Thoughts

Some evenings, like this peach-pink one outseide my window, are reserved for thinking.
Thinking about the various goings-on in the world and MY COUNTRY.

The Jan Lokpal Bill has raised a stir in India, and a lot of eloquent commentary on it is flying around websites, newschannels, college campuses and possibly coffee houses. And it is very heartening to see so many Indian citizens taking such an active interest in the Bill. There might be people who actully whole-heartedly support this campaign, others who might detect flaws in it, and yet others who may feel the need to oppose it. There might be people who are still pondering over the Bill's efficacy, and the consequences which might arise if it is passed by the government. I must say that as an Indian citizen, it is heartening to see so many people so actively engaged in thinking about this movement, in critically scrutinising it...we should realise that apathy is never the answer, and the 'aam junta' always has a responsibility...to think, to be vocal, to analyse and to act...indifference will only breed danger for all...we must use our faculties to the best of our abilities, in times such as these. Whether the Bill is successful or not, if passed, is something only time can and will tell...it is not possible to make entirely accurate hypothetical predictions, though one may well draw upon similar historical incidents...but contexts are ever-changing things, and I do believe that any step towards a positive change should be ruminated upon, encouraged and yet scanned thoroughly for loop-holes, instead of being simply dismissed into the realm of apathy by those who believe that their lives will not be directly affected by it...such were my thoughts when returning home from the library today...out of all thoughts emerge ideas and actions, some of which may directly affect the society we inhabit.Let's hope for the BEST.

What I miss most, not least...Part 2

I miss waiting for classes to begin, I miss waiting for classes to end. I miss wearing a new outfit to class, I miss feeling very apprehensive after a new haircut. I really miss resisting my friends' many attempts to coax me into having phuchka, and then finally resisting the temptation by yielding to it, to borrow from Wilde. I miss discussing books, analysing them for hours and coming up with bizarre interpretations. I miss reading poetry together with ma fiends, and making each other laugh with our weird comments...read:"balmy drops, " from A. Tennyson's IN. M...I miss studying together before our exams, shesher dike online, on gmail...and sending each other random links which we thought might be useful...What don't I miss...I miss those sudden trips to Dakshinapan, those stolen visits to The Dolly Tea House, those never ending walks of ours, our way back home via the Dhakuria Bridge, how my friend and I bid each other adieu on the steps...how I felt a gush of warmth when I saw the blue gates which spelt home.

A STROLL DOWN A LANE OF RAMBLING NOSTALGIA

What is it that I miss the most about my days in JU? I think I miss the smell of the rain-drenched grass by the jheel. I miss the slowly approaching summer evenings,the mellow and sudden winter evenings, the pink and violet evenings of spring, the clear and bright Shorot evenings, the stormy and tempestuous monsoon evenings... the time reserved for twilight and friends, the steaming cups of sugary coffee at Milonda's dear canteen, our cups of tea from the cha-walla near Char (4) Nombor Gate, our rant against the mosquitoes and red ants, our endless conversations about endless things. I can vividly recall our dissected dreams, our myriad littlw hopes, our comfortable fears and our feelings of togetherness, when the sun had set. I miss running into people from University, and having the most random, mostly interesting and sometimes very profound conversations. I miss sitting near Vivekananda Hall, dodging the cigarette smoke, listening to other people play the guitar and sing undecipherable songs. I miss popping into the book-store and occasionally hopping out with a treasured buy. I miss the sudden greenness, I miss the random chaos, I miss the undeniable order of things, which insisted on structuring our lives, despite all our liberty.
I miss my classes, I miss the Ledge, ((never sat on it, though.))I miss getting sudden glimpses of people, I miss discussing our lessons together. I miss so many things, and yet I am not sad...I remember more than I yearn...a lot of misunderstandings can occur among friends, but one should not let that freeze up, or embitter one's memories, should it? The good times must always be remembered in fond and charming fondness.
I miss coming in late for a class and feeling terrible about it, I miss exchanging glances with friends, I miss our pointless debates, which ALWAAAYS had a point, I miss missing the point totally, mostly in relation to innuendos, ahhem, I miss ambling around, I miss complainin' about term papers and tests, and the secret sessions of SparkNotes we all completed...I miss the frantic phone calls before end sems., trying to figure out how much choice we had in the question paper, and which texts we might very, very safely leave out. I miss our group study sessions. I miss the feeling of being attached to a place which had suddenly, and unknowingly become my own. And i miss going HOME at the end of a day...
I might as well enjoy my time now, before it slips me by, and I begin to miss a new episode...

A Story to Tell

As the evening unfolds, so does my story. It begins in the bylanes of a small locality, which shall remain unnamed. I must begin at the very end. The chapter of the unseen planets. But how did I get there? Must you know? Well, I began the story, I know that, but must I articulate every inch of my tale by myself? I could use some help, for sure....

Dear Diary.........!

Dear Diary,
I am infinitely grateful for ever so many things. I've always wished to 'study' in another country for a spell. It has been one of my most ardent, deep and long-lasting dreams. I had imagined a life so different, so full of infinite possibilities and unknown potential. I love interacting with people from different cultures, and engaging in enriching symbiotic relationships. All those dreams are blooming like a mysterious flower, petal by petal, each new day. I am happy, to the say the least. But something, I can't quite say what, seems to be missing...oh, the campus is lovely, a verdant wonder, ....more later...

Another evening

The evening pulls me into myself,
In silent contemplation,
In exhaustive introspection,
In quiet, private, expectation,
I will wait for you.

Though the days are blurred and hurried,
Though the hours are capped with work,
Though my songs are left unwritten,
As they die upon my tongue,
Though my thoughts are still amorphous,
They crystallise at times,
When I convince myself,
That the wait is worth the while...

I have a life to carve,
I have a dream to shape,
It may take me a while,
To realise what it was,
I will spend my idle hours,
(Though there are very few,)
I will re-construct my desires,
And wait the while for you...

I have a while to work,
I have forever to learn,
We all have livings to earn,
But I shall not yearn
for you,
I shall instead,
Wait in well-rehearsed optimism...

So when walk past the lake of dreams,
Limpid with our love,
When we taste the bite of reality,
As we brush past its rude shove,
When we dance amidst the rainbow clouds of expectant hopes,
When we avert our eyes from blazing, orange flames,
We'll be together, and our wait will be over at last.
If only for a while.