The Social Network

Like grown up toddlers we stumble into college. We look around this new place. We look around the new faces. We look around see a few familiar faces, few friendly. Few arrogant, few dull, few over enthusiastic and a few plain boring. The familiar faces are the ones we start this joy ride of college with. We sit with them through lectures which we plan on attending earlier; we then start talking to the people sitting in the rows behind and in front of us. We then end up meeting their friends and then there is this one huge social group

The next thing that happens is that groups are formed within groups and some people get closer, and some not. Some start dating, some start fighting. Now this one huge group becomes 10 new groups like the Indian political system. It’s the democracy and the people first which then break into several parties just to fight each other. And when you read these 2 paragraphs of utter nonsense, and believe it, I will identify you as a college student.

Its been more than 1 whole term since college has started. I have managed to make a few friends. Some being the grapes as well ( ref: the fruit basket)  but my only question is will these friends last? How trustworthy are they? How close can I get? Will they take me for granted? Am I going to have a dramatic college life? Do I want a dramatic college life? Will I have good memories? Or will I have to live with sob stories? Will people bother me regarding who I like and who I don’t? Will I be caught in a stupid unwanted cat fight? Why am I thinking about this? But then again, will I change? Is this company wrong? Or wait, I wont get carried away by peer pressure, will i?

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I WAS UTTERLY AND DRASTICALLY CONFUSED

There are times when self realization works wonders. I woke up one morning early enough to see the sun rise. I saw it rise and rise till after a point it became painful to the eyes. I couldn’t look at it anymore, my eyes began to water. I had seen it only for an hour and it made me cry. People are very much like the sun. they grow on you. Being close to a person to an extent is healthy, it’s called being social, but getting too close to them only after a short period of acquaintance could make you cry. It could hurt you. And as a self prevention action, so to say. I decided to fall out of all social groups and just learn to be a good person and have “friends”. Because at the end of the day it is the amount of love a person craves for, not the number or people who like them. Love and liking have a huge amount of difference and to be loved is a feeling of satisfaction.

So, here I am, a friend to be. Because you get one day, one life and one experience of college life. one experience to lose it all. One experience where losing is gaining. One day, one movie, one situation one realization, one experience will take you a long way in life. Don’t get stuck in groups, don’t get carried away. Stay in college. Have fun. Judge correctly and you will be a happy teenager J

p.s- sorry for such a stereotypical article, but it had to come from me some day :P 

A day well spent

I know its been long since I blogged. I know it’s a sad thing. But I just had to blog about today’s day

People come and people go. Some stay, to be called friends.  And I wish that today lasts for eternity.

College has been promising till today,but very competitive. Sometimes very demanding. But today. I saw what I competed for. A bunch of good ol’ people. Who I sense will turn out to be friends some day.

Diwali is the festival of lights. Lights bring hope, hope brings faith, faith brings chance, chance brings opportunity and opportunity brings success. And today I did experience victory. I met a few people in college roughly 2 months ago. The same talkative, gushy, giggly, friendly people.Were they my prospective new ‘friends’? were they my new ray of hope? Were they the right people? How much did I know about them? Their names? What else? Their school? Their field? But what else? Nothing! But somewhere deep down there was a feeling of comfort, of ease, of peace. A feeling of security. And that is the basic necessity, humans, teenagers require at this point to have a comfortable life in college. Security is basic therapy to heal many wounds and this is being said from an experience of  having lovely school friends.

What had to happen next. We sat together in classes, helped each other in projects, stalked each other on facebook to know better of each other, exchanged phone numbers, began a group chat, started sharing ideas, decided on having a potluck party and ending up knowing 90% of each others life, fears and joys. Wow. I had gone a long way in being social. Just by knowing a persons name and school, we ended up knowing each others fears. I smelt a sense of victory then. I had chosen the right people. The right kind of people. People who had their heads rule over their heart. A group of crazy loving people

Today was fun. Maybe a fantabulouslyepic (I just formed that word because fun was an understatement I realized) day. It started with awkward posing for pictures to a potluck lunch. It then went on to prove how much the course of time makes us trust and believe people. How every human ends up judging a person. How human emotions are attached to belief. How much a person actually cares at times to be in a social group. How everyone actually loves everyone.

