Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all my fellow bloggers. It has been a great journey with you all and I wish to continue on my voyage hoping that you guys will always be there with me. Have great fun and a wonderful year ahead.

1st-6th August

Four years...

Four years had passed and my college life was over. I didn't even realize it. It was like, I came to my college for the first time yesterday. Anyway, I won't go through all the melodramatic experiences of the last day. I feel sad to remember the goodbyes. So, let me tell you about all the happy (well, not always) stuff that happened.

Finally, I was going home. It's not that I never went home during the holidays but this time it was really different. I was so excited. It was going to be a long journey. I always had to board two trains to reach home. One from Udupi(Manipal does not have a railway station) to Panvel(Mumbai) and then from Kalyan(Mumbai) to Jamshedpur(my hometown). This time, I had also decided to visit my maternal aunt who lives in Panvel.

The journey back home...

I had to board the train at night. I reached Udupi station before time as always. Who would have guessed that trains in India are never on time. And voilà! the announcement at the station declared that the train is two hours late. "Trains in India are always late" - this is like a carving on an ancient stone, but two hours??? All the excitement in me perspired out of me like sweat. It was rainy season in India, and so I thought, the railway lines must not be clear.

I waited and it seemed to me like an eternity. I was alone. There were a few people but they were all locals. I was bored to death and the journey back home had not even started.

After two hours...

The train finally arrived and I boarded the train. Well, it was quite late and I fell asleep. When I awoke in the morning, I heard an old couple talking about, how much late the train is. I couldn't hear clearly what they were saying. Soon, I realized that the train was ten hours late and was still waiting at some station. I asked the old man how and why is the train so late. He told me that there was a landslide somewhere along this route and the train halted for a long time when I was sleeping. I went outside the train and saw that it was Adavali station. Suddenly, there was an announcement regarding our train. They told that the landslide was between this station and Ratnagiri station and so, the government had decided to provide buses for all the passengers to reach Ratnagiri where we all can board another train that will be waiting for us.

I had three massive heavy bags with me and I had to carry them to the bus stand through a panicked mob. All the passengers were worried that they may miss the buses, and so they were rushing like they had to go to the toilet. Anyway, I got on one of the buses somehow. My hands were senseless after carrying those bags for like 15 minutes, climbing staircases too. When I reached Ratnagiri station after a two hour drive, I hired a coolie and he helped me carry my bags to the train.

My body was wasted after all this and head was aching like hell. I tried to sleep again after the train left Ratnagiri. I was supposed to reach Panvel in the afternoon. It was actually supposed to be a 16 hour journey but due to the landslide, I reached 13-14 hours late. My cousin was there to pick me up. I was relieved to see him. He helped me by carrying my bags. I shouldn't have let him, right? He is younger.

In Mumbai...

There was Internet connection at my aunt's house. I was happy to open facebook and my blogger account. My blog was only one month old at that time. I spent the rest of the time watching movies and chit-chatting with my kins. It was a two-day stay in Panvel. Finally the day came, and I had to board another train which was not much of a problem. My cousin's help again was heartily welcomed by me. I got on the train at Kalyan station. This time there was no landslide, no earthquake, no flood. Lucky this time. I reached jamshedpur. I was getting out of the station when I saw my father coming towards me with a smile that awakened the buried energy in me.

Finally home.

For Challenge#1 Months of the years at Pages from my mind.

Parents - No Less Than God

Our life, existence -
Charity of our Parents,
Is it less than His?

Parents - divine, pure
No less than the Supreme Being
Comb us for the worst

For Haiku Heights.
Prompt #23 - Charity.
For One Single Impression.
Prompt 148: Comb.

Black and White - 2

After a long time, I have started sketching. It's sad that I don't have a scanner or a better camera.

For Sunday Sketches.

Christmas Day

Day of happiness
Even those fighting sorrow
Cheer up - smile on lips

Merry Christmas to all my fellow bloggers.
Have a great day.

Silenced By Poverty

His lips stitched
Silenced by poverty-
Poverty, that never leaves him
And is always with him
In a crowd of millions
Maybe more
At least, in the darkness of night
His shadow leaves him alone
But this cruel poverty never does so

Hard, he works
Selling Indian flags
For a few grains of rice
That will feed his hungry family
What else can he do?
Mother has to keep an eye
On his little siblings
Father's a drunkard
He will beat him, if he doesn't earn

Say, his immature eyes-
(Full of water as well as fire)
"I am neither an object nor a tool"

No one feels his dilemma
No one sees his dreams, his hopes
To educate himself
To rise above his present self
And help provide a better life
To his parents and his siblings
To fulfill his heart's desire
To have a joyous voyage ahead
And also to be known, nothing more

So, let us all join hands and pray
Lets try to help him in every possible way
Whenever and wherever we can

There are still so many children in India who live in the slums. They are poor when it comes to money but they are richer than us in their heart. I had many problems and obstacles in my life but it was definitely nothing when compared to theirs. The boy in the picture is one of those children, I have used him on behalf of all the children in India who are deprived of education. There are so many things other than education, they are deprived of, which may include good health, proper clothing and a roof to live under. And most of all, they are robbed of their dreams, their hopes, their would have been future if they had a richer father, and all of this happens to them because they are poor. Is being poor a crime?

