Eyes...

When I looked into those fiery red eyes,

In my mind a picture of violence took birth.

Where love, sanctity and compassion are defied,

Regretting why they were born on this earth.

When I looked into those dark green eyes,

They asked why the earth is so brown in hue.

I told them gone are the days when men tried

We are now left with blood-sucking parasites.

When I looked into those deep blue eyes,

I knew then how I wanted the world to be.

Like the colour of eyes where innocence lies

Of all the pain, a mind set free.

Every night in the prayers of these eyes, the question remains

‘Why did you make life so full of pain?’

I love these eyes and want to pacify

But what can I say when on this cruel earth, I myself was crucified.

The earth is deteriorating of which I once was so proud.

Gradually it’s covering in doom’s shroud.

Heal the world to make it a better place

For these innocent eyes and the entire Universe.

For, these are the angel eyes of beautiful children… and I am their GOD!
Chhavi Negi

Rain Rain Go Away!!!

"Chhavi...come on!!! Its time..." The words seemed distant but they were coming from somewhere very close. I was trying hard to figure out that they were of whom but they seem to lose me and then suddenly....Trrrrriiiiinnnggg!!!!!! "Whoa!!!!! What had happened???" I startled. "Its the alarm, baby. Wake up. You have a class in 2 hours", my mum said, with a glee in her tone(She loves waking me up early, its like God has granted her only wish). "Nooo..I hate this." I murmered a few swear words(my morning started with that) and got off my bed relunctantly. It looked rainy but it was not pouring. Again a swear word came out. "Rainy day is supposed to be a holiday", came a wishful thinking, but it was not even raining. It reminded me of the time when as a kid, I used to go to school. On a rainy day my mum would say "Skip school today, roads would be clogged." But that was the only day when i wanted to go to school the most. Reason being. a) I loved getting drenched in rain b) Its the day when the strength of students in class is the minimum c) Come on...no studies and full on masti!!!

While doing my morning chores all this was running through my mind and i was wondering that how the thing i used to love has transformed into something i hate. May be it was part of growing up. A thing like waking up reminded me of my childhood memories and yeah! also about Ria. She was my best friend in class 5, (but then till we pass out from school we have a different best friend in each class), and suddenly a thought came "Where on earth is she these days???" I have lost touch with her ever since Shaila became my best friend in 6th standard. Now where the hell is Shaila? Okay, its done!!! When i come back from class, I am going to locate them through one of those networking sites, staring at which consumes at least half of my working time...Gosh! how many times in a day I maximize and minimize that screen for no reason at all, refreshing it, hoping that somebody scrapped me or took notice of the catchy and witty tagline that i just put on my status message, but to my distress there are none most of the time. People have better stuff to do and not everyone is as vella as I.

Anyways, where were we? Gosh!!! Thats human mind. You start thinking about one thing and it takes you to a new world altogether that could possibly be the last thing on your mind. Now would a sane person think about orkut at 6:30 am in morning??? Its 6:30 am, for Chrissake!!!!!!!
So i got ready for my class. And lo!!! I was ready before time. Yay!!! I thought, today i am gonna reach class on time. I have been going late since last few days and when i enter the class the teacher gives me kindda look that makes me feel that I am standing in a courtroom and have been accused of the murder of his/her spouse. Nevertheless, i took off from home after having my milk and neatly wiping the line of milk from my upper lip which sometime i forget and looks like a moustache. I had to change a bus after two stops from where i take the bus to my classroom. That stop comes in less than 5 minutes. As soon as i reached the bus stand, I got a bus immediately...hmmmm...Quite lucky haan! It started.

Before we reached the first stop the speed of bus slowed. I thought its cool, not a problem, I have time to spare. Some how the bus reached the first stand and it was 10 minutes already, I still calmed myself. "Chillax Chhavi, it rained heavily yesterday so there are some water loggings, its just that. Wont take much time." We were surrounded by a number of vehicles. All people had grim expression on their faces. Students needed to go to school, people needed to go to offices. But i was still chilled out and wondering why were they so hyper tempered about it. We crossed first stop. Now between my first stop and second stop a red light comes. As soon as we crossed the first one it was all fine but little did my ignorant mind know what was lying ahead. After crossing the first stop it seemed the bus would not move. Hell!!! I uttered another series of swear words to myself. (Please forgive me Jesus) and now i realised why people around me were having expressions like that. I was stuck in "A TRAFFIC JAM" in the middle of the road. I had heard a lot about these traffic jams of Delhi but never really came across one. Just hearing those horror stories would turn my soul uncomfortably. And somehow i felt that mine was into making. There were lines and lines of vehicles all around me, in front, at the back, at right and since we were the most left i could see that even the pedestrian way was not spared by the two wheelers. That red light was like a monster and bore the brunt of all the people there. It seemed as if it was the fault of that inanimate object that we all had to suffer and it should be crucified.
I could not get down to take any auto cause all the autos were stuck with us too and moreover i could not see one anywhere nearby.

