So far...

My blog completes 3 years today. Yayy!!

It all started as a quest for writer in me, to unfold my writing skills. Over a period of time, it became more of a personal space where I could vent out my feelings whenever I wanted to. Most of my posts have been about I, Me, Myself. I have always felt more comfortable expressing my thoughts in writing rather than talking.

I would not say that I have been very regular with blogging but whenever I have posted something here, it has been with utmost enthusiasm. At the least, I will pat my back today for keeping the blog alive for past 3 years.

I would also take this opportunity to thank all my friends who have stopped by to read my posts, complimented me and encouraged me to write more and more. Yes, like any other activity, even blogging needs encouragement.

Here's wishing many more post-full years to my blog. At present, I just feel good!

Need or greed?

There has been quite a hullaballoo about Mukesh Ambani's superrich billion dollar palace in Mumbai, Antilla. There have been many news articles featuring the posh facilities this residential skyscraper stores. Its an awe and shock at the same time.

So why does Mr. Ambani, or any human being for that matter, need a billion dollar home? I agree, he has abundant fortune to afford a luxurious palace and spend another fortune on servants for its maintenance. This would have been a necessity for him. But a 27-storey house for five-member family is quite a show-off.

And yet, the exteriors of the building (as shown in the photos released by press) just fail to impress me. It looks more like a building still under construction. Maybe it was designed that way to prove "Outward appearance is deceptive". Well, the discussion is not about whether the design and facilities of Antilla are worth the value. The irony here is, when around 60% of our Indian population lives in slums, he will live in a billion. While many are struggling for few feet of ground for a basic accomodation, it would be quite an effort for him step his feet on the ground.

Yeah, its all a matter of fate. Some get all, some get none. One of my friend asked me - "What else could Mr. Ambani have done with all the wealth he has amassed?" And it was followed by another question - "What would you have done if you had a billion dollars?" Ahem! I'll think about it when I earn a billion dollars...

Sometimes...

...I desperately need a magic wand.

...I like carrying the attitude 'I don’t care!'

...I do not have enough time to do all the nothing I want to do.

...I am given a dream but not the power to make it come true.

...I have to be unwillingly nice to people who don’t deserve it.

...bitching about people who really deserve it, makes me feel good.

...I am just tongue-tied when I have lots to say.

...my heart is so full that it could burst.

...all I need to make me happy is a butter-scotch icecream.

...I am capable of making the worst maggie and the worst tea.

...I get angry on people for no reason.

...I love my job more than anything else.

...I am so lost in thoughts that I walk like a zombie, with no reaction to even the known faces I cross.

...I talk to myself, unconsciously loud enough.

...I am on cloud nine.

Ye shaam....

Dhalti shaam ka khula ehsaas
Aaj iss dil ko chhoo sa gaya hai

Dheemi si behti thandi pawan
Aaj suna rahi ek daastan hai

Doobte huay suraj ki laalima se
Yeh zameen bhi aaj rangeen hai

Ghar lautate parindo ki aawaaz
Mein aaj kuchh apnapan sa hai

Us mod pe khadi anjaan zindagi
Aaj kuchh jaani pehchani si hai

Pedon ki chhaao bhi aaj toh
Ek reshmi chunar si narm hai

Iss shaam ke inhi ehsaaso ko
In baahon mein aaj batorne do

Aye raat zara thahar ke aa
Ki yeh dil abhi bhara nahi……

Recent read

After a long time I laid my hands on a novel, a very famous one - 'The Fountainhead' by Ayn Rand. I had heard good reviews about it from many of my friends but never thought I would have enough patience to read it, considering the thickness of the book and its philosophical content. But its so beautifully written that it was quite an effortless read. After 'The Godfather', this is the other book which I have read so crazily, turning pages after pages, not wanting to put it down. Over the past 3 weeks most of my free time has been generously devoted to this book. I loved it, absolutely.

The book is about an architect, Howard Roark, who is portrayed as an ideal man, who can never compromise on his principles even after he has been destroyed by the unfair world. Though each reader would have a different interpretation of the philosophies it has, but the dialogues are amazing and leave a deep impact on the mind. Even those two-word dialogues given to the protagonist, Roark, are intriguing.

I would recommend it as a must-read to every book-lover. I think I would go for 'Atlas Shrugged' also now.

Boredom

"Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice and need."

Its a long boring day
When will it go away

That phase post noon
Slowly empowers me

My lazy, languid body
No longer responds

In the droopy eyes
The dreams are lucid

To the numbed ears
The voices are feeble

A mode of hibernation
For me and my machine

I am just uninspired
Tired, with no work

The fiery sun outside
Scorns at my misery too

I'm trapped at my desk
There is no getaway

Its an everlasting wait
For hours to pass by

Oh its a long boring day
When will it go away....

My country, my pride!

Yet another Independence Day dawns on my beloved nation, a very special day to celebrate India's dearly sought freedom.

