The Stranger

A stranger walked into my life, 

I was told she would become my wife, 

This scared me to the core, 

Because there was something I wanted more, 

I was asked to meet her once, 

And I decided to steal a glance. 

That one glance was sufficient to mesmerize me. 

And something unpredictable happened to me. 

I agreed to tie the knot,

And about that little something I completely forgot. 

Now I begin a new phase of life. 

With the stranger as my wife. 

But she is not a stranger anymore. 

She is my soulmate forevermore.

Baby Rhyme

As another year comes to an end,

With just a more days to spend,

Let me tell you about  my new friend,

 A small, pink and round godsend.

A bundle of joy and happiness,

That ended a phase of.madness.

A miracle sent by the gods above,

A baby boy to care for and love.

His tiny hand curls around my finger,

Leaving no space for doubts to linger,

That life is never going to be the same,

With sleepless nights, music and game.

Every time I look at the cherubic face,

I forget all about life's daily rat race.

It is not money and success that I yearn,

Your gibberish is all I need to learn.

With your lively eyes and your loving hug,

You have made us dance the jitterbug.

Baby just to see your smile,

I am ready to walk a mile.

Baby I will be with you forever,

With this promise this rhyme is over.

The Perfect House

Raindrops fall on the thatched roof,

Sounding like beats of a drummer,

The clouds blanket the  horizon,

As if hiding secrets within them,

The pines tower beside the edifice,

Standing like guards of honour.

A face watches from the windows,

Looking across the landscape,

Taking in all the colours and beauty,

Staring into the eyes of nature.

Happiness flows through the eyes,

And the furry tail wags in rhythm. 

The house at the end of the street,

With  a view of the mountains, 

The one with the flowered parapet,

With red windows  and a green roof,

The house I always painted as a kid,

The Perfect  House with a dog's  woof.

Musings

An eerie silence has engulfed the city,

A shadow looms above us all,

The siren breaks the solemn silence,

Striking fear in hearts of all.

The moon hides behind the clouds,

The night is filed with gloom,

The garden is no longer colourful,

The flowers refuse to bloom.

Darkness is all that is left,

Not a glimmer of light,

Crushing the hopes of all,

Draining the will  to fight.

But not everything  is lost yet,

There is still some  hope,

Courageous  deeds of some ,

Teach us how to cope.

The sun will shine again,

The flowers will also bloom,

And bring  an end to this,

Era of darkness and gloom.

Pic courtesy: Akansha Saxena

A small conversation

Have you ever discussed a book for weeks after you have read it? I am sure you have, if you have read Harry Potter. The world is full of Harry Potter junkies.The same can be said for books written by Dan Brwn, George R Martin, Rick Riordan, Khaled Hossieni and sometimes even Chetan Bhagat. Last night I got into one such discussion with a "close friend" about a recent book I read. "Sleeping with Jupiter" by Anuradha Roy. 

For those who aren't familiar with the name of the author or the book, let me tell you this book had made it to the long-list of The Man Booker Prize 2015. And I have not made a spelling mistake. It is Anuradha roy and not Arundhati Roy. Please don't get confused.

The book has been deftly crafted and is very compact. Another noteworthy thing is the use of very simple English. Not many 13-lettered words to be specific. I am not going to review the book here. It certainly deserves a separate post.

I will come back to the conversation I had with my friend. I recommended this book to him but there wasn't much interest generated. I will quote a line from the conversation "If the book is any good they will make a movie based on it soon. I'll watch it". I retorted that many good books have been ruined by their movie adaptations. 

There was another remark about "Indian authors not being very good". And as an example the name of Chetan Bhagat was thrown in.

This is something I find really irritating. Chetan Bhagat is a very ordinary writer. In fact I doubt that his books can be called literature. But funnily enough he is the most read Indian author in the country. His books have done one good thing at least. They have bought reading books back in fashion. 

However, this conversation has inspired me to share a few of my thoughts about Chetan Bhagat books.

If you prefer reading books while travelling you have probably met a few of the below mentioned idiots

1) Idiots who have never read a single book, but will still comment on the lack of quality Indian Literature

2) Idiots who have read only Chetan Bhagat books, loved them, and are now self-proclaimed literature scholars.

