Happy Accidents!

Serendipity is when someone finds something that they weren't expecting to find. In the simplest of words, it means a 'happy accident' (This is how wikipedia defines it as!). It is one of my favorite words. I mean who doesn't love it when they accidentally find money in the pocket of their old pair of jeans?!


On a little more serious note, I believe love is generally serendipitous. It generally finds you when you are not looking for it or have stopped looking for it... when you get tired of searching for the elusive Mr or Ms Right and try to focus on something else, it is then that BAM! you come face-to-face with him / her. I remember one such encounter - A girl was forced to go to a different city for some project by her boss. She had gone grudgingly, thinking this was going to be the worst trip of her life but she ended up meeting her soul mate! (yeah, that girl is me! ;) )

Do you have any such serendipitous encounters?! looking back on which you can't help but smile... Why don't you share them?

P.S. I had written an almost similar post last year! You can read it here. This one was, however, more descriptive!

A widow & A widower

Hers...

After a long time she was sitting with her in-laws. Everyone was watching a comedy movie and laughing. A funny scene came and she also started laughing. The room went quiet. She realized that all eyes were on her. She felt guilty. She quietly got up and went to her room. She was a widow.  

His...

He was getting dressed. It was his wedding. He checked himself out in the mirror. He looked dapper. He put on his turban and smiled... a little sadly. He sighed and went out. There was celebration all around...firecrackers shooting in the sky. No one could tell it was his second marriage. He was a widower.

I know this scenario is changing rapidly... But there is still a long way to go.

The Weaker Sex

Since as long as I can remember there have been ladies seats in the buses and also there has been a strong opposition to them from the male gender. I remember travelling in buses to and from college and hoping, before every time I entered one, to find a place to sit… hoping that one of the ladies seats is empty. It was not because I was very tired or that I had a huge bag with me, but because I didn’t want to be touched or groped. I didn’t want the man sitting next to me to fall on me on the pretext of sleeping… I didn’t want the man standing alongside me to lean against me when the driver hits the brakes. I have lived in Delhi all my life and trust me, I have never felt safe travelling or being alone, outside of my home that is. And I know for a fact, I am not an isolated case. There are many like me and this is the sad case of our ‘Mother’land. If you are a woman living in India, the sooner you get to know that you would be molested, the better it is. By making this statement, I am not condoning these acts. But, I am just trying to say that the sooner you know about it, the earlier you can do something against it!

I know of many cases wherein a seemingly innocent bus / metro ride turned into a groping session. So, when I found out that the Metro had got a separate ladies compartment I was very sad. I was sad because I had left the city and would not get to use the benefit of travelling in the metro without a man falling all over me!

What surprises shocks me is the reaction of many men to ladies seats and ladies compartments. I have encountered men sitting stubbornly on a ladies seat even if they see an elderly lady standing next to them. I have met men faking sleep and not even getting up after being repeatedly poked at. There are some men who would ridicule the idea of a ladies compartment altogether. I want to ask all these men, how many times have you been molested? How many times had someone tried to touch you inappropriately?! Never, right? I thought so.

What bothers me more is the psychology behind all this? Many men who do it are not hooligans but college students and middle-aged men going to work. I can’t understand that why would a man, going to office on a normal day, want to do that? What does he get out of it? Cheap thrills?! What does he think while getting on the bus – who should I fall on today? What prompts a man, a father, a husband and a son to stoop so low?

Many times the finger of blame has been pointed at the women. How many times have I heard people blaming the woman who had been sexually assaulted by saying things like she doesn’t dress properly or she called it upon herself for wearing something like that. Why it is that it becomes a woman’s fault for dressing up in a certain way rather than a man’s who couldn’t keep his hormones or testosterone in check?!

I dare all the men who keep ridiculing the need of a ladies compartment to dress up as a woman and travel in the buses and metro for a day. It doesn’t matter if you are wearing a skirt, a salwar-kameez or a sari; it doesn’t matter if you are the most beautiful woman or some average Jill; it doesn’t matter if you are young, middle aged or old… rest assured you would be teased, taunted, made lewd comments at, groped, touched inappropriately, whistled at, leered at, jeered at and maybe even followed. After that one journey, I would want you to answer…who is the weaker sex? The one who is trying to live her life on her own terms or the one who can’t keep himself in check?

This Post was originally written and published as a guest column for The Viewpaper - The Voice of the Youth.

What’s the deal with...?

Whenever I go out, there are a lot of disconcerting habits of people that disgust and irritate me. It makes me wonder that how are these people allowed to be out of their house?! They should be locked up and given hygiene lessons!

Some of the habits that completely make me go insane and also wonder, what’s the deal with...?

