Forever, now and always

I was a stranger to myself,
discovered me when I met you,
I've known the real me 
ever since I have been with you..


I love you more than myself
more than anything 
more than everything


Love is not just a word,
an emotion, a feeling,
To me you define love,
you are the very essence of it..


I love you more than myself
more than anything 
more than everything


When you hug me,
When you plant a kiss on my cheek,
When you whisper in my ear 
that you love me


The world stops spinning
the time stops still
You make everything around me magical,
ethereal and special..


I'm afraid no more of anything,
Because you're meant to stay
Because I know that


You love me more than myself
more than anything 
more than everything
Forever, now and always.

The Light

I'm a lonely old soul
on this old lonely road

don't know my destination
lost in confusion

nobody for miles around
and miles I have to go

my body is rusted with time
dust rises
with every move I make
with every step I take

my bones crackle
with every motion
like the snap of a dry twig

In the distance I can see
a warm glow of fire
like the breaking of dawn

in the distance I can see
a bright opening
that I have to get into

the light grows brighter
as I hear more crackle and snap of bones

I look around me I'm lonely no more

there are more souls around me
breaking and shaking off the dust
from their bodies covered in rust

I find them watching me
with an approving glance
their faces  break into million smiles

to the light we all have to run

and to the light we all run
to become one with the sun
at the break of the dawn...

An Ode to a friend

Dear friend you are the greatest thing that happened to me,
you are a blessing a boon..
wish I had met you in my life a little soon.


You are to me what no one can ever be,
We met as strangers..
grew into friends and now the bond
is thicker than sisters.


You are to me what no one can ever be,
You are to me what words is for a book,
what water is for a brook,
what roots is to a tree,
what sugar is to tea.


You are the smile on my lips,
the touch of satin to my fingertips,
You are the song in my heart,
And I love you more than chocolate tart..


You can be everything and anything to me,
But a friend was the best you could ever be.

Breakaway

Opened my eyes
to look up at the skies
woke up from a deep slumber
to the sound of the wind I had to
surrender..

I stand up and shake my wings
down the cliff falls the dust
I look far into the horizon
where the sun has just  risen

as it rises high up in the sky
I tell myself its time to fly
I spread my wings to take flight
but something holds me down tight

I look down to see, that i'm bound
by chains in gold and brown
its pulling me down
into the ground

try to pull it and break it
but all that comes out of it
is black old rust
but before the sun is up
fly I must

so I try one last time
spread my wings
tighten my claws
run to the edge
and break away

The girl and her umbrellas

This ain't a story for kids. Just something my little cousin told me,of how she had three colorful umbrellas and how she lost them. I remember the days, when I was little and would wait for the rains, simply so I could open my umbrella and show it off to the others. I loved jumping into the muddy pools of water , splashing it all around..turning the round handle of the umbrella,sending the water drops flying in all directions. Now coming back to the girl and her umbrellas. To begin with she had this white umbrella,dotted with purple.This was one of her favorites she says.Clutching on to it,she would join the crowd  of little girls in red and white pinafore,at school.It looked like a painting sprayed with all different colors, each girl wishing she had the other girl's umbrella.


Well her wish did come true. She lost her umbrella,actually her mum did ,left it at the train station.Then my lucky girl got a brand new one. This time it was  a bright white, with blue polkas.Said it was her most favorite, her treasure.Though it was made in China, she loved it ,took it wherever she went, be it rain or shine.She played with it, twisted and twirled. The poor little thing couldn't sustain any longer,was a China make after all. Broken or not she held on to it. But maybe she badly needed a new one. She lost this one too, to a boy in the bus, who flicked it when she was busy seeing out the window, at a man selling cotton candy to kids.The boy must have liked the bright blue. But to his disappointment, he found it broken and threw it off the bus. There 
went the second one. 


