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Love……with a difference

Valentine’s day is barely over…love as they say is in the air…love was celebrated all over again yesterday.But I doubt if any of us actually tried to measure the dimensions of love on this Valentine’s Day or for that matter on any of the previous ones!
                          But ever since the beginning of this year I did understand a few aspects of love or may I call it life,coz as they say love is nothing but life itself.
                        One such incident though not very pleasant yet went on a long way to prove that love exists in this world which has been crippled by hatred in every form.A few days back I think most of u have heard about a real pathetic tragedy which occurred in a private hostel in Itanagar where a fire broke loose and burnt a number of young schoolchildren of Don Bosco school while they were fast asleep.But Iam sure very few of us know about a special boy,a student of Class 5,who saved the life of many a young children of lower classes and even his classmates and helped them to escape from that deadly fire caught building.But unfortunately he couldn’t save his own life.In an attempt to save a few other lives time ran short making his escape impossible.And so he died……….
                           He died to save humanity…..or rather I should say in love for humanity he sacrificed his life.In present times where there is  hatred,distrust and negative energies everywhere,in times when a human being is killing another fellow human being in the name of terrorism,in times when vested interests are trying to divide the country in the name of caste,religion and regionalism,in times when there is lack of trust between one and all,where incidents like son killing a father for property or father killing a daughter for marrying a boy from a lower community is becoming prevalent like anything…………this boy died to save his friends.


                        This was my encounter with love..a love which was unconditional,a love which was selfless,a love which did not need a day for its celebration,a love which no card company can define,a love which showed us that humanity still exists…….it showed us that if there are men who are indiscriminately trying to destroy human race in the name of terrorism, on the other hand there are still a few human beings like this little boy who are ready to sacrifice their lives in an attempt to save human race.
Thus to conclude I must say that love still rules the world…….and we really don’t need a Valentine’s day to celebrate love.Love is not restricted within the confines of just being a romantic association..it can be love in any form..love for God,love for family,love for country n moresoever love for humanity…………….

Posted in Blogs.

16 comments

By – February 15, 2010


1st December


Now it has almost become a custom to assign a special meaning to each and every day of the month.What used to be?restricted to only “Teachers’ Day” and “Children’s Day” has now expanded to include celebration of days ranging from Friendship to Family..Daughter to husband..Mother to Grandparents.There is a day for celebrating practically every possible?relationship? in life.I don’t know whether it is really necessary to celebrate each and every day of the year in a special perspective or not but a few days are really important and needs to be remembered at least once.Two such memorable days for me are definitely 14th November and 1st December.Nov 14th is just more than Children’s Day for me coz alongside it is “Insulin Day” as well when the life saving drug Insulin was invented thereafter bringing about a revolution in the treatment of the silent killer disease,Diabetes Mellitus.Similarly 1st December is World AIDS day.Since the last two decades AIDS has crippled mankind by its deadly course.


????????????????????? Being a medico umpteen number of times have I read about the routes of spread of this deadly retroviral disease and an even larger number of times have I made people around me aware of it.And Iam sure most of my friends on this iland by now atleast know their bits about this disease which cripples our immune system making us vulnerable to a large number of opportunistic infections,malignancies and neurological disorders.


?????????????? But before being a doctor Iam a human being first and what I believe is that more than the devastating course of this disease its the social stigma attached with the disease which renders a patient more helpless and gradually provokes him/her to slip into depression as is usually seen as a terminal event of this disease.Its written in our books that in olden times whenever somebody got afflicted by leprosy the society usually said that it is due to some past life sin of that person.Times have changed but still even in this 21st century I have personally heard instances where an AIDS patient was ostracised by all the other villagemen and made to live the remaining few years of? hislife as a social outcaste.Moreover? nobody even crossed the path which he traversed in the fear that doing so even they will acquire his sin and fall a prey to this disease.This was just an example of some ignorant villagemen behaving irrationally but it almost shocked me when I heard about incidents of AIDS patients being turned down by Government hospitals just because the doctor on duty thought that he would get afflicted from the person.What can be more painful than this..after five years of rigorous study and the pledge to serve mankind,if at the end of the day a doctor behaves this way then it is indeed a curse on the society.In fact a more greater curse than the disease itself.


????????????????? I have personally felt the pain in the eyes of a mother whose young son was diagnosed with AIDS after she reported at the dermatology department for repeated vescicular eruptions on her son’s back since a number of days.Faced with the truth it seemed as if the mother’s whole world came to an end in a moment.Similarly I could see the helplessness of a married woman who discovered that she had contracted the disease through her husband’s extravagant lifestyle.


?????????????? What I would like to affirm is that days like these are not merely celebrated for the sake of doing so.But these are a means to create awareness amongst the masses about a disease to which we all can fall prey to.The need of the hour is to avail the facilities provided by the Government Health Policies through organisations like NACO.The voluntary testing and counselling centres established at the various government medical colleges does free blood tests in full confidentiality without any hassles.Morever the HAART system of treatment for AIDS has surely done its bit to prolong survival.But what is necessary is awareness without which nothing is worth because in this disease prevention is the only cure..So I would urge all my friends to know the basics of AIDS from every available source and protect themselves adequately from the pangs of the deadly HIV virus.Besides one more request to one and all..if in case you come across an HIV afflicted patient then make sure to shower him/her with love and care not merely sympathy because tender love and care is all that is needed by any patient of any disease more than medicines..and AIDS is no exception.Otherwise there is no meaning to celebrate World AIDS day by wearing red batches unless and until we know our responsibilies as a human being towards another fellow human being.

