And then again…

The ties that were so strong broke not so long ago
It seemed that there was no ray of hope, no tunnel in sight.
Her heart began to wander, wander far away,
To places and thoughts out of reach…

But her faith never dwindled,
She knew her prayers would not go unanswered.
She waited and waited…patiently…
Until the sun came out to brighten her day.

They finally met that evening,
Shedding the cloak of animosity,
Working out their differences,
And understanding where they went wrong.

Their relation had taken a different turn
As they realised each other’s importance.
Unspoken words passed between the two
Their bond dancing to a different tune now.

The bantering began soon after,
With her chasing after him.
“You’re incorrigible!”, she huffed.
“With you, I always am!” he countered.

They laughed playfully now,
The old days refreshing themselves before their eyes
They knew their bond was stronger now,
Stronger than either could imagine.

With each passing day, the heart grows fonder,
And the undying love refuses to wither.
For all friendships stand the test of time
when the heart is true and untainted.

Days turned into months, which turned into years
And somehow, they both lost touch
Following the madding crowd,
Pursuing their individual dreams.

But they never forgot each other.
Reliving the reminiscences of the past,
Which often made her blink away unshed tears,
While he would sit moping about, alone.


Twelve years had passed,
Since they had heard of each other.
Twelve years had passed,
Since they last met…

Until today…when a chance meeting
Made them face each other again.
That they met at their favourite bistro,
Was perhaps what providence had planned.
That they shared the only vacant table
Was also perhaps a game played by fate.

Their happiness knew no bounds that evening.
As they sat facing each other.
With tears flowing from their eyes,
They apologised for the time that had elapsed.
“But we haven’t lost each other have we?”, he asked.
She just smiled, and he got his answer.
They got up and walked out into the pouring rain.
Something, which neither had done in years!

They walked hand in hand,
Carrying their bittersweet memories along.
They walked hand in hand,
To the place where they truly belonged…

I hated Mumbai when I first came here. The crowd, the trains, the Mumbaiyya language, the chalta hai attitude, all of these repulsed me. That was four years; four long years ago. Now when I look back, I see that I have changed a lot from what I was, and I owe it all to this magical city. Why magical? Well because it has transformed me into a completely different person. It has made me look at life with a totally different perspective; made me a positive person and as much as I hate to admit, I have adopted the chalega attitude with much aplomb!
Though my first year here was not what one would call a disaster, but I never really made any efforts to enjoy myself. I kept cribbing about the weather, the people, the language, the food… I mean… just about everything! I really wanted to leave Mumbai. But then, there is something about this place, something that pulls you to it. You’re mesmerised by the sheer simplicity and beauty that Mumbai has to offer. Quite literally, the city grows on you. I love getting up early in the morning, walking up to Churchgate station just to have bun-maska-chai. Doesn’t sound like a very scrumptious meal I know, but there is something about seeing the man slicing the bun in half, cutting a chunk of AMUL butter, applying it on the bun and cutting the bun in three pieces with that flat knife. Then there is this tea, which is made to boil beyond boiling point; rather, it is always on the boil. The combination is deadly! We had a bun-maska-chai walla right outside our college until the BMC asked him to vacate…
It was perhaps in my second year that I began enjoying this place, venturing out, meeting new people and discovering new places. And soon, I was in love! Sitting on Marine Drive, or just walking past, with the waves lashing at you during the monsoons, is highly romantic! Walking the streets of Colaba, window-shopping (though mostly, it ended up in burning a hole in my pocket!), exploring the various lanes, was so very mesmerising… I have always gone to these places by myself. Somehow, I feel that having company for these places doesn’t give me time to absorb all that they have to offer. Being on my own, I go wherever I wish to, without having to listen to the other person’s wishes… Hmmm… does that sound selfish? Maybe so… but then that’s how I am… fiercely independent.. Hey!! We’re not talking about Mumbai here… why do I always digress from the main topic? Tsk Tsk Tsk… This city has, I must admit, humbled me a lot. After having been brought up in Delhi amidst luxury, Mumbai paled in comparison. Staying in a hostel, where our rooms are the size of matchboxes “and” which have to be shared with another person, the bland food that our hostel offers, and many other things to which I was exposed to for the first time… opened my eyes… From the haughty, arrogant, full-of-attitude Delhiite, I have become the sprightly, confident, congenial and ever-adjusting Mumbaiyya! My family and friends back in Delhi often wonder if I’m the same person they knew four years ago… Needless to say, I enjoy the compliments showered on me… I am so in love with this city, that the very thought of leaving makes me feel nostalgic and highly emotional! Standing on the sea-shore and recollecting the glorious years that I have spent here, one song seems to resonate over the waves touching my feet – “Ae dil hai mushkil jeena yahaan, zara hat-ke, zara bach-ke, yeh hai Bombay meri jaan…”

Broken Ties…

What do you do when your best friend leaves you in the lurch,
In spite of you making all efforts to get back?
What do you do when you are avoided like the plague
By the very person to whom you gave your soul?

