......

She sat on the bed staring into never-ending space. Her brown eyes which at one point of time used to sparkle with bliss had turned red and were covered with dark circles. They spoke a thousand words. Her face so pale, her body so lifeless! Her whole personality seemed to have blurred into a submissive non-entity.
Whatever had happen to the ‘rebel’, the guiding beacon of our batch? I couldn’t see her like this anymore.
I finally shook her with as much strength as I could muster.
“Wake up Sarah! It’s not your turn to cry. You’ve already cried enough. Now he will cry.”
Was she even listening to what I was saying? She looked around the manicured lawn. The day when she had stepped into this house for the first time flashed before her eyes. This place looked just the same. The only difference was that at that point of time it looked beautiful to her eyes and she was totally clueless about what was going to hit her in the next few days.
He was a Rajput- the same caste as hers. Young, attractive, well educated and prosperous, her parents couldn’t have had found a better companion for their only beloved daughter. I still remember the day she came to tell us about him.
“Maaaaaaan!..He`s gorgeous!” we all envied her!...today I couldn’t think of words to say to her to make my best friend feel a little better. I hugged her and we both wept together.
The first few days of her marriage were like heaven. He made her feel like a princess. So what it took to transform the prince into a beast- just a few glasses of liquor! She didn’t
say anything when he broke the glass bottle on the floor, nor did she say anything when he slapped her right across her face for trying to stop him from drinking from another bottle. She quietly sobbed in her room after cleaning the floor off the glass pieces. The next day he even came and apologized. He promised it would never happen again. But I guess promises are meant to be broken. The second time although she somehow managed to hide the scars, what could stop the tears from flowing from those beautiful brown eyes. I couldn’t stop myself from abusing the bastard as I was listening to the horrifying story told in a monotone so unlike the vibrant voice I remembered so well. We had all advised her to leave him ASAP. But my dear friend was hit by the fear of the society. What would her parents think?
The next time she dint tell us when he threw boiling water on her for forgetting to put the gas off. Nor did she give us a hint about it even when he kept her for the whole night out of the house for coming home late by an hour. Then one fine day unable to bear the pain and the torture she broke down over the phone.
“This is it Sarah, I’m not taking no for an answer. You’re leaving this hell hole and coming with me right now”
Her bags were packed. I held her hand to support her (she could barely stand). Finally she stood up. This time there was no turning back. She carried her suitcase on her own and walked with me towards the door. As we were passing the door she stopped for a second and glanced at her wedding picture. She was this pretty, healthy and happy bride. She had indeed suffered a lot. For a moment I thought she had fallen weak but then she took the photo frame and threw it on the ground with all her strength just the way he had thrown the bottle of liquor in front of her face. The frame broke into pieces and the tiny glass pieces spread all across the floor just the way the glass pieces of the bottle of liquor was scattered.Then without turning back even for a second she held my hand and walked outside, stronger than ever before. She was now ready to face the whole world with open eyes for she had done nothing wrong. Who guessed that this little bag of bones still had it in her left to battle her destiny like a tigress and emerge a winner?

P.S: This is not a true story. But it is dedicated to thousands of women who continue to bear the anguish of their husbands and still remain quite for the fear of the society. It is time we should learn to come out of our closets and stand up for ourselves for respect only comes to those who respect themselves.

Guilty or Innocent

Well `im doing this as tagged by Juls,
(so babes this one`s for you)

* Asked someone to marry you?
not yet..:(..so innocent

* Ever kissed someone of the same sex?
Partly guilty and partly innocent...*winks*

* Danced on a table in a bar?
Cant believe I haven't done that till now!..Well now that should be added to my to-do list!

* Ever told a lie?
Guilty obviously who hasn't?

* Had feelings for someone whom you can’t have back?
Guilty unfortunately!

* Kissed a picture?
Guilty!..both the picture and the person!..;P

* Slept in until 5 PM?
Innocent..isn't that too much of a luxury for the middle class??

* Fallen asleep at work/school?
Guilty .....blame the teachers!

* Held a snake?
Innocent...well yet another thing to be added on my to-do list!

* Been suspended from school?
Innocent.!!This is my final year!...i wish i stay innocent!

* Worked at a fast food restaurant?
Innocent...but would love to for the whole experience..

* Stolen from a store?
Innocent...

* Been fired from a job?
Innocent...they couldnt fire me...I QUIT!!!..lol

* R u a drame queen ??
Guilty well yea at times...and i`m proud of it!

