my colorful world

A walk to remember........

2011-07-02T05:01:00.000-07:00

“Hello….. ummmm ….. errrrr……. Janvi….?”Satish fumbled for words.

“Yes, Satish what’s up with you? How did you manage to wake up so early on a Sunday morning?”

Janvi kept asking questions before Satish could even say a word more. She paused after seconds and then allowed him to speak.

“Actually………. (pause), the weather is good and it doesn’t look like it’s going to rain. If…. you areeee…. free I thought we could just go for a walk to the hills nearby. Provided you are free…. I hope it’s not a trouble for you,” Satish heaved a sigh of relief after saying this.

Janvi thought for a while before saying anything. She smiled to herself and then replied to him.

“Ummmmm…. Hmmmmmmmm I guess I am . I haven’t really thought about my day’s plan but I think I have no important work or pre-planned shopping or lunch plans with anyone. Hills…. Which one? As in… where is it? How will we go?”

Janvi’s questions were never ending.

Once she stopped asking question Satish chose to reply, “Everything will be told to you once you come to meet me. Don’t worry I am not going to kidnap you.”

Janvi smirked. She opened her mouth again to ask something else but Satish stopped her immediately.

“No more questions. We are meeting at 12 pm outside Ispahani Mall. See you there and please don’t be late. Bye now. Your time starts now,” Satish said this and kept the phone.

He just needed to escape from all those questions that she asked. He was too scared to answer anything because he didn’t want to show her his mental as well as emotional turmoil.

Janvi on the other hand frowned when she put down the phone. Questions kept running in her mind again. Why has be called me to some unknown place? Why can’t we meet in a mall? Why was he hesitating? What sorts of a place will it be? What should I wear( jeans, shirt, t- shirt, skirt or a suit or a kurti or just tights and kurti)? Should I wear shoes or chappals or sandals? Heels or flats? Make up or no makeup? Which bag should I take? Back pack or hand bag or a jute bag? What about accessories?? Do I need them for a walk to the hills? Should I take an umbrella? What if it rains? Monsoon season and rain is unpredictable.

Having so many questions in mind Janvi stood still in front of her cupboard and admired all her clothes. She went near the mirror and admired herself. She looked at her hair if she needed to wash it, looked at her face if she needed a cleanup and kept thinking about all the other possible things. It’s called the confused mental state of a woman plus she was nervous. She had butterflies, goose bumps and every possible weird feeling. While doing all this she had already lost 45 minutes.

She looked at her watch suddenly and exclaimed, “Oh God!! Its 10am already. I have just 2 more hours to get ready and reach there.”

She looked flushed. She gulped down some water and went for a shower. There also she didn’t stop thinking and finally she rounded off to what she was going to wear.

Satish on the other hand was a little relaxed after he took the first step of even calling her outside. He just took few minutes to think on his dress code of the day. He took out his black jeans, blue checked crushed cotton shirt, his aviators, wore his woodland sandals( which had purchased just yesterday for his Sunday plan), brushed his hair first with a comb and then ruffled it up only to set it which his hand. He wore his aviators, had a look in front of the mirror and smiled. He put the glasses down and again looked at his side manes and his hair.

Well who said men are not concerned about their looks. They take less time compared to what women do but looking good is important at least when it’s a matter of meeting someone special. He roamed around his house for a while reading the newspaper and looking at few things, went online and typed something on Google maps to find out the location of some place, took a small piece of paper and noted something down. He switched of his laptop and went to have water. His throat was drying. Reason was unknown and he was wondering at this fact. He didn’t think much on this though. He was ready for the most desired outing.

It was 12:05pm and Satish was already on time, in fact before time. He kept rubbing his hand together but still kept that mesmerizing smile on his face intact.

Janvi was late but just by 15 minutes which was very early according to her normal schedule. Satish knew what reason she would cook up each time she was late. She would either complain about the traffic or about someone coming home last moment as she was leaving. Things were different that day. He saw Janvi coming from the far end of the road walking fast and continuously looking at her watch and simultaneously fiddling with her hair and letting it fly each time from one side to the other. He peeped from the entrance and then went inside to show as if he wasn’t waiting. He couldn’t observe her dress much and he didn’t bother also. She walked into him in a hurry without realizing he would be there. She was actually shocked to see him standing there. She had actually put his name on the dialing list so that she could locate him.

“Oh! Sorry. It’s you!!! Sorry again... I got late…,” she said in an embarrassed tone. Her face was flushed red because of the adrenaline rush. “Actually I got late because……..,” she continued with her sheepish innocent smile.

Satish continued instead, “Same old reasons or something new??”

“Well I took time to get ready today. I wasn’t really mentally prepared for the outing plan.”

“Did you wait for long?”

“Not really. I think 15 minutes.” Satish replied and went a little ahead of her. He actually didn’t notice how she was dressed. He was feeling little conscious to look at her like that because he never did and he didn’t want to make things very obvious at the very start.

“Why don’t you pay attention to her a bit? She has taken time to get ready there must be something extra that you need to notice,” his inner voice screamed. He ignored it and went ahead to a shop outside the mall to buy some mint chocolates. She followed just one step behind and she concentrated on his shirt first. It looked nice with the bright weather and also his jeans and then his hair that was set. She went a little to his right and looked at him from the corner of her eyes and then casually asked him to buy her Cadbury dairy milk.

She wanted to be normal too so in her same inquisitive tone she asked him tapping on his shoulder, “Mr. Satish, will you tell me now at least when we are going or still it’s some kidnap plan?”

Satish smiled seeing her act little normal. “Yes, Miss. Janvi. We are going to a place which is 10 km from this shopping mall. We’ll take an auto for about 5 km till where we can expect a transport facility but after that we need to walk. It’s a small hill that I found out recently. Some of my friends had been there for a trip from office. I had asked few of other colleagues to join too but they refused to come out and you happen to the only other friend whom I could call so I just tried. I thought of coming by myself if you had also refused. It seems to be a good place and we can walk as the distance seems a lot but the roads are good. It’s a small hilly area in the outskirts of the city. Are you okay with this information?”

He spoke for 5 minutes and then asked her to talk.

“Perfectly okay, “Janvi said with a big smile.

“Well, he didn’t call be specifically. I was just another option so it’s okay. I needn’t worry, “Janvi mumbled to herself.

“You said something?”Satish asked in a puzzled voice.

“If you are not comfortable please feel free to tell me Janvi.”

“Sure,” she replied.

They sat in the auto and started talking about casual things. Mostly about office and some common friends they had at work place.

Janvi had known Satish from the past 1 year. They had been working in the same company but in different departments. Janvi was into HR and Satish was in charge of the finance. They could only catch up during the snack time and also sometimes on weekends. Their group had formed when they had joined the company as trainees and had then split up into different areas. Even weekends either of them had to be engaged for some or the other work. Both were beginners and being single they had an advantage to concentrate on the career. They used to hang out as a bunch of 6 when it came to watching movies or going out to new places.

This time the rest of the group wasn’t so interested to move out anywhere and 2 girls had gone home so Satish had kept in mind this opportunity. He had liked Janvi as a very friendly colleague and a hardworking employee but he never had any thoughts beyond that. This was the first time he took a chance to even talk to her beyond his imagination. He wanted to make it as a little personal affair. Janvi also had kept the same chemistry intact. Things were same either ways but Janvi thought about him sometimes more than normal but that perfectly fine because he was the sensible guy among the lot according to her.

After talking for a while in the auto they both were silent for quite some time. They kept looking at the greenery on either sides and felt the rain drops falling slowly. It was drizzling.

“Oh!!! This rain is a party spoiler,” Janvi cribbed.

That was the first time Satish dared to look at her properly. He saw her earring, something like a black crystal drop which he couldn’t make out at one glance but he had to spend 3 minutes to understand what it was. He looked at her dress. It was top or a t- shirt but he was confused because he didn’t know what to classify it as. All he could understand was that it was black and white mixed shade. She had worn light blue denims and had left her hair open. It was partially wet and one or two strand used to fly onto his face in the auto which irritated him a bit but he couldn’t tell her anything because it would be rude to tell a girl like that.

Her bag a denim side sling and it looked stuffed. He wondered what she would have bought. He was gazing at all this while she suddenly turned to him.

“What?” she asked.

“Umm… nothing. I was just looking at your bag. What have you stuffed inside?” he asked hiding the shock.

“Oh, this one. I have stuffed a small bottle of water, an umbrella, a chips packet, my wallet, and a few things which you don’t need to know,” she said with a grin on her face.

The auto came to a halt as she finished telling him. The topic was diverted and they got down. There was a small argument as to who was supposed to pay. Finally they decided to share the fare because Janvi was insisting on it.

The rain had stopped and Janvi took a sip of water as she fidgeted with her bag to search for her comb.

Satish was least interested but he kept wondering as to how conscious girls were about their looks. She adjusted her top, put her hair properly and again waved her fingers over them only to let the strands fall on her face.

She bent down to keep the things back. Satish notices her hair then. It was slightly brown and black but suited her complexion. The strands were straight and slightly wavy at the ends and some were covering face and only one side of her cheeks and eyes could be seen as she bent her head down. Hey eyes were lines with kajal and some blue pencil and her cheeks were having a slight pink tinge.

“I guess this is why you get late always and you cook up reasons,” Satish said.

“You can think so,” Janvi said looking up.

“Her lips, they shine so much but mine do not. Is it something that has got to do with XX chromosome? Her nails also shine but mine don’t. Do I have vitamin deficiency?” his mind questioned him.

They looked beautiful and well shaped and little pouted. They were attractive and when she spoke the way they went up and down made him just loose his senses.

Janvi sensed the look on his face and still ignored that for a while thinking it was just fine to be so inquisitive for him as they had never met each other personally.

Janvi kept walking slowly beside him but kept a distance. He explained to her the route and asked her to be careful because the road was a little slippery. Lots of private 4 wheelers were passing by so they had to walk in one file. The road was a meander but it looked good. There was greenery everywhere and the route they took smelt of eucalyptus oil.

“There was lot of herbs around that give this an aesthetic ambience,” Janvi said.

She looked very happy and relaxed. “It’s a nice place. I like the journey and I hope the destination is also good.”

“Trust me Janvi, this is nothing compared to what you will see. I was so amazed seeing the pictures that my friends had taken.”

They kept walking and also talking about school days and family in between. That was the first time they had opened up. It was 3pm already.

“Janvi, I guess you need to walk a little fast because if we reach there by 3:30, we can leave by 4 and then come back to the city by 5pm so that we get some means of transport. It’s raining and it gets dark soon,” Satish said in a concerned tone.

Janvi was following his pace now and concentrated on her speed more than the surrounding. Her feet started aching but she was too shy to tell. She didn’t want to show that she was weak. She took a little speed because of which a stone that was by her side made her stumble a bit.

“Careful,” Satish shouted and put her hands slightly around her shoulder to give her balance.

Janvi felt that her heart was burning. She forgot the slip she was about to have and stood quiet for 5 minutes stunned. Satish also realized what he did but he thought she was really shocked because of the slip but there was something else going on in her mind or rather in her heart and her senses. She felt something fluttering inside. What was it that made her feel that way with just one touch?

She got back to her senses and assured Satish that she was fine and kept walking. She walked a little close to him but there was still some distance. As they walked up and reached the meandering roads the distance lessened and they became little closer and by then all that could be heard were their strong breaths.

Finally they reached the top of that hill. It was a small picnic spot, an edge of a hill and it looked down into a valley that was full of greenery. The sky looked white and little bit of grey covered areas were also seen. Janvi was just amazed at the sight.

Satish was also enjoying the view and took a few snaps on her cell phone. He also captured one of Janvi’s pic on the pretext of the scenic beauty. Well, she did look a bit like a scenic beauty. He hadn’t concentrated on her intricate looks so far. He just found her pleasant and smart.

Janvi on the other hand couldn’t understand what to feel. She was amazed at the beauty of the place and also what happened minutes ago. Sometimes, one small spark is enough to start a fire.

Both of them walked around the place, sat down for a while and spoke to each other. The topics now were diverted to their interests and also their likes and dislikes. They spoke about their ambition and about the plans they had to spend the next month salary that was due in another 5 days.

They kept talking when Satish noticed her smile. It looked so pleasant and bended well with the environment. It was a candid smile full of mirth.

He was getting little distracted and stopped the conversation for a while. He told her looking at his watch, “Let’s go Janvi, we need to reach there by 5 so that we are not late. I don’t want you hurrying again and getting yourself hurt.”

Janvi followed suit and this time she came close to him, her hands brushed past him sometimes and he felt the difference but he kept quiet. He had actually not told her about the purpose of asking her to come out with him. The main purpose of knowing her little more was accomplished but what about his genuine liking for her nature. If not anything he could ask her for future prospects.

Janvi also felt the same. She thought, “If he had to call me out like this he should have had something in mind but it doesn’t seem so but at least I got to know about him. I can tell him that he is a nice guy and it’s good to hand around with him and they can look forward for more outings like this.”

They had walked half way on their return journey when it started drizzling. Janvi opened her umbrella immediately. She was very particular about her dress getting wet and hair getting spoilt. It was blue n white umbrella with some abstract patterns on it.

“ Ewww, what a girly umbrella…,”Satish exclaimed.

“I don’t want to carry this or be under this”.

“Okay, doesn’t be who’s asking you to?” Janvi frowned as she said this.

It started raining a little more heavily and the drops had become big and Satish had no other option but to come under umbrella. They were so close and he was a little wet. His hair was moist and his hands were also little sticks. He looked at Janvi and they both stopped for a while.

Janvi spoke up, “I want to thank you for bringing me here and trying to give a nice outing this Sunday.”

“I am glad that you liked this small trip. It was a different experience going out with you and talking to you things apart from office work. You are an interesting person not only at work but also casually as a friend.” Satish replied with little confidence.

“Oh, that’s nice to know. I also have the same opinion but I also want to add on saying that I….. that I … ummm … like you,” Janvi said hesitating a bit also studied his expressions.

Satish smiled as if he had completed his mission. He smiled again and said, “That’s why I called you out Janvi. I didn’t know what to tell you but I wanted to know you better. I was hesitant to call you out like this as we have never interacted on a personal basis.”

Janvi smiled and kept smiling.

“Now let’s walk,” she said feeling a little embarrassed.

“You look nice today actually, “Satish said.

“Thanks”, she replied.

“What!! All she has to say is only thanks?” his brain questioned.

They walked together but his hands kept nudging her bag and she felt uncomfortable. He put his hand around her slightly and asked her, “Is it okay this way? I am with my guy friends like this.”

“Ya, I am comfortable with it, “Janvi replied.

His hand was around her shoulder and he made sure it was a light touch.

The rain stopped and he moved a bit away to make her comfortable. He held her hand and just asked her one thing, “I just need to ask you one thing.”

“What is that?” Janvi asked in a tensed voice.

“ Well, can you just give me a chance to know you better and can we both try to meet this way often, as in, alone?”

He looked into her eyes. She smiled and asked, “Why so?”

“Huh! You and your never ending questions. Why because I really want to kidnap you next time.”

They both started laughing.

Why because Miss. Question Bank, I like you and I want to know you better to move ahead.”

“Okay, that’s an interesting fact,” Janvi smiled. It was a child like innocent yet naughty smile.

They took an auto and went back near the mall.

They didn’t talk much on the way back in the auto. After getting down near the mall she bade good bye to him. Her house was near the mall and his was a little far from there so he continued in the same auto.

They just shook hands.

“I had a nice time Satish. Thanks for inviting me. Oh yes… I forgot to tell you, this shirt looks nice on you. It’s the first time I have seen you wearing this kind of causal shirt,” Janvi left saying this.

Satish kept wondering at the last statement she made. She had actually noticed him all this while. He just bent his head and smiled thinking that it was certainly a walk to remember……..

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

2011-02-07T06:08:00.000-08:00

Wasn’t Darwin right when he used the phrase “Survival of the Fittest?” Leaving apart the theory that he gave regarding the origin of species we can take some time out to think about the practicality in this phrase. If we just consider man as the protagonist here and just follow the journey he has to take to survive till the end.

It all begins from the time a sperm tries to struggle. Out of the millions of them only 1 is able to fertilize; the one that is considered to be the fastest and chemically, the strongest to cross the barrier. The fetus needs oxygen, blood supply and adequate nutrients. When the child is born, there comes a series of responsibilities on that tiny head. Parents always there to teach us values, education that begins from kindergarten and doesn’t seem to end. It’s take a lot to be jelling among the peer group, get on with the happening life and yet retain the values, to excel in the field we have taken, to shoulder responsibilities, to maintain relationships, to fight with our own thoughts and ambition and to survive this whole system. It’s a roller coaster ride that doesn’t seem to end so soon. In the end we struggle to even die at peace.

Every living being need to struggle and the fittest one survives.

Great expectations

2011-01-22T06:42:00.000-08:00

Discussion between Arun and Deepika.

Deepika: Have you started reading the book, " Men are from mars and Women from Venus" Arun?

Arun : Pause.

Scratching his head, " No."

("Phool aur kaante"- Picture courtesy - Ydntn photography)

"I knew you wouldn't have; but just asked," Deepika frowned.

Deepika turned her face towards the balcony and said scornfully, " Okay! Don't read. Do what you want to. "

A minute silence....... this silence prevailed a bit longer than usual. Deepika could never remain silent for more than 5 minutes but it was a miracle and Arun certainly had to question this miracle.

Normal Deepika would ask within 1 minute of making the above statement, "When will you read Arun?"

It was not the same case today. He snatched the book from her hand and looked at it. Flipped through the pages and made certain amusing sounds just to grab her look. She didn't bother.

He took the book. Went to some random page and started reading out aloud.

Arun: Opening with the quote by Dr. John Gray-----

"All men and women have an equal need for love. When these needs are not fulfilled it is easy to have our feelings hurt, for which we blame our partner. "

"So true right!"he said out aloud near Deepika's ears.

"Do you feel so dear?"

Deepika looked at him scornfully again but this time there was a lesser extent of disgust.

She said, " How does it matter what I think?Anyway you will get bored of my talks."

She moved away from him and sat on a cane chair facing him.

He smiled again and continued reading.

She stopped him in the middle and asked, " What's the point in reading this when you don't understand what he is saying in this book? Do you realize what is being told?"

Arun looked very innocently at her. He put the book away for a moment and then kneeled on the floor in order to meet her eyes.

He looked straight into her eyes that were shying away and said, " Look, my dear princess, I understand each and every word that has been written here. I want to tell you something today. Just listen to me. I will drive away your misconceptions."

She blinked her eyes which gave him a signal to proceed. he took the book and went on the opposite cane chair and relaxed himself.

There have been so many instances where you might feel that I have not been up to your expectations. It is quite possible. Not just with you, but with anyone. Nobody is perfect but we just compliment each other.

These are certain things, I want you to understand.

Deepika had never heard Arun talk this way. he was always playful and never actually showed this advising side of his. He looked so mature than her and today she felt that he was certain elder to him in age as well as experience.

Our love has got its beautiful as well as ugly side. It has to be there otherwise we aren't normal. What I want you to do is that you live those instances happily. Try making yourself feel lively despite those horrible feelings.

I might be unknowingly hurting you at times when I don't realize about my acts. It a guy mentality. We are just careless and we don't bother about what others think with small things. Until things are very harshly said we don't realize it is meant to do any harm to someone. Our hearts are not as delicate as you think but we aren't heartless too. Emotions, pain, fear, anger, despair, resentment , ego, everything resides but all I need you to do is just realize the simple fact that I might be from a different planet but I am also like you.

It was long lecture so Arun decided to stop for a while and wait for to speak but Deepika was still as dumb as 30 minutes back. She had a frown on her face and there were lot of things running in her tiny brain( considering that the female brain is a little smaller in size than the mail brain).

Arun wanted some positive reply but he chose to continue further without that too.

There's something which I have found out from your previous complaints that you seem to have a problem with my communicating less with you. Is it still troubling you?

He asked a question expecting an answer but there wasn't.

He said to her, " Do you want to say something?"

" No", she replied sternly.

" You are angry?" Arun asked.

" No", she replied.

" You can continue, " she added.

Arun heaved a sigh of relief and said, " Okay, so you are understanding my point of view?"

" Yes".

That was something affirmative enough for him to proceed.

"Why do you have such high expectations from me when you know I am not that type to come up to those specific expectations? Do you feel that they realistic?"

She gave a horrible look.

He looked pissed off and asked, " What do you want to say? Just say it."

" Look here, I have certain expectations which I can't bring down as they are the basic expectations which any girl has. I will try to at least look for those in you, " Deepika finally spoke up after 45 minutes of silence.

"What if you don't find them in me ever?" Arun asked her seriously.

