Today, I'll be an inspiration.

There will always be a world swarmed with bouts of drama and cheap gimmicks. There will always be a world where innocence fades to dust like a natural process of fulfilling its only purpose. That world, that place, those people, those eyes will always, always make you feel terrible for once being a part of it. You will be dejected and despaired. You will flutter against the grey walls of their low lives. You will feel breathlessly awful and sad for yourself.. but feeling awful can be a good sign too. You look for signs at every step, at every little corner. Signs and their hidden, mysterious meanings. Here, i give you a sign.
You feel awful because you are not meant to stoop down and feel sharp fragments of hatred all over the skin and puckered fingertips. You are meant to rise! You are meant to go beyond the weary world adorned with amorphous thoughts of weary people. They are dead and the air around them is painfully stale. And you on the other hand, are the best thing you can ever be. Use this sign and take a leap of faith because this is how it was meant to happen.

And learning life is never easy.

_______

Ghar :)

Wish you a very Happy Diwali dear readers.

People look for inspiration all the time, knowingly or unknowingly. This Diwali, be somebody else's inspiration and trust me, it will be your best Diwali gift.

Let's sit together and talk for a while.

It is one of those phases when you know you want to write, when you know what you want to write, when it is clear and succinct in your head that you want to write but lethargy takes over and you surrender.

Slow but smooth.. that's life these days.

It's been more than a month since my brother moved to US and I'd assumed that the presence of an empty room upstairs would be unnerving but we are gradually getting used to it. I haven't told this to anyone but there are days when I go to his room, switch on the lights, no fan, just sit in his chair and do nothing. Absolutely nothing! I don't know why but this activity has become the easiest way to feel at peace on a rough day or on any other day.

College is nearing it's end. I will be a lawyer in less than twelve months! Even after four years, the question about my future - life after college has not found an answer. But the good thing is that I have made peace with the eternally confused state of mind.

It is unreal that I survived college so far. I'd never thought that I would say this but yes, I don't want this to end! After four years of struggling to sail through law college, I feel a lot less burdened, a lot more confident and a lot happier by not carrying the unnecessary weight of people's expectations on me. Life is so much easier when you live only for yourself and for those who honestly care for you. It is so much more vibrant when you are surrounded by warm and positive people. If I were to give someone advice on how to be happy, I'd say be real to yourself and the worldly facade will disappear on its own.

In another news, Tamarind Rice, a wonderful literary magazine has put me up on their regulars' feature page. I haven't gotten over this dreamy news yet and every now and then I visit their website just to see my name and smile for a while. Click on the link right now!!! Thank you.

To add on, more publications came my way. Few of my haiku poems got published in two journals. It is a superbly awesome feeling when you notice that you are the only person from your country to get published in international journals and that is the moment when patriotism awash your heart.

After around 7-8 years, I gave up my long straight hair to treat myself with a much needed change. Sadly, the cut now looks like before and the length is gone! Whoever says that having naturally straight hair is a boon should come and talk to me. A little bummed over this fact but also, my mood is going happily up because the beautiful season of festivals is approaching. The annual Diwali wali feeling is already here and I am just too happy to be free of any worry.

Okay, that's a lot of talking for now.

Now let's hear how your life is going.. shall we?!

Love
Mirage
______

And then this happened..

I love you for writing the most amazingly precious thing anyone has ever written for me.

While starting this blog four years back, I never knew I would reach this level, I never knew that this journey would become an integral part of who I am and would define me far better than I ever could and that someone would send me a mail telling me how much my work is admired. ^.^

I don't want to make it an award speech, but I really am overwhelmed and I want to thank each one of you who reads or has read Mirage. Thankyousomuch!!!!

Much love

xox

Wish me, it's my happy happy.

I turn 22 tonight and I have an exam in the afternoon. End semester exam. Tough subject. Deja vu! International Trade Law- if you may ask. Not prepared. Cannot do much about it. Nor I want to.
I can't believe 4th June is here again. I'm going to miss being 21. Twenty one is good, it's nice, it's special, it's sexy. But 22 is just plain 22, you know!

But no grumbling. I won't grumble. Because it's my birthday!!!!

