Unfinished Poem on an Unfinished Cricketing Career

My Ode to the Wall

On countless overseas tours

The aptly, inapt sobriquet –"wall"

At one end, silently stood tall

Witnessing the maestros fall.

Gulping sighs and frustration

Ignoring the cantankerous call

From rivals, critics and ‘em all.

Rising to each occasion, big or small
Building every innings like a mason’s wall

Judging individual merit of each ball.

Earning each laurel, none a windfall

Picking gloves to answer the nation's call

Timely plugging the batsman’s shortfall.

His dedication, integrity, and humble hardball;

Revered by the cricketing legends, one and all

But considering the strength of character,

Dravid is among the tallest of them all.

--Shashank

We'd quite a time, didn't we?

Wrote a poem after many years. Strange that poems flow out of my pen only when I am melancholic.

We'd quite a time, betwixt
The charming smile, yours;
And poor sarcasm, mine.
The casual questions, yours;
And tedious answers, mine.

We'd quite a time, betwixt
The elegant dressing, yours;
And unpretentious gazes, mine.
The patient listening, yours;
And foolish gibberish, mine.

We'd quite a time, betwixt
The fast track promotions, yours;
And managerial brawls, mine.
The globe trotting vacations, yours;
And wilderness escapades, mine.

We'd quite a time, betwixt
The playful indifference, yours;
And gentle advances, mine.
Sharing cribs and whine,
Ah! the joys when we'd dine.

Hope to stay in touch, betwixt
The new chapter in life, yours;
And vagabond dreams, mine.


-- Shashank

A Dream

"I dreamed death came the other night,
And heaven’s gate swung wide.
With kindly grace an elderly angel
Ushered me inside.
And there to my astonishment,
Stood folks I’d labeled
As unfit, of little worth.
Indignant words came to my lips,
But never, were set free.
For every face, showed stunned surprise,
Not one expected me."

– Jack Exum, “The Wisdom Box”

Which Ville do you live in?

An interesting conversation with an anonymous stranger:

Stranger: hello my little friend

You: hello

You: are u from giantville ?

Stranger: no

Stranger: what's that?

Stranger: olh

Stranger: my bad

Stranger: I was born there

You: lol

Stranger: but we moved to regularville

You: oh, not hunting in smallville?

Stranger: nah became too boring

Stranger: and I am a big person

Stranger: so I need tons of meat

You: ha ha

Stranger: regularville can offer me that

Stranger: I hope you don't live in regularville

You: and u still come to strangerville ?

Stranger: yeah from time to time

Stranger: just to tickle my tastebuds

You: i live in faroffville

Stranger: Oh i know that

Stranger: it's far away

You: exactly!

Stranger: someday I will come visit your village

Stranger: so be aware

You: welcome

Stranger: thanks

Stranger: for being so welcoming

You: instead thank you, for a great start to a conversation. I was getting so bored with ppl asking "m/f" and "asl"

Stranger: hahaha xD

Stranger: it was my pleasure

You: so what do u do for a living ?

Stranger: besides hunting?

Stranger: I am still in school

Stranger: how about you?

You: i work in a _____ firm

Stranger: oh cool

Stranger: how old are you if I may ask?

You: m young :p

Stranger: haha ok xD

You: so what do u study ?

Stranger: I'm going to study psychology if it works out

You: oo la la

You: i keep reading minds, never read the theory though

Stranger: haha cool

Stranger: so what kinda mind do I have according to you?

You: a creative one

You: u search joys in nonchalance of everyday life

Stranger: that is quite accurate

Stranger: you are a profiler

You: i dunno what's that

Stranger: do you know the show criminal minds?

You: no, am really in faroffville!

Stranger: Haha no cable tv in faroffville?

You: lol

You: there is, but different channels. different drama too :P

Stranger: haha ok xD

Stranger: but I have to go now

Stranger: It was nice talking to you

You: it was a great pleasure.

it hurts

It hurts. I knew it will hurt. I saw it coming. But I did not budge. Well, I am not a matador. I am not a masochist. I am not insane. But I can't help being optimistic, I can't help trying to make things happen. I can't help trying to make people smile around me. That I make a fool of myself, in the process, is irrelevant to me. Everytime I get into a relationship I am overjoyed. I dream a lot but I am not a day-dreamer. I try to put things into perspectives but the perspectives are dictated by my heart and not my head. I like being myself. I don't wish to bear the pain sometimes. Sometimes I know the sweet and the sour come together. I think too much. I sleep too less. Life is not easy without you Gudia, Life is not life without you....

