Memories revisited

Remember the days when we were kids and that one thing which used to be the most amazing, craziest and colorful during spring time? Yes!!! Kite flying… Oh dear lord!! It creates a nostalgic feeling that brings back memories of childhood.

Today, I was so happy to see the mail from HR person in my company. She wrote that today (August 14) we are going to have kite flying competition. The thought of flying a kite brought a big smile to my face.

So, we did fly kites. I enjoyed the day and missed the old and golden days. Childhood was so much fun, right? Crazy time.

But I just hated the sun. It should have taken rest today.

Anyway, the day was awesome. On 15^th of August, India’s Independence Day, kites flying is very popular in many parts of the country. Though, it is not necessary. Many people fly kites on Eid and on Basant Panchmi as well. And, it doesn’t matter when we do it, right? The thing which matters is we do it :D. I love the sky…the colorful sky.

When I was a kid, I used to be the one who would give kanni, because my brother and his friends were so cunning. And he never taught me. Idiot! But I just loved to be there, to be part of that game.

Although, I tried very hard and kept trying for many days. And finally, I learnt somehow and asked him one day to give kanni to my kite :).

And also, remember the competitions? It used to be much more fun to even watch others flying kites.

God!!! I just wish to be an angel sometimes and bring back that time. I hope that the God is listening to me (or reading this).

Images Courtesy: Google

I Love Sunsets

Gahirmatha Beach in Odisha, India. This picture reminds me a beautiful and unforgettable trip to Bhitarkanika, Odisha, during my college days. I miss this beach and particularly this sunset so badly 😦

 

I Am Not Rude, Just Scared Of Being Deceived

Dear new friends (boys),

Don’t get me wrong. I am not rude. I am just a bit scared of being deceived again. I used to be polite, I still am. I made so many friends and also got cheated by some of them. I still like making new friends. But I always had a question that why a boy and a girl can’t be good friends? WHY?

I think they can be good friends.

Therefore, I made so many friends, boys. And, unfortunately, everyone fell in love with me.

So, if I am talking to you so politely or nicely it doesn’t mean that I could be your potential girlfriend. I am talking to you just to prove that a girl and a boy can be good friends. I am an optimist and straight-forward person, who prefers transparency in every relationship and that is the reason I am telling you all this.

I respect one’s privacy and what’s wrong if I expect the same from the other person? My experience has taught me not to be too much polite and I am seriously not sad about it. I just can’t be fake. I am what I am. If you don’t like me then tell me. If I am doing something wrong then tell me. I would really appreciate that. We could be good friends. I promise I will be honest and value our friendship. But you also have to be serious and true about it.

I tell you a few things that you should not do:

• Don’t ping me all the time and EVERYDAY
• Don’t ask why I didn’t reply
• Don’t ask why I was so busy and where I was so busy
• Don’t tell me that you have been waiting for me to come online and talk
• Don’t talk to me like I am your girlfriend
• Don’t try to get so personal
• Don’t ask me when did I reach office or home
• Don’t try be too much caring for me
• Don’t ask me what did I had in lunch
• Don’t ask me where do I live exactly, like house number, if I have already told the place
• Don’t ask me to come with you to your hometown
• Don’t try to be so smart or fake, just remain what you are
• Don’t lie, I can’t stand it

These are just few of them. You will get to know more with the passage of time. It depends, actually.

In the past, as I told, I met many friends who were good but did all this and put me in the “girlfriend-zone”. I mean come on, if I enjoy your company and having chit-chat with you, what’s wrong with that?

SO, try this with not only me but with other “girl” friends as well. Not necessarily all the points.

Have You Seen Them?

Why most of the ghosts are so creepy in movies? Why my grandma never talked about such ghosts?

These were the thoughts that were boggling my mind last night after I watched “The Conjuring”, finally. Though, I am very sensitive and I DO, sometimes, scared of even little things like footsteps, door bells, air, rustle of the wind blowing through the leafs, phone-ring etc, still I like horror movies.