* Done something you regret?
Innocent...

* Laughed until something you were drinking came out your nose?
Innocent...yuck!...what makes u think tht even if tht happened i would mention it here!

* Caught a snowflake on your tongue?
Innocent..:(...i dont stay in Canada u know!

* Kissed in the rain?
Sheesh i`m innocent on tht one too!

* Sat on a roof top?
Guilty. . and fell off as well not forgetting to mention the sprained muscles and the lecture from Dad that followed!

* Kissed someone you shouldn't?
Innocent...

* Sang in the shower?
Guilty.I do it on a daily basis.I plan on becoming the next Norah Jones..my family and my neighbours are fed up of me..but I wont give up so fast u see...lol

* Been pushed into a pool with all your clothes on?
Guilty...And it was fun!..

* Shaved your head?
Innocent!...over my dead body!

* Had a boxing membership?
Innocent!...lol

* Made a girlfriend cry?
Innocent as far as I know..

* Been in a band?
:(...the frown explains it all

* Shot a gun?
Innocent!...

* Donated Blood?
Innocent...well actually i did go alot of times but ran away at the sight of the needles!

* Eaten alligator meat?
Innocent!..the next thing I`ll know u`ll be asking me if i`ve eaten dog meat!

* Eaten cheesecake?
Guilty!...n gained a few pounds thanks to tht!...Wht can be more worst than stay above BIrdies!

* Still love someone you shouldn’t?
Innocent

* Have/had a tattoo?
Innocent… but i`m planning on being guilty very soon...

* Liked someone, but will never tell who?
Guilty!! …
* Been too honest?
guilty yea sumtimes i can be way too frank sumtimes at the point of being rude..:(

* Ruined a surprise?
no way!...I`m great at throwing surprises!

* Ate in a restaurant and got really bloated that you couldn’t walk afterwards?
Guilty!..week before last at Phoenix Mills..

* Erased someone in your friends list?
Guilty...and i dont regret it!

* Dressed in a woman’s clothes (if you’re a guy) or man’s clothes (if you’re a girl)?
Guilty in school...and trust me I made all the chicks go olalala!

* Joined a pageant?
Innocent...

* Been told that you’re handsome or beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said?
Guilty..

* Had communication with your ex?
a couple of times...but i guess when u end it u really should!...

* Got totally drunk on the night before exam?
Innocent….

* Got totally angry that you cried so hard?
Guilty.and felt alot more better after tht!

LOVE AAJ KAL!

Does true love today actually exist???
And no my friend this is no longer a metaphorical question. Look around you. You will see that today the term “love” itself has lost its meaning. Today the changing partners takes place more easily and faster than even changing clothes! And trust me no ones complaining! In fact it is considered as the new “time pass” like football, swimming, dancing and other games! This is the game of love and wicked as it seems it’s the current style statement of the season. Gone are the days when we used to muse over the love stories of Romeo & Juliet. Today who has the patience and endurance to keep one boyfriend or girlfriend for a lifetime! With soaps like Friends, Beverly hills, 90210, The OC etc. others like Pride and Prejudice are just not a part of the ‘it’ thing. Thus they also exhort you and me to come out and indulge in a change. “After all Variety is the spice of life” they all say! Even the boundless love story of Jack & Rose finally did a Titanic! There was a time when movies like Pride & Prejudice, Pretty Woman, Dilwale Dulhanya Le Jaengee, Kaho nah pyar hai etc were best sellers. However today movies like Sex in the City, Kaminey, etc. have been selling like hot cakes. Having one boy friend or girl friend for more than 2 years in today’s world is considered as effete, boring, a waste of time, extraneous, monotonous, non-stimulating and fictitious. Today people don’t take time to even get to know a person well enough before getting into a relationship. After all breaking up isn’t a big thing, is it? The days when young girls and boys used to cry and whine about heartbreaks are also washed away. Today hardly one relationship is over they are already off to another having two in one arm. “Move on man” is all they can say. Its like true love has got lost somewhere in the desert of lust, trend and pragmatism. When we were kids we used to listen to the love stories of our grandparents as to how they met and fell in love and we used to secretly hope that someday maybe in some alternate universe we also would end in that way. However today no need to remember that love stories told to us by our grandparents coz’ today even our younger brothers and sisters have so many love stories to tell us of their own but with different people obviously.
Talking about celebs, the once upon a time very much in love Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston couldn’t share a happy ending coz’ our dear Brad feel heads over heals for the sex kitten Angelina Jolie. One thing followed another and the next thingf that happened was that they were all over the newspapers:

Brangelina walking hand in hand,
very much together and never apart,
painting the town red.

