This is what it feels like..

I leaned on your shoulder,
And felt your hand against my cheek,
The heat in your palm,
Comforted me in the shivering cold,
Aaaah..
This is what home feels like.

You pulled me close to you,
And balanced me with your hands,
Then you twisted me around,
And gave me a warm hug,
This is what belonging feels like.

You took it up as your responsibility,
To make sure I was motivated enough,
To do the right things,
You heard my calls for help,
And attended to it immediately,
This is what being watched out for feels like.

You made sure I was happy,
To the stars you went,
To ensure a smile on my face,
When I got angry,
You patiently listened to the reasons for my anger,
Never did you raise your voice,
Or make me feel small;
You're my true inspiration,
You're a beautiful person, in and out,
And yes.. I can whole heartedly say,
This is what love feels like. 

SRK ki Paathshaala

SRK rocks!! He is simply the best.

I have a huge crush on SRK since the time that I can remember. Even today just one glimpse of him on the TV screen can make my heart skip a beat. Till date he makes me feel like a gawky teenager with those cute brown eyes of his and that lovely dimpled smile. For me he epitomizes love. The way he gives a glance with those caramel eyes and flashes that sweet smile which leaves goey feeling all over, the way he blows a kiss and then waves his hand leaves me completely dazed. I absolutely love all the songs and dialogues from his movies from the bottom of my heart and have watched all of them like a zillion times over and over again. And there are a choicest few which are very close to my heart for different reasons as I have learnt something from them. 

In this paathshala SRK is the professor of Dil and Dosti giving us very important lessons on love and friendship in life through his movies.

Happy Learning!

Presenting

SRK ki Paathshaala

Lights…Camera….ACTION!

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge – Trust your love and have faith in the strength of your love.

[Raj goes all the way to Punjab from London without even knowing what Simran feels for him. He had faith in the strength of his love.  He trusts her to be waiting for him]

Yes Boss – Never compromise on your dreams and your loved ones for your success. Success may and may not be yours forever. Your loved ones along with your dreams will always be.

[Raj’s love is at stake when his boss wants her in exchange of giving him his dream office]

Phir Bhi Dil hai Hindustani – Love your country. Don’t crib about the flaws – do something about it. It’s YOUR country too.

[Ajay Bakshi might not be THE BEST in all that he does. But when it comes to fighting for the corruption in the nation he is all game for it and gives his best.]

Main hoo Naa – Let your feelings be unconditional for your loved ones.

[Major Ram had a step mother and step brother who hate him – but that doesn’t deter him from loving them and trying to unite with them]

Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam – Like Karan Johar said,” It’s all about loving your parents.” Love them and every time they spread their arms beckoning you-don’t waste a moment in rushing!!

[Rahul gets married against his parents’ wishes subsequent to which he is thrown out of the house. After many years when he is asked to come back, he goes, letting bygones be bygones.]

Kal Ho Na Ho- Live life to the fullest. You never know when could be your last day.

[Aman is diagnosed with cancer, but that doesn’t deter him from living every moment spreading love and happiness all around]

Chalte Chalte – Never take your loved ones for granted.

[After their marriage Raj takes Priya for granted and vice versa which lead to a string of misunderstandings ultimately questioning their love for each other]

Chak De- It’s never too late to prove your mettle. Let your actions speak to your critics

[Kabir Khan loses the world cup to a rival country for which he is criticized and his integrity questioned. After many years he gets a chance to prove his mettle as a coach for the team and win the world cup again. He doesn’t think twice before accepting the challenge.]

Om Shanti Om-When you wish for something very strongly the entire universe conspires to bring it to you. So make a wish and pray hard.

[Om Prakash Makhija wants to be a superstar and marry his dream girl. He wishes for it so much that after he dies, he is reborn as Om Kapoor and ultimately meets his dream girl.]

Rab Ne bana di Jodi – Your loved ones are created because God couldn’t be everywhere. Love them; shower them with all the happiness of the world.

[Surinder Sahni is in love with his wife Tani who unfortunately doesn’t love him back. But that doesn’t stop him from loving her and giving her all the happiness he can.]

There are many more such lessons awaited. SRK is like an old wine – the older the better. He will never get antiquated.

And to end it in truly SRK style: “Aaj..... Aaj ek Haseen aur baant loon.... Aaj ek Dua aur mang loon....Aaj ek aansoo aur pee loon... Aaj ek Zindagi aur ji loon...Aaj ek Sapna aur dekh loon.....Aaj..... Kya pata Kal Ho Naa Ho!!!"

A lesson in humanity.

There is an elderly man that i meet on my way to the station from home. I am on very good terms with him and we talk very often.

Though on and off I had come across incidents where I would find him calling an ambulance for an injured dog lying on the road or sharing his lunch with the street kids some afternoon. I didn’t know that someday I would look upto him as an epitome of humanity.

