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….