Denied.

Another cold night when she was made to stay out of home and dwell in the darkness of her fate.

It was only the next day when she was allowed in. Pramal had not spoken to her while leaving for work and had not returned that night. Sattvi’s mind and heart were in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. It was only today that a series of event had kept her busy for the day and in a hurry she’d burnt whatever rice were left for the month.

“What was that behavior all about? What is your problem? How much do you expect her to care for you? How much do you want her to give into your demands? Her youth, her desires, her dreams, her wishes, her individuality, even her own self is lost. All her love and attention has always been yours.

Not a single day, a moment has she spent without chanting your name. What more do you ask of her?

Oh yes, like always you’ll blame her. You’ve never asked for it all, but why don’t you understand that when you went silent, she went numb. When you smiled, she was on cloud nine. Your sadness stabbed her every moment. She shivered when you raised your eyebrow. While you were busy weaving a world of pleasure and money, she was chopping her pettiest to prettiest of desires and sautéing them to cook up a delicacy of your choice always.

Of all the things in life, she chose you and your happiness, your people and your conducts. Her hunger was invoked when you declared that you wanted your meals. Your choice, however unpleasant was accepted with a smile that was a captive of your temperament. Have you ever asked her what she really wants? What are her opinions and needs? What is that one thing she’d always wished after marrying you? Have you even loved her? Do you even know what love and marriage is?

She has put her 42 good years in pure dedication towards you and this worthless relationship and yet has been denied of all the love and respect she deserves.

What is it with you? What more do you want from her? “

Only Sattvi could have voiced her sentiments and fought for her longing justice.

But only if she’d ever step out of that mirror.




Inspiration: The Silent Sea by Advaita Band and a friend's sketch "Mirrored or..." 

Artistic Recipe for the Craft of Writing

It was a fantastic end to another simple and usual day of my life. So many like-minded people, abuzz with questions and experiences, different apprehensions and many solutions to approach them. It just made the writer in me feel more beautiful and comfortable by being amongst so many birds of the same feather.

An invite to a workshop for writers at Mocha, an initiative by Grey Oak publications, Urban Shots, Westland Books and Blogadda was one awesome experience.

Always willing to attend such sessions I never happened to make it whenever these events and opportunities occurred. But this time I just got lucky because of my brother who got this invite in his mailbox before I did. And each day I eagerly waited for this event to happen.

The gathering was small and kicked off with the peculiar situation, which writers often face, when we are restless with a pen in hand and a blank paper staring back hard at us. Though the thoughts were boiling and brewing, but they were not yet pouring to fill the empty sheet that lay like a virgin, desperate for a unison. But almost in another 10 minutes we could sense that this aromatic and hot coffee was surely going to turn out to be just fantastic.

The Venue was Mocha, Defence Colony and to guide us were present, Fiction Writer Maryann, Food Blogger Rekha and Social Media Manager Aashish. A blogger, a manager and a fiction writer is all that one could ask for to get the recipe of writing right.

The gathering too was interesting ranging from students who were well read and had drafts of stories written, to professionals from advertising agencies to some avid tweeple, who shared and discussed about the common connect- the art of writing.

Largely it was a good sharing event, which left me inspired enough to leave my thoughts racing.  The outcome of the same was my last post: ‘Hear your calling…’ and an introduction to my new blog address: ‘Mywordworks... an introduction.’

Hear your calling…

When exploring the unknown, you are never alone. Because you begin with apprehensions and questions but end up discovering experiences and answers.

Inquisitiveness and passion never allows your dreams to fade. They keep alive your zeal, triggering unrest and urge; time and again compelling you to take the path towards your innermost desires. 

No matter how far you try to run or where the waves of situation take you, when the will is strong and the time is right, you’ll find yourself drifting to the land you belong to.

The desires that burn inside, the dreams that make your life, have a larger purpose than to just arise and fade. When you hear the calling time and again and good omens paving your way, understand that the time has come to flag your win and have your victory engraved.

A sparking thought

                      

          Creative spark is an outcome of accidental connection of loose thoughts!!!

Fireworks of Friendship!

Life takes many turns and gives you a new companion each time. While people find it tough to have a handful of good friends, my life has been generous to me in blessing me with amazing wonderful hearts.

