A SO(A)REE STORY

Experience is the greatest teacher, they say. But I thought "Why not add exagerration to experience?" After doing so, the result is here......Vishwa is only the mouthpiece for my experience-exagerrated....

A great man has said "You are the creator of your destiny". Maybe, that's true about our life and dreams years down the lane. But, our life for the next 20 minutes or so seems to be predestined. And sometimes, we make the wrong choices at the wrong times to land up in the wrong places. Let me narrate a story:

Vishwa is a young boy, who recently completed his 10th std. exams. Let us hear what he has to say:

 "Recently, fate and choice played "mixed-doubles" with me to send me to a place where time stands still when you have the right set of people - the saree showroom.
The marriage of one of my cousins is round the corner - nearly a month and a half. But time flies: except in the saree showroom, as I have already said. I had been to my aunt's house to lend a helping hand in the preparations - it's holidays and I have no other work to do. It's also said that helping in marriage earns one good karma.- My uncle and I had to then go out on some other errand. We come back to find the house locked!! He immediately called up my aunt and she had gone with another aunt of mine to a nearby saree showroom.
At that point of time, I was presented with two chances - one - to get the key from the neighbouring house; two - to go to the showroom. I made a choice that I would regret over the next 3 hours.
My uncle and I went to that showroom. Infact, the story had just begun. My aunts had settled down just then. The showroom owner was all smiles at the sight of customers. Little did he know that those smiles would not last long!!!!
My uncle and I took our place on the sofa placed there. Probably, the owners knew that such comfort level were required to help sons and husbands, who come with the ladies, to patiently bear those never-ending hours. At first, the "marketing rep." displayed sarees by selecting them himself. He gave an elaborate description of the design, the fabric and the present trend in the market. My uncle had a new-found pal in the young son of one of the customers. Even the kid seemed to be at ease with his new friend. Even I took part in my uncle's talk with his friend. After sometime, I checked my watch - we had been in the showroom for nearly an hour already. And the deal seemed to be getting nowhere. The smile had slightly fadedfrom the "marketing rep."s face. Yet he managed to carry on.
We - the patiently waiting people -  were served tea: the tea was great: anything would seem great if you wait for that a huge span of time. But it didn't end there. The "marketing rep." was now showing sarees my aunts chose. Slowly the sarees rose in a mountain around the "marketing rep." Still, my aunts were not satisfied. The AC in the showroom made me feel sick. My uncle was dozing off. Yet, my aunts took no notice. They seemed to be in a world of their own, oblivious to what was happening around.
Another hour gone. I started taking a stroll around the showroom. From one position, I could sight the "marketing rep."s face - they were gleaming with beads of sweat!! Poor guy! He was having a real tough time! I go and sit next to my aunts. Then, they realised that uncle and I were there. They decided to wrap up  the deal in another few minutes.
They took another 20 minutes to choose a saree for themselves. I went and woke my uncle up. He went and washed his face in the restroom and had another cup of tea before my aunts came. They had taken another half hour to bargain. And finally we returned home.
Sorry if my story was too long - I think I deserve that after having spent nearly three hours in the saree showroom, don't I??"

This is the story of  Vishwa, who probably woke up on the left-side of the bed that day. May peace be with him. And, may he not make such a wrong decision again!!!

THE RAAS LEELA

Recounting an episode from the life of one of the greatest characters in INDIAN MYTHOLOGY


On a calm and peaceful night,
The moon is shining bright -
He is beautiful!! He is round!
Vrindavan is silent - without a sound.

The silence is waiting -
'Tis expecting a sound
Any minute now, any second -
The end to its wait is bound.

Adding thrill to the wait,
Is a cool breeze blowing.
Even Yamuna seems to be waiting -
Sans a noise she is flowing!!

Waiting on the sands of the Yamuna
Is She who taught the world love.
With Her beautiful feet in the Yamuna,
Gazing at the stars is She now!

Flying slightly with the wind
Is Her thick black hair!
In front of Her, the Moon appears gloomy!!!
Oh God!! She is so fair!!

Who is it that stole the stars
To put them in her eyes?
Her beauty will last eternity
Though for others - time flies!!

A music so melodious
Comes in the wind floating by.
One can feel in the heart
Of that music, true love lie.

She turns around, She sees Him
With a hug is their greeting.
He silences his flute. And now
In the silence of the night,
They hear each other's heart beating!!

"Radha" His heart beats Her name
"Krishna" is the instant reply.
They are lost in each other's eyes!!
Since it is He who rules the world,
For them time never flies!!!

After some time - what seems like eternity
(For them - not more than a second)-
They come out of their trance.
He, again, begins playing His flute
She, overjoyed, begins to dance!!

