The Wind and the Leaf

He came into my life
like a gush of wind.
I was a dull leaf,
all dried up and weary,
trying to hang on
to my branch......
He didn't have
purpose or direction either.
A restless and reckless wind
that blew haywire.
Until he sighted me...
He blew gently over me,
around me,
until I looked up
with pain and trust
in my eyes....
He then freed me from
the tiresome battle
of hanging on
to the branch.....

Today we fly together,
He holds my hand
and takes me along
and I follow him
singing life's song.

Happy Days!

A tribute to my friends at IIT KGP......

I remember, US
Getting mad during semester exams,
So much to complete and only a few hours to go
Repenting why we hadn't studied before.
Complaining that,
You had finished revising everything
And I hadn't even started...

Celebrating birthdays at twelve,
With birthday bumps, cakes and kurkure.
Putting icing on each other,
As though it was some moisturizer.
Talking nonsense and teasing each other
Laughing endlessly, making a roar
Until a neighbouring roomie complained...

Playing holi like 'junglees'
Drinking bhang and dancing to loud music.
Going to breakfast, lunch and dinner together.
Complaining about the food,
Or recommending the good dishes to each other.
Walking the 2.2 miles together
Hoping we would lose a kilo or two...

Watching movies together with chips-n-biscuits,
Talking and laughing so much,
That a horror movie became one big comedy.
Dressing up for the special occasions,
Borrowing clothes, jewellery, cosmetics.
Those innumerable photo sessions,
Trying to get that perfect photo for Orkut...

Having little fights when two of us stopped talking,
And the others locked us up in one room to get us going.
How we still argued and quarelled.
But then we saw a smile coming
And we burst out laughing!
The anger all melted away and everyone was rejoicing.
Oh! gone are those days...

Spending sleepless nights worried about placements,
Encouraging and being with each other
Through interviews and writtens.
Enjoying last Sem and having unlimited fun.
Until it was time to pack our bags,
And bid farewell one by one.
With tears and a heavy heart we parted...

I know, WE
Miss each other and that wonderful life!

Sharodiya Shubhechha

Welcome to Ani's Kitchen

One of my friends suggested that I post my recipes and here I am - check my new blog, link to which is on the top right hand corner.
I started cooking when I was in school and the first thing I had made was an omlet and was very very excited about it! From then on, there has been no looking back and I have certainly improved over the years. I love to cook whatever I like to eat and I enjoy cooking for my close friends and family. Not too fond of cooking the regular dishes, I like to try out new and special stuff and I usually find a lot of guinea pigs who are ready to get a taste of my experiments. I'm not that bad you see :)
I'm still at the intermediate stage so you won't find my recipes innovative but they are simplified versions. So ladies, what are you waiting for? The way to a man's heart is through his stomach and guys - there is no better gift for your lady than giving her a day off from the kitchen!
Happy Cooking!!!

Pagli Ladki - by Dr. Kumar Vishwas

Dr. Kumar Vishwas is a very promising Hindi poet and lyricist and is very popular especially amongst the youth. He has a large fan following especially in the IITs where he is the star attraction in almost every fest. For those who haven't had the chance to know him or his poetry - here is one of his best poems which when he recites, he leaves the audience spell-bound, numb and enthralled.

Amawas ki kaali raaton mein dil ka darwaja khulta hai,
Jab dard ki pyaali raaton mein gum ansoon ke sang hote hain,
Jab pichwade ke kamre mein hum nipat akele hote hain,
Jab ghadiyan tik-tik chalti hain, sab sote hain, hum rote hain,
Jab baar baar dohrane se saari yaadein chuk jaati hain,
Jab unch-neech samjhane mein mathe ki nas dukh jaati hain,
Tab ek pagli ladki ke bin jeena gaddari lagta hai,
Aur us pagli ladki ke bin marna bhi bhari lagta hai.

Jab pothe khali hote hain, jab har sawali hote hain,
Jab gazlen raas nahin aatin, afsane gaali hote hain.
Jab baasi feeki dhoop sametein din jaldi dhal jaata hai,
Jab suraj ka laskhar chhat se galiyon mein der se jaata hai,
Jab jaldi ghar jaane ki ichha mann hi mann ghut jaati hai,
Jab college se ghar laane waali pahli bus chhut jaati hai,
Jab beman se khaana khaane par maa gussa ho jaati hai,
Jab lakh mana karne par bhi Paaro padhne aa jaati hai,
Jab apna har manchaha kaam koi lachari lagta hai,
Tab ek pagli ladki ke bin jeena gaddari lagta hai,
Aur us pagli ladki ke bin marna bhi bhari lagta hai.

