I never thought thered be days like these,

Its as if Ive lost my keys.

The keys to my heart,

That thought wed never be apart.

But now here we are,

Living oh so far.

Far in distance and far in heart,

And yet I thought wed never be apart.

I wonder what went wrong,

Maybe my love wasnt that strong.

No, that cant be true,

Because I loved you deeply and still do.

I made mistakes and so did you,

But our hearts were always true.

Why did we let mistakes become blunders,

When our love could have worked wonders.

Maybe I will never know,

and so I had to let you go.

Im living with a broken heart,

Yet I thought wed never be apart

sorry for the above post....wrong thread.

Hi Puys,
Some more one-liners............

"He who laughs last didn't get the joke."

"The number of people watching you is directly proportional to the stupidity of your action."

"When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've never tried before."

"It's hard to be humble when you're as great as I am."

"If you love your job, you haven't worked a day in your life."

here is this peice of work i wrote for the girl i saw at metro station while going to the coll in 2007winter.by eve i wrote it.



I say how to approach her ?
I met her in a crowded place , she was beautiful.
I dint know how to approach her so as to be meaningful.

she was reading a book when i saw her at the station.
colourful she was dressed n fit well with my expectations.
everything abt her was so natural n serene.
all other chicks felt so green.


she stood up gently and i wondered if such beauty still exist.
the last station came n we all took the exit.

i was in a fix with my thoughts getting mixed.
i wanted to talk to her n just be friends,
appreciate her n the usual trend.
i proceeded thinking i'll be able to talk
wil be able to catch up n share something while we walk.
Should it be her beauty I must confess or
With my honesty just proceed to chat
but as I decided to go ahead
nervous uncertain thoughts started coming to my head

before i could approach her she made a move,
I dont kno was it deliberate or by fluke.

I wish i get to c her again,
but the question, will still be the same..
I say, how to approach her ?

Baahein pakad ke rok lete tujhe,
Agar humara zor chalta.
Zingadi tumhare naam kyu karte,
Agar pyaar itna na hota.

An Unwanted Return .....

I thought i would never be back again in to your life
Thinking that u will be happy for ever, i left the place
I thought i had given everything which would suffice
Now that, i see the happenings with you, i am back again

I thought u can life your life to its fullest with, me being in it
but u made me realise the fact that " it is the absence of me ".
though i had to travel long in to the depths of despair
Now that, i see the happenings with you, i am back again

I know,the feeling of being alone haunts through out, but
i wished that i could see a different world which miss you
i learned perfectly, to close my eyes in order to see you
Now that, i see the happenings with you, i am back again

Keeping the risks of my life aside, i finally made a walk in to your life again
But now, i really understand that it was only the delusion which i saw
and my heart truly regrets for that unwanted return !!!

Here is an attempt at a short story by me. All bouquets and brickbats are welcome

They won't believe you

It was a dark lonely night. Not particularly cold. He could not put his finger on it but he felt something was wrong. There was nobody around. Maybe he was scared, but he was not one of those weak hearted who were afraid of the dark. "I'm just being paranoid." He told himself and continued walking. "Anyway, home is just 10 minutes away." It sounded something similar to a hollow consolation. All of a sudden, he saw a figure at some distance. It looked like a lady from one of those horror movies. She was walking slowly. With her "pallu" flying behind her. His heartbeat accelerated. He slowed down his footsteps to put some distance between them. But it slowed down as well. All of a sudden it turned on its heels and starting walking towards him. He was rooted to his place for a second and then spotting a small lane, darted into it. He vaguely remembered that this lane led to the cross-road behind his home. He could hear footsteps behind him but did not dare to turn back. He put his head down and started walking faster. "Few more steps and I will be at the cross-roads." The footsteps behind him stopped abruptly. He wanted to turn back and make sure whatever it was had left but could not muster enough courage. He lifted his head for a split second and was shocked. There it stood- in front of him. Now he had no doubt that it was a spirit. His heart was in his mouth and he was now wet with perspiration. The spirit started walking towards him and just as it did, he heard footsteps behind him. Now he was sure his mind was playing tricks on him. He could discern 2 sets. It was as if his feet were glued to the road. As much as he wanted, he could do nothing. It was as if he was paralysed. The steps grew closer. Closer. Then he thought he felt a breath on his neck. He closed his eyes and started praying. All of a sudden, there was a loud laugh.
He recognised this laugh. He turned back and saw Guru- his best friend and a lady friend of his standing behind him and the friend now joined in the laughter. He turned back once again and sure enough, the other "spirit" was another friend of his. The trio was now literally doubling up with laughter. "Dude, I hope you did not crap of pee in your pants. You should see your face man!" Guru managed to speak in between howls of laughter.
He managed a sheepish grin and a weak "I thought it was you. I was just playing along." Guru managed to control his laugh long enough to offer him a ride home.
"Its ok man, its just a few minutes from here anyway. Not like I will meet any spirits on my way", he said with a smile. "Ok man. Wait till I tell the others though", said Guru.
"Don't tell anybody, they won't believe you."
"Yeah right! Why wouldn't they?"
"You'll see why." He smiled a little
"Ok man. Anyway, I will be on my way now, have worked up an appetite"
Guru bid him an overtly cheerful goodbye and went back home.
Next day, as promised, Guru emailed all their friends about the incident. He immediately got a reply.
"Dude, I think you need to check the newspaper". Bemused, he opened the e-paper and saw the headline.
"Techie commits suicide." There was a photo of his best friend alongside the article. He was found hanging from his ceiling at around 10 am last morning. His smiling photo seemed to mock Guru.
"Don't tell anybody, they won't believe you"
"You'll see why"

My First Poem

How can i forget ?

I remember tht, i arrived late, near the gate


she was thr, dressed in light pink and so gorgeous,i bet


i was so surprised, and became speechless


but i think, i heard few words coming out of her little lips


"can we walk?"


Parking the bike sideways, walking the road longways


listening to her musings, i thought there would be no end for it


sat near by a beautiful site,saw her making a wonderful note


I realized the fact, that there was no words from my mouth yet


took her to the coffee shop, eating her favourite choc, never realised the fact


had a great time, but felt hard to say 'bye'


and drove all the way back to home! but now, the heart says "how can i forget it ?"

My Latest poem (For someone.... on some senti moment):
Din gujre kitne, kitne manjar badalgaye,
Kamyaabi ke na jaane hum kitni shikhar par chadh gaye,
Har kadam, har mod par tujhko hi bas talasha,
Par hamein akela chodh tum itne aage badh gaye,
Ki siskiya na sun sake meri,
Na dard hi samjha kiye,
Ilteza ki lakho maine,
Aanso bhi beh kar thak gaye,
Teri jhuti shaan ke aage,
Hazzaro baar haas k jhuk gaye,
Khodiya khud ko ,khud se begane ho gaye,
Par tum to ek pal me hi humse ,
Yu anjane ho gaye,
Kiski aanchal me itna sukun tha tujhko,
Ki mere aashiyaane ko yu suna kar gaye,
Shikwa nahi hain tujhse ki,
Tu wo nahi jo socha tujhe,
Shikwa to khud ki nazro se hai,
Jinhe hum apna samjha kiye,
Par ye nazre hi to bewafa nikle ,
Tujhe pehchanne me dhoka kar gaye.

<--snip-->

Nature and I

It was autumn

the smell of the lake


the crisp leaves


the plain earth


Nature wanted him


all over





Down the lane as he


walked


seduced by


nature


the 'other'


in him


shouted


an inner realization!





Craziness


was it?


he asked


the 'other'


Indeed.

An old poem from my old blog

Nikal aa gaye ajgar!!!

Nikal aa gaye ajgar
Thar thar thar thar kaanpe dharti
ro pare nishpran pathar
nikal aa gaye ajgar!!!

charo taraf andhera chhaya
aasha ka bikhra swar
nikal aa gaye ajgar!!!

manav ki paribhasa badli
dayan ne badla ghar
nikal aa gaye ajgar!!!

soochm aur komal sareer
rakht sang pare dhara par
nikal aa gaye ajgar!!!

giddho ne bhi trahi kardi
lanat hai hum sab par
nikal aa gaye ajgar!!!

insan ko insan kha rahe
dhoondhla gaya har manzar
nikal aa gaye ajgar!!!

I'm here posting one of my creations, a poem I wrote months ago. You can guess the inspiration behind it ;)

I miss you.

I miss you, in it's true sense I miss you
I remember your words on chat "Can I kiss you?"
I wish you also tell me "I miss you"
I wish you sit silently beside me
I wish you say someday "Kiss me"
I miss those moments when we were together
I miss those talks when we were idiots together
I miss your stopping me because you felt shy
I want to be stupid when you are around me
I want, yet, you to believe that it's me
I, on a beautiful day, could tell you I love you
I miss those moments when I heard the same from you
Now, you are far but your memories are with me
They are what make me feel you are still with me
In photo or in dreams, whenever I see you
I get an image of a lovely and beautiful you
Your memories fill my days and nights with joy
Just like a kid has found again his favourite toy
My love-story is small but very beautiful, it's true
Because in it, there is none other than you.

Hey puys...
Back after a brief gap....So I wrote my autobiography finally....Not too big, 21 pages in all......was a part of one of the soft courses here at Wimwi....this seems to b the mot juste thread....
Itz here.... My Autobiography

c ya ppl

dreams shattered
Again a result and all dreams shattered,

Could'nt prove myself when it really mattered.

Thought I was good I was strong,

But it was an illusion that proved me wrong.

Dad said its ok Mom said its nice.

But I could see defeat in their eyes.

It would not be easy to face them

or to look into their eyes.

The road ahead seems really bleak,

Then I ask myself am I so weak.

As a phoenix reborns anew and rises from its ashes,

I have to be a zealot and win all the matches.

Again a full year

Again the result and all the same dreams of mine,

I swear will surely make it this time.

unable to paste my jpeg here

Check out my verse and give feedback (Trying something new now)

Mr.Yellow

Following infinity

An inertial movement called life,
battling fiercely the daily strife.
The sharp edge of a blunt knife....

I stand relatively still,
between a revolting volcano
and a sacred hill....
where the vulture preys a dormant kill.

Holding my rapier, I seek eternity,
A brazen sun vowing divinity,
My eyes sight a fading infinity.

I take the less beaten path,
The power of courage
fears no wrath.
A bruised body, the aftermath...

I make my honest last attempt,
Infinity was all I dreamt,
blood oozing from every vent.

And just when I thought
that I had done a lot,
The same sacred hill,
my sight caught.

I now prepare for the next equinox,
My dream, to my heart it talks,
but the vicious circle: the paradox.

No more
can I
play the
game of
'Illusion'

'Absurd'
is what
the figment
of mind

'Face'
no more
can I
see mine

'Elysium'
may I call
this
place

'Deception'
is it the route
to
'never-land'

'Lost'
am I
in the game
of nowhere

'Stop'
as
I am going
Nowhere.

