Dil toh Bachha hai Ji...

Being dead to the world in the dead of night, waking up behind schedule and then chasing possibly everything- from a quick repast to a rapidly budging bus! Our lives have slashed to a mere rat-chase, mundane and monotonous. As a consequence, we end up pricking every single bubble of life that ever dared to glide. Amidst the hustle and bustle of one such day, I hurried towards my classroom at the eleventh-hour clutching my cellular phone, my chum. Both, anxious and afraid of being chucked out, I took a final sigh and as I was about to enter the alcove, my chum gasped for life and started vibrating. The screen flashed “Sanskrit Sir Calling…” and all my apprehension vanished in a jiffy. It suddenly clicked, “It’s Children’s Day TODAY!”

I was allowed an entry, despite being late. In my mind’s eye, I suddenly saw myself kneeling down right at the door and holding my ears for being late to the class, clad in a school uniform, my dear uniform!  The mind-numbing lecture “lulled me to sleep and sleep prolonged my dreams!” (S.T. Coleridge) This was yet another day in college. I wondered how those young lads in my school would be having the time of their life. We would all attire ourselves in blue and rush toward school, overjoyed. Apart from my birthday, this was the day I eagerly looked forward to, every single year of my childhood and now here I am, maturing with wisdom and sensibleness, with no one to celebrate the innocence I once held and perhaps traces of which still remain, not a single soul to give me a Bensia pencil of my favorite color or simply hug me with utmost affection, just to make me feel special.

Yes, I am an adult now. And alas, they don’t find us worthy enough to declare a day for us! Tapped in a cycle of materialisms, we lose out on our innocence each and every minute of our lives. But no wonder, I still crave for “Buddhi ka Baal”. Yes, I am eighteen and in spite of that, I run after balloons and carry an I-have-got-the-world expression after possessing it. At times, I circle around my Mommy and coil the pallav of her saree too. I may not jump and clap at fireworks but gazing above still makes me happy. And for all that I was and for all that remains, I, like everyone else out there, deserve to make merry on this day. After all, Dil to Bachha hai Ji..!! . ;)

PS- This write-up comes out of a frustrated mind because nobody (except the teacher I mentioned above) wished me, not even my parents, until it was dusk and I took the liberty of calling 'em up myself to "vehemently grab" greetings from them!! ;) 

A Letter to Nelly Furtado…

Dear Nelly,

When despair envelops my mind, my spirits crash and the color of my face turns blue (from red), I take refuge under your song “All Good Things Come to an End”. Without a slightest doubt, your song is beautiful. But unfortunately, since June 2006, it has been misinterpreted my millions. Until this time, I belonged to that set too. All this while, my gloomy thoughts and your libretto were in complete harmony. Akin you, I monotonously wondered, “Why do all good things come to an end?” By no means did I endeavor to hunt for an answer and thus, I kept on sinking deeper and deeper inside a bottomless pit. A short time ago, however, I accidentally stumbled on a way out to your speculations. And now I finally have an answer to your million dollar question (that literally paid you well, a million dollars!) Here it goes...

To cut a long story short, all the good things in the world come to an end simply to make room for the better ones, my dear. As simple as that! You see, I recently read a book by Dr. Spencer Johnson called “Who Moved My Cheese?” In case you haven’t read this already, I’d suggest you to glance at it. The book highlights the importance of adapting oneself to ceaseless changes; the sooner the better. For when a chunk of your favorite “cheese” turns mossy or has been “removed”, you can always look out for a “new cheese” that outshines the former “cheese”. Using cheese as a metaphor for one’s desires, job, relationship, etc, Dr. Johnson delivers a simple yet profound message. Going by the same logic, when a good thing comes to an end, sooner or later, a better one always comes into sight. And the best part is, the best ones never end!

Here’s an instance to support my argument- I know of a friend who loved this guy madly that dumped her after 2 years of relationship. She lost all her hopes and kept wondering for about a year and a half “why did this happen to her?” Few years later, she met another guy who could finally teach her to love again and now she feels thankful that she underwent such a terrible heartbreak then only to meet a guy who truly respects her feelings. So, a good thing came to an end and a better one became apparent. I am also aware of a kind of love which is “the best of all” and so will never end. It’s the love that I am blessed to receive from my parents. Come what may, it will never end. I can bet your entire million dollars on it!

