Time Do Change... So the People....

She was 6 years old. It was a state level drawing and painting competition that she was participating in. Drawing was not at all her hobby nor was she good at it. She was participating the event just because of her school friends. She thought it will be fun to meet school friends on Sunday.

Competition started at 10am, when school teacher entered the class room. Teacher wrote 3 subjects on black board -

1) A peacock

2) Girl ready for her school

3) Bus on a road

Little girl got confused about what to draw. She asked teacher “What should I draw on this sheet??”  Teacher said, “Draw anything that u like.”

She was done with her drawing well in time. She drew a Joker… something that she used to like a lot…

20 years later...

 

Here is the painting drawn by the same girl… Exhibited on a wall of one of top IT Company... 

Now she is old enough to understand the meaning of subject for a competition… 

Mature enough to paint the given subject in her own Colors... with her own Dreams…

आयुष्यावर बोलताना ... 

प्रिय श्रीयुत संदीप ,
 स.न.वि.वि,.

खरं तर पत्रात तुम्हाला प्रिय म्हणं मला जास्त आवडेल, खूप मुली तुम्हाला मझयप्रमाणे “प्रिय” च मानत असतील; पण तुमचं सुखी कुटुंब प्रत्यक्ष पाहिल्यावर "प्रिय श्रीयुत " असंच म्हनाव असं  वाटलं. अगदी  मनापासून सांगायचं तर हा सगळा पत्रप्रपंच  तुम्हाला धन्यवाद देण्यासाठी.

काही दिवसापुर्वी तुमचा “आयुष्यावर बोलू काही ” हा कार्यक्रम परत पहिला. भरपूर मजा आली आणि नेहमीप्रमाणेच मनाला खूप खूप भावला.हा कार्यक्रम नेहमीच नवीन असतो, अगदी तुम्ही –म्हणजे संदीप आणि सलीलने जरी पैज लावून तसाच कार्यक्रम परत करायच ठरवलं तरीही ते निव्वळ अशक्य आहे आणि हेच ह्या कार्यक्रमाच विशेष आहे असं मला वाटतं. माझया सारखाच तिथे जमलेल्या मंडळीना, 3 तास कवितेतून आनंद देणं आणि "अरेरे संपले 3 तास..."  असं म्हणत बाहेर पडायला लावणं ह्यातच सारं काही आलं.

तसं पाहील तर मी जुनी – नवी हिंदी, मराठी गाणी अगदी मनापासून आणि कधीही ऐकते. पण मला कवितेची आवड लागली ती आपल्यामुळे. म्हणजे आधीही कविता वाचल्या, पण त्या फक्त शाळेच्या मराठीच्या पुस्तकात आणि तेव्हा त्या कविता मार्क मिळवण्यासाठी शिकत आणि अभ्यासात होतो, पण कविता कळायला लागली ती तुमच्यामुळे. खूप अवघड आणि  मोठे मोठे  शब्द; यमक, प्रास जुळवून लिहिले की बनते ती कविता… हीच आमची कवितेची व्याख्या होती. पण कवितेला यमाकापेक्षाही मोठा अर्थ असतो हे कळलं तुमच्या साध्या शब्दांमधून. तशी काही मी अगदीच अरसिक नाही; ताल, सूर यांची बर्‍यापैकी जाण आहे मला… पण शब्दांची जाण आली ती, तुमच्या मनाला भिडनार्‍या कवितमुळे. सुरुवातीला मजा म्हणून आम्ही ऐकत असणार्‍या तुमच्या कविता कधी आमच्याशी बोलायला लागल्या तेच कळलं नई.

तुमची पहिली कविता ऐकली ती “कसे सरतील सये” आणि ही तुमची कविता आहे; हे कळलं, पुढे काही महिन्यानंतर... तुमच्या अजुन काही कविता ऐकल्यानंतर. कॅसेट कव्हर वरचा तुमचा जीन्स मधला फोटो पाहून मस्त वाटलं. कवीसुद्धा चारचौघांसारखेच राहतात हे कळलं. आमच्यासारख्या सामन्या माणसाना कशाचही कौतुक वाटुच शकतं ना… नुकत्याचा ऐकलेल्या तुमच्या कार्यक्रमात तुम्ही सांगत होतात की, तुम्ही आणि सलील कार्यक्रमाच्यावेळी लोक टाळ्या तालात वाजवतात का ते पाहून, एखादी नेमकी खुर्ची पकडता आणि तो खडक फोडून दाखवं अस एकमेकांना चॅलेंज देता… आता टाळ्यांच्याबाबतीत नाही पण शब्दांच्याबाबतीत तुम्ही माझया सारखा खडक नक्की फोडला आहे.

