the journey backwards

today after years of looking ahead
I took a step back

The step I took was big
I was heading to the same old track

I stood across the dusty path and felt the last decade rushing by
I scraped and clawed but couldn'
t hold on to the time flying by

I took the bold step forward as a shudder ran through my body
I saw asking myself is it still the same, maybe, could be, will be?

I reached the rusty gate and found chains that bar me from entering
but not a soul was in sight and I was close to surrendering

But fate had other plans, he wanted me to be young again
He wanted that I should prance around, feel 16, in that hot aftenoon dusty lane

I pushed open the gates and instantly stepped into the year 2005
it was raining heavily at 7 in the morning and I was going to crash into princi who had just arrived

I suddenly feel a tap on my shoulders and I see my beloved standing by me
I am hurled back to my spot, the path lined with old silent trees

Every step I took inside I heard memories screaming out to me with joy
welcoming me back with open arms and I am bewildered - boy oh boy!

As I keep moving inside, jolting in and out of what is now - what was then
I notice a small path which led to a new unknown space and I ask myself - it was created when?

I rack my brain over a small path, an unknow destination
Could this be true, has my memory altered and have my recollections faltered

I take it to reach the old familiar territory,
a smile spreads across my face
yes! I know this, I have been here, I have walked the same very patch
the smile stays as I explore my age old base

To new eyes, this is a relic
the paint is peeling off, the doors are creaking
the uncomfortable furniture, the roofs are leaking

To the old guards, its an untouched dreamland
Untouched because, etched in our mind is a fool's paradise
A kingdom of dreams, promises and desires

The broken and soon mended hearts, the rush of exams
the crippled rules, the muddy shoes
the onset of monsoons and the hated chemsitry lab
dancing around and winning debates with your gift of gab
the first day in this school and making a friend for life
making unsaid promises, which you have kept even in times of strife

As I made my exit, I feel contended
I may/ may not have made the best of the opportunities, I did make the best of memories
The next I feel sorry for myself or feel demented
I will make a trip down the very same lane,
thinking to myself
what a wonderful world!

A month of happiness

a month of happiness,
a month of joy

a month when time flew,
a month when responsibilities grew

a month of discovering that you cant cook,
a month of believing that you have to keep trying and that you
probably should

a month when insecurities surround you,
a month when bankruptcy found you

a month when you rise before the sun does,
a month when inlwas and parents call constantly and you treat it like
a curse

a month of stained shirts, a month of bright bedsheets,
a month of pressure cooked rice and a month square chappatis

a month of friends telling you "I am out wih friends"
that they will see you the coming week,
a month of being cross with your partner because the swaad in the dal
was 'also' weak

a month of worrying, a month of building
a month of arguing, a month of rebuilding

hoping months will fly, faster than time
maybe marrying your love after all, is not such a crime

Bangalore

1. The city where cabbies will not speak a word of hindi and very little english but croon 'dil to pagal hain' with elan, drum their fingers and whistle, so you have the full orchestra going. Then there are some who like their kannada radio stations. Initially I couldnt connect but some of them do have great beats and before you know you are humming along. I end up recognising some nos by the tune. I hate to admit but it makes me feel at home.

2. The city where I learnt to ride two wheelers. I havent plucked the courage to try my hand at 4-wheelers yet. I have seen women drivers in the city and though some are real experts,I have seen too many poor ones and I would despise myself to be counted among them. I also learnt that one of the most importanat aspect of learning to drive around the city involves familiarity with all potholes. I had a near disaster the other day, I was very sure that my insides did a small jiggy dance.

3. The city where I discovered the superirioty of idli can be risen, just by the 'dip' method. Eat idli with sambhar separate is what I had experienced till then. But dunk your idli in bowl full of sambhar and voila! you will experience eureka.

4. I can just go on and on about the filter coffee. I am sure every other state in the South can boast of its richness in terms of coffee, but Bangalore is what I experienced first hand. I was not disappointed. Being a Bengali, tea pretty much runs in my vein. I am not talking Tea chamomile but true desi bhaded chaa, which found an easy replacement in the coffee here.

5. The thing that I am going to miss the most, the day I say tata to Bangalore is the Bakery culture. I have treated myself at Kayani's in Bombay, Universal in Hyderabad, Nahoum's in Calcutta but the scene here is completely different. Drop in at around 11 in the morning at any of the Iyengar's and bite into the delicious egg puffs or the 'just out of the oven' Capsicum Buns. You can feel the smile spread acorss your smug face. All very affordable, mind you.

