I love you Mom!

Mother of mine, you gave to me
All of my life to do as I please.
I owe everything I have to you
Mother, sweet mother of mine...

Mother of mine, when I was young
You showed me the right way things have to be done.
Without your love where would I be?
Mother, sweet mother of mine…

Mother you gave me happiness
Much more than words can say.
I pray to the lord that he may bless you
Every night and every day…

Mother of mine, now I am grown
And I can walk straight all on my own.
I want to give you what you gave to me
Mother, sweet mother of mine…

I learnt the above lines when I was a little kid, as part of a group song we performed in school. The only difference being, the word “mother” in the original poem was replaced with “teacher” to make it suitable to be sung on Teachers’ day. What sheer genius, I must say!


But when I learnt that the original lines were in praise of a mother, I looked again closely, only to find a beautiful expression of a child’s gratitude towards her mother. A little child may not have a sound vocabulary or a way with words to be able to express her love for her mother very articulately. But these lines clearly show how much love and respect a child’s heart contains for her mother. Whether they express it or not, and whether they may ever be able to own up to it or not, every child in this world indeed loves his/her mother the most. And today I want to tell my mother – I love you Mom!

It’s a very special day for me today. Why, it’s my mom’s birthday! We – that is my dad, my sister and me – try every year to do something special for her on her birthday. And yet, unfortunately we never manage to pull off anything worthwhile. My mom loves to be surprised and pampered (sometimes). But I admit, we suck big time at this ‘surprise-planning’ thing. So we end up disappointing her most of the times. Yet, today I want to let you know Mom – we try, because we love you, and we want to see you smile, not only on your birthday, but on all other days of the year too. We know we are a pathetic lot, but please try not to mind, and smile, because YOU ARE THE BEST MOM IN THE WORLD!

Yeah, that's a happy little five-year-old me with my ever-beautiful mom.

I remember vividly those times when I would come home crying when some kid hit me or someone's mother scolded me for no fault of mine, and my mom, instead of going back to fight with them, would pacify me and tell me that I must fight for myself and not involve my parents like they do. It might have appeared cruel at that time, but this philosophy went a long way in teaching me to be self-sufficient and strong in life. Whenever I would fall down or hurt myself, which I did quite a lot, my mom would turn her face and pretend she didn't notice. All I could do then was to get up, brush off my clothes and be on my way. That made me tough. My parents, in such unique but effective ways, brought me up to be self-reliant, adaptive and generous, shaping my character beautifully.

My mom has been a constant guide and a pillar of support to me throughout my as-yet-short life. She stood by me when I erred and erred again. She has always tried (still tries) to understand me, my moods, my mindset and my thoughts when I don’t wanna explain. She might not say it very often on my face, but I know she loves me a lot (even more than my sister, I like to believe.) I have been the rebellious one, the difficult one, and as she likes to point out often, the expensive one too. And yet, she has borne my moods, my tantrums (few, though) and my growing-up so fantastically. The filmi kids very easily declare in interviews, “All I am today is because of my parents/mother/father”, though it’s not always the same feeling in their hearts. But as far as I am concerned, I can easily say today that whatever I am in life, it’s an embodiment of what I've learnt through my years – from my life’s experiences, the people around me, and most of all, my mother. My temperament, my beliefs, ambitions and worldview are for the most part a reflection of hers. And I am proud of it.

Now for a confession. I somehow, and I still don’t understand how, managed to hurt my mom a few days back. I didn’t like it then, and I don’t like it even now. But I could not bring myself to tell her that. And I want to apologize to her. So Mom, I’m sorry! Trust me, I didn’t mean to hurt you, though I ultimately did. Forgive me (I know you must have, already).

Mothers are so important. I wish every kid who thinks his/her mom is irritating, meddling, strict or plain bothersome, realized this sooner in life. Mothers are who give you life, shape you into someone the world would like to acknowledge. You are no one in this world if you don’t respect and love your mother. And if you have your mother’s support, there is nothing in life you cannot accomplish, take my word on that. So go up to your mother today, each one of you reading this, and tell her, in your very own way, that you love her. See the smile on her face, feel the love, and come back and tell me how it felt. :)

And last but not at all the least, WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Apostrophe it is!

It is not very common knowledge that it's International Apostrophe Day today. Google may not have celebrated it, but I would surely like to dedicate this post to it. And while I’m at it, why not as well share some good sources of info on the subject with my readers!