• Peeing in public – This is done mainly by the men. I mean what’s the deal with it?! there are so many public services all over the city, why don’t they make use of them? Granted, they are in a pathetic condition but who is responsible for that, huh?! I mean it is such an ‘Eww’ sight when you look out of the window of your car and some man is wetting the wall! Have you ever seen a woman doing that?! If women can control themselves and wait till they get home or some other restroom service, why can’t men?
• Spitting in public areas – I absolutely loathe whenever I see someone spitting on the walls. I mean you just have to wander through CP and you can see the handiwork of some buffoon on the pillars. it is a disgusting habit as it is but people have to make it worse by spraying their red spit all over the city! In addition to spitting paan, many people spit otherwise. Something is the matter with their throat, and they make sound like a gargle and then thinking of the world as their personal wash basin, they go on spitting away! I just want to say to them – That is disgusting!
• Picking your nose – What do these people expect to find in there? Some lost treasure?! They are at it, without a care in the world... And God forbid, they find something! Eww... that goes right there – under the chair or table where they are sitting! Eww!
• Burping in Public – Don’t you hate it when you go to a nice restaurant and are sitting, waiting for your meal to placed in front of you... when the person sitting on the next table decides to tell you what he had had for his meal! Eww!! Go to the washroom, you neanderthal man! What irritates me more is when you give that guy (yes, it is generally a man!) the dirty look and he, instead of being apologetic or even a tad bit embarrassed, just looks back at you and smiles, pretty shamelessly! Like the burping incident was pretty normal! News Flash Mister, you are not at home.
• Throwing stuff / garbage on the road – This is the habit which I don’t understand. I mean there are so many dustbins all over the city, why is it that people insist on throwing garbage outside of it?! I have seen kids thinking their soda cans to be a basketball and the garbage bin as a hoop and indulging in some basketball practice! But the problem, if the freaking can doesn’t end up in the bin, they just leave it lying around there and go about their business. I mean how difficult it is to pick up the can and put it in the bin?! Don’t you keep your house clean? Why can’t you do the same for your city?
• Honking Incessantly – It is a red light and you, as many others along with you, are waiting for it to turn green. Doesn’t it make you mad that as soon as the light turns green, the jerk behind you starts honking repeatedly! I mean, the light just turned green two seconds ago! Give the person ahead of you some time to start the engine, put the car into gear... But no, he / she is getting late to save the world maybe! It irritates me more, when I see a car behind a rickshaw-wallah honking over and over again... it’s a man pushing a person behind him. It would take time. Make your peace with it. Sometimes, I wonder what the honking driver thinks would happen by pressing the horn? Does he think that his car would sprout wings and he would be able to fly over?!
• Not standing in queues – Why can’t people understand the concept of queues?! I guess everyone thinks that they are Amitabh Bhachhan and wherever they stand the line begins from there... That is not so! If you go to a counter and there is a group of people standing one behind the other, that is a queue... and you need to go at the end of it and not at the beginning because believe it or not, you are just like everyone else. I absolutely hate it when you are waiting for half an hour in line and someone who thinks they are too good enough to stand in line (like everybody else) and instead goes straight to the front. But I love it that when something like this happens, how the whole queue of varied individuals unite as one! 
• People who give wrong directions – Now, this is plain silly. I mean why is it so difficult to tell someone that you don’t know they way to the place they are asking you about?! There have been so many instances when I have ended up going in a circle or in the completely opposite direction when I asked for the way. A simple – I don’t know – would have been much more appreciated.

There are many more such habits of people that I can enumerate but I would want to give you a chance to the same... what are the habits of random strangers that make you go Eww

P.S. I don’t know if you noticed or not, but there was no post yesterday... I am still on with the 365 day challenge, it was just that my trusted Internet connection ditched me! But all is well now and I would make up for that one loss... cheers!

Height Of Loneliness

She dialled his number for the tenth consecutive time. Still, her call was on waiting. She clutched the receiver to her ear and kept listening as the automated voice repeated the same message in various languages, 'the user is busy on another call...' she smiled bitterly, thinking, 'Someone has the time to speak with me.'

Image courtesy - 123rf.com

P.S. Can anyone tell me a good site to download free pictures? Yes, I have been living under a rock! :P

Superstitions

Yesterday night, my husband started to cut his nails and I instinctively, and without thinking, told him that you shouldn't cut nails during the night. He looked at me puzzled and asked why and I had no answer. And that got me thinking why shouldn't you cut your nails in the night? I am not superstitious but there are somethings that you just follow... because your parents told them to you. you never question them, you just do it. Maybe because it is a trivial little thing. they tell you don't cut your nails in the night and you obey them. what's the big deal right?! But this time, I wanted to know. I thought about it and came to the conclusion that this thought process must have originated in the old days when there was no electricity. So, people might have cut their fingers or toes instead of their nails because of the dark! Made sense. So, as any normal person would do, I googled to confirm my theory and I found that many people like me believed the same.


