~~From Wind, with Love~~

On my door I heard a knock,

“Go away”, I shouted, “I am a rock!”

Yes, I am a rock,

Full of anger and shock...



Closed all doors of feelings and love,

Near and dear ones I have shoved,

The darkness is my only friend,

At least it’ll be there till the end...



On my door I heard a knock again,

I shouted: “It is all in vain”

“Go away, there’s nothing you will gain”

“I am bound in chains, and in a lot of pain!!”



Life was once a breath of fresh air,

There were people to love, and people who would care,

But now, I just sit all day in an old chair,

And at my roof I continuously stare...



That knock again,

As I stood up and unlocked the door chain,

a strong wind dashed into me,

Tears of happiness ran down my cheeks,

I smiled and thought, “At least, there is someone who’s come to hug me,

To caress my hair, and touch my cheeks.”



The wind brought back the life I hated,

After a long-long time, I felt loved and rejuvenated...

~~Yeh hai Bambai meri Jaan - Part 2~~

Puja Tayal (Poooo): Kya aap life se bohot bore ho gaye hain? Kya aap ko lagta hai ki aapko energy ki zaroorat hai? Nahi, boost peene ki koi zaroorat nahi. Turant jaakar Puja ji k saath kuch time spend kijiye. She will pump in many Joules of energy into you! That’s true, she is the over-enthusiatic girl of the gang. She brings life into the most lifeless thing. Even non-living things like pizza, pasta, and pastries are things that amuse her. I have always seen her as a happy kid, in times thin or thick. Her bunch of PJs are world famous in India :P She possesses a unique power to kill by showering an array of them on you! Hehe.. I admire you Pooo and will always pray to God to give you all the happiness in the world. :)

Aravind Krishnan (Orbind): Grrrrrrrrrr...Our very own Tiger, and my very own Orbind. When I first saw him he looked like the most sincere and studious person ever, but as the truth slowly unfolded, it became clear that looks are indeed deceptive. :) There is no mother's red (maai ka laal) who can beat him at his amazing sense of humour, blend with the perfect timing. He values his friends more than anybody else and his mother means the world to him. True to his Libran stature, there would be times when Orbind would get a bit serious and philosophical about life. He is utterly romantic at heart and the sweetest of guys, again a trademark of Librans. An awesome writer and poet, whose vocabulary I admire. Sky is not the limit for you my dearest Orbind. Love always, Chaanch.

Hemant (Hemu): Tall, dark, and handsome. Wait, did I just spot Hemu? Oh yeah! Ahem ahem. I remember when he walked into the office for the first time-head held high, eyes looking straight, and not a hint of nervousness. He came and sat on his workstation, which was just next to mine. For a couple of days, he pretended to be extremely sophisticated, focussed, and no-nonsense kind of a guy. Luckily, he was none of them. He is one hooligan and sophistication and sense are oxymorons when added to his name. Haha.. Slowly, people (read Ancy John :P) started teasing me with his name. They said we were the perfect match for each other and this is how they justified it: he tall me short, he dark me fair, he femininely handsome and me masculinely beautiful (whatever that meant :P). Pyaar chhupta nahi chhupaane se. Yeah right. Hemu started smelling whatever was cooking- as soon as he would enter the floor and come and sit beside me, Ancy and gang would start shouting my name. When Hemu would come and stand next to me to talk about something, my computer screen would be flooded with IMs from the naughty bunch. These IMs would all read the same, for e.g. “Busy?” or “kabhi idhar bhi aaoooo”.. hehe. The funniest part was that all this while, Hemu would be aware of whatever was going on. Six something feet tall that he is, he would look at that mischievous bunch across the floor and blush and grin. I could sense that Hemu had started loving it. :) And to make a confession, so had I. :P Hemu is one of the best friends I have, and I am lucky to have met him.. Thank you Hemu my dear for keeping me as your wallpaper, heartpaper, and eyepaper. Like you once wrote that you “hope our roads meet in future (before either of us get married) :)”, I am sure they will. Distances can never do us apart. :P :)



To be continued (asap)...

~~Yeh hai Bambai meri Jaan - Part 1~~

I spent two of the most wonderful years of my life in Mumbai. Cheers Interactive, the company I worked for, blessed me with many angels, I call friends. Most of them were Mumbaikars, or from some other parts of the nation but born and brought up in Mumbai. I take this opportunity to tell the world that they are really awesome people to know, who will go to any degree to help you and make you smile.

