When he's not feeling well, when all he wants to do is to lie down, when all the energy is drained out of him, Krishna somehow wished there was a loving hand near him, and a few tender words to cheer him up.

As he coughs and almost chokes, he wished there was a caring hand who would give him a glass of warm water, and pamper him with honey laced words - that sure would work magic, he believed. Now, he was all alone in his room, and everything he ate or drank seemed so tasteless....

The throat is all parched, and the voice fails...and his cell phone buzzes. Krishna picks the call, and in his broken voice, tries in vain to tell the caller that he needs rest and will return the call as soon as he is better. A perspiring Krishna checks the time on his mobile, it's 2:45 in the afternoon. The room is steamy and silent, well ... almost, only if the the noise the fan made is to be ignored, and only a deaf soul could manage to do that.

He prays that the phone doesn't ring again as he dozes off again, hungry and feeling tired, this time off into dreamland.

Krishna smiles as he snugs into his pillow, the smile only growing bigger and more innocent, as his snore now tries to strike a strange resonance with the humming of the ceiling fan.

The hum of the ceiling fan builds up and transforms into a queer, louder noise and Krishna realizes he is in his private helicopter hovering over a thick forest. He soon decides to get off his flying machine and explore around a bit.

As he trudges through the woods, his eyes fall on a girl sitting on a stone near a sparkling river. She is draped in a knee long red dress... velvety and deep red, with golden flowery embroidery running all over. She has shoulder long curly hair, blonde, and is facing the river, with her back towards him. He suddenly feels light, and walks quickly towards her. She turns back smiling, and his heart jumps, almost unbelievingly.

Oh ... this is she! But...Hmmm... Well, everything looks so familiar.....

The same eyes, chubby cheeks, the same smile, and the nose! The same nose....He could recognize her nose anywhere! :)

She goes into raptures and beams at him like a child, and he continues to smile at her, as if in a daze.

She wore dangling earrings with a delicate design of precious stones that simply looked elegant... they swayed happily, as she spoke and smiled, as if dancing to the tunes of her laughter....Krishna and she speak in a foreign language, and both seem to understand the tongue quite well.

Suddenly, he mumbles asking her something..."Pladuthi kalisililo?" And, to his surprise she whispers back shyly "Aladuthi kisilobo!" And they both burst into peals of laughter. Krishna had not known greater bliss, and felt he was living his whole life now.

Then, she looks at him inquisitively, her brown eyes staring into his....and asks him fondly, "Figoli Jhoi misica?"
He sighs and replies "Ma.. alathicilima"....She draws him closer to her, and asks him to sit on the stone near her....She runs her soft hands over his ruffled hair, and feeds him something from a bowl. It was something he had never tasted, and it tasted so good and sweet ... like something he could never explain in words.

This is what is divine...he thought to himself. Everything seemed so serene, and blissful.

He continues to stare into her eyes, his mouth slightly open, and then shifts his gaze to her nose. "Ah! The same nose!" he smiles and reassures himself.

God! She is simply so beautiful! And she looks just the same...just the same when he saw her so many times....so many times in all her movies. She was the woman in his dream, she was Manisha Koirala :)

Krishna watches another movie, all alone on an afternoon in a theatre. He knows it's generally considered strange to go to a movie all alone, or to be alone, even in a bar, sipping coffee or rum.

Krishna, of late, has taken to this sometimes...and thoroughly enjoys his solitude, possibly cos he hasn't found a more interesting company than himself, who can accompany him on certain occasions :)

...Krishna continues to muse on various things including the most debated topic among his friends, these days, 'Marriage'.... The most common answer that people gave him, these days, when he defends himself asking them 'Why at all, marry?' was 'So that u don't have to be lonely..so that u have company, especially in your old age'.
As for Krishna, he believes, if the company isn't even as interesting as him, he'd rather stay single.

Back to his room, later in the evening, sipping his second glass of cheap rum with coke and ice cubes, Krishna decides to put down some thoughts on his blog....