And while watching movies, I don’t scream when those scary scenes come or cover my eyes or something like that, which some of my friends do. When I was a kid, I used to feel dumb-founded and lost listening stories of ghosts.

I really have no intentions to hurt anyone by saying that I am not scared of those scenes. Actually, I believe in such stories as I my self experienced it once and I really feel sorry for the people or families who experience such things, like the family in The Conjuring movie.

When I was a kid, my grandma told me a lot of such stories, real ones. Really. I grew up in a small village. And it is said that peaceful places are home for ghosts. My village was so peaceful. My father, aunt, sisters, friends and other people I know have seen ghosts. Nowadays, these stories are rare. But yes, when I was little I heard a lot of stories.

I don’t know if someone would believe it or not, but according to my grandmother, my grandfather had “ghosts friends”. I was 1-year old when he passed away so I could not hear those stories from him. But, grandma and my father used to tell us umpteen number of stories about my grandfather and ghosts.

Wait wait wait… They were not in our house, like in the movies and were not the scary ones also. They, my grandfather and ghosts, used to meet in forests, in our farms, and only in nights.

I can’t deny it. Because, my father and my aunt had also seen them. And they (ghosts)  were so friendly, cool and had their own world. But they were so scared of fire and light. Grandma also told us that they look strange, some of them look too much strange, but they live just like us and want peace, darkness and loneliness.

My father told me once that when he first saw a ghost, he was coming back from somewhere in night. Then, he realized that someone is following him. When he looked back, there was no one. There was so much silence that he could listen to his own footsteps. Then he again looked back and this time there was a man, who soon turned into donkey and then a pig. My father was like shit!!! He ran and ran so deadly. And luckily, that thing, whatever it was, did not follow him.

He told this to my grandfather and he suggested that if he comes across anyone/anything like that he should not be afraid and just keep walking.

Like this, there were stories that my uncle used to tell us. He saw a ghost on tree and stopped going there alone. No one believed him. Then, my aunt saw the same woman ghost on the same tree. Later on, it was seen by many other people as well.

I believe they exist because I heard these stories from very reliable sources, mentioned above :).

Now, I don’t know what is the truth. I mean stories my grandma told me and stories in movies are totally different. Whatever, they (ghosts) should not hurt anyone. Nothing is gonna change whatever happened to them.

P.S.  I am writing all this just because I heard somewhere that ghosts can’t read or write. So, I just hope that is true and any ghost is not reading this post. If anyone of you knows that it is not true, I request you to let me know as soon as possible, so that I can remove this post. Pheewww.

Image Courtesy: Google

Not This Time God, Please

Her parents parted ways when she was four years old. She had one elder brother and one elder sister. Her father always wanted them to stay with him. But her mother refused. She, Nisha, along with her siblings, came to stay with her maternal uncle.

She always wished to stay with her father. But she was told by her mother that her father was a bad man who left them alone. Nisha did not believe that and just wanted to be with him, just like the other kids.

As the time passed, Nisha felt more alone than ever. Her uncle was married and had kids but he loved all three of them like his own children. She also treated him like a father, but she wanted a father, an actual father.

She always hoped that her father will come one day and will take her away with him. Then, she will be free.

Nisha never cared about bad things she and her siblings went through. Her mother struggled so did Nisha and her brother and sister. She never got a chance to go to school due to poverty. They all worked in fields with their mother for living.

Though, she knew that her mother is working really hard to give them whatever they want, but she just wished that her mother could understand their real needs, LOVE, CARE, AFFECTION, A SOFT TOUCH. She wished that her mother could have felt their real pain. She always wished to be fortunate enough to get love from her mother. But her mother was always busy.

When Nisha was 15, she stopped thinking about her father, who tried so many times to take them with him but failed every time. Her mother did not allow him do that. He gave up, so did Nisha. And after few years, he stopped showing up.