Every morning he comes to greet me at the auto stand and we exchange pleasantries. One day when he came to wish me, he was exceptionally happy. I could make that out from his face. Before I could ask him the reason for the same, he immediately told me that his eldest son is engaged to be married in next month. I congratulated him and then he started telling me about his would-be-daughter-in-law. That’s when I came to know that his would-be-daughter-in-law belonged to a different religion. Given the fact that he himself was a very religious person it was very obvious for me to ask if he was happy with this match. And trust me his answer shocked me.

He told me “I am more than happy for my son. He is getting married to someone whom he loves and who loves him in return. She is a very nice girl from a decent family with a proper upbringing. What more could you ask for.” What he said next was an eye opener. He said “Love is the feeling that just develops and you don’t have any say in that. It’s something as natural as breathing. You can’t force yourself to love someone. I know these days, everyone tries to understand the caste, creed, family background etc etc before falling in love with a person. But then that’s what you do when you are out to buy any commodity. Love is not a commodity. And incase this is the way you find love than I am sorry to say that’s not love. It’s a business (a sauda). And remember “Pyar main sauda nahi hota.”

He smiled and left as i got into the auto. But whatever he said left a very strong impression on my mind. What is that this person who is not even educated beyond a 10^th class could understand love so deeply and we equipped with all our degrees couldn’t understand this basic fact of our lives. How many times have we been compassionate towards our other fellow human beings leave alone towards an animal lying on the road? And how many times have we analysed love in the manner in which he did?

Its true…….God teaches us lessons in various forms and I learnt a beautiful unforgettable lesson in humanity and love from this “Chacha” as I fondly call him!

I surrender

I surrender to:

• A world which if full of hypocrites and back stabbers.
• People who have no conscious and sleep peacefully at night after hurting someone.
• Those selfish hearts who are alive with their heads held high
• Inflated egos and heartless souls

I surrender because:

• All they can give me is pain and all I can give in return is my smile.
• They can’t take anything from me unless I want them to.
• It doesn’t mean I am weak. It means I choose to stay unaffected by them.
• I accept them with their flaws.

It's a free world!!

The person who said,” Nothing is free in this world” was highly mistaken when he said that. At least in the Indian context there is something which is definitely free and most of the times unasked for. You guessed it right – ADVICE!!!

If you are surrounded by many well wishers who are more than willing to share their expertise with you doling out advice after advice even when you might not seem to need it, then I would like to say,” Welcome to the Indian Fraternity”.

From childbirth to death ceremony, from marriage to divorce, from health to wealth these people seem to “KNOW-IT-ALL”. There is no topic under the sun on which these people have no information. Many a times their advices tempt me to answer them sarcastically but I don’t as I am reminded of my mom’s cold stare if I would just say that.

Pouring my so-called frustration out here I present some of the most common phrases along with my most quirky answers possible to them here:

“Oh you have grown up!!!”

[As if we were supposed to remain small always.]

“Oh my God you have put on weight.”

[Well you have not practically shrunk yourself either.]

“You should get married now.”

[Just because you are undergoing something doesn’t mean you make other go through the same.]

“You should not deal with it like this. I have seen it before just do as I am saying.”

[I didn’t know you were Adam/Eve who has seen the world evolve in front of their eyes.]

“It’s high time you planned a family.”

[Why??? Is the world coming to an end tomorrow?]

“Oh! You are suffering from acne. Don’t worry…do something….take a pinch of blah blah blah…… it will surely vanish.”

[Some homemade remedy for rescue which is definitely not tried and tested]

The list is endless and equally hilarious. I don’t know what these people derive by giving such free unsolicited advices but I definitely derive loads of enjoyment from them.

I am thankful to them for giving me a reason to smile and am hopeful for much more….CHEERS!!!!

Elderly couples

Have you ever noticed those elderly couples around? The ones with withering bodies, the ones hanging onto each other for support! I happen to notice a few of them around. The first thing that strikes me about them is their composure and calmness as a couple. They seem so comfortable in each other’s presence. Neither is the wife worried about her husband’s hovering eyes nor the husband over protecting her. No going overboard with showing their love for each other amidst public places and no hassles or haggles in handling each other as a couple. Just a state of pure comfort!

What is it that makes them so confident about the other person that they seem to be in state of perfect harmony? Of course, it is because of the amount of time they’ve spent with each other. May be, there is some unknown bond which probably only time can create. They know other person well, their weakness, their needs, their attitudes and may be that’s how they have adjusted themselves accordingly.

The other day while in the bus,  I saw an elderly couple seated at the first seat. The bus was crowded and I stood near them. The conductor came by and asked for the place for the ticket. The woman opened her purse, took out a few notes and mumbled something to the conductor. The bus conductor couldn’t understand the name of the place she mumbled about. Hence he asked her again. Her husband got the clue and he mentioned the place to the conductor. I wonder how effortlessly the husband realized that her wife’s mumbling can only be understood only by him! The entire route, they sat in almost silence. Yet the comfort within them was so very throbbing. While getting down, the husband asked her to be careful, even telling the bus driver to not start the bus until she gets down. His concern, so evident in his voice. It made me smile seeing their beautiful chemistry.

