Remembrance

We are living in one of the most unprecedented times of the modern world. We are being gripped by fear and uncertainty, holed up in our homes and have no knowledge of what tomorrow will bring. In India, we are in a lockdown for 21 days, with very limited access to the outside world. Our only relief being the balcony (if any) of our homes.  We are squeezed inside our houses with our significant others, parents and children. While we do love and care for them, living perpetually with our family under the same roof, day-after-day, without breaking the monotony with an occasional visit from friends or neighbors, is a tough job.    All our frustrations and irritations come to the fore. We are forever trying to find faults in each other, which is amplified with us snapping at each other for even slightest of irritation. We need to understand it is a tough time for all of us, and no matter what, we have to go-through these days with our immediate family.    I...

At times life seems so hopeless As if the flicker of hope That's fighting non-stop against the gust of wind Has became quite All of a sudden Waiting for the finality to approach And yet The end doesn't come And hope fights again Reluctantly It wants to give up But It can't It wants to win But It doesn't So It asks Will this be how it would be Stuck forever?

I have become wiser And yet, I am the same old fool. I have become calmer And yet, I still have the same passion within. I have become quieter And yet, I express myself to the ones I know. I have become cautious And yet, I keep opening doors to strangers. I have become prudent And yet, I believe in every sob stories. I have become wiser And yet, I am the same old fool.

You may deceive the entire world, but how would you ever be able to deceive your own self, your own heart? A question you may often ask, but prefer not to answer. That's the dichotomy of life. Peace prevails when this duality collapses, and that happens only within you, because it’s you who creates your own reality, your own duality. The other reflects back what we are thinking, what we are within, mirrors ourselves, our thoughts. Expand your thoughts, your horizon and there you would see/find what you always sought in your life. As the great Bard once said... This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man. Farewell, my blessing season this in thee!

“I do not intend to pain you anymore," she said looking into his eyes. “I never thought that I will ever be the cause of your pain and if my behaviour makes you sulk more, makes you more cocooned and reclusive, I think it is better that I no longer be a part of your life. You no longer need to worry about me. Just go and live your life, like the way you always wanted to. This should not change anything,” she continued. “What about you?” he asked, concerned. “Don’t feel guilty for me. Life is too short to live in guilt. I have found my path. I know where it leads to. No, I won’t lie. It would pain me, immensely. But it’s ok, as long as you are happy, I am happy too. Just promise me that you would be happy,” she said with tears brimming in her eyes. She amassed the courage to continue, "You know, some relations are never meant to be and this is one such. Wish it could have been." That’s all she could say and left the restaurant knowing now there is no turning b...

When we detach from the past it creates a vacuum inside, as we hold on to our pasts in  a guarding manner. Suddenly, we have nothing to fall back upon. Our personal history has all of a sudden obliterated. Does that cause anxiety? Or the need to fill it up again with those memories? No, it creates uneasiness, but not anxiety or the need to fill it back again. However, it does create certain nothingness inside, a gaping hole, though in a comforting way. I don’t really know how to define this. Reminds me something that I read in Paulo Coelho's 'The Zahir'. ----- “According to the tradition of the steppes – which is known as the Tengri – in order to live fully, it is necessary to be in constant movement; only then can each day be different from the last. When they passed through cities, the nomads would thing: The poor people who live here, for them everything is always the same. The people in the cities probably looked at the nomads and thought: Poor things, they hav...

I saw a few images through a cracked mirror, a few lives, a few stories, and tried to interpret them below: Boy, girl and the mountain: He is the literary kind, values education and loves intelligent people. She is the carefree ( bindaas ) kind, hates studies and loves to party. He wants to marry her, but there is a clash of values. He is trying, but is she? Lovelorn: He is a brat, a brat who got everything in life easily. She is a brat, a brat who got everything even before asking. They are perfect for each other, then why love is hammering him down? Man and his house: He is a responsible man. He wants to keep his family happy, his house safe and him richer. He had to leave home to earn money and fame, then why is he downcast? Girl without eyes: She is from a broken home. The old lady brought her up, but now she is gone. Will someone ever give her back the brightness of her eyes? Three figures and two shadows: He always looks up to his dad. He is his superhero. His shadow...