पण हे सारं कसं जमतं हो तुम्हाला? तुम्ही पण चारचौघासारखं बोलता, राहता, हास्यविनोद करता, पण तरीही माणसाच्या मनातल्या भावना एतक्या perfect शब्दांमध्ये व्यक्त करू शकता. तुमच्या “दमलेल्या बाबा ची कहाणी“  ह्या कवितेनं सगळ्याना रडवलं... मलाही... पण त्याहीपेक्षा माझया डोळ्यात पाणी आलं ते “दूरदेशी गेला बाबा “ ह्या कवितेनं. एक मुलगी म्हणून मी बाबाच दुक्ख समजू शकले पण जगू शकले नाही आणि कधी बाबा म्हणून जगणारं पण नाही… पण आई बाबाना दिवसभर न भेटता आल्याने जीवाची होणारी तगमग मी अनुभवली आहे. तेव्हा नेमक काय वाटायचं ते आज तुमच्या शब्दांनी सांगितलं. लहानपणी जी गोष्ट मलाही नीटशी समजली नाही ती आज तुम्ही सगळ्याना समजावली. खरं तर म्हणून... अगदी मनापासून तुम्हाला Thanks  म्हणवास वाटलं... मुलं मोठ्यां इतकं शुद्ध, स्पष्ट बोलतं नाहीत पण म्हणून त्याना काहीच कळत नाही असं समजू नये हे तुमच्या कवितेनी शिकवलं.

आज तरुणपणी तुमच्या romantic कविता तर भन्नाट वाटतात… आणि कदाचित उद्या वर्धक्याच्या कविताही मन शांत करतील… आणि हीच तर तुमच्या शब्दांमधली जादू आहे जी परत परत आम्हाला खेचून आणते… मी काही मोठी लेखिका नाही किंवा साहित्याची मोठी अभ्यासक नाही, पण मला विचाराल तर  मराठी कविताना तुम्ही नवीन रसिक मिळवून दिले आहेत. माझया माहितीत 2 प्रकारचे लोक आहेत.. 1 ज्याना तुमच्या कविता आवडतात…भावतात आणि 2 ज्याना तुमच्या कविता कळून घ्यायच्या नसतात. हो म्हणजे तुमच्या कविता अगदी सध्या सरळ असतात… पण नाहीच समजून घ्यायचं असं ठरवलं तर काय करणार ना आपण तरी... माझ फक्त इतकचं म्हणणं आहे; एकदा ह्या कविता ऐकून तर पहा.. मग त्यातली मजा कळेल आणि तुम्हीही मझयसारखा मोठ्या पात्रातून नाही पण एक छोट Thanks नक्की म्हणाल संदीपला.
डॉक्टर माणसाची नस ओळखून उपचार करतात… तसचं तुम्ही आमचं मन ओळखता आणि त्याला व्यक्त करणार्‍या कविता ऐकवता… ह्यासाठी तुमचे खूप खूप आभार… धन्यवाद…!!!

आपली,

एक नम्र  चाहती 

ता. क
मी खूप जास्त बडबड करणारी आहे, त्यामुळे साधं धन्यवाद म्हणायला मला इतका मोठ पत्रच लिहावं लागलं.

The Notebook...

I like visiting stationary stores. I can spend hours with those colorful papers, pens, notebooks, diaries, sketch-pens, erasers, stickers… Every item smells so new. Each item attracts me, surprise me and then I simply can’t stop myself from buying all that stuff. Generally I roam around the colors section, slightest change in shade, making a huge difference… making life beautiful.