That got me thinking, there are so many superstitions out there that we blindly follow without sparing a thought to their origin or relevance or to the logic behind them. Such as when you sneeze or get a bad case of hiccups, it means someone is thinking of you. What is the logic behind this?! How is that even possible?! But we believe it or maybe we like to believe it. It's somewhat reassuring that someone somewhere is thinking of you.

Some days before my maid had chastised me after I let the milk over-flow. she told me that something awful would happen now. however, the only awful thing that happened was me cleaning up after the milk accident as she refused to touch it lest the jinx follows her! and I do think that is the most awful thing that happened, because cleaning split milk is no mean feat!


Another one that I have heard quite often is if a lizard falls on you, it brings good luck. Really?! How?! good-luck, my ass! It is just disgusting!! It's a pest that should not have been in your home in the first place! Maybe the good luck is that now you know that it is there so you can get rid of it!


Going under a ladder is also considered wrong... According to me, you should not walk under a ladder not because it might bring bad luck, but because you might accidentally let it fall on your head and could get hurt?! Right?!


Another one - If a dog is howling in the night, it means that death is on it's way and someone in the family would pass away soon... Silly, isn't it?! I believe that since it is dark and eerily quiet so obviously when a dog suddenly howls in the night you would get scared! and what are people most scared of? Death and ghosts... so obviously a dog must have seen that only! :P


If a crow craws in front of your house, expect a visitor soon. I never knew that crows have the detailed information of everyone's extended families as well.



Well, these were just some from the top of my head. I am sure there are many more that you know off, please do share them... And if you know the logical reason for any of the ones that I have mentioned, please leave a comment and do enlighten me! 

The Cycle of Love...

She was ATTRACTED to him from the first time she had seen him. Slowly, those shy looks gave way to words and they became FRIENDS. And soon after, he told her that he LOVED her. She was overjoyed. Everything was hunky-dory till they started having ugly FIGHTS for no specific reason. They started being ANGRY with each other all the time. She was FRUSTRATED. This was not what she had expected from this relationship. Soon, she stopped caring and he was INDIFFERENT too. The BREAK-UP happened not long after. She felt LONELY and cried herself to sleep for many nights.  She felt REJECTED. She thought she wouldn't be able to TRUST anyone ever again. Her friends helped her to see whatever happened was for the best and in TIME she was finally able to MOVE-ON. Then, one day while she was returning home from work, she saw him and couldn’t help being ATTRACTED to him. She smiled and braced herself for another heartbreak or a happily-ever-after. She didn’t know how this one would end but she was ready to take that RISK.

Am I missing a stage? Do let me know...

P.S. This is a simplified version... I know being in love is much more complicated and complex! ;)

Mirror, Mirror on the wall... who is the fairest of them all?!

Till date, I have never understood Indians' fascination with fairness. I can't help but cringe whenever I see an advertisement about one of the many fairness products. Sometimes I wonder if it is not the hangover of the British Raj. Why is it that our definition of beauty begins with fair-skinned? Why is it that every Tom, Dick and Harry, whenever he is looking for a girl to marry, begins his matrimonial advertisement with looking for a fair, slim girl...? it doesn't even matter how butt-ugly he is, he would always want a woman who should look like Aishwarya Rai.

I think the fairness products category must have the most number of products in it's kitty. From fairness creams to face washes to even powders... everything is available. And now, these products are not only there for women to use, men have joined the bandwagon as well. Gone are the days when Tall, Dark and handsome was the eligibility criteria for choosing Mr. Right. Nowadays, fair and lovely women want fair and handsome men for themselves.

I ask you is only fair-skinned people beautiful? if that is so what about Naomi Campbell or Bipasha Basu? Aren't they gorgeous women? Does it really matter what your skin measures up on the so-called 'fairness meter'?

I know so many women who have serious inferiority complex irrespective of the fact that they are intelligent and smart... and it is all because they are not fair but wheatish. Actually, this phobia with fairness has been engraved into our minds since we are little babies. since the time we are born, the first thing people notice is if the baby is fair or not... especially if the baby is a girl. Because it is the general perspective that if you are fair, then only you are pretty. How many times, have you gone to meet a new-born and heard some aunty saying, 'rang thoda savla hai par koi baat nahin dheere dheere saaf ho jayega.'?and these are the same aunties who suggest to the new-mother about applying besan, dahi and all such gharelu nuskhas so that 'rang gora ho jaye.' as if fair skin is the be all and end all of existence!

