And This, My Friend, is what They call C-L-O-S-U-R-E :D

My New Blog www.takeme2eccentricity.blogspot.com

:)

I wrote my last paper for the fourth Trimester on Thursday, Sept 11- Legal Framework of Employment Relationships.

And somehow, throughout the test.. for some reason, I just kept getting flashes of how I will give a closure to this blog as well.

It was a definitive thing: I will sign off. And I just couldn’t wait to do it.

Not quite sure why.

Maybe:

1. The fact that I think I have been sharing more of my mind in this blog than I had initially intended to. And I really believe that some things are sacred beyond all reason. And deserve the dignity of an audience that will do justice to the thoughts.

Doing ‘justice’ must not be interpreted as blind concurrence with the ideas proposed. No!

It means registering your opinion, however contradictory it may be, in a mature, dignified manner, allowing for a debate or a dialego.

Yes, call me fiercely arrogant. An arrogant little prat, and stupidly so. A hopeless, clueless, confused little 21 year old, struggling to make sense of the world around her, and probably doing a very shoddy job of it.

So What?

It’s a democracy, right?

I can paint a fish with wings, in dark shades of purple and shocking red. And I can store it in my vault, as a precious piece of art, and show it only to those I wish to.

D’oh, yes! I just almost read the Law (the Exam, people! ) .. and I know that the Constitution does not prohibit me from doing that. :D

So, here you go, I CHOOSE my readers. And my readers Choose me.

Allows me to write more freely ( else, I’ll suffocate to death :( )

And allows people to make a choice over whether they wish to read my trap or not.

Yep, utter crap it is… what I write sometimes. But this is my calling in life.

The optic through which I view the world.

And I wish to use it the way I’d like. Just as any Tom, Dick or Harry may choose or reject to invest their time in reading it.

2. I have observed unabashed plagiarism from this little space I’ve got here. Over the past many months.

I mean, not ‘inspired writing’ (which a small fry like me will embrace with open arms, and with due gratitude!)- but unacknowledged use of ideas, phrases etc, in published writing – without even a tacit, slightest acknowledgment of readership of my writing space.

Not even in a private, personal manner.

Unfair, na?

PS. For the record, this does not apply to those who used my posts with due acknowledgment of the fact of having lifted it from ‘somewhere’. Not at all .

And the matter rests.

3. The ‘closure’ thing had also to do with the fact that I thought that blogging was eating into too much of my time – which I desperately needed to use for my career building (hey, don’t snigger, arpita!- m serious! I need a job :-( :P )

Anyway, as I approached the last half an hour of the exam, I designed a brilliant way of going about it.

Here, I shall invite those whom I know in person, and whom this blog owes a lot for their sincere, loyal and affectionate readership *bows gracefully* :

A special note of Thanks to Meggs, Sumeet, Meet and Arpita.

These people get a direct invitation from me, to read this blog henceforth.

Here is the link to my new Blog (restricted acccess)

www.takeme2eccentricity.blogspot.com

Thanks also, to all those who have been following this blog on and off, even if without being professional ‘readers’ :P – I welcome your criticisms, ur jibes etc and thank you too .. for being nice :)

However, I shall not take the liberty of inviting your readership. I leave the choice with you.

Coz I know this space can be something of a torture for the bestest of hearts :D..

You guyz can let me know IN CASE you would like access to the new blog, and leave ur email address as a comment in this post. I shall send you an invite, with humble gratitude :)

As for any stray reader who might have just stumbled upon this blog for the first time, by chance , and wondering where this blogger girl is going with this ::

Have a nice day, and happy blogging.

In case, you might want access to the new blog (hypothetically speaking!) – maybe after having read the posts on this one, please do leave a comment requesting for an invite, with your email address. Also, I would require a brief statement of purpose (SOP!) –

Why do you wish to read this blog?

- What do you think of this blogger’s writing?

- How/ why do you think my blog can add value to You and your time?

And/ OR anything else,

Your SOP will help me figure whether my blog and your readership will be able to do justice to each other.

I know this may sound crazy- or whatever :P

You think I’m kiddin’ when I say I live in eccentric-city! Nopes :D

PS. Since all the comments will be moderated here, your SOPs or requests shall not all be published, but only read by me.

There, you have full confidentiality :)

Thanks a lot, everybody. For the wonderful time so far.

Cheerios, and God Bless all of you …

Of Free Spirits ..

When it’s funny,

When I am happy,

I laugh out aloud…

When I do well,

Oh! I can tell,

I feel so proud!

When I feel pinched,

And emotionally lynched,

I just cry …

When I feel bored,

And mentally sored,

I sit blank and dry..

When I am thrilled,

With joy, am filled,

I like to sing..

When I feel cheesy,

And want things breezy,

I do a Chandler Bing..

When I am disgusted,

With minds un-dusted,

I move away…

When I am concerned,

And backs are turned,

I register my say..

