A SPECIAL TRIBUTE

Light and shade play a beautiful game of hide & seek,

In the courtyard of memory lanes a strange match is being played,

Your warmth lights up all my memories,

And your absence leads me to the darkest alleys.

You are gone but the memories linger,

The touch is missing but the magic continues,

The distance is unfathomable but the closeness continues,

The footsteps go untraceable but the marks remain.

LOST IN TRANSITION

Thoughts tend to get lost in the mélange of routine,

Ideas meander away before firming up,

Words have ceased to be coherent and sane,

Promises have lost their relevance,

Feelings have become rationalised,

Restlessness has become an accepted facet,

Wonder is it age or the times we are living in?

TWESTIVAL – THE FESTIVAL WITH A TWIST

Less than a year ago, when I was coaxed rather forced to join Twitter by a friend on the lookout for an additional follower, little did I know I will get addicted to the platform to this extent. Twitter has brought about an interesting change in the way I spend my time online. My source of breaking news, a personal touch point to reach out to celebs (not SRK, Shashi Tharoor is more my kind of Twitter celeb), instant help online on any subject under the sun (from dance number suggestions to survey responses, you get it all on Twitter), participating in interesting conversations, tracking important movements in media and corporate world - Twitter has assimilated itself seamlessly well into my lifestyle. (Oops did I miss mentioning contests & quizzes). No doubt, that this medium has become an addiction and there is a twitching in the mind if I am away from it long! Recent point in case being my outstation vacation, could not stop myself from updating Twitter via phone.

For such a Twitter addict, it was a great pleasure to be associated with the #DelTwestival – The Delhi chapter of the Twestival held on March 25, 2010 @ Café Morrison, South Ex. Twestival was held across more than 175 cities simultaneously around the world wherein thousands of people around the globe leveraged the power of Web 2.0 for social good. The global event is a worldwide fundraising initiative that uses social media, particularly Twitter, to focus participants’ talent and resources to benefit one cause for one day. All proceeds generated from the 2010 Twestival will support education and will be donated to Concern Worldwide, a non-governmental, international, humanitarian organization that since 1968 has dedicated itself to reducing suffering and eliminating poverty.

Post innumerable online interactions, befriending a lot of Tweeples and dodging various Tweetups, finally I was very excited to learn that I could actively participate in the Delhi chapter and handle the PR for the same. It was fun to witness a scenario where people online known to each other were scouting for recognition via their Twitter handles. Funny how complex identities have become in the web 2.0 era. Overheard throughout the evening “Hi I’m @xyz and I follow you. Great to meet you offline.” Fervently live-tweeting via phones, the enthusiastic bunch of Tweeple straight from office (mostly) showed that it isn’t only the Backstreet Boys that can pull crowds in Delhi. An evening dedicated to a noble cause witnessed Twitter users from various walks of life assemble together amidst myriad conversations, peppy music & of course Tweeting.

After exchanging pleasantries aka Twitter handle hellos, the session kickstarted with a discussion on education. As is the case with Twitter, conversations veered in all kinds of directions and perspectives. Tweeple jumped in with suggestions and anecdotes when a Std 12th student present asked how he could use Twitter in his free time. With endless chatter, hearty laughter, enjoyable music by the talented band of Five8 and most importantly exchange of handles, the evening came to an end. Twitter may have a character limit of 140 but the Twestival did not have any time or people limit. Tweeple were seen enjoying the one-of-its kind meet way beyond the stipulated time of the event.

With the event raising more than 1000 US $ for a noble cause of education along with the topping of being a meeting ground for several online Twitter handles in real life, the second Delhi Twestival was quite a hit. Looking forward to the next one already.

PS: Those who find the language used weird aka excess use of @ # and handles, all I can say is this is the Twitter effect. Interested in exploring a new world of networking get on to Twitter asap & join in the spirit of Tweet, Meet & Give.

BEING A WOMAN

Deprived for ages,
Now we doubt our own potential.

Abused for aeons,
Now we are ashamed of our own self.

Captivated in four walls,
Now we are afraid of soaring high.