Deepika kept blinking and then said, " I don't know. I will be upset. I will tell you that I am not happy about it and ask you to help me out ."

Arun, " Uh!! again the same thing."

" Will you ever accept me Deepika?" Arun asked desperately.

" What's wrong with you Arun? I have accept you as my life partner 3 years back. What sort of a question is that?" Deepika said.

" I have always loved you and accepted you."

" That's not what I am talking about. I want you to accept that there are certain things in me which you can't expect to change overnight. I need to be accepted to feel the change coming easily, " Arun said in a soft tone.

" I don't know what you mean Arun but it is upsetting to know this from you. Why do you feel I shouldn't have any expectations from you? We all have it in us. These are not something which cannot happen. Everyone is like this, " Deepika said still sticking to her point of view.

Actually Deepika was blinded by her own ideas and fact. She never thought through Arun's point of view. She had this feeling withing her that hurt her ego which said, " Why can't he do this little thing for me ? It's not something great to be asked for."

She actually didn't realize that these changes were bound to happen only with time and freedom. Only if she gave him the freedom to change, will he change feeling happy to do something for her.

Things don't come by force or by complaining. They have to be left free.

Men need lot of acceptance and women need love.

It's difficult to strike a balance here because men know how to give acceptance easily. This includes, freedom as well and trust but for them giving out love in the form of expressions is a little slow. Women, on the other hand are very comfortable giving love but the ability to accept their man takes time.

All women are in a fantasy land.

It's those romantic movies, books, gossips or those numerous stories that inspires them to dream this way. This is somehow driving them away from reality and to take a woman out of the dream land, is a man's toughest job. This takes time and this time is not fixed. It's the man who has to take the initiative to explain to his woman that it is high time they start looking at reality.

This process is just like removing knots from a long string. We don't want the string to break but we want to remove those knots.

Arun told Deepika, " Just because I am not reading stuff on relationships doesn't mean that I don't know about them. We guys don't talk about all this but its an understanding that develops automatically. In fact, I have learnt a lot about effective communication from you. "

Someone has said, "Because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have."

" In the same way, I love you a Deepika but my way of showing love is different than you expect. Of course I realize what you like and dislike but I need that freedom and happiness to show you my love the way i can, " Arun said holding her hands tightly.

Deepika had a feeble expression on her face. She looked sad after listening to all that and she was lost in thoughts already. Arun had spoken so much and it did affect her . She managed to hold back her tears as she was realizing that she had also done a mistake. She was also very immature to understand about her relationship.

Arun felt that she was upset because what he had told and he was regretting for telling her all that. He didn't know that she was not upset with what he had told. She was upset with her own self. Complicated as women are. It's difficult to understand this until men are told about it.

Deepika was quite lost but Arun made it a point to bring her back to the normal self. He took few small beautiful flowers from a flower pot, collected them together and gave it to her and said, " Will you accept me?"

It was a surprise gesture from Arun. Deepika smiled with her heart full of mirth and alacrity. She felt so happy and surprised to see that sweet action.

It was enough for Arun. He felt relieved.

She held his hand tightly and said, " Don't worry. I am not upset with what you told me. I understand your point of view."

A drop of tear trickled from the corner of her eyes.

Love is sometimes denied, sometimes lost, sometimes unrecognized, but in the end, always found with no regrets, forever valued and kept treasured.

With you....

2010-11-13T21:24:00.000-08:00

Courtesy- Ydntn( Vaidyanathan.S)

I look at your quizzical eyes,

I wonder what is in your mind my little one.

Is it fear, question, anxiousness, surprise or innocence?

Why do you look at me and wonder?

This is not the time for you to ponder;

I stand there thinking.... Life is going to be so wonderful with you.

The Road Trip

2010-10-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

Courtesy - Ydntn( for the above picture)

They say that in this journey of love, one has to travel through those deserted, mist covered roads, those paths that have never been taken by anyone, the paths that pave the way for a brighter future and an endearing life ahead. Sometimes, one has to travel those paths which inspire others to follow. Those mist covered roads look beautiful but they have an emotion to convey. One has to tread on such roads and make life worth living in the name of love.

“Pass me the helmet please,” Aditya said.

She didn’t listen to him of course and was busy admiring something in his bike.

Aditya called out again but she didn’t listen. He got down from his bike to see his girl bent down and admiring the rim of the wheel behind. He questioned in his mind, “What is she finding so interested about the wheel suddenly when it’s time to leave?”

He held the handle of his bike, bent close to her and tickled at the back of her neck and ruffling her hair with his leather glove covered hand.

She got up with start as she felt tickled. There was a gleam in her eyes as she turned towards Aditya. She looked as if something important had happened.

“What sweets?” Aditya asked her.

“Do you know how to change a bike’s tyre?” she asked innocently.

“I think I know but I haven’t done it practically. I never got a chance though.”

He paused and thought for a while whether he actually knew it or not but it was of course obvious that an adventure and bike freak like him would know.

“Why are you asking me this now? We are getting late. We need to travel a lot, you know that,” he said looking at her.

Aishwarya still seemed to be in her happy world. She didn’t react to what he said.

“It’s interesting,” she said.

“What’s interesting? Getting late?” he asked in a confused tone.

He was certainly not getting what she wanted to say.

She was back to her senses then. She hit on his arm and said, “ Stupid, I am telling about the changing- the tyre- thing.”

“I know it,” she said triumphantly.

“Oh, really!!”Aditya said.

“You must be kidding.”

“No my dear, I learnt this through a website and a demonstration to change a punctured bike’s tyre. It’s interesting but I haven’t tried it personally. Look I have this instruction panel also. I just took down some points,” she said handing over few sheets of paper where she had scribbled.

“Impressive,” Aditya said.

He thought, “I never knew my girl will read about all this too, apart from those fashion and gossip magazines.”

He smiled at her while she still seemed so excited about it.

He handed over the papers to her and said, “Keep this, at least when my bike gets punctured I won’t need a mechanic.”

Aishwarya felt a great responsibility on her shoulder. She was a little cautious and she said, “You have to help me. I can’t do it alone.”

Aditya came forward, cupped his hands around her cheeks and then nudged her head with his head.

“No, I am not going to help you; I’ll just watch you Miss Mechanic.”

She was smiling innocently but she had no clue what was going on in Aditya’s mind.

“Take the helmet. We have to reach there on time before others can,” she said.

Aditya thought, “Thank God she realized it soon.”

Off they went on narrow lanes, crowded roads, busy squares, honking the horn each time stopping at signals and ready to leave the city to unravel a photo adventure story which was the topic of this competition.

“Just note down the kilometer reading in your phone, we’ll need this for documentation,” Aditya said removing the front cover of his helmet.

“Okay”, Aishwarya shouted back.

She was busy behind, holding the camera which hung around her neck, adjusting the focus so as to capture all those important landmarks which they could document. Her mind was in full action. She let Aditya do his driving comfortably without talking to him much. She had to handle his tripod behind which kept moving from one side to the other at the same time manage the heavy bag on her shoulder, take care of her hair which was already flying in the air and had entangled badly. She managed to take out a pen from her pocket and jotted down the important details on her travel guide book. They certainly had to stick to the plan they had made or else they would lose track of their route. Their aim was to write about a travel experience they had while visiting a place not known to many and had to document it with pictures.

“Adi I am not able to take good pictures, my hands are not being steady. How to change to speed mode? I don’t know anything dear. I think I’ll spoil all the important pictures. Can you slow down a bit? Can you please tell me?” Aishwarya went on and on.

Adi was smiling to himself which was certainly not visible because of the front cover. He was enjoying the confusion she was going through. He did slow down and explained things to her and she did as told. She was feeling triumphant at those small instances where she could capture what she wanted to. She kept thinking and imagining about the story as she was going to write the story with Adi’s help of course. She had her job to do. Aditya kept talking to her and asked her about which route to take which not to. They got confused and she kept blinking thinking what to do. Nevertheless, there’s always an option to ask people. When one can communicate well, there’s no problem in finding out routes.

They had chosen to go to a place which was 20 km out of the city and they had chosen a small village which was near Kananbera. It was supposed to be famous for its paddy and miller crops as well as the scenic beauty.

Aishwarya had always wanted to look at a day in the life of a villager and had wanted to experience the joy of being so close to the essence of being an India. Aditya of course had his reason which was to go on a drive as well as take his girl along.

People kept staring at them as they entered into the rural areas where the roads were proper but narrow. The municipality had taken good care of the connectivity.

“What’s the plan of action now?” Aditya asked her.

“Let’s have breakfast somewhere here. I am very hungry.”

They got down from the bike and went to a small roadside tea shop that had only one wooden bench enough for 3 people to sit. They had no other option but stick to homemade ‘tava dosa’ with a white blob of butter on top. It was served with coconut chutney and to add on there was chilly bajji with it. Aditya was so lost in his food that he had no count of the number of dosas he had consumed. Aishwarya was enjoying her coffee sipping it from a small earthen cup and looking at the paddy fields that extended quite far.

They were near their destination but there was so much to do before that. Aditya got recharged after that amazing breakfast and took a few snapshots of the scenic beauty around.

The golden sunlight and the blue sky seemed to be a description that had come alive out of those travel guide books. This was worth their visit.

The smell of the soil which was drying slowly in the sun was something which one could experience just once in such trips. The dried soil had already covered their shoes by then.

Aishwarya tried to climb on some trees which were easy to reach and half the time was spent posing for pictures that Adi took.

They didn’t talk much but they seemed to enjoy each other’s company. They had learnt to enjoy with each other’s happiness.

Aishwarya was really interested in what Aditya liked. The path ahead was not as smooth as expected. Taking note of all the places they crossed and the lanes they were entering into, Aishwarya could figure out they were just nearing that village. Aditya kept driving and they went inside. The rural part of India was unleashed. The same description that was there in books was still alive. That was the exciting part. They kept moving ahead slowly and finally found out a place where they could keep the bike, lock it and then explore the village. There happened to be a helpful fellow in whose shop that massive bike stood.

Aishwarya had already worn her cap as it was getting hotter and hotter. Aditya kept wiping the perspiration on his head and adjusted his camera to do his job. Aishwarya was relieved that finally she didn’t have to adjust the setting so much. She was happily roaming around looking at everyone. There were kids playing near a hand pump. Splashes of water were flying in the air. She could see that innocence and sense of freedom in the eyes of those kids.

She looked at Aditya clicking some candid pictures and said putting her hand on his shoulders, “I wish I could just forget the world and enter into that pool of water. Girls have to be so conscious about things. Huh!”

Aditya took his eyes from the camera and look at her. He said with a big grin rolling his eyes and copying Aishwarya’s gesture, “Here comes your next dialogue: You lucky guys.”

He said this and started laughing. She glared at him and put her hands around her waist.

“We lucky guys- The losers,” he continued.

She heard this and frowned as he was still laughing. She made a face and turned around and walked off throwing the bag on the ground.

Aditya was still smiling at her. He dusted the bag and called her out in a very sweet tone. In his hearts of hearts he knew she’ll smile.

His camera was ready and as she turned there was that same smile that he always got flattered with.

There went the camera. Aishwarya could just see the wide smile as his face was covered by the camera.

She said, “Enough of photography. Let’s go to some of the houses here and ask them where we can get a nice staple diet of the villagers.

The shady place, the hot sun, the itchy grass didn’t seem to irritate her then. She took out her diary and started jotting down some points which she could mention in that coverage story.

Aishwarya thought, “I don’t feel poetic but I feel like a writer today.”

“I am enjoying this, “she said with a contented look on her face.

“So am I,” Aditya said.

They found some helpful villagers who showed the way to the paddy fields and they managed to go half way but Aishwarya was scared of insects biting her so she walked back.

Some of the helpful women were kind enough to let her into their houses and let her have a look at the lifestyle. She explained to them in the local language that she was taking all the information for a cover story. She boasted a lot just to get enough matter to write an amazing story.

Aditya said, “This is not done. Cheating!”

Sticking out her tongue at him she said, “Everything is fair.”

They continued this session for a while and had a typical lunch what the villagers had.

Boiled rice, dal, vegetables, cool water from a mud pot, few chapati’s and to end with, there was butter milk. Nothing could beat the homely food and the cool place. The best thing to do was to sit on the floor and eat in those huge round steel thalis. It seemed so much like a travel and living episode.

When Aishwarya’s mind worked more she spoke less and Aditya was spared this time with her non- stop talks.

They went back to the place where the bike was kept. The seat wasn’t hot, thanks to that shopkeeper, it received enough shade.

They moved a bit ahead. Aditya was a little slow this time while driving as the roads were not laid down properly. There were huge stones jutting out so every now and then he was losing balance. They managed to move ahead. It was time for rest. They found a huge banyan tree where they could sit under the shade.

It was certainly the time to relax and talk. Aishwarya was fully equipped with a small blanket to sit on and a packet of jiggery coated groundnut. They spoke for some time, closed their eyes and dosed off resting their head on each other’s shoulders and the back on the tree trunk.

Aishwarya was woken up because an ant bit her on her hand.

“Ouch!” she screeched.

They woke up with a start and there was a red eruption on her hand.

They had no idea that it was half an hour that they were still sitting there.

It was time to head back because their idea was to reach home before it was dark.

There was nothing much to explore while going back and they had no energy left to stop and look around. Aishwarya was doing her job well and while returning she held Aditya tightly as he rode and fell asleep while he was driving.

It happened so that Aditya spoke about his bike and the mileage for 5 minutes and this girl was already taking her nap resting on his back and holding him tight.

He realized that and said, “Girl, you are sleeping? Open your eyes and look around.”

“Dude, I am bored. Let’s just go back home,” she said in a desperate tone.

“I can’t sit on this bike anymore.”

She giggled and giggled saying this and in another 1 hour they were back home. Aditya could feel the tiredness once he got fresh and fell flat on the bed.

Aishwarya was full charged up after a hot water shower.

She sat down with her hair tied in a neat knot. Wore her glasses, took out the notepad, opened a new page on Microsoft Word and wrote: The Road Trip.

One call away

2010-10-02T22:13:00.000-07:00

That day I sat forlorn and wretched,

That day I felt there was nothing to do.

That day I felt my mind was a monster house,

I couldn't just stop thinking.

I wanted to do something but think nothing,

My passion, my freedom, my desires, my ideas were lost in thin air;

Staring at the walls seemed interesting.

There was a fear in my mind, reasons which were unknown.

Dreams were to be dreaded,

laughter was miles away from me;

The only motto I had was to think of something and get worried,

The leech like creature called 'something' was sucking the energy out of my mind.

My brain was as maim and crippled as ever.

The only solution left was to stop thinking and follow my heart.

My solution was just one call away.............

Morning Walk

2010-07-31T01:18:00.000-07:00

Jogger’s track seemed full that morning. Generally the population in the morning seemed scarce there unlike that morning. Ananya didn’t feel like taking that path today. Those married couples who seemed to give her an inspiration made her feel very insecure. There was a gang of boys of some sports group who had come with their coach. The sound of that whistle, the sound of the bikes that were screeching past in the silence of the morning, irritated her. She walked a little distance away from the hustle-bustle and managed to get some peace. Those dry leaves that looked beautiful reminded her of the Maple leaf effect in the movie Mohabbatein , seemed lifeless as they were. Something was pricking her and Ananya wanted to run away from the noise. She wanted a peaceful morning.

She walked nearly half a kilometer on that grey cemented track that certainly looked grey to her that morning. She spotted a couple holding hands and walking by and trying to argue on a silly topic like tying as shoelace. The girl bent down to tie her shoelace when her guy pushed her aside naughtily. She lost balance and fell aside. She got up brushing that mud off from her hands and her track pants and looked at him with fiery eyes but those eyes were sparkling with love. Ananya felt like smiling but she controlled her giggles and walked away. Finally she was at peace. She walked and walked and kept walking not realizing where she was going. There were just trees around her and she reached a different lane where she had never been before. She continued walking and came to a halt suddenly. That path seemed familiar yet strange to her. Where was her mind? She couldn’t recollect any past memory with that place but she certainly felt spooky thinking about her own behavior. Ananya closed her eyes and tried to calm down. Thousands of questions pooped up.

She asked herself, “How do I go back? Why was I so absentminded? What was I thinking about? What made come this far? Am I going to ask for a way back to my own house where I have been staying for the past 15 years? That place which has always been my home seems strange to me now. How did I manage to run away from the crowd and come here? Am I worried about something? Is something pricking me? I hope I have not become psychotic.”

Drops of perspiration accumulated on her forehead. Ananya was worried without knowing the actual reason. She took out her cell phone and looked at the time. It was 7:30AM. It was one hour since she had left home. She thought, “What if dad calls up and asks me where I am. I don’t know where I have come but I certainly have to find a way out to reach home.”

She wandered in that lane for some time. There was an abandoned house behind which there was a lane that could possibly lead her to a connecting lane. There was no way out but to jump over that fence. She climbed the wall and got to that lane somehow. A rough path led to the main street. “Phew, I have never done like this before,” Ananya said heaving a sigh of relief. She could now get an idea to go back home taking the right way.

She was back on track and finally gave forethought to her weird behavior. “I think I know the reason for this stupid behavior,” Ananya said to herself.

She took out her phone, scrolled down to N and dialed Nishant’s number.

“Hi, what’s up? Good morning sweets. How are you doing? I have been waiting for your call from past 5 days. Where have you been? Are you okay?” Nishant uttered in a single breath.

“I was not able to move out of the house these days so couldn’t call you. I have been feeling irritated and weird. I acted crazy this morning too but I think I know the reason now. I miss you,” Ananya said very enthusiastically. Finally, she knew the reason of that irritation.

Nishant smiled to himself and replied, “I know. I………”

Ananya’s cell phone battery gave away at the right moment. She cursed her fate and her cell phone and rushed inside her house.

It’s something called love…………..

2010-07-31T01:06:00.000-07:00

They say that there’s always some madness hidden behind being in love. They say we fall in love but there’s also something, where one rises in love. There are wings attached and we fly high using those wings of imagination. It’s a journey to a world full of desires to be fulfilled, dreams to accomplish and those fantasies. Those sheepish smiles, bright sparkling eyes, wandering thoughts, dispersed attention, funny ideas, wondering at everything normal as if it were new and finding new things. Talks about romance become more interesting. Romantic movies that seemed a bit dull have an added spark as in all those the characters have been replaced by one and only one.

There’s always someone with whom the day ends and begins with. There’s always someone who is wanted and thought about. There’s this only one who knows everything and listens to every word one says. When in love, people become poetic, thoughts seem pouring in, there’s always something to laugh or to cry about. There’s a longing, there’s a motive in love, just to be with that loves one. Creativity soars high. The brain races fast but so preoccupied with other things the brain and the heart have a tiff. They struggle to manage the same person at the same time.

That’s what leads to absentmindedness. Thoughts seem scattered. Sometimes, hours pass sitting and staring into thin air or just those bare walls seem to bright that one can smile looking at them. There’s always something great about a good weather, a cool breeze, the pitter-patter rain drops that can seem irritating at times, the smell of that strong cologne, the sound of those bikes whizzing past, the very sight of messiness looks adorable. There’s always a reason to argue, to get angry and then wait for the time to sort it out so that there’s always more love. There’s a time when waking up in the morning one feels like just hearing one voice and sleeping at night becomes so easy on those terrible days when nightmares can replace beautiful dreams because of just one person. When even little things matter and every word is coded in the brain.

You look at your cell phone and smile, go back to those messages and read and re-read. Sometimes, one’s own pictures on the desktop replace someone else’s. Looking at that person and admiring him gives such a relief. That bright smile and those naughty eyes demand for more attention. There’s that one who just want all the love and appreciation. There’s someone who makes someone’s life meaningful and there’s this someone who makes one feel wanted and loved.

There’s always someone somewhere who feels something like this sometime in life. Everyone wants to be loved. It sounds a little complicated just as in reality it is. It’s COMPLICATED.

Longing.......

2010-07-21T07:21:00.001-07:00

"Hey...... wait!! You forgot your helmet,"Aisha screamed.

"Oh, thanks so much dear. I just love this about you," Vivek said with a wink in his eyes.

"It's too cold today morning and I forgot my jacket," Aisha said with a disappointment in her eyes.

"Ah, don't you worry baby, I have a spare jacket in my bag. Take that out,"Vivek said in a caring manner.

Aisha took that cream coloured soft jacket out and held it up to him with bright sparkling eyes that said," Please help me wear it, I would love if you do it for me."

Vivek put his bike on stand and then helped her wear the jacket. She was struggling with the zip when he held her fingers tightly and tugged them and pulled the zip up.

"There you go..... ," he said putting the collar properly.

Aisha smiled and looked straight into his eyes with love in her eyes. This small act made her so comfortable and she thought in her mind," This guy cares so much for me."

