A Pastel Portrait

This is a soft pastel portrait of my friend.

This work is done in Derwent pastel Pencils on toned Brustro A5 pastel Matt paper.

Portrait of a Friend

Medium- Pencil Colours 

A Tree Called Friendship!

It was the very first semester of my graduation when I could feel a whole new world opening up- a world of ambitions, aspirations and dreams, and of course, new friendships. College presents a whole new world where you experience camaraderie that could actually last lifetime or can become an integral part of your years to come. So, if I can recall correctly, I met my closest friend Megha, the subject of this post, on a rainy afternoon in August when I was sitting in my classroom with my new found group. She joined our college late as she had joined another course in some other college. However, for the first three semesters we were not close buddies, I had another bestie with whom I had bitter fallout for some reason. Then we, Megha and I, became close friends, and then the best friends. A college trip to Goa was an unforgettable moment that in a way sealed our friendship for lifetime. It was actually a cherished trip; some pics have been attached here. Although it has been a decade now, we enjoy discussing it often.

We both love travelling and I can recall, amongst many of our trips to various areas of Delhi, the one at random. It was to Daryaganj in Old Delhi, and nearby areas. Even in the crowded streets, where typical smell of roasting meat fills your nostrils, and the shrill noise of traffic your ears, you feel comfortable because with closest friend, each minute turns into a lifetime of joy and laughter. We purchased clothes, artificial jewelry and much more that I still have with me. We then visited many other areas like Lajpat Nagar, Janpath and yes, the iconic British Library to inquire about the membership. Those were the days of bliss and comfort. In 2009, while dancing on one MJ number, Megha unfortunately broke her ligaments and got a fracture. It was this time, I presented her a hand-painted card made with much love and visited her.

Seeing a friend in pain is the ugliest sight to behold. I prayed for her well being. Times always change and when mine was at a low after a tragic loss of a dear one some years back, she supported me like anything; she stood like the Rock of Gibraltar and constantly made me realize the value of thinking positive and looking ahead. Those days were filled with tears and darkness but my best friend’s helping hand pulled me out of the clutch of gloominess. I have learned a lot from her. Such is the power and magic of the panacea call friendship; it heals every wound, no matter how deep it has cut you. Before she got married and moved to a different part of the country, we used to talk a lot, many times every day for hours (seriously!) and now when I think of that time, it comes like a happy memory. I still pest her to read all my poems and posts and we still share our half-mad opinions and craziness without thinking twice!

An old snap!

I find her courage, independence and positive outlook towards life to be amazing but no human is born without follies so on the flip side, I think she gets obstinate sometimes. I did my further studies from a different university but those days of graduation gave me the most precious gift, a lovely sapling of friendship that we have nurtured and is now a flowering tree, under whose shade we can talk our hearts out!

Watch all wonderful experiences of friendships of your favorite stars only on Zee TV’s new show ‘Yaaron Ki Baraat’ starting Saturday, October 8^th, 2016 @ 8 PM.

Just click on http://www.ozee.com/shows/yaaron-ki-baraat to enjoy non-stop fun!

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On Parole

For the last few months, I had been wondering about the marital life of one of my good friends. On a few earlier occasions, she did sound a bit sad on phone. However, I was not sure enough to ask her anything directly. A few days back, I received her sms that she has changed her phone number. So, I called her casually for a little chit chat.

“How are you?” I asked

“Fine” she said in a plain voice.

“Where are you these days?” I asked

“I am out on parole” She said in a strange, somewhat philosophical tone.

“..??...”

“At home, papa’s place” she replied her voice regaining normalcy

“Hmmm” I said.

“Only a few good days in hand” She added

“Of what?” I asked

“My holidays here, in my house” she said with a sigh.

“Hmmm” I replied for I did not know what else to say.

My fears were true. Sometimes, a word or two creates a clearer and real picture of circumstances than hours of deep analysis. Felt sorry for her but I also know it is really foolish to interfere in such cases of marital discord, for one always stands at a risk to make a complete fool of him/herself. We can only pray from the periphery.

कोई चला तो था इन राहों में......

कोई चला तो था साथ तेरे कुछ दूर तलक

पूछा करती है अक्सर ये सुनसान सड़क 

कौन से दयार पर हयात ले आई आज 

रही न वो बेखुदी जिसपे करते थे नाज़ 

न वो दस्त-ए-यार रहे न कोई हमसफ़र

बीते तमाम खुशनुमा पहर; ढल गयी मुबारक सहर

हमदम फ़क़त खामोश राहें, ये मैला असमान 

सरमाया फ़क़त तीरगी में लिपटा एक खाली सा मकान 

ये  किसके घर में आ रुका मेरा कारवां 

हँसते हैं साए अजनबी से, आईनों में जहाँ 
सराब निकली वो राह-ए-ख्वाब-ए-हयात 

चले थे जिस पे कभी हम साथ साथ 

पता न था करेंगे इस कदर शिकवा तेरा 

होगा तेरी ही तन्हाई से फिर निकाह मेरा 
ये स्याह ख़ार-ए-दर्द, ये कहर तेरा 

है वफ़ा-ए-पाक का इनाम, मेहर मेरा 

चलता रहे तुम्हारा  सिलसिला-ए-तिजारत यूँ ही

मांगी फिर एक दुआ तेरे लिए  ही 

के हो न जाए कभी शर्मसार मेरा यार-ए-दरिं 

खुदा ना ही करवाए तुझे अब दीदार मेरा 

चूर चूर बिखरा वो आईना 'हमारा'

