A smile that made my day...

I was pretty pissed off with the day-long journey...and things were going worse with the train running late by 3 hours.I was coming home for Diwali.

At the Tata station, a small, dirty boy in tattered clothes boarded the train to sweep the floor and earn a few pennies.He did his job and then went about begging the passengers to give him a rupee or two.When he approached me, I looked into my purse to find that a five rupee note was the least I had.I gave that to him.However, he didn't move.His hand was still extended towards me.

"Could you give me a little more money?I haven't eaten the entire day" , he said, gesturing towards his mouth.Obviously, it's very difficult to refuse anything to such a small boy...I took back the 5 rupee note and gave him a 20 rupee note.It would be very bad if he had to stay hungry in Diwali.

As he was going, I suddenly remembered that I had an entire packet of Jhalmuri left which I hadn't eaten at all. "Are suno!!", I called out to him.He approached me with beseeching eyes. I gave him the packet and he left.

The train was gradually leaving the platform.Suddenly, I heard somebody knock vigorously on the window against which I was leaning.I was startled...and then I saw that small boy.He was running with the train and waving at me."Thank You so much.Happy Diwali!!!" he shouted.A genuine smile lit up his face.

His smile made my day...

P.S.:I found the pic on the net.It is not the actually boy in the story.

Is Diwali aap kisse khush karenge...

Hey guys...had written this short poem in response to the Cadbury contest "Is diwali aap kise khush karenge?"...didn't get published...I'm publishing it here anyway.

Har dil me jalta,

Chota sa ek diya...

Usi roshni ka tyohar,

Diwali hai aaya.

Mann aur dil se

Mit jaye andhera.

Na rahe koi gum

Khile har chehra.

Isi mauke me, chalo

Kuch meetha ho jaye.

Yaaro, aao sab milke

Cadbury chocolate khaaye.

Tyohar hai yeh

Khusiyan baatne ka...

Kisi toote dil me

Nai umeed jagaane ka.

Bandh khidkiyo se

Do aankhen mujhe hai dekhti.

Us anaathalay me ek

Choti si bachchi hai rehti.

Is diwali mujhe

Usi ko hai kuch dena.

Choti si kali ko hai

Phool jese khilana.

Share karungi apni cadbury

Main usi bachchi ke saath.

Jalaungi fuljhari main

Pakadke usi ka haath.

Dil me jo base hai

Poori ho woh aashayen.

Diwali hai yaaro,

Kuch meetha ho jaye.

P.S.:I hate cadbury for not publishing my poem :(

My Pet-Part 2.

Here I come with the second part of "My Pet"...Thanx a lot to all the readers...All your comments are very encouraging.

Whenever I returned from school he would jump about all around me in a warm welcome.He would stick out his ping watery tongue at me whenever I had biscuits and it was customary to throw a few pieces to him.He would then catch them smartly before they landed on the ground.At times he would nudge me while keeping his head on my lap when a tick or two were bothering him( remember Taare Zameen Par!!)...When I studied, he would lay close by, barking occasionally (just trying to prove that he was on guard).He was utterly disobedient,always did the opposite of what I told him to do!!His loyalty was directed only towards my mom(because that was his source of food).

"I was growing with you,

Was knowing the world with you.

In up's and down's,you, buddy

Remained forever true."

A few years had gone by and Kutush was now a handsome doggie(will put up his pic as soon as possible).One day my dad brought a pup(bitch) as a gift for a cousin of mine.The pup was very very naughty and we could hardly keep a hold on her.We were afraid to let her free with Kutush lest he hurt her as she was just a small pup.Kutush was extremely upset with this new pup that might claim all his riches.However, I just let the pup down to see Kutush's reaction and after 2 mins the scene was like this:A big doggie was running with his tail between his legs and behind him a small pup was chasing him...I will never forget that scene in my entire life.

"The entire house chimed

With the twinkles of your bark.

