Sunday 24 November 2013

THANKS : Haiku

Panacea all
You nurture, support, inspire
Mother, Have I said?

*****

You bear everything
Positives and otherwise
Dear Heart, Have I said? 

*****

You transformed my life
Incessant passion I have
Oh Books, Have I said?

***** 

Hold something for all
Magnificence they portray 
Movies, Have I said?

*****

I share me with you
Support and love all around
Blogosphere, Have I ?? 




P.S. - This post is shared with Haiku Heights # 310 and the prompt is THANKS

I would have seen a different me !!

Had I looked back at my old self                                              
I would have seen a different me
An introvert sitting quietly
Whilst dreaming away to glory
So conscious of the world views
Never being able to give back hurtful dues
Confidence never near you
Having friends just a few
Poems in hidden diaries
Scared of letting anybody inside my world of fairies
Awaiting some magic to change life’s highway
Not knowing it was only ME who could do it any day
Had I looked back
I would have seen a different me
Would have taught her to just let go, be free!!





P.S. This post is written for -100 Words on Saturday hosted by Write Tribe. The prompt is ‘Had I looked back




Sunday 17 November 2013

BLOOD : Haiku

Empty my heart out
Editing it has gone through
Stains on my paper

*****

Ah, your memories
Flows through veins of mortal me
Pumping life within

*****

Food for me it is
Don’t judge, I was made that way
Vampire is my name

*****

Different our skins
Whilst the Blood colour is same
Why this hatred then 


P.S. - This post is shared with Haiku Heights # 309 and the prompt is BLOOD


Mr. Know-It-All

So, you think you know it all
You think you alone stand tall?
It’s what you think is always right
But, ever thought from other’s viewpoint?
Snapping at wife
Fired the employee
She didn’t know how to cook
He was unaware of how the presentation should look
The children don’t score as much as you did
Maid doesn’t know how to close that expensive jar’s lid
Ever wondered about the efforts they make!
Is it only complaints in your head that you bake?
Wish you knew, living with people like you is not at all a walk on the cake!!




P.S. -  This post is written for - 100 Words on Saturday hosted by Write Tribe. The prompt is So, you think you know it all

Saturday 16 November 2013

This "Fall"

This "Fall"                                                                         
Learn from Nature
Change your spirit into a beautiful new colour
Enliven your essence with indomitable valor 
 
This "Fall"   
Learn from Nature
Let get off the grudges
Leave behind the past
And forgive those cruel hearts


This "Fall"   
Learn from Nature
Celebrate yourself
Bring within a new zest
Create for yourself everyday a new Fest


This "Fall"   
Learn from Nature
Migrate from toxic populaces
Pardon your soul the ugly wrath
Reside near hearts brimming with warmth


This "Fall"   
Learn from Nature
Grow a kindness coat
Help tattered souls
Let the goodness of world remain afloat


This "Fall"   
Learn from Nature
Harvest happiness around
Feed love-famished beings
And let bounteous generosities be found


This "Fall"   
Learn from Nature
Signals it sends
Read them, decipher them, follow them with your heart
This Fall, Let’s give Life a sparkling new start !!! 

Tuesday 12 November 2013

Halfway

October it was. Two years back. I dragged life in a yet another mundane office day waiting for it to end so that I could go back to my room and shun myself from the world. It ticked 5.45 pm. Just another half an hour more and the ordeal would end. Trying to finish my last assignment for the day, I keyed with frenzy on my computer. I heard my phone ring. Irritated, I was. I stopped typing, took the phone from my desk drawer and stared at the name it flashed. It was ‘His’ name. 

The memories I had shut inside the most secretive chambers of my soul pushed the doors to be out in the open for the play. They teased me once again as if saying – “Hey, howsoever hard you try to push us inside you, we can come out at the slightest mention of his name, with the meekest knock at your heart’s door and at the lightest beckoning of anything related to him in any way.”

Four months back. CCD it was. Saturday evening it was. We had said our goodbyes to a relationship of more than 2 years. ‘Incompatibility’ was the name of our togetherness. We were different. Different as fire and ice. Different as chalk and cheese. 

I was all about pink shades of life and he was all about practicality. I dreamt, he stayed glued to reality. Passion defined me, opinions defined him. I was all about balance, he was ever lopsided. I was in love with books, he hadn’t read a single in his life. I wanted a relationship like the ones I read; he wanted something sober. Differences played their part and we had to part.

