Leaving...

The dead of the night jolted to life
As noises abound in every direction
He shouted, she screamed, they fought
And the little one stood in a corner and watched.

Packing had never seemed so easy
Just shoving it all in without a glance
He strode out the door, banging it hard
And backed out his car and left.

She slumped in the chair and cried
The little one still rooted to his spot
Her muffled sobs and teary eyes
Confusing him inside.

He was his dad, she was his mom
He always took them as one
Why'd they scream and shout so much?
Why'd his mom have to cry?

Why'd his dad pack and leave the house?
Where did he go? When would he come?
Why'd his mom not stop him at all?
Why did his dad not say goodbye..?

If only wishes were horses.

It had always been a hurried morning routine for B as far back as she could remember. She'd get up at 8 while her alarm went off at 6.50. She would then reason with herself - it's too cold and she's late anyway - and with a promise of doing it in the evening, she would give the bath a miss and hurriedly get dressed and would be ready to leave in 20 minutes. Breakfast would invariably comprise of a McEgg burger and a cup of crappy coffee from the McDonald's at the Metro station, before she made an invariably embarrassed entry into the class halfway through the first lecture. Everyone in the class was used to her dropping in at around the same time everyday, and yet they never failed to give her amused or condescending glances as she entered.

On this particularly chilly winter morning, she was in a somber mood. She'd woken up to an unusually horrible dream and had picked up an argument with her father while leaving for college. Boarding the crowded metro, she spotted one of her classmates in the adjoining bogie, and before she could duck behind someone or make herself invisible, the girl seemed to have spotted her and was excitedly proceeding towards her already. She pulled a long face. The day seemed jinxed from the start.

The classmate, nicknamed Weirdo by the class, was a chatterbox, which in addition to her obviously visible weight issues and nonchalant propensity towards self-lionization, made her a pain in the neck. They exchanged the necessary pseudo-pleasantries and thus began Weirdo's podcast of the day, while B conveniently faded into the backdrop. Somewhere between her various sermons, the train stopped at one of the major interchange stations and a huge unruly crowd entered the coach and began pushing and pulling like crazy in order to occupy every last bit of space available inside. Jolted abruptly from her train of thoughts, B found herself being violently hurled around by the mob. Unable to find footing, she fell backwards with considerable force. She grappled about in thin air for something or someone to hold onto, but could catch hold of nothing and was convinced she was going to be a casualty of a metro stampede after all. But all of a sudden, out of nowhere, a hand positioned itself firmly on her lower back and helped her stand up straight and stabilize herself. In the maddening crowd, she could not catch a glimpse of her savior but she thanked the stranger with all her heart.

In another ten minutes the train reached her station and she proceeded to get out, followed by Weirdo, pushing her way through the coach full of unyielding strangers. The distance between her and the train doors was reducing at a snail's pace and she feared she'd be left inside. Almost as if on cue, she suddenly had this feeling that someone behind her was pushing everyone away so she'd manage to get out before the doors closed. And right before she stepped out, a sweet motherly voice of a lady whispered over her shoulder, 'Don't worry beta, I'm here for you.' She stepped out and swung around to thank the kind lady, but she was nowhere to be seen. Must have stayed inside the train to travel further, she surmised, and thanking her stars that the ordeal was over, caught up with Weirdo and rushed towards college.

The day dragged on, and crappy assignments and boring lectures left her tired. In the afternoon session, they received a particularly humongous home assignment that just reinforced her premonition that the day was jinxed. She could not help but wish that the kind mysterious lady were here to help her through the assignment too. But if only wishes were horses.

She somehow pulled herself through the day and reached home, distraught. After having a dinner spiced up with her parents' vehement lecture on her short temper, she retired to her room to struggle with the horrendous assignment she was expected to submit the next morning. One hour into the task and she was wishing she were dead. Her room was at the far corner of the house, somewhat set off from the rest of the house. The entire household was fast asleep by this time and there was an eerie silence all around. She decided to relax a bit and take a few deep breaths to aid concentration. She closed her eyes and could hear the rustling of dry leaves on the marble sidewalk outside. A cricket seemed to be croaking in the distance. These were sounds she hardly took note of on any other day. Or maybe they were only sounding on that particular night. She felt strangely at peace.

