SwirlingThoughtsNStuff

Amazing Grace

2012-01-28T10:25:00.002+05:30

No greater, more loving grace,
than walking on the beach,
waves rushing at my feet,
raindrops floating to my upturned face;
a rainbow arching out to my left,
the sun rising on the right,
rays breaking through dark clouds
and spreading glorious light.

Do I...?

2012-01-04T19:54:00.003+05:30

A colon and a closing parentheses,

a LOLZ and a ROTFLMHO,

New masks that we've learnt to use

Different, yet easy to put on...

Emoticons, abb., status mesages

That hide the tumult within

that tide over the moment till its gone

That conceal or camouflage

love, anger, disdain

and maybe even the person I really am.

Do I really want this persona?

Do I really want this facade?

Or do I want you to know me as I am?

And do you?

...

2011-10-25T10:35:00.000+05:30

Is this ennui I feel
or detachment?
Oh! for the ability to discern...

I smile and charm
Even as I watch myself -
Sometimes in quiet wonder,
At others with growing disquiet -

That itself enchants me enough.

Now

2011-10-25T10:30:00.001+05:30

The butterfly of happiness
alights on our shoulder
For just a split second...
Why then, can we not
Savor that moment
Instead of worrying that it
Will fly away soon?
Why must we live
in anticipation of a moment
That has not yet come
Or in a moment
That will be gone?
Wouldn't it be beautiful
if we live the moment that's Now?
What a calm soul
that enjoys the butterfly
perched on the shoulder, right Now...

~Undated, written WAY bac when...

Flown...

2011-10-25T10:26:00.003+05:30

It's all in the past
We couldn't make it last
No matter how much we loved,
No matter how hard...
Love came into our lives,
Touched us, whispered in our ears,
danced around,
Brought a twinkle to our eyes
for many-a day
And a dream to our souls
many-a night
....and then...
Love flew away.

~Undated, from WAY back when

Baffled...

2011-10-24T12:50:00.000+05:30

There's one part of my heart that doesn't want to let you go,
That part of me doesn't want me to give up,
Never mind your silence, the no-response.
That part of me remembers the good times, the smiles,
the laughter, the joy, the good times spent together.
That part of me cares...and knows you care too,
You're just going through whatever you're going through
And when you're through with that,
We'll be back to sharing our joys, our sorrows,
our tears and our moments of fun.
But there's another part of my heart that whispers,
"It's time to move on, the friend you so long for,
their part in your life is done."

I'm baffled - which part of my treacherous heart
is echoing back what the Universe is telling me,
I'm stupefied - which part of my heart do I pay heed to?
Do I hold on to you or do I alter my promise, give up on you and let you go?

WHY?

2011-09-20T01:39:00.003+05:30

What is it that drives people to do things that they normally wouldn’t or even those that they know are not acceptable in the society that we live in – not because it’s good or bad, but because it is something not expected of us as human beings – those “exalted” living beings at the top of the food chain?

Why do men rape women? Why do they beat women up? Why do women in a fit of anger cut off their husband’s genitals? Why do women kill their men? Why do mothers kill their children in their infancy? Why do men kill their daughters even before they’re born? Why do people stone perpetrators to death?

What is this urge that takes over human beings and causes us to behave in a most irrational, obsessive way? Why can a kleptomaniac not resist the urge to steal? Why does the need become a rising, screaming crescendo till the deed is done and only then can the kleptomaniac heave a sigh of relief? Why does a wife-beater not stop till he has drawn blood? Why does a rapist not stop till the woman is near death? Why do the pelting stones not stop till the perpetrator IS dead?

I’m trying to wrap my head around this. All I know is that if the frontal lobe of the brain has received an injury and been damaged, that’s when we are not able to resist impulses or control urges.

Is that enough to excuse recurrent kleptomania, ignore domestic/child abuse, even justify an act as heinous as rape?

Rain

2011-06-10T06:15:00.005+05:30

I stood there in the falling rain,
Watching the swaying trees,
Listening to thunder roll,
Drinking in the fragrance that arose
from the freshly drenched earth,
And all I could think of, was
Two lovers rushing at each other,
Distance separating them no more,
In each other's arms,
Embracing each other fiercely,
Now shaking with tears of joy,
Now doubling up in mirth...
As lightning clapped and thunder sang,
As the breeze twirled and the trees danced,
What I felt in the presence of this cosmic love,
Was peace, a soothed soul, calm.
A smile descended on me
I raised my arms, arched my body
Pirouetted and with pure unbridled joy, pranced

My Awesome Life

2011-05-05T11:21:00.001+05:30

I listen and I let it be

I smile and stay me
I cook and let the fragrance tease
I surrender my ego and appease
I ask for forgiveness when I've been a pain
I run into the wind and let it caress my face
I jump, I prance, I dance in the rain
I tap my feet to an awesome beat
I start painting which, in a day, I complete
I shoot touching moments - a toothless smile
a gurgling baby, a pretty blossom...
These are only some things I do
To keep my life happy, fulfilled, awesome.

To grieve or not to grieve...

2011-04-25T12:33:00.002+05:30

So, Sathya Sai Baba passed away on Sunday. And the media turned this moment of stunned world grief into a bloody circus of which celebrity is a greater devotee and who's crying how much (or not at all) and the loudest. Most of us just voyeuristically watched.

I can't get over that instead of getting antim darshan of Baba, I had to repeatedly watch Sachin crying. A) Because he's Sachin, doesn't allow you to invade his grief with your nonsense of "ab aap dekh rahey hain Sachin ki aankhon se chalaktey aansoo". Clowns, let the man cry in peace. He's just another devotee there like anyone else. B) Because he's Sachin, it doesn't allow you to rob me of Baba's antim darshan. I've got the TV on to see the last of Baba as much a I can, not Sachin and his wife and all the sundry men who wanted to pat Sachin just so they could get on bloody TV.

What is our fascination with celebrities that they shed a tear and it becomes a media tsunami? Whether it's Sachin crying in front of Baba's body or it's Bipasha-John's break-up, whether I care or not, the media reports. In as sensational a voice as they can manage, they report. Never mind the thousands of rapes, murders, dacoities that are clamoring to be heard. Never mind the corrupt practices that rob this country of its possibility to be a Super Power. Never mind the natural disasters that are happening the world over. No, we MUST watch a celebrity grieve.

Never mind that they don't want us to watch it. The question that demands an answer: To grieve or not to grieve.

Are We for Real?

2011-04-12T08:58:00.005+05:30

'Man gets just 2 yrs for abusing daughter'

whispered a sub-headline apologetically on page 7 of today's leading daily (News). And then it went on to rant about archaic laws and such like.

I'm reading the article and all I am present to is rising bile and a sickly empty feeling in the pit of my stomach - a father does this to his child so he can (in my understanding and how the situation occurs for me) get back at his wife for moving out?!? Bloody hell, whatever the reasons might be, rape, even if digital, of your own begotten child? Unfathomable! There's a limit to perversion, isn't there?

Now before you raise your eyebrow in disbelief and ask me, 'have you never heard of incest?" I have. My childhood friend's younger cousin was forced into sexual intercourse with her real brother from a time she didn't understand that this was not normal. For 10 long years she took it before education made her realize it wasn't. This, while they all lived in a joint family!

And the law takes invasion of a woman's privacy so lightly, it's unbelievable. A man rapes a 3 month old, 83 year old, 21 year old, fuck, any-year old woman and he gets 7 years? How about the capital punishment? WAKE UP people, change the damn law.