Then came the third one, green as new grass, but she hated it for the color. Yet she used it, her mum wouldn't get her another, she having lost two already. But this new umbrella had a problem,she couldn't open it when she wanted to and it wouldn't close too.The umbrella had a mind of its own.But this one did not last long too. After a constant fight between my cousin and her umbrella,it just gave up. Now comes the last one in line, this was a big pink one, painted with three pretty girls. She loves this one too and is a little extra careful with it. Don't know what is going to be the fate of this one. She has promised her mum, that she'll never lose it.There goes the story of the little girl and her umbrellas.


I miss my childhood days with my umbrellas. But every once in a while when there is a light drizzle, I open up my bright pink one. Look around if anyone's watching, twirl it in the air, jump into a puddle, sending the water in the air..

Bitten by the love bug

Dear Anya,


Hi!! how you doing? God i have missed you so much..I have to tell you something.I wish you were here. This is not something I want to say in a letter. I would have taken you to a coffee shop or the nice italian bistro, we used to hangout. It had the perfect setting to tell you all this. But well since now I'm in this small apartment, on a rainy london morning, with 2 mugs of coffee, for you and me. I'll picture you here and tell you this, so listen to me all ears-


It may seem stupid..but just read on. I got bitten by the love bug. Don't know how,why,when,where. Being in love feels stupid at times but leaves you with that sweet feeling. Well right now am listening to love songs,with a chocolate in my mouth writing about love. I can't believe am doing this or even telling you this. You know me very well right.Years ago when I was in school, I remember arguing with you, saying love is stupid. I will never fall in love etc etc, but here I am..addicted to the pill called love. Thankfully I don't have all the symptoms they tell in movies, less of eating and sleeping,dreaming or singing to my self and the list goes on. No way! a big NO to those. I assure you I'm sane enough.

But not completely I guess. Well I feel lost at times, every thing ordinary feels beautiful. Don't hear when people call my name sometimes, this is just temporary , not that I am like this 24/7. Just during those times when I think of him, a smile creeps into my face from nowhere. I was never addicted to my cell until now.I don't  sleep at night until I get a good night message  from him.But I still can't accept the fact that I'm in love..how can you fall for some one simply that easily, unless that person is perfect enough or special.Well he ain't perfect..but I love him just the same..love is overseeing all imperfections and just accepting the person as he or she is right, you told me this , now don't say - did I ever tell you that,..I bet you're rolling your eyes now.


I dont call him.We just text text and text.Don't know how the minutes keep slipping away..he's miles away from me now..another month I guess before I can see him. He has no idea how much I adore him. But I think he kinda likes me. But I was planning on surprising him. Its his birthday in another 48 hours, so I was planning to go to Tuscany to surprise him What say? don't you think he'll like it..I hope he does.I'm gonna tell him that I love him.Just cant wait for that moment..get butterflies in my stomach, when I think about it. Don't know if he'll accept me, what if he doesn't.I know its gonna hurt, but I'm not scared. I don't wanna regret that I never told him.But as long as it lasts I want to forget everything else, everyone else..its just us..just me and him..in my own little world called love.Okay then bum, I have to start packing. All my clothes are strewn over.
Bye bye love.
See you when I see you,
Taylor.


P.S: His name's Matt. He's 35, 6 foot something.Got looks like Clooney and voice like Connery.
girl I know you must be drooling now.Anyways he's got a gorgeous friend,and an italian that too.Will talk to him about you.So baby pray everything works fine.Love ya..

The Little Things

Have you ever wished that time would stop and everything around you would move in slow motion and come to a stand still.Have you ever seen a feather falling gracefully, dropped by a bird in flight.Ever felt lonely and lost in a huge crowd, wondering what you're doing in this place at this time.Have you stopped by to smell a flower laden with fresh dew.Stop,turn and look around you ,at the little things that go unnoticed, just because you don't have time. These little things,though very trivial may seem meaningless.But years from now when you're old , there will come a time when you'll feel like remembering the times that made you happy,the small stuff that made you smile, and then you'll feel empty that you don't have anything to remember .So now is the time to stop from the mad rush, slow down look around, let things be...

