A love story.....

I was on my death bed with my mom and dad next to me. I was in some pain and I knew my end was near. But I had that one last wish in my mind; I knew it had to be fulfilled before I leave. 

I took courage from my inner self to express what my last wish was. I could not tell it to my mom-dad as I knew they would not understand. So I asked my “friends” to help me. 

The forces of the nature were on my side. It worked. They helped. My last wish was about to come true.

As I lying on my bed waiting for him, thinking about him, I realized how much he meant to me. Why was he the only thought in my mind at this time? All my pain and suffering were left behind and I was just waiting to get a glimpse of him. In my life I had practiced and preached "love does not exist." And yet, in my last moments of life, I understood "this is exactly what love is." 

So what is this love? It is when you are going to breathe your last and yet, you have eyes open to see him. It is when he can never be yours, but you still want to be known by his name. It is when you want to hold his hands forever and be gone in his arms. It is when you know what the sacrifice of Meera bai was. It also made me realize that we do not need the other person's agreement on love. Love is, all by itself. 

Love needs no names, no relations. My inner-self told me "your heart is always filled with love; you just need to see it." And here I stay still and agree. As every moment passed by, I knew he was coming closer to me. He was going to be in front of me and will stay there till I could see. 

And then he entered my room. I saw him walk towards me, standing tall, with a confused but calm look. I smiled and he returned the smirk. He remembered me? Or no? It didn't matter then. I knew he was here for me and only me. He was going to be with me till the time I was going to breathe. 

I stretched out my hand in struggle. Only to meet his hands. He recognized my efforts and came closer to me. He held my hand with both of his hands and comforted me. His touch made me feel the warmth I had never experienced before. The touch soothed my pain and made me relieved. I felt the gush on my cheeks and the smile grew. 

I speak, "I knew you would come to me. You have always been mine and I have always been your follower. Today, when I see you, I want to tell how much I love you. You mean the world to me and nothing else matters. I have realized that this love is the probably the most genuine kind. I searched for definitions and examples all around me; but I failed to see within me. This “love” was always with me, in me. It involved nothing else but feelings." And then, I feel the tears rolling down and words failing to come out. So I stop and stare at that one person I have only and truly loved. 

He looked and ran his hand on my forehead. He probably knew the intent. He did not say a word but, his eyes told me everything.

And I see myself leaving my body. As I wanted it to be; holding his hands, in his arms. My soul never felt so ecstatic before. It was probably dancing with joy! And as it left, my soul saw my face and it had the best smile ever. 

Yes! died with a smile. That is how it was meant to be. Tears rolled down his cheeks too, touched my hands and fell on the bed. I was so happy. I was overjoyed with my accomplishment in life. I told him how much I loved him. And that was the end of my love story.... 

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{I saw this dream the other day. The man who I was waiting for, was none other than Rahul Dravid (anyone would have guessed). But the dream was so real in front of me. I woke up smiling and I knew, I had to share this!}

Goodbye 2012. Happy New Year!

Here are some of my lessons of 2012. To be honest, my experiences over time have made me really smart. Now, every time something goes wrong, I don’t cry; I don’t question why. I just sit and analyze. I know it is boring; but it really is a better way to solve issues.

1.       Take up fitness seriously! Health is wealth. Getting out from death bed, I became a better runner in just 8 months. Now, I can proudly post timings of my run and brag!

2.      Let go of unwanted things in life. Donate books, clothes, accessories, medicines and even your precious time to the needy. It will remain in your memory and make you smile all the while.

3.      When nostalgia strikes, just watch comedy shows. Believe me; revisiting old times is a plain waste. Because it is human tendency to remember the bad times more often than the good moments.

4.      Music is the solution to almost everything. For everything else, there is Sleep! :P 

1.       Let go of people who upset you. In personal life, at work and even online. If you don’t like someone, be polite and just leave. After few days, it won’t even matter. It is nature’s tendency to fill up void spaces.

