BON VOYAGE!!

Sails have been set. I have painted my ship green as for me it is nature’s colour which symbolizes freshness, life and ever-lasting growth. Where am I headed for? My ship is about to leave the shores of ignorance and is set for a journey on the sea of wisdom. I am on my way to explore one of the most interesting islands present on this sea called writing – the island of words. For some learned minds, writing simply is stringing words into meaningful sentences. Little do they know that it is an art that, just like any other art, envelops within itself a vast history responsible for its development.

From simple and majestic verses to intricate and magnificent novels, a myriad of incidents lies in between its transition. Style, tone, language and narrative techniques – the gradual development of writers in all these aspects not only captures the literary history, but also encloses the changes that our society (both eastern and western) has undergone from time to time.

My fanaticism, however, for venturing into this island has two very strong reasons. First, as a writer, I need to know and comprehend my limitations; the stumbling blocks that lay between my writing and me need to be kicked aside. Second, I need a one-word identity that defines me and for this, I cannot think of any other word than ‘writer’. God has been very kind to me as He has blessed me with a beautiful life, and I fail to come up with any other mode to manifest His wonders than the mode of writing.

Pen is mightier than the sword. This age-old adage of Edward Bulwer-Lytton stands true for any and every century. Hence, when I have been gifted the magic of writing, I feel it my utmost duty to use it through the wand called pen. My contributions may not turn out to be as significant as William Shakespeare, Rabindranath Tagore or of any great writer as for that matter. But, the fact that I possess at least some percent of their gift and my few contributions through prose will suffice my soul.

Apart from these two reasons, my hunger for knowledge has also acted as a compelling factor for setting me on this journey. Writing goes in conjunction with reading for the more you read, the more you learn. Books not only reveal facts of life, but also show the astounding, inventive power of the human mind. How else do you justify the popularity of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter or T. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings?

Having stated my reasons, I now feel it important to let know my readers that you all are my compass for this journey. The wind seems to be rough at present, but if you are willing to guide me through your critical appreciation, then I will always be able to find my way back. I now embark on my journey. Bon voyage to me and to my readers! J

STOP THE BLAME GAME

Millions of hearts were broken on 26^th of March when it became clear that India would not make it to the final of World Cup 2015. I am also included in that heart-broken crowd. After the match, I tried to calm down with help of books and songs but in vain. Finally, I called my father to elevate my mood and bingo! Within seconds, I was a different person. At that moment, however, I wished what he said to me could be heard by everyone, hence, creation of this post.

Ever since I have started watching cricket, I have witnessed extreme behaviors of Indians during India’s matches. This extreme behavior turned into absolute abnormality during World Cup tournaments. Whenever India lost a crucial match, newspaper editions of the next day featured incidents of people dying out of shock, people breaking their televisions and still others venting out their frustration on expensive crockery. Whoa!!

One such incident (without much damage though) took place in my own home during the 1999 World Cup. India lost a league match to Zimbabwe by three runs. That match was India’s ticket for making entry into the quarterfinals. India had three wickets and nine balls left to score those three crucial runs, but they couldn’t. When the last wicket fell, my father shouted and sat up with a jerk, and seconds after that I could see the cup and saucer (the nearest objects he could find) lying broken on the floor. Next day, he could not go to shop because of high fever. Newspapers and news channels were full of criticism on India’s lame performance.

When team India lost the semifinal to Australia, they knew something similar awaited them. I felt bad too, but that bad feeling was more because of judgments coming from my country people and less because of our defeat. I knew that the newspaper next day would be filled with statements on how our batsmen screwed our dreams, how Dhoni should have set a better fielding and of course, the poor shot played by great Virat.

However, when I told Papa about my wallowing, he started laughing. He answered calmly, “Your wallow is legitimate sweetie, but Australia is a strong team. It has robust players, a power-packed batting line-up, and most importantly, they are playing on their own ground. Unhi ke jagah mein unhi ko dadagiri dikha ke cup le aana halwa hai kya (is it a cakewalk to defeat them on their own ground and bring back the cup). Our team did their best. So cheer up and cheer them up.” He was so right.