When I’m confused,

And unclear on facts,

I donot opine..

When I think I know,

That things are ‘So’,

I state, with a sign.

When I know I am wrong,

I donot take long,

To undo my act,

When you ain’t in the right,

And feel ‘sorry’- in a flight,

I’ll forgive, it’s a pact!

When I’m in good cheer,

Tragic hope or fear-

I’ll crack a joke,

When I dun feel I gel,

I won’t bother ring a bell,

With any random bloke!

When I am upbeat,

N music kicks my feet,

I will jump about and dance,

When beat does not click,

Or make my heart tick,

I’ll be Pinochio in France ..

23 hours I can spend,

Without laughing a bend ,

For 60 minutes of ‘my kind’ ..

A lifetime I’ll invest,

In patient search of The Best,

And I will seek, until I Find..

A second of real laughter,

A second of real pain,

A second of real anger,

A momentary rush in vein….

Is life in all its glory!

Is life as it ought to be!

I express a felt emotion:

I am I. And I am FREE.

A real emotion- felt and told,

The Unsabotaged, and the unsold,

Is pure, is sacred, is truly divine.

Use it in random fashion,

Stripped of honest passion,

N It’s spirit you’d undermine.

Go ahead,

Choose to cry,

Choose to Love,

Choose to Lust,

But, Do it coz you so WISH

And not merely coz you Must.

Real Emotion: Real to the person concerned. Is felt within them. Originates there,

And is the sole cause driving their action.

e.g, someone laughing along with a group of ‘social intellectuals’, on a joke about the current crop of the spineless politicians, with no real clue/ concern about the issue in question- just to “gel in” with the group, will never be able to savour the moment, the laughter in the true sense.

Now, the idea is not to prosecute the person for this ignorant action.

It is quite common, natural and human.

The idea is to tell him, that it is Okay to not find it funny. There is no obligation to laugh; that there is greater sense of worth & esteem attached in laughing on a santa-banta joke, if so be it. Only that kind of laughter is therapeutic, and blissful.

Donot negate your identity, by negating your view of life, the world, of reality as you perceive it.

All of us are born with certain energies within us- a very simplistic version of the whole funda of karma and dharma.

Simple Physics:

Energy can neither be created, not destroyed. It simply changes from one form to another. Suppressing your real instincts, your true energies does not finish them off. They just find another vent, after being pumped uncomfortably inside for a long time, until when it can just not be contained anymore.

Why suppress? Live it. Expend it. And move on…

Why, for example, even if some one is excessively promiscuous – maybe beyond the norms of social acceptance- to the point where the society may label them a ‘whore’.. I think the society must give them the space to breathe- as long as their interests donot directly hurt those of others. [e.g reckless sexual behavior, out of consent of the partners, or spreading STD’s – these call for society’s intervention. Nothing else in their private domain does. ]

Oh! Disagree with them. Surely, you can find something fundamentally incorrect in their behavior, but so do ten other people who know you, will find in yours. Why not begin by fixing those-before you go around indulging in these unsolicited acts of social good, and charity.

(here I will digress a little.. again, this was unplanned )

What amuses me most is that once someone was vocally blowing hot and cold about how Homosexual behavior is sinful, coz it destroys the social moral order (Oh, how concerned they were, about the innocent little children around us, who would be impacted by such dirt around them .. !)

And the same person goes ahead a few months later, and is complicit in the most atrociously dirty action ever- maligning a colleague’s reputation and hurting their very identity by means of an evil, dirty plot. (which in rogueland, they might call a “prank” *Oh gawdd that trashy bnehaviour still boils my blood in rage* )

What is sinful, O Lord?

Trying to live a private life on your own terms (unconventional as those might be), without violating those of others?

Or directly invading into someone’s private territory, and deliberately and consciously causing hurt and pain to someone, and deriving satisfaction out of it?

Again, some words I hate.. totally beyond loathing!

Morals and ethics. Coz they represent grossly distorted forms of simple logic, and lend themselves to merry manipulation.

These concepts donot exist. Except in the Land of Lies n deception.

A is A. Is A. Is A.

A ain’t A by vote or majority opinion.

It is A by virtue of being nothing frm B- Z, but A.

It is not ours to tell others what “A” looks like, sounds like… feels like.

Let them decide how they define ‘A’.

Get together if you so desire, with those who share your definition of ‘A’. Coz it will be easiest to make deals with them.

Coz then, u’ll be trading Dollars with dollars. And it is always more complicated to trade dollars with pounds.

How does it relate to this post now…

A is any object, abstract notion, person or anything, that may inspire an emotion, or may itself be one.

I must have my right to define A. You must have yours. If we donot agree on the concept, we must not strike a deal between ourselves.

Again, all freedom granted until it is abused, and infringes upon that of another.

Another thing,

I feel that an emotion when used recklessly loses its spirit- its charm, its potential.