He turned her around and said," Look in this rear view mirror, how smart you look wearing my jacket."

Aisha looked at her reflection and smiled. That very smile which he could die for.

"Chalo, enough of admiring . We got to hurry," Vivek said sitting on his bike and indicated her to sit behind.

Kick start beginning of the day, for Aisha as well as for the bike. The noise of the engine echoed in the dead silence of the morning. Chilling breeze hit their face.

Aisha had put a clip on her hair but to feel that breeze through her hair she let it open and enjoyed the ride. She put her hands on his shoulder for a firm grip.

Vivek tilted his head a bit and said, " I like it."

She smiled and he put the rear view mirror properly to look at her face as she was going through various emotions while he drove with a great speed but with caution. She didn't realize that he was noticing her intermittently.

There were just some street dogs barking , the yellow street lights which were still switched on seemed to fade with the light of the dawn. The crows seemed restless at dawn.

The roads were wet with dew drops and mist that had condensed. The bike moved smoothly making a slightly splashy sound due to the water that had condensed on the road.

" Another half an hour honey and we'll be there," Vivek removed his helmet cap and told Aisha.

Aisha giggled and said," I don't mind roaming around like this without going anywhere. You drive really well."

What could have been more appreciative as this for Vivek from his girl. His chest was proud with joy. He felt triumphant again. The first time was the occasion when she had proposed to him and later he had accepted her love. She was that girl who had brought love in his life.

Half an hour post the amazing bike ride, there they were standing on top of a hill and looking at the hills covered with clouds. There was a mixture of black, green, blue and white. Somewhere between the white sky there was a tint of crimson which indicated that it was close to day break.

" I never knew this place existed. How did you manage to find something so mysterious and romantic," Aisha exclaimed.

"Ahem, mysterious?? Yes, I guess so but romantic, I guess it is but I am not able to understand that," Vivek said in a guy like innocence.

" Ah!! You will never understand what's romantic." Aisha said punching Vivek on his biceps.

"Man, your fists are strong," Vivek said, rubbing his arms.

He held her fist strongly cupping them into his right hand and pulled her close, tugged her by holding her lower back and then looked straight into her eyes. Her hands and her body wriggled to be set free but she didn't want to be left. She felt his possessiveness. Seeing a strong independent , cat -woman- like girl struggle and loose all strength made Vivek smile within. He loved to take control of that silly girl at times who always acted as his Wonder girl. He knew very well that she loved it when he did that. He held her for few more seconds and she stopped wriggling. His lips broke into a smile first and then changed into a wide grin, his teeth showing bright and with his left hand he removed a strand of hair that came on her face. She blinked her eyes continuously and then he just rubbed his fingers over brows and let her go.

She stood there still for seconds looking at him with an expression, " Why did you leave me and then also felt a sudden surge of embarrassment which made her face flush. "

Aisha's hands were still warm with his strong grip and she turned away from him to look at nature, just to hide her blushing pink face.

Her heart beat which had certainly crossed 80 by then made her stand on a rock. Vivek looked at his girl in amazement and followed her. She held her hands wide open and felt the breeze hitting her face and she was in a place where she could just hug the clouds. She turned around with a child like enthusiasm on her face and held out her hand towards Vivek, " Come on dude, come here. You must see the view."

Vivek followed what she said and they both looked at the beauty of nature. "Let's explore inside this cave like rock, " Vivek said.

They explored here and there for a while when Aisha looked at her watch suddenly. "Oh my god!!! I need to go back in an hour. It'll take one hour for us."

Vivek was busy looking around when she tugged his jacked and insisted on getting back. "We can come here again Vivek. It's an amazing place but please drop me back."

"Okay madam, as you instruct," Vivek said obeying her and understanding her plight.

"Don't you worry baby, your super hero will zoom his bike and you'll be there right in time."

They rode back through the same route but Aisha wasn't relaxed. She was perspiring. Her face showed tension and he saw that and raced his bike a little faster but he kept assuring her that nothing would go wrong. There was light already and people were there on the roads , sweepers with their bamboo sweeping sticks, auto drivers, health conscious people and daily working classes.

They were about to reach Aisha's apartment when she instructed him to drop her on the next lane in the corner. He didn't have any clue as to why she wanted that but at that moment he just chose to stay quiet and let her do whatever she wanted.

She asked him to put his bike on stand and said, " Move a bit."

He agreed without saying a word.

She took out her shoes from the bag , removed her slippers and replaced them inside. She rolled up her white socks, dusted her shoes and wore them. She took out her hair band and tied her hair in a knot and took a final look in the rear view mirror.

She removed his jacket and gave it back to him.

" That was a lovely ride honey. I love you. Bbye."

Aisha was about to turn back when he grabbed her hand and pulled it towards him and then his lips were on hers.

That was a strong and a passionate kiss and he left her immediately, she looked at him and turned around and jogged towards her house longing for more...........................

Love- आजकल

2010-07-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

Photo courtesy:
Yd's Flickr blog

Gone are those days when couples met each other in college, fell for each other at first sight or met at a cousins's wedding or happened to meet each other at work place. This is the era of networking. With the advent of online chat rooms, socializing websites like- Facebook and Twitter apart from the already existing Gtalk and Yahoo messenger, we tend to find like minded people somewhere in one corner of the world. In some cases, networking leads to friendship, this friendship leads to good friendship and then one fine day when they find that they actually have more than just 'friendly' feelings for each other, ' Love happens'.

This might seem like a modern day fairy tale story but this fairy tale is certainly not as pink as it appears to be. Couples date each other online, talk to each other and meet up one fine day and set the wheel rolling.

Is this going to give a happy ending to it???? The answer is: NO.

The actual testing stage begins after that. This gives rise to a concept called LDR ( Long Distance Relationship). This abbreviation sounded strange to me when I heard it as the first thing that came to my mind was LTR( Long Terminal Repeats in a gene sequence). Probably, it's just the ' Bio- influence' on me that made me think this way.

LDR, something that certainly has to be dealt with patience and a lot of trust and confidence. Couples can be separated by country borders, state borders or just happen to be at a distance of 300 Kms but, whatever it is, distance does matter. This LDR seldom works and seldom doesn't depending upon how people handle it. There might be times when a couple feels terrible about the distance they have which they cannot bridge due to practical reasons. Education, work, career, family and certain other priorities in life that happen to act as speed breakers' in a smoothly running life. One can't ignore them though, as they will act as pillars of strength later.

It's not only restricted to couples who date these days or are thinking in terms of Long term long distance relationships( LT - LDR) but also for those married couples who have to stay apart for a short period because of their career. They happen to meet just, once in a while or are contented with intermittent short visits. It's even more frustrating then because there is nothing that can be compromised upon. With a battery of problems that are associated with LDR, one needs to find a solution to them.

Networking and technology certainly helps. When there were just snail- mails, mobile phones, chat rooms, Gmail, yahoo messenger and g-talk, there came something called Skype and online video chats that solved millions of problems right from phone bills, till the emotional level. The very fact that our loved one is just a screen away from us makes us feel secure and contented. The happiness to hear the same voice and not rack one's brain to think of the other person's expressions has made things easier. Earlier as said that the person is just a phone call away, the same person is just a screen away now. Distance doesn't matter when there are travel connections too.

It's just a matter of TIME. It plays an important role and teaches everything. We say, it flies but I feel it takes it's own sweet time. One can't hurry.

This distant tryst certainly makes the heart grow fonder and develops a sense of maturity that actually makes a relationship last for long. If it survives the distance then it can survive all those trials and tribulations of this testing game.

There's something to learn from each couple who face this.

Manipal and it's unpredictable weather

2010-06-29T09:40:00.000-07:00

"Oh, what a horrible day! Can it not rain today? I am feeling so hot and sticky," I exclaimed to my lab partner looking outside the window from my lab.

I went out of the lab for lunch. There was no sign of the blazing sun. I think, the sun had heard my comment and went to hide behind those clouds. I felt one or 2 drops of water on my face. Even before I could think that it will start raining and I should open my umbrella, large drops of water hit my face and it started pouring. I managed to open my umbrella before I could get drenched. It seemed as if someone had just poured a bucket full of water on us. No sign of thunder or lightning but it poured for quite sometime. Those strong water droplets hit the ground hard only to make my dress wet. It's only because of this that we need to carry those huge umbrella's always like warriors carry sword to protect themselves.

Sometime later, the sun peeked out from the clouds. There was soft sunshine, yet it hit the eyes. The stagnated water in the puddles and on the road seemed to shine like diamonds spread wide. One part of the sky seemed cloudy with it's magnificent blue-black colour while the other part gave a slightly clear appearance. I looked up wondering, " Is nature playing a game ?"

I felt so uneasy walking with my sticky, muddy and wet slippers and still feeling hot. I came out of the mess after lunch and there it was, the rain was back.

It was drizzling. I walked ahead for 5 minutes, suddenly the intensity increased and the effect of the wind that made the rain drops fall at an angle. It seemed as if someone had suddenly increased the speed of the water tap and the water spurted out from a hose pipe. It was raining hard.

Now, this is what is Manipal's weather. One day it will rain like cats and dogs and we pray that the rain should stop so that normal life resumes again. The next day, though our prayers are answered and the rain does stop but in turn it becomes so hot that we wish that the rain were back again. That's called the complexity in this weather. Half the time it puts us in a confusion weather to like the weather or not.

The cool breeze is heavenly and visiting End point during the rain is heavenly. It's one place where climate change is so evident. Fixing the gaze at the valley and enjoying the weather makes stay in Manipal worthwhile.

It might be chilling cold and a weather so conducive that once can sleep the whole day doing nothing but just relaxing and having coffee and the very next day weather will become such that we can't think of sleeping.

That's what making it interesting!!!

Seasons of Love ( Part- 3)

2010-04-25T09:08:00.000-07:00

Shruti calls up Aditya and says, " Can we meet up tomorrow sweetheart?"

(She is expecting a yes but with that long pause after her request had been completed she senses that her request could be turned down.)

Well her intuitions were right.

Women have a very active sixth sense. They know exactly well how their man will react. Sometimes they just want their intuition to go wrong.

Aditya, " Hmmmm... errrrr.. actually sweetheart, I have got some work. I don't think we can meet tomorrow. What about day after?? Will that be fine with you?"

Aditya wanted to agree to her request as he wanted to meet her as much as she wanted to but he had practical constraints. He felt sad when he tried to turn down her request but he had to do it.

Men don't rule everything emotionally. They have a more practical approach. That's how they set their priorities.

Shruti ,who was very upset with her request being turned down didn't know how to reply to him. The first thing that came out of her mouth was , " It's okay dear. We can meet on Sunday."

She did not want to meet him a day later. She wanted to meet him the very next day but understanding his condition she acted sensibly and said a yes. She was fully upset as her plans had not worked accordingly. She tried to cheer herself up by planning to go shopping and trying to do other important things which she had decided to that particular weekend. This made her feel a little better and self-dependent.

The best way to relax in a woman's dictionary is to shop. It can be anything. Women shop more when they are upset or depressed.

Shruti had made these plans within minutes while she was in a conversation with Aditya.

She told him about her plans which made him feel even better.

Aditya replied in a relieved tone, " That's great. At least you can spend time doing something good instead of wasting it because of my work. We will surely make it on Sunday dear. Once again I am sorry."

When Shruti decided to be self dependent and didn't let her plans of the day be spoilt because of Aditya, he felt relieved. He felt he was not blamed and when men are out of this guilt of the blame game, they have enough reasons to make the woman in their life happy.

They have the freedom to do what they want and when that freedom is entwined with understanding from their partner they feel happy.

Aditya is all set to finish his work as soon as possible and surprise his girl by meeting her on Saturday. He has another reason to make her even more happy so he plans something special for Sunday too. He tries to take her out on a outing on Sunday without her knowledge.

He feels excited to work faster as he is not under pressure. On the other side, Shruti, also starts feeling good slowly and plans things for the day. She decides what she has to wear and also plans what she needs for herself.

Men like women who are independent and they feel happy for those women who do not depend on them for their happiness. A man thinks that a woman should be capable of keeping herself happy even when he is not able to.

Shruti goes for shopping and ends up enjoying half of her day. She is quite content with herself and the happenings of her life. On the way she drops down at one of her friend's place and spends her time there. She gets her house all set and clears up the mess that had been piling up and she also gets some time out for herself to make herself something good to eat.

It's 9:00 Pm and Shruti just wonders as to what Aditya would be up to at work. She looks at her cell and tries to type a message when it says : Aditya calling.................

She eagerly receives the phone.

" Yes sweetheart," She replies in an enthusiastic tone.

Listening to her chirpy voice Aditya feels overjoyed. He is excited to even imagine how she would react when she would see him in a while.

" Listen dear, can you please come down. I am outside you apartment. I need a little help, " he tells this in a very serious tone only to see the mixed emotions in her.

Perplexed, Shruti runs down her apartment wearing her home slippers, her hair tied up in a careless knot with a clip and few strand falling on her face. She looks relaxed yet red because of the sudden flush of emotions when she sees Aditya.

" What happened? Are you okay?" she asks in a caring tone.

Aditya kept smiling at her seeing the confusion on her face.

They didn't talk much but kept looking at each other. Shruti somehow senses the playful attitude of Aditya and begins to smile.

She looked even more beautiful with that mixture of expression on her face.

Men love to see all kind of emotions on a woman's face when they know they have done a good thing. Anger is something that they love to see on a woman's face when they know how to do away with that anger. Otherwise, a woman's anger is something a man can't bear.

Aditya walks up to Shruti and gives her a hug even before she could speak a word more.

" Let's go for a walk dear," he says in a very demanding yet lovable tone.

" Oh, how am I supposed to come like this ??? Give me 5 minutes to get ready," Shruti requests in a child like tone.

She's so happy and excited seeing him that she doesn't know what to do.

Aditya says, " You look good like this. Come on... we need to hurry."

Aditya feels proud that he could do something to make his girl feel even more happy.

They keep walking for a while without talking much and just feeling the silence.

The presence of each other being there makes them feel happy and secure. It's not words that counts here. It's every breath that each one takes in their presence that matters.

Aditya asked Shruti, " So ... how was your day sweetheart?"

Shruti very excitedly replied, " It was just amazing. (Pause)It's even more amazing because of your surprise."

Aditya was on cloud 9.

Everything he had thought was happening and he had finally managed to give that extra happiness to the girl.

It was the time when both had learnt to make each other happy after all those seasons of endurance.

There was a time when they hardly had any time to talk to each other or meet other in their busy hectic schedule. They hardly communicated and there were times when both thought the relationship on a stand still. That's when Shruti tried to break the monotonous schedule and bring in some life. They needed to meet and be with each other in order to welcome the spring in their love after a cold winter.

Generally this is a time to rest, reflection and renewal. It welcomes home the season when there's only love, caring and understanding.

Aditya and Shruti had somehow managed the situation by understanding each other and giving time.

Communication is very important for women. They express easily as compared to men. So, when a woman communicates it is easier for a man to understand what she goes through and he tries to help her out in his own way.

If men are asked for support and they have the full freedom to say ' NO' then they will be more willing to help and support. That's how their brain works.

" Thanks a lot for this cute and lovely surprise," Shruti said looking at Aditya with lot of love in her eyes.

Aditya smiled and he smiled wider looking at her.

He held her hand softly and gave it a squeeze to show that he was really happy that he could make her feel good.

He could feel her trust and confidence in him.

Women have this magic. They say the most difficult things in a very simple way. Men speak better with actions.

Men feel better when asked for support.

Aditya started talking, " You know dear it was horrible day at office today. There wasn't anyone to work and we had a very irritating client."

Like this he continued with his office woes and Shruti listened to him with extreme interest and admiration. Finally, he had made an attempt to share everything with her. She felt important. It wasn't that she meant any less to him before but when one shares it feels great.

Women in Venus believed in sharing and caring. That was one of their ways to show love.

They took a walk for almost one hour and then finally it was time for Aditya to leave.

He said good bye and gave her a kiss on her forehead.

Shruti was walking back to her apartment when he called her back and said, " Be ready tomorrow at 8:00 AM sweetheart. We will go out somewhere."

Saying this he gave a big grin. Shruti looked surprisingly at him and said, " You are one surprise package."

Women love surprises and men love to surprise women just to enjoy the look of their face.

She came close to him and gave him a kiss and said, " See you tomorrow then."

This was the end of Winter and beginning of Spring.

They tried to overcome their shortcomings and took time to understand each other.

Love is always in the air. It's all about the various seasons which need to be enjoyed. It requires a lot of endurance. After all it's everyone's cup of tea.

Seasons of Love ( Part 2)

2010-04-12T06:09:00.000-07:00

Shruti kept staring at the cell phone for sometime.

She picked up the phone and in a very cold voice said, " Yes, tell me."

Aditya said, " I know you don't want to talk to me but if you wish to, do listen to me."

There was a pause.

Aditya expected her to give him the green signal but she was not in a state to give that. He broke the silence again.

" I do care for you."

(Pause)( He expected her to react again but she didn't).

" I did not do anything wrong by not talking to me much, right?"

Aditya wanted Shruti to say , " Yes, you didn't do anything wrong."

She didn't say that for obvious reasons. His enthusiasm which was on its peak initially had begun to deteriorate.

He again continued....

"At least I manage to talk to you for 5-10 minutes even though I am extremely busy."

When men do not get appreciation they try to appreciate themselves because that is the only way to prevent them from loosing their confidence and keep them interest.

On the other hand, women need a lot of appreciation and they appreciate too but only when their love tank is full.

Men do need appreciation for their little efforts but they hardly have the ability to appreciate always. Not that they don't want to but they do not realize that in Venus, (where the women come from), it is a very good gesture to appreciate about little things.

When Aditya couldn't bear her silence anymore, he asked, " Are you even listening to what I am saying?"

Shruti who was in no mood to be convinced and whatever Aditya said was not going to have any effect on her at that moment.

She was hurt and she couldn't get back to normal so easily.

Fortunately or unfortunately women are not so open and welcoming when they are hurt and that's when their man is full of love. They can't accept anything they are given. It'll have a very slow effect. This is exactly the time when men become disappointed as their gift of love is rejected.

Rejection is a man's biggest fear. Especially when it's from a woman.

That's exactly the reason why guys take time to proceed in a relationship even though they tend to know the girl's feelings.

Finally Shruti replied, " Yes, I am. You may go on."

It pricked him badly.

He put a little more effort and tried to give it a last try. Convincing her and bringing her round to his views was like doing push-ups. It was as if he were just 2 steps away from his target when he was about to collapse out of tiredness.

He said, " Seeing your response I feel I have failed miserably in being the good guy. Now suddenly you seem to not like me and don't want to talk to me. I've become bad for you and you are showing cold behaviour which I can't accept. Aren't you happy with me dear?

(Pause)

" How many time do I have to tell you that I love you and you are someone really special I've met."

This the last thing that a girl would like to hear. She can be cold to her guy but can never see him loose his confidence. Aditya had expressed that to her so she had already started melting.

A woman can never get angry for long for small things. Her heart just melts when she feels the need to empathize with someone.

Shruti couldn't speak at that moment though. She felt the need to tell him that she did love him and nothing could make her love lessen for him. It was just a phase and she would be fine and her love was always going to be the same.

Aditya being a man from Mars, where intellect is not applied to think what the other person might be feeling. They believe what they hear.

Shruti still seemed very cold to Aditya.

Aditya said, " Why are you doing this to me?"

Shruti said in an irritating tone, " What am I doing? I don't want to talk to you about anything right now. I have work too. Don't spoil my day Aditya."

Aditya felt a stab on his heart.

Shruti wanted to cut off as she couldn't see her guy feel miserable and she knew very well that she was equally responsible for the present condition. So, she needed time to get back to him with love.

Aditya said with a heavy heart, " Okay! Do as you wish. Talk to me whenever you want to. I'll be waiting. "

He meant what he said. That whole day nothing would have worked for him. His mind would have been totally pre-occupied with the events that had happened. He couldn't concentrate on anything. Unknowingly or knowingly he kept checking his cell phone to see if she did respond.

He convinced himself by saying that he was not disturbed and he was checking the phone only to see the time. This was not the truth. His heart forced him to do that.

He couldn't dare to message or call her before she did as it was against his ego and he did want to stick to his words.

Women on the other hand did just the opposite when it came to this situation.

If a girl had said that she wouldn't talk to him she would call him within half an hour after she had uttered those words.

The thought process in Shruti's mind had already started. she thought about the situation again and tried to justify both sides.

When a woman takes a step forward to be understanding she really does it in an unbiased manner.

Shruti thinks and she thinks and she keeps thinking until she has the courage to type this message and send it to him.

