Not just another woman

To the woman with the tired eyes and ready frown:
What are you afraid of?
You are stronger than you can ever imagine;
Scraped knees and bruised elbows couldn’t ever stop you,
what’s a few scratches on your heart?
You are a child of the Universe. You weren’t born to hide.
Go ahead, knock pain off its feet,
tell sorrow it’s not welcome anymore.
In a wide, grassy field, let the sun show you some love.
Lie down.
Talk to the stars, commune with the moon.
And if you find yourself by a boulder on the shore,
wait a while.
The ocean will sift some stories from the sands, just for you.
Take your eyes off that little dial on your limb,
you have all the time in the world.
Go tell the mountains your plans,
shred your sadness into the rivers.
You were born to conquer.
And, someday, if a foolish mortal tries to tell you what you can’t do,
Look it in the eye and smile.
Smile, sister.
The world’s yours for the taking.

To my first love

It seems not just hollow and fake, but also dishonest to start this confession, as it were, the way I have. It seems appropriate that the greatest evidence of my infidelity to you is not just the introduction to this message, but its very medium. I kept away from your cadence and your caress for too long, fearful that I wasn’t a vessel fit enough to pay obeisance to you. I needn’t have worried. I shall not let this fear plague me anymore; I shall show you the same love, Hindi, beloved, that I have to countless foreign tongues. Through a limitless fog of memory and time, accept these frugal offerings of mine:

कहीं देखी थी यह धुंधली दोपहरें
किसी सर्दी की आहट है इनमे
कुछ दीवारें पहचानी सी
शायद अब हो नहीं
पर जाड़े की फुर्सत है इनमे

अंगडाई लेकर जो आँगन सिमटते थे
आँगन से लिपटी अब चादरें तो नहीं
छतों पर नाचती खुश्क धूप हो न हो
हलके मोगरे का इत्तर है इनमे

कभी भूल जाओ अगर वोह किन्वाड़े
जिनसे लुढ़क कर गश खाती थी दोपहरें
वोह पल भूल जाना शायद न हो मुमकिन
जब जाली से छन के इतराती थी दोपहरें ||

Slow boil

~ Of all the coincidences in the world, none was ever more comforting than a dose of kindness when I needed it the most

~ All freedom is relative

~ The happiness that comes from possessing people, things or ideas is flighty, temporary and dangerous, and I want no part in it

~ A somewhat wise man once told us to knock on our idols before we believe them and check if they are hollow. What he did not teach us was how to deal with fallen, empty idols

~ Suffering is not something you can choose; it exists despite you. What you can choose is what you make of it

~ Someday, I shall forge a mountain out of books, burrow inside, lay by their side forever, and have my fill of words

~ There seem to be two kinds of knowledge; one that leaves you naked and bereft, and another that cloaks you in its warmth

~ And if I’ve been feeling at sea for so long, it’s because you were my lighthouse, not my shore

~ Life – More shatranj than Shakespeare: You are a pawn before you even decide what role to play

~ The greatest tragedy of our times is that we are willing to fight for the things, people and ideas we hate but not for the ones we love

~ It is choices, and not people, that are good or evil

~ A beautiful memory. An uncertain yet happy smile. And a little flutter in your heart

~ People are most afraid of acknowledging what they actually think of societal rules and norms, but accepting these feelings makes you grow, and growth is what is important

~ Self-awareness is essential for enlightenment, but people run away from it, afraid of what they’ll find if they look within

~ We often fool ourselves thinking people change. They don’t. We just become more tolerant of their demons as we keep mastering ours.

~ The ultimate victory is over our lesser selves. Material victories will fade

~ Life makes the most sense when I think of it as an absurdist drama