I learnt a lesson from every girl today. From one I learnt how to care. From one I learnt how to judge. From one I learnt how to be happy, no matter what. From one I learnt how to live for love. From one I learnt how to hope and from all I learnt how to enjoy a meal.

I might sound like a feminist, but every woman, every female, every girl, knows how to fight for what she believes. For what she wants, for what she loves. Today dressed in Indian traditional wear, I seemed like an Indian girl hoping for the best. Today we ate, laughed, confessed, promised, realized what we are doing, what we want and what we deserve. Our souls spoke. And when souls interact, the conversation is pretty hilarious (virtually).

A great time in all. And this blog just for all my awesome girls.  I hope we become friends one day J
OR ARE WE ALREADY?

THE FRUIT BASKET ;)

Washington apples, fresh green grapes, ratnagiri cha haapus, and mahabaleshwar strawberrys, all laid so pettily in the yellow fruit basket on my dining table.  I finished my lunch after college and had the urge to sleep for a while. A glaring green bunch of grapes seemed like they said “ yeah, I am the best of the lot”, we are the one you will relish the most.” I responded by saying “Maa I want some of the grapes, wash them for me” I ate the first grape and it was unpleasant. The second too and the third as well. And indeed the grapes were sour!

It is often said, a man is known by the company he keeps. Isn’t it strange that it applied in fruit philosophy as well?

The fruit basket looked like all the populace in college to me. The apples- foreigners, the mangoes-spoilt rich brats, the grapes- the oh so cool group, the strawberry’s- a group of stupid blondes, the oranges- the double meaning talkers and the solitary pineapple- a friend.

Pineapples are rare. They are different. They are unique. That is why they are so hard on the outside and so sweet in the inside, just like a friend.

I have a story to share. Readers might feel I have something against grapes, I don’t, I rather like them when they are sweet, but the story will explain why

I was rather intrigued by this group of people in college. They seemed nice, sweet, cheerful decent people. I liked being with them, hanging out with them, being a part of them. But one day they turned sour, bad and mean. We stopped hanging out. now usually passer bys at home, might just pop a few grapes into ones mouth on passing by the fruit basket. Now you will wonder what is the correlation.. Soon after I had, stopped hanging out with them, a few others started hanging out with them., in context. A few others had popped in the sour grapes into their mouth. A few days later, they again felt that the combination of grapes and strawberries doesn’t sound right. And they decided to sour some other people’s mouth

They soured my mouth, when they rotted. Like fruits, with time, wrong people in turn tend to show their true colors, or rather tastes.

The fruit basket taught me lots. It taught me to be with people I know, I love and I am concerned about. Knowing new people is good. It’s great. But trusting them and being vulnerable in their company is not a good idea.

College is indeed a fruit basket, and all fruits don’t taste right, but judging any group of people or person without knowing them is wrong. Its is absolutely unscrupulous. I have learned to love life. to experience and to be strong because of college. It has made me a new person. I am not the open book I was. I am maybe the index now. I am not the school girl now. I am the new college girl. I am a more responsible, priority giver, mentally balanced girl, I am independent of my transportation and my my academic capabalities.

I am a new fruit, my mom got from the market. Because the grapes decayed anyways.

We knew how to walk and run and hop, today we learnt how to march :)

Anna Hazare hum tumhare saath hai, inkalaab zindabaad, and they marched onwards.. The protestants were in full form. Singing patriotic songs and with an uproar of vandey mataram the fergussonians marched on and on. I was indeed earlier rather perturbed to join the rally. I was scared, I was in two minds. I wanted to stand up against corruption, but at the same time, there was this sinking feeling.