The brightest chap !!

It's been a long time since I wrote. Rather, since I blogged. (remember I write for a living as well). What have I been doing all these days? I wish I knew the correct answer. I wish someone with a chirpy voice like the voice-over artist who tapes for the courses I design comes and tells me "That's correct. Click Next to Continue."

I wish there was a "next" button to scroll through life. But I would also like a "previous" button to go back and relive the fond memories. The complexities of this simple life amaze me !

It was late in the evening, an evening which followed a day which came and went by without registering much in my memory. And there were no signs of the evening becoming memorable either. The maddening traffic which seems to move one inch a time ( that might be an understatement but not an exaggeration) only aggravated my melancholy. Suddenly, my phone rang.......an unknown caller
had decided to wake me from reverie, That helps to break the Auto-Pilot mode of riding which I have gotten used to.

Caller: "arrrrrey Pandey ji, where are you?"
Pandey *#@%.............which pandey ji?

I have been receiving calls from people asking for everyone from plumber, to army recruitment secretary, to the laundry guy,...........the list is endless and the variety unmatched.

Me: "there's no pandey ji over here"

Caller: " arrrrey pandey ji, you didn't recognise me .....I am mishra, your panwallah"

So this call turned out to be from a shopkeeper who used to sell cigarettes to me and would never call me by my name......I have no idea how and when I become pandey ji...........but the name stuck.
But why would he call me? I had stopped going to his shop, the last time I went to his shop was four months ago and I had never been his regular customer. Somehow, with rattled nerves, I managed to say "Yes" when he asked me to come over to his shop. As expected, it turned out that he wanted some loan. Loan .,,,,,,,,,,okay I will dish the meagre amount I can manage..... But that wasn't all....................like all pan wallahs....... Mishra is big-mouthed and shrude. He will talk endlessly, he seems to have an opinion about everything under the sun. I was thinking on these lines, not really hearing what he was saying.....then it struck me
"Most of us have opinions about everything."

A few drags and endless blah blah blah.....annoying my ears........he too started his story of woes.........and I was fast running out of patience,.........then I saw someone tugging at my pants...........there was this young chap of hardly eight years, dressed in rags ..............
I don't like offering alms..........for I myself need alms of a different sort, which I can't ask from anyone at all.

But I was impressed with the refreshing smile on his face despite his hardships......he offered his hand for a handshake ........and to my sweet surprise Akshay (he told me his name while shaking hands) managed to do a few handshake tricks which seemed so funky !!
Akshay begs next to this small shop, all day........and I should say he earns his family of four 20 rupees a day, At an age where he should be playing with friends, the passersby play with him and his emotions.......with lewd remarks , endless thrashings and coin tossed arrogantly if it manages to come out of their Lewi's pockets at all.................Akshay impressed me, with the brightest eyes I have ever seen and a smile that won't leave his lips, no matter what comes.........he is sheer pleasure to talk to. Akshay was hungry and a dose of generosity won't have harmed me. So, I got him a cup of hot coffee.......it was a chilly night....and a omelette toast....He ate with delight but not the way the beggars are depicted eating in bollywood flicks........We talked for a few minutes before a man came up and spanked him hard on the back.......Okay, so this must be his father.......dressed in decent clothes with a obnoxious smell of hooch painted all over........he was spanking Akshay so that he parts with his day's earnings...So that was the end of it..........Akshay had to leave ........and the smile on his lips had turned into tears rolling down his cheeks......I came back home..........and that night I had a reason to think........I thought about Akshay. I thought about helping him somehow............but I know I can't do much........not because I don't want .......but because circumstances won't let anyone outside his family help him......

Thanks Akshay................... You made me a human again .............

I go everyday to that shop now................and I bear the garrulous Mishra.....because when Akshay comes with a smile on his lips................my spirits soar.....and I feel alive again.....

Thanks Akshay, you made my day, everyday in the last fortnight.

Optimism Displayed !

 

A colleague sent this awesome image. Optimists can never fail to find hope !!