A Girl I Met

This was another that I made at the creative writing competition at Antaragni '11( IIT Kanpur). Though it was only an eight lined poem, it was a really demanding one as it was to be drafted based on certain parameters. 

•   The rhyme scheme was to be ABaAabAB, that is, the first, fourth and seventh line of the poem have to rhyme and similarly for the second and the last line.
•  The poem was based on ASTASIAS, i.e. the first line starts with A, the next with S, then with T and so on

                                      A girl I met, couldn’t help but stare

                              Sober though she dressed, looked very divine

                              The rose red cheeks, on a face milk white

                              And all I could do, was wish we were a pair

                                She noticed me gazing with all my might

                                I saw her smile back; and couldn’t resist

                              Asked her for company, pulled her a chair,

                         She was what I wanted and it was my time to shine

            

The Crimson Trickle

This was one of the three poems and four short stories that I wrote at Antaragni's(IIT Kanpur's cultural fest) creative writing competition, within 180 minutes. There could have been various outlooks to the topic, but I linked it to war. Though I didn't win, this qualifies as one of my fastest poems ever written -> 15 minutes :-)

The crimson trickle that the soldiers shed,

to win a war that was never foresaid;

between two nations which were once one,

cost many a families, their only son.

The reason for war, was never explained,

It was only the blood that was drained;

All because, the men that led,

never really cared about the bloodshed.

Call them audacious, or call them fools,

They used their countrymen as their tools;

Only to support their selfish reason,

Their men lost lives in every season.

All the bitterness that has crept,

the serenity lost and the settlements swept

the innocent children and their constant fears;

have now dried out, like their countless tears.

Should god come, put this in their head,

Or we stand up and say instead;

that all these wars do need to end,

as no one wins, by killing a friend.

The Year As a Freshman

August 25^th, 2010, if I’m not wrong with my statistics was the day I set foot on Lucknow, for the zillionth time, but for the first time as a would be civilian for four years. This place was home to my maternal aunt and my holiday destination for the winters for years. So, technically, I wasn’t new to it. My dwelling was about twenty five odd kilometres away from my university. So my only plausible option was to be a hosteller. There are some things common to all freshman hostellers. For first, you start feeling homesick and secondly, the food. There’s no extra strong coffee (like the ones you got at home) to open your eyes really wide, but a dismal breakfast, different for the entire week, with a pathetic tea, which one could relish only if he made it to the mess(swear to god, the name was absolutely apt)before 0845. The tragic food that we got is worth a vivid description, but more on that later. For now, its just that had we not found the ‘Step In Café’ at the right time, life could have been hell. Apart from the messy mess, the hostel was worth a stay. Basketball courts, badminton courts, table tennis tables, wi-fi(which was a pain in the butt) and spacious rooms. And with all the foresaid, laid a threat, the seniors’ wings across the block. Though the university boasted of being a ‘Ragging-Free campus’ for the past fifteen years, the fear of being ragged always lurked at the back of our mind. We eventually realised that it is indeed no big a threat. As some of our seniors were far too obsessed with being 'the senior ones' to even think of ragging us and the remaining special ones were so caring that you coulkd put their names as your local guardians. They immediately made us one of their own and their company is what we looked forward to.

 My university campus was enormous, with half a dozen different colleges for different streams; all collaged in a haphazard way, as if the architect planned to make a graffiti on the campus layout. The most important thing with any college is that one gets to meet various kinds of people, with different intellectual levels. And as and by you find people of your kind, you start making friends, more friends and still more until you have a gang worth boasting off.

