Promila Panwar and the encouragement of Mr Rajeev Arora author of “The search Which is always there” Now writing has became a habit a second nature. I have arrived here because of second nature . I revere it earnestly.

I have tried to contain these thoughts in the poem “This is my studio my lab” This habit and I have tried to make use of it’ Please open that page and share with me what I wished to say.

These selected poems and many more are written in a free style without the discipline or rules of grammar or established literary guidelines. This is to me an abstract art and it is there for you to enjoy with a discerning smile. Have a cup or a glass of drink in your hand and the feet on a stool in the front, in a quiet corner of your mind or in the long lonely hauls of long flights. Enjoy reading a page or two it will induce a reflective mood and lull you refreshed by a comforting sleep.

My internal make up seems to be influenced by the occupation I was perusing for living and supporting the structure of the growing family. I chose that humble occupation developed it nourished it streamlined it and it expanded as it was on right footings. I followed my heart and my dreams. I loved what I did, and I over did it as well. I must admit it was interesting work for me and gave me the gratification of work, offering the recreation of a play hence rewarding in deed.

To beatify, to refurbish, conserve, rearrange and to build some thing new and better every time from simple things available was a deep rooted passion in me .I had all these opportunities in my mechanical reconditioning business and this in turn gave me the opportunity to apply my creativity to a better use in the conservation of earthy resources. I was the boss, I was manager, a cleaner, a designer a public relation officer a legal fighter an entrepreneur an astute investor every person with many color caps. What an office it was .I enjoyed every moment of this grass root yet honorable, humble and rewarding occupation

These instincts are imbedded in my psyche. They still reflect in my daily engagements, in gardening, in building activities, in photography, social work, traveling writing and mingling with ease with the strangers of all levels and age. I feel there are opportunities for us to avail and we are here to rejoice and share rather than to compare. I thoroughly recommend this life style to all the retirees of my age. Just try. God reveals his beauty through nature that inspires us. That beauty is always prevailing around only we have to have the eye to behold.

I consider my self to be one of the fortunate ones to have a wonderful wife who supported me whole heartedly in all my ventures, that built my social standing, in helping me in the selection of appropriate words that some what improved in writing My family had been my strength. They stood by me in my triumphs and later in my recent afflictions and in my tribulations when I was diagnosed with a serious illness .I was shattered and felt defeated

Though my family gave me all the moral and emotional support I needed, it was my passion for poetry; indulgence in writing along with gardening and small building projects that kept in balance and in a new faith that emerged certainly with His grace. Without that I would have long gone succumbing to my illness. It is this passion that pulled me out of near depression.

I am again lucky to be in the warmth of the community of well-established celebrated professionals of substance and academic achievements. They bare my inspirations and support. This compilation is the first I have ventured to publish through Balboa Press considered one of the best in the field .The material there contained in is somewhat exclusive in its nature I am sure it will find worthy audience in America.

So cherish this humble gift, feel elated feel rapt, and simply enjoy!

Raj Bhandari