illusion

Down by the street side
Under the moonlight
You held me close
You made me sway

When I was a full stop
When I was a teardrop
You held my hand
 You led the way

They were all sleeping
While I was weeping
You sang me a reason
A hope to stay awake

Then there was sunshine
The whole world seemed mine
You let me soak the rays
You gave me shade

Why sing me a lullaby
Why make me warm inside
Just to burn a hole in me
To walk away

Not one moments glance
Not even one last dance
Why make me love
Just to see me break

Now there is no moonlight
Down by that street side
And the teardrops
Have wiped out the faith

The sunshine burns me
The world seems empty
I'm wide awake

While u sleep away..

Countdown to "vote" again exactly?

Viva la democracy! So two phases of elections over in West Bengal with a countdown to the third- a lot of hue and cry over 'vote deen', “you vote, you win”, bleed India and so on.

We the people- extremely proud of our democratic rights. No confidence in any of our “leaders”. Sitting in air conditioned rooms having heated debates- oblivious to the fact that the fate of our so called democracy has already been decided over alcohol, perfumes and money. Carrots for the poor, violence for the helpless and manna for the thirsty.
The ignorant, unaware and non-believing towards the massive back office operations being run to ensure votes for their respectives.

Being one such naive but “responsible” citizen, having heard of the drama behind our “3 dry days”, for the first time I was witness to the actual magnitude of the stinking operations taking place around me. From parties offering a few rupees, to getting entire villages drunk a day before, all in a bid to secure their symbol. But the icing on the victory cake was undoubtedly the perfumes- symbols on the voting machines being sprayed with spirits so that they could smell the finger of the “democratic” individual and figure if they had stuck to their word or not- if not, well, only god can save you(or maybe the party you did vote for), burnt houses, murdered relatives, broken limbs- all because the finger did not smell as desired.

More organized and efficient than any other Government organization India has been witness to, this is just one of the many innovative measures undertaken to ensure a winning candidature.

A lot has and is being said. A lot has and is being written, just like this little note. A vicious irony but nevertheless the honest truth. Not hoping/trying to change anything, but just another helpless citizen, looking at the ink on the finger and wondering if red would have been a colour more apt.

Bittersweet

Blues buzzing in my head,
Smoky haze blinds the light.

Traveling to the better place,
Shadows slowly encroach the night.

Sing myself the tune of bliss,
Violet flames burn through skin.

On the road to nothingness,
Numb the pain, drown the din.

Passion drums the beat of qualm,
Floating in the moonlit night.

Never could get high enough,
To feel the warmth of the angels light.

Lovers meet under sheltered skin,
Virgin lust in smoky eyes.

Darkness hides their silver dreams,
Broken wings float in bloody skies.

Soulmates

One story about soulmates, presented by Aristophanes, is that humans originally consisted of four arms, four legs, and a single head made of two faces, but Zeus feared their power and split them all in half, condemning them to spend their lives searching for the other half to complete them.
Makes you wonder..

Humans. Always looking, searching, waiting. Holding on to anything of remote significance.
A song, a location, a phrase, a thought. Time moves on but we just keep looking, for that something better. Unable to let go but still moving on. Scared to be alone yet scared to be together.

How do you know when to end the search. Who tells you it doesn't get better. When do you not only pause but stop. Look around you, take a deep breath and say- this is It. The constant need to find, has made people forget what they have. Sometimes even forget what they are looking for.
Human nature, its a funny thing- so busy trying to look for perfection that we don't see it even if its staring us in the face.

Why can't we just give in, lay back and soak in the perfection that is now.

MASQUERADE

Yet another day,
Yet another dawn
Life passes me by,
As I look on

All the same fears,
All the same hopes
Indeed living life,
One body, one soul.

One coin, two sides
Many faces, a mask that hides,
Standing in line
To buy the mask too,
Paying a penny,
To hide, the real you.

Yet another day,
Yet another dawn
Faces melt away,
Left all alone

But wait!
Who’s that behind
A silhouette- a shadow
Alas! The soul, drifting into time.

India "In-dependance?"


Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom. A moment comes, which comes but rarely in history, when we step out from the old to the new, when an age ends, and when the soul of a nation, long suppressed, finds utterance. - Jawaharlal Nehrus famous speech of 14th Aug 1947.

The soul, once long suppressed, today is one which is suffocating in the so called independence that the nation has gained. Indians, once proud of their country, even under the rule of the British, are today ashamed of the route their country has taken. Nehrus so called dream is still a dream and his words meaningless.

Letting India free, he forgot that he needs to play a bigger role, than just write inspiring speeches. A wordsmith more than a leader, if he had only been in the company of some true leaders like Mr. Lee Kwan Yew, the founder and first Prime Minister of Singapore, we would today, probably be a country others would look to for inspiration.

With the 50 years of independence that India has had, the question arises, does it now need a dictator? Do the politicians need to be given a boot and the people taught the basic values through command? Is it time for some of the rights and freedoms to be taken away and the rules of nursery to be put into action?
An ardent admirer of Lee Kwan Yew, I can confidently say a dictator in his form would probably do us wonders.

The first time I came to Singapore, the city, to the foreigners, was a joke. The neverending rules and the "silly" laws were, according to them, the result of a "jobless" government which had nothing better to do than clean the underside of flyovers and if given a choice would even fine people for sneezing. In the beginning, even I joined in with the laugh brigade, making puns at the government at the smallest of instances.

Today, after spending months in this country I cant help but wonder, are we actually laughing at them or are we trying to cover up for people laughing at us? Do we think the Singaporean government is jobless or do we know ours is over burdened because it doesnot do its job? Starting on a higher pedestal 50 years back, in comparison to Singapore, today it is difficult to find even one indicator which could put us in comparatively better off position.