Nelly, I do not intend to criticize the lyrics of your song. It conveys optimism but indirectly and thus, people with brains often fail to notice the latent and the obvious. I merely aim at sharing this little message with you and any one who reads this letter. I hope that people like you and I, instead of retreating from a dark tunnel, will try to perceive the luminosity that lies at the end of it and move ahead.

Kind Regards,

A Newly Enlightened Soul.

A heartbreaking musing.

Remember those times when you met someone and you guys just hit it off? That person made you laugh so hard that you assumed he/she would always be there to do so- in your good times and in your bad ones. No matter what, he/she would always cheer you up. It seemed impossible to even imagine that he/she would ever bring tears of sorrow in your eyes. All he would ever do is bring tears out of endless laughter. Well, some of us are lucky enough to have that person in our lives for ever. And some others, like me, are not. Amongst these ‘others’ too, there are three categories of people. The first one consists of people who lose that someone because of their mistake(s). Then there are people whom someone loses because of his/her own mistake(s). And finally, there are some who just keep wondering “what went wrong?”. I fall in the third category and believe me, it’s the worst of all. Although you are to lose the person in all the three cases, in the former two, you are at least aware of the reason for the same. The last one, on the contrary, gives you an additional matter to ponder upon, as if you didn’t have enough already! Thus, it keeps on reminding you things that you least want to.

Indubitably, you can always hunt for the latent will power inside you to drive off your emotions and be a little stern towards the same, especially, when your sentiments do not concern them. But my dilemma is, what should be done to the stuff they gave you, both abstract and in kind? The most terrible yet wonderful gift from someone is ‘memories’. You cherish them until things go well. But when they don’t work out and the ‘triple bond’ you once shared now stands broken then those memories begin to haunt you instead. I simply awe at my memory when it comes to matters that are worth forgetting. At other times, like examinations, it makes me feel awful! Moving on to materialistic things, should one throw them away, burn them down, give them back to the person they came from, preserve them or the most difficult, preserve as well as use them?? [ P.S. I am not talking w.r.t. an ‘after break-up’ scenario.] 

I too have presents from some people who were once not unknown to me like t-shirts ,a mug, show-pieces, cards etc. I am ‘brave’ enough to use the mug and preserve the rest  (or fool enough, I really have no idea). I have only one reason behind my action- These gifts were given to me with a heart that once contained only love for me and at a time when everything was perfect. No doubt, it still hurts me because every time I see or use those, I am reminded of them and probably, I won’t be able to forget them ever (bloody memory!) But despite my logic, my question still remains unanswered; When people walk out of your lives, what should you do with the ‘stuff’ they leave behind??

A way out of this maze is welcomed…

Stay Noble, Stay Blessed!

There is always at least one harsh critique associated with every concept. Never, can one find a universal acceptance of a particular issue. Even I have come up with an argument against the celebration of certain festivals in India. These include, Holi, Dussehra, Diwali and to some extent, Christmas. But basically it’s the way Diwali is celebrated or more appropriately, the way it is supposed to be “celebrated” that lays down the foundation of my following contentions.

Apart from being a fiesta of lights and joy (which almost every festival claims to spread in our lives), Diwali is also considered as one of the most apt time for family re-unions (at least this is the notion that I have been brought up with). To some extent, I agree. But most of the academic institutions and workplaces reject “The Re-union Theory” .  All they offer is a one-day holiday and hence, Har Diwali wo kisi ko khush nahi karte! My dad’s application for leave was firmly rejected and we, here in MH, shall be granted only one official holiday. Eventually one finds oneself trapped in a state of a terrible dilemma where one has to choose between one’s work and family. The festival of Diwali turns more or less into “shaadi ke laddoo” since, if you prefer work over your family, you miss family (because you are supposed to!) and if your family becomes a priority then you keep on thinking about your work (because you have to!) So, either ways, you turn out to be at a loss which is dire enough to reduce your efficiency as well as your stability.

