Thanks!

Want to blurt, want to cry, want to yell... but i wont!
Coz I know I deserve this pain. Thanks for making me realise...

Joy of Gifting...

I love presents. I love to get gifted. But I love to give gifts to my near and dear ones even more.

Giving gifts has become a ceremony for me. First I spend hours on thinking what to buy, and then I spend hours for searching that particular thing.

At times, Salespersons very politely (maintaining their plastic smiles) say, “Sorry Mam, we don’t have it right now. But we can order it for you next month”, and I get pissed off.

“What do you mean you don’t have it? Why the hell are you running this shop? Go close it up and…” Putting a stop to my train of thoughts I simply say, “Okay”.

However I never compensate. I hop in to another shop and carry on the quest, until I get that perfect gift I was looking for!

Once I get it, I start adoring it more than anything else. I love to pack them beautifully with glitter papers, ribbons and bows. And after all the embellishments are done, the most exciting moment of gifting ceremony befalls.

The excitement of giving presents thrills me, especially when it is a surprise gift. I love to see the joy of getting gifted on my loved ones. I love to set eyes on them while they appreciate it wholeheartedly. I get a bit anxious on thinking what if they don’t like it. But the very next moment I look at them and the picture proves me wrong. The sides of their lips curve delicately and turn into a mile long smile.


Gratitude for getting gifted in their eyes… joy of gifting in my heart!


It’s after midnight and my cell phone beeps. I look to see who has texted me at this hour and get touched finding a small Thank You note, sent as a token of appreciation… as a return gift!


Small gifts spread bliss!!!


:)

Dahling! Look at the sky! It's smiling for you! :)

This evening, probably thousands of lovers would have messaged their beloveds saying "Dahling! Look at the sky! The moon is smiling for you! :)"

Yeah... as I am writing this, moon is still smiling cutely. (I can see it from my window.)

A crescent moon is conjunctioning with a planetary duo of Jupiter and Venus forming a cute smiling face, lighting up the sky!

This is what I felt when I first encountered this beautiful conjunction while coming back to home:

आज खरया अर्थाने आकाश हसलं

चान्दणीने थांबवलं उगीचच रुसणं

आज खरया अर्थाने आकाश हसलं

चंद्राने कदाचीत कौतुकाने

न्याहाळलं असेल तिचं सुंदर दिसणं

कारण आज खरया अर्थाने आकाश हसलं

लाजुन म्हणाली असेल ती त्याला,

"पुरे झालं असं लाडिक पाहणं"

आज खरया अर्थाने आकाश हसलं

संधीच मीळावी जणू चंद्राला

सोडलं त्याने चोरून बघणं

खेटलं जवळ अन मिठीत धरलं

म्हणुनच आज आकाश हसलं! :)

hee hee!

Keep smiling world!

:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Sadrakshanaay Khalnigrahaniya!!!

Every morning we wake up to feel more and more defeated.

Mumbai is bleeding and the world is brooding over it! Shining India is burning today!

Salute to those sixteen Policemen who lost their lives combating with terrorism: Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief Hemant Karkare, encounter specialist Vijay Salaskara, ACP Ashok Kamte, Shashank Shinde and many others. And Hats off to all Mumbaikars who went to their aid! (True humanity against a background of extreme animosity)

There is a lot to write, but right now I am just following the sensational drama unfolding in its unholy fury and trying to sink in the whole tragedy.

Till then… let’s just keep our fingers cross and let’s pray for peace!
Protect the virtuous, Punish the wicked...

THIS IS MY BLOG.... MY PERSONAL BLOG.

