Two-wheelers zoom past me, while i'm threading step by step on the road. Bikes, mopeds, scooters..... speed in a hurry. Brakes are applied, and the vehicle slows dowm near a corner. Most of the times, it is youngsters who do this. With young blood in them, they crave to do something brave. And driving a vehicle at high speed is one of the easiest that they come up with.

On the other hand, another category of youngsters drive on the roads, school-going kids. I see children above 12 years of age, riding a Yamaha with ease. With feet failing to reach the ground, they go blur past me. Young boys cannot even put his foot down, if he stops his bike. Brakes are applied with a screeching sound to provide music to the ears.

It is the responsibilty of the parents to ensure the safety of the child. I've seen a father sitting behind a son, who is really young. Having learnt cycling, the task becomes all the more appealing. But, it does not vouch for the current situation. Children have to be told, the pros' and con's of the same. Though, riding a bike appeals to one, there is a particular age, when it should get started. I prefer to walk to the grocery store, unless i'm short of time, where by i use my bike.

A walk to a neighbourhood store is such a pleasant adventure . One could give it some time, to see herself/himself habituated to it. I enjoy my shopping sprees, especially if a cousin is willing to accompany me. It instills an essence of liveliness in us.

I would like to talk about another issue(i consider it to be so). Mobiles phones are omnipresent. Be it in a bus-top, in college, in a theatre, in a library.... An added advantage is the cost of mobile phones, and cellular currency which is on it's downslide. Again, these instruments in the hands of young kids, the idea is not elegant.

Why would kids need these phones? They can make their presence felt otherwise too. I still, prefer calling my friends at their respective homes, than speaking to them with the help of a mobile. I don't know the reason behind this, but i simply do not fancy the idea. Especially, when children are concerned.

PS: The above are my personal views.

eyes that haunt me

Dark, black eyes adorn a face.

Dark irises which lend enigma to pink, tender lips. Set against fair skin, they attract everybody. Filled with rheum, they dance to the tunes of an unheard song, they shine with the glitterness of quicksilver, they laugh at a fluttering butterfly. Trying to capture it, they seem to protect it, in it's realms.

A photograph is bagged. An attempt to preserve the euphoria. I get hooked to those eyes again, that which is printed on glossy paper.

Innocent eyes that long for kindness and happiness. From sugar crystals to everything beautiful in this world. Eyes which demand immediate attention. They crave for fame, transient and yet enchanting. I hardly see them. When i do, i can stare into them for hours together.

Searching for something new. They seek happiness in a mundane lifestyle. That which spots charisma in a flower. That which long to play with sunbeams. That which is fascinated by shadows.

Captivating. They trap me. In an alluring grip. I find it difficult to free myself. A seductive trap. Thick eyelashes which accentuate the effectiveness.

Sometimes, they refuse to converse with me, irrespective of the amount of pleading that goes in. Most of the times, they abound with chatter, that which can never be accomplished by an ever-moving pair of lips. A communication only between the two of us. Secretive.

I close my eyes, and they instantly appear. Haunting me. I dream about meeting those eyes again.

love at first touch

They've always had a liking towards me. They attack me like they've never met a human being before. Hungry for love, for my blood with utmost passion. At times more than two speed towards me with a hum that is characteristically theirs'. A sound which vibrates in my ears for some time. Perhaps, due their affection for my ears, or the buzz that never leaves the proximity of my precious ear.

I've warded it with many mechanical and chemical means. Trying to inflict pain upon it appears impossible. Fleeing away with new-found energy, they are on the lookout for another victim. Somebody who can provide it blood. Blood for it's existance.

Itching is initiated. A response from the body, which informs me that somebody is sucking my blood. At my loss. On studying it's biology, the mouthparts are made in accordance with it's needs. A god-given gift. How i wish, creation had provided me with defences to foil it's plan. Something that turns out to be very useful. A thick and tough skin, proving it's worth in hindering the process of piercing my otherwise soft skin. Eyes, which can track it's path, successfully. A brain which'll inform me of it's direction of flight, with efficient foresight.

Evolution!

Maintaining a strict vigil on my movements, they charge at me from nowhere. Be it any place, while i'm resting on my sofa, rocking my chair gently, during the time spent in front of the computer. Clever that they are, they do not wish to stay apart even for the night. I'm woken up in the middle of the night by their ever-resounding hum. Only to my chagrin, even when the mosquito-net is in place. I swear and swear. Hitting at them, performing gymnastics on my bed, in the end, i give up.

'Boss, you rule!' A thick layer of mosquito repellant cream is applied. Believing that these creams do function their best in my regard, i again enter a world of dreams.