I wanted to support this man, who was great. Had qualities of this man, who smiles on every Indian rupee note. Had the will, the courage, the strength to stand up against the government. But was this rally safe. Was I doing the right thing? Did I know what I was doing? I stood still. I was frozen. I saw a 100 fergussonians shouting for justice. For equality. For well-being, and that pulled me into the rally. And there began my experience, a feel good experience

We sat around this triangulated structure, called the Kimaya, listening to few who had initiated the protest in college. They read out the Lokpal bill, tried encouraging us. I understood less. I realized more. I literally went into a flashback. The pictures of the Jailianwala massacre, the Dandi march, Nehru speech, 1857 uprising, Bhgat Singh’s trial all formed a collage in my mind. What I felt was unequivocal. It was so clear to me. It was so powerful that it can’t be expressed. I felt good. I felt I was fighting for the right thing. I dint feel wrong. It all felt so right. I felt like, yes finally I am being the change I want to see. I am doing what this country wants me to do.

Sometime ago a friend of mine said that I just express in words how much i disapprove the government of its horrible tactics but never do anything. Well. Her you are mister. I dint just walk in the rally. I dint just shout. I dint just wave the flag. I did it whole heartedly, and that’s what counts. I did it for the change. I want the Lokpal bill to pass.  And that’s what matters

The experience was boggling. We made charts; we got people to sign on it. We had patience. We sat there in the sun. We supported the country. We behaved like a strong, practical group of protestants. We dint break glasses, we dint light up buses. We went vocal. We actually followed Satyagraha. Yes. We all did. Did everything legally. We actually abided by the constitution. We all joined hands with this man, who has 67,000 bank balance and only 0.07 hectares of land. A man who lives in a small room and appreciates humanity. A man who has created a nationwide uprising

Kudos to the youth today! I am not going to curse the government here. I am talking about the 16-18 year old youth, which has indeed demanded respect for doing the right thing. I am sure, we are going to go on and change the world of politics. We are going to vote right. We are going to include ourselves in worthwhile service. We are going to make this a better place to live in. we are the youth who has the ability to make a change. We have to put it to use. Yes we have awoken. Yes we are fresh. We are young and we are strong. We are smart and we are capable. We are the youths of tomorrow

Jai hind!

Cross ROADS!

Subjective and indescribable is the word of friendship

Its all about people we consider closest

But what happens when, these people walk away and shut the doors of the light coming our way

Friends are those who come and stay and reside in your heart for days so grey

Friends are those who value your smile, your little tears which make your frown

Friends are those who care about you and never  ever give you position 2!

There was once a girl I considered friend, but seems she never valued me then

And now today when I look out and say, this day is so not grey

Those little memories come my way

And then I realize she was never a friend, she was just a person with whom I crossed roads one day

Today is new and tomorrow is bright, I have all new roads to cross once again

I have a smile and I have an aim

I have a good heart and a loads of strength

I miss her too and miss the rest, but what can I do, I better cross before the signal turns red! 

Let's be butterflies, not moths :)

‘School is the best part of your life’ quoted my teachers. *yeah right, whatever*. And today I want to go back in time and smile and not frown at this statement my teachers made. I want to back to having recess. I want to go back and cover my books in brown paper. I want to go back and wear my school uniform, my id-card and stand in height order for the assembly. I want to sing the national anthem with my entire batch and fight for spoons during the break. I want to go back and be a school-girl all over again

Funny isn’t it. We march out of school and dress in the most traditional way for the farewell party. We cry at the first day of school and curse the timings all through out, and today when I am sitting at home lounging, and my juniors are sitting on wooden benches studying and following discipline, I suddenly want to go there and sit and study. What is this ‘thing’ about school that is so attractive? The uniform? No! its like a nurse dress. The teachers! Maybe! The people? Man they are egoistic! Then what is it? Why do I hate and love it so much at the very same time?

Looking at my old journal ‘symbiosis secondary school’ I realize what is happening. I never quite liked the uniform, the teachers or the people. I liked what the school had molded me into. I could write, I could respond, it gave me the ability to repel from wrong happenings, it gave me friends and mostly it gave me the most wonderful memories of childhood, adolescence and teenage.  It gave me instances of joy, sorrow, victory, friendship, support, love and a whole lot of b*****: P .