3) Idiots who have read Chetan Bhagat books and other similar crappy love stories by various forgettable authors and profess their love for books and how reading is their passion.

4) Idiots who claim Chetan Bhagat's books are pathetic because of poor English.

5) Idiots who keep commenting on how they can't even read 20 pages at a time and wonder how you can read an entire novel at one go.

6) Idiots who actually have read a lot, but will never appreciate a book unless it is written by a foreigner. This particular breed of Idiots actually has a small population.

If you belong to any of the above mentioned categories please feel free to get offended.

PS:

1) To: "He who must not be named" : This is what you asked for dear friend :)

2) I am not a fan of Chetan Bhagat but I did like "Five point someone" & "Two states". His recent books may be disasters but that is because of bad content and not bad English. Lastly, he must be credited for generating interest for reading books among many.

   

Darkness..

The darkness creeped in surreptitiously,

And engulfed my dreams within it's dark recesses.

It left me stranded at the end of an ocean,

The ocean of woes and miseries of a lifetime.

As the light faded away,

A silhouette appeared in the horizon.

Moving slowly against the fading light,

Like a nemesis coming to serve retribution.

Fear had made its home in my heart

And I was running wildly towards the beacon.

In the hope of escaping the darkness.

Which was crawling menacingly towards me.

As I reached the end of the road,

I made a silent promise to myself

I will not be consumed by my fears

I will not let the darkness erase me.

Always & Forever

Far away across these miles,

There is this beautiful place,

Where no voices make any sound,

And nothing haunts the dreams,

Where there are no nightmares,

And there is no Heartbreak,

Where nothing clouds the mind,

And nothing ails the heart.

Far away across these miles,

I want to take you with me,

Where there is no one around us,

Just you and me walking along,

Where there are no choices,

Just you and me for each other,

Where there are no time constraints,

Just you and me together forever.

Incomplete rhyme...

I think those were the best times,

When for me love existed only in rhymes,

Then a few years later,

I thought things started getting better,

You had just walked into my life,

My feelings for you were sharper than a knife,

Every moment spent with you,

Left me refreshed and feeling new,

Your smile pierced my heart,

And my pulse started to dart,

I felt that our bond was getting strong,

But I had never been more wrong,

You went your separate way,

And left me feeling like a castaway,  

Those were the worst of times,

Spent writing numerous lonely rhymes,

My soul was completely shattered,

Slowly the pieces I gathered,

Now I have put them together,

I don't feel the same altogether,

Even you wont recognize me now,

Because I am a new person now,

The old me got lost in the sands of time,

Echoing forever like an incomplete rhyme....

Loving a stone sculpture..

The day we broke up,

Was the day I was shattered,

Slowly as time went by,

A few pieces I gathered,

Putting them together one by one,

I somehow held it together,

And then you came back to me,

Making everything much better.

The wind whispered to me again,

Singing a song of its own,

Even the stars seemed happy,

A little brighter they shone,

And then the fights began again,

Leaving my dreams shattered.

The thirst for love tortured me,

The fury of my ego burned me,

The pain it caused was severe,

But the desire for you was stronger,

Sometimes you were so good,

Sometimes you were so harsh,

Your mood swings left me confused,

And I started getting disillusioned,

Finally I realized that all this while,

I had been loving a stone sculpture.

I wish I could forget you..

Every morning I wake up,

I wish I was beside you,

Every time I think of you

I feel like calling you,

Every mention of you name,

Makes me feel nostalgic,

Every item gifted by you,

Brings back a piece of memory,

Every time I eat Chinese,

I wish I was eating with you,

Every time I see you online,

I feel like pinging you

Every waking moment spent alone,

I spend it dreaming of you,

Every moment spent with people,

I spend it missing you,

Every night before I sleep,

I wish I could somehow forget you.

Caesar's Love

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your beers;

I come to taste Caesar, not to eat it.

The taste of good food lives after it;

The food is often digested by the intestines;

So let it be with Caesar. The noble Bluto

has told you that this Caesar is the most delicious:

If it were not so, it was a grievous fault,

And grievously will the Caesar's Chef  answer for it.