If you express ‘anger’- at the drop of a hat .. without real sufficient cause to do so..

Say, you yell at your junior every now and then, just to ‘rub in’ you status as the boss. When you are really upset with his substandard performance, or shoddy work, your yelling will not hold great impact, coz they are used to it …

*yawn with a curse* would be the response

But if chosen and used carefully, anger well directed and at appropriate timings, can cause a real effect- and be really impactful.

Note the apparently fake quality that creeps in, into the forever smiling, kissing in the air, (with oohs and aahs), socialite-like-personalities … it is tough to make out the real smile from the plastic one … and poor things, are suspected of fake emotions at all times, even when those may be perfectly genuine.

And the same applies to all the other emotions …

To use a very crude analogy, reckless (ab)use of emotions is like picking up ur warmest woolen cloth for simple winter season, and using it, cleaning it… using it, cleaning it … repeatedly… until most of its fabric weathers out .. and it loses its original spirit- purpose or quality, which was ‘warmth’.

Alternatively, one can save it for special occasions, such as the trip to the Himalayas, the Atlantic or heck, any other REALLY cold place u might chose to spend your vacation at. This would be special: the usage would be memorable, coz of the memorable context. You will get the warmth you so badly desire, and only this woolen cloth could have provided you ( which if used recklessly earlier, you would not have at ur disposal Now)

Now, none of the usages can be declared wrong.

It is totally your call.

Option A gives you the advantage of assured usage : what if the Special occasion never does occur in ur entire lifetime. What a Waste! Better use it at a below-capability level – just like any other ordinary woolen cloth.

Option B à Gives u the advantage of the benefit of the real, blissful pleasure that the thing alone has to offer to you- in a way that no other woolen can.

Take your call :)

And have the guts to face the consequences of whatever stand you might have chosen.

That, in the truest sense, is Liberation. That which, no one else but you can accord to your self.

PS. Wondering why this post suddenly? Actually, we have an exam on Monday..

Errr ….I had opened my book. (Organization Design and Development *yawn*)

And I decided to take a ‘break’ ;)

Peace!

A Sense of Life

I would have run away.

IF there were A Way.

Or an 'Away' for that matter..

Away - from all this chatter.

I would have bowed out.

Then I wouldn't have to shout...

Shout a silent scream.

To shield a hazy dream.

But,

Here, I am to stay.

Stay put. There is no way.

Part sense, part crap.

I tend to my own trap.

I wouldn't sit here and write,

A verse so bland, so trite.

If I could bow out,

With a graceful snout.

I could've lent my weight to my Word.

Coz I would know that I KNOW.

But now, I must say things absurd,

And shrug in hope, it 'must be so'.

I don't care if this is wrong,

Oh! let me ask this please!

(True I ain't that strong)

But, Who Did Move My Cheese?! :(

Okay, relax, life ain't that hard,

it is pretty calm and easy ...

Yet, I sit like one retard,

and say these things- all cheesy :O

There is They.

And There is Me.

Both kinda have a strife..

Though, on my part, I just let them be,

THEY won't spare My Sense of Life :(

Brothers :D :D ## Part 1

Have you watched the movie, “Hare Rama, Hare Krishna” ?

I watch it in bits and pieces, every Rakshabandhan [they air it every year, as a rule!]; although the rest of it is pretty boring, I kinda like the brother-sister sequence.

Esp: the song “phoolon ka taaron ka, sabka kehna hai..”, which the young Devanand sings for his thumbsucking cute li’l sister (deprived of adequate love and attention from their forever quibbling, overly rich and cosmetically socialite parents *stereotypical I know!*)

… you can watch it here : http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=NXQA8k7TlJg

And it is such a sweeeeet sequence- Oh you must watch it! Even the lyrics are so contextual, and so very sweet and touching. The portrayal of all the characters .. is quite natural, and strikes a chord.

Somehow, everytime I watch this song, I get swayed by the context, and end up shedding more than a few tears :O !

Li’l Jaspreet (who grows up to be Zeenat Amaan) and Prashant (Devanand) get separated at a tender age, following the divorce of their parents. Prashant is sort of better off, since he gets to live in the custody of his Mother- a decent woman. The father comes across as more frivolous, and ends up bringing a terribly indifferent stepmum for Jaspreet, who then falls into the trap of drugs and drug addicts, to beat her blues. Those were the days of the Hippie Movement, remember [grossly misnomered as “Hare Rama, Hare Krishna” movement]

*hence the Title of the movie btw:*

Then, when Prashant grows up, he vows to track down his sister, and bring her back into their family [meaning he and his mother]- only to discover, that she has renounced the sane world, and walked into oblivion with her gang of hippies, who find pseudo-solace from their lives’ woes, in drugs, smoke and in general degeneration of the mind and body.

