Dreams do come true - Ruby

It was the month of November; a season when the cold breeze brings everyone closer to their woolen clothes and jackets, hot soups and pakoras calling to taste them. Sitting beside the window reading a novel with a hot mug of coffee and with the warmth of a woolen jacket makes anybody experience being on the ninth cloud with fairies singing and harp being played with the song of their choice. 

Heart desired to get a power-nap; I closed my eyes and I never realized how fast i fell asleep. I could hear someone honking madly  in front of the gate and Amma ran to the door leaving her daily chores aside to see who it was. It was my uncle who had come to visit us after a longtime; he was a goldsmith by profession and was not blessed to have a lot of leisure from his work; he had an unusual grin on his face when he got down from his vehicle and was about to park it next to my neighbor's house, amma rushed to him and  instructed him to park the vehicle in front of our gate and not elsewhere as we were pretty new to the locality and had not got acquainted with the neighbors. Uncle did as Amma instructed and walked inside, he carried a big cane basket with a lid covered on top of it and kept it beside him when he sat on one of the chairs in the living-room. 

Amma went inside to brew some hot tea and complete her undone chores while she continued to talk to Uncle about his family and suddenly the entire house went silent, I suddenly opened my eyes to realise that I was in my dreamland all this while when I saw a tiny ball of snow standing in front of me with it's tongue sticking out. I jumped on the bed rubbing my eyes to register what that tiny little thing standing in front of me was. I opened my eyes wide with my jaws dropping down and had a hearty laughter, it was a white little pup that stood in front of me wagging his tiny tail; he seemed to be as happy as I was to see him. I screamed my guts out with happiness but did not dare touch the snow ball standing in front of me, I shouted for Amma and my voice echoed till the next lane to show what I was seeing and Amma's face had lightened up seeing my happiness looking at the pup. 

Amma it's my dream come true, I screamed. I got down from the bed, picked up the cute little ball of snow, wrapped him in my arms and hugged him. I would not let him down. I started explaining about the power-nap story and how I had a dream of Uncle honking madly and Amma continued the rest of the story flawlessly; I was amazed to see how Amma narrated everything that I was watching while I slept. She teased me saying that she was my mum and she was older to me by 30 years. 

I laughed and still kept wondering how this little fellow sneaked into to my house while I was asleep till I saw the cane basket with a lid hidden under my bed. My happiness knew no bounds, I could now relate to the story which Amma narrated with the dream that I had. He was my long awaited birthday gift, he was as precious as a gem, as beautiful as the waiting was , we called him RUBY.

“Re-Lay-shun-SHIP”…Keep it going

We often come across people whining and regretting about their unhealthy relationships with their spouses, parents, friends, colleagues. We might have also heard about couple being dissatisfied and frustrated about their relationship with each other.

More often than less, we hear statements, “Oh god, he was an entirely different person and my frequency never matched with his, I just cannot read his mind?”, Very rarely we also get a chance of listening to pleasant words, “Wow, I never thought relationships can be so pleasant”, He is so different from me, yet I enjoy his/her company.

We notice the term relationship” being used frequently and flawlessly in both the statements above. When you examine comprehensively of people who are in relationships, they would love to be flamboyant in expressing their views about the term “RELATIONSHIP” but would definitely fail to admit whether they respect it or not? Now, it’s time for self-assessment, “Do we all respect relationship?” If yes, then why do we have newspapers ornamented with news about separation/divorces every morning?

If gone public, we might probably end up getting vivacious synonyms for the same word without understanding the genuine meaning associated with it, as per the dictionary: Relationship means: relationship between two or more people, a connected feeling. Let us all pause and think for few minutes, does this word mean only this? Or is something else connected with this and why do people often come up with unusual expressions and reactions when this word is in use. Derivation of the term in the dictionary is a simple layman term but when looked beyond, this is a package in itself.