Here, under leave of Bluto and the rest–

For Bluto is a hungry glutton;

So are they all, all gourmand men–

Come I to taste the Caesar’s flavour.

It is indeed tasty and delightful and not just to me:

But Bluto too. He says it is delicious;

And Bluto is a gourmand.

He has tasted many Caesar's across the world.

Whose bills his general managers filled:

Is this Caesar indeed The Most Delicious?

Whenever have the hungry craved, Caesar has delighted:

The Most Delicious should be made of tastier stuff:

Yet Bluto says this is The Most Delicious;

And Bluto is a gourmand.......

Fernweh...

"If you cage a bird for too long, it will forget how to fly."

To begin with I have a few confessions.

1)Confession 1:I am a food addict. Not just the type that hogs at a particular dish. I like to taste and try varieties. I even enjoy experimenting with my cooking style. Sometimes it is delicious but then sometimes it is .......Arrghhh! Don't have a word to describe it.

2) Confession 2: I love reading. Not the academic stuff or the scholarly literature. Any random book I feel like reading. Reading about different places, different people and different customs and beliefs fascinates me. Honestly there is so much to read and learn that one lifetime is not enough.

3) Confession 3: As a kid I wanted to learn many languages. Unfortunately I did not have enough passion for learning languages. In fact I can only manage passable Hindi and English. But I have picked up many words and phrases from different languages and I use them a lot in my daily life. Mostly it is Bengali, Kannada, Bhojpuri, Maithili, Telugu and Arabic. Some I learnt from books about those places some I picked up from my stay in those places. Certainly not enough, but sufficient to irritate others.

It naturally follows that I love travelling as it combines all the three things I just confessed my love for. Almost every other person will immediately respond "hell I love travelling too!"

Let me give you a reality check.

Signs that you really love travelling:

1) You just have to go out on a Weekend. A weekend spent at home is a weekend wasted

2) You have your dream destinations listed out. And you keep ticking them one by one.

3) If you are going out for a long trip, you find out all about that place. The major tourist attractions, the historical importance of the place, best local food joint and their specialty dish, the languages spoken there, the common greeting words, the local folk lore or any other interesting thing.

4) You would rather not sleep and waste money on lodging if it cuts into your budget for sightseeing. In fact all you need is a rucksack or a backpack and enjoy all attractions. Even a night time stroll.

5) You will take pictures of sights that mesmerize you. It is not absolutely necessary for you to be in the snap yo make it memorable.

6) You will interact with the local people and find out more about each place you visit.

7) When you are travelling food may not be the most important thing at some places. You will skip a meal in order to try out the one local dish that was a bit expensive.

8) You don't always need company to visit a place. Sometimes alone trips turn out to be more fun.

9) Budget is hardly ever an issue.

10) Spontaneous trips are something you love

Signs that travelling is not your thing

1) You like to relax at home on weekends and only go out for a movie or food.

2) You travel with a heavy baggage of your best clothes and accessories to ensure that you look good in all pictures.

3) Any picture taken of anything must have your face somewhere in the frame.

4) You decide your budget beforehand and more than half of it is for lodging.

5) Nothing can interfere with your meal timings even if you are on a trip.

6) You must have good company before you even plan a trip.

7) "Folk lore, history? Not my thing. Is it beautiful?"

8) " What will I do by learning even a word of local language? I have to stay there for like one day. I'll manage."

9) The moment you get back from a trip you just have to share pictures immediately. "Why else did I take all those selfies for?"

10) Alone trips are a strict no no. After all we plan trips with friends so we can relax and gossip.

This is it. I am done with my stereotyping. Most people are going to say "What is this rubbish? This guy is a self proclaimed know-it-all. I love travelling and I am still going to write travelling as my hobby in my resume." Well thank you for the name-calling. You are entitled to live in your fantasy world. I am entitled to my opinion.

PS: This bird had been trapped too long in a cage. Tomorrow it will be released. A few days to strengthen its wings and then time for a reality check. Does it still remember to fly?

Transition.....

