Silver Linings

Love is blind, well it is also said to happen at first sight! This is no fairy tale, a story of two ordinary people who neither fell blindly in love nor it happened at first sight and they live life just like everyone else.They knew of each other quite well, they were good friends but never knew destiny will get them into a bond of marriage and make them man and wife.

He was the kind who believed there is no such day called tomorrow and lived for the moment.She was the kind who believed that there is all her life to do all that she wanted to and took each day as it came.He never planned ahead,she knew of what she is going to do next year’s winter holidays.Both were not poles apart, but different, and life got them together, they surely missed no fun.

He was impressed with the way she managed everything, from the hustles at home to the worries at work.He liked the breakfast that she made and admired those long curls of dark hair on her shoulder as she served it everyday.He looked at her enchanting smile which carried him to a different world altogether, she was not the princess he dreamt of but then she was his only wife, his pride!Sometimes she wanted things her way come what may,and sometimes she was an angel for whom he did pray.But she had a flawless appeal which made his life complete and covered all those shortcomings.She was well versed,passionate,suave and a perfect wife.He never told her how much he loved her and wondered if she loved him.He was happy that she was the woman of his life.

On the other green side of the grass…

She loved waking him up from bed and making breakfast for him everyday.She liked it when he nibbled the pen while solving the newspaper crossword early morning.He was brilliant yet simple and with him everything was always fine,he was not the prince she dreamt off but then he was her only husband,her pride!Sometimes he got on her nerves and sometimes he pampered her like a kid.He had an impeccable charm which swept her off her feet.He was smart,funny,adorable and a perfect husband.She thought of telling him how much she loved him and wondered if he loved her.She was glad that he was the man of her life.

They liked having a walk in the down lane after dinner every night, and today it looked like God had painted a few extra of those stars in the night sky.Today seemed the day,perfect weather.

They walked together under the light drizzle talking about the happenings of the day.And suddenly they stop,he looks at her cupping her cheeks in his palms and says”Darling, I gotta tell you something”.

 “Me too”she says smilingly and looking deeply into his eyes.He looks at her for a while and says”You forgot to wear your slippers while coming!”.She smiles again and says”Darling,you too!”.

Burst in laughter, they walk together holding hand in hand towards home,where life takes them.

PS: In pursuit of our dreams,in all that rush and buzz we often fail to notice the people who matter the most and who make a whole world of difference ,love requires no words for expression,easy as pie, for all it takes is a special joy of living to sprout in the hearts.

Raksha Bhat

Hope To Live

Deep in the blue seas, beyond the high skies

In the smell of flowers, among the rainbow colours

Amidst the green wild, in the sunshine smile

In the tune of the birds,with the dance of rain drops

Along the road untraveled, between the pages unread

In the silence amidst the roars, inside the secret doors

Across the high valleys of snow, in the jingles of rivers

Is a world concealed,a mystery unsolved

A destiny to desire,a cause to care

A little life we leave,with lots a hope to live.

Raksha Bhat

Bright Side Brighter

Aaaaaaah!!!So many to choose…Hmmm...

I am not talking about clothes and shoes, kaam ki baat suno...

Some great man once said  "Tell me who your friends are,I will tell you who you are"

F.R.I.E.N.D= ‘A person you know well and regard with affection and trust’.

There are hundreds in the lists, a few tens ‘in person’ always around in our life.Now comes the problem, scratch your head and heart hard and think, if we can give so much affection and trust to all the ones we know, we definitely are from the Land Of Divine Angels!

Life ki story mein one twist, we all are small beings,fortunately we cannot handle too much of anything.God has given us capabilities to spend 86,400 seconds every day with some lovable,likable,adjustable,enviable,detestable people…some yani really some…unless we happen to be Ghandhi,the Man to handle the likes of a h'uuu'ge kingdom.

Think…one day you are alone and sad…and then…think…of life as a super bright sunny morning where you wake up with the new birds chirping, you rub your eyes and see a hundred people showered from the sky just for you.Remember,you are not choosing them,they just come you way.You are grateful to the Almighty for blessing a moron like you, you are on cloud nine!

