Me and You (Ek Choti si Love Story)

I was once walking down an old deserted road. It was winter and the frost was an inch thick on the rocky terrain. It was a long journey along life's lonely road.
I was still in my youth, The fresh leather boots bit into the ice and gave me a good foothold. Ofcourse, I sometimes became reckless and sauntered away straying from the path. But then I saw Me and You; both walking at a short distance from each other. Both mindful to be near enough, and yet not intersect the others path. However, I was still too young to pay attention to Me and You, and continued wandering along the open fields and meadows... for it was spring now... and the flowers were in full bloom. What a pretty sight it was to behold! The green meadows with bright yellow and red flowers! The old man's tree fully laden with fruits! Further ahead I could see Me and You, both a bit closer now... You looking ever so pretty in the yellow polka dress and Me handsome and smart in conversation with You. Perhaps it was a silly joke, I saw You laugh, the free laughter of youth! It was the dimple on your rosy cheeks, or was it the pearl white shine of your beautiful teeth I do not remember! But I was fascinated by You. My careless walk became more mindful, I forgot to smell the flowers and taste the fruits!I was so engrossed with You!
Me and You seemed happy together. Holding hands, now You were so happy with Me. From afar it looked like a perfect couple, one that could travel along the long road of life through all weathers! Me and You, Together. Forever.
I was still looking at You, lost in my thoughts of You. So much so that I couldn't comprehend the big picture where even to the plain observing eye one could see Me and You happy forever!
I don't clearly recollect what happened next... Everything happened so quick! I moved towards You, I fumbled, I erred. I offended You. You left Me. I withdrew. I could see Me standing alone, calling out to You. You had tears in your eyes as You went away. You cried, but You never came back to Me.
From afar I could see Me broken hearted. There was nothing I could do about it. You had left Me! I felt the urge to run away from the wretched scene, which a moment ago was the most pleasant and romantic. When Me and You were together. Without You even the bloom of spring looks like a snow clad plateau. Everything is buried under. On the surface you see a level sheet of ice. The face that will never betray what lies within, but will just reflect what is shown upon itself.
It has been a long time since. I have been walking over the snow. My manner is no longer carefree and my gait is measured. I've been walking along this road a long while... and I miss the sight of Me and You walking happily along the very same roads! I wonder if ever I should come across You again... What would You look like now! Would You and Me be just as happy as before? Will the seasons change? When? Where will I be then!
I still wonder! In the moonlit nights and the warm winter afternoons! I wonder; I hope; and I Wish!
I pray that I see Me and You happy once again!


A few lines for You:

My thoughts this autum are lonely and sad....
A chill wind from the mountain blows in the garden
The sky is gray, a snowflake falls, the last chrysanthemum
Withers beside the deserted summer house.
I walk along the path in which weeds have grown.
My heart is bitter and tears blur my eyes.
I greive for the days when we lingered together
In this same garden, along these paths between flowers.
In the spring we sang of love and laughed with youth
But now we r parted by many leagues and years,
And i weep that never again shall i see your face....

Flowers are dead; People are beautiful…

 

“Just put them in a wrap and tie it with a ribbon; Five carnations in a bunch. If they are small, make them six. See its that easy!” These words greeted me on my first day at work.

It was a bright summer day in Glasgow, and the flower shop located at the West End of the city. Everyone loves flowers, and I knew that my boss had a thriving business. West End was ‘THE PLACE TO BE’ to have good fun! And my boss had been there for 40 years!

I too loved flowers. Perhaps the reason why I chose to work in the flower shop. Maybe I loved them too much to be able to work with them.

How could you bend and pluck and skin off parts of something you so dearly love! And that too do it with speed and elegantly. But at the Flower shop I learnt the biggest lesson of my young student life.

I learnt that people are like flowers. Your relationships are too like the same.

I had a variety of flowers and could try my imagination picking out combinations for customers. It was always a pleasure to have people who knew flowers. They would tell you; these will die out too soon, or these would be good for the window, and these for the bed.

