एक ओस की बून्द,

एक घास का तिनका,

हैं तो बहुत छोटे

पर क्या समझते हो मोल इनका ?

हवा के झोंकों में झूमते हुए पेड़

धूप का स्पर्श, बादलों की रेल .

छोटी छोटी चीज़ें

जो शायद अनदेखी हो जाएं,

रोज़ की भाग दौड़ में

चिडिया और कोयल किसे याद आए?

बड़े की आस को ग़लत नही मानती

लेकिन फिर भी

मैं इतना हूँ जानती,

एक एक बूँद से ही सागर है बनता,

नन्ही कलियों से गुलशन है खिलता .

तो छूना अगर है आसमान,

तो यह न भूलो

सदियों पर भी रहता है

हर छोटे पल का पहरा.

तो हर पल का मोल जानो

छोटी-छोटी बातों में छिपी

बड़ी खुशियों को पहचानो .

Voting

It’s really nice that voting is the new cool thing this year. Most people are quite upbeat that they are gonna vote/ have voted. I like the enthusiasm. I like the optimism.

But just a word of caution…amidst all the ‘jaago re’ hoopla, don’t forget that voting is just one step. It’s not the be-all-n-end-all of all our problems. No matter what these awareness campaigns say, “ek sahi vote” isn’t really going to change everything. It is definitely a beginning of change. Let’s not forget it’s just that. A beginning. An important first step. If we want all the things we do – better governance, cleaner politics, honest opportunities, faster development – mere voting isn’t getting us anywhere. Coz the people we vote for are still the same. I don’t want to be a cynic. I want to vote too (mostly coz I also think it’s cool). But for whom?? I’ve been trying to get hold of the list of candidates in my constituency without any success. And neither of the leading parties appeals much to me. Quite a bleak situation if you think of it! I don’t want to vote just for the heck of it!

And the point is, even if I do figure out one decent candidate and vote for him/her and Even if he/she gets elected (though that’s being a bit too optimistic!)…then what? If that person belongs to one of the major parties, he/she will soon ‘mould’ into their line of thought. If they are an independent candidate, what can they do in a scenario when the ruling party is just not interested in the ‘lesser’ issues?!

Actually, the point is not how bad things are. The point is how much worse will I let them get till I do something about it. Maybe the excitement about these elections is a good way to wake up. To “jaago” in the true sense. To not just vote coz it’s a smart thing, but to vote smartly. To be politically aware and active. To pick up a broom and start cleaning my home. To stop wondering and start doing. To shake myself outta apathy. These elections may not mend everything right away, but they are definitely an eye-opener. I’ll always remember 2009 as the year I decided to ‘grow up’.

school stuff

It's almost the end of grad college, and I've been thinking of school. haha...no connection.

My most special school time memory is from when I was in the 12th standard. It was almost the end of school. We had assembled in the audi to practice for the candle light ceremony. And a lot of people were getting teary. I, on the other hand, was sobbing. It had nothing to do with the fact that school life was coming to an end. I had misplaced a friend’s diary (the one in which everyone writes stuff about you and sticks pictures and says ‘don’t ever change’ and ‘friends forever’…an invaluable possession!). There was some confusion about who was supposed to have had it last, and it so happened that I was the culprit. And though logically, it was my friend who should’ve been distraught, it was I who broke down under self-blame, shame and guilt. I felt like the sickest, most irresponsible person alive. Hence the sobbing. In school (and even now) I was hardly the kind of person who’d cry in public, much less in front of the entire school.
One of my teachers, Mrs. A, saw me crying and called me over. When everyone left, she asked me what the matter was. She looked so worried, perhaps expecting me to come out with a life-threatening secret ;) Telling her what really was the matter made me feel a tad bit silly. But she was super sweet about it. She gave me a hug and told me it was okay and that such things happen. Come to think of it, it wasn’t such a big deal, this gesture. But somehow, it’s etched in my mind as an unforgettable moment. I have been in awe of Mrs. A all my life. She is one person I, and mosta my friends, aspire to be like. She’s the reason I’m doing what I’m doing. And she also came across as this highly no-nonsense person. So a hug from her was a Big deal. But it wasn’t just that. I was overwhelmed coz she cared enough to ask. I felt so loved at that moment. Another teacher (also a fab person and great teacher) also asked what was wrong. I felt kinda guilty to have got all this attention after committing an almost-crime. But hey! I deserved a lil pep-up before I left school, and I have always got more than I deserved! :)

Dennis

Dennis turns 10 this week. It’s a time to celebrate. But I’m a little worried too. At the back of my mind, there is this voice which keeps saying a dog lives for around ten years. Which is not a nice thing. Around ten?! Is that more than ten or less? I know people whose dogs died before reaching the age of ten...

What a morbid thing to talk about on someone’s b’day though! Lemme tell you about Dennis! Funnily, I’ve never written about him before. Not even passing mention. Strange! Considering the fact that he’s a part of everything I do.