Everyone thought Brad had finally found his match, the lady of his dreams! But I guess it was once again time for trouble in paradise. Opps! Almost at the brink of anonymity we suddenly had news papers flooded with reports on how the legendary actress has gone into depression (Brad being one of the foremost reasons for it). So I guess now there was no more of Brangelina. It was just Brad and Angelina, on the verge of a BREAK UP!
When we talk about the break ups of celebrities how can we forget the famous Salman-Ash jodi with the arrival of the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and their budding saga. Ash walking out of her house and going against the will of her parents to live with Salman, the man then of her dreams (total filmy style) later which turned into a nightmare. Nevertheless, very soon just like in the movie the two of them ended up in separate ways. Salman ended up with Katrina (as of now!) and who doesn’t know about the Abhi-Ash Jodi proclaiming their love for each other right from the hill tops with the same zeal as they had previously shared with their respectable exes.
The other Celeb Jodis which are history now include Cameron Dias-Justin Timberlake, Lindsay-Samantha, Abhi-Lolo, Bebo-Shahid, Ranbir-Sonam and the list can go on and on.
Whats more, black’s turning the new red; Adam and Eve have turned into Adam, Eve and Steve; the bad boys are in and the good husbands, well they are no more in stock!
What greater proof you need of the idolatry of changing partners today?
So RIP true love!
At least I will truly miss you!

OH,JOY!

It is said that,” If you are happy and you know it, tell somebody! It will double your happiness”
Sometimes in life we may have one such day that totally makes up for all the bad demoralizing everyday jobs life put you though. One such day was on the 14th of August which happened to be last week.
Tired of the rumble-tumble my life had seemed to become I did something I hadn’t done for a very long time. I and my BFFs Dalz,Juls and Nutty decided just to wave a goodbye to the rest of the world and all our other priorities that come tagging along and just spend time with each other acting as if we owned the world just for sometime. We went to this park which newly opened up at Eskay it’s a 15-20 minute walk from where we stay. We sat on swings which were meant for kids, sang nursery rhymes, clicked pictures like crazy, laughed till our stomachs hurt, royally bitched about all the people we hate, gossiped, giggled like school girls, played catch and cook on the streets, played with puppies and broke all the barriers which we weren’t supposed to cross in order to behave “MATURE” driving everyone around us crazy. For the first time in a very long time we simply let go of the past forgiving ourselves for the mistakes we’ve made. But most of all we shared a true part of our hidden selves which was hidden inside us for a very long time. That part which was waiting to come out in the open and become one with the outside world. Because I guess we never felt that comfortable with anyone to bring out that part of ourselves which was closest to what we truly are.
And guess what we found there: Happiness!
It waved out to us from the wind that touched our skins on the swing, sprinkled itself like the warmth of sunshine as we held hands while walking together, it smiled at us as we grinned at our phone cameras like a cheeky wildflower holding its own against a mossy stone. After what felt like half a lifetime I was surrounded by people who I know love me for what I am and unconditionally.
And that’s when I realized how deep and how true those worlds of my mom were when she said, “Nothing can compare the love of your girlfriends “

Today,Tomorrow,Forever..

Did I ever tell you the way you make me feel…?
Its like even on a dry day the grass appears to be green
And the sun is like it had never been hot
And the rainbow appears in the sky
And the way my heart leaps out in joy
Is a fact which I can never deny?

With you by my side I need not fear any darkness of fate
Coz my darling the only fact that I believe in is that you are my only fate
So promise me baby that you’ll never leave my side
In any dark story weather or tide

And I don’t wanna live another day without you in my arms
Coz baby you’re the one for me
And every time I look into your eyes my heart skips a beat
And I don’t wanna live another day without you in my arms
Coz I need you in my life
Today, tomorrow, forever…

....

Underground music refers to a variety of sub-genres or groups who work clandestinely or undercover, as opposed to the mainstream or trend. In India the mainstream includes typically anything to do with the Bollywood or anything that involves ripping off classic favorites. Anyone singing original compositions in English or doing anything that does not fit in the “Bollywood” bill is termed as underground. They perform in small venues and their only source of promotion would incorporate cheap media like college radio or commercial radio or by word of mouth.