Now let me pose the million dollar question- Does the gist of a festival remain alive only when we make merry with our family members? Well, my brother has been living abroad for over two years now and he hasn’t shown up in any of these festivals. He must be missing us all on these occasions; perhaps, he’s even used to them by now. But does he really find himself in a depressed state of mind? I am sure he doesn’t (as far as I know him). He acquires peace as long as his purpose of existence is served. For him, his work fetches him happiness, colors, light and all those stuff that these festivals assert to bring in our lives (or at least we expect them to!) There are millions like him on this planet and they do manage to manage themselves. Amidst the diversities of these gala event lies a common message- “Stay noble, stay blessed” This is my personal interpretation and as stated at the beginning of this article, is subjected to criticism! I say so because if we look closely at the history of the origin of these celebrations, we essentially find that the uprights triumph! Never would have Shri Ram thought that while people celebrate his victory all over the country, few houses would be covered under darkness and few juvenile eyes would be filled with tears because they DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH RICHES TO MATERIALIZE THE FESTIVAL! Enlightening your mind, your thoughts is way more essential than lightening your house.

This is gonna be the first time when I would be spending Diwali without my family and friends i.e. alone and I am not at all used to it. Guess, this is why I have come up with a different theory of my own. Perhaps, I needed to convince myself way more than others that I am certainly not at a loss if I choose work over spending the day with my family and won’t be tuning into “Here I feel so loooooonely” or “Lonely, I am Mr. Lonely” to aggravate my pain, if any! (Really man, some songs can turn you into a weeping fountain even if you don’t want to!) You may undergo a similar situation now or in the years to come. And when you do feel terrible about the thought of being alone on such an occasion, just remember two things…

1. Smile...because you should!
2. Stay noble, stay blessed!

IRONICALLY, these two articles on my blog may help you discover your latent righteousness. (Do not kill me if they don’t!)Moreover, a more promising idea is to furnish another concept of your own that satisfies at least one person in the world-YOU! This is applicable to almost every issue but make sure you are totally and virtuously assured by it and no other argument can change your mind. Live life not on the terms set by society but on your own stipulations. Stay noble, stay blessed!

10 Things you should NOT do when angry.

Albert Einstein said, "Anger dwells only in the bosom of fools." Well if that's the case, then the World is brimming with nincompoops! The internet is flooded with anger management tips. At times, I can get really cranky and in view of the fact that I am a terrible anger manager, such words of wisdom have no effect on me. For those of you falling in my category of people, I cannot suggest ways to control your fury but from my experience (and few others'), I can suggest few things that you should NEVER do when cross.

1.      Keep your mouth shut-  The more you speak in resentment, the more you tend to screw things up. Remember, the one who is wrong will speak the most and the worst. You need not settle the matter immediately. However, you must do it calmly later.

2.      Never leave a matter unsettled- When we lose our temper, we often come up with arguments that are related to some unresolved incidents that happened in the past. This struggle for proving oneself right simply makes the situation worse. Sorting out grudges is important provided the matter is big enough to be termed a 'grudge'. Learn to avoid little things (Nobody is perfect, not even you!) 

3.      Avoid mental abuses- Avoid abusing even in your thoughts. If you can think it, sooner or later, you can spill it out too! 

4.      Never stand in the vicinity of expensive and breakable stuff- This is the most important point and requires great care. Avoid holding cell phones, i-pods, tabs, laptops, net-books, etc. in your hands or keeping near your reach when irate. Your vexation may lead to a heavy financial loss apart from other repercussions.

5.      Avoid telephonic conversation- Eyeball to eyeball confrontation requires guts. Also, when speaking over phone, you cannot make out the tone of the person you are talking to accurately as you cannot eye his/her facial expressions. Thus, talking over phone often makes circumstances more crappy. 

6.      Never preserve the evidence- James Fallows said, "Always write angry letters to your enemies. Never mail them." Well my piece of advice is to erase any note written in anger, the question of mailing the same does not arise! Expressing your anger in a written form is not a bad idea but securing the same is insane. You never know when things begin to work out between you and the person concerned and in such a situation, the piece of crap that you wrote will simply reduce everything to rubble.

