Just 3 words !! straight to the point that says it all!

For a lark I strung together just 3 words !! ....and it read like a story too....



I love you

Against all odds

Can't stop now

Look at me

Nobody is perfect

You and I

Let's get together

I hate you

Go to hell

I'm not kidding

Get a grip

Let it be...

Find someone else

Listen to us

No point crying

Join the club

Hearts can mend

Never look back

Live your life

Maybe you're right

But, I can't

I'm not strong

I'd rather die

Let me be

===========

Accept the criticism

Don't give up

Believe in Yourself

Change is good

Learn from yesterday

Time heals everything

Said and done

Done and dusted

Nothing is impossible

Focus, focus, focus

Make it happen

Try something new

Dreams come true

Yes, you can

Live the moment

Yesterday is gone

Dare to dream

Rise and shine

Go for it

Keep on going

Prove them wrong

===============

Listen to me

Everything is temporary

You are enough

Just be yourself

Free your mind

Believe you can

Make it happen

Seize the day

Remember to live

It's your life!!

Live king size

A Poem - If life were to give me another chance

 If life were to give me another chance

I'd say, give me back my feet to dance

The melodies of life have worn out my soles

My mind is weary, my heart has holes

I have lost my will to live in this hateful world

Drowning in sorrows, paining at words thrown

If life were to give me another chance again

I would never love you so much that it pains

The pains of parenthood, I wonder why?

Alone and sad, I am but a lonely sigh

Four walls of the room close in so often

Winters are cold and there is no autumn

If life were to give me another chance to choose

There would be so many things I'd refuse

Old age for one, in these ungrateful days

Your hateful thoughts, your devious ways

Your selfish demands when she came to stay

I knew that day, you wished I'd go away

If life were to give me another chance to cry

Lost moments, dreams, hopes to touch the sky

Suicide thoughts that have crossed my mind

That right person, the right day, I left behind

Quitting and cribbing when it was time to fly

Opportunities, challenges, now just a sigh

If life were to give me chance once more

I would not be lying alone in the morgue

An unknown soul, dead to the world

A story untold with no rhymes, no words

I'd ask for life to relive again

Without worries, without pain

If life were to give me another chance once more

Everything I said before, would go out of the door

I'd be who I am, say what I feel and do as I please

Climb mountains, fly the skies and cross the seas

Maybe I'd be on a crazy roller coaster ride

And life would be screaming, I'm by your side

If only life were to give me another chance once more......

Me, mad about the movies? Really!!

Fond memories are what they say stay with you, while the rest of the memories just wither away with time. Most people remember memorable holidays, achievements, happy moments with family etc. etc. but me?  Surrounded by over 15 cinema halls in the area where I lived what else could it be but - films and films and films...

Every weekend it was a fight to the finish with my dad for a film vs a film.  Let me explain. It was those days when "A" certificates were given to most English movies, even our 007 and if dad wanted a date with mom on a Saturday evening to the movies then he better agree to a date with his three daughters on Sunday. Otherwise there would be one foot raised across the jamb of the main door to our house not allowing them to leave...and yes, that was me. The terror who got dad to actually tear the tickets once.  Dad's favourite (sis Ruby, you know it is true) I got my way all the time.  Each and every cinema hall has a memory connected with some film or the other so let me share my tryst with the movies at some of them.

My childhood was spent in Khetwadi and within 10 minutes of walking was surrounded by Super, Shalimar, Dreamland, Novelty, Apsara, Imperial, Swastik, Naaz, Minerva, Opera House, Roxy, Alankar, Ganga Jamuna, Majestic, Central and the very quirky Diana. Oh yes, there were also those three-four not for family audience type theatres too like the Taj and Edward. 

Let me start with my pet peeve. Dad and his loosing tickets... and believe it or not, it was always those of Dev Anand films. He lost Johnny Mera Naam tickets, Tere Mere Sapne tickets and then he even lost Jewel Thief tickets at the gym. I remember the day we stood inside Alankar theatre near the door and watched Jewel Thief till Dev Anand sang "Yeh dil na hota", while Dad went searching the dark with the manager to see if anyone was sitting on our seats (oh yes, he remembered the seat numbers for sure). Sadly, someone was occupying the seats...... so well, we returned next day to see it. Surprisingly though, we would always ended up seeing his movies twice and even thrice.