The style of underground music comprises music right from the psychedelic hippie music of the 60s to the punk rock from the 90s and the hip hop of this millennium. Although underground music refers to different musical genres it is also believed that they often deal with common beliefs or values like appreciation of nature, love etc. Certain categories of underground music are completely hidden and are far off from the hands of the community. Certain underground music groups in course of time may change their square from not being a part of the mainstream to going public and getting rid of the “underground music” tag like certain hip hop bands of the 80s eventually became popular. However then there are others who never left their non-mainstream roots.

In the 2000s due to the increasingly availability of the internet and a variety of digital technologies it became easier for underground music groups to promote their music more efficiently and effectively. Today even underground musicians can get their music across to a world wide audience easily through Myspace or Face book. A recent mail I received stated that today underground music has in fact became the new trend or the new mainstream and has been giving a tough competition to the official mainstream music at most cafés. Bands and DJs are now producing and promoting their own music and selling their CDs thus gaining hardcore fans with every gig. A few days ago I also came across this website called “income” which promotes various underground music groups.

However it definitely involves a lot of risk. But at the same time underground music has a lot of advantages as well as under:

• Provides a strong base or opportunity for new comers and the only priority is to be agile enough.
• Provides a great and promising platform for qualified musicians who have no god-father in the industry to pull them up.
• Once these bands are gain popularity they are viewed through rose tinted glasses by people and they have a great fan following.
• These underground musicians sometimes tend to be in more demand than even film stars.

Moreover it leaves a lot of scope to new and budding musicians of high caliber. It is only a matter of time before this so-called underground scene becomes a part of the national mainstream consciousness.

Back to Foundation!

Remember that Mentos advertisement in which they show how previously apes where slaves dominated my donkeys and how the ape got evolved into man thus transferring the power of domination to man and making donkeys the slave for eternity. With a touch of creativity and witty humor this advertisement shows what a long way man has come.

I woke up in the morning hearing strange voices. Were they even human? They sounded as if an animal had entered the body of a human and was using his vocal cords to communicate! I could here the noise of some two people fighting (actually bursting their tonsils out!) and abusing each other like total maniacs. I couldn’t even understand what they were saying! Could they even understand each other? I doubt. Was it the pace in which they were talking? No it was something else. I slowly opened my eyes.

Oh hell they’re naked! And dirty! And gross!
Yuck!
What the F*** are they doing in my room!
Daaaadddy!
Wait a second. Is this even my room?
Where the hell am I?
And what am I doing on grass? Where is my bed? My pillow??
What am I doing in this weird place with two naked (no actually naked and ugly, sleazy and gross) humans (I suppose) fighting like hooligans!
Please tell me this is a dream.

GRRRRRRRR………………

What was that noise?
Or was it even a noise? It sounded more like a roar of an animal to me.
Shut up Simone! You’re loosing it. What is an animal going to do here annnnn……
GRRRRR…..
Bloody hell! (Couldn’t believe my eyes)
Is that a bear? Or a man? Or a man cum bear?
Lord! Why are you punishing me? What sort of nightmare is this?
Okay MR.WHOEVER MAKES NIGHTMARES you’ve done your job! You have scared the hell out of me! Totally! Happy? Now please get me the hell out of here!

Okay now why is that man cum bear cum manic staring at me like that. Okay its coming close. Is he going to hurt me? Of course not! It’s (whatever that thing is) not even real. It’s just a character used to freak me out in this never-ending nightmare of mine.
This cant be real. Obviously can’t be real.
Okay its coming closer.
Okay its nails are longer than mine.
And looks more dangerous!
Now why is he growling like my dog?
Is it my dog? Of course it is! I should have known. Someone has cast a spell on her!
“Dinky sweetie who did this to you darling?”

GRRRRRR…..GRRRR….GRRRR…

Oh hell! This one’s either not Dinky or she’s gone totally crazy! Run!

I ran like I never ran before. I could still hear the roaring and I could still feel the creature running behind me. I could feel sweat tingling down from my forehead.

Don’t you dare turn behind! Run! This could be the last time you may ever get to run all your life!

I have no idea how long was I running or how tired I actually was. Finally my feet couldn’t take me anymore. I collapsed! It took me sometime to wake up. I turned back reluctantly. Thank God the beast was no where at sight. I hope it remains that way!

