Where am I???

Reflecting on the past
Brooding about the future
I was caught in the grip of-
Anger, regret and fear.

Looking back, am forced to think-
What have I achieved?
Am I on the right path?
Or have gone lean.

Life has been full of-
Heartaches and pains;
Failures and celebrations-
With little to cheer and game.

So many failures
So many heartburns
That many deceits
All trapped in one.

But this was the past
How about the future?
Will it be little better or more worse
That time will only answer.

Caught in this labyrinth
Of past and future
Of somber reality and hope
I forgot to live in the present.

Friendship

Friendship- a word with various definitions
A word with various interpretations
A bond that makes the life
And a bond that can destroy the life

From cradle to grave
A friend comes every way
That may make you say –
Pal! Where have you been these days?

People say it’s great to make a friend
To smile and to cry
To live and to die
To say hii and then bbye

This is sad but a true picture
Everything that comes has to go some day
Friendship is no exception
It lives and then leaves you all alone some day.

School life

OHH NO!!!! aaj bhi school……….hmmm mumma nahi jana…
Oofff yeh homework kabhi khatam hi nahi hota….
Ohh No. exam time table, abhi last week hi to the aur Diwali ke baad exams it means no celebration… this is not fair.
So do not these lines take you down to memory lane when we all were in school doing loads of masti but at the same time criticizing the system? Getting up early in the morning, daily studies, homework, punishments in school and all such things were not they vexing?
At times I and my friends used to criticize our school, its regulations and simply everything. We used to criticize our very own teachers especially some of whom were really partial and perhaps not fit to be a teacher. We used to crib at mess food (though I liked it). In our school every morning there used to be a prayer session of about 30-40 minutes, which was at times really harassing especially if you have to stand under scorching sun. But something I really liked were first the Prayer itself, which was composed by the school authorities itself, the thought session and not to forget the moral songs. Though a majority chunk never appreciated this but I did this. Then at regular intervals there used to be meditation sessions followed or preceded by some spiritual lecture series. This also used to be vexing for the students but somehow I appreciated them.
My school has taught me loads of things, besides giving the basic education. The sense of Yoga, meditation, feeling of spirituality and above all the confidence in dealing with the public is a gift to me by my alma mater. It was my teachers who instilled confidence in me so that I could become a good speaker. My drawing teacher provided me with basic skills needed in sketching so that I can become a good sketcher (I guess this is reflected by my sketches), the knowledge of language, the hand writing and various small-small things are a gift to me by my alma mater.
However sports were not very much appreciated in our school hence I am not good at sports. Still we used to play a variety of games especially Kho-Kho. Further the sports period was more of a chit-chat time for we girls and we used to enjoy this session a lot.
Our group was very big and indeed famous in school amongst students and teachers. We used to sit in one row, took lunch together, played together and simply enjoyed a lot.
We also named out group as “AAAA…..” Group because the names of everyone had “A” as the last alphabet (except one girl). I really miss those pretty fun filled days.
There was stiff competition between me and the topper of our class and we used to fight for quarter of marks also.
I remember as a child we used to be jealous of our elder siblings who were in college or had finished their studies. But when the final D-Day came I mean the Farewell eve, everyone was simply getting poignant at the thought of living the place where we have spent a major and the initial part of our life and the fear of starting a new life full of challenges and uncertainties. For me it was perhaps more difficult as because it was the only school I visited.
No doubt I will always miss my school days which were really amazing. Also the friends made here are precious. I don’t know how many of them will remain in real good contact and for how long but they are all my great friends who also taught me a lot many things. Some of the teachers are very dear to me and would never ever forget them.
Thanks to everyone who came in contact with me during my schooling and gifted me something very precious which perhaps I will never get back.
Hope this days come back once again!!!!