I think, i'm a record holder for the largest number of mosquito bites at a given point of time. Five red, itchy swells on each foot is quite an achievement. With an often-practised bite, each one lasts for a week, growing in size, resulting in a welt.

Honey, please can you spare me for some time. All i can do is plead.

Dearest nosquito, will you consider my request?

amazingly stupid

Yesterday night, i let my eyes glance on Star Plus for some time. Of the half-an-hour(or so) of my television viewing quota per day. KBC was playing on Star Plus. I've never seen KBC for more than two minutes. Anyways, Khan fails to impress me(i was blown over by his role in Swades, which probably accounts for about 0.0001%).

The idea behind a reality show like KBC is to make money. To fool the general public into watching a lame show, while Khan, and Star take home hard cash.

I halted at Star Plus, while on my channel-changing spree. A question appeared on the television screen.

'' In the song 'Kya mujhe pyaar hai' of the movie 'Woh lamhe', the hero is supposed to sleep less, and he experiences more of what?"

There were four options. Need i say this- they were atrociously stupid. Primarily speaking, the question asked was simply scandalous. Why would anybody want to ask such a baseless question, rather why would anybody want to answer it? And we are speaking about a game show which is worshipped by many, and watched by millions and millions.

I was stunned, truly. If one wants to participate in such a show, please listen to all the recent tracks, see all the latest movies, even if they don't make sense. Afterall, they also can be termed as 'general knowledge'!

Forget listening to such tracks, most of the times. i'm hardly aware of them. If not for the radio that has empowered us, it would years before i get to know these things. When they are considered 'old' , while i'm called a 'peabrain' !

I picked up a Gerald Durrell, from at cart on D.V.G Road. We'd read about him during school. I remember it as it was a pleasant read but, i don't recollect the story.

The book that i possess is 'The aye-aye and I'. I guess, most of his books talk about his journeys into deep forests, in search of a particular animal. This book s the name suggests, puts down his quest for the aye-aye. An animal which belongs to the group of lemurs, which is restricted to the island of Madagascar.

It has a couple of other animals like the fosas, lemurs, giant jumping rats and the ploughshare tortoises. Co-incidently these are endangered, and the author strives to locate them and breed them elsewhere.

Irrespective of whether one understands biology or not, the book provides good material Moreso, as the book is flooded with good-natured humor. I've had my share of giggles, laughs, smiles when travelling between home and college, when reading at home or at college.

Excerpts:

' Faint puffs of smoke wafted through the door that led to the kitchen, carryng a reassuring smell of food. On the tables, two cats sat folded up like pincushions in the extraordinary way that cats have........ From behindthe kitchen door, a bevy of tiny, curly-haired children, clad in tattered clothes, watched us with black eyes the size of eggcups, over-awed at this invasion of strange vazaha and their incomprehrensible unit. We must have looked lke visitors from Mars to them.'

* vazaha is foreigner in Malagasy(the native tongue)

' To say that i was in a quandry would be an understatement. The doors and furniture in Madagascar all seem to be made out of a form of wood that in wieght and consistency resembles granite, so it was impossible for me to do a James Bond and break the door down by charging it - I would only have dislocated my shoulder. '

PS: Links are attached.

a journey

Well, it's been 99 blogs since i've started blogging. How has the journey been?

I call it a journey because, it's been a pleasant, learning, fulfilling.... all through the way. To think of all the posts that have found a way here, and the unmentionable ones, which didn't make it.

Perhaps, i didn't think that i'd continue to such an extent, but here i am. I'm not surprised. And the most important thing is tha i'm happy about it. Getting to hear various views on an article, has never failed to put a smile on my face.

People have been kind enough to pay visits to my blog, and have opened up something new to me. Something enjoyable, something that i cherish, a thing that i would wish to do, for some more time...

Those moments of happiness, sorrow, dejectedness.... have been put in words. Words that makes it simpler, to comprehend, to fathom, in searching for solutions, as well. At times i've regretted when i've posted something that i thought unsuitable, but it's a learning process....

For all the people who've visited my blog, my heartfelt gratitude to you, guys. It feels amazing when a friend at college says that she enjoyed a particular article of mine. It does put a smile on my face.

And for all the anonymous people(with whom i associate their respective blogs with), thanks for all the messages that you've left behind. Supporting me, encouraging me, trying to make seemingly complicated stuff simpler, lightening my heart, sharing personal moments, and most important of all, i've always cherished a message that's left behind. While, we remain anonymous to each other.

How liberal!!