Hey ... Who's Calling Me?

"Karthik calling Karthik is about a guy called Karthik(Farhan Akhtar), who is kind of an introvert, and is bullied at work, and even other places, so much that his confidence takes a beating, that keeps building on himself until it reaches a point where he almost crumbles, and he decides to end his life ....This is an interesting point in his life when he starts getting calls from someone, on his landline, at 5, every morning. Someone called Karthik, who's voice is just the same as his, and knows everything about himself, so much that he is Karthik himself....calls him... and hence the name of the movie...Karthik calling Karthik. This Karthik peps him up, and makes him realize that he actually deserves more in life, and should learn to stand up for himself. Interesting movie...."

Krishna gulps down his second peg quickly and makes himself a rather larger third one....Rum, coke, ice, there you go, in that order....! Splash! He smiles to himself as he pulls his laptop to continue typing ....

"And, once he starts talking or rather picking calls from Karthik, he builds up his confidence and starts achieving more, careerwise, and also wins the heart of the lovely lady, Shonali(Deepika Padukone), whom he secretly has been loving for years.

Me all alone in the theatre....a loner, found the character striking similarities with myself....Things mess up with Karthik's life and he goes on to disconnect his landline phone, and goes off to some unknown land....for the fear of something strange happening to him....something that haunts him, even as his love too leaves him, fearing that he needs medical care.

I have been disconnecting and connecting myself with the outside world, my cell and landline phones going on and off randomly, that I have been gifted cell phones & sim cards by my friends, who desperately wanted to reach me.

Now, that I have reactivated my dear old sim, my phone has acquired this new feature of not displaying any number or name..It just displays "Call..." on the screen and keeps buzzing....

Schizophrenia is a mental disorder where a person starts hallucinating...and imagining things and persons....and this is what Karthik suffers from.

I was wondering if I continue to listen only to myself, and stop listening to others totally, will I also start hearing only my own voice?

Now, each time my phone buzzes with the screen showing "Call...", I shudder... nonplused and wondering if it is my voice that I'm gonna hear at the other end!"

Thank you, Ravi!
...My computer man....anytime anything goofs up....He's around with his ever bright smile to cheer me up and get the comp working!

So many times, I call him up saying something wierd like:

Me: 'Ravi, something wrong with my comp...doesn't boot & there's a blue screen which says...'U have been on Gmail for more than 48 hours, and have been denied access now.' What do i do now?'
Ravi: 'Dude...Do one thing. Shake the cpu real hard...and try restarting it...'
Me: 'Ur sure it works?
Ravi: 'Ya ... try it ...if it doesn't, i'll drop in by teatime...'


Yesterday, on another of the comp doctor visits, he came over with a bunch of cds dragging along the beautiful little lady Lakshmi, his niece. She was so out of place in my room...her only relief being her fav song 'Choo Choo mareena' playing out of her uncle's mobile speakers. After a few attempts and my comp showing no signs of booting ...he finally decided to leave with a relieved and happy Lakshmi and a dejected me :(. He, promised to return soon, though.

This morning, Ravi called up and said he's dropping in, I knew he was taking time off from his hectic work schedules to fix my comp :)
...He arrived knocking at my door in fifteen minutes....settled in the chair in front of my desktop, pulled out a few cds from his magic pouch and started working away, while i lazed on my bed amidst piles of books....playing songs out of his mobile.

He almost concluded that my system is trash material...and I totally lost hopes, when it suddenly started breathing! ... What a feeling it was to breathe again & reconnect!

Such an exalted feeling, that I decided to dedicate my first post today to Ravi, my computer man!

Extend this thought across religions - Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, ... Osho hits the nail right on its head when he says that religions actually promote hatred. They teach you to love within the religious circles, knowingly or unknowingly promoting contempt for people outside that religion. This is what led me to hate religious ways.
I hate this classification.

Show me a man or woman of virtue, I will respect him or her all my life. Why do you wanna draw circles and put people in groups?
I love and respect a good virtue that I see in an elder, a younger friend, a baby....

