Ginger & Cardamom

One of my favorite word in the English Language is IF. It has so diverse usage and imperative of communicating multiple emotions. Well I produce few of my usage of IF which makes it so special in the language-

1- If Conveys Hope & Wishes - One of the most important and necessary ingredients of life is hope and If conveys hope. The hope always lies in the If- If I could accomplish this the life would be awesome after that.

2- If is the Introspection & Learning- Another very important aspect in life of a person is when he looks back at his life and his actions. Introspects what went wrong, how he could have done things differently, how he could have changed or bettered the outcome of a given situation. Here is the if- If I would have saved instead of nasty expenses I could have used the money now.

3- If is the warning- If is a caution sign in life, often an advice, an indication to reconsider and evaluate your course of action and re-steer to ensure course correction. A lot of times when the judgment is clouted, if is the word that clears it. Here is the If- If you went ahead with this deal you are bound to loose.

4- If as the Challenge- if is the greatest challenge for nurturing ambition in the human race. A lot of drive in people is invoked by a simple if- If you can do this the next promotion would be yours.

5- If as a choice- One of the most important aspects of our existence is our ability to choose, our ability to say yes or no, depending upon how we feel. If certainly gives us that choice- I will do this only if I want.

Well that’s about one of the most beautiful words I feel from the English language. To end, I will leave you with one of my all time favorite poetry in English language

IF- Rudyard Kipling

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you

But make allowance for their doubting too,

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,

Or being hated, don't give way to hating,

And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,

If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breath a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;

If all men count with you, but none too much,

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

I have always been very fond of Hindi Kavi Sammelans, the sense of humor of Indian poets is really unparalleled. Its been 2 years since I have attended a Kavi Sammelan and I so much want to attend one as soon as possible. Till then enjoy one of my favorite poets who actually had so much passion for Hindi poetry that he dropped out of an REC (NIT now) to pursue to be a poet. He is one of my most admired combination of Hindi Poetry & Philosophy with a passion for the subject. So Enjoy Dr. Kumar Vishwas, a legend of Hindi Poet.

Dark and lonely it was, on the stretch of the road,
Quieter than usual, with the city in holiday mode.
The pathway was familiar, broad and wide,
Atmosphere unusually cool and wind was light.

The life was ecstatic, with fun all around,
And the two of them were homeward bound.
Fired with the youth and the rush of adrenalin,
And the gush of Alcohol flowing in the veins within.

The spokes of the wheel revolving so fast,
The smiles on their face were vast.
Running ahead of everyone, they felt so high
As if they were reaching up and above the sky.

Way ahead was bend a bit sharp,
His speed maneuver he decided to harp.
All they knew destiny had some alternate plans,
Incoming was a dumpster which they failed to glance.

Was it the folly of the youth or the effect of spirits,
The trajectory of path they couldn’t aptly fit.
What they never thought was about to be done,
Thinking about chances, they had none.

The two human figures rose high into the air,
As the wise main said, life is not always fair.
When they touched the ground, they hit so hard,
The two bodies broke with sounds that jarred.

The onlookers heard and came running by,
First-Aid & doctors were rushed, hoping some time to buy.
But the red elixir of life had flown without a stop,
The souls simply left the abode and the pusle had stopped.

The two fine boys in the prime of their time,
For nothing which would be called their crime.
Lost the most precious thing they ever had,
Were the two extra pegs worth for the lads?

I saw a horrible accident yesterday, freshly happened the bodies were still lying on the road. It made me write this.

In India 130,000 people die every year of road accidents which is 30.2% of people dying an un-natural death. Everyday on an average 250 people die in road accidents across this country, which is like a plane crash with no survivors and a mojor cause is Alcohol consumption while/prior to driving.
To set the perspective right the most hedious terrorist attack in India on 26/11 had a death toll of 173 people. If that was so huge imagine the rucus we are creating on our roads.
So from next time drive responsibily and Do not drink and drive.

