The Way You Make Me Feel...

& it really starts.. when i start gasping for breath...
i feel it... the blood rushing to my face...
i feel it... flush right through my veins; & into my cheeks...
i feel it... traversing through the ventricles...
i feel it... entering my blood vessels... & then i hear it...
the thump in my ears... my own personal orchestra...
but i keep going...
i keep going till the noise becomes deafening...
so deafening that it resonates & reverberates through my entire body...
& that's when i raise my hands to this euphoric high... this endorphin rush!

i run through the streets...
people watch me... but i don't care...
i run through busy roads...
cars honk at me.. phew... & i don't care...
red lights... green lights.. & the blinking oranges scream...
so, i violated a few lights.. bwaah... i don't-don't-don't care...
kids race me... women wonder what's happening... men ogle & comment...
but my music is so loud... like i said... i don't care...
the smell of katthis & dimsums fill the air...
but the legs just keep going... & somehow... i really don't care...
cuz i can feel it through my bones... & in the sweat that's breakin' in...
that IT IS here... the sweet rush of dopamine!

oh running.. how you make me feel..
no lover comes close... the way you make me feel...
you're the answer to everything.. that's what you make me feel...
if i have too much candy.. you get me outta of it...
if i don't fit into some cloth.. you get me into it...
if something is loose on me... you make it look sexy...
i'm happy... & i think of you...
i'm stressed... & all i want is you...
i'm depressed... & you can pep me up...
i'm all high... & you can calm me down...
i can taste you.. feel you... breathe you...
oh! that sweet taste of adrenaline!

hey you... reading this..
don't get me wrong..
i'm not obsessed...
it's just that...

P.S. The post is not only dedicated to running, but also to Midnight Scribbles for reading my mind about writing this post!

Let's Make a Difference!

I hate waking up early... even if that means getting late for office...
Yet, i wake up early every weekend.. so I don't get late for my guitar lessons...

Every saturday morning... when i'm up & having my tea or reading the morning news; there is a bell that goes off... sometimes i ignore it.. sometimes they go away... other times they ring a bell again... sometimes i just scream whose there... at other times i answer it... i inevitably always know who it is going to be... yet, sometimes, i just go & see & from the balcony of my 1st floor, i look down upon an orange singlet clad Shani Maharaj.. I look at him in anger & scream "kitni baar bola hai humari ghanti mat bajaya karo! (how many times have i asked you not to ring our bell)"... it angers me how an able-bodied man can go door-to-door begging... for God's sake, his belly is bigger than my dad's... this begging thing, really gets on my nerves!

If you have your hands & feet intact, why resort to begging? there are a million things you can do... pull a rickshaw... polish shoes.. mop the floors... you can even do nautanki.. at least you will entertain people in exchange of the money... what about selling balloons, or books on the roadside.. or even home made candles & agarbattis... there are so many things you can do apart from begging! I know people say, don't say you understand, cuz you don't, you are not in those shoes... but the fact is... i have seen poverty.. & begging is no way to emerge out of it... there is no pride in it.. there are a million who are poor... just go to the villages of Kerela (my home town) or Bihar or you know what, i can count multiple poor places.. & none of them take pride in begging... they take pride in their culture & stand for themselves... just check out Raghurajpur... the people there are poor.. but they don't beg... in fact, they have created a legacy & made Raghurajour the heritage crafts village of Odisha.

Isn't it a wonder that a poor farmer started a legacy? he turned the whole village into a sea of artists.. have you ever witnessed such fan following of a poor farmer that the whole village aspires to be him???

