Love fades, Friendship is Eternal!

We all have had cold showers of pain,

Our friends have then stood in our rain,

Deathly feeling of loneliness,

No need to feel shameless,

We've been there before,

Not wanting to feel any more.

Our hearts been broken in half,

Mind still living in the past,

Cold dark thoughts of suicide,

Why don't we do it tonight,

Don't worry it will go away,

Learn to love another day.

Put it in the back of mind,

Let it rest and you will find,

Dark clouds begin to part,

New love will mend the heart.

Thoughts of suicide disappear,

Self-esteem will reappear,

One day we'll again say,

Our friends stood by us night & day.

(All pictures are taken from Google)

Ps : I've always had ups and downs in my life, but my friends have always picked me up whenever I fell, always consoled me when I was sad, and have always wiped my tears! So, I personally believe that a bond of friendship should always be strong, because lovers might leave but friends stay forever!

If you liked reading this short piece today, do let me know in the comments below. Also, share it with someone who according to you needs motivation to get out of their depressing past! And, I'll be back with more posts very soon. Until then, sending across lots of warm hugs!

~xoxo~

Personally reviewing CORNERS OF A STRAIGHT LINE

So, its been really long that I've written a book review, the sole reason being as many of you know that books have never fancied me; and if you've read the last book review I wrote about Chetan's Bhagat's 'Halfgirlfriend' on this blog, you should know that really well! But, there are some books that really make me curious and I only pick to read those when a lot of people go gaga over it! Something similar happened about 'Corners Of A Straight Line' too (the name of the book is so catchy, no?). Since its written by a writer from my own town, Lucknow, I'd been hearing a lot about this book from my friends and family members since last month when it was launched. A debut work by a behavioural scientist and a motivational speaker by profession, Chandra Shekhar Varma, this book came to me as a surprise. More because I've always heard of him as a Hindi poet, not knowing he would come up with a novel one day, that too in English keeping in mind the youth of today! Well, after reading this book for about 4 days I'm finally through with it and of course here goes the review for you...

Starting with the prologue, I could automatically connect to the first line itself where the author mentions, 'All of us have a past and so do I'. It was indeed promising, since the line brought back my past in a flash. As the first chapter unfolds, Atharv (the protaganist) is introduced as a confident journalist, a man whose journey is the key to the eruption of this book. He firstly falls in love with Siya, as she plays the strings of Atharv’s heart being a high-spirited young girl with a heart that cherished immense warmth. The dynamic woman as she appears, leaves traces of herself on the reader's mind as she does on Atharv's heart while leaving all of us in shock! (I never thought Siya would ever leave Atharv). Next, as Atharv in his behest to overcome the episode of Siya, finds a refuge in Resham, a bold, ambitious, stunningly beautiful damsel aspiring to become a top model. She had all the attributes that could enthral and captivate the senses of a man. But soon the sour state of affairs wiped the sweetness of Atharv and Resham's love only to leave tart flavors of wrath, depression and pain. As the second chapter ended here, I was already in tears, praying for no more heartbreaks! (well, this is the reason I keep myself away from novels, sciences I can't read and love stories make me weep) :P

Moving ahead, the third chapter introduces the readers to Vedita, who was a dauntless, accomplished, happily married influential woman with a facile record of business victory and achievements. She casts an indelible impression on Atharv's mind only to lure him into the forbidden arena without justifications. An extra marital affair what we call, emerges between the two which is ofcourse not entertained by many! Poor Atharv, I felt quite absurd reading this chapter, to be true! There was a point where while reading I wanted to just stop and weep my heart out. But then, as the author mentions, 'even after love ends, the story continues.....' I had to complete the last one too. (with very moderate hopes I started the last chapter). Well, it was time to know the last lady in the protaganist's life. Her name is Susan. An air hostess by profession, while travelling to Bangalore she meets Atharv. The fate brought the two of them together at the doorsteps of an Ashram that besides healing their vexed and troubled state of affairs also gave their lives a new direction and purpose. Susan was a lady of wisdom and she chose her duties above her love; and as I expected, she too left from Atharv's life! (I am extremely saddened)

To end, this work of fiction has impacted me in many ways. Talking of separations, I am really not fond of them but I loved how the author puts it together showing that despite Atharv's many commitments, true love eludes him. In a world where lust trumps over love; and greed, depravity are rampant, Atharv managed to fall for so many ladies one after the other! What kept me gripped till the end were the complexities I was actually reading about and that love really never ends. 'Corners of a Straight Line' comes out to me as simple and perceptive. The best part about the book is that it leaves an impact on the reader's mind with the comment made by the author on the Indian polity. It is thus, an unconditional storyline justified by its characters and the never ending love story of a man who is still in search of true love. I so wish a sequel to the book is released soon so that I can sleep in peace for the fact I hate reading separations, though it touched my heart deeply and bloomed some love into it too!

