No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut. ~Channing Pollock
Any comment on the quote????
Well, I don’t know bout you guys, but I can tell you that I am not courageous in that way. I am a big foodie who loves to eat each and everything that is edibleJ. But when it comes to cooking, I am the worst person on the whole planet.
Before a month, what I knew to cook is Maggie,Omelet, Allu-Bhujiya, Rice and Dall, that’s all.
But wo kehte hain na, life teaches us lessons which we never wished to learn. Khushi always tried to pull me in kitchen to help her out while cooking but I use to say , “Well, if you are here, then why should I worry about food and all??? I will help you with other chores as chopping Onions (Subak Subak), chilies and washing dishes between cooking”. She tried her best, but at last he gave a DUHHHH to me and keeps on cooking. But when she went to my In laws place, then the problem started..
Now what to do???
But within a minute, I found a solution. Let me visit friends for dinner (wicked me!!!! Hai na). Well, they knew my condition and happily accepted that too and I enjoyed food at their places for a week. (I took full precaution of visiting one friends only once in a week so that they will not throw me out… Heheheheheh wicked me again).
But Homo proponit, sed Deus disponitoppps… I mean to say man proposes but god disposes. All my plans come to an end yesterday, when it started raining heavily at 7.0 pm. I was ready in my new shorts and T and all set to move but god have some other plans, it rained, rained and rained. Finally at 9’O clock, I gave up hope and call my friends “Sorry guys will not be able to make it up, So you guys carry on” They felt sorry for me and a bit anxious too that what I am going to have for my dinner. I told them not to worry and that I will order something from HYDERABAD HOUSE (a famous Biryani shop) and then we hang up.
I looked for HH number from internet and called them up. “Hey I want to place order for One Chicken Biryani and 2 mutton Lukhmi” and I was shocked by their reply “Sorry sir, we are out of stock”. I was shocked, now what to do???
Then I checked my kitchen, what is available in their. Maggie!!! Nahhh Don’t want to eat that, Soups-It’s not going to solve any purpose. Now what to do??
Till that time, even the rain stopped. I cursed me, myself and weather that why this is happening to me @#$%&*@##$$# and decided to go out to get something to eat.
I went to the vegetable shop near my place and all she had was Lauki (Gourd) and onions. Well I took that and decided to call Khushi to get some help to cook something.
When I called her, she laughed for almost a minute and said “You deserve this” but finally she was ready to help me out with available materials and told me to try for “Lauki Do Pyaza” and rice.

Last Saturday, after a long time, we went to the park near our place to enjoy the pleasant weather of Hyderabad and to grab some junk foods (specially paani-poori or Batashe:- my wife’s fav).

After overdoing food-wise, we decided to sit there for some times to enjoy the weather and to see the cute kiddos kidding around.

There was this little girl sitting alone in the park, who caught our attention. She was looking at the children who were playing over there and looked very sad in her red dress. She never tried to speak to the playing children. She just sat there watching them with sad eyes. There was something in her eyes, that caught our attention but somehow we never got a chance to talk to her. But I felt that Khushi was not at all happy and asked me for several times, “why she was like that?? Whats troubling her??” I had no answers at that time but I promised to take her to the park again next day to check whether she is there so that we (or she) can talk to her..

The next day, when we went to the park, we were happy and shocked at the same time to see the girl sitting in the very spot where she was yesterday, and still with the same depressing gaze in her beautiful eyes.

So we decided to make our move and walked over to the little girl. As we get closer, we found that the back of the little girl’s costume was grotesquely formed due to some deformities. We stopped over there and looked in each other eyes for a second and then decided to go ahead and talk to that girl. When we got closer to the girl and faced her, she lowered her eyes to avoid our stare.

But Khushi smiled to let her know that, "its ok", we were there to talk to her. She sat beside that girl and said “Hello”. The girl was a bit shocked but manages to give a stammered “Hi” and shyly smiled back. And then we sat there with her for almost two hours, eat ice cream together and talked bout her working mother and her school.

