Silence is so beautiful
White, Blue and cold
So maidenly so quite
Mysterious, untold!
Beyond Time
Beyond Age
Like a perpetual child
About to burst into a ringing laugh
But tamed for a while
Can you guard her from Anguish?
Or a stillborn Fear
Can you offend her icy dignity?
By shedding a transient tear?
She is so charming when she settles down
And takes possession of your mind
Cleans all the dirty cabinets
And leaves the clutter behind
She fills every empty space with nothing
And takes away all your toys
Lets you cry, makes you sigh
And you close your eyes.
Then nothing really matters
It is just you and her together
Without a sentence, without a word
You begin talking to each other
I hate throwing stones in the Lake
And I think so does She
For I keep straightening the House
And She straightens Me.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The Story of Pi,Belle and Dusky. =)
For a long time, I wished to write something that would amuse kids. I think keeping kids interested in a story is one of the most difficult tasks and only someone like J.K Rowling can do that so consistently. Anyway this is my mediocre attempt at a kid story. I promise I will improve.
..And I request you to read it just as a kid would, for there is nothing to be read between the lines. =)
Saee
In the midst of lush green valleys there was a quite village called Khatapeeta. It was full of families that earned money from farming. Everyone lived on a farm that was looked after by all the members of the family. Sometimes they planted sugarcane and sometimes potatoes and onions.
A farmer called Ata owned one such pretty farm. He planted tomatoes in his farm one season and took care of them the way he took care of his daughters. He watered the plants and watched out for any bugs that might feast on the leaves. He walked through the farm and bent down now and then to check if his crop was healthy. The young saplings relished the bright sunlight and water and tiny tomatoes appeared on every plant. Ata was delighted. As days passed, the tomatoes ripened and turned glossy red in color. Belle, Pi and Dusky were three little tomatoes growing on a tree. Pi was full and round, and growing fat with every can of water going into the soil. Belle was dainty, somewhat pale and green. She took her own time and grew up slowly like a little wiggly caterpillar. Dusky was dark red. He was quick to get angry so he ended up being redder than the other two.
The three tomatoes swayed with the moist wind and the tree drooped, as they got chubbier.
The whole farm was full of ripe red dots when Ata decided to sell his produce. He plucked the tomatoes gingerly and arranged them in open baskets made of bamboo. Pi, Belle and Dusky were put in the same basket. Pi was happy that he got to roll over a lot of other tomatoes and make them scream for help, while Belle was busy avoiding other ripe tomatoes asking her to accompany them when the truck came to a halt. Dusky was furious about the treatment they all were being given. He did not like the basket, the truck or the way they were plucked and sent off. The truck set out to the big market in the neighboring town. They all bumped into each other as the truck began turning and everyone became merry except Dusky. He just turned redder.
They were all unloaded in front of a grumpy vendor. He told Ata that there were a lot of fresh tomatoes in the market already and no one cared for his lot much. After a lot of talking, they both agreed on the money and Ata left his produce with the vendor. He looked around to say good-bye and let out a sigh before getting into the truck.
As soon as the truck left, the grumpy vendor hurriedly arranged all of them in a triangular heap. Pi, Belle and Dusky were taken apart. They occupied three different corners of the heap. As the Sun came up, the market became crowded with three wheelers and people walking about. The Pizza guy picked up Belle along with some other crunchy tomatoes. She said adieu with a heavy heart and was carelessly thrown in a basket full of tomatoes inside a tiny truck. The pizza guy came back after a while with yellow bell peppers and crisp baby corns. There was a small commotion as each one demanded his own space but Belle became good friends with everyone immediately.
Dusky flushed all the more when he realized that his sister was taken away. The Ketchup guy noticed him. He picked Dusky and asked the vendor to give him similar looking tomatoes. They all were hurriedly taken to the ketchup factory.
Pi rolled about for a while, making fun of the thinner tomatoes. A small woman with a hyperactive kid came by and picked up Pi. He went into a wire basket that already contained pale cucumbers, pink carrots and fresh strawberries. Pi was delighted to meet them.