The break-up had charred me and shattered my soul into pieces I thought I would never be able to count. The one person you think would never leave you, does exactly that and all you can do is keep on staring and seeing your passion for life fall apart.

I didn’t realize when the phone stopped ringing. Startled, at its buzzing again, I am brought back to the present. ‘But why now? Why is he calling now? May be he would have some urgency.’ – I think and pick up the phone this time.

‘Hi, how are you’ – he said.

‘I am good. Thank you. How are you?’

‘Good’

Uncomfortable silence leans over us.

Breaking it, he speaks -‘What time would you be free?’

I hear hoarseness in his voice. Always had it when he was misty eyed! Was he now? But why would he be now? I am imagining things. I reprimand my brain for reading unnecessary clues. The brain shrugs his shoulders saying – ‘It’s not me! It’s that thing on the left of your chest that’s reading the clues.

*I roll my eyes at it and ask it to shut up.*

‘Usual time. I get free in almost half an hour. Why?’ – I say.

‘Coz I am waiting downstairs outside your office. Can we meet today, please?’

My heart runs as if a mad dog is behind it and lands itself inside my mouth. I let out a sigh to calm myself down.

‘I have a bus to catch. We won’t be able to meet for long’ – I say. Only to regret at the foolish sentence I had said; exactly knowing his reply.

‘I’ll drop you home. I always have.’

‘Yes. You always have. But things are different now. Aren’t they?’

*Why the hell was I saying all this when all I wanted to do was run down and see him.*

‘Yes they are. But can’t I drop you?’

‘Yes. You can. I will see you soon’ – I say with regret in my voice for having said the things I didn’t want to.

Unsettled I feel. I rush to the bathroom only to see a flustered me. My heart seemed to be learning high jumps for winning a medal in Olympics. It pounds hard. All I wanted was for it to stop behaving so stupidly only on hearing his voice. But I guess, at such times, your organs seem to develop a mind of their own. They act weirdly and completely against your will. Taking hold of myself, I go back to my workstation. 

Finishing my work somehow, I pack my bag and start the walk downstairs, taking deliberate small steps; may be to compensate my dramatically beating heartbeats. 

There he was! On his bike. On ‘our’ bike. I reach him. I was seeing him after four months which now seemed like eternity. The same loving eyes, the same warm smile, the same ‘Him’ and the same ‘Me’ and yet things were so different today.

I hop on the bike.

‘So, how are you?’ – He initiated.

‘Am good. How are you?’

‘I am fine too. And how is your office going’

‘As usual’              

Has he come for this small talk? – I think. We were seeing each other after four months. Four months? There was a time when we met every single day. Howsoever hard it was. We met.

The fun, the laughter, the teases, the fights, the tears, the distance!! I dive into the ocean of our relationship memories remembering how we had swam across it holding each other, being other person’s comfort zone, fighting the waves of each other’s different temperaments and likings, teaching the other person some finer nuances of living life; only to be caught up in a terrible whirlwind of unfavourable circumstances that drifted us apart.. No.. not drifted… that tore us apart.       

‘Hellowww.. where are you lost?’ – He said bringing me back.

Err.. ummhh.. nothing.’ – I say and find that we have stopped at a bridge which doesn’t seem to fall on my way back home. Confused, I look at him.

‘What?’ – I ask feeling clueless. There is a look on his face I haven’t seen before. I look around. It’s a secluded bridge I have never seen or been before. Suddenly, I see tears in his eyes. Baffled I am. What have I done now? In a reflex, I wipe his tears. They don’t seem to stop. I try again. He catches hold of my hand.

Holding mine between his hands, he says – ‘Come back’ and tears rolled down his cheeks once again.

I let out a sigh. ‘Why? Why? You know what we have gone through. You know how badly we have fought. You know how different we are.’

I could feel warm tears welling up in my eyes but I didn’t let them come out and continued recalling all the bitterness we had gone through in past – At this time, I stand at the abyss of my mental health. More than two years of relationship went for a toss. We were each other's first love, each other's support system. And yet, we couldn’t make it work. Two of the most sensible, rational beings couldn’t make it work even after spending two freaking years together. And after four months, you come and say just two words. Why should I? Why should we? To hurt ourselves again?’

I felt exhausted as if all the energy had been sapped out of me just by thinking about bitter times we had faced. He looked into distance. Silence prevailed. I removed my hand from his.

