2016 Calendar

– the year that was...

                 I’m too lazy to have a daily journal so I decided to make a yearly journal instead ;) The fast flashback on the year 2016 was, was the perfect way to bring in the countdown to the year 2017 will be! When I lived it day-by-day, I still remember how much each day was dreadful but still felt it flew by just like the pages being turned while showcasing a cartoon flip-book. Now when I look back I have a feeling of contentment and happiness over the things I have done, achieved and gone through in this year of the Monkey. I guess it rightly suits the way my 2016 went by. I hope my journal not only takes you down the ups and down of the past year plus the positivity we should have for the upcoming year. So let’s take a pee-a-boo into the year that was….

January

                 I’m literally cranking my head up to think of the things I did in this month, only because it’s been so long back. What I do remember distinctly is that we were just recovering from the after effects of serious Flooding of 2015 in my city that had given a hard felt reality check to all who thought money can buy anything and everything and it’s the utmost important.

    We were all getting back to normalcy at home and our workplaces, as most of us had dispersed out of the city. The only perk it provided me was that I was the only one working from the base location and away from my PM and PL’s prying eyes, provided me the liberty of leaving office as early as 5-5:30 pm and catching the Ladies special bus back home. My whole team had been shifted to some other alternate location to provide continuous support to the clients and my absence was left like a tight slap on my seniors, who had taken the work I did so diligently and without any qualms for granted. In a phased out manner my colleagues and friends were oozing back to the city, but still working at different blocks. The craziness they all had, for being together and sharing their half of the stories of the recovery from the floods, led them to take 2mins bike ride daily for lunch from one campus to another which was just a gate away. It was like a new year, a new beginning, a new work location and new levels of craziness.

  I also got to experience a new kind of an alumni meet in the form of HOD’s daughter wedding reception. Everyone from our department from lab assistants to secretaries, from old and new staff to seniors and super-super seniors, all packaged in one hall; the only difference being the college auditorium was replaced with a wedding hall and a few extra unfamiliar faces who were the relatives of the couple. It was surprising that even after 5-6 years of passing out of college, more than half of the staff remembered me by name( I was good student but not so popular). It really felt good to meet all of them in one roof and not having to sit through some boring lectures. Meeting up with my college friends was the icing on the cake. We all made it a point to meet their after a number of failed reunion plans. Though it was a short time and after don’t know how many months, the way we picked up from where we left didn’t make us realize the distance. Of course we all were in touch through various means, but nothing in this virtual world can beat the face-to-face meet ups.

~~~@~~~ The Rakhi Incident ~~~@~~~

         
(PART 2)

           Just then Samantha had successfully tied a Rakhi to Arjun, with no hassles inside the classroom. John, Senthil and Harini had witnessed it too and everyone was getting back to what they were doing before the distraction of Arjun’s branding. Senthil again called out to Harini, it was like those two boys were on a mission and wouldn’t sit down quietly like Dennis the Menace, until their mission was accomplished.

 Senthil raised both his eyebrows and said, “ So?? … You saw Samantha and Arjun right? Sam also doesn’t celebrate Raksha Bandhan, but see she did it, to stop the rumors because it was irritating her.”

Moving her head disappointingly from left to right for three or four times, she said, “You guys are not going to give up it looks like!” Before they could give any reply, she turned herself fully to face them and the confidence with which she did it, it showed she had something up her sleeves.

Harini questioned them with a twinkle in her eye and naughtiness in her voice, “I’m willingly to tie the Rakhi, if you guys tell me why you are so keen on me tying Rakhi to Aman. Do you have feelings for ME or AMAN?

Both of them gave a sarcastic laugh and Senthil moving his index finger replied, “Don’t try to change the topic. We, over  here are doing social service only and trying to make things clear for everyone. Who knows someone might have real feelings for either you or Aman, but because of these strong rumors, might not convey their feelings “.

“Ha ha ha, Social service it seems!!  Who only told girls gossip more than boys, here it’s totally opposite”, damned Harini.

          She saw how innocently Senthil had claimed his curiosity as a matter of good will he was doing for Aman and her; crushes or lovers-to-be. Harini gave up and knew the only way to end it was to tie a Rakhi. She hadn’t decided to do it under those two boy’s compulsion; she had given it a moment of thought. She herself was getting tired of hearing those rumors, not that it affected her in anyway but everywhere she goes, everyone she meets, everything she does; somehow people connect it to Aman or bring him into the picture. She was literally sick of hearing the word “AMAN”, and not the stories that were being broadcasted as rumors. She told herself, “Yes let’s do it. Once and for all everyone’s mouth will be zipped”. The last comment of Senthil’s social service had hit the right place, as she thought if nothing is there between Aman and her and if tying Rakhi helps in paving the path for either of their’s romantic future, it’s all for the good. She couldn’t see any downside of doing it.

Harini said, “Ok, I’ll do it; but I don’t have a Rakhi. You guys arrange for it, then I’ll do it.”

The boys looked at each other and smiled. “We don’t have one, but we’ll arrange it. Some girls will have a spare one, you can ask them also”, John said.

“That and all I don’t know, you guys suggested me to do it, you’ll only arrange it. Anyways, I doubt at this point of the day anyone will have a spare Rakhi, as half the day is over. Good luck boys!” challenged Harini to Senthil and John. Now Harini had thrown the ball into their court, she chuckled in her mind and turned around.

 After five minutes, Senthil excitedly shouted, “Here Harini, we found one”, waving the Rakhi in the air, as if it was a medal won after a tough competition.

Harini was surprised that they had got one so soon, but she didn’t want to read between the lines. She shrugged and told them to pass it on to her.

John and Senthil were so excited like toddlers who was going to get their toy after throwing so much of tantrums. After it reached Harini’s hand, they didn’t want her to waste time, so they kept on chanting “Come on, do it! Do it now!” Harini had to literally make them calm down so as to not to attract too much attention from the other students in the classroom.

Senthil said, “See Aman has come to his seat now. Perfect time, come on go tie it to him, before the class teacher enters the class”. Both of them were hurrying Harini up, she also felt, the faster it’s done, the better it is.

She called out to Aman, who was seated at the corner of his desk just one row apart from her. He had just reached his desk and turned immediately.

Harini took a deep breath and told, “Can you extend your hand? …… I want to tie a Rakhi to you.”

(To be continued... Check out the next post to see Aman's reaction:))

खमभख़्त यादें !

बीती बातें को याद करने की खोशिश कि तो 

याद आया ,

प्यार की बातें हम भी किया करते थे ,

सुबह-शाम , रात -दिन ,

इतना की सूरज भी शर्म के मारे डुब जाता था 

ओर प्यार की लाली आसमान में भिखैर देता था ,

पर !

ये खमभख़्त प्यार किस काम कि ,

जो तुम्हें आँसू दे दी ,

इतना दुख दीया की ,

ये प्यार था ,

हमें कहने में शर्म आ गई । 

ये खमभख़्त प्यार किस काम कि ,

जिसने हमें आशिक़ से बेवफ़ा बना दी । 

भाईयों हमें इतना बता दो , हम कहाँ छुक गए ,

उसकी पर्वाह करके , हम बेवफ़ा बन गए !

उस पर खुशियाँ लूटाने की खोशिश में ,

हम ही लूट गए । 

उस पर तोफों लूटाने की खोशिश में , 

हम ही भिखारी बन गए। 

उसे खिलाने की खोशिश में ,

हम ही भुखें रह गए । 

उसकी पर्वाह करके , हम बेवफ़ा बन गए,

भाईयों हमें इतना बता दो , हम कहाँ छुक गए ?!

