To dad, with love

                          To dad,

                                       with love.

1st August.

Here it is! The day has finally arrived. The day my hero, my true idol, my favourite man on this earth was born. For those of you who might not have the knack of getting hints-my father.

So where do I begin? How? Will what I write be worth? How do I write about someone who has been an inspiration, a role model, a shoulder to lean on, my brick, my everything? That even words are not enough for this man? 

I remember those days, when you were still serving our borders so that people like you and I can live fearlessly without the fear of harm.  So that other men can have their families protected while you spend many a nights in below freezing temperature, together with our other brave hearts, fighting to keep our India safe? I do not think that we as civilians understand the kind of determination, vigour, bravery, strength, stamina, resolution that one needs to spend months and in some cases years without seeing civilization and to be away from their families, their love ones.
It is still etched  in my memory those days where you used to come home after 5 to 6 months, covered with literally a forest of facial hair, that turban, and that sparkle in your eyes, ecstatic to be home. But me stubborn being the 4-year-old, refused to come near you, thinking you were some strange man, who wanted to play with me and used to run away from your warm open arms. Hey, do not judge. I think even you'd be scared if you saw my father, he was the epitome of creepiness (no offense dad, I still love you!) But somehow even with my misguided mistrust on your external bravado, you'd still win my heart and we'd spend the rest of your time playing together, until you'd leave again to the train station, me literally fitting you like second skin; like Cinderella's lost shoe or in your case an army combat boot, wailing, begging for you not to go back. Maybe being in the army has made you miss some parts of my growing up, but be rest assured I don't think I would have wished to have it another way. Otherwise, how would I have gone around my school bulling my teachers to give me what am I want threatening that if they didn't obey to my wishes, my daddy would come with his big gun and shoot her. Well you could say I was kind of stubborn ? Ah, let's go with stubborn, yes I was a stubborn kid who always wanted her way, and maybe just implying or hinting to my friends or teachers that I had an army dad, somehow made me feel proud. Seeing in their eyes a hint of admiration for my dads profile just compensated your absence.  

Even now, you might have left the army, but you still manage to be the coolest dad from my social circle thanks to your charismatic skills of socialising and attracting people to you, by your boisterous personality, wit and your entertaining tales of your life stories. I mean come on! How many kids can say that their dads lived on for months for with 30 feet if snow capped mountains and nothing else to keep them company,fought battles, still have stolen merchandise from the militants they have killed with them, killed bad people ( and I mean it in the nicest way possible). Let me let you, not many can. That's what made my childhood cool. I have no one to thank for but you,dad. My favourite man on this earth. 

Even now when you're not in the army and are working for an MNC. You still manage to make the corporate world seem cool and with your taste for fashion make a little more glamorous? I wonder how you manage to do so much! Never have I seen a more hard working man than you. 

Oh and how could I ever forget that never ending knowledge of yours? You always know the answers to all of my questions and as a kid, I always thought you had a magic book where you would get all the answers. Yes, I was pretty imaginative kid then, wasn't I? I like to think I still am. 

Well that's going off topic. Sometimes I seriously think words can be enough. But I got to work with what I've got, so maybe I don't have the most beautiful hands to create a beautiful portrait of you and I or make the most beautiful card. Or not have I the money to buy you the things you want. But what I do have is a handful of writing skills which I have put to my best use to write to you, perhaps even just a small blog, to wish you all the happiness in the world! So happy birthday papa, I love you to the moon and back! May god bless you and I hope someday I can inspire people just as you inspired me. Many many many more to come, happy birthday once again to the most wonderful dad in the whole wide world 

PS- I know right now things may seem to be hard, but remember- everything will be okay in the end. If its not okay, it's not the end. So have faith dad, and your family is always always with you. 

                              From your favourite 

                                       kid. 

To be or not to be a Cliche`?

                     To be or not to be a Cliche`?

Cliche`. What exactly is the meaning of this word? Google- A cliché or cliche  is an expression, or an element of an artistic work which has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning, or effect, and even, to the point  of being irritating, especially when at some earlier time it was considered meaningful or novel.

Now most would not even know the actual meaning, and the meaning I've just given makes no sense either. So let me just explain what it mean its simpler terms- It is a french word, the past participle of clicher. A predictable occurrence, a stereotype which actually ends up to be annoying to most of the general public. 

Now lets come back to our topic- To be or not to be a cliche`?

You know when your are sitting in a movie theatre and watching a rom-com, a romance or even a horror; and when the movie finally ends irrelevant of the movie being good or bad, you will sometime or the other comment- 'Oh my, that was such a cliched ending.' 

