I wish...

I wish to retire from the towering odds of life

Let me get back to the child that was me

Who’d not hide her tears and laugh when tickled

And wish that she never grew up to be

The soul who suffers

For what cannot be hers,

Longs for a living

That never came into being

I wish to embrace this life once more

Thank her for all that I received

They made up for what I let go

With the last goodbye kissed...

Destiny

As written on 4.01.2009

Can memories be brighter than future

Can smile be larger than life?

Why can’t the tears dry forever

And happiness always thrive?

Can’t the dreams be built up again

Once they’re shattered?

Can all the hopes go in vain

If one goes unheard?

Why can’t a child smile

Over the lines of his poverty?

Why can’t the light fall

On the doors of his misery?

On the lines of a railway track

Moves a train which never rolls back

All the laughs and cries of so many

Written along by the wheels of destiny

Being Indian

Often I’ve wondered in my mind, what is so remarkable to be an Indian? ‘cause no matter how much we boast about it, one can’t keep those typical images off his mind- those of bustling crowd, poverty, street children, corruption, political unrest and the list goes on. They can definitely not make us proud to live in a country like this! So when you say you love India despite all these, either you are blinded by the love for your country or you are stupid. And at times I find it more relevant to call the people of India today as big stupid fools than the good-for-nothing, careless and all-enduring country-lovers, for apparently, you can’t love a country like this.  Or, can you?

        Well, let’s not go through the clichéd details of what our country had produced for over decades, where it could have reached had it not been ruled by foreigners for years or what great potential it holds to be the game changing nation in the next 50 yrs. Most nations possess their own heart-wrenching stories of past and heightened hopes for future. And odds are, India would probably take some more decades to make it to where we yearn to see her in. Truth is, we still remain a nation of constant foolery.

        Let’s hold onto that anger that is raging inside and face the bitter facts. Has it not been long enough to bask in our past glories? Isn’t it a shame for us all Indians to keep enduring whatever we find bad or unacceptable in our country? How often do you hear about a nation going hysterical about a particular sports icon where there are people dying out of hunger in the same? People worshipping movie stars like they are going to come down and feed their families! But then, there’s a bit more to that.

        You can understand India only if you have a deep sense of passion, endurance and liveliness. For a moment just stop being logical, ‘cause it’s beyond any explanation how thousands of Indians fight over religious issues while millions of them unite on the grounds of a cricket field cheering for their favourite sports stars; or how a Bollywood performance can bring ecstasy to some terminally ill patients. A single call of nation could drive thousands of untrained civilians of all ages to rise above all fears and give up their lives! Even in this 21^st century worshipping a particular God remains the biggest festival of the nation! India is a whole lot of drama and even more of craziness.

        It seems like India is still in her teenage while the rest of the world has grown up to get into the methodical middle-age life! Question is, when do we want this silly teenager to grow up? Never. Because consciously or subconsciously, we all have accepted this silliness as an inevitable mark of our ‘Indian’hood. So we keep nurturing it with great care. That may sound insane, but indeed a lot of fun!! And this is what sets us apart from the rest of the world. We bear the innocence of knowing little and believing a lot, judging less and trusting more. We have it in us to accept and move on. We don’t like to rely much on a perfect future, rather on self-adjustments for a happier present instead. We have big dreams but not demands. And it is our dreams and passions that take us to anywhere round the globe despite all obstacles. And so, being an Indian is one identity that we are absolutely proud to possess! 

11 things only friends can make you do!

We all have them in our life. A big bunch of hooligans who get hooked to our lives at some point and make a permanent place in our hearts, for reasons we often wonder but deep down, we all know. I’ve been lucky enough to have such craziness in my life too. Yes, they’re the all-important people in our lives, whom we can’t do without. Because they make us do what others cannot!

1. Chuck all plans at work ‘cuz its friends’ day out.
And that never comes with any warning. You get a call that we are in town, so you gotta rush out from wherever you are. None gives a damn about your research plans for the day!


2. Taste your 1st drink and act as if you like it no matter what!
It’s your B’day, let’s get you chocolate cake. Oh forget it! Let’s get you vodka and watch till you get high :D :D


3. Call for a party and ruin your savings a/c just when they start looking decent!
What’d you do with all that money anyway, you don’t wanna die rich. Atleast when you have such muggers always with you J


4. Let out your deepest secrets or feel like getting a death sentence for having secrets at all!
THAT is a serious issue. You have a crush and you keep that a secret. Now who’s gonna give you those big stupid all-knowing grins whenever he’s around?