Every weekend I have been going out shopping,hogging and to the malls.That sort of gave some happiness to me.Trying out a hundred dresses ,ending up buying one, seeing the bill would give me goosebumps..but would still buy it. Now my friends are all away on vacation, some busy with their married lives,..and am writing this blog just to stop feeling lonely.And now all those little things that gave me momentary happiness, made me smile for a while,keep flashing before my eyes.Just closing my eyes takes me back to the time,i walked on the beach,the smell filling the air, the moist sand beneath my feet,..can see my cousins at a distance making sand castles,mom and aunt sitting on the shore talking about us kids. I race my sister to the other end of the shore..we run arms spread out with wind beneath our wings.

I think of the time when i went out with a friend on  short walk..that seemed long..every minute and every moment was special and now when i think of it i do nothing but smile..When i walked back in the rain from office,drenched and cold,..not a worry that i'll end up sick.It was mesmerising walking in the dimly lit lane leading to my hostel.the smell of the mud,the touch of drops on my skin,the sound of the falling rain, seeing the droplets on the trees was a treat to all my senses.Sitting on the old park bench,watching kids play..swinging
high..

The long bus journeys with my friend..to an ngo we used to go.Not just there..we would go every weekend aimlessly those were the days..When i would sing in the shower,blowing bubbles in the air..while cleaning my stuff when i would find old pictures,greeting,toys..listening to my favorite tracks on my player..staring at the ceiling endlessly ..those late nights of endless texting ..The first sip of wine..the warm feeling it gave..and the endless laughter that followed..Those train journeys,when i would stand near the door..waving at those village kids..smiling in all innocence..those advices from mum and dad..heart to heart talks with my sister..late night birthday celebrations..ordering pizzas at hostel.making a mess and licking off all the cheese..and million other memories and things..

I miss them..but these little things have come a long way with me..So take time to stop and see things around you,..they may seem ordinary to you..but extraordinary things happen in ordinary ways..So enjoy the little things in life, for one day you'll look back and realize they were the big things...

Life as we know it

Do not think about the past nor your future, however pleasant it is or was. Live in the present, in the moment.Life is unpredictable, don't have any expectations. Have you heard about this, I bet you have like a thousand times in movies, soaps, books, etc etc..Well am bored of hearing all this load of crap about life and blahh blah!Living in the present is the secret to happiness, follow this and you'll be happy for life. Its not easy as it sounds. Always the things that are right, are never easy. Life is unpredictable, we are so busy in our predictable boring schedule, that we forget how to live. In this mad world, where people are all rushing in the race, competing for success in work and all spheres. We are so bothered with the start of the journey and impatient to get to the destination, that we miss the fun of the whole ride.

We are all travelling this whole journey of life from the time we opened our eyes till we close them. Life brings surprises, unexpected people or situations in our lives which we don't see.We have blindfolded ourselves to them. We see only what we choose to see and miss out all those beautiful things life offers us, this world offers us. Wonder I'am talking all this philosophy stuff.Well this unsteady, unstable,boring, brilliant, surprising life of mine set me thinking. Yesterday I was thinking about today, of heading to office, of the work piled up, of meeting my friends, of checking my facebook profile, of boring scrum calls, of lunch hour at the cafe checking out the cute people there.That is practically what my life is daily, but still I was looking forward to it. But today when I woke up with this schedule in mind, I never thought i would be on a leave, that I would miss out all the above said. Well here I am at the end of today, thinking about yesterday's plans.

Though, I had stomach ache, I had a great day.Had the full pg to myself, the TV to myself.Cleaned up my room, well while i was doing that, found a packet of oregano seasoning and chilli flakes, something that i had got when i ordered pizza ages ago.So then i cooked up my very own version of spicy noodles wit oregano and chilli seasoning and hot tea..yumm i can still feel the taste on my tongue. Who said a sick leave's gotta be boring.

