The wrinkles on the roads!

in a country like india, where penury or abject poverty is taken for granted for the masses to live in, there arise those situations where such incidences do make you think rather than simply walking by. i have always found it very unbearable to watch the aged in utter misery alongside the roads of mumbai (i better write mumbai, although i prefer its colonial counterpart, for satisfying the egos of people who would protest for nomenclatures but not for the needy) . the sheer site of those once existing smiles lost behind layers of wrinkles; those tear-filled eyes behind broken, cello-taped, thick glasses; their bones which seem to be waging a war against their skin to tear through; those soiled, torn patches of cloth that they wrap around themselves for warmth (i wonder what the recent chilly winters might have done to their internal warming systems when we were busy wrapping ourselves under cozy wollens) ; or the stale, left-over morsels of food which we waste, that they lap up to barely fill their hungry stomachs.

it simply pains to see an old person, and especially an old woman, just to scrape through their daily existence, doing manual labour at an age when they should be playing with their grandchildren.

the other day i was taking a break from studies at the library and was outside a sandwich counter. whilst waiting on the sandwich, an elderly man came and sat near us. i noticed he was carrying a cup full of water. he then silently opened a pack of parle-g biscuits, having placed the cup besides him. i was shocked when he took out a biscuit and actually dipped it into the water, before he ate it. it was a very pathos-filled sight, and i stood looking at him.

a few days later, at the same place and at the same time of the day, came an old woman, frail looking, wearing a saree and carrying a large plastic bag. my friend had just thrown a used bottle on the ground. she came and silently picked it up. she looked around for anymore waste which she could collect and sell to earn a few rupees for her small meal at night.

these are instances which make you stop and spend some time to think about these very people, who in their youth would have certainly looked after their kids, but had now ended up on streets.

think. ponder. do your bit.

if you can't spread smiles, at least make sure you don't let smiles fade away!!!

I can't fight this feeling anymore!!!

And even as i wonder,
I'm keeping you in sight
Your a candle in the window,
On a cold dark winters night
And I'm getting closer then i ever thought i might

Baby i can't fight this feeling anymore,
I've forgotten what i started fighting for,

And if i have to crawl upon your floor
Come crashing through your door

Baby i can't fight this feeling anymore I can't fight this feeling any more

Courtesy: The movie - Dr. Seuss' Horton hears a who...

Don't leave me Ajji...

i want time to turn back,

go back to where she was hail and hearty,

taking care of me when i could barely manage to walk,

running behind me with the lunch in hand,

waking me up early for school,

cooking all that i loved to eat,

parenting me when my parents were at office.

but as time went by,

you had become a child,

ever so sweet and innocent,

it was now time for us to take care of you.

you never were any trouble for us,

instead, you were the driving force of the house,

once that kept us busy but happy all day long,

never for once, letting boredom creep on us.

all that now remains are her memories,

as fresh as the morning dew,

with the warmth of the cup of tea,

on a winter morning.

the house now is bereft of its cutest member,

the room is vacant now,

but we still peep in the room out of habit as we pass by,

we still head to your room first after entering the house,

it will take us time to get used to your absence,

but i know, you are watching over us from above,

and will always provide light whenever we need,

i love you ajji...

i want to laugh...

i want to laugh,

buzzing more than the swirling bees,

more brightly than the dancing sunflowers,

more sparklingly than the twinkling stars,

more freshly than the gushing rivers,

more melodiously than the infinite ragas;

i want to laugh,

not at anything or anyone,

but because laughing heartily is a gift,

He has bestowed upon us,

it is only once your forget how to laugh,

is when you realise its importance!

So laugh without caring what the world says,

laugh because it will spread the joys that need to be shared,

and will lead to more joys being created where there are none...

