“Kisi ka jeevan hai sapna, kisi ka sapna jeevan hai!!”

After “Balika Vadhu” made an impression and shaped its own special place in hearts of television viewers of all ages, another daily soap launched again on Colors grasped my attention last night. I had watched its promos before, but happened to watch the serial yesterday.

I was working late (from home) and in parallel watching television to keep myself awake. I happened to watch one episode of this serial named “UTRAN” at 10 PM, and really liked the way it has portrayed the life of economically weaker sections of our society from a small girl’s perspective.

The serial shows an innocent little girl, a maid’s daughter, who is confused why she cannot cut cakes, blow candles and wear new clothes on her Birthday. Iccha, the little kid, does not really understand or agrees to the disparities in the society and is persistently inquiring the same to her mother. She wants to be like the rich girls flaunting their nice-looking dresses and dolls which she sees at homes where her mother works. But she, at the end of the day, has to keep contented with all the used and worn-out things she gets once these kids chuck them away. And when her mother tells her that it is all about “kismaat”, she tries to find out if she can buy her “Kismaat” from a vegetable vendor.

Some people might feel bad as the serial rubs in the fact that maids or their kids are given discarded things. I respect this sentiment. But, I do not want to be negative personally. For me, not showing such things will not change facts. The program leaves me contemplating on three things for now: One, some petite things which we take for granted can be prized for someone else and if I can be a little insightful and sensitive, it could aid bring smile on someone’s face. Two, I can be once in a while grateful to the superpower which drives the world for giving me whatever I have. Three, every child has the right to get the best things in life….for that matter ever human being.

As the title says, “For someone, life is a beautiful dream, for other it’s a dream to be able to live!”

THINK NEGATIVE

You dont have to always think positive. Sometimes, THINK NEGATIVE: to corruption, to crime and to dirty politics.

What is worse then death is to realize that you only have a few moments of life left. 

When you have an inhaler in your bag, yet, you can take only a few breaths.

You have enough balance in your cell, yet you can make only a few SMSes. 

You have all the love in your heart, yet you cannot express.......

.

.

.

.

.

As the guns point to you and they shoot, you are still deciding which of the two can save your life....Bhagwaan or Allah?  

Conversation with the Dead

Today morning, I spent sometime in front of the Television. And when I say “sometime”, it means some emotional moments. I must accept I was at the verge of breakdown and tears rolled out of my eyes as I witnessed those funerals. I did not know any of them but as I write this post, my heart cries and thanks ITS chief Hemant Karkare, officer Kamte, officer Salaskar, and officer Sandeep Unnikrishnan and many more unidentified yet brave soldiers who laid their lives struggling to free Mumbai from the chains of those shameless animals who like an epidemic are destroying the society.

I want to have a heart-to-heart talk with these soldiers and tell them a few things:  

Officer Hemant Karkare, your funeral ceremony was shown across all news channels.In midst of this, a small yet very important piece of news reported by one news channel got lost by most of us. But, I somehow managed to remember and think over it. The news said that initial investigations have revealed that “officer Karakare's official bullet proof vest was of inferior quality”. Please tell me if this news was true? If yes, then then, it is both a shame and shock to me and I apologize to you on behalf of this nation. Why did you die for a county which can't even provide you bullet proof vests?

Dear dead soldiers, as the nation offers condolence to your families, we, the commoners, also need to ask ourselves…..do we deserve such ultimate acts of love and sacrifice from you, because, as you die the majority of us watch with apathy, but, are more concerned with sensex and match reschedules than law and order and national unity and pride. When will common people like me ask a simple question to our conscience “what can I do to change this?”

Officers, It is wasting your lives to die for a country so soft on terrorism where nothing changes except the numbers of you dying increases while for our leaders (be it the ruling party or the opposition) “India is STILL shining”. Even a child would understand that an attack of this magnitude had to be planned for months or over a period of time. This incident shows that Indian intelligence agencies have no intelligence gathering capabilities, so why die for it when there'll be nothing except a medal for your family as martyr after after martyr has died while opportunist fool after fool has prospered and ruled?

My only prayers now are that may your near ones live long and be proud that you had the courage in the land of the weak and may your name shine long in the land of the living dead.

Thanks!
Priya

If.....

If life was simple,
If the vision was straight,
If the fog was clear,
I would not wait....