Relationship exists not only between two souls; it also involves a lot of other ingredients like love, compassion, patience and tolerance to make it more meaningful. We may encounter many relationships being built on the theory of, We live together, not because, “WE WANT TO”, it is because “WE HAVE TO” and if provided an option of separation we may end up having a statistical representation of people who would slip away quietly with their own justifications and would also be proud of being talented enough in getting rid of the other person. Is getting into a relationship tedious or maintaining it? Well, the latter one is more debatable, not all knows the art of archery, it is an art; likewise maintaining relationship is an art in itself. Difference of opinion and impatience are directly proportional to each other and to maintain a balanced relationship the key ingredient is a stable patient mindset and the art of listening.

Being known as god’s best creation we are intellectually sound and can distinguish ourselves from the other species, we have the ability to think rationally and act reasonably. Most of the relationships see a disastrous end not because of unlike minds, mainly because of assumptions and drawing conclusions with the end result being two ill- hearted people, irritated and agitated with self and others. We have more than a million people living on this earth and no two people are alike, everybody are unique in their own way, human brain is the most complicated part and the understanding of it has remained a mystery to everyone.

It is very important for each one of us to understand, a gracious relationship requirement does not end with two like-minded people but we must ensure of being open minded individuals to make it fruitful thus eliminating the thirst to understand the mechanism of the most complex part of the human body, “THE BRAIN” ,The art of relationship is a plain task of bringing two unfamiliar hearts closer and together. It just requires the initial nurture and as hearts grow fonder the person would definitely look back and feel glad about his achievement of being in a relationship, because he wanted to and not because of some external forces or influences. It is time for every one of us to wake up and save the relationship which we are in and make it a meaningful one.

More often than not we think a lot about other external factors and lose on the most caring and important people who could actually be a part of one’s life. We are all a part of the society, but we need to think, “Who forms this society?” Most of the loved ones get separated due to trivial issues that are of least significance and are left with bad and unforgettable memories forever, We come across many people every single day, just exchange smiles, and you may not know, when, how and where you can meet a person who really makes your life worthy with him/her being around you, We all wish to lead a peaceful life, for we who have been blessed with loving souls treasure them and unfortunates are those who are really parted from their loved ones, let none face the consequences of a heart break. It not only leaves you with the fond memories but also unbearable bitter experiences.

Deprived

I know that it is not her, I have known for a fact that she is deprived from the most beautiful feeling "LOVE" and when i look at her eyes I can see the pain she has gone through but it always induces an element of fear in me, has she completely given up on finding her true love, is it just the materialistic life that matters to her and if she is completely in for that why is she still pondering to be shown some love and affection in everyone whom she finds in the journey of her life. Every time I look at her she has a different expression, but with a strong layer of foundation  "SADNESS" which gets easily masked by another opposite feeling HAPPINESS", the first time I came across her, I was taken aback, I did not even want to talk to her, I sat in a corner to analyse what a creation she is and it somehow happened that I started interacting with her; realized that she was lost in this world treating herself cruelly, whipping her skin-off to be showcased as the most sophisticated person around without realizing that the ground she stood was just not that but her self-respect which she had completely sacrificed and torn apart for no reason. All I could sense was, she was continuously and constantly running after a mirage to ruin herself  which in the end will not fetch her anything but an unhappy ending awaits,everything she did was linked to a material, she had high regards to people but she was caught between the two; money and values for life; the latter was seeming to be fading away very soon with the former becoming the most dominant in her. Vision was lost just with the residue of Seeing being remaining in her; her future was getting buried from her own hands, the day is not too far when she would sit and whine for her foolish acts; afraid I am to tell her that these things are not worthwhile for I know she is a deprived child trying to find her ways to dream chasing the mirage. We all get lost at times but trying to find the right direction by arriving at the start point is the most.