Okay now let’s get thinking girl! Where was I last night? Okay I had gone for a party. Went for a long drive with all my friends. Blew up 500 bucks on petrol. Came back home really late. Mom was yelling ( the same old thing) `coz I forgot to turn off the lights and the fans before leaving the house. Had a bath. Went off to sleep. And now I’m here! Strange! Very strange! What went wrong?
I was walking on like forever not knowing where my footsteps were taking me. My feet were killing me. And the sun was hotter than ever was. I was so missing my umbrella. And the rickshaws, which we usually curse for being a pain in the ass, were at this point a dream I was longing for. The last thing I wanted at this point of time was to encounter another unknown beast. But deep down inside I guess someone in me knew that the beast I saw was no unknown. It was a man! Man as in….like a Stone Age man!
That’s it!
This is where I am!
STONE AGE!
Wow! This is amazing! Wait till Dalreen hears this! She’ll be so damn jealous. And Julie will be off to writing an article on it before I even finish telling her how the enormous beast chased me and how heroically I escaped. Naomi will think I’ve gone nuts and Mario will hide under covers out of envy! Muahahah (evil laugh)
But will I ever get to meet these people?
How should I get back?

Seconds passes into minutes and minutes into hours. And now I was hungry. Like really hungry! I missed my Maggie noodles. Having Maggie by my side cooking was so bloody easy and here I had to hunt for my own food like animals. I Dint even know what the time was. God how people used to survive in Stone Age! They don’t even have a TV! Wait a second they don’t even know what’s a TV all about. I wonder how many years and how many it hands must have taken to bring the world from Stone Age to Computer age! And we tend to take all the stuff available at our disposal for granted.
Suddenly I heard a familiar noise.
GRRRR…
Oh hell it’s the same man cum bear cum monster.
He found me!
Run!
I was too tired.
My feet were numb.
Could move an inch. Still I tried to get up. Finally the bastard cornered me at the end of the wall of the cave.
Oh no I am going to die!
I’m so gonna die!
There’s no escape now. I should have taken Mario’s advice of keeping Pepper spray with me at all times. I guess even while sleeping! Now no use repenting, I’m going to die for sure.
Will I be buried? Or will my half eaten body be kept here (disrespectfully!) to rot and for vultures to eat the remains. Ofcource the later is going to happen. I doubt these guys even know what coffins are!
Bubye Mom. Bye Dad.
I helplessly watched as the beast bent to take a leap over me. I closed my eyes because no matter how brave who can see death with open eyes!
I waited. And waited. And waited! And nothing happened. What was taking the beast so long. Did my Prince Charming come on his horse to rescue me? I slowly opened my eyes. I could see my ceiling fan. HUH?? Okay that’s not my Prince Charming. Wow now they have a fan in Stone Age! Wait a second, they even have a ceiling!
I felt something soft under me. Then it stuck me. I was safe and sound in my room. The beast was far away gone in my dreams. Rather Nightmare!
And if this nightmare has thought me anything it is to be way thankful to our forefathers and never take things around us for granted!

Once upon a time...

Once upon a time, there were days when we used to be friends,
We were molded into a heart that never bends...
We treated each other like sisters
Eyeing our crushes together gave us jitters
Alas once upon a time!

Once upon a time you had a heart as pure as milk,
Your intentions were as soft as silk
We thought things would always remain the same,
Who knew we would be separated by a mere tidal wave

Today is the day I’ve got to face the reality
That “once upon a time” was just an absence of sensibility
So what if it feels like my heart has been ripped out
So what is it feels like a part of my body has been torn away
So what if it feels like hell!