The sad truth about incest - you won't find statistics. I did a google search (statistics: incest in India) and it yielded about 3,460,000 results in 0.18 seconds...and the latest statistics were as old as 2009 - that too indirectly in this article. I remember reading the book Bitter Chocolate when I was still in my teens and being so shaken by it that I couldn't sleep for weeks - I would feel guilty about taking my loving and protected childhood for granted and cry so much in pain for those who had been or were still being subjected to incest!

And then came another shocker. Please read this unbelievable page.

I'm still stunned. What are your thoughts?

You and I...The Difference!

2011-04-11T20:39:00.002+05:30

There's a stillness in my heart.

And yet freely I breathe.

You see me as my skin

Little do you know,

There's so much more within

All the polish that you feign

All the education, upbringing,

Everything, EVERYTHING in vain!

And while you toss and turn,

Trying to get peaceful sleep,

Nothing you say or how you behave

Can take away my laughter, my joy,

My zest for life, my self-belief.

Things I learnt this morning...

2011-04-09T08:15:00.003+05:30

I go to a goshala close to my house for getting milk every morning, and there's something or the other that grabs my attention everyday.

So this morning wasn't any different.

As I turned from our lane to get on to an arterial road to get to the goshala, there stood smack-bang in the centre of the road a Honda Accord and 2 men yakking with the doors open! When I honked, trying to squeeze my car in from the side, one of the men steps nearly in front of my car, peeks inside, gives me a lewd smile and steps back. I'd reached about 20 metres ahead by this time, and stopped soon as I realized what he was up to. Soon as I stopped and rolled down my window, the man in the driver's seat said something, the other two jumped into the car, speed-reversed the car and went the other way.

Then, as I reached Jantar Mantar to stand by Anna Hazare, dressed in my jeans and a tee, I got another lewd comment from a man on the road. This time I really lost it and let forth a volley of choice abuses that left the man stunned - I could see it on his face.

What I learned: In our country, doesn't matter if you're an educated man, a semi-literate one or an illiterate bum; doesn't matter what time of the day or night it is - if you see a woman, no matter how she's dressed, you will at some point or the other in your life (and for some FAR more frequent that that) disrespect a woman. And why? Because that's what you learned from the men you saw around you growing up.

What I'm telling you: First - DON'T underestimate women, especially in this day and age. You misbehave and we'll sock one or two to you.

More importantly, If YOU don't stop now, that's precisely what you'll be passing on the the generations of boys following you - and then your footsteps - in the world.

Anna Hazare and his crusade

2011-04-07T15:49:00.004+05:30

Here's a BBM forward I got -

Things to know about Anna Hazare and Lok Pal Bill

1.Who is Anna Hazare?

An ex-army man. Fought 1965 Indo-Pak War

2.What's so special about him?

He built a village Ralegaon Siddhi in Ahamad Nagar district, Maharashtra. This village is a self-sustained model village. Energy is produced in the village itself from solar power, biofuel and wind mills. In 1975, it used to be a poverty clad village. Now it is one of the richest village in India. It has become a model for self-sustained, eco-friendly & harmonic village.

3. What's he known for?

This guy, Anna Hazare was awarded Padma Bhushan and is a known figure for his social activities.

4. What's he up to now?

He is supporting a cause, the amendment of a law to curb corruption in India.

5. How that can be possible?

He is advocating for a Bil, The Lok Pal Bill (The Citizen Ombudsman Bill), that will form an autonomous authority who will make politicians (ministers), beurocrats (IAS/IPS) accountable for their deeds.

6. It's an entirely new thing right..?

In 1972, the bill was proposed by then Law minister Mr. Shanti Bhushan. Since then it has been neglected by the politicians and some are trying to change the bill to suit thier theft (corruption).

7. Oh.. He is going on a hunger strike for that whole thing of passing a Bill ! How can that be possible in such a short span of time?

The first thing he is asking for is: the govt should come forward and announce that the bill is going to be passed. Next, they make a joint committee to DRAFT the LOK PAL BILL. 50% government participation and 50% public participation.Because you cant trust the govt entirely for making such a bill which does not suit them.

8.What wil happen when this bill is passed?

A LokPal will be appointed at the centre. He will have an autonomous charge, say like the Election Commission of India. In each and every state, Lokayukta will be appointed.The job is to bring all alleged party to trial in case of corruptions within 1 year. Within 2 years, the guilty will be punished.

Interesting message with a request to pass it on. Here I am with a few added thoughts of my own..

The man and his demand are gathering supporters every second. Why? Because this country and her people are sick of being taken for a ride. While most have us may not have the gumption to have stood up for our rights, for a morally cleaner country, we are happy to join someone when they take up the cudgels. Nothing wrong in that - just heartening that it isn't one voice alone. Whatever Mr. Pawar might say, he has been prompted to resign, at least from the GoM. And, I'm hoping there'll be many more who follow. And free up space for a newer, fresher, morally stronger lot to walk in. If peaceful citizen action can do this in such a short span, think of what all it can make possible.

Of course, one may say that it isn't Anna Hazare alone who's responsible. If it weren't for the support he's getting from youngsters, law abiding citizens and law bodies, he may not have been able to do much. Sure. I wonder though - If Anna was to die for a cleaner country, would any of us have what it takes to carry his crusade on?...

Things that freak me out...

2010-09-17T12:52:00.004+05:30

...Creepy crawlies...

...People littering the road...

...The odor of a dead rat...

...A pack of dogs trying to kill a rat the size of a marmot...

...Judgmental people...

...Things not in the same place as I left them...

...Bad customer service...

What about you?

Things that bring me joy

2010-09-16T06:55:00.000+05:30

...Watching the first signs of an approaching season - like your car's windscreen's all frosted up on a mid-September morning...

...Chancing upon a fully - and perfectly - spun cob-web, with the spider smack-bag in the center - just like in comics...

...Watching a tiny little bird flit about from branch to branch...

...An infant breaking into a smile when it hears you gurgling, cooing and generally making a fool of yourself...

...The fragrance of Johnson's baby oil and powder mixed together...

...Hearing a baby's delightful laugh...

...A splash of orange in an indigo sky...

...An old, weathered photograph in black and white...

These are some things that elevate my mood from wherever it was to a whole new place. What are your shots?

Things that bring me joy

2010-09-16T06:42:00.003+05:30

...Watching the first signs of an approaching season - like your car's windscreen's all frosted up on a mid-September morning...

...Chancing upon a fully - and perfectly - spun cob-web, with the spider smack-bag in the center - just like in comics...

...Watching a tiny little bird flit about from branch to branch...

...An infant breaking into a smile when it hears you gurgling, cooing and generally making a fool of yourself...

...The fragrance of Johnson's baby oil and powder mixed together...

...Hearing a baby's delightful laugh...

...A splash of orange in an indigo sky...

...An old, weathered photograph in black and white...

These are some things that elevate my mood from wherever it was to a whole new place. What are your shots?

Rain...

2010-06-16T02:38:00.002+05:30

a gentle whisper floating down
turning into a 'plop' below
a little sigh that laughs away
naughtily saying "i know"...
a tiny kiss planted shyly
that drives me insane
a gentle, feathery caress
that brings forth a blush again

aaah! wonderful things it does to me
drops of water falling as rain, wonderful rain.

The Woman I am From the Girl That was Me!

2010-03-09T01:22:00.003+05:30

From catching raindrops with my tongue,
Skipping around with glee,
Throwing my head back in mirth,
Stepping back in wonder
And exclaiming, "awww gee"
To delicately trembling when you place
your hand on my knee,
gasping in delight, involuntarily,
Goosebumps on tantalized skin,
A blush creeping up my cheeks,
Going through myriad emotions
You've made me lose
the last vestiges of my childhood
For honey, you've made a woman
Out of the girl that was me.

of Songs...and memories...

