Gazing in the void ...Repost ...

I am reposting this after correcting and straightening the Horizon.

Thanks Daniel for the feedback ... Will always look to improve ...

Nature and Rains ...

These are some of the pics that I had taken one morning just after it had rained ... Just loved the texture and vividness water created on these plants ...

Kids once again...

A new challenge everyday

a new achievement everyday,

life has such a lot of it to offer me.

Goals and plans everywhere.

Till almost as far as i can see.

There's such a lot of expectation,

i feel i still have so much to earn.

A vast sea of knowledge,

still so much more to learn.

I'm tryin to run fast,

tryin to keep up with the pace.

Everyone expects me to still go faster,

settling for nothin less than an ace.

I'm starting to get tired,

my limbs ache as i test them,

stretchin them more.

I'm sacred i may not make it till the end,

i don't see the finish line,

i'm still not sure.

As i rest a while to catch my breath,

and relieve my limbs from the relentless pain,

i remember those good old days and wonder,

What If I could be a kid once again.

GoodBye ... ???

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 13; the thirteenth edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

GoodBye …

(Just Can't say GoodBye ...)

I saw her for the first time
She looked soothing to the eye
She was not stunning nor very beautiful
But I still couldn’t help but pry

We met, we talked, and we became friends
And We fought, we smiled and we made up
We also always made it a point
To have coffee in the same cup

Time went by and we moved closer
But she always hesitated, never called me her lover
Whenever the dreaded question was asked
She would always run for cover

I had promised to give her a way out
And I always kept my word
Whenever she was lip tied
I gave her the ‘way out’ that she deserved

Then came the day she confessed her love
But she said, we had nothing from it to gain
I didn’t come out of the trance but still
… I fell in love with her again

We fought when she said she didn’t need me
She’d better be left alone
I thought it was one of her jokes
But her eyes had the look, that of stone

Tears ran down as I realized the fact
And I couldn’t fathom, why was I in so much pain
Then I saw tears in her eyes too
…. And I fell in love with her again

She told me of a guy one day
She’d been talking with him for a while
She said ‘He’s not a bad guy’
And I tried hard to keep the same smile

She tried again, to convince me
‘Don’t meet or talk’, she said ‘Please refrain’
But her eyes pleaded, ‘Don’t go’
…. And I fell in love with her again

She kept trying to keep me away
But she kept falling for me again
And whenever she said, ‘I need you’
…. I fell in love with her again

She tried being aggressive too
‘I’m very indifferent’, she said
But I could always notice it
While saying that her eyes, with tears, were red

She could not hide her love for me
Always remembering me when it would rain
I would also drench myself sometimes
To hide the tears and relieve the pain

I would tell her I always missed you
In the wind and in the drops of rain
And then, the day, she said, ‘I missed you too’
…I fell in love with her again

She told me she was doing it for me
She didn’t want to give me any pain
I understood then that Love isn’t just all smiles
…. And I fell in love with her again

I told her I’m doing it for her too
And then, that night again, it rained
Little pearls ran down her cheek
…. And I fell in love with her again

We realized that we’re in love
The first time, and now, once again
I held her in my arms, she held me tight
… And I fell in love with her again

We realized that love isn’t about receiving
Its’ about giving everything, time and again
I’m happy we’re still together, and with that
…. I fell in love with her again

Who said you fall in love just once
I feel there’s still a lot more to gain
I’m in love with her, but still, everyday
…I’m falling in love with her all over again.

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

Time Travel

This piece was to be written for Blog-a-ton 8 but somehows I didn't make it in time. Maybe next time .... :-)




28th November 2009

I received a strange call today. Someone called me up and said that he wanted to meet me and that it was really important. He did not tell me his name and didn’t even tell me what it was about, but insisted that I have to meet him ASAP and that it was personal and urgent. I’m worried because he seemed to know a lot of things about me. He told me that he would meet me next to my place at about 8 in the evening and hung up. It about 7:30 now, and I hope to meet him in the next 30 minutes.

