The skies had been dark for more than a month, one had even forgotten what the sun looked or felt like. Its soothing and warm rays falling on the bare skin, giving it an eternal glow and its strong rays leading us from the cold and void darkness to light. The birds had stopped singing, the cool breeze had also stopped. Replacing these were the cries of innocents, begging for mercy and the explosions carrying their echoes throughout the land.
War was on.
It started as a misunderstanding of two arrogant minds but who ever really cared about the thoughts of two when there was blood of millions to spill. Books had been written, Songs had been sung, movies had been made, Oscars had been won. Today as I sit in this train on a journey which could possibly be my last, I drift away from the gruesome noise of the engine and back to the times when things were much peaceful.
Peaceful… Peaceful ?
I had never felt a pause for so long, the blank feeling was for a moment but it showed a pause that had been existing for centuries. Times never had been peaceful, there was always tension, always a feud, always a conspiracy. There was always a war on. Bursting my bubbles of thought, I looked at my broken watch clumsily and wondered what the time was. As I peered out through the grills of my bogey and craned my neck up to the sky, I estimated that it was time for my daily prayer. In the hours so close to death, we still don’t try to accept our fate, we always look for a savior to come and take us away from this madness.
With a silent Amen, I ended my prayer and let the silence empower me. Bound in these shackles, I wondered where this train was taking me to. I remember my neighbor,Milosh telling me once of these ‘camps’ where many were taken bound and gagged and made to work there like slaves. It is sad that he had to be shot at that very instant, I could have received more information on these ‘camps’.
I am not a father, a husband or a brother. I am a violinist. ‘Emily’ I call her and she is my only family. The two of us met in an old antique shop on Rue de Balzac where I had fallen in love the moment I set my sights on her. When I touched her with my bare hands and fiddled her with my stick, magic was at its best. The shopkeeper himself was amazed how well I handled her. It had been 15 years since that meeting and today I had been separated from her forever.
Lost in her thoughts I was so deep that I did not realise the train slowing down to a halt. As the door of the bogie opened, a German in uniform climbed in. As soon as he looked at me, he shouted out something in German and the next thing I know, I was facing the hollow end of the barrel of a rifle.
(to be continued...)
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
She, U and I
The sun was shining, the birds were singing and so was my heart. Paris was all around me and I was all around her. She stood by me with her hair open and was admiring the view from the top of the Eiffel tower as she exclaimed, “Isn’t that beautiful ?” And as I gazed into those beautiful, endless eyes of hers, I said “You’re the one who makes it so beautiful. You’re the cherry on the top, without which the ice-cream would be nothing.” On hearing this, her cheeks turn red as she blushes and falls into my arms as I embrace her with all my love, wanting to hold her forever.
Forever,forever,forever...
Suddenly I was brought back to reality as my auto hits one of the infamous potholes of Delhi. I checked my watch and saw that I just had 5 minutes before the movie started, I implored the driver to risk his life for me and speed up a little. As he screeched in front of the complex, I took out my wallet in a hurry and handed him the money. I ran with the strength in my legs to the movie theatre with the police looking at me with suspicious eyes. On reaching, I found no one was there. Nobody to greet me or shout at me for being late. As I looked around for someone familiar, I recalled last night’s conversation and I was quite sure that I had heard, “ Meet me outside the movie theater at sharp 11”. As I checked the watch again, I saw that it was 5 minutes past 11 and still no company. “Well, there go the trailers” I said to myself, so I decided to do the obvious, wait.
As I looked at the crowd, I noticed the bubbly school children in their flocks, the cute couples whispering to each other and giggling, the cranky kids shedding their crocodiles’ tears wailing to buy a new toy (those were the days) and then there was the youth of today which the whole world was talking about and I was supposed to be one of them. I had looked at crowds like these everyday, scanning for a face, a face I would be elated to see, a face that stood out amongst all, a face that I could never figure out. And today was one of those rare days when I will be seeing that face once again. I think, because now it had been 15 minutes past 11 and there was still no sign of her.