From childhood till now, I’ve had a life full of joy. And every moment in it has been just ecstatic because of their presence. All of them are unique and inspiring individuals.

We’ve had our share of fights, misunderstanding, miscommunications, some have moved on and even outgrown the relationship, but their memories still make my life fragrant with moments of cheer that we shared together.

Pranks, punishments, stage performances, sports, classrooms, lunches, competitions, farewells, canteen, bus, society, school, tuitions, college, dance, music, dramatics, poetry, bunks, protesting, proxies, assignments, projects, books, bargaining, marriage, creativity, photography, work, job stress, meetings, deadlines, nail paint sessions, window shopping, gifting sessions, combined study, workshops, philosophy, spirituality, messaging, online chats, phone calls, email exchange, writing, eating out, vacation, tea-breaks, maggi times, random talking, movie watching, bitching and gossip sessions…

All became remarkable because of your company. Each of them has many faces associated in different phases of my life.

Friendship is not about making great sacrifices, neither it is about showering riches and gifts; it is about that warm touch and understanding that never ceases. It’s a string that never snaps despite the distances. It’s not about benefitting from friends but about spiriting your life for an all time high. Life changed tracks and showed its true colours, but each time I had a friend who never allowed my smile to fade or courage to die.

Thank you friends for powering each day of my life. You make it splendid!

Graphite Strokes

PERFECT is NOTHING!

We all wish for things to be PERFECT!

Perfect Moment…Perfect Click…Perfect Love Story…Perfect Life…Perfect Partner…Perfect Job…Perfect House…Perfect Children…Perfect Parents…Perfect Outing…Perfect Shopping…Perfect Holiday…Perfect Party…Perfect Friends…Perfect Dress…Perfect Marriage…

Seeking the Perfect, we spend our lives whining and cribbing over Imperfections.

So, all we are left with is…

Moment… Click… Love Story… Life… Partner… Job… House… Children… Parents… Outing… Shopping… Holiday… Party… Friends…Dress…Marriage…

And that’s what LIFE really is. 

Perfect is nothing, it is just the ability to accept the reality.

Perfection is what we read in fairy tales, super hero comics, romantic novels, movies and success stories.

Perfection is human fantasy! Like a man is prone to porn, so is he to perfection. But it’s important to put your cravings to limits before you spoil the existent.

Perfection or Success is just a perspective to look at life and people in there…

When you make it big…you become Prefect and Successful in people’s perspective, though the human being that you are largely remains the same. But then your imperfect life and its turns become perfect…and that’s what success stories are about. They are about the failures fathomed.

So deal with imperfections, fathom fears and failures; and live in the ‘real’ because Perfect is Nothing!

Artist: Eliza Leahy

Pretense is the mask of the fake. Real just face it!

End never comes…

“Love is seriously blind; it makes the heart sense perfection in the most normal person. But then it has the vision and never ending hope coz it sees what it believes and holds the power to carve out the perfect person from the one it falls for...”

Photo source and credit: Isabel Samaras (Picked from Jonathan LeVine Gallery)

‘Being blind’ is owning up, ignoring the flaws and accepting the person as your super star in your blockbuster love story. But then that’s too with a perspective …because you see the person with a higher vision, and souls gel so well that you know you can spend a lifetime with that one person…and be with each other through thick and thin of life.

I know what I’m talking because I’m blindly in love with that one person in my life. All his flaws and problems are mine and so are his strengths. I know neither of us is perfect but we are befitting individuals and not ready to let go in any case, rather trying to hold on to each other till the end…

And I blindly believe and wish that this ‘end never comes…’

A new ray...

A new ray has dawned upon my life…

Her smile is my inspiration,

Her voice the rhythm of my life,

Her eyes give me vision,

Her care my strength to take on every challenge,

Her hope instills faith in me,

Her laughter gives me ultimate joy,

Her touch sanctifies me,

She’s the colour pallet I wish to paint my life with

And stay in that spectacular picture forever and ever…

PS: This poem is a dedication for my Friend Anshul, who wanted me to write a few introductory lines for his love Radha, on their wedding invite as they tied the sacred knot on 30th April'2012.

I want the fruits to ripen now!

