Near... Yet so far.

You do not acknowledge it,

You may not recognize it,

We've been this way for really long,

Maybe us being happy together was too much of a misfit!

We're as close as blood relations can get,

At one time, for my actions, you would vet,

Bonds shattered, smiles dashed,

To leave us, you're all set.

I may not be able to say it aloud,

Yet my heart keeps beating out loud,

To wish you a really happy life ahead,

Wedding bells and chimes the only sound.

R.I.P. English

All through these years, I've never been in favour of belittling others or ridiculing others for their wobbly hold of the English language. Primary reason being, these people are aware of their weakness and are often trying to get past it.

However, in the past few days, I've come across mispronunciations and wrong usage of words, with such shameful confidence, I cannot help but put it down in the pages of social networking history!

I'll cite the best of the lot:

--- I heard a guy say on the microphone, while he was on stage, at the podium and in view of the entire audience, use the word important as an adjective for himself. Sadly, he silenced the letter 'R' in the word important. Rest, is up to you to understand!

--- While explaining duties to volunteers at some event, one of the persons handling the event, said “Be benevolent to the guests.” Sounds good, doesn’t it? Not when you hear him say the same thing more than four times! Just using BIG words does not make you good at the language. Sometimes, words like respectful, helpful, cooperative also help.

--- Then, he misses out the ‘damn’ from the phrase ‘any God-damn thing’. Although, I appreciate your willingness to not use the word ‘damn’ in front of women, the phrase ‘any God  thing’, sounds a little more than incomplete.

--- Saving the best for the last, where a guy used the word ‘eligible’ for (drum roll! Ta da ta da dum!) ‘liable’. So what he said was something like, “If anything goes wrong, remember you will be eligible for it!”

Need I say more, folks? Let’s keep silence for a minute, please. R.I.P English.

God's grace!

As I stand here stranded,
My stomach churning with pain,
Of sadness and disbelief,
I wait for the light,
To carve my path out of the tunnel.

I cannot speak to the souls around me,
They won't understand one bit,
They have their backs turned to me,
Leaving me all alone.

Man is a social being we say,
Yet here I am,
With so many around me,
No one to cup my tears.

My dwindling faith now lies,
In the hopes of your greatness,
Waiting for the unfathomable and immeasurable,
Strength of your mere presence.

As you throw your light,
The darkness around flutters away,
I notice that the backs to me,
Were to protect me from the horrors of the way.

As I wipe my tears,
I see the gnashes they've suffered,
And I realize I'll pray next time,
For what you think I need, rather than what I think I want.

#RahmanIshq! - The Rahman concert in Calcutta!

Yesterday evening, the God himself descended in Calcutta, armed with his instruments, the rains signaling his arrival and ceasing at his descent, darkness enveloping a crowd of thousands waiting for a mere glimpse, uproar at his first syllable, adrenalin rushing through the throbbing veins at the first hint of music. That was A.R. Rahman at Calcutta!

What happened on the stage in the next few hours was magic. Maybe see through at times, mesmerizing mostly. But what happened in the crowd around us was a different matter altogether. That too was just so out of the world!

Bang ahead of us was a couple who just couldn't get enough of each other. She seemed to be eating all the time, attracting the bees-like-hawkers (who were allowed to roam freely in the entire stadium, selling everything from 'cheeps', lemon 'peshaal' signaling special lemon tea, cool water and badaam and were guilty of the criminal offence of interjecting the maestro's music with their cries of product advertising!!). Her beau, oblivious to how much he was spending, couldn't seem to get himself to concentrate on the stage, is all I can say.

One row ahead of us to our left, sat a trio of the most boring young guys I have ever come across. They didn't clap for more than 3 seconds at a stretch, with gaps of at least half an hour between each such exercise. It almost felt like they had been punished  and were made to sit through the entire event. Even if Rahman himself had come to them, they wouldn't have uttered a cheer or enthusiastic hoot! I just hope they had free tickets to the show, because otherwise they've genuinely wasted their bucks!

And behind was a family with such levels of intelligence, I should have congratulated them. The boy was shouting to his dad for chewing gum in the middle of a sufi song when the whole crowd was swaying in the musical magic. Once, another one of them was completely unaware of the fact that it was their cell phone which was ringing loudly. And at one time when the sound fell really low due to some technical glitch for a few seconds, this man shouted from nearly the last row of the stadium "Raise the volume!". Seriously, Sir? You really think the organizers can hear you from this far? His voice decibels barely managed to reach the next 15 rows of people, I think!

When Rahman played out his crowd-favourite Jai Ho!, this man next to me, stood in the attention stance. I wish he knew Jai Ho is NOT our National Anthem. He could have crooned it aloud and fist pumped the air a little. But alas!

It felt as if the people around me were saving all their enthusiasm for the Goddess Durga! 'Cuz the other blocks in the stadium could definitely be heard on the stage!

That's the other side of RahmanIshq!

Reporting directly from the stands, signing off for the day!

I found my Twin Soul!

