Distances ....

We loved each other,
Though we were never a couple
You made me laugh till my stomach hurt
You stood by me through grime and dirt

There were endless cups of coffees
and so much to talk
there were stories and advises
over a drive or a walk

We knew we would one day
let go of each other
and we would do that gladly
without a tear or a flutter

We went our own separate ways
And We knew we were happy and bright
But then there are these few days
when something does not feel right

I have friends, please don't misunderstand
and I am a friend for them too
We make each other laugh and cry
But they are certainly not you

I don't know if it is me
Or if you have really gone far
If you have changed
or if we have just grown apart

Sometimes, I feel really alone,
Not that I complain
It is good, or even peaceful
I just wish I could have a friend again

For the God Himself (Guest post by Ambika)

Honestly, Sachin Tendulkar retiring was not a big deal for me. I respect him immensely as a human being, but owing to my lack of interest and knowledge in the game of cricket, I am not really going to "miss" SRT play. However, I do know one crazy fan, who watched cricket all these years for the one single man, no prizes for guessing -- Sachin Tendulkar and have revered him from then on. So I leave it to her , to express her true feelings on an occasion that made the entire nation cry. Over to Ambika :

‘Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar Thank you Thank you Thank you’, those were the words of the commentator when Sachin was caught out at 74 in his last ever innings, his 200th test match. And I was watching in awe, watching the packed stadium where every single person gave that man a standing ovation, between that thunderous applause his biggest fan Sudhir watched his hero walk back with moist eyes. As the camera followed Sachin up till the pavilion, I sat wondering how many Sachin lovers, like me, would have bunked office or called in late just to watch their ‘God’ bat live one last time in the Indian jersey, how many would’ve queued up early morning outside the stadium and how many would have felt lucky to have witnessed him play. What is it about this man that people across the globe have such a high regard for him? Then came the speech, that heart-felt speech that brought tears to our eyes. He hadn’t written down anything apart from the names of the people he wanted to thank, every word he said was what he truly felt, it was pure gratitude. And that moment when he went and touched the pitch stirred a million emotions in me; it reflected his strong value system and his utmost respect for the game. The gesture was unexpected, it was perhaps the last time he would be standing in those 22 yards and he was grateful for everything it had given him, whatever he has achieved was because of cricket and he genuinely wanted to thank the game that made him the icon he is today. 24 years, a career spanning 2 decades, with injuries, with the harshest critics, with controversies, this one man stood tall through everything and focused on what he loved doing the most – playing cricket for India.

He mentioned in his speech that his father always told him to chase his dreams but not look for short cuts and to be a good human being. To quote Andrew Symonds who gave him a t-shirt saying 'To Sachin; the man we all want to be”.

For me personally, apart from all the records, the trophies, the awards, the one characteristic that makes him so special is the person Sachin is, it is who he really is. Despite the enormous amount of admiration, the hero worship, the craze, the media frenzy, he remains so grounded and humble. His honesty, his integrity, his devotion towards the game is what separates him from the rest. In 24 years of living with a celebrity status in a cricket crazy nation, not once has he been dragged into any controversy or lost his cool or snapped at the critics or media. There must have been times when he would have been frustrated angry and a complete mess after all he has always been under a constant pressure of performing, he always had a billion hopes resting on his shoulders. Yet he always maintained a calm and composed demeanour, flashing that innocent smile while he let his bat do all the talking. His attitude shows in his game, it has been his only passion, the only dream he ever had – to play for India. Passion – a word we all use so frequently but what we don’t realize is what goes behind it. It calls for years and years of hard work, perseverance and sweat, being focused, dedicated and staying strong enough to fight all the failures on your way to success. He could have taken it easy, he was talented and was already a part of the Indian team, but he did not miss even a day’s practice. In every single match he played you could see the child in him come alive, his enthusiasm was unbound. He could have rested after breaking a few records, after all his name had already gone down in history, but he went on because he loved the game he was driven by his passion and considered himself blessed to be able to play for his country. He faced the most difficult bowler’s right from his debut; he played against the strongest opponents, the rudest teams who would take to sledging and abusing on the field. But that man remained unfazed and determined, he answered all those bowlers simply by playing his square drives and master shots for sixes and fours. I am sure he must be laughing it off later because surprisingly he shares a great camaraderie with the players across all teams and everyone respects him and looks up to him.