Small paws thumped about and

Gentle eyes had a curious spark."

P.S.:To be continued...

My Pet

This is a topic of essay writing we often used to encounter during our kindergarten days.Seriously, I don't understand why we were given topics such as this and others like "My best friend", "My favourite teacher" etc, when we understand the importance of these subjects only when we have developed ample amount of sense.

He was a small baby: Kutush, when I first held him in my arms and rubbed his nuzzle against my cheeks.A cute daschund puppy, with a shiny black coat and brown fur on his legs and eyebrows.I had always wanted a pup of my own and in the fall of 2001, when my dad finally complied to my wishes and brought me Kutush, I knew that it was a "love at first sight" case for me.

Prior to his homecoming, I had looked up several English names like "Timothy","Silky" and what not for my new pup.Then when he came, he was named "Kutush" after the pet of my dad's favourite cartoon character "Tin Tin".And I actually found the name quite catchy and interesting.And my o my, what a fuss there was round the house:feeding him, bathing him, taking him for daily exercise and potty and keeping him away from the "out caste" dogs.You should have seen my mom's face when, one day, she found Kutush and me sleeping cosily, cuddled together underneath a "freshly cleaned" blanket.

"A journey had just begun,

My pup in me in a warm embrace.

The sun was to shine forever now

On his bright and happy face."

You think raising a pup is a joke??Huh!!Whether you get to sleep or not, you musn't make a sound when he sleeps.You are eating something delicious and you forgot to share it??Oh my God!!You must face the music now.You must remember to stroke his head,neck and ears several times a day, lest his nails get blunt by too much scratching.Well,your mood is bad??Doesn't matter.Hope you have tendered to the mood swings of the VIP in your house.

Well, jokes apart, Kutush was the darling of the house.He was a member of our family now.It was a joy, hearing him bark around the house.I spent a lot of my free time with him.I know you must have heard it several times, that dog is a man's best friend but seriously, it is hard to understand this fact until one actually experiences this relationship.He wil laugh and jump when you are happy.He will listen to you patiently when you need someone to talk to and he will abet you in all your mischiefs.

"It is always fun,

When you walk by my side.

Just a nudge from you

And I know, there's nothing to hide."

P.S.:To be continued....

Heartbreak

Its cold outside,

And even colder inside...

Only the skin is burning

With the fever of love.

Its bleak out there,

Even bleaker in here.

Just thunderstorms

Striking from above.

An empty chest

Lost, in its own hollowness...

Hands grappling for

It knows not what.

It's bleeding

Yet there isn't any pain.

Because, ceaselessly

The guns have shot.

Get me together

Before I fall apart.

Let some music play

And drown the cries.

On the deserts,

Please shower some rain.

Give a reason

To open my eyes.

Hope, please stop:

Your game of hide and seek.

Just let some rest

Calm the troubled soul.

Don't touch the waters

Want no more ripples.

Does love need

An even greater toll?

This will not stay

For long now...

I can already hear

The heart beat shakily.

The storm will end

And love will win.

A new song again

Will chime happily...

P.S:This poem is dedicated to all those friends out there, who at some point of time or the other, have a broken heart and just need a few words to pick up the pieces...

Mind Chatter.

Don’t know,

What the soul has been looking for…

Or what chains

It has been trying to break…

Don’t really know…

The questions, it has been trying to answer

Or the purpose

It is always in pursuit of….

What I know is that,

It is no more frustrating.

Rather a joy,

When I find some simple secret

And actually, marvel at my stupidity.

Don’t know…

What complications, it is trying to solve…

Or the horizons

It is trying to go beyond…

Don’t really know

What destiny, it runs after

Or the depths

That it tries to penetrate…

What I know is that,

I love this adventure.

I love this game of divine puzzle,

Life would be so bland without it.

Don’t know

What anguish the soul is in…

Or the darkness

Always supposed to be clouding it…

Don’t really know

What we should say in prayer…

Or what paradise

Awaits our sin-less souls.