Jab kamre mein sannate ki awaj sunai deti hai,
Jab darpan mein aankhon ke neeche jhai dikhai deti hai,
Jab badki bhabhi kahti hain, kuchh sehat ka bhi dhyan karo,
Kya likhte ho lalla dinbhar, kuchh sapnon ka bhi samman karo,
Jab baba waali baithak mein kuchh rishte waale aate hain,
Jab baba humein bulate hain, hum jaate hain, ghabrate hain,
Jab saari pahne ek ladki ka ek photo laya jaata hai,
Jab bhabhi humein manati hain, photo dikhlaya jaata hai,
Jab saare ghar ka samjhana humko fankari lagta hai,
Tab ek pagli ladki ke bin jeena gaddari lagta hai,
Aur us pagli ladki ke bin marna bhi bhari lagta hai.

Didi kahti hain us pagli ladki ki kuchh aukat nahin,
Uske dil mein bhaiya tere jaise pyare jasbat nahin,
Woh pagli ladki nau din mere liye bhooki rahti hai,
Chup-chup saare vrat karti hai, par mujhse kabhi na kahti hai,
Jo pagli ladki kahti hai, main pyar tumhi se karti hoon,
Lekin mein hoon majboor bahut, amma-baba se darti hoon,
Us pagli ladki par apna kuchh adhikar nahin baba,
Yeh katha-kahani kisse hain, kuchh bhi to saar nahin baba,
Bas us pagli ladki ke sang jeena fulwari lagta hai,
Aur us pagli ladki ke bin marna bhi bhari lagta hai.

Questions unanswered...

A few days back while returning home from City Centre I heard an auto-driver call out in a feeble voice "Karunamoyee". Immediately I stopped as I needed an auto to that place but was shocked to see the driver! He was in his 70's, possibly his late 70's. He looked fit and steady yet old enough to make you keep staring and wondering...

I sat down as I had stopped but it was a long wait. Since the auto was not at the usual queue, he was not getting any passengers even though he kept calling out. Under normal circumstances, because of the rush to reach home, I would get down and walk up to the place I could get an auto faster but this time I didn't have the heart to do so. The man though old, looked educated and seemed to belong to a good family. He was symbolic of the 'Dadu' of a typical Bengali family - those who have a disciplined lifestyle like getting up early in the morning, going for morning walk, having healthy food habits, reading books, thinking intellectually, discussing the new generation's values and vices with people in their age group and loving their grandchildren whatsoever.

As I waited, my mind wandered away trying to think as to what could have led him to do this. It was obvious that there must be some financial crisis, I wondered if there was no other job that would be easier for him. Was he doing this to keep himself active and independent? Had his children abandoned him? Did his family face some unexpected misfortune or tragedy? Did his son who was the bread earner of his family, meet with an accident or something worse like death?

My thoughts were broken when I saw him turn around and say something to me. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't hear him, he repeated, asked me in English, "Where would you be going from Karunamoyee?" I wasn't surprised to hear him talk in English neither to observe that the sentence was gramatically correct. Soon a teen-aged boy got up and I kept hoping that he too would be ready to wait. He did and perhaps for the same reason I was doing.

Finally in few more minutes we were five and ready to go. I could read from everyone's faces that we all sympathized with him. I was wondering how he would fare as a driver, he had an automatic-start one - so the start was smooth as we geared up for the short journey. He was very good, not slow as perhaps expected by some of us neither like the rash auto-drivers. It was a pleasant journey and we reached our destination. I turned around to take one last glance at him and moved on with those questions still on my mind...

Remembering Laxman's 281

Yesterday on reading a joint interview of Yusuf and Irfan Pathan in t2 brought back an old memory... Both the Pathan brothers had picked V.V.S. Laxman as their favourite cricketer. Instantly, I remembered that awesome innings played by Laxman way back in 2001 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Initially forced to watch cricket out of no other option because of Baba and Dada, I took a liking to the sport and the Indian Cricket team. I still remember that morning when I was studying and also keeping a track of the score at the same time. India batted miserably in the first innings with Laxman unbeaten at one end while wickets tumbled one by one at the other. Forced to follow-on by Australia, what followed was an innings by Laxman which is considered as one of the best of the century.

Runs flowed in with boundaries as Geoffrey Boycott chuckled "V. V. S. Laxman is on fire!" Laxman was unstoppable as he kept timing the ball to the fences - later on Warne admitted that he was clueless on how to stop Laxman! From the other end Rahul Dravid also kept the momentum going and together they built up a huge partnership. Until that day I had thought test cricket to be boring with so many maiden overs but that was the best test match I have ever watched. On the verge of an innings defeat, India went on to win the Test. Innings like these are unforgettable and leave behind a postive spirit and energy in our minds.

I went on to become a big fan of Laxman and read up all articles on him and learnt his full name - Vangipurappu Venkata Sai Laxman which is his village's name, father's name, name of family God - in that order. But he is more popularly and rightfully known as Very Very Special Laxman!