Things to remind myself-

• Act my age.
• Keep calm (not like one of those mainstream memes)
• Do not leave the exam incomplete just because it's my birthday. Remember- birthday luck doesn't always work.
• Look pretty, very pretty! One must look pretty even while writing a 3 hour long exam on her birthday. It's a rule.
• Do not whine about how my plans are ruined. It is okay, I will get gifts anyway.
• Accept the fact that I'm not going to be twenty one forever.
• Keep away from negative people. Negative people are sad and they pull you in their sad lives. So keep away from them, not just today but for the rest of my life.
• Ask everyone to wish me. It's also a rule. Moreover, I need love.
• Celebrate happiness and shout out loud that Mirage is listed among the top Indian blogs 2013-14 (see that badge on the right?), I'm going on a week long vacation with my friends this weekend, there is a wedding in my childhood town and I will visit that place after sooo long and yes, June is going to be a very very happening month. Yay!
• Lastly, wish thyself.

Happy birthday to me!

________

P.S: If anyone wants to send me a gift, tell me and I'll give you my address. Okay, thank you.. bye!

My heart belongs to you, Dear Kashmir.

I'm overwhelmed, ecstatic, thrilled, euphoric, greatly content and I'm chilling on cloud nine..refusing to come back to the ground.
My five day long vacation to Kashmir with family was way more than fantastic. I visited some really picturesque places and also learnt a great deal about this wonderful city and its even more wonderful people.

Kashmir doesn't need any introduction. A lot has been said and written about its unprecedented and breathtaking beauty and I am seriously short of words to describe it in a different manner. The moment I laid my eyes on the magnificent snow clad Himalayas from the plane, I knew I was going to have the time of my life. The whole city was dressed in white layer of pristine snow. For a girl like me, who had been to a snowy place just once in all her life and that too around nine years back, that single moment was beyond all human expressions.

I literally skipped a beat!

The surprising fact is that Kashmir in March is never like this. It is that time of the year when snow starts to melt, sky gets clearer, flowers bloom, gardens turn green and everything wears the shroud of warm sunshine. But after so many years the city witnessed heavy snowfall this month, just three days before we landed there. So throughout our stay we got an excellent glimpse of winters of Kashmir.

At the airport, we were welcomed by a man named Ghulam Rasood. An extremely knowledgeable and humble person who became a great company in the guise of a driver. We had some wonderful conversations with him, snippets of which I'll share with you at the end of this post. The weather was cold and cloudy and it drizzled continuously for two-three days.

Our first night was in a house boat on Dal lake. Oh wait, I have to strike this wish off my wishlist....eeeeeeeeee!!!

This is the houseboat. Its name is Mumtaz Mahal. And it did feel like a royal mansion from inside.

We reached here around 4:30 in the evening so we had just 30 min to freshen up and get ready for the Shikara ride (A small narrow wooden boat is referred to as shikara there) which is usually an hour and a half long and we did not want to miss its charm in the daylight. 

That yellow thing is a shikara.

This is the Dal Lake. I had read about it in my social studies classes in school but I did not know that the lake is exceptionally majestic.

There is a floating market on the Dal Lake and to our surprise people carry food snacks to sell on their shikara which they use like cars. One such man served us delicious chicken kabab and super tasty tea. The shikara ride is extremely calming, a lot like some natural therapy.

The next day we shifted to Hotel Pinegrove located very near to the Dal Lake. Its a budget hotel with well maintained, spacious rooms and a friendly staff. The food here was exceptionally good. The first of the three attractions according to our itinerary was Pahalgam which we visited the second day. On our way to Pahalgam, my mother bought me a navy blue firan which is the local dress of Kashmir. It was soooo pretty that I immediately changed into it.

Pahalgam Valley

My brother trying to spoil my picture..which of course, he successfully did.
Oh by the way..that's a firan which I'm wearing.

In Pahalgam there's a famous Betaab valley named after the movie Betaab (duh!) but it was closed due to bad weather. Instead we did horse riding amidst a gorgeous path covered in snow. The horse on which I rode, his name was 'Aashiq Awaara'. xD
Pahalgam is also en route the annual Amarnath Yatra. Also, while returning from Pahalgam, we visited the ruins of Avantipur temple which was excavated years ago and was actually built circa 855 – 883 AD.