Posted in health.

33 comments

By – December 1, 2009


KINARA

It was not the first time that Shipra was walking along the banks of Ganga on a breezy winter evening.But today she was feeling the coldness around more than ever before.She was drawing her shawl as close as possible but still her shawl was not providing adequate protection to her slender frame from the chilly winter breeze.

             Was it merely the falling winter temperatures..or the cold heart within her which was as if melting within to remind her of a bitter feeling probably with which she has got to live her entire life now.

            Barely a week back her beloved elder sister and best friend Shramana got married off and left the country to begin her new life in a far off foreign land.Shipra was not related to her by blood but their relationship was probably much more than that.Shramana was her best and probably only friend with whom she could share her life.Shipra still remembered  her school days when she was barely a kindergarten kid and how Shramana didi made sure to help her out wit everything..right from learning to write a capital “A…B…C”,to helping her out to finish her lunch box during the recess.Then as time passed on Shramana didi taught her maths,physics and literature,she was her first trainer who taught her to pick up Kathak steps.She was her confidant,friend,philosopher and guide.If ever a guy troubled her in school,she always knew that Shramana didi will teach him a lesson.In short life for Shipra was nothing without her beloved Shramana didi.

             So Shipra has to bear this truth that her didi is no longer with her.She still wondered,who will she approach in case she faces a problem in future,becoz Shramana didi seemed to have a solution to all her problems.It was not that she won’t help her out if ever Shipra approaches her becoz Shipra well remembers those last words of Shramana didi as she was standing at the airport to bid her goodbye.Shramana told her,”Shipra..no matter wherever Iam, remember Iam in ur heart and will always remain there..just remember me and I’ll be there for you”.

            Still nothing could console Shipra.Shramana’s marriage had indeed left a void in her life.But was her marriage the only reason???She thought so and wished so..but as always her wishes proved to be futile.The pain in her heart was more deep seated.She still had the regret that her didi couldn’t marry the man whom she loved more than everything in this world.Shipra was probably the only person who had witnessed the gradual growth of love between Shramana and Mohit.She knew that they loved each other from their childhood,she knew they were supposed to be made for each other…in fact she learnt the meaning of love by watching their togetherness.

         But not every love story has a happy ending.The great divide of caste and status separated Shramana from Mohit forever.Shramana’s parents could never agree her relationship with a boy whose family could barely make both ends meet.So another love was deemed to be sacrifised on the altar of parents’ wishes.Shramana wanted to leave everything for Mohit,her riches,her home and even her parents.But Mohit actually loved her more than she could ever imagine.So he requested her to be patient and never to take any step in life which would hurt her parents becoz the bonds shared with  parents are probably stronger than any other relationship.Shramana couldn’t defy Mohit’s advice and so they both decided to part ways peacefully and even happily as Mohit wanted it to be.

                Shipra saw it all..their friendship..their love..their sacrifice..and finally their separation!Before her wedding day Shramana told Shipra in a lonely moment that now she has only one wish in life.She will pray before God for Mohit’s happiness and she would like to see him get married to a girl who would love him more than she does.And she even urged Shipra to pray for the same.All these years not a day had passed when Shipra had not prayed to God wishing for a miracle that would unite her Shramana didi and Mohit forever.But now her didi has given her some altogether different responsibilities.

               So today Shipra was walking alone on the banks of Ganga..she had begun praying for  Mohit  from the past few days itself.After all never in life could she defy her didi’s instructions.And she knew this was what Shramana wanted her to do.Though Shipra doesn’t know whether there could be a girl who could love Mohit more than her Shramana didi did.So once again she was asking for a miracle..but thats what she always did and God kept on turning down her prayers.Maybe this time she would  be lucky.After all this time the strength of the prayer was more than before..earlier Shipra alone prayed for Shramana and Mohit..but now Shramana will pray for Mohit..besides Shipra will pray for Mohit too becoz Shramana wants her to do so..and morever Shipra herself wants to do so…Because there was  a truth in Shipra’s life which no one else knew….not even Shramana who boasted of knowing Shipra even more than she herself did.But this truth only Shipra knew..and knew the banks of Ganga on which she had walked on so many evenings before…that alongwith the love story of Shramana and  Mohit another love was blossoming somewhere silently to be buried forever in the confines of a heart..Shipra was in love too..and with no one else but Mohit.But she knew that her love will never be successful…Shramana and Mohit will never meet..but that never meant that Mohit could be hers ever.She never wanted it that way too.For her Mohit was always Shramana didi’s and could never be anybody else’s.

Hence Shipra moved on the banks slowly..she could see a boat sailing far off in the midst of the river..the boat seemed aimlessly moving as was she..her heart was heavy and burden of it was slowing her pace too..she had too many feelings to nurture,too many responsibilities to handle,too many prayers to make…but remembered only one song everytime she walked along the banks:

Kaagazon ki kashtiyon ka koi kinara hota hai……….

Koi kinara jo kinare se mile..apna kinara hai

O-Maanjhi re..apna kinara,nadiyan ki dhaara hai!

