Dil Chahta Hai:Love and Hope

This is still a special story. Four school friends. Three girls and a boy. Living across different continents over different periods of time. Most importantly at different stages in their lives. The only time the four of them have been together are the couple of carefree odd years they spent in Mumbai in their early twenties. Then? Well, adulting is a serious business.They all got caught up in their lives. Their priorities shifted.The phone calls became infrequent and the messages said they were having time of their lives. Ofcourse, there were moments of ” Tell me I will buy that next ticket and be right there”.You know what the other person at the end of the phone will say to that statement, right?They did have their share of holidays together. Amsterdam, Spain, Paris. But each time, there was a person or two missing from the plan. But in November 2018, I had a rare smile on my face as tepid waters washed my feet. The foursome were finally together.It was only a three day trip. What felt like years of waiting had finally come true.A Goa trip with friends.Isn’t that a coming of age thing for every Indian millenial child ever? So, what if it was a decade too late.It is still what these silly people kept alive in their hearts. Love and Hope.After all these years.

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Souvenir

Vast alluring landscapes,Calming azure seascapes,I wish, I could steal the cheeky windIn my hair. Quite sunny courtyards in grand palaces,The buzz on the twinkling beer terraces,If only, I could bag a bit ofthe mysterious air. The dramatic entrances on the stage,The fight with the wild beasts in a cage,I wish, I could borrow some ofthe artist’s flair. Dismissing the ethereal […]

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Borders

The sense of territory is undoubtedly an animalistic instinct. The sense of ownership is even more powerful…my hands, my clothes, my family, my home, my tribe, my country. Mine, Mine, Mine.It’s always I the fool versus their behaviour, their haughtiness, their mischief.We create titles to the land, we write lenghthy wills and we draw territories. We refuse people any right […]

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The Queue

GetTo the end of the queueYou middle-class phoren aspiring Indian. ThinkAbout the endless lines in your nationYour forefathers held for landlines and ration. HopeWith a sincere belief to mould social echelonsYou liberal English-speaking phoren aspiring Indian. TradeThe comforts of your rootsYour progeny begets better future. SmileAbout the dead-end jobYou mediocre middle-class phoren aspiring Indian. WaitWith the sweat on your browYour […]

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सोहळा

हार तुरे बांधा, रांगोळया काढा,आपुल्या भेटीसाठी काहीतरी जल्लोष करावा.खूप दिवस झाले भेटून याचा आहे FB वर पुरावा,Whatsapp मुळे म्हणे कमी झाला आहे Timezoneचा दुरावा. तुझ्या घरच्यांसाठी Chocolate चा डब्बा, तुझ्या चिमुरडीसाठी खाऊ-खेळणी घेतली आहेत आवर्जून.पण तुझ्यासाठी सखे काय आणू ह्या 23kgच्या मर्यादेत बांधून?‘दिवसभर’, ‘Dinner ला’ म्हणता म्हणता भागते Coffee वरच तहान,वर्षाचे प्रगतीपुसतक मांडताना हरवून जाते भान. 3.30 च्या बसमधील गणवेषातील हसणार्या कारट्या,विशीतल्या त्या बेधूंद तरुणींच्या पारट्या.आठवणींचा पाढा म्हणताना होतो कंठ हळवा,दोन तासांच्या भेटीत साजरा होतो जीवाभावाचा सोहळा.

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A Family Holiday

Zip-zip, zap-zap, zoom.Along the coastal hilly roads in the swift silver sedan,Scattered Crisp-crumbs and hundred screams of ‘Are we there yet’? from the backseatYelps of excitement to the favourite stereo-beat. Rickety-a-trickety, hush-rush.Beneath the breezy palm trees in wooden stilt cabins,Card games, refreshing siestas and marvelling cries of ‘Look what I found’ from the shoreTranquil sighs to the mellow-orange sunset-décor. Rum-a-rumble, […]

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Sculptures

Louvre राजवाड्यातील Monalisa लावाटत असेल का एकटेपणा?Selfies च्या ओलाव्यात एक निराळाच कोरडेपणा.चाहत्यांच्या तर्कांची वाटत असेल का गंमत?सिम्तहास्याच्या पड्याआड असेल Italian सेठाणी हळूहळू खचत. Gizaच्या Sphinx ला आला असेल का प्रचंड संताप?रणरणत्या सहारा मध्ये बसुन दाखवायचे तिने कोड्यांचे प्रताप.Pharaoh बरोबर स्वस्तातला सौदा केल्याचा वाटत असेल का खंत?विदुषीचा सन्मान सोडून स्विकारला तिने वाळवंतात द्वारपालिकेचा अंत. Copenhagen च्या Mermaid ला वाटत असेल का पोरके?समुद्रकिनारी बसूनही तिला भीक घालेना तिचे टोळके.प्रेमापोटी वाहून गेल्याने वाटत असेल का फसगत?जगावेगळे स्वप्न पाहून केली मत्स्यराणीने हिंमत. New York च्या Fearless Girl ला वाटत असेल का Peer pressure?बुरसटलेल्या परंपरांना सामोरेजाऊन गाठायचे तिला शिखर.निरागस बालिकेला वाटत असेल का हा कसौटीचा प्रवास?शेकडो वर्षानंतर वळून पाहिल्यावर जग म्हणेल पोरीने लिहीला एक अनोखा इतिहास. 23 September 2018

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Kate and Bourdain

Ah! Sixteen this age, ripe and tender,I have my guitar and endless songs on my lips.I aspire Kate, I believe in Bourdain.Little do I know of this dance on the tightrope.I await like the cold dark green henna on a bride’s palmdesiring to set into a deep maroon. Ah! Twenty-five this age, determined and brave,I have my map and endless plans about my trips.I aspire Kate, I believe in Bourdain.I am learning this dance on the tightrope.I roll my dice like a debt-ridden gamblerwanting to welcome a windfall. Ah! Thirty-one this age, knowing and humble,With guitars and maps, songs and plans.I have learnt the secret to the tightrope is to embrace the fall.I aspire to be my own Kate. I believe in my own Bourdain. 20 June 2018

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Of Museums and Mortality

Recently, at the Museum of First Nations in Whistler, someone remarked how a civilisation was left for a museum as it had fallen mercy to another powerful one. I easily submitted to this argument as I couldn’t deny these two popular theories:– Change is Constant– Black Swan theoryBut something about the place or the experience had left me in tears. (It wasn’t PMS trust me).I wondered if 100 years later, my own mother tongue would vanish, that some age old recipes which my Aaji would have cooked be a copy in a Musuem! These very things which I hold so dear to my heart. Perhaps, I should try researching more about new Marathi Sahitya or try my hand skillfully folding boiled rice flour (That is Modaks, you Mudbloods).Now. Soon. Love fiercely and forgive easily. That the Deccan Plateau would shake and swallow us in or we would be attacked by Martians and a whole population of Marathi speaking adults would be wiped out.Humbling indeed, that I am mere speck in an unknown scheme of things. That we all are at mercy of cyclical forces and mortality was certain. Whether we made it to a Museum or not!

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