2.      Do only those things that you want to. End of the day, if it doesn’t make you smile, it is not worthwhile. Life is too short to waste time on upsetting things. Do not give-up to pressures. Remember - At first, they’ll ask you why you’re doing it. Later, they’ll ask you how you did it!

1.       Whatever happens with you today was planned long ago. So it is for good that it has happened to you. Of course, not justifiable at extreme, but always good. Like Team India’s performance! Never took practice seriously and look at what we are now! :P

2.      If it is bad, try to change it. If it good, make it best. If it already the best, preserve it. I do it all the time with my nail color, blogs, drawers, photos.

3.      People you really loved once will leave you. Be upset, as being loved is a priceless feeling. But don’t stop there. Miss them, but don’t stop meeting new people. 

1.       Make new friends. But at the end of the day, make sure you have one special friend with whom you can share your day’s story. If you don’t have someone like that, become one. Everyone here needs a BFF.

2.      But also remember, you cannot be friends with everyone. And there are definitely some people who can never be your friends. Don’t bother about such people. Learn to discard them. These days it is really easy. All you have to do is “unfriend” or “unfollow” or delete them from the phonebook. Believe me, you’ll never need them. Never.

3.      Old friends will leave you too. Let them go. You cannot stop time. You cannot change the destiny.

4.      Love yourself the most. (Most important)!!!

1.       Be happy with "Now". Keep smiling. Take things lightly. You won't escape happiness, just like you won't escape pain. :)

2.      Everyone (even your loved ones) will say something that’ll hurt you, upset you. Stay calm. Trust yourself. Think it is God’s way to test your talent. You shall succeed. Faith in self is as important as faith in the Almighty.

3.      Indian Cricket is suffering at this time. Support them. They are committing mistakes and losing the games. But so have we. Mistakes are a part of this journey called life.

4.      Do not run away from your responsibilities to your country. As of now, we are ashamed of everything happening around us. So, don’t give up yet. Remember “however far wrong goes, right is always a step ahead!”

5.      Fight, if you have to. But sort all your differences. Don’t carry grudges to the next day. When you wake up, think of newer problems. They are in infinite numbers; old ones will get boring! :P 

1.       Say sorry. Gandhiji was right. Asking for forgiveness requires real guts.

2.      Forgive easily. It is the virtue of a strong. And you are!

3.      Keep your parents happy. They will be the only people who “care unconditionally”.

4.      Stay close to your cousins. Buggers will always be there, in every occasion, to make fun of uncles and aunties at functions! J

5.      Dream. You’ll know what you exactly want in life. Someday you’ll wake up and will want to make them true. Try; go against the odds. For your dreams are yours, no one else will ever understand.

1.       Learn from your favorites. They are your beloved for a reason. Find out why and follow. Make yourself even better! Rahul Dravid has taught me a lot. How to be classy all the time! Stay dedicated, results will follow!

2.      Thank God. You have to. For He has blessed you with everything you should have.

3.      Thank me for writing so much! :P :P :P Hope it has helped you in some way!

And I thank you for reading this. Happy New Year. 2013 is going to be awesome!

“I know because making it better than 2012 is in my hands. And I trust myself! J “

Never to be forgotten: England tour of India

That sweet taste of victory was clearly seen on the face of Alistair Cook and his Team. 28 years is a long wait. England is going to cherish this victory for a long time. It means a lot and we Indians know it. (Rahul Dravid and Team won a series on English soil after 23 years!) That was special then! This is special now! Meanwhile, back home, there is a plethora of mistakes. What went right for India? Nothing. What went wrong? Here is the list:

A Captain sails the ship. To the harbor or in the storm; is a matter of choice.

Captain Alistair Cook celebrates his TON

Virender Sehwag: scores a TON in the first match and then, is not able to reach double digits. This is exactly how an opener should not play

Gautam Gambhir: blame him, complain against him. Play for self or play for team, winning is a distant dream.

Cheteshwar Pujara: A new kid on the block who started very well but was unfortunate. Wrong decisions marred his performance. Long way to go. 