Dostana

“Sometimes in life if you’re really lucky you may meet someone who actually divides the time into the time before you met them and the time after you meet them”
This one goes out to my friends who all the time manage to pull me up in spite of the depressing errands life puts us through.
“What is friendship?” I still remember that day in school when I was in the 4th grade and my English teacher, Mrs.Lorriane Bridgz(God bless her where ever she is) had asked us to write an essay(in those days articles written by us used to be called essays) on what is friendship all about. In my little kiddy mind as I tried to think what to write about, all that came to mind was Shweta and Shruti who were sitting with me on either sides of my bench. My best friends! People with whom I used to come to school daily, people with whom I used to share my tiffin with even if it was my favorite candy floss, people with whom I could play my favorite game catch & cook and poison & medicine! Strange to see how today these games which we though were the best ever got replaced by cs, truth & dare and the game of dating! Those were the days when the only secrets we would discuss with our friends would be that where we had hidden our toy gun or that Mrs. Maria punished us and made us stand out of the class for not completing our homework! Strangely today if someone always does their homework if any then that would be a secret, because today getting thrown out of class in such a fad! Who knew at that point of time our innocent secrets which we thought we would take them to our grave by saying a simple pinky promise would be replaced by graver heartbreaking issues about crushes, relationships, cheating and the list can go on and on. Oddly enough things which we used to call problems like not completing our homework on time, that your name is on the talking list of the class monitor or how to get your class remark signed by your mother got evenly replaced by problems concerning career, jobs, boyfriends, how to get over a break up, how to break up with you bf without breaking his heart etc. Things that used to hurt us in those days like wounded knees got replaced by broken hearts and betrays. The fact is that the friends you make in life can either make you into the person you are or break your heart into tiny little bits. At the end of the day not everyone who lends you their hand for support is a friend.
“I know how to save myself from my enemies, God save me from my friends!”
When ever I think about the word friendship it always brings me back to the day I was sitting that classroom of mine in 5th grade all alone and crying my heart out because I had a fight with my best friend Shweta and I thought that I had lost my best friend and I would never have friends again. What’s very odd is that it has been 4 years now since I’ve finished my school and I have no idea where this best friend of mine is or what is she doing in life and I have a completely new set of friends. Today with the grace of God I have been blessed with the most beautiful people in my life who I call my friends (touchwood! I tend to get superstitious at times) and who make my everyday so damn special. But then yet again you always have the fear of loosing them because of all the experiences you’ve had all your life. When somebody hurts you, it hurts but when a friend hurts you its hurts even more.
Our teenage years are spent in the company of our friends who love us and who we love. Quite often these friends become the central part of our lives. And then it becomes a compulsion to have similar likes and dislikes. So when this does not happen we tend to change ourselves in order to be a part of our friends. This is termed as peer pressure.
Try to remember the first time you got drunk or the first time you bunked lectures. It definitely must have not been when you were alone. The ugly reality is that peer pressure reaches is greatest intensity just then when teenagers tend to be most self-seeking and mystified. The truth about life is that all the experiences you have good or bad, break ups, betrayals, exchanging notes, the first time you got drunk, movies, popcorn ,late night calls, slumber nights and sleepovers etc make you the person you are and most of the time a stronger person.
“When you long for life without difficulties what should remember is that oaks grow stronger in country winds while diamonds are made under pressure.”

Marriage:Promise of Purity or Slavery to the Society?

