Another child marriage victim

This has reference to your news report – another child marriage victim – 22/04/10.



Some people have a deep-rooted and biased concept about the Kingdom: The whirl winds may come and go every now and then here, but the change of wind will never come. It is untrue. Over the years, we have seen many changes like the rain in the summer. We have also seen the same rains, thunders and lightning in this desert which we used to experience in our countries.

Similarly we heard some voices which we had never expected to be heard in the Kingdom. The thoughts of some Saudi writers still echo. Khaled Al Maeena’s open page editorial on 9/11 – catch the criminals- is still vibrant. Tariq’s article –fanaticism- was a true revelation of the liberal Saudi mind. And many more. Such voices played a great role to focus the menace of terrorism in the Kingdom. Now it is crystal clear that the Kingdom is the only country that conquered it with iron fist. And the efforts of Nourah Alkhereiji, Nimah Ismail Nawwab (well known Saudi poet), Lubna Hussain etc to stand for woman rights and human rights are commendable. They are instrumental in order to streamline the society. What a powerful article Nourah wrote earlier in Arab News regarding the child marriage – Mufti has spoken against it - (23.08.08). Her article was there to light such dark minds. I fully agreed with her points of view then: the people who have no concern about the under-aged are mentally sick and of course need psychological treatment at any mental asylums. Two years later, we still listen to pathetic condition of children. Children of 10 or15 years are not at all matured enough to shoulder family life. They are still children being looked after by their parents. A concerted movement from both the government and the good hearted people is the need of the hour to deter such crimes.

Acrostic of ARAB NEWS

Written for Arab News for its 35th anniversary and published today with comment.



A few lines on the evergreen pages

Recall my memories in the eighties;

An oasis in the desert, Arab News

Belonged to all the voracious readers



No barren land had such hornbills

Eagerly waited for a drop of news;

With many nationalities sharing pages

Symmetrically, it transcended races and ages…

Volcano sneeze

This has reference to your news report -Volcanic ash could blanket air travel for 5 more days(17.04.10)
No worry about the consequences on the economical or political side due to this volcano sneeze. The humanitarian side is very important, especially the organ transplant and medical treatment. There were news reports of organs having been delivered regionally by surface transportation available. And some of the poor patients who had a time frame of appointments to reach the operation table were held up. Here every single penny or every single second is lost is a loss which cannot be easily retrievable. However, nature more often teaches lessons to prepare for the future. Many who had been enjoying a bird's view since very long had gotten the opportunity to realize the ground reality, at least for a few hours. Many approached surface transportation to reach their destinations. Journey through the surface travel is more creative and thought provoking, because it always reminds us how to safe guard environs and nature. If the natural calamities do not make any human losses, it seems to be necessary to sit and think with equanimity about situations of the common man in the world.

Vishu Day

Vivacious memory in my childhood:
I used to sleep at my neighbour’s home on the eve
Silently I had to return home just before the sun rose
Hugging me, my parents opened their eyes to see me first
Unimaginable still what was their notion behind such a KANI
Deep faith in their god must have accommodated all in oneness
An equal attachment to all faiths grew up in me in due course
Yellow flowers and the melody of the reed thus became part of me
(Acrostic of VISHUDAY)
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PS: Kani: Auspicious sign to appear
Kani Konna (Yellow flowers): A species of Cassia whose flowers are considered an auspicious sight (Source: C. Madhavan Pillai’s dictionary)

The Thick Coating of the Milk

She held me in her hands
my palms clasped her left breast
my lips sucked the nipple
my legs kicked her belly
and she kept on patting on my back
sitting on the wooden stool
under the chimney lamp at home

Many years later,
my palms grew up
to hold a plastic jar
containing her left breast;
my legs were long enough
to reach the pathological lab;
my lips learned to bear
the pains of her long sufferings:
the sharpness of the surgical knife
the heat of radiation
and the agony of chemos
but still the coating of her milk
was as thick as before on my lips
like my closeness to her;
that was the best medication
that makes her heart
still throb behind the flat chest