Do Poets grow on Trees?

They ask if I'm a poet
I say, are you a nut?
The world may be full of poets
I am anything but...

I write when my mood is right
I blog when I want to do
I ramble off and on
And pen my thoughts so true

The world is a spinning ball
The universe, my field
My words do a cosmic dance
To no pressure do they yield

They jump, they skip, they slide
They tumble left and right
They scream, they play, they cry
And once or twice, they fight

So that is how it goes
These scribbles on a page
Does madness make a poet?
Does beardness make a sage?

So thus I carry on
With my merry words so dear
But gosh! I am no poet
I guess I made that clear

Don't Think!

I thought life was a struggle
I thought it was unfair
I thought they’re out to get me
I thought it was do or die

I thought I had one shot
I thought that money was God
I thought God was watching
I thought I needed a lot

I thought the world was doomed
I thought we had no hope
I thought the fight was over
I thought that greed was good

I thought we all were different
I thought that wars were fine
I thought it was all pointless
I thought not of common good

My thoughts led me to jungles
Where fear and darkness ruled
But my thoughts were just lost kiddies
Now my thoughts have come back Home

The Fun We Have!

Sometimes it feels nice….
To create without direction.

The literary equivalent of packing your rucksack and setting off for the unknown on a whim. Not knowing where to go, or what to do when you reach there.

We humans have always had a fascination for the unknown; for setting off without a safety net, so to speak. It’s a risky game, fraught with countless dangers…

Heroes and legends have been created this way!

As I said, it is nice… to create a semblance of that singular effect sitting at my desk… walking down undiscovered by-lanes… treading uncharted waters… not knowing what I’ll find when the journey finally ends.

So my fingers keep moving over the keyboard, thinking and typing and smiling and rambling…
It’s fun.
You should try it sometime.

The fun is in the discovery. You yourself don’t know what you’ll do, what you’ll end up creating! But all of it happens in a sanitized environment.

You don’t have to fear death...
You needn’t worry about creating a Frankenstein.

Or did I get that wrong?

Can such literary adventures release some hitherto undiscovered ‘idea virus’?
Some train of thought that never could hope to see the light of day, but sneaked out in the cerebral mayhem?

Can not the fingers create ‘lines of disaster’?
Incite radicals… fuel passions… release hatred?

Maybe they can.
Maybe this is not a sanitized adventure after all…

There is a reason why people love to take charge, to be in control of their environment... It helps maintain sanity in a world too eager to go astray.

But when it does… When someone breaks the barriers of convention and ventures into virgin territory...

Oh! The fun we have!

The Legend of Ennui

What happens when an Unstoppable Force meets an Immovable Object?

Think.

And if you know the answer to this question, please let me know. I’ll get in touch with the Nobel Committee pronto!

Of course, one of my favourite authors, Isaac Asimov, says it’s not a ‘question’ by any means; so it barely merits an answer…

But that’s not the point at all. The point is that, if you find yourself thinking about such questions, rest assured that you’re either a budding philosopher or a prime candidate for a mental institution.

There is, of course, a third option.

You are bored.
And in case you are wondering what Ennui is, that’s what.
Boredom... Boooooredom!

Okay. Now you’ve got it. I’m bored. Took a lot of time coming to the point, didn’t I?
Were you bored while reading this? No? Not good. ‘Cause boredom’s good.
So when you are bored, you’re doing humanity a favour.

You don’t believe me, do you? You ought to. I’ll tell you why.

Boredom is a cousin of Laziness. They are brothers in arms. With me till now?

Well… Now think of all the major strides that have taken place in the history of Human Civilization. Discovery of fire… the wheel… gravity… the light bulb… Internet... I’m mentioning just a few to get you into the proper frame of mind.

Things like these changed the way we lived. The way we thought.

And why?

Because some lazy bum somewhere wanted to make his life a teeny-weeny bit easier... Someone wanted to work less, play more. Somebody bored with life as it was thought it’d be fun to change things a little bit.

You see where this is leading, don’t you?

Q.E.D.

Progress is a consequence of boredom and laziness. So someone sitting by the lake under a tree watching the birds in flight is not just whiling away his time… he’s changing the world. He’s making a difference, whether you like it or not!

So, are you bored?

Yes!? That’s lovely! Welcome to my club. Way to go, man!

