CHERISH with HARISH

(This story is an introduction of a series of stories I have been writing, called 'Gokul's Summer Vaccation'. So read and comment. The series would be out (hopefully in print) soon. Enjoy...) It was a 2 bhk apartment which had four people staying in it. Gokul was one of them sharing the partment. Gokul Srinivas was new in Mumbai and his search for a job was on. It was just the day before, when he had turned 23. Gokul believed that it was his worst birthday ever. He got calls only from Ma and Pa . All his friends just sent him smses. He would have taken them with happiness, but not on a day when he was frustrated at the situation he was trapped in- A new city- No job- Very expensive! Gokul entered the room and closed the door behind him. There was some relief for Gokul as his roommate was not home and he had the whole room to himself. Gokul sat on the floor and felt sad at the way things were moving, or not moving at all. As he was looking around for deviations to enter h...

शुरू सही ही की थी कविता, सही शब्द, सही विराम, पर कहीं बीच में, थम सा गया हूँ। पता नहीं क्यूँ? विचार बहुत हैं, असीमित। ख्याल बहुत हैं, असंख्य। पंक्तियाँ भी बहुत हैं, अनगिनत। अब कैसे लगाऊँ? क्या लगाऊँ? कहाँ लगाऊँ? बस बीच में, थम सा गया हूँ। पता नहीं क्यूँ? गीत भी लिखना शुरू ही किया था, सुबह की गर्मा-गर्म कॉफी के साथ, सही अल्फ़ाज़ बने, और बढ़ा गाना मेरा, पर अब न समझूँ, की कोरस क्या होगा, पता नहीं कहीं बीच में, थम सा गया हूँ। पता नहीं क्यूँ? न मैं थमता, और न ही सोचता, ख़ुश हूँ की मैंने शुरुआत तो की, थमा हूँ, पर रुका नहीं, विकल्प अब भी जारी है। थम ज़रूर गया हूँ, पर कविता, अब भी जारी है। सोच अब भी जारी है। जारी है...  

3rd March 2011 was the day I had reached Bombay and my 'struggle' had just started. So in the last 10 months I have been working day in and day out and I seem to be loving this. I had started working as an intern in Recyclewala films with Anand Gandhi and helped (ran around) in the post production of 'Ship of Theseus'. After this, I joined AKFPL (Anurag Kashyap Films Pvt Limitid). Another journey that was assisting Shlok Sharma and in the group where all film students want to be a part of. Quite an experience as t was also my first feature film, where I was the continuity AD. Taught me a lot of things and I became friends with a huge group of nice people. I did an ad film and a couple of prjects here and there and I got admission in DBP (Dibakar Banerjee Production) as the DA (Direcor's Assistant) on his new short film which is a part of a bigger feature. The process I am sure was a big learning process for me. But to add to it, Dibakara had got 2 AD's from Del...

Every morning, at the Andheri station as I stand, I see millions of dreams, multiple lives, fighting with each other, over-taking each other, amidst all the announcements of the trains coming, I see the train, the shining Local, all set to accomodate all the dreams inside. We all jump up on the dream on wheels. The journey begins... Each train is a world in its own right, Full of races, full of people getting late, full of noises, full of illogical jokes people laugh on, full of the Mumbai I see and know of, full of ...Life, There is a reason why are they called the dream on wheels! As I stand waiting for Bandra to come, I see a group of people playing music and singing, these are all religious songs, as loud as the train sounds are, sung in voices which are absolutely brilliant, in terms of power and talent. The train approaches Bandra, I see them stop singing, packing up, They are all office goers, who just sing for the time to pass. Absolutely awesome ...

In the early morning darkness, all alone, I wait for light. With a couple of buses in motion, and an odd taxi on the road, I sit by that wait for sun-rise, I just wait for light. Last night was darker than the darkest, but some wise man told me to wait for the sunrise. He said it makes one happy. The whloe night i have been waiting, checking corners, waiting for it to glow, I just wait for light. There were no spaces to rest, nor was the will to, with so many good stories about the sun, I spend the whole night being awake, i just wait for light. They asked me to leave. They asked me to sleep off. They offered me money and coupons. They were all active men of the dark. But I, just wait for light. It is so early that it is not even morning yet, but I can feel it coming. So dark, that you know that there can be light anytime. I just wait for light. The breeze was painfully cold last night, but suddenly it feels good. The skies had no indication of light the whole night, but now, i see so...

I had a knee meniscus injury for the last 5 years. I love walking and exploring places, but I could not walk because of the pain. But this May, I had a surgery. We were all very scared that will my foot be normal ever again. My mother is not that religious but she took a vow in some temple in Haridwar, that if I can normally again she would come back to the temple. That was the first time I saw my mother something like that. I was moved. I came back to Mumbai after the surgery. I could walk with some problem inside my knee in the beginning. As time passed, it started becoming normal again. And I could walk again…climb stairs again at the station…pretty much the way I did before. I started exploring places again, by walk. My doctor had told me to walk as much as I could, as that was considered good for a meniscal injury. So I almost gave up taking rickshaws just for the joy of walking and exploration. I shifted to this place (4 bungalows) which is quite close to my...

This hot summer afternoon, I sit next to the lake, An artificial lake they made a couple of years ago, With a massive afternoon in the center, Cooling everything around, From the ducks in the lake, To the breeze around. I sit there facing the cool droplets hitting on my face, And I wonder how true the truth is, How real is the reality? Are the people who walk around the lake real? Or is that sweet smell of water falling on the mud more real? Are the Gods we worship more real? Than the ‘heroes’ we see on celluloid? I ask, as I sit next to the lake… Are the people whom I see every day more troubled, Than the people I face inside me? I still wonder who is more real. Are the smiles around more real? Than the crying sounds I hear in the background? I ask as I sit next to the lake… These are unimportant questions, coming up from deep inside, these are doubts which won’t make a difference, but yeah, I ask as I sit next to the l...