A Wonderful Time

Its such a wonderful time

When people do care

But it sometimes gives a fright

When you care to scare

How you care what Thomas is upto

In the middle of the night

And you even care for Bob

Who owed you and got out of sight!

Its such a wonderful time

When people do care

But it sometimes gives a fright

When you care to scare

Now why does Farah

stay all alone?

But when Ricki went over to her

You ran to the phone.

As you very well know

Wally got rich too soon.

You never cared before

But now you are best friends too.

Its such a wonderful time

When people do care

But it sometimes gives a fright

When you care to scare

Are We Free Yet?

As we progress towards the celebration of 62 years of freedom this 15^th of August, the only thought that crosses my mind is, ‘How free are we anyway?’ How many times have we actually tried to imply the Freedom that we won almost 62 years back? On a personal level I feel that Democracy is just another word for an Indian, inscribed in the so called Constitution that is remembered merely once a year used as an alibi for what can only be called oafish behaviour. It’s funny how we still believe, had we not lost our country’s wealth to the British we could have been the wealthiest and the most powerful country in the world. Sadly, not even half the population actually understands the true meaning of Democracy. A term which is just a mere definition in the school books and an organ forgotten even if it helps you carry out your daily functions at ease of hardly lifting a finger. I remember myself mugging up the definition of Democracy in school days,

A form of government

for the people,

by the people and

of the people.

But unfortunately, nobody bothered to explain the true philosophical meaning of such a heavy word. Maybe nobody wanted to explain it, since it just opens a can of worms nobody wants to see or accept. If simply put, it means that every individual has an equal right to live or to think in their own desired way and live life with dignity and self respect. I hardly find half the nation entitled to such rights though. The problem lies not in the corrupted ways of the government officials, or the government and not even in the stifling bureaucracy. It lies within all of us. The minute you try to correct some opulent bully with a shiny black car treating the road like a garbage disposal unit and you receive a painfully pleasing remark saying, “Tere baap ka kya jaata hai?”, that is the exact moment Democracy gets killed. One’s attitude towards any other individual irrespective of class, creed, color, sex or even wealth determines how democratic an individual he/she is. It’s not just about how much freedom you can exercise. It’s about how dutifully you exercise them. India is still behaving like an impatient bull released out in the open ready to attack any living soul with a blessed excuse called Freedom.

Simple examples like reality shows being taken to court, gay marriages still considered illegal in the nation, or useless quotas that do nothing but deteriorate conditions rather that empower classes, clearly mock the very existence of Democracy. Why can’t an Indian live and let live. And media can definitely not be blamed for the situation either since it’s the very reflection of the people it caters to. After all they show what sells. And the very Indian who buys the dirt, flinches at the very sight of it. It’s a pity that a word like Democracy is limited to a nation and surprisingly varies from nation to nation. The world can only rejoice the full glory of such a magical word if it were considered globally. Why can’t all the citizens of the world have an opportunity for Democracy since it definitely is a right each individual should be born with? It’s high time people free themselves of stereotypes and give an opportunity to every single being that desires one. And the day that happens, there will be what we call…

Freedom of Thought

Freedom to Grow

Freedom to Create

and most of all, Freedom to Live!

PLAYING GAMES

Open my eyes to see this red blob.

The closer I get, faster it disappears.

Reach out to catch it before it goes...

...in my hand the blob just sears

Counting the sheep just doesn’t help

So I start counting stars.

Finally I run out of them

trying hard but my sleep is sparse

Humming loud but in my mind

Bobbing my head from side to side

The tingly feeling in my head

and the smile in my eyes I cannot hide.

High up above or down below

I'll choose my path, I just need to float.

The sun kisses my face with a delicious smile

I can feel the touch of fairy gold.

I see colors of every kind, except all

Tapping my foot on nothing below

Feel a cold breath down my spine

Tickles through my veins they flow.

THIS LIFE'S NOT ENOUGH

Feel no ground below my soles

since the day you left me behind

You said I don’t need you no more

I was scared and petrified.

Lost in the alleys of the dark clouds

that leave no space to breathe

I might seem alright on the outside,

but I’m crushed underneath

Nothing can stop you from leaving.

No matter how much I sob or not

It’s your will, I cant change it

There’s a lot of mess to sort

‘Tis now that I realize

that we are all alone.

No company when you die

You leave all on your own.

Will wait till I can meet you again

I’m sure we will one day

Since you promised me the same

before you died last Sunday.

MAUJI DARUWALLAH

(This poem is an outcome of a classroom activity where 15 random words were given to the students and either a poem or a paragraph needed to be penned down in 20 minutes. I chose to write a poem on this unique fellow called Mauji Daruwallah. Hope you enjoy it! The words are highlighted for your reference.)

Today my friends, I’ll tell you a story

of a remarkable young lad, called Mauji.

Never in my life have I ever lied

this story is true, it can’t be denied.

This wondrous creation of the lord

was blessed to the Daruwallahs one fine morn.

When Mrs. Daruwallah felt a kick

she knew this day will be ‘BIG’!

BIG indeed it was…

Not just the day, but whatever followed.

The doctor cried in delight and in awe

“This DIKRA is the biggest baby ever born” and he cut the cord.

Mauji always faced ridicule since then,

“There walks, my friends, India’s biggest Ben!”

His T-shirt could encompass the whole class.

He ate his food in a tank of brass.

He always wanted to be an army man,

but he violated the requirements of the clan.

The general said “You are too visible

to camouflage in the foliage, you snowman abominable!”

The agenda hurt Mauji deep down.

His anger scared the whole town.

The red on his face was bright as the sun

His omnipresent fury made him pick up a gun.

The valiant ardour with which he stomped about

shook the whole battleground.

The calm young lad had now lost his cool

The tiny gun in his hand projected him as a fool.

When his mom heard of what happened,

she caned him good on his back end.

“My little Mauji, no matter how big you become,

you are still my little diva and not a Bum!”

His mum’s sweet words put sense right back in

from where it had escaped and created this din.