2010-03-01T02:00:00.004+05:30

Neeley Neeley Ambar Par
Chaand Jab Aa Jaaye
Pyaar Barsa Jaaye
Humko Tarsa Jaye...

The song, one of my favorites, was playing on the radio while I was playing with my new fangled phone. Well...it definitely has fangs - it's that fangled! Anyway, I somehow reached the contacts list and was thumbing (literally) through it when I saw your name. And in that split second, I froze.

I know me. If I saw your number, I would be tempted to call...I would call.

Tap.

Phew. No number.

Only a note that read, 'Likes red wine @ room temprature. Likes to read fiction. Favorite outfit - tshirts. Favorite color - electric blue. Favorite shirt colors - blue/white/grey.

Likes to sleep...watch movies....read...guzzle beer...savor wine...do nothing.

Likes to eat fish/gol gappas...

Likes...ME!!!'

Do you? Still?

I slowly faded back into the world, with a small smile on my face. Ironically, the song had changed to 'Dard mei bhi ye lab muskura jaatey hain, beetey amhey hamey jab bhi yaad aatey hain...'

Lives Parallel

2009-12-24T18:53:00.000+05:30

I hear the urgency in your voice
But you miss the catch in mine.
I hear the demand in your voice
But you miss the resignation in mine.
You hear the impatience in my voice
But I miss the disappointment in yours
You hear the anger in my voice
But I miss the sorrow in yours.
Time was when the breeze would carry my whispered tenderness to you
And the sun's rays would carry your smiles to me...
I wonder today - what has drowned out our love?
Or are we on different planes in altogether different skies living parallel lives?

Peekaboo...I Don't see you.

2009-12-24T18:42:00.000+05:30

A sound on my voice-mail
That's all that remains
Of all the longs conversations,
The mock-fights, the laughter, the subsequent pain.

Like swiftly receding mist,
A memory is what you've become
To which I'm holding on super-tight,
So much, it hurts and is driving me insane.

Every time I think of you,
Re-read your messages, listen to the voice-mail
It's a smile, then a grimace,
Then deep sorrow all over again.

So tired of this game
All I want to do
Is be with you, hold you tight
So it makes everything alright
And stop this peekaboo of sunshine and rain.

Tucked Away

2009-12-22T19:29:00.002+05:30

Tucked away in your heart

Is there a tiny little corner for me?

A place you escape to

When you want the world to let you be?

Or have you turned a corner over

Like a page in a dog-eared book

read, with an excitement, but now done,

And hidden me under?

But can it really be so easy

To forget all your whispered sweet-nothings

The sighs, the laughs, the claps

Those unfettered expressions of innocent glee?

Marred by a piece of paper,

Written long, long, really LONG ago,

Our feelings playing a tango

Confusion, pain, anger...and then ennui.

Sitting alone, in front of my screen

This is what I wonder, my sweet baby

Tucked away in a your heart, is there a corner

A special little corner for me?

We bleed...

2009-11-27T12:18:00.002+05:30

It was a day like any other when I woke up. Till I remembered the date. Exactly one year to a day we all sat there numbed beyond belief to what was happening in Mumbai. And the chill that went through me had nothing to do with the cold outside.

The day went by in a blur, we observed a two minute silence for all those who lost their lives unnecessarily – whether it was a Major Unnikrishnan whose young life could have been saved if the terrorists hadn’t attacked or that of Kang’s children; whether it was Sabina who choked to death in a plush hotel; a newly-wed Gunjan who had gone there to celebrate his birthday with his entire family; or it was, ironically, an Amar who lost his life at CST. All unnecessary. How do we bear the deaths of a Karkare, an Amte, a Salaskar? That sweet staffer at the Trident, who’s name one didn’t know and wouldn’t know again, but who stood there and took a bullet in his chest, the man traveling from his workplace to back home – whose children will see him no more…they all went, and countless, nameless more for you and me, but flesh, blood, joy and laughter, today only a memory for someone.

I can’t seem to control the tremble even today – every time over the last year as nightmares of those horrid three days have wrecked my sleep I have been shook – with anger, with pain, with fear. No, I did not lose anyone near and dear, but others did. Is human life so inconsequent that if it’s mine, it hurts and if it’s not mine, it doesn’t? I should pray not!

Unfortunately it hurt more when I sent messages to 300 people for a minutes time of thought for those who had passed away and those they left behind – and I got a response from 8 people! Sam, Max, Neil, Tariq bhai, Usma, Manish, Anil and Shalini – thank you for responding. One response was “thanks for reminding”. Another was (when I sent out a message asking people to join me at India Gate at 9, “Nahi yaar, I’m too lazy for causes”! Forgive me for not naming these people – obvious reasons. I’m still wondering how observing silence at a war memorial for the Unni’s, the Karkare’s- , the Salaskar’s and all who died is a cause….

Anyhow, was heartened by seeing people – young and old – holding candles, holding hands - just simply there at India Gate. No, I don’t understand slogans and shouting and so on. No, I don’t understand a pretty young thing on a news channel asking inane questions to war-orphans and war-widows –‘how are you feeling’, ‘how are you supporting yourself today?’, ‘what do you tell the children about their father’. No, I don’t understand Advani accusing the government of not paying compensation on the anniversary of the very day – why was he sleeping the entire year?

What I do understand is this: People – no matter what caste, creed, religion, gender or age – coming together in peace and demanding a peaceful world. What I do understand is you and I accepting another for who he is and not what he/she covers their head with. What I do understand is you and I saying no to religion-incited violence.

Else, we shall continue to bleed.

Simplicity

2009-08-10T18:27:00.000+05:30

Life sometimes gets so complicated
simple things become unduly weighted
a split instant and upside down it all turns
sometimes causing smiles, sometimes heartburns

oh for being carefree
why can't we try?
I shake my head
my heart whispers a sigh...

Silence XXIII

2009-07-02T19:48:00.000+05:30

the silence deepens
the malaise grows
along with it
the list of woes.
an abyss beckons;
a matter of seconds
and Voila! all's gone.
no rage, no tears
no uncalled violence
finally, all around...
Silence

Silence - XXII

2009-06-28T14:44:00.001+05:30

Standing in the balcony,
a slight spray teasing me;
Gentle breeze in my ear,
Whispering a sigh...
We're having a lovely conversation -
My silence and I.

I Know I Do

2009-04-11T18:36:00.000+05:30

I know I drive you wild
With desire that's a burning fire
With anger that could spell danger
With passion that's an exclamation

I respond to you when I want
When I want I let you be
In measure with the desire
That's what draws you to me

With every gasp, every sigh
You express with child-like delight
I know I drive you wild.

The Cry of Indian Youth

2009-03-18T14:01:00.003+05:30

हिन्दी मुझे सिखाई गयी
उर्दू (इन्टरनेट से सीखी हुई)
मेरे दिल की जुबां है

मेरे - अब्बा कहूं या पापा
लिखना बोलना सब जानते हैं
मुझ में कुछ खला है,
इसका मुझे गुमान है

मैं हिंदू हूँ
गुरु मेरे मुस्लमान थे
जब सिखों को जलाया गया
मेरे पिता मरने और मरने वालों के दरमियान थे

पर आज में इस दरमियान हूँ
न हिंदू हूँ न मुसलमान हूँ

बस बौखलाई हुई, खोई हुई
आज के बिखरे ही हिंदुस्तान
की संतान हूँ

Of 60 years of being a Republic...

