Hope...

O God...

Give me the strength to stand upright
Give me the courage to raise my eyes
Give me imagination to dream
Give me wings to fly
To conquer heights unseen
To vanquish the sky

Reminiscing .. the good old days

A long walk by the sea
mindless banter o'er chilled ice tea
a foregone hour of peaceful sleep
unhindered session of an interesting read

ccd visits by way of fun
random movies to dodge the sun
those sea side walks, and hours to talk
reminders of a time that was..

The monday blues and friday glee
the hectic life and the soothing sea
that faceless friend midst the crowd
the helping hand to drag u out

the endless cribbing over a cup of chai
confident charade that shameless lie
the hopeless codes and endless chores
the brave defense but useless scores

impossible crowds and meaningless sounds
the perpetual shove would drown you out... (more to come)

Flawed

Sketchwork

Restless

I am a mess
so much stress

no care to tress
no will to dress

no way to know
which way to go

cant stand still
cant move at will

cant think straight
cant lie and wait

want to think
think and blink
there I sink

time to spare
so much to care
what to share
pull my hair

so many threads
all over spread
to pick i dread
then they shred

back to square
good for wear
think I dare
ahead i stare

But for now
i am restless...

The 4 Cs of Bangalore

Bangalore is a charming place.. yes..  and that is a cliche.. yes.. but true nevertheless. I know there can be so many things told, numerous people quoted, scores of examples given, facts stated, comparisons made..

But a casual conversation with a friend the other day forced me to sum up why I love Bangalore and this is what I came up with..The 4Cs (yeah right.. inspired from the 4Ps of marketing :P) that make it special for me .. from the top of my head:

1.The Cool Climate: Despite the oft quoted deterioration, late and scanty monsoons, rising mercury, unheard of heat and humidity, dust and pollution.. yes I have heard it all... but it still remains arguably one of the best city climes one can find in this country. I can say that with the confidence of the one who has braved the temperature extremes in Delhi and annoying and exasperating humidity in Bombay. Theory of Relativity at play!! I mean no matter how rapidly it (the climate) be deteriorating believe me the others are deteriorating more, so..  And also the one thing that kind of redeems it for me is.. no matter how much the heat or humidity, the city has a self healing mechanism .. in the form of that cool, fresh evening breeze which just kind of washes away all that malice from the day and makes you happy again :)

2. The South Indian Filter Coffee: I am a die hard fan of south indian filter coffee, no please not the one served in the swanky cafes but the original from one of those quintessential, unpretentious south indian places ..sagars, madurai idli and the likes.. yes the one served in that small overflowing steel glass and bowl... I so love that rich aroma, strong flavours of caffeine and sugar..that i just cant have enough of it.  i dont know how they work their magic with those ingredients .. i have never been able to produce even a fraction of that taste playing the same ingredients in myriad proportions. I so love to finish my meals with the coffee in that typical south indian style.
Rich in flavors, affordable and soo Indian.. that's my cuppa of good mood :D

3. The Coconut from the street vendor: I have such a fascination for the humble coconut.. that irrespective of the time of the day, place and no of coconuts already had, I can always go ahead for another one. It is considered healthy is just an added advantage. Why i so love coconuts? I dont know .. if it was the memory of coconuts at the beach side in hindi movies.. or just the plain fascination of the desert bred with seas and beaches that makes it so "exotic" to me. I dont know why, but it is special :)

4. Chau: Now dont be confused that is no Chinese dish.. it is my sister. She kind of adds the final touches.. she makes it home. There is someone to run to.. to call .. to trouble.. to get chiding from.. a place where u can shamelessly turn up for free meals... where u can sneak in cupboards to check and loot whatever you like without a speck of guilt.. meaning be yourself :D

So, just to sum it up.. Bangalore offers comfort, stimulation, relaxation and roots (convenience :P).. that makes it complete for me .. i think i can rightly say i AM bangalored :D

World's my playground



As a kid I had often heard the Sanskrit phrase, "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" meaning "all the world is my family" and the only time I felt anyone really living it up was surprisingly someone who probably has never heard this in his life.

The person I am talking about is an absolute free spirit, goes where he feels like, when he feels like, without a thought wasted on customs or social mores that might constrain or restrain him. Wherever he goes he feels at home. An absolute UNALLOYED being, and the only one I have had the pleasure to know. If only I could seek the key to this state of absolute happiness and freedom. If only he could tell. I think he DOES tell, only that I cannot understand. I like all others am well entrenched in my boundaries. Live by them and will die by them too. Not that I am a convert to the idea of global citizenship, no not yet. And my spiritual messiah, who planted the seed of this noble thought is no wonder merely one and a half year old. living in Utopia.. i dont know .. :)

He was like a pleasant surprise which often seems to bypass you these days for your lack of attention. One morning he just chanced to see the open door and entered toddling through as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do. Bright happy wide eyes looking around and trying to absorb all that came in its wake. We (I and Ankur) were mesmerized with the novelty and ease of the entire sequence and he has held us bound with his antics from that moment on. Every morning we look forward to the baby steps and the subsequent tap tapping of our TV Screen and laptop keys (if we risk keeping them in his line of sight that is) . It is like each morning we throw open our doors to his survey and amusedly watch him with our morning cup of chai, not a bad start to the day i tell you... we  can do a lot worse. He has somehow assiduously charmed his way into our life and we look forward to his arrival..

So, this is to perhaps the unalloyed simplicity of childhood which flows freely through.. like water.. pure in its original form.. knowing no boundaries..  flowing everywhere.. absorbing what it can find.. imbibing and becoming what life would make of it.

So, this is to AYUSH and to the joy he spreads around. I will try to post his pic when possible. Lets see :)