Ringa Ring-O Roses, Pocket Full of Whaaaat???

No I don't think they are nonsense blabberings!!!

As much as we like to think that Nursery rhymes are written just for the heck of it, or to keep naughty little children occupied- I believe that there is more to nursery rhymes than 'innocence' and 'consonance'. Today, I am attempting to contribute my 'little anecdotes' to unraveling the mysteries behind the real meaning and nature of many nursery rhymes: which have made me hack my brain-cells more often than not. I think they served a very special purpose, an almost-secret history is attached to each of them and that they were written for more reasons than just plain child's play.

First of all, camouflaging them as childish rhymes, helped writers guise the true nature of their thoughts and at the same time helped them voice their opinions. In fact, many historical events, political mind-games and monarchical satires have been portrayed through nursery rhymes. Also, by reading them in accordance with their year of origin, you can actually see trails of the evolution of society and how social settings and surroundings changed with the ushering of each era!

[Disclaimer : While reading this post, you may think that I am either mad, deranged or sadistic- all of which might be true though. But if you have read this post so far, then it doesn't make sense to leave the page right now...]

So here goes my list of Rhyming puzzles (no, not as interesting as the Da Vinci code) which holds taboos and *beep* ideas of the yesteryears!!

"Rub-a-dub-dub,
Three men in a tub,
And how do you think they got there?
The butcher, the baker,
The candlestick-maker,
They all jumped out of a rotten potato,
'Twas enough to make a man stare."

This one reminds me of the earliest demonstration of homosexual escapades. The era of 1700s was not exactly gay-friendly and but that does not necessarily mean that it did not exist. Straight guys have always been super anxious of gay men. They were probably ten times more homophobic- than they are now; somehow the reference to 'rotten potato' and 'make a man stare' throws light to the real meaning behind this otherwise mindless childish rhyme! Also, its sad to see that from the 1700s to the year 2011, we haven't really come a long way!

Three blind mice, three blind mice,
See how they run, see how they run,
They all ran after the farmer's wife,
Who cut off their tails with a carving knife,
Did you ever see such a thing in your life,
As three blind mice?

Well, well, this one's my favorite. Many speculations about its historical connections have been made with Queen Mary I of England, who was believed to have blinded three protestant bishops. Not that I disagree with the historical connections of 'Bloody Mary' but still, I have a couple of things about this rhyme myself, which I can't seem to put out of my mind. The most conspicuous event which hold connection to the rhyme could be the peasant revolt. Not only are the peasants portrayed as 'direction-less' and 'tortured' but at the same time they are symbolic of a revolution-- a forthright depiction of collective uprising, which the rhyme describes as never seen before. Truly, it was one of the first such collective peasant efforts of Medieval England, and one that marked the beginning of a series of efforts which led to the vanquishing serfdom/bonded slaves in England.

Ding dong bell
Pussy's in the well
Who put her in?
Little Johnny Flynn
Who pulled her out?
Little Tommy Stout
What a naughty boy was that
Try to drown poor Pussycat,
Who ne'er did any harm
But killed all the mice
In the Farmer's barn!

Written in the early 1500s, this one reeks of 'witchcraft' and consequent punishments. Not only is the cat depicted purposely as a female, but the author is also silently voicing a protest against cruelty towards these women. A little known fact is that prior to the famous punishments of the 'witch-burning', a small practice called Ducking/Cucking prevailed in England. This was a time when women accused of being witches or accused of sexual crimes (read: Prostitution) were tied to a wooden stool and thrown into the water. This later on paved the path for more heinous punishment and cruelty towards women in the early 1600s. This one is an amazing example of revolutionary thinkers of those dark times, who still had a sane mind to pull the cat out of the water!!

------------------ That's all I have for now, but I leave with one parting question.... what's your favorite nursery rhyme? :P :P

You and I

I know we may not be the most expressive couple, and we may not be the most romantic either. But, sometimes when I look around me, I feel that maybe, just maybe, I need to acknowledge us a little more than I usually do. Maybe I need to express myself a little more than I do, but the truth is I generally refrain from speaking about us in public thinking I might jinx it. When I look over the rubbles of failed relationships around me, I feel I shouldn't say much. Now, I know that I am not the 'touch-wood' type person, but that does not necessarily mean I am not insecure. Like I know in Life, they say, all good things must come to an end, I don't want to give the impression to LIFE that yes We are THAT good. Maybe, if life thinks we are just mediocre it will leave us alone.

I may not be able to tell you these things in person, but I notice the little things you do, more than you think I do. Even after so many years, you still make laugh with your stupid mis-pronunciations, I secretly adore the fact that you take over an hour to cut your nails and then proudly show it off to me thinking I'll reward you or something! LOL :P I know you still make two cups of tea in the morning even when you know I'm sleeping, and you send me gibberish nonsense texts throughout the day and somehow you always get to know whenever I am upset.

This post is dedicated to all those times when you say it out loud, and even more for the times when you don't... :) :)

XOXO! <3

Indriya- Shakti!

No, not that I am feeling extremely spiritual today! It's just that I stumbled upon an article which talks about the different meanings of Indriya and how the meaning differs with each race, religion and belief. In Buddhism, unlike Sanskrit Vedas- Indriya refers to a spiritual faculty of the somewhat the self-control principle. Which needless to pretty interesting! In Sanskrit however, it literally means "agreeing with Indra".. and finally reached its most known definition of the five senses.

Not only did I enjoy reading this piece of article, it also made me think of the millions of notions that the word can be related to. What is 'Indriya' to a blind man? is it the same as it is to a mentally challenged young girl? The way we humans see the world is not only different but uniquely independent. Which is what makes us the most sympathetic and sensitive race of all.

To a blind man 'Indriya' is an overpowering sensation of constant self searching and awareness, whereas to a small mentally challenged girl- 'Indriya' is nothing but a way to get her back to reality- the sound of glass shattering, or a hysteric call from her loved one, the touch of a friend or a jolt of a doctor. For most of us though it is a way to experience the world, and that's why I for me- 'Indriya' is Inspiration.

In my own thought-pedia, Indriya is synonymous with Inspiration. What inspires me to write, what inspires me to sing, what inspires me to love and respect, and what inspires me to strive...

An old poem, a new bottle of perfume, a secret admirer, a romantic dinner, an old faded picture, a tight hug, a much needed advise, a sudden eye-contact, an interesting conversation..... It takes very little to inspire us and take action. It's about realizing your inspiration and following it up with your inspired initiative.

To me- Indriya is nothing, but ways to find newer & greater inspirations everyday!

Love-less heart-breaks!

Much has been said about "whatever happens, happens for the best" and "my mistakes make me who I am". Not that I disagree to any of these.. but my main problem remains with the mystery of heartbreaks! Can you break your heart if you never loved? I think you can!

Lesser the love, more the pain
Assemble the Jury and let’s begin...
You called me what? I kept it sane,
Never to react , Never to blame.
Who went wrong? What’s the excuse?
Where was the love? or was that the excuse??
Trial runs for happily every-after
100th time we fall and start all over.
Lesser the love, more the pain.
No it wasn’t love, Never made till the end.
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Putting My Thinking-Cap on!

PG introduced me to Own your Beauty & I'm still thinking on how to get started on this! For now- Im just enjoying the nice beauty widget on the side bar! YAY!!!

Thanks PG! :) :)