A small piece of poetry I wrote long time back.Posted on my blog though
Smile


Beauty is power ,smile is its sword

Smile is a priceless gift by the Mighty Lord

The beauty of a real smile

cant be described in just a mere mile

It accrues joys & happiness for more than a while

The chastity of a smile is much more than beauty of moon

since it blesses us with a divine boon

A smile you wear

brings your dear ones near

Smile is a sign of bliss

which is as sensuous as an innocent kiss

Smile is as rich as fine wine

as it washes away our saturnine

An exquisite smile has a magical effect

that can abrade all kinds of defects.

She was the best
in the group
calm and cool
Not a sign of nervousness
on her face
All they saw was
tranquility
The others
running about
sweating 'cos of fear
'Two minutes left!'
She went outside
took a deep breath
closed her eyes
"Jane, where are you?"
"I'm coming"
As the curtains rose
she was at her best
not a sign of nervousness
All they saw was
tranquility.

An old peom I'd written earlier :)

What am I doing with myself, my life?
Am I heading for the destination? Am I following the path correctly?

Taking risks at every point, taking on any situation unprepared!
Spontaneity is a good characteristic people say. But is this it?
No, I sometimes feel, because it borders insanity!

Many a time even people who understand me, misunderstand me!
Not realizing their worth in my eyes;
What some people mean to me in my life!

Let no one believe-Ive never lied except when it is for the good
Im nothing without my support- my family, my friends.

I may not be the best.
But I know Im good- good at heart
Loving peace and enjoying fun

TRUST and FREEDOM I value and demand in any relationship
And place those special people on the pedestal

I always try and do justice to my conscience, my intuition.
Do what I feel is right!

I always.

But still amidst all this, theres a lacuna where I ask myself.

What am I doing with myself, my life?

Free- at last

A brief candle; both ends burning
An endless mile; a bus wheel turning

Say it loud and let it ring
We are all a part of everything
The future, the past and the present
Fly on bird
You're free at last

wrote this when i wasnt able to crack CAT last year


Yet another dream of mine is about to perish
life gives me very few moments to cherish
moments of happiness were followed by incessant pain
as i look back struggling to find any gain
little did i realize that my vision
would be brutally murdered and made an illusion
gave it my all to follow my passion
even left my existing position
but luck came to action
and stopped me from getting an admission
i dont know how to pacify my dreams
for i can still hear their screams
i hope all this was just a sojourn
and they might be light after dawn
i will still fight and move forward
for i havent still been totally battered
i might not have that brawn
but have the spirt to say life bring it on

I cried.
Locked in the bathroom
I felt 'secure'
away from
responsibilities
call it
'escapism'
or maybe
'helplessness'
I cried not
for a
teacher
or a
preacher
but
only
'justice'

wrote this recently have put up in my blog too

Lady In dark
I close my eyes to whisper the name, an act of mime

In the hollows of day when heaven and heart they say ..say u r mine

Eyes of theirs showing the twilight sign



No one is near and no one beside

round lips, Kisses and sighs breaking the arc

you follow in me..the lady in dark



The smile of thousands nights

Bedside roses and wishes so white

they call..

call in the shades of bright

the muse of red, the victims are sands of time



No one so dear, then why love is an act of fear

Shaking breath, hands and life prays for lark

you follow in me..the lady in dark





The mustard seeds, the picture so sweet

Hold on the pulse lest they miss a beat

they fall..

fall into the deap

tried to pick..but often the winds they cheat



No one so pureyet u invite and lure

the moist lashes, dreams and scarred hand, The gestures of nark

you follow in me..the lady in dark

They call me
'bad girl'

a girl with
'attitude problem'

a girl who does not follow
rules

a girl who does not want to know
how to cook curry
or wear a saree

_ _ _ _ _

I am
the girl who shouts at the society
and believes
that the day is not far
when there will be a
'Revolution'

_ _ _ _ _

They hate feminists
call them
'bra burning' bitches

They want freedom
freedom of?
freedom from?

Lost in its many connotations

it seems it means
anything
to anyone

_ _ _ _ _

Here is a short story i had written sometime back on my blog...

It was his birthday.
After a purfunctory lunch with their common friends , he took her to her favourite coffeehouse,ordered her favourite pastry,played her favourite song and knelt down beside her with a bunch of her favourite roses in oblation.
She knew it was coming & she was determined to get over with it as soon as she could or was possible.But she could not..it was not possible.It was his birthday after all!She sat motionless on her chair while her hand hung limply with the flowers.
He knew the answer-but he still wanted to hear it..hoping against all hope that she might...
Her silent tears told it all..Some things are not meant to be..
He put on his social mask and turned back to the jovial being he is..only she could see through the pretense..she knew he was putting up an act.She even believed that probably no one would ever love her the way he did.
During the years of togetherness-laughter without reason is what brought them close..He would crack silly jokes or pass comments just to see her smile.She would let go off all reason, her air of sobriety and giggle like a child.She felt so alive at those times!
Maybe this was the selfish reason why she could not let go even when she knew it was coming.Even when she felt the tension in their relation increasing with his growing desire to possess the object of his affection.
That night he did not sleep.
Neither did she......

A short poem, but close to my heart.

No More UN-ME

Its no more here,
the feeling is gone, and I dun care where,
I remember everything that happened,
but it seems like someone else' life,

I get surprised at reminiscences of past,
gettin' amused,"Why I treated myself like that?",
I can't believe it was that wat i tried to be,
must have been some1's spell on me,

And now I see things I never thought I'd see,
Just wondering how I let every1 do this to me,
Now that I see it, i realise I'm finally free,
And now I'll b 4evr wid myself, now that I am no more UN-ME.

I wrote this for the Annual Alumini Magazine.
Have posted it at IBS Hyderabad Chronicles thread too..


A Life less Ordinary

The Journey of a Simple Graduate to Post Graduate to Working Professional.


From writing entrance exams to clearing IBSAT, to appearing for the Micro presentation to clearing the Interview, the joy in the voice of the loved ones when we cleared IBS Hyderabad gave us a sense of achievement. We packed our bags for Hyderabad leaving many hearts heavy.

Cut to ICFAI Tech, 3 in a room accommodation, no porters to lift your bags to any floor you are on, boys and girls mess separate, girls hostel shut at 9.30 pm, yes thats where we landed up on the first day. The parents grew frantic looking at the make shift arrangement. Slowly things settle down and here comes the first event that the Class of 2008 put up, Masti Ki Pathshala. We saw the faces of talent in our batch; it was an evening to remember. The open theater got all of us not only close but also was the foundation of a journey not to be forgotten. The sections in first semester were like a group of inseparable lot.

The season of packing starts again, we were being moved to OUR campus, another issue to be managed by the batch. The boys were helpful enough to lift the bags and mount on the top of the top of the buses. We were steered through something that looked like a Jungle to this huge place that consisted of 2 unfinished buildings, a mess and far from completed academic block. The accommodation was 2 in a room. Slowly we all got engrossed in the academic and non-academic activities and some how gave up complaining. It was our place and it is we who make it or leave it alone. May be sub consciously we all decided to make it, to give it a character. One day the announcement of the freshers party came out way. All the 13 sections were divides into 4 clans- Mughals, Aryans, Nizams ands Rajputs. This is the time when the competition sunk in us; it was not only to be the best but also to make it an event to remember.

After the first semester exams, we headed to our homes; but even when we were home we longed to come back to the place that was now our home.
Series of lectures, presentations and cases followed but we could sneak in enough time to cash on the new found freedom. Oh and not to forget we got the Single occupancy and Internet too.

Cut to Nov 2008, we lost two friends in an accident. Jasmine and Prabuddha, May Lord rest their soul in peace. Yet again the batch stood but the grieved and gave extended our strength to them.

Semester two called for Summer Internship opportunites with the different organizations. We all wanted the best, to say the least. Internships gave us an opportunity to find which field suits our personality and interest. Many of us were focused and knew where do we see ourselves, but many were still in doubt. The internships gave us a birds eye view of the way the industry flows through the departments that we were a part of. Another season of grades, reports and presentation ended.

Cut to semester three- the season of specializations was here; trust me to find the best combination from the available subjects is a task on its own. We all got over this also. But suddenly we realized that we are sharing our COLLEGE with new faces. Then it struck us that the Class of 2009 was here. So we got a little jealous and took trips of the new comers, without offending them much.

It was our turn to give them a Frehsers Party, the planning and negotiations kicked off and we had a grand celebration by the end of it all. Semester three gave us new friends who may be a part of our line of business and industry. Now comes the baap of all semesters, Semester Four, PLACEMENTS and more PLACEMENTS. These words were ringing in our ear day in and out. The dream companies, profiles, package and et al were here. All we had to do was to be patient, give it our best and be happy for others or coax them. Anxiety and tensions grew by the end of October and many of us were still not placed. The process continued till January until then most were placed.

The season of separation was about the set in when we saw the cupid strike hearts of many. Congratulations to the happy couples who are married and are soon to be married. The farewell was more fun them teary eyed though all had their share of tears and private emotions. The Class of 2009 gave us a really great farewell and this called to the day when we finally packed our bags to leave for our homes This time FOREVER.

Today we all sit in our corporate space and only remember the moments that will never fade in time to come.

The circle is not complete my friends, we shall be close no matter what, just a hand needs to be extended and there will be many who will hand hold you and help you through!!!


Ideas contributed by Raj Vardhan Bagaria
Written by Pallavi Puri

"MAKE HER SMYLE"
She's a small girl, only 8,
but she has seen a lot, mom says its only fate,
she wants to play,out wid the kids,
but mom says NO, perhaps coz she has AIDS,

she spends time in a room, wid the dead dolls,
so alone, that no one sees how many times a tear rolls,

She remembers when she was 7,
and her life seemed to b jus like heaven,
she remembers it was the same year dad died,
mom says he's on a trip, but she's seen that mom also cried,

She remembers the red hospital building,
mom took her there , a month after dad's funeral,
she remembers words like "virus" and "HIV",
she also remembers doc told mom she has a year or two,

She has seen on TV,AIDS doesn't spread by a touch,
still she's bafflled why she can't share Bro's lunch,
She prays to the GOD to be kind,
and make her family happy again,

Her mother's very sick nowadays,
that's why granny came to stay,
She can see life go out of her mom's body,
she frowns,perhaps that's satan's only hobby,

Her mother died yesterday,before her eyes,
and now she knows she's the next,no more lies,
she lives with the granny,her bro's safe 8 uncle's,
she misses a company,some1 to play with,

she uses crutches to walk,
and now its difficult to talk,
she doesn't eat much now,
but she mumbles a lot,

She prays to the GOD,to send her to her parents,
With whom she can live happily forever,
And she hopes there she can get friends to play with,
she hopes for a life without crutches,

I don't know her and you don't know her,
and perhaps that's why we don't give a damn,
but let me tell you,its worth a billion bucks,
to put a true smile on her little lips,

I hope someday I can make her happy,
just by being with her for a while,
She might be here for a shorter time,
but that doesn't mean she can't smyle.....

