And Then

Thoughts Began To Fly

Published by Aakarsh under on Saturday, October 29, 2005
The thought of writing poetry,
gives me a greater pleasure..
than writing a poem itself.
From early dawn, I finish odd jobs,
With eager breath, knowing that,
When the right time comes,
A hushed silence would guard my door,
And a sweet fragrance would fill the room.
Only then, I shall begin to write,
my much awaited line.
A few verses in my note-book,
And I close my eyes.
A sweet dream of new poems,
Plays in my eyes.
Yet I don’t write a poem.
If people make a hurried request,
I smile with a glint of mischief.
“what’s the hurry?”, I reply,
“I’ll write when I feel like”.

Now and then my mind soars,
Far beyond the horizon of crimson desires,
A precious breeze blows,
My unwritten poems embrace me,
In a playful mood,
Like the waves on the bosom of a river.
These words yet to be born,
Like flowers half grown, leave me,

Only to come back, time and again…

chennai chronicles-2

Published by Aakarsh under on Friday, October 28, 2005
From Wednesday evening.the rain god(s) went beserk.we got some food packed and got it home, me completely drenched. The rain which started on wednsday evening, didnt pause even for a minute all through thursday. Chennai was completely shut on thursday. Our situation was more horrible. There was no power all through the day. With heavy rain pouring outside, we didnt dare to step out. after much deliberation, we decided to cook the lunch. my cousin suggested the boon vegetable for all bachelors..ie.,. Potato. and i asked, "ok..potato.And???"...with a frozen look..half-open mouth, he asked " And aa? is that not enough..oye! this is not ur home... One curry and 2 pickles and something like Kandhi-podi...that will suffice..dont expect full-course meal with 12 items now.." Rice and potato curry happened,he had "Asalaina Vantakam"(if you dont know what that is..Pity!!) and Mango pickle. Had lunch and slept like logs, with oting to do. It was like a solitary confinement.
In the evening, though the rain didnt pause, we dared to go out to get some groceries but..as i said..Chennai was completely shut. fortunately, we could find one supermaket open, and bought some eatable stuff like Ready-to-cook packets etc.,. drenching ourselves again..top to bottom.We heated the left-over rice, and few Ready-to-prepare Chapathis. fortunately, without drivingus more mad, the power was restored by the time we came back. so, we watched the news..the pictures of chennai being marooned and all..thank god, i cancelled my tickets. anyway, the trains were all cancelled. after dinner, we watched parineeta on his laptop. the movie was ok, a lot of drama though. in between i had to message a few friends of mine...
The shock came the next morning(ie.,. today morning..).the balance in my mobile dropped down by 110 bucks...all for just 3 messages i sent... i could have as well made a call. bastards!!!!
In all, the chennai trip was one adventure...with drives in rain ( in short..D-rain..).perhaps i will be the only soul, on this earth, who has the record of going to chennai and not eating Sambhar.Longing to go to home sweet home.
we have our Bus tickets booked for today evening and i hope the rain doesnt disrupt it.

Chennai Chronicles-1

Published by Aakarsh under on Wednesday, October 26, 2005
i can change the title to "Monsoon Chronicles" infact...because, from the moment Go(which means my landing time)- it has been drizzling and raining in chennai. Something fantastic preceded my landing in chennai.I woke up in the train, just before landing in chennai, only to find that my shoes are missing. Some bastard might have stealthily picked them up overnight.adidas shoes..just 1 and half year old...now, after going back to hyderabad, i need to digest my Dad's helpless look (now! i need to buy u one more pair of shoes!!!!)

