Beauty

A few pics i had taken when i was in Naperville.

Mandu & Maheshwar

I got to visit Mandu and Maheshwar as i had traveled to Indore paying a visit to my cousin and niece who are quite settled in Indore. Mandu is a city in Dhar district of the Malwa region in MP, its located around 100km from Indore. Maheshwar is a town in Khargone district located around 90kms from Indore. Posted below are pics from these places :)

First pics from Mandu





These are the pics of the ruins of the fort of Mandu





I loved Maheshwar better, mainly because of the beautfiul carvings present on the temple. Omkareshwar Mandir is located on the banks of Narmada river. Few scenes from the movie Asoka(Starring Sharukh Khan) were shot here. In the late eighteenth century, Maheshwar served as the capital of Rajmata Ahilya Devi Holkar, ruler of the state of Indore. Maheshwar is also famous for the hand loom industries, Maheshwari saris in particular :)

















And as usual, a couple of pics of the flora :-P

Trip to Melkote

Had been to a trip to Melkote close by to bangalore, so heres some pics from the trip :)

Fotu-grapi

No postwa faar lang timewa, alsaa...nothing to postwa..soo today i postwa pics i takewa...

Wokies wokies...No offense to anyone, just felt like typing something crappy :-P. As i dont have much to post, i am posting some pics i have taken.





So simple...yet so beautiful :)




Standing tall :)





The weeping tree.

Friends Forever

I speak and understand only 3 languages Kannada, Hindi and English. My linguistic skills is very limited. But when it comes to listening to music, my linguistic disability doesn't hinder me much :-P, i prefer to listen to all kind of music. You will find many Tamil and Telugu songs in my Ipod. Though i wont understand a thing about the lyrics, i will still hum along :-P . But i do make it a point of getting the lyrics translated from my friends who understand the language :).

Recently few Malayalam songs got added to this list. The songs are all from an album by the name "Malayalee". I loved one in particular titled "Friends Forever". I am trying to get the lyrics translated by one of my friends :). Will update this post with the lyrics as soon as Sarun gets time to translate :).Anyone reading this who knows the lyrics, feel free to reply :). Till then enjoy the video :). Dedicated to all my friends...friends forever :).

Dazed

Read at your own risk :-P, remember you have been warned.

I lay awake, but dazed. My eyes staring into nothing. I could see all the stars, and my head hurt. My mind was blank, void of any thoughts. The moment seemed to stretch forever.
Splaaash...senses returned back to me as i felt cool water being splashed on my face. The person splashing water irritatingly said "You need to watch where you place your step, you slipped over a banana peel"

P.S: I did warn you :)

Dont ever leave me

"You really need to talk to me dear" He said a bit irritated.
She sat there the whole time without replying back to him.
"I really love you, you know that!" He said with a smile.
He was chopping vegetables, cooking dinner and she sat on a chair next to the dinning table.
"I know I was too harsh on you baby, I shouldn't have yelled at you"
His back was turned to her, she always stopped speaking to him after these fights, and it took her a day at least before she would start talking to him again.
He turned his face looking back at her with the smile still on, "I really do care for you baby".
They had a fight that evening. He had come back from his job earlier than usual, angry, and red faced.
He had been fired from his job, again. This was his 7th job in the last 4 months. Things hadn't been great between them at home either. It had been 4 months since their marriage too. She had realized too late that all the charms of his that she had succumbed to were the only things he unfortunately possessed. They lived in a small house, quite a distance away from any other.
They were having these fights every day lately. Today’s was the worst. She had threatened that she would leave him and had gone off to pack her bag. He had thought he would lose her forever.
"I really love you dear" he repeated "How could I ever let you go".
He turned back and continued chopping the vegetables.
"I promise, first thing tomorrow morning I will set off to find a job, I wont disappoint you again baby".
Still she refused to talk to him.
He slid the chopped vegetables into pot of boiling water.
Turning back, he dried his hands on his apron.
"I could never live without you honey" he said with a guilty expression on his face.
He paced back to the table and placed a plate in front of her and stood there watching her.
She always looked the most beautiful when she was angry he thought, smiling again. But she refused to give in to his charms this time.
He slowly tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears.
"You will never ever say you will leave me again" he said and bent down to place a kiss on her cheek.
Dragging a chair next to her he sighed, "Hmmm....you still won’t talk to me?" And held her hand.
Her hands had turned cold. He rubbed them with his hands trying to make them warm.
He really did love her.
As he got up to return to cook dinner, he glanced down at the floor.
"Look at the bloody mess we did, let me clean this up" he said and walked away to get the mop.
He returned a while later with the mop in his hand and started mopping up the floor. As the mop stick hit the chair she was sitting on, she slipped off it and hit the floor. The knife still lay embedded in her.
"I am really sorry dear" he said with an apologetic expression as he propped her lifeless body back on the chair.