(copyright)

Among the bushes of side-burns
lied that meandering white hair
just around my right ear,
giving me so much of fear.
On the roll was
my contemplation,
my day-dreaming
as i started thinking
Of those teeth
that would be gone,
Of those wrinkles
that would hone
and...
Of those bones
that would be week
and no-longer hold on to this geek..

As my thoughts crept into the grey days,
with the dusky sun burying its rays,
I looked at life...
those 'young', old days,
And before I could cry,
I smiled at myself...
looking into the mirror
that unveiled my hair
All I saw was just a thread
playing around,
grey and dead!

~Ankur~

voice in my head....
There is a voice in my head, which says I am dead
I am not scared of dying but it's the voice from the past, which I dread
There are colours in my crayon box, which have lost its shades,
I am not scared of the fading pictures, but it's the face from the past, which I dread

Life has been a game of dots and spaces,
Where I have come across, lots of faces,
Life has been chaos of silence and noise,
But I can hide at any corner, but cant escape that voice.

There are shades of grey in my curls which indicates a part of my life is sold,
I am not scared of turning old, but there are stories still left untold,
There are feelings of past, which still leaves me most times cold,
I am not scared of the crawling within, but I want those stories to be told,

Life has been a game of dots and spaces,
Where I have come across, lots of faces,
Life has been chaos of silence and noise,
But I can hide at any corner, but cant escape that voice.

There are whiffs of fragrance in the air, which carries me to my past,
I am not scared of the memories, but it's the aromas, which never lasts,
There are photo frames of shadows in my walls, which remembers the old cast,
I am not scared of living with them, but it's the journey from cradle to grave which moves so fast.

Life has been a game of dots and spaces,
Where I have come across, lots of faces,
Life has been chaos of silence and noise,
But I can hide at any corner, but cant escape that voice.

ciao...

Something I posted recently on my blog. Can't categorize it exactly. But whatever. Comments are welcome.

Lands and People 1: The Idi Amin of Malleshwaram

Yesterday I was seeing an Indian movie made over half a century ago Musafir. It was the times when technology had not progressed and obscene amount of wealth was not being poured into films. But the movie turned out to be much better than any of the current day movies. The movie had a nice simple theme and executed in a sensitive manner. Even the songs made sense. It is the story of 3 families who come to stay at a rented house one after the other and their lives, their joys and sorrows, their triumphs and tribulations. The term Musafir means traveler in Hindi, Urdu and Arabic. Here the tenants are called travelers as they travel from one rented apartment to another. The theme was kind of nostalgic one for me for I have been one such Musafir or traveler. I have stayed in 11 different rented houses, three student hostel accommodations, one hotel room accommodation and my fathers home. Thats 15 different places in a span of 30 years. My mind went on a time travel reminiscing my life and times at each place.

My memories of my existence starts at a little house in an area called Malleshwaram in Bangalore. The house had a small verandah, a smaller bedroom and a still smaller kitchen and of course a bathroom and a toilet. It was way back in the early 1980s and the concept of combined toilet and bathroom was yet to become popular. The owner of the house was a genius who had managed to squeeze in 6 houses within his tiny strip of land, two on each floor. Four of the houses, the two on the ground and first floor and ground floor were rented out while the owner retained the two penthouse apartments, if you can call them that. We stayed on the one of the first floor houses. The other one was occupied by my dads childhood friend, who had a son called Gowtham who was around my age. He was the first friend I have ever had. The two houses on the ground floor were occupied by two couples, one of them newly married and the other with a baby. Anyway I dont have too many memories of them except for one small incident with the baby and her mom, which I shall be narrating soon.

When light is scattered from an atom or molecule, most photons are elastically scattered (Rayleigh scattering). The scattered photons have the same energy (frequency) and wavelength as the incident photons. However, a small fraction of the scattered light (approximately 1 in 10 million photons) is scattered by an excitation, with the scattered photons having a frequency different from, and usually lower than, the frequency of the incident photons. Now where did this come from? Have no clue what I am talking about? Actually nor do I. No. I am not going nuts. This is a portion lifted from Wikipedia description of Raman Effect discovered by C V Raman, the famous Indian scientist and Nobel Prize winner. However, this is not the Raman Effect I am going to talk about here. The one I am going to mention is going to be a Raman effect of a different kind for the owner of our house was also called C V Raman and was no less an exceptional man in his own way. There is this old movie of Rajnikanth called 'Munru Mukam' where the villain says babies will stop crying if the mother mentions his name. Rajnikanth responds by saying that when mothers say his name, the child will not only shut its own mouth with one hand, but shut the mouth of the mother with the other hand. Such was the effect Mr. Raman had on his tenants. He was a dictator who ruled over his family and tenants with an iron hand, an Idi Amin in his own right.

Where there are dictators, there is usually a rebel faction. The rebellion against Mr. Raman was lead by able rebel general Gowtham and his faithful lieutenant yours truly. We used to hatch conspiracy after conspiracy to overthrow his evil regime. But our plans and courage lasted only till he was out of sight. The minute he was in sight, General Gowtham would immediately salute him smartly and wish him good morning. I would still hold out a defiant posse and receive a couple of taunts from Mr. Raman. Gowtham later explained to me that we were operating undercover and must not let him get scent of the rebellion till the time was tipe. Other than hatching conspiracies, we also indulged in scientific exploration, adventure, travel and commerce. We used to create controls of rockets on the walls with chalk piece and launch reconnaissance missions to outer space. We used to explore dark caves that used to be the lair of monsters in quest for hidden treasures the area below the staircase was dark and used to be the abode of cockroaches and one may find a chalk piece or an old bottle or old bus tickets there. We used to go on long bike trips on the corridors outside our house on our tricycles. We used to collect old lottery tickets, shining stones; I dont mean diamonds, more in the lines of pieces broken from marble slabs in construction sites, chalk pieces and tick tuck , the name we gave to tablet covers for the sound they made. We used to run a thriving business in these commodities.

My parents were becoming gravely concerned about the influence Gowtham was beginning to have on me. He had become my friend, philosopher and guide. I often used to quote him as an authoritative source to support my arguments during verbal duels with my parents. My parents tried to counter this by trying to develop independent thinking in me by getting me books such as Knowledge Bank books published by Pustak Mahal. But reading general knowledge books is not a five year old kids idea of fun. Needleless to say, the books retain their brand new look to date, which cannot be said of many an other unfortunate book that fell into my clutches over the years. But the following incident confirmed my parents worst fears.

Every tribe has this coming of age ceremony, where young men have to prove their mettle by a feat of daring. So Gowtham devised one such task for us. Mrs. Usha, the tenant on the ground floor was standing with her baby in hand and talking to someone. So the task was this. We had to take aim and spit such that our spit landed exactly on the babys head. Gowtham, as the leader lead the way. He accomplished the task successfully and ducked before Ms. Usha could see who was responsible for the mucous fluid globule on her poor babys head. Next it was my turn. I prepared myself, waited for my mouth to fill and carefully took aim. The time of trial had come. I could not let down my leader at this crucial juncture. The rebellion against Raman needed staunch hearted men and I had to prove myself worthy of the cause. I managed to hit the bulls eye but could not evade being seen for mama had become alert after the first attack on her beloved one. The impudence of attacking her poor little one a second time totally enraged her and she was at our door in no time.

My mom was rudely awakened from her sleep and had to listen to 15 minutes of the viragos ravings. Anger is so infectious. By the time the lady left having blown the steam off, the devil had taken possession of my mom. She seized me and dragged me to the kitchen and lit the gas stove. And then she proceeded to heat a steel spoon and with that she proceeded to brand me on my forearm. And that is how I first got my first lesson on branding. I wonder how many people know the marketing term 'branding' originated from the practice of branding livestock and slaves with a hot iron. In Dutch branden means to burn. From that day I was known as the Spitting warrior of the steel spoon clan. They say some people are born great, some people become great through their efforts while other have greatness thrust upon them. I would say some people are born with a silver spoon while others achieve a steel spoon through their feats of bravery.

But then all good things come to an end and same was the case with our adventures. By the time I was nearing my eighth bithday, Gowthams dad had decided to move to the defense quarters and my dad had got transferred to Kerala. But the memories of the house were etched deep in my mind and it was with a heavy heart that I took leave of the domain of Raman the tyrant. As the dialogue in the movie Musafir goes, you have to eventually leave every rented house and when you leave each one you will carry your unique memories with it.

Creative i certainly aint...Just like to play around with words..and concoct abstruse stuff...i am a big fan of the abstract and the undefined!!
below is something i wrote almost 4 months ago...on my blog.

The sound of music
Permeated through the air
Weaving a magic as it wafted through

Human figures floated by
In the reckless gaiety
That the transcending moment allowed them

Looking up , she wondered
Where did the music come from ?
The almost melodious cacophony of sounds

It takes a while to realize
That the music comes from amongst them
The strings and the waves people form
In togetherness and in solitude

That's how the unchained melody is born
The coming together of them all
Impervious to the music they create
As if in some predecided harmony

Only if you listen carefully , would you notice
How each string is pulled with precision
Just at the right time

How distinct each note is
Carefully separated and yet collective

And how lasting the effect of each chain
No matter how insignificantly small

In the masterpiece that we create for ourselves
Each day, one note at a time...

Hi guys
After reading these wonderful entries am posting an original poem of mine as well. Its in Hindi. Wrote it as part of my novel (Work in Progress) cum blog.