As I said before, this fairness phobia can be attributed to maybe the Britishers. When they were here, I am sure all the desi men must have been enamored by the phirangi memsahibs. And it is just continuing on...

The irony - Foreigners come here to get a tan and brown skin (they even have artificial tanning booths) and we, in the hopes of aping the west, are applying fairness creams, powders and what not!

The Devil & The Angel... Me!

The Devil in me is starved,
she's jealous, selfish and greedy...
She wants what is not hers,
she wishes to take what is yours

The Devil in me is angry,
she is furious at the restrains...
She is waiting to burst out,
engulf me whole so that she can be free

The Devil in me is restless,
she is tired of all the waiting...
She demands to take over
to control and unleash her fury!

The Angel in me is calm,
she is forgiving and lets me be...
She is selfless and giving and content,
shows me the path of love and how to be happy


They both tempt me no end,
the Devil charms me with her bounty
and shows me how 'We' both can rule the world!
The Angel gives me the right to choose,
the way 'I' want to carve out my destiny!

In the end it is my choice,
who I let win me over...
the Devil with her malicious grin
or the Angel with her serene smile...?

Sometimes I do let the Devil win,
and sometimes it's the Angel that succeeds...
They both keep trying to persuade me
but I... can't seem to be convinced.

True Love

Lying next to him, she whispered,
'would you be my hero, baby?'
he smiled and kissed her on the forehead,
'I would kiss away the pain'
she embraced him and murmured 'good night.'
'sweet dreams' he replied and drifted off to sleep...

On the dance floor, as man and wife, he sang along,
'There is nothing for me but to love you'
she pressed her cheek against his and sang too,
'And the way I look tonight...'
He pulled her closer and whispered, 'I love you.'
She smiled mischievously, and replied, 'Ditto.'

Many moons later, she was old and wrinkly, she said,
'We were both young, when I first saw you..."
He laughed his throaty laugh and sang,
'I knelt to the ground, and pulled out a ring...'
She smiled, 'you said, marry me Juliet, you never have to be alone.'
'I love you and that's what I really know,' he replied.
She held his hand and whispered in his ears,
'you know I love you, right?'
He nodded, 'ditto.'

Few years later, he died peacefully in his sleep,
she didn't cry, she didn't sing, she looked at him and closed her eyes too,
their children came and they did cry... and buried them together, holding hands.

Their tombstone read,
'True love. One died. Neither survived.
they lived together, loved together, died together.'

Note: Yesterday I was browsing through my blog and realized there are too many sad love stories, so decided to write a happy-happy one! :D

Do you like it?

The Proposal

He sat there wondering, 'What had gone wrong? I did everything I was supposed to do. I bought an expensive solitaire, made reservations in the best restaurant, arranged for special music. I did all that effort and for what?! So that she can say no and run off!' He was getting more angry as he kept thinking about it.

'Everyone must be laughing at me! That waiter with the champagne, the violinist, people in the restaurant... my parents, my friends! everyone would make fun of me! I would be a joke! This is the most humiliating thing that has ever happened to me!'

He got up and drove down to her apartment.


He banged on the door till she opened it. Her eyes were all puffy and she was wearing his old sweatshirt. But, he didn't notice that. He was blinded with anger. He shook her and blurted out, "What the hell did I forget to do? I made sure there was everything... a huge ring, the best restaurant, amazing food and drinks, special music, champagne... everything! If there was any other girl, she would have been floored, but you...? you say no to all that and leave?! Did you even think for one minute how I would have felt!"

He let her go and paced  with a hand on his head thinking about what he must have done wrong. And he remembered, "Is this because I didn't get down on my knee?! because if it is, that is really stupid."

She just stood there with tears streaming down her face.

"tell me damn it! What did I forget to do?!" he yelled at her.

She slowly wiped her tears and spoke, "You forgot Love."

"What?!"

"Yes, you forgot love. You forgot me. you forgot us. this everything you did, this whole charade... I never wanted any of this. If you had just stood there with nothing and asked me to marry you because you love me, because you can't live without me... I would have said yes in a heartbeat. But instead you decided to make a show and love was no where to be found. It was all about you... what you did, how you felt embarrassed and humiliated. there was no us... there has been no us for a long time."

He just stared at her open-mouthed.

She went on, "I don't want a solitaire, a gold band would have been fine. I don't want an expansive meal, something you would have made would have been more delicious. I don't want violinist flown from where ever they were flown in from, the song that was playing when we first danced would have been perfect. Instead of that speech you just delivered, two heartfelt words would have been enough. I don't want a perfect proposal, I wanted a personalized one... one that is from the heart and not from your mind."