Blog... an open book... a way to expres.. a source to vent out... a place to cherish yesterday and a space to write about wishes that will come true tomorrow...
Initially (when I just started blogging)I was a bit skeptical about expressing my feelings online.
But, later I realised that nobody cares!
World is HUGE and beautiful! Nobody has enough time to spare for themselves... So, reading a blog of some stupid girl who stays in some city called Mumbai, in some Asian country called India is out of question!!!
But off late, i realised that people read my blog! Not just those with whom I share the link of my blog but strangers too! Some read to remember, some read to forget (hee hee... this line has no connection with the rest of the post at all! just wanted to use Hotel California's lyrics.. ;) )
So... people do read my blog and I thank all of them. But, a kind request to those who might not like my writing, or my thoughts, or me for that matter... Even if you want to criticise, criticise elegantly! IT'S MY BLOG and it would be great if you comment on the posts genially.
And if you really don't like my writing, take it as a piece of pure fiction. Anything more you want to know about my posts, my blog or me... feel free to revert on my personal id: leopiya_2004@yahoo.com (I know nobody would be interested in doing that, but still...)

Mahapaatraa

Mahapaatraa – an appealing story of an appalling lady!

The lady who became a practitioner of the last rites in a small village of Uttar Pradesh, near Ganga ghats.

This Marathi play revolves around her struggle as a 20 year old mother of four and her survival as an epitome of dedication and devotion.

Direction-wise it had a few loopholes and few characters were not well-established (which no doubt fidgeted with the quality of presentation)

All and all a good play, with a beautiful story line… worth watching… I watched it and now searching for the original book!

Tired of being sick

These days I feel very frail, very fragile… Though I am in my early twenties, I feel like a 60 years old woman combating with her fickle health.

It was never the same before. I was the most active girl during my school and college days. I still remember those project nights. I used to stay awake and finish off all the work while other girls used to sleep like a log.

I don’t know where all that stamina has gone. No enthu... no fun... no excitement... Life’s becoming pale yellow. (I hope it’s not jaundice!)

I seriously have to do something to keep myself healthy. But what to do? Yoga? Exercise? Meditation? Diet?

I think I must resume dancing. At least that will help me rejuvenate. I don’t know how I will manage… but I must devote some time for myself!

Sleep to work off sleep

I hate myself for feeling sleepy while on work. Words on monitor blur, mind turns numb and it becomes hard to concentrate.


I do a little bit of stretching and a lot of yawning. But no good! By the time office peon brings a cup of hot tea for me. (I guess he has some kind of supernatural power to detect the lethargy in the house. That must be the only talent he has because otherwise he himself is very sluggish. It’s not just me, my colleagues also think the same way! So, no offenses)


I sip in that hot drink, wishing that it could help me getting rid of this unwanted fatigue. But, it tastes like a sugar paste with added tea flavor. I force myself and finish it off and continue surfing Internet. But, nothing revitalizes me.


Sleep overpowers my senses. ‘I won’t let it overpower me! I won’t let it overpower me!’ I repeat it again and again in my numb mind.


I keep my head down, shut my eyes and forcefully try to think something so that my mind won’t stop working. I think and think and think, but only thing that comes in my mind is SLEEP. And then... I don’t remember anything. It’s all B L A N K. I wake up after sometime and find myself fresh and more energetic.


I give my inner self a refreshing smile. I realise that I have just discovered a very interesting fact: Sleeping is the only solution to get rid of sleep. 


So folks, when you are at work, and feel very very very sleepy, doze for a while(just like I am going to do it now!)... And it'll definitely work... Sleep's swear!

Twistori... A new twist to an old story

Guess what I found while surfing! It’s the most interesting thing I discovered today.

It’s Twistori – an innovation from the makers of Twitter, inspired by wefeelfine.

It finds Twitter feeds that include the following words: love, hate, think, believe, feel and wish.

You simply have to click on any of the above words on the left-hand side and watch text stream up. But, the right way to have fun reading these texts is by clicking rapidly on random words one after another.

You can see some brilliant creations taking place by combining two distinctly different thoughts together. Who knows, it might help you to prompt your imagination and come up with an amazing piece of writing!

Take a look at some random texts I found on Twistori. Read it as a whole paragraph. I am sure you’ll enjoy this.