I started planning that since I would not be able to catch the bus, I will take an auto and then remembered the several times I an auto and how those guys cheated me and took few bucks extra. So i thought i would not give him a penny more than what it actually takes. Ahhhh!!!!!!! What was I thinking(human mind!!!). First let me reach the point where I can haggle. I kept sitting, making all kinds of worried expressions I could make, muttering words, rolling my bus ticket in my hand to the point that the number in it started to erase, stared at my watch for the zillionth time. It was 7:40. Now i started to fear that even if i take auto will I be able to make it??? As soon as the bus moved, my facial expression would be like some one gave me oxygen when i was getting claustrophobic and when it would stop again I would have an expression as if that red light was mocking at me and I could do nothing but get frustrated and only spew invective at it. Somehow, we crossed that red light.

I reached my stop. It was 7:55 and the class would start at 8 am. Wow!!! Now I had to make decision that whether I still want to continue my journey after those nightmarish 40 minutes of my life or I would give up. But then I dont know which damn book I read which said something about giving up as the job of losers. Sometimes giving up is the best thing to do. Saves you lot of pain actually. This attitude only brought me to this end of the red light. So I thought of giving it a chance but God had different plans for me. All the strategies I had developed on how to haggle with the autowallah had come to nothing. I was ready to go at any cost. I kept waving at autos but it seemed as if they were the busiest personalities today and you should have taken an appointment before. Noone would stop. Just a couple of them stopped. I said "Bhaiya, CP??" and they ran away as if I was asking them to go to hell. Again a few swear words(this time in my mind). It looked, a damsel was in distress waiting for her knight to come in a horse wearing his shining armor. But the irony was this time noone came to the rescue of the damsel(Of course, the damsel is me...duh!!!) and that the knight was an auto wallah(bu hu hu hu), in place of horse it was an auto and the armor was replaced by his sweaty clothes.

I decided to return home. I had to cross the road to get on the other side. I decided to take the subway since crossing the road with vehicles coming and going has been my Achille's heel(otherwise toh i am perfect..hehehe). When I entered the subway it was water clogged!!!!By this time you would have guessed what my first reaction was...Bingo!!! I again muttered a few words not supposed to be said in public. I folded my jeans and dragged my self through that muddy water. I reached the stand somehow. and guess what i had to cover the same journey again that i had just gone through to get back to home. Can you imagine!!!!!! But the only difference was that i did not have to reach on time anywhere. Finally after a few utterances of my favourite words of the morning, I was back home.

Where I am?

"The moment a little boy is concerned with which is a jay and which is a sparrow, he can no longer see the birds or hear them sing."

Iris, this girl in my college. Man! she is some person. Top to bottom as if when she was being created God was way too happy that He was creating her. She has it all, the looks, the brains, the elegance of a feminine, the charisma and the attitude to carry it all. She got it all too. The scores, the dates, the men, the fame. She has perfect charm, chiselled cheekbone, red lips, blue eyes as clear as water, voice like rain falling on tinshade, silky smooth skin, and a height to carry it all. She is this girl what every girl craves to be, like this star that is beautiful but can never be owned. To all she is this tough, not vulnerable, flawless, perfectionist, one who cannot do anything wrong, as if she is blessed. She plays the game called life and never loses. She hates losing. Emotionally challenged she was called but it did not matter to her. People could not digest it because they knew she is kindda person who would not show any unnecessary emotions to every Tom, Dick or Harry. You had to earn her friendship, her emotions, her feelings for you. Like it or hate it. It did not matter to her, cause you did not matter to her.

