The Toilet Awakening

From the day I realized that I liked writing for entertaining others, I have lost a vital part of me. It is called my self. The sheer connection with the self.

Earlier I used to contemplate, introspect and think; without any particular motive, rather just to listen to what my heart had to say sometimes. Now, as I notice, I have started thinking with a hope to come out with something funny or witty or extraordinary so that people 'like' it or appreciate it. The mere way of my thinking is now being governed by how others respond to it, which is what is disconnecting it from my self. Contemplation and introspection had taken a vow of silence since many days, rather many months, and this lull continued to exist till my present state, until two days ago.

Day before yesterday, as per my habit goes, I took an old newspaper out of the heap and went into the loo. Reading while attending to nature's sacred call had been a habit that had got into my nerves since my school days, after once listening to Derek O' Brien in BQC, who shared that the secret to his excellent English was that his father made it compulsory for all his brothers to read newspapers aloud while in the toilet. Fearful that my Dad would not quite appreciate me carrying things to read in the toilet, I took them stealthily and preferred to read them silently. This way I used to escape from studies during my pre-JEE days, by letting the hollow pot bite my bums and the barbarous mosquitoes do the same everywhere else, for hours, while I kept skimming through the Page-3's of several newspapers in one go.

Anyway, coming back to the point, day before yesterday, there was this old newspaper that I carried to the loo as a silent spectator of my live performance and it contained a small interview of the legendary lyricist, Gulzar. One of his lines during the interview stirred my soul from within, only to realize later that it was my stomach making noises, but still it was one of the most profound sentences one could read in the toilet ever. He said, 'I am at such a stage of my life where awards are more but achievements are less.'

I was stunned. As I saw within me, rather introspected after such a long time, I realized, 'Apparently, I am now running after awards, because awards are something which is conferred upon us by someone else while achievements are something that is conferred by our self upon ourselves. And achievements are the real gold that I should strive for!'

I've realized what has went wrong. In the race of winning the hearts of others, I had lost touch with my own heart. I had almost forgotten it. And, neither did I win too many hearts, you see, life is quite unfair if you lose contact with your life-line. Thanks to the toilet awakening, I am enlightened and back on track.

So the bottom-line is, if you're ever in doubt - any kind of dilemma it may be, your solution is just a few steps away - 'Do the loo.'

I have lost touch with my own heart.
Despite being together, something sets us apart.

The heart ...
# which taught me the difference between right and wrong
# which assured me that for a definite purpose, I was born
# which made me stand alone when no-one had faith in me
# which inspired me to face adversities with utmost glee
# which told me that perseverance always triumphs
# which remained my guide, through all jerks and bumps
# which gave me the belief to pursue my passion
# which offered me the courage to dream beyond imagination

... And it's never too late,
To reopen that closed gate!

P.S. Quoting the inimitable Gulzar saheb, 'Dil to bachcha hai ji.' :)
P.S. From now on, I am noting down my thoughts not on facebook but in a notebook. :) :)

Being an author - an experience

It has been almost 4 months since my book - my creation came into existence. This has been a really new experience for me, since being just 20, I've been blessed not only to realize the thing that I loved to do the most(writing!) but also, take a big step of going a step beyond just writing for pleasure, to writing to entertain others. Here, I present some of the realizations that are born out of my experience as an author:

1. The real friends show enormous faith in you! They are the ones who share your happiness.

2. Fans are friends, for they fuel your ambitions.

3. You start seeing a story in every situation of not only your life, but of anybody's life who happens to cross your eyes. The whole world seems to be a big story, with each event having a tale to tell of its own.

4. All you need as a writer is a friend who has some time to listen to your thoughts, ideas for stories and tales sprouting in your mind and suggest to make it more real, better and touching. I thank God for giving me such friends - Rajiv, Ravi, Aman, Aishy, Saumya, Ankit, Keshav, Avinav, Pallavi, Supriya and Apoorv.

5. You come to know the difference between the real criticism and the biased ones. The real criticism is the one which suggests you how to improve.

6. You get to know how to handle appreciation as well as criticism with an open mind. You tend to respect the genuine criticism and ignore the biased ones.

7. You like to appreciate aspiring writers more, since once you too were at their place and you see yourself in them.

8. You don't encounter any hitch about whether you'll be able to write another book or not. Confidence in writing touches the acme.

9. You don't need to worry about getting published! Once published, relieved forever.

10. There are just two kinds of 'readers' - those who like you as a writer and those who don't!

11. However, you often encounter the third kind of 'people' (not readers) - they are those who hate you, without any reasons and you feel sorry for them because they need help. My Dad, who happens to be my only mentor, said to me just before I was going to get published, 'If somebody dislikes your work, then there is something wrong with you. But, if somebody hates you/your work, then there is something wrong with him/her.'

12. Each small accomplishment seems to be just a beginning in the never-ending road of life. You realize the BIG-ness of the word called 'life'.

13. You find it really funny when you encounter sudden hostility from strangers - those who don't even know you. It brings a strange kind of pleasure, more so because this kind of hostility owes its origin to envy.

14. In the end, it's just you and the flight of your imagination that plays the melody - it's the flight of your lifetime and you just wish that it never ends.

P.S. This is completely personal recount. Any similarity is purely co-incidental.

Helloz fellows!

It's quite interesting to note that the word 'news' owes its etymological root not to any archaic language like latin or hebrew, but it was just an acronym for 'North, East, West, South'. Nowadays, the so-called news channels do everything like showing highlights of comedy shows or TV serials, rather than bringing in information from all the four directions.

Anyway, it's also quite intriguing to note that even common people like us have news - and that too can be classified into good news, bad news, weird news, shocking news, kickass news and freaking awesome news or freaking awful news. So here, I present some news from my side and I choose to classify them into just two categories - good and bad, since I'm freaking awful at classification.

Starting with the bad ones first :

• I am suffering from typhoid from the last 8 days and still it's on. I was bored lying on the bed whole day with 104 fever so I am writing this, despite the fact that my head is about to burst.
• This means that my plan of writing my next novel in this vacation has been evil-eyed. Though I keep thinking about the story-line and nuances in the plot all the time, but I don't have enough energy to sit and write. Hope I get well soon and do my job with utmost passion.
  
• Well, that was all for the bad news. See, God is not that ruthless!

Now it's time for some good news :

• Third print of my novel has almost sold and the fourth print is going to come soon with all the earlier typo-errors rectified. The big news associated with the fourth print is that it will carry a tag called 'A National Bestseller' on it.
• Secondly, my semester, yes, the semester witnessed my best performance so far. I got an SGPA of 8.38 with an A grade in the Creative Writing course under the guidance of Prof. R.B.Nair, one of the leading contemporary poets of India. This has really been a confidence-booster since this was the busiest semester for me and still things worked out fine. All thanks to God.
• What else, yeah the title of my next novel has been decided. It will be called 'The Book'. And you'll be astonished to notice how much I've matured as a writer in the last one year, after writing my first novel. Quoting few lines from my just-started seven-page manuscript -
  
  
  1. A book is a journey into another world.
  A world that is unknown, unpredictable and captivating.
  
  2. I’ll write for the rest of my life but I failed to write my own life.
  
  
  

P.S. To all the Delhites and the college-going people, please note - there is no word as 'anyways' in the english language, it's anyway. So better watch your tongue the next time you add your 'asS' after it. (http://www.ltn.lv/~markir/writersguide/Pages/UsAnyway.html)

Encounter

Encounter

With a torch throwing light
I searched across the streets
Hoping to find a ghost of fright
Waiting to give me a mistreat

My eyes were wide open
In search of someone strange
Suddenly a young boy appeared
Whose face looked somewhat deranged

‘How dare you spy’
He thundered, ‘In my territory?
Here only death is permanent
And your life – temporary!’

