You :)

A grasp of your fingers makes us glad..
It is for real.. We are Mom & Dad!

Hop, skip and jump.. Try your feet..
You dance to your own beat.

Tiny eyes that look into ours...
So much trust and no farce.

A smile which melts our hearts..
Innocent you are, no guile no arts!

Welcome to our world, heart's delight..
One look at you and everything is alright :)

Home..

The house where I grew up.. 
The people whom I laughed with, shared my life..
The school where I went to.. The college where I chilled..
The familiar streets, the road-side food..
The tangy chats, the spicy chutney..
"Bhaiyya.. ek sookha puri!"
The glass of ganne ka juice which energised me, 
The softy ice-cream which mesmerized me..

Amma's lectures and cooking , 
Achan's non-stop worrying..
The table which held my books, 
The shelves which still hold half my library :)
The walls which know of my dreams,
The pillows which know of my tears.
The local trains, which ran my life..
The shopping for trinkets, the price haggling
The battle of wits and strength for..
that very prized.. "hawa wala window seat"

Bombay for me is all this and more.. and it always will be..
Someone rightly said, home is where the heart is..

And a piece of my heart will always stay in Bombay..

Alone..

Darkness envelops me..
Wraps me in its embrace..

I am all alone, how can it be!
I look around, no familiar face..

No comforting touch, no encouraging nod..
Where did everyone vanish, wonder where I am..

And that's life for u, says God..
Wake up and smell the coffee, Ma'am!!

Anything I want..

The sea at my feet..
The wind in my hair..

Laughter in my eyes..
Music in my ears..

I can fly.. I can soar..
I can scream.. I can roar..

I will never say I can't..
I can be anything I want.

Weekend at Wayanad

Lines criss-cross the orange sky..
Like the lines on my palm..
The ones on the sky bring showers anew..
Will the latter disturb my calm..?

The earth lets out a misty breath..
The chill envelops everything in its fold..
The forests inside and outside are dense..
Wonder what secrets they hold!!

Reading..

The moon casts its soft glow..
On the lovely silent night..
The clouds gather, the winds blow..
I feel my worries take flight..

Some comforting.. some inspiring..
The words take me to a world so new..
I live lives many.. in a short while..
As I turn the pages few..

You..

You amaze me..
You stun me..

Such an unassuming look you air..
Capable of making me think why do I dare..

I could look at you all day..
At the end of it, I still pray..

Six yards of bewilderment..
You bewitch me and scare me!

[after a nerve-racking "successful" attempt at wearing a saree]

 

First rains in Kerala

The wind sweeps away..
The coconut trees sway..

Raindrops create music divine..
With weather so fine..

Moments which you shouldn't fetter..
How I wish I could pen this better..

Mausam ye Awesome bada

The Long Wait..

Everyone was out in anticipation. The orange sky was streaked with lightning. The ground was parched and dry. A fierce gust of wind blew the dust and dry leaves in circles. And then it started - the rains.. It started with big drops making the ground smell divinely. The boom of thunder made him shiver. And soon he was completely drenched as was everyone around him. All of them shouted in joy and leapt all over the place. He smiled ruefully, one thing was missing.. Her..

He was with the crowd, but lonely..  He had a smile on his face, but he was sad..

Last year, she had been with him. Playing and jumping about in the rains.. Singing bawdy songs, splashing water on him.. Enjoying the feel of the rains as much as he did. And how pretty she looked.. How could he ever forget that! Those huge eyes of hers looking at him with so much love. How could he not miss her! She wasn't even scared of thunder and lightning. She had once joked – ‘if I kiss you, would you turn into my prince?’ He laughed silently and looked around. Everyone was happy and she would have wanted him to be happy. She had not come back after the deep sleep she went into. He realised he would never be able to forget her. Will she come back? That was a question he didn’t have an answer to..

And then he heard a rustle among the bushes behind him. He turned around. And there she was - Eyes shining, a broad smile plastered on her face and both of them said the same thing - "Croak! Croak! Ribbit! Ribbit"

Happy Monsoon, people!! :)

Last stop

The wind blew my hair all over my face.. It was chilly but pleasant.. The rush of air against my face felt good.. It quickly dried away my tears.. Tears which kept rolling down my cheeks..


Things, places, people pass by so soon in the train.. Its all just a blur.. Like memories.. A dash of colour, a ghost of a smile.. Train travel always made me philosophical.. The travel didn't appeal to me anymore..

The train rumbled on the bridge.. I could see the vast black expanse of the sea below.. There seemed to be no bottom to the blackness.. What would happen if I jumped in..? Would someone hear the quiet splash I would make as I hit the water..? Would I be missed by family and friends..? Would I have left something unfinished..? Have I told people how much they mean to me..?


