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Tuesday, 10 November 2009
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30X30: November Rain
Secretly, I always hope for rain in November. For November Rain. It always comes without warning. It's always beautiful. And, it always brings an unexpected flutter of joy. Even when it reminds me of nights spent clinging to tear-dried headphones and listening over and over again to Guns n Roses' November Rain.Then, it was about a song that could fill the void. Two years ago it was about a fleeting joy, encapsulated in a piece of poetry. Now, November Rain is about the added dash of joy to happiness. It's about the uplifting in uplift-ment.
November Rain (2007)
And, the rain came down
Slowly; Hurriedly
Lashing against
Now-spent-umbrellas,
Hastily sputtered-up pakodas,
Black taxi-cabs
And neon blue light auto-rickshaws.
Lashing against
Toes stepped upon
by a hundred, frenzied toes
Hands chanced upon
by a hundred, hungry hands
New-found love,
Glances unreturned.
And, the rain came down
Joyously; Hurriedly
Lacing bittersweet cups
of warm tea
Serenading pebbled excuses-
for city-streets
Hurling happiness
Hurtling despair
Twirling, for just an instant,
The little girls
With big black eyes
And rancid hearts
Of never-ever.
And, oh how the rain came down
Joyously; Hurriedly.
[All title credits with the creators of the song that has inspired many. 30X30 is a series of 30 unrelated posts in 30 days by Gayatri Makhijani and Anuj Gosalia. One post everyday, for the next 30 days. Follow the string here]
Monday, 09 November 2009
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30X30: Lullaby
What do you think of before
you sleep, I ask?
Are you angry, discontent
Or, perhaps at peace.
Maybe your lips are
mumbling in prayer
your heart is content.
Are you worried?
Are you bringing the covers
down on a day well spent,
was it a restless day?
Did you feel well,
did you push yourself
are you falling asleep much too tired?
Are you empty then,
or weeping like young lovers
and the forlorn-
are you quiet?
are you turning in to silence
to the sound of music on your headphones
to the sound of his breathing,
or hers?
Is your hand under your head,
wrapped in his, or hers,
or is left hanging, yearning?
do you fall asleep quickly then,
does it take you time? And, when
you wake in the middle of the night,
do you wait awhile?
No, don't tell me how you wake up.
Just tell me how you fall asleep.
And, is there a lullaby?
[30X30 is a series of 30 unrelated posts in 30 days by Gayatri Makhijani and Anuj Gosalia. One post everyday, for the next 30 days. Follow the string here] -
30X30: Of Rickshaws
We are riding past the lights, the waves, the stars that surround Juhu Beach in Mumbai, when my rickshawwala decides to engage in conversation. An interesting little conversational escapade ensues. The rickshawwala politely inquires, "Do people actually win money on television lotteries, on channels like E24?" I answer, "Almost never." Perhaps, I want him to lose his child-like starry ambition. Perhaps, I want to dissuade him from squandering his hard-earned money on lottery tickets. Or perhaps, I am just as cynical as him. As we ride along, his curiosity rambles along.
Why does Sridevi (Who he spotted outside Shoppers Stop in Juhu) have a falling jawline? It must from an injection to help her look beautiful, I tell him. Why do call-centre girls smoke so many cigarettes, he asks me? I do not know, I tell him. And, can his nephew (who is studying in college) join a Call Centre? He must know English, I tell him. He is afraid his nephew's English has a Bhojpuri accent. He is perturbed he is destined to a life of a rickshawwala too. How much is the rent in Mumbai, he asks me? More than in Delhi, I tell him. But, you don't earn as much in Delhi, as you do in Mumbai, he states. I look at him, incredulous. Oh yes, you do, you do!
Not as much as Bipasha Basu, who earns 10 lacs a minute, he reasons. I smile. He goes on to explain how interest on a minutes' earnings, could earn her enough for a lifetime. He tells me about girls in his rickshaw who were going dancing on New Years' Eve. He advised them to go watch Bipasha Basu, he tells me. "But she looks quite simple," he adds. "Even my wife looks better than her. Only thing, Bipasha Basu uses make-up." I secretly hope, he returns home and tells his wife what he thinks.
As he keeps with his tales of city girls, and city stars - he stops to ask me if he can continue to talk. And, a little later, as I alight and pay him my fare, he apologizes if he has spoken too much, or asked too many questions. I walk away knowing I have met a thorough gentleman. One with a Bhojpuri accent, at that.
[30X30 is a series of 30 unrelated posts in 30 days by Gayatri Makhijani and Anuj Gosalia. One post everyday, for the next 30 days. Follow the string here]
Sunday, 08 November 2009
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30X30: Life
And, sometimes life is so beautiful, it makes you weep. Such a circle of mending, and fulfilling itself. Such a journey of learning, and enriching your being. Such an experience to delight in. I can see joy in the littlest things, make stories out of the smallest, most mundane things. Life's purposes and plans can be entirely enjoyable. Difficult, but beautiful. Beautiful enough to make you weep. Like the sound of the soft blues number flowing into your little blue room.
[30X30 is a series of 30 unrelated posts in 30 days by Gayatri Makhijani and Anuj Gosalia. One post everyday, for the next 30 days. Follow the string here]
Friday, 06 November 2009
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30X30: 2005
Back in 2005, I used to blog at Nuances. I was 19; Nuances was my first blog. It got hacked and shut down by another user in 2006, but thankfully a dear subscriber and friend helped me recover most of my work. I was sifting through it in an old mailbox today, and I found something I wanted to go back to. Something I wanted to re-read:
"And it's all so cold outside. And my mind swirls in emotion, my heart in winter rain. Sometimes, you look to the world for answers. But essentially, you know, they all lie deep within. And sometimes when you seek, they all lie so lost in your being, you find nothing. And you lie there between all that is real and unreal. Often, you find love, and then you lose it. You find hate, and it stays with you forever. And then you find the kind of love, that warms your soul. That seeks joy in simplicity. And you lose that too. To worldly sins. And you make peace, with yourself. You no longer feel the need to writhe in desire. Or scream in anger. What comes you way, so be it. So, you sit there in the windy night, and shiver. And sob. And know that, that was all yesterday. And today, its yesterday, gone away. The yesterday, that felt one with the universe. The yesterday, that loved, dreamt, caressed. That seeked nothing but itself. That yesterday, gone away."
[30X30 is a series of 30 unrelated posts in 30 days by Gayatri Makhijani and Anuj Gosalia. One post everyday, for the next 30 days. Follow the string here]
Shesturningblue
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A bit of a Writer and a Dreamer, you're most likely to find me buried in a book, watching the rain come down, or writing at my desk. Besides, I love music, theater, swimming and walking down memory lane. I laugh easily, tend to get overtly emotional... I can be child-like and all-grown-up all the same. And these, these are but wild and whirling words, my lord. You can get in touch with me at: makhijani.gayatri@gmail.com
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