Well I'll end with one of my favorite quote by Lennon.I never much fancied his songs by the way.;anyways here it goes- Life is what happens to you, while you're busy making plans.
truly said..

Touched by an angel

Felt it was a dream..opened my eyes..still it was the same..gave myself a pinch..still the same..thick mist all over..I got up from where I slept..found myself on bed of green grass rather than my hard bed..when I looked up could see the blue morning sky in between the canopy of trees.I stood on my feet ..tried to take in the new surroundings..how did I land here..just few minutes back I had put down the novel I was reading and got into bed..was it a dream..I didn't know..but never until now had any dream felt so real..maybe this is it..this is where I was meant to be..I looked around..could see woods spread for miles as far as my eyes could see..shrouded in thick mist..that was becoming lighter now.I could see a path paved in front of me..it just appeared out of nowhere..I was pretty sure it wasn't there a minute ago..finding no other option I took the path..walked on and on as far as my legs could carry me..hours must have passed..sun was burning brighter now..still it was weather was cool..I could hear a sound.felt like music to my ears..there ahead I could see a silvery stream sparkling in the sun..flowing through the woods..cut by the rocks.I rushed towards it..dipped my bare feet into it..felt awesome..could hear sound of hooves..a slow trotting sound..on the other side of the stream..exactly opposite me..was a white horse..slurping water from the stream..it looked so heavenly..I wanted to touch it..made a move towards it..it looked up..turned into the woods..slowly at first then it rushed..tried to pursue it..but ..couldn't keep up with that beast..I fell on my knees to the ground..trying to catch my breath..I could still hear the sound of the hooves on the forest floor..but couldn't see it anywhere..was just a white speck..lost in the mist..


     I wish I could get hold of it and ride it..had no strength left in me. was really hungry..and the moment I thought about it..could see a meal laden on the grass in front of me..every imaginable dish..this is pure pleasure..tasted like a slice of heaven..after treating myself and regaining my spirit..with only one thought in mind, to pursue that horse..I started my walk or rather say my journey..didn't know how long it would take..how long I would be stuck in this place..liked silence..preferred being alone at times..but right now I felt so lonely..that I longed to hear a human voice..I walked on..woods becoming thicker and the mist thinning out with every step I took..it was almost noon..I wished there was big bed in the jungle..nothing happened..closed my eyes..and wished again..nothing happened..what was it then that happened sometime back..how did that platter come out of nowhere..my mind must be playing tricks on me..I walked on..there was a twig on the floor..I didn't notice that..

      I tripped..would have fallen flat on my face on the ground..but no..there fell onto a big soft bed..so comfortable..and I could hear soft voices near my ear..saw tiny hands wrapping me in a thick warm blanket..to my surprise there was a small crowd of tiny people..with tiny wings on their back..couldn't make out what they said..there was a pretty girl among them..who played a tiny grand piano..a tune so soft..that literally put me too sleep..felt I was on a bed of clouds floating on..felt something warm and wet on my cheek..opened my eyes..there it was that white beast..above my head..did it just kiss me.. I don't know..now I had the chance again to touch it..before I could reach it..it rushed away again..I  ran after it..ran and ran as far my legs could..sun was setting in the sky..with different hues spread across the sky..the woods were becoming darker..shadows of the trees were growing longer..I didn't want to lose this time..there it was..it paused..did not run any longer..it stood at the edge of a cliff .I  walked closer.. couldn't believe my eyes..it wasn't a horse anymore..


   She was an ethereal being in  white..couldnt see her face..she was shining bright..must be fallen star so I thought..I went closer..she had wings of pure white..how I wished I had those.. how I wished I could fly..the moment I thought that..she touched me on my shoulder..and when I just looked back..my shoulder burst open with a pair of white wings..I turned to see that face..what I saw, was the face of an angel.. couldn't describe it..lost my grip and I slipped of the cliff..felt I lost it..felt I would crash down and die..but no I spread my wings and flew away and saw that that face from the edge of the cliff..I  was up in the sky so high..closed my eyes..when I opened them again..I was in my own small bed..in my tiny room..touched by an angel.

