If all life was a Fairy Tale

Once upon a time...happily ever after.

If all life was a Fairy Tale , we would slog at workplace and get a Magic broom/ treasure the next day. 

Ever wondered how different life could have been had there been our fairy tale where we are the happily ever after with smiles in a chariot hiding away behind the heavenly clouds. Whooosh..just in dreams.

We are all a part of a Wonderland , its just we are not The Alice of it. We get into troubles and struggle but have to be our own hero, our own sole savior. The more heroic ones, are the more famous ones today.

We all can make our fair-y world but today it all comes at a cost. At the cost of mental health and happiness Something common to all magical tales was BELIEF- an undying faith of triumph of good over evil. Of course, the tragedy is both these terms "good" & "evil" have become supremely subjective.

However the magic is self belief and it does wonders. The famous rabbit & tortoise story, we know a third person narrative of it. What was the tortoise thinking??In tortoise's head it would have been just pure intent of being better than what he can be. It would have been to challenge the expected & raise the bar. It was apparently challenging what he thought his potential was.

We can create our perfect worlds, fight all odds without being evil or unjust with anyone, if and only if we are just trying to better ourselves than our yester-self. It is very easy to choose a convenient path to fulfill short term goals, but in the long run earnest intentions and efforts always reap positive results.

Life in a fairy tale and in today's life, is still all a game of choices. In those stories there was immense selflessness in the choices made, hence the outcomes were more like a miracle. Today, none of those miracles happen because all paths taken lead to a personal gain. Thus , there is wealth but no peace, there are smiles but no happiness. In everything there is a ME which is bigger than all relationships and all associations.

Miracles did happen then and even now, we just need to be worthy of it.

The Bubble Wrap

Ever opened something "Bubble Wrapped"

You can keep guessing what's behind the wraps. Transcending all barriers of region, religion & age everyone  starts to mentally unwrap the object placed in between their hands. None can stop guessing. Indeed mankind becomes truly ambidextrous right at that moment.

What's inside has the power to either zap you out or leave you grumbling. Nonetheless enthusiasm ceases not.

Just keep guessing till your fingers nimbly hover around the contour lines while bubbles make an unsettling sound.You can just get a hint of vague colors dampened by the shiny translucent surface. A bubble wrap is an aberration from traditionally wrapped gifts. Is'nt it something more? Its like a surprise freebie while you already have availed a discount. Its a boundary scored on a wide ball.

Then there is a joy of preserving the bubble wrap while looking at the object inside with absolute wonder. The gleaming eyes can hide even the disappointment if the gift is disliked however the joy of minimum damage to the pristine Bubble Wrap is extraordinary & unique. A whooper bumper feeling if its a heads up for the gift as well as its second skin. Now get on and burst the bubbles. Enjoy till it lasts. Unravel the life wrapped behind these bubbles.

There are many small air pockets wrapped which will give you that extra oxygen while you protect your fragile or strong self from many realities of life. Preserve happiness in such small moments & soon life will be full of insignificant wonderful experiences which will bring a smile always. The small nothings in life which add a tinge of surprise to each significant but mundane day.

My Bubble Wrap story ..wrapped up. Stay Bubbly.

Its Time..

What's the time?? Is it time??

Our whole life revolves around time. 

For the person with alot of success & even someone with no money..Time can stand still..Stand frozen. A moment and if you may allow it, there would be no ticking..Nothing at all. 

Does that mean that we can live longer, cherish some treasured moments, be young forever or be rich forever. Steal someone's time if we can actually manage to freeze it??

No, not at all, it just means, lets just get new batteries in our wrist, table and wall clocks. 

Haha..There is nothing frozen in time, its all aging ..sometimes gracefully and often consciously.

Look at us, just like that wall clock hanging and ticking but not actually moving. Ever seen that moment. 

A moment when we are alive but not living. Of course, is it not everyday? Is it not what an ordinary day looks like? Stuck and ticking ..but not moving. That's a peculiar situation. Sometimes we break out and sometimes we give in. And mind you, its not a conscious decision, because we do not feel stuck. We are good without change. We like being "frozen in time" , a strange comfortable situation. I have seemed to enjoy it. Its just zero discomfort.

It so always happens, that we never might actually realize that the machine ticking on the wall is just static unless told. We hear the sound, but do we realize its stuck?Or if we are a keen observer , we just can realize either after cross checking or post losing out on some precious time . 

Well nowadays, we also refer to mobiles and laptops for time. Alas , the age old mechanism of time reference and keeping a check on time have also undergone a huge change. Always loved those large wall clocks they made time look so mammoth and ever so important. Unlike the time in small machines, which are mobile..they somehow ridicule time.