She did all in her life but one thing, complaint. She would never complaint or crib for anything. If things were not according to her in life she would make them happen for her. If ocean would not give her water, she would bend it by its neck and fetch the crystal clear water. She earned it.

I am her only friend. I have always wanted to be like her, reaching to the heights she has reached. I look upto her. She doesnot look upto anybody, shes her own role model. Even boys look upto her, many keep their romantic feelings for her inside their hearts, they are too scared to divulge anything, they think they would end up making a fool of themselves. Not their fault in thinking so. She has this aura which is difficult to penetrate. Its not that she is snobbish or haughty, just that she knows well who she is and what she is, infact she knows it way too well. She sets her own rules but does not let them rule her, for that matter noone could rule her. Even if the world is against it, she would stand alone for whats right.She would never fall for a guy just because of the way he said hello or the way he dresses or smiles at her. Wearing the most fashionable outfit wont do her any good, things like this are clear in her mind so she would not go about the most trendy stuff out there. She has all the things set at correct place in her head. Yet she thinks with her heart too. She might not be her best some day but if you are off she would goto any extent to make you smile through her witty sense of humour. You cannnot hate her even if you want to, thats the thing about her. She has that effect on people. It looks she does not need anybody.

One day i visited Iris at home. Nobody was home except her maid. She told me that Iris was in her room. I headed straight towards her room. Just as I was about to knock at the door, I heard her voice talking to someone and sobbing. I stopped. That was strange as the maid had said that nobody was home. Iris was crying!!! One would never see Iris cry, Nobody could imagine Iris crying. How must she be looking, I was curious to see. As this is one sight you dont get to see everyday. She would never cry in front of anybody. She is supposed to be this tough and impenetrable person. I just opened the door a bit just to see who she was talking to. There was noone in the room. Strange!!! But i had heard her talking. Oh! may be she saw me and asked the person to hide as she would never let anyone see anything that would make her weak. She would never come to you with her set of problems and emotions. Not that shes snobbish or something but shes way too tough. But no, she did not see me even. She was still sitting there. And then i realized who she was talking to. It was her favourite stuffed toy Zuala, the bear. She hugged it and had her face buried into its arms and was crying. Then she lifted her face and started speaking again and then I witnessed the words, I had never imagined would be falling into my ears, firsthand.

She hugged that animated object and shared the heart of a girl, with an audience that would never respond to her but would just only smile back as her consolation prize.She started "Zuala, mum again asked me about my engineering studies, why does not she let me be. I know what i want out of life and I am going about it. Everybody out there thinks i am this tough, supa dupa girl for whom nothing goes wrong but I feel the pain too, I bleed too when it cuts, I have my set of fears. U know I never told anyone but I get scared of lizards and frogs, they give me this creepy feeling. All my life i wanted to achieve this perfection that almost everybody dreams of but seldom achieves, I got it too but why does it feel so empty? Why cant I have anyone who could tell by just that smile on my face that something is wrong? Why cannot i behave like normal girls, go out and wear my red shorts with blue shirt? Why is it that whenever I do something then I have this pressure on my head that it all has to be correct and I cannot be anything less than perfect cause thats how I am supposed to be? When I wanted to be this perfect being, totally flawless then why is it that when I have achieved it then there is emptiness thats filling me and killing me softly? Why do i have to be this tough girl always? I also wish to gossip with girls my age about that guy in class who had this sexy smile and was trying to hit on me but backed out. Only i know how bad i felt when i saw him the next week with a friend of mine(that friend happened to be me). I want to go out in town, have fun, shout at the top of my lungs, sing with the karaoke. Why dont they let me be a 20 year old? I did it all to be what i am today. Had sleepless nights, studied even if my eyes would give way, worked my heart out and when the fruits are all in front of me then why dont i have the courage now to lift my hand and pick it up? I was too busy, in fact, to watch out for what i was losing in the process. I was losing me. I dont know what girl i would have been had i just let me be myself. Why does winning bores me now?

Eveybody wants to be this tough and hardcore. I achieved it but little did I know the price I was paying. Thats why everyone cannot achieve it. They cannot pay the price. I forgot the life beyond Newton's three laws. I feel guilty when they call me tough and hardcore now, because I know I am not. I am, in fact, worse. I dont have the courage to show it in front of them. They accept what they are, I have always denied it in my life what I actually am. So i went on to become this "perfectionist". I was scared to show that I am "ordinary". Thats why I strived to be perfect.I have escaped from things all my life. Now Newton's three laws are not enough for me. I had overlooked the laws of life.If all that i got was supposed to make me happy then why am I feeling like this on my last day? I want to be innocent again, feel the highs and lows like it used to feel when I used to climb swings.