When Khushi asked her reason of being sad, the girl looked at us with tear filled eye and said “I am sad, because I am different” Khushi said “yes sweetie, you are different” and the girl became sadder and said “I know that I am different, no one plays with not even my brothers”.


My heart ached at her pain but Khushi managed to reply; “Sweetie, you remind me of a charming little naive angel” She was surprised and happy and slowly asked “Really?? Am I an angel”.

Khushi said “yes beta, you are an angel, who was send by the God to watch over the children playing in the garden” And she gave us the most beautiful smile that we have seen till date and slowly stud up on the bench and opened her hands like wings and giggled “yes I am an angel” and then she said then she had to go home to tell his brothers bout this.

We sat there for some time, speechless, emotionally withdrawn and finally came back to our place heavy hearted..

Tell them dear, that if eyes were made for seeing,
Then beauty is its own excuse for being
~Ralph Waldo Emerson, "The Rhodora"~

When I think of my past, there was brightness, joy and the lusciously brackish clammy heat; there was a smoothing breeze like there is nothing but that and there was sand that glimmered like diamonds beneath the sunny sky. There was smell of a person who was my friend, my philosopher and my guide...

But again after some time, there were deceits, perfidies, there was mar and derisions. There was bereavement in the name of existence and there was nothing called as life beyond that demise. There were no parts that were not aflame; no ounce of brains, body or spirit was at piece but all vanished in the encircling blaze of desire and distrust

But did I ever try to see the real picture; was it jealousy or some sheer misunderstanding???

Misunderstandings are inevitable because language is many-layered, and that means that what we exactly say and what one mean to converse are generally, usually, perchance even for all time, are fairly different.

Was this misunderstanding hurting me only?? Or may be it is hurting him too??

But hurt or not hurt, misunderstanding and misapprehensions can blemish a rapport. And then our ego comes in pic and wouldn't let anyone take the initiative to fix the issues.
What is required to fix the issue??

Just a phone call or any other means of communiqué, just to explain…A word or an action to save a bond that one would have esteemed to treasure all during ones lives.

Sometimes, no one appears accountable but at that time situations overtake and take the hold and one fails to recognize what went erroneous till two people, once so much in love, part their ways, sometimes for not coming back forever.

While thinking of this situation one song came to my mind.That song was from movie “Thodi si Bewafai”, where Gulzar penned the emotions of two separated people so beautifully.

Hazar rahein mud ke dekhin
Kahin se koi sada na aayi
Badi wafa se nibhayi tumne
Hamari thodi si bewafai

Jahan se tum mod mud gaye the
Ye mod ab hi wahin pade hain
Hum apne pairon mein jaane kitne
Bhanwar lapete hue khade hain

Badi wafa se nibhayi tumne
Hamari thodi si bewafai

Kahin kisi roz yun bhi hota
Hamari haalat tumhari hoti
Jo raat humein guzari marr ke
Vo raat tumne guzari hoti

Badi wafa se nibhayi tumne
Hamari thodi si bewafai

Tumhe ye zid thi ke hum bulate
Humein ye ummid vo pukarein
Hai naam hoton pe ab bhi lekin
Aawaz mein pad gayi dararein

Hazar rahein mud ke dekhin
Kahin se koi sada na aayi
Badi wafa se nibhayi tumne
Hamari thodi si bewafai


You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you. Relationships are precious, preserve them.

~*“Love involves a peculiar unfathomable combination of understanding and misunderstanding”*~ Diane Arbus

After giving sufficient time to my damaged ligament to heal, on Sunday, I came out of my house for a walk to a park nearby. And it felt so good to fold my stretched leg (ouch!!!!! felt a sting of pain but it felt nice). While sitting on the bench with my bitter-half (oops better-half) and talking about increments and all that stuff, my eyes got fixed on a small boy of age around 6. While playing with a ball he was singing some song in undistinguished voice which initially I was not able to understand.