Saahil
-x-

28th November 2009 10:00 P.M.

I met that man who was around 40 years of age, looked well educated and well dressed too. He seemed strangely familiar to me. He still didn’t tell me his name and said, “Please take this very seriously. I know this is going to sound very weird but you have to believe me on this.” All I could do is nod my head.

“Could we take a walk or maybe a drive?” he asked.

While walking he said something that I least expected out of the first meeting.

“I’m sorry to say this but you are going to die tomorrow and I’m here to save you.”

I didn’t know what to say, I just stood there staring into his eyes.

“I’m sorry.” I said “I guess either you are out of your mind or you are talking to the wrong person.”

“No Mr. Thakkar, I am talking to the right person. I can’t really disclose a lot of things at this point of time but you have to believe me.’

“And how and why do you think I’m going to die tomorrow?” I asked sounding stupid.

“Listen very carefully, YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A CAR ACCIDENT AT 5:30 IN THE EVENING ON 28th NOVEMBER. WHATEVER HAPPENS DON’T TRAVEL ANYWHERE IN THE EVENING THAT DAY. It’s hard to believe but please DO AS I SAY AND STAY AT HOME.”

And then he said something more that made me go weak on my knees for a moment.

“My name is Abhimanyu Thakkar and I am your son. I know its going to sound complicated. Its one of those wormhole experiments we’ve used, to go back in time.”

“Excuse me?” I blurted out. “Is this some kind of a joke? I don’t know, how do you know these things about me and why are you doing this but I’m really not liking it. I’m married for year now and I don’t have any Son. Yes, my wife is pregnant, but what the hell, she’s just 7 months into it and you want me to believe that a 40 year old guy standing in front of me is my son, when I myself am just 28 years old?”

I looked around for some hidden cameras but didn’t find any.

“Whoever you are, I really don’t like this joke. Please leave right now.” I said sternly and I walked into my house locking the door behind me.

I could hear him call behind me, “…. Please listen to me, please don’t go out anywhere tomorrow …. Please. ”

Some T.V. channels do weird things to get TRP. I’m going to find out who among my friends set me up tomorrow.

Saahil
-x-

29th November 2009 2 P.M.
It’s a lazy afternoon today and I’m enjoying my Sunday at home. Anjali, my wife, has gone to her mom’s place (Maternity leave for her and Paternity leave for me … ;-)). I’m still not able to get that man out of my mind and I guess I’ll go to meet Anjali only after 6 P.M. Why take a risk even if just a joke?

Saahil
-x-


Mr. Sudhir had just finished reading the last page of the diary when Yadav entered the cabin.

“I got thru the other number; they are here only, on the second floor.”

He looked at his watch. It showed 7:30 p.m.

“Ok, let’s go.”

Both of them walked to the second floor to room number 201 as told to them on the phone. It was a twin sharing room and they could overhear a small conversation as they entered the room. They lady was still under medication and was sleeping and he could hear an old couple into conversation.

“Thank god the baby is healthy, I was scared for a moment when I heard about the premature delivery thing. I suggest we should call him Abhimanyu, they way he has come out of the Chakravyuha safely. Abhimanyu Thakkar, sounds good na?”

“Yes, but where’s Saahil, didn’t you call him when we were leaving for the hospital?”

“I did. It’s been almost two hours now; I wonder what’s holding him up. I even tried his mobile but it’s not reachable.”

Sudhir walked to the old man and handed him the diary. “We found this diary at an accident site on MG road. The accident took place around 5:30 pm and I’m afraid the owner of this diary is no more.”

What if - 3

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 7; the seventh edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

The results were out and Sameer had passed his engineering exams with flying colors. He ranked 3rd in the college and he wanted to join an MNC, despite his dad’s insistence to join the family business. He had already been placed in a renowned company and he had to join them in about 15 days. He lost count of the days as he started perpetrations for leaving his home town for Pune, where he had been placed by the company. Sameer was very expectant and excited about the future and was very confident that he would do well.

