The Proposal

“You mind your words.” Richa shouted on the top of her voice.

The debate competition had turned into a heated argument between two people, each trying to satisfy their own ego. An influencing topic like corruption had been out of the league and each of them was blaming for the other’s mind to be corrupt. Richa had been the champion of her school debate team but Raj’s swift talk drove her mad. Even he was not ready to behave or think logically. The debate had to end with both of them being asked to leave the stage.

Ever since, they hated each other. A glance of the other on the streets of college would turn the fire in other’s mind. They competed in each and every event the other was taking part into. Their hatred could not become as famous as when they were spotted being together. Their rivalry grew and they realized that they need each other even more. The event of them walking on the sidewalks, holding each other’s hand spread like a forest fire in the campus.

Richa was a happy-go-lucky girl.  She was arrogant, rude but good from heart. She had big dreams and worked hard for it. Raj on the other hand was a calm and introvert person. He found happiness in small things.

Their love story had been quite dramatic till now. Different people used to quote different movies which resembled them. It was not just them but their love story which had been a part of people’s talk. Richa felt good to hear it and wished to let it remain like that forever.

They had been dating for sometime but Raj hadn’t proposed her yet. It wasn't that he didn’t want to but because she wouldn’t let him do it. She wanted him to propose her in a way to make it memorable. She would often google ideas and ask him to propose her that way. Raj would often let it go off with a laugh and sometimes get into planning the events with her. She had clearly stated that either he has to make the proposal a cherished one or be ready to take a NO as the answer. This would irritate Raj the most.

One night, they were chatting as usual. They would chat till 4am usually but today the clock had stroked 5 and he was still not ready to hang-up. He suddenly asked her to meet and go for a stroll. It was still dark outside and they were walking all alone. He was holding her hands tighter than usual and he was not paying attention towards her this time.

“Wait.” He moved a little far from her.

There was complete silence. The sun has just risen and she could hear the movement of the sun going up. A ray just touched her and she could feel the warmth. She looked up and the reddish sky with golden shades was nothing like what she had seen before. As if a painter had just poured down the colours and let them find their own path. It was even better than her imaginations. Just then a huge flock of birds passed over chirping the most beautiful song ever. The cool breeze made her wish to fly along with those birds. She was mesmerized by the beauty so she took few minutes to look down.

She stayed there, calm and speechless. There he was right in the front. Bent on the knees holding a single rose in his hand. He looked at her and said the magical three words. A sweat tickled down the ear of Raj. He didn’t know what she would say now.

She ran and hugged him. It was perfect.

Yaadein

Its time to get nostalgic.

Remembering the memories and preparing to bid goodbye.

A memorandum for the days spent together.

The Lovers

Let me tell you the tale of two,

The lovers , the friends who made through,

The cupid shot them , love just grew,

Most importantly , this story is true …

She ignored him , but he felt instead ,

The flower bloomed and fragrance spread ,

The romance let the silence bled ,

The girl proposed as the legacy said …

They fought , they laughed and they cried ,

Devils tried hard to keep them confide ,

They had left the whole world abide ,

They had someone to stay at their side …

They created memories and they lived them ,

The roots were wide, they showed the stem ,

The times were hard, people did condemn ,

All they did was to polish the gem …

They are together , will remain like that ,

Made for each other , simple and flat ,

Their love is the fogle in magician’s hat ,

They are the angels I wish I had …

Losing You

I am here you’re there, there is something in between,

It is solid and hard, but it couldn’t be seen,

I tried and tried and still not able to say,

You turned back and just walked away,

Were tears in my eyes noticed by you?

I have been feeling, I am losing you…

You pass by and smile, as there is a cam,

A friend, a stranger, I don’t know who I am,

You love me, I wish, this still is true,

Give another chance, the warmth still could brew,

The memories of us have come back haunting,

Are these the signs, that you are leaving…

You laugh, you smile, there is pain in your eyes,

Everytime I feel it, someone inside me dies,

Everything is there, and something is still missing,

To get back your faith, I have been craving,

It has been long, but for you, I once again prayed,

It seems as if, I have been replaced…

I am dumb, stupid, don’t you know this,

I am just a garden, you make me bliss,

I wanna hold your hand and make you stay,

You turned back and just walked away,

Were tears in my eyes noticed by you?