I love to fight with my mom… yay!
I hate being a guest at someone’s house whilst ill.
I think I have pimples on my back.
I believe being silent this week will fix it.
I feel like garbage today.
I wish Mondays were Friday.


Isn't it interesting, guys?
Check out Twistori, play with words and let your creativity fly! :)

When unanswered questions get answered unexpectedly...

Have you ever had this feeling of Déjà vu? Have you ever spent the whole night thinking of some random questions and the very next day somebody comes only to give you the solutions for all of them?
Last night I just penned down some random thoughts, some inmost feelings, some unasked questions and unflustered emotions.
I felt better as I blurting the bottled up emotions. The chapter ended then and there.
Next day, after a pretty long day, I witnessed a conversation between two of my office colleagues on a particular topic. It lasted for an hour or so but, to my surprise, at the end of this heated debate, I got answers for all the queries I scribbled about last night.

This is what I penned down last night.


“How many times in life do we use defense mechanism?

Denial, Refusal, Repression, Regression, Projection, Rationalization, Displacement, I read all these words a thousand times in Lahey - my big bible for Psychology during my college years. Psychology was always the most interesting (and entertaining) subject for me. I have studied all the Defense mechanisms so well that my friends used to ask me to help them in the subject. Of course, I always scored highest in Psychology.

But, now when I look back and discern, I find myself falling short to cope with daily life problems and playing at least one mechanism at a time (sometimes even two), hundred times a day.

It is so human to apply Defense mechanism to lead a psychologically and socially normal life. But, sometimes it really concerns me. Are these Defense mechanisms always helpful? Do they really defend our psyche against the tensions and anxieties? For instance, I love eating chocolates (just like any other girl) and I find nothing bad in it until somebody says that “Eating chocolates is a symptom of high-depression.” Then and there I decide to cut down on chocolates. But up till now I am confused whether I am/was really depressed or it’s just a mind-game that the guy played on me that day.

As a matter of fact, I feel that these defense mechanisms defend our weaknesses. They pamper our Achilles' heel and make it grow bigger, stronger and deadlier. They sometimes bottle up our emotions while, sometimes let it run away by the back-door.

But beware! The more we bottle up our emotions, the more likely it is that they’ll explode like a volcano. Similarly, after venting out all our feelings in a wrong direction of course, we’ll feel hollow at heart. So, it depends upon every individual which way to choose and how to lead this precious life.

But… but… but! I wonder why my mind and heart always contradict each other. Despite of knowing the fact that severe maneuvering of defense mechanisms is highly detrimental for a sound psyche, I often do the same mistake time and again. I always try not to use Defense mechanisms but I end up using it. It’s just like asking a chain smoker to stop smoking or asking a drug addict to stop doping.”


I won’t write much about the discussion between my colleagues but, would definitely like to thank them both. They don’t know how much relieved I am feeling after listening to their conversation. Thanks guys!

The Butterfly

The Butterfly - One of the thought provoking stories from “Chicken Soup for the Indian Soul”. Probably the shortest story in the book… putting a very nice thought across.

A man found a cocoon. One day a small opening appeared; he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and go no farther. So the man decided to help the butterfly.

He took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bits of the cocoon. The butterfly could now emerge from the cocoon easily. But something was odd. The butterfly had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly, because he expected that at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened. In fact the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings. It was never able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand, was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the small opening of the cocoon are nature’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it is ready for flight as soon as it emerges from its cocoon. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If nature allowed us to go through all our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been. Not only that, we could never fly.

-Author Unknown

Indigo Consulting wins Web Award for Asian Paints website

A heart Congratulations for all Indigoiets!

Indigo Consulting wins a Web Award for outstanding achievement in website development in the Consumer Goods Standard of Excellence category for it's Asian Paints website - www.asianpaints.com.

The Web Awards are presented by the Web Marketing Association, an independent volunteer organisation founded in 1997, which also presents the Internet Advertising Competition Awards.

