Aurora

She is a dew of the dawn
Who opens the windows of her heart
To soak in the golden rays
She is a precious dew of the dawn

वोह चेहरे पे बिखरी थी जुल्फे

वोह चेहरे पे बिखरी थी जुल्फे

वोह जुल्फे हटाता मयूरपंख

वोह मलमल के जैसा तेरा स्पर्श

वोह सहमी सी सिमटी सी अनबन

वोह  मेहेकती बेहेक्ति हवाएं

वोह ठहरा सा पागल हुआ पल

वोह धीमि सी गीली सी साँसे

वोह आंसू से पलकें थी बोझल

वोह लफ़्ज़ों की मासुम चुप्पी

वोह होटों की हाय थरथराहट

वोह कह के हुई अनकही जो

अनसुनी बन गयी मेरी चाहत

Winners of the Unspent Time Launch Event

"I'm very polite by nature, even the voices in my head let each other finish their sentences." Graham Parke, Unspent Time

I'd originally planned to have a monkey draw two random numbers out of a hat (then use the inverse hexadecimal value - because you cannot trust monkeys, not at the prices I'm willing to pay) but apparently there are laws against monkey labor. There are permits involved. It's a whole thing. So instead I asked a friend to think of two random numbers while dressed in a monkey suit, without telling him what the numbers were for. This seemed sufficiently random to me, although it later occurred to me how worrying it was that my friend would actually do this without ever asking why. There might be a thinly veiled cry for help in there somewhere...

Kindle Fire Winner: Cecilia Huddleston Kindle Touch Winner: Kathy Habel

A big thank you to all the bloggers and readers who supported the Unspent Time launch event (especially those who bought multiple versions of the weird little novels that wrecked a thousand reasonably useful minds.)




Anyway, here's the results, thank you all for joining in, winners will be contacted and forced to accept prizes, let me know if you ever come across bits in the novels you like, stay healthy and sane,




Graham Parke




“We played for about half an hour before I realized we were actually playing two different games. What I’d thought of as ludo was actually a game called gin rummy, and what Warren was playing seemed to be a mixture of craps and table tennis. Once we started playing by one consistent set of rules, though, the fun was really over.” Graham Parke, No Hope for Gomez!

A Story A Day: Day 1

I may or may not post all the stories over here. But, I would love to log a few worth sharing.

Today is the first day of my A Story A Day (ASAD) Project, and so, here’s the first story I came across – New Boy.

This is a story of a young African boy, trying to adjust himself in his new school, with an appalling past from Ireland haunting him all the time.

The conflict that every new child at school goes through is well depicted here. But what truly moved me is the raw innocence by which the little boy juggles between his past and the present.

The film stood as the Best Narrative Short in Tribeca Film Festival 2008, and was nominated for an Oscar.

A new resolution: A story a day

A new resolution in the middle of the year may sound a little odd. But, who wants to stop for a New Year to begin. Now is always the best time to start a good habit, isn’t it?

So, now is the time I am making a new resolution, starting a good habit.

‘A Story A Day’

Be it a short film, a feature, an old classic, a documentary, a short story, poetry, or just a piece of anecdote.

Every day I’ll take some time off from copywriting, presentations, to-do lists, watching silly TV shows and doing humdrums of life, to expose my mind to a story that will tell a tale of the art of storytelling.

Right now, I would not be able to gauge exactly how and in what sense is this good habit going to help me. But one thing is for sure: I’m really going to enjoy it!

A Happy Morning

Photo Courtesy: Urvesh Mehta, another happy heart, enjoying the weather

A ray of sunshine amidst cool breeze,

Running its fingers through my hair with ease.

Swift, serene, soft swirls of air,

And a shiny warmth of love and care.

Ek premal sandhyakaal

सगळीकडे प्रेम बहरलंय,
सगळीकडेच एक आतुर घालमेल,
सगळीकडे भेटीची ओढ,
दोन जीवांचा सगळा खेळ.

कुणी वेळ वाचवतंय फास्ट ट्रेन पकडून,
कुणी धक्के खातंय बसला लटकून,
कुणी कोसतंय सिग्नलच्या  लाल दिव्यांना,
तर कुणी थकलंय त्याची वाट पाहून.

कुठल्या तरी कोपऱ्यात कुणी घट्ट मिठीत लपलंय,
कुठे फुलांच्या गुलदस्त्यापाठी गुलाबी होऊन लाजलय,
कुठे कुणी पाहील म्हणून गर्दीत थोडं बावरलंय,
तर कुठे कुणी गर्दीतही एकमेकांमध्ये हरवलंय.

सगळीकडे प्रेम बहरलंय,
संध्याकाळीही धुकं दाटलय,
गुलाबी थंडीत गुलाबी होऊन,
क्षितिजापर्यंत पसरलंय.