Sachin Tendulkar: for he knows what he has to do, he'll let his action speak.

Virat Kohli: He loses his form at the start of the series and gets it back in the end; literally the end.

MS Dhoni: enough said. You did something that changed Team India's good luck to better. Can you do anything that turns bad luck in to good luck?

Yuvraj Singh: I don't get it. No one has performed well. But he is the only one sacked. And worst still, replaced by Jadeja. Probably that makes his sacking even more questionable. Yuvi may not be awesome, but Jadeja is not even an option.

All in all, the No. 6 remains empty since Ganguly left it.

R Ashwin: started as a spinner, and now, he is in the team because of his batting skills. No complaints. If only he could win it!

Zaheer Khan is sacked, Umesh Yadav is injured. We are still searching for that 1 bowler who is our answer to JImmy and Finn. Ishant Sharma? Ya right. 

Pragyan Ojha: the only saving grace of this series. But the pitch-bitch has done its witch in Nagpur. Maybe he needs to change some tactics. 

Piyush Chawla: He is the RP Singh of this tour. From rags to riches; at least Chawla picked some wickets and has a puppy face.

Umpires have gone wrong. Pitches have been a let-down. But England have survived. And won. Keeping Motera aside, England looked better in every sense: batting, bowling, fielding, planning, determination and even good looks.

Make a spinning-pitch, Monty Panesar takes the glory in Mumbai. Make a neutral pitch, result-less pitch, James Anderson managed to break through. Spinner had to be a match-winner, Monty did it. Number 4 had to score runs, Kevin Pieterson did it. Captain had to shine, Alistair Cook did it. Openers were the key, Nick Compton found his form. Middle order had to sustain, Bell, Trott, Prior and Root did it. Repeating myself, but every player put his 100% efforts to make that dream come true. No Indian player was even half close to match the standards of these guys. Literally.

Team England celebrates dismissal of Yuvraj Singh

Nothing worked in favor for India. And it is our fault. While “in-form” players are hatching eggs on benches, we are continuing with the legacy of archives.

Why is it that we cannot take bold steps? How much it will affect to bring 6 to 8 changes in a Team? Surely not more than a loss; which by the way, we already have.

And if I missed it before, here is last praise for our coach Duncan Fletcher. Well done! You managed to help England win in India after 28 years.

James Anderson celebrates after taking Sachin Tendulkar's wicket

With this, I end my Test series. Team England have won it, fair and square. We were no match to their hard-work and "thirst" to win. World may or may not end by 21st Dec, spirits of India's Test Cricket lovers has surely been put into coma.

Worst still, this budding phase of the Team looks stagnant. Players may be good in first class cricket, but that does not assure International level performance. So who is going to work on this issue?

Will we ever get those 2 fast bowlers who, with the help of Ashwin and Ojha, will rip apart "in-form" batting line-up of Australia in February?

Will our batsmen score Test Hundreds against that cracking pace attack of Australia?

4-0. And again. No revenge. Not even close.

Images courtesy: www.espncricinfo.com

Pinkathon - marathon to create awareness about cancer!

After a long time, I have found my reason to write. Indeed, it was an event that made me realize that running is fun, but running for a cause is plain bliss!

Pinkathon - a marathon sponsored by Gitanjali Group - was organised by 2 very names Milind Soman and Devika Bhojwani. It was an awareness campaign for breast cancer done by Anita - Unique Body Wear . It was powered by Talwalkars and supported by Stayfree. Pinkathon group has partnered with Women's Cancer Initiative at  Tata Memorial Hospital. As obvious, all the proceedings go to this hospital to help the sufferers and the researchers. 

Many would not know but it is a curable disease when detected and treated at early stages. But as the line says, "prevention is better than cure", it is important for women to know about it. As common fact of India, women neglect their health. By this awareness campaign, I'm sure many of us would now be careful. 

