DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction. No personal relevance made.

Ek Khayal

Kyun hoti hoon duur apne sabhi rishton se,

Kar deti hoon duur khud ya,

Ho jaati hoon duur main apne farishton se..

Vishwas nahi hota unpe,

Ya dagmagata hai bharosa mera apne aap se,

Begane se lagte hain log,

Kabhi duur mile, ya kabhi paas se..

Milte hain log mujhe kyun,

Lagta toh hai ki woh hamesha mere saath hain,

Par milna chahe jab mann kisise,

Toh milta hai yeh mann hamesha udasi aur tanhayi se..

Lagta hai ki mile hain log,

Jeevan ke utaar chadhav mein,

Lekar koi wajah,

Ya keval umang ya utsah mein..

Mann toh yahi sochta hai ki,

Mile hain toh saath rahenge,

Par darr laga rehta hai ki,

Kabhi na kabhi yeh bhi alvida kahenge..

Sochti hoon bas yunhi ki,

Yun toh jeevan mein kitne farishtey aayein hain,

Kuch ne saath naa choda,

Par kuch ne nazarein churayi hain..

Saath jinhone nibhaya,

Dil khush hai ki unse abhi na judai hai,

Phir bhi jhanke mann ke kisi kone mein dekhe,

Toh ab bhi isme kahin samai tanhayi hai...!

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A WORK OF PURE FICTION. NO PERSONAL RELEVANCE MADE.

I look to my left....
I stretch my hand on the right.....

I try to feel it.....
What I can feel is just void.....

Long lost....searching....
One good way....
I want to share it with someone....
I don't know whom I should see again....

I find one here....
I feel...that understanding comes along....
But as time passes by....
It's a matter of come and go around....

Nothing settles in deep within...
Noone stays along....
I wish they hold me tight with them....
But I feel the push throwing me down....

Walls of distance or airs of uneasiness....?
Have I created them somewhere....?
Or do they find it on their own....??

I don't want to question here....
I don't have the strength to answer them now....!!

All I want is that someone....
Who never shoves me off the ground....
Two moments of "real" concern....
Two words of "real" care...
one thought of "true" understanding....
Raising my hopes on the way....

I had always tried it harder....
I don't try it any longer....

I look to my left....
I stretch my hand on the right....
I try to feel it....
But what I can feel is only Void.....!!!!

It is difficult......

It is difficult to feel alone,
Yet smile for the myth that you can have people for you.

It is difficult to close your eyes and see things you love,
Yet open your eyes every moment to see them disappear.

It is diffcult to feel it inside, the pain of the words spoken,
Yet gulp your breath down to let them be swallowed within.

It is difficult to like something when you know that's what you don't want,
Yet agree to somebody's words with smiles on your face.

How diffcult it is to open your mouth when you know you have something to tell,
Yet let your words rest within- untouched, unfelt, unheard, unspoken.

Difficult is the life when you have so many difficulties to solve,
Yet try to live with them without any solutions found.

And when she spoke to 'him'

After so many days, she could go there.......all alone!

.....She had been waiting for this opportunity since a long time......


She just loved the place, but many others too loved it the way she did. She looked around.....too many people there: kids, grown-ups, lovers, joggers, evening walkers, couples, hawkers, entertainers.........The loud waves rushed towards them, gradually going down as they reached their feet, welcoming them all.......inviting them to feel their rhythm, read their 'shallow' depth!


She looked around quickly, taking the small flicks of her hair away from her face........She thought again.......She just loved the place....!

"But how will he listen to me? There are so many here...! Will he listen to me now? I want to talk to him.....yes, today I will...!"


It was strange. She loved to make a 'crowd' but never liked to be a part of it.....She liked to be a part of 'the people' but never liked 'them' surrounding her. 'The people' thought, they didn't understand her. Sometimes she thought the same about her own self. But he had told her once, "Don't worry! I am there....talk to me.......I understand you very well.......!"