All the websites are judged in 96 categories, including insurance, B2B, fashion and games. Winners are selected on the basis of:
1. design
2. innovation
3. content
4. technology
5. interactivity
6. copywriting
7. ease of use

Getting judged by International jury and getting such a wonderful award is an achievement in itself... and Indigo has once again proved itself as a Real Achiever!

Kudos guys!
:)
Congratulations once again!

Few moments of sharing and caring...

I was about to step out of my office and my phone bell rang. A smiling face flashed onto the screen. (Thanks to my new phone. Now I can set pictures of my near and dear ones to their contact numbers.)
“Hello”
“Hi. How are you?”
Alarm bells started to ring when I heard her saying “Where are you?” She always asks me this question whenever she suspects me. What did I do now? I took a deep breath and answered, “At office! What about you?”
“I am reaching Lower Parel. Let’s meet up.” I took a sigh of relief and answered back in a flash, “Yes, Why not. I am coming right away.”

I met her at Lower Parel bus stop. She was as beautiful and pleasant as she was looking in her user image flashing on my phone. We smiled at each other and exchanged hellos. She said she had to rush home as early as possible. So, we decided to have some snacks on the way. As a matter of fact, I was not hungry at all but a paanipuri thela at roadside made me change my mind. We hogged down two plates of chatpati puris and gulped in plateful of spicy water. Her watery red eyes refreshed my memories of good old days. We used to have paanipuris without rhyme or reason. I still remember that regular Medium Paanipuri with hot ragda. Occasionally we used to ask for moong instead of ragda. Mmmmm….Yummy! Those were the days man!

“Will you have some more? I want a sandwich now!” Her words brought me back to the present. Sandwiches were one of her weak points and she desperately wanted to have one now. Walkers and hawkers were crowded that narrow lane. We were searching for a sandwich stall, but it was no good!
Finally we landed up in one of those average-looking hotels of Lower Parel. (I would rate such hotels 1/5 for ambience, food, variety, etc., etc. but, 5/5 for quick service. Remember she was getting late. So, it was the best option for us for a time-being)
We had a good chat over a sandwich and a cup of tea. We chitchatted for a while. I shared my future plans with her. It was hard to talk between munches on the sandwich. But I was so excited to tell her everything that I nearly foamed at the mouth while discussing my dreams with her. She really encouraged me and said that she’ll help me get what I want.
I gobbled in a last piece of sandwich lying in her plate and only then did we realize that its time to depart. As I was sipping my tea, she asked me to keep the last sip for her. I smiled and passed it on to her. Casually she drank rest of the drink while I was looking at her and thinking no matter how far we are, we still share a lot with each other… we still care a lot for each other!

Welcoming the Magician

I stepped out of my office. It was just an ordinary night. Dark streets were glistening as it was drizzling nonstop that day. I slipped on my rain jacket and made myself ready to roll.
Raindrops started thumping my forehead and slid to the tip of my Nubian nose. So, I covered my head in the hood of my jacket. I didn’t want to fall sick again. (Just recovered from viral infection)
However, I preferred walking over traveling by jam-packed bus, especially when it was raining so gently.
I reached half the way and thought of taking a short cut from one of those Lalbaug lanes to my home. My steps turned towards the lane, mind flooded with several random thoughts, head bent down to save myself from the uninterrupted attack of droplets.
And only then did I notice something different! There was something new in that street. The pave blocks. The red blocks seemed to be fixed recently. I looked around and the freshness in the air took me by surprise.
Everything around me looked so fresh! The shops turned bright and colourful. There were garlands, both natural and artificial, heaps of gulaal, kumkum and haldi, a variety of bright bulbs, flashy lights, and loads of other pious articles. The air was filled with the fragrance of essence sticks and sweets made from pure ghee.
People were buying stuffs in lots. Huge shopping bags often banged on the passersby and pedestrians often stamped on each others feet. But, nobody complained or gave dirty looks to each other. Shopkeepers, hawkers, buyers and the kids accompanying their parents, all were in high spirits. The smiles on their faces reflected the euphoria in their hearts.
And then I realized that the magic of festivity and celebration had cast its spell on all of them. And the spellbound city is now all set to welcome the magician himself!