“When you bowl at him you are not just trying to get him out, you are trying to impress him. I want him to walk off thinking ‘that Flintoff, he's all right isn't he? I feel privileged to have played against him” – Andrew Flintoff

“I have seen God, he bats at no. 4 for India in tests” - Mathew Hayden

"The only batsman I would love to see by paying for the tickets and sitting in the stand just to watch him is none other than Sachin Tendulkar." - Brian Lara


His hunger to win, his zeal to play, his eagerness to excel and his love for the game is an inspiration to all of us. Not only is he an amazing sportsman, he is also a gentleman with wonderful qualities which reflect in his affection for his family, the warm bonding and protectiveness for a son who is bound to face comparisons on every ball he hits. He managed to shield his children from the limelight all these years and I am sure they must have been taken aback seeing the adulation, recognition and tributes showered on their father from across the world. What a proud moment for the entire family, for the mother who watched her son play for the first time in 24 years, for the brother who sacrificed his own career and nourished the same dream, for the coach who pushed him harder each time and for the father who made Sachin the brilliant man he is today. It is truly admirable to see a middle class man achieve so much success and fame by being righteous and honest towards his work and continue to be shy, modest and down to earth. He breaks the myth that looks, stature or wealth make a man, instead sound principles, morals and good virtues maketh a complete man. I guess these were also the reason he was put on a pedestal of God and he has not let any act spoil his name or done anything to let down a billion ordinary people who worshiped him. His longevity, consistency is inspiring as he has been compared with cricketers across generations with him being the only constant. He has the power to make time stop. He is the only person on planet who unites India and I don’t think anyone else can ever do it this way. We all have our Sachin moment, the nail biting, the wow what a shot, the joy when he would walk to the crease, following some silly superstition while he would bat,the sadness at his wicket, and many more such cherished memories that will stay with us and countless stories that will be passed down to the generations to come.

He said his farewell was scripted by the almighty, I believe he is the almighty in some form. He is a legend and he is truly blessed!

“His shots, His drives
His squat, His smile
His style of raising the bat, His persona on the field
His humility, His honesty
His jersey number, His die-hard fans
Everything about Him is irreplaceable
Sachin Tendulkar ... You will remain the God of cricket forever!!”
- Ambika Jugran


Thank You Ambika for an amazing post!!

Little good things in life --2

I was supposed to write a story prompt but something else in the morning caught my attention and I have to write about this. Every morning in the cab, Arjun , our driver, passes across a book to sign for all of us. Before I go ahead, here is something about Arjun. I don't think he is above 24-25. He has a bad collection of songs (at least Hindi songs, I can't comment on the regional ones) and his favorite song is "Tum he ho" from Ashiqui, so much so that he keeps crooning it all the way to Target. He seems like a happy go lucky , jolly, like-able fellow.

So, this morning with the attendance book, he passed across something else -- a box of sweets. That's not every day! Heck! That's not even every cab. It brought a smile in every one's face. It touched my heart. Not only that, when everyone was getting down , he was asking everyone with a bright smile ... "Did you have the sweets?"

One little good deed, enough to brighten many faces!

May there be lots of love in the world!

Happy Diwali!

The Pause

Naina huddled herself and rubbed her arms as she stepped out. She accidentally kicked a beer bottle that went clunking down the small steps. It was darkerthan what she expected. There was silence all around and she could only hear the soothing sound of the crashing waves. After the deafening music at the beach party just a few hours ago, the silence was welcoming. She moved closer towards the water. Who said beaches were scary in the night? It just had a darker side like all of us.

She sat down and felt the damp sand beneath her. She closed her eyes and filled her lungs with the moist air. "hmmm" she thought. "Nothing to think of.' "Wow!"She muttered under her breath. For once she was in the world and yet so away from it. She was in Goa,
the party capital of the country, and yet ironically, this is the place where she sat in peace. Of course life was still going on as she sat there. But she wanted to revel in the nothingness of now.

She would go back in her room where her drunk friends would not have noticed she was gone."Thank God for that" she thought and smiled. But right now she was happy being alone,with the waters shining under the fading light of half a moon. Of course there were
matters going around in her life which could use her attention. But they can wait. Sometimes all you need is an empty moment. No,it does not give you a solution to anything. It does not even leaves you enlightened . It just helps you to stop and feel.It helps you slow down.

She could do this all night. But logic suggested otherwise. It was time to go back. She was not sure how long she sat there but she guessed it was late when she saw a lone fisherman tugging his boat. Naina got up to walk back to her room. On the way, she turned back and smiled towards the playful waters. "Thank You" she muttered as she hurried towards her room. Life was waiting for her after the pause.