Instead of getting scared
I almost jumped in glee
For I’d found the ghost
Who would set me free

‘At last, I’ve found you
Now you’ll help my spirit redeem
Oh ghost brother!’ I ask,
‘Why so frightened do you seem?’

He took my torch
And threw the light on my face
He could find nothing there
But just an empty space

He threw the torch
And ran back apace
After-all, the fake ghost saw
A real ghost without a face…

Hope

Every time I begin my day
I peep into my heart and say
‘I know many times I’d been wrong
Many times, I’ve made her wait for long’

It hears all my sayings
With utmost patience
Then it replies calmly interrupting my whine,
‘Trust me, everything is gonna be fine’

I’ve no other option
So I trust it blindly
My heart which was throbbing fast
Now throbs mildly

I look into my eyes
Where only a drop of tear lies
It sparkles and shines until I blink –
When it runs down, way faster than what I think

My eyes look serene and happy
Filled with faith that’s steady
I begin another day, with a great hope
That no act of mine will make her mope

Limericks

Quoting wikipedia, a limerick is a five-line poem with a strict form (AABBA), which intends to be witty or humorous, and is sometimes obscene with humorous intent. It was popularized in English by Edward Lear in the 19th century.

Here is my first try - a witty one -

There always comes a time
When I find it too difficult to rhyme
Be it a couplet, poem or limerick
I fail to create them without any trick
After all, there ain't a lemonade without any lime!

This one is for people like me, who are god-gifted at thinking dirty -

I am sitting in a class
Holding a pen made of glass
Thinking about you
With feelings which are pure and true
Girl! I just wish you had a sexy arse...

Yet another one, for the emotional people -

If there is a God
Who doesn't consider me odd
Because of my crippled-leg.
Then, with all my heart, I beg
Please help me get rid of this iron-rod

A story-like limerick -

There was a five-year old clever boy
Each and every stranger, he used to annoy

By saying, ''My Dad is an alcoholic
While my mom is melancholic.
Uncle, will you buy this poor kid a toy?"

P.S. Try it out, it's sheer fun!

Sorry

The law has given us freedom of expression, so it really is not an issue if one expresses his/her opinion about whatever thing he or she wants. But, there comes a thin line in between being critical and being bad. Irritation at something brings in a free gift with itself which is called 'meanness'.

Yesterday, after getting peeved from someone's idea, I played with his innocent dreams by mocking it here in my blog and I felt like being one of those creep-hangers that I detest the most. I don't want to be a hypocrite but I had become one. Thanks to my blog-friends Supriya and Dhanya, I realized that I was on the wrong side.

I hereby, in front of everyone, sincerely apologize for belittling someone's dreams in public. I am ashamed of myself and this is the biggest lesson that life has given to me.

I want to share a thought - the greatest learning of life is:

Never deprive anyone of hope.
It may be all they have.

P.S. I am sorry, to all of you and even to me.

My Life Plan

I just now got a brief idea of how I want my life to be.

The reason for this is the sudden flood in the readers' response about my novel through mails and scraps and asking me to write a sequel to my book. I had no plans for a sequel to it, because it ended at a point where all my college-life stories were finished. I had plans of writing a serious novel about AIDS lately, with its plot being completely final, but the overwhelming readers response is meandering my way. I just realized that life does not really go according to what one has planned. Still, it provokes me to sketch a plan for my life so that I can really find how destiny comes in between.

My so-called Life-Plan :

• Write a book every year - throughout my life - I want to be known as the most versatile author of India. I started with the genre of romantic humour and I intend to touch upon many more genres like thriller, suspense, mystery, fantasy and philosophical. Writing is such a thing that will stick to my life forever, just because I love it.

• Study more - up till 2013/15 - I don't want to get into a job after under-graduation. Frankly speaking, I don't like working for someone else's passion. The thing should be of direct benefit to me, in some way or another, then only this 'self-centered and self-obsessed' jerk would do something outstanding. So, I want to study until I find a topic which arouses my curiosity to such an extent that it becomes my passion.

• Teach - later in my life(late 30s) - Teaching is the only line which attracts me. I find that there are very few teachers who are cool. No, I am not intending that I am cool or anything of that sort. But, I am intending that I can make a student interested in the subject that I teach, because I am a story-teller and I will teach everything through stories. I will make the classes so interesting with anecdotes, instances and stories that the students will be mesmerized.

• Study music - (mid 30s) - I have a deep heartfelt desire to study music. Both Indian Classical and Western. I want to be a virtuoso in music and only proper knowledge can help me achieve that level.

• To be very rich - (up till late 20s) - Yes, much like every other dreamer of the confident-world, I want to be rich. But, the reason behind it is very childish. I want to have just one car, just one house and even just one wife, so why do I want to be too rich? It's because I want to have my one house to be my own museum. I want to collect musical instruments - all kinds from all the worlds and that is a thing that only a 'rich and opulent' man could afford!

• To be an ascetic - (in my late 50s) - I had made this strange promise to myself that once I acquire everything I desire and enjoy its fruits for quite sometime, I will renounce everything and will seek my salvage in the nature. I am born as a writer, I want to die as a poet.

That's the life plan, I don't know what more I want, or what more this life wants to give me. People say just wait and watch, but I say wait and make it happen. Let us see what happens in this journey, the journey called life...

P.S. I am philosophical by nature and I am glad that the readers of my novel didn't get even a hint of this part of my character. Versatility in any creative front requires the ability to hide one's true-self in his work.

Back...

Synergy has been lacking energy from my end, courtesy to my great passion for laziness and recently discovered talent at idleness. It's so cool to be lazy, after all. In the last one month, I've got plenty of developments at my end which I would like people to get updated with. Here are some of them :

• I experienced constipation in my life for the first time. It was an awesome experience, I must say. Even the fundamental phrase 'shit happens' ceased to exist in my life for almost two days. Yes, two days! God only knows why he chose me out of so many bad people like you around for this divine experience. After surviving the dread, I must admit - it really feels suffocating 'there' when you're 'blocked'.

• The second news is more disgusting than the first one - yes, I've not seen 'Wake Up Sid!' yet. I have got good reviews from almost everyone I know, be it from mess workers to rickshaw-walas and even my expert friends who sit idle and blog day and night for more useless hours than me.

• The third news is a bit on the light side - after just one month of its release, my novel has sold around 3000 copies till now and the third print is coming in about two weeks. Regular mails from the readers keep me satisfied and elated all time. Now, I can proudly say that I've got 'fans', with no blades.

• One of my stories from Graffiti, titled, 'Will you die for me?' has been selected in the soon-to-be-releasing famous book - 'Chicken Soup for the Indian Romantic Soul'. That's a good enough achievement to boost the morale for a budding writer like me.

• I am having exams from today - just 12 hours ahead and I am quite relishing the fact that I am in synergy with my long forgotten blog.

