With Love..

Under the starlit sky and the moon so warm,

Comes in a cloud just like a storm..

Walking barefoot on the grass so soft,

Pulls in memories from my mind’s loft..

Just then fall a few drops of rain,

Come and crawl the memories of pain..

On the grass as I walk alone,

Joins in a shadow to cut in my lone..

We talk the walk and he makes me smile,

Walking each step like an unending mile..

The feeling so sweet and the words so few,

Just like the raindrops so very few..

It made me strong like never before,

The beautiful moment touched my heart in ways galore.

The Taj Mauhtaj!

Gunshots, terrorists, policemen, reporters, NSG Commandos and then bloodstains, heaps of dead bodies, people injured, piles of stones and debris and rubble all around. The worst was the hurt, shocked, enraged and furious feelings when people saw The Burning Taj.

Yes, The Heritage, The Dome, Our most prized possession, The Taj was attacked; severely and brutally attacked. It had been in the clutches of the terrorists not just for hours but for days. The plot was indeed a well planned one. Monitoring their plan from their hide-outs in Pakistan, thanks to technology, commercialized media and satellite phones; they do have brains par excellence only if hadn’t been used for destructive purposes.

Ajmal Kasab, the fishing trawler ‘Kuber’, the e-mail scrutiny, the extra-tightened security for the future speculated attacks; all of these and more, were all that the headlines could cover.

Indeed, a very well planned attack. Their attack on The Taj was rightly the attack on the hearts of Mumbaikars. An event post-which there were peace marches, candle-light rallies; youth and other citizens demanding a better government. It seemed like this attack was an eye-opener, not just for the sake of cribbing about the government but about raising questions about their security. A secular city demanding security; this was never new for the Mumbaikars. It had happened back in July, 2007, when the caterpillar of this concrete jungle had suffered a similar fate.

Amidst all of these, the khadi-kurta clad men grabbing opportunities at pointing fingers to one another. And another important thing doing its routine on t.v. screens, the fm channels, banners all around and popular celebrities voicing the words, “One Vote Can Make A Difference.” Wow!

A place which was considered and remembered as the pride of Mumbai is now being remembered for its terrorist attack and the heart-twitching event that shook the nervous system of Mumbai in the last days of November, 2008. A visit to that area will give you the feel that there’s something amiss in the pride of Mumbai and then you’ll spot the boards and barricades speaking Mr. Tata’s words, “Working to restore a symbol of Mumbai’s enduring spirit and dignity” – The Taj Mahal Palace & Tower.

With faith and belief, Mumbaikars keenly await the moment when The Taj shall be revived to its fullest, welcoming its foreign atithis with open arms and functioning just like before, like nothing ever happened!

You..

As I gaze at wonderful sky above,
I rewind my thoughts, changing the gear to the reverse mode,
I smile and think about the times that just passed by,
Those that I had loved n lived every bit of it.

I look back to know,
I was Happy when you had called
& when we spoke and when we laughed
And when we had talked.

Of all the days that I had loved, laughed and enjoyed
It was the best when you were there by my side..

With You always around my days were so Lovely,
You ran your fingers through my hair so curly
You always made sure that I was alright
There was nothing more I’d needed to make me feel right.

You made me feel ever-so-Beautiful
Made life seem to me as Wonderful!

And whether we often met or we didn’t
I knew You were there for me
To make me feel like Me.

The drizzling drops falling on my face
Crawling my thoughts to the present day,
I realize I’m already in your keen embrace
Making me wish that like this I’d forever lay…

Bidding Goodbye - An ode, Au revoir.

Farewell – a word which is one of a kind having feelings and emotions attached to it which is plenty in its kind.
Of all the years we’ve known you,
Of all the things we shared,
The events, the moments,
The fun and the silence
A shoulder to lean on,
You were for us through it all.
Standing at the crossroads of life
Where the signal red has now turned green,
Showing that the clock has ticked,
Ticked by days, months and years.
As you move ahead leaving behind trails of memories and being our Queen of good times,
For Life without you and your fun-loving ways was quite incomplete.
As you move on, towards a life so new,
Your dearest friends wishing you,
“A Life bundled and blessed with lots of goodness and cheer,
All of it and some more, only for you dear.”
And as you trod on, making friends so new,
Please don’t forget,
“You may have new friends and some old friends.
Cherish all of them,
For if new friends are gold then old friends are diamonds.”

The ValuEd Class...