Yet another day, an elderly couple boarded the bus. (Well you see, I happen to travel on a lot by bus; not that it's my favourite mode of travel, but I happen to). The husband boarded the bus first and grabbed the first available seat. The wife followed and he stood up to allow his wife to sit. There were a few seats available, though not near his wife’s seat and hence the husband chose to stand near his wife rather than grab a seat for himself away from her. The wife kept on pestering him to go and sit somewhere or sit at her place. But he refused. The best part of their conversation was her coaxing and his refusing which they did in the most adorable manner. The comfort and the bond was so very alive between them.

It just warmed my heart to witness that pure comfort and bliss of togetherness. At times, I want to go and hug them for their adorableness. 

Do you find such elderly couples adorable too?

To be or to not to be

Sometimes it gets difficult to decide -

To be bluntly honest in our opinions to people around us?

                                     OR

To be a very good liar and talk behind their backs about their flaws?

This is a choice I find very difficult to make as I prefer being in the former category while people around me are always in the later category.

They force me to rethink incase I wrong. I believe in being honest because I feel that it strengthens the relationship rather than a lie which tomorrow might cause an irreparable damage to it.

I am still wondering............

Growing up at what cost?

At the age of 10, the only thing I wanted to do was to grow up. I was tired of listening to various excuses like, "You can do this when you grow up." "You are too young" for almost everything that was on my To-Do list. A grown up was the most enviable person for me at that stage

On the contrast today when I am all grown up I could do anything to trade it for my childhood days. Such wonderful times - no worries, just fun and frolic!!It was so good to see life is only black or white shades. Everything could either be good or bad.

Though my most desired dream of growing up has come true I feel that I have paid a very heavy price for it. I have lost those simple pleasures of playing in the with  friends on a rainy day. I don't recollect the last time I did star gazing, cuddled up with my teddy for company. I want to wake up lazily someday with no worries about tomorrow but ample plans of how today would spent. Those summer holidays spent with friends listening to stories, playing hide n seek, taking long walks to discover something new. It is all gone. Thanks to our hectic schedules today we barely manage to speak to each other leave alone meeting.

Not to forget those various fun filled activities in my home vicinity which used to keep my creative juices running. I always had my thinking cap on with the fear of being left out in the competition. These days the only things i can think of is deadlines, calls, submission and projects. My creativity has gone into a rut and it needs a real hard attempt to come up with an idea. Writing for more than a page seems cumbersome and I try to find shortcuts for everything possible. Believe me actually there have been instances where after goofing up I start frantically searching for CTRL+Z. :)

I don't know where this is leading to; the only thing that comes to my mind at such a time is a song from the movie 3 Idiots. It is just perfect for the occassion:

"Give me some sunshine ,Give me some rain;

Give me another chance I wanna grow up once again!!"

A purr…rrr…….rrfect world.

I feel that “perfect” is the most misused term in English dictionary. There can’t be one definition of perfection. For arguments sake one could say nothing is perfect in this world. On other thoughts if I let my thinking horses run wild and put on my rose tinted glass I might be able to see a perfect world

.

A world where there is no jealousy or hatred, where we all co-exist with respect for each other ; a place where we are all surrounded by mutual love and trust. We are able to voice out our opinions fearlessly. We are not scared to say of who we are, which caste of community we belong to. We respect the values and beliefs of each one.

We are not under any social pressure to outdo each other in pleasing everyone. We do things because we want to and not because we need to. We are helpful without any expectation in return.

We don’t judge people and accept the as they are unconditionally. There are no shortcuts only pure hard work and passion. Where every I resonates “we” and the concept of “I, me and myself” is demolished forever. A place where are surrounded by joy and enthusiasm rather than greed and malice. Where we gift smiles and live in a joyous world. 

That’s my perfect world….but there is something amiss…wait…..a ha… now that I remove my pink glasses the world is back to normal .As such perfection can exist maybe only in my dreams. I wish this dream of mine could come true someday…..

Angels – Made in Heaven

Angels are those cute little winged creatures with a halo on their heads. They are very helpful and loving by nature. They also have a characteristic of being magical; just a glimpse of them makes you smile and forget all the troubles. If you are lucky enough to go to heaven after your death you will definitely be surrounded by them. But not many of us know that even while we are on earth- very much alive we are surrounded by them. No I am not talking about our imagination. I am talking of reality. Yep!!! We all have a special category of people in our lives when we can actually call as “angels”.

Though their halo and wings are invisible, their other characteristics are very much there. They are magical in nature and they seem to have solution to all our problems. Their helpful and loving nature makes us feel blessed to be alive and special to have them in our life. I must confess I am very lucky to have such wonderful angels in my life and I am fiercely protective about them. I just love being around them as they have the powers to make me forget my worries with their smiles even if it just momentary. Just a hug from them gives me all the strength to face any storm bravely. 

I will tell you another fact; these “angels” are not aware about their magical abilities and therefore are very ignorant of the charm they spread around. But I don’t leave a single chance to acknowledge the gift that I have got in form of them and try to make them feel very special. This is my way of saying “Thanks …for being there!!!”

Are you looking out for your angels??