ALOHA!!! @ I only know!!

It was the year 2020, much like every other year and was the same for everyone till it became unlike any other year. Only, it was still the same for everyone and we were all cooped up in our selves as the rulemakers made new rules by the day and the naysayers opined in empty words. I am not new to loss, joy, thrill, bereavement, elation, love, enthusiasm, anger or depression, and neither are you  which is what makes us all human and how we act upon each emotion is the thin line between sanity and madness. This time I learnt to be a better friend. Mangalyam tantunanena mama jeevana hetuna: kanthe badhnami subhage twam jeeva sarada satam And lo behold, usually theres a lot of hugging and crying(usually happiness) as 2 people marry to unite 2 families through the socially accepted marriage ritual. None of this happened in the wedding we had so painstakingly organised, with nothing stopping short in terms of entertainment or being unordinary. A famous person in a very famous sleeveless...

It’s a year today since you passed on to make heaven a happier place but you don’t know the void you have left behind. The void isn’t one that can be filled by anyone at anytime. The world may ask, what makes this dog so special, why should the world be told of how much I miss you…just one clarification, I am not telling the world how I miss you, I am telling the world how much it’s missing, every time one of your kind crossed over.  The phrase god’s gift is one that fit you perfectly. Being part of a typical tam-brahm family, living in the heart of Madras, I didn’t believe my dream of getting a dog would ever become true. And I became part of every street dog pack in my area, rolling around in the sand, having them jump all over, treating them to occasional treats that I could sneak out of my mom’s kitchen. The very act of petting a dog was frowned upon and I was the spoilt child the other kids were told not to mingle with. And then came Pune which brought into my life so many new...

I teach, yes I do!! I teach undergraduate architecture students and have been doing this as a full time profession the past few years and with gay abandon, I claim I love it!! As a student, my life was fully governed by the need to be cool and the fact that I was tomboyish helped me achieve this target. At that time, I didn’t know the importance of what I was going through, and unfortunately most people I was associated with also didn’t realise it. One would say this is expected but that is where one expects elderly intervention. Today I wish my teachers had paid a little more attention to what we were doing. Barring a few who have helped shape me, most teachers taught their subjects well and that’s where it stopped. I wasn’t prepared for the outside world and I left the confines of my undergraduate institution almost as naive as I entered it. Nowadays, I see a change in the students. Many students I have had the privilege of interacting with seem to come with dreams that are pr...

Memories. Something that everyone wants to expand all the time, to store a zillion photos and videos they take to document every single point of their life, worthy of remembering or not. But what is a memory that needs proof that it existed? Not every moment in life is a happening and the brain knows exactly that… and memories are the highest priority of storage in our lives, stored up in our brain because they mark a milestone for us personally, something that added value to our lives. In this age of technology, we are hoarding bytes of data by the million, yet we rarely tap this bank of useless collectibles and information . The random expansion of memory requirements and the constant need for upgradation in terms of 'storage' is just adding to our 'hoarder' mentality. Our society had taught us to declutter our lives regularly, be it every Diwali or Bhogi or Thanksgiving. But our ancestors didn’t think our lives would be filled with a clutter that cannot be touched p...

Wrote this more than year back, somewhere in the wee end of 2017. Farewells are never easy and every time another friend leaves, it just gets more and more difficult to say goodbye. Atleast this time the goodbye is merely physical, as only the distances have increased, but the bonds remain strong. The heart turns a heavy turn As the road ahead becomes a blur That's when I realise there's a tear Waiting to drop, will burn my cheek I fear Why this weight I do not understand This journey I wish to make backward This is how one feels at the gates I shall sit, shall yearn in quiet, I'm afraid The act of bidding adieu has never been easy Hurts even more for you, my friend As time with you hasn't been very long And my eyes wish to hold you even at the end To sit beside and tell you stories With gay abandon I wish to talk Wish distances were just numbers to do away And I be at your door at the next knock Hold onto my memories I ask For I grasp at every ...

I write this in a way to express my angst against this society and the way we seem to be crumbling each day. India, the land of abundance, the land of dreams of many, a place known for its culture and hospitality, a country know for its resilience and its honour code, today stands as starkly exposed as a new born baby, in the eyes of the world. Every day is a new day, start afresh! This was something lifestyle gurus told me and I tried to look at it in a similar manner. Each day I tried to run along with the same optimism I wake up with, my country let me and my will down. People have given up and have made the statement - What can I do?, the status quo of their lives and I truly believe that this question is very valid. What can anyone do?? After all it is a mindset change that is required from the entire population and not just a few socially awakened people. But to create this awareness, we need to stir the conscience of the people and move the very core of the person. The need of ...