It’s beautiful (Part II)

Cafe Coffee Day

Well, in the morning she got up early and finally after a lot of thought-process decided to put on a light blue jeans, black pullover accompanied with a half sleeves green color jacket. She put on her usual kajal and lip-gloss for the sake of make-up keeping in mind that it shouldn’t look over the top. Mind you, never, I say never it should appear as if she had taken efforts to look good. She brushed her hair, let them loose, wore her favorite black heels and took her clutch. She called up Pratham to tell him that she is leaving for Rajiv Chowk metro station. When she called, he just woke up and realized that okay, this is real. They were actually going to meet. Medhavi wasn’t kidding. He rushed to get ready. By the time he got ready, she reached the destination and kept on waiting for complete 46 minutes. She had faith that he will be coming. She was a bit furious, a bit nervous and a bit excited all because of Pratham. For the first time, she was actually very eager. Reason is yet unknown. She had no idea how Pratham was feeling. Was he feeling the same? Was he excited to have some intense conversation with her?

All this time Pratham was actually expecting Medhavi to be really angry at him. He thought that she might go back as well but no, she had some faith left. She was hoping him to come. Then he came standing beside CCD at the metro station searching for her everywhere. She saw him from far and saw him looking for her here and there ready to hear the scolding for being so late. He kept calling her and she didn’t pick up because she was standing right there smiling at him. She wasn’t angry for waiting for someone whom she barely knew but was happy to see the one finally whom she wanted to know completely. He saw her, smiled and came forward. He was sorry and made the lamest of excuse that the metro was stuck in between else he was on time and she believed it too. Well this is what people say about the phase when even the wrong seems right.

Leaving everything aside, they took exit from the metro station and probably didn’t know where to go. I guess, the first thing they saw in CP was Café Coffee Day: A lot can happen over a coffee. Well said! They decided to go there. Pratham was either a gentleman or he basically had PhD in impressing a girl. The way he opened the door for her, pulled a chair so that she can sit and asked her to order something of her choice made her feel really special. He used to say, this is what every guy does and she always said, “Nobody ever did this for me.” Though for a moment she was very furious because he didn’t split the bill and paid it all himself. He refused to take money from her. She had that abiding principle that nobody will ever pay for her unless it’s family or her husband. Pratham was very adamant. Before they could just leave CCD suddenly between the sipping of coffee and light conversations came up a song ‘MEHERBANI’. They looked at each other and sat down instantly to listen to it first and then leave.


...to be continued

It’s beautiful (Part I)

It started beautifully..!!

She herself didn’t know why she was so excited to meet him. It had only been two weeks of texting(day and night) but maybe there was some connection so strong that she couldn’t help but asking him to meet her in CP, Delhi before they go back home for their semester break. That storm of confusion hovered over her mind leaving her with questions like, “Why did I ask him out?”  ; “Is it a date?”; “Like really, how can you being a girl ask a guy to meet up when you barely know him?” but then she was herself countering her questions like “Oh C’mon, it’s not a date or maybe it is.” ; “I think this friendship will last so what’s the harm in meeting?” ; “Don’t exaggerate; you are just going there to listen to his stories.” Yes, the stories of his past which he promised to share. Nobody knows that how in such a short span of time Pratham just spoke his heart out and agreed to share the most delicate and touching stories with Medhavi. She was curious too because from the past two weeks the way they were talking; she assumed him to be a very humorous; witty and jolly kind of a guy who was away from the chaos of life but no, he had seen life from a very different perspective.

His relationships could not end on a happy note which pinched him so hard. He was emotional too; very sensitive and knew what love is perfectly. Somewhere, deep inside his heart he blamed himself for not being able to be with the ones he wanted to. Medhavi would never have got to know this side of Pratham if she wouldn’t have asked him to meet. They had different definitions of love. Once, Medhavi asked, “What is love?” Pratham wasn’t expecting such a question maybe so he answered that it will take time to explain what actually love is. He asked the same and she replied, “Selfless devotion. Love is selfless devotion.” Medhavi still thinks he was astonished by her answer. Later he said, “Love; no matter how much you do; it is always less.” This astounded her completely.

