சிரிக்க....சிந்திக்க

உன் கடைக்கண் பார்வை பட கண் மூடி வேண்டினேன்
உன் முழுமுகம் பார்த்த பின் முன்னூறு மையில் ஓடினேன்...

உன்னை கண் கலங்காமல் பார்த்து கொள்வேன் என்று கூறினேன் அன்று
என் கண்ணில் நீர் வழிய உரிக்கிறேன் வெங்காயத்தை இன்று...

சீரியல் பார்த்து கோண்டு இருந்தால் சோறு போடறது யாரு - அவன்
கிரிகெட் சேனல் போட்டா சமயல் அறையிலிருந்து கரிக்கட்டை தான் வரும் - அவள்

A Question of love

“It’s very simple. I want to fall in love with a girl and get married. I can’t imagine sharing my life with a stranger” shouted Bharath at his parents.

His voice reverberated in the small room. There was total silence for a few minutes before his father finally spoke. “So you have already selected a girl for yourself is it?” he asked with a tinge of sarcasm in his voice.

“No appa (father). Not yet. But I want to find her myself and I do not want the stars to decide my match but only my heart” he replied back.

 

“Tell me names of any 10 girls whom you know or you’re acquainted with” asked his father. This question was out of the blue and caught him completely off-guard. He frantically started murmuring some names and counted the numbers simultaneously using his fingers.

“Appa! (Father) I have only 6 till now. Is that fine?” he replied.

“And how many of them are married or already have someone else in their life?” asked his father.

He started counting again and finally said “4 are married and the other two have boy friends”.

“So effectively you do not even know a single girl who can accept you or rather you can choose” retorted his father.

 

Just then Rakesh entered the scene with wedding invitations in his hand and was taken aback by what he heard. Bharath was very embarrassed by his father’s remarks and he hung his head down. Everyone in the room stood still in silence as if witnessing a flag hoisting ceremony before Rakesh finally spoke.

 

“Hello Uncle! How are you?” asked Rakesh.

“I am doing fine. The wedding bells are ringing is it?” asked Bharath’s father on noticing the wedding cards in Rakesh’s hand.

He nodded with a big smile and gave the wedding card to Bharath’s parents.

“Love or arranged?” asked Bharath’s father as he was scanning through the invite.

“Love marriage uncle. She was from my college and we have been in love for 6 years now” replied Rakesh.

“We will definitely be there to bless you on the D-day son. Our advance wishes to both of you” told Bharath’s father.

“You encourage love when it comes to others but you condemn it in my case. Why am I being treated differently?” questioned Bharath.

 

“If you had been in love and had I opposed your marriage to that person, your argument holds good. I am not against love marriages. I am just against the notion of yours that only people who love and marry can stay happy” replied his father calmly.

 

“But how can we get to meet a stranger just once, speak a few lines and decide him/her to be your life partner? Is it not required for me to understand that person better as she is going to walk along the path with me throughout my life? That is one of the main reasons why I don’t prefer to have an arranged marriage” told Bharath.

 

“I too agree with Bharath on this point uncle. This system of arranged marriage in itself is crap. They make the girl a saleable commodity, make her offer sweets, do namaskars and then ask her to sing, dance etc. Then they offer a couple of minutes for the couple to interact with each other and share their 20 odd years of existence. How can a guy or a girl make up their mind based on those two minutes of interaction?” retorted Rakesh in support of his friend.

 

Before I give a reply to you, I have a few questions to ask you.

 

Bharath’s Father (BF) - When and where did you first meet Rupa?

 

Rakesh - I saw her the first time in my college bus when I was doing my second year.

 

BF - And did you immediately fall for her or did you become acquainted with her before liking her?

 

Rakesh- I liked her looks initially and started moving with her to know more about her. She is an intelligent girl and we both had a common passion for music. I finally started liking her and I proposed my love to her.

 

BF - And did she immediately accept your proposal?

 

Rakesh - She too liked me but she did not accept to my proposal initially. She told me that she had plans of doing an MS from USA and only then she can think of marriage. She also wanted me to get settled in a good job here so that it would be easy to convince her parents that I am an ideal match.

 

BF - What did you have to say to that?

 

Rakesh - I too agreed to what she said and we focused on our career for 2 yrs after college and we disclosed our love for each other only this year to our parents.

 

BF - Did your parents accept your love without opposition?

 

Rakesh - Her parents did not have any reservations about marrying her to me. But they just had one condition that I should be moving independently into a new house after my marriage.

My parents did not accept to the proposal for two reasons. First, they did not want me to move away and second, she was from a different caste.

It took a lot of time for both of us to convince our parents and finally they agreed to the marriage.

 

BF- Have you decided to move to a new house and has she got converted to your caste?

 

Rakesh- Neither has happened. I told her parents that I stay in a joint family and that I would ensure she feels comfortable and at home in my place.

She has started learning our traditions and customs and has accepted to adjust herself with what is being followed in my house.

 

BF- What was the last movie that you had watched?

 

Rakesh - I watched Billu Barber uncle.

 

BF – Oh! So you are a great SRK fan is it?

