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Meenakshi Mohan |
Dr. Meenakshi
Mohan,
an internationally published writer is an educator, art critic, children’s
writer, painter, and poet. She has been listed twice in the Who is Who Among
American Teachers. She is on the editorial Committee for Inquiry in
Education, a peer-reviewed journal published by National Louis University,
Chicago, Illinois.
AKASHDEEP
Hope smiles from the threshold of the year
to come,
Whispering, it will be happier….
- Alfred Lord Tennyson
During the month of Kartik, I
visited my Nana’s house with my mother.
The house was getting ready for the
festival Deepawali –
deep cleaning of the house, the kitchen
busy preparing mithais
colorful rangolis at the front
entrance. It all looked so fresh and beautiful.
One night, I stood outside this
four-storied high brick building.
Gray scattered
clouds covered the sky. A few stars peeked through them.
Then, I noticed a copper kalash
high up on the roof, emitting light
through its various holes around it. It
looked as if a cluster of stars were gushing out.
What is it, Mama? I
asked my mother, holding on to her.
This is Akashdeep, the Lamp of Hope, she
said.
My five-year-old curious mind wondered
what that meant.
She continued; People of Ayodhya
lighted their houses with Akashdeep to welcome Lord Rama
returning home after his exile in the
forest and hoping for peace.
I looked at my mother, but she continued
to explain more about this divine light,
When wounded soldiers returned from wars,
people lit their houses with this light to
welcome them and hope for peace.
So, is this the light of Hope for Peace? I asked her.
Yes, she smiled, and looked up to the sky and said,
Akashdeep also brings
blessings from our ancestors who left us a long time ago.
Many years went by,
but my mother’s words still resonate.
Today, when our world
is in peril with many disasters,
I wished if only we
could light this Akashdeep in our hearts and ignite its flame of hope.
And spread peace and
placidity in the world from our hearts to yours and yours.
During the month of Kartik,
I still find a bright star peeking through the clouds,
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