Few years ago, I wanted badly to do some volunteering.. one of my many hang ups... and I didnt know whom to approach.. and well joined one of the many online communities asking for help. In one of those communities someone suggested that I find like minded people in my city and then work something out.. I was enthused enough to track down people from my city [ members from the same community] and then contact them.. Only one of them responded...

We planned to meet up and visit some NGO asking if they need volunteers. For some reason it never worked out.. it got postponed many-a-times and then was long forgotten.. so was that "guy".
Six month down the line, I got a call from him asking if I am still interested in volunteering. I was and I joined them. We volunteered to visit a slum. We played games with them.. taught them songs, crafts etc etc. It was amazingly fulfilling. So was the friendship that soon bloomed between us.

Few long conversations on telelphone.. few over the coffee and joint volunteering.. All was fun... umm until his college work caught up with him and he had to drop his activities.. I continued for few more months.. I had made more friends by then.. and the best of all.. was with the co-ordinator for I-Volunteer.. one of the best person I have met and also.. A wonderful organization..

Two weeks ago.. after 7 months.. nearly.. We chatted on phone.. and by the time the call ended.. the distance melted like butter.. it was amazing to catch up upon the person who helped me help people.. and also someone who was a best friend.. when I had no friends.. The conversations we had.. the jokes we cracked.. was just too beautiful!

Yes today's letter for me is "Object d'art". This picture is of the stone chariot in a place called as "Hampi" located in the state I reside in (Karnataka).. This beautiful monument has a history.. It was the cultural capital of Vijaynagara Samraja.. Umm I have not much idea about the history.. however, you can click on the image to go to a site that can give you more information about it..

These stone architectures.. however have always intrigued me.. and will do the same to the future generation! What amazing tribute to man's determination and well artistry!

On request of " Historiophile " The lotus palace is here :) He is a veritable treasure of historic trivia! Umm you might not hear this again karthik.. but I admire you for it :D

























Prompted at:

A book is like a puzzle. It is the treasure trove of the writers thoughts and ideas.. Only we have to look within to find the key to this treasure.. And reading is the journey through this maze.. If one doesn't stop to find the right key.. one has failed the author.. may be failed the book. The book that makes us do this self introspection despite us.. is the book to be celebrated..

Reading is not just a habit acquired.. it is the curiosity to know more.. One can read the same book again and find different interpretations.. for well the road might be the same.. but the journey is always different.. always unique.. thats the reason why we keep reading the same book again..

Currently reading "Snow" by Orhan Pamuk.. Its poetry in itself.. The first thing I noticed while reading this book was the expression "The silence of the snow" what a commonplace but beautiful expression.. As I went through the first chapter I got this thought in my mind .. that ' poetry comes through the silence.. words.. come through the silence.. if it didn't we wouldnt cherish them so much'.. umm may be nothing elnlighting or anything.. but still it feels good to be thinking while I am reading.. I have not yet finished reading it yet.. only one funny thought.. in the story the character writes atleast 10 poems.. and yet not one line of poetry is included in the text.. What a shame!

And one more thing.. why is it that god exists or doesnt exist should be so important ? We exist.. and that should be enough truth to live with right ?


Umm the rest.. will be expressed in the actual review ..

Early in the morning when I returned from office around 6 :30 a.m . Take from my mobile camera... I just love clouds! Don't you ?

A morning of hope,
Of dreams coming true;
Like cottony clouds
Reaching out for sun.
And the birds chirping,
A lively song out loud.
I shall spread a smile,
As bright as the dawn

Prompted at :






P.S: I know too much inspired by the prompts.. may be I should start a prompt blog what say guys ? :)

"So why do you want to join this program?" Tara asked the girl. Tara was the co-ordinator for volunteer programme in Mumbai University.

"Coz I want to make a difference. I want to work for the needy and try and change the world!", the girl replied passionately.

Tara saw herself in this girl. She remembered how she had started and how she was made to start with a broom. She smiled to herself and said, "Fair enough. You can start now"

"Oh goody! What do I do ? Can I work in the hospital? Would I be a playmate for kids in pain?" she was full of questions.

Pointing to the broom, Tara said, "You can do all that but first, mop the floors"

"But.. I can't do that! Thats the job of the.. Umm err.. the staff" She said distastefully.

"You said you wanted to make a difference. What better way to do it than maintaining hygiene?"

Tara knew it was not necessary. But she was tired of students enrolling for credits and then losing interest. If she came back the next day Tara would know for sure that she is dedicated.

Supriya spent all evening cleaning the floors of Casual Ward in the Government hospital. She had thought cleaning would be just too easy and she would be done soon enough. Then she could go and talk to this Tara Lady. But when her legs started to ache and the floor was still dirty at the end of three hours, she started losing interest.