Actually, the song “dum maaro dum, mit jaaye gum.. bolo subah sham, hare Krishna hare raam” is quite deeply meaningful. It captures the defeatist, escapist mentality of such youngsters belonging to the Hippie clan [this was a fad in that age] . Such disoriented youth, often, under the garb of “mindless devotion, selfless bhakti” – calling for renunciation of “Wordly issues” – go on a path of reckless self-destruction. All this, citing a “purposeful, higher” existence!

The lines that Devanand sings in this sequence, addressing this gang (to the latter’s chagrin, though) .. are quite thoughtful ..

“Dekho O deewanon, tum yeh kaam na karo,

Ram ka naam, badnaam na karo,

badnaam na karo…

Jeevan naam hai kaam ka,

Aaraam na karo,

Ram ka naam, badnaam na karo …”

:)

It is only towards the climax, that Jaspreet [who is now rechristened as “Jasmine” – I think!] discovers that this guy is her own long-lost brother!

And unable to take the pain of the reality, to bridge the gulf between the two worlds- hers and her brothers.. she commits suicide …

How she discovers his identity .. is quite a scene! When Prashant confronts her- by singing the same old song.. with really touching lyrics .. Uh, Pls lemme write those down too ! I loooooouu this bit :D

“hum tum dono toh hain,

Ek daali ke phool,

Main na bhoola,

Mujhko- tu kaise gayi bhool!” ….

Err… although, I wish Zeenat Amaan had acted better in this sequence … she almost undoes the magic created by Devanand, with her very superficially dramatic.. *accent* “pruh—shaant, merey bhaaai!” .. repeated ten miserable times. And very clinically :-/

Anyhow! My purpose was to celebrate the phenomenon called “Brothers” :D

Thank you, God, for creating such a wonderful breed!

And I want to document some little things about all these creatures in my life .. :)

I’ll pick my favorites though .. m not going for the extended family tree!

To begin with the youngest .. Om and Namo :D :D

Cutest, brightest little devils you will evvvver come across! [they do have real names though :) .. which I won’t share unnecessarily]

Powerhouses of energy, witticisms, cute antics, snappy, and yet innocent replies … that leave you with smiles and grins of amusement for ages! ..

Once, the elder one swallowed the handy-dandy screwdriver and calmly told the younger brother about it, and also his mum (who thought it was a silly joke)

Minutes later, she hears the younger one calling his dad in the office, to her HORROR..

“Umm.. Daddy, Bhaa-ya says he’s dyyyin’, and that I can take his Yo-yo cards.. Can I please do that?”

I rem. When the elder one was hardly an year old, (and I was kinda young too :( struggling to come to terms with the fact that my Masi *his mum* had to be shared with a new little creature now), we all met in Delhi for a brief period, n I threw a fit:

I wanted us to visit our favourite restaurant nearby ‘just like the old days’

Masi couldn’t take the li’l one along. And legally, she couldn’t leave him alone with our grandmum either. [he was tinny!!]

But, I pouted, senti-ed and she relented! [Shipra di kept throwing me deadly looks of contempt throughout, for my tantrums though :-/ ]

We came back home after 2 HOURS, to find the li’l thing near the door .. face stained with tears, voice hoarse with crying [“Mamaaa…” he leaped at her, the moment she entered] .. and hands full of pots and pans! … yeah! He had this fascination with pots and pans, for some strange reason :D

I was guilty, yeah :( but had still got what I wanted [yeah.. m no prize catch for an elder sis *sad look*]

A few years later, both the brothers – ages 4 and 6 I think … spent good two months with me! And boy, how I will always cherish those days!

I never knew I could handle kids .. and do it willingly! :) But they were a joy to be around. It started as a one-odd experiment: me helping the elder one to shower .. after an initial awkward look of plea at his mum to do the honours instead :P, he went ahead with the experiment. And we were done very soon. That was a real ice-breaking session :)

And all this while, the younger one – who is a tough nut to crack, and does not let every odd person in his domain, watched us .. to gauge whether I was the approvable material, to act the the mum-substitute at times :D …

The next day, Masi took a tentative shot “Om, would you want Shruti di, to help u out in the shower, or do u want me to do that?”

*I looked up, in anticipation, towards this 2 foot kid- who was a star in his own right, with all of us *

“Al go with deedee, it’s okay.”

*me and masi looked at each other eyes wide open* I was ecstatic.

And Proud! I must be a real good elder figure, to have obtained His approval!

And after that, the kids would get into the shower TOGETHER … my screams of “one by one ” notwithstanding!

It was a nightmare!.. They were quite a handful! While I handled one with the soap business, the other one would be merrily trying to climb into the huge water drum, ten times his size. My screams “what on earth are you doing?!!”, would be met with a calm, amused grin “I am jus’ tryin’ to get in!”

[oh, and to get them into the shower at nights was a project unto itself! They were HOOKED onto their playstations- since they had no other real friends or distractions out here.. and to get them unhooked for even a 15 minute shower, was a herculean task!