2009-01-27T13:54:00.005+05:30

I was asked if I needed a lesson in Civics when I ruminated whether we were really a Republic in the 60 years of our being one. Here then is my answer to that question. Choose for yourself, the appropriate answer.

Right to equality
Equality before law: All citizens shall be equally protected by the laws of the country. It means that the State cannot discriminate against a citizen on the basis of caste, creed, colour, sex, religion or place of birth.
And a rich man with the right connections roams scott free while a poor – probably innocent - man who does not have a Jethmalani at his beck and running call squirms in jail.
Social equality and equal access to public areas: No person shall be discriminated on the basis of caste, colour, language, etc. Every person shall have equal access to public places like public parks, museums, wells, bathing ghats and temples, etc.
And a girl is not allowed into temples and kitchens on the days she is “ashudh” never mind the fact that if she wasn’t – she’d be considered immoral and pelted to death or ostracized and labeled “loose”
Equality in matters of public employment: The State cannot discriminate against anyone in the matters of employment. All citizens can apply for government jobs.
And a woman is expected to either go via the casting couch – no matter what the industry – or offered a clerical job before she proves her intellect as stronger than the man she types out letters for. There are enough and more Kiran Bedis out there who are passed over because of their gender…
Abolition of untouchability: Practice of untouchability is an offense and anyone doing so is punishable by law.
Ha! And then there are the widowed who are thrown out of house, home, village and town. Not allowed to drink water from the same wells, not allowed inside temples, these are women not even allowed the basic civic decency of living in good homes. Their front doors open up into a garbage heap! Don’t believe me – travel to Banaras and see for yourself.
Abolition of Titles: Citizens of India cannot accept titles from a foreign State.
This one, thankfully seems to be the only one in Equality that we seem to be doing alright in!
Right to freedom
Freedom of speech and expression, which enable an individual to participate in public activities. The phrase, "freedom of press" has not been used in Article 19, but freedom of expression includes freedom of press. Reasonable restrictions can be imposed in the interest of public order, security of State, decency or morality.
...And we have men and women in various states roughed up because they were “caught” drinking and hanging out with people of the opposite sex! Decency is now being defined by people who don’t know it is indecent, nay, barbaric, to assault a woman. And we have uproar in the corridors of places that be because some of the upholders of law and State are caught on tape accepting “favors”.
Freedom to assemble peacefully without arms, on which the State can impose reasonable restrictions in the interest of public order and the sovereignty and integrity of India.
...And we have lathi charges, water canons and tear gas unleashed at people who demand for peace.
Freedom to form associations or unions on which the State can impose reasonable restrictions on this freedom in the interest of public order, morality and the sovereignty and integrity of India.
Freedom to move freely throughout the territory of India though reasonable restrictions can be imposed on this right in the interest of the general public, for example, restrictions may be imposed on movement and travelling, so as to control epidemics.
And we have the likes of Raj Thackerey who demands all non-marathas to get out of Maharashtra! Beware. He’s not the only one. There are many Thackerays, Purohits, et al out there...
Freedom to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India which is also subject to reasonable restrictions by the State in the interest of the general public or for the protection of the scheduled tribes
See above!
Freedom to practice any profession or to carry on any occupation, trade or business on which the State may impose reasonable restrictions in the interest of the general public.
Read above, think Bar Girls.
The constitution also guarantees the right to life and personal liberty, which in turn cites specific provisions in which these rights are applied and enforced:
No one can be awarded punishment which is more than what the law of the land prescribes at that time.
...And we have mob mentality where an engineer is killed, a policeman removes his belt and thrashes a youngster to death....i could go on, but need space for the other rights as well...
No citizen can be denied his life and liberty except by law. This means that a person's life and personal liberty can only be disputed if that person has committed a crime. However, the right to life does not include the right to die, and hence, suicide or an attempt thereof, is an offence.
...Say that again? I have a right to live, but not a right to die? Never mind that it’s my life and freedom of expression goes bang against this one!
Right to primary education part of the right to freedom, stating that the State would provide free and compulsory education to children from six to fourteen years of age.
...And we have children begging on the streets, in pouring rain, in biting cold or scorching heat. We have little girls denied school because who’s going to have the food ready when the hard-working men come home?
No one can be arrested without being told the grounds for his arrest.
Can’t comment on this one, so won’t.
Right against exploitation
Child labor and Begar is prohibited under Right against exploitation.
The right against exploitation provides for two provisions, namely the abolition of trafficking in human beings and Begar (forced labor), and abolition of employment of children below the age of 14 years in dangerous jobs like factories and mines.
...And daily, newspapers report trafficking for prostitution – young or old, male or female, hell even eunuchs – on a mass scale. Read AIDS Sutra and you’ll find enough stories corroborating this fact, if you choose to not believe newspapers.
Right to freedom of religion
Right to freedom of religion provides religious freedom to all citizens of India. The objective of this right is to sustain the principle of secularism in India.
...And we have a Purohit who plans to promote a Hindu Shastra with Parsi (Tatas) money!
Cultural and educational rights
Any community which has a language and a script of its own has the right to conserve and develop them.
...never mind other languages being rejected for their own.
Right to constitutional remedies

Right to constitutional remedies empowers the citizens to move a court of law in case of any denial of the fundamental rights.
...And then there is an Indian HIV +ve citizen is not allowed to move court and finds himself unable to secure a legal counsel!

Let me now come to the Fundamental Duties

The Fundamental Duties scripted in the Constitution of India are different from the Fundamental rights. This is because Fundamental Rights are considered as the basic rights to be enjoyed by the citizens of the nation while the Duties are conferred upon people to be followed by them accordingly. The Fundamental Duties of the citizens of India mentioned in Article 51A of the Indian Constitution are as follows:

· To respect and incorporate the ideals which were the very base of our national struggle for freedom
…and till before Munnabhai we were a generation blaming any and every Gandhi for all our woes, topping the list - our Father of Nation!

· To follow the Constitution and respect its institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem
…And children today do not know what our basic rights are. A wise radio jockey questioning a caller yesterday said Right to Life was NOT a right!

· To spread the message of peace and brotherhood amongst all the Indian citizens irrespective of linguistic, religious and regional or sectional diversities
…And every time I go to a certain part of the nation, I am called “you Punjabis”

· To discontinue practices pertaining to the impairment of the dignity of women
…ah! I shall say no more…Written enough above to be labeled “Feminist”, therefore shall resist
· To protect and promote the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India
….But we’re Maharashtrians and Punjabi’s and Tamilians and Kannadigas……We’re not Indians….

· To protect public property and to avoid violence
…I wish the images of burning buses leave me, but no, they stay, they haunt…

· To respect and preserve the rich heritage of Indian culture
…But how will Ratna’s love for Divakar be known if it is not carved out on the walls of Ajanta?

· To contribute towards making improvements in all spheres of individual and collective functions to take the nation to new heights of achievement
"…But the facilities, the infrastructure, the lifestyle in the United States/Europe/Australia are better….So I will go there to bring my hard labor of studying till class 12 to fruition!"

· To develop the spirit of inquiry and reform, a scientific temper and sense of humanism
Ya!Especially for the 'sense of humanism' bit

· To provide defense and national service when called upon to the country during hours of crisis
At this moment, I can proudly say we have brave men out there…The Kangs and the Unni’s, the Salaskars and the Karkares of India! With all my heart – the non-cynical part of it at least –I salute you.

· To preserve the natural environment of India like the forests, lakes, rivers and wild life and to have a compassionate outlook towards the living creatures
…Tehri dam, Narmada dam, new constructions, reclamation land….need I say more…

Therefore my dear friends, my question on are we really a republic. I question. Choose your own answer…

Sounds I listen to...

