Defying the fairy tale laws-2

So I spent a little time running about like I always wanted to. Savoring the grass beneath my feet and the sun kissing my skin. I rolled about until a tree hit me. That was when I realized I was only 16. There was so much life to live. There was so much that could be done! Oh, how surprised mother and father would be when they’d see me!

My mother was the queen of our kingdom. She was the warrior and the one giving all the commands. She was the one with all the powers when it came to matters regarding the welfare of the kingdom. She was basically the King but for obvious reasons people referred to her as ‘Queen’. Since the day I was born I had everyone telling me how much I looked like her. My father had been very handsome man. Or so I was told because he died when I was only 2 years old. I barely have any memories of him but my mother told me that he loved me greatly and was really particular about what I wore, how I looked and behaved. Well, he basically used to give me all the princess training I needed. Then he died and my mother remarried.

She was coaxed into marriage by her relatives (who are usually the ones responsible for all the wrong decisions in life) and courtiers. She refused for a long time. But then one day, she suddenly came home with a man and declared him her husband. Naturally, everybody was shocked. That man was my step-father and I consider him my father. I remember I used to love playing with him. He treated me so well. The people loved him and so did my mother. We were a happy family until that cursed Dragon snatched me away from all that happiness.

My father had always counted on a prince to come save me. Would he be shocked to see me come all alone? How would my mother react? It had been 6 years since I last saw them. I couldn’t wait to see their faces. God, I was so excited! But I couldn’t help this dread growing inside me about the future.

“What next?” I thought as I came out of the castle gates.

Tollywood zindabad!

So, I've been watching Telugu (which happens to be my mother tongue) movies all my life. As a kid, I was fascinated (only till the break when I used to eat Potato chips and cry or sleep after I was done eating). Anyway, that doesn't matter now. The point is, I was enthralled by what was going on in front of me and I used to like every movie I saw. A movie was something to be liked. Not liking a movie wasn't even an option.
As I grew up, things started getting complicated. This thing called reality happened and I started getting more judgemental and critical. I couldn't help but notice a pattern in all these movies. They'd gotten predictable.

The hero.
Attributes: The guy who always saves the day. Is 6 feet tall and very handsome (or at least described to be because you can't be a HERO without that). Is so good at heart that he helps the poor and needy (usually when the heroine is watching him). Whatever he does leads to the villain's wrath and he sends his goons to finish the hero off. Thankfully, he was born with the fighting skills of a professional and doesn't need any formal training. He has a really depressing past. Loves the heroine, usually at first sight. Teases and harasses her as that is the only way to her heart. Always has his best friend beside him. The best friend isn't as strong and handsome as the hero. He is usually for comic relief. The hero sometimes comes with a sister. Sometimes, the best friend or the sister die in the past and so the hero has taken it upon himself to kill whoever as killed them. Not to forget the parents. They might also have died in the past or were cheated by the villain. Slapping the comedian! Now, that is his favorite hobby.

The heroine.
Attributes: The flawless beauty. All the guys are after her. She is usually a rich, spoiled brat. Also, in most cases the villain's daughter. The first person to be approached by the hero in his master plan to defeat the villain. As we all know, the first step in defeating the villain is making his daughter fall in love with you. She hates the hero's guts. But then in an unexpected turn of events it is revealed that she has always loved the hero and was just teasing him by acting uninterested. She usually has a gang of giggling girlies. All of them love the hero and coax her to fall in love with him. She falls out of love with the hero (usually in the second half of the film) when she comes to know that he was doing all of it to get to her father. But, the hero with his charm and pure love wins her heart back. Not seen much during the film but whenever she comes, there's a dream sequence song in some exotic foreign location with either snow or flowers matching the hero and heroine's clothes.

The villain
Attributes: The bad guy. Because no story can be complete without a guy trying to ruin the hero's otherwise perfect life. Gets mad with rage when he comes to know his daughter is in love with his enemy. Sends his goons to finish him off. The hero fights them all effortlessly. Little does the poor villain know, that all these fights and kicking asses is making the hero even more attractive to his daughter. Is usually a very intelligent person but suddenly loses all his brain power when the hero starts executing his master plan. Usually, in the second half it is revealed why the hero hates him so much. Tries to make his daughter fall out of love with the hero but it doesn't work. In the end, when all his goons are dead or seriously injured he personally fights the hero. In some cases, he realizes his mistake and apologizes to the hero (all it takes is a sorry) while, in some other cases he dies and everyone (including his very own daughter, because she had been informed by the hero how bad a man her father was) rejoices. Could there be a more pathetic life?

