A lost friend

I was in my room one evening, back at home during the summer vacations from college. It was raining heavily outside, thanks to which I had to cancel my movie plans. I rubbed my nose against the windowpane and sighed as I had nothing better to do. Through the window I could see two kids, about 10 to 12 years of age playing on the streets in the rain. Their clothes all drenched in water and covered with mud. They were enjoying, laughing, running, as if this moment was everything to them, as if this was all they cared about.
Seeing them like this reminded me of something...

Once upon a time, when I was little,
and the world seemed a riddle,
full of every imaginable thing possible;
I used to start the day on my cycle,
along with my friend we used to travel and there seemed no end to our fable.

I still remember our going to the fort ,
in search of some hidden treasure,
which we never could find;
But I really don't mind,
because it was truly a pleasure.

Also the time when we went camping by the lakeside,
and returned home late in the night,
only to find our parents waiting by the door side,
And the time when I was hit by a motorcycle,
he took me home on his little cycle.

Those days seem a distant memory,
after 10 years it seems like a century.
And I can't say whether he'll still remember me.
But I'll do, because he was the best thing that happened to me.

I moved away from the window and walked towards the door. I opened it, stepped outside and stood in the rain. But this time, someone was missing.

When things go wrong...

You know, how there are times, when we feel all happy and excited and things seem to be going great. Then there are times, when we feel all deluded and fed up of everything. I mean these are times when the going gets tough, when each step you take seems like a mile and things seem to go wrong. These are our worst nightmares.

What if, someone was to tell you that these dark days are actually a blessing in disguise? Because they make you realize what happiness really is, how you have changed and what you can be. These are life’s surprise tests. And the funny thing about them is that you are its evaluator. In these times, it’s advisable to indulge in believing yourself, your instincts. Because the logical you is lost somewhere in the illusion. Following it would be like diving into the unknown waters. In these times, your logic can prove faulty, so let your belief bail you out.

And remember,

When things go wrong as they sometimes will,

When the road you are trudging seems all uphill,

Just stick to the flight when you’re the hardest hit,

It’s when things seem worst that you must never quit;

When you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When debts are high and funds are low,

You might succeed with another blow;

Like the silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you can never tell how close you are,

You might be near when it seems so far...
(The italicized part has been extracted from an unknown author)

My story for Elixir 2010

There was an open writing event in Elixir in which each person had to write 400 words on anything (poem or story or article) but it should have references of the following :-
1. a colour
2. a fruit
3. a ruler of Khilji dynasty
4. a plant
5. a gadget
6. the name of a website
7. a clothing item
So I presented the following story:-
                                                     The Dark Night

Alauddin Khilji stood at the edge of a cliff on a long dark night, aware that this could be his last night. A lot had to be done in the coming time and the consequences of his actions could also go against him. He gazed down the cliff where the sea was in full tide and smashed the rocks on the shore. He thought of the rocks,'meant to be cut down and give iron', he thought about iron,'meant to be made into swords and armors', and swords,'meant to win entire battles and destroy entire armies, to draw blood and drench in its glory'.

A strong wind passed by, but he stood motionless, staring into the darkness, contemplating and trying to be a part of the dark turmoil around him. Next he drifted his gaze towards the peach trees on the shore. 'No matter where one plant its seed, the tree would grow to be a peach tree. In the same way a warrior is a warrior, no matter where he is born, he would continue to serve for his land till his last breath and till he falls apart'.

For the past ten years he had been coming to this place the night before every war. And tomorrow with the first rays of the sun, his army would march towards Chittor. Khilji was very passionate and ambitious. It had all started until recently when he had heard about the beauty of Rani Padmini of Chittor, wife of the king Rawal Ratan Singh. That, when she walked, the winds would stop blowing, words coming from her mouth would make the lotus plant to blossom, her skin was satin-like and her eyes gleamed like a diamond. Such a beauty was intoxicating.

Despite the chilling weather Khilji was burning inside with a desire to claim her. 'Strange, that beauty can be a cause of destruction', he thought. He removed the shawl covering his body and took a step towards the cliff, ready to dive into the black waters.

'Cut', said the director. The cameras stopped rolling. "We'll call in the stuntman tomorrow for the diving scene",he added. Abhishek moved away from the cliff and sat on a chair made available for him.  He took out his blackberry which had 3 missed calls from 'wife' and 4 from 'papa'. He opened his gmail account and had 2 new emails, both of which were film offers. One was on robots and the other on aliens. He shouted to the director who was busy packing up ,"by the way, whats the name of this movie?". "Adventures of Khilji in 3D", came the reply.

The spice of life

Each and every one of us in this world, at some point of time or the other, feel that things are not making sense. Many a times we think that things should have happened this or that way. We have this innate desire to control the happenings of our life. And strange part is that we "wish" we could change the direction of the ship of our life, not knowing that we "can".

So these are times when we are really frustrated and are clueless as to what could render us out. Somehow, the pieces of the puzzle, called life, don't fit in together. The picture in front of us is distorted and disfigured. I am no exception. In fact, this happens, or used to happen with me all the time.

Taking a step on the path of becoming a philosopher one day, I would like to present my theory on life. In this theory I relate life with food (actually its good if we choose a counterpart for things. That way we get to know more about the main thing, in this case - life). So life is like a main course dish, which is yet in the making. And you my friend, are the chef. Its your choice of ingredients that decides the course of your dish. And its up to you to add the spices, to make an exquisite masterpiece which you enjoy and relish.

Rather than making oneself accustomed to a tasteless dish, we must experiment with ourselves and do things in ways that have never been thought of before. Our dish should have the aroma that attracts others towards it. Yes its a risk. But its worth taking.