It is like Yuccckkkk to walk barefoot..that too in a railway station. isnt it? for a moment, i said "Swamiye Saranam ayyappa" to myself and continued. Reached my couisn's flat(@ Nungambakam) in an auto rick.the very first look of his 2-bedroom flat, as soon as i opened the door, is omething i can never forget.newspapers thrown here and there...empty covers..dust..it looked like a typical bachelor's room...at its shabbiest-best.
Finishing usual morning-do's we headed for a food-outlet to have Andhra Bhojanam. had to clear so many one-ways, that i got confused. The food was decent enough, after which he dropped back at his flat. Spent the whole day at his flat. In the evening, we went to this place called "Kabul". what a name isnt it? I thought it will definitely have some pakistani cuisine.but it had indian cuisine only..then the name??? never mind..My cousin had a birthday treat to dispose and had my hunger to kill. His invitees were his colleagues. Each of them stays alone in chennai, enjoying bachelorhood...with a nice salary to spend away. must admit, i was really jealous.
The food was good. if you are wondering how could manage without footwear, i leased my cousin's shoes.
The next day, tuesday that was, was an adventurous one. i dropped my cousin at his office and went on to explore the city( as if it is some antarctica..)..my cousin gave me one golden mantra for the day ,"Nungambakam Eppadi Ponnu?"...that should be my question to go back home, after i get tired with chennai roads. i just drove along the straight road from his office(which is at nandanam) and crossed the Mount road. To the left i came across the famous Spencer's Plaza, the fame of which i wanted to check out.its a huge Mall with too many directions to follow..i mean, phase-1, phase-2, phase-3 and then again ground floor, first floor and all...i checked the most important outlets like Landmark(books and music etc.,.) and Planet-M etc.,. This is the 1st time that i visisted a book/music shoppe and got out without buying anything. i didnt have the patience to check out the other outlets spencer plaza, and within no time(which means after 2 hrs), i was drving in the same direction...STRAIGHT. after crossing a certain traffic point, suddenly there was no life around me. i mean, i noticed that there was not a single soul around me and i was driving all alone on that road which looked like a Run-way of an airport. i drove further down and landed at a place called chennai port. Took a U-turn and was driving slowly. all along the footpath, there were some chota-mota shops like we find Koti and all. Electronic goods, Cds etc were sold. Thanks to my curiousity, i just checked out. there were tonns and tonns of English movie cds, hindi mp3s and all. every guy, from each stall, asked me " BF vendaa??original..super clarity irukku". ok! so this the market place for ahem...desi stuff...i said "illa..vendaa vendaa"..and just drove back to the flat..using my mantra "Nungambakam eppadi ponnu". On the way, i had Idly & Uthappam at a place called Murugan Idly shoppe, sugested by my cousin.it was good.
The evening was quite good. i picked up my cousin(now i understood the map well..with one-ways and all..). we headed for Beasant Road,across adyar...which is a long drive..we cancelled my return ticket, as my journey got postponed by 1 day.next destination was "Adayar Beach". The time was 7:45pm. Sitting there in dark and watching the sea..or rather those few white-foamy waves hitting the beach..the gushh sound...an ambience good enough to think...introspect..retrospect..and even meditate..

To be continued...

A Time for Hero(es)

Published by Aakarsh under on Sunday, October 23, 2005
A saturday so unusual. I was Good Morning-ed from sleep , by Padmasanigaaru, Chinmayi's Mom.after a cool 30min tele-chat, Padmasanigaaru ,being her usual nice-self, invited me over to the Hotel in which they were/are staying, ITC Kakatiya.she invited me to the "A Time For Heroes" function, an AIDS Awareness event organised by Hollywood actor Richard Gere with Parameshwar Godrej, in collaboration with actors Kamal Haasan & Chiranjeevi. Chinmayi was to sing a song in this event, for which they have been flown in to hyderabad. Padmasani aunty( i think i can call her so...here on..) actually wanted me to accompany them to the rehearsals at the venue(Gachibowli Stadium), but since there was not much time left, i insisted on meeting them at the Hotel, after their rehearsals.

At 1:30pm, she promptly called me up and told that she procured One entry-pass for me(how nice of her...if you are reading this...thanks again padmasani aunty..)and asked me to drop in before 4:45pm. by 3:40pm, i was on my bike, driving to begumpet. But at secunderabad, my bike started behaving strangely. It wouldnt start. i was running out of time and bloody thing had to trouble me there...at that time..finally, i got the problem solved with a mechanic there , thankfully..but wait!i dont have a reason to smile.... can you believe it...i was left with only Rs.10/-.

i reached there by 4:30pm and was waiting for chinmayi & padmasani aunty at the lobby hall, as they were on their way to the hotel. They entered the hotel , talking to a 20-21 yr old girl(later..i learnt that it was shriya). I met them(they were little shocked..they said "u look quite different in the pic...") and went to her room. Had a chit-chat with them there,over a coffee, while chinmayi had to go through a very crucial and tough ordeal of the day...much tougher than the rehearsal i think...she had to get ready for the concert...and trust me friends! to come up with that presentable appearance isnt a joke. whoa! Time & patience...both are essentials.finally, after 6:30 or so, we were in the car...to the venue.