Suddenly something caught hold of my attention. No, it wasn’t what I was expecting, but instead, it was a brawl that was taking place between some school kids, with fists flying and shirts tearing. I guess my movie had already started! But as soon as the fight started, it got over too and I was left staring at the crowd once again. I had begun to have my doubts when suddenly the wind blew, the crowd parted and there she was. There was the face that I had hoped I could run into everyday.
And finally after the long wait (it was totally worth it), she was here.
Forever,forever,forever...
Suddenly I was brought back to reality as my auto hits one of the infamous potholes of Delhi. I checked my watch and saw that I just had 5 minutes before the movie started, I implored the driver to risk his life for me and speed up a little. As he screeched in front of the complex, I took out my wallet in a hurry and handed him the money. I ran with the strength in my legs to the movie theatre with the police looking at me with suspicious eyes. On reaching, I found no one was there. Nobody to greet me or shout at me for being late. As I looked around for someone familiar, I recalled last night’s conversation and I was quite sure that I had heard, “ Meet me outside the movie theater at sharp 11”. As I checked the watch again, I saw that it was 5 minutes past 11 and still no company. “Well, there go the trailers” I said to myself, so I decided to do the obvious, wait.
As I looked at the crowd, I noticed the bubbly school children in their flocks, the cute couples whispering to each other and giggling, the cranky kids shedding their crocodiles’ tears wailing to buy a new toy (those were the days) and then there was the youth of today which the whole world was talking about and I was supposed to be one of them. I had looked at crowds like these everyday, scanning for a face, a face I would be elated to see, a face that stood out amongst all, a face that I could never figure out. And today was one of those rare days when I will be seeing that face once again. I think, because now it had been 15 minutes past 11 and there was still no sign of her.
Suddenly something caught hold of my attention. No, it wasn’t what I was expecting, but instead, it was a brawl that was taking place between some school kids, with fists flying and shirts tearing. I guess my movie had already started! But as soon as the fight started, it got over too and I was left staring at the crowd once again. I had begun to have my doubts when suddenly the wind blew, the crowd parted and there she was. There was the face that I had hoped I could run into everyday.
And finally after the long wait (it was totally worth it), she was here.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Hindi ki Bhindi mein Baarish ki Sifaarish
Dhoop ki garmi se mera tan hua behaal.
Jaane kitni der rahega yeh bura akaal.
Chahta hoon mein rahat is pasine se.
Aur nahin seh sakta main is mahine mein.
Tabhi main dekhta hoon asmaan ki ore.
Aur aata hai uske saath garajne ka shore.
Aakash ke neele mein badal kaale kaale.
Ghar se bahar nikle,saare mohalle waale.
Boondein choti choti, giri mere gaalon par.
Aur patte hilne lage paydon ki daalon par.
"Aayi baarish, aayi baarish" kehti meri saans.
Khushiyon ke rang laayi, bhujaayi meri pyaas.
Jaane kitni der rahega yeh bura akaal.
Chahta hoon mein rahat is pasine se.
Aur nahin seh sakta main is mahine mein.
Tabhi main dekhta hoon asmaan ki ore.
Aur aata hai uske saath garajne ka shore.
Aakash ke neele mein badal kaale kaale.
Ghar se bahar nikle,saare mohalle waale.
Boondein choti choti, giri mere gaalon par.
Aur patte hilne lage paydon ki daalon par.
"Aayi baarish, aayi baarish" kehti meri saans.
Khushiyon ke rang laayi, bhujaayi meri pyaas.
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Jetlag
The lights kept going on and off... his world shook like an earthquake... screams were piercing his ears... pandemonium was all around him. His worst fears were coming to life.
He was in an airplane which unfortunately was going to crash.
He got up from his seat and searched for someone. Someone who could help him, somebody who could take him far away from this horrible place and put him somewhere safe; the sofa in his office, the grass on his porch, the bed , or even the toilet seat of his bathroom... Anywhere but here. His eyes fell on an air hostess, he approached her,grasped her tightly and asked her, " What is happening ? We are all going to die aren't we ?" In her monotone yet trembling voice, she replied "Sir, I advise you to sit down, the captain is going to get everything under control." He looked deep into her eyes and saw what he expected.
Fear
Fear of the fact that the pilots had no clue whatsoever and that they had all gathered their Bibles and started to pray. As he slowly let go of her arms, he suddenly started realising the obvious.