Now, about the event. It was a very well organized episode. There were sign boards, hoardings and flex everywhere guiding the participants. There was a long queue at the registration desk. It only meant that women of Mumbai were ready to run for a good cause. There were 3 categories: 3 KM, 5 KM and 10 KM.

The warm-up session was an interesting one. Recent bollywood hits being played and a dance group on the stage! Electrifying atmosphere and the presence of Karishma Kapur, Malishka and others added to the enthusiasm of the participants. The race started at exactly 7:10 AM with colorful balloons being released. 

There was excellent arrangement at every kilometer of water and medical. The route was very beautiful. In the sense that running around every posh building of BKC is a pleasure by itself. Traffic was well managed and diverted according to the route. The best part of the race was at the finish point; Milind Soman was personally greeting and cheering for the participants. That really boosted the confidence of the runners to perform even better the next time. As a token of appreciation, the little pink goody bag made everyone smile. 

As I was told, the winners of the marathon completed 10 km run in about 37 minutes! Applause to those girls. And of course, congratulations to everyone who participated. 

In the end, we all participants hope that our run will really help the women suffering from the dreadful disease. And as the line on one of the hoarding read, "Cancer is not contagious, but my fighting spirit is!". We are always with our fellow women. May this support grow the next time! Cheers to the organizers and kudos to all the volunteers. Keep it up! 

Mahavir Jayanti: 14 dreams of Trishla mata and their meanings

Fourteen Auspicious Dreams of Mother Trishala 

1. Elephant  2. Bull  3. Lion  4. Goddess Laxmi  5. Garland of Flowers  6. Full Moon  7. Sun  8. Large Flag  9. Silver Urn  10. Lotus-Lake  11. Milky-Sea  12. Celestial Air-plane  13. Heap of Gems  14. Smokeless Fire

1. Elephant

The first dream Queen Trishala saw was of an elephant. She saw a big, tall, and impetuous elephant. It had two pairs of tusks. The color of the elephant was white and its whiteness was superior to the color of marble. It was an auspicious elephant, and was endowed with all the desirable marks of excellence.  This dream indicates that her son will guide the spiritual chariot, and save human beings from misery, greed, and attraction of life.

2. Bull

The second dream Queen Trishala saw was of a bull. The color of the bull was also white, but it was brighter than white lotuses. It glowed with beauty and radiated a light all around. It was noble, grand, and had a majestic hump. It had fine, bright, and soft hair on his body. Its horns were superb and sharply-pointed.  This dream indicates that her son will be a spiritual teacher of great ascetics, kings, and other great personalities.

3. Lion

The third dream Queen Trishala saw was of a magnificent lion. Its claws were beautiful and well-poised. The lion had a large well-rounded head and extremely sharp teeth. Its lips were perfect, its color was red, and its eyes were sharp and glowing. Its tail was impressively long and well-shaped. Queen Trishala saw this lion descending towards her and entering her mouth.  This dream indicates that her son will be as powerful and strong as a lion. He will be fearless, almighty, and capable of ruling over the world.

4. Goddess Laxmi

The fourth dream Queen Trishala saw was of the Goddess Laxmi, the Goddess of wealth, prosperity and power. She was seated at the top of mountain Himalaya. Her feet had a sheen of golden turtle. She had a delicate and soft fingers. Her black hair was tiny, soft, and delicate. She wore rows of pearls interlaced with emeralds and a garland of gold. A pair of earring hung over her shoulders with dazzling beauty. She held a pair of bright lotuses.  This dream indicates that her son will attain great wealth, power, prosperity.

5. Garland of Flowers

The fifth dream Queen Trishala saw was of a celestial garland of flowers descending from the sky. It smelled of mixed fragrances of different flowers. The whole universe was filled with fragrance. The flowers were white and woven into the garland. They bloomed during all different seasons. A swarm of bees flocked to it and they made a humming sound around the region.  This dream indicates that the fragrance of her son's preaching will spread over the entire universe.