All my life I had acted to be someone i was not, pretend to face the problems that never existed and shunning the problems that were coming to me head on, but i want the real self now, I crave to be me. Not as a role model, not as some one people look forward to but as a 20 yr old who is allowed to be incorrect, who has got the right to commit few mistakes, who just lives next door.I am also human being and not a machine. Emotionally challenged as I may seem but I also have a heart of a 20 year old girl. But i guess its a bit late now, the lie has become a fact now after saying it too many times, I have already paid too much a price. I dont know how much it would take to be that little girl again. Now the price to give back for what I have already paid would be bigger I guess and I might not be able to carry the weight of it. I have realized that I have already become too weak..I dont have more courage left in me. I want to relax now. I am too tired. The fairy tales are meant only for fairies, that no matter how long i grow my hair no prince would climb it to get me, that if i leave my shoes in any party, they would only get stolen and no prince would come and find me to free me from my wicked step mother cause these tales exist only in books."And she kept on crying.

I left her house. On the way back i had her words echoing in my head, I wished that whatever I had just heard was a dream and soon I would wake up. But I knew it wasnt. What I had witnessed, had just happened. Oh my god!!! how is it possible???? Iris!!! she is not supposed to be this way, I was seeing my dreams, aspirations and insiprations shattered with each tear she had dropped, for she was my role model, my feet were not gaining strength.Next day I went to college, wondering how would I face her. But thankfully I did not have to. She was not there in college. But where is she? She never misses college, even if shes ill and bunking is something you could never expect her to do. Then where is she??Suddenly i saw this great mob at notice board and all these grim expressions on everybodys face. I was perplexed thats what is happening. I came closer to board and saw Iris's pic on the notice board and beneath it an obituary. She is no more. She was found dead in her room last night.I was finding it hard to breathe. People were coming to me asking me what could have happened and I just looked at their faces, blank. What was happening??????? And then suddenly the words echoed in my head "If all that I got was supposed to make me happy then why am i feeling like this on my last day? "...LAST DAY!!!!!!!!!I could never tell anyone what had happened yesterday. I wanted Iris to be remembered as people knew her. THE UNACHIEVABLE!!!

WHEN YOU ARE GONE...

I saw an angel, I smiled, it smiled back at me, I was changed.
That was when I saw you, a flash and you were into my life, I was blessed.
Just the eyes talked, words were not needed
I knew I had found a hand to walk me through the edges.

They say everything happens for a reason, but I couldn't figure out your coming into my life.
They say love can move the mountains, but it sure did move my life.
I wanted to hold you, to touch you, to feel you, to know that you are for real.
All the things you did for me, it all had a special feel.

The way you used to wake me up with those coffee mugs singing my fav song.
The way you used to put aside those locks that disturbed my sleep for long.
The way you used to kiss my pimples when i used to freak out at their sight.
The way you used to hold me tight and held my hand when i was scared at night.

I had given my soul to you and so without you I ain't me.
In the 50 yrs we had been together, everyday you surprised me
Oh! You think I can forget those funny faces you made when I was not at my best.
Just to cheer me up and see a smile on my face, damning all the rest.

You would sit all night listening my crap, I would never stop talkin.
When all you wanted to do was to grab a pillow and spend the night sleepin.
But still you would nod and laugh when I tell you how I snapped at my boss today.
And you would never even raise an eyebrow no matter how big a mistake.

I loved to see that popping vein above your eyebrow when I sighed at Tom Cruise's sight
Next day you would try to have that smile and bod with all your might.
You would tease me for my past relationships and you would call me names
And when I cried you could not sleep all night just seeing my heart break.

On our golden anniversary you did all those things I loved, for me
You danced with me in rain, you sat on the harley behind me,
You took me to Alps on our 50th honeymoon, I was over the pinnacle of jubilation.
We used to walk and sit hand in hand beside a moon-lit lake watching our own reflection.

