A tale of two letters

I’m no newcomer to the pleasures of letter writing. Writing and receiving have both been equally exciting activities and my Pandora’s Box is filled with reams of letters, cards, and souvenirs, received from family, cousins and friends. (I’m not the kinds who throws away these little treasures of love, I religiously collect every shred of paper and, will probably carry these treasures to the grave!)

When e-mails replaced the snail mails, I did make the jump, and kind of missed the magic of holding a letter in my hand physically, and taking them out on a rainy day when there’s nothing else to do, smell the paper and bring alive the memories of the time gone by! So when the Godmother aka Shailaja, rolled out the snail mail challenge, I was beyond excited!!

When I received the mail informing me about the recipient, I nearly jumped in excitement when I saw Sreeja’s name. I have been communicating with Sreeja since a couple of years already through e-mails and I wondered if the Godmother had just read my mind! Cheers to that, Godmother, and thank you!!

Writing to Sreeja was like a continuation from where we last left off. We have already spoken to each other during her visit to India, chatted on whatsapp, communicated on mail, and it didn’t feel like I was writing to a stranger at all! We knew about each other's families, and lot of other nitty-gritties too, so it did make the task more comfortable. After filling sheets and sheets of paper (which by the way should not be a surprise!) I sent her the mail waiting to see her reaction after she received the letter. I was so tempted to send her an e-mail and tell her what was on the way, but how could I spoil her surprise? Was it worth it? You bet! The minute she received it, she sent me a huge beating heart on Whatsapp! Writing to her was so exciting, and my thoughts were so scattered, that bringing them together was a huge challenge. added to that, my handwriting was horrible, having lost the habit of writing so much using a pen! I hope she was able to read through it! 

Well, before Sreeja could receive my letter, I received mine from Shantala!! The minute I saw the letter in my mailbox, I was jumping about like a school kid. That is what these surprises do to you, don't they? Reading the letter was such a pleasure. She, like me, had ensured to fill in as many sheets too and that made me smile! I must have read and re-read that letter a dozen times! Her handwriting was so neat and uniform that I was kind of ashamed of my "kombdi-dhawla-saarkha" (like a hen has run across the paper with ink on its feet!!) handwriting. Knowing about her, what she does, and what her family is like, brought us closer too. I had known her since our A-Z challenge days through our blogs only, and to know someone from so close was such a warm feeling.

I got a surprise too, she had enclosed a photo of my favorite god, Krishna, along with the letter and it touched my heart to know, that it was a gift to her from her aunt. To part with something as precious was indeed a loving gesture!

The Godmother, indeed played godmother, bringing us so much happiness with a simple task. Muaah to that, Shailaja!

A little more love....

He had been seeing her ever since they were little. They had been fond of each other from the time their homes hadn’t been separated by walls. Luckily, they had been tall enough to look over the walls by the time it was built. He had cherished looking at her dancing in the breeze. She moved so gracefully, that, just looking at her made his heart flutter. That, and the way she laughed as she swayed to the rhythm. There was something so magical about her laughter.

He had caught her glancing at him whenever he pretended not to look and then she would shyly turn away, the moment she realised he had caught her. He longed to meet her someday, but the distance of the few feet between them was something he knew, he would never be able to cross. Sometimes having your feet planted firmly in the ground could be such a terrible barrier.

Each day, he had tried to reach out to her; at first it was half hearted, especially when he did not know how she felt. And then, he saw the change. She was no longer shy, she would no longer hide when he caught her glancing at him, and most of these days she danced just for him. They had begun enjoying their time together, talking for hours, laughing. She loved getting drenched in the rain and dancing as it drizzled, and though he hated it, he danced in the rain too these days, just because it made her happy.

Their arms had finally begun to reach out for each other and he knew the time had arrived. He would tell her what she meant to him and though he knew, he wanted to hear her say so too and in as many words. The sun had begun making its descent downwards. The sky had been looking ominous, and he guessed that it might rain. He looked out for her and there she was, waiving out to him. She had been a beauty back then and she was a beauty today.

They looked at each other for a long time, throats parched, their breathing shallow, heart beating faster than ever and words refusing to escape their lips. And then it began to drizzle,  just like he'd  thought. As each drop  brushed against  their skin,  it felt like powerful  currents of electricity  coursing  thorough  their bodies. He held out his arms, and she entwined them in hers. Words weren’t needed now. He pulled her closer and coyly, she surrendered. He encompassed her in Maithuna, and it all felt so spiritual, so sacred- he the Shiva and she, the Shakti. And then they danced, their celestial dance, unmindful of the world, united in spirit, the union coming after what seemed like eons. Time stood still for them as they lay entwined in each other’s arms, for days, years, perhaps.

A sharp pain shook him out of his reverie, and even as he looked in utter bewilderment and shock, he saw them ripping her arms away. She screamed- not at pain of having her arms ripped but at the agony of the separation, and then at the grief of seeing him being mercilessly hacked too. They caught a final glimpse of each other, their eyes filled with tears, their hearts aching, before they both crashed to the ground dead.

                                                ********************

Inspired by a couple of trees that I see every day on my way to work. Two trees on opposite side of the road, their bough, forming an arch that stretched to the middle of the road, like they were hugging each other. And today, there was an eerie vacuum- just two stumps of nothingness.

Har Ek Friend Zaroori Hota Hai!

I am easily one of those people whom you might call an "extrovert." So it is not a big surprise that I have plenty of friends. I am also least likely to forget my friends or go out of touch with even one of them, unless it is initiated by them. So this year as a friendship day tribute to all those lovely people who have made life worth living, here is a collage of my closest friends, who have weathered time and situations to stick close to me. Of course, it is not possible to include every person who is a friend, so I have included those whom I am closest to.