Trodden on the known,
Now we are scared of the new & unknown.

Kept in the dark,
Now our eyes are dazzled by the light.

Time may heal the wounds,
But will the scars vanish?

REGAINED

Feel unshackled today,
Let out to roam in the wilds again,
To experience the fresh whip of air,
Free from the invisible ties to thyself,

Feel elevated once again,
Seems my spring has arrived,
After the dry spell of winter,
Happy to be myself.

THE SCAR

Found a few days back,
The scar refuses to vanish,
It’s here, it’s there,
Feels scarred for life.

Tried to wash it away,
But water seems to have no effect,
Rubbing it does not help,
Ever seen such a bizarre ugly pitch black patch?

Ogling constantly with the might of its malice,
Challenging me to remove it or forget it for life,
Can I either is the question?
For the time being have hidden it under wraps,
How long? How long?

LOST & FOUND

Traded off innocence for wisdom,
Grabbed unrest over serenity,
Dreamland exchanged for insomnia,
Replaced the music within with cacophony,
Sold dreams for reality,
Killed thyself for norms of sanity,

And all this for what?
Life gave choices galore,
Have opted for all the dictated ones,
Lost the rhythm to gain the momentum,
Now the poisoned self smiles with pain.

QUESTIONS OF, BY & FOR INDIAN DEMOCRACY

The agony and pain of an entire generation,
Partaken to unshackle the chains of a nation.
Golden dreams woven for a bumper future
Bloodshed and sacrifice all embraced with great pride.

Now decades later questions arise,
Will somebody gather the courage to apprise?
Ask the happy faces that were hanged,
Ask the women who were widowed,

Ask the men who spent their youth jailed,
Ask the girls who were brutally raped,
Ask the kids who were snatched off their childhood,
Ask the families uprooted from their livelihood.

This is not the India we had left for you to shape
This is not your property to abuse and rape
Was it not enough to go through one partition?
That every other day there are demands of more abrasions

Slice it, divide it and pounce on whatever is left,
Arm yourselves with the ammunition of hatred.
Let there not be any scope for love and mankind.
With such well wishers inside, is there any need for enemies outside?

Here comes another opportunity of power play,
Leave not a stone unturned to make hay.
Fool the fooled, bribe the rich and rip apart the poor,
For here adds in our history books another golden chapter.

PROMISES TO KEEP & MILES TO GO IN 2010

Another New Year has crept in silently and before even realizing a week has already gone past in 2010. It is a little scary at times; pondering over the fact that almost 1/3rd of life has been spent on this planet. But I have miles to go before I sleep :)

Although promises are hardly kept but I will strive to at least fulfill the ones made to myself ;) So here goes a quick wish list for my 2010. This post is more of a note to myself and hopefully after putting this on my blog, I would work on achieving the same with utmost diligence.

• Will take up a cause - yes something beyond the cause of hunger, dwindling profits of multiplex owners and sweet-shop owners :P Would focus on the cause of education of the underprivileged kids. Have already started on this one as a volunteer of an NGO, Udayan Care. Hope to live up to this commitment and take it to greater heights
• I hereby pledge to lead a healthier lifestyle - Eat, drink, splurge in moderation & exercise more. Thus, help the Indian economy grow leaps & bounds with my contribution by devouring less and paying the gym owners more :P
• Will try to go as green as possible. That means besides wearing more green :P will be more careful in my carbon footprint. However, that will not mean that I shun books and shift to e-reader, Kindle. Will catch up on my reading of real books and finish the long list awaiting me.
• Will not leave any opportunity to travel around and explore new places despite chiding from mom and inch closer towards my dream to travel around the world :)
• Also, plan to pick up a new hobby or a new activity this year
• Will not lose my temper unnecessarily - Will stay calm and try practice Yoga as advised by many :P Will try to be more open to people, situations & life in general - Ponder before making prejudices and will maintain my usual enthusiastic approach to life :)
• Also last but not the least will pay more attention to my blog & keep the posts flowing regularly

Hope it is a Happy 2010 in true sense :)