6. Beer. and that itself brings a wide grin. I see it is pretty much treated as 'soft' drink but I am not ashamed. I am also yet to meet someone (a lady) who shares the love, but I definitely have a lot of dude friends who share the passion. I don't claim to be an afficionado but the city has added to my knowledge to the kinds and brews.

7. The city where I went out driving at 2 in the morning with friends to explore a haunted area. I have no idea why was I on the wheels. No, we luckily didnt experience anything which can be labeled occult.

8. The city which taught me hard work pays. I had always heard the phrase but to see it happen in front of your eyes is very different. It may not have paid as much as I would have wanted it to but whatever.

9. The weather! I cant believe I wrote like 8 points before this one. This most certainly is in my top 3 on why I love Bangalore. The weather is like Mallika Sharawat, hate her but you cant ignore her. Even if you are a Bangalore hater, you just cant run from the beautiful weather. You have to have some good karma on your side to have arrived here to experience it.

10. The city where I feel safe. I reserved this for the last because I felt it deserved special attention. There are very few places a single/married/working/at home women feel safe. Bangalore should be proud that it certainly gets the nod of safe city from most ladies junta here. Kudos!

Love 2014

Everyone has a take on what love is. Overused and abused in Bollywood. Time may have passed, expressions may have changed, but the word pretty much means the same. Damsels in distress are still being rescued in the name of love, superheros are still flying about to break their lady love's fall from tall buildings, running around tress is still pretty much in vogue.

So, is love 2014 any different from love 2004 or love 1984. You ask me, I say yes! Besides my personal take on it, a lot has. The world has found new ways to spread love, reach out to loved ones and stay connected with loving hearts.

Its the time of Diwali and electronics biggies are unabashedly desplaying ways to overcome boundaries and shorten distances. Parents staying in different town are not neglected anymore as they are just a webcam and a skype connection away. Girlfriend is easily reachable because now your pocket allows you to do so. Display of emotions have gone from flaunting your love letters to sharing mushy love messages on your dear one's FB wall. I recently saw a college senior's FB wall, where she shared her new borns' pictures. In a different time, I would in all probability never know she has stepped into motherhood. In a different time that wouldn matter. But this is 2014. Keeping in touch is in. And arent we loving it.

My father absolutely despises facebook. We constantly goad him into joining the brigade [I have often wondered if he is the only soul left on the face of earth not to give into the temptations]. He maintains that his phone is enough to keep in touch with the ones he would like to. He staunchly believes that tools like fb is the reason why so many of us are drifting apart. I disgaree.

Man is a social being. Mediums like fb, twitter prove it. The agenda, at the end of the day is to stay connected. We may be moving to mars very soon, but our mobile phones, electronic gadgets are still made, keeping the 'human-touch' in mind

The latest DSLR will know how to take the best of pictures, day or night, so we dont miss out on the special moments with our loved ones, share them, pin them, re-live them.

The latest Bose speakers will ensure the music we play touches our heart and that of our family and friends. Dance to them, sing along and live life a little more fully.

The modern DTH coonections make sure you dont miss out on your favourite programmes, so you can share a laugh with your husband, go through that Masterchef recipe yet again to impress your wife, replay that fun number for your son and see him imitate the Hrithik moves.

Love in modern timees, will be all about sharing with - and caring for - the ones you love and adore. Why should the coming year, or the one after that be any different? Kudos to the digital world for bridging the gap and keeping the spirit of love alive.

Being Batman

I have always believed that the baap of all Superheroes is the Batman. I have had this discussion, rather an argument, umpteen number of times on various occasion, with varied Superhero fans. Majority tend to believe its the Superman or Spiderman because they have real 'power'. Poor Batman, on the other hand has to take the support of his gadgets. He also, unlike most other Superhero's, isn't a nobody. In fact he is extremely well known for his rich inheritance, swanky cars and the women! To top this, he is portrayed as a spoilt brat, With old Albert at his beck and call.

 

However, I am still awed by him. Think of it like this -

he has the money, he has the women, and he has the looks and he has Albert. So why bother? He wasn't bitten by bats, his parents didn't come from mars, he wasn't exposed to RADIOACTIVE radiation. So where does the superhero itch come from? I believe it was the strength of his character. The willingness to help, to reach out, to do good, combined with his gallant nature, is what makes him push the boundaries, what makes him the Batman.

 

In a more day to day scenario, I believe dear Batman would fair better than his counterparts. In fact thrown him into a mundane setting and see him emerge as the winner.
 

I, for example, believe he can be an exemplary martketeer!

