A teen’s age

Walking along the road; a sunny day,

Tired and thirsty I lost my way,

Every direction I could see,

A different way, a different place to be,

Some appeared smooth and bright,

Others portrayed darkness and fright,

A novice I was, biased to the bright,

Did not wait to think the other side,

May not be as bright as this,

So I just stepped ahead in bliss,

In the way came a fold,

All that glitters is not gold,
I turned around to step behind,

But the way to me was totally blind,

As quoted “if you cannot beat it join it”,

So I refused to forfeit,

Walking along the road ever minute every second,

Killing my conscience as it beckoned,

Just ended the journey with tears by my side,

Nothing at the end I could not abide,

Only once if I had asked for a way,

Singing with joy I’d happily stay,

But that was my part of fate I feel,

Only one wish granted to me I will,

Just sit at that junction where I began,

So another wanderer in a further span,

Would see my pitiful state,

And think at least once, to choose the right gate.

जीवन का संघर्ष

ज़िन्दगी से लड़ रहे है हम,
कुछ तो मौत को भी मात दे गए,
लाखो की भीड़ में खोज रहे अपने को,
कुछ लाखो में अपना निशान छोड़ गए.

सोचते है कभी हम भी उन जैसे,
नीले अम्बर पर बादल बन छाए,
पर लड़ रहे है इस आसमा के नीचे,
कुछ रेशमी डोर से बंधे बंधन निभाए,

फिर तम्मानाये भी है पृथ्वी सम विशाल,
मन पर काबू पाना कोई खेल नहीं,
इसे समझाए या बहलाए, पर क्या,
बिना लगाम का घोड़ा कभी माने नहीं.

सोचते है इस दौड़ का हिस्सा बनकर,
यूँ ही ज़िन्दगी की दौड़ दौड़ते रहे,
कभी बीच सड़क आये मन में ये ख़याल,
दौड़ है ज़िन्दगी या हम ज़िन्दगी से रहे.

कोशिश करने वालो की कभी हार नहीं होती,
बुजुर्गो हा यह ज्ञान साथ लिए,
अपने तत्वों को झकझोरते हुए,
इस कूट- नीती का हिस्सा बनकर जिए.

ज़िन्दगी बस यू ही चलनी है,
क्या खोया, क्या पाया किसका है गम,
ज़िन्दगी का हाथ थामे कुछ पल ही हुए,
अब तो कठिन इम्तिहान की और रुके न कदम.

C’est la Vie.

Searching for the reason for my survival has been the most challenging task of my life. i came across many intriguing philosophies and rather coined a few of my own as well. I have been philosophical since an early age and there was a time when i lived an idealistic life. Every day of my life was calculated and perfect. But the situation was different back then. My survival skills were tested in a restricted arena. No sooner did i step into a larger arena then i realized my philosophies appeared pleasant only on paper. In real life, the scenario is altogether different. As they say,”Easier said then done.” There is no scarcity of philosophies and ideologies, but, very few actually help you survive.

While still a child i was a complaining one. Never happy with what life had to offer. However, clever enough to dig my own way through and get things my way. But all that wit proved insufficient in the larger image of life. I found it difficult to spot myself in that picture. Although, i didnt complain about life, life never seemed to favour me. I have witnessed so much in life that i possess a strong understanding about it. Yet, i could nevere claim that i completely knew what life is. The most important lesson that i learnt was the difference between reality and philosophy. Many fail to see the thin line between the two. However, i had an experience which completely shattered my idea of survival on philosophical basis as well as practical .