Thanks for the memories..

   I was just looking at the calendar, at my birthdate. In about 4 months I'll be 24. Cant believe it, that I have grown so much, how the years have gone by so soon. It just feels like yesterday, when I looked like a tiny monkey, on my mums lap, being fed with cerelac. Drooling on the sides of my tiny mouth, chuckling at mom when she made those funny faces. How tiny I was, everything so gigantic around me. Then the sound of the anklets when I ran around the house, with grandma behind me with plate in her hand with something gooey..something that would make my bones strong she would say, but tasted gross. Sitting on my grandpa's lap in the car, so I could get a better look at the dogs running on the road, putting my head out and letting the air rush through my ears. Climbing the garden walls to pluck those huge pink flowers.

Swinging on the gate of my house..sneaking around my neighbor's house and peeping through the windows..dropping a bag of sand on that fat cat sitting on the washing stone. Those big drops of tears falling from my eyes when being left at kindergarten all alone, behind that huge iron gate closing me in..screaming with the other children at school. Moving on to primary school, carrying that mountain of books, sitting in the last bench in class, getting my ears twisted by the teachers

for not completing assignments, getting rapped on the knuckles for untidy notes, copying during those class tests. Sliding down the big slide..going round and round on the merry go round..racing towards the swing before anyone else grabs it,..those drills and exercises during saturday pt classes. Growing a few inches taller and tying long braids almost reaching the waist..getting it oiled and braided tightly by grandma..it did hurt..but now that pain seems sweet. Those dreadful visits to the dentist, to remove my big teeth. Slurping that cone ice cream, after getting my tooth removed. Moving on to high school..now the world didn't seem that big..I felt like a giant myself

when I saw those kids from kindergarten.

Stepping into my class in that big pink building, all girls dressed in pink skirts, trimmed hair

and some tied in long plaits. 3 years there just went like the blink of an eye. Those long tiring runs around the ground for coming late, those 5 mins break when I would run to the other classes to gossip with my friends there..those 1 hr lunch breaks when we sat in groups shared our tiffin with more gossip coming in. Those times when I sat on the flight of steps with my friends, looking outside the gate, trying to spot her crush among the groups of boys passing by. Passing chits in class, commenting on that language lecturer, dropping things down when that old maths maa'm was dozing off. When my whole class was labelled noisy and stood out in the burning sun on that hot summer's day. Those chilly nights when I studied late for the exams, with that hot mug of coffee, which I thought would give me more strength to keep my eyes open a little bit longer. Man I miss all those..

Crying on seeing all those wet eyes, when maa'm made that moving speech on our farewell day..filling up autograph books with numbers and addresses..making blind promises to keep in touch..then comes the first day of college, stepping into the class packed with a hundred nervous faces..looking at me..those nervous hellos and hi's..the initial introductions..the same trend again follows..new friends..new crushes new fights..yet still the same old history repeats. And years have passed having moved into engineering college..become a first class engineer and here I am sitting in my location with my PC in front..back to the present after a long trip to the past. Memories are really powerful..a time machine that takes us back to those days. So now when think of my birthdate I dont regret getting older..just go back in time in my mind to feel younger..

If you carry your childhood in your heart,you'll never feel older.

Weird Weekend - Part2

Saturday evening was worth remembering. I went on a long walk in the rain, with my hostel friends. When evrybody were running into their houses and shops avoid getting drenched, we were the only ones walking out, carrying our colorful umbrellas. With not a care in the world, we walked on. Felt like a night carnival, minus the crowd, with spotlights from the lightning and music of the thunder. We walked on talked on about the week, work place gossip etc etc. Got a sudden urge to eat something spicy, and what a luck..the bajji shop was open. It wasnt a shop exactly just a cart with sheet of plastic for its roof, owned by a couple. They cooked up some hot spicy bajjies which we gobbled up without wasting a minute. Then we rushed to an icecream shop to have some, to cool our burning throats. Soon after that we started walking back to our hostel in the darkness.

