A place called Home

The place we call Home,
A feeling of Oneness with the universe
of belonging and identity
A place the heart craves and longs for
You need not be born there,
but still, it gives a homely feeling
A nest that fills you with love and eternal bonding
Perfume of your favorite dish,
friends you made and familiar alleys or busy roads
The joy it gives you,
a moment that brings flashes of memories
We call it home
The tears we nurse as we go to the past,
conversations that stay with us forever
 Home is personal
the equation we share with the place
No one can come between us
It's a sacred relationship
Pure as milk
Magic bubbles making a ring in our spirit
Roaming freely without the scare or fear
It tastes like marshmallow
It's home to me,
my feeling and emotions
The perfume wafting from street food
the traffic and quirkily crazy inhabitants
It sends the feeling of the homely pigeon
It's home to me.

Happy Sunday
V

Shade of Light

Shade of light traversing the dark sky
Ambling in slow speed,
stroking the imagination running wild
Offering hope,
wiping off notes of despair
Universe's unique way of sending a clear message
Opening a sweet box of surprise and joy
The light of the spaceship
that transgresses obstacles to taste victory
A moment beyond the ordinary
Staring at the moving light
echoing moments of solace and soothing the senses
Brightness in the heart
Flashing the ray of hope
stunning the birds at sleep time
Mesmerizing the clouds
Splash of divinity.

Love
Vishal

Dating scene and coupling out

Dating and hitting as a couple are two drastically different things. You cannot pretend to be doing both at the same time and it's like a tale of who came first, chick (en) or egg. It's the period of courtship when you don't shout on the roof or tell your friends that you are a couple when in reality you are flirting with each other or indulging into silly banter.

Image credit: Google/

A couple of coffee dates, whispering sweet nothings, caressing hands, cuddling or stealing a harmless kiss doesn't make you a couple. You should be exploring all avenues in deciding whether it's a short term something or there is possibility to make it work over the long-term.

It's all about the vibes, isn't it? After all, the other person may not be very comfortable in letting your friends know of something which is at an infant stage or spreading stuffs that counts as plain rumor which has the tendency to travel faster than the rocket. Both of you may just be figuring things out. One shouldn't be too pushy on the dating scene and you may just be getting to know each other without putting too much burden on the head. Learn to chill for there are many Dos and Donts in a date that shouldn't be confused as coupling or mating it out in the open.

Have you heard of Kiss and Don't Tell. The initial period of dating is just that and jumping the gun to create a wave of illusion that both of you made some promise as if taking the saat pheras is just not happening. It can also choke your friend who gets the impression of dealing with a freak who is high on SRK character's in Darr which will ultimately reduce your minimal chance of having some possible scene in the future. Don't run to your friends and tell how both of you can't live without each other. Certainly, he or she is not the one when the sparks are just about to happen. Tread cautiously and slow if you want the relationship to bloom.

Today, people need to chill when meeting someone new and the biggest mistake is not letting a possible relationship to grow on its own. As it is, dating someone doesn't mean that you have to be committed for long term or start booking for the five star hotel honeymoon package.

Nowadays, people's vision are blurred on what a harmless date is and pretends that they are in a serious relationship. Reality check needed when someone naturally goes in the Devdas and Devdasi mood pretending to be ditched or heart broken. A chill pill works better than any medication to curb such enthusiasm among your friends and loved ones.

Love ya
Vishal

Love shot: Him and Her in Mumbai

"I am waiting for you at Bandstand,"  she enthusiastically shouted on the phone. "No, do not give me the lamest excuse. I just want you to be there in time." He protested, "But, Baby! I mean, how and why!" She cut her iPhone off on his nose.  He was in the middle of an important meeting and had no choice but to apologize to the client, citing an urgent call from his office. He got away with that and broke the traffic signal in his modest Maruti 800, giving the cops a slip to finally reach Bandstand in time.

She was not to be seen and he cursed under his breath. As it is, coming late is the hallmark of ladies for a date they themselves have set up. He was fuming and wondered how he dashed his way to Bandra, all the way from Churchgate and canceling all appointments just because it was Madam call and the usual pretense to sulk on the phone. She sashayed her way inside the crowded Barista in another good one hour where he spent the time smoking and gulping two cups of coffee.  He grinned sardonically, "Oh! I was imagining a film in my head, Happy waiting." She ignored his rant, "Okay, forget all this and there are many other important things to discuss in life. How do I look?"

