The pleasure of Nothing! :)

It was one of my annual trips to Kerala – God's own country as they call it; my own land as I believe it is. I always attributed my strong attachment to kottayam, the place I was born, to my cousins, aunts, my grandmother, the temples etc. But this was one trip that made it all look different – very different indeed.


It has probably got to do with an overdose of the city-life. Living in Mumbai is not easy – its not that I mind the fast-moving pace of this place but what I do mind is the fact that it’s too mechanical. Now, “mechanical” may not be the apt word to describe this city but that is how I feel now after my leisure trip to my birth place! At any given day, there is an overdose of work and there are times when I have felt that there is no time for anything you would want to do – even if it is to just sit and watch the world go by!


And this is exactly what I did in Kerala – NOTHING! And I cannot describe in sufficient words the pure thrill of not doing anything, watching the rain, running on wet grass, seeing the sun set, hear the temple bell, hear the morning and evening chants there, hog to your heart’s content, idle gossip, read a good book with no disturbance, to sleep like a baby, breathe fresh air (YES!!), the calm cool breeze which lifts your spirits, the grandma stories that go beyond ages and centuries, listening to age-old family jokes and laughing like you have heard it the first time – the list is endless!!

The simple pleasures of life which eludes you in the hustle and bustle of a city can be thoroughly enjoyed in my native land. It’s not for nothing Kerala is named God’s own country. It most definitely is.  I fervently pray that it stays the way it is – untouched by the madness and ruthlessness of the city life, unscathed by the over population and the pollution, unhurt by the mayhem of everyday life. May it always remain the way it is – like a slow-moving dream which is far yet not too far for me!

The Rhapsody of Reflection!

It is a popular belief that – “You get what you deserve" and “What is yours will come to you”. But time and again, I wonder why is that you don’t know WHY on earth you are going through certain experiences? And what good does it do to you? Wouldn’t life have much more simpler if only we knew the answer to the question – WHY!!! No matter how much you sit, think and reflect on these instances, it always boils down to the why of it! 

Even then, the lesser mortals we are, we do keep pondering over so many things that happen with us, around us. Is there any point in these thoughts? Not that we are going to find any answers, then why rack those grey cells! The beauty of life is to accept it the way it is. I do not personally agree with the ones who say that one must accept things with a smile; it may not be possible to control your emotions (and smiling, is a great option though not always easy to execute!) but accept you must. For that is one thing we do not have much choice in! Reflect – on yourself, on what happens around you but don’t overdo it, Just like you need good, sensible lyrics, good rhythm and beautiful melody to create a “complete song”, you need many experiences to make the “complete you”!

As the lyrics of a song I heard goes - 

"Burning with desire,

Its what you take from me patiently,

So burn all your bridges and learn,

That its the only way your voice can be heard"

So folks! Learn, share, grow!!!! :) 

It is never easy!

Once a little girl sat by the sea side,

Tossing the sea shells to where they belong,

Hot, angry tears streaming down her face

Her mind wandering, never wishing to be found again. 

She spoke to the waves,

She spoke to the clouds,

She uttered words of frustration clutching the sand;

She spoke through her tears,

She spoke through her eyes,

Her tears illuminating the setting sun

Leaving a parallel world behind.

And then she heard a voice soft

Caressing her soul, the voice spoke -

“I never told you it will be easy my child,

All I said was I shall try;

Never did I promise you the moon

This is how you learn the journey of life

Smile a bright smile and welcome the dawn

For your heart knows things you would never know”

Smiling, her legs began a walk,

Wondering where her heart will beckon her now………..

About Love and everything else!

As we move on in life, we celebrate different “Days”. We have days for mothers, fathers, children, environment, lovers, pets; you name it and there is a day dedicated to any specimen who exist in this beautiful planet. Now that it’s Valentine’s Day, I couldn’t help but think about this very powerful emotion that surfaces (according to me on any given day but 14^th Feb – technically) in the minds of millions of people. It is definitely a fact that if there is one emotion, that is ever so powerful, that it can cure the sickest of minds within no time it has to be - LOVE! The very pure and divine form of this emotion can create wonders!!