2008-12-26T10:37:00.001+05:30

The voices in my head,
The roar of thunder,
A taking-off jet.

A baby's gurgles,
On a roaring river,
a popping bubble.

Soft Sufi, Hard Rock,
Chimes and tinkling bells,
The pitter patter of a rain drop.

These sounds move me,
Them I listen to.
But that's about me.

What about you?

I write - LIX

2008-12-07T21:59:00.002+05:30

Gloom, doom,

Many - a loud boom.

Death, pain,

Nothing will ever be the same.

Panic, fears,

Culminate in tears.

Smoke, dust,

Too many laid to rest.

Terror, danger,

More outraged anger.

Candles, slogans,

What a contradictory sight.

It's not worth it I say

When people are brought home

Never to see the light of day.

For oneness, brotherly love

Harmony and humane delight,

For patience, for tolerance

For peace

I write.

All I Feel is Relief...

2008-11-17T16:58:00.001+05:30

My pen's dried up like my tears have. My tears have dried up because the well of my emotions has hit rock bottom. There is nothing beyond rock bottom. I am highly claustrophobic, therefore I want release. There are many ways to that release. I just need to choose...

Metal on skin. So cool. Cool enough to end this constant burning. Sharp enough to cut through seven layers of skin. Sharp enough to cut through multiple layers of masks. Sharp enough to cut through never ending pain and reach what i've been looking for for some time now - relief. My fingers press the metal deeper...

Rivulets of red. trampling on everything in a hurry to meet the pristine white of the marbled floor. Detached, I watch its hurry. A tiny smile on my face. Soon, all too soon, there will be no hurry, no pain, no masks, no emotions, no words. Soon, there will be no me.

And all I feel is relief.

You...and I

2008-10-27T19:16:00.000+05:30

You have me unglued
At the merest…
Normally articulate,
My words trip over each other
Normally poised,
I come hopelessly undone
Normally calm,
My racing heart goes a-flutter

Stop – to me, I say
I’m not so fragile, so weak
Stop – I ask you
You shrug and walk away.

And I - my heart breaks some more.

Unglued

2008-10-11T23:59:00.002+05:30

your slightest touch

leaves me ablaze, unglued

how am i to live

knowing it's possible to feel so alive

and yet walk around

feeling as heavy as wood?

Electric

2008-07-23T08:51:00.001+05:30

Staring ahead
With unseeing eyes
A million thoughts running by
Like strings of fast-moving psychedelic lights.

They look at me
Or through, I don’t know
And yet strangely, mmm-ingly
From those eyes to my surprised body, a current flows.

Alive.
That’s what I feel
In the surreal tingling moment
Wondering – is this a dream, a fantasy or pinch-real?

Captivated
In the depths of those pools
Willing to follow at the slightest blink
Pulled by the unseeing stare, I throw out all my rules.

I Write - of the end

2008-06-14T23:38:00.005+05:30

Something inside me snapped today.

Of that 'something'

...That broke my heart

into a million shards

...That drove me around the bend

...Because of which

a part of me died tonight

...I write -

Of the beginning

of the end.

Butterfly

2008-05-31T15:03:00.003+05:30

Wrapped in my cocoon,
So tender, so soft;
Lost in my world -
Two rooms and a loft;

Suddenly I felt
An un-scratchable itch -
Someone was poking me,
Pushing me out of my niche.

I tried to save myself,
The invasion continued;
I started to move -
And suddenly became unglued!

As away from me,
My blanket was dragged
I cried, my heart died,
I hurt and unceasingly bled.

I struggled to shield
My eyes from a deep blue sky
Only to find
This urge to soar high...

An urge that's given me wings
And a whole new world to try...
Wings with which, among other things,
I'm on my way to being a beautiful butterfly.

I (don't) Write - LVII

2008-05-20T12:21:00.004+05:30

Nothing's changed
Yet what has, is a lot
I'm the same person
And yet I'm not
There's a part of me
That's gone away
And yet I'm alive
As before, I have
A million thoughts
Tumbling through my head
And yet
I can't put them down
No longer
Of pain, of delight
Can I say
I write.

Without you...

2008-05-20T12:03:00.003+05:30

There's an awful emptiness without you

There's an uneasy stillness within me

All I want to do is reach out

All I can do is let it be.

Waiting to Exhale

2008-05-15T12:00:00.000+05:30

Stomach clenched
Fingers tense
A furrow in my brow
A million thoughts
Tumbling through
Yet quietly
My pain I bow
I raise my chin
And smile a smile
A warm hello here
A flirty nod there
Melody in my voice
Holding back a stormy gale
A big gulp of family and friends
Joy and laughter
And all the while…
I’m waiting to exhale.

A Picture is Worth...

2008-05-13T12:09:00.002+05:30

...A sudden spurt in interest
...A whole lot of phone calls
...Numerous messages
...Sudden popularity
...A whole lot of attention
...Unabashed flattery...

A picture is because of a lot of chutzpah
A picture is because of a lot of attitude
There's a thinking mind that lies beyond the body
There's a hopeful heart that lies behind that smile
None of which were noticed all this while

A picture, people, will suddenly make you -
You, poor downtrodden, brushed-under-the-carpet,
Hurt-when-the-mood-so-demanded, you
The king or queen of style.

4 New (To Me) Pick Up Lines

2008-05-13T11:51:00.004+05:30

These were pick up lines that got used on me this May:

My children are wailing - will you be their mamma?
Will you take me home with you?
I'm lost, but you look like you could be my room mate. Take me home!
You look like you need someone to protect you. That someone is me.

And my favorite...

Reporting for my new job ma'am. (At a quizzically raised eyebrow...) I'm your bodyguard. I shall guard your body with my life all my life. :)

I Died...Again

2008-05-10T06:56:00.004+05:30

No songs to share
No souls to bare
This wall between us
Doesn't allow me to dare.

No dreams to dream
No hopes to hope
One quick decision
And we're at the end of the rope.

I know I will go on
I'm just made that way
My grief, my mourning
Will not see light of the day.

The only difference
Invisible to you which will be
Once again, dying,
A small, precious part of me.

Take Care of You

2008-05-09T12:51:00.002+05:30

I bite my finger
It's not the same
As your nibbles -
I whisper your name

I run my fingers
Through my hair
It's So different
When you're not there

My heart quickens
When I think of you
I quell the beat
And the welling water too

I get angry with myself
I can live without you
Yet, terribly, I miss you
And know you miss me too

Do I understand this
Can't say I do
Yet however hard it is
I shall not be blue

Your reasons are yours
My thoughts are mine
All I'll say is Bless Your Heart
And hey - take care of you.

You...I...Sigh...

2008-05-09T12:33:00.003+05:30

Time sighs in my heart

as a thought of you waves by

I'm sitting at a train stop

wishing I could fly

The distance between us

has suddenly become too much

No sweet nothings

no goodbyes

I'm feeling left out on the porch

it's making me sadder

As I look for the truth of the matter

I get no answer from within

From you I get no reply

just simply in my heart

A tiny, imperceptible sigh

Of Post Accident Syndromes

2008-03-03T13:10:00.003+05:30

....SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
CCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

And my car came to a stop. A scratched stop.

Since then, I've been shaking - laughing, joking, crying, walking, talking, eating, sleeping, constantly thanking God that we all came through unscathed...but shaking.

And now, since that moment of impact, I involuntarily relive the moment over and over, and my hands shoot out to brace myself. I see myself at the site and I tremble.

There's a dreadful calm in the pit of my stomach and yet this Parkinson's tremor in my hands. My shoulders are hunched, my muscles tight, and my nerves are on an end. I've woken up sleepy after sleeping this last night for 12 hours straight - and my head starts to hurt after 8!

