WHEN IT'S LOVE...IT IS LOVE....

When it's love, it is love
No matter who it is for
No matter how it all started
No matter where it's taking us...

When it's love, it is love
No matter if it's first, second or nth time
No matter if it's fairytale or a practical kind
No matter if it's very normal or one of it's sort...

When it's love, it is love
No matter what age it is
No matter what season it is
No matter what place it is...

When it's love, it is love
No reason makes more sense
Nothing else does matter
And none seems more existing...

When it's love, it is love
Ecstasy overpowers all senses
Tenderness soaks all behaviours
And, silvery droplets soak both eyes, all the time...

Yes, when it's love
It sees nothing but love
It knows nothing but love
And it lives nothing but love...

And, that's why I say
When it's love, it is only love...

CLOSER TO HIS HEART....

She looks out of the window, sitting at the backseat of the car…Her eyes are glued to the dew-dropped early morning city landscapes…The sun is up somewhere and the golden rays have spread their sparkle to everything around, and the morning looks like an elegantly dressed princess… What’s more, the sunrays have also spread tender warmth around…And, the sight of this morning has soaked her soul into some pure happiness…Her childlike face seems more vibrant than usual and she turns to the guy driving the car, ‘It’s so damn cool this morning, nay Rishi??’

‘You forget, Rishi is gone baby’, comes the reply from the driver’s seat…Ritwik, who’s driving the car finds it really funny that she doesn’t recall leaving Rishi in the airport this morning…’Hmmmm, well, I remember, just that slips out of my mind’, she gets little red to explain why she just called Ritwik Rishi and thus hides her disappointment that her best friend is not in the city anymore…And, surprisingly enough, this is the first time it occurs to her mind…

She leaves her back to the seat…And thinks of all those times she’s going to miss Rishi…Rishi being her best friend, and also that person who knew her exactly the way she is, makes it always easy for her to lean on him every time she needs someone…And, for the last 3 years, he has been carrying his responsibility of being her best friend so well that she never had to worry about being alone…After her 5 years long relationship with her boyfriend was over, Rishi was the friend she looked up to for taking her frustration out.. He was there when she needed to lean on his shoulders cursing her boyfriend, he was there when she needed to make a 3 am phone call cribbing how sleep refuses to arrive in her eyes, he was there when she needed to go on a long drive on the highway to avoid the suffocation in her room, he was there when she needed to eat at 2 am in the morning for skipping her dinner while busying herself crying, he was there when she fell sick of not eating for weeks together…Yes, he was always there…Always there, making her avoid those tears, making her smile with those little funny tales, making her find a way to see the lights ahead, and making her walk on the rough and dark tunnel she was on that time…Almost every evening he had taken her out on long drives because he knew that was one thing that could make her feel better…Almost every morning he had picked her up to college because he knew otherwise she would miss classes…Almost every moment spent with her he clicked a million pictures of hers because he knew that was one thing that made her happy like never before… Yes, almost every day he had made sure that she went home with a smile on her face… And, during all those times, she didn’t know how, but she started developing a dependence on him, and that continued…

Things kept going…They passed out with their masters’ degree to their credit…She took up a job in a different city, and he stayed back in the old…But they remained friends…In fact that was the time, their friendship became even stronger…They could call each other their best friend…And, suddenly she knew, he was one friend she would treasure for life…He was always there without her asking for him…During all her problems, during all her happinesses, during all her running tears, during all her shining smiles…yes, he was always there…Even during when he was fighting to save his own relationship with his long time girlfriend, he was with her supporting her…And, also then, when he himself was standing alone, yet he never let her feel alone…And, without her knowing she felt, he would be there always…