What I know is that

Anguish humbly brings us closer to ourselves.

Uniting us, with the lost pieces.

And the darkness

Was only in the minds…

The heart is never short of light…

Prayers are just to let u know

That what is that you

Want the most.

As somebody rings the temple bell

It echoes in my entire being.

And my mind stops its useless chatter.

But my heart feels so light…

It is ready to spread its wings.

Life is so simple…

A short story, a happy end.

The First Rose

It was one of those fine moments,

When fascinations got the better of me…

I got myself a rose plant…

My companion, at lazy hours, to be.

Oblivious, was I then,

To the lessons, those hours would teach,

Waiting long, for just a flower to bloom,

Precious patience had just the peak to reach.

Then one fine morn, amidst the leaves,

A tiny green bud was taking a peek…

My heart overflowed with joyful kindness,

At the way, that beauty behaved so meek.

She was the princess of my heart now…

Claiming, every ounce of love in it.

I nurtured her like my own child…

But adamant, she would proudly sit.

Her shyness overwhelmed me,

Her straight refusal was making me mad,

When suddenly she braved all the odds,

And bloomed with all the youth she had.

Fair and red, epitome of love,

She unfurled her curves with defying grace,

And though, the sun shined at her,

It brightened somebody else’s face…

She flirted with the bees…

And their courtships, were quite a lure.

My insecure heart, fell a victim

To the fun of their youth, sweet and pure.

I knew now why it hurt my father

When I plucked the roses from his garden.

When it’s your hands that give way to life…

There’s a bond that is divine and ardent.

Well, now I had a truth to face …

That beauty is transient, it has to wither.

It was time and she had to leave…

Only memories soft and sweet would linger…

As she prepared to leave this ethereal world,

I had to turn my eyes away…

But lo! Behold! She had left a gift…

Another bud was on her way!!

Starved of Love….

Down to the core,
We are beings of dust…
Puppets in the play of love…

Feigning wisdom,
Feigning strength,
Yet destiny, means us to be petty beggars…

Doesn’t really matter,
What we eat and drink…
For, we are all starved of love…

We hunger for love…
To be held in strong arms…
Submitting to the fear of being left alone.

Surge of bile
Making us animal…
Nothing but the ache of hunger…

It grips us, tears us,
It knows no modesty,
Makes us stoop low…

Ignited jealousies…
No mercy, no forgiveness,
Craving for love and deprived of it…

Such are we, crude creatures…
Overcoming all,
But the thirst of love…

The Universal Symphony

There is a certain rhythm in every ordinary thing around us.There is a rhythm in our heartbeat,in the flow of life through us,in the rising of the sun and in the unfurling of every petal.There is a rhythm in the way we think,in the way we act, in the way we laugh and cry and in the furor and calmness dwelling in our minds.There is a rhythm in the cycles of life and death,in the repetitions of joy and sorrow, in problems and solution and in the occurrences of success and failure.There is a rhythm in the way truth overwhelms us and lies devastate us.All of this seems and is so simple and this is where the essence of beauty lies.Very rarely we are able to connect to this...this universal rhythm and when we fail to link to it,we become sorrowful.This is wonderful, the way Nature plays all its instruments in complete synchronization.There is no chaos, no confusion...everything is in perfect symphony.

The Sweetness of Pain...

Pain, pure and sweet,

Pain, life’s humble burden,

You know, no pain less than this

Can cause to hurt you ever again…

Pained, you soothe yourself,

Pained, you cry out your heart…

Never hurt, you’d never know,

That you could have never stayed apart…

Pain, let’s you know the joys,

Pain, makes you worldly wise…

If not for the sweat on your brows…

Could you have ever treasured the prize?

Pained, you talk to yourself,

Pained, you come closer to Him...

So much, the sweetness of purest pain,

The light’s being lit, when you see it dim.