That's my cool dad leading us through the woods.
This is what I wanted to happen but it didn't. He's waiting for the ghode wale bhaiya. :P

The next day we visited Gulmarg, for which I was particularly very excited.. don't have a good reason though. Gulmarg is around 2hrs away from Srinagar.. the closest of all the three places. It has been tagged as the “heartland of winter sports in India” by CNN which is undoubtedly true.

In winters, this place is famous majorly for sledging and skiing. I and my brother did the latter. But the easy and fun part was just for a couple of minutes. Rest was pure torture as we had to struggle hard with those extremely heavy boots to go to the top, during which I shamelessly fell twice and laughed my ass off. I thought I had taken a five day break from workout but I was so wrong!

This is Gulmarg. Vast landscape covered in thick snow.
Honestly, this place is a little more than heaven to me.

That's me! In case you can't recognize.

Throughout our stay in Kashmir, the one thing which I desperately kept praying for was to witness snowfall as it was my childhood dream... like seriously! Many people said that it might snow in a couple of days as the weather was not showing any warm side so I diligently did my job..which was to pray to all the gods up there.

And it worked! Yes, it so worked! I witnessed the first ever snowfall in GULMARG! It couldn't have been better. Gulmarg is probably the most heavenly place to witness snowfall. I screamed, I jumped, I ran, I laughed! That moment when I saw white thermocol like thing on my coat, oh it was breathlessly amazing. Wait wait wait! I have to strike off this wish too from my wishlist... eeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

That's me again. Teeheee!!!

The last destination was Sonmarg which is usually the favorite picnic spot for the local people there, as per Ghulam ji. The route to Sonmarg is the most picturesque of all the three places. It is nearly impossible to move your eyes away from the window. The snow clad mountains surrounding a valley of gorgeous little huts in the middle of which Indus river gracefully carves its way is like an unimaginable scenery, impeccable in every shade possible.

Indus river narrowed down due to heavy snow.

On the day of Sonmarg, we were just 20 kms behind when landslide blocked the way. The officials told us that the route would be closed for the day because of bad weather. With high disappointment, we thought it would be wise to wait for sometime till we are hundred percent sure that Sonmarg is not gonna happen. Along with many other tourists, we passed time by having tea and maggie in one of the local shops and wandered around a small village.

Because we were stranded for more than an hour, my parents and Ghulam ji kept insisting to return and visit some other place instead but I refused blatantly because I religiously believed that we would visit Sonmarg. And yes, we did! We were sitting in the car with no hope and all of a sudden, we saw other tourists running towards their own vehicles with smiling faces and yelling that the route is cleared.. Sigh! My heart did a somersault in ecstasy.

Sonmarg has a couple of tourist attractions in winter such as a bridge which was exploded by Pakistani soldiers during the Kargil war. It has been rebuilt, of course.. but the very thought that it faced grave bloodshed gave me chills down the spine. There are two more small points to visit which are famous for the scenic view which one could see at almost every nook and cranny of the Sonmarg valley. While my parents enjoyed maggie (again!), me and my brother played around with little kids of a nearby village who also helped me make a small petite snowman.

Unfazed landscape.. on Thajiwas glacier.

The last point was Thajiwas glacier. Here again, skiing and sledging are the two main activities. We did none. We just chilled and absorbed the beauty around, as much as we could.. like one deep breath of oxygen before diving away in the ocean of mundane life. At one point, I felt so dwarfed and irrelevant by the splendidly huge mountains around me, I almost had tears of awe. Nothing could be compared to the naturally profound Himalayan range!

I'm not done with Kashmir yet. It is so beautiful that I have to visit this place again. But according to Ghulam ji, Kashmir subtly indicates 'Cash More'. So I must earn real hard in order to organize a summer trip to Kashmir in future.

_______

Things I learnt about Kashmir from Ghulam ji:

- People here are really kind and hospitable. I saw harmony among them too. They are not cold to outsiders which I somehow had the impression. On my last day there, I was gifted a small Kangri as a souvenir by a localite.

- They do not like to vote. They are hardly interested in elections because no matter what, they would never get what they really desire for and that is freedom from the clutches of India, Pakistan and China.

- Almost 99 percent of people have their own permanent residence in Kashmir. In this regards, it is a very prosperous and self-sufficient state.