We are tempted to draw conclusions and judge people...based on state, religion, caste....I am not surpised by the discrimination based on caste, colour or whatever that happen in UK and around the world, or the untouchable practices that were and are still followed religiously in some places in India.

We have been quoting great people's words, right from our school days, whether in an elocution competition or in our daily conversations to justify our actions.

If you judge people, you have no time to love them. Mother Teresa
Every man I meet is in some way my superior. Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are all damn selfish, and everything looks like a business... Ravi and me were discussing yesterday...over a post lunch philosophical session ;).

Sigh! Even love seems like a mutually profitable business, where both partners ensure their profits and security before signing the agreement! :)
I, being poor in Maths, do not understand these profits and what defines security...probably that's the reason why girls find it foolish to sign the agreement with me...Kidding! :-), or coming to think of it...seriously, could be the reason.

Happy Pongal & Happy Sankranti to all my friends! :) Whether you cook delicious sweet and spicy pongal or eat Ellu Bella, make sure your hearts are filled only with love for all!

PS: All credits for this post title go to Raghu :)

Tiny, round, colorful Tilgul and warm wishes exchange hands and hearts today....as folks wish each other sweetly 'YeLL thogond yeLLu belldang eronu...'

'Tilgul ghya, godgod bola' sweet Marathi voices echo all around ...

As you munch ELLu Bella today at your homes, here's wishing you all happiness!

We have so many reasons to celebrate and be happy in our lives.... when some discussions pop up that set me thinking and a little disturbed.

Ram: 'I don't understand why these Mallus put coconut in everything... Smells! And they use coconut oil to make any damn dish'
Gopal: 'Seriously dude, it stinks...'
Ram: 'Even Tamil style dosas are kind of strange man... Funny sambar and chutneys'.

I'm sure we have all been part of such discussions every now and then.

Now...this makes it so easy for me to understand how 2 countries or states can fight.
As we continue to hurl vadas and dosas and coconuts at each other, at a higher level, countries fling missiles and bombs at each other...everything makes perfect sense to me.

People are proud of their states and languages and religions, thats really nice....but when you go a step ahead to become a fanatic and if u can't appreciate and respect differences in tastes, then its a serious problem, as I perceive!

Man..i will put a whole coconut in my mouth and swallow it, followed by a banana...wat's ur problem? If u like it, eat it....or leave it! Now, that's a totally wierd thing to say, I agree! :)

Yes, I'm a Mallu, but I love and appreciate the tastes and variety in food that different states and places offer me.
I don't get offended with such comments, I'm only amused and stifle a laughter as I wonder about people's stupidity.

I love Tamil style dosas and chutneys and sambar. Karnataka offers dosas made differently and so many other delicacies, they are yummy ....the sambar tastes different, and I love the different smell and taste. Punjabis make parathas with such passion, I love to eat them with butter smeared all over, and dipped in curds and pickles... another delightful world in itself.
Andhra chilly chicken and biryanis are a top scorer with me when I wanna hit real high, they're an absolute treat for my taste buds, also promising to leave behind tears ...A treat of mixed feelings! :)

But something that I see always is people always disapproving others' ways, their kind of food, the way they talk, the way they dress, ...

When will we try to stand in their shoes and look at things from their perspective?
When will we pause for a moment and think genuinely 'Man...what makes him say that?' before responding with a loud comment.

This single thought can work as a mantra which will work miracles in all relations!

Well, this is no New Year message from the Baba ... these are just little 'Thank you' notes and wishes for my dear friends who have been blogging the last year and
filling my life with beautiful moments.

This post is to tell you how much your posts mean to me....and a humble plea to keep writing more and more this year :)


ARCHANA

Last year, Archana through Motley, started writing, expressing her beautiful thoughts, always so full of innocence. With her unbeatable style and an ever fresh approach for life, I'm so tempted to refresh her blog each day as I eagerly await a new post.

