tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4276298067682371192024-03-13T04:50:34.348+05:30A Dash of Spontaneity.Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-69782440221134851422016-10-12T10:56:00.001+05:302016-10-12T10:56:09.421+05:30The Last Hug<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZF3vU7hzVbqlgmBCvcbTQ0gedsQ28284X6pXGXtnUA1Zb3H4Eon3sW4FGUpPaLPRLL74wG58HPn4N0teoF1eg9ntk87nxj8tx1-nxjZNCMo36Lg44zTrWEQDEKhhJbNIHOawVgfTqTs/s1600/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifZF3vU7hzVbqlgmBCvcbTQ0gedsQ28284X6pXGXtnUA1Zb3H4Eon3sW4FGUpPaLPRLL74wG58HPn4N0teoF1eg9ntk87nxj8tx1-nxjZNCMo36Lg44zTrWEQDEKhhJbNIHOawVgfTqTs/s400/11.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
The handshake crushed her. Not just her hands, her whole soul. What could have been a hug remained just at the handshake.The familial touch was missing. The goosebump-inducing touch was now a cold, firm handshake.<br />
'Hug me now, I'm right before you', she was silently crying. But he simply looked past her and walked away.<br />She lowered her eyes and turned away her face, only to hear the beloved voice call out in the exact same way her name used to be called - "Shona".<br />She turned immediately, eyes red and tear-rimmed. But no, the hallway was empty. What was happening? Who shook her hand? She tried to remember. It was him. It was definitely him! Or was it?<br />Dr Mittal opened the door to his chamber, which was one of the doors in the hallway that read 'Senior Psychiatrist'. He called out, 'Sonali, please come in, we'll begin your session. I hope you're feeling better after taking medication for a week.'<br />'Does the medicine which you prescribed have any side effects, doc?' she enquired, feeling unsure of her entire being now.<br />'Ah! It's a very strong medicine. It sometimes accompanies a slight headache and sometimes even hallucination in rare cases. That's why I had written very low dosages for you. I think the medicine has worked for you. You look much better today Sonali', Dr Mittal remarked.<br />'Now let's move to our session. Is there anything specific you'd like to ask or discuss?' <br />'I met him today, doc', Sonali replied, still looking down as if guilty.<br />'Where?' Dr Mittal asked calmly.<br />'Just outside, in the hallway, while I was waiting for my appointment with you.'<br />'Did you talk to him?'<br />'I couldn't. I just froze. He just shook my hand and left.' Her eyes welled up. 'I can't take this anymore, doc, no more. I want him so bad. I want us to be together again' she broke into intermittent sobs. 'Enough!' she said and hastily wiped her tears. 'He's mad at me, I'll apologise. He can't deny me. He just can't. I'm his weakness.' A faint smile appeared between her sobs.<br />'He can't be with you', Dr Mittal said even more calmly.<br />'Why not?' she asked indignantly. 'What have I done so bad that he would leave me for good? I'll make up to him.'<br />'He's dead. You're hallucinating, dear. He was bashed to death saving you when the goons attacked. Don't you remember?' Dr Mittal pleaded with her.<br />'Why aren't you believing me? I just shook hands with him!' she said in a whisper thinking to herself, 'Am I hallucinating now or was I hallucinating then?' and ran out of the doctor's chamber, to catch up to Rohit before he vanished again.</div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-25128000942102458752016-07-28T22:05:00.000+05:302016-07-28T22:13:24.060+05:30And that's monsoon!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKYvy_lCDkvvnrvRLCWBcLbzZyAwH-i-80F3_EkwgjQPk9LV795HP9fvslJshxDJVbpFrFHNRoUlwgv7OrTku4HcDlvYi-z4imu4FET_djhS3PTKsIRnx6W1foLQhWwH2tCWLXdODqNk/s1600/rain-692985_960_720.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKYvy_lCDkvvnrvRLCWBcLbzZyAwH-i-80F3_EkwgjQPk9LV795HP9fvslJshxDJVbpFrFHNRoUlwgv7OrTku4HcDlvYi-z4imu4FET_djhS3PTKsIRnx6W1foLQhWwH2tCWLXdODqNk/s640/rain-692985_960_720.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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A perfect sunny day with nice, soothing warmth and perfectly azure skies.</div>
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Sitting by the window, you're reading.<br />
When you look out the window after finishing a page, all you see is darkness.</div>
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And while you're still thinking when did this transformation happen,<br />
you feel droplets lashing against your skin.</div>
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Rain is the stimulus for lovers and writers.<br />
It's the catalyst that washes away the masks and unveils the vivid colours.</div>
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And while you're gazing out the window,<br />
an unpretentious smile has already taken rest on your lips.</div>
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Gradually the skies become brighter, you notice.<br />
The velvety grey clouds making way for a patchy blue sky.</div>
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And only the drenched leaves quivering as the raindrops slide down<br />
to make splashy puddles on the drunk ground.</div>
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Because monsoon is not when you run to take cover;<br />
it's when you rush outdoors to take a swig of life!</div>
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Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-75229327166448982182016-05-30T22:02:00.000+05:302016-07-14T23:57:03.694+05:30Broken Walking Stick<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The lady was in her late thirties. But she looked nothing like it. The courtroom audience assumed she must be around sixty. She looked composed, more like dejected. Not a hint of relief, that justice was going to be met out that day. Through the proceeding, her head was propped up on her left hand, while she gazed at the floor before her, like a fatigued old lady. When all allegations and cross examinations concluded the fate of the convict, she was asked if she had anything to say. She walked with a slight stoop, to the witness stand and took her place. And for the first time, looked at the man across the room in the opposite witness stand and spoke.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“She was only four. She hadn’t learnt to walk one foot before the other. She tottered as if balancing each foot on two parallel lines. She hadn’t caught up with the latest trend of pouting. She opened her thin lips and grinned showing her milk teeth for the camera. She wore an oversized frock, nonetheless. What did you see in her..”, her face was flushed and her voice choked on the last word.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“She was going to be my walking stick after a few years. Instead, I had to bury her in a small coffin. You killed two people that day. What you did to her will flash before my eyes every day, for the rest of my life. It’d have been better had you chosen to assault me and not her. I might not have been alive today. But that little one, who had just begun her life, would have lived to fulfil it. Maybe, I’d have survived. This is an old rugged body, it might have endured your abuse. Then might be I would have taught her forgiveness someday. But now, forgiveness has forsaken me.” Her voice had become a croak. She muffled through the cloth that she kept dabbing her eyes with.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“She would have been twelve this year, and grown to be a compassionate, strong girl. But today, you have snatched all compassion from me. These eight years while you bragged about your conquest over my little girl, I writhed in pain and shuddered at the glance of every person who looked at me a little longer than usual. I had never seen you until this moment. I only knew your name. I didn’t want to put a face on my most excruciating horror.”</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“It is not mine to show compassion seeing those tears streaming down your mute face. You grew up a vagabond, never knew who your parents were. Is that even an excuse you offered in pleading not guilty? Nobody is bereft of conscience, my boy. As you can’t stop those tears today, my daughter too must have..” she squeezed her eyes shut, and gripped the bar of witness stand tightly as if saving herself from being overthrown off a precipice.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“I’ll not demand a capital punishment if the court decides otherwise. A life for a life would leave the whole world dead. And your death wouldn’t give life to my daughter. But given the prerogative, I’ll not let you roam the streets free. Else people will get the idea that taking a life in such a brutal manner is not a big issue. And that it can be attempted again and again to satiate one’s lust, and then one can walk away scot-free.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">“Had I been more relieved if this case hadn’t taken eight years? Definitely. Am I satisfied that you’d be finally condemned today? Not exactly. Nothing gives me satisfaction anymore. Nothing gives me hope anymore. My world was crushed and broken that day and nothing has been any better since.” She fell on the floor, wailing inconsolably.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Also published at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheDilettanteAuthor/posts/513773732157072" target="_blank">The Dilettante Author</a>. </span></div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-14217664678383729322016-02-24T08:46:00.000+05:302016-06-25T22:36:06.041+05:30Conversations #2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"I am not going to sit quietly and take your crap" she fumed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"You have me, but you don't want it", he replied mollifying.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"After all these years, is this all I'm worth? she demanded. "We're talking alimony here. This is not some joke."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"You're worth my life", he replied.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Oh stop it!" she banged the table between them. "I'm no more the besotted in love, naive girl, who fell for the broody genius of college."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"But I'm still the nerd who fell for the matured and extremely beautiful college fresher" he quipped.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Do you think you can woo me by such gushy, eloquent speech of yours?"</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"I did that once. It was extremely difficult. I know how hard it is to convince a strong lady like you. I don't know how to do it again for the lady who can see through me now."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Remember, our daughter stays with me. We can discuss your meeting arrangements with her once my lawyer comes”, she snapped, ignoring his statement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Can we work out an arrangement where I can stay with you too?” he grinned apologetically.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“You find this funny, isn’t it? I am leaving! Do you realize that?” she said exasperated.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“I know that”, he replied gravely, “and I desperately wish you don’t.