She stopped for a breath and continued, "You did everything you were supposed to do but love is not doing what you are meant to do, it is what you want to do. So, next time you propose, do it when you do want to get married and then it would be from your heart, and believe you me, whoever she would be, she would definitely say yes."

She smiled a sad smile and went inside closing the door behind her.

He stood standing there under the moon light, wondering...

Six word stories!

• Troubled Life. Finally, Rest... In Peace.

Where I found this picture - Simply Known As TJ

• The only mourner, her pet cat.

Where I found this picture - Photobucket

• Drunk driver speeds. Single Mother shrieks.

Where I found this picture - Compare car

• Two Strangers. One umbrella. Love blossoms.

Where I found this picture - Umbrella of togetherness

• I do. I do. They Kiss.

Where I found this picture - Wedding Beauty

• Smiling, she stood frozen in time.

Where I found this picture - Graphics Hunt

This are some attempts at six word stories. Yes, I have become a little obsessed with them! I keep writing them in the hope that one day one of them would turn out extra-ordinary!

Today, to be honest, I was pretty blank on what to write. (Not feeling too well, maybe that's why the Grey cells are not working properly!) Tomorrow, would be something better, I promise! :D

P.S. I googled the images and chose what I thought were the most relevant. I have mentioned the websites where I got them from. Just to be on a safer side ;)

He Cheated, She Left

"so, you are leaving him?" her friend asked.

"yes. I couldn't take it anymore." she replied, "It was getting too much. The cheating, the 

lies, the constant fights, the yelling... It was messing me up."

"Was he sleeping with someone else?!" Her friends asked shocked.

"No, not yet, but he was hiding stuff. he met this girl recently and he didn't tell me about her. i found out when i accidentally logged into his email account. the mails they exchanged were not friendly. They were quite flirtatious." she replied.

"Maybe, you just took it in the wrong way. i guess you should talk to him."

"I did. i gave him a chance to come clean about it but he still didn't mention her. finally, i did and he had the nerve to get upset with me for logging into his account! and we ended up having a huge fight."

"Then, what happened?"

"After two days of constant fights, he finally came clean. he told me that he had gone out with her a couple of times and she had no idea he had a girlfriend. You know last month on his birthday, he was busy in a meeting and didn't come home till 11:30?! Well, guess who he was celebrating his birthday with?"

"Hmm... but hasn't he agreed to break up with her?"

"He said it didn't mean anything serious and he would break up with her."

"that's good right?"

"it doesn't make a difference. I don't think i would be able to trust him again."

"But he just went out on a couple of dates?! Can't you forget about the whole thing, forgive him and move on. You guys are so happy together."

"I can't forget and I can't forgive. I was happy but I guess he wasn't. It's not about the number of dates he went on, I found out about the whole affair and that's why he is forced to break up with her. I am sure if i hadn't, this would have gone longer. maybe he would have slept with her later. And the more I think about it, the more disgusted I feel! There were times when he was with me but his mind was with her. There were times when he lied to me so that he can go and meet her."

"So, what are you saying...?"

"I am saying that I can't be with some one who lies to me. It doesn't matter that he didn't sleep with her, he did go out with someone behind my back. I have to do this."

"Even though he said he still loves you..."

"If he did, he wouldn't have done what he did."

"But, I thought you loved him?"

"I love myself more." she smiled sadly.

"Are you okay?" her friend placed a hand on hers.

"I still hurts to think that he would do something like this. I trusted him so much but I also know this is something that I have to do. Leaving him is one of the hardest decisions I had to make and I am in pain but I know I will be fine." 

If you were in her place, what would you have done? Would you have left your partner if you found out that he went out with someone behind your back? Or would you choose to forgive him / her? Would you be able to trust him / her again? What is your definition of cheating? Which, according to you is worse - romantically thinking about someone else while he / she is with you OR physical cheating? Is walking out of a relationship easier than working on it? Do you believe, 'Once a cheater, always a cheater.'?

It Rained...

It rained...
The kid jumped in the puddles,
praying, 'please there be no school today.'

It rained...
The woman hurried along covering her head with dupatta,
wishing, 'I had not forgotten my umbrella.'

It rained...
The man got drenched from head to toe,
cursed, 'I would get late for office again.'

It rained...
Two lovers cuddled under an old newspaper in the corner,
dreaming, 'the weather could be this romantic forever.'

It rained...
A mother clutched her baby tightly, covered him with her saree,
thinking, 'he shouldn't get wet, he is a new born baby.'

It rained...
She looked at him walking next to him, holding her hand,
smiled, 'rains was when we had met for the first time.'