Thus inspired, she took one last deep breath and sat down on the bed again with papers all around her, deciding to give it another try. 15 minutes into it, she found herself again wondering how great it would have been if The Almighty could send down a messenger or angel to help her with her work. Much like the kind lady from the metro. She laughed at the seemingly funny thought and pulled the blanket tighter around her shoulders, for it had suddenly gotten colder. Damn these Delhi winters, she thought. Looking around for the source of the cold draft, she spotted the window open. It was while she sat there staring at the window, willing herself to get out of the cozy blanket and close it, that the window slowly creaked shut. On its own. Almost simultaneously the light went out. And she felt a warm breath on her neck, and a sweet voice whispering in her ear, 'Don't worry beta, I'm here for you.'

Birthday birthday, happy happy!

There are some people who have been part of your life for just too long. So long that you tend to take them for granted. Or forget to tell them how much they mean to you. It isn't everyday that you thank God for the big blessing that these people have been to you. And that's when you realize, birthdays are just the time to do this, and more!

It's 8th February today. A gem of a person came on to this earth years and years ago. And we met, what, some 7 odd years ago?

Now, many friends have strutted into my life, spent some really good times with me, and then just walked out of it with as much ease as they came. In these few years of existence I have seen just too many broken friendships and superficial relationships that if it were not for friends like him, I'd have lost faith in the whole institution called friendship. To an amazing guy, an extraordinary artist, a top notch photographer in the making, and one friend I'd really like to have for this life and beyond - wish you a very happy birthday, Harshit Vishwakarma!

Those were the times of Yahoo Messenger chats and Orkut. Ugh. Anyhow, technically we were classmates, but girls and guys in our mathematics class seldom ever talked. So the Internet's where we socialized. He was experimenting with Photoshop, and would show me his works every now and then. I, for my part, spent a majority of my time watching television (cartoons, so to say) and when I got bored of everything, would score centuries in exams. The latter part's how I'm sure he will remember me. :P

This is how we looked back then. Sweet and innocent, eh? Dehradun, circa 2010.

He and his iPod shuffle - they were like chuddy buddies - never found away from each other. I still recall some of the things we used to talk about. It was fun, whatever remains of it in our memories. He went for a Bachelor of Fine Arts after school while I went for Engineering (sigh), but instead of diverging, our paths brought us closer together. And in the last 4 years, we've spent some amazing birthdays (mine!) together having fun. He's always been a part of every birthday surprise I've got, or have given. Somewhere down the line, his awe-fkin-some camera also came into the picture, and my Facebook profile pictures have ever since been the talk of the entire web. Okay, not so much. But his uncanny eye for beauty brings out magic in the most mundane and random of things.

At more occasions that one, his photographs have made their way into my travel posts and reviews. He's just so good with the camera. Harshit, tu mera favorite hai, tujhe pata hai na? :D

And this is how we look now. Some change, that.

We've shared tastes in music, traveled together, seen some beautiful places, discussed art and food, been to each other's colleges, attended exhibitions, and never is there a dearth of things to talk about between us. Over time we've been meeting less, talking even lesser, yet I wish to let you know Harshit - you're one of the VERY FEW good friends I have, and have had for as long as I can go back in time. And I'd like us to remain that way for as long as we both can look into the future. You're not going anywhere man, hell no! :D

Well, I still have an important exam on Sunday to study for. So while I sign off from my first ever birthday dedication post - here's again wishing this wonderful guy a super awesome birthday, with loads of fun and surprises (I hope this counts as one) and profound success in the coming year. I know you're meant for higher things, Harshit. Much higher. Have always known. Would love to be a witness to your scaling those heights. Just remember, I've always got your back. Much, much love and best wishes. :)