My year as a freshman was a witness to many important prospects of my life. For, instance, I thought I was a very short-tempered, nosy, and potentially pathetic roommate. But I eventually found out that I wasn’t that bad. I had lost all my self-belief due to the way the course of events turned out to be academically for me over the past year. But those small incidences that made my mark in my class made me regain some of it. There were many events that let you prove your worth to the crowd. And just like a hyperactive hornet that sits on every flower, I participated in most of the events. I shed all my inhibitions, whatever there was, and I feel benefitted. On the emotional forefront my life proved to be bittersweet, as for the first time ever, I experienced how it was to feel emotionally attached to a special girl. And it felt great. (though that ‘great’ feeling was only short-lived). My sister, the one whom I enjoyed quarrelling with, came to a very essential stage of her life, marriage. She found a second family, the one of her soul mate’s, as loving and caring as she could have ever imagined.  It also proved to be the time when I started writing for my satisfaction. Whenever, I felt like, I started scribbling on a paper, whatever that struck my mind. And just as accidental as it sounds, I ended up with my first poem ever, at 3 am in the night, just before a Physics exam that was to follow that very morning. And when I was acclaimed by my family and friends, I found my love for writing evolving to an all new level. The things I wrote about might not make sense to everyone, but each one of my posts were dedicated to something (or someone) really influential to me. Having late night coffees in the secretly sneaked in electric kettles, Maggis and all the home-made snacks (which hardly lasted for an hour after they were let out) became a routine. And just as we started enjoying the life, the semester exams shot right at our forehead, knocking us down. And then began an era of brave One-night soldiers who tried to fight their way through the brainstorming subjects. And as per the exams, ‘they came, they saw and they conquered’. Its like every time I took the exam, I decided I’d use the next two days to the fullest extent and prepare for the next exam, but I ended up doing nothing else but dwelling over the same thought all over again, sitting in the next one. And just like that, in a blink of an eye, the year comes to an end. The only word that can describe the mental sate of any freshman at the end of the year is dilemma. The elation of no longer being a freshman, visiting home for a month and the simultaneous sadness of not being able to see my friends who had become an inseparable part of your life creates a dilemma in your mind. You try to figure out where time actually flied. But then, time (as my dad said), has its own state. Its gaseous in nature, expands when you’re bored and condenses when you’re enjoying it. And as you leave, you hope that the year that follows goes as smoothly and proves to be even more joyful and at the same time, be a learning experience to remember forever. And amidst all this, there’s another thing that every freshman prays to god for, a ‘back-free’ semester to follow… ;-)

The North Star

Back in the days, when the sailors went astray,

Nomads and messengers lost their way

When their hopes and spirit took them no far

They all turned up to the great North Star.

Steady as a mountain, it spitted out fire

With its vigour, it let them not tire

It was a source, for their much needed power,

As static as north, they called it North Star.

From a kid then, to now being a lad,

I’d found the North Star in my dad.

When my morale, went fathoms deep,

When an ever-smiling face was about to weep,

He watched my back, was a source of my cheer,

Knowing he was around, I felt no fear.

In ups and downs, he brought me at par

He was my hero, my north star

Stood out as a man, in a million men,

If I were to rate, he was ten on ten

Was witty, learned and funny,

An orator as good as Mark Antony

Was a master of his words, perfect to the ‘t’

A workhorse, always busy like a bee

In a jar full of candies, he was a bar,

He was a special one, my North Star

And even today he stands tall,

Ready to catch me when I fall

Be it night or be it a day,

I know my North Star’s just a call away

Makes my troubles his, and his happiness mine,

Would do everything to make sure I’m fine,

He can be miles away, but he’s never far,

He’s my best friend, my North Star..

A Piece of God

Every individual in this world shares a very divine and wonderful relationship with his mother. This relationship is a complete departure from all those that he shares or would share in future. Its about the nine months of pain that the mother bears happily, nurturing a part of herself in her belly. And even though the baby is separated from the mother by cutting the umbilical cord, there's an unseen cord that links them both and makes them unseparable. Right from your first walk to the first word you uttered(its mostly the one that you still call your mom with), its all a result of her effort. Every single decision that you make, the way you distinguish every right from every wrong, has had a piece of her guidance and wisdom behind it. No matter how far away you are from her, she has this godly power of instantly knowing if you're in trouble . A mother and child connection is one thats faster than any 'Gs' you can think of, that needs no network and demands no bearer charges. A mother is a piece of God that He lends to every child that would always be his, and would never leave his side. My mumma's the most beautiful and finest piece that even the God wasn't willing to let go. She's as fair as fair could be, has dark brown eyes and ever-glowing cheeks, and I bet the first time you'd see her, you'd ask,"Are you just heading back from the beauty parlour??" She loves shopping, and enjoys doing it for others as much. She's a masterchef, with her expertise in any possible cuisine, and though I thought I'd never admit this, but mumma's homemade food's heavenly and better than any place on earth. I love her way too much, and even now if I get a chance, I sleep beside her, holding her hand, and call me a 'Mumma's boy', I'd say, "Aye aye sir, I gladly am." She has this unparalled ability of loving me and Tanvi equally, and though I sometimes complain about her being a little partial, I'm glad that she doesn't love me more than this. I'd want to be with her in all walks of life, and when she'd need my care, I'd gladly swap roles with her and do what she did for me. I'm not quite sure if I could be as good in it as she is, but I'd certainly try to equalise.
Mumma, I love you in units that are too large to be defined. Thank you for always being there for me. Always stand by me, because you're not just a part of my life, you are my life :-*. And Papa, your turn comes on the Father's Day. :-P