It rained...
He trudged along slowly,
hoping, 'maybe the rain-drops would wash away my sins.'

... And then they murdered the English language!

I have already written a post about how today's youngsters are murdering slaughtering the English language with their supposedly innovative *rolling eyes* spellings and usage. You can read it here. This post can be seen as an extension of that.

I have, in recent time, come across various blog posts by many a talented writers who have also shown their disgust with this growing phenomenon. I would not say, this post is different but it does highlight some of those innovations that irritate me to no end!

What bothers me more is that some of these "innovations" are used by, not 11-year-old kids, but by MBA graduates as well! I, who has broken up with a guy just because he couldn't speak in English properly (don't judge me! he couldn't frame a single sentence!), positively shudder at reading some of the exchanges on Facebook!

Here are some of the weirdest - (Yes, it is weird and not wierd!)

• Congrates and congos - What is the deal with this?! what does it even mean?! I mean how long does it take to type out C-O-N-G-R-A-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S! 2 seconds! If you are really happy for someone take out two seconds and type out the whole damn word. 

• Birthday wishes. I have read some funny birthday wishes, hell i have even wished someone "appie Boithday"! But, that was in jest. There are some people who don't do it in jest. the funniest wish (or irritating) i have ever seen is some friend's friend who had typed HBD to wish my friend on his birthday! there was nothing more to the wish, just HBD. Now, HBD obviously stands for Happy Birth Day. First, HBD?! really?! I mean the least you can do is type Happy B'day (the least I said!) and second, birthday is one word. 

• Another case in point - OMG. If you are really astonished to see something show it by typing Oh My God!

• Misspellings. I don't understand what is the deal with intentionally spelling something wrong. why would you, after an MBA degree, spell my as mah?! or failing as phailing? is as iz?  do you think it makes you look cool? It doesn't. It makes people wonder about that MBA degree of yours! or maybe you are that dumb?!

• Ellipsis or (...) those dots, that you use so generously, they have a purpose. they are not used to beautify text. Wikipedia defines ellipsis as "marks that usually indicate an intentional omission of a word in the original text. An ellipsis can also be used to indicate a pause in speech, an unfinished thought, or, at the end of a sentence, a trailing off into silence. When placed at the end of a sentence, the ellipsis can also inspire a feeling of melancholy longing. The ellipsis calls for a slight pause in speech." But, many people just use it for...? God knows, what they use it for! I mean there are comments with one word ::ten dots:: another word ::couple of commas:: some more words ::some more dots:: what the hell is that?! I mean if you are so keen to use ellipsis, at least use three dots! Same goes for other punctuation marks - excited or want to portray shouting, one exclamation mark is enough! asking a question - one question mark is what you need.  

• SMS Language. Some examples - Hw r u?, m f9, Gr8, lukin gud, tc, wassup, and the list goes on and on. SMSs are cheap now (even free!), and social networking websites don't charge you on the basis of how much characters you type, so please use full words. and don't give me that crap about saving time. you are on facebook or twitter... you obviously have loads of time to pass! take out two seconds and type out the full damn word!

• Lastly (not because I can't think of anymore but just don't want to bore you with a long list) wrong usage. there is a difference between it's and its, you're and your, they're and their. write and right are not interchangeable. the same goes for hear and here, quite and quiet, their and there. 

Now, I am no expert on English (although I think I know more than an average individual) but these are some of the things that make me positively shudder. I am sure you also have a long list of irritations induced by the misuse of English language. Please share it through comments. Let's make this an exhaustive list about How / What NOT to type!

P.S. if you find something wrong with my usage, don't hesitate to let me know.

Meeting Him...

Jumping with joy, she hugged him tight,
Suffocating him enough, still for a breath he didn't fight!


Nothing else mattered more than that hug, it felt so right,
They didn't even care, they were in every one's sight!


She had missed him terribly every day and night,
How eagerly, she wanted to make up after that ugly fight!


it was the end of her plights, giving way to an unfathomable delight,
Still she wondered, was it a dream or has he finally arrived!


"I am sorry i hurt you. Please forgive me, I missed you," she cried
Seeing his little angel after a long time, 'I missed you too,' her daddy replied!


This above post is a team effort. Every line of the post has been contributed by an individual and I have just done a little editing. How did it came about? that requires a little background... which is available on my facebook page - The Grey Area


Contributors - Akshat Adarsh, Sanchali Bose, Charu Mahesh, Sheetal Khanna Mukhija, Ankita Singh Rathore, Chetna Mehra, Meenal Gupta, Kanika Arora & I...


Thank you... I hope you guys like it! :)


P.S. while reading every line that each one of you have contributed, I could make out what was going on in your mind ;) and I am sorry I had to change some lines, just to make the poem flow properly...