"I really do love you honey, how I could ever let you go" he whispered, getting back to mopping her blood off the floor.

Realization

Back to short stories :)

She closed her eyes, as she could feel the wind on her face, also scared at what she had just done. Her cheeks were still wet with tears. She closed her eyes even tight. Bracing herself. There were several thoughts passing her mind, fear, loss, loneliness. As seconds ticked and brought her closer to the moment, there was a sudden change in her thoughts. They seemed to be much clearer to her, there was something about them. It was as if she could see every moment of her life, right from the time she was born. But this time, it was as if she was watching herself from outside. She saw how happy her parents were, looking at her the first time. She could make out the drop of tear that rolled down her moms eyes, cradling her in her arms. How proud her dad felt, looking at his daughter. There was warmth now that she felt, looking at her parents and how happy they felt. Every moment she had spent, seemed to be passing her by right in front of her. The day when she had come back from her school to find a pup waiting for her, it was what her parents had gifted her for her 10th birthday. She had stayed up all night playing with the pup, she could see her parents watching and laughing all the time. The sadness that was within her now seemed to be lifting away. She saw the day when she had come back crying from college, because of a fight she had with her friend. Her mom had made her sleep with her head lying on her lap. She felt a feeling of love and care wash over her, looking back at this. As more and more moments of her life passed her by, she realized that she always had her parents to cheer her up, to love her, to care for her...As the moments she had spent, came close to present. She realized that the feeling she had felt of having lost the world, when her boyfriend had said its over between them meant nothing. She had failed to realize that her parents loved her more than anything else in the world. She felt stupid at what she had just done. But the realization was too late. Thuuuuuuuud...she hit the ground, the impact of jumping from the 10th floor of her building instantly taking her life.


They say "Before you die your whole life flashes before your eyes". But unfortunately, isn’t it too late to do anything about it...

The Assassin

This is one of the biggest story i have woven :). So if anyone manages to survive through till the end, then do take the trouble of letting me know what you though about it :). Here goes:



His eyes opened wide in shock and pain as an arrow pierced him in the back. He could still see her beautiful young face lying there in front of him in a pool of blood. Moonlight shone on her face. She looked at peace, as if just asleep and not dead. His breathing got heavier as he realized he was about to join her. He stumbled few more steps as more arrows lodged in his back. He was leaning on a knee now, holding both his swords in either of his hands to support him. As the last arrow pierced his heart, the swords gave way and he fell on her, his eyes still looking into that beautiful face. To the guards who walked in with bows still held ready, it looked as if the two lay there in each other’s arms, in an embrace.


(Few sec before)
He stood there with swords in either hand. The swords dripped blood onto the floor. He himself was covered in blood, but of course not of his own. The guards had not even managed to scratch him. For all their efforts, they were lying dead all around him. He was good; they were no match for his swordsmanship. He walked over the body of the last slain guard, still holding his sword ready. His muscles tense. Hate on his face, contempt for her. She stood with a knife in her hand. She was staring back into his eyes. She refused to run. She had seen him mow down all her guards, without even breaking a sweat. She knew well what he was capable of. But she refused to run. He was impressed that there was no fear in her eyes. But it was a pity he had only contempt and hatred for her. As he moved closer, he raised both his swords for the kill. She yelled a cry and ran towards him knife ready to stab him. He slashed both his swords, she didn’t stand a chance. She took a few steps back and fell still facing him. She was still breathing and looking back at him with hatred. He smiled back at her. Suddenly he heard footsteps behind him. His eyes opened wide in shock and pain as an arrow pierced him in the back. As she breathed her last, she had a peaceful look, knowing that her assassin would join her after all.

(Few Mins before)

He had managed to sneak into the palace, dressed in black, 2 swords held on his back and knife in hand. He had darkness of the night for his cover. He was dodging the guards in a deadly game of hide and seek. Of course none of them knew he was in, until it was too late. He was careful not to make the slightest noise. He would sneak behind the guards, catch them alone, unaware. The last sound they ever heard would be their own muffled gurgling scream, as he covered their mouth and slashed their throat. He had managed to reach the princess’s bedroom without raising an alarm. As he stood in front of the door, he dropped the bloodied knife and removed the 2 swords that were held in his back till now. He pushed the door open and walked in silently. He could see her lying on the bed asleep. As he reached half way to her bed, he heard the guards running into the room behind him. He saw her wake up with shock and surprise. He cursed his luck, probably someone must have stumbled across one of his many victims inside the palace and raised an alarm. Whatever it was, the princess would have to wait. He turned towards the running guards and with both the swords he held in either hand ran towards them, smiling. This he thought is going to be fun.