She had realized how difficult it was to maintain cleanliness when the people who came there for cure lived in more squalid environment. She had thought she would be taking care of people in a very neat and clean clinical environment wherein everyone would say how sweet and helpful she was. But the doctors were rude and the nurses thought she came in the way. She hadn't counted on long hours and lack of staff and the general apathy.

Once her optimistic glasses were down, she noticed how much the people suffered. And how hard every one worked to alleviate the pain. She found it hard to believe that little kids died due to diarrhea and measles. Diseases that could be avoided by clean surroundings... She was distressed. She decided to make cleanliness her life long cause and thanked Tara mentally to have shown her the right path.

Supriya then went every weekend to work in the near by slum area. She created a small awareness group who would teach the women of the house about basic measures they could take to avoid diseases even in their condition. Few years down the line, she became a doctor and started her practice in the very same locality and kept working for her pet cause.

And when she was awarded with the Mayor's award, Tara was in the front seat applauding. For they had kept in touch.
And then years later, when an young student came to her, with stars in his eyes, she said " First mop the floor....."

Prompted at :





The words were : suffer, ache, difference.

This is kinda advertising.. simply coz I love this guy's write ups.. umm but he is very lazy when it comes to blogging...

So here is his new blog

and a brand new post.. do visit !! (Click on the image)

When I saw the prompt at Sunday scribbler.. esp after I read few of the other people's blog.. who took this prompt up, I wanted so bad to do the same and actually write about my style.. or umm my quirks.. I have a typical way of saying hi.. or bye.. in a sing song manner.. haaeeeii.. or babaaay... umm with hand actions too :D :D or umm usage of words like " ahan! beh! bah!
ahem".. whatever!.. but more than that.. I wanted to talk about how I was in college times.. How people imitated me and laughed like crazy! The way i told all the "happenings" in my life with all the expressions in tandem.. animated eyes.. hands .. etc etc.. very childish i know.. and very endearing I hope :)

Umm.. I never knew closet cleaning could be fun.. over the period of months.. you never know how you collect junk.. Umm i love collecting wrappers of the gifts that were given to me.. I preserve them intact if possible :) Or my pebble collection.. i had loads of them.. and yet I gave it up without any rancor to a junior.. coz i knew she loved it as much as I did.. more so many coz I knew its time to grow up ? I dunno for sure! But well.. its done.. So is my small purses collection1 I so wish I had them now to take pictures and post it here..

I had this huge whim to collect those small "jholas" or "potlis" ...
Like these out here.. but more of them.. and each unique in itself.. It was a rage then and I would search for them all the time and all over the places.... to get the most unique piece I could get.. in all kinds.. not just this kind..

Sigh.. I threw them out too.. too much of junk.. but in college.. junk was my middle name :D :D

Umm lemme show you one pic taken on my hostel's terrace.. Do notice almost a guys' like wrist band in my hand.. I don't think i have worn all my 4 finger rings.. I had a very unfeminine kind of fetish in accessories.. so much so that few of my male friends exchanged rings and bracelets with me :) * Amol I miss your bracelet* and not to forget.. that over bright smile.. I still have it :)


Or my hair.. which is nothing better than tumble of hair twisted and secured by a clasp of what one calls "crocodile clips". and a very loose tee with a comfort fit jeans or slacks.. or may be a stretchable trouser and voila you got my wardrobe in front of you :)

Umm while am at it.. here's the pic of my college group monkeying around :D :D


The guy with maroon tee and a cap is sallu aka Vikas Salaria... next to him in blue is Kalpesh aka kalps aka buddah! .. behind him is Chandu aka chaitu aka Chaitanya... In the rust colored tee is Bhajji aka Vikash Anand :) :).. The trio of girls consist of smital in white top and Shraddha in pink Salwar.. my bestest friends in this whole world! and then there is me in Blue tee :D :D

And here is me now.. umm pic was taken by Anoop :)


Lot of difference ? my friends seem to think so! One of my friend said.. I have finally matured some :)
I guess she didn't see this pic!

P.S: forgive me for small and a lil blurred images :( I had to take picture of a photograph.. coz well the scanned images for formatted by mistake :( :(


Prompted at:

I used to think there is nothing more hurtful than rejection. I was wrong! Implied rejection is more devastating!

It is always a pleasure to meet someone who understands that tardiness is not a bad habit... Its a way of life :)
Figure this! We were supposed to meet at 5 pm... by 1 i guess he asked to postpone it to 6.. ( If he didnt ask also.. I would have been as late anyways!) So well ofcourse I agreed to it...
By 5:45 I smsed saying I will be late by 15 min.. for which I got a rejoinder "me too" lets postpone it to 6:30 pm..