Me : Found this beautifully worded quote on the internet ---
“I would like to be the air that inhabits you for a moment only. I would like to be that unnoticed and that necessary.”
Mr. Sensible : That is so romantic!
Me (Thinking deeply, frowning) : I would say these are subtle words portraying underlying obsession.
Mr. Sensible : Obsession is not the correct word here.
Me : I wouldn't like to be that important or necessary in anyone's life. Of course it would be flattering to be that important.
But I would feel suffocated after some time and would want to move on.
Me (adding hastily) : I'm sorry to ruin the romance of the words!
Mr. Sensible (disappointed and angry) : Well, you actually did!
Unsure, I sent it to another friend who is in, or we could say, working on a relationship.
Me : Found this beautifully worded quote on the internet ---
“I would like to be the air that inhabits you for a moment only. I would like to be that unnoticed and that necessary.”
Twin Soul : Why would I like to be necessary and unnoticed for someone else?
And I'm jumping with joy! I found my twin soul!
PS : Mr. Sensible is so good looking and understanding and charming (& sensible, of course), he would easily find several women wanting to be the air for him!

The best you can have!

She knows how to make me smile!

Irritating me is almost like her part-time job!

He’s crazy about his chick(en)s!

She is like my twin sister!

We’re fondly called the monkeys of the house!

I can bare my soul to her!

He calls me paranoid!

He gets me thinking!

My day is incomplete without talking to her!

He inspires me!

He loves my smile! I love his too!

She never ceases to sing! (Not even during class!)

She loves to fight!

These are my friends! And I love them the way they are. This is the family I got a chance to pick and choose! 

Happy Friendship Day to all my dear, near, close, long-lost, old, new, fun, boring, crazy, lazy and wacky friends!

Kyun Ki… Har ek friend zaruri hota hai!

Love you all!

Shine in silence!

Things might not always seem bright,
You might feel the end of the tunnel has no light,
But do not lose your faith upon Her,
She considers you strong, Mon cher.

Life will always give you highs and lows,
Our attitude decides who's going to stay and who bows,
We have a long way to go,
And to the world we'll show,

No matter how much the world puts us out,
We will always get up and go about.

Cherish life!

All her life, she waited for the one,
Not glancing even once, at the ones who paused for her,
Around her, there was so much of joy and cheer,
Yet, she didn't care enough for the ones near.

Soon the crowds passed by her,
Soon she was left standing alone,
With none to ask her how she was,
She began wondering who she was.

While she waited for her one big moment,
She never noticed those small, little ones,
That fill up the pages of life,
And make you want to revisit the memory lanes.

Wise enough to realize her folly,
She began the task of trudging uphill,
Warning every person who was going down,
To cherish what you get, rather than crying for what you want.

Most of us pray for a list of things we want, but how many of us thank Him for what we have? Consider yourself lucky that you're still able to smile because there are many who've even lost that.

Life isn't about the one big moment. It's about the small, little moments which turn into your life story!

If only I could fly away!

I sat by the window,

Looking out at the sky,

The forlorn bird flying across

The expanse of blue

Touching the chords of my heart.

The small, brown wonder circled around,

And perched atop the neighboring window.

As it shushed and looked around,

It seemed to mirror my state of mind.

How I longed to fly away,

To soar higher than ever

But day upon day,

The burden increased,

Bogging me down forever.

Another sparrow came and sat near,

The two chirping away,

I glanced at my empty beside,

While the pair made its' way.

Alas! For me there was no escape,

The chains never seemed to unbind,

And so I sat there looking at the blue expanse,

Forlorn, more than ever.

Trying to locate the silver lining,

More hopeful than ever.

P.S.:  You may not know it, but you make a big difference in my life, my thoughts, my being. Thank you so much! This is dedicated solely to you! Thank you, Aayush!

Contrasting Worlds! (For better or for worse?)

Last morning in a deliberate (and desperate!) attempt to set ourselves free from the shackles of our hectic schedules, a few of us went out on an early Sunday morning drive to the not-so-well-frequented places of Calcutta.

Sincere advice --- Next time you're freewheeling around like me, just observe what's around you.

One of our stops was a road-side eatery in the city. (For Calcuttans, we were near the Calcutta Stock Exchange!). While we sat, waiting to greet steaming cups of tea and hot buttered toasts, under a gray clad morning sky, I looked around me. The waiters were rushing around with plates to be served, waiting on the incoming cars, greeting regular customers with smiles and 'How do you do?'s, the man at the stove cheerfully doling out order after order, other early risers sitting around in clumps sharing a laugh or two (rather loud ones at that!). It was a quiet, serene and fresh way to start a Sunday! The delicateness and intricacies of the surroundings made you forget all the worries and just wanted to make you sit there all day long, staring at happy faces. 

And then i happened to glance behind me. Just a meter away from where we were sitting, stood clusters of police patrol vans. Reason being that the local police headquarters and the State Government;s office was nearby. There were proper police sand bunkers laid out, with somber- faced, rifle-clad policemen in them. Noticing my gaze, my Dad simply pointed out, "They always have to be on the alert, lest an attack take place."

Enough to shatter my illusion of the peace and quiet.

Contrasting worlds, ain't it?!

P.S: To all the men on duty, I salute you for the dedication and devotion you display. At all times. We, civilians, tend to get away from work with small excuses like sickness, birthdays, anniversaries. But for you, life seems work and work seems life. Sans complaints! Immense respect for you!