A little Poem for my little one

Hey little one
Hey little one

Your moves are a zillion
Even an inch smile is worth a million

Your roly-poly cheeks are charming
That dented chin is so alluring

Your exploits fills my heart with gratification
Every maneuver you make is an act of consummation

You danced into my life with those little feet
I have become a responsible father, a real big feat

Before I thought the world was mine to discover
Now you have become my world forever and ever

Baby Boy or Baby Girl ???

In this modern and ever so fast moving world, people still have their own pretensions and apprehensions on the birth of a baby boy or a baby girl. Probably I am also one of them.

She entered the operation theater. I caught a glimpse of her tense eyes for a few fleeting seconds before she disappeared behind those crusted glass doors. It was an agonizing wait after that for about 2 hours. It was akin to a thriller movie unfolding behind those doors.

Journey to Delivery


She traversed through all stages - spanning over 38 weeks – from initial days of sustenance to the middle period of suffering to the final pedestal of hope. For, she had to wither all the phases with daunting perseverance. “You need to eat well. Is your husband providing anything at all?” The doctor would often question frowning at me. Every week almost all the pores of her skin were being perforated to impregnate saline there by facilitating the growth of the baby.

Everybody wanted to know if we had inquired about sex of the child. I too had the same question hidden in some corner of my heart but feared to ask the doctors as I never wanted reality to differ from my expectation. The fact that I was the eldest of all my cousins was also the reason. As per our family tradition the birth of a great grandson to the eldest grandson results in the adorning of the great grandmother with gold. And in our families we always - even when the times have changed with women finding better jobs, having more reservations, always in demand for marriages etc. - prefer a baby boy. For, we always feel a boy is the torchbearer for the future of the family.

Eventually I visited a renowned Astrologer (appeared in TV channels for daily and weekly predictions) and registered myself by paying a lifetime membership fees (a huge sum). After feeding the birth, time and location in the computer he took a printout of about 10 pages. It had some rectangles and squares that resembled a board game that we played in our childhood days. By holding it in one hand he closed his eyes and like an umpire raised his other hand to count his fingers. Finally glancing at me with a smile that carried an air of accomplishment “Rahu is in 10th house; Kethu is in 6th house; 100% sir trust me, it will be a boy”, he said without any hesitation. I was relieved. For a moment I did wonder if astrologers played along with our emotions to make us happy.

In the ninth month, all speculations confined itself around whether it was scissor delivery or normal delivery. Everybody had their own rationale behind the kind of delivery. Some even told me not to trust doctors because they exploited the patients for the sake of money. My mother insisted on a normal delivery no matter what. Never acknowledging the fact that every case was unique, she often reasoned “your sister had normal delivery; your cousin’s wife had normal delivery; why not your wife?” Being averse to the pains, my wife wanted a scissor delivery as it would alleviate pain. The process of delivery then would be more peaceful except that it carried an element of risk post-delivery. I doubted whether I really had any opinion apart from heeding to everybody’s views. May be that is one of the lop sides of being a husband, “to be” father and a son at the same time.

Like the next Nostradamus, my Astrologer had assured me that it was going to be a normal delivery without any doubt and also prophesied the exact day, auspicious time and star when the child would arrive in this world. I had prepared my mind for that day and also discussed every possible detail with the doctors as suggested by him.

As it would have it, destiny had its own set of plans. It was a scissor delivery. We were blessed with a baby girl. The birth time was well beyond the predicted day, time including the star.

Thank god!!! Book Clubs are still in vogue

After enrolling for a Book Club I was provided with Karan Thapar’s book titled “More Salt than Pepper”. Before the session started every one who had enrolled were asked to send in the discussion points on any two articles of liking. These points helped in initiating discussions drawing everybody’s interest. This book being a compilation of the author’s personal experiences, published in the form of articles in Hindustan times brought out the various facets of day-to-day life. Hence it was invigorating to listen to everybody eliciting references from the book to relate to their personal experiences.