5. Sleep-overs when you have absolutely no plan to sleep at all!
Yeah you can try to sleep only if you can fit yourself with 2 other fatties on a single cot! Or you study with the same idiots for exam and end up watching trash movies but, sorry, no sleep for you.


6. Shop like crazy. Then look like mad and then laugh at yourselves till the stomach hurts..
On a serious note, you can even try out some superhot dresses (which you’re never gonna wear anyway) and book the changing room for hours. Get some ‘cool pics’ clicked with the funny faces waiting right outside and come out of the shop buying only what you went to buy!


7. Talk about big dreams of life only to get laughed at, but talk about the smallest chores, and yes, you’re being listened like that’s coming on the next news headline of the day.
Yes you need to think twice before blurting those serious stuffs out, ‘cause that’s just not you to us. But hey, are you missing out on the funky dress you wore that night or how that fight started with your bf? We are all ears :D:D


8. Eat out. Get fat. Cry over your tummy. Get chocolates. Get fatter. Cry more. Eat out….
and the cycle continues with your ever-increasing belly!

9. Buy the coolest of stuffs so they (and not you) get a chance to show off with them

Wait you’ll get a chance to wear them too, only after we upload all our selfies on FB and Whatsapp!

10. Be mad for no reason while break into laughter when you have reasons to be totally mad at us.


11. Live.

One heart says

I don’t care if you are not with me right now

I don’t care if we don’t speak too often ‘cause I know

For every heart that sings and every star that shines

You shall be mine.

I don’t care if you don’t hold me tight

I don’t care if I miss you all night

At the dawn of the day, by the side of the shrine

You shall be mine.

I don’t care if you can’t keep your word

I promise to keep tryin' hard

For I know you can never fall into the line

And one day, you shall be mine.

When you keep dreaming big, you miss out on life

I know you'd be happy

With an Enfield and a girl sitting at your back,

A tab and a galaxy note if you can afford,
May be a play station on your b'day

Or a branded watch on your anniversary.

That you might always dream to watch FIFA on your home theatre, you so dearly wanna own,

Your idea of a dream date needs a Mercedes and a 7 star dinner table

but sometimes you don't realise how

When your silly friend struggles to carry you on his cycle, you suddenly feel the air a little more fresh,

When you feel the urge to scrawl, a pen and a mere scrap of paper come to your rescue,

You get your favourite book as a surprise gift that makes the whole b'day a fond memory for years to come,

A not-so-perfect handmade card with a scribble of love-note brings a bigger grin on your partner's face

The crazy times spent with some friends can make the moments of your life

for you never know that

A bit of silliness still rests in your heart that never lets you grow up,
A bit of affection still urges you to care for the little things in life,
A bit of simplicity still makes you human...

An Introspection

As the holy night of Mahashivratri advances, I feel lost in thoughts and more drawn towards the wonder- the wonder that is my Almighty, the wonder that is Lord Shiva.

            Like in every Hindu family, I have grown up hearing about the millions of deities that Hindus believe in and worship. Nevertheless, I have been told to respect all the Gods so as not to outrage any of them, fear them time to time just in case anyone of the Gods puts you off in utter disdain and pray more and more till you forget how much of anything is enough for your living! All these and yet the imperative questions etched in my mind- what to believe and why? Answers were all vague.

            A quarter of my life has ended and the list of soul-searching questions has kept on lengthening but, to my utter delight, one answer has always stayed with me which is enough to satiate them all. The last ounce of strength that holds me back after every failure, the glimpse of smile that is brought back after every surge of tears, the little ray of hope that twinkles in my eyes time to time, the inch of will-power that drives me to do the mundane chores of life everyday- it is the power from within that asks me to keep having faith, the power that He bestows on me with every step I take in life.

            He needs no description from a petty blogger, but if you ask me, what stuns me is how He’s described by millions. People say He’s Bholenath, God of simplicity. He is simple, because He is above all complexities. What deepens my wonder is His universality. He is immense- depth of His being knows no bounds. He is supreme, God of all Gods- absolute, yet unfathomed. People say Shiva stands for power, the ‘Destroyer of evil’. To me, Shiva is that silhouette of mystery that propels me to think beyond what I see. It is as if all the ambiguities of my life find solace in Him.

One can’t really describe this enormity but, you know, I cherish this riddle, this wonderful inexplicability, the holy profoundness that can’t be bounded by any answer, any knowledge, or any truth.