 

Rakesh - Not really. I don’t even understand Hindi. I went for that movie because she’s a fan of SRK and did not want to miss his flicks.

 

BF - And what is the last restaurant that you went to?

 

Rakesh - I went to Anjappar restaurant uncle.

 

BF - You are a vegetarian aren’t you and I guess that restaurant is famous for non-vegetarian food items.

 

Rakesh - Yes uncle! She has a penchant for chicken items and so we went there. I took whatever was available in vegetarian and she took non-vegetarian.

 

Now I have a question uncle. Why were you asking me all these questions suddenly?

 

BF - You met a girl and immediately started liking her because of her looks. Then you started moving with her, to know her better and in the process you understood that you loved her. Since then, both of you have made a lot of adjustments to accommodate each other in your lives.

 

This is exactly what happens in arranged marriage too. The only difference being, that the adjustments and the understanding part happens after the marriage. Here again they make you look at the girl first, but in a formal set-up.

 

I agree with you that making the girl sing, dance, offer sweets and coffee and make her behave like a puppet is not good. But times are changing and this practice will soon end as girls too are getting competitive with men in every field.

 

Won’t your parents know your likes and dislikes and will they not be able to pick a girl who will suit you better? The only difficult part is that you do not have a choice here. In love, or rather in the name of love, you have the privilege of moving with opposite sex and breaking up if it doesn’t work out. But this provision is ruled out here.

 

Be it love or arranged marriage, for the relationship to sustain and hold on, both of them should understand each other and must be prepared to make some adjustments for other’s sake. When they start respecting each other’s personal space and make those adjustments, the relationship becomes fruitful.

If everyone has to love and get married, then more than half the men and women in this world would end up as only bachelors and spinsters.

 

Rakesh thinks – (Ohh! Finally! He has finished his lecture. Let me not spur this any further. I have another 20 people to invite today)

 

Rakesh – Very true Uncle! I agree with you completely. I will take leave of you now and I am expecting you all to be there on the D-day.

 

BF – Sure son! Take care.

 

Son! I know you are confused now. You are not the type of person who goes behind a girl and makes her fall for you with your antics. You are reserved by nature and it is best for you to be yourself. We have brought you up for 26 yrs now and we know what type of person would suit you better. You need to trust your parents to get a good match for you.

 

Bharath stands perplexed not knowing what to say. He realizes that what his father pointed out was true but his mind is still not convinced about letting them decide a match for him. He reluctantly nods and walks away towards his bedroom.

தக்க சமயத்தில்...

தக்க சமயத்தில்

சொல்லாத நன்றி

கேட்காத மன்னிப்பு

செய்யாத உதவி

பகிராத காதல்

உணராத அன்பு

ஒரு மனிதனை இறுதி வரை வதைக்கும்

நியாயமா?

உன் மனதை கட்டுபடுத்த முடியாத நீ

பிற மனிதரை கட்டுபடுத்த நினைப்பது

உன் தவரை சற்றும் உணராத நீ

பிறர் தவரை சுட்டி காட்டுவது

உன் கோவம் என்றும் குறைக்காத நீ

பிறர் மனம் கோனும் போல் உரைப்பது

உன் எண்ணம் தனை உயர்த்தாத நீ

பிறரை ஏளனம் செய்து சிரிப்பது

சிந்தனை

எண்ணங்கள் சிந்தனைகள் உதித்த தருணங்களில்

அதை எழுதத்தான் எனக்கோ நேரமில்லை

இன்றோ வேலை சற்றும் இன்றி நான் யோசிக்கையில்

எழுத வார்த்தைகள் ஒன்றும் வரவில்லை..

என்னை தொலைத்தேன்

உன்னை நினைத்து கவிதைகள் படித்தேன்

உன் ஆசைகள் அனைத்தயும் நிறைவெற்ற துடித்தேன்

உன் சிரிப்பை கான பல கதைகள் உரைத்தேன்

உனக்காக சில பாடல்கள் இசைத்தேன்

உன்னோடு பெச என் உறக்கம் துறந்தேன்

உன் முகம் கானும் சிறு நொடிகளை நேசித்தேன்

நீ நினைப்பதை கூட நிஜமாக்க முயற்ந்தேன்

உன்னை மகிழ்விக்கும் பொருட்டு என்னை நான்  தொலைத்தேன்

Just to Say

I’ve told you all what not to do

Blamed you for not doing things you ought to do

But little did I realize

That I haven’t really appreciated you

For all the things you’ve done for me

 

Be it dress you wear which shows your flair

Or the make up stuff that keeps you fair

You’ve changed them all in haste

Just to ensure that it suits my taste

 

You’ve cut down both on your spending spree

And roaming around shopping when you’re free

Your parlor visits have now become sparse

As a natural beauty you come across

 

Through words I may have not put across

That I value all these you’ve done for me

So I take my time now just to say

That I treasure the changes you’ve made in your way

Just for me

இருளில் நீ தவிக்கும் குரல் கேட்டு...