Na jaane kitna dard diya hai tujhko
Ab toh yaad bhi nahi mujhko
Ek baar khayal aya ki tere bina jee paoonga
Zeher zindagi ka pee paoonga
Khush tha bahut dukh dekar tujhko
Tab nahi ilm hua mujhko
Ki kitna mehenga padega yeh dil todna tera mujhko


Tooti hogi har ummed jab
Toote honge sapne tere
Tujhe jab laga hoga ki main laut ke nahi aoonga
Tab kya beeti hogi tujhpar
Yeh soch kar hi main paani paani hota hoon
Apne kiye par sharminda hokar
Yeh namkeen aansoon peeta hoon


Ab toh sanson se zyada aate aansoon hain
Tere bina kitna adhoora hoon main
Tanhayeeon main yeh batlaate hain
Tu meri lakhta jigar, tu meri jaan hai
Tu hi toh meri saanson mein basi hai
Tere sath hi toh ab janam janam ki yeh dor kasi hai
Samaj toh baad mein maanega
Pehle maine tujhko apna sanam maana hai
Hone do jo hota hai
Ab toh ta umr sath tera hi nibhana hai


Tujhe haq hai ki mujhe apne dil se nikaale
Maine itne angaare tere daaman mein jo hain daale
Na pata tha mujhe kya kar raha hoon main
Khata hui mujhse, baksh de aye uparwaale
Tu hai meri aur main tera yeh toh sab kehte hain
Ponch daal yeh aansoon jo teri aankhon se ab behte hain
Iss dil se ek hi awaz aati hai
Ki har pal bas teri yaad aati hai


Tujhe toh main keh deta ki mujhe maaf kar
Mere zulm-o-sitam ki har khata ko maaf kar
Par ab toh itna bhi nahi hai mujhe haq
Ki tere rubaroo hokar tujhko apna kahoon
Isliye fariyad hai itni
Ki ho sake toh mujhe yaad rakh


Tere liye hi main jeeta hoon
Mohabbat bhi sirf tujhse karta hoon
Sath phere bhi tere hi sang honge
Sirf iss janam nahi saat janam hum sang honge
Vaada hai mera ki tujhe ab aur nahi rulaoonga
Andhi toofan ho yaa maut aye
Har pal tera sath nibhaoonga


Tera dil bahut bada hai
Tere bina mera aur kaun khuda hai
Kabhi socha tha ki tere bina jee paoonga
Ab toh har saans ka rukh
Teri har saans se juda hai
Ek baar phir mujhse pyar kar le
Who ishq mujhse beshumaar karle
Jaan ke sath sath mere har zarre par
Apne beshumaar husn ka jalwa nisar kar le.

A rather uneventful morning in a Wimp's life.


Flurry of thoughts. Daydreams. Craziness. Sunlight. Fuzzy. The ceiling fan.....
Let it out. Another boring day. Heck... switch off the alarm. Where's the cigarette? Ah..... matches??? There....
(smoke in the air)
Stuffed room. Open the door. Newspaper. Boring piece of tale. Important is it? What if they ask about current affairs in the interviews? Glamor page. Those people have money. Loads. Where's my purse? Toothpaste's over. Gotta brush. Breath smells of alcohol. Cavities. Cigarettes and coffee... wanted. No power.
Switch on the inverter. Fan, simple circular motion. What was that force that pulls things towards the center of the circle called? Smile. Eons back. Better to know about a circumcircle instead. Where's that formula book? Calendar. Stay happy. Still two more weeks to go. You can do it. Oh yes, you can. Maybe not. Bullshit. You can. You could not twice before. Who cares? Office... Too late. Light another cigarette. What was that Steve Pavlina called it? ............. Cancer sticks. Yeah right!
(smoke in the air)
Call PL.
(coughs)"Hi, it is me. I am sorry cannot make it to office today. Down with severe cold and fever. I have done that submodule and passed it onto Dave. There is no work pending. (cough) Can I take the day off please?...I can, thank you. I will be in office tomorrow. I will pick up the memory module too. Thanks a lot" (cough)
Grin....
Some water... over. Gotta go get it from the shop. Chuck it.
"I can, but I wont." She was proud of it. Now she is not there. Her memories?? Nope... grin.
One more....(cough).
(smoke in the air)
10.00 What can I do now? Net....PG. Where's the wallet?? ..... Here. Shit. Where's the change? I had thrown it onto the table yesterday night. Oomph. Back hurts. Eat buddy. Eat. You gotta look healthy in the interviews. Screw the interviews.
Screw everything.
"Why worry
There should be laughter after pain
There should be sunshine after rain
These things have alwyas been the same
Why worry now"
Dire Straits. God.
Exit.
(c) Greenspan

Bohemia

Legs crossed,a grey suit sat on the pavement,
The hair wasn't allowed by the forehead and the dark eyes,were
well,dark.
This looked like the place we could find them,
this other end of the town,
the mighty river here,don't people drown?

The town square formed a impressive canvas for him,
the hawkers of erstwhile kingdoms,
the old ladies on their chairs,
the gypsies spelling fortune,
and then them

I was told its this part where i could find them now,
only here,
"where",I said,"where exactly you think i should be?"

A pony tailed teen walked over,not a single tatoo on him
but the friendly smile suggested a nice pierce
This part it is,
jobs that pay you enough to get the beer for your girl on saturday,
where a last nights can at the door suggests the party,
and you live in the night,
this night.

Here i should find them,so i clutched some exotic air and shouted
"Can I get some writers?"

another thousand years........
woke up to the soothing sound of pouring rain,
with every drop splashing my face, it tried to wash away all the past pains
remembered the recurring dream, the last time I touched your face
realized have woken up again without your head on my shoulders and cant cuddle you in our own sweet ways

cant hug you, cant hold you, cant ask you to wipe my tears
but can promise you one thing, will wait for you for another thousand years
cant own you, cant touch you, cant ask you to pull me near
but can promise you one thing, will keep on loving you for another thousand years

walked my way past the woods with mist covering the ways
the mist droplets weaved magic with the sun rays and created your face
walked to the white sands and entered the realms of wide blue sea
my reflection smiled at me and asked, again alone, where is she

cant hug you, cant hold you, cant ask you to wipe my tears
but can promise you one thing, will wait for you for another thousand years
cant own you, cant touch you, cant ask you to pull me near
but can promise you one thing, will keep on loving you for another thousand years

walked across the horizon and laid down under the starlit sky,
the lights asked me to keep that smile on as she does not want me to cry
our souls are still together, the heart still beats the same beat
the memories will live on forever, it will me just me and you who will die

cant hug you, cant hold you, cant ask you to wipe my tears
but can promise you one thing, will wait for you for another thousand years
cant own you, cant touch you, cant ask you to pull me near
but can promise you one thing, will keep on loving you for another thousand years...

ciao..

Posted this on my blog too...

A Distant Dream!

Oh! Kiran! Stop sleeping already and pay attention said my professor.

Thats odd this seems so god damn real, I thought.

Mom had just served me dinner as I watched the highlights of a victorious Manchester United team beating the crap out of Roma. I then waltzed my way into my bedroom, onto my cozy and warm bed. Tired and sullen, each step of the way I said to myself, Tonight I will sleep like there is no tomorrow. Must be the re-runs of Mel Gibsons Braveheart, that must have had me thinking that way. The sleep inducing hormone melatonin levels in my brain increased and slowly by slowly all the departments of my brain called it a day, they began shutting shop. I must have drifted into my sub-conscious somewhere around midnight.

It all started then

If u were in a dream that you thought was so real. And if u never woke up from that dream. How would you distinguish the real world from the unreal?

After a days play of cricket and the customary cutting chai, I bid farewell to all my buddies. All cylinders up and running as I started my bike I headed home. I passed by the Dominoes Pizza shop, and was negotiating a turn when all of a sudden the bike stopped with a screeching halt! The chain mechanism was somehow stuck in the drum brake assembly. I was just about to put my bike on the side-stand when all of a sudden..

I saw a white Maruti Omni turned almost into me, screeched, and swerved to a stop. Then a couple of hands grabbed hold of me and took me in. I was hit on the head with a blunt object; I was unconscious.

Drifting in and out of consciousness I sensed something on me. It was a black, jute sack with a hole at the height of my nostrils. There was this nauseating smell. I was not alone. I could only see the torso portion of the persons sitting in front of me. One of them had a Krieg 557 rifle and was wearing a white kurta. The other one was maybe a woman as I only saw a black burqa. I managed to take sneak peek out of the window and saw sand, everywhere. I must have drifted again.

Sultan Ahmed and Rasika Jamiilia were Mujahideens, working for SIMI. They were out on a recruitment drive on their way to the Ladakh-Leh border.

I then imagined myself on top of a hill, wearing a bandit robe, a bandana on my head, eating carrots with a goat. What is a goat doing here???? I wondered, as I looked into its puny marble eyes. Almost expecting an answer, Baaaaaaaaaa went the sheep and ran.

An apple fell from the tree. Nicholas cage came from somewhere asking directions. He is on some treasure hunt. Oh wait I see an oasis. There is a tall building nearby. Hey this is no building this is my college main building. I start running upstairs into my class. I take a seat on the third bench and start feeling sleepy.
A feel of a nudge, reminiscences of a distant friend, sitting close
Romance, a childlike; playful consistency..
The nudge gets heavier and heavier..
The scent sets in. She draws closer
But now it is no more a nudge, it is more like a knock
.Violent eruptions of a hidden seductive volcano.
The knock is hurting now
.Rivulets running freecreation of crevices in the sea..
Better deal with this, I thought. Than have a permanent scary crevice running on my elbow.

But I really dont want to let go of this The Mujahideens The Goat The Tree..Nicolas cage.

Sounds like someone is screamingWake up!!!!!
Grab a brush and brush your teeth.
Why did you leave the keys upon the table..
Why couldnt you set an alarm

-HOLD it right there.. Mom is that you??

But right then a sudden break of light, into my dreamy eyes. A hint of a sound byte. Its getting louder now. I can hear it. I try and focus.
Abe uth yaar Pandu saamne hai.Abe who idhar dekh raha hai..Oye uth.OYEEEEE!!!

And then

Back to where we started.

My professor and his sniffer dog like quality to shock and awe the sleepy students. He is having a go with all guns blazing. After emptying his guns of the bullets I am sure to be assaulted by the bullet-less rifle. If he is in a gay mood he might leave me there. Else he will apply band-aid over my wounds yet still rip me apart!

But how did I get here?? This cant be right.right? is this a dream??? Or am I writing this, a dream? So many questions left un-answered. Maybe i wont find the right notes to hit while deciphering this unique ballad. Maybe my questions will just remain questions.

This is the real Matrix.
This is the real world fact that nothing is real!
Nothing actually exists.
All is just a figment of a distant dream.
A dream within a dream!

Baffling!

I sure am rocked to the core!

This one's been inspired from the 2005 Mumbai Floods...the story that actually started me off on writing. ... the English does give away the juvenile writer behind it. :biggrin:

But

It was a blas start for Hari that day. There was no coffee to greet him good morning. He spent most of the morning waiting for the paperboy, ignorant of the fact that the paper was stuck in the handle of the entrance. He scanned the fridge for some food, found an egg, and decided to have a go at making an omelet for himself. Just as he was done with the omelet, the phone rang, its tone piercing the awkward silence in the house. Hari was caught unaware and rushed to attend it. When he returned to the kitchen, he was not at all surprised to find a thick black mass of carbon on the frying pan. The over fried stench that pervaded the house disallowed him from eating anything else. He finally sat down to meditate, just as he did everyday, realizing he could not concentrate anymore, had an express bath and left for the office a good one hour before time. He glanced at the sky as he got out of the house. There was not a single patch of blue to meet his eyes. All he saw was a consitent dull gray hemisphere. He couldn't but help compare the dull climate with his equally dull morning.