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“We can’t work it out” she said, looking into his eyes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“We’re meant to work it out. You just don’t want to see it” he sighed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Silence ensued for a whole minute.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“We don’t talk anymore”, she complained in a tone barely audible.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“You’re right. And when you thought of putting that right, you didn’t say it to me, but got a lawyer instead” he retorted.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Were you even there to listen to me?” she felt the anger, hurt and neglect welling up inside her again.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“Okay. I want to propose something again, today. And this is a promise”, he said, going down on one knee and taking her hand in both of his.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“I am sorry! I am extremely sorry! I went back on all our marriage vows. But today I promise you, from now on, I’ll be a husband and father first, before anything else. I am not a man of letters, you know that. But I strongly hold the adage that when something breaks, we mend it, not throw it away. So, trust me if you still can.”</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">She was sobbing uncontrollably by then.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">A minute later, her lawyer walked into the room. He saw both of them holding hands across the table and talking. Confused, he hurried towards them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">“We won’t be needing your services anymore, thank you”, he smiled at the lawyer, and turned towards his wife and winked.</span></div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-12955070405113047832016-02-21T14:31:00.000+05:302016-06-25T22:44:14.893+05:30Conversations #1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> "Don't dance before my eyes," he said.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"But I'm just sitting and reading," she replied, glancing up at him.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">"Yes, but the way your lips move silently, as if whispering a reticent prayer. The way your eyes vacillate from the pages, to the open window, and to me. The way your fingers slip through your auburn hair and you rest your temple on the heel of your palm. And your words weigh down, carefully aimed to knock down any defence of apprehension. They are nothing less than a rendition. And you say you're just sitting?' he said amused.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Also published at <a href="https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1014817985223904&id=448423011863407" target="_blank">The Anonymous Writer</a></span></span></span> </div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-67948013649069081472016-01-25T00:01:00.000+05:302016-07-15T00:11:05.868+05:30Rape Is Justified!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Absolutely!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">And why not?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Ours is a country hailed for its rich cultural values. Ours is also a country where marriage is treated highly sacred. And to protect these values and the sanctity of matrimony, our leaders, (whom unfortunately we have voted into such absolute power) have decided, marital rape cannot be criminalised.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">But sadly, ours is also a country where any form of sexual harassment (especially towards women) is overlooked. Ours is a country where the husband is (supposed to be) treated like a god. Ergo, there can be no complaints against him.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Not even when he forces himself on his (supposedly) better half. Not even when he derives sinister pleasure inserting objects inside his wife and wounding her within and without. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In a written response to MP Kanimozhi’s query, whether the government will amend the Sec.375 of IPC which does not include marital rape within its purview, the Minister of State for Home Affairs stated-</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“It is considered that the concept of marital rape, as understood internationally, cannot be suitably applied in the Indian context due to various factors, including the level of education, illiteracy, poverty, myriad social customs and values, religious beliefs, mindset of the society to treat the marriage as a sacrament.”</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">When we say that poverty and illiteracy, our social customs and values, the mindset of society, doesn’t admit the concept of marital rape, we faintly agree and accept the wrong that goes on in our society. We not only shy from taking notice after the UN had suggested that there is a huge number of marital rape cases in India, we take no responsibility to change it. We can only sit comfortably before our TV sets and participate in the women empowerment debates through the LED screens. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The Nirbhaya disaster was not the first of its kind. It was one like the many unreported incidents that, fortunately, everyone took notice of. The Verma committee which was constituted as a result of this, assumed a maternal fairness in dealing with such heinous crimes. Barely any of its recommendations have been made law. The lowering of the age of juveniles, for instance. So now, if a 16-year-old rapes, he can be tried as an adult. But what about the 14-year-old boy who rapes his 10-year-old classmate? Doesn’t that count as gruesome an incident? Or, the victim isn’t actually a victim because the culprit was a ‘juvenile’?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">There should be a crime-based justice system, not an age based one. A juvenile and an adult for cases like rape should be tried equally. When a juvenile can commit an adult crime, why not be punished like one?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Although the Verma committee suggested criminalising marital rape by doing away with the exception to Sec.375 of IPC which states-</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under 15 years of age, is not rape.”</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The lawmakers again dismissed it as a piffle saying that- <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“it would destroy the institution of marriage, perhaps doing more injustice”.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Well, isn’t it already an injustice to not only be bound to live with a rapist but also acknowledge him in the society as one’s husband? The exclusion should anyway be done away with, since, at the outset, it permits a wife to be of 15 years, whereas the legal age of marriage for girls is 18. Contradiction!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The other arguments in favour of keeping the law as it is have been coming thick and fast. </span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">If accused, it would be difficult to prove charges. -- So, make no law against it at all?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Let injustice prevail because we cannot take the pains to examine the charges?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Many might misuse such a robust provision. – So let the majority suffer this prejudice?</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">It defiles the sacrament of marriage. – So keeping mum about the ruthless debasement of women preserves the sacredness of this divine institution of marriage?</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-language-override: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-synthesis: weight style; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We have voted our leaders into power to represent us. Not to refute us. And this is the voice of the 620 million Indian women. Let’s not wait until it’s too late!</span></span>
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Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-90893345873524095902015-03-20T22:01:00.000+05:302015-03-20T22:01:16.130+05:30Between Us<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Just a wink-full of sleep</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">To evade the fears,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And this pluvial season</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">of resilient tears.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The jarring reminder</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">of his last words,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Imposed sleepless nights</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">on her weakly bod.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">He glid through her phases</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">like an ubiquitous shadow;</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And lay interwoven in her being</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">like a sequin tad old.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Between us, the world doesn't</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">stand a chance", she thought.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Between us, we'd make</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">the best", she hoped.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">When he left, he left her</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">a glade of pain;</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Left her abashed, tumultuous,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">that she couldn't draw rein.</span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And so again she tried to catch,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Just a wink-full of sleep,</span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">To evade the fears. </span></i></div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-54056412297298119992014-05-18T00:45:00.000+05:302016-06-25T22:42:47.477+05:30I speak for my people<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My voice sounds like a whimper amidst shouts of “NaMo! NaMo!” I fall back on my seat, tired from pacing in eagerness for the declaration of results. Now, what was I expecting? The exit polls showed a gaping margin of win for BJP. And from the start of counting, it was toppling all the stalwarts of the losing party.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To conceal who is your candidate (party) of choice is a thing of the past now. We citizens of the largest democracy of the world were so desperate for a dramatic change that we not only announced proudly who deserved to win, but also tried to influence those who didn't agree with us. Yes, the lotus appealed to where the hand failed. It promised to rectify all wrongs. I trust it will. That is the need of the hour, to regain the respect we rightly deserve.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even before the lotus showed leading in the counting charts, the mere anticipation had the sensex shoot up, the neighbouring countries reconsider their stand and the chances of another recession look bleak. This looked like the heralding of an economic and political stability. I definitely want a government that can lift India out of the quagmire. But I also pray for a government that wouldn’t allow the atrocities that my people were a victim to, agonize them again. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The hand had looted us at gun-point. All statistics blare out the disparity what our country enjoyed a decade back and what it has been reduced to now. If I have even an iota of patriotism, I wouldn’t want to be shamelessly robbed anymore. But I’m fearful of my safety now.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I don’t want to be another target just because I have a cross around my neck, or a white cap on my head or because I wear a turban. Nobody chooses bigotry deliberately. We are not Hitler. But at times, the passion to advance our beliefs so overpowers us that everything different from us seems not worthwhile to exist. I’m terrified of becoming a victim to this phase of communal wave. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mentioning each of those incidents, which send a shiver down my spine, would be futile because they have been discounted as ‘just another accident’ or one of ‘those riots’. But when we delve a bit more, we see just how those in power abetted such incidents.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s hard to influence people as such. Everyone has their own structure of priority. I thought for a moment if my worries were irrelevant? I spoke to people who shared the same fears. And I understood, not everyone can be biased. And I saw why everyone was opinionated alike. There must be a recollection of dread which is deep ingrained. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My people have been a minority and will remain as such. I don’t demand for quotas or reservations or even any special privileges. I only ask to belong to this ‘secular’ nation, I proudly call my motherland.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high...into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake."</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">~ Rabindranath Tagore</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jai Hind!</span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xiVcEXPLDr9ftnLHmIskpJlRA8i1MJQcAfGrnj-XELmnOVsYFaRb_0Da8YIDuPgMkgxrh1tOJSE9ZxkXuuLTrYCanTmUiunPki_uqmvnwMQuBuh8HU5AT5hsfEmY2RgmjFIRbOkCePw/s1600/loksabha4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8xiVcEXPLDr9ftnLHmIskpJlRA8i1MJQcAfGrnj-XELmnOVsYFaRb_0Da8YIDuPgMkgxrh1tOJSE9ZxkXuuLTrYCanTmUiunPki_uqmvnwMQuBuh8HU5AT5hsfEmY2RgmjFIRbOkCePw/s1600/loksabha4.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></span>
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Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-40793834481210325372014-04-26T15:29:00.002+05:302016-06-25T22:43:06.576+05:30This doesn't seem the end..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><img alt="" border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu13Pc1MzeAzF-ZIsIz7GN-HwrkXvhS9ujl75XJhSBTjR3T6gnUjzZg3N32EBjVS-JOiixY3HQCLNd3B8Eql5JSswDH7iFa7Kdw4kdDQvFKwjFPkcUXRQElBNA2Lp2UAj-TIwPNvL96Fc/s1600/WP_000287.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Howrah Bridge" width="400" /></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Howrah Bridge from Howrah Station</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Every time I've come to Kolkata, it’s reluctantly. And every time I've left Kolkata it’s even more unwillingly.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The numerous trips have been for work, studies & holiday too! Notwithstanding the heat, I remember having come to Kolkata for a holiday during summers once! But, there is no particular time to be in Kolkata. It’s all the year round.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The dusty pale roads that suddenly become crowded and jam-packed during pujo seem just the place to put your feet on. The innumerable melas on every open ground. The paper-boys selling old newspapers for a Rupee to sit on the wet ground when it rains during the pandal-hopping days. The festivities do not die. “Come rain, come sun, we won’t cut down the fun!” This seems to be the motto of every Kolkata-dweller. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Would you rather be at any place other than Park Street during the Christmas? I bet not. The festivities capture you and you just can’t go home. Nobody seems to mind the night out on the streets, stretching into the next day. The lights, fun and food beckon you. The entire street closes to traffic from evening on, and every shop glows up in merry Christmas lights. The carnival here is a never-miss!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzLwyylbPVDkBwj1fhwzshjeDFD4qwktSMBg9yJLSmAt8HaLjjQgtjZVOmJj8J66_QhBexGVr8y4SSoPBzhAlhhVmW7MnxWevGcTM_TcP9iLVXmjc_N2ARjoFWXbT5yUmPvWFu4F6uRU/s1600/WP_000241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSzLwyylbPVDkBwj1fhwzshjeDFD4qwktSMBg9yJLSmAt8HaLjjQgtjZVOmJj8J66_QhBexGVr8y4SSoPBzhAlhhVmW7MnxWevGcTM_TcP9iLVXmjc_N2ARjoFWXbT5yUmPvWFu4F6uRU/s1600/WP_000241.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Calcutta University, opposite which the historic Coffee House is located</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Old city Calcutta is a storehouse of historic assertions. It is full of buildings, old and dilapidated. But each of those is a heritage with some story that etches it’s connect with its past glory. I think the College Street Coffee House is probably the only place that allows smoking inside its premises. But again, it’s the only place that had the geniuses of Netaji Bose & Satyajit Ray come for a cuppa coffee too!</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAWCWrFF-YEEpdsawD7GnjcCJkbRgStofs3sWGV6iQ0YXSDcMtRlupcBtawBWIBHQ-FhHMZ0qrUCVoeaLZ4S2fnaWOrh5i_m8oqWXFMJtrOO4gPLPS3yedkTFe6F1J3vJ_Rh3EXpeLGg/s1600/WP_000237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghAWCWrFF-YEEpdsawD7GnjcCJkbRgStofs3sWGV6iQ0YXSDcMtRlupcBtawBWIBHQ-FhHMZ0qrUCVoeaLZ4S2fnaWOrh5i_m8oqWXFMJtrOO4gPLPS3yedkTFe6F1J3vJ_Rh3EXpeLGg/s1600/WP_000237.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Inside the College Street Coffee House</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The generous bus-conductors will spare you change for a 500 Rupees note even for a 6 Rupees bus ticket, if you call them “Dada”. And the smile never wipes from their faces. Every lady on the street-side chai-cigarette shop is a “Maasi”. She’ll pour steaming tea into an earthen cup from a metallic kettle that we had last seen in our alphabets book where we learnt “K for Kettle”. It is a visual delicacy. And the scent of Kolkata is undisputedly tobacco. Some person will definitely smoke on your face, to give you more than just a sniff.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The numerous puchka-walas at every street corner and the roll shops at the road-sides, every few metres provide the just right evening time snack. And every true-blooded Calcuttan will have a favourite shop in some ‘galli’ of some ‘para’.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of my friends observed, “This city grows on you”. And rightly so. This city embraces you and doesn’t leave you. In case you still have to move on, it’ll go with you. How often in a new city have we bragged by saying- “But back in my hometown...”? For me Cuttack & Calcutta have been used interchangeably, in a complementary kind. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Again providence has deemed it fit for me to move out of Kolkata. Still, this doesn’t seem the end. </span></span></div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-92107242182763892802014-04-23T21:11:00.000+05:302014-04-23T21:11:26.483+05:30A Closure Quest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What is a good reason to move on?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What a stupid question to ask. But that’s the question at the top of my head when my mind and heart are at odds with each other. But why am I moving on? This would be your next question. Because a change was exigent, for one. Because I didn’t belong to where I was, is another reason. And maybe, as some wise old soul had observed, change is the only constant in life!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Move on, I must. But is it worth? Will I be taking any fragments with me or just shunning everything and leaving?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">White earphones plugged into my ear, I sweat away the 45 minutes bus ride to my swanky office. It isn’t tedious, if I get a seat to sit. The rush, the chaos, I had begun to relate to it. Without that my life missed something. I cursed everyday about the congestion; even then, it had a settling effect on me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The buildings on my way to office seem to have stood from eternity and maybe into forever too. When I left this city on a transfer, they stood their grounds. And when I returned after few months, they had not moved. And now, they seem to be pulling at my heart like magnets. It distresses me to think, how disheartened they’ll be, not to find me looking distractedly out my bus window someday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Swiveling open the glassy doors and walking onto the glossy floors, that which is a self-contained world in its own, has people from all over the country, who have made it their home. The security lady dressed smartly with a cap, has the usual 30-seconds chit-chat with me. She is the most regular employee on floor. As I walk into my ODC, diffused lights glow brightly down on me and the dry coolness assuages the fatigue.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The late nights at office, the early morning calls at office, the sporadic training sessions, and the numerous mails over phone, were a commonplace. The managers, the mentees, the juniors, the senior, all would be addressed by their first names only. There was no strict hierarchal difference, except the ability to wield power at the appropriate (read ‘appraisal’) time.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The familiar perception about this job isn’t that heartening. Not only people belonging to the older age bracket, but people of our generation too, place an undue (my opinion) worth on other career preferences having any kind of government involvement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I didn’t understand the abundance of commonality. It was rather a pride to belong to the cohort. I didn’t understand the lack of recognition. It was rather the joy of having the power to fix issues by being privy to coding. I didn’t understand the frustration of comparison. It was rather the surprise of having been chosen into this, in the first place!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It shouldn’t have been difficult. I knew the friends here, were only for their own benefits. I knew the ladder to success had a few rungs broken. I knew the podium of achievement was already a crowd. I knew every boss had his own camarilla.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But I also knew it won’t be the same anymore. I was aware of my efforts to carve a niche in this competitive field. However I hated it, I knew a part of me belonged here. I knew, out of here, I would be like a fish out of water. I knew there were a thousand reasons not to continue here, but that one reason in favour, was enough to dissuade.