Colours of 'ate

This young man was an artist, a talented one
Shades and hues, in his mind, had always run
But the colours had been fading of late
Pity the lad, a victim of cruel games of 'ate
Fresh as yesterday, were the memories of that red
He stood frozen in his tracks as his mother bled
He trembled at the mention of the blazing fire
That'd burnt his hand while lighting his father's pyre
However much he tried, he couldn't forget that night
That night when his brother had come, body draped in white

He craved for the colours to come back in his life
He yearned for a way to escape this strife
'Is this what I am destined to be? Is this what I wanted to be?'
Thinking thus, he drove to the bridge over the sea
Hardly for a minute, he stood there without a clue
The next day, his body was fished out of the blue
A tragic artist in him is what all of us see
Not the perfect murderer he wanted to be
Guard yourself against yourself, mate
For they have never been cool, those games of hate!

Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and Humanity

The pen was sought to be besieged à Paris

But the world responded with je suis Charlie

Undeterred, people fought for liberty of expression

In 2016, may acceptance triumph over aggression 

Love it was that made us and it was love that saved us

Thank God for Luxembourg and Ireland and SCOTUS

Who broke down prejudices on love and sexuality

In 2016, let us do our to bit towards ensuring equality

April last, Nepal trembled under a mighty quake

That left innumerable deaths and destruction in its wake

These countless helping hands that helped tide over the calamity

In 2016, let us renew our pledge to fraternity and humanity

Three events that deeply touched countless lives

Three events which showed us that humanity thrives

Make a resolution, this year and every year thereafter

To spread joy and happiness, love and laughter

Happy Anniversary to My Blog!!

In the first year, I have been far less dedicated to my blog than I would have liked to be. Blame it partly on the tight schedule of my JEE preps and partly on my laziness. I fear that the situation is going to go downhill from here for the next six months.

Nonetheless, thank you for taking your time out and reading my posts! I promise that I will try my best to keep up the quality and quantity of my posts.

RIP The Nation's True Friend

RIP Dr A P J Abdul Kalam

You truly deserve a grand salaam

You surely didn't want to leave any student

But even the heavens need you, Mr People's President

Abdul Kalam aboard INS Sindhurakshak
Image Credits: Wikimedia

Ingenious as a scientist; as a teacher, uncanny

You piloted the Prithvi and ignited the Agni

At heart, a poet who loved birds and trees

The Missile Man of India -- an apostle of peace

Armed with a smile and a humble demeanour

You created amongst the youth a new vigour

Undeterred by poverty, you lived with zest

You set up GenY on Developed India's quest

Image Credits: qz.com

An inspiration to Indians, you'll always remain

We promise that we'll carry on in the same vein

Serving the humanity with full dedication

Realize your dreams and bring glory to the nation

This poem is, but, a small little ode

To a person who'd be working in his current abode

Secular to the core, a teacher till the end

I bow down to you, the nation's true friend

Image Credits: Wikimedia.org

PS
Happy Friendship Day everyone!
Let us continue to be inspired by this great man and work towards a developed India and a wonderful world!

Thank You South Africa : A Fan's Response

Come Sunday and one of New Zealand and Australia will be crowned the ODI World Champion. Which team did I support, you ask? South Africa. What happened to them, you ask? Well, they lost. Yes. South Africa lost, once again. Choked, you ask? Not this time. This year they let the tears flow.

I am definitely not the best person around to give you a ball-by-ball analysis or clinically examine where they went wrong. For this, we already have about everyone ranging from the morning milkman, who would tell you that Steyn should have had more calcium to get that extra 'bite' in his teeth to Martin Crowe, who had, more than a month ago written such a beautiful and inspiring letter that you OUGHT TO read it.

All those who know me well would concur that I should refrain from writing anything that is even remotely connected to sports. But such is the charm this South African team has over me, that a boy, who must have last held a bat in his hand five years ago, preferred and prayed for a World Cup title for South Africa rather than marks in his year-end examinations (not that the latter's now going to get better!). 

At the end of the day, the Cup was not to be the Proteas'. Come to think of it, and it is probably fair that the Kiwis won. They were, as de Villiers put it, 'the better team' on the night. After all South Africa had won their first knockout game seven World Cups, while New Zealand won their first semi-final in seven attempts. It definitely did hurt me that for a catch here and a run-out there, I would have been busy with the prayers. But there must be no regrets as South Africa had 'given it all' and 'left it all' on the field.

Yes, South Africa might not have won the World Cup but they won over the world.

AB's 150 v West Indies.














Miller's contrasting yet valuable innings in their first and last matches.



















Duminy's unnoticed hattrick and Quinny's catch in the quarters.

Quirky Tahir's beautiful leg-spin and his equally funky celebrations.
















Steyn's eye-popping spells.














They performed with passion in every game. Yes, AB de Villiers, the sun will rise and herald a glorious and bright morning. Glorious enough to match your spirits and exploits. Bright enough to match your and your team's future. 

I would have loved to write more about the team I love, admire, respect and absolutely adore, but I would save it for another occasion.

You'll rise higher

After every fire

With belief in your heart and strength in your mind

The path to success, you shall surely find

Thank you to the squad of fifteen who played their hearts out.

Thank you to the coaches and support staff who were steady sources of help, motivation and inspiration.

Thank you to the families of the players for always being there

Thank you, South Africa.

PS: Here is the video by the Proteas which inspired me.

PPS: Thanks for reading. Please like, comment and share! Good luck to the Aussies and Kiwis for the Final. Good bye!! Happy Reading!!

In Full Bloom

“Who knows how the outside world would be? What if we dry up and the flower wilts?” the petals spoke up, refusing to come into efflorescence. 

The stem and the leaves tried to reason with them, but the obstinate petals did not budge. The flowers around the bud used to recite the stories of cruel boys plucking the fellow flowers or dogs trampling upon them, further aggravating the plant's conundrum. The Wise Roots finally ended the discussion — Someday, the heat may wilt you or the dogs might trample upon you but nothing can stop your beauty and aroma from adorning the world, even if it is for a brief moment. 

Open up without fear to let the world see you in full bloom and admire your vibrant colours and inhale your intoxicating fragrance!

Thanks a lot for reading! This is my first attempt at five-sentence fiction, inspired by this wandering heart. The prompt for the week was 'Open'. Do send in your feedback!

TVF's Barely Speaking with Arnub | E03 - Arvind Kejriwal