So this dude, Dennis, he’s a fine brown Labrador. The prettiest and nicest and the cutest and the smartest, in my fair opinion. I got him as a present when I was 12. Actually, I have been accused of emotionally blackmailing Girish kaka into getting him. But that’s so not true! ;) I’ve always wanted a dog. And I’d thought up all sortsa names for when I actually got one. And Dennis wasn’t one of them (Mad would remember…hehe). But when we got him home n someone suggested this name, it totally fit. Now I don’t even remember who gave him his name. [Btw, I get bugged when people go like ‘Dennis as in Dennis-the-menace?’. Ugghh no! No relation! But now I’m bored of explaining.]

Dennis. He’s all that I ever wanted my dog to be. And much more. Over the years, he’s ceased to be ‘my dog’. He’s family. He’s not a friend, he’s my baby. I love him more than anyone else. There is so much about Dennis. His eccentricities, his wild days as a pup (okay wild years…he was a pup till a couple of yrs ago..hehe), his nautanki, his adorable eyes…the way he seeks attention, the way he makes me feel loved…I don’t know what to write that’d fit a blog post!

He’s been with me for ten long years now. For me, he is unconditional love personified. Or dogified if you please : ) He is my Hachiko. Whenever I get back home, he’s always as happy to see me. We should learn a thing or two from him about expressing ourselves. He makes me feel wanted. It’s always great to come back home to Dennis. Right now, everyone at home is asleep in their rooms. Dennis is sleeping too, but in the hall, next to me. He won’t go inside till I do. These days I study in the hall, and no matter how late I stay up, he accompanies me till I’m done. He just won't leave. Not even if I try to get him to go in! He would come right back and sit with me till I switch off all lights and declare that I’m gonna sleep and that he should too. It’s really nice to have someone dote on you like that. Maybe he doesn’t really dote on me. Maybe I’m just projecting stuff that I want on him. It’s still as sweet of him. More about him later. I hate to wake him up in the middle of the night! God bless all dogs of the world.

Weekend

Such amazing weather...a brilliant weekend...so many things to write about... Where do I start? How about the "Earth Hour"!

Honestly, I don't know much about it. I'd read at a couple of places that on Saturday, everyone should switch off all unnecessary lights/electric stuff for an hour 'if you love your planet'. Oh well, that I do, but it seemed like such a fun thing too! And since my cousins were coming over, an hour in 'darkness' seemed like a supercool idea, love for planet or not! I loved power cuts as a kid. All the shadow games. And antakshari! And the whole time it was raining, with lightning and thunder n wind! It was one hour well spent.

It was so nice to know that a lotta other people observed it too :) I like the concept of many people coming together. Or rather, doing the same thing 'coz they believe in it. Damn cool. So all those of you who switched off all lights and enjoyed the darkness, way to go! Maybe we should get together to do more such stuff. Like pledging a day to be absolutely non-corrupt or something. For instance, on that day everyone follows the traffic rules and all, and if they are caught for speeding or anything, they get a chalaan rather than paying the cop for 'settlement'. How about a day for being kind? A week of honest effort (and no procrastrination!)? Hmm...we could if we wanted to you know! This is that power-of-youth they keep harping about na? And while we're at it, let's not forget the causes that got us all excited a few months ago and are now lying under a layer of fine dust. I'm talking about the terror attacks. Wassup on that front? We still remember all our angry outbursts, don't we?

Coming back to the cause at hand, this sitting in the darkness thing is cooler on another level. I was just thinking...there's so much light around us. As in, the artificial one - bulbs, tubelights, halogen, flourescent, neon, CFL. But what about light within? In these times of super brightness, are the people as enlightened? Or is the outside light taken as a substitute for the inner one? Maybe we need to sit in the dark once in a while to peep in. To find that light that lies within each one of us. Earth hour-like things could be a good way to connect with yourself. It's not a vague airy-fairy concept. A lot of us are in-the-dark about quite a few things. I, for one, keep putting off 'figuring out' stuff for myself. If only I would sit back and introspect...maybe I'd outshine all the streetlights! hehe. I'm not saying all of us become the Buddha or anything like that. But just that, if we make an effort to get to know ourselves better, we'd be more at peace with ourself and with others. That couldn't possibly be a bad thing, eh?

So, earth hour was cool because, a. it gave me a chance to enjoy antakshari n twenty questions, b. a lotta electricity was saved, and c. I got to glimpse my inner light ;) and jhaado some more gyan :D

ooh n lest I forget! I saw ducklings at the Hauz Khas lake! Real yellow ones. And a few green-black ones too. They were adorable!! And the place is damn cool! The fort/madarsa is an amazing structure too. With eerie steps and all that! All those who are in Delhi, must visit!

The problem with being a romantic is that you start believing in the fairy tales... Start hoping that the frog is actually a prince. And not just one frog, but all the frogs that you come across. I think that's my problem. I have seen too much mush, read too much mush...and now, willingly or unwillingly, I look for the same in real life. And well, no surprises for guessing, it ain't actually there... Or maybe I'm looking at the wrong places? Maybe the fairy tales didn't get it all wrong. Maybe there are happy endings, just that something about getting there has changed? I can't really figure out what though! Any suggestions?

I'm done with my dissertation...it's come out nice (could've been better, but hey! it's my first). And I had this sorta 'hangover' once it was done! Like, I felt sleepy n half-dizzy for almost three days...much better now ;) Though I can't get myself back into 'work mode' no matter how hard I try. Not that I've tried too hard! hehe
And on top of that, my mind's in a whirl right now...ugghhh!