The next day, Belle was sliced up into tiny ringlets along with all her best friends for a Veggie Supreme. They liked all of it till they were laid out on circular bread smeared with sauce. Then two fat hands held a shredder on top and all the vegetables including Belle were covered with a blanket of sticky Cheese. They all were then sent to a hot oven where the Cheese oozed into the pores of their skin and made them blend into the thick bread. The crunchy bell peppers, baby corns and black olives were all covered with the oppressive cheese. Then they were put on a pan and served with cola. Belle was sad at being turned into small ring on a cheesy pizza. She went down the food pipe of an eleven year old and was followed by a wave of cola.
Dusky was thrown into a hot water kettle in the ketchup factory along with his mates and boiled for an awfully long time. They all felt hot and Dusky could not get any redder. Then they were poured into a big blender along with spices and preservatives that made the tomatoes wrinkle their noses. Dusky was angry as usual. After a while he was poured into a plastic bottle and a machine arm sealed the bottle with a cap. Dusky was out in the market dressed as tomato ketchup.
Pi spent two days in the refrigerator. He made friends with the watermelon, who was almost ten times as big as he was and perfectly round. He also made friends with a carrot. However he found the cucumber very boring. Pi was happy to be inside. It was cool and clean. Two days later, he was put into a blender along with mint, sugar, salt and ice. He went round and round till he could not see the mint or the ice anymore. All he could see was his own red self. He felt very proud and a little dizzy. He was poured into a tall glass and two leaves of mint were placed on top for decoration. He realized that he was no longer as round as he used to be but he liked the glass very well. He overheard the small lady calling out for the hyperactive kid. He heard her dainty voice; “ Here is something to get you going. Lots of potassium for your running race” and the kid gulped the glass down and went out running!
The three tomatoes from Ata’s farm, turned into three different foods!! So think of Pi, Belle and Dusky next time you have a slice of pizza with ketchup or tomato juice! =D
..And I request you to read it just as a kid would, for there is nothing to be read between the lines. =)
Saee
In the midst of lush green valleys there was a quite village called Khatapeeta. It was full of families that earned money from farming. Everyone lived on a farm that was looked after by all the members of the family. Sometimes they planted sugarcane and sometimes potatoes and onions.
A farmer called Ata owned one such pretty farm. He planted tomatoes in his farm one season and took care of them the way he took care of his daughters. He watered the plants and watched out for any bugs that might feast on the leaves. He walked through the farm and bent down now and then to check if his crop was healthy. The young saplings relished the bright sunlight and water and tiny tomatoes appeared on every plant. Ata was delighted. As days passed, the tomatoes ripened and turned glossy red in color. Belle, Pi and Dusky were three little tomatoes growing on a tree. Pi was full and round, and growing fat with every can of water going into the soil. Belle was dainty, somewhat pale and green. She took her own time and grew up slowly like a little wiggly caterpillar. Dusky was dark red. He was quick to get angry so he ended up being redder than the other two.
The three tomatoes swayed with the moist wind and the tree drooped, as they got chubbier.
The whole farm was full of ripe red dots when Ata decided to sell his produce. He plucked the tomatoes gingerly and arranged them in open baskets made of bamboo. Pi, Belle and Dusky were put in the same basket. Pi was happy that he got to roll over a lot of other tomatoes and make them scream for help, while Belle was busy avoiding other ripe tomatoes asking her to accompany them when the truck came to a halt. Dusky was furious about the treatment they all were being given. He did not like the basket, the truck or the way they were plucked and sent off. The truck set out to the big market in the neighboring town. They all bumped into each other as the truck began turning and everyone became merry except Dusky. He just turned redder.
They were all unloaded in front of a grumpy vendor. He told Ata that there were a lot of fresh tomatoes in the market already and no one cared for his lot much. After a lot of talking, they both agreed on the money and Ata left his produce with the vendor. He looked around to say good-bye and let out a sigh before getting into the truck.