I have been feeling, I am losing you…

Kahaani

मैं लिखूंगा ,

दर्द में डूबे हुए जज़बातों पे ,

सुनसान चीखती हुई  रातों पे ,

आइना जिन्हे देख मुरझा जाये ,

हंसी जिनसे नाराज़ हो जाये ,

मैं उनकी कहानी लिखूंगा । 

दर्द शब्दों में बयान ना हो पाये ,

फरिश्तों से जिन्हे शिकवा हो जाये ,

रोने की जो कोशिश तो करे बहुत ,

लेकिन आंसुओं को मना ना पाए ,

मैं उनकी कहानी लिखूंगा । 

जीने की जिसकी कोई वजह ना हो ,

हरा भरा पेड़ ठूठ बन गया हो ,

उम्मीद के पत्तों को टूटते हुए देखा हो ,

हसरतों को पीछे छूटते देखा हो ,

मैं उनकी कहानी लिखूंगा । 

धूप में भी अँधेरा दिखायी दे ,

जिनकी रातों को ना सवेरा दिखायी दे ,

बारीश भी जिन्हे भीगने ना दे ,

तारा जो टूटे , एक ख्वाइश की क़त्ल कर दे ,

मैं उनकी कहानी लिखूंगा । 

लिख के कहानी खो जाऊंगा कहीं ,

खुद पे थोड़ा तब आएगा यकीन ,

इलज़ाम दूसरों पे आएगा लेकिन ,

छुपा के उनमे अपनी कहानी लिखूंगा ,

मैं एक ऐसी कहानी लिखूंगा । 

Tareef

Listen the audio version of it.

क्या  लिखूँ,

क्या  लिखूँ  मैं  तेरे  हुश्न  की  तारीफ  में । 

पंछियों  की  चहचहाहट  हो ,

बहते  पानी  की  गरगराहट  हो ,

खुदा  की  तालीम  कोई  कलमाह  हो ,

मोहब्बत  नाम  का  एक  इलज़ाम  हो । 

क्या  लिखूँ,

क्या  लिखूँ  मैं  तेरे  हुश्न  की  तारीफ  में । 

बच्चे  की  हँसी  सी  पाक  हो ,

शबनम  में  भीगी  हुई  रात  हो,

आइना  हो  कुदरत  के  ख़ज़ाने  का ,

इल्म  हो , रब  की  इबादत  का । 

मीठे  झरनों  का  तुम  संगम  हो ,

बांसुरी  से  निकलती  हुई  सरगम  हो ,

पत्तों  की  नरम  सी  छाँव  हो ,

सर्दी  की  पहली  सुनहरी  धूप  हो । 

क्या  लिखूँ,

क्या  लिखूँ  मैं  तेरे  हुश्न  की  तारीफ  में । 

शायर  की  सोच  उसकी  कलम  हो ,

फूलों   पे  बैठी  नादान  सी  तितली  हो ,

तेज़  से  जिसके  सूरज  भी  पिघला  हो ,

बादलों  में  जैसे  इंद्रधनुष  निकला  हो । 

बरसात  में  नाचता  मोर  हो ,

ख़ामोशी  में  डूबी  हुई  शोर  हो ,

खोये  हुए  मुसाफिर  की  तलाश  हो ,

शायद  किसी  काफिर  की  नमाज़  हो । 

क्या  लिखूँ,

क्या  लिखूँ मैं तेरे हुश्न कि तारीफ में । 

रेतीले  सागर  की  प्यास  हो  तुम ,

आँखों  से  बहता  ज़ज़बात  हो  तुम ,

एक  आशिक़  की  तड़पती  बेक़रारी  हो  तुम ,

नज़ाकत  से  रुबरु  एक  दुल्हन  हो  तुम । 

अण्डों  को  तोड़ती  हुई  ज़िन्दगी  हो ,

एक  माँ  की  अपने  बच्चे  से  नाराज़गी  हो ,

ईमान  साथ  नहीं  देता  मेरा  कहने  को ,

कोई  और  नहीं  तुम  ही  मेरे  खुदा  हो । 

तू  ही  बता ,

क्या  लिखूँ  मैं  तेरे  हुश्न  की  तारीफ  में । 

Unveiled

There are very few people in this world that you care about not because they are your good friend but because you are a fan of their personality. They are not perfect in any sense yet a complete individual. They are manipulative, selfish, yet they give you moments which you cherish much more than any other. This is dedicated to one of those. A story of a very powerful girl.

