THE WORLD

They said to me –
The world is vile
The world is mean
The world is only made of
Hunger and greed

No one is nice
Inside out
No one is really like
What they brag about

No one is innocent
For the innocent are dead
Crimes are on a high and
No one must be trusted

There’s cheaters and liars
And beaters and whiners
There’s no one to hear your plea
Share your sorrow and grief
So they said to me

Through these evils
In the dark and cold
Where the young are slaughtered
And respect is lost for the old
Where being quiet is good
And being right is bold
The world was always this
And may be worse still
But the world is still has its beauty
And there is nowhere else I imagine I would be.

THE DAY BEFORE FREEDOM

after tomorrow,
there will be no silence heard
no thought unsaid
and no expression unseen

after today,
there will be no tears cried
no fights fought
no bloodshed

after this hour,
there will be no love lost
no wrath not endured
and no sorrow inconsolable

after this minute,
there will be no loss not felt
no gain not rejoiced
and no privilege denied

after now,
we will be young, united,
smart, strong, leading, happy,
helping, loving, caring, sharing,
and finally, free.

(this poem was composed somewhere in september but i had no idea that it would bear so much meaning to me as a person, an Indian and a Mumbaikar today).

-Aakriti Anand

this needs no explaining....

first there was calm,
there was the joy of a match well won
and then all we knew was the news
of grave damage that was done...

the news is on
but none is good
the situation was out of hand
and that was as good as understood..

it started with some noise
and spells of silence
but the air is filled
to the brim with violence.

innocent lives - lost
brave men ruthlessly killed
all for that island we call our own
everywhere blood is being spilled

i salute the brave soldiers
the hostages and personnel
who are braving this terror attack
and being put through hell...

LETS ALL JOIN HANDS AND PRAY FOR OUR CITY........MUMBAI NEEDS ITS SOUL.....

WOO HOO =D

the moment demanded this kind of a title.... as part of an initiative by Prithvi Theatre, a lot of 16 of us young individuals from the ages 12 to 18 got published in the ever so cool Prithvi Youth Magazine!!!!!!!

this "work of art" was released on the auspicious CHILDREN'S DAY in the famous prithvi theatre cafe` by the ever so charming Shri Shashi Kapoor and the person who was at the head of it all, Sanjna Kapoor, along with our mentor Ms. Basu!

after 6 whole months of sweat, drafts and toil, we finally have the finished product in our youhtful hands.....the hands that did the writing and the hands that did the tonnes fo re-writing as well!!!

the team was a bunch of really cool people who are great friends and know how to have 'fun' in all the true sense of the word. frankly speaking, we were a damn good lot to begin with!

each piece was so well thought and well-crafted and well everything else! it was the most enriching experience i have ever had in the last 15 and a half years (as of nov 11th)......

i'm going to miss the meeting from 2-4 every saturday and sunday and the whole lot of friends i worked with:
dwijal mehta
rheaa rao
vikrant dhote
mira brunner
sanyukta iyer
damini kane
disha bhanushali
bhakti rathod
sanjana suresh
sooraj bishnoi
sohaila jalali
rithika kumar
varun golani
kabir mantha
kanchana niruttan

thanks to all of you for making this such a lovely 6 month journey.....it'll always be a memorable time to cherish..

and in true Dwijal style, "woo hoo we got published!!!! =D"

woh kaagaz ki kashti, woh baarish ka paani......

when making the plans for the coming week, one will come across the date 14th November, look at it, jot down the activities for that day and move on. it will be a wonder if one looks at that day and smiles or becomes nostalgic. that day is children's day, for those who refuse to remind themselves of it.

me still being in the category of "children" (reminder:individuals below the age of 18), i remember that Jawaharlal Nehru was born that day and because he loved children, this day celebrates the existence and innocence of children. but many other children think of this day as a mere holiday and let it pass like any other weekend. but need we celebrate the joys of still being a child while it lasts???

the elders may say," why should we bother about children's day?? we're not kids anymore to get excited about such things. besides, we have a billion 'important things' to worry about." but the whole point is just that. we have a billion things rushing through our heads and have forgotten the art of being a kid at heart for just ONE day in our entire year, if not any other time.

we are slowly losing out on what we used to consider as the "good things in life", and when i say 'we' i imply both children and adults. children have forgotten to thank the man who created this day for us and say a little prayer for all the kids out there, and of course have fun! adults have simply moved on from these petty things to the bigger goodies of life, the ones that they think are the essentials today. WRONG.

i truly understand the feelings one goes through when facing such a sermonizing piece of text. but if you don't want to listen to the whole truth from someone else, do yourself a favour and ask yourself this - why do we feel good when we look at kids playing in a park or on the street? why do we go into deep thought when we listen to songs about childhood?? when was the last time we were kids?

the answers are very simple but you have to know them for yourself. we're all letting go of that innocence that made our childhoods so special and memorable. we're giving up what we used to give true importance to at some point in our lives. and for what? the good life? the good life means nothing without that child in you saying, "yes! i finally got what i wanted."

i hope that we all realise (as early as possible) that our childhood is not going to come back. the best-est way to preserve those precious times is to celebrate this one day as much as we want and revisit what we have left behind.