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">There have been so many people who in their own small ways had made an impacting difference to everyday life. Some with their wide-grinned morning greetings, some with their approachability, and some with their ‘always there to help’ attitude. And even some with their unseen backing. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There is no thorough way to thank them. Even less, with a goodbye-thank you. And when at the inevitable end you take leave, expecting to get a chance to continue to be grateful, you get an “all the best” and “meet you soon”. And that’s when you realize, you had not expected it. You had not wanted all to come to an abrupt end.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Some goodbyes seem so broken and incomplete. And due to these, the quest for closure still remains.</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-83338016803188070882014-04-07T18:30:00.000+05:302014-04-23T11:33:21.192+05:30You are Beautiful.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I will shed your specious cloak </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Peel off the garish mask</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I will strip you naked of your ambitions</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>To be the cynosure of amorous eyes</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I will straddle across you obdurate</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>And grip your face with my fingers</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Till your eye-paint streaks your face</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Till your lip colour smudges your cheek</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>With the alpenglow of your nose</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I will moor you down</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>And grapple your greedy hands</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I’ll plunge open your wanton heart</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>And mutilate your gaudy bias</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I will be brusque and rough</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>And laugh at your nakedness</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Then satisfied I’ll fall back</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>When I render you shorn</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>And win this sciamachy</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Then I’ll look at you </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Just as you are</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>With your anima back</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>You are so beautiful.</i></span></div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-58059370937687005222014-02-24T20:56:00.000+05:302015-03-20T22:03:36.714+05:30The bride to Be! Part-2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<a href="http://theimpulsivemind.blogspot.in/2014/02/the-best-day-ever-part-1.html" target="_blank">...Previously</a><br />
<br />
As she turned to the full-sized mirror and started slipping on the bangles, she noticed the lone gold band on her left finger. It had a ‘R’ & ‘A’ entwined engraving. Another one of his insignia of love for her. Many major decisions had been considered playing with it. Slipping in and out, swiveling on the finger, and trying it on other fingers to check the fit. <br />
<br />
One such day, playing with it, she had asked Rajat,<br />
‘What if your parents disapprove?’ angst clouding her face. <br />
‘They will not. I promise you. I love you a lot. And they love me. They’ll understand.’<br />
This dispelled all her fears and she was again basking in his love, all irrational concerns thrown to the wind. His candid, modest smile which always conveyed, ‘I’m lucky to have you’, melt her heart.<br />
<br />
But not long before, she had become irritable. Annoyed easily, snapping at anyone who tried to engage in a talk with her. Her taciturn temperament was inferable but unacceptable by her friends. They worried. They tried to divert her from both the extremes, either her staccato conversations or her dour tempers. But Rajat had salvaged her, from the wreck she could have become. She felt calmer, stronger and invincible with him. He had become the music to her that she always hummed. He was there. He was, well, he was hers.<br />
<br />
She put their favourite instrumental tracks on repeat on her music system and started stowing things around, putting the room in order. She had never been in love before, never wanted to be. Nobody had quite met the standards of her tragic heroes of yore. And neither did Rajat. He never tried to match up to her fantasy apotheosis. But she was smitten. He came like a surprise which she never realized she missed till he came! <br />
<br />
She walked to the table. The card was done in silver, just as she wanted. And had a blue ribbon tied at the front. She gently pulled it to open the card. It had their photos as she had planned. He looked his usual immaculate charming self, reserved, with the shy smile. She couldn’t take her eyes off him. But the other picture, she didn’t quite like. She touched lovingly on his name that was embossed in gold. RAJAT. Yes, Rajat, she thought, elation twinkling in her eyes. <br />
<br />
She didn’t want to wait. She had to hear him now. He was on her phone’s speed dial. It rang twice before a woman answered. <br />
‘Hello?’ <br />
‘Hi, may I speak to Rajat?’ <br />
‘Ya, he’s getting ready. Just a minute.’ <br />
‘Hi. Rajat.’ He said.<br />
‘Hi! <br />
‘Hey, hi! So good to hear you.’ <br />
‘How’s the groom getting ready?’ <br />
He smiled, ‘Ya, am almost ready. Are you ready? When will you be starting? You have to reach the venue before 2, ok?’<br />
‘Ya, desperate fella’ she chided laughing, ‘I’ll be there before 2, to welcome the groom.’ <br />
He laughed, and continued, ‘And thanks. Really, I mean it. Thanks a lot for understanding. I tried my best, but it was contrary to their reason. But you understood. You were my support. You’re the best!’ <br />
‘You like her, right?’ <br />
‘Yes. Anwesha is a nice girl. My parents are very happy.’ <br />
‘Ya, that’s what matters the most. I’ll hang up now and see you soon.’ <br />
‘Yes, come soon.’<br />
<br />
She disconnected, and looked at her phone wallpaper. It had her father’s inspiring words for two of his favourite ladies, her sister and she- “STRONG GIRLS DON’T CRY”. She shut her eyes tight, trying to keep a check on all the mingled feelings that were trying to gush out. ‘I won’t papa, I won’t’, she recited.<br />
<br />
Jigyasa entered the room again, now calling all the friends one by one, to meet at some place. From there, they would travel together. She heard her arguing, pestering, and doing what not, just to ensure that all reach on time. ‘You have some time?’ she asked Jigyasa.<br />
‘I have all the time. Why don’t these damn people get it? When you’re given a time, you ought to keep it! How do you expect me to manage?’ Jigyasa was fuming.<br />
<br />
‘I want to visit my family’, she said calmly. <br />
‘We are already running slightly late’, Jigyasa looked anxious. ‘No problem, we’ll manage, you go’, she said after a moment, smiling. <br />
‘And please try to be soon’ Jigyasa called out as she dashed out the door, lifting her saree till ankles to avoid tripping.<br />
<br />
Her friends knew. This was her tribute, her way of keeping her family involved in all decisions of her life. Before any major occasion, she’d slip away to the cemetery for some time. <br />
<br />
She clicked the key into the ignition of her Honda and steered out to the petrol station just round the corner. She held out the credit card between two fingers and said ‘Tank full’. ‘Yes, ma’m’ came the reply and her card was swiped. She hit the reverse gear and swept a smooth turn. Then flipping her mobile out the car, she buzzed the window shut, and drove away.<br />
<br />
After about 90 minutes of frantic searches and calls to a ‘not reachable’ cell-phone number, Jigaysa slumped on her bed, only to find a wedding card half concealed under the pillow, that read, ‘Rajat weds Anwesha’. That wedding was today at 2. <br />
<br />
But hadn’t Ananya said she’d have to acquiesce, since nothing could be done about Rajat’s parents not approving of them? Hadn’t Ananya finally agreed to her marry her colleague? And hadn’t Ananya wanted the engagement to be today? But Ananya had already gone by then.<br />
<br /></div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-35604440175331428792014-02-20T22:13:00.000+05:302015-03-20T22:03:18.267+05:30The Bride to Be! Part-1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
She woke up at half past five. Though the alarm was set at seven and the wedding was at two. This was the day she had been waiting for. In fact, this is the day any girl awaits, with palpating anticipation. <br />
<br />
She stretched lazily after the few hours of sleep she had managed, due to the exhaustion. But last night, she had struggled to sleep. She couldn’t stop smiling as she lay on the bed looking around her room for the last time. <br />
<br />
Her eyes fell on the bedside table. On it stood a crystal vase with a bunch of wilted, dry roses. It was difficult to say which colour those roses would have been. But the memory of them was as fresh as they once were. <br />
<br />
It was the day after he had proposed. He had got her this bunch of fresh, red, half-bloomed roses. She had excitedly taken the bouquet and retorted, it was not Valentine’s yet. To which he had replied, “It’s a valentine’s day, every day, with you in my life. I can’t wait for some bullshit day to show you that I love.” Thus, three years had passed.<br />
<br />
They had planned on today’s date from a long time. 17th of April. It used to be her father’s birthday. The thought of him no longer made her funereal. Though, she felt extremely sad, not being able to introduce Rajat to him. Her dad would have been so proud and happy. Though the thought of him never failed to lacerate her, in good and bad times alike, Rajat was her panacea. Now he had become the one she could run to. Whenever, whatever, he was there.<br />
<br />
But nothing was same after that night; when she was informed that her family had been the victim of a gruesome accident. She was rushed to the hospital by some neighbours. But her intuition screamed, she wouldn’t be able to talk to her parents and sister anymore. Her world had crashed around her, even before she reached the hospital. And she alone had to bear it. <br />
<br />
Her uncle had entered the cold storage room first and confirmed their identities. She barely managed to snoop through the limited confines of a tiny window on the heavy door. Then she nervously entered the morgue. Three bodies were placed side by side. The white sheets covering the corpses were blotted red in places. The room reeked of blood and maybe preservatives too. She had to be carried out by two nurses, and given a couple of band-aids.<br />
<br />
A year passed before she rejoined work. Jigyasa, her friend from school had moved in with her, when she came to work in the same city. The melancholies of life had dragged her rough, and tenaciously slow. She was just not her, the incestuous lady that reflected in the mirror. She was maimed beyond her own admittance.<br />