Once upon a time I was cool,

Back then I was at school.

My parents called me lazy,

My teachers called me crazy,

Everyone tried to lecture me,

But that did not bother me.

Because back then I was cool!

Moving a little forward in time,

I had my best days in college time,

So many lectures to bunk,

So many subjects to flunk,

Days were spent in hangover,

Before I sobered up college was over,

I had managed to stay cool!

Now I have a salaried job,

And a boss who is a snob,

I work hard round the clock,

Causing serious mental block,

My friends tell me to take it light,

And I think they might be right

Because I no longer feel cool!!

So many books, so little time...

I was born a bibliophile. Maybe that is stretching the truth a bit, but as far as my memory serves I got the bug at a very young age. I don't remember which was the first book I read, I don't remember when was the first book I read. The only thing I remember is that fascination for books was always there.

I am told that even before I had learned to read or write, I enjoyed going through "Glow Books". As the name suggests it glowed in the dark. I could only make out the glowing images, but still I spent a lot of time in the dark with my "Glow Books".

The next thing I remember reading is "Champak". I was quite a fan of "Cheeku" probably because that was quite similar to my pet name. Next of course were nursery rhymes. Sindbad, Pinnochio, Rip Van Vinkle, Don Quixote, Gulliver, Alice, Mowgli, Noddy, Snow white, Little Red riding Hood, Cindrella, Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn, Dorothy and many others were my best friends.

My favourite authors back then were RL Stevnsn, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, Rudyard Kipling, Enid Blyton, Roald Dahl, Ruskin Bond and Vishnu Sharma (Panchtantra)

By the time I had reached primary school reading books had already become my greatest passion. Nothing else could give me greater joy and satisfaction, perhaps maybe seeing Sachin Tendulkar bat. Although I was too young to understand the technicalities of the game I still loved seeing Sachin play. Maybe it was because he looked like an outsider, too young to play alongside the other players. I don't know the reason but seeing him bat always made me happy. 

Anyway I am drifting from the topic. Perhaps I will write about Sachin some other day. Coming back to the topic of books, this was the phase when I was fascinated by mysteries and thrillers. Everyone who loves mystery books probably started with "The Famous Five". I completed series like " The Famous Five", "The Secret Seven", "Nancy Drew", "The Three Investigators", "The Five find-outers ", "Hardy Boys", "The Barney Mysteries", A-Z series of Sue Grafton and best of all Goosebumps. 

This was also the phase when I started reading comics. Chacha Chaudhary, Phantom, Mandrake, Pinky, Billoo, Gamraj, Nagraj, Dhruv, Parmanu, Doga,Tiranga, Inspector Steel, Kobi, Bhedia, Bhokal and Shakti were my new companions. Back then I had crates full of comics. I was reprimanded by my parents on numerous occasions because they did not like me reading comics. I remember spending my entire pocket money for renting comics. 

Even today I prefer reading Tinkle or Archie while travelling. 

When I entered secondary school I shifted to a bit more mature books. Agatha Christie, Sidney Sheldon, Robin Cook, Jeffery Archer, Danielle Steele, Charles Dickens, Bernard Shaw, Franz Kafka, George Orwell, H.G.Wells, Michael Crichton, Ian Fleming, Alistair Maclean, Mario Puzo, John Grisham, Robert Ludlum, Stephen King, Shakespeare, Mary Shelly, Leo Tolstoy, Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allan Poe, Sir Arthur Canon Doyle and above all J.K. Rowling.

I must confess I am a Harry Potter Junkie and J.K. Rowling is my favourite because she wrote Harry Potter.

After completing my 10th board exams the first book I read was "Love Story" by Erich Segal. My first reaction was "What rubbish!! Such characters don't exist in real life". All that talk of love made me sick. I am a sensitive person but the line "Love means not ever having to say you're sorry." seemed a bit far-fetched. I decided I would never ever read Erich Segal again.

Now the period between my 10th and 12th board was one when I probably spent the least time in reading books. After reading "Love Story" I shifted to much better stuff. Arundhati Roy, Salman Rushdie, Anita Desai, V.S. Naipaul were my favourite authors. I also read the authobiographies of Mahatma Gandhi and Adolf Hitler.