- The people of Kashmir in India have a wrong impression about people of Kashmir in Pakistan and vice versa. Both the respective localites believe that the other part is less developed and that the people living there are no better than tribals. However, it is wrong for both the sides. Both are almost equally developed.

- Though it is a very sensitive area because of the frequent militant attacks, the city is unusually calm and composed in its daily mannerisms. One can see excessive police force in various parts of the city  throughout the year and the localites seem unaffected, which I believe is a good thing.

_______

Routine

Picture Source

Among perfect pouts
crispy smiles
puffed up hair
glittery sighs

I stand meekly,
lost in the crowd.
Big eyes on a small face,
fat nose and thin lips.

But then you enter
Tell me I look lovely
And I, a little kid
smile big with glee.
 ______

You know your days are going well when..

-Your brother voluntarily opts to prepare French toasts for you in the morning, almost every other day.

-And oh, those French toasts are deliciously tasty as well.

-On a bright sunny morning, you put sunglasses on your already handsome doggy and instead of wrestling to take them off, the doggy strikes a pose.

Yeah, he's cool.

-All your life you are tagged as skinny and underweight but with a lot of hard work (read a lot of eating) and improved diet plans, you gain around 5kgs in mere 5 months and shut everybody's goddamn mouth. Trust me, this thing made me THE happiest.

-Your workout sessions at home, start showing breathtaking results and you finally have more than just traces of calf muscles, biceps and triceps. Told you, I'm gonna be a strong lady soon.

-After consistently pestering, you succeed in convincing your parents to plan a trip to Kashmir. Yay!

No wait..what if I just jinxed it.

-You spend your Valentine's day with some of the most awesome people in your life in the most awesome weather at a place where you've wanted to go since many years.

Surajkund Crafts Mela 2014

-You have more than one reason to be happy. Period.

_______

A Happy Day

My dad woke me up today, asking whether I would like to have Gajar ka Halwa. (For non-Indian readers, it's a very famous sweet dish whose main ingredient is carrot which is Gajar in Hindi) This being my favorite dessert, I readily yelled "Yes" from my room. But the next moment I wondered, that my mother is not at home, our maid has taken a leave for a week.. then who is going to prepare this super tasty thing? I jumped out of my bed and ran to the kitchen. To my very surprise, my dad was preparing it.

Before moving further, it is necessary to share that I hardly see my dad in the kitchen preparing some high class dish. He is there usually to keep a check..you know, on stuff..just like that!

So I being an opportunist, diligently assisted him and learnt the procedure. Yes, I finally know how to cook 'Gajar ka Halwa'. The best part is - for the rest of my life I can flaunt that it was my super dad who taught me this.

______

As mentioned above, our maid is on a leave, so these days I've been learning and doing a lot many household things. (A legit replacement..eh?) But tonight for a change, all five of us, including my brother and Frodo prepared dinner. Fine, Frodo was just watching! But the rest of us did prepare the supper together. It was such a warm and happy feeling, you know. When the whole family is together and we chat and we laugh and my brother tries to pull my leg and we laugh some more and the dog keeps wagging his tail.

Sigh.. it was just perfect!

______

But the day did not end there..

Today is Lohri. As a custom, we celebrate a bonfire night. Me and my mother went outside to get some pieces of wood for the bonfire. No doubt, it was a tiring thing to do in the cold. But the sweet outcome made it all worth it. We celebrated the festival.. again just the five of us.

And all I could think of was that this moment, right here, when the smiling faces of my loved ones are glowing in the light of bonfire, it is very special and I'm going to remember it forever.

:)

Thus, a happy day.

_______

P.S: A couple of days back, I recited my poems in front of some very amazing poets from all over the world. Being an introvert, I had never thought I would do something like this but everyone was so friendly and motivating there, that I grabbed my mobile, opened my blog and just like that..recited three of my poems. It was an impromptu decision but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Felt like having achieved something..not big or small, but something.. Yay!

Diwali :)

Just how happy this corner looks.. :)

Season of blinding lights, candles and diyas, festivity, deafening noise of chakri aur hawaai, bright colors..rangoli, traditional dresses, feeling pretty, mehndi, its intoxicating smell, unfettered happiness, family get togethers, and ah.. Kaju ki barfi!