Here is where I need to mention the most amazing theatre of all called Diana. Diana stood at the foot of the bridge on the corner of Tardeo and when all the movies had run their silver or golden jubilee course or otherwise, they would return to light up the Diana screen. Yes, those were the days when movies ran to silver and golden jubilees and there were many weekends, when there were no more movies left to see. That's when  Diana came to our rescue and it did not matter if we had already seen the movie earlier.  A second round of the same movie within a few weeks never hurt us, the Dudhmul family.  It was my job to run up the stairs to the balcony, lie down on its wooden seats and spread myself across five seats, cause there were no seat numbers.  Here is where Dev Anand entertained us many a times making up for lost tickets.

Naaz, the cute theatre that stood in the lane between Imperial and Swastik, has a birthday memory and an angry memory. In 1970, Mastana was released. It was one of those days when Dad said it was houseful and I argued till he challenged me to book tickets for my birthday. Off I go to the theatre and stand in the line and ask for tickets, but it is really house full.  Believe me when I say that 15 year old me stood there at the ticket window begging "Uncle, it is my birthday and I want to see the movie". Voila, it worked because those were the days when the theatre would keep two rows for whatever reason for themselves. Triumphant I walked home with the tickets and shoved them under dad's nose. On the other hand, mom threatened  to punish me for what I don't remember by not taking me to see Ganga Ki Lehrein one afternoon, but of course, mom being mom forgave me. Here I must fast forward to say sorry Mom  for not getting her to see 'Prem Bandhan' of her darling Rajesh Khanna. You see, I hated Rajesh Khanna (sorry!!) and after all I was pregnant and having lost my first child, Mom was trying hard to keep my mind off by taking me to the movies.  All films done and it was down to Inspector Eagle and Prem Bandhan..Inspector Eagle won.... but next when it was time for Prem Bandhan, it was not to be because just as we were leaving, I took her to the delivery room instead of the theatre.

Dreamland and its Bluff Master, 1963.  Rainy season time and there is Pran pulling Saira Banu with a whip around her waist in a song and suddenly out of the blue in the dark, a shoe goes flying at the screen. My poor dad died a thousand deaths looking for the shoe that I had flung at Pran.

The most glorious memory of them all is the "Mera Naam Joker" premiere at Novelty. Mom used to work at the bank on the first floor of the theatre building and Novelty had a huge footpath outside the theatre which we could overlook.  The day of the premiere the entire bank staff, including me, stood watching the unbelievable galaxy of stars walking into the theatre name it they were there, waving out to us each time we screamed their name.  Of all the stars that shone that night, I can still see in my mind's eye the most beautiful Helen in a golden saree with her golden hair in a high hairdo standing next to Dharmendra and Dara Singh for a very long time waiting for someone...I ran down to the foyer much later and saw Randhir Kapoor standing at the ticket window and shoved my autograph book in his hand. While this remained a fond memory, there was one very embarrassing one too at the same theatre.  I had started working, in fact my first job, and a friend and I got passes to the premier of "Majboor". In all my glory, I was there in a beautiful purple floral saree and then the movie ends...I rush to get a closer look at the Amitabh Bachchan walking out and then it happens, just as he is within arm's reach...the saree pleats come off as my foot gets entangled in them...need I say more!!!  

Opera House is where musical programmes also happened in the mornings and my dear Pesi Kaka always took me and I have autographs of Mukesh, Manna Dey, Juthika Roy, Chandru Atma, Geeta Dutt. Chitra Dutt...so it is no big surprise that I am still at it till today with selfies...(by the way I also have autographs of the likes of Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, Shatughan Sinha, Jeetendre, Nitin Mukesh, Sanjay Dutt, Anil Kapoor, Asha Parekh, Jaoften ya Bahaduri, Yash Chopra, B.R. Chopra to the stalwarts like Mukhri, Nana Palsikar, Agha, Paintal, Ramesh Deo, etc. etc.... and surprises of surprises a forgotten autograph of Kalpana Iyer, who I met just recently (amazing)....okay, I am going to stop gushing now... but now you know now for sure why I am the way I am...