Posted in Love.

22 comments

By – November 12, 2009


RECESSION

Since months all of us have heard only one word and that is of course “RECESSION”.Inflation rate rising…and rising..and then dipping..and then again rising..God I hardly understand head or tail of it.What is deflation n what is inflation,well I must admit it seems Greek n Latin to me.With opthalmology in the morning..ENT in the evening and Medicine in the night,I must say there is very little space left in my poor little brain to understand world economy or for that matter our country’s financial status.

The only thing I understood in the whole process is that in this age of recession a lot many people are losing their jobs like anything and the price of the necessary commodities are soaring sky high.By the grace of God I have not had to bear the brunt of this recession nor any of my near and dear ones had to lose their prized jobs.So I was pretty ignorant about the whole scenario without feeling the pinch at all.Till the other day a newspaper report left me stunned.The cover page bore the news of unemployed youths having done their graduation and even postgraduation almost fighting out in a mammoth queue in front of the State Service Commission office in kolkata.And before you think that these young men and women were probably waiting to collect their forms for the State Service Commission exams in order to become collectors of a district let me wake u up to a grave reality..they all were there to collect applications in order to apply for the grade 4 jobs.The total number of seats were 4000 and there were over a lakh applicants so there was a bit of a race to get hold of the form at the earliest.

There was so much commotion,that the police had to ultimately resort to a lathicharge.Besides the employees at the office were not co operative.They were casually doing their job as always.In the scorching sun as the youth of India stood to fight for their rights,the babus of the Commission office shared a joke amongst themselves..”See how the boys and girls are in a hurry to get their forms,it seems as if they are here to buy tickets for a Indo Pak cricket match”.They must have laughed after this insensible joke…their laughters may have filled the atmosphere.It must have almost dissolved the sighs of those lakh of applicants who had a family to support..an ailing mother to look after..an unmarried sister to be married off.Nobody but they themselves knew how poor their plight was which had compelled them to apply for menial jobs leaving aside their postgraduate degrees.

This was my encounter witn reality.The newspaper report brought a dozen questions in my mind.Is this recession????Or the failure of our education system which doesn’t adapt us to get a proper job????Or high handed bureaucracy in which only people having high political associations or backdoor connections are liable to get high ranks in jobs and elsewhere????Can’t say..if this is recession then why only middle class is the victim?Even now on days of festivities the upper middle and high class can afford luxuries.The long queues of people standing outside the jewellery shops to pick their gold or diamonds on the ocassion of Dhanteras mocks the situation..denies outrightly n says in the face..”Where is recession?”..actually nowhere!

Some questions will never be answered.Recession or no recession the plight of the lower middle class has always been the same n similarly the high classes have also led the same extravagant lifestyle.Ever since independence the condition has been same..farmers have died in starvation..students have committed suicide just becoz they wanted to study but had no money to buy a book..and such graduates and postgraduates have led their entire lives working as grade 4 employees.On the other hand politicians have travelled in business classes calling the economy class cattle class,film stars have charged crores for a single movie and sportstars have earned millions from endorsements.Everything is same..the stage is same..only characters have changed.I still remember the one particular scene of the movie Roti kapda aur makaan where Manoj kumar burns his engineering certificates in desperation being tired of unemployment.So for me this is not recession..i still don’t know what recession is..but this is life which some are forced to live in this manner,whether they like it or not!!!

Posted in Country.

41 comments

By – October 29, 2009


GENTLEMAN’S GAME???

Often have I been accused of showing my bias towards Mr.Mahendra Singh Dhoni.So many times have I found my inbox filled with messages with a curious query about my feelings for him.And sometime back an ilander even went to the extent of asking me that what is basically my relationship with him which makes me show my unnecessary favour towards him only to be backed by another sympathiser of this great ilander who said that I falsely associate my name with MS to shine as gold and get some undeserved publicity.

Well past is past,I may have forgotten all these ordeal which I had to undergo for nearly a month at the hands of a few so called respectable ilanders but still the way i was maliciously linked with Mr.Dhoni brings shivers down my spine.The wounds which were inflicted on my soul are still fresh and oozing and no matter what I won’t be able to forget them in a hurry.Yes it is true,in those times when team India had just lost the T20 world cup and these great ilanders were getting Mr.Dhoni’s dreams in their sleep giving explanation in his defence,I indeed supported him and why only him but the entire team.Becoz at that moment i felt that they were being literally crucified just because they had lost just one series though i can’t deny that it was the World Cup but still it was another series only.And a team which had till then only won matches for the country did not deserve such humiliation just because they lost a series.So I raised my voice against it.And in return I was asked about the details of my emotional attachment with him.

Now coming to the present context,we have seen that Team India has lost important matches in the past few months like anything the latest being the Champion’s Trophy in which they couldn’t even make it to the semis.Though Iam not that fortunate enough to have Mr.Dhoni appear in my dreams to defend the losses,but still through various media reports I came to know that Mr.Dhoni blamed the cricket board for the loss just because the board was selecting players on the basis of the IPL.I think Mr.Dhoni forgot to do his homework this time becoz had the case been so then he wouldn’t have been in the team as his performance in the last IPL series was just ordinary.