I admit to having been using the apostrophe (sometimes) in some inappropriate places in the past. Oh come on, everyone does it! But then a very kind reader showed so much grace as to forward me a very useful link on the correct usage of the apostrophe. I take this opportunity to thank the aforementioned reader again here for the gesture. It was nothing short of an eye-opener for me, given how great a stickler I am for spellings and the correct usage of grammar. Now I keep a strict tab on my apostrophes. I wish I hadn’t skipped the chapter on apostrophes in primary school. I was pretty lazy back then. Thank God for the internet!

I found this perfect example of an Apostrophe Catastrophe on a blog dedicated to just them. In this particular instance, the apostrophe should not have been there. Check out more instances HERE. You’re definitely in for some laughs!

To prevent such catastrophes from happening to you, I suggest you spare a look HERE for a nice and complete tutorial on the usage of apostrophes. I’m sure there are many out there who need a lesson on this subject. :P

A Beginner's Guide to Escapism

Escapism, n.
Merriam-Webster define it succinctly as "habitual diversion of the mind to purely imaginative activity or entertainment as an escape from reality or routine."
Wikipedia defines it more vividly as "mental diversion by means of entertainment or recreation, as an escape from the perceived unpleasant or banal aspects of daily life. It can also be used as a term to define the actions people take to help relieve persisting feelings of depression or general sadness."

We've got the picture quite clearly by now, haven't we? Escapism, as defined above, is an art in its own right. And an awesome art it is, I tell you! There are a thousand and one ways to practice it, and yet you can never be sure you've done it all. Habitual escapists follow a very simple rule – escape what you can’t change. No matter what the problem, there are always multiple ways to escape it.
I’m referring here to those lords of escapism who have a perfect escapist solution to every problem under the sun. Be it an irksome beau or a hard break-up, bad scores or heavy debt, they can escape it all.

I believe I've never had such an apt idea to write about - something that is so ingrained into most people's existence, and yet hardly ever goes noticed or spoken about. So here’s a beginner’s guide to the most basic of all escapist techniques, compiled and issued in public interest by yours truly - the biggest escapist of all time.

1. Music – the antidote to every ailment of the mind.

Plug yours ears and pretend the world does not exist. That’s what earphones and headphones were made for, weren’t they? To keep out undesired frequencies? Put that to use. Block out all noise, all thoughts. (And all unwanted texts and phone calls too)


2. The Pan Indian Movie Marathon
Drown yourself into an ocean of movies. English, Hindi, Tamil, Korean, Bhojpuri – leave not a single one unwatched. Watch movies as if your life depended upon them. Feast on a movie each for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And before you even realize, you’d be a house of such gross ailments as would literally make you forget what you were trying to escape. Voila! Mission accomplished!

3. Shop, shop, till you drop!
Well, this one’s certainly not for those who are trying to figure out how to settle their infinite debts. Quite the contrary actually. This technique says, shop your way through all troubles. Spend all you have. Spend more than you earn, and more than you’ve saved. Man, will you reap multiple benefits! Your house will be filled with all those items you have always wanted but never needed, and soon you’ll find yourself neck-deep in such shitty debt that all your sorrows would just slink in a corner, feeling dwarfed.

4. Sleep your way through life.
This one’s my personal favorite. Sleep your way through classes; sleep your way through work. Put your phone on silent, keep the landlines away. Once you learn to sleep all day, evidently, you’ll start staying awake at night. And that’s when you can implement #2. Talk about burning the midnight oil. You can even be a daredevil and take a step forward. Sleep through your exams/board meetings/interviews and screw up big time. What better form of destructive escapism!

5. Play the Junkie.

Now this one’s what you’ve dreamed of doing ever since you heard that song Dum Maro Dum. Grab the chance now (not literally though)! Play it up on the impression, while playing it down on the reality factor (that’s what everyone anyway does with the reality these days). Wear hippie attire; don’t comb your hair for what’s like an eon and use those sleepless nights practiced in #4 above, in perfecting that “doped” expression. And then go about telling everyone you’re on dope. Trust me, it’s gonna give you the ultimate kick in life (albeit in the ass, if you’re not careful enough to exclude your parents and the 'Interpol sibling' from that “everyone”)

I think I'm gonna go on and write a book on The 1001 Techniques of Escapism someday. Till then, just keep practicing these simple yet powerful techniques with dedication and you’ll have a guaranteed bright future in the delusional world of escapism.