Opera House too has one embarrassing memory. The movie "Khamoshi" which mom took me to see along with her office friends. I had decided not going to cry and why should I, after all they are just acting and "they must have had a coca cola after the shoot" (my exact words to mom), but damn, the flood broke at the end when Waheeda Rehman turns mad and Rajesh Khanna beats the door to say he will wait for her. National Anthem begins (yes, it used to be played at the end of the movies then), the lights come on and there I am standing sobbing my heart out only to be dragged out to be admonished by my mom.

Many many more memories are coming flooding back as I am writing this....such as my little sister slipping on mud at the corner of the lane just as its time to reach the theatre to watch "Spy in Rome" at Imperial, or taking villain Ramesh Deo's autograph on the back of the ticket coming out of Majestic theatre after watching "Shart" , or watching "Do Dooni Chaar" at Swastik or pushing dad to take us to see "Jawani Diwani" at Ganga Jamuna in our dirtiest clothes straight from a picnic to Juhu Beach (oh yes, Juhu Beach was a distant far out picnic spot for us and today I live close by). I even remember once dad bought tickets by mistake for "Sinbad, Alibaba, Alladin" and "Raja aur Rank" for the same day-same show and we stood near Super Cinema deciding which one to see and thereafter dad went and sold the other tickets and bought it for another day......Not to forget those Indo-Pakistan war,1971 days when our windows were fitted with black paper and sirens stopped us from venturing out and forced us to switch out lights....we were at "Naya Zamana" in Roxy when the siren rang and I remember being scared as the screen blacked out till the siren rang again.. Marathi films were not my dad's cup of tea so I must thank my Pesi Kaka for taking me to see all the Marathi movies of those stalwarts right from Dada Kondke, Jayshree Gadkar, Nilu Phule, Ashok Saraf, Arun Sarnaik, Raja Gosavi  and more...

The film industry has always mesmerised me especially the hard work that goes on behind the scenes on the sets. I love to watch how it happens.  I have been on many sets and my craze started way back from 1969 on the sets of "Piya Ka Ghar" at Raj Kamal Studio on 19th June 1971 to be precise (I have the entire cast's autographs and even Dilip Kumar, B.R. Chopra, Yash Chopra who were shooting Dastaan there too). I recall Anil Dhawan had just one line to say and that too he fumbled many a times, by which time I knew the dialogue and the action required of sitting down at that precise dialogue. I remember thinking to myself that I could have done the shot as required by the director.  No wonder I prayed to become a film actor at the Haji Ali dargah that year but for God's own reasons it never got fulfilled (ahem, a few short films done recently though...so maybe there is hope still)... Oh yes, that being said, it is very clear that from that day till date, I am not shy of walking up to any of the stars..... after all what worst, they can only refuse!!!

The craze has continued even after marriage where with my equally film crazy in-laws family I would be at the Ambar-Oscar-Minor theatres every Friday night without fail watching the latest movie.  Of course, my craze continues till today and even more so thanks to my best friend YouTube...I am done with most old movies of 1950s to 1970s with not much left to devour now but the search is on way back to the times of Raja Harishchandra, the first known feature film made in India and I will go on and on and on because I am just one mad filmy keeda with a voracious stomach for meeting the stars and revelling in entertainment industry from days gone by to eternity..... and living in hope to be up there on screen some day... even if as I joke, just to open the door to say "saheb, aap ko koi milne aaya hai"

Dementia, Alzheimer's and my tryst at film making!!!

"Dementia, a condition that frightens many enough to shove it under the carpet and when it affects a loved one...even more...." are the opening lines that I wrote for my film titled "Selfless Soldier - Sailesh Mishra" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aETnPu2FFXk). For a long time, I had been enamoured with the thought of making a film on Sailesh Mishra's  passion but it just did not seem to materialise.