Times change but time does not unless we want it to.

Its time, to give our best shot and make sure we never run out of batteries and keep that spirit of ticking ..just  ticking. Go on and change your time. Adjust it and stop to think over before it stops ticking.

Tick Tock.Tick Tock...its your time.

Being A Pedestrian

Part of my life is on foot and partly in an automobile. Its like two different worlds.

On Foot life is way too difficult and hopefully a wee bit easier as a motorist.

A day on the road as a Pedestrian and you will learn all nuances on how to cross the busiest Signal-less roads.

Gurgaon is one such place. There are hardly any red lights in Cyber-city and the crossings are all free movement, whosoever can cross, at their own risk.

Its like building a path for yourself all over again every single second , everyday is a new day and no tactics seem to work. Its a struggle day in and day out . Always one would feel as if their life is at risk at this very moment. Beware, even on a one way, look at the opposite side, "the world is full of idiots". 

It appears to be a perfect place to apply strategy. Be it negotiating, buying , flaunting ,holding etc. Viz.. choosing which cars to stop and what pace to walk on, how frantic to appear and then finally how to thank the ones who actually were considerate enough to stop their shining egos in front of pedestrian/s.

Many have mastered this art by being perfect scientists. There are four categories of car owners...

Ruthless - The ones you should only dare to stop in case you do not care about your life...these are primarily taxis and cars which have way too many dents.

Goggeled - These are generally the ones with ray bans or other expensive shades in any kind of a four wheeler.  In this there are two sub categories -

1) who will halt only if they think your life is in danger and their ultra glam style can be hazardous.

2) who might want to be generous enough to let you have a mini win by throwing an impression that they are a Dude.

Confused - In case they are in a good mood they might let you have your way. Else Tata bye bye.

Been there done that- these are the erstwhile pedestrians or they have to get off at the next stop from frnds car...so they would give you a way to cross the road...in majority of the cases.

The pseudo Pedestrians- the motorcyclists and cyclists travel in all together a different road which has no rules and no passes. It's a free world for them ...these are mightier than the cars , trucks and pedestrians . They have a license to make the other party helpless in any dispute.

Its not a full proof dissection neither am I a strategist, just an observation. However once you cross the road which seems more burdensome than any office deadline also, there is a sense of peace. Racing heartbeat suddenly resumes back to normal. Its a silent celebration after-all being unhurt as a Pedestrian is such an achievement.

Bravo!!

THE LOVE BENCH

So what's this Love Bench.

Its a wait, its a sign of an incomplete Love story, it is a half love story waiting to be unwritten , re-written and read out loud.

Its a Private affair sliding gradually into a Public sphere, its a half recognition of a  shy love.

I often wonder in every park, big or small there is usually a cosy , dim lit area where love birds often share their joys and delights.Hold hands and often cry, the girl unconvinced and the guy too pressurised. I am not being judgemental, but usually that is the case.

Its a place to sort out domestic differences which are not reconcilable in the confines of a house.

Indeed in times when Love is in the air, there are often mild and sometimes ostentatious declarations of Love.

Love which will fade away years later , if that story remained unfinished .

If at all , a Love consummates into marriage, the Love Bench for them remains a symbol of what their Love is now  not.

In teenage years, alot of giggles and kisses have been stolen at this very corner.

A corner , which in broad daylight looks like just another area in the Park, but as the night sets in..the Love Bench comes alive & occupants there are the most watched.

All activities around that Love Bench become immaterial when the status is occupied.

A falling kid is of no incidence to the mother & she will keep prying who that girl is?

Strangely you will never find a known face on that Love Bench, to the disappointment of many.

How many times the vacant Love Bench becomes a topic of gossip between men women and kids.

The teenagers and youngsters maintain an indifferent status knowing that they might be seen there on that Love Bench one day.

Yes, they all want to sit there holding hands in an unknown setup, where the world knows them not, and they can just look into the eyes of the one they Love..

Unashamedly and Passionately.

No Love story is complete without their Love Bench.

This is an ode to the Love Bench in the Park where I go walking. A funny diversion but a worthy one at that. 

Almost everytime I have been there , its seldom unoccupied.

Love thy neighbors ;)

A Summer Twilight

A Summer Twilight frozen in Time

A girl sat waiting for someone special, in a restaurant thinking how summers are as much a delight as winters.

How soon the mood and weather changed. Such a transition.