Taking my hand again, he said - “Yes. I want ‘us’ to be back again. You know why?

Coz every time in these four months, whenever I was caught up in a mess, I saw your photograph that I still carry in my wallet and it gave me strength to fight back, to live, to survive. You were not there, but you were always there.

Coz I am not thinking about us for today or just tomorrow. I am thinking about the time when our bodies would be withered and old, I would find your specs to help you see and I would need you to find my walking stick. You would want somebody to remind you for your doctor’s appointment and I would want that ointment to be rubbed on my back. And we would do that for each other. I want to let my grandson know how hot his grandma was when she was young and you would scowl at me with those big wrinkled eyes. I would stare at other women and see you fuming with jealousy. I want to see your smile reach those eyes when I gift your favourite roses on our 60th, 70th or 80th anniversary.

I know we are different. We always were. But isn’t that the best part of our story? Remember, you told this? What a beautiful story we would have our kids to tell about two extremely different individuals spending their lives together! Let’s weave that story. Our kids are waiting to hear it.”

*Did I just feel a tear roll down?*

And suddenly, in a reflex, he went down on his knees, brought out a small box from his pocket, flipped it open and said, “Marry me.”

If the word ‘speechless’ was a droplet of water, I could say I felt a deluge at that moment. The most unromantic person I knew on earth has just proposed me in the most bookishly romantic way possible; sound of river water gushing below, an ‘almost’ full moon and stars gazing down at us, on his knees, holding a ring. I gasped and kept on looking at him.

‘My knees hurt, you see. I am getting old too quickly. I told you my grandson is waiting to hear about this proposal. Now, will you?’ – He said.

‘What kind of ring is it? You know I don’t wear fakes.’ I said teasing him.

I know. Princess you are. God knows how am I gonna afford you after getting married. By the way, it’s Platinum. One of the rarest precious metals on earth, perfect metal for holding diamonds and durable enough to last a lifetime.’ – He beamed at his knowledge.

‘You know why I got this for you’.

I raised my eyebrows.

‘Coz, just like Platinum, coming together of two diverse individuals like us is rare, the love or whatever this notion you always read in your books that we have for each other is perfect for holding us together and the fact that you were dying to see me when I called you today even after so many misunderstandings is a feeling that would help us last a lifetime.’

I had a sheepish smile hearing the truth in the last line. Faking anger I said - 
Why are you presuming that I have said yes to this?’

Getting up from his knees, holding my hand, he said, ‘Coz, I can see the spark of togetherness in these big almond eyes, I can see the endearing smile behind this fake anger and I can feel the warmth emanating from your touch.’

‘May I?’

‘Yes’

Image Source: Google
And he slowly slipped the ring on my finger. Or so I felt. After a second, it got stuck. Halfway. Yes. Mr. Newly-Developed-Romantic couldn’t configure the correct size for the ring and had ended up purchasing a smaller one.

We laughed at the situation. I mocked him for this. Proving his newly acquired skill of being a romantic at heart, he said – ‘So what if the ring didn’t fit. My heart’s love fits our life perfectly well’.

I swear I hadn’t heard a cheesier line than this in my life. He knew he sucked too. And we laughed at it again.

So it was back! The fun! This time, garnered with abundant quantities of romance !! Sautéed with laughter !! Sprinkled with visions of a future together !! And served in the bowl called Comfort zone !!      
     



  
P.S. - This post has been written for ‘Platinum Day of Love’ contest hosted by        Indiblogger.



Sunday 10 November 2013

Ma, My God !!

Love limitless as sky
Sacrifices equivalent to earth       
Blessings that never dry
Tenderness no dearth
Teachings as vast as sea
Omnipresence my life like air
For us, she spreads glee
Ma, My God !!




This post is written for Trifextra Challenge # Week 93

Buddhist cosmology tells of Trāyastriśa, or the Heaven of Thirty-Three gods, which rule over the human realm.  This weekend we’re asking for exactly 33 of your own words about a god of your own devising that shares heaven with the other thirty-two gods.  Make it yours and have fun with it.

SEVEN : Haiku

Stirring Seven vows
Togetherness it brews
Aroma happiness

Image Source : Google




This post is shared with Haiku Heights # 308 and the prompt is SEVEN


Wednesday 6 November 2013

Holding on to Life : A Haiku

Threadbare she lay there
Writhing in pain inflicted
Holding on to life!