I've been in an accident before, but I was happily sitting behind. Not in the driver's seat. This time it was different. I'd swerved to save myself from an oncoming vehicle from the wrong side - don't know where i'd got the strength - hit a divide and went straight under a truck which had run up the same divider.

The car was - smashed.

I looked at my car at the workshop and started crying - delayed trauma, as the owner of the workshop called it. We'd been THAT close to being dead. What if we'd lost our lives?

Totally kills my argument of "These things only happen to people who drink and drive. I'm a tee-totaller and a careful driver at that." My days of pompous claims are over.

Even my thoughts are jumbled and one tumbling out before the other.

The car's getting repaired. My soul's not.

I Write - LVI

2008-01-20T02:56:00.000+05:30

Shades of black, blue and white
Beckoning, teasing, shades that invite.

Shades that swirl, trail and curl,
Shades that dance and make you twirl.

Shades that cool, shades that ignite
Shades of the evening, shades of the night.

Shades that seduce, shades that delight
Every shade that you can imagine...

Of shades - of people, of moods, of emotions,
I write.

I am Questioner

2007-12-26T10:36:00.000+05:30

OK…there’s a good reason why I’m awake at 2 in the morning and typing away. And it is that I can’t sleep. I just finished seeing “I am Legend” and the mutants in the movie seem to have taken up temporary residence in that tiny space between my eyelids and my eyes, between my eardrums and the air around me.

But the movie made me think, like I’m sure it made many others. What IF a day like this really arrived? What if a medical experiment – like the cyborgs one – went horribly wrong? What if because we tried to play God, God decided to exact revenge and unleash upon us these creatures who, as a friend noted, only seem to become stronger and more evil than when they were “human”?

Would the cyborgs, in their strength of unity, take over and kill us all – limb by painful limb? Would we, as Elie Wiesel found out during the Holocaust while turning a deaf ear to his father crying out for him, be each person for themselves? Would the world as we know it, come to an end, not because some doomsday prophecy came true, but because we brought it on to ourselves?

Or would we, as a race, be able to forget our differences – money, land, religion, ownership – and fight together as one? Would we protect the old, the weak, children and women first or would we pull each other aside and apart in our bid to save ourselves and our loved ones?

Will this quest for longevity by cloning, by creating “bionic people” be our undoing and end?

Think, as even I try to look for my answers within me – honest, perhaps painful answers – while keeping an eye out for what’s lurking in the shadows of the dark.

I Write - LV

2007-12-15T14:12:00.000+05:30

Quick breaths
Short gasps
Hands clasped
Then left

An urgency
A consuming fire
Burning scorching
Flames rising higher

Taking the leap
Plummeting below
A hint of a smile
- Sated or a satire?

Sighs
That excite, inspire
I write
Of an all-enveloping desire

I write - LIV

2007-12-10T18:16:00.000+05:30

Sepia tones
And black and white...

A sunny day
An ebony night

Hellos, reunions, goodbyes
Sunny skies, cotton candy cloud skies

Heads thrown back in laughter
Tears streaming through smiles after

Through competitions and prizes
Of struck poses and surprises

Tired faces
Reflecting pure delight

Memories
Spun in pictures...

Of them
With a smile on my face,
I write.

I write - LIII

2007-09-07T02:49:00.000+05:30

Being human was once a gift
Today that gift stands
On the brink of being thrown away
As humans strive to create
A new species - both human and animal
Neither black nor white -
A horrible ugly shade of grey

In horror,
In fear,
In disgust,

Of the yet-unborn cybrids

I write.

Playing God

2007-09-07T02:30:00.000+05:30

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/UK_first_country_to_allow_human-animal_embryos/articleshow/2345349.cms

What are we doing? Trying to play God?

The article says the cells will be destroyed after 14 days. Who's to say what the very scientists - who claim that this will help find cures for Alzheimers and Parkinson's - won't get carried away and allow the cells to develop into fully grown ....things???

What then? Are we looking at a new species? What will this species do for the ecological, psychological and emotional balance for an already disturbed race - us human beings?

Will we be sympathetic to it right in the beginning - as children are likely to get excited and feel for new toys - and then outgrow that feeling. What then will become of these? Will we be disgusted with these - as I already am with even the thought of it, call me closed to new things - and then what? Will we want to stomp them out like we do cockroaches? Then how will we justify the creation of these?

What ARE we trying to do?

Silence - XXI

2007-09-02T23:13:00.000+05:30

The solitude of silence
The reverbations of silence
The honesty of silence
The facade of silence
The slivers of silence
The shivers of silence
The silence of silence
The roar of silence

Silence.

Pin. Drop. Silence.

Today

2007-08-25T09:27:00.001+05:30

Today.

6 months to the day that my sister passed away - of a cancer that grew inside her.

Life has moved, it refused to stand still. Sometimes, in the last 6 months, I lashed out in anger, sometimes I broked down and cried. Sometimes, I braved it and thought of some good times together and at others I railed at her for not being there.

Today, I'm just numb. I only want to hold her and I can't. I'm thinking of my brothers and wondering what they're thinking - Rakhi is three days away.

Today, I will try to follow what she said - live life, enjoy it. Work will get done one day later. Life won't.

Today I will be happy.

Didi...

2007-08-25T09:09:00.000+05:30

I try to grasp
A face I no longer see
I close my eyes and it floats
Smiling sweetly at me.
I smile back
With an aching heart
We had a wonderful time
But death has done us part.
I struggle with my grief
As I celebrate the wonder that was you
Didi, my lovely sister
Today, like everyday
I hug you,
I think of you,

I miss you.

I write - LII

2007-08-15T09:19:00.000+05:30

Of long battles
And a thought vaccuum

Of tumultous anger
And hurting silence

Of struggles within
And the smile with-out

Of resigned acceptance
And delayed understanding

Of limping back
And winning the battle

I write.

2007-07-22T22:21:00.001+05:30

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Silence - XX

2007-07-08T01:49:00.000+05:30

From amid the ruins
Of tinkling laughter
And ringing bells
Of musical frenzy
And brooks that sang

Rising, like a phoenix

Silence, creepy, clammy, cold...

Silence.

I Write - LI

2007-07-05T23:39:00.000+05:30

One ripple
can change
the way the pool shimmers

One ripple
can change
the way the water dances

One ripple
can change
the way the patterns get made

One ripple
can change
the way the sunlight prances

Of that one ripple
on a calm surface
that catches the eye
and proves its might

I write.

I write - L

2007-07-04T16:04:00.000+05:30

Once upon a time
Long, really long ago
Life was good
I would laugh
And laugh really loud.
There was love
Love that made me feel proud
Of the person I was
Of the person I loved and knew.

Then came a fork in the road
A fork so sharp,
It was like a knife in my heart.
My love, one day,
Decided to take a different road
And quietly walk away.
My smile grew shorter –
It reached my eyes no more
I laughed lesser –
My heart felt terribly sore.

Today I laugh
Sometimes till I cry
But it’s just not the same
When I took the “right” road
The one less traveled,
I left my carefree laughter behind
On that road,
I left the spring in my step
I lost my will, I lost the fight.

Now I share, with another, no more,
It hurts all day
It hurts all night,
I just pour in all my passion,
All that I feel,
All that I think
I just turn to a blank piece of paper
And write.

I write - XLIX

2007-06-29T08:06:00.000+05:30

I write

Of time that stood
Suspended, motionless, still
After it showed me it's might -

Came boldly through the door
Laughed at my display of will
And snatched away what was mine

Smirked as I cajoled and prayed
Ranted and raved
And then, heartlessly waltzed away

Of that blow in the gut
Of that humiliating subjugation
To Old Man Time's might...