(Images courtesy - Google)

Sick and Chirpy!

Hey folks!

Okay, I have to admit I've been MIA from my blog for a tad too long. And as much as I hate to own up to it, the thing that compelled me to return to writing today is, well, illness. Yeah. Like most people around me, I am ill right now. Been so for the past few days, intermittently though. Be it common cold, fever, sore throat, sprained ankle, body-aches, over-exertion or bingeing (yes, I consider it a disease in my case), I've been there, done that in the past few days.

So, from great experience do I say, ILLNESS IS NOT GOOD. Neither for the mind nor for the body. It just takes away the joy from life. You may get food served to you in bed, or you may have people fawning over you, asking if you need anything, or you may get to sleep a lot (i absolutely love that part). But you might recall from the very last time that you fell ill - no matter how well you're being treated, you do not seem to enjoy any of it! What's more, you pile up the kilos lying around, and poor brain suffers severe damage working overtime, as you have got nothing to do all day but to think. All you can wish for in such situations is to get well soon. You crave for the sunlight, the chirping of birds, the sounds of wheels rattling on the road and the children playing in the streets. Or not. Maybe then for the hustle-bustle of the metro, a visit to the mall, a shopping spree, a class bunk or a hangout with friends (given that we live in a modern world, not the quintessential one I would rather have wished for). Bottomline - you wanna go out there, but all you get is bedrest and pills.

Come on, it happens with everybody. Working your butt off 24*7 for weeks at end, you end up wishing you'd just fall ill and get some days off to relax. Trust me when I say, that shall never happen. It's almost as if God's off on a vacation or he's outright forgotten he created you. But that's the whole idea behind an illness! It makes a grand appearance right at the time when you most wish it didn't. And that, my friends, is the beauty of His world. Illness brings along with it a deeper message from God. It serves to teach you not to take things for granted in life. Do your work diligently when you're supposed to. And do not wish for things to go as per your whims. Because if you do, you'll end up wishing they hadn't. God knows how to teach his children some great lessons. You'll screw up in no time, wishing you'd never so much as even wished. (well, yes, I've been spending my free time watching movies back to back. This prophetic sermon comes from my watching of a certain movie that might have really been dumb, but it gave rise to the prophet in an otherwise self-proclaimed sadist. Bruce Almighty all the way. :p)

Now for some real-world talk. Some of the things I really hate about being sick:
1. I have a low tolerance to the cold. So I take a blanket to bed when ill, and hence become the butt of everyone's taunts. "We're sweating like hell and rooting for the A.C. while she's cowering in a blanket. " Yeah, right.
2. As I said, illness come at the worst time possible. Holidays are on, and with a jam-packed schedule for the coming week, I hate having to miss anything. A school reunion tomorrow, movie the day after, followed by meeting with a friend who's coming to the city only for a day, and training visit the fourth day, I wonder what'll I be missing. None, God, please! :(
3. The very fact that I'm stranded alone, sick, at home on weekdays with nothing better to indulge in than watching movies and net surfing. Don't even feel like writing most of the time.

Signing off here with an earnest hope to recover ASAP! :)
Take care friends!

And...I'm back!

Hello all!

Here I am, back from my much-hyped summer getaway, and feeling as little refreshed as I never thought I would!

The trip was good. Good because all my friends were together with me and we had lots of fun. The weather was sometimes really good too (though sometimes it really sucked, despite the place being a hill station). We visited Kotdwar, Lansdowne, Haridwar and Rishikesh, all lying in the state of Uttarakhand. It was a bit of an adventure actually, given the kinda conditions we had to live in initially, and the creatures we had to encounter through the nights. I got some great closeup shots of these super awesome companions, which I'll be showcasing here soon. For now, here are some shots of the places we visited and the awesome mausam there. (Did I forget to mention that I'm a bit of a photography enthusiast too?)

I know, I know. The pictures are good. The places were good too. But somehow, and I don't know how, I still do not feel refreshed. Something was missing there, which I cannot zero in upon. And now that I am back, life is in for a fresh start. My industrial training starts tomorrow, and I don't know whether to be excited or dismayed. Guess I'll leave that until tomorrow to be decided!

Which brings me to the point where I peer at the clock and realize it's time to sign off and go to bed. Big day ahead! I'll write tomorrow to let you know how the day went. :)

Goodnight folks!

Wishes do get fulfilled, and how!