Now let us see how the day goes and what is in store…

You decide to call this macho someone to give you company by the lake side for fishing because you like it,but well he prefers to walk in the woods and do some real hunting,he politely turns down your request and sets off.You wave him a bye and wish him luck.You love him.He loves you too.

When you were calling him, two tempted eyes were staring at you with lots of hope and admiration, and this guy can die for fishing and as well for you! You do not have a choice now,you sit near the lake with your fishing rods immersed in the calmness of the lake.A few hours pass in silence and finally a conversation happens when you realize that this guy is not bad either,you share a few fishing tips;).You love him.He loves you too.

Amidst all this is the happy go lucky guy who wants to catch butterflies all day, stare at the sky, climb trees and swim in the lake; who wishes to do nothing and of whom,you wish to do nothing,you admire him for the way he is.He is of no harm to anyone.You love him.He loves you too.

Then there is a okay guy who dislikes your fishing habit but is okay with it and never tells it, he works hard, he grows rice in the fields and makes an awesome lunch for you in the noon, after a while he is bored and fed up and he decides to go.You let him go because you were bored and fed up too, nothing else.You love him.He loves you too.

And before you know how lucky you are,the handsome gangster guy whom you gave your fishing basket to keep them safe after returning home,runs away in the evening with your fishes to the Far Land Of The Zombies.You love him[for keeping your fishes safe for a while;)].He loves you too[for the fishes again ofcourse;)] 

After some hard work during the day it is time to have some fun, you throw a party in the night, and this smart[really smart;)]guy whom you had not seen during the earlier part of the day decides to give a special appearance.

You wonder…

Bon fire and wine

Some food to dine,

Everything is fine

But how many are mine?

You forgot to ask, he forgot to tell, well his name.But you guys did have some fun! And he finally left.You love him.He loves you too.

You fail to notice a jolly guy who whacked you out of the bed in the morning and then caught some fishes,just in case if you could not catch any,who wanted you to make lunch while he was in the field,but you forgot.He did not mind,he took you out for a stroll in the woods and taught you hunting[and you thought fishing was the only ‘the’ fun thing],then in the night he helped you arrange the party,you cling on him when you finally see those twinkling stars,you lie down holding him on the open grass under the night sky,very tired after a wonderful day and the next morning he whacks you again!Come the winds,the rains,the dark lonely nights,he stays with you for many days and nights to come.You love him.He loves you too.

They come in all shapes and sizes,all shades and colours...

How colourful we make our life... is left to us...

Friendship…oooooo….Friendship…

For the ones of mine…

Cheers...Pakka...Dil Se…

Raksha

Rope Tugs n Bear Hugs

I have this strange aptitude of talking with people straight on their face, sometimes like giving a hundred million volt lightning slap at a go.Zzzzzzatttak!!!I fail to understand the subtle nature of certain situations.I happened to fight with this only poor best friend of mine today and cry like a wail bird...as always.I wonder sometimes why I am not on the higher side of my temper with all the people I know, why is it that I can have a WWE heart fight everyday with just one, how can I accept others the way they are or they treat me.Strange!

A few have never had an experience of what I am talking about, the good Lord is with them.A few live with it like Mom and Dad, fortunately they know the right things which calms me down at the right time.And for this someone I mentioned about, who knows that it is just another super human quality that I show, it is almost a routine.Both hands up in the air, I bow down and surrender!

In anger sometimes the truth comes out, some say people do not have a clue of what they are talking, sometimes they make a perfect unpleasing sense.My anger belongs to all the three kinds, luckily it does not last till the end of a minute.I have never made any resolutions to control it either,I make an awesome pig head always.I fight about anything and everything  that comes along;people,things,attitude and most of the times for nothing,when an bored!And after the dynamite bursts out there is always so much damage control to do,which is quite a task.And trust me repentance for an emotion like anger gives you a hundred million volt lightning slap too.Zzzzzatttak!!! I do not want to make false promises saying I will not fight any more,I know I am gonna do it again another day soon this week;)but whenever I fight I am sorry at the end and I am more hurt;I have finished many packs of tissue already!