And so she came here. She had so much to talk; words accumulated for so long, they were tied but not too difficultly knotted. She knew how and when to twist them around. She was holding one end of that string..........for so long.......so many days, so many weeks, so many hours.....well, so many days and so many nights.......!


Her mind was making the preparations, her eyes were searching.........WHAT?
She was making faces........talking to herself...... "Here? no...not here!!......Hmm.......There? no.....not even there.....!! Think faster.....but where....??"


And she had a smile on her face, one similar to that on the face of the infant, when he thinks he has recognized the person who will always take care of him, always.........the unforgettable 'innocent smile', worth treasuring for the whole life......!

Her smile grew as she started walking in that direction......


As she walked on the wet sand, it absorbed her footprints, she tried searching them.....looking back immediately as she placed her feet down one after the other......but she couldn't say them,"Hey, STOP!"..........the sand defeated her every time.

She was losing the game, but she never stopped smiling..........!


What kind of defeat was this which made her smile more........?

With every futile attempt, she became more joyous.....!


She never questioned it; perhaps she had this 'only' reason to love the place. It was just here she could talk to him, freely.........



She liked the game, but....... finally sat down, very close to him.......the waves just touching her feet. She felt the waters, looked at him and said, "Hi dear, How are you? Long time naa......hey, why are you so cold? What happened?"


The waves this time got closer to her.....And she shied off a bit, as she felt him holding her hand...
"You know....I wanted to meet you for so long, but.........." she looked down as she spoke.

The waves were quiet now. And she continued, never looking up.......her fingers playing with the sand......drawing lines, writing names she knew, names she loved or just to say, the name she loved......


She wrote and scribbled......her head was moving, nodding; sometimes in agreement, sometimes in disagreement......her eyes sometimes looked at the sand, the name written on it......and sometimes at the water that wiped it away.......She was talking, without a voice......her hands were narrating things and........he was listening.....!
She looked sad.


But suddenly,...... "You know what happened that day! We were just thinking............"

and she smiled as she once again started talking with her hands. At one moment, she realized, she had drawn an interesting picture on the sand. And got too engrossed in making it a fine one, leaving him alone.


But he was patient. He let her finish her drawing...... for he knew, at the end of it, she would smile.......the 'innocent smile'.......one that he knew he would find on her face only when she was with him......!


"Yeah! See.....I got this done......!" her face smiled, it looked brighter this time, may be for the fact that she had accomplished something successfully, after a very long time......!
It appeared that she felt so.



Just when she was relishing this moment of joy, the waves washed it away, gently. The face she drew had disappeared in the waters. And she looked up. For the first time during this whole conversation. Straight into his eyes. The stare was constant, the face blank, her eyes didn't blink for the next few moments, and there rolled down a drop of tear down her cheek.....

She felt it, inside her, she felt something was hurting her......The pain became unbearable and one after the other, many of those tears started rolling down.......

Her eye-brows raised, her eyes questioning......perhaps she tried to open her mouth to ask....."Why?" ..........but she couldn't......!

The tears still kept coming out, one after the other.......


She looked down, took the sand in her hands, holding it tight in her fists. But it slipped away faster as she held it tighter.

She felt the water touching her feet again. It was not as cold as before. She opened her fists, placed her hand in one of the receding waves, looked at her completely clean hands......not a single grain of sand was left...........and had a smile, the lovely 'innocent smile'......!


The next moment, she felt the waves touching her feet again........and she closed her eyes as she felt him hugging her......!


"Thanks a lot!.... I knew I would talk to you today......I knew you would listen to me.........!!"




She turned around, looking back once again to the world surrounding her.

Too many people there: kids, grown-ups, lovers, joggers, evening walkers, couples, hawkers, entertainers.............

She went past 'the people'...... smiling........still with that innocence into it.....and headed back to the place from where she had come all the way just to meet him.......!

They came, they saw and..........

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. No relevance made.