Ah it felt like someone next to my heart ? Whats the phrase? i forgot... anyways someone who understands tardiness!! like me!!

Anyways.. we finally met by 7:00 pm after a couple of misses.. and confusion! And was it fun ??

You bet! Esp the box of bitter chocolate! I love them!!

So there we were.. strangers meeting for the first time... umm cant say strangers.. we have been corresponding on and off for nearly an year.. we wrote a poem in collaboration! We gelled right from the start! No awkwardness.. I didnt expect that! So it was fun.. We discussed music..blogging.. poetries.. books.. and loads of other stuff.. were never at loss for words!

Besides.. the time flew! I never realized when it was 10: 20 pm! I had office at 10 :00 :O :O

A friend called.. thats when we realized it! He took my autograph! Isnt that sweet ??

Ah I wish I had sense to take his picture! or ours together may be! Stupid us!

Anyways I talk more than him!! We had a bet on that!

All in all.. Uddy I hope we meet again.. soon enough.. am sure we will.. seeing that you would live so near to my office :) :)

P.S: The pic is of filter coffee coz i made him drink that for the first time :D :D

Ah I was reading "Cess's" blog today and got interested in well one of the tests there.. about Blog addiction. I know I am addicted. I don't need test for that.. but well to know the percentage is always fun...

So I took the test! The results are here....

80%


And well while I was doing the test.. I was anticipating posting about it.. My heart was like.. there.. now you got something to blog about! And then.. the last question asked me if I will blog.. my answer was.. Surething!!! :D :D

Guys! Do take the test and leave the scores in the comment...

Umm I was surprised today by Rahul mahajan in big boss.. he said this sweet thing about marriage

He said,

" Marriage is through which two people witness each other's life intimately, good or bad.. , so that.. nobody's life goes unnoticed"

Beautiful isnt it ?

Ah yes yet again... seems like my blog is becoming more of a tag blog :( But this seemed a good enough to do it.. so I stole it from some random blog.. been blog hopping :D :D I dunno why.. but blogging or writing a poem has become too hard .. Ah well.. here it is....


Smoked a cigarette : Ah yes. First time in a pub.. all chick party.. we wanted to experiment. It was fun and we didnt even know how to smoke.. we learned by and by :)

Done some form of dope

Crashed a friend's car

Stolen a car


Been in love : Too many times. Have stopped counting :D

Been dumped

Shoplifted

Been fired

Been in a fist fight : With sister. When I was young. I mostly lost :(

Sneaked out of your parent's house : Many times! Latest was in my 10th std, to watch a movie. Dad thought I was studying for exam :)

Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back : Mostly this is the case *boo hoo hoo*

Gone on a blind date

Lied to a friend : Only person to whom I have lied consistently is my dad...

Skipped school : Yeah and got caught too ! We did it 3 consecutive days :| :| Someone saw us bunking.. I bunked college too.. :D :D

Seen someone die: My mom.

Had a crush on one of your internet friends: Some of them.. umm even had a online relationship *stupid me*

Been to Singapore

Been to Mexico

Been on a plane

Eaten sushi

Been skiing-snow or water

Met someone from the internet : Quite a few times

Been at a concert : No :(... I had some near misses though.. I plan to go anyhow.. some time in future

Taken painkillers

Love someone or miss someone right now : Not sure about love.. but I miss some people

Laid on your back and watched cloud shapes go by : Love it!

Made a snow angel

Had a tea party: Ah a beautiful memory. Long time back though when I was in 2nd grade. Parents had sent us to live with my dad's sis, study there for an year. We were so lost. But well , We had a kids tea party and it was amazing fun! I can never forget that day. It was just perfect.. my parents couldnt have made it anymore perfect than that!

Flown a kite : Born on Uttarayan! How can I not fly it?

Built a sand castle : Total fun!

Gone puddle jumping: My poor school uniforms during rains.. and poor mom :D :D

Played dress up

Jumped into a pile of leaves : Would mound of sand count?

Gone sledding

Cheated while playing a game

Been lonely : This blog .. umm these blogs are all because of that!

Fallen asleep at work/school : Both :D :D I even fell asleep during my interview and yet got selected lucky me yay!!

Used a fake ID

Watched the sun set : Just amazing! Nothing like sitting on the top of the water tank of your apartment and watching the sunset with wind blowing on your face.. or on a local train.. dangling on door.. passing through the bridge over the sea!