Besides with all these blame games over once again as India is gearing up for a fresh series against the mighty Aussies,the selection meeting reports just left me shocked.The media reported that Rahul Dravid was dropped from the team just becoz the captain did not want him in the team.Instead the captain argued with the selectors to get his closest friend RP Singh included in the team.So Rahul Dravid was dropped because he was not performing to the best and had barely managed to get some 180 runs in say 4 or 5 matches.But RP Singh had to be included because he is the captain’s best buddy and so what that he took only 4 wickets in 5 matches and gifted most of the sixes to the Pakistani batsmen in the crucial Indo Pak game.Anyways RP Singh was not included,at least in this matter the board showed its intelligence partly.But Viraat Kohli,what keeps him in the team?Well yes he was the highest scorer in India’s lone victorious match against the minnows team of West Indies at the Champion’s Trophy.But if that is the case then I may say Rahul Dravid was the highest scorer too in the match against Pakistan in which every other Indian batsmen performed dismally.So why the axe fell on him?The only reason for his ouster is bad form..or the captain’s dictatorship which forced the great bengal player Sourav Ganguly to retire prematurely?Iam sure Mr.Dhoni will be able to answer that better?

Morever it has been rightly said by a senior player that these youngsters have become so much money minded that no defeat saddens nor does any victory makes them happy.After being driven out of the Champion’s Trophy,the very next day bunch of Indian players like Viraat kohli,Suresh Raina and the likes are shown enjoying a shopping spree out there in South Africa.Besides when the coach had called for a practice session before the Australia match,all the big names preferred to stay back and it was attended by only one or two players like Rahul Dravid.So I think a player like Rahul Dravid who has 10,000 runs to his name in both forms of cricket is the only one who needs practice,rest all are too good to attend such sessions.

In short the pride to play for the country is missing somewhere.The winning habit has now been replaced by merely making money.Everybody is blaming the IPLs for ruining Indian cricket.but let me ask who was it that introduced the concept of IPLs,we didn’t after all!Iam a fan of Rahul Dravid definitely but more than that Iam a fan of cricket.I agree Rahul Dravid is no longer in the best of his form,he should have been removed from the team only to be replaced by someone capable.RP Singh or Viraat Kohli is not his replacement.And policies should be same for all,no relaxations should be made for captain’s friends.Its high time that Mr.Dhoni should concentrate on his game rather than off field politics and commercial shoots.I don’t have any problem if he is shooting for thousands of ads as long as he is winning matches for India.I also don’t have any problem if he fails to win always becoz defeat n victory go side by side in every sphere of life,but what is important is the pride.The pride of representing India should’nt dissolve ever.

Harbhajan Singh should concentrate on his game rather than quarrelling with any and everyone.And Sehwag n Yuvraaj should work on their fitness so that before a crux match they once again don’t injure themselves and return to the country to walk the ramp with Amrita Rao and the likes.Mr.Dhoni didnt stay back to receive his ICC awards because he didnt want to leave his team alone and stay behind for the awards,god knows which teammate was he giving company to when he decided to stay away from attending the Padmashree award!

Anyways I know this article of mine will once again break some hearts of the die hard Dhoni fans but still a truth is a truth and I have always learnt to stand for it all my life.Now my dear ilander friends you may begin sending me mails asking about my emotional attachment with Rahul Dravid.So for your convenience let me tell you that i have already written about it in one of my previous posts titled “A Gifted Relationship”,in case of doubt please refer to it.Besides this post was not in support of or against any cricketer,it was an attempt by me to find out whether the so called Gentleman’s game is actually so or not.Therefore I request all of you to drop in your comments either for or against the post,specially all those silent visitors who are too reluctant to leave their comments.And Iam no gold nor do I want to glitter by associating my name with Mr.Dhoni.If ever i’ll glitter Iam sure my own name is enough for that.

Posted in Cricket.

31 comments

By – October 22, 2009


IN SEARCH OF LIGHTS

The festival of Lights is once again round the corner.Its that time of the year once again when each one of us try to remove the darkness of a no moon night by brightening up our household with innumerable diyas,candles and bulbs.Can’t say if all these sources of light are powerful enough to remove the darkness around.But as I delve into my heart I find there is more darkness in it as compared to a no moon night………………………..

So many times have i disobeyed my parents and blamed them for all the mishappenings in my life.

So many times have I failed to acknowledge all the sacrifices that they have made to make my world better.

So many times have I quarrelled with my friends over trivial matters.

So many times have I not told them sorry waiting all the while for them to make the first move though i knew the fault was mine.

So many times have I shown disrespect to my teachers just because they had showered more praises over my contemporaries.

So many times have I felt jealous of my contemporaries for their achievements which i could have never ever been able to make.

So many times have I argued with strangers on the street without any reason.

So many times have I hated people just becoz I wanted to hate them.

So many times have I loved people who don’t deserve to be loved at all.

So many times have I shed tears over things which were not that important so as to make me cry.

So many times have I left people in distress just becoz i did not have enough time to lend out my helping hand to them.

So many times knowingly and unknowingly have I tried to fulfil my purposes at the cost of somebody else’s misery.

So many times have I criticised the system of my country,my state,my city without trying even a bit to improve it.

So many times have I accepted defeat without even wanting to win.

So many times have I given up without even trying once.