He joined his office and really liked the environment, the people and the seniors. He felt like he’d joined his college again. The office had the same hustle-bustle, the same vibes as the college.

In a month he had a group of 5 guys who were around his age and all were from good colleges with wonderful grades.

Life seemed to throw new challenges everyday and Sameer was dealing every challenge like a pro. But while his professional graph was on the rise, his love graph was sticking to the ‘x’ axis only. Sameer really liked a colleague, Shalini, but was not able to express his feelings to her. They really never talked to each other except for professional reasons but he always waited for that occasional smile that made his day. The gang knew about it and left no card unturned when it came to pulling his leg.

Days went by, and the fast, monotonous life of the corporate world started to get the better of him. What frustrated him more was the fact that he couldn’t convey his feelings to that girl. He started to unwind himself by going to late night parties with other colleagues, and while the others were busy working or sleeping, Sameer was enjoying his new found freedom in pubs.

Sameer was a regular to a pub and had made a lot of friends there. One day, he saw a beautiful girl and asked her if he could buy her a drink. She accepted and as the drink came she pulled out a strip of some medicine and put a couple of pills into the drink. Sameer was puzzled. Upon asking, the girl was surprised that he did not know the latest trend of drug abuse, Prescription drugs. She insisted that he should try it once. Sameer couldn’t deny and he had an amazing high that day. She explained him all about the different medications that could be mixed with drinks and the different effects they had.

Soon, Sameer was trying it all, and as the momentary pleasure was rising, Sameer was getting more and more isolated from work, friends, and family. His health started to deteriorate and he felt helpless but couldn’t get out of that habit of drug abuse. He also had to quit his job because he was not able to cope up with it.

Today, he sat outside the rehabilitation centre thinking, ‘Why was this happening to me?’

‘What if I had listened to my folks and join the family business?’

‘What if I had expressed my love to Shalini and settled down with her?’

‘What if I had not resorted to drug abuse or pub culture to break out of the routine?’

‘What if I didn’t ask that girl for a drink that night?’

‘What if I could just say NO, that day?’

*******************************************

Epilogue: Prescription drug abuse by teens and young adults is a serious problem in the United States and is fast spreading in other parts of the world. As per a study:
1 in 5 teens has abused a prescription (Rx) pain medication
1 in 5 report abusing prescription stimulants and tranquilizers
1 in 10 has abused cough medication
Many teens think these drugs are safe because they have legitimate uses, but taking them without a prescription to get high or “self-medicate” can be as dangerous – and addictive – as using street narcotics and other illicit drugs.

It just takes one moment to let our guard down and succumb to the desire to try it once, but it would only give us a lifetime of pain and suffering.

So, please take a stand and “Say No to Drugs.”

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

What if - 2

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 7; the seventh edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

'Hi Sameer, you are looking really happy today, is it love or is it dove?’ mocked my colleague as I entered my workplace.

‘Neither’, I said with a smile ‘I’m going back home for a week.’

‘Even better, enjoy the holidays.’

It was my first leave after 2 years and I was delighted. The day went as usual and I completed my work by 5 in the evening. I carried my luggage to office that day not knowing if I’d be able to finish my work early. I had forgotten my mobile charger and the battery was already a bit low. I left office and started for the bus station. In about 30 minutes I was at the bus stop. I had booked my tickets for the 7 p.m. bus and was sitting idly reading my book. Almost 1 hour passed and the bus arrived at 6:45. As I was getting up, I saw a well dressed man hurry to the ticket office. The bus cleaner took about 10 minutes to tidy the bus and by that time I called up at home and told them the bus number MH31 5055 and the time of arrival 7 am. As I was about to pick up my luggage to board the bus, I saw that man again, this time right in front of me.

‘I know I am troubling you, but I really need to get on this bus. I have an emergency and the next bus is at 10 pm. Please help me out. I would pay double the amount for the ticket, please let me travel on your seat.’

‘But even I need to be home early tomorrow’, I tried to argue.