I stand on faith,

Holding onto hope,

Passing through the same patch,

Wishing to sense no more pain.

Suffered; I have, silently,

Patient; I have been, enough,

Working effortlessly,

For I want the fruits to ripen now!

Bedspread of Memories

Weaving beautiful words,

With threads of colourful emotions

I’m creating a bedspread of memories.

And when you’ll be back to me,

We shall lie on it,

Soaking in comfort,

Smiling at our love-journey.

When times get cold and skies turn grey

We’ll lie beneath it,

Cozy in our shelter,

Rejoicing each other’s company.

Sweet little goodness of moments…comes in little packets of joy.

Out at about 9:30 am, I was waiting to catch an auto at the stand when I saw a school bus pass by. It was packed with overwhelmed kids, who must be in grade 6 or 7. Singing out songs aloud, clapping, some eating chips, some waving and making faces at the crowd, they were all pumped up. Of course they were off for a picnic, for two obvious reasons, one it was 9:30 am and two it’s a good feeling to go to school but the excitement like there’s matched only of a study free-classless day.

Oh the joys of childhood and school days, when we cribbed to be grown ups. And today unlike teachers and homework we have bosses and deadlines where we have both home and office work that never seems to end.  Picnics, well we all go out for a movie or an outing but nothing can match being with friends, together on board in a school bus and doing all that a teacher asked us not to.

But again, our times today are also great, which I soon realized when I saw an aged woman standing next to me. Moving her neck looking at the slowly passing by bus, her eyes met mine. She had the same joy as mine but the glare in her eyes was brighter than mine. Instantly I knew, she too was on a nostalgic trip. And then she smiled at me and said ‘joys come in little packets…you are still young, live each moment.’ And she moved towards the auto that just came to a halt, and all I could do to thank her with a smile and wave her goodbye.

Are you or have you been…Brain-dazzled???

Staying packed with work all day, we mostly stay invisible on our chats. Procrastinating that long due chat with your chat friends because you need to focus. Already the Internet is quite a distraction but you can’t also do anything without it. Even if you avoid staying updated on your laptop or desktop, phones these days are smart to keep you entangled in trending topics, latest comments, recent album uploads and compliments on your recent profile pic. While you struggle to wrap your job on time and pack your presentation with all the required slides, you are reminded of the calls you need to make to the credit card company, the payments due, appointment with the doc, weekend plan to be finalized, book your tickets for the next month back to your home or an occasion to attend, file your leaves for it too.

Never do we give our mind any rest. And while we keep our brains on the roll, we are after it to store as much as possible. Stuffing and packing it with overloaded information and tasks for the day.  Suddenly, when you go to ask a colleague something, you go BLANK! As if all data erased, no traces found, you find yourself in a vacuum. I call this stage when you go Brain-dazzled!

Putting too much and trying to pull off more than you can handle, without respecting yourself and your limits leaves you bonkers! And your brain gives you back, a white-blank-blow, rubbing it in your face.

Remind yourself, how much is too much and put your foot down. If you’ve been facing such a situation when your mind is giving up, take a break and stop.

Draw your own colorful conclusions amidst others who paint it black or white for you…

Out there amongst us, there are a few perfectionists, for whom the world is either black or white. They have set standards of life and expectations form Who is who? How to behave? What to do? When to do? They are backed by strong and stringent rules and are highly judgmental. You know it or not but they are quietly noting every minute detail of yours like a body language expert. Busy in a dialogue with self, categorizing people around. Not that they are insensitive but have their own way of life. They have seen stringent rules and brought up in some type of aristocratic manner or should I say disciplined manner may be.  Quite like the y judge other and have slots for different personalities, they are sure about their own types and proud of every bit they are, despite all the fallacies that exist in them. They put their foot down on every damn thing and try making the things work their ways. Don’t really know but getting a little judgmental here I think control freak I guess would be the right word to quote for them.

But then, who gives them the right to judge? And who knows how sound are their judgments? I personally have sensed that whenever you have highly opinionated and judgmental people around, the more it makes you conscious and weary of being yourself. And life is not just about meeting every body’s standards of expectations each time, but to freely be yourself and explore the marvelous you every day. But then again, some people might take this funda as well quite lightly and that is where it gets complicated to draw the line and make out the difference. But this is for each individual to decide. We often look at ideals in our families and friends, and while we do so we must also go on in drawing our own rules with logical reasoning to define our own behavior and relationships. Because at the end it is our life and no one can make it and dwell in it like we can.