A month back, she came back to the city where she studied and in a true meaning, grew up…He was the one who managed to convince her to come back here, because he knew this was the place that actually could make her happy, although she refused to agree to that…But, she agreed to him on coming back here and one fine day she packed her bag and baggage and came back…And, in a true way, she was happy…Everything that made sense in her life was here…The city had so much to offer and thereby to make her happy that she was overwhelmed with the unexpected happiness that she was experiencing here…She had all her friends around her, she had her kid brother accompanying her, she had her favourite food stalls here, she had her favourite chilly breeze continuously blowing here, she had her favourite coffee shops here, yes everything she adored had all their glorious presence here…And, with Rishi by her side to protect and support her, life turned into a complete fairytale…

Then, one day Rishi tells her about his decision to move out of the country…He tells her that he wants to go abroad for a while to figure out what he exactly wants from life…Well, she gets really happy for him…She always knew that he always wished to go around the world, and due to various commitments he was not able to…But, now since finally he’s leaving, she gets truly happy…He tells her that they would always stay best friends and she trusts him…His words makes her feel even happier and she knows all their lives, they going to be friends to die for…She tells him, she would come to see him off…He tells her not to come, but her arrogance makes he agree to her coming to the airport…And finally today early morning she comes with all of them to the airport, has all the fun together before he gets his boarding pass and then waits for him to check in for immigration…

Everything was just so perfect, till that moment…Then comes the time, when he checks in and waves his hands and disappears on the staircases…All of a sudden, something triggers in her heart and her heart skips a beat…Suddenly she realizes, she is feeling restless and her soul is getting soaked in some unknown pain…She realizes, she is longing to see his face and since she can’t, it’s making her feel helpless…She tries her best to get a glimpse of his face, but there is no way she can…She tries his phone, he picks up and whispers that he’s in immigration check and would call her back once it’s over…Her heart skips even faster…His friend, who came along with them tells her that it’s time they move out of the airport…This friend gets some hints of her sadness, so he holds her palm and makes her walk along with him…They reach the parking lot…

She sits at the back seat, and drowns in her own thoughts…And that’s when she looks out of the window, and gets amused with the beauty of the morning…And, that’s when she excitedly calls for Rishi asking his opinion on the beautiful morning…And, that’s also when she gets her reality check that Rishi is not with her anymore…And, when she realizes, Rishi is gone her eyes suddenly turns moist…The bright sunny gorgeous morning fails to draw her attention anymore…Her tears start falling down slowly…She realizes, she is missing him…Missing him like she had never ever imagined she would…All she can think now is about him sitting next to her comforting her when she needed him the most…And, suddenly her heart weeps…It weeps like a child, screaming for its mother…It feels helpless like a caged kitten…It soaks in a sea of emotions that she can’t help saving it from…And, she’s left perplexed, what’s wrong with her…

And, then she realizes, probably, all this time, she overlooked what her heart kept feeling…Probably she didn’t have a way to see that she was starting to feel for the guy whom she thought to be her friends…Probably she failed to see that her emotions were running deeper than she was assuming to be…Probably she wasn’t able to understand that in those carefree moments she had started taking him as someone, more than a friend…Yes, probably she was blind to many a things happening around her, around him, and around them…But, today, as she has let him go to a place he wished to, she realizes, truly her heart wants him close her…So close that, his breathes would be on hers, his arms would be around her and she would know that, that is what she was missing all these times, when he was there but she had failed to understand…
She sighs…The car was running faster now…Into the city…Away from him…But, she knows, the more the distance between them increases, the more she is moving closer to him…closer to his heart…And, a smile appears on her lips…A smile, that brightens her face, more than the sunrays can brighten the morning…

A CUP OF COFFEE...AND A LOVE STORY...

Well, I'm always known for my faith and beliefs in fairytale stories, utter madness, and things that hardly have an explanation...And at times, I prove that I'm crazy to do so...Especially, when it comes to my love, I guess, I go beyond the reality and even imagination...'Cuz, I truly believe that fairytales do exist...Well, it's sad that once my own fairytale had witnessed a terrible reality check, but, hell no, it couldn't really lessen my faith in them...And, today, as I listened to the story of one my friend, I knew, I was never wrong...Fairytales do exist, very very very much...And, when they happen, the world does turn to a better place to be in...