Then one fine day, YESiAmTheChange happened. I decided that this year, come what may, I was going to participate in the Yes Foundation's YIAC 101-Hour Social Filmmaking Challenge, 3-minute short films on social causes. I entered myself for the NGO category and hoped that the topic would be just what I wanted it to be. I had the thoughts, the director's vision (ahem!) and the storyboard ideas ready in my mind to tweak based on the topic, but I knew I would need someone to capture my vision and put it on screen. I decide to take the plunge by writing a small note on all my whatsapp groups asking for production assistance at minimal cost. I get a call from Drishti, who listens patiently to me saying, "I have this awesome friend Sailesh and I want to make a film on the work he does as part of a contest. I want to showcase his dedication for Dementia and Alzheimer's", to a response, "Hiraji, I think you did not recognise me. I am Drishti, Sailesh's daughter"... and I wished the earth had opened up and swallow me.  That indeed was an unbelievable intervention by God himself for me and the beginning of a wonderful relationship with Drishti, her friend Amritraj Esakkiappan and their newly founded company called "The Photomist" (https://www.facebook.com/photomist/) that started the morning, the topic dropped into my mail box wee hours on 9th September. The topics were "Responsible Citizenship" or "Specially Abled"... and I chose "Responsible Citizenship" and we were ready to get going.

My long standing friendship with Sailesh had already created an awareness and interest into doing my bit for the cause for long now, so when I went to A1 Snehanjali at Nalasopara and Rajodi to record scenes I had in mind for my film, I sort of knew what to look for and what to expect. I knew that Alzheimer's is the most common form of dementia and what are the problems that come with it, but then I met Mary Aunty who kept holding my hand to ask "what will they do to me" and my heart cried.  Everyone knows that the person affected by the disease retreats into a world of his own and the world she/he creates that has no place for reality or the present.  Most of the times, the memories that remain are those that are long past gone but seem like today. Mary Aunty obviously had been hurt enough sometime, somewhere in her life and that bit of memory has remained with her, which is never going away.  At first she refused to touch the casio, but then suddenly got up and played the 'happy birthday' song for us on the casio. Sadly, it caught us by surprise and we could not capture that moment on film. On the other hand, there was ever smiling Kusum Aaji (as she is fondly called) who remembered only the happy days at her home and kept inviting me home. My most favourite Hussaini Uncle, held on to a doll and kept telling me "he is a good boy most times" as I sat there talking to him.....and not to forget Bhaskar Uncle, Peter Uncle, Hariprasad Uncle, Meera Aunty and others there who stole my heart.

The environment there was calming, beautiful and green and the peace that came over me being there is unexplainable. It was no wonder therefore that the elders there are happy living in their own little world amongst nature in the loving care of the caregivers. As the day progressed and the more time I spent there, I realised that just reading up about the disease was so academic and clinical. Watching them trying to communicate with us made me realise human contact, a hug, holding the hand is so necessary that since that day at A1 Snehanjali, I have been hugging my daughter more each day. 

Not to forget first and foremost, the fear of Dementia which scares us and I admit that I am one of those who is frightened too. Everyone according to me should visit once and I promise that you will come home with a lot more patience and understanding for elders. I can't explain what went through my mind, as I watched the elders and the caregivers at the assisted living elder care home that day. There was not much that I could do but to hold their hands and talk to them hoping that they were understanding me. That being key, it made me wonder how a family remains sane dealing with this unfamiliar, dark and unknown world of their loved ones, especially the children in the family. When it is not easy for the adults, I cannot even imagine what the children must be going through. 

At the end of it all, when the film was edited (a big thanks to Drishti and Amritraj) and uploaded, I knew that I had fulfilled a promise made to myself long ago. Whether I win or lose the contest, it just does not matter anymore. I just revel in the thought that there will be a panel of eminent people on the jury and others at the YES Foundation, who will see my film. Maybe, just maybe the film will touch a heart and there will be someone out there who will reach out to Sailesh, as there is so much that needs to be done, so much more to be brought to the forefront and addressed. My friend and lone unsung soldier, Sailesh who is doing just that, on his own steam, needs to be recognised and supported. He truly understands the challenges and emotional needs of these elders and their families enough to continue to pursue his passion and dream of an elder friendly world. I, on my part, will continue to support him in my own little way and that goes without saying. His mantra "the silver-haired are not retired but rewired today and deserve to enjoy their second childhood”, is actually my mantra of life today. 