7.      Never stay alone- Avoid being a loner especially when you are heated. Talk to a friend, family member or even a stranger and express your emotions. If you feel like crying, cry!  Remember, nobody is MARD enough to lack any emotion. Moreover, this will help you avoid depending on drugs, cigarettes or alcohol.

8.      Never rely on drugs, cigarettes and alcohol- This is mainly an extension of the above point. If you have been drinking or smoking before now, it’s fine (by me; certainly, not good for your health though) But things go wrong when you START smoking/ drinking/ taking drugs because things slip out of your hand (including your anger.) It’s like investing on a scheme that gives satisfactory returns in the short-term ONLY.

9.      Never switch off your cell phone-  You may not wish to talk to anybody when you are fuming but others might try to contact you. And who knows, they may have something really good to share or something that requires your immediate attention and what not! A great personality has said(I don’t really know who; It’s a dialogue from some movie that my Dad passed on to me),”Jab insaan ka waqt kharab hota hai na, toh wo uut par bhi baitha ho toh bhi use kutta kaat leta hai” This argument may not be totally convincing but the heart of the matter is, you should not switch off your cell phone.

10.  Never become a slave of Pessimism- Never compare a present situation with an incident that took place in the past or assume anything for the future. Two state of affairs can be similar but not identical. So, be optimistic and just believe!

Everybody, at some point of time, feels that he cannot take it anymore. At this moment, anger is obvious as well as genuine. Anger is considered ‘bad’ because in 97% of the cases, it’s employed unconstructively. In my opinion, it’s not so unscrupulous if we focus on its productive maneuver. For instance, kick-boxing, gym, running, shooting and lots of others activities can make use of anger in an affirmative manner. Anger results in passion and once you get obsessed with something, nothing can stop you. Obsession, again, some may say, conveys a negative spirit. However, I would still say that it depends upon the way you bring it into play.

There's a simple rule that I follow in this regard. If the magnitude of the matter that makes you cranky is greater than the relationship you share with a person then let your anger out. On the contrary, if the issue is not big enough then do not let it overcome your bond with the person.

This article was basically an effort to share few details that you perhaps already know! I may have missed out on many more points. If you can come up with some more points, do share...

A wish come true...

Have you ever experienced a “wish-come-true” kind of a situation? As in, you spill some clauses of random thoughts out and suddenly, the following course of events seems to happen in sync with your thoughts. Well, it happened to me! I said something on a busy Sunday morning which altered the expected events of the next few weeks totally.

Day 1

On a Monday, one would usually find me wide awake and smiling at 10.30 am for Miss Namrata’s class. However, this was no monotonous Monday. At about this time, I was still in my bed, covered in 3 blankets. I had taken Crocin last night but my body temperature, instead of falling, had risen to 101F. I could not dare get off my bed as my roommate was still around. She could be a terror, you know! By evening, I had already consumed an antibiotic and a paracetamol. Still, no effect.

Day 2

My body temperature showed an increment of another  1F  today. I stayed back at home again and without anybody’s threats. My lappi and me lay beside each other for the entire day. None of us took advantage of the other! It was a rare event.  I could barely walk. I was too weak to even sit. Usually when I fall ill, I make it a point to share it with others through facebook or tweets. But this time, I received lesser sympathies in view of the fact that I could not perform a publicity stunt online. By 8.00 pm, I was hotter than Angelina Jolie and thus, needed a doctor.

Day 3

Last night, I was declared a victim of throat infection by Dr. G.S. Gupta (NEVER visit this fellow. More on this later). My body had stopped responding to any antibiotics. I was still down with fever, coughing all day long and extremely weak. I was hospitalized at NKS Hospital (NEVER refer to this hospital. More on this later). The blood suckers here took about 15 ml of blood from my body to conduct several tests. I kept praying for anything except Jaundice, Typhoid, Malaria, Dengue and Cholera. Any of these diseases reflects direct negligence of the patient and I did not wish to appear the same. The Einstein-looking fellow, Dr. Gupta diagnosed typhoid and I was treated for the same for the next two days.