Watched someone sleep : Umm mom, and dad and my sweety.. they look so at peace

Felt an earthquake: Mild tremors

Slept beneath the stars : Many times on the tarrece... And I wanna do it time and again. If I build a house of my own.. I want a glass ceiling so that in the night I can watch.. with blinders ofcourse :)

Been tickled : Sweet memories :D

Been robbed : It was first week of my junior college. I was too stupid.. had kept the wallet in the front zip of the bag which was slinging on the back and the train was crowded.. Didn't lose much money.. just coll ID card and the monthly pass.

Been misunderstood

Pet a reindeer/goat/kangaroo : I didn't have any of the mentioned pets here.. but I did pet a goat. One of my most cherishable moments. I hate to say it but I have to thank amit for that. One of the golden moments.

Won a contest : None :(

Run a red light/stop sign

Been suspended from school

Been in a car crash

Had braces

Felt like an outcast/third person *sigh*

Eaten a whole pint of ice cream in one night : Chocolate ice creams. Many times!

Had deja vu : Keep having it.

Danced in the moonlight : On my terrace esp when the power goes off.. I sing and dance :D :D I know no one can notice

Liked the way you looked : Not always. But there are days when I do like myself.. and those days are always the best!

Witnessed a crime

Questioned your heart : It never replies though :( Or may be I dunno how to listen!

Been obsessed with post-it notes

Squished mud through your bare feet : Amazing feeling!

Been lost : All the time :D

Been on the opposite side of the country

Swam in the ocean

Felt like dying Cried yourself to sleep : Only two times. I looked frightful the next day.. with ultra swollen eyes!

Played cops and robbers: As kids! It was fun.. esp with toy guns and all :D :D


Recently colored with crayons : Tried to is more like it.. it was really bad! Worse than a kid would draw! :| :|

Sang karaoke

Paid for a meal with only coins : Stole money from home.. and bunked school and had food outside and paid it in coins.. for home had only coins in the "money jar" and its easy to steal coins.. it is not missed easily!

Done something you told yourself you wouldn't : Many times!

Made prank phone calls

Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose

Caught a snowflake on your tongue


Danced in the rain : Many times. It was fun as a kid.. and its fun still

A letter to Santa Claus: Wrote a poem.. post card to heaven that will do ?

Been kissed under the mistletoe

Watched the sun rise with someone you care about : Ah yes. only "he" was somewhere else and I was somewhere else. And with friends in the hostel terrace.. with Smital..

Blown bubbles: Still do sometimes ;)


Made a bonfire on the beach

Crashed a party

Gone roller skating


Had a wish come true *sigh*

Jumped off a bridge

Ate dog/cat food

Told a complete stranger you loved them

Kissed a mirror


Sang in the shower : Every day :D :D

Had a dream that you married someone : Day dreamed

Glued your hand to something

Kissed a photo

Climbed a water tower : totally love it!

Screamed at the top of your lungs : I have *sighs*

Done a one-handed cartwheel

Talked on the phone for more than 5 hours : conversations that are longer than the night.. intimate and so very special. Yes.. with friends and well more than friends :D

Picked and ate an apple right off the tree

Climbed a tree : Many times.. scrapped knees.. I was called monkey by my mom :D :D Soon it became elephant.. thats a different thing all together :)

Had a tree house

Been too scared to watch a scary movie alone : Many times.. even scared to watch in day time with people sitting with me and watching.. I would run to balcony and watch it through the blinds... Long time back.. Dunno how I lost that fear .. I am no longer scared!

Believe in ghosts: Umm I do believe in spirits and stuff :D :D

Have more than 30 pairs of shoes : My shoes break too soon. Never could afford to collect

Worn a really ugly outfit to school : Umm my uniform was ugly.. positively ugly!

Gone streaking

Gone doorbell ditching

Been pushed into a pool/hot tub with all your clothes on

Told you're hot by a complete stranger

Broken a bone


Been easily amused : Very Easily!

Caught a fish then ate it

Caught a butterfly : When I was a kid.. Dragon fly too :D :D

Laughed so hard you cried : yes :D

Cried so hard you laughed

Cheated on a test

Forgotten some one's name :Never do!

French braided some one's hair

Gone skinny dipping in a pool/hot tub/river

Been threatened to be kicked out of your house or been kicked out of your house: Dad used to do that when we did something wrong.. which we did most often.. ofcourse within 3 -5 min we were back in :D

Loved someone so much you would gladly die for THEM : I dont know if I am capable of such strong emotions..

Cheated on someone

Talk to yourself when no one's around : I have long winding conversations with myself a lot.. in my head :)

Hate someone you once loved

Love someone you once hated

Kissed the phone for the person on the other side

Kissed the person on the other side of the phone