(Few Hours back)

The princess was being led in a royal procession. People standing on either sides of the road were cheering and throwing flowers at her. She was smiling, waving back at the people. He was dressed in rags. People kept their distance from him and ignored him. Their eyes were all busy taking in her beauty. He stood there with the hunch, looking at her as well. Though he looked old and tired, his eyes had a fire burning in them. They were young and were full of purpose, if anyone had bothered looking into them. But no one did. His eyes moved fast, weighing each one of the guards, the weapon they held. Measuring each one of them, what they were capable of. As the procession passed him by, he smiled to himself. He was confident, no one will pose a problem to him tonight. As life got back to normal people passed him by without giving him a second glance. He wanted it to be that way as well. As he walked into a dark alleyway that covered him in shadows, he straightened his hunch and removed the rags he was wearing. He was as young as the princess. He was dressed in black. He picked the 2 swords from the place where he had hidden them away earlier and put them in his back. He removed a knife from his boot and walked towards the palace, just as it started getting dark.

(Few Days back)
They were being chased around the city. It was sheer luck that the guards hadn’t found them yet. He knew for certain that if they had to survive this night, they had to get out of the city at once. They were dodging the guards, hiding in the shadows in the darkest of alleyways the city had. His companion was already in a trance, pale faced, having lost lot of blood. He supported his companion by his arm as they hid behind a corner, they could hear footsteps of guards pass them by. “We are nearly there, just few more steps”, he told his companion. He got only a groan and a nod as an answer. As the footsteps faded, they started moving again. His companion leaning heavily on him for support. They walked silently through the alleyway getting closer to the river. The thoughts of the past few months were running through his mind. The king’s daughter had taken it upon herself to catch them. They had managed to stay a step ahead of her for the past several months, till today. She had pursued them from city to city. She had indeed proved herself to be a worthy adversary. He had heard about her being an expert marksman with the bow. Today he had got to see it for himself. it was her arrow that had crippled his companion. It was indeed a close shave, they had barely managed to escape, but looking back at his companion, he wondered at what cost. He pushed these thoughts out of his head, as they reached the river. There was an empty boat waiting for them as planned. He barely managed to help his companion into the boat. This wasn’t over yet. He had to get them out of here in the cover of darkness. He was rowing the boat steadily, noiselessly as possible. He had been trained for all these hardship right from his childhood and it didn’t trouble him the least right now. After several hours of rowing, they had left the guards and the city far behind. They had reached the beginning of the forest now. He slowly guided the boat to the banks. Once after safely securing the boat, he turned his attention towards his companion, who seemed to be asleep now. As he moved the blanket away, he was clearly worried. His companion was sweating despite it being cold outside. His breathing was labored and each one seemed to be his last. His companion held his hand tight and pulled him closer. Struggling with his breath,he whispered “The princess…she is…”. That’s all he could manage with his last breath and fell back limp, lifeless. A tear rolled down his eyes, looking down at his companion. It was clear to him, what his companion wanted him to do. He whispered, “Yes father”, as he promised to keeps his dads last wish. The princess would have to pay the price.

(Few Months back)
He didn’t remember having seen his father this happy ever. He knew his father had failed at this, years before, when he himself was just an infant. He always thought of his father as a perfectionist. His father was the best there was in the business. But when his father had told him about the failed attempt, he simply couldn’t believe it. But now that was in the past. They both together had managed what his father alone couldn’t complete before. The promised riches lay await for them, if only they could somehow now sneak out of the kingdom. It wont be easy of course. It would take them months to accomplish that, with all the guards and soldiers looking for them now. But that didn’t worry either one of them. It would be as easy as cake walk compared to what they had already accomplished. They had camped in the forest for the night. His adrenaline still seemed to be pumping. He couldn’t still believe it was just this morning, as dawn broke, they had achieved their goal. Now as the day was ending they were far away from that place. It was only looking at his father’s smile, that he could tell himself the job was finally done. They hadn’t spoken to each other the whole day. Now by the meager fire they had dared light, camped in the forest, away from curious eyes, his father finally spoke. “We finally did it son, we finally have killed the king…”