"What's gone wrong with me?" he said to himself on his way to the office. "Am I missing my wifeor...have I got used to a whole year of being lazy?" After a little more thinking, he decided that it was the latter that sounded better, his chauvinistic attitude not allowing to admit to the former.

When he reached the office, he observed that the work for the day was stereotypical. All he had to do was clear some pending files from the day before, and look at a fresh set of files which had just been brought in. The work took him more time than he expected, before he realized it was time for lunch.

As he sat down to eat the canteen food, he remembered the words of his chairman on the day he was inducted. The canteen serves very good food, extremely rich in nutrients. Its doors are always open for our employees. He observed during his first three years that the nutrients came at the expense of taste. The food lacked in the minimum required amount of salt and spice that was expected in any kind of meal. But being a bachelor at that time, Hari had very alternative few options.

But, ever since his marriage, an year before, he couldnt remember a single time hed eaten at the dull canteen. He recalled the first dinner Tina prepared for him.
Did my mom teach you how to cook? he asked her after devouring the meal.
According to Hari, it was supposed to be a compliment. Tina took it the other way and triggered their first post-marital argument. He remembered the sordid words exchanged between them. The animosity lasted for one whole day, before both the parties realized how foolish they had been and conciliated, promising each other never to quarrel again.

The arguments and quarrels, however found their way into their topsy-turvy marriage life. But the final blow took place the previous night, when Hari, drunk, mentioned something, which he could not recollect now, about her only boyfriend during college days. However, he remembered Tina going back to her bedroom, in tears, impertinently closing the door on his face. She came out of her bedroom, directed herself towards the front door saying, I wont come back unless you come to my parents home and say sorry for what youve said.
In your dreams! Hari had retorted.

Unconsciously, Hari felt a drop of tear at the tip of his left eye, waiting to run down his cheeks. The emotions stopped pouring out and Hari somehow managed to let it dry at that very spot. The hunger had left him. He had some fruit at the counter and left the canteen. After hed reached his office, he looked out of the French window. He was shocked to see the intensity of the rain that was coming down. He got lost looking into the dense drops natures cast down on the earth, and suddenly realized the gravity of the statement hed passed last night.
It is my fault. He said to himself. But I was drunk. She should have understood. He wanted to console himself.

He had just decided to apologise and get her back when he heard a knock on his door. It was his secretary, with a bunch of new files in her hand. He wanted to send them away, but his eyes fell on the bright yellow post-it stuck on the files. It cried URGENT. He had no option but to look through them.

By the time he finished with the paper work, it was dawn. He observed that his office was almost empty, barring a few, who had just arrived there to attend to their duty. He quickly packed his bag, and left his office hurriedly. On reaching the ground floor, he saw the lobby swarming with people drenched from head to toe. All of them were seeking refuge from the rain. The surroundings of the office were blurred by the dense downpour. The water outside was up to the knee level and Hari had to, by all means, go to meet Tina. He wanted to sort out all the things that went wrong between them. He wanted to feel the soft touch of her lips on his.

With the basement locked, the access to his car was cut-off. The only way Hari could reach her parents house seemed to be a fifteen-kilometer long walk. The calculation that went through his mind told him it would take around three hours to reach there. That would mean a nights stay at her parents house. He made up his mind to walk through, even if it meant an attack of pneumonia.

It was a downpour, a terrible one, like that he had never seen before. His umbrella was rendered helpless. The wind was howling and there was no escape from getting drenched. He abandoned his umbrella mid-way. It was more of a burden than help. The walk, which started off though knee-deep water, was now, an hour later, a wade through waist-deep water. To keep his spirits up, Hari started off with his favorite Chale chalo tune. The people walking beside him took the cue and joined in. In fact all through Haris walk, the rain-walkers were singing with zest and zeal, singing any song that could lift their spirits and make them forget the precarious situation they were in. This was probably the famous spirit of Mumbai, that hed heard a lot about and was experiencing for the first time.

Hari finally reached Tinas colony, and her house was very near. The water was still waist deep. He was already thinking of how happy Tina would be on seeing him at her doorstep. He couldnt wait to see her. He would get freedom from these truculent floods, and have Tina back, this time renewed in a much stronger bond.

While Hari was pondering over what her reaction would be, he committed the biggest blunder of his life. He ignored a rumbling noise, he thought he heard a few seconds before, taking it for some engines noise. He suddenly felt a huge impulse on his head and then darkness.

It is strange how, in a jiffy, one can grab defeat from the jaws of success. How one can fall deep in love with a person. How, in a momentary lapse, one can lose ones life.

The next moment, I saw Hari, lying crushed under a huge stone that came rolling from a near-by hill.

I still see her every moment, still want to be with her, still want to be morphed. But

BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :hurray::hurray::hurray::hurray::hurray::hurray:

(In)Sanity

Tethered by nothing but a few strands to sanity,
Voices drowned in an all pervasive silence,
Thoughts surrounded by vaccum, impregnable,
Enchanted and spellbound by nothingness,
Limbs, as though amputated,
Painless, or rather insensitive to it,
Anchored to this detachment,
Not yet ready to let it all go.

I stare at the limitless sea,
that mass of never-ending blue,
and listen to the crashing waves,
singing melancholic songs of me and you.

I look at the bright Sun,
in the sky like an oversized balloon,
dipping his finger in the sea,
painting a lazy summer afternoon.

The sand escapes my closed fist,
though I strain to hold it in,
leaving behind empty fingers,
and nothing else within.

The sea rises and falls,
breathing out in deep sighs,
the sailboats disappear from view,
their sails waving goodbyes.

I can see Time fading,
at the demise of this day,
and I struggle to gather,
memories that'll be mine to stay.

Moonlight

Legend goes that the moon shows you for what you are, no pretense..
When the moonlight falls at certain angles on the face, you can see a glimpse of what a man could have been and not what he is..
The dew drops on the green grass catch the cool light of the moon and turn to little diamonds, brilliantly sparkling..
The clouds, jealous, try to cover the beautiful face of the moon but every now and then you can catch a fleeting glimpse of that brilliant white orb hanging in the nether..
The distant howl of the wolves in search of prey echoes through the dead silence..
With a million stars for company, the moon still sails through the sky alone..

Oops...error in my explorer...will post it as soon as i correct them..damn

This one's been inspired from the 2005 Mumbai Floods...the story that actually started me off on writing. ... the English does give away the juvenile writer behind it. :biggrin:

But

It was a blas start for Hari that day. There was no coffee to greet him good morning. He spent most of the morning waiting for the paperboy, ignorant of the fact that the paper was stuck in the handle of the entrance. He scanned the fridge for some food, found an egg, and decided to have a go at making an omelet for himself. Just as he was done with the omelet, the phone rang, its tone piercing the awkward silence in the house. Hari was caught unaware and rushed to attend it. When he returned to the kitchen, he was not at all surprised to find a thick black mass of carbon on the frying pan. The over fried stench that pervaded the house disallowed him from eating anything else. He finally sat down to meditate, just as he did everyday, realizing he could not concentrate anymore, had an express bath and left for the office a good one hour before time. He glanced at the sky as he got out of the house. There was not a single patch of blue to meet his eyes. All he saw was a consitent dull gray hemisphere. He couldn't but help compare the dull climate with his equally dull morning.

"What's gone wrong with me?" he said to himself on his way to the office. "Am I missing my wifeor...have I got used to a whole year of being lazy?" After a little more thinking, he decided that it was the latter that sounded better, his chauvinistic attitude not allowing to admit to the former.

When he reached the office, he observed that the work for the day was stereotypical. All he had to do was clear some pending files from the day before, and look at a fresh set of files which had just been brought in. The work took him more time than he expected, before he realized it was time for lunch.

As he sat down to eat the canteen food, he remembered the words of his chairman on the day he was inducted. The canteen serves very good food, extremely rich in nutrients. Its doors are always open for our employees. He observed during his first three years that the nutrients came at the expense of taste. The food lacked in the minimum required amount of salt and spice that was expected in any kind of meal. But being a bachelor at that time, Hari had very alternative few options.

But, ever since his marriage, an year before, he couldnt remember a single time hed eaten at the dull canteen. He recalled the first dinner Tina prepared for him.
Did my mom teach you how to cook? he asked her after devouring the meal.
According to Hari, it was supposed to be a compliment. Tina took it the other way and triggered their first post-marital argument. He remembered the sordid words exchanged between them. The animosity lasted for one whole day, before both the parties realized how foolish they had been and conciliated, promising each other never to quarrel again.

The arguments and quarrels, however found their way into their topsy-turvy marriage life. But the final blow took place the previous night, when Hari, drunk, mentioned something, which he could not recollect now, about her only boyfriend during college days. However, he remembered Tina going back to her bedroom, in tears, impertinently closing the door on his face. She came out of her bedroom, directed herself towards the front door saying, I wont come back unless you come to my parents home and say sorry for what youve said.
In your dreams! Hari had retorted.

Unconsciously, Hari felt a drop of tear at the tip of his left eye, waiting to run down his cheeks. The emotions stopped pouring out and Hari somehow managed to let it dry at that very spot. The hunger had left him. He had some fruit at the counter and left the canteen. After hed reached his office, he looked out of the French window. He was shocked to see the intensity of the rain that was coming down. He got lost looking into the dense drops natures cast down on the earth, and suddenly realized the gravity of the statement hed passed last night.
It is my fault. He said to himself. But I was drunk. She should have understood. He wanted to console himself.

He had just decided to apologise and get her back when he heard a knock on his door. It was his secretary, with a bunch of new files in her hand. He wanted to send them away, but his eyes fell on the bright yellow post-it stuck on the files. It cried URGENT. He had no option but to look through them.

By the time he finished with the paper work, it was dawn. He observed that his office was almost empty, barring a few, who had just arrived there to attend to their duty. He quickly packed his bag, and left his office hurriedly. On reaching the ground floor, he saw the lobby swarming with people drenched from head to toe. All of them were seeking refuge from the rain. The surroundings of the office were blurred by the dense downpour. The water outside was up to the knee level and Hari had to, by all means, go to meet Tina. He wanted to sort out all the things that went wrong between them. He wanted to feel the soft touch of her lips on his.

With the basement locked, the access to his car was cut-off. The only way Hari could reach her parents house seemed to be a fifteen-kilometer long walk. The calculation that went through his mind told him it would take around three hours to reach there. That would mean a nights stay at her parents house. He made up his mind to walk through, even if it meant an attack of pneumonia.

