Sunday, 12 September 2021

Life


Around three months ago, in June 2021, on some working day, I was very late for my office and I saw one aged lady indicating her hand for a lift sign and I stopped my vehicle. I asked her where she wanted to go. She told me that she was waiting for an auto-rickshaw for the past ten to fifteen minutes but nobody stopped. She wanted to go to the bank which was nearby my office, so I told her to sit behind me on my two-wheeler. She immediately started to give blessings to me, maybe because it was really hot that morning and she seemed very tired. In those five minutes drive, I got to know that she was going to the bank to get some money from her late husband's account. Her late husband had some kidney complications and they transferred one of her kidneys to him but they couldn't save him. She was surviving with one kidney for the past three years after her husband's death. She told me that their son was on some higher-level post somewhere and he didn't support it. She travelled from some small town in Saurashtra to get this money. She also explained some bank account complications which I didn't understand. I felt so bad, deep inside my heart. I was numb, I didn't understand what to say or what to do next. I was very late for the office but I asked if she needed further help I could go inside the bank with her but she denied and thanked me. She started crying and gave me blessings. My eyes were almost teary. I told her not to cry and said she was very strong and we drifted apart.

Since the past few months, I have had some professional and personal problems. I tried a lot but none of them got solved. I tried everything to forget those issues. I travelled, I made paintings, I read books, I watched movies, even I took a break from my work and I was on leave for few days. Meanwhile, I learnt many things. We share problems with some very personal people. But sometimes nobody can help us because the situation isn't in anyone's favour. This time I didn't share with anybody what I was feeling deep inside or what I was going through in that phase of life. Eventually, some very close people sensed and I told them. I couldn't solve any of the problems but they seemed a little less important. I got used to living with them. Now if I get hurt with someone I just stop talking to that person and wait for him or her to understand the situation because every time we explain them and they don't understand. I stopped telling people what their faults were and how those situations affected me. Because I know if they don't understand by themselves there is no need to mention those things. They might think I'm very fragile but very few of them know that I am very strong.

Years ago I failed few subjects in my engineering and I was going back to my home from college. I was very sad and I was sitting on the edge of the city bus' door because the whole bus was very much crowded. Maybe I was crying because one gentleman offered me some water. This gentleman or some other strangers who have helped me or sometimes I did some small favours like the incident mentioned earlier are in my heart even after this much time has passed.

Years after years we meet new people, but very few can impact our lives. Eventually, we lose friends or some people give us a tremendous bunch of memories and suddenly they leave this world or city or sometimes those relationships just die...

Whenever I go to new places, I find their daily life very interesting. I might not be able to adjust to their daily routine, but their life fascinates me. In the past few months, I visited places where there were mountains, waterfalls or forests. I got to know their hardship regarding day to day life. When I was in my teens I used to imagine someday I would live in mountains, because nature has always fascinated me. I still sometimes think about mountains whenever I feel sad. In the past few months whenever I was sad I used to visit nearby parks and other natural places. I used to document trees, clouds, peacocks, lakes, flowers, sunset and few other natural things and surroundings via pictures and videos. It made me calm, maybe eventually helped me to live with my problems by just accepting them.

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“When you least expect it, nature has cunning ways of finding our weakest spot.”
- André Aciman, Call Me By Your Name

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There's nothing wrong with you. There's a lot wrong with the world you live in.
- Chris Colfer

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Tuesday, 20 July 2021

જિંદગી

શહેરથી થોડેક દૂર પુરાના કિલ્લાની પાસે ટેકરી પર ચડીને તે ઊભો રહ્યો. ટેકરીની પાછળ સૂરજ ડૂબવાની તૈયારીમાં હતો, થોડી વારમાં રાત ઝિલમિલાવાની હતી. બાવળનાં કાંટાઓની પેલે પાર પાણી વિનાની સૂકાયેલી નદી હતી. હવામાં વરસાદ પહેલાનો ઉકળાટ હતો. કિલ્લા પર બેઠેલો મોરલો વરસાદના આગમનની તૈયારીમાં હતો. આસપાસમાં કેટલાક લોકો બેઠા હતા. થોડે દૂર એક યુગલ પ્યારની મદહોશીમાં ચૂર હતું. એક આદમી સિગારેટ ફૂંકી રહ્યો હતો. વર્ષો પહેલાં આવી જ એક સાંજે તેણે પોતાનાં દોસ્તની સાથે સિગારેટનો પહેલો કશ ખેંચ્યો હતો, જ્યારે લાગતું હતું કે એ જિંદગી શું કામની જ્યાં સાથે બેસીને સિગારેટનાં બે-ત્રણ કશ ખેંચી શકાય એવો એક દોસ્ત ન હોય! અત્યારે એ દોસ્ત પાસે ન હતો, જિંદગીમાં અધૂરપ હતી અને શુષ્ક હવાની સાથે રહેલાં બાફમાં થોડીક ચોરેલી પળોની જેમ આ જિંદગી જીવાઈ રહી હતી...

Saturday, 5 June 2021

Scene Explained - Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna - First encounter of Dev & Maya




Scene Explained:-
Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)

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18th March 2002. It was the day when Dev & Maya met for the very first time. Maya was about to get married to Rishi. Dev and Maya had a small talk and both of them instantly felt connected. 