Shine bright like a diamond!

Rockstar, aka Saviseh was playing at Legend of rocks today at Kormangla. For the uninitiated, Saviseh works with me in Target and is an amazing self-taught drummer. I went to see him play but unfortunately the place was too crowded for us to even stand. Eventually, I entered to wave a quick Hi to him and then moved out. So I must have been there for 10 seconds and fortunately managed to catch hold of rock star’s attention. In those ten seconds, I could see how much he was enjoying himself while playing his drums. In fact, it is a lot of fun even seeing him while he talks about his drums, his set up and all the music jargon. His eyes sparkle, his energy goes a notch higher and a tiny smile plays along his lips. That man defines passion for his art.

Sadly, passion is a very over used and over abused word. One should be really careful when to use it. It is a beautiful word and it is an even wonderful feeling. I can still not say that writing is my passion. I enjoy it immensely, yes! But I am still scared to call it my passion. Many times I don’t feel like writing. May times, I don’t understand what to write about. Many times, I have to push myself to write and more often than not, I come up with ill standard content. Should I then, still call writing my passion? May be passion is also developed, slowly and steadily. I have never spoken to Rock star about how much did he work on his drumming skills and seriously looking at him play for even the shortest span gave me such a high that maybe I will talk to him at length about his passion.

I am definitely happy about one thing, though. My writing is going one step ahead. As of now I am doing dry freelancing content with not an iota of imagination, but it still gives me a satisfaction. It gives me a sanctuary to hide in. It gives me an assurance that I will not forever be stuck in the IT world, which may sure be my bread and butter but it sure is not something I really am in love with. I still have to go a long way in writing. I have to reach a certain standard which, right now , does not seem too far-fetched but looks like a huge amount of hard work.

Even Sachin Tendulkar slogged. Just having a skill is not enough. Then of course I cannot complain. Someday, even my eyes will light up like Rock star’s, while I write, every single time and that day I would declare to the world that writing is indeed my passion.

Here is a parting question. What will make you excited enough to not snooze that alarm or make you stay up without a single trace of fatigue? What makes your eyes light up?

Memories

Have you ever felt a familiar whiff of aroma of tea from your favourite tea stall, when all you were doing was walking by the streets minding our own business? Have you ever felt the air and remembered a breeze many seasons ago, when you had wrapped your shawl a little tighter, hugged yourself and smiled..perhaps for no reason at all? Has memory ever sneaked up, walking behind you like a naughty kid all along only to appear suddenly, taking you by surprise?

That's what memory does ..you know. Every single time. It catches you unaware and all you can do is slip into its warmth, reveling the moments gone by. Remember those lunch boxes in school, which were opened together and every bite was shared? Did you go running to you mom saying, "Mummy, Minali's mom makes the best aloo ka parantha's in the world. Please take the recipe from her!" ? Well I did! Remember those bus rides home, or the sunday morning breakfasts with everyone and sometimes even with the neighbours bringing in their pohas and upmas?

The first day in college or the first time you met the people you now call the best of your friends -- what they said the first time, your first impression -- they are all lovely conversations over coffee .. that go and on and on. The jokes still crack you up and the secret pet names are still fresh in your minds. You go through the photo albums, look at your professors and in a jiffy, there you are ... in the same class, at your seat , doodling at the back of our note book , trying your best to control your laughter or maybe , even listening to the lecture?

Memories -- they make you laugh, they make you smile and more often than not , they make you cry. They also bring along regret. You want them to stay , you want them to hold your hand and take you back once again to the days of carefree laughter and worries that hardly mattered. Be careful, they may fly away if you don't look closely ...leaving you with a hazy foreground. Hold on to them .... these days , it is difficult to make memories.

Bit by Bit

I stand tonight
like every other night
wearing the brightest of my clothes
pulling down my blouse
showing a bit extra

He touches me, and I squirm
He smiles, comes closer
reeking of cheap alcohol
but.. It was I who called him

I smile, brighter than my dress
I lure , I talk
inside I scream
I hope and pray that he does not stop

But sometimes I pray that he does
and He goes back happy and staisfied
So that he pays me well
Atleast I can buy more than just food

I wish I earned enough to buy more
I wish I could buy happiness
I wish I could buy peace and respect ...and maybe dignity

I stand tonight
like every other night
getting judged, gawked upon, stared at
by the "good people"

This is my work .. I tell them
Atleast I don't beg and cheat, I tell them
Atleast I don't kill,
Though my soul dies ..
bit by bit ...Everyday