Thanks to Anu for asking me about my b'day plans. That made me remember, in the first place, that my B'day is approaching and just a week away. This being my 25th B'day, I ought to do something about it on my blogland. I wish to plant a few lines (some of my thoughts about turning 25) everyday in a countdown to Sept 28th.
GUZRA HUA WAQT
guzre hue waqt ko sametkar
potli mein rakhte rahe hum
aaj use khola bhi to kya
ek zaraa si hasin nikli
The whole span of 25 yrs .. seems no more than an ephemeral smile .. when u look back.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Jai Hind !
15th August..
May our country progress and prosper
May it be green and greener
Its people be happy and happier
Its skies be blue and bluer
Its waters clear and clearer
Its air pure and purer
खुदा अपने वतन को अमन बक्शे ! आमीन
I BELONG
Chatting with myself
yesterday in bed
I wondered why
I don't sleep anymore.
Why that silent night,
outside the window
seemed like an abyss
so dark and deep
that there was no echo.
Then when I got
a glimpse of the moon
who yesterday would
have shone over home
seen by my people
prayed by my people.
I cried aloud
without any voice
I sighed aloud
without any choice.
To sleep to death
where i woke up to life
Is all I want...
Because I belong.
I belong to my country.
I am a patriot :)
_______________
May our country progress and prosper
May it be green and greener
Its people be happy and happier
Its skies be blue and bluer
Its waters clear and clearer
Its air pure and purer
खुदा अपने वतन को अमन बक्शे ! आमीन
I don't have anything to say at this late night hour .. anyways I am already two days late in this post..lets see if i can put up some verse ... ammm... doesn't look so ... am too tired ..
Oh Wait.., there was this poem that I had composed in reply to an email by some friends. I think it should fit the matter. Let me see if I can pull it up from old mails......
Oh Wait.., there was this poem that I had composed in reply to an email by some friends. I think it should fit the matter. Let me see if I can pull it up from old mails......
OK, so here it is ..
But before that, listen to this nice song which was the subject of those emails. [You might want to ignore the politically motivated opinions there]
But before that, listen to this nice song which was the subject of those emails. [You might want to ignore the politically motivated opinions there]
I BELONG
Chatting with myself
yesterday in bed
I wondered why
I don't sleep anymore.
Why that silent night,
outside the window
seemed like an abyss
so dark and deep
that there was no echo.
Then when I got
a glimpse of the moon
who yesterday would
have shone over home
seen by my people
prayed by my people.
I cried aloud
without any voice
I sighed aloud
without any choice.
To sleep to death
where i woke up to life
Is all I want...
Because I belong.
I belong to my country.
I am a patriot :)
_______________
And on a personal note, 15th August also marked my completion of two years in US. Happy anniversary to me :)
Its already 2 at night. And Ted's mom said nothing goes well after 2. So am about to hit bed now. Just returned from an Indian Ocean Concert in downtown Seattle. Needless to say awesome it was.
Jai Hind !
Its already 2 at night. And Ted's mom said nothing goes well after 2. So am about to hit bed now. Just returned from an Indian Ocean Concert in downtown Seattle. Needless to say awesome it was.
Jai Hind !
Monday, August 11, 2008
All The World's a Stage
WHY DO THEY LEAVE
so many people
come and go
i am the only one
who remains
in this strange
world of mine.
____
I was talking to a few friends today each one of whom came into my life at such distinctive phases. Some, whom I played with about fifteen-twenty years ago when we were small urchins running around here and there. Some, whom I met in middle school and high school and senior grades - we all grew up together - stepped into adolescence together. Some, whom I met during Undergrad - we all slogged together, had fun together, stepped out of our homes together - became independent and stood on our feet together. Some whom I met being a grad student - we all worked together - laughed together - realized that we were no more as young as we used to be - shared nostalgia about our childhood, school and undergrad years. Then some whom I just met in the last few weeks on my new job or as late as yesterday before they left, are leaving or will be leaving to different places, to their own lives.