It goes like this:

" I am sorry. I've not been equally understanding I think. I shouldn't be so unreasonable with you but I just get hurt when you blame me for your unhappiness. It's not that I am scared and insecure but I only need is your love and the expression of love. I am not so great to understand what you think even after knowing you so well."

Message sent.

She expects a reply immediately thinking Aditya would be looking at his cell. Coincidentally , It is the time when Aditya stops noticing his cell. he gets busy and he doesn't realize that his cell was vibrating..

Shruti, on the other hand feels, he is not yet out of that miserable feeling and she feels helpless.

She sends another message:

" I love you a lot Aditya. All these trivial matters are not going to lessen my love for you."

Aditya had actually come out of that feeling after a while. Though he was worried about her response but there were other things to be prioritize.

Shruti couldn't get over that until he replied to her messages. She couldn't get over that and kept lazing and doing nothing but just thinking about all that he had said.

She was coming out of her deep well. His words had started doing the magic. Women show late response but it does work. She would see all the good things in what he had mentioned. She could see his little efforts to nurture the relationship and she realized a fact that it was important to let him be himself. It was the key to their happiness.

Dr. Louann says, "Let men be men."

If they are left in their territory they would love to cross their boundaries and reach the woman's land and keep her happy as they love to act brave and dare to do things. If those efforts are appreciated they feel triumphant.

Shruti sent another message, " Please , do not misunderstand my behaviour. I am trying to understand your point of view also. We both have to keep each other happy in our own way. I always want to be the reason for your happiness. Forgive me if you can."

After asking for forgiveness, Shruti felt a boulder down her heart. She had said what she wanted to.

Aditya suddenly realized that his cell light was blinking.

He eagerly read all the messages and smiles.

With each message his smile broadens and he feel relieved.

He felt that his words had finally affected her.

He reads the last message again.

He replies, " Of course. I do!! Love you too. I am little busy. Talk to you later dear. "

Shruti jumped on her bed to see his message. She had expected him to say something more but seeing the message her enthusiasm did go down but she wasn't sad. She did feel happy.

She expected him to reply, " I love you a lot and I can never be angry with you."

What Aditya had messaged meant the same as above but just that the words had been put in a different form.

Men can't play with words. Their words mean what they say.

For them, SORRY, is a very big word and if they don't get a response like, " It's okay! they feel that they have committed the biggest crimes on earth.

On the other hand, SORRY, is a very common word in a woman's dictionary. She uses it for the slightest of things going wrong. Even if she forgets to call him back she says sorry and to get a reply like, It's okay, is not enough for her.

Women need full assurance by words that their sorry had been accepted but what they do hear from men is just an , It's okay. From a man's point of view they mean what they say but the woman thinks that they are just trying to put this off.

Such a confusing mystery with two different kinds of brains.

This is called the Autumn in love. This is the time when both learn to nurture their love. They learn to understand and give time to realize what they feel.

It takes time but it does have effects.

To be continued.................

Seasons of Love ( Part 1)

2010-04-11T01:37:00.000-07:00

7:00 AM

The yellow light on the cell phone flickered.

1 message received

Aditya reads the message: Let’s just get over with everything!!

Aditya rubbed his eyes and opened them wide. He reads the message again. He wipes the mobile screen and checked the sender’s name again.

Yes, it was certainly Shruti who had messaged.

He checks the time when the message had been sent. It read: 3:00AM, which meant just 4 hours back.

He scratched his head and immediately hit the call button on the last dialed number. Before the call could be connected his fingers were forced to cut the call.

He became restless.

The thought process that goes on in his mind:

“What’s wrong with her? Was she drunk when she had messaged this? What did I do that made her say this? I don’t even remember the conversation we had last night. What to do?? She must be sleeping now. I can’t even disturb her as she slept so late. What on earth could have happened that made her write this? Have I not been caring enough??”

Aditya broke his head for a while pondering over on text message and then got irritated by this thought processing. He walked out of his room and stood in the balcony.

Guys never think so much on these little matters but when they do think, it just makes them so resentful and angry that they forget all the good things that have happened. They start feeling insecure, hurt and helpless. They can’t bear to hear the word of rejection from their partner once they’ve given their love.

Aditya started feeling the same and in the event of hiding his feelings of loosing his love, he gets angry with her thinking how could she have said something like that to him when everything was going well.

He couldn’t wait anymore and gave her a call. He didn’t know how to begin the conversation so chose not to speak first. He didn’t even greet her.

Shruti spoke in a loving yet sleepy voice: “Good morning love.”

Aditya took a gulp down his throat.

She continued saying, “Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, I did,” he replied.

He couldn’t speak a word more than what was asked for. He was not able to get the strange behaviour.

He thought: (“How can she act so normal after messaging all that?”)

After a long pause, Aditya decided to break the silence.

He asked, “What was the message you sent last night? What did I do?”

Shruti (pretending that nothing had happened) said, “Nothing dear. I was not feeling good about things.”

Aditya replied, “What has happened? Will you say something clearly?”

Shruti (gaining her confidence and all set to strike back) says, “Yes, you are the reason for everything. Do you even realize how bad I feel at times when you say something in your bad mood? It’s been a week we’ve spoken to each other properly. I have my own problems and sometimes I get helpless when I am not able to talk to you. Even if you talk to me you don’t feel like asking anything and you have hardly anything to say these days. What am I supposed to interpret when I hear all this and do you even realize what you said last night??”

Aditya, (who had been listening to her patiently) spoke in an angry tone, “What?”

Shruti (very confidently) replies, “You told me that I am the reason for pissing you off always. I am the one who spoils your mood. If that is so, then why do you have to talk me? So, I thought its better you stay free and happy.”

Aditya was completely furious by then and he replied in an angry tone, “What was wrong in what I told you. I was absolutely right I think. You are indeed the person who can spoil my mood and my day too. I have my own tensions and worries too. Will you just let me be myself? All I want is a little mental peace. Can’t I demand that too?”

Shruti had been very strong with her reasons all this while broke down into pieces from within when she heard those lines. She hadn’t expected him to say that. She wanted to know the reason for his behaviour and also wanted him to justify himself if there was any reason. (Considering the actual picture, there was no specific reason at all.)When she was blamed again, she lost all the power to fight back. Her condition was like that of a kitten which was very hungry yet had to stay in one corner seeking for shelter on a cold rainy night.

She took a deep breath and gulped down the tears down her throat and said, “Ya, you are right. I am sorry for everything. That’s the reason I messaged you like that. From now I won’t be the one who spoils your day.”

She didn’t wait for him to speak but cut the call. After keeping the call down, Shruti threw her phone furiously on the bed, scratched her head and got up from her bed. She picked up her phone again and went to the ‘Sent items’ folder just to realize what she had said last night.

Thoughts in her mind: Do I really want to get over with this relationship? Do I have to loose his confidence at this ripe stage of our relationship?

She got angry with her own self and switched off her phone, closed her eyes and buried her face into the pillow.

Hot tears streamed down into the pillow and she wailed from within thinking about the events that had happened and also blaming herself equally. She had lost self confidence by then and she felt as if she was sitting in a ditch and found no means to come up.

Aditya also realized what he had just said and he felt helpless as only the last words she spoke lingered in his mind.

All those millions of ‘Love you’ she used to say was all washed off and was in the drain. He felt helpless and like a loser thinking that she had lost her confidence on him. He was angry not with Shruti but with the situation that he couldn’t do anything to make her feel good and happy again. He had lost miserably in this test. The fear of losing her made him even more furious and that anger came out on her.

He tried dialing her number after one hour and her cell was still switched off. He desperately wanted to tell her that he loved her so much but only because he couldn’t see her unhappy because of him, he was showing his anger on her. He could have somehow made her feel good. He cursed everything that came his way, slammed the door and went into his room.

This is such a typical situation faced by people in relationships but what mistakes people do here is to not understand each one’s need.

There’s wasn’t much that was happening between them. They were just going through what is called- Summer in love.

Aditya felt that just few days back he had expressed his love to her by telling her a lot of things and Shruti had felt so happy about it. The few days according to Aditya’s calculations were some 15 days back.

For women, reassurance of love is required. If a guy says ‘Love you’ to a girl she would expect the guy to tell her ‘love you’ as many times as he could so 15 days was like a forgotten old story which was just the opposite with guys.

Women need reassurance not because they are insecure or feel their guy doesn’t love them. They want guys to express their love always. They want that love tank to be full always. Whereas, for men expressing their love once meant a lot and they expect the opposite sex to remember that always.

Women are like waves. They go so high and then low. Sometimes they are in high spirits and sometimes they are in low. This happens very often. It can happen even within 5 minutes that’s when men say they can’t understand women.

They undergo a stage at this stage when they can be stabilized only by love and understanding. They need open ears and full attention from their partners. They don’t want solutions to their woes but they just want them to be heard. In Venus they had learnt to practice empathy. They solved others problems and leant to listen to each other but in Mars it was just the opposite. They would only come forward to help when asked for. They didn’t how to empathize until someone asked for it.

Women go deep down in their well feeling low about themselves for no reason at all. They feel helpless and low without any string reason. That’s when they need to be heard and men feel it’s not right. Men interpret that they lack self-confidence and try to advice them, which is the biggest mistake.

Shruti was feeling bad about certain things and because of Aditya’s behaviour she felt bad even more. When he blamed her again she felt even worse and lost her confidence even more.

Women can do anything when they feel loved and cared for. That’s their biggest strength and weakness. A little bit of honest appreciation from the opposite sex will make them feel much different.

Men on the other hand are like rubber bands. They’ll stretch and stretch just to move away and get aloof at times but then they’ll be forced to come back because they don’t want to test their tensile strength till the maximum limit. They always want to come back with extra force which if seen in the form of love. This is when they expect their partner to understand them.

Aditya would have felt the same. He would have wanted to pull away a bit from her not because of any fault of hers but it was the time when he needed to visit his den to take time for himself. He would have eventually come back to her with lot of love but before that Shruti reacted to his behaviour which hurt him.

Shruti wouldn’t have felt bad if he hadn’t blamed her. She couldn’t dare to be responsible for his unhappiness as she always wanted to the reason for his happiness. When she realized that she had made him upset she felt even more upset and weak.

Shruti would have expected Aditya to say something after reading the message that could make her feel better, “I need you. I love you. Please don’t go away. I will not be happy without you.”

These he would have felt within but what Shruti wanted was to listen to them verbally. In a moment of her sadness she would have lost all the strength to even think what he felt.

It was against Aditya’s manliness to talk about these feelings.

The amount of confidence she had initially arguing with him had vanished eventually as she saw lack of empathy. Shruti didn’t lack confidence but when she remembered the words he had spoken she felt shattered.

She switched on her phone.

There was a message from Aditya.

It read: Why don’t you have confidence in your own self? What can’t you be happy with this happening? Why are you so pessimistic about everything?

This time she felt worse again. The one who could have understood her in her worst situations happened to be the one who was advising her. She wanted to be understanding and act in a mature way but after all this the situation became worse…..

She was about to break down completely when he phone rang.

Her heart raced when she heart the ring tone.

It was Aditya.

To be continued………………….

(Rest of my post will be containing the other seasons. So keep reading..)

Seasons of love

2010-04-04T20:46:00.000-07:00

After writing my post on ' What - A Girl- wants' I got encouraging reviews from my readers. Based on that I went a little ahead do a bit of research on the psychological study of the male and the female mind and found that it is indeed an interesting topic. I was also engrossed in few of the mails that I received based on Dr.Louann Brizendine's recent book " The Male Brain". She has already written a book named" The Female Brain" before, in which she has thrown light upon those delicate and harsh facts that men need to know about a woman's psychology. Dr..Louann Brizendine is a psychologist and because of her book every newspaper is having posts with something related to what is called, ' Love,sex and deceit.' Thanks to the recent hindi movie, ' Love, sex aur Dhokha' which has been helpful in kindling these thoughts in people.

Keeping these points in mind I have few things expressed in a simple language because there exist certain people who go by the number of pages present in a book or it's thickness. This is for those who don't like to sit with a book and read continuously. It's a combination of certain books that I have read and my own observation. People might disagree with a lot of things which I may write but it's just a platform where I am sharing my own thoughts and trying to drill in some facts that I have come across.

I would like to drive home the point based on short instances. the situation is completely fictitious and the characters too though these characters might have certain traits which might be similar to a lot of my readers.

The most common phrase used to describe when a person is in love is : " Love is in the air."

Truly speaking, love is always there in the air, it's just that we are not able to breathe in that love along with the air. That's when something, called seasons of love comes into pictures.

Love varies according to the way people take it.

There's something called the Spring in love- when there is immense happiness and everything seems to be beautiful around just as nature seems to be equally beautiful then.

Summer in love- When it's extremely hot and love goes through hardships. It's very difficult to maintain it. People struggle at this time and if things don't go well they loose hope and love fails miserable even after having a beautiful spring.

Autumn in love- This is a more mature phase when one has to just sit back and feel relaxed and secure in love. Good thoughts settle in and great understanding develops.

Winter in love- This is a time when love is practically dormant. It's cold and meek. It goes under hibernation. It requires some rest and aloofness.

Love is always there in all seasons but it's just the way it expresses itself that matters the most.

Not talking more on this I would like to give few instances which would help in explaining the seasons of love.

What –‘A Girl’- wants…………..

2010-01-08T23:18:00.000-08:00

Well the title that I have given might not be grammatically correct but I needed to emphasize on those words. It certainly has nothing to do with the movie that has been named in the same way or the book that has been written.

Girl: Don’t you realize that you have to give me more time?

Guy: I understand. You also understand my situation at times.

Girl: Okay. I will but you should also make an attempt. I can’t do so much always.

Guy: I am not able to get what you are saying.

Girl (frustrated): Never mind. Leave it.

Guy: I don’t know what you want. I can just say girls are confusing.

There goes the line- Girls are confusing. No matter how many times we try to decipher this fact men can never understand women completely. It’s a fact and it’s true. That’s the reason why books like, “Men are from Mars and Women from Venus” have been written and there millions of mails that are forwarded each day which give lessons to carry on a normal life. I am sure every guy would be feeling the same way when a girl confuses them with her words.

So, let me make things simpler. Based on my personal experience and survey that I made I have some tit-bits which I am sure can help to reveal what a girl exactly wants. I am also sure that even after reading these, things might not be simpler until you put into practice.

Learn to keep her happy. She doesn’t want someone who can bring stars down from the sky but we want someone who can keep her happy by making her enjoy those little moments in life.

She pays attention to detail. So, be careful.

She doesn’t want you to praise her every time and tell how good she looks but all she needs is an honest appreciation.

After a certain point of time a sensible girls stops wearing those pink glasses she has put on her eyes. She never wants to talk about fantasies. She sticks to reality.

Don’t be practical with her always. Be rational.

When direct statements don’t work, use something which is called, sweet talk according to the girl’s dictionary and see how things change. Love can tame her.

If a girl is not in a good mood and says, “I don’t wanna talk.” In a girl’s dictionary it doesn’t mean the same. It means, “Talk to me more and make my mood alright.”

If you ask a girl, “Anything wrong”. The girl would reply, “Nothing.” A girl’s nothing means that there is always something that is wrong and it’s your job to find out what it is.

Handle them with patience.
If you ask a girl, “What kind of guy you want?”

85% of it will be what she would like in you but she will lay stress on the 15% which is not in you and that would be her choice. Don’t get fooled because she will emphasize on her views later though.

A girl’s idea of an ideal man keeps changing as she passes different stages but ultimately what she wants in a guy of her choice would be something she has been seeing in her dad. She will make sure that the point is taken in by you.

If a girl says, “I miss you.” It means that she does miss you but she eagerly wants to hear what you have to say even though she will not express it out.

She wants you to be expressive and truthful.

Never take her for granted. She would make sure that she’s not the one to be messed around with if such a situation arises.

Make her feel important and show that you care.

She can get impractical, overly emotional, and overly lovable then don’t show that you are bored. Act mature and try to bring her round to your views slowly. She will understand and then come back to normal.

Follow those little advices she gives. If not all at least few of them. She will never get offended by anything you say.

Be a good listener and for once make her just shut up and you do the talking . She would love to be handled liked that.

Be authoritative but at the same time let her live her own way.

Give her all the love you can give and she will always be understandable.

I think this would be enough to make you guys understand what a girl wants and bring her round to your views too…..

I would like to conclude by quoting lines said by Oscar Wilde:

"A man's face is his autobiography. A woman's face is her work of fiction. "

So, best of luck guys!!!

It's just luck....

2010-01-07T04:08:00.000-08:00

Before I begin I would like to mention that I am writing an account of this incident only because my friend Yd told me to write about it. I have been still wondering about the incident.

I had recently been to Bangalore to visit my friends. As usual the hang out place for friends would be malls first. I was in Forum Mall with my friends where I had been to meet a friend of mine after a long time. It was a great evening in Bangalore. My friend asked me, “Where do u wanna go?”

It was 7:00 PM and after having a tiring day my answer was certainly CCD.

Forum Mall has a small CCD in the ground floor which is an open CCD. It looked a little congested unlike the other CCD’s but for me it didn’t matter as long as it was CCD coffee and I had a good company. We both ordered Café Mocha which is one of my favourite flavors.

The coffee tasted amazing and as we got engrossed in our conversation. Suddenly, one guy who looked like someone who generally would be seen at the roadside came up to my friend and asked him, “Yahan pe dhobi ka ghar kahan hai?”

My friend was smart enough to understand that this was some guy who had come to fool us so he gave him so weird direction which never existed and tried to ward him off.

When all this was happening I felt that something was wrong. I started thinking, why would some random chap come up to only both of us of all the people whom he found in CCD and ask for the address? He didn’t look good too. That’s when I realized that I had hung my hand bag on my chair. I turned to have a look at it and it was gone!!

I stood up immediately and told my friend that my bag wasn’t there. I was frantic and went and complained to the CCD people. My friend kept telling me to look around and see if I had mistakenly kept the bag somewhere else. Till then everyone who was there in CCD was looking at me helplessly.

My friend took me to the security and we explained about the whole situation. They told us that there was a camera facing CCD and they could probably see what had happened. They also did a good job by alerting all the security guards in forum about the loss. My friend was trying to calm me down but even he was worried seeing my condition. Thankfully I had my phone in my pocket which I could use to do the needful( contacting my parents, blocking my ATM cards, informing my friends and college authorities too) .

I had 2 ATM cards, my wallet with my PAN card, my train ticket, college ID card, my hostel room keys, my pen drive, money, my ear phones, charger, my one my most precious sketching and the bag was extremely precious to me as it was a gift from my brother.

It was just 2 minutes that all this had happened and I was thinking how to deal with the worst. I still had some hope so went around CCD to search for my bag. It was then when I saw a waiter from CCD and a security guard walking towards me with my hand bag and a plastic bag. It was the 3rd minute after the incident. It was that moment I felt as if I was face to face with the divine. I checked my bag completely. Not a penny had been stolen from it. It was intact and I could just give a million thanks to the security system in forum for giving me my bag back. I had heard about such incidents before so I could figure out the spookiness soon and took the right step at the right moment.

It was then the whole scenario was clear. While that guy who had come up to us and tried to keep us busy in the conversation, there was another guy who flicked the bag from behind, finding me distracted. It was the very right second that I became alert and reacted because of which he started running with my bag towards the other entrance. The security guards were very swift and caught hold of him before he left the mall. He threw away the bag and the packet. I went immediately to the security officers there and thanked them, I don’t know how many times. I wrote a nice feedback in their register. I held my bag close to me. My friend kept consoling me and he was himself wondering what had happened. He was as shocked as I was but we both had a big smile on our face. I was so happy that I went back to CCD to that waiter and thanked him. I always carry a chocolate with me when I travel. This time I had a big bar of Dairy Milk. I gave it to him with a big smile.

My friend was just discussing about the incident and advising me not to carry all important things in a bag always. It was then when I saw an unknown packet with him. I asked him if he had got something in that packet. He plainly refused and said he assumed it would have been mine. We tried to open it and saw some dirty clothes in it. It was certainly the thieves’ clothes. We went to the security officer and gave it back. In the end we both had a hearty laugh over this.

I couldn’t stay inside forum anymore. I moved out with my friend and felt the cool breeze.

I don’t know whom to thank, The Almighty, my lucky stars, the millions of prayers for me that my loved one do everyday for my well being, my alertness, the swiftness of the security guards or my lucky charm who was there with me then.

I can just say : ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN OVER A COFFEE.

One year down the memory lane…….

2009-09-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

24th September, 2009

Time: 7:00pm

Venue: Vaishanvi Hall, Manipal

Abhi: I, on behalf of all the second year students give a hearty welcome to all to the new faces for the Fresher Party’09…

Archana: Those faces which have become a year old and no longer remain new………… (Continuation …)

I was on the stage, compeering for the Fresher party for our juniors. It was then I realized that one year had sped so fast. I was on the same stage exactly one year back ago, performing as a fresher and introducing myself. One would wonder how a Fresher Party could be of such importance even at a post graduate level. It might not be like that for everyone but for me it was the first fresher party I was attending. I didn’t have the privilege of attending a Fresher Party in my under graduation due to restrictions put by the college authorities.