<br />
But not today. She jumped out of bed and did a slow dance around the room. She thought she could smell his debonair fragrance. The thought of him made her hug herself in glee. She was feeling unusually shy today, thinking about him. Oh! My man, she thought. How, within a matter of months he had become the world, she had been trying to evade! <br />
<br />
She picked the newspaper lying at the foot of her main door, and quickly opened to the page with the section she considered bestiary. But not Rajat. He followed it daily with an almost pious allegiance. ‘Steer clear of rash decisions. Consider your options before taking the plunge. Not a good day to be alone.’ This was the loud warning under her sun sign. She crumpled the paper and murmured, ‘Not today, honey. Not today.’<br />
<br />
She ran to her cupboard. On the wall beside it, hung a large frame. The photo in it, was in contrasting sepia tones. It was their Ooty visit. Overwhelmed by his constant presence, and absorbing love, she had confessed ‘You’re like a dream to me.’ He had playfully he pinched her cheeks hard. ‘Oww’ she squealed. ‘No, I’m not’ he had grinned. And a friend had clicked.<br />
<br />
She carefully brought down her wedding attire. It was a baroque lehenga, which her mother had worn during her wedding. She lifted it out slowly from the heavy box and observed it close, feeling its intricate patterns with her fingers. The rich crimson silk was overlaid with intricate gold motifs and glittering stones. She wished her mother was there to help her wear it properly, and then look on with pride, at what her little girl had become. <br />
<br />
Jigyasa knocked and barged in before she could answer, and froze at the door. ‘You’re looking b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l’, Jigyasa muttered slowly, looking stunned. She stood blushing, trying to hold her saree pleats in place and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.<br />
‘Now that you’re ready, let me call the others, so that we can start.’ <br />
‘I still have to do my hair’ she meekly appealed. <br />
‘Take your time sweetheart." Jigyasa smiled, "You’re already looking a gem. I don’t know what more you can do. But I won’t interfere.”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://theimpulsivemind.blogspot.in/2014/02/the-best-day-ever-part-2.html" target="_blank">Concluding...</a></div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-24660980447685441042014-02-01T12:42:00.001+05:302014-04-23T11:13:12.548+05:30Of Chinese on Banana leaves..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtvo_SjGNXHvTHzoHrVxCzKDGsXT4VhA_nvoEeIAqtocLqbHzLQldxF4vYySlP7XHXRJaUjpJHW_vZyDx6LPmCsYs_oSinDWDsk-QxlzvrwICsbgmkqJiPSsoSK1tT3vb65Pd5ddALjQ/s1600/DSCN1034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXtvo_SjGNXHvTHzoHrVxCzKDGsXT4VhA_nvoEeIAqtocLqbHzLQldxF4vYySlP7XHXRJaUjpJHW_vZyDx6LPmCsYs_oSinDWDsk-QxlzvrwICsbgmkqJiPSsoSK1tT3vb65Pd5ddALjQ/s1600/DSCN1034.JPG" height="153" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A long bus ride through the rugged roads of Tamil Nadu had left me craving for some exquisite French cuisine. Which was natural, as I had come to the ‘Europe of India’- Pudducherry.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Instead I had to settle for a restaurant famous for its Chettinad cuisine. And it has branches in Dubai & Singapore as well! Set before me was a banana leaf. I ordered for Chinese Chicken fried rice, which the waiter promptly got me. I looked helplessly as he placed the bowl of steaming fried rice before me and walked away. I was expecting him to replace the leaf with a plate, perhaps. Looking around embarrassed, I served myself on the banana leaf. And when I saw nobody noticing the weirdness, I confidently started eating. Soon the waiter returned, offering me a side dish. I thought to myself, what had I to lose anyways? I let him suggest, to which he promptly said- Chettinad chicken was their speciality. And within no time, I was mixing the chicken gravy with my fried rice and eating from my leafy platter. And this was just the beginning of my Pondy-trip.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pondicherry has an exciting assortment of beaches, each unique and beautiful in itself. The Rocky beach, also known as the Gandhi beach has boulders, on which the sea waves crash. And running parallel is the Promenade. It is a wonderful place by day, and more so by night, when it is closed to vehicles. People come to casually stroll there under the warm orange street lights, with the noisy dark sea on one side and fancy eateries on the other, offering the perfect way to retire for the day.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpP3o_0ApycgkyCrzDi5BU95oiK8kTE_YuWa_xyAi3xv9ctGwFxANLPdyEbPrfVOvttcHctNyRIdm_y7n7cNs6kiFhTamB36Vlvn3c5VY6FZxSTk8eEllk-_TASTJRFbiPD4LbQYjxdc/s1600/paradise.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZpP3o_0ApycgkyCrzDi5BU95oiK8kTE_YuWa_xyAi3xv9ctGwFxANLPdyEbPrfVOvttcHctNyRIdm_y7n7cNs6kiFhTamB36Vlvn3c5VY6FZxSTk8eEllk-_TASTJRFbiPD4LbQYjxdc/s1600/paradise.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A small motor boat takes you through a creek to the Paradise beach. And when you step on the white sand, you realise, it truly is its namesake. A board declaring-Welcome to Paradise Beach, sweeps you into the cool embrace of the deep blue waters. The dwarf coconut trees make a perfect shade to sit & picnic around. There are also some thatched cottages where people can relax. They also have some make-shift changing rooms. A small eatery, selling cold-drinks & snacks, completes the perfect setting. Look around you and you’ll see only water. Jump into the sea for a bath. A couple of police securities, with whistles are also posted, to keep a watch that nobody swims too deep. A good long ride back to the city on the hired moped dries you of the salty sea water.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The famed Aurobindo Ashram is close to the Gandhi beach. Set amidst a tranquil neighbourhood, it is a small building. You can almost go past it without it catching your attention. As you enter through its humble doors, you instantly soak in the quietness, as the disciples show you directions about the ashram, in hushed tones. It has lots of photographs and books by Aurobindo Ghosh & the Mother, his spiritual collaborator. You come out feeling, having entered another dimension.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A long (I mean really long) ride takes you away from the city to the township of Auroville. It has settlements and dwellers and shops, and is hard to ascertain exactly from where the establishment begins. The main attraction is the much hyped, and very aptly so, the Matrimandir. This golden dome is huge and grand to the sight, but unfortunately allows only those serious about meditating. But a cultural centre gives you all the details about the inside of this mysterious structure. And it’s fascinating. It also has a huge banyan tree, which is the geographic centre of the township. And this isn’t just a tree; it has buttress roots and aerial roots covering extensive area and looks like an old, gigantic tree stooping over many barks for support. Few minutes ride from here is the Auroville beach. This is a conventional sandy beach like any of our east-Indian beaches, with hawkers selling hats and goodies on the embankment. Getting a splash here is almost mandatory, because it’s a safe beach.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yDInXiePh9kedKRk39NkFWsmS_Vul89tzsCCcEeMImU-eASMSf-PZCRlf5bHjNUncfEKB6QbgXV4vnFGP4HM0a1W-zH4hIrla2Cz3pz7xxxAtyMWprwgD_8T-uJXQ3SuFJH5KwOWnKg/s1600/DSCN1079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-yDInXiePh9kedKRk39NkFWsmS_Vul89tzsCCcEeMImU-eASMSf-PZCRlf5bHjNUncfEKB6QbgXV4vnFGP4HM0a1W-zH4hIrla2Cz3pz7xxxAtyMWprwgD_8T-uJXQ3SuFJH5KwOWnKg/s1600/DSCN1079.JPG" height="149" width="200" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pudducherry is a calm city with friendly, cooperative people. From the typical south-Indian snacks to the tasteful Fresh cuisine, and to the evergreen Pizzas, you’ll be spoilt for choice of food. Life takes a very relaxed pace as you set your foot in Pondy! Not only for tourists, but the people there also have shaken off the hurriedness, which is such a common plague in any city.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Verdict- Must visit! </span></div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-81193442534926650692013-05-11T21:46:00.002+05:302014-04-23T11:12:51.434+05:30A Place Called HOME!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<![endif]--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It is a matter of great pride that Indian minds are among the brightest in the world. But it is also a matter of utter shame that in India itself, young students are so pressurized that they choose to rather give up their lives, than (even) see their results.<br /><br />A recent <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/Six-students-across-Tamil-Nadu-commit-suicide-over-class-12-results/articleshow/19978167.cms" target="_blank">news article</a> highlights this.<br /><br />Our dreams for them are so big that their inability to achieve those dreams makes them totally insignificant in their very own eyes. Are we stretching it a bit too far?<br /><br />Atrocities on kids are something we are highly concerned about, especially with the recent increase in the same. Let’s put little extra effort to save them from parent pressure, which leads them to inflicting punishment on themselves. And this is significantly high in the southern region, which has a higher education rate compared to the rest of India. <br /><br />We argue, that it’s for their good we ask them to study. But how do we ask that? Do we emotionally blackmail them? Do we compare them with their fellow students & humiliate them? Do we shove the burden of our reputation upon their little shoulders? An eye-popping statistical report shows 40% student suicides in India alone.<br /><br />To all the talented (in their own way) students who have high potential in their lives, I have some questions. How important are you? How do you access your unworthiness? Who gives you the right to take away your life? You didn’t choose to come into this world. You can’t justify taking it away. More so, for a petite reason like marks. The world will not collapse<br /><br />Why don’t we encourage students who haven’t got excellent marks in 10th/12th to look beyond and pursue a career path they might excel at? We tend to become so obsessed with meagre figures that we fail to see that our kids might be excelling at something else. It could be sports, it could be music. But do we care? Some parents do cross the fine line between discipline & despotism, who make their wards take a plethora of classes to excel at everything!<br /><br /> I definitely don’t commend kids who have been assured of immense family wealth that they conclude that education is not important. Education is the foundation of a person’s identity. It refines character. But is definitely not more important than life!<br /><br /> Why is it so important to take pride in our children’s achievements that we utterly forget to cherish them? Which parent would agree that they would rather have an academically outstanding child than no child at all?<br /><br />Let’s give them a place to return to, no matter what they have done-home!</span><br />