A Jail That I Paid For

A thousand miles away from home,
I had found myself a second home,
that was to be my new dwelling,
I was filled with glee, that my face was telling,
I said to myself,"This is all that I craved for.",
little did I know, it was a jail that I paid for.

The boundaries that stood, were not mere confines,
they kept us away from all the gleams and shines,
they shut the channels at half past seven,
as if we were the Satans of their heaven,
who would ruin everything once let out,
or would tease every girl and freak her out,
the mess was really as the name suggested,
eating their cooked food really got us tested,
the menu sounded great when it was told,
but everything that glitters isn't gold,
we could ring someone who could cook to order,
but then we realised, they were across the border,
I said to myself,"Is this all that I was made for?
Or is it a bloody jail, that I paid for?"

They kept us bounded with their rules and norms,
but it is them who actually need reforms,
I wish god puts it in their brains,
that we're a little too old to be held in chains,
If they can't treat me like their own child,
for the heaven's sake, atleast be mild,
please think over it, try and bring a change,
which atleast for now, seems out of range,
because the son, every penny that his daddy saved for,
now lives in a jail, that he paid for..

P.S- This poem's about the strict rules and regulations of a university hostel, and what a hosteler thinks about them.

An Angel in disguise

When you are a kid, siblings to you are like a paradoxical equation in your life. When you have a sibling, you wish that it weren't there to share the love of your parents with, and when you don't, you end up craving for a companion to share/gossip/fight with. But as you grow, you realise that you're lucky to have a sibling and you thank god for blessing you with one(lest you are a money minded psychopath who would be sad to have to share his parents' will ;-). Hell!! Too bad a thought, I hope none of us thinks this way.)
I have a sister, her name's Tanvi. People fondly call her Gudia, while I fondly call her Kamini(a slang). She's six years elder to me, and never in my life so far, have I showed her the appropriate respect. The word didi has been out of bounds right from the beginning. She's the sweetest sis one can have, who tries to masquerade herself as a devil everytime, but fails every single time. I think I must have been the likes of Mother Teresa in my previous birth to have had her as my sister in this one, while she'd have been a Hitler to have got me.

Right from the time we were kids, we hardly quarreled, not because we were peace loving, but because we believed in using brute force to settle scores. When I was in the primary school, she used to win every single time. But as soon as I hit the sixth grade, somebody probably gave me a superpower and it was me and only me from then on. She had this unparalleled talent of using words as her weapon, which were really pinching. And when I had no answer to her splendidly placed sarcasm, I went all bashes at her. Though she used to get hurt, and even cry at instances, but as soon as mommy used to come for inspection on what had happened, she'd quickly wipe her tears away and act as a shield between me and my mommy's hurling slipper(Mommy used to beat me with objects. She said hitting me with hands was more of a pain to her than to me). I used to think she'd make an awesome politician, or a vamp in an Ekta Kapoor sitcom. But what I failed to realise was that all this while, it was an angel whom I was living and hurting badly.

It was when she left for her job to Puna that I started feeling the loneliest ever. I even used to weep for a few days under the shower(boys ain't supposed to cry publically, right?) She is a true gem, the only one of a kind, stone-studded, multi-billion dollared solitaire that I'm a proud owner of. Imagine a sister weeping in her office, in front of her colleagues, reading 'crush'ed(my maiden blog post) saying, "Mera bhai ab bada ho gaya hai." She says she's proud of me(god knows for what reason). Little does she know that I'm more proud of myself for having such a sweet sister.