என்னை உருக்கி ஒளி தந்தேன்

உந்தன் வாழ்வில் வெளிச்சம் வர

உருகும் போதும் நான் தவித்தேன்

உன் பார்வை எந்தன் மேலே பட

ஒளியால் ஏற்பட்ட மகிழ்ச்சியில்

என் நினைவோ உனக்கு வரவில்லை

நான் அனைந்த பின்பு நீ பார்த்தாய்

உன்னை திரும்பி பார்க்க எனக்கு உயிரில்லை...

இப்படிக்கு

மெழுகுவத்தி

நினைத்ததை...நடந்ததை

நினைத்ததை சொல்வதால் நடப்பதோ மாறாது

நடந்ததை நினைப்பதால் பட்ட காயமோ ஆறாது.........

ஈருடல் ஒருயிராய்...

ஈருடல் ஒருயிராய் இருக்க வேண்டும் நான் உன்னோடு 
உன் மௌனத்தையும் நன்றறிந்து பேசவேண்டும் உன் கண்ணோடு
உன் சோகம் சுகம் தனை நீ பகிர வேண்டும் என்னோடு
சொல்லல் நீ வதைத்தால் நான் சென்று விடுவேன் மண்ணோடு... 

Friendship – R.I.P

In this materialistic world…oops modern world. The word friendship has really lost its meaning; or perhaps its usage has been broadened. Flirting, dating, break-ups, one night stand and open relationships – all of them have been included in scope of this beautiful word.

While people have embraced and accepted the western culture, the words alone seem to have been conveniently left out.

Shadow warriors –These are people who do not have the courage to talk to people of opposite sex directly. They always look for ways and means to communicate indirectly. The internet age has provided them with numerous chat zones and networking sites to satisfy their vanity. Friend requests are more often than not used as flirt requests.. An attractive profile picture is all it takes for these people to select their friends (Or so do they call).  

 

Career Builders – These are people who are so focused on their career that they do not have time for any marital commitments. They foresee personal commitments as a hindrance to their professional growth. Hence they move with a person and cite career as a reason to break up a relationship and friendship as a reason to cover it up.

 

Soul Searchers – These are people who completely believe in finding a soul mate or life partner themselves. And as it happens, they invariably try their best by moving along with more than one guy/girl hinging their hopes on laws of probability. And if they succeed in one relationship, they safely call the others as friendship. And if probability fails (Not their ability) they call all as friendship and marry a girl/boy that their parents choose so as not to hurt their wishes and sentiments.

 

Flirters – These people are very good in striking an initial conversation or contact. They easily move along with the opposite sex and need a medium to push across or expand their flirting zone. And friendship seems the obvious word to do so without committing. They have the talent to move from chatting to meeting and dating and finally stop their flirting with a ‘We were just friends tag’.

 

The real problem lies in where people want to get the best of both the worlds. They want to enjoy the western culture but also need acceptance in our culture. And the scapegoat happens to be the beautiful feeling called ‘Friendship’

 

Friendship – R.I.P

My cute little teddy bear

You make me fly aloft

You're a class apart

I have you in my heart

Now please don't depart

You are my cute little teddy bear

I'll carry you everywhere

I'll give you my love and care

Don't leave me in despair

I can't sing for you or dance for you

But I'll stand by you and shelter you

I'll make you laugh and give you joy

With my pranks and looks I'll send you coy

My cute little teddy bear....

I'll carry you everywhere.....

 

தீவிர...வாதம்

என் குருதியின் நிறமும் சிவப்புதான் என்பதை

உன் தோட்டாவினால் தெரிந்து கொள்ள வெண்டுமா?

மண்ணில் மனிதனால் வரையபட்டிருக்கும் கோட்டை மாற்ற

மனித உயிர்தனை போக்க வேண்டுமா?

வெறும் வார்த்தையினால் தீர்க்ககூடிய பிரச்சனைக்கு

தீவிரவாதம் தான் தீர்வாகுமா?

என் இனிய தேவதையே

இரும்பை ஈர்க்கும் காந்தத்தை போல்

என்னை உன்னிடம் ஈர்க்கிறாய்

என் அருகில் இருக்கும் நேரமெல்லம்

உன் அன்பை என் மீது பொழிகிறாய்

ஓரக்கண் பார்வையினால்

என் உயிரை தீண்டிச் செல்கிறாய்

ஞானக்கண் இருப்பது போல்

என் நினைவரிந்து நடக்கிறாய்

கண் தூங்கும் நேரத்தில்

கனவில் வந்து கொய்கிறாய்

உறங்காமல் நான் இருந்தால்

உன் உறக்கம் துறக்கிறாய்

என் கண்கள் கலங்கும் முன்

நீ கண்ணீர் சுறக்கிராய்

நான் விடுக்கும் புன்சிரிப்பில்

உன் உலகம் மறக்கிறாய்

நாள் தோறும் என் நினைவை

உன் நெஞ்சில் சுமக்கிறாய்

நான் செல்லும் பாதையினில்

என் கை கோர்த்து வருகிறாய்

என் உயிரோடு ஒன்றினைந்து உறவாடும் தேவதையே

என் செய்வேன் நான் உனக்கு

அதை கூறு நீ எனக்கு