quirkyblue

Be still pause linger for a moment catch the magic in a falling raindrop capture the miracle of the first sunray celebrate the smell of morning tea. Talk to the wandering clouds Chase a rainbow Tweet back to the birds Let a butterfly alight on your shoulder live love laugh Bring back the magic the wonderment the wow

How I yearn for the lonesome sea rushing, roaring, rolling perpetually What does it ponder? what does it pray? Is there hope or just dismay? Alive n' kicking or plain frustrated Are its dramatics authentic or narrated? Is the blue sky its only audience? Colouring it with its own moods and vibrance? How I wish I were lost in the breeze No voice, no murmur, no 'thanks you', no 'please' Dance if I could with all that is me Joining the sea and the sky, break free! Languages abound but I want no words Just want to drown in a sense of purpose...

I miss Dehradun . Labeling it as home-sickness wouldn't be fair. Because it isn't just my home that I miss, but the entire city, the air, the roads, the bakeries and most of all, the mountains. For around 24 years, every morning that I woke up, I would be greeted by the austere presence of the silent giants. Sometimes blue, sometimes green, sometimes gray, and innumerable mishmashed shapes in between... forever playing withe their misty companions, the clouds. In the summers the peaks would turn grey, and there would be no sight of clouds. The vivid blue sky would provide a stark contrast to the heat wave beneath. The breeze would transform into, what we call, the loo - which in the vernacular lingo means hot wind, not the restroom! And the mountains would stand stoically day in and day out. At nights however, one could often see the stark lines of forest fires in the distance, as if the heat really did become unbearable for the rocky giants and they are venting their f

I had a fantastic Saturday morning watching a group of spirited, determined and charming girls put on a great show on the telly. No, I'm not referring to the Miss World/Universe/Earth/Asia/whatuwill contest, or the sloppy Indian version of 'So you think You Can Dance', but the ICC Women's World Cup 2009. Well, I must confess that I didn't know that women's cricket had a World Cup too. But then again, I'm not a cricket fan. That said, I didn't continue watching the game because the players were women, but because it was a good game! In fact, it seemed like a slightly different replay of last thirty minutes of 'Chak De', with Indian kudis facing off Australian babes. India scored an impressive 234 for five and beat the hosts by 16 runs! Be it Anjum Chopra's cool 76, Mithali Raj's impeccable fielding, Jhulan Goswami's tightly controlled run rate or wickets taken by Gauhar and reema, these girls knew how to kick ***! I specially lo

Alone, I stand Looking ahead, and back Trails travelled and unknown. Behind are the woods - wistful, grateful, sorrowful can't just leave them behind, can I? And yet, the sky ahead is turquoise. A blissful wind slaps my cheeks, the sun burns me a rich brown. It stings... and feels alive. What is it at the horizon? A gathering storm, I must say, as I get drawn towards its. Crazy? Ah... yes. Passion is crazy. Being alive is being crazy. Being happy is being crazy. I laugh, and move ahead as the tear drops behind...

A glance by chance at the list of articles by Shashi Tharoor led me to this article, also incidentally named - 'The Idea of India'. While I put my thoughts about the same subject in the earlier blog entry in an elementary way, here's an intellectual giant elaborating the same in a much more engaging and pursuasive write-up. Enjoy!

Just read an engaging column by MJ Akbar - 'All religions are not the same, but fundamentalists are' . He is right on three accounts: Fundamentalists are totally out of sync with popular culture. They are holding on to their own outdated notions - that are incorrect in the first place - and enforcing them on others with impunity. All religions are not the same, but fundamentalists are. Akbar Ji says that they all share an aversion for modernity and a hatred of gender equality. I totally agree. He says, "India is one nation among many that emerged from the ruins of the British empire claiming the mantle of modernity. This is not because Indians are superior to their neighbours, but because the idea of India is better." "The Idea of India" - This is one of the most powerful phrases I've ever come across. The idea of India is so gigantic, vast, expansive, all-endearing... that there is no space for 'one' right way of doing things. India is a

Monkeying can be both good and bad. In fact, it can be pretty bad, as is obvious from my previous post about the Goons in Saffron . Watching the news made my bile rise, and I tried to divert my thoughts to monkeying of a different kind. Mistake me not dear reader, I am just referring to the fantastical acrobatics of our Darwinian ancestors, the real and honourable monkey. Honest to word, I felt much better and would now like to relate to you the same. The apartment where I live is next to the sprawling campus of the Central Silk Board. Apart from the hundreds of worker, the campus is also home to a group of monkeys who take refuge in its greenery in a city that is today defined by its traffic snarls and concrete jungle. Last year, in July, the monkeys made a surprise visit to our apartment , and had ravaged my potted plants kept out in the balcony. Understandably, I was shocked and appalled to see the destruction, and in the following months took great paints to nurse my plan