But when I heard it properly, I was amazed that he was singing a very old but famous song “cheel cheel chilla ke kajri sunaye..jhum jhum kauwa bhee dholak bajaye..” and that too in a his cute funny voice and the best part was when he says “arre wawawa arre wawawa”.


All of sudden, I was in deep thought ki yaar how come hi knew this song? Now a days we all are happy with Dil mera Hit-hit,Tandoori Nights and all other not-so-good songs. But I was not able to find the answer cos he was not interested in talking to strangers.
This song took us back to our childhood days…

The days when cold drinks used to be once in a while thing and its consumption used to be an occasion. It was something that used to be enjoyed and to feel good about, not only just a mean to satiate our thirst.


The days when birthday's meant to be an in-house gathering of friends & family with proper home made food and not just a birthday luxury in a gaudy bistro.


The days when Doordarshan's sunday morning Rangoli, Chandrakanta, Mahabharata, Ramayana and cartoons (Duck-tales, Tale-spin) and evening Movies used to be a Special event when all the neighbors use to gather at one place to watch them.


The days when summer vacations used to be a time to have wholesome trouble-free fun but not a time to force children to enhance their skills by joining all promising vacation course.


The days when we use to go to our villages to enjoy our vacations without any tensions, without any burdens, without any pressures, without any cheatings, and also without any complaints with a lot of swimming in the pond and river, those running around trees and animals, those cycling teachings, those jagging and fighting with friends but not a time when each child compete with other to please their parents.


The days when we use to sit with our parents and talk about everything but not a time when we have no time for our spouses too.


The days when Ek aur anek, Mile sur mera tumhara, the Doordarshan music at 6 o’clock used to be children’s fav song not Meri pant bhi sexy and Hoth rasiley.


We were lost in the memories but the raindrops bought us back in the world where we are living, the world with ruthless cutthroat struggle, where one have to go over others head to gain something and the world where there is no place for innocence.
Well, after coming back the first thing I did was downloading the songs of Movie HALF-TICKET along with videos of famous Doordarshan songs as Ek aur anek, Don’t spread rumors, Title track of Jungle Book (Jungle jungle baat chali hai pata chala hai, Chaddhi pehan ke phool khila hai phool khila hai), Shristi se pehle (Bharat ek Khoj), Surabhi and Duck-tales.

Why??

Cos i wanted to show the coming generations about our past and also to satisfy my hunger to go back in time and find the lost innocence…..


~*The innocent and the beautiful Have no enemy but time*~ William Butler Yeats

Few days back, I was all alone at my place, sitting in the balcony with a coffee mug in hand watching the clouds hovering over the city and thinking about my life. All of sudden, a relaxed strain of some song came and I mutedly listened the lexis through the warren of feelings in my minds.

What amazed me the most was the dark, crispy and smooth voice mixed along with the profound words, teasing the thin cloak of stillness around me and irk quite a few cracks in it. The song was

Kiska rasta dekhe,
Aye dil, aye saudaai;
Miilon hai khamoshi,
Barson hai tanhaai;
Bhuli duniya kabhi ki
Tujhe bhi, mujhe bhi;
Phir kyun aankh bhar aayi.

And I don’t know why, my eyes became wet.
And I am still confused why this happened.

When I thought bout it, I blamed it to two thoughts "Life is not effortless" and "Life is not just."

But these are the only facts that help me moving with my life. When we know that yes life is not effortless or just, it help us in accepting the life as it comes, dealing with the problems of life and being magnanimous. It also helps us by making easier to deal with reality.

But still, after fully accepting the depth of life why am I still blaming and judging myself whether I have done right things or am I doing right now.

I was indulged in the thoughts then all of sudden the music changed to I'm tired of looking by a band known as True Sounds of Liberty (TSOL) (I knew this a lot later). What hold my attention were the lyrics which were quite hard hitting ones.