‘I have purchased the ticket for the 10 pm bus, you can take this too.’

‘Not a bad deal’, I thought and agreed, took my fare and the 10 p.m. ticket and started reading the book again.

I had dinner and boarded the bus at 10 p.m., tuned in my IPod and went off to sleep. At about 2 a.m. the bus stopped in the jungle due to a flat tire. With nothing more to do I dozed off. In the morning I got to know that they took almost 2 hours to repair the puncture and we were about 3 hours off the scheduled time. When I reached the destination it was almost 1 in the noon.

The bus stop was walking distance from my place, so I decided to walk. When I reached home I saw a big crowd gathered around my house. A chill ran down my spine. What must have happened? Was papa alright? He didn’t keep well these days and that was one reason for me to come home. Even my younger brother rides the bike rashly? Did anything happen to him? I almost ran to my house, trying to push everyone aside as I tried to go in.

I could hear murmurs all around me.

‘He was such a good man.’ ‘How can god be so ignorant to good people?’ ‘God bless his soul.’ ‘This is such a great loss to the family.’

And suddenly I heard a shout from behind me, ‘Sameer’s here.’ There was pin drop silence for a moment and everyone turned to look at me.

The murmurs started getting louder. ‘What happened?’ I asked ‘tell me, is everyone all right?’

I glanced around the room to see my brother and my mother sitting at the far corner of the room. They stood up and ran towards me. I could see multiple emotions on their face at once. ‘What happened?’ I thought trying to clear my mind. And then I saw a small framed photograph on the table besides them. I squinted to see it clearly. It was my father’s photograph. He passed away this morning when he heard that the bus number MH31 5055 had met with an accident.

What if I had not been ignorant and charged my mobile.

What if I had been prompt enough and informed my family that I had changed my schedule.

If only I was responsible enough to understand why my father would always tell me ‘Keep calling, wherever you go.’

'What if ....' is all that passed my lips as tears ran down my cheeks.


Epilogue: This story is dedicated to the several youngsters who get irritated when their parents ask them where they are. They feel the parents are not giving them the ‘FREEDOM’ they deserve. Please think twice before you switch off you mobile or ignore calls from your parents.


PS: This is a repost for blog-a-ton 7, with the permission of marshal, Vipul.

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

What If - 1

This post has been published by me as a part of the Blog-a-Ton 7; the seventh edition of the online marathon of Bloggers; where we decide and we write. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

I had a small argument with my dad today and I was angry over something that he had done. I tried to explain him my point of view but he just wouldn’t listen to me at all. There are lots and lots of times that things like these happen, not only with me but with all of us. And thoughts like these keep coming to our minds. “Does my dad really have to interfere so much in my life?” or “Why doesn’t he understand that I’ve grown up now” or maybe “He has no rights to decide on what I should be doing”. Some more mature and grown up people may face other dilemmas like “why doesn’t my dad listen to me?” or “Doesn’t he understand this type of behavior does not really stand up to my reputation” or maybe worse “ Should I think of settling up in a new home now that I am not getting along with my dad?”

I was still cribbing over the situation, when I saw my two year old son run outside the house trying to get to the road. I ran after him and caught him before he could get there. He started to cry wildly wiggling his hands and legs in an attempt to get out of my grip. He was shouting at the top of his voice, ‘Tata , tata” ( This is what he says when he wants to go out) but I didn’t listen to him and carried him back inside. My dad was sitting there observing everything, but he didn’t say a word. And after I was back in the house I sat down pondering over the whole scene.

What if I had not stopped my child from running onto the road? What if I had let go of him when he started to shout? It is my duty to take care of him, and I have to do it till I can. But that’s what my dad was doing too, then why do I crib? He must also be feeling the same sense of responsibility towards me, he would also be caring for me the same way I care for my son. After all, everything that I am today is because of him.

What if he didn’t take my mom to the best doctors when I was being born?

What if he thought that jaundice is normal in newborns and he didn’t care much about it?