I tried everything: threats, pleas, emotional blackmails, will-tell-mummy, no-choco-milk tonight.. everything!! But they took AGES to relent. I think my moment of glory was the night I was really tired, n kept threatening to switch off their games if they did not pause those. Li’l one casually, to elder one ”hang on, bha-yya, she won’t switch it aawwwff! – 2 more min. deeedee”

Oh yeah?! You watch this kid!

I turned off the playstations- just when they were jumping about having beaten some stupid Ludo somebody, “without weapons” ..

*ha! Zapped/ silence*

Both sets of jaws dropped open.

*younger one: half-shocked, half-awestruck.. wide eyed*

“She actually SWITCHED it off…”

The elder one mumbles ..”I know!!” .

... and both meekly walk into the bathroom, to get the job done with!]

*and I was all grins and pats on my own back* :D

I must have never screamed at any kid that much. Never told off anybody that many times. Never cooked for anyone!!! But I did all of that for them!

How many times they must have tiptoed into my room, to ask…

“errrm.. shrooteee deedee, can I get some mur-khoo and Koh-shur Chai??” **

** murku = is a madrasi food item/ snack kinds.

“Kashur Chai” = a kind of black, milkless, falvoured Kashmiri Chai, better known as “kaava” – u might have heard/ seen in movies :D

“Can I get some Choco-mee?” [:D that was chocolate milk]

Reason why all such requests started being directed to me instead of their mum: I was really liberal with the amount of chocolate used, and Maggi served :P :P

Every morning, before I left for college, one of them would (instructed by masi) groggily but diligently wish me “Bhagwaanas Hawala” [in kashmiri, that means, “may you be safe in God’s hands” :) ]

I remember this really funny episode with the little one – who would throw unbelievable dramatic fits when being asked to sit down to study [“I am feeling giddy” “mamma.. my fingers won’t move”, “I am weak” , “I think I need choco-mee” :( :( ] … and all of this, tears streaming down his face, while I would melt in pity, and tell his mum- let go, how can u be so heartless.

She knew better. She would tell him COLDLY. I’ll wait for when you stop feeling giddy, just stay put :P ..

And eventually, he’d give in.

One day, after this entire session of tears, and forced lesson in counting till TWELVE, Masi left for the kitchen, asking him to work on spelling THIRTEEN to TWENTY.

And oohhh … that was a Kodak moment… he kept going … (eyeing his playstation helplessly) .. “Thirteen,.. Thirteen.. how do you spell thirteen” ..

*elder brother steps in, to help him cheat, when he catches my look of disapproval*

*li’l one.. gets off the couch and tip toes into the kitchen to his mum*

*meekly..*

“mamma, I can’t spell THUr-teeen”

‘why can’t you?’ *stern look*

“I dunnoooo …” *helpless tone*

‘You just spelt Tweleve. I’m sorry, figure it out urself.’

*sighing loudly, n dejectedly, tiptoeing back to our room, protesting loudly*

“Mamma, comeon!! Twelve was eee-zeee … Thur-teeen is tuuuuuuuufffff!”

I tell you, I haven’t seen anything more cute than that scene!!

…

His reaction to the news about my Chicken Pox was classic too :P

When Masi anxiously told him about it, he goes

“ha.. haaa.. haa !”

Masi: *no-messing-with-me look* ‘what’s funny about that? ’

*promptly getting the signal, n taking a 180 degree turn*

“Oh, you said chicken Pox! .. I heard something else! Mom.. that can’t be good, she’ll miss school!” :P :P

Oh .. there are lots and lots of real stories about this pair [which when performed live, have the real impact :D] .. but on this occasion of Rakhshabandhan, I am reminded of these two li’l episodes:

Once we had a verrrry naughty li’l kid over. UDDAND BALAK, really!

He was all over the place, and he was full of purposeless punches! [his idea of affection and fun- though it HURT!]

For some reason, he kept making me miserable throughout; I did not say much, and let it pass, with mild “NO’s”..

Then the elder one does something sweet, digs out his playstation and gives it to him to keep him busy. [mind u- they don’t let anyone come a mile near their playstations]

And he requests masi to step aside for a private conversation, and tells her, “that kid is hurting Shruti deedee. Mamma, you ask him to stop, else I’ll have to tell him off!” [:D :D, an 8 year old kid, this!! ]

And yeah …

Our first farewell moment. That year, When I went to see them off, it was a whole lot of memories !! This time, more with the kids than with masi.

I remember shedding silent tears, in dignity, without letting anyone notice, when the li’l boy waves across the glass screen, and signals me silently to wipe off the tears.

The same whining, complaining little boy who would give me hell with his holiday homework!

There he stood, about to walk away for another year.. n showing sparks of maturity..totallly unexpected from a kid his age and kind!

