Love And Music

He never gets angry.
She was so happy that she would meet him after four days. Why he got angry and shouted at her, she didn’t know. He never did. But he did. And it did hurt. A lot.
She got him all wrong. He was not angry on her. He was happy that he was going to meet her after four long days. He was angry on his friend. His friend was supposed to submit his assignment on the selected day. He came back to learn that the assignment was submitted well after due date resulting in precious marks lost. He tried to reason out with the teacher in person, explained him the situation, but for no profit. She came to him seeing him agitated. He snapped. He slapped her.
Sunday Evening. Ashima entered the church. It was the nearest pious place from her college. She went past the benches and lighted a candle. She put it on the altar along with many candles and sat on her knees looking at the cross. Rain was dropping ceaselessly since morning. She sneaked through the lull in between, dry.
Few moments later, the doors of the church cracked. Aditya entered drenched. He walked towards the cross, shivering. His clothes completely wet, bent near Ashima and took out his candle. His hands still quivering, he tried to light up the wet wax. Ashima got up and walked to the nave and sat on the third row silently. Their eyes refused to cross each others. Aditya managed to heat up the wick and stick it near Ashima’s candle. He crossed his hands looking towards God, got up and walked towards the end of the benches, sitting near the last row. Sitting silently, both got transported to a day’s eve.
…………
‘Where were you guys?’ Ashima asked. ‘Yes we were about to leave. And how was your rehearsal?’ Shikha added.
‘As usual. Ashima’s man has again missed the first beat of his line.’ Sameer said, giving a knock on Aditya’s head.
‘How am I the defaulter? Pulkit always forgets to play his notes.’
‘Me?’ Pulkit exclaimed. ‘I am supposed to start from the second line, the first line is monologue.’ Both Sameer and Pulkit knock on Aditya’s head.
‘You guys can do this forever. Linkin Park ko chodke kuch gaana aata nahi.’ Ranjana imitated Pulkit playing the guitar. Everyone started laughing.
‘You never even listened to Linkin Park. You consider Himesh as a rockstar. What do you know about music.” They start fighting again with each other. Ashima hushes them up.
‘Stop it guys. And tell us about the plan for tomorrow.’
‘Plan unchanged. Morning six o’clock. Marine Drive.’ Aditya replies quickly.
‘Why are we going at all at this stupid place so early in Sunday morning, that too in the rain. We get eventually bored. You and Ashima move away from the group and spend time separately’ moaned Ranjana and everybody joined.
‘Hey guys, we never did that.’ Ashima protested.
‘Yes. We always bear with the awesome jokes of Pulkit, and try to smile in most of them. We never complain.’ Aditya explained.
‘Saale, maar khaega.’ Pulkit hits Aadi’s stomach.
‘Then my car tomorrow?’ Sameer asked.
‘No. Me and Ashima will meet you directly. We will take a rickshaw. I can’t bear Pulkit so early in morning.’ laughed Aditya. Again Pulkit and Aditya started in a mini fight.
‘Let them go. Else Aaditya will bore us crying like a little boy the whole day.’ Everyone laughed and moved to their respective hostel rooms. Pulkit promises Aditya dire consequences once they are back in room.

Morning 6.30am. Ashima and Aditya are sitting on the banister facing the sea at Marine Drive. Ashima knows that Aditya loves water, just looking at them, listening peacefully their frolicking, relieves him, and Ashima is relieved watching him happy and smiling. But now she is a little panicked as the other four are yet to arrive and it has been half an hour already.
Aditya’s mobile starts ringing.
‘What happened? Did you ask where are they? Aaah… great. Now the rain starts.’
‘Perfect.’
‘What perfect, Aadi. We will be drenched. And where the hell is this music coming from?’
Ashima turns around to see Pulkit with the guitar and Sameer with the keyboard all setup in the distance. Shikha and Ranjana are smiling nearby. Ashima is confused. She gets off the wide banister, and runs towards them. She hugs them both while the music is in full swing now. Ashima turns around to see Aditya, now standing on the banister facing the sea. He is humming, and starts singing.