I'm tired of looking (It's not in my vision)
I'm tired of seeing (Don't wanna see this)
I'm tired of hearing (Don't tell me your shit)
I'm tired of being (So why am I here?)
I'm tired of life (And all of its jokes)
Imaginary lines (To fool the fools)
Imaginary rules (To live your life by)
And all the worlds' fools
Life is so easy when you're told what to do
Where to work and how to be you
Who's gonna hear it (Scream till you die)
Who's gonna know it (Your conscience your mind)
Who even cares (No one but yourself)
It's hopeless (You're hopeless)
because of the process, because of the system,
because you're still laughing, because you don't listen,
because of the process, because of the system,
because you're still laughing, because you don't listen”

But still, What if I abhor my life? Or maybe I don’t quite hate it, but what is true that I am just not happy with the current situation.

What I am going to do??
Surrendering my life to my fate and just wait how it comes.
Or I should look for some emotional feedback.
How should I choose my responses and Happiness?

As Alan Bennett said “Life is rather like a tin of sardines - we're all of us looking for the key.”

I am still looking for my keys to open my heart…

But "Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”


Lemme try to decide my path………

When I started writing this, I was confused, what exactly I gonna write?..


Well, it’s nothing but a folio out of my never-ending string of feelings which troubled me everyday. Some achieved with immense endeavor restocking my intellect by liveliness and adding together greenhorn to current feelings which still are in conduit and necessitate shooting up in near future.


But there is one thing what I always wanted to face is that "Have I done this just to gratify my internal ego or is it out of yearning for it?”



Well, from long time, I am looking for an answer but still not satisfied with it.

Does my ideas are the one's which are gratifying my so called inner self-esteem or is it that I really longed for!!


When I looked for differences between Ego and Desire, whether "Ego" and "Desire" are tantamount or there is something restrained about them but one thing is for sure that both gratify our inner senses. But when I think, what came to my mind is that when "Ego"gets coupled with ones "Inner self" it becomes vanguard of our lives.
Anyone have any other thoughts???



Whereas “Desire” is part of everyone’s life but perhaps only very few effectively achieved.

Now, cometh the issue -dreaming which normally we always cherish for it to be reality is trying to satisfy Ego or Desire????


Ego and Desire, two are so close for they have same insinuation on our lives but definitely there is something which unquestionably distinguishes them.

"Well, still I am looking for an answer "and will always do........

Oh, the comfort - the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person - having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away. ~Dinah Craik
-------------------------------
-------------------

Few days back, i got a small story in my mail and found it very very close to reality
Check this out


A boy and a girl were playing together. The boy had a collection of marbles. The girl had some sweets with her. The boy told the girl that he will give her all his marbles in exchange for her sweets. The girl agreed.
The boy kept the biggest and the most beautiful marble aside and gave the rest to the girl. The girl gave him all her sweets as she had promised.

That night, the girl slept peacefully. But the boy couldn't sleep as he kept wondering if the girl had hidden some sweets from him the way he had hidden his best marble.

Moral of the story:If you don't give your hundred percent in a relationship, you'll always keep doubting if the other person has given his/her hundred percent.. This is applicable for any relationship like love, friendship, family, employer-employee relationship etc., Give your hundred percent to everything you do and sleep peacefully...

There's one sad truth in life I've found
While journeying east and west -
The only folks we really wound
Are those we love the best.
We flatter those we scarcely know,
We please the fleeting guest,
And deal full many a thoughtless blow
To those who love us best.