I didn’t have the time to think about the past there as I had to carry on with my compeering. One by one the juniors came and introduced themselves. The evening was full of colour, wickedness (as per the theme for the fresher party), full and frolic. We enjoyed ourselves to the maximum. After the party I came back home and went down the memory lane again.

One year began with the Fresher party where we performed on stage and for the first time each person there tried to discover the hidden potentials within them. Many of my classmates refused to actively participate but when a handful came forward to help me and my co- CR, Abhi out, organizing any show wasn’t difficult at all for us. We pulled it off well. We started mingling with each other. Studies went along which occupied the major chunk of the time that we spent.

The trend of roaming around in campus and wiling away time by simply chatting, eating out, and exploring new places was replaced by the study hours in the library. Studying Anatomy, Physiology and Bio- Chemistry together seemed a pain for all those who were from a non medical background. We were picking up pace slowly.

I still remember the day we had to enter the dissection hall. I had not dissected anything except a flower in my school days. The maximum I did was that I had dissected a fish that too wearing gloves with the help of my friend as being a vegetarian I couldn’t bear the smell of fish. After that I didn’t bother studying Botany and Zoology, thanks to my course in VIT. This time I couldn’t have escaped. What a progress!!! I was entering a dissection hall where there were steel tables, arranged in one row and each table had one cadaver (dead body in layman terms). We were instructed to carry our own forceps to the lab. I had no idea as to what was going to happen in the lab. My friends started telling their stories about the dissection labs which they had heard from their seniors. We always had dissection classes on Friday’s and it was for 2 hours and it used to be just before lunch. I didn’t speak a word. I just needed the courage to face it. We wore our lab coats and entered the lab and an irritating odour hit my smell receptors. My eyes started burning and the first thing I did was to out my handkerchief on my nose. It was horrible and then each table had one cadaver mostly 5 year old, some full , some half dissected, some had only the organs that were exposed and some had the heart, kidney, stomach and all the other organs removed. I looked at all this with my eyes wide open which started watering soon.

Errrrr….. I wasn’t crying. It was the formalin that did this job. Every table had a skeleton which was hanging with the help of a hook. After 1 hour I tried to turn around and look at all my friends. They were in the same state as I was in but I kept control. The first day I hardly spoke except for answering a few questions asked by my table teacher. We had to study the bones of the human body first and familiarize with the anatomical terms. We finished the DH and I went to wash my hand. I think I washed my hands 5 times with dettol that day before having food. I quietly had food that day. My friends kept pestering me to share my experience about the lab but I controlled till I was done with lunch. It was then I realized that it wasn’t that difficult to feel normal even after facing some which could be as horrifying as a horror movie.

Week after week the same thing continued and after a month I was so used all this that I there was nothing that could make me feel horrible. I learnt to behave professionally and after this I had one dialogue to tell my friends, “Horror movies???? Is there something more horrifying than watching your own body look alike being dissected??”

Anatomy was so difficult to be handled but once we got a grip of it we could manage but it was very volatile so we devised new methods and pneumonic to learn the terms. The classes were also fun as we as extremely boring. I either slept during anatomy class or even if I had written something I couldn’t get everything registered during the class. The professors tried hard to explain very well and it did help to an extent.

Next comes, Physiology which was even more screwing. The whole department kept us on our toes the whole year and we learnt to be punctual and disciplined only because of the physiology department. I was not allowed to attend 2 classes for coming ‘a second’ later than the professor. Then I started setting my watch to the time that physiology department followed exactly according to the IST. A bell rings here everyday at 8am and 2pm just to remind everyone about the exact time. Facing viva in physiology practical meant we had to start studying one month before and if we didn’t do that we had to face an embarrassing situation in front of the professors who very sweetly made us feel illiterate.

Bio- Chemistry labs as well as classes were always fun but if we took a chance with the subject we were bound to suffer at the end. To cut the long story short in KMC, Manipal we couldn’t take a chance with anything. We all had just one aim that time was to clear first year with a decent score.

Amidst all this we all grooved into the Manipal atmosphere by hitting the discs once in a while, attending programs, watching movies, trying out new places to eat as and when we got time. After all this it was the time when it was the season of cultural activities in Manipal. It began with our practice sessions for Spandana. It is the fest organized by the M.Sc students and it was something to look forward to. Everyone was roped in to one or the other program. Next in line was Utsav which is a Manipal inter-college fest and it was followed by Flava - The food festival.

By the beginning of May the exam tension started building up. We had done with all the internal exams by then. One month of study holidays to finish the entire one year syllabus with the exams being held continuously for three days. To spoil our determination the monsoons set in Manipal in the month of June and July. The weather was so conducive to sleep that we had to fight with our sleep in order to study. If it started raining here it wouldn’t stop or else it would rain suddenly. It just seemed as if someone was emptying buckets full of water and when the water got depleted in the buckets it stopped raining. The rains were so unpredictable that we couldn’t move out of the house without an umbrella. I think apart from the attires and dressing style what Manipal students flaunt about is the kind of umbrella each one possessed. The kind of umbrella one uses here adds on to the style statement.

This phase was also over along with those 3 days of exam. It seemed as only 3 subjects but those days were horrible. Answering exams and waiting for the results was the most horrifying experience I have had so far in the past one year. I wasn’t this tensed even during my board exam in fact, any exam that I have answered so far. The moment results came it was as if one year of that hard work had been paid and it was so wonderful to have ‘PASSED’ first year with decent marks and get into the departments of our choice for which each one was there in KMC for their post graduation.

If you'r not the one......

2009-07-11T23:40:00.000-07:00

If you’re not the one then why does my soul feel glad today?
If you’re not the one then why does my hand fit yours this way?
If you are not mine then why does your heart return my call
If you are not mine would I have the strength to stand at all

I never know what the future brings
But I know you are here with me now
We’ll make it through
And I hope you are the one I share my life with

I don’t want to run away but I can’t take it, I don’t understand
If I’m not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am?
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?

If I don’t need you then why am I crying on my bed?
If I don’t need you then why does your name resound in my head?
If you’re not for me then why does this distance maim my life?
If you’re not for me then why do I dream of you as my wife?

I don’t know why you’re so far away
But I know that this much is true
We’ll make it through
And I hope you are the one I share my life with
And I wish that you could be the one I die with
And I pray in you’re the one I build my home with
I hope I love you all my life

I don’t want to run away but I can’t take it, I don’t understand
If I’m not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?

‘Cause I miss you, body and soul so strong that it takes my breath away
And I breathe you into my heart and pray for the strength to stand today
‘Cause I love you, whether it’s wrong or right
And though I can’t be with you tonight
You know my heart is by your side

I don’t want to run away but I can’t take it, I don’t understand
If I’m not made for you then why does my heart tell me that I am
Is there any way that I can stay in your arms?

Two steps behind...........

2009-06-08T23:00:00.000-07:00

Walk away if you want to.
Its ok, if you need to.
Well, you can run, but you can never hide
From the shadow thats creepin up beside you.

And, theres a magic runnin through your soul,
But you cant have it all.
(whatever you do)
Well, Ill be two steps behind you...
(wherever you go)
And Ill be there to remind you
That it only takes a minute of your precious time....
To turn around and Ill be two steps behind.

Yeah, yeah.

Take the time to think about it.
Just walk the line, you know you just cant fight it
And take a look around, you'll see what you cant find,
Like the fire thats burnin up inside me.

Yeah, yeah.

And, theres a magic runnin through your soul,
But you cant have it all.
(whatever you do)
Well, Ill be two steps behind you...
(wherever you go)
And Ill be there to remind you
That it only takes a minute of your precious time....
To turn around and Ill be two steps behind.

Girlieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

2009-05-18T11:48:00.000-07:00

Fall into pieces

2009-05-10T05:49:00.002-07:00

I looked away
then I looked back at you,
You tried' to say
the things that you can't undo,
If I had my way
I'd never get over you,
Today's the day
I pray that we make it through.

Make it through the fall,
Make it through it all.

And I don't wanna fall to pieces
I just wanna sit and stare at you.
I don't wanna talk about it
And I don't want a conversation
I just wanna cry in front of you.
I don't wanna talk about it
'Cause I'm in love with you.

You're the only one
I'd be with till the end.
When I come undone
you bring me back again.
Back under the stars,
Back into your arms.

And I don't wanna fall to pieces
I just wanna sit and stare at you.
I don't wanna talk about it
And I don't want a conversation
I just wanna cry in front of you.
I don't wanna talk about it
'Cause I'm in love with you.

Wanna know who you are,
Wanna know where to start,
I wanna know what this means.

Wanna know how you feel,
Wanna know what is real.
I wanna know everything Everything!

I don't wanna fall to pieces
I just wanna sit and stare at you.
I don't wanna talk about it
And I don't want a conversation
I just wanna cry in front of you.
I don't wanna talk about it.

And I don't wanna fall to pieces
I just wanna sit and stare at you.
I don't wanna talk about it
And I don't want a conversation
I just wanna cry in front of you.
and I don't wanna talk about it
'Cause I'm in love with you.
I'm in love with you,
'Cause I'm in love with you.
I'm in love with you,
I'm in love with you.

Kaash ye pal.....

2009-05-07T12:13:00.000-07:00

Sajna de bajo mai te, jee ke hun ki karna rabba
anjuvi hun muk gaye saare, hun te mila de rabba......

Kimsat ka... ye khel hai milna tha humne kabhi...
haathon ki lakeeron mein likha tha ye sabhi....
koi jaane, na maane, ye saath hai kitna haseen,

Kaash ye pal tham jaayein, aapke hum ban jaayein
jannat bhula ke hum teri aankhon ke ashk ban jaayein....

Kaash ye pal tham jaayein.........aapke hum ban jaayein
jannat bhula ke hum teri aankhon ke ashk ban jaayein.

Janam-janam ka.... ye saath hai, chootata ye aise nahi
pyaar tera aisa mila ki... ab koi bhaata nahi....
baahon mein aake teri.....saanson mein simat jaayein....

Kaash ye pal tham jaayein.....aapke hum ban jaayein
jannat bhula ke hum teri aankhon ke ashk ban jaayein.

ashk ban jaayein, pal tham jaayein,
ashk ban jaayein, ye pal tham jaayein
ashk ban jaayein, ye pal tham jaayein.....

haathon ki...........kimsat ka.......
koi jaane na maane.... ye saath hai kitna hanseen,

Kaash ye pal tham jaayein........aapke hum ban jaayein
jannat bhula ke hum teri aankhon ke ashk ban jaayein.

Unexpressed love!

2009-04-23T12:12:00.000-07:00

"Oh… Sheetal what’s there so amusing that you are staring at the computer screen so much...?”Alia said throwing a pencil at Sheetal in order to grab her attention.

Few seconds later, Sheetal stretches her arms and heaves a sigh of relief, looks at Alia and smiles.

"Now what do I interpret by your smile?” Alia said with frustration.

There was no change in Sheetal’s expression.

There was a pause.

“Oh…… he’s just too hot!!!” Sheetal said with a mischievous grin on her face.

“What??? Whom are you talking about idiot?” Alia said with an irritation and a sense of curiosity in her voice.

Sheetal turns her laptop towards Alia and shows her a picture on orkut.

“Oh… Vinay! There you go,” Alia said with a sigh of relief.

(Sheetal and Vinay became friends on orkut. They had common interests one of them being sketching. Conversations continued on a daily basis. As time passed they went from being strangers to good friends. There was a slow and steady progress. Eventually, they began talking on the phone. It was friendship by chance and was later converted into choice. They had not met each other but had just exchanged snaps. Finally, after a long wait they got a chance to meet. After meeting Vinay, Sheetal couldn’t help but continue this friendship and she took it to a higher pedestal. She started liking him. She was happy for the fact that the person whom she used to chat with and have such conversations was the same as he had portrayed himself. His honesty made her develop a slight liking from him. Days passed by and it was almost a year that they had been talking to each other. They had become really good friends but the relationship wasn’t moving forward. They were still talking to each other but at times Sheetal got confused after listening to Vinay. His actions showed at times that she meant a lot to him but never had he expressed that in words.)

“I shouldn’t be surprised,” Alia said.

“Just tell me one thing Sheetal, how long will you do this? Sooner or later you have to tell him that you like him so much. You must be clear as to what you want. ”

“I have told him indirectly but I don’t think it’s the right time for me to express my love. Don’t you think he should have understood by now?” Sheetal said.

"Right time!! Huh……God knows when the right time will come. May be till then he would have gone far ahead dating another girl and one fine day he’ll call up and tell you, ‘Look Sheetal there is this girl I am in love with and I am about to propose her today.’ What would you do then?"

As soon as Sheetal heard this, her expression changed. She went pale and asked Alia in a squeaky voice, “Can this actually happen? Is it possible that he would date another girl?”

"Why not! He can do that."

"Don’t you think the chances are less? I mean, he is a guy who doesn’t talk much with girls as he said and it’s been a year that we are friends. He tells me most of the things and I feel, may be things will work out,” Sheetal added with a sense of confidence in her voice.

“There’s no point defending your own views baby. Ask your own self and you very well know that such things can happen.”

“Okay, answer these questions yourself…"

Do you stay around him 24 x 7 that you’ll know what he does and what he doesn’t?

Have you reached that stage that you can trust him so much or does he trust you so much?

How much time have both of you given to each other that you can even come to this conclusion?

How much can you conclude on the basis of just a few random meetings, chats and calls?

"After all he is a guy and guys don’t express so much. When it comes to a person like him who is concerned about the present and doesn’t think so much about anything around what can you do? "

"As you say, he’s very practical. Am I right?"

Sheetal kept listening to Alia with her eyes wide open. These questions were really eye openers for her. She had never thought so much. Whatever Alia said was true.

“I think you are right. I have to consider these questions. I think we haven’t crossed that stage of friendship We need to know each other more .We have a long way to go but Alia, I really like him and I think I have started loving him."

“I hope you understand what I am trying to say.”

"What if I die one day and my love goes unexpressed?Will you convey my message to him?"Sheetal asked with a child like innocence.

There was utter silence.

Alia glared at Sheetal and said, " Is such a satetment expected from a 21 year old girl like you?"

"After listening to you I can't help believeing in the fact that - Love is Blind."

Sheetal couldn’t utter a word. She knew that she shouldn’t have thought something like that. She just smiled sheepishly at her foolishness.

" You have to wait patiently my dear," Alia said keeping a hand on Sheetal's shoulder.

" I don't know what to do Alia," Sheetal said with a sense of despair in her voice.

“Listen to me for once and I think things will fall into place automatically. Let destiny play the game.”

“Let’s see…………,” Sheetal closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Just then Sheetal’s mobile beeped. She read the message and smiled………..

It said:

Don’t rush to fall in love because love never runs out.

Even if somebody asks why you are single?

Just tell them, “God’s too busy writing the best love story for me.”

(I think this could be a part of anyone’s life. What could a girl like Sheetal do? Movies do give different answers but I don’t know the answer here so I leave it to the readers to interpret the rest of the story! What if Sheetal was me or you??? )

Flava'09

2009-04-23T06:18:00.000-07:00

It's 7:00 Pm and I am in the library, sitting in front of the computer and typing my new blog post.

This post is really something importatnt as after a very long time I felt happy and excited to write about something in my blog. This is a crucial time in my study hour and I could have written my blog post later but there was something that pulled me from my study table towards the computer. Anatomy and Physiology books could no longer stop me...... I was a bit worried for the past few days thinking that I am able to give time much to myself. Flava was one such event which just rejuvinated my soul.

Flava is a food fest which is organized by the students KMC Manipal every year during the month of April. There are food stalls from the different regions in India followed by a cultural programme given by the respective state. As the name suggests, It's about the different flavours. It brings alive the diversity that exists in India. The essence of the Indian culture.

It was not until Tuesday that I even felt like mentioning about any of my experiences in my blog.There have been many cultural programmes that I have attended after coming to Manipal, like Keli, Parlon, Food carnival, Spandana and Utsav and I have also enjoyed a lot but never ever did I feel a sense of satisfaction until I attended Flava. It really added flavour in my life, which apparently was going through a stage where it was only concerned with Anatomy,Physiology, Bio-Chemistry, the daily routine, college life, friends etc..etc................ I needed to just relax and enjoy and what could be better for a food freak like me!!!

It was held on 21st April at KMC Greens. My friends were pariticipating in the programmes so I was eager to see them also anxious to find out as to how the whole fest was organized. Greens looked amazing with small, colourful stalls and the students were still busy arranging their stalls.

It was already 6:30 Pm and not yet dark. In that half dim light I could spot some familiar faces who seemed to be my seniors and classmates. They had already occupied the chairs in front. The culturals were about to begin but I wasn't satisfied by just sitting. I went around with my friends just to take a look at all the stalls that were there. The prices seemes quite high but the food items were mouth watering. Some,I had already tasted but there were some that I really wanted to have since long.

We started off with Orissa, which was the first stall, then Haryana, Tamil Ndau. Bihar, West Bengal, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Srilanka( was in one corner in greens. It actually remined us that Srilanka was quite distant), Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh andMadhya Pradesh.

There was nothing in any stall which was reasonable but the menu had already activated my gustatory relex. I was contemplating how to taste everything and try spending reasonably and not too lavishly. We friends decided that each person will buy something from one stall and all will share and at least get an idea of the taste of the food. But....................

Where do I start from????

I was standing right in middle of the greens trying to clear my confusion ,when a thought sunk in suddenly. Which state did I belong to????? Errrr............. I am from Jharkhand but there was no stall representing my state. West Bengal and Orissa are our neighbouring states so I know these languages too. I am a Tamilian but I don't belong to Tamil Nadu fully. I have spent three years of my life there and now I am part of Karnataka. Confusing.. right?????

Well, I realized that whatever it is I am an Indian and I am a mixture of different cultures and when it comes to good food, there's no boundary. Everything is nutritious, all food itmes have proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, minerals and vitamins.

I began with Tamil Nadu just to get the feel of being at home. I began with Tamil Nadu just to get the feel of being at home. I had a " Carrot Dosa". It was 20 rupees and I tell you the dosa was like a mini utappam. :)

The next one was Srilanka where we had a " Biscuit Pudding with chocolate chips". Something that could just melt in the mouth. We were 3 who shared it and each could get just three spoons but the taste still remains fresh in my mind.Punjab stall was our next venture after taking a break where we shared Panner pakoras and my friends had tandoori chicken.

Meanwhile we were watching the cultural programmes also. The weather was perfect and greens was already fully by then and the stalls were flooded with people. Fearing that our favourite food items might get over we rushed to the Andhra stall where I had 'Ice gola'. This was something that I was longing to have but could not for years together.

After taking a break for an hour or so we decided to try out more. The break session was all filled with munching session as some of friends made us taste few things like, dahi vada from Orissa, Pathrode from Karnataka, besi-beda bhath and misti doi from West Bengal.

I was actually not full but was feeling too contented. I looked around again and said to myself, " How many states are left to be covered?"My friends were a bit amused seeing me.. in fact I was myself a bit concerned about the condition of my stomach but then food is food... I knew i would never get this opprotunity until next year. We moved on............

I had my favourite, Rajma-pulav in UP stall and also had payasam in Kerala stall.... To take a break I kept roaming around and telling people about the stalls which they could probably visit as by the time everyone came I had finished tasting almost every bit in each stall... There was another round of jalebis which we had in Haryana stall where people were hovering around the food itmes and also watching a guy draw sketches on the spot. I stood there for almost 15 minutes watching his strokes and moves which helped me in picking up some of the tips which I needed to revive my sketching skills.

Phew!!!! I guess you are tired after readin so much, so am I,after typing so much.I was full.....................

The last thing I had was Thandai from Rajasthan stall which was horrible and didn't seem like thandai. To compensate for the taste revival I had lime juice was the cheapest thing available there( Rs 8/-).

It was 11 and I was full. I am not talking about the quantity but I am talking about the satisfaction. I was too happy. I just closed my eyes once before leaving greens and prayed within, saying, " Hope whatever I have had gets digested."

I was tired of roaming and at the end my legs gave away. I came back home and had a great sleep.

Next day my mom called up and asked what I had in the fest. I said, " Nothing much mom. Just a bit." ( I was smiling within). ( I had spent Rs 150/- in the food fest).

It's 7:40 Pm now and I am posting this blog .... I have spent 40 minutes in re-living one of the best days in Manipal so far.

WHO AM I?

