It has been some time...

It has been some time ...
And I will wait...

The contours of the face embrace a smile,
Yet the eyes show that there has been pain all the while.
The trembling lips utter words in harmony,
Only the heart knows the discord and cacophony.
The world moves on...i see, i hear...
Witness a story unfold like its far, not near...
It is no persona nor a role i play,
It is my deepest feelings on display.

It has been some time ...
And I will wait...

The rain drops on the window give the hope of a rainbow...
The dew drops hope of sprinkling sunshine...
The chirping birds hope of an unsung melody...
The breeze hope of a changing pattern...
The colours hope of a different hue...
The tears hope of moments new...
The silence hope of uninterrupted chatter...
The soul hope of musings that matter.

It has been some time...
And I will wait...
Filled with hope and love in every gait.
It has been some time...
And I will wait...

All the time, it is all I wanna:)

"Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you gonna get"

How many of us have quoted this line time and again and why?
Is it about Tom Hanks?
Is it about the philosophy lurking deeply behind these simple words?
Or is it simply gotta do with 'Chocolates'?

Am a self confessed chocolate aficionado!

I live to eat chocolates...
Time doesnt bind me, neither the weighing scales.
It could be brown or white or have both the hues...
Am generally a generous person but never let go of chocolate dues.
I like it tempered with rum n raisin...
And think nothing matches this binging sin.
Research says it is better than kissing...
Who cares how the neurotransmitters work and where the nerves are shooting.
May be it was Aphrodite's favourite dessert ...
How does it matter that we women are from Venus.
But one thought to which my mind does cater...
With regard to chocolates, size does matter.

It is chocolates for me all the way...
Pure yet sinful...
In moments of happiness...
In moments of sorrow...
Strength from it is what i borrow.
It's my route to oblivion, to bliss...to nirvana...
All the time, it is all I wanna:)

Chrysallis!!

Some people change your life...
Some events change your life...
Some smiles change your life...
Some tears change your life...
Some thoughts change your life...
Some obstacles change your life...
Some facts change your life...
Some understandings change your life...
Some realisations change your life...
Some fears change your life...
Some apprehensions change your life...
Some reasons change change your life...
Some lives change your life!

Chrysallis has changed my life!
I say this with no iota of exaggeration...
Every person who knows me knows this reality...

We are currently realising a dream called the 'Power of One'.
Do look at these links to know what i mean...
You don't understand it till you have been a part of it!

www.chrysallispowerofone.blogspot.com
www.chrysallis-theatre.org

Each One of Us have the Power to make a Difference!

“What’s brewing over coffee my dear?”

It is 11am, time for that blissful coffee break...in case your assignments, tests and presentation deadlines permit:)...
The queue at the famed 'coffee board' is awe inspiring and the conversations inspirational to make me want to pen down a piece of poetry...
So, let the words brew a story for you...


I walked on the broken path,
Picking my steps with caution.
So as not to gain anyone’s wrath,
As stumbling is my inborn passion.

Soon the aroma filled the air;
It was blissfully ok…being fair.
The white porcelain cup and saucer-
Had lost its’ sheen thanks to many a user.
The coffee filled to the brim;
A wee-bit strong for me, invited my grin.
It was coffee sans any frills…
No cinnamon or cream or appetizing thrills.
Yet there was something about this coffee…
And made me happy like a child with her favorite toffee.
The canopy added to the aura,
As my mind raced and witnessed emotions in plethora.
The discomfort of the plastic chairs forgotten;
The shaky tables, so what if the edges are rotten!
People from across the campus converge,
Intellectual discussions and debates emerge.
Day after day, I witnessed sagas…
If someone discussed quantum physics, some other a musical raga.
I did not pry, did not eavesdrop;
In my mind, even experienced a pin drop.
Gushed congratulations, stolen glances;
Amidst talk on genetics and a researchers’ chances.
Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Robert Aumann …
Discussed in the same breath, Oh Heavens!!
Grievances were addressed,
Plans were assessed,


Projects implemented,
Policies amended.
I saw it all happen over coffee here…
Even as I strived to gain my foothold here.
I saw,
I perceived,
I observed,
I believed…
Anything can happen over coffee.
Coffee board has like you visitors regular,
Just look around and find moments stellar.