Once, i went to a church along with my mother. On my way back, i spotted this certain beggar who was lying along the footpath. The pityful thing about him was that he had lost all his four limbs. As i walked towards him my mind was engulfed by an ocean of doubts. To me his survival didn’t make much sense. Firstly, he didn’t possess a single limb which made him completely dependent. There isn’t a single task in this world that he could do on his own. Someone had to be available for him 24×7. He couldnt prove any help to anyone.Secondly, he is a beggar. He leads a life of misery and poverty. His days couldn’t be any better. Then why is he accepting all the pain and still surviving. He might as well end his life and free himself from the agony and suffering. The moment i passed through him i saw him smile. I was stunned. It didn’t make any sense to me. People would give a thousand reasons for his survival saying that he has a right to survive or its his destiny or may be he is suffering for his past sins.But for me it was senseless. Also, what pricked my heart was that honest and peaceful smile on his face. I could sense the satisfaction in his heart at that moment. I learnt that there was something about life i could never learn. i couldnt figure out his purpose for survival.

We all have choices in life. With each choice we change our course in life. I am an atheist. i had a choice to go along with my mother to the church or meet her directly at the venue where we were both supposed to go together. I made a choice and it gave my life a new meaning. I have to search for more solutions. I have to see life with a diffrent approach. Life is unpredicatble and its unpredictability makes it worth living. Yet, there are people who feel that they could alter their destiny by learning their future. In the end, this descrption i began will sound incomplete. And why shouldnt it. Isnt life incomplete?

Voracious desires coming along,

As every moment surpasses will,

Slowly some facets defaced,

And life has a new tale to reveal.

From dawn to dusk life flows,

Turning, twisting, moving,

Reflecting at certain intervals,

Unveiling what the sight is seeing.

Not crossing the constraints implied,

A cozy companion within the fence,

But as the respect fades away,

May not provide another chance.

Truth is stranger than fiction,

Is yet another truth about life, well known,

Unpredictability makes it worth experiencing,

A few still wish to derange the upcoming dawn.

No one knows what lies beyond life,

Some say there exits a heaven and hell,

Sometimes this helps direct the actions,

For ones willing for a convenient grave to dwell.

Life can be for days or decades together,

Mere survival is not a life lived,

But many travel from cradle to grave,

Like a race ran alone hence nothing achieved.

सहल

जीवनाच्या सहलीला निघालो घरातून,
कधी सावली तर कधी डोक्यावर उन,
पावसाच्या सरी, गारव्याची शीत,
मनाला समजाविले, कोणाला आहेस भीत?
घरच्यांच्या पाठिंबा, मित्रांची साथ,
प्रत्येक संकटाला देउया मात,
सुख- दुखांच्या खेलानेच रमते ही सहल,
क्षणभराच्या अंतरावर असते काही नवल,
प्रत्येक उदय काही शिकवितो,
प्रत्येक अस्त हलूच बोलतो,
असतात दडलेली उत्तरे त्यात अनेक,
आहे प्रश्ण माझा फक्त एक,
कुठे आहे या सहलीचा अंत,
उत्तर सापड़ने वाटे कठिन अत्यंत,
पण अन्तापेक्षा वाट जरुरी,
काय अंत हे कोण विचारी,
खर्या अर्थान तोच जगला,
ह्या सहलीचा आनंद घेणे जो शिकला.

Experimenting with love!!

I stared at her for a long time. Although she realised it, she did not react making me unsure of my approach. Finally, she left and I, a strong believer in the philosophy of ‘love at first sight' stood silent cribbing to myself "I'm in love with her! I'm in love with her!"

However, I find the scenario quite different these days. Especially, in Mumbai city where western life manifests itself in every walk of life, people- to be more precise, teenagers- have become more broad minded and confident. Also walking hand in hand are qualities like recklessness and impatience. It has been my observation that western culture has implanted a sense of scrutiny over matters which were once blindly followed on basis of public opinion. Towards the end, it helps a teen to question but leaves him to his own fate to find a solution. Every facet in life always possesses some pros and cons and both fascinate individuals equally. But that's a social issue. As for love it has always been an issue, an unending one.

Although this topic asks for personal interference I'll try to generalise it.

Lately, a friend debated whether a teenager should express his feelings for the opposite sex he feels he is in love with. Although his complicated ideas did not yield any convincing result, it forced me to frame a second opinion. When I say this, the first question that comes to your mind is that what is my first opinion?