Nisha now seemed quite content, may be not from inside but from outside. She now did not care about things.

Whatever she wished she never got that. There was nothing good happened to her. Now, she was just waiting and hoping that good time will come to her, may be. She could be loved one day. There could be someone who would care for her. There was one thing she loved the most. Music, her only friend. There was no one she could share he feelings with. No one. She used to cry when she was alone.

When she turned 18, her elder sister got married. Her brother in law was a nice man. Soon after, she realized that her sister is happiest than ever.

After a year or two, her brother also got married with a beautiful girl. She was very happy for her brother and sister. They all were settled now. Now, it was her turn to settle down.

She was 23 now. She was growing older and her hope to be loved was also growing with her age. She did not have a boyfriend. So, her mother was looking for a good guy who can marry her.

Nisha again started dreaming but now it was not her father. It was someone else. A completely stranger. She did not how would he look like? How would he treat her? She was excited and afraid at the same time. She was scared what if he does not like her or love her? This time, she was hoping not to get cheated by destiny. She was just hoping to have rest to her life to be peaceful.

She was now 27. It was too late for a girl in a small village like that not to get married. Everyone was like, she is 27 and still no one has agreed to marry her. She is ugly. She is poor. These words were heartbreaking for her. Now, her mother had become more selfish. Nisha’s brother stayed with his wife. There is only Nisha and her mother in the family. Her mother was scared. If Nisha gets married she would go away with her husband and she will be alone. That was the reason, her mother was delaying her marriage.

One day, a person came. He told her that her father is in hospital and has only few hours. He wants to meet her. She cried after so many years. She cried like hell. She wanted to run to her father, but she could not. Her mother didn’t let her go. After few days, she got to know that her father died the very next day. This time she did not cry. She couldn’t. She tried but could not. Days passed.

Then, happiness knocked her door, finally. There was a boy who came to her place one day and asked for her hand in marriage. He was not handsome but sincere. Her mother was not ready, as she wanted so called “handsome” son-in-law. Some relatives forced her mother and asked her to accept him. She did. Nisha was 29 now. She had expectations throughout her life. But now she was scared. This time, she did not expect anything.

She happily married the guy, named Bobby. She first time lived her life. He was so caring and loved her. Finally, she was hopeful. Now, she had no complaints from God or Destiny. She first time felt fortunate. He was everything for her now so she was for him. She was enjoying her life at the fullest. After a year, she was carrying her baby in her womb.

She and Bobby planned everything. She wanted a boy while he wanted a girl. They used to talk all night about their baby. In about a month, she was soon going to be mom.

It was her cousin’s marriage. She did not want to but her aunt forced her to come and attend the marriage. She had to come, along with him. Bobby was so tensed. He was concerned about their child. It was summer and so hot. They wanted to go back to their place.

He could not wait and asked her. She said OK. Thereafter, her brother came and asked them to stay for a while. Bobby was depressed and tensed. He did not want to stay. He again asked her to go. She said stay for a while if they all are requesting. He yelled at her for being so careless about their child and god knows why he did that but he slapped her. For the first time. Nisha’s brother could not see that and he slapped him in his face for insulting her sister in front of everyone.

Bobby felt so bad. He was feeling guilty for slapping her in front of everyone. He could not take it, went back home and committed suicide. Yes, he did.

Again, destiny cheated on Nisha. She was alone again. she did not know what to do. Why it happened? She could not cry. The pain was deep inside. I can’t explain that. Oh God! Why you have always been so cruel to her? Why?

After a month, she gave birth to a baby boy. Then, she cried and cried for months. I watched her crying all the time. Her child was only hope for her. Now, she has completely devoted herself to her child. He is naughty and is the reason of her smile.

He is everything for her and so she is scared, because God snatched everything she loved, always. But not this time, please God, not this time.

Everything will be OK

That’s the first thing my parents taught me.

