Life. Love. Choice.

There's always an alternative.

There sure is another way.

But once you choose it,

There's no getting away.

The choice isn't always easy,

And yet you have to choose.

You sure should try to win it all,

And yet, at times, you choose to lose.

When you do try to win Everything. Everyone.

Sometimes you just fall.

I believe, you win some, you lose some.

When the game ends, it’s never Love All!

River, or me!

A river, as insignificant as it can be.

Dear life...

Dear life,

What I want from you,

I'm not sure.

Though now that I think of it,

I guess I want,

Happiness, satisfaction; unadulterated, pure.

In your journey,

There were ups and downs galore.

But I know,

There was nothing I could not endure.

I had my moments of joy;

My fair share of heartbreaks as well!

I don't expect much ahead,

Just that the sorrows reduce and the joys swell!

In between, at times,

I hurt some people...

Knowingly or unknowingly,

It was never intentional.

Whatever happened, happened.

I know I can't change it.

The future is a different story though,

I hope I have a better control over it.

I don't mind the sorrows...

I don't mind the heartache.

So long as it stays between you and me,

And others get a break!

Dear life,

My expectations, I think, are not irrational.

I am a simple guy...

I ain't demanding anything exceptional!

ख़्वाबों से बातें

वो ज़ुल्फों का उड़ना,

यूँ धीरे से मुड़ना।

वो धीरे से मुड़कर,

यूँ थोड़ा मचलना।

वो थोड़ा मचलती,

यूँ कुछ कुछ अकड़ती।

वो कुछ कुछ अकड़कर,

यूँ आहें ही भरना।

कहना तो है कुछ,

पर खुद ही में हैं खुश।

वो बातें जो दिल की,

है दिल ही में रखना।

जो हम कह ना पाए,

हैं वो सुन ना पाए। 

है बातें ही ऐसी,

जो ख्वाब ही रहना।

अधूरी सी रातें,

हैं ख़्वाबों से बातें।

अधूरी सी रातें,

हैं ख़्वाबों से बातें।

जो वो सुन लें गर तो,

हो पूरा ये सपना।

जो वो सुन लें गर तो,

हो पूरा ये सपना।

A Year Ago…

“Thodi fat rahi hai yaar… first din hai, and I don’t even know anyone there”, he said. “Chill maar… it’ll be fine!” Anand said, trying to convince him.

“Excuse me! I have joined today, but my name is not there in the list”, he said confused, to the security guard who wouldn’t let him in.

“Okay… Now I am getting used to this, but my name is missing again!” this time a bit bemused.

“Woohoo! What an office! And people say the Bangalore office is even better! God knows what all will be there!” the awe was pretty evident.

Just how I spent my first day in office, exactly a year ago!

Since then, it has been an awesome year, where I learnt, played, made new friends, and a lot more!

A Broken Vase

With a pounding stroke,

the vase went down.

In a matter of seconds,

it was in pieces – red, white, brown.

Red were the flowers, booming inside.

Beautiful they once appeared,

till it shattered, and everything died.

White it had been, up, intact,

glittering, glowing,

it looked very much alive, in fact.

Brown it got as it gradually decayed,

unnoticed, ignored,

in a corner, it stayed.

But what’s the big deal; it’s ultimately just a vase.

It’s not like it’s the only one that fell and broke apart.

It’s just that, may be, this vase was close to my heart.

It’s just that, may be, this vase was closer to my heart.

Twenty-four Years Young

Twenty-four years ago, I was just a tiny thing.

I couldn’t walk,

I couldn’t talk,

I for sure could not sing!

A couple years down the line,

the world started making some sense.

I don’t remember much,

but I did start creating a lot of nuisance!

The little kid grew up,

he ran to school pretty soon…

I soon got bored of it though,

they expected me to be there every noon!

Now that I think of it,

we barely did anything there…

Sports would be the most awaited activity,

studying was anyway rare.

So just like that, I passed from school,

and a couple of colleges too!

I never really understood,

where all the time flew.

All this while,

I definitely grew.

Matured – may be,

though I doubt it is true!

With all that I experienced all through,

I do claim to be an adult now…

And yet, at the slightest sign of innocence,

I’ll have that kiddish Wow!

Maybe being a kid still is not so bad after all…

So long as I have the adult me hand-in-hand, is all!

And so here I am today,

twenty-four years young!

I do talk a lot; walk a lot…

I’ve barely left a song unsung!

If I could fly...