In my opinion "Mein Kampf" is the most thought provoking book. I was very deeply affected by that book and spent a lot of time on the internet reading articles and other texts about Hitler. I am not very proud to say that I spent a lot of time giving arguments justifying Hitler's act, and also coming up with counter-arguments. All in my mind of course. It was like arguing both sides of a Mobius Strip. I am ashamed to say that I was quite gullible back then.

After Mein Kampf my next book was Fountainhead. It was an equally thought provoking book. 

Unfortunately, I did not perform well in 12th boards owing to other distractions and I had to drop a year to prepare for entrance examinations. This was a period which I utilized fully to finish reading great works. Khaled Hosseini, Harper Lee, Ayn Rand, Tolkien, Frederick Forsyth, Alexander Dumas, Jules Verne, Dan Brown, Ernest Hemingway, Stephen Leacock, Anton Chekhov, Guy de Maupassant, Iris Murdoch, Robert Frost, John Lennon, William Wordsworth, Keats, Kiran Desai were a few authors in whose company I spent my time. I also started reading up on a lot of relegious texts during this period. 

After my 12th board I once again picked up another Erich Segal bestseller "The Class of 58". I loved this book a lot.I particularly related to the character of Andrew Elliot. A youngster who was unsure about what he really wanted from life. Andrew's biggest strength was his ability to make friends. I was so consumed by that book, I read it again.Some time later I read another Erich Segal book "Doctors". The book bored me with its details about medical student's life. But the core of the book was the love story of Barney Livingston and Laura Castellano. The book described how their platonic friendship changed into love. It was beautifully described and I liked it a hell lot more than the unrealistic characters of "Love Story". 

This was also the year when I started reading Chetan Bhagat's works. Although none of his books are in the league of the above mentioned elite names, but still credit is due to him as the first author to create interest among the masses. I also tried reading the works of Stephen R. Covey and Dale Carnegie. To my dismay these were not my cup of tea. 

In the year 2007 I started college. Engineering was never my thing and once again I found myself spending a lot of time reading books. My friends will confirm this that even on the eve of examination I was to be found with a novel in my hand. Although by the end of my 1st year the time spent on reading books was considerably reduced. A conributing factor could be the quality of books I read during this period. Stepahnie Meyer, Tuhin A Sinha, Tushar Raheja, and a lot many rubbish love stories written by lesser known Indian Authors.Even the eagerly awaited "The Lost Symbol" was a disappointment. As far as I remember there was hardly any exceptional book which I came across in my engineering career apart from the works of P.G. Wodehouse, Cecelia Ahren, Aravind Adiga and Paulo Coelho.

Once the college dream is over, reality hits hard in the form of job. Suddenly there is very little time for books. Especially when you have to work 6 days a week.

In spite of the little time I got over the next 3-4 years I managed to read quite a lot of books. Some were disappointments like "The age of Shiva", "Mahabharata Secret". "The Abomination" while a few were surprisingly good like "Gods and Warriors", "Atlantis", "Being Billy". Some books were really gripping like Rick Riordans mythological series, Shiva trilogy, the Millenium trilogy , Ashwin Saghvi's works and Karan Bajaj's books. Fifty Shades of Grey was another disappointment.. Some were simply great like Howard Jacobson's Finkler Question.

The last book which I would like to mention happens to be my all time favourite."The Sense of an Ending" by Julian Barnes is one of the best books ever written. Especially if you consider the fact that it manages to convey Anthony's entire life within 150 pages. Had this book been written a year earlier it would probably have won the "Best of Booker" prize too. "You don't understand, but you never did, and you never will.."This is what Victoria Ford says to the protagonist Anthony in the end. A simple line which carries a lot of weight in it. It shows you how much Victoria has endured, that all she manages to say is this one line. The one line which has so much impact on Anthony when he finally understands.

There may be a few names which I missed here. There may be a few names which don't deserve to be here. But there are infinitely more names to be added here. 

Life is what we make it...

