Deep down, people are all alike...

It was a place of lush greenery all around. Birds chirping away, smell of wet earth from the distance, a peacock's voice could be heard in the distance every once in a while. He always felt privileged to be in the lap of mother earth; something not everyone enjoyed. Tall grass and Lantana all around, it was the space of the kings and queens who ruled the place. He had to be careful. He was a mere visitor after all. He would take one step after another, being extra cautious to not disturb even the smallest of animals, lest it disturbed the ecological balance of the place! Walking through the jungle today, amidst barren land that wouldn't have vegetation on it for at least a few years, he suddenly saw a carcass. Walking through the graveyard of what was once a forest, the Tiger's charred carcass was still too much for him to take. He knew it wasn't natural. His body shivered with rage, eyes red with fury. Here's a beautiful being, disfigured beyond recognition, owing ...

You are perfect! You! Yes, You! What if there's no fat or thin? No fair or dark skin? What if we are all just a spec of light? In a Universe so bright? So what if we know nothing? Or specialized in everything? So what if you are a killer A thief or a burglar? So what if the world revered you or loathed you? After all, the stopped clock is twice right too!    What if everything's just a choice? And you could change and transform like River to Ice? Would you choose to lose? Would you choose to choose?

Chapter 2 After a whole day’s physical and mental strain, she was still in the kitchen, cleaning and readying the kitchen for the next day’s chores. She washed the mixie vessel and the non-stick pan, which would be short-lived in the hands of the maid whose main weapons were Sabena and The tablet foil. She then added just a ladle of curd to a vessel full of milk and let it rest in a corner of the granite slab which acted as her regular work table. She transferred the remaining curd into a smaller vessel and put it near the mixie, which was the only empty spot nearest to the Kitchen door. She still had to put that day’s washed vessels in their allocated locations and fill the “vessel tub” (a tub allocated for vessels to be carried away by the maid) with those to be washed the next day, then ensure nothing unnecessary was still outside, put if any, into the fridge, wipe the granite and gas stove clean without a dot, switch off the gas, put a couple of almonds in a cup of...

Chapter 1 16 th September 2010 I t was yet another restless no-peace day. The mind was full of thoughts and clutter of images. Nidhi was going through seemingly difficult times; her career wasn’t taking off the way she had expected it to, but that wasn’t really bothering her. What was bothering was something else, and she couldn’t figure what. With these thoughts driving her, she drove back home in her year old Alto she had traded for her grandpa’s Maruti 800. Back home, she found her mom, Akila in the kitchen, (as expected) and as she normally did, enquired about her dad, Madhu’s whereabouts. “Your dad’s in the hospital. Grandpa’s not well na.. He had to be hospitalised for the operation today. I told you yesterday na..?!” “Oh! Ya ya... I remember.. Alright...”, managed Nidhi. Mechanically she proceeded to throw her bag in a corner, freshen up, and geared up to dine and hit the sacks. The day had now been officially declared over. Madhu had returned and was updating...

Sweet as you are The apple of my eye My mind’s at war How much ever I try Wish I could hold you And have you as mine Wish I could relish your beauty And your deep-red shine I can see you, I can reach out! Can even hold you, no doubt! But I am a mere spectator Of a plan much greater! A plan of the lord almighty To make me enjoy such beauty And with such frivolity! Oh! I shall never have his clarity! I yearn for you to be mine The fruit with the deep-red shine Whilst I shall hold you special In the world so convivial

You are one of a kind You give me glee Come back my light Come back to me You stayed with me In times of need Asking for you now Is it greed? I know not If you feel the same I know not If you find it lame You gave me comfort You gave me the warmth You showed the way Whether you knew it or not You stayed there Whenever I needed assistance You still do Albeit at a distance The little flame you were A depiction of undying hope Inspiration is what you gave So I could always cope Your absence has left A space dark and empty That cannot be filled By any bounty You are one of a kind You give me glee Come back my light Come back to me