The long and tiring days were the wedding nights! It was always a challenge to make six dozen bouquets and all must look the same, pretty and elegant. My boss could do it with his eyes closed; perhaps the reason why he was so good at it. And maybe also the reason why he could do days on end without rest when he had back to back orders! It was the first time in my life that I had met and seen a person doing what he loved to earn a living. It showed me how different your life and lifestyle can be when you do what you love, when you are with people who love you for who you are!

People when given due respect and attention become beautiful.  Flowers when left standing too long decay and rot. I was poor at my job; but I learnt to love the people. The flowers died, but the people came back.

I passed my exam. And i miss the flower shop.

The Link

Perhaps it was the one moment where their thoughts were in sync. The thoughts of love!
While Siddhartha fell asleep thinking of his wife; Ankur was dreaming of the pretty girl with a beautiful smile lying on the grass of the meadows!

Death: The end of the beginning.

What happens after one has drawn in the last breath of air? After the last blink of the eye lids? Are we just a lump of hydrocarbon with a limited shelf life? At the end of which we cease to exist? Are we at a constant war with the micro organisms in our body, awaiting till they take over and decompose us back to the earth?
If that be the case; then what is the purpose of life? Why do all religions preach of an 'afterlife'? An eternal hope that no matter what your circumstances are in the present world, that your good deeds will be rewarded in eternal life.
These were the thoughts running through the mind of Siddhartha as he sat on the rocking chair and watching the birds fly home at sunset. Soon the sky would turn from the pale blue he saw now to the fiery red and then darken gradually to fade into the darkness of the night.
Since the past twenty three years he would come out and sit at the porch watching the sun set into the lake of Bikshi. Yes, it was today, twenty three years ago that Pooja had left him; forever. Since then he would come and sit down and watch the end of the day. Often his thoughts would drift towards his beloved wife. For her skin was as golden as the evening sun. Her eyes had the same sparkle as the sun's reflection in the water. Her passion was as fiery as the redness of the sky... In every sunset he would see a part of his wife; and would wish her goodnight and later move indoors as the chilly winds got to his bones.
But tonight was special. He got so far engrossed in his thoughts of life and death and the purpose of it all that he didn't realize that Ankur, his grandson had not returned from the fields.

An old love story...

On a quiet windless night, a young lad climbed up the hill and sat there gazing at the stars. It was a cloudless sky and slight wind. He could hear the chripping of the grasshopper; for it was early in the summer, and the rain had given new life to the vast meadows that lay beyond...
Sitting there he let his thoughts wander... To that new girl who gave him that special smile! She was here on a holiday; that was all he knew of her! He had a glimpse of her when he was working his cart in the market. Just a glimpse!
But tonight while gazing at the stars he trace the outline of her face in the stars! Those luscious lips; the hazle brown eyes; the arch of her neck... and her smile! It was a captivating smile! For some reason he thought it was a special smile only for him! How red his cheeks had been then!
He lost the count of hours in his thoughts... and fell asleep under the open sky... in his dreams too that same pretty face, the slender neck and that very special smile greeted him till the morning sun hit upon his brow...

Freedom.

