A dream

This is an attempt at continuing “The library..” – Honest feedback requested.. Should this be continued, rather can this be continued? Suggestions are most welcome.




“Hmmm.. ab mujhe koi.. intezaar kahaan.. na na na naa na.. na na.. kahaan..” – Shreya hummed to herself.. tapping the pen against her lips..

Can this song take her one step closer to her dream? She couldn’t make up her mind. “Wo jo kehte the.. aafshaar kahaan.. AA-F-SHAAR..” The pronunciation will have to be correct; points will be reduced if any mistakes are made. Small things make a BIG difference!! The college exams dates were approaching – the contest dates will be declared in a few days – Dates and deadlines – will the chase ever end?

Shreya wanted to be a singer. No, it wasn’t a childhood dream. No, it wasn’t an inspiration after watching Sonam Kapoor’s cutesy act in Delhi 6. She just felt she could sing – she had no formal training. A case of being the “in-tune” voice in an antakshari. The thought gave her something to dream about, to look forward to. It gave her a goal, which she would pursue till achieved.

She couldn’t ignore the exams. She needed to complete her formal education. They wouldn’t take her dream seriously, if she sidelined college – She was smart enough to realize that. “I will clear all the hurdles” – Shreya thought to herself.. “Now, what’s wrong with this guy?” The guy with a sad expression lurking on his face, a face which was transformed when that smile with a hint of mischief, flashed. Nice hair, impish smile – cute guy! The guy had that unhappy expression on.. Everyone has their share of troubles. Maybe he has had a bad day. Anyway, he seemed to be studying hard, which reminded Shreya .. “EXAMS”!!!

Shock laga.. laga.. Shock laga!!!

Well.. it wasn’t a shock.. but it sure was electric!! I am talking about the atmosphere in the CCI on 13^th March 2010 – the venue and date for the IPL 2010 match between the Mumbai Indians and the Rajasthan Royals. My first stadium experience and boy, did I have a great time!

Enough with the exclamation marks already.. I know.. Hehe.. I couldn’t stop grinning at the end of it.. a Mumbai Indians win – a beautiful century by Yusuf Pathan – a nail-biting finish and my day was made.. Sachin’s early exit made us a little glum – we were hoping for atleast a 50.. Rayadu and Tiwary more than made for it with their gutsy half-centuries. The entire junta was hooting for the local team, except a few who made it a point to dance around when Pathan was on the war-path.

All the guys had a wide grin plastered on their faces – courtesy the RR cheerleaders prancing right in front of us. Finally, the East Stand had its advantages ;)

T-shirts in 2 shades of blue, curly blue hair, balloons and banners in blue – it was blue all the way. Zaheer’s penultimate over had us standing on our seats in eager anticipation. What do I say about Lasith Malinga’s wonderful last over – Chants of “MA-LIN-GA! MA-LIN-GA!” in perfect unison were heard encouraging the curly haired seamer – and he did not disappoint.

Mumbai Indians won by 4 runs – however, measly be the margin, it would be an unforgettable match for me. The crowd, the noise, the energy, the proximity to the action and the exciting finish, all made it a complete package..

P.S. As I finish scribbling this, MI have just won by 98 runs (Woohooo!!!!) over the Delhi Daredevils with a 63 by the Little Maestro, lovely fielding by one sub in the DD team – Yogesh Nagar and smart wicket-keeping by Aditya Tare.

Friends..

Hasn’t the recent fracas between the Sena and SRK taken up enough reams of paper, news reels and web-space? Hasn’t the focus conveniently shifted from more relevant issues?

Anyway, as I wouldn’t like to waste more time on what’s right and what’s wrong? Or what was done for publicity or maybe not. Let me not waste ‘web-space’ on the same topic.

Ever wonder, how you end up being friends with the most unlikely person. No offence to the person, of course, but just that, you wouldn’t have ever thought you would be bosom buddies! There have been friends like that in my life, wherein I have spent 3-4 years with that person being acquaintances, and some common ground throws you together making you the best of friends.

The common ground may be any of the following - the workplace, college, train (!), classes, school and many more. I am back to being ‘more than Orkut/ FB’ friends with my classmates from school, because of a school reunion and am I glad, that happened! Thanks to Ram, of course.. College/ classes buddies tend to stay in contact, considering the fact that you tend to have similar career aspirations. Bitching about the boss, the working conditions, the amount of work, favouritism, the furniture, the Air Conditioner.. the list is endless – wherein you end up finding a patient ear or maybe an impatient tongue.. Now, coming to the train friends – doesn’t the lady who offers you her seat hold a special place? There’s a daily dose of entertainment to be found in the train.. Someone’s birthday gets you a piece of cake (:D) – someone might tell you where you can find the best bags in town!! It’s a veritable (not always) source of information, I tell you – atleast the ladies compartment is.

What I am trying to say is, I am thankful to have all these “kinds” of friends – who make my life, the life it is. Love you all..

The Library

Those eyes..what was it about them?
Ajay could never figure it out.

Her eyes were black, yes black..not the usual brownish-black. Jet black...which could be matched only by the engulfing blackness of the night. Nothing else could describe its intensity better. The black which matched the colour of her hair.

Her hair..pulled back by a simple clip, framing her face. A few short strands which escaped the clip would be brushed off irritatingly by her.

Ajay smiled to himself. Why was he drawn to this girl? He had hardly ever talked to her. She was not very pretty, nor was she very popular. But, he had noticed her on the first day of college. The girl with the big black eyes. Eyes which betrayed every emotion of hers. Eyes which you would love to get lost in. What was happening to him? He had come to the library to study, not to look at girls with pretty eyes. He got back to his books.

"I have had my share of crushes and silly infatuations".. Neha was the love of his life in high school. They were the perfect 'boyfriend-girlfriend'..by all the standards set during school-times - sharing their little secrets and food, holding hands, talking on the phone for hours and watching movies. After a certain point of time, when they grew up, both of them realised they were being immature. After Neha moved to Delhi, they had lost touch with each other.

Ajay realised he was wandering in his thoughts again. He looked at the girl with the black eyes. She was tapping the pen held in her hand, against her lips in thoughtfulness. Seeing her engrossed in her books, he got back to his books and started studying.

The beginning..

The Teacher already knows my name

“Teacher ko mera naam pehle se pata hai!!!!”…

This was supposed to be the coolest retort in school if a kid threatened to complain about you to the Teacher.

It usually started with a fight and then the person who gets hit the worst starts whining… “Main teacher ko tera naam bataunga…"

And if you responded with the statement mentioned earlier…you are bound to get applause from the other kids around you…

Yeah.. I am speaking from personal experience…

Funny.. how the definitions of “cool” keep changing!!

(This is an old post written in 2004 - might as well start with that)