What if he had not taken me to the hospital on time, when my skin was peeling like the skin of boiled potatoes? (I had a reaction from a medicine)

What if he had not been awake all night when I was having fever?

What if he was not there when I needed him around?

What if he did not stay awake to ensure that I came back home safely, when I got late at night?

All that I am, the very existence of me is because of him. If he would have been complacent over my mere existence, I would not have been what I am today. He’s the one who’s made everything possible for me, sheltered me from all the sun and the storm. He’s the one who’s taken all the right decisions in my life, I owe this life to him and now, just because I have grown up and I understand the world, do I have the right to argue with him over petty matters?

I started feeling guilty for the argument I had with my dad in the morning. I went over to him, he was having tea, and my son was sitting on the table near him. I went over and said, “I’m sorry Dad.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, and then he turned towards me and while he was holding my son, he said, “Today this young man, my grandson has given me my son back.”
*****************************************************************************

P.S.: I was writing this piece with a father, son, grandson perspective only , and if some of you may find it a bit odd that I have not mentioned my mom, I want to say that I love and respect her a lot, and its just that this piece was written with a flow of thought that related to dad only.

The fellow Blog-a-Tonics who took part in this Blog-a-Ton and links to their respective posts can be checked here. To be part of the next edition, visit and start following Blog-a-Ton.

The Morning Sky ...

Does this happen to everyone?

Its been a long time I haven't really written any random stuff here and donno why, but today I am feeling like I should do it. And as I sat down to write, I was met with a strange revelation, I am at a loss as to what to write. They say, on an average, a human has about Sixty thousand thoughts a day, then why isn't even a single one of them giving me the liberty to write?

Guess its about the famous writers block that people talk about. I've heard a lot about it but I think today is the right time to know more about it, so I went to Wikipedia, and it gave me a very dipressing feeling. This is what it had to say.

WIKIPEDIA : Writer's block is a condition, associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task in hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked" writers have been unable to work for years on end, and some have even abandoned their careers.

The causes, it said, varied from being as basic as the authors lack of creativity, lack or loss of inspiration or even because the work is beyond the authors experience or ability. Hmm, Writers block, but is it really going to hold me back? I'm really not sure. I hope not.

I'll make sure that the creativity stays with me, I'll fight hard to keep my inspiration stay and as far as bloging is concerned, I really don't think that its beyond my ability. So, I'll surely keep trying to write and I hope that you'll surely see a new post soon.

Where are all my friends?

This one was flying around with a group and while the others flew to a nearby tree this one landed up on the wire in front of my window. I just managed to take thi shot before it flew away.

In the Sun and Rain

These are two photos of the hibiscus flower from my garden. They were taken on a Sunny winter morning about a week back.




And this one was taken after a couple of days. It had rained heavily here in Nagpur for those two days and the flower had taken quite a bit. But the hibiscus still looked beautiful despite of it being an overcast day and it had just stopped raining when I took this picture.

Some more birds ...

I found these small cuties on 14th Jan, while flying kites, please manage with the quality of the pics coz these birds were very small ... Please keep the comments flowing ...



And if there are any bird watchers coming in here ... please do enlighten me with the names of these two birds ... the black one and the one with the purple neck ...



Happy Blogging ...

American Goldfinch

This bright yellow bird played hide-n-seek with me for about an hour before I got a clear glimpse of it(well, almost clear ... ;-)). I was flying some kites on 14th Jan, Sankranti, when I happened to spot this one on a tree.


Wikipedia:

The American Goldfinch is a granivore and adapted for the consumption of seedheads, with a conical beak to remove the seeds and agile feet to grip the stems of seedheads while feeding. It is a social bird, and will gather in large flocks while feeding and migrating.



Human activity has generally benefited the American Goldfinch. It is often found in residential areas, attracted to bird feeders installed by humans, which increases its survival rate in these areas. Deforestation by humans also creates open meadow areas which are the preferred habitat of the American Goldfinch.




