Amorphous Creativity

It is said that we are just a phone call, a news, a natural calamity away from completely changing as a person. I assume this is said to define the frailty of human life. What about the acts done and the words spoken in one moment that can have a lasting impact on you as a person. What about the cracks that will fill over time but the impact they leave on your dreams, hopes and wishes is huge. We in our naivety make plans to achieve, to have things according to our way, to celebrate this achievement even and then bam! one day something happens that puts a question mark on all your plans up until now! When looked at them, the act may not be as big as losing a loved one, which to me is the lowest low and the biggest fear, but they are of enough significance that you will never overcome them completely. You will survive but the crack will stay always. What if something results in two step forward and four step backward? What if, right at that particular moment, your loved ones...

With a desire for the vague, I walk along the strange tune and humming the strange song, I walk with questions and puzzles, Trying to find and place a piece at a time, I quiet the din and the chime. What's with the desire for vagueness? Unknown shines bright and intrigues, I fall for its charm time and again, Almost like a natural streak. How would it be to stick to the safe? Living with fewer questions for sure, Uncomplicated and unentangled, And without the nameless lure. Destiny has its way, they say Maybe vagueness is guiding mine, in carving it's way! 

Having lived in Mumbai all my life, I have heard a lot about the spirit of Mumbai and Mumbaikars. Mumbai is known to be the city that rarely stays down after being hit. It's back to business the very next day.  The reasons for this are debatable and are matter enough for another blog post. So, when I came across a book up for review with a "Never Mind Yaar " title, I assumed it to be a book focusing on this unfazed attitude of Mumbai. The back cover of the book too stated, going verbatim here, that the title is an attitude. A tendency to feel defeated by the scale and nature of certain problems. Rather than meet them head on, we circumvent them with a sigh and a consoling "Never mind, yaar." Is the title justified and the story live up to it? Read on to find out.  The Good : Some of the most special memories of our life are made in college. Regardless of the type of student you are, the class nerd or a part of the "Vella" crowd, you will al...

Wriggling on earth,  The caterpillar looks at the sky, Mother nature's magic meets his eyes,  He moans in sadness, thinking, to watch it he will never be able to try,  Mother nature smiles at his innocence and sighs,  Then one day, the caterpillar notices a transformation,  It's almost like reincarnation,  Wings appear and change his wingless style,  He thought maybe it's the end of his ugly exile,  Knowing he could now conquer the sky,  As He had turned into a butterfly,  His heart soared awaiting the worldly beauty,  Still unaware that he himself makes the world a little more pretty!

A glimpse here and a nudge there, making its presence felt,  intermittent and rare. Like the first few drops of rain,  after a long and dusty summer,  The sprinkle and respite,  mixed in their flavours.  The erect spine of a new book, the enchanting whiff of its pages,  Making me believe I have found  the wisdom and peace of sages. Moments of bliss and the seek follows, like a mirage luring your chase. I can go on with the  smilies and metaphors thereof,  Or I could simply call it,  The elusive love!

Like a tiny ray of light bursting out of the clouds on a dreary and dull winter day, I stumbled across a website today that made me all cheery and happy. Believe you me, this was quite an incredulous feat as I was working on a Saturday and sulking was the order of the day. Anyhow, I just happened to find this page, the idea of which immediately had me in good spirits. The website in question is www.butthegoodnews.com . This website is a budding idea and it welcomes each person as a Good News Messiah. The idea behind the website is that, no matter how awful a story is, if you look close and hard enough, you are sure to find a silver lining, sooner or later. Which is what makes each and every person a Good News Messiah. The website gives you a chance to share your story in less than 700 words and then go on to point out how there was a silver lining, no matter how bleak. Share your good news and that will make the readers want to find their silver lining. Be the Messiah in other...