“Don’t you ever give up in life, whatever happens. Keep going. Everything is going to be alright in the end.”

A letter to self-made people from my friend

Dear self-made friends,

I appreciate your endeavors to reach there and get what you ever dreamt of. You are among those few people who actually make impossible things possible and change the time. You are really amazing and wonderful.

You are an inspiration to me and many others and will always be. You are respected and will always be respected. Please accept my best wishes and regards.

But, I would like to make a request here. Please take it in positive spirit. I have seen many people who, after becoming successful, forget their past and become arrogant. I hope you are not like them.

I deem that you did not reach higher up there on your own. No offense, please.

There were so many people behind your success who directly or indirectly helped and pushed you towards that success. Please don’t forget them. Your parents, brothers, sisters, friends and every other person you came across.

Everyone, even who just said Hi to you, is a part of your success. Everything that happened to you bad or good was there for you, just to make sure that your dream or your existence becomes a realty for which you were born.

Everyone, including me and you, is part of this world machine. You and I did our respective jobs with the support of others. Always be thankful and grateful to them. Extend respect to everyone and everything and stay grounded.

Because, everyone, who hated you, loved you, criticized you, laughed at you and the ones who just looked at you, taught you something. Yes everyone. Everything and everyone made you strong and sometimes weak so that you reach there, where you want, successfully.

Sometimes, you felt gloomy as someone was so jealous of you, or hated you and just jumped at the chance to insult you. You felt so bad at that time. But look at the bright side. It was also a lesson for you which made you strong.

So, don’t hate them. Because, you were to come across a lot of people like them and it was needed to teach you how to handle them.

Thus, you should never ever forget anyone and anything that was there with you in your good and bad times. In fact, you should thank them for coming in your lives and making you lives so beautiful.

I hope you understand what I wanted to say. You are amazing, really.

And, please, these are my own thoughts. Don’t misunderstand me.

Yours

Bhavana

This was a letter written by my best friend Bhavana when we were in college. She always wanted to pass it on to someone “successful”. I just liked it and wanted to post it. 🙂

Free ride around the sun

My colleague’s birthday is coming on this Sunday. She is so excited. She is a fun-loving person and celebrates her birthday in most craziest way. Her birthday celebrations goes on during the entire month. I love the way she looks at things and enjoys her life, really. I wish her a very Happy B’day in advance.

Though, I also love my b’day as I take a long leave from work and go on vacation ;), but I don’t celebrate it in that way.

So, just for fun, I searched a question on Quora that why people, including me, feel SO happy on their birthday. And I know that we all get free cakes, gifts, love and of course attention, so I was definitely not looking for such answers. I just hoped to find a good answer, which is out of the box. And here it is.

Question: “Why should I feel happy on my birthday”?
Answer: Because you just completed another free ride around the sun!

I just loved the answer. So creative and true (in a way), isn’t it?

The question was posted on Quora and this answer was given by Uthara Padmanabhan.

Just one, please

Photo:Google

“No please, just one. We promise we will listen to it carefully and will not sleep,” Me and my brother said in unison.

Grandma: You both just go to bed. You have to wake up early tomorrow for school. Besides, I am not feeling well. I have terrible pain in legs.

Brother: So what (with a big naughty smile on his face), your legs have nothing to do with telling a story. Let them be as they are.

Grandma: Alright, I will tell you a story but you both have to listen carefully. You will have to cooperate. Keep humming so that I am convinced that you are listening with full interest and are not sleeping. You understand me? Because, when you don’t I get bored.

Me: OK..We will surely do that.

And that became a routine thing. Every other night, we literally had to beg for stories.

Believe me, she was just like a kid. She knew that we want a story but she all the time pretended as if she doesn’t know anything. She actually loved to do that.

And trust me or not, but she was such a marvelous story-teller I can’t tell you. Her memory was so sharp. She used to tell stories of her times. Stories that her parents told her. Stories that she heard from everyone or anyone in her childhood.

