CHERISH with HARISH

11:06 pm, Gurgaon. My uncle (my father's real brother) called him after centuries and he wanted to talk with me. He asked a simple question, "Harish, I have a doubt, what do you do now?" This was a question which shook me and because of lack of answers, I simply smiled. An old friend had asked me that day that I don't work anywhere,I have my group's rehearsal only on weekends, I just need to teach slum kids twice a week and now there is a summer vacation now, so the college work is closed for sometime. So how am I so busy, always? But when I look inside, I like having so much of work that there is stuff left after the day too. But where does this work come from? I guess I love 'inventing' work for myself. I have been busy writing a street play, writing a new stage play, and directing a short film, but the worst part is that I like being busy. Only the film part gives me money, and all the rest gives me more pleasure than money. I also get plea...

"Is 'Change' actually constant?" The neem tree opposite my balcony hasn't changed, the universe has not changed a bit, the clouds are still the same. the fresh breeze hitting my face, on a summer afternoon is still the same, Change does not exist for nature, nor for the Universe. CHANGE is 'constant' only for MAN, n no one else. Isn't it? - KHS, Apr'18

Gurgaon I have always believed that if you want to see India in the best possible way, take the Indian Railways! We had started about a fortnight ago from Delhi to basically rest to Hyderabad, but I had no clue that there was so much in store already. I had gone with no expectations, but just to meet my aunt, Tuffy and lots of rest. But I had surely expected train journeys, which always make me think, think and may be think more. But I got gifts which were not material, but very emotional. I loved Hyderabad's evening breeze, which is amazing always. That I guess is the only constant in this ever changing city, for the better. This breeze is an icing on the cake after you get up after a nice afternoon nap! But what was nice was meeting and chatting with my cousin Nannujiji, who had come from Brisbane, who had come back without any airs. I like it when people don't forget their roots and habits. She was exactly the same person I had seen when she left India, twenty years ...

I was quite exhausted after directing a short film and finishing a play. Everything happened in a great way, thanks to the universe. I wanted a break, so I took a week off to Hyderabad, which had no cousins, only 'Tuffy' (my uncle's lovely pet and an old friend!). I had decided to just eat and sleep. We had got the train tickets reserved and I got this news that this cousin of mine was returning to India, from outside, after about 6-7 years. I was still aiming at re-charging myself. I had brought a book of Tagore's short stories, which I had started reading mid-way. I had also thought that I will start working on the next play and street play. But again, my major motive was to sleep. The week passed off in days and I kept looking for the week! But one thing which was good was that I got a video byte and I was happy for it. I also attended a couple of functions and loads of non-veg stuff and majorly, Biryani! I also attended my older aunt and uncle and realised ...

I have been very busy in the last few days. I was enjoying it too. I was preparing for a play to be staged in New Delhi on the 23rd. I had written the play, and I was busy teaching the dialect to the students and the major part was directing it. I was struggling to meet the self-created deadlines. But when you do that, you end up working faster and hence, you become stricter with your work. You start worshiping your work. I had suddenly been strict with my students and Kamaan for 'DRAMA JANTAR KA!' too. I was fighting time Worshiping? Yes, Last week, at the same time, I had got a film project from a reference. Amidst all the chaos of the play, an organisation approached me to make a film on their patients, who were suffering from Dementia. I always had a special corner for people with mental disorders (...as I have one too!). I could not say NO. It is just that they needed to finish the film in just a week. I said yes to them and started meeting and looking at the patient...

I was working on my play's direction and I got a message on my phone to meet up. It was not a wedding, not a function. It was plainly a 'REUNION' and I liked that fact. I love it when we meet for a reason and not mix it with another meeting. It sounds a bit idealistic, but it's fun not to mix meetings and cover a lot of things. I don't believe in the idea of a 'World tour', where you just go to a monument, just touch it and come back. I would like to read about any place and then see it thoroughly. Similarly, I don't like mixing meetings. I love it when I go there for only one reason, TO MEET. This might be one of the reasons that I sub-consciously hate weddings. I am sorry to all my close friends whose weddings I have missed in the last few years. I always prefer meeting in a somewhat 'isolated' reunion and talk about MEMORIES. I love that journey to the past. So after my tiring rehearsal, I left for the 'RE-UNION'. I was early and I ...

WORDS I wrote them randomly, the dictator called them 'Sense-less'. I wrote them in a rhyme. the dictator called it a 'Stupid song'. I kept writing them effortlessly, times changed, the dictator changed. The first part was called a STORY, and the second, a POEM. I realised that it was not the dictator's fault, just my doubts on myself! Dictators will come and go, but I should not stop writing. People will like it or not. I should not stop expressing. I should keep on 'PLAYING' with words, A lovely game. Isn't it?