Today everyone seems to want freedom!
Freedom to draw any cartoon he/she likes; The freedom to stop work and destroy property as and when one wishes to hold a bandh; The freedom to set ablaze buses and tires and hoardings and flags and effigies when they want to protest!
However, Somehow we have forgotten a more intimate and personal freedom. The freedom to choose one's own life partner. To be able to say freely, 'This is the person I would love to spend the rest of my life with.' To have the freedom to convert this dream into reality. The freedom to be allowed. To be heard, believed and to be true.
Every freedom needs courage. And here, the courage to be able to stand alone. To be able to reason with the family. To be able to listen to their reasons and concerns.
It is perfectly acceptable to have a life partner you might not have fallen in love with on the very first day you met! It is a persons choice to be happy and content being married to a person who he/she knows to be compatible. Someone who can support you, Someone you know you can support. Someone you can trust. Someone who might be able to understand you, even if he/she doesn't always agree with the way you think.
Hence it must be understood that the freedom to choose the person you marry does not only apply nor does it imply that you always marry the person you love.
For you might fall head over heels for the most beautiful person on earth; one perfect in every way. But it be so likely that he/she; or their lifestyles would be so far apart! The essence of a marriage is to get a man and a woman to live together, to support each other and start a family. Procreation; The survival of the human race! What is the point of marrying someone you tremendously love, but are irritated to your wits' end by their habits and manners!
It is here that the counsel of parents and elders comes to play an important role. For with their maturity and experience they can foresee and judge many a things that the youth in their brave and bold hearts cannot!
Gone are the days when the elders would pick the match for their children, and the children would obediently agree! In todays society, the parents and elders should ideally listen to their children's wishes, their views and ideas and then understand and evaluate the compatibility of a match!
Hence, in todays world I feel that the role of a parent in match making has become a lot more tough and challenging that it was ever before! Where the parents fail to see their changing role, you often find broken marriages, divorced mothers and unfulfilled dreams of true love!
What can be worse than a life that has lost its spirit of life? In this context, Love is the mightiest of all forces on Earth. For it can transform the common man into the bravest hero; as also the strongest and the mightiest of all are brought down to their knees when the arrow of cupid strikes in the bottom of their hearts!

Loving A Sailor...

Loving a sailor is a high price to pay,
Loving him truly is hard when he's away..

There comes a kiss, and promise for more,
As his ship gently glides away from shore...

Reluctantly, painfully, letting him go,
While you are dying inside for wanting him so..

Watching him leave with eyes full of tears,
Standing alone with ur hopes, dreams & fears...

Days go by, no mail for a spell,
You wait for some word, to hear that he's well...

Then a letter arrives & you are given in,
To open his letter & read it with a grin...

Yes, he's well & misses you so
And is filled with the love you wanted to know...

Yes, loving a sailor isn't much fun,
But its worth the price when the battle is won...

And remember he is thinking of you everyday,
He’s sad and lonely while so far away...

So love him & miss him & hold ur head high,
Be strong & have faith, wipe that tear from your eye.

Your man's a seafarer, like that old ancient trader,
It's a high price you pay for 'Loving A Sailor'.

Jumping Jack...

There was a frog in a well; So said my teacher one day in class!
I am sure we all know the story... of how secure he was in the well, and how ignorant of the outside world!
Today I write about a similar person... A Jumping Jack.
Jack was brilliant, excelled in studies... ace'd his exams, and work for him a piece of cake! It was so easy that he felt bored working where he was! He wanted a change... A bigger challenge, a different work routine and a better package!
But there was a recession in the market! So many people lost their jobs! So many people waiting to grab a vacant chair!
Would it be a wise decision to switch now, when the market is still just edging its self out of a bad financial year? Or would hard work, performance and sheer brilliance work towards getting Jack the position and the package that he desires?
Jack is still confused and scarred... Coz he knows that during the transition phase, he has his feet in two boats! He needs to tread very carefully to avoid falling in the water!

Anonymous…

Why would anyone write an anonymous letter? Or a poem? Why would someone not want to give his or her name to an expression, a feeling, a thought or an act?

I wonder…! Why would we chat so freely online while we are shy and reserved in real? Is it coz we are anonymous? We are just an Id; a virtual name, that could be anything… and more importantly, hide, go invisible or totally disappear if need be!

Why don't we be the very person we are when we have the liberty of being anonymous? Or is it that we put up an act in public, in society; and be our actual selves when the cloak of invisibility is donned?

It was an incident that made me wonder; an incident where I had the chance of being an anonymous stranger! I was chatting with someone, and having never met before, never even exchanged pictures or personal details, I could choose to present myself any way it pleased my honorable self…

I often notice that in the virtual world, it is very easy to find people do away with their inhibitions… Is it because we feel that the consequences are not so real? What about the general ethos of establishing a relationship? When you meet someone, it is the verbal and the non verbal communications that help the other person form a perception about you. But when you meet online, what of gaining the confidence of the person spoken to? What of his intentions when pursuing a chain of topics;  his very purpose of initiating the conversation!?

