Revered Rhapsodies

Every Hajji/ Hajja- is a guest of Allah. As one of Allah's millions of guests in the holy land of Makkah last year, with immense gratitude and heartfelt joy, my husband and I set out for our spiritual journey. Deciding to undertake Hajj wasn’t difficult, but even with most arrangements in place, everything had to align perfectly in the end. We are eternally grateful to the Almighty for enabling our dream and guiding us throughout the trip. Hajj is an indescribable journey filled with heartwarming experiences, tests of physical endurance, profound revelations, and transformative insights. It takes place every year between the 8th and 12th of Dhul Hijjah.   Before we started, we humbly asked for forgiveness to all our dear and near for any mistakes or wrongdoings that we may have committed, knowingly or unknowingly. The very sight of the Ka'abah was breathtaking, as scores of pilgrims were circumambulating the epicentre of spirituality in unison and complete devotion. It brought ...

No, not the one you are thinking of. It is not about the mess we made at school. But, the real ‘Mess’ or canteen as we call it. Believe it or not, I actually looked forward to school lunches at the canteen every day. They were deliciousness served steaming hot to fill our palates. Even the veg curry with dal or pumpkin tasted heavenly. The same dish from home may not have the same effect on us. I unabashedly admit that I was an esurient being. Every day when I pack my children’s lunchboxes, my daughter asks me, ‘What's for lunch? ‘    I want to retort, ‘Are you going to school for food?’ But the apple doesn't fall very far from the apple tree, does it? On Tuesdays (if my memory serves me right), we had non-veg for lunch and a chemistry class right after. Talk about a risky combination! Bad timetable. You wouldn't understand unless you sat through that class.                                   ...