I am a girl. Now you would expect me to shout my problems on you. The problems I am too scared to say in public so I prefer to scribble and outcast my anger with it. No, I will not keep calm and stay quiet. I have self respect and I will fight for it. If you don’t let me live with honour I will gift you your rules and make my own.

I am not scared of the so-called society. The society is nothing but 1% of those who thinks it is manly to suppress girls and 98% of those who are too scared of those 1%. I love to be unpopular and called names and things than to live with fear and scarcity. This scarcity is not of love or money but freedom. The freedom of flying like an eagle, irrespective of any boundaries or boundations.

I party out with guys, and have a night out with them. I drink, booze and smoke. I wear short pants, show off my legs and try hard to steal the attention of my crushes. I have got friends. A lot to say and very few to count. Some say they are my friends and would spend a lot of time with me. Every occasion they would be the first ones to wish and would even bring gifts. But I know they are only with me because I am a pretty girl and also because I am of the weird types. They can boast about in their circle to have booze and night out with me. They love to upload pics on facebook with a hand on my shoulder which would make them look like a dude. Some of those had even higher expectations. Some days it’s really tough to find a real shoulder for a drop of tear.

But I never cared. I am a strong girl, a brave one. If girls are below men then they can also take the benefits of these so-called men. I have used people and I am not ashamed of it. I try my way out of the rules and the boundaries. The names and negative fame works in my favour. I might not be the happiest person on this planet but I am one of those to have really lived it. I have walked alone at night on the streets of the rape prone city. I have hit boys straight on the face when they harassed me. I have got only male friends as girls can’t take a rebellion like me. I have been the inspiration of many girls who still don’t dare to take my path.

I was me until few days back. I lost the smile from my face. I was never very happy but atleast I had a genuine smile of living my life on my terms. It was Monday evening. The sun was still bright on the sky. I was there walking alone on the corner of a market place. It was not very crowded but still had a lot of people. A car stopped by my side and an unknown guy grabbed my hand. I shouted and people looked at me. The guy left me and the car rushed away. I didn’t know if they were trying to kidnap me or were just eve-teasing. I was not even able to have a good look at that guy with the sudden events. It left me scared. I had dealt situation with boys but no one tried to abduct me before. The people who stayed stunned now came running to me when the car was out of the sight. It went even more humiliating when one of the consolers tried to feel me rubbing my back.

I cried. I didn’t remember the last time if I had ever cried in public. It broke me. I couldn’t come out of my hostel for 4 days. I know it was my ego of being strong that I found it hard to share it with others. My friends gave a lot of strength and accompanied me everywhere. I needed faith but all I was getting was pity. I would have gathered my courage back but lost when you asked me to behave like a girl. I loved you primarily because you are smart but mainly because you understood me. Atleast I felt it till now. May be you even did, but you lost the fight with the society. You gave up on me and even stole my spirit. It was the last day when I had felt the fire in me. It has been some time and you must know that I love you even more than me. I would change myself to be with you. I thought for a long time and I think I should say it to you.

Being a girl is too tough in this society and life would be too boring without it. I know you can’t always be there to protect me and I don’t expect you to. All I needed was a belief on me. If you can’t give it to me that’s all right. We can break-up and I will take all the credits. It will even help me forget you sooner.

I am a girl and I know how it feels like to be one. If you can’t try to feel my pain just don’t give me your goddamn suggestions. I am not here to leave quotes or tell people how to live their life but I am sure of how I wanna have mine.

A photographer in love

Priya was an exceptional photographer. She had an amazing talent of capturing moments. She didn’t captured just faces but feelings. Every photograph of her clearly shouted the state of mind of the person. The silence of the painful and the joy of the laughter. She had many admirers but one was her personal favourite.

Raj was his name. A tall, dark guy with broad features and a double chin. He was not just a fan, a friend but her love. She felt immense pleasure clicking him. He would make faces and do weird stuff to let her experiment with him. He had a lot of friends still managed to spend time with her.