As soon as the truck left, the grumpy vendor hurriedly arranged all of them in a triangular heap. Pi, Belle and Dusky were taken apart. They occupied three different corners of the heap. As the Sun came up, the market became crowded with three wheelers and people walking about. The Pizza guy picked up Belle along with some other crunchy tomatoes. She said adieu with a heavy heart and was carelessly thrown in a basket full of tomatoes inside a tiny truck. The pizza guy came back after a while with yellow bell peppers and crisp baby corns. There was a small commotion as each one demanded his own space but Belle became good friends with everyone immediately.
Dusky flushed all the more when he realized that his sister was taken away. The Ketchup guy noticed him. He picked Dusky and asked the vendor to give him similar looking tomatoes. They all were hurriedly taken to the ketchup factory.
Pi rolled about for a while, making fun of the thinner tomatoes. A small woman with a hyperactive kid came by and picked up Pi. He went into a wire basket that already contained pale cucumbers, pink carrots and fresh strawberries. Pi was delighted to meet them.
The next day, Belle was sliced up into tiny ringlets along with all her best friends for a Veggie Supreme. They liked all of it till they were laid out on circular bread smeared with sauce. Then two fat hands held a shredder on top and all the vegetables including Belle were covered with a blanket of sticky Cheese. They all were then sent to a hot oven where the Cheese oozed into the pores of their skin and made them blend into the thick bread. The crunchy bell peppers, baby corns and black olives were all covered with the oppressive cheese. Then they were put on a pan and served with cola. Belle was sad at being turned into small ring on a cheesy pizza. She went down the food pipe of an eleven year old and was followed by a wave of cola.
Dusky was thrown into a hot water kettle in the ketchup factory along with his mates and boiled for an awfully long time. They all felt hot and Dusky could not get any redder. Then they were poured into a big blender along with spices and preservatives that made the tomatoes wrinkle their noses. Dusky was angry as usual. After a while he was poured into a plastic bottle and a machine arm sealed the bottle with a cap. Dusky was out in the market dressed as tomato ketchup.
Pi spent two days in the refrigerator. He made friends with the watermelon, who was almost ten times as big as he was and perfectly round. He also made friends with a carrot. However he found the cucumber very boring. Pi was happy to be inside. It was cool and clean. Two days later, he was put into a blender along with mint, sugar, salt and ice. He went round and round till he could not see the mint or the ice anymore. All he could see was his own red self. He felt very proud and a little dizzy. He was poured into a tall glass and two leaves of mint were placed on top for decoration. He realized that he was no longer as round as he used to be but he liked the glass very well. He overheard the small lady calling out for the hyperactive kid. He heard her dainty voice; “ Here is something to get you going. Lots of potassium for your running race” and the kid gulped the glass down and went out running!
The three tomatoes from Ata’s farm, turned into three different foods!! So think of Pi, Belle and Dusky next time you have a slice of pizza with ketchup or tomato juice! =D
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Anna Karenina
10 reasons why everyone should read Anna Karenina
1.It talks about the invisible lines we cross, the invisible lines we create and the lines we draw just ahead of us with our Egos when we want to escape unpleasant situations
2.It talks about the perpetual icy frost that covers our minds. That holds us back from saying what we want to, doing what we must and accepting people irrespective of the situations they create.
3.It talks about dysfunctional institutions that create dysfunctional minds. It covers everything from Communism to Marriage.
4.It talks about the Lifecycle of Grief. Right from its conception to the point where it is conquered by an intelligent mind
5.It talks about the healing power of creative solitude. When the mind analyzes sadness with a calm and impartial authority and devises ways to come over it by taking up something beyond the trivialities.
6.It talks about the offenses that cannot have a punishment but cause torments that go beyond comprehension
7.It talks about different minds in similar situations, each one giving a different reaction
8.Though written in the 1800s, it proves to us that the basic malice and kindness that drives the human minds is still the same. We still cross the same invisible lines, but we have conveniently extended the boundaries of our vileness.