I was supposed to travel back to my hometown in a train. But circumstances made me fly down to Bhubaneswar. I was about to travel in a flight for the first time in my life (YES!!) and I didn’t appear to look apt. With my out-of-shape and smelly hair (I had not washed my hair since one week), I looked hideous! Still, the journey was a delight. Wonders of Science! 

My Dad is a man of complete genius. I have never seen a man so prompt and so accurate. When I reached home, I was taken for a blood test again. And guess what, the reports were negative! All this time, I had been given injections and oral medications for Typhoid while I had nothing! Those blood suckers at NKS Hospital extracted 16,000 bucks (expenses on medicines additional) from me for absolutely nothing. I was their bakra and they had been making money out of me. Dr. Gupta, who is not at all worthy of being called a Doctor, threatened me that I would not get well if I take discharge from that  goddamn hospital.

Few years back, someone told me, “Har 24 ghante me 1 baar Maa Saraswati hamari vaani par viraajmaan hoti hain.” (Once in every 24 hours, Goddess Saraswati resides rests on our speech.) That is, on such an occasion, our mere words turn into a reality, irrespective of their positive or negative nature. A similar thing might have happened when I uttered these words on that Sunday morning, “It’s been a long time since I have been to a hospital.”

Smile... because you should!

Few days back I was sitting with my friends in the college canteen when a ‘special’ girl came by.

“Hi, Himanshi.” She said.

“Hi. How are you?” said my friend, Himanshi.

“I am very happy today”, said the girl.

“Why?” asked Himanshi.

“Because I should be!” , said the extraordinary girl with a smile as bright as the rays of the sun falling on an ice-covered land. 

I consider her unique because of two reasons. The first one is that she’s slightly atypical. Despite that, she taught us all a wonderful lesson of life and that’s my second reason for calling her ‘special’.  She was happy because she should be and didn’t need any reason to keep herself smiling.  How often do we think of our lives in such a way? We always tend to seek happiness in almost anything and everything. And if, by chance, we miss out on something, we tend to forget everything else that we already have as well. I have seen so many people (including me) getting frustrated when they don’t get their appropriate size of a pair of shoes or their desired color of a particular brand of nail paint. Out of sheer depression, these tragedy Queens and Kings of all time eventually start cursing their fate and then begins their melodrama in both

 Bollywood ishhtyle…!!

Aisa mere saath hi kyun hota hai..?? :’(

Bhagwan mujhe kis paap ki sazaa de raha hai..???

Shayad ye chappal mere naseeb me nahi… :’(

Is se toh achha hota ke main paida hi nahi hui hoti/ hua hota..!!

And the modern hollywood style…

Shit man!

Oh Crap!

F*** man!

They even start questioning the existence of God (Now this is too much!) I am sure all of us have had the experience of delivering at least one of these monologues in a similar situation (and believe me, even Rakhi Sawant doesn’t match up to our brilliant acting skills!). But not once, have we cared to think about those people who don’t even have their feet to put on shoes or those suffering from starvation or a dreadful disease like polio or leprosy that doesn’t leave any room for nail paints in their lives. The little heartbreaks that we undergo in our daily lives are nothing as compared to the catastrophic lives of such people.

Unfortunately, even I belong to the category of mournful tragedy queens.  And since I do not practise it, probably, I do not have the right to preach the same. But there’s one thing that I certainly believe in- Life is beautiful and in fact, its beauty knows no bounds. And given that, life undoubtedly deserves reverence. Each life touches many other lives in plethora of  ways and every life does make a difference. However, an affirmative association requires an optimistic approach too.

Your silence pinches, smile spreads smiles

May it be for ever, flourishing to miles…

Ever since I heard these lines ( Courtesy, Mr. Sribatsa Mishra), I haven’t been able to take them out of my mind and I guess, I never will. Even though they weren’t composed for me, I strongly feel they are meant for me and everyone else on this earth. A smile is, unquestionably, the most unadulterated use of one’s lips ;) And there’s no harm in carrying out a sanctimonious undertaking. Hence, Smile and be happy…because you should!