Next time you walk on the broken path…
Just give all this a little thought.
And whisper in the ear of the person near…
“What’s brewing over coffee my dear?”

Celebration!!

An excerpt from my article , ‘Alumination 2007- Been there,done that!’..written in the Mar-Apr issue of FreeDoMS, rightly summing up the essence of DoMS and the spirit of the Celebration in my prior post…

Celebration means a winter evening, seminar hall, friends, rain, glasses of tea and a volume of statistics problems.
Celebration means 400 odd acres of land, late night cycle rides, and a few gymnastic acts.
Celebration means the aura of faculty hall, the place at Jamshed Ji’s footsteps, giggles and unprecedented confessions.
Celebration means home made sweets, sweet sour gossip, 4.30am, hostel room.
Celebration means midnight snacking, brain storming over chips and cup o noodles at gym café.
Celebration means 12 midnight, chocolate cake, birthday bumps at tea board.
Celebration means DoMS at IISc, celebration of life in the true sense!

What more can I celebrate?!

I want to celebrate….celebrate this day, celebrate these hours, moments and emotions! I don’t want to relive that moment because in its’ unitary existence, it has its’ charm and aura….i just want to celebrate its’ existence…

5th of June, 2006 was the day when I gave my Interview for admissions into Research at the Department of Management Studies, IISc. I was a tad bit nervous, did a lot of talking, smiled when I goofed and answered the statistical question by first writing it on paper!! 45-50 minutes of sitting across an esteemed panel and convincing them as to why research, I thought is my forte and why am passionate about it. Any deliberation on this would require another post…actually, many posts!

Today, exactly a year later I want to celebrate that moment…and many more this preceding year rewarded me with.

I want to celebrate the emotion I experience when I tell someone I am a Research Scholar at DoMS.

I want to celebrate the moments I spent with my ‘MBA’ friends: the birthday bashes, the parties, the dances, the unending late night ‘gupshup’ sessions, the gymkhana movies…they have seen me go thru the highs and the lows and been with me right thru. Oh my God!! Thank you!! For some of them, I am the feminist, liberated and ‘hatke’ researcher. I have definitely made some friends for life and a ‘bhai’!

I want to celebrate all those moments when my research friends made me feel pampered for being the youngest among them, celebrate their concern, care and immense love. Love u all!

I want to celebrate all those instances when I felt proud to be a part of the research team in the department. They tolerated all my loud giggles and noisy conversations, they were all there to guide us first years; patience and perseverance is what I learnt from them. The faculty here is not just esteemed but also very approachable…we can truly knock on their doors at any hour!!(They also burn the midnight oil, believe me!)

I want to celebrate all those sleepless nights I spent to do my MIS project using Visual Basic. (Ask my friends…they will tell you how technically challenged I am)

I want to celebrate all those combined study sessions that we did to combat the rigours of Statistics…I owe my ‘statistically significant results’ to my research colleagues’ perennial encouragement and guidance. Thank you!!

I want to celebrate all my learnings…the nuances of Behavioural Science, the specifics of Management Research Methodology, the histrionics of Human Resource Management, the tactics of Organizational Behaviour, the technicalities of Technology Management and the pursuit of Policy Making.

I want to celebrate the fact that I have an inspiring ‘Guide’, under whose guidance, am sure I will manage my knowledge and capabilities and carve my path significantly.

I want to celebrate all my firsts…and the ones that followed…my first event hosting- COSMAR 2006, Alumination 2007, Budget Discussion…; being a member of the first editorial board for Free DoMS(The Department newsletter); my first article in ‘Voices’( the IISc newsletter)….

I want to celebrate the air I breathe, the ‘charan’ of Jamshedji where I spent many a evenings and let the mornings dawn; the landscapes I see, the roads I travel, the mess I eat in..-C,food ranges from being lousy to decent and yes, even the hostel I live in..-‘kritika’, despite my eternal fear that it may collapse any day!!