You remember the days when you were teased playfully
When you shouted at your friend for doing so.
But you cannot deny that you secretly enjoyed it
and actually waited for the next time he would do so.

The conversations over dozens of cups of coffee
And innumerable meals makes you sit and wonder
What went so horribly wrong?
You sit back and cry, your heart broken asunder.

You blame yourself for everything
For the friendship that has gone sour.
You cannot believe all that is happening
Your faith in relations dwindling by the hour.

But then you realise your mistake,
Your mistake of being overly dependent on someone else.
You stand up and shake the dust off your shoulders,
Ready to face the world again.

You do miss your friend at times
When you see something familiar,
But now you just laugh to yourself
Those memories, close to your heart you hold.

Your friendship will stand the test of time
Since you have been true to your friend.
You ponder for a while and realise…
If he loses you, it’ll be your friend’s loss, not yours,
But next moment, you look back at the days gone by
And secretly pray that things could've been otherwise...

PACKING!!

In my first year in Mumbai, I always used to look forward to packing my stuff as I was ever-so-eager to go home. In fact, my packing used to begin in the middle of my exams! But gradually, I have begun dreading the packing sessions. No, not because I don't look forward to going home...but just that packing has become such a terror,given the gigantanormous amount of stuff I have to pack!!

I'm a die-hard shopaholic. Ask my room-mate. Almost every weekend I used to end up at some store or the other and shop for clothes! Yeah, I had developed a fetish for new clothes (not that it has died now...I just don't go shopping that often anymore!).

Oh yes! Coming back to packing...pardon me, I have this habit of digressing from the main topic ever so often!! Well, given the amount of clothes I have and the amount of books as well(keep buying books every now and then..have one helluva library in my room=D), I never know where to begin and how to begin... That's the reason why I also purchased a 6 foot cupboard for myself!!

I just hate the idea of shifting all my luggage into that tiny luggage room on my floor. What with my bags and cartons of books and my bedding!! Sheesh! That's the WORST!! Har saal ka routine hai yaar!!Bahut zyaada boringgg hai!! And it's an ENTIRE days job!! And trust me, its NOT at all fun!! But yeah, there are chances that you might find that lost ear-ring of yours or those scrunchies that have fallen in some corner of the room!! Now that definitely brings a smile to my face!!

Only, I wonder how much I'll have when I leave the hostel next year...Other than the usual stuff, I'm sure there are going to be millions of memories that I'll take with myself....Hmmm....Already feeling nostalgic...

Somehow I have never really understood the theory of having a boyfriend. I mean, what is the need? I know the pro-relationship people would say that one is made to feel special, is occasionally showered with gifts, looks forward to meeting their loved one daily, et al. I would be lying if I say that I have never felt like having a boyfriend. It’s just that I think too much about the “consequences” of being in a relationship. I am basically too much of an independent person and I know the same will be curtailed with the entry of a boy. My friends mean a lot to me. I already don’t get enough time to spend with them. It would further reduce if I get into a relationship.
Suddenly, you’re answerable to that person, you need to put his interests before yours and there are so many other things that you need to do to keep him happy. You become irritable. I think mood-swings are at their peak when people are dating. It’s worse than PMS!!!
Why, I ask? Why should I do something like that for someone else? Am I being selfish by harbouring such feelings? I have seen couples fight like cats and dogs and many a times over the silliest and pettiest matters. It’s actually quite disheartening you know. You never know what would spark off a fight. And the worst is, I just can’t do anything about it. So many of my friends are couples and whenever they invite me for lunch or dinner or just a cup of coffee, I always feel a little weird. Even the smallest of their gestures like holding hands or hugging makes me feel left out. Absurd, right? Well, seriously, I can’t help it. I know I can always avoid going out with them. But I only seem to get along well with couples! Sometimes I avoid it, but then I have to oblige at other times. And the couples are completely oblivious to my feelings… I don’t think I can blame them.
It is at these times when I feel the need for a boyfriend. Mind you, it’s only when I’m with my couple friends. Else I’m completely at bliss being single! It’s so much better, especially for a person like me who guards her independence fiercely. I live life by my own rules and don’t really want to change the way I live for another person. Perhaps I’m selfish, perhaps I’m afraid of commitment, I don’t know… but I AM enjoying life big time and it’s predominantly because I’m single…Trust me!