Come, let’s change the world...
And make it a boring place!

Why are you here?

No, I’m not a New Age guru. And this is not really a question about your existence and purpose. I’m simply curious why you are reading this…

Don’t get me wrong. I love the fact that you are here on this page reading my stuff. I’m delighted that this blog gives me the power to transcend space and time; to reach you in your living rooms and cubicles… into your mind at your own convenience! It’s a privilege and I’m grateful to you.

But again, why?

This blog has been a boon to me. Action at a distance – it’s every writer’s dream. I’ve connected to people across the world. I’ve made friends with people in unlikely places. And going through my list of visitors has improved my knowledge of geography in a manner no school-teacher could ever achieve!

New found friends have written back to tell me about their experiences. Some have been moved by particular writings… some have been inspired… quite a few have joined in the laughter… and one or two even cried!

But why?

Why and how do people find there way to my humble blog from distant corners of Planet Earth? How and why do they penetrate the web of the Web to reach an island called Zeitgeist's Zone?

If I can solve this conundrum, I’ll probably get an answer to the eternal puzzle of our existence too!

I do aspire to greatness, but haven’t yet made the cut.
I’m not really famous... but just a hazy speck in a teeming BlogWorld.
A late entrant who doesn’t even pretend to talk techie…
And yet. And yet.

So what am I missing here?

The answer to the question ‘Why?’, that’s what.

So tell me, dear friend...
Why are you here?

Where on Earth is Riverdale?

"Officially Riverdale has no location. It is essentially located wherever the reader wants it to be."

– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

All my life I've looked for Riverdale. Finally, I get it…

I have always had a fascination for Riverdale – the home of Archie Andrews. It's like what Wikipedia says… to me Riverdale is not only a place; it's a dream, my personal Utopia.

Comics were my staple in childhood. I've been through it all – Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Laurel & Hardy, Flash Gordon, Richie Rich, Tintin, Asterix, Blondie… you name it – I've read it. Dennis the Menace tugged at my heartstrings, Calvin & Hobbes gave me hours of laughter-filled afternoons, but Archie and gang overwhelmed my all.

I can't begin to tell you how many hours I've spent walking down the corridors of Riverdale High School, avoiding Mr. Weatherbee, the principal, and steering clear of the school cafeteria and Miss Beazley's culinary concoctions. I can't recount the hours I've spent with Dilton in the chemistry lab. Or with Archie, Reggie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica at the beach (keeping a safe distance from Moose and his girlfriend Midge, of course!). And how can I forget Pop Tate's Chocklit Shoppe – my first introduction to American fast-food?

Well, Riverdale was my introduction to all things American; punched with all things Utopian. And that, dear fellows, makes for a heady cocktail! Riverdale is a dreamer's dream… A place where the height of violence is getting punched and seeing stars… where life is an endless series of fun-filled events… where roads are clean, girls are all beautiful, and life is a riot of colours… where friends dominate your waking hours, and dreams too… Dreams! I keep coming back to it. Somehow they have become synonymous… Me, my dreams and Riverdale.

And all through life I've been looking for Riverdale. Through the ups and downs of life… through the failures and disappointments… through the pain and suffering. Riverdale was my escape when things went downhill… And my home when joy ruled supreme…

But where on earth was Riverdale?

Thanks to Wikipedia, I've finally solved the riddle.

Riverdale has always been there inside me.
In a secret fun-filled compartment in my mind...
Everywhere.
And Nowhere.
My inspiration in happiness.
My refuge in sorrow.
My source of sustenance.
All of my existence.

The answer is clear.

'I' am Riverdale…

Riverdale is wherever I am!

A Catharsis called Creation

Sorry.

I start with being short and succinct. Because very soon you’ll be wishing I was...

Some of you - my subscribers, my regular visitors – must have noticed that I had suddenly gone ‘off air’. A string of regular posts... and then, Kaput!

Some of you must have reached the conclusion that the ‘Happy Gene’ was finally taking effect and I had drifted off to La-La Land! Well, nothing could be further from the truth.

Frankly, I was as puzzled as you were.

All I could see was that a fountain had dried up somewhere within me and I couldn’t tolerate the thought of writing or even the sight of the keyboard! I’d sit for hours in front of the computer... and do anything but write.