Was almost midnight, when i just finished my dinner and got into bed. When i just plugged in my earphones to listen to my favorite songs, i heard my friend calling me out loud. I rushed into her room, and there she was lying down clutching her stomach. She was sick and crying in pain. We were all freaked out, where do we take her, what do we do at this hour. I took my friend with another friend to the hospital nearby. To our bad luck the shutter was closed. We banged hard on the glass doors, didnt care if it would break. The guard came running, cursing us all the way, having woken him up from his sleep. How could he sleep peace fully when we were having a nightmare. We rushed inside called the doctor on duty. My friend had a bad stomach and had to be admitted then and there. Without second thoughts and without listening to her tantrums we got her admitted. The staff said they were giving us a special ward, which turned out to be men's general ward. We went in without complaining. The clock struck one, the corridors were dark and empty, the room had a bad odor which further added to the ambience of the so-called special room. My sick friend was almost in tears, when the nurse was poking a needle in her veins, i looked on as the fluid passed on from the small plastic bag hung onto the bed, through the tubes into her veins. Wasn't a pleasant sight. After she fell asleep, i tried to sleep, but there were some other big fat blood sucking inhabitants in the room which weren't letting me sleep.

Soon after the lights were switched off by the ward boy, i could hear the sound of the fluid dripping from the bottle. They sounded like the ticking of the clock. With minutes passing into hours i fell asleep. I could feel the heat on my bare hands, the rays of the morning sun were peeking into the room. I woke up and checked on my friend she was doing fine. After getting her some breakfast,we left the hospital in an hour. Felt great to go back to the hostel, was like going back home. The night before was dreadful, that was the first time i ever stayed at the hospital. Well it was a strange experince, but alls well that ends well. Now that completes my weird weekend. Strange yet beautiful, surprising yet scary. I wish for many more such weekends filled with rain and fun, minus nights at hospital!!

Weird Weekend - Part1

I was checking my watch for the hundredth time..waiting when will it strike 6. Was such a long wait from noon to evening. It was a thursday, and the next day was good friday so a holiday, a long weekend was waiting for me. All my colleagues were planning on going to their hometowns..some had already packed their bags to go to exotic places. I was just looking at all of their excited faces, with just one thought in mind, what should i do..where should i head to. My thoughts were interrupted, when my cellphone beeped. There was a message from my friend. I read it in a second but couldn't digest it. Read it again to believe it. She just called me out with some other friends to go to Leela palace, "The Leela Palace". I had never been there my entire life, but had heard and read so much about it. I got all excited. Well my long weekend had a good start already. So i accepted the invite and went along with a few of my friends to one of the most prestigious hotels of our country.

Damn! the moment we stepped out it started pouring. If this is how it gotta be so be it. We didnt let the rain dampen our spirits. So the excited bunch of 5 went with all enthusiasm for a wonderful monsoon evening at Leela. We were already late so we thought, but my friend drove through the traffic splashing water over the pavements,over people walking on the pavements as well as the other vehicles, who were all rushing to their respective destinations. Then there we saw it finally, the gates being opened to us..it all felt royal. After parking the car we went into the lounge passing the reception.There was a long lobby, with a red carpet draping the floor. We were told the event for the evening would be in the ballroom, so we went there. As we walked the red carpet,felt like being at the Oscars. I just walked behind my friends visualizing an invisible audience applauding us. My friend tugged at me , and brought me back on earth from my reverie.