Padmasani aunty asked me to find myself a seat there, while she and chinmayi went to the back-stage/green-room for final preparation. found empty chairs in the 5th row itself and i patiently listened to the sermons given by our Chief Minister and co. ..Meanwhile, Padmasani aunty located me in the crowd and asked me to follow her...to the backstage. She said,"come, have a closer glimpse of Richard Gere". saw him...and then..Kamal Haasan...and we returned back to the seats.Really sweet of her for having taken up so much trouble for me.

The Ministers left the place after the sermons..i was shocked that our Ministers didnt even bother to felicitate Richard Gere for the remarkable work he was doing.Anyways, the show started..the usual star-event it was..with actors talking about AIDS sandwiched between dance sequences by actors/actresses.Chiranjeevi(his looks subtract his age by 15yrs) invited Kamal Haasan and got some AIDS-doubts clarified, the best among them was the question: "Does Lip-Lip kissing play a hand in transmitting the disease?" ..Kamal asked ,"why is everyone asking me?" to which Chiranjeevi said,"because you really are an authoritative person to clarify this doubt".The audience broke into peals of laughter and Kamal responded,"i think Richard gere is more authoritative than me.." (btw, if u have the same doubt...rest assured...it doesnt transmit..)

After introducing Gere , lot of song/dances happened..Sunita Sarathy sang "Fanaa" & "Anjaana " from yuva(in tamil ofcourse)...and then, Chinmayi sang "Oru Daiva thantha" from "Kannathil Muthamittal". It was simply awesome. She just razed the performance of other singers who sang before her(personal opinion..).i was completely Floored. I had to just bow, when she came back to sit with us(Myself, Padmasani aunty and singer Mahathi's Mom).Mahathi also performed well. i wonder why our composers are not using these voices..chinmayi, mahathi...especially when they perform so well.

One more significant item was a composition which raised my eye-brows.Surprised because the song was really good and i never had high regard (for that matter...any regard) for the composer. he is R.P.Patnaik.his song,with kids, was really good.
Many actors/actresses spoke about AIDS and some HIV+ve patients were brought to the dias too..they were all smiles.Somehow u feel a pinch to believe that those smiling faces..cant smile for long...Some clippings were also shown.Must admit, Richard Gere has been/is doing atleast something to help out the victims and bring an awareness. Commendable is an understatement. i dont know if "Heroes" is really the word to be used for the title, but he is definitely one.

After many more song/dances, most of them being Dapppaaxx, Kamal Haasan & Malayalam actor Jayram surprised everyone with their percussion presentation.though it was for only 3 mins, it was really surprising to see Kamal on Ghatam & Jayram on Mridhangam, that too playing decently well. And then, a 7 year old kid, came up with Drums/Jazz trap kit. Kamal & Jayram were giving him the tala in nattuvangam style and that kid played drums like a professional. for 5mins, it was like a Jugalbandhi between Kamal's Notes & Jayram's notes, with the kid playing both.The kid proved that he is a junior Sivamani in the making.

The icing on the cake was the Grand Finale song. Composed by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja ( he was to attend this concert, according to suntv news...but i dont know why he didnt turn up..i was very eager to see him..but..disappointed!!..his son Kaarthikraaja attended).I can use just one phrase to describe the song: Simply Superb..(please take it for granted that i have used other adjectives ..from the Roget's thesaurus). beautiful composition. Also, it is the 1st multilingual composition by him. The song started in English and each charanam covered each of the south-indian languages and finally ended in english again. what a song it was!, a wonderful fusion of western & indian classical. though the track was played in the background, all the artists,actors,actresses together hummed this song on the stage.This is the 1st time i saw a Hollwood actor singing an Ilaiyaraaja song.Raaja Sir! hats off (for the Nth time..)

After the concert, myself,padmasani aunty & chinmayi came back to the hotel. i bye-bye-ed them..drove back...and here i am keying this, still trying to remember the tune of that song.Alas! i dont...which means my next objective is to get that song. How!! let me see..

Padmasani aunty! your first comment on my blog was in "Saturday Night in Hyderabad". and this saturday night, thanks to you,its different.
Thanks to Chinmayi also. hoping to have another argument(if it was one :) ...) soon...

and thank God.. with only 10 bucks in my pocket, i didnt face any trouble in the night.