Standing alone by the side of a dusty road,  The tree knows only rain can bring solace,  The summer is unusually long and hot, Her parched thoughts doubt nature's grace!  The dust of the past has her covered in brown,  She feels dejected and only wears a frown,  One fine day, a drop plops on a leaf,  The tree startled finds it hard to believe,   Soon enough, rain washes off the brown and  The Green is brought to life again,  Everything happens in its own time,  Your own perception makes you see, And the choice is always between a boon or a bane!

With a flurry of lights, Leaving a trail of smoke behind, A loud sound is heard beyond a mile. They celebrate the festival of lights, Content and with a smile. Going out and about town Adorning new clothes, In various hues and style, They celebrate the festival of lights, Content and with a smile. I look at them wistfully, And then look at my house, The goddess of wealth hasn't yet, Blessed it with her presence, New clothes, crackers and the works, Are difficult for a daily wage earner to afford, As I see the silent yearning in the eyes of my kin, I know it will be a while, Before we celebrate the festival of lights, Content and with a smile! Even the smallest gesture from your end will go a long way in brightening up someone's Diwali.  This year, spare some thought and try turning Diwali into a festival of smiles.  Hope you have a noise free and safe Diwali!

Hearing the song of a silent heart.. Dreamy eyes lost far away,  For her it was yet another pensive day.  She reflects and ponders,  Decides and then wonders.  Uneven cobbled roads,  Travellers on both in hordes.  She stands at the start,  Contemplating with a silent heart,  She doesn't know where she wants to go,  Hopes that the path she takes directs the flow.  She aspires to not be wrong, If only it was easy to hear the hope song!

I see the hunger in your eyes, Its lust,  none of us can deny, Your settled gaze make me aware of our desires, fully clothed yet completely bare. The mask is loosening and quickly coming off, Uncaring of the jeers and impending scoff, We get rid of the doubts and  undo the knots, Stripped to the conscious, We make love  to each other's thoughts.

I feel the calm and peace of the ending blue seas, Making me wonder,  to where does the water drift taking lofty secrets in its midst? The abundance humbles me and yet instills a belief.. It takes something from every shore yet stays the same at its core! Sometimes, the water calls to me and I hear its lore, The fables from all corners and the wisdom it stores!

Indiblogger and Reliance Digital came up with an offer ala The Godfather; no one in their right frame of mind could refuse! All you had to do was walk into a Reliance Digital store with an Indi-invite and get a wholesome Reliance Digital experience and you get a cute little iPod shuffle for the same! Could it get any better! No, right!  So off i went to the Reliance Digital store located at R-mall, Mulund looking forward to experience the "Happiness in store". Most of my past purchases have been made at the store so it really was a home turf. And like every time in the past, the store did not disappoint. As I entered with the Indi-invite, one thing that never ceased to amaze me in the past, struck me again. I was always in awe of the magnanimity of the store and this time it was nothing new. Perfectly spaced out and evenly distributed space, this store was one of the best planned stores around.  I consider myself quite technologically challenged and always need to h...

I weave you with my words, I carry you in my eyes, You make me want  to wish for more, beyond Earth and the skies, Empowering me through and always, You guide me  in your own mysterious ways. I hear your song and follow your lead, I have long crossed the tiny realm of need. I live to keep you alive or is it the other way around,  I do not know. But, my dreams I tell you this, With time and imagination, I wish you only grow!

India is primarily a nation of farmers, our school civics had made us aware of that. So, when we hear about farmer suicide, it immediately grabs our attention. The word corruption has entered the daily vocabulary of a layman. So even this evil is blamed on it. None of us are aware of what really causes it and its forgotten as we don't really have the knowledge and the will to explore the basic roots. Kota Neelima writes a book about this very issue. She sets the mood of the book with "None of us can match the powers we challenge. It is an unequal fight, but we have the dead on our side." Is she successful in writing a political fiction or it just turns into a wannabe expose in the guise of fiction? Read on to find out. The Good: The name Kota Neelima brings with it high expectations. She has been there, seen that and reported about it too. Anyone who has followed her reportage will know that she is capable of giving the reader an insight about burning issues...