So many times have I failed to forgive people when they deserved to be pardoned.

….and so many times have I forgiven myself when I shouldn’t have been forgiven at all!

These and so many other things are a part of my darkness.So Iam still in search of that light which will remove all this darkness from my life forever.

Till then Deewalis will come and go,households will be lighted,crackers will be bursted but still somewhere a sense of incompleteness will be there.The no moon will become a new moon..may be even half moon..but still never a full moon.And my heart will sing……………

Dil ki tasalli ke liye jhoothi chamak,jhootha nikhaar

Jeevan to soona hi raha,sab samjhe aayee hai bahaar

So is every darkness removed on Deewali????Don’t know…..

HAPPY DEEWALI TO ALL OF YOU

Posted in Personal.

49 comments

By – October 17, 2009


The Journey of Music

The journey which began on a rainy August day was cut short on 13th October 1987….but some journeys indeed become memorable and they remain alive in the souls and hearts of generations to come.As the nation gears up to pay rich tributes to the legendary singer Kishore Kumar on his death anniversary(13th Oct)I take this opportunity to pay homage to that gem of Indian music whose singing style has rocked an entire nation through several generations.

We all have grown up listening to the songs of this maestro who has made us laugh with his witty songs as well as made us cry with his sad songs with the same intensity.So everytime I have had a mood swing..Jhum jhum jhumroo..or paanch rupaiyah baarah aana has made me laugh.Whereas songs like Kiska rasta dekhe,aye dil aye saudai,milon hai khaamoshi,barson hai tanhaii..or Zindagi ka safar hai ye kaisa safar has momentarily brought tears in my eyes.

In true sense kishore Kumar has been synonymous with the word versatility.So as he has sung songs of different mood right from classical to semi classical to light hearted songs he has also been a gifted music director as well as a talented actor.After all who can forget his tremendous comic performance in the movie Padosan!

Though I have been a die hard Rafi fan but truly speaking if I have admired any other singer besides the great Rafi,it has to be Kishore Kumar.And so many songs of his have been my all time favourites.A special mention of some like..Hamein tumse pyaar kitna ye hum nahi jante…Agar tum na hote…Mere naina saawan bhado…Kehna hai kehna hai aaj tumse pehli baar…Jeevan se bhari teri aankhein…O saathi re tere bina bhi kya jeena…Tere mere milan ki ye raina…Saama ye suhaana suhaana…and so many more.The list is endless.So friends I would request all of u who take the pains to put down your comments on my post to let me know your favourite Kishore Kumar song,and for those who are the usual silent visitors they may rather hum any Kishore kumar tune in their minds and silently cross my iland as always…

For Kishoreji any word of appreciation will be less.Still on his anniversary I shall remember him with a few lines from one of my favourite songs______

Phool khilte hai,log milte hai..magar

Patjhar me jo phool murjha jaate hai woh bahaaron ke aane se khilte nahi…

Kuch log jo ek din bichad jate hai woh hazaaron ke aane se milte nahi….

These lines are exclusively dedicated to Kishore ji..so many singers have come after him and will do so in future,so many similar voices were heard which claimed to be his voice duplicates but still Kishore Kumar is and will always remain the best..the void which his demise has left behind in the music industry will never be filled no matter what.

(This post is for a very good friend of mine who is an ardent fan of kishore Kumar)

Posted in Music.

38 comments

By – October 12, 2009


MOONLIT NIGHT

I was looking through my window as the backyard of my neighbourhood seemed busier than ever yesterday.Around a dozen women dressed in their best were sitting forming a circle and holding “thaalis” in their hands.There was impatience visible in each eye as the women were making sure to have a look at the sky above in between their never ending conversations.They all were waiting for the moon to shine bright in the sky.

It was Karwa Chauth once again,the day of love and celebration.A day when every north Indian woman prays for the long life of her husband and in the bargain makes him realise her importance in his life.

Though in my community this festival is not celebrated that much but still there is something about it which has always fascinated me.So yesterday the whole day I kept on surfing the news channels in an attempt to catch up with all that they were sharing regarding the festival.And as evening drew closer I found myself waiting for the moon to appear in all its beauty,if not more but with equal impatience as the women in my neighbourhood.

Though not very aware of the rituals but what I knew was that every woman did apply mehendi on their hands this day in the name of their love.Thus the first thing I did in the morning was to visit my nearby mall and get a mehendi done by a professional beautician.Though she was too busy and I had to wait nearly an hour before my turn came but believe me friends the design which she painted on my palm was by far the best.After she intricately designed the mehendi on my palm,she asked me the initials of my man.I was all confused from M…to..S…to…D…to …R,I probably remembered all the English alphabets before I asked her to paint the letter “B” boldly on my palm.She did accordingly.

And now as I was standing near the window watching the women sometimes n at times following the intricacies of my mehendi design,suddenly a gush of wind rushed through my window into my beloved room.Everything was tossed up here and there.And my long flowing tresses almost covered up my face making vision barely possible,I ran towards my cot to catch hold of my secret diary,the pages of which were flipping over as anything almost on the verge of getting torn.But it was too precious a possession of mine to suffer so much torture.So with one hand as I tried to remove my tresses from my face,the other hand of mine barely managed to stabilise a page of the diary…but alaas my mehendi was still half dried and what I could see through my half covered face was that the letter “B” got smeared over the photograph of my man which was hidden securely in that particular page of the diary which I was protecting desperately from being blown away by the cruel wind.