रहा अक्स को भी नागवार साथ तेरा-मेरा

रिहा कर दिए आज खुद से तेरे आखिरी निशां

के उढ़ा आये सबाह में ख़ाक -ए-आशियाँ 

                                                                                   

• हयात=ज़िन्दगी/Life 
• दस्त-ए-यार=यार के हाथ/Hands of the beloved
• फ़क़त =सिर्फ/Only
• सरमाया=खज़ाना/Treasure 
• सराब=मृगतृष्णा/Mirage
• स्याह=काला रंग/Color Black 
• ख़ार=काँटा/Thorn
• सिलसिला-ए-तिजारत= व्यापार/A tendency to deceive (acc. to context) 
• यार-ए-दरिं=पुराना दोस्त/ Old friend
• सबा=हवा/Breeze

                                                                                  *****

DON’T FEED THE DEVIL

Well I felt my usual urge to write again, this time not about something I observed someone doing but about many long chats I have with my close friend. Lately we have been talking a lot about various dimensions of life, our existence and motives, character and other related things. I would say some philosophical talks on observing the life a little deeply (at our level best).

We were one day talking about how we keep on thinking about things we hate, ignoring those we like and care for. If we analyze our thoughts for a day, we will find that most of the time we crib and crib about petty things of past like a nonsensical comment, a hateful look, a petty ego issue tiff or people who hurt us, friends who ditched us- in a nutshell about all that we do not like. But we hardly think about the things we want, the people who care for us, whom we like and love, about our ambitions and goals. In a way we take all the good things for granted, paying them no particular attention.

We all have an angel and a devil inside us; we keep feeding the devil and let him grow, and then complain about his power ruling us. Instead, we must keep our focus on what we like and want rather than what is bad and unnecessary. When we dig gold we ignore dirt and stones, we focus on gold and nothing else. Our life is a blank canvass; no one but only we can decide whether to fill it with the rainbow pastels or with the depressing darks.

Hail..... retail.......!!!!

Well on Saturday, I went for a hangout with a close friend after a long time. My friend is getting married in a few months and is thus very optimistic about receiving gifts,  so I shopped for a few items for myself in a well known mall. When we were at the cash counter, I noticed a peculiar thing that I had notice earlier too but in a very subtle manner; this time it struck me, probably because now I am a blogger and it gave me another thing to crib about...Haha!

       Now, what I noticed is people purchase stuff worth thousands. They put each and every thing in their trolley that their ‘nazar’ falls upon. Thus, at the already congested cash counter, they arrive like a supplier of goods rather then a customer. But, while the stuff is being billed, they suddenly recall the usefulness of everything. And then begin discarding not-so-useful-ones, one by one. More than half of the stuff in the trolley is sometimes dumped at the cash counter only. And the mall management had two runners deployed only to return these dumped items onto their respective shelves! Well! The open retailing coupled with the credit card system has given us a new hope of owning all the things we could only dream of, though on credit. 

But however on a serious note, credit is credit, no matter in whatever form it may come.  

WANT A PET? WHY NOT ADOPT ONE!

Well, I have always loved pets. I think that must be prominent in my birth chart much to the irritation of my family and friends.

One of my dear friends Anubha just got a new puppy. It’s a very cute and sweet Lahsa Apso. When I mention a puppy, I need not use the adjective cute!! But its name is just too tough and long to memorize, like some exotic French dish; I wonder what that pup might be thinking, (yaar, kaisi complicated malkin mili hai!). Any ways, let’s not get into what that puppy might be thinking but my friend got it for a good price, the procedure was long with a lot of paperwork involved. I asked her out of my natural curiosity, why she didn’t adopt one?? After all she could have easily done so. To this she actually had no substantial reply.

Is it not a good idea to adopt an animal rather then buying one? There are so many NGOs doing this service, like Friendicos and Maneka Gandhi’s ‘Heads & Tails. Having a pet actually relieves one of tension and many such ailments that stem from psychological problems. Kids are happiest when with pets. And all this is not my personal ‘gyaan’ rather these are the research insights I came across in various newspapers and magazines.

“If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principle difference between a dog and a man”. - Mark Twain

An orphan pet gets a family and a family gets a bundle of joy… who says money can’t but happiness?? And this way you also save an animal from the cruel extermination by Municipal staffers, which it would otherwise ultimately face. I too had a pet. Mine was a pure white American spitz. I lost it some two years back, and believe me its memory is still alive and will always be. A dog or any animal gives unconditional love, no matter whether the owner is a king or a pauper, and in return they need just enough food and a little love... That’s it! One can know the value of a pet only after keeping it. I still have fresh memories of my pup running towards me as I would enter home, waiting for me patiently; and yes, I can never forget the love in its eyes, when it would look at me innocently without any demands or expectations.

I read this line somewhere “There no better physiatrist in this world than a cute puppy licking your face” well! This can sound a bit unhygienic to some people but the actual sense is that a pet brings joy and colour to one’s life. And support too; trained dogs are no less then a boon for the disabled people. (‘Dogs with jobs’ on the National Geographic Channel)

“Man is a dog's idea of what God should be”. - Holbrook Jackson

I want to request all those reading this post of mine, with a hope somewhere in my heart that it would effect their decision. Please adopt a pet and gift a new life to a poor little creature and to yourself too…

Confused about where to start?? Please refer:

· http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/dogs-with-jobs
· http://adoption-pets.vivastreet.co.in/find-pet-dog-adopt
· http://www.weforanimals.com/adopt%20a%20pet.htm
· http://www.bluecross.org.in/adopt.html

For some cute and heart warming videos check out these youtube links:

http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=OtkI20LekGk
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=SCxms1lHMtI&feature=related

HAPPY ADOPTION .... :D