I had troubles deciding the title of the posts and I actually asked a couple of people on my Gtalk list and they actually laughed it off, and suggested some titles. Alternate titles of the post-
1- Don't Laugh it Off
2- Here too High
3- High on Drive

I have been reading a lot on Kabir lately. Kabir is one of my favorite thinkers and philosophers, he is one of the most underrated philosophers globally and I fail to understand why. The amazing part about Kabir is, that he managed to communicate all his wisdom through couplets (I mean if he would be alive these days he would be the best twitter, communicating amazing philosophy in lesser characters) I would illustrate some of the couplets for Kabir and my understanding of those, and people who read this blog, would like to know their understanding of the couplets-
Kabir on Temptation-

Kabir Man Martak bhaya, Indri apne haath.
Tou kabun na kijiyen, Kanak Kamini ke saath.

Meaning- Kabir says, even for those who have attained a complete control of their senses and have killed the desires in the mind or brain (I don’t know what would be the exact word for Man). Even them, they should be very careful when getting exposure to wealth and woman. Because these two are the greatest temptations for man and they lead him to his downfall.

Kabir on Death-

Pav palak ki khabar nahi, karein kaal ko saaj,
Kal achanak jahdpega, jyon teetar ko Baaz.

Meaning- The fallacy of humans, they are not even aware of what happens to them in next 100th of a second, but still they keep planning for tomorrow. Kabir says that they would not even know that tomorrow the Eagle, the metaphorical death, is going to grab the bird, the metaphorical human life. So Kabir makes a point that one should not waste too much of time and efforts on planning for tomorrow and ignoring present.

Chakki Firti Dekh ke, Diya kabira roye,
Do kunth ke beech aaye ke, sabut gaya na koye.

Meaning- When Kabir sees the traditional Indian flour mill which has two stones revolving over each other and crushing everything in between. Same is the fate of human life, irrespective of rich, poor, achievers, failures, weak strong eventually will get grounded by the grinding stones of death and would eventually meet the same fate.

Kabir on Words-

Shabd Sarikha Dhan nahi, Jo koi jaane bol,
Heera to dame mile, par shab na aavein mol.

Meaning- There is no wealth greater than words, only few can understand its value. You can get a diamond for a price, but words of wisdom, love, care and understanding are simply pricess.

So people I leave you here with this food for thought. May be will come back and do an extension of this again.

Since the beginning towards the end
The sands of time never remain in hand
With the fists so tight and the hands of glue
But sands of time slip out of blue
The wonders all around are so amazing
But the sand of time which we are all chasing
The air so dense, the horizons so wide
With disappearing sands we all survive
The water so black the people so dull
Within then sands it's our lives we pull
The history speaks aloud about those dead corpse
But trapped in thee viscous circle circle are times forces
The life and death, the death and lives
Among the sands only spirits thrive
The world full of knots and tangles
Within the sands watching us, are angels
With our hands outstretched
Eyes burnt to color so red
The mouth torn for water and bread
all over earth are those sands which are spread

One night at a railway station
I was sitting in the air,
The world was quiet
Except for a few shimmering cries.
As if it were a graveyard
Full of trembling deaths,
Then suddenly times began changing
The mob began to pour.
As the train pulled in over
The place turned into a hell
Everybody busy from their head to the toes
The vessel made a shrill noise while moving forward
With the chaos gradually started settling
And the era of silence outstretched
I found myself on the railway station
Gazing at the bare railway tracks
The tracks that went together for miles like best of friends
But in reality they never did met
All it was a station
Which was a world in itself
Lots of people to come by you,
But not a single one to be met.


Hey people this is one of my few attempts on a non rhyming poetry. Would really like to have feedback and areas of improvement.
I actually didn't had too much of time to write a complete post today so kind of wrote this poetry in a hurry

I have been really very busy with work since last few days, I have not been able to find time to write anything, so out of desperation I am fishing out something which I wrote long back but never put on the blog. I promise would return back tomorrow with a freshly written post. Till then enjoy this poetry I wrote sometime back-

When You're Gone
The World has stopped, Life is dull & slow
The humans still, The tress silent as the seeds were never sowed,
The roads lying speechless all along,
The skylarks are silent without a song.

Yesterday was as beautiful as it could have been,
For me the world, the world to me she seemed,
My life lost all the reasons it had to be,
Every time I opened my eyes in front was she.