His music spreads over Vrindavan
It weaves magic all around!!
The heart of Gopis takes a leap!
They rush towards the magic sound.

The Gopis see Radha-Krishna
Their envy turns them green!!
Krishna with Radha is a sight
They wish they never had seen!!

Krishna, not wanting to pain the Gopis,
Again, his magic he weaves -
With each Gopi, dances a Krishna!!
No heart any longer grieves!!!!!!!!!!

Nobody really knows the truth -
With His Radha He really lies!!
After thousands of years,
We still narrate their story:
Because true love never dies!!!

PROSPECT OF DEATH - a "grave"ly serious matter!!!

On this day, when we are welcoming the new year - according to the Hindu calender, writing about death seems ironical enough. The idea behind it is if you respect death, it will respect you and stay away from you. It is like bribing death to save yourself from it. It is to celebrate the spirit of life!!!!!

I had a dream one of these days:

All of a sudden, I die!! Nobody knows why. Nobody knows how. Neither do I. And, as per Hindu mythology, YAMAKINKARAS - the servants of Yama, the God of Death, come to chain my soul and take it away. I struggle. I struggle hard. Yet, I can not free myself from them. I feel life ebbing away!!

That's when I woke up with  a start - I found myself sweating. I threw away my blanket and switched on the fan. Ah!! What a relief it was to find myself alive, again!! It had not been a dream - but a nightmare!!! That was when thoughts started flowing - for after a nightmare, you can seldom sleep well that night. I questioned myself what it would be to die. Well, nobody knows - those alive don't know. Those dead cannot return to tell how it is!!

At this point, I would like to narrate an incident that is said to have taken place in the family circle years ago:

There was this person who was suffering from illness. That person's health deteriorated to the the maximum and everybody - including the doctors - gave up hope! That person was shifted to another hospital. The patient was in coma. The doctors declared dead. And all of a sudden, that person stirred. There still was life in that person. It was declared nothing short of a miracle!! And when others asked what it felt like, that person said " I had been to hell!! I saw Yama. He told that since I had "accounts" to clear still on earth, I was not fit to be dead so soon. He sent me back to earth."

We can never verify the authenticity of what that person told - for that person is no longer alive. Was it the effect of the stories heard during that person's life that made them to see YAMA'S DARBAR? Perhaps it was. Or is it real that there exists a Yama, the accountant with his assistant, Chitragupta? We never know.

The word death seems very interesting and has an air of mystery around it - for nobody knows what is beyond death, do we?

And many times we "feel" we missed death by a whisker - whether or not we were close to death. Recently, my friends and I went to WONDER LA, one of the biggest and most popular amusement parks. And as we sat through the dry rides - I took part only in a countable few, not all - I felt life moving out of my body. I knew nothing would happen. Yet, the fear of something happening, the fear of death overtook my enthusiasm. I don't feel embarassed or ashamed to say that I was scared then. It is just that I love to live and I love life a lot!! "Is it wrong to love life?" is my question to those who call me a coward. Even though I know nothing happens in these amusement parks, for they would have taken the measures beforehand, I don't want to risk my life for a ride which I dont feel comfortable with.

Though people may say "I dont care for death. I am ready to face it", there will always be fear in their heart, which seems to be hidden beneath a layer of superficial bravery. Infact, it is only the soldiers who are the real bravehearts. Hats off to them!!

Even though I love life, I find myself sometimes being too philosophical and thinking that death is an inevitabilty; I am powerless; let me face it even if it consumes me right now. I know that is not me - for, as I have said, I love my life.

At this moment, I again feel philosophical. I find myself saying "Ah! It does'nt matter even if I die. I have seen India lifting the World Cup. What else does one require??!!" I deserve a tight slap off myself! I will give it!!

OF MUSIC – Once Upon a Time……

This is one of my older creations, which fortunately or unfortunately couldn't be posted on my blog for so many days.


In the days of yore, in a village yonder

A boy lived, who thought “Music – a wonder!”

It was his deepest passion that to learn music.

Music was his love; and he – lovesick.

His search went on and on

He could not find a Master.

But one day, he heard a divine raga

His heart began beating faster.

There stood a hill; on top of it – a cave.

To a mystic magician of music, shelter it gave.

Sat crosslegged, singing, with eyes closed did he

Emanating from his throat,

The raga was as enchanting as it could be.

The boy came to the cave,

Running up the hill.

Listening to this maestro’s music –

It gave him such a thrill!

Falling to your feet, I beg you oh Master!

From you, I want to learn to sing.

I do not come here alone, Master.

With me, immense passion I bring!

Impressed with the boy’s devotion,

The Master took the boy to train.