Boondo k motiyon mein khulke ehsaas aya.
Waqt se nikalke lamha dil k paas aya
Choo k guzra tha par dil ko na mehsus hua
Ab jo dekha to vo lamha dil ko raas aya
Yun ki taiy kar nap au re
Dil ki baat main hawa k zariye pahuchau re
Ya khud hawa pe chalke aau re
Tumse pyar hai ye khulke
Jinme keh pau re
Lafz vo kahaan se lau re………

Music continues. Aditya comes down and bends before Ashima.
‘Ashima, will you marry me?
‘yes, you fool. Yes.’

Pulkit and Sameer continued the music without destroying the moment. Aashima and Aditya kissed each other. Ranjana capturing the beautiful moment.

……………………

Ashima looks back towards Aditya. He, settled on the bench was also looking at her. His eyes moist and regretful. Ashima runs to him and holds him tightly.
“I am sorry. I won’t do that again. I promise.” Aditya says.
“I know. Just don’t say anything, my love.”

Educating India?

Recently, we are listening of all the plans of Kapil Sibal, our honourary HRD minister, of revamping the education system of our country. And it is including all kinds of different methods, from eliminating the marking system and introducing grading system, decreasing the board exams to singular, and on the bigger stage, allowing foreign universities, and uniting all the schools under one board are quite motivating for a ministry which was long ignored by the government. Seriously, the last time I heard of any change in education system was the introduction of the OBC quota, which didn’t go well with me. But again, that is a different issue I don’t wish to comment on.

Some people also speculated that Kapil Sibal is moving way too fast than supposed. On this thought, I remember an article by Shekhar Gupta, some days later, titled “Babuji Dheere Chalna” becoming the anthem of our society. Clearly, when we have an important ministry under a person highly educated, we are bound to see such changes coming by.
What even astonished me, that the board exams which were reduced in standards from the time I gave exams, were again re-patterned to introduce some innovation compelling the students to think of what they are studying. Clearly, marks will not alone matter because, the marks are vanished. So, read to gain knowledge, not marks.
Speculations are important part of an democratic country. It helps in the betterment of the society. I was reading a editorial in Indian Express titled “The Marketplace Of Ideas” by Mr. D. Raja discussing the after effects of the redesigning of the Indian educational system. Clearly, an in-depth knowledge and far sightedness can lead to such articles. And I totally affirm with the predicament of the salaried middle-class people. But while reading, I thought, is it “wrong” of HRD ministry, or the psychology of the people. And I will discuss more about this, rather than giving a decision on the decisions.

For a long time, we are seeing the importance of brand-name over knowledge. Getting admissions in the public schools, coached in the best institutes, then IITs, IIMs. The knowledge period starts from a time when the child is just learning its own being. Pre-nursery, nursery, LKG, UKG, school, graduation, post-graduation, the list never ends. And all the parents need the best. If asked, what is best? Most people don’t know the actual reason.

I am not talking about IIT or IIM here. They are the topmost college not for their name only. The curriculum is very tough and is designed specifically to bring out the best. Day-night classes, assignments, two exams in a day. It is a fanatic race of educationists. Clearly, the students deserve big bucks for all the efforts they have put to clear the exams. But is clearing the exam enough to judge a person of his capabilities? If yes, then how many IITians become scientists and how many IIMians become future business leaders? And if IITs have so terrific curriculum, then why most of them choose IIMs, and the biggest question mark, how do companies prefer such people?

The success of a student clearly depends how much he can absorb from the environment. If a student who is liking what he is doing, he will definitely do good, no matter what his alma-mater is. And when we are talking about schools, the differences sublime. I have seen many idiots from top public schools, and many excellent students from government schools. Leaving the fame, we should stress on the quality of the education and the abilities of the child. Let him choose the right path, let parents help him to choose his destiny. When he will do what he likes, he will definitely prosper in it. And that is how, a better workforce will be built for the country.
Recently, there is a beautiful film released which dealt with this question mark in its ulterior. And I clearly remember, “Baccha kaabil ban, kamyabi jhak maar ke piche ayegi”. Go for excellence, success will follow you. And to the larger part of the audience who believe this part is unachievable, the fact is that it is true.