In surrender, in defeat,

I write.

Silence - XIX

2007-06-27T16:02:00.000+05:30

I am:

A quivering lip;
Clenched fists;
The imprint of nails
dug into tender hands;
A piercing moonbeam
in a midnight shade of dark...

I am:

Silence

I write - XLVIII

2007-06-18T18:43:00.000+05:30

Like a caterpillar
Struggling out of its cocoon.

Like a rabbit
Fighting for its life in the jaws of a wolf.

I battle with my thoughts
That threaten to block my view of this wonderful world,
Of this beautiful life.

Of my combat with
These grief-stricken, fear laden thoughts,

I write.

- -

2007-06-12T21:57:00.000+05:30

The hiss of the ventilator
The beep of the machine
The flicker of the monitor
The dripping of saline
The quickening of the pulse
A loud gasp

And then...

Dreadful, cold, final silence.

Silence XVIII

2007-06-11T09:11:00.000+05:30

A bustling Monday morning
Drooping shoulders rushing by
Concentration cris-crossed on faces
Of people who whiz around,
Who need to work, to get to places.

I've decided to take it easy,
Work can wait, but this moment won't
I drink in this sunny morning,
Freshly watered pink and purple blooms,
Gaze into my cup of coffee
Read my thoughts wave on by.

Softly sigh and settle back in my chair,
Close my eyes,
Take a deep breath
Tune my ears to the chirping of the birds
Block out everything else
Hear the birds fade away
And listen intently to

My unfathomable silence.

Silence - XVII

2007-06-10T23:59:00.000+05:30

I tiptoe away from the crowd
To be alone with me
Stealing moments
Of peace, of solitude
Away from this cacophony.

I stand under a raven sky
No light from the moon
And I sigh, thank god
Nothing, no one here to intrude,
To say hello to, or even goodbye.

Finally, I can enjoy
The whispers of the gentle breeze
The low rumble of the sea
The sway, the rustle
Of a coconut tree.

Like lovers lost in their own dance,
I slowly slip into my trance,
At last, I can revel
In this party for two -
Me and this wonderful Silence.

Silence - XVI

2007-06-07T17:06:00.001+05:30

Someone saw my lips smile
Heard my tongue speak
Saw me chatter excitedly...

Saw my fingers beckon
My hands fly
Thought I gestured animatedly...

On the surface,
At the face of it all
Someone saw a vibrant me.

Scratch the surface -
I found myself telling them -
You'll find you're staring into

Frightening Silence.

I write - XLVII

2007-06-07T13:12:00.000+05:30

There's a fear
That's scary
And of manifesting that fear
I'm scared.

There's a silence
That's chilling
And of that silence getting colder
I'm afraid.

There's a question
That remains unanswered
And of its answer
I'm scared.

There's a life
That is, to me, too dear
For that dear life
I'm scared.

Of my mortal fear
Of fearing mortality...

I write.

Silence - XV

2007-06-03T16:08:00.000+05:30

Transient love -
Sarts with a sigh
A moony look
Stars in the eyes
Feet not touching the ground
From one place to another -
Just floating by.
Warm silence
Yet so much spoken
Volumes - to remember by...

When the silence is comfortable
Know that time will fly.

Transient love
Ends with a sigh
A bitter look
Grief in the eyes
Feet that drag
Days that refuse to end
Cold silence
So much to be spoken
Yet quietly the week goes by...

When the silence becomes cold and unforgiving
Know, that the end is nigh.

Silence XIV

2007-06-02T23:18:00.000+05:30

All alone
Lost in thought
Watch a piece of paper
Flutter down
And come to a stop.

Suddenly
From the depths of memory
A moment tiptoes
And throws its arms around me.

A tender kiss
A soft smile
A naughty twinkle in the eye
Swirling ecstacy
Gasps of delight
Enveloping warmth...

I remember them all...

And silently

Hug me.

Silence - XIII

2007-06-02T08:55:00.000+05:30

A lazy top

Spinning slowly to a stop

A whirring fan

Slowing down to "cutoff"

A gurgling river

Slowing down at a wall

The end of life

Breath slowing down to a halt

And then...

Silence.

I write - XLVII

2007-05-31T18:01:00.000+05:30

Of little pixies
Tiny elves
And naughty leprechauns
Turning cartwheels
In my head
Creating an incessant chatter
Ignoring my pleas to stop...

Of this cacophony in my head

I write.

Silence - XII

2007-05-31T13:53:00.000+05:30

There's a deep silence
Welling up inside of me
Clamoring for space
In this incessant chatter
That goes on inside my head
Pushing, elbowing, jostling
Demanding, claiming, reclining

Destructive? Devastating? or
Peaceful and Encouraging?

What will it be - this deepening silence?

Silence - XI

2007-05-29T07:09:00.000+05:30

Silence -

So loud, it threatens to burst your ears
So palpable, it makes your heart beat really fast
So poignant, it brings you to tears
So deep, it becomes difficult to fathom
So vivid, it drags you back into the past

Silence - rainbow silence.

Silence - X

2007-05-28T23:03:00.000+05:30

The water coming and kissing my feet
And running back to join the sea
The breeze caressing my cheek
And joining back the rising wind
Sunbeams dancing on my eyelids
Leaving behind soft kisses
Wispy clouds floating by
Carrying with them my heartfelt wishes...

Nary a whisper, not a word aloud read
Yet volumes spoken
Messages passed, hands held...

Aah, such beauty in God's world
Aah, such love that's only felt.

Silence - IX

2007-05-27T09:29:00.000+05:30

Waves crashing against rocks
Drumrolls being beaten
Bells chiming in crescendo
We reach the summit of love

And then,

Silence

I write - XLVI

2007-05-27T08:36:00.000+05:30

I gaze
Into a pair of hollow green eyes
That stare right back at me
From a sunken face
- A face that has seen
none but 13 years
-A face that's lined
With hardship and grief
- Eyes that mock
My taken-for granted peace
- Lips, set in a thin line
Gushing forth an imposed silence

Scanning the face,
I turn back to the eyes
And as my heart
Becomes inexplicably melancholic
Wondering what all these
Haunting - haunted - wells of pain have seen

I write.

Silence VIII

2007-05-27T00:44:00.000+05:30

A whirring fan
Water dripping from a tap
A droning TV
Somewhere, a blaring radio
Bangles clinking against each other
A long-drawn, loud yawn...

And all I can hear
As I sink my tired self
In my soft bed,
Missing you,

Silence,
Deep, hurtful, crushing

Silence.

I write XLV

2007-05-25T23:14:00.000+05:30

...wounds, painful wounds
Wounds that hurt,
Wounds that kill
Wounds that take
Their own time to heal
Wounds that fester
Wounds that blood draw
Wounds that leave me feeling
Exposed, naked, raw
Wounds that remind
Of a time gone by
Wounds that passions
And anger ignite

Of these,

Your wounds
Which I pray
close, heal, and scars go away

I write.

I write - XLIV

2007-05-24T21:36:00.000+05:30

I write...

Of a throbbing silence
Of palpable quiet
Of a sinking feeling
Slowly creeping up inside
Of impending doom
And blue-gray gloom

When suddenly
There's a burst of orange, green, yellow
I hear tinkling bells
In my mind, a new mantra
That I struggle with, yet recite

An excitement inside of me
A tingle in my toes
A new joy in my fingers
As they fly

When I write

Silence - VII

2007-05-23T23:23:00.000+05:30

Aah the blush, the rush, the mush of love
Hours go by
Engrossed in silent conversation

Silence VI

2007-05-23T22:56:00.000+05:30

Shrieking silence

From deep within

Reflecting in anger

Bubbling to the brim

Reaching out blindly

To grasp at wisps

Of those out of

My tentative reach

Voices all around

Sigh, too much sound

Watch quietly

Read in peace

Speak in whispers

Respect ...