Now has come the time of fun I thought. All fun. Bike rides, parties, late nights, outings, no boring lectures, bunking. Everything looked like ‘kuch kuch hota hai’ but looks like its more like ‘taare zameen par’ half of physics has weird looking signs. Math is not just numbers anymore. Its theta, alpha, trig, blah crap! Chemistry has weird elements and bio has a trillion words like ‘ciliated columnar epithelium’. Well is this what I wanted. Well somewhere deep down. Yes. I wanted to work hard. College campus will be there but so will work. Fun will be there but so will frustration. If only the kuch kuch hota hai things would have been around, I wouldn’t have been able to face the real world. I have to learn to identify both sides of the same coin. I wanted to know what college life is about in reality. And since I am getting an unfocussed view about it, I am glad!

School was where we grew up; college is where we will evolve. School was pampering, loving, all homely atmosphere. We are now butterflies set open. Into the polluted atmosphere. The toxic elements of the atmosphere being, unhealthy competition, corruption, bribery, ragging, bias mark distribution. But since we are beautiful butterflies of a lovely cocoon, school, I am sure we are going to find way out of all this and evolve. We are going to a make this a better country by educating ourselves and having sensible minds.

School is a event of the past. College is our future. It is our step into the new world. Let's rejoice it. let’s have fun. Let’s work hard and let’s do what we want to do, not what we have to. Let’s be happy colorful butterflies, not dull dark moths. Let’s be enthusiastic, passionate, practical and live the most colorful days of our life. If we are going to be happy, so is everyone else going to be.  Let nostalgia encourage us, not bring us down. Lets work as a union and not a crowd. Lets laugh and make this world a better place to live. Lets be butterflies, instead of moths! 

Trend setters of thought.

There was a time when all ‘al ov us rote lyk dis’ it gradually changed ‘2 callin each Oder uh and meh’ and finally we ‘write and type like this’. The most important question that circulates in my mind is that, how a trend stereotypes everybody and how one persons has the ability to set a trend

Old is new- a tautology or antithesis is a question mark for me.  Well it might sound strange but I opt for tautology, and perception wise I might as well be right. See, according to me trends were set since man evolved. But they were modified. Nothing is new. Everything is modified. And modification is the key to excellence and understanding. In the same way today’s youth has suddenly started respecting the English language and modified them to use it the classy suave way.  But why does a trend stereotype the society? Has today’s youth suddenly sunk down to a point where ones excellence is deliberate in percentage or marks? Not his practical ability to think? Has today’s youth started following the trend of 100% marks which has suddenly become a joke? Has by-hearting overruled us that it compels us to think? Why do trends tend to modify our mind? Trends are just there. They are not to be followed every time. For me as of now, the one who doesn’t get stereotyped is a literal hero! Trends which make sense like using English properly is modifying. But following a trend which says you can change your boyfriend/girlfriend every week is misleading.

Now my point of writing this is, I suddenly last night had this vague ideology. Trendsetters seem to be politicians which coax people to like them. Their trend is good to know about but not to follow always. Their work is not always good, and meant to take certain revenge. Their basic reason to set a trend is to make a few people or person believe that what they did was right and for proof so many people are doing the same thing.

Its time we stop getting into the vicious circle of following trends. Start thinking. Become practical. Do what we want to, not what everybody else is. If ‘those’ jeans don’t look good on you but you wear them just because you want to look fashionable, don’t! Advertisements are like the parliament of setting trends and trust me they are the ones who spread the phenomena of stereotyping.

We are the youth. We all can’t have the same line of thought. We have to have minds which have the ability to confront and criticize. We need to think differently. Less materialistically.  Not follow to look good. Build up or personal self. Follow what is right and criticize what is wrong. Lets be individuals and not  protestants of one persons thought. Lets be a union not a crowd. Lets talk not abuse. Lets argue not fight. lets lead not follow. Lets become trendsetters of thought.