The Soul Buddies- 

This is perhaps my closest gang. My sister (in golden-brown) who is my first friend ever, my friend who has been with me right from baby class (in green), another who is been my partner in crime, joy and grief (in red and yellow) and my hubby (also in green), who continues to be a friend first.

The School chums-


This is my childhood gang, the school buddies. Though I had lost touch with several of them over the years, social media brought us together, and the reunion I finally had with them, was truly a blessing. This is one gang that never grew up! We were like a bunch of school girls all over again, and then you realise that you can afford to be like that with friends you have literally grown up with! The polished mannerisms of the world are surely not to be used when with them!


The Childhood Gang-

There is another gang from childhood, that formed since we all have practically lived in the same place / apartment for eons. We were the most notorious, and also fiercely protective of one another. We have never celebrated any festival without each other, and have literally grown up in each other's homes, never in our own!!

The terrace was the place for all our "khufiya" meetings and we have shared everything from the most mundane to the most serious secrets with each other! We never knew what depression is, because any problem could just be shared and solved with the most innovative techniques!

The College Gang-

We were a gang of 16 in college, and it was the most fun filled years of my life! From not just watching movies but also breaking into an impromptu dance in the theater much to the annoyance of people around, to sitting on the train foot board while on our tours and trips, to doing each other's lab work and bunking college and to everything in between, we have done it all!






The Fun Gang-

These guys are colleagues from my first job, and are world's coolest guys! If I stuck to that job for almost 9 years, it was just because of these guys. They made my initial days of staying alone in a brand new city not just bearable but worth all the trouble too! This is one gang I did not lose touch with even for a short time. I can credit my whacky side to them! they showed me that is not necessary to be prim and proper all the time!

The Inseparable Gang-




These are guys from my second job, and we just hit it off so well from day 1 that we almost became inseparable! Some people are just meant to be a part of your life, like they were waiting for the train to stop at their station so that they could just get in and carry on the journey with you. These are those guys!









The Alter Egos-

These three couples are like our alter egos. We started out as colleagues, but the bond we share is so special that we could easily be each other. They are softest and most beautiful people we could ever know. Being with them is like being under the shade of the most dense and most fragrant trees. They shower us with so much love that it is difficult to believe, that are people like them in this world!




                                                                                   


    "The Gang"-

Yea! You know what I mean right? THIS is the THE GANG! This is a unique gang because, they were originally my husband's gang. His gang of 6 guys. One by one, the wives and girlfriends (who later became wives) got added to the gang, and we became a gang of 12. Then we all had our first kids almost at the same time, and then the second one at almost the same time too! The gang is now 24 member strong!! Our biggest discussion is about going on trips, and half our meetings are spent discussing where we should go next! When we meet, no one wants to go home, so we end up staying over and by the way, this happens every fortnight!

One crazy gang this is!





I cannot thank the Almighty enough for filling my life with friends like these. The feeling of being loved and cared by people who matter to you is the greatest feeling ever. If my wealth was to be measured by the friends I have, I guess I would be richest person on earth!


(I have also had the pleasure of having a lot of friends whom I met virtually, but for that, there's one more post coming up!)

Smile!

Sometimes it just takes a smile to set things right.

We had a late night, celebrating friendship day with our gang. I had switched off the alarm on Saturday night, so that I could get an extra hour of sleep on Sunday morning, and conveniently forgot to switch it back before going to sleep. No alarm equalled over sleeping and delaying all chores in turn. I also had an extra person in the house occupying the washroom and delaying the kids, having me scurrying after them. I had no time to eat breakfast because it was already late, and while I wondered how much more worse things could get, I remembered that the vehicle was very low on petrol. I deliberated between going to the bunk and filling petrol even if I got late to office or risk the vehicle getting dry somewhere in between. That was a no brainer, I would anyway be late if the vehicle stopped midway somewhere and then I would also risk dragging it to the nearest bunk. So, I stopped to get petrol, all the while I cursed myself for the late night party and everything that happened as a result of it. The long queue at the petrol bunk and constantly looking at my watch was getting me all worked up. My heart had started beating faster, my mind was constantly cursing myself and also cursed everyone whom I thought was responsible, my friends, the kids, the extra person at home, the people in the bunk, everyone!

And then suddenly it hit me….what was I achieving by getting all worked up? This would probably make me drive faster, I could maybe hit someone accidentally, I would curse few more who would drive recklessly, and get further worked up. I was getting into a vicious circle. This had to be stopped.

 So I decided to relax instead. I took a deep breath, and removed my watch and put it in my jacket. I didn’t want to be seeing the time every second and worrying that I will be late. I also began humming some of favourite songs as I rode. My speed slowed down to acceptable limits, and I was concentrating better on the road. Then at an intersection, the traffic was phenomenal. Vehicles stood bumper to bumper. I saw two people trying to unsuccessfully cross the road, while cars kept inching forward without pausing for a second. It reminded me of the times, I have tried to cross the road hoping the next vehicle will pause for a second and let me pass. Consciously, I slowed down and braked for a moment, to let them cross.

One of them just looked into my eyes for a fleeting second and gave me a lovely smile and a thumbs up. I think that just did the trick. Immediately my nerves were calmer, and there was a smile on my lips too. It wasn’t much, but I still managed to bring a smile to at least one person’s face, and that smile came right back to me. That is the power of a smile. It was such an important lesson. You never know who’s been having a difficult day, maybe one smile is all they need. 

So go ahead and smile. Make someone’s day!!