Can you imagine, that to ensure his legacy continues, the village has a Gurukul that is free of cost??? Here in Urban India, we pay tons & tons of tuition fee for vocational trainings for our children that they are least bit interested in pursuing as career... & there, they create employment opportunity absolutely free of cost... they create their own motifs.. natural colors... & their own artwork.. it is creativity at its best... & what makes them happy is the awe-d look on your face when you see it... buy it... that is the real passion for work... isen't it? & how fair is it that these artist put in all their creativity.. all their passion... all their hard work into a piece of art that they create in time ranging over days & weeks & sometimes even months; to get not a fraction of the real value of the master piece that they so rigorously created? How fair is it that the middle-men pocket almost all of the profit? How fair is it that these people do not fall down to begging but the middle-men fall down to stealing from them? Of course this is stealing... mark ups are not supposed to be more than 17%!

It's not fair & it's not right... If these artist are in the lines of utmost dignity, nobody should have the right to leech off them... there should be a way to surpass these middlemen so these artist can get what they righly deserve... Let's give them a platform that they rightly deserve... a platform that can help them showcase what they have to the world.. & it does not take a lot.. all it takes is a website that links them to the whole world (of acknowledgement & opportunity)... These artist with their everyday moves makes our lives colorful... let's return the favor & make their lives just as colorful! Let's make a difference!

This post has been written for the "Do Right!" contest.
#DoRight helps many such causes... Want to help the poor stand for themselves... visit DoRight!

You Love Who You Love!

Love.
Is hard to find.
Yet I see it everyday, all around me.

Love.
It empowers you.
Yet, I have seen how it over-powers everyone.

Love.
Won't you just do anything for it?
How far would you go? Would you go a thousand miles?

Love knows no boundaries.. no caste... no creed...
Love knows no riches.. no poverty.. no lies.. no politics...
Love knows no skin color... no language barriers...
All love knows is you love who you love!

These are the things we have heard... I mean seriously.. how many of us believe love knows none of the a fore mentioned!

Funny as it may sound.. I do... I believe in all of it.. cuz in spite of the fact that I am yet to find the one true love... the fact is.. I know that its there... cuz i see it all around me... & i see it everyday!

I see it when my mother smiles at my dad when he comes home & asks him how was your day... its not funny man.. they have been married for 30+ years... I see it when my father tells me he secretly has been stacking up some cash to give mum a surprise on their anniversary... its really not funny.. we are a family that migrated from poor to middle just about a few years ago... I see it when we order from outside when dad is not around... not funny again.. mum loves to cook, but doesn't feel like when dad isen't around.

All of the love knows no boundaries.. caste... creed etc. are true for them... Dad is far south - Malayalee.. mother is right up top - Sindhi.. dad speaks Malayalam.. mum speaks Hindi... Dad only knows there are Hindus & Christians... Mum talks of Sindhi & sub castes in Sindhis... Dad is dark as night.. mum is white as day... dad ran to delhi to overcome poverty... mum used to wear designer sun glasses before she was even working... dad did not know what aalu ka parantha is & mum had never cooked in coconut oil... but the fact is, you love who you love! & dad loves mom & mom loves dad!

Can you see the love in their eyes?

I see them romance everyday & I wonder how they did it... if someone asks me to let go of the amenities that I enjoy everyday & settle down with someone in a rented 1 room acco where I have to cook & wash & clean & scrub all by myself; just for the sake of love.. i wonder how I would feel? I wonder if I can actually do it just for the sake of love... i wonder how my mother felt & i wonder how strong the love was/is to leave all the good stuff behind.. if someone tells me that i will have to buy a house, raise a child, make money & also pursue a degree just so i can give a better life to someone I love.. i wonder how I would feel? I wonder if I'd be capable enough to do it for the sake of love.. i wonder just how my dad felt & i wonder how strong the love was/is to not crack under such pressure! i really wonder how they did it.. cuz it is commendable.. yes, there are the Tatas & the Birlas & the Ambanis... but they did not raise me... they are not my super dad... they are not my super mum... my own folks are... cuz to maintain being in love across all the hardships needs super strength.