9.It shows us that even mistakes can be handled with dignity
10.It has names like Kostya, Mishka, Laska and Frou-Frou, which I found really amusing and incredibly cute.
1.It talks about the invisible lines we cross, the invisible lines we create and the lines we draw just ahead of us with our Egos when we want to escape unpleasant situations
2.It talks about the perpetual icy frost that covers our minds. That holds us back from saying what we want to, doing what we must and accepting people irrespective of the situations they create.
3.It talks about dysfunctional institutions that create dysfunctional minds. It covers everything from Communism to Marriage.
4.It talks about the Lifecycle of Grief. Right from its conception to the point where it is conquered by an intelligent mind
5.It talks about the healing power of creative solitude. When the mind analyzes sadness with a calm and impartial authority and devises ways to come over it by taking up something beyond the trivialities.
6.It talks about the offenses that cannot have a punishment but cause torments that go beyond comprehension
7.It talks about different minds in similar situations, each one giving a different reaction
8.Though written in the 1800s, it proves to us that the basic malice and kindness that drives the human minds is still the same. We still cross the same invisible lines, but we have conveniently extended the boundaries of our vileness.
9.It shows us that even mistakes can be handled with dignity
10.It has names like Kostya, Mishka, Laska and Frou-Frou, which I found really amusing and incredibly cute.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Traveler
His head bent down, in pensive thought
And a dirty backpack full of Memories
The Traveler going from one Moment to Other
On the dusty road of Dreams and Reveries
He has seen the snow clad silent mountains
And all the pomp of the Gods and Goddesses
Dipped his feet in ice cold waters
And written in his book of all those places
He has met psychics who talked about Death
And fallen in love with pretty women
Cried in vain and winced in Pain
Every time he got his heart broken
He sat by the campfire and sang songs
He relished rabbits, camels and goats
He taught little boys how to fly kites
And helped old women out of boats.
He saw the same Sun
Sometimes behind the Mountains
Sometimes inside the River
And the same Horizon across different Oceans
That always leads him to the Loyal Forever
He saw the same Moon
Sometimes Maddening and Sometimes Saddening
He saw the same River flow
That was called by different names
Until it went where it was to go.
He tried stopping for Wealth and Love
Or to leave something behind
But he knew that the open Skies
Would make it too hard to find
He moves on, He moves along
Rebuilt or Broken Apart
But he never takes the Hurt with him
And meets a New Place with an Empty Heart.
And a dirty backpack full of Memories
The Traveler going from one Moment to Other
On the dusty road of Dreams and Reveries
He has seen the snow clad silent mountains
And all the pomp of the Gods and Goddesses
Dipped his feet in ice cold waters
And written in his book of all those places
He has met psychics who talked about Death
And fallen in love with pretty women
Cried in vain and winced in Pain
Every time he got his heart broken
He sat by the campfire and sang songs
He relished rabbits, camels and goats
He taught little boys how to fly kites
And helped old women out of boats.
He saw the same Sun
Sometimes behind the Mountains
Sometimes inside the River
And the same Horizon across different Oceans
That always leads him to the Loyal Forever
He saw the same Moon
Sometimes Maddening and Sometimes Saddening
He saw the same River flow
That was called by different names
Until it went where it was to go.
He tried stopping for Wealth and Love
Or to leave something behind
But he knew that the open Skies
Would make it too hard to find
He moves on, He moves along
Rebuilt or Broken Apart
But he never takes the Hurt with him
And meets a New Place with an Empty Heart.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Going NowHere
There are places in our own minds where we have never gone before.
A little higher up, beyond the elevations that lead to our Egos.
Places that let us stay only for a while, but take us closer to God.
Maybe we were there as children, unknowingly
Or after those moments of extreme despair
When the heart starts beating again.
Or in those moments of helpless laughter
That brings tears to our eyes
Mercurial places, Filled with Joy and Nowhereness.
