heaven on earth

CHEERY BLOSSOM IS HERE AGAIN,
OH! HOW I LOVE THIS SWEET SEASON;
WHAT MORE DO I ASK,
FROM OUR MOTHER EARTH;
PINK PETALS ALL OVER,
COLOURFUL PRAYER FLAGS FLUTTER;
UNDER THE CLEAR BLUE SKY;
COSY WARMTH ON MY BACK,
KISS OF BREEZE ON MY CHEEK;
AS I READ I WONDER,
OH!WHERE IS HEAVEN?
OH! HOW IS HEAVEN?
I SMILE WITH REALISATION,
IN THIS BLISSFUL AFTERNOON;
OH! WHERE ELSE COULD IT BE,
OH! HOW ELSE COULD IT BE;
IT IS BUT RIGHT HERE,
UNDER THE CLEAR BLUE SKY;
BENEATH YOUR BEAUTIFUL FEET,
AROUND YOUR BEAUTIFUL SOUL;
I SIT BACK AND ENJOY,
THE WARM SUN ON MY BACK...
i scribbled this piece today afternoon on my son's rough copy.this is my first poem ever written in my lifetime.thought of putting up on my blog.I seek advice from anybody who is an expert because i want to learn how to write poems.some basics.please share.
cheery trees always remind me of my school.at this time of the year it used to be( and still is i suppose)preparation time for our final exams.Tashi Namgyal Academy during this time of the year used to be full of cheery trees in full bloom.now when i look back i realize how fortunate we were to have such a lovely school compound with such beautiful surroundings.

Enchey centenary celebrations 14-15th november

As the morning sun rays shone through the pine trees beneath the clear blue sky people in colourful attire, girls and boys in brown kho* gathered in Enchey ground to celebrate the centenary occasion.Enchey school was established in 1909 by the 10th maharaja of Sikkim.my husband is one of the ex students of this school so we accompanied him to this historic occasion.it was a good learning experience for my kids as they witnessed the various traditional dances,exhibition stalls(this morning only my daughter asked me what exhibition meant),felicitations and for the first time they saw their dad address a public audience.the occasion was also marked by felicitations to the ex teachers and ex students for their contribution to the school and society.Achu* was one of them and i feel proud of him.it was indeed a historic occasion and i am happy to have been a part of it.
p.s. kho* is the traditional attire of the Bhutia community which happens to be the school uniform of Enchey school.
Achu* means elder brother in tibetan.In Sikkim its common that bhutia ladies address their husband with this term.generally they don't address their husband by their name.another term used for addressing husband is Agya* which also means elder brother in Bhutia language.Another interesting way of addressing one's husband is e.g. karma appa(karma refers to child's name and appa means father in bhutia language).the latter way of addressing husband is also common in the other communities like nepali and lepcha.other ways of addressing are darling,love,sweetheart,sweetie,handsome,doll,motti,mottu,etc.Generally speaking some couples address each other in different ways depending on the situation for e.g.in private they will use very cosy terms for each other and public they will use more formal terms.for me on all occasions i call him achu.hey guys! how do u address your better half? do share.it could be interesting.

November rain

Its really cold here in gangtok especially since yesterday.seems like guns n roses' November rain is here.i am feeling all the more cold because i just returned from delhi-jaipur where its still warm.jaipur is really so rich in its history and culture.the forts were awesome and walking through the corriders of the palaces i just wondered how it must have been in those days.if you happen to visit jaipur then don't miss the Jaigarh fort of Amber which is 15 km from Jaipur city.best season to visit is from late september to march.what is interesting other than the fort is we got to meet the 97 years old gentelman who used to cook for the late maharaja Sawai Man Singh 2nd and he is still hale and hearty.touchwood.He runs a canteen in the vicinity of the fort.another must visit is the village resort called Choeki dani(not getting the correct spelling).its a mini Rajasthan with live folk song n dance,huts,camel rides,elephant rides,bullock cart rides,shops selling Rajasthani jewelleries,etc.this resort also offers a traditional local meal which i relished to my heart's content.i learnt that rajmata Gyatri Devi is the third wife of late maharaja Sawai Man Singh 2nd.i admire this graceful lady who started the Maharani Gyatri Devi girls School in 1943 with just 21 students.Today its one of the finest girls' schools.the water harvesting system with well planned water channels and covered tanks was very impressive.this pink city is a must visit.