Ok. So one fine day I decided to end my journey in Mumbai to go back to Dehradun for some personal reasons. My Mumbaiya friends were not very happy with my decision, but they let me go because they wanted their Bhotu to do whatever made her feel happy. It was the end of a beautiful journey, and time to say good bye to:

Ancy John (Bachi): When I see Ancy, I realise how mad I am. That’s because I see a reflection of me in her. We are the same. People at Cheers use to say: “tumhara zaroor sarr takraya rahega kabhi, isliye tum ek jaisi ho”. But none of you are aware of the truth. We also discovered it while I was busy packing my bags to leave Mumbai. I was supposed to lock my bag with a password. I didn’t know how to lock it, so Ancy did it for me. I told her keep the password as ‘0106’. She asked me: ‘Whyyyyy’. I told her it’s my mother’s birthday. Ancy’s immediate reaction: “o tere ki, that’s my mother’s birthday too!!” That’s when we realised why both of us have two elder sisters each, and that the reason why we are the same is not because we banged into each other but because our Moms are the same. :P Crazy people have crazy stories, indeed. You know how much I love you bachi. I admire you for the person who spreads fun and happiness wherever she goes. I hope our roads meet soon again in the future. Mwahhh :*

Subhash Verma (Subbu): Well, if Ancy is me, then Subbu is the ‘male me’. Yes, this guy is mad too. I remember how Ancy and I used to beat him up, and how he used to cry out to Somu for help.. heheheh.. We would sit in his lap, spoil his hair, and do all sorts of crazy stuff!! He christened Ancy ‘kachra’, and me ‘bhotu’ alias ‘Donut’ alias ‘Pakora Sharma’(because I used to eat a lot). Subbu is my cutest teddy bear. :)

Moumita Chakraborty (Momu): One person I connected with immediately. She would laugh like mad at my jokes. One day, while I was busy smearing cake on someone’s face on a birthday/farewell and doing all sorts of crazy stuff, Momu, who was a silent watcher, messaged me on my phone. She praised me for the way I am, and how I can make people smile. And her last line said, “I hope I have a friend here for a lifetime”. She is the smartest people I have ever met. Her endearing personality, the way she carries herself, the way she smiles at all times, makes me admire her more than anyone else. We will see her as an eminent person some day, I am damn sure :)

Vinay Dhoke (Toothless): A friend in need is a friend indeed. This guy has always been there when I needed him. He knows all my dark secrets, and I trust him blindly. He was my biggest support at Cheers, and outside it. I am indebted to him for the ways he has helped me, and made me smile when times were rough. Yeh apna muh zyada nahi kholta, lekin jab kholta hai toh chup nahi hota. Hehehe. One of the best listeners ever (he almost excels at it), infact you would have to say a ‘hello’ after every short while on the phone to confirm whether he is still there or not :P hehe. Jokes apart, he is a friend who has always made me feel special, wiped my tears when I cried, and always assured me that everything will be okay. :)

Suman Sameer (Somu): O o bole Bihari munda, o karda crazy munda,

Lagata woh tie-shie, hai very hi-fi.

O bole Mumbai ko ganda, o pagla hai yeh banda.

Hai bhoola woh hindi taane, te gaaye Marathi gaane.

Aata jaata nusk nikaale, kaam dhaam ka naa. Aata jaata nusk nikaale, kaam dhaam ka naam.

Paar samundar aake isne itna hi jaana:

Ke pee-paa k sadak pe rehna

Te sulgaa k havve me rehna

Ke pee-paa k sadak pe rehna

Hehehe.. I know I am dead once Somu reads this. Tune jo itne thappad maare hain, uska badla hai yeh. Hehehe.

Well, Somu is a cutely handsome guy. He knows he has the looks, and he will do his best to flaunt them. :D He and I were the only Delhi University-educated people in our department and so were always united when somebody said anything against Delhi. Can never forget our ‘mile surr mera tumhara’, when instead of smiling at me you made such a disgusted face while we stood and sang that song in front of everyone. hahaha. I so miss the pillow fights with Ancy and me in one team and you and Subbu in the other. And the times you were stuck alone with me and Ancy in the lift.. hahahah.. Somu, you are absolutely incorrigible and we love you like that. :)



To be continued (very soon)...