Imagine all the Superhero's assigned a task to promote themselves to attract investors, Whom do you think will command the maximum moolah? Hands down, Batman. The supercool gadgets is just the beginning. The underground research laboratory. The Batman suit. The Bat beacon. The Bat signal. The husky voice. And he is smart. Sometimes he is smarter than his man- Friday, Dr.Fox. He is a walking - talking - sleeping marketing dream. He can, one fine day, decide to give all the fortune up and still manage the same lavish lifestyle based on the wealth he amasses from his pure marketing acumen!

A marketing man should be able to tell his story so convincingly that the prospect forgets to differentiate between 'his needs' and 'his desires'.

 

We know that only one batman is enough for Gotham. But we also want that one batman to be us. We want to ride his cool vehicles and we want the bad guys to be afraid, be very afraid of us.

 

Many of us can claim to be the ultimate marketing Guru, but how many of us can tell a story convincingly to the person in front of us? It is time we go back to our roots, learn from Superheroes', who in my case is definitely the BATMAN!

 

 

Creativity Strikes

Men, in India, have to be a creative lot. I fail to understand If it's nature or nurture that arouses this genius creativity bug in them.

I believe I am not the only one to notice this talent. If we were to conduct a survey among the women, 99.999% of them will give a nod to my observation. You may have noticed it too. On the streets, in the autos, in buses, Office space, in the movies (where its dark!). Are you confused? Am I making no sense altogether? What is it that I am referring to exactly?

Well if its a woman reading this she may have experienced this when her pallu falls of her shoulders, the dupatta gives into gravity, the kurta takes wings with the wind baring those tight churidars underneath, when you reach up for the file on the top shelf and oops! you expose a part of your anatomy - your waist (everyone has one). I see the darkness lift and I making more sense now. The best one comes on the days when you are feeling fat and you decide to wear that lose sweater and you bend to pick up whatever it that you dropped and there it is! Jackpot for the 'stronger sex' and the imagination soars!!!


A lot of us, take these lightly because we believe we are the luckier lot. We have not been abused, we have not been beaten, we have not been raped, we have not been killed. We believe we have saved ourselves all these years because we ignored the glances, the touch, the stare. Mothers and Aunts have taught us for decades that you turn a blind eye and the world will be just fine. Dare you hurl back an abuse, dare you stare back, dare you raise your head and look them in the eye.

What If I don't want to be stared at, what If I want to walk freely, what If I don't want to carry that pepper spray in my bag, what If I tell you that culture is not about the length of my skirt but how my society treats me in public, will you laugh at my naivety?

The one thing that has always made me think - what is the solution, if there is one! Its no surprise that the issue permaetse all boundaries- Religion, Caste, Region, Rich, Poor. Barriers are withdrawn and everyone unites in the 'cause' So obviously, the problem is big and strong. Ray of hope is feeble. It has to start with us, our family, our friends. Take the step, make the effort, bring the change.

Saving Nirbhaya

We have completed 16 days and 6 hours since the Nirbhaya verdict came out.

The verdict came at a time when the ruling party - UPA - is battling suggestions of an empire that has failed its people. The party which was supposed to stand by the common man (Congress ka haath aam admi ke saath), has left him struggling all by himself. Abandoned and scared, the common man realizes his folly and wants to choose again.

It is the time of elections and we are set on someone much less reticent. However, having tasted power for 10 solid years, the UPA, will not leave any stone unturned. To counter this gloomy weather of low economic development and rising CAD, UPA decides to unveil its box of treasures. Out pops half hearted attemtps like the Food Security Bill, Land Acquisition Bill, etc. With Namo mowing down on their future aspirations (another 10 long years) and RaGa not helping much (whats with his dreams v/s the nations'), the UPA is looking for a last minute fix.

And Voila! the Nirbhaya case is put on fast track and justice is delivered. How wrong was the defense lawyer, when he called the verdict - politically motivated. Maybe all he was trying to do was sponge off some media attention in the run.
What of the other Nirbhayas awaiting justice? Statistics say that there is a rape reported every 22 minutes in India. Mind you, most never get reported. Don't these women deserve to be heard. Don't their families need 'closure'. Should their anguish be pushed into eternal darkness just because there is not an election around the corner.

If the media has to spread signature campaigns to reach the Govt's attention, If college campuses have to be turned into dharna spots to make a point, If candles have to be burned by an entire city for the administration to take notice, If news reporters have to pester the leaders of our nation with embarrassing questions so that they finally wake up, then we have all failed as a nation, as Indians, as human beings.

Then we have no right to turn around and point fingers at that defence lawyer, who believes, he would rather kill his daughter than let her have a boyfriend.