He was taken aback by this sudden question, "I mean, is this why you called me all the way from Churchgate. What do you mean? You look like you always do, same like yesterday."

It was her turn to be pissed off. "I mean, you haven't observed any change on my face or body," she asked in anticipation. He scanned her throughout but didn't see anything. "No," he casually replied.
She shouted, "The tattoo on my neck, the hair cut, and golden hair tresses...Men will always be the same."

It shook him off the ground. He couldn't resort to the usual excuse of saying he was kidding. He sported a feeble smile, "Baby, I am sorry." She placated him, "Fuck your baby-ing me and go to hell." She stormed her way out of the cafe and he ran behind her on the promenade to coax her.

Love
Vishal

Millenials and gadgets

The millennials is a generation who thrive on fast and staple food that evokes admiration for they have an immense quality to swiftly adapt to life or relationships and at the same time, finding success in whatever they do.  Today's youth is less about emotions what makes things happen for them, be it love, sex or gadgets. Nothing wrong with that! As it is, relationships are all about the vibes.

A random reader would be wondering what's the fuss this post is all about.  It just struck me the other day in the bus when a school girl-she must be in her 16-sat next to me and was toggling with her smartphone. I didn't even know what a simple phone was at her age. Forget about the smartphone. In the flick of seconds, the kid removed a second gadget where she was chatting on both. A phone is all about functionality for someone her age. It got me thinking what one does with two branded smartphones?

Image credit: Google

A sense of gratification embedded in the material world makes the millennial generation 'wrongly' believe that it's the end of it or this is what life is all about. It's the same mentality that generates corruption among the youth, leading them to believe that it's my way or the highway to acquire such possessions and several others. Of course, I am not blaming the young. It waters down to the parents who hide the fact that they cannot give time to their kids and throw-away such material gadgets towards them. The children are happy to emulate their friends and it makes parents much happier to get rid of 'good parenting' or showing care and affection. Isn't it sad?

Gadget was invented to facilitate our lives but over time, it has done more evil than good, controlling our thoughts, making us lose time when we could usher in doing something more concrete and productive. Studies have also shown that over the top use of mobile phones or tablets can lead to depression among the youth. That's not the point I want to make. It often goes beyond my understanding what 16 or 18-something do with two smartphones and what sense of gratification it gives to them. The sensation of being well off or any means is good enough to grab a gadget is the mother of all vices where they are often at the receiving end of predators through social media channels such as Facebook.

The main thing also applies to grown up adults where we often don't realize how we have become the prisoners of gadgets. Gadgets should be used to connect with our loved and dear ones, read and work to beat traffic snarls or waiting time, for instance. It's not about social gratification or showing off to the world where we tend to tread dangerously often at the cost of our health or mental sanity.

We need to think about how we have become self-made prisoners of gadgets and it's not a problem that only the millennials face but all of us. Does it buy us happiness? I am afraid not, but gadgets are a temporary substitute which will make us pay a heavy price in the future, be it in our personal growth or relationships.

With Love
Vishal


 

Love and Coffee

Unrequited love over coffee

Who says it gonna obsession?

Longing and passion quenches the thirst

Someone gotta be really special

She's like the exquisitely selected coffee grain

Brewing with dollop of sweetness and freshness,

Touch and fragrance touching the heart

Mindless as it may

Love sparkle in the atmosphere 

Much like the fragrance of the beans

Freshness of the Lilly

Listening to the tap of rainwater

I spill my coffee,

admiring my love from a distance.

Love

Vishal 

Flash fiction: Bailed for life by the blind law

It was the day of reckoning. The skinny and short fellow wore his best white and crisp shirt tucked inside cheap white trousers to appear in court. He was confident that the magistrate would give him bail and he will finally be a free man. He longed for his freedom to see the world, far away from his dark cell. They told him that the arrangements have been made to flee the country by sea and the boat would be waiting for him.