Well, in today’s world there’s no dearth of things to do. So I decided to play the Regular Joe.

Went to office.
Chatted with friends.
Ate and drank.
Watched movies.
Listened to music.
Read books.
Surfed the Net.
Tried every ol’ trick in the book...

I was pretending to be happy.
I was a miserable dork.

The world was blue and black and grey. My ‘Happy Gene’ had deserted me. Things couldn’t get any worse...

And then it happened! A dam broke somewhere deep inside. And the words started gushing out. My hands played gleefully on the keyboard and the words started pouring helter-skelter. I rambled on like an idiot... And the world was all right again!

It was a wise man who said that the pen is mightier that the sword. These words are powerful. They seem to have a mind of their own. So when they rush out, they write themselves. I am just a typist. Fiercely ‘free’ they are too! Keep them bottled up and they’ll make sure you don’t have a moment’s peace. Let them breathe the fresh air and they’ll light up your life!

So finally...
To those who were wondering where I had gone.
And to those who had heaved a sigh of relief.

I’m back.

Sorry.

Meaningless Meanderings of a Mixed-up Mind!

Ramblings Rock!
Ramblings are Great...
Sometimes Rambling’s ‘just what the doctor ordered’!

I am Rambling, aren’t I?

Well yes, I am...
Thanks a lot and a Happy Rambling Rickety Rooey Roovy Ramble to me!

What was that?
Hey, I don’t know. I don’t have all the answers.
I don’t have any answers, actually...

Remember? I’m Rambling...

And Oh! I so do love Rambling!

Rambling is like intellectual tobogganing!
You start down the steep slope of decline...
You don’t know where you are heading, except ultimately to the bottom.
You don’t know in what shape you’ll end up there...

But the 'high' is too great to be missed.

So to hell with convention and meaning!
To hell with you and me...

So I go Rambling on my rambly way with the cocky confidence of Calvin! And a little invisible green man sitting on my shoulders urges me on to throw caution to the winds and to ‘play’ the keyboard as if no rules had ever been invented...

And you are actually reading this!

Hobbes would have been a better pal.
At least the fellow has an instinct for survival.
But I only have little green men for company who love to add an extra spin to a world already going round... and round... and round...

Dizziness is just a product of dreams.
The bigger the dream, the more volcanic the vertigo.

I just did that to get the two V’s together. But makes a weird sort of sense through some twisted logic, doesn’t it?

You bet it does... even if it doesn’t.

I’m still Rambling, remember?

Quest for the Happy Gene

Smile. Try it. Just once; relax and smile... :-)

Worked, didn’t it? Nothing like the display of pearly whites to brighten up the day!

The good news is, next time I probably wouldn’t have to prod you into a good mood. The Happy Gene is just around the corner. And the world is about to change!

Just imagine.

No more worry. No more tension.
No more Hate. Envy. Fear. Jealousy. Despair.
No more Tears. No more Heartbreak.

I give you the World; Sunny Side Up!

Never in the history of civilization have we come so close to attaining Utopia. Once the mechanism is figured out, the gene would be administered to every willing recipient cross the globe. And once in, the gene stays put, carved into the chromosomal bedrock for ages to come. Scientists claim that this would be the beginning of a new era, as we would be taking the next step in Human Evolution!

Imagine. Never again can we fight a war! No fights, not even fisticuffs on the street corner. We would be genetically incapable of hurting each other or any other living being.

Can you imagine what it would mean for our planet?

I have hardly begun to think it through... And the possibilities boggle the mind! I’m already laughing out loud. (Did they inject me while I was visiting the labs, I wonder?) Why I am I so deliriously Happy just thinking about Happiness?

On second thoughts, that isn’t so surprising. Is it? We already knew Happiness was communicable. Inside and out. Just laughing and smiling, even without reason, can deliver 10,000 volts of Happiness through your system!

We tried it out, remember? Why do you think you are grinning like a buffoon right now?

Where are you now? Look up. Look around. Doesn’t the world seem a brighter place? Right now, you are a shining beacon of Happiness, my dear friend. Those 10,000 volts can light up more than a room. Strategically placed, a few Happy Minds can light up the entire planet!

And believe me, with the Happy Gene in place, the Earth won’t be a pale blue dot in the darkness of space any longer. There wouldn’t be anything pale about us anymore. It will be brightness all around!