In his eyes, the Master saw passion,

An ocean of knowledge did the boy gain.

Years passed; The boy learnt to sing.

Under the Master, his imagination grew wing.

In the light of the Master, the boy’s future shone bright.

But fate took an evil turn – as evil as it might!

“My child, I will teach you a raga –

Oh! ‘Tis the favourite of mine.

Sung with passion, as in you,

Oh! It will be divine!

I shall teach you Amrutavarshini –

The raga that will bring rain.

When sung from the heart, as you sing,

It will vanquish all your pain.”

Unfortunately, the Boy who sang ragas from his heart,

Could not render Varshini.

Banished was he from the Master’s sight.

Fate had played it’s part.

By then, both the Master and the disciple had become famous in the villages around. The news of the disciple’s banishing spread like wildfire. They came to the cave to ask the Master to take back his words and said that they would search for him. But the Master remained unmoved.

Years passed; The disciple practiced.

He made Varshini his forte.

A month later, the Master died.

The village was struck with drought.

The people searched for the disciple.

But he was nowhere to be seen.

On one fateful night, he came to the cave –

The cave where his Master had been.

Having known of his Master’s death,

The disciple was overcome with grief.

He mourned for a while, he cried

And then, he began to sing.

People rushed on hearing his voice

Amruthavarshini he rendered.

Long before he completed the aalaap,

The rain-god had thundered!!!!!

With his beautiful singing, the disciple brought rain to the drought-struck village. Unfortunately, his Master, whose favorite was Amruthavarshini, remained only in the heart of his disciple, not in the physical world.

LOST AND FOUND..........

Before writing this post, I made a search on the net as to see if there was any famous book or play with the same title. Not to my surprise, there was one book and a play - both for kids. Let me make it clear that this post has got nothing to do with either of them.

My mind reels back to someday 8 years ago......I was in 2nd std.....That day, I lost my pencil box. I wasn't mature enough then(which means I am mature now) to understand that losing something was a sign of irresponsible behaviour and was a "punishable offence". I coolly went to my mother and asked her to acoompany me to the nearest stationery store(the reason being I was not a grown up then to handle transactions on my own or to cross roads alone).

Mother: Why? What do you want to buy?
Me: I have lost my pencil box. I need to do my homework. So I need to get my pencil box, pencil, eraser, scale, sharpener....everything. Please come with me, mother.

That enraged my mother. My being so cool even after informing her - without a bit of shame and sorry - added fuel to the fire!! I received a good round of blasting. Later in the evening when my father returned home, I was met with a second round. My brother chuckling when I was being scolded hurt my "ego". I decided to walk out of the house. I did go away, crying. But where did I go? I have mentioned that i wasn't grown-up enough to cross roads alone. I ended up standing in front of a provision store 50 metres away from my house, on the same lane, making a public expression of my grief and sorrow.. My father waited for a good ten minutes - he knew I would not dare to go anywhere - and then came to take me back home(this incident circulated like wildfire in the family circle and everybody had a good laugh, to my embarassment).
The mext day, I went to school only to find my box at my desk. I had left it there the previous day, in a hurry to run home. My box was lost and found.

1 year ago.....An inter-school competition......I was to participate in 4 events(never mind which they were - one of them was a drama). I was in high spirits - participating in 4 events I wanted to win atleast one prize for my school. The events were spread over two days. The first day, I lost both the events. I wasn't hoping to win in both of them either. My hopes and energies were foussed on the drama. Complete with costumes and props, we entered the stage. We performed well - exceedingly well. Despite two members coming on stage out of cue, we managed it with presence of mind. Our expectations of winning were high. Even the audience felt the same. We also planned for a party after the results - such was our hope!! The result were declared - all our hopes were in vain - all our dreams came crashing down to earth!! We had lost. I had lost - for I was the one who requested the teachers to let us participate in the drama. And I had also lost the 4th event. For once, I had lost in all the competitions I had participated in. My confidence took a beating and I felt myself  being trampled!! It took me another to wins at different events to regain, to find what I had lost - my confidence and my character.

Just 2 days ago....Somebody hacked my id. I felt my limbs chopped off. I couldn't believe my id was hacked!! Yet that was the reality was that it had been hacked. I had to follow a long procedure of filling a form, sending it to the authorities and receiving a mail from them before regaining my id. To the long list of things I lost and found, I added a valuable thing - my email id!!!!!!!!!!
 

WHERE THE END MARKS THE BEGINNING............

As I sit here writing, my mind goes back in time - a week or so - refresh the memories that will always stay fresh in my mind: our final days in school. Moving backwards in time is quite tough. But the once you are into the world of your fnd memories, I think it is worth the difficulty.