The magistrate walked his way inside the courtroom and everyone stood in deference to him. After all, the fate of the man longing for his freedom resides in the hands of the learned magistrate. It was the hand of God. The man in black eyed the accused and ushered him to the witness box. He asked, "So, what will you do if you are granted bail today?" The man bowed to the magistrate and confidently said, "I shall go to the lord?" The justice had an inkling what he meant by lord. He smiled and looked around. Time was running. The order must be executed. How he wished that man could be granted his last wish.

The magistrate maintained a straight face and announced, "Bail granted. We are releasing you." He removed his pen to write the order and a bullet pierced inside the heart of the accused. He has finally been granted bail for life. The sharp shooter, donning the garb of the magistrate disappeared from the courtroom as if he was some invisible force. After all, the pen did the trick and the underworld struck again in a court of law. Who says the law is not blind?!

Love
V

Be alive in every second

Extraordinary good times; Trains chugging at slow pace; Frenetic dash; Emotional turmoil; Song wafting in the air, the mysterious voice conquering the heart beats; Fellow travelers sharing a laugh, hesitant conversation and silent soul talking; Marriage made in heaven; Friendship designed in the sky; Companionship that makes for a lifetime memory; First kiss with a touch of divine bliss; Thousands thoughts raging in the head; Worries that aren't worth a dime; Lullaby and sweet maternal affecting striking a chord in the baby's heart, he wakes up with an angelic smile on his face; Small joys of life; Every heart that beats deserve happiness in all its forms: Be alive in every second.

With Love
V

Lost and intriguing afternoons

Intriguing afternoon
bearing the silence of the usually noisy city
Mysterious wind
Violent rain throwing its might
 Warm cup of tea
Sunlight flashing and striking in all directions
How many afternoons?
Resembling each other over the years
A life lost in translation
serving as  a powerful reminder of memory
Oh! Memory
How you bring tears to my eyes
Of the years lost
reclaimed joy
Lovers' nest that we built with care
The city that embraced us
Yet we lost the mooring skip our morning beat

What's happening on Sunday?

What's hot and happening on a lazy Sunday? It's been ages that I haven't shared tit-bits about my life on this blog. There are lots and lots and hardly anything worth telling. First thing, it's been a long time that I haven't been able to catch a movie, first, there was Rangoon and now Badrinath Ki Dulhania that I gave a miss. I was planning to go for Badrinath today when something cropped up. In fact, there is a diplomatic gathering which I gotta attend, along with a friend-cum-colleague. The movie plan stands postponed for another day and thankfully, it will be showing next week as well and post that, I have Philauri to watch.

On the work front, it's been quite busy for us with the issue of our corporate client's magazine and our deadline has shifted from Friday to Tuesday which gives me quite some time to work on the story plus doing research. Nopes, March is not as crazy as it seems to us but just a little busier on the work front. Here, hoping to bag extra contracts to make more money as a freelance communications consultant-cum-writer. Being a freelancer and stay at work professional has its own set of challenges since you are always on the lookout for more assignments beyond the fixed money that comes one's way. It's been a learning rope.

The India trip was missed as the best friend came down from Australia to get married but thankfully, he is still in Mumbai for quite some time and hopefully, will be able to hop on by saving some cash to meet him. I am longing to be in India and it's been ages that I haven't traveled. I haven't read many books since the past one month, though been reading at a slow pace Hussain Zaidi's Bombay to Bangkok, a real account of the underworld rule in the city and Barkha Dutt's This Unquiet Land. I have also received a poetry book for review from a Canadian friend and looking forward to buy the autobiographies of Shashi Kapoor and Karan Johar as a couple of film related books on Gulzar or Rekha. There are so many things to do and today was planning for Badrinath ki Dulhania and working on my book. I am unsure of both because of the event that I gonna attend late evening. I have kept a diary, scribbling things to do and it really helps in keeping a timely reminder.

I am feeling in good health and much better shape since I've been regularly practicing yoga, one-hour weekly class and thrice for 20 minutes weekly practise at home. Both meditation and yoga have helped me to stay sane, be more focused and peaceful.

Finally, I got a brand new phone and it's a white-coated Sony Experia that hit the market in 2015. I am yet to understand its entire functionality and toggling with how the whole gadget work, leaving my four-year-old HTC behind. I was planning for an iPhone but after reading online, the next edition is going to be kickass and unique for Apple 10 year anniversary. The online grapevine is that Apple is planning something big and I better settle for a cheaper one before grabbing the collector's edition. There are plans also to learn driving this year and high time to hit the cudget to learn drive a car.