It was a downpour, a terrible one, like that he had never seen before. His umbrella was rendered helpless. The wind was howling and there was no escape from getting drenched. He abandoned his umbrella mid-way. It was more of a burden than help. The walk, which started off though knee-deep water, was now, an hour later, a wade through waist-deep water. To keep his spirits up, Hari started off with his favorite Chale chalo tune. The people walking beside him took the cue and joined in. In fact all through Haris walk, the rain-walkers were singing with zest and zeal, singing any song that could lift their spirits and make them forget the precarious situation they were in. This was probably the famous spirit of Mumbai, that hed heard a lot about and was experiencing for the first time.

Hari finally reached Tinas colony, and her house was very near. The water was still waist deep. He was already thinking of how happy Tina would be on seeing him at her doorstep. He couldnt wait to see her. He would get freedom from these truculent floods, and have Tina back, this time renewed in a much stronger bond.

While Hari was pondering over what her reaction would be, he committed the biggest blunder of his life. He ignored a rumbling noise, he thought he heard a few seconds before, taking it for some engines noise. He suddenly felt a huge impulse on his head and then darkness.

It is strange how, in a jiffy, one can grab defeat from the jaws of success. How one can fall deep in love with a person. How, in a momentary lapse, one can lose ones life.

The next moment, I saw Hari, lying crushed under a huge stone that came rolling from a near-by hill.

I still see her every moment, still want to be with her, still want to be morphed. But

THE VILLAGE GIRL - III(LAST CHAPTER)

The guys were still there when I saw her running towards us. She came near the gate and walked toward the place where I and Ajay were standing. Obviously an awkward situation as Ajay is thinking I am tired and she thinks that I am ready to go to the pool and the offer for the pool I had already rejected. I wished I had the power to vanish but I had none so I was just on mercy of my luck. Ajay was looking at her and me in succession and was expecting anyone of us to answer him. I would dare not say anything and let her lead the scene.

She: "What?" (And she did that in style and attitude.)

Ajay: "Where are you going with that bag and all dressed up?" (I hate Ajay now for creating a situation where my intervention is a must. But I will take one more chance, as he was not looking that aggressive. It might be just a brotherly question.)

She: "I am not going anywhere. Are you? You can go, any far place also where mom has told us not to go. I will not tell mamma about anything. You can trust me on this."

A very smart answer which brought Ajay into back foot for which he was not all prepared for. Anyway it didn't look like he was going to create any problem and what Twinkle said now; she might have saved for future threat.

Ajay: "Thanks baby, I am not going that far though. Hey I forgot my cap. It's on my bed. Can you bring it to me?"

I can smell something here as I have never seen him wearing a cap though he played all day under Sun. Twinkle left for the house and she might take two-three minutes to come back either empty handed or with some cap. The other guys were busy watching the tadpoles in the village drain at end of road. There was complete silence between me and Ajay. While he was looking at me with a strange kind of look, which I can't term as furious, I was just moving my head in random fashion as if I was completely mesmerized by the beauty of my village. Finally Ajay's patience made its call and he broke the silence.

Ajay: "So you want to add something to it?" (Clearly it was not the perfect time to joke.)

Me: "Hmmm yeah Ummm... I seriously thought about it when you said I should go and talk to your sister. So we planned to go the temple to pray to God and talk a little bit. I was unnecessarily angry with her."

Ajay: "Why were you angry?"

Me: "She told me a coward."

Ajay: "Yeah, she said that to me many a times too. What does she thinks of herself. She is good in studies and that doesn't mean she will say anything to us. We will not talk to her." (At last Ajay found out the shoulder where he can keep his head and abuse his sister. But he got that all wrong.)

Me: Nope! We will give her some more time to improve and she is a girl yaar. Give her some benefit for being that. (After I gave him that guy talk he looked convinced though still angry.)

By that time Twinkle came running again and as I guessed empty handed.

Twinkle: "There was no cap. Go and look for it yourself."

Ajay: "I think I can do without it today. You guys go to the temple."

She: "Temple!!" (I had to interrupt now.)

Me: "But you guys are also coming there."

Ajay: "No, they are busy catching tadpole and I am also planning to join them." (It was not a pleasant idea to watch anyone catch tadpole but never mind; it was working my way.)

Ajay: "Bye and take care of my baby sister."

She: "I alone can take care of myself and no need for you irresponsible guys to worry about me."

Ajay was about to say something but he stopped and left to join the gang of boys near the well. We also walked towards the temple which was ten minutes walk from my house. There was a small bag on her back, a pink one with shape resembling to mini mouse. A little bit of nervousness was gripping me. I guess she was also in similar situation as we both were walking unusually fast.

She: "Where are the chocolates I gave you?" (I didn't say anything but pointed my fingers towards my tummy giving her the most satisfying smile.)

We reached the pond in a few minutes. Village women were already marked their areas where they were busy washing clothes and few of them just gossiping and walking around. Some buffalos were swimming in the mid of the pond. Though I can swim comfortable in the swimming pool but was not sure about the same about Twinkle. We were in search for some location where we can settle down and plan for the next few hours.


The other side of the pond though not being stepped was not that crowded. There was a huge tree whose branches were quite low on that side of the pool. The bank was usually clean as the ladies use the area to spread the cloth for drying. We decided that tree's shade to rest ourselves.
After we had placed our selves near the tree, I had no ideas to spend the rest of the time.

She: "Let's climb that branch." (She was pointing to a branch which I doubt will sustain the weight of two kids. But I agreed.)

Me: "Yeah let's go. But be careful, follow me and hold the branch tightly. Don't slip because if you will fall, you are going to land directly in the pond. "(Though the pond's bank under the branch was not deep enough but still why take the chance.)

She: "What we are going to do there?"

Me: "I will show you how to swing upside down with the help of legs."

With that I started my adventure to climb that tree. The branch was very low and I was able to catch it without even jumping. As I proceeded with ease, I looked back and saw to my amazement that she is also doing the same with equal comfort. Now I was just above the bank of the pond and the branch being thinner than at start was swinging a little bit making my life less easier than before. I looked back to see if she was doing ok but she looked scared. In a few minutes we both were seated on that branch enjoying our new found friendship.

She: "Show me how you are going to swing."

I have done that before many times so without any hesitation I used my knee joint as a hook and started swinging just like a bat.

Me: "eee. Uuu. Hhh. It's easy."

She: "Yeah."

But before she could try anything, God had some other plans for me. While I was trying to get back to my original position, somehow my hands slipped and my knee joint became straight and with a great splash of water I fell in the pond. I was shocked. As I have told earlier the bank was very shallow and I came out within minutes, completely drenched in water. I looked at her. She was not laughing this time.

She: "I told you to be careful. I am not going to try it anymore."

Me: "Yeah, I am fine. Get down. We will walk in sun and that might dry me soon. Don't tell my mom!! Ok?"

She came down in a few minutes and we walked towards the temple. It was not at all comfortable walking all wet.

Me: "Do you play video game?"

She: "No, but Ajay like it very much. Hey, I have brought some more chocolates. Do you want to have it?"

And before I can respond she handed me one. I saw her bony fingers and nails longer than what was permitted in our school. In my school we get canned if we sport longer nails and girls usually complain against such rules. Anyway, we reached the temple and prayed for a little while. I feel she was closer to God as she had a long talk with the almighty. After that we sat on steps and talked for a while. In mid of our conversation I stared unusually long in her eyes.

She: "What?" (I guess I over did something?)

I simply walked to ward the same tree I climbed and fell. I was in no mood to converse in any uncomfortable zone. She followed me. We reached the last step together when I spoke again.

Me: "Do you run?"

She: "Not unless I am chased by anyone."

Me: "Lets race to that tree. Whoever wins will get your chocolate."

She: "But that's not fair. They are already mine."

Me: "Ok fine, but I am not going to lose you see. So they are going to be mine. Right?"

She: "Let's decide that after we finished the race."

Me: "One. Two.. Three Go.."

And I started not very fast. She was just few steps ahead of me I guess. The tree was still some distance from us and I can catch her anytime. She was running as if she was a born athlete. I started to catch up by running fast now. But what amazed me is that the distance between us remained constant. Now I panicked. I was running at my top speed but still behind her. She reached the tree and had enough time to see me running towards her. I was embarrassed.

She: "So Rahul, What do I win?"

Me: "You win nothing, I let you win."

What she did next I was totally unprepared for. She jumped at me, caught me off guard for such a move and pushed me on the ground. I was lying on back the next second and she was giggling. I laughed too and acknowledged her win. God! She is strong. Better I should watch what I say to her as she is not going to wait for Ajay to muscle me down.


After that we played some game, ate some bananas and mangoes she had brought in her bag and simply lied down on the grass for a long time. It was time to leave for home now. We started our journey for home and none of us spoke a thing in between. I am a bit choosy in making friend and that day I knew I have found someone with whom I can be friend my whole life. She was smart, beautiful and intelligent. If she can hide the fact that she runs faster than me and can pin me down in less than five seconds she can be my friend. We were at our gate from where we started. I was completely lost in her thought.

She: "What are you thinking? About me."

Me: "Naah...." (She didn't look disappointed.)

Me: "So what are we doing tomorrow?"

She: "I don't know about you but I am going to the pond again tomorrow."

Me: I hesitated to ask "Umm. Can I come with you?"

She: "Of Course! Stupid."

And she left for her house. That was the best day I had in my life.

After that, it became a normal routine for us to spend the day time together near the pond. Friday came and it was her last day with me. I was sad, unusually sad and it didn't took her long to read my face.

She: "We are going to meet next year also. I promise."
I just smiled.

She: "Do you want to say something?"

She looked straight in my eyes and that sent a chill in my spine. Tell her all you want to say. No I should not. We are just friends. But she might already know about your feelings so you can speak. No I should not.

Me: "Nothing. But here's my home number. Give me a call and tell me your number then." (I was already having my number on a piece of paper and I handed it to her.)

She: "So I should call you and tell my number to you then."

Me: "Yeah.. You got it right."

She: "Why can't I give you my number now?"

Me: "Yeah you can do that too." (Mission accomplished. Within myself I gave a big sigh of relief.)
She was smiling and writing her number on another piece of paper and handed it to me. We looked at each other for another few minutes saying nothing. She broke the silence finally.

She: "So that's it then."

Me: "I guess so."

We returned home. Why didn't we have one more month to spend in village? Why did I waste lots of time not talking to her and taking care of my ego? Lots of unanswered questions were coming now and again. We reached the gate again like everyday but today it was not deserted. Her parents, Ajay, Grand pa, my dad and mom were already present. I guess she had already told her parents about her plans of the day so they didn't panic on seeing me with her. Her mother came to me and kissed on my forehead and said.

"Take care of yourself beta. Study well"

I looked at Twinkle. We didn't speak that time but my heart bid her goodbye. It seems that the message reached her. I stood there watching as the dust settled by the car on which her parents left to the station. I was not crying but a single drop of tear volunteered to flow down from my right eye. That was painful.

Next we also left for our home. The day I reached, I gave her a call but could not reach her. I tried many times that day, the day after that and next week. But my call was not getting connected. Disappointment started to grow within me.