Its the conversation over the last few days that makes me wonder so! I hope that the more I communicate, the clearer the picture will be for us… to know ourselves, our intentions and our objectives… collectively and individually.

I hope and I pray. For myself, for us, and for all.

On Valentines Day… An afterthought!

In this world, all people are divided into two completely opposite sorts. One, the inferior sort: The banal, stupid and above all ridiculous people who believed that one husband should live with one wife, whom he has dutifully married; That a girl should be innocent, a woman modest, a man manly, temperate and firm, that one should raise children, earn ones bread, pay ones debts, and other such stupidities. This is the old fashioned and ridiculous sort of people.

But there is, in today’s society another sort of people, the real ones, to which many belong, and for whom one had to be above all, to be elegant, handsome, magnanimous, bold, gay, to give ones self to every passion without blushing, and laugh at everything else.

Exams…!

Tomorrow a piece of paper will decide my fate

By a process which I clearly hate…

Exams for a week, they come and go

To test my dear- how much you know!!!!!!!

The Examiners who correct your paper
Will be your fate decider

He may make you a king

He may make you a slave

The man who knows not you
Will write on the last page

How you studied, How you fared

Of all the efforts you put in, What fruits did they bear?!

As edited by L.M. 

A Windows writer on a Google Blog!

 

This is what I call an open market economy!

Exams of a different kind, you give each day,
With every breath, you give or take.

Though the results are a long way away,
It matters what you do today, and each day!

So good luck to you my friend,
Hope u pass with flyin colours in the end...

Exams are nothing but a little test on the way,
To make the journey better all the way...

Two sides of a coin

I was out in the jungle, appreciating the beauty of the trees and the wild life....

I saw a beautiful young Gazelle standing proud, with his long and curved horns. While i was marvelling at the beauty and elegance of the beast, the proud gait and the way he swayed his head, with horns adorning it... Such a magnificent picture! I thought how lucky the animal must have been to be given such a crowd stopping appearance!

Just then the Zoo Warden came by... Seeing me looking at the Gazelle he came closer and told me a bit more about the beast I was admiring since... A fully grown Gazelle weighs about 25 kgs., and the horns are actually a burden on the slender neck and small head of the animal!

All through the journey to my home, I couldn't help but ponder over what the warden had told me! What to an outsiders eye appears to be elegant and marvellous, could infact be such a burden for the one who possesses the traits! While I was wondering how lucky the animal must be to be given such beauty... The beast was probably praying and repenting on the sins he would have committed to be given such a heavy burden!

Since then, Everytime I see a beautiful house, I wonder if it would a happy home as well; Would a pretty lady be elegant and noble in virtues as well? Would it be easier to find happiness in a simpletons heart; than in a rich man's wallets?

There are Two sides to every coin... It just depends what you choose for yourself. The show looses the value... and what is valuable rarely comes in a showy package!

A Prayer, A Wish, and A Message...

I launched a smile, far out it sailed
On life's wide troubled sea,
And many more than I could count
Came sailing back to me.

I clasped a hand while whispering,
'The clouds will melt away.'
I felt my life was very blessed
All through the hours that day.

I sent a thought of happiness
Where it was needed sore,
And very soon thereafter, found
Joy adding to my store.

I wisely shared my slender hoard,
Toil-earned coins of gold.
But presently it flowed right back.
Increased a hundredfold.

I helped another climb a hill,
A little thing to do.
And yet it brought a rich reward,
A friendship that was new.

I think each morning when I rise,
Of how I may achieve,
I know by serving I advance,
By giving I receive.

Love and The Lover...

My Love is getting married this week!