She recently got married. And if I say my sister's one in a million, my brother-in-law's (his name's Ravi) one in a gazillion. Our family was always short of a dude-gentleman hybrid. And now that he's here, we're complete. His wit, his charm can overpower anybody. And trust me had I been a girl and had Tanvi not been my sister, I'd have cat-fought with her over who gets him. And he's an awesome orator too. Together, they make the ultimate pair and I hope this pair lasts till eternity. I love my sister and I seriously cannot imagine myself without her. She's that Pied-piper who can make me cross any hurdle, with her charming words and I'm happy that I have the copyright of such a fantastic angel as my sister. Love you loads Kamini. :-* :-)

The Social Network

I'll make you request, I'll make you follow
I'll make you tweet, even if you're a swallow
I can make you like, I can make you poke
I can get you flagged, boy thats not a joke
I give you apps, I give you games
even the ones that give you funky names
they can even tell the name of the one you love
or whether you'll choose a grenade or a dove
I can make you look fab, even if you're a jerk
come join me, I'm the Social Network.

And once you get in, you are my slave
I'm an addiction even your dad can't save(you from).
You can sit for hours, just doing nothing
or view pages named 'I Love Chandler Bing'
If its your b'day, you'll be wished by a tonne
you'll be made to feel like a special one
If you fall ill, just make a post
And I bet, you'll be called up by the most
I'm way better than the things that leave you bezerk
come join me, I'm the Social Network.

All you need, is a smart profile
and a display picture, in which you smile
some boxes to fill, to tell who you are
but make sure you don't seem bizarre
then all you need to do is a little type
and I'll make sure you catch all the hype
go check your wall or go for a chat
use your words to make your friends fall flat
let you heart do the talking, give your brain no work
come join me I'm the Social Network.

Don't come to me for the heck of the trend
come only when you think you need a friend
if you have no one, don't just sit and moan
come hold my hand, you'll never be alone
the friends I've got, will just leave you glad
but would never leave you, making you feel sad
I'm a place where a boss is friends to a clerk
Come join me, I'm the Social Network. :-)

A Trailing Chase(my maiden poetic attempt)

I saw the decline, I saw the fall
the tears, the heartbreak, the misery, the stall
was now weighed down, who once stood tall
the onset of June, yes it started it all.

If one always gets what he deserves,
when only He gives it and only He reserves
then why was I left out in the crowd,
was it in my skill, that He had a doubt?

Or did I lie to myself? Did I live in a bubble?
Or just tried to evade, stay out of the trouble,
Am I the culprit? Am I to blame?
for all this disgrace, and all the shame?

I'm all alone, though everyone's around
I'm weeping inside, though too happy to sound,
I want to scream, I want to shout
"Why was I undone?"But can never let it out

Will this ever fade away? Will this ever wash out?
This bug in me, it really freaks me out
I've tried to walk away, I've tried to move on
but something in me never lets it be gone

But I'm still a fighter, I'll fight again
will take the burden, will take the pain
will make sure there are no shades of gray(this time)
no blues, no glooms, blooms all the way

Something inside me, now makes me say,
"It's still too early, to call it a day"
Maybe something good, better than my past,
He has saved for me, the best for the last...
:-)

P.S- This might seem a little out of sorts, but the frame of mind that I wrote it in was pretty messed up.. :-P

Luck!! WTF??

Everyone of us has had his share of successes and failures. Some succeed tremendously, where as others may not have a profound count of the same. But can you always track your success/failure down to just one thing, luck??

People have various mind boggling ways to keep themselves lucky, and many weird talismans. Some take the same road daily, some wear the same coloured socks, some have got stone-studded rings to keep themselves 'lucky'. And the most of these weird practices surface when there are examinations around. I've even known a guy who did not change his inners during the 20 day exam schedule saying they proved lucky for him. And there's no denying that all of us tried something as weird(or even more) at some point in our lives . And later, when I looked at all this, there was just one thought that came to mind, Luck! WTF??

Friends, there's no such thing called 'luck'. There's always just one universal law that governs your share of success, and that is, 'As you sow, so shall you reap'. And try to ponder over all your instances of successes or failures, you'll always narrow down to an epiphany that the results that you ended up with were the outcome of putting the right amount of hard work(or the lack of it). Think of this, were you always successful with your talisman around?? Or were you always on the loosing end without it?? You well might end up with an obvious answer, 'No'(if you have yes as your answer, you aren't experienced enough my friend).

I don't say you should stop believing in luck, what I intend to say is don't over depend on your luck. Because, once you do so, you slacken up. For instance(god forbid), if you have a streak of failures that hit you, and you blame them all to luck, you won't be able to rectify yourself and prepare for the next battle thats heading your way. If you think you worked too hard and didn't get the reward in accordance to it, you probably have to rethink over 'how hard is hard enough'. You'll always get what you deserve, always, and that is bound to happen. It might be a time-dependant factor though, but success would come to you, come what may. All you've got to do is focus on your goal, and work towards it, undetered, relentlessly and constantly. And I can guarantee you that there's no goal thats hard enough, no feat you cannot achieve.