Hope to have a good time in the days to come and all the best wishes to you for Diwali and coming holidays(if there are any!) from my side. Good night and take care.

P.S. You've reached the end of this post. And now you realize that in the end, it does not even matter.

When Dreams Come True

The day dreams come true
It seems you’ve got a reason to live
The day dreams come true
It seems you've found a new reason to give

The day dreams come true
It seems that the Almighty is your best friend
The day dreams come true
It seems that the road to success is never going to end

Confidence climbs the charts
And self-belief smashes all the barriers
You tend to trust your heart
And lose all those intimidating fears

You have an option
To be humble or to be proud
But, your conscience tells you the secret diction
That – ‘Only humility can make you revered amidst the crowd’

The day dreams come true
You feel immense gratitude
The day dreams come true
You see a beautiful change in your attitude

The day dreams come true
You feel that you're going to prosper
The day dreams come true
You see many more dreams to conquer

Today, a dream has come true
Which happens to be mine.
That’s why I see in the mirror
Two eyes with a supernatural shine!

Oops! 'I' fell in love!

The book is out.
See it
Get it,
And read it too!
Let me know if you like it,
And let nobody know if you don't like it.
Keep it as a secret in your underwear pocket!

I'll be waiting to hear from you...
Anything you want to say...
Bouquets and brickbats accepted with 'almost' equal glee!
;)

P.S. It's my birthday tomorrow! Yay! =))

A Simple Wish

I've a simple wish
To begin each of my morning
Seeing your smile

I've a simple wish
To breathe your fragrance
From thousand miles

I can see your eyes
With my eyes closed.
I can feel your breath
When the wind flows.

I can hear your voice
In my every dream.
I can see your face
Far but still full of gleam.

I've a simple wish
To make you my music
With every passing moment

I've a simple wish
To make you laugh a thousand times
For each of the tears that went

You're the reason
For me and for everything.
You're in all the seasons
Be it winter or spring.

You're the words
That come out of my mind.
You are that little bird
Who is one of a kind

I've a simple wish
To touch the sky and the moon
With you by my side.

I've a simple wish
To live that fulfilling life soon
Which only you could provide.

Just look at me once.
And feel my love for you.
For, I've just a simple wish -
To make you joyous - with me too!

P.S. I love you.

A Human without an 'e'

I am a human.
Imperfect but not immortal.
I make mistakes.
And don't ever feel the guilt.

I am a human.
Mean but not bad.
I hurt her.
And didn't ever feel her pain.

I am a human.
A cruel murderer.
For I killed her faith.
And I don't even feel sad.

Why?
Why am I not sorry?
Is it because I don't love her
Or is it because - I am a human.

She is also a human.
Why is she so perfect?
Is it because she loves me more than
Anything else - that makes her so humane?

I always told her,
"You're gifted in love."
And continued, "While I am quite ordinary
- being just a human."

I am still not feeling the guilt
Though, I desperately want to feel it
But I am unable to.
After all, I am just a human.

Human - an excuse to make mistakes.
Human - an excuse to hurt your emotions.
Human - an excuse to play with your heart.
Human - an excuse for all my faults.

Forgive me, though still
I am not feeling sorry.
But someday, I'm sure that I will -
Since I am just a human.

Gratitude

I am in love.
In love with all His creations.
From birds to animals,
From language to music,
From dust to the rain-drops,
From your eyes to my smile,
Everything is just so perfect.
As if we all are a part of -
The Master's masterpiece.

Since I am in love
I want to make you feel the same
I want to ask you something -
Something very subtle.
Just close your eyes
And thank God
For each of these beautiful things.
Feel the gratitude,
And feel the bliss.

Don't stare.
Just do it.
Thank HIM.
And then I'll disclose a secret to you.

Did you realize that -
You've just thanked yourself?

P.S. God is in all the beautiful things. One of the most beautiful things of this world are your eyes - which channel your soul towards all the beautiful things in this universe and make their beauty realized. Thank yourself because you've that eye where God resides and helps you to appreciate his creations.

My first honest post

I have always been vocal in speaking about my country - calling it 'mine' in some way or another every now and then. But, I came to know yesterday that I'm also a hypocrite. I don't really care about it.

Yesterday, I saw a crumpled Indian tricolor lying down on the footpath of IIT with the stains of foot-steps on it, and I sat down to take its photograph. I got the photograph I desired and I was happy that I could send it to some newspaper. I came back to my hostel with the speed of a tortoise-on-Concorde and I published that photo on Orkut, facebook and eyefetch(photography website). I sent that photo to the Hindustan Times to which there has been no reply till now.

Upon seeing the photo, many of my friends commented about we being momentary Indians - but just one friend - Ankit - wrote to me that 'I hope that you picked it up. I mean you must have.'

I was astonished to realize that I didn't. I completely forgot to pick it up, being lost in the ecstasy of snapping a journalistic photograph. As I feel now, I am really ashamed of myself and I don't deserve to call myself a patriot.

P.S. This is the first time that the story-teller inside me(the exaggeration expert) is having a deep slumber and my conscience is speaking up. I am sorry to all of you, even to me.

An Introduction

Hi. I've taken this course in creative writing and what I'm assigned right now is to write something about me. I didn't know that it was such a difficult task. But, difficulty sparks creativity. So, here is my try...

An Introduction

Two shiny little eyes stared at me out of the darkness -
Piercing my vision with its effortless force. The force,
Which was mighty enough to read my trapped emotions,
Break the shackles of pain and unravel its hidden source.

Those eyes had a tongue, which spoke directly to my heart. And for the first time,
Did I listen not with my head but just with my heart. The heart,
Which channelled its response through my eyes, amidst
The darkness that could not keep that shine apart.

Innocently, I asked those shiny little eyes -
"What is it that keeps your shine alive? Alive -
Despite the pain on the Earth and the turmoil in the dark skies.
And why - towards supreme joy, does it seem to strive?"

The eyes kept staring at me for a minute or two
Whilst, I thought that it had no answer to give
Suddenly, the ears in my heart heard, "I am the fire within you.
I am that shine which enables you to live."

"Only in this stark darkness, will you be able to see.
But don't just see rather value, for very few
Know the secret that, 'I am alive within those who value me.’
You just need to respect me and I promise that everything will be anew."

The words echoed in my heart over a thousand times and
The subtle promise instilled my self-belief.
Soon, the darkness faded and I noticed a familiar face
Gazing at me from the mirror, making me surprised in disbelief.

I could see the eyes shining more than ever before
I inwardly thanked the darkness for letting me see that shimmer
Which made me realize that I am neither a person nor a sophomore.
Rather, I am just the fire within - which will always glimmer.

Oops!

See it
Get it,
And read it too!
Let me know if you like it,
And let nobody know if you don't like it.
Keep it as a secret in your underwear pocket!

I'll be waiting to hear from you...
Anything you want to say...
Bouquets and brickbats accepted with 'almost' equal glee!
;)

P.S. Please, please and please makes three-times please. Now that you've been imparted the divine knowledge, I think it's the time to say - 'Good night!' =))

Bliss - A Memoir

This is a small movie that I made today encompassing all the learnings that these two months in this foreign land offered to me.

See it, enjoy it and spread it. Thanks.

P.S. If you liked it, please do spread it. Pass on the link to all your friends.