I want to celebrate the fears, the apprehensions, the stress and the tears...

I want to celebrate the moment when one of my teachers became my colleague and I discovered a new facet to her…kudos to all those study, cribbing n laughing sessions!! Awaiting many more in the years to come!

I want to celebrate the ‘karmic konnection’ I found here!! A friend, a sister, a guide , a mentor…she adorns various roles….only wish we had discovered each other earlier, there is so much catching up to do!! This is ‘pure and natural'!

And finally, I want to celebrate the ‘Me’. I have changed in the last one year, have lived my dream like never before, have loved being me with my weirdness and clumsiness, ‘have found the reason to live and love’….What more can I celebrate?!

आपसे ही हम हैं और यह जिन्दगी हमारी हैं...

कुछ पलों में जिन्दगी समेट जाती हैं,
आपसे खफा होके हम खुद से रूठ जाते हैं...
उन खामोश पलों में सदिया जीं जाते हैं।
कहे बातों से आपको दर्द दिया,
खुद उस पल में झुलसते हैं।
ना जाने क्यों प्यार में ऐसा होता हैं-
जिनको आप चाहते हैं, उनकी हर बात पे फिक्र होती हैं,
बिना कहे भी, हर पल कुछ कहना चाहते हैं।
हम आपसे बेहद प्यार करते हैं...
कैसे मनाये आपको?
बस शब्दो का सहारा हैं।
आपसे ही हम हैं और यह जिन्दगी हमारी है.

It is a 'Corner'...

It is a corner that redefines my life.
It is a corner that infuses fresh blood in me.
It is a corner that inspires my grey cells.
It is a corner that transforms my mundane world into an existential one.
It is a corner that makes me believe i have my own world.
It is a corner that progresses beyond geometric boundaries.
It is a corner that lays the foundation of sweet-nothings.
It is a corner that witnesses emotions unfold.
It is a corner that gives me my identity abound.
It is a 'Corner' in Coffee Day I found!!

The above piece is an Ode to CCD and the zillion coffee drinkers who come on their own over a cup of coffee! Inspired by a young man named Sandeep Kumar who over his coffee exhibited a gamut of emotions. Strange how strangers can inspire you...

I want to paint the town yellow...

I want to paint the town yellow,
In hues that's both bright and mellow.

All things beautiful are yellow in colour.
This is no frivolous assumption,
Just a focused observation.

The rays of the sun breaking the path of the clouds...
The sunflowers swaying in the wind...
The mustard fields my eyes bound...
The colour of friendship in my mind...
The road milestones that i found...
The top of an auto in the traffic signal i find...
The old taxis that from top look round...
The colour of turmeric on the new brides' cheeks...

It is a colour of happiness, of hope, of aspirations, of dreams, of expectations, of existance and pure motivation...

Yes, I want to paint the town yellow!

"Sure, we have eternity!"

When I say time is eternity...
To me it moves beyond count;
I wait for you with no clock bound.
To me it is a moment of importance paramount.
I reminisce, I introspect;
I live moments spent with you.
No beads of impatience or anger;
Just sprinkles of anticipation and hope forever.
So, all those moments when you say,
"I will be late." or "Give me a minute."...
I smile and say, "Sure,we have eternity!".
Beyond any argument or fallacy, is this reality.

The year that was; the words that were...- Subjects

The pages now have a tinge of yellow, the edges are roughed up...some of the words are faded.I look at them and they reflect what i was...
I will post them here .....sporadically.....remembering those times...those words...that year:)

So, here is the first one ...written when i was eleven years old...a first taste of secondary school and a whole new bunch of subjects.

Subjects
Hindi, English and Sanskrit are subjects of creations;
Whereas Drawing and Craft are subjects of patience.
Maths is a subject of common sense;
Whereas Chemistry, Physics and Biology are subjects of intelligence.
History is a subject about ancient things;
Whereas Geography is a subject about natural things.
But Civics is a subject with a difference rather-
It is a subject of law and order.