Lets Get Drenched-

Today it Rained heavily. The smell of the wet earth, the sudden lush greenness that jumps out of its hiding, the rhythm of the rain drops, the umbrella flowers and raincoats, the dirty puddles of mud – rain has always been the very essence of life to me. I always wondered why can’t people just for a while get lost in the chaos and get drenched. May be, they are too much forgotten in their own life that they easily miss to see the bliss of beauty around them.


Once one of my friends asked “what’s so special about getting drenched in the rain?”


I was simply not able to find the right words to describe the feeling to her.

What happens to a kid when he is given such a lot of beautiful wrapped gifts that he is not able to decide what to open first? He would be bouncing with all the joy in the world. What happens to a congenitally blind guy (blind from birth) if he is given his sight? He simply wouldn’t have enough eyes to see all the loveliness in the world for the first time.


The same happens to me in the rain.


There cannot be any more poetism than the world in a shower. There cannot be any more a symbol of purity and virginity than the world after the dance of rain. The wet road gleaming inviting to the foot of the dreamer, the fallen flowers and leaves on them, a Picasso or Renault I would say and the blooming flowers in trees still dripping wet, the drenched walls with the water arts of rain on them, the willowy sun slowly blooming out, its rays so slant that it seems like its bowing to the rain’s performance, the air hugging you as it passes so pure in its earnestness like a kid saying to her parents her first learnt rhyme and finally like a girl so spontaneous in love that she blushes on seeing her guy, comes out the rainbow raining again on the spectators a plethora of colors.

Now again I to ask “Are you going to miss all this sitting in the monochromity of your home?”

May be you can enjoy the same rain from the safety of your home.

But hello….wait Am I hearing you right? Are you refusing first row stadium tickets to see your favorite star’s foot ball match to see the same on television? Dude you must be seriously nuts. Come on I am waiting……


“Let’s get drenched”

The Guidance --

The Snap-



The Fiction-


"Papa, He took my ball...... took my ball...."

The child came whining at the top of her unbroken virgin voice.

"It's your ball. Right??"

The six year old looked up at her father and nodded.

"So, What are you going to do about it??"

The sharp question put the child to silent thinking.

Her father just smiled.



Author's note-

A child is an individual with it's own thinking, capabilities and creative intuition. More often I come across parents who feed their children on what to do, rather than kindling their own child's problem solving quotient. In a culture like ours, where kids stay with the parent until almost they get married, I think parents guide their children a little too much.

After all, how many times have we heard parents saying- "I made all the decisions for her till now. I care for her. So wouldn't it be appropriate for me to find her a good suitor?"

Parenting is a gift, a bliss. To see a child make it's own mistakes, it's own choices and to take part of it's tears and laughs in it's life is a privilege in it's own right.

Of Humans and Humanity ~

The city-

A city that was found on the banks of the river Musi, A juxtaposition of the magnificence of the old and trendiness of the new. A city whose development in the last decade is not just astounding but mind boggling. A city that still reeks of a rustic charm with the edges of sophistication and refinement creeping in. A city that once courted the Nizams. A city where the beauty of the language Telugu flourishes along with lavishes of Urdu and Hindi added. The city of pearls, of lakes, of a climate red hot and of girls hotter than that. :D

A city which is my home from past 16 years -- Hyderabad.


The snap-


A chaotic hub of activity welcomed me when I arrived here, at the junction of Secunderabad one and a half month ago. The buzz of rushing human life played around me, always constant and engaging. A multitude of things that were being haggled over for better prices by both the seller and the customer.

Auto Rickshaw wallahs looking out for everyone and anyone coming from inside the junction for a prospective passenger. People with pale shirts clean and pressed rushing over to their destination unknown, offices probably to confront whatever the morning has prepared for them. Students with ties and a twinkle in their eyes hurrying past the milieu, their heavy bags lugging behind their backs. A few teens fooling around; A couple of men in lungis* sitting in front of closed shops reading the news papers; Buses, taxis, Autos and what not zooming past loaded with people and their early morning concerns; A haste of activity, An onslaught of life.

And as I stood there, a kid enthralled by the flurry of whats happening around him; I saw her.


She-

White wisps of hair; greying in the frays probably from the dust billowing from the road, dry and lifeless, a sad shine in it's last days in those old eyes, clothes beaten and faded; colors long forgotten, A face wrinkled blue more with the worry of hunger than of age, A poor old women looking around for someone who would be her savior today; giving her a few coins; winning her today's bread.