I am a mobile addict

Can I give up my mobile for a day? I wonder. I can't even imagine my life without a mobile today, even though there are many who may not agree. I know that there are strong and disciplined people out there who detox occasionally from mobile but I am not ready to admit I need that. Staying connected to people is life itself for me. I can't imagine a day without my fingers not tapping, swiping or watching flickering pictures and staying connected. I know the world is not going to end if I put that mobile away nor are my friends going to go away either.

I am great at multitasking and creative thinking so what if I cut paste a wrong message to someone it was not meant for sometimes. So what if I hit auto text turning "dear" into "dead"...or "yoga" into "yoda"..and the one worst that I fear "peace" and not "pieces" (you know, the rest in peace one..I check this a 100% times over). In the morning, along with that cup of tea it's the newspaper and the mobile for me. Reading through whatsapp, facebook and the newspaper to check what happened before I woke up (well, it is another fact that I get up very late these days..retired you see!!!).  So what if the very next thing I do is to clear the chat of all those annoying good mornings, picture notifications and that one same message that pops up in each and every group like a tsunami on a particular day.... Okay, I do know it is a nice way to start a morning by wishing each other and I do appreciate your love, but no one needs a beep beep 365 days a year especially me, at unearthly hours. You are awake my friend, but my morning has not yet begun so then don't blame me for putting you on silent mode. Silent mode, indeed!!! ........ there I go checking whether you have wished me that morning. I don't want it to beep, I want it to beep, totally confused me.

You know what's funny. Let me tell you what makes me feel more sane than most mobile addicts. I don't text my family sitting in the same room or in the next room even if we are on the same group. Now that's what I call real crazy. So what if I use a missed call to my daughter, as a signal to come to my room. Now, that I think is an intelligent use of the mobile instead of shouting, is it not?

You may wonder what is it that I am missing out on by using my mobile consistently. You must also be thinking that I definitely need to be doing something else instead? That is never an issue with me. I work from home but get around a lot too doing crazy and fun stuff, in fact quite a lot than most people.....and when I am out the internet package is off because funny as it may sound, I just never seem to need it when I am with friends or out. I simply inform those I need to stay connected to during that day via sms that I am off whatsapp, etc. Simple but effective way to break away from face book and whatsapp because I become a photographer and need my mobile to stay alive through the day as I go click click. It's another story that once I am home, there I go posting all  those photos on social media. As corny as it sounds, I want to be able to watch a show without feeling the need to share a photo but then I am a pro at doing just that without looking at the screen. I know I will have that one picture of the many I went click click click looking over the mobile. Yes, I am a notorious shutterbug strong desire to capture every moment and  memory.

I love my sleep too, so switching off the internet connection the moment it is bedtime and that means the internet package of my mobile too is a done deal. Of course not the mobile calls, after all who knows who might need to call you. 

Besides I am also not one of those who think the theatre hall is the personal hall of my home. Yes, I do get up and tick off those using the mobiles in the theatre.  Silent mode indeed, but what about that annoying light that flickers in the darkness. Not to mention my counterparts who discuss menus with their cooks mid-movie or those who love to text or talk especially during a song sequence...Hello, I want to watch that song you know and I don't need additional disco lights from your mobile to enjoy it more!!!

I'm a good girl and don't text or talk when I drive even though you know, I am quite a pro and can do just that. I won't profess not to have done that before...but with a near disaster once, texting and driving is a definite no, no and even answering the phone today. My mobile definitely lies now in my purse hanging behind the driver seat completely inaccessible and away from temptation. Besides, I am just too much in love with life for that.

