The Old Idea-smithy

Five years later

I took my baby-steps in blogging and public writing here. Five years later, I can't believe how big this has become.

I'm now the proud owner of my own domains.

Come meet me at The Idea-smithy (www.theideasmithy.com) and The XXFactor (www.thexxfactor.net).

~ The Smithy has moved! ~

Time to move on....having played around with all that rediffblogs allows me, I've decided I've grown past it. So read me now at http://ideasmithy.blogspot.com

Update: I've since shifted to Wordpress. Read me at The Idea-smithy and at XXFactor.

~ Just one day ~

If I could hold you for just one day
And make it a day of only happiness and smiles
And not let even a speck of dust touch you, let alone the darkness
And leave you with the memory of one safe haven on earth
I would

If I could care for you for just one day
And carry you over your hurdles to the best there is in you
And let you feel all the love and joy that there is to feel
So you knew how much of that was for you
I would

If I could cherish you for just one day
A day of celebration of you and you only
And accept you and treasure you as complete and perfect just as you are
And bring you the world singing and smiling for the wonder that is you
I would

If I could fulfil all your dreams for just one day
Bring you every single thing that you desire
And a new dream for every single waking moment
Make you believe that �life� and �impossible� are mutually exclusive
I would.

If I could love you for just one day
And have to walk away at the end of it
And never have you again
But leave you with the thought that one day is enough
And I would

Maybe tomorrow will be that day.

~ Slow simmer ~

I burn, oh how I burn
All the bright sparks that flame around me
Catch in my dry, withering strands
Tiny prickles of heat
Silent glowing embers
And I smoulder
In ashes I sink from the weight
Of so much aridity
So much heat
Quietly I�m collapsing in on myself
But the insipidity that has clung on
Life notwithstanding
Hides my charred remains

~ Song for the broken-hearted ~

Frightened child, crying child
Running away and hiding your face in your hands
I dare not tell you not to cry
Because your tears will be the water that nurture your soul

Lonely lady, wistful lady
Could I even think of something to say
That would make you feel better
It�s a lonely world baby, you�re not alone.

Defeated hero, surviving just barely
Finding ways to keep your mind occupied and your heart numb
Shutting yourself away ain�t gonna help
Cos� you�ll rebel against your own rules some day.

The world is a crazy place I know
And sometimes it feels like it will never make sense.
But you just gotta find your place in it, that�s all
You just gotta find a way to belong

~ Singing soul ~

Did a google search on 'Ideasmith' and my blog is the 8th link on the first page. 'Ideasmithy' throws me up as the 2nd link on the first page.....yeeeeaaahoooo I'm famous!

4 hours to the holiday...4 hours to the weekend....half a day to freedom...I think I'm going nuts in excitement.
At the start of the year when we got the list of holidays in the year, I made a note of them all. All year I've been gazing longingly at this looooong weekend in November....it is the oasis in the desert of a year that has had more holidays falling on Saturdays and Sundays than most other years.......and finally its here!!!!!!!!!!

Spent the morning designing a greeting card for clients, then another one for colleagues and mailing them out. Yipeee.....loads of people responded, among them those who don't ever come on the line when I call.

Took a call on my cell and walked out....you can literally smell the festivities in the air even in a boring office complex. Walking back in, I caught sight of an attractive woman with shining eyes and thought..."Hey, whoz that?"...and realised i was staring at my own reflection.

I guess I'm just looking for excuses to explain this insane desire I have to jump up into the air, fling my hands out and yell "YIPPPPPPPPEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!"

Happy diwali to every one of you...thank you for sharing my ideas and my dreams....and may the year to come bring plenty more ideas to be forged and shared!