Maya was confused about whether she loved Rishi or not. She felt that sometimes friendship replaces love and then there remains no space for love. Maya knew Rishi since childhood, they were good friends. But Maya didn't love him, of course, she didn't know at that time. She eventually got married to Rishi.

Dev was married to Rhea. They both were settled in life but not happy together. It was the day when Dev also realised that probably his love for Rhea has changed. He didn't answer properly when Maya asked if he loved his wife. Because he was as confused as Maya.

Maya was trying to find love for years. But that love wasn't Rishi. She was sitting on that bench and thinking how her life would turn out in future. Dev advised her to find love even after marriage. He said, if she won't look for it, she won't find it. Probably Dev was also assuring himself about the same thing. He was also looking for love. That love was Maya.

They both didn't know the particular thing at that moment. But both of them felt something deep inside. As Rishi was putting sindoor in Maya's maang, at the same moment, Dev had an accident and blood was flowing from the wound to his face. Dev narrated the incident beautifully by saying that time can heal anything, but in few relationships, some wounds get deepen as time passes.

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Dev - Shah Rukh Khan
Maya - Rani Mukerji
Rishi - Abhishek Bachchan
Rhea - Preity Zinta

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Movie: Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna (2006)

Written & Directed by: Karan Johar

Screenplay: Karan Johar, Shibani Bathija

Dialogues: Niranjan Iyengar

Cinematography: Anil Mehta

Monday, 31 May 2021

Aditi - Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani


Dear Aditi, 

Sometimes I think how much courage you would have needed to let Avi go because you knew he would probably never even realise that you loved him so much. It was you only who said you all were growing up and you all had to stop behaving like children when Bunny got admission to Chicago. 

You were not sure whether Bunny would come to your wedding but you gave your best by at least sending a video message, I could feel you were missing him so much and deep inside you needed your best friend. You were so happy when he was with you while you were getting ready on your wedding day. I still remember all those expressions you had while you were looking into the mirror.

You are among very few people who have changed for good. You were so upfront when Naina's mom asked about your studies, you told her without any hesitance that you do not like to study much. I couldn't have been friends with you in the first place because I am like a scholar Naina, but we would have gotten along on the Manali trip, because I know how to have fun exactly like you. 

You had everything a girl could ask for - beauty, confidence, wisdom & most importantly courage. You were so sure about Taran because you knew that spending time with him would make things alright. They say that people like us don't fit along with those boxes made by society, but we don't care even. We just need people with whom we can have a good time, with whom we can relax, can dance and talk about life. I hope Taran is one of them.

Lots of love,
S.

P. S. Although I am vegetarian, I would like to eat your ham & cheese sandwiches, so I hope someday you will invite me for that long conversation because I want to make things alright by spending some time with you.

Sid - Dil Chahta Hai


Dear Sid,

I can not describe how much I love you. I can relate to you at so many stages of my life because I'm somewhat like you, there are few qualities in you that I've in myself. You do not know much about how to crack jokes & end up saying serious things, giving pieces of advice and taking care of people. 

I can relate to your unconventional thinking about love. Love where age doesn't matter. Love which you can not describe, but you know there's no any bondage, there's just freedom when you feel like you have broken all those walls around you and you know that love is an emotion where you can feel each season, flower, colour, fragrance, moonlight, waterfall, forest, song, rain, butterfly and what not! You explained love so simply to Deepa while watching the sunset that I thought I wish I would have sat beside you at that particular moment.

The most beautiful thing is you actually listen to other people in conversations and then you reply according to the situation- sometimes with maturity and sometimes with innocence.

I love the way you devote yourself to art like all other people were chatting and enjoying at a graduation party, but you sketched Shalini, whom you did not even know. You wanted to make a portrait of Tara, and you knew that it would be the best painting you've ever made. I love the way you take care of your friends. At Chapora Fort, Goa, you thought you might lose your friends because you knew their importance, you're the kind of person for whom friendship is one of the most important things. 

Sometimes I think about how your room would look-alike in Kasauli, what you would be doing there or how would you paint certain things. Maybe you're a mountain person like me, or maybe not. But one thing I'm sure about is that you would be such a famous artist by now, and I hope you're in a happy place with happy people around. I genuinely hope that you've found whatever your heart had desired in your younger days.

Lots of love,
S.

P. S. Please send me one of your painting and of course your recent photograph with a cute smile!

Sunday, 14 February 2021

કંઇક આપ

હું જ સતત આપ્યા કરું?
ક્યારેક તુ પણ કંઇક આપ!
સફેદ કાગળ માટે કોઇ રંગ આપ!
વાતાવરણમાં સુવાસ પ્રસરે, ગુલાબ તો આપ!
હું તો સતત ઝંખ્યા કરું,
એક હૂંફાળી સ​વાર,
એક ઢળતી બપોર કે નમતી સાંજ,
ક્યારેક તો તુ કંઇક આપ...

Friday, 12 February 2021

Evening

It was a cold evening. The Sun has just set and the Moon was about to appear in the dusky sky. The boy seemed lost and unhappy. But he was walking on the right path. The branches of all trees were making a beautiful scene, almost like a painting. He stopped for a while and he found a stone, white. He touched it and it was having a smooth surface. He sat somewhere and listened to the sound of Peacock. He realised that the inner peace he was looking for, was easily available here. He wiped his tears and promised himself that he will be happy.