For an old friend

Wrote this for an old friend, who had to move away in a bid to fulfill his life's dreams..

From the first slang, to the first egg,
From running in the corridors to that broken leg.
I've seen you grow.

From stashing every possible thing in the cupboard,
To not returning calls that get missed,
I've sometimes known you better than what you know.

From the dark times,
To a friendship as pleasant as the winter sunshine.
I've known you from "Larger than life" to the "Summer of 69".

From having to manage with a little emotional insensitivity,
To the unexpected pleasant surprises,
You've taken me through my falls and rises.

There are very few people in life,
Who help define the person you are.
Who stand by you in your toughest hour.

No distance, no span of time
Can take you away from me.
Not because the world is small
And not because planes can shorten time

But because you have changed me for who I am
For I see a slight reflection of you in my own self
And so no matter what you do or where you be
My friend, you'll always be a part of me.

It is tough to let you go,
But I'd like to let you know
That we shall meet again

But if the roads of our lives don't intersect again,
If there is no more sunshine in this cold rain,
I'd just say that may God fulfill the dreams you have dreamt,
And I'll meet you in mine when I go to sleep.

Morni by Silk Route ( A song rediscovered)

Sometimes in life, a particular thing passes by you umpteen times and you still don't happen to pay attention. And when you do, you are astounded by the fact that you managed to miss it so many times..!!

The same is true for this song called "Morni" sung by a famous band named Silk Route. The singer is none other than Mohit Chauhan, now a popular singer in Bollywood.

The song is sung in Pahadi and i happened to hear it numerous times attributed to the fact that i spent 4 years studying in Himachal. But today many years later i happened to stumble upon the meaning of the lyrics. They make the music just haunting.

The song is a short conversation between a mother and her daughter, but it can be interpreted at different emotional levels.

Here is a YouTube link for the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCi7-mjH_NY

I am providing an English translation of the song after each para below:

Amma Puchhdi
Sun Dhiye Meriye
Dubali Itni Tu Kiyaan Kaari Hoyi Ho

A mother (Amma) asks her daughter (Dhee)

"What is worrying you so much that you have become so lean (Dubali) and gaunt"

Paar Li Vaniyaan
Mor Jo Boley Ho
Aama Ji Iney Morey Nindar Gavaai Ho

The daughter says "Far across in the forest (Vanniyaan) , when the peacock (Mor) speaks, it disturbs my sleep"

Sadh Le Bandukhi Jo
Sadh Le Shakaari Jo
Dhiye Bhala Eta Mor Maar Giraana Ho
Ho Dhiye Bhala Eta Mor Maar Giraana Ho

The mother reassures her daughter saying:

"When the hunter (Shakaari) comes with the gun (Bandukhi), he will kill the peacock and drop it to the ground"

Mor Ni Maarna
Ho Mor Ni Maarna
Mor Ni Gavaana Ho
Aama Ji Eta Morey Pinjrey Puwaana Ho
Oo Aama Ji Eta Morey Pinjrey Puwaana Ho

The daughter due to some reason feels attached to the peacock and replies:

"Do not kill the peacock (Mor Ni Maarna), I don't want to lose the peacock (Mor Ni Gavaana),

In the worst case put it in a cage (Pinjrey) , but do not kill it."

Kuthi Jaanda Chandrama
Kuthi Jaandey Taare Ho
Oo Aama Ji Kuthi Jaandey Dilaan De Payaare Ho

Then the daughter asks her mother:

"Where does the moon go? (Kuthi Jaanda Chandrama),

Where do the stars go? (Kuthi Jaandey Taare Ho),

Where do people who are near to our heart go?"

Oo Chhupi Jaanda Chandrama
Chhupi Jaandey Taare Ho
Oo Chhupi Jaanda Chandrama Chhupi Jaandey Taare Ho
Oo Dhiye Bhala Naiyon Chhupdey Dilaan De Payaare Ho

The mother replies:

"The moon hides (Chhupi Jaanda Chandrama),

The stars also hide (Chhupi Jaande Taare),

But the ones close to our heart never disappear. (They may be away, but they are always close)"

Oo Dhiye Bhala Naiyon Chhupdey Dilaan De Payaare Ho

"The ones whom we love never disappear"

Hope You Enjoyed It !

~Aman

Loneliness , Solitude and Insanity

When i was a child , i read a poem called The Solitude Of Alexander Selkirk. The poet demonstrated with exquisite beauty , the loneliness of a man who was left deserted on an island as a result of a ship wreck. The man stayed there for four long years until he was rescued. The poet shows how his life went then. In his initial days he was very sad and gloomy. Nights were spooky and eerie for him. The land was alien and so were the animals that lived in the jungle. The poet writes:

" Ye winds that have made me thy sport,
Convey to this desolate shore,
The news of a land that i shall visit no more"


"My friends, do they now and then remember me,
Oh tell me i yet have a friend,
Though a friend i am never to see."

And then slowly and steadily he started to get used to the environment that surrounded him. One day the man realizes that life is not all that bad. He sees how the beast goes to his lair everyday when the sun sets. How life in the jungle comes to peace and everybody rests in the night. He realizes that God blesses his creatures in every form no matter where they are and then he thanks God for keeping him alive and says:

"There is mercy at every place,
Mercy encouraging thought,
Gives even affliction a grace,
And reconciles man to his lot."

But does all this have a meaning still after so many years of a man being deserted on the island, after so much of geographical discovery that no more land on earth is left undiscovered so that no man can remain physically aloof from others. Yes , it does have a meaning , it does carry a significance.

With the kind of life that we are leading nowadays we need no undiscovered islands to be lonely or to be in solitude. It comes to you even in a crowd of thousands. And does it drive a person insane? I believe it does , because it has done that to me on times.

Attachment to another heart , love for friends are the things that kill the most when they go away. As a child i never had to part with friends because i studied in the same school for more than 10 years. And then the day came and it comes again and again , in college , in office everywhere. And then you feel as if some string has been pulled from your heart and it has left behind a wound that is irreversible.

This present day when i am writing this blog , i am all alone. My friends have had a change of office due to professional commitments and they all were people with whom i have lived , laughed and cried. And it becomes so difficult to adopt to change , just so very difficult to Let Go.

And are solitude and insanity related. Yes they are. The heart longs for a look of the loved ones , it craves to hear their voice and when there are so many of them who went away , the mind stops to respond. You are so engrossed into thinking about those who went away , that your mind stops behaving rationally and things go hay wire.

You see the chairs occupied by people that were once occupied by people who have gone and you feel that you are in solitude , all alone even though there are twenty hearts beating in the same room . But your heart does not beat in resonance with theirs . A string does not connect your heart to theirs . The string that will pain when it gets detached.

But then someone said "Time is a Great Healer" . And it indeed is . The only medicine that cures insanity caused by the departure of the loved ones. And right now all i am doing is taking that medicine. It is curing me i know but it takes time. Till then i just hold on with the sweet memories that i have gathered in this life's journey with all those wonderful people by my side.

But at the end of the day , i can't help but thank God for bringing some wonderful people in my life. Maybe he takes away those people so that we can realize how much worth they have.

The string always remains attached between your heart and theirs no matter what happens.

So now i hold on till "time" just cures my insanity and strengthens the string that attaches me to my friends.

I miss you people.