Life is like a novel. You don't know what will happen unless you turn the page. – Sidney Sheldon (The Other Side of Me)

Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get. -Forest Gump 

Life's a song, you don't get to rehearse and every single verse can make it that much worse. -Buffy the Vampire Slayer

As we begin to realize that every different type of music, everybody's individual music, has its own rhythm, life, language and heritage, you realize how life changes, and we learn how to be more open and adaptive to what is around us.

As we begin to realize that every different chocolate from the box, has a different flavour, a different taste, which may be desirable for one person but very disgusting to another. We begin to realize that life gives everyone the same chances; the same chocolate box. The taste is a personal inclination.

As we begin to realize that every different genre of novel, each and every chapter of the novel, tells a different story, has a different twist, and perhaps a different ending we begin to realize how everyone's life is different from each other, and we start writing a whole new chapter for ourselves.

Life is a gift which is the same for everyone. It is how we use the gift that really matters. I am neither a preacher nor a philosopher. In fact I do not belong to any breed of the self-proclaimed scholars, who claim to know the purpose of life. All I claim to be is a wanderer.

Yet again  "Not all who wander are lost"  -Tolkein. 

Life is full of unexpected happenings and many crossroads. We have to be lost to find something. We have to wander, We have to believe but above all we have to live. The only way to understand life is to live it and accept it no matter what is in store. Read every page, taste every flavour and listen to every tune. 

A Simple Answer..

"Do you believe in God?"

A question that each one of us comes across on many occasions. Time and again I've tried to dodge this but it just keeps popping up. This is one question which has no right or wrong answer.

I believe in God. But I don't believe in religion, or anything that man says about God. I don't believe in idols, I don't believe in superstitions or any other religious dogma. Being in a society one is sometimes forced to follow some codes but it is entirely a personal choice to believe in it.

To me, God is not omnipresent, he is not omniscient, he is not almighty, and certainly not a supreme power residing in heaven aloof of all our day to day problem, capable of performing miracles. Its not God who performs miracles, its us. What is a miracle? An unexpected, extraordinary performance or occurrence, which can be performed by an individual in a moment of brilliance. 

"God is the life that exists within us, the inspiration, the motivation, the self which makes us who we are..... "

This is the simplest answer which I can think of.

Forevermore....

There was this one girl,

Who was a very close friend,

A person on whom,

I could always depend.

She was my angel,

She made me smile,

Though life was never easy,

She made it worth-while

For so many years,

From beginning to end,

We were always together,

Like a perfect blend.

Each waking moment,

Since the day we met,

I have always loved her,

From sunrise to sunset.

Through all these years,

Our friendship grew,

I have always loved her,

But she never knew.

Slowly she drifted away,

To a different shore,

Leaving me across the sea,

Waiting forevermore....

All in a train journey .

Train journeys are nearly always interesting. Much more interesting than a flight where everyone carries a mundane expression. You come across many peculiar characters. Some can make your journey pleasant while others can make it almost unbearable. I am listing here a few characters which I have come across quite often and I find them very irritating.

1) People travelling with kids: A well behaved child is no nuisance. Neither is a mischievous kid who entertains you with his antics. The trouble is with babies who have a knack of crying after midnight. Or with kids who behave like "hooligans". But the worst is kids who litter the whole compartment. 

My advice: Book upper berths and always carry earphones. Music is more soothing than a child's crying.

2) "Papa Poirot" or The "All-Knowing" uncle: As the name suggests this particular breed of uncles knows everything from engineering to medicine, from law to commerce, from politics to cricket. He will ask more questions than a job recruiter. He would have done everything better "in his time". The perennial misanthrope!! He will keep pointing out the wrongs in your generation until you are so bored you will simply agree with everything just to shut him up.

My advice: Ignore them from the start. 

3) "Anu Aunty": For those who are unfamiliar with the name I strongly recommend you to read "How I braved Anu Aunty and co-founded a million dollar company". 

My advice: Yet to figure out how to dodge them. So if anyone has an idea please leave a comment.

4) The "VIP" uncle: He is not an MP or an MLA. He is the one with most VIP suitcases. In addition to all the suitcases he will be carrying an enormous food packet and will keep eating from it after every few minutes. 