So friends, the next time your friends talk about a famous palmist down the street, or how lucky/unlucky they were the last time they took exams, you know what you've got to say(if you still don't, read the title again).. :-)

'Crush'ed

I know this is the most awkward and ridiculous topic to write on as your maiden blog post, but this was a little special to me, so I had to have it on my blog at the numero uno spot. Crush(though my t9 dictionary wants it to be brush instead) was something I wasn't new to, but was something I told no one about.. Could you imagine a kid of the second grade falling for a girl, and then falling for another one in 7th, and then another in 10th and then for the 10th one again and then again the 7th one later on?? Man! That sounds hard, but I pulled it off. And my so called 'crushes' were like a U.S's 'Classified' operation that even the U.N wasn't aware of..

I was a competitive kid right from the time I was a kindergartener. So I didn't let these factors affect my academics in any way possible. So, for all those who think I messed up my scorecards of late just because I fell for a girl, I'd like to 'boo' to your opinion.

And now that I have a PhD. in crush sciences from the University of Cupidelphia, I can tell you that the intensity of the crush keeps ever increasing and is always more intense than the previous one. And now is the time I would let you know about my latest crush. She was a very very very beautiful girl, one like a doll. But thats not what I fell for. I'd have liked her equally even if she had a scar on her face and no teeth and an eye-patch(seems much of a pirate's description, doesn't it??). I liked her for what she was from within. She was the bearer of the best heart god had made, one made of platinum and white gold. I fell for her in the 7th grade, but since she used to burst to laughter by merely looking at me, I pulled myself out of it. Then we met again on a social networking website(no prizes for guessing what website it was). We(atleast i did) used to have a good time chit-chatting. Then I moved to Lucknow(the place where I study) and we started talking over texts. And we became good friends in no time. Any delay in texting and I used to get desperate, just like a child. Imagine exhausting 300 national texts within 2 days(I wouldn't say I texted only her, but I also know I didn't forward a single text during that time, it was majorly her). I used to tell her everything and every whereabouts of mine, just like I was on twitter and she was my only follower. She was a helper too, and was a champ at it. My friends at Lucknow(they thought I was a smart guy, lolz) used to look at girls and say, "Dude! Check that girl out. She would so suit you." But I used to ignore them, just because I knew that even if they were talking about a Penelope Cruz look-alike, she couldn't be as kind hearted and sweet as the one I liked. They must have even thought of me as a pervert at some point I guess. But it didn't matter to me.

I loved helping her in whichever way I could, and, call me selfish, but I loved her falling in troubles(not big ones though. She is a champ at getting herself ill every now and then, and that scares me) just so that I'd get to help her again. And just when I knew I had fallen for her, I got goosebumps. I thought, "would she ever talk to me again if I let it out to her?" But then I did let it out, on the 10 of October 2010, the doomsday as I love to call it. She didn't refuse straight away, but i thought that was the most novel and unhurting refusal any dork could get from a princess(Girls can take some tips from this refusal). She said, "I'm not a girlfriend type. I'm way too pampered, stubborn and demanding. I'm hard to afford. I don't accept my faults but blame others quickly". And I swear to god I wanted her to be that way, coz that was all I liked her for. But then I realised, I didn't deserve her. She was way above what I could ever think of, just like a wishful thinking. And then I thought pushing this thought a little further to her would cut her off. So I chucked it. But I always wanted to say, "If affordability was the criterion, I wouldn't have fed you on glucose biscuits had you ever asked for danish cookies".

And now, we're just friends, but good ones, mind you. And I'm happy with that, atleast I didn't lose her as a friend after that incident. I'm a happy single ass who has no regrets of being single, and no regrets of letting it out to her on that day. And unlike other crushes where I was open to new ones, I'm not hoping for the Cupid's assistance for a new one. I'm just happy being her 'secret admirer'. The only girl that I'd love to look at would be her identical twin, even a clone would do , with identically beautiful heart and an equally smart brain(sorry for letting this out too late, but she was the smartest girl I met, with oodles of great qualities and talents).. Until then, I'm just happy being 'crush'ed.... :-)