That day, we decided to play our last cricket match - our class and the adjoining class. The game reached a sort of an anti-climax even before it started - lack of space. Yet, it could not hamper our spirit to play one final game before leaving school. We are old rivals(on-field only) - the rivalry is 7 years old. And as if to pacify our hearts burning with that fire of revenge and to be declared a champion, the match ended in a tie - even in the super-over. That inspired me to write this post - the beginning of the end.

And the week that followed was quite emotional and the "floodgates" opened - it was our last week in school(and the preparatory marks were also given).With slambooks, hugs, photo sessions and tears, it could have made anybody sentimental. Afterall, we had spent 12 long years in school - having shared almost everything: our secrets, our likes and dislikes, punishments and even bunking classes, sometimes. Those 12 years had built a strong sense of unity and oneness amongst us - even when one was caught doing wrong, we stood by him and saw to it he came out unscathed.

That week saw even quite a few teachers getting emotional. Afterall, they had nurtured us for so long. We had bid adieu to all our familiar haunts and fellows and our very dear school to embark on a voyage where still uncertainty shrouds many of us. A voyage that will take us far - away from all our familiar-till-now places.
I only hope we all are successful on our voyage(s).

Then came our final day - the final ever - in school, after which we would never be alowed to step into it as students. As fate would have it, our class got jinxed dat day for various reasons - our final assembly programme could never be presented. Yet, we enjoyed viewing it as a class - together for one final time.
Again, there were more more hugs, more pics and more tears. Ah!!!!!!! how I wish I could relive those 12 years again and again and over again. How I wish for a "time turner"(HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF ASKABAN)!!!!!!!

Now, sitting at home, with no expectations of meeting my friends again in school, I feel cut off, chopped from the world I belong to. The truth is yet to dawn upon us that our school is not the world but a part of the world. Sometimes, I feel it is better if that truth dawns upon us. Sometimes, I feel  it is beter if it doesn't.
All that awaits us now are the board exams and that endless wait of hope and expectations until the results are out. And then, take a plunge into the a sea  of new people with a "school" of old fishes and explore the new world with enthusiasm...................

"..........If winter comes,
Can spring be far behind?"          - P.B. SHELLEY

OF WAR – Once Upon a Time……

Sitting on a stone was an old man.

He had an unearthly look.

For his left leg he had a stub

For his left hand – a hook.

Walking down the road, I was amused by his sight.

I felt an urge to talk.

“Sir, how is it that you have only two limbs?

Will you be able to walk?”

His right hand he placed upon my head

Over me, he cast a spell.

His piercing look bore into me.

His tale he began to tell

“It is the story of revenge –

The tale I will tell you now.

It is the story of treason and hate

With a little shade of love.

Once there lived an able king –

Courageous and just was he.

He had a daughter – the heir of the kingdom –

Who was admired and loved by me”

I asked him “How did she look? Was she beautiful? Why did you admire her?”

“The princess was charming.

Had an enchanting smile did she.

She was beauty in human form,

As beautiful as beauty could be.

She was generous; She was kind

She was character personified

She was the owner of a magical voice

She was our kingdom’s pride.

I served the king, his General I was.

I was his comrade; He was never a boss.

Many a war we fought together, many a war we won.

Once I did save him from death

From then we became one.

One fine day, I asked the king

If I could marry his daughter.

For a moment he stood still.

Then, he burst into laughter.

‘Who are you?’ the king asked

‘to ask my daughter in marriage?

You are after all, my General.

I want a prince with lineage’”

The old man continued “This insult I could not bear. The king had hot me where it hurt most. I decided to take revenge and make the king pay for his words. His most trusted General was to become his enemy, for the king had destroyed the love I carried for his daughter”

He continued:

“Then came a war – a fierce war.

What a huge army our’s was!

The king was away fighting the enemy king.

Of the army, I was the boss.

On sending the troops to fight the enemy,

To assist the king I went.

‘Oh! What a chance!’ I thought

‘A chance fate has sent’

In order to fight the enemy king,

I went and joined my boss.

When the chance presented itself,

I slew my Master’s horse.

Our king fell down. I thrust my sword

Through his mighty heart.

He swung around and with his sword,

Chopped my two limbs apart.

The war was lost, but not the kingdom –

It was gifted by the enemy king.

I was the king, I ran to the princess

But I could not hear her sing.

The princess had died, the people – enraged!

They knew of my deed.

They pelted stones, they hit me

Till I could no longer bleed

They carried me atop a hill.

They nailed me to a tree.

With the tree, I was burnt,

But my soul was not to be free.

My story ends here” he said.

“Oh! Let him not be a spirit” I wished

“Who are you, then?” I asked aloud.

Right before my eyes, he vanished!!!