Those are the characters that matter. There are also characters like the comedians. The best friend comedian and the arrogant comedian. The arrogant comedian loses all his arrogance after a few slaps from the hero. There is the sad family of the hero, the sad mother of the heroine and the group of dancers who are seen only in dances that are shot locally (because duh! taking all of them abroad would cost a lot).
Add six songs three in the first half and three in the second, lots of fights, including a few scenes shot in slo-mo, a few sentimental scenes with the hero's family and his best friend and there, your Telugu blockbuster film is all ready to hit the audience (literally).


P.S.- I'm a fan of Telugu cinema. It is nice to see people appreciating different kind of movies these days but there are still a few things the directors and the actors haven't grown out of. I think it is absolutely necessary for them come out of it.

Think about it!

Think of it this way. You wake up in the morning. You have to get to college. The alarm has been ringing since half an hour. You don't want to wake up! Finally, you jump out of your bed, looking at the clock, panicking. You have to get to the bus stop and catch a bus. The lecturer who takes the first class at 9 won't scold you for coming late but gives you a disgusted look which can make you want to die. You have been looking at that disgusted face for quite sometime but not enough time to get used to it and so you want to go on time at least this once.  There's a bus which reaches your university at exactly 9 AM.  It comes to the bus stop at 8.15 AM. It's 7.30 already! You rush to the bathroom. Do the necessary quickly. Stuff some food into your mouth while listening to your mother shout and complain about your lack of time sense.

You reach the bus stop at 8.15 exactly and before you can relieve your lungs of all the carbon-dioxide that has been accumulating in it, the bus arrives. It has stopped a few steps ahead of the spot you are and you run towards it. It's the rush hour. Everybody has to get to work or school and the bus stop is crowded. Before you reach the bus there are already people entering it and you lose your hope of getting a seat. You have to stand for about 40 minutes but you are willing to do that as you are desperate to avoid 'that' face. You find a place to stand a little inside the bus and you stand there, lost in your thoughts. Suddenly, you hear somebody shouting at you. It's the bus conductor. He's shouting real loud, asking you to take a ticket. You don't have a bus pass because you believe taking a ticket is cheaper. So you take out your wallet, fumble for change and give it to him. He hands you the ticket with a sullen expression on his face making you wonder if you are the reason for his expression.

The bus starts to move. More and more people climb at each stop. The weather's hot. It's suffocating and you're sweating profusely. Then, you hear a shout. Some lady who has gotten onto the bus is finding it difficult to move because your bag is in the way. You apologize and try to move your bag out of the way but with all those people around you, you're finding it difficult. But still you adjust. People are giving you disgusted looks. You hear some people murmuring why people with bags even get onto public buses. The bus conductor is shouting at everyone, trying to move, asking people to make way. A few people's stops have come but they are unable to get down because of the crowd at the entrance. The bus driver is shouting at the people in the entrance to get down once, allow passengers to alight and get in again. But the people refuse to budge. People inside the bus are squirming and trying to find a comfortable position. In this attempt, they start shouting at each other. They are yelling obscenities which you might not even have heard of. The driver gets angry at all the people and applies a sudden brake causing all the passengers to fall on one another. At least three fat ladies fall on you. The conductor yells at the driver and the driver at the conductor. Shouts and yells everywhere. One passenger yells at another. Some people are yelling at you. The conductor comes and yells at the people. In between all this you try to hide your pain. Try not to make it show on your face. Finally, your stop comes and you see the number of people between you and the entrance. You gear yourself up for the challenge and start making your way. People are cursing, yelling. You say 'excuse me' to a person ahead of you. She still doesn't move. The conductor starts shouting, asking you to get down soon and the driver says he hasn't got all day. You finally get to the entrance but there you are confronted with another challenge. There's another crowd at the entrance of the bus, trying to get in. You've got to push past them to get out. In this attempt your bag gets stuck in between the people. People again shout at you for getting a bag into a public bus. You get down and the fresh air hits you. You feel refreshed and start walking towards your classroom and then, all the pain creeps into your joints. You want to sleep. Take rest. One bus journey has rendered you inactive for the rest of the day. And it's only the morning!