The Alluring Mistress

She is lying there, all by herself
Tempting one and all.
You have to fight your senses
Her sight leaves you enthralled.

She has a history of admirers
Some even to the extent of obsession.
She is your desired companion
In times of happiness and depression.

She has this uncanny knack
Of setting things just fine
She can liven up a dull atmosphere
For she is the epitome of beauty divine!

She is the perfect aphrodisiac
If romance is what you yearn for.
She boasts of followers not only in the present
But even the noblemen of yore.

She is the mistress to whose
Command you have to succumb.
Any overt defiance leaves
You feeling lifeless and numb.

She is a mystery, an enigma,
She is a story untold.
She is an addiction, an obsession,
But her honour, she fiercely upholds.

She lies there all by herself
Waiting for her favourite guest.
She is, but the seductive chocolate
Hope this revelation puts all theories to rest!

My First Blog(!)

Finally! After ruminating over the idea of creating a blog, and procrastinating for a longer period, I succumbed to the pressures that come with boredom and created one! Little did I know that the biggest obstacle that I would face was naming my blog… I filled in name after name after name… I thought of names which according to me were unique, extremely different, something that nobody would have thought of… but alas! Too many people had similar thoughts… after consulting my erstwhile dictionary, I came with this not-so-unique name- Iconohclast…. Yes, it is a made up name…well… I wouldn’t really say that I defied well-established principles and/or customs by adding that “h” and NO, I did not consult any numerologist (!), but then, a slight modification was imperative in order for me to proceed with my blog!!! I know, I know, its not too great, but then….what the heck?

Am a novice of sorts though, so… yes, I would begin with unintelligent write-ups and hope to become as good as my fellow-bloggers gradually…

I heard of blogs for the first time two years ago… but back then, I wasn’t really interested in writing “pieces”. I’ve been more of a poet actually. So I was busy honing my skills in that sphere. However, off-late the blogger-bug has been paying me a visit repeatedly and has been egging me to move beyond the portals of poetry!! (Was that a bit too much??) And thus begins my journey… Was too eager to post my first input but I never really knew what to begin with, so kicked it off with my poem… don’t know if it’s a good start really…. But as they say, ‘something is better than nothing.’

Bohemian Rhapsody

The fierce tempest was working its way
to the quiet home of Mr.Grange.
As he sat mesmerised by the warm fire
burning in the silence of his home.
He sat alone recollecting the past.
When a smile came across his face
As he saw the old pictures of him and his missus.
The missus who loved him like no one else had.
The missus who touched him like no one else had.
She had been a bohemian rhapsody,
Full of life and effervescence.
Never once did anybody see her knit her brow.
Always smiling and cheerful,
She exuded an undying charm.
The town was all painted red
When the Mister married his Missus.
Champagne, confetti covered the floor
Songs of love and commitment
Played on the road.
Both were happy and content.
Until ten years into their marriage
And no children to their name.
The Missus went into depression and
Mr. Grange stopped playing his game.
The Missus' health began to fail.
And doctors tried their best to cure her.
But all she wanted was to hold her baby,
Hold her baby in her arms
with Mr. Grange beside her.
One fine day, a miracle happened
And the Missus experienced a certain pain.
When the doctors declared she was expecting,
She ran out to dance in the rain.
Her happiness knew no bounds
As she was finally to be a mother.
Making arrangements for its arrival,
Took up most of her time.
And Mr. Grange was delighted to see
His Missus in such a light and gaiety frame.
Nine months of anxious waiting
And the baby inside gave a call.
It wanted to come into the world,
To see the sun, the moon and the stars,
It beckoned to see them all.

But alas!
The baby's advent into the World
Led to its mother's departure from the same.
Mr. Grange couldn't believe his fate.
He held the tiny baby in his arms
And began to weep.
The love of his life just left him,
And left him with her dream...
The fire in the hearth began to wane,
The room becoming all dark,
And the cold began to get to Mr. Grange.
As he got up to relight the fire,
a warm hand rested on his shoulder and
bade him to remain seated.
With the fire now lit and the house all cheery,
Mr. Grange saw a familiar face.
His little one had grown up now.
And in the affectionate light that emanated,
He saw none other than, his bohemian rhapsody.