Luck is in my favour(in this regard), i hope that i can make somebody smile everyday.

Cheers!!

People have been asking her, this question, 'Your eyebrows look nice, when did you start visiting the salon?'

She shook her head, and told 'No, i didn't visit any.'

She entered college, and again she was asked the same question. She wondered. Did it really matter, the eyebrows assuming a perfect arc above the eyes. ' No, it didn't ', she decided. Apparently, she termed it hereditary. Well, she didn't give it much thought.

Many days passed.

One day, she stood in front of the mirror, observing her reflection. Her eyebrows caught her attention. Her eyebrows did look beautiful, they were washed with the warmth of a smile. And with the gentleness of a happy thought in her.

No wonder!

It is some thing that is defined by time. We blame it, pity ourselves as it proves to be a pretty good reason, go by it...

Somehow i don't believe in destiny. Well, i've tried to put destiny in the above few words, as i've understood it. I don't feel comfortable using destiny for my needs. A creation, a manipulation. Manipulated according to our whims and fancies, or that of wayward nature of the light that leads us.

I've always laid my trust in myself. That which waxes and wanes. The self that has made me what i am and that which will mould me to be a person tomorrow. My habits, my rituals... the hope, my practises.... have evolved as a result of the people around me, who put varied scenes in front of me, everyday, every minute. At times, my mind does follows a twisted thought.

I also lay trust in the fact that everything happens for the betterment of the self. Be it, anything, from the swell that i obtain when i bang my little toe against the door-sill, or when i read late into the night, or when i put forth an annoying idea, that which seems suitable to me....

When i do make a statement like the above, am i relying on destiny? Have i notions which appear the same, when some time is spent on it, or am i simply trying to differentiate(with an irrational approach)something very miscible?

I think not.

One thing that i really hate(i don't mind using the word) is a cigarette. Smoking is one nasty habit.

A few bakeries lie in my route to the bus-stop. Apparently, these places serve to be suitable hangouts for smokers. I see a bunch of men, everyday, lighting cigarettes, beedis, consuming beverages along with smoke. Young boys, teenagers, who light cigarettes with ease.

Why would anybody want to smoke?

I find ambiguity dominating all my thoughts regarding the same. I simply cannot understand why people would want to continue with something that is injurious to their health. Even when they are aware of the serious repercussions.

I'm not trying to profess about the ill-effects of smoking. It's common sense to avoid something that'll harm us.

Cancer being one of the killer diseases, the occurance of which is enhanced by cigarette smoke. I've seen cancer patients, with grotesque faces, on my way to Christ College. The families used to alight near the Kidwai Hospital. Anxiousness writ on their faces, their vacant eyes seemed to search for hope.

There's this boy, who used to sell flowers to us. He used to push his cart along the length of our road, in the evenings, calling out in a loud voice. Mother has bought flowers from him many times. Now, i see the same boy lighting a cigarette.

Where is the spirit that steers us away from the wrongs in life? That which enables us to lead a better life....

BU rots

A sincere request.

If anybody wants to pursue pure sciences-undergraduate and postgraduate(?) in Bangalore, please, SCRAP THE IDEA. Under the purview of the infamous Bangalore University(BU), everything turns out to be crap, big time!!

My dearest enemy, whoever you are(i don't think i've one). Take my words. A humble request, from my side.

Apparently, nothing seems right with BU, from the syllabus, schedule, announcement of results. I've never found anything worse than BU.... Well, as one can notice i simply can go on and on. We've exhausted our foul-sounding verbal supplies. Unfortunately, BU pretends to be deaf, while all our prospects are doomed.

While everybody around me go about highlighting the education one avails in Bangalore. It is strictly limited to technical sciences and medicine. Arts and commerce.... they function under the BU too.

How i wish i was enlightened earlier. Regretting seems utterly useless.

floating in mid-air

S and i were walking from the planetarium. The weather was humid, and sweltering. As usual, a police van was parked by the side of the road. Some of the policemen were outside, some were dozing, a few were reading the evening newspaper.

We headed towards the bus-stop. I really like that stretch of road. Lined by huge trees, with a wide, paved footpath, it provides shade to an occasional passer-by. As we gazed into the distance, dry leaves fluttered in the wind, approaching the ground softly. Playing hide and seek with the cement blocks which lined the pavement, they littered the ground.

Nearing the bus-stop, we saw seeds fly on air currents. With paper-thin wings supporting the middle portion which contained the seed. These 'things' dotted the grey footpath, a little too often.

A slight breeze picked up, with more of the dry leaves, and 'things' floating in mid-air.