She is informed about this the previous day, "You will have to take a holiday dear, they are coming tomorrow."

On this note begin the preparations. The next day, entire house is cleaned extensively, all scattered things are kept systematically and in place, new cushion covers, new dining table sheets, new curtains and almost everything that is old gets replaced with a new one. Special care is taken to see that the flower vases have fresh flowers in them and the entire house looks as fresh and good as heaven.


The clock is ticking. The day is passing gradually. It's 5 in the evening. The wait is on. "They could be expected any moment now. Dear, have you got all the refreshments ready? And what about the new crockery? Do clean it and keep it ready before they arrive. I don't want anything to go wrong." The message goes clear to everyone involved in this event: "The Exhibition". After sometime, things are quiet in the living room. It's just a wait which now prevails around.

Hey, but what about her? Well, she is inside her room, getting ready; after all, presentation matters, you see...!
New dress......(well, sometimes there is a dress code as well), matching jewelery, supporting make-up,etc,etc. Actually no stone is left unturned to make her look gorgeous and pretty as also simple and sober; all at the same time......(Now that's an expert's job!)

The last minute preparations are on: a set of instructions with special emphasis on Etiquette, a list of "Don't ask and Do ask....." and loads of unasked advices. Even the smile, not more than so and so centimeters.....(I don't know if you can measure that......? Well, they can....!)


Amidst this, the doorbell rings. Everyone takes their positions. And she is rushed into the kitchen. The door is opened with smiling faces all set to welcome the guests.....( no, guests is actually not the right word.....)

"Welcome! Welcome! It's a pleasure to have you at our 'small' home...."(the use of this adjective is seen very often.)

Seats are taken and the discussion is on....

"Did you find it difficult to locate our house?"

No doubts you get an answer "Yes, actually we.........." and then comes a list of all the difficulties faced by them, in spite of they being provided with a very precise postal address.......( I wonder when the 'posts' can reach properly at a given postal address, why do 'people' find it difficult to reach the same place? ) And thus the discussion continues........

But, now it's time for her to make an entry. For the moment, the discussion stops, there is pin drop silence in the room as she comes with the tea, nicely balancing the tray and without losing her grace, though in her heart she fears....one small fumble and the scene would be created. But she manages to reach the center table with a poise.

'Hmm......Impressed!', comes the expression on their faces....but for her....it's the first hurdle cleared......she sits quietly on the chair, specially kept ready and vacant for her, with just the perfect adjustments so that everyone can see her.

The conversation begins, ofcourse with a different topic but all eyes are set just on her, especially 'his'....

Suddenly everyone realizes that they should be given a few minutes to talk to each other in private.....(ok, here privacy means that they both sit in the adjacent room with the door open and after every 2 minutes someone just comes in,enquiring, if things are fine with them and if they are comfortable talking or not?....But it's not surprising.....when asked so....both of them nod with a "Yes, it's all fine here!" kind of a look......) So, they are ushered into the adjacent room.

Well, as a part of the audience sitting in the living room, one may find it difficult to describe the exact mood of the adjacent room. But 5 minutes later, everyone starts looking at their watch. Well, the clock is ticking......10minutes......ok......12 minutes gone......and it's a unanimous opinion, they should come out now.

By this time, I think they must have finished their first few questions in the permitted 'privacy'.

So here enters the girl's Aunt with a 'Afsos! Samay samapti ki ghoshna' expression on her face....(I must tell you, these elderly ladies love doing this to the youngsters....)

But they have to step out of the room.....and face them.....ya.... face THEM...!!


It's really hard to explain what it takes to come out of the room and sit again in that crowd....Yet with a brave smile on their faces, they meet the expecting eyes, all asking the same question...."Yes or No?"

So, runs a quick eye-talk between the guy and his family.....and finally they decide to keep it a secret; the verdict of the entire show....!

"I think, we should take your leave now, it's too late....we will let you know our 'answer' by 'tomorrow'....I hope you don't mind that...."