After listening to Jealous Guy...

I was dreaming of the past.
And my heart was beating fast,
I began to lose control,
I began to lose control,

I didn't mean to hurt you,
I'm sorry that I made you sniffle,
I didn't want to hurt you,
I'm just a selfish girl,

I was feeling insecure,
You might not love me any more,

I was shivering inside,
I was shivering inside,

I was avoiding to catch your eye,
Thought that you were trying to spy,
I am swallowing my pain,
I am swallowing my pain.

Monday Mornings...

My Monday mornings will now have a much better start. After a long dreary week and a lazy weekend, it’s hard to start a new week with the same zeal and zest. But from now on, this boring routine won’t continue. My days won’t start the same way; neither will they end the same way.
My brand new week will now have a brand new start!
I am fed up of spending gloomy nights hiding myself under cushion and crying for no reason.
But enough is enough!
Now I want to open the windows and let the sunshine and fresh air come in. I want to get out of this dark room, explore my new world, and live life in its true sense.
No more red eyes, no more sulky face, no more fake smiles hiding the pain.
I’ll start my life afresh…just like the Monday morning!

A promise to keep...

They say, if you put off what needs doing today, the mind doesn't rest until it’s done. Hence today, I am taking one big decision. It might seem very disappointing today, but it will reap better fruits tomorrow. I trust my decision and I will abide by my decision till death.

Not so happy birthday to me....

Its 11:25 pm.
Sharp thirty-five minutes to go. From 12 o’clock sharp, my phone will start ringing and message box will get full with birthday messages.
Tomorrow is my 21st birthday. 21st birthday is considered as one of the most important birthdays in one’s life. It is a legal drinking age in U.S. Big deal for a non drinker like me!
In fact, I don’t think celebrating birthday is really that important.
Yes, I used to celebrate it till date. Probably, I would continue celebrating it in future. But not this time!
This birthday, I am not in a celebration mood at all! I am wondering why I should celebrate when nothing around me is going well.
1.My Sveetu is not there with me this birthday! :’(
2.My best friend has some professional commitments and couldn’t make it for my birthday.
3.A person, whose company is making me feel better these days, is not in town.
4.I haven’t achieved anything great since my last birthday.
5.I failed to follow few resolutions
6.Haven’t completed my Reiki course
7.Neither joined Kathak nor Jazz classes
8.Have hurt many hearts
9.At times, have hurt my parents as well
10.Broke few promises
11.Betrayed God
12.Betrayed myself
13.Betrayed life
(Just noticed, the number sums up to 13... a number for misfortune, a number for adversity. And I really don’t want to celebrate the adversity!)

Happy Independence Day!!!

Entire country is celebrating 61 years of Indian Independence in its own way!
Wishing all you Indians across the globe a very happy independence day!
I just came across this blog while searching for some interesting features on Indian Independence.
This blogger has posted some beautiful pictures reflecting the true spirit of Indian patriotism on his blog. He has his own group at www.Flick.com, which allows people to share their images. Some of those have really touched my heart.
Take a look:





Here are some more I found on some other sites (mostly on Flickr). See how small things are replicating the Indianness:









Once again wishing you all Indians, A VERY HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!

On different parts of the same planet...

Your journey has just begun.
Soothing breeze is touching your stubbled face. Raindrops are trying to enter through the windowpane, to compete the breeze by touching your soft lips.
Moon is waiting for you to go fast asleep. He is going to meet you in your dream and tell you that somebody is missing you!
Am I right? Or it’s just my imagination?
Are you finding your seat comfortable? Is that pot bellied old man, next to you, trying to seize more than half part of your seat and making your journey more painful? Is engine’s loud sound not letting you sleep peacefully? Is the bumpy road hurting your impaired back?
Are you trying to reach me? Is your phone’s battery low or is there a network problem? Are you getting annoyed by that?
Are you missing me the same way I am missing you or, you missing me more than I do?
Are you listening to me? Or are you thinking what I am doing at this hour of night?