What is in “IT”? "The Irrational Space"

A thought that was haunting me for quite some time now and I really had not understood the reason  for it not getting deleted off my memory, it keeps ringing like a morning alarm, this thought has always made me insane and finally a decision of jotting this down was the easiest way to get rid of it at least for a while till I start to think about it all over again; those were the days when I used to see my dad and my other neighbors waking up at 7:00 am in the morning;  complete the chores peacefully and leave by 8:30 am to the factory and return back home by 6:00 pm; never compared or regretted for what they are paid for, a simple life yet a calm one.

Today,  I get a fat pay yet complain on how soon it all gets over; surrounded by all business magnets and famous people but still remains dissatisfied of not having establishing contacts with the most powerful ones, strive hard to have  the latest technology on finger-tips and manage to commit an err on small things; dreams only about being a star-performer; owning a sedan worth lakhs together, just cannot live without having the best food from  lavish restaurants , party hard all night, have fan-followers, deserve the best at the cost of others pain attitude, slogging like a donkey, get treated  like a dog and but manages to mask it with a lion’s face, existence only by a tag around a neck matters and not by the name our parents proudly would have christened; ought to think logically always and there is no other word in the dictionary as sophisticated as “Being practical” that is allowed . I love to speak up and I know I have been a good orator at school won many awards and accolades but all of a sudden I need some jargons to frame my sentence.

It’s all about in accent and not the language, it’s all in the fake body language and not the real respect we mean towards a person, it’s all empathy and not a bit of sympathy, branded footwear, branded clothes is all what matters and not your feet inside, Hats-off to the Pizzas and burgers to have conquered your taste-buds over the food which mum or spouse makes with lot of effort and love. Exorbitant mobile phones with a 3g connection is more significant than really trying to connect with a loved one, public display of affection is he status quotient, visiting malls on a weekend with a window shopping is equivalent to have really shopped something for self or your loved ones, dragging old parents to a place where they completely feel out of place is socializing.

Smoking and drinking are no longer considered injurious; these are stress-busters, a hobby called reading is scanty, it’s now the era of trekking, Skiing, Scuba-diving and last but not the least hiking.

Mindset that is completely irrational yet spends the entire life on attending training sessions on behavioral aspects; preaches everyone to have confidence but still has the residues of fear within him,

We celebrate Independence day every year, but have we ever stopped by and given it a thought if there is any significance remaining for the phrase “INDEPENDENT INDIA “, anymore; it is as good as we being slaves under British; we are striving not to keep ourselves happy, it’s just to meet the numbers, going to work is no longer fun, it’s just means to pay off your monthly bills,  going to college and mastering a subject is not knowledge;  it just means to a job in an MNC; gone are the days when we used to have computers to play games, this is a world as ruthless as the god of death; a whip in the hand, the track is opened to the swift runners, while the losers are shattered in one sway.

“What we are becoming is more important than what we are accomplishing” is an old saying; you are always looked up to only by the values you carry on your shoulder. Before the time flies by, leaving us behind with the unanswered questions we need to decide; if life is more important to us than anything else. As change is the philosophy, so is evolving into a better person. Being superficially modern is not necessary, think modern is what matters. It’s not the world which has changed but us who have changed it.

Nostalgia - "Story of a Mango Tree"

It was like I had a rewind button on my brain, I pressed the button and it took me about fifteen years back, the house was vacated and it remained no more of my aunt’s she has moved into a different place a big bungalow, but the house that stands on the national high-way is still the same and the influence it has on the life is just too incredible. That is the house that stood in pride with the walls narrating the stories of the most beautiful moments spent with my loved ones “CHILDHOOD”, the best thing that can happen to any human-being during his stint here; the mango tree was once with full of mangoes hanging down the leaves; an abode to ants still remains still with the swing we had made for ourselves.

Summer vacation of two months with all the cousins jammed at a single point, tantalizing the taste-buds with mom-made yummy pickles and other delicious cuisines, reading stories from Tinkle digest where the characters like Shikari Shambu, Supandi, Shakti man, Spider-man existed the way they were described in the books; Tom and Jerry, Scooby-doo were cartoons and they were real tranquilizers to lungs, cricket enthusiasts enjoyed cricket commentary by just listening to a transistor with a cup of hot coffee and a plate of hot pakoras, celebrating festivals  by inviting the neighbors and spreading the happiness, best-wishes went in the form of greeting cards with a stamp on it; waiving hands at strangers sitting inside the bus and whistling at the moving bus just to get inside the crowded bus.