Should I be happy that she thought of me, and invited me to her wedding? The "Big Day" of her life? Or should I take a breath, pause, and wish I never knew... For I had dreamt of being up there with her on this day!

What they call true love; says that you find happiness in that other persons happiness... So if my love was true; shouldn't I be happy? For marriages are supposed to be a happy occasion and indeed My Love must be happy!

Why then does the throat feel dry? Why is it difficult to swallow even after 2 yrs when I write about her? Is that what Love feels like? I wonder...

I wonder what should I give her as a wedding present! A bouquet full of roses; for she loves red roses! But red roses? No My Love, those red roses wilted away a long long time ago!

She loves smiling faces, she had once said. Yes; That is what I give you My Love... That is my wedding gift to you. My Smile. You have taken it. When; even I cannot recollect. But yes, you have taken my smile away. When clicking a picture, watching a movie, meeting a friend... I am reminded of you, and of the missing smile.

What an irony life plays... You had always thought I write well. And after so many years I am writing with my heart flowing through the pen, only to celebrate your wedding day!

You know I wont come to your wedding. I had promised you, that you shall never see me cry again. And unlike others, I do keep my promises.

Dear Mr. Nandy, Your Tall, Dark and Handsome stranger didn't vanish away.... He was mercilessly bled to death by the very young girl who had promised to take him home one day to meet her parents!

Its a strange coincidence that it was a cold winter when she went away from me... And its a cold winter again when she moves eternally away from me!

To conclude, I will leave this little note for you My Love, so that you may read this and know that it was I who have dedicated this article to you, forever.

My thoughts this autumn are lonely and sad....

A chilly wind from the mountain blows in the garden

The sky is grey, a snowflake falls, the last chrysanthemum

Withers beside the deserted summer house.

I walk along the path in which weeds have grown.

My heart is bitter and tears blur my eyes.

I grieve for the days when we lingered together

In this same garden, along these paths between flowers.

In the spring we sang of love and laughed with youth

But now we r parted by many leagues and years,

And i weep that never again shall i see your face....

The City that Never Sleeps...!

In a city that never sleeps I can hear a night passenger getting off at the gates of our colony... probably a girl working in the call centres in the west... who else would wear heels that clatter so loud when u walk! If I pin my ears, I can probably count the number of steps she'd take home!

Here is the horn of a mumbai local! Probably starting its day on the tracks of an overcrowded city!

How different life is at 5 am! If u r at Colaba or Fountain; this is probably the only time of the day when u will realise how broad the roads are... and how magnificent the buildings!

I love travelling at night; for the weather is much cooler and the roads more friendly! I love the silence in the air; the lack of horns... The coolness of the wind; the lack of exhausts...

I love Mumbai for the Heritage and history it carries, and life and spirit it represents!

Yes; I would love to see the civic bodies be more sincere and have better foresight in their planning... I would also love to be in Mumbai and enjoy the rains without wading in knee deep waters... I would love to be able to travel at least at an average speed of 20 kph within the city... And yet, till the day these dreams dont come true, I shall continue to love this city, for it has been my childhood home...! For I had seen the red doubledecker busses of BEST before the ones I saw in London... For I had spent countless holidays bunking school coz the roads were flooded... For I still remember travelling to school at a fare of 25 paisa half ticket.. and Ek Rupaiya wada pav's in the canteen!

Its 5 am.. and I am still awake... The beauty being that any Mumbaikar reading this will know, understand and smilingly nod his head and say... Do ghante so jaa; 8 baje kaam pe jaana hai!

My First Blog

01-01-2010; 2244 hrs.

Its my first entry on a blog ever. So whats a blog about? I always thought of it as an online diary... But hey! This one is open to all... not like my diary that stays locked in a closet!

Isnt that the thrill of a blog... U never know who is gonna read it... and u cant imagine what they will think of u after reading it! I start today with the simple hope that there are so many many blogs and bloggers in this world today that i will end up being an insignificant another... and thus have my own blog and yet have my privacy! :)

Wish me luck readers... I hope this blog will help me understand myself better.