The American Goldfinch is a small finch, 11–13 centimeters (4–5 in) in length, with a wingspan of 19–22 centimeters (7–9 in). It weighs between 11–20 grams (0.39–0.71 oz). The beak is small, conical, and pink for most of the year, but turns bright orange with the spring molt in both sexes.

Basking in the evening Sun

I caught this one on sunday, when I was having my evening tea.

Click on the picture to see the full size.

Where am I ?

Everything around me was blurry and my head ached as I tried to strain my eyes to see who was around me. I could see a couple of outlines of people but couldn't really make out who they were.


"Where am I ?" I thought.


It sure looked like a hospital as the only color I could see all around was white.


"But how did I get here?"


I tried to concentrate but the constant beep from a nearby instrument combined with the thumping headache, which ironically, seemed to match the rhythm of the instrument beep, kept me from thinking anything at all. I closed my eyes again and tried to sleep but I felt an urge to itch on my left hand.


"Maybe a mosquito bite."


I tried to reach out to scratch it but my other hand didn't seem to respond to my mind. I tried to lift my hand again but still no response. I started getting desperate.


"Why was I not able to move my hand?"


"Was I paralysed?"


I tried moving the other body parts one by one. I could only try it on my limbs and my mind started to give away, concentrating more on the headache rather than on the orders I was giving it. I concluded that my right body parts were not responding to my orders.


The itch had started to get me desperate and I couldn't control it any longer. I tried to use the same hand to relieve myself but in the process I disturbed a cord attached to my hand, which seemed to open the pandora's box.


The bedside instrument started to beep wildly and I could feel a sudden commotion around me. Between the beeps I could feel someone touching me. Suddenly, the beeping stopped and I thought I've digged my grave by trying to itch. I could faintly hear someone calling my name.


'Sunny ... Sunny' and I felt a light jerk too.


Then suddenly, I felt a surge of adrenaline pass thru my body, I heard the voice clearly, I felt the commotion , I felt the nudge too.


Startled, I opened my eyes.


Nothing made sense for a moment until I glanced around me only to notice my bedside alarm and my wife saying, 'Get up. You are already late for office.'

Little Green Bee-eater

The first bird that I spotted on my window was the Little Green Bee-eater, a very colorful and pleasant bird. I'm adding a little more information about it below.



This species is a richly coloured, slender bird. It is about 9 inches (16-18 cm) long with about 2 inches made up by the elongated central tail-feathers. The crown and upper back are tinged with golden rufous. The flight feathers are rufous washed with green and tipped blackish. A fine black line runs in front of and behind the eye. The iris is crimson and the bill is black while the legs are dark grey.

We can see the Golden Crown clearly in the image below.



The neck can be seen in this image, asian green bee-eaters usually dont have a prominent blue neck like their Arabian counterparts, but the shade of blue can be noticed.




Just as the name suggests, bee-eaters predominantly eat insects, especially bees, wasps and ants, which are caught in the air by sorties from an open perch.






Ref: Wikipedia, Google.
Motivation by: http://klishmaklaver.blogspot.com/

The New Year's Moon

We had such a hype of the blue moon on the new years eve, that I couldn't fight the urge to stay inside, and despite of the eclipse and I found myself out on my terrace clicking pictures of the moon. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed when I saw that the moon was not "Blue". A bit of research told me that the moon is not really blue but then the eclipse occurs twice so its called a blue moon. I still clicked the "Blue Moon". And I clicked a half moon too a couple of days back, so thought I'll post both of them.

I personally like the half moon, how about u ?

Birds from my window

Its been a while I got a new SLR and I've been experimenting a lot with it lately but most of the pics that i had clicked were of family only. But only in the new year I started to click random stuff. The very first ones were the cutie pie birds that I clicked from my window, which reminds me of my Director Mr. Nishikant Mukherjee, who was clicking pictures for his book, 'Birds from my window', I hope I can be half that lucky to find enough birds on my window too.

These are some from the first week.

P.S. :I'm really very new to photography, please feel free to criticize or applaud.