~~Tell me that...~~

There are times when I want to be loved and cared for. When I want to be told that I am a good human being. That I am not as bad as some people think I am. That I look good if not beautiful. That I have an average mind if not intelligent. That I look good when I smile. That my smile and happiness means the world to you. That if I happen to vanish someday, you would care to search for me. That my tears are precious. That you wouldn’t let them flow unless they are tears of happiness. That you would hold my hand during tough times. That you would let me put my head on your shoulders when I feel upset. That you would kiss me on my forehead when I am unwell. That you would wake up all night just to watch me sleep. That you would be there even when the whole world is against me. That my presence means the world to you. That if I leave you, you would die. That you would rather die, than leave me alone.

~~Life- An Illusion?~~

There is this involuntary feeling that the world is an illusion. That there is nothing but void and darkness behind me. That things take form and shape as soon as I turn around and take a look at them. That I am the only person on the earth and everything else is a figment of my imagination. That it is a game that someone is playing. That that someone is probably God and I am under constant CCTV coverage. That what I see on the TV or hear on the radio is not actually happening and is broadcasted by Bhagwaan TV. That there is no Shahrukh Khan or Justin Bieber, or Barack Obama. That even if I were to see Shahrukh Khan in front of my eyes some day, it would again be my imagination. That I see what I want to see. That I see bad because I feel bad, that I see good because I feel good.

It makes me feel better. It helps me control my emotions. It encourages me to live for myself. To feel happy for myself.

The world might or might not be an illusion but our life is definitely a short journey we see with two eyes, hear with two ears, and feel with one heart. Live it, love it :)

~~Mind your Mann :)~~

Life’s battles are not always fought on the battlefield. Most of the times, they are fought within ourselves. As my dear mother always puts it, “Mann toh buddhu hai, use apne kaabu me karna padta hai” (Mind is foolish, you need to get it under your control). And as the song from the Bollywood movie Lafangey Parindey goes “Mann lafanga bdaa, apne hee mann ki kare” (The mind is caddish; it will do things according to its own mind).

We will always have an urge to eat that extra burger even when our tummy does not have the capacity, or to gulp down some cold drink even when our nose is choking due to cold, or to vent our frustration out on our dearest one even when we know we should not be doing it. We end up suffering and repenting that one mistake we committed just because our ‘mann’ lured us to.

We need to constantly practice self-control in order to weave a healthy-wealthy, social, and happy life for ourselves. I would acquiesce to someone who says “Life is too short to think twice”. Indeed, life is short, but you must think twice when you are faced with situations where your happiness is at stake. Do not think twice when you feel like giving a hug to your mother, or when you decide to donate blood, or when you know you should be saying sorry, or when someone smiles at you—just smile back. :) ‘Mann’ is axiomatically lafanga, do not let it turn you into one ;)

Life’s biggest defeat comes when we try to keep every single person around us happy. We must learn to first find internal happiness, only then can we spread it to our family and dear ones. They will, in turn, spread it to their near and dear ones, and this will go on and on till the day our earth becomes an even happier place to live in! :)

~~What Yellow Means To Me, In 2 Minutes~~

~~Buddha-Buddhi Pay No Heed :)~~

Ek buddha, ek buddhi,
Pehne dono chaddi,
Apne aangan me khel rahe the kabaddi.
Itne mein, peechhe se aai sardar ji ki gaddi.

Buddhe buddhi ko dekh kar sardar ne mara horn,
Gardan nikaali khidki se aur bola: “Hahaha!! Arey bhai dekho, khel rha hai kaun!!”
“Arey o dadaji, dadiji ko ghar le jao,
Iss umr me apni haddi na tudwao!!”

“Arey o dadiji, dadaji ko ghar le jao,
budhaape me jawaani matt dikhao!!”

“Arey o buddhe budhiya!! Sunte kyun nahiiii??
Mai bol rha hun sahiii!!”
"Kaano se lagta hai tum ho gaye ho behre,
Kyun budhaape me khil rahe hain tum dono k chehre??!!!”

Sardarji went on and on,
But budda-buddhi remained maun.
Veh aapas me itne the khush,
Sardarji ki saari baatein gai - in the bush!

Buddha buddhi paid no heed,
Sardarji sped away with speed!!

Hehehehehe :D