So, here is my question to so-called die-hard Indian fans. After winning seven games in a row and defeating strong contenders like SA and WI, is it fair on our part to play the blame game? Be it Twitter or Facebook, not a single platform has been left for their criticism. Calm down folks! If you have the guts to sneer at other teams on India’s victory, then have the spirits to accept its defeat sportingly. Above all, stop the blame game. Why didn’t Kohli perform? Why didn’t Dhawan show some sensibility? Who asked Dhoni to take that single? Stop shooting questions.

Our team has landed on its soil after months. Act less like BCCI directors and behave more like cheerleaders. They have lost a match; they have not triggered apocalypse. Come on! I mean what slogan would we have for the next world cup if India won it this time - take it if you can? How lame! Now, I have already come up with an energetic punch line for 2019 World Cup – we will get it back. Spectacular, isn’t it? :-D

P.S. – A crucial reason for India’s defeat was the absence of Australian players’ non-gentlemanly banter on the field. I bet. Had Starc or Maxwell dared to crack jokes with Kohli or Dhoni, we would have fired our way into the finals. What say? ;-)

2015: WE READY FOR THE ROAD

2014 has become history. With the dawn of 2015, we now have another new book consisting of 365 pages. Though 23 pages have already become history, we still have 342 pages ahead of us. Isn’t it strange? Every morning the rising sun breathes a new life in us. It promises us a fresh start with renewed energy and refreshed hopes. But, it is only the eve of New Year that gives us a new, different kind of excitement. That different ‘excitement’ lies dormant all year and resurfaces only at the last day of that year – the only day when we contemplate its specialty. I, by the way, am not here to contemplate 2014.

I am here to welcome 2015 with open arms. I had to run a few rough roads in 2014, but I am not carrying forward grudges to 2015. Of all the lessons life taught me in 2014, the most important one was that ‘today is a gift’. The past cannot be changed (we still don’t have time machines), and the future is nothing but a thick fog. We know that the fog will lift up, no matter how dense it is, but what lies behind the fog is beyond our control. All we can do is comprehend the situation, act accordingly, learn our lessons and then move on. And that’s exactly what I plan to do this year.

From the very first day of 2015, I have stopped lamenting over my past and worrying about my future. Yes, I have had bad experiences; I had faced betrayals and I had quarreled. So what? I am a normal human being and I behaved humanly. If people have cheated on me, then they should feel guilty and be ashamed of it. Whenever my honesty and trust got shattered, I wept thinking that I was living my pain. So wrong I was because I was actually living the pain of people who were on the wrong side. I am done living others' pain.

Hence, in 2015, I have decided to liberate myself from regrets, pains and guilt. I have decided to free myself from clutches of society’s hypocrisy. I will accept myself unapologetically. I’ll laugh harder, cry louder, shout at the top of my voice, write till my fingers ache, sing my heart out, dance like no one’s watching me and live as if I’ll die tomorrow. At the end of each day, I wish to live just like the song of my favorite band OneRepublic:

I did it all

I owned every second that this world could give

I saw so many places, the things that I did

Yeah, with every broken bone

I swear I lived….

That's right! So many things to know, books to read, songs to listen, movies and series to watch, places to visit, cuisines to relish and only one life for everything – how unfair? I’ve already wasted enough time, but no more. So 2015, behold me! I am ready for the road. I will continue my journey towards my dream. It doesn’t matter if the road gets bumpy because I know that at some point of my journey, it will be smooth. During this journey, I’ll give my sweetest smile to life, and life will be compelled to smile back. Does it even dare to slap me, I’ll slap it harder. I am going to keep the confident, young woman inside me perfectly intact.

I wish all good (I mean truly good) persons an extremely joyous and prosperous new year. As for the bad ones, I would just say all the best because if you are not having a good time, then your karma is rounding up on you. So, try to be good and just from now on.