Scene one:

11.30 pm, India, 27th Nov 2008, In front of Hotel Taj, Mumbai

NDTV reporter Barkha Dutt reporting Live: “Aur ye aap dekh sakte hain ki kis tarah se NSG ke commandos andar jaa rahe hain. Aur hum aap ko ye bhi bata de ki theek isi samay pe NSG aur Army ke commandos ne hotel ke peeche se bhi entry shuru kar di hai aur kuch commandos khidki ke raaste bhi andar ghus rahe hain.” (You can see that how NSG commandos are entering the hotel. And let us tell u that Army and NSG commandos are also entering from the back side also and some are trying to enter through the windows too)

Scene Two:

At the same time somewhere near Pakistan Border

A person in black dress, after watching Barkha Dutt Live, switches on his satellite phone, dials a number after 3 rings some one picks up and then after sharing greetings “Janab abhi humne TV pe dekha hai ki Kuch Commando andar ghusne ki koshish kar rahe hai peeche se aur kidki se, Aap sab hostages ke saath apni jagahe badalte rahiye, Khuda aap ke saath hain. Hume jaise hi aur khabar milegi hum aap ko batayenge. Hum bharta ke halat aur bure kardenge. Khuda Hafiz..”(Mister, we just saw that commandos are trying to enter through back and windows, so keep on changing your position with hostages. God is with you and we will keep on updating you guys. We have to make situation worse for India) and then phone went dead…

Scene Three:

11.35pm, India, 27th Nov 2008, Inside Hotel Taj, Mumbai

Abu to kaleem “Abhi message aaya hai ki commandos Ghusne ki koshish kar rahe hai, Sabko pakad ke dusari manji pe chalo jahan abhi koi nahin aa raha hai. Aur agar koi aayega bhi to hume khabar aa jaye gi”(Just received message that commandos are entering the hotel. Let’s grab all the hostages and move to second floor where no one is coming. And even if some will come we will know)

Now comes the question, is it ok for media to discuss and divulge all the details of any operation against the terrorism. Aren’t they helping the terrorist by providing them all the live reports how and what Commandos are doing?? But yes, before divulging the plans, every time they say that they are not supposed to say these things but they some how manage to show theses things through their reporters.

Aren’t we going to take some thing seriously? Or Media will be allowed to show the whole exercise and action plans in form of BREAKING NEWS and in term helping the terrorist by providing them information regarding NSG and Army position and Plans…

No doubt Media suppose to be assistance. But assistance to whom is a question we have to answer.

Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best that they have and all that they are.~~ Hafsat Abiola

Instead of counting candles,
Or tallying the years,
Contemplate your blessings,
As your birthday nears.

Consider special people
Who love you, and who care,
And others who’ve enriched your life
Just by being there.

Think about the memories
Passing years can never mar,
Experiences great and small
That have made you who you are.

Another year is a happy gift,
So cut your cake, and say,
"Instead of counting birthdays,
I count blessings every day!"

Guys today is Swati's Bday
Let us wish her hers life's best hamesha.

So happy birthday to you Swati,
From the bottom of our heart.
And may your good times multiply,
Till they’re flying off the chart!

Jee rahe the hum aise hi,
Na koi kasak thi na gum ka ehsaas tha..
Dil mein bhari thi umang
Aur ek sampoornata ka pravaaas tha…
Fir na jaane kaise
Laga jaise kisi ne mujhe jhakjhor diya
Aaj fir se mujhko mere dil ne mazboor kiya!!

Pareshaan hoon ki yeh kaisi tapish hai
Kuch beete hue lamhon ki yeh kaisi kashish hai
Un haseen yaadon ne mere mann ko marod diya
Na jaane kab, kaise, kismat ne woh mod liya
Aisa nahin ki humein apnon se koi shikayat hai
Jo aaj mere sang hai, yeh kismat ki hi inayat hai
Dil mein yeh jo toofan hai , woh tham jayega
Aur yeh bhi jaanta hoon ki yeh mayoosi ka pal gujar jayega
Fir bhi meri aankhon ko kisi ne sarabor kiya
Dosh mera hi hai ki maine khud ko itna kamzor kiya
Fir bhi jaise purane jakhmon ko kisi ne kured diya
Aaj fir se mujhko mere dil ne mazboor kiya..