Overall Rating : 4/5 

Suggestions : Don't form any strict opinions about the book from any reviews you hear or read. Please go ahead and read the book yourself! Also, if you have any additions or contradictions to the review, do comment below!

Extending my gratitude to a dear friend Aarushi Mittal for helping me get a personally signed copy of the book by the author himself, Mr.Chandra Shekhar Varma.

~xoxo~

The Land-locked Mermaid

The mermaid ashore,

Shakes the salt from her pores,
And walks through town on her hands,
She meets this fellow,
Greeting her with hello,

And welcomes her upon land.

He offers her,
With trust of his word,
To give her legs to stand,
She takes his curse,
Without thinking first,
Choosing to leave water for sand.

Her fin disappears,

With her so many years,

Now gone with the swipe of his hand,

With legs to walk,

She stumbles on rocks,

While now in debt to this man.

Looking for love,

One land up above,

This mermaid with beautiful hair,

With her long naked legs,

She finds love many ways,

But none to which she could care.

Her beautiful looks,

Could be written in books,

So she has to deal with the stares,

Jade by lust,

She's tried of dust,

Wanting to return to her layer.

She looks for the man,

Who gave her legs to stand,

In town but he wasn't there,

She searched high and low,

Ratting her hair in a fro,

Wishing she had been more aware.

She jumps in the ocean,

Propelled by her motion,

Panicked by the thought of this fate,

She can no longer breathe,

The salt of the sea,

As she regrets so much that she hates.

She swims to an island,

To go into hiding,

While missing her fin and her mates,

Building a fire on shore,

Seeking love once more,

Calling to sailors for dates.

Never leaving her island,

Never fearing the trident,

She's welcoming guests to her state,

Entering her realm,

Letting lust take the helm,

She's only asking for magic in fate.

Then one day on a boat,

Just one person afloat,

The man from the town appears,

He calls her to swim,

Past the break out to him,

Away from her home of years.

Her want of her fin,

Got her to swim,

Though she was breaking down into tears,

Climbing into the skip,

She begins with a lip,

Annoying this man through his ears.

He interrupts her,

She sounds so absurd,

Blaming him for her fin and her fears,

That she may never find him,

To swim free again,

Because of the magic he cast on her rear.

But she is in debt to him,

He treated her as a friend,

Her decision made her this way,

The business man that he is,

Asking for what is his,

Spreading her legs for his pay.

No longer in debt,

She wishes to be reset,

But this man wanted her for a lay,

So she jumps off the boat,

Leaving herself with no hope,

Back on her island still today.

The curious mind,

Leaving innocence behind,

Will find itself betrayed,

the mermaid ashore,

Seeking her fin once more,

Is left all alone to say...

LIFE UNDER THE SEA IS BETTER THAN ANYTHING THEY GOT UP THERE.

Note : All images are taken from google. The credit for the statues goes entirely to the sculptors.

~xoxo~

In The Mirror

I look into the mirror,

Combing my long, wavy hair,

I wonder at its silkiness,

Perceiving a change somewhere.

My reflection tells me,

That I look no longer the same,

My mysterious visage is now alluring,

Beauty has given simplicity a name.

My cheeks have a wild bloom,

My eyes harbor a vivid shine,

My lips part, like soft rose petals,

Make me look seductively divine.

I also sense something deeper,

There is something in my eyes,

My heartbeats quicken with ardor,

I feel my color gently rise.

I see you standing next to me,

Smiling through the mirror,

I reach out, but can't touch you,

Yet you're so close to me.

Your love flows like fire in my veins,

Your affection is the reason for my beauty,

your voice echoes like music in my body,

I realize that my own heart,

No longer belongs to me,

It now beats in your chest,

The tender stranger in the mirror.

Note : All images are taken from Google and the credit for all these beautiful paintings goes entirely to the artists.

