I fantasize

The verdant landscape rustling past
The leaves murmur, the sky is aghast
Twilight descends, the sun tiptoes off
Breeze gains power, the roads scurry off
And I ride a speeding bike, a bird in disguise
An unquenchable flame burns within, as I fantasize.

[I have never driven a bike but I am the masterly driver of my thoughts & fantasies.]


(This post has been written for Indiblogger's Castrol Biking Contest http://www.facebook.com/CastrolBiking)

When love happens

Shweta was walking in the rain feeling its every single drop tenderly caress her skin. Her eyes were numb and the rain mingled faithfully with her tears. She was in love with Karan, the new guy in her college. But she had had no correspondence with him. Perhaps he didn’t even know that she existed. It was love at first sight for her. And love had made her feel extremely lonely….all alone in the bustling crowd.

She cried as she walked in the rain. She was soaking. And then a guy came running towards her carrying a single umbrella. It was Karan. He never noticed her tears which swam down to meet the refulgent smile on her lips. It was a beautiful moment………..

(The above story is my birthday-gift to my adorable friend Shweta). 

Titanic- Buried in my heart

Today, as the world observes the centenary anniversary of the loss of the Titanic, I pleasantly recall some of the fondest moments of my life....moments & memories that Titanic has gifted me long after its death.
I was in high school when I watched & re-watched and re-rewatched James Cameron's 'Titanic' and that ethereally romantic movie left an indelible mark on my mind....on my heart...on my soul.
When I was in Standard 8, I had an English prose called 'The Loss of the Titanic' which became my all-time favourite, just like the film.
Titanic- be it the film or the story or its heart-stirring music, it simply takes me, with itself, into a world never seen before. Perhaps, it takes me, with itself, into the bottomless depths of the oceans but I don't mind coz along with 'Titatnic', my heart will go on and on.....

I will conclude with a short poetry which is my ode to it:

"As the waves lick you
The stars above do miss you
Hundred years have passed since you died
But in my heart O' Titanic, you still glide........"

A Strange Telephone Call One Night

It was a dark and silent night. I had shut all windows & doors before settling down for a long, cosy sleep. The night grew deeper. Eerie silence reigned the place as everything became still. I was buried deep in my sleep, oblivious to the darkness around me. And then it happened.
A loud ring from my bedside telephone woke me up with an inexplicable suddenness. I looked at the clock, which was seamlessly ticking with a deafening silence. It was 3:10. I caught the receiver with my frail hands trembling in fearful anticipation.

‘Hello,’ I said.

‘Hello,’ said a cold voice, which seemed vaguely familiar. It seemed to come from a far-away place.

‘Who is this,’ I mustered courage.

There was a long pause. My breath became heavier with anticipation. The caller maintained a spine-chilling silence. And then he spoke his first & final words which are still ringing in my ears. “Didn’t you recognize my voice? I am your soul. You died of a heart attack at 3:07.”

Horror-struck, I looked back at my bed and saw my own body sleeping in eternal peace.

Will Brock Lesnar revive WWE’s fortunes?

The quality of matches played in WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) circuit in recent times has got diluted. This, to an extent, can be attributed to the lack of star power that has crippled the industry in recent years after famous stars like Brock Lesnar, Goldberg and Kurt Angle bid adieu. Even the existing stars like Triple H, Undertaker or Shawn Michaels make rare appearances and have got sidelined by the new crop of less-starry players like Shamus and company. Personally, I had quit watching the show which, once, was the source of my addiction.

But the explosive Raw episode following this year’s Wrestlemania witnessed the reappearance of Brock ‘The Pain’ Lesnar after 8 long years. He’s such a big star in his own right that his 5-minute appearance caused a major stir and arrested the attention of the entire world. No doubt, this augurs well for the WWE’s fortunes since a lot of people will now follow the show with renewed interest. I, for one, will be hooked to the TV when the camera is on him. Only if Mr. McMahon would weave his magic wand and pull in some of the other ex-stars like Kurt Angle and Goldberg! After all, McMahon can do anything……

100 word story: The Biology mam

Chiraag was watching her intently. Draped in a shimmering green sari, his Biology teacher looked voluptuous as the morning sunlight highlighted her curves. As she approached his desk, a whiff of perfume came through the air and enveloped his nostrils. She leaned to check his homework. His pulse rate shot up. Her face was almost touching his lips. He could hear his heart drumming fast. He shifted his eyes and caught a glimpse of her cleavage. She leaned further; her back got exposed to him. She rose. Her curly hair brushed against his cheeks. She moved towards the next student. 

Moon whispered to the Cloud

The Moon whispered to the Cloud
O my love, why do you go away
Why do you leave, why drift away
I wish to pass the night behind your veil
And in your shadows I wish to die.
The Cloud whispered back
O my love, I love you too
And long for your touch, yearn for your kiss
Your silvery smell I constantly miss
But fate has conspired, destiny has its say
The cruel Wind blows me away
But I promise my love, I will be back one day.......

The girl in the temple

It was in Varanasi that I saw her for the first time and the last time. I was standing impatiently & ruefully in the endless, serpentine queue in the famed Vishwanath Temple. The unending sea of devotees was making me feel claustrophobic and even apprehensive of a possible stampede. And then I saw her.

