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Hazy Winter Evening

It was a saturday eve, when outta boredom, I went out for a round of walk. The sun was buried behind the clouds in a way that no Sun but only the clouds existed. It was misty. It seemed that only I dared to challenge the winter. For the first time, I loved the emptiness on the way. When I looked at the grey never-ending curved roads through the fog, for a while, I felt that those led to heaven on the other side of white beautiful haze. The trees on the sides of road looked greener, after the dew washed their leaves, and the ones that fell from their parent tree were wet and seemed to be breathing once again. At intervals, cold winds blew, causing me and the fog to shiver and the miasma danced on the rhythm of the winds. No, I did not dance, I simply shivered clutching my shawl tighter than before and adjusting the hairs under my woolen cap.

The picturesque surrounding kept me walking until I saw a fellow, a few meters away from me in the fog. I tried to look clearly into the haze. My mind dashed an alert, ‘you should stay away from strangers.’ I deserted the alert at the other second and went closer. I could see a tall guy, around my age, dressed in blue denim and plain black jacket. He had a wide bosom. He had muffled his head and neck in a way that only the part above the his lips, of the face were visible. A few strands of his hairs hovered around his forehead periodically with the winds. His truthful eyes went curious when they met mine. His eyebrows were pulled together and his spectacles moved a bit upward as he tried to look at me and then back to normal as if, mine, was a familiar face. He, then unwrapped his muffler and I could see his pale-golden face. I knew him!

I saw the miasma parting away and  felt a strange warmth in the chilly evening, the warmth of his presence. He gazed at me standing a foot away. It was an unusual gaze, in a way that it bound my eyes to look at him without twinkling. His visage shone to every movement of his nerves. The winter imparted a reddish shade to his pale-golden nose. A tiny smile, to the left, spread on his face. I, too,  smiled in-turn in a pink-ish way. He came a step closer to me and took my hand in his. His hands were as warm as his presence. He adjusted his long fingers between my smaller ones, pulled my hand and held it tightly. The solemn evening appeared charming as ever. For that moment, everything vaporized within the hazy winter.

Two souls, one heart

“Hey! It’s getting late. Lets walk to home.” A familiar voice disrupted my fairy tale from far behind. I turned about to the call shifting my gaze which he had hypnotized. “Dad?” I said in a surprise. “What? Whom were you expecting?” he said as he came closer. My heart sank thinking of the aftermath of the encounter that was going to happen between my dad and him. “Dad.. he is..” I turned to him for an introduction session but, POOFFFFF! he was nowhere! “He? Who? You are fine, right?” Dad asked looking at me, worried. “No.. I mean yes..” I once looked at my father and then to the place where he stood and then again. And, again. Nothing except the fog existed. My father blinked to my strange actions and then, pulled me towards home. “I think you are not well, see, I told you to stay inside. It’s very cold out.” He said adjusting my shawl and then the cap. He kept on advising all through the way and I kept on checking the way back, where I was with him a few moments ago; into nothingness. The warmth was gone and I felt the cold winds once again.

In a Traffic Jam

Needles seemed to pierce through my cheeks as the cold winter breeze brushed past me. It was terribly cold that afternoon. “I am getting late.” My sister raised her brows and said. “What can I do? We are on a rickshaw not bullet train!” I grinned. She had her tuitions after a while. 45 minutes to be precise and the rickshaw-puller was in no moods to race. “How can you be so relaxed about it? I have never been late!” Her specks slid to the lower part of her nose as she smirked at me. “No big deal. It’s not an exam. Moreover, I can do nothing. Instead of groaning, you should better enjoy the traffic jam. Did you notice you are looking a bit fat today?” I said. “Enjoy? I am stuck in a traffic jam, I have my tuitions in 40 minutes, I have to a get a graph copy, this rickshaw-man is crawling on the road and you find a enjoyment thing in this situation? Are you okay?” She yelled, adjusting her spectacles over each comma in one breathe.

I just love this expression of hers. She gets worried over the little-est issue and then creates a big sensation outta it. Her eyebrows go as high as Mount Everest and her spectacles keep sliding like a man doing ice-skiing on her sharp nose. She peeks through them and her face goes a kind of red like ripe tomatoes each time I smile to tease her. She moves her hand up and down in all directions as she speaks to drive her point home. Smile struggles to beam through her pursed lips and she looks around in an awkward manner every now and then blinking her big beautiful eyes.

“Yeah, I am okay, just perfect and I am not looking fat.” I teased her. “I am not looking fat either.” She said pointing her fore-finger at me. “Really? How can you be so sure?” I laughed. “This is serious. Don’t act like a child. Sometimes I wonder who is elder between us.” She murmured. “Well, I am sure, I am the elder one. Look, I’m 2 inches taller.” I said ignoring her anguish. “You are impossible!” She got irritated. “Possibly, yes. But why are you worried about something which has nothing so serious?” I said curiously. “Eh? Something..nothing? What?” She looked at me, all blank. “I mean what is the big deal if you reach a bit late to your class. You are not doing it deliberately. And there is still some time left. Be optimistic.” I explained. “Be optimistic over a rickshaw in a never ending jam? Right! It IS a damn big deal. I will never reach on time this way. I don’t wanna be late.” Her voice moved in a sine curve, up above and deep down. “God! You panic like the terrorist blew World Trade Center front of you.” I giggled to which she gave a ‘you-better-shut-up’ kinda stare. I followed instantly.