In a nutshell, Diwali is here.

Yay!

Wish you all a very Happy Diwali.

And that pretty picture was clicked by me. Thank you!

_______

Summertime sadness- Lana Del Rey

This sexy number is my current love.

Happy New Look, Dear Blog.

And this is happiness to me.

Lazy Saturdays, this blog, its makeover, the aftermath, the urge to write more every second, Billy Joel's voice reaching to me like never before, light-headedness and not a single worry to entertain.

It is one of those days when everything, gradually begins to fall to place and you are just at peace to see the picture unpuzzle itself.

________

Elaichi Wali Chaai =)

A whisper of velvety wind is secretly curling up around me as I watch the newly bloomed roses in my veranda. It gives so much pleasure, those bright magenta flowers seem to look right at me with a novel smile. I remember how in summers, I feared seeing my plants wither away in sweltering heat. Every morning I would step out with a hope to see them blossoming and return with a dismal sigh. Gradually, it turned into a sad monotonous routine, like my life.

But today, while I take a sip of elaichi wali chaai, I watch my little babies soaking up the Autumn's love with open arms. Like it's washing away the mountainous sadness which lingered over the leaves for a long time and telling them to breathe again. I listen closely. I keep the cup, my favorite black and yellow cup on the table adjacent to my bed and I listen with rapture, a familiar sound wafting by the wind. I smile! It's calling out my name in a soft voice. I step out in the light drizzle, marooning the coveted thoughts and my lukewarm cup of tea behind. Bare feet, bare mind. It is addictive. This love, this sweet sweet love!

I cave in, yet again.

_________

P.S: I don't remember since when it has become a ritual but to enjoy the rains without holding close a cup of hot cardamom tea, is nearly impossible.  =)

Picture Source

A Much Needed Vacation

Untouched roads, mystic river, hidden waterfall, chilling on a hammock, witnessing a shooting star, chasing a glow worm, pleasant weather, majestic mountains all around and a private home stay on the river bed. Sigh!

There couldn't have been a better vacation than this.

At Tirthan Valley, I had the most amazing time of my life. The place was simply beyond my expectations. I feel so blessed to have visited it with friends and experienced nth number of blissful and breath taking moments. Really, who would have thought that I would visit a place which is almost similar to what I used to draw in school - splendidly green mountains, sun peeking from behind, a river and an excluded  river side home.

=)

Tirthan Valley is an off-beat place in Kullu district. It is somewhat like a village lowly populated with warm and friendly localites. For someone coming from Delhi, it is a sheer surprise to receive so much respect and honor from others. We stayed at a home stay as no hotels are permitted. The owner, Khem Bharti did everything to make our trip a success. His main place was almost full so we were accommodated at another place owned by him. The idea of us staying, in a private home which was nearer to the river was scary at first, as we had no idea how it would be from the 'safety point of view'. But to our surprise, it turned out to be the best thing possible.

We slept to the sound of gushing white water and woke up to the heavenly view of the Tirthan river.

Here are some picture of my small beatific vacation.

Chilling on a hammock

Spellbound

The hidden waterfall

Picturesque, isn't it!

My friend caught me off guard.

View from terrace

Tea and pakora time

Double rainbow

 ________

P.S : I chilled on a hammock and now I'll strike it off my wish list. Bliss!

Twenty One!

When I was turning ten, I remember jumping around the house and asking everyone to guess the reason behind my extreme level of excitement. They all gave me that dumb confused look and I, with a big smile, flashed my broken teeth and told them that I'm super happy because I'd be entering into a double digit age number.

Yes, that was the sole criteria for being excited. =')

How strange it is to remember that episode after eleven years. Eleven Years! It takes a while to absorb.

I turn twenty one in a couple of days and God knows, why that little ten year old girl is dancing within me all over again. No lame reason this time, though.

In fact, no reason at all!

So yes, twenty one it is. Excited? Hell yeah! But sadly...no, very sadly, I'm stuck up with end semester eggjams. If this was not enough, I have the can't-understand-one-single-thing-in-the-subject exam on my birthday. *Why God why*

Anyhow, as my plans of the special day are ruined real bad, I have come up with a better one. This year I'm gonna have an extended celebration.