Yesterday evening I and my friends had met up at our usual hang out place where we meet up almost everyday talking about everything we can fit into the little time we get to spend with each other. So it happened that a friend of mine, Mario and I happen to have a talk rather argument on the topic of arrange marriages and love marriages. It was strange how a mere statement leaded to such a huge heated debate which lasted for almost an hour. I clearly mentioned I would never want to do an arrange marriage because in my opinion the very thought of getting married and living your life with a total stranger is only a little less scary than death! However dear Mario was adamant that it is not always that arrange marriages happen in such a rush and today even in countries like India people think more practically in the case of arrange marriages. This actually put me to think a lot about this issue.
I always had certain questions in my mind. Do we genuinely think that if a person is not married that person is weird or is not a part of the society? Are we that desperate to get married that even if it means taking our chances and getting married to someone we don’t love?
Talking about love marriages they usually tend to offer more independence and freedom as opposed to arranged marriages where the boy or the girl is chosen by the parents and generally involve a lot of pressure from parents which even if not physically can be emotionally. They also tend to offer a lot of comfort level since before the couple tries the knot they fall in love with each other probably after a long time of getting to know each other. This helps them to explore both the good and bad side of the person they are with. On the other hand for a couple who’s marriage is arranged by their parents it may take a longer time to develop that comfort level and understanding with their partner. Also the fact that you’re marrying the person you are so much in love with, will give you that perfect satisfaction and contentment when the couple finally take their wedding vows. However, the whole idea of “arranging” sounds a state in which a person doesn’t even have the confidence in himself or herself that maybe one day he or she may meet their soul mate. So here love marriage scores higher than an arrange marriage. (no offence Mario!)
Compromise is said to be the foundations of marriage. In the case of a love marriage the level of compromise is much lesser as compared to an arrange marriage since two people in a love marriage get married or rather even fall in love only after getting to know each other. However in the case of an arrange marriage the level of compromise rises up due to less of understanding each other before marriage and preconceived notations and expectations about each other.
Yet there also exist cases where the compromise factor might work wonders for certain couples tied by an arrange marriages as compared to love marriages where the couple may not want to compromise for anything leading to fights.
On the other hand not all love marriages have happy endings. There are times they also fail leading to pain and dejection. A person tends to think that something is wrong in his or her decision making ability which leads to lack of confidence and fear of commitment. It is also possible that an individual’s parents do not approve of his or her decision which may lead to family disputes finally lead to isolation and frustration.
Now coming back to arrange marriages, they tend to offer more security as compared to love marriages because everything including the family background, caste, age, qualifications etc are taken into consideration and are checked, sometimes even rechecked since parents tend to take decisions with maturity and proper judgment while looking for a suitable partner for their children. Also in the case of arrange marriages the couple enjoy a great deal of financial support as well as support in making decisions. So even if the marriage tomorrow doesn’t work out they always have someone to blame. Even in cases of disputes between the couple their respective families are more than ready to come and help them clear out their problems. Conversely this may not be the case in a love marriage because it involves the independent decision of an individual and if the marriage fails then he may have no one to lay on for support.
However this certainly does not mean that arrange marriages are all that rosy and the ideal way to get married. They also have their own black potholes. In an arrange marriage it is very obvious that parents will be looking out for someone who is good looking as opposed to love marriages where it very much possible to fall in love with some who is not blessed with an exterior beauty as well. This leads to people to have an inferiority complex as to the way the look. Boys and girls who are not blessed with good looks or who are over weight tend to have a feeling that they will never land up getting married. In countries like India, at times arrange marriages also give rise to evil practices like dowry system, matching of horoscopes etc. Then again arrange marriages in spite of the watchfulness again are as risky as love marriages are and may not necessarily be promising which also leads a person to the same stage of isolation and segregation.
Mostly people tend to go for an arrange marriage because they have till now not found their match and are scared of facing the so –called society as a single person. Many women cling on to even abusive relationships only of the fear to face the so-called society!
At the end of the day what people fail to realize is that every person is the ruler of himself and every decision he takes should be based only and only on what he or she wants in life rather than to give in to the pressures of the society.
So finally do you believe in happy endings? Go make your own. Don’t wait for the society to write your destiny because whether love or arranged the only truth about marriage is that marriage requires falling in love everyday, but with the same person.

Bamboozled logic called life!

What is life?
A sip of early morning’s bed tea; a struggle over lethargy
An hour washed out in a dreary law lecture; Days blown away to complete an FC Venture,
A Desire for eternal ecstasy; a melody of unrhythmic symphony
A fight over a bar of chocolate; that cold winter night as we lay together on the carpet
That untimely feeling I get on stage, the fuss I create when crossing a new age
The incomparable aroma of homemade cookies; the times we study together like absolute bookies
The pleasure of being thrown of a class; the genuine attempts we make to concentrate during mass
The fun that I have free styling with my mates; the little getaway that only music can create,
The feeling of togetherness that connects the country; the raw energy that reflects we’re hungry
The stingy feeling to have your pizza shared; an escape from home to meet you with an excuse to buy bread
The unlucky strike that hits you without a warning; the amount I miss you when I wake up every morning
The calming effect you have on me; the way I see you every night in my dreams
The love that I have for you cooking inside; It’s the warm fussy feeling when I look into your eyes….

To all my girlfiriends:Juls,Nutty,Peachy & Row

Discussing your new love interest was never this pleasurable,
Bunking lectures was never this fun,
Late night calls were never this calming,
Holidays were never this relaxing,
Bakery jokes were never this amusing,
Food was never this salivating,
Movies were never this entertaining,
Shopping was never this enjoyable,
Gossips were never got this juicy,
Grumbling over the fight you had with your boyfriend was never this reassuring,
Crying over your sorrows was never this comforting,
Having girlfriends like you was never this Divine!

This goes out to two of my Best Friends Dalreen & Rowena

It is easy to find someone to sit with you for a boring Briganza`s lecture,
What is hard is to find someone who will make that very tiresome one out of the ordinary

Its is easy to find someone’s shoulder to bawl over your life’s worries,
What is hard is to find someone who will truly understand

It is easy to find someone who you can make late night calls to,
What is hard is to find someone who is always looking forward to hear your voice

It is easy to find someone just to talk to,
What is hard is to find someone who will actually listen

Its is easy to find someone who will walk along with you,
What is hard is to find someone who will never walk away

It is easy to find someone who will stand with you,
What is hard is to find someone who will never leave your side

It is easy to find someone who will say, “I’m always with you”,
What is hard is to find someone who will really mean it…

Thank you for teaching me the most beautiful chapters of friendship…

Ten fun things to do during an exam.