:)

Gawd ..i devoted a whole lot of space to these kids!! And I still think I have just scribbled a few random thoughts!! :)

Will do the others in the next post I guess!

Some more Blabbering ...

:)

Hear, Hear! … Today is a Free day :D .. I reached home before dark! And could afford to just sit and do NOTHING. :D

Tomorrow at least, speaks no deadline, and that is GOOD ENOUGH!

Errm .. there is some work though…

Let me see, I need to revise the Assignment for Prof. D [and this time, even if he screams “nahee chalegaa, babaaa!” at the top of his voice.. al be at a safe distance.. :P ] ..so no probs there ..

Then, I need to do the Consultancy Assignment … OK, technically I should be worried about it .. coz I have no clue what I am going to do, and HOW! The presentation is on … Wednesday I think?

Lots of time, lots of time … *rubbing hands together purposefully* :) .. and …

**writing after a gap of a few hours**

It is 12:48 A.M and I see Ankit’s status message- a quote by JNU! [d’oh! Jawahar Lal Nehru] … for a split of a second, I rub my eyes..! Why on earth does Ankit (of ALL people :P ) have a quote by JNU as his status ! It’s like Anshuman endorsing Chintu Candy as an A-Grade brand *gulp*

(mild apologies to both: unLucky Baba and the Cupid-ian Creature *ROTFL*) ^{##see note at bottom}

But of course! It’s Independence Day, ain’t it! :D And we are all happy, Independent Indians… :D And let’s face it.. some days in the year, every single person does get moved by such sentiments … if you are human, and a part of a nation.. it is an inescapable emotion :)

So, Happy Independence Day people! :)

Congratulations! On having being born into a country where you can speak your mind, take your decisions, express your opinions (without the fear of persecution) and where you can celebrate FREEDOM in real spirit.

Well, you certainly can!

Whether or not you choose to do so, is your call.

And here I would like to reiterate a seemingly trite, but extremely profound statement: Charity begins at home.

Everyday, we are confronted with choices. And it is real freedom, to be able to take a stand. To say yes when you agree and No when you disagree.

Simple things, really.

Thanks but no thanks, I donot drink.

I donot think smoking is cool.

I did not like that.

I donot wish to be a part of this.

**continuing this post on 15^th afternoon**

I disagree with what you just said.

I will not be a party to this.

Of course, these statements are purely illustrative in nature; you may or may not agree- but whatever your opinion, if you find yourself feeling uncomfortable, coz of being unable to express it [for fear of retribution, ostracism, seclusion, or generally “not being liked anymore by friends”, then you ain’t Free but Fettered!]

To be able to turn around and tell the best-est of your mates that they are in the wrong – especially when their actions have a direct bearing on others’ lives, constitutes real Freedom, and a dignified existence.

Real freedom lies in being able to hold an opinion, and express it, when you so wish. Well, it is NOT always possible, sadly, in the real world- I know!

But the more you are capable of doing it, the more liberated in spirit you are.

There are two reasons for a person to not express their opinion: fear/ uncertainty and political correctness/ diplomacy for selfish reasons.

While the first evokes pity, the latter evokes contempt.

Bottomline of the whole unplanned discourse:

Independence is to be celebrated in real spirit, and not in SMS-es, or caller tunes, or morning assemblies and parades.

If we cannot voice our opinion in a mature dignified manner, to people we live with everyday, for the cause of what we believe to be right/ true- in matters of public interest … we will never be able to do justice to the Universal Adult Franchise, or freedom at a National Scale.

*Wow .. talk about digression! .. *

Hmmm…

Another thing by the way, I recently did something very HR-personish recently. Unwittingly though. And felt extremely weird too. But I did- to get some clarity about issues when my mind was a mess.

I conducted a crude Reference Check :P

You know, I never ask someone for “opinions” on person A, B C [their acquaintances or friends ] .. to get an idea about the latter’s character sketch. I donot like it. But somehow, the other day, I sort of conducted a “run me down A and B” :P , with the help of a friend.

Well, I got LOTS of instantaneous information, thanks to the kind resourcefulness of the Source, but I think all the information overload only made things difficult for me! And it also highlighted my not very accurate sense of perception/ judgment.

Yet again :(

Errm … looks like that’s enough blabbering for now. I’ll write my real post in the next one. Ciao

** I just discovered the other day, that Ankit calls the “Laughing Budhdha” , “Lucky Baba” :P .. when I threw a quizzical look, as to whom he was referring to when he talked abt “Lucky Baba”, he earnestly went on to explain.. “arre..the one who is bald, with a bag in hand…!! ” :D :D ..

And I used to be publicly mocked at, for calling the same thing, “Happy Budhdha” .. I mean comeon!! .. comeooooon!! :D :D LUCKY BABA!!

Now for the ‘Cupidian Creature’ .. *ahem* .. this is a monicker, given to Anshuman by our word-loose Consultancy Prof. .. His crime? He had turned around in class to look at our Smart Lady, quite by chance ;) :P pooor thing, I tell you! ..