In this era of technology, where reading books is considered a drab, people find activities like watching movies on YouTube, chatting on Facebook or tweeting on Twitter etc. more appealing . Reading has been limited to browsing the web for news or ‘googling’ for information. Thankfully the Book clubs are still thriving, making an effort to draw forth the inclination towards reading books and augmenting our public-speaking skills. For those who subscribe to reading as a passé but prefer speaking instead, these clubs can still be engrossing there by goading them to read. One needs to realize that Book Clubs are more than merely reading books.

The days of my college

Initially I loathed reading books. I never had the willingness to read nor had the stomach to speak in front of an audience with conviction. The metamorphosis began when I was coerced by one of my friends to attend a Book Club in my college. Though I hardly opened my mouth during those sessions I understood the importance of reading and speaking. I was impressed the way the students’ thoughts poured out incessantly, relating their experiences with the passages in the book. I cinched that good understanding of a subject will allow the words to emanate fluently. It not only brought my interest back in reading books but also led me to start my own Book Club in my colony.

As a part of the club we made sure that we spent at least RS 500 (collected fund) every month to buy books and shared it among ourselves. Every Sunday our group gathered to discuss certain number of chapters till the book was finished. This was not only a good past time but also helped us in understanding the book and the author better. It made me realize that if reading gave a one-dimensional perspective then discussing with others gave multi-dimensional vista opening our minds like parachutes. It also helped me in developing my literary skills stimulating me to write Poetry, ultimately leading me to publish my article in newspapers and magazines.

Now after all these years, I make sure that I still attend the book club. For, it not only acts as refreshment but also improves my interaction with others. Looking back I do see that these clubs has made the person what I am, confident and assertive. Going forward I do see more and more people embracing these kind of clubs. Since online Book clubs - people attending from different locations participating through teleconference – are also in vogue, the future is bright. Whatever may be the form of the book - soft copy or paperback edition -, Book clubs are here to stay with the basic concept remaining the same.

The Best Gift that can ever be given…

“I came to love you as an imperfect person. But the perfect person in you has made me overcome those imperfections in me”


It was the morning of my Birthday. I had visualized spending the day in a Resort along with my girlfriend before ending the day with a late night party. At least that is what I reckoned when I had left home in my brand new Red Volkswagen Vento – a gift from my father - to meet her in the morning. But what transpired henceforth had been a far cry to what I had anticipated. I was not only astounded by her insistence of spending the day in an orphanage but also found the idea to be very inane. Eventually I had to succumb to her innumerable pleas.

She had brought along various gifts to distribute to those children. I could not help but think that those gifts were to people whom she barely knew but none for a person who could surrender his entire life for her. The gifts included several hues of tiffin boxes, geometry boxes, school bags, chocolates etc. I had brought my new car as a display of my wealth but had the least idea of its transformation as a cargo transport to ship those gifts to the orphanage.

As we entered the campus, the Head of the Orphanage welcomed us with a whimsical smile. We were told that the strength of the orphanage was about 40 children between ages of 2 and 14. Most of these children were working as child laborers before being brought here. The Orphanage ensured that they went to neighboring schools to complete basic education. It depended a lot on the donations from various institutions and people like us to provide a proper food and education.

The children were sitting in rows on the floor in the class. As we entered they all stood up and greeted us. We made ourselves comfortable on the chairs facing the class. This experience was totally alien and non-existent in my life until now. I was so wrapped up within myself that I barely had an inkling of a world beyond. My world consisted of Friends, Parties, long rides etc. But now I was being coerced to embrace a world that I detested to the hilt. Feeling out of place, I itched to get out at the first opportunity. What had to be a day spent draped in romance filled with passion was being squandered in a place of frivolity.

I was woken up from my thoughts when a 2 year old child caught my hand. She had a distinct charm and a haunting smile. Though I resisted, her charm urged me to let her sit on my lap. I was told that they found her when she was 6 months old in garbage nearby. I could not empathize with a mother who could part with her newly born to garbage. There was a sudden upsurge of hidden sorrow within my heart making my eyes moist. As we communicated they reciprocated with a lot of vivacity. They sang, danced and showcased their talent like none other. I was amazed when they performed with characteristic aplomb and vigor with total lack of any stage fear.