My dad recently discovered that my mother loves ice-cream & ever since he discovered the same, he brings her ice-cream every summer night... that's love.. black suits white people, but my dad hates the color, so my mother never buys anything black irrespective of how much she loves it... that's love.. I wonder if i will ever be able to love like that... love so strong that no matter how many odds are against you... you stand strong... love so true that you accept the whole of the person, not just the things you love, but also the things you don't... love so simple that its visible in every smile & every tear drop! i wonder if i'll ever have such as love??? & if i do.. will i actually be able to go that far... but I guess when you love like that... it takes you far & beyond your imagination.. everyone deserves that kinda love.. everyone needs that kinda love!

This post has been written for the "Go further to get closer" contest.
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Time to Change.. Time to Clean Up!

Well.. it's a fact.. so let's face it... we Indians.. we are the spicy kind... don't get me wrong.. I mean we love spice.. especially in our food... the more condiments that go into our food... the more aromatic it is.. the more we love it... whether it be the home deep-fried-pre-marinated-in-namak-lalmarchi-dhaniya-pepper fish that makes our eyes & nose water or the local markets i-dont-know-how-many-spices-used-to-marinate tandoori chicken that have fire blaring right out of our ears... this really is what we love.. not to mention our national love for onions & garlic... I have actually seen men eating raw onion like nobody's business while waiting for food...

Well.. who am I to complain about any of this.. because the fact is.. I love it too... in fact, I may be a step ahead... cuz when my throat is burning with the firecrackers from all the spices, I like to top it with a hot cuppa tea! Wooooah! Now if you've done it.. then, you know that really IS something! It's much too obvious that with our immense love for such great food including the gaseous ones like cholay & rajma & the gobhi & mooli which let a guy sitting 20 mts from us know what we got for lunch, that we too bask in the aroma of what we eat! After all, you are what you eat.. right?

Well.. be what you wanna be.. eat what you wanna eat.. but what about me? what about me when I'm standing next to you? Oh.. let me rewind a little & give you another fact.. we as Indians.. don't believe in the concept of space... if there is a line & if there is any space between any 2 people, the fact is, it is our birth right to invade that space & make it ours.. so.. why leave it to chance?? why leave any space?? which brings me back to the "what happens to me" when I'm standing next to you?? I mean I share my space with people everyday... so really.. what happens to me??

What happens to me when I'm standing next to you in a bank's queue on a Saturday morning?
What happens to me when I'm standing next to you in a metro & you shove your armpit in my face?
What happens to me when I'm sitting next you on a bus & you decide that you need a stretch & place you arm on my head rest?
What happens to me when I'm standing next to you & you wave at a friend you see at a distance?
What happens to me when I'm standing next to you while you are presenting & throwing your arms up in the air over & over again to make a point?

I'll tell you what happens to me... I die a little!

Because you decide to eat all of what you like to eat & then decide that the body needs to secrete it beautiful juices naturally & do nothing to tame your awesome odor & to top it decide that it's just too cold to take a wash for 3 whole days... I die.. I actually do.. I'm not asking you to not eat what you want... but brushing.. bathing & deodorants are basic hygiene! & no.. I'm not singling out our Indian men here... this one also goes out to the ladies //read stink-o-mania here//

Now that you know that I die a little.. you know what dying people do? They tell the truth.. So, let me tell you what happens to you... What happens to you is I ask you "what's that smell, boss?" I ask you cuz I don't care that you will be offended... most people tend to get embarrassed about this.. many tend to fix their act.. move as little as possible.. sit with their body parts as close to themselves.. stop sticking to me.. some tend to cheekily say must be him or her when they know I am talking about them.. a few tend to smell their armpit & get embarassed... but every once in a while.. there are few who turn around & ask me what my problem is.. we live in a free country & we are free to do as we may choose..