~ The festive season ~

Its that time again
The pounding drums beat faster and faster
The crowds get bigger and wilder
From colour and coconuts
to gold and firecrackers

The oldest religion in the world
proclaims its devotion to the stars of its colourful ideology

Happy birthday to the greatest flutist in the universe
The cowherd, the village romeo, the wise charioteer

Glory be to the benevolent, tusked deity of beginnings
The elephant-headed scribe of the most popular epic

Celebrate every form of womanhood that this religion and this country worship
The nurturer, the benefactor, the protector, the avenger

And finally, the triumph of good over evil
The slaying of a demon, the return of the king
South and North unite in their celebrations of two distinct events in Hindu history

Its a good time to be a Hindu
Its a good time to be in India
Yet, I stand outside the fray.
A silent spectator.
I burn no firecrackers
I carry no sweets
I just watch all the fire and sparkle and colour around me
And marvel and the depth of frenzy and joy in the collective masses
A vague voice reminds me of how much dirt and grit is hidden beneath that colour
Of child labour and noise pollution and burn injuries
And death by drowning and chemicals in the water...
....and oh, I clamp down on the voice

Why, o, why can I never rejoice like the rest?
Lose myself to the overpowering craze.
So I take a deep breath and stand silent witness to swinging contrasts of the rest of the world.
Funny....they call me moody.

~ Where life lives ~

I saw the Amul ad on a hoarding �Fight house� and smiled�there is humour left in the world

Yesterday I watched an episode of �Indian Idol� and saw the dreams that still sparkle in some eyes.

I listened to the radio and heard music, love and laughter that rings in corners every day everywhere.

In the train on the way home there was a girl in a lovely Orissa cotton salwar-kameez, immersed in �The Alchemist�. The passenger next to her had such lovely eyes�.such tired eyes but such lovely eyes.
Tiny pearl studs shone in the ears of the matron sitting opposite to me.
A student standing next to the window was holding a smooth glossy brown leather bag.
A painted bindi around a sparkling sticker on the forehead of her companion
Outside the window, stretching from the compartment entrance, a green and white dupatta was flapping
And somewhere in the middle of the crowd an urchin was singing.

So much beauty wherever I look.
Not in grand works of art but in miniscule doses, hidden throughout the day and all over the world.
Life isn�t the time that�s ticking away in the clocks and scoring off on calendars.
It is in these moments.

~ Chaotic beliefs ~

Mom accompanied me to the tailor today. On the way back, she asked me almost nervously, �Can we make a stop here?� �Sure� I said and trooped in.

It has been nearly 7 years since I walked into this place. There was a time I used to visit it everyday. My faith was so pure, so trusting, so unshakeable. Except it did get shaken�and tainted�and cynical.

I don�t know if I believe in God or not.

In my lowest moments I turn grudgingly towards God�and then I break down and cry. Then things start to get better and I realize in my more intelligent frame of mind that lighting a lamp or a candle cannot be the reasons my life is better. Then things start to change, one by one its�.like life is a car that I�ve lost control over and I�m staring trapped behind the steering wheel while things keep coming at me - trees, lampposts, PEOPLE.

The intellectual in me says that security is a very real human need and belief systems are our way of dealing with a world that we largely do not understand and certainly don�t control. The mostly silent but occasionally overpowering psychic in me knows that symbols and pictures are but tools to reach something deeper. What does the human being in me think?

I don�t know. I just don�t know.
I don�t know if I want to know. I don�t know if I should know.
I don�t know if I dare to know. I don�t know if I care to know.
I don�t know if there is anything to know.

~ November Rain ~

Rain, clouds in the sky
I don�t why
They make me cry

Raindrops up and down
Strange kind of romance
Let the rhythm of the world go on�

Why do I worry so much
Why do I cry
Its going to be alright
No�it IS alright

And in the night, when I was sleeping
The rain fell silently
Washing away my worries and my pain
And left a clean new world that I woke up to.

Maybe its the cool breeze
Maybe its because its Wednesday and the middle of the week
Maybe it is an unexpected meeting in town and getting off early
Or maybe its just the November rain that's making me sing....