Life's great these days. All my wishes, spoken or unspoken, seem to be reaching right into the Almighty's ears. Everything has suddenly become brighter and shinier, making me happier and chirpier (you can pretty well see that).

With my bestie's birthday just gone by and the much-awaited outdoor trip (which I talked about here) due to take off in another 24 hours, I've been keeping kinda very busy these days. And to think I was planning to spend these holidays sitting idle, doing nothing at all. I'M LOVIN' THE CHANGE.

I've been fairly satisfied to see that my frequency of posting has been increasing over the last few days (actually, right since those horrible things called exams got over). But the real icing on the cake of literal bliss came when my post Of Mice and Men... got selected as one of BlogAdda's Spicy Saturday Picks this weekend. Talk about total literal nirvana.


And then my mom returned from her overseas trip this morning, and life suddenly turned a full circle. Now with my new ALDO sunglasses, handbag, wedge heels, clothes and yes - my new phone, finally - I feel like I can take on the world. :P
Here's what it looks like.

Did I hear someone calling me boastful there? Oops! I didn't mean to be so. I am just plain elated right now. My new phone is like, good. Real good. And with all this shopping and packing going on, I hardly have had the time to look inside for some humility. I really wanna be on top of the world right now. Until it lasts, at least. Because right after I return from my little foray up the mountains, my month long industrial training in an Electronics PSU (*yawn*) awaits me. And then I'll remember these days and sigh. So, I surmise, why not live up to every moment? I know you'd agree. :)

So here I am, bidding adieu to all the lovely friends I'm leaving behind. Hope these four days of full exposure to the mountain air give me the high I have needed for quite a while. I'll be back soon. Till then, take care, keep smiling and I hope some of you miss me. *wishful thinking*

The Ultimate Joy

Their eyes look up to you for love and care. Watching their playful giggles and unaffected demeanor brings a smile to your own face. How can you possibly ignore such innocent charm?

I have been associated for the past two years with a Gurukul run by the Arya Samaj, in the Subhash Nagar district of New Delhi. It is a charitable foundation, one of many such gurukuls situated all across India that are a part of Arya Samaj’s initiative to impart education to underprivileged children from across the country.


The gurukul houses 17 boys between the ages of 8 and 15. The kids hail from the north-eastern states of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur as well as from Rajasthan and Maharashtra. They come from underprivileged families, living in places where children are made to do physical labor and education is nothing more than a distant dream. While here, they are sent to an English-medium school and imparted moral education by specially appointed Shastris (teachers) in the form of the teachings of Arya Samaj as passed down by Swami Dayananda Saraswati and the four Vedas. They are even given special training in martial arts (Taekwondo). The kids’ personalities are groomed in such a way as to make them capable of succeeding in today’s highly competitive world.

Two years ago, when my family came in touch with this institution, it felt like a true blessing. We have virtually adopted these children since then. When they arrived, none of them understood a word of Hindi or English. I, along with some friends, used to spend my free time helping them build a base in both languages so as to be able to cope with school. Now they have a tutor to help them with the subjects they are having troubles with at school. My father, who has been my first and my best teacher so far, also teaches them English sometimes. My mother showers them with motherly love and they consider her as their own mother. I visit them as and when I can. We celebrate our birthdays and festivals like Holi and Diwali at the gurukul with the kids. They are also taken on an outstation trip every year, in order to get some recreation during the summer holidays. We accompanied them on such a trip to Dehradun, Mussourie and Rishikesh last year. This year's trip is soon to take off too.

And they are truly gifted kids themselves. They cook their own food. Some of them are national champs in Taekwondo and Kabaddi. Their school teachers tell us how good they are at their studies. Given all the facilities they are getting, no doubt they do not really need us to visit often. Yet, they love it when we do.

They used to call me “ma’am”. I instructed them to call me “didi” (elder sister). In the initial months they were very shy. Coming from totally different surroundings and living away from their families and home, they are bound to feel lonely and insecure. But over the years they have forged a strong bond with us. They look up to us for appreciation and love. They show me their homework, their medals and prizes, their test results. They always ask me when I’ll visit next. I always regretted that I don’t have a brother; now I have seventeen. And I am absolutely loving it. Their innocent smiles touch the heart like nothing else can. The happiness and contentment I see on their faces, gives me a taste of the ultimate joy in the world. It is quite rightly said, you see heaven in a child's smile.

(This post was my entry for the Bucket-a-hope story contest, which got published here)