Well, it was time, finally real life at Bangalore had taken off for me...After 2 weeks long pure indulgence, I had begun the life of a normal 25 years working girl...And that included major travelling in the morning hours, reaching office on time, sipping on the most readily available coffee and working minimum of 12 hrs a day...But, had no way to complain cuz it's the way I've chosen to be and I'm completely aware that, a chosen life comes with little difficulty...Nonetheless, I have found a way to cope up and hence this innings in Bangalore was going lilltle more than fine...And, it is one of these days when this friend of mine rang me to inform that he's just a little away from my office...It was lunch time, hardly any pressure at work and I was actually dying for a chilled coffee...So got happy to take a break and came out of my office (that had found its existence in a place you can't really believe exists unless and until you visit it...Well, it's better not discussed)...

In about ten minutes found my friend waiting for me and he, knowing my craze for coffee, let me decide that we sat in the coffee shop...As we sipped on our personal favourites, we started discussing anything and everything that makes sense and also that is far from making sense...But we enjoyed this little break from an otherwise powerpacked day...As we mocked each other, and made fun out of nothing, also got into discussing things that made their marks on the list of our life priorities...And that's when he told about one of the sweetest love stories I have heard till date, and yes, you guessed it right, it is of his own...

Being a guy, busy in his mischivious bests, and one who shies away from girls, this friend of mine was an all-surrounded-by-guys-and-no-girls type...And he managed to continue the same way till he completed his graduation...And then it was time for an MBA and he landed up in Bangalore...Well, that time he didn't have an idea that Bangalore was about to offer much more than just a degree...Fresh out of college and on the verge of starting a grown up life, yes, it was the time to forget the world and get busy with the fun of maturing...And that's when it happened...

It was the first week in college, and he, along with his gang were loitering in the campus...That was the time, he saw her...With her large transparent kohl applied eyes, she glanced at him as she walked by...Nobody would have noticed it and even if they did, it was just another incident for them...But, who knew, that was a moment his world started changing...Somehow he couldn't stop himself from staring into those eyes and he gathered his courage to walk upto her to say something, 'Hey, you have got very beautiful eyes'...Well, a simple and common line, that every guy has tried atleast once in their life...But, in his case, it was something, he had said for the first time and most importantly he had meant it...Well, as it should be, the girl paid the least heed to it, and came a rude reply from her, 'I already know it'...It was obvious she didn't believe him, and for many, it would have been something like 'The story was over before it started'...

But, destiny make us do the most unususal, the most shocking and the craziest things which we don't really believe we can do...Yes, the same thing repeated with my friend too...The guy who used to prefer staying atleast half a kilometre away from girls, started gathering his courage together to steal few glances from this girl...He made sure the minutest opportunity to come face to face with the girl doesn't get slipped away, the smallest occasion to strike a conversation doesn't get blown away, and most importantly the slightest moment of looking into those dark deep eyes doesn't get missed out...Yes, finally, it was time he was in love...People do all crazy and idiotic things in love, he did too...He always tried to make things happen in a way that gave him little more time with her...He always got into the team where she was, for his group presentations, he always sat at the table where she ate her lunch, and one day, they became friends...And then they became the best of friends...All these time, things kept happening...The guy, who was uncontrollable turned into one composed and matured being, he found his balance in life and most importantly found someone who could calm his wild side down, with just few words...

And, then, one day he gathered his courage once again, to propose to her...Most obviously she refused...She had her reasons...They had differences of their own...They were from completely different backgrounds, societies and cultures...But, when love happens, other reasons lose their depth and meanings...People also say, you wait for a lifetime for the one you love...He did too...He was determined to wait for her till she changed her mind to accept him, cuz he believed with his heart and soul, that she was his...He proposed to her again...And she had the same reply again...This went on, and on, and on...Time passed by, and it was almost two and a half years...In this duration, he repeated his proposal everyday, without fail...He truly believed in his love and knew it will make things fine one day...And, it did happen...One fine day, he got the answer he was waiting for all those years...She was ready to be with him for the rest of her life...

