In Retro

Its been so long since I have voiced my thoughts. But today suddenly there is an urge to do so. It seems as if I have lived the last few days in retro. Reminiscing about "those days" is a favourite now. Be it the childhood memories of playing all summer or the school prayer meetings or family get-togethers...the rewind and replay button seems to be going on and on...Perhaps its my 18 month old nephew or perhaps its our family discussions...but something has triggered those beautiful memories...things that were so natural and effortless then seems like a distant luxury now...Those care-free days, the small fights with siblings, fear of homework....all of it looks so heavenly when compared to present day apathy. 

Sometimes I wonder if our next generation will know what it is like to have bruised knees and ankles...the pleasure of sneaking in someone's backyard to pluck flowers and run when caught...the contentment of sleeping till noon on sundays and holidays...the delight of eating ice-golas from road-side vendors...The pleasure of playing on open grounds and getting muddy by day end is something that no child should miss out on...But are we ensuring that for our gen-next?? 

 Food for thought : 
>> Have we cherished our surroundings just like we cherish our memories there? 
>> Have we treasured our friends just like we treasure our abstract wealth? 
>> Have we taken care of our relationships just like we take care of our electronics? 
>> Have we preserved our values just like we preserve our worldly belongings? 

Think about it !!!!

Idiots or Angels????

I saw 3 idiots today – the story of 3 friends who support each other in sun and rains. Friends, who inspite of being away from each other for almost a decade, meet as if they were separated yesterday. I don’t call them friends. They are angels – Angels of God. They are there – no matter what happens to the world around them.

Today as I write, I think of all “my angels”. I’ll disappoint you here by not naming them. But then as Shakespeare says – What’s in the name??? My angels – I really missed all of them today – have always been there for me. They have always guided me through thick and thin. As is said, they have always held the other end of the bridge for me…

I remember distinctly all the vivid times I have spent with my friends so far… The amount of stupid planning we did, the childish games we played, those hours of talking carelessly, breaking of window panes and flower pots, picking raw mangoes off the trees, cycling together on the streets, fighting and again patching up in less than 10 minutes, arguing over things we feel laughing about today…. What not !!!

Friends change with the phases of life… You have a different set of friends when you are small, a different when you go to school, a yet different as you grow and move on in life… But there are some of them who have been with you through all these phases and are still there and will always be there… I call them angels… Coz they have seen you grow in all seasons of life. They were there when you tried to cover your silly mistake and they were there when you tried to make up for a grave error. They were there when you cracked stupid jokes and they were there when you howled with laughter… They were there when you lied to save your neck and they were there when you fought for your rights… And they are there now - as you read this post…

But, there were times when I fought with my angels… And I fought really wild… We did not speak to each other for days and those days seems like ages to me. I am sure even my friends felt the same… There were times when I had to go against them – though not wanting to… There were times when I spoke bitter words and acted weird – though with their best interest at heart!! Today, I seek forgiveness from all my angels for everything done wrong to them… This is just to tell them that I really love all of them and will always need them in my life… I really thank God for sending me these great yet humble angels to guide my life… To sum it up, all I can say, I feel blessed !!!

Time to Re-connect !!!

The other day I came across a wonderful statement: “A single dot denotes end of a statement while several dots denote continuity…. Now its upto us as to how we use the dot !!”

Really meaningful, ain’t it? The dot is the same but actually its use determines whether we want to terminate a statement or reflect a wordless continuity. Similar are our relationships also. WE have the choice either to end them or grow them. A simple hello, an occasional message, meeting sometimes, even arguments and disagreements – all these gestures denote continuity… Continuity of life, of relationship, of bonding… It may be ages before you meet your friends again – some long lost friends… But it only takes a couple of minutes to say a quick hello to them and show they are remembered..

Today we have all the possible gadgets – mails, calls, messages, posts, twitters, letters…. What not !!! Some argue they don’t have time, their schedule is really busy… Is it??? Lets go in retro… How many times have we actually tried to do that and not found time??? I think NEVER. We lack the initiative and not time to reconnect with friends. And what are we afraid of?? Or should I say what are we waiting for?? The other person to call us??? Have we ever thought that even our friend is expecting the same…

As the new year approaches, lets resolve to reconnect with ole’ friends.. The world is deprived of love and bonding.. Let’s not estrange it more !!!! Join hands, hug, hold – do whatever you like but let your friend know – you are there NOW and FOREVER....

The Festival of lights :)

Its DIWALI time. Or so the calendar says !!

Its Friday morning. I start to get the feel of the season as I start my day. My brother has woken me up at 6am. WHY? Because he has a "Cubicle Decoration Competition" in his office. He not only wants ideas from me but also wants me to help him with my dupattas and any other things that can help him win this competition. His bag is already full with artificial flowers, diyas, and other decorative articles. And there he goes stuffing away my dupattas royally into his already stuffed bag.

On my way to office, I see shops selling kandils, rangoli colors and crackers. The train is all filled with women draped in lovely sarees and jewelery. Young ladies are also clad in outfits carrying a tradional touch. Now this, I say, is the MOOD of the festival.

I reach office to find the entire office decorated with colorful lanterns - artificial ones of course!!! The centre of our 3-storeyed office building is adorned by a beautiful kandil overhead reminding everyone of the festival. HUGE is the word. I reached my desk admiring all of these only to find my mailbox flooded with season's greetings. Pictures of delicacies, sparkles sweets and lanterns are peeping out on me from the mail-viewer panel. I think "WOW".

As the day moves on, the festive mood also rouses. There's a Rangoli-making competition  in the office. And did I mention about the Delicacies' Competition? And how can I forget about the Traditional Dress Competition. Here comes the sweets time - a big box of Cadbury Celebrations !!! I doubt if this will last till I reach home ??

I hear people around me - my colleagues - enthusiatically talking about the forthcoming week-end - an extended one !!! One of us hails from Bhopal, MP. Another from Aurangabad. Yet another from Jalgaon. Oh there's one from Ahmedabad as well. And all of them going to THEIR HOMETOWN to celebrate Diwali with their loved ones - their family and to welcome the New Year with zeal and enthusiasm.

As evening approaches, the entire office building glows. Or is it my imagination?? The office lawn is adorned with lights so beautiful and breath-taking. The trees on both side of foot-walk are also covered in glitter and spark. It is a vision that one can never forget in lifetime. Can it get more beautiful?

I am on my way back home. My cell-phone battery is down from giving everyone the season's greetings. I am eager to reach home to savour the delicacies prepared at home. The city has already started celebrating Diwali. I look at the sky and see that it is not much illuminated by the twinkling of the stars as it is by the sparks of crackers. I reach home to find my brother already there. He is happy. He has won the competition and I get all my dupattas back "as were". We enjoy the sweets and choclates. Since I am a strong advocate of a peaceful Diwali, I strongly appeal everyone to "TURN DOWN" the volume this Diwali. This appeal is made in all possible ways - mail, sms, taglines, status lines, scraps, posts......... I am tired but I am happy. The lights are still sparkling in my eyes. And with this spark, I am off to sleep.

HAPPY DIWALI - But dont forget to turn down the volume this diwali.

Be safe, be happy !!!