Outcome

Two months crossed in this foreign land. In these two months, I learnt -

1. One can find good people at every corner of the world.
2. Money is important.
3. Cooking is an art and I like it.
4. A teacher can affect life till eternity.
5. Beauty needs observant eyes to appreciate.
6. I don't quite like research.
7. Photoshop, Illustrator, Mathematica, POV ray, Java and Latex.
8. Indians are way better than firangis in geometry.
9. The more you sleep, the more you laze around.
10. I deserve to love myself.
11. I don't like the taste of wine or beer.
12. I should have bought an SLR before coming here.
13. Luxury appeals only initially, then it's the quality of life and work that appeals.

P.S. Good morning.

If

If you want to see the world in its full splendour,
If you have got big dreams that you're trying to render

If you are searching for that perfect platform,
That will make you victorious despite the storm

If you want that people should value your time
As you do it yourself, in a way that's sublime

If you want to see unlimited beauty as well as modernization,
With eyes wide open - overwhelmed with too many temptations

If you want to extract maximum out of your life,
Be it money, achievements or absence of strife

If you wanna enjoy your life in every possible way,
Then your answer lies just one word away

'London', that's the word that you've been waiting for
It's the place which you deserve for sure!

P.S. To end this poem, I'll steal a beautiful one-liner written by my friend Keshav - it says - 'Amongst the stars, over the skies...... Right there in London!!..... the beauty lies!'
P.S. London flushed my homesickness in one go! I am now suffering from London-sickness.

Read to find the title yourself!

Every night when I go to sleep, her smell haunts me, making me feel lonely and helpless with every passing moment; making my tongue go parched and my heart go still, with my mind totally blank. That smell calls me to experience her soul once again with bright new sets of ideas and ideals, with a new eye that I've got now. The farther I went from her, the closer I became to her.

She is in my soul, she is the part of my every breath, my every heartbeat, my every single thought. Her ideologies are rare, her character is pure, her beauty is sublime, her love is unparalleled, her simplicity is appealing, her name is beautiful, her smell is inexpressible, she sits much above these petty words.

I had so much want to run away from her; and I even managed to do so, but in the process I didn't realize that this running away had its destination fixed only at her. I find myself baffled seeing myself missing her more than any other thing else in my life.

Do you know who's she? I know you know her, perhaps equally well as me, or even more than me. Yes, she is my soil - my India - my soul - my people; the only word that I can call my own without any reconsideration. She is right here with me rather within me pulling me towards her every moment, every single second.

I miss my country - and my country is so special to me just because of the people living there who have made my life out there a one-in-a-million experience. And you know what, you're one of them. Thank you for being a part of my life and influencing it in the most subtle way - by constituting my motherland and making it so special for me.

If you haven't already guessed what should be the title of this post, then here it is - 'Soil in my soul'.

P.S. Soil and soul are nearer to each other in my real life than in the English language.
P.S. The style of this article is inspired from my friend Debanjan.

Kambakkht Movie

I just saw the movie Kambakkht Ishq; and yeah I am still alive. My laptop is also working fine, though it wants to take some rest, but still. My nasal cavity is a bit affected by the crap I had to smell for the last two and half hours.

Star-casts like no other bollywood movie till date. With our local legend Akshay Kumar; the legendary Sylvester Stallone, Denise Richards and Brandon Routh did the shitty job of supporting actors. Kareena Kapoor looked no better than the old maid who works at my University here.

I would say watch this movie only if you are going to commit suicide the next day, because then your soul would be totally psyched up with the shittiness of these bollywood story-makers and would try to make the swiftiest possible exit from this planet.

What more should I say? You're being chased by a dozen gundas and when you cry for help, none other than Sylvester Stallone comes to rescue. It can happen only in Bollywood, I can bet that! The movie has a delicately crafted storyline which seems to be written by somebody greatly constipated while he was sitting on his potty chair. I bet you could write a better story for it, even without being constipated. About Akshay Kumar and hilarity of the movie, I can assure you that you would laugh more while seeing your own face in the mirror than seeing the movie.

The bottomline is contained in just two words - Smelly Crap!

P.S. This movie can give a headache even to a chatterbox like you.

My Quotes - III

Thanks to Facebook, I have come up again with another set of my original quotes. Here they are:

• There are some things that money can't buy and for everything else there are shops.
• I am not prideful; I just love myself too much.
• God didn't give me a good face, so I shifted behind the camera.
• Some people are exceptionally talented in making you feel bad about yourself, and I am exceptionally talented at ignoring them.
• From here on there are two ways - One that leads to where you are destined to go and another one to where you want to go. And in the end you'll realize that both the roads lead to the same destination.
• I used to hate myself, then I met you.
• I found myself gifted at exaggeration, so I became a story-teller.
• I just realized that the secret to happiness is to respect yourself as nobody else.
• An idea can change your wife.
• If you're confused whether to choose love or dreams, then without any second thoughts, go for dreams. Since, true love will never ever stand in the way of your dreams.
• I am god-gifted at being lazy.
• Sometimes there are no choices to make, and that's the best moment in one's life, because there is no confusion.
• Writing needs patience, wit, imagination and the most important of them all - readers!
• I was searching for happiness all around, until I realized that it was right here all-throughout - in my name!
  
• In the journey of life, you don't need milestones to look forward rather you need them to look back.
• I realized that the real success is the one which brings gratitude in you.
• There are very many talented people out there in this world, but very few of them are gifted.
• I don't like to be called a traveller, I prefer the word 'nomad'.
• I love myself so much that if I were a girl, then I would be married to me till now.
  
• I was searching for the ultimate key to knowledge and then I found google.
  
• I was searching for a girlfriend all around the world for one year but could not find any. Frustrated, I sat back at home and googled the word 'girlfriend' and it gave me more than a million of them in just a second. Can you beat google?
• Happiness just requires two things - A friend to laugh with and a friend to laugh at.
• My life is like an open book, it's just that the color of the font as well as the pages is white.

P.S. Today, I bought a sweet and sour chicken curry worth 3.5 pounds because it looked good. But it tasted yuck. I had to throw it. The bottomline is - Not everything that looks good is good.

The Living God - 2

God asked me, 'Ask anything that you want to get in your next life?'
I replied, 'I want you to be with me.'
God replied, 'Your wish is granted.'
I came to Earth and searched for God all-around.
Here and there, in all the faces I saw, but I couldn't find him.
Just then, someone picked me up in her caressing arms,
And in a moment, I fell asleep.
God came in my dreams.
I asked, 'Where have you been? You didn't grant my wish!'
He said, 'I am there with you. Just open your eyes.'
I opened my eyes, looked at those two most reassuring eyes
And said my first word - 'Ma!'

The Story

Hey readers, it has been a long time since I wrote something. I was busy with the publishing work of my novel - 'Oops!'. I am happy to announce that everything right from proof-reading, cover-design, typesetting has been done and the novel has gone for publishing. The release date of the novel has not yet been finalized, I plan to release it on 29th Aug, i.e. my birthday, but my Dad wishes to release it before my birthday - in a way making him proud that I published my novel when I was still 19 years old.

Now, I am quite free and I am longing to be more regular on Graffiti - the story-teller within me is dying to write yet another story. My travelogue too will be updated soon, since I have some awesome experiences of Scotland to share with you all.

So here I am. All free - with excitement, vigour and 'time' for my blog.