(Although, I have little in terms of sympathy for him!: psst… before my Law presentation, I was anxious enough to ask him to hang my photograph on a wall of my choice, in the HR-I classroom- post the presentation. Any normal human being would have been expected to say something like “comeone, you will survive it..!”.. but nope!.. he jumped excitedly, to picking the flowers to be used for the Mala: “Orchids or Lily?” :( and how frequently would I like the mala to be replaced? .. working out the finances :( :O )

The Knife that Lied

I had asked The knife,

‘Knife, Do you stab?!

Would you make someone Bleed?

Would you someone nab?”

And it had told me!

Told me in so many words! :

‘I only cut and chop and slice;

Make sure that no one hurts!’

‘But they say you’re the stabbing knife,

They say you dig them scars!’

Indignant, it revolted, ‘Such Lies!

I swear upon the stars!’

Oh, I’m no simple table-spoon, nor your fancy fork,

I admit I’ll cut to size, every wrongful dork’

“’Cut to size’, Knife?”, I repeated;

“And what really does that mean?

Could you draw blood, with your blade?!,

Or keep it nice and clean!?”

I try to recall what it had said;

I THINK it swore upon it’s blade,

That it had never tasted blood,

Never on human flesh it laid …

And with that, I was at peace.

It was just nice to know-

This was really no ‘stabbing’ knife,

It would not sink that low!

And there are other knives,

They seemed to be the same,

I took their word for what it said,

And not for noises lame ..!

And I write this, broken somewhere,

Coz The Knife DOES aim to kill;

How sure I was, that it DID not!

Now, ALL knives could fit the bill!

Maybe they’ll shine their blades one day.

Just like The knife, that lied.

I sit and stare and wait now;

I have sat alone and cried.

Ring a Ring O' Roses ..

Ring, a ring o' roses,
A pocket full o’posies-

A-tishoo, A-tishoo

We all Fall Down …!

About that very famous nursery rhyme:

Legend has it that this rhyme was actually a coded reference to Bubonic Plague or Great Plague of London (a widespread, deadly disease once upon a time) –in which the patient first developed round reddish rashes in the shape of rings (“ring of red roses” ) – pockets would be filled will sweet smelling herbs (“posies”), since it was believed to be caused due to bad smells. The line “a tishoo-a tishoo” refers to Sneezing- a symptom of the disease, .. and Lastly, since the patient fell prey to death, the reference to “Falling down” [if you’ve had a normal childhood, and played these games, then u might recall how a ring was formed while kids chanted this rhyme, and ultimately all of ‘em fell down onto the ground!]

Even though, thankfully Bubonic plague still figures on my “haven’t-had-it-yet” list of diseases, along with Hepatitis, Appendicitis (which errm my birth horoscope claims unequivocally that I WILL be operated for, one day) along with others..

But it’s the “Ring a Ring O’ Roses” bit, that kept playing in my mind for the past ten days … day in and day out .. every second-of-every-minute-of-every-hour-of –my-existence …as *gulps painfully*

What with red, round, blisters that had sprung up on every inch of skin that I have diligently grown in the past 21 meaningless years of my life ..

YEAH! I am infected with *hold your breath* CHICKEN POX!

YOU KNOW! CHICKEN. POX.

Even as I have survived 10 painful days of this horrible … I repeat H.O.R.R.I.B.L.E disease (“Horrible” underlined, bolded, encircled with a dark red marker pen)

.. I can’t believe I actually DID develop Chicken Pox. It was always one of those things for me, which are just not meant for me, but only for ‘others’. Somehow, a fool that I am, I have always considered myself ABOVE many ordinary things that are supposed to be “mandatorily normal” for most mortals

(I mean I still DO!! :( )

Dream Company? *blank look*

Checking into OLT? *blank look*

Solving Questions 91-156, in Physics’ Ratan Guide … *Blankest look ever*

Chicken Pox? *rolls eyes*

CRASH … CRASSSSSSSSSSSHHHH .. and I was brought down..humbly.. down to the Rock Bottom.

And painfully so :(

For those who haven’t experienced it … I’ll be at my grossest best, and tell you what it’s like ! (hate me all you want *sticks out tongue impudently*)

So, you get these red boils/ blisters all over your body (tho the most affected spots are the face, the scalp and the trunk region)- and these are no ordinary boils, mind you! They seem to be filled with concentrated Nitric Acid or sum-such-fluid. Boy, oh boy! Do they hurt!

It’s like someone’s poking a thousand needles in your head and all other affected places. I personally grieved my needled Scalp the most- it drove me up the wall!!

And you can’t TOUCH them, god forbid! They are Sacred you see! … SACRED coz they threaten to leave behind ugly scars, stamping you for the rest of your life, at the slightest provocation/ manhandling.