P.S. - This Haiku is written for the Picture Prompt by Magpie [Picture Courtesy le Jardin, 1962, by Max Ernst ]

Grass - A Haiku

Carpet laid, Mother!
Lush, soft, beautiful it is
Bare feet, feel beneath





This post is shared with Haiku Heights and the prompt is GRASS. 
P.S. - This is my first attempt at creating a Haiku.


It's all about being Smart !!

[ This post is one of the top 15 posts chosen by BlogAdda for the Contest. Details here.)

Sad it is. But it’s a truth too - that we live in a country that wakes up to the news about women harassment and problems day in and day out. And even after all the uproar, all the rallies, all the candle light marches, every single day something or the other happening in the country makes your skin crawl.

Somewhere a woman is raped, somewhere else a child is brutally killed after the animalism on it, somewhere a woman hears catcalls behind her, somewhere a woman has to keep adjusting her dupatta to avoid filthy gaze of men around and everywhere these women harbor fear in their hearts. As a woman, it feels like loss of my right to live without any kind of fear. Yes, my very fundamental right of being a human being seems to be at a loss.

I stay in Ahmedabad. Thankfully, I haven’t come across any unfortunate incident myself, but who hasn’t heard about them. After all, considering today’s circumstances, no place in the country seems to be a safe haven for women.

So what do we do? Stop going out and stay within the confines of our homes. But then, is safety guaranteed within our own homes? I guess not. I told you. It’s the loss of my fundamental right of living without fear. But, haven’t you heard, ‘Change starts from within.’ It sure does. If nobody helps, can we ourselves not help ourselves? Can we not stand for ourselves? Can we not take our steps? We can. So, given below are some safety tips I can hand around to my fellow Ahmedabad women. But, I guess, looking to the situation this country is in, any safety tip handed down could work anywhere.

Creatively pursuing, I am putting down the list of smart tips (in no particular order of importance) starting with the letters of my city - Ahmedabad. I know you would have noticed, but why take chances ;)

Ahmedabad
Alertness always works
AHmedabad
Hold Hands
AhMedabad
Make smart choices
AhmEdabad
Educate
AhmeDabad
Decode the surroundings
AhmedAbad
Access to Safety devices
AhmedaBad
Being brave
AhmedabAd
Activate those vocal chords
AhmedabaD
Do not be a show-off

A – Alertness always works
Remember, the times when your mom told you to be alert all the time when you were young. Ladies, this works even today. May be more now. So whether you are hopping on a rick during late nights or just walking down the road, let those grey cells be active always. Nobody, but you can sense the danger first. We are great with sixth sense, remember? Trust it. I know, Ahmedabad isn’t a place to be worried all the time, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

H – Hold Hands
I do not mean literally holding hands.. jeezz.. By holding hands, I mean ‘Support’. Yes, support fellow women when they are in trouble. Meekness doesn’t work in today’s times. So next time, you see a woman being troubled by some miscreant or an autowalla haggling with some girl in distasteful manner, go stand by her, fight him along with her. Atleast make a call to the police if matters run out of hand. Chances are that others would join in as well. I know people of Ahmedabad are very helpful of women in such times. They would join for sure.

If this helping others keeps on happening time and again, I don’t think determination of a handful of dirty minded can last against the goodwill of thousands.  

M – Make smart choices
I know we are smart ;) but how about having some smart gadgets on our smart phones installed. Something like Smart Suraksha App that could be used so easily and effectively.

Now, Google has done a great service to womankind by inventing Google maps. Use them when you are travelling to a new place. Don’t just sit inside a taxi and let them take you for a ride. Ask the driver to take a particular route seeing the map just to let them know you are well equipped.

How about keeping the phone numbers of some key people on speed dials? I know we all have them, but in times of urgency, these things tend to slip out. Just thought of reminding!

And yes, do not forget to keep ICE numbers. Don’t know what’s ICE numbers? ICE stands for ‘In case of Emergency’. Just store a few important contacts beginning with ICE. May be having ICE numbers is not a very popular phenomenon, but, God forbid, if anything untoward happens, atleast the people who would know about ICE can inform about your condition to right people.

