The Last First Day

Its 2012 now. The last session at college has kicked off. Freshers coming in new wonderful dresses which I know I would never wear at college. Me being in something very regular. I stand at the lobby waiting for someone. The same someone who's been there with me since two years. Till then I stare at people- nothing better I could have done. The walls seem so old yet so new to me. The noises the crowd make makes me feel so related. The person entered the lobby. We went straight to the class. Science- cant help it. The break came, we went to the canteen. Not much people around, but thats how we like it. The canteen seemed a bit renovated though. We preferred to sit outside. Under the shed. And so the talks started. The normal talks. We dont really need more friends. We know we are sufficient for each other. All of a sudden, we started remembering the previous two years- of college, of fun, of friendship, of shopping, of bunking, of fights, of togetherness. We means me & Vartika.

I must admit, this is our best picture ever.

College life has been so full with her, only her. We went into deep thoughts and suddenly it started raining.
"My first Delhi rain of this session", she said
"Of course", I said.
We saw the rain dancing with slow and fast steps. We saw people running back to classes.
"Dont worry, I have my umbrella", I said.
She smiled.
The rain dripping in through the leaking canteen sheds- on us, on food. We didnt bother.
"I just wish we have a plain, simple, tension free year", I said.
"Me too", she said.
 Somewhere deep down we knew the beginning of ending has started. Its gonna be the last year at college. It was the last first day at college of constant classes.
A long silence followed. 

Kahin duur jab din dhal jaye

Kahin duur jab din dhal jaye

saanjh ki dulhan badan churaye

chupke se aaye

My one of the favorites of Rajesh Khanna. We all remember that song. Sung somewhere, heard somewhere, kept in heart somewhere.

I saw my dad's wet eyes as Rajesh Khanna passed away. He was his favorite actor. His' was the first movie my dad watched at cinema when he cleared 10th exams- in 2 and a half rupees- Haathi mere saathi. O! we all have seen it.

The career took a toll. He had fame, love, money and what not. Just a few movies and he was on cloud 9. Elevated with persona. 15 hit blockbuster movies came one after another in only 3 consecutive years. He worked 14 hours a day, daily. 

Ye shaam mastani

Madhosh kiye jaye

Mujhe dor koi kheenche

teri or liye jaye

A romance brewed up the screen with him and Asha. More films came in and he made a beautiful romantic image. Female fans wrote letters with their own blood to him and kiss his car when he passed by. His car had lipstick stains all over. They would marry his pictures and throw dupattas on ground so that his feet wont touch the ground.  3 female fans even cut their write out for him during a movie release. His fate was written now- by his own hands- A superstar was born. 

Karwate badalte rahe

Saari raat hum

Aap ki kasam.. 

And then with Mumtaz- a B grade actress. He gave 8 back to back hit films with her which made her an A-grade actress.

Mere sapno ki raani kab aayegi tu

aayi rut mastani kab aayegi tu.. 

He gave over 160 films. But the major turn was when he was asked to do a Angry young man role. He declined. And so it was given to Amitabh Bachchan who had already given several flops- he accepted. Time changed. We saw Rajesh Khanna vanishing off the screens but not our hearts. Everything changed.

None-the-less he kept his similar nature all throughout his life full of romance, tragedies, memorables and forgetables. On 17th June 2012 he was discharged from hospital. We thought he's fine and so he is home. Eventually, doctors could no longer treat him and sent him home to have his last breath. He never made a public announcement of his liver cancer. We never knew! True as he said in his movie Anand- 'nahi nahi babumoshaye, hum apna gum nahi baattein, yaha thode selfish hain hum'. Zindagi kaisi hai paheli haye Kabhi toh hansaye Kabhi ye rulaye...

His body was taken in a truck decorated with white roses with a huge picture of his' from Anand at the front. A glass coffin was his last carriage. 

His last words- "Time to pack up".

The greatest, simple, down to earth, very ordinary yet extra ordinary, superb actor passed away two days back. A great loss to humanity. I know he was the first ever Superstar but more than that, he was the a great human. His last ad we have of him: Havells. 

"Mere fan mujhse koi nahi cheen sakta".

RIP Rajesh Khanna. You will be remembered as long as cinema lasts. 

Lets all be Captain Planet!

Lately, I went to sabji mandi with my dad. I drove the car which was a happy thing. And then we walked into the Friday market with a huge vegetable bag that everyone has. He only took me to carry things, as I dont have any buying-the-vegetable experience. My dad bought tomatoes, my heart sank a little. He bought cucumber and lady fingers, my heart sank a little more. Tomatoes, spinach, green peas, eggplants, mangoes and many more green varieties followed with more and more sinking of heart. Each vegetable came with polythene. Each accumulated more polythene in the bag we had. I wonder why did we carry the bag when we had to pick polythene? So time came to buy onions & potatoes, I simply asked him to keep them in the bag without the polythene.
My dad explained: these vegetables will get squashed in some corner if not kept separated from each other in different polythene.
I drove back. In that 10 minutes journey to home, all I was thinking was some way it could be replaced or lessened at least. It didn't hurt me that all were doing the same. It hurt me cos I was doing something wrong.