Today, they are married...Few days back, they had completed six months of their happily married life too...Well, they are having a beautiful time, coloured with love of true partners, understanding of true friends, faith of true matured individuals and companionship of two travellers moving ahead towards the same destination...Neither of them has speculated what's in store, but they know, whatever it is, they will walk together, always, hand in hand, and this will make their journey one they would always love to carry on, and on...Well, now, that is what I call a perfect story...

We finished our coffee, so did my friend his story...But, that didn't end the glitters in his eyes...The glitters that the thought of his lovely wife had brought to his eyes...Neither did end my pleasant amusement...Me being someone who lives for love, get transported to a land of fairytales every time a love story finds its way to my heart...And, this one, being a true and happy story, found all the more reasons to make me get the little drops of tears that appear in my eyes everytime I'm happy...I was touched by the purity and innocence of it, was driven by the insanity and craziness of my friend, and most importantly was happy with the successful and happy continuation of it...Who says, love is painful...It's not...'Cuz, it brings out the best in you...It gives you reasons to be strong...It makes you go through thrills...And most importantly, it gives you someone, who would walk with you by your side...All along...All your life...

I'm happy for my friend, who knew how to love truly...I'm happy for his lovely wife, who made him complete...I'm happy for their union, which gave their love story a happy ending, or should I say an all new happy beginning...And, I know, this will last for a lifetime...'Cuz, it's based on the most pure feelings on earth...That is LOVE...

Wish, all the love stories in the world get to the heights, they ideally should...And wish, love brings all the positivity and energy to one's life...And, most importantly, let's do our bit, to let love find its way to our lives and shower us with all the goodness of it...'Cuz love can make you someone who you thought you can never be...

Cheers to love...

A WAIT...UNDER THE STARLIT SKY...

Well, it's been a week, I'm in this city...The city which is an ocean of memories I had created over a period of time and which have always been very important parts of my life...And after staying away from this place for a year and a half, I'm back again...No doubt, I was bound to be back, owing to the fact that the city had a much more stronger connection with me than I had imagined...And, this connection didn't let me build a new one with any other place, and now I'm back here...And everytime I walk on the clean, broad, calm roads, I get amused with the warmth that everything in the city radiates, I get amazed with the positivity that the vibes carry, and my heart leaps with joy with every touch of the freshness the city lets me experience...And, with each of these moments my heart blesses me for coming back to this place...A smile spreads on my lips...And my eyes twinkle...

But then, everytime I walk on the streets, everytime I smell the freshness, and everytime I try pulling my hair back from the attacking breeze, I get a sudden rush in my heart..A rush of emotions, and a rush os chills through my veins, I get nostalgic, and at the same time, without me wishing for it, realize that I’m suddenly not that happy stepping into the city…I realize, the excitement with which I had started my second innings in the city doesn’t exist anymore..I realize a sudden sadness engulfs me which also makes me not want to explore the city I otherwise love so much…I otherwise die to be in…I otherwise long to be back to…I realize the days ahead that I’ll be in the city, are not going to be that easy for me to handle…

And, then I realize, I know the reason... The reason is you...Unlike the last few years, this time, you are not waiting for me in this place…You’re not waiting to make me endlessly talk about the days that I was away from you…You're not waiting for me to let me rest in your arms…And most importantly, you’re not waiting for me to make me realize how lucky I feel to be with you….Yes, I come back to a place, which is full of memories… memories of you and me...Every corner of which reminds me of you…The chilling breeze across my face, the calmness on the long and black deserted roads, the packed shopping places, the empty parks on both the sides of the unending road, the never ending traffics, the red, blue, orange city buses,…everything reminds me of you…And, the rush in my heart turns into an ache..I realize, my eyes desperately want to be damp, but I try my best not to let them be….