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Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-49845769167183616782013-05-08T22:17:00.000+05:302014-04-21T09:49:28.151+05:30The Luxury of Indian Railway!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One thing led to another and the responsibility of getting a ticket for myself landed on me.<br /><br />If you have the power to know your whereabouts after about 4 months, book your train tickets in utmost comfort without competition. But if you are like me, with out-of-the-blue plans have a fat wallet (for flight). Booking a tatkal ticket is not everybody’s piece of cake. Very recently, I joined this elite group. It cost me one and a half weeks of emotional oscillation between enthusiastic hope and utter despair.<br /><br />You might wonder why I didn’t just opt for a flight. Well, you see, by looking at the subsequent week’s air fares, I realised that amount could take me on an international trip to a nearby country.<br /><br />Initially the agent tried for a few days. I guess he wasn’t assured enough commission for his efforts, because (I’m sure), he tried for tatkal atleast an hour after the sale started. My patience ran out. The wait made me sick (actually). Then I was asked to step in.<br /><br />Each morning the struggle began. As the days passed, strategies were devised to maximise the chances of booking, in the minimum time that’s available. Approach was decided the night before. Tactics made, tactics rejected.<br /><br />Based on the trend observed, I’d like to give some pointers to newbies:<br /><br /> · Login atleast 30 mins before Tatkal booking begins. The more you delay the more difficult it becomes to even log into your account.<br /><br /> · If the availability has considerable reduced, don’t test your luck. You may end up paying service charges for no service at all.<br /><br /> · When you see tickets available & proceed with booking, the website does not block a berth. There maybe atleast ‘n’ number of people booking for the same berth, at the same time!<br /><br /> · Even if you get beyond the booking page with sufficient tickets available, there are high chances you might get stuck on that page till all tickets are sold out. I doubt the website’s increased bandwidth claims.<br /><br /> · Form filled, ready to pay? Captcha stuck. Refresh. Reload. Refresh. Availability- waitlisted.<br /><br />The demand is enormous, the supply is miserable. One of the most used websites in the country is flawed! Sometime after the railway website starts showing on your ‘most visited’ list, you’ll be lucky.<br /><br />The only advice from an experienced (by implementing all strategies) is- pray before you log in. The day you will be able to successfully login, book & finally travel is already decided. :)</span></div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-25634622089188948452013-04-23T21:23:00.001+05:302013-04-23T21:23:52.452+05:30Just got Raped.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Yeah..our Judicial system, the police force & especially the
herd that sits in the Parliament. What a shame duty has to take. What a shame
to offer (as opposed to the usual ‘norm’ around here, of taking) money to keep mum. How
would a mom keep mum? How would anybody keep mum? The nation is once again in
uproar. The policy-makers, rule-changers & corruption-breeders are holed up
inside their forts, protected by layer after layer of security.</div>
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<br /></div>
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What made them go soft on the rapists? What made them treat
these worse-than-savage-ogres to a 3 square meals a day with a high end secure
place to stay, where, maybe they think back upon their barbaric act with
amusement & feel safe from the raging crowd outside, jostling to tear their
limbs apart?</div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are wanton
demons walking around in guise of a regular & typical commoner, eyeing
every one of the opposite gender without segregation, a toddler or an elderly
woman. It’s just enough to know that he could keep someone in thrall &
satisfy himself. Show the beast he is!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Debates & discussions, disputes & deliberations are
held not only on national television, but in every household, around every
dinner table, in every office cubicle and outside every college canteen, to met
out the befitting crown of glory on these licentious brutes. Have mercy. Have
mercy on the victims & their families. Justice delayed is justice denied.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Wouldn’t my voice drown out in midst of scores of others,
demanding the same thing? But the only voices that would be heard will be of
those non-educated brutes who make soft rules keeping in mind that tomorrow
they will have to rescue one of their very own from the same crime.</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Tie my hands tight & strap my mouth. Leave my eyes open
to descry the struggle of the physically weak. Leave my ears open to get an
earful of the shrieking & screeching. And smell the innocent blood reeking
around me. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRogpQknsF60JZbEtDrjONpSnvL2hhBOPk94eOliXx7ph3RQymfY_5Z5yrMK3X3vJrBuLpaI5y4pimwg11ci6ujgdchc-HUPGNeRim4DueyKyb7g3RoQv4ztaA4hDIafulIMKrAyHr1uI/s1600/rc.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRogpQknsF60JZbEtDrjONpSnvL2hhBOPk94eOliXx7ph3RQymfY_5Z5yrMK3X3vJrBuLpaI5y4pimwg11ci6ujgdchc-HUPGNeRim4DueyKyb7g3RoQv4ztaA4hDIafulIMKrAyHr1uI/s320/rc.png" width="320" /></a></div>
</div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-50163197943599531002012-08-04T14:54:00.002+05:302014-04-23T11:19:00.984+05:30You're worth it<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’re worth the hurt,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’re worth the pain,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’re worth every ‘no’, from our kin.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’re worth the painfully tough decisions,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’re worth the chaotic confusion</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Of countless voices, saying things for my good.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’re worth every drop of my tear,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’re worth every love that I had lost,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’re worth giving up, the things that I held close.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’re worth the sacrifice, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">the jibes, the scorns, & even the adjustment blues.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If that’s the small cost, so be it, just for you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’re worth the worrying, sleepless nights,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’re worth the fear of losing it mid-way,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We’re worth being together, we’re resilient.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All for the hope of being with you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My love, you’re worth it all.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Love always protects, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> always trusts, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> always hopes, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> always perseveres. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Love never fails.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-Bible.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
</div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-72343484012001841382012-06-17T21:15:00.000+05:302014-04-21T09:54:44.509+05:30Afterall, its him!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As you walked into the hospital</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To hold your bundle of joy,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What did you think dad?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What did u dream that day?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you remember, when carrying</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">a plump bag on two tiny shoulders</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had dragged my feet </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">to get home one day?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Its you, I had looked for</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I had entered, </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To inform you about the big race</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Your daughter had just lost.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was crestfallen to </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">See you not bothered.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But you had your mind </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On something much better.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The day I had cheated at school</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">& was caught by my teacher & complained to you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was scared & ashamed, to be heard or seen,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because of the disgrace that I had been.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I lowered my eyes &</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">broke in a sweat.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You just said- ‘I have high dreams for you</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is not what I expect.’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I stood there dumbfound</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had feared you’d admonish</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But this is not what I deserved</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I expected to be punished.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And a few years down the line,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had waited impatiently for you </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To return from office, to hand you</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">my certificate, beaming with joy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You planted a kiss on my forehead</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">& u patted my back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I had felt like an Oscar winner</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That night, amidst thunderous claps!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You took a long look</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">& with pride filled eyes u said,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">‘You’ll go a long way, my girl</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’ll go higher some day.’</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And that day when on hearing noises</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Into the kitchen I ran,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To see you & mother fight,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I cried to having seen such a sight.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The very next morning I was astonished</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To see you hug mom & say ‘sorry’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">& I knew I wanted someone like u father,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In my own love story. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As you’ll walk me down the aisle some day</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and place my hand in another’s,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’ll still be my favourite hero, dad,</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You’ll always be my first love.</span></div>