Exams are characterized by prolonged periods of sleepless, distressing rather painful nights and followed by the days which are never the less agonizing and depressing. While you watch you kid brother happily playing football in the courtyard, your mother enthusiastically discussing how Mrs.Kapoor`s daughter ran away with Mrs.Iyer`s son and your elder sis busy chatting away to glory with her so called “long lost” chatting buddy telling her how depressing and tedious life is become for her since she has nothing much to be and while u feeling like tearing her hair away and screaming at her,”BABES YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS TEDIOUS!’
Oh I can go on and on about how horrible the period of exams are. So lets think about the fun stuff you could do during your exams.Yeah you read that right.Hmm..lets see..

1) Ask the supervisor for a supplement every five minutes and submit it blank.
2) Complain about the heat this summer. Start stripping!
3) Turn up drunk!
4) Start crying and scream out MOMMY!
5) The moment the supervisor hands over the question paper to you, eat it up!
6) Bring along some large, ugly and cumbersome statue along with you. Pray at the top of your lungs to it repeatedly.
7) Be creative. Use crayons and sketch pens.
8) Make paper rockets. Aim them to the supervisor’s nostrils.
9) Act as if you’re going to puke and run out of the examination hall. Come back. Repeat several times.
10) Answer your question paper by writing “Top Ten Reasons Why the Professor who is correcting the paper SUCKS!!!”

With the hype surrounding young political leaders, can welook forward to a positive change in the political system?

Have you ever thought about how days in the Stone Age must have been? People doing all they want, no law to stop them, robbing each others food and practically living like animals! Sounds scary, doesn’t it? So does a country governed by fraudulent politicians. For a country like India to be in the wrong hands is only a little less scarier than death!

It is an elementary fact that the educated youth possess the caliber to truly envision the growth path of Indian democracy by thus salvaging the ever deteriorating state of the Indian political class. Today’s young politicians like Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi have not only made a remarkable entrance into the political field but also have set an example to all youth who only believe in pointing fingers at corrupt politicians and voicing their opinions on how modern India can improvise, but when it comes to entering the so-called dirty game of politics each of them have their hands washed off. Alas what they don’t seem to realize is that change begins from a single person who has the guts to think different.

However I don’t believe only being young is an imperative criterion to make a good politician. It is also important that irrespective of being young or old the politician knows well how to evaluate not only people but also how to take the correct decisions when it comes to managing a country like India which is not only diverse in culture and philosophy, but is also in spite of all the economic and technological developments still an underdeveloped country.

Most of our politicians today are nothing but highly manipulative in convincing the masses for votes but when it comes to taking upright decisions they find themselves at the mercy of their subordinates. Today when we talk about successful politicians what we realize is that the term “successful” implies to only their own personal success however the condition of the country more or less remains the same. Talking about politicians to whom age did not seem to be a barrier to their contribution to the country, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was of 58 years of age when he was elected Prime Minister of independent India on 15th August 1947 and the change made by him does not need to be explained. Both as a Prime Minister and a Congress President Nehru went against some of the members of his own party so as to issue reforms like raising the conventional marriageable age of women from twelve to fifteen, empowering women with the rights to divorce their husbands and the abolishment of dowry system. His economic reforms include building of various dams and canals, constructions of various irrigations centers and generation of hydroelectricity. To add to this he undertook a number of educational reforms as well. This clearly proves that after all age is just a number and that age does not even make a difference if you are agile enough to do your job well. So then what are the qualities that an ideal politician should possess?

Today what India needs is not a politician who is young by age but someone who is modern in his or her thinking and someone who also possesses the wisdom and maturity like that of an experienced politician. Someone who not only possesses the qualities of dedication and commitment but also is in the profession for the main purpose of public service can only make an ideal politician. Good oratory skills and being a political savvy are alone not enough, he should be a person who practices what he preaches and truly believes in what he says. Many people tend to idolize their politicians therefore it is essential that he should also possess qualities of humbleness and modesty. People would like to have a politician who looks approachable and who is open to public views. For example politicians like Barak Obama are viewed through rose-tinted glasses worldwide.

If India is successful in raising a politician of this caliber only then will it be able to find a ray of hope in this never ending battle for eternal salvation from corrupt politicians and economic, political and social discrimination….