Escape

I'm planning an Escape!

An Escape where sunsets and sunrises are spectacular.

An Escape where life has a slow pace.

An Escape into a different era ,

An Escape where I can hear the rustle of the leaves,

An Escape to a beach where I can sip champagne,

Or to a village, sitting by the window pane.

A cup of coffee and a romantic walk in the rain.

An Escape to my childhood, 

Sitting on a swing.

An Escape into the future.

An Escape from this need to escape.

Capture with your eyes

They say every picture tells a story.

Well, I can see a lot of these stories around me.

The billion selfies tell a story of self obsession, of loneliness, of vanity.

In the past the camera catered to capturing moments, but today those moments are lost.

We are so busy taking pictures for admiration, we forget what we are losing out on.

Your friend sitting next to you just got dumped, SO? So what ? Butfirstletmetakeaselfie! 

Your parents want to talk to you! But picture! 

Who is this illusion for? 

For social media,which changes so radically! 

For those few likes? 

For those who admire you? But do they know the hollowness they admire?

Start taking pictures from your eyes, and capture those moments so well that the flashes never fade.

Make memories, not pictures!

You for you

As you look at your father lovingly , hers' violated her.

As your mother feeds you, his sold him.

As your brother protects you, hers' killed her.

As you husband respects you, hers' humiliated her.

As your sister cares for you, hers' forced her into prostitution.

She got pushed, deeper and deeper, waiting to be rescued, waiting for help to come.

When no help came, she gave up hope.

And then she fought,she struggled and survived.

The days for knights in shining armours are gone.

Today it's just You for YOU! 

Help yourself, empower yourself.

Closing.

The door was left ajar,

She walked in and then she walked out.

She shouldn't have walked in at all.

Each time she missed him, she walked in.

Each time she walked out , her self respect was a little low. 

She repeated this a few times till she was ashamed.

She realized the need to close the door.

How could she but? 

Was she that strong ?

She gathered all her brokenness, and mustering all her strength she closed this door.

It wasn't an easy task, her insides yelled and pleaded to walk in just once more. 

But this time she just sternly closed the door.

He still dint close his door. 

She wondered sometimes. What if he might knock one day ?

Alone

I have a billion friends.

I have a loving family.

I have inspirational teachers.

Yet, I am alone.

No, I'm not lonely. But yes, I'm alone.

This is my journey. 

Unique and revealing.

The answers of it's toughest questions lie within me.

These mysterious signals, only I can decipher.

It's custom made for me.

The learning is mine ,and so is the suffering.

There might be people who sometimes drop a hint I could use.

But, this travel is for me to make. On my own.

For I am alone and so are you. 

The sooner, you realize this and abandon your itching search for companionship, you will be able to move ahead.

But, you must make this journey alone.

I am the infinite universe

Who am I ? 

Am I  a diligent daughter? 

Am I the passionate lover?

Am I the loyal wife? 

Maybe I am the obedient student.

Or am I the knowledge-hungry seeker? 

Or the curious mountaineer ?

Someone says I am an avid reader!

Im still perplexed, I know not who I am.

What is my aim? 

What is my greater goal? 

In a sudden moment there was a realisation,

The answer becameso clear.

I knew then that;

I am the infinite universe.

There are no boundaries to what I can achieve or what I can be.

For, I'm as significant as the universe and as insignificant as a bacteria! 

Yet, I am infinite.

Dust thou art to dust returnest

His was a simple life , he loved, he gave and he forgave. 

In his private moments he often feared oblivion. 

Will those kids remember my goodness? Will my colleagues remember my help? 

Will anyone miss me after I'm gone? 

When his time on earth was done, many wept over his coffin.

But the coffin was lowered into the ground and covered with earth. 

As time healed wounds, the colleagues forgot him.

The children couldn't recall the uncle who would without fail bring them candies.

Mother Nature,however,did not. 

She had integrated him into the greater system.

Several years later , he was blooming as a flower here , but wait! He was also that tiny sappling popping out of the earth. 

He was everywhere , he would be immortal.

Year after year, parts of him would continue to bloom in different places.

He, who was born from dust had returned to dust. 

In the process Mother Nature had proven wrong his fears and the fears of many of his clan.

The first flight she ever took alone

A little apprehensive, a little scared and full of excitement she boarded her first flight alone! 

Off to a different Land,with a different language and a different culture, she was eager to explore and live her dream.

When the flight landed, the world unravelled to her a magnificent painting.

She could hardly believe she was living in it.

It felt like the place had renewed her spirit  and revitalised her.

Suddenly all worries, responsibilities and plans receeded into the background.

She was living in the moment.

Over the next few days, she met amazing people and developed deep emotional bonds.

Although the people did not speak crisp English, she understood that language isn't as much a barrier as people make it.