(Few Years back)
He held the baby closer. They had set sail in a ship. They would have sailed far away, before the news would have broken out in the city. The baby lay asleep in his arms. Looking back, he was furious. He had failed in his bid to kill the king. Just before he was to walk into the trap set by the king, he had sensed something wrong. It had been too easy to reach till that place. He had decided to call it off immediately. It was sheer luck too, that as he made his way back he had ended up entering this particular room to dodge few guards. As he had entered, with swift movement he had drawn 3 knives from his back and dispatched them in an instant. The 3 knives had found their mark and two guards and a maid lie dead even before they could react. The only sound was of the 2 cradles that the maid seemed to be rocking. He had heard of how the queen had died giving birth to the twins, now they lay helpless and unaware of the danger they faced. The baby girl seemed asleep in one of the cradles. In the other, the baby boy lay awake and smiling at the assassin, as if it had seen someone it liked. That’s when the thought had come to him.
Dressed as a maid carrying her infant who was crying in her arms, he had walked away from the palace, with the king and his guards still waiting for him unaware back in the palace. He had failed in his mission to kill the king, but he had left him a parting gift that would break the king down nonetheless. By the time they discovered the dead guards and the missing prince, the assassin had already boarded the ship and set sail outside the city.
His thought was broken when the baby woke up, it still wasn’t crying. It gave a lazy yawn. He cradled it on his arms with the words “ I will raise you like my son…”

Happy days

This is where I did my engineering, Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara College of Engineering and Technology. We called it SDMCET, my Alma matter. Its in a sweet little place called Dharwad, around 20 mins drive from city of Hubli. I have spent 4 of my life’s best years here. Made friends for life, bunked classes, got scolded by lecturers, had the first crush of my life :). Did night outs a day before exam...
There are so many many memories I have carried away from this lovely place. It’s been almost 3 years now having walked away from here. I sometimes wish if it was possible to relive those 4 years again. I sometimes wish...:)

Random thoughts

Monday blues on a Tuesday morning...sigh...:-|

operator...can you connect me to the one who's painting this...(click, short pause...)
Me:Hello...
At the other end: good morning sir, what can we do sir?
Me:Hey, can we get some bright colors in here, this blues killing me...
At the other end:Sorry sir, it seems we have currently run out of stock of other shades of colors.
Me:Just great...
At the other end:Would you prefer any other shades of blue sir? We have it in plenty.
Me:er....would it make any difference?
At the other end:Unfortunately no sir, but you will experience a different variety of blue.
I hang up shouting profanities X-(, i have one of those darker shades of blues right now :-|

Loneliness

I had written this long time back, i don't claim to be a shayar, nor is my Hindi any good. So if you think this is one of the worst you have heard, then you can thank me as i haven't written any after this :)




Tanhai se pyar karo,
umr bar sath nibayegi,
kiya be bewafai tho,
tanha hi chod jayegi..

Exam day blues

I woke up with a startle to a shrill voice of the alarm ringing and a sweat running down my brow. Pale faced I reached for the clock to shut the damn thing off before it gave me a headache. My breathing was still heavy. I realized it was just a nightmare I had. I was sitting on a chair in front of study table next to a window. Books were lying open around me. I figured I must have dozed of trying to study. I uttered a curse under my breath. So much for a night out before the exam day. I probably hadn’t lasted long with the scary looking books before succumbing to sleep last night. That meant I knew only the first chapter of the book that consisted of probably more than 20.Unfortunately for me, the 1st chapter was just the introduction. I got up from my chair, trying hard to stifle a yawn, to move the curtain away and open the window. I was still sweating from the nightmare I just had. Daylight washed the room as I moved the curtains aside. This couldn’t be I thought, how could it be so sunny at 3Am in the morning. Now despite the sweating a cold chill was running down my spine. I reached for the clock again, it did show the time to be 3 Am. something was definitely not right. It wasn’t 3 Am that was for sure. I searched for my watch under pile of mess I had created on my table. Finally found it buried beneath some blank papers which I had intended to have filled up with notes from the chapters the previous night. The watch showed the time to be 9:30. My breathing got heavier. The exam was scheduled to be at 9. I pushed the chair back and hurled the damned clock into a dustbin. Uttering more curses, I opened my room door. An empty hostel block welcomed me. Of course it would be empty, everyone would be in the exam hall writing away answers furiously. Slamming the door closed, i started running towards the college block. I was running as if my life depended on it. My chances of getting a descent job definitely did. Not to mention what I would have to tell my parents. “Mom, Dad, I slept through my exam." I shivered at the thought.