Barely had I caught a glimpse of him in the snap which now bore the impression of the letter “B” partly,half of which was still left behind on my palm ,that a cry of joy could be heard in my neighbourhood.The women were literally shouting that the moon had come out,but I really didnt have to rush to the window any more>I had already seen the moon….Now it was time for those women to break their fasts and taste the first bite of food from their husbands’ hands.The whole morning I had been thinking that great are these women who fast an entire day just to pray for their husbands’ long life.On the other hand I can’t even skip one meal of the day for whatsoever reason.But suddenly I was feeling a bit uncomfortable as I realised that in all this commotion even I had forgotten to eat anything from the morning.So was I fasting?????That sounds great,congratulations to me after all!

Late in the night as the backyard had gone empty with every couple retiring to the confines of their homes,I was sitting by my windowside.Few shreds of garlands were strewn here and there with vermilion being spread over them,some half lighted diyas were still burning and the moon was shining bright in the sky…but the wind which showed me my moon had long dissappeared,it had probably one purpose and having fulfilled that it had safely returned to its den.I was wide awake,gorging on some gulaab jamuns and chocolates in the wee hours of the night.What else nobody in my household had left any food for me coz they were not even aware that I was fasting.I myself wasn’t either.So I decided to end my fast by having these edibles which are HIS favourites and was humming a beautiful song in my mind as the world was fast asleep…..

Aye chaand teri chaandni ki kasamm..mere paas bhi ek chaand hai

Tere chaand me to daag hai..mera chaand par bedaag hai

Teri dooriyon ki kasamm..mera chaand mere paas hai!

P.S-Of late I have been getting some weird mails from the ilanders asking me the name of my man and also being kind enough to suggest me names ranging from Ranbir Kapoor to Imran Khan to Yuvraaj Singh to MS Dhoni.Well my dear friends I think I have given u a clue by mentioning his initial as “B”,so all the interested people can start guessing once more who he is if they don’t have any better work to do.Regards.Deepika

Posted in Personal.

32 comments

By – October 8, 2009


AJAB PREM KI GAZAB KAHANI

No,this is not the title of the new Ranbir Katrina starrer movie,nor is this the story of candyfloss romance shown in a SRK movie where a boy meets girl,falls  in love,and after singing a song or two settle down to marriage living happily ever after.This is no fiction nor is it any imagination.This is love in its raw form,this is love where a boy meets a girl or may not even meet but still love blossoms,this is love which rarely culminates into marriage,this is love where souls meet even before the actual union,this is love which is painful yet the balm of life,this is love which is uncertain yet one can bet an entire life on it,this is love without asking in return anything else not even love itself.In short this is love in reality.This is love seen through my eyes.As I have moved on the path of life so have I seen so many different shades of love.Some ordinary while others wanting to be ordinary but circumstances rendering it an extraordinariness.So as I move on to describe the different shades of love Iam sure most of my friends are going to identify with these shades coz it may be any of our stories or may be not but still it will sound familiar.

                                          Aksha met Saahil in the tennis court.Aksha had never learnt to lose a game of tennis till Saahil came in her life.After which she was ready to lose every game so that he can win.Saahil taught her love,he became her reason to live,her identity intermingled with his in an inseparable way.But Saahil had other plans,for him love was just a companionship for some moments and never a lifetime commitment.But like any other Indian girl Aksha had found her world in him.She was living in the trance of his love when suddenly one day Saahil decided to part ways.Aksha too parted,not that she wanted to but she loved him so much that she never ever questioned his decision coz she thought that if his happiness lied in parting ways then she was happy to make him happy.So Saahil left,but life came to a standstill for Aksha,she stood on the tennis court as she saw Saahil moving around with his new companion.But she never complained,though it was not that she never felt jealous but the winner of tennis matches was somewhere a winner in the true sense of the word.She tried hard and won over her emotions.But never did she pick up the tennis racket again.The one time winner was now scared to play the game coz everything in the tennis court reminded her of Saahil.Still she moved on,atleast the world thought so.Her career kept her busy,she fantasised about her professors and developed innumerable crushes.But every crush reminded her of Saahil and made her realise that no matter what she will never be able to love anyone else in her life as much as Saahil.A lot of time has passed,Aksha has been trying every day to forget her past bit by bit till one day Saahil once again comes back in her life now with the proposal to remain friends with her.Aksha probably goes through the toughest phase of her life coz ignoring someone who is her life is not easy.But still the winner in her always helps her to take strong decisions.She refuses Saahil’s offer coz love has always been more than just companionship for her.She  is ready to live with the memories of a love which she valued more than her life than live with the man himself who has never been able to understand a single emotion of hers ever or for that matter who has never valued her presence in his life only to leave her and go away at a moment when she couldn’t even think of spending a single day of her life without him.Hence this is Aksha presenting a shade of love and life.My salute to this extraordinary girl who has chosen her self respect before that love which used to be and is still her reason to live.She may have moved ahead in life but I still see her standing on the tennis court waiting to for her Saahil to come and play a game with her and as always defeat her..but still in life she is a clear cut winner.Her life moves on with the lines of the song..”Dil mera churaya kyun..jab ye dil todna hi tha,Humse dil lagaya kyun humse mooh modna hi tha???”