We had more love than people would have in their seven lifetimes together
Even a second I had spent with you would seem forever.
If only I could stop the time then, I would pray to HIM,
And you would wipe away all my tears, I know you hated 'em.

When you were here, the things had some life..
The whole world around me was smiling or may be a whim of my mind.
But whatever!!!
I found love. I found hope. I found thee.
I found the essence of my existence. I was lost out there, I found real me.

Today I am standing beside the moon lit lake again but ur not by my side,
There is one question that keeps coming back...Why are you not here with me tonight???
Dawns have become nights to me.
Life has become a plight to me.

Its enough, I have pretended to be strong for long.
There were so many things I had wanted to say along
YOU took my life with you and so my dreams died with you,
I had never said it when we were together but now I say that I LOVE YOU...

ANOTHER WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE
"At the stroke of midnight hour, when the world sleeps India awakes" and then a full stop.
Yeah! We were fighting another war for independence on the nights of 26/11 and 27/11. We were trying to fight for our land from foreign acquisition while 50 yrs ago too we were trying to get back our land. It lasted 200 yrs then and this time it was 2 days.(The time might be short but the analogy is the same). We had Bhagat Singh, Chandrashekhar Azad then. We have Hemant Karkare, Vijay Salaskar now. The only differnce is that our enemies have changed. Yes! when the world was sleeping, India was awake that day but the irony is not to
independence but after being enslaved again.
WTC collapse, London blast, Matunga blast, Malegaon blast, Delhi blast(s) and now this.
History is getting blacker by the day, and we are so getting USED to it. If we hear a blast story anywhere now we dont raise an eyebrow anymore. Its like a common thing now. I wonder what our children would do...What kind of world are we giving them???
I HOPE this time we dont take it as an alarming bell but now we hit the panick buttons. Jawaharlal Nehru had said at the night of independence that "India awakes", well India has not awakened yet. I dont know how many 7/11s and 26/11s and malegaon blasts we are waiting for to awake. Lets not play the blaming game now and think what as individuals we can do. Lets start forming networks and start waking each other. When one forgets his/her responsibilities, it should be the responsibilty of the other to remind him/her.WE have one power with us that is to vote and voting in itself is such a great power. After this many people had this outlook that we dont care about the government and those politicians anymore but why do they forget that they are the ones who had chosen them by voting and by NOT voting. Whatever little priviliges we have lets make use of them. Lets VOTE . I admit that I dont vote too but this incident has developed this urge in me to vote and getting my voter's id card is the next todo thing on my list. There are not many politicians that can be trusted but lets us choose lesser of the two evils till we get the real hero and who knows the HERO lies in YOU.

I always say that public memory is too short and we have witnessed this time and again. We always move on with life to live upto that "SPIRIT". We should channelise that spirit in a more productive direction now.

If you dont wanna do anything for nation then be selfish and do things for urself. Cause ultimately whatever happens to the country is partially responsible in deciding our fate too. Lets make use of those rights given to us by our constitution. One of them being Right to Information(RTI) act. We are chilling out coz we did not lose any near and dear one unncessarily in the fight but(god forbids) why the hell are we waiting for things to happen? The soldiers there did not have any blood relations with those being held as hostage but they were just keepin the oath they had taken when they put on the uniform.Lets us keep our oath that we used to take when we were kids:
India is my country and all Indians are my brothers and sisters. I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage. I shall always strive to be worthy of it. I shall give respect to my parents, teachers and elders and treat everyone with courtesy. To my country and my people, I pledge my DEVOTION. In their well being and prosperity alone, lies my happiness. (I want to admit it here that I had forgotten the pledge and downloaded it from net. Its a shame!!!)
I know its easier saying things than doing it and we Indians are very much into the habit of that but its time we open up our eyes, its time we dust those mental cobwebs, its time we start respecting human life. Losing a brother, sister, father to terrorism, nothing could be more painful I guess.

JAI HIND!!!

They are my dreams...

They light up in the sky, but in my heart they die.
They are my dreams.
They sparkle my eye, with a tear they drop by.
They are my dreams.
They give me a real high, when they shatter i just cry.
They are my dreams.
They give me wings to fly, then by others they are tied.
They are my dreams.
I just wanna ask the question why, to them i always lie.
They are my dreams.
But now no more sigh, I'll give it another try.
After all, they are MY DREAMS!!!