A girl full of youth, she was a foreign tourist who must, certainly, be feeling overawed by the suffocating crowd. But she was neither cribbing nor feeling outraged or out-of-place. Instead, a serene smile was playing on her serene face. There was just a teasing hint of nervousness as all Indian eyes were on her (that’s how Indians treat foreigners; they stare).

But I was caught off-guard by her thousand-watt smile that contrasted divinely with her shy face. It was enigmatic….it was serene…it was magic. There was so much innocence & sincerity in that smile. It worked like a flying carpet transporting me to a world never seen before. Just for those few seconds, I was in a trance. The unknown, unheard, unnamed stranger from an unknown country stirred something deep within me. She met my gaze….I smiled vaguely. Just for those few frozen seconds, I was in love with her. The queue progressed. She moved ahead. I got out of the trance. 

The Haunted Haveli

“This place is believed to be haunted,” said Mehek with a tinge of nervousness.

“Haha, you believe in ghost stories? Really, you do not need to fear anything,” said Rajeev with mock laughter.

There was a whooshing sound as the speeding wind lashed against the broken windowpane. It was pitch black darkness though the moon occasionally skirted out of the clouds and peeped into the night. And then, quite suddenly even before Mehek could muster a response, a shadow took birth and a figure appeared before them.

“Who is there,” whispered Mehek.

“I guard this place,” the figure responded. “This haveli is haunted. What are you two doing here? Leave immediately if you wish to stay alive.”

“Haha, how can we wish to stay alive,” Rajeev’s eyes widened as he whispered, “When we are already dead………

The guard’s dead body was salvaged in the morning. Post mortem revealed natural death due to cardiac arrest. 

55 word story: The woman at the Café

She was sitting all alone at the opposite table. I looked at her and then all of a sudden, without a moment’s warning, I fell in love with her. Her eyes met my gaze….I smiled vaguely….She looked away. She paid her bill and walked out into the darkness. I went home with a heavy heart.

When a miser man went to a multiplex

I must confess that I am quite a miserly person. Or let's put it this way (in order to save my dignity) that I do not like to splurge or overspend. This Saturday, after a long long time, I went for a Bollywood movie at INOX Cinemas. I was expecting the ticket price to hover somewhere between Rs 150 and Rs 180 (which is already too high for my liking). But the lady sitting reigning over the ticket counter asked me to shell out Rs 210 in her sugary voice (to my utmost horror, it was the minimum ticket price).
My wallet pleaded before me telling me, "Ritesh, this is too much for a ticket price. Don't you remember that only till a few years back, you used to pay Rs 20 for a movie." But I was in a different mood and was craving for some entertainment. I sealed the lips of my wallet after taking out a 500-rupee note and putting back the change which the lady grudgingly returned.
Then two diabolical-looking guards ran their hands all over my body scanning me as I was a terrorist carrying a gun or a bomb. But no, not any weapon.... I know what they were looking for. They were just making sure that I wasn't carrying any toffee, chocolate or even a chewing gum. Reason? They had an unfriendly rule and the writing was clear on the wall: Either die of thirst & hunger while watching the film OR turn your wallet upside down and buy what they were offering for a jaw-dropping price.
And as luck would have it, I was feeling both thirsty & hungry since I had a very light lunch that day. Rs 155 is what the they charged me for just a tub of popcorn and 1 cold drink. This is plain blasphemy. Why doesn't Mamta Banerjee hang these multiplex wallahs?
Again my wallet protested suggesting that I can have a popcorn and cold drink outside for just Rs 20. But I shut up its mouth and emptied its belly to fill my own.
The film ended at around 8:30 pm after which I rushed out to catch an auto back to my house. The auto-wallah greedily took me in and then announced that he would charge Rs 10, instead of the usual Rs 7. When the streets smell sweet and when the auto-wallahs charge more, you can be sure that rain is round the corner. It was drizzling and sensing my urgency, the auto-wallah had quickly raised up his price. The Ambanis and Tatas and Birlas surely have a thing or two to learn from him about how to run a business. Finally, I reached my home, took out my withered, empty wallet out of my pocket and placed it inside the almirah where it curled up in a small corner having lost, just like Tendulkar, 50 kilos off its body.

Why IPL sucks

I would have had no grudge against T20 had it sat at the corner giving its due respect to test & ODI cricket. But when small things begin to take centre stage, thereby, pushing the giants on the periphery, then my blood boils up. One of the reasons I hate IPL is that it promotes T20. And second and more important reason I detest IPL is that it makes such a big bash with so much unwanted pomposity that much bigger international matches are sidelined into obscurity.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't or that I wouldn't follow IPL. Yous should watch it and I too would be following it (though not with even 20% of the fervor with which I followed India-Australia fixture Down Under) but well, little things should not be made to look like giants when they are merely minnows. In IPL, there's too much glamour, too much star power, too much opulence, too much media attention, too much money and yet too little "real" cicket. It's a pity that the BCCI maintains a 2-month long schedule for this silly, stupid, slambang thing (t20 is really no cricket). I rest my case.

55 word story: The Telephone Call

Home alone, Chiraag is watching a horror show. An apparition….The woman in TV SCREAMS…

Tring Tring! The telephone rings.

Chiraag: Hello

Caller (in a far-away, hollow voice): Chiraag…

Chiraag: Who is this?

Caller: Your brother Moni

Chiraag (shocked): WHAT? But Moni is dead

Caller: Yes dear, and so are you....