All I pray to God is to bless this soul with more power,courage and most of all patience to handle this total nut and set her battery right!!!

PS1: Sorry,any number won't do.

PS2: Thank you Calvin,for all that you give. 

PS3: A bear hug, because they are not always fatal;) 

Tweety:)

The Monster Is Back

He loved pulling her hair, scribbling on her homework, eating her chocolates, burying her dolls in the garden.A mischief maker brother prototype that he was, and she being his elder sister hated him for fighting back her authority.He looked like an angel when he was in the cradle,a lovely brother,but as he grew up he started showing his sibling colours.

One night  for the desire of revenge she told him the beautiful story of ‘The Mangled Monster’ which he ardently listened and slept,she cursed that tonight he shall see people in his dreams wearing white robes with no feet,eyes popping out of their sockets and sucking his blood,chopping his brains;not one but a hundred of them And next day he was at the breakfast table playing with the eggs and fork,looking shaken but pleased,she wondered and asked him”Did  the monster come and wake you up yesterday?”,he replied”Yeah he did! He told me my Sis is the freakiest thing he has ever seen”.

Grrrrr…

From the days of locking me up in the bathroom at age 1 to the days of giving me a Choke Slam the Undertaker style at age 10, he has done it all.This continues now in various others forms, because he knows I can never stop being his sister…for life and beyond! Of his virtue list I am not speaking here, I am being a bad sister as always!

Fear is one emotion which we fail to deny, we project it in different forms.We do not know of ghosts, so we fear them.We do not know of ourselves either, so what do we do? During childhood or maybe even now, if one thing most of us are scared of are the monsters and ghosts of the real [if they exist] kind.They are these controversial beings around us who some say are unsatisfied souls trying to find peace after life and also claim to have experienced them, some say they are the evil kinds and some believe they do not exist at all. Horror movies leave our nails bleeding and teeth chattering.Those stories of ladies in white sarees walking amidst a forest singing for their beloved and of men with turned feet at the door step can give many of us sleepless nights.If they ever saw us publicising them like this, God save us all with mercy! We do not know if they are around, but one thing is for sure we think of them in the worst human form possible;)

And for my brother,she is alive and kicking!

PS:What are ghosts and monsters scared of??? 

Pichle Saat Dino Mein

Being friends with books is quite a demanding task, especially when they are textbooks, the big fat ones, entrance exam MCQwalas, and right now frankly I do not have a choice! Argh!

When I see the monster pile, a short circuit happens in my brain cells  and I pull them out of the rack slowly, keeps them neatly on the table and I sit …staring at them…I think, think and think forever.So which one do I start today…hmmm…and after some time I finally decide.The last reaction is out of an eleventh hour realization that nothing else is gonna help!

Pichle Saat dino mein, immobilized between molecules and eyes, technical terms mein Biochemistry and Ophthalmology :P

Coming to the former, after a couple of days of retrospective and prospective thinking, the pros and [cons] of studying I finally decide to step in the battleground.A special thanks to the watermelon juices and mango milkshakes offered by Ma on a time to time basis, equipped with sufficient energy I fought with glucose, learnt the glucose synthesis and breakdown and I almost broke down!

But I did not give up.I made my journey through the alpha helix and beta pleats of proteins with zeal; I was tired but did not lose hope.My brain had never worked so much before, bahut bahuuuut gussa aya. But naa, I moved front, I crossed the land of enzymes, free radicals, fatty acids and what not, a few turned foes, and a few became allies. Across, Harpers and Lipincotts my armors.One last time and the warrior in me woke up.

And finally, the mystery molecule… Zindagi ki kahani…suno DNA ki Zubani!

•    99.9 pc DNA among any two individuals is similar, so that makes us Bhai and Behens.PEACE! No more wars, I hugged the DNA!

•  Bayz look at those curves and grooves…Hello!!!I am talking about your genes:P[Fact:DNA is a double helix with major and minor grooves adding an extra affect…beautiful isn’t it!]

