An ode to FRIENDSHIP

To my dear friends, old and new,

To the most ‘precious’, not many, but few,

To the friends who showed me the world,

And to those with whom I now share the view,

To the life that you brought in ‘me’

To the smile that dazzled the eyes,

To the love that spread miles away,

To the care, like a blanket, warm and wide,

To the laughter, that radiated many faces,

To the pranks, silly and amusing,

To the tears, full of salt and emotions,

To the effort t o cheer the other,

To the words that struck the right chord,

To the reading minds and intuitive thoughts,

To make my life worth living,

Under a canopy of selected and good friends,

A different color in each leaf,

Each with its perfection which gleams,

Amalgamating in the sparkling rain,

Forming a rainbow with the sun in view.

To all my friends, with beautiful souls,

To all my friends who amazed me,

Life would be different and so would me,

Had it been just me and not “we”!

MY VERY FIRST...."step"

Every beginning, every stepping stone towards our goal, has a first day!

I really don’t remember mine, though I remember my brother’s first day at school, he cried so innocently. He looked pretty cute.

I remember my first day at my new school in First grade. I was hesitant, scared, what kind of children I’ll find around me or for that matter befriend? Will others find me interesting?

The same anxiousness en-wrapped me today, the only difference was that that time I was in first grade, and now I’ll be starting off with my Masters!!

Ah! I know it sounds great? Right? I really don’t know.

These years blew like a wind.; one which was some times as hot as loo, at others time as calm as sea breeze, and in few moments of life it felt as if it danced with my happy moments too!

This time in Masters, the only difference was that I did bring along a group of my college friends with me here too. So, in a way, I was not completely lost.

I have already made 3 friends out of a class of 100 people; my friends seem pretty good. Rest only time has to tell how it goes.

Often in life we stumble upon things, which at that moment seem useless, we criticize them, find faults, but not soon enough we realize how close we were to those “very things” that all which comes out from our heart and mouth are words of love and attachment with those very things!

I say this in the context of my College “Jesus and Mary College”, one of “the” most prestigious ones in Delhi University!

I truly miss it. Everything about it. The lawns, which were not less than the ones at Rashtrapati Bhawan, where we used to bask under the sun in winters. The canteen, even though I didn’t had much from there, still. The rocks, a place we used to call “On the Rocks” sit there and get a feel of a hill station. And, my very own “Psychology Department”. The Freshers welcome, department fest, farewell, SPICMACAY festival, College fest, the rooms, and the teachers!! They were simply the best lot I had come across!

I feel bad, that right at the very first day of my “New” College, I started making comparisons, I started judging teachers by the way they spoke, the English they uttered from their mouths, or their ability to answer a student’s question or not! But yes, I acknowledge the fact that I’m at least aware of it! I know and perhaps I may even try making amends to this way of mine. I also know it’s pretty natural. Cognitively, our mind arranges information with the help of “schema” mental images we have of certain concepts; and they help us sort information.

*Sigh* My fingers are crossed, my heart sinks, reflecting on the long way I have already traveled and the future that awaits me to spread my wings! And as I walk near the cliff to open my wings again, I hope the flight I take is worth the effort put in by me!!

DILEMMA

I knew it’s meaning, but never knew how it felt,

Until today, life seemed to tumble down,

The towers I had raised, the dreams of mine,

All seemed broken, shattered on the ground.

A moment of despair, a moment of anger,

Hopelessness, helplessness, both called me in,

And just when I was about to surrender,

Myself to this darkness,

Glimmerings of “Hope” fell upon me!

I looked up with my tired eyes,

Scared heart and my state of misery,

Deep down a battle was on,

Whose side to take, a dilemma for me!

I tried calming myself,

Telling myself “All wasn’t lost”,

I tried thinking rationally,

I found some answers from the past and the present,

Raising me up from this quandary.

Dazed, confused, ready to give up,

This was me,

In a moment the smile vanished,

As I was nonplussed with reality!

In moments such as these,

Where a decision decides your way,

I now learn that initially,

Our mind might a havoc play,

Then try and settle somewhere,

Where the rationale goes,

Boosting us with confidence,

That forever in us lay.

Our heart is too weak,

At times like these,

And mind too strong for itself,

Life throws us into rides of its own,

The twists, the turns, high and low.

And now that I’m through it,

Call me if you need,

I’ll give you hope, share the truth,

And all that you’ll need!

A REASON FOR EVERYTHING…

I want a reason to live, to realize I’m here for a purpose,

I want a reason to understand, why bad things start when good ones end,

I want a reason to be calm, even after the chaos this life offers,

I want a reason to be patient, to understand that things take their time,

I want a reason for distance; for it makes me miss those I love,

I want a reason for tears, as it makes the hurt more painful,

I want a reason for dreams, they are more than what’s unconscious is about,

I want a reason for hesitation, for it makes me unable to express what I want,

I want a reason for pain, coz it makes me lose my strength,

I want a reason for short term happiness; it takes away everything before it comes,

I want a reason for good connectivity, often it doesn’t works when I need the most,

I want a reason for separation, it isn’t too easy as it seems,

I want a reason for blessing; for it takes all the faith one can have,

I want a reason for everything, to lead this life with vigour!!

PS: Keep writing

From the time you began learning “A, B, C…..LMNOP” to now, try pondering how much have you expressed all these years, using words, your thoughts, and a pen and a paper?
Have you ever tried penning down your thoughts so as to get back to them sometime in future? To smile at yourself as you read how silly your thoughts were, your behavior, being so immature, and your innocence so subtle yet, pure?

Well, if the answer to the above questions is “YES”, then good, welcome to the “World of Writing”, and if NO then you are welcomed more so with profound appreciation, for the fact that you took out sometime to read this one!

I wonder if you know how much power do words have. No matter if they are written or spoken, they have the ability to evoke an emotion taking you to great heights, one moment, and tearing your heart apart as tears fall down your cheeks.

It’s only when we read books, fiction, non-fiction or soul stirring stories that we realize the depth of emotions the writer has. His /her ability to make his way with words, juggle them and pen down beautifully in an artistic way that the reader literally jumps, laughs, cries, gets startled, with everything that the protagonist in the book does.

I, as a writer, do not know whether I was born as an expressive girl or not. But writing too has a lot to do with it.

Writing helps one to express one's thoughts on nothing but a piece of paper, all ready to en-wrap you with its warmth, it welcomes you to cry your heart out, to vent out all your pent up feelings, and then it nicely preserves it for “you”. The paper then is at your mercy. Save it or burn it!

Our thoughts have an immense power which gets strengthened when it takes the form of words (written).

Try it for once; see how “YOU” feel. It needn’t be as great as Paulo Coelho or J.K. Rowling. Anyways you don’t expect yourself to reach at that level in your very first piece.
But, for once, in your moments of happiness, despair, grief or sheer serenity, try and pen down your free flowing thoughts to begin with. Make it a daily practice. Then perhaps you will realize how much you feel at ease after expressing yourself by writing!

Writing in its best form allows you to connect with your “inner self”. In the turmoil of our emotions, it acts like a guiding light, helping you understand your feelings , your “own self” , the way no one could have known.

You do not need great vocabulary to write down. Pure, honest words have more weight than words which are complex and ambiguous. And vocab also builds automatically with time, as you read more and more.

So grab a pen and a paper and get down to write and express what YOU and YOUR thoughts are…I'll end with what Mathew Arnold sais and I quote:

" Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style"

Happy writing!!:)