Dad had a transferable job. So when he used to get transferred, we used to shift to a new place, a new town, a new city or a new state. All my friendships used to get snapped. Yes, there was this excitement of going to a new place but also this challenge of making your place, again from the scratch, in that new group of kids that would be found there. So if till yesterday, in your old locality u were the team-captain even though u didn't know football, today u have to know football to even get to play with these folks. All those years, I kept on making new friends and losing the previous ones. It was so painful. So much time it used to take to discover & forge a close friendship and then suddenly you have to let it pass. Not until the social networks came to the web, could I actually have the option of reaching out to my old pals. So today when I talked to a few of these people from various times across the spread of my life, I made a U-Turn and went down the memory lane for a while, and remembered those times some as old as decades back and some as fresh as yesterday.
so many people
come and go
i am the only one
who remains
in this strange
world of mine.
____
I was talking to a few friends today each one of whom came into my life at such distinctive phases. Some, whom I played with about fifteen-twenty years ago when we were small urchins running around here and there. Some, whom I met in middle school and high school and senior grades - we all grew up together - stepped into adolescence together. Some, whom I met during Undergrad - we all slogged together, had fun together, stepped out of our homes together - became independent and stood on our feet together. Some whom I met being a grad student - we all worked together - laughed together - realized that we were no more as young as we used to be - shared nostalgia about our childhood, school and undergrad years. Then some whom I just met in the last few weeks on my new job or as late as yesterday before they left, are leaving or will be leaving to different places, to their own lives.
Dad had a transferable job. So when he used to get transferred, we used to shift to a new place, a new town, a new city or a new state. All my friendships used to get snapped. Yes, there was this excitement of going to a new place but also this challenge of making your place, again from the scratch, in that new group of kids that would be found there. So if till yesterday, in your old locality u were the team-captain even though u didn't know football, today u have to know football to even get to play with these folks. All those years, I kept on making new friends and losing the previous ones. It was so painful. So much time it used to take to discover & forge a close friendship and then suddenly you have to let it pass. Not until the social networks came to the web, could I actually have the option of reaching out to my old pals. So today when I talked to a few of these people from various times across the spread of my life, I made a U-Turn and went down the memory lane for a while, and remembered those times some as old as decades back and some as fresh as yesterday.
And all the while the question in mind was : "WHY DID THEY HAVE TO LEAVE ?" I know there might be new friendships waiting to blossom, that there will be friends we'll spend our youth with, friends we'll get old together with, friends who'll accompany us to our deathbed. Some of them would be new, some of them might be old. But for those who left (or will leave) us, why did they have to leave. I know that we can call them any time we want to. But essentially, they seem no more in your lives ? Don't they ?
Saturday, August 2, 2008
What A Wonderful World !
Among some beautiful pieces I have been hearing today, this one is still lingering ('what a wonderful world '- penned by George Douglas). I don't know why. Ah .. i guess this song and its melody identifies so much with today's day. Thats why I want to hear it again and again today. So I 've got to do something about it. A blog post .. may be. So let me tell you why it has been a wonderful day today. But before that, listen to these.
Thanks to Batra for talking about his imeem playlist today. I found it there.
Then there is this another beautiful version by Louis Armstrong which I heard back in Austin when Chinmayi played it to me.
And after all this lovely stuff, you've got to read this jibberish from my side.
A WONDERFUL DAY
i see sun rising gently
and breeze coming along
children skating outside
as i lie in my bed
snuggled in my quilt
i smile to myself
what a wonderful day
i see snow on mountains
and clouds clearing aside
buses trickling in
and people going by
as i stretch on my bed
and take a deep breath
i say to myself
what a wonderful day
i hop onto internet
and read my mails
check out the chat
and see friends in green
i roll on my bed
put chin on my palm
i type to myself
what a wonderful day
i play some music
play irish says friend
the sound of the violin
and flutes flow by
i get up for a while
and take a swing
i sing to myself
what a wonderful day
i make some tea
and do some chores
do the laundry
and dishes and stores
i sit on my bed
slurp some tea, look outside
i think to myself
what a wonderful day
i lie down again
pull up my quilt
chat with friends
watch some shows
then listening to songs
dozed off again
i dream to myself
what a wonderful day
Sunday, July 27, 2008
A blast here A blast there
GOING ON
a blast here
a blast there
well, it happens
we tell ourself
and go on
and people die
and children cry
well, it happens
we tell ourself
and go on
then one day we lie
in the streets of ahmedabad
bathed in blood
seething in pain
and soul parting apart
why did this happen
we ask ourself
as others go on
___
BOOM! and everything is gone. Your aspirations, your relations, the work that you were on ur way to do, the boyfriend/girlfriend you were to meet, the exam you were going to take or the homework you were going to do (thats a favorite) and so much so else. You whole life is gone. And as you lie torn and burnt, what you really have are just a few seconds and a choice to either use them for that last desperate attempt to survive and possibly die in chaos and haste and a frown on the face OR just sink in and reflect for one more time on how life has been good to you, the people you loved, cherishing those moments and die smiling at how you small you are in face of the larger design of ... the time. I am not sure what I would do.