Public bus travel could be really tedious. India is a country with an enormous amount of people. People everywhere! You can't even see the ground in some places. In the mornings everybody has to get to work. All the buses are crowded. Sure, all these problems might be a little difficult to solve. But there is one thing we could all do to make our bus journeys more pleasant. A very simple thing which won't even take much effort. We could all be a little pleasant and smile at each other. You might be running late for work and you get really irritated by the crowd in the bus. But the person beside you might also be in the same situation. I mean c'mon! waking up in the morning and going to work is definitely not something anyone would love to do! It would be so much better if all of us could form a queue and get into the bus, nicely, without pushing anyone. Everybody is in the same position as you. Empathize!

The next thing, bus drivers and conductors. Now, we all must admit that their job is a very tedious and challenging one . The conductor especially, has to stand all day, shouting for people to take tickets. They have such a tiring job and they don't rest for hours together. Hence, in my opinion, along with bus driving training and ticket issuing training (if there is such a thing :P) these people must also be trained on how to be more pleasant and smile more. Since, their jobs have everything to do with the public, they must be given special training. But maybe, they would be more pleasant if all of us start being nice ad friendly with each other. Maybe, our behavior is also a determining factor for their behavior. So, let us all try to make our mornings more pleasant for each other. A little empathy is all it takes.



P.S.: This post has gotten a little descriptive and long, but I couldn't help it. This is how my mornings were whenever I traveled in APSRTC (TSRTC now) buses and I just got so emotional that I couldn't get myself to stop typing.

Yummy yum!

Panipuri, Golgappa, Gupchup (I wonder why they call it that). Something us Indians can absolutely not live without. I mean have you ever seen anybody in this country hate it? I'm also sure if somebody from any other part of the world tasted it they'd love it and soon get addicted. Now I (a panipuri lover and addict), have always wondered what made this light brown, round thing filled with aaloo, bataani and masala water so special. Answers came rushing into my head. According to me, this is what makes panipuri irresistible.

First thing. The smell! The moment you pass a panipuri stall, the aroma of the hot curry wafts into the air and forms an invisible hand beckoning you (more like pulling you) to come to it and devour it. Once you pass that place, you're trapped! You can't get yourself to leave without having it. The smell is enough to make your mouth water. And that is what I call, the magnetic power of the smell.

The way one's mouth puffs up to accommodate the panipuri. When you see someone's mouth like that you can literally feel the panipuri breaking and all the pani flooding into your mouth. Makes you want to run like crazy and grab the panipuri from the panipuri waala bhaiyya and feel it for real in your mouth!

The anticipation and excitement you feel when you're the last person in the queue, when the queue is long that is, and the elation you feel when you are the first person in the queue. This is definitely an important contributing factor to the experience. Long queues are always the best. You get enough time to chew and swallow before another puri is given. Short queues are also nice. When there are only like two or three people or you are the only person in the queue, it becomes a very exciting and challenging race between you and the panipuri bhaiyya. You gotta finish the puri before he gives another one! This competition is always fun but one musn't get too ambitious and eat so fast that they either choke on the puri or forget to enjoy the experience.

The heavenly feeling you get when you feel that outer shell break in between your teeth and the water rushes into your mouth like water let out of  a dam. That feeling is indescribable. It can't be put down in words. And finally, the Burps! The best thing about the whole experience are the burps. They are even tastier and you'll surely find yourself trying to burp deliberately to feel that taste in your mouth. Your excitement starts waning slowly as the burps lose their taste and finally you start getting tasteless or mixed taste burps. That, marks the end of the whole experience. That, is also when you want to go and eat again! A vicious cycle. :P

Panipuri is something to be eaten messily. The more messier you eat, the more satisfaction you get. When a little pani escapes from your mouth and dribbles down your chin! That is the best thing that could happen as you can keep sweeping your tongue over that area to relive the taste even after you are done eating. I still wonder how people in other countries can live without knowing it's heavenly qualities. Well, in a way they're lucky to not be addicted.