We are on different parts of this planet but still are together...

English pronunciation

A beautiful poetry sent by a friend...
Its long but its worth investing the time.

Read it

English Pronounciation
Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.

Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it's written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.

Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.

Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation's OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sleeve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.

Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.

Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.

Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.

Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.

Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.

Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.

Pronunciation -- think of Psyche!
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won't it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It's a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.

Finally, which rhymes with enough --
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?

Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!

Life in a Metro

Everyday I leave office, take out my phone and dial some random number from recently dialed contacts. I love to talk with my friends (My friends are my treasure!). I don’t feel guilty for talking for hours, spending a handsome amount on my phone bills. Because I know, I don’t spend money like water in all those silly-girly-things like lip-glosses or dresses with exorbitant prices. (Causeway or Linking Road are indeed some smart shopping options for me!)
But today was a different day!
I called Madhav, he was busy with his shoot as usual. Since he joined this new office, I found that he calls me very rarely. No problem! I can understand. Same thing happened with me... new office, new place, lots of new things to learn! I won’t complain, because it’s very human! The second number in the list was of course Rohit’s. Rohit, my bessssst friend. He was there for me every time I needed a friend to share every little secret, a shoulder to rely upon and cry my heart out!
“Hi, wazup?”
“Nothing much! You say. Left office?
“Yeah... Ok tell me... where are you?”
“At home!”
“Can we meet?”
“Now? Ok! But where?”
“Phoenix? That’ll be better for me to reach home in time”
“Umm... can you come to Dadar? We can have a good time at CCD!”
“Ok! I’ll catch a cab then! See you in next 10 minutes”
After sharing goodbyes, I started heading towards Dadar, trying to catch a cab.
One, Two, Three... Five! I hailed for the sixth one.
“Dadar?”
He gave some excuses and told that he’s heading towards Lower Parel station and that he can drop me till there.
I grudgingly got into the vehicle, rolling towards Lower Parel station.
Bumper to bumper traffic and its constant honking were maddening me.
I called Rohit and asked him whether he could come to Parel. He was not refusing the idea. But the tone of his voice made me comprehend that he’s not willing to come all the way to Parel.
I did nothing but disconnected the phone.
Rage, disappointment, Despondency... all the off-putting feelings were swarming.
I was on the bus stop. Trying to sink in what I went through few moments back. I realised that I behaved very standoffishly by disconnecting the call. But, that outburst was spurred by disappointment, not rage.
And this is when I realised for the first time, how lonely I was... how aloof I am... forlorn from the world and its earthly feelings of care and concern!
“Last stop!” The conductor almost roared. I, very mechanically got down of the bus and found myself humming a beautiful song from Life in a Metro.. “Rishtey to nahi Rishto ki Parchaayiaan miley...”