Yesterday I was chatting with one of my school friends. When we talked about I-day, we went back to the fond memories of our school days. We used to have inter-house patriotic song competition in our school every year for this ocassion. There were so many songs which we were made to memorise for this competition. I still remember a few of them - 'Ae watan ae watan humko teri kasam', 'Ae mere watan ke logon', 'Jahan daal daal pe sone ki chidiya karti hai basera, woh bharat desh hai mera' and some more. Singing these would instill us with an immense patriotic feeling that time. Even today, my heart beats with a similar feeling of patriotism, awe and respect for my country when I watch movies like Swadesh, Lagaan, Chak-De.

We had a slogan writing contest in my office for I-day - 'India to me is...'. There was so much that I wanted to write, but to make it a one line slogan, all I could write was - 'India to me is a land of rich heritage, ethnic beauty and cultural diversity, my country and my pride'.

Yes, its a pride, not only for me and many Indians, but also for tourists from all over the world who have visited this country.
Keith Bellows, from the National Geographic Society says about India: "There are some parts of the world that, once visited, get into your heart and won't go. For me, India is such a place. When I first visited, I was stunned by the richness of the land, by its lush beauty and exotic architecture, by its ability to overload the senses with the pure, concentrated intensity of its colors, smells, tastes, and sounds... I had been seeing the world in black & white and, when brought face-to-face with India, experienced everything re-rendered in brilliant technicolor."

I love my country! Happy Independence Day to all!!
Jai Hind!!

Live, live and let live

Wrote this for the World Environment Day, posting it here quite late.

Long ago, alluring was my beauty
I was blossoming, green and dandy
Now polluted with the toxic waste
Dumped into me is sewage with haste
It makes me cry, in dismay and sore
I wanna live, wanna live still more.

The land once pure so full of life
Forests adorned by sequoias alike
Now forests are cut, trees uprooted
The land is barren with soil eroded
My excruciating pain, do not ignore
I wanna live, wanna live still more.

Sky once azure with fresh clean air
For all to breathe year after year
Now with the depleting ozone layer
Exploding gases, smoke fill the air
Temperature is rising, find a cure
I wanna live, wanna live still more.

I bore living beings of all species
Insects, wildlife, chirping birdies
Now animals killed for human dining
Sweet melodies of songbirds missing
Where's the musical wind like before
I wanna live, wanna live still more.

Lookout world, am waiting for you
To make me fresh and blooming again
Plant a sapling in every barren space
Recycle, reuse, watch your purchase
Fill me thou with greenish galore
All I want, is to live still more.

Into the pool....splash!!

Among the many skills I don't have, learning swimming is my latest attempt. One week into the pool and I am enjoying every bit of it.

On the first day I was scared even to walk in water. It took quite some time to convince myself that I can NEVER drown in a five-feet deep pool. Now after a week I am very much comfortable. I do not know the swimming jargons yet, but what I can do now is float in water without any help or support, with leg kicks but no hand movements. My instructor says I am doing good. Yayy!

Some of the ailments that I am currently suffering after each class are mild headache, eye sore and leg ache. Hopefully I will get rid of all these complaints after a couple more classes.

Overall, swimming is fun, relaxing and a very good exercise. The immediate benefit of this workout that I can see for myself is that now I am able to get much peaceful and uninterrupted sleep at night. Atleast for this sake I will try to be regular with this activity.

A maze

Zig-zag criss-cross
This right, that left
Will a single wrong turn
Lead to right path?

Its all dark
Is there a light
At the end of the tunnel
Or just a dead end?

Bemused I look
At the mortals around me
In this sea of human faces
Which face is human?

Truth is bitter
Lies are comforting
Little knowledge dangerous
Is ignorance bliss?

I often wonder
Chasing my crazy dreams
When all dreams are realized
Then what next?

Laugh it off
Live in the moment
When nothing lasts forever
Then why this chase?

Life is, indeed a maze....

Honor killing?

Over the past 3 months, I have read almost 6-7 cases of couples being killed by parents or by the community for marrying outside their caste. They call it ‘honor killing’ as it has brought dishonor to the family or community. I fail to understand, what happens to their ‘honor’ when they kill anyone, whatsoever be the reason. Is human life so cheap that it could be taken away ruthlessly just because two people decide to spend their lives together? Is caste the only criteria for a successful married life?

I would have still found it reasonable if we could blame it on the ignorance and illiteracy of our backward villages for this act, and be satisfied that our Tier 1 cities are swiftly moving towards ‘caste-creed-no-bar’ motto.
But, over a period of time, I have realized that those highly educated people holding respectable positions in top-notch companies and staying in posh sky-scraper apartments of the metros, are the most conservative lot. For them, inter-caste marriage continues to be an arena of contention. Are they really living in the 21st century?
There's a huge difference between getting education and being educated. This is well reflected by the fact that most of these honor-killing cases have been reported in cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh etc.

Why do we use our cultural boundaries to divide us rather than embracing the diverse culture which our country possesses? Hope people could understand the importance of unity in diversity and may some peace flourish on Earth!

The Daily Hobby

After reading one of my friend's blog posts got me thinking - Do I have any interest that I pursue on a daily basis, no matter how busy I am? Well, I thought seriously and I was not disappointed with myself :-) Reading daily news is an interest that has never lost its importance despite all odds.