It was only during these interactions I realized that there was an unknown soulful happiness that otherwise never existed in my world. All this while, I had been self-indulgently happy riding bikes, driving different cars and attending parties. But this was the first time I was spending my time altruistically. I suddenly grasped that my girlfriend had given me the biggest gift of all. The realization that real wealth existed not in cars or parties but in happiness obtained in sharing the same to others. And I slowly started enjoying the whole scheme of things. But then some questions that kept on lingering in my mind did not have answers. Why God chose only these children to be sans their parents? What is it that makes these children inferior to others? Had it not been these Orphanages who would have taken care of them? Questions many but answers none.

Finally, it dawned upon me that the answers for these questions lay within us. And that is the reason God chose us to be there. Meeting and interacting with them not only gave them a sense of belongingness but also made them realize that they are by no means inferior and that they too can compete in this otherwise cruel world. On the whole I realized what I was missing and started being more considerate towards others.

Indeed the Best gift that can ever be given.

Why writing is not writing in its true sense anymore....

When I was in school, my English teachers considered my handwriting to be very graceful and fluent. With a lot of passion, I learnt both Calligraphy and Cursive writing and practiced it for hours together. I used to take pride in my handwriting when it was appreciated. Writing with a Parker pen or a Fountain pen gave me a feeling of high, when the tip of its nib smoothly traversed through the intricately arranged thin fibers of the paper. As I wrote poetic odes calligraphically, I sensed that the loquacious movement of my pen was akin to that of a ripple on the surface of the water. It felt like beautiful thoughts ooze out of my heart to slip down through the ink of my pen only to be etched elegantly on to the wafer thin pages of my book. But before I got to the final version of my poetry on the book, I used to write and re-write on piles and piles of papers to get its sense and essence right. To this day, I preserve those papers. For, they remind me of my passion towards writing. There was an unknown psychic connection between my soul, the pen and the paper.

But now after all these years I do not remember what my hand writing looks like on a paper any more. Anybody who would want to study my personality through my handwriting might have a tough time to judge. For, I do not write with the same authority and frequency as before. My handwriting has become wobbly, flowing uncertainly underneath my unsteady fingers. This is not as a result of any injury or accident. It’s just that I do not have the same need to use a pen anymore. There was a time when I had a pocket diary and a pen wherever I went. But now I have a laptop and an Iphone to accompany me instead. I still use a pen but its purpose has merely been restricted to a signature on a cheque or scribbling a few words here and there. Even a signature seems to have become electronic.

MS-Word or a note pad on my laptop (even on an IPhone or an IPad) is doing the job of what a note book did some years back. The only difference being that instead of holding a pen for support, my fingers are at work all by themselves typing on the keyboard of the laptop or the touch screen of my IPhone. Now I feel that beautiful thoughts ooze out of my heart to slip down, not through the ink of my pen but through the typing fingers of my hand only to be edited later on to the flat LCD screens of my laptop. The only advantage has been that of saving the consumption of paper as I can edit innumerable times that don’t cost a thing to get to my final version. While writing and typing has become almost synonymous because of technology, it has made writing no more writing in its truest sense.

The advent of technology has brought in so many changes that we can hardly fathom the effects that it carries to further generations. There might come a time when our future generations might laugh at the very idea that their ex-generations were using a pen to write. They may also come to know about pens - like Dinosaurs- had existed sometime back in the history until they were useless (I meant extinct).

Certainly a bleak future invites those legendary Parkers and Fountain pens.

In, for yet another away white wash???

Yes I would think so.

As they say history repeats itself. After the world cup triumph (a distant memory now), the team visited West Indies. There we scraped through to a series win against a week team ranked eighth. Then we visited England to get white washed in all formats. England returned to get the same treatment in one-dayers. Then West Indies visited us to give another series victory (no doubt in any body’s mind) for us. Now India is in Australia for a 4 match test series where it is 2-0 down already and slipping down the barrel very swiftly towards another impending away white wash. I hope we wont create a dubious record of sorts of most away consecutive test match losses. India has lost 6 away test matches on a trot including the losses in England.