Next twenty minutes, she did not speak though she continued her worrying expression. I was busy observing cool new cars in a showroom nearby and giving my verdict over usefulness and uselessness of visible parts which she readily ignored. “Only 15 minutes left now.” She spoke finally after few more minutes passed. “I checked my phone and said “You are wrong, we have 20 more minutes.” “We will need 5 minutes to buy the graph copy, then put in my bag and cross the road.” She said calculating on hands. “Y..e..a..h? okay, but we ain’t that far.” I tried to console. “The traffic isn’t moving, can’t you see?” She stared. “Lets run to your class?” I joked. “What? You mean actually running, are you serious?” She exclaimed, maybe out of relief? “Damn good idea, let us do it.” She said anxiously. “Oops! I..I.. was actually..not..serious..” I tried to say but pulled me down from the rickshaw.

My ever so careful sister did not care for the traffic and people around and ran as if she met Usain Bolt recently. I was bound to follow her. I love her, sometimes. The cold winds were hurting our faces. Some ladies in the traffic looked with amazement and groaned as if we were breaking the holy law and faith. A few boys were humble enough to make comments. I am truly grateful to them, they added to the urge of moving faster and getting outta there as soon as possible. An old uncle told us to be slow to which I wondered, what would be slower than two girls racing within a dormant traffic. A few urchins raced and overtook easily, my sister made a face to them. Two almost black dogs religiously followed us, I guess they doubted our integrity or were protecting us from those boys?

We reached to her class finally, 12 minutes and some seconds late. But she looked content. “Wow, we did it. Thanks. You can leave now.” She said controlling her breath. “Wait a minute, you had to buy a graph copy?” This was me this time, a bit worried. Her eyeballs went bigger. “Oh No! It’s statistics class today, my sir wont let me in.” She choked up. “You wait here, I will bring you one, it will take 8-10 minutes.” I said. “20 minutes exactly, useless, class will end.” She maintained her accuracy this time too.

Together Forever

We both looked at each other for a minute or so and then away from each other for 2 more minutes. After 5 minutes, she smiled 2 inches long, in a strange manner at me. “They opened a new restaurant nearby.” She said winking. I pulled her nose and smiled. We held hands once again and started walking briskly to the restaurant. “What a waste! I over-reacted.” She said smilingly. “You always do.” I moved my head in a yes while speaking. “I am not careless like you.” She adjusted her specs. “I know, you are too careful. But you are looking fat!.” I laughed and ran towards the restaurant. “NO, wait for me!!”  She yelled and chased me down to our delightful supper.

Picture Courtesy: www.impawards.com/2008/sisters.html

14 Wishes

Dear God,

Wish you a very Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Hello! How are you? Stupid question! You are the Creator, what can go wrong with you?! I am good and want to get better and then may be the best? You must be wondering why am I writing to you. Hmm.. actually, God, you are the one of the two listening souls whom I belong to, who listens and considers(most of the times) my ever increasing demands without complaining; to which, I am truly grateful. How do you manage to hear and remember the in-voices of so many people every second? Tough job, but then, you are the Ultimate, the Supreme, the GOD yourself. With due respect to your highness and as a matter of help, I thought of listing my top 14 wishes over here, on my very own blog. You are always welcome to read it over, and maybe comment or criticize. So, here it goes..

1. 2009 had been a chaotic year, ahem, self-created chaos at most, always. I want a little peace, just a little bit because, you know, excess of everything is bad. Please, bless me with peace.
2. I would love to be successful in a few-most fields of life(neglect the few part), better known to you, for rest of them, we will talk next year. Greedy, ain’t I?
3. You wont mind me, if I ask the well-being, peace, prosperity and success for my loved ones, right? Please consider the same.
4. I have observed a strange problem cropping within myself which you must consider to solve. Actually, I used to be a calm headed person. I used to loose my temper once a year but late last year I lost it 4 times a day without fail and the intensity was potentially harmful for my family, friends and most importantly my own poor self. Look into the matter please, before my head blows.
5. I want to be a little patient and humble.
6. ‘A little knowledge is dangerous thing’ said Alexander Pope, so it would be a nice thought to bless me with more and more knowledge of things I appreciate to learn and also of those I don’t appreciate intrinsically. You are the learned God, I want to be your learner.
7. Please let me know the mistakes big or small I committed/am committing/am going to commit and show the best path for the redemption of the same. I swear, I wont let you down.
8. I am not selfish by choice. I have a heart full of love and it predominantly loves those who love me. Bless me with some love for others too.
9. Sometimes, I feel confused. Guide me to the best path of life and through the wildest time of my existence.
10. After that 26/11 havoc, I feel, we people should be courageous enough to break a bottle of wine/a wooden chair/a cement pot/whatever that comes handy and hurts hard, on the heads of terrorists when they try to hold us as hostage. Bless all of us with courage. I am sure we will come out to be brave.
11. Oh yes, could you please consider ways to ban IndiaTv-the news channel. I find it a bit misleading and overbearing. Tell me if I am wrong, but it tends to create a lot of harmful commotion around like the last time it showed the reincarnation of some scientist and then created an unnecessary hustle about the year 2012, said that the world is gonna end, Duh! The channel is just an example, if you are getting me.
12. Please don’t make the summers too hot and winters too cold, I know we subjected the global warming and can not move away from the consequences, But you see, we are really very sorry, humans are prone to commit mistakes and you are the God, you can always turn things round.
13. Don’t allow some nasal singers to switch voices time and again, they have already defamed some good nasal voices like Me and Akon.
14. Lastly, I want to gain few of the weight I lost late last year because I look under-nutritive now-a-days, you see.

Okay, I did it. Now it’s your turn. Please, please consider to grant me these. I would be ever so grateful to you. I know you love me a lot, I love you too!