Of Sights and Sounds..

On one boring day, (one of the many odd boring days that I had the pleasure of enjoying) having time to kill, I found even the softest of sounds..even the merest of sights..appealing to me..

Had never stopped to wonder how much the sound of footsteps on dry leaves fascinates me..the rustling of leaves in the wind..the sound of an enfield cruising by..

the sound of your favorite song playing across the corner..the sound of an airplane or a helicopter..that instantly makes you look up..the sound of your cellphone ringing when you are expecting a call..the sound of distant..rumbling clouds..the sound of the rain against your window..the sound of galloping horses ( yeah..don’t get to hear that often..)

the sound of the guitar being strummed (yes..it was Les Paul’s b’day yesterday..) the uncorking of a bottle..the boiling over of milk..the flapping of pages in the wind..( some books get opened only that way :P ) the splashing of water..

The list seems endless..but what nature enables us to see, too, is equally enchanting..

The sight of the setting sun..the rush of waves towards you on the beach (did I mention waves in the sounds?? )

a baby smiling at you..

great dancers on the floor..

a flock of birds flying in a formation (and you have no clue how they maintain it and why) the rains splashing..and the trees swaying happily..

the sight of good food ( a yummy dessert maybe? ) the sight of wispy clouds whooshing by.. a shooting star..the starry nights on a cloudless day..the crescent moon..that stays on only for a few minutes..

One could go on and on..but..how often do we actually sit down to enjoy what we really like?

Was this post about time to see and hear of all this..or the lack of it? No clue..

End terms...........Tomorrow!!

Everyone's busy studying..People hardly coming out of their rooms..staying locked up inside..coming out only to eat.. (Sometimes not even that !!) Missing the sound of chatter in the hostel corridors.. :(
Wish that time would just fly..and end up "at" the afternoon of Thursday :P Wishful thinking..

But then..there is always a little time to enjoy the subtle pleasures of life I guess.. Realized this in the evening, when I looked out the window..and saw the sky turn a beautiful crimson-yellow-orange color..as the Sun bid us adieu for the day..promising to meet up early tomorrow..yes..am going to rise early tomorrow..which reminds me, I still have loads to study.. Bye for now.. :)

HAPPINESS..

A word which has different meanings for different people.. a word with a myriad of interpretations.. so how would you define the word? An A in the project? Getting your dream job? A lot of money in hand? Booze all day? A date with your spouse? A Long drive? 2-square meals in a day? A place to live in? Watching a movie for the umpteenth time and still crying at the emotional climax????

Or..when you get to smile so much, you forget all your worries.. and just want the feeling to continue?

As I'm writing this, I see myself remembering all the good times I've had in life.. and trust me, none of them connect with money.. I’ve had so many beautiful moments in life.. When I got a beautiful watch as a gift.. When I was thrilled with some results.. Whenever we went out with friends.. Whenever we friends, remembered our outings.. Some first experiences.. and lots and lots and lots more..

But then.. do we feel happy because we were able to get a gift without spending money? Because we could go out and get to spend money on stuff we really like?

Or is it because, you feel happy when others around you are happy? You get a surprise gift, it’s the surprise that gives you joy.. when you see your parents are proud of you, you feel you are worth it.. When your friends miss you when you aren’t around..your life’s got meaning..

When you walk on the streets and find a tramp begging..and you give him a chocolate..you see a smile light up his face.. doesn’t it make your day??

Happiness is all about perceiving it in your heart..not about measuring it in your brain..

Just go out there..and let loose.. probably that will give you the happiness you seek.. Holding yourself, restraining yourself..doesn't help.. Happiness is all about being yourself..not being what others want you or expect you to be..

Have a Happy Life..

This post is written in reply to a post by a friend, @ www.theplaceanindyo.blogspot.com

(Boral, you better treat me for the free advertising I just gave your blog :P )

First rain of June..

There I was..standing still as usual.. no wind blowing..not even a breeze.. nobody beside me.. no one dares venture outside these days.. but I'm always outside..forever waiting..for those sweet little droplets of water..

It was growing dark in the western horizon.. Another show of a storm I thought..these had teased the city for the past 2 weeks now.. I stood still.. I knew it was just going to drizzle and blow off..

The cool winds started blowing..and I started swaying happily..