Stories about prince and princess, king and queen, bad time and good time, rich and poor, girl and boy, honesty, idiots, humanity and so on.

We learnt a lot from those stories. Still, when I am in any dilemma or just confused like what to do now, I think about those stories. And, many times, it really works for me.

There were few stories that she used to tell again and again. And every time, she narrated those stories with the equal passion and interest. It never felt like the story is repetitive or boring.

I still do not understand, how can you tell a story (which actually used to be a long story) in the same way, with no alterations? It never felt like that the story is boring, seriously. Well, that refreshing way of telling a story she had.

Now, I look at myself and feel sorry. I remember only a few. Many a times, I try to remember and usually fail to recall all of them. I just remember that time and it brings a big smile on my face.

Those were such innocent days and we were all so silly, happy and carefree. I miss them.

The Magical Time

Photo courtesy: Google

“A feeling of sadness and longing that is not akin to pain, and resembles sorrow only as the mist resembles the rain” BY- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It’s raining and I am in deep thoughts of the very first rain of my life. Yes, “the very first rain of my life”. First because that was the first rain I remember 😀 . Those few minutes of childhood are the most beautiful and magical moments of my life.

I miss that every time when it rains (especially when I am badly wanting to get drenched in the rain but somehow not able to). And of course, everyone, who loves rain (and come on who on the earth doesn’t like rain 😉 ) feels bad when it is raining outside and you are in the office ;( .

Oh dear God!! I HATE my job the most at that time.

I really don’t remember, how old I was. But, yes I was too little to remember things :). Me and my elder brother, we both were at our uncle’s place. And I do remember that I was wearing a blue frock, which was very beautiful, and was holding my brother’s hand :D. I never let him go away when I was a small kid.

He used to yell at me. “Stay here. I can not take you everywhere. Mamma, please. She does not let me play. Why I have to be with her all the time. Please let me go.” But, I always started crying whenever he tried to do that. I just didn’t let him do whatever he wanted. Crazy me :D. Mamma also always supported me. And ultimately, he ended up staying with me or taking me with him. Sometimes, I feel sorry, but with no doubt that bonding and love between us is unforgettable. Love you for that Bhai (brother).

Anyway, that day was too really awesome and cloudy, as far as I remember.

My brother and my cousins started tearing out papers from notebooks. I was totally clueless about everything they were doing. I asked my brother and he told me that they are making paper boats. Well, I did not know anything about boats (as I said I was too LITTLE). I asked what are they and what are you all making paper boats for. Well, he told me and taught me how to make paper-boats.

Then, we all kids sat outside the hall, at the main gate, and waited for the rain. And then, It happened. Our wish came true and it was raining heavily.

Now, there were lots of floating paper boats. We also had competition :D. Some boats sank and some floated away. It was the most (AND first) amazing thing of my life. May be that is the reason, I could remember that time. When I recall those few minutes I feel the happiest person. That was a magical time.

That was the starting, followed by singing my favorites songs in the rain EVERY TIME it rained. Seriously, every time. I love it more than anything.

I loved looking up and letting the rain drops falling on my face EVERY TIME. I loved to feel it. I loved that smell of mud after rain. It always drove me crazy, it still does. That sound of rain at night when everyone is asleep and it is raining outside, slowly and heavily…Touching it and feeling it. Oh dear Lord, that sound of rain at night used to keep me awake for too long and it was so relaxing.

Since then, I did that paper-boats making thing every year or to be precise every time it rained for a very long time. And, I think it is a usual thing for every kid. Everybody does that, making paper boats and float them in rain water,  except few ;), no offense please.

Rain really makes me feel alive. I love looking out of the window for hours when it rains. Today, I am looking at rain drops falling down and making bubbles and feeling terribly down, as I am in office :(.

Now that We are so … busy, I miss those few minutes of my life badly. I want to go there.. AGAIN!!!