So while you listen to all opinions, judgments, advices…never forget your capabilities of decision making. Lead your life on your own terms by your set of rules and be with people who don’t bully you but give you space to be yourself.

Yet another story…

Every day I meet so many different people, with different backgrounds and stories, and one can see the difference in their personalities. Amongst the many, I’ve been lucky enough to meet some very powerful women, who have such strong likes and dislikes. They know who they are. They are strong willed and have the courage to put their foot down. They are not fooled by emotions, but are practical, smart, shrewd and even a little foxy too. Though some of their qualities can be intimidating, but then it’s important to have these- certain basic instincts in order to survive in this world of diverse faiths.

They have not compromised with their lives ever, and have not been instructed with much of do’s and don’ts. Well at least from the story you hear, you think it’s been a great life. They are perfect babes from the chick flicks, some have maddening temperament, crazy driving skills, but so much of confidence and energy, which is infectious.

It is good that parents have raised their girls like boys, not putting many restrictions on them and letting them grow like who they are meant to be. Though I wonder what challenges parenting them must have been faced then and now. So, while they had the liberty to date as many boys, I wonder... were the limits explicitly defined to them? Regular visits to spas and saloons were taken in the right stride? Were they ever taught the value of money while they went out to go for truckloads of shopping?

Of course a lot and most of it is money matter. What class your families fit into. Suddenly when you have money, you are broad minded and liberal. Which is obvious because then each individual has personal space, personal freedom to spend for indulgence in whatever they find happiness in. Little wishes become just money matters. Where as a family with little or moderate financial condition often keeps cutting their needs, deferring their wishes and at times even goes on to sacrifice them as well. But then they share love, values, respect and are very close knit.

My mentor in Journalism College, Mr Ramesh Menon often mentioned, “Every body has a story and there’s a story everywhere.”

Coming across so many different people and situations, I feel glad everyday I’m spotting a new story. Though somewhere I wait for my story to be told, because you don’t see yourself the way others see and while you are busy admiring others, you wish some one else must admire you like a star…

A skipped class… A match lost...

You skipped a class today yet again. You know same teacher is furious with you. You have least attendance in her lecture; you’ve raised your voice in her class. Yes she has ego issues, which is much in flare now because of your last argument in the class. But now things will get even worse because she has got another chance to dance up on.

In the first place you shouldn’t have missed her class, secondly you hid it from us and then you lied to your dad. Why did you ignore the voices that were hinting you that it’s not right.  Don’t ask me what voices? And you heard none of them? You knew you wouldn’t be able to convince about it to any of us, yet you did.

You missed a lecture again, for a stupid match this time, which you lost…

I know, and I can understand things that excite you easily lure you. Staying in limelight has always been your weakness since childhood. You act impulsively and like all the attention but often forget what you are losing and whatever you are deciding on, in that heat of the moment, you’re putting something else at stake.

She might be mean, but you are the needy. You are there for your course, a degree is important for you to survive some decent job. You are not mature enough to tackle her attitude, because you are immature for that. But now I tell you to take the shit from her. Go beyond bounds to impress her. Reach early in class, attend her lectures religiously, and ask her questions, stay back to talk to her. If she acts mean, act ultra sweet to her. Touch her heart and move on.

Life will test your strength as an individual by not giving you favourable people and circumstances in life. But real valour of a warrior is to keep fighting and implementing newest possible strategies to have a righteous and well-deserved victory. But come what may, never sacrifice your value system and character, else you might lose your battle to yourself.

There’s no harm in achieving your goals and taking a route that others want you to. Unless it is hurtful to the other person and damaging to your value system. When you try extra hard to earn her confidence, you are simply trying to accept her the way she is and yet appreciate her. Yes, you are doing for your marks and attendance but that’s what she is suppose to do to for you and all you are doing by these gestures of yours is, well deserve them.  You must have good intentions and that’s what should determine your acts. Put your ego aside and march ahead.