And of all those people who moved past her in haste or of even those just loafing around, nobody seem to even notice her. They were too lost in the maze of their own life that they have just become a bit too immune to see the pain and sufferings that's at their door steps.

As I stood there waiting for my bus, I really wanted to see someone help out that frail figure of an old lady. But alas, even though the explosion of activity increased ceaselessly along with the trickle of time and the blooming of the sun, nobody, not even one seemed to mind her. The hunger in her eyes,her dry, parched lips, the streaks of her tears; dried.

A lost soul amongst a million lost souls.

Humans if needed may learn to eat humans to live. But can we be called humans then?

A few more moments crawled by. The lady lost all her hope that she will get to eat something today and sat down with hunched shoulders trying to bear another day of her drab life.

May be I was destined to buy the lady her morning food. I smiled to myself. Quite a destiny.

I gave the lady some money and asked her to go and eat. She looked at me with those silver eyes with mixed emotions. I moved away before she could thank me.

After all, I was just trying to salvage the reminder of the humanism and kindness in my heart & for that, sorry but you don't really need thanks.



Author's note--

This post is but what I felt when I looked at that poor lady & by no means, do I credit the city for the plight she was in.

And Guys, I am having quite a time in here in Hyderabad. Will soon post about my wanderings and experiences here. :)

The Colour of Silence

Thriving Across,
Hopes Of an uncertain nature,
Entertaining wisdom!

Compassing the stillness,
Operating in a vacuum,
Languishing in a cerebrum,
Of a serenity bestowed,
Requisite to a tranquil state!
Observant to the peace,
around,
Fluttering the beings!

Speechless in communication,
Insistence on a quiet,
Lullabies of the heart,
Endearing and escalating,
Notably stitching a different rhyme,
Comprehending a bond,
Enchantingly formed in the silence of forever.....!!!

Durga Puja '09

Today is the last day of Durga puja'09.
'Pandal hopping has been the way of life' during the puja days for most of the people in
eastern India, especially Bengal(irrespective of bengalis, non-bengalis and their religions).

Everything comes in huge variety at this time of the year, starting from the decorations of Maa durga idol :), the variety of materials used by the puja committees to make their pandals(where the deities are kept and worshipped and people visit them after standing in long long queues for hours..) ranging from wood, clothes ,paper packets, mirrors,tabla,bamboo sticks,conchs and sea shells, bricks,marble,ceramics, plaster of Paris,bottles anything and everything that comes in human imagination.

But the days of Pujas are for pure fun and enjoyment. It looks as if the city is filled with joy,colors, lights and sumptuous delicacies has stored all its energies and enthusiasms for this time of the year only.

For me, its the time when I sleep long long hours after pandal-hopping for several hours, (though there are only a few pandals in hyderabad..they try their best to create the aura of the Kolkata fiesta)
having all the foods I want (having Biriyani and khichudi for consecutive days forgetting those extra kilos.....hehehhe lol).

Well this puja, I went for an outing with friends to Srisailam as well and it was a gr8 fun.
Another year of festival came to an end with today's Vijayadashami. Wishing all my friends and family many many more colorful and joyous Durga puja in the coming years.

Asche Bochor Abar Hobe :)

P.S: Subho Bijoya To all.

Festivity in Air

Today is VIjaya Dashami, the tenth day of Navratri and the last day of Durga Puja.
As I came out of my house gate, I sniffed the air. It was crisp, clean and yet I could faintly smell the Shiuli, the tiny white flowers with their deep yellow stalks which carpeted the garden at my house. This is the season they bloom in abundance, pristine white, heady fragrance offering them for the Puja.

Wishing all my friends and their families

A very Happy Puja

From The Pages (Tagged)

PS: Tag time : Firstly coz I'm bored and secondly coz I have got no better work to do for a week now..sitting at home :)
My Dad keeps reminding me that we are what we read. I've read a considerable amount of books so far and I will probably read many more before I die. I have come across many blogs which have been tagged. But my friend Keshi tagged me with this beautiful quotes tag. The rules are that you will have to pen down five quotes from five of your favourite books. So here goes!

* "...milliseconds influence centuries."

What If... by Robert Cowley

* "Satan laughs at our work, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray."

The Kneeling Christian

* "Often our feelings lie beneath the surface,Hidden by the smiles we wear upon our faces;emotions are concealed, we bear our sorrows on our own,Grown-ups only cry when they're alone."
Never Give It Up by Shelia Walsh

* "Stalin's concentration camps were the only place in Russia where people could really criticise the state. Freedom came only in captivity."