The cloudy skies sing a song With raindrops for the beat Wonderful place A visual treat A job well done Self-appreciation unbound All the feelings wonderful Bountiful I small glitch in between The face shrunk low A thought, a smile It was back to a glow Yearned for a voice For the thought The thought denied The voice defied The rain stayed The voice strayed The skies now gray Moods were at play Eyes went bare Thoughts went numb Rain paused for a while And there was the smile. Back again Dancing to the tunes Over and above Life’s many sand dunes Stay it shall Albeit for a while Stay it shall Even if not a mile For, come what may The choice is yours Pick the smile Or the tears

Prologue A s she held his hand, she could sense the pulse falling, slowly, but steadily. Valli was beside her, standing in anxiety, still hoping her husband would open his eyes to her. Akila made her hold his hand; it was probably going to be one of the last times she could do that she feared. Madhu rushed in just then. He saw it in his wife’s eyes that it was all over now. He looked at his mom, who was now holding his dad's still warm hand. Unable to face her, unable to face the fact that his mentor, his auditor, his beloved dad was no more, he kept looking at his face, partly hoping it would be a lie, a bad dream, that he would wake up and sit and everything would be alright, and partly wondering how to face his mom, how to tell her that the one who had been with her for 60yrs now, was no longer to be. The pressure was mounting and he could sense tears flowing down his face already. He tried to control it, tried wiping his face, it just wouldn’t stop. All he could do was ...

I promise not to speak I promise to stay quiet and listen To every word pronounced And stay a kitten. I promise to help you I promise to stay I promise to wait For more than a day. Take your time And take mine too For the love we have Very few do. Take me to parties Take me to your friends’ Smile I shall From both ears’ ends. Be the good one, I will. Less talk, sweet smile Looks that can kill. The brand manager Of today’s man. Thy spouse Thy fan. Speak as I will Only on occasions that mandate Speak as I will Only on that particular date. I promise to be by your side In every endeavor. That I abide. But please, do me a favor. Don’t ask me to speak For I shall not. Never after you told me not to Never after we fought.

We entered, pulling our luggage behind us. I was back at my alma-mater. B e it just for a couple of days, but I was there. I could see my heart running ahead of me. I was signing at the gate, to mark my entry and my eyes were already searching for familiar names on the list. Oh! And my nose could smell the parathas that were to be cooked that night! I could feel heaven again! But only this time, I wasn’t the same anymore. I had changed. I seemed to have suddenly grown older, what’s called maturity had taken over the innocent joy that prevailed. The very places which were reminding me of myself just a few months ago, were also making me realize what had become of me. I couldn’t get myself to be the same again. I was excited, but not quite. I was happy, but not quite. I went ahead and met my friends. We were all the same, ye t so different now. We spoke a different language all together. Our multi-lingual background never mattered much to us; we used to learn from each other. Now, all of...

I feel I do not belong here This world unfair Hatred, emotions, unnecessary things all along Wherever I go, I feel unattached I feel lonely in a crowd The moon amongst the stars I feel tired As if am rowing from one sea to another Around the world and back again Am unable to take certain things as they are Am I not trained for it, or am I just not made for it? My destiny is unsure I don’t know where I wanna go It seems as if I have still not come across the path I need to take Or… have I just missed a turn on my way? I don’t know I didn’t see the yellow brick I don’t know where to look for directions I don’t understand this trick I feel I need a guide Who would it be? I am unable to see such a person in anybody around All they say seem to be in a course different from where am destined to go Am searching for it everyday I search for it everywhere I go I don’t know what to do I haven’t been like this before I see friends and foes alike True friends on one and foes with masks on the othe...

Deep within every individual lives a kid, an innocent child, in his/her most beautiful form. It is this child's manifestation that we see getting expressed every now and then when we see people around us getting into a euphoric state over seemingly minor issues.. We see so many grown-ups acting in a childish or child-like manner. We don't, though, see it happening with everyone; and ofcourse, not all the time. Does this mean it is only in some that this child-like behaviour prevails? Not at all! It is important to understand that the reason for the lack of child-like behaviour in many is not to be attributed to its absence but to its suppression (which is not always intentional). I am sure most will agree with me when i say this. How many amongst our friends and acquaintances through the years would we have met who make us think of how child-like they behave very often? How many have we come across who we saw carrying themselves in such a sophisticated matured way who at some r...