2009-04-12T12:06:00.000-07:00

I was there, I had a home of my own, and I had my lodging…… I was loyal... I didn’t want to betray those lysozymes , those glands and those ducts that gave me lodging. I wanted to stay with my friends, in a cosy place, a place which was the most happening and spotted by all. There was so much to be expressed always. I had to be always ready…. So much to work, so much of stress….. I had to be ready like that 11^th batsman in a cricket match in which all the good batsmen were down and it was a match where anything could happen anytime……

I considered myself so lucky to be a part of the most important places. The place where I live: A storehouse of emotions…… that serves as the door to the soul of a person. I am appreciated always, just like the 11^th batsman, always ready; either I make the match a grand success by saving the team in the last moment or even get the praise without coming into the field but I am praised always for being there for support and ever ready because in critical cases I am just there and before I come into the field the match is won!!!!! Or sometimes I’m not praised at all. Only chided!!! Still I am there always, protecting………….

Alas!!!! A day has to come when I need to leave my ‘sweet home’ and face the world … I am shed out... I travel down the lane… touching the soft flesh... I breathe fresh air….I go slowly…at times I’m wiped off in the middle of the journey by powerful opposing forces or at times I lay there in the corner as a tear drop ready to trickle down and loose myself …..But I give my host, the identity. I lose mine to make those eyes expressive…………

The essence of life!!!

2009-04-10T05:46:00.000-07:00

True, isn't it???

Brida- Paulo Coelho

2009-04-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

I read this book last year, in December, when I was at home for my vacations. Its now that I have got time to talk about the book that I fell in love with.

I think most of you all would have read the book, if you haven't, one suggestion from my side is to read this book. If you like a bit of philosophy and you can apply it practically, this book is something worth treasuring. It's a moving tale of love, passion, ,mystery and spirituality.

Not reavealing what's there in the book , I would like to quote some of the lines from the book which I loved.

" Human beings are interlinked, like the cards in a deck."

Wisdom- " When a male knowledge joins with a female transformation, then the magical union is created and its name is wisdom. Wisdom means both to know and to transform."

" The whole of man's life on the face of earth can be summed up by the search for his Soulmate. He may pretend to be running after wisdom, money or power, but none of that matters. Whatever he achieves will be incomplete if he fails to find his soulmate."

"One must not bother trying to explain one's emotions."

"Live everything as intensely as one can and keep whatever one feels as a gift from God."

" Nothing in this world is ever completely wrong. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day."

"Emotions are like wild horses. They demand to be heard."

"When we are in love, then we are capable of learning everything and of knowing things one had never dared even to think, because love is the key to the understanding of all mysteries."

दिल की बात

2009-01-31T10:03:00.000-08:00

बस यूँ बैठे-बैठे मन में न जाने कैसा ख्याल आया,
अश्क बहे, दर्द हुआ, फिर सोचा, इससे हमने क्या खोया क्या पाया!

सपनों से भरे नैना

2009-01-22T06:49:00.000-08:00

ये है ' luck by chance " फ़िल्म का एक गाना जो शायद नए साल में मेरे लिए आशा की किरण लेकर आया है. शंकर- एहसान-लोय और जावेद अक्थर को मैं धन्यवाद करना चाहती हूँ इसके लिए. गाने के बोल कुछ ऐसे हैं...

बगिया-बगिया बालक भागे,तितली फिर भी हाथ ना लागे!
इस पगले को कौन बताये,
ढूँढ रहा है जो तू जग मैं,कोई जो पाये तो मनन में ही पाये!
सपनों से भरे नैना, तो नींद है न चैना!

ऐसी डगर कोई अगर अपनाए,
हर राह के वो अंत पे रास्ता ही पाये!
धूप का रास्ता जो पैर लगाये,
मोड़ तो आए छाँव भी आए,
राही जो चलता है चलता ही जाए,
कोई नही है जो कहीं उसे समझाए!

सपनों से भरे नैना,
तो नींद है ना चैना!

दूर ही से सागर जिसे हर कोई माने,
पानी है या वो रेत है ये कौन जाने,
जैसे के दिन से रैन अलग हैं,
सुख है अलग और चैन अलग है,
पर जो ये देखे वो नैना अलग हैं,
चैन है तो अपना सुख है पराया!

सपनों से भरे नैना,
तो नींद है न चैना.........................

A realization

2009-01-20T05:09:00.000-08:00

What I am going to describe is a small incident which shocked me recently. There has always been a notion that men in general express less and when women talk or convey something it may or may not get registered. It has always been portrayed like that. After observing my male friends I was also under this impression that probably everything we say doesn't get registered or even if they pretend that they have got it inside they may forget it later. Couple of days back I was having a chat with one of my friends after a long time. During the conversation my freind narrated to me ceratin instances which were quite faint in my memory. What made me spellbound was that even before I could ask something, he gave me certain instances in such intricate detail that forced me to sit back and think and just wonder.......

After sitting and reading the chat messages for half an hour I realized and exclaimed to myself: " That means all these years what all I spoke and did is still afresh in his memory and I underestimated him probably!"

In short, from the pages of my personal experiences : I realized that men/guys are good listeners and good retainers too. It's just that they don't feel like expressing these emotions and feelings and waste time as the women/girls do generally.

ब्लड बैंक में दूसरा दिन

2008-12-28T08:38:00.000-08:00

दूसरे दिन मुझे ब्लड कोल्लेक्शन सेक्शन में भेज दिया गया. वहां पे एक-एक कर लोग आते गए और मिनटों में रक्त दान भी पूरा हो गया. अभी तो ठण्ड में कोई आता ही नही ब्लड बैंक में. वहां काम ही नही था और काफ़ी ज़रूरत आन पड़ी थी .इस बार. ओ नेगेटिव और ऐ.बी पोसिटिव का कोई मिल ही नही रहा है. यहाँ सब को रक्त दान करते देख मेरा भी काफ़ी मन कर गया और मैंने वहां के डॉक्टर से पुछा. सबसे पहले उन्होंने मेरा ब्लड ग्रुप पुछा. जैसे ही मैंने अपना ब्लड ग्रुप बताया, उन्होंने मुझसे कहा, " अभी तुम रुको. ऐ नेगेटिव अभी किसी तो नही चाहिए. बेकार का क्यूँ अपना खून बरबाद कर रही हो. वैसे भी ३५ दिन बाद ये बेकार होगा. ऐ नेगेटिव ब्लड हम कभी ऐसे लेते नही. अगर मन तो दे दो पर किसी का भला नही होने वाला. "

इतना सुनने के बाद मैं थोड़ा निराश हो गई. हमेशा से यही होता आया है मेरे साथ. इसलिए मैं कभी भी किसी रक्त दान शिविर में भी भाग न ले पायी. कभी पापा ने मन किया तो कभी वहां के डॉक्टर ने. अब वही बात फिर से सुन रही थी. सोचा ठीक है जब किसी को मेरी ज़रूरत होगी तो देखा जाएगा.

न जाने इश्वर को क्या मंज़ूर था. उसी दिन जाब में लंच के बाद वापस आई तो डॉक्टर साहब ने मुझे बुलाया और पुछा, " पक्का तुम्हारा ऐ नेगेटिव है ना? मैंने जवाब दिया, " हाँ मैंने तो हॉस्पिटल में करवाया था और ख़ुद भी कई बार लैब में किया है. ""अच्छा ठीक है चलो फिर कन्फर्म करना है," डॉक्टर साहब ने कहा."क्यूँ डॉक्टर , एनी रेकुइरेमेन्ट?"मैंने पुछा."हाँ, किसी को अभी चाहिए. सीरियस केस है," डॉक्टर ने मेरा टेस्ट करते हुए कहा.

देखते ही देखते मेरा हेमोग्लोबिन चेक किया गया और कंसेंट फॉर्म भरवाया गया. सारे फॉर्मेलिटीज़ पूरे हुए और मैं भी उसी सीट पर लेते हुए रक्त दान कर रही थी. मैं पेहली बार दे रही थी तो २ डॉक्टर मेरे साथ थे. जाब वो १६ इंच सुई मेरे डीप वें म, मुझे ये एहसास हुआ की मेरे अंग से कुछ जा रहा है. उस रक्त की गति को महसूस कर रही थी मैं और ये सोच कर खुश हो रही थी की जिस किसी को भी मेरा रक्त मिले उसकी ज़िन्दगी बच जाए.

सारे कर्मचारी वहां आ गए. काम तो नही था कुछ उनके पास. सारे बड़े खुश हुए की आज उन्हें खून के लिए इधर-उधर भटकना नही पड़ा. बस कुछ ही देर में ३५० मल ब्लड चला भी गया, पर जाब प्रेशर cuff रिलीज़ किया तो मेरा हंत सुन पड़ गया. मैंने मनुअल में लिखा हुआ था किस रक्त दान के बाद काफ़ी सारे एफ्फेक्ट्स होते हैं पर आज महसूस भी किया. मुझे तो कुछ हुआ नही पर हाँ थोडी सी ठंडी पड़ गई. फिर डॉक्टर साहब ने समझ कर मुझे बातों में उलझा दिया और मैं उस इफेक्ट से भी बहरा आ गई.

बस देखते ही देखते मेरे ही खून का टेस्ट भी किया मैंने ख़ुद और अपने ही हातों से उसे उसे फ्रीज में भी रखा.आज जो आनंद मुझे मिला शायद ही किसी काम को करके आया होगा.

खून के लिए तरसती दुनिया

2008-12-24T08:37:00.000-08:00

ब्लड बैंक में पेहला दिन

खून की प्यासी इस ज़मीन पर अगर एक बूँद 'रक्त' की मिल जाए तो क्या कहने????

आप सब सोच रहे होंगे की मैंने ऐसा क्यूँ कहा? सच ही तो है! आज कल दुनियाँ में जो चल रहा है, बढ़ते हुए दंगे-फसाद ............ क्या कहूँ???हर जगह लहू ही बह रहा है. ऐसा ही कुछ मुझे भी दिखा ... मेरी हाल में जमशेदपुर ब्लड बैंक में ट्रेनिंग शुरू हुई. पहले दिन मुझे काउंटर पे बैठा दिया गया. वहां एक आंटी भी थी. पहले दिन तो बस मरीजों को घर वालों से मुलाकात हो रही थी. कोई अनेमिया पीड़ित है, किसी का एक्सीडेंट हो गया, किसी को कैंसर है या फिर कोई खुशी-खुशी रक्त दान करने आया है. ऐसे ही लोग आते गए. कुछ गरीब किसान भी थे जो पास को जिले से आए थे. कोई खून की भरपाई करने आया था तो किसी को ५-६ बोतल खून की सकत ज़रूरत थी. अब ब्लड बैंक में ऐसा महिना था की नेगेटिव ब्लड ग्रौप्स मिल हि नही रहे थे. बहुतों को खली हंत लौटना पड़ा या फिर किसी एक ऐसे व्यक्ति को ढूँढ लाये जो रक्त दान कर साके.

इतने में काउंटर पर एक आदमी आया. देखने में तो किसान लग रहा था पर कुछ पुछा नही किसी ने उससे. उसने हडबडा कर कहा, " मैडम मैं भतीजे को ले आया. ये खून देगा."मेरे साथ बैठी आंटी ने हँसते हुए कहा, " देख को तो भतीजा नही लगता. देखना कहीं से प्रोफेशनल ले को ले आया है."

मैंने कुछ कहा नही बस तमाशा देख रही थी. इतने में दूसरे अंकल आए और उसे भतीजे से पूछताछ शुरू की.
अंकल : पहले कभी खून दिया है?
भतीजा: सर हिलाता है.. बोलता नही ..
अंकल: अच्छा, अपना नाम बताओ?
भतीजा: चुप रहता है.
इतने में पीछे से उसका चाचा बोलता है.. " नीरज टुडू."
अंकल: अच्छा पिताजी का नाम?फिर से चाचा बोल पड़ा और भतीजा मुह तानकता रहा.
अंकल:(गुस्से में) अबे..क्या बोलना नही आता क्या? खून तुम दे रहा है या तुम्हारा चाचा?
फिर भी लड़के ने कुछ नही कहा. मुझे हँसी भी आ रही थी.
इतने में अंकल ने उस लड़के को चाचा से पुछा, " आप खून क्यूँ नही दे रहे? आप तो सही दीखते हैं.
"चाचा ने कहा, " डॉक्टर sahab मन किए है. मुझे मिर्गी है."
अंकल : अच्छा यहाँ को कौन डॉक्टर बोलेन ज़रा जांच कराएँ तो.....

इतने में दोनों चाचा-भतीजे की हालत ख़राब होने लगी. काफ़ी देर तक तहकीकात होने को बाद पता चला की वो कोई भतीजा नही था. कहीं से उस गरीब किसान को मिल गया एक प्रोफेशनल ले और न जाने उससे कितने पैसे ऐंठ लिया होगा .

काउंटर पर बैठी आंटी जी ने मुझसे कहा, " देखा बेटा . १६ साल का तजुर्बा है. मेरी आन्ह्कें धोखा नही का सकती."

इस किस्से को बाद मैं कुछ कह न पायी. बस इसी सोच में पड़ी रही की मजबूरी में लोग क्या-क्या कर
बैठते हैं . अब नौबत ऐसी आन पड़ी की रक्त दान के लिए प्रोफ़ेस्सिओनल्स घूमते हैं जो गरीबों से पैसे ऐंठे रहे हैं .

Nature Speaks

2008-12-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

THE SKY IS SMILING AT US

On 1st of Decemeber 2008, at about 7:00PM, when the sky was pitch dark, I came out of my house and saw the sky smiling at me. I removed my glasses, rubbed my eyes and looked again. Yes, it was the sky smiling at me. We often tend to see images in the sky and according to our imagination we describe them but this time it was real.

There were 2 planets adjacent to each other and vertically down in the center was the moon, in the shape of a cusp(half cusp). This looked an emoticon- A Smiley that we all use daily to emote our happiness.

The image was perfect but each time I tried to capture it, I couldn't. I desparately wanted a good camera which could capture such a rare occurence. I managed to get a camera phone and asked my friend to click one for me. The pictures were not so clear though.

Isn't it an expression of Nature???

The unique feature in VIT

2008-12-04T11:05:00.000-08:00

The only college I know of, that is separated by a train track, that is VIT. Life can come to a stand still but the trains cannot. They keep moving to and from Chennai to Bangalore and it's a wonderful view. The rumbling sound of the trains makes the place lively.

In moments when I felt lonely, the rumbling sound made my those wheels on the track, made me feel that there was not at end to life. It was irritating initially but at the end of three years it became a part of life.

If someone would ask me what I miss the most, my reply would be : ' I miss watching the train and hearing the whistel.'

The major difference

2008-12-02T09:18:00.000-08:00

The striking feature in my compare and contrast topics is that I did my graduation from an engineering college , where students from Science and Humanities were a minority but I am doing my post-graduation from a medical college. We rule here and Bio-Science field is considered to be the top most here. The whole atmosphere has changed and even the importance given to the post graduate students is commendable. We are made to behave as PG students. I feel so proud to walk in a crowd amongst my fellomates, wearing labcoats. What I see around me is, the colour white that is predominant. After a long time there was a sense of satisfaction after wearing labcoat.

The Central Library

2008-11-25T10:16:00.000-08:00

THE LIBRARY BUILDING(MAHE)

In the first place comparing 2 big Universities is really difficult but I think there are striking differences as well as similarities in the way life moves. Both VIT and MAHE have attained the University status. MAHE is a group of educational institutions which iincludes engineering, medical, management, hotel management, jewellery designing, communication etc all spread around a huge area. MAHE is quite old. VIT is mainly an engineering college which includes others courses related to management and Life Science.

It is very difficult to compare educational institutions but I am going to start the comparison with the most important place, The Library.

The library is huge and spread in a large area. There are volumes and volumes of books, journals, magazines in both the libraries. If one considers the infrastructure, it is almost the same.

The only thing that would matter to any student is freedom. There are no restirctions in the timings. In VIT there is specific time for girls that is only till 10pm and for boys it extends till 12am but here in MAHE central library, the timings are the same for boys and girls that is till 11:30pm.

THE EDU BUILDING AND LIBRARY

The rules regarding the entry and exist is the same but there is one major difference.

Wanna know what????

In VIT we are constantly told, " Utilize the library, it has so much to give you."
But, how many actually utilize the facilities in the library.

In Manipal the no one needs to tell us to go to the library. In fact no one does. The pressure they give is so much that automatically the crowd ends up in the library studying. The library is the best socialising place in Manipal and I think after coming here library has become my second home but to add on I would surely mention I miss being in VIT library, the place which made me love to read in silence and the place where I actually learnt to utilize books.

VIT LIBRARY

THE INSIDE VIEW OF VIT LIBRARY

Cat nuisance!!

2008-11-24T11:03:00.000-08:00

The title might suggest that I am not fond of cats. Yes, those little creatures do freak me out. Not that I have been pounced upon by them but yes, they certainly freak me out. Why am I talking about cats, suddenly?? Want to know why??? Manipal is the only place so far I have seen where there are more cats than any other creatures. Dogs and cows are in majority. They can be seen anywhere and everywhere in India especially when it comes to public places but here, in Manipal cats dominate!

I see them everyday in and around the campus, near houses, hostels, in bins, any moment a cat may come mewing around you. These cats are in different sizes. Some are just kittens, some appear like normal cats, some huge ones and their musculature and posture is just like a mini leopard. It might sound funny seeing the way I have described but sooner or later I will add pictures to prove my point. At many occasions cats have actually followed me and also tried to play with me when I intend no harm to them and neither am I capable of petting them or even being near their vicinity. I am neither an animal lover nor an animal hater.

My policy is, “I respect your freedom, and you respect mine. So don’t come near me!”

A cat was following me one evening; I turned around and said, “Why are you troubling me? Stay there! You go your way and I will go my way.”

I was laughing within for having talked like that. The cat stopped and turned back and took few steps on the opposite side. I heaved a sigh of relief but then as soon I turned to go back, it followed me again. Few days ago there was a cat in my house!!! God knows how it entered my house but I know that the next moment I was up on my bed waiting for it to go out on its own. Such things have never happened with me even at home. In VIT it used to be dogs!! Be it cats or dogs my sympathetic nervous system gives its results.

If it was dogs in VIT , there are cats in Manipal but both these creatures seem to freak me out !!

My next posts will carry forward the differences!!

Return from exile!!

2008-11-22T09:10:00.000-08:00

It's been months that I have actually got the time to pen down some of my thoughts. Life has changed! That too, only after staying here only for 3 months. Manipal has the capability to change people.

Well, the change I am talking about is mostly the lifestyle. I have started living life in a way which I have never lived so far. There used to be days previously when I complained about not having time, but now I do not have even the time to complain. I am flowing with what's happening and not even getting an idea how to retrospect on it. That's life!! After coming from VIT, yet another protective atmosphere after school and home. Yes, I think VIT had pampered me a lot that's why I was facing a tough time initally but now that I have adjusted to the new life now.

My last post was written on 8th September and after longing for 2 months I am giving time to my blog. I felt as if I was not my own self. So in the event of rediscovering myself I am trying to differentiate how different was life 3 years back and how is it at present.

My next posts describes some of the striking difference and certain similarities that I found in Manipal and VIT.

My first day in Manipal

2008-09-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a long time that I have actually got the time to write in my blog. I am beginning with the experience about my first day at KMC (Kasturba Medical College) Manipal. The moment I entered the hostel, the comparison started with VIT. I didn’t want to do that but couldn’t help comparing. There were many things that came to my mind which I would disclose slowly as days pass.

The first day of college, classes started right from the first hour. There was no orientation and we were actually clueless as to what was happening. The professor came and she started and went non stop for an hour. After sitting for 3 hours on the very first day when our note books were already filled. We actually came to know the basic funda which lay behind this saying- “Welcome to Manipal”.

I spoke to most of my classmates as we had to introduce ourselves after class. Most of them turned out to be from Bangalore, Mangalore, Manipal and Kolkata. The best thing is that I have actually started learning Kannada and I am able to put into use my multi-lingual knowledge apart from Hindi and English.

For now, I am just exploring the place, the scenic beauty, comparing and contrasting things. The struggle with the subjects, Anatomy, Physiology had actually begun.

This is what comes to my mind now. More experiences are on the way……..

Keep reading.

Pay it forward.

2008-08-22T05:21:00.000-07:00

I was sitting and just turning channels today afternoon at 3 PM when I just happened to see a glimpse of a movie on HBO. Most of the time I didn’t feel like watching any movie on these channels as I was always midway and there was no point to watch it as I couldn’t understand. Today I was at the right time and I saw a small boy reading something written on the blackboard. The teacher, who happened to be the social science teacher, had given an assignment to them and it was written: ‘Do something that will change the world.’