5) The damsel with the phone: Let me share one of my experiences. While travelling from Bangalore to Chennai on Shatabdi Express I was very pleased to find myself seated next to a very beautiful girl. She was talking to someone on phone. I decided to wait for her to disconnect and started thinking what would be the best way to start a conversation. Since she did not end the conversation soon, I took out a novel and started reading. Trust me  it is very difficult to read a novel when someone seated next to you is arguing with someone on phone. Unfortunately I did not have my earphones on that occasion and had to suffer throughout the 6 hour journey, What still puzzles me is which service provider was she using that gave her uninterrupted service for 6 hours.

There are many other menaces you may come across on a train journey. I cannot list  a few here because it may offend some but the above 5 are the most common ones I guess. 

Life without a smartphone.

Three days ago I accidentally dropped my Xperia pro which caused damage to it's display. The first day without my "beloved" phone was a nightmare. All of a sudden I was unemployed again. It felt as if I had been disconnected from the outside world and stranded alone in an "island" named Burnpur.

Things I missed most:-

1) Whatsapp: Lots of nonsensical talk with friends in group chat. Numerous "reading comprehension" sized forwards. Exchange of emoticons all day long with my girl. Seriously calling or texting have become obsolete.

2) Offline dictionary: Probably the most used app by avid readers like me. It is a lifeline. Who has the energy to fetch the "clinically obese" Oxford dictionary just to look up a word.

3) Fruit Ninja and Candy Crush: Although I have stopped playing candy crush recently owing to the numerous requests I get on facebook, I have to admit it is a very effective way of surviving the daily meeting. Fruit Ninja is the perfect time-pass irrespective of where and with whom you are.

4) Facebook: This is something I do not miss much as I still access it from my lappy, but still "fb on the go" has really become a part of my daily routine.

5) Music: Sennheiser earphones in combination with Sony Xperia is something any music lover will miss.


The first day was unbearable, the second day was difficult but the third was actually bearable.
I realize now that there were things which I had missed out because of my smartphone.

1)Meetings: Under usual circumstances all I do in a meeting is slice over 150 fruits in arcade mode. But yesterday I actually paid attention to the discussion since I had nothing better to do. Up till now I had a feeling of guilt(must be somewhere in the deep recess of my mind) that I was contributing nothing useful to the meetings.Now I am free from that feeling of guilt, because now I know that I can contribute nothing to a pile of crap.

2)Novels: Its been a while since I completed a novel without putting it down even once. What with all the usual "buzzing and pinging" on whatsapp and gtalk. Add to that the facebook notifications. Yesterday I finished reading a novel of over 200 pages in less than 5 hours.

3)Match: IPL 7 has failed to create interest in general. And xperia was something which always kept me distracted while watching IPL matches.The qualifier CSK vs KXIP was one match I watched without any disturbances and enjoyed it a lot. Thanks to Viru and Raina for obliging with glorious knocks.

4)Sleep: No more whatsapp pings to disturb my sweet slumber. Boy, what a relief!!

5)Late night call: Thanks to the continuous exchange of emoticons throughout the day conversation was usually nominal and more of a routine than necessity. Since I haven't used whatsapp in a while I actually had a long heart to heart with my beloved. 


The aforesaid reasons may not be strong enough to prevent me from getting another smartphone, but in the last three days I have realized that life is not too boring, even without a smartphone.

Time to say Goodbye...

“I'll never see her again. I know that. And she knows that. And knowing this, we say farewell.” 

Every morning as the sun rises over the horizon,

And its rays spread warmth and love across the globe,

I wake up with regret clouding over my heart,

Brooding about how we had drifted so far apart.

As the birds start chirping in their nests,

And butterflies start fluttering their wings,

I wander listlessly along the stream,

Wondering if it was all just a bad dream.

As squirrels dance around the tree trunks,

Searching for nuts hidden in the grass.

I realize I should never have let you slip away.

A mistake which I shall regret until my last day.

As the carefree breeze flows gracefully,

Stroking everything through the fold.

There is nothing I can do but pray 

That we may be friends again someday.

But I know Destiny has had it's say,

That we aren't meant be close in any way.