=D

where is the real diwali???

this year, diwali came and went and no one had a clue of what happened. when we look back on the last week, we dont see anything beyond a few dinners or card parties or maybe a cracker or two for the sake of the festival. maybe even a mithai here and there and that concludes one of India's biggest and most awaited fests of all time. but what was the whole deal behind this?? did we not have time or did we just not care??

i am not anti any sort of stand that anyone is going to take on such an issue. because i also took a stand this time....i stood on the eco-friendly side, because i believe its complete hypocrisy to study environmental education in school and then come home and do your own little bit of distruction...

i mean, this year, diwali in mumbai was the most stone cold of all festivals....agreed diyas and crackers and rangoli were still selling on streets and people were still stuck in traffic jams but the whole lustre of diwali was lost somewhere in the pollution.... the true essence of diwali is lost somewhere....

now the big million dollar question is this - is our new cosmo and practical culture resposible for this traditional loss?? or are we just focussing on what we think are the good things in life???

one may answer this by either choosing sides, being diplomatic or just by observing silence. but deep down we all do know that we're slowly giving up on those childhood memories of running around with a laddoo in each hand or trying to be too cool by lighting a ground wheel or a rocket. i mean, how many of us did our own rangoli or enthusiastically set up the house and bought new clothes??

though we need to take care of the environment (and we will) but we must not let the festive spirit of diwali die. we may not burst fire crackers but we can still enjoy that one day with our families and friends in the best manner possible.

lets take a stand to protect the environment and protect our true culture for thats what life is all about - maintaining balances and doing the right thing....

=D

TILL THE END OF TIME.....

when you're sleeping or awake, eating or working hard, there are always these moments where you wish well for someone and want them to know you care. it hurts when these special people are hurt, because they mean a lot to you and you then want to be their superman. you dont want anyone or anything to bother them because if it does, that person wont see the light of day!

point being, our care at times exceeds certain bonds, relationships and people. care is not synonymous to relationship. care does not need distinctions or levels. i care for my family not because we are related and its our duty to be there for each other, but because i know that i WANT to be there for them till the end of time. we care for tons of people out there and sometimes we even misuse this word. but the point is that our care makes someone day a better one or brings a smile in a terrible crisis. its an honour to know that you're someone's superman and are going to be there for them because you CARE for them.

be it your friends, family, teachers, colleagues or even the dog in the neighbouring lane, if you truly mean it and care for them, there is nothing that can and must stop you from doing so. sometimes even an embrace or a birthday card or even a get well soon wish show that you care, because you're thinking about their well-being.

i'd just like to tell my friends, family and all the people in my life who make it sooooooo special, i will be there till the end of time..............

=D

book review - "Tuesdays With Morrie"

“A teacher to the last” - the perfect words to describe him. He was Morrie Schwartz, a college professor who taught the author, Mitch Albom, the subjects of sociology and psychology during his college days. This book was Morrie’s last class which had only one student but many lessons to teach and learn – all this during his last fourteen Tuesdays, which recorded on tape and finally culminated into this one book, that changed millions of lives everywhere.

Mitch forgot the last promise he had made to Morrie on his graduation that he would keep in touch. Sixteen years later, life gave Mitch his last chance to get back what he lost, in the form of an interview on the famous show “Nightline” where he saw his professor once again, but withered. He had fallen prey to ALS (amytrophic lateral sclerosis). Now one could only see Morrie shriveling, losing out on all the little – little things that make one independent. If one could sum up the feelings they had for Morrie when they saw him, it was pity.

But did Morrie feel pity for himself? Morrie never chose to believe that death was a bad thing and he accepted it with open arms. The best example of this acceptance was when Morrie had a mock-funeral in his house and people sang and said nice things about him, which he feared he would not hear through his grave. He met countless people who came to spend time with him – college professors, students, singers, the “Nightline” show crew, friends and family – and these were those who made Morrie’s time more precious for him. Morrie felt lucky that he was dying this way because of the amount of time he had. It was these few lessons of life that he wished to get across to all the people in the world who had succumbed to the money – hungry “culture” of today.