My first opinion was ‘experimenting with love'. One can never be sure about love at first sight. It is normally the seed of infatuation and attraction, nurtured by exchange of feelings, opinions and personal life which finally evolves into an evergreen tree of love. Love needs air to breathe, water to survive and an opportunity to succeed.

Witnessing the cupids display their archery skills on my friends, I always got dragged into these ‘matters'. However, they never yielded long lasting effects. But I learnt enough lessons to carry on an ideal affair irrespective of my feelings towards the girl.

There are very few people in this world who actually give these ideas a thought. Psychologically, most people get obsessed with the idea of being together with someone whom they feel they love. It would be difficult to find a teenager who would actually understand the difference or at least try to differentiate between love and infatuation. This does not imply that a person needs to be completely responsible and matured. It has been my observation that most teenagers who are aware about their responsibilities tend to fear falling in love. They take most ‘extra-ordinary feeling' as infatuation and in the least cases attempt to involve themselves into commitments. Its psychological, hence, reactions always differ among individuals.

I have witnessed several love stories. Some were successful and many unsuccessful. However, towards the end although I agree that psychology plays an important role in development of feelings it never changes the true meaning of love. All the while I have been thinking about teenage love and why most affairs collapse despite of strong commitments. It is now that I realise that the term love just takes different forms but its true meaning never changes.

Love does not change from mother to child, child to his brother or sisters and finally from husband to wife. It is not difficult to understand that terms like life, death, love, friendship, etc are very difficult to define. You may find millions of books filled with complicated philosophies on life and love. However, in the end they are all based on personal experiences. Our idea of love changes because most of the times our perception is based on our vision. Vision can only see physical movements and physical movements are outcome of one's psychology. Hence, each individual's opinions and reactions diversify the nature of love. One of the most beautiful love story that I have witnessed is that of my parents. On my scale, two persons with the nature similar to my parents have very low chances of getting along. It is said ‘opposites attract'. But how well do they get along? The only catalyst that makes it possible is love. Even after a long-term observation I could not describe their relationship. But one thing I always realised was that there was ‘something' that binds them despite of their differences and which kept their relationship intact through thick and thin.

To be honest after observing every love story I doubt my own knowledge about love. It might not be right to terminate this topic with some incomplete theories. However, any statement I make will only describe a few love stories but there will be thousand others who may be different. In the end, I have changed my opinion of experimenting with love. Generally, matters get complicated with inexperienced teenagers. By this statement I do not wish to claim that a person who has been through many affairs is more capable of finding true love. Loving someone is like accepting someone's responsibility. It is similar to being a mother or father. You do not bear a child just to retain your family name. It is because you are ready to accept the responsibility of a life you love more than your own. I assume this example says it all. The patience and sense of responsibility involved is self explanatory.

You cannot clap with one hand. The need for someone special is felt by each one of us. Sometimes I feel that we all are born incomplete and only our companion helps us achieve the satisfaction of being complete. In our times of sorrows when we loose all our strength to fight it is the love of that special person which provides enormous power. The strange phenomenon about love is that the person may not understand your problem, still he or she is able to soothe your wounds. I suppose, as the fruit of love is so pure and filling, not every farmer can harvest it in his backyard. It is well said, "Greater the difficulty, sweeter the victory."

Searching for identity.

Walking along with the crowd,

I see myself, then ask,
Where am I going?

I run with the crowd,

But stand alone, then ask,

What am I achieving?

I see the same as the crowd,

But perceive differently, then ask,

Why is it happening?

I laugh with the crowd,

But cry alone, then ask,

How am I reacting?

I sleep with the crowd,

But dream alone, then ask,

When was I sharing?

I talk with the crowd,

But discuss alone, then ask,

Whom am I trusting?

I behave as the crowd,

But act alone, then ask,

Whose part am I playing?

I can only see the crowd,

Still searching alone, then ask,

Do I possess an identity of my own?