Star Warriors by William J. Broad

* "Seemingly senseless pain and trauma engulfs much of life. If you seek to follow Him, you must be content to trust His character rather than your ability to understand. The difference between a knife in the hand of an assassin and a knife in the hand of a surgeon is intent: both inflict severe pain. You must decide whether God is an assassin or a surgeon. But remember, your choice does not change God, only your opinion."

Thoughts From the Diary Of A Desperate Man by Walter A. Henrichsen

There are many other books which have really developed me but the above are what come to mind when i think about what I think.

Thanx Keshi...HUGS

No Title for this post

I searched again today.
Yet another futile attempt.

I searched again in spaces big and small, inside my heart and outside, in sounds and in silence, in sight and behind closed eyes. I searched for a glimpse, a shadow, a word, a glance, a breath?

I found none.

Love that was everywhere - the sand that let me leave my mark on it, the breeze that kissed me without asking, the sounds of music that I carried within me, the colors of joy splashed all around me - they all came together to surround me like a warm embrace. I held on tight, knowing and not believing that there will come a time when I have to let go. So, I closed my eyes and slept like a child, dreaming dreams that kept my illusion alive. And then one day, they all left and they took with them my world of love.

It was not him that I searched for. I searched for the world that I created for myself when he was around. I searched for the lightness in my step and in my heart, for the beauty around me and within me, I searched for colors, melody, life and love.

I searched for the me that lived only for him, only for those moments shared with him.

She had a full life, trees, the wind under her wings, pools of water, flocks of friends.

she was a princess once.

She was captured one day, in a net, now she's here to stay never again to be free, to fly, to have companionship, or to explore.

She looks dully around her from all hope removed eyes.

HOW CAN I PROVE ANYTHING TO YOU ??

PS : I'm loving this long week at home. Sometimes, sickness comes as a blessing...hehehehe :D :)

A little child of three or four
With a freckled face and curly locks
Looked up at me with a toothy grin
She seemed like a brook tripping on the rocks

Barely standing, she asked of me "Are you sure the sky is blue ?"
"Of course! What a question!" I said
I will just now prove it to you

"Just look up and see", and I saw at twilight hour
The sky turning golden, red and pink all at once
"Which of these is blue ?," she asked
I stood there, mute, feeling like a dunce

She stared at me, with a innocent look
"Tell me no ... Is it that hue ?"
I saw the world, mirrored in her eyes"
You know it all already, how can I prove anything to you ?"

SEARCH

I have thrown myself to the whirling dance of time
A Slave of my destiny, am caught in my senses’ narrow maze
Searching for thy journey in a sun of deathless light

I wait to see the endless future brimming beneath my lashes

IS IT LOVE??

Hearts can travel very far,
I've found that to be true
I'm here, Bu my heart is not
That has always been with you

I gave it once, to you my dear,
I did not take it back from you
It can never be the same again
Because it can only love you.....

A thoughtless Worse :D

As I stare at this blank expanse of white,
thinking about what next to write,
A thousand thoughts in my head, a haze,
taking shape in the mist,
a labyrinthine maze.

Did I just write a verse,
of complete nonsensical stuff,
even worse,
Hey, I think - this is it,
just let it flow,
and maybe after this very boring day,
I'll find that elusive glow.

That glimmer of light,
that ray of hope,
the strength, the will, the resolve of mind which helps me cope,
With the chaos of my existence,
with the conflict of my being,
of the sounds in my hearing,
of the colors in my seeing.

Where, oh where is that fractal of order and sense,
which will soothe my being, make light my dense,
Perhaps in this babel of words,
if a line I cast,
I'll find my sense of my world, at last.

Endless journey of Dreams !!!

Afloat in grey mist, a canoe glides through still water. There is no end to the mist and the boatman is in no hurry to reach anywhere. What does one do when one is on a journey of one's dreams, except dream. Dreams do not particularly fare well all the time, amidst the silent shadows of reality. But dream on we must.

In me, I've found the most compulsive dreamer I've ever met. I dream by choice and by habit. It's my escape and my inspiration. It's the amalgamation of all my what could have been's and what can be's. It also the sole keeper of all my fears, my hopes, fantasies and frustrations. In it I see myself, as myself, alone and devoid of the artifice of the world around me. I see myself, because of what I am, not because of what the world has decided I should be.

Do I dream in words, sounds, images? I do not know. Do I only dream when I am asleep? Most certainly not. Do I dream only happy things? No. Sometimes, I dream the worst that can be, by choice. Just to make myself cry. When I am precariously balanced at the threshold of pain, then the ability to make myself cry is a big advantage.

