Hail Hyprocisy

It's amazing to see how self-proclaimed cultural guardians form their opinions basis one side of the spectrum. It's okay for married women, married middle-aged women, old women, old widow women to roam around with bare chests, half oozing out and flaunting their cleavage but when an unmarried girl intentionally or intentionally does that, she attracts glare, criticism and wrath. Why do men wag their tongues when they see bare legs, hands or bit of cleavage of young girls but their salivas stick to their tongue when their mommies, grandmothers or aunts do the same? Even maids walk without dupattas or wear deep-cut blouses but their husbands do not ask them to have some "sharam". That actually applies to only urban, young, unmarried women.

Shame on Indians, shame on our thinking, shame on our upbringing and shame on men!

Twist of emotion!

I am jittery as the final destination is coming closer. Could be due to lack of practice, eagerness to deliver the best performance as a group, phobia of the half cartwheel, persistent sickness resulting in dripping energy level, or whatever. I am also very happy and little sad: happy for being a part of a wonderful choreography with a wonderful instructor and a bunch of crazy people (perhaps the best lot); sad as the journey was too short.

Looking forward to capture fleeting moments. Yeh dil maange more! :)

Hypocrisy prevails!

Look at the hypocrisy of our society. It is okay to watch Sunny, Zeenat, and Celina dancing naked but a shame to watch porn; it is acceptable to watch porn, buy porn but not talk about sex openly; it is okay to ogle at a girl wearing "revealing" clothes but it is absolutely acceptable and unobjectionable if the pallu falls "by chance" in case of aunts dusting the floor or comfortably doing the household chores without the dupatta and with their sagging bosoms. What an irony to gain multiple degrees in education and skills but not letting our minds grow! I often wonder what the change is all about. Is it about more employment opportunities (which I do not see in case of talented and sincere people), better infrastructure (certainly not after witnessing a steady growth in clusters of jhuggis), improved living opportunities (hardly any space left within the city for peaceful living), increase in education standards (still inaccessible to the marginal sections), or has it come in the name of fashion and looks with people blindly aping the West without any sense and sensibility? I believe that until we begin to walk with time and embrace the change that it brings, we cannot call ourselves modern in any sense. Let us be honest in confessing that we only look modern but our thinking stinks. By calling a naala lake doesn't change its ingredients. I am neither talking about generation gap nor advocating modernity. I am just saying that let us stop maintaining double standards and carrying a fake personality everywhere we go. Let us stand up for what we think is right, let us do what we believe in instead of complaining, and let us accept shit as shit and rose as a rose. I believe in living with courage. Do you???

Adieu

"Umar Ki Raah Me Raaste Badal Jate Hai,

Waqt Ki Andhi Me Insan Badal Jate Hai,
Sochte Hai Tumhe Itna Yaad Na Kare Lekin,
Ankh Band Karte Hi Irade Badal Jate Hai."

Someone said to me while I was severing the tie with the place that I never enjoyed going to every morning. Such a cute and simple way to say goodbye and give best wishes! The farewell was a hearty one with everyone meeting like good old buddies and saying good things, which noone usually or explicitly conveys. Got memories of working with so many people with such varied interests and opinions that has gone into making me more patient and diligent. The ever growing curiosity to learn more, know more, do more, and meet interesting people will find a new home...soon. 

The charm of the Campus

Every time I visit the Campus, the feeling is the same...of belonging, of being nurtured, of gentle recollections. The bhelpuri tastes just the same even after fourteen years, the rustic look of buildings is the same too so are the corridors, the by-lanes, the walking track and atmosphere...only one thing has changed..Time.

The sheer memory of having spent remarkable five years within the walls of the Campus makes my heart swell up every time I set my foot there. I wish to go back more often—not just as a visitor—but as a student in the typical attire of a kurta-churidaar,  jhola hung on shoulders, toes covered with flats, and sweat dripping down the corners of the face. Nothing, absolutely no comfort of an air-conditioned room can replace the setting of a classroom with students taking down teacher notes and holding discussions among peers related to matters not just academic but much more. The tiny tea stalls, maggi points, banta corners, these are not just places or vendors filling our stomach, they are those tiny points on your memory map which complete your journey when connected.

On a lighter note, I think I can be a good guide for someone who wishes to experience the joy of travelling around the campus visiting places that are common yet instrumental in shaping so many lives like mine.

I Love You

I wish I could say these words to you

When we were little and had never met

Under the sun, sitting under the shade of the mango tree

Eating chocolate, licking it off each other’s hands

I Love You

I wish I could say these words to you

When we were teenagers but never knew each other

Without holding the fingers, I would have let you know

While playing in the ground or accompanying our mothers to the market

How it felt to be near you

I Love You

I wish I could say these words to you

When we grew up a little more

When the doors to the imagination opened

And our minds slowly succumbed to the softness in our hearts

I could have let you know

How I’d like to look at you

With love dripping from my eyes

And my cheeks coloured with scarlet red

I Love You

I wish I could say these words to you now

A hundred times and more

When our paths have diverged from the start

Without knowing each other

But still, we met at last

I Love You

I wish I could say these words to you long after

Our bodies have become wrinkled and haggard

But the heart burns with passion

That had a late beginning

And the end always deferred

You and I

On a moonless sky

Without a star twinkling near the corner of my eye

Cold wind gently, very gently stroking my hair

No search, no grief, no rush, no reprieve

Everything is still and placid as my soul tonight

Why don't you come and play in my arms

With a round, flat body, with dark patches on your skin

Why do you not stop being beautiful despite your flaws

We can "feel" the swing or run down the stairs

Chasing each other's dreams, building a secret camaraderie

I will not disturb you in your hours of sorrow and reflections

It is the only thread that binds me to you

But come tonight my dear

To engulf me in your light and create the warmth inside