Its also been a year of lots of travel for her, I only wish her more writing this year, lots of travel to her favourite places and atleast a new book to her credit
& Thank You! :)


RENUKA

...Her blog came as such a pleasant surprise to me. The wonderful expressions of love of a Mom through her blog makes me feel so happy...

Last year has been a tough year for her, personally, but brave lady that she is, fought everything boldly with a smile!

Thank you & please keep writing more on your blog, Renuka! :)


RAVI

The last few months saw him grow health conscious and switching over from his favourite bowl of 'Kaal Soup' to Kelloggs, and back.

2009 also saw him busy working late into the night and through early morning hours, trying to get his project demo up and running.

Ravi... It doesn't matter whether you accompany me to morning Madiwala lake walks, lazy ginger tea musings....spicy chilly chicken lunches, or stay home with your bowl of cornflakes, you continue to rank among the top friends! Thank you! :)


PRAMOD

He has the right choice of words and a flair for writing to keep his readers glued till the end of his posts.

He also scolds me for being careless about my food habits and insists me to practise daily.

Thank you, friend! I love your writing.... Please do not stop ...! :)


VIJAY

An enthusiastic adventure trekker and blogger and a good friend... Hats off to your energy and love for life!

Please do keep writing more, and I am sure you will find your Priya...she's just there round the corner, waiting for u :)
& Thank you, dude! :)


RAGHU

This blogger turned many eyes around with his new blog, as he still keeps us guessing....Raghu turned full time poet towards the end of the year, with some lovely girl having set his heart on fire...Ever since, he's been writing poetry and humming his own lines.

Its so nice to see you smiling and laughing so happily, dear friend! Thank you & wishing you more reasons to celebrate this year through!


Okay.... here's your favourite writer, singer, friend & entertainer... well, that's me, signing off...:)

...am in mood for lot of self praise, triggered after talking to a friend over the phone yesterday. Well, I love fishing for compliments! And only the intelligent understand it, and still refuse to give it! I am so helpless! :)

Happy New Year 2010! :) & Thank you! :)

Another beautiful love story turns 6, well, officially! :-)

My dear friends celebrate their 6th wedding anniversary today, along with their cute & naughty lil one Aryan. They mean so much to me :).
I wish them happiness with all my heart, once again on this special day.

Marriage, of course means so much to me. To find that special person, whom you can connect to, and really feel special with. To fall in love and marry, nurturing and caring for each others needs, selflessly! To fall in love with each other, all over again, every day. What can be more touching....?

The story I'm telling you began over 15 years ago in the campus of an engineering college in Belgaum. That of Renuka & Prasad...
The two grew fond of each other, fell in love, fought over little things as they got to know and respect each other, and vowed to remain in love forever.
Their love has stood the test of times, and has only gotten deeper and deeper as I watch and smile at them with the utmost joy.

As friends we stood by each other through good and testing times, since our college days.

Prasad and me began as 'combined study' mates in our second semester; he scraped through as I flunked in 2 subjects...the start was perfect. We hardly motivated each other to study, but never realized that we were building the strong foundations of a comradeship that would last forever.

Renuka joined in soon... I always respected her. From being my pal's girlfriend to becoming his wife and now the Mom of an adorable kid, its been quite a long journey of evolving relations.

Aryan is such a lovable little boy, and now we are friends...We actually play together almost every evening. We also share feelings about our loves...
Hey, I'm not kidding! U dont believe??? okay....not really ;)

Recently, Renuka silently started scribbling some of her feelings on a blog dedicated to Aryan...and passed on the link to me, one day. The least I can say is that this blog is a compilation of some of the most innocent expressions of a Mom's love...Read and feel it for yourself :).

Warning : You may experience tears of joy in your eyes, as you read on...

http://arutalks.blogspot.com/

Hey Aryan! I'm so sure you will grow up to be really proud of your parents....
And, let's together wish your parents a very Happy Wedding Anniversary!!! :)