Published by Aakarsh under on Monday, October 17, 2005
The platform of this small station..
looks nearly deserted...
trains halt here briefly.
You've come all the way,
to see him off,
eager to see him as long as possible,
before distance takes him out of your sight.
you look upon the train, as a cruel carrier-away,
of the one you love.
Why blame the train,dear friend?

The bellman rings the bell,
the guard blows his whistle,
and waves his green flag.
not so close, the wheels move.
Wipe your tears, for they break his heart,
this parting is sad... sadder are your tears.
bid him farewell with a smile,
thinking of the day,
when you'll meet him again...

Epilogue:

The path and the almond tree...
where he came to you, that day, with two roses,
one in hand..one in heart.
he offered the one in his hand..
and you...lacked the art...
to ask -- "is the other one too , for me?"
yellow leaves fell from the bough of almond tree..
and he went away, only to come back..
to offer the other one too..

At the same path, under the same almond tree..
he touched you...
the same palm..
with which he used to caress your cheeks,
and often held your hand...
the same palm which he stretched out of the train..
"is it a good-bye? or a call?" , you thought that day,
for your tears blurred your sight.
with the same palm, he held the rifle,
and fought the enemies in war..
played the game of blood in raining bullets..
Wont you go to that path my friend..that almond tree...
he has now come back, for you...
with a bunch of flowers,
in the same palm.
Will you discern sparks of fire there?

Rare oppurtunity...Missed

Published by Aakarsh under on Sunday, October 16, 2005
Date : 16th october.
Place: Hyderabad.
Time : All evening & night.

Myself -->

Busy with : Financial Management.(exam tomorrow).

Date : 16th october.
Place: Chennai.
Time: All evening and night.

Ilaiyaraaja-->

Busy with : Live Concert, with his entire troupe...which include his current favourite singers/musicians(shreya goshal, sadhana sargam, etc.,.) & also erstwhile ones(sivamani,uma ramanan, puroshotham..etc.,.).

Verdict : It is nothing Fate's cruel Game.

Atonement: Concert will be telecasted on TV (Jaya-TV), on diwali.

For She who is not yet born...

Published by Aakarsh under on Monday, October 10, 2005
Like the blush of a shy sky,
which heralds the beautiful dawn,
touching every speck of the universe,
with autumnal magic…

like the sparkle of sunshine,
which enlightens the tiny droplets,
Embellishing each spectrum,
With rainbow hues…

Each whisper of your voice,
Adorned with tenderness,
Ornaments my soul with ethereal love…

Like the wisp of fragrance,
Which infuses the balming breeze,
Refreshing each fragment,
With energizing exhilaration…

Like the caress of a moonlight,
Resplendent with a silvery glow,
Which bedecks the tranquil night,
With placid incandescence…

Each tremor of your joy,
Bubbles as my happiness,
With eager enthusiasm.

Each caress of your love,
Embraces my innermost being,
And tickles the spirit of life,
With exquisite bliss…

Quest

Published by Aakarsh under on Thursday, October 06, 2005









My search is still on, my quest is still on…
In pursuit of new images I move,
Across the silent avenues of my mind.
Now and then, searching and etching,
Few verses, bright and dark, on its sky,
With the pens of various thoughts,
The recollections of which, I try hard,
To weave them with words into a poem.
But all the while, I fail to discern,
Their true colours and contours,
And my hands tremble on empty pages,
Aching to paint the images hidden in my thoughts.

All I sketch is the same image,
Sometimes distorted, sometimes disheveled,
Sometimes in disguise and even upside down.
Swift I try to make my pursuit,
But the destinations of new images seem afar,
Every image I created so far,
With its successive shadows and repeating reflections,
Hark and reverb in multiple tones,
That search is more important that destination.
And I reflect back with a – “perhaps”,
To such a lovely lame excuse,
In yet another image, yet another poem,
Artless though, like this one,

Keeping my search on, keeping my quest on… Posted by Picasa

Two Birds...

Published by Aakarsh under on Thursday, October 06, 2005
Two birds… in a nest.
One bird seeks to fly,
Even beyond the sky,
There time doesn’t flow,
And life smiles bright,
Beyond the shadows of death.
The desires of earth and heaven,
Formless and limitless,
Blossom in one bunch.

The other bird has no desire,
Either to fly or to cross the horizon,
The love of its little ones,
Ties it to the nest.
Yet how these two birds,
Inhabit the same nest?
What strange love,Binds their hearts?
 

Lipsum