I remember a long distance travel just to reunite with my relatives, using postal services to post a hand-written letter to a cousin far away with a sketch of me and her holding hands together and jumping in the air, exchanging the well-being of each family member. The way I stopped the post-man anxiously by hand every time he crossed my house to check if a reply to my letter has arrived; the memories of how our childhood days were can never be forgotten, the way the ground beneath stood still when the word “TELEGRAM” was heard with a ring of the cycle bell from a post-man just to know if everything was fine with the closest ones or not; gone are the days when phones were used only for communication of something which really meant an emergency.

Gone are the days when the old granny from the closest shop nearby called me by my name and handed over a pocket full of toffees and bid me good-bye to school with her blessings, the days when I went crying to school asking mom or dad to fetch me hot food during the lunch-break just to have a glimpse of them while at school, the pranks at school and getting back a bag of complaints from a friend’s mother; getting irritated with a classmate of yours when she spoke to the girl or boy who you admired or had a crush on, trying to be the class teacher’s all-time favorite student, days when you sought help of your friend to complete the home-work by bribing him with a toffee. The way you waited for a friend at the bus-station just to receive or bid good bye to her with tears in your eyes, a small hug from a closest friend meant the world and the spark of jealous in each one’s eyes when the topper of class was announced. The farewell day which brought tears, a book called “SLAM”- “Some lines about me” – did really matter the most to each one of us.

Mom everyday woke me up at 7:00 am, but I never remember getting up so early, but the remembrance of me making her run over the entire house for the misplaced shoes, socks and ribbons still dawdles on my mind, the way I ran with half-dressed when the school-bus arrived and sometimes running behind the bus while my friends in the bus laughed at my plight, the screams that you let out jut for a pencil which your sibling stole away during your absence at home, the way you stole the half eaten chocolate away from your sister or brother immediately after gulping up the entire bar of yours, getting annoyed when your mother compared your marks with your friend’s marks sheet, the way you dirtied your white uniform and expecting the reprimands, the way you ran with a gang of friends with a piggy-bank, jamming-up for a cause. These are the days that are still as fresh as a morning daisy waiting for the first ray of sun, the list is never-ending and the words in the English dictionary are not enough to describe the life back then.

The world then was so simple, harsh words were spoken even then but the words spoken were forgotten but now we forget people and not the words, we need a phone call just to catch up with an old pal of ours who sat beside during school-days, things seemed stupid and illogical then but those are the moments we would love to cherish and not the days now where SLAM is replaced with Likes and Comments on Social Networking Websites, re-union means formally meeting up with friends in an exorbitant resorts, walking means going to a well-equipped gym which has a treadmill and laughing means joining a laughter club, the world is beautiful and it is us who makes it to be and not the technology or logical thinking always. The mango tree that has a swing tied to it still stands still with pride, the memories it beings to me is just too enormous and I know every one of us have a mango tree story for ourselves to cherish, saying this I sign-off. Happy memories

  

“Miraculously Blessed”

I stood in front

of the photograph and shed tears like a small kid; it was such an emotional fit I missed him so badly and just wanted to hug him but I could not, I knew he was always there for me but I physically wanted to see him around which was totally impractical; the imagination of his smile, his mischief, his memories took me three and a half years back, him on the hospital bed like a veg table with just tears in his eyes, the whole picture just got opened; could not tolerate any further; looked at him feebly and just asked him one thing, “Am I Bad?” why don’t you answer it to me? Why did you leave me all alone to face the wrath of the people around for no fault of mine? I just jabbered some more questions to the photograph on the wall till my tired eyes sealed themselves off dragging me away to sleep, all I could remember was I could not hug him and that was what mattered to me during that time.