All this writing is making my mouth water. Gotta go and have some immediately!


P.S. This entire thing was written assuming that people know about panipuri, the way it is served and eaten and all the other basic terminologies related to panipuri eating. So basic knowledge is mandatory or you wouldn't be able to appreciate this masterpiece. :P

Read it to find out..

Another something I've written.. Sorry.. Typed! :P

If only I had realised my mistake then I wouldn’t be doing what I’m about to do. I’ve committed a great mistake and I’m so sorry! But it’s too late. I’m helpless. I’ve no other choice.

We had been going out since college. She loved me and so did I (or maybe not). That day we were really happy. We had been doing well in our jobs and we had finally convinced our parents of our love. They had agreed and we were engaged, soon to be married. We went out to celebrate our success both in our careers and our personal lives. We went to a small restaurant which in spite of the lousy ambience served great, tasty food. We spent time there talking about how great everything turned out to be.

I sensed a little discomfort in her manner but I didn’t ask her and she didn’t speak about it. Then I heard my phone ringing. I picked it up and learnt that I had to immediately attend to an emergency in my office. I told her I had to leave immediately. She seemed a little unhappy about it but said that she would go home by public transport. I finished my food hurriedly and left. I was so tired after I came home that I went straight to bed without even bothering to ask if she had reached home safely.

After I woke up, my mother came running to tell me that she was in the hospital. I was shocked and went immediately to the hospital along with my parents. She was lying on the bed, weak and bruised. I wondered what happened.

When I went to her parents they were crying hysterically. They didn’t want to see me or talk to me. I left them to that and went home. My mother later told me that she had been raped on her way home. She also said ”It’s a pity the poor thing didn’t die. Now who is going to marry her?” It then suddenly struck me that I was the one supposed to marry her. I didn’t feel so sure about that now.

People had been saying various things about her while she was in the hospital. “How will a rape victim survive in this society?” “They should have killed her. They’d have done her a favour.” People also came to my house, when they came to know that we were engaged, telling my mother that it was all God’s plan and this marriage was never meant to be. Whenever I passed in a street, people gave me kind and sad looks. But then a few months later I came to know that she had recovered and was going to be discharged that day. I didn’t know what to do. I stayed at home.

In the afternoon, I heard our doorbell ring. I opened it to find her in tears but happy. She fell on me and hugged me. “It was them who were sitting beside us in the restaurant. Oh! It was horrible. I’m so glad I didn’t die. All the time in the hospital I was thinking about you. My parents kept telling me it’s all over, that you wouldn’t accept me anymore but I know there’s more to our love than that. I told them that you are different and would accept me even in my worst form. I still love you and know you do too. Let’s get married.” I had grown stiff from shock and the hug. I sensed my mother standing behind me. She was staring at her, not speaking a word. Many thoughts were going on in my mind then. I didn’t expect her to still have hopes of getting married. I thought for a moment and hesitantly said,”W-we can’t get married.” On hearing my words her eyes went wide. I continued, “Our family is prestigious. I don’t want anything to happen to that. People are talking bad about you. I’m sorry but this is not meant to be.” She stood there for a moment, dumbstruck. The words that then came out of her mouth were barely audible. “I thought you were different.” she said. She left my house without saying another word.

The next day I heard the news of her death from my mother. “Suicide”, she said. Sensing my shock she said, “Don’t feel guilty for her death. That’s how rape victims are supposed to be. They can never lead a normal life again. It’s a good thing that happened. It’s not your fault.” This made me feel a little better. I was still disturbed for a few days.

