The Unknown Lake

I was once sitting at the side of a beautiful lake; with birds singing melodiously – the atmosphere was just perfect for my very first day at this unknown place, where I decided to spend my vacation. I surrendered myself to this new evening that fell on my lap unexpectedly – I was overjoyed. Lost in my own wilderness, I thought to myself, I should spend the rest of the evening sitting here – listening to the birds singing in harmony; just then I realized that the unknown lake, who stays with these birds here, might not want a stranger in her house, that too uninvited. I got up to leave, suddenly I heard a different sound altogether – it was a new song and a new bird singing, I looked around to find out where the sound was coming from, but I couldn’t find the bird.

I looked at the unknown lake and was about to bid her adieu, just when the bird with that different voice flew from a far away nest – she was a woodpecker. She sang more harmoniously now, seemed she was carrying a message from the unknown lake, asking me to stay back in her house, I was ecstatic. She flew right ahead of me, leading me to an old porcupine tree, situated right in front of the center of the lake –it looked like my new haven. I sat there humbly and now all the birds started singing together in harmony, seemed it was a new symphony created by God of Nature; the sun was about to set, the sky was wearing a blue colored dress decorated with orange colored jewelry and the last rays of the sun were making the unknown lake look like the road to heaven. I sat there quietly witnessing a magical saga of nature.

Darkness was slowly stepping forward; the unknown lake quietly embraced it, now her beauty looked magnificent; one-by-one, the birds stopped singing; their children were waiting for them in their nests, all of them flew back to their nests –it was time for their supper. I thought now I was all alone in the house of the unknown lake, but, the woodpecker was still singing: “I am alone, I am alone, I stay with the lake –my only companion, Together we stay –her quietness and my voice, I am alone for her – my only companion and I am alone.”

I sat there until darkness came to an end, only to realize, it was a dream.

First Day of School and Today's Everyday

Opposite my house in Calcutta was a school and in my room was a window through which I used to see the school life once upon a time -- during the times when I was in college and used to miss those beautiful days and wanted to go back to my school life. Somehow,one day, I closed that window. Why? I am still to find an answer.

Today I saw some small children while looking outside my bed-side window going to school, seemed it was the first day of their school. Some were smiling, while some were talking to each other; some looked sad, while some were crying.

With this sight, memories of my first day of going to school rushed towards my heart, seemed they were tired of waiting to come to my present days of life.

I remember how I was excited and nervous to go inside the school gate, but somehow, I was crying (don't know why though) and I repeatedly told my Mother-- take me home, I don't want to go to school. She kept on telling me, don't cry, you ain't going away from me forever, I am right here, waiting for you outside the school gate. And then when the day got over, I came running out of the school gate and my Mother embraced me.

When I look into my today's life, its like that first day of school everyday, the only difference is I don't cry, may be I have grown too old for that. 

Here I am today, leading life everyday like the first day of school- excited, nervous and passionate - enthusiastic to face a new day, a new beginning and to face new challenges.

As much as I wish to go back to my school life

for it sounds like a dream,

today

I don't go to School

but

I go to Life,

everyday

I step inside the Life's gate

where

new challenges and beginnings await

where 

excitement, nervousness and passion await,

for I embrace them

with enthusiasm.

Amit Gupta.

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Aliya

It was Aliya's 18th Birthday and she had always dreamt of meeting the man of her dreams on this very special day.

A big birthday bash was thrown by her parents and all her friends gathered. Gifts, flowers, chocolates and wishes were flowing from all corners of the room. Still she seemed looking for that very special gift, yes, the man of her dreams.

Suddenly she saw a very handsome man walking down the hallway, he looked familiar.

He had no gifts in his hands nor any flowers, he walked towards her with a smile and wished her. He first took her hand and kissed it and then he kissed her tender lips and walked away in a silent gesture leaving Aliya amazed. Her eyes lit up and they had a strange beauty in them.

The whole evening they both caught glimpse of each other, the evening passed with silent gesture of words and emotions. Dinner was over and she bid Good-Bye to all her friends and now she was impatiently looking for that man. Suddenly he tapped her shoulder and whispered in her ears, "I am waiting for you on the terrace where the Moon is lit fully tonight to shower its blessings on us".

She quickly ran up to her parents room and wished them Good Night and then she ran up to the terrace to live the moment she had been waiting for.

She was breathless when she reached the terrace, the guy took her in his arms, he was breathless too. He hugged her tight and kissed her passionately. 

The moon was witnessing two strangers who met for the first time in reality but seemed they were passionate lovers from their last lives.

He slowly took off her evening gown, his hands were on her breasts, caressing them and then kissing them.He kissed her all over- her neck, ears, eyes,thighs. They both lied down on the floor. O she felt like in some other world.

The moon also lost its breath by now, the clouds came and took the moon in his arms, leaving the passionate lovers alone.  

She started kissing him, she took off his silky white shirt and started kissing him all over. They both were in each others arms, breathless but alive. Aliya was feeling a strange sensation she had never felt before, sensation of being in a man's arms, breathing in the warmth of his body,she was feeling out of the world. 

While Aliya had always dreamt of this moment, but she never had dreamt that even the Rain Gods will bless her on this very night. 

They kissed each other passionately. They made love till dawn, seemed it was the last day of their lives and they would never meet again.The Rain Gods blessed them all night, seemed even it was the last day it was raining too.

She was sleeping wrapped in her man's arms and suddenly something shook her up, her mistress woke her up, yelling at her that she hasn't cleaned the house yet. She hurriedly got up and rushed to the living room. This was the place she dreamt where her 18th birthday was being celebrated.

The mistress's daughter walked in with her fiancee, he looked familiar, yes, he was the same man she dreamt making love last night.