Last time when I visited the store, I stopped at the notebooks and diaries section. The rack was full of notebooks/ diaries with different page layouts, sizes and colors. The golden embossing on few diaries was announcing the arrival of New Year. Few notebooks were full of colorful flowers, while few with white pages, waiting for their owners, to make it colorful... Bookmark strings of few notebooks were very pretty while few diaries had a pen, already occupying the pen holder space in diary cover. Few engineer’s diaries had same old list of formulae rewritten in new font. Few executive diaries were presenting the owner with a changed world through updated maps and few diaries containing the STD/ISD codes of new cities and states, bringing the world closer.

Now to tell the truth, I am a bit of lazy girl and never make any resolutions, especially not for New Year. What I believe is never make any promises, even to yourself, if you know you can’t keep it till the end. So this year was also not an exception. I did not make any resolution this year as well. But that day I thought to buy a notebook and write whatever and whenever I feel like. Write... Not as a resolution but to have a New Year notebook. I was searching for the most beautiful notebook in the rack, but every notebook was unique in its own way and so I could not decide which one to buy.

It’s a day of Feb now, and I am yet to buy a notebook. I have visited the stationary shop many a times, after that day but, I am yet to decide. My friend says I am just making my confusion as an excuse for not buying a notebook to write down what I actually feel.

Actually, I am afraid... afraid of becoming like an open notebook.

Photos...

I always get down from my office bus exactly in front of the Dominos shop. Just step on the road and your nose can not smell anything other than Pizzas. One day I got down from my bus and saw man clicking photo; his son was sitting on Domino’s bike for Khusiyon ki home delivery, holding big polythene in his small hands and wearing a typical Dominos helmet for delivery boys. Of course his was looking perfect in his costume; and his dad was the happiest father on earth clicking one of the cute photo of his child; Capturing the perfect moment.

That flash of a photo filled my mind with lots of memories. I don’t have a huge collection of my photos; but yes you can see me in variety moods… growing every year. I can spend a lot of my time with yellow tinged photo prints of those happy, sad, funny, surprised, naughty moments. Each photo with a special memory and feeling attached to it. I don’t remember few photos, why and when they were clicked; then people around me tell me their own versions of memories. Generally I tag photos as “that Pink frock wala photo”, ”that photo with grandma wearing blue sari”  ,’surprise b’day party photo’ etc.   Collection of photos with tag “Clicked by me” is also increasing. I do have friends, who pose for a photo, and when the photographer says “Ready…!!!” they yell “Wait … wait”. If am a photographer, this thing irritates me. I always wonder what to wait for.  Wait… so that they can look a bit better in the photo or so that they can show how much happy they are… or wait... Till they hide their sorrow deep inside; not to reflect on face… 

Photo – the word that brings smile on every face. Few people look very pretty in photos (need not be the same in reality). Few like me who genuinely try not to look weird; at least at that special moment. Just visit a photo studio and you can see people trying really hard to keep their perfect image. I have a friend who likes to click people with their own natural pose. Personally I do like his photography; its not at all fancy; No high – low light effects; no classy wardrobe; He chooses a common man as his objects and do not give them  special effects just to increase face value of the photo and not that of the object.

Photos – they talk a lot; captures happy events and sad memories as well… 

captures your friends, families… 

captures your feelings and emotions… 

captures the beauty of nature around you; probably unseen, unnoticed…

captures moments for you to LIVE your life again and again…

Hard To Be In a Brittle Shell...

They are asking me to have faith... 
Faith in everything other that myself...

They want me to smile... 
Smile that has become just another facial expression...

They want me to move on... 
Move on in opposite direction...

They want me to choose better... 
Better for them...

They want me to come out of it... 
Come out leaving my soul behind...

They say time will cure everything... 
Can time cure wounds of life time???

Kites...

I simply love kites… They can fly so high in the sky… I have many kites with me, of course each of my choice… Each kite with different color, size, shape, strength, tail; and thus making it unique; close to my heart...

It’s really a pleasure to make kites fly. Every time when I hold a kite string in my hands, I just feel like I AM flying; fighting with winds to go up and up… Winds tore off few of my kites, it hurt me but could not break me…

It’s a big storm. Might hurt my kites… might tear them of… Again...

Still I believe in strength of my kites and not in storm’s… I know my kites might not rise up but they will stand…

I have few kites still lying in my cupboard, I am keeping them safe; not because I don’t believe in there strength but...