It's been long that I haven't been active on the dating and mating scene. I need to date and it's something that's been missing in my life for quite some. I forget how taking someone for a date looks like and high time to pull the socks in romance matters before I fade into a UFO.

See ya soon
Ciao
Vishal

Moist and the tide's flow

Flurry of moist emotions
Blame it on damp weather
Humid stratosphere
Feeling of sleeping and lying low
Lazy mood and moments
Cold sensation
I wanna do bungee jump
swim in icy water
Crazy thoughts
Momentary bliss
Words are the only solace
composing random lyrics
It's the beginning and limitless end
Passion lost and found
Free moments
Conquering the song of the moment
Capturing the spirit
Free flow of the tide
Fluttering of leaves
Slow movements
Breaking monotony
Reversing tide
Sitting still and counting droplet of water
Ease out

Love
V

Bouquet of poems

Allegory of pleasure

Frothy lips with the taste of wine.
Craving for guilty pleasures.
Sensations dripping down;
Alcohol, lust and twist.
Drunk to heavenly bliss.
Dropping everything.
Untying the bra and laces.
Zipping down the pants.
Heads swirling in the air.
It's allegory pleasure.
Imagined in the head.
Wine and writing.
Kickass bed fellows.

********************************************

Friends and the sound of guitar
 
Friends.
fights.
fun.
Silly banter.
Eternal vows.
Thick like dust.
Time is an excuse.
String of friendship is,
like the sound of the guitar.
Anthem of life.
Climbing the stairs of life together.
Days of yore.

Dash of memory.
Bond that twist and spin time.
It's the real deal.

****************************************

Silky and unbridled sensuality

Volcanic sensation.
Smoke curled past mountainous slopes and cavernous curves.
Silky and unbridled sensuality.
Yearning for the perfume of pleasure.
Puckered flowers.
Rose tinted flavor.
Cornucopia of emotions and expressions.
Hymn of life.
Gay abandon.
Lyrical flow.
Rhythm and echo.
Gamut of silliness and youthfulness.
Cooing of love birds.

Love
V
 

Tickling clock and the list

As you age, have you ever wondered about things that you always wanted to do and guilty pleasures the heart and sense craves for? I am in my mid 30s and often wonder on reflections that would translate into reality, no matter how much it is a faraway distance dream from reality. Here it goes:

Image credit: Google

1. Finishing this book that I've been trying to write since ages.

2. Chill out about things that freak me out. I am hyper by nature and want to be calm in the face of adversity.

3. Challenge myself and do things that shit scares me.

4. Write the script for a short film and execute it.

5. Travel the world and live in suitcases. It would be the dream job.

6. My savings balance is next to zero and high time to spare money in a bank account for rainy days or travel.

7. How I wish I didn't flinched in experimenting with life and dare to be adventurous in much younger days.

8. Learn how to drive. It's a shame that in my mid-30s I still don't know how to drive a car. It's something that scares me to death.

9. Learn a foreign language like Spanish or German and also a musical instrument, strumming the guitar.

10. Go on a dating spree and indulge in sweet nothings minus the romantic involvement.

11. Stop thinking too much before doing something new, bold and exciting.

12. Face my inner demons or getting scared for no reason.

13. Push myself to the cliff and explore life in equal measure to be able to say, Yes! I've done it.

14. Stop hanging on to the glorious or painful past that still haunts me to death.

15. Go with the flow and swim against the tide.

16. Be able to say No more often.

17. I've just started doing yoga but want to be more to be fitter by the day. Cut the fat slab.

18. Remain an inquisitive child forever.

19. Not getting bugged by people and this famous, log kya kahenge.

20. Stay in solitude. It helps.

21. I wanna be a nomad, hoping from one place to another and wandering aimlessly.

22. Be better at time management and be a super efficient multi-tasker.

23. Run my own start-up.

24.  Sing aloud on stage.

25. Be more positive as a person, flush out negative energy cum people.

The post was inspired by Preeti Shenoy's list.
Love
Vishal

A spicy lullaby

Love at first sight.

Intimacy on the rocks.

Morning cup of tea.

Lusty liquor.