Some little fact that my heart refuses to explain,
Her glittering eyes, How they relieved all my pain,
What it a bliss!! It seemed like a boon,
But never understood why it had to end so soon.

The life is empty, loneliness surrounds,
All around is vacuum with memories profound,
A surreal touch and a loving glance,
A long wait for the life to get another chance.

All of the sudden the folklore of life ,
has lost all the untold stories,
Without her I am the sun,
Who who somewhere lost his glory.

I am really sorry to disappoint you folks with such a post. Promise to come back tomorrow with something better.

Ps.: This was written very long time back and I never thought this is worthy enough to be told, but desperate time calls for desperate measures. So you can hurl all the shoes at me you like (pairs would be welcomed, shoe size 11 :-D )

Here on this auspicious kingdom of honor lived a prince,
The place of joy, euphony, and happiness it was where nobody winced,
Not a day, decades but hundreds of centuries ago,
“Prince well be our ruler”, “long live the prince”, the kingdom roared so.

The fate looked sealed but destiny had other things in mind,
Of course the love for her own real son made her blind,
When the queen and the tantrum bind the king with a promise,
14 years of exile for the step son she asked and led to the king’s nemesis.

The prince went to the forest to keep the father’s bind,
Along with brother and wife, leaving the kingdom behind,
The evil demon had his eye on the prince’s wife,
He laid his vicious plans to fly away, leaving the prince in a plight.

The prince gathered an army determined to end the evil,
He crossed the oceans, with his quiver of arrows and sword waiting for the kill,
War was ferocious the evil demon finally fell,
The prince finally won, and there was a tale to tell.

The wife re-united with the prince and the celebrations galore,
The victory of the good over evil was the folklore,
The conquest was done and the years of exile has passed,
The time to return to his kingdom came at last.

The subjects were overjoyed to welcome their victorious prince,
Lights, decoration, and celebration all it was since,
The prince who conquered evil was back to be the king,
In his praise the victory song they sing.

And the Amavsya of the Kartik month was marked as happy one for ages to come by,
The day to be celebrated by rich or poor, extroverts or shy,
Everyone just forgets their troubles and worries,
Just fold their hands in unison to greet every one A Very Happy Diwali!!!

Wishing a very happy and prosperous Diwali to all my readers.
For those not from India, Diwali is a major Indian festival celebrated every year on Amavasya(No Moon Night) of the Kartik month (Indian Calendar)to mark the return of Lord Ram back in Ayodhya after killing the viscious Ravana. Its celebrated all across the country with lights, candles and fireworks. For more details check the wiki link here.

It is a very sad state of affairs when you write something romantic and you have no one to dedicate it to. Enough insights of my romantic life, so here I dedicate this poem to all the lovely ladies on whom I have had crushes on any point of time, to all the cute chicks with whom I have or tried to flirt at any point of time in my life and especially to those who have had or expressed a fickle of romantic interest in me. So all the damsels (okies; married woman too) this one is for-

YOU
Whispers of your voice echoing in my breath,
The sounds of your silence loose me in their depth,
The reflections of innocence in your eyes,
Leaves me wondering; to steal glances or to pry.

The shimmer of your smile makes my heart skip a beat,
The chimes of your laughter and my mind loses the streak,
The healing touch of your hands,
Sends down in me innocuous breathless pangs.

The rhythm of your walk makes the music of my heart beats,
The tinge of your sparkling earrings makes the language I speak,
Your batting eyelashes showing the glances of glory,
Keeps me alive on the hope to live my own dream and story.

Destiny tells me; my roots would be you giving life to the tree,
Enticing my trapped soul to wander and be free,
Sparkling light would be you for shadows of darkness on me,
Little drops of joy on the deserts you would be.

The wait for changing seasons is the fate of the sowed,
The desire for your loving glance and every moment it grows,
I know your destined to habitate my heart’s abandoned city
For that moment of love I will, I will wait for you till eternity.