E – Educate
Yes Girls, education is the key in here too. Seems education is the key to everything ;) So, anyways, by education here I mean, making women around you aware of the possible dangers and ways to fight them off. (You are free to read these tips out to them. I know, I know its shameless self-promotion, but couldn’t help it)

And by women, I don’t just mean the women in your family. That young girl who comes to clean your house, your watchman’s daughter and even your regular sabziwali gets counted too. Of course, we would tell our daughters to be safe and teach them ways for it, but what about those unprivileged who haven’t been taught by anyone from their families. Don’t forget them. Hand them some safety tips too. They might in turn share your tips with their friends in villages or small towns from where they come. I bet you would be doing some a lot of good ;)

D – Decode the surroundings
If you are going to the parking lot of those malls alone, make sure, you are not distracted by your phone while walking down. Check your car before entering it. And once you are inside, drive off immediately. You can check your make up in the mirror later. Some such practical tips can help ward off potential danger.

I am sure you would have heard about letting your whereabouts know to your family on the phone once you get inside a cab or autorickshaw so that the driver wouldn’t play around. You might as well be doing that. But at times, in a huff-puff we might forget using a language that the driver should be able to understand.

Don’t just rattle away in your crisp English accent or your mother tongue about your whereabouts. Use a language you know the local driver should understand. If you are travelling out of town and you are not sure, ask the driver himself what place exactly you are and then speak it in the phone. 


A – Access to Safety devices
I know that you all know about carrying a bottle of pepper spray or a deodorant or a small Swiss knife so they could become our guardian angels in distressing times.

But, there’s a catch in here. As our trademark trait, we carry huge bags where things once lost can hardly be found. I know, I know, we can’t change that. But having such devices in our loving bags and not being able to find them on right times would be so unfortunate. Isn’t it? So, the least we can do is keep these safety devices in some small pocket of our bags which can be easily accessible. One small crevice in that large bag which should not be stuffed with anything else except for that life savior instrument. Not a big price to pay. Right, girls?

And yes, I saw a video of a campaign called ‘Seeti bajao’ under which women carry a whistle which can be used to drive off those hooligans. Seems so effective, isn’t it? But remember, the golden rule – keep it accessible. How about keeping that small whistle in your jeans pocket? If your purse gets snatched off, atleast you would have the whistle to alert people around.  

B – Being brave
At times when we actually need it, all the bravery and other such blah blah inside us goes into hiding in the Himalayas. Natural it is. But if we stuff the positivity and bravery inside our minds, possibility is that it won’t ditch you last minute.

Train your brain to act quickly under not-so-easy circumstances. Cook up some harsh incidents inside your brain and also plan a way out the mess. I know this sounds like a crazy advice but trust me, it works. It works when needed.

How about learning a few tricks of self-defense? May be master a kick or two to be used in case of emergencies! Atleast a basic course could help the grown-ups if you are not prepared to take a full-fledged one.

And for your little princesses, it wouldn’t hurt to enroll them for learning karate along with those salsa classes, won’t it? After all, it isn’t a bad idea to teach our princesses to be warriors when needed.   

A – Activate those vocal chords
Yes, girls, shout out loud. The moment you sense danger, use those vocal chords to the maximum. If you are being harassed in any way, raise your voices, literally. Raised voices deter the confidence of miscreants.  

D – Do not be a show-off
I know Ahmedabad is running the race for becoming a buzzing, happening city. People are changing. We are changing. All good. But in this race, we might be inviting troubles. How about keeping that bragging about all the shopping you did at the new AlphaOne mall or the pricey food you enjoyed at The Grand Bhagwati all by yourself atleast when you are taking a cab or any public transport? How about keeping heavy cash and valuables out of sight from maids, drivers or such other people? I am not saying they can’t be trusted. They can. But why lure troubles? Why take chances? So isn’t it sensible to be sensible and not be a show-off?  

Okay, so these were nine safety tips I could connect. And coming to the last but not the least, all I would say is:

Life is too short to experience everything yourself. So learn from experiences of others. (I am not being philosophical suddenly) What I mean is that there are so bloody many instances happening around us; don’t turn a blind eye to them thinking they can’t happen to you in a city like Ahmedabad. Accept the fact that misfortunes can hit any shores. Even ours. From every instance you read or hear about, don’t just whine over the situation. Try to gauge the nuances of the smartness that might have avoided any unfortunate incident that happened to others. Learn.

After all, it’s all about being Smart, isn’t it? ;)


P.S. - I am sharing my Smart Suraksha Tips at BlogAdda.com in association with Smart Suraksha App.


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