People are not always mindful of other people. People are almost never mindful of me. Especially when I do not want them to be. I can fade away into the background without a whimper as if I am just another random pitch in the white noise of space. In such times, ignored by what is concrete, I dream about the abstract. I gaze at the space in front of me and reflect myself in the shards of my imagination.

LIFE

I have lain eternally in wait, to listen, to see,

I have poured my life into the heart of this earth,

I have searched for the unknown in the midst of the known,

That is why, in wonder, that is what has awakened my song.

The lines are from a Rabindranath Tagore poem. Tagore juxtaposes the eternal bond between man and his self with the bond between man and nature. The harmony and the wonder that spring from and define this bond gives rise to these words from the poet.

YOU!!!

When the twinkling stars in the velvet sky put on their most mischievous smile, and when the moon, full in all its pristine white aura stood witness to the magic in the breeze,

I saw you in my dream.

Anger !!!

I gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which I must stop and look fear in the face.... I say to myself, I've lived through this and can take the next thing that comes along ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round heads in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do ~ Think Different

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens ~ Carl Jung

People are unreasonable, illogical and self-centered. Love them anyway. If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Do good anyway. If you are successful, you will win false friends and true enemies. Succeed anyway. The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway. Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable. Be honest and frank anyway. The biggest person with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest person with the smallest mind. Think big anyway. What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight. Build anyway. People really need help but may attack if you help them. Help people anyway. Give the world the best you have and you might get kicked in the teeth. Give the world the best you've got anyway ~ Bishop Abel Muzorewa

(There are occasions in life which drive me absolutely mad. And when I feel am lost, I resort to reading these four quotes again and again. It just helps me calm down.)

I hold myself to the Doorway!!!

I stay in this dreamy cottage
each of its rooms brings surprises
I hold myself to the doorway
rubbing that tarnished key
I find no lock fit its contours

the mirage of you propels me
to walk through that closed door
I know you didn't leave
any trace of your intentions
you wish to remain exiled in that forest

in my palm, that key fills a void
I romance it, skillfully manipulating it

On Teachers...

Happy Teacher’s Day!

Angels on earth

They reign, the seats of wisdom.

Mould young minds of the world

Set them sail, in the right direction!

Examples they put forth

Through fine words, they deliver

And stories they weave.

Urging children to learn

Respect their elders, and

Nurture their dreams!

Responsibility they adorn

In grooming the youth

For future task, that await

For they know too well

That future lies in the young!

As we grow old

We fondly remember what you told

So Thank You! Dear Teacher, manifold!

From the bottom of the heart!

Note: Written for my sweet niece, who thinks i write nice! Love her!

Tribute To My Teachers !!

Teachers..........

They teach us at school,
They teach us at college,
Teachings done here are really less,
Their impact on us is limitless
They show us the world everyday,
In their own dignified way.....

What a dream about you means!!!!

A dream about you means:

That, all day, I’ve sieved off
Those sand grains
Of your bodily absence,
Far and distant, from my ability
To reminisce.

With such success,
You say, you can’t believe.

Until I realize; I can’t believe,
I still remember you.

Where Have we Loved?

Into some lost iota of time
Our souls must have drifted.

While we were professing,
Our hearts must have drowned
In the profuse sweat of words.

We,though, carried our bodies forth,
Wrapping a fistful of upturned earth,
In each other’s skin, like a counterfeit souvenir.

Men, women, and myself
I’ve drawn and denuded,
To play to my mind
Our tale.

I see a crowd coming on to me.
You, must’ve passed by me.

LOOKING?

Are you always saying that you dont understand someone?

I wonder if we understand our own self because we are complaining so much all the time.

It is the hardest part. Look at the person you see in the mirror.

Let yourself be known to you.

Everything else will fall in place.

Beautiful is too small a word !!!

I received it in the mail, and I just couldn't help but cry.

The girl in the picture is Katie Kirkpatrick, she is 21. Next to her, her fiancé, Nick, 23.

The picture was taken shortly before their wedding ceremony, held on January 11, 2005 in the US .

Katie had terminal cancer and spent hours a day receiving medication.

In the picture, Nick is waiting for her on one of the many sessions of chemo to end.

In spite of all the pain, organ failures, and morphine shots, Katie is going along with her wedding and took care of every detail. The dress had to be adjusted a few times due to her constant weight loss.

An unusual accessory at the party was the oxygen tube that Katie used throughout the ceremony and reception as well.