I would not wait,
to laugh with you,
to see the birds,
to touch the dew....

To touch the dew,
and make hills of sand,
to dream all colors,
to hold your hand....

To hold your hand,
to reach the sky,
to make the rainbow,
and never say GOODBYE!!!

Motivational thoughts......by Me :)

Things were not always the same. They were worse.

We were a land of snake charmers, who had nothing to do with the rapid pace of developing world, where women were a means of producing children, were sati was not an evil , but, a "proud" ritual, where widow remarriage was a crime, where education was a delicacy and girl education was "not needed", where a handful of outsiders could come, divide, exploit and rule for nothing less than a 100 years.

Then, few amongst us decided to revolt. They did not agree to what was happening around us. They wanted to raise a voice. It was not difficult. A change is only a matter of making noise. If something is wrong and we decide to oppose it, sooner or later, the results are positive. It is all about believing in yourself and proving your point. The need is to "Take the Lead" and move ahead.

And so, revolutions happen and will keep happening in the world and in our lives.

Changing Perspective - "The Next Level"

I always want to reach to the next level.
I am never satisfied with the status quo.
I want to desire for greater heights.
I have a need for more to do.

How to reach the next level?

I thought, it is by implementing our ideas, desires, and aspirations.
I thought it is by our "Acts."
I thought the journey to the next level starts with a step forward.

But, in my journey I realized,

Going to the next level is hard and it is easier said then done
....grass is always greener on the other side.

So, I decide, I step back and I do not want the next level.

!!!

Sometimes I see a justful order
Behind the things that seem to be
Somewhat down the surface seen
I see some hidden games and schemes

I assure this fact through stances felt
It relaxes my heart and soul
When in life I do my bit
And leave results to your will.

Sometimes I see a justful order
In the way our lives arrange
Giving us what we deserve
Planned to stand and fall somehow

In a rightful manner, time, space

Inspiration - The X-Files

Life... is like a candy box - sweet yet harming, can be a pain in the tooth, perfect gift which you would enjoy only if you are a child, unreturnable. So, you're stuck with it. It is tempting and you always want a little more though you know its consequences in large doses. Sure, once in a while you get a the peanut one or your favorite flavor or an English toffee but it's gone too fast and the taste is fleeting. In the end, you are left with nothing but the useless empty wrappers which you have to throw into the dustbin......

Dedicated to my Birds - One died, other I released.....

They would laugh, they would smile,
they would eat, they would chirp,
they were inside the little cage'
still no regrets - because they were together.
He died, and she lived,
she did not know how to fly,
but was left alone in the world,
she waited for him to get up,
to protect her, to love her,
but, he had made her strong,
and left her to face life,
to be with a new mate,
to enjoy out of sadness......

I had a friend in childhood. She stayed down the stairs and we studied in the same school. One summer, on the very last day of our two month break she told the rest of the group that she visited Kashmir during these holidays. I was surprised and amused at this because all the 60 or so days I had met with her every day and played all sorts of sports and games. I was speculating if she went to Kashmir one night and came back by morning. I deduce her problem was that she wanted to go to Kashmir and her parents never took her. So, she persuaded herself this way.

I asked her what she saw there and she did have her answer ready, “Polar bear.” I guess she thought every snowy place had polar bears.

Then another afternoon, we had got our results and were returning back from school together. She was in a different section, but, same grade. I knew she is not very strong with her studies, yet, I asked about her marks. She said this time she had studied hard and she topped the class.

Next day I got to know she was second last.

She was excellent at singing. She had participated in an inter-school singing contest. After the competition and the kids who had gone for it came back, I and another friend asked her the result. She said, she stood second and got a silver color trophy. I congratulated her. Later it was announced during the prayer time that she had won the first prize and got a gold color trophy. This time I could really not figure out what went wrong.

I guess she thought if she’ll tell us about the gold color trophy, we’ll snatch it from her.

Once she flunked a class and did not tell anyone. I anyways found out. I was endorsed to the next class and one day I had to go to the lower-grade as a monitor in a free period. It was her class. She saw me from far and could comprehend that I am coming in, so she left the class and did not return for that entire period. I asked her classmates about her name and they validated.

She thought happily that she had fooled me. I never tried to make her think otherwise also.