"Oh no, not at all, it's absolutely fine....let him take his own time.......we will definitely wait for your answer.....", the father of the girl says with a smiling face.



On this note, the meeting gets over......!




Well, people say "Tomorrow never comes"....But for this family many tomorrows have come and gone away....
And the status still remains the same:

'Mission 'Exhibition' Successful, Results pending.'

The Middle Way......

'When it's difficult to choose between two things Alike, choose the Middle Way.'

Now this is a very obvious sentence one gets as a piece of advice when there is a Dilemma in a person's life....!!

"Choose the Golden Way....Take the middle path...."

So how does one define a Middle Path??

Is it choosing both the things simultaneously?? Or is it choosing neither of them?
Does it mean that the contest between two things should be ended??

Or it simply means abandon the thought of choosing either of them and go for something which involves neither of such a 'Dilemma'??

A third interpretation that I have often come across is to take the best features from both the things and make something...that suits all your requirements.....!!!


Different situations......different people......different meanings.....

But which is the correct way of explaining "the middle way"??

And is it applicable in all the situations???

It's confusing.....It's so difficult to choose the middle way....!!


I know....people with clear minds may find this very silly.....

But try to be in the shoes of the "confused" and you will realize what it takes to actually find the 'Golden-Middle-Way'.....!!!

Reality shows

It all started with Indian Idol, three years back, when the music reality shows gained popularity among people. Then taken as a strong medium for the common people to appear on television and enjoy their 10seconds of fame, today reality shows are meant to serve a different purpose.


Considered to be an introduction to the glamour world, most of the reality shows, today, focus not only on finding out the hidden and extraordinary talents of the nation but also polishing them to be fine artists, rather than just making them the familiar faces with their audiences. They are an excellent platform for all those people hidden in different corners of India to showcase their talent to the whole world.


Be it singing, dancing, acting, performing extraordinary stunts, record-making, stand-up comedy or even indulging in adventure-activities, Reality Shows have tried to explore every possible way of bringing out the exceptional talents of the country, who otherwise would have been lost in the crowd of the common.


Talking about the myriad of musical shows being aired on number of Indian TV channels, it can be said that they are all good shows of entertainment.

Musical contests like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Voice of India, Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar, K for Kishore and many more have now created a new trend of 'music-learning' among the people.


Along with the new Hindi hip hop music, classical music is now-a-days also being revered by the youth. The quality of singing given by young participants like Rahul Vaidya, Abhijeet Sawant, Vineet Singh, Raja, Toshi, Prajakta Sukre, Nihira Joshi, to list a few, has created an interest among the people to understand and know more about the fineness of this art. Such television shows don't talk of sheer entertainment but concentrate also on the growth of this music culture.


The best examples to support this point are the musical contests like Chote Ustaad and Little Champs where school going kids too are fighting hard to sing each and every note of their song in the perfect 'sur'.

When 14 year olds like Aishwarya and Anwesha are given a break to do playback for our leading Bollywood actresses, doesn't that suffice to say that reality shows are doing their bit to enahance and encourage the talents of our country??



When it comes to talent shows, dance competition show like Boogie-Woogie has to be given all credits for bringing out some of the best dancing talents of India. Though it doesn't particularly fall in the reality show segment, yet it is an excellent platform for kids, youngsters and the aged to tap their feet on the popular filmi tunes and still show to the world that they are Talented...!



Another genre of reality show is 'Comedy'.

After the successful first season of The Great Indian Laughter Challenge, many similar comedy shows were telecasted on different Indian channels. Today, this form of art, also known as Stand-up Comedy, is so popular that each and every Indian family channel is having atleast one such new show on air and the previously existing ones have already entered into their third or fourth seasons.


Standing with a mike in one's hand in front of a live audience and putting them into splits with spontaneous wit and comedy is not as easy as it sounds. But it's good to see such hard work being appreciated just through the medium of reality shows.