She looked at the calendar and it was her birthday, her 18th birthday, the moment she turned back she saw the man smiling at her. He suddenly started walking towards her wearing the same smile he wore last evening.

Aliya's heart beats were losing control in a strange manner, the man came close to her and before he could say anything to her, she fainted.

Friday Evenings

So what’s the first thing that comes in your mind knowing that Friday has come, more so, the Friday evenings?

Make plans for the weekend, how to kick off the weekend by having a rocking Friday evening or lets say a weekend getaway, that’s something that also starts mostly on a Friday evening.

Now I do know, some of you work till late and Friday evenings are mostly spent on calls, meetings or making a boring presentation. I can understand how terrible you feel about that. And I also know that when you have to attend a party or a get-together on a Friday evening, you have to do a lot of planning and change your entire day’s schedule, painful indeed.

And then there will always be some people who would leave early and bid you ‘Bye’ in a very teasing manner, as their weekend has started, whereas your day hasn’t ended yet, forget about the so called weekend.

I hope I didn’t touch a wrong chord there. Ok, enough of sadness, lets move on, remember it’s a Friday.

For the other category who get free early in the evening, can do a variety of things- catch up with a friend over a cup of coffee, watch a newly released movie, go to a pub or disc, call up a few friends over to your place for a get-together, spend some time with books and there are many more things to do.

Shall we call these people the lucky ones as their weekend kicks-off before Saturday begins. I know the lucky ones are smiling now, looking down on the unlucky ones.

Stop smiling folks, nothing is permanent. You never know when you will have to work late on Fridays and then you know what follows next! So stop looking down and look ahead to the wonderful "Friday Evening" moment and enjoy it while you have it.

The question however is, do people who get free early on a Friday evening enjoy more as compared to the ones who work till late?

Well I wish I had a perfect answer to that, but then it completely depends on how you enjoy Life and its moments, be it a Monday evening or a Friday.

So while I go and make a peg of Single Malt for myself to celebrate this moment, you have a great"Friday Evening". We shall meet on the other side of the weekend.

Here’s raising a toast to Life and the ever famous “TGIF”.

आम आदमी

कल राह पर चलते वक़्त 

एक बुज़ुर्ग आदमी पर नज़र पड़ी 

भेष भूसा से वो एक आम आदमी लग रहे थे 

वो एक सरकारी दफ्तर के आगे खड़े हुए 

परेशान नज़रों से उसे घुर रहे थे ।

मैंने जाकर पुछा, की क्या बात है 

उन्होंने कहा, बेटा

समझ नहीं आ रहा है अन्दर जाऊं या नहीं ।

जेब में सिर्फ १०० रूपये मात्र हैं 

तिन दिन में इन्होने मेरे सारे पैसे ले लिए 

एक छोटा सा काम करने के लिए 

यह सोच रहा हूँ की 

अगर मैंने यह १०० रूपये भी दे दिए

तो रात की रोटी कैसे जुटेगी ।

मेरी बीवी पिछले हफ्ते गुज़र गयी 

अगर मैं भी उसके साथ ही मर जाता 

तो उसका मृत्यु-प्रमाणपत्र लेने के लिए 

मुझे इन लोगों के हाथों रोज़ मरना तो ना पड़ता  ॥

Frustration

What’s the first thing that comes in your mind with the word-Frustration? Do you feel angry, dejected, demoralized or all of them?


No, you won’t find the meaning of Frustration in a dictionary, just like Success you have to achieve it to know what exactly is Success, similarly for Frustration you have to feel it before you can know the exact meaning of it.

I often wonder, is frustration a state of mind which comes out when triggered due to circumstances that we tend to avoid or feel sad about. Another interesting fact that amuses me is, you may be frustrated due to something that happened in your childhood or lets say in a meeting that you had with your boss a day before or an ongoing event that has been following you like a shadow from your past, walks alongside you in your present and even scares to keep following you in your future.

I wish I could simply call it an expression of intense anger, may be I would have to read a few psychology books to get an answer to that. Lets then park this for the time being.

So when do we feel frustrated? If your answer is, always, then there is something seriously wrong in either you or your surrounding environment. So lets leave these category of people. (If you agree with me on this point, raise your hands).

So for those of you who feel frustrated sometimes, when is it that you get this great feeling called Frustration?

I am sure there are innumerable instances, lets see how many of them we can capture.

During our childhood all of us used to get frustrated with a subject called History (counting out the exceptions ofcourse).
[Or]
The Girl/Boy you had a soft spot for, always ignored you.
[Or]
Not having enough pocket money during your College Days.
[Or]
Not being able to crack your first Interview.
[Or]
Having arguments with your Boss on a regular basis.
[Or]
Not having got that promotion that you thought you always deserved.
[Or]
Having a painful relationship with your partner. (Hope I didn’t touch a wrong chord there!). Can we call this one of the biggest forms of frustration? Feel free if you would like to do so.
[Or]
Not able to fulfill your dreams & aspirations and chasing them tirelessly. (This, for one, is surely the most lethal frustration that I have known).

And there are millions of instances like these.

So what do we generally do when we fall under a frustrating situation?

Talk out loud about it to everyone around you (the most common way of showing your frustration), keep quiet and live with it (don’t know how many of us do that), try not to think about it (its easier said than done), try to work it out to make it non-frustrating (we are talking about the doers here), let it pass with a smile (now you need some character to do that), keep your patience levels high and wait for the right time to turn things your way (patience is not easily available, mind you) or just walk out of the situation ignoring it completely (ignorance is bliss as we know, for some people atleast). There could be many more things that one can do while being in this feeling, depends on an individual’s perspective towards Life.

We all go through this feeling everyday while living our lives, how we deal with it is something that makes or breaks us.

The choice as always is Yours.