• The bases in DNA are four; A,T,G and C.Ab in mein se..A ka T se…G ka C se…Chargaff purohit hydrogen bond ke bandhan mein shaadi kar dete hain.Well the whole thing is like string of happy couples,Sacha pyar koi inse seeke!Watta bonding!

• Come ‘Transcription’ and ‘Translation’, by the time I finish two pages of the book a million copies of DNA, proteins will be ready.Wish I hade their engines!

• Inka degradation aur repair bhi easy nahin, hamare Indian Army ki thara strong!

• And life mein kabhi kabhi,it calls for a change!Style se ‘Mutation’ bolo.Sometimes silent,sometimes just a point,sometimes poora frame shift,and the result you can hardly notice,but sometimes diktha hai par chalta hai,and if bad luck hai kharab;aadmi, aadmi kam kuch aur zyada!Performance highly corelated to the Indian cricket team.

        Before Watson and Crick yell at me for defaming their favorite molecule,I give up and stop.

For now, the DNA has won my heart, I bow down, but the battle is on…and am loving it!!! 

Kya karoon,Kya karoon,haule haule dil gaa raha hai…

Kya karoon,Kya karoon,dheeme dheeme se nashe mein jo hai zindagi ...






Raksha Bhat

A Canary's Song

Allures the mind, a boundless beauty hidden and unseen

So much to do and learn amidst all the lovely green,

A journey to travel with milestones many to cross

Questions many and their answers not an easy toss.

Of the fire, dust and smoke the world is aware

A noble few think ahead and take the step dare,

Oodles odds many in the world, for man to deal

Not far is the day when he will be his own meal.

Of nature’s fury we have not an idea nor any fear

And the jungle melodies we do not want to hear,

Of dodos and the rest we could do the least

Bereft of mater is the man, the supreme beast.

Now we are behind the tigers, their kith and kin in count

Lest we forget our mistakes climbing the ladder surmount,

A tree we hide from an axe, and a rain drop that we save

Can always give a tiny hope for the zoos to reach a cave.

A mother she is, who gives us more than what we deserve

Her gift we know not how with gratitude to preserve

Fortune and prosperity we count in a dollar and a pound

We forgot to remember what goes around comes around.

It is not any late to think and act, and square our outlook

Or wait for the geographies to rest forever in the history book,

Enough we do talk, a difference let start a few

One among the good can be me, she, he and you.

Help not because it makes you different, nor for any need

But for the hunger for the wild in your heart to feed,

Of the maze and the dark everyone is always afraid

Forget not, for strive and sweat God has always paid.

For a purpose in life, on a quest soon embark

Wherever you reach, wish you leave a mark,

The road to your detiny remains far and long

But that is where you definitely belong!

Together all along…This is for you…Your Canary’s Song!!!

Hobbes has this crazy habit of writing poems for Calvin,this is a tiny attempt to keep him going.

  PS: the quote in the picture is from 'Into The Wild'

And to end…

“You can take the tiger out of the jungle, but you can’t take the jungle out of the tiger”

-Hobbes

Regards

Raksha

Jathu,this one for you:)

Today they call it the Mother’s day,       

You deserve more than words can say

Nothing can match what you give,

It is because of your love that I live.

My beating heart you will always be,

Through your eyes the world I can see

A daughter good I will be is a promise I keep,

Sorry I do not say this often, Amma I love you ocean deep.

Rashha!!!!

Corked Blessings

Monday seemed so long ago.Sarah worked hard like most of the people around her.And this was a tiring week at the office, the current project was boiling eggs inside her head.But she liked it when it was always busy.The world was running, with men and women of her like, and she was not any far behind.

God gave her everything what she did asked for.A perfect bunch of friends,a perfect man,a perfect job,a perfect home and a perfect lot of money.This was what life was all about,but was this the end and why was she not happy.She always wondered.

The breeze through her office window brought those jingles they sang together, she looked at the sky and smiled.She was feeling her life getting sucked into a vortex of emptiness.She was missing the pats and hugs.She was missing the brownies he used to make for her.She was missing him.

