Words come in the way…

There are so many things we can perhaps better understand if we try to say them without words… Yes, there’s an obvious oxymoron in that statement – you can’t really “say” anything unless you use some words, right? But that’s the sad dilemma that we have to live with.

Haven’t we all understood the importance of saying things with flowers, with diamonds, or as they say, “sealed with a kiss”…
There’s so much that can be understood from the eyes alone. Because they can lie, they can sing a song, they can create a whole picture but they can’t hide anything. Stories are told much more fluidly when it’s just the eyes that do the talking…

I couldn’t have probably said it anyways… it’s always so hard to come up with those words when you need them the most… and as I look back, Heaven knows that the right words forever failed me… and I am not denying that there were occasions when “someone” had understood this dilemma, but I can say with surety that these were the very occasions when words seemed to matter so much less than the importance we give to them…

Strangely enough, sometimes, it makes much more sense when nothing is said…

Sometimes, words just come in the way of all that you really want to tell…

Train rolls on...

There's something about train journeys that is so very enriching.
At least in those times when there are no cranky children trying to hide under your berth; or a group of women talking animatedly about jewellery, utensils and of course, other women; or a bunch of schoolguys who (on one of their hourly supervisions of the entire train) have just spotted a good-looking girl some 5 coaches away, and are now scheming wildly on ways to grab her attention...

Assuming the absence of such distractions, there's a lot of soul-searching that people can generally undertake as the metal giant traverses across varying landscapes.

As the train passes through those primarily agricultural lands, all you see around is vegetation, of some kind or the other. And the shadows of the Sun criss-cross through those trees and shrubs in a way that reminds us of all those memories that do the same dance within our minds. Or the way in which the Sun hides itself behind a tree or a lamppost, and is back in a second. Feels so much like Hope, as it leaves us sometimes but then we grab it back immediately, knowing very well that it is perhaps Hope that sustains life on this planet; much like the Sun…

And as it passes in front of some houses that are built on either side of the tracks, a sense of sympathy emerges towards those who have to bear with this sound for so many times during the day.
Perhaps they are now in a stage that they ignore it; or perhaps they are not disturbed by it anymore as they are so used to it; or perhaps they do curse their situations for having placed them there; but in all cases, we do understand this about their predicament (and hence, vicariously, we can extend it to our own existence) – no matter what you do, sometimes you just have to learn to live with life…

Equally interesting are times when you see the sea of faces waiting at the gates (well, actually waiting on either side of the gates – the more adventurous ones being closer to the train). In that huge mass (and the train is generally slower as the station is approaching), you can see yourself in almost every stranger’s face – as they wait, some patiently (after all it’s a train, not a small bus); some annoyingly (why did the damn train had to have 50 coaches?); some optimistically (it’s just a train, it will pass); some pessimistically (why does a train have to be there everytime I cross this road?); some with awe and wonder (it’s surprising to witness the efficiency of Indian railways); some with boredom (Oh no, a train again?).

And the remaining with a mixture of emotions on their faces as they try to use this time to run through all the things that have been on their minds (prices of potatoes have risen again; how much amount should be spent on a brother’s daughter’s marriage next week; what’s the best way to lose weight?; what the best way to find the next meal?).
In the kaleidoscope of those strangers’ eyes, you can find shades of your own…

Trains can actually be closer to life than we perhaps realize…

Happiness is...

... When you get a $100K job out of college?

... When you get a $200K job out of college?

... When you get a job your friends respect you for?

... When you get a job you respect yourself for?

... When you get to do what you always wanted to do?

... When you meet someone on the flight, and decide to be friends forever?

... When you look out the window and there’s a little morning mist around, and dew on the leaves?

... When you look in her eyes and realize that you don’t really need to say anything?

... When you meet a long-lost friend in a bookstore that you rarely visit?

... When you find an old photograph that you can’t stop smiling at, crying at, and shaking your head at; all at the same time?

... When you make stupid sounds and a baby stops crying?

... When you find God?

... When you find someone worth living for?

... When you find someone worth dying for?

... When all your prayers are answered?

... When you don’t need prayers anymore?