They still recall an incident when Pratham asked, “Is it okay to give love a second chance?” She replied, “Yes it is because someone is out there waiting to mend your broken pieces.” He again asked and this time it was it was intense, “A third chance?” She was numb for two seconds and then replied, “Remember, your definition for love; no matter how much you do; it is always love. So go for it. Love always deserves another chance.” These two; they had intense conversations before meeting maybe that’s why it didn’t appear that they were meeting for the first time. The night before meeting, Medhavi was lost in her own world thinking what she would wear, what they would talk, will there be awkward silences, what he is as a human being and most importantly was it really okay asking out a guy like this when it’s not even a date or maybe it is. Oh God! CONFUSION..!!


..to be continued

You cannot be everyone’s favorite!

Let it go...!!

Being practical and realistic, one thing which life teaches us is that we cannot make everyone happy; we cannot be everyone’s helpline; ultimately we cannot be everyone’s favorite. No matter how hard you may try but there is always a bunch of people who is unsatisfied with you. There will always be a few whose line of expectation you didn’t fulfill. Statistics claim that at the age of 16-22 you come across many temporary people and believe it or not these people hold the capability to influence our lives in their own ways; sometimes positively and sometimes in an extremely negative way.

You might encounter the pain of losing a best friend; the one you thought would always be by your side. This will teach you that you can also be the reason for someone’s unhappiness; just to remind ‘someone very close’. Such is the case, where you even play with your self-respect at times just to save that friendship but to no use. One day, you will have to accept the bitter truth that the person is hurt and it’s better to simply let go. Trust me folks, life is really unpredictable. They say the real test of friendship is when the person is there with you in the happy times but not in your bad times but on a genuine note, for those who can relate, it hurts even more when the person who was there to support you in your hardships is missing when you are really excited to share a good news. It hurts badly. Such an incident comes with a lesson that favoritism for you can vanish any moment. You get to learn that you cannot be an all-time favorite for even your loved ones.

Sadly this is not just limited to the so-called ‘friendship’ stuff. You can easily find ‘I-am-really-disappointed-with-you’ type people everywhere; in every kind of relationship you share. The root cause is ‘EXPECTATION’. Two persons start sharing a bond and then expect things from each other giving way to a bitter truth: - ‘Expectations are not always fulfilled’. Nobody is satisfied. People get hurt; knowingly or unknowingly and a void is created which cannot be filled. You spend months and years finding answers to questions like, “What was my mistake?”, “Did I do something terribly wrong?” At times the reason for which you are being punished is unjustified and at times the reason is not even known.

When precisely talking about love stories, a person can be hurt by getting NO as an answer but very few can relate that even saying that big fat NO is equally painful. Sometimes years of friendship is overlooked when just a minor incident takes place. This rips the heart into pieces. “You hurt people and you get hurt.” This is the law of nature. You get hurt when at times you are the cause of embarrassment for your ‘special person’. You get hurt when you don’t live up to the expectations of your parents or rather well-wishers and if there is nothing to get worried about, the wounds from your past will not leave your side. Eventually, all this will leave you shattered but then there is hope in the things unseen.

Life comes with many lessons, one of them being, “Don’t bother too much to be perfect because the right people will love the imperfect you.” Remember, you can be the ‘ray of hope’ for many but surely not for everyone. This reminds me of the famous quote, “You cannot have butter on both the sides of the bread.” To celebrate victory on one end; the other end has to face dejections. If you are setting things right on one side; the other side might get unhappy. Balance is too difficult to maintain. So, the best thing one can do is to stop stressing over everything. Get that “Shut up and let it happen” mode ON..!! Don’t interrupt the flow of life. Circumstances will change, things will be better because tomorrow there will be a new morning, a new day, a new beginning. Till then, smile J It helps.

