Dreams. Of lines and more.

Beyond the night and the days,
Of the years gone and may,
Of the dreams, these eyes foray,
Magical the instant, cease to stay.

Dreams of night and of those days,
Tunnel of hope in the absence of rays,
Souls that falter, Minds astray.

Dreams.

Scientifically, dreams are the thoughts of the sub-conscious.
Cinematically, they’re as fictional as Inception.
Realistically, they are the destination.
Pragmatically, they define us. Their chase defines us.

Take a moment out of that dreamchase. Analyse.
For, you can now tell the relative difference between who you were and who you are now after you started the chase.
The chase has defined you. The chase has changed you and the chase has made you. Its this chase that takes you away from people or closer to their hearts. This chase either makes you stronger or enriches you with experience success or failure, in this case does not matter because the growth, knowledge, wisdom you seek is what you attained. The volume, however, varies depending on the degree of efforts in the fields of discipline, determination and dedication that you’re invested.
When I was a kid, my father never taught me to dream about success or glory, neither did he ask me to be the best. The only lesson, as he would say, was gain knowledge and the rest would follow. I am certain Vidhu Vinod Chopra shared a drink with my old man for what is a cliche now were words of wisdom then. Looking back, I feel its the best piece of advice that a parent could give their child and it is upon us to make use of it however we deem fit.
Today, as most of us are sharing status updates on multiple social networking media, share humour, share emotions and share a piece of us, we also continue learning and chasing our dream. The dreamchase is a chase one endures until the last breath and gives up trying. That is what dreams are. They are never ending just as our imagination, which is as developed as our knowledge about this world we live in.

Dreams don’t make you happy, but they make you knowledgeable.

The Boatman

As I walk by the sea, see the sun settle for the last time before they mark off one more year for her, I chance upon
this rather calm, confident, hard working and all knowing boatman.

He's rowing across the wave, a homecoming for him, however, he is working tirelessly as with every row of his oar
he inches closer to the warmth and love that he has been coming home to for the last decade. Only this time it is different.
This time, he fights. For a calm sea offers no assistance just as she offers no resistance.

The wind, however, chances upon her and makes the homecoming trickier. Nonetheless, he rows.
He rows knowing only he can row and only home can satiate the eyes, the heart, the soul.

What

What’s the fun if one doesn’t worry about the challenge?
What’s the fun in a fight if you’re not getting hurt?
What’s the fun in gaining without losing?
What’s the fun in living without dying?

We worry so that we face the challenge.
We fight so that we don’t continue to get hurt.
We gain so that we stop to lose.
We live so that we inch closer to death.

Fun

Fun as it used to be, fun as it is now,

Fun that it will be, fun shall be how?

Fun never let us grow, they raised their brow,

Fun ceased to exist, as we joined the crowd.

Fun, we long for thee, where be thou?

Patience

Patience is a virtue that only time can pay rewards for.
One day, it shall all cease to matter and what will matter is the karma.

Everything we do, won't matter.
Everything we dream, won't matter.
Everything we get, won't matter.

Everything we did, would pay.

That, is a truth and a phase nobody escapes.
Even God couldn't.

Social Media - The Truth

All of us, at least the one's who are reading this, are a part of a large pool of people, probably the largest sample size ever, and we form what the society today calls the Social Media. Social Media is therefor, probably, a medium for the society to interact with the society. The medium of interactions are the Social Networking sites, Social Info-Sharing sites, Social Entertainment sites, etc. Probably, all the sites you've already thought of, are the one's that are already a part of you but a large chunk of those domains of which you are a part of provide the businesses the perfect platform to INTERACT with the society.

Social Media is not a marketing platform, it is an interaction platform. That is one way of looking at it. However, for businesses and marketing professionals who make a living out of this platform, I am sure a lot would not run after me with knives if I were to say it is an HONEST MARKETING platform. The difference, as my marketing friends would agree, is substantial. After all, you don't want your family members to buy substandard products which are marketed well, do you? As far as businesses are concerned, Social Media is a community building activity and any smart brand manager should stick to it.

These days, for most branding managers, Social Media is just another customer service centre. The world is on Social Media and hence their brand should be on Social Media. That is the first step that the manager would take towards a) finding another brand to fuck with and b) fucking his own brand. Social Media is not only about getting customer interaction but also about putting your brand on test. If you don't believe a cent percent in your brand, DO NOT INVEST IN SOCIAL MEDIA. This is the place where the best of the brands are shredded into pieces. Do you see Apple investing in Social Media as heavily as a Coca Cola? Both are leaders in their respective industries and yet have different approaches. (Those who say technology don't need Social Media must check out what Dell, Intel etc have done for themselves. No, I do not post links because I am lazy)

I believe that Social Media is one of the biggest sources of criticism. The community has a) paid for the product or b) planning to part with their money for your product and hence have all the rights to dissect your product/brand. If you don't have the balls to stand up to take abuses on your brand, you must not think social. The only takeaway for a Brand Manager from Social Media, who believes in his/her brand, is how to take the negative feedback and turn the brand around to address them.