I just love mindlessly opening up applications, scrolling through and connecting with friends. Internet advises setting realistic limits for oneself of using the applications of not more than an hour or so in a day (not going to happen!!!) or for not longer than 15 minutes at a time (hmmmm!!).... Leave my mobile at home, switch off while on holiday. How stupid would that be in this crazy world where anything happens at anytime. 

Maybe I need to break up with my mobile..... even though I think I am doing fine.... 

My mobile is now my best friend, my love connection to my family and even more so with friends who I don't meet for months. Just maybe, just maybe, I am a mobile addict.......Maybe I do need to detoxify... May be I need to unplug from the unreal world to the world around me.. 

...........but then on second thoughts, I am already enjoying the best of both worlds... content to be on-line or off-line as I please.

HORROR OF HORRORS !!!

The fear of the unknown the slow buildup of suspense, dead walking, screams and those horrifying faces that pop out of nowhere. That sound or figure that calls out to the friends, walking deeper and deeper in their own death trap….that nail biting finish when someone manages to escape the jaws of death. Horror of horrors, they are  tapping into our fears and doing their best to scare us out of our wits.  That’s horror films for you…. but I wonder what goes on in the minds of those who watch horror movies. I, for one have a lot of questions to ask…

Why does the girl need a shower in the dead of the night?

Why do the lights never work at night?

Why is the ghostly woman always in a white gown?

Why do they step out of the house at night into the fog or rain?

Why do they go down to the basement in the middle of the night to investigate some mystery noise

Why do they carry that candle to look for that singing voice if they are not that brave…yeah, sometimes it’s that torch

Why does a black cat always spring out of nowhere?

Why do they hang around the bhootia ghar the next morning after the scary night?

And most importantly, those who trip and fall for no obvious reason and just can’t get. Why are they unable to just run instead of crawling backwards screaming “nahin ..nahin” …I for one would have been out of there in a flash and  do something besides standing there screaming or sit on the ground and look up at death.

Besides I would never be caught dead wearing those white flowing gowns …how in heaven’s name would I be able to run and if I were the victim why would I follow the ghostly figure at death’s pace….I would have left that haunted place the very next day…..  I think that I am just thinking too much about details ….The trick is to let the imagination truly let loose in horror movies and I guess the magic would be lost if everyone was as analytical as me…besides if things got solved at a drop of a hat then the film would end within minutes. There is plenty of horror moments that scare the mind and not allow many to sleep after watching them. I know of many friends who refuse to watch horror or scary movies. Now with the advent of 3D, horror takes a leap straight into the minds of its audience.  On the other hand, I have in my home my own little horror show….my husband and daughter who love the macabre. The more the oozing blood, the more the zombies, vampires, and the more the ghosts….the more the curdling screams… the happier they are.  The possession of just about every damn thing will keep them glued ….. Oh my, I just realized that I live among the possessed…….

Everyone has been afraid of the dark some time or the other and even more so if we are out of our comfort zone, say on a holiday, where the hills are dark and deep and the night sounds are unusual.  Try telling a horror or ghost story to your companions out in the open around a campfire. The changing colour on some of the faces around you will turn more deadly than the ghosts  being spoken about….and don’t forget about that poor old peepul tree believed to be the home of ghosts especially at night (wonder where they go during the day??). Superstitions have a place in our lives whether we admit or not and it is these that become the masala in the horror movies. Remember the fear of number 13. Horror of horrors, what do I do now cause I am born on a 13^th. 

Remember that victim who comes tottering in with a knife in his back to deliver a long dialogue and collapse without telling practically anything of value or that dead victim who wakes up to  grabs the ankle. The phone never works and neither will the car.  Most important of all and a must have is the “cross”. You lose that you lose your life. You know what is the most awesome thing? The last survivor is always a woman. Men are somehow not capable of surviving a horror movie, so kudos to all us women out there cause we are the true “men of steel”.