A nice trip 'with friends' is on my mind. The place is not decided yet but it's going to be someplace so much cooler than my super hot city. And you know what, my mom has, all of a sudden become the coolest. She has been consistently asking me about my plan and  is dearly hoping that this time it is not cancelled or even postponed.

How cool you are mother!

And why am I rambling about all this, one may wonder. Because it is my TWENTY FIRST.

That being said, I'm going to play some good music and shake a leg. 

Sincerely

The girl who is turning 21. 

The Happy Moment!

The Sun curled up in

The blanket of the night sky

While I chased my dreams.

While I chased my dreams

Peeped through the cosy cocoon

It showcased the stars

It showcased the stars

Offered me a hand of faith

The world watched in awe.

The world watched in awe

While the Sun planted a kiss

On the night sky's cheek.

______

And the happy moment came to me again!

The second journal which published two of my poems - Two and Singular and These Rains, arrived yesterday. Its launch took place today and luckily the venue was near my place. To say that it was an incredible moment, would be an understatement. I was almost in tears to see my mother and my best friend so proud as I walked towards the stage. I couldn't have asked for more.

No wait!

I also got my book signed by Irshad Kamil, a very renowned poet and lyricist. Ah! What a struggle it was but I would't have missed the chance in any case. :)

So now, I couldn't have asked for more.
^_^

*****

The haiku has been written for: Haiku Heights - Prompt of the week is 'Dusk'.

Picture Source

Keep Calm and Hakuna Matata.

Now that I'm through with my semester exams, I should optimally utilize the three-four days that I have. Yes, we don't get any semester break.

=|

Here is the plan of action:

• Start exercising.
• Shop online.
• Snuggle more in the cozy blanket as winter has begun retreating.
• Learn new words.
• Clean the room. And bury every trace of course books somewhere deep.
• Enjoy being idol and remember the days I dearly wished I'd nothing to do except relax.
• And lastly, dance with a straight face.

Picture source

Anubhuti

This is one moment when I don't have any parallel and decipherable words or manner to define and epitomize the strong emotions that are racing in my veins.

In my hand are some of my Naani ma's poems (maternal grandmother) which were published around a decade back. I have known her mostly either in praises or in idiosyncrasies and incidents narrated by my mother. The beautiful and dynamic woman, born in Pakistan, had everything it takes to reside permanently in the heart of people around. There is not a single strand of her that doesn't enthrall me and make me feel proud to be a part of her. For she was an aesthetic blend of simple mannerism adorned with an incomparable charm that I can not find anywhere else. Not even a bit close!

And just like the exotic breeze that kisses your cheeks on a late night, like the winter sun that hugs you oh-so warmly and like that one careless laughter which somehow rests in your memory cage forever, her thought brings a smile on my face.

Because she is the gorgeous feeling of compassion and wisdom which I experience as I fathom her thoughts concocted in beautiful Hindi poetry, in yellowed pages of love and beyond.

पथ एक यहाँ अंतर इतना 

तुम गुज़र रहे मैं गुज़र चूका 

है नज़र नज़ारा एक यहाँ 

तुम देख रहे मैं देख चूका 

जीवन का पथ है एक साथी  

घट से मरघट को जाता है 

इस पथ की परम रंगीनी में 

जीवन सबका भरमाता है 

हर प्राणी इसमें डूबा है

हर जीव यहाँ बह जाता है

अंतर इतना बहते ही रहे तुम 

कूल सुहाना पा मैं चूका 

- शकुंतला कोहली 

(A few lines from one of her poems which I fell in love with. I would have posted the whole piece but it's too long.)

_______________

P.S: 1. Anubhuti means to feel, perceive or experience. It is the title used by Naani ma for her huge collection of poetry.

2. Two of my poems have been selected by a publishing house. Whupiiee! Yes yes..I know..'main naani ma pe gayi hu'  Yay! ^_^

Moments of the Day.

That feeling which you get after pestering your parents so hard to let you drive all by yourself and they, all of a sudden, agree to your request. You turn the ignition on and sit there for a while, trying to realize the actuality of the moment, feeling the rush of blood all through your body. You are so overwhelmed with the thought of driving independently, that you cradle sheer bliss within till you reach your destination - Delhi High Court (yes, it is 'the' thing to brag. :D ) And on returning home safely, you see your parents greet you with a big smile and how you are filled with the feeling of achievement.