Just Perception...

it just doesn't seem right,

feel's like there is something amiss,

sometimes, it feels so good,

and suddenly,

the faint smile doesn't turn into the fervent laughter,

that i love laughing to my heart's content,

does not help my case,

it just makes me realise how fickle it is,

visiting me at its own convenience,

i know i'm not alone,

but when the smile goes away,

with its aura goes the gaiety...

but contrastingly,

i feel i'm blessed,

compared to the poor, orphaned kids,

dirtying their day away on the streets,

its just a matter of perception,

just plain perception...

the small little sparrow's story

the sparrow didn't know what had gone wrong? all was fine a few moments ago and it was not that the world had come to an end suddenly, but the birds whom the sparrow considered close, suddenly began showing their true colours. the sparrow was distraught. it had always been nice to its fellow birds, helping them whenever they chirped for it, ensuring they got the best nests built and even made sure that the worms they ate were fine and tasty. the rate at which the sparrow lost birds it could call friends was alarming and the sudden vacuum they created was tough to handle. the sparrow was left alone. not only in the physical world but also emotionally and mentally. it was left alone to fly the daily path and walk down the road alone. at every pebble, it remembered the gaiety that once existed and the bond it shared with the fellow birds. could they actually be called friends, thought the sparrow. these definitional thoughts were always futile, knowing well that a mere word or two won't bring back lost friends. the sparrow walked further down the bylane. it realised that there was a pattern to these friendly departures. it now struck the poor little sparrow that these friend-birds were its latest accomplices. it had so happened that at certain points in time, given the prevailing circumstances, these new entities had become very close to the sparrow. so much so that, even the sparrow had wondered as to how stranger birds could become such good friends so soon. they had become friends and had now ceased to be one at the same speed and with the same velocity, although equal and opposite. as the sparrow hopped to further introspections, the road led to a small curve. the sparrow decided to take the bend rather than fly to some other lane. with every hop, skip or jump, more realisations flew in. it seemed like, these were waiting to be unveiled, simply bidding their time, maybe for the sparrow's solitary attention. the birds whom the sparrow had given its time whenever they needed it had moved to greener pastures or rather greener fields where they would get better worms to feed themselves with. but then why had they moved away? maybe they took the sparrow for granted? or was it the other way round? either of them could have felt that where will the other bird go - it has to come to me only for friendship! but that was not to be the case with the little sparrow. friends it had. loads and loads. but it was in search of the perfect friendly birds, birds whom it could trust with the deepest secrets of the bird-world and with whom it would have an assurance of being always there, not for any material gains but for the sheer magic, that is friendship. just as the other birds moved away, the sparrow tried making new friends on the new road it was traversing. the same incidents and similar conditions emerged and once again it made friends in much the same way that it earlier had. but this time the sparrow was scared and apprehensive. it was bitten not only once but many times, and hence was shy to go all out to make the new birds its friends! slowly the sparrow came out of its shell. friends it did make, but it is now left for the forthcoming harvest season to judge whether the new birds also prove to be like the earlier ones. not friends but teachers!

My heart will only be under your reign!

like puddles in the rain,
like the wise among the sane,
like stones in coarse grain,
like a hot massage after immense pain,
like mischief behind every stain,
like cajoling a stone in vain,
like cute puppies in a deserted lane,
like free food on board a plane,
like the mystic high after cocaine,
like a dozen boons following one bane,
like all evil things on their way to wane,
like wind marks upon a window pane,


like every other ubiquitous happening,
my love for you will always remain,
and my heart will only be under your reign!!!

Smiling Once Again!

with smiles lost god knows where,
trudging along the way, for want of some care,
warmth and belongingness was rare too,
but then cometh those through?

who would have wondered,
that with so many uncertainties,
the trip that was in doubts,
would bring back my smiles?

for the first time, the gaiety came from the people,
and i didn't have to satiate myself only with the food,
but seriously can someone be so nice?
as to welcome a stranger and make him feel so close?

i sort of left mumbai behind, as i got cozy with pune,
all the worries and tensions seemed to thin away,
no more guilt and no more appointments,
just sheer serenity...

someone said, how come you enjoyed so much more than us?
well, i crave for happiness, crave for good friends,
i got both here, without expecting any, and my smiles came gushing back, from deep slumber within!



add to it i saw 3 idiots there, and this particular song left me spell bound - give me some sunshine!!!

click here to listen