Social Media, apart from being a community building hence communication promoting exercise, is also the easiest way for the brand to communicate to the community. For the brand to amass the crowd, they must be liked by the crowd. Leveraging Social Media to speak about the product, the industry, the technology and finally the brand is one of the many ways a business can connect to its customers.

Most of this is too commonplace for anyone who is working in the Social Media sector, but it plays with the ego of the purists who are heading the brand. After all, Social Media is not just another Media, it is the new-age media. If the brand can turn around the feedback and provide a better product, they automatically become the leaders of their segment. If a leader cannot address the negativity that this medium attracts, the brand goes from being the front runner to one of those who ran as well in a matter of days. All this effects the entire business in a big manner.

In today's age, Social Media is the centre block of the arc between the pillars on which the businesses rest. If you cannot afford to lose the arc, change the design and make the business less attractive. Any damage to the arc and the business comes tumbling down.

Do not believe in numbers that Social Media throw, believe in the psychoanalysis that it provides for your brand, for nobody,, who cannot take criticism, progresses.



Disclaimer : This is a simple, brief first time effort to attempt an article. Please discuss and share your views on this medium. If you find the tone of the article to hurt your sentiments, I would not apologise. However, you may chose not to feel offended.

The Unkown/Unseen

Below is a draft I found in my inbox stored for over an year... I have no recollection of who wrote this but just felt like sharing. Please let me know in case you know who wrote this.

My mind wanders to unknown lands
Wants to know the truth of life,
I ask myself why and how,
Don’t understand the reason to survive.
The questioning never stops,
I have a lot of whys.
My brain doesn’t know all the answers,
And nor do my eyes.
What is the sound you cannot hear,
in the coldness of the night.
What is the feeling you crave to have,
far beyond your sight.
What is behind those perfect horizons,
Where you have never been
What is there beyond the sunset,
Is it the sky unseen?


Disclaimer: This is not an attempt at plagiarism. I just cannot remember who wrote this, neither do I remember if I wrote this myself. #kthxbye

EDIT: This poem was written by Rati A Thank You for letting me share this :)

Aakanksha.

"I have finally found the man of my dreams. Hope you're having fun there. You have a great time. More on this when we meet."
Nisha was vacationing in the Caribbean. Aakanksha was in India. Nisha remembered what a wreck Aakanksha was back then. Aakanksha never really understood the true meaning of a relationship outside of lust. She was the outspoken and the adventurous of the two. Nisha, on the other hand was a complex though determined soul. She always searched for purpose in everything she did and the only relationship she was in ended with fidelity. She was heartbroken for having broken his heart. Aakanksha always talked about tomorrow while Nisha kept herself wrapped in her yesterday. She had always despised Aakanksha for her ways but secretly she felt secured around her. She wanted to name her daughter after her best friend. This vacation was an attempt at redemption and introspection. Those words took Nisha back to the days she tried running away from.
The mojito she held in her hands as she relaxed on the beach-chair was just the kick she needed. She felt like drowning in the very waves she soaked herself in. All she dreamed about was happiness and to be able to love she once did. All the life and noise around her, of the kids playing ball, building castles in the sand, college teens surfing those waves, honeymoon couples making out, the bartender sharing a joke with the backpackers, the smell of fresh fish, the music all seemed to fade.
All but that one distinct sound of the horse galloping across the shallow waters rhythmically. It was the perfect moment, she thought, to fall in love and escape the clutches of this heart wrenching pain that engulfed her. The red sun dipping into the horizon made her feel uneasy and weak. It was just the perfect halo, as she had imagined, circled around the horse rider's head. She just couldn't take her eyes off him. She felt frozen in that moment. The breeze that bounced off of him was brushing her hair. The waves, that were inviting her to drown, suddenly felt like the source of life. The smell of salt felt like the smell of his love. She couldn't take her eyes off him. She could feel the intensity in his eyes, simplicity in his style, raw lust in his unkempt hair and unbuttoned shirt. She lived a lifetime in that moment.
The drink fell all over her face as the ball hit her hand as she took a sip. The ice on her face shook her. She heard voices echoing in her head. "Pick up the fucking phone you lousy bitch", screamed her alcoholic husband as he kicked her to wake her up. She saw the name on the phone. Aakanksha.

The Abyss

"Welcome to where time stands still
No one leaves and no one will."

Abyss. The only place in the universe where one can find these lines embroidered into the walls of the rooms, souls of the inhabitants and the very air they breathe. Nobody signed up for a vacation in down there but almost everyone who has ever taken a risk or has been brave, who has ever taken the plunge or have stood up for themselves, who has ever fought for the truth or never compromised are familiar with this territory. The beauty of this place is the illusion of absolute darkness that it creates, even in broad daylight. The rule of this state is the simplest - "Everyone is a captive. Either you break free or die hard." It is probably the best place for a brave soul to find themselves, to think aloud, to think strong, to reason it all out and to take braver, more courageous and, most importantly, the right decisions. After all, everything we do in a lifetime is based on decisions which are based on our beliefs which are based on our ability to see right from wrong. The walls scream of failure, the air smells of death and nothingness tolls all around. It is the perfect place to lose sanity while trying to regain it. And the one's who actually see that fading light, that one ray lit with dust but hope, that one ray which separates life from death are the one's who have made their decisions. The ascend is gravity free. The soul is weight free. The thoughts are jail broken and the fears of the darkness are non-existent.
Funnily enough, more the time you spend getting comfortable in there the more you regret being there and every second spent after leaving the hole is spent in realizing how easy it could have been.
The search for this simple answer is what takes all brave souls down to the abyss and no matter how long you've been inside, everyone gets their own fading light.

