Sounds (and sights) that mak/de me smile ..

A long forgotten favourite song being played in the auto you get into and you cant help but smile.
The school bell at 4 .. "Viva's over , you can leave now" after that electronics lab.
The 10paise ice cream vendor's bell back home ..(the best ice cream ever ... better than HaagenDaz(I swear)) , pulling my grandfather away from his siesta and dragging him to get that 'paal-ice' on a stick!
A friend's voice on the other end of a phone after a fight.
That unique 'sound' in Shaan's Gumsum ho kyon song .. (anyone know what that is?)
My mom's lullaby..
MS singing Suprabhatam at 5am on a winter morning .
A bus full of friends singing themselves hoarse (and screaming at the top of their voice to scare people on the road when the bus stops :D)
Friends screaming 'Surprise' and putting colour all over your face and in five minutes every single one of your friends looking like an absolute orangutan(a multi-coloured one at that! ).
The 'hiss' when you put onions&mirchi into oil .. the pink and green sizzling together..
White paper boats floating aimlessly ... The pittar-patter of raindrops on the window sill .. or the plop-plop as they fall into muddy puddles ...
Sitting at the Madurai temple stairs by the kolan with the water lotuses , looking at the gopurams as the sun is setting behind them ... and a kid in pattu-pavda runs across with her anklets going 'chan-chan-chan'..
Looking at the green lawns from the 4th floor window discussing profound(:D) philosophy with a good friend over hot chai.
Lying down on that green lawn and looking at the bluuuuuuuuuue sky with cotton candy.
Poetry ..
Laughter ..
There must be a million more , but I can hear dream land calling me now ... :)
What makes u smile ?

Gone with the (winter) wind ...

I lost it all to a mere wind.
All year round , bit by bit , inch by inch , I put my heart and soul into becoming what I am today.I stand proud spreading out my arms to meet the sky , to reach out more and more everyday.
The child's delight when he uses me for hide-n-seek, the mother's content smile as she rests under my shade watching her child , the lovers' sigh as they pass by me holding hands .. this is all I get in return and that is all I ask for.
How can He put me through this?He chooses for me to fight the same battle over and over again.To restrict me ? To teach me ? I know not and I have no choice . My soon to be barren arms call out to me in undying hope that I will save them the shame. But alas .... I lose it all to a mere wind ..

Happy Republic Day !

Well, honest truth is I don't really know why we celebrate (if i can call it that) Republic Day. Of course , I learnt it in school , I hear people talk about it , get up early (even though its a holiday) to see the President's address and the Republic Day Parade. I use the occasion to be reminded of the fact that I am an Indian.

What defines Republic Day today ?
Songs like the "Vinara desham manadera .. " from Roja or "Yeh jo desh hai mera .. " from Swades ?
Having ethnic-day in schools/colleges and at work ?
Putting up the Tri-Colour at all important places ? perhaps at home or at your desk?
A mere holiday?

Don't get me wrong, I believe I am patriotic , It is with pride that I say "I am from India".(and I do get to say that very often nowadays :D)
Ours is the most amazing nation in the world. If I had to describe it in a word , it would have to be 'DIVERSE' .
Languages : One base and a dozen offshoots , and each offshoot with its own dialect .
Customs : Travel a few km any which way and you will probably find people talking a different language, wearing different attire with their own special cuisine, with their own songs, their own way of life.
Religions : Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, Buddhists, Jains and so many more . Where else will you get to celebrate Diwali and Id and Christmas (and get holidays for all that too ;) ) Think of all the beauty that the influence of each religion has given us , from the temples at Belur-Halebid to the Taj Mahal to the monasteries at Kushalnagar.
Geography : From the snow capped Himalayas to the pretty Ghats down South, deserts and rainforests , beaches and backwaters. From Leh to Ramanagaram, each in its own unique way a path to the heavens beyond.

Think of the amount of exposure that we get to such a wide variety of ideas and beliefs , where else can we find the ability to co-exist as one.
The colours , the sounds , the people , the culture , the history , the knowledge , the power , the faith - all that stands for India .

People will always look to the past and say "We have centuries of history and glory behind us" . People will look around today and say "This country is going to the dogs". Will people ever look to the future and say "We are the hope of this country, we will take responsibility and shape our tomorrow"?

I believe that there is hope , there is that emotion in all of us , whether subdued or long forgotten , that emotion which knows how special it is to be part of this land.People may never get a chance to express their patriotism ,there may never be a need to. Or is there?
I have never felt that I have ever done anything that made me feel a part of this society, leave alone the country . There isn't really any avenue where people do something for their country, something like "All people above 18 have to join the army for 2 years" or a "All people should set up "x" amount of time to do social service" or something . I have always felt that there is no real sense of responsibility to the country instilled in me.Feeling part of a whole is something that I miss. Someday , I can only hope , that I can look back and honestly say that I did my bit for my India.

"On 26th January, we are going to enter a life of contradictions. In politics we will have equality and in social and economic life we will have inequality. In politics we will be recognizing the principle of one man one vote and one vote one value. In our social and economic life we shall by reasons of our social and economic structure continue to deny one man one value.How long shall we continue to live this life of contradictions? How long shall we deny equality in our social and economic life?"
-Dr. B.R.Ambedkar while presenting the draft for the constitution.

Happy Republic Day !

Musings ....