It would seem to be an uninteresting interest to many members of the female community, but to me, reading news is as important a part of the daily chore as brushing teeth. I like to browse all the news sites atleast once a day, and if I am not very busy, I'll browse them twice or thrice to get the latest updates. It has been my habit since many years. And I guess it runs in my family. Way back, when I was at home, or even now when I go home for vacation with my brothers, there will be a queue to grab the newspaper. Each one of us would be waiting for our turn to get hold of the local and national daily.

I like reading National and International News, IT updates, sometimes even Business and Share Market sections. The Sports section never interests me unless India has won some match. And even if there is nothing interesting to read in these news sites, the 'Health and Fitness' section has always been my absolute favourite.

Hope this interest remains cultivated in me for many more years to come. I also hope that my friends who do not have the habit of reading newspaper, could get started with it. Its always good to keep oneself updated with the latest happenings in the country and around the world.

Ripples of Hope

An attempt to write few words for a photograph clicked by my friend who loves nature photography.

To stand strong
Against the mighty storm
And survive against all odds
'Tis a tiny ripple of hope

To greet a new day
After the darkened hours
And have a dream come true
'Tis a tiny ripple of hope

To move in pace
Amidst the rushing crowd
And see afar a smiling face
'Tis a tiny ripple of hope

To hold on tight
Against the calling wind
And say- this too shall pass
'Tis a tiny ripple of hope

To try once more
When world says give up
And be a long distance winner
'Tis a tiny ripple of hope

To be loved again
Despite been betrayed
And to love despite been hurt
'Tis a tiny ripple of hope.......

The Bench

In the lawn sits a wooden bench
Surrounded with mango-laden trees
Bed of lush green grass around
And stony path adorned by leaves

Upon this old familiar bench
Where I've spent a time or two
Often to gossip with my friends
And sometimes all alone in blue

When resting here with my mate
We took our time to look around
Away from all the toil and spite
And share memories lost n found

Now that my companion's far off
I dwell here with my loneliness
Watching birdies hop and skip
And wrap myself in breezy calmness

To this bench so kind to me
I shall return again with glee
To gift myself a silent moment
And just trust the voice within me.

Generation Next

Interacting with a bunch of class 8th students in the "Catch Them Young" programme was entertaining. The whole group of 43 kids was full of energy, enthusiasm and inquisitiveness to learn everything they could in the two weeks camp at Infy.

When asked about what they would love doing whole day during their summer vacations, the responses were amazing. Quite contrary to the expected answers like watching TV, playing cricket or reading story books, what we got to hear was "I love browsing wikipedia" and "I can explore encyclopedia whole day". Awwwwwwwwwee! Yes, awestruck could be right expression on our face. This reminded me of my childhood days when we were growing during the 80's and 90's. Comics like Chacha chowdhary, Champak and Archies was to us, what computers and gadgets are to kids of today.

The first time I was introduced to computers was probably when I was in 7th or 8th standard. We were struggling to learn how to use the mouse that time. And now I have my seven year old nephew who sends me e-mails. The level of exposure and the wide expanse of knowledge that the children have today, I feel we have more to learn from them compared to what we can teach them.

To think of how it would be one or two generations later, I guess the babies will have their orkut and facebook accounts created before they have their birth certificates!!

A thin line

There's a thin line
Between sanity and reality
Sanity slowly drips
When the reality strikes

There's a thin line
Between genius and madness
When our genius fails
We progress towards madness

There's a thin line
Between words and wounds
We love the very words
With which we wound

There's a thin line
Between trust and treason
A small act of treachery
Shatters years of trust

There's a thin line
Between love and hatred
Very close feelings
Yet far from each other

Very seldom do we
Remember this thin line
How often do we
Cross this thin line....

Yogi

Every morning in the lobby
I see a mortal, i call him yogi

Sitting quietly in isolation
Engaged deep in meditation

He is free from pleasure
Knows neither grief nor fear

The radiance on his face
Makes him look out of place

He is free from attractions
And free from distractions

His vision on the street
Is constrained to few feet

His calm and quite mind
Leaving all worries behind

Is he eptiome of happiness
Or is he merely aimless?

Is this really satisfaction
Or does he seek salvation?

Close Distant

Birds fluttering in hay
Dreams closing the day
In the solitude of dusk
I stroll and wonder why
People close to heart
Are missing in twilight
Some of them are lost
Some are out of sight.

As night swiftly rolls
Dreams take up new goals
Gently whispers the dawn
Chirrups echo the sky
Suddenly I am delighted
As I stumble upon
Some old, lost relations
That inspire me stay on.

When one door closes
The other one opens
But my unsettled mind
Always has a thought
People may meet
And people may part
Can distance alone
Change their heart?

Yayyy...

Rising sunlight

Brightening the day

Hawkers echoing

On their way...

Birds chirping loud

Amidst the trees

Temple bustling

With ardent devotees....

Clock strikes nine

I'm still asleep

Holiday spirit again

Engulfing me deep...

Break from work

A day to laze

Heavenly feeling

I love holidays.