Like the gap between two thoughts
Like the headache that comes with the first bite of ice-cream
Like waking up in the middle of night
And finding the Moon staring at us.
Like a long long train journey
On an unreserved seat by the open window
Like using all the theatre in our blood
To get a few kids wide eyed during a ghost story
We always stumble upon them,
And then we want to stay
But then Anger and Ambition take over
And the I takes us away.
A little higher up, beyond the elevations that lead to our Egos.
Places that let us stay only for a while, but take us closer to God.
Maybe we were there as children, unknowingly
Or after those moments of extreme despair
When the heart starts beating again.
Or in those moments of helpless laughter
That brings tears to our eyes
Mercurial places, Filled with Joy and Nowhereness.
Like the gap between two thoughts
Like the headache that comes with the first bite of ice-cream
Like waking up in the middle of night
And finding the Moon staring at us.
Like a long long train journey
On an unreserved seat by the open window
Like using all the theatre in our blood
To get a few kids wide eyed during a ghost story
We always stumble upon them,
And then we want to stay
But then Anger and Ambition take over
And the I takes us away.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
The Rain and The Sunshine
Earlier when it came,
Sometimes in Drizzles
Sometimes in Torrents..
The Blinding, Languishing Rain!
It poured outside the window
Choking every Grass blade
Filling the space between Heaven and Earth,
By an Ethereal Sorrow
Ceaseless Rain, Limitless Rain
Followed by an Awkward Sunshine
Like a Child laughing aloud
In the Abysmal Silence of a Mourning House
It still comes down just the same
But the torrents refuse to haunt
It flattens the humble Grass blades
But it fails to choke and daunt
Even the Self-Conscious Sunlight
Has gathered a Newfound Valor
For it gushes in with a Lucid Rainbow
Defying the Cloudy Pallor
They have grown accustomed these days
The Rain and the Sunshine to each other
Like the long married Day and Night
Sharing Dusks and Dawns together
From now on, the Rain and the Sun
As they please, may come and go
For the Joy has transcended Light
And beyond Rain rests the Woe.
--Saee
15th March 2007
Sometimes in Drizzles
Sometimes in Torrents..
The Blinding, Languishing Rain!
It poured outside the window
Choking every Grass blade
Filling the space between Heaven and Earth,
By an Ethereal Sorrow
Ceaseless Rain, Limitless Rain
Followed by an Awkward Sunshine
Like a Child laughing aloud
In the Abysmal Silence of a Mourning House
It still comes down just the same
But the torrents refuse to haunt
It flattens the humble Grass blades
But it fails to choke and daunt
Even the Self-Conscious Sunlight
Has gathered a Newfound Valor
For it gushes in with a Lucid Rainbow
Defying the Cloudy Pallor
They have grown accustomed these days
The Rain and the Sunshine to each other
Like the long married Day and Night
Sharing Dusks and Dawns together
From now on, the Rain and the Sun
As they please, may come and go
For the Joy has transcended Light
And beyond Rain rests the Woe.
--Saee
15th March 2007
Monday, March 12, 2007
Thank Heavens For Reality!
I have not used imagination while writing this. I am just reporting! =D
I don’t know what they call people who can remember Dreams vividly, but I happen to be one of them. I don’t just remember my dreams, but I also waste an awful amount of time analyzing them in the morning. This is a Dream, and by dream I mean the one that comes when you are fast asleep in the Rapid Eye Movement or whatever phase you call it!
Last night I dreamt, that I was on a train with two other people.
We were joking around and sitting in the doorway looking at the train as turned behind us. I was wearing a scarf that was tied behind my ears like those gypsy women (I know this is vanity but I am just reporting). I don’t remember if the other two were guys or girls but then there were three people.
Suddenly after a while, the three of us killed someone. :)
For a long time we were wondering if Murder is a punishable offence and if yes, what is it going to cost us!!