Morrie and Mitch spoke about self – pity, regrets, death, family, emotions, fears of aging, money, love, marriage, culture, forgiveness, a perfect day, and the world at large. And just as the fourteenth Tuesday approached, Morrie and Mitch said their good-byes. Morrie died four days hence.

Not surprisingly, Morrie and Mitch still meet every Tuesday at Morrie’s tombstone. Mitch speaks, Morrie listens and life goes on. This book makes one laugh and cry at various instances and makes one want to finish it in one go. After reading this book, millions have narrated their stories of how it changed their lives for the good. The author has also written “The Five People You Meet In Heaven” which also won similar widespread acclaim.

It is this book about “a young man, an old man, and life’s greatest lesson” that introduced us to Morrie, a teacher everyone would love to have. We all need a teacher in life to guide and support us. I would like to sincerely thank the author for giving me Morrie and possibly the best philosophy each one of us must live by – “love each other or perish.”

its a dog eat dog world

today for the first time i actually saw what the phrase dog-eat-dog stands for in a corporate circuit. its the worse thing anyone can do to you when they pull you down just for selfish entertainment at your cost or because of insecurity because at certain times when it just gets plain dirty, you have no other option but to retort, which makes you the bad guy in front of practically everyone.

i was doing a presentation based on Nokia in terms of recruitment opportunities and career options. it was actually the first time i had laid eyes on that presentation and i was to do the entire thing so, here goes nothing. my flow (however smooth, suprisingly) was constantly broken by certain colleagues who either wanted to live off my ruin or had questions completely irrelevant to what i was saying. i had to really be ignorant, rude and even loud at times to avoid these constant speedbreakers on my highway to success. but then came the bursting point. i was being asked the same question again and again and it became more pointless after a while because what i was speaking didnt get to anyone and i just became a source of quality entertainment. but there was a voice within me that spoke, in a comforting tone to me and a sarcastic one to the others. another person took over me and i became a very vampish creature who got back at people who asked tactless queries. though i felt pretty thrilled about these retorts as i walked back, amid applause, to my place, while getting home in the rickshaw i felt terrible about it (not apologetic but pathetic) and would have definately done things better if i could.

in the end all i gained from all of this was the fact that everyone is here to pull you down. and if you're fussing about the fact that you have no support system, know that you're the only one who can bring yourself up. after today,i sincerely hope that my career will not lie in such a field where people just need a reason to malign each other.
signing off with the hope to remain sane

=D

i'll be alright...

ipod - check
headphones - check
new songs - check
mood - double check

i was just about to listen to a recently released song from the movie Dostana. its called Jaane Kyun and i actually wanted to give it a shot seeing the hype around the film and stuff (hope it works).
and the part that got to me the most from the entire song was the chorus which is this:
"jaane kyun,
dil jaanta hai,
tu hai to i'll be alright"......

this made me think....did i really know who this was for?? did i know atleast one friend who i could firmly say that "tu hai to i'll be alright" ??

recently i went through a very pathetic phase and i really needed to talk to someone....i was pretty sick of people telling me the conventional way - "its gonna be fine, you'll be better of.." etc etc.. but i didnt somehow think i needed that. i needed a different sort of approach. a voice which was consoling yet funny, stupid but making great sense. i did find such a person. wont name but i know that that person knows that they're the one here....

but see, the point is that no matter where they are and what they do and whatever nonsense they're going through, they're going to be there for us even though they need someone far more than we do...and you know why that is?? people realise that when they're needed by someone, they're the only ones who can make something better. they are our guardian angels and they'll always be there for us even if they're miles and miles away..

so cheers to all those friends out there for because of you there is someone who is alright in their troubles....

jaane kyun...

oct 9th, 2008

day 1: thursday, october 9th

i sit here on my table wondering what to write about as my first blog. i've erased around 3 different types of starts and have finally got my foothold. the poem below is not purely a description of me as a person or a voice in my mind, its a description of every single human being, in some way or the other, for we can all identify with one soul. here no social boundaries matter, what matters is the search for a truth behind ourselves....

Me

i cannot who i am,

because i flow in these words of mine

i'm the driving force for my imagination

i'm the consolation in my sorrow.

i'm the hope for every victory of mine

i'm my only assurance for tomorrow.

i'm not the rain, not the sun

i'm not the moonlight in the sky

i'm just a simple but unique girl,

for if i'm not myself, then who am i?

- Aakriti Anand