</div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-48989436535650356932012-06-01T23:22:00.000+05:302014-04-21T09:57:38.551+05:30Bright Black July<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">‘It’s not going to work out’ she said, tears streaming down her face. ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tumi keno bujhte parcho na?</i>’ (why don’t you try to understand?) His gaze fell to the floor & he pleaded – ‘Give me a chance to make it work, please’.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Couple of minutes back, he had come over to her house for a casual visit. Her dad had answered the door. She came out to meet him and her dad went to their backyard to tend to his plants. They both sat in the living room.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">And after some time of talking, when he thought he could, he had popped the question. Her face had turned crimson. She tried looking away, but he saw & smiled. He knew the answer. Just had to hear it from her. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">But she denied.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">She struggled with her thoughts, fumbled with her words & hesitated to look him in the eyes. He was crying from inside. He badly wanted to give her a hug to assure her that he was serious about them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">She went into the other room sobbing. He sat dejected on the sofa, thinking what his next move would be. He was angry. He wanted to storm out of the house. But he knew, she was the one he would want to go to. And she was here, crying in the other room, still undecided.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">He knocked at her door, ‘Please don’t cry. Please would you come out?’ ‘If you are trying to convince me, please don’t’, she said inconsolably from inside the room. He stood, his fist clenched against the door, thinking as to what his parting words would be. ‘Remember this, nothing will change between us.’ And he left.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">She thought he had a smile to die for. Just the thought of meeting him would make her get butterflies in stomach. Just his reassuring presence beside her made her forget the world around her. She never had a worry when he was with her. She trusted him blindly & never gave a second thought to anything that he suggested for her.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">There were no sun rays pouring into her room that dark day of July. She gloomily looked at the heavy downpour through her window. Her heart was crying louder. She brought down her phone from the side table and dialled. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">‘Can we meet for coffee?’, she asked. ‘As always’, he smiled. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">He had arrived five minutes earlier & watched her get down the auto, carefully angling her umbrella against the pelting rain. Aqua-marine wasn’t her colour. But she looked beautiful nonetheless. She hated rain, but he liked her coming out for coffee with him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">He was standing just inside the door. He smiled warmly. She nodded lightly. She suggested sitting near the huge French window of the café. The rain drops trickling down the glass helped her instantiate her thoughts. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">He had already ordered for her favourite chocolate flavoured coffee. She drew her thoughts from the rain outside and turned towards him. Looking at the steaming cup placed before her, she said- ‘When you were not there for me, I realised what you meant to me. I’ll not say I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">can’t </i>live without you because I survived through last week. But I’ll confess I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">don’t</i> want to live without you. I want to live, and not just survive & not without you anymore.’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">All the while she spoke looking into the steaming cup and playing with it. She tried looking away from him, stealing glances at the other guests in the Coffee-Bar lounge. But time & again, she was drawn to him.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">She tried speaking again. ‘It was difficult to stay calm & sane knowing that you are out with her. It was difficult to suddenly get to know of another person in your life who held so much importance. I felt bad to know that you had so safely hidden her from all. I wanted to know who Poulami was. More than that, I wanted to know why <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">you</i> liked her.’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;"> ‘I kept pulling the reins of my mind not to think of you with her. As much as I tried to be normal picturing you both together, I felt myself flaring. My mind wouldn’t stay put with working. It kept lapsing into the void territory where it refused to think of anything but you. I’m not myself again, without you.’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">He took her hands in his and –‘May I?’ She smiled, surprised. He lightly kissed her hand and said ‘How could you even think that I could have gotten over you? I love you.’</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;"> She looked at him askance. ‘I have never known a girl called Poulami.’ He said & winked, ‘I wanted you so much in my life.’ He continued, smiling, looking at her bewildered face. ‘I had always loved you, I knew that. I just wanted you to realise your feelings for me.’</span></div>
</div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-21797075517582167852012-06-01T01:02:00.001+05:302014-04-23T11:25:21.992+05:306 Signal Crossings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">I knew what I was heading to. The weather didn’t look inviting. It was cloudy & hot. The roads were less crowded as it was a ‘bandh’. Now, a bandh in Kolkata is as common a Saturday. I smiled to myself and thought, ‘Bring it on!’ </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">There was no more work at office, and I thought to make something of this day.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;"> We decided to walk from office.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;"> I had a friend to accompany in this crazy brainwave of mine.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Considering my previous experiences with this pragmatic friend of mine, I decided to count, not sheep, but cars! And I chose red coloured ones. Some were zooming past us and some simply moved at a lazy pace, as if enjoying the empty roads. The ones that caught my attention most were the yellow-black taxis. They would come honking from behind and slow down near to us. The driver would then peep from behind the wheel, asking if we would prefer a comfortable ride? The answer would be a smile & shaking of the head.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;"> The roads were wide & clean, the plants looked fresh in white & blue pots. The rout was scurrying to get back home, cursing their bosses for making them work when the government had decided to sit back.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">I was convinced that the walk if nothing else, would shed a few grams off my weight. At the outset, our conversation was about work, & then it slowly drifted to the City of Joy. The history & typical stories, rivalries, superstitions & sentiments, that only a localite can relate, I was hearing. And we were two signals beyond where we had decided to take a public transport.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Chattering, giggling, dodging the traffic, running across signals, skipping over the potholed road, we had done it all. And after the tiresome expedition, all that we thirsted for, was an ice cream. And the joy of quenching your tiredness by an orange bar is incomparable!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; line-height: 115%;">The last leg of my long journey to home from office had to be completed by an auto. Period. My leg nerves were pleading for rest...& finally I thought yes, they deserved it. They had served me well today :)</span><span style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></div>
</div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-3569425635932978422012-04-27T21:11:00.000+05:302012-04-27T21:11:59.304+05:30The Date.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:RelyOnVML/> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves/> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:DoNotPromoteQF/> <w:LidThemeOther>EN-IN</w:LidThemeOther> <w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/> <w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/> <w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:Word11KerningPairs/> <w:CachedColBalance/> </w:Compatibility> <m:mathPr> <m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/> <m:brkBin m:val="before"/> <m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/> <m:smallFrac m:val="off"/> <m:dispDef/> <m:lMargin m:val="0"/> <m:rMargin m:val="0"/> <m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/> <m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/> <m:intLim m:val="subSup"/> <m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
