Falling in love..

was it Shakespeare or Gibran or Tolstoy? ah well.. think it was just Corrs. who said "i am falling in love". and said it so that no one can ever say it in the same way. ever again. but then that is what i feel. for this place and this time. when i first landed in this sleepy little town, i couldn't wait to get out of it. not that the roads and amazing skies didnt enchant me. but they never just enchanted me enough. but a couple of days back, my friend drove me to a city may be 25 miles away. for my license test. en route we were chased. by angry rain clouds. and every minute we lost the race we would be stuck in their wrath so heavy that one could barely see 30 feet or so up ahead. but the moment. was enchanting. and so is this town now. sleepy it may be. but there is so much greenery in just a couple of miles drive. and then there are beautifully breath taking sunsets. there are a hundred different new things to know about, a hundred different cuisines too and all in all, i don't have enough reasons maybe. but i think i'm in love. i couldn't for the life of me love sleepy lil bentonville as much as i loved hyderabad. a city which is wrapped in its amazing history. which to this date lives on in its people who speak the language which is music to ones ears - urdu. in all its tehzeeb and adab and yet the modernity which stares boldly at you through its buildings and trendiness.. so i can never love this just as much as hyderabad, but then i guess i can love this place too.

and i can't wait to move to ny. for that is a city i already know i will love. a city i wish i can spend a certain portion of my life in. the only other place i have had that feeling for is auroville in pondy. and that is for an entirely different reason. for while i want to stay in auroville to travel inward, i want to stay in ny to travel outward.

life in the moments...

its not the moments in ones life but life in the moments that matter.

talk to a kid - gibberish which makes perfect sense.
hug a sleeping baby to the closest corner of ones heart.
lie on green grass underneath a full moon. not talking. but listening.
discover the the hidden glint of craziness in someone you love. and find comfort in the finding.
meet someone who goes to work with a song on their lips. even if the work is to clean restrooms.
listen to "do re me" sung by a 68 year old cab driver who plays the piano and euphonium besides having a "functional knowledge" of cello and violin.

Caged..

he walked up to his desk. the acceptance letter lay open on his screen. he had finally done it. after three years of wishing to get out of here, he would now be out. all he had to do was reply to this e-mail and then start the long-driven process of exit from his current firm. and of course convince everyone who mattered that this was what he wanted to do. convince his family, his colleagues, his boss and everyone else who thought that quitting a swank job for peanuts and passion is insane. but it didnt matter to him. he felt brave. he felt he was ready to take on the world. and he did not need the safety net of a well paying job. he would quit. he would follow his hearts desire and everythin else would automatically fall into place. he would do dis as his gift to himself. he would first confirm that he would join the organisation and then send in his resignation e-mail.

he walked up to his balcony. n looked out to say the bustling life below his flat.. on his balcony though he was not alone. he had company. mithu sat der in its cage, lookin at him with a new fangled interest. he looked into its eyes. and saw his dream reflected in it. d dream that had taken shape in his heart and was now in his reach. of stepping out. of stretching ones wings. of taking flight. he reached out and opened the door o the cage. he stepped back and looked at mithu. he stood der waiting for mithu to make a move. mithu angled up to the open door. it held the edge of the cage with its clawed feet as it put its head out and took in the surroundings. for a second he could swear mithu looked him straight in the eye. and then mithu stepped - not out of the cage but right back into it. and.. it stayed there. back in its favourite corner, next to its bowl of chillis.

stunned, he stood der lookin at mithu. as slow minutes ticked into hours, he reached out and this time closed the door of the cage. listlessly, he walked back to his desk. the acceptance letter lay open on his screen. he clicked on reply and typed in - 'i'm sorry to say i will not be able to accept your offer because of personal reasons...'

How do you do..

she logs in to facebook once again. to see if there is any action. life is a relentless restlessness now. she logs in to all her accounts. two in gmail. one facebook. one orkut. and one twitter. looks like the world is frozen. so she logs off. with nothing to do, she snuggles into her king sized bed, switches off the light. and falls asleep. after 5 hours.

he fiddles with the remote. one channel after the other. nothing looks appetizing enough. he shuts the thing down. and searches for the newspaper. sitting cross legged on the sofa set, he tries to absorb himself in the affairs of the world. and fails. he sits there for a while. realizes he is in a mood to not-care. walks up to his bedroom, and drowns his miseries under layers of cozy blanket.

the next day dawns. he calls his friend next door to step out for office along with him. they meet in front of their rooms. together they go down to the parking lot. as they walk, he asks - 'how you doing? how was your day yday?' 'oh i'm doing good.' says she. 'i met up with a lot of friends online. how was yours' asks she. 'was good. was checkin out some really cool shows on television last night.' replies he.

Just in passing..

they wait at the theatre. the young couple, the guy's mother and their group of friends. the guy - young, smart, with a voice that resounds and dissolves people into helpless laughter. the girl - petite, short, the vermillion on her forehead vouching for more years than the face would otherwise merit. the guy turns around to walk to the popcorn stall. his shirt has come untucked at the back. she looks at his retreating figure. silently she walks up to him at the pop corn queue. standing next to each other and away from their gang of friends and family, they talk. he turns to her and smiles. in the blink of an eye she reaches out and tucks his shirt in. an impish grin spreads across the pretty face. his arm comes around wraps her waist.

Lovey dovey..

in the hot humid afternoon, surrounded by the crowd, they sat by the window. the train skimmed past and the the crowd milled around them. oblivious to the rest of the frenzied world, the young college couple lost themselves in their chatter. she - eloquently using her hands to emphasize and paint her words. he - arching his head towards her to listen nod smilingly. every once in a while she would move her headscarf up. and every once in a while he would fiddle with the red raksha on his hand. there was a seat next to him. but even in the crowded train, no one disturbed this reverie. they talked and played and laughed and smiled and talked some more. then ensued the climactic mock battle with the mobile. she would reach out to press a key and he would playfully move it beyond her reach. finally she reached out with determination and an impish smile. there was a split second delay on his part as he moved the mobile beyond her reach. and it was enough for her to place her hand authoritatively. on his wrist. he looked up with a happy start. and his smile broadened when he realized the hand was going to stay.it was then that i realized i was intruding on an immensely intimate moment.

i hurriedly looked away and lost myself in the pages of - one life to ride. but the smile stayed. on their faces. and mine. :)