So then do I still watch horror films?  You bet I do…all of them baring those where blood flows freely…….. and when I am watching screaming people running away or that knife in the hand or that person about to step towards the noises coming from the cupboard probably where the unseen horror is hiding, all my analytical skills get tossed out of the window. Some people, like my daughter is always wired to watch, while some like me choose to watch and some not at all as they fear  they will be reminded of such things when they are alone. No matter how many times I try to kill the urge to watch, an unseen hand or a ghostly white form will entice and pull me towards the darkness engulfing us into the mystical world of horror…after all mere bhi bheje mein chemical locha hai!!  

A POEM DEDICATED TO MOM

A POEM  

Dedicated to my sweet Mom with love who taught me to look up at the sky and see the beautiful art forms that God created with clouds in the sky……

clouds…

Mom, you showed me pictures in the skies
Clouds in different shapes and size
Cotton wool, cotton candy, fluffy pillows, a cone of ice-cream
Bubbling foam, splashes of colour in the skies, hissing steam

Sometimes a duck, a rabbit too, a funny face, angry too
Floating above, light as feather across the sky so blue
Changing shapes as each minute goes by
Moving along in a blink of an eye
Sometimes soft like kiss on the cheek
Sometimes dark and sometimes bleak

Calm and white carpets, dark grey angry clouds
Watching upon the earth as birds fly through
In the dark night hide and seek with the moon
Softening the blow of the hot red sun in the afternoon

And when lightning struck the clouds you said
God's lights are not working, come out from under the bed
When the rains came and flooded the earth
God needs to clean his house once a year, you shrugged

Each time I look up at the clouds in the lovely sky
I see your smiling face and wish had wings to fly
To share with you the fun and storms, I withstood
To give you a hug, say the good bye I never could 

4 very very short stories

4 very very short stories

• Someone must have seen him, because the police were at his door. It must have been that kid who ran into the gates of his old house with its wildly overgrown garden silent, dark and burnt yellow.  They found his diary under his bed. The diary revealed the sordid family history and they found out the secret too. The family had been cursed since the day they bought the house. Half the names on the list had already been crossed off. He had kept his mother alive in his thoughts. Perhaps too alive to be normal.

• The house dwarfed every other house in the street. The sound of breaking stopped them.  The lights appeared out of the darkness.  They turned and hurried back up the stairs.  It wasn't as if anyone had got hurt before they left or had they? She stared into the darkness at the lifeless bodes. He didn't let on that he was petrified.  They knew what had to be done as soon as the door closed.  Then the house blew up. It had been done and in the end it didn't matter.

•  Manipulating people is so easy ​and he had been doing that for so long now.   He was ​ always​ desperate for money. His vices demanded it from him.  ​He ​said to her, "This might seem like it’s about me, but it’s not. If I hadn't been there I would never have believed it. ​After she’d told me it was high time I knew it was time to claim my family legacy, but grandmother turned me away and pulled out the box from the closet and handed it to me to give it to you....to give it to YOU????"..Silence….. He never imagined he could kill somebody but he ​had…

.

• Anyone ​who finds this, please do not blame the drugs.  I know​  my time had come. All families are the same and each family is unhappy in its own way and in my case I was the reason.  The black sheep and they were definitely fed up.  They did not believe me any more.  I told them last night that I might be gone sometime soon.  Here I am now.​There are two gates to the new world; one  leading to a path that is white as snow and ​ then there is the other one where a fire is burning on either sides of the pathway. I am waiting my turn!!!

Registered with Film Writers Association - 2016

Kapil Sharma, I am not a stalker!!!- Hira Mehta

Laughter is the best medicine-who ever said that. Some might say that laughter is a medicine to hide a hurt, some say it frees me from sadness, some say it is an exercise to keep happy. So let me think this through. I got it.. Laughter is Kapil Sharma and his team for me and my infection has not been cured yet..................... and hey, I don't want a cure. I want to be infected more.. so waiting now for The Kapil Sharma Show.....

but I am not a stalker.....just a genuine fan of the show because that's the only show that brings a smile to my face...I have tried watched other laughter shows (need I name) while Kapil Sharma has been off air, but they are so so dumb and silly ...that I might just die laughing (and by that I being sarcastic).....