P.S. I found that I was gifted at exaggeration, so I became a story-teller.

The Father and The Son

There was a father
Who used to boast with glee -
"As soon as my son turns 18,
I'll set him free."

"I taught him all the things
That should have been taught
And there is absolutely nothing left
That I forgot."

What a father
He would have been?
No words did he use to teach, rather
He taught through his actions which the son had seen

His son very faintly remembers
A 'heartless drunkard' beating a woman late at night
Amidst groans and tears, all that 3-years old could hear
Was - "Son, please stop your father!", a lady screaming in fright.

Time passed, wife passed and soon
The son turned seven
With nothing special but gloom
As his birthday present

Since he found accidentally
That his father smuggles goods,
Embezzles large sums of money,
And takes drugs with all the dirty foods

The shock was absorbed
In almost no time
And this remained their way of life,
Until the son's eyes went blind to crime

The years went by
And the son was 14 in a blink
The father was full of joy
To find his son's interest in his business - quite keen

The small-child that used to live
Died within the son soon
Drugs, money and lust started catching his eyes,
Instead of the stars and the moon!

The young lad
Was now the partner of his father
His right hand - he often called
And the one who'd take his business farther

Time flew and the cub turned 18
The proud father set him 'free'
But, the young man couldn't find the freedom
No matter how far did he see

He could devise no way out
To kill the throbbing boredom
There was no path throughout
Which could let him feel that exhilarating freedom

He's 19 now and imprisoned for life
For he killed his father - who could never be
The teacher who taught things that should have been taught
Instead, just set him 'free'!

He will never be able to witness that freedom
Nor does he want to see
Since, he saw that exhilarating moment once
- When he set his father 'free'!

(Wrote on paper, on train, from Mallaig to Glasgow, 16th June)

P.S. The actions of the father here led to his own death by his own son, who when set free realized that freedom doesn't mean to be free from guardianship rather to be free from evil. And ironically, he chose the path of evil to get rid of it.
P.S. Parents forget that it's not their talks but their actions which has a never-ending effect on their child. If they speak good language, they are honest and caring; their children will definitely be like them. Cheers to my parents!

To Angel from Demon

I met a guy
Who was a bit shy
He had a scintillating charm
And a dream to touch the sky

I could see in his eyes
A determination to reach those
Who needed someone to love them
And to settle their woes

He was so different
From each one of us
Compassionate, diligent and patient
Were just a few facets of the character, did he possess

I so wanted to become his friend
Not only to deduce his thinking
But to know him better
And to make the distance between us start shrinking

And soon I became his friend
Days passed like moments and our friendship bloomed
From summer to winter, January to December
The heart-to-heart bond between us exquisitely groomed

I got impressed by his thinking
With every passing day.
He had a dream to catch
In his own unique way.

Now, when I see him
I feel immensely proud
Because he is chasing his dreams
Without ever being loud

Often I see back
And I cherish those moments
Which gave me not just a friend
But a brother, a guide as well as a 'present'

This is a small present from my side to you, oh brother
You don't know that you are special to me - like no other

Being so far away from you,
I had nothing else to give
All I can say is cheers to our friendship
And the beautiful days of school that I want to relive

They say a friend in need
is a friend indeed
I say, a friend whose friendship is without any greed
Is a friend indeed

Happy Birthday to you AMAN!
From all the angels as well as 'one Demon'!
;)

P.S. This is for my brother-like friend Aman. There are very few people in my life who are as special to me as my school-friend Aman. I miss you buddy.

What is love?

If you begin to see more and more qualities
Rather than flaws in a person as time passes,
Then I'll say that
You are in love with that person.

P.S. This is how I define love. I can explain this concept too. The human ego, to keep itself satisfied, searches for flaws in any person, the flaws you see increase as time passes. But being in love is nothing but the suppression of this ego.
P.S. Your interpretations of this difficult word called 'LOVE' are cordially invited in the comment box.
P.S. This definition holds not for just your soul-mate, rather for every person you love - be it friend, relatives, COUNTRY or your beloved.

'She'

There are people
Who claim to love me, and then there is 'She'
Who doesn't claim a thing
But loves me condition-free

They speak out aloud, shout and exclaim.
Whilst she chooses silence to speak her heart-out with glee.
No matter how much they may claim,
They'll always remain 'people' in my eyes, they can never become 'She'.

"Who is this 'She'?"
I surely made you think
Replying to which,
"She is my best friend", I say with a wink.

"Why is 'She' so special?"
If that's your question
There are no special reasons
What I can mention.

More than the reasons, it is she
Who is special to me
The moment she came into my life
'I' was transformed into 'we'

They sometimes ask me
"What makes 'us' so apart from 'she'?"
I reflect and say to them
"Your 'us' can't make me 'we'."

"She just gives me a bit more than what everyone gives",
After thinking for reasons, do I conceive.
"Be it love, time or the key to happiness,
With her by my side, utter bliss is what I receive."

To all you 'people'
I have just a thing to say
No matter how much love you give to me
She'll continue giving me a bit more everyday.

P.S. This poem is dedicated to my soul-mate. I don't know how are you or where are you or when will we meet but I can assure you from the core of my heart that I'll give you everything a bit more than everyone else.
P.S. I am a hardcore romantic.

My Quotes - II

To impress people on facebook, my egoistic writer mind has started writing some really profound quotes. I present them here in another set called 'My Quotes - II' :

• The real joy in writing comes when you read something really beautiful and you're amazed to realize that it is actually you who wrote it.
• Everyone can write, but not everyone can sit to write.
• A real photographer is the one who instead of looking through the camera makes the camera look through his eyes.
• I am shocked to realize how joyful this life can be if there are no checkpoints(read 'exams').
• Happiness is costly, but I am rich and extravagant!
• Theoretical physics is like photography ... you've to keep your eyes open to get that perfect 'click'.
• As days are passing out here, the more I am getting closer to myself. And the more I am getting closer to myself, the more I am falling in love with me.

P.S. It is quite difficult to manufacture yet another quote as a PS for a post titled 'My Quotes - II'.

8 things I love to do:

The points are in the hierarchical order:

• Writing stories(on blog) - It is my passion. I am mad about it. My mind has started searching for a climax or a twist in every simple event of my life. I am doing work and suddenly a flash of idea rings my mind. Day by day, I am getting amazed to know how this amazing thing called 'passion' works!
  
  
• Playing guitar - The mere plucking of strings with my fingers gives me inexpressible joy. I know how to play about a dozen of instruments, but not one gives me as much pleasure which guitar gives. The pain in cuts and bruised fingers gives a sense of satisfaction that's incomparable.
  
  
• Catching the moment on my cam - My eyes tries to search for the weirdest of weird things in the surroundings and my finger waiting for the moment of that perfect 'click'. I've realized that a real photographer is the one who instead of looking through the camera makes the camera look through his eyes.
  
  
• Writing with hand - I love my handwriting, I find it artistic and beautiful. No matter whatever keyboards or voice recognition softwares the mighty human brain develops, nothing can take the joy of writing with my hand.
  
  
• Cooking - I was not sure about this one a couple of weeks ago, but now suddenly this has become my newest passion. I can find cooking quite similar to learning music - you get better and better with experimenting.
  