A few months later, I felt better. A year later, much to my mother’s happiness I fell in love again. We got married and lived happily for quite some time until one evening when I was taking my two year old son out for a walk I saw her walking on the street. I immediately broke into a sweat and kept staring at her. She went on walking without noticing me. Many possibilities started springing up in my mind but I finally blamed it on my imagination and went home. During dinner, my wife kept asking me what was wrong. I told her it was nothing and kept telling myself the same. That night I saw her in my dreams. She kept crying and I was standing doing nothing. I woke up suddenly to realise I was sweating fiercely. I saw my wife beside me who was sleeping soundly unaware of anything happening around her. I got up and went to a table in the corner of my room to drink some water. Feeling much better I was returning back to my bed when I saw something obstructing the way. It was her, standing right in front of me with the same expression she had the last time I saw her. I rubbed my eyes and opened them to see that she was gone, nowhere to be seen. This time, I blamed it on the stress I was undergoing at my office lately and thought that might be the reason why I was hallucinating. I couldn’t go back to sleep. I kept tossing and turning on my bed. I wondered why I was suddenly hallucinating about her after such a long time. I didn’t have a good feeling about all this.

The alarm rang suddenly. It was 7AM. I was very late. I might have fallen into a disturbed sleep the previous night. I looked at myself in the mirror. My eyes had dark circles underneath and my face was all swollen and puffy. I dressed up quickly and ran downstairs hoping my wife wouldn’t notice my face. She didn’t notice me as she was engrossed watching the TV. I went to what was so interesting and saw two pictures in the news. Those faces looked familiar. I asked my wife what happened to them and she said they both died the previous night under mysterious circumstances. The murderer was very clever and didn’t leave a trace. The post mortem reports also couldn’t reveal the cause for the deaths. Suddenly it struck me. They were the two people who were there that day. The last day I went out with her. I was dumbstruck. I stared at the screen for a few minutes and without looking at my wife’s face said I had to leave soon and I was very late. I left home in a hurry.

From that day I’d no peace of mind. I kept seeing her everywhere. The nights were the worst. I kept having the same nightmares over and over and every dream had her in it. My wife started getting worried. She kept asking me what was wrong. I always eluded her questions, found some way to not answer them. I somehow didn’t want to share all this with her. The whole day her voice kept echoing in my mind. Her last words to me. “I thought you were different”. My whole world was falling apart.

 I can’t take this anymore. I hope my wife finds this. I hope she’ll understand and not hate me.

I AM NO DIFFERENT. I’m going to die!

A "SHORT" thought

" Their heads may look down to me,
but their minds will look up to mine
and deep down inside they'll know
that here's a superior creature who is as humble as her height."

Defying the fairytale laws...

Here's a little something I've written.... You could call it a small narrative..
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I stood there, with the cool breeze caressing my face. A strong wind was what I wanted instead of a mere breeze to match the rush of adrenaline inside of  me but you don't always get what you want, do you?
  I don't have many memories as a child. All my memories mostly comprised of my bed and the small table beside it and a little window which allowed very little light into the dark room. All my life I've known only fear, terror and anger. Happiness was never a part of me or maybe I had forgotten what it felt like to be happy. I was kidnapped as a child, I guess, and was locked up in the dark room of this very high tower. A few men tried to rescue me, or so the Dragon says. I talk to the Dragon. Yeah, we communicate but I never really liked It.
  I've always had this urge to inflict damage to the Dragon and climb down the tower and run about wild and free. I have this faint memory in which my father told me that a man, a handsome prince to be more precise would come, slay the Dragon, rescue me and take me back home to my kingdom. We'd eventually get married and live Happily Ever After.
  I've waited for quite long. No sign of any prince. The Dragon says a few have come but they have stopped, as It is too fierce for them. "They're all chickens", It says and laughs It's wicked laugh. I waited and waited patiently in my room hoping for someone to come. No one did.
    Today, all my urges and desires took over me. I felt really determined and had made up my mind. I sat in my room, thinking, for hours together. Something had to be done. I was tired of being the damsel in distress and wanted to help myself! My patience had clearly ended and there was no use waiting for someone who would never come. People had forgotten all about me. It was about time I reminded them.
   I slayed the Dragon in It's sleep with a sword I'd found in It's room. I went directly for It's belly and pierced hard. It opened It's eyes to the pain and saw me standing with the sword. It stared straight into my eyes and became immobile.
  I'd done it. I didn't need any prince's help and I clearly didn't need a man for my Happily Ever After. I stood there taking in the breeze and my new found freedom. I had a whole life and the world ahead of me!