I ran into the college entrance and past several people without stopping for a breath. I reached my classroom door panting. That’s when I realized, I wasn’t carrying neither my hall ticket nor a pen. There was one more thought that was trying to push its way through in my mind. But I figured that could wait for the moment. What else could be more important than this? I prayed that the lecturer would let me write the exam, if I begged him enough. I pushed the door open and walked in still panting. As I looked around at the faces staring back at me, I felt something wasn’t right. Why had everyone stopped writing and were looking at me with shock. In fact I could see couple of people with jaws wide open enough for a bird to build their nest. Of course I was late for an exam, but that definitely didn’t deserve this kind of reaction. Suddenly the thought that was trying to push its way through in my brain succeeded to grab my attention. I was still dressed in my previous night’s pajamas and baniyan. Not to mention my hair was a complete mess. That last part was of course a minor detail. Mr. Hari Sadu, who had the reputation of being the nastiest lecturer of the college, was the supervisor. He was still recovering from surprise. Mr. Sadu had started walking past the benches towards me yelling in his shrill voice. I stood there speechless, wide eyed, stomach churning and head swirling. All these reactions were trying to compete with each other. And it looked as if each of the reactions were winning. Mr. Sadu was already next to me and was angrily shouting at me. I couldn’t make out a thing of what he was saying. It seemed to me that his voice was getting shriller (If that was ever possible) and louder. I was already sweating profusely by now, not to mention the feeling of being embarrassed in front of whole classroom. He was about to slap me, when I woke up with a startle to the shrill voice of the alarm ringing and a sweat running down my brow...

Melancholy

He stood at a safe distance away, staring at the crumpled remains of a car. Broken glass pieces spread around and mangled remains of a car that had hit a tree head-on. Smoke billowing out of the car.

There were people shouting and running towards the car wreck, paying little attention to him as they passed him by. He couldn’t hear a word they were saying, an eerie silence came over him. It felt as if he was watching a silent movie play in front of him.

It was already late in the night, and it had started drizzling. But he couldn’t feel the rain either.

An ambulance came screeching to a halt next to him, sirens still wailing.The crowd had managed to pull a guy out of the wreck and laid him on the ground. As the paramedics approached, the crowd parted to let them in.

The Paramedics checked for a pulse on the injured man and knew immediately they were losing him. One of them started performing CPR.

It had started raining heavily now. But he still stood at a distance as if in a trance, unnoticed. His eyes unblinking staring at the scene unfold in front of him.

The paramedics were getting frantic by the minute.

A tear rolled down his eyes as he heard the paramedic declare there was nothing more they could do to save the man.

He gradually started fading into darkness still staring at his own face lying on the ground covered in blood, just as the paramedics closed the dead mans eyes.

Bliss

Story writing is something i took up as a pastime. I had taken a shot at this before several times, giving up each time without having written much. Here is one more attempt at it.This ones titled "Bliss", while listening to song "Heaven" by Bryan Adams, i thought what would be my idea of bliss. :-)




She’s lying on the bed, wide awake but eyes closed, pretending that she’s deep asleep and trying not to smile. He’s standing leaning at the door, arms crossed, smiling at her. He knows she’s awake. Its 7 in the morning, the first rays of rising sun streaming through the half open window is falling on her face making her glow like an angel. Looking at her trying not to smile, makes him smile more. 

A cool breeze flowing in from the window gently blows a strand of her beautiful hair onto her face. She doesn't want to move it, she doesn't want him to know she’s awake. 

He is still smiling, soaking in this sight of his angel lying there pretending to be asleep and not knowing he is there. he wants this moment to last forever. 

He slowly moves toward the bed. She can hear him coming but still does not want to open her eyes. She is enjoying this game of hers and he can see it.


He eases himself onto the bed next to her, close enough to smell the beautiful  fragrance of her hair and gently moves the strand of hair away from her face.  Wishing again if time could just stop, and this moment here could last forever

Watching her play this game of hers, still pretending hard at being asleep, he slowly leans in closer to her ears. She can feel his warm breath on her neck, making her smile more. But she still refuses to open her eyes.

Still smiling, he whispers into her ears "I Love You", and she opens her eyes finally smiling :) 

Confused

Hi Folks, This would be my first fling at blogging. Am not sure if this goes far, but what the heck, thought why not :-). I definitely love reading blogs(Don't know whats the term for ppl who read blogs :-P). This would be my first shot at getting the other side of the fence :-). Didn't know how to start of. "Confused" thats how i am trying to create my first post. Guess will stay that way and wrap it up ;-)