Who are you ?

Unexpected holidays, I was jobless at my home, in short, doing nothing but, eating and sleeping. Unaccountable boredom. I’ve decided to give a new dimension to these holidays. Why not start from tomorrow?

5.00  A.M 

Woke up early to catch up a morning jog in peace, Yeah, the city is peaceful only then. One hour strict jog, with Akon and Linkin park hitting their octanes in my ears and then puffing heavily, I sat on the park bench. Suspiring, I was staring the beauty around. Then came a handsome guy, must be of my age. He sat next to me. He had a known face, yeah, I had seen him somewhere. He gave a warm smile, and I smiled back.

“Hello”

“Hi”

“How are you?”

“Do u know me ? “

“Of course ! I have been with you for the past 19 years”

Wait……Past 19 years……Must be my neighbour Rakesh or my high school crush Arjun…But he is none of them. I was pushed back into thoughts. This fellow seems to be a very close acquaintance of mine, God, I barely knew him. Helpless situation.

“I’m so sorry, I could not recognise you”

“No regrets, I am not gonna reveal myself, unless YOU find it out”

“…………”

A smile again…and he walked away. I was gaping the way he strided.

1:00 P.M

I was listening to some fluffy bollywood songs.

He sat next to me, “ Hello” again..

“ How did you get in ?”

“ THE door is open, Priyanka”

I saw the door, I scolded myself, yeah, it’s wide open.

“ Wassup ?”

“ I already told you I couldn’t recollect who you are”

“ That’s okay, Tell me, Howz life ?”

Perfect. I’m a dumbo. I couldn’t recall who he was, Yet, I donno, with some unknown emotion, I continued speaking to him.

And then, like morning, he left.

This time, I felt, my confusion increased exponentially.

7:00 P.M

I was heading for some bookstore to grab my favourite Author’s new release. It was him again, with that same smile.

“ Hello”

“ Who are you? I really donno who you are and where you’ve come from. Pardon me if I really forgot, But please do tell, WHO ARE YOU ?”

“  Really ? U forgot me ? Means u no longer needed me ?”

“…………….”

“  I thought you really loved me ”

Awh !! This is going to be fun. I don’t know who the h*** he was and he claims I loved him. Anger gushing out.

“ Get lost, What are you talking ? You are not even my friend. I don’t know who you are”

“ Then, who are your friends? ”

“ None of your business ”

“ Don’t  be a fumer, feel free to tell me, to whom else can u speak so transparent ? ”

Confused, I started listing out a few.

“  Nakshatra, Roshini….”

“ Okay, Who is your bestie? ”

Struck a chord, I used to tell “I am my best friend” in my childhood.

Thoughts triggered out, I was seriously thinking. Yeah, I have changed a lot. I am no longer liking myself. Adopted to situations around, lots of compromises and alterations. I am no longer the good old myself.

Now, I realise, he is my past attitude. He is my Alterego, He is my past self, He is my updater. Everything he spoke made perfect sense to me then.

His words resonating in my ears then

“Life gives you many hurdles, it doesn’t mean that you have to change yourself and go with that flow, Swim upstream if you want to. But, make sure that at the end of the day, though you are left with nothing in your hand, you have your attitude with you”

Sunshine shone upon my cerebration.

The next day,

5:00 A.M

Jog, I sat on the park bench, thinking…

He came again, and gave that warm smile again.

But, this time,

The smile was rejoicing, the smile was soothing and that smile was my regained life…

Maktub

It is not every day, we sit with a particular philosophical book and read it repeatedly, till we jade ourselves. The same happened with me and the book happened to be `The Alchemist . The two reasons which made me start this book are

1.      I have a soft copy of this (courtesy : netmon.iitb.ac.in)

2.     My favourite Blogger appreciated this book to the highest degree.

The holy reading began:

Prologue

Part one

Part two

Epilogue

It really took time to understand what he meant in those lines, and those in between the lines. A writer has a "duty and an obligation never to be understood by his own generation”.  Paulo Coelho is such a one. Capturing and building all the senses together to ponder over a single thought is no ordinary task. He deserves a standing ovation, Dil Se, for his extraordinary perception towards worldly and godly, pleasures and treasures.

In reference to the novel, Santiago, a shepherd, leads life in pursuit of his knowledge and there is one unfulfilled dream, which makes him restless. When he decides that he should go with his dream, he sells of all his sheep, starts the journey by following his entire good omen. Had he been reluctant to sell his sheep, He would be just another normal human on this planet. But, the confidence that even if he wouldn’t gain his treasure, he could still tame the sheep, is what strikes the readers. He wished he would earn his fruits; nevertheless, he got to face many hurdles in the course. 

"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it." This is the core philosophy and motto he believed in. And the same happened; the world was at his feet, since he was following his heart.

He encountered many people ~ The King of a state, a crystal merchant, an Englishman, Fatima and the Alchemist. Each of them, enlightened him, in a different dimension.

I would like to jot down those remarkable lines told by each of them, which can truly, inspire everybody.

King of Salem:

“ That at a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie.”

