Feature: Tikuli Dogra Day 1

Please welcome our feature this week, Tikuli Dogra. I met Tiku on facebook and have been following her blog and writing for some time now. We think you will enjoy her offerings.



BIO

I was born in an enlightened free thinking family where we were assisted in discerning for ourselves and finding paths.

A mother of two teenage boys, I live in Delhi, India. As a young girl I wrote little verses and tucked them under my pillow. Writing filled the empty spaces of my life in and out. Social issues especially women related issues haunted me and I wanted to do my bit so they became an important theme for my writing. Writing for me is therapeutic and a way to be myself. It is a passion. Barriers of caste, gender and nationalities do not hold any place. I feel that we all are part of a bigger scheme of things and must do our bit to justify our existence on this beautiful planet. Adventure, nature walks, travel, reading, music are my other interests.

After graduating in English literature from the University of Delhi and getting a diploma in Spanish Language I settled down to look after my home. Somewhere all my creativity got buried under layers of responsibilities. I felt caged. Something in me wanted to break free but did not have an escape route.

Three years back internet opened new vistas for me and I decided to start my blog, join writing sites and participating in various poetry challenges etc. Since then I never looked back. It became my school for learning new things every moment every day. I am a learner, a student as far as creative writing goes.

Now I try to write about things that matter to me. Curiosity, sensitivity towards everything and my love for nature began to flow through my pen. Everything I write reflects some aspect of my heart and soul. India's rich cultural heritage has influenced me immensely. Two of my poems have been published in an anthology and one titled " Marijuana Dreams" in the The Smoking Book (web anthology from Poets Wear Prada press.

I write on these sites.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/416660/tikuli_dogra.html
http://tikulicious.wordpress.com/ (Spinning a Yarn Of Life)
http://tikuli.blogspot.com/

you can also find me on Facebook

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The Grand Banyan Tree

At the banks of the river Yamuna
a banyan tree stands tall
spreading its mighty arms
to touch the earth
take root and put forth again

Centuries old Tree of Wisdom
A sage
in perpetual spiritual trance.
A sentinel
guarding the ancient Kali temple,
its Ariel roots hang like
the entwined locks of

Lord Shiva.

A tree beyond deaths and births,
it's roots deeper than our lives,
A witness to the city's growth
from its conception to what it is now.

The awe inspiring ancient guardian
of our historic past
withstanding all the storms
and turbulence of life
it holds a universe
under the vast expanse of
its glossy verdant canopy.

An epicenter of life for
tiny insects, snakes,
birds and humans

It has given shelter& shade
to weary travelers
devoted pilgrims
tired workers
who came for their midday slumber
under it's cool cover against the
scorching Indian summer
for as long as the time itself.

Children play on the rope swings
hanging lazily from
its strong branches
And women, who came to
bathe and fill pots in the river
gather, laugh, chat and worship
under it's serene shade

They tie sacred threads
around the age old trunk.
A symbol of love, hope and longevity
it is not just a Landmark of the city
of rich cultural heritage
But also a Landmark
standing between the bygone eras
and the times yet to come.

A small world, a cosmos in itself
revolves around this harbinger of life

Nothing has changed
since I saw it first
my little fingers clasping
my father's hand

The only thing
which seems to have changed
with time
is the Time itself.

(The Banyan Tree is considered scared and is revered in Hindu Mythology. It can grow up to 400 years or more and can have a perimeter of 60m and above. Also known as the Indian Fig tree, Kalpavriksha(the wish fulfilling tree) and the Bodhi tree ( the tree of enlightenment).)

© Tikuli Dogra