“Apnu Ahmedabad”- a place for all fun, frolic and money

Hello everyone,
After living in Ahmedabad for more than two years I am in a position to pen down some unique features of this tier II city.
No doubt it is a very good, developing city with a better standard of living. People are quite jolly, friendly and lively. Every weekend is meant for outing after and all, all home makers also need weekend. Hotels have waiting queue of about 1-2 hours every weekend. Even after having restaurants every few kms., it is still a good business opportunity to start a chain. As compared to restaurants, hotels are less in number.
Almost every MNC has got its branch in Ahmedabad and is providing employment to a vast majority of people. It is a good place to work, with good transport system (better than over crowded trains of Mumbai), good infrastructure.
No shortage of power, water and other amenities.
The government is keen on developing this city at quite a rapid pace and it is a lucrative place to start any business.
Roads are excellent, suited for long drive with Highways like Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway very well built. (I really miss this highway; have traveled a lot owing to my alma mater situated on this highway)
Dalvada, Gote, Thepla, Khakra and Undhiyon are some famous delicacies of Ahmedavadis.
Mount Abu- one of the most common destinations for outing besides Saputara, Udaipur and Diu.
Festivals are also a name of celebration. May it be the most famous Navratri of Gujarat or Dussherra or Diwali or Uttrayan.
I need not describe about Navratri- no doubt Gujjus’ dance to their souls. They do Garba in their own groups with varied steps hard to imitate.
In Diwali vacations you will find not a single shop open, not a single vendor on road. It’s a total shut down here and all neighboring tourist places are occupied by Ahmedavadis. I found it a bit strange as because in my home town I never saw something like this when people lock their homes during Diwali and go out for trip.
The very next day of Diwali is celebrated as New Year of Gujaratis with all fervour. And you will find people wishing “Happy New Year” more often then “Happy Diwali”.
One more tradition attracted my attention this year. There is some thing called-
“Labh Pacham”. That means people will start their business after Five days of Diwali. Hence there is total Shut down for 5 more days. Good Vacation time!!!! Strange, but true!!!
Uttrayan or Makar Sankranti is another famous festival of Ahmedabad. Jalebi, Khaman, Khandvi and loads of kites, all scattered on terrace of people is a common sight on January 14th every year. Every person irrespective of age, gender is busy in flying kite and shouting- “Kaipoch che”. In the night skies are filled with glittering fire shots and roads and food joints with people.
No doubt, people celebrate every festival with gusto and the festivals are nothing but another name of Celebration.
People are quite friendly, calm, relaxed, broad minded and at the same time conservative also. They are very passionate about their language to an extent that if the person opposite to them does not understand the language they will continue speaking in Gujarati. However, it is not a very difficult language and those who know Hindi will not find it much hard.
The big business mind of people walks with people and follows them everywhere. After all Gujju’s are known for making money out of any and every business.
Half or more than half of Gujarat resides in USA. There is separate community in India known as NRG- Non Resident of Gujarat.
Overall Ahmedabad is a good place to live and enjoy and earn money.
“Atyare atlu bas thayu”
Jai Shree Krishna!!!

Poverty- can we fight it??

This is one of the most perplexing and at the same time a question embedded with various emotions. We see poor people almost everywhere atleast in our country. We can see them in our locality, near temples or bus stands or any other commercial place begging for alms. And its really sad to see young kids spreading their hands and begging. Instead of going to school and using their hands, mind and time for some constructive activity they are forced to slog in heat and run after people. We can find these people spending their night and days under open sky irrespective of climate, eating anything that they can find and simply trying to eke out a living.
When I see these people I feel vary sad and a question comes to my mind that can’t we do anything for them. Can’t government or various NGO’s do anything? What are NGO’s and Governments meant for?
Many people say that we should not give alms to beggars for various reasons, should we not?
Today, various schemes run for the benefit of the poor people. But either the poor people are not aware of such schemes or they get caught in the labyrinth of the corruption and mal-practices existing in the country.
Even about NGO’s you may not be sure whether their practices are genuine or not.
Sometimes, I think that we can create a fund (may be in our family, at our work places) wherein every earning member will have to contribute some amount daily; it may be a rupee even. Contributing a small amount will perhaps not e a burden on the beneficent but these pool of small contributions can be used for removal of poverty. But is this possible? Or is it just a whimsy?
But if this possible then I sincerely urge dear blog readers to do something to fight poverty and let it be a history-never to be repeated.

Rules as per convenience

What are rules???
Well, they are the principles that govern the conduct of a person in a society.
Who frame these rules??
The rules are framed by the Government, the Judiciary authority of the country, by the elder members of families and society in general.
For who are the rules made??
The rules are made for everyone and everyone should follow them in unison.
But does it happen so?? A common saying goes as- “Rules are meant to be broken”.
Further, it is also said that rule makers, are not rule followers. They make rules for others to follow.
But this is all about the rules that generally govern the society in large. What about the rules that are made by individuals themselves for themselves. These rules might be in agreement with the normally accepted principles of the society or might be a taboo.
But I have seen some people for whom rules are nothing but a way of life that suits their life style, their ego and are there to ensure a comfortable living at a cost to others. Also, the application of so called rules changes with the people. I will not elucidate it with some example, but this thing really irritates me.
Why cannot be people consistent with their ideologies atleast when it comes to following them? And I am not talking of some great dictates, but of small-small ideologies that people make for themselves. They then don’t think about the implications of these rules on others. They don’t care about others but act in most selfish way.
What should one do in such circumstances? Shall we stop dealing with such people or???
Waiting for an answer from my dear friends..

Dreamz Unlimited

Sitting on a lonely bench, feeling sad

I prayed for a true Friend

From a distant corner you came

Asking me to smile all again

We sat together for hours

Not knowing what to say

Watching the deep black sky,

Understanding the chemistry of moon and stars

Sitting together all the time

Speaking nothing any time

Developing a true bond

Supposed to be lasting for lifetime

But... Was it a dream, or a reality?

Or the sun rose very early

I felt as if I was in deep slumber,

Away from the world and its wonders

Soon, the reality dawned on me,

I have to realize that everything was a myth;

The dreams are meant to be cherished in dreams

Expecting them in reality is just a whim.