It’s been so long…

‘The unarticulate canvas’ which I started in summers of 2k14 was a blessing to me as my emotions found a way and spilled like ink on the paper. The words got a new meaning and I found that satisfaction of being and called a writer. My last post was posted in August’14. Since then, I have not written anything substantial and worth reading and for this I owe an apology to all my viewers for making them wait so long. Writing has always been like a passion to me but the past one year in some or the other way hindered that passion in me. Well, they say, ‘Better late than never’. So here I am to resume what is so very important www.theunarticulatecanvas.blogspot.in

Many of my well wishers and viewers keep on asking me whether the stories and the articles I post on my blog are real or not and if real then up to what extent. So I would like to tell that I strongly believe that ‘Fiction and Non-fiction go hand in hand’. Few of my articles comprise of a word-to-word true story; real life incidents while some are a work of fiction. So keep enjoying the mixture. Apologies again and I hope that you all will appreciate the efforts. Till then, keep smiling and shining… :) Life is too short to be sad… :)

Dilemma

I beg, Stop Doubting me..

“When I don’t have any issues; my parents don’t have any issues then why is everyone else busy influencing my decisions?” came up a shrilled tone of her inner voice. She wanted to scream. She wanted to cry out loud. She wanted to tell the world to just stop interfering. She wanted to write in bold letters, “BE EVERYTHING YOU WANT TO BUT DON’T DARE BE JUDGEMENTAL WHEN IT COMES TO MY CAPABILITIES”. She was getting pissed off between many questions. She wanted an answer that why there is a need to prove herself every time and specially to people who have no other work apart from speaking demoralizing stuff and accusing for no reason. She was really irritated and her inner self was begging everyone to believe her. Why are relatives who are the limit of being orthodox so over-concerned about the kids who are actually confident being stuck to their decisions?

She agrees that she is answerable for her decisions but she also agrees that she is answerable only to her God, her parents and her own conscience. No one else. Simply no one. She cares not what people think until her conscience doesn’t give her a warning call. After all she believes she is in the world not just to impress people but to express her own self. Was she wrong? Was she being rude?  Well, I don’t think so. She wanted to study in a respectable college after her 10+2. That’s it and she was being supported by her parents at each and every step but the problem were only those relatives who had issues with her different choice of course. Why going out of the league is so unacceptable even today in this 21^st century? Is it really so important to do b.tech and become an engineer just because some relatives want this to happen and even at that stage when you have least interest in technical set ups. She wanted a simple life- a life without extra unwanted burdens.

She hated that straight forward judgment of her relatives about her to her parents.

“Don’t send her far because she is incapable.”

“She cannot manage on her own.”

“I know she is choosing different courses because she doesn’t want to study.”

“I am very much sure that she must be engaged… maybe with some guy.”

“I mean if she has to do a simple course then why to send her far away in some prestigious institute.”

“She is a girl. Don’t let her go anywhere. Keep her near to you.”

Her parents always defended her. They were her back up support but she couldn’t understand that why were there so many heads popping up when she was going to try something altogether new. Why were people speaking so much when they actually have no idea about her future plans and above all why was it necessary to provide an explanation to everybody. Why some souls cannot be ignored? She knew what she has to do in life and she was also aware about the way of execution then why the hell was there so much chaos and confusion? Why can’t it be something like, “I am confident. Full stop.” There were many questions hovering her mind as in was it really necessary to follow the same rat race? Why following her own dreams was not an easy choice? Yes, there were difficulties but one thing she was sure of and that was the fact that she has to be the best; no matter what. A better human being; a high rank officer and most importantly the daughter who deserves to be the pride of her parents.

No doubt, its difficult to trust somebody again. Its hard to give someone a chance but isn’t it not worth giving even a try. Yes she broke the trust some time ago but she is now trying really hard to build it up again. Can’t that be a compensation? Being helplessly helpless is one thing which takes time to overcome. She is trying her best and leaving the rest to ALMIGHTY.

A scientist/technologist has a greater contribution to society than teachers/professors.

The Best.. Always..!!

Whether we like it or not, no matter what facts and figures we may quote but the truth remains the same that a teacher/professor has made a greater contribution to the society than a scientist/technologist. So I am strictly against the motion.

Now, to prove my point, I would first like to talk about the basic level. When a child gets admitted in a school he is sent there not with the aim of him becoming a scientist or a doctor but with a hope that he will become a good human being or perhaps a ‘man of virtues’--- someone with ethics and moral values and I guess I am not wrong if I say that these moral values and ethics are inculcated in a child by a teacher itself. In fact the most important point is that “Scientists don’t make teachers but teachers do make scientists.”