P.P.S. - While editing the lines and rearranging them, i realized that how the meaning alters drastically if you place something out of context!






 

Are you lonesome tonight...

She kept writing, he never replied,

the days got longer, endless nights

she waited, no end in sight...

The letter arrived, just too late

tired, she had died of heart-break...

The only mourner, her loyal pet.

Time...

Smiling, she stood frozen in time,

 Memories flashed of the days gone by,

Sitting in the afternoon sun, playing and laughing,

fighting and crying, making-up and smiling

As she stared, the faces changed

the innocence disappeared, maturity took it's place

the smiling eyes were there no more

the lazy grin had left long ago

This face, she couldn't read anymore

the secrets within, she couldn't decipher no more

She stared and stared to locate something that was hers

And realized it was futile as the times had changed too much

There was a knock on the door, her reverie was broken

'are you ready, sweetheart? everyone is waiting.'

She looked at herself in the mirror and realized

Smiling, she had stood frozen in time.

He said, 'are you okay, honey? is everything alright?'

She just looked at him and a tear fell by

he came close and held her near

"what's the matter? you can tell me my dear."

She sobbed and told him everything going on in her mind

'I don't want to grow up. i want to go back in time!'

he smiled and kissed her on the cheek

'I know it is scary but growing up is a part of life!'

' i knew you when you were little and i know you all grown up,

believe me sweetheart you have turned into an amazing woman.

Don't be afraid of what's coming next as i am always with you

we have played together and together we'll grow old too!

She smiled as he pulled her close and hugged her tight,

she closed her eyes and realized

Yesterday was great but today isn't that bad either

Smiling, in his arms, she wanted to be forever.

Women

 

She turned around and slapped him... hard on the face. “you should be ashamed of yourself!” she yelled at him. Mira, one of the other passengers on the crowded bus, wondered, ‘if only i had that much courage.’ She kept staring out, stone-faced, as she endured the middle-aged man leaning in on her... yet again.

Through this post i have tried to portray two faces of women - the active one and the passive one. The one who is not afraid to stand up for herself and Mira who has become numb. I wrote this post after reading about two events -

• SlutWalk - I don't know how many of you know about it but it's a protest (by women) that was started in Toronto against the remarks made by a policeman that women should stop dressing like 'sluts' to in order to stop being victimized. in other words, if a woman is wearing a skirt she is asking the opposite sex to come and molest her! outrageous, isn't it?! all the India women would give proof to the fact that it doesn't matter if you are wearing a skirt or a sari, you would be leered at, jeered at, made lewd comments at, touched, felt, whistled at, taunted... the same way. 
• Today on the news i saw this piece about 9 female fetuses found in a drain in some district of Maharashtra. the more shocking information was that some locals had seen pigs and dogs eating them! 

This is the sad state of women... First, they are not allowed to be born and if they do, they are molested. Sometimes, i wonder which is better - not being born or being born but treated as a piece of meat.

And you know what is the saddest part? it is the fact that it is the women that are doing this to other women. it's a mother who doesn't stand up for her unborn daughter. it is a woman who would make the one who is trying to raise her voice to shut up and let it pass.

I wish, hope and pray that soon, the active women take precedence over the passive one. I wish that women, all over, learn to say NO... to killing their daughters, to being eve-teased, to give dowry, to being molested!

Oh My God!

Yesterday, we found out that one of our most celebrated painters MF Hussain died in London. May he Rest in peace... finally. He, who was a pioneer in taking India to the global art map, was exiled from his own homeland in lieu of his 'controversial' art. In india, a supposedly democratic country, he was denied the basic freedom of expression. What is interesting is that after his death a lot of polls have come up in Facebook regarding his exile and whether he deserved it  and the majority of users have chosen the option 'No.'

As for me, I believe that we, as a country, should be more tolerant. we have seen what Ayodhya had done to us. We have seen what Gujarat riots had been for. People get killed, blood is spilled and for what?I had read something on facebook that - "Follow God, and not their priests." and i agree with it wholeheartedly.

I believe in God & I love my country. I also think MF Hussain did not deserve to die in another country because he chose to depict something in a certain way.

I have also written a post on our many colorful God(s) and trust me... I have been in a double mind about whether I should post it or not. I know there are many religious fanatics out there (how may read my humble blog i don't know) and I know it may be taken in a completely wrong way that it has been intended. So before you read any further I must warn you - read it with your sense of humor intact. I don't mean to offend any sentiments, religious or otherwise. And if i still manage to do so... my apologies, that was not the intention.

Here goes...