We stepped in and saw the people inside, all dressed in their best, we looked like a mess in front of them. Nevertheless, we went in . I looked up athe huge crystal chandeliers, the lights reflecting in our eyes, all felt beautiful. Without wasting more time, we went ahead and took our seats. There were people from various cadres of the IT world. The event was a product launch.We werent excited about it, just being there felt great. Well the event began at last, there was a pretty host for the evening, who was entertaining the crowd with her jokes. Soon after that there were speeches after speeches by the various managers. The next one hour dragged on with presentations of their new products so on and so forth.

Then came the best part. There was a ramp walk , few models walked the stage with the products being launched. It was delightful indeed for the men around. Then there was dance performance by a not so well known bollywood actress,who moved her hips to the tunes of sheila and munni and some other tracks which were hot on the chart. The event finally came to an end with yet another boring speech. But it was all worth a watch. We ended the night there with dinner and drinks , and left for the day. A few hours back i was wondering what i would be doing this weekend and here i was at Leela.Credit goes to my friend having called me here. I just hoped the next few days would bring such surprises.

Stormy skies

My mind is clouded like the clouded sky,

my thoughts good and bad

are hanging low like the heavy clouds

before a storm..

My mind is clouded like the clouded sky,

and i'm feelin blue 'cos i'm alone..

but as i look at the sky and wonder

someone somewhere is blue like me..

My mind is clouded like the clouded sky,

but now the clouds are drifting

its becoming clearer than before

and now i'm blue no more..

as someone somewhere beneath this sky,

is feeling blue like me no more..

My Best buddy!

Everybody's got a best friend in their life right. Ordinary people who come into our lives and make it extraordinary. They become an inseparable part of us. They come when we need them the most. Their the ones with whom we can share everything, about the stuff we do, our crushes,heartaches,problems,juiciest gossips..about anything and everything under the sun.. Someone with whom hours go like seconds..You just dont realise the time passing by. Next to our parents, the best creation of God is our friends. Can you imagine your life without them. How monotonous would our days be without them being around..without the sound of their laughter. Now when i sit back and think, it just ocurred to me in this rather empty head of mine..I have the best of best friends in this world i could ever have.
They have accepted my imperfections and stupidities and offered me their friendship.

But above them all, the best friend I ever had was way back in my childhood..my grandpa.He was always there by my side, right from when I opened my eyes till the few years to come. My mum used to tell me, people are scared of him. Yeah he was dark, not a smile on his face and not a word on his lips. To the world he might have been a grumpy old man. But to me he was my dearest buddy. When I was a kid I loved answering the phone and he was the one who taught me how to talk when people called. Well i would end up saying "Who is speaking" in my broken kiddish lingo. There were no kids of my age in and around my neighbourhood, except for those huge lanky teenage boys. They would play cricket in the fields and run around. I was scared of them and would rather spend time with my grandpa.

And yes..that's what I exactly did. I would make him sit in a chair and play that popular game- beauty parlor, which every girl must have played in her childhood. Well they must have played with other girl kids, but my customer was my grandpa.I would apply talc on his face, bindi on his forehead and tie a hundred tiny braids on that silvery bed of hair, yet he would sit there patiently without saying a word. Well that's what I played. Grandpa was the first to teach me how to draw. He would make me sit on his lap,place a slate on my lap..chalk between my fingers,and that rough hand would grasp my tiny hand and guide me to sketch beautiful pictures.We would draw absract things , common people doing their routine work etc.

We would spend hours together like this without exchanging any words, yet it felt like the best conversation I ever had. That's how the years rolled by,until that unfortunate October day, in the wee hours of the morning, he breathed his last. I hadnt lost any one until then..didn't know what death was until then. There was noise around, the mourning and crying of relatives and dear ones. They cried even more, when I asked what happened to him. When I saw him being carried away, him being wrapped up in that yard of white cloth, did I realise that he was gone forever. Many years have passed since then, many people have come into my life and gone. But nobody can replace my best buddy. People say I dont talk a lot, but what do I do if my words have gone with him...