Fabricated

The flowers in the shop
are all plastic, except a few twigs.
The friendship around
a veneer, leaving a few souls.
The emotions that touched
were lifeless, except yours.
The prayer with the priest,
a ritual.
The light this diwali,
flickered, but not of a candle.
My comfort, in you.

Is real;

Rest all is fabricated.


Coming back to Delhi I realised that seeing it as a passerby I witnessed some of the things missed earlier. They were somehow fogged by the banality of everyday. Like a fish to water or bird to air, it just wasn’t visible to me before. But this time I saw Delhi different, every small thing represents a facet of something bigger and life in general. A simple visit to my local florist made me realise how much life had changed; he had almost all bunches of plastic flowers, except a few withered ones.

People were almost happy in their own sweet world, friendship a name given to a chuckle shared by two people.

The broken images is what that was left and I fabricated a fast one to please my soul. Its all about comfort-value.

Fate, me and us!

One of my acquaintances "T", flew back few days ago and as she would be returning this friday to start her Phd. studies, thought to have that last hi/bye before she scoots a vamoose.

We talked about this and that and I briefed about my life in general and things passing in-out which basically revolves around my job life which is taking care of my weekdays, my empty stomach and last not least other material pursuits now and then which I like to spend time with during weekends, the talk started with the info that I was flying back to Delhi again during the festivity holidays. Amongst the other things in my agenda is ofcourse bumping into my would-be wife through the institution called as arranged marriage and it’s almost been more than a year since I have it by its horn or the other way round.

I guess those of you following my blogs regularly, know that somehow I have not yet able to gulp this strong medicine. We thus talked about many things, mainly being how I have met so many people who have fallen (err. risen) in love, that it almost feels dreamlike and how through the ages I had come to believe in that elusive soul mate funda which seems more faint than ever before. During the conversation I happen to realise the wheel of life in general, it so happens that out there, are people who always believe they will find a soul mate and finally had and then they proudly give credence to the faith thing so easily as if it was meant to be and then there are people who although believed it as much but got housed with the wrong person and have now come to believe what would be, will be. And so there are always two school of thoughts "Destiny is not a matter of chance, but a matter of choice" while the other being "Fate leads the willing but drags along the unwilling". And based on our experiences and how life meandered we tilt to one.

I guess that’s how hope shatters, faith is lost, people become an atheist from a believer; while others live happily ever after courtesy the Fate airlines (shipping illusion to 233 destinations daily) hehe. I wonder where fate starts and faith ends. It could very well be the right time right place thing, or you can simply call it life. So God does play dice with the universe!

I guess we all have a certain amount of spark which helps us get through the highs and lows, and keep us going no matter what. But sometimes some wrong turn comes and we are rubbed so far which make us forsake that or those we believe in or sometimes ourselves; which is the worst kind. As "T" during my conversation remarked it’s not how the story starts or things in-between but how it ends that really matters, so I have my fingers crossed. Maybe I will hold on to that spark a few more moments longer or maybe forever. So that a year later when "T" visits back I would be happily acquainting her to my wife.

In all this tussle of faith and fate I still say our civilizations owes it to faith alone; because at the end Fate comes and goes; faith is your own.

Hmmmmph; too much serious talk; I guess I have to enjoi the food, the company of friends I missed, my new nephew just born and ofcourse the Delhi air and crowd.

Adieus; untill more...

Morality vs. Law

Well this is sure an age old debate; for some issues the line is as stark as the goal line in a football match, for some its invisible but there, ready to spark when crossed like a Lakshman Rekha. The topic came to my mind after reading the saturday TOI article which read "Look after your folks, or go to jail", the article still had the cheeky nuances of legal lingua franca with a sub heading "Children may be disinherited if parents complain of neglect". I will come at the cheeky part later on.

So; I warp up the time machine, the gauge reads +50, and here I am a seventy year old nut rumbling around my house poking, sitting and lazying around the verandah and dam-thud, one day I get to know the cute little things I nurtured up to be so big have submitted me an ultimatum to move from the premises. Ammmpph! Whats wrong with this picture; it does not happen like this, nope, it so happens that, this old man had been getting twinkers from the moment he got retired, these kids had been the little devils parading around each day and their squabbles, chides increase with each passing one and finally you get fed up and decide to pack and leave.

Scene II you have been sick like all mortals on this earth and by the time you reach fifty five your body has almost given up on you, you are bed ridden and been a liability to your kids, your own pension is sufficed in the medicine and they need to have an extra servant just to have you taken care of. Eventually your kid or his wife gets weary and cajole you (which is a much sweeter word; pushed) you to be shifted to an age old home.

So that’s how I end up in those dreary places where its not possible to befriend all, b'cause every second bed gets empty every fourth day, as they have had a calling. You pass in your left over days chirping with the birds, gawking at the sky, or wondering where did I go wrong. And one day you stop and think "maybe I ought to teach those brads a lesson in screwing up my life this way", now that I have "Parents and Senior Citizens Bill 2006". So I wake up early morning catch hold of a slimy shrink and sue my own kids. There is a small hearing and everybody lives happily after.

Daaamn, the script again slipped in those last scene ;). Most of the cases where children are neglecting their parents, the parents are themselves driven to seclusion/ alternate solution with continued haranguing/ bickering. Its their own way of seeking their peace of mind, blowing up a legal trumpet would not reconcile the differences or make a saint of a devil.

The reconciliation lies in understanding the problem; from that kids perspective who is no more a kid, sometimes as young parents people ignore their responsibility to their own parents, forgetting the circle repeats itself. But let not that be the only cause to change!

And the cheeky part I was talking about was the "Children may be disinherited if parents complain of neglect"; MAY; there is still a may hanging out, why should such a progeny be allowed to inherit anything when he shares no responsibility to his own kin.

But the bigger problem still remains, can such issues be reconciled via legal proceedings, but for the weary souls I guess this is the last refuge.

No wonder the old ones aren't celebrating yet!