“ It's called the principle of favourability. When you play cards the first time, you are almost sure to win. Beginner's luck. Because there is a force that wants you to realize your Personal Legend; it whets your appetite with a taste of success.”

The Crystal Merchant:

“ I'm afraid that if my dream is realized, I'll have no reason to go on living.

It is that dream that drives me forward.”

Englishman:

“ When you want something with all your heart, it's always a positive force."

Fatima:

“ I have become a part of you.”

“ I have forgotten about my past, about my traditions, and the way in which

men of the desert expect women to behave. Ever since I was a child, I have dreamed that the desert would bring me a wonderful present. Now, my present has arrived, and it's you.”

“ That's why I want you to continue toward your goal. The dunes are changed by the wind, but the desert never changes. That's the way it will be with our love for each other.”

"If I am really a part of your dream, you'll come back one day."

The Alchemist:

“ Love never keeps a man from pursuing his Personal Legend. If he abandons that pursuit, it's because it wasn't true love ...”

“ If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. If what you had found was only a moment of light, like the explosion of a star, you would find nothing on your return.”

“ Every search begins with beginner's luck. And every search ends with the victor's being severely tested.”

“ When you possess great treasures within you, and you try to tell others of them, seldom are you believed.”

It is then I got to know that there is nothing philosophical about this book, only a godly nomenclature of the most subtle human trajectories. May the light shower upon our dark minds…

MAKTUB  ( It is written )

Haven of awesomeness !!

Guntur wasi à Hyderabadi à Mumbaikar!!

Slow but, a gradual transition  -  The reason for the second changeover is my intern @ IIT-B, sticking me for two months on the campus. Mumbai captured this sojourner’s soul, totally. I being a , “New girl in the city “ , really liked its in-built adaptability, well-disciplined traffic, the way it housed people of all shades under a single roof, hundreds of pigeons all over the city, its swishy metro-culture, typical local trains, The Indian burger [vada pav ], and most importantly, its drizzling rains. The only thing in this urban centre, which impresses anyone who come to rest in her lap is, Marine drive. The same happened with me too, Love at first sight!!

Face the sea, and leave your feet swinging to the cool breezes. Your hair starts taking a shapeless figure, and your eyes flicker to the swift winds, it is then, you are taken to the imaginary world amidst the sea. Those waves relieve all your pains, wash away the past nightmares, and recharge your spirits. If you really want to make some productive time for your soul, it is one place where I would strictly recommend. Coz it’s where we can start exploring our self, when left with a domain, surrounded by water, leaving privacy for our thoughts. Teaches us many ethical, philosophical and social aspects, all of them terminating at one single point, Oneness!!

Waves, in a way, teach that, nothing lasts forever, and all aspects of life like pain, gain, come and go, but it is only our virtues that stay back within us. Excerpts from Sidhartha, By Herman Hesse.

There are many magnificent structures in this city, where we find our connectivity. The Gate Way of India , The ultra-famous, Hotel TAJ, Elephanta Caves with an hour-journey into the sea, the Juhu beach, Haji Ali Darga, Sidhivinayak and Mahalakshmi temples, the Badra-Wohrli sea link , and lastly IIT-B campus. This being the 1^st IIT campus I striding into, becharmed me to the core. It’s only the 1^st impression that gives us a 2^nd chance!!

Let’s see, how far I am gonna utilise this chance…                

Keeping my fingers crossed!!                             

Demi - God !!!

Scream !!

A  serenity depicting pose of mine, took an immediate transformation to a frightened state…my shriek even frightened the one who frightened me !!!

 

              Initially, I was sitting on a chair in our balcony , facing the window, Backstreet boys playing in my headphones, LAYS in one hand, ANGELS AND DEMONS in another…

“

     " Open the door! Vittoria said. “Hurry!”

     

       But it was too late

       From inside the pope’s office came a bloodcurdling scream. It was …"

                                                                                                                              ”

A hand thudded on my shoulder… there started the play…Later my friend apologised for scaring me…even herself !!

               Accidentally, I mean, with this incident, I empathised Dan Brown’s talent of creating a total involvement in the readers. I love calling him DB- Dan Brown- The  Dainty Best.

               There is nothing embrassing when you describe DB as a Demi-god of interesting novels…he totally captures your attention, sometimes, you cant even respond to your friend yelling at you to come out of that dreamy world. Albeit he adopts a common style in the narration in his thrillers, we dont have the faintest idea of the one who is responsible for the plot, which is started at the inception of the story, till you turn the very last page. So, it would be ridiculous  expecting his novel’s climax in a blink of an eye.

             What beats me is his mental imagery, his colligation to non-fictious facts. His vocabulary conjures his book-bugs.

             One of his books has been a bone of contention for a long time…but, still DB-mania is invincible !!!

The 5 star’s till date—

1.          The Davinci Code

2.          The Lost Symbol

3.          Angels and demons

4.           Digital Fortress

5.          The Deception Point

Wanna Get a real kick out of something ???

Get the DB’s collection.….

GO !!    

P.S.  Trust me…start reading …you’ll definitely give up the ghost of  avoiding them…