......

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!