The Moonstruck Mystique...

Wondering what the title's all about? Just look at the number of people around you who say that Life sucks. Oh well, it might be easier to count people who don't say or think so. We have so much negativity around us that keep a positive attitude is rather difficult these days. Everyone seems to be having a lot of problems and the worst part is many of them say they face only problems in whatever they do. There are some people who keep finding faults with everything around. Aren't we responsible for most things that happen to us? Look at children themselves. Say a decade back we had the spirit of competition and yet we were happy that our fellow mates won a prize over us. But today children begin to despise their friends for the very same reason. The spirit of healthy competition has metamorphosed into a feeling of selfishness, an anger. Then there are the ambitious young people. They aim high in life. There are tough times and they struggle to achieve their aims. At ...

Yes. Every Indian knows who I'm talking about. Sachin Tendulkar . And yes I know a million people who would also be talking about him now. What better time to pay tributes to his batting genius. He has become the first batsman in the history of ODIs to have scored a double ton. YIPPEEEE . I can't explain how excited I got hearing it. Yes. I didn't watch the match today. I didn't even listen to commentary today on the radio. Further still, I didn't even log on to cricinfo to check the progress of the match. I was caught up with some work all afternoon. It was only after a friend called me in the evening that I got to know. It may well have been a plain batting wicket, a fast outfield and an ordinary bowling attack. But a double ton is a double ton. And SACHIN is SACHIN . He, for me, is cricket. I love watching the game. There was a time when I wouldn't miss a match. Having never been able to play, I still knew quite a few technicalities of it since my childho...

Wonder where you are dear friend.... More seasons have past since you left than the hours we had spent together. I don't think of you much for I have much else to think about. But think about you I do. When I hear a soulful melody... of a reminiscent past. When a feeling of nostalgia overcomes me.. In my moments of solitude. I think of the innocent conversations we had and the games we played; for a short while though it was. Just you and I. And our bright colourful world. And you had had to leave. And we parted not knowing what it meant. I don't know where you are. I don't even remember much about you. Not even enough to be able to find out. I don't know if you ever missed me in all these years. Or if you even thought about me once. But I will always keep you in my heart, my long lost friend. As a sweet tingling feeling at a corner of my heart. This special feeling is all mine. That I wouldn't share..not even with you. So special th...

A cool breezy winter weekend, a warm cosy restaurant. An elderly couple sitting on the couch right behind excitedly discussing their children's visit and how their grandchildren will soon come to spend the winter break with them. A little girl coaxing her dad to buy her ice cream as her mom does not approve. A bunch of teenagers celebrating a birthday. Just then I notice a couple walking in. The girl is literally hanging on the guy's arm. They take the table next to mine and do not even realize the waiter standing beside them. The Menu cards are handed to them; she closes hers and shares his,warm shy smile on their faces. I notice the look on his face and it instantly makes me happy. He insists that she order for the both of them and she gracefully obliges. Once the order has been placed and they are left alone, she picks up her phone and chatters away while his eyes are fixed on her. He watches the way she is giggling in the midst of the conversation. He smiles as ...

We all from school times knew what a solar eclipse meant and also scientifically why it occured. But nowadays a day of an eclipse is just like any other. Nobody believes in not eating or not going out in the sun during an eclipse. Today was supposedly the longest solar eclipse of the millenium. We went to the terrace of the Physics Department and watched the mighty sun trying to hide behind the moon for more than an hour. Too bad it was only partial this time. There were quite a lot of enthusiasts out there; faculty, scholars, students, family and children. We saw the eclipse through aluminium sheets, X-ray films, the image through a convex lens and holes pricked on a cardboard box. Then we were told that the rays that escaped between the leaves of trees also looked curved like what was left of the sun. Then Saf and I kept taking pictures of it. If we were at home or elsewhere everyone would have ignored us for being crazy but here at the IIT and particularly at the Physics Depa...

A trai n jou rney alone. 11pm. Lights switched off. All asleep. The cool breeze and moonlit sky keep me company. Listening to some stirring music and gazing at the da rkn ess outside, the romantic in me awakens. A million thoughts fill my mind... I pick up my pe n and for the lack of plain paper, I begin scribbling on my ticket. Instead of switching on lights, I choose to use the light from my phone. I am crazy, aren't I? We went for a family dinner at a restaurant with Ghazal nite a fortnight back. I wrote out a few favourites of the family that they sang beautifully for us. Once the main course was over, he got up from his seat next to mine and went up to the singer and said something. Just as I began wondering, puzzled, the singer smiled at me and began singing 'Abhi na jaao chodkar.. ' my most favourite song from the old Dev Anand starrer 'Hum Dono'. I couldn't but stop blushing. He kept his eyes fixed on mine, took his seat and whispered in my ears. A...

The other day I bumped into a girl who falls in the category between that of friends and acquaintances. I smiled and wished her a very good morning. She replied with a bigger smile and said.. 'I really like the way you wear your hair these days.' I, obviously happy at her remark, said 'Thank you' most gracefully when she added, 'Its much much better than before.'