She thought, The knitted wardrobe of  heavy winter clothing has given way to bright Linens and Cottons.
From coats to skirts the transition of seasons catches us unaware. Closets bulging out with jackets are now neatly packed up with shortest and least covering attires. Overcoats are backpacked and sent into hibernation while special sunny light tiny dresses now hang gracefully in the closet.

 Just flipping her legs, she remembered a cold evening in her winter boots. But today her Funky flip flops flatter, heels are no longer disturbed by fine leggings openly flirting the stairs with consistent chatter. Season of pedicures and judicious visits to salons and parlors is a mandate in her monthly expenses. Air is conditioned, coolers comfort the otherwise fuming mind.

How she loves all the colorful fruits that summer brings. Water-melons, Mangoes color the palate to yellows and dull reds. Eating out means that the day needs to end with mouth-watering ice creams and rich creamy flavored shakes. The Bright pinks, the soothing greens and small tiny bubbles make our soul breezy. Just then topped with Toppling Ice, a Long slim straw peeps out towards her from the ordered delightful drink. What a relief!!

Her drink chills the day and quenches thirst of the soul. The tiny droplets at the outside of luminous glass colors her petite fingers translucent . The blurring is not of vision but the object only. The bright solitaire shining on her finger, which was slid onto her hand just four months back, looks divine with a perched tiny droplet on it. Her million dollar smile is beyond everything that can ever make sense to him. She knows the ring sits like a crown, yes she rules a Man's heart, she owns her King. Is this the magic of the evening?

The sun is dim, its rays shining on her face and he is mesmerized by the ethereal beauty all over again. There is a beauty in this twilight, there is so in every evening as the sun sets. Walking into the restaurant , she knows he sees all these pretty faces and their smiles,  what makes her the queen of his heart? Why indeed did he decide to propose. She knew not, but she was aware that there was alot of love in this moment to sustain a lifetime. This was what she felt all this while since they were together.
"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder" , he thinks as he gets lost in her eyes , the warmth has not changed the last he met her a month back.

Unlike winters when fog smears the eyes and diminishes visibility , A summer twilight's effect is more subtle and not blinding. Its beautiful to be somewhere in a dim lighted cozy joint, sipping Icy cold drinks with a warm  heart. The plush of summers is not in expensive overcoats its in the minimalism of excess. The queen of his heart sits there with no makeup, just boldly outlined Kajal with his favorite fruit gloss with the aura of her romantic fragrance. She knew , he knew that he has never loved a woman so much. She can read his eyes, she has learnt it now.

He sat down in front of her, he smiled, she blushed. She was busy adjusting her attire and she was fully aware that she was not perfect, no beauty , just an average girl. He has been away from her , in the sea of books , he remained hooked. Still they keep in touch through mails, chats and calls. She feels no distance can part them away. She feels he is with her always. Time and distance can never pinch enough to hurt their love.

A tear rolls down her cheeks, yes she is delighted to see him. He could see the joy brimming from her eyes. It felt as though like the straw peeped out from the glass with tiny colorful liquids painting it all the way from the bottom to way up, his beloved too was colored in his love. It was not an emotional outburst, there was no drama. This was true to the Summer Twilight, a subtle hint of expression of warmth, love and affection.
After all its minimalism of excess. Of all the emotions you hone, its not wise to flood the banks of your relationship. Subtle emotions work wonders in a pragmatic world. If in Love, Love to your heart's content and let the tiny despairs set beautifully into a wonderful relationship. The sun, skies, stars, moon , the landscapes work hard to make a twilight and its night harmonious. So is with emotions, over reactions-melodrama defy the basic rules of nature. This is something she learnt with rough experiences.

Just then , the prettiest twilight gave its way smoothly into the night, luckily the stars lighted the skies. In the love net, forget not to count the silver linings & numerous stars which add sparkle to your darkest nights.
This evening soon turned into a star lit night, holding hands the lovers disappeared into the crowd but The Twilight remains frozen in their heart as the warmth twinkles in their eyes & breaks into a smile each time the sun is about to set and a night is born. Each day, each night, this twilight remains alive and their love it ignites.

This is their moment frozen in time.

The Pilgrimage

A visit to Vaishnodevi.
The experience was over whelming. The moment we stepped out to start our journey , I was aware that something is about to change.

We reached Jammu and it was an alien land. Why so? 

Because there was no chaos , it was an easy life.

Everyone was at peace with their lives. 

And yes there were groups of people who were barefoot and just walking colored in saffron clothes.

With Jai Mata di headbands. It was a different world. 

We first prepared our body for the pilgrimage, we thought to take some rest and make sure we fed ourselves a little.We realized later, it was not as much about our bodily strength than it was about our mental character.