I'll tell you what my problem is.. its a free country, alright, but did you know darling, that your freedom ENDS, where another person's NOSE begins? & this is my nose... & your scent is not welcome in my territory! Cuz you know what.. I am done changing my metro boogies because you need a grip... I am done looking in every other direction & avoiding breathing just because a Saturday morning is an inconvenient time for you to take a wash... I'm done ditching my seat on a bus just because you wanna stretch... I am done taking 2 steps back when you wave to your friend... & I most definitely am done just changing slides so you can wave your hands & do all the talking! Its time that you change your boogies... Its time you respect the distance between us when we are standing in a line at the bank... it's time you keep your hands to yourself when sitting in a bus... its time that your friend stops hugging you cuz you leave your stink on them as well... & its time that i make the presentations & you change the slides... its time to change.. its time to clean up! Try it... you may actually enjoy it!

This post has been written for the "Close Encounters of the Smelly Kind" contest.
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Wrote To Fly & Won #Goibibo

The thing about a Business trip is – well... you go places.. attend the conference.. head home!

The thing about Goa is – who goes to Goa on a business trip?

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Well I did – what I did at the business trip (Wednesday – Friday) is boring... all I did is within the walls of Marriott’s.. & then I thought to myself.. I cannot do this.. I am in Goa “the fun place”... so I put up a facebook update “Anyone in Goa?” & extended my stay till Monday morning & the only thing on my mind was partying! So I hailed a taxi & told the cabbie to take me to a happening place in Goa.. & off we were to Britto’s@Baga Beach... While I was getting outta the cab, I got a call from a friend’s friend (thanks to FB) & he told me he is Goa... “Great, let’s meet” I said.. he responded with “Cool.. if you come to Baga.. lemme know”.. “I am at Baga”, I exclaimed... “Oh great.. I’m at Britto’s with my frenz.. are you nearby?” was this a coincidence or what? & he introduced me to his gang.. I gate crashed a stranger’s party.. & the funny part is, they all welcomed me with open arms! I made friends with my friend’s friend’s friends... & Right from that moment, it was helluva ride!

 

& it started with Karaoke.. right beside Britto’s is a Karaoke bar.. right in front is the Baga beach.. where we din’t just wet our feet.. we actually took the whole dive! Who cares about the running mascara when you’re having so much fun!

I checked outta Marriott’s the next morning & checked into the resort they were staying at (Nazri).. of course you cannot compare Nazri with Marriott’s... but the fact is.. North Goa is more fun when you share your room with likeminded people; than when you just enjoy the luxuries at a 5 star. We headed off to a place called The Synq... we danced all night... with strangers from across the globe... In Goa.. nobody cares if you are an Indian or Portuguese or Latin or American.. as long as you smile & dance with them... That day.. I made a bunch of friends with people from across the globe. After all the dancing, I & my new found friends headed to the Sinquerim beach... & then we hit the Anjuna beach too... we played in the waters like free dogs & buried our bodies in the sand like a bunch of 5 year olds.. we danced without any music like love struck teenagers.. sang like we are American Idols.. counted stars like we actually could & then, we saw the sun rising as it kissed the waters.. that’s when we decided to head home!

We had a 3 o clock brunch the next day... the Goan fish like everyone says is to die for... & then we hit the Aguada fort... the weather was warm & so were the people... no matter where I looked, there were smiles... almost everyone there was celebrating their friendship.. & is there a more perfect way to do the same than the classic dil chahta hai pose at the DCH fort? We hit the Aguada beach right after... Tried to sneak into Taj.. failed miserably.. So we boarded our scooties to head back home to change into some party clothes.. I actually learned how to ride a scooty while coming back...

After we were all dressed up.. I even drove to a place called LPK – Love Passion Karma... The non-dancer in me danced all night & on a pole.. day before, I made friends... this day.. I made fans! With the amount of pole dancing I did.. LPK could actually pay me for being their showstopper “star attraction”!!! That night we relived last night all over again at the Candolim beach.. the dancing.. the singing.. the water.. the sand castles.. the stars & then the SUN.. that’s when I realized.. I have a flight to catch!!!

This post was written for the goibibo #writetofly contest.. & lookie I won!!! :D