I remember when I had come home from the Doc’s, on the first day of my discovery of these boils, diagnosed with “suspected chicken pox”. Scars was the first thing SMS had warned me against, when I had been arrogant enough to declare, “Comeon! That’s the LEAST of my worries” … well, in my defence, I had the prospect of 20 something wasted days of college, hounding me on the priority list!

Well, ten days have passed and my boils have reached the less-annoying stage of crusting. Which basically means: still ugly red spots, yet, those which hurt less and are just irritatingly itchy- not PAINFULLY so. And therein, dear Blogreader, lies all the difference in the World!!

I could have recited so many tales and experiences..in the goriest detail, in those days, but now that it’s passé, I somehow can’t bring myself to do it. *yawn*

Here is what I intend to do:

I’ll give you a checklist. A list of

“Do’s and Don’t’s while dealing with Chicken Pox Patients”

Oh, believe you me.. it’s important! I wish someone had fed this list to all my friends and acquaintances earlier.. I would have an easier time *sniff sniff* ;)

So, here goes :(BTW I’m not sure to what extent you could generalize it, if you please, call it “Do’s and Don’t’s while dealing with Chicken Pox-ed Shrutis”)

ü When you ask them, “How are you feeling now” … DONOT bother about the reply. DONOT consider to analyze the situation and phrase the sympathetic note in your reply. It should come promptly, AUTOMATICALLY. PRONTO!

Put in a lot of “awwwwss”… “realllly…soooo sad” “ Oooooooohhhs” “ awww .. you poor soul” … BLINDLY.

The CP-ed being will lap it up! …

No better antidote for a painfully incurable disease, than loads of sympathy! TONS of it. :P And yeah! I made my notes, … so all those of you who did your “awwws”and “ ooohs” correctly, get full points. And LOTS of blessings! :D

And those who acted Cheeky.. pphhhh … I gave all my guest Viruses your detailed addresses. With Special Recommendation.

*evil grin*

You know what to expect next! :P

[I’m telling you, people are heartless! Once, I spent ages unraveling the mystery of “how shruti got cp..” over SMS exchange :O … Will u believe that the conclusion of the baseless story was something like .. “the pox ate chicken, and you ate Him?! :( ”]

ü Okay. Write it down if you must! But PLEASE REMEMBER .. a bad joke with a CP-ed being is not just ‘no-hahas’.. it can be FATAL.

So, The next time someone tells you they’re down with chicken pox, you DON’T turn around with that Oh-I’m-being-so-smart-n-funny,

“But, When did you eat Chicken *wink wink*?” *aaaargggh*

Coz your CP will smile. Maybe Genuinely, once. Second time, Polite smile.

Third time, they’ll shrug in their sad acknowledgement of your handicapped joke.

But, the Fourth time?

Trust me, the FourthTime, they will just come over and SHOW you how they got it. A Practical Demonstration. On YOU. I would have done that, I swear, to every single one of these Smart Alecs, if I hadn’t been so drained of energy and resources :(

BTW: Meghna aka Jayemsee AKA cut-wrists, was the first one to crack this joke with me. So, I had actually not freaked out, but simply sighed (“Someone tell her that THAT one is called Chicken FLU… and somebody break her heart- tell her that im not down with a deadly, potentially fatal disease, but a perferctly normal, self-curing one !” :D :D)

ü Donot squirm your face in disgust even when the CP’s face resembles the pan in which you would make scrambled eggs! My own folks were Angelic when it came to this. They kept offering me real, affectionate hugs (when I was reduced to sooooooo un-huggably repulsive a creature, that even I would have recommended risking a tea-party with a crocodile, over bothering to move an inch towards me :()

I actually shut my eyes when I would have to visit the wash-basin for any purpose [the mirror-mirror-on-the-wall offered a sight that sent chilly shivers down my spine!]

ü If the CP asks you to STAY away to prevent infection, DO IT!!

Nothing like the guilt of having passed on the dreadful disease to your near and dear ones.

My Nanima- an old – very old and ill-in-health Lady, gave me hell when it came to this.

I literally had to DRIVE her out of my room, cry to get her off me- “checking my pulse” :O , or STOP her from rearranging all my totally infected stuff every morning!! I will never -in my wildest dreams- understand why she brushed aside my very logical and scientific explanation for my Seclusion from her, with such confidence and impudence. HOW?!

These grannies are a WEIRD lot!

DITTO for all my other folks, who were steadfastly by my side, DESPITE all my attempts at seclusion, rubbing in my “untouchable” status for the unvaccinated/ un- Chicken Poxe-ed souls.

Really, GOD FORBID, if one of them fell sick coz of me, I’ll drown myself in a bucketful of Chicken Pox Viruses!

Okay, I’m tired now. And sleepy. Relaxed- now that I've poured out all my Acid :P

Will go get some sleep :) Peace !!