Well moving on let me mention an instance of REEL life first. I guess you all must have probably seen the movie ‘Taare Zameen Par’. A film which beautifully portrayed a ‘student-teacher relationship’. It is worth mentioning that in the movie the important part was not that the child excelled in his field but that the child excelled because  his teacher saw in him that talent, that ability. That teacher was the one who found out what actually the child wanted to do. In fact I would like to ask you teachers a question that  don’t you feel like you make a really good nation as you are dealing with  the future of the nation, the building blocks of the society, the ‘YOUTH’.

In our REAL life also, India has had educationists like ‘Swami Vivekananda, C. Rajagopalachari, Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan’ who influenced the whole society by simply teaching the masses. They were the ones who always remembered the famous saying, “To reject didactic teaching is to reject teaching itself.” Now if I talk about society, I would like to mention a famous quote, “If a free society can’t help the many who are poor, it can never help the few who are rich.” My friends, ‘TEACHERS’ are the ones who reduce this difference of rich and poor. They are the ones who in every possible way teach that morality has its own way and of course they teach it better than any scientist. My worthy opponents, I won’t forget to mention about that highly dreadful disease ‘AIDS’. Your scientists have still not found a permanent solution for this big problem but our teachers; they are busy educating the masses about the ‘preventive measures’ of this disease.

At the end, I would like to wrap up my words by again emphasizing on the fact that “What a teacher does with his book is far better than what a scientist does with his tools.” It is something no one can ever compare.

Adversity causes some people to break; and others to break records.

Adversity is just a test..!!

Adversity according to oxford dictionary is a difficult or an unpleasant situation and as the title suggests it breaks down some people entirely while for some others, it sets new standards of success. APJ Abdul Kalam stands as its best example. Since childhood, he was always surrounded with adversity of different kinds; whether it be lack of  financial  resources or the mental support, he always fought his way and broke records by being an excellent scientist, a prolific writer, an eminent philosopher and definitely the ‘First man of the nation’.

Rudyard Kipling in his poem ‘If’ states,

“If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same

--- you’ll be a man, my son!”

M.K.Gandhi, Pt.Jawahar Lal Nehru, Dr. Rajendra Prasad are those names who abided by the above lines. They were not the ones who wasted their time lamenting over their failures nor did they get too enthusiased on their success. They were the jewels who remained the same throughout. Adversity spares no body and it may sound weird but it is so true, that it is very important to have adverse conditions in life, else one could never understand the true worth of happiness. Adversity teaches us how to fight the hard times with a smile and shine like a star-- like a real hero.

There was a story about two brothers born in the same situation but with an entirely different outlook towards life. Let me start by introducing their drunkard father who used to spend all his income on vices like drinks, drugs etc. Not to forget, he used to beat his innocent wife for literally ‘no reason at all’. Moreover, his attitude towards his children was horrifying: -- something which sent a shiver down the spine. His two sons suffered a lot in that adversity in the same manner but their attitude towards the adverse conditions made a big difference. The elder son chose to be an officer of high rank by educating himself properly and trying his best not to be like his father because he was well aware what actually “being like his father” meant to his family. He had the concept that those adverse conditions had taught him never to do things his father was habituated to while the younger one became a spoilt brat with the concept that his childhood upbringing was to blame. He learnt all this from his own father, from those adverse conditions. Such was the difference between the two souls sharing common fathers and definitely common adversities. The same situation molded the two children in two completely different ways.

Emphasizing on the real life now, I would like to share an experience which provoked me to write the article on a subject like ‘Adversity’. I got to know about one of my seniors who faced an immense adverse condition but conquered it with surprisingly great results. Just a day before his ISC Board Mathematics Examination, he lost his mother and was disturbed to the brim. Still he appeared in the examination and not only did he get 100/100 in mathematics but also topped the institution and made his mother feel proud spiritually. The irreplaceable loss filled in him that will power which his mother always longed for him. This extremely inspiring incident of my life reminds me about the famous quote by Shakespeare,

“Sweet are the uses of adversity; 

which like a toad, ugly and venomous

wears yet a precious jewel on his head.”

used effectively in his play ‘As You like It’. The quote holds true in real sense.