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</style> <![endif]--> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>She flung open her cupboard doors</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Looked up-down & across the width</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Rummaged through a couple of shelves</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>To see if that perfect dress was hid beneath.</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>She walked around her room, sighed aloud-</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>“Why don’t I ever have anything to wear?”</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>She went back to her open cupboard again,</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>& looked at her collection in despair.</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Then her eyes fell on the blue flowing gown</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>Which she delicately from the top shelf, brought down</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>She smiled and caressed its silky smooth frills,</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>It was her sweet sixteenth birthday gift.</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>She slipped into it & made sure it fit right</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>She stood before the mirror & sprayed a whiff of perfume</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>And after hours & hours of make-up & touch-ups</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>She had finally got the look, she assumed.</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>She heard his footsteps & went out to meet</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>But one thing was missing, her nail paint wasn’t fine</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>He held the door & took her by hand</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>And like a queen, he led her out to dine.</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><i style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </i> <div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>He looked at her, he had a sparkle in his eyes</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>“You’re looking gorgeous sweety”, he smiled.</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>She smiled coyly & thought to herself,</i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i>“What do you know honey, of the hardwork </i></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><i> put into this ensemble?”</i></div></div>Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-40736906537911503632012-04-18T23:48:00.000+05:302014-04-23T11:26:01.276+05:30The Indecent Touch.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">“Hello, Ruchika here. May I know who’s speaking? Ohh, I’m sorry. I’m waiting for the bus, will reach office in another 30 minutes.” I put down the phone. I had just been saved from being hit by a speeding taxi, which scraped past me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Ah! There came my bus, flashing ‘K1’ in bold orange. After the 25 minute wait in the sun, I was relieved. Little did I know that my relief was soon going to turn into despair!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">The bus came to a screeching halt right before my frantically waving hands. I was smiling at some grouching faces. But I dint mind, I had finally got my bus! I tried to make my way onto the first step of the bus, but I couldn’t. I waited impatiently while the driver was honking, asking me to get on board fast. Some people who were hanging from the foot-board grudgingly got down making space for me to step on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">I stepped on. But now, I had no place to move ahead. Grabbing onto my bag, I managed to climb onto the 4<sup>th</sup> and final step. I tried to search for some place to plant my feet, because I was standing on somebody’s beautiful brown shoes. And the poor fellow wasn’t shouting or complaining. He must have been getting his shoes spoiled every day, I guessed. I quickly jumped down to take the place of someone else who inched towards the door to get down.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">I tried in vain arching my neck to see if there was any place where I could stand without touching anyone. But all I could see was shirts and smell the stench of deos & sweat. Everybody was cramming around me. In that condition my mind stopped judging every touch, whether it was deliberate frottage or the desperate struggle of every other passenger to get a breathing space, literally!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">I thought it safe to have a stronger hold on my bag, so I brought it close to myself & hugged it tight. I was at a loss thinking which way to angle myself so that I would fit in like a puzzle piece. But however I tried to stand, I hustled somebody or the other. Fed up, I stood like that, hanging onto the bus rod.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Precariously, I was clutching my bag with one hand, hanging onto the rod at the door with the other hand and balancing, leaning on someone else. Its at such a point that the unanticipated happened! The jam-packed bus had to take a sharp turn. My right-hand holding the rod slipped. I fell towards somebody standing on the second last step. I let out a shriek, as did the other women passengers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">But I wasn’t scared of falling out. I somehow knew that I was safely packed on all sides. Even if the misfortune happened, and I was jolted out of the bus, I would still land safely upon a heap of people, hazardously standing with hardly a place to keep their toes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Every passing minute was a pain, trying not to come in someone’s way. But everybody had to cross me and go since I had managed to secure a place right next to the door.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">The hoarse voice of the bus conductor started shouting ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New Town namabe’. </i>I sensed a greater relief as compared to the previous time. The bus came to another screeching halt. The braking of the bus sent shudders through my body, just as scratching nails on a blackboard gives me goose bumps!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">I was pushed out of the bus, as everyone scrambled to get down. I collected myself. I was still in one piece, safe & sound. My dress wasn’t torn, nothing had been stolen from my bag & I wasn’t bleeding. Though, my feet looked as if they desperately needed pedicure. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">I was finally out of what I would call a crusher. I was panting. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">those</i> 30 minutes spent in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i> bus, I lost all sense of touch. All those mushy romantic scenes meant nothing to me anymore.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">I had always thought, how would it feel, the first time when my hand would brush against his? Would I get butterflies in my stomach? The sudden flush of red in my face which I’d try to hide so that he doesn’t see that I’m blushing. When he comes close to speak to me & I suddenly turn to see his face close to mine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 115%;">Alas, now I wouldn’t even realise when that happens.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidH8o1q95IUhJM6Y_xrlkKLWWLOrH2uvgM5qeNXzdVq3jPnS70tO3OxnqPF3dIW-t54o9kz3nf_wIaZRzH6kI9cBVdZpE0DJXAkw_64693fM7BR6QoMnJjGmhfy76EvA7HQ44oOPBdK4Q/s1600/bus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidH8o1q95IUhJM6Y_xrlkKLWWLOrH2uvgM5qeNXzdVq3jPnS70tO3OxnqPF3dIW-t54o9kz3nf_wIaZRzH6kI9cBVdZpE0DJXAkw_64693fM7BR6QoMnJjGmhfy76EvA7HQ44oOPBdK4Q/s320/bus.jpg" height="193" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-78100171215084311482012-01-18T11:30:00.000+05:302014-04-23T11:32:12.979+05:30Ruffled..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Singing aloud all day long</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>All your irritations, grumblings & groans</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>"Fun!" it seems to you</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>and you smile in pleasure.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>To give others tension</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>trouble & tribulation.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Without bothering how it affects</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>those it targets!</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Its all your moodplay</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>and very subtle 'quotations',</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>your single indirect remark</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>your slight hint-ation.</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>That sets my mind ringing</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>digging into all past memories</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> -bad, bitter & rude</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>reverberating in thoughts,</i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>culminating in a torrential downpour!</i></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-427629806768237119.post-70587121812856018072012-01-13T14:09:00.001+05:302014-04-23T11:27:04.023+05:30Come back.......no more.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I've done my share of mistake</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I've had my share of heart-break.</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Leave me now, don't come back</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> Don't spoil my present with my past.</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>As you had smothered</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>my identity in yours,</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Now don't curb again the freedom</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> I have gained,</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> losing you.</i></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>From clasping of hands</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> to grabbing my wrist.</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>From 'miss you' calls</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> to slamming of phones.</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>From 'our story'</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> to 'your things'.</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>You had asked - if I'd love you,</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>and I had risked my all on you!</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The day you flung your coat,</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The times you lied,</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The moments I held back explaining</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>what I hated about you, why?</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>As you walked away, jerking aside my hand</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Not turning back</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> not even once,</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I stared at your receding shadow,</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>hoping against hope,</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>my eyes full of love & tears, </i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I knew you wouldn't come &</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I knew I wouldn't call.</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><br />
</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>You've lost it again,</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i> now you've lost it for good.</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>I dare not dare myself a second time,</i></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>and I know it'll not be you. </i></span></div>
<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></div>
</div>
Namrata R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/06939389390234623870noreply@blogger.com0