                                   Niharika was in love with Manish.Though Manish was around 8 yrs senior to her but like we know love cannot be bounded by age so the moment Niharika saw Manish she understood that she had found her soulmate in him.Manish too began loving him and in fact to such an extent that he grew extremely possessive about her.He even objected Niharika having interaction with another boy.Niharika was so much in love with Manish that she gradually surrendered to all his restraints and in fact distanced herself from this whole world so that she may not hurt Manish by any of her conduct.But as always family values once again came between their love.Niharika knew it well that her conservative family would never accept her relationship with Manish.So like a true Indian daughter she decided to part ways with Manish coz for her the dignity of her parents were much more important than her love for Manish.It was difficult for both of them to accept this decision of Niharika.Eventually Manish got married but still he wanted to remain in touch with Niharika.Guided by her love she too became weak in front of her emotions and continued to remain in touch with him.But one fine day even Niharika understood that what she was doing was not morally right.Like a true indian girl who knows her values well,she severed all connections with Manish.Manish accused her of being unfair to him,she didn’t protest.She knew that like Manish it was difficult for her too to remain away from him but she knew her limitations and she parted ways.Niharika is living her life now,she is ambitious,dreams of a good career,but somewhere down the line she knows that what she has lost will never be regained.She still silently loves Manish and prays for him and his little son.And I watch Niharika in admiration as a girl who sacrificed her love firstly for her ownfamily and later on for his family’s well being.Her life moves with the lines of the song..”Hum bewafaa hargiz na the,par hum wafaa kar na sake..humko mili uski sazaa hum jo khataah kar na sake”.

                           Rahul was the typical shy sober guy of his college.He was never the type to move around with girls and flirt with them.He didn’t know what was love till he saw Suhaasi.It was love at first sight for him in the true sense of the word.But the major hindrance in their love was that he was too shy to confess his love before her.His friends pulled his legs so many times but still he was unable to speak his mind.Till one day he gathered all his courage and after several fumblings he finally told Suhaasi of his feelings in a distorted manner.Suhaasi didn’t respond for a number of days.Rahul’s patience was being tested to the utmost and he always lived in the confusion that maybe Suhaasi’s silence meant her secret confirmation.But love is not that easy for everyone.One fine days Suhaasi rejected him saying that their mental wavelengths don’t match hence she cannot think of spending her entire life in incompatibility.Rahul’s heart was broken but he accepted it as his fate consoling himself by saying that probably he was too shy a guy to match up to the expectations of a glamorous girl like Suhaasi.Suhaasi has moved ahead alot in life.She has found a new partner for herself,hopefully this man is of her types.Rahul still stands at the local bus stop to catch a glimpse of her  still prays for her happiness and well being.And I have seen him hiding  his deep seated pain in his heart only to console me and for that matter all our common friends in their low times.We all have shared our grief with him time and again and he has always lent us his shoulders to cry on.But I feel guilty that not even half the number of times have I tried to lessen his grief in any manner.so this is for my dear friend Rahul,I salute you for having accepted life as it is and very few people can actually do so.These are a few lines dedicated to my friend Rahul..”Kitni akeli thi ye raahein jin par hum abtak akele chalte rahe..tujhse bichadke oh bekhabar tere hi gam mein jalte rahe..”

                    Raashi was different from every other girl in her college.She was the typical career oriented person.In her life her ambitions were only important.Love had no place in her life.She had put on a stern exterior and her batchmates often called her hitler coz she never allowed any boy to mess with her life.She could never trust a boy in her life.Till one day she saw him.Gautam was a celebrity.His field of interest never interested Raashi but once when she read an interview of Gautam in a newspaper she started admiring him.Admiration was now growing into craze.She made sure to cut all his pics from various magazines and newspapers and hide them in her secret notebooks.A feeling was gradually developing in her heart but she could never ever think that it was love,as she always thought that love can never visit the life of such an unromantic girl.But now the ice was melting,her ways were changing,she was gradually becomimg friendly with everyone around including boys.Till one day some strange supernatural things started haunting her life and there seemed to be a strange connection between these things and her feelings for Gautam.All hell breaks lose when she is being taken to a psychiatrist and after a couple of hypnosis sessions its revealed that there is some past life connections between Gautam and her.Raashi is shattered coz she had heard about all this only in movies and now life was looming large in front of her in this form.It didnt take her long to understand that she was in love with Gautam and the day when she realised her love was no other day but Gautam’s wedding day.Her love ended on the day it began.Times have moved on,Gautam is happy with his family but Raashi is standing still.Time has not moved a bit also for her.Gautam doesn’t know about these connections of the past,there is nobody to tell him either but Raashi will have to live with this burden her entire life.So many men have come and gone in her life thereafter but she has never loved anybody.She wanted to love someone but once again she hid her emotions behind her stern hitler image which she had cast sometime back.Now she is scared of love,she always was and maybe thats why love visited her in such a crude horrifying manner.Still she has tried to come to terms with her fate.And I have seen this wonderful girl making herself busy in her studies and her numerous social works.She says love is dead for her but I still sincerely wish that true love does come her way someday n heal all her wounds.Till then her life moves with the song..”Main to sadaa thi tumhari deewani..bhool gaye tum sajna preet purani..”

