"The way the ball bounces.........."

Searching among the last remains of Rubia, I stumbled upon the inscriptions of Raima, The words printed in bold, smeared in parfum, My eyes rigid on the sketch of love, Rubima. Set when the women were young, They held an affiliation too close, Fear in their eyes, dampness in their breath, They met behind the barn near the cellar. The creeping vine, a safe haven, from the observer, They engaged in recreation that the society turned their back on, They explored the thinness between their clothes, They shared the revelation that once stayed with them. They searched catlike, they squeezed with ease, They bared to illustrate felony of law, They undressed with nothing to hide, They exposed their better parts, with emotions untainted. They slowly moved to mutualism, They shared belongings not meant to be though, They sensed the need though the fear loomed, Yet the old barn kept the worship undeterred. They painted castles on the barn fence, With colors unknown, they ...

Vaidya : Arre Kishore, You dont have to worry, you will get a job soon. Kishore: Ya right. Vaidya : What is happening with your girl, that Gulshan's Daughter. Kishore: I left her long back, she was a pain in the ass. All the time cribbing about being together. Even i have a life, need some dignity. I cannot be a hen-pecked husband, so i left her fearing the future. Vaidya : I don't understand you. You were behind her for two years and then when you finally get her, you don't want her anymore. Kishore: Just because i like to play poker, the thrills associated with it, Don't expect me to buy a casino!!!!!

whistling through the woods, the dame smelt life, the voice shared gamut, the creatures ambit. the green in yellow, dark and light, pasted against blue, bath in white. climbers threw its majesty, shrubs shrunk in shame, roots withered earth, gracefully did she accept. trees stood aloof, promised no sunshine, against the lullaby wishes, of new entrants. rain,came smearing, with hope and joy, she splashed on her, both gleamed with joy. streams broke its way, shaped its route, flew past creatures, to see them soon. purity sanctified, glorified, heavenly odour, glistening, voice unparalleled ,sound unheard, her magic still stayed in the air. MOTHER, did i name her, her name needs to be called, she ought to be this, else i wouldn't have been here.

Vaidya: Oh my brother, Kishore where were you? Long time, Hows Life. Kishore: Arre, I was in Mumbai searching for a job. I graduated last month. Remember i had gone for my engineering degree. Vaidya: Oh yes, i remember the entire village giving you a grand farewell before you left for Mumbai. I had sold 42 Vada Pav's that day, record you know for Kalijungh. Kishore: We can talk about that later, Do you know anyone who can get me a job? Vaidya: Are you joking, I know no one. The only person i know who left the boundaries of this village is you. Why, you didn't get a job in Mumbai? Didn't your college get you a job? Kishore: Companies come to campuses to pick students who are sure to break the bond!!!!!So i didn't get one.

A very old initiative, it is gossip corner for Kishore and Vaidya. Kishore is an engineering graduate in search of a job and Vaidya is his childhood friend who runs a stall near the Kalijungh market. The upcoming snippets will be some real life situations that they discuss over tea and Vada Pav.

Dead China Man I walked through the lonely roads of dead china man, Seeing things that I never perceived, Feeling the temperature climbing the vine, I played the flabiol of cobla. People stared at misery, though they had no share, Pitied as though they cared, Never cared to empty their penny, For a man who longed for sympathy. The shades of the cork tree, Mellowed down the rays, But the parched throat, strained, Water was the only elucidation. Set out in search for a stream, Amidst the arid deserts of dead china man, Barren, scorched, bone-dry, Not a drop to see, water. Desolation, despondency, I stop the hunt, For a three quarter treasure, Anticipated, feared the end looming too close, Dream did I of an ancient potion, concoction. Think did I of the lady who died to let me live, Sorry was the only apology that I held for her, Didn’t know how it would matter, Nevertheless, carried it around, as a hair shirt. As they say, held on to my horses, hoping, So...

A long journey, it was………. 4 years that went so fast, still wish that I was there in those corridors, quadrangle, baddy courts; canteen……..can’t forget those memories……. And then I meet all of you…never even expected to make friends...there are days when I used to cry to go back….I never felt anyone understood me…I always felt lonely…..I was never known for what I was…. So I decided to change…..change for good but unfortunately not the right way…..I started smoking, drinking and trying to get into groups….very soon people started recognizing me……there it was…exactly what I wanted …..got stuck in fights and all wrong places ……I spoiled my life….. I was never like this...all those people who knew me before will definitely agree….but I have no regrets…..I failed to realize why……and this is true….. I want to thank all who helped me through the greatest trauma of my life…..once again……

Last night, I saw a dream, if taken literally, I saw it so it is a dream, if taken figuratively, I am happy I saw a dream. Confusing jumble of words isn’t it. Epicurus once said “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.” Probably the superlative of Hope is Dream; this state of mind is perhaps the most satisfying among all joys and sorrows. Some would definitely not agree, for the scary nightmares that they see in their sleep. So what exactly do you dream, no one really has control over it. (Radhika won’t agree). It shows you faces that you always longed to be, pictures you wished to paint, songs you wished to sing, see places far away, play roles you wanted to be and what not. My dreams have taken me to the farthest corner of my kitchen to the Inca city of Machu Picchu, from the coliseum of Rome to the shady beaches of Mauritius, the Oprah Winfrey show to the Sydney Opera house and place...

Weird, the start was weird, Strangers meeting strangely, I met her, chirpy, full of life, There starts the get along, Met and again met, Through people, through friends, Slowly started to get to know, The person behind the clouds. Stupid, persistent, yet sweet, Lively, vigorous, yet lethargic, Animated, spirited yet passive, Joy, sorrow, and love. Read did she vigorously, Write did she exquisite, Speak she did stunningly, Love she did charmingly. She wandered into the wilds, Where a shot never mattered, The anxious facets of matter, Played her sonata, Masterpiece of liberty, No preconceptions, Nor rigid, her voice, Modeled the flow of essence. Her voice shadowed the curse, Her words played melody, Her writings so simple, yet intricate, She saw life the way we couldn’t. The moon took retreat, Failed to realize the darkness, Nights stretched to days, An escape to insanity. Utter, did we on all, Sane or irrational, Talk did we for ages, Every ta...

Little did I imagine the nuances of life, Could be stranger than reality, A friend, his friend and finally my friend, Little did I realize the value of relations. Tucked in the corner of a space, Eyes scanned her through, Small, lesser, little, minor, Was all I could think. Petite, her nature, blew the horns, Strength flowed out, Her presence overshadowed her courage, It really did mark the start of a journey. The dim lights spared no thought, Her eyes said something, Stronger than the way I saw her, Her aura started filling the arena. She held no ties to me, A very casual, yet intriguing meet, As the day progressed, my priorities played on, I decided to bid farewell. Time swayed fro and fro, Connections lost, relations weakening, The water stood between, I flew across to land abroad. The medium of modern talks, Made me reconnect to people, Specially with her, a friend, She let it flow, the pain, the agony. Her words weighed a ton, Her mind about to...