"No child in India shall be deprived of education because of hunger." - The vision of the Akshaya Patra Foundation.

The Akshaya Patra Foundation is run by ISKCON. It serves as a non-profit organisation and helps in feeding millions of poor needy children. It also helps in creating an awareness among us all for the betterment of these helpless children. If you are reading this post, then it would be very generous of you to post an entry or donate and do some good for at least a few children.

Do visit the site here. You can write your own post and submit there and if you like you can promote my post as well as other posts.

For Three Word Wednesday.
Prompts: educate, object, silence.

At The Bakery

The crescent-shaped bulb was flickering
Like a doubt in one's mind.
It was a pitch-black night
And the bulb tried very hard
To light up the dark street outside.

It was like an ancient tradition,
No one did business at this time.
All shops there, were void of light
Except the bakery, with the baker inside
Just where the bulb, twinkled outside

No other human was there,
No dogs were barking, no cats were meowing,
Frogs and crickets had gone to a distant party.
No one could even hear
The occasional hooting of the owl.

But stillness of the night was stolen
By bugs, buzzing and hovering around the bulb.
While all this was going on,
The baker was aloof of such trivial things.
Only rats were the subjects of his musings.

"Tonight, I will catch them, no matter what.
They will pay for stealing and eating
My hard work, with their life."
He kept on chanting this like a mantra
And put up traps in circles and squares.

"One, two, three..." he started counting.
When he finished, there were a hundred traps.
He placed them cleverly and built a maze,
A puzzle that lead to a big delicious cake
And he smiled for what he had accomplished.

"When they enter I will block the exit."
He thought, feeling a sense of pride
And he hid himself in the storeroom,
Waiting for his arch-enemies
To storm the dimly-lit kitchen room.

But the leader of the rats-
The eldest, the cleverest, the wisest,
Also the largest, sensed the kiss of death.
He ordered the best of his spies
To go check for any adversity.

The spies didn't need to be told twice.
They returned with information full,
Even the layout of the maze they knew.
The leader of the rats came up with a plan,
All his soldier-rats roared in approval

Ten skilled rats went inside the puzzle.
The baker wanted all of them to enter
So, he didn't close his creation.
Anger added to his frustration
As the ten rats took away ten pieces of cake.

When the ten rats came again,
His angry mind decided to trap them
And as he came out of the storeroom
Rest of the rats were waiting for him
With teeth sharpened anew.

They all poked his feet with rage infinite,
Some of them even jumped up
And bit other parts.
For the baker, all this came out of the blue
And he fell down on the traps he himself put.

By the time, this was over
All of the cake was gone.
He found himself entangled within the traps
With some, even on his nose and ears
While the rats rejoiced and he burst into tears.

The pain, the anger and the frustration
He went through tonight
Made him want to put up a new trap
And he waited in rage for the next night
To take revenge on the rats again.

For Poetry Potluck at Jingle Poetry.

For One Single Impression.
Prompt 147: Stillness.

Honor - Perfect Poet Award Acceptance Post

An honor - noble
Dreams realized, lay not shattered -
Self motivated


Thank you Jingle for the award. I nominate Leo.
Link of the poem for which I got this award:I Dream In My Dreams.

For Haiku Heights.
Prompt #22 - Self.

I Dream In My Dreams

This poem has been selected as one of the picks for BlogJunta Editor's Choice.

Where tall trees in the wind sway
Beneath them in the dark, down I lay
I open my eyes, puzzled, where am I?
Irregular patches of moon light
Through the leaves show me the way

Cold gust of wind blows my feeble heart
Sends a shiver through each and every part
Lonely, I stride as fast as I can
Taking a right here and a left there
I pace, only to reach the point of start

Is this place a maze? fragile me wonders
I feel lost among the sky-touching boulders
When suddenly I have a hazy vision
Of a lady in white who seems familiar
I am drawn towards her in spite of my fears

Who is she? I try hard but can't remember
In the darkness she glows as if on fire
When I reach near my lady, she vanishes
Leaving me alone in this dark place
She's the lady from my dreams, my sugar

I am afraid, and I want her to be with me
Lost again in the dark, I feel eerie
Somehow, I find my way out
Only to find my beloved lady in white
Sitting on a rock and lost in a reverie

I started writing this one for poetry potluck last week but couldn't finish it then. Anyway, here it is now. Enjoy and happy blogging.

For Thursday Poets Rally Week 35.