Sweet whispers at night.

Lullaby of spicy romance.

Crouched in the nest.

Darkness.

Myriad colors of sensual encounter.

Tracing the journey.

Love.

Pain.

Sex.

Wounds.

Innate beauty in all forms,

victory and defeat. 

It's the end of it.

Perhaps not!

An endless adventure,

exploring unchartered horizons.

Dare to tread on the path.

Passion.

Playfulness.

Stroke of tiny finger.

Cupping faces.

Icy cold sensation.

Electric jolt.

Head twirled into one whole.

 
 

 

The sleep of envy

Image credit: http://ksassets.timeincuk.net/wp/uploads/sites/46/2016/08/sleeping-naked-920x690.jpg

Curled on the bed;
White sheet spread like balloon to wrap her half naked body;
Eyes closed like the doe;
Shining beauty;
Her round back twisted,
like an aesthetically traced work of art;
An artist's muse,
in the wild imagination of the erotic dance;
The sleep of envy;
Intimacy can be so beautiful and enticing;
She's the expression of sleeping beauty,
in various forms;
Like a magnet, she conquers the senses and minds;
Her long hair flew in abandon;
A heart seeking herself in unchartered territories;
Letting lose her heart;
She's no product of vanity;
A free spirit;
Tasting the nectar of passion in sleep;

Happy Sunday & love
V

YKA post: Celebrate Equality, Not Tokenism

Hiya! Happy International Women Day and read this.

Every March 8, we celebrate International Women Day where we pitch for change in the way we view women and tweet with hashtags for equality or respect and share massively on Facebook. Isn’t it time for us, men and women to move beyond mere tokenism and implement the changes that we want to see? Certainly, it demands a change in our mindset and courage to be able to stand for our women, against our elders, or for that matter, let her bloom as a human being.

I want to narrate what some of my female friends shared with me. After she got married, one of my friends told me how her in-laws tried to impose their cultural practice on her taking into account that both she and her husband belong to different castes. She gathered her strength and put her foot down. Really! It’s one thing that we fail to understand that a girl has left her home and parents to adjust to a new life and how we stifle her individuality by enforcing such ridiculous and stone aged practice. 

You can read the entire post on Youth Ki Awaaz where I aired my views on Women's Day. Click here.

 

Paid sex: Would you or not?!

Image credit: Google/http://media.salon.com/2012/09/john_study_rect1.jpg

 We are all humans and young adults who have the urge and crave for sex from time-to-time. It's not about defying or betraying the law of gravity to quench the thirst for something as natural as sex. Hormonal changes happen in our body and biological clock ticking. After all, we don't want to be depraved as human beings.

It begs the questions that most of us are shy of asking, should we go for paid sex? It's not about defying social mores or morality but applies to both men or women, who hasn't fulfilled intimacy for a long time. There are many people who repress their sexual feelings, fantasize about celebrities, or the fact of suffering from sex-related depression, according to several studies undertaken by Sexpert.

I think we need to be more open-minded on the question of people paying to be indulged by the oldest profession in the world, Commercial sex workers. I have always been in favor of legalization of prostitution for several reasons, something we shall keep for later. The more we repress and make something illegal, the more danger or illegality lurks. To be very honest, there is nothing wrong for someone seeking sex in exchange for money. We are not just speaking about red light areas in big cities like Mumbai at Kamathipura or Congress House and in Kolkatta, Sonagachi. Hi-fi sex in the form of call girls or gigolos is common. After all, the peoples involved are not indulging in something illegal like killing someone, kidnapping or rape. We have seen so many rape cases in the country and across the world where innocent women are assaulted. Had those people gone to legal sex places, perhaps there would have been a curb in sex-related crimes!

We should stop wearing blinkers when it comes to sexuality. The only danger that lurks is the danger of Aids or STD where the person seeking sex as a service should take the precautions to avoid such dangers. Moreover, sometimes pervert assault the commercial sex worker and pose a hazard to the woman offering the service.

It's high time that Governments adopt a rational and flexible stand when it comes to sex business. Of course, I am not justifying the exploitation of young girls in the flesh trade. This is where the issues come to the fore. It's about men and women doing it at free will. We want to thwart forceful exploitation and time to be serious on the same by making it legal. That way, the women will be protected in terms of human rights.