I woke up the next morning with inflamed eyes; wondering what had happened last night but I could ambiguously remember, completed my chores, and started to office, it was a pretty unusual day, it was gloomy outside, seemed like the sun had forgotten to awaken, it was a clear sky, as clear as a canvas waiting to be splashed with colors; nothing looked appealing to me, I just looked down straight and accelerated my vehicle and rode with multiple conflicts trying to take precedence over each other .

I was just looking down at the floor while I bumped into the head of my team, he looked at me and without a word, he said; I would like to meet you today at my office, please come over. I was a little apprehensive, wanted to immediately know and understand what he wanted to convey to me; I ran around people who I was at ease with and asked few questions to which the most expected disappointing sentence “How would I know?” was a reply.

I waited for about half an hour until my colleague completed the discussion; I went inside; he smiled at me and the first question he asked was, “What do you want to do?” there were lot of things he said and amidst the discussion my eyes filled with tears, the helplessness took over me as I opened up myself with the concerns I had; he stopped me; out of the world there came some words , answers to all the questions I had asked the photograph on the wall “YOU ARE A GOOD GIRL”; I found my answer. I walked out of the room with happiness; my eyes were gleaming with joy, I went out now looked at the sky above; I could see it painted with the picture that I have on the wall in my bed-room. I was miraculously blessed; the presence of the most missed soul of my life was felt again.

A game for name" Heaven on earth"

She looked up for the sky adorned with stars reminding about her mother's blue plain saree with small polka dots all over, she smiled to herself and thought how the terrace welcomed them everyday with love yet her mind was doing it's work in the back-ground braking her from admiring the beautiful scene that filled around her. She waited till he came with his welcoming smile and a warm hug with a kiss on her forehead. He pulled her towards him, handed over the coffee mug, spread some biscuits on the plate and looked at her until the mug was emptied to it's very last drop He noticed her being upset abut something and waited for her to bring up the issue herself. She gazed at him desiring to express her ill-feeling about a person whom till to this day she admired to be a good person but gave up as he pretended looking up at the sky holding her tight in his arms and resting his head on her's and laughed at his own jokes.

The breeze struck her loose hair leaving some to flow on his face, he was drawn by the aura, came close to her and planted a kiss on her forehead while she blushed, moved his hands over her neck drew her close to him while she pushed him away, started to check if his family issues were solved, he smiled brushing her hair off her face and said, umm!yes, it's almost solved sweetheart, she sighed in relief yet she looked worried, and suddenly looking from the top most floor of the building she said, God! this is scary, just look down and you will, even before she completed the sentence she was captivated. He did not like to see her depressed under any circumstances; in an effort to drift her away from her current thoughts he said, alright let's play a game; she looked curious, she was always fancied by the word "game" , she waited eagerly and said, Alrightie! tell me, what is it, be quick. Umm! Speak a word and kiss on cheek, whoever loses shall treat the other with a samosa and coffee, Deal? Yeah, deal she chuckled yet agreed to play the game, The game began, she said a word and planted a kiss on the cheek;for a minute it felt like she was completely separated from all her worries but as she progressed, she ended up with a lot of story than the game, she wove sentences after sentence and forgot completely about the game. He listened to her patiently till she vent out all the frustration and then said, alright it's now my turn, which made her realize that she was a spoil sport, he smiled and started the game.

One word, two words and finally he ended up leaving her cheeks painted red, she laughed her heart out hugging him; tears of happiness running down her cheeks, very late did she realize that the game was just a reason to relieve her from the stress and tensions, she now looked up and her lost thoughts started to regain control, the sky filled with stars looked like her mother's saree she always loved to wear as a child and the terrace that welcomed her warmly everyday despite of the cold winters, heavy showers and hot summers, with him beside her the evening brought back life to the lost soul, smile on a sad face, happiness to the depressed heart and finally heaven down to earth in the form of a funny game.

Love and happiness cannot be defined it only needs to be felt :):):)