I step into the coffee shop round the corner; just next to the small bus stop…I occupy the same seat next to the glass covered balcony, which we always managed to get… I order a coffee, the same one which we always use to order…As I sip on to my coffee, which tastes exactly the same as it always used to be, I look around…The tubs are still the same with the same green and white leaves…The steel chairs are the same, with the beige seats….Most of the tables are occupied with the same kind of people, students, young executives, old couples…Yes, everything is still the same…Everything…The only thing that is unlike before, is that you are not with me anymore…

I walk by the flower shop where we always used to buy flowers from…As I pass by, the guy recognizes me and asks me how I’ve been doing…I smile at him, and pick up the red roses..The similar roses that you used to buy for me…He asks me, if I want to buy them….I buy two of them, exactly the way you used to buy me, with the leaves on it…They smell exactly the same, fresh and enticing…They have the same red vibrancy and the fragrant freshness…They still makes me close my eyes as I breathe the fragrance in….Yes, everything is exactly the same…Everything.. The only thing that is unlike before, is that you are not with me anymore…

Yes, everywhere I go, I realize, everything around is just the same it had always been...The crowd, the surroundings, the shops, the lanes, the trees, the breeze and most importantly the feeling that had always made me realize, life is just so good...The warmth, the vibes and the simple wish to be laid back, everything still feels the same, the way it was...But, this time, I feel it alone, unlike before, when it was 'We'...And, somehow, experiencing the same feeling this way doesn't make me that happy, the way it had before, 'cuz, somehow, with you everything had a completely different meaning...With you, my happiness came in each bits and pieces of even the most ordinary...With you, I was always in a world of dreams, passion and joy...And, even if I didn't have a way to realize the same that time, today, most certainly I do...And, everytime I stroll on this city roads, my realization strengthens, twice the more...

The sun sets, and the clear sky looks like a studded mattress...And as I look up to the starlit sky from my terrace, I feel the pang at heart, of you not being around...Someday, on a similar terrace like this, we had decided to write our story, yours and mine, on the same page...On a similar evening like this, we had decided to build a world of our own...Under a similar sky like today's we had promised each other, to bring every possible happiness to each other's feet...And, thus we had decided, that the rest of our life would be one that we would experience together...

But, today, none of those stands a meaning...None of those will ever be true, and if I try viewing from a single angle, each of what we dreamt together, seems nothing but sheer waste...But, if I see and analyze in a deeper way, they were not...Because, those were the moments, my future was built on...Those were what made me gather strengths to wait for the unseen future, and those were what made me realize, no matter what, life is about experiencing the beauty and letting the ugliness pass by...And, today, as I lie below the sky that is no less than a dreamy canvas, I realize, you being not a part of my today has its reason...A reason, that I didn't realize that day, when you moved away from me and might have not realized today too, when I'm longing for you...But, my faith says, one day, under the same sky I would know, why my story doesn't have you in it anymore, why your page in my diary got closed and why your shadow doesn't unite with mine anymore...And that day, I would have the smile on my lips, which has refused to appear at this moment; I will have the glitter on my eyes, which has no trace this evening; and most importantly my heart will beat in the way, it is not able to beat tonight...

Yes, with all my heart, I will wait for that moment to come; cuz, I know it's round the corner...And will reach me very very soon...

THESE DAYS...I"M ME....

These days, I'm me
With my smile intact on my lips
With my peace intact in my mind
And, with my feelings intact in my heart....

These days, I'm me
Without any tears in my eyes
Without any pain in my soul
And, without any troubles in my life....

Yes, these days
I don't think of you anymore
I don't cry for you anymore
And, I don't need you anymore....

Yes, these days
I have let your memories die
I have made your story end in my life
And, I have freed myself from your shadow....

With you, I had a fairy tale and I was a damsel in distress
But, without you, I'm me, the stronger, braver and fearless self
And, that's how
I have found me....

Yes, these days, I'm me....