Mom, I always told you I am brave, but right now,  only for your arms do I crave, The monster scares me and leaves me in pain., I bravely tried to resist but it was all in vain, I see some blood and my clothes are all torn, Mom, please just come and take me home! On the other side of this door, My friends play their game, My muffled screams are too weak for them to hear me call their name. I shiver in fear, bare and alone,  Mom, why don't you take me home? P.S. This poem is just a futile attempt at trying to bring out what the five year old rape victim must have gone through. I don't think anyone can know exactly how that little child must have felt then. The monstrosity and remorselessness has crossed all boundaries. Maybe humanity is dead and what's left are just carcasses.

What do you want from life? Are you on the right track? Are you truly happy? The back cover says if your answer to the above questions is F?@K KNOWS, then this book is for you! One of these questions troubles everyone at some point in their life. Most of our lives are spent getting an affirmative and meaningful answer for these questions. Comes along a book with a yellow cover and an eye catching red color font, claiming to help you figure out the answers to these questions! Written by an author who claims to be BTDT i.e. Been There Done That, effectively packaged and marketed, the book is bound to make you curious. Does it stand up to its name or end up being just-another-self-help book, is the question! The good: The writing style of the author is slapstick and in-your-face. That is one of the major pluses of the book. His writing makes you want to read ahead more because of the way it tickles you. You will find yourself laughing at his anecdotes. Ano...

A little girl tiptoes around her mother,  Her mind full of questions and eyes wide,  Asking knickknacks and how's and what's,  Mother patiently answers with smile and pride.  The little girl grows to be a beautiful woman,  Knowing most of the answers and seeking some more,  Independent, hard-working and an individual,  And yet, a daughter and sister at her core.  Fate comes knocking and  A prince and his family enter her life,  Bidding adieu to her parents and brother, The little girl was now a wife.  Each day made way for a new one,  Together they started a life and a relationship grew,  Faced ups and downs hand in hand,  Each experience made their belief anew.  They decided to make space for a third,  Their household grew and more love adorned,  The family rejoiced and prayed for the months to come,  The time was finally here and  a mother was ...

Midst  the routine humdrum of life out of nowhere   a smile, word or gesture, gets the missing glint back in your eyes. Moments when someone  says they care,  relish these moments for they are rare. Days when you realize life is  much more than you thought ,  And you always had with you what you went out and sought. When you finally see that the best grades or that coveted job post, none were worth missing what matters most. When you find the meaning of life   is simple and pure as morning dew,  Pause and take some time out  to say a heartfelt thank you!

Dear Sirs/ Madams, I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest gratitude towards you for enlightening us women as to why when we do certain things; we call upon ourselves the inevitable circumstance of getting raped. Had you not stepped upon the mantle to highlight what we dented and painted women do, we would have stayed in the darkness of ignorance and continued to get raped and hoped for justice only stemming out of the wrong belief that the rapist is the criminal and not us. Your efforts at highlighting our “mistakes” and “invitation for rape” are surely noteworthy. It’s only because of you that we have realized that staying out of the house late at night, having a male companion who is not a brother or husband, wearing skirts and other provocative clothing, not going home strait away from school or college, listening to western music, having a mobile phone, staying in India and not Bharat mean an invitation that reads “I have crossed the Lakshma...

WHY SHOULD I BE SCARED? Just because I am a woman? Am I not as much a citizen of free India as any male out there? Then why do I feel unsafe? Why do my parents have to worry about my safety every time I step out of my house? Is it not my right to live without fear? I don't expect answers to my questions. Do I want change to take place? Without a doubt. Do I think there will be changes? A very small voice in me says it will. How many more Nirbhayas/Amanats/Daminis do we need to bring about changes required to make it a safer place for women? I don't know. But I am guessing a lot. I say this, fully aware of the fact that the next victim could be me or someone I know. But does that make me anymore hopeful of change? No. But it does make me more fearful. I am asked to cover up if I don't want to be raped. I am asked to not drink at clubs so that I am not considered easy. I am asked to surrender when six men force themselves on me, only so that I can save my life. Di...