Yes, most of the movies do have the most stereotype kind of ending where the hero and the heroin may be seem be apart from each other and finally in the end, the hero or the heroin declare their never ending love for each other in the most cheesiest way possible and Disney's depiction of the famous lines - "And they lived happily ever after." Most people would go like- Why is it that the hero always gets his girl? Or the protagonist always gets the life they want or the goals and success they always wanted to achieve? This movie has such a predictable storyline, I don't even know why I sat through the full film. I think you and I both know that deep inside, there is a reason why we wanted to watch that film, deep down, even if our stubbornness gets the better of us; there is always a reason why you actually took the efforts of buying that movie ticket and spend like 2 hours of your day watching that specific film. 

We may not know it, but deep down, however cynical we may think ourselves to be, we wait just for the ending. Where the hero, finally gets his girl or the the protagonist does not die and fights his way back or finally achieves what the whole point of the movies storyline is. Maybe because in real life, things never happen the way we want. We never are given the things we ask for or wish for on a sliver platter- even after working all your life to achieve that wish and going through all trials and tribulations. When life refuses to give us our much earned fruits, that's when we want to escape. And what's the best way other than watching a movie, empathising with the protagonist's pain and you understand the problems the hero goes through and as the storyline progress you connect with the hero and when the totally over rated 'happily ever after' finale arrives and the hero finally gets his earnest wish, maybe in that bubble you have created in the movie theatre, pretending to be the character you feel a sense of happiness and accomplishment which you may have not experienced in your life, and maybe that's the only reason you sit there for 2 hours in your very own bubble. Movies are of all kinds and all types of cliched movies are made. But yet again, it's only a matter of personal choice and thinking of one. But I can guarantee that everyone is in search of their happy ever after, it's all a matter of faith and destiny, a game of this thing we can life, in hopes of finding our true selves. Maybe, that's why we made clichés. To give us that brief assurance that all will have our very own happy endings, we just have to keep faith and trust ourselves and our hearts. At the end of the day, it's doesn't matter if get or don't get our earnest wishes. What matters is the journey and the search for our very own clichéd ending and I hope with all my heart that everyone gets their perfect Disney ending. I sure wish my life had a cliché ending. No, not the ones you see in these films but my very own cliched ending. So I don't think to be a cliché who be the worst thing in the world! Like Gossip Girl once quoted 'We make our own fairytales." And I can't wait to make mine. 

Au Revoir or goodbye?

                      SCHOOL DAYS 

I remember the times I've looked at a senior of my school and almost, like an instantaneous combustion of gas molecules go like, 'Oh my god, I wish I was her/him. That lucky girl/boy has a counted number of days left to be officially booted out of this school and into the wonderful world, full of  opportunities; while I sit here and continue going to this claustrophobic environment of these never ending exams and studies.'

Its funny how after 3 years I'm in their position, more ready than I can ever be; but a certain part of my mind nagging, brooding even so, a tiny voice reminding me that my school days are over. My usual routine for the past 10 years of my life, has finally come to an end, no, not a pause but a legitimate end. No more taking the morning bus, no more annoying kinder garden kids screeching to go back home, no more vigorous basketball sessions, no more boring morning assemblies etc.

But come on, I think the sole reason we all would drag our butts all those years, was to see your best friend smiling, eagerly waiting to share her never ending drama or to gossip about just about anything under the sun. Spending lunch time catching up with your friends, teasing, annoying them and of course saying the most wonderful and lovely things about our teachers. Sarcasm intended of course. 

Jokes aside, I think however we may think we hate school, we miss it with all our hearts when those days are gone.My mother always says- the friends you make in school are the ones that will last you a lifetime, and I stand true by this statement.  We may drift apart, making our own careers, making our choice; but I know I can always depend on them when in trouble.

 Its true when they say that you never know the true worth of something unless its gone. So maybe we should start to appreciate the people and things around us, stop our wining and realise the true worth of something, cause who know how long you will have it? This life is full of surprises. Around ever corner, some happy, some unexpected. But hey, life sucks; but we have to deal with it and just make the best of everything you have. So if you are a 50,15 or even 5, school days are never over, even if it seems so. Its your way of living or perspective of this ever changing life whether you want to live as a school boy- carefree, happy, innocent, childish; its all a matter of how you see things. 

So saying goodbye to school days is over-rated. Its all a matter of finding that innocence, that childishness, the happiness in the simplest of aspects in ones life. 

So Au Revoir my friend!