~xoxo~

My share of review on Chetan Bhagat's latest novel - HALFGIRLFRIEND

I am not a books person, not a reader AT ALL. Its hard to even recall when did I last read & completed a book, except ofcourse my textbooks. But there was something peculiar about ‘Halfgirlfriend’..I could over hear people talking about it everywhere I went in the past one month. I was seeing selfies, people took with the book and posted it on various social media sites. I was somehow attracted to it, really don’t have an idea WHY? The other day I was ordering a few textbooks for my course in college from Flipkart & suddenly ‘Halfgirfriend’ popped up showing the view details & price. I clicked on “buy now” option & added it to my cart, telling myself to give it a shot. But an inner voice said to me, Shubhi, are you seriously going to read a book, rather a novel? Will you, seriously? I held my breadth and said, Yes I will. Two days later, I received the book & took a picture of it to post on instagram, telling the world I’m transforming, LOL.The same night I started reading the book at 12 AM sharp. (Sorry to be specific but this time did change something in me, I was reading.) It took me 3 nights to complete the whole book. Well, 3 because I used to read 12AM-2AM every night. Yesterday night I completed the book at 3.30 AM because I didn’t want to stretch it to another night and live in suspense, and posted on twitter saying, ITS ADDICTIVE! Well, I am suppose to write a review on the book, well because many of my non-reader friends have asked me to do so. Gosh! Why can’t they just open up the book and read it themselves, reviews change opinions & perceptions, they do! Anyways, here I go……

There are two kinds of people in this world – those who like Chetan Bhagat and those who detest Chetan Bhagat. Both these groups ensure that you cannot ignore him. 

Starting with the prologue, I wept and wept for 5 minutes continuously. But then I thoroughly enjoyed the read right upto the epilogue. Well, wept again in ACT 2, reading the “6 legible entries” from the heroine’s diary, to be frank.

The character build up has been beautifully done and for the first time , even though the book is from Madhav’s point of view, Riya, the female protagonist, is more central to the story than Madhav himself. The story had its twists, but there was quite a bit of predictability in it too. There were a few things that weren’t quite logical, but logic isn’t what most try to see in today’s books or movies, right? Bhagat always takes up issues which resonate with the masses. In “Halfgirlfriend”, the protagonist is a Bihari guy named Madhav who has a hard time speaking English. Now what can be more common than that? I can envision thousands of youth in Bihar, who will never read “To Kill a Mocking Bird”, but who will readily see themselves in Madhav and will have no difficulty in comprehending Bhagat’s simplistic yet charming writing style. The repeated references to Madhav’s poor English is annoying at times, but almost every book has a phase where the reader fights within himself to either put it down or soldier along. I chose to read on. And the book did hold my attention. Till the last page. And mind you, I am not a girl who reads only Chetan Bhagat novels, infact..I don’t read any authors’. But “Halfgirlfriend” had me hooked. It’s a charming love story. You will end up rooting for Madhav.

There is the inevitable drama. Almost Bollywood like. But it is Chetan Bhagat we are talking about. This slightly surreal drama is Bhagat’s style. And it’s good. He has his own niche. It’s a different story altogether. Bhagat touches on the problem of rural education in India and the book also suggests ways to improve one’s English. The techniques may seem too raw for the average Goodreads user or a regular reader, but in truth, they are effective. A 15 year boy reading this book in Bihar will understand this more than you and I ever will. One of the pinnacles of the novel encompasses the fact that  the story is also revealed from the perception of the heroine - Riya, though it surfaces through her diary entries. Moreover, the jigsaw method of gluing the broken contours at the end of the novel too is absorbing. Accommodating the Microsoft King - Bill Gates, too  takes to shore the crystalline pebbles of the novel. From one perspective, the novel is yet another amusing Bollywood saga and resembles a bit with the movie English-Vinglish where one tries to conquer the  convolutedness of English language. In the second half, the story traces fragments of Sanjay Leela Bansali movie “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam”  where the heroine crosses the borders of India in search of her long lost Lover in Italy. One pragmatic point worth mentioning is the guy choosing to work for a social cause, development of better infrastructure and facilities for rural schools; over a high paying MNC job. In a nutshell, Bhagat’s new book “Half Girlfriend” forms a perfect plot for Bollywood flicks.

To end, it was a sweet, simple and convincing story. An inspiration for some students in many ways, because in our generation is more likely to follow the stories in movies or books, so yes its an inspiration for the youth to hold on to the one they love for a lifetime. Also, to enter any reputed college in the country through the sports quota if they have willpower & dedication. But, guys…St.Stephen’s is a hard one.

Overall rating : 3/5 

Suggestions : Don't form any strict opinions about the book from any reviews you hear or read. Please go ahead and read the book for yourself! Also, if you have any additions or contradictions to the review, do comment below!  

~xoxo~

Request to my Friends..

                       

Everyone knows of the power of friends,

The terrific result when everything blends,

When people have friends, they don't stand alone,

Friends always help when you face the unknown.

Friends give you courage to face problems untold,

So the love of a friend can help make you bold,

They can help you to live a much richer life,

So your every day living will be less filled with strife.