The clouds kept gathering over me..but no sign of rain yet.. Will it elude me again?

No.... here come the first drops of water..and as they hit the earth, the divine earthy smell.. And there I was..swaying and dancing in the rain..taking it all in..after all, it was June's first rain..

As it rained more, the land and I cooled off..and the weather was immensely pleasurable again..how I wish it was like this forever..

As the rains subsided, one could clearly see the true beauty of nature.. The lush greenery everywhere.. every blade of grass, every little plant..every tree..showing its true colour..it was their way of thanking the clouds..it was their way of showing their joy at being showered upon.. I, too, was beaming with joy.. I was one of them..

Soon the colour around me changed to a bright yellow, though it was evening..then a dull red..

Soon it will be night..time for a slumber..

I'll dream of those playful days again..when kids used to play around me..when they came to sit in my shade.. and I would happily listen to their chatter..

Yes..those days would come again soon.. for summer's almost over..

I'm the lone tree..standing in the ground.. soon I'll be surrounded.. The First rain of June has made me feel young again..

Not All's Lost....

Destiny's a word that's doing the rounds inside most of my friends' minds at the moment.. But I doubt if ever anyone would be able to understand its working.. Fate.. as some people put it.. Who decides it for everyone??

Do WE get to write it for ourselves? I doubt.. A lot many events which unfolded in the past one month definitely made me sit up and think.. about this mundane existence which we call "Life"..

What is it that drives us forward? What is it that makes us strive..even though we know we may not get our fair share of the pie?

Luck, they say, favours the brave.. the deserving.. But it doesn't favour them all the time does it? Why is it so?

Failures may be the stepping stones to success. But if each failure makes you go deeper into a shell, when will you find your staircase to success?

Wish someone was out there waiting to answer all my queries..

They say, Whatever happens, happens for the best.. But I'm starting to think of it in a different light..

Whatever happens, happens to bring out YOUR best..

HOPE is the only way forward. It helps one perform to his potential the day he actually needs to..

And as for the staircase to success, one probably just needs to build an elevator.....

A Long Hiatus

Have taken a long break now.... but am yet to come up with something good enough to write..

It's been so hectic, this semester.. what with assignments,tests,training and all those other things which we never want to do!!

I've been drained of the little energy that I had got..

So, even though these thoughts may seem inconsequential to you..the reader.. I sign off with a promise..only to myself..that I'll soon come up with something more concrete to write about.

Not some garble that comes in my mind the moment I open my blog page!!

I don't know what to title this post.. A subject, which everyone knows about, and still ignores.. Because they only feel apathy towards it all..

Try being a woman,walking down the road.. You'll see.. rather, feel the male gaze at the back of your head.. Don't even think about it in a crowded bus.. Jostling near the ladies side is a favourite passtime of many a male.

Have men never seen women before??

A woman wearing jeans is looked at, stared at, as if she's an alien and is new to the planet.. whereas every second woman on the road is wearing one.

What i don't understand is, if you can wear jeans, why can't I ?

Why am I expected to toe the traditional line and wear something "demure" like the salwar? Do you don traditional attire everytime you step out of the house?

Why should I be told what to wear and what not to?

And, Who are you to tell me?

Do I keep staring at you when you wear earrings, initially a "girl" concept ??

The problem is when someone utters something and goes off in the opposite direction, I normally do not have time to go after him. When I say "I", I signify the general woman. And even if I do have time, what do I tell him? Half the time I do not understand what the person utters.

I can't go slap him in the face.. He might say he never spoke to me in the first place and then I might have to suffer a backlash from the crowd, which would definitely have gathered by then....

Filing a complaint with the police is a farce. What is the maximum that can happen? He might have to spend the evening on a bench in the station,gossiping with the constable.. And then when he comes out, he starts looking for me, vengeance in mind!!!!

So,all I do is swallow the anger, and keep walking as if the guy doesn't exist.

But what if you keep facing these problems everyday? Do you just pray to God that "One Fine Day" it should all stop?? Do you start wearing "demure" dresses??

Why should you? It's the male who needs to change.If he doesn't, you go your way and he'll find his..

If he can wear trousers,so can she. When he studies,so does she, better than many.. When he goes to work, so does she. Do males feel jealous? Are they wary of the extra competition from the oppsite sex? What really is the problem with people??