  
• Telling stories - This one hidden talent is known to very few people around the world. I have great stock of stories - all kinds - real life stories, inspirational stuff, humorous stuffs and anecdotes of all the famous personalities fed into my mind. Just remind me whenever you get time and I'll get started. Most of these stories have entered my CPU through books like Chicken Soup and anecdotes owes its origin to the numerous biographies that my bespectacled eyes skimmed through.
  
  
• Turning the pages of a Book - The essence and importance of books can never be overshadowed from my life. The mere joy I get while turning the pages of the book propels me to the Cloud Nine. I dream of the day when the large library at my home will have one shelf for the author named 'Harsh Snehanshu'.
  
  
• Teaching - This is the job that I want to do. I want to teach. I want to teach a subject called 'life' in addition to my area. I want to be the best teacher alive out there in the world. A teacher whose mere teaching attracts students, numbering more than registered for the course.
  

P.S. As days are passing out here, the more I am getting closer to myself. And the more I am getting closer to myself, the more I am falling in love with me.

Yo!

A BIG NEWS in my life:

My Professor has just offered me to do a Ph.D under his guidance, if I 'wish'. No competition, no examinations, direct admission. Hmm, the universe is conspiring to let me realize my destiny. :)

P.S. If you think you can, or you think you can't; you're right - Henry Ford

The Bucket List

It is 5:15 am in India and 12:45 am here. One hour ago, I went to the kitchen to make soup. My mind was not quite thrilled with the day I had. Talking about today; I, Keshav and Rajiv travelled a lot, to the poshest area around the town, but at the end of the day I and Keshav realized that we didn't really enjoy the thing. Something seemed missing. That forced my mind into a philosophical mode. The mode which I generally avoid getting into. So, I was there in the kitchen and suddenly I asked Keshav, "What are the ten things that you want to do before you die?"

These kinds of questions are very uncommon nowadays. No-one has time to sit back and 'dream'. We generally keep ourselves occupied, with orkut, facebook or even by doing nothing, to prevent any serious thoughts enter our minds. But today, we crossed the limiting barrier of 'laziness to think' and each of us came up with our own Bucket List - a list of things which we want do/be before we die. What we came out with amazed both of us, the weird dreams and belief that we have already achieved them happened to blow our minds.

I am writing my dreams down here and I think I'll cross-check this list before I die(friends, do remind me if I forget!).

So ladies and gentleman, here is my bucket list:

1. Get my name published in a book and that book should make a mark in the world!
2. Win Bharat Ratna at the age of 40.
3. Compose Music for a bollywood movie - that too honorary - be the honorary music director for that movie.
4. Drive Bentley along the river Colorado, with my parents, sister and wife seated in it.
5. Publish a photo captured by me in the National Geographic Magazine.
6. Win a Nobel in Physics as well as Literature.
7. Take care of someone, love the same someone and marry to the same someone and make her feel that she is THE MOST special person on this planet.
8. Come to Scotland - Glasgow for my honeymoon and live in this same White House Apartments and read this 'post'.
9. Be the best short-story writer India ever had.
10. To have my best friends crying 'dil se' during my funeral i.e. to have my bunch of good friends remain my friend forever.

P.S. Nothing is impossible if you dare to dream. Give yourself some time to make one bucket list and be amazed to see what you really want!

Personal

It is 3.30 am in the night. I am awake. The morning light has crept in. Had a bread-jam. I don't know what is keeping me awake. I suddenly realize that I have some purpose in my life and that purpose can only be realized if I keep myself involved - involved in some things or other. I had been wasting my time quite a lot. In worthless blabber, in reading and seeing craps(not literally) and facebook-ing. Today was a unique day. It made me contemplate about something which I had not cared about much in my 19 years, 8 months of existence. And that something is my life.

Seeing the work culture here, which is awesome, I don't know why I get an intuition that research is not exactly the arena for me to step upon in my future. It is certainly peaceful for the body and challenging to the mind but there is some kind of monotony that I can always associate with it. Theoretical physics is such a big field that no wonder two hours later I come across something awe-inspiring and change my statement, but for the time being I feel that it is not for me. Perhaps I am too lazy to apply my brain. The work here has no relation to my current feeling, rather the work-culture here is really fun and I am making a nice progress too; but inwardly I feel something else is in store for me. The only question is 'what I really want?'

So enumerating the career options for me, hmm, let me see:

• Research, Physics : on hold; chances - less.
• MBA - I have no specific interest. Perhaps if I go for it then I'll end up founding an NGO for AIDS patients. That's certainly what gives me a certain specific interest, but that interest has to be polished to a more general state.
• IAS - No way! I hate being a part of the bureaucracy.
• Direct Job - That would be misusing the runway to the higher exposure that IIT has offered.
• Higher Studies in some other field : Certainly, this seems a lucrative line. I get a definite urge that I'll shift in any field of arts after my B.Tech. But then always, I can carry out my passion for writing as my side-business, with whatever I do for living.
• Confused - yeah that's my state.

P.S. I've written a story in Graffiti after a long time of one month, and that's just because a slight appreciation that one of my blogger pals did to me by commenting on the last story. Thanks for re-igniting the writer within me!

Keep the feedback engine on...

Quantum Leap

Friends,

I am not getting time, seriously, have loads of work at hand. Plenty of stories are in the assembly line waiting for things to settle. I am leaving on 15th and my stagnant blog would be bloomed only after I step in her majesty's land. Meanwhile, I am making a new blog(photo-blog, I suppose) to encompass my 'Videsh Yatra'. I named it Quantum Leap and that can be accessed at :

http://quantumwanderings.blogspot.com/

YOU

When days were hectic,
I thought - I would forget you,
When I was happy,
I thought - I don't need you,
But now when I am sad,
I miss you,
And now I know that
It was never 'I' that mattered,
It was always YOU!
And you know what?
'I love you!'

P.S. Being loved is far more beautiful feeling than loving somebody.

I am in love...

Alas for those who never sing,
But die with all their music in them!

I am in love, with her, yet again!

P.S. Pichak dhoom, dhoom pichak dhoom, dhoom chak chak, dhichak dhichak. Let the rhythm within you flow out!

Harsh

I don't know the reason
Nor do I want to know
I like this season
Though there isn't any snow

Did nothing splendid
Still I am elated
You may consider me stupid
But that's what has originated

Knockin' my door are the examinations
And I'm welcoming them with open arms
Having no fear and no expectations
All I am feeling is aaram!

I don't know why this poem came
And where it came from
But it brings to my mind - a flame
Of joy ~ more than some!

P.S. I am happy of no reason and this fact makes me happier.

The Stepping Stone

Have you ever had a flash of idea? An idea which can make you lose your sleep, can overpower your thinking so vehemently that no moment passes without it. If not then certainly you are missing an important ingredient of life, called passion. I am not here to preach you about passion but I want to share my experience with my passion. For those who don't know, I have written a novel titled 'Oops! 'I' fell in love!' which is due its release this August. It is a comedy of errors in a vulnerable small-town guy's tryst with love in this strange Delhi.

After writing this bit of humorous thingy, an irresistible urge to write something with a message - impactful but without any trace of philosophy - came within me. My urge to get this flash of idea made me into a story-teller and in the meantime I wrote about five stories which turned quite impressive(even to me!). Ideas for a dozen more of these are in the assembly line waiting for my exams to end, but none of them could help me out with the theme for my next novel, until the day before.

