IT’S COLD BUT I LIKE IT

This writer isn’t much into poetry; neither do I see much into the aesthetic part of life or the concept of ‘creating’ happy moments rather than living them. But a recent uninvited experience made me think otherwise.

Arguably the greatest poet of all times, William Wordsworth had made his love for Nature profoundly clear. He deprived inspiration for some of the greatest poems ever written sitting in the lap of Mother Nature. Solitude was his only companion. In his loneliness he observed some the various forms and mysteries of Nature and penned down all is thoughts which in turn ensured his mortality. William Wordsworth wrote invariably about the colors of spring season and how its’ mystical and mysterious beauty left his spell bounded.

Now I have never followed the beaten path. Like wise this time also.
I unlike the great poet had my tryst with Mother Nature, not in spring but in a cold winter morning. It was cold but I liked it.

Now I am not that kind of a person who reads between lines and sees the unseen. I prevent the labor of banging my head, to find the deeper meaning whenever possible. But that day the beauty, although not in an obvious way, was very striking.

For a person like me who lives in a place which is ‘Hot all year round’, the refreshing early morning chill was different and unique.

That day this late riser was forced by an unfortunate twist of fate to wake up early in the morning. Now even far worse luck was to follow as I was to venture into the cold. It was inevitable so with a deep breath I set out to wrestle the morning cold.

Shaking throughout, I steadily made my way towards my destination. But then I started to enjoy the surroundings. There was a fog so thick that one could have cut it with a knife. The shy sun’s struggle with the crowd was enjoyable. The falling leaves made one feel that even the Gods where sending their blessings.

Always having struggled to comprehend the fact that Nature is the most inspiring thing for all creatures, I was finally beginning to see so. The chilly wind was refreshing for the body, mind as well as soul. The solitary road, the green leaves soaked in mist, the ever so slowly moving clouds together with the elements resulted in a hearth warming combination.

So as I neared my destination, the climatic left an ever lasting memory and made me realize just how important and satisfying it is to enjoy the finer details of life. While contemplating my new love for things chilly, I kept saying to my left ‘It is goddamn cold…………but Hell………..i like it just like this’.

FRIENDSHIP-

Dedicated to all my friends

This has to be the most sensitive and difficult post which this blogger has made so far. The thing is that explaining something as complex and as powerful as Friendship is beyond the scope of this mortal creature. This one word has affected all our lives; it is powerful enough to help us crawl our way out of the deepest hole, its’ absence can force us to jump into a bottomless pit with no hope of survival. But the only reason I dare to infringe upon this powerful feeling is that I had once witnessed a very simple but extraordinary act which proves just how refreshing, enduring, benevolent and eternal true friendship is.

It made me think what all our lives would have been without our friends and the very next moment I was gasping for air and praying desperately that such an ill fated day never comes in any of our lives. Such is the degree of our dependencies on ‘Friends’.

The incident I am talking about is one which would not have provoked much interest in much of us. Some may dismiss it as ‘ordinary’, some may observe it and develop a smirk in their face, some may accept it as a lesson but I decided to rejoice. For it told me just how lucky I am to have friends who will be their besides me it thick as well as thin.

It was one of those numerous seminars which happen ever so often in my University. Those Seminars' where everyone eagerly waits for ‘High Tea’ as it is the only reason why people show up. Seminars’ where you cannot be blamed for sleeping during a Lecture. Now as I was ‘asked’ ever so politely to be a volunteer by a senior of mine and due to my inability to think of a good alibi I ended up actually going to the place where ‘Great minds meet and share’. I should have known better than reaching on time for there were hardly any souls visible.

But yes we did have the Professor who engineered this wastage of time. He is one of the senior most Profs of my Institute. A person with no hair on his head, carbon ripped glasses (it will fetch him a fortune if he decides to sell such an antique piece) and one whom I had hardly ever seen smile. There he was serious as always examining the events.

Soon a car pulled up. Another senior Prof came out. He was not much different from the previous one. Serious and ever ready to pull up a innocent student for the slightest misdoings. He meant business; all of us knew this and never dared cross his path. He also shared the same resolution of never smiling in public.

Now as he approached the entrance the made eye contact with the first Prof. What happened next was unbelievable. It was history in the making, a moment to behold and rejoice.

For the first time in my three years stay here I saw a smile in their faces and it didn’t stop there. The smirk just kept becoming bigger and bigger. Soon it took the form of a noisy laugh. The came near and hugged each other with great warmth. Their happiness was beyond measure.

They took advantage of the lonely place and chit-chatted for quite some time. I, their only audience kept my ears open and learned a valuable lesson. They talked at lengths of the time when they where younger, how much fun they had, how many times they got into trouble, how narrowly they escaped from them.