I have decided to change the about me section of my Blog. I was quiet a bored of the present one which has been there since the inception of this blog. It was actually relevant till I was doing my post graduation but then more out of laziness I just added one line to make it relate to my current phase of life. However Now that I have decided that I will be making this as my personal blog, I decided to remove the professional me out of here. So here goes what used to be About me in my Blog-
A lone son, an argumentative Indian, A loyal freind, an ardent admirer, a dreamer, a believer, and an egoist. Went through the process of being an nasty engineer, and a cynical MBA. Now a k(NO)w-it-all IT Consultant

To replace this I came up with this-

I am someone,
I am the lost page from the chronicles of Time,
I am the lost note of the music divine,
I am the lost aroma which is fleeting smell,
I am the lost piece which the Jigsaw puzzle compels,
I am the lost word which completed the book of truth,
I am the lost map for the fountain of youth,
I am the lost droplet in raindrops & dew,
I am the lost breath fighting for survival,
I am the lost civilization hoping revivals,
I am the lost king amidst the battle,
I am the lost spectator in this babble,
I am the lost soul searching eternity,
I am the lost link of the human fraternity,
I am someone.

But then I ended it on a very different note.

With or Without You
(Couldn't think of anything else for the title)

The world has stopped, life is dull and slow,
The humans still, the trees silent as seeds were never sowed.
The roads lying speechless all along,
The skylarks are numb without a song

yesterday as beautiful as it could have been,
For me the words and the world she seemed.
My life had all the reasons it had to be,
Every time I opened my eyes, in front was she.

Some little facts my heart refuses to explain,
Her glittery eyes and shiny hair how they released my pain.
What a bliss it was seemed like a boon,
But never understood why it had to end so soon.

The life is empty, loneliness surrounds,
All around is a vacuum, memories profound.
A surreal touch and a loving glance,
A long wait to life another chance.

All off a sudden the folklore of my life,
has lost all it's stories.
Without her I am the sun,
Who has lost its glory.

ScRaMbLeS

I was the one who has been long in the city pent,
Life in days years and month it spent.
Over materials and matter there was a reef,
Vacant sometimes, emotions at others the heart plead.
Everyday fighting with my own attic to survive,
Usual days and the struggle to keep the spirits alive.
Pestering the soul with hopes to revive,
Reliving the past kindling the old delight,
Imagining the victory of self over thy might.
Yearning from past filling roars in shambles,
Another meek spectator ready to face world's scramble.

A Passing Thought

Another of a passing thought which came in my mind, just leaving for anyone who would like to say anything about it...

Hum unko yaad to aye, yeh humari kismat hai,
Kisi aur main aap humein dekhen yeh humara asar hai ya uski kudrat hai

A Passing Thought

I had a passing thought, felt good about it so leaving for people to comment,

Mere dil ne khayalo main afsane bahut likhe hai,
Jinka tamannao main abhi baki namo nisha hai,
Mujhe pyaar karne ki sazaa na de, aie Vayaz,
Sazaa dene ke bahane aur bhi hai.

The Road Bend

On this cold morning, the chilly wind brushing apart,
The city is already awake, the sun is red conquering the dark,
On the lush green trees, the larks sing their songs,
Calling all the city, "Do come along".
The empty roads, suddenly appreciate crowd,
The shouting engines roared down with proud.
Everyone is rushing thinking of rest & joy,
On the corner stood all alone, a little boy.
All alone in this mad world he decided to toil,
Felt his home beneath the sky and above the soil.
No one in this world he had, to reach out and go,
The mettle in him, he wanted to show.
But he ever knew what will be the endm
Never realized where in eternity he will land.
Strange mix of courage and lonliness his life was a blend,
His only companion in his journey was the Road Bend.

Just Another Day

Bright rays of light falling on the eyes,
A brand new day with hopes too high,
The first feet to start the day are out of the bed
My face and the sun showing spirits in Red.

The start of the day can not be better, I believe,
A good day ahead is all I can percieve,
The world today would be at my stride,
I will go on a seventh heaven ride.

During the day emotions change, with worldy brash,
Life is unfair, rude and harsh,
The little heart filled with hope slowly slumbers,
Life is long but the days are numbered.

The day is gone, The evening light is dim
Cleared away are all my morning fantacies and whim,
The realities of the world dawn on me,
Today a pawn I was Will King I ever be?

The sun is still there glowing red but my face is white,
Spent the day figuring out how to live it right,
One more day of life some memories amassed
Just Another Day has Passed, Just Another Day has Passed.