Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Stray Pet

Yesterday I was in my sleep and was disturbed by a noise. A noise that I figured out was the noise of dogs barking on streets. One of them started and all others joined. All of them barked in chorus. I tried to go back to my dreams but could not…the noise was getting louder and angrier. I just couldn’t sleep and irritated I started abusing all of them for disturbing my sleep.

For my sadistic pleasure I started imagining all the stray dogs in a spooky place and all of them in cages. I was enjoying visualizing all of them one by one (whatever there names were……some of them wouldn’t even have names) detained….barking helplessly but no one would come to there rescue as it was my dream….my imagination. They all should not even exist I wished. I was enjoying being a devil and I almost back in my sleep that I saw a very sad looking brown dog who was not barking at all as if it has been betrayed.

I woke up immediately and lying on my bed I tried to recall where I had seen the brown dog. And it was not too long that I realized that the brown dog was Jackie. Jackie – yes it was Jackie our stray pet …..It was a stray dog but was a pet for all of us(me and my neighbors)…….Jackie was our hero….. Jackie used to walk along us while going to school. We used to discuss Jackie in school, while coming back from school in bus and he used to wag his tail and wait for all of us on our bus stop. We used to play with him but what happened to him. He was there when I was 10 and now after 10 years I couldn’t even remember what happened to him…..where did he go??? How I never realized his absence….and how did he just disappeared even from our conversations….

Many questions popped up in my mind except.... is he dead…???...as I already knew the answer

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Realization

I have always been in love with Gurgaon. The city where I was born and brought up- my home. To be in love with the city where you have spent your lifetime is quite natural but I have also been proud of it. The malls, skyscrapers, even the traffic jams and all other chaos. I could never think of settling down to any other place in this world at any cost.

Few days back I went to Manali with my friends. I have never been so close to nature. As soon as we reached there we went to the riverside and I was mesmerized by the serenity of the nature and it cannot be expressed in words. Even right now (writing this blog) I can close my eyes and recall everything. The sound of gushing water, the clear sky, the purity in the air…everything I can live them all over again. After the whole day when I feel a bit exhausted and searched for a soothing song to hear and relax I felt helpless as the sound of water gushing is the best music I have ever heard.

I wish I could sleep on one of the rocks there for eternity……yup “Lay like this forever till the sky falls back on me…..”

When we were returning back home there was a strange feeling a feeling unknown. The feeling of being home again was missing. The gushing sound of water was missing instead there was noise of honking horns …... I couldn’t see the sky shining with stars…. All I could see all around was skyscrapers…hoardings…bright lights…the purity in air???? I felt I’ll choke… I wanted to go back…..back to my home….this was a place unknown.

I realized nature is where we all belong ….

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Still Alive

Still Alive


Behind every smile of mine
there is a crying heart
as some dreams are destined to remain jus dreams

Beside tears there is
Shine in my eyes
As every moment of your presence is still alive
Memories – they still breathe
are still alive.

Why your thoughts follow my breath?
as night follow the light
and you dun know how much it hurts
when pain speaks – it speaks
my heartaches.
Even at times, tried remainin silent
But all that was heard was your voice.

Burning but still breathing
Dun know why, but still alive
Still alive

Nothing can quench thirst of fire
ashes are always left
cann’t part away from you
something is always left

You walked off my life as
soul from body touched by death
deprived but still breathing
dun know why, but I’m still alive
still alive…..

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Adherence of Immortal Love

Few days back my brother got his books for new session in school. He was very excited about everything and was placing all the books neatly in his bookrack. I picked up one of his English book and started scanning it for something interesting. One of the chapters was about The Chittaurgarh Fort in Rajasthan. Chittaugarh Fort is a living testimony of the bravery of the great Rajput rulers who laid down their life fighting a superior enemy instead of leading a life of submission was the first line of the chapter. But I was amazed learning the legend behind it; after doing a little Google on Chittaurgarh Fort, I would say there is an immortal love story of a king (Rana Rawal Ratan Singh) and a beautiful queen (Rani Padmini).

Rani Padmini was a regal beauty and no one could deny that. When Ala-ud-din Khilji, the ruler of Delhi, heard of Padmini’s beauty, he requested Rana Rattan Singh for a Glimpse of the queen. However, the Sultan was permitted to see only the reflection of the queen from water reservoir that overlooked the palace. Ala-ud-din was carried away by Padmini’s beauty and thought of attacking Chittor in order to possess her.
Rana accompanied him due to courtesy to gates of fort after he saw the reflection of Padmini. Rana was dishonestly arrested and kept as hostage for Padmini.

As per Padmini's plan, misleading information was sent to Alluddin that Padmini had decided to come to Ala-ud-din, but as her status demanded, she was to come with 700 women. Alla-ud-din agreed to this. The Rajputs were thus able to infiltrate about 2000 men into Alla-ud-din's camp. Each Palaqi (Palanquin) contained two Rajput soldiers and four men to lift it. Gora and Badal were leading this team. Ala ud din was told that Padmini desired a last interview with her husband and he agreed. The Rajputs were thus able to transport Ratan Singh to safety and make a fool out of the Khilji king. It was victory of love over conceit.

Beaten, Ala ud din returned to Delhi to come back better equipped early the next year. This time the Rajputs were out of luck and perished on the battlefield while their womenfolk, led by Maharani Padmini, performed Jauhar(voluntary death on a funeral pyre of the queens and royal womenfolk in order to avoid capture and dishonour at the hands of enemies). In particular, the sieges of Chittor, its brave defence by the Guhilas, the saga of Rani Padmini and the Jauhar she led are the legendary.


A big water reservoir with water gushing out of a rock shaped in the form of cow’s mouth called ‘ Gaumukh’ is close to the opening of the cave where Rani Padmini and the other women are believed to have performed jauhar . It still speaks of the sacrifice of a woman and her love.

The courage as well as self-respect of the queen is really acclaimed and inspite of sacrificing one’s mortal body to fire, she lived immortal signifying the rightness and bravery of Indian woman ….