The teacher was talking to the students in a way he could make his message reach through. The students who were seventh graders were listening to him carefully and also expressed their dislike regarding the assignment topic. There was one boy, Trevor who was reading out aloud that was written on the blackboard found the idea positive instead and asked few questions to his teacher.

“Do you really mean that we have to change the world? If we don’t change anything then we can flunk, is it?”

“No Trevor. It’s not that. What I want you all do is to something good that will be helpful in changing something. The realm of possibility is in our mind”

“Okay!”

This was a short conversation. I liked it and that made me watch the whole movie. The students found different concepts and started giving their ideas. Trevor didn’t do much but just worked out a diagrammatic representation that was mathematical as well as a brilliant idea. It was something like this that he drew.

This showed how one can make a difference and he started thinking of some changes he could make. A small kid who knew he can’t run out into the world to make some big change but the concept that he gave was named ‘Pay it forward’.

He started from home. His mom was working as a stripper in a casino cum bar and his dad had left them 10 years ago. His mom had a habit of drinking and she continued to. He found out means to stop that and also gave her some learning to live a new life. His mom always came home in a drunken stupor and there was nothing that she was aware of. In the event of doing this assignment, he also got a vagabond (who stayed nearby) home thinking he could give him a new life. Trevor’s mom was furious at this but the vagabond had to pay the favour forward so he repaired the car for the lady. The vagabond again prevented a lady from committing a suicide when in turn the lady helped another child, thus following the concept of ‘Pay it forward’. In the same way the circle continued and it ended with Trevor who made this concept immortal with him. To know how all this happened do watch this movie of you get a chance.

I loved the concept of the movie. it didn’t have any actors whose name I can remember but it was excellent from my point of view.

To sum up the movie I can say that it gave 2 messages:

To have faith in the goodness of the people.
“We all make mistakes”- do forgive.
When we get something good then we must pay it forward. The chain continues and so does the goodness.

So, following this concept I am also spreading the message that the movie gave. Hope you get a chance to watch it.

Think!!

2008-08-18T11:09:00.001-07:00

Who hath deceived thee so often as thyself !

- Benjamin Franklin

एक आशा ..........

2008-08-10T10:28:00.001-07:00

लाख कोशिशें की फिर भी न भुला पाई....

ये क्या विडम्बना है ?

इस टूटे दिल को न समेट सकी न उनको वापस जोड़ सकी,

एक आशा है , फिर भी......

कोई इस टूटे दिल पर मरहम तो लगा दे!

जीने के इशारे..........

2008-08-06T09:44:00.000-07:00

जिंदगी है दुआ रब की अदा केह के शुक्रिया जी लो ना,
लाये थे जी क्या ले जायें भी क्या,
केह के शुक्रिया लो ना.

रंगीन हैं कभी बेरंगीन है,
कभी तो हस्ते-हस्ते आंखों को रुलाये .

बनती है कभी बिगड़ती है,
चलते-चलते कुछ ये सिखाए.

है हसीं ये लम्हे,
जो मिले कम है.
ऐसे वैसे यूहीं कहीं देखो कभी
बेवजह हम ना गवाएँ.

अरमान से सजी ये दुल्हन है,
इससे हम तन्हाई में कैसे फिर बिताएं?
ख़्वाबों को जगाके आँखों में
उमीदों का आँचल हम ओधायें.

पल-पल में ढली हलचल में चली,
डूबी डूबी खोयी खोयी जागी जागी सोयी सोयी गुज़री जाए.

जिंदगी है दुआ रब की अदा केह के शुक्रिया जी लो ना,
लाये थे जी क्या ले जायें भी क्या,
केह के शुक्रिया लो ना.

ये "दिल ने जिसे अपना कहा" फ़िल्म का एक गाना है. संगीत ऐ.आर .रहमान जी का है और जब भी मैं इस गाने को सुनती हूँ तो मनन सशक्त हो जाता है.. वाकई में कितना अर्थ है इस गाने में.....

A Tribute to that great soul

2008-07-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

It was a shock for me to know about the sudden and accidental death of India's most promising young singer Ishmeet Singh. He was winner of Voice of India 1 and also a very talented boy who had attained a lot of name and fame with his beautiful voice when he was barely 19.

I was talking to my mom today morning about the various singers as I was hearing a song sung by Amit Paul in Love Story 2050, then she told me that Ishmeet Singh from Voice of India 1 had also sung a duet with Alka Yagnik which was yet to come on screen. I rememeber having voted for him too. I was so bored of watching the same news regarding the bomb blasts and their detection that I was about to switch off my television when the news flashed in Star News that Ishmeet got drowned while swimming in Maldives island where he had been for a show. The show was not yet done and he had to face this sudden accident. The moment I saw the news I was just shocked. Such a beautiful voice and a person with a calm and composed nature was destined for this!!! I was sitting with my mom and watching this news. At one moment we looked at each other and both of us had our eyes welled up with tears which we both didn't realize.

In fact in the recent days, he was also a part of Jo Jeeta Wahi Superstar where he sang really well. I loved his voice more when he sang my favourite song : " Tum se hi..........." from Jab We Met with so much of feel after Mohit Chauhan.

I can only pray that may his soul rest in peace.

I found this while reading...

2008-07-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

In an article published in a newspaper, I found a section where it was alloted only for literary reviews and articles. It was a column where it was written about William Shakespeare. I am a great fan of his plays and whatever he has contributed to English Literature. The writer who is an eminent poet himself quotes after analysing Shakespeares' plays. There have been many critical appreciations and also there have been guide books that explain about the different moods in which he wrote his plays.

The writer quoted, " The character may bear different names,the events may happen at different places but the lines are all alike." When I read it myself I realized that it was actually true. I have studied three of his plays, ' Julius Caesar', 'The Tempest' and ' Othello' in detail and this holds true.

Have you ever felt this?

नैना का रहस्य

2008-07-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

आप सब शायद पढ़ कर ऐसा लगा हो की नैना सच में मेरी जिंदगी में कोई है. पर ऐसा कुछ नही है. कुछ सत्य और कुछ ख्वाब, इन सब को मिला कर बनी थी नैना. और ये मेरी सबसे पहली हिन्दी कहानी है जो मैंने अपने कॉलेज के प्रथम वर्षा में लिखी थी. सच कहूँ तो मुझे इस नाम " नैना" से प्यार है. नैना ने मुझे एक पहचान दी, नए दोस्त भी दिए और यही कहानी, २००६ में " दैनिक जागरण" पत्रिका, जमशेदपुर सप्प्लिमेंट मे प्रकाशित हुई. सच कहूँ तो मैंने कई बार कोशिश की पर इस कहानी जैसा कभी न लिख पायी.

नैना

2008-07-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

रविवर का दिन था, मैन होस्टेल के अपने होस्टेल के कमरे मे थी. बहार तेज़ हवा चल रही थी. मन अशांत था. हवा में जो वेग और आक्रोश था वह मेरे मन में भी था. पढाई से मेरा मन ऊब चूका था. इतने में मेरी नज़र १९९९ की दिअरी की पड़ी. पन्ने पुराने लग रहे थे पर जिस तरह मैं एक-एक पन्ना पलट रही थी मनो आँखों के सामने एक चलचित्र के रूप में दिख रहे थे.

पहली बार जब मैंने उसे देखा तो कुछ अलग सा लगा. उन झील सी गहरी मासूम आखों में जो चमक थी मनो दुनिया तो की साड़ी चीज़ें उसमें जगमगा उठें. छरहरी सी, खलबली सी, खिलखिलाती हुई वह हाँथ में लिए दौते हुए आ रही थी की मुझसे वो टकराई. मैं मुड़कर गुस्से से उसे देखि क्यूंकि काफी जोर का धक्का लगा था पर उसकी आँखों में वो चमक देखकर मेरे मुख पे जो मुस्कान आई शायद ही वह किसी को देख कर आती. उसने कहा, " आइ ऍम सॉरी." मैं चुपचाप कड़ी देखती रही. इसके बाद न जाने हर दिन वह कहीं न कहीं मिल जाती थी. कभी कैंटीन में, कभी स्कूल गेट के पास, कभी ऑटो स्टैंड...... हर जगह उसकी एक झलक मुझे मिल जाती थी. एक रोज़ कुछ कॉपियां लेकर मेरे सामने से गुजरी. मैंने पूछा, " नाम क्या है तुम्हारा?" उसकी आँखें सब कुछ बयां कर रही थी. कोई दर नहीं था. ऐसा लगा मानो दुनिया पर उसका कब्ज़ा हो. यही तो मुझे उसकी ओर खींच लाई. उसने झट से कहा, "नैना". वह थी तो सिर्फ ग्यारह साल की पर मुखमंडल पर जो तेज़ था वह मैंने आज तक किसी में नहीं देखा था. मुझे उसमें एक अपनापन सा लगने लगा. कक्षा पांच में ही पढ़ती थी पर बातें बड़ी-बड़ी करती थी. किताबे अनगिनत पढ़ चुकी थी और घर में दादी माँ के उपदेश सुनकर नन्हे से दिमाग में ज्ञान का कोष इतना इकट्ठा कर रखा था मानो समुद्र में पानी भी कम पद जाए. उसकी आशावादी दृष्टिकोण से मैं बहुत प्रभावित थी.

नैना दिखने में ठीक ही थी. कद-काठी उम्र के हिसाब से सटीक थी. कंधे तक आने वाले काले मुलायम और बड़ी-बड़ी जिज्ञासु काली आँखें.

तीन महीने हो चले, हम दोनों के बीच जो रिश्ता कायम हो चला था वो अटूट था. शायद इश्वर को यह मंज़ूर नहीं था की नैना हमेशा खुश रहे. काले बादल आखिर किसकी ज़िन्दगी में नहीं आते. पिछले कुछ.. तीन सप्ताह से नैना स्कूल नहीं आ रही थी. मुझे लगा की यूँ ही बुखार होगा, पर जब कोई खबर नहीं मिली तो मैं उसके घर पहुंची. नौकर ने बताया, " वे सब सी.ऍम.सी वेल्लूर गए हैं. तीन सप्ताह बाद आयेंगे." कुछ सप्ताह बाद मैंने नैना को स्कूल में देखा. आज वह गुमसुम सी अपने बेंच पर बैठी हुई थी. मैं चुपके से गयी और उससे पूछा, " क्या हुआ नैना? वेल्लूर गयी थी?मुझे बताया नहीं.किसी की तबीयत ख़राब थी क्या?" मैं क्षण भर के लिए चुप हो गयी. नैना ने जवाब दिया, " कुछ नहीं, मेरी तबियत ठीक नहीं थी.बुखार हो गया."इतने में घंटी बज गई और मैं अपनी कक्षा की ओर चल पड़ी. मेरा मन न जाने क्यूँ उसके गहर की ओर खींचा चला जा रहा था. शाम को उसके घर हो ही आई. उसकी माँ ने दरवाज़ा खोला. मैंने पुछा, " नैना...घर पर है?" उन्होंने कहा, " आओ.. अच्छा हुआ तुम आ गई." मैंने हिम्मत बाँध कर पुछा, " कुछ गंभीर समस्या है क्या?नैना..... को लेकर क्या?" वे हिच्किचायीं ... "नैना.. को...." इतने बोलते ही उनका गला रुंध गया. मैं उत्सुक थी, जी मचल रहा था. " क्या हुआ?"हडबडा कर मैंने पुछा..... " नैना को... छोटी आंत का कैंसर है." इतना कह कर वे तो पड़ीं. मैं सन्न बैठे रही. हाँथ-पैर ठंडे पड़ गए. साहस बटोर कर मैंने पुछा, " कैसे.. कैसे... हुआ?" "हाँ, कुछ ही दिन पहले से वह जो खाती थी पाच नही रहा था, डॉक्टर को दिखाया तो कहा की छोटी अंत में कुछ गडबडी होगी इसलिए सी.ऍम.सी वेल्लूर में दिखा देते तो अच्छा होगा. सी.ऍम.सी में टेस्ट कराने के बाद डॉक्टरों ने ये कह दिया की नैना को छोटी आंत का कैंसर है. इसके लिए कीमोथेरपी की ज़रूरत थी क्यूंकि यह मलिग्ननत कैंसर था." इतना कह कर वे चुप हो गयीं.

मैंने नैना की आहट सुन कर पीछे मुड कर देखा. मेरी आँखें नम हो गई.
" रो क्यूँ रही हो दीदी?" नैना ने पुछा.
"अगर रोने से मैं ठीक हो जाउंगी तो कितना अच्छा होता न, " नैना ने भोली सी आवाज़ में कहा.
उसने मुझसे कहा, " मेरा एक काम करोगी दीदी? "
" हाँ.. हाँ.. बोलो..," मैंने उसे उत्तर दिया.
" तुम तो जानवर, पक्षी, मनुष्य के बारे में पढ़ती हो न.. तुम.. नही आप... मेरी बीमारी के बारे में पता कर के मुझे बताओ न प्लीस." में चुप रही.
एक नासमझ ने मुझसे माँगा भी तो क्या माँगा?
" क्यूँ रे.. पागल हो गई है क्या?"मैंने कहा.
उसने कहा, " नही मुझे अपनी बीमारी के बारे में जानना है".
"अच्छा ठीक है," मैंने आंहें भर कर कहा.

मैंने स्कूल में हमेशा उसका साथ दिया. रोजाना तो वह स्कूल नही आ पाती थी, पर कोशिश यही थी की पढ़ाई ढंग से हो सके. कीमोथीरापी रेडिएशन के चलते उसके बाल झड़ने लगे. शार्रीरिक दुर्बलता बढती जा रही थी. चार महीने बाद उसे वेल्लूर जाना पड़ा. इस बार चिकत्सकों ने उसके बाल कत्वदेने को कहा. नन्ही सी जान से यह बर्दाश नही हुआ. रो - रो कर बेहाल हो गई. घर से बहार निकलने का मन नही करता था. चाहे सोच जैसी भी हो पर थी तो वह एक चोटी सी बच्ची. काफ़ी ज़िद करने के बाद उसे विग दिलाया गया जो वह स्कूल पेहेनकर जाया करती थी. मैंने पहली बार उसकी आंखों में आंसूं देखा. सहानुभूति वाले शब्द भी कम पड़ गए. पता नही चला की मैं क्या बोलूं? इतना मालूम था की वह अपने अन्तिम दिन गिन रही है. उसका कुछ किया नही जा सकता था.मैं उसके साथ हँसी -खुशी रह लेती थी पर सदा मन में दुःख रहता था.

आँखें दब सी गई थीं. दुर्बलता बढ़ गई, खाना गले से नही उतरता था,घर पर ही रहने लगी थी. एक दिन कमजोरी के कारण ' नैना' सदा के लिए पंचतत्त्व में विलीन हो गई.

मोबाइल में कॉल आया... मैंने कॉल काट दिया. मेरी आंखों से आंसूं का एक बूँद पन्ने पर गिरा और स्याही फ़ैल गई. आंसूं पोंछ कर मैंने दिअरी बंद कर दी. मेरा मन जो पढ़ाई का बोझ उठाते-उठाते थक चुका था अब सशक्त हो गया क्यूंकि मुझे डोक्टारी की पढ़ाई पूरी करनी थी. किसी के लिए न सही पर " नैना" के लिए. बहार चल रही तेज़ हवा अब धीमी हो चुकी थी और मेरा मन भी शांत हो गया था. मोबाइल लेकर में बालकनी की ओर गई.

My next story

2008-07-25T01:19:00.000-07:00

Well, for all my hindi readers. The next story will be the first hindi story i wrote and one which is very close to my heart. So, keep reading this section and giving your comments.

The Howrah Mail

2008-07-25T01:10:00.000-07:00

contd....

They kept talking about the general stuff and the whole day was over. Anu hadn’t thought that time would fly so fast. It was time for her to get down. It was time for them to get down. They had crossed Basin Bridge and Chennai central was about to arrive. All four got down. Karthik helped the elderly couple with their luggage and called a porter for them. Anu was the last one to get down. She forgot to taken her book. All the passengers had gone and she got down from the empty coach. She was surprised to see Karthik waiting for her.

“Hey…. I thought I will bid you good bye before I leave. It was nice meeting you,” he said in a very friendly tone.

“Same here. Would you mind giving your e-mail id? We can keep in touch.”

“Yes. You are right,” he said.
They exchanged their id’s and then left. Anu kept watching him go and then he vanished in the crowd. She made a call to her aunt to her that she was there and moved toward the pre-paid auto stand.

Anu’s aunt was waiting for her. “Welcome home dear,” she said.
“How was the journey?” Ambika, Anu’s cousin asked.
“It was cool,” Anu said with a mischievous grin. As she said this she got reminded of Karthik again. She was about to tell Ambika the story as it was too early and there was nothing so great to tell also.

“Aunty, give me a cup of your ever refreshing coffee!!” Anu said holding her aunt by her shoulder.

“Sure dear. You know we were waiting for you so that we can give you good news,” her aunt said excitedly.

“What good news?” she asked and looked at Ambika quizzically.

“Tell me, tell me,” she nudged Ambika and seated herself on the kitchen slab and dangled her legs.

“Well, the guy whom we had selected for Ambika is going to meet her today,” her aunt said handing the cup of coffee to Anu.

“That’s super cool. I will be able to see my future…..jiju,” Anu said excitedly.

“Eh! Don’t get so excited. It is not fixed yet and I am just going to meet him,” Ambika said hitting her on her back.

“Okay chill! Go get ready fast,” Anu said washing the cup of coffee and she went to the drawing room and started reading the newspaper.

Ambika was ready and she wore a blue jeans and a pink kurti.

“You are in jeans?” Anu exclaimed.
“Then, what do you expect me to wear a saree and go out with him,” Ambika said with a frown.

“Huh!! Style!! Anu said.

The door bell rang. Anu went to open the door. As soon as she opened the door she was stone cold. She stood there dumbfounded without even welcoming the guest. It was the other person who spoke first.

“Hi! Anusha. How come you are here?” he spoke.
Anu just came back to her senses when her aunt shouted, “Who is it Anu?”
“Er…Er..she fumbled. It is ….”
By then her aunt came and opened the door wide.
“Welcome Karthik,” she is Anusha, my sister’s daughter.
“Ambika is ready,” she added. Karthik was smiling as usual.

She had developed some kind of liking for him. She didn’t want to show her discomfort so she chose to smile back at him and she stood there listening to Karthik’s story as to how he met him in the train. She was so confused. It took her sometime to realize that possibly he was going to be her sister’s would be.

“Thank God! I did not share my feelings with anyone” she muttered within.

“Let it be a Howrah Mail Secret.”

The Howrah Mail

2008-07-25T01:06:00.000-07:00

This was the story I wrote when I was joining VIT. I was in the train I felt like writing this. Usually writing, reading and talking is my best pastimes in the train but if there’s not a good company then I am back to something creative. This was the first story I wrote on my own after school when no one was there to give me a topic and say, “You have to write a story beginning with…..or no one was there to restrict my flow of thoughts and expressions by giving me a word limit.” It is not having much of a good plot or something. It was my first attempt and I remember exactly when I wrote it. I wrote this on 9th July 2005.

Everything seemed clear from one side of the glass window of the AC 2coach but the people on the other side could not see the feelings being reciprocated on the other side. A girl wearing a black denim jeans and a white shirt casual shirt with brown stripes ran across the compartment, opening the push able door with force and stood there at the doorway waving to her mother. “Bye amma. Take care,” she said.
“Bye Anu,” her mother replied with tears welled up in her eyes. Not able to control herself the girl went back and sat near the window wiping a tear or two from the corner of her eyes.

“Ah! The lower berth again. I can look after my luggage well and sleep peacefully,” Anu muttered to herself. The whistle blew and the train started. Soon there was the sound of heavy footsteps that ended near Anu’s compartment. An elderly couple came in pushing the curtain on one side. They had 2 big suitcases and a leather bag. They looked quite well off. The lady had worn a diamond nose stud that was shining even in that dim light of the neon bulb in the small compartment. She had a red round bindi on her forehead and she had worn a south cotton maroon saree. Anu looked at them and tried to help them out in arranging their luggage. “Perfect Madrasi” Anu said to herself with a murk. She dare not react so much as she herself was one like them.

“Where are you going?” the lady asked Anu.
“To Chennai,” there came a flat answer from Anu. She didn’t want to speak a lot. The lady asked again, “Which berth have you got?”Anu had expected this question.
“Em…. Errr…. Lower berth,” Anu said.
“Can you please exchange the lower berth with my berth?” the lady asked politely.
Before Anu could reply the lady spoke again.
“Old bones you know! I cannot climb up. There must be some rules to provide only lower berth to the senior citizens,” she said.
“Yes, they do provide if you mention you are a senior citizen,” Anu said.
“We were a bit late in booking the ticket,” the lady said giving a mischievous yet innocent look on her face. Anu had no choice but accept it.
“Okay. I shall change,” she said.