Home back, these were the techniques crossed my mind which can be done easily and wisely. For the planet:

eat the chips but dont throw the wrapper.

^ We can re-use the polythene. If each vegetable is so delicate and fragile, we can take the same polythene each time we go to sabji mandi and ask the vendor to put them in our polythene and not use another one. Its easy.
^Kitchen waste is something which cant be get ridden off. The egg shells, the cut-out vegetables, the bread, milk packets etc. We always need a polythene to throw away this stuff right? Not exactly. Follow this: Cut the upper portion of milk, bread, cereal, pulses packets. They'll become like an open packet which can be used to throw away kitchen stuff. If the packet becomes small, cut out more. Am sure we all bring in milk or bread packets almost daily. (Even lays, kurkure, bingo packets would do).

and it becomes a bag! if your kitchen waste is more, cut out more.
do the same with pulses, cereals, tea, bread packets. 

^And of course, wise saving of electricity: Keep at least 2 hours of time when the entire family sits in one room. For us, its daytime. We often sleep in one room in day time. Saving maximum amount of electricity. Not to forget, as much it creates bonds with nature, it does within the family as well.

Share these simple ways of avoiding polythene and using electricity wisely. Use & reuse. :) Lets move one step towards a cleaner & greener planet!

looks amazing na?!

Rain Rain Come Again!

Rain Rain come again!
and never ever go again!
The two(only) lines of a childhood poem I remember which am humming since yesterday's eternal rain! The downpour of heaven. A gift of sky to earth. A reason to smile to millions.
It rained all throughout Delhi! Am sure all farmers would have been happy. Am sure many children had enjoyed. Am sure many couples had a long drive or a long hand in hand walk or maybe an amazing kiss under the spell of nature. Am sure it brought blessings to all!

For they cannot be caged :)

A part of which could be seen in my central park. So, there was supposed to be a little function for someone who bought a new house in my society (we were invited over dinner). The read & white tent which people were busy putting up since morning was all in water. Mud flowing in all sides of it. Children swinging and running. Driving boats in the tiny so called ponds created everywhere. After a while, mothers came into the scene and took away their little ones. I only kept my slippers in heavy rain. Of course starting monsoon is not fit to dive in! I left it on slippers only. Mumma as always kept all her potted plants in the rain. And so we enjoyed the scene of a destroying tent, screaming mums and running children.
It ended at 7pm or so. I went out. Lovely weather it was! Yellow lighter sky at the horizon meeting dark blue heaven a little higher. Clear sky with no clouds. As if all obstacles were washed away. The street lamps looked even brilliant. I walked those roads speaking of how amazing mother nature is. Bought a chocolate and had fun with me & nature. Later that evening, somehow they arranged dinner in some corner, although the tent was all gone hopeless. It was a beautiful evening. Lastly, again:
Rain Rain come again!
and never ever go again!

And it was all yellow!

Picture Courtesy- Hardik Photography

The singular form at Paradise

Its been 7 days straight. Never has it happened to me. 7 days without talking to him. 7 days without calling him. 7 days without meeting him. 7 days of no late night calls. 7 days of not being 'together' with him. 7 days of not being in a 'relation'. 7 days of being- SINGLE.
Never has it also happened to me. 7 days of elation. 7 days of exquisite pleasure. 7 days of high cheer. 7 days of limitless glee. 7 days living on 7th heaven. 7 days of no pain and guilt. 7 days of optimism. 7 days of laughter. 7 days of euphoria. 7 days of peace of mind. 7 days in 'LOVE' with me.
Since a long time, I had never been single. As in, always been in a relation. Devoted to the lover. Devoted to his work, his calls, his this and his that. Never had I known, Love can be with oneself too. The selfless love. Surely, if you want someone to love you, you should be deeply, madly, truly in love with yourself. The elation and enchantment follows.

The phone now usually hangs in some corner of the world. I dont get regular calls or messages, I dont charge my phone, the battery is barely used. I dont sit around wondering what is he doing now & then. I dont need to swim into the ocean of sadness now. I just have to run on the green grass of laughter. I dont usually step out of house to meet him, I sit on the sofa and eat popcorn and watch movies. I dont have to think too much of every fight we used to have. I have learned to wisely chuck things out. I have witnessed change in me. I am a happy being.
 Life is too complicated and miseries itself sometimes that it gets even painful wandering off sorrow from another's. I have given a chance to myself. Life is too colorful if you wish. Its too magical if you wish. Its too elated if you wish. Its too bright and sun shining if you wish. Its too yellow if you wish. But only if you wish. Surely, you dont need someone else all the time to bring you joy. It comes from the heart. From one's own heart.

These 7 days of Love with myself were no doubt the best in years. I had an immense fun. I love myself. All the time I look into the mirror wondering how pretty I am and feel like kissing myself. This is where I belong. This is PARADISE.