It's a matter of just yesterday. After struggling for over a month to find MY IDEA I have finally got it ~ in just a flash of second. I was sitting in the library and reading my plasma notes with the concentration of a drunken driver when I was shaken by this thought. The idea traced back to my last article '18+' in Graffiti and it made me think of an issue which could be addressed in a novel which is still(hopefully) not thought of by anyone else on this planet!

Friends, I have an immense pleasure in announcing that I have got a theme for my next novel. With AIDS as the backdrop, I would address the issue, "If a sufferer is deprived of love and care, what devastating impact he/she can have on the society!" I am not disclosing the plot, nor am I going to publish it on blog. I would be working silently on this theme for the next half of year and then come up with my creation materialized in my hand.

It is a very dark theme and demands quite a lot of research at my end. The moment I got this idea, my mind jumped in thrill and enthusiasm. I called two of my closest friends and shared my excitement with them, they instilled faith in me by being very appreciative of my plot and even the uniqueness of idea. I searched my mobile contact list and I felt really bad that I could not share it with anybody else since either they would not share the same excitement as me or they would be too critical.(It happens, as I've seen that if you bestow the right to judge your work to someone who has no niche in your field of art, they tend to be over-critical, they start thinking that they are the God! Offences meant!)

AN EXCERPT FROM MY DIARY:
20th April

With great hope at night I called my Dad and said, "Dad, I have got that flash - my BIG idea! I am going to write about AIDS, in a completely different perspective! Dark theme!"

I then went on to discuss my whole plot with him and he showed some mixed reactions - happy but fearful.

"It will serve two purposes - (a) Create awareness about AIDS in an impactful way, and (b) develop respect amongst people towards the affected few. We are educated ones and I think I will create a long-lasting impact on the society with a dark theme instead of the same happy ending themes. For that I would need to meet AIDS affected people and need their story of discrimination plus their feelings towards society." I continued.

To which Dad replied, "That's really innovative, brilliant sketch. But don't mix up with those AIDS affected ones too much. Avoid shaking hands or even accepting something from their hand or any physical proximity. Always maintain safe distance from them."

I was stunned. I replied, "Dad, you know everything about how AIDS occurs and it is not communicable, but still! I am shocked. I am sorry to inform you that your advice worked in the wrong way. These words of yours have made me a thousand times more enthusiastic about doing immense research in writing this. I would meet the affected people, shake hands with them and even hug them. And I will change this very perception of people around me."

Dad did not reply. Perhaps, his inner voice saying that his son is right overpowered his fatherly protective feelings for me. I instantly knew that he inwardly desired me to break free from all these social taboos and reach out to my dream!

"Thank you Dad." I said.

"I am proud of you son!" He said. There were tears in my eyes, and I could see his eyes too filled with tears, which were however 1000 kms away from me. I smiled anticipating the green signal in the path of my dream.

P.S. I love you Dad.

My Quotes

My mind has setup a factory for manufacturing quotes. With each passing hour, a quote comes out of nowhere. I just want to have a track-record of my genius(yeah, don't stare!) -

Profound-type

1. Love is not measured by what you can 'give' for its sake, rather what you can 'give up' for its sake.
2. I am not mad in love but I love somebody madly.
3. If you have a dream and you have friends who value it, then you certainly are the happiest one on this planet. And I am one of those!
4. I am not one of those; I am one of 'those few'.
5. Sometimes things go in the right direction quite unexpectedly and you are amazed to realize that happiness is your destiny.
6. One is single before and even after commitment. (It is profound, if you get it!)
   

Chill-type

1. I used to be straight, but now I am a hunchback!
2. I am a 'single' child.
3. TV is my ex-girlfriend! And it is I who ditched her.
4. I am addicted to addiction.
   
5. Love is not blind, it is myopic(short-sighted).
   
6. I am a virgin, but my eyes are not!
   
7. It is very difficult to invent a new quote every single time you want!
   
8. You are my best friend, for the time being!
9. I tried to be costly but no one seemed interested; so I became cheap!
   
10. I used to be happy once, but then I gave the minors!
    
11. IIT = Institute of Insipid Tortures(to be encountered in my novel too!)
12. When your girlfriend becomes more of a girl and less of a friend, it is the time to leave her.
    
13. Love is 'friendship gone bad'. (It's plagiarized though, hope she does not read it!)
14. I used to listen to Himesh once, but now I find the noises in the toilet more dulcet.
    
15. This is what I use as my gtalk status message when I want to say DND : I have not slept for two days. Boring people, please bug me and help me sleep!

P.S. There are many more, but I leave them for my novel! Check it out there.

Graffiti

To reduce the accumulation of any more 'Kahani' in my personal blog Synergy, I have made another blog titled 'Graffiti'. The word literally means - a rude decoration inscribed on rocks or walls and can be metaphorically linked to scratches of my mind and imagination while creating stories. The stories, which are numerous to recount and are in the assembly line demanded a separate quantum number for their residence, so here it is Graffiti, ladies and their non-gentlemen:

http://anotherscratchinmymind.blogspot.com/

The way to remember is simple. When you forget the link, just start scratching your mind and another scratch in your mind will sublimate your oblivion. Good Night.

P.S. Check out the recent one in Graffiti. For the first time I wrote something meaningful.

Shorter Story : That 'THING' called love

Week I
"Don't ask about my past!" She said.

He didn't ask. He thought there must have been something quite distressing that might have happened to her, so he shouldn't ask. Curiosity multiplied as seconds ticked away. However, he kept his curiosity to himself.

He was a nice guy(and stupid too), the kind of guys who can be classified as an endangered species nowadays. It was their first talk. She asked his number ~ through net on that day itself after an hour long chat. He did not notice her experience ~ 15000 scraps and a dozen of flirty testimonials, rather was just awed with her choice of words and spontaneity(an euphemism for experience!).

He was in Delhi and she was in Bangalore. Distance was no obstruction since phone lines are always ready to be burnt ~ thanks to reliance on Reliance.

She called him. She started flirting with him. His handsome Orkut pic attracted all those polishing words. He was enjoying every bit of it - it was the first time in his life that it happened the reverse way. Quite a naive(and stupid) guy!

Week II
"I like you." She said. He felt perhaps this is what is called love.

"I like you too." He said with a flattered smile embellishing his cute face.

Talks increased. Even wildest experiences were not spared. He spread his life like an open book in front of her. She listened to him with her chat engine on. He was too gullible(and stupid too) to take a note of it. Plus, she did not tell a thing about her so-called past.

Week III
Thoughts about her clouded his stupid mind. She was good looking and she liked him. What more could he desire. He liked her too. His obsessive thoughts were given a break when she called.

"We both like each other. Why not go to another level?" She started. He was startled. Things had been made easy for him. He did not need to take an initiative. He just needed to say a simple word 'Yes'. He did it.

"Yes, I am ready." He said glibly(and quite stupidly).

"I love you!" She shot the wonderful phrase to his heart. It pierced through creating a wound of joy and he was ecstatic. Everything was so sudden for him. Like all of it had been already written by the Creator himself. He felt grateful to everything around him. Exhaling his long held breath, he said it himself - for the first time in his stupid life.

"I love you too." He said, quite shyly(and stupidly).