Now it was the old man who started. “Who is in this seat?” he asked pointing at the lower berth in front of Anu.
“I don’t know,” she said.
“We are Mr. and Mrs. Iyer,” saying this he smiled at Anu.
“Your good name please.”
“Anusha. Anusha Krishnamurthy.”
“Oh! You also an Iyer Brahmin,” the lady said happily.
“Hmmm. Yes,” Anu said with a forceful smile.
The next moment their conversation began. Anu didn’t want to speak so much. She wanted to sleep for sometime but she couldn’t move for the next thirty minutes. The lady kept talking to her in Tamil asking the basic questions of her hometown, family etc.

After all this, Anu had a good sleep. She kept wondering who could be the fourth person. She just wished it could be some girl of her age whom she could talk to and spend the rest 25-30 hours in the train instead of answering the questions of the elderly couple. Time passed and she was quite refreshed by the nap. She was reading her novel when the train halted. She was jolted and pushed to one side of the berth. The iron rod hurt her in her knuckles. “Ouch!” she grumbled in pain. The first impulse was to look at her watch. “What station could it be?” she wondered. She looked at the timetable she had. “Oh! Kharagpur. Right on time,” she mumbled.

No sooner did she say this than a handsome guy somewhere in his late twenties entered. He took his seat in the lower berth beside Mr. Iyer. Anu bent herself a little and peeped from her book. He had a well shaved face, straight, smooth and shining black hair. His height would be somewhere around 5’9”and he was neither too slim nor too healthy. He wore a grayish blue causal pant and a pale yellow t- shirt. He had a very casual yet impressive look. Still she wanted a better view of him but it would not be good for her get down so she was engrossed in her book again.

The old couple kept him engrossed too as he had to exchange seats again. He too had to pass through the same stages of question answer session as Anu had too. Anu wasn’t reading her book but listening to their conversation. She found out that his name was Karthik Subramanian and he was also going to Chennai. Anu went back to where she had stopped reading. She didn’t seem so interested now. It was 9pm already. The elderly couple already started having dinner. Anu sat up and looked down. Karthik was busy listening to music from his i- pod. The couple finished their dinner and it was time for them to sleep. Karthik had to come up and sit. Their dinner was yet to be served. Anu kept looking at him then suddenly she realized that she was actually staring at him. She just blinked her eyes and turned to look here and there. She looked at him again and this time he too was actually smiling at her. It was a refreshing one. Just like coffee. He didn’t speak and neither did Anu have the courage to speak first. She felt it would be so awkward to speak to a guy all of a sudden. After dinner, the lights were switched off and Anu went to sleep. He was lying down and listening to music again. Half his face was covered with the blanket. Suddenly Anu realized that she hadn’t locked her suitcase. She didn’t feel like putting on the light as the other 3 might wake up. She tried to hold the loop with her hand but she couldn’t find it. She tried to give some light from her mobile but no use. She kept struggling for another 2 minutes. “Oh! Where are you stupid loop?” she said irritatingly yet softly.

Suddenly a polite voice said, “May I help you ma’am.”
Anu was taken aback as she got a bit panicked.
Karthik was holding his mobile with its torch light on and gave it to Anu.
“Here. Take this,” he said.
Anu got hold of the loop and fastened her suitcase handle with a chain.
“Thank you,” she said and gave this cell phone back.
She got back to her seat. Karthik was smiling at her again. Anu felt this was an opportunity to speak but then she hesitated. Before she could think more he asked her, “Where are you going ma’am?” It was easier for Anusha now.
“I am going to Chennai.”
“Me too,” Karthik added and brought his hand forward for a warm welcome.
“Oh! Yes, Hi! This is Anusha.”
“Myself…….”
“Karthik, am I right?” Before Karthik could wonder and say anything she replied back saying, “I just heard you telling it to Mr. and Mrs. Iyer.”
She felt elated as the conversation went on.
“So you are a college student?” he asked her.
“Yes. I am 3rd year student of Biotechnology from SRM University, Chennai,” Anu said confidently.
“What about you?”
“I am working in Kharagpur in an IT company,” he said.
“You are going to Chennai for…?”
“I have got an important meeting tomorrow.”
“Oh! Okay.”
They kept talking for a while but it was in whispers now as it was too late.
“I need to sleep now. Hope you don’t mind,” Anu said with a yawn.
“Sure. Why not? Sure ma’am. Good night. We can talk in the morning.”
“Err… would you please not call me ma’am,” Anu said hesitatingly.
“That’ll be fine,” he said with a smile. It was that smile that Anu liked a lot.

Anu couldn’t sleep. She felt restless. She felt as if 2 eyes were continuously looking at her. She tried to open her eyes slowly and looked towards the berth where Karthik was sleeping. He was fast asleep with his back facing towards her.
“What’s happening to me? Why am I getting such feelings and why do I feel attracted towards that guy?” she questioned herself.

There was no answer so she thought it was better she put herself to sleep again and ward of any unwanted thoughts but the same smiling face lingered in her mind. The next day morning she woke up late. It was already 11am. The elderly couple were sitting and talking to each other. Anu looked down and then towards Karthik’s seat. He wasn’t there. She didn’t feel like getting up but it was time for her to brush and get fresh at least. She got down and got fresh. She badly needed a coffee to refresh herself. She tried asking some of the vendors for coffee but it was too late for them to serve coffee still. “It is lunch time Anusha. They will not get coffee now,” Mrs. Iyer said. “Oh! No,” Anu said in dismay. “I am late.”
“Here have this one,” Karthik said handing over a cup of coffee to Anu. He had been hearing their short talk for a while
His reactions were so sudden that Anu didn’t know how to react. She didn’t feel like taking it but also wanted coffee badly.
“What about you? You got it for yourself, right?”
“Well, I can get one for myself again. The train will halt for 10 minutes in this station.”
“Okay. Thank You,” Anu said taking a sip of the coffee.
The next moment he was back with another cup of coffee and asked Anu, “So, how was the coffee?”
“Seriously it was too good. I badly wanted one.”
She opened her purse and handed over a 10 rupee note to Karthik.
“Here, keep this. I don’t have change.”
“Eh! I don’t want. After all it is just a coffee.”
“No. I don’t like to keep anything pending especially when it comes to money.”
After a lot of pestering he agreed.
“Okay! I will take it but I don’t have change either so you have to wait till tomorrow so that I can give you another coffee,” he said this and laughed.
Mr. and Mrs. Iyer also joined with in.
Anu smiled. He seemed very helpful and looked as if he was a person of values. Still, Anu thought it was too early to decide.
“Which book are you reading?” he asked.
“Oh! It is The God of Small Things.”
“Arundhati Roy?”
“Yes. It has won the booker prize.”
“Yes. I read about it. How’s it going?”
“Very boring in the beginning but now I have got some interest.”
“What about you? What kind of books do you prefer?” Anu asked him keeping her book aside.
“Well, it depends on the time I have and I am not too much into reading. I do that at times. My schedule has become so hectic that I stick to magazines only.”

contd.........

To the coasts of Karnataka( Day 4)

2008-07-22T23:46:00.000-07:00

15-7-2008

It was quite a relaxed day and dad and I walked around Udupi just to get some idea about it. Our train was at night and we had the whole day. I kept searching for some good book stores where I could get some story books and colouring books for my 4 year old cousin Aditi. In that exploration I found that Udupi did have some good collections and unique ones which I wouldn’t get in Jamshedpur or in a metro city. I wanted an umbrella for myself as they looked very colourful and attractive. Colour has always attracted me but there was no use as I already had one for myself.

In this exploration I found a distinguishing characteristic in the women there. I had the ability to find out the place from which any person would belong just by looking at them as people from different place had their own style. Either it is the way they speak, the clothes they wore, the dressing style or behaviour.

To be precise, Bengali women who were married generally wore red and white plastic bangles and they had a shine on their faces, women from Bihar wore a thick line of sindoor with red bangles generally, and women from Gujarat could be distinguished by the kind of saree they wore. They are very neatly clad in a light weight cotton saree. Women from Tamil Nadu usually put flowers in their hair and they are mostly leaden with gold jewellery which is generally very prominent contrasting the look of the women from Andhra Pradesh who dressed up in the same way as the former but they generally had a yellow tinge because of the turmeric applied on their face. They had a kind of calmness in their faces. Women from Kerala had a very simple yet confident look. They mostly leave their hair open and knot it at the end. To go to the far north, women from Punjab had contrasting characteristics. They always kept a rich look on their face.

So, women in Karnataka also had something different. They wore a mangalsutra around their neck which had black beads on either sides and there were beads of gold in the middle in contrast to the women from other places who differed with this one. This was a bit long and it looked the same when I saw some of the women residents there. They had a very soft accent which was dragging yet pleasing to hear. I liked the look and the mangalsutra made them look more beautiful.

That evening was great. The weather became very nice in the evening. The cool breeze made me realize that I was in a coastal area.

So, here I end my short yet refreshing first time visit to Karnataka. I have to live here for 3 more years and hope I can learn Kannada soon.

To the coasts of Karnataka( Day 3)

2008-07-22T23:44:00.000-07:00

14-7-2008

This was the most crucial day for me. I was quite familiar with place by then but my dad still was confused. The arrangement of the buildings was like a maze. If one has a look at the map, there were buildings spread wide apart and it was not so easy to know the nook and corner of the campus. VIT had been built later and the plan was chalked out well. The major difference was that Manipal University was spread at a larger area than VIT but the way VIT has been constructed is good enough to attract the crowd. We were almost in time to the waiting hall when I met some of my friends whom I had met during the examination. There were new faces only and from different parts of the country. We entered the counselling hall. The procedure seemed familiar and even the staff were the same. When the Director Admission started announcing the rules, I started feeling void. They had not put the chart showing the number of seats available yet. That was unusual. Thirty minutes passed. I shut my eyes tightly. I didn’t know how to react. The number of seats would decide today whether I could make it or not. It was there the very next moment. My dad took out his glasses and started reading. My first choice was Bio Chemistry; it had 21 seats in Manipal and 25 seats in Mangalore. It was the same for others like Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology and Pharmacology. Molecular Biology and Human Genetics had been reduced to 2 years and it had only 5 seats. I had no hopes with that though it seemed lucrative. After filling the forms they called out the ranks. It started with 17.

Phew... I heaved a sigh of relief. 16 candidates absent and I had better chances. I strained my ears to hear every part of the announcement they made. In another 20 minutes I was called. Now I was confident. The seat is mine. Still there were only 3 seats allotted for Medical Bio Chemistry. The seats got filled for Molecular Biology first then Microbiology started its pace along with Bio Chemistry. In between I was surprised to see that people were willing taking Anatomy and Physiology. I felt really good to see people with varied interests. I spoke to many in this 20 minutes wait till my name was called and of course my old friends were there who had written the exam with me at the Kolkata center. I was happy. My dad was still stuck to the screen but relaxed. I paid the fees, got my admission letter and then the first thing I did was I spoke to my mom. My dad kept watching people. He refused to speak anything. He told me, “Do your work fast. Don’t waste time in talking. I am sitting here.”

It was all done by 1 pm. The hostel, the admission and we also got a chance to see one of the flats which we could get. The first impression of the look was: VIT hostels are the best. I still hadn’t visited many girls’ hostels but when I went to some they looked okay to me but not bad either. Still as I said, too early to say anything as I had seen only 3 or 4 of them. It was a relaxed day altogether. We also met a professor and for the first time I entered the Bio Chemistry Department. I realized that I was in a place with an atmosphere that made me feel I was in a hospital. All future doctors with lab coats and stethoscopes walking here and there, some with a badge bearing their names and some without them I liked it in fact I had always wanted to study this course in a medical college. Medical Bio Chemistry was something I had wanted from the time I was in B.Sc and my dream college was JIPMER, Pondicherry. Still, KMC was none the less.

I was on which cloud I don’t know myself. I don’t think it was 9. I beg to differ, it must be more.

To the coasts of Karnataka (Day 2)

2008-07-22T23:41:00.000-07:00

13- 7- 2008

I had my first round of counselling at 2pm. We planned to leave a bit early as it was our first visit and I could get an idea that Manipal University was spread out in acres and it would be difficult to find out places there. We took a city bus and reached the Tiger Circle bus stop. It was a 20 min ride and Manipal was situated at a greater altitude than Udupi. There was difference of ages between the two places. Udupi was in the Stone Age while Manipal had been developed very well. (That was what the local people there said). Manipal was cool to look at. The hostel buildings could be seen on the left as we moved towards the college.

I stood up to leave when the conducted nudged me with his elbow and said, “ Tisss.. tissss..” I didn’t like the gesture in the first place and then I couldn’t understand what he was trying to say. I was taken aback first, I thought why must he be talking of TISS, it is in Mumbai (well just kidding)? This was the first thought that came to my mind. After having survived in places where I could understand the local language that is Hindi, Tamil and Bengali I was having a tough time with Kannada. My dad was managing with Tamil but I was confused as to which language I must use. Either I must speak in Hindi or in Tamil or in the sign language. Sign language worked in such cases when one is not able to understand what the other person is trying to say. I looked quizzically at the conductor. He showed me the tickets in his hand and asked in action if I had taken the ticket. Ah…..while getting down he was asking me that. Well, I showed him mine and got down. I was not feeling good. All that I had heard all this while was songs and conversations in Kannada and I didn’t know a single word of it. I was remembering my north Indian friends then, they would have also felt the same when they were in VIT. It was in our company that they learnt Tamil. At that moment I seriously needed someone who could teach me Kannada.

We got down and went inside the building just in front of the bus stop. Near the stop there was a pale yellow coloured old building with old fashioned windows and it read, Kasturba Medical College. Then I took a deep breath and looked at it again. Possibly I would be studying there. Dad walked ahead and I was walking behind slowly, observing the place and the people. In fact if someone noticed my facial expressions then they would know I was new to the place. Dad turned around and called me, “Seekram va, approma pakkalam.”(Come fast, you can see all that later). My dad was always hyperactive; I think that is why I had in my blood too. There was 1 hour more and we were in our destination but still hadn’t reached the counselling hall. Now it was time for me to ask the people for the way. Many students came and I asked them the way to the counselling hall. They looked liked first years and as I had thought they didn’t know where the counselling hall was. Then I found some girls who were first year Nursing students and they helped us to move out of that place and reach the main building. It was another 1 km walk. I could see the huge (seriously it was huge) Main Building which was on the prospectus covers. The first impression one could get was: It doesn’t seem like a college’s administrative building but like a MNC with the grayish – black tinted glass with manipal.edu reflecting from it in when the sun rays fell on it. It looked beautiful .Well, before that, there was a food court, it was having 4 floors, fully air conditioned and it looked quite good. One, like the food courts in the shopping malls. We were at the entrance next and I was searching my name on the notice board. I got mine but to my dismay there were three more with rank 75 as mine. I looked again and there were many ranks which had been secured by 3-4 candidates. I actually didn’t have much chance today for Medical Biotechnology as there were only 21 seats. It was possible only if I had been somewhere below 50 but mine was 75. Still, there was a kind of relaxation in mind that I had a better chance the next day. There was big fountain in front of the main building.

My comparisons started. Was it like my VIT? Did I get the same warmth when I entered here? There was one thing common here, the fountain and as one entered there were flags of different countries and in VIT we had the different clocks showing the time of the main countries. This showed that both places had a cosmopolitan crowd. This main building was certainly spooky as there was pin drop silence in the waiting hall. May be it was Sunday and there were only those who had come for the counselling. We sat in a sofa and waited. I looked at people and the kind of students. The whole time, I didn’t speak a word to my dad. He was also quiet and I knew he had a question in his mind that why was I so quiet. It was obvious as my mind was already preoccupied with innumerous thoughts. I was actually listening to the conversation that was going on between 2 girls sitting right in front of me. They looked, hep, the chill out kind and after sometime I realized that they would certainly be from this college because of the confidence with which they spoke. I tried to speak to them and got some idea about the conversation.

One of them asked me, “You are from which college?”
I proudly said in an authoritative tone, “VIT.”
The moment I said this, her expression changed and I felt like just moving out from there.
I asked her, “Why, what happened, what’s wrong?”
She said, “Oh, how do you study there? There are so many students in one batch. I had joined VIT and I was there for some days and then I left.”
“Oh, I see,” I said biting my teeth.

Well, it was the truth what she said but what she spoke later made me angry.
She said, “We never had so much of crowd even in B.Sc here. We had a beautiful lab.”
Well, everyone will boast about their college and those girls looked like that. At least I would not do this way unless it was genuine.
I asked her, “Then why did you join VIT? You got such a good rank here then you could have just thought of joining here again.”

She was speechless for a moment. She smiled back and said in an uneasy way, “Ya, actually I thought I could try for a change.”

I didn’t want to say anything more. I had done my job and then I was feeling better. We were called into the counselling hall the next moment. It was in the underground and looked good. It gave a serious kind of atmosphere. The screen showed the number of seats for Medical Biotechnology and Regenerative medicine. They started calling out people one by one and then I knew my rank wasn’t going to come for Medical Biotechnology. I was called soon but they offered me Regenerative medicine but I didn’t want that. I was waitlisted for M.Sc Medical Biotechnology. We had no more work. When I came out, I saw the same girls again. This time they came and spoke to asking if I had got or not. I liked the attitude then. They actually helped me with some basic info about the college and the hostels there. I bade good bye and the same girl whom I had spoken to in the morning said while going, “All the best for tomorrow. I hope you get what you want.” I smiled back at her.

I went to the food court with my dad and we were actually searching what we could eat that time. There was Subway, Barista, Noodle King and more but I was not interested in eating but watching the crowd there. I would keep my comments reserved to myself now as it was too early for me to say anything. We left the place and then went to the famous Udupi Krishna temple which was coincidently very near to our hotel. I had heard a lot about it and when I went there felt really good. It was not like a temple but it looked like a serene place where all could just come, sit and go. I can’t explain more as divine places are divine and there’s nothing that can explain divinity.

I can only say that after I came back home I was watching an episode in Discovery Travel and Living and they showed the Udupi Krishna Temple.

To the coasts of Karnataka (Day 1)

2008-07-22T23:39:00.000-07:00

12-7-2008

I was not into blogging these days as I was busy with my counselling. I had been to Manipal for my counselling. It was a 2 day procedure but to be on the safer side dad took a time of 4 days. I was wondering as to what we would do there after counselling. We were in Chennai and from there we went to Mangalore first. I must tell you all that this was the first time I was traveling down south farther than Tamil Nadu. I had been to Palakkad in Kerala just once and I don’t remember anything as I was just 7 years old then. All trains to Mangalore took this route, that is , they travelled from Tamil Nadu and then entered Kerala and then taking a turn as the western ghats came in the middle, it entered Karnataka.

After Chennai the first station was Katpadi and before the station came it was my college, VIT. I was feeling really bad when I was passing by. The huge buildings seemed to question me, “You are leaving me and going?” I gave a sigh and replied to myself, “I really don’t know what the answer to this question is. I will not think much over this. I will do as things come by.” Actually there was no use thinking as no one knew what was going to happen. I was keeping my fingers crossed.

We reached Mangalore the next day. The whole journey was really good. It was beautiful to see only water everywhere with coconut trees and palm trees and I could find only lush greenery there. It was raining also as Kerala and Karnataka had been experiencing the monsoon rains still. Well, the weather was actually welcoming. We had to go to Udupi station which was the nearest place from Manipal. There were plenty of buses plying from Mangalore to Udupi at only 33 rupees per head. It was an economical ride but the journey was full of bumps and jerks. There were bridges on at every step as I could only see the green colour of the moss covered river bed that was hitting my eyes. I could see the tradition of Kerala with a mixture of Karnataka. I was observing the people of Karnataka closely for the first time. I had been to Bangalore twice but never had a chance to spend much time there. It was a 1 hour 45 min journey. My dad wasn’t happy with the bus journey but I didn’t know how time flew by. I was observing the local resident’s life, the culture and the houses also were of a different construct than one could see in Tamil Nadu. To tell the truth, I myself didn’t like bus journeys. I always preferred to travel by train but here we had only connections by road so there was no other option but I loved the journey( only as it was the first time for me). We reached Udupi. The bus had to pass through the city and it looked good. A small place tough but I found the life different. I was wondering, as to what could be the occupation of the people there. I could see mostly garment shops and shops will lots of umbrellas, indicating that it was a place rains were seen quite often. Our hotel was in Udupi and we found that it was the central place. We could explore the area better and just by talking a walk. That was the best part. Talking about the food, I had never tasted the proper Mangalorian food. It didn’t taste so good for my taste buds but I got used to it later in my 4 days stay.