And being the bright kind, you’ve probably figured out by now that I’m making all this up.

Not really.

The Happy Gene is already there inside you. You just need to look... and smile... and be positive...

The Quest continues.

Holy Grail. Happy Gene. Even the initials match!

Dan Brown got it all wrong, didn’t he?

It’s the Environment, stupid!

Actually, it always was.

For a time, we forgot.

Our collective amnesia persists still... But events around the world are giving us such frequent jolts that maybe it’s acting as electric shock treatment for an entire civilization!

For long, the Economy has loomed large in our collective psyche. The world is but a reflection of us, our individual selves. The lustre of gold weaves its magic over us. The planet called Earth never did have quite that pull. Everybody’s responsibility is nobody’s responsibility... So the more we progressed, we looted and plundered the only home we have. We filled the air with smoke, we cut down acres of forests, we blew open the protective layer of atmosphere over our heads and then laid down to die a dusty death! Millions of lemmings on a sad long march called progress...

But you know what? I love this species. Us. We have a tremendous capacity for rejuvenation, for turning back right in the nick of time before tumbling over a disastrous precipice. And after years of abusing the earth, finally we are waking up to the perils of our folly.

At least, some of us are. But earlier, these were just lone voices in the wilderness, croaking away... rarely being heard. But little by little more and more voices joined in. And with time created a crescendo that became impossible to ignore.

That, in a nutshell, is what has being going on all this time in present human history. I won’t bore you with the statistics. I won’t talk about greenhouse gases, melting glaciers, dangerous diseases, vanishing species or the obstinacy of the present U. S. Administration with the Kyoto protocol... If you are interested, and I hope you are, just take a peek into www.climatecrisis.net. I hope you do.

As I said, the tide is turning, and there is a glimmer of hope in the distant horizon the maybe things are about to change. So long we were blind, but now we are learning to see. A threshold needed to be crossed in our collective mindset; and I believe that the tipping point has now been achieved. Now we only need to keep the ball rolling; so that we can finally redeem our rightful inheritance.

Please don’t misjudge yourself. Don’t think the individual is too small to matter. You and I, and many others like us have collectively contributed to the Global Soup we are in now. And each of us can contribute to moving the wheel in the other direction.

According to Chaos Theory, a butterfly flapping its wings in China can eventually cause a tornado in distant California! Maybe we all can make the reverse come true... so that all the hurricanes and floods and droughts now ravaging our planet can finally lead to the magic of millions of colourful butterflies fluttering across a lush green garden called Home.

I love to dream. Hope you do too...

But let’s set the record straight once and for all.

It was never the Economy, stupid!

Tell Me Why

Dear Humans

Today I cried
When I looked down
And saw my creation
The monster that I’d unleashed
Had turned upon itself
In an orgy of self-destruction
Dying
Slowly
But surely
What have you done?
You have given up life
In course of making a living
You have given up love
In pursuit of material pleasures
You have destroyed yourself
By your own hand
I can’t stand the pain
I can’t watch the horror
I can’t fathom the cruelty
I can’t believe the madness
I’d postponed Judgement Day
Hoping things would change
They did
But they only got worse
And worse
Armageddon Now
Build your boats
To sail into the sunset
You’ve destroyed my creation
Now tell me why
Why?
Why?
Why?
Expecting your reply

Yours Almighty
God

Of Cabbages and Kings...

Here I am. It’s way past midnight... And I’m sitting at my desk, feet propped up on it, staring into space and contemplating the mysteries of life! I wish I could see the stars; but there is a haze out there and all I can see is darkness.

Darkness engulfs my mind too, as I struggle to penetrate the haze of habit and look beyond the Mirage. I ought to be asleep by now, but my consciousness has already reached for the stars!

And I revel in my insignificance.

A dot on a dot in the Solar System... itself a dot in the Milky Way... which is another dot in the mind boggling mammothness of a dotted Cosmos... Enough to make you go dotty, I tell you. The edge of the Universe may be way beyond contemplation, but I can already see myself going over the edge and crashing into the darkness of uncharted oblivion!

I wish I could say the silence is deafening. Far from it. The crickets are orchestrating in full swing. My clock ticks on in an eerie rhythm. Someone zooms by on his bike. And a temple bell rings in some faraway corner.