Look the way the cycle going round and round. When we are at home we are like predators hunting down the opposition. But the scene is a reverse on a foreign turf. Most often than not, we are the one hunted. One would have attributed the reason for the debacle in England to injuries to our major players and fatigue after incessant cricket over past year. But now there is no excuse for the below-par performances down under. It’s only the attitude of the players on the field that needs to be questioned than anything else.

Before we began the tour, everybody talked about this being the best chance of beating Australia in their own backyard for the first time. But the hunter has been hunted. Australia showed how gritty they are even with an inexperienced bowling line up. Ponting and Hussey - whose heads were in the line of axe after their poor show before this series - were completely out of form and heading for an early retirement. But see what our bowlers have done. They not only helped them get their confidence back but also got them back in form by giving them good practice.

Our Bowling have always been questionable (experienced or inexperienced) in away conditions. But now I am afraid we cannot put our money on our famed batting line up either. Every now and then against a quality attack we are as week and meek as a pack of cards. Sachin, Dravid and Laxman – Considered among the greats of the game- haven’t lived up to their greatness tag. They are not even inspiring the young guns to make runs. So far the Australian trio - Ponting, Hussey and Clarke - has out run the Indian trio in this series. I can just hope against the every possibility of an impending white wash.

Can anybody bet why can’t there be a white wash?

The Fasting Land

A few nights ago I had a dream. I had crash landed in a strange land. Everybody there was frail and bony. On enquiry I learnt that it was called "The fasting land". The king was none other than Anna Hazare. Modi was the Maha Mantri and Kiran Bedi was the Senadipathi.

It seemed the people there only leaved to fast. There were all kinds of races and betting on fasting. The more hours they would fast, the more the money they would earn. They just wanted a purpose to fast. Like, Obama would fast so that Terrorists would not attack America. Musharraf would fast so that India could give Kashmir to Pakistan. Manmohan singh would fast against everybody calling him a week PM. Raja would fast till he is cleared of all the charges in 2G. Nityananda would fast to ban all the video recordings in mobile phones and cameras. Jagan mohan would fast against everybody calling his father Y.S.R a fraud. Though it was illegal in this land everybody would just pickup a purpose for the sake of it to earn money through betting.

The king called in for a meeting to regularize fasting so that there was no misuse of the right to fast. After a lot of discussion among the core committee of the King, Mantri and Senadipathi they formed a new department called "Controller of fasting bureau". The king Anna Hazare himself headed it as he wanted to keep it under his watchful eyes. The king’s main desire was to bring a good fasting culture to fulfill required purposes.

Thus a new memorandum on fasting was released for the benefit of everybody. The controller of fasting bureau would have 4 directorates for each timeline of fast - Less than 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks and more than a month-. Each directorate had its own set of rules & regulations. Anybody who wants to fast has to first get registered with the bureau. For that they would have to fill up a form and must specify all the details of the venue, the timeline of fast, the purpose and the limit on the number of people to gather. They should also submit previous experience certificates of fasting along with bonafide ids. A demand draft for 10 rupees should be posted to the bureau. Each application will be examined for its uniqueness of the purpose, the timelines applicability and the experience. The selected person will then receive an authorization certificate entitling him to fast. During this time period the relevant directorate will monitor the progress of the fast and submit its report to the king.

Any person who would fast without getting the required authorization will have to pay a fine of 5000 rupees with a jail term not less than 21 months. First Sunday of every month will be observed as “National Fasting day”. On this day they would get all kinds of tips to fast for long hours without food and water. They would also get to know the benefits of fasting. Any person who would fast for the specified timeline would get an experience certificate and an incentive for the hours of fast. If the purpose is met for which he/she was fasting then they will be entitled to all kinds of fasting discounts and fasting rechargeable coupons.

The fasting discounts included “fast for five days, fasting for another day is free”, "Fast for 2 weeks, get a week of fasting free" etc. There were also special fasting packages like "Fast for one month , get a free trip to Switzerland" etc. The fasting rechargeable coupons could be recharged on expiry to extend the timeline of fasting. At the same time if a person breaks the fast even before the completion of specified timeline then there would be severe punishment. He might be banned from fasting for a time period or for life as decided by the directorate.

At this stage I woke up…..