I have not missed a single episode of Comedy Nights with Kapil show of course..........but then let me also count how many times have I got truly infected in person. In the audience for episodes starting with Farah Khan, Shekhar Suman/Adhyayen Suman, Shilpa Shetty & Raj Kundra/Harman Baweja, Sonakshi Sinha in the awesome deep orange outfil ( and hey,I asked a question too), Karishma Kapoor & Armaan Malik, Rekha, Ranbir Kapoor/Deepika for Tamasha........ Salman Khan (love the guy) /Nawazuddin Siddique (such a down to earth person)....I recall raising my hand to say I would be happy to call Salmaan Khan "bhaisaheb" to much laughter and ribbing by Kapil Sharma.....and why not cause I am not a giddy headed person who loves a particular star....anyone that entertains becomes my favourite......... and then what can I say about the awesome Shamitabh episode with Amitabh Bachchan/Dhanush/Akshara (Yes,I ran on stage to dance with Mr. Bachchan too). You may ask how I managed to be there so many times. Well, I'm not telling.... but where there is determination there is a way....... My only regret is not being able to be there for the ABCD2 episode to see my absolute favourite dancing stars (by the way ABCD is that one film that I have seen first day first show all alone in a theatre...and by all alone I really mean in all my growing up and present years and  yes I cried tears of joy at every dance performance (damn those 3D glasses) ..... 

Each time has been something more memorable than the other....and what's more surprising is that I never got that photo with Kapil Sharma too (except for the TV grab)....not once in all the times I went there..........So much energy on the sets....Kapil would come out and play drums sometimes...sing his favourite "mere mehboob kayamat hogi" (goosebumps) and talk to audience...and sometimes even give a dose in good jest to audience if they tried his patience .. My friends teased me that I was stalking him each time I landed there....... but no way, because watching Kapil and his team in person was like being a part of the Sharma family and besides there was so much more laughter to experience and so much more footage to see performed live on the sets than that which gets edited into a capsule for TV......  after all there is nothing more breathless than watching a live performance....

Let me share some moments I remember....The first episode that I was to attend was the Sonu Nigam one and there I was all excited and ready to leave when I get a message that its cancelled.....totally disappointed only to realise later that a fire had burnt down the set......but there I was at the first episode with Farah Khan and even got a photo with Dadi and Bua...... And then there was that episode when the pyros shot up in the air as Rekha entered onto the stage and break..some sound issues ...again the stage was cleared up and once again fanfare, entry and not again, I thought, again problem with her mike sound...flurry on sets...much discussion.... and I scream out to the production person "it's the lapel mike sound against the huge gold chocker around her neck"...back again fanfare and this time Rekha enters with a hand mike and the episode gets on way...but damn it took twelve hours to shoot as they recorded two back to back episodes with her....  Farah Khan episode was where I got to ask a question but it was edited out.....but I managed that in the Sonakshi Sinha episode where I got to debate with Kapil on the benefits of marriage....interesting and funny ....  and then how can I forget standing bang next to Ranbir Kapoor in the opening sequence of his episode where I dropped a coin in his hand...(want a grab of that but can't find the episode on youtube ...anyone???)....of course nothing can compare to a dream come true that remains with you for a lifetime....so what if I have seen Mr. Bachchan up front at my bank, shooting for the commercial as brand ambassador or getting a personalised autograph in his autobiographical  book  on my 50th birthday (thanks to my sister who designed his book "To be or Not to Be") .....though nothing can compare to grabbing the opportunity to be on stage to dance with the God himself.. and I did.. and that warm hug after the sequence ....just an icing on the cake ....

So what if it took hours before the actual shoot started hours later.....For me long hours on the set was not just pure fun observation time but most importantly when you are sitting there you realise and appreciate the amount of  hard work that goes behind each episode of just 50 minutes to reach our TV screens....... that itself was a big learning for a filmy keeda like me. 

And now team Kapil embarks on a new journey with The Kapil Sharma Show as I wait with bated breath to find a way to get there on the sets again to watch them perform .....waiting for them to give us the audience doses of laughter...Hats off Kapil Sharma for you are indeed my weekend dose of happiness ....