The only thing she hated was if she had to click him with a girl. Everytime a girl used to get closer to him it would burn her from inside. Every moment he placed his hand on a girl’s shoulder she had to face the agony of hitting the girl right on the face. She would let them take as little time possible and click the pictures within seconds. When he would praise the pictures her mood would brighten up. He had a weird sense of praising her. He would pour his feelings and grammar while praising her.  It would even make the writers steal his way of praising a skill. His almost every picture contained her name as the picture credits.

She had often thought of proposing him but never dared. He was always surrounded by the bunch of pretty girls trying hard to lure his attention to them. She knew she was beautiful but lacked attitude to compete with those dumb Barbie dolls.

Like every other night she was going through his photographs. She cried. She cried her heart out. It was just her pillow who felt the pain and got wet shedding the tears.  The moon was shining bright but was unable to erode the darkness.

Every picture of his had her name written in bold letters but none contained her in the frame.

1st Interaction

When I entered in my college life, like every other guy I also had two dreams.  Get some good friends and impress some beautiful girls. This story is about my 1^st interaction with a very beautiful girl of my college.

A class of 30 students, each trying to make his first impression the best one. Girls with prefect make-up seemed like they just came out of the shehnaz beauty parlour. Guys dressed like gentlemen, naah they did come the way they dressed everyday (why are we boys like this? :P ). Guys finding places to sit near beautiful girls and girls secretly looking at the well built guy from the corner of their eyes. They however managed to take a seat behind him to get a better look at him (girls are much more clever).

I was a little shy or maybe I didn’t get a seat vacant except at the 1^st bench so I moved to the very last bench. The teacher was such a lady and what a pleasant voice she had. But who pays attention to her on the very first day. The mind was all around surrounded for searching the playground, sports room, gym and the swimming pool (especially the girl’s one).

I soon made a friend and was playing Angry Birds on his costly smartphone, he had been showing off from some time when a voice made me raise my head. With bowed head she walked to a seat on the empty 1^st row. A pretty girl had entered and I waited for the violins and guitars to be played. Instead my heart did beat like a drum. She was sitting there clam and idle. Her eyes unlike others were not busy judging her colleagues. She didn’t care if someone noticed her or not. She was very beautiful but lame to utilize this talent to impress others.

“Now pay attention here everybody.” The teacher shouted and took my attention. The loudness and the firm look in her eyes stopped me from all distractions. “We will break in group of five, 3 guys and 2 girls. Then each group will sit in a circle and being the 1^st class you have to know as much you can about the person sitting to the left of you.”

Ohh, did I waste time, not at all. I clearly remember of pushing few guys, arranging the chairs swiftly just to get a seat to the right of her. The heart and breath, both were pacing hard but the 1^st step to victory had been taken. I gave a gentle smile to everyone in the group and turned towards her. I was a little conscious and out of breath.

“Hi, I am Raj. Tell me something about yourself.” I was dying to hear the most pleasant voice. Every second was ticking in my mind.

She calmly replied. “Basically I hate boys.”

PS: That was her only reply. We became good friends later and forever.

This post has been written as a part of the competition #ConditionSeriousHai! by the Cadbury 5star.

Phone-call

Richa had been moving around the house. She was tensed and worried. But more than that, she was angry on him. Couldn’t he spare few minutes to make a call? Why wouldn’t he just call her and say that he is alright. That would bring peace to her and she will sleep calmly. May be she should not call tonight. He will feel this odd and will call her tomorrow morning to apologize.

She was firm for her decision but her impatient heart was still struggling. Finally the brain lost the war and her hand reached the telephone. She picked the receiver and pressed the buttons.

Her 10 year old son, Amrit was watching her mother and knew the usual routine. He knew that she would go on speaking and shouting and complaining. She would only stop after she would have cursed him for marrying her and spoiling her life. Complaining about Amrit and his lack in studies. She would then complain about neighbours and the inflation. At last she would again scold him for not calling her and making her worry about his well-being.

This had been going on for almost three years now, everyday without fail. She would wait for his call and then call him and fight with him.

He went to the kitchen and brought a glass of water for her. He knew she would soon keep the receiver and will feel thirsty.

Today again there will be no reply from the other end.