"Maybe her number has changed." But how can it change at once.

My life continued as it had for last eight years. One afternoon when we were having lunch our phone started ringing. It wasn't usual as mu dad usually get bugged from the maintenance guys under him. My father answered the call and returned in few seconds and said the caller wanted to talk to me.

"Who can it be?"

Me: "hullo..."

She: "Hi Rahul, Twinkle here." (My heart stopped completely this time.)

She: "Are you there? (Few more seconds passed by) Ok take your time."

She: "My phone was dead for last 2 weeks so was not able to call you. Dad got it fixed today."

Few more second of silence passed away.

She: "Okay! I have to tell you something."

At last I cleared my throat and said.

Me: "What?"

She: "That I like Ballu more than the Mogli."

A smile came spontaneously that time on my face. I knew that finally our story has begun.

(The End)

THE VILLAGE GIRL - II

That night I hardly slept. The internet guy was killing me. Next day I woke up late; late than usual late and with a big headache. My eyes were swollen as if I have cried whole night but I didn't. Part of me was telling me to talk to twinkle and sort things out and the other part was suggesting me not to as that would be too early. I was still observing my face and those swollen eyes when my mother called:
Mom: Sweetie, see who is waiting for you to wake up since morning. (I told mom not to call me with sweet laden words, at least In front of strangers, but mother are mother, you can be He-Man but for your mother you are always a baby in your diapers.)

Me: Coming mama. Give me ten minutes.
I expected some elders whom I didn't knew might have come to visit me. So I took my own time to clean and dress myself so that I can prepare myself to bear the lecture of whoever has come to visit me. I was still thinking of twinkle indeed and the next thing after encountering some alien relative and devouring few kgs of mangoes, I will go straight to the back yard to meet her.
Mom: Rahuuulllll.. (At least she should not scold me verbally in front of some strangers.)
Me: Comiiiiiinmmmggggg mama (Tit for tat.)
I came out and saw that relative and there were two of them. I could not breathe for next few minutes. Twinkle was seated on one of the chair eating the chocolate my mom might have offered her and beside that my mother was placed. In front of her, Twinkle's mother was sitting. Both the elderly lady were knitting sweater for their respective cared to be most person. Somebody tell them; it is summer and still six months away from any chance of cold wave. I wished Twinkle's mom and sat next to her.
Twinkle's Mom: "So beta, twinkle told me you are quite good with making toys. What did you made yesterday?" (Oh I don't want to fall into that tortoise-turtle argument again. If she says tortoise can fly, I am going to believe her.)
Me: "Tortoise, Aunty. But I am not really good at it. In fact I did it for the first time yesterday." (God knows I felt a lot of new things in the last few days.)
Twinkle's Mom: "How were your exams Rahul. I heard you are good at studies." (It must be my Grandma's idea to boast about my studies without talking me in confidence, because my parents will never do that.)
Mom: "He is doing ok with his studies. By the way, is that design you are knitting is done up two ways or down two ways?" (I love my mom as this was not the first time she had rescued me from a nasty situation.)
Twinkle's Mom: "No, its two up and one down."
With that my mother went into other technical details of that design and this made both of the ladies to be engaged within their knitting and themselves for next few minutes. I gave a nanosecond glance at twinkle. She was listening to the ladies argument.
Me: "Excuse me."
I went inside my room again as I was feeling suffocated there. I need some time and air to be me. I went to that mirror which hung to the wall near to my bed and started staring at my face.
Me (Mirror): "So, what's up sir? What are you going to do next?"
Me: "I don't know, you suggest something."
Me (Mirror): "You like that girl so tell her about your feelings. Perhaps, she might have seen some Hindi movie and link some parts of it with your story."
Me: "But she might be already liking some guy with a weird name, she might put me down once she hear about my feelings for her"
Me (Mirror): "You are a genius fool as you know the result without experimenting it a bit. By the way look behind. She is here!!"
Twinkle: "Whom are you talking to?"
Me: "Umm... No one. I was just practicing my play lines." (She doesn't need to know about the stupid play I am going act in my new class.)
She: "Ohh, that's cool. Which play? Is it some one of Shakespeare? I liked Merchant of Venice a lot and I acted as Portia in that." (Who is this Shakespeare guy? I should rather not talk about him and let my ignorance about literature spill.)
Me: "That's good. Well, I will tell you about my play but promise me you are not going to laugh on it."
She: "Oh I will not Rahul."
Me: "Ever heard of Jungle Book. In that story theirs a guy called mogli; he is human baby but was born and brought up by a wolf."
She: "So you are playing mogli."
Me: "No I am not playing mogli. He is some other guy and he got the part because of his long hair. I am his local guardian kind of thing. Actually I am Ballu the bear."
At that point she started laughing and went pink to red and then purple. How could she. In fact being Ballu is next best thing to mogli in jungle book story. I had more dialogues to speak than the tiger who was villain of the story. But she was still laughing and by that noise, her and my mom came rushing in. Ohh why not call some more people and tell them there's a bear in the house.
Mom: "What happened baby?"
She: "Nothing Aunty, Rahul just told me a joke. "
On hearing that both of the senior ladies went back to their normal chat.
Me: "I want to ask you something, who is this Internet, your friend?" (She started smiling.)
She: "You know what a computer thing is? It's something to do with that."
I was not completely satisfied but at least got relieved.
She: "What are you thinking Rahul?"
He: "Nothing." (I was obviously thinking about you.)
She: "You know something; don't ever try to hide anything from me. In fact you can't do that from anyone. You are so readable. Only cowards try to hide what they want to say?"
I am not a coward. At that moment without saying another word, I stormed out of the room. I went to the same lemon tree where I watered my feelings for the first time. Some part of me was expecting her to come to me. I sat their till the time I felt very hungry. Then I went straight to my house, followed normal routine and finally slept. My heart was badly bruised that day. Next few days went away quite normally. I used to play with my friends away from my house. Ajay always joined us in whatever game we use to play. One day after the game was over, I and Ajay were sitting underneath the old banyan tree, and a conversation started between us.
Ajay: "you play cricket very well."
Me: "Yeas, sort of, I started plying last year only. Previously I used to play" (I was interrupted.)
Ajay: "What happened between you and twinkle? I mean why you stopped talking to her?'"
Me: "Nothing, I usually go out with you guys. Did she say anything?" (Ajay was stronger and getting beaten by the brother of the girl was not an idea I could neglect.)
Ajay: "My mom said you guys were very friendly, but last one week I hardly saw you anywhere around her. Go and talk to her."
Me: "I am not going to do that and I don't want to talk anything further about her."
And I left him there, I was upset with her and more than that, I was not happy with myself. I just acted like a confused guys who don't know how to work things out by talking. Probably she is right. I am just acting like a weird guy who avoids talking to hide his true self. Can't I hide my emotions and what emotion it was which was nowhere few weeks back?
Someone was waking me up.
"Wake up Rahul. Look I have brought you something."
Me: "I want to sleep some more mummy."
"I am not your mom Rahul."
I opened one of eye and saw Twinkle sitting on the chair beside the bed. I was sitting on the bed next second with a puzzled look on my face.
She: "Rahul."
Me: "Ummm. What are you doing in my room?"
She: "I am leaving this Friday. Where were you in last few days?"
Even I was leaving the coming Saturday and time will fly so quickly I had never anticipated. I was in deep thought of mine when she interrupted.
She: "I asked you something."
Me: "I was with my friends." (I was still angry with myself or I was over reacting. I will not let her read me this time.)
She: "I know, you are angry with me? I am sorry. I have brought some chocolates for you." (And she figured my state of mind again.)
Me: "Give me ten minutes, let's go and see that pond near the village temple. Meet me at the gate in ten minutes."
She gave me the chocolates and left. I ate them all there itself. I dressed myself and went to meet Twinkle at the gate. She could be here any moment. But instead of her my other friends came.
Friend 1: "Hey Rahul, today no cricket."
Me: "Nope, Tired a bit." (She could be here any moment.)
Friend 2: "So come with us, we are planning to see some place around."
Me: "Not today, next time I will definitely come. Bye." (I was heavily impatient at time. Ajay was also there and I don't want him to see that I have some other plans with his sister.)
Ajay: "Ok, in case you change your mind, come straight to the pond near the village temple."
I stood there frozen on hearing that.
-to be continued

(This one coming directly from my blog... i suppose this one comes in short stories... Read only if you have time and please dont curse me if you feel its bakwas... i am a newbie in story writing...)

THE VILLAGE GIRL - I
My father worked in a Govt. Office in a small town. Once in a year, mainly during my summer vacation he used to visit his parents and we gave him company. By us, I meant me and my mother. My brother who is taller than me now was not present on earth at that time. I dont remember the year but I was in 3rd grade. Like every year we packed for 1 month vacation to my Grand Fathers place which was a village somewhere in Bihar. One of the reason I liked my grandpas place was availability in abundance of mangoes. I was least talkative in my family especially with elders and they all knew it. It always worked as the less you talk the less number of rules are imposed on you. I slept after unpacking as I know from next day I have to be real fresh to eat those mangoes and play games.


Next day I had my breakfast and then I went in search of kids who visited the place like me and somehow, as my grandma told, I was related to them. My Grand Father being smallest of his seven brothers and one sister explains a lot. Anyway, I found them playing some game with squares and circles drawn on earth and a pebble which was supposed to be hit only by foot and one foot has to be in air all the time. Sounds tough but my childhood friends were experts in that game. I was introduced briefly to a new chap named Ajay. Later I came to know that his father worked in Nagpur and his family is also there for nearly the same time as me. We were playing when a soothing voice hit my ear, Rahuuuuul, mummys calling. I turn around to see her but only managed to see her back as she fled from the spot. Ajay too left. That day got over without any other pleasant surprises.

Next day I woke up late, and had a secret mission to find about that girl. I was just curious to know. First I thought I will ask Ajay but my instinct voted against that idea. Though later that day when I did not see Ajay with other kids, I asked about him to a friend. He has left for 2 days to visit some place nearby. Ouch said my heart and I heard it. Depressed for next 2 days, I ate lots and lots of mangoes. The morning after those 2 days I woke up very early as I believed in phrase early bird catches the worm. But I was not a bird and she was definitely not a worm. My mom was puzzled at my abnormal behavior but she never asked. Dear Lord! That day was so long. I waited and waited but no sign of her coming back. Finally, in the late evening Ajay with his parent came and they looked real tired. But there was so no sign of that lady kid. I talked Ajay in to telling me about his family and then I came to know that his parents had a twin of which one was Ajay and the other was that girl who had occupied most of my thought process for last four days. The day ended there.