~~~@~~~ The Rakhi Incident ~~~@~~~

(Part 1)

           Most of us would have had some funny Raksha Bandhan experiences, especially when we were young and immature. Either we would have been an on-looker, laughing at the boy who is getting tagged as a "brother" by his dream girl or we would have been the unfortunate ones who were being looked-on to while participating in the tagging. Let’s face it; it's not easy for a girl to take the step to tie a Rakhi to a boy just for the sake of not getting teased together. Not only does the girl has to think over the decision an umpteen number of times but also has to run after the guy to pin him down and tie it. It's the last moment of glory the guy can have by comforting himself and showing off to his friends after gracefully accepting the Rakhi by saying, "Dude! At least she ran behind me for once, whatever may be the reason ;) ".

         These kinds of crazy incidents happen only at school and colleges. The same happened in the first year of college. Raksha Bandhan was the day the girls in my class were excited for, to put an end to their weird teasing/pairing up dramas they had to withstand throughout the year. It was naive for the girls to think to voice out the opinion that they weren't interested, they had to wait for Raksha Bandhan to officially brand the guy as their brother. Hopefully when they grow up, they don't wait so long and think that this is the way to do it. So here is how the story goes.....

         A bunch of girls had immaculately planned for the day and bought exactly the number of Rakhi's they had to tie. The ritual of girls and boys running around the college corridors started before the morning bell. It continued till the lunch, some were successful, some yet to taste the success. After lunch, when everyone were getting settled into the class, two boys from the second last bench called on to Harini, who was seated three rows from them. Here, the boys were seated in one column of rows and girls separately, with a walking passage acting as the separation.

 John and Senthil asked Harini if she tied a Rakhi to anyone. To which Harini replied, “I don’t believe in this kind of stupid gestures, I have an own brother and that’s enough for me”.

 Senthil inquired, “Do you think whoever is getting tied, is going to become a brother? It’s only to put an end to the teasing. Don’t you want to put an end to people who tease you with some guy?”

 “There is no one as such and I don’t care”, Harini said matter-of-factly.

“Oh ho!” exclaimed the two guys in unison.

 John went on to say, “Are you sure Harini? There is ‘NO ONE’ with whom you are teased with and you want to get rid of it?”

Senthil gave John a friendly jab on his chest and told with a slight grin, “Hey, why are you pressurizing her. She is clearly saying she doesn’t want to get rid of the teasing with Aman. Looks like we guys are not simply teasing, there is some smoke between them”, while waving his hand as if some smoke had come in front of him.

Harini exclaimed, “Oh please! I don’t celebrate Raksha Bandhan and so it hadn’t struck me.”

Senthil budged in saying, “Yes obviously if you like Aman and have some kind of romantic feelings towards him, the idea to tie a Rakhi to him, would not have occurred to you.”

John nodded to say, “Yes Harini, we understood fair and square”, and winked to give a thumbs-up while tilting his head towards Aman.

 “You guys will not accept anything I say, I don’t want to waste my time on such silly talks”, annoyed Harini turned back to face the black board.

(to be continued....)