 A countryside trip and paragliding were some of the things on her list, but tonight she was going to their favourite place with her usual girl gang.The clock was seeming slow today,she packed an hour before and wished those hands moved faster, when it struck five she raced down the stairs and drove her car out of the parking lot and reached her place in a wink.She wore his favourite white dress sequenced with purple satin, she looked simple but elegant.

She drove at windspeed,she liked it.She reached the beach.The girls were a happy bunch,Sarah loved them.They danced around the bonfire singing crazy numbers, a little wine and good food helped.She was happy,she liked this completely but could not keep her mind of him. Somehow today was not her day.

She missed him more during her good times, she walked away along the shore where they had made castles together.The grains of sand kissed her feet,the layers of waves danced beneath.He seemed to be walking a few steps ahead,turning and waving her a good bye,the moonlight flattering his already perfect smile.

She wished for a fairy who could drop him back to her world again.She gazed at the stars, there was a strange silence, a tear rolled down her cheek.

She took a few steps ahead and stumbled on something,the waves had brought it just then beneath her feet.It was an old wine bottle, like the ones her father used to drink.It seemed strange,she opened the cork.

  

A ring fell on her palm… memories flew past like clouds… how did it get in here…she wondered…

There was something else inside too, a crumpled note tied in loose threads...she opened it and read...

Dear Sarah,

Life gives us many things by chance and more things to choose,

Among them we know not when and where what we gonna loose,

But some people will never let you alone be,

And one among them is me!

PS: I threw this to the sea because you liked that tiny tot Peter’s doll more than this ring I gave on your twelfth birthday, I knew that lad is gonna be behind my daughter for all his life! If he ever ends up being your husband, tell him your father loves you more...always...and if you find this someday…ask him to put it on your finger and he better take care of my Angel.

"I love you" 

DAD

Dad!Her heart eased,he never let her stay alone!

Just then her phone rang, she picked up, and it was Peter.

"Hello Sarah, hope you are having a great time.I tried making some brownies,your Dads kinds, they are tasting good.Its time we marry, now that I can cook!

Come home soon.

Can I keep you forever?

I love you"

It was a perfect life indeed!

Raksha Bhat

Rayyyya....Rayyyy...Right...Right!

Hinde hogri jaga ide....melhathappa...

Ticket Ticket...Elramma nimdu...

Chilre kodri...Pass thorsri...

Bag side ge haaki...thegdu kayalli itkolri....

 Rayya..rayyaa...aaaaa RIGHT!!!

[PS:For those who do not follow Kannada,sorry no translations,the fun is here to stay!]

For the past few years I have been a great user of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport services.

[Sumne style ge full formu...onde mathali BTS Bussssuuu anri!]

It has been a one of a kind ride always. My association with the esteemed travels starts from the long queue in Housing Board starting at 9 30-9 45 am for 75A scheduled to leave half an hour later,remember how Calvin used to break the queue or climb it on the hump in front of our flats;) and the 180 at 5pm to Shankar Mutt for tuition,this was during the Pre university days.The hilarious part of the ride was when the guys at the back had to get down and push the junk box of college goers up the hill near Bhashyam circle,the physics and math were not enough to drain their energy!Years later now,when I cross these roads again it all seems so different.The buildings have lost their bricks,the roads have narrowed,lush green trees have fallen down and the only green is the green boards of the dream project of this city,the Metro.Things have changed for a little better and a lot worse.Now there are buses of greens, pinks, reds, oranges and the cooler kinds.Sometimes its a great sail and sometimes like you will never reach home kinds.

The next 5 years was marked with a obligatory bond with the 401 series.The B,E,K,M,P,Q,R,S,Vs and the rest of the English alphabets fill its list.Their sheer callousness in punctuality contradicts their numbers. A lot of these journeys I have spent reading my medical books and frighten inquisitive people sitting on the adjacent seat with weird pictures of the diseases and disorders of the human body. A chatter with Pi was often,about this and about that and about everything under the sun![She is the first and best person who can relate to this post!]. 