The world is still a busy place. Our insignificance is lost behind the veil cast by Everyday Life. We slog and grind and one day passes another in unrelenting succession. Our depressions and sorrows scar the face of civilization. Science proceeds at a frenetic pace in the ivory towers. Pseudo-science and superstition keep pace on the ground. And nobody can figure out just where to draw the line.

Hmmm... The aliens must be having a hearty laugh!

And through it all, the world saunters on... busy as the crickets, slave to habit like the ticking clock and struggling to stay happy on the wings of a late-night partygoer! All waiting for the death knell to ring...

Cabbages and kings, we’ll all bite the dust.

Keep playing the busy game, dear ol’ world.
I love you; but I’m going to sleep.

Nevertheless, it Grooves!

The hate mail continues unabated!

If this keeps on, I’ll seriously consider running for U.S. President; and give Mr. Bush a run for his oil! Not that anybody claims I stink of Bushisms. Quite on the contrary, in fact. Last night an ex-colleague called up to inform me in no uncertain terms that he had broken his teeth trying to read my English! Poor fellow wanted to know what books I read. No doubt he intended to collect all the hardcovers and throw them at me one by one! Crafty devil that I am, I simply neglected to mention that my present reading list is always posted on my blog. God help me when he reads this tomorrow!

Allegations that my blog-language is absolutely of the indigestible variety is only the beginning of a long list of complaints. I have been accused of being a bathroom philosopher, a wannabe booker winner, an internet addict, a demented idiot and worst of all, a genius! A friend of mine even threatened to go and solve the Da Vinci Code if I didn’t cease and desist! I again took the diplomatic track and neglected to inform her that the task had already been done. I’m pretty sure that the history of internet usage has never witnessed the throwing of a hardcover through the wires, but why take a chance?

Jokes aside, thanks to all my friends for all the encouragement you have given a Newbie Blogger with a nasty habit of getting on your collective nerves! And special thanks to all those strangers who reached out from the clouds of cyberspace to shake my hand. Your support keeps the flame alive.

Love me, Hate me; but you just can’t Ignore me.

I’ll be back! Keep watching this space...

Tale wagging the Blog

A stranger from Alabama writing to say thanks.
Another from my own backyard, Bengal, essentially declaring that I’m nuts.
A friend bemoaning my ‘desperate’ attempts at ‘literature’.
And loads of email asking just what the hell I think I’m up to!

It’s been an interesting debut – my tentative entry into blogosphere...

Just the other day I saw a banner quoting a guy called Matt – “55 million blogs... Some of them have to be good.” I am just a simple guy trying to live up to the author’s expectations.

Nobody’s ever accused me of being intentionally intelligible. And I admit I’ve often gone off on a tangent to test the bloggy waters! Sure enough, the brickbats came flying thick and fast! Close friends browbeaten into reading my stuff decided to keep their mouths shut rather than share with me their horrific experiences. And a few kind individuals, commiserating with my ‘intellectually disabled’ status, helpfully hinted that the world wouldn’t miss much if I didn’t disgrace myself publicly in so spectacular a manner!

As I said, it’s been an interesting time!

Matt’s quote, incidentally, is already out of sync with the times. The number of bloggers out there today is more than 60 million! And just like Gmail storage space, it keeps growing every second! As far as “some of them have to be good” is concerned - I am, to put it mildly, concerned. Most of the times I clicked on the ‘Next Blog’ link at the top of this page, I promptly ventured into territories not too many mommas would want their kiddies playing in!

In some ways, it’s still the Wild Wild West out there.

Then again, that’s what the internet’s been all about. It’s only thanks to this ‘new’ medium that my thoughts are going out to you, unfiltered. The mouse is your remote. You decide what you like. I, on the other hand, find like-minded fools in far flung frontiers across the third rock from the sun...

The whole cyber-world is my playground; and I’ve barely learnt to walk!

My final thoughts on this matter. 60 million may seem like a huge number. But compared to a world population of 6.6 billion, it’s still quite small. It’s still a niche world. Personally, I don’t know anyone who blogs. And believe me, I know quite a few. (I’m talking about people in the flesh and those who aren’t closet bloggers.) But my tentative peek into ‘uncharted territory’ is sure to have its consequences...