A Different Song: Aik Alif

This is not my creation, but I wanted to post it because I want this song to be my part of life till my demise, and I come back to it when I get depressed..



This is the song in youtube, listen to it when you have time and read the lyrics
(http://www.koolmuzone.com/forum/music-infonews/bulleh-shah-aik-alif-(lyrics-translation-history)/)

I am still posting the lyrics of the song:

Parh parh ilm te faazil hoya
Te kaday apnay aap nu parhya ee na

(You read to become all knowledgeable But you never read yourself)

You read so many books to know it all, yet fail to ever read your heart at all.

Bhaj bhaj warna ay mandir maseeti
Te kaday mann apnay wich warya ee na

(You run to enter temples and mosques But you never entered your own heart)

You rush to holy shrines to play a part, Would you dare enter the shrine of your heart

Larna ay roz shaitaan de naal
Te kadi nafs apnay naal larya ee na

(Everyday you fight Satan But you never fight your own Ego)

You are quick to attack the evil one, yet pride is a battle you have not won.

Bulleh Shah asmaani ud-deya pharonda ay
Te jera ghar betha unoon pharya ee na

(Bulleh Shah you try grabbing that which is in the sky But you never get hold of What sits inside you)

You grab for a star you can control, yet fail to grasp the light in your soul.

Bas kareen o yaar
(Stop it all my friend)

Let the race end, my friend

Ilm-oun bas kareen o yaar
Ik Alif teray darkaar

(Stop seeking all this knowledge my friend Only an Alif is what you need)

Stop trying to be the one who knows, for ‘God is One’ you need to know.

Bas kareen o yaar
(Stop it all my friend)

End the race, my friend

Allah Sayyaan Allah Sayyaan
(God is the Master, God is All)

God is All we need! God is All!

Nee main jaanaa Jogi de naal

(I shall follow the Yogi)

Follow the wandering dervish!

Jo naa jaane, Haqq ki taaqat
Rabb naa devey us ko Himmat

(Those who deny the Strength of Truth Lord does not give them courage)

If you deny the power of all that’s true, God will not grant strength to you.

Hum Mann ke darya mein doobey
Kaisi nayya? Kya manjhdhaar?

(We have drowned in the river of Self the boat and the flowing waters do not matter)

We are lost in this river of self, no boat or streams are of any help.

Bas kareen o yaar
(Stop it all my friend)

End the race, my friend

Ilm-oun bas kareen o yaar
(Stop seeking all this knowledge my friend)

Stop trying to know it all, my friend.

Allah Sayyaan Allah Sayyaan
(God is the Master, God is All)

God is All we need! God is All!



And ofcourse do remember, according to Old Testament of Bible, We can refer God as our own MIND.

MUMBAI from a DELHITE Vantage

It has been a while now I am doing Up and Down in Mumbai, atleast once in an year, sometimes twice the same year. My half a month minimum of one year is spent in Mumbai. It was always in my mind to compare the two cosmopolitans, both somewhat my home now. Maybe I am under-informed or slightly away from the actual picture. My Mumbai friends can easily rectify me and come up with more points, but following is my spectacle to look at the metro city and what makes it unique and different from its counterpart in the north.