The other couple in the picture are Nick's parents.. Excited to see their son marrying his high school sweetheart.

Katie, in her wheelchair with the oxygen tube , listening to a song from her husband and friends.

At the reception, Katie had to take a few rests.The pain not let her stand up for long periods.

Katie died five days after her wedding day. Watching a women so ill and weak getting married and with a smile on her face makes us think..... Happiness is reachable, no matter how long it last. We should stop making our lives complicated.

Life is short
Break the rules
forgive quickly
laugh constantly
And never stop smiling
no matter how strange life is
Life is not always the party we expected to be
but as long as we are here, we should smile and be grateful.

A Way Back into LOVE......

I've been living with a shadow overhead
I've been sleeping with a cloud above my bed
I've been lonely for so long
Trapped in the past, I just can't seem to move on

I've been hiding all my hopes and dreams away
Just in case I ever need em again someday
I've been setting aside time
To clear a little space in the corners of my mind

All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love

I've been watching but the stars refuse to shine
I've been searching but I just don't see the signs
I know that it's out there
There's got to be something for my soul somewhere

I've been looking for someone to shed some light
Not somebody just to get me through the night

I could use some direction
And I'm open to your suggestions

All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love
And if I open my heart again
I guess I'm hoping you'll be there for me in the end

There are moments when I don't know if it's real
Or if anybody feels the way I feel
I need inspiration
Not just another negotiation

All I want to do is find a way back into love
I can't make it through without a way back into love
And if I open my heart to you
I'm hoping you'll show me what to do
And if you help me to start again
You know that I'll be there for you in the end
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Did I tell...that I miss you so??

Dawn spreads peace and happiness in colors stroked across, so vibrant,
This beauty, I wake to see in awe,
Empty, but I feel in soul..

Wish you were here now, in smiles to caress my love,
Hollow, in dreams, I feel..
Memories that linger to haunt..

Touch, of who’s my sense desires to kindly embrace..
Care not, do I of this world,
You by me is all that I need..

Humor so transparent, taught me to laugh in spirits..
Now percolates my life..
Into a slush of dread and fear..


Care for me, when I look so low, preaching in my thoughts, even now..
A white glow lit up the dark layer,
Gaze do I, for hours, in despair..

Tears rehash and flow in symphony, a reason not, they rebel to cease..
Time swings by, my heart melts in love..
Silence, for days, in shock it dwelled..

Left my life, and took my soul, cold as ever, you left me alone..
Reminiscence do I, those frozen moments..
Look back to see, prints of love, yet undone......

Curled around you..

PS : Cross-posted from my previous blog. This post means a lot to me.... :)

I wasn’t sure about where we going. He didn’t know me and I didn’t know him for sure..I was so badly occupied with my eventful life..But, I didnt know how things changed in just a day, within a moment.

But we met..and talked..and felt each other; a wave ran through my spine which had frozen to ice by then…I felt leaning against his arms, really did wish..MELTED..
He wanted me to hold him..how on earth did he know that I needed that ?? Rest in his arms..eternal !
The breeze liked it too, I know..she kept dancing in swirls around..

We sat together, legs dipped in dreams, feelings….life started singing…but I was missing…elsewhere was I ??
Yes, ther…rrre I was battling fear of losing him..wanted time to stop right there..like Hey you..pause NOW..

Simple in being yet so magnificent he was..I discovered..
And then so blissfully he completed me, he knew the skill, I say…wanted him for ‘forever’, like that…damn wishes, ah!

A concealed delicate thread ties us both together till now.
I talk about everything with him…my fear and threats, insecurities and love…
And all his eyes say is, ‘Hold me like that, again!’..I do
..And I fall in love with him all over again as we walk like a prince and a princess on the nature’s ramp…

My heart begged a chance of loving him again and again all my life, and I granted…

I have already chosen my beautiful fate..!!

My Thoughts,You and I…………..

I heard of a whisper, in the wind,

it made me think, of you.

Like a rose red petal, caught in a breeze,

My thoughts just came to you.

You laughter, echoed in my ears,

Those thoughts slowly turn to fears.

I saw a doe, in the woods beyond,

It made me think, of you.

Like it ran, so swift and strong,

My thoughts just ran to you.

Its eyes, like yours so light,

Those thoughts suddenly vanished in the night.

I felt a raindrop, touch my skin,

It made me think, of you.

Like its touch, so soft and slow,

My thoughts just flowed to you.

A drop of water, from my hair.

Those thoughts I just wanted to share