I remember coming home, and telling my mom about it. I asked her what she thinks will happen and even in my dream she was as business-like and matter-of-fact as she is in real life. She calmly told me in my dream, that my career was ruined now that I had managed to murder a living person. She also told me that she did not think that the Law had any concession for three people killing one person as against one person killing one person and you don’t get to share your punishment. Though this can be looked at with a sense of humor at 1 PM in the afternoon, it managed to freak me out at 1 AM. :)
She told me that my PhD was ruined now as if I try to go abroad I would be a fugitive and no one will grant me a Visa in the first place! And I saw her utter the word “fugitive” which I doubt she will ever use in reality because she is good at being harsh in Marathi than English. That was the only ray of hope I had to convince myself that I was dreaming.
She also asked me to look for a good lawyer so that I manage to make up a story before the cops get me. =|
I was seriously worried when I woke up and this is not a writer’s overstatement. I actually thought my life was ruined when I woke up because the Dream was being telecast the whole night. It had left me pensive and helpless. Even as I woke up, I was figuring out what to do about it till the time my feet touched the ground and I smelled tea!
I truly realized the worth of having a humble REALITY to wake up to today!
I am amazed at how articulately the whole story was constructed when I wasn’t even thinking of trains or murders yesterday!
It is also interesting to know that even in a Dream the brain takes into consideration the consequences of an action and also the candid portrayal of the people in your life. The presence of my mother and her comments made it so real that had I slept for an hour more, I would have died in my sleep from a cardiac arrest.
I am still confused why I could not get the identities of the other two people and also about the presence of the train in my dream. It gave an Agatha Cristiesh feel to the Dream!
Any Freuds around? :)
I don’t know what they call people who can remember Dreams vividly, but I happen to be one of them. I don’t just remember my dreams, but I also waste an awful amount of time analyzing them in the morning. This is a Dream, and by dream I mean the one that comes when you are fast asleep in the Rapid Eye Movement or whatever phase you call it!
Last night I dreamt, that I was on a train with two other people.
We were joking around and sitting in the doorway looking at the train as turned behind us. I was wearing a scarf that was tied behind my ears like those gypsy women (I know this is vanity but I am just reporting). I don’t remember if the other two were guys or girls but then there were three people.
Suddenly after a while, the three of us killed someone. :)
For a long time we were wondering if Murder is a punishable offence and if yes, what is it going to cost us!!
I remember coming home, and telling my mom about it. I asked her what she thinks will happen and even in my dream she was as business-like and matter-of-fact as she is in real life. She calmly told me in my dream, that my career was ruined now that I had managed to murder a living person. She also told me that she did not think that the Law had any concession for three people killing one person as against one person killing one person and you don’t get to share your punishment. Though this can be looked at with a sense of humor at 1 PM in the afternoon, it managed to freak me out at 1 AM. :)
She told me that my PhD was ruined now as if I try to go abroad I would be a fugitive and no one will grant me a Visa in the first place! And I saw her utter the word “fugitive” which I doubt she will ever use in reality because she is good at being harsh in Marathi than English. That was the only ray of hope I had to convince myself that I was dreaming.
She also asked me to look for a good lawyer so that I manage to make up a story before the cops get me. =|
I was seriously worried when I woke up and this is not a writer’s overstatement. I actually thought my life was ruined when I woke up because the Dream was being telecast the whole night. It had left me pensive and helpless. Even as I woke up, I was figuring out what to do about it till the time my feet touched the ground and I smelled tea!
I truly realized the worth of having a humble REALITY to wake up to today!
I am amazed at how articulately the whole story was constructed when I wasn’t even thinking of trains or murders yesterday!
It is also interesting to know that even in a Dream the brain takes into consideration the consequences of an action and also the candid portrayal of the people in your life. The presence of my mother and her comments made it so real that had I slept for an hour more, I would have died in my sleep from a cardiac arrest.
I am still confused why I could not get the identities of the other two people and also about the presence of the train in my dream. It gave an Agatha Cristiesh feel to the Dream!
Any Freuds around? :)
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