6. Full Moon

The sixth dream queen Trishala saw was of a full moon. It presented an auspicious sight. The moon was at its full glory. It awoke the lilies to bloom fully. It was bright like a well polished mirror. The moon radiated whiteness like a swan. It inspired the oceans to surge skyward. The beautiful moon looked like a radiant beauty-mark in the sky.  This dream indicates that her son will have a great physical structure, and be pleasing to all living beings of the universe.

7. Sun

The seventh dream Queen Trishala saw was of a huge disc of sun. The sun was shining, and destroying darkness. It was red like the flame of the forest. Lotuses bloomed at its touch. The sun is the lamp of the sky and the lord of planets. The sun rose and an put to end the evil activities of the creatures who thrive at night.  This dream indicates that the teaching of her son will destroy anger, greed, ego, lust, pride, etc. from the life of the people.

8. Large Flag

The eighth dream Queen Trishala saw was of a very large flag flying on a golden stick. The flag fluttered softly and auspiciously in the gentle breeze. It attracted the eyes of all. Peacock feathers decorated its crown. A radiant white lion was on it.  This dream indicates that her son will be great, noble, and a well respected leader of the family.

9. Silver Urn

The ninth dream Queen Trishala saw was of a silver urn (kalash) full of crystal-clear water. It was a magnificent, beautiful, and bright pot. It shone like gold and was a joy to behold. It was garlanded with strings of lotuses and other flowers. The pot was holy and untouched by anything sinful.  This dream indicates that her son will be perfect in all virtues.

10. Lotus-Lake

The tenth dream Queen Trishala saw was of a lotus lake (padma-sagar). Thousands of lotuses were floating on the lake which opened at the touch of the sun's rays. The lotuses imparted a sweet fragrance. There were swarms of fish in the lake. Its water glowed like flames of fire. The lily-leaves were floating on the water.  This dream indicates that her son will help to liberate the human beings who are tangled in the cycle of birth, death, and misery.

11. Milky-sea

The eleventh dream Queen Trishala saw was of a milky sea. Its water swelled out in all directions, rising to great heights with turbulent motions. Winds blew and created waves. A great commotion was created in the sea by huge sea animals. Great rivers fell into the sea, producing huge whirlpools.  This dream indicates that her son will navigate through life on an ocean of birth, death, and misery leading to Moksha or liberation.

12. Celestial air-plane

The twelfth dream Queen Trishala saw was of a celestial airplane. The airplane had eight thousands magnificent gold pillars studded with gems. The plane was framed with sheets of gold and garlands of pearls. It was decorated with rows of murals depicting bulls, horses, men, crocodiles, birds, children, deers, elephants, wild animals, and lotus flowers. The plane resounded with celestial music. It was saturated with an intoxicating aroma of incense fumes. It was illuminated with a bright silvery light. This dream indicates that all Gods and Goddesses in heaven will respect and salute to his spiritual teaching and will obey him.

13. Heap of Gems

The thirteenth dream Queen Trishala saw was of a great heap of gems, as high as Mount Meru. There were gems and precious stones of all types and kinds. These gems were heaped over the earth and they illuminated the entire sky.  This dream indicates that her son will have infinite virtues and wisdom.

14. Smokeless Fire

The fourteenth dream queen Trishala saw was of a smokeless fire. The fire burned with great intensity and emitted a radiant glow. Great quantities of pure ghee and honey were being poured on the fire. It burned with numerous flames.

This dream indicates that the wisdom of her son will excel the wisdom of all other great people.

After having such fourteen wonderful dreams, Queen Trishala woke up. Her dreams filled her with wonder. She never had such dreams before. She narrated her dreams to King Siddharth.  The king called the soothsayers for the interpretation of dreams and they unanimously said, "Sir, her Highness will be blessed with a noble son. The dream augur the vast spiritual realm, the child shall command. Her Highness will become the Universal Mother."

After nine months and fourteen days, Queen Trishala delivered a baby boy. The boy was named Vardhaman meaning ever increasing.

Ek janmiyo raaj dularo, duniya no taranharo !! :)