Bon Voyage..

One fine morning, before the daybreak, i took my car and started on a journey. I had no destination in mind. All i knew, was what would it feel like when i reach there.

The fuel meter indicated a refill. I headed to the gas station. It was pitch dark. The only light came from the feeble tube light at the gas station and the head lights of my car. After getting my car it's fill, i began the voyage. I left the city behind. Vast expanses of cultivated land flanked the highway. A little while later, a sign board caught my attention. I took a left. As soon as i turned, i bumped into a speed breaker. Another one. Another one. The street that had looked so inviting from the outside was completely repulsive from the inside. Old rotten houses, decaying cafes, pot-holed roads. I began looking for an exit. I wanted to go back to the highway, or any other street- but this one. I took the first right i encountered more out of desperation than choice. I was thankful of leaving behind the dreadful street. But as soon as i began noticing this street, i realized it was no better than the last one. Keep moving, i thought, something good will come up. Left. Right. Right. Left. Left..................I was lost. A final turn, i thought. The sun had begun to rise. I took the first turn a came across. Ahead, lay a narrow road, lined with trees that formed a canopy. First beams of the sun sneaked between the leaves to touch the ground. It led me to a river. White, flowing over the boulders, taking away with it all the stillness, reflecting the sun rays. The sun had risen. It was splendid. I got out of my car. Closed my eyes. Air gushed through me. I smiled. I had reached my destination.

One or two??

This is a story about two best friends Diana and Sunny. Two poles of the same axis. Sweet, salty. Calm, short tempered. Rational, stubborn. Lively, gloomy. One cries - other wipes her tears. One frowns - other makes her smile. One looses hope - other shows her the sun. One pains - other soothes. One shrivels - other blossoms. But then just as the poles have a single center of gravity, so do they.. two different personalities.. one life. One her!

Confused..??

Confusion... confusion!!! My confusion is stubborn, very stubborn and why not, it is 'my' confusion after all. I am someone who takes a decision and sticks to it-no matter what. However, this rule has been broken completely about something very important in my life. Confusion has clouded my thoughts so completely that i cannot see through it. If I draw up the list of possible career choices that i've thought of since i was a kid, well, it will take all the space this blog can give me and more. I've thought of being an astronaut, a writer, a journalist, a travel show host, an RJ, a sky diving instructor, a sailor, a pilot, a painter, an army person... What i never thought of being is what i am today - a banker. I never knew what all a banker does, in fact, for me a banker was a funny looking person sitting at a counter with a frown on his face, handing out cash! Thats about it. I had no clue or inclination whatsoever to know what a banking person does (i am still figuring it out). Weird?? Definitely :) But then 'Life is what happens to you when you are busy making other plans!!'

I am still trying to figure out what i want to do.. what is my reason to roam this planet... At the present moment, the confusion reigns. I am keeping my fingers crossed, for the clouds to clear some day and the sun to shine through.

Happy realization..!!

Oh well..!! i have nothing to write about today but just felt like writing something..anything! My day was pretty much the same.. as any other day so nothing new on that front. Something out of the ordinary did happen today.. i was happy at work! Well there is something I've deduced today..its allllll in your mind (your what???). No, on a serious note - things aren't as bad as we make them to be. i guess we are the lucky ones who have a job, learn something everyday, have a comfortable life, can indulge occasionally etc etc. I was reading this article in times of India editorial yesterday that said that if the criteria of classification for poverty line was changed to family income of USD 2 per day(currently it is USD 1), 80% of India's population would be BPL. Shocking?? Precisely. So hasn't God been kind to us??? We are amongst the privileged few who can access the internet or for that matter amongst the few who can read. I don't see why we, I, have to crib about something or the other all the time. Is there a need to do so?? i don't think so. Do you??

PS: i hope this realization doesn't vanish like a fart in the fan factory tomorrow morning when i have to go back to work!!

And the search ends..

It is a winter morning and the town is enveloped in mist. I am walking through the busy street of ‘Memoir’ looking for something, someone I've wanted to find for too long now. The street is lined on both sides by shops selling everything mankind can dream of. I stop at a store. The signage reads ‘Reader’. I peep in. lovely oak wood shelves with ornate carvings invite me in. I walk through the revolving doors. Surf few sections, chat up with a stranger giving him a un-asked-for review of one of my favorites, pick up a fiction and walk back to the street.

Coats – cashmere, mink, suede, sweater, and trench - catch my eyes. As if echoing my thoughts, a gush of wind blows sending a chill down my spine. I pick up a trench coat. Its noon now and I hear a grumbling sound. My feet are effortlessly drawn to the aroma of grilled jalapeno cheese sandwich and steaming hot coffee. Its ‘Break-time’. I take my fill and step out - to find a friend of yesteryears chasing her toddler. He comes to a halt on reaching me. We chat up a few minutes, too busy to stay and go our ways.

Oh! I remember about the grocery list in my bag. I look for a departmental store and refill the supplies. I look at the time. It flies. I confirm. I am tired. I put my bags down and rest my back against the rails that run along the river bank. I pause and realize I have forgotten all about the search. I promise myself to resume it soon, very soon, some other day. When I am not so worn out. I turn around to face the flowing river. The sun makes its way through the mist. And I see her. Amidst the hustle and bustle of the street. Laughing. Playing. Singing to herself. Her walk is a dance, in sync with the universe. Wind plays the music to match her step. I stare at her in awe. She looks at me. Smiles. I smile back. I have found her. Me.