One fine day, in the evening when we met to play, she was disturbed over her mother not buying her a new school bag. She told us that she is an adopted kid and that is why her parents don’t behave well with her. On returning back home, I told my mother about this. My mother decided to call her mom next day. When she did so her mother said that my friend had told them that rest of us have teased her that her parents have adopted her and that is why they are not buying bag for her.

Seeing her upset they had rushed to buy a bag for her in the evening.

Smart girl!!!

You dont have to always think positive. Sometimes, THINK NEGATIVE: to corruption, to crime and to dirty politics.  

Let's Get This Straight -------------

They say “When you don’t look straight you lie.” So, judging if someone is lying to me is to try and look directly into her eyes….if the person looks back, s/he is true, if not, s/he is lying. Simple!!

But, is this in itself apt? Maybe this is a truth test. But, for me there are many more times when I don’t look into a person’s eyes and I am not lying…..

Like,

1. When I am praising someone or when someone is complimenting me
2. When I am telling someone how much I care for them
3. When someone is crying and I am trying to make her feel better
4. When I am breaking bad/sad news
5. When I am talking to my elders (sometimes)
6. When I am ill and talking
7. When I am shy
8. When I am uncomfortable or self-conscious
9. When I am scared, nervous or in a hurry
10. When I am not interested in talking
11. When I am insecure
12. When I am letting out a secret
13. When someone is scolding me
14. When I am talking to a group
14. When I am revealing my real age

…………………and many more

Wait…..does this mean…I am never looking straight while talking?

Hell. I never realized!!!

I am Myself....Can I be please???

Children need to understand their parents; or is it vice-versa? At times, it is not a war of generations, NO. It is a battle, a struggle of identities, of individuals wanting to proove themselves right. Of souls wanting to set free and do what they desire.

I have a friend. She is 24 years old. She wants to enjoy life, go out to see the world, do a job of her own choice, learn music and more.....

But, her parents want her to do a mundane 9 to 5 join, earn some bucks for her pocket money, marry and then ultimately produce kids. Nothing wrong in all this, only the fact that she does not want to do any of these....:)

I have no solution to her dilemma and safely wanting to come out of the discussion, I told her that her parents are concenred about her, that is why they say all this. She should understand them and talk out her perspective, do what she wants and enjoy......All will be fine. But can she? I don't know...maybe, maybe not!

BTW, this post is incomplete.....bet who can complete this?

Don't Love....Eat Chocolates!!

The phenylethylamine (PEA) found naturally in chocolate is said to stimulate the same reaction in the brain as falling in love........

So, people....its better to eat chocolates....:)

JuSt a CrAzY CoNvErSaTiOn!!!!

In the thick of the crazed work environment at office managed a quick telephonic chit-chat with my closest friend Aman. Before I get to the bit of conversation which I want to highlight, a sentence of genuine appreciation towards the meticulousness with which she has maintained this long-distance connect with someone as lazy as me for past one year. If it was not for her, I would have definitely missed knowing a wonderful person so close. Anyways, this is not supposed to be testimonial for her.

So….our discussion started from generic things like clothes, weather, friends, etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc…………….then working late at office… and finally money.

And then I said…”Why do we need to work? For money. Is it not possible that there is ample money around the world which all of us can distribute?”

Mad enough like me she said “Priya, wouldn’t it be better if money would grow on trees?”………yeah….very common thought, yet very exciting!!

I said “….there would be complete parity around us in that case...no poverty, no biases, no sufferings”

So, she said with a fire in her voice believing what she is saying would turn true “I wish it was like this. Instead of money there would be trees with all essentials and luxuries. A tree of utensils, clothes, books, computers, DVDs, mobiles, toys, food, (Not to forget we also decided that there has to be a tree of chocolates and had we continued discussing tree types without doubt she would have wanted a tree of pizza and Pepsi completely to herself), and all that we would need for lifetime.

Then I said, “There could be a tree assigned to each of us right from time of birth. This tree should help fulfill all the needs of that person throughout life!

Great! What an easy life…..!

Me and Aman both say together: “Guess we have gone crazy, but we are creative!!”……..or atleast we believed so because otherwise there was no out of world creativity in all this. This thought would come to most of us most of the time.

But…..an afterthought…..what worth would be a life so easy? No needs, no passion - no passion, no struggle – no struggle, no win AND NO WIN, NO HAPPINESS!!

And I am confident that Aman will second that…….:)