She also felt that human compassion is way too underrated.

The little chats with these different people changed how she perceived the world.

The stories they told engrossed her and amazed her.

The pictures they showed left her in awe.

She realised how different they were from her and how this difference was good.

She faught many of her fears abroad.

She went on roller coasters ,allowed herself to indulge in alcohol and most importantly learnt how to live alone.

While leaving she was a changed person! 

Her soul was liberated and she was determined! 

She was determined to live her life on her terms! 

This flight abroad had indeed been her first flight.

Letting Go.

The tree loses it's leaves,never it's root.

The grass turns brown and dies yet, the land is always covered by soil.

The permanent things lack colour, they might not be as exciting as the temporary   ones, yet they hold you even when the colour deserts you and the excitement betrays you.

The strange thing about permanent things is that they always cling on. 

At this point in your life, everyone is probably busy and has dynamic priorities.

Today you might steal the number one spot on their priority list tomorrow you might be at the bottom.

However, there will always be those few 'roots' in your life.

Those people who have been there in your darker days, will probably be there for the brighter ones.

And as for the ones who haven't, well! 

Consider them the leaves that fell out.

But can you blame the leaf for falling out? Can the tree be angry ? 

No! The tree has a greater fate! 

Let go! Don't hold on too tight. 

Don't complicate. Be happy and allow yourself to bloom because one day the tree and the leaf must seperate. 

The Higher Thought

One day , it hit her.

It shook her, it changed her.

She realised,how small she was,how trivial were her worries,how ordinary her thoughts.

She learnt of Game Changers! 

She learnt of their humility,their action and thought!

It made her question her desires.

She introspected, till it finally came to her.

Money, Fame and Companionship are trivial goals in life.

Aspirations should be to be humble,compassionate and dynamic!

Desires should be to meet new people,to acquire more knowledge and to be content.

It's easy to earn money, be famous and enjoy luxuries.

The real hard things in life don't come so easy.

Having discovered this path,she knew someday she will look back and smile.

Draupadi's Soulmate

She,born of fire,

He,son of Surya.

She,quick witted and eager,

He,level headed and noble.

They seemed a perfect match until Maya and pride tore them apart.

In a court full of noblemen, she called him the son of a charioteer and refused his marriage proposal.

It burnt him, he hated her.

But their souls were always meant to be one.

Prithvi exploited her, it shamed her , he watched in silence.

Prithvi humiliated him, she never revolted.

She was wife to 5 Pandavas and he a dear Kaurava friend .

It was Destiny's cruel move ,her soul yearned for him ,and his soul for her.

These 2 souls could never be one , the world had torn them apart. 

All his life, he seeked her tender care and she yearned for his companionship. But this wasn't possible , they were minions at the hand of Destiny. 

In Kurukshetra, the battle was fierce.

All she wanted was his safety.

In retrospect she often wondered, he would never share her with another man, he would never allow her to be stripped off her clothes and no he would never  have let her be someone's maid.

He tried hard to conceal his love for her,which showed in his eyes.

On Prithvi their love was immoral,illegal and impossible . Yet , in Swarga their souls reunited. What wasn't possible on Prithvi where aham ,maya,lobh  

,eersha,rosh bind us , was  possible in Swarga where Draupadi and Krana were one. Their love was is and will be immortal .

Wings

Of course she couldn't fly , but in her mind , oh dear! She never stopped!

One moment she was dancing with her highschool sweetheart, in the other she was on a date with her present crush.

In one moment she was in a hot air balloon, in the other she had just skydived.

Her thoughts rushed from United Nations to Prada.

In her flight, sometimes she was a doctor, sometimes a journalist but being a lawyer fascinated her the most. 

She played God in her head, wishing to bring  all to justice.

Someone heard her say,"So what if I don't have the best things? I think I have the best mind,it helps me create the best things. My mind takes me to places, I could only go to in my mind, it creates,it demystifys and it gives me what I could never have."

Unsealing and Unpacking

He looked into her eyes,she looked into his eyes. She then began her story.

"My compassion was always overlooked",she said.

Her face was dark,her eyes showing hurt,she continued,"I always walked that extra mile for everyone, too easily .Almost always I was hurt. One day I packed up all my extra compassion and sealed it . I was afraid it would pop up again. It dint ,and for good. I began to feel that part of me is lost ,but how could I have lost that part of me? It was my dearest part ! "

Tears rolled down her eyes.

That day in his arms she unsealed and unpacked all the compassion,he promised her, he'd always protect it.

She had found her dearest part again.

Complete or incomplete

He cried all day ! 

He had misplaced a piece from his favorite puzzle. 

For days he cribbed about it.

Along the years he lost a few more pieces,each time it hurt him.

He, however ,never learnt a lesson.