My Cell Tale

Yippppyyyy… Finally, I got a new phone!
After those long queues at Sidhivinayak temple and those beseeching prayers to the Lord almighty, I got my new phone!
Ok, Ok! I know you all are smart enough to make out that I am exaggerating! But my glee for having a new cell is not at all phony!
For a year or so I was using the most archaic phone in town. I used to curse my phone for its autonomous and self-directed behaviour. The line used to get disconnected in the midst of a hot and happening chat with a friend. It embarrassed me more when I used to talk with somebody very important like my professors or people whom I want to fix an appointment with for my projects. I used to scream vulnerably “Can you hear me?” But the person at the other end used to disconnect the line helplessly. (What else a poor fellow will do?)
My friends used to scoff at me and pity that silly device. They used to suggest, “Hey, why don’t you get an iron phone. I think that will last longer in your hasty hands!” I used to take it as a joke, but somewhere at the bottom of my heart, I cursed my pathetic phone thousand times more than ever.
Some of them genuinely recommended me to buy a better phone. It was really becoming essential for me. But after damaging the first one and losing another while traveling, the chances of getting a new phone were minimal. It’s not like my parents won’t give me a new phone, but I was feeling very guilty to ask for a new one.
But, now that I am a ‘self dependent girl’, earning my own living (got my first salary a week back!); I decided to get a better phone for me.
After doing a thorough research and interviewing every tech-savvy person I know, I brought this brand new phone, equipped with all the chic features.
Mum and Dad accompanied me for shopping. We all were excited. On the way to the store, they gave me a lot of gyaan. Even I took it very positively and listened to every single advice they gave. On our way back home Dad said, “Now let’s go home and read the help guide cautiously. You have to understand all the features and verify it today itself. If there’s some problem we can ask the store manager to exchange the piece.” I was very glad to see him taking a keen interest in it.
The moment we entered home, I jumped on the sofa and switched on the phone impetuously.
“Hey, watch it! This way you’ll spoil it soon.” Dad’s very first exclamation!
“I won’t Dad! Don’t worry. I’ll take care.”
I spend the whole evening with this new friend of mine. I was very excited to show this new gadget to all my friends. Another comment banged on my ears, “Come on. You haven’t even freshened up. Keep that phone aside and do some work.”
I tried to pretend as if I am listening to what he is saying but, his words fell on my deaf ears. I was getting irritated by his continuous jabbering.
I was finding out a way to vent out the anger. And there I heard my mum saying, “Hey, dinner is ready. Keep that phone aside. You are going to spoil it soon!” And there I lost my head! And the bomb directly exploded on poor mom!
That sudden out-burst of my anger was unexpected for both of them but, it instantly made the room sound vacuum.
The night passed but the euphoria was still on. I started my day listening to a sweet sound of my cell’s inbuilt alarm clock. The very thought that I am going to flaunt my new cell in front of my colleagues made me feel exciting!
I hurried as I was getting late for my office. I picked up my bag, my lunch box, and other stuff… and yes my lovely phone!
“Bye Dad! I am leaving.” Trying to handle all my belongings, as I stepped out of my house, my cell started ringing. I was struggling to take it out from the pouch hurriedly but the very next moment it stopped ringing as it fell straight on the ground!
And Dad’s good words superseded the tone and kept ringing in my ears!

Life is so unpredictable...

Life is so unpredictable. Every new page leads to a different story.

Holding a hot cup of tea with spoonful of added sugar (just the way I like); I often spend hours reviewing the old days. Memories, both happy and sad, run in front of my eyes like a slideshow.

What we want is not always what we gain, and the interesting part is that we don’t even bother about those missed out things. We stay happy with a pinch of joy and a handful of sorrows served on our platter.

RAT RACE
Another day is wasted…
Another moment gone.
Idle we sit
And million rats are born!

They run for the cheese.
They run for the bread.
They roam around in filth.
Ah! The boundless busy trade…

Nobody of them know
Where the cheese is.
But nobody is fed up
of daily maze or quizzies.

Instead they wander
with zeal and zest
Until they get a crumb,
No time to rest.

Though the day gets wasted
Their body exhausted
They yet feel enchanted
By just thinking about their cheese.

Another day starts
Another race begins
Yet we sit idol
And million rats win!

SYMPATHY

SYMPATHY

“Why is it so that they don’t care about us?
Why is it so that they don’t love us?
We are also having a heart,
Just like they have.
We are also having a pain,
More acute and more grave.

Then why do they do like this?
Don’t we have the right of eternal bliss?
Have we done what is a so called crime?
Just Sympathy is our necessity,
Basic and prime!

Ah! What a courageous heart they have got,
To humiliate us and to boycott.”

This is what a disabled child feels,
He begs to you for Sympathy on his kneels!!!