On rare occasions these buses turned out to be a vantage ride when we met our long lost friends from school.As our bodies and minds are squeezed between the hundred souls,the sweat stinks mixes with the jasmine fragrance from the flower seller Granny's basket as she ties those tiny little white and orange ones with her intricate hand movements.I swear I can never do that!

The adrenaline rush in his blood puts the drivers foot on the accelerator and takes us at break neck speed and gives a skipped heart beat only because he wants to race his competitor in front, and there is his equally atrocious foul mouth which brings disgust to our ears. At times if these brown uniforms feel like this is it for the day,the wives and the food are waiting at home and the bus can always  stop in between!We have no choice but to get down.

There are times when we come home and look at the back of the ticket and realize that the conductor owed a 93 Rs change for a 7 Rs ticket,you forgot to ask and he was pleased,for it was meant to be so. 

Why leave the typical Indian ladies in Kanjevaram Sarees,climbing the footboard like a hill with their fat butts and fatter bags in hand scrutinizing the seats for a scapegoat as soon as they enter and finally find you,they initially lean on you for a minute like you are the Qutub Minar planted in the bus and then look at you,give a wicked grin and say ‘Paapu,Churu Jargamma’.It is fun to hear their family stories ka audio film in public.I cannot forget this one lady with live chickens..live in her bag pecking my hand!!!In the middle of all these are guys and girls exchanging glances;and there is this girl on phone with inches long earrings ,purple lipstick,red hair colour,skinny jeans crying  because of her 5Th boyfriend for the past 30 minutes,not that it bothers you,but when the whole bus can hear it so can you!!!

The pickpocketing, the footboard travelling,the school children with their bulky bags,a source of anguish among the travellers.Add a little more to that of the ladies,the gentlemen who forgot to wear Sarees but did not forget to occupy those seats who do not budge come what may. The buffoons and bastards who drool over the fair sex,waiting like wolves to pounce on the girls and aunties alike,who do not know that their mother,sister and wife will also have to use the same means of transport when need arises and there are many wolves like them. 

The Grandpas reading newspaper seated in the senior citizen seats,their knowledge reflected on those wrinkles call for respect.And there was this 6th standard girl who always waited for a particular bus only to meet her Doctor Akka,because she always wanted to know how to become a Doctor! The many conductor friends made,a particular one who successfully got all the names of the brands of cough syrups available at the pharmacy and refused to take anything else!

The best part of the ride,a corner seat and a favorite song playing on the radio,a call to a dear one to tell how the day was,a call to tell Mom that you will be home soon and as the winds sweep through my hair when the bus rushes past is definitely a great high,all this can happen provided there is a seat!

-RAKSHA

A Sta[l]kers World

Unnikrishnan Venkataramanaswamy Rudrachari Pilasubramaniam now wants to follow you on Twitter!!!

Our latest inbox clutters!

The n fraandship requests on F and O which we coldly turn down only to create a dejection among those hungry water mouths was always not enough.We are grateful to these sites for getting our toffee and candy friends from school back.We are happy to leave our latest trip and party pictures with the world for comments.We are glad to update our status saying that right now we are brushing our teeth and then the next on the list is bath and a five like your status. 

We are pleased to use the hundred applications which can tell us our right colour, not that we don’t know what we like, but we need some computerized stuff to read our mysterious minds. We don’t like it if our neighbour’s cow eats up the turnips, spinach and cabbages in our Farmville Farm and so we stop having turnips, spinach and cabbages for lunch at home. The mafia war people are unhappy and plan to abduct us and our folks are on cloud nine for we are finally away and say no to a ransom.We are curious to know on what date and time we are going to die or marry, what if there is an inevitable error or in fact we get the same result in both the quiz.Ever thought?

How to fit in our wisdom  in just 140 characters and tell the world our mental status, quite a challenge for a blabber mouth and a perky task for the nerve cells.

Everyone talks through them,everyone talks about them.Some derive pleasure by using them all the time as a substitute for their joblessness, some find a means to communicate with their dear and near and yet far ones, some detest them because they think they are different..hmmm...

Never mind whichever category we belong to…remember…

Without them the world is never a lonely place;)

RKB