On some occasions he'd often find a lost piece, behind the closet. 

Nothing made him happier.

One day , he looked at the incomplete picture, strangely, it had never looked more beautiful to him.

He realised how sometimes, in the imperfection we find beauty.

He no more desired to complete the picture. He realised,the lost pieces only made him appreciate the incomplete picture more.

Let those who you lose be lost , probably that's the way it's meant to be.

The ones who are needed to complete the picture will always be found.

The ones who are lost, are those pieces ,who ,by disappearing are making your picture even more beautiful,they de clutter your picture.

One day you ll see , just as he saw. And it will make sense.

Behind the Closet.

Something I found behind the closet, old and dusty,it still made me smile. 

In a fraction it brought back a series of blinding pictures.

It was my favourite, it was indespensible to me, as I grew up I let go of it . It never let go of me and even today hiding behind the closet, dusty and smelly it succeeds in making me smile.

The freshness in old memories,

The clarity in what faded away,

The rythmn in the meaningless noise,

Such is the charm of all old things. 

We create memories,which cling to our old friends , our old people .

The way our old people know us no one can. They touch strings hidden behind the closet. It's all fancy , but what's behind the closet means so much more than what is in it. 

They know the hurt you've put behind, the joy given up , the inpiration that pushed you is now lying behind the closet .

It's good to peep sometimes , never know what could suddenly,unknowingly light your soul .

Darjeeling

I left a little bit of me everywhere in Darjeeling .

I left myself reading on the mall road.

I left myself eating Bhutta.

I left myself hiking to a temple.

I left myself gazing at the stars.

Some part of me is still in a tea garden staring at a woman doing her job.

A bit of me is at Glenery's enjoying a sinful dessert or two.

You could find parts of me eating an ice cream almost everywhere.

I see myself staring at the red panda in the zoo. 

I am smiling with such ease.

I'm walking aimlessly.

I'm sitting and thinking.

The breeze hits my face, the mountains delight my eyes and the tea warms me .

Darjeeling replenishes me,inspires me,and makes me happy.

My soul is happily trapped in Darjeeling.

Alternatively

In an alternative universe her lover would still be alive. 

In some other corner , his daughter who committed suicide would be happily married. 

In some hotel , he would ask his highschool sweetheart to marry him. 

In some college , she'd have finished her masters degree . 

In an alternative universe they are still in love. 

In another universe there are more seasons of friends to come. 

In some place the world war is not known of. No, what bombings? 

In a certain place energy crisis is no more an issue . 

What if we used these alternative universes to sieve our negative emotions and magnify our positive ones? 

He broke my heart , what if I left the hate in one alternate universe, the love in another and moved forward with experience?

I failed an exam . What if I left behind the excuses in an alternative universe and moved ahead with a lesson?

She's not my friend anymore . What if in an alternative world she still is ? What if I left all the guilt and the pain in another universe ? What if in this universe I had beautiful memories ?

In my present universe there's no what if. There is just This. In some universe I guess I'm a scientist . But in this universe I'm just me . No baggage . No inhibitions.

Just a desire to be happy and to do great things.

Masques

They arent what you see . He's not what he says he is . 

These masks are they deliberate ? Yes

But why ? Because we fear . 

We fear judgement . 

Who said you have to sit straight all the time ?But you have to . 

Why put on that fake accent ? But they won't accept you otherwise . 

Why those flashy clothes , the meaningless talk ? But that's how they take you in .

And all this covers the fear yet cripples the soul . 

Why not cha and why coffee ? 

Why not gariahat  and why Quest? 

Why not puchka why Taj ? 

When the joy is most in the little things , why chase the bigger ones ? 

Because we fear judgement . 

We won't say what we feel . We won't cry when we are hurt . We won't eat with our hands. We won't burp .We won't wear what we like . We won't take the bus if we want .

Everyone is desperately trying to fit in where they don't belong. We are all living in an illusion which we have created . What if we let this collapse ?

What if no one cares ? What if they care about the real things ? What if they rose above the trivialities ? What if ? 

But , is there enough courage to challenge a system ? Is there enough courage to seek the greater things in life ? 

In Retrospect

Sometimes I'm sickened by this constant pace chase ! Chase for grades , chase to have a perfect body, chase to be in the best college. I feel my spirit is being restricted . I want to detach for a while from this chase, I want to think , I want to stare at nature and marvel it's creations . I want to have knowledge that will not benefit me academically . I probably just want to be . I want to hear famous people , share their thoughts , have a few lazy lunches a few unshowered days . A sudden urge for the olden days pulls me with such power and leaves me longing for I know not what .I want to mellow this pace , come to a standstill . But , my spirit is too enthusiastic to give up the pace chase . Yet again , a conflict which nothing can resolve .