...Silence

I write XLIII

2007-05-23T08:41:00.000+05:30

So caught up
in everyday's rush
turbulence, maddness
battles galore

It dims the brightness
In my heart
When I need to use the cliche
And need to say

Alas, I find
No time to

Write

A woman should...

2007-05-22T08:36:00.000+05:30

Know how to hold her head high
Know when to stop taking crap from the "man" in her life
Know when to be the man herself
Know how to strike the balance between being boss and wife
Know she's the rainbow in the sky
Know she's the one who, with love, makes men turn cartwheels
Know she's the wonder God made after His first try
Know she can be a heroine and a vamp, Snowwhite and the Witch Queen, a fairy and an elf
Know that finding her wings, she can surely fly...

I say, come what may,
Pelting rain and rolling boulders,
Every woman should definitely know her worth and love herself.

Silence V

2007-05-21T09:00:00.001+05:30

Early Monday morning
To Dos
Pending stuff
Crisis
Voices chattering in my head

Like a addict
Waiting for his next shot
I crave…

For silence.

I write XLII

2007-05-19T17:03:00.000+05:30

Puffed cotton clouds
Floating gently
In a lazy blue sky

Flitting from
One swaying sunflower to another-
A pretty butterfly

Tall thin blades of grass
Enveloping within
A cricket's whispered cry

Oh, of this idle day
Humming away

I write.

Silence - V

2007-05-18T23:54:00.000+05:30

Benumbed
I watch
Through a haze of tears
That threaten to overflow
As an uneasy silence
Prevails.

I'm worried
About the uproar
That will follow.

Silence IV

2007-05-18T15:40:00.000+05:30

A loud blast,
Mayhem,
Blood
Gore
Screams
Cries
Pleas
The loud clink of shattered dreams
Separation
Pain
Grief
Shock
Death

And then…

Silence

Silence III

2007-05-18T09:10:00.000+05:30

It sighs softly
And settles down on me
Unobtrusively makes its presence felt
And yet lets me be me

It wraps its warm arms
Gently around my hungry soul
Soothes it like no one can or has ever before
And the calm lingers

A strange peace
Descends when it surrounds me
A perfect stranger,
Yet it's closest to me...

Silence.

I write - XLI

2007-05-17T11:05:00.000+05:30

I whisper, “goodnight”
And settle down in his arms
Sated
Elated
Filled with calm love
Cuddled
Bundled
Enveloped with warmth.

He throws his leg
Around me, deep in sleep
Expressive
Possessive
Comfortable to just be
Smiling
Beguiling
Just perfect for me.

Of this deep bond
That incites and ignites

I write.

Silence - II

2007-05-15T09:49:00.000+05:30

The waves of the sea
Come crashing against me
And I patiently take it all in silence

Drops heavy in rain
Come splattering against me
And I hungrily drink it all in silence

Drops weighed by pain
Meander slowly against my cheek
And I sadly wipe them away in silence

A lash of anger
Comes bursting against me
And I resignedly bear it all in silence

A wave of relief
Passes all through me
And I tremblingly thank the heavens in silence

Some silly words
Tickle my funny bone at work
And I supress my giggles in silence

Silence...
All surrounding, all pervading
All defining, all defying...

Silence

I Write - XL

2007-05-15T09:08:00.000+05:30

What is this place
Where the willows bend...
Where the wind teaches dance steps...
Where the wind caresses my hair...
And sunlight dances on my eyes...
Where a small spray of water
Kisses my face...
Where the afternoon sighs
And the day strolls by...
Where warmth envelops me
In a bear hug...
Where the sun takes a bow
As evening glides in...
Where the stars sing
In celestial symphony...

Oh of the quest
For this wonderful place

I write.

Mother

2007-05-12T23:59:00.000+05:30

You've stood by me whenever there was the need
You've always been there with a smile,
A frown, a kiss, a hug
You've trusted me even after very foolish deeds!
You've kissed my bruises
And held my nicks and grazes
You've wiped away my tears
And shooed away my fears
You've been the best ever guide
Long have been the nights
That you've stayed by my side
Long have been the hours
When after a fight
You didn't speak to me
Oh, i know I've been hell of a bother
And I know many-a times you might have thought,
"Damn, this can't be my daughter"
Yet you've always come back on tiptoe
Slowly, silently, peeking into my room
Just to see if I was tucked in well
Or was I still buried under a cloud of gloom

You've just been great,
All my life, mother,
And I know you'll continue to be,
And as I ask you,
For all my transgressions to forgive me;
I also want to say to you,

Ma, I appreciate everything that you do,
Mama, my lovely mother,
Always, forever,

I love you.

Silence...

2007-05-12T23:47:00.000+05:30

Silence sometimes speaks
A thousand words, all weighed down
By a meaning and reason that's truly deep
Distance, anger, hurt, betrayal, unspoken love...
And yet, each silence has a different sound.

When it's cold, it's cold with anger,
When it's heavy, it's pregnant with meaning.
When it's tense, it's tense with words unsaid,
When it's palpable, it's because of feeling.

I ask - how silent is your silence?
Right now, on what is it built?
Distance, anger, hurt, betrayal, unspoken love
Unresolved emotions, Just plain comfort, or...guilt?

I write - XXXIX

2007-05-12T23:21:00.000+05:30

For all those times
That I slept soundly
And you tossed and turned...

For all those times
That your soothing hand
Cooled me down as in fever I burned...

For all those times
You patiently gave
Reasons to my every "why?"...

For all those times
You made me laugh till
I had tears streaming from my eyes...

For all the times
That I almost faltered
But to carry on, you gave me strength...

For all the times
When I stood alone
And you've been my best friend...

For all the times
Every second of every moment
Of every day and night,

Mother, for the beauty that's you
For the strength that's you
For the love that's you
For the grace that's you
For the blessing that's you
For the angel that's you,

Mother, for you,

I write.

I write- XXXVIII

2007-05-11T02:10:00.000+05:30

Silver bells
On dainty feet
Tinkling away a melody
Lilting, sweet
Building cadence
Reaching its peak.

In the cacophony of chaos
Bringing respite

-Of simple sounds
That calm me down...

I write.

I write - XXXVIII

2007-05-11T00:14:00.000+05:30

A divine light
That illuminated me
My eyes closed
Yet I could clearly see
A celestial dance
Some twists, some turns
Fascinated
I joined the purl
Delighted, excited,
Elated, ecstatic,
Free...

All around me
Gaiety, abundant joy,
Merrily twinkling lights...

Of that euphoria,
The exhilaration, effervescence
The Shangri-La, the Nirvana,
And then- bissful calm,

I write.

I write - XXXVII

2007-05-11T00:04:00.000+05:30

I write
Of the people who God beckons
And without a murmur
They follow

I write
Of the people who get left behind
To pine for them and deal
With their sorrow

I write
Words of condolence
Knowing they can change nothing
But just be a balm

I write
Prayers that help them forget
Or at least remember, with some semblance
Of peace and calm.

I write - XXXVI

2007-05-07T15:27:00.000+05:30

Crushing an ego
Trampling a heart
Walking all over
Without a blink
Ripping confidence apart.

Vengeance leading to
Redemption bringing
Peace

I write.