While I was sitting in the train on our way back, I knew what had changed in me.

There was a shift in perspective. It did not matter how I looked while I was dead on my way back, the zeal was that I made it back without any support,on my own.I had no mental support , no one to give me a pat on my back, no one to hold my hand, we were maybe all on our own. Except the lucky ones who might have truly had some companions. There was no right or wrong, to take the stairs or the slope, to rest when the other one was in discomfort  I appeared to be stronger, ate my pain and kept on with the pace. The journey back was more painful, because there was a certain disappointment that all this hoopla was around an Idol which we barely saw for 3 secs and were hushed out.

It was a complete setback  , the conditions way up and way down with horse shit and water and rains and so much of crowd.I kept on praying please dont rain, but well that is the Test. You will be put through bad circumstances.What peace and what wisdom can come through this.

The experience taught me something, which was Faith and Trust.
It was belief in our strengths. It was loving your goal more than loving your comfort.

I saw men carrying their mothers/fathers/kids on their backs for 28kms, they had no resources to hire a horse/ass/palki..what they had was immense faith that what I am carrying is not a burden. They walked at an unbelievable pace. Their rhythm , the discipline and their focus was appalling.

And here we were, broken mind, body and soul, wondering why would anyone come here .

Is it worth it? 

In life, alot of times, we forget what we learnt because we are busy criticizing what we got. We are sad because we are comparing ourselves to others.

We miss out on smaller joys because we are focussing way too much on the end result, we are driven by accomplishments and not by experiences.

I am not sure if I would want to visit again, but I am open to any opportunity when I am called again to Vaishnodevi.

It taught me to love all and to give it all I got.

When we are tired , we know the plight of the other person as well, because we are travelling in the same boat.

We are all in different shoes, and not all humans are physically the same level, respect the differences and keep moving.

It rained and rich, poor, crippled, young, old all kept on moving. Adversities should not stop us.

The journey was colored white, INR 20 rupees raincoat which saved us from the rain.

Everyone had the same means to protect themselves, it was a journey of equals.

On our way back in train we met a devout pilgrim, who visits every month, then also those who visit maybe every week.Though I agree that god or that power exists and needs to be heeded. But I am not really sure how much comforts are we ready to give up.I can make that journey every week sitting in a helicopter, but I am not sure if I will make the same journey every week /month if I was on foot.

So many people's belief does make me think its a miracle and maybe Vaishnodevi and many such pilgrimages have some power.I firmly agree to the fact that, we do change our outlook visiting these places.

How else can experiences mould us. These are our own choices , to climb 14kms for a 3 sec glimpse of an idol.

The power of it transforms us, not to believe in all this blindly but they give us a re assurance that we all are able enough beyond our capacity.

A 70 yr old can walk through that 28 kms with a smile with a hope of visiting again very soon.

That is courage, that is the real learning.

All that we ask for, all that we wish for, we are ready to climb mountains but are we ready to accept the final consequences?

Are we ready for firm acceptance of the outcome? Will we crib about the tough life or will we smile at the very small funny incidents in our lives.

Perspectives change once we see the real people, the real life. 

Some sleepless nights , and we will sleep even without the conditioned air, we will rest without any conditions, without any fans.

What I learnt?? Many things, most importantly, when we give something all we got, when we tire ourselves beyond limits, when the pain of body disrupts your sleep.

You will still smile, because you do not regret. You did not give up, you had faith. You knew there are more able people with resources , there are people low on money. 

You will keep on moving. You will live the experience , you will internalize all pains and all smiles. 

You will live in the moment, you will give your best, you will not fret, you will not compare, you will focus and reach you destination, knowing that this is not the end of the journey.

You are wiser because even when you got nothing, you have lost nothing. You now know how much you can endure, you know where to rest and when to scale up your efforts.

Destination was disappointing, but main was the journey. 

I asked nothing when I was in front of the Idol for 3 secs, I could not think of anything to ask for, I just thanked her and asked for blessings.

My first Pilgrimage was a perfect one. I learnt more than I imagined I can understand.
Awaiting for the next pilgrimage to unravel soon, 


Maybe wiser men knew-


'When , finally , we reached the place,
We hardly knew why we were there.
The trip had darkened every face,
Our deeds were neither great nor rare.
Home is where we have to gather grace.


-Nissim Ezekiel


No pilgrimage can ever cure an impure mind, a dirty soul, a selfish heart.
Before you make your next Pilgrimage , make sure we clean up the dirt.
Yes, Metaphorically and literally.