Next day, I got up at my usual time and after going through the normal routine I was ready for any game. I went where my friends usually play but no one was there. I started my search the start point was always backyard of our house. I went there and what I saw just brought mixed emotion in me. I had seen lots of Hindi movie by that time and I cannot speak of other actors but she was definitely the female lead of my story. She was right there underneath the huge lemon tree playing with mud and earth.
The conversation went like this:

Me: Hi, where is Ajay? (Wasnt that a very easy way to start?)

She: Who are you? (Not too happy with someone who saw her playing with mud and getting dirty.)

Me: Ummm you have put too much water in the soil and that way you cant make a toy. (As if I am a master of art and craft)

She: Ajay has gone with other boys near the mango grove. Who are you?

Me: Rahul, Can I watch you making those toys? (Man! She was giving me a look which can go either way; I thought she was going to say yes)

She: No. (And she started to put some soil on the mess she had created by putting so much water)

Me: what is your name? (I was not going to give up that easily.)

But she continued with her work. My ego was badly hurt but I said to myself Never mind my boy, she might have had tough day yesterday and you might be just a victim of over strained mind. I had no other option but to leave and try my luck some other day. I turn around and hardly walked a few steps when I heard a familiar voice.

Rahul

It was her voice. I gave a puzzled look at her and my evil part suggested to me to leave and dont go near her She is one who was full of ego few minutes back. Let her come and beg for your time. Shut up I told to myself and crawled towards her. But this time I had a dignified look on my face which told her silently to watch her words and Rahul wont tolerate such disrespect again.

She: I have always read about Indian villages and they are exactly the same as I had read. I am here for few more weeks so I will enjoy every bit of it. Do you know how to make toys, Rahuuul? (My name was stretched and the puppy face she was making made my life hard. Though I gave little advice in what not to do while making toy few minutes back, I had no idea to make one myself.)

Me: oh yeah, I have made such toys many times. What is your name ummm?

She: Twinkle. (Twinkle twinkle little star twinkle as in handle, stars twinkle, do you? And many more phrases came in my mind and I was finding it difficult to hide my shining teeth.)

Me: Nice name. (Such an obvious lame line I could think to say, better if I could have used above phrase.)

She: Hmmm So what are you going to make? (Boy, she means business.)

Me: lets start with a tortoise.

I put more soil on the heap she had created, to make it little less muddy and more stable. I tore a big lump out of it and started to make a sphere. After that I dropped it on earth so that it took the shape of a hemisphere. All this she was watching me patiently. Then I took five more portion of soil though lesser in size this time. Made sphere of all of them and in similar fashion transformed them to hemisphere. Four of them I stick it to bigger hemisphere as legs and the fifth one as head. I saw panic in her eyes as it was difficult to recognize which is leg and which one is head. I ignored her puzzled eyes and with the help of a broom stick drew the fingers on the four legs. Though I was not sure as the fingers of my tortoise resembled human fingers a lot. I took two tine dark sand grains and stuck them to the head as eyes. Thus my tortoise is complete. She was smiling now and I was watching her pretty smile.

She: Rahul, I want to tell you something. (And my heart skipped a few beat. Wasnt that too early.)

Me: What? (My mouth was filled with saliva at that moment and that made that what a little blurry to hear.)

She: You dont know how a tortoise look. You forgot its tail and their legs have fins.

Now girl or no girl, pretty or not, no one can question my infinite knowledge in zoology. I think I had a good knowledge on animals and had a few big fat books on animals and reptiles which I had revised many times. I sometimes used to boast in front of my dumb friends that I grew counting crocodiles teeth.

Me: Tortoise has no fins in their legs, and for your information turtles look similar to tortoise and have fins.

She: Turtles! Are they not female tortoise? (I was going to laugh on her face.)

Me: No twinkle, they are completely different reptiles. I have books at home where I have read about them. I will show you next year.

She: No need, Internet will tell me. (INTERNET!! Phew what was that, her boy friend? )

Me: Who is Internet?

She: I will tell you tomorrow. Bye

Me: Bye (So loudly that even I had difficulty hearing it.)

And she ran away. I was sad. I was not even properly introduced to her and I came to know about her boy friend. Hmm Internet, quite a weird name for a boy. At least for this night Internet was villain in my story.
To be continued

Decided to wash my hands in flowing river

Kaleidoscope in a Facade
I look through the microscope, an enlarged picture of people I call friends,
They form a still, its a beautiful pattern,

I twist it a little bit and realize,
It really is not a microscope but a kaleidoscope, coz...
When I see through a different angle the patterns change...

The colours look different,
Though some pieces are still the same
Some others just change the picture in a way I will never comprehend...

I dislike this new pattern, first because the faces glare at me,
But slowly realize that microscope was an illusion, and kaleidoscope is what I have to live with
So I look closely, may be I will contemplate things in the end...

Facades, good and bad.
Insecurities causing destructions,
Greed leading to dirt and filth...
Innocence could be lethal
Basic instincts at war with morals....
Need for acceptance causing people to lie...
Fools living parallel lives,
Happy on the face of it....
All in drudgery inside

I cant take the sight anymore, and change the angle again,
It all looks same as before, all the pieces are back in place...
Its a still, beautiful pattern.

I pretend its a microscope;
that I never saw through a Kaleidoscope.
The pattern is comfortable in being seen like this,
it doesnt glare back at me anymore.
-Khushbu

DAY OF A SOFTWARE ENGINEER


He (Software Engineer) wakes up with pain in his back, soon realizes that it is getting worse. Then he decides to use 1 minute MOOV ki maalish life superhit formula from never coming tomorrow.

Starts for office around 8 AM, find never-ending congestion on city roads. Finds that congestion is firmaments high today and getting worse everyday, thinks that city is going nowhere and soon realizes his duties towards city. But shed off his responsibility by giving cursing govt. bureaucrats.

Reach office around 10 AM turn on his PC fill in his yesterdays timesheet entry. Open his mailbox finds CCs bill pending, recalls all the drawback of plastic money.

Open his never ending bug list over companys intranet find some new CRs (Change Request) and bugs which gets reopen which makes him annoyed, its time for smoke (SUTTA). Peers join him makes a good camaraderie. Ideas float in order to shed off load by virtually changing the entire hierarchy of management.

After smoke, finds another mail from management, saying company is growing. So some new norms have been added favoring management but added burden to him, another de-motivating factor.

Think for a change, but realizes market is down recession is on. Try to convince him by looking out for virtual positive aspects of company.

At 11.30 AM time for meeting, BA (Business Analyst) comes in with new CRs with 2 days as a deadline. He put forward his point that it cant be done in 2 days time but BA is adamant because client, client devo bhava cant give more time. After realization that argument is waste of time, he prepares MOM (Minute of Meeting), in the meantime he realizes that his dinner plan is on the verge of cancellation. But the question is how to convey the same to BHABHI JI (BJ) spouse. Time for another sutta.

Lunchtime (2 PM), BJ calls up to reconfirm the program but he needs to request BJ to postpone the same but how to do. He use software industry best excuse (companys dinner/lunch with client), excuse accepted got saved.

Around 5.30 PM when work is in full swing sees that gurlz or ladies start leaving at 6 PM. They got to leave early, need to prepare food for their spouse and somebodys Boy Friend is waiting. Point of discussion among camaraderie why companies are hiring female staff, why dont they pay us we can do the same in half compensation. Time for another sutta.

Soon after 8 PM when work gets over, time to leave, find congestion, traffic jam manage to reach home around 10 pm. As he enters home he sees that BJ is watching SAAS BAHU sops. Tulsi and parviti is crying, cant figure out why parviti is crying but manage to know that BAA is not well, she is suffering from COLD i.e. tulsi is crying courtesy BJ.
At 11.30 PM want to ask BJ for 1 minute maalish but finds that BJ is sleeping. So its time for sleep.

This vicious cycle continues.

ITS WHAT I FEEL NOW::TITLE :JEEVAN SHIKHAR

MAN TU DHIR DHAR,MAN DHIR DHAR.
SURAJ KO BAHAR NIKALNE DE ,
MAN PAR CHAYE KALI GHATA
APNI DHADHAKTI ICHAO KO JALNE DE.
MAN TU DHIR DHAR MAN DHIR DHAR.
SURAJ KI KIRNO KO LAHRANE DE.
DIN KE PRAKASH ME TU APNE ,
SAPNO KO PURA MARG DARSHAN DE.

BHUL SABHI KAMNAO KO TU
KHUD KO AHUTIO PAR CHADNE DE,
SONE PAR PARI DHUL KO
THORA AUR NIKHARNE DE.

AAKASH KI OOR DEKH AB,
GADUD KI BHATI UD NIKAL TU,
PANKH KAR MAJBUT APNE
AANDHIO KO CHIR SAKE TU.

DHUM DHAM YA HO UTHAL PUTHAL AB
APNE LAKSHYA PATH PAR ADIG CHALE TU,
CHATRA JEEVAN KE ANTIM CHARAN KO
AAPNA SABSE UCHA SHIKHAR DE.
MAN DHIR DHAR ,MAN DHIR DHAR.........

SO FRIENDS THIS IS WHAT I CAN IMAGINE NOW AS FAR AS CAT IS CONCERNED .AFTER SO MANY LOWS IN LIFE THIS IS THE ONLY PANACEA.......
FOR CAT.................


I HV NOTHING ELSE TO SAY WHAT I HAVE WRITTEN WUD BE AN INSPIRING NOTE FOR ALL CAT ASPIRANTS...........WRITTEN KEEPING IN MIND WHAT WE ARE ABOUT TO FACE IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS ...........

Under the merciless afternoon sun,
trapped in the melancholy of her solitary world,
leaning against a stone wall as if,
shielding from the misery at her hurled,
she sits breaking stones.
Her silken hands are accompanied only by dust,
in the desolate, stony landscape.
A stark, hideous contrast,
to the dreams that she had once harboured.
Her sunken eyes are devoid of feeling,
hurt, accusing eyes,
furtively shift their gaze to the closed doors.
As if wishing to speak, rise,
but no sound does arise.
Her dusty delicate body trembles,
like a stone idol come to life.
As she thinks of that ruthless item,
responsible for claiming innumerable lives,
that cruel, cruel commodity called food,
tainted with the blood of innocents.
Broken by the quirks of fate,
battered by the waves of time,
with no one to call her own,
she sits, breaking stones.
Drifting on the seas of sorrow,
she cannot bear any more.
Only a stone statue,
she cannot remain any more.
In bitter-sweet dreams,
her tormented soul is lost.
Two stone tears run down her stone face,
just looking at her makes me contrite.
Make no noise, don't disturb her sleep,
let us go away, for dusk has turned to night.

*This one was written as a collection of thought on child labour.

They say ocean is deep and mysterious,
But I bury my fingers in it and tickle him,

Real nice. Was wondering why you refer to the sea as a he. Most commonly assigned gender would be female - the sea is a harsh mistress.

Cheers.