I happened to meet this young couple, the lady had delivered a baby girl less than a month ago and those cherished moments of seeing the mother-daughter bonding made me realize how powerful an emotion Love can be. It is amazing how our parents learn to love us right from the moment they know that they are about to welcome a little bundle of joy to this world. They don’t know you, you have no name, no face, no identity; but you are an integral part of their life and they love you for that! Now isn’t that amazing??More than the concept of romance, it is this thought that intrigues my mind on this day.

If I had to define love, difficult though it is, I will try. Love for me is moments, which can only be experienced!

Seeing a mother hold her new born child in her arms

A sacred bonding between a father and his daughter which no one else can ever understand

Walking in the rain with a loved one

To do something, purely to see the smile on someone’s face

To lie down in your mother’s lap

To gaze at the stars with no thoughts

To get a bear hug from a close friend when you are low

To laugh with someone so much that tears come out from your eyes

To watch the sunset

To surprise your parents, siblings, friends with something they never expected.

To fight with your sibling and patch up the next minute as if the war never existed!

To listen to your grandmother’s stories (even though you would have heard them over 100 times)

To dance as if no one is watching and love the energy that gets created in those moments!

The list could be endless though this is all that came to my mind at this moment. It is so important to be loved and somewhere that is all what our minds crave for, isn’t it??!!

My Travel - Saga!!

There are times when I feel a sudden urge to write but I do not know what! So this is one such post where the mind is blank, the heart craves for a good write-up and the brain (poor fellow) is probably frantically trying to come up with something – anything!!

I am (at this point) reminded about my travel zone for the last 2 years,I call it "My Travel Saga"! I have been residing in Andheri since a long time now and believe it to be a very good place, no matter what others say or feel about it. And my college which is located at New Bombay (re-named Navi Mumbai, however I prefer the earlier version) is a good 2 hour travel. And I can proudly claim to use all modes of transport to reach my destination. It goes like this: Rick-Bus-Train-Rick. If there was a bullock cart, am sure I would have used that as well!!

Kurla was my station in these 2 years time, and will be so for a couple of months more. For all those, who do not know about this happening place, it is this superbly crowded area; Even a time as early as 8 in the morning, you will see throngs of people and will have to keep saying “Excuse-me” with a supreme effort to move ahead! Not to mention, the place also has a not-so-good reputation of pick-pockets and chain-snatchers. My mother dearest was really worried about my safety; however I have so far successfully managed this gruesome task with care. (Minus an incident where once my bag was pulled so badly and I lost my Tupperware lunch-box with yummy food while getting into this train!!)

So I manage to reach my college after a battle! It starts in the bus, god-forbid if it is a crowded one, I stand for quite some distance. The 8 min walk from the bus-stop to the platform is not that good either with cheap looking men leering or ogling at you. Though many a times I have had the urge to slap someone, I have so-far controlled myself. No, am no contender for Nobel Peace Prize though!! Once, I travelled in the second class when my first class pass was being made – I was beautifully sandwiched between 2 huge fisher-women! Needless to say, all I wanted to do after that was take a shower, and the only thing that came to my rescue was my deo (how I love it). Its even worse on my return route – with crowd 10 times than what it is in the mornings!! And then the train……It is really strange that when am on the bridge I miss a train, the one I want and then wait for a good 10-15 mins for the next one. By the time I reach college - I am obviously late. I have reached a point of saturation by trying to explain to the professor my plight. :( 

I have been at home now, as college is not very regular and though I do not miss the travel, I do have some memories about the station by now. Like the picture of this old blind woman, in an orange saree and green blouse would always wait at the bridge asking for alms. Then there are those familiar faces you see in the train, the cat-fights between women (not uncommon), this young girl who walks with a limp again begging for alms, the mehandi shops outside the station, the conductors who by now know my schedule, it is a long list!

I guess I will have these memories in my head for a long time though secretly I am glad I do not have to travel more than 4 hours a day on a regular basis!!