Only men know.. The "Male Chauvinism" is yet to be vanquished..

"I'm a male and She'll do as I say.."

If she doesn't, she's characterless..

You are SO FULL of it, "character", when you stare at a girl your sister's age, just because she's wearing jeans.. After all, how dare she? Jeans is the birthright of males.. Females cannot usurp that right can they now?

WHY ????

This is a question which pops up most frequently in our heads.

There are so many things which we want to change in society..

Why are we unable to do so?

Whenever I come home I feel like going back to where I came from!! The roads are perilously potholed and slushy. I walk at the risk of getting hit either by stones from the road, or by the vehicles themselves..

Why don't I have a separate area to walk?

The autos and rickshaws can stand wherever they want.. I think they own the roads. True? So, I definitely have to negotiate them and walk in the middle of the road. Of course, you can't expect buses and autos to maintain traffic rules, can you? ( Gosh! How could you???? They are special people. Not like you and me, are they?? )

WHY ??

Come exam time, and innumerable loudspeakers start blaring around my house.. Politicians can't tone down their voices, can they? They wouldn't reach the masses if they follow noise-level rules, would they?

So,all I have to do is shut the doors and windows AND my ears ( is that possible?? ) and get back to studying.. ( after cursing of course!)

WHY ?? ( I really mean it.. How come rallies get arranged every time you have an exam? )

You may think I atleast get to have a good night's sleep.. Nope..

Mistaken again.. Just when you think you will drop off to sleep, a pack of dogs start growling and barking and fighting down the street.. I can't go down and ask them not to shout can I ??

WHY ?????? ..................................................

The First Day Of The 4th Year....

23July,2009.

I had a lousy start.. A fully crowded bus stopped in front of me. Knowing i had either this or a 15 minute wait, i grudgingly got in.. Had to keep standing and jostling for space, till i finally got down at Hazra, after an hour.

Then, i had to contend with a queue(for the auto) the size of 2-3 Anacondas combined! I knew i had no chance for the next 20 mins..

[There are supposed to be 80000 autos in Kolkata.... were they playing hide n seek??]

A few helpful college mates called me to share a cab with them, but with the taxi already full with 5 boys,where was i to sit? So i had to let go of that option too.. It was 11:10 and i had to be in college by 11:30..

Felt so angry.... All this on the very 1st day..

If i had been superstitious, i would have left all hope of a good sem!!

Finally, with some luck, a few of us college mates got hold of a cab..

Then began the slowest taxi drive of my life.... How roads could be this clogged with vehicles, I had no idea..

We atlast managed to reach college just in time.. dishevelled and black with the soot n smoke, which the various bus n taxi owners showered on us indulgently!!

[Why do i even bother getting ready and looking into the mirror everyday??]

It was with a relieved sigh that I sat down on a seat my friend had saved for me.. It was good to catch up on the news and views of friends..

After the usual pep talk from the teachers, we retired into our classrooms. Curtains on the windows this time.. good..

Checking out the routine was a drab affair, as it had never held out promise.. always faced with full college days,inspite of lesser subjects and even lesser practical classes..

Next stop, Bus-stop.

But no bus came to give me a ride to my destination.. Interested in some exercise and in saving some money (had to shell out more than the usual for the taxi, remember?), I decided to walk a little distance..

Only to be caught unawares,by a downpour.. My poor umbrella was no match for the fury of the Rain-God..

Fully drenched, I ultimately boarded a bus which took me home, thus ending an unusually eventful (and unlucky) day..

The woes (aplenty) of an ordinary college student.......

THE UNWANTED....

The worst thing to feel in life is to feel overshadowed.. Worse still , if it happens when least expected. without reason.. You have no idea why the other person gets so much more importance than you do.. and you end up confused and depressed..

You definitely want your pride of place.. and when you don’t get it, you are bound to get frustrated aren’t you?

Though the world is changing, and people put up false pretences of discarding primitive beliefs, some notions just don’t seem to go..

But…. It must have been your fault, to have taken your place for granted, to think you TOO matter.. to think you must be perched at the top of the scale of recognition…. But, now, it hurts badly, to fall from such a height.

You know you’ve always done your bit.. even though you may not be as successful as you wanted to be, you know you’ve done all you could..
But if you still are not appreciated, it may not be your fault.. but someone else’s blindness or perjury….