And that is when I felt like a grown up, a responsible and a little 'independent' grown up.

That feeling, when after a heavy day you take a nap in the evening and wake up to the sound of monsoon showers. You rub your eyes and just before you know you find yourself standing in the balcony (I run fast...sometimes) with your arms stretched out and eyes tightly shut. To add more to the joy, your adorable dog runs out to you in the rain, wags a little and runs back. Oh! And does the same quite many times. :P

Yes, it is monsoon time in my dear city. And let me take the opportunity to add 'Finally' which is so credited to the long wait.

*HAPPY*

________________

P.S: I didn't want to spoil my happy happy post so I am asking it in this irrelevant space here. What the hell has happened to Bollywood music? Where is the 'music' in the songs like 'Main hu he nahi iss duniya ki'? FML!! Not that I listen to these pathetic compositions intentionally. But being surrounded by endless Bollywood lovers, I somehow end up giving my ears a bad ache. Every other song is adorned with horribly-raping-the-heart-of-music-lovers lyrics.

Sigh!

Anyway, listen to this song you lovely reader. An old song, I know. But it has got a timeless beauty. :-)

That Which Cannot Be Expressed.

You don't know which thing might move you to tears unless you experience it. You don't know which thing might touch your heart and take you to another land unless you feel it. You don't know what is there beneath few lines unless you breathe along with every word of it.

Sigh!

Few days back, my friend introduced me to the poetry of one of the most outstanding poets and philosophers Jalal-ad-Din Rumi, a Turkish Sufi. Honestly, I carried some knowledge about this great man but never really spent time to read his fantastic work...his quotations.

Yes, that day in the metro I gulped in some of his most throbbing words and experienced something that I can never articulate in few expressions. It is either indeed ineffable or I am too naive or callow to look for some worthy appreciation. All I can say is that this man's words which were recorded somewhere in the 13th Century moved a teenage girl to tears in the 21st Century. See how amazing it is. We say that people change with time but do you find any change in the inner soul of every homosapien? For I believe that many before me would have shed tears while reading the same lines. Many before me would have felt a strong and powerful connection the way I did. So how am I different to those nth number of people?

Think.

Anyway following is the one that I am talking about. You can read his other quotations here.

“Like This 

If anyone asks you 
how the perfect satisfaction 
of all our sexual wanting 
will look, lift your face 
and say, 

Like this. 

When someone mentions the gracefulness 
of the nightsky, climb up on the roof 
and dance and say, 

Like this. 

If anyone wants to know what "spirit" is, 
or what "God’s fragrance" means, 
lean your head toward him or her. 
Keep your face there close. 

Like this. 

When someone quotes the old poetic image 
about clouds gradually uncovering the moon, 
slowly loosen knot by knot the strings 
of your robe. 

Like this. 

If anyone wonders how Jesus raised the dead, 
don’t try to explain the miracle. 
Kiss me on the lips. 

Like this. Like this. 

When someone asks what it means 
to "die for love," point 
here. 
If someone asks how tall I am, frown 
and measure with your fingers the space 
between the creases on your forehead. 

This tall. 

The soul sometimes leaves the body, the returns. 
When someone doesn’t believe that, 
walk back into my house. 

Like this. 

When lovers moan, 
they’re telling our story. 

Like this. 

I am a sky where spirits live. 
Stare into this deepening blue, 
while the breeze says a secret. 

Like this. 

When someone asks what there is to do, 
light the candle in his hand. 

Like this. 

How did Joseph’s scent come to Jacob? 
Huuuuu. 

How did Jacob’s sight return? 
Huuuu. 

A little wind cleans the eyes. 

Like this. 
When Shams comes back from Tabriz, 
he’ll put just his head around the edge 
of the door to surprise us 

Like this.” 
― Rumi

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Time for some good news now: I feel elated to announce that Mirage got it's first award by two of my lovely blogger friends. Yayyyyy!!!! It is a complete honor to receive the award. Thank you so much Keirthana and Sumitra. You both made me SOOOOOOOO HAPPY.

<3 <3