Ganga made a Spiritualist

Well, to begin with, this is a just a testimonial about my recent visit to Uttarakhand where I went rafting at Hrishikesh.  For me, it was the second time that the holy river of Ganga had invited me, to appreciate her beauty and magnificence. We were staying on the Paudi part of the Shivalik range, also known as the lower Himalayas. The river ganga flows from gomakh, its mouth and all the way to the bay of Bengal providing bread to all living by her banks.

It was the goa-nizzamuddin train we were boarding to travel by rail to Delhi, the nations capital and then travelled my road, by bus to hrishikesh. Beach 17-questrailas was where we stayed and overlooked the Ganges.

We reached our destination rather early and got our tents allotted. Right then when I looked at the river flowing gracefully through its course, it looked like she demanded respect. She demanded love. She demanded trust. She demanded purity.  Possibly every Indian is thankful to this holy river, but I exceptionally am.  The purity that she demands is not of the external one man displays, but the inner, soulful one. Looking at her flow, makes you ease out, relaxes your mind, your heart and your soul. And that’s exactly what I needed. In the past few days I was feeling rather insecure back home, even with the familiar faces of my friends. I felt wasted. I felt lost. I dint want to be around anybody I rather knew. I wanted to be on my own. Give myself some ‘me’ time.  Family is an aspect I never get bored of, but friends, sometimes make me feel insecure. So attempting my first go as a volunteer I went rafting. Looking at the river, gave me my answers because I was peaceful from within. Yup, that’s the power she possesses. It was not my friends making me feel insecure; it was me, feeling insecure in this group of people having familiar face but changed habits and traits. People change and so do their thoughts. And I drove to a conclusion that if I want to not feel insecure, I only have two options. Change myself, or meet and find new people with whom I am compatible and feel comfortable. And there I was! With a group of 20 unknown people, amongst whom; I never thought I would find 4 other individuals with whom I am ‘compatible and comfortable’.

The first day of rafting arrived. Geared up in life jackets, helmets, ores, and one inflated raft. We jumped into it, chanting Ganga maaiya ki jay! I praying the holy river for a safe sail… gave the orders of moving the ore upfront and downward. Somewhere deep down I felt very comfortable and calm with the atmosphere around me. Very pleasant. Very enthusiastic. Very focused. It was amazing. And there came the first 1^st grade rapid, namely good morning. It was the perfect one for me. It was my wake up call. It was realization of appreciating and understanding the way things work. Our stretch for rafting was from NIM to shivpuri. It was a beautiful stretch. Sand on one side and the tehri range of the Himalayas on the other. The next stretch we approached the third day of our stay there was from NIM To Marine Drive. This one was eventful. I was with a group of my friends and we were rafting merrily. Suddenly my instructor gave us commands to sand on the edge. I gave it a shot. The shape of a raft is rather like a very broad banana. I was rafting in the front position and it being slightly slanting, I lost balance. A third grade rapid approached and there I fell a few meters away from the raft. I started panicking. I was scared. But then it dawned up me. Ganga  demands trust. I trusted the Holy River and body surfed singing the hanuman chalisa so aloud that maybe half of the shivalik could hear it. Usually when something drastic happens.. the f word comes to my mouth. But when its something related to life, faith comes ,in the way and god comes to your mind. I body surfed that little bit with water in half my lungs. But I was alright. I trusted the river. I trusted myself. I trusted nature. And I was fine. Shivering. Slightly traumatized. I wasn’t strong enough mentally to do cliff jumping. But then again. My friends supported me, warmed me up and when I saw down, I dint feel scared, I felt invited and jumped with a thud. It was amazing.

We went for a trek which also was awesome and gave us a chance to encounter the people who actually are blessed by ganga. It was great. We went to the Ganga aarti. Oh it was magnificent. People from over the world had tripods set up for photos. It was glittering. They were praying to mere water. But water with immense power. With immense force and total elegance. That’s when I realized I was in the midst of the most wonderful moment. When I got answers to some confusions. Practically I had got my answers myself. Nature showed me the direction to think. It gave me calmness and peace. It gave me a soul. I think I borrowed it from her.

Thank you