This is it. This is what the ends feel like. He had never wished for an end like this but he had no choice. It was God's way of saying...
"Life is unfair and so is death"
Whenever he used to watch the TV news and hear of airplane crashes, a chill would go down his spine and he would quietly pray for those poor souls but also pray that an end like this would never come to him. But in a few hours time, he too would be on the news, nothing more than a mere statistic.
His thoughts came back to present as he looked at the passenger sitting next to him. It was a girl of not more than 10 years with a little teddy grasped in her arms and a two colourful butterflies clipped onto her hair. Her head was held low and tiny drops could be seen sliding down from her eyes over her soft cheeks and falling into the grey carpet beneath her feet. She did not panic nor did she wail, she sat there quietly, as though accepting death in the best possible way, in silence.
As she lifted her head, knowing that she was being watched, she looked at this man who was staring at her for quite some time and asked " Are you okay mister ?".
The man was taken aback by such words coming from a child. He was thinking of helping the girl by saying something soothing but he failed to utter a word. Afterall, what could he have said ? And now, after hearing this girl, he couldn't do anything but silently nod looking into the girl's hazel eyes and shed a tear.
He cursed God for ruining such a beautiful creation of His own but at the same time, he believed that it was the love for this creation that made him ask for it back. He was happy that he was not alone and he had someone to be by his side in this journey that he was to embark on. Ignoring the screams and the shouts of the passengers, ignoring the wings of the plane that tore apart, ignoring the violent shaking of the entire aircraft, he held out his hand in front on the girl.
Noticing this gesture, she took her own and placed it in his. As she did so, a feeling of warmth spread from his hand to his arm and to his shoulders, to every part of his body till it finally reached his heart.
That is when he knew that this was heaven.
He was in an airplane which unfortunately was going to crash.
He got up from his seat and searched for someone. Someone who could help him, somebody who could take him far away from this horrible place and put him somewhere safe; the sofa in his office, the grass on his porch, the bed , or even the toilet seat of his bathroom... Anywhere but here. His eyes fell on an air hostess, he approached her,grasped her tightly and asked her, " What is happening ? We are all going to die aren't we ?" In her monotone yet trembling voice, she replied "Sir, I advise you to sit down, the captain is going to get everything under control." He looked deep into her eyes and saw what he expected.
Fear
Fear of the fact that the pilots had no clue whatsoever and that they had all gathered their Bibles and started to pray. As he slowly let go of her arms, he suddenly started realising the obvious.
This is it. This is what the ends feel like. He had never wished for an end like this but he had no choice. It was God's way of saying...
"Life is unfair and so is death"
Whenever he used to watch the TV news and hear of airplane crashes, a chill would go down his spine and he would quietly pray for those poor souls but also pray that an end like this would never come to him. But in a few hours time, he too would be on the news, nothing more than a mere statistic.
His thoughts came back to present as he looked at the passenger sitting next to him. It was a girl of not more than 10 years with a little teddy grasped in her arms and a two colourful butterflies clipped onto her hair. Her head was held low and tiny drops could be seen sliding down from her eyes over her soft cheeks and falling into the grey carpet beneath her feet. She did not panic nor did she wail, she sat there quietly, as though accepting death in the best possible way, in silence.
As she lifted her head, knowing that she was being watched, she looked at this man who was staring at her for quite some time and asked " Are you okay mister ?".
The man was taken aback by such words coming from a child. He was thinking of helping the girl by saying something soothing but he failed to utter a word. Afterall, what could he have said ? And now, after hearing this girl, he couldn't do anything but silently nod looking into the girl's hazel eyes and shed a tear.
He cursed God for ruining such a beautiful creation of His own but at the same time, he believed that it was the love for this creation that made him ask for it back. He was happy that he was not alone and he had someone to be by his side in this journey that he was to embark on. Ignoring the screams and the shouts of the passengers, ignoring the wings of the plane that tore apart, ignoring the violent shaking of the entire aircraft, he held out his hand in front on the girl.
Noticing this gesture, she took her own and placed it in his. As she did so, a feeling of warmth spread from his hand to his arm and to his shoulders, to every part of his body till it finally reached his heart.
That is when he knew that this was heaven.
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