I know mores storms are awaiting... probably with more strength...

Its Me MY Girl Friend...

Being a vacant desk in a cubical, I was getting extremely bored, till the NSS man came to me, with CPU in one hand and a small paper in other. I was curious about the chit, hoping it will have the name of my new friend, my new desk-mate. NSS man put down the chit and bent down to connect the CPU when I saw the chit. All efforts I took to peep into the chit were not of any use as it was MY address, written on it. All of us belonging to same cubical – My desk friends and their corresponding desk-mates had obvious question, who is gonna come? Me with few more questions - A boy /Girl, will be tall or short (yes this is one of the imp aspects for us), neat and tidy or just a messy person.

Next morning I woke up at 8.50am. That bloody Admin man always does this to us, he just switch on the all lights and starts AC, snatches away our comfort. It was the day of his arrival, my desk-mate, the thought brought big smile on my face. My previous friend was a handsome guy (most of the girls from ODC will agree to me). His responsibilities, so called intelligence and more than anything his good looks used to make the cubical overcrowded with many girls. We all (my desk friends as well) used to enjoy it ;)

At 9 .05 am, a girl came to our cubical giggling and she kept something heavy on me. The heavy thing was her purse, carrying the whole world into it. She arranged her monitor, keyboard, mouse according to her convenience and started the CPU. I felt so good; finally I got a (desk) girl friend. Within few hours I realized, this girl gonna rock. Almost every person from ODC knew her and was coming to congratulate her for her new location. As they say, mine is the perfect location for doing anything other that work ;)  With this perfect start we started our journey and it still continues.
 

With time, I got to know about her huge knowledge regarding their project, technology and also her dedication towards it. Vnet kept on me always rings for her; people ask for her help in critical situation. She solves all problems so patiently; I really admire her for this. Always overloaded with work, she stays back till late and finishes the work within a time. Really a good girl :) Few a times, I have heard her singing and she is really good. Her friends do come to her frequently; they share their secrets, comments, all Gtalks (Girls Talk). It’s quite interesting to know their views. Because of her, our cubical is now full of fun, loud laughter, problems and their solutions, her personal issue, phone call ;) everything.

But…

This girl is actually workaholic, Every now and then she thinks about her work. Any problem that comes to her, directly or indirectly; becomes her personal problem and then she don’t even breathe till it gets solved. It’s really difficult to stop her then. Her friends get tired of taking the problem out of her mind. They make her laugh, make fun of the problem itself, try to convince her and at the same time try to understand her feelings as well. Our 'Miss Responsible' understands everything but does not follow anything. Yes, that’s the name we have given to her, 'Miss Responsible'. She acts as if the whole world is facing the adverse impacts of problem that she is trying to solve and if she fails they; she will be hanged till death. Originator of the problem can be anybody, right from any machine, her health, till her manager but here is our Lady Atlas, carrying whole world on her shoulders. If I could speak; rather if you people could hear me, I would have shouted at her, saying, "Please go away… Don’t you have other things in life… stop sitting in front of me and stop staring that monitor who is making your problems bigger and bigger. At times it’s really important that you give rest to your mind, body, even machines; so that they can perform as you expect. Expectations from others will be unending but then it’s you who can control and manage them. Their expectation shows trust in you but trust will exist till the time you exist." From last few days I am witnessing the pain that my girl friend is suffering from. Her hand ligament is seriously injured and she is just ignoring it. "My friend, Please don’t do this to yourself, its You who is more important to us. Your hard works, dedication, sincerity everything will pay you someday, but for that don’t put yourself on stake."

Today my girl friend is back from her medical leave, which was supposed to be her Diwali vacation, and she is just the same old stubborn fellow, not listening to anybody. "My Girl friend, Please do take care of yourself, I want to enjoy all your funny comments, singing, facebooking. I feel really good when all your friends come to us ;), I want to be the part of all moments when you smile, enjoy, chat, fight, tease … all reflections of your pure heart. I don’t want to be called as your second home but want to be the place, where I will witness the wonderful moments in your life. And then I will send a mail"

Sweets from My Desk At My Desk

Occasion: Got New Girl Friend ;)