IT DON'T MATTER WHAT LIFE THROWS AT YOU, ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS NEVER GIVE UP.

दो लफ्ज़ किसीकी खिदमत में

इन गहरी निगाहों में तुम्हारी यूँही तैरता रहूँ,
वोह दो लफ्ज़ प्यार के तुम्हारे जिनमे एक उम्र बिता दूं,
यह मुसकुराहत तुम्हारी जिनमे सारे गम छूपा लूं,
ऐ दिलरुबा , तुम्हारी तस्वीर के साथ ही अपना जीवन गुज़ार दूं.


इस प्यार में, इस इंतज़ार में, छुपा हैं हर वोह एहसास जिसके छूने से मन्न में ऊठी एक कशीष. एक उम्र थी उस पल में जिसमे हम एक होकर बिच्चड गए.

सब कहते हैं प्यार में दर्द होता हैं,
करके देखे कोई तुमसे प्यार तो कहेगा हर दर्द में प्यार होता हैं.

दिल के इस खेल में ना जाने तुमने कितने पल बिताएं,
कुछ बिन बताएं और कुछ बिन हसाएं.

प्यार पागल है और हम बेहाल,
प्यार ज़िन्दगी है और हम सांस,
प्यार तुम हो और हम तुम.

अगर तुम सोचती की हम तुमसे और तुम हमसे तो क्या गलत होता, फर्क बस इतना होता की तुम तुमसे न होती और हम उनसे न होते.

वोह जाम ही क्या जिसमें तुम्हारा एहसास ना हों, वोह नशा ही क्या जुसमे तुम्हारा ख्याल ना हो.

उन्होनें इतना सब मांग लिया की जान भी कम पड गई.

इस रात के अँधेरे में ना हमने कुछ कहाँ, ना तुमने कुछ कहाँ,
पर तुम्हारी आहट कह गयी वोह बात जो कभी लफ्ज़ ना कह सके.

प्यार के इस खेल में ना तुम जीत सके ना हम,
चल दिए तुम और रह गए हम.

तुम्हारा साथ चाहे वोह हर दम,
हमारा साथ चाहे वोह हर दम,
निशानी हैं प्यार की तुम्हारी और मेरी,
नफरत से मत भर, ऐ ज़ालिम, तुम्हे अपने खून की कसम.

The Death Of An Existence

Every morn starts with dawn,
The cheerful melody of the birds song,
Woke him up from the slumber,
How he enjoyed, now he wonders.

The challenge, the fight, the war, the sight,
Of how the day would test his might.
Every hurdle, with grit, he faced,
All of it, how easily, he aced.

The mornings are still the same,
The birds sing the same song,
He cannot filter the bane,
The boy, that was, is long gone.

The fight is tougher, the resolve weaker,
The walls pile higher as he goes wee,
The clocks tick, his life piles up,
He rocks himself to sleep, cocooned in his stale niche.


Thank you Manali M (@khatteemithi) for the end :)

Road To Perdition v0.2

Simple Definitions of Time:

How do you define present? Everything that you see need not make sense. Everything that happens (to you) need not make sense.
How do you define past? Everything that you saw did make some sense. Everything that happened (to you) made some sense.
How do you define future? When you connect everything that you saw and everything that happened, you see a picture called future.

One might argue this is not always true. Well, if you are reading this, I rest my case.

Road To Perdition v0.1

Not everyday do you enter a class and are asked to tinker your head and come up with something that can defy anything. Grammar, language, logic, science and the mind. How often does one really have this kind of a freedom? Nonetheless, it comes at a price. A price of time. And there is not much time to think or even structure your thoughts. This is how *they* say "Creative Writing" is born. I say, where's the sex?

Keeping the RTP in mind and taking the logic, humor out of the way, here's what churned out in a few hundred seconds of the aforementioned freedom.

* when you part those lips, you break the beautiful bliss. Bliss of pure serenity. Bliss of the free, odor-free air. Bliss of hearing the sea waves hit the shore and the bliss of the breeze so calm and composed.

* As the sun sets behind the concrete junlge,
the view from here evokes mixed emotions.
The sea, the shore, the nature and the honks, beauty that they tore.
If those cement blocks were trees, if the water was blue, this sight would be as if the heaven is true. So much to ask for, so less to feel; the democracy here, my friend, our rights they peel.

And, this is what a sleepy mind churns out when put under stress of time with the temptation of freedom.