Now this eve-dropper could not abstain from drawing an analogy. Yes they were old, they were our teachers who ever so frequently chide us, corrected us. But they too were of our age once. They too were “FRIENDS”. They too did all the illogical and futile deeds ever conceivable. Just like every one of us.

Now the beauty is that no matter how royal, qualified, esteemed or wealthy you are, in front of a friend you will get reduce to being just ‘HIS FRIEND’. For friendship is powerful enough to break all bondage and barriers. At the end it gets reduce to the simplest relationship possible without any inhibitions and without strings attached.

So rejoice ever moment with a true friend for ‘these are the best days of our lives’.

“It’s like you are always stuck in second gear
when it has’nt been your Day, your Month or even Your year
I will be there for you I will be there for you.........................
for you were there for me too.”
(THE “FRIENDS” THEME SONG)

PLAYING CUPID

The past few days have been eventful as I got to play the most powerful force known, inferior only to the almighty. I imitated cupid.

Yes you read it right the same guy so moves about with a bow and love quoted arrows read to strike the most unsuspecting preys forcing them into a liaison of love and warmth.

If you ask me no one can play cupid just like no one can play GOD. Genetic manipulation, cloning, robotics may give man the false belief of having superior power over life but a minute itch in the palm of mother nature spreads havoc of immeasurable proportions which affirms the statement ‘Mortal Man’. The same holds for the next big being after GOD.

Although no one can have the ultimate power of making two people fall in love with each other for love can only happen if destined to, (clichéd but true) but two prospective love birds can always be given the extra nudge by their friendly neighborhood cupid.

So I played along trying to be as resourceful as possible, trying to make the right statements, trying to explain the beauty of love, trying to make each of them aware of just how beautiful/smart/funny/caring/joyous/kind/tender and all other humanely possible qualities are incorporated deep into the hearts, mind, body and soul of their prospective better half. Yes all these qualities can never be found in a single person but love is blind (again clichéd but once again true). It was as easy as hook-line-sinker or in this case hook-line-love.

Yes it was funny, seeing them blush at they very mentioning of the others name, seeing them making eye contact and then shying away. They wanted to be alone but could not be alone at the same time.

It was all too hilarious now it may not lead to stuff by which dreams are made of, but why should it for I realized one thing that man is so desperate for warmth and prosperity that the mere mentioning of it will make life better if not for long but for a microscopic moment none the less. So why spoil the present by being too far sighted. Live in the moment for if you act in the spur of the moment past, present and future fuse into one. Playing cupid may not have lead to a love story which will be told on for generations but in made me realize never miss the slightest opportunity to be associated with something remotely good. Absorb the moment, make the best out of it, and do not get lost in the maze of future for who knows the day after tomorrow may never come.

HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT??

“Itni shridat se maine tumhe pane ki kosis ki hai
ki har zarre ne mujhe tumse milane ki sajis ki hai”

Half the woods in the green forests have been chopped down to pen down the golden rule to success, but all that they ended up achieving was promotion of Global Warning. But the path to success has many lanes and I think I may have bumped into the right trajectory. Off course this may not hold true universally but at least for this mortal writer in holds true.

Being around people who seem to achieve whatever they set their sites on I can’t help to think life is about desiring something badly, and I mean really badly.
Expertise holds an upper hand in any discipline but in the end it is all a matter of heart. For
victory is the liberty of the most perseverant. One shall succeed if thou want it the most.

Desire is the thing that differentiates achievers from dreamers. The will to rise above the crowd, the desire you be the very best and not settle for anything less, the hunger for success is what makes all the difference.

One may have a born advantage, one make have all the skills, one may have all the help ,one may have the money to buy anything but in the end it is he and only he who has the heart to outperform and the desire to win, who reigns supreme.

That brings us to the fundamental question of just what is desire. Is it a phase? Or is it a state of mind? Is it inborn? Is it attainable through practice?

The answer is a big NO. It is a feeling and nothing more. It is a call from within which all of us witness at some point or the other and which we alone can create or destroy. All of us have it, it’s a matter of self discovery and realization of the obvious.

It starts with a dream, metamorphoses into a world of infinite possibilities but then it breaks.
The dream gets a reality check. We are reminded our mortality. Now here our actions make us what we are. We can let go, allow our dreams to sink into the dark lanes of oblivious terms or we can dream on. We can light up the spark and make it a wild fire with no limitations, which can overcome any obstacle.

So it’s a question of just how much can you stuff out, how much can you sacrifice, how much can u dish out, how much can you endeavor?

The thing with life is that it has it funny ways of throwing up surprises to rattle you. But true want is untarnished by small obstacles, undeterred by failure, unscratched by pain for it knows the price of success and is more than happy to bleed for it.

So if you ever want to achieve some goal for which you deeply long for just ask yourself one simple question –How Badly Do you Want it??

“Kethe hai ki aghar kishi cheej ko dil se chaho
to puri kayanat use tumse mila ne ki shirdat karti hai”