What it must feel like to be filled with passion! To come alive with an emotion that runs through you , setting you on fire !

How it must feel to realise that you are a coward , living in the shadow of the hope of all that you want to be !

What is not possible if you set your mind to it ? Or if circumstances push you into it ;)

I am still able to appreciate the small things - a song that brings back memories ,a memory that makes me smile . Thats all I need for now.

Night

The wind was howling ominously . It was pitch black and not a soul in sight.She pulled her overcoat closer and clutched the umbrella tighter. The street lights were not working.The moon was caught behind the clouds.The only sound other than the wind was the steady 'click-click' of her heels.
There was still a long way to go. There was this weird feeling that gripped her, she could feel she was not alone , turned back a hundred times but could neither hear nor see anyone.She couldn't risk stopping either.She tried to move faster but was too tired to continue at that pace , as soon as she would slack fear would kick in and then she would force her weary legs to move , they would rebel against her and she would coax them , her mind was steady though the body was burnt out.
She had to get there. He would be waiting for her, waiting to take her away from the sordid mess that she was in.Another mile to go, she had been walking 4 hours already.Its just another mile she told herself,there is a city with life just another mile away , the city that can give you your life back.
She froze in her tracks.That was unmistakably the sound of footsteps.Her heart was thudding so loudly that if they hadn't seen her,they just might hear her.She broke into a run .The footsteps picked up pace behind her.There was no time to even panic, all she could do was run."Run , dear run ! Look , you are going faster than your brother, you should go for the Olympics someday", she heard her mother's voice after all these years.How did she get herself into this mess ? From that sunny day at the beach with the blue ocean to this dark lonely night.She broke into sobs,her legs gave way and she fell , face down.
One bullet,just one bullet, that's all it took.25 years of life,25 years of laughter , 25 years of fear ,25 years of memories - all taken away in one second.They had got her.It was all over.All that she held dear was over.At least there would be no more terror, maybe some pain but no more terror.She was free.
She did not hit the hard ground,she fell into something soft,she held on tight and looked up.It was him, she had made it after all.There were lights all around her.She had made it into the city.She just hadn't realised.She handed him the package that she had guarded with her life.
She smiled and closed her eyes . There was no more pain now.

Come out of the darkness and find out who you are .

What defines an individual ? Is it the same as that which identifies him? Perhaps, what he does for a living, where he stays , where he is seen spending his time or perhaps the people he surrounds himself with . Is a person what he portrays himself to be ? Would it be true that a person is but a mental projection of himself ?What if a person decides to truly look within and see for himself what he is , what he wants to be , what he thinks of himself as , what he puts out for the world around him and decides to fit all that into one?Are we finally just a summation of all those things together or are we none of those ?Would it be a disappointment when the realisation hits you that you are but nothing in the big schema of things or would you really understand yourself and pat yourself on the back for having made a difference somewhere ? for having left a mark in the time you have had ..Would we really want to find ourselves ?Would we want to face the truth ?Isn't life simpler without questions ? and what will one get if he questions that which cannot be changed ?Wouldn't one rather hide behind the facade and be happy in the delusion that all is hunky-dory ? Or would one want to unlock that door that leads to true self-realisation ?
I would want to live in my dream world where I don't have to answer those questions , yet when life throws up those questions at me , I do try to open that door .Scared as I am of what the path beyond it leads to . One step at a time ...There has to be light at the end of the tunnel , else someday I may just choose to walk back .
Yet , If I am happier with what I believe I am and perhaps know I am , why do I wonder if my sub-conscious holds the key to a lot more. Am I starting out on a meaningless quest ?
Do you know yourself ? Really ?

Inspiration for this post : -

Reach for the light
You might touch the sky
Stand on the mountaintop and see yourself flying
Reach for the light to capture a star
Come out of the darkness and find out who you are
-Steve Winwood

Now thats what i was talking about ...

Let it snow .. let it snow .. let it snow ..

I have a mile wide grin on my face for the last 30 mins (thats the second time this week , though the first time, the 'idiot' effect lasted 2 whole hours ! )A lazy Sunday afternoon ... with absolutely nothing to do ... looked out the window , and there it was (cant believe I might have missed it ..)Heaven was descending ... pure white particles floating downwards ... My whole balcony became a white sheet .. the lawn was turning white and the green trees were growing old ... Even those poor trees without leaves seemed like they were spruced up by this ....It was SNOWING ... yipeeee !!I walked out barefoot onto the soft blanket that melted as i stepped on it ... yup, it was exactly at this moment that the grin plastered itself on me and showed no signs of leaving ... I heard laughter and looked around to see kids in the adjacent flat all excited ... and all covered up in true winter gear, while urs truly was standing out in pajamas and bare feet ... with all of us trying to catch just one of those elusive flakes dancing their way downwards ...Went in to get my camera and realised that i couldnt feel my feet (eeks, i still cant ) ... got enough snaps ..Had a sudden craving for hot chai ... made myself garam-garam chai with ginger ... settled down inside , with the window closed , chai in hand .. and watched nature put on one of her best shows .. well it is just as nice to watch the snow without having to feel cold :DActually sat watching the whole thing for half an hour ... It makes me feel alive ... Just like rain .. there is beauty in rain that cant really be captured by anything ...Somethings really have to be seen to be felt .... Ecstasy isnt that hard a feeling to feel after all, isnt it !well, for now .. Let it snow , let it snow , let it snow !