The last argument in place: Why repress something as natural as sex? There will always be people soliciting the service and what is wrong in consenting adults where the provider of the service is fulfilling a human need and satiating the craving. There is nothing immoral but human needs, be it food, clothing, shelter or sex, for that matter. Repressing human needs are not the solution but hitting with an iron rod on the head is.

What is your take on the issue? The debate is open on paying for sex or not.

Love
Vishal

Whipping a storm

Whipping a storm;
Cracking the nut of love:
Cooking a passion:
Intimate nights:
Passionate kissing;
It's the language of need:
Quench the thirst;
Lust;
Fight out the emotions:
Shackle off the conflicts inside and out:
Carry no guilt feeling;
You are a human:
Trace the body lines:
Chuck out the garments:
Bare naked and open the soul;

With love
V

100 Words Flash Fiction: Blood on her hands

She had blood on her hands. All she could think now was how to wipe off the stains to make it the perfect crime she was plotting since the last 48 hours.  The stench of alcohol and cigarette butt made her choke to death in the room. The window pain couldn't be pushed open for the fear of raising suspicions.  She looked like a dreaded criminal holding with menace the destructive weapon. Her glance traveled faster than the four corners of the room. The tomato ketchup bottled fizzled and it was popped up that flew in all directions.

Satire: Luv Shuv 100 crore V-Day

A pataka celebration with flowers, red roses, chocolates and lovey dovey wishes unfurled on social media, with couples professing love for each other this February. Jeena Marna Tere Sang and the next Valentine, humming Mein Tera Dushman Dushman Tu Mera. The Valentine Day that came with all shor in the city and dollops of sharaba, with couples shouting on rooftops on how much they love each other till death do them rather than us apart.

Image credit: google

The social media walls flooded with pyar wale love messages painting the city a rosy red and tweets that could have mistaken V-Day as the world orgasm day. So much love that Dilli's odd and even formula would have made a grand come back in style. Isse kehte hai pyar! I almost became a Pappu that failed in love to happily munch Cadburi, nursing the 'imaginary break-ups' I never had. It's all in the mind, isn't it?! Our RaGa didn't say poverty is a state of mind!

It's the day to avoid social media with soo much gun totting Pyar Vyar, Ishqaon dishkaon that gave us the impression there is no place for war, rudeness or meanness. The folks, who ek dum healthy would soon get themselves tested for diabetes with so much saccharine and sweet romance. Sugar would not kill us but declared love would on Valentine Day. Shoppers could be tempted to abandon selling sweets but only love flowing in the air. 

The Ishqwala love of bhaiya-ji aur Pinki who would never get an average date are filled with hope to get their Badrinath ki dulha aur dulhaniya, gyrating to Tamma Tamma Loge in quest of love. If tis not reason enough, Aditya Chopra would write his next candy floss romance minus Befikre love which will be released next Valentine on social media. The dude will laugh all the way to the social media bank and if it is to be believed, Valentine is the stuff 100 crores business is made of. Come and sell love.

Our Doodhwala turned into Phoolwala bhaiya for the day and made a killing with his roses grabbed and sold like hot Jalebi with fastest fingers first as if downloading Sunny Leone semi-clad wallpapers. Our Cadburi wala got a complex with so much love that their Kuch Meetha ho jaye campaign went for a toss. Now, who wants chocolate with so much love flung in the air this Valentine Day. A tale of phool beating Cadburi to death?

It's love free of worm. Put all the scientific testing of chocolate ridden worm aside for Valentine Day has won the battle of titans. Come and beat that. Who needs a sweet recovery from crisis when itna luv shuv can do the trick? Singles like me can only sit at home and eat worms at night when we don't have a date to flout on social media....muchkin, Baby! I love you so much!! At least, I don't do love pollution on social media with selfie, velfie and belfie, posting hundreds smoochie, cuddling pics on Instagram.

Sniff! Sniff! I should cry and be Garfield incarnate on Valentine for not having a date to cuddle and snuggle to with wine, roses and V-shaped goodies and cards. Too much ho gaya yaar on Valentine with this showering of love for the world to see as if it's Modi's 56-inch chest thumping and popping ladoo on election victory. Guess, that would kill Love Jihad.

Love
V