1. People: Lots of them. Mumbai is a crowded place. It may be true that Delhi is crowded too. But it looks more in Mumbai because the area is too less for the people to dwell. While on the road, you can see cars, auto-rikshaws, passersby, and shops on the same road.
2. Time: Mumbai is a fast paced city. It is a city that never stops. Be it a terrorist attack, bomb-blast, floods, rain. Look out of your window, you can see people constantly moving around doing their job. This is because Mumbai has no time for petite issues. Fight for living in the cosmopolitan city takes out the necessary time needed to look into such issues.
3. Weather: Humid. Very Humid, very very humid. That’s the only thing I hate about Mumbai and wish I don’t come here. Sea on the side, you wont expect your clothes dry when you go outside. And the most biggest problem is it feels like someone has put a layer of dirt and sweat on your face to prevent you from more tarnishing. Delhi is as hot as Mumbai, may be even two or three degrees more than that, but I like Delhi summers, because it lives there for five months maximum, and it is not humid at all. The heat can kill you but in the month of June, you will hardly get a drop of sweat on your forehead.
4. Train: I had only once experienced in the locals of Mumbai, that too on a holiday. I was told that I am very lucky I haven’t seen the actual crowd of second class bogey. Delhi metro is going through such crowds nowadays, but Mumbai has this for a long time. It is said that it is the lifeline of Mumbai. And I realized it because a trip which could take 3 hours easily on the road was completed in 30 minutes via the train. People travel from surrounding regions, Thane, Nasik, to work in Mumbai. It is definitely a must fro everyone who visits Mumbai. And yes, do keep vigilance of your belongings. It is highly likely you come out of the train with torn pockets.
5. Autorickshaas: You want to go to Dahisar, Kandivali, Bandra, Ghatkopar, or Santa Cruz, you will get an auto. And that too, with a meter. You don’t have to ask them how much will they charge because unlike Delhi, it is evident in Mumbai that riksha means charging with Meter. There is no u-turn in it. It is highly unlikely that you wont get this public convenience if you are going out. Watch the roads and you will see more of these black-yellow vehicle than the others.
6. Traffic: Oh my god! You get irritated standing in Delhi at Naraina crossing? Come to Mumbai, and you will get a two kilometers of traffic jams. I was lucky I was going to catch a train to Aurangabad and I was on the opposite side of the road. I was just looking at the huge traffic that went on and on. And if you think that Highways may be a solution to all these, then I would like to correct you because I saw the traffic jams on the highways only. This time, it was due to a religious procession going on the small road. Yes, a freeway’s small road because if you have come from Delhi, you will be used to six lane roads.
7. Vada Pao: Desi Burger. I cant get over it. I have been to Mumbai for six to seven times now, and every time I come here, Vada Pao is something I never miss. Even when my sister visits, I expect her to come with lots of them, so that my one time meal includes Vada Pao only. It is amazing to see a conglomerate of potato in bread is so famous in Maharasthra. And I crave for it because not a single place in Delhi sells Vada Pao.

There are many other things special about Mumbai which we read in Newspapers like City of Rain Harvesting, Shiv Sena and now Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, and Bollywood, but I haven’t faced any of these in my visits to Mumbai, so wont beable to comment on that. But if I ever come here to live, I would definitely give my take on them too.

Dan Brown

It takes a lot of time to compose a Dan Brown. And the earlier books are even more complex than the newer ones. Probably, after Deception point and Digital Fortress, Dan Brown realized that research in science is not worth the moolahs, so he switched to Religion and tasted success. Bestseller success.
I was skeptic of reading Lost Symbol, but after I completed it, I thought to read his last book i didn’t touch, or the very first book he wrote, Deception Point. Although I must discuss it, but I don’t find it much worth because now that I have read all his books, I want to give a whole synopsis.
Dan Brown is a master researcher. He puts way more effort to bring out the maximum thriller. He describes the vision so beautifully that you can actually see a movie going on in front of you in the books. One of my friend was upset by such style, but I felt it is important to make the plot. And when you actually start getting bored by his description, he includes a twists. In each of his chapter, you will find the story going forward and leaving you in an urge to read the next. Believe me, because I finished my first tour of Dan Brown named “The Da Vinci Code” in abysmal conditions. I just couldn’t concentrate on my studies for an entrance exam three days away due to the growing suspicion in the plot.
Secondly, he will never give you a hint what will happen in the end, who will end up to be the villain here. I read all his books, assumed one as the negative person, and every time, a good person came out to be the biggest rogue of the novel..
Apart from all these, he has a certain speed in his storytelling, not too slow like Ayn Rand(mainly because hers is a proper philosophy class) and not too fast(Sidney Sheldon I heard has a very huge speed of storytelling, I have to check that though). For new readers, his books are a must have. Atleast, it will germinate the seed of reading in you. I don’t know how much voracious readers would like it, but readers like me, Dan Brown is a feast.