Things change, times change and with the times some thoughts change. There were a lot of things that were taught to us at grass root levels. Mainly, the Value-Education class, the first half an hour was dedicated to valuEd teachings. A time for all the students to catch up on the sleep they had missed early that morning, to complete their home-works, to update their bench partners with what happened the day before or to munch on some half-eaten breakfast.

Proverbs always formed an integral part of this ValuEd class. Many-a-times it was the class monitor’s duty to write one right on top of the blackboard. The famous one was “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” A healthy proverb I say! Probably by listening to this one, the kids scared of needles would quietly gulp down an apple for each day. How obedient!

Years passed on and the kids grew up. From grade 1 to grade 7 and further on, each class and each grade, they successfully moved on. And oh ya! Not to forget the healthy habit. And as teenage creeped in, things changed, times changed and some thoughts changed. Value Education class was still there (we had it all through our school life). And students continued their same routine of ‘T.P.’ during this ValuEd class. And with all the changes around, the healthy thought was re-thought to:
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,
If the doctor is handsome keep the apple away!”

Or the boys would frame it their way:
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,
If the doctor is a babe then keep the apple away!”

Ahemm.. yes! Right! Changes! Isn’t it? Suits the first line of this article right?

More than a decade has passed by, making a lot of us forget about this proverb unless expected to teach it to a toddler. The other day I was just gazing at the wonderful sky and wondering about this thought. And Bingo! I had my version ready. A version which at some point of my life, I’ll have to use it.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away,
If the doctor is handsome keep the apple away.
Damn the Apple, Damn the Doctor,
Whatever happens sweety you don’t go away!”

Actions Speak Louder Than Words...

The feeling of Love and Concern,
Hatred, Anger, Warmth, Sadness or Fear,
Tears for dear and for Thoughts very clear;

Words aren’t really needed,
For thoughts and feelings deeply embedded.

Even he, who can’t speak,
Wouldn’t really feel all bleak,

For the smile says it all,
And the eyes speak it all.

A loving dog who wags his tail
And a baby when she wails,
A cat when she purrs
And a tiger when he glares,

The feeling of Love and Concern,
Hatred, Anger, Warmth, Sadness or Fear,
Tears for dear and for Thoughts very clear;

Words aren’t really needed,
For thoughts and feelings deeply embedded.

The A Mag Editorial, 2007 - '08.

I Loved writing this one. The Magazine Editorial. It's a special one! The second time I could write an editorial, I was on Cloud # 9. My joy seemed no bounds. Yes!! Not only articles i could write Editorials too.... Whopppeee!! Yaayyy Woww!!

No picture describes a youth better than that of a university student. It is in our college days that we learn to strike a balance between studies and (ahemm..) realities of life. Yes Readers, we have dedicated this year’s Annual Magazine to the ‘The Spirit of Freedom – The Youth’s Perspective‘mainly implying on the Attitude, Thoughts and Deeds of Today’s Youth.

“Dil hai chota sa.. Choti si asha, Masti bhare man ke, Bholi si aasha..
Chaand Taaron ko Choone ki Aasha, Aasmanon mein udne ki Aasha..
Dil hai chota sa.. Choti si Aashaa… “
These words sing in a true picture of the tunes that sums up the mind of a teenager blossoming her way to being a responsible youth. With Freedom comes Responsibility!

Hopes, Dreams, Aspirations… all of these and more create a sense of Responsibility, Passion and Dedication in the minds of the euphoric youth adding another beat to the heart.
It may not be as rosy as it seems for today’s youth has to excel at academics, behave responsibly towards our society & our nation, and compete with the peers.

“Boond boond se saagar banta hai”, this well known Hindi adage may sound clichéd but is true to its core. “We” as college students may not be contributing a great deal towards our society and nation, but it is the little things we do that can make a great deal. Our thoughts and attitude towards various concerning issues is what decides the solution of the issues. In this magazine we have not only included the thoughts and attitude of today’s youth towards various issues but also included a few of those Inspirational Youth Icons who channelize the passion and are idols to today’s Youth.

The Cheerfulness of the heart and the Innocence of the mind, the harsh truth of practicality and the bitterness of reality; In spite of these “we” as responsible youth must vouch for ourselves, to act sensibly in every situation, for it is our responsibility to pave a smooth way for our living as well as reaching our nation to Her highest Peak.

To know what experience has to say and to be aware of the happenings in our society, with immense pleasure, we – the Editors of The Annual Magazine have brought back ‘The Alumni Section’ and have introduced a new section ‘A Section of Social Relevance’.

With this, we would like to extend our best wishes and gratitude to all those who have put in their efforts and time to make this magazine a meaningful piece!