Apart from these 'sole entertainment' reality talent shows, there are also shows like Shabash India and MTV Roadies which,though may not make their audiences enjoy what the participants are doing but atleast make them sit glued to their television sets in amazement.


Particularly talking about MTV Roadies, though people feel it may have a negative impact on today's youth in the way things are being portrayed in the entire show, yet to think from the other perspective, it is a show about the youth focussing on how today's generation is so energetic and enthusiastic, that for them nothing seems to be 'Impossible'. The youth is always prepared to face the challenges of life and willing to experiment. The only need is that these qualities should be used in their best ways.




These are some of the reality shows which, according to me, stand out from the rest, though there are a plethora of them being shown on the vast number of Indian regional channels also.




However reality shows don't go without plenty of commercialization. Like other services, reality shows are a form of business in the service industry providing us with entertainment.

So, when basic necessities of life like food,clothes and house don't come without paying money for it, how could entertainment come Free.....??



It is to be accepted that commercialization is a part and parcel of each and every activity in today's world and Entertainment is no 'exception' to it. Although the amount of money people spend on sending votes for their favourite contestants via Calls and SMSes is too huge and so sometimes, unjustified, the results of such reality show contests makes it quite convincing to vote more than once for the deserving contestants.




Be it good or bad, reality shows are nowadays the best of the television shows with all the elements of fun, excitement, suspense, laughter, information and entertainment that once upon a time, people used to find in the daily soaps and weekly serials.

Inspite of being strategically designed to increase the TRPs of the TV channels and make larger profits out of people's money, they are still a 'Worth Watch' than those which only show their Protagonists clad in designer sarees and jewellery, still shedding buckets of water from their eyes which is nothing but an unnecessary wastage of glycerine....!!




Please don't mind Ms. Kapoor.....but as compared to your 'out of this world' tele-soaps, for me, 'only of this world' Reality Shows still rock......!!! ;)

Its a mixed feeling.....

Coming back to my own blog after more than two months gives me a mixed feeling....

On one hand, I feel happy that I have again got that enthusiasm to start expressing myself ......

But on the other hand, I am feeling a bit sad....that I had been neglecting my own blog for so many days....!!

However, this mixed feeling should not deter me from writing again....

So...here I go.......

Those days are over...........

I remember the day when I stepped out of my school and entered this new institution called 'College'.
It seemed as if I was entering a new World........!!!

Least to say, it was always a tough job for me to get admissions in one of the best and most reputed colleges of Mumbai.

But the hard work was already being done and what was expected was just a piece of 'luck'.......

And thankfully my 'luck' came into play and helped me sail through all these situations, just making the entire process of getting into this college so much simpler and smoother.

I was happy and finally proud to be called a......... 'Ruparelian'......!!!!!

The first purposeful dream of my life was now being realized.


It was really interesting to attend the initial days of my college with my new classmates......all with smiling faces and tremendous enthusiasm.......


There was so much fun around.....lots of New Faces (reflecting too much guts and confident attitudes.......!!!).............

New Styles (be it the flaunting of their fashionable, trendy or designer clothes, crazy yet cool hairstyles or even their stylish international accents........nothing went unnoticed!!!).........

New Topics of Conversations (some were interesting and royal while some were really whacky.....!!!).............

New Perspectives and some New Thoughts....!!!


It was a different atmosphere. Life for everyone was just moving as nicely as every student had dreamt of when in school....!!


But soon these fancy days were overtaken by the high competitiveness of the college studies......and with every approaching exam......the 'Rat Race' started to accelerate.


The class of 'New' students' now began to be called the class of 'Studious' and 'Non-Studious' students....


The initial days of intermingling had just been over. These few days were enough to make new friends and hence form new groups.......


And with all this...the curiousity and anxiety of this new world was soon satisfied and what was left was.......

Studies......Notes.........Exams........Marks.......Percentages......
and.....Ranks.......!!!!!