Week IV
She was happy. She asked him to mail his snaps. He mailed them. She showed them to her friends. He was looking really handsome. Friends were jealous, she could smell them burning. Her love(oh really, love?) stayed beautiful the whole week. He was all happy, swimming in the sea of love, with her as his lovely partner ~ as lovely as a piranha! Phone bills catapulted to the ceiling... he was relishing even this thing! Stupid!

Her scraps increased from 15000 to 17000. He was not its cause however. He didn't know about it at all since he had been too busy trying different swimming strokes in that algal sea of love. He trusted her. I told you he was too naive(and stupid too).

Week V
Something had gone wrong. He was too stupid to know what was it. There had been no arguments or anything whatsoever. But things were not smooth. He was still swimming though, he found in himself a good swimmer.

There were no calls or message. It was two days now. He was worried. He tried her phone, it was switched off. He switched on his laptop, logged on Orkut - his professional match-maker. He checked her scrapbook. She was talking to someone new...and somewhat more handsome than him, as his profile pic displayed. He checked Mr.Handsome's scrapbook where she had scribbled -

"Don't ask about my past!"

He (stupidly)realized that he had been swimming with a shark. He drowned surviving a brutal attack but now he was no more naive and neither stupid.

P.S. Dedicated to all the nice(and stupid) guys. The world needs your courtesy in the gatekeeping of hotels and department stores- your holding open of doors, your party escorting services, your propensity to be a sucker for a pretty smile is not required to please the sharks out here.

My Best Friend

As a whistling stream, he flows
Transcending all the barriers
Of language, countries and sorrows;
More than a zillion colours he wears
He is my best friend, oh dear!

With the sound of violins
And the melody of song
Breaking the silence
Of the sad world, he goes along
He is my best friend, oh my summer song!

Much like that friend whose mere presence
Makes our world a place worth
Livin' - of pleasure immense,
That's the kind of joy he brings to this Earth
He is my best friend, oh he's my mirth!

When you love someone, you forget the world
Whilst his love makes you forget even you
His presence makes the Devil within dulled
He asks nothing but love and is always true!
Music - he is my best friend, oh you few!

P.S. The you in italics is for ego.
P.S. Just spent three hours with my guitar, and I realized how much I love it.

Am I talking about 'SEX'?

"Tharki Saala!" Ayush remarked, with both the adjectives especially chosen by him just for me.

I asked him a reason for such a beautiful word to be used against the dark background of my character when he replied, "Apni novel padh, samajh jaega! Tharki!"

I wanted to reflect upon what he meant but I could not find anything in my novel that can coin me as a sex-o-maniac. There are a few kissing sequences in the novel, but that is very necessary for the attainment of the climax for my story!

Ayush went to his room and I too went - to sleep, of course. Today, after the classes, I was getting bored, with nothing unique to do other than listening to the Corrs. I just went near Ayush's room, unlocked his bolted door and entered the room. In a reflex, he shut the lid of his laptop down. But, unfortunately, the lid did not know how to shut the speakers. The screams of women made its way out of the crevices left between the lid and keypad straight into my ears. He was watching porn!

He started smiling at me. I reciprocated and returned back to my room. I was shocked in a bizarre way, the shock you would've got if you find that you are born with two noses instead of one! Guys, 'he' was watching porn! It was not the first time I encountered hypocrisy, but it was the first time that I found that he is embarrassed for his double standards. Leaving hypocrisy aside, let us come to another thing worth notice in the above highlighted line. I put an exclamation mark after porn.

"Why did I need to put an exclamation mark after porn in the above line?" This is the question that requires some ponder. Why there is so much fuss about sex? Because it creates ripples in the head, ripples of the sounds like 'Eeks', 'Oh my God', 'Sick', 'Yuck' and many more but also at the same time make you form a mental image(consciously or unconsciously) of porn ~ in a way you yourself being in coherence with the doers.

Sex is not a thing to talk about, people say. But, almost all those who condemn sex are the ones who love it, my friend Ayush being no exception. One day almost everyone is going to encounter it, in some way or another(PUN intended). I know people who are so fussy about this thing that if they catch that a guy watching porn or something, they'll stop talking to them forever!

In India, sex is a taboo. Even if someone writes or comments something about sex; he/she is considered in the other category, the category of being offensive. Just because your parents told that sex is bad, you tend to avert from it but if it were not sex on their part, then your mere aversion would cease to exist ... because your seed of existence would be struggling to find a shelter for sprouting!

To start with, let me admit. I have seen porn. Not one, not two...but numerous! You probably would not have, and would even hate it... and would even hate me now after knowing about this one more feather in my cap. But the very fact that you have gone through this whole article about 'SEX' without a break with a curiosity of what's coming ahead, leaves you in the my category. Welcome to the club!


P.S. Bindaas bol is perhaps the best caption which suits much more than what it is meant for. It is actually a philosophy of life.
P.S. Am I talking about sex? It's not about sex, it's about YOU!

Concurrent Diary

Quite a long break from my blog, it had been quite too long for me, I suppose. The month that passed brought many things in my life, plenty of surprises and good fortunes to see those who comprises the heart of India.

Three events simultaneously made the last one month kinda' overwhelming and amazing at the same time.

@ SPIC MACAY: Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music And Culture Amongst Youth, a society which preserves the essence of Indian music and renders its diversity amongst youth rocked the pavement of my alma mater in the last week of march. Maestros of world fame sparked their divine presence in midst of the students and the visitors from all around the capital. Started in 1977, by Dr.Kiran Seth - a professor of IIT Delhi, this organization now encompasses not only the whole nation but also various segments around the globe. Dr.Seth has been bestowed with a padmashree this year for his inexpressible contribution towards the promotion of Indian Classical Music across the different stratas of people. I had the privilege of seeing maestros like Ravi Shankar & Anoushka Shankar(Sitar), Ustad Zakir Hussain(Tabla), Pt.Hariprasad Chaurasia(Flute), Pt.Shiv Kumar Sharma(Santoor), Ustad Asad Ali Khan(Rudra Veena) and Rashid Khan(Vocals). Spell-binding, nothing less than mesmerizing, was their performance and their the nuances of sur and taal were crafted with perfection.

@ National Science Day - 28th Feb, 2009 - The birthday of C.V.Raman, this day had in itself a special guest for all of us. What name does it strike your head when you are asked with the question, "Who is the greatest Indian alive?" Yeah, people Dr. Kalam visited IIT Delhi and his 10 minutes long motivation talk ignited a bubble of enthusiasm amongst all the students as well as professors present there. He ended his talk with a beautiful two line poem as follows:

When you wish upon a star
It makes no difference who you are

which is perfectly true to his personality. His wisdom was far beyond all the people present there. He took a good class of our beloved professors and for the first time, we had fun seeing professors receiving a lecture on their end.



@ My Life - Going nearly smooth.

• Studies - too much of backlog.
  
• Novel - cover has been designed, got some mixed reaction. Nevertheless, I am happy.
  
• Internship - Tickets booked, got the passport and visa to be done.
• Guitar - Speed increased enormously. Learnt raga desh and malhar on my own.
• Photography - Taken a backseat.
• Writing - Is in the dikki - behind the backseat.
• Movies - Delhi 6(3 stars), Billu(3 stars), Dev D(3.5 stars). Cindrella Man - 5 stars - worth watch!
• Saw Rushdie's interview on youtube. He is GOD - in capitals. Click here to see.

P.S. I love you