               

I owe you so much that its hard to repay,
All I can do is just say,

That I love all of you from the bottom of my heart,

And I wish our ways never part.

  

I need you in my life to share my joys and sorrows,

Not yesterday and today but even tomorrow,

Because life presents you with situations and circumstances,

When its difficult to stand all alone,

And at that time all you need is someone,

Holding your hand and telling you, 
I'm there for you, no need to mourn.

I found that someone in all of you, 
And that's why I request you, never to bid me adieu.

I promise you, I'll be there for you the same you'll be there for me,

And sooner or later whatever difficulties we face will just flee!

PS : I love you all..no matter how much we argue over certain things or do not stay in touch for quite a time, I still know our bond of friendship will never break. Hope the same from your end my loves!

~xoxo~

Because one day, I might get hit by a bus.

Hi guys! Its my happy happy happyyyyy birthday today! I just thought of sharing this note with you today because I don't know what's gonna happen tomorrow. Love you!

Because one day, I might get hit by a bus.

I love being horribly straightforward. I love sending reckless text messages (because how reckless can a form of digitized communication be?) and telling people I love them and telling people they are absolutely magical humans and I cannot believe they really exist. I love saying, “Kiss me harder,” and “You’re a good person,” and, “You brighten my day.” I live my life as straight-forward as possible.

Because one day, I might get hit by a bus.

Maybe it’s weird. Maybe it’s scary. Maybe it seems downright impossible to just be—to just let people know you want them, need them, feel like, in this very moment, you will die if you do not see them, hold them, touch them in some way whether its your feet on their thighs on the couch or your tongue in their mouth or your heart in their hands.

But there is nothing more beautiful than being desperate.

And there is nothing more risky than pretending not to care.

We are young and we are human and we are beautiful and we are not as in control as we think we are. We never know who needs us back. We never know the magic that can arise between ourselves and other humans.
But we never know when the bus is coming…

~xoxo~

All Alone...

Something's missing inside me,

Its my soul,

Where you used to reside,

My heart, which you called your abode,

But now its lost,

Gone like the time trickling away with me on the road.

I stand away from happiness,

With gloom overpowering my sense,

Taking a long way,

I try to find the reason why,

Here I'm lost and aloof,

With people rushing by laughing,

A darkness overpowers me,

But the pain is growing inside me,

As my love, left me alone,

To fight with this world...All Alone! 

~xoxo~

Dedicated to my sister SHIVANGI GARG.

PART 1 : written in 2009

She is just like a beautiful rose, 

Little roll round is her nose,

I call her CD, but she's not a compact disk,

She's above all and fond of taking risks.

She' in my heart and in my soul,

She' so thin that she can't even roll,

She's the one with whom I can share my thoughts,

She bunks hers lectures but she's hardly caught.

She lives in another city but she's not far from me,

And when I'm with her, I just enjoy her company,

I love her so much that I can do anything for her,

She looks really pretty even in fur.

I message her goodnight every night,

Sometimes she's sleeping sometimes not so tight,

I feel she's a tomboy,

But she's no less than Arundhati Roy.

I can never refuse her demands,

And I have to follow all her commands,

Honey is there in her sweet tone,

She oves to chat on her little cellphone.

Modern dresses she likes to wear,

She looks amazing in her open hair,

I know, her favourite color is black,

I wonder if she likes to hear smack that.

She listens to me and also talks,

She' available round the clock,

She has always guided me and has advised,

She' certainly an angel in disguise.

Its not easy to mess with her at all,

'coz she is the bravest and smartest of all,

In short, she' the best sister of mine,

And nobody can describe her in one line. 

PART 2 : written in 2014

Sister you are a guardian angel in disguise,

With lots of perception, intelligent, and wise,

Always helping through good and bad,

You are also the greatest friend I've ever had.

If I could have one wish it would be,

To give you all that you have given to me,

Though I've put our relationship through some hazy days,

You've been that sunlight which shone in so many ways.

Through my ups and downs, right by me you stood,

And gave me your hand whenever you could.

Though I am sure my mistakes will not end here,

But you're always there to keep me away from my fears,

I don't doubt some of your headaches are from me.

With all the times you lecture and tease,

I stand there upset and unpleased,

Though I tell you I can't stand you,

You come back with that's not true.

We do have fights,

Which lead to sleepless nights,

But in the end I come to you saying,

My appreciation for you has no end, 

You will always be my sister and my friend.

PS : Posting this on her birthday (Today 28th May) & wishing her a very happy birthday!

~xoxo~