चले जा रहे हैं

बहुत ही लंबा रस्ता नजर आ रहा है
दूर दूर तक कोई मोड़ नही दिख रहा है
और उसपे हम चले जा रहे हैं

अकेले हैं, अकेलापन भी महसूस कर रहे हैं
पर हम कुछ कर नही पा रहे हैं
बस चले जा रहे हैं

कभी कभी रस्ते में लोगों से मिलते हैं
कभी कभी उनके भीड़ में खो भी जाते हैं
पर फिर भी अकेले हैं और चले जा रहे हैं

छोटे छोटे पैर बढ़े हो गये हैं, रफ्तार भी बढ़ी है
पर यह रस्ता कभी खतम ही नही होता है
और हम, अब भी चले जा रहे हैं

Now the above poem in English.
I won't call it a poem though. I didn't try to write the English version in a poetic way. Just for you all to understand.

A very long road is in my sight
I cannot see a single point of turn
And I am walking on it

I am alone and feeling very lonely
But I am not able to do anything
Except walking on this road

Sometimes on this road, I meet with people
Sometimes I am lost in the crowd
Yet I am alone and still walking on the road

Tiny little legs have grown up now, speed has increased too
But this road never seems to end
And I am still walking on it

Youth - Our Future

Young, jaunty and promising
Often aggressive and anxious
Under pressure; always curious
Tension of choosing the right path
Have the power to change the world

For One Shot Wednesday - Week 23 at One Stop Poetry.

My Life Changing Device

It was the first day of my college. I had gone to attend the orientation before the classes began. The Director had already started his speech when I entered the hall. After talking about all the rules and regulations, he announced that this time they would be giving laptops to each and every student. I have always wanted a desktop/laptop. I tried so much before to convince my father to buy me one, but to no avail.

Today, I was happy and finally I was done with the whole begging thing for a desktop/laptop.

They handed the laptops to the students after a week. I remember that day. Nobody came out of their room for the whole day, not even to eat. Well, for me it was something new too and I have always wished to have one. I was glued to it.

For the first few weeks, the laptop was the source of entertainment for me. My college had a Wi-fi campus. So, all I did was download movies, videos and songs. I recalled the times when I used to watch the boring Indian serials at home because of my parents and my sister. It was like a joyous ride that I would have never had without my laptop.

I also downloaded games and started playing them. Two of my favorite games are Counter Strike 1.6 and Age Of Empires - The Conquerers. It was fun playing these games with the computer bots but it even heightened the fun when I started playing in groups and clans. I made more friends. My social circle increased.

Time passed. It was time for the examinations. The laptop was a great help during that time. E-books, sample papers, old question papers, soft copy of my professor's notes, I gathered all. Some from the college's library website and some I took in a pen-drive from my professors. All these materials were of great help. They made it easier and simpler to study. It was at that time, I thanked for this invention heartily. Since, I am a computer science student, I had to do a lot of programming in so many different languages too. I had labs in college but having this laptop with me all the time made me practice more and I got the better out of it. It helped me a lot in completing my projects before the deadline. I worked in my labs as well as in my room.

As I told you before, I had a Wi-fi Internet connection. This Internet is something that has revolutionized the world. I would say "Internet is an ocean with no shores" containing vast knowledge and information. And I was able to swim in this ocean through my laptop from my room. What a convenience! Don't you think. My laptop really made my life smooth. Ordering and buying stuff on-line, interacting and communicating with friends through social networks just from my room. Making new friends, sharing my poetry, sketches and thoughts through my blog, again from my room. My laptop, which is definitely an inanimate device, has made my life easier and filled it with happiness and joy.

Check out Buytheprice.com and connect with Indian Bloggers at BlogAdda
Link: Your Life Changing Device.

Stand Up Against Tyranny

Tyranny of men
Myriad efforts against
Faith, hope
Revival of liberty, freedom

Tyranny of choice
Stability of mind needed
Faith, hope
Rebirth of rightful decision

Tyranny of ignorance
Knowledge, wisdom must be imparted
Faith, hope
Renaissance of a better society

Tyranny of greed
Suffering mass must stand
Faith, hope
Resurgence of generosity, happiness

Stand up
Raise your voice
Have faith and hope
For we all want demise of tyranny

A haiku now for Haiku Heights.

Fight, put some effort
Break free from life's tyranny
Faith in revival

For Three Word Wednesday.
Prompts: demise, effort, revival.
For Haiku Heights.
Prompt #20 - Faith.

Don't Go Away

I am happy to be in your heart
For it is the only heaven I know
If you leave me alone and apart
I will be pierced and so your heart
With the same arrow

Remember the moments we cherished
Together, holding hand in hand
Don't you let me feel banished
Think of the special times we relished
Over the argument we just had

You have every reason to be angry
I cannot blame you for it
My eyes were hidden behind the drapery
For it was definitely an act of folly
Your heart, with happiness I want to lit

Don't you go away, my love, I am sorry
Don't you go away

For Thursday Poets Rally Week 34.