The bottom-less darkness beckoned me.. It showed me an end to all my worries and problems.. I smiled to myself.. "Aaja gufaaon me aa, aaja gunaah kar le.." was playing in my head, for God alone knows, what reason.. Will my jumping be considered a crime..? Questions again.. The questions in my life never seem to end and the answers to most of them haven't been available.. If I jump, I will not have to think of answers to questions at all.. Wouldn't that be a relief..?


A voice in my ear said.. "Aur ye tha film 'Aks' ka gaana..which was based on the Hollywood movie - Face/Off.. Aap sun rahe hai Morning Masala Mallishka ke sang.. Agla gaana hai film 'Force' ka, jise gaaya hai KK ne.. 'Khwabon khwabon khoye khoye.."


And I opened my eyes.. it was a bright day and I was on my way to work.. The girl sitting in front of me smiled at me and said.. 'Last stop - Thought I should wake you up.'

The Appointment

What would he have to say? Will he be gentle this time? I was apprehensive what the evening was to bring. When I looked at the mirror, I saw a worried face looking back at me, large eyes rimmed with a hint of kaajal - hair tied back in a pony. Tendrils escaped and refused to stay put. I tried to smooth them into obedience, but they were a stubborn lot. It was TIME!! I didn't want to be late today and give him a chance to be displeased.

As I walked down to meet him, my mind wandered to our last 'appointment'. The disappointment in his eyes as he looked into the mirror at me had me on the verge of tears. How could he talk with such scorn.. After 2 years, how could he not see that certain things don't change..

I had reached - I stepped in and our eyes met. He gave me a bright smile and directed me to a chair. How I hoped, he would say something different today! I sat down - he handed me a wrap - removed the clip from my hair and smiled at me in the mirror - "So, what can I do for you, m'am?" - "You suggest, what would suit me" - I waited with bated breath for his reply. Slowly, he shrugged his shoulders - ran fingers through my hair and said "You've got wavy hair - neither straight nor curly - ONLY a Step-cut will suit you!"

And I realised, some things never change.. STEP-CUT it is.. ;)

Zor ka jhatka!!

Surya smiled that beautiful smile of his, which makes me go weak in the knees every single time. His eyes twinkled with mischief and I knew he had something on his mind. Something naughty - Something which would make him smile wider.. Hahaha.. I couldn’t stop laughing at his apparent restlessness.

He caught hold of my hand and took me away from the throng of people. He held on tight as if to assure me that he won’t leave me alone, that he will be there for me..

Suddenly, Sultan materialized out of thin air and ran towards me to attack. He had a two-pronged weapon in his hand. Surya tackled him and tried not to let him get near me. They tumbled on the ground and fists were flying, while I stood in the background like a helpless starlet. Every punch Surya received went right through my heart.

Surya fell on receiving a shove from Sultan – Sultan ran triumphantly and pinched my nose with the clip – I screamed in agony – My valiant Surya got up and hit Sultan where it hurts the most.. and Sultan crumpled down in a heap..

Surya looked at me with joy in his eyes and I picked him up in my arms and we both danced around to the music of “Zor ka jhatka.. haaye zoron se laga!”

P.S. Sultan was still wincing in pain because of the ‘zor ka jhatka’!!

P. P. S. – Surya is a 3-yr old J

Him..

She looked out of the window. It was the day she had been waiting for.

She looked onto the streets. What was keeping Him? Most of the Others had turned up..some last night..some early morning...

She looked out expectantly at the empty patch of road. Oh! Where was He?

She had woken up early, worn her beautiful new saree..

Glass bangles tinkled merrily on both her hands..

The bindi on her forehead twinkled as if winking at someone..

There... now.. she could hear the drums announcing His arrival. Happily, she looked at the procession..the boys beating the drums...in the front.

And...there He was.. sitting grandly, with a beaming smile and the head of an elephant! Yes, the Elephant-God had arrived..Ganpati Bappa Morya! Clad in a red dhoti..with his favourite - the modak held in one hand. One hand holding a conch, one holding the chakra.. and the fourth raised to bless his devotees. The people danced with the joy of his coming...everybody was rejoicing.. be it the 70 yr-old grandpa or his 40 something son.. and joining this melee..was a 2 year old dressed in a dazzling white kurta-pyjama dancing away to glory..He tried hard to follow the steps of the others. He couldn't quite match them but he did what he could by putting up his arms.. shaking his legs.. and jumping up and down. Oblivious to the indulgent grins around him.

The women and the girls made up the party from behind.. distributing prasad to people who came up to ask for Ganesha's blessings..

The procession arrived..and the idol was installed. There would be pujas everyday.

And.. finally Ananth Chaturdashi would arrive. It was the day she dreaded. He would leave that day and wouldn't return for a year! He would go again with the throng of people surrounding him, shouting "Morya..re Bappa Morya re...Ganpati Bappa Morya..Pudchya Varshi Laukar Yaa". The people requesting Him to come back the next year.

She sadly looked away..the happiness she derived from His arrival would always be driven away by the sorrow of His departure.

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”!!!

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.