All I can say, like Jim Reeves, is this –

Welcome to my world
Won't you come on in?

Loose Change called Life

Ask and it shall be given unto you,

Seek and you shall find...

How many times have I read those lines? How many times have I forgotten? But Magic is the change of Nature. And like a bad penny it sure comes back... Popping up in the most unlikely places, in the unlikeliest of times. My search for Magical Moments opened me up to the source, and the torrent came unbidden. None so blind as those who will not see. I simply opened my eyes.

Bad penny... Bad for the Ego. Good for the Soul. My fingers on the keyboard. Spewing out random riddles. Writing is transcendental. ‘I shut my eyes in order to see.’ I read that somewhere. But suddenly I open them and look out of the window. I hear the birds chirping amidst the cacophony of civilization. The trees are greener, and have a silver sheen. My awareness transcends my physical boundaries. The dazzling brilliance of it all... And the world retreats in shame!

One small example. One of many. Passive wait for years yielded only disappointments. The Magic of Life flows through action. Energises. Enthuses. Enlightens. You and I evolve in tandem. Every little helps.

And those of you who didn’t understand a word, don’t you fret. We are all on the same boat. And the journey has just begun!

The Nirvana of Shaving

Duality seems to be the essence of what I am. I am… and I am not. Cryptic, but leads to a deeper truth. If only you can pause to consider. But time… so scarce… no question of pausing! So we all race to the next Mirage, in search of the elusive Nirvana. And I stumbled upon it in the bathroom!

Finders Keepers. Hard Luck!

But you and I, we are all one! Quantum Physics… Maya… whichever way you choose to look at it. So I’ll solve this little conundrum for you.

Come on, it’s not a secret. We all knew it when we were little. Closeness to the source seems to be inversely proportional to the size we attain. Within and without. The little room can be a magical place. Here, you must confront the mirror; especially when you have to shave. You look in, and the years peer out. The abrasions, the wrinkles and the bumps. Beaten down by the weather of time. You wish you could shave away the years as easily as you can remove your stubble.

And then... you realize, you can. Well, at least I did.

My cell-phone on top of the mirror. Lilting strains of Arkenstone’s Atlantis emanation from its tiny speakers and filling up the little space. The blades working furiously in their daily debilitating fight against nature... Much like us, incidentally. And suddenly, surrounded by music, I find my little magic! An epiphany of sorts. Holding the brush under the gushing water, I witness a fountain of Joy. Bubbles! Thousands of them! Jostling. Sparkling. Bubbling in an effervescent frenzy! And a liquid chain mail cascading down my hand. I hold my other hand under the waterfall. But it could hardly hope to contain my fountain of Joy. Millions of liquid scales donned the mantle of a mermaid; embraced the opposition and went on its merry way with nary a backward glance...

The frothing bubbles spoke the language of life... And the hundreds of reflecting rainbows splashed colours on the greyness of my mind. I look up at the mirror again. Steamed up and barely translucent. I brush away the condensation. And a new smiling Me peers back from behind a dewy curtain. I say Hi. And a veil lifts somewhere in the deepest recesses of my brain. The world is fresh again.

And my weary mind, for a few precious seconds, got a glimpse through its lost childhood eyes... my personal Atlantis.

Que Sera, Sera...

The only species on this planet which is 'aware' of itself.
We can think, deeply...
So we think. And think.
And make a mess of it all!
When the spirit flies in open skies, no bond tethers it to Reality.
But we are too immersed in the game of Life to let the soul roam free...
Instead we think. And think.
So life passes by in a confused, contorted haze.
And we think of all that could have been...
Only if we had the courage to let go.
We think.
And only the ads say, 'Just Do It'!
Do it. Just.
Que Sera, Sera.
Whatever will be, will be!

Whither goest thou, Human?

It has been a great journey.
Across the ages, the aeons slip by...
And you wonder.
Is the adventure about to end?
Has it even begun properly?
When you detach yourself from your mortal avatar
And cast your mind across the universe...
You drink in the glory of all that is one.
And the bliss leaves you contented,
As nothing on earth can!
Then you turn off the projection.
And re-enter the game called Reality.
It's fun.
But only as long as you remember, you are just a player...
Of course, you forget.
You were meant to, all along.
Welcome to Planet Earth, dear Human.
Do you remember where you want to go?