Life seemed to revolve around only these 6 words.....!!!!


But this was the story of an ordinary student who always thought that college is meant just for studies......books and marks........!!!!


However, there are always a number of other fun elements which, I am sure, everyone likes to play around with, when spending the crucial 5 years of their life in a college........


How can a person forget the..........

Bunking of lectures.......

Roaming in the college campus with friends......

Hanging out in the very famous 'Canteen', sipping a cutting 'chai' or enjoying the yummy(though not all....) canteen snacks.......

Signing proxies for friends in the college attendance........

Completing each other's notes.......

Playing pranks with each other.........

Discussing each other's 'crushes' in the college.........

Celebrating the madness of being able to pass the exam by just one mark or..........

Dancing with joy when unexpectedly topping the class..........

or just Consoling the friends who were unable to make it to the elite list of successful candidates.......!!!



Its all here......in this place called 'College'........!!!
They cannot be experienced any where else.........but just here..........!!!


Just as the School days are unforgettable....College days do have their own place in everyone's life.....!!!

For some, they remain to be the days of sheer hard-work, while for some others, they are the days of ultimate madness, fun and enjoyment.....!!!



I am happy that I have been able to taste and enjoy a tinge of both these flavours of my College life.......!!!!


But today, as I wait for the last day of my College....I look back at them...........those wonderful moments of joy and laughter, of a few tears......of tensions (specially on the day of results......)....of excitement......of hard-work.....of success and the sometimes accompanying failures........!!!


I look back at those days of my Life......all my college days.....
A journey that had begun 5 years back.......
A phase of life that had given way to all my desires of learning new things from this institution of knowledge and making myself capable of facing the upcoming challenges of my life.......!!


These college days are memorable just not for the share of fun they have given to me......

They have helped me Grow and Evolve as a Mature Individual.......Develop my Skills......Explore my New Talents........Recognize my Strengths.......Work upon my Weaknesses.........Brought in Confidence......!!!


Whatever experiences I have had......they have been my guiding chapters with Morals I would always remember for my life....!!!


And as I stand at end of the road to my college life......I get a mixed feeling......


A feeling of Nostalgia, trying to cherish those wonderful days in my memories.....

as also.......

A feeling of Excitement, trying to anticipate what is going to come after this.......



Once again.....I stand at the same junction of my life where I was standing 5 years back.......!!!



Again..............

It seems as if I am entering a New World..........!!!! :):)

Communicate.....speak up.....!!

Currently, there is this wonderful Airtel commercial which is being shown on almost every channel of our television sets.

Indeed, hats off to the creative head of this commercial who has come out with such a brilliant concept of highlighting the importance of communication.

The commercial simply shows two kids in a desert region talking in some really different ( though it's Moroccan French) language. This is it and there is no added extravaganza to it. It's simple, very ordinary, but very very powerful.

Perhaps this strange communication between the kids is the only thing which is conveying the true message of the commercial.

Whatever may be the language, it never acts as a barrier,only when two people decide to talk.

So, what is important is the willingness to talk, to speak up, to express oneself in whichever way it is possible.

Very often, people don't find the proper ways of expressing themselves. Either they don't have the words to express their views or simply they lack the confidence to bring it out. Some are also shy by nature which unable them to convey their viewpoints to the world.

As a result, they don't communicate and prefer keeping quiet.

However, it is observed that a majority of the misunderstandings in this world are created due to communication gap and silence.

Almost 90% of the new ideas and thoughts of people may also be going unshared just because of people's inability or unwillingness to express themselves or communicate.

Silence and lack of expression perhaps also becomes one of the main causes of loneliness and depression.

So what is the purpose of such a silence which is harmful to both : the individual himself and the world around him.....!!

It cannot be denied that,sometimes, Silence speaks louder than Words.....

But when language becomes a barrier to communication, perhaps it cannot be justified.

As the commercial ends saying :

"No barriers can keep us apart as long as we wish to talk...!"