Have you ever performed on stage or given a speech?
Not later than last week, I gave a speech at a private function. I organized the launch of my new book ‘ Leaves’ in my birth country.
However prior to the event, I had posted about the event on the social media, eventually many followers attended, who were really virtual friends.
I am a Barrister, hence I am used to speaking in public. I never learned public speaking. It happened naturally when I stood on my feet to address the Criminal Court in defense of my client. She was accused of assaulting her husband. She was pleading not guilty.
I pleaded for her on the grounds of self defense and I won the case.
Thereafter armed with self confidence, I am very much at ease for public speech.
Where there is a will, there is a way.
Addressing the audience at Mauritius Gymkana Club.
What is something others do that sparks your admiration?
I love people.One thing in people that sparks my admiration is the enthusiasm and willingness of others to mix together with no discrimination of color, caste , religion or culture.
I mostly wear the Indian dress, a saree when I post about my books. The majority of my readers are from my social media accounts.
I am overwhelmingly happy to see readers from all over the world buying and reading my work.
Love and respect of humanity, seeing all as ONE sparks my admiration in others.
I’m posting a few shots of my book event in Mauritius last week.
On 26 Novembre 2012 , I was attending the Conference on Child Welfare and Protection organized by The Hague in Dakar,Senegal.
A writer at heart, I was inspired to pen down this story
The Tears of A Mother
A very long time ago, before God invented the dictionary of words, he sat down and started to create the first human beings. In no time, he produced the writer, the doctor, the moderator, the builder, the vegetable seller, the beautician and many, many others. Last he set out to make the mother.
An angel, who was watching God at work, asked:
“Why do you keep the mother last on the list? She should be the first.”
God answered “It’s not going to be an easy task. For the mother, I have to make more than one pair of hands.”
“Why?” asked the curious angel.
“She needs many pairs of hands as she will have to roll the parathas, check the temperature of the kid who is down with fever, put the dirty linen in the washing machine, answer that phone call and check her email to know how her eldest son is doing abroad and all at the same time!”
“Oh!”
“That’s not all! She will need a few pairs of legs too, to rush to school to drop one kid, to take the other one to the dentist, to run to the market, to collect that parcel from the post-office and all at the same time!”
“She must also have an extra pair of eyes in her back to watch the kids when they are in their room and see that the roast is not burnt whilst she is peeling the potatoes. Her lap must be larger than the average to cradle more than one at a time” continued God “her voice must be hard enough to scold and sweet enough to console.”
“That’s all?” the angel wanted to know.
“She must not only be an example of virtue but she must also be endowed with a few defects – spoiling, smothering, overfeeding her child and doing his home work when he is falling asleep to name a few.”
“She is hard to the touch!” said the angel.
“But as soft as butter inside!” answered God.
“Oh! Oh! God! There is a defect in your manufacture” remarked the angel “look here, there is a leak – water is running down the cheeks.”
“The tears! Of course! This is how the mother expresses her joy, her grief, her relief, her disappointment, her happiness, her sorrow and all her innermost feelings. But mind you, I did not make the tears. No! Niet! Non! Nahin! She made the tears herself.”
Footsteps is the prompt of #TankaSocietyofAmerica for this week #TankaThursday and #TankaPoem
I was walking to the bakery to buy bread for breakfast and was deep in thought.Suddenly I heard the sound of my footsteps crunching fallen brown leaves 🍂. Simultaneously my Apple in my jacket pocket notified me of the above prompt.
I immediately jot down the above short piece on my iPhone and posted it as quick as lightning ⚡️
My feelings when I did so were ‘ I was living the peace and quietness of an Autumn walk away from the maddening crowds interrupted unduly by my boots, fallen leaves and my iPhone.
Right now I’m reading the amazing story book‘The Lifeboat that Saved the World by author and living legend, Irving Finkel .
Charmed by the originality, simplicity and creativity of the author, I bought his book at the ZeeJLF 2019 held in the British Library,London,UK.
It was such a big honor to meet him in person, to chat with him and to exchange ideas about writing books. Irving Finkel autographed my copy and I told him with an iota of pride that I was an author too. Adding that a catalogue record of my book The Princess and the Crow is available from the British Library too!
We congratulated each other.
Now that I am working on a new children’s book, I have picked up the book of Finkel again to draw inspiration from his invaluable work.
From carved stones to modern, beautiful calligraphy , writing is one of the miraculous achievements of the world.
The best thing that you can do is to write children’s books ’ Irving Finkel
Anita Bacha
Irving Finkel’ autographing The Lifeboat that Saved the World (2019) at the British Library.
Growing old I have suddenly realized that I have little time to live. This realization has helped me make the right choices for my family.
A working mother, I have spent little time with my children at home. I remember coming back after an official visit abroad to see my third son had become taller than me!
There are so many more instances of their growing up and leaving for overseas to pursue further studies that I had missed.
How to make up for the time gone?
Fortunately, I have one grandson who lives with his mom and dad nearby and I see him often but not enough.
Since early childhood he cherished the dream of becoming a diver and an underwater photographer. However,after obtaining a Bachelor’s degree at King’s College,London, he pursued his studies in accountancy and qualified as a Chartered Accountant.
He joined his father’s account and auditor’s firm for a year and left to realize his dream and passion.
Now an experienced deep sea diver, photographer and instructor, he revels in the underwater world and its secrets.
You have to dream before your dreams can come true.” — A. P. J.Abdul Kalam.
Anita Bacha 