India is a land of excess... negative excess, that is. There is an excess of population, poverty, corruption and Gods. I had read somewhere that there are around 33 million deities worshiped in India. No, that is not a typo, it is actually 33 million. We have a god for every season and every reason. There is no rain; we have Indra who should be worshiped! There is no money; there is Goddess Lakshmi who should be prayed to, starting a new business venture, don’t forget to bow down to Lord Ganesha... so on and so forth.

Now, I have no problem with that (although I do think 33milion is a little too much!) and I am no atheist. I believe in a super power who is watching over us. I believe in doing good to others... and I also believe in the saying – ‘To each his own’.

But, sometimes I wonder... I wonder about these many, many Gods and the colourful life they had led while on Earth protecting us all. You can choose to call them myths or history (whatever you prefer) but they have been fed into us since childhood  as tales of truth and morality... something that we should follow and these Gods are people we should aspire to become.

How many times have you heard that you should be as just as Lord Ram or that you should follow the path of righteousness laid out by King yudishthir. But were they, that is the Gods, always right? Let’s take a look.

Let’s start with Lord Ram and Ravan. I am sure you all are familiar with the story of the Ramayana but let me do a quick recap. Ram was the son of a mighty king and also an avatar of the God Vishnu. When he was a prince, he was sent off to the jungles because of his step-mother who wanted her own son to be crowned the king. Once in the jungles, his wife is kidnapped by the supposedly-evil king Ravan. A fight ensues, people die, Ram finally kills Ravan and The end. When you look at it like this it is a pretty simple story of good winning over evil. But there are so many issues that have been swept under the carpet. For example, Ravan, the alleged evil king, even after kidnapping Sita (that was wrong, I agree) never once touched her or tried to rob her of her modesty. He could have forced her to marry him but he didn’t. He chose to wait.


Maryadapuroshatam Ram, on the other hand, not only made her go through the ring of fire to prove her purity but promptly left her to fend for herself after someone said something about her character. I don’t know about you, but I would have liked him to stand up for his wife. Ravan, for kidnapping sita, was condemned to be burned at the altar for all eternity but Ram, who discarded his pregnant wife, occupies the highest place in our temples.

And we, mere mortals, chose to ignore the many good deeds that Ravan did do. He made a city of gold for his kingdom. He was apparently a very learned man who had achieved many scientific feats... remember the flying pushpak viman he had at his disposal? But, who remembers that? Nobody. I mean Ram not only made Sita leave the kingdom, he didn’t even ask for her whereabouts? Out of sight, out of mine, eh? He was clueless that he had kids?! No wonder, sita chose to leave with Earth Goddess after reuniting the kids with their father.

Another case in point is that of the Lord Krishna. He, of the ras lila fame, was a married man while he went on consorting with the gopis. He was married to a woman named Rukmani (plus sixteen thousand others who he had married for a noble reason!) but we still take his name along with his girlfriend (for the lack of a better term) radha. Theirs is considered an eternal love but if the same happens in today’s society it is called extra-marital affair! And what’s more it’s frowned upon! Nobody refers to it as ras lila, anymore...!

And what about the pandavas? I agree, they were not gods per se but they were great kings. We are still asked to follow dharmraj yudishtar’s path. But, look at some of the un-dharm-ly things he did. Like the fact that the five brothers had one wife! I mean your mother, by mistake, said divide it among yourselves... but you don’t have to follow it to the T. She didn’t know it was a woman and not a piece of roti that you can share, but you knew! And if that was not enough, they gambled her away and sat there motionless while she was almost raped in front of them?! I mean, what good is having five husbands if they can’t protect you! I bet there was no feminist during that time.

Since we are on the topic of feminism, why is it that it is always a woman that is declared as the root of all problems. I have heard many people say that Ramanyan was because of sita, mahabhartha was because of draupadi... and Jesus died because of eve! Why do we fail to see the role of the testosterone in all this. Sita would not have been kidnapped if Lakshman had first, not cut off that poor devil’s nose (she just wanted to marry him after all. He is a god, he should believe in live and let live) and second, he should have obeyed his brother and not left his sister-in-law alone in the jungle. Mahabhartha would not have happened if pandanvas had refrained from gambling off their wife! And mankind would not have been cursed if Adam had the sense to not eat the apple! But all’s well that ends well.

So, these Gods were not perfect... they made mistakes but that doesn’t take away from the fact that they were indeed great in their own way. maybe it was a different time altogether and as they say it is the Kalyug ;)

Well, before any of you religious fanatics decide to send me back to my maker... I would end here and take your leave. Have a good day.

Disclaimer – As mentioned before, the idea behind this post was to spread little more smiles around... God knows we need it. Take it in the right spirit, people!