                     My final shade of love is about Deepika.She fell in love at an age when it was beyond her capacity to understand her own feelings.But she knew that she cared for Mahendra.There was not a single day when she didnt think about him.Her days used to begin with his name and end at it.Finally one fine day she understood her love for him.She wanted to tell him about  every feeling of hers but at that moment Mahendra was going through a lean patch in life,so she decided to remain quiet and wait for the right opportunity to speak out.Days passed on,she wanted to be his support in his difficult times but as she was too young then and moreover he was not aware of her existence too so she couldnt do much for him,though this regret of not being able to help him out in his moments of crisis still remains with Deepika n will be there always.But one thing she never forgot to pray for him each and every day.And as u know prayers sometimes do miracles,God indeed heard her prayers and out of his sheer hard work Mahendra made it big in his chosen field.Deepika now wanted to tell him her feelings,but probably now it was too late.He was too big a name now and far beyong her reach.Besides there is someone else in his life too.So now no chances are left for Deepika.She doesn’t have any regrets too.Its not that she never wanted to be loved in return but Deepika feels that her Mahendra is happy with his present life.So she doesn’t want to come in between his happiness.She still feels guilty that she was not a part of his sufferings so she doesn’t have the right to be a part of his good days.But God knows how much Deepika loves Mahendra and will do so her entire life.He may soon get married with someone else but still Deepika will continue loving him till the end of time.Regrets will be there that she could never profess her love before him but still Deepika is happy that she had atleast the priviledge of being in love with such a wonderful person that Mahendra is..And I see Deepika closely as she moves with the song..”Raat ki din ki bhi dilkashi tumse hai,zindagi ki kasam zindagi tumse hai..tumhi meri aankhein ho sooni tanha raahon mein…”

                      So friends this was my attempt to present before you some shades of love which I have been witness to.Though this is a long post but I would request all the readers to read it patiently and let me know which is the shade which is closest to your heart.I shall wait for all your comments…but still I know many of you will leave without commenting.Anyways I shall still wait coz Waiting is another shade of love,isn’t it?(All the names of the characters have been changed on request to protect individual privacy.And my dear friends Deepika in the post is not Deepika Ghosh n neither is Mahendra the captain of Indian Team MS Dhoni so pls don’t make any remarks about Mr.Dhoni.This is an earnest request coz he is no way involved with the post)

Posted in Love.

49 comments

By – October 1, 2009


SPIRIT OF FESTIVITY

There is mirth in the air as bengalis gear up to celebrate their favourite festival,Durga Puja.So while the artesans give the final touches of their artistic imagination to the idols of Devi Durga and we the lesser mortals begin the countdown to the biggest festivity which colours our life year after year in the same manner,a thousand emotions cross my mind now and then.

As I wrap up my shopping for the Pujas by last minute buyings,I wait for a minute to think about those thousands of people who were rendered homeless by the devastating “AILA” a few days back.Leave alone new clothes they don’t even have the basic amenities left with them which is necessary for life to barely move on!

So as I pay thousands getting a new hairstyle or a latest skin treatment in a reputed saloon,I once again wait a minute to think of those millions of children who spend most of their lives living on the streets of India being faced with innumerable exploitations every moment!

And as I plan for each day…Shashti..Saptami..Ashtami..Navmi..my personal style,my dressing state,my make up,i once again stop a while to think of all those farmers who plan each and every day how to make two ends meet in the areas where drought has not only killed the crops but also countless dreams!

I can’t do much coz Iam not the administrator nor a minister not even a social worker associated with any NGO…..and more than this Iam the quintessential Indian who always has the excuse that one person cannot change the world.But still i wish to be different so this year as Navaratri begins after Mahalaya tomorrow,I’ll impatiently wait for those five days of festivity.Every year I do so but this year the spirit is a little different.If not anything else I can atleast remember these less blessed people on those five days and pray to Devi Durga to give them the courage to bear their miseries.Because prayers can sometimes do wonders and at present when Iam not in a position to take a more drastic step to change some lives,I can atleast pray for their wellbeing.And definitely amidst all these prayers there will be one prayer for myself,I would ask Devi Durga with folded hands to give me that much strength and means in the near future so that if not many I can atleast change one life for the better….

Hence the festivity is same,the joy is same but the spirit is a little different.Besides my own family i would like to pray this year for those many families who need more than just our prayers!

And as the festivity approaches I wish I could bring time to a standstill so that those five days of eternal joy remains permanently in all our lives with dissappointments and despair shed away forever.But i know this is not possible because time will move on and so will life.Once again I’ll have to bid Devi Durga adieu with tearful eyes as men will immerse the idols in the holy Ganges at the end of those five days which will pass off like a dream.Hopefully that will be the last time that tears will be shed,may the Goddess carry away with her all our miseries and leave behind peace n prosperity everywhere.

Wishing all my friends a very happy DURGA PUJA and NAVARATRI!

(Iam really sorry to inform my friends that my last post 500 not out got deleted even without my knowledge.Iam really disheartened that all the lovely comments of my wonderful friends got deleted.But I assure you all that soon I shall write a friendship post for all of you.Till then your comments are awaited for this post)

Posted in Personal.

44 comments

By – September 17, 2009