... When you can sing in the rain and not bother about who is looking?

... When you have climbed the Mount Everest?

... When you have climbed the small green hill and can watch the Sun go down?

... When you have found the meaning of life?

... When you have found life?

... When you find yourself?

... When you lose yourself?

Confessions of a steamy kind...

O what a fall was there my countrymen (and countrywomen too – who Shakespeare conveniently forgot)...

For this night, I have committed a crime.

A folly for which I will perhaps curse myself forever. They say it takes 20 years to build a reputation, and only 20 minutes to destroy it. I mean, I had everything going for me – a decent past, a decent school and perhaps a decent girl ahead... But out of desperation, I laid everything on the line tonight as I stooped so low into uncharted depths...

I found out tonight that it is this urge for sudden gratification that leads men to such transgressions. But I had never thought in my life that I would be one of them. A perfect gentleman, yes, that’s how I looked upon myself; and look what I’ve done... I’ve fallen... Gone so far away from my ideals, from all that my mother taught me, from all that people around me expected of me...

What will my (future) wife and kids think when they find out about this night? Will I be able to keep a straight face then? For years to come, I shall remember this – the night I read Sidney Sheldon...
I could have re-read “The Fury”, I could have re-read “An Equal Music”, I could have re-read “Memoirs of a Geisha”, I could have re-read... anything... But just because I had nothing new to read, I picked up a Sheldon novel? How shameful, how disgraceful? That’s all the patience I’ve got? That’s as far as my morals go?

I shall just pray that I am able to forgive the sins of this night by the time the first rays of dawn hit the ground...

Women – And God forgot to put a “Stop” button...

They love to talk.
Infact, some of them just live to talk. Most women have this capability to talk on any topic under the Sun, and comfortably hold the conversation for a few hours. It must be a skill, I believe. I look at them with awe and wonder as I realize the amazing potential all of them possess.

Ten thousand words.
As per a study, that’s the average number of words an average woman speaks in an average day. As far as my understanding goes, I don’t think there’s anything remotely average about this whole thing. I sympathize with those who conducted the study, and unless it was a bunch of women, they would have committed suicide by the end they came out with this number.

They talk while eating.
They also talk while walking, while running, while brushing their teeth, while cooking, while putting on make-up, while... well, while just about doing anything. It’s these facts that make us realize that one of the many good uses of Sleep is to ensure that this species stops talking for a while. Though I am pretty sure there do exist women (nature never fails to impress, you see...) who have successfully overcome this obstacle, and are now peacefully wreaking havoc on those around them, chattering to their hearts’ content even in their sleep.

Three thousand words.
As per the same study, that’s the average number of words an average man speaks in an average day. Given the scientific fact that there is only so much air you can breathe in (and out), somebody had to compensate for the frantic consumption of this natural resource by one of the classes of human beings. The scapegoat (as always) was the other variety – The one that starts with “M” and ends in “N” with an “E” thrown in between as a consolation.

Ever noticed how a fish breathes?
That’s how most men look when they are in the company of women. The mouth opens (the race is definitely very brave as it keeps trying), only to be closed promptly, much like a fish’s gills at work. It is not surprising that most men turn to writing poetry (or writing blogs), as there is usually no bandwidth available on the other media.

Women have four speech-centres in their brain.
This is a conclusion drawn from another study conducted to explain this almost extra-terrestrial phenomenon. The result also helps to explain why there is nothing much else in that space between their ears. And it also indicates that it was perhaps God’s will that come what may, there’s one thing a woman will never fall short of – words.
Men, on the other hand, have been blessed with nothing less than one speech-centre (oh Mother Nature, how kind you are...), which (as explained above) is gradually atrophying on account of domination by the Four-Speech-Centre variety.

Talking helps you live longer.
There is a correlation (a rather strong one) between this statement and the new scientific reality that the average life-span of women is increasing and (by a similar logic) the life-span of men is falling.

I wonder if this is what Darwin meant by survival of the fittest? And I believe the Good Lord does realize His folly as He sits up there wondering what went wrong in the world He created. He gave women too much of everything (I have absolutely no problem with that), but somehow in the rush of things, forgot something so very essential...