Anyways, talking of something more useful, one compelling pattern (if at all there is) that can be inferred from these two blasts is that the BJP led states are being targeted. 'cause there should be no other convincing reason to hit bangalore. States like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan should be on high alert.
a blast here
a blast there
well, it happens
we tell ourself
and go on
and people die
and children cry
well, it happens
we tell ourself
and go on
then one day we lie
in the streets of ahmedabad
bathed in blood
seething in pain
and soul parting apart
why did this happen
we ask ourself
as others go on
___
BOOM! and everything is gone. Your aspirations, your relations, the work that you were on ur way to do, the boyfriend/girlfriend you were to meet, the exam you were going to take or the homework you were going to do (thats a favorite) and so much so else. You whole life is gone. And as you lie torn and burnt, what you really have are just a few seconds and a choice to either use them for that last desperate attempt to survive and possibly die in chaos and haste and a frown on the face OR just sink in and reflect for one more time on how life has been good to you, the people you loved, cherishing those moments and die smiling at how you small you are in face of the larger design of ... the time. I am not sure what I would do.
Anyways, talking of something more useful, one compelling pattern (if at all there is) that can be inferred from these two blasts is that the BJP led states are being targeted. 'cause there should be no other convincing reason to hit bangalore. States like Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan should be on high alert.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Lord of the Flies - Capital's Unofficial Traffic Handbook
Driving in some suburban parts of Delhi, NOIDA, Ghaziabad etc. is like an exercise in unlearning the traffic rules. Everyday one or the other intersection would have its traffic light broken while on some others they would be well functioning but 'courteously' ignored. By 'courteously' I meant that you just slow down to acknowledge the traffic coming from the other directions and then proceed ignoring them until they come close to you within a dangerous distance at which point you MUST act.
- If you think that you will pass before the other hits you or vice-versa, speed-up or slow-down accordingly.
- If what you thought went wrong, then bring your vehicle to a complete halt right in the middle of the intersection where you are. You will notice that the other vehicle will do the same. Infact not just the other vehicle, but the all the vehicles surrounding you two will halt. This state is technically termed as 'Traffic Jam' and locally as 'Jaam'. In this state, it is customary to keep honking even though its crystal clear that it won't do any good. You will notice that not just you but all your surrounding vehicles will be honking too. If yes, you are going good. Next, you have to hand-signal the other driver or he will signal you (depending on who is weaker) yielding you the right of way.
- At times though not occassionally, the drivers of the critical two vehicles who caused the 'Jaam' might desert their vehicles and come out to 'physically' decide who should get the right of way. In that case, just sit back, relax and enjoy the flight (oops! fight). If you like to see the real action going on, you may walk to the fight scene but I would suggest sitting in the car and if you are with family - spending quality time with them, calling loved ones or even catching up on the day's paper.
What amazes is the fact that on one hand all this is caused because everyone is too impatient to wait for the green signal, on the other, you will find a heavenly calm on the drivers faces whose have gotten face to face in the rush. Whosoever's fault it might be, its forgiven (may be because both of them are at fault). And what you get see after that is an incredible display of coordination between the drivers to release the deadlock while the trafficman stands afar wondering what to do.
[statutory warning : Ofcourse, everything was intended to be a satire]
Anyways, wrote something after a long time. Do read below :-)
BLINDS
Seldom after dark
when he took a walk
in the woods on the hill
the chill of the mist
in lukewarm moon
covered with shroud
of thick white fog
I did never realize
that he was blind.
He walked with
quiet assurance
in such a stead
and such